Foreword ix
Introduction xiii
Part One
What Is the Sacred Art of Conversation? 1
Chapter 1: Encountering the Sacred Within 5
Practice: Entering the Cave of Your Heart 10
Practice: Listening to the Conversation in Your Heart 11
Chapter 2: Encountering the Sacred in Each Other 13
Reflection: Souls Who Have Made Us Wiser 17
Practice: Tending One Another's Light- Holding, Beholding, and Being Held 18
Chapter 3: Encountering the Sacred Between Us 19
Reflection: Increasing Awareness of the Sacred Between Us 24
Part Two
Gateways for Conversation 25
Chapter 4: Listening to Your Life 31
Reflection: Steppingstones on the Journey 40
Chapter 5: Noticing and Naming What Gives You Life 41
Reflection: Nurturing Awareness of What You Hold Sacred 49
Reflection: Looking at the World with the Eyes of a Poet 50
Chapter 6: Discerning a Heart-Centered Path 51
Reflection: Listening to Your Inner Guide 60
Reflection: The Thread You Follow 61
Part Three
Practicing the Sacred Art of Conversation 63
Chapter 7: Practicing Attentive Presence: Listening Within Before Speaking Out 69
Practice: Three Deep Breaths 75
Practice: Centering on the Breath 76
Chapter 8: Practicing Receptive Presence: Welcoming All That We Encounter 77
Reflection: The Three Gates 85
Practice: The Welcoming Prayer 86
Chapter 9: Practicing Compassionate Presence: Going Within Before Venturing Out 89
Practice: Offering the Gift of
Contemplative Questions 100
Practice: Sacred Holding 102
Practice: Compassionate Abiding 103
Conclusion 105
Appendices
The Sacred Art of Conversation in Community: Creating Occassions for Contemplative Conversations 111
Appendix 1: Cultivating Contemplation and Compassion in Community through Journey Conversations 115
Appendix 2: Appreciatively Focused Conversations at Home and Work 127
Appendix 3: Conversation Catalysts 131
Notes 139
Suggestions for Further Reading 147
Acknowledgments 151
About the Journey Conversations Project 153
Credits 154
