About Constance
Constance invites you into a process of learning which involves gradually opening up to learning from everyone and everything. This infinite openness allows for the deepest gratitude from all life circumstances.
Her focus includes looking at both intimacy and transcendence. She is a strong meditation practitioner who facilitates personal change and spiritual growth.
If you want to know compassion, then it helps to learn about yourself in loving company. She works with you to listen and dialogue about your life issues and concerns. There are a number of tools for increasing intimacy in your life.
If you want to know the truth of who you are, then while becoming more present you will come to see your inherent freedom. Her primary tools are noting practice, gentle inquiry, and loving kindness meditation. Although, she is able to incorporate other meditation programs you may already be using with your participation with her. If you are open to receiving instruction and guidance in meditation, you can increase your awareness.
Whether your path is in Buddhism, Christianity or other forms of practice doesn't matter as long as you are focusing primarily on being honest in each and every moment to the best of your ability.
Constance is an enlightened teacher of meditation. Her background includes work in the field of addictions and recovery, focusing primarily on process addictions, i.e. relationship addiction, work addiction, romance addiction, spiritual addiction, etc. She completed her schooling in addictions training in 1990; she actively participated in 12 step recovery, since 1983.
More from Constance.
A Personal Message
I have been involved in an active spiritual journey for over 26 years. I attended 12 step meetings, primarily Al-anon, for moral, spiritual and community support. Al-anon is a simple program for looking into one's inner relationship and outer relationships with others. The program helps one to look at the story one is creating, how to best live in balance, and most of all--it also asks you to turn your will and your life over to a Higher Power. I always felt a split between what my head told me and what my heart told me. And, the head and heart were slowly coming together and working toward this united ground with God.
I've always meditated. It's in my nature. I just called it "hanging out". I would just sit, relax, allow things to be, and wait for answers to come to me. This led to some profound healing with one of our sons who fully recovered from a debilitating and rare form of Epilepsy.
My path became increasingly intense after starting a regular meditation schedule in the beginning of 2007. With a more intensive meditative discipline, the call to know God became overwhelmingly clear. I practiced Soto Zen at a near by Zen center.
At the end of my first sesshin, a question arose from deep within: "Who is it that considers the One?" And, the answer stuck me profoundly from a place I could not go or reach, "No one."
Astounded by this knowing, I knew I needed to sit in silence more often, and stopped almost all of my work projects and went on a silent retreat with Adyashanti. I was still available for our family, and basic needs, but started a process of renunciation.
At the end of a Theravada, ten-day retreat, about 4 months after the first sesshin, I knew that I needed to give over my entire will and life to God, in a supportive environment. I decided to go to Malaysia and stay at a monastic meditation center for ten weeks in order to fully investigate the truth.
What I had been looking for all of my life became known to me on the tenth day of the retreat in Malaysia. It is considered to be stream entry, by Theraveda Buddhists or what can be called the entrance to the unitive life as Bernadette Roberts, a Catholic contemplative, talks about. This opening has continued to expand. It is a spiritual awakening that pulls the egoic center out of the way and begins to answer everything.
This is an abbreviated version of the story which I'm writing about this period, because I feel it can benefit others who have struggled in doubt for many years.
After this abiding awakening, there have been a series of deeper awakenings. Each opening has revealed more and more about the human condition, revealing deeper mysteries. How to live in a way that best answers: What is it to be human? --which is a constantly unfolding process that is simultaneously amazing and ordinary."
The best way for me to walk in beauty has been to share this with others. If there is anyway I can be present with you and help you along your journey, I'd be honored.
The time to wake up is now.
Much love and gratitude for your practice. Let's practice together!