...Great and fruitful work!

INDIVIDUAL THERAPEUTIC INTEGRATION: PAINTING/ ART,

SACRED DRUMMING & REFLECTIVE DISCUSSION

"I sensed during my reflective drumming that God is trying to have me realize that an important part

of why my spiritual journey has been so uniquely blessed by God, is because God created me

so we. God has always been so free with blessing me and in allowing me to know God's presence

with me." JHH meeting week of Dec 16 2009.

God seems to be giving me this message...

"Do not hide or deny that you are created in my image as I loved you into being...it is is nothing to

be ashamed of...It is the reason I have blessed you so uniquely during your life journey...

the wheelchair is an appropriate symbol and remembrance of God's love for me." JHH meeting of

Dec 1, 2009.

Below is the product from the "Individual Therapeutic Integration: Painting/Art, Sacred Drumming &

Reflective Discussion.

God is Love - God is Light

I have given this painting the title: God is Love - God is Light

The aim in doing this painting is to represent my life journey as I currently "envision" it. During

the past few months, Fr.P has been companioning me and guiding me, with the assistance

of hand drumming, to allow me to discern my relationship with God. This was done by carefully

considering while drumming and in prayerful reflection, a multitude of my life "events." These were

the moments throughout my life when I felt I have been especially "close" to the Divine. Fr.P in

journeying with me, has been encouraging me to integrate these "events" into the context of my

entire life journey.

In the painting:

The outer blue area represents my "Sacred Void" which is in the "realm" that I am most easily

open to connecting with God alone, in prayer, Eucharist, dreams, Near Death Experiences, etc.

Throughout my whole life, I have felt God's presence with me but it is especially strong

and intimate when God allows me to enter my "Sacred Void."

The huge yellow circle centered in the "Sacred Void" represents the "light" which engulfed me

during my Near Death Experiences when I was a child. I feel that it is the closest a human

can come close to God and "live." Being an infant and young adolescent at these times and

not knowing people experienced such phenomena, allowed me to be very "open" to the

experiences. I always have and still seem to continue to compare everything in my life

to the wonderful warm,loving and comforting feelings that I remember experiencing at the time.

Everything else pales in comparison and the memory has never faded.

I am looking forward to traveling through the tunnel and once again being "united" with

the "light" (at the end my my earthly journey).

Next with the "light" is a fiery circle represent my awareness of God's "Love" which has continuously

nourished me throughout my entire life.

The heart in the center of this circle represents God's "Love" which has continuously nourished me

throughout my entire life.

The heart in the center of this circle represents God's "Love" for me, in which I find my great love

for God. These love feelings have come in prayer but I am always humbled by Eucharist.

It is always an opportunity to encounter Jesus directly and intimately but, also a reminder

of the extent of God's Love for me. Jesus coming among us to show us how to live as
"sister and brothers" with Him and the great "Love" His Father has for me. He also showed
God's great "Love" for me through His Incarnation,Dying, Rising, and Ascension.

In the center of the heart is the symbol for Jesus (Chi-Rho) at the top of an anchor.

Jesus is the anchor of my great love for God. Around the heart is an orange circle representing

fire and dynamic burning of God's Love (Holy Spirit).

I have placed within this fiery orange region, fertile green areas. They represent mysteries that

I cannot possibly know about God, (me being human) and areas of future growth in my "knowing"

God more intensely (what God chooses to reveal to me and invites me to know.) They are green

because of their potential for my growth. there are also a few openings in the green "barrier" to

represent the special "Light and Love events" which God has allowed me to experience.

Within the green area., I added the title which represents the primary focus of my journey.

God is Light 1 John Chapter 1:5

God is Love 1 John Chapter 4

FP added the lines extending the light into the blue "Void" to represent his companioning me

on this journey to find a better integration of my life experience.

,,,It did work and produced wonderful therapy!

Individual Therapeutic Integration : Sacred Drumming, Painting/Art and Reflective Discussion

INDIVIDUAL THERAPEUTIC INTEGRATION: PAINTING/ART &

REFLECTIVE DISCUSSION

Conversation took place and this was how the painting been painted on the canvas

Colors of Life

The dialogue that follows depicts her sincere reflections of specific feeling and its relationship to color.

She no longer felt inadequate as an artist by the time we finished discussing this – and – was very eager to

give her feeling about words and colors and to weave this creative plain.

FP: Thank you Sister, for sharing. Excellent.

Sister: Since I didn’t know what to do, the Lord did it.

FP: Sister, you said you are not an artist. If I can bring a big canvas here, you can express

with different colors. I think you can do that. For example, give me one word that was there.

Sister: Brilliant.

FP: Okay, brilliant, now if you had a canvas, what color, do you like to use. What color would you use?

Sister: I LOVE purple.

FP: Okay, then you love purple. Then I will be sitting down here, and I will play one music tape.

I will use a very simple music tape. I will use “Yahweh You are Near”. When I play that,

until the music stops and you just keep on moving. Your expression of brilliant will be in the color that you like.

What is the next one?

Sister: Dazzling.

FP: Okay dazzling. What color is dazzling for you, Sister?

Sister: Uh, red.

FP: Okay, red. How do you imagine that is going to be?

Sister: I think it could have many shades of red all around it and be dazzling.

FP: See, so we already have a kind of purple, and probably the red will be coming like

a sun-ray from the purple. The brilliantness and the dazzling, is coming. Now, pick one or two more words.

Sister: Okay, well, flowering.

FP: Ok now, what color do you like to express flowering with?

Sister: Oh, pink and blue or yellow.

FP: Ok. Where will we put that on that big canvas?

Sister: If it’s going to be flowering, it should be on the bottom coming up.

FP: Ok. Look at the interpretation now. This flower produces beautiful aroma.

If you put it towards the bottom, the flower will produce that brilliantness.

The brilliantness produces that ray. See how it is now?

Sister: And the last one will be resplendent.

FP: What color are you going to use for that?

Sister: Oh, I’d like a mixture of pink, like that.

FP: And where would you like to put that, when you imagine that now?

Sister: I think the whole thing is resplendent.

FP: So, in the background, like this, behind. So, it might be a little bit light.

Then, darker and darker, so that’s how it is. That’s exactly how you want to do it. We can work on it.

What a joy to see the fruits!

Group Therapeutic Integration: Painting/Art, Sacred Drumming & Reflective Discussion

Group members from the "Wisdom of the Drum" program who came together for three Fridays to

drum, to paint and to share their inner feelings. There were 26 participants who attended this

program ages between 60 to 93 years old.

Just follow your inner feeling and produce the beat according to how you are feeling!

The paintings become more vivid

"What a surprise to walk into the room where we were meeting Father Abas and his "Wisdom of the

Drums" and see a huge pile of drums and sticks in the middle of the floor! This was not going to be

a one-drum recital by Father; we were all going to play drums! It was an exciting moment when, at

Father;s direction, with smiles on everyone's face we picked up our sticks and flailed away at our

drums. Father said the drum covers were made of goatskin." By Virginia Fleche- Abstract from

Chrism, ISM December, 2009 Volume 7, Issue 4.

"The existence of inner peace in us produce the harmony of the sacred

sound of our drums." Abas, December 2009.

Gently move your hands, your mallets and beat the drum.

Through the sacred drumming a person can be inspired to express his/her feeling in painting/art.

Changes in our lives told in the Wisdom of the Drums

"Change has always been difficult for me. Times like when I moved to Rochester, being

in a strange place and not knowing anybody. The Serenity Prayer has been my daily strength.

Accepting some of these changes helps me be close to the Lord ever day. " -Josie Baccoli-

"Death is a big change in your life when it happens in your family.

Often this change will open

new doors and we move on. It may lead to opportunities for a new relationships

and new postives in your life." -Gen LaMendola-

I always have to be organized and I organize things. Sometimes things do not go my way
and I can't sleep. Then it suddenly comes to me that I've reached a point in life when
I have no control of things; myself, my children, everything. Then its in God's hands.

You surrender yourself totally to His will and ask for His guidance. You can always trust in Him.

-Ruby Talbot-

A lot of changes come to us and we don't see any choice at all- but we always have a choice in

how we accept change. If you can accept the change and move on that's the beginning

of some peace and some happiness in life.-Sandy Doran-

"There have been a lot of changes in my life but God has been good to me. I'm slowing down

taking longer to do tasks. But this is rewarding too. I am looking at my family more closely by

slowing down and really appreciating what's around me. It 's giving me more time to read

and pray. I work at letting go, not taking life so seriously, enjoying life and

being more encouraging to my family." -Mary Alice Meyers

"Are you wilingl to share your sacred stories?"

"Are YOU willing to share your sacred stories?"

Creating a story about your life demands that you place the story within the context of your life.

You can look and see:

• How does the experiences come into your life?
• What really is the experiences?
• How does the experience affected you?
• What is the meaning of the experience for you?
• How does that meaning shape your life?

Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Peter Abas

...expressions of life...condcuted by Rev. Dr. Peter Abas

Sacred Stories is a Workshop given by Fr. Peter Abas.It is an Opportunity to Express Emotions

in a Safe and Supportive Environment.

The painting on the right is the combined work of 12 people putting their emotions on canvas

over 8 weekly sessions. It is a powerful expression of their healing journey.

...Sacred Stories...by Rev. Dr. Peter Abas

Programs on Aging Gracefully

Therapeutic Integration: Sacred Drumming, Painting/Art and Reflective Discussion.

How do I feel and weave my lived experiences of my “sacred stories”?

How do I feel and know that I am in spirit and in truth in my journey of life?

Objectives:

1. To give an opportunity to an individual person to reflect and appreciate her/his journey of life.
2. To give a sense of awareness to an individual person that each person has a “sacred”story to tell and to share.
3. To empower each person to express her/his journey in “color” in the form of arts.
4. To empower each person to appreciate her/his own uniqueness of others’ journeys.
5. To empower an individual person to gather the positive experiences and to say a proper goodbye to the negative experiences.
6. To express the positive feeling in the form of expressive arts.
7. To encourage each person's unique expression in the beating of the drums.
8. To promote harmony among in the group to the sacred sound of the drums.
9. To appreciate her/his own uniqueness and others feeling.
10. To empower an individual person to weave the lived experiences in spirit and truth.
11. To affirm the positive integration at this time of lived experiences.

Materials needed: 2 Canvas for the expressive arts activity.

Brushes and watercolors.

Woods

Drums and other percussions.

...wisdom of the sacred drums...

Why you should try the Wisdom of the Sacred Drums?

Get in touch with your Life Experiences and recognize your "Sacred Story" with color and drums. Storytelling, paint and drumming with our gifted facilitator, Fr. Peter Abas.

Are you willing to share your Sacred Stories? If so this might be the session you are searching for...

• Enhances sense of community among elderly individuals.
• Creates engaging & positive experiences for elderly individuals.
• Communicate your deep seated commitment to the spiritual well being of elderly individuals.