A Return to Love Book Group Discussion Questions – Session 2
Return to Love
This post is Part 2 in a series of posts on A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. You can read the first post and discussion questions for Chapters 1 and 2 here.One of my favorite quotes in these Chapters 3 and 4 is on page 53, "The internal equivalent to oxygen, what we need in order to survive, is love. Human relationships exist to produce love. When we pollute our relationships with unloving thoughts, or destroy or abort them with unloving attitudes, we are threatening our emotional survival."
Let's get down to the discussion questions.
Session 2: Chapter 3 (You) and Chapter 4 (Surrender)
CHAPTER 3:
1. "The love in one of us is the love in all of us. There's actually no place where God stops and you start, and no place where you stop and I start." (Page 31) Think about that concept. Does it make you feel expansive? Connected? How does it change your perception of "others" outside yourself?
2. The belief that we are separate from God and one another is the ego. The ego pits us against other people and keeps us feeling separate and disconnected. In the weeks to come, try to identify when ego arises in you to create separation. Bring yourself back to your center and focus on connecting with spirit and your true self. See if this mindful practice allows you to be more loving.
3. In the group I'm studying with, there was a general sense of confusion and dislike around the "Holy Spirit" section in this chapter (beginning Page 36). But I felt this clarification from my friend Tim was useful... Holy Spirit is like God guiding us on an earthly plane. However, we don't always follow this guidance and are still allowed free will. We can make choices that God wouldn't necessarily make. It is all part of our growth. We grow where we experience resistance, anger, negativity - Holy Spirit pushes us beyond those barriers. It is easy to love in our comfort zones, but we cannot evolve in those safe, easy places. Where do you feel pushed beyond your comfortable boundaries? In what circumstances is it hard for you to be loving? What triggers your discomfort? Where do you need to let down your walls and barriers?
4. A Course in Miracles and A Return to Love are very heavy on Christian wording and principles. As you work through the book do you feel resistance to the terminology? Can you separate modern ideologies and religious interpretations from the true basis of love intended by the principles?CHAPTER 4:
5. Surrender to a higher power, and faith that the universe is working for our good is often a difficult concept to trust. When we struggle and fight for control we inhibit the very force that is trying to work for our benefit. How does the concept of surrender make you feel? Does the thought of handing over control to an unseen power make you worried or anxious? Brainstorm some strategies for relaxing into the flow of life and allowing guidance from a higher power.
6. It is hard to give up control when we are attached to results. (Pages 56-58) When we focus on what is within us instead of outside of us, we can surrender to our center, our purpose, to spirit and be whole. What are the areas in your life where the idea of surrender causes fear? Where do you most experience worry and anxiety (usually this is where you are struggling to maintain control)? How can you release it and allow surrender?
"Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften." (Page 61)
Please share any other questions and topics you would like to talk about or discuss in the comments, I'd love to host sharing of thoughts in this space. Happy reading and bright blessings to you and yours!
