Mike Harris has a very short but sharp post regarding what created change from a psychotherapeutic point of view. Make sure to read the article he references. 

If you look at the percentages Mike references (not sure where they come from)

40% is what Clients bring to the therapy room and what influences their lives outside of it.
30% is the relationship between Therapist and Client.
15% is the technique.
15% hope/placebo.

I'm going to make an assumption (big one) that the same type of percentages apply to creating a stable practice, or in any change.


In terms of PRACTICE then, we can rely on 40% coming from initiative, and what we want to achieve (and then this 40% is influenced by our desires and habits, positive and negative). 

30% is the relationship.  If something like this is true, you are looking at NEEDING a group of fellow travellers, fellow practitioners, not only for the "support", but also for that ineffable mystery of the other, that "We and Us" aspect of life, of community, that shapes our lives.

15% technique.  This could apply to the type of meditation, the type of exercise, the type of intellectual study.  These are important, but lack the importance of the first two aspects.

15% placebo.  Well, this doesn't work when measuring something like my pecs, after weight-lifting for two years!  They are a little bigger, but it's hardly noticable!  (Although I feel a lot stronger, so maybe placebo does have an effect.)

What this points to is an "Integral Community Center" of whatever means - that will concentrate on the Essential Practices for the 21st century.

More on that in another post...

I'm late commenting on this, but Vince has changed his domain, from Numinous Non-sense to VinceThorn.com and has setup a new site. 

It's very nice looking, and also has some nice features.   I particularly like the addition of interesting posts in small type, from other sources.  Very cool way to see what's on the whole radar of Vince interests.

While I had begun to setup my blog about practices in 2003, I let it go - and what started me ACTUALLY blogging was reading a couple of early Numinous Non-Sense articles.  Like this one. If they can do this, I can!!

So anyone who gets some value from this site, Vince deserves some credit for a bit of a kick-in-the-ass/envy. 

Of course, for those who don't like to read this site, the blame all goes to me!!