AT Blog Articles

Fear Casts Out Rationality ~ by Jai Segal

January 13, 2025

A Contemplation of Thought of Awakening Number Four

I have had fear most of my life

And what is it I fear?

Not getting what I want

And getting what I don’t want

And what are these fears specifically about?

Fears of lack: not enough money, possessions, love, or time

Fears of the body: discomfort, old age, pain, sickness and death

As long as I believe I am a vulnerable separate body

I am attached to worldly concerns

And I am in fear

Stuck in the prison of the vulnerable ephemeral self

Now it’s time to step out

From the jail cell of separation and death

The door is not locked

Fear is not accepting things as they are.

Not accepting things as they are, is the root cause of all suffering.

The Law of Love explains that everything I experience, I asked for.

Everything I experience is happening for me, not to me.

Everything I experience is God’s will for me

To fear is to resist God’s will

To fear is to be confused and delusional

To fear is to not know who I am

Fear casts out rationality

When I look at all the fear thoughts I’ve experienced,

99.9% of the time, what I feared never happened.

They were completely in the mind

I suffered for no reason

The other tiny fraction of the time,

What I feared did happen, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed.

My fear has always been irrational.

Fear casts out rationality

My body may be vulnerable, but I am not vulnerable.

If I believe what is not true, I perceive fear as real.

If I know who I am, there is nothing to fear

It is my “need to control mind” that is fearful

Fear casts out rationality

Only surrender and trust is rational

If I knew who walked beside me,

Fear would be impossible.

Fear is only a symptom

The root cause is my belief I am separate from God

But It is impossible that I could be separate from my Creator

My fear has cast out rationality.

Jesus submitted to crucifixion without fear

Knowing he was never born and will never die

Confirming this in the resurrection

What an inspiring demonstration of “thy will, not my will.”

Knowing he was not a body, there was nothing to fear.

What an example of complete trust and surrender.

Like for Jesus, my script is already written

What is there to be afraid of?

My fear has cast out rationality.

I can choose:

I can believe something is wrong

Or I can trust that what happens is God’s plan for me

And be grateful for all experiences

I can believe fear thoughts

Or just let them go.

Knowing they are false and irrational

Abandon fear

Do not let it cover the light of my Self.

Do not let my fear cast out rationality.

God, I know I am not separate and your light and love always shines on me. Grant me the courage to never again let any worldly situation bring me into fear. Grant me the strength and wisdom to let go of my ephemeral worldly attachments, which have no real value, and instead look to God’s abundant treasures, which are always freely given and eternal.

Amen.

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Let It Be: An Anthem ~ by Rev. Anne Blanchard

January 10, 2025

While much attention centers on reversing the deeply ingrained patterns of most humans to cling, to tighten, to insist on getting one’s way, the flow of the Universe waits patiently by for its invitation to complete the other half of this healing movement and that is to give. Allowing the lower vibrational impulses to be seen and be released as not wanted allows the higher prompts a clean and clear runway to land right in our hearts as right-minded prompts to allow what is to come, to come.

And while giving is certainly a cherished adventure of both generosity and abundance, there would be no joy of giving unless someone played the corresponding role of receiving. So consciously stepping into a call to receive, to be the receiver of generosity and abundance allows the Universal flow to do just that: flow.

Welcoming the natural ebb and flow of life is to be firmly established in the center, centered into our essence, our fundamental truth of being both whole and complete.

Watching for prompts allows the natural listening attention that we are to not participate in denying our wholeness, our intrinsic connection to the flow, AS that very flow.

So to “Let it be,” an anthem we can all rejoice in, is actually part and parcel to the Universal flow which sings just as joyously to the refrain: “Let it come”. Sometimes we can even hear the ever-present background choir singing: “Not my will but Thine be done.”

And so it is. Amen.

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How Fundamental Suffering Can Lead To Love? An Inspirational Article By Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

December 1, 2024

Meta Tag: What are the roots of our suffering, and what happens when we’re willing to dig them up?

For most of our lives, we believe that the causes of suffering are outside of ourselves. To us, bad circumstances = suffering. Starting from the time we are young, this is how it appears to be. A friend calls us a mean name and causes our suffering. We fail to get the job we want which causes our suffering. We recognize the toxicity of an important relationship and believe this person has caused our suffering. Indeed, this is how I experienced suffering for the majority of my life—that is, until I became aware of fundamental suffering, or the roots of our pain.

What Is Fundamental Suffering?

When we take a closer look at our suffering, we might notice something funny going on—we’re confused about what actually causes our pain. The true causes of our suffering are not within the experience itself. Rather, suffering originates within us.

This is not to discount our perspective that others have hurt us. Indeed, there are many situations where removing ourselves from the harmful behavior of others is the right action. It is only to say that our experience of suffering is coming from our own mind (or ego). But if we explore even deeper than that, we can see that fundamental suffering—or the suffering that exists in all things—is really coming from three primary, overlapping experiences.

Here is how I would describe the experiences that cause fundamental suffering:

Aversion or Unsatisfactoriness

We experience aversion constantly: I don’t want this outcome. I don’t want this experience. I don’t want this emotion. Aversion touches even the most minute actions, thoughts, or sensations. My hands are slightly too cold. I should have used this word instead of that word. I’m just so tired of thinking. All of this is aversion, and it is one of the roots of suffering. I now see that there is no circumstance that can make me happy because aversion is dissatisfied with everything.

Example: I’m in the most beautiful place watching a beautiful sunset and I get bit by a mosquito. Aversion focuses on the mosquito bite.

Attachment or Wanting

Attachment is just the opposite: I want this outcome. I want this object. I want this experience. I need a bit more money to be happy. If she would just listen to me, I’d feel like I matter. If he only understood me, we’d get along. We are attached to what we perceive to be good because we think it will produce happiness. But when we watch our experiences carefully, we see that these things don’t actually produce happiness. I now see that suffering is not in the circumstances themselves; it’s in the wanting, clinging, and attachment to particular circumstances.

Example: I’m joyfully singing along to a song, and my husband asks me to quiet down so he can hear the TV. I burst into tears. I witness the joy disintegrate into nothing, and I want it back.

Self-Concept or Identity

The self-concept overlaps with the other two kinds of suffering, but it’s helpful to notice it in its own right: I am this. I am that. If I tell myself that I am a nice person, I’d feel valid. If I believe that I am a soul, I’d feel less lonely. If I do what everyone wants me to do, I’d feel approved of. But no matter how we conceive of ourselves, we can never find the love or wholeness we’re seeking because love doesn’t live in concepts. We suffer as we try to mold the self into something that would get the love it seeks.

Example: My editor tells me my article is really good. My self-concept immediately claims it: “I’m a good writer”. I don’t realize I’ve identified with it until later when my editor tells me my article needs improvement. I suffer because this threatens the self-concept I have of being a “good writer.”

When Everything Appears As Suffering

When we begin to perceive the fundamental suffering inherent in our entire reality, we might feel depressed, lonely, empty, or unmotivated. So much of our lives were motivated by the desire to alleviate suffering. When we are no longer trying to avoid aversion, seek attachment, and create a self-concept, we can have a hard time figuring out what to do with our time.

For about a year now, I’ve been mulling about in a world that appears to be made entirely of fundamental suffering. Sometimes, it’s all I see. But every time I notice myself getting hooked on suffering, I apply concentrated awareness to gently release myself from its grasp. And over time, the pain has lessened. My ego no longer throws massive tantrums and bursts into tears. Now, it just broods quietly in the corner.

The Antidote To Suffering

Each moment of concentrated awareness placed on suffering is painful for the separate self (or ego), but luckily, the separate self becomes less and less of who we are. If we keep at it, the truth of suffering becomes more apparent, and eventually, it starts to become transparent.

It’s almost like suffering is a monster under our bed. If we just turn the lights on and look, we see that it was all in our heads—just a figment of our imagination. And now instead of seeing the monster, we see what was in the monster’s shadow: love. Life—when experienced without aversion, without attachment, and without self-inflation—is love.

I’m just beginning to see the love that exists beyond suffering. Behind aversion is acceptance. Behind attachment is openness. Behind the separate self is unity. I have known these polarities intellectually, but by experiencing suffering in all sense objects, it is becoming increasingly clear that, for me at least, love is the answer. By embracing suffering fully I now see that love is the only worthwhile way to spend my time. Everything else seems meaningless.

So if you’re still trapped in suffering—whether at the experience level or the fundamental level—try to remember that suffering presents an opportunity to finally understand the roots of your pain. And if you’re willing to dig up the roots, something amazing can grow: Love.

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What Is The Inner Sound? An Inspirational Article By Tchiki Davis

November 21, 2024

Meta: What is the inner sound and what does it have to do with awakening?

The existence of inner sounds is recognized by nearly every spiritual tradition. For example, across different texts, inner sounds may be called Anahata Nada, Shabda Brahman, sound current, cosmic sound, unstruck sound, divine ear, Aum, and other names, depending on the source. It is said to be the constant background noise of all things, present in every moment, every object, and every experience. Yet, I had never heard of the inner sound until I began hearing it myself.

Given most people, even those who are awakening, do not seem to hear the inner sounds, it is discussed rarely and often mistaken for tinnitus. So, in this article, I’ll share my personal experiences with inner sounds to help guide those who are drawn to the inner sound.

When I Began Hearing Inner Sounds

After reading an Eckhart Tolle book, I began meditating for about an hour per day with a focus on sound—the sound of a tingsha bell ringing into silence, the sound of a train coming and then going, and even the sound of silence. About 2 months later, I noticed my first inner sound—a high-pitched bell-like ringing in my left ear while lying in bed at night. I asked my husband if he heard it and he said no.

Shortly after, I realized I could hear another sound, a medium tone. Then I started hearing a rumbling sound that felt to be coming from lower down. And then, I heard what sounded like TV static coming from above my head. The static sounds like this:

Video: Anahata Nada Sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHShCOYGrQg

As I continued to listen to the 4 sounds, they became ever-present. I can and do hear them anytime I place my attention on them. Sometimes they are so loud that they make it difficult to sleep. And they tend to get louder when both when I’m very relaxed or when I’m very stressed.

Finding Sublter Inner Sounds

As I continued to watch the sounds, I would notice more of them. My favorite sound is the sound of waves crashing, but I have a hard time finding this sound. I also hear the sound that creates egoic thought—right before my mind begins one of its inner monologues, there is a kind of buzz. And, right before I fall asleep, I hear a beeping-like sound that creates the hypnagogic imagery of dream. It jars me awake and disappears as soon as the dream imagery disappears.

It seems that the entire world—including thoughts—is made of sound vibrations. If we are just quiet enough, still enough, and attentive enough, we can hear the entire world.

As I continued to listen to the sounds (in meditation and in daily life), the more vibrational they became. You know like when you feel the base of a loudspeaker vibrating your whole body? It’s very much like that. My whole body now vibrates along with the inner sounds.

When The Inner Sound Finds You

The discovery of inner sounds can be quite a shock—the universe was humming along our entire lives and we simply didn’t notice it! So, many people label their inner sounds as tinnitus and develop a negative relationship with them. Indeed, once we begin to hear the inner sounds, they can sometimes get quite loud and interfere with our day-to-day lives. If possible, try to view these inner sounds as a comforting backdrop to reality rather than an annoying noise that follows you around everywhere.

I don’t yet know where the inner sound is taking me, so for now, I’m just along for the ride.

To read more about the insights I’ve gained on this journey, feel free to explore my blog: https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/blog.html

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Clarifying How to Recognize an Ego Attack, by Regina Dawn Akers

October 1, 2024

On Sunday, I led the Awakening Together Weekly Gathering, “When the Mind Goes Crazy.” In that gathering, I talked about how to recognize an ego attack. After listening to a few people since then, I thought it might be helpful to clarify one point.

An ego attack always has the purpose of trying to stop you from moving forward on the spiritual path. Maybe you are about to follow significant guidance, and it comes to try to stop you. Maybe you are about to make a significant shift, and it comes to try to stop you. An ego attack is the reaction of homeostasis in the thought system. It is an attempt to prevent change.

Ego attack isn’t the only time you are challenged by thoughts that are louder and more persistent than usual. For us to let go of anything, it needs to rise out of the subconscious and be seen. So, for example, if it is time for you to let go of a specific false belief, you may see and feel a lot more of that than usual. This is different than an ego attack, because the purpose is different. This is grace. Grace is pushing something up from the subconscious to be seen in awareness.

In some ways, it doesn’t matter if it is an ego attack or grace pushing something up to be seen and healed. What you do is the same: Rest, accept and allow, trust, watch, and do not believe or engage with it. However, the reason I wanted to help you recognize an ego attack is because an ego attack is trying to get you to STOP! RUN! GO the OTHER WAY! If you don’t recognize an ego attack for what it is, you might stop, run, go the other way. If you see it for what it is, you will be able to stay, rest through the attack, and continue forward in the direction of truth realization.

I hope this is helpful.

Here is a link to my Weekly Gathering for those who did not hear it:

https://youtu.be/fgcB6Jdt620

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I Am A Dream: Remake ~ An Inspirational Article by Billy Sintiris and Meg Reinhart

September 29, 2024

In August of 2024, Rev. Billy Sintiris shared during a Weekly Gathering from a writing he and Rev. Meg Reinhart had contemplated. This writing was based on a teaching from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. If you’d like to listen to the weekly gathering audio you can find the link here.

I Am A Dream That Can Wake You Up

The world you see is nothing but a fleeting spectacle—a dazzling display without substance, existing only as long as you choose to engage with it. It has no true cause or purpose, merely serving as a distraction for the unawakened mind. To the Self, or Atman, the world is simply a colorful play, enjoyed while it lasts but ultimately forgotten when it ends.

The only true reality is the observer, the Self, who remains untouched by the illusions and transient dramas of the world. The enlightened one, or Jnani, moves through life without being swayed by the oscillations of joy and sorrow, life and death. They understand that all of these experiences are just a part of the show—real only to those who are bound by them, but ultimately devoid of any lasting substance.

In the state of true realization, the Jnani experiences a profound, uncaused bliss—a happiness that is intrinsic, independent of external conditions. Unlike those who seek happiness through transient pleasures and fear suffering, the Jnani knows that their state of being is their own, untouched by the shifting tides of the world. This bliss is closer and more real than even the body, more intimate than the mind itself.

The world, in its entirety, arises from nothingness and eventually returns to nothingness. Yet, for those who are not awakened, it seems filled with creators, preservers, and destroyers—forces that govern their perception of reality. However, once you step into the state of Self-realization, these distinctions dissolve, and you come to see yourself in everything. The world’s illusions fade away, revealing the true nature of existence.

Though the Jnani perceives the world as others do, they do not believe themselves to be a part of it. They see it instead as an iridescent drop in the vast ocean of consciousness—a small, ephemeral reflection in the infinite expanse of awareness. As they journey through life, they grow increasingly peaceful, knowing that they are returning home. The burden of the body lessens with each passing day, and the mind becomes serene, free from desire and aversion. Every sensation is met with equanimity and an affectionate detachment, as the Jnani understands that these experiences are as fleeting as the world itself.

The suffering of the body may persist, but it is of no consequence. Whatever state the Jnani finds themselves in, they accept it as it is, recognizing it as merely a state of mind. They are neither the body nor the experiencer of the body; they are the pure awareness that underlies all experience. Outer events do not mold their inner state, for at the root of their being is a speck of intense light—pure consciousness. This light naturally radiates and creates images in space and events in time, effortlessly and spontaneously. When the mind becomes active, distinctions arise, and with them, pleasure and pain. But in the stillness of pure awareness, these dualities cease to exist.

The liberated one is alone, yet they are all. They are not a being, but the very essence of beingness in all things. Even this description falls short, for they are beyond words and concepts, the ground from which all existence springs.

Everyone dies as they live. But the Jnani is not afraid of death, for they are not afraid of life. They live a life of true happiness and will die a death free from fear. Misery comes from the illusion of birth, not from death. In reality, the Jnani was never born, and so they cannot grow old. What appears to others as a person is merely a projection in their minds. The Jnani is not concerned with such illusions.

In my world, no one is born, and no one dies. Life’s journey is just a dream, and the only reality is waking up from it. Recognizing the ‘I am’ as the ultimate reality is enough. This realization is the seed of Self-awareness, which, once planted, will inevitably grow into the mighty tree of enlightenment, no matter how long it takes.

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The Crystal in the Field: A Journey to Non-Separation ~ An Inspirational Article by David Hemphill

July 13, 2024

Spiritual guidance tends to arise for me in concise and simple terms. Often, guidance might be one sentence long and last me several months. However, this morning I had asked for more explanatory and specific instructions. Of course, as the universe would have it, I was given what I asked for.

—

In the guidance below, the Crystal is a metaphor for the sense of self. The assumption is that we build walls and fortifications around our sense of self, in the form of beliefs about the world, in order to protect the sense of self. Visually, the crystal is in the center of a field, and around it are walls and fortifications to keep people away.

—

Embracing the crystal is a metaphor for placing the sense of self under direct inquiry, rather than building around it. Visually, the fortifications have been taken down, and all that is left at this point is the crystal sitting vulnerably in the middle of a field. Should I embrace the crystal, it melts away, but so do I – as its my sense of self. It is ego suicide, in a way. Not of the body, but of the mind.

—

To guidance: What would you have me do? To sit back on the crystal?

—

Wisdom: You are going to merge with the crystal, ultimately dissolving identity. The crystal is the lived belief in separation. It is the belief through which the mind has seemingly separated itself from reality and created an ego. It is more than the root of all belief; It is the seeming existence of any belief at all.

—

The crystal – belief in separation – like all other beliefs, upon close examination, is actually not there. The arising of it and the seeing of it are the same. While it is helpful to feel one is embracing the crystal and melting away the belief of separation, the truth is sweeter than even that, as there is no crystal to melt and therefore nothing to resist embracing. One is already melted with the Crystal at all times, whether or not they are aware of it. Believing the thoughts of separation does not make it so.

—

Effort is a significant and pragmatic part of spiritual practice, and so for a time it will seem the effortlessness of non-separation will require the effortfulness of the self to embrace the crystal and dissolve latent tendancies. This can result in tremendous pain and crying, but only because one is looking at their own mind for what it is and feeling the underbelly of the ego in the full light of awareness. The pain arising is not a result of any practice or new situation, but is actually the pain that is already being believed and anchored into identity, hidden away behind the belief of separation, fueling the attachment to self / ego.

—

It is helpful to do what is easiest and what comes most natural to you. There will be times of dissolving beliefs one at a time, embracing their emotion and fully feeling them; And there will be times of pulling the floor out from beneath a whole group of beliefs, shattering a paradigm in one quick swoop, without investigating each part. Regardless of which approach is taken – which ratio is chosen and with which strategies, including both those strategies mentioned here and other strategies for processing belief not mentioned here – thought will continue to appear and enlighten you.

—

As long as thought arises unquestioned, you are being shown in real time where to work next. Each arising thought is another apparent separation of reality (always requiring a “me” for the thought to reference) and is just an innocent alarm showing you where belief still lives. Loving everything you think will make embracing the crystal seem easy, and hating what you think will make it seem hard. Neither loving nor hating belief will make it real. With this, you are free.

—

To Guidance: What am I to do?

—

You are to be as present and open as you can to noticing what is alive in you to do for this moment.

—

You may embrace the crystal and invest effort to help it dissolve. You may meditate. You may reject embracing the crystal and live for more time with the beliefs of separation. You may question some beliefs and leave others untouched. You may question every belief, and process everything that arises; You may walk the planet freely, doing whatever arises for you to do. You are truly free. You may make any decision, any choice, and you will always be accepted.

—

Sit in your heart and cultivate an understanding of what is truest to you. Then, when you have found what is truest for you to do, see the beliefs you wear like clothing to protect yourself – belief in needing safety, belief in having an opinion, belief in a me, belief in time, belief in distance. Call those beliefs by name, and be willing to meet them in inquiry or surrender.

—

Ultimately, everything and anything that is done is utterly perfect and already pristine. The path is about waking up to what is already true, not about making something true by changing your mind. Therefore, there really is nothing for you to do beyond being as authentically yourself as you can in any moment. The apparent efforting and work to be done will be on the ways you believe the moment isn’t already worth loving.

—

In summary: Cultivate heart felt aspiration. Become as open minded and aware as you can muster. Be willing to meet whatever arises. Use practices of inquiry and surrender, when needed, when its natural. Know that the actual work is already done, and all that this guidance does is help you become aware of perfection as it manifests.

—

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Diving Off the Branches ~ Inspirational Writing by David Hemphill

December 20, 2023

It’s everywhere. It’s on the leaves, in the trees, diving off the branches. Swimming through the air, summersaulting across the table. Exploding in the clouds and sprinting across the sky.

Look inside yourself for your inner wisdom, and you will surely find it. It comes for you. Like a bee, waffling through the air. Like an eagle, swooping to the ground. It’s the water, carving paths through mountains, waiting for a reunion with you in the deltas.

Every thought can take you to it. Be still. You are here as these thoughts arise. You are here as they dissipate. Whether they pour sorrow like rain, or despair like hail, you are here. Torrents, hurricanes, and tornadoes: Fury, rage, exasperation. Whatever storm arises, its you who watches them undamaged.

Do not be afraid. Each and every experience is a flower blooming in your field of life. Little celebrations are born as seeds, soaking up the nutrients in its soil. Your ambition, your love, your sacrifice are your roots. And from your deep presence, the stalk of experience breeches the surface, rising up past the ground and reaching for the sky. Your generosity, your holidays, your family: They are the sweet fruits and fancy leaves blooming. Life is budding, and flowering.

And wilting. Know your loss is not accidental. Wisdom uses grief to meet you, too. Each dying branch on a great oak tree is destined to fall. Life makes way for more life, and the oak becomes magnificent and proud. But even the mighty tree has an expiration, and one day it falls and clears way for new life.

The mind, and the identity your mind has assumed of you, is safe to perish like the great oak. Underneath the bark, the decay, the microbes and decomposers, is a richness to life no single being could encompass. Wisdom will take you there, to the place beyond encompassing. Which roll-e-pollie can claim it decomposed the oak? Which earth worm can claim it moved the soil for garden? No single thought or identity can ever encompass it. It is beyond itself. Life is beyond itself.

Turn to your inner wisdom and look there. It will lead you to the bliss that is everywhere. On the leaves, in the trees, diving off the branches.

~David Hemphill

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If you feel called to contemplate this poem and would like to share, you can share your contemplation here.

All Is Alive And Well ~ an Inspirational Poem by David Hemphill

December 15, 2023

At night in the midst of my sleep and rest,
I had a dream where Spirit came to me.
In the body, with the voice of my mother,
Spirit spoke to me tenderly through a phone.

Sweating and pacing my house, restlessly wandering my home,
I spoke to my mother Spirit.
She told me all was alive and well.
The dogs, the deceased, my past, my future.

“I don’t understand,” I told her,
“Where are they at? The days gone and those yet to happen; My feelings, my people. Where are they?”
“They’re at home, in the house” she said,
Yet as I roamed the empty rooms, their presence eluded me.

“I can’t see anything, mom.
“I know in my heart what you’re saying is true.
“I feel them alive and well.”
And then I began to sob.

“These rooms are like a house of mirrors!
“I just have thoughts, I just see thoughts.
“My stories bounce off the walls: First I finished school, and then I, and then I,
“And then, and then – and after all the memories paint my awareness, I can’t see the present.”

Mother Spirit listened and compassionately responded,
“All is alive and well. Nothing is gone from you.”
“You’re not hearing me!” I yelled, “I am standing here in this hollow house, and there is nothing!”
Spirit smiled through the phone. Her voice carried a beacon of light.

“They are all right here. There is no other here for them to go.
“The only distance is the assumption there is distance. It is a mirage.
“The only loss is the assumption there is loss. Assumptions are an illusion we conjure.
“The essence of all is present in this moment, unscathed.

And from the light of her words, I knew she spoke my direct experience – truth.
Enlightened by her words, I crumpled to the ground.
I let myself lie on the floor, curled and crying, I embraced my sorrow.
“I’ve wondered about this house for so long. It’s been so painful. And yet, they’re all right here.”

My tears were rivers of release,
Flooding my face, I woke up from my sleep.
Sobbing at 4:00 in the morning, my sorrow echoed into the waking state,
But Spirit’s presence was magnified a thousand fold against the light of waking consciousness.

“There are no links. No connections. No thread binds things together.
“The only assumptions are the ones assumed to be there. We are shackled only by what shackles we are willing to bear.
“There’s no space to maintain. Serenity and grace eternally persist.
“There is no more to do. No self to affirm. Nothing to grasp or hold.

“Nobody to receive, nowhere to be. A perpetual dance where:
“All is alive and well.”

—
Immediately the following morning, I had a Zoom appointment with an enlightened teacher. I explained my spiritual journey, and he simply echoed what I heard in my dream. I can continue with my inquiry until there is nothing left to inquire. There are no links between experiences. The foundation from which belief in mind arises is the assumption there is a foundation from which belief in mind arises.

~David Hemphill

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If you feel called to contemplate this poem and would like to share, you can share your contemplation here.

Vision ~ an Inspirational Poem by Dan Wetzel

March 10, 2023

Vision

Christ counsels:

Build where winds of change roil never
So rest I now in shelter sure
Stillness loves forever

While sadness drapes a broken heart
In shreds of dour rejection
Eyes of Christ see but Joy
Clothed as God’s reflection

Brilliance beams from your azure gaze
Like laser cuts through steel
Guiding mind adrift in dreams
To follow what is real

Forgiving thoughts of sleeping kin
Of heartbreak, fear, guilt, division
Lifting masks which hide the truth
Of innocence and ageless youth
As radiance of Child first born
Lights the mind celestial
Cosmos fades like mist in sun
Reveals Gods’ Sons as special

Light of the world
A thousand suns
Dim before your glory
As laughter reigns
We wake again
To end the ancient story

~ Dan Wetzel