A universal assembly for true discernment
Join us Sunday, July 24, 2022, at 1:30-2:30 pm ET/11:30 am-12:30 pm MT for Reflections from the 4 Principles of God Retreat. Anne Blanchard will be facilitating this hour-long discussion.
Retreat participants will share how the map called the Four Principles of God has helped give direction in their spiritual path. Also, how this knowledge has enabled them to streamline spiritual practices to the most effective and enable them to remain clearly focused on the goal.
This writing is dedicated to my Grandma Verna Mae Kaiulani Ho Nahulu (pictured below) who recently passed away April 19, 2022.
Death can bring a flood of emotions, happy memories, confusion and devastation. It can stop us in our tracks and remind us of what is important in life. It can show us a new perspective of time and how few years we may have left here and with each other. The end of life as we know it, the beginning of something new or a continuation of being, however we see it is the ultimate mystery.
I am happy my family got to be with Verna in her last days and moments. I watched over her and tried to capture her face in my memory, knowing I wouldn’t see her again. It is difficult for the mind to grasp that a person is there one moment and gone the next. I think of my brothers, my Dad and my Mom and I wonder how many years I have left with them. I see the sadness in my Dad’s face. Every moment feels more fleeting.
I have recently had many struggles with family and finances; unsure of how to take care of my Mom whose health has declined rapidly over the last couple of years. My brother and I are slowly rearranging our lives to assist her. A huge financial bill came out of nowhere at the same time. I had spiraled into hopelessness and was desperate for solutions. I was unable to use my spiritual resources for coming back to peace of mind. I couldn’t sit still long enough for meditation or reading or relaxing. I know many people have had increasing challenges over the last few years and can relate.
It was then in April that my Dad notified me that Grandma had fallen again and that this time it was probably the end. We spent her last days with her at Julia Temple (where she was treated in hospice.) Several days after she passed, I returned to work, full of new thoughts and feelings. I thought about what was really important day to day; which was ultimately being grateful for each day I had with my family and friends. Suddenly, sorting out how to take care of Mom wasn’t as much of a burden and all the financial hardships weren’t as devastating. It would all be fine. A small change of perspective could transform unneeded stress into gratitude, after all, things will get done either way and stress only makes things more difficult. I do get to spend more time with my Mom and my brother and I am grateful that I still have everything I want and need when I find myself with more financial responsibilities.
I look through pictures of Grandma from when she was very young until her last years and she always had a smile on her face. She lived her life to the fullest. She created art, she loved nature and she had an eccentric energy about her that people couldn’t resist. I see her spirit in my Dad and my brothers and myself.
I would like to spend less time worried about money, or how I am going to survive or if my family will be okay. Overwhelming stress can overload the mind where we are unable to grasp for the spiritual tools we know have been helpful before. In these moments, sometimes it may be helpful just to stop and trust in the moment. My Grandma had lived a long and full life and she had many of her own struggles to endure. She made it through each one of them to leave this world happy and loved. All of her good moments were fleeting and all of her bad moments were fleeting too. Life comes and goes quickly. We can easily forget about the important things in life. Each of us has a timeless joy in us when we are truly present and trusting. In this moment, we are part of the mystery of life, in our fleeting experience.
These songs came to Resta Burnham from Within as she contemplated the teachings of A Course in Miracles. There are 13 volumes in all! Regina sees the Music of Christ as one of her first spiritual teachers. She used the songs as a form of meditation and as gentle guides when she needed assistance during the purification phase of the spiritual path.
We are very pleased to share Resta’s music with you!
If you enjoy these songs and find them helpful, you can download them individually or by Volume on Resta’s website, Journey of the Mind. You can also find written copies of the lyrics on Resta’s website. Music of Christ is given freely without copyright restriction.
Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT for Our Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Regina Dawn AkersTitle: “What is Self-Realization?”
Description: Rev. Regina Dawn Akers will share a clear definition of Self-realization, talk about the experience of Self-realization, and explain how you can become Self-realized. (Hint: All you have to do is give up self-will.)
Reading: Anne Blanchard will read excerpts from The Teachings of Inner Ramana including excerpts from The Importance of Practice, The Importance of Practice Part 2, and True Understanding Comes from Seeing.
*Weekly gathering is held every Sunday morning at 10:15 am ET/8:15 am MT in the Awakening Together Sanctuary. Join us after the Gathering for our Fellowship Time, hosted by Rev. Saina Fernandez.
Join us at 1:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am MT for Reflections from the 4 Principles of God Retreat facilitated by Anne BlanchardRetreat Participants will share how the map called the Four Principles of God has helped give direction in their spiritual path. Also, how this knowledge has enabled them to streamline spiritual practices to the most effective and enable them to remain clearly focused on the goal.
Join us at 5:00 pm ET/ 3:00 pm MT for The Mighty CompanionsRevs. Glen Ganaway and Yolanda Mapes, who are interfaith ministers, share a delightful, funny, and inspiring hour of A Course in Miracles. Come join in on the fun, the laughs, and the music while unlearning the ego through the lessons and chapters of ACIM.
Join us at 6:00 pm ET/ 4:00 pm MT for Something Genuine with Rev. Jacquelyn EckertRev. Jacquelyn Eckert facilitates this program, in which Awakening Together members and friends join together to watch and discuss TED talks that reveal the Truth of ourselves and our universe based on the actual experience of ordinary people. Their insights are genuine—not based upon theory or dogma—and give us a “man on the street” perspective on what we are coming to learn through Awakening Together.
Join us at 7:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm MT for Clarifying the Teachings with Regina Dawn AkersEach week Regina picks a different topic and clarifies the teaching around that topic. She also takes questions regarding that topic. If there is extra time at the end of the session, she takes questions on any spiritual topic in a Satsang-type of format.
Join us at 8:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm MT for Movie Group DiscussionJoy Bedford will be facilitating this month’s movie discussion.
Philomena is a 2013 biography drama comedy film directed by Stephen Frears. It stars Dame Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, and Sophie Kennedy Clark.
Philomena is based on a true story of an elderly Irish woman searching for the son she was forced to give up for adoption when she was a teenager. Accompanying her is a disgraced journalist who wants to write an article about her quest.
Philomena is available on Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, iTunes, ShowTime, VuDu, and Fubo.
*Sanctuary closes at 9 pm ET.
Enter the Sanctuary or see the complete listing of speakers.
All Times are Eastern Standard Time – See helpful links below.
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Regina Dawn Akers shares the games she played as part of her awakening process. The games she played came to her as insight as she read and contemplated spiritual teachings.
We recommend you practice each game for one week. After practicing the game for one full week, move on to the next Awakening Game.
Click play on the following YouTube video to learn about this week’s game.
And don’t forget to have fun!
Anne Blanchard shares her experience of purification and awakening, unfiltered and as it happens. Raw, reflective, brave, and infused with clarity, Anne’s open honesty inspires us all to dive deep into the spiritual journey instead of simply skimming the surface. She continues to share deeply from various non-dual teachings and teachers.
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Have you ever wanted to see inside someone else’s mind and heart as they journeyed toward spiritual awakening? Have you ever wondered what obstacles they faced, what inquiries they used, or what insights they experienced? If so, this program is perfect for you. Each week, Regina Dawn Akers shares from her published journal, Out of the Stillness. It was written as a personal journal over 8½ years as she contemplated quotes from spiritual masters and practiced the insight she realized through contemplation. The quotes Regina contemplated were collected by Michael Langford and published in The Seven Steps to Awakening. Both books are used in this program.
September is a beautiful month in the Colorado mountains, making it the perfect time to embrace meditation and nature with a committed group of friends at the Awakening Together Retreat House in La Veta.
At this retreat, you will learn to focus on the ‘I am’ presence to the exclusion of all else as taught by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and his guru, Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj.
Using guidance provided through Nisargadatta’s teachings, you will determine the difference between the ‘I am’ presence and the ego; you will observe how the ego attempts to distract you from the ‘I am’ presence; and you will learn to ignore the ego’s distractions so you can follow the direct path to awakening as Nisargadatta did. You will have ample opportunity for meditation, contemplation and journaling on your own, as well as spending time in group instruction, meditation and discussion. We will also explore how you can continue to be motivated to meditate after you go home from this retreat.
The retreat will begin at 9am MT Monday, September 12 and end by 3pm on Friday, September 16.
In this program, Paul through the vehicle of Satsang and repetition will be helping us to let go of misidentification and recognize Being Consciousness as our Truth.
Paul suggests repetition through Satsangs is helpful. It is an example of how the dreamING repurposes another programming element, repetition. What was used to (mis)identify, becomes instead a helpful undoing within the dreaming of that identification. The helpfulness of the Message is recognized in what Paul calls “traveling lighter.” In the surrender of an assumed need to escape/improve, the ever-present reality of consciousness already now/here becomes where our interest stays. Being consciousness in contact (in/as/through sensory experiencING), we appreciate being “successful” – already, as that Reality.
You can also learn more about Paul on his website www.zenbitchslap.com or his YouTube channel under the same title (Zen Bitchslap).
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During our time together, we will explore what it takes to live from an open, undefended heart. Naturally, any true exploration of living from the heart necessarily entails taking a deep and sustained look at what prevents us from keeping our hearts open. Grounded in the knowledge that the essence of us, our true nature, is the very lovingness within us all, we will explore how to recognize and release egoic energies by cultivating open-hearted awareness practices which support us in directly experiencing our true Self. By leaning into willingness, steeped in self-honesty, and with a consistent dash of courage, we endeavor to open to whatever life brings, as it brings it, that is, on life’s terms. In so doing, we trust that everything – absolutely everything – is here for us to use for healing, for purification, and for learning to live from the heart. We look forward to supporting each other in our individual explorations of how we truly embrace the entirety of this show we call life.
Please note: it may be necessary to download the audio to listen to it fully.
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