A universal assembly for true discernment
Please read and contemplate quotes #646-649 in The Seven Steps to Awakening with your inner teacher. Here is the last quote:
The practice of restraint bestows great joy and auspiciousness upon you. Hence, resort to self-restraint, give up ego-sense.
Note: The next Daily Contemplation will be available tomorrow morning after 2am ET at this link.
In NTI Ephesians, we learned that we are the creative process and our way of being is creative spirit. In NTI Philippians, we learned the importance of living from our spiritual aspiration, which is also called our motive, purpose, intention and true desire. In NTI Colossians, both NTI Ephesians and NTI Philippians were reviewed and emphasized, plus we saw that our absolute truth is Life, the First Principle of God. Since we are Life, the source of all things, we are also all things that come from Life, including the Second Principle of God (spirit, consciousness), the Third Principle of God (the creative process), and the Fourth Principle of God (form, manifestation.) In fact, we could rename the Four Principles of God as the Four Principles of You.
NTI 1 Thessalonians uses another word to describe what you are: Peace.
It also says that peace is the way to know your Self and your guidance.
NTI 1 Thessalonians describes Peace as “gentle gratitude.” It also describes it as “love for all that is.” It’s interesting to contemplate that you are gentle gratitude, and gentle gratitude is the way to know your Self. Likewise, you are love for all that is and love for all that is is the way to know your Self.
“To know is to be”. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
It’s also true that lack of peace is not what you are and lack of peace is not the way to know your Self. When we give believing attention to lack of peace, which is any degree of upset, we choose illusion; we choose not to know our Self.
NTI 1 Thessalonians recommends using every upset as an opportunity to heal the belief that we are what we are not. It also warns us that the ‘I am bad’ belief stimulates denial and repression instead of healing, so we must be willing to transcend the belief ‘I am bad’ each time an upset occurs. By choosing not to believe, “I am bad,” we can look at the upset with peace and achieve “consistent and steady healing.”
Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.
When you free fall,
you can only observe.
You have no control.
If you feel fear,
free fall into that.
Observe fear, and let it be.
When you are trying to change,
you are not free falling.
You are clinging.
Let it be.
Free fall into freedom.
~From our Holy Spirit
In this program, we watched and discussed a selected TED talk. TED talks follow a unique format. Speakers at TED events have a maximum of 18 minutes to share their messages, which are delivered in highly polished, succinct speeches. TED talks are delivered by people from all walks of life on a multitude of subjects. A great many of these talks are about the insights gained by ordinary people–insights gained through extraordinary experiences or based on their contemplation of the ordinary events of their lives. Either way, their insights are genuine—not based upon theory or dogma, but through experience.
The name of the Ted Talk is “Three Ways to Live the Life you Want”. The speaker was Petra Velzeboer.
Psychotherapist, CEO, and Cult Survivor, Petra Velzeboer, talks us through the steps necessary to sort yourself out so you can live the life you want no matter what lies in your past. A brave new world is one free of excuses and blame. When the temptation is bigger than ever to blame the world around us, our work environments, governments, or health for the ills in our life, Petra talks through the opportunity within all of these circumstances to practice bravery and see this time as a training ground that allows us to practice conscious thought and build up the life we want. No excuses. Petra is a mental health consultant, psychotherapist, training provider, executive coach, and much more. Currently, she runs a mental health consultancy that strives to create mentally healthy workplaces by training organizations and leaders in their awareness of mental health and advising on the best strategies to deal with it. Raised in a cult, Petra’s story is one of courage in the face of adversity. She believes in utilizing empathy and human connection to create safe workplaces which will ultimately enhance productivity.
This group was facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert.
All there is, is What Is. Just as it is.
Realize there is no separation.
Then there is peace that is beyond understanding.
Perfect Brilliant Stillness.
Beyond the individual self.
Stop focusing on words and concepts.
Look where the pointers point!
Be still.
Realize Perfect Brilliant Stillness.
Just as it is.
This enlightening book study, which isn’t a book study at all, is led by Regina Dawn Akers.
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Dorothy Hunt was interviewed by Rhoda Makled.
Dorothy Hunt serves as Spiritual Director of Moon Mountain Sangha, teaching at the request of Adyashanti. She is the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy and practiced psychotherapy from 1967 to 2020. She is the author of Leaves from Moon Mountain, Only This!, and Ending the Search: From Spiritual Ambition to the Heart of Awareness as well as articles on Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy in various books and journals.
Dorothy has a long and deep connection to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the path of Self-Inquiry, as well as the nondual teachings of Zen, Advaita, and Christian mystics. In meeting Adyashanti, she was invited beyond identification with either the absolute or relative, finding freedom in what is awake in each of us regardless of the changing faces of experience.
Dorothy offers online Satsang, retreats, and private meetings. She is a mother and grandmother. You can find out more about Dorothy on her website: www.dorothyhunt.org
Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Regina Dawn AkersTitle: “Unconditional Love is Obtainable”
Description: In his book, Transcending the Levels of Consciousness: The Stairway to Enlightenment, Dr. David Hawkins writes, “Unconditional Love is the goal of the majority of spiritually committed people and especially of serious spiritual devotees and aspirants. … In the world’s overall population, [Unconditional Love] is reached by 0.4 percent of the populace. However, Unconditional Love is a practical and reachable goal and not just an idealized, wishful condition for those who seriously choose it as an inspirational, devotional goal. … In highly motivated, spiritually disciplined groups, approximately fifty to fifty-five percent of the people in the group reach the goal of Unconditional Love… The goal of Unconditional Love is reachable by very simple means, but to bring about results, they have to be lived continually on a daily basis.” In this homily, Regina looked at the “very simple means” that Dr. David Hawkins points to and ask, “How can Awakening Together be one of the ‘highly motivated, spiritually-disciplined groups’ that supports attaining Unconditional Love?
Reading: Yvonne Unger read NTI 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 & 13.
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Michael DeForbes led our Sunday morning meditation. Michael is a student of Helen Hamilton. His guided meditations are based on the direct path, which is an integral part of our teachings here at Awakening Together.
Enjoy this powerful, deep meditation into ever-present peace and the now of the Noumenon which had the theme of embracing all aspects of the self.
Day 260 AssignmentThis evening (or tomorrow morning):
Read NTI Romans 2 (v12-16) to the end of the chapter.
Tomorrow:
Please read and contemplate quotes #642-645 in The Seven Steps to Awakening with your inner teacher. Here is the last quote:
Worldliness sprouts from the seed of the ego-sense.
Note: The next Daily Contemplation will be available tomorrow morning after 2am ET at this link.
