Here are answers to some questions that might come up as you read today’s reading.

When NTI asks us to empty the shell, what is the shell?

The shell is the person—the apparent human being that is regarded as an individual. When the person is empty, it is a vessel for truth. It is moved by truth, and truth speaks through it. An enlightened one is an empty shell, empty of self and self-will.

What is the difference between letting go and repression?

When a person lets go of a thought, there is a realization that the thought isn’t what is wanted. Since the thought isn’t wanted, it’s let go, just like you might let go of something that is taking up space in your house when you realize you no longer want it. If an idea has been believed to the point that an emotion was created, you’ll also need to rest-accept-trust as the accompanying emotion moves through and out of the body-mind.

When a person represses a thought, there is a fear that s/he is bad for having that thought in the mind. Repression is more like hiding something in a dark corner in the basement of your house, because you don’t want it to be seen. Whatever is stored in the basement is still in the house, taking up space.

By learning to feel the difference  between realization and fear, you can discern if you are letting go of thought or repressing it. If you find you are repressing it, you can realize you don’t want that, and then relax into letting go.

What are points of experience?

As we learned in NTI Romans, ignorance began because we wanted to experience something different than truth. “Points of experience” are illusory thoughts that fulfill that wish by creating emotion.

Let’s look at how points of experience create illusory experience.

Imagine that you are standing with a conveyor belt in front of you. Hundreds of needles are passing by on the conveyor belt. There are several different color needles. There are pink needles, blue ones, gray ones, yellow ones, etcetera. Each needle is standing on end, with the sharp end of the needle pointing up. As the needles pass by, you feel compelled toward some of the needles. When you reach out and touch a needle, it pricks your finger, and you experience the emotion that is associated with that color needle. Eventually, you become addicted to some of the emotions. Even though you don’t like the emotion, you continually touch needles of that same color and continually experience that emotion.

That is how points of experience create illusory experience, except instead of a conveyor belt with different colored needles, we experience illusions that are different from truth by giving attention to thoughts. Thoughts float by, just like needles on a conveyor belt, and we feel compelled to give our attention to some of them, and then we experience the emotions associated with those thoughts.

In order to empty the shell of illusory experiences, we need to see that although we feel compelled to give attention to some thoughts, we aren’t compelled to give them attention. We are free to give attention to a thought or let it go on by, as if on a conveyor belt, regardless of what the thought is. If we’ve already picked a thought up from the conveyor belt, we are free to lay it back down, and it will move on as the conveyor belt moves on.

As previously mentioned, we let go of a thought by realizing we don’t want it, and the best way to realize what you don’t want is to remember what you do want—your spiritual aspiration.

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.

Thoughts of Awakening # 166

Fear comes from wanting
something other than peace.

If you look at your mind
whenever you are feeling fearful,
you will notice
that you are wanting
something other than peace.

And yet,
beyond that wanting
what you really want
is peace that can never be threatened.

Focus your mind on what you truly want
without feeling you know how to have it.

Ask peace
to teach you what peace is.

In assurance
that the Voice of peace will answer,
let go of your thoughts of fear.

~From our Holy Spirit

Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT for Our Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Gloria Wells

Today’s reading asks, “Do you disagree with your brother?”

Whenever you find that you disagree with anyone, it is a good time to practice inquiry. Look to see if you are attached to self-will. Look to see if you need to practice root cause inquiry to discover a hidden motive or belief.

Inner harmony is the sign of an empty shell. Disagreement doesn’t arise out of pure emptiness. That doesn’t mean that emptiness agrees with everyone. Agreement is just another position. Instead of agreeing or disagreeing, emptiness accepts everyone, allows them to be as they are, trusts all things as they unfold and acts intuitively.

Today’s reading also asks, “Do you have thoughts of temptation in your mind?”

A temptation is a desire, craving or impulse to do something wrong or unwise. For our purposes, we can say that a temptation is a desire, craving or impulse that arises from ego conditioning.

It’s helpful to notice how each of us is a slave to ego conditioning. I used to parent by yelling. That’s the first adverse conditioning I chose to transcend. Other examples of conditioning that I actively chose to transcend are the desire for control, poor eating habits and too much TV.

How does one transcend adverse ego conditioning?

1. Recognize that the habit is contrary to your spiritual aspiration.
2. Inquire to see if there are false ideas driving the habit. For example, I yelled at Jasmine because of a mind-made law that daughters are supposed to respect (always happily obey) their mothers.
3. Notice when the temptation arises, and practice rest-accept-trust instead of giving in to it.
4. Do not judge yourself when you do give in to the temptation, but continue to gently realize your desire to transcend that conditioning. If you do judge yourself, rest-accept-trust with the feelings that arise from judgment.
5. Be patient and remain lovingly motivated to transcend the ego conditioning you’ve identified.

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.

Thoughts of Awakening # 165

Peace is quiet,
so peace can hear
the quiet Voice of the flow.

Peace can sense love
and follow its trail effortlessly.

Peace knows where to go,
because peace can hear the calling
in the wind.

Peace is gentle and formless.
Judgments are hard and solid.

Judgments say “no” to all things.
Peace only says “yes.”

~From our Holy Spirit

Saina guides a group of committed students through year 1 of Gentle Healing who would like to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy, and love. This group meets weekly on Thursdays at 6-8 pm ET and all members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings.

Listen to the Audio

Please note: it may be necessary to download the audio to listen to it fully.

FunPlay for the week:

1. Assignment A: ACIM Workbook lessons 195- 200. Spend 2 days with lesson 200. Read Regina’s tips: Click Here  Practice the “Loving All” Method. Practice daily awareness-watching-awareness or Loving Consciousness meditation for 15-20 minutes each day.
2. Assignment B: Read NTI John, Chapters 15-21, pages 205-213.
3. Assignment C: Watch ‘The Work: The Power of Self-Inquiry with Byron Katie.’ It can be found in the Gentle Healing Playlist in YouTube. Here’s a direct link: Click Here

In NTI 1st Corinthians 1, we were told, “The ego is still within your mind.” Since the ego is still in the mind, discernment is an important factor for one who is learning to be an empty shell.

On Day 156, we contemplated the Commentary on Discernment from Thoughts of Awakening. That commentary said:

Discernment tunes in to a pitch that is beyond the communication of mind and informs mind of the source based on its pitch.

That means that discernment isn’t confused by the words or story in a thought. Discernment senses the vibrational signature of the thought’s source. It knows if the thought is ego or intuition, because it is familiar with the characteristics of ego and spiritual wisdom.

Today’s reading expands on that message. It points out that thoughts that lead you to believe in illusion are ego, and thoughts that lead you from illusion are spiritual wisdom. This is a simple message that can help identify the vibrational signature or pitch of both ego and spiritual wisdom, if you are genuinely interested in letting go of ego and awakening to truth. However, if you are more interested in securing peace, happiness or a sense of safety in the world, you will continue to be attracted to ego, which chatters about how to get peace, happiness and safety in the world.

I recommend reviewing the Commentary on Discernment before reading today’s reading in NTI. That way, you can contemplate the commentary and today’s reading together.

The last paragraph in today’s reading is a very important tip that will help you avoid a common mistake. People frequently be~lie~ve they know other people’s thoughts, when they are simply believing ego in their own mind. For example, if John’s mind thinks, “Gerty thinks I’m lazy and irresponsible,” John presumes that is what Gerty thinks. John doesn’t realize that idea is self-judgment in his own mind.

People often tell me what they think I am thinking, and their thoughts are very far from the truth. Usually, I am thinking nothing at all. I am simply watching the moment unfold. Their thoughts about my thinking are classic projection.

Your thought, which is projected as ‘s/he thinks’ is a sly trick of the ego. It can mislead you, and then you miss an opportunity for discernment. You can avoid being misled by noticing:

1. The thought is in your mind.
2. It is an ego thought, so it is a thought you want to let go of.

Click here to review the Commentary on Discernment

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.

Thoughts of Awakening # 164

Peace is within,
beyond the judgments
and beyond the fears.

To know the guidance
that comes from the Heart of one,
one must surrender
to peace.

One can only surrender to peace
when one chooses to transcend
the obstacles of judgment and fear.

One transcends
the obstacles of judgment and fear
when one looks them in the eye
and decides not to listen to them.

By not listening,
because one desires to hear Love’s Voice,
one naturally transcends
into the depths of peace.

~From our Holy Spirit