On Day 125, we learned that “you” refers to everyone and everything in the Fourth Principle of God, not as many things, but as one thing—consciousness.

Consciousness is what you are now. Today’s reading speaks to you, consciousness, as you are. It is not speaking to the body-mind, because that’s not what you are.

Since you are consciousness, and you are not limited to the body-mind, you can feel the truth in today’s reading even if you cannot intellectually understand it. The feeling that knows today’s reading is true is an intuitive feeling, not an emotional one.

Today’s reading speaks of Jesus as a symbol “of all that is true with you.” It says:

“… all that he accomplished, he accomplished within you.”

You might think of enlightenment as something you will accomplish some day. You might think of it as something you are working towards. However, this excerpt from today’s reading means that enlightenment is already within you now. You are consciousness now, and you know your Self as consciousness now.

This might be hard to understand, especially if you have experiences that seem to prove otherwise, but those experiences are temporary manifestations. They are like waves on the ocean. You are like the ocean itself.

Imagine the ocean. See it in your mind. Allow yourself to see all of an ocean. It spans thousands of miles, and it is thousands of feet deep.

When you look at the entire ocean, which has the most mass, the waves on top of the ocean or the still depth?

Which is more permanent, a wave or the still depth?

Imagine the ocean as a sentient, experiencing being. If the ocean can feel, does it experience the waves on its surface?

Which is its substantial reality, the waves or the still depth?

If you answered these questions the same way I did, you see that the waves are less significant than the still depth, the waves are temporary and the depth is permanent, the waves are experienced, but the depth is the ongoing reality.

This is how it is with you, consciousness. Everything in manifestation comes and goes and changes. They are like the waves on the ocean. You experience manifestation, because that is a part of you just like the waves are part of the ocean, but your substantial reality is the still depth. The still depth is present now, within you, even as the waves continue on the surface of consciousness.

In other words, you are enlightenment, but you may not realize it, because you are focused on the temporary waves instead of the substantial still depth.

The reading also says:

“You are eternal, as all of eternity is within you”

Let’s imagine the ocean again. You are the ocean. Somewhere in the middle of you, a small wave is born as it rises up out of you. The wave is moved along the surface by currents and winds. On quiet, clear days, the wave moves along the surface as a gentle roll, barely noticeable as a wave. On stormy days, it rises up and topples small fishing boats. One day, it comes upon a beach, crashes and ends.

From the perspective of the wave, time existed. There was its birth, still days and stormy days, and then its death. However, from the perspective of the still depth, there is only continuous stillness as I am. Time does not exist.

Enjoy today’s reading.

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

Thoughts of Awakening # 142

Life is.
Look upon everything you see,
and realize
life is living now.

Look upon every feeling you feel,
and realize
life is living.

Look upon every thought,
whether it seems to be
a ‘good’ thought
or a ‘bad’ thought,
and realize
life is now.

Life is.
Life is living now.

In seeing this,
your eyes are lifted
above the details that die
and fixed firmly upon
the constant that is true.

~From our Holy Spirit

Congratulations to our New Trustees: Anne Blanchard and Rhoda Makled. We are thrilled to welcome Anne back to the board of Trustees and to have Rhoda join us for her first term. Both of these amazing women tirelessly contribute their talents to Awakening Together and they will be valued members of the board responsible for the day-to-day operations of Awakening Together. Thank you to all the members who voted in the Member Board of Trustee Election. Your vote matters!

Anne Blanchard

Anne grew up in a family where EST training was a part of daily life. Many years later, in 2016, she began attending the Center for Conscious Living in Moorestown, New Jersey, where she refamiliarized herself with various New Thought and nondual teachings. Anne jumped with both feet into sincere and dedicated full-time spiritual practice when she joined Awakening Together on an India Pilgrimage in 2017.

Anne teaches regularly in the Awakening Together Sanctuary. In her weekly program, Unfiltered, Anne 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. Anne also facilitates a weekly Freedom Practice Sangha discussion group and leads morning awareness-based meditations. Anne was elected to the Member Board of Trustees in August 2018.

Rhoda Makled

On Day 110, we learned:

Ignorance is not guilt. It is a call for knowledge.

In other words, every time a human does something wrong, it is an indication that one has listened to ignorance. The correction for ignorance isn’t guilt. The correction for ignorance is knowledge.

“Ignorant” means lacking knowledge or awareness in general. Its root is “ignore.”

Spiritual ignorance is not being aware of truth or now knowing what you are. It comes about because we ignore truth as we pay attention to thought and the world. Outward focus is the cause of ignorance. Inward focus removes ignorance.

Today’s reading is about truth, guilt and sin. In short, it says that only the truth is true, so sin and guilt are imagined. Sometimes this is hard for people to accept, because people believe heavily in the world, in mind-made laws and in action as something real—something that has real effects. The way to see that “guilt” and “sin” are not meaningful is to focus on truth (inward focus) over thought and the world (outward focus).

Let’s try an exercise:

1. Imagine yourself as perfectly innocent as the world defines perfect innocence. Imagine that you were born with a perfectly innocent human mind and perfectly loving human heart. Imagine that all of your life, you have only been caring, helpful and happy. You have never hurt yourself or anyone else in any way.

2.  Close your eyes and imagine what it feels like to be innocence in this way. Feel the experience of being this innocent person.

3. Now, as this perfectly innocent person, move into awareness-watching-awareness meditation. As always, let go of all thoughts, emotions, etcetera, and focus attention fully on awareness. Stay there a few minutes.

4. Next, imagine yourself as a sinful or guilty person as the world defines sin and guilt. Imagine that ever since you were young, you have been selfish and mean to others. You have committed crimes that cause anguish for others, and you delight in the fact that you continue to get away with your crimes. There is no one you care about as much as yourself.

5. Close your eyes and imagine what it feels like to be malevolent. Feel the experience of being this malicious person who thrives on cruelty and taking from others.

6. Now, as this malicious person, close your eyes to practice awareness-watching-awareness meditation. As always, let go of all thoughts, emotions, etcetera, and focus attention fully on awareness. Stay there a few minutes.

7. Was the life-awareness of the malicious person different from the life-awareness of the innocent person?

If you were able to practice the previous exercise without holding onto judgment, you found there was no difference between the life-awareness of the innocent person and the life-awareness of the malicious person.

Today’s reading says:

“God’s Truth has no end, and so it has not ended in you. You are the truth of God in your existence.”

I have italicized “in your existence” in the previous excerpt, because existence is truth and existence is truth’s focus. Inward focus is focusing on existence, which is life-awareness. It is through inward focus that we realize truth, and it is through inward focus that we see nothing has ever changed or affected truth in any way. Every action in the world is completely meaningless and fully harmless from the perspective of truth.

Today’s reading also says:

“No sin shall cross your mind, because there is no sin in you.”

Some people may think, “But sinful thoughts cross my mind all of the time!”

If this is your perspective, you are still focused outwardly. Focus inwardly on awareness-watching-awareness. Thoughts are outward. Only life-awareness is inward. Illusion is outward. That is not you. Truth is inward. That is what you are.

When you focus inward on what you are, you will see that no sin crosses your mind and nothing that occurs outwardly touches you at all.

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

Thoughts of Awakening # 141

Is is,
and because Is is
without end,
it has no need to fear
and no need to control.

Is allows,
because Is is.

In life, there is freedom.
In knowing life,
freedom is realized.

~From our Holy Spirit

Some people get the idea that manifestation, the Fourth Principle of God, is a mistake, a creative error of hellish proportions. In yesterday’s tip, I used the terms “problem” and “solution,” which are terms that might help propagate that idea. However, today’s reading points out that from Consciousness’ point-of-view, manifestation is not a mistake. It is a beloved joy.

A “problem” is a question raised for inquiry, consideration or solution. It could be a benign curiosity. The idea that a problem is bad or that it is something that should not have happened is a mental interpretation. As an example, think of a math problem, a riddle or a puzzle. There is nothing wrong with these problems. For those who enjoy solving them, they are the source of great joy.

The idea that manifestation is bad, that it shouldn’t have happened, or that it must be escaped or eradicated through awakening are all ego distortions. Manifestation is a source of joy for consciousness. When one awakens to consciousness, one enjoys—even loves—manifestation. In fact, the purpose of manifestation is joy. Today’s reading shares that perspective.

In today’s reading, “you” is manifestation. “Every part of you” refers to every aspect of manifestation—every person, every animal, every plant, every invention, and every situation.

Today’s reading is like a love letter from consciousness to manifestation. I recommend reading it slowly, like a letter from God to its creation. As you read, keep the Loving All Method in mind. Realize that it is a practice that emulates the natural love already present in awake consciousness.

If you have trouble understanding that consciousness loves everything in manifestation, realize that consciousness does not focus on what manifestation does. It focuses on manifestation is. It is the is  itself that consciousness loves.

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

Thoughts of Awakening # 140

Life is.
Is cannot stop.
Is cannot die.
Is is,
and Is is continually.

Release your fear of death
by releasing your fear
of the moment
now.

You seem to be fearing something,
and that something may seem to be
a reasonable fear.
But underneath the something
there is the fear
that Is isn’t,
and it is the fear that Is isn’t
now.

Notice that Is is.
Whatever may seem to be,
Is is.
Notice this fact, and rejoice.

~From our Holy Spirit