Awakening Together

A universal assembly for true discernment

NON-DUAL PURPOSE & PRACTICE

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January Satsang with Regina Dawn Akers

We are delighted to welcome our founding minister, Regina Dawn Akers, as our January Satsang guest. This special event will take place on Sunday, January 19th, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. MT in our Zoom sanctuary. Regina will be interviewed by Rev. Rhoda Makled.

Following one of Regina’s recent homilies, Rhoda found herself writing to Regina to inquire about some of her statements during the gathering. What followed was a conversation about some of the questions Rhoda found herself not posing publicly or with others. Following this written exchange Regina graciously offered to participate in a Satsang. We are excited to have this opportunity to have Regina in the sanctuary as our first Satsang guest of 2025.

For those who are not as familiar with Regina’s story here is some background:
Awakening Together‘s founder, Regina Dawn Akers, grew up in middle-America as a Christian. Her religious training came from more than one Christian faith, and she was aware of differences in Biblical interpretation within the Christian community. She was also aware of the similarities that crossed all denominational boundaries, the most important of which was the statement, “God is love.” Regina knew in her heart that this must be true, and she yearned to know God’s love perfectly.

Although Regina was fascinated by all religions, she never felt to settle with any particular religion. She was driven by an inner desire she was not yet fully aware of, and Regina needed time to discover the calling within her heart.

In April of 2004, Regina spontaneously awakened to her own desire while praying. She describes that prayer this way:

“As I was praying, I felt overcome by a desire to be useful. I wanted nothing more than to be completely useful to God for the rest of my life. I told Him that I would learn anything He wanted me to learn and do anything He wanted me to do. I just asked Him to please make me useful.”

Regina left her career and home in Massachusetts and moved with her young daughter to North Carolina. After the move was complete, she began the work of listening to the inner dictation that resulted in The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI).

In March of 2006, Regina received guidance to start The Foundation for the Holy Spirit with two friends, David Fishman and Phil Frisk. The purpose of the foundation was to provide resources, teaching and counseling to help individuals become Self-Reliant with their own inner guide, the Holy Spirit. Regina later received guidance to convert Foundation for the Holy Spirit into a church (an assembly of people with a common spiritual purpose) called Awakening Together. Awakening Together’s purpose and five core values were given to her right away from within, so Awakening Togethers’s vision was clear from the beginning.

Books from Regina, all which can be purchased through Amazon:
The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI)
The Teachings of Inner Ramana
Thoughts of Awakening: 365 Thoughts for Contemplation
Out of the Stillness: Realizing Non-Dual Truth One Step at a Time
Tao Te Ching: An Interpretive Translation to Live By

For Regina’s Full Bio, please click this link: Regina Dawn Akers Bio

We look forward to being with all who are able to join us!
📅 Date: Sunday, January 19th, 2025
🕢 Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. MT
📍 Where: Awakening Together’s Zoom Sanctuary

Audio & Homework~ Gentle Healing Year 2 with Rev. Michele Hojnacki – Week 98 & 99

Rev. Michele Hojnacki guides a group of committed students through year 2 of Gentle Healing who want to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy, and love. This group meets weekly on Mondays at 5-7 pm ET/3-5 pm MT and all members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings.

Listen to the Recording

Homework for next week:

  1. Homework Assignment A: Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day. Practice the “Loving All” Method.
  2. Homework Assignment B: Thoughts of Awakening 309-315.
  3. Homework Assignment C: Read the following messages from The Teaching of Inner Ramana: Clarity on Practice, How to Awaken from the Dream, How to Awaken from the Dream Part Two, s/Self-Inquiry, The Love of Discipline, Truth Made Manifest, Extinguishment of “I” Thought.

*If you don’t already have it, order The Seven Steps to Awakening. That will be our text for Year 3.

Dyad Retreat ~ Online: Feb 15-17

Dyad Retreat

An Online Retreat with Anne Blanchard
& Kate Brennan

Sat – Mon ~ February 15-17

This retreat is for everyone interested in an extremely deep experience of self-inquiry, regardless of whether you are new to self-inquiry or you’ve been practicing self-inquiry for years.

Psychologists have discovered that dyads (two people sharing in a structured way) are a powerful way of going deeper within one’s self in order to see that which is beyond one’s daily conscious awareness. At this retreat, we will utilize this same practice for the purpose of awakening.

This is a highly structured retreat. Expect to give 100% to the retreat. Participants will not be permitted to come and go during this retreat.

Retreat Schedule
The retreat will begin at 10am ET (8am MT) and end at 6pm ET (4pm MT) each day. A 1-hour lunch period will be provided.

Retreat Fee is $210
$50 non-refundable deposit is required

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Registration closes on Feb 10th at 5pm ET

Scholarship Information

01-05-25 Weekly Gathering, “Claiming One Self Anew” with Rev. Cyndi Krupp

Title: “Claiming One Self Anew”

Description: The New Year is an ideal time to consider letting go of what no longer serves and stepping into a “new” way of being. During this Gathering Rev. Cyndi Krupp will invite us to “Claim Ourselves Anew”, not by creating a new version of ourselves but through our willingness to surrender our false ways of identifying with that which is not true.

Reading: Rona Marren read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz with Janet Mills.

Listen to Audio

or

Watch Video

 

Audio & Homework ~ Gentle Healing Year 1 with Revs. Melody Brauninger & Erica Joy West – Week 1

Revs. Melody Brauninger and Erica Joy West guide a group of committed students through year 1 of Gentle Healing who want to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy, and love. This group meets weekly on Fridays from 10am-12pm ET/8-10am MT. All members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings.

Listen to the Recording

Homework for week 1:

Homework Assignment A: ACIM Workbook Lessons 1-7

    1. First, read the lesson all the way through and then practice the lesson according to its instructions
    2. If you have done the ACIM workbook before, you may add what you hear and feel to the exercises for Lessons 1-3.
    3. As you do exercises 1-3, you may notice the meaning you have given to things. Just notice and continue with the exercise.
    4. Tip for Lesson 4: Sometimes people have trouble remembering to do the workbook lesson when it is to be done more than twice per day. They get on with their day and forget all about the lesson. Here’s a tip: When you finish the workbook lesson 4 in the morning, make a decision about when you will do it next. After you do the lesson the second time, make a decision about when to do it again. After the third time, make a decision about when to do it for the fourth time. If you make a conscious decision about when you will do the exercise next, you are less likely to forget to do it.

Read Regina’s Tips. The tip should be read after reading the lesson on your own. Here’s a direct link: https://devwp.awakening-together.org/interact/gentle-healing-group/reginas-tips/

  1. Homework Assignment B: Read NTI Luke, Chapters 12 (p151-155) and Chapters 16-17 (p161-167).
    1. Do not read all at once. Read a little each day contemplatively.
    2. Explore the reading through journaling. Journal clarity, questions, confusion, resistance, willingness, etc.
    3. If there is a Bible icon before a verse reference, read those verses from the Bible before reading that interpretation from NTI.

New Program: “Transcending the Addiction to Mind” Begins Sunday, Jan. 5th at 12:30pm ET / 10:30am MT

Join us for the brand new program, “Transcending the Addiction to Mind” with Rev. David Hemphill debuting this Sunday, January 5th, 2025 at 12:30pm ET/10:30am MT. This program will be in the Sanctuary weekly on Sundays, from 12:30pm -1:00pm ET/10:30am-11:00am MT.

David invites us to explore the belief in separation through the lens of addiction to the mind! On this journey we will explore many topics such as:

  1. What does it really mean to have spiritual awakening as part of my path?
  2. What is my unique path?
  3. Why do parts of my path feel uncomfortable?
  4. How do I navigate the uncomfortable parts?
  5. Where is the inherent bliss and joy on my path that spiritual awakening says is there? How do I access it now?
  6. Why does my bliss come and go? Why do the bad parts always come back?
  7. How do I get “unstuck” if I’ve been on this path many years and yet still have the same issues I’ve always had?
  8. What is “Self-will” and why do I need to pay attention to it in order to get unstuck?
  9. What is the nature of “desire” and “aversion,” and how are they related to stuckness?
  10.  Once I understand everything, or if I already understand everything, how do I actually make the realization happen?
  11.  What are paradoxes and how should I react when I find one?
  12.  What specifically is it that will permanently lead to spiritual awakening? How do I cultivate this?
If any of these questions resonate with you or spark your curiosity, David would love to see you there!

Weekly on Sundays, 12:30-1:00pm ET / 10:30-11:00am MT
Add Program to Your Calendar
*To add this program to your own calendar click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, and then click “copy” and “save”.

Learn to Live at One with The Way with “Introduction to Tao Te Ching”

We are excited to share with you the newly developed course for the Ministerial Preparation Program which utilizes Regina Dawn Akers’ translation and interpretation of the Tao Te Ching. All who are called to this spiritual classic are in invited to join.

Here’s an excerpt from Regina’s book description:

“…What is the Way?

The only way to know the Way is to live as one with the Way.

[This] translation of the Tao Te Ching is an interpretive translation designed to help the reader comprehend, contemplate, and live from the Tao Te Ching’s teaching.

According to tradition, the Tao Te Ching was written by Lao Tzu when the Chinese Zhou dynasty was in decline. Although a city gatekeeper asked Lao Tzu to write the Tao Te Ching, Its spiritual wisdom is directed at the emperor’s officers and officials. Therefore, it speaks to the reader as a leader.

It’s important to realize we are all leaders, even if you do not find yourself in an official leadership position. We are all leaders because we are all connected through the Way. How we each live affects everyone and everything. Chapter Eight of the Tao Te Ching teaches that those who dwell in the Way are good for the earth. Through their way of being, they benefit everyone and everything. Therefore, regardless of your position or role in the world, the best way to be helpful to everyone and everything is to live centered in the Way. This clear and easy-to-understand translation was designed to help you do just that.”

In this class you will:

1. Become familiar with the classic Chinese work, Tao Te Ching.

2. Contemplate chapters from Tao Te Ching and realize effective leadership.

Course Duration: 6 weeks

First Class: February 14, 2023 from 3-5 pm ET

Homework Begins: February 7, 2025

Last Day of Course: March 21, 2025

Facilitators: Revs. Cyndi Krupp OR Michele Hojnacki

Individual Homework Time Commitment: 6-7 days per week, 30-60 minutes per day.

Structure of Course: Zoom class with 6 weekly 2-hour sessions.

Textbook needed:  Tao Te Ching:An Interpretive Translation to Live By with Regina Dawn Akers. Purchase Here.

Holiday Breaks: No breaks are scheduled

Cost: $180

Registration closes: February 3, 2025 @ 5 p.m. ET

Register Here

This Sunday in the Sanctuary ~ January 05, 2025

All Times are Eastern Standard Time – See links below to join us in the Sanctuary 

 

Join us at 9:30 am ET/ 7:30 am MT for Devotional Attention to Stillness with Rev. Abigail Edwards 

Experience the restful practice of sitting in the stillness of the heart, connected in Being with Rev. Abigail Edwards. Together, we will release the mental chatter by embracing the Divine as our natural state and reconnect with the Reality of the Self.

This meditative process will draw on the Truth writings of Dr. David R. Hawkins, Inner Ramana, Nisargadatta, NTI and other teachers encountered on this spiritual path. We will come together as a supportive group to meditate, embodying the core values of Awakening Together.

 

Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT
for Our Weekly Gathering with
Rev. Cyndi Krupp

Title: “Claiming One Self Anew”

Description: The New Year is an ideal time to consider letting go of what no longer serves and stepping into a “new” way of being. During this Gathering Rev. Cyndi Krupp will invite us to “Claim Ourselves Anew”, not by creating a new version of ourselves but through our willingness to surrender our false ways of identifying with that which is not true.

Reading: Rona Marren will read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz with Janet Mills

Enter Sanctuary Here

*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. George Maddox.

 

Join us at 12:00 pm ET/ 10:00 am MT for Just Being Here Now with Anja Janssen 

Everything is already here now, so all we have to ‘do’ is be. In this program, Anja will look deeply into the now, the present moment, to explore how truth presents itself. She will be using everyday experiences and events to practice being present with what is. She will also share a variety of teachings about the now, the illusion of time, and resting in beingness. Some of the teachers and texts she will draw from are Eckhart Tolle, Lao Tzu, Angelo Dilullo, A Course in Miracles & NTI. Join Anja in using our everyday experiences to embrace the present moment and be.

 

Join us at 1:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am MT for Freedom Practice Sangha with Rev. Anne Blanchard

This will be a time of sharing our inquiries, insights, and challenges, listening to others, or just knowing that we are in community as we find that undefended place within ourselves that longs to be free.

 

Join us at 5:00 pm ET/ 3:00 pm MT for The Mighty Companions Hour – The Voice That likes You with Rev. Yolanda Mapes

Join Rev. Yolanda as she continues to share her beautiful voice and heart during The Mighty Companions Hour. This is a program she and her late, beloved husband, Rev. Glen Ganaway began in 2020.

Rev. Yolanda Mapes, who is an interfaith minister, shares 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.

You can discover more about the Mighty Companions on this website: www.themightycompanions.com. Also, Rev. Yolanda has a site where you can purchase her beautiful, spiritually uplifting music: www.Yolanda.net/audio If you feel to contribute to her ministry, you can do so here: www.patreon.com/RevYolanda

 

Join us at 6:00 pm ET/ 4:00 pm MT for Deepening Into Clarifying the Teachings Together with Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert

During this program, we will listen to a portion of each previously recorded “Clarifying the Teachings” program. Afterward, we will spend time contemplating and teaching ourselves what is most alive for us at the moment. We may also spend time practicing what Regina is teaching. And…we will start at the very beginning.

Bring your journals, openness, and curiosity as we explore what is most alive in us and ready to be seen. We hope you feel inspired to join.

 

Join us at 7:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm MT for Resting in Our Immaculate Nature with Jill Grace & Joy Bedford

Jill and Joy invite us to gently rest and welcome our immaculate nature into full awareness. As we rest into our natural state, we relax beyond fear—letting go of the energy, beliefs, and egoic desires that contribute to suffering. Together, as a sangha, we cultivate a deepened recognition of our True nature, allowing the energy tied to false beliefs about ourselves to return to its natural state of Pure Divine Light.

Gathering as a sangha heightens our ability to detect obstacles–blocks to our immaculate nature…dense, lower frequency Light–so that these aspects of our being that we made up are welcomed into awareness, hastening their return to the original state as Pure Divine Light. As a sangha, we will use practical examples from our lives. Notably, resting in our True, immaculate nature supports noticing how the false identity that isn’t really what we are, enjoys, even wants!… to believe limiting beliefs (the false/unreal) until we realize what we actually are, immaculate, unaffected Divine Spirit. Join us as we put obstacles on the altar of Truth and free light that has been blocking our palpable awareness of Divine Love. Pointings from The Way of Mastery, ACIM, NTI and more will be used.


The Sanctuary will close at 8:00 pm ET

Enter the Sanctuary or see the complete listing of speakers.
All Times are Eastern Standard Time –  See helpful links below.
How to Enter the Sanctuary

Centering Prayer: Now Offered on Weekends! Saturdays & Sundays at 8:00 a.m. ET / 6:00 a.m. MT

Join Sami Ross for “Centering Prayer”, on Saturdays & Sundays at 8am ET. This practice is currently taking place in the Sanctuary Monday through Friday, 7-7:30am ET and now Saturday & Sunday, 8-:30am ET.

Centering Prayer is a method designed to seek the true Self by  deepening into the intention to recognize and promptly empty ourselves of what is not true and, in turn, abide more and more fully in the heart as a symbol of the Truth of What We Are.

During the 20-minute silent practice period, we relax and allow everything to be as it is and when we notice attention has gone to a thought/image/feeling/perception, we ever-so-gently return to a sacred word of our choosing. We do not resist thought but we also do not follow it either. We let thoughts go by without thinking ABOUT them. We let them be by softly saying our sacred word inwardly as a symbol of our intention to consent to the Presence of God within and God’s action within.

Devotional music or words will be offered prior to the start of the 20-minute silent practice period and for a couple minutes directly following the practice period to allow a transition time back to our ordinary awareness.

Monday through Friday, 7:00am-7:30am ET / 5:00-5:30am MT
Saturday & Sunday, 8:00am-8:30am ET / 6:00-6:30am MT
Add Program to Your Calendar
*To add this program to your own calendar click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, and then click “copy” and “save”.

Heart Explorations: Embracing the Whole Show ~ 12-31-24

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.

To deepen further into the teachings from Heart Exploration here’s a link to the Being Aware of Awareness meditation podcast.  In these meditations, the reading from Heart Explorations is contemplated.

Listen to the Recording

Live in the Sanctuary Weekly on Tuesdays, 9-11 am ET
Add to Your Calendar
*To add a recurring program to your own calendar click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, and then click “copy” and “save”.

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