Today’s reading focuses on intuition and discernment.

Intuition

In today’s story, Jesus sends the disciples out to teach in the villages because, “He knew that it was through their own participation as teachers that they themselves would learn and see, …”

He gives instructions to the disciples before sending them into the villages. The heart of these instructions will help us learn to follow intuition.

1.  “You do not know.” – A friend of mine used to call the thinking mind, “the I-know mind.” It does think it knows. So, shifting into “I don’t know” disengages the thinking mind and opens us up to intuition.

2.  “Only the Holy Spirit knows.” – “Holy Spirit” is a Judeo-Christian term for intuition. Intuition is different than the thinking mind, because its source is different. The source of the thinking mind is perception—usually misperception—and thought. The source of intuition is consciousness. The thinking mind is linked to and limited by the biases of one self-centered individual, while intuition is linked to totality’s true perception and to truth. Which one do you think is more reliable as a guide?

3.  “Think only of the work He has sent you to do. All else will be offered through His Grace.” – This teaching is most well known as, “Seek ye first the kingdom and all else will be added to you.”

4. “Do not ask for more than you are offered.” – The ego is always trying to add to itself, so “more” is a key thought in its thought system. To seek “more” is to align with ego.

5. “Be grateful for everything you are given.” – Gratitude flows from our true Self. There is a natural gratitude for being and for our truth. When we are grateful for what is, without seeking more and without asking it to be different, we exercise the right mind’s natural gratitude. That moves us towards true perception.

Discernment

Today’s reading points out a key thought in the ego thought system, so you can come to recognize this thought and choose not to believe it.

The thought is:

You are separate and different from all you know, and for this you are guilty [unworthy, less than]. You must protect yourself, for when your guilt is unmasked, you will suffer endlessly. You will be cut off from all that is and from life itself.

This thought whispers in the mind multiple times every day, but it hides itself so it is not recognized. For example, it may appear as:

• • Stress when you aren’t sure if your work project will be successful, on time or to your boss’ pleasure.

• • Makeup on a face, which tries to hide a sense of ugliness.

• • Disliking someone.

• • Over achieving, taking on too many projects, or saying “yes” to everyone’s requests.

• • Pushing your children to be successful, over achieve, or be the perfect parent.

• • Resolving your children’s problems for them.

• • Selecting friends, homes, cars, functions, and etcetera in order to appear as good as others.

• • Numbing the pain through drinking, taking drugs, over eating, etc.

That’s only a few examples of how this thought hides itself.

The best way to identify where this thought hides in your mind is through root cause inquiry. Once its hiding places are found, you can see it (discernment) and choose not to believe it. As long as it is allowed to hide, you are its slave.

Note: I recommend printing this tip for easy future reference.

Thoughts of Awakening # 37

Trust,
and be grateful.

Be willing
in peace
and in joy.

That is all
you need to do.

~From our Holy Spirit

Participants came together to discuss the Tama Kieves Satsang. The purpose of this Sangha is to share what was most impactful, hear from others about what they took away, and deepen into the teaching from the previous day’s Satsang interview. Come to share or just listen to others.  All are welcome!

Listen to the Recording

*You can also find this recording on the Satsang page for Tama Kieves. Here’s a direct link: Click Here

As a reminder, NTI Mark is a fictional story that provides helpful symbols. Our role is to derive meaning from the symbols, and then live from the example provided by those symbols. In this way, Jesus of NTI is our role model.

Today’s story begins by saying, “With each day, Jesus felt his closeness to the Holy Spirit growing. … A merging seemed to occur.”

How did this merging occur? Through discernment, surrender and kindness. These are the three practices of Jesus of NTI.

Discernment is determining the difference between personal thought and self-will, which is ego, and thought and will that arise from beyond the personal self.

Surrender is choosing to ignore personal thought and will, and following the thought and will that arises from beyond the personal self. Follow it just as it is, without adding to it or subtracting from it. In this way, one becomes the witness of life, playing his part while letting the rest be as it is.

Kindness is living and acting from love instead of fear. (e.g., the Loving All Method)

Today’s reading tells two brief stories. The first story is a story of kindness and a story of faith plus action. Jesus is kind to a woman who feels worthless. Her sense of worthlessness has affected her health. Jesus asks this woman to go home and find her inner brightness. She has faith in his teaching, and she goes home and does as he asks. In this way, she is healed.

Imagine if the woman had been happy in the moment to meet Jesus, had been grateful for his words, but then did not follow up with his guidance when she got home. She would not have experienced the same result.

This demonstrates that faith in the teaching is not enough. One must combine faith with action.

Here are two quotes to contemplate along with this teaching:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? … faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~ James 2:14-17

I can only tell you what I know from my own experience. When I met my Guru, he told me: ‘You are not what you take yourself to be. Find out what you are. Watch the sense ‘I am’; find your real self’. I obeyed him, because I trusted him. I did as he told me. All my spare time I would spend looking at myself in silence. And what a difference it made, and how soon! It took me only three years to realise my true nature. My Guru died soon after I met him, but it made no difference. I remembered what he told me and persevered. The fruit of it is here, with me. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

The second story in today’s reading is a story about Jesus following intuition under extreme circumstances.

Jesus of the Bible was able to raise the dead. However, Jesus of NTI doesn’t have this special power. He simply discerns, surrenders, and lives from love. In today’s story, Jesus’ faith in these simple practices is challenged when he is told by a witness that a little girl is dead. The witness has seen the girl. Jesus has not seen her. Yet, when he feels intuitively that she is not dead, he trusts his intuition over the witness and others. He also follows intuition and breathes into the little girl’s mouth even though he had no knowledge of CPR.

Imagine the faith Jesus had, to trust his intuition over the witness, who was certain the girl was dead. Imagine the faith it took to see the girl, who appeared dead, and then to breathe into her mouth—to pass on the breath of life—without any knowledge of the medical practice we call CPR.

This story is told in this way to encourage us to trust our intuition over personal knowledge and over the urging of others.

I have learned from my own experience that intuition knows more than the human thinking mind. Intuition’s source is consciousness. As such, it knows everything about this moment, and it knows truth too. For this reason, intuition is much more reliable as a guide than the limited, biased thinking mind.

Here is a quote to help you consider your relationship with intuition. This is a powerful quote that can reveal a lot of clarity. I recommend contemplating this quote slowly, in parts and as a whole.

That which sees all this, and the nothing too, is the inner teacher. He alone is; all else only appears to be. He is your own swarupa (true Self), your hope and assurance of freedom; find him and cling to him and you will be saved and safe. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Thoughts of Awakening # 36

The light of Heaven is within.
It waits only on welcome
to be manifest in the world
through you.

Welcome the light
and let it lead you
in all things.

~From our Holy Spirit