There are two primary points shared through the stories told in today’s reading.

The first point is related to a quote I shared recently from Nisargadatta Maharaj. Here is that quote again:

All you need is to listen, remember, ponder.
It is like taking food.
All you can do is to bite off, chew and swallow.
All else is unconscious and automatic.

When the apostles asked Jesus to describe the kingdom of Heaven, he shared two parables. Both were about seeds growing into plants. At another time, Jesus describes the kingdom of Heaven as being like yeast put in dough.

Jesus’ parables point to this:

Truth realization dawns upon the one who is willing to take time for contemplation and meditation. The one who rushes through life, always doing but never contemplating, misses the truth that is everywhere waiting to be seen. It’s like living locked within one’s skull, instead of opening up to existence and seeing, “I am that.”

We need time alone—quiet, contemplative time. If we allow ample room for that in our lives, realization will occur naturally, “unconscious and automatic.” But if we are too busy to slow down, “bite off, chew and swallow,” the seed is not planted, and it is not watered, and so it cannot grow.

The second point from today’s reading addresses confusion about what we are.

In today’s story, Jesus and the apostles are in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when a storm comes and frightens the apostles. They are afraid of losing their lives. The apostles do not see themselves as anything more than body-personalities.

In the story, Jesus is aware that:

Just as sure as the storm began, it will end.

This is a metaphor that points to truth. Let’s look at the metaphor more carefully.

Here is a story that I call The Journey of Water:

In the hot summer sun, some water evaporates from a lake known as the Sea of Galilee. The evaporated water forms a cloud. The cloud journeys through the air and drops rain in another location. The rainwater flows on the downward slope of the land and joins a creek. The creek flows southeast and merges with the Jordan River. The Jordan River flows south and dumps into the Dead Sea, where some of the water evaporates in the hot desert sun and becomes part of a small cloud. The cloud drifts northward and is drawn into a powerful storm system. The passing storm tosses a small convoy of boats on the Sea of Galilee, and raindrops fall to merge with the lake.

In this fictional story, we see that the water is ongoing and the storm is a temporary manifestation.

When Jesus refers to the “Son of God” in today’s reading, he is not referring to a single temporary body-personality. He is referring to what we are, the Great Ongoingness, of which the body-personality is a temporary manifestation, just like the storm is a temporary manifestation.

We are the Great Ongoingness—ongoing like the water in The Journey of Water. Transcending everything in form, ongoingness has nothing to fear.

Thoughts of Awakening # 34

Honesty is acceptance
of the present moment as it is.

The thought that is here is here.
The emotion that is felt is felt.
The perception that is perceived is perceived.
This is honest.

One who is honest can also question
a thought, an emotion and perception
with awareness to see if it is true.

One who is not honest cannot question with awareness,
because that one has hidden from himself
that which must be questioned.

~From our Holy Spirit

In today’s story, people clamor after Jesus seeking physical healing, but Jesus doesn’t want to heal a never-ending crowd of ailing bodies. He wants to teach spiritual clarity, which he perceives as true healing.

Others may see Jesus of NTI as a master, but he sees himself as a student. He knows he is still awakening, and so he pays attention to himself. When he notices an error in his thinking, he corrects it.

Today’s reading says, “… it was the good news he yearned to share.” And then it goes on to say, “Jesus bowed his head to give the circumstance to the Holy Spirit.”

In other words, Jesus noticed this yearning to teach as self-will. “I” wanted to teach. Jesus knew “I” was ego, so he bowed his head to let go of self-will and to surrender.

When he surrendered, Jesus made sure that self-will was completely dissolved—dissolved to the point that he was willing to do anything  he was guided to do. He was willing to go back into the crowd and heal bodies. He was willing to teach. And he was willing to leave without doing anything. Having no conditions on what he would or would not do, Jesus knew he was genuinely surrendered.

Surrender yourself to the universal
and you will be absorbed in the universal.

~ Ramana Maharshi

Thoughts of Awakening # 33

Gratitude is a peace
that springs forth from within,
from your own awareness
of the truth of your being.

You are grateful for
the truth of your being,
and you need no other reason
to be grateful.

Gratitude is
the appreciation
of truth.

Celebrate gratitude today.

~From our Holy Spirit

Awakening Together is growing, and as we grow, the information on our website grows too. From time-to-time, we need to update the menu bar to reflect that growth.

Our most recent change has to do with our audios. Up until now, you could find all of Awakening Together’s audios under one menu, but now we’ve outgrown that! So, we’ve rearranged our audios in two new menu groupings.

What’s Changed?

The new AT Audios menu includes all of our member audios. Under “Sanctuary Teachers,” you’ll find audio recordings from people like Anne Blanchard, Helen Avery, Kate Brennan, The Mighty Companions and more.

The new Featured Guests menu includes all of our guest teacher audios. Under “Satsang in the Sanctuary” you’ll find audios from people like Helen Hamilton, Craig Holliday, Nirmala, Gina Lake and Cate Grieves.

Hopefully this organization will make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. If it’s from a member, look under AT Audios. If it’s from a guest, look under Featured Guests.

To make room for this change, we’ve moved About to the bottom line on our menu bar.

Our menu bar is always flexing and changing in order to keep up with our growing organization and to meet your needs. It’s possible there will be additional changes to the menus as we consider how to make everything easier for everyone to find.

Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT for Our Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Regina Dawn Akers

Topic: What Was Moses’ Sin?

Description: For centuries, people have expressed concern over the little mistake Moses made, which led God to punish him by not letting him enter into the promised land. God looks pretty bad in this story, because Moses was a faithful servant for years and years and years, yet one little mistake, and God comes down hard! This Sunday, Rev. Regina Dawn Akers will look at this frequently discussed story to see if there is something helpful in it for those of us who seek truth realization.

Reading: Anne Blanchard will share a summary about Moses’ life, read an excerpt from Numbers 20 and read excerpts from NTI 1 Corinthians.

*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.

Enter Sanctuary Here.

Join us at 1:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am MT for Reflections from Freedom Practice Sangha

Join us at 2:30 pm ET/ 12:30 pm MT for Qigong: “The Movement of Now” with Ian McArthur

In this program we will learn the traditional Mind, Body and Spirit practice of Qigong (Chi Kung). Qi meaning life energy, referring to the energy circulating through the body and Gong meaning cultivation or work. The two words are combined to describe a practice to cultivate and balance life energy. By following movements (forms) and a simple breathing technique, we encourage more Qi to flow which in turn allows us to feel more peaceful and at One with ourselves.

Join us at 6:00 pm ET/ 4:00 pm MT for Something Genuine with Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert

Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert facilitates this program, in which Awakening Together members and friends join together to watch and discuss TED talks that reveal the Truth of ourselves and our universe based on the actual experience of ordinary people. Their insights are genuine—not based upon theory or dogma—and give us a “man on the street” perspective on what we are coming to learn through Awakening Together.

Join us at 7:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm MT for The Guiding Light with Regina Dawn Akers

Rev. Regina Dawn Akers reads selections from the book Perfect Brilliant Stillness by David Carse. The purpose of this inspired book study is to learn to stop focusing on words and concepts. Look where the pointers point! Be still and realize Perfect Brilliant Stillness just as it is.

Join us at 7:30 pm ET/ 5:30 pm MT for Awakening Together Satsang with Tama Kieves

Anne Blanchard and Rhoda Makled will interview Tama, who is a spiritual firecracker, internationally recognized teacher and guide, based in Denver, Colorado.

Tama, a graduate of Harvard Law School, worked as a corporate attorney when she heard “the Voice” and left to become a writer.  Today, a bestselling author, international speaking catalyst, and visionary success coach, she shares how to use the foremost principles of A Course in Miracles to thrive in your calling, work, and life.

Tama is known for her electrifying presence, grounded compassion, dynamic sense of humor, and the believable and sweeping possibilities she ignites in others. After discovering the wisdom path of A Course in Miracles, she’s taught it in an interactive and highly experiential way for over 30 years. She loves helping others live a smart, spitfire spirituality.

Learn more about Tama by visiting her website www.tamakieves.com.

*Sanctuary will be closing at the new time of 9 pm ET/7 pm MT.

Here are direct links to join us in the Sanctuary:

Awakening Together Internet Broadcast: Listen Live on AT Radio

Rev. Dawn Fernandez 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. FunPlay Assignment A: Workbook lessons 66-72.
2. FunPlay Assignment B: Read Tips for Lessons 66-72. 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/
   
3. FunPlay Assignment C: Watch “What the Bleep Do We Know.”  Click Here

*By the way, check out the forum for future updates, if you have questions or just another way to see what your PlayFun is.

Rev. Helen Avery is an Awakening Together Ordained Minister. She shares weekly in our Sanctuary with a half-hour of heart-felt deep-diving into truth, love, and awareness. This candid sharing is a time when Helen explores different modalities and teachings with various non-dual teachers and how the real-life application of those particular teachings is currently showing up in her life. She shares about experiences from her path of awakening including the demonstration of how to utilize these helpful processes and spiritual tools. In her most recent Awakening journey she discusses radical truth and wisdom from teachers such as Mooji and Helen Hamilton.

Listen to the Audio