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

Title:  “Where am I, with ‘I’ watching?”

Description: Rev Billy will speak about his journey navigating through an ever-changing world, with consciousness dwelling in a changeless reality.

*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. Dawn Fernandez.

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 7:30 pm ET/ 5:30 pm MT for Awakening Together Satsang with Roger Castillo

Anne Blanchard will be interviewing Roger, who was born on the small Mediterranean island of Malta in 1973. In 1984 at age 11 his family migrated to Perth, Western Australia. He still lives in Perth although much time nowadays is spent traveling overseas.  When at home the majority of his time is spent at Perth Hills Forrest property, enjoying the sounds of nature, solitude, and visits from family and friends.

Roger holds Satsang and retreats and welcomes anyone to join in the spiritual discourses, especially if there is a genuine yearning to open to the notion, and ultimately the first-hand direct knowing, that unbroken peace of mind, love and contentment are our very nature and not dependent on things outside of us, on things we need to achieve, or attain.  This peace of mind in daily living is everyone’s birth-right.

Roger Castillo also has gleaned quite a bit of wisdom from the teachings of Jesus, A Course in Miracles, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi, among others, which were all precious gifts to him on his journey and were instrumental in the changes that took place within him.

You can find out more about Roger on his website: RogerCastillo.org

Here are direct links to join us in the Sanctuary:

Awakening Together Internet Broadcast: Listen Live on AT Radio

Homework for this week

1. Homework Assignment A: Workbook lessons 43-46. Practice lesson 44 for 3 days in a row; practice lesson 45 for 2 days in a row. These are not intended as ‘breaks’ from the workbook lessons. Practice the lesson fully each day that it is assigned.
2. Homework Assignment B: Read Regina’s Tips for Lessons 43-46. The tip should be read after reading the lesson on your own.
3. Homework Assignment C: Read NTI Acts, Chapters 5-7, p 222-228.
4. Homework Assignment D: Read ACIM, Chapter 9.VII, The Two Evaluations

We have a practical goal, which is kindness. We will practice kindness to the best of our ability. However, we are not practicing kindness merely for kindness’ sake. We are on a journey toward truth. Kindness is a step in that direction.

NTI says, “If you are to walk the path of righteousness, all things must be done for the reason of the Heart. … Let not actions blind you. It is not the action that matters, but the purpose that is given it.” In other words, if truth is what we seek, then truth must be the reason for our kindness.

Let me give you an example of a common mistake in purpose. Some people will read this teaching or a teaching like it, and then do their best to be kind so they can be good. The purpose of being good is different than seeking truth. If one’s underlying goal is to be good, one has selected a goal that has an opposite. The goal and its opposite are one, since you can’t have one without the other. That means that anyone who wants to see herself as good will also see herself as bad.

Truth has no opposite. By making truth realization your reason for kindness, you set yourself on a path of increasing clarity.

Today’s reading shares tips about how to practice kindness for the purpose of truth realization. In short, it guides us to:

1. Ask for what we want in a heartfelt, prayerful way.
2. Remember our purpose—truth realization—in all things.
3. Surrender to inner guidance. Trust it and follow it in all things without seeking a specific outcome for the self.

There are two comments I’d like to make about today’s reading:

First, today’s reading refers to our “evil thoughts that would trick and blind us to the Light within.” Some people don’t like the word “evil,” probably because they associate it with guilt. As I mentioned in my first tip this year, guilt does not come from the conscience. The conscience is non-judgmental wisdom. Any sense of guilt comes from the mind’s interpretation of you in relationship to your conscience.

One definition of “evil” is “something which is harmful or undesirable.” In other words, evil, as it is used in NTI, is a term of discernment instead of judgment. “Evil thoughts” refers to thoughts that hurt us rather than awaken us. Since we don’t want to be hurt, and we do want to awaken, it serves us well to recognize those thoughts and let them go. Conscience will help us do that, since conscience is our inner knowing.

Secondly, today’s reading makes a comment that I’d like to highlight. It says, “But if you do not trust your Heart [conscience and spiritual intuition] and you try to find your own way to happiness, you shall be lost.”

We have a longtime habit of self-centeredness to the point that we think we want to be self-centered. Therefore, when conscience or spiritual intuition guides us to drop self-centeredness, we can feel threatened.

If you ignore conscience or spiritual intuition because you believe it is threatening, you will not transcend self-centeredness.

Knowing what you want is key. Know what you want, and then make decisions based on what you want. Even if you feel threatened or afraid, keep walking in the direction of what you really want. That is the only way to get there.

Thoughts of Awakening # 4

Fear casts out rationality,
for rationality is of Spirit.

Listen not to your fear,
whatever it may be telling you.
See it as only a black cloak
hanging on a pin
to cover the light.

Willingly pull it down from its place.

Fear cannot harm you,
and light is the presence
of your Self.

~From our Holy Spirit

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.

Homework for the week:

1. Homework Assignment A: Workbook lessons 43-46. Practice lesson 44 for 3 days in a row; practice lesson 45 for 2 days in a row. These are not intended as ‘breaks’ from the workbook lessons. Practice the lesson fully each day that it is assigned.
2. Homework Assignment B: Read Regina’s tips 43-46 that come out on the daily update. Here’s a direct link to Regina’s tips that are on the website: Click Here
3. Homework Assignment C: Read NTI Acts, Chapters 5-7, p 222-228.
4. Homework Assignment D: Read ACIM, Chapter 9.VII, The Two Evaluations.

Regina’s Tip for Lesson 42

Yesterday, I mentioned that enlightenment is already present in your subconscious. As you meditated, you attempted to sink beyond thoughts about the world to reach enlightenment. Today, you will attempt to let enlightenment come to you.

Letting enlightenment come to you is easier than it sounds. Thoughts from your enlightened Self will rise into your conscious awareness from the subconscious. We practiced this with lesson 39 when we let related thoughts come into the mind. Those related thoughts came into conscious awareness from the true Self.

Today we are going to practice that again.

Today’s practice will work best if you relax—don’t struggle to make thoughts come. Simply remember your intention and trust any thought that rises up that is related to today’s lesson. If it seems related, don’t judge it. Just silently repeat it to yourself, and then wait for the next thought to arise.

For example, here are some thoughts that came to me today:

I need not fear.
I can trust God’s strength, which is within me.
Surrender is the best way to lean on God’s strength,
and so I surrender.
Through surrender, I receive God’s vision.
I celebrate God’s vision now.
I know it is given.
I trust the promise that it’s here.
I happily lean on God.
I go forward with excitement.
The goal of truth realization is at hand.

Letting these thoughts rise up is the first step toward listening to the Holy Spirit throughout the day, because thought that arises from your true Self is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is thought that arises from the truth that lies within

Homework for this week

1. Homework Assignment A: Workbook Lessons 36-42.
2. Homework Assignment B: Read NTI Luke, Chapter 9 (p 144-146) and NTI Galatians (p 327-338).
3. Homework Assignment C: Nondual Awakening Meditation – Where am I? by Gary Weber, which is a video in the Gentle Healing Playlist: Click Here to Watch

Most people do not live according to their conscience, and so the conscience has been repressed. Since the conscience is repressed in most humans, humanity had to create laws, moral codes, and etcetera to tell people how to behave. In order to enforce these laws, humanity also created consequences for breaking its laws. Of course, these consequences have often been extreme and just as out of harmony with conscience as the crime itself.

Ego is responsible for the repression of conscience. When we believe our egotistical self-centered thoughts, we ignore conscience. Since conscience is not self-centered, we believe it is against our will, which is self-centeredness. In other words, we literally choose self-centeredness over unity.

Practicing kindness in our relationships with others reverses this process.

Today’s reading provides guidance about how to practice kindness, which it calls love. It also addresses some common confusion about this practice. I encourage you to read slowly and digest this guidance.

Many spiritual people ignore the guidance for kindness. Sometimes they use excuses to justify unkindness like, “the world is not real,” “the script is written,” “I am not the doer,” “there are no others,” or “I’m just a mirror of your state of mind.” Two traveling spiritual friends of mine used to steal from people who invited them into their homes. They claimed that by stealing, they gave their hosts the opportunity to forgive. They even coined a term for it: stealing for forgiveness.

Self-centeredness is what repressed conscience in the first place, and self-centeredness will confuse spiritual teachings in order to keep it repressed, if you let it. However, that’s not necessary, because you do have conscience.

Conscience comes from the latin verb, conscire. “Con” means “with,” and “scire” means “know.” Therefore, conscience literally means ‘with knowing.’ Since this knowing is built into you, you can know when confusion is trying to confuse you; you can know when you are trying to ignore conscience; you can know when you are attempting to justify being out-of-harmony with conscience; and you can know how to be in harmony with conscience. It’s all a matter of wanting to choose unity consciousness over separation (self-centered) consciousness.

This is a song that a friend wrote based on NTI Matthew, Chapter 5. It might be fun to listen to it as you contemplate your choice regarding kindness.

Rise Up by Esther Danmeri

Thoughts of Awakening # 3

Love is the beauty
of all that is
as it is,
without the addition
of the desire to have it different.

~From our Holy Spirit