The Razor’s Edge is based on a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham that tells the story of a young American veteran of World War I who, disturbed by what he had seen in the trenches, turns his back on sophisticated society and searches for meaning.

The movie’s title comes from a translation of a verse in the Katha Upanishad: “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.”

You can find this movie on YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon, and Crackle.

Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT for our Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert

*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 Freedom Practice Sangha Facilitated by Anne Blanchard

Regina’s Tip for Lesson 1

Many people have completed the Workbook multiple times without achieving true perception. Gentle Healing provides a new way to go through the Workbook. This new way of going through the Workbook has been successful before, and it can be successful again.

What’s different with Gentle Healing?

The Introduction to the Workbook says, “A theoretical foundation such as the text provides is necessary as a framework to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful.”  (Italics are mine.)

Gentle Healing uses some sections from the ACIM text to provide a “theoretical foundation” for the Workbook exercises, but Gentle Healing also uses other texts and other teachings as part of the “theoretical foundation.” These spiritual resources are often easier to understand than ACIM, so the theory is more easily applied while practicing the lessons. The daily tips, which are published on the Awakening Together website, are a very important part of the Gentle Healing “theoretical foundation.”

What is true perception?

First, let me briefly explain what mistaken perception is. Mistaken perception is perceiving and interpreting the world through a self-centered mental filter, known as the ego. The ego is basically a mental program that has been built throughout your lifetime. It tells you who you are, what everything you experience is, and it gives self-referencing meaning to everything you perceive. Meaning that is created through self-referencing is mistaken perception, because it defines what you see and experience in terms of ‘you’ and what ‘that’ has to do with ‘you.’

Every person on earth has an individual ego. No two egoic filters are the same. Therefore, when any person perceives the world through the eogic filter, that person sees a world that is completely unique. Other people see the world differently, as it relates to them.

True perception is seeing the world clearly, without the egoic filter. Prejudice, bias, separatist judgment and individual self-referencing are removed from the way you see when you see with true perception.

True perception is a freer way of seeing. When you see with mistaken perception, you experience a lot of conflict and upset based on the individual interpretation of what you see. When you see with true perception, individual interpretation is removed, so you feel happy, at ease and in acceptance of what you see. You are no longer tied to the world in a reactionary way. You are free to be you, and what you perceive is free to be what it is. The world does not have an effect on you without egoic self-referencing.

Homework for the 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.
2. 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
   4. Listen to Adyashanti video in Gentle Healing Playlist: Click Here to Watch

What is Creation?

Step Five of The Seven Steps to Awakening by Michael Langford has this objective:

Be inspired, encouraged and motivated to:

1. Make and maintain the decision to bring the imposter self and all suffering to its final end and thus remain in infinite-awareness-love-bliss.
2. Actually practice…

Here are 21 quotes from Step Five to help motivate our decision. Please read these quotes slowly and contemplatively.

Ramana Maharshi:

Though in this false world one may live on, the ending of both “I” and “mine” in the clarity of true awareness, void of every doubt, this only is the abidance in the bliss of being That.

Returning to the source from which we have emerged, we are restored to our own true Being. Enjoying there bright and clear our natural bliss, still, still, unmoving we abide.

O mind, you wander far in search of bliss not knowing your natural state of Freedom. Your home of infinite bliss you will regain if only you go back the way you came.

A woman with a necklace round her neck imagines it is lost, and after long search elsewhere touches her own neck and there finds it; even so, the Self is here within. Probe for it there and find it.

Sri Annamalai Swami:

Don’t be discouraged by the length of the journey, and don’t slacken in your efforts to get home.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:

Steady faith is stronger than destiny. Destiny is the result of causes, mostly accidental, and is therefore loosely woven. Confidence and good hope will overcome it easily.

You need maturity of heart and mind, which comes through earnest application in daily life of whatever little you have understood.

On your side there is so much trouble. On mine there is not trouble at all. Come to my side.

You are quite capable of crossing over. Only be sincere.

Faith is not blind. It is the willingness to try.

If only they go deeply into the fact of being and discover the vastness and the glory to which the ‘I am’ is the door, and cross the door and go beyond, their life will be full of happiness and light.

The Supreme Yoga

One should never yield to laziness, but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment.

He who exerts seriously now is able to overcome predispositions and exalt himself from the states of darkness and stupidity and impurity.

The Self alone is to be sought, adored and meditated upon.

This Self is eternal existence.

The wayfarer does not despair at the sight of the long road ahead but takes one step at a time.

The man of Self-knowledge is awake to that which is non-existent to the ignorant. That which is real to the latter is non-existent to the enlightened.

One surely gains that for which one strives; if one neglects it he loses it. The mind flows along the course of wisdom or ignorance, in whichever direction you make it flow.

Sri Sankara

The Self is ever blissful and never experiences suffering.

By this discourse of teacher and pupil, the character of the Self is taught to those seeking Freedom, that they may be born to the joy of awakening.

Eternal, unfading, joy, unstained—this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART.

I will not hurt myself again today.

Our workbook lesson begins, “Let us this day accept forgiveness as our only function.”

Our first special theme was, “What is forgiveness?” Through that special theme, we saw that forgiveness is abiding as the unaffected Self.

As today’s lesson says, “The Self which God created cannot sin, and therefore cannot suffer. Let us choose today that He be our Identity…”

Our fourth special theme was “What is Sin?” Through that special theme we saw that “sin” is ignorance or outward focus.

If you look carefully at the two sentences I have highlighted from today’s workbook lesson, you’ll see that the lesson is asking us to “go back the way you came.” That is, focus inward and return to our unaffected Self.

Here is a song that you can listen to as you contemplate today’s lesson. The  song is directly applicable to the teaching today and over the last several days. (The Meditation Options are posted below the songs.)

Meditation Options:

Guided Meditation Audios

YouTube Meditation Playlist

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 here

Homework for the week:

1. Homework Assignment A: ACIM Workbook Lessons 1-7 and read Regina’s tips that come out on the daily update. Here’s a direct link to Regina’s tips that are on the website: Click Here
   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.
2. 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
   4. Listen to Adyashanti video in Gentle Healing Playlist: Click Here to Watch

The Awakening Together Satsang subcommittee is seeking additional members. The Satsang subcommittee is responsible for discovering, contacting, scheduling, and interviewing people who can offer insight on the path to awakening.

Awakening Together Satsang Interviews are scheduled for the third Sunday of each month. We need additional subcommittee members to help us resume regular monthly interviews. Participation on the subcommittee offers the opportunity to interact with and learn more about teachers and speakers who pique your interest and to share their message with Awakening Together members and friends.

Past Satsang guests have included Nirmala, Loch Kelly, Jac O’Keeffe, Ellie Roozdar, Mukti, Magdi, Paul Hedderman, Mary Reed, Tess Hughes, Chris Celine, Igor Kufayev, Fred Davis, Scott Kiloby, Brent Haskell, Gina Lake, Jan Frazier, Kirtana, Amoda Maa Jeevan, Timothy Conway, Daniel Nahmod, Eshwar Segobind, Dr. Jeffrey Martin, Nouk Sanchez, John Sherman, Amy Torres, Craig Holliday, Bob Fergeson, Susanne Marie, Liz Cronkite, John Mark Stroud, Ram Dass Batchelder, Tony Samara, Joan Tollifson, Floyd Henderson, Dean Sluyter, Suse Wicks, Mike Loween, Nyki Dobson, Bhante Wimila, Bill Free, Dr. Rick Moss, Natalie Grey, Helen Hamilton, and Rev. Myron Jones. All of our past interviews are available on our website here.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the subcommittee, contact us at [email protected].

What is Creation?

Our special theme says, “Our Father calls to us. We hear His Voice, and we forgive creation in the Name of its Creator, Holiness Itself…”

What does that mean, “forgive creation”?

What is God’s only true creation?

What is forgiveness?

Please contemplate these questions with inner spiritual wisdom until an answer that you know is true comes to you. It may be helpful to use writing to achieve that end. It is best to complete this contemplation on your own before reading the tip under today’s lesson.

Here is the music I am listening to as I contemplate this. Some of you might enjoy it too. Others will prefer silence.

Female voice

Male voices

I have already chosen what You will.

If there is any challenge forgiving yourself for having wandered from God’s genuine reality, today’s lesson may help with that challenge. It says, “Father, I thought I wandered from Your Will… Yet what I am in truth is but Your Will, extended and extending. This am I, and this will never change.”

Let’s not forget that our special theme over these last several days has been, “What is Creation?” And the answer is, “We are creation.”

In other words, in spite of this dream of consciousness, humanness and world, what we really are has continued unabated. That’s what awakening is all about. It’s awakening from what isn’t true to what is true.

Are you ready?

Please read today’s workbook lesson in full.
Thank you.

Meditation Options

Guided Meditation Audios

YouTube Meditation Playlist