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

Title: “Be Sure of Nothing”

Description: Rev. Beverly will be sharing about trusting the unknown as a way of being.

Reading:  Kate Brennan will be reading from Nisargadatta’s book,  I AM THAT
Chapter 7.

 

*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

 

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Join us at 1:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am MT for Freedom Practice Sangha Facilitated by 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. This program will be facilitated by Anne Blanchard.

 

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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.

 

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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.

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

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 Regina as she dives deep into this enlightened book study which isn’t a book study at all!

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Join us at 9:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm MT for There is Only One with Sharon Slyter & Michael DeForbes

Sharon will pick a topic to speak on and Michael will do a 40 minute meditation. This is a great way to end the week in perfect brilliant stillness.

Direct links to join us:

Awakening Together Internet Broadcast: Listen Live on AT Radio

What is Creation?

Our special theme says, “Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts, … There was no time when all that it created was not there. Nor will there be a time when anything that it created suffers any loss. Forever and forever are God’s Thoughts exactly as they were and as they are, unchanged through time and after time is done.”

Yesterday we contemplated God’s Thoughts as Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss, perfect love-joy, Love-Bliss for all eternity, and infinite-eternal-existence-being-life. These ideas are not things. These ideas are formless reality, which A Course in Miracles calls “creation.”

Let’s take a moment to look at the contrast between unreality and reality (creation) using the example of a bulls-eye target. The entire target, from the white circles all the way to the yellow bulls-eye, represents the sense of self. Reality does not exist anywhere on this target. Reality is in the absence of the target.

Let’s assume the yellow and red portions of the bulls-eye are the wrong-minded, selfish, personal sense of self that people typically call ego. The blue portion is more general cultural conditioning and human identity. The black and white portions of the target are increasing levels of spontaneous, purified mind.

When the sense of self is fully intact, it blocks reality (God’s Thoughts) entirely. However, when Grace responds to our spiritual commitment by shooting at the target and blowing away a portion of the sense of self, one begins to have direct experiences of reality through the hole in the target.

The direct experience of the divine through a hole in the target is often called awakening. However, as long as any portion of the target still exists, there is some sense of self—some illusionary experience—and reality is not yet known as it is. Instead, it is known through some degree of a sense of self. When Grace fires at the target with a cannon ball that completely demolishes the sense of self in its entirety, Manonasa has occurred and Nirvana (creation) is known.

If you consider this example, you might see how there can be different levels of awakening or multiple awakenings.

For example, imagine a person experiences a shot from Grace that blows out the yellow portion of the target. That will feel like an awakening. However, the red, blue, black and white portions of the target remain. Those portions may be blown out all at once one day with Grace’s cannon ball, or there may be a few more shots with a shotgun that blow away additional portions of the target before the final cannon ball comes.

Another person may experience one awakening—one cannon ball blast that destroys the sense of self all at once entirely.

Yet another possibility is a shot that blows a hole in the center of the target and starts a fire, which consumes the entire target from the inside out. This is experienced as gradually decreasing self, as the inner flame burns self up.

If you look carefully at the example of the target, you can see several possibilities:

1. The process of awakening may feel very different for different people.
2. Since different people experience awakening differently, it will be described in different ways.
3. Since non-total awakening can be a drastically different experience than one’s previous experience, based on the size of the hole, one may think total awakening has occurred when it has not.
4. Awakening is not compete until all levels of the sense of self are destroyed, including even the highest or most pure levels.
5. Absolute truth can only be known as it is, which is without any sense of self, when the entire sense of self is obliterated.

I gladly make the sacrifice of fear.

The example of a bulls-eye target can also help us see why one experiences fear or resistance during awakening. Imagine holding still while someone takes a shotgun or cannon and shoots directly at you. We can even experience fear when Grace shoots at us with nothing bigger than a BB gun.

If we want to experience higher levels of awakening, and especially if we want to experience Manonasa, we must be willing to give up listening to fear. If we listen to fear, we will jump out of the way when Grace comes with its gun. We need to learn to hold steady, be still and do nothing even as fear shouts and screams, so Grace can take aim and fire.

Please contemplate this tip today. Give yourself some time to be with it instead of rushing on to other things. The ego would love for you to forget this teaching. Be determined to absorb it deeply instead.

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Our special theme begins, “Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts in number infinite, and everywhere without all limit. Only love creates, and only like itself.”

Today, please contemplate those two sentences from our special theme along with the sentences and phrases from The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss that I have listed below. As you contemplate these sentences together, keep in mind that the descriptions of truth in these sentences and phrases refer to the First Principle of God only.

If something comes to you as you contemplate, please write it down. However, simply reading the sentences and phrases slowly, and quietly being with them for a period of time, is enough. It is good to read them more than once. I recommend reading them slowly at least three times before continuing to the tip about today’s lesson.

The sentences and phrases to contemplate are:

1. Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts in number infinite, and everywhere without all limit.
2. Only love creates, and only like itself.
3. To come to know, experience and live in Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss is definitely worth the time spent practicing.
4. You’ll discover you are not a body living in a world. You are eternal awareness, perfect love-joy.
5. Absolutely perfect Love-Bliss for all eternity.
6. Living in and knowing your true Self, eternally.
7. Choose the Direct Experience of infinite-eternal-existence-being-life, here and now in this lifetime, by making it the first priority in your life, and by centering your entire life on your spiritual practice.

I can give up but what was never real.

Today’s workbook lesson begins by saying, “I sacrifice illusions; nothing more. And as illusions go I find the gifts illusions tried to hide, awaiting me in shining welcome, and in readiness to give God’s ancient messages to me.”

God’s “ancient messages” are Himself. They are what our special theme calls “God’s Thoughts.” God’s messages are not from Him; they are Him. They are what he is and what you are.

I have created a new list of sentences and phrases that combine the sentences and phrases you have already contemplated with new sentences from today’s workbook lesson and based on today’s workbook lesson. Quietly contemplate all of these sentences and phrases together:

1. Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts in number infinite, and everywhere without all limit.
2. Only love creates, and only like itself.
3. To come to know, experience and live in Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss is definitely worth the time spent practicing.
4. You’ll discover you are not a body living in a world. You are eternal awareness, perfect love-joy.
5. As illusions go I find the gifts illusions tried to hide, awaiting me in shining welcome.
6. Absolutely perfect Love-Bliss for all eternity.
7. Awaiting me in shining welcome, and in readiness to give God’s ancient messages to me.
8. God’s ancient messages are Himself.
9. God’s messages are not from Him; they are Him. They are what he is and what you are.
10. Living in and knowing your true Self, eternally.
11. Choose the Direct Experience of infinite-eternal-existence-being-life, here and now in this lifetime, by making it the first priority in your life, and by centering your entire life on your spiritual practice.

Meditation Options

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Our new theme is : What is Creation?

As we look at this new special theme, we will do our best to eliminate all confusion about what is true and what is false. This may take some slow reading and contemplation on your part, because the ego mind prefers the state of confusion, and it will attempt to cling to confusion. However, the truth is actually very, very simple, and if our intention is to be clear on truth, we will be able to do so.

Our special theme begins by saying, “Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts, in number infinite, and everywhere without all limit. Only love creates, and only like itself. There was no time when all that it created was not there. Nor will there be a time when anything that it created suffers any loss. Forever and forever are God’s Thoughts exactly as they were and as they are, unchanged through time and after time is done.”

Let me review the Four Principles of God with you:

First Principle of God – Pure, un-manifest, life-awareness; abstract, unlimited potentiality. It is what A Course in Miracles calls “Father” and “Heaven.” It is also called Nirvana. It is the Source and ultimate truth.

Second Principle of God – Consciousness. This is the only direct creation of the Source. In A Course in Miracles it is called “Christ” and “the Son of God.” It is the unaffected, still witness. All things manifest are made of this principle; therefore, all things are consciousness.

Third Principle of God – The ongoing activity of creation, which occurs naturally through the interaction of the witnessing principle with that which is witnessed. In Gentle Healing, we learned about this through “The Code” and NTI Ephesians. I often call it Divine Law. It is how consciousness forms itself into the many temporary forms that make up the manifest universe.

Fourth Principle of God – Manifestation. Everything in this realm is temporary, and so it is often referred to as a dream. It is consciousness appearing as something other than consciousness, and so it is called illusion. One who believes this is the realm of reality is referred to as unconscious, not awake, or ignorant. When this realm is seen through ignorance, it is fearful and full of suffering. When seen through clarity, this realm is miraculous.

There is a truth and an untruth in my wording of the Second Principle of God. I called it “the only direct creation of the Source.” The truth is that the Second Principle of God is the only direct creation of the Source when looking at God from the perspective of self and illusion. As we climb the ladder upward toward truth realization, or as we return in the same direction that we came, consciousness is our last dream experience before awakening to truth entirely. Therefore, it is the only aspect of the dream that touches source. There are no aspects of the dream prior to consciousness.

Remember that consciousness has true perception and sees the real world, yet the real world itself is still a dream. That means that consciousness is also a dream.

Truth sees truth.
Dream sees dream.

In our current special theme, “creation” and “God’s Thoughts” do not refer to consciousness, the world, self or illusion in any way. Some of the words that point to this fact in the first paragraph of our special theme are:

“infinite”

“everywhere without all limit”

“love creates, and only like itself”

“no time when all that it created was not there”

“Forever and forever are God’s Thoughts exactly as they were
and as they are, unchanged through time and after time is done.”

All of this language points to the First Principle of God only. It does not include the Second Principle of God, the Third Principle of God or the Fourth Principle of God.

One thing that makes this confusing is that many people have awakened to the Second Principle of God and believed it was the final awakening. As such, there are many, many books, including scripture, which are written from the perspective of consciousness as if that is the ultimate point of view. However, it is not.

Awakening to consciousness is what A Course in Miracles calls the Second Coming of Christ, but the Last Judgment goes beyond this awakening. In A Course in Miracles, “creation” speaks of truth, which is at the level of the First Principle of God only.

Let’s review one of our previous special themes, What is the Real World? I will bold some words and phrases that I would like you to pay particular attention to.

The real world is a symbol, like the rest of what perception offers. Yet it stands for what is opposite to what you made. Your world is seen through eyes of fear, and brings witnesses of terror to your mind. The real world cannot be perceived except through eyes forgiveness blesses, so they see a world where terror is impossible, and witnesses to fear can not be found. …

The real world is the symbol that the dream of sin and guilt is over, and God’s Son no longer sleeps. His waking eyes perceive the sure reflection of his Father’s Love; the certain promise that he is redeemed. The real world signifies the end of time, for its perception makes time purposeless.

The Holy Spirit has no need of time when it has served His purpose. Now He waits but that one instant more for God to take His final step, and time has disappeared, taking perception with it as it goes, and leaving but the truth to be itself. That instant is our goal, for it contains the memory of God.

Several days ago, I attempted to clearly define some words. One of those words was ego. I wrote:

Ego is sometimes used to refer to the wrong mind. When “ego” refers to the wrong mind alone, it is completely transcended when the mind becomes purified and merged [with consciousness]. However, “ego” can also be used as a more general term that means “sense of self.” When ego refers to a sense of self, even the ‘I am’ presence could be called ‘ego,’ although few people use that term in this way. The ‘I am’ presence is a divine sense of self rather than a personal sense of self. It is the sense of a subject, even if the only thing this subject is aware of is itself (ie., consciousness aware of consciousness.)

The ‘I am’ presence in the previous definition of ego is Christ-consciousness. They are one and the same. In other words:

Only the First Principle of God is truth.
All other principles are part of the illusion.

This is the clarity we will attempt to realize as we focus on our current special theme. This clarity is rare, because most people who have awakened have only awakened to the Second Principle of God, and therefore they speak and write as if that is the totality. Nirvana, also called Manonasa, is very rare. However, there are beings that have awakened to that degree. I will quote some of them as we contemplate this special theme.

Father, my freedom is in You alone.

It is an interesting dilemma we find ourselves in. While we are attempting to realize the ultimate truth, we also need to walk in that direction from where we are. When we walk in the direction of awakening, awakening comes to greet us. That is the meaning of the story of the prodigal son, which I will include below for your review.

One very important sentence in today’s lesson is this:

Now I would guide myself no more.

If we want to make the journey from “the dream of sin and guilt” to the real world, and ultimately to truth, we must abandon the ego as our guide. This takes a lot of practice, because we see the ego’s ideas as our ideas, and we are much more attached to our ego self than most of us would like to think.

Also, as long as we are within ego-consciousness, we need a guide. We cannot go without a guide at this level, because this level is script. A script must guide. There is no state at this level of consciousness that is scriptless.

However, we do have two scripts to choose from—that is, two guides to choose from: the ego, which seems to be our self, or the spiritual intuition that guides from Christ-consciousness.

Obviously if awakening is our goal, spiritual intuition is the guide that we want to choose. That means that we need to learn to listen to it instead of our self. Ultimately, we need to merge with it as our self.

Today, as you contemplate the teaching that I have written regarding our new special theme or as you contemplate the story of the prodigal son below—you choose which one you want to contemplate—let a question arise in you, and then ask that question and let an answer come. You may begin by writing from your knowledge if intuitive writing does not begin on its own. As always, you may also speak into a recorder.

(You may always speak into a recorder, if that is what is most helpful to you. However, I won’t continue to type that in my tips. Just know that speaking into a recorder is an option whenever I ask you to write.)

The Story of the Prodigal Son

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

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