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Gentle Healing 2 ~ Day 108: NTI Acts 1

June 18, 2020

Note for Gentle Healing Participants from Regina On Day 108, the Gentle Healing Group will begin reading NTI Acts. One fun and informative way to read NTI Acts is to read it along with watching the movie, Acts, by Visual Bible. The movie stars Bruce Marchiano, James Brolin, Jennifer O’Neil and Dean Jones. It is directed by Regardt Van Den Bergh.

This movie’s script follows the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible exactly. There isn’t a single word added to the script for dramatization. Since the NIV Bible is the one I read when scribing NTI, that means this movie depicts the scenes I read about as I received the interpretation. Another great thing about this movie is that the scripture reference appears as captions on the screen. That means you can watch the movie, stop it, and then read the corresponding interpretation from NTI.

This movie is not required for Gentle Healing. However, if the idea of the movie interests you, I recommend ordering it now so you will have it by the time we start reading NTI Acts. If you get the movie, I recommend using it this way: 1. Look at the tip to see what that day’s reading is. 2. Watch the portion of the movie that corresponds to that day’s reading. (For example, on Day 108 watch Acts 1. Stop the movie when the scripture caption moves to Acts 2.) 3. Read the tip. 4. Read the daily reading in NTI. This will add a few additional minutes to your Gentle Healing routine, but it will help bring the Bible stories alive, and it will enhance your experience of the reading and the tip. The DVD has a great feature that allows you to easily select the chapter you want to listen to each day. If you choose to order the movie, be sure to get the DVD mentioned above. There is more than one movie about Acts.

Note: Before reading today’s tip, read Acts 1:1-11 from the Bible or watch all of Acts 1 from the Visual Bible movie, Acts. (Here is a link to the Acts movie on YouTube.)

Yesterday’s reading described the awakening process from identification with the false self to the awake-realization of unity consciousness. It described the experience as a “merging” process.

Today’s reading points to the first step in the merging process, which is opening to guidance that seems to come from beyond yourself.

In the initial stage, guidance seems to come from beyond yourself, because you are identified with the false self. Guidance does not come from the false self. Resistance comes from the false self.

Let’s look again at what guidance is and what resistance is.

Resistance resists change. Specifically, it will cling to your identification with thought, body and personality as you.

Guidance is the highest vibrational choice available to you now. As you choose the highest vibration, you also rise in vibration. In that way, guidance is like a ladder, and by climbing that ladder you climb beyond identification with the false self to realization of unity consciousness (the I Am presence). That’s why the false self resists guidance, and that’s why guidance does not come from the false self.

Necessarily then, you must put your personal will aside and seek guidance that comes from beyond the personal self, which resists truth. Today’s reading teaches us how to do that.

Today’s reading makes another important point too. Many spiritual seekers become too attached to outer teachers and teachings. Although outer teachers and teachings can be helpful for a time, we all must become Self-reliant with our own inner spiritual wisdom. In fact, the mission of The Foundation for the Holy Spirit, which is Awakening Together’s parent organization, is:

To help individuals become Self-reliant with inner spiritual wisdom. We do this by providing resources and services beneficial to that mission.

Awakening Together is the primary resource through which this mission is accomplished. Gentle Healing is one means of accomplishing that mission. NTI is also a resource of The Foundation for the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts of Awakening # 108

To hear the Voice for God
as it guides and directs you,
have no expectations
along the way.

Do not know
what you look upon.
Do not know
what you seek.
Do not know
what the current moment is for.

Do not know
and be open to knowledge.

~From our Holy Spirit

Homework for this week

Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Thoughts of Awakening, 106-112
Read NTI John Chapters 19-21 & Acts Chapters 1-5.
The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, p. 128- 136 or for Kindle users the Chapter titled Knowing Is Being Is Loving & Changeless Presence.
Exercise to practice: Everything you know, you know because it is in you. You could not know it if it was not in. you. This week, every once in awhile, notice every now sounds, sights, sensations, anything in your awareness and know that the only way you can be aware of them is if they are in you.

Meet the Candidates! Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET

June 17, 2020

Join us on Sunday, June 21, 2020 at 8 pm ET/6 pm MT for our Special Member Meeting to meet this year’s nominees to the Member Board of Trustees:

Susan Bacon Kelly Barber Doreen Bonnet Meg Reinhart Beverly
Toporowski

Read their Bios

Being Aware of Awareness Meditation 6-15-2020

June 17, 2020

In this program Anne Blanchard facilitates one of the core practices of the Awakening Together community which is Awareness watching Awareness meditation. This program provides an opportunity to be in community with others who will to find that place of no-place, that attention to our natural attentiveness, that innate humanness that can often be overlooked. Anne Blanchard facilitates this program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 – 8:30 am ET/5:30-6:30 am MT by leading participants through gently guided Awareness watching Awareness mditation. All are warmly welcome.

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Gentle Healing 2 ~ Day 107: NTI John 20 & 21

June 17, 2020

NTI John ends with a lovely description of the awakening process from identification with the false self to realization of unity consciousness. It describes the experience as a “merging” process. At first, we listen for guidance as if it is coming from outside of us. Then, we begin to recognize it is not coming from outside of us. Instead, it seems to move in us and through us naturally. Eventually we see ourselves as That, which we used to reach for or resist.

NTI John points out that until the merging process is complete, there will be resistance and doubt. There will also seem to be “tests,” which are situations when we are severely tempted to fall back on our old habits in order to feel safe. These “tests” do not come from truth. There aren’t any “tests” we have to pass to realize truth. The “tests” are times when the ego is screaming for us to turn away from truth. The “tests” come from our remaining resistance.

Today’s reading says:

But if you open to Me, even within your moments of doubt, the miracles that you experience will convince you that your faith is well placed, and you will continue to follow the guidance of the Light.

In other words, we are awakening to benevolence. By not returning to the ego during the “tests” of resistance, we discover the benevolence that is natural to truth, and we learn to trust it more. This positive reinforcement, which comes naturally when we do not return to our old habits, encourages us to let go of ego and merge with the light.

Thoughts of Awakening # 107

You have no obligation
except to be love.
And ‘be love’ is all that you are
and all that you can be.

You have no obligation
to see what I say is true,
but the joy of your heart
is to know you as I do.

To know that you are love
without obligation to be different than you are,
observe everything without judgment
and watch how it all unfolds.

~From our Holy Spirit

Homework for this week

Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Thoughts of Awakening, 106-112
Read NTI John Chapters 19-21 & Acts Chapters 1-5.
The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, p. 128- 136 or for Kindle users the Chapter titled Knowing Is Being Is Loving & Changeless Presence.
Exercise to practice: Everything you know, you know because it is in you. You could not know it if it was not in. you. This week, every once in awhile, notice every now sounds, sights, sensations, anything in your awareness and know that the only way you can be aware of them is if they are in you.

Gentle Healing 2 ~ Day 106: NTI John 19

June 16, 2020

Yesterday’s reading ended with this:

You stand before two voices, both witnessing to you and both claiming to be the voice of truth. Each voice has something to say, but what they say is different. And you must make a choice. … Which voice will you believe? … Which voice will you listen to?

Today’s reading points out that until we resolve to live by the voice for truth, we live by the ego. The ego is the default voice in the world. As long as we believe that we serve our best interests by thinking through options and making decisions based on thinking, we live in accordance with ego.

Most people will read today’s reading, feel the desire to live by the voice for truth, and then follow the ego predominantly anyway.

Why?

Because of the value put on one’s thinking.

The reading points out that you will suffer because of the choice to live by ego. This is important to see. If we notice how much suffering our thinking causes us, we will begin to value it less. The less we value our thinking, the more likely we are to follow our heart and live by the voice for truth instead of the ego.

It is helpful to notice how you feel when thinking is spinning in the mind. Notice that thinking is the cause of suffering. Grow tired of thinking as your guide.

It’s important to remember that the voice for truth is intuition, and intuition guides in the moment. That means that as we resolve to live by the voice for truth instead of thinking, we need to become comfortable with not knowing and with waiting until intuition makes known whatever it is that we need to know.

Watch your thinking. When something is not yet known, but the mind is trying to figure it out, put the thinking aside. Be willing to abide in unknowing presence until it is time to know. Through this decision, you wait for intuition instead of running off with thinking.

Thoughts of Awakening # 106

What is hate
but the wish that what you see
be different than the way
you are seeing it?

Good news, my brother!
It is different.
What you are seeing now
is not what is true,
and what is true is not
how you are seeing it.

Erase the ideas in the mind
that tell you you know what you see.
Look at all you believe
to be facts about what you see,
and be willing to realize
you are completely wrong
about everything.

~From our Holy Spirit

Homework for this week

Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Thoughts of Awakening, 106-112
Read NTI John Chapters 19-21
The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, p. 128- 136 or for Kindle users the Chapter titled Knowing Is Being Is Loving & Changeless Presence.
Exercise to practice: Everything you know, you know because it is in you. You could not know it if it was not in. you. This week, every once in awhile, notice every now sounds, sights, sensations, anything in your awareness and know that the only way you can be aware of them is if they are in you.

Gentle Healing 2 ~ Day 105: NTI John 18

June 15, 2020

On Day 96, our tip pointed to a core problem:

We may think we value truth,
but what we really value is our thinking.

This is why we confuse our true Self with a false self. The false self is thinking, and we value thinking to the point that we are willing to see it as what we are.

Of course, Gentle Healing is a process of undoing this core problem. However, as we undo the core problem, we can’t ignore the fact that we are undoing something we have willingly valued above everything else, including truth. The value we have placed on thinking is the source of our resistance to undoing. We experience resistance to the degree that we still value thinking.

In other words, resistance is lighter if I don’t place much value on thinking anymore. It is greater if I still place great value on thinking.

The interesting thing about the level of truth that we are attempting to realize now is:

It is simple, obvious and there is nothing to fear in it.

The level of truth that we are attempting to realize now is the Second Principle of God, consciousness. Today’s reading calls it “I Am.”

If you take a break from thinking and simply look at the I Am presence that you are, you will see there is nothing to fear in it. You will see it is a simple, obvious fact. You will see it is naturally peaceful. You may even see that it is comforting to recognize yourself as “I Am.”

So, why is there resistance to simply claiming yourself as you are?

It is because of the value that is put on thinking. “I Am” is not thinking. Thinking is what today’s reading calls your illusions and your imagination.

Today’s reading provides guidance that helps us be with resistance so that resistance can be healed. Read today’s reading slowly and contemplatively. Learning to be with resistance in a way that heals it is important. As resistance heals, the value we put on thinking naturally weakens. As the value we put on thinking weakens, the awakening process gets easier, because there is less resistance as we value our thinking less.

Thoughts of Awakening # 105

Beyond the thinking mind,
within the heart,
there is reason and knowledge
that guides you.

When you are lost from the heart,
caught up within the stories
of the thinking mind,
you are lost from this reason
and from this knowledge.

This is why you suffer.
You do not know your Self.

Let go of the stories
by not believing them,
and listen intently
to the silent reason
and knowledge
of the heart.

~From our Holy Spirit

Homework for this week

Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Thoughts of Awakening, 99-105
Read NTI John Chapters 8-18
The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, p. 120- 127 or for Kindle users the Chapter titled There Are Not Two Things.
Exercise to practice: Pause and notice every now and then that there is one seamless experience. The mind may try to tell you that there are many pieces but keep the mind out of it and notice there is just one experience. Play with that as much as possible.

6-14-20 Weekly Gathering: “The Grace to Stop”

June 14, 2020

Weekly Sunday Gathering with Rev. Regina Dawn Akers

Title: “The Grace to Stop.”

Description: Rev. Regina Dawn Akers discussed an important spiritual practice: Stop! What is Stop? Regina shared what this practice is and how it is helpful to awakening.

Reading: Rev. Joanne Schneider read an excerpt from David Carse’s book, Perfect Brilliant Stillness.

Listen to this audio

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Meet the Nominees for the Member Board of Trustees

June 14, 2020

The following members have been nominated for the Member Board of Trustees. Ballots will be sent to all members via email on Monday, June 15. To help you make a decision as to which candidate(s) to support, a list of nominees with a short biography for each appears below. In addition, please join us for our Member Meeting on Sunday, July 21 at 8pm ET in the Awakening Together Sanctuary Home, where each candidate will be given an opportunity to address the membership.

Listen to Meet the Nominees Meeting Here

Nominees

Susan Bacon

I grew up with a Christian Science mother, an Episcopal father, and attended a Southern Baptist school all at the same time—it seems awareness of God’s presence in life was clearly part of an early plan, as were life-long questions about different belief-systems. After college, I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church and eventually became involved in leadership positions in several parishes, including service on two church vestries, Director of Education, active participation on the board of a community homeless program, lay ministry, and various other contributions. I learned a lot from observing and questioning ego while in these roles—and inherently longed to discover my authentic Self in community.

Later, I turned away from the politics of organized religion to spend time studying non-dual teachings such as Richard Rohr, the Buddhist tenets, ACIM, Gina Lake… all essential bridges to inner stillness and truth. My interest in Awakening Together began when a spiritual mentor pointed me toward Gentle Healing in 2017, from which I’ve recently graduated after 3+ years of honest, daily devotion. I‘ve also been involved in the MPP curriculum and have nearly completed the coursework and class time.

My vocation before retirement was as a teacher and administrator in a variety of socioeconomic settings. Working with children, their parents, and meeting them where they are is one of the greatest gifts of this lifetime. I’ve been married for 32 years to a wonderful man, have 3 grandchildren, and share space with a 16-year old dog named Panda, who lives an extremely charmed life.

Kelly Barber

I consciously began a spiritual path at age 23, when I was divinely led to the beautiful grace of 12 steps for an alcohol issue. I am so grateful for that program as it has taught me so very much about honesty, having an open mind and being willing to grow spiritually. Early in recovery, I was introduced to the writings of Emmett Fox, then ACIM and later on Way of Mastery. I have gone through periods of being an absolute sponge when it comes to reading, and then times when I back off and let it all percolate.

I work for a nonprofit organization that specializes in providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities. I have been with this company for 33 years, starting as a technician in one of our group homes, and then managed that group home for 10 years. In 2006 I received my bachelor’s degree in human resource management, and became the HR Manager in charge of recruitment, training and benefits.

I became an Awakening Together ordained minister in February of 2016. Since that time I have led gatherings, held a sanctuary spot where we read Way of Mastery, and now I am in gentle healing year two as well as part of Movie Watchers group. I absolutely love the way my MPP experience has shown me how to see the Truth in just about anything I am reading, watching or listening too. I am grateful to be a part of this organization and am happy to be of service in any capacity I am called to.

Doreen Bonnet

Doreen became consciously aware of her spiritual journey in her mid 20s when the book, “Spiritual Growth”, by Sanaya Roman, appeared in her life. Little did she know this book would change the trajectory her path would take. Since then, she has been a seeker of spiritual truth with a goal of raising the consciousness of humanity. She has a BA in Communication/Public Relations and is a graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts with an emphasis on Asian Bodywork Therapy. She is also a graduate of Inner Visions Institute of Spiritual Development. Doreen was elected to the Member Board of Trustees in July 2017.

Doreen currently serves on the Member Board of Trustees and has served on our Ministers Association Subcommittee during her tenure on the board. She has been acting chair of that committee since December 2019 and has recently agreed to officially chair that committee.

Meg Reinhart

Spiritual presence has been tugging away at my humanness since I was a child. My devotion to awaken was pioneered by various glitches in the matrix such as near death experiences, relentless questions about the system-programming, hunger for more, and a fascinating obsession with my body acting like a trap rather than a vessel. On one side I knew of innocence but instead, led myself into self-perpetuated destruction and addiction looking for answers about Heaven. My black hole became my realization and my quest for God became conscious, deliberate, sober, and genuine. In 2013 I woke to the presence of God and ignited the potential to create a life aligned with awareness and consciousness exploration. Everything from that point on has been one with my decision for Truth, Love, Light, Absolute, and Beyond.

My story is just one more love story about life being aware of life through the unique perspective of Meghan Personality. Despite what appears dark or light, I have fallen madly in love with no-mind, levels of consciousness, knowledge, spiritual practice, philosophy, yoga, metaphysics, occult, literature, and art. My awakening is simply the hunger for the infinite with a radical acceptance for “all-that-is” — an on-going awareness that dives deep into changing appearances while distancing my “I” from the impermanence of object meaning.

Awakening Together, through MPP ministry, teaching and sharing in the sanctuary and being involved in listening to my fellow members in Gentle Healing, provides me with a life suited for Self-mastery. We have accelerated the distinction between ego dictator and Holy guidance and support the path for anyone willing to learn of Self. My service continues to inspire and surprise me as I give myself to changeless Truth. If moving into a position on the Board of Trustees, I would give myself to the moment for expansion which is endless and opportune, but for the sake of context, my contributions would be that of millennial Bob Dylan while studying the future of quantum computer science with the heart of a Bodhisattva.

Beverly Toporowski

I have been with Awakening Together since 2016. I was introduced to this community through the MPP program, and Gentle Healing shortly thereafter. I am an Awakening Together Minister, a Gentle Healing 3 graduate and am involved in Weekly Gatherings. Awakening Together has been a vital part of my spiritual journey. I am looking to deepen my commitment at Awakening Together and feel that joining the board would be a good way to do that.

My spiritual journey has involved the following: I have studied and graduated from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing which is a four-year training program that looks at the psychology of illness through the energy field. I have studied Science of Mind and am a Science of Mind practitioner. I have read and studied A Course In Miracles along with the Teacher’s Manual. My spiritual journey has involved sharing what I have learned through my inner guidance– a series called Healing through Consciousness, which combined The Power of Now, A Course in Miracles and energy healing principles as it relates to both of these. As a family physician this path has deeply affected how I practice medicine as well as how I see “healing.”

Gentle Healing 2 ~ Day 104: NTI John 17

June 14, 2020

In yesterday’s tip, we saw that we cannot go so deep into darkness that we exit consciousness or its benevolent intelligence. This is true for us, and this is true for everyone. When you look at the world and see people doing things that seem dark, confused or out of harmony with truth, those people and what they are doing are within the light—within consciousness and the realm of its benevolent intelligence.

For that reason, there is no cause for concern about the world or the choices of others. Everyone and everything is within the light and made up of the light. This is important to realize, because as long as we become concerned about the world and others—as long as we judge the world and others by our self-centered ideas of what should or should not be—we miss seeing the light.

The best advice for one who seeks Self-realization is:

Leave the world alone.
Let others be as they are.
Watch out for yourself.
See that you are seeking within.
Be of service by being tuned inward.
Everything else will take care of itself.

If you feel there is a world issue or family issue that needs your participation in order to resolve itself, look at the idea of that issue for a moment. Think about what is wrong now. Think about what needs to be done to make it right. Think about the current obstacles to change. Think about the others who will not do what you want them to do so that the issue can be resolved the way you think it needs to be resolved.

The longer you look at the issue that you think needs to be fixed, the more conflict you will find in yourself. That conflicted state is the state of separation. You cannot abide in the state of separation and know the truth. That’s why you need to leave the world alone. Only by letting everything else be—only by letting it be as it is and only by leaving it alone—can you see that everything is the light.

As you read today’s reading, contemplate this quote from Ramana Maharshi:

Take care of yourself. Let the world take care of itself. See your Self. If you are the body, there is the gross world also. If you are Spirit, all is Spirit alone.

Thoughts of Awakening # 104

When the stories seem loud,
try this:

Take a moment to get in touch
with what you truly want.
Then sit in quietness,
and bring your stories to the heart.

Call it as you see it.

Tell the Heart your stories,
and tell of your feelings,
your frustrations and your pain.
Do not hold back.
The Heart can hear it all.

And then when you are done,
rest in the message of the Heart.

Trust that the message of the Heart
is clearer than you may realize,
and the clarity the Heart gives
will most certainly dawn on the mind.

~From our Holy Spirit

Homework for this week

Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Thoughts of Awakening, 99-105
Read NTI John Chapters 8-18
The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, p. 120- 127 or for Kindle users the Chapter titled There Are Not Two Things.
Exercise to practice: Pause and notice every now and then that there is one seamless experience. The mind may try to tell you that there are many pieces but keep the mind out of it and notice there is just one experience. Play with that as much as possible.

The Guiding Light ~ Bernadette Roberts #49: The Higher Self or Beyond?

June 14, 2020

Regina Dawn Akers reads selections from books by Bernadette Roberts. The purpose of this inspired book study is to learn from one who walked through the final doorway to no self, no world, no God–Only Reality.

Listen to this audio