Heart Explorations: Embracing the Whole Show ~ 07-16-24

July 16, 2024

During our time together, we will explore what it takes to live from an open, undefended heart. Naturally, any true exploration of living from the heart necessarily entails taking a deep and sustained look at what prevents us from keeping our hearts open. Grounded in the knowledge that the essence of us, our true nature, is the very lovingness within us all, we will explore how to recognize and release egoic energies by cultivating open-hearted awareness practices which support us in directly experiencing our true Self. By leaning into willingness, steeped in self-honesty, and with a consistent dash of courage, we endeavor to open to whatever life brings, as it brings it, that is, on life’s terms. In so doing, we trust that everything – absolutely everything – is here for us to use for healing, for purification, and for learning to live from the heart. We look forward to supporting each other in our individual explorations of how we truly embrace the entirety of this show we call life.

To deepen further into the teachings from Heart Exploration here’s a link to the Being Aware of Awareness meditation podcast. In these meditations, the reading from Heart Explorations is contemplated.

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Live in the Sanctuary Weekly on Tuesdays, 9-11 am ET
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Audio & Homework~ Gentle Healing Year 2 with Rev. Michele Hojnacki – Week 74

July 16, 2024

Rev. Michele Hojnacki guides a group of committed students through year 2 of Gentle Healing who want to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy, and love. This group meets weekly on Mondays at 5-7 pm ET/3-5 pm MT and all members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings.

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Homework Assignments for week 75:

Homework Assignment A: Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day. Practice the “Loving All” Method.
Homework Assignment B: Thoughts of Awakening, 141-147.
Homework Assignment C: Read NTI Romans 5 – 10 by following the daily reading assignments given through the tips.

Reflections from Sangha is the New Guru Online Retreat

July 16, 2024

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Reflections from Sangha is the New Guru Online Retreat was facilitated by Jo-Ann Crane-Rodrigues on July 14, 2024

It has been said that more than 50% of the members of an effective sangha are likely to awaken. The Sanskrit word, “sangha,” literally means community. Specifically, it refers to a community that is dedicated to spiritual awakening.

Retreat participants had the opportunity to share how this retreat helped them learn how the sangha is its own teacher. They also shared on how they learned to genuinely support awakening for themselves and each other.

Support Our Free Resources On Awakening Together YouTube Videos

July 15, 2024

We’re excited to announce a new way to support the free resources provided by Awakening Together. You can now use the “Super Thanks” button on our YouTube videos to make donations!

How to Find the “Super Thanks” Button:

On Desktop, Tablet or Mobile:

Directly Under the Video: Look for the heart icon with a dollar sign ($) inside it.
Three Dots Menu: If you don’t see the button, click on the three dots below the video, and you’ll find the “Super Thanks” option there.

Thank you for your continued support and generosity!

Join Us for This Month’s Movie, “Tomorrow Ever After”

July 14, 2024

Join us for our next Movie Watcher’s Group which will be facilitated by Rev. Kelly Barber & Yolanda Mapes on Sunday, July 28th, 2024, at 8 pm ET/6 pm MT.

Tomorrow Ever After is a 2017 science-fiction, comedy-drama film about a historian named Shaina who accidentally time travels from the year 2592 to 2015 New York.

Shaina lives 600 years in the future. She’s read about poverty, oppression, and violence in history books. When she accidentally time travels to our times, she assumes that everyone is caring and honest as she tries to recruit help to get back home.

Trailer for Tomorrow Ever After

Tomorrow Ever After can be watched for free on YouTube. Click here to watch the movie.

Tomorrow Ever After Playsheet

Enlightened Leadership, Tao Te Ching ~ Ch. 38, Part 2, 07-14-24

July 14, 2024

Awakening Together’s Vice President-Minister, Rev. Rhoda Makled, and Rev. David Hemphill share from the Tao as they contemplate its principles in order to fully embody them.

The Tao Te Ching (The Way), written by Lao-Tzu (Old Teacher), is a guide to enlightened leadership. While most people believe effective leadership lies in knowledge and power, the Tao teaches it lies in emptiness, stillness, and presence.

The pair are using three books including interpretations by Derek Lin, Wayne Wang, and Stephen Mitchell. And now they are excited to add Regina’s translation to their contemplations of the Tao and you are invited to join them each Sunday.

Taught Live in the Sanctuary Weekly on Sundays 6:00 – 7:00 pm ET

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Use this link for information on how to enter our Zoom sanctuary.

07-14-24 Weekly Gathering, “The Goal We Have Been Given by God” with Rev. Cyndi Krupp

July 14, 2024

Title: “The Goal We Have Been Given by God”

Description: Can it be that the map to Self Realization is available to all of us, all the time? Is it possible that it can be found easily, when we follow the directions given? During this gathering Rev. Cyndi Krupp is going to shine a light on this contemplation through teachings found in ACIM.

Reading: Rona Marren read ACIM excerpts from“Entering the Ark” & “Final Lessons, Introduction”.

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The Crystal in the Field: A Journey to Non-Separation ~ An Inspirational Article by David Hemphill

July 13, 2024

Spiritual guidance tends to arise for me in concise and simple terms. Often, guidance might be one sentence long and last me several months. However, this morning I had asked for more explanatory and specific instructions. Of course, as the universe would have it, I was given what I asked for.

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In the guidance below, the Crystal is a metaphor for the sense of self. The assumption is that we build walls and fortifications around our sense of self, in the form of beliefs about the world, in order to protect the sense of self. Visually, the crystal is in the center of a field, and around it are walls and fortifications to keep people away.

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Embracing the crystal is a metaphor for placing the sense of self under direct inquiry, rather than building around it. Visually, the fortifications have been taken down, and all that is left at this point is the crystal sitting vulnerably in the middle of a field. Should I embrace the crystal, it melts away, but so do I – as its my sense of self. It is ego suicide, in a way. Not of the body, but of the mind.

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To guidance: What would you have me do? To sit back on the crystal?

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Wisdom: You are going to merge with the crystal, ultimately dissolving identity. The crystal is the lived belief in separation. It is the belief through which the mind has seemingly separated itself from reality and created an ego. It is more than the root of all belief; It is the seeming existence of any belief at all.

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The crystal – belief in separation – like all other beliefs, upon close examination, is actually not there. The arising of it and the seeing of it are the same. While it is helpful to feel one is embracing the crystal and melting away the belief of separation, the truth is sweeter than even that, as there is no crystal to melt and therefore nothing to resist embracing. One is already melted with the Crystal at all times, whether or not they are aware of it. Believing the thoughts of separation does not make it so.

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Effort is a significant and pragmatic part of spiritual practice, and so for a time it will seem the effortlessness of non-separation will require the effortfulness of the self to embrace the crystal and dissolve latent tendancies. This can result in tremendous pain and crying, but only because one is looking at their own mind for what it is and feeling the underbelly of the ego in the full light of awareness. The pain arising is not a result of any practice or new situation, but is actually the pain that is already being believed and anchored into identity, hidden away behind the belief of separation, fueling the attachment to self / ego.

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It is helpful to do what is easiest and what comes most natural to you. There will be times of dissolving beliefs one at a time, embracing their emotion and fully feeling them; And there will be times of pulling the floor out from beneath a whole group of beliefs, shattering a paradigm in one quick swoop, without investigating each part. Regardless of which approach is taken – which ratio is chosen and with which strategies, including both those strategies mentioned here and other strategies for processing belief not mentioned here – thought will continue to appear and enlighten you.

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As long as thought arises unquestioned, you are being shown in real time where to work next. Each arising thought is another apparent separation of reality (always requiring a “me” for the thought to reference) and is just an innocent alarm showing you where belief still lives. Loving everything you think will make embracing the crystal seem easy, and hating what you think will make it seem hard. Neither loving nor hating belief will make it real. With this, you are free.

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To Guidance: What am I to do?

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You are to be as present and open as you can to noticing what is alive in you to do for this moment.

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You may embrace the crystal and invest effort to help it dissolve. You may meditate. You may reject embracing the crystal and live for more time with the beliefs of separation. You may question some beliefs and leave others untouched. You may question every belief, and process everything that arises; You may walk the planet freely, doing whatever arises for you to do. You are truly free. You may make any decision, any choice, and you will always be accepted.

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Sit in your heart and cultivate an understanding of what is truest to you. Then, when you have found what is truest for you to do, see the beliefs you wear like clothing to protect yourself – belief in needing safety, belief in having an opinion, belief in a me, belief in time, belief in distance. Call those beliefs by name, and be willing to meet them in inquiry or surrender.

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Ultimately, everything and anything that is done is utterly perfect and already pristine. The path is about waking up to what is already true, not about making something true by changing your mind. Therefore, there really is nothing for you to do beyond being as authentically yourself as you can in any moment. The apparent efforting and work to be done will be on the ways you believe the moment isn’t already worth loving.

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In summary: Cultivate heart felt aspiration. Become as open minded and aware as you can muster. Be willing to meet whatever arises. Use practices of inquiry and surrender, when needed, when its natural. Know that the actual work is already done, and all that this guidance does is help you become aware of perfection as it manifests.

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Join us in the Forum for further discussion of this article.

Registration Closing Soon! An Online Retreat ~ Letting Go of Fear, July 29-Aug 2

July 12, 2024

An Online Retreat ~ Letting Go of Fear

July 29-August 2

An Online Retreat
with Anne Blanchard

Fear can be experienced in many ways. It may feel like uneasiness or angst, which blocks your ability to relax fully; it may be experienced as nervousness, apprehension or excessive worry; it may be experienced as absolute terror. Fear can also be repressed and experienced as other emotions, such as frustration or anger. In any case, fear distorts your perception and your ability to think clearly with the right mind.

At this retreat, you will come to understand the cause of fear and learn how you can become free of fear.

Retreat Schedule

The retreat will begin at 10am ET (8am MT) and end at 5pm ET (3pm MT) each day. A 2-hour lunch period will be provided beginning about 1pm ET (11am MT).