“Many of us are using our spirituality as a way to avoid life, to avoid seeing things we really need to see, to avoid being confronted with our own misunderstanding and illusions. Life itself has a tremendous capacity to show us truth, to wake us up. And yet, many of us avoid this thing called life, even as it is attempting to wake us up.” Adyashanti (The End of Your World)
Archives for December 2016
Regina Dawn Akers ~ Developing Trust Interview
Regina Dawn Akers & Awakening Together
Listen to the recording
Awakening Together‘s founder, Regina Dawn Akers. grew up in middle-America as a Christian. Her religious training came from more than one Christian faith, and she was aware of differences in Biblical interpretation within the Christian community. She was also aware of the similarities that crossed all denominational boundaries, the most important of which was the statement, “God is love.” Regina knew in her heart that this must be true, and she yearned to know God’s love perfectly.
Although Regina was fascinated by all religions, she never felt to settle with any particular religion. She was driven by an inner desire she was not yet fully aware of, and Regina needed time to discover the calling within her heart.
In April of 2004, Regina spontaneously awakened to her own desire while praying. She describes that prayer this way:
“As I was praying, I felt overcome by a desire to be useful. I wanted nothing more than to be completely useful to God for the rest of my life. I told Him that I would learn anything He wanted me to learn and do anything He wanted me to do. I just asked Him to please make me useful.”
Regina began studying A Course in Miracles. She also began to receive guidance, visions and dreams that educated her about spiritual principles introduced in the Course. With the help of this guidance, Regina learned quickly and with clarity, and she willingly practiced everything that she learned.
In November of 2004, Regina experienced a vision during meditation. “But this vision was different,” she explains. “It didn’t seem to come to educate me like the others did. This one seemed to have a message for me.
“I saw myself in a dark cavern. There were several dark passageways leading out of the cavern, and there were people in the cavern who wanted to find their way out. I stood at the bottom of the cavern near the entrances to the passageways. I held an armful of lit candles. As people passed by me, I handed them a candle. They used the candle to guide them as they selected a passageway and started their journey out of the cavern.”
Regina didn’t want to guess the meaning of her vision, so she went to the keyboard and said a prayer. She asked the Holy Spirit to be very clear with her so she wouldn’t misunderstand His message. Then she began to type without thinking. This is the message that she typed:
“Teacher of God. That is my Name. I have other names, but they are all the same. They mean Teacher of God. That is what is needed now, and that is what I need you for. You can write for me. You are doing it now. Write, teacher of God, and help me share the Light. There are many who need us. Teach, teacher. That is what you are for. That is why you are here. That is how you will learn. You are the teacher. Don’t be afraid. I am with you always.”
At first, Regina was frightened by her experience. With the help of calming thoughts that came into her mind, Regina let go of her fear. She began to write with the Holy Spirit the following day. At first, several days would pass between writings. In the spring of 2005, short writings began to come daily. Then in June 2005, Regina received this message from the Holy Spirit:
“The New Testament is a symbol, just as you are a symbol and the words I share through you are a symbol. What they point to is Truth.
“In order to understand the symbol, one must accept the Love of Christ. One prepares himself to accept that Love by recognizing he does not understand the symbol, and then he asks for understanding. By opening up to receive understanding without judgment, he opens up to accept the Love of Christ. With that Love comes Christ’s knowledge, for they are the same and inseparable. Then the meaning that is beyond the words is understood as a Light that shines for all who look to see.
“Those who have ears now will listen. For others, salvation will wait. There is no loss in God. Ask and you will receive because it will be given you. It is a gift of Love given to one who recognizes he has forgotten Love, and so he asks that its remembrance be given him in Grace and Love. Love cannot say no to a request for Love.
“Go now and ask. It will be given you.”
Regina left her career and home in Massachusetts and moved with her young daughter to North Carolina. After the move was complete, she began the work of listening to the inner dictation that resulted in The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI).
In March of 2006, Regina received guidance to start The Foundation for the Holy Spirit with two friends, David Fishman and Phil Frisk. The purpose of the foundation was to provide resources, teaching and counseling to help individuals become Self-Reliant with their own inner guide, the Holy Spirit.
Regina finished writing NTI, including completing a validation process, in May 2007. When she sent NTI to its publisher, O-Books of London, she said another heart-felt prayer. Regina prayed, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me write NTI. But I don’t want this process of awakening to stop now. Please send me something to take me higher into Love.”
Shortly after praying this prayer, Regina experienced two-three weeks of high mystical experiences followed by her inner agreement for a period of spiritual purification. Over the next 18 months, Regina came to recognize and release many false beliefs and unwholesome thinking patterns. As her mind became increasingly free of selfish interpretations, there was less thinking that led to suffering and more peace. However, whenever ego-based thinking did arise, the suffering caused by that thinking was more acute than before. In January of 2009, Regina sought help to move her beyond this stage. This is when the next period of spiritual growth began. She tells the story in this way:
“First of all, I had never been a student of [Ramana Maharshi] and I never imagined that I would be. I knew next to nothing about Ramana Maharshi. But around January 25th, I was feeling that I had hit some kind of plateau and I was not progressing on the spiritual path like I had in the past. In fact, I felt I was losing the connection with Holy Spirit and ego was growing stronger in my mind. So I said a prayer and asked Holy Spirit to send me something that would take me to the next step.
“On January 30th I felt spontaneously guided to buy a book by Ramana Maharshi. The book came within a few days but I did not feel guided to read it. I glanced at it, but found it very difficult to understand. I had no real attraction to his teaching.
“Ramana’s book sat on the coffee table near where I meditate for a week or so, then on February 12th the picture of Ramana that is on the cover of the book seemed to come alive. It seemed to breathe. I ignored this for a bit, but the feeling of aliveness kept growing. So finally I asked, “What do you want to tell me?” And the “Commentary on Mind,” the first message given on February 12th, 2009 came. He seems to have come in answer to my prayer that I be taken to the next step.”
Messages came to Regina from Ramana Maharshi over the next several months, and those messages were eventually published by Diamond Clear Vision as The Teachings of Inner Ramana.
Also during this time, Regina received guidance through a dream to “Go to Pueblo.” She and her daughter moved from North Carolina to the vicinity of Pueblo, Colorado in September 2009. As Regina taught from NTI and The Teachings of Inner Ramana, students of both books increased in numbers.
ACIM Workbook Lesson 353 – Meditation with Karen Worth
Find a place where you will be undisturbed. If it is comfortable, put on headsets or earbuds. Relax, and enjoy this meditation.
Dec. 19, 2016 Daily Quote
Awakening Together Satsang with Cate Grieves
Listen to the audio or watch the video below.
Reverend Jacquelyn Eckert interviewed Cate Grieves. In January 2103, Cate committed to a total devotion to the ACIM teachings and set herself the task to undo every egoic limiting belief in her mind over the following 2 years. Twelve months after her full commitment, in January 2014 Cate had a revelation experience where she entered Gods Mind of unspeakable love. Another 12 months later, in January 2015, Cate’s mind had a full dropping away of the ego – what some call an awakening. The commentary of the ego had ceased and only the present moment (eternal always) was being experienced. The small self fell away to reveal a mind of unspeakable love. Since awakening, Cate has dedicated her life to God and teaching A Course in Miracles as practical forgiveness. She is part of the Pathway to Peace ACIM Group located in Melbourne Australia, where she works with other local teachers and students. She is an advocate for undoing the ego for where every you are. As mind is cause, we don’t need to go to community or run away from our lives – we just need to work with every little trigger as it arises. That trigger is pointing to an opportunity to release it and once released, more peace is experienced.
Regina Dawn Akers ~ Awakening at Home: Part 6
AWAKENING AT HOME
In this series, Regina repeats the teaching she shared at the 2016 Awakening Together Fall Retreat. Just like at the retreat, Regina focuses on awakening skills including meditation, contemplation, journaling, inquiry techniques, mind-watching and awareness.
Listen to the recording
Awakening Together Internet Broadcast, a.k.a. Awakening Together Radio, is broadcasting again
Awakening Together Weekly Gathering – 12/18/16
Who Loves Me?
Rev. Regina Dawn Akers leads an inquiry through which we look to see who or what is engrossed in thought. Could finding the one that loves our drama be a pathway to finding the One that we are?
Rev. Sandy Ruiz read excerpts from “Reality and Subjectivity” by Dr. David Hawkins.
Barbara Deurwaarder served as Sanctuary Administrator.
ACIM Workbook Lesson 352 – Meditation with Karen Worth
Find a place where you will be undisturbed. If it is comfortable, put on headsets or earbuds. Relax, and enjoy this meditation.
ACIM workbook lesson 352 Live from the Sanctuary 1-7-2018
Judgement and love are opposites. From one
Come all the sorrows of the world. But from
The other comes the peace of God Himself.
Dec. 18, 2016 Daily Quote
“Only when I’m in possession of my own heart can I be present for another in a healing, encouraging, empowering way. Then I have a gift to offer, the best gift I possess – the gift of a self that is whole, that stands in the world on its own two feet.” Parker Palmer (We Deserve the Compassion We Give)
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