Facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert & Connie Poole
Archives for May 2017
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 121 ~ Forgiveness is the key to happiness
Today’s workbook lesson describes the ego mind. This mind, as described in the lesson, may be more or less conscious for you now. You may be well aware of being torn with doubt, confused, afraid and angry, weak, blustering, afraid to go ahead, afraid to stay, afraid of every sound, yet more afraid of stillness; seeing only sin; wanting to live, yet wishing to die.
When this mind is conscious and believed, the experience is hell. When it is repressed, there is some relief, but it also breaks through into consciousness in a distorted way, projecting blame for our uneasiness away from our self. Freedom comes from the death of this mind, the end of this way of thinking.
Today’s workbook lesson says of the ego mind, “It does not ask, because it thinks it knows. It does not question, certain it is right.” The lesson also says that we learn forgiveness “from a Teacher other than yourself, Who represents the other Self in you.”
It is time for us to begin asking within for understanding and guidance. If we are to find freedom, we need to let the teacher who knows the way take the lead.
The ego mind does not ask, because it thinks it knows. Therefore, we will ask. We will not come from ego. We will accept that we do not know, and we will ask. I encourage you to take time at least 1-3 times a week to sit quietly and ask within for whatever you need to see or realize now. Leave the question open, and let the genuine answer come.
Here is how I asked the question today, and the answer I received. Notice the first question I asked was, “What shall I ask,” so that even the questions that followed were guided by the inner teacher.
Regina’s personal journaling from today:
What shall I ask? How can I be myself? What is absolutely the best practice for me now?
Slow attention. Rushed attention goes in habitual directions. Even some old habits are being reborn. You feel the disconnect even though you don’t believe it like you did before. Funny how something untrue can be experienced.
Truth can be realized and blocked simultaneously. This has happened millions upon millions of times before. The ego does not give up easily, so as one nears the threshold some distraction is found, and off attention goes in the wrong direction. The memory of nearness lingers, the clarity it brought remains, and yet there is a feeing of being separate too.
Your weakness is busyness, and it comes from wanting to please everyone, to meet all demands. It is time to put personal awakening back in the forefront and let go of the wish to make others happy.
The master does nothing and yet nothing goes undone. Relinquish all mental doing, and watch what gets done.
The other thing to watch is desire. As the feeling of separation increases, desires increase. As the feeling of separation dies, desires die. When you notice yourself desiring outside of yourself, realize that is only a distortion of your calling for God, and return instead to your one true desire.
Be slow. This is your prescription now. When you notice going fast, slow down.
May 16, 2017 Daily Quote
We are conditioned towards what is obvious, glaring, and noisy – whether it’s something on the outside or something on the inside. We’re not so much taught to value things that aren’t noisy – the things that aren’t trying to grab our attention. Silence is the deepest teacher, it’s the deepest teaching – that’s what gives you access to the deeper dimension of being.” Adyashanti
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 120 ~ Review of Lessons 109 & 110
How to Contemplate, conclusion:
In summary, here are the keys to contemplation.
• When you contemplate the written word, read slowly and repeatedly with long silent pauses.
• Toss out your beliefs, preferences and all prior knowledge as you enter the sacred ground of contemplation.
• Listen or feel inwardly for some stirring that might be the birth of insight.
• Be like an explorer and follow what comes to see where it goes.
• Use inquiry to invite wisdom. Even “What does this mean for me?” can invite powerful personal insights.
• Reserve judgment and let the value of the contemplative experience reveal itself in its own time.
• Receive your daily bread with gratitude no matter how simple it may appear to be. Review it and practice it throughout the day. It is a step on your own personal stairway to heaven.
Regina’s Personal Contemplation of Lesson 120:
I rest in God. I rest in God and truth reestablishes itself in my mind. The gift I give is rest, rest from the overactive maze of thought, rest in the stillness of presence, openness and trust. The gift I receive is truth realization.
I am as God created me. What am I? What is changeless? What is always here? What is looking?
May 15, 2017 Daily Quote
Common Ground Mini-Series: Dhyana Stanley – Part 2 of 4
THE FRAGRANCE OF PEACE CAN BE FULLY TRUSTED — AND THE INQUIRY THAT ARISES WHEN IT IS
Listen to the recording
Since our natural state has a very distinct and fully consistent sense to it, why not then trust the sense of it to ‘bring us’ to the stable recognition of who we are – regardless of what is sensed? (Please see article link below, if you are interested in a more thorough explanation of this description).
Dhyana shares insights including and expanding on the following:
- What is natural feels natural – it feels like Home.
- We are all seeking for Home – our natural state of peace, well-being.
- This sense of Home has a very distinct and consistent sense to it and everyone, without exception, has sensed it – but is it ever present or is it conditional?
- Whenever we feel that something is lacking and peace is gone we are free to inquire into Truth and discover if peace is now present and we are free not to inquire and continue to assume that peace is not now present.
- Mind is not a problem: taking another look at ‘Mind’.
- Thoughts and feelings are not a problem: taking another look at thoughts and feelings.
- Ego is not a problem: taking another look at ego.
- We are here not only to discover who we are but to be free enough to live that out.
- Freedom unfolds more and more when we trust the sense of peace and then we cooperate with it, so to speak.
- Cooperation is a conscious relaxing into the truth of what we already are.
- Love allows choice; it never forces Itself on Itself. Conscious, clear cooperation is key.
Dhyana’s Website: DhyanaStanley.com
Dhyana’s Book: The Human Experience
5/14/17 – Experience Your Perfect Soul ~ pages 15-20
Kathy Smith explores the quotes from Experience Your Perfect Soul and shares from her contemplation of them.
5-14-17 Weekly Gathering:"Happiness and Peace is already within you"
Topic: “Happiness and Peace is already within you”
Rev. Jay McCormick discussed how listening to guidance can bring you peace during situations that in the past would have upset you greatly
The reading was from NTI James, Chapter 1. His reader was Judy Flassing.
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 119 ~ Review of Lessons 107 & 108
How to Contemplate, continued:
As with all things spiritual, the best way to learn contemplation is to learn from yourself. Therefore, for today’s tip I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes on contemplation. As you contemplate these quotes, you learn how to contemplate through contemplation:
Abandon the words but remain established in the experience of the truth they indicate. That supreme state is beyond all concepts. ~ Yoga Vasistha
Contemplation is the art of holding a word or a phrase patiently in the silence and stillness of awareness until it begins to disclose deeper and deeper meanings and understandings. Contemplation has the power to transcend beyond the limits of analytical thought and logic, and open consciousness up to an order of wisdom and Truth that can only be described as revelation. ~ Adyashanti
The words are no more than signposts. That to which they point is not to be found within the realm of thought, but a dimension within yourself that is deeper and infinitely vaster than thought. A vibrantly alive peace is one of the characteristics of that dimension, so whenever you feel inner peace arising as you read, the [written word] is doing its work fulfilling its function as your teacher; it is reminding you of who you are and pointing the way back home. … Allow [it] to do its work, to awaken you from the old grooves of your repetitive and conditioned thinking. ~ Eckhart Tolle
Your contemplation has to be a naked contemplation that does not rely on any luggage from the past, a contemplation that does not rely on learned beliefs and past feelings. ~ Magdi Em Be
To bring the attention to a single point and to dwell on that single point for a very long time is the way to awaken insight. Insight is not thinking and insight is not belief. Insight is a permanent new perspective. ~ Michael Langford
Regina’s Personal Contemplation of Lesson 119:
Truth will correct all errors in my mind. I don’t have to do anything but stay out of the maze of thought. This is the advantage of meditation, loving all and forgiveness. During meditation I sit in awareness-watching-awareness outside of the maze of thought, and truth quietly corrects the errors in my mind. With loving all I stand lovingly back from the mind’s judgments about how things should be, and truth corrects the errors in my mind. With forgiveness I rest away from anything that I recognize as ego thinking, and truth goes to work correcting the errors in my mind. I get out of the way, and truth corrects all errors in my mind. How does truth correct all errors? Simply by being the truth. Take away the attention on non-truth and truth reestablishes itself, just as nature would fully reestablish itself if humans disappeared from earth.
To give and to receive are one in truth. This is the snowball effect. What I be, I gain. As I live up to the highest light I have, more light is given. As I do my best, my best gets better. As I be as egoless as I can be today, more ego is erased from my mind. As I abide in truth, truth is more deeply realized.
May 14, 2017 Daily Quote
“When there is peace in your mind you will find peace with everybody. If your mind is agitated, you will find agitation everywhere. So first find peace within and you will see this inner peace reflected everywhere else. You are this peace. You are happiness, find out. Where else will you find peace if not within you? Papaji
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