“There are physical acts of loving-kindness. There are verbal acts of loving-kindness. There are mental acts of loving-kindness. Practice these without discrimination.” Buddha
Tips from Regina – Lesson 88
The ego often tells us that awakening is impossible. Or, at least it will say it is impossible for “me.” However, A Course in Miracles says:
“In an impossible situation, you can develop your abilities to the point where they can get you out of it.”
And that is what we are doing in the Gentle Healing Group. Day-by-day, step-by-step, we are developing our abilities to the point that we will become un-mesmerized by the ego and its dream, and therefore fully ready to embrace awakening. That means awakening is possible for us. In fact, if we simply keep taking steps in that direction, one step at a time, day-by-day, awakening is inevitable!
Here’s a fun song to help us remember that:
April 13, 2017 Daily Quote
“This “I AM” is an announcement; it is not the real. What the real is, I am not telling you because words negate it. Whatever I am telling you, is not the truth, because it has come out of that “I AM”. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Developing Trust Interview – Chris Lauretig
Chris Lauretig
Chris Lauretig is a lifetime resident of Cleveland and a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School. After graduating from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio with a degree in Political Science and a Minor in Philosophy, Chris operated a Baskin Robbins franchise in Cleveland Heights for 8 years. In 1995, Chris returned to his alma mater and coached baseball at Cleveland Heights High School. He was the Junior Varsity coach for 4 years and the Head Varsity coach for 5 years. Upon the birth of his second child in 2004, Chris resigned from his coaching duties to spend more time with his family.
In 2001, Chris earned a teaching certificate as a Special Education Intervention Specialist from Cleveland State University. In the fall of 1999, Chris was hired at a Cleveland area school district as a Job Training Coordinator (JTC). As a part of his job, Chris was required to earn a vocational certificate, the Transition to Work Endorsement, from Kent State University. His duties included helping students with disabilities find community-based employment and coordinating the students’ training on those jobs through the use of job coaches. He also helped coordinate the students’ transition from school to the adult world, often through linking students and their families with adult service agencies for support.
In 2002 Chris was hired as the JTC to startup a vocational program that served high school students with typical intelligence, but a history of academic and social failure. In academic terminology, these students were identified with the special education designation of Emotional Disability (ED). The program has since added an academic component and turned into an all-day alternative high school.
No matter where Chris has worked his passion for personal growth has been apparent. This is most evident in the development of Out of the Matrix, which occurred as an outgrowth of his work with his students. He and Tony Senf collaborated to create Out of the Matrix as a program to facilitate the turnaround of these “Failing” students. You can hear about the results Out of the Matrix produces by visiting the testimonials page. Chris is often heard saying, “I would not be teaching this material if I did not consistently hear from our graduates that it was one of the most transformative experiences of their lives”.
Purchase Chris Lauretig’s new book Living the Guided Life!
Link to their website – http://www.outofthematrix.org/meet-the-creators.html
4/12/17 – Weekly Satsang with Nirmala – All There Is, Is Truth
Listen to this audio
You can learn more about Nirmala and his teachings on his website, which contains several free ebooks, articles, videos and audios.
Tips from Regina – Lesson 87
As mentioned in yesterday’s tip, discouragement is of the ego. It is a very successful ego trick, because it can lead us to let go of the practice that awakens.
Today I would like to share several quotes from masters. These quotes all make the same point: Complete awakening is possible for you if you make it the priority in your life.
From Nisargadatta Maharaj:
“The desire to find the Self will surely be fulfilled, provided you want nothing else.”
Questioner: How is the person removed?
Maharaj: By determination. Understand that it must go and wish it to go; it shall go if you are earnest about it.
“Try. One step at a time is easy. Energy flows from earnestness.”
“The mind will rebel in the beginning, but with patience and perseverance it will yield and keep quiet.”
Questioner: I have tried many times and failed.
Maharaj: Try again. If you keep on trying, something may happen. But if you don’t, you are stuck.
“All will come as you go on. Take the first step first.”
From The Supreme Yoga Vasistha:
“One should never yield to laziness but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment.”
“Constantly seek to discover the supreme peace.”
“By their own self-effort millions of beings have attained liberation.”
“The wayfarer does not despair at the sight of the long road ahead but takes one step at a time.”
“By persistent effort the impossible becomes possible.”
From The Way of Mastery, Chapter 10:
“The point of all of this is simple. I want to convey to you, yet again, that the life I lived as a man was not unlike your very own. … If there be anything that I can give unto you, it is simply this: … I have overcome the world.”
“You are the one who decides.”
“All of your mind, all of your energy, all of your gifts, all of your very awareness must become committed to being the presence of peace.”
“The wisest of students are those that hear the word and put it into practice, diligently, for themselves.”
“But I can promise you, if you will take up such a path – simply, joyfully, gently, patiently – the end of your journey is certain.”
April 12, 2017 Daily Quote
“Your mind is the source of the world you experience. If you aren’t at peace, how can the world be at peace? Question all thoughts.” Rita Friedman
Growing with NTI – 4/11/17
The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI) is a scribed interpretation of the New
Testament that teaches oneness as the only truth and surrender as the practice that leads to spiritual
enlightenment. NTI has been described as a loving approach to letting go of ego. It leads us to direct
experience of the truth by teaching us how to release the obstacles that block the awareness.
Growing with NTI Schedule:
Tuesday Evenings, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET
Facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert, Tom Conway, & Connie Poole
Listen to this recording
Audio & Homework – Week 14 Gentle Healing Group with Regina, 4/11/17
Listen to this audio
Regina Dawn Akers guides a group of committed students who would like to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy and love. This group meets weekly and all members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings. Everyone who is willing to make a commitment to healing/awakening is invited to join this group.
Homework for the upcoming week:
1. Homework Assignment A: Workbook lessons 87-93. Practice daily awareness-watching-awareness meditation for 10 – 15 minutes each day.
2. Homework Assignment B: First, contemplate your spiritual aspiration. Next, watch “The MetaPhysical Secret – The Law of Attraction,” in the Gentle Healing Playlist on the Awakening Together YouTube Channel. Listen for teachings in this video that will help you realize/achieve your spiritual aspiration. Take notes on those things that will help you realize/achieve your spiritual aspiration.
3. Homework Assignment C: Listen to RDA teaching, “The Secret Holy Spirit Style,” parts 1 & 2. They can be found at www.reginadawnakers.com under Classics, One Dozen Classic Audios, #12.
4. Homework Assignment D: Create a visualization plan that promotes your spiritual aspiration.
Regina’s Tips for Year 1 as an ebook
Gentle Healing Facebook group: Sharing in Contemplation Together
Tips from Regina – Lesson 86
Some spiritual teachers, like Michael Langford and Ellie Roozdar, teach that awakening/enlightenment are extremely rare. Often, when people hear this, they feel discouraged. Recently, Kathy Smith expressed that discouragement during one of my Seven Steps teachings, and Michael heard it. He responded by writing a letter to Kathy. Here is some of what he wrote in that letter:
“When I make a statement that less than one out of every five hundred million humans attains [the final end of the ego], I am referring to the seven billion people living on the earth today. I am not referring to people who are practicing the truly Direct Path. Those odds do not apply to people who are practicing the truly Direct Path.
“Look at the Seven Billion humans living on the earth. Billions of them are not even on a spiritual or religious path. They are materialists who are just living this one life for whatever pleasure this one life can give them and they are not interested in anything that is not physical or material. You do not fall into that category because you have an interest in the spiritual and that is a reason to be encouraged.
“Billions of people are on some sort of spiritual or religious path. Almost all of those spiritual or religious paths are feeding the ego illusion. Most of those people have never even read one book or seen one video that describes the truly Direct Path. Let us suppose that out of the seven billion humans on earth that seventy thousand have read a book or seen a video that describes the truly Direct Path. You are one of the seventy thousand that has read books that describe the truly Direct Path and that is a reason for great encouragement!
“Whatever you do or do not do for the rest of your life with the truly Direct Path, you have been introduced to it and therefore you are way ahead in the game of awakening! That is a reason for great encouragement, not discouragement.”
For those of you who don’t know, “the direct path” refers to watching awareness. Everyone in the Gentle Healing Group has been introduced to this path and hopefully is practicing it a little each day. That means everyone in the Gentle Healing group is “way ahead in the game of awakening!” Our feet are solidly on the path, and this is reason for great encouragement.
By the way, Michael also mentioned in his letter that discouragement is of the ego. It is one of the ego’s preservation strategies, since discouragement keeps us from spiritual practice. If we see discouragement as an ego trick, it may help us NOT listen to thoughts of discouragement.
Before coming across Michael Langford or Ellie Roozdar, I already knew that full awakening was extremely rare. Yet, I felt called to reach for it in this lifetime, and so …. well, that was that.
One song that has always encouraged me in my quest for awakening is “The Impossible Dream.” Here’s a link to Susan Boyle’s version of that song:
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