Contemplation is a time set aside to receive guidance and wisdom. Contemplation may come from reading something, and then letting further insight come to you directly from inner wisdom, or contemplation might involve asking a question and receiving insight from inner wisdom. For example, if you are experiencing a challenging relationship, and you ask inner wisdom to help you see what you need to see regarding this relationship, that is a type of contemplation. (Reference Day 328 and this article by Adyashanti.)
Meditation is a focused time of completely letting go of the false while immersing oneself deeply in the true. (Reference Days 332 and 333.)
I recommend two types of meditation:
Awareness-Watching-Awareness
Loving Consciousness Meditation
You can find Awareness-Watching-Awareness (AWA) and Loving Consciousness guided meditations on the Awakening Together website under Audios & Videos, Meditation Audios. (It may be helpful to use these audios in Gentle Healing Year 3.)
Living from devotion is being focused inward through acceptance and surrender instead of being focused outward on thought, body and world. It is living from within with intuition as the source of your perception, speech and action. (Reference Days 329 and 330.)
Contemplation and meditation are used as a means of awakening for those who are called to withdraw from the world in order to awaken. Living from devotion is also helpful whenever one called to withdraw from the world needs to interact with the world briefly, such as when going out to buy groceries.
Those who are guided to live in the world while awakening also use contemplation and meditation. Some time withdrawing from the world each day is critically important for those who live in the world. However, the one who is guided to live in the world while awakening relies heavily on devotion as his/her practice in order to be in the world without being of the world. Devotion is a way of withdrawing from the ego while still interacting with perception.
Gentle Healing Year 3 is the next step in Gentle Healing, regardless of whether you feel called to withdraw from the world now or continue living in the world. You will each be guided individually in Gentle Healing Year 3, so you will be able to go in either direction from this point forward.
How can you know if you are ready for Gentle Healing Year 3?
In Gentle Healing Year 3, you will need to:
- Be able to hear/intuit insight from within.
- Trust inner wisdom more than your individual thoughts and perceptions.
- Be fully dedicated (committed) to your inner teacher.
You don’t need to be an expert at these things. You only need to be able to do the first and be willing for the last two in order to start Year 3.
If you contemplated the Thoughts of Awakening throughout Year 2 and wrote with inner wisdom on most days, you can feel confident that you are able to hear/intuit inner wisdom. If you also feel heartfelt willingness to trust the insight you receive from within and you are ready to dedicate yourself to your inner teacher, you are prepared for Year 3.
Are you unsure if you should progress to Gentle Healing Year 3?
Tomorrow, we will review the 12 lessons that were taught in NTI. If you have complete understanding of those 12 lessons, I recommend trying Year 3 even if you have doubts about it. Those doubts may be the ego’s way of trying to hold you back.
Thoughts of Awakening #336
All of my thinking
does not matter.
It is only a way
of keeping the ego alive.
What will unfold
will unfold,
and I choose
to be grateful for it.
In peace, I accept peace
as the only essence.
In peace,
I am grateful.
I surrender my thinking
in gratitude.
I do not deny the temptation to think,
but I surrender my thinking in gratitude,
and I ask,
“How am I to see this?”
“What am I to do?”
Amen.
~A prayer of awakening
Homework for this week
- Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
- Practice the “Loving All” Method.
- Thoughts of Awakening, 330-336
*If you don’t already have it, order The Seven Steps to Awakening. That will be our text for Year 3.
