This Sunday in the Sanctuary ~ January 26, 2025

All Times are Eastern Standard Time – See links below to join us in the Sanctuary

Join us at 9:30 am ET/ 7:30 am MT for “Shiny Things” with Claire Bhavani

What is Truth? And how do we find it in a life that is pushed and pulled around by the cravings, aversions, and ignorance of the human mind and senses?

There can be no confusion about where to start, for it is all laid out within the eight limbs of Raja yoga, as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Shiny Things provides practical guidance to apply the path of Raja Yoga in daily life, relieving suffering and accessing an inner sparkle, within a supportive group environment. It includes consideration of how we conduct ourselves in the world, how we relate to our spiritual practices, appropriate care of the body and vitality, a gradual quieting of the mind and senses, throwing out what is false, and glimpsing what is True.

We will initially use the book by Bhava Ram: The Eight Limbs of Yoga, Pathway to Liberation, as an introductory guide. If you don’t have the book, you can still join us. Later in the year, we will commence a deeper immersion into a full commentary of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Join us at 10:15 am ET/ 8:15 am MT
for Our Weekly Gathering with Rev. Susan Telford

Topic: “The Preciousness of THIS Breath“

Description: The average person takes around 23,040 breaths per day. How many are you aware of?

Join Rev. Susan Telford in this week’s Gathering to rediscover the preciousness of this breath, this holiness of this moment and to fall in love again with your messy, glorious life, just as it is.

Reading: Patti Rundle will read from The Breath is Life’s Teacher by Donna Martin.

Enter Sanctuary Here

*Weekly gathering is held every Sunday morning at 10:15 am ET/8:15 am MT in the Awakening Together Sanctuary. Join us after the Gathering for our Fellowship Time, hosted by Rev. George Maddox.

**Join us at 12:00 pm ET/ 10:00 am MT for *The Last Program of “Just Being Here Now” with Anja Janssen**

Everything is already here now, so all we have to ‘do’ is be. In this program, Anja will look deeply into the now, the present moment, to explore how truth presents itself. She will be using everyday experiences and events to practice being present with what is. She will also share a variety of teachings about the now, the illusion of time, and resting in beingness. Some of the teachers and texts she will draw from are Eckhart Tolle, Lao Tzu, Angelo Dilullo, A Course in Miracles & NTI. Join Anja in using our everyday experiences to embrace the present moment and be.

Join us at 12:30 pm ET/ 10:30 am MT for “Transcending the Addiction to Mind” with Rev. David Hemphill

David invites us to explore the belief in separation through the lens of addiction to the mind! On this journey we will explore many topics such as:

What does it really mean to have spiritual awakening as part of my path?
What is my unique path?
Why do parts of my path feel uncomfortable?
How do I navigate the uncomfortable parts?
Where is the inherent bliss and joy on my path that spiritual awakening says is there? How do I access it now?
Why does my bliss come and go? Why do the bad parts always come back?
How do I get “unstuck” if I’ve been on this path many years and yet still have the same issues I’ve always had?
What is “Self-will” and why do I need to pay attention to it in order to get unstuck?
What is the nature of “desire” and “aversion,” and how are they related to stuckness?
Once I understand everything, or if I already understand everything, how do I actually make the realization happen?
What are paradoxes and how should I react when I find one?
What specifically is it that will permanently lead to spiritual awakening? How do I cultivate this?

If any of these questions resonate with you or spark your curiosity, David would love to see you there!

Join us at 1:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am MT for “Freedom Practice Sangha” with Joseph Schmitz

This will be a time of sharing our inquiries, insights, and challenges, listening to others, or just knowing that we are in community as we find that undefended place within ourselves that longs to be free.

Join us at 5:00 pm ET/ 3:00 pm MT for “The Mighty Companions Hour – The Voice That likes You” with Rev. Yolanda Mapes

Join Rev. Yolanda as she continues to share her beautiful voice and heart during The Mighty Companions Hour. This is a program she and her late, beloved husband, Rev. Glen Ganaway began in 2020.

Rev. Yolanda Mapes, who is an interfaith minister, shares a delightful, funny, and inspiring hour of A Course in Miracles. Come join in on the fun, the laughs, and the music while unlearning the ego through the lessons and chapters of ACIM.

You can discover more about the Mighty Companions on this website: www.themightycompanions.com. Also, Rev. Yolanda has a site where you can purchase her beautiful, spiritually uplifting music: www.Yolanda.net/audio If you feel to contribute to her ministry, you can do so here: www.patreon.com/RevYolanda

Join us at 6:00 pm ET/ 4:00 pm MT for “Deepening Into Clarifying the Teachings Together” with Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert

During this program, we will listen to a portion of each previously recorded “Clarifying the Teachings” program. Afterward, we will spend time contemplating and teaching ourselves what is most alive for us at the moment. We may also spend time practicing what Regina is teaching. And…we will start at the very beginning.

Bring your journals, openness, and curiosity as we explore what is most alive in us and ready to be seen. We hope you feel inspired to join.

Join us at 7:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm MT for “Resting in Our Immaculate Nature” with Jill Grace & Joy Bedford

Jill and Joy invite us to gently rest and welcome our immaculate nature into full awareness. As we rest into our natural state, we relax beyond fear—letting go of the energy, beliefs, and egoic desires that contribute to suffering. Together, as a sangha, we cultivate a deepened recognition of our True nature, allowing the energy tied to false beliefs about ourselves to return to its natural state of Pure Divine Light.

Gathering as a sangha heightens our ability to detect obstacles–blocks to our immaculate nature…dense, lower frequency Light–so that these aspects of our being that we made up are welcomed into awareness, hastening their return to the original state as Pure Divine Light. As a sangha, we will use practical examples from our lives. Notably, resting in our True, immaculate nature supports noticing how the false identity that isn’t really what we are, enjoys, even wants!… to believe limiting beliefs (the false/unreal) until we realize what we actually are, immaculate, unaffected Divine Spirit. Join us as we put obstacles on the altar of Truth and free light that has been blocking our palpable awareness of Divine Love. Pointings from The Way of Mastery, ACIM, NTI and more will be used

Join us at 8:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm MT for Movie Watchers Discussion Group with Jan Lonnquist

Movies are modern day parables. Watching movies with your inner guide can inform rather than just entertain you. This Spirit Led Movie Watchers Discussion Group, facilitates the participants’ ability to identify spiritual themes in everyday movies and to use movies as a way of uncovering unconscious beliefs about ourselves and the world we live in.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a 2024 Netflix documentary and Sundance Film Festival winner for Best Director and Audience Award.

When Norwegian gamer Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents mourned what they thought was his isolated life. It was only once they had access to his blog that they discovered the deep friendships he created virtually before passing away from a degenerative muscular disease. They were unaware that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that had left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.

The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Mats Steen’s adventurous online
life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from Mats’ gameplay, narrated entries from his blog
and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin, a picture of a remarkable young man emerges, one that underscores how community and soulful relationships can transcend the boundaries of the physical world.

Jan shares why she chose this film: This film “blew” my mind” on so many levels. It has many profound and thought provoking spiritual themes to contemplate. The film presentation itself is amazing, evoking emotional power by the bringing together of the virtual and physical worlds. The film beautifully captures the unexpected ways people can connect in the digital world.

It shines a new light on gaming for people like myself who through lack of knowledge and experience, have adopted a bias against gaming culture before they have seen the whole picture. It can be said that tech platforms set out to addict and exploit young minds and yet they can be a lifeline for some individuals who find themselves isolated “in real life.” (IRL means “in real life” and is an internet term used to distinguish something happening offline or in the physical world from something happening online or in a virtual space.)

This movie shows the power that lies in caring, being kind, showing respect and listening to others. It also illustrates beautifully the value of allowing ones self to be vulnerable with others and that fear of self exposure can be counterproductive. And, so, so much more…

Please refer to the Playlist for many spiritual themes and discussion prompts. Playlist for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin can be watched on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Movie Trailer for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

The Sanctuary will close at 9:00 pm ET

Enter the Sanctuary or see the complete listing of speakers.
All Times are Eastern Standard Time – See helpful links below.
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