What’s Happening in the Sanctuary – Tuesday, March 5, 2024

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time – – – – See helpful links below

7:30 to 8:30 am – Meditation Exploration with Rev. Rhoda Makled
This program provides an opportunity to meditate in community with others who feel to explore the Truth of what we are. Rev. Rhoda Makled gently guides participants through a meditation practice, as guided. Meditation practices may include any of the following, but will not be limited to a specific style:

• Being Aware of Awareness
• Do Nothing
• Self-Inquiry
• Beingness
• Radiance Sutras
• Sound
• Loving Consciousness
• Contemplation

9:00 to 11:00am – Heart Explorations: Embracing the Whole Show – Facilitated by Rev. Anne Blanchard
During our time together, we will explore what it takes to live from an open, undefended heart.  Naturally, any true exploration of living from the heart necessarily entails taking a deep and sustained look at what prevents us from keeping our hearts open.  Grounded in the knowledge that the essence of us, our true nature, is the very lovingness within us all, we will explore how to recognize and release egoic energies by cultivating open-hearted awareness practices which support us in directly experiencing our true Self.  By leaning into willingness, steeped in self-honesty, and with a consistent dash of courage, we endeavor to open to whatever life brings, as it brings it, that is, on life’s terms.  In so doing, we trust that everything – absolutely everything – is here for us to use for healing, for purification, and for learning to live from the heart.  We look forward to supporting each other in our individual explorations of how we truly embrace the entirety of this show we call life.

5:00 pm – Discussion of ‘Be As You Are’ on the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi – Facilitated by Lina Luckway
This weekly, half hour program is facilitated by Lina Luckway. She reads and shares her insights from the book ‘Be As You Are’ by  David Godman on the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. The book ‘Be As You Are’ is a treasury of Ramana Maharshi’s knowledge. The book collects conversations with the many seekers who came to him for guidance, answering the questions sought on the road to enlightenment. Ramana’s method of self-inquiry is to dissolve the belief in separation from the Self, his confidence that there is a direct path to awakening and that enlightenment can be realized by all who are committed to this single focus. This book puts Ramana’s teachings into clear and simple words. Hindu terms and Sanskrit words are also used. There is no need to be familiar with Hindu scripture before reading this book.

Let’s get together, read and discuss the essence of Ramana Maharshi’s teachings and see what insights and delights unfold.

5:30 pm – NEW PROGRAM: Stability – Facilitated by Rev. David Hemphill
David invites all to “Join me as I embark on a challenging journey of cultivating a virtue that doesn’t come easily for me. Throughout my life, I have changed jobs, relationships, and locations every few years. I am at peace with my external restlessness, but I realize stability is not just about constancy in the external world, but also about finding an internal sense of consistency. By following inner wisdom and taking an honest, vulnerable, self-effacing approach to practice, I will delve into the essence of stability and what it means for my life.

Each week we will open by reviewing the Awakening Together Core Values and Purpose, the 7 inner wisdom messages given, and any reflections from the week. Then we will proceed with contemplation, discussion, direct-experiencing, teachings, or whatever else may arise naturally. While these principles are abstract, we will look every week at real life examples and activities that illustrate how these principles are applied in daily life.”

6:30 pm – Early Insights – Facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert & Connie Poole
The sisters will play Regina Dawn Akers’ Early Teaching videos and invite those in attendance to contemplate those teachings along with them.

Regina completed a YouTube playlist featuring 275 videos focusing on the “essence” of her early teachings. They are a treasure trove of insight into the practices and understanding that illuminated her path to awakening. Regina compiled the teachings by trimming down her early teaching audios to highlight the core components of the guidance she received early in her journey. Because these teachings are so helpful, Jacquelyn and Connie plan to slowly review them by playing one or two of them each week and contemplating them in a group format.