A.R.E. Northeast region monthly meditation, either 9 AM or 9 PM Sunday, July 5th

[Via Charlie Davidson:] Namaste all, I would like to invite you to join us for the A.R.E. Northeast region monthly meditation. If you would like to join us please meditate at either 9 AM or 9 PM Sunday, July 5 th using the following affirmation, Be still and know that I am one with the source of unconditional love, wisdom and harmony as I express these in all that I do. And at the end of the meditation please surround those on the Northeast prayer list with healing light as well as the region, everyone meditating and global consciousness. A link to the A.R.E. Library newsletter for June is provided in the postscript below. In the newsletter is an interview with Edgar Evans Cayce. And, at the end of this email is part of a Cayce reading given in 1932 to the healing group. It has some information relating to meditation and the experiences' one may have. Please note, this email is a week earlier than usual because I will not have email access until next week. Thanks for joining in the meditation! P.S. If you have access to the web you might like this site if you like to listen to meditative music when you meditate. You select the music by clicking on the note and making your selection. And, it also provides a timer which you can set in minutes, to the interval you want. (You can copy the URL into your browser address field to access it.) http://www.poodwaddle.com/meditation.htm . Please join us each first Sunday. Or, if you would like to be removed from this mailing; or add someone else, please reply with "ADD" or "REMOVE" in the Subject line and email address in the email body. A.R.E. Library newsletter with Edgar Evans Cayce interview http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/pdf/libNwslttr609.pdf If you do not receive the A.R.E.Northeast region prayer list and/or would like to be prayed for, please contact Zita at azkach@sbcglobal.net. Edgar Cayce Reading TEXT FROM READING 281-14 6. (Q) Is there any advice to us concerning those we are holding in meditation? (A) Not as ones that would pry into the affairs of individuals, rather as that necessary element in the experience of others in seeking, in unburdening the conditions in their experience, know more of those things that hinder and that make those that seek afraid; for in the troubled heart comes those experiences that make for doubts and fears. Consider that even at the beck and call of the Master, and even in His presence, Peter began to sink. So we, in the weakness of the flesh, in the face of doubt and fear, often begin to sink and lose our way. So, when there is held by a group as a whole those STRENGTHENING influences that may make others know that, "Yea, a prayer is said," there is seeking - seeking - that the one faltering may be made strong in His might, His power. Remember, all, how thin is the veil between the sublime and the ridiculous. Make not thine self absurd or ridiculous in thine own eye, in thine neighbor's eye. Keep in the way that makes for LIFE - everlasting. 8. (Q) Please expand on the different circular vibrations which are experienced during meditation: When felt in the lower part of body. (A) As this may be expanded upon both from the metaphysical viewpoint and from the purely scientific also, well that those who experience these do not confuse themselves in the interpreting of that each may experience. Each must remember that the vibrations which are emanations of the Life from WITHIN are a material expression of a spiritual influence, or of a FORCE that may EMANATE from Life itself. Now, consider, we are viewing both of these in the light of that which has just been given. When an emanation or a vibration arises, it may only act upon centers within the human body that are sensitive to those vibrations WITHIN the body; else one may not become aware of such vibrations being present, or they may not become apparent; hence have within themselves passed from being an influence that is not of a nature other than that which produced same. When these ARE interpreted properly, they become that which raises for each individual the ability to become aware of the influences from without and from within. These, SPIRITUALIZED, are the emanations that may be sent out as thought waves, as a force in the activity of universal or cosmic influence, and thus have their effect upon those to whom by suggestive force they are directed toward. In the VARIED motions, as we understand, these arise; (as all things spiral WOULD), for one that WOULD become aware of such an emanation, such a vibration, such a force being active within themselves. DO NOT use those vibrations to self's undoing, by the attempts to make for SELF other than a CHANNEL for aid to another. 9. (Q) When felt in the upper part of the body. (A) All the same. We begin from one. We have passed on up to the head now! 10. (Q) [341]: Please explain the sensations during meditation of vibration running up through the body and ending in a sort of fullness in the head. (A) The various portions, as given, represent the activities that are being set, either when considered from the purely scientific or from the metaphysical standpoint, as an active force emanating from the Life itself within. Then, these become all-embracing; hence the better understanding should be gained, whether used to disseminate and bring healing or for the raising of the forces in self. When one is able to so raise within themselves such vibrations, as to pass through the whole course of the attributes of physical attunements, to the disseminating force or center, or the Eye, then the body of that individual becomes a magnet that may (if properly used) bring healing to others with the laying on of hands. This is the manner in which such a healing becomes effective BY the laying on of hands. Copyright 2006 by the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. The Edgar Cayce Readings 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation.

The Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed

In the ordinary mind, we perceive the stream of thoughts as continuous, but in reality this is not the case. You will discover for yourself that there is a gap between each thought. When the past thought is past, and the future thought has not yet arisen, you will always find a gap in which the Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed. So the work of meditation is to allow thoughts to slow down, to make that gap become more and more apparent.

Sogyal Rinpoche, from Glimpse of the Day

"By bhakti alone he became the divine."

The great nineteenth-century Indian saint, Ramakrishna, was a master at creating huge outpourings of bhakti. He would writhe around on the floor at the base of the statue of Mother Divine he worshipped, sobbing and sobbing for the slightest touch from her inside. The more upset he got the more he would direct it toward his ishta, the statue. He seemed like a crazy man. All the while his bhakti was working like a laser beam, slicing through every obstruction in his nervous system. By bhakti alone he became the divine.

...The technique of bhakti is in redirecting our desires, harnessing them. Some people naturally find this ability. For others, it comes up over time, as there is more silence in the mind and heart from meditation. The inner silence cultivated in meditation is underneath the desires bubbling up, so we can see them like moving objects. We are a bit detached from the emotional energy in us. Then we can nudge it toward our highest ideal. Just a very easy nudging. No forcing. No big campaign. It is just an easy favoring of our ideal when we notice some emotional energy surging up. It does not matter if it is positive or negative energy.
...
This kind of procedure can be done with every emotion, positive or negative – with our feelings about everything we do.
...
http://www.aypsite.org/67.html

Exercise, Week Starting Monday, 6/15/09

From Experiments... page 112

Meet each of your crosses as if your work were symbolic of all humanity's attempt to deal with the specific type of difficulty. Record your experiences of working with this attitude in mind.

What if...?

“What if Jesus was the only normal person who ever lived?”

—Ernest Holmes

Something to think about. The quote is paraphrased in this article by Bernie Siegel, MD.

Greater Boston area A.R.E. flyer available

A flyer for and about our local A.R.E. region is available online. Please feel free to share it with anyone who’s interested! You can find it on our local website, www.are-northeast.org/boston, and here’s the direct link.

Download our flyer (PDF, 2 pages, 340K)

Black and white copies are also available at Aantre’s during Malcolm Smith’s visit.

Communicating with animals

Bernie Siegel, MD, tells this cute story about how his lost cat Boo Boo was found, along with a little something extra:

Amelia’s Story
I became a believer in our ability to communicate with animals after Amelia Kinkade, an animal intuitive, who while sitting in California, told me via an email that she was seeing through the eyes of our lost cat Boo Boo, who had disappeared from our son’s home in Connecticut...

Healing sessions with Malcolm Smith 6/13-6/15

Healing Sessions with Malcolm Smith
June 13-15 / Sat-Mon @ 9am–9pm

Malcolm Smith is a gifted spiritual healer (website / video) and former coal miner who lives in Yorkshire, England. Malcolm works only through Edgar Cayce’s regional A.R.E. groups. Sessions are open to all. To ensure your space we recommend that you sign up as soon as you can. (Private sessions last 30 minutes and are held in a Braintree/Quincy area home. Call for pricing. “Remote” healing sessions also available, as are healing cloths.) To schedule an appointment, call Aantre (“On-tray”) Kennedy at 1-781-848-8860.

Click here for our local A.R.E. calendar of events, including Malcolm's information.

"Chanting for Women" class starting June 23rd.

[This is from Freeana, the woman who gave us the wonderful chanting at our last drumming get-together...]

Dear All:

I am excited to be teaching a three week class through Newton Community ED called, "Chanting for Women". That class will be held on Tuesday 6-7:30 PM at Newton South High School starting June 23.

The tuition for the three classes is $55.00 which includes a free CD of drum rhythms to practice to.

I am very excited to teach something I really love and have been doing much of my adult life. The purpose of this class is to bring out what you already have inside and to learn to sing and chant in a fun and personalized manner. Free up your personal vocal expressions and tap into your inner chant. We will do vocal warm-ups and various syllables and you do not have to have singing experience so beginners are welcome!

We will draw upon various influences including Native American, Middle-Eastern and other genres.

For more information about this class and to sign up just click the link below which will take you to the Newton Community Education Site.

You may register online or call 617-559-6999. I hope to see some of you there!

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=M1531

Also I wanted to remind you of my new CD, " A Child's Trust" available at

http://cdbaby.com/cd/freeana2. It is full of affirming positive messages with wonderful arrangements and beautiful melodies. It features vocals, recorder, keyboard, bass, guitar, percussion and some saxophone. Take a listen.

Have a wonderful summer!

Best wishes,

Freeana

http://www.freeana.com/

A.R.E. discount on this Saturday's Plymouth Antiquarian Hearth & Home Tour

Reports from last year's event was that it was fabulous, with a great lunch of healthy catered food and a tour of wonderful old Plymouth homes. Tell them you're with the A.R.E. and get in at the $30 price. That's a $5 savings. Here's the info:

Antiquarian Hearth & Home Tours
Saturday, June 13, 2009
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Explore a fascinating range of private homes in Plymouth, open to the public for this special one-day tour. Your event program provides a history and description of each house, with map and directions. Includes luncheon on an estate boathouse with grand vistas of Plymouth bay. Fee $35; $30 members & advance discount. To reserve tickets, email the Antiquarian Society at pasm@verizon.net or call (508) 746-0012. (Website)

Pathwalk and drumming event in Plainville --Sat, June 20th

Spirit in Nature Pathways & Drums for One and All

Invite you to Crystal Spring

for our

7^th Annual Summer Solstice Earth Festival

Saturday, June 20, 2009… 1-5+ PM

Crystal Spring Center for Earth Learning-Plainville, MA

76 Everett Skinner Road

www.crystalspring.org

Tel 508-699-7167

Sponsored by Srs. Barbara, Carole, Chris

Program (Rain or Shine)

• Buddhist Chanting in the Oratory 1:00 to 1:45
  
• Introductions 2:00 to 2:10
  
• Silent Path Walk Begins 2:10 to 3:00
  
• Circle up/Introductions 3:00 to 3:15
• Musical Entertainment by Freeana 3:15 to 3:45
• Pot Luck (bring your favorite summer dish) 3:45 to 4:15
• Drum Circle hosted by David Curry 4:15 to 5:30+

Bring a percussion instrument and a chair.

Free will donations accepted to offset expenses.

Directions:

Take 1-95S to (exit 6B) onto I-495N to exit (14B), Route 1S.

When you exit onto rte.1S, you are in Plainville. Travel 1.5 miles to

George St. on right side of highway (just before Duncan Donuts).

George St. becomes Everett Skinner Road.

See Crystal Spring on left side about1 mile from highway.

Please park where indicated so avoid a ticket. Questions call Dan’s cell 781-439-8891

RSVP to Dan dshea2003@earthlink.net Bring a percussion instrument and a chair.

Dave Curry will be bringing an assortment of drums.

New SpIN Website: http://spiritinnaturepathways2009.shutterfly.com/ password "spin"

Folks: the Oratory has the most amazing acoustics! You'll want to check out the chanting!!! - A

Keep asking; shift reality

The following has happened quite a bit over the years and happened to me again this morning. It probably happens all over every day. You call a company with a question such as, "How much is your service?" They'll say $100. I'd rather have it for $50 so I say "OK, bye." I then call the same company again, and get a different rep. He says "$100, always has been." He reads from their rule book about why it's $100. OK. I go online, look at their information, and see that it's ambiguous. I wait a month or two and call again, get a third rep, and the same $100 answer. So after about eight months of this (in this case it's not a new service issue but one that I care more about) today I call, get a rep, and ask him. He says $50! How? Nothing has changed in their rule book according to him. It's just now the answer is the one I've been hoping for, and according to this rep it's always been the answer. He says he's sending me verifying papers.

The call and call thing tends to work. People do it until they hear what they want to hear, and then what they're hearing is not only what they wanted, it's right! It has become as real and valid as the stuff they hadn't wanted to hear used to be.

I've assumed different logical explanations for the disparity - untrained reps, honest mistakes, outright lying, luck, odds, etc. But this morning I wondered if somewhere in there reality shifting is going on. Then a couple hours later here comes Cynthia's February RealityShifters issue, (which arrived at 1:11 pm!) talking about retrocausality.

-----

Taken from a wonderful site, RealityShifters.com, which is very much worth your time.
See especially this ever-growing compendium of stories of reality-shifting experience (well over 100 pages!):
RealityShifters.com/pages/yourstories.html

This reminded me of Robert's comment a few weeks ago mentioning the bible passage in which Jesus related the parable about requesting some lamp oil from someone... Keep "knocking" and the door shall be opened...

The Way of The Cross - Tolle

There are many accounts of people who say they have found God through their deep suffering, and there is the Christian expression "the way of the cross," which I suppose points to the same thing.

We are concerned with nothing else here.

Strictly speaking, they did not find God through their suffering, because suffering implies resistance. They found God through surrender, through total acceptance of what is, into which they were forced by their intense suffering. They must have realized on some level that their pain was self-created.

How do you equate surrender with finding God?

Since resistance is inseparable from the mind, relinquishment of resistance -- surrender -- is the end of the mind as your master, the impostor pretending to be "you," the false god. All judgment and all negativity dissolve. The realm of Being, which had been obscured by the mind, then opens up. Suddenly a great stillness arises within you, an unfathomable sense of peace. And within that peace, there is great joy. And within that joy, there is love. And at the innermost core, there is the sacred, the immeasurable, That which cannot be named.
...

"The Power of Now" - Eckhart Tolle

Suffering and growth

“While suffering does foster spiritual growth, contentment creates even more. You learn through peace—and more important, you can better teach your children and others when you’re in a state of joyful relaxation. You don’t need to suffer for the sake of growth! God certainly doesn’t want you to endure pain, any more than you want your own children to do so.”

—Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.
“How to Hear Your Angels”

Exercise, Week Starting Monday, 6/8/09

[from "Experiments...", page 111:]

Select one area of your life in which you are suffering (physically, emotionally, or mentally). Write down the inner resources which might be available to you which would aid in overcoming this condition. Consider each day the possibility that you will become obedient to the Christ's awareness that these qualities are within you. Affirm each day in prayer and meditation that the needed inner resources are becoming available to you.

With meditation, we are gradually marrying the fifth dimension of consciousness with the four dimensions of time and space...

"...With meditation, we are gradually marrying the fifth dimension of consciousness with the four dimensions of time and space, so all five dimensions come to coexist together. Our nervous system is gradually cultured to give us the experience of all five dimensions simultaneously.

This has profound implications in our everyday life. Before meditating, everything we did was in time and space. All our action, our problem solving, was limited to the four dimensions. The options we saw before us were always time and space limited. With meditation, we are bringing in an additional dimension, consciousness. It makes a big difference. Now we see situations in ways we could not see before. We are able to influence the course of life in ways we could not before.

Imagine you are trying to solve a puzzle lying on a table. You are looking at it in two dimensions, on the flat surface of the table. Try as you may, the pieces won't fit together. Then a friend walks into the room and says, "Try this." She picks up two edges of the puzzle and curls them together above the table, and they fit together perfectly. By moving into the third dimension, the space above the table, the puzzle has been solved easily. Life is like that. Dealing with it only in time and space, four dimensions, it is often an unsolvable puzzle. We go round and round, never quite getting the pieces to fit together. When we begin to meditate, we are adding a new dimension, a new perspective. Then the pieces start to fit together, and it all begins to make sense."

Advanced Yoga Practices #36

Killing the Buddha

The idea of “killing the Buddha” comes from a famous Zen line, the context of which is easy to imagine: After years on his cushion, a monk has what he believes is a breakthrough: a glimpse of nirvana, the Buddhamind, the big pay-off. Reporting the experience to his master, however, he is informed that what has happened is par for the course, nothing special, maybe even damaging to his pursuit. And then the master gives the student dismaying advice: If you meet the Buddha, he says, kill him.

Why kill the Buddha? Because the Buddha you meet is not the true Buddha, but an expression of your longing. If this Buddha is not killed he will only stand in your way.

Why Killing the Buddha? For our purposes, killing the Buddha is a metaphor for moving past the complacency of belief, for struggling honestly with the idea of God. As people who take faith seriously, we are endlessly amazed and enraged that religious discourse has become so bloodless, parochial and boring. Any God worth the name is none of these things. Yet when people talk about God they are talking mainly about the Buddha they meet. For fear of seeming intolerant or uncertain, or just for lack of thinking, they talk about a God too small to be God...


KillingTheBuddha.com

An odd, amusing, little blog-ish site by a kindred spirit. Have a look!

Exercise, Week Starting Monday, 6/1/09

[From "Experiments...", Page 108:]

...Watts concludes... that freedom comes not from running away from our illusions but in the complete acceptance of the reality that lies behind them.
We may note that Watts uses the word "illusion" as a substitute for "cross." The truth of that equation is evident if we consider that the difficulties of life (which we often call "karmic situations") are rooted in illusory images of ourselves which we have built or in misconceptions about life. Freedom comes in seeing the reality or purposefulness behind what is happening and in accepting it.
There is a threefold progression that leads to freedom. It corresponds to a triune conception of ourselves: physical body (conscious, rational mind), mental body (subconscious mind and karmic habit patterns) and soul body (superconscious mind and spiritual freedom). First we ask ourselves, "Where do I feel trapped?" The answer comes from a rational, analytical consideration of our lives. Next we determine, "What is the illusion or misconception that has led me to this situation?" That answer lies in the karmic patterns of the subconscious mind. Our access to that answer can come through a conscious insight, an intuition, a dream or meditation guidance. And finally, we ask ourselves, "What is the reality that lies behind this illusion or this difficult situation?" This answer lies within the purposefulness of the soul. When the answer is given, through whatever means by which the soul reveals itself, our freedom comes in accepting that reality.
...
Try the three-step approach described above. Select and write down a situation in life in which you feel trapped. Determine and write down an illusory image of yourself or a misconception about life that may have created this situation. Finally, seek to understand and accept the reality or purposefulness that lies beneath this difficulty. Keep a record of your experiences which come from the acceptance of this cross.

Example:

Situation:
Having no friends

Misconception:
Having close friends means that I will be burdened by responsibilities to them and it's better to be without them.

Purposefulness of Situation:
I am learning how much I really do want to have people that I care about and who care about me.

Acceptance of This Cross:
I will not blame others for not having declared their friendship for me, but will work actively to be a friend to others.

As we are liberated...

“As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marrianne Williamson

[-via Penny]