Jesus taught his disciples that what’s important is taking place inside of them, not outside. If we’re focused on judging other people and not taking responsibility for our own actions and reactions in that process, then we’re doing separation. When we separate ourselves from another person, consciously or even unconsciously, we have just separated ourselves from God; we are all one in Soul, and if we separate ourselves from one part, we have separated ourselves from the whole. We have to move into a consciousness of loving everyone, of accepting everyone, of forgiving everyone – beginning with ourselves. What I’m talking about is just simple awareness every day. What are you thinking and where are your thoughts focused? Are your thoughts focused on blaming, judging, condemning, anger, and frustration? Is it everyone else’s fault? They shouldn’t have said what they said about you, or you shouldn’t have said that about them? Or are you bringing your focus inward and upward, and loving everything that comes in that causes those kinds of actions, reactions and disturbances? Are you accepting and forgiving them, and focusing back toward God and God’s presence? How much energy are you giving to God every day and how much energy are you giving to the world? Keep a journal for a while, and write down your thoughts and feelings during the day. Pay attention to how often you’re caught up in what other people are saying, or the fear patterns that the world is putting on you, or how you’re reacting with the world, and find a way to begin to bring quiet, peace, stillness and loving into those areas of disturbance, into those areas of distraction. The key is to begin to live responsibly daily and not let things distract you, and pull you back out into the world. We are a soul in a physical form, and all of us are challenged with distractions and disturbances in the physical. It is through meditation that we begin to wake up and live the loving, the peace, and that movement of joy that’s inside of us, more and more each day. Being responsible for our thoughts and feelings, our actions and reactions is indeed a dynamic action that will bring healing, balance and wholeness inside ourselves, and help us to understand what it is to truly be in relationship with the Divine. VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER, 2011 I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES J OURNAL I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES J OURNAL EY WORDS (from Key Words To Soul Liberation, 4/16/11) by Jim Gordon, President of ILM K I ’ve said it hundreds of times that we’re responsible for our thoughts and feelings, our actions and reactions. How many times have we listened to those words, but then never give them any further thought? If we really want to anchor into soul consciousness and move beyond the soul into the realms of Spirit and into God itself, these are key words to that action. Remember, this is a pathway of developing a relationship with God directly, and in order to develop that kind of relationship, it means that we have to take responsibility in this world. It’s when we take responsibility, when we stay conscious, when we stay present in everything that we’re doing as best we can, that that will make all the difference. The action of doing brings about change and understanding – understanding who we are, why we’re here, and where we’re going. And by being responsible for our thoughts and feelings, it truly means staying present in the moment. Really pay attention – what are your thoughts and feelings right now? And right now? And right now? Living in the world requires a lot of energy – we have a responsibility to take care of this body that is the instrument by which the soul is able to move in this world and have experience here. We have to eat, drink, clothe, and house our physical bodies, but how much more does this mind and body also distract us or call us further into the world? Even though our soul is aware that it’s at the end of a journey, it’s also still in this physical body, which is lazy, weak, easily distracted, and caught up in the ego and the mind; and the soul finds it challenging to be in, and work with, this body to liberate itself, but that’s what it has to do. We can so easily get caught up in the world and in other people’s reactions. We can easily get caught up in so many things outside ourselves that we often lose sight of what’s going on inside and yet, that’s what matters.
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Transcript
Jesus taught his disciples that what’s important is taking place inside of them, not outside. If we’re focused on judging other people and not taking responsibility for our own actions and reactions in that process, then we’re doing separation. When we separate ourselves from another person, consciously or even unconsciously, we have just separated ourselves from God; we are all one in Soul, and if we separate ourselves from one part, we have separated ourselves from the whole. We have to move into a consciousness of loving everyone, of accepting everyone, of forgiving everyone – beginning with ourselves.
What I’m talking about is just simple awareness every day. What are you thinking and where are your thoughts focused? Are your thoughts focused on blaming, judging, condemning, anger, and frustration? Is it everyone else’s fault? They shouldn’t have said what they said about you, or you shouldn’t have said that about them? Or are you bringing your focus inward and upward, and loving everything that comes in that causes those kinds of actions, reactions and disturbances? Are you accepting and forgiving them, and focusing back toward God and God’s presence? How much energy are you giving to God every day and how much energy are you giving to the world? Keep a journal for a while, and write down your thoughts and feelings during the day. Pay attention to how often you’re caught up in what other people are saying, or the fear patterns that the world is putting on you, or how you’re reacting with the world, and find a way to begin to bring quiet, peace, stillness and loving into those areas of disturbance, into those areas of distraction. The key is to begin to live responsibly daily and not let things distract you, and pull you back out into the world.
We are a soul in a physical form, and all of us are challenged with distractions and disturbances in the physical. It is through meditation that we begin to wake up and live the loving, the peace, and that movement of joy that’s inside of us, more and more each day. Being responsible for our thoughts and feelings, our actions and reactions is indeed a dynamic action that will bring healing, balance and wholeness inside ourselves, and help us to understand what it is to truly be in relationship with the Divine.
Volume 23 Number 3 December, 2011
INNER LIGHT MInIstrIes JournalINNER LIGHT MInIstrIes Journal
ey Words
(from Key Words To Soul Liberation, 4/16/11)
by Jim Gordon, President of ILM
K
I’ve said it hundreds of times that we’re responsible for our thoughts and feelings, our actions and reactions. How many times have we listened to those
words, but then never give them any further thought? If we really want to anchor into soul consciousness and move beyond the soul into the realms of Spirit and into God itself, these are key words to that action.
Remember, this is a pathway of developing a relationship with God directly, and in order to develop that kind of relationship, it means that we have to take responsibility in this world. It’s when we take responsibility, when we stay conscious, when we stay present in everything that we’re doing as best we can, that that will make all the difference. The action of doing brings about change and understanding – understanding who we are, why we’re here, and where we’re going. And by being responsible for our thoughts and feelings, it truly means staying present in the moment. Really pay attention – what are your thoughts and feelings right now? And right now? And right now?
Living in the world requires a lot of energy – we have a responsibility to take care of this body that is the instrument by which the soul is able to move in this world and have experience here. We have to eat, drink, clothe, and house our physical bodies, but how much more does this mind and body also distract us or call us further into the world?
Even though our soul is aware that it’s at the end of a journey, it’s also still in this physical body, which is lazy, weak, easily distracted, and caught up in the ego and the mind; and the soul finds it challenging to be in, and work with, this body to liberate itself, but that’s what it has to do. We can so easily get caught up in the world and in other people’s reactions. We can easily get caught up in so many things outside ourselves that we often lose sight of what’s going on inside and yet, that’s what matters.
not avoid life, inwardly or outwardly. If someone says something or does something that riles us inside, and we’ve reacted, remember that that disturbance is inside us. If we walk away from it, it may settle down, but where is it? It’s still inside of us. We might avoid those types of situations or avoid people who stir us up, but we’ll find ourselves there again and again because it’s living in us, and it’s running us. Just because we walk away from or avoid the situation or person that triggers the disturbance inside, it doesn’t mean we’re getting free from it. Instead, it means that we’re simply avoiding it, and sooner or later, we’re going to have to deal with it.
How do we deal with it? That’s the biggest challenge for everyone. The first step is meditation. That’s doing the inner – that’s God Himself, the Name of God; and loving God, and opening to receive God’s Loving. To fully receive God’s Loving, we have to love ourselves. God is always loving us, but if we’re not loving ourselves, we keep that door closed from receiving His love. The next step is LAF: Loving, Acceptance, and Forgiveness – we move into loving our self, accepting our self, and forgiving all the judgments and fear that create separation within ourselves, with our self, with God, and with others. That’s all done inside. We have meditation with God, and meditation with ourselves, which is LAF.
Even as we’re doing the inner work, when we go out into the world we may find that we have that reaction with others yet again. Well, that’s letting us know that we may still have work to do inside. If we have a reaction, it means we are caught in polarity. Love the reaction, and give it up to God. We have to keep doing the work inside until we can go back into those situations and no longer have that reaction or disturbance within. Don’t avoid those situations, but participate and walk through them. We’ll find the greatest freedom in LAF and giving it all up to God.
Jim says it all the time, “God first and God only.” We first wake up to that greater God, and to the God that we are, and then, we live Spirit by participating out in the physical world, and with the God in all.
by Brian Yeakey, Vice President of ILM
iving spiritin our Lives
2
Sometimes we can get complacent and stagnant in our practice of Spirit and meditation – we can be doing our meditation as part of our daily lives, but
there’s another part to our spiritual experience – and that is actually living Spirit. It’s up to each of us to learn how to enliven the teachings of living Spirit in the physical as well as our meditation.
Years ago, I’d been spending so much time inwardly in meditation that it began creating an imbalance in my own process. Because I was avoiding experiences and actions in my life, I was going into isolation and separation from others. I started to sink into a depression. I found myself in a peculiar place – I began thinking I wasn’t giving enough time in meditation and wasn’t focusing enough inwardly, and so, I did more meditation. I had always heard about the joy of Spirit, the peace, the loving, that awakening, that fulfillment and, even with doing more meditation, I still wasn’t experiencing it in the way I was hoping. Finally, I realized that what I was doing simply wasn’t working and I had to do something different. I hadn’t wanted to “do” the world because I feared getting caught up in it. I thought that if I avoided people and situations that made me upset, and stayed in my little cocoon meditating, I would get free. But it wasn’t working. I realized I had to enliven the actions of Spirit – instead of just going through the motion, I had to really live Spirit by participating in what was unfolding, not just inwardly, but also physically. I had to start participating in the world, with the world, with other people, while continuing to live God first.
The first action of participation is always with God – love God. Jesus said to love God with all our body, mind, and soul. He said to love God first, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. Whenever there’s an imbalance within this order, we can become self-absorbed, and it will keep us in separation from, not only other people, but also from God.
It’s important for us to do our meditation, and also, to
L(from Communion-in-Action,
2/15/09)
I nner L ight M inistriesI L M
presented by Jim gordon and brian yeakey in Austin, Texas:For additional information, call 512-306-1056.
M
CalendarCLassEs & PRoGRaMs: WINTER – sPRING ‘12
onthly Classes:
(ILM Calendar continues on pages 4-10)
Sundays:
DEC 11
JAN 15
FEB 12
MAR 11
APR 15
MAY 6
3
Potluck: (Bring a dish to share.) 12-1:30 pm & Class with Q&A: 1:30-6 pm*
Class: 2-4 pm (Recorded meditation and talk.)
Class: 2-4 pm (Recorded meditation and talk.)
Potluck: (Bring a dish to share.) 12-1:30 pm & Class with Q&A: 1:30-6 pm*
Potluck: (Bring a dish to share.) 12-1:30 pm & Class with Q&A: 1:30-6 pm*
Potluck: (Bring a dish to share.) 12-1:30 pm & Class with Q&A: 1:30-6 pm*
* Ending times are approximate.
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2012
• •
• •
he celebration begins at 4 pm at 203 Buckeye Trail in Austin, Texas. Everyone is welcome!
oin us for ILM’s Christmas celebration on SATuRDAY, DEC 10
T
J
It’s a potluck so bring a dish to share.
Monthly classes include spiritual teachings, Q&A, and meditation. Jim and Brian assist participants to become more deeply aware of the Spirit within. No charge.
hristmas PotluCk Party:C
Jim and Brian’s class is held once a month on the following Sundays (see schedule below and please note time for each class), at their home at 203 Buckeye Trail, Austin, TX.
4
at the IlM Midwest Center, 220 Insurance ave., Suite F:
in Fort Wayne:
4
in Austin:
facilitated by Jim Gordon and Brian Yeakey
Experiencing The Divine – A Meditative Workshop
Experiencing The Divine – A Meditative Workshop
at The austin Centre for Wellness, 3809 South 2nd Street, austin 78704: time of events:
Friday: arrival/CheCk-in 6:00-6:45 pm & intro and sharing 7-9:30 pm*Saturday: meditation 9 am-12 noon, lunCh 12-2 pm, and
teaChing/Q&a from 2-6 pm*Sunday: meditation and sharing 9 am-1:30 pm*
For more information contact: laura doggett at 512-306-1056 or e-mail Laura at [email protected].
n the following meditative workshops and retreats, Jim and Brian will be taking you on an experiential journey into the greater knowing of your Divine Nature.
They will be sharing about the meditation practice of The Path of Sound and Light to “experience the Divine.”
n the following meditative workshops and retreats, Jim and Brian will be taking you on an experiential journey into the greater knowing of your Divine Nature.
They will be sharing about the meditation practice of The Path of Sound and Light to “experience the Divine.”
II
March 30-April 1
May 25-27
* These ending times are approximate.* These ending times are approximate.
time of events: Friday, 6:15-9:30 pm* Saturday, 9 am-6 pm* Sunday, 9 am-1:30 pm.* To register contact: Steven Mcafee at 260-485-2167 or e-mail Steven at [email protected].
(See Weekend
format above)
austin and
Fort Wayne: No charge –
donations are accepted.
20122012
at dunford HouseHeyshott, Midhurst, West Sussex:
on Wednesday, October 24 at 6 pm* thru Sunday, October 28 at 2 pm.*
For more information contact: Susanne Cook at 01444 870838.
To register contact: laura doggett at 512-306-1056 or e-mail Laura at [email protected].
Experiencing The Divine – A Meditative Retreat
Experiencing The Divine – A Meditative Retreat
in England:
5
in Hawaii:
dunFord House Cost: Single Occupancy - £370
Double Occupancy of twin-bedded room(per person) - £335
at Saint anthony’s retreat Center Honolulu, Hawaii:
on Wednesday, July 18 at 6 pm* thru Sunday, July 22 at 1:30 pm.* For more information contact: laura doggett at 512-306-1056 or e-mail Laura at [email protected].
st. antHony’s Cost: Double Occupancy (per person) - $350
20122012
(ILM Calendar continues on next page)
* These ending times are approximate.* These ending times are approximate.
Check out our recently updated http://www.ILM.org today!Check out our recently updated http://www.ILM.org today!
nitiates, remember to check out the Initiate’s Handbook that has been added to the Initiates Only section of the website.
Whether you are newly initiated or a long-time initiate, this most current version of the Handbook contains information that will be of special
significance to you on your daily walk on the Path.
I
Initiate’s Handbook
ILM.org — the inner LigHt ministries WebsiteILM.org — the inner LigHt ministries Website • Jim and Brian’s Spiritual Sharings – listen on-line or download to your computer or MP3 • ILM Journals – the most recent issue as well as archives • Calendar of Events – find out what’s going on by geographic location or by minister • Order or Download CDs – you can order or download any and all of ILM’s CDs online • Open-Ended Meditations – you can listen to or download edited meditations that allow you to continue meditating for as long as you desire • “Initiates Only” section – find out about Initiates events and listen to talks for Initiates
(ILM Calendar continues on next page)
I nner L ight M inistries Calendar
ilm Community movie & PotluCk nights:
hese ILM community nights are intended for the community to gather together in loving friendship at Laura Kesten’s home on the 1st Saturday of every month for fun, laughter, and great food. We’ll either just be together in a social gathering, or watch a movie, or play games. Everyone is welcome. Bring a dish if you want to add to the potluck. Starts 5-5:30 pm.
DEC 3, JAN 7, FEB 4, MAR 3, APR 7, MAY 5
For additional information, call Laura Kesten at 512-323-2058 or 512-658-4117, or e-mail Laura at [email protected].
13210 Calf Roping Trail, AustinPark on the street or at the pool/park and walk a short block
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I L Min Austin:
etting go of attachments to the world is an inner process, not necessarily an outer one. – Brian Yeakey
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Fort Wayne:
in Michigan and in IndianaILM presents:
Fort Wayne:
* These ending times are approximate.* These ending times are approximate.
Kalamazoo:
Tuesday, May 29Tuesday, May 29
Saturday, May 19, 2012Saturday, May 19, 2012Kalamazoo:
For further information contact Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167 or e-mail [email protected].
memoriaL day Cookout at katHy stark’s
time oF event: 12-5 pm
For further information contact Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167 or e-mail [email protected].
Tuesday sTudy GrouppoTluck & sharinG
with Jim and Brian
Time of evenT: 5:30-8:30 pm* WHere: 4715 Thistle Mill Court, Kalamazoo
Tuesday sTudy GrouppoTluck & sharinG
with Jim and Brian
Time of evenT: 5:30-8:30 pm* WHere: 4715 Thistle Mill Court, Kalamazoo
memoriaL day Cookout at katHy stark’s
time oF event: 12-5 pm
open meeTinG
with Jim gordon and brian yeakey
Time of evenT: 1:30-6 pm* WHere: Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts
open meeTinG
with Jim Gordon and Brian yeakey
Time of evenT: 1:30-6 pm* WHere: Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts
tuesday CLass with Jim and brian
time oF event: 7-9:30 pm*at iLm midWest Center, 220 insuranCe drive,
suite F, Ft. Wayne
donation
Tuesday, May 22Tuesday, May 22
For further information contact Judy Richards at 269-349-3943 or e-mail [email protected].
tuesday CLass with Jim and brian
time oF event: 7-9:30 pm*at iLm midWest Center, 220 insuranCe drive,
suite F, Ft. Wayne
donation
For further information contact Judy Richards at 269-349-3943 or e-mail [email protected].
Monday, May 30Monday, May 28
(ILM Calendar continues on next page)7
I nner L ight M inistries CalendarI L M presented by steven mCaFee, midWest Coordinator:
For additional information, call Steven at 260-485-2167 or by e-mail at [email protected].
uesday Class series: T
(ILM Worldwide Calendar begins on next page)
unday serviCes:S Steven occasionally serves as a guest speaker for various churches and spiritual groups in the Midwest. Please call Steven for more information.
V
Steven offers a series of weekly ILM classes in Fort Wayne on Tuesday nights from 7:00-8:30 pm at the ILM Midwest Center. Each class will begin with a meditation and then move into a period of spiritual sharing. The classes are open to anyone, and are intended to awaken and inspire our loving devotion to God. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.
sPeCial ideo ConferenCes:
Weekend proGram: This is a committed, year-long program for 2012 with a focus on different aspects of the Path of Sound and Light and the practical application of meditation, loving, acceptance, and forgiveness in our daily lives. The WTP program is intended to support initiates on their spiritual journey, yet will also provide inspiration and information for anyone seeking to make a deeper spiritual commitment in their lives. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.
JAN 8, FEB 5, MAR 4, APR 1, MAY 6 2-4:30 pm ILM Midwest Center Donation
C
Live from Austin! Special live video presentations with Jim and Brian via the magic of technology!
FEB 7 (Tuesday) 7-9:30 pm ILM Midwest Center DonationMAR 4 (Sunday) 2-4:30 pm ILM Midwest Center Donation
Potluck and sharing to introduce the new monthly program taking place in the new year.
DEC 3 12:30-3 pm Potluck & Intro Meeting ILM Midwest Center Donation
W
JAN 7 7-10 pm Let It Snow Music Night ILM Center DonationMAR 3 7-10 pm TBA: Games? Music? We’ll let ya’ know! ILM Center DonationMAY 28 12 noon-5 pm ILM Luau More information: TBA
The Child At Heart programs are opportunities for children and the people who love them to come participate in fun activities together in ILM.
FEB 4 2-4 pm Be My Valentine ILM Midwest Center DonationAPR 7 2-4 pm EGG-stravaganza ILM Midwest Center Donation
ilm ommunity nights:
alking the Path:
8
More fun community events are on their way! We’ll provide soft drinks and munchies! Please RSVP the week before so we can plan appropriately.
DEC 6 6:30-9:30 pm Coins For Kids Wrapping Party ILM Center No chargeDEC 14 7-10 pm Festival Of “Light” Christmas Gathering McAfee’s No charge
I nner L ight M inistries CalendarI L MCommunity iLm meetings and events WorLdWide:
•
Each meeting will consist of a short meditation and listening to a class CD by Jim and Brian. If interested please check with Jason for the most current date, time, and location.
•
9
•
kaLamazoo:
eeting:M
Call Judy Richards at 269-349-3943 or e-mail [email protected].
CHiCago: Call Loretta Lassandro at 708-481-7751 or e-mail [email protected].
Join us for meditation. Call in advance so adequate space can be prepared for all participants.
Call for dates 3:30-4:30 pm 125 Warwick Street in Park Forest No charge
eeting:M
This meeting has been discontinued due to Teri’s Midwest move.
daLLas: Call Jason Baker at 972-571-8511 for dates, times and directions.•
The focus of each evening is on spiritual awakening and connecting to the Loving through listening to an ILM meditation and talk by Jim and Brian.
Alternate Wednesdays 6 pm Beverlywood, Los Angeles No charge
CoLorado springs:
Call Victoria Eng at 310-980-2224 to RSVP and get dates and directions.
You are invited to join us in listening to an inspirational talk with Jim or Brian followed by a 2 hour meditation. Join us in person at 42A Montpelier Grove London NW5 2XE at 3pm for the talk and tea, or join later on skype at 3:50 pm for a 2 hour meditation starting at 4 pm. Please let us know your skype name if you want to join in.
Sundays DEC 11 (Christmas Potluck), JAN 8 & 29, FEB 19, MAR 11, APR 1 & 22 No charge
eeting:MLos angeLes:
Call Nanna Brincker at 0207-485-0699 for directions.• eeting:M
London, engLand:
(ILM Worldwide Calendar continues on next page)
•
Call Judy Richards at 269-349-3943 (or e-mail: [email protected]) for more information.
DEC 13, JAN 10, FEB 14, MAR 13, APR 10 5-7 pm 4715 Thistle Mill Court No charge
• austin:
Call Judy Richards at 269-349-3943 (or e-mail: [email protected]) for more information.
JAN 24, MAR 27, MAY 29 5:45-8 pm 4715 Thistle Mill Court No charge
Join us for a meditation and talk by Jim and Brian on the Sundays that the regular ILM classes are not being held.
Call for dates 2-4 pm Cedar Park, Tex. No charge
eeting:MCall Kerri Dameron at 512-608-5430 to RSVP and get directions.
uesday study grouP: T
ovie nights: M
he measure of your spirituality is the depth of your Loving. – Jim Gordon
I nner L ight M inistries Calendar
n this packet you will find ILM’s book Love and Loving,the CD: an introduCtion to iLm,
the CD: understanding tHe ‘inner’ patHWay, the CD: Lotus meditation,ILM’s brochure: inner LigHt ministries guideLines For
initiation and initiates, and a copy of our latest newsletter.
All of these materials have been selected to give a newcomera better understanding of who we are and what we’re about.
If you would like an Introductory Packet for yourself or someone else, just let us know.
Call us, email us, or write us! Feel free to take a look at our website too: www.ilm.org
(for more information see page 6). We are happy to do what we can to assist you
on your spiritual journey.
Blessings of Peace, Joy and Loving To You!
Jim Gordon, Brian Yeakey, and the ILM Staff
2. Call Mig Gaspar at 808-638-8153 or Kelsie Muller at 808-638-0380 for directions. Listen to Jim and Brian’s weekly meditation and talks.
Tuesdays 7 pm North Shore of Oahu No charge
3. Call Brian Samo Ross at 808-247-3305 or 554-3305 (cell) for directions. Listen to Jim and Brian’s meditation and talks followed by a potluck.
2nd Sunday 10 am Kaneohe, Oahu No charge
eeting:M
eeting:M
eeting:M
Share in a one-hour meditation and community gathering.
Mondays 6-7:30 pm Manoa Valley, Honolulu No charge
1. Call Nadine Ferraro at 808-988-7509, or 808-551-3123 (cell) for directions.
Community iLm meetings and events WorLdWide (Continued):
HaWaii: Call the contact person for the following events.•
I L M
Welcome to Inner Light MinistriesIntroductory Packet
I
Welcome to Inner Light MinistriesIntroductory Packet
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The key here is to wake up to your own soul. Paul said it very clearly, “Die the little death daily.” To ‘die the little death daily’ is to leave the physical body – to go within, to
connect with the soul at the spiritual eye center, the seat of the soul, then to go out and connect to the soul in the outer kingdom; and to recognize you as the soul that you are, and as the divine spark that you are. Let that divine spark rise up through all the levels of creation, and connect fully to the soul, and be enlightened. Through that enlightenment, then begin the pathway back Home to God. – Jim Gordon
Cd - tHe story oF Creation(avaiLabLe mid-deCember)
Cd - tHe story oF Creation(avaiLabLe mid-deCember)
Excerpt:
New and Recent CDs, and Revised Book:
order information & Postage Payment
Since ILM is a spiritual pathway that is here to assist each person on their journey, our products are all available free of charge. You are welcome to order as many of the titles as you wish; we will send you up to two of each item per order. There is a charge of $1.00 per item to cover shipping costs. In addition, donations towards replenishing the CDs and books are gratefully accepted. Checks may be made payable to Inner Light Ministries and sent to: Inner Light Ministries, PO Box 164332, Austin, Texas 78716.
book - tHe knoWing oF god (revised)book - tHe knoWing oF god (revised)
Life on earth is designed to help us to fully know and express God’s living consciousness within us. We are co-creators with the Divine, all pursuing our
own unique and sacred journeys into the common destiny we share – the ever greater realization and expression of our oneness with God and His sacred creation. – Jim Gordon
reCent Cds (aLso avaiLabLe on-Line)reCent Cds (aLso avaiLabLe on-Line)mediTaTions
livinG spiriT in This
physical creaTion
livinG your lovinG
fulfillinG your creaTiviTy
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Healing can take place; we have to be willing to look to our self and not the other person to make it all right. We create things, and take things in from the world, that stand between God and us, between our self and us, and between others and us. It can take a lot of work to heal this, but I know a short cut through it all – to spend time daily with you, for you, in the healing action ILM calls LAF: Loving, Accepting and Forgiving. No one else can do the work for you, and nothing that others do will correct the disturbance and separation in your self. You have to do the work.
Although the action of LAF is simple, it’s profound in its healing power. Listen to the CD set called “ILM’s Toolbox: LAF” on a regular basis. Begin by listening to the Forgiveness Meditation every day. Over time, things will begin to move and change inside of you. The key is to allow the change to happen. Often we will hold onto our beliefs and will not let go of them. Even as we say we want change, we fight it. Remember that these things we’re holding inside are the things that cause separation with our self, others, and most importantly, with God.
So, relax into this action and try not to control it, or make something happen, or figure it out. Even if you don’t feel the forgiveness or want to forgive, do it anyway so the energy begins to move. It’s not so much about forgiving others as it is about forgiving ourselves. If we can forgive ourselves for the judgments we place against our self, then we can begin to truly heal relationships with ourselves and others.
Wonderful, healthy relationships take work; give yourself the time for open communication, and practice LAF daily.
(from Communication And LAF, an email question)
Please Send Us Your Email Address
Since we are doing our best to communicate with our ILM members through the internet, please send your email address and changes to Laura Doggett at [email protected]. Thank you.
Q & awith Jim
Q: My spouse and I can’t seem to find neutral ground to have a discussion about anything anymore without blaming, name-calling, and hurt feelings. Then, I shut down, and hold back from forgiving and letting go.
a: (Jim) There is stress in any relationship, and many things can cause a difference in how people relate to each other. Concerns about money, career, family, stress with both sides of the family, and so much more can cause people to shut down, not connect with the other person, not listen to what the other person needs or not share what you need, and soon the action of sharing and connecting is lost.
Communication is a big part of establishing and maintaining a relationship. One thing to do each day is to take time to sit together, and share and listen to what’s going on for each of you. Share what’s present. Share the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. Share it all. You can share your dreams, your concerns, clear the air of something you have been holding on to inside, ask for forgiveness, or give forgiveness. You can plan the future or talk about today. The key in this type of sharing is that you both are not trying to fix anything, or explain anything, or defend, or make the other wrong. It’s about having an open, vulnerable place to share. So, talk every day and create the space, a safe place, to truly open the doors to allow the loving to come present again.
The name calling, the stress, the feeling of being shut down is there because the two of you have forgotten how to share your loving. It may be because of something that has happened between the two of you, or because you both have found that the relationship does not match the illusion you had coming into it. This is a big factor in many relationships falling apart; when the relationship is so different from our illusion and expectation, we get discouraged and shut down. We are either, growing and changing, or one person is growing and the other is stagnating in old ways. Whichever it is, the reasons you came together may have been fulfilled and new reasons may need to be put into place, or you will have to let go of the illusion and see how to make the reality work.
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movement of soul consciousness through the action of the Holy Spirit, lifting the soul through the karmas, through the darkness, through the unconsciousness. When we begin to wake up, the light goes on. We have awareness, we are now conscious, no more darkness, and the karmas begin to lift.
It’s like we’re turning the knob of a dimmer light switch and the light is coming on a little bit at a time. Every time we meditate, we’re turning that dimmer switch up a little bit more. At the beginning of our inner journey, we start out with a really dim light – that’s what we often refer to as the ‘starry night sky’. It first appears as darkness. Then we’ll see a little spark of light and maybe other sparks, and then a starry sky. We are now beginning to wake up to the spiritual consciousness. As we keep waking up, the sky will get brighter and brighter until it is just sunny skies.
So, the real key is to just keep on going and know that part of the journey, even though it appears that we are falling asleep or going unconscious is, in truth, us waking up. There’s a level of unconsciousness in all the different realms and we’re going to go through them all. Even when we’ve been doing our meditation for years and we’ve had many inner experiences, we’re still going to go to sleep, we’re still going to go unconscious with things. I’ve been blown away by how much I have no clue about. I would daresay that I only know about ten percent of this whole journey. I can describe all these things about the spiritual path because I know the journey through my own experience, but I also know that there is so much that’s still in darkness or unconscious with me. I only know what I know. And it’s the same for each of us. This path is more than just becoming fully awake; it’s also about the journey.
We’ll begin to wake up as God wants us to wake up. Don’t try to wake up and know everything. Besides, once you get to that point of waking up, you are so blissed out on joyfulness that you won’t care about anything else. So keep it simple. And remember that falling asleep and going unconsciousness is part of the journey. Let that be okay.
(from The Pearl of Great Price - Pokagon, Indiana, 2006)
Q & awith Brian
Q: I know you read the poem, The Pearl of Great Price* last night, and I don’t remember falling asleep, but yet today, I don’t remember any of the poem except maybe the word “pearl” here and there.
a: (Brian) That’s pretty good! (laughter)
Q: I wondered if you could shed any light on how I could tune that much out.
a: Just open your eyes. Sometimes when I find myself asleep in meditation, I will open my eyes or sit up and just focus, holding my gaze steady, and my attention at the seat of the soul.
How do you think I do these talks? I’ve learned to move my eyes around and still hold my attention inside. Meditation is learning to focus, and it takes time. We aren’t used to focusing in Spirit. We‘ve been trained to focus down and out, and it takes time to retrain ourselves to focus inward and upward at the seat of the soul. Part of our journey is falling asleep, again and again and again, but eventually, as we keep learning to bring our focus back, those things that brought us asleep let go until we are awake and we are no longer falling asleep.
Q: It didn’t seem like I was asleep, like when I sleep through the night, but you’re saying it’s a kind of sleep?
a: Often, when we gather at events like this, the Holy Spirit is present which is the action of God loving us as soul to bring us Home, but at this level, we are not always aware of this. Even though it appears we are falling asleep, because our focus is about waking up to God, we are still soul consciously traveling, just unconsciously, through our karmas, through those things that block us from that greater awareness of God. It’s just a journey. Little by little, we’ll start to wake up, and where once we were unconscious and fell asleep, we’ll begin to have memory.
This happens to so many people when we have a gathering – we’re hearing the words, and yet, we forget them all. We’ll start to fall asleep, but there’s still the
* “The Hymn of the Pearl” is embedded within the Acts of Thomas.
the attendant. Those kinds of requests are not part of his responsibilities. On the other hand, a passenger would not get answers if he asked the attendant an operational question, or about coordinating train schedules. Those are part of the conductor’s responsibilities.
This reminded me of the two kinds of teachers mentioned in ILM’s The Staff of the Shepherd book. The first is the hierarchy of “ascended masters,” whose job is more like that of the train attendant which is to help passengers be more comfortable in their “car” (the lower realms), but they know nothing about the individual passenger’s ultimate destination (the realms of Spirit). They are of no help in that capacity. The second type is the “spiritual teachers” – like Jim and Brian – whose job is to conduct or guide the souls in their care to their final soul destination. They are not here to make us more comfortable in the physical world, but are here to help us get free of it. Their job is not to get us coffee, but to get us “Home.”
Another “aha” I had was when Anita and I had to change trains. We walked down a very long, narrow median, a train on either side, to the waiting area inside the dimly lit underground station. As we walked between these two huge, rumbling giants, I actually felt fear moving through me. These trains were big and powerful, and they seemed so “impersonal” that I felt small and powerless. I realized that I have, at times, viewed God in much the same way – as something too huge to relate to, too powerful not to be afraid of, and too impersonal to trust.
But once I was actually onboard the train, my experience was wonderful! The staff was courteous, helpful, and friendly. I felt well taken care of, safe, and at peace - the complete opposite of what I felt from outside the train. This is also true in my spiritual life: once I am actually “on board,” once I am experiencing my connection with God, what I feel is not God’s impersonal power, but His intimate Loving. That same vastness that I feared looking from the outside was, and is, in truth, the very thing that has kept me safe and sound my whole life – it is that awesome, boundless Loving that is the very essence of God’s Being. All Aboard!
by Steven McAfee, ILM Minister
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Anita and I recently had a wonderful, relaxing time taking a train to Austin. In handling the many responsibilities we have with our family and our ILM
service, I can sometimes get caught up in them to the point of feeling overwhelmed. When this happens, I tend to shut down outwardly, but also inwardly, and my meditation feels like the burden of yet another responsibility. In that state of mind, I usually end up not meditating, or not being able to stay focused while in meditation. Having just moved through one of these “overwhelm” phases, the train to Austin was a welcome respite, and I was able to slow down for a couple of days.
The first thing I noticed, once aboard, was that I didn’t spend my time as I’d planned – reading and working on my laptop. Instead, I spent time meditating, and doing nothing. Just sitting. Anita and I talked, and watched the scenery go by. And even though I wasn’t really “doing” anything, I experienced feeling very connected to God, very much in touch with my own “being,” and very aware of God’s Loving. I discovered that I need unobligated, unstructured time to just be. It is in the being that I open to the presence of my soul, to the simplicity of Loving, and I allow myself to simply be in the “oneness” with it all.
In this state of being, I was more observant to what was going on around me. For example, I noticed that the train staff each had their own roles to play. The conductor’s responsibilities included the overall safety of the passengers as well as making sure we arrived at our final destination on time. There was an attendant, who was assigned to the sleeper-car Anita and I were in, assisting us with our stay. His job was to help make us comfortable. He provided us with fresh towels and linens, tidied our room and bathroom, made coffee.
If a passenger were to ask the conductor for a cup of coffee, or to help her work the folding bed in her room, the conductor would have directed the passenger to see
LL aboard!A
by Laura Kesten, ILM Minister
So, while in meditation, I began to have a conversation with myself. I invited God to come into my inner space and Jim showed up inside. He asked me what I was afraid of. At first I kept saying I don’t know. He asked if it was being alone. I said, “No, I didn’t think so and then blurted out, “I’m afraid of being with someone and being alone.” He said, “Then give that up to God. Give it all up to God. Don’t try to make a decision here. Let it unfold as God wants it to so you can learn what it is you need to learn. You keep doing the same thing over and over. Aren’t you tired by now? You’ve done it with your relationships with your friends, your daughter, the men in your life, even with yourself and with God. Laura, just give it up to God.”
Inside I was crying, trembling. “Okay,” I said. And I lifted my fear up to God. I saw it lift like two clouds of smoke side by side, and when I felt the void inside, the emptiness, I got scared. I quickly reached up, and with all my might, pulled the clouds back down again. It took so much effort. It wanted to go. It was time, but I pulled them back into me. I said, “If I give it up to God, then what will I have left?” That was it. I didn’t know who I’d be if I didn’t have this fear. Each day now, I practice giving it up to God. I do my meditation, I write down my dreams and inner experiences in my journal, I sit in silence. I’m eating well and exercising my body. I’m beginning to have a relationship with myself in loving and gentleness, and am giving my attention to God in every moment. Little by little, I’m sharing myself with friends more openly and lovingly and am allowing their loving to come into me. Jim said, three years ago, that this was my time now, for self-discovery. I haven’t done that yet. But I am beginning to now.
Letting go is a process. Sometimes we hold onto our fears longer than we need to, way past their readiness to let go. Eventually, we do let go, and there, we experience our greatest freedom.
iving it up to god
15
g
Iwas recently in England for the ILM Experiencing the Divine Meditative Retreat. I’ve attended this retreat many times in various cities and although the
format is always the same, this time, a subject that comes up once in awhile, was dedicated to an entire afternoon. The subject: Fear. One after another, participants allowed themselves to become vulnerable in sharing their greatest fear. I enjoyed listening to their stories, watching as their process unfolded, Jim and Brian lovingly guiding each person. I sat in my chair, warm and snuggly beneath my blanket, unable to think of one fear I might have. Inside I was calm, peaceful, detached from all things even remotely connected to “fear.”
Just as the afternoon session was ending, I suddenly felt a tiny little tremble inside my peaceful state of being. What was that? I thought. And then I felt it again, a little stronger, then a steady shaking. No. Not now. Don’t go there. Choose out of it. Focus on the Loving…
Phew! It calmed down and I had my dinner in peace. The next morning, during the 2½-hour meditation, I felt it again only this time it was “in my face.” I tried getting away from it by bringing my attention back to the seat of the soul, but it would dart off again like a naughty child. I kept bringing it back again and again focusing on God. Brian once shared that he would sometimes let his mind just go until it finally came to a stop. So I decided to do the same because whatever was running inside me was begging to tell me its truth.
My greatest fear is relationships. My friends are probably getting a chuckle out of this right now because they have endured my faulty light bulb as I’d go in and out of being loving to being distant to being loving, etc. In spite of that, they have remained loyal to me. Why? Could they see the pureness of my soul, whereby they could forgive me again and again? Am I worthy of such? Can I do that for myself?
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is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching spiritual awakening through an inner practice of meditation. This meditation practice is an inner path through which the soul transcends the physical realms of creation to its true home in the spiritual realms within the heart of God. In spiritual teachings and literature this inner path is often referred to as “The Path of Sound and Light,” “The Path of The Holy Spirit,” “The Path of Love,” or simply as “The Path,” or “The Way.” ILM offers initiation into this meditation practice enabling one to fully experience this inner journey of awakening.
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