Expressions of Love
In This Issue
Willingness - by
Rev. Frank Arnold
David Hoffmeister
The Revelation of Oneness - Jeff Foster
The Dandelion Story - Giving and Receiving
The Grand Dilemma - Raj Miles
By Rev. Frank Arnold
Willingness to know God’s will for me.
All through the Course we read about the “little” willingness that Holy Spirit asks of us. The Course talks about it over and over, but for us slow learners that is a very good thing. Each time I do the lessons, I find I learn something new that makes my life better, easier and more peaceful. If you had told me that life could be this easy, this good and almost perfect, even as little as five two years ago, I’d have walked away thinking you were crazy because it couldn’t get any better. Today I know that my life is as good as I want it to be and becomes better as my willingness to listen and act increases.
I have found that joy and happiness for me is equal to my willingness to be willing. Doesn’t mean I have to do anything, but it does mean I don’t have to do anything on my own. If I’m not showing willingness, all the grace, gratitude and forgiveness in the world won’t do much for me. I understand this whole dream is about me and my brother, my mirror, and a the willingness I have to forgive myself, my thoughts, about what I think was done to me. Do I have a little willingness to go when He says go and do when He says do? Do I have the willingness to say what He says without editing? Am I willing to Love my perceived existence until I return to God? When the answer is “yes” in every minute I will know for sure (maybe) that I’m heading in the right direction. When the answer is “no,” I experience pain and separation and sickness. I prefer the “yes” answer to the voice so that I may experience a perfect state of being happy on this journey through the illusion of life on earth.
If you noticed, I said willing to go, do and say, not create in my mind where to go, what to do and what to say. This little story always reminds me that I am guided and don’t need to create anything, but merely be led. I know I’ve quoted it before, but I’m sharing it again as a reminder for me.
Unfolding the Rose
When we think we have all the answers to God’s plan for us, for the times when we get frustrated thinking we know what’s best for us but keep hitting the wall, think of the rose.
A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in a garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was asking the older preacher for some advice. The older preacher walked up to a rose bush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing any of the petals.
The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God. But, because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try and unfold the rosebud while keeping every petal intact. It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the young preacher’s inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite this poem.
It is only a tiny
rosebud
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
Then, in my hands, they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
The flower of God’s design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So, I’ll trust in
Him for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to Him for His guidance
Each step of the Pilgrim’s way.
The pathway that
lies before me
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose
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Time with David Hoffmeister By Rev. Sue Borg
There is an experience
that brings an end to all uncertainty and
an
end to all questions. The experience of Love is Divinely inspired
and totally changeless. ... David Hoffmeister
In my space for this issue of the newsletter I want to encourage everyone in Salt Lake City to attend one or both of the evenings with David Hoffmeister. He has a complete understanding of A Course in Miracles and is as ego-less as any mystic I have read about. The one thing I notice most about those who are awake, is they live in a state of constant Joy and this is certainly true of David Hoffmeister.
David is a mystic. He is awake. He is so delightful to be around and so willing to express himself as the Child of God we all are- innocent, and filled with Love. He doesn't channel, he merely speaks from a place of understanding of who he is and who we all are - ONE. He is totally accessible at any time and will answer your deepest questions with an unmatched clarity. I so admire him and his awakened mind.
You can visit his website to read and download information to learn more about him and the Peace House at www.awakening-mind.org You can also read other personal comments about this incredible Teacher of God when you click on the event section of our website. See you there - November 5,6, 2008.
********************************
The Revelation of Oneness
Dialogues on
Non-duality and Spiritual Awakening
by
Jeff Foster
Oneness seems to be the Topic de Jour and someone sent this article to me and I wanted to forward it on the the readers of this website. After you read it, you will see why I was so attracted to it. "
"The Revelation
of Oneness
Dialogues on Non-duality and Spiritual Awakening"
By Jeff Foster
Excerpts
Jesus said to them:
"When you make the two one, And when you make the inside like the
outside And the outside like the inside, Then will you enter the
Kingdom." - Gospel of Thomas
A quiet
revolution in spirituality is taking place. There is a growing sense
that freedom cannot be found in philosophies,
religions, ideologies; that it cannot be located in
books, or reached through lifetimes of intense spiritual practice; that
it cannot be passed on by enlightened or awakened spiritual masters;
that it cannot be owned, cannot be taught, cannot be captured.
There is a growing sense that freedom is all there is, that it goes
right to the heart of what you are, that it is constantly available and
costs nothing. And that's what this message, which I call Life Without A
Centre, points to - the absolute freedom right at the heart of life.
It's a radical message, to be sure. And yet it's as soft and gentle as a
kiss from a loved one.
This book is about the possibility that the spiritual search, and indeed
all the seeking of the mind, can come to an end once and for all. And in
the absence of that search, there can be a clear seeing that all there
is, is Oneness. And in the clarity of Oneness, life loses its heaviness,
and what is is always enough. Some people have called this "spiritual
awakening"; however, it's not something complicated, and it's not
reserved for the lucky few. It's an awakening as simple and obvious as
the sound of the rain splish-splashing up on the roof. It's a bit like
having a dream, and getting lost in it, and then waking up, and opening
your eyes, and looking around and realizing that yes, of course, it was
just a dream.
There is no condemnation of seeking here, or of any religion or belief
system. Seeking is nothing more or less than a longing for Home, a
desperation to remember who you really are beyond name and form, beyond
thoughts, beyond concepts, beyond all beyonds. And the search plays
itself out, as it must. This is not to condemn the seeking, but to point
to the possibility that it can fall away, to reveal something far more
explosive than the spiritual teachings of this world ever promised.
This is not a new set of beliefs, or a fresh collection of ideas for the
mind to chew on. No, this communication uses words to go beyond
words, to point to something that cannot really be spoken of. It is not
a teaching, not a communication from individual to individual, but a
sharing from Oneness to Oneness. A sharing that ends in a revelation
which completely transcends the dream of "me-and-you".
And on some level, no more words are really necessary: it is already
complete. Oneness is already perfectly whole, arising presently as the
chair, the floor, the table, the body, the eyes, the nose, the arms, the
legs, the heart beating, the breathing. All of this is Oneness, and
nothing is out of place. And yet, for the individual, perhaps this
cannot yet be seen. For the individual, there may be more reading, more
effort, more going to spiritual meetings, more meditating, and more
trying to understand all of this. And that's exactly as it must be. The
teachings of non-duality will appear to be relevant as long as there is
an individual there trying to grasp them. That is the only purpose of
these words: to be there, in friendship and love, for that individual.
To meet them exactly where they are.
But when that individual dissolves into clarity, when the search
unravels, these pointers to the ineffable will fall away too, and there
will only be the immediacy of what is, with nobody there to know it.
There will be a robin singing in the tree, a car whooshing past on the
road, a cup of tea in your hand, and it will all be the divine Mystery;
you will never look for anything else ever again, and there will be a
complete release from the burden of individuality. A perfectly ordinary
life will be lived, but nobody will be living it. And, in joy and
clarity, it will be seen that there has only ever been this freedom, and
that all the seeking and suffering of a lifetime played out in absolute
innocence.
In this book, you
may you meet your own absence, and explode into wonder.
Jeff Foster
June 2008
Brighton, UK
Order The Revelation of Oneness from the following places:
The publisher:
http://www.non-dualitybooks.com/revelation_jeff_foster.htm
Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Revelation-Oneness-Jeff-Foster/dp/0955829046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216380959&sr=1-1
**************************
The
Dandelion Story
Giving
& Receiving
Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted to give a gift to her neighbors. However, because she was just a child, she had no money to buy gifts. She thought and thought about what she could offer to the people she cared about. As she looked around, she spied a whole bunch of dandelions blooming in the grass. "Oh, they are so beautiful" she exclaimed. “I will pick bouquets of these beautiful flowers and give them to my neighbors." She busily gathered several bouquets of the dandelions.
First, she went to the front door of the old lady who lived next to her. The girl knocked and when the door was opened, she handed the bouquet of dandelions to the lady and said, “I have picked these flowers as a gift for you!" The old lady took them, smiled, and replied, "Why, these are the most beautiful flowers I have ever received. I do believe they are the prettiest color of gold in the world. Thank you so much for thinking of me."
The child, delighted that the old lady was so pleased, went to the home of an elderly man down a few houses. When he answered the door, she handed him the bouquet and told him that she just wanted to give him a gift. He looked at the dandelions and said, "What do I want with a bunch of weeds? Don't bother me." He tossed them on the ground near her feet and shut the door.
Sad and very confused, the child picked up the bouquet and went to the third neighbor's. She knocked and a young woman answered. The child handed the woman the bouquet and told her that it was a special gift for her. The young woman smiled and handed them back to the child and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't need these and to be very honest, I don't like yellow. If you want to give me a gift give me roses. Dandelions aren't a very good gift." She shut the door, leaving the child standing on the step holding the bright yellow flowers.
The child learned a lot that day about giving and about receiving. Because of her experience, she became more cautious and lost a great deal of confidence, openness and excitement in giving.
What we can learn from this story is that giving is an art, and so is receiving. In fact, in the process of giving and receiving, being a joyous receiver is possibly more significant. How one receives greatly effects the giver and often influences the quality and capacity of giving. For example, the little girl gave from her heart a gift that she believed was valuable, and the elderly lady knew how to receive a gift with grace. The other two recipients created caution in the child that she had to be wary in what she offered - her gifts might be rejected. When a gift offered out of love is refused, the giver feels rejection.
We often spend a great amount of time worrying about what to give someone for a gift. We often have the concern of whether the gift will be accepted or rejected. The focus shifts from offering a gift from your heart to anxiety over whether it will be received or rejected. When you do not accept gifts with the same grace as the first woman in the story, you become uncomfortable in the process of giving.
It is like being loved by God. Once you accept that God loves you, you can give Love to all. Open your heart to love and then give it away because it is yours to give. Giving and receiving are truly the same thing. Become a good receiver? Joyously accept your good no matter how it shows up – in dandelions or roses.
There is a great art to receiving. Learn to receive well so that you don't deprive the giver of giving.
***************************************
The Grand Dilemma
To Hold Out for Hope or to Let Go and Trust for Peace
By Raj Miles
Over the past ten years or so as I have witnessed my own growth along
the spiritual pathway I have seen and experienced many aspects of the
metaphysical that have expanded my consciousness and brought me to a
place where Trust in God for the unfolding of my life has become
paramount. As I look around me I begin to see some of the reasons I
lingered so long, some of the distractions that took me nearly a
lifetime to overcome and one in particular jumps out at me.
It is time to take a hard look at what for eons has been perpetuated as
mankind's fallback, that hope springs eternal from the human breast,
this virtue they tell us is a gift. Perhaps it is time for us to see
'Hope' for what it truly is – mankind's greatest folly and mankind's
greatest distraction in the field of opportunity for raising the
individual and collective consciousness to our God source.
Christianity has long upheld the power of its three favorite virtues –
Faith, Hope and Charity as being the qualities that will transform our
experience and deepen our relationship to God, providing a solution to
the ills affecting people on both a personal and collective level. I
believe that offering Hope is not only a perversion of the truth, it is
now and has been for a long time a blatant effort to manipulate the mind
and prevent the natural and evolutionary flow of the Love of God into
the heart of Man.
It is a great wonder that this primary influence in our day to day
lives, Hope has not attracted closer attention. Few of us in the Western
world would have a minute pass by that we are not entertaining the
'hope' that something will or will not transpire. We are waiting for an
outcome that will project us into a better future, gambling our choices
away on a dream that may never come. Few of us even consider that the
energy associated with and generated by this choice is the very energy
that literally propels the sovereign creative power of our God selves
from us in the opposite direction. We blindly go on in 'faith' believing
that a magical and mysterious source of all our lacks and requirements
will be made manifest if we 'Hope' that they do.
The very nature of the word 'Hope' implies that we have given over our
power to another source and have become dependent on that source working
in our favor, that we have relinquished our sovereign right to take
responsibility for the outcome of our circumstances, no matter how they
may appear. Effectively we have turned away from God. One of my all time
favorite messages comes from Jeshua/Jesus who tells us in the Way of the
Heart material that "The world is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom".
The diametrical opposite aspect of 'Hope' is Trust. On the one hand we
give our power away, on the other we empower ourselves by the very
strength of our conviction. Essentially, we are either at the effect of
circumstance, the world of form or held in the palm of God, the Kingdom.
In a nutshell, in Fear or Love.
"for in Truth, the mind that trusts the Source of its creation
allows all things, trusts all things, embraces all things and transcends
all things”, Jeshua, Way of the Heart 1997.
Hope then is the result of a fear that we lack something and that it may
be made 'right', Trust comes from the knowing that all is in Divine
Order – Love. That the world is unfolding in perfection even it appears
from our myopic perspective that it is not so. There is no Freedom in
Hope only continued imprisonment in a perpetual wheel of life that
cannot find an escape.
The perpetuation of Hope becomes, in our every moment, the choice point
of resistance to allowing God to be the power in our lives and it's time
for us each to 'weed out' wherever Hope has taken root and become the
blockage to our transcendence, to freedom and to the very purpose in
this life, that of becoming One with the Creator and the birthing of the
Christ in each of us.
"As long as there is a trace within you in which you are striving to get
from any perceived thing or object around you what you are sure that you
lack inside yourself, you cannot know the love of Self. And you cannot
experience freedom. Happiness is an inside job." Jeshua, Way of the
Heart 1997.
Raj lives with his partner, Suzanne in the Hinterland of Australia's
Gold Coast - together they are dedicated creators of 'contexts' by which
the Family of Christ Mind may join and find Itself. Through a myriad of
activities, Way of the Heart brings opportunities with spiritual tours,
events, workshops, publications and membership for the awakening into
Consciousness.
raj@elohim.com
www.wayoftheheart.org