A.R.E. Meeting for 12/28/20

Leader: Scott

Experiment: Work on relating to others with kindness. Especially focus on speaking kindly. Record those instances where you were able to replace an impulse to speak harshly or thoughtlessly with kind words. Record as well, without a sense of condemnation, those instances where greater kindness than you expressed would have been helpful.

Affirmation: I choose words and thoughts that create love, joy, harmony and understanding. My words heal, and prosper others richly and abundantly.

Book: A Search for God, Book I, and the Experiments book keyed to ASFG, Book I

Seven spiritual beings converged in our Zoom room to meditate, pray for others, and discuss what we’d learned from our intentions to live our lesson this past week. Some had done both experiments. One reported that the results of the chosen experiment just happened after having chosen it; she decided to let go of a friend who wasn’t serving her, and did so. Significantly, she reported having willingness to ask God to take more control in her life a ways back; a vital part of learning to cooperate with God. Another also let something go: a resentment— in seeing both sides of a situation from an emotional view and another’s “personal values” view. Seeing two different perspectives changed an angry judgmental one to an accepting, allowing one. And then, a resentment was gone. A gift! All the results of either experiment were interesting. Several chose to change a habit pattern of negative thinking. One had written an affirmation last week to help replace negative thinking with more positive thoughts. It is shared with us, near the top of the page.

You are welcome to add or replace words that better fit your ideal thinking to say to yourself if you want to let those energy dissipating thoughts go. When one member realized following the news adds to negative thinking, it was said Hugh Lynn Cayce (deceased 1983) and other ARE members stopped watching scary movies and negative shows. Since then, news reporting has become darker, more energy draining to listeners, less accurate. It seeks to trigger viewers emotionally and can be deliberately untrue; “They lie to us,” at times another recognized.

To stay in the high vibrations of light received in meditation, as Hugh Lynn did, we can support our intentions to speak kindly and to relate to others kindly by choosing positive, inspiring, uplifting viewing/ reading materials and programs, and the company of positive thinkers! You know— live in the ideal world! 😊

We read the "Method of Obtaining Cooperation: section in A Search for God lesson one on Cooperation. Zoom time expired before we could discuss any of the methods of obtaining cooperation. We closed with the lovely 23rd Psalm.
 
Scott, thanks for leading our group and keeping us on topic. It’s no easy job. June is our leader in January 2021.
 
In Loving Oneness,
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 12/21/20

Leader: Scott

Choose your preferred experiment this week:

1. Experiment - pg. 21 - Work on being sensitive to where others are in consciousness. Without compromising your own ideals, be willing to speak to others in their own language; show concern for the problems and questions in their own minds (not so much the questions you think they ought to be concerned about. ) Record the experiences in which you are able to be helpful to someone by meeting that individual at his or her own level.
2. Experiment - pg. 22 - Choose and write down a habit pattern that is especially of your own limited, ego self. Pray each day that as your real self you may let loose your involvement with that pattern. Cultivate an attitude of openness to his Healing for this part of your life. At the end of the day, record any situation during the day where you experienced losing this particular limited sense of self.

Eight beautiful souls attired in human bodies zoomed to our weekly meeting. We meditated and sent out with the blessed energy received in silence our prayers for light, love, healing, protection, prosperity, comfort, peace, and JOY to family, friends, people of the world seeking the light.

Our reports on last week’s experiments also provided asides of what went awry on a busy Monday, or with a kaput oven in midst of holiday baking. Tonight, three saw on the southwestern skyline around sunset the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. One person arrived early enough to possibly see a silhouette of one planet before seeing it light up a bit later with the other planet as well. One person saw Saturn’s rings. Another person shared that driving a good distance to Nebraska three years ago to see the solar eclipse was a “spiritual experience." Three were either satisfied or excited about their results of meditating hours with the ARE World Day of Prayer in North America, Europe and Asia.

The hours longer meditation plus the longer intervals of breathing techniques practiced as given by different leaders one after another led to a body feeling accelerated vibrations, highly energized, and stimulated, oxygenated bilateral frontal lobes; a new experience after only more than fifty years of regular mostly Cayce method meditation practice! The ARE keeps getting better and better! And each of two house cats were attracted to the high vibrational energy! Already staying in the meditation room most of the hours, one cat instead of sleeping near feet, crawled under the bedcovers to actually place a paw on the meditator’s leg. Why? In order to feel or draw from the high energy of the meditator? The cat didn’t answer.

Maintaining awareness that thought patterns were being created by our thoughts “inspired” change during last week’s experiment: Several people saw patterns they want to stop and replace with positive beneficial new ones.

We will receive an email with information on an understanding of Earth changes as shifting in yin/yang and crystalline energies balance, in this year of personal confrontation with our long ignored parts of self and subsequent path to potential transformation. It includes instruction on how one could add journaling to "know thyself," add physical movement or dance and sound in ritual to setting ideal or intent, to clearing, annual goal-action plan to better live ones spiritual ideal. Christina’s clearing and rituals are complex in contrast to the simplified 1 hour Unity’s annual practice of clearing out inappropriate unwanted junk in a burning bowl New Years Eve service. Good ideas recirculate, don’t they? Thanks for this gift for increased spiritual understand and practice!

One member was validated and reassured that one experience cannot define us, cannot limit us, nor measure our worth. There is no limit to our worth, to our talents and abilities we have developed over lifetimes. There are many we have not realized, cultivated, or allowed to surface in this lifetime.

Last year's future planning was our first group junk to throw out.

WE WILL MEET next Monday!
None of us are going on our typical holiday trips this year!

See you next Monday!

Merry 🎄🎁 Christmas

In Loving Oneness,
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 12/14/20

 Leader: Scott

Experiment: Live with the awareness that what you are thinking is actually creating and is very real. At the end of each day, review your thought patterns. Record those that you feel were especially constructive or helpful. Without a sense of self-condemnation, record those that you feel were not consistent with your ideals.

Lesson I

Cooperation: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren. I Peter 3:8

 Affirmation

Not my will but Thine, O lord, be done in me and through me. Let me ever be a channel of blessings, today, now, to those that I contact in every way. Let my going in, my coming out be in accord with that Thou would have me do and as the call comes, "Here am I, send me, use me."

Seekers numbering six prayed for healing, peace and comfort, blessings, protection and prosperity after they meditated. Then we read the Introduction and Need for Cooperation sections of Lesson I.

If we are in accord with His will, we can attune ourselves to the highest spiritual force. If we open our minds, hearts, souls to serving others, we find and receive joy, peace, happiness in doing acts of kindness and service for others.

We discussed aging and the aged of 900, 365 years ago in Biblical times, mostly questioning how was it possible? Or even desirable?

It was noted that when one has limitations imposed on the physical for activities and accomplishments that brought our younger selves joy in doing and being able to do for others, decreases; life limitations of age can leave us bored and empty. Without a purpose, without goals. While planning to “just reject and refuse aging and ageism, “intending” doesn’t work as we expected it to when we were young. Why live the good life 80 years and 820 years of emptiness and boredom?

Sightings of both Yoda, 900 years life, too, and the mere 50 years old baby Mandelorian the same day led into these comments.

Then was it powers of a baby Madalorian that led into a discussion of whether the Law of One can be used with negative intent to inflict pain or kill just like it can be used to bring the rain or heal? While no one actively disagreed that “Law of One” can be used for healing and positive goals, in contrast, no one affirmed a statement made that this principle of manifesting through a Universal law of One is the same principle called voodoo “IF” used with intent to harm the person and a proxy. The Secret, Cayce’s “thoughts are creative—“see it working”, Unity’s or New Thought” manifesting, national big seller of hypnosis tapes explained it “think it, see it, feel it and it’s yours “ either become blessings of healing or curses depending upon the intent and application of the One law.

Our chosen experiment supports our ideal and can help us become better aware of what we are creating as we think and experience our emotions!

We will be ready to read “Method of obtaining cooperation” section in ASFG next week, and read on toward experiment two in our experiments book.

Happiest of Holidays!

Holidays as joyful as the child seen jumping up and down with excitement about the approaching holidays!!

In Loving Oneness,

Sylvia Raye

 

A.R.E. Meeting for 12/7/20

Leader: Cindi

Both Books:  A SFG and Experiments in ASFG, keyed to book I by Mark Thurston

Choice of 3 Experiments:

1. Choose a specific time and place for meditation. Keep it each day!

2. What people in your life do you think the least of? Write down the names. What parts in your life do you think the least of?Write down those parts. Work each day on treating these people and these parts of yourself AS YOU WOULD TREAT GOD. Pray for these individuals and parts of yourself each day,
3. Choose and write down “one” attitude, habit or physical condition which could be eliminated by conscious effort and which you feel “may” be a hinderance in your spiritual search. Then decide on a constructive attitude or way of behaving that could replace that hindering one (and write down the replacement). Work each day on manifesting that replacement attitude or behavior.

 
Cindi stepped in to volunteer leadership for tonight as our other volunteer leader needs time to care for a post op spouse, who is doing well. We began meditation and prayers, closed our chakras, and reported on how our work last week with our experiment went. One noticed a subtle difference. Another learned how important meditating at the same time each day can be. When the meditation time wasn’t kept, a later opportunity just didn’t happen. Benefits of keeping the same time, which include the body being ready for stillness, prompts one to meditate.
 
Seven souls looking for a better understanding of our Creator, read and discussed whether the seven experiences listed may all be experienced individually “in the Silence” or if experiences happen according to one’s level of development. No one knew that they are contingent on spiritual development. One thought of them as possibilities that an individual could experience several, or many, but it is probably unlikely anyone would experience 100% of them all. The long time meditators present had experienced some of the seven experiences, but no one reporting on having experienced all seven.
 
Experiences: 1. Sensation of bodily movement. 2. Coolness on forehead or head. 3. Sense of pulsation in lower spine. 4. vibration rising up thru the body to a sense of fullness in the head. If we reach a point of raising vibrations to the disseminating center, then our bodies may if properly used, bring healing to others. 5. Sensation to the eyes, an indication of healing. 6. A voice speaking is a manifestation of inner self's awakening of abilities to communicate, connect, associate with influences from without. 7. Finally, there is the passing into oneness with the Whole; experienced in feeling, sight, or voice.
 
We read the conclusion entirely. A strong desire to seek truth, with constant persistent effort to move forward, plus meditation is the safest way to know ourselves. Cayce explained the three-part Biblical temple is symbolic of ourselves, of our three levels of consciousness, our own Temple bodies, with points at each endocrine gland connecting physical body and the soul. Eccles. 12:6 refers these connections separating at our death. To find our God within our own hearts and consciousness, it recommended we purge ourselves of any hindrances to entering our temple's inner "holy of holies."
 
We begin Lesson I, Cooperation, under leadership from Scott next week.
 
In Loving Oneness,
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/30/20

Leader: Greg Lenihan

Both books: A Search for God Book I
and Mark Thurston’s Experiments in a Search For God
 
Thank you Greg for a fine job leading this group, and serving an extra meeting time, the 5th Monday.
 
Experiment:
 
Use the “Prayer of Protection” given in the readings each time you meditate. (ASFG p. 17 or Experiments p. 14) Desire to experience and determine to realize the inner meaning of the prayer as you use it, not just going through the motions and saying it by rote.
 
Prayer of Protection
 
“As we open ourselves to the unseen forces that surround the throne of Grace, beauty, and might within ourselves, let us throw about ourselves the protection found in the thought of the Christ.” The book continues, “When our minds are on God, the Christ, who is our Ideal, we need not worry about destructive results.” ASFG, p.16, 55th Printing, Oct. 2012.
 
Eight souls gathered to set the ideal with an opening prayer, to discuss results of our last experiment performed thru a holiday week. One seeker went out to a Tibetan Arts and Crafts shop on the busiest street of the West Side shopping district and bought a Tibetan singing bowl. This was used for attunement to meditate. There are future plans to use it daily to take a recommended 10 minute rest break. Another member’s experiment followed recommendations in a Cayce reading recommending someone mediate with a Lapis Lazuli stone. Meditating with lapis in a chest pocket yielded an awareness of a stronger “sense of attunement.” ( Lapis lazuli is a semi precious stone,plentiful in Afghanistan— a softer stone of about 5 - 5.5 medium hardness, easily cut, sawed or broken, of the deep “Royal blue” (or blue color of “King Tuts” gold and blue striped funeral mask. Jewel quality Lapis Leis pure deep blue, or may have flecks of pyrite- also called “fools gold”, which is easily mistaken as a gold nugget especially when seen lying on the ground.)

 
Yet someone else felt more attuned using 7 omm sounds orally, one for each chakra. While speaking at a seminar in Denver years ago John Van Auken had said “omms should be felt in silence inwardly as vibrations.” This seeker needed to create audible omm sounds to feel an inner vibration, or sound lightly by
touch a Tibetan monk’s begging bowl; one that had been created with a prayer every time the metal was struck countless times to form and create the bowl.
  
We began reading in ASFG, on p. 14., C. The Spiritual body, 1. The soul
 
Through meditation we may unlock the door within between our physical and spiritual bodies and become aware of the spiritual forces within. Spiritual faculties of our souls, individual impressions within our physical senses limit and restraint. Through meditation we make possible the spiritual soul’s ever willing expression of its true relationship of with our Creator.
 

I. The Ideal
 
It is more important that our minds be free of resentments, vindictiveness, malice, greed, selfishness and hate than that we do a complex meditation. The ideal is what we meditate on, not fixate on. It is our attunement to the ideal that leads us into peacefulness, into stillness within, and the capacity to raise a higher state of spiritual consciousness. If the ideal is equivalent to the highest aspiration of service, a strong desire that the meeting with the inner self and God be unobstructed, there will be an increase in unity, in oneness, and inner feeling, a as instead of broken points of consciousness
 
II. The Forces
 
The attributes of God, which we come in contact with in meditation, are our soul qualities of the functions of God. We call these intuition or psychic or Universal Forces.
 
We find that holding the right ideal in meditation is when our problems are solved and that we see as obstacles become our stepping stones.
 
We discussed the paradoxical instructions to have an ideal and use an affirmation to raise our consciousness and meet our Creator but not to fixate on the ideal. We concluded it is focusing on the ideal for an attunement that awakens the desire to reach the highest awareness possible, the strong desire of the inner self that the way to oneness with God be open and unobstructed.
 
Other concerns discussed or mentioned as a call to prayer for are the rising suicide rates, large numbers of Covid-19 related deaths by starvation worldwide with potential for people dying by starvation to double, front lines health care workers repeatedly exposed and becoming infected with Covid-19, people and families experiencing grief and loss of family members, prayers and protection for families and loved ones.
 
Our leader for December is June!
 
In Loving Oneness,
Sylvia Raye