A.R.E. Meeting for 5/17/21

Leader: Sylvia

Lesson:  ASFG Book I , Lesson six,  sec. "Fellowship with God, the Need of the world",  Experiments Book-Chapter 7, pgs. 68, 69.
 
Bible verse John I, 1:17  “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another."
 
Experiment 1.  Give of your life to someone else.  Select a person and write down his or her name.  Then choose one of the three approaches to giving your life which have been described:  (1) making a special effort to give of your life energy to that person through whatever energies are needed most, (2) making a special effort to share with that person the truths of your life which you have discovered through experience, or (3) giving up one of "your' habits, desires, opinions that is causing that person difficulty. Decide which of the three approaches you will use and write that down. Keep a record of your experiences in giving of your life to this person.
 
Experiment 2.  Choose one difficult relationship in your life and work each day to express in that relationship a living kind of love. Through meditation and prayer allow the energy of states of consciousness which are less than your ideal to be transformed. Affirm in your life that you are not stuck with the responses you have been feeling to this person, because you are alive, you can grow.  Record the experiences in which you successfully transform energy associated with old patterns to new, constructive ways of responding.
 
Just as Jesus gave up his life in service, we can emulate him by sharing (1) the TRUTH we have learned or lived so others can enjoy being "in the Presence", or by sharing  (2) FRIENDSHIP, being the best friend, one that remains closer than a sibling. We can give our lives in (3) SERVICE to a cause or to a person. By letting go of a (3) HABIT, DESIRE, or OPINION that hinders or causes someone else difficulty or physical or emotional hurt, we give of our life too.
 
"Let us help our fellow man by our patience and forbearance and show him that love is a living thing." p.67, or 72.
 
(Forbearance= "Holding back". 1. Tolerance and restraint in the face of provocation; patience. 2. Self control, patience. 3. Law, ..giving a debtor more time to repay a loan, typically interest accrues at the same rate.)
 
Autumn leaves and rocks cannot grow as animals and trees do, and additionally, living things can transform energy. As spiritual creations, people can transform energy associated with non-physical aspects of their being: states of consciousness, or attitudes toward an experience. This indicates spiritually created beings can take a problem in a relationship with another person and grow with it; thereby, WE MAKE LOVE A LIVING, TRANSFORMING THING.
 
As Joshua said, "Others may do as they may, but as for me...I will serve the Living God."
  
Cayce told #255 in the 12th reading, they could "THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND THE POWER OF THE CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS," since they had experienced the joys of influences within the soul, they could through everything, in every act, realize the PERSONAL LIVING GOD could COME TO BE HIS POWER working within.
 
To Live love is to be love. To be one with the Father is to be equal with the Father. ALL IN ONE--for Love is law, law is Love.
 
In the Loving Oneness of FELLOWSHIP.
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 5/10/21

Leader: Sylvia
 
Lesson: FELLOWSHIP
 
Experiment 1. Select one pattern that you frequently hold of resentment toward or irritation with another person. Each day for a week work with letting go of that pattern. Stop feeding it and giving attention to it when it comes to your mind. Even though a part of you may enjoy entertaining it, affirm that the reward of knowing fellowship with God will be a greater experience. Keep a record of your experiences of knowing a greater sense of fellowship in this way.
 
Experiment 2. Take the initiative in speaking to others (especially strangers) and showing your love for all mankind. Do those things that you know will be helpful, risking the possibility that you may not be understood or appreciated. Record your experiences.
 
Business: Discussion of group preferences and suggestions for weekly minutes of weekly meetings, to prevent further errors, that meets needs and allows everyone to feel comfortable with the degree of confidentiality held, and provides a summary of the lesson read.
  
Next week we begin reading Mark Thurston’s “Experiments....” on page 67, just below the experiment.
 
The reading accomplished tonight for the first experiment describes the importance of living lives in service for others as Jesus did. It could be living for, or serving a cause or a person courageously giving daily of our life’s energy. The bare bones of Cayce’s reading 262-29 asks the listener whether you gave “the truths” that another might enjoy a moments rest in the Lord? He advised being “the best” in whatever role we take on. Just as vital, we give of our lives to others if we decide to “let go of anything” that hinders someone else: negative, critical thoughts of them, desires, habits.
 
For second experiment, we learned from reading our book to investigate what it is within ourselves that makes us fail to be daring and take the initiative in reaching out to another. Reaching out to share our Truth, to minister to their needs, to be the best, a friend as close and protective, “give my life” brotherly like friend.
 
To begin our study of the ASFG book, we will discuss the remainder of the long section we read on “Fellowship with God”, from p. 72-74. Following our digestion of this section via discussion, we’ll read the “Fellowship with God, the Need of the World”. We begin to read ASFG on p. 74, slightly more than halfway down the page.
 
A thought to ponder: Is this “minutes” as is given here according to what was discussed? Where there unresolved issues to resolve by taking a “show of hands” vote?
 
In Loving Oneness
Of FELLOWSHIP,
Sylvia

A.R.E. Meeting for 5/3/21

 Leader: Sylvia

“Global manifestation of oneness, and the Love of God and All People.
 
Group Ideal: Oneness
Action: Affirm daily our oneness with each other.
 
Lesson: Fellowship. Scripture: I John 1:7
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.
 
Books: ASFG I and accompanying experiments book by Mark Thurston, Ph.D.
 
Experiment 1. Before each meditation period have a short prayer time to awaken fellowship. In prayer affirm your awareness of being called by God to do a work. Express your desire to answer personally this call in all aspects of your life.
 
Experiment 2. Listen to others. Don’t let yourself get caught in being overly concerned about a particular approach or technique to listening. Refrain from thinking of your response while the other person is still talking. You may find helpful to say to that person something like, "Those were some really important thoughts you just expressed. Let me think about them for a few minutes before I respond." Record instances in which you feel you really were able to listen.
 
In preparation of entering into the inner holy of holies, we said a prayer of attunement. John ohmed externally, and we did the “r re ohm” internally. For additional attunement, we did relaxing neck stretches, alternate breathing, and a prayer of protection prior to 15 minutes of silence focused toward fellowship. Sending out that which we received from universal forces, via fellowship within, in the form of the energy of Love, Healing, & Light to all the people, places, and situations, it became apparent we were praying for both the microcosm and the macrocosm. The situations where we had prayer concerns for locally, we also had concerns for the same issues nationally and internationally. And we prayed for people’s wellness, protection, healing everywhere.
 
We acknowledged ARE and leaders being sued by former youth campers alleging sexual harassment, assault or rape at ARE’s summer camp in years past.
 
It’s UNBELIEVABLE news. That outrageous boundary of violations from harassment to rape could be inflicted onto vulnerable youth at ARE camp. It is so opposite of all of the ARE’s principles, and Cayce’s practices, and wisdom on how to develop spiritually, and his, Gladys, other associates lifelong accomplishment of living high ideals. Thousands and thousands of people worldwide are grateful to have had spiritually transformational uplifting experiences attending ARE programs.
 
ARE’s CEO is working diligently to resolve this issue, both the alleged and unknown. He has hired a private company to investigate this situation. He has asked for others to come forward as well.
 
Let’s pray continuously to hold up ARE and all it’s worldwide centers, departments, schools, seminars and classes with prayers of protection and healing for the highest good. Lets pray God provides aid to any and all people who may have had unwelcome inappropriate sexual contact. Let’s also uplift those accused perpetrators of dark deeds into the presence of omniscient God for their highest good.
 
Five souls did an experiment, many dealt with despicable, very annoying, or burdensome situations in the third experiment. While not actually despicable, it may be time for one soul to stop researching and writing a monthly newsletter, after volunteering 10 hours in the evening monthly for 25 years. A very despicable ten months of neighborhood noise pollution has given one soul the ability to surrender, to cope, to appreciate a retreat space and return to painting. One sensitive soul finds despicable those hardened people who hurt and or take advantage of the disabled, frail elderly, who are cognitively limited. This soul has found here trustworthy people who listen, hold confidences, and don’t gossip. The soul who needed a functioning mechanical part, it was arrived, didn’t work and another had to be ordered. This soul acquired an opportunity to practice constructive qualities of long suffering and patience. With hindsight, one soul expressed regrets of not doing an experiment. Their week would have gone better seeking virtue or understanding,
 
We discussed louder, then more loudly, pros and cons of Covid-19 vaccines; it’s effects, protections, benefits, reports of vaccinated people’s irregular energy fields, with few points of agreement.
 
We talked about authentic Ojebwa tea, compounded or tincture tea, and the Holy Spirit. Tonight our reading asked us if we are aware of the divine flame of the Holy Spirit worthy of our adoration, buried deep within the heart of our brother. Jesus had promised after he ascended that he would empower us and send us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, also described as a divine flame.
 
The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, a Feast celebrated 50 days or 7 weeks after Easter or the Passover. It was described as a roaring, storm like wind filling the room they were in. Tongues of fire appeared above twelve disciples heads, as the twelve received the gift of tongues: an immediate ability to speak in the listener’s own language. Others present also received the Holy Spirit at that time.
 
Incidentally, the Torah uses the same terminology for God’s Holy Spirit upon Joshua, Caleb, Bezalel, & Oholiab.
 
Suffering with our fellowman, loving each other despite our failings, having faith in the power of the spirit within until the fallen can see their own strength, being a friend who stands by in time of temptation or need, all of these actions nurtures and strengthens our relationship with the Holy.
 
In Loving oneness,
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 4/26/21

Leader: Eric

Group completed reading the lesson on Virtue and Understanding in both books. So doing, gives us three choices of experiments this week.
 
Experiment 1. Choose an example from your own life of an experience of faith in which you feel touched the purity of the soul (specific meditation experience, an especially meaningful dream, an experience of deep love for another person). For at least one or two minutes each day recall that experience and what you learned from it. You might want to have this recall period at the end of your daily meditation. Allow the insights of that experience of faith to guide your understanding of others for a week. Record your experiences of seeing the actions of others with a greater degree of understanding.
Example:
experience through faith:
I once had a deep meditation experience in which I felt how everything I do is really an expression of my wanting greater wholeness.
 
experiences during the week:
I was able to see the actions of others who usually irritate me as manifestations of their desire to be noticed, to be loved and feel whole.
 
Experiment 2. (Based on readings # 1776-1 and 2599-1)
Select one person whom you have had trouble loving or appreciating. Each day for a week, make a special effort for at least a week to see the good in that person. Let your thoughts, words, and actions express your desire to relate to that which is good in that person. Record your experiences.
 
Experiment 3. Choose one life situation that you find yourself frequently despising and wishing that you were free from. Write down (1) the situation and (2) constructive qualities it challenges you to find within yourself despising this situation, say a short prayer of praise to God for the opportunity to learn these constructive qualities.
Example:
situation: a physical impairment that limits my ability to function normally in life.
 
constructive qualities challenged to awaken: patience, trust in others
 
Ideal: Oneness

Action: Affirm our oneness with each other daily

Six now woke to our virtue of the ever existing purity within our souls, eager to begin our 4th week of applying the lesson of Virture and Understanding. We missed two: one listener and one absent soul tonight. Opening this Zoom sacred time of oneness with silence, our Lord’s Prayer, and then, we gave our experiments reports. While Covid limited our interactions to be served by others— all 6 were recipients of a service or gifts —of prizes from a fundraiser, of a two vehicle transport, one of Reiki and 2 of prayers; of tolerance and acceptance of atypical philosophical-spiritual beliefs and a social outing invitation. One soul also had the opportunity to engage virtue being tolerant and peaceful, yet aware of a coworkers lack luster full time goofing-off on the job, still with full equal pay to actual productive workers’ pay. The 2nd soul to do experiment #1 tolerantly maintained inner peace despite incredible, polar opposite, program host beliefs and interests in UFO’s, ghosts, & Bigfoot sightings. Another host on Akashic Records described Source as “Nature, Earth”, and advised “Let the world come to you!”

Our Kundalini Meditation was new and different to some of us. We began our preparation for meditation with prayer, head and neck exercises, breathing and alternate breathing exercises. We were led to visualize grounding to the earth, then to see the female energy of each chakra expanding as we visualized each chakras energy color donut shape expanding with rising love and light from the red root chakra up to the top purple blue chakra. Separately from consciousness, we sent out our prayers of love, light, healing and protection, peace and comfort to family, friends, ARE Study Group members, and headquarters, worldwide ARE, for India’s peoples health and others.
 
One soul had to leave early to relay an update to her spouse with concerns for a daughters health changes. We agreed to pray this week for a healthy leg for Monica in Billings, Montana.

Reading the two final sections of book l, Virtue is a Defense, Understand is a Weapon; (for Truth) and The Effects of Virtue and Understanding on ourselves and others brought wisdom and insights. Even unspoken thoughts empowered by the omnipotent God within unkind, critical thoughts to hurt and harm others, or to heal, uplift and inspire the person thought of with love and positive intentions. Our prisons are filled with people whom scientists tell us believe they are “bad.” People feeling unconsciously critical thoughts, even unspoken, may move away from us physically, or might avoid future contact with “critical thinkers”.

Discussions included Anne Puryear’s books. Her excellent publication with new knowledge on suicide, “Stephen Lives,” was quite a timely gift informing a world nearly void of knowledge on suicide. Anne Puryear discovered she’d developed extra sensory perception and co-wrote her memoir with contributions from her deceased, reassuring son. Stephen Christopher affirmed the choice to suicide at 15 was solely his decision, others were not to blame and provided new information on “the beyond” as well.

Of course the creative power of our thoughts came up as did a story of an inexplicable, mysterious life event: A 100 year old woman delighted in telling of her birth in Kansas, “I was born during a cyclone (tornado). When the storm ended, the house I was born in was the only house still standing on the block.”
 
While we didn’t gain enough insight to explain how a newborn Baby is safe despite a neighborhood destroying cyclone, each of our understandings expanded.
 
“Fellowship” is our lesson for May. Our leader is Sylvia.
 
In Loving Oneness,
 
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 4/19/21

Leader: Eric

Experiment 1. Unless it would result in the violation of a principle or ideal you hold, allow others to do the acts of service and caring that they offer you. Maintain an attitude of openness to being helped (yet don’t take this experiment to mean that you are to go around asking others to do things for you). Record instances in which others are a channel of blessings to you.

Experiment 2. Each day allow a sense of peace to fill your life by being tolerant of others or of inharmonious patterns within yourself. Record situations in which you were understanding and tolerant when your old way of reacting might have been to think unkindly.

Group Ideal: Oneness

Action: Affirm my oneness with each member

 Study Group Lesson: Virtue and understanding 

With greater understanding, virtue is the ever present pureness within each of us; versus virtue as a moral concept, four faithful seekers opened themselves and became attuned to the Divine Universal Forces through praying The Lord’s Prayer and meditating a good while. The four prayed for family members, friends, absent ASFG members, sent love, light and healing energy to those known to be sick, protection of good health for everyone everywhere, as well as blessings to the ARE worldwide, and prayers of peace and comfort for grieved friends and families worldwide who lost a loved one to Covid-19. Our time of sending blessings to others came to a close with recitation of the Twenty Third Psalm and attention was turned to sharing experiences from our weekly experimentations.

Among those unable to attend tonight’s meeting, one thoughtful soul shared her results electronically; doing the second experiment revealed and affirmed she is to use her guidance for herself. In choosing experiment 1, and a spiritual law last week to work with, one member synchronistically and unknowingly choose a law quoted in this week’s ASFG lesson, “Seek and ye shall find, ask and it shall be given unto you, knock and it shall be opened unto you”. Additionally, he found and followed helpful advice on how to use the spiritual law of manifestation, as he sought better vision and good health. From Richard Dotts’ book, “It Is Done”, we  learned "Amen" means “it is done,” a helpful affirmative thought to say while feeling the joy of receiving whatever we are visualizing or imagining. See it, Think it, Feel it! and it’s now yours. In this case, feel excited, happy you “Know it is done” as you visualize yourself seeing well and enjoying good health. Maybe two goals at once, too much for a beginner? Can you more easily do vison improvement first, then manifest the other? No blocks, no worry! No doubts! Just Do it! On Faith from the last lesson, of course.

Two people made no formal decision on which experiment to do, but had results to report on anyway. One seeker may have gotten hung up by not feeling and thinking of self as virtuous enough to choose an experiment, but received two informative dreams anyway and shared that insight with us.

The other person had observed poorly listening, talkative interviewers speaking so excessively interviewees could barely answer questions just a bit. So he made it a practice of making “speaking” space, holding space for others to speak their thoughts completely.

We had time to talk about our week while checking in. One member has actually improved his vision significantly in the past. He shared information on his good experience of combining eye drops containing the herb “Eye Bright” with “seeing his vision improve” and then allowing himself to continue improving eye sight with both some manifesting principles and eye drops.

Someone is hearing thumping under his home, a bunny perhaps? And hoping to stop the noise. Another thinks ants coming inside from either end of the home, suggests the place must have been built on a large ant colony.

And one is soon traveling to see relatives and making a delivery at the same time. Safe travels. Best of the weeks to all.

We missed those of you unable to attend! See you next week, we hope!

In loving oneness,

Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 4/12/21

Leader: Eric
 
Experiment 1. Choose a spiritual law of which you have rational knowledge, yet have not known through experience. Write down that law in as clear and concise a way as you can, (e. g., whatever you are willing to give to others will come back to you). Each Day for at least a week pray for a deeper experience of the meaning of that law and be open in your life for such experiences and awarenesses to come. Record any occurrences which give you a greater “experiential” understanding of this law.
 
2nd Experiment: Choose one principle that you have been recommending to others that they apply. Write down that teaching or principle (e. g., “we must be patient,” a particular dietary regime). Each day for at least a week make an effort to (1) refrain from telling others to apply this principle and (2) apply it to your own life. Record instances where you are successful in this work!

Group Ideal: Oneness
Action: affirm our Oneness with each member daily.
 
Both ASFG Books, I and the experiments book, for Lesson on “Virtue and Understanding”.
 
Spirits were brightened by uplifting thoughts within The Lord’s Prayer and Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 8, read aloud, at the opening of this meeting. The leader allowed time for all to enter the Zoom space. Members set aside the meeting aides suggestion to report in three sentences the Spiritual insight gained; instead mostly we presented narratives of daily events, dreams, related to the experiment. Six reported on experiment number one. We sought to gain understanding by releasing into God’s care our concerns over a personal problem: a teams 2nd week of their project at work being blocked by lack of a workable design; relationship challenges; a lengthy unemployment period and a repetitive annoyance of another’s behavior; 6 stumped and dumbfounded, professional “software customer-service problem solvers” of situations customers encounter; and feeling a lack of acceptance by others.
 
Three seeker's outcomes are “in progress of being turned around,” one was answered by a dream and a follow up confirmation dream that “greater self acceptance will bring the greater acceptance sought from others;” and importantly, another had two situations in God’s capable hands turned around. (1) Strong effort went into thinking anything other than about the recurring again and again annoying behavior. With no thoughts recreating it and empowering it, the behaviors stopped! Easy to say, not easy to do. (2) The undesirable, new part time job hours transformed into a full time new job with acceptable, desirable hours just as this meeting was getting started! One member’s understanding blended into him also seeing his different values in his friends represented both their “purity” and his own “purity.” A unexpected bonus of doing the the first experiment. Two others saw purity in others, within others, and in children’s and pets’ innocence and behaviors. Particularly, one discovered, purity glowed in devoutly lived marriages of couples following religious teachings and spiritual values of purity, etc. Who has the wisdom to remove the distractions in the world in their homes and to live even for an interval of 2weeks time free from the distraction of touch? Who knows so doing creates the freedom to build enthusiastically described, “ Beautiful, Soul to Soul relationships” with an additional bonus of mental, emotional understandings. It is mates chosen according to ideals, values, goals and practicing Hasidic teachings in their marriages and homes. They happily remove the distractions of touch two weeks each month, for the purity that leads to a relationship of Soul touching Soul, of emotional understanding, of thoughtful knowledge of the purity of their Beloved, that’s who.
 
Pre-meeting conversation informed us it’s too uncomfortable to discuss personal Covid-19 related choices. Perhaps it’s the result of conflicting available information, but it sets up tensions among us and splashes corrosive tendencies over upon our Ideal of Oneness. We agreed to avoid the topic of choices for how we individually choose to manage our Covid-19 precautions.
 
A knowledgeable member reminded us all, Cayce said that immunizations are unnecessary for people who keep their bodies alkaline eating lettuce, carrots, celery (80% alkaline foods to 20% acid reacting, meats and proteins, fats, sugar and other white refined grains and food products, and “starches or carbohydrates). All commentators agreed they experienced a physical change in eating a daily meal of salad. It ranged from physically invincible, energized, to feeling good.
 
Talk about feeling good? At least two people affirmed the benefits of drinking Ojibwa herbal tea, a years, if not centuries old, remedy of native peoples, and herbalists. It’s available from Barr.com in liquid or powder; or more economically available from Denver in herbal form. The dry herbs can be boiled up into sufficient concentrate that can be diluted and refrigerated for a two weeks supply.
 
Members were zoomed out of our sacred space listening to sage advice of experience for a motor trip to Arizona: “Detour from New Mexico highway 40”; its currently undergoing repairs.
 
In Loving Oneness,
Sylvia Raye 

A.R.E. Meeting for 4/5/21

Leader: Eric

Experiment 1. Select an area of your life in which you have recently been worried or especially concerned about making things turn out right (e. g. , a financial worry, concern over a specific relationship). For at least a week turn this particular area of your life over to God. Affirm each day that God seeks to express His truth through this part of your life. Listen for and be aware of his presence active in shaping your life. Record any meaningful experiences that occur as you work on this experiment.

Experiment 2. Look for purity in your life and in the lives of others. Consider purity in the way it has been defined above. (“....created in his image as spiritual beings, there is a state of wholeness and purity that already exists.” within us, not be created out of sin) Watch for expressions of the purposefulness of the soul rather than for situations where inharmonious or confusing tendencies have been minimized. Record your observations.

 Ideal: Oneness

Action: affirm our oneness with every group member daily.

Seven souls of greater faith than one month ago joined our leader in opening our meeting on lesson five, “Virtue and Understanding” by listening to “The Lord’s Prayer” and preparing ourselves prior to our meditation. We read our new lesson’s scripture from Philippians 4:8, about thinking on the good things, true, lovely, the Virtue, praise, etc. We focused minds on several readings of our lessons affirmation, "Let virtue and understanding be in me, for my defense is in Thee, O Lord, my Redeemer; for Thou hearest the prayer of the upright in heart. ", and entered 10 minutes of deep meditation. After doing our healing work and prayers of also sending out love and light, we described what spiritual insight we gained from either experiment. Ambitious, Faith-filled Souls did both experiments in 1 week. One soul completed four experiments since last week. Members sought joy, greater faith, to better live an Ideal of love, better organization, experienced 3 in Oneness of same space despite physical distance; another, dark desolation of Soul during a dream.

Reactions ranged from joy or happiness at the level of participation during the week experiments to satisfaction with outcome to “more work needed.” Put another way, none of us working on the spiritual level ascended up into heaven. However, no one knew why one faithful member was absent this meeting. 🤔😊

We read completed our lesson on Faith when we completed and reported on this week’s experiment and read down thru the first experiment in the new lesson’s experiments book. The lessons transition into the next lesson, also described questioningly as “why do they seem to overlap?”

We read the introduction, the affirmation, and scripture of “Virtue and Understanding.”

In our Experiments book, we read that God also has a purpose according to Cayce reading, 338-3. "...God’s purpose is to glorify the individual man’s " Soul. Did you ever imagine that God Him-Herself is also searching for ways we, er, peoplekind can understand God seeks for us to have an awareness of His/Her Divine Love for Us individual Souls that is BEING EXPRESSED Now! ; and God is awaiting for us to recognize and accept or receive that love? 💙

Our final discussions included descriptions of greater awareness of Expressed Love or Oneness; these brought to mind a South American tree with glowing or luminescing leaves that light up the ground once they’ve fallen. Shamans prepare themselves for Spiritual practice by coming to this tree with luminescent leaves to draw from it energy for their spiritual work.

We also expressed belief in nature’s healing, our faith in natural methods drawn from nature to actually heal. In contrast to our currently ingrained cultural practices to “take a pill, take a pill, take a pill” for every ailment. This is also a script or similiar comedy quote to a hilarious skit of “back in the day,” it was uproariously funny at one time that taking a pill for everything could actually provide much help.

In Loving Oneness,

Sylvia Raye