A.R.E. Meeting for 12/26/22

Leader: Greg (for Sylvia)

We welcomed Scott, the prodigal son, back into the group. We totaled five as we continued our lesson on Happiness. There was a discussion on parables and the Catholic church, followed by the reading of one experiment. Afterwards, we watched 40 minutes of a Cayce video on Happiness. Our experiment for the week is: 

Experiment: Write down physical and mental ideals for your relationship with yourself when it fails. Try using and applying these ideals as a way of minimizing feelings of discouragement with yourself.

A.R.E. Meeting for 12/19/22

Leader: June (for Sylvia)

 

Four unpretentious peacemakers continued our lesson on Happiness. We read the last half of the second section: “Who Are Happy?” and the next section, “When Are We Happy?” That resulted in two more experiments:

 

Experiment 1: Observe the moments in which you let the turmoils and uneasiness of these times get to you. It may be the hectic pace or the continual state of things changing. Whenever you begin to feel troubled or tense that certain things may be blocked which you feel you need to get done, then use the affirmation: “If God needs me to get this thing done, He will provide the means.” Let the affirmation lift you to a new attitude of faith, trust and happiness about your life.

 

Experiment 2:  Focus for several days on especially trying to make choices which you intuitively feel are the ones which reflect God’s will for your life. Make use of your own sense of fulfillment, rightness and happiness as a criterion for evaluating the choices you have made.

Leader: Sylvia

 

Four joyous Cayce followers continued our lesson on Happiness. We read half of the second section: “Who Are Happy?” That was enough to cover the next two experiments:

 

Experiment 1: Make an effort to be more unpretentious and quiet in your daily affairs. Ask others about themselves and turn the limelight away from you.

 

Experiment 2:  Work with an attitude of surrender in relation to the various people in your life whom you love. Grant them (by your words and your actions) a sense of freedom to grow in the way they think best. Put their relations with themselves before their relationship with you.

A.R.E. Meeting for 12/5/22

Leader: Sylvia

 

All six attendees found joy in starting a new chapter on Happiness. We read the Affirmation and the first section: “What is Happiness?” This was enough to give us one experiment:

 

Experiment: Bring God into the happy moments of your life. During the day, when you have periods of feeling happy, remember the role that God is always playing in your life. With this recognition and remembrance, or with the words of a short prayer, be thankful.

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/28/22

Leader: Cindi

 

Six wise students graduated from the chapter on Wisdom (next week is the final exam, after completion of our final experiments). We have three experiments to choose from:

 

Experiment 1: Make only those decisions which need to be made today. If you find yourself worrying about a future decision, try to reorient your attitude. Trust that when the time comes when you really will have to choose, then you will know what to do. Pray that experience and necessary guidance will be shown to you between now and the time you have to decide.

 

Experiment 2: At least for one day go through the whole day without speaking unkindly of anyone. When you feel tempted to speak unkindly about a shortcoming of someone, remember that it is not up to you to make that person face up to himself. You may be right—that fault may be there. Instead, remember your sincere desire to see that person be whole and healed. Act or speak out of wisdom in such a way that it helps bring to the surface that person’s wholeness.

 

Experiment 3: Where in your life have you honestly explored your capabilities and discovered the boundaries or limits which are unique to you (e.g., in physical exercise, areas of intellectual study, capabilities in your work, talent and skill in the home, etc.)? For those areas where you know of the boundaries which are now best for you, try living within them as best you can without any sense of inadequacy, self-criticism or comparison with others.

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/21/22

Leader: Cindi

Six seekers learned the work of the soul is to spiritualize matter, and we must live our knowledge. We finished the chapter on Wisdom in the SFG book by reading the last section: “Application of Wisdom.” We read the next two experiments, which are: 

Experiment 1: Do the right thing when the timing is right, even if by appearances things may seem to be a bit worse at first. Use wisdom to evaluate and judge fruits at all levels.

Examples: Give up a habit you have been wanting to eliminate even though at first it may make you very uncomfortable; or, communicate an emotion you have been keeping bottled up inside you, even though at first it may seem to weaken your relationship to the person you tell.

Experiment 2: Eliminate shortcuts to wisdom which employ a misuse of intellect and logic. Select something which your intellect tells you will likely lead to good results in the physical plane (e.g., diet or a certain way of behaving with others). Probably it’s something you have been thinking about doing for some time, but you already know how it will turn out. Now try living it.

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/14/22

Leader: Cindi

 

Four wise entities tried to use what knowledge they learned in the last chapter and apply it to our new chapter on “Wisdom.” We had a nice discussion on the “fear of God.” We read the “Introduction,” “The Approach to Wisdom,” and “Let Us Examine Ourselves.” We have two experiments to try this week:

 

Experiment 1: Pay attention to the timing of when you say things you know are true or do things which you know are right.

 

Experiment 2: With your thoughts bring God and your spiritual ideal into one area which you may have thought was too trivial or too human for His concern. One way to do this is simply to have short periods of prayer while you are involved in that activity.