II NNER L L IGHT M M INISTRIES JOURNAL V OLUME 17 NUMBER 1
FROM
OUTER TO INNER
by Jim Gordon, President of ILM
G
MARCH, 2006
(an excerpt from the talk, The Tenth Door)
od is ever with us, walking with us every step of the way through our lives. God is joyful, loving, accepting, allowing all the way through; while we on the other hand are crying, we’re in pain, we’re feeling separation, we’re longing for things in this creation. While we’re doing all these things, God is ever joyfully walking with each of us, knowing that with every step we’re getting closer to the return; with every step we’re finding greater fulfillment for why we came into this creation; with every step each of us is coming into the greater knowing of ourself as the creative loving being that is Soul.
And one day there will be that step — and God knows it even if you don’t — where you will step forward in meditation through that “tenth door” (the “third eye center”), and then the greater journey begins … the Journey Home. That journey is an easy journey, a loving journey, an amazing journey; for on that journey, that inner journey, you will know God’s love, and you will know a greater sense of freedom than you’ve known while you’ve been in the physical body. Until that time when you step out the tenth door, you may feel as though you are in prison — you’re trapped. You may feel as though the world is pulling you apart. You may feel as though you’ve got to go out and do all these things that you don’t really want to do, because there’s this other part that keeps saying to you, “Oh, but you’ve got to.” Pay attention to all that and allow it to be all okay, and then do this: take it inside, turn it inward in your meditation and just offer it to God, and say, “Lord, these things that run me, these things that push me, these things that separate me from you — I just give it over to you. I don’t know for sure what to do with these, and maybe you do.” If you do know what to do with them, then ask God to come into the knowing of what you know and assist you in doing that. But if you do not know the answer, if you do not know the
solution, if you do not know how to let go of these things, then give it up to God every day, every moment of every day, every breath of every day. And not only while your eyes are closed and you’re in meditation, but all the time. And the way to do this is very simple: during the day when you find yourself in a free moment, don’t sit and dwell on the world; instead dwell on God, and chant the name of God if you are an initiate. Or chant the “Hu,” or “Ani-Hu.” Chant inside and fill yourself up with the power of The Name, with the song of Love, and allow that to begin to fill you, so that you are becoming a living prayer all the time. And if you do that … then your life does transform itself. In that state of being a living prayer, judgments, fear, unworthiness cannot exist. They drop away. And then you stand free to step forward through that tenth door and into the spiritual kingdom. That is why the Holy Spirit just stands waiting; because the first part of the journey, that of you collecting the soul out of the matter of the physical body and back to the “seat of the soul” (the third eye center), is your work. It is for you to do. It isn’t for God to do. It is for the God in you to do — your soul, your being, your presence, the True You. Every time you sit down and close your eyes and hold your attention at the spiritual eye, at the seat of the soul, and you begin to chant and to draw inward and upward, you then begin a wondrous journey. It’s for you to do this journey — fully, consciously, awake, aware, ever focused on loving, in order to bring about the fulfillment of the journey. And as you begin to travel this inner journey, something really remarkable does happen. All these things that we just talked about, the things that ‘bother’, just drop away. And more than that drops away as well. You cannot bring hatred, fear, judgment or anxiety towards that tenth door. You cannot bring separation or unworthiness to the seat of the soul. It all just drops away. You rise above it as you come to the seat of the soul, to that place of loving where the soul resides. Where that divine spark resides, nothing but Loving exists. And then what happens when you come out of your (TO INNER continues on page 11)
LETTING GO OF ILLUSION, KARMA, AND ATTACHMENTS by Brian Yeakey,
I
physically present.
Vice President of ILM
Be careful that you don’t run away from something that could be to your greater benefit if you move towards it. Be patient and let it unfold in a loving, natural way so that the karma really does get completed. And when it does, you’ll move right along with what’s next in an easy, smooth transition. You won’t be able to stop it! I have found that I usually move on after the karma is complete, not before. If anything, I end up moving on because it is complete. It doesn’t get complete by me moving on, I move on because it is complete!
n this article I thought I’d share some of the responses I’ve given to questions around illusion, karma, and attachments. What follows is a few brief excerpts from letters I’ve written in the recent past ... • • •
It’s all handled in meditation! Simply through loving it all, accepting it all, and forgiving it all. My job is to simply help you become aware of it and love it and let it go (by continuing to focus into the Loving). It’s not about me telling you what the illusion is; rather it is about you awakening to the Greater Truth that is Spirit. And part of that awakening process is recognizing the illusion for what it is and thanking it for teaching you, and blessing it and letting it go. That’s it! There’s no need to go chasing after the illusion; rather go searching for the Truth, and as you find the Truth, the illusion will be revealed (through the Light of Truth). The Light will let you see the illusion for what it is — you can’t see the illusion in the darkness because it is the darkness! So, just let go of the illusion and don’t go looking for it. Go looking for the Light! That is where your freedom and liberation are.
• • •
Ultimately, we have to let go of (surrender) any and all attachments of any kind in order to get our liberation. When we can truly move into acceptance of all that takes place in our lives (and this is done inwardly), then we have learned what we are here to learn. As long as we still have any judgments, fears, reactions, etc., we also still have learning to do. Ultimately, the learning is always about unconditional loving and acceptance of all things. And when we can live in that place within ourselves, we will have attained a state of liberation from all attachments and we will be spiritually free. Spiritually free, not necessarily physically free, of all problems. When we live from this place within, then we accept the physical for what it is and what goes with it, and it’s okay. Then it simply becomes a process of moving from one experience to another, and we walk in loving until we leave the physical plane and continue the journey in Spirit. And even then, we continue having experiences in other realms of God’s creations. So, no matter what, approach it all in loving and acceptance, and don’t worry about the lesson and if you’re ‘getting it’ or not. The way to ‘get it’ is to move forward in the way I’ve described, no matter what takes place or how long it takes. Be patient and continue just loving it all within yourself, and when it’s done it will truly be done ... and then you’ll move on to something else to experience. But, you can be much more grateful and joyful for what you have learned about what has taken place because of how you’ve handled it!
• • •
Healing (freeing) of karma takes place on the inner levels. Simply moving to another physical experience is not going to clear karma. It is the loving of it all that is going to clear it! Living with or near where the (physical) karma is can sometimes help in moving through it more quickly.... my own personal experience of this is when my parents moved to Austin and I ended up moving in with them for a little while because of outer, practical circumstances. And it was during this time that a lot was cleared and healed karmically. And when it was ‘done’, I moved on physically as well as mentally and emotionally — which are the levels where karmas reside. During all the time that this was taking place physically, spiritually the work was going on ... the karma was being cleared because I was doing the inner work — loving, accepting, and forgiving. It is easier to focus on something when it’s 2
I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES
CALENDAR
CLASSES & PROGRAMS: MARCH – JUNE 2006 P RESENTED
W
BY J IM G ORDON and B RIAN Y EAKEY : For additional information, call 512-306-1056.
EEKLY
CLASSES:
Jim and Brian’s weekly class is held on Tuesdays 7-9 pm at:
ILM Center, Franklin Sq. Bldg, 3724 Jefferson, Ste. 100, Austin, Texas No Charge
Each class includes spiritual teaching, practical exercises, group discussion, and meditation. Jim and Brian help participants to become more deeply aware of the Spirit within. Note: beginning Easter Sunday, April 16, Jim and Brian’s classes will change to Sundays from 10:30 am-12:30 pm.
PRESENTED BY BILL STRATTON: For additional information, call Bill at 512-218-1995. This ILM event will be a service project to plant Light IGHT COLUMNS in AUSTIN: L Columns throughout Austin. We will begin the event by listening to a short meditation CD by Jim Gordon, followed by a short discussion on Light Columns. Then the participants will group together and drive to various points in Austin to experience this wonderful service of bringing forward greater Light for the greater good to the Austin community. APRIL 23
Sunday, 2-3:30 pm
ILM Center
Austin, Texas
No Charge
NEW CD Available in April: THE TOOLBOX by Jim Gordon (This new CD will be a three CD set: two meditations and a talk) Excerpt from THE TOOLBOX: “The master tool that we are being presented for our toolbox is Loving. That’s the master tool. That is all that there is in all of beingness ... Loving. That is what God is, that is who we are, that is what everything in existence is ... Loving. And if and when we live in Loving we are more in harmony with who we truly are, and we are also aligned with who we truly are in God. When we are not living in that Loving, then we are still that Loving being, we are still aligned with God, but we are unaware of it ... we are living in the unawareness, we are asleep to who we truly are. But living in the Loving, we awaken ... we awaken into who we truly are, and we begin to manifest who we truly are more freely and easily.” – Jim Gordon ORDERING INFORMATION: This CD is $15.00 plus $3 postage and handling per order (not per item). Checks may be made payable to INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES and sent to: ILM, P.O. Box 164332, Austin, Texas 78716-4332. Or, in April, you can go to our website ILM.org to order (see page 11). 3 (ILM Calendar continues on pages 4 - 8)
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I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES CALENDAR PRESENTED BY LAURA KESTEN: For additional information, call Laura at 512-894-0992. TORIES U NTOLD: Writing, a dynamic tool on the journey to self-healing and self-fulfillment, S can be a way to find our hearts, our truths, and our voices. In Stories Untold, we invite the heart to openly
and freely experience and express itself, leading us to greater levels of acceptance and forgiveness. Sharing our stories (optional) with a loving, safe and supportive group can deepen our experience. No experience necessary!
MICHIGAN: APR 21-23, JUNE 17-24 (intensive - $275), AUG 25-27, OCT 20-22, DEC 1-3 TEXAS: MAR 11-12, MAY 27-28, JULY15-16, AUG 29-SEPT 3 (intensive - $275), NOV 11-12
$
125 $
30
Stories Untold Introductory Evenings: We’ll give you an overview of the benefits you could receive on all levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, as well as future dates — and then lead you in a practice run. Remember, you do not have to be a ‘great writer’. You just have to show up and be willing. We all have stories; it may be time for you to tell yours. Dinner and supplies included.
OHIO: APR 19 INDIANA: APR 20
6-9 pm 6-9 pm
Place to be announced Cork ‘n Clever Restaurant
No Charge No Charge
Ft. Wayne
PIRITUAL TOOLS – THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE I NNER LIFE: This workshop S is based on a series of Tuesday night talks given by Jim Gordon in Austin, Texas in 1999, where he shared
valuable tools which we can acquire and use as we walk the spiritual Path of Sound and Light. We’ll first explore our own ‘personal toolboxes’ by taking a closer look at what’s already ‘in there’, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and then we’ll further our exploration by actually putting to use some of the tools shared by Jim Gordon. We invite you to see what’s in your toolbox, and to take this opportunity to add a few tools. MAR 17-19 (retreat), MAY 21 Kellogg Biological Station/KVCC Gull Lake/Kalamazoo, Mich. $150 APR 2, MAY 7, JUNE 4, JULY 2 2-6 pm ILM Center Austin, Texas No Charge
F OR
COUPLES:
COUPLES GATHERING & DINNER: You and your partner, significant other, better half, etc., are cordially invited to share in an evening of dining with other couples. Regardless if your relationship is brand-new or long-lived, a partnership or marriage — we’ll celebrate our loving and gratitude with these persons with whom we live and share our lives. Potluck. MAY 13
5 pm
Tom & Laura’s Home
Dripping Springs, Texas
No Charge
COUPLES RETREAT: You and your partner are invited to share in a blessed program that celebrates loving relationships. We’ll focus on the positive qualities that each of you bring to the relationship, and give you lots of opportunities to share your gratitude and loving. MAY 19-21
Fri 7 pm-Sun 10 am
Dorothy’s Cottage
Saugatuck, Mich.
$175 per couple
LAF
: L OVING , A CCEPTANCE AND F ORGIVENESS : Laugh (LAF) all the way to God through three simple actions: Loving, Acceptance, and Forgiveness. This workshop is designed to facilitate the ridding of ‘old baggage’ — belief systems that we think and act upon which, in fact, no longer serve us — through lifting our spirits to greater heights, so that we can begin to walk the “straight and narrow path” back to the Heart of God. JULY 7-9
Fri 7 pm-Sun 10 am
Yarrow Conference Center 6
Augusta, Mich.
$150
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I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES CALENDAR PRESENTED BY STEVEN MCAFEE, MIDWEST COORDINATOR: For additional information, call Steven at 260-485-2167. UESDAY CLASS SERIES: Steven offers a series of weekly ILM classes in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, on T Tuesday nights from 7-8:30 pm at Unity Christ Church. Each series focuses on a specific spiritual topic
and runs from 4-5 weeks in length. Please call Steven for current information. OMMUNITY NIGHT: More fun community nights are on their way! C drinks and munchies. Please RSVP a week ahead so we can plan appropriately.
ILM
MAR 8, MAY 10, JULY 12
7-10 pm MUSIC NIGHT
We’ll provide soft
Steven & Anita’s home, Ft. Wayne No Charge
K
“ INDRED SPIRITS” YEARLONG STUDY GROUP: The following workshops and retreat are open only to those already enrolled in the Kindred Spirits program this year. If you are interested in learning more about our yearlong study programs, please contact Steven. WORKSHOPS: APR 2, JUNE 4, JULY 2
Brigade of Light room, YWCA
Ft. Wayne
RETREATS: MAR 10-12 and AUG 4-6 MAY 5-7
Seasons at Fetzer Institute Yarrow Conference Center
Kalamazoo, Mich. Augusta, Mich.
Donation $150 $225
J
“
ESUS, THE JEWISH MYSTIC:” This day-long workshop will compare the teachings of Jesus to those of other Jewish groups of his day, such as the Essenes, the Pharisees, the Temple priests, and the Merkavah mystics. We will learn their central teachings and practice some of their prayers and meditations.
MAR 18
TBA
Unity Church
Detroit, Mich.
$25
H
OW DO WE PRAY: This day-long interfaith workshop will consist of exploring different traditions of prayer from around the world.
MAY 27 (workshop) Time TBA MAY 28 (interfaith service) 11 am
Lakeshore Interfaith Institute " " "
Ganges, Mich. Ganges, Mich.
Cost TBA Donation
PASSOVER SEDER DINNER:
Join us for an evening of delicious food, beautiful candlelit décor, and inspirational sharing. We will recount the story of the liberation of the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt, and will reveal the symbolism in the story about the path of liberation of the soul from bondage in the realms of matter. You MUST register by April 1st to take part in the evening. APR 12
6-9 pm
Unity Christ Church
Ft. Wayne
Donation
PIRITUAL LIVING” RETREAT: Join us at GilChrist where you will have private time to meditate, S write, walk the large outdoor labyrinth, stroll through the woods, or read at your leisure from a wide selection
“
of spiritual literature in the library. We will also meet together to meditate, sing, and talk about how to bring Spirit more fully present in our daily lives.
JULY 14-16
Fri 7:30 pm-Sun 2:30 pm
GilChrist
Three Rivers, Mich
$140
S
UNDAY S ERVICES: Steven frequently serves as a guest speaker for various churches and spiritual groups in the Fort Wayne area. The following are presently scheduled:
MAR 26, APR 16 (Easter) MAY 21, JULY 2 11 am Brigade of Light, Ft. Wayne No Charge MAR 19 9 am & 11 am “The Mystical Message of Jesus” Unity Church, Detroit, Mich. No Charge 7
(Midwest Calendar continues on next page)
I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES CALENDAR ILM Seminars and Events Worldwide ILM SEMINAR AND STUDY GROUP in KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN:
•
Please contact Carolyn Dailey at 269-327-6851 (or email carolee12@chartermi.net) or Penny Miller at 269-664-3577 (or email pmiller@mei.net) for more information on the activities below.
S : Each seminar includes: Calling in the Light, a short meditation time, and T listening to a tape or CD by ILM Ministers Jim Gordon, Brian Yeakey, or Steven McAfee. APE
EMINARS
2nd & 4th Tuesdays 6:15-8:00 pm Exec. Suites & Services, 5955 West Main, Kalamazoo
No Charge
G : Each week the group starts with a 20-30 minute meditation. Then S participants take turns reading The Staff of the Shepherd by Jim Gordon. People share, if they TUDY
ROUP
like, how the principles taught in the book apply to our own lives. We will keep a list of questions that may arise, and seek further clarification from Jim and Brian. 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:15-8:00 pm Exec. Suites & Services, 5955 West Main, Kalamazoo
No Charge
NEW ILM SEMINAR in LOS ANGELES:
•
Please contact Victoria Eng at 310-980-2224 to RSVP before coming.
S : Victoria and Willard invite you into their home in Beverlywood, Calif., to T share a time of meditation and loving as a community. The focus of the evening is on spiritual APE
EMINARS
awakening and supporting each other in experiencing and sharing greater loving within ourselves and with others. These seminars will be held from6-7:30 pm on the following dates. Plan to arrive any time after 5:30 pm since LA traffic is unpredictable and we would like to start on time. No charge. MARCH 7 & 21, APRIL 11 & 25, MAY 9 & 23, JUNE 6
NEW ILM SEMINAR in HAWAII:
•
Please contact Nadine Ferraro at 808-988-7509 for directions.
T
APE S EMINARS : Share in a one-hour meditation and fellowship opportunity on Wednesday nights in Manoa Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii from 6-7:30 pm. Bring friends ... newcomers are welcome.
Interested in a book-study group? Want to gather with others around the teachings in the book, Love and Loving by Jim Gordon? How about Sunday afternoon once or twice a month? We hope to begin meeting in mid-April or May, 2006. Please contact Nadine for more information.
NEW ILM SEMINAR in LONDON, ENGLAND:
•
Please contact Nanna Brinker at 020 7485 0699 for directions.
T
APE
SEMINARS: Join us for our first ILM seminar on Sunday, March 19th at 4 pm.
We will do a short meditation together and then listen to a CD by Jim Gordon and Brian Yeakey. The seminar will be held at 42A Montpelier Grove, London NW5. 8
ILM Talks On CDs Excerpt from WAKE UP, WAKE UP!: “God is right now. “If you want to find God, if you want to know God ... Wake Up! “Wake Up, Wake Up, Wake Up! “That’s what Spirit is ever doing — it’s calling us to wake up right now. Don’t look anywhere, don’t go anywhere, there’s nothing you have to do, there’s nothing you have to change. It’s just, ‘wake up.’ “Wake up and know that I am the Lord. I am the Lord thy God ... wake up. And know it right now. “God isn’t in the past and God isn’t in the future. God is now. “So, if we can begin to live in the now, live in this moment, and wake up in this moment, then we’ll wake up into God, we’ll wake up into the Loving. Then there is no more separation, there is no more judgment, there is no more fear, there is just God. “And in God there is all things: there is the answer, there is the solution, there is the understanding, there is the wisdom, and there is the peace that is in the Loving that is in the now.” – Jim Gordon Excerpt from KEYS TO INNER COMMUNICATION: “You know, God is a spiritual being. He doesn’t have a lot to do with this physical reality. This is our creation and this is where we learn our lessons. And God says: ‘Go down and learn them. You created them, so you go learn them. Then when you’ve learned them, come back up here and we’ll do what we’re going to do in Spirit.’ “So, begin to look at all this as just a process of learning, as an opportunity of growth and development, of becoming who you really are ... this soul. And then you’ll begin to see who you really are, why you really are, where you really came from, and where you’re really going. All these things will just be answered and your pathway will begin to smooth out.” – Jim Gordon
Excerpt from THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE: “That Divine Melody that comes out of the Heart of God, the place where we came from, is being sung eternally. And it's ever there being sung, waiting for us to one day begin to hear that great song ... and for us to begin to sing that song with it so that we can begin to go back to where we came from. It's in singing that song which we hear being sung, and becoming one with it, that we get this Pearl of Great Price, and that we return back to the place from which we came.” – Jim Gordon 9
INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES MATERIALS LIST ILM AUDIO CDS & TAPES
CDS & TAPES ON MEDITATION
Each CD and tape is $10.00, except for the ABUNDANCE I & II and the W AKE UP, CD/Tape W AKE UP! CD packets which are each $15. Only the titles with the CD icon next to T HE S PIRITUAL P ATH it are available as a CD as well. Two titles together indicate different lectures on each T HE H EART O F G OD side. Please place a check in either the circle or box in front of your choice(s):
CD/Tape
WAKE UP, WAKE UP! NEW (MEDITATION AND TALK) KEYS OF INITIATION WITH JIM AND BRIAN (MEDITATION AND TALK) THE THREE FOLD PATH (MEDITATION AND TALK) THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE (MEDITATION AND TALK) A SIMPLE WAY—THE PATH OF ILM UNDERSTANDING THE ‘INNER’ PATHWAY THE PATH OF SOUND AND LIGHT WAKING UP IN SPIRIT WHAT SEPARATES US FROM OUR LOVING A FREQUENCY OF CHANGE FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM A SOUL’S JOURNEY FOCUSING ON CHRIST GUARDIAN ANGELS SOUL VS EGO ANGELS (MANIFESTING ) ABUNDANCE I } CD Set (MANIFESTING ) ABUNDANCE II SENDING THE LIGHT AURA CLEANSING WORKSHOP AWAKENING TO YOUR INNER LIGHT and CALLING IN THE LIGHT KEYS TO INNER COMMUNICATION YOU AS A COMMUNICATOR , YOU AS A CREATOR and A MEDITATION MOVING INTO SOUL CONSCIOUSNESS and COMMUNION CEREMONY MEDITATIVE TECHNIQUES COMMUNICATION THROUGH DREAMS THE LEVELS TO SOUL AND BEYOND OUR RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD SONGS OF PRAISE TO GOD and A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF RELATIONSHIPS THE PATH OF NEUTRALITY UNDERSTANDING CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS INNER REVELATION and A FLOWER FROM HEAVEN LORD, MAKE ME WORTHY and THE MASTER IN YOUR HEART FROM HERE TO ETERNITY and RESPONSIBILITY HEALING AND COLOR THERAPY
M EDITATION by Jim Gordon M EDITATION by Brian Yeakey
T WO M EDITATIONS by Jim Gordon
(2005)
Sacred Place Meditation Forgiveness Meditation
(2005) T HREE M EDITATIONS by Jim Gordon
(2003)
Starry Sky Meditation, A Healing Meditation & Balancing The Consciousness Meditatio n
(2003) M EDITATION A ND T HE H EALING P ROCESS by Brian Yeakey
(2003) (2003) (2002) (2001) (2001)
P RACTICING M EDITATION — C ONNECTING W ITH T HE D IVINE by Steven McAfee
ILM BOOKS
(2000) (1999) (1999) (1998) (1998) (1997) (1997) (1997) (1994) (1994)
B Y JIM GORDON
($10 each)
LO V E A N D LO V I N G (RE V I S E D) TH TH
E
E
KN O W I N G O F GO
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ST A F F O F T H E SH E P H E R D (RE V I S E D)
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ORDERING INFORMATION: Each CD and tape is $10.00, except for the ABUNDANCE I & II and the W AKE U P, WAKE U P! CD packets which are each $15. Please add $3 postage and handling per order (not per item). Checks may be made payable to Inner Light Ministries and sent to: Inner Light Ministries, PO Box 164332, Austin, Texas 78716.
Updated Updated and and easier easier to to use use ILM ILM website: website: ILM.org — the INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES Website ILM.org is being offered to share the basics on ILM, an organization dedicated to teaching The Path of Sound and Light, and to enable everyone interested to purchase ILM books, tapes and CDs online. It is now simpler and faster to gain access to: * Audio versions of ILM's weekly Tuesday Night Classes in Austin, Texas * All past and present ILM Newsletters * Information on ILM Initiation into The Path of Sound and Light * Online registration for some ILM workshops and retreats There is also a special section for ILM Initiates Only. Some of the recent talks in the audio section that you can listen to are: “Live The Holiness That You Are” “Awareness And Gratitude” “Intention And Meditation” “Being Renewed, Refreshed & Restored” “Allowing God To Fill You Up” “Facing Our Fears With Loving” “Experiencing God's Loving” “Living Each Day From SOUL” “Experiencing The River Of Loving” “Living Spirit In This Physical Creation” “Living Beyond The Psychic Material World” Check out our recently updated http://www.ILM.org today! by Jim Gordon
Leave it with the world of matter and you walk anew — refreshed, restored as a spiritual being, living from here (motioning to the third eye center). You may be back living in your physical body and doing physicalmaterial things, but you’re living from the soul. You are Soul. You approach things more from that place of the divine loving that you are. As you do that, then all these other things just stay where they were when you dropped them. They can’t come up. They can’t participate. There’s no room for them now because the Loving has taken that place.
To Inner (continued from page 1)
meditation and the soul consciousness begins to gravitate back into matter once again, so you can get up and go do the day — that is up to you. You may come back into the physical form, back into the world of matter, where your soul implants itself into the body and physical life once again, and you may just pick up all the stuff you just dropped away. You may say, “Okay, well, there’s the judgment, there’s the fear. Oh boy, unworthiness. I have a lot of that over here. I’ll just put it back on both shoulders!” And off you go. That’s your choice. You can pick it back up and carry it with you again — or you can choose to leave it.
And know this: the higher frequency always wins. The higher octave that is Love always wins. All that is not loving just departs. It leaves, it is no more. Only Loving remains. 11
Austin, Texas
2005 ILM E VENTS IN P ICTURES
COINS FOR KIDS Shopping Day ...
and Wrapping Day:
Much Loving, laughter, and joy!
Watch our calendar and join us next year! 12
‘05 ILM E VENTS continued EXPERIENCING THE DIVINE and WAKING UP IN SPIRIT RETREATS:
Having fun!
Ft. Wayne COINS FOR KIDS:
Sharing with one another in a community of Loving.
And celebrating Christmas.
13
EDITATION – O N T HE M INNER AND OUTER JOURNEY (an excerpt from the talk, The Tenth Door)*
I
Now, when we are meditating, we are first going to wake up to God here (motioning again to the third eye center) at the seat of the soul. We are going to wake up to our own divinity. Our own divinity. I Am. We wake up to that I Am. Once we wake up to the I Am that is divine here, at the “tenth door,” then the divine that is dwelling here can look up and out that doorway, out that opening, and begin to look towards where God is to be found next. Where will I find the next level of the divine? If I have found the divine here and I know that I Am, and that I am a divine spark of the greater I Am, that I am a child of God, then the question becomes: where am I going to find the next level? That’s the journey. And so we begin that journey to find where that divinity resides, where we’re going to merge into it and know I am God yet at a greater level. And that place is at the soul realm. That is the next place where we wake up to — in the realm of soul, where we merge with the greater part of our soul.
n your mediation, put God first. Put your loving of God first. Ask for the Holy Spirit to walk with you in your meditation and in your daily life. Ask the Holy Spirit to go before you and remove all disturbances and distractions. If you ask, it will be given. But you have to ask. Ask God to lift unworthiness. Ask God to lift all self-judgment. Ask God to lift fear, remove fear, dissolve fear. Ask and you shall receive. Who is the God who is going to do this? Is it the God of this creation, the physical-material world? Is it the God of all creation? No, it’s neither one of those. It’s the God that dwells right here (motioning to the “third eye center”). When I was a child, I loved going to churches — any church, any denomination. I would love to go to church because somewhere in the service they would always say The Lord’s Prayer. As soon as they began to say The Lord’s Prayer, I would see the energy in the whole church just elevate, elevate to a higher frequency. It’s because they would say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” Immediately they would be acknowledging their own soul: Our Father who art in heaven. Then the first line acknowledges heaven — that’s where the Father is who we first meet up with. So right here (motioning to the third eye center) is the door into heaven. Here is where God is first met. Where we, as soul, come together, at the “seat of the soul” — where the soul gathers together as one once again. We then begin to know the divine. We then begin to awaken into the I Am presence at that level of soul, here at the seat of the soul. We begin to know God in a way we didn’t before. Watching people saying The Lord’s Prayer in a church was just the most wonderful thing for me because they were all waking up, for that moment, just for that moment, to God. The God in each and every one of them came present, for just an instant, and moved throughout the church. Some people felt it, some people saw it, some people responded to it, and others didn’t. It was wondrous to watch, because that’s where I began to realize that God dwelled within us … it was in watching that awakening take place with a church prayer, The Lord’s Prayer.
That which resides here (motioning again to the third eye center) at the seat of the soul is the divine spark of the soul. It came down into this creation to have experience here. And it longs to go back into itself to become One. The seat of the soul, containing the divine spark of the soul, the flame of the soul, has dispersed its consciousness through the mind and through the senses and into the material world of the body. And it is longing to draw itself back into itself and to come back into the knowing of itself fully as loving, as divine, as that inner Light and Sound that is God dwelling here at the spiritual eye. And then, once it has done that, it looks up and begins the next journey, of traveling up and merging into the fullness of itself, in Soul. Just as it collected itself and its essence back into the divine spark at the eye center, so now the divine spark begins the journey to collect itself in oneness with the fullness of Soul. That’s the next journey, from the eye center upward, which I actually call the Outer Journey. And that next journey is what the spiritual teacher is here to assist you with. Below the eye center, I call that the Inner Journey — the journey through the lower chakras, and the body (JOURNEY continues on page 15) 14
JOURNEY (continued from page 14)
time you say, “I love you Lord,” you are laying open more and more of the path before you. Loving neutralizes the karmas that reside between you and the Lord. You are just ever stepping forward each day, more and more, and that path is becoming longer and wider as you move throughout the astral, the causal, the mental and the etheric, up into the realm of soul.
by Jim Gordon
passions, and all of that. You are the lord and creator of this inner journey — this inner kingdom and all you’ve created in there. You are responsible for those creations. It is up to you to handle all of that. And the spiritual teacher, and the Holy Spirit, are there to assist you in this part as well, to a point. But you are the creator here, and if you are going to learn about the fullness of your own creativity, God steps back and says, “You figure it out. You created it, now you decide how you want your creation to be. Do you like your creation? Do you want to change your creation? Find a way to bring it into balance, so you live the divine loving that you are.” But once you get to that spiritual eye and step forward into the ‘outer regions’ above the physical, then the Holy Spirit, the teacher, steps forward and takes your hand and walks with you on that journey, and assists you in clearing all the karmas between you, here at the seat of the soul, and the soul realm.
Remember that this is what I call the Outer Journey, through these higher realms above the third eye center, and this is where the teacher assists you — in walking those outer realms in meditation, and working yourself free of any of the karmas that stand between you and the Lord, so you truly can continue that journey back to your own soul. The teacher is here to get you to the soul realm. To walk you to the soul of your own being and merge the divine spark that resides here, that is you, back into your own self as full soul being, full soul awareness. To know that I am that I Am. When that is accomplished, then the teacher has fulfilled what the teacher came here to do with you. And you have fulfilled what you came here to do with the teacher. You now have anchored yourself in the realm of soul — and the journey then … begins anew! It’s not over. It begins anew — but it’s an even better journey. Now you look up once again. Now you look up into the spiritual realms. Now you’re looking directly into the Heart of God. Now your focus is to return to the home from which you came and to merge back into the Lord, and to be at one with God once again. The spiritual teacher, the Holy Spirit, will be with you on that journey too. But a wondrous thing happens. There’s no karma to resolve as you move through these spiritual realms. There’s no karma. The lord of this spiritual creation didn’t create the laws of karma, the laws of reincarnation, the laws of polarity. The lord of this spiritual creation created loving. Out of loving, in loving, you came into being, to fulfill the loving. And now, as you journey home through the realms of spirit, you are the fulfillment of that loving, returning home once again. And God rejoices.
You begin that journey in the astral. You begin, through loving, to bore an opening, just to bore an opening and a tunnel between here (motioning to the third eye center once again) and the soul realm. There is no way that you are going to clear all the karmas you’ve created, throughout all the eons of time and space, in order to get to the soul realm. And thank God you don’t have to. Of course, if you did it according to the lord of this creation, you would have to. You would have to balance all of those karmas. You would have to bring everything into balance before you could leave. Then he would say, “Well, okay, now you can go.” But, on the Path of Sound and Light, God’s Grace comes in and assists you in a very wonderful way. You do not have to walk this spiraling path of evolution that the lord of this creation brought into being. Rather, you can walk the path of Grace, the path of Loving, the path of the Holy Spirit, which is the “straight and narrow path.” That is the path you begin to step forward on. As you step out of the physical realms of consciousness in meditation and embark upon this journey, through the realms and back into the soul realm, you are creating a straight and narrow path of love, all the way up to your soul, that you walk daily in meditation. Every day you meditate, you sit down, close your eyes, and you hold your attention here at the eye center, then you look up — and there’s that path before you. You may see it, you may feel it, you may know it, or you may just do it. But you walk that path. Every time you chant the Name of God, every
The “prodigal son” is returning. Let us have a feast! Prepare for the child coming home. God is ever waiting for that child to return — waiting for you, the child, to return home from whence you came.
• • • * This article, “On The Inner And Outer Journey,” and the front page article, “From Outer To Inner” are both excerpts from, The Tenth Door, given by Jim Gordon on March 15, 2005. To hear more of this talk, log onto the audio section of the ILM website ILM.org which is advertised on page 11. 15
“ LET’S GO HOME!” by Steven McAfee, ILM Minister
here is the main one — the return journey. Curiously enough, on the way back home, Simcha seldom strays far from me or goes chasing after something else along the way. We go home together - sometimes running, sometimes meandering, sometimes even pausing just to enjoy the moment together.
M
y golden retriever Simcha loves it when he and I go on walks together. Near busy streets or unfamiliar places, I keep him on a leash for his safety. But in our neighborhood, he walks freely. He loves our outdoor adventures, and when he hears the word “outside,” or “walk,” his ears perk up and his whole body displays enthusiastic expectancy.
The journey of human life is fraught with distractions: beauties and dangers, joys and sorrows. At times, we can feel so close to God, and at other times so very far away. But whatever kind of life we have, one day something will awaken within us, and our journey of return will begin. From that moment on, our walk with God will be a much closer one. We’ll find ourselves listening more attentively to and following the loving within us, which will eventually bring us to our spiritual teacher who can reveal the inner path of Spirit to us.
On our walks, I carry tennis balls. I’ll throw them far ahead, and he runs full speed to get them. Then he sprints back again, his sleek coat rippling, ears sailing in the breeze. He also enjoys trotting off ahead of me on his own, stopping to glance back every so often, making sure I’m still there. If he starts toward any place he’s not supposed to be, I yell, “Wait!” and he stops (mostly). One of his favorite ‘winter games’ is to pull one of the gloves off of my hands (or steal it out of my coat pocket) and dash off with it, always staying just a fraction of an inch beyond my reach, his sweet face smiling, his eyes dancing with delight. Simcha also has several friends (canine and human) nearby who come out to play with us whenever they see us passing by. So our walks are times we treasure.
No matter what Simcha and I encounter in our neighborhood, whether one of his playful friends, or a rare unfriendly stray, none of these lands we roam are ours. We traverse them, we may even enter into the gates of another to visit for a while — but it is not home, and he knows the difference. And so too do our souls. This world is not Home, and we know it. Our souls intuitively remember the joy and freedom of living in the Oneness, loving and being loved without limit or end. That is the realm to which we are invited to return.
But, at some point, it’s time to turn our steps homeward. Our return begins when I call his name and say, “Let’s go home!” He stops whatever he is doing (making sure to pick up any stray tennis balls first) and enthusiastically gallops toward our house.
Even though there may be more adventures in our neighborhood that still cry out for our discovery, Simcha responds to my call, that trusted voice reminding him of his warm rug in front of the fire, the comforting sounds of love all around him, and the deep contentment he has there. We come home together. Just so, though there continue to be many opportunities in the world crying out for our attention, our souls turn their focus from them toward going home, knowing our “Master” is walking by our side all the way.
My life with Simcha is one of the means by which Spirit inspires and comforts me, and sometimes instructs me as well. During our adventures, Simcha has an implicit faith that I will keep him safe from dangers he may not recognize. Similarly, on the journey of my life, even though I have not always felt it, Spirit has actually always kept me safe, too. Many is the time I have been spared from a danger by an act of divine grace. Like Simcha, I sometimes follow in the steps of my “Master,” content to let him lead. Other times, I insist on running off on my own, feeling the exuberance of my freedom. But, never too far off, turning around now and again just to make sure I haven’t gotten lost. And if He yells, “Wait!” I stop (mostly). There are probably endless comparisons like this between our walks and my spiritual life. But
If you are drawn to Inner Light Ministries, if you feel a deep inner longing that nothing in this world fulfills, if your ears perk up and something inside you leaps with enthusiasm when you hear the words “Soul,” or “Initiation,” or “the Path,” or even when you simply hear about the freedom to live a life of loving — perhaps what you are really hearing is a Voice calling your name, a Voice saying, “Let’s go Home.” 16
TRUSTING GOD by Laura Kesten, ILM Minister
I’d had with Jim Gordon, he gave me another saying. I’d been sharing with him about the migraine headaches I sometimes get, especially right before presenting a workshop. For the past few years I’d been trying to figure out what exactly was causing them. I’ve scrutinized my diet, eliminated chocolate and most sugar treats and sodas, and have even had bottled water delivered to our house. I’ve also gone to an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, and an allergist. And while all these things seemed to have had some effect, it was never lasting.
F
ollowing ILM’s Tuesday night classes, many of the people who attend stay and mingle. During one of these times, I went over to Brian Yeakey who was sitting on a chair to the side of the room. I sat down next to him as he and another person were talking about things in their lives. The other person was saying something about what he was hoping to do next but he hadn’t quite figured it out yet. Brian suddenly got this whimsical look on his face. As he sat in his chair, he interconnected his fingers, stretched his arms forward to match his outstretched legs, and said, “I just know that I trust God so much, that I don’t have to figure all this stuff out.”
As the migraines persisted, so did my perseverance in trying to figure out what was causing them. I daresay not a single rock was left unturned. I was exhausted from trying to figure it out, and frustrated at not being any closer to the solution.
This entire picture — his words, his posture, the look on his face — had such a profound effect on me. For days, I saw and heard him in my mind and I knew I wanted to trust God, not just some of the time, but all of the time. I wanted what I supposed Brian to be experiencing in that moment, and in all moments: total trust. But how does one do that? Is just wanting it enough? Does it take hours and hours of meditation over years to finally get to that point?
And so, I was casually sharing with Jim that I, once again, was hit with a migraine at the start of one of my workshops. Now, I’ve shared this with Jim before and he has never said much, until this time. Taking me by surprise, he suddenly began to forcefully share with me the cause of my migraines. He told me that, although imbalanced hormones play a part, the greater part was what I was doing. He shared that during the workshops, in wanting to help people with their process, that instead of trusting and allowing the process to unfold, I was getting ‘in the way’ by trying to figure things out, and that this ‘figuring things out’ was done by my focusing at the ego and the psychic levels, not at the ‘spiritual eye’. And then very emphatically, he said, “Stop trying to figure it out! Trying to figure it out is what’s causing you to have migraines.” Of course, this left me trying to figure out what he had just told me!
And then, as the days went by, I got busy figuring things out in my own life, forgetting almost altogether that profound moment. That is, until I had to write my article for this newsletter. I actually started to write about something else, and then remembered this ‘Brian’s story’, so I decided to write a second article. And then I discovered that the two articles were synchronistic — it was an epiphany. My first article began with a few of my favorite little sayings that I’ve used over the years — sayings that have helped me along my self-healing and spiritual paths:
Then, a few days later, I had a conflict with a friend. I immediately started trying to figure things out; I could feel the pressure begin to build in my head. Remembering that Jim had given me a new tool, I decided to try it out. Every time I went into ‘figuring it out’, I simply ‘pushed my replay button’ and I’d hear Jim say, most emphatically, “Stop trying to figure it out!” Almost to my disbelief, the pressure in my head
“What you think of me is none of my business.” “There’s no such thing as trying; you either do or you don’t.” “Wake up.” “When you go inside, open your eyes.” Then I went on to write that in a recent conversation
(TRUSTING continues on back page) 17
I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES JOURNAL ABOUT ILM INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES (ILM) 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. To provide support for those individuals interested in this path, Inner Light Ministries offers numerous publications, materials, programs, and services, which encourage devotion to God and support a life-long practice of prayer, meditation, spiritual study, and service.
ILM:
by Laura Kesten
Trusting (continued from page 17)
would subside ... but, as soon as I started thinking again, trying to figure it out, a headache would once again surface. For a couple of days, I was in this dance with a potential headache and Spirit. Much to my delight, Spirit took the lead. But I was still puzzled ... don’t I have to figure my life out? Isn’t my life up to me, and me alone? And then I remembered what Brian said that night after class, and things all fell into place: “I just know that I trust God so much, that I don’t have to figure all this stuff out.” So that’s the message that Jim and Brian have given me, and which I’d like to pass along to y’all: don’t figure life out, but Focus on God, and trust in Him.
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