2006 Vol 3, September by Inner Light Ministries

INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES JOURNAL

LONGING OF THE SOUL

VOLUME 17 NUMBER 3

SEPTEMBER, 2006

by Jim Gordon, President of ILM

(from the talk, Greater Depth In Meditation - 9/6/05)

here is an energy on the planet at this time that carries a lot of questioning of the “why” of things. “Why is this happening?” “Why is the same thing happening again?” “Why not something different?” “Why does this have to be?” The questioning is rising up all over the planet. One thing I have seen in my inner experiences is that this planet has always been the same: it is a school, an opportunity of learning for the soul to have experience here, to learn here, to grow. And it is ever the same. If you went to an elementary school, and then left it and went on to middle school, and on up to high school, and maybe to college and beyond, and then you returned back to the elementary school, you would find that it is very much the same today as it was fifteen years ago, thirty years ago, fifty years ago, whenever it was you left it. It’s very much the same. There may be different teachers in the classrooms, the furniture may be different if they are lucky, but it is still the same: the same situations, the same lessons. And so it is with this planet: it is a school, it is an opportunity of learning here. And it remains the same and the lessons just repeat over, and over, and over — until the soul “gets it.” How many times have I said I’m going to repeat it over, and over, and over until you get it … there will be a day when all of a sudden you will go, “Oh I get what he is talking about.” Or you’ll say, “Golly, why didn’t you ever say it like that before, I’ve never heard you say that before!” … when in truth I’ve said it over and over the same way or very similarly. So it is with life in general, that this universe, this planet repeats lessons over, and over, and over so that the soul, through that repetition, gets each lesson learned, gets each lesson experienced and fulfilled. And when we have gone through those repetitions, when we have learned those lessons, that’s when the soul begins to long to go home. Up until then, the soul

knows it wants something, but it is looking downward and outward into the world for its fulfillment. But when we fulfill all the lessons that are here for us to have, the soul begins to know and begins to look elsewhere — and that’s what the longing of the soul is about. The soul is longing for God. The longing is to return home from which we came, to unite once again with the Lord. And what I hope is that in all of ILM’s sharings and guided meditations, and in your daily practice of meditation, you’re beginning to feel and to know the inner call and the inner longing, because that is God calling us home. It is like a tug on the string of a puppet: the puppet sits limp and motionless until the puppeteer comes and begins to play with the strings, and then the puppet comes alive and moves around. Well, in a very similar fashion, it’s when God calls us home, when he pulls upon our little life cord that connects us back home to God, that the soul begins to go, “Oh, it’s not here, it’s not in the world. I feel that ‘call up’, I feel the tug up, I’m longing for something ‘up’.” And then we begin a different journey, an inward journey, going back home to God. It’s through that inner call, that inner tug, that God provides for us the signal for that return to begin. So begin to pay attention to the longing of the soul. The soul is truly longing to go home, but often times we, at the mind level, misinterpret that feeling, that longing, that wanting. We misinterpret it ‘into the world’ and so we are ever longing for more money, or more possessions, or more things of the world in some form or fashion. And we misidentify that longing and we misdirect the energy of that longing back out into the world, and then we wonder why we aren’t getting fulfillment: neither fulfillment in the outer world, nor in the inner world through our meditation. If you’re not finding a true inner experience, begin to listen to the inner call of the soul wanting to go home, and allow yourself to become sensitive enough to feel it, to know it, to hear it, to see it, however it comes alive for you, because it is truly that longing that will get you to sit down and meditate — not just for five minutes but for hours on end.

THE

PURPLE LIGHT

by Brian Yeakey,

Vice President of ILM

clearing away those karmas that have blocked you from your awareness of your oneness with God. So if you see the purple light in meditation and it is right out in front of you, more or less horizontally, just know that that’s God’s loving burning the karmas off in the psychic realms — because that’s where the karmas are. There are no karmas in the spiritual realms. Wherever you see the purple light, know that it’s working with you for the same reason: it is assisting you in getting your liberation for the soul’s return back to the Heart of God.

(from a talk given at the retreat, Experiencing The Divine - 3/05)

im and I often talk about the “starry sky” as an inner experience on the Path of Sound and Light. However, sometimes an ILM initiate will say to us, “But I haven’t seen the starry sky,” and that person therefore thinks they aren’t having experience in their meditation. In the midst of conversation over this, I’ll share about seeing a “purple light” in meditation, and almost always the person will say, “Oh, well I see that.” And I’ll say, “Then you are having experience.” In fact, if you are seeing the purple light in your meditation, you don’t have to look for anything else!

So if you don’t see the starry sky, it doesn’t matter. It is true that the starry sky is the beginning of the journey. That’s the ﬁrst level (the top of the astral realm). But if you’re not seeing that, maybe you’ve moved beyond it, or you’re just not conscious of it — which is ﬁne. Why would you just want to see the starry sky, when there is so much more beyond that? Just follow the purple light (or however the Holy Spirit manifests; sometimes it’s a blue light, or a gold or white light, as well). Always look to that and follow that, and the rest will unfold according to God’s divine plan for your soul. Enjoy the unfolding experience ... that’s the journey! And what a wonderful journey it is!

That “purple light” that Jim and I talk about is the action of the Holy Spirit on this path of initiation. That purple light is the grace action of the Holy Spirit that comes out of the Heart of God. And when you get initiated, it is this grace action that is connected to you spiritually, to the Holy Spirit, for the soul’s return journey back into the realms of spirit. That purple light is the action of the Holy Spirit that takes the soul from these physical realms into the realms of spirit. So, if you’re seeing the purple light, I just want to let you know you’re really connected. That’s it! And the longer you can hold your focus and attention on that purple light as it comes into your consciousness, especially if you can go for the whole recommended two and a half hours in meditation, you’ll start to have some additional inner experiences, believe me.

You may well see a lot of other colored lights along the way too, and if you think of the spectrum of the rainbow, the purple goes into the white — the pure white light of the Holy Spirit. It’s in the spiritual realms of soul and above that you start to see the pure, white light of the Holy Spirit, and it’s quite magniﬁcent when you experience that. The purple light will take you through all the physical/psychic realms of karma, and will dissolve the karma, so the soul can truly enter into the Kingdom of God, the spiritual realms. That’s where you will really wake up and know that greater white light. And even along the way you’ll get glimpses and experiences of the white light, because the Holy Spirit is working in this action through all the different realms for your awakening.

People will often say, “I see the purple light and it’s pulsating.” That’s it exactly! Spirit is always in movement; it is not stagnant. It’s a movement of loving — so that purple light can look like it’s coming or going, it can move around, it can pulsate. It can look like it comes from all different directions, because it can do just that. Somebody recently shared with me, “I see it directly in front of me” (Jim has shared about the three levels of the “spiritual eye” — down into the physical realm, straight out into the psychic realms, and up into the spiritual realms). If you see the purple light straight out in front of you in the psychic realms, just be grateful — because an action of the purple light is one of transformation and transmutation. That purple light on a psychic realm is

So I hope this helps you with what you may be experiencing inside in meditation. But, really, you don’t need to ﬁgure it out. You just need to keep your focus on God and follow God’s Loving. And that Loving, on this Path of Sound and Light that we teach in ILM, will often appear as the “purple light!” As you follow that purple light it will take you into the greater experience of God!

I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES

CALENDAR

CLASSES & PROGRAMS: FALL-WINTER 2006 PRESENTED BY JIM GORDON and BRIAN YEAKEY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: For additional information, call 512-306-1056.

EEKLY

CLASSES:

Jim and Brian’s weekly class is held on Sundays, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm at the ILM Center, Franklin Sq. Bldg, 3724 Jefferson, Ste. 100.

Each class includes spiritual teachings, practical exercises, group discussion, and meditation. Jim and Brian help participants to become more deeply aware of the Spirit within. No charge.

PRESENTED BY BILL STRATTON IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: For additional information, call Bill at 512-218-1995.

OING WITH GOD: This workshop will explore our individual focus of Light in our daily world G from the place of Loving and Light that is, and the expansion of this consciousness of Loving in our lives.

It is about being present with our own Divinity. We will begin the class by listening to a meditation CD by Jim Gordon, followed by a short discussion and practice of this loving focus. Then we will take this experience and ﬁne-tune it out in the world. SEPT 23

Saturday, 2-3:30 pm

ILM Center

No Charge

Inside each of us is the Inner Garden, or the Holy of Holies. This workshop was ANCTUARY: created in response to a number of requests to have something available that would assist each of us in the transitioning from being in a retreat to going back into the world. Throughout this course we will implement various tools and meditations from Jim and Brian’s seminars to create, and to avail ourselves of, this inner and outer jouney towards ‘sanctuary’. OCT 21, NOV 4, DEC 9 & JAN 20

Saturday, 1-3:30 pm

ILM Center

No Charge

C oins For Kids and Christmas Party in Austin

Our Coins For Kids Christmas service project is coming up ... so if you’ve been saving your coins or wondering what you might like to do as an expression of service this year, consider participating with us as we once again go on a joyful gift shopping spree for children in need at Chrismastime. Do drop off your coins/donation at one of Jim and Brian’s Sunday classes before Nov. 15th, or you can mail a check to: ILM, P.O. Box 164332, Austin, TX 78716-4332.

This year’s Shopping Day will be on: SATURDAY, NOV 18th. Meet at 9 am at the Super Target at I35 and Parmer.

Wrapping DAY will be on:

SUNDAY, DEC 3rd, 2-6 pm at the ILM Center. Pizza and other refreshments will be provided.

(All donations to ILM are tax deductible.)

HRISTMAS POTLUCK PARTY: Join us for ILM’s Christmas celebration on SATURDAY, DEC 16th beginning at 4 pm at 203 Buckeye Trail in Austin, Texas. Everyone is welcome! It’s a potluck so bring a dish to share. 3

(ILM Calendar continues on pages 4 - 9)

ILM presents:

in Indiana

THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE A RETREAT WITH THE ENTIRE

ILM

STAFF

September 29 - October 1, 2006 WHEN: FRIDAY 7 PM - SUNDAY 12 NOON

WHERE: POTAWATOMI INN AT POKAGON STATE PARK ANGOLA, INDIANA $175 “The divine melody that comes out of the heart of God is being sung eternally. It is ever there being sung, waiting for us to one day begin to hear that great song, waiting 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 and becoming one with it that we get this Pearl of Great Price, that we return back to the place from which we came.” — — Jim Jim Gordon Gordon from from T THE HE P PEARL EARL O OFF G GREAT REAT P PRICE RICE CD CD

Come join us for the meditations, the fun, the fellowship, and the awakening! For further information regarding this event please contact: Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167. 4

ILM presents:

in Michigan and in Indiana

in Ft. Wayne

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION with with J JIM IM G GORDON ORDON and and B BRIAN RIAN Y YEAKEY EAKEY

T TIME IME OF OF E EVENT VENT:: 7-9:30 7-9:30 PM PM

AT AT U UNITY NITY C CHRIST HRIST C CHURCH HURCH,, 3232 3232 C CRESCENT RESCENT A AVE VE,, F FTT.. W WAYNE AYNE

D DONATION ONATION

in Kalamazoo

Saturday, October 14, 2006

QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION with JIM GORDON and BRIAN YEAKEY

TIME OF EVENT: 1:30-5 PM

AT UNITY OF KALAMAZOO, 1204 WHITES ROAD, KALAMAZOO

DONATION

For further information regarding these events please contact Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167.

INITIATIONS and

APPOINTMENTS

Oct.1-Oct. 10 In Kalamazoo: Oct. 11-Oct. 15 In Ft. Wayne:

Jim Jim and and Brian Brian will will be be available available for for appointments appointments and and for for initiations initiations for for those those who who have have been been approved. approved. To schedule appointments with Jim or Brian please call Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167. 5

Experiencing The Divine – A Meditative Retreat

facilitated by

Jim Gordon and Brian Yeakey

Austin, Texas:

COST: Single Occupancy – $500

at Red Corral Ranch Renewal Center

Wimberley, Texas Thursday, March 15 at 6 pm thru Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 1:30 pm

and Kalamazoo, Michigan:

at Seasons – A Center for Renewal

at the Fetzer Institute Thursday, April 26 at 6 pm thru Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 1:30 pm 6

Double Occupancy (per person) – $400 If you would like to sign up for this retreat go to the ILM website (ilm.org) or contact: Laura Doggett at 512-306-1056.

COST: $275 per person

If you would like to sign up for this retreat please contact: Steven McAfee at 260-485-2167.

I NNER L IGHT M MINISTRIES CALENDAR PRESENTED BY LAURA KESTEN: For additional information, call Laura at 512-894-0992.

TORIES UNTOLD: Writing, a dynamic tool on the journey to discovery and self-healing, can be a way to ﬁnd our hearts, our truths, and our voices. In Stories Untold, we invite the heart to openly and freely feel 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. Try it for one weekend and see for yourself. No experience necessary!

MICHIGAN:

OCT 20-22 Yarrow Conference Center Augusta DEC 8-10 Yarrow Conference Center Augusta 2007: FEB 23-25, APR 20-22, JUNE 16-23, AUG 24-26, OCT 19-21, DEC 7-9

$125 $125

TEXAS:

NOV 25-26 Laura Kesten’s Home Dripping Springs Donation 2007: JAN 13-14, MAR 10-11, MAY 12-13, JULY 28-29, SEPT 15-16, NOV 10-11

FF THE BEATEN PATH: What we hear most often from people is a need to unwind, to be O able to focus on Spirit for a solid period of time, and to be quiet — to get ‘off the beaten path.’ We offer

support in this weekend retreat providing solid blocks of time to meditate, relax, walk, journal, read, draw, etc., as well as time to gather with the group where we’ll share and discuss our loving, our dedication, and our experiences of Spirit. We invite you to join us for this quiet and Spirit-ﬁlled weekend. MICHIGAN: TEXAS:

NOV 3-5 NOV 10-12

Yarrow Conference Center Red Corral Ranch

Augusta, Mich. Wimberly, Texas

$150 $150

Welcome to Inner Light Ministries! Introductory Packet In this packet you will ﬁnd ILM’s book LOVE AND LOVING, the CD UNDERSTANDING THE ‘INNER’ PATHWAY, the CD LOTUS MEDITATION, ILM’s brochure INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES GUIDELINES FOR INITIATION AND INITIATES, and a copy of our latest newsletter. All of these materials were selected to give a newcomer a good understanding of who we are and what we’re about. If you would like an Introductory Packet for yourself or someone else, just let us know. Call us, email us, or write us! Feel free to take a look at our website too: www.ilm.org (more information on page 15). We are happy to do what we can to assist you on your spiritual journey. Blessings of Peace, Joy and Loving To You! Jim Gordon, Brian Yeakey, and The ILM Staff 7

(ILM Calendar continues on next page)

I NNER L IGHT M MINISTRIES CALENDAR PRESENTED BY STEVEN MCAFEE, MIDWEST COORDINATOR: For additional information, call Steven at 260-485-2167.

Steven offers a series of weekly ILM classes in Ft. Wayne on Tuesday UESDAY CLASS SERIES: 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. Some of the recent topics have included: ﬁrst century Christianity and the lost books of the Bible, and the mystical inner path in sacred scriptures. Please call Steven for current information.

ILM

More fun community nights are on their way! We’ll provide soft drinks OMMUNITY NIGHT: and munchies. Please RSVP a week ahead so we can plan appropriately. SEPT 6, NOV 15 - MUSIC NIGHT Wed. 7-10 pm Steven and Anita’s home Ft. Wayne No charge OCT 7 - MUSIC NIGHT Sat. 7-10 pm Steven and Anita’s home Ft. Wayne No charge (NOTE: By request, this is a special Saturday night edition, instead of our regular Wednesday evenings. So we hope some of you out-of-towners will be able to join us!) DEC 12 - ILM CHRISTMAS PARTY 7-10 pm Steven and Anita’s home Ft. Wayne No charge

“ 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 our yearlong study programs, please contact Steven. SEPT 3

WORKSHOP

Brigade of Light room, YWCA

(last meeting of this year’s series)

Ft. Wayne

Donation

N EW Y EARLONG S TUDY P ROGRAM : NOTE: We will be starting a NEW yearlong study program this fall. Enrollment is open to anyone. Our ﬁrst introductory meeting will be held in Ft. Wayne on Sun. Nov. 12. There is no charge, and attendance will not commit you to enroll in the yearlong program. At this session, the entire schedule of meetings for the remainder 2006 and all of 2007 will be presented, along with an opportunity to meet and share with everyone. For complete details, please contact Steven. NOV 12

“

Intro Meeting 2:30-5:30 pm

Brigade of Light room, YWCA

Ft. Wayne

Donation

This retreat will focus on inviting more lovingIVING IN LOVING-KINDNESS” RETREAT: kindness into our lives. We will share practical ideas on how to treat ourselves and others with greater acceptance and compassion. NOV 17-19

Fri. 7:30 pm-Sun. 3:00 pm

GilChrist

Three Rivers, Mich.

$140/person

F K : ILM’s Fort Wayne community is once again collecting spare change throughout C the year to sponsor families in need at Christmastime. You are warmly invited to join us in shopping OINS

IDS

and/or wrapping the gifts at the times listed below. Please give us a call if you are planning to participate so we can plan accordingly. NOV 27 DEC 14

7:00 pm 7:00 pm

Shopping Night Wrapping Party

Wal-Mart, Coldwater Rd. Brigade of Light room

Ft. Wayne Ft. Wayne

S : Steven frequently serves as a guest speaker for various churches and S spiritual groups in the Fort Wayne area. If you would like him to speak to your group, please call to make UNDAY

ERVICES

arrangements. The following are presently scheduled: SEPT 3, OCT 29, NOV 5, DEC 3

11 am

Brigade of Light 8

Ft. Wayne

No Charge

(Calendar continues on next page)

I NNER L IGHT M MINISTRIES CALENDAR •

Community ILM Seminars and Events Worldwide ILM ACTIVITIES 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.

Each meeting begins with a 20-30 minute meditation. Then participants take TUDY GROUP: turns reading THE STAFF OF THE SHEPHERD by Jim Gordon. People share, if they like, how the principles taught in the book apply to their own lives. We will keep a list of questions that may arise, and seek further clariﬁcation from Jim and Brian 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:15–8:15 pm

Judy Richards, 4715 Thistle Mill Ct., Kalamazoo

No Charge

N : Come join us for a monthly social, community gathering. Bring a movie you like and M we’ll all choose what to watch. We may even want to go out to the movies if there’s a good one showing. OVIE

IGHT

Drinks and munchies provided. SEPT 27, OCT 25, NOV 15

6:15-8:00 pm

Judy Richards, 4715 Thistle Mill Ct.

No Charge

OTLUCK DINNER AND GATHERING: Food and fun with ILM friends. Contact Carolyn Dailey (see above) if you are planning to attend, and let her know what item you will bring.

OCT 15

Sunday 2-5 pm

Judy Richards, 4715 Thistle Mill Ct.

Bring a dish

HANKSGIVING DINNER AND GATHERING: Gathering and Dinner for the Thanksgiving Holiday. All are welcome to join Penny on Thanksgiving day for a potluck dinner and social/giving thanks gathering. Penny will provide the turkey. You can bring a dish to pass.

NOV 23 Thursday 1 pm (dinner at 3 pm)

Penny Miller’s house

Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids area

ILM SEMINAR in LOS ANGELES:

•

Please contact Victoria Eng at 310-980-2224 to RSVP before coming.

S : The focus of each evening is on spiritual awakening, and on supporting one T another in experiencing and sharing greater loving within ourselves and with others. These seminars will APE

EMINARS

be held from 6-7:30 pm at Victoria and Willard Engs’ home in Beverlywood on the following dates. SEPT 12 & 26, OCT 10 & 24, NOV 7 & 28, DEC 12

•

No Charge

ILM SEMINAR in HAWAII: Please contact Nadine Ferraro at 808-988-7509, or 551-3123 (cell) for directions.

APE SEMINARS: Share in a one-hour meditation and fellowship opportunity on Monday evenings in Manoa Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii from 6-7:30 pm. Bring friends ... newcomers are welcome. No charge.

ILM SEMINAR in LONDON, ENGLAND:

•

Please contact Nanna Brinker at 0207 485 0699 for directions.

S : Each evening will consist of a short meditation and the listening to a CD or T tape by Jim Gordon and Brian Yeakey. Join us in sharing the path of loving and awakening into Spirit. APE

EMINARS

All are welcome. Our ILM seminars are at 42A Montpelier Grove, London NW5, on the following: Sundays at 4 pm: SEPT 17, OCT 8, OCT 29, NOV 19, DEC 10, JAN 7, JAN 28 No charge. 9

ILM Talks and Meditations On CDs NEW CD – BECOMING SOUL LIBERATED Excerpt from BECOMING SOUL LIBERATED:

“

hen we hold in meditation to loving God, and we let the frequencies, those vibrations of the names of God, those keys to the kingdom, begin to stir, then we begin to see our own ‘light’ inside in a way we haven’t for a long time. And one way that that happens is, as these sparks that are stored in the cells, in the atoms of the body, are drawn up to the soul, the ‘soul light’ gets brighter, and all of a sudden we see a light. ‘Oh, well, look! Look, there’s a spark! Look, there’s the sun!’

Look, there’s a light!

“We begin to see our own soul light, our Inner Light, and we ‘wake up’ to that light. We must wake up to it. “So ... do the devotion, do the loving, do the meditation. That’s what you as soul came into this creation for — so that you could walk this spiritual path clearly, knowingly, lovingly, and be liberated. That’s what the soul came here to do.” – Jim Gordon

A SIMPLE WAY – THE PATH OF ILM (This is a 2003 CD with an upgrade in design.)

Excerpt from A SIMPLE WAY – THE PATH OF ILM:

“

n truth, neither I, nor anyone else in this world, can do it for you. The only one — the only one that can truly have you experience the Inner Light and live in the Inner Light and know the Inner Light and be the Inner Light that you are — is you. It is up to you. Just as it is up to you to graduate from school, to do the work to do that, to get the diploma, and to do whatever it is that you have to do to make your life work — so it is on the ‘inner’. It is up to you to do the work. But it isn’t really work so much as it is devotion; it’s dedication. It’s devoting yourself and dedicating yourself to an action of loving, of sitting down and loving God.” — Jim Gordon

“

LOTUS MEDITATION

his Lotus meditation is a very powerful meditation ... it is the meditation in which, at eighteen years old, I opened up to the Radiant Form.” In loving, Jim Gordon

ORDERING INFORMATION: These CDs are $10.00 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 you can go to our website ILM.org to order (see page 11). 10

INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES MATERIALS LIST ILM AUDIO CDS & TAPES

Each CD and tape is $10.00, except for the ABUNDANCE I & II and the WAKE UP, WAKE UP! CD packets which are each $15. Only the titles with the CD icon next to it are available as a CD as well. Two titles together indicate different lectures on each side. Please place a check in either the circle or box in front of your choice(s):

CDS & TAPES ON MEDITATION CD/Tape

(2005)

TWO MEDITATIONS by Jim Gordon

(1999)

Sacred Place Meditation Forgiveness Meditation

(2005)

THREE MEDITATIONS by Jim Gordon

(2005)

Starry Sky Meditation, A Healing Meditation & Balancing The Consciousness Meditation

(2003)

MEDITATION AND THE HEALING PROCESS by Brian Yeakey

(2003)

PRACTICING MEDITATION – CONNECTING WITH THE DIVINE

(2003) (2003) (2002) (2001) (2001) (2000) (1999) (1999) (1998) (1998) (1997) (1997) (1997) (1994) (1994)

NEW

THE SPIRITUAL PATH MEDITATION by Jim Gordon THE HEART OF GOD MEDITATION by Brian Yeakey

CD/Tape

BECOMING SOUL LIBERATED NEW (MEDITATION AND TALK) NEW THE TOOLBOX (MEDITATION AND TALK) WAKE UP, WAKE UP! (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

LOTUS MEDITATION by Jim Gordon

by Steven McAfee

ILM BOOKS

BY JIM GORDON ($10 each) LOVE AND LOVING (REVISED) THE KNOWING OF GOD THE STAFF OF THE SHEPHERD (REVISED)

ORDER FORM (A replacement copy will be enclosed with your order.)

Name:

(1994) (1992)

Street Address:

(1992)

Daytime Phone:(

(1991) (1991) (1991) (1991) (1991) (1990) (1990) (1987) (1986)

City & State: Check or money order enclosed Charge my: Visa MasterCard Discover American Express Card Number: Expiration Date: Signature:

Total Amount (including shipping):

(1984) (1980)

ORDERING INFORMATION: Each CD and tape is $10.00, except for the ABUNI & II and the WAKE UP, WAKE UP! 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. DANCE

(1985)

)

ON MEDITATION: FEAR NOT

(an excerpt from the retreat, Experiencing The Divine - 3/05)

authority, your spiritual authority, and your spiritual power of loving. You’ve reclaimed it all back from those creations, in that realm, where you had dispersed that loving, where you had misplaced your expression of creation. You have reclaimed all of that and now it stands once again whole and complete in you as loving. And that power of loving, restored and renewed in you, will be the power by which you will go into the next realm and fulﬁll yourself there.

A few years ago, I was terribly afraid of God. Thank goodness that’s no longer there for me. But I’m really afraid of moving forward in meditation. In meditation I’ve become aware of the starry night and the light. But then I become aware that that’s as far as I’m going because I don’t know what’s beyond there, and I’m terriﬁed with what might happen if I keep allowing myself to keep moving with that.

And if anything does come up that is fearful, just look at it and say, “Hey, I love you.” The power of that loving that you have claimed and that you now stand in will dissolve it, will melt it … or it will come to you and it will teach you all kinds of lessons, and it will be the teacher by which you complete whatever it is on that realm that you are on that needs to be completed. Those things are your teachers, they are your way-showers, they are that which is giving you answers to those things that need to be answered. And in truth, once you are initiated even the lord of this creation cannot touch you. He can come up and get right up to your face, right up to your nose, and he can yell at you and he can cuss at you and he can get mad at you, but he can’t touch you. And once you know that, once you really know that, you don’t run away and you don’t react, you just look at him and say, “And I love you, God bless you.” And he will say, “No, no, no, don’t do that, I don’t want that … I’m God here, I’ll do the blessing,” and he will leave, he will depart. The lord of this creation is the angel of death, and he has no more charge over your soul once you are initiated. The charge over your soul now is not the lord of this creation. The one that is in charge is the Holy Spirit, it is God in the power of that initiation, in the power of the Name given to you in initiation. So trust in the power of the Name, trust in your initiation, honor it, live it fully, allow it to really come alive in you fully — and do not let fear stop you.

There is nothing to be afraid of. Anyone who goes up into the starry sky has begun the journey, and the next part of the journey is to realize that there is a light, a brilliant light that is in that starry sky, that you want to go into. It may look like a sun and it may look like a brilliant star, but you want to go towards that light and into that light because that will take you into the next realm. And then there you will see another starry sky. The ‘sky’ of each realm is the ‘soul level’, the top, of that realm, and we ever want to go towards the soul level of each realm. It’s when we get to the soul level of a realm and anchor ourselves there that we can then go up into the next realm and continue our journey. When we anchor ourselves at the soul level of any particular realm, it means for the most part that we have completed a lot of those things that were to be completed on that realm. And so it means to continue the journey — don’t stop there, don’t just say, “Well, job well done, I’m ﬁnished, I’m not going any further because I don’t know what’s out there.” What’s out there is another realm, a realm greater than the realm you have been in, a realm where there are things you can work yourself free of, and at the top of it is another starry sky, the soul level of that realm to go towards so that you can once again look back at that realm and say, “Job well done; I am complete here. I am going to go on to the next one.” So ever look in that starry sky for the sun, for that brilliant light, and merge into it, go into it, and that will carry you into the next realm — that will give you the power for going into the next realm in order to complete whatever is there to complete. What you have completed in the realm below you, and all the actions of that completion, is a reclaiming of your

Fear is the element in this creation that the lord of this creation put into motion and calls love. That is the creator’s, at this level, action of ‘love’, and he feeds off your fear. He lives off your fear. Why do you think (FEAR NOT continues on page 15)

THE LOVING IN OUR LIVES beautiful. One minute we were laughing and the next we were crying.

by Steven McAfee,

ILM Minister

… It was in the smile of that little baby as I sang songs to him; in the tiny giggle when his daddy played with him; in the eyes of all the family members who gathered round to place their hands on him in prayer for the surgery he soon would face; in the gratitude the family expressed to me for coming to share this moment with them. And in my own gratitude at having been invited into such an intimate moment.

oday was a busy day. This morning I conducted a memorial service for the departed mother of a dear friend. After that, I performed a baby blessing. Then I came home, had lunch (while reading my emails and returning phone calls), did some arranging in my ofﬁce which we have been renovating, and started to write my ILM newsletter article. In the meantime, my wife arrived with three of our grandkids, ranging in age from 13 years to 2 months, and the household erupted in play. So much for my contemplative life.

… It was in the happy laughter of my grandsons and my dog all playing together; in the noise they made down the hall as I was locked away in my study trying to write; and in their expectant hope of seeing me emerge again ready to play with them.

It brought to mind something I read years ago about a pastor who said he wished the phone would stop ringing, and that everyone would stop interrupting him and just leave him alone, so that he could get on with his ministry. He said it took him until nearly the end of his life before he realized that all those folks who kept needing his attention were his ministry. With that in mind, I decided my article didn’t need to be something profound and otherworldly, but simply about what was going on in my life.

… It was in the warmth my heart feels as I think about all those people in ILM who share this journey with me — remembering that God is calling us home, remembering that we are not of this world and not to be so caught up in it as to forget who we are anymore. But, and this is an important realization for me, it is also in my engaging the world in a loving manner. The more I experience the movement of Loving within myself, and the freedom this experience brings, the more I realize that I cannot be free of this world if I am still afraid of engaging in it. If I am so wary of it that I need to run away, then my meditations become only a place to hide, not a place to encounter my Self within the awesome boundlessness of Spirit.

Through my experience, I have come to know that God does not work with me where I pretend to be, but where I am in the moment. To move ahead spiritually, I must first honestly acknowledge just where I am and what I am doing, at least within myself. Then, I find that I can begin to accept what is as it is, then forgive it for not being what I wanted or expected it to be, and then enter into the loving that is present in this very moment — not a love I remember from the past nor a love I hope to find in the future — but the living, loving essence of Spirit that is here now in whatever I am experiencing.

After all, we are here in the world right now. As we accept where we are, we ﬁnd that loving — that living divine essence which we experience in our meditations — is the very essence of God, and that this essence is everywhere, in the outer world as well as the inner. Many times I forget this, and I go into my fear or my comfort zone or my old habit patterns. I forget and get deluded, caught up, and distressed by my karmas more often than I like to admit. But there are moments when I allow Spirit to come through … and in those moments, I am in awe, ﬂooded with grace and gratitude.

So, where was the Loving in my life on this busy day? … It was in the hearts of the family that was remembering the tenderness of their mother’s love, recounting stories of how she had touched their lives and inspired them to be creative, to be kind, to make the best of whatever circumstance in which they found themselves, and to be considerate of others. Every time one of them spoke of her, the loving that came present was so sweet and

So, whatever kind of day you are having right now, take a moment — right now — and take a look. Where is the Loving in your life today?

YOU PAYING ATTENTION?

by Laura Kesten,

ILM Minister

“You’re getting out here a bit far,” he said. “My daughter just told me that so I’m on my way back in,” I answered calmly.

esides doing our meditation, our inner work, everyday, we also have our outer physical lives to do. It is in these waking hours that we can learn lessons, or complete our karmas, through physical experiences. If we do not learn from these experiences, we fall into patterns, and ﬁnd ourselves doing them again and again. When we do learn from them, we can complete the karma.

He said, “There’s a strong under-current out here so just be careful.” I nodded and said thanks. After awhile, he came back around and asked if I was okay. I said that I was, and he went on. A couple of minutes later, I saw him pulling out of the water and onto the beach with his surfboard under arm. At that point, I tried touching bottom — but I couldn’t, so with the next incoming wave, I swam toward shore a little harder. I tried to touch again, but still couldn’t. On the next wave, I tried to swim even harder but my muscles were getting tired. A wave came overhead and hit me in the face. The salt water burned my throat as I gulped for air. I tried touching bottom again. This time I felt the sandy bottom but when the wave receded, the sandy ground slipped away. Another wave hit me and I went under. I gasped for air and coughed up the stingy salt. I felt the sandy bottom again, but as before, it disappeared in the next receding wave. Cally, who was on solid ground and just an arm-to-arm reach away, grabbed my hand but we both went under. So I told her not to try again. She told me to remain calm, to swim strong with the wave, and to paddle when it went back out. I tried but the waves kept hitting my face. I told her I needed help. I was exhausted, and I panicked, certain that if I didn’t have help I wasn’t going to make it. She started to scream for the lifeguard but he couldn’t hear her above the waves. Next to her was a young man in his twenties. She asked him if he could help her mom. He then looked past her and saw me paddling in the current, trying to keep my face above water.

I want to share my most recent lesson with you, but I want to begin by sharing a joke I once heard that previews my story. The joke goes something like this: One day, a great storm arises. The streets flood and the people are told to evacuate. One man refuses. “God’s going to save me,” he says. The rains continue, and his house floods. He climbs onto his roof. A boat comes by and the rescuer shouts to the man to jump into the boat but the man says, “God’s going to save me.” The boat goes on — and the water gets higher. A helicopter flies overhead and a ladder is thrown down to the man. The man waves off the help shouting, “No, thanks. God’s going to save me.” So the water rises above his house and the man drowns. When he gets to heaven and is standing before God, he says. “I believed you were going to save me. How could you let me drown?” God replied, “I sent help your way — three times — but each time you refused to take it!” Now, here’s my story. This past July, my daughter, Cally, and I went on a retreat at the ocean. On our last day, we decided to swim in the ocean one last time before leaving. We drove to a remote beach. I almost didn’t go in the water, but, when Cally dove in, the look of exhilaration on her face was more than I could pass up. We screamed in delight above the booming waves. About twenty others were also screeching. Facing the ocean, we jumped one wave after another … never paying attention to how far I was going out. As each wave retreated back into the full body of salty water, it took me along with it a little more each time. It wasn’t until Cally said that I might want to come back in a little that I turned toward the beach and realized I was further out than I had thought. I started my return, casually. Then the lifeguard came by, his body laid against his long surfboard as he stroked the water.

He asked, “Do you need help?” “Yes, please,” I puffed out. He took one step forward, reached out and grabbed my hand, and in one yank pulled me over to shallower water and solid ground.

A few minutes later, as I lay exhausted on the dry sandy beach, I recounted my episode and wondered how I had gotten myself into such a pickle. First, my daughter told me I was out too far; secondly, the lifeguard told me there’s an under current; and thirdly, the lifeguard came back a second time and asked if I was okay. Just like in (PAYING ATTENTION continues on page 15)

FEAR NOT (continued from page 12)

by Jim Gordon

this universe, this creation, this planet, is so fearful? Because the lord of this creation needs it that way in order to survive and live. When we live in fear, we are in a sense giving ‘love’ in the way that the lord of this creation knows to receive, even to create with and to be ‘in love’ with. But it is really fear — and he eats it, he feeds off of it, and it gives him life and lets him know that we are honoring him, that we are worshiping his creation of fear. But if we stand free of that fear, very soon he gets bored with you because he says, “You’re

not worshipping me, you’re not loving me, you’re not living my life anymore, what’s wrong with you? Well forget you, you just get out of here, go away.” And then a little later he will come back, thinking, “Maybe I can get you afraid again, maybe I can stir that fear in you. I’ll try.” And all you have to do is remember that you are a beam of Loving, and you are living the divine ﬂow of Loving. And in the power of the Name you just look at that fear, and you just look at his creation of fear, and you just say, “I love you, whatever you are, whoever you are, wherever you come from, I love you. And with the power of the Name I stand here in loving with you, and I move through you now, continuing my journey back home to God.”

Updated and easier to use ILM website

You don’t have to be in Austin to attend the Sunday classes! 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 Sunday Morning 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.

PAYING ATTENTION (continued from page 14)

both ways, twice. When she was little, my focus was always on keeping her safe, thinking ahead, being extra cautious, looking for the signs. When she was little, I kept us both safe. And now that she’s an adult, she can look for the signs for herself. And that’s when the lesson hit me. When I stopped watching out for Cally, I also stopped watching out for myself: I wasn’t keeping myself safe anymore; I wasn’t looking for the signs. That was the karmic pattern. I had learned to do it for Cally when she was little, thus keeping me safe as well, but I hadn’t really ever learned to do it for myself.

by Laura Kesten

the joke of the unfortunate man, God had given me three signs. Fortunately for me, when I realized I wasn’t going to make it unless I did get help, I asked for it — and got a fourth chance. I then remembered that just a year before, I’d been in London with my family, and we were going to cross the street. I looked left for cars, the direction we’d look in the states, and stepped out — but in England drivers drive on the opposite side of the street so I should have looked right. I stepped off the curb just as a taxi swooshed by, and although I was not hit, my hand smashed into the taxi’s mirror.

When we ﬁnd ourselves doing the same thing again and again and getting the same results, it may be because we haven’t looked for the signs, and acted upon them. Our karmas are the result of our actions over lifetimes, and God just gives us the opportunity to work out our karmas; he posts the signs, and even sends helpers. It is up to us to learn to take the cues, accept the aid … to take a different action which will give us a different result.

Back on the beach, I thought that if Cally were still a little girl, I would never have let her go into those high waves, nor would I have let her cross the street without looking 15

NNER LIGHT IGHT MINISTRIES INISTRIES JOURNAL INNER

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.

The Tenth Door by Jim Gordon

New CD to be released in November ‘06

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:

Main Office: Jim Gordon, P.O. Box 164332, Austin, TX 78716-4332; Financial Office: Tom Beaver, P.O. Box 1086, Dripping Springs, TX 78620; Midwest Office: Steven McAfee, P.O. Box 5139, Fort Wayne, IN 46895

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