2007 Vol 2, June by Inner Light Ministries

INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES JOURNAL VOLUME 18 NUMBER 2

JUNE, 2007

BOWING TO YOUR OWN DIVINITY by Jim Gordon, President of ILM

(from the talk, Bowing To Your Own Divinity - 4/1/07)

ecently I had a wonderful experience in meditation. It was as if we were starting the whole day again, and all of ILM’s initiates and friends were coming in. And as you were all coming into the room, I witnessed each of you not in your physical forms but in your spiritual essences. I saw your physical bodies, but in truth all I really saw was the Divine Spark of God that resides in you, that is truly you. And there was this part of me that was just bowing to each one of you as you came in, in such honor, such respect, such loving. Some of you quite quickly ‘got’ what was taking place, and some of you acknowledged it partially. Then, suddenly, I realized that we are really truly reflections of each other — that what I was seeing in you was my own Divinity, and that my Divinity is your Divinity and your Divinity is my Divinity; we are all one. And then I was just bowing to everything, inside of me, inside of you; it was just a great movement of Loving. And then I realized that Loving truly is, in a sense, bowing to one another. And then … I began to see all the limitations. Where before there was a radiance of loving filling the room, light and airy and ethereal and fresh, all of a sudden all our limitations started coming present. And they started filling the room just as the radiance had filled the room, but they filled the room in a different way. They were hard, difficult, challenging — and they started filling the room and pushing up against the walls and pushing up against us. And you could feel this energy just pushing us until it was starting to squash that sacredness, that Divine Radiance, trying to squash it all down and suppress our Divine beingness. And so I said to everyone, “Close your eyes and go inside and connect back into that which you carried in here. You came in here with something and you’ve now lost it. What did you lose?” And one by one, each of you starting coming to an awareness inside yourself

of what action had taken place inside of you that had caused you to choose back into your limitations, and to disconnect from your own Divinity. And for the most part, the limiting actions were either unworthiness, or expectations, or giving your power away. And so, we began a discussion on the inner levels about those three aspects and how those three aspects cause us to live in limitation and not in the freedom of who we truly are. And as we shared, each one of us began to realize something: that it was a choice that we each had made, into these limited ways of being. We may have been taught them by the world, or by our parents. But now as adults we also, every day, every moment of every day, have a choice to make: are we going to continue living our limitations, or are we going to rise above them now and live in the truth of who we are? The one thing that I saw was that each and every one of us knows who we are as Divine. We know it. That’s why we are here. That’s why we are meditating, that’s why we are seeking to know God more fully. That’s why we are getting initiated. And then I asked everyone: “If you know these limitations, why do you keep choosing into them? Why do you choose into these actions that separate you from who you are?” And the biggest understanding that came forward was very powerful: it’s an old habit to live that way, and it’s very comfortable. It’s like putting on an old pair of shoes — you can put on the limitations and walk with them in comfort and say, “Yep, I know how to do these limitations.” And then I asked: “Can you do something different, something to promote a change for the better in your life: change in your attitude, change your way of being?” And then each of you started taking off a garment of clothing. And underneath it was something more beautiful than what you had on previously. Some of you just took off one layer and laid it down, and that was it. And others kept removing one piece of

(BOWING continues on page 3)

THE INTERNAL

DIMMER SWITCH by Brian Yeakey, Vice President of ILM

(from the talk, Resurrection Through Meditation - 4/8/07)

in spiritual darkness, and so how do we even know what’s going on; how can we even see what’s really happening to us. But every time we come back to the spiritual eye center, we’re bringing the dimmer switch up a notch, so more and more light is dispersed on all the irritations we encounter in our lives.

or those of us who are traveling a spiritual path, there are really only two directions. It’s not north, south, east, west, up, down. Rather it’s really just “inward and upward,” or “downward and outward.” And whenever you ﬁnd yourself caught-up in something of this world, in reaction or irritation, just know that you are caughtup in the “downward and outward.”

It’s actually just a very natural movement of life, of our going outward into the world, and then returning back out of the world, back to that Divine Source. If you can think of the simplicity of the image of the dimmer switch, it makes this process a little easier.

And so, when that happens — and it does happen, to all of us — think of yourself as having an “internal dimmer switch.” You know that with a dimmer switch you just slowly turn the light up and it gets brighter and brighter. So when you ﬁnd yourself in a situation where you are caught-up in the “down and out,” just turn your internal dimmer switch up — in and up. If you can visualize that the source of irritation is outside of yourself, then turning your internal dimmer switch up is simply you coming back inside. Then as you go through the irritation, whatever it may be, as you’re experiencing it you’ll also be bringing yourself back in to the center point (motioning to the “spiritual eye center” between the eyebrows).

Of course there are the details of the outer irritations that are important to pay attention to: the source of the irritations, the emotional and mental aspects of them, the judgments, the fears, the expectations that are part and parcel of them. Those are all important to pay attention to … but also remember that we have spent lifetimes getting lost in them. So when you ﬁnd yourself getting lost in the world, as you go through the outer experience, don’t forget to turn up your internal dimmer switch and come back inside to that place of simplicity — just come back to the spiritual eye center where our loving resides. Just come back to that seat of the soul where the truth of who you are resides, the loving.

So as we live in the outer world, as we go through our day, it becomes a matter of learning to do both at the same time. The soul is automatically always residing here (motioning to the eye center) and it is, in a sense, dispersing itself downward and outward into the world as we go through our day; and what you’re learning to do is come in and up at the same time, drawing yourself back up to the fullness of who you are as that Divine Light of God, as Soul.

And of course the most powerful way to really turn up the “inward and upward” dimmer switch is by doing the meditation practice — holding our attention inward and upward during our meditation at the third eye center, while chanting the Names of God. Just the doing of those two simple things in meditation will automatically begin the real process of detaching from all the things of the mind, the emotions, and the imagination in the physical and mental worlds.

Learning to do “both at the same time” is a gradual process, because all the years and lifetimes of our only directing ourselves outward is now in the reverse process, of returning.

But in that process of automatically detaching, we are

First our internal dimmer switch is all the way down, and we’re walking around in ‘darkness’. We’re living

(DIMMER continues on page 3) 2

I NNER L IGHT M INISTRIES

CALENDAR

CLASSES & PROGRAMS: SUMMER - FALL ‘07 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. (ILM Calendar continues on pages 4 - 9)

BOWING

we’re smart, we’ll say, “These limitations are not who I am.” And then we’ll allow the meditation to remove layer upon layer. We’ll remove the restrictions of the physical body by relaxing in our meditation. Then we’ll remove ourselves from all that is going on within our imagination … and then from the emotional nature, then the mental, then the etheric …

by Jim Gordon

(continued from page 1)

clothing after another — because you knew that there were different layers in your consciousness that you had taken on, that you had ‘covered yourself up’ with, and you realized that you didn’t want to wear these old habits anymore.

You are something much more precious and wonderful than those limitations. You are Divine. That is what I was bowing to in my meditation experience. And in truth, that is what we are all doing in our meditation. The moment we close our eyes and go into meditation, and bring our attention back to the “spiritual eye center” — in that moment, we are connecting back into our own Divinity.

It was a profound meditation experience for me. And, in truth, that’s what we are doing in our meditation. In meditation, each day we have an opportunity to look and see what it is that we are ‘wearing’: what attitudes, what belief systems? What way of living are we ‘wearing’, in this moment, as we sit down to meditate? And if

DIMMER

As we begin to wake up inside, we learn our lessons of life, because when there’s more light we can better see and know what’s going on. And then we can more and more keep our focus “inward and upward” even as we go through our lives.

by Brian Yeakey

(continued from page 2)

still going to be walking through all the details of our daily lives, walking through the irritations and learning the lessons that the irritations are there to teach us. And all the reactions we go through with this is part of the journey. It’s the journey of awakening — and of learning to turn up our dimmer switch.

This is a gradual process. Keep that in mind; it can take years sometimes. But it may also happen that all of a sudden the light just ﬂicks on. You may be practicing bringing your attention inward and upward and all of a sudden – pop – the light is on. Just know how the process works and you’ll get there! 3

ILM presents:

in Hawaii

Sunday, July 8, 2007 MEDITATION & SEMINAR with JIM GORDON and BRIAN YEAKEY

TIMES OF EVENTS

SHARING AND MEDITATION: 10:00 am-12 noon Lunch break SHARING AND Q&A: 1:30-5:30 pm WHERE: The Hilton Hawaiian Village, 2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu, Hawaii

Hibiscus Suite, Kalia Tower The Kalia Tower is the ﬁrst one on the right as you drive into the hotel grounds. For parking, take the ﬁrst right just past the Tower into a large parking ramp. Parking will be provided by ILM. DONATION ONATION For further information regarding this event please contact: Nadine Ferraro at 808-988-7509.

INITIATIONS and

APPOINTMENTS July 9 - July 25

Jim and Brian will be available for appointments, and for initiations for those who have been approved. To schedule appointments with Jim or Brian please call Laura Doggett at 512-306-1056. 4

ILM presents:

in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sunday, September 23, 2007

SHARING and Q & A with with JIM IM GORDON ORDON and BRIAN RIAN YEAKEY EAKEY

T TIME IME OF OF E EVENT VENT:: 1:30-5:30 1:30-5:30 PM PM L LOCATION OCATION:: T TOO B BEE A ANNOUNCED NNOUNCED D DONATION ONATION

For further information regarding this event please contact: Heather Proulx at 719-650-4571.

INITIATIONS and

APPOINTMENTS

September 24-28 Jim and Brian will be available for appointments, and for initiations for those who have been approved. To schedule appointments with Jim or Brian please call Heather Proulx at 719-650-4571. 5

ILM presents:

in England

in London:

Sunday, November 4, 2007

SHARING and Q & A with JIM

GORDON and BRIAN YEAKEY

TIME AND LOCATION OF EVENT: TO BE ANNOUNCED in Brighton:

Sunday, November 18, 2007

SHARING and Q & A with JIM

GORDON and BRIAN YEAKEY

TIME AND LOCATION OF EVENT: TO BE ANNOUNCED

INITIATIONS and

APPOINTMENTS

November 5-13 In In Brighton: Brighton: November 15-18 In In London: London:

Jim and Brian will be available for appointments, and for initiations for those who have been approved. To schedule appointments with Jim or Brian please call Nanna Brinker at 0207 485 0699. 6

I NNER L IGHT M MINISTRIES CALENDAR PRESENTED BY LAURA KESTEN:

For additional information, call Laura at 512-266-9400 or 512-658-4117 or email: LSKestenB@aol.com.

TORIES UNTOLD: Jim and Brian talk about Loving, Acceptance, and Forgiveness in every talk they give. In STORIES UNTOLD, through our writing, we ﬁrst-handedly get to practice and experience Loving, Acceptance and Forgiveness in the events of our lives, letting go of the past so that we can open more fully to the Divine. As a bonus, the process of writing also prepares us in the present, as well as laying a foundation for the future, keeping us more aligned and in the ﬂow of God’s Loving. These weekends are magical! Try it for one weekend and see for yourself. No experience necessary! You just have to show up!

TEXAS:

JULY 28-29, SEPT 15-16, NOV 10-11 Donation Tom and Laura’s home: 14618 Mansﬁeld Dam Ct., #16, Austin

MICHIGAN:

INTENSIVE JUNE 16-23 Saugatuck $350 AUG 24-26 (GilChrist), OCT 12-14 (Yarrow), NOV 30-DEC 2 (GilChrist)

AUSTIN ILM COMMUNITY MOVIE NIGHTS:

Join Tom and Laura at their new home at Mansﬁeld Dam on the 1 Friday of every month to watch a movie with a spiritual message. If you have a favorite movie that speaks to you, we’ll add it to our list. Come early (6 pm) and have a fresh bowl of homemade soup and slice of Great Earth bread. Movie starts at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcomed. Bring nothing but your beautiful self. No charge. st

JUNE 1, JUNE 29, AUG 3, SEPT 7, OCT 12 (2nd Friday), NOV 2, DEC 7 (ILM Calendar continues on next page)

ILM.org — the INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES Website

You don’t have to be in Austin to attend the Sunday classes! ILM.org ILM.org is is being being offered offered to to share share the the basics on ILM, an organization dedicated to teaching The Path of Sound Sound and and Light, Light, and and to to enable enable everyone everyone interested interested to to purchase purchase ILM ILM books, books, tapes tapes and and CDs CDs online. online. It It is is now now simpler simpler and and faster faster to to gain gain access access to: to: ** Audio Audio versions versions of of ILM’s ILM’s weekly weekly Sunday Sunday Morning Morning Classes Classes in in Austin, Austin, Texas Texas ** All past and present ILM Newsletters All past and present ILM Newsletters ** Information Information on on ILM ILM Initiation Initiation into into The The Path Path of of Sound Sound and and Light Light ** Online Online registration registration for for some some ILM ILM workshops workshops and and retreats retreats

There is also a special section for ILM Initiates Only.

AND ... you can now download the talks from the audio section. Some of the recent talks in the audio section that you can listen to are: “Resurrection Through Meditation” “Bowing To The Divinity In You” “Know Yourself As GOD Knows You” “Greater Journey Into Simplicity” Check out our recently updated http://www.ILM.org today! 7

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 our 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

COMMUNITY NIGHT:

More fun community nights are on their way! Please RSVP a week

ahead so we can plan appropriately.

MUSIC NIGHT! 7 pm Steven and Anita’s home

JUNE 19, AUG 2, SEPT 1

Ft. Wayne

No charge

S :” The following events are open only to those already enrolled in this year-long I program. For information about our year-long groups, please contact Steven. “

NNER

TUDIES

WORKSHOPS:

JUNE 3, JULY 1, AUG 5, SEPT 2 SEPT 27-30

“

2:30-5:30 pm

Brigade of Light, Fort Wayne

Donation

Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park Angola, Ind.

cost TBA

RETREAT:

ESUS – TEACHER OF THE INNER WAY:” The morning session will present the perspective that Jesus was teaching an inner, meditative path to God. We will look at both Biblical and non-canonical texts that support this view. In the afternoon session, we will explore the inner teachings in more depth and will have a question and answer session. Lunch will be provided. No advance registration is necessary.

JUNE 10

“

11 am-4 pm

Lakeshore Interfaith Institute

Ganges, Mich.

Donation

ESUS AND JAMES - THE UNTOLD STORY” RETREAT: This retreat will focus on the ministry of Jesus and his brother James who became his successor after his death. We will share historical information about the real role of James in the early “Christian church,” and show textural indications that they were both spiritual teachers of the Path of Sound and Light.

JUNE 28-JULY 1 Thurs. 6 pm-Sun. 10 am

Seasons, Fetzer Institute Kalamazoo, Mich. $225/person

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

ERVICES

The following are presently scheduled. JUNE 3, AUG 5 & 19

11 am

Brigade of Light

Ft. Wayne

Donation

Note: Please be aware that new programs are often scheduled after this calendar goes to press, and, in rare instances, published schedules may have to be altered. For current information on any event or series, please call the presenter or contact person listed with the program. Thank you. 8

(Calendar continues on next page)

I NNER L IGHT M MINISTRIES CALENDAR •

Community ILM Seminars and Events Worldwide ILM ACTIVITIES in KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN:

For the months of June, July and August we will meet on the following reduced schedule. 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.

G : This group supports our spiritual growth with a short meditation, and the study of ILM S books, CD’s or tapes. Come join us for an enriching experience of growing in our loving. TUDY

ROUP

1st Tuesdays

6:15–8:15 pm

Judy Richards, 4715 Thistle Mill Ct., Kalamazoo

No charge

OVIE NIGHT: Fun, enjoyable evenings with ILM friends, watching favorite movies having a spiritual message. Welcome all — yourself, friends and family members!

3rd Tuesdays

•

6:15 – 8:15 pm

Judy Richards, 4715 Thistle Mill Ct.

No charge

ILM MID-WEEK SEMINAR in AUSTIN: Please contact Randy Bass at 512-569-1992 in advance before coming.

A midweek tape seminar is being created in Austin, Texas for those who are APE SEMINARS: unable to participate in Jim and Brian’s regular Sunday classes. The format will be the same as on Sundays, although the meditation and talk will be on CD. Please call in advance — even if it’s just an hour or two before. Wednesdays

7-8:30 pm

ILM Center, Franklin Sq. Bldg, 3724 Jefferson, Ste. 100

No charge

ILM SEMINAR in LOS ANGELES: Please contact Victoria Eng at 310-980-2224 to RSVP before coming.

•

The focus of each evening is on spiritual awakening, and on supporting one APE SEMINARS: another in experiencing and sharing greater Loving within ourselves and with others. Beginning in September these seminars will be held every other Wednesday at 6 pm at Victoria and Willard Eng’s home in Beverlywood. Please call for exact dates. 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 from 6-7:30 pm in Manoa Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii Bring friends ... newcomers are welcome. No charge.

ILM SEMINAR in LONDON, ENGLAND:

•

Please contact Nanna Brinker at 0207 485 0699 for directions.

APE SEMINARS: Each evening will consist of a short meditation and the listening to a CD or tape by Jim Gordon and Brian Yeakey. Join us in sharing the path of Loving and awakening into Spirit. All are welcome. Our ILM seminars are at 42A Montpelier Grove, London NW5, on the following dates.

Sundays 4 pm JUNE 10 & 24, JULY 15, AUG 5 & 26, SEPT 16, OCT 7 & 28, NOV 18 No charge 9

ILM Meditation and Talk On CD

NOW ON CD – WHAT

SEPARATES US FROM OUR LOVING Excerpt:

n this process of Loving the one thing that we want to open up to is receiving ... allowing in ... allowing the Loving in, so the Soul can love us and we can receive it. The Soul is a great giver, and the Soul wants to give us Love. The Soul wants us to be in Loving, all the time, and to express that Loving through all these vehicles, including this physical body. Because remember: this body is not you. This is an instrument that you’re using. And so, in the giving and the receiving, the Soul is ever wanting to give more Love through all levels of creation, so that it can fulfill and fill itself with Loving. And at the same time it is looking to receive from its creations Love. It’s looking for the body to acknowledge and love the Soul, its Creator. It’s looking for the emotions to love the Soul. It’s looking for the mind to acknowledge and love its Creator. And it is in that giving and receiving that we begin to find the Oneness on all levels. – Jim Gordon

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 7). 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 10

New ILM Meditation and Talks On CD

THIS CD IS NOW AVAILABLE:

Excerpt from THE LIVING LOVING ESSENCE:

I n that divine flow there is nothing you have to do, there is nothing you have to be, there is nowhere you have to go, because you already are. In the divine “is-ness” you are there now. And in that is-ness there is nothing for you to be, or do, or go and accomplish, but rather just be in the flow of Loving; let yourself be in that flow as one with God.

THIS CD IS NOW AVAILABLE:

– Jim Gordon

Excerpt from TO BE OR NOT TO BE:

THIS CD WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON:

he question is: “To be, or not to be.” That is the question. And in truth that is the question that we are all here contemplating in life ... To be or not to be? Rumi put it this way: “Wake up. Wake up and don’t go back to sleep.” It’s the exact same statement. It’s wake up — “be.” Or go back to sleep — “not to be.” And the question is ... what are you choosing to do? Are you choosing to wake up? Are you choosing to be present? Are you choosing to look inward and upward towards the Lord? Or are you choosing to look downward? Choosing to go to sleep? Choosing to be a part of this creation, and live in separation from the truth of that Beingness that we can wake up into if we choose to? – Jim Gordon Excerpt from LOVING WHO YOU ARE:

o know thyself: to claim, to acknowledge the Divine within. And the more you claim and acknowledge that, the more the power awakens, the more is revealed to you, and the more you know that. And the more you know that, the more you choose. So simply keep choosing, and in the choosing it’ll continue to awaken. It’s a very simple process of you choosing and then allowing that choice to come back to you. You loving God and allowing God to love you. You choosing God and allowing God to choose you. It’s a very simple process. It’s the circle of Loving. – Brian Yeakey

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 787164332. Or you can go to our website ILM.org to order (see page 7). 11

CRUCIFIXION, RESURRECTION ASCENSION

During this past Easter Sunday’s ILM Class in Austin, Texas, several questions were asked about the ministry of Jesus. Here are Jim Gordon’s in-class answers.

soul” (motioning to the “spiritual eye center” between the eyebrows), to wake up and know ourselves as soul, and then to resurrect ourselves out of this tomb that is the physical body … to rise up and out of this tomb in the spiritual body and to go up and experience God’s Loving, the Loving that is everything. And also to die the little death daily so that when the greater death does come, the death of the physical body, we do not know its sting. It’s for us to do what Jesus did, every day in meditation.

o spiritual teacher takes on all the sins of all the world. He handles the karmic debt of his disciples — he assists that process through the Grace of the Holy Spirit for the karmic debt to be freed so that the disciple can then begin to have true spiritual experiences in meditation. The teacher does this so the disciples can begin to know that the Path of Sound and Light is true, and to truly live it. This can be hard to hear for people who have been raised as Christians, that Jesus wasn’t the only son of God. We are all children of God.

So that is the key — to die that little death in meditation, to leave the physical form for that moment, to rise up into the realms of spirit, to connect back into the Source of who we truly are as Soul, to let our soul go back and connect back into the Divine where we came from, and then to be able to bring our soul back down here and live through the day. Die the little death daily means meditate daily, separate from this physical consciousness daily, wake up and know ourselves as Soul, and then go back into the Father. That’s the resurrection: we resurrect ourselves, we bring the soul consciousness back to the seat of the soul, and then the soul can go home to God even while we’re in the physical body.

Jesus was an example of one who has come awake to who he is as a child of God. And Jesus said, “The works that I do you shall do also; and greater works than these shall you do.” It’s for each of us to wake up, for each of us to know that we are a child of God, and that we are here to come into the knowing of that and to live that more fully. Jesus was a great demonstration, because the moment he took his ﬁrst breath, and all throughout his life, he demonstrated what it was to walk as a soul in the physical world, and to live in the loving with God in all the world. And so his life is a great demonstration for us all to follow.

Then there is the “cave” that they placed the body of Jesus in. That cave is a symbol of this ‘cave’ right here (motioning to the spiritual eye center again): just as they placed the dead body of Jesus in that cave, in our meditation we go back into this cave. We raise ourselves up, in attention and loving, to here (motioning again between the eyebrows), and we draw all that is soul back here, above the mind, above the physical elements, and we resurrect ourselves, we wake back up as Soul. So what did Jesus really do? He went into his ‘cave’ and he resurrected himself. He raised himself above all the physical elements and brought himself to life. Likewise, in meditation we have to wake up. We have to bring ourselves back to life: out of the ‘death’ of being stuck in the physical body, into life. And so that’s the resurrection.

And the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus are symbols of the spiritual journey of the soul, of each of our souls. The soul, from the moment it comes into the physical form and takes that first breath, also takes up the mind. And the mind is the “crucifier.” That’s the crucifixion: the mind wraps around the soul and the soul is trapped here; the soul is crucified on this physical form. And so it’s for us to die to the physical form, to “Die the little death daily,” as the Apostle Paul said it. To die daily to this physical form means to rise upward in meditation above the mind back to the “seat of the 12

(ASCENSION continues on page 15)

E NTHUSIASM by Laura Kesten, ILM Minister

I looked to my own life to review the areas where I feel a passionate interest or an eagerness to do something. What I discovered is that I am enthusiastic about a lot of things in my life, and I found enthusiasm in places where I didn’t think I would.

ne day this past spring I was with a group of women who were having lunch together. One of the women was so enthusiastic about the taste of her salad that she began separating the different ingredients of the salad to identify each one. Lettuces went to one side, feta cheese to the other, cranberries were separated from the dried cherries, sunﬂower seeds separated from the candied walnuts, etc. She then tasted each individually. Not being able to decipher one of the ingredients, she passed several pieces of it around the circle of women and each woman either looked, smelled or tasted it. When we couldn’t agree on what the missing ingredient was, she scooped it up with her spoon, walked to the door that separated the cooks and staff from the restaurant patrons, and knocked. When someone greeted her at the door, she asked for the identiﬁcation of the ingredient resting in her spoon. The young wait-person informed the woman of the ingredient’s identity, then, intrigued, walked back to the table with her, and proceeded to give all of us a complete listing of the salad’s ingredients and the method by which each of them had been prepared.

I might not have thought that I lived my life with enthusiasm had I not read between the lines and looked at the things I do everyday, sometimes even by rote. I actually love to shower and brush my teeth — who’d have thought! I look forward every day to having my first cup of coffee with my husband on our deck as we greet the morning. And I have boundless enthusiasm for my ‘fun things’: playing with our three dogs, shopping with my daughter, painting, writing and dancing. I even find enthusiasm while feeling irritation with myself or someone else as I work through the challenge of lovingly bringing myself back into balance. This may sound surprising to some, but I have also found enthusiasm every day while in meditation. Every time I repeat the Names of God in my meditation, or remind myself, “God first, God only,” I am living enthusiasm. And during the day when I talk about Spirit — it’s easy to generate enthusiasm doing that, isn’t it?

Observing all this, I was tickled by my dining companion’s enthusiasm. I thought that I would never have considered going to such lengths over a salad. I ﬁgured that I either liked the salad or I didn’t like the salad; I either ate it or didn’t eat it. Where had this woman learned to be so enthusiastic that even a salad could stir this sincere enthusiasm in her?

And, even as I write this article about enthusiasm, I’m experiencing it! Living in enthusiasm is about making a choice to be present, it’s about being conscious in each breath, it’s about engaging the moment and fully participating in it. And it’s from our enthusiasm that we get the energy, the ‘fuel’, we need for all the other spiritually-focusing practices: loving, acceptance, and forgiveness. Once we are fueled with enthusiasm, then instead of seeing people’s faults, we can practice loving the greatness in all things; instead of being in judgment, we can practice acceptance; instead of being in blame, we can practice forgiveness.

Then I looked around our table once more, and I realized that her enthusiasm even extended beyond herself; it had stirred in others as well as she engaged us into her process; we all, in turn, enthusiastically began participating with her. What does it mean to have enthusiasm? The dictionary’s deﬁnition of enthusiasm is: passionate interest in or eagerness to do something. 13

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SURROUNDED

BY LOVING

by Steven McAfee, ILM Minister do we. Our souls are so completely enfolded in the loving of God that we would be amazed if we could really see Who is watching over us. But we rarely do see it, because our attention is so focused upon climbing our stairs.

ecently I went on a walk with my three year old grandson, Jayden. As I was walking just a step behind him, he tripped over a small bump in the sidewalk and fell. He got up, brushed off his hands, turned around, looked me in the eye, and said in his little boy voice, “You posta be watchin’ out fer me.” Of course, it tugged at my heart. But I knew I had been watching out for him. I had stopped him from running across the street to see the neighbor’s dog, just as a car was driving down the street. I had caught him before he fell off the tall slide at the playground. And I was being attentive to his safety as we walked. But he noticed the little bump and was mildly annoyed. I know he was mildly annoyed because, although I am a long way from being three, I still have the same tone in my voice when I get annoyed with the bumps God lets me encounter in my walk through life. And I have that same attitude: “You’re supposed to be watching out for me!” I miss all those things from which God’s Grace has saved me, and so I complain about the bump I get on my knee as Spirit helps me avoid the huge crater I was about to fall into.

Beyond mastering motor coordination, Gavin and Jayden are learning other life lessons: lessons about choice and consequence, lessons about getting and not getting what they want, lessons about freedom and limitation. Some of the lessons they enjoy, some they dislike. But through them all, they are loved. And, knowing some of the painful lessons that await them as they grow, we would love to be able to shield them, to protect them, and to prevent them from having to go through such experiences. But we cannot. It is part of the nature of life here in these physical bodies, and it goes with the territory. And this physical realm is, after all, the very territory our soul wanted to explore and come to know for itself through having its own direct experience here. And so, we cannot avoid the pleasure-pain duality that exists in these lower realms while we dwell in these bodies. None of us will live a life without any incidence of illness or sorrow or loss. But neither will any of us live a life devoid of any moment of kindness, or happiness, or pleasure. And through it all, we are loved.

Our other grandson Gavin, who is only nine months old, is busy learning how to walk. In doing so, he started out by taking our hand and having us support him as he walked. Gradually he needed our hand less and less. And, as he began walking more on his own, he fell down. A lot. Now, he walks more and falls less. But what if we had never let him fall? Would he ever have walked? Similarly, in growing into the fulﬁllment of ourselves as Divine Creators, we too must learn how to create responsibly, which we learn by sometimes creating very irresponsibly and then bearing the consequences that go with it. Slowly, we learn to be more loving and skillful creators.

Jayden and Gavin are growing up surrounded by loving, though at the moment they are not able to realize it or grasp it fully. The same is true of most of us. We expect God to always give us what we want, and to never let us suffer any injury, inconvenience or inadequacy. We expect that getting our way is what brings us joy. We get angry or fearful or feel betrayed when we think God has let us down. What we cannot see is the fullness that awaits us as we grow. Gavin is delighted that he can take some steps on his own. But he has no idea what that will really mean to him — the ability to walk — throughout his life and all the places it will take him. His parents know. In addition, Jayden and Gavin by now both realize that they sometimes

Gavin has now taken to climbing stairs. Not walking up, but crawling up. One of us always goes up right behind him. He does not see us, but we are there. He has no clue how protected he really is. And, neither 14

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ASCENSION (continued from page 12)

me alone. Do not touch me. Do not tempt me. I am ascending back to the Father.” So he is, in a sense, stating the action of detachment — and likewise we are to detach ourselves from this world, not involve ourselves in it. “Be in this world but not of it,” Jesus said, so we can continue this ascension practice of meditation, of waking up into God and ascending back Home from which we came.

by Jim Gordon

And the next phase after that is the ascension: once we have gone inside in meditation, then we look upward. We look upward from this ‘door of our inner cave’: we look up into the realms of spirit, up to God, and we literally ascend. Then the journey is the ascension process of going back home to God. As long as we are in the physical form and we are doing this practice of meditation, then we’re doing the action of ascension. When Jesus had resurrected he said, “World, leave

And then when we take our last breath, there’s nothing here to hold on to us, or for us to ﬁgure out or to look back to. We just ascend, we just go back to God — for good.

ENTHUSIASM

(continued from page 13)

by Laura Kesten

Enthusiasm isn’t something to wait for to come into our lives. It’s right here, as close as our noses. We have the choice to be in enthusiasm in each and every moment, in each and every breath. When we choose enthusiasm, we ﬁnd that we have tapped into the ‘fuel’ we need for everything as we travel on our journey home to God.

We all listen to and say, “Oh yeah,” to our spiritual teachers who teach and guide us along the spiritual path, but unless we choose to step into this moment with joy and enthusiasm, we will just shufﬂe our feet along the path.

SURROUNDED (continued from page 14)

loving that guides them, and the loving that sustains them. Right now they associate that loving with their parents and with us, their grandparents. But one day the time will come when they realize that the loving in which they live, the loving that rises up within them and makes laughter bubble out of them, the loving that keeps them safe — all that loving, the seen and the unseen, has always been none other than God’s Loving. We are each a child of God, and growing into an awareness of His Loving is the journey on which we are all walking.

by Steven McAfee

do things that delight others and sometimes do things that upset others. They are beginning to experience duality: “success” and “failure,” being “good” and being “naughty,” things that are “permitted” and things that are “forbidden.” They are encountering the world they came here to encounter. But within, beneath, and behind it all, there is the loving that created them, the

Initiation “Initiation is about the salvation of your own soul. It’s about you ﬁnding that pathway by which you can walk daily, in Loving, in centeredness, in focus, to the Divine that you are, and living from there.” – Jim Gordon

NNER LIGHT IGHT MINISTRIES 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. 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:

Check out ILM.org for ILM CDs, tapes and books.

(See page 7 for more information.)

Main Office: Jim Gordon, Brian Yeakey, P.O. Box 164332, Austin, TX 78716-4332; Financial Office: Tom Beaver, 14618 Mansfield Dam Ct., #16, Austin, TX; Midwest Office: Steven McAfee, P.O. Box 5139, Fort Wayne, IN 46895

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