2004-03-14. Stillness
SE Idaho #82
Topic: Stillness
Group: SE Idaho TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Daniel
TR: Nancy
Session
Opening
Nancy: This is Nancy, I will pray. Thank you for the opportunity to be together, to learn, and to grow. Thank you for the Eternity before us, that we may not achieve perfection today, or even tomorrow, or even in a millennium. Amen
Daniel (Nancy): Greetings, my friends, and students. I am Daniel, your faithful bringer of tidings, of great satisfaction, in my relationship to each of you. As I relate to you week after week, I smile with the joy of the great affection that I feel, for each of you. You continue to delight me. My role as your facilitator, friend, teacher, and guide continues to delight me. I bubble with pleasure in this assignment.
I have, in no way, grown weary, or bored, or restless, yearning for new adventures, NO! My place is here with you and will continue to be so, for the visible future. The idea is, I am not going anywhere and neither are you.
Lesson
Today I wish to introduce a new format. The smaller size of this group may assist in this experimental design, by being more casual, more intimate; instead of a lesson followed by questions, or alternatively a lesson that is the result of us questioning you, how about a lesson that begins with your questions, with your choosing the topic. Please take a few moments/minutes to reflect within, from a receptive place, a guided place, bring forth your questions. We wish for this to be a fully participatory format. To achieve that result, our wish is that after you have all had the opportunity to reflect, that you each put forth your current thoughts, concerns, and then we will create a lesson in response. Please ! avail yourself of the stillness, and search for that topic. As you become aware of that which you wish to ask, would you please feel free to lay-it-out there.
Ken: Do I understand you correctly, to say, that we should all speak and then you will develop a lesson plan on what we all say.
Daniel: Yes.
Ken: Thank you
Dialogue
Daniel: Is there anyone with a thought ready to begin a discussion?
Ken: Yes, Daniel. You told us to use this stillness, and that is my thought, is this stillness I go into. I am not aware of the presence of this, and I would like to be more aware, to know when I am in the presence, of the Father, or I am in the stillness. I can picture certain events, or certain things, in my mind, my imagination. I think you would tell me to practice, more and more. That is one of my thoughts, this “art” of stillness, receptivity.
Daniel: Kenneth, thank you. I will not just tell you to practice but I will wait for others to share first.
Virginia: Daniel, I have been listening to the tapes, of the last year of Jesus, and today, while I was working around the house, it was on the Resurrection of Lazarus. It says that it’s possible that He purposely waited until He could, indeed, raise him from the dead, to give the enemies, his enemies, a chance to really believe. I am just amazed that the resurrection of Lazarus did not change those hearts, but actually hardened them; I think that was the word used. I know that we as human beings defend our positions sometimes. At times I just burst out giggling when the Apostles have seemed so human, just like me. I guess, I’m just astounded that we have so much evidence, in our lives, for God; and y! et, there are those who still do not realize the presence in their lives, or acknowledge His presence.
Daniel: Thank you Virginia. You have pointed to the common element, an element common to mortal beings, across the universes of time and space; that is much more pronounced in individuals from planets of rebellion, this defensiveness, as you stated.
I now have two topics to weave, stillness and mortality. Let us pursue further your thoughts. Martie, Pat, will you share, please.
Pat: Well, I think stillness certainly is on my mind. I have been discouraged and somewhat defensive or maybe, I should just say “cranky” because I am not being successful. Also, some of the lessons I have been reading lately, is to try and live in the moment; and be in the presence of the Father. I find that quite difficult, most days.
Daniel: Thank you, my dear for sharing so personally and intimately and for overtly connecting the two themes that are of interest this evening. I look forward to my attempt to address these concerns, but I pause for one more piece of information.
Martie: This sounds like a copycat, but mine would have to be the stillness too. I never thought about it as cranky. I always thought about it as I was not doing something right, maybe cranky is a good term (laughing). I still struggle with it too, I just think I haven’t put enough effort into it, or something. You get frustrated with it after so long, when you are not successful, and so sometimes then I think you are fighting against yourself. So, I have to vote for stillness too.
Daniel: Martie, thank you. Thank you all for your thoughts and revelation of yourselves in the issues brought forth. I pause again, and will share with you PamElla’s thought, before proceeding. Her initial thought was balance, followed by “ah”, but the answer is the stillness.
So I believe the theme for today’s lesson is the interweaving of the mortal human being, the animal nature, with the spiritual nature. How does one achieve that which Michael, in the person of Jesus, accomplished in such a short time?
Lesson
The stillness has been our topic in many nuanced ways for these many years, since the beginning of our time together. The stillness is where, as you know, you connect to God. What I wish to emphasize at this moment, is that lack of clarity does not mean lack of success. Your crankiness is understood. It is part of the natural, human makeup, to feel frustrated.
To understand the stillness, to experience the stillness, think of that which brings you the sense (of) calm, and peace. This could be an evening walk where you hear the distant sounds of dogs barking, or birds settling in for the night. You smell freshly cut grass, you see the change and play of light, shadows lengthening, the sky turns pink, and so forth. What I am describing is your animal views of your senses; and yet you are using them without a particular purpose. You are not seeing in order to read print to gain knowledge, you are not smelling to detect whether food is good or bad, you are not listening to a barrage of information, rather, instead of using your senses to take in information, there is a sense of expansiveness, of not using your senses, of being. In that time there is a calm, this is stillness. Some individuals experience a sense of oneness with God’s creation through physical activities, such as skiing. They stand at the top of the mountain, they smell the air, they feel the rush of the wind, they move with the mountain. Again, there is that sense of being in the moment. Certainly not all skiers would have this, if one is planning their route, fearing the slope etc., that is not there. So, stillness is an attitude of openness. To be receptive means to be open.
There is a difference between stillness and communication with teachers, such as I. Early on we talked of genetic makeup that makes it more difficult for some, than for others, or the reverse makes it easier for some, than others, to make this type of contact. However, this does not mean that the guidance, love, direction, and knowledge of the Father are not occurring.
Virginia, you commented on the hearts that were hardened, rather than softened by the raising of Lazarus; and this indeed points to the desire of many mortals, and to a lesser extent many other beings, to be right. This is ego! But, this is ego that has not been developed in an environment where knowledge of the spirit created a proper balance, from the early years. One of the sorrows resulting from the rebellion, is the distortions that were impressed upon the developing egos, that incorrectly believed that to survive, they must be right, to admit error is to die. That is the feeling of the ego.
This attitude, this need to be right, is the survival mechanism that has purpose, and yet the distortions are so strong, that the mechanism has the opposite result of that which was intended. That is the irony of the situation. This need to be right is sadly common to your world. It is incredibly difficult for people to admit error, to acknowledge error, even to themselves. Sadly, there is often a sense of shame, and the shame is so debilitating that it feels often to the individual that they will surely perish. The correction for this sad state of affairs, is what we are here to do through the Correcting Time, to remove the shame, to assist mortal children, to be comfortable in achieving larger understandings, and sometimes understandings opposite of those opinions they once held. We wish to assist in understanding that error is a natural part of an evolving universe. That you are all infants, in the scheme of things, and through time, and many changes, greater understanding and perfection is achieved.
The key in achieving this transition from a planetary culture steeped in shame, and the need to be right, is communion with spirit that occurs through stillness. So, to return directly to the concept (of) stillness, if the meditation style of stillness is not working for you, find that style which does, working in the garden, taking the walk, sitting with a friend in need. All that is asked for is an internal listening.
I am positive that my words have not fully, or even marginally perhaps, addressed the thoughts expressed tonight, and so I will now open the floor to more specific questions, that I may assist more personally.
Dialogue
Virginia: Daniel, I really thank you for the expression, they have to be right, so they could not acknowledge the miracle that Jesus did, in the raising of Lazarus. That makes perfect sense to me, because we can be so blind by trying to be right, instead of seeing reality as it is. As far as silence and meditation, and getting rid of this mortal life, I keep thinking of God’s promises that spirituality happens unconsciously, and that things are happening whether or not we feel they are, and that’s what I would love to believe more than I feel. I hang on to the promise that most of our growth is unconscious.
Daniel: Yes, Virginia, thank you for that. That is the point I was alluding to.
Martie: One question I have, if there is an answer to it, I don’t know whether there is or not, is when I am trying to listen for Cora, or You, or who ever might be out there, my mind tends to wander, so I try to keep bringing it back to a focus point, but I sometimes wonder if I am focusing so hard, on not letting my mind wander, that I am blocking out anyone that is there.
Daniel: Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, this is partly it. There is another aspect, and that is, that when the “knock” comes it must be responded to quickly. It is a risk on the part of the mortal, it can feel like you are standing at the top of the highest platform above a pool, far, far below, such as at Lava Hot Springs, for those of you who are familiar with this. The words are not necessarily heard clearly until one takes the risk of repeating it, either by writing, or speaking aloud, or reforming it in your mind.
The game that Cora has played with you in the past, is actually a very good one to enable communication. To start off by saying, I am no longer listening for the teacher, but if I were listening for a teacher, what do I think the teacher would be saying? And start to write, or start to speak. Do not wait for bells to ring, for they do not. Take that first leap! Be willing to be wrong, be willing to have error, write it out, and only later read it, and see what you think. Do it again tomorrow, and read it and see what you think. Do it the next day, and after you have a month’s worth, then will you be in a position to dis! cern whether you have had contact or not. Or, if you are of the speaking style, talk for awhile with the microphone going, and transcribe it, and the next day talk for awhile, with the microphone going, and then transcribe it, and only with time may you see the reality, or alternatively, if you take that jump and you begin those words, the reality of the experience overwhelms you.
PamElla can attest to both versions of not trusting what was coming forth, and in retrospect seeing the otherness. Also, she has had the experience of being terrified to begin, of even getting out two, or three, or four sentences and being frightened to go on, and then finally taking the leap of opening and knowing the correctness of it; the “ah-ha” of this is not my thought.
Martie, my dear, is this helpful?
Martie: Yes and no, it probably is a fear because I keep thinking it’s myself, at least part of the time, my own imagination rather than Cora or you.
Daniel: And that is normal, and that is okay, even if it is your imagination, but you see, in this game, you let it be. Do not wait for the otherness to be apparent, but you say, “um, today I am going to play my make believe game: I am going to make believe I am Cora and I am going to see what I would say if I were being Cora.” Do you see?
(Group laughing and comments, Yes)
My friends, I am filled with such affection, it over comes me. [Ed. The TR is very sensitive to Daniels feelings.]
Pat, Ken, further comments or questions? How can I address your particular point?
Ken: You did a pretty good job Daniel. You filled my plate, again and again. Thank you.
Daniel: You are most welcome.
Closing
Then, my friends, if it is mutually agreed, that the plate is full, shall we stand… is there any other thought?
Father, I stand among these precious children of Yours, and I ask that they have peace, and the trust, and the faith, that comes from knowing You. Be with them this next week as they find You in the way that suits them best. Amen.
