The TAT Forum: a spiritual magazine of essays, poems and humor.



TAT Forum

July 2022


TAT August Gathering: Meditation & the Path Within. August 19-21, 2022.

August spiritual retreat details
 

Contents


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Convictions & Concerns

TAT members share their personal convictions and/or concerns


Acceptance

scenic path

Yesterday [at a group retreat at the TAT Center] I took a walk, and the path was covered with leaves. I thought about how I don’t know where I am on my spiritual path, or if I’m even on one. There was a tree root protruding from the ground, splitting the leaves like Moses in the sea. Below the root I could see the ground, where the path was: tracing my roots back to see where I was going and where I came from. Other metaphors came to mind during the walk: at one point, I saw the TAT Center, the place where I (physically) came from and wanted to get back to. I thought I saw a shortcut, but I ended up taking the long way. When I realized this, the thought arose that what I wanted was to complete my walk, not just finish it.

What do I really, really want? If I don’t know that, ANYTHING I do to try and get it will only be helpful by coincidence. I need to improve those odds. But how?

See the complete article.

quill icon

~ Thanks to Brett S., who is working on a book about becoming a spiritual seeker. Photo from pixabay.com. Please email Reader Commentary to the .

 

TAT Foundation News

It's all about "ladder work" – helping and being helped

Richard Rose, the founder of the TAT Foundation, spent his life searching for the Truth, finding it, and helping others to find their Way. Although not well known to the public, he touched the lives of thousands of spiritual seekers through his books and lectures and through personal contacts with local study groups that continue to work with his teachings today. He felt strongly that helping others generates help for ourselves as well in our climb up the ladder to the golden find beyond the mind.


Call To Action For TAT Forum Readers

With the intention of increasing awareness of TAT's meetings, books, and Forum among younger serious seekers, the TAT Foundation is now on Instagram.

You can help! A volunteer is producing shareable text-quote and video content of Richard Rose and TAT-adjacent teachers. We need your suggestions for short, provocative 1-3 sentence quotes or 1 minute or less video clips of people like Rose, Art Ticknor, Bob Fergeson, Tess Hughes, Bob Cergol, Bart Marshall, Shawn Nevins, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Paul Rezendes, Paul Constant, & other favorites. (An example here is selected by the TAT member who volunteers to oversee the Instagram account.)

Please send favorite inspiring/irritating quotes—from books you have by those authors, from the TAT Forum, or any other place—to . If you have favorite parts of longer videos (ex: from a talk at a past TAT meeting), please email a link to the video and a timestamp.

Thank you!



Project: Beyond Mind, Beyond Death II

BMBD cover image TAT Press's Beyond Mind, Beyond Death (BMBD), published in 2008, covers selections from the first seven years of the TAT Forum, from November 2000 to December 2007.

We've had 14 additional years of monthly TAT Forum issues since then. And we're getting ready to launch a project to solicit recommendations from all readers for a 2nd volume of BMBD from the seven years of monthly issues spanning January 2008 to December 2014.

Our approach will be to have a brief, interactive survey each week for participants to rate the items in one issue of the Forum for inclusion in volume II. That will take about 20 months, during which time volunteer co-editors Abhay D. and Michael R. will arrange the selections into chapters and organize the book's contents. Within 2 years BMBD II should be available in paperback and e-book formats.

Your participation to any extent practical for you will help the best formulation of Beyond Mind, Beyond Death II. If you haven't opted-in for participation notices, you can sign up at BMBD_II.htm, where you also can find links to all active surveys.



TAT Foundation Press's latest publication

Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System

The latest book from the TAT Foundation Press, Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System, is now available in print on Amazon.com. Mike G. and Shawn N. combined their experience with Rose's teachings to create this introduction to Rose's work. Passages highlights the tools and techniques for self-realization that Rose recommended. It is a concise yet deep plunge into these valuable spiritual teachings.

Please add your review to the Amazon listing. It makes a difference!



Random rotation of
TAT Foundation Books & Videos


2022 TAT Meeting Calendar

February Virtual Gathering: Saturday, February 5, 2022
April Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, April 8-10, 2022
June Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, June 10-12, 2022
* August Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, August 19-21, 2022 *
November Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, November 11-13, 2022


See the August spiritual retreat details page for details and registration. Comments or questions? Please email .


The following video recordings of presentations from a previous April TAT meeting are available, along with many other presentations by Richard Rose and TAT presenters, on TAT's YouTube channel and other sources:

Meet Richard Rose is a 34-minute audio recording of an audiovisual presentation by Michael Whitely at the August 2017 TAT meeting that explores the arc of Richard Rose's life as seeker, finder, family man, and teacher. There are many additional audio recordings by TAT presenters along with Meet Richard Rose in the audio recordings section of the TAT Foundation website.

Downloadable/rental versions of the Mister Rose video and of TAT talks from a different April TAT gathering from the one above, on the theme of Remembering Your True Desire, are now available.


door on TAT Community Building 2010

See TAT's Facebook page.
Photo of TAT's open door by Phil Franta.


TAT's YouTube Channel

Have you seen the TAT Foundation's YouTube channel? Subscribe now for spiritual inspiration (and irritation)!

Volunteers have been updating the channel with hours of new content! They've also curated some great playlists of talks by Richard Rose, teacher talks from recent & not so recent TAT meetings, episodes of the Journals of Spiritual Discovery podcast, and other great TAT related videos from around the internet.

Featuring: Richard Rose, Bob Cergol, Shawn Nevins, Bob Fergeson, Mike Conners, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Bart Marshall, Paul Rezendes, Tess Hughes, Art Ticknor, Howdie Mickoski, Shawn Pethel and other speakers.

This month's video is a collection of excerpts by Gábor Hényel from Richard Rose lectures (part 1).




Local Group News

Groups with new updates are featured below. Link here for a complete listing of local groups.

Update for the Online Self-Inquiry Book Club:
The book club is meeting weekly on Sundays to discuss previous TAT Forums as they are the focus for the Beyond Mind Beyond Death II project. It’s also meeting monthly on Richard Rose'sPsychology of the Observer: The Path to Reality Through the Self by John Kent and will sync up with the new ProBoard book club discussion board on the Kent publication. Upcoming meeting schedule:
> July 3: John Kent Thesis Chapter 11: Sexuality and the Transmutation of Energy
> July 10: February 2011 TAT Forum
> July 17: March 2011 TAT Forum
> July 24: John Kent Thesis Chapter 12: Betweenness, Direct-Mind, and the Psychology of Miracles
> July 31: April 2011 TAT Forum
~ For more information on book club participation, see the meeting website (link above). TAT Forum readers are welcome to drop in any time (invitation to Sunday meetings—this is a new link we're trying this month).


gold separator orn

Update from the Pittsburgh, PA self-inquiry group:
- Sun, July 3: John Kent's Dissertation, Ch 11: "Sexuality and the Transmutation of Energy" (can be downloaded here: https://www.searchwithin.org/johnkent/Chapter_11.html); Dan Garmat Host, every Sunday 3:15pm ET @ this new address
=> Online group confrontation and individual contributions every Wednesday, 8:00 pm via Zoom:
- Wed, July 6: Peace Pilgrim - Her message is that we are taken care of, and that "I will remain a wanderer."
- Wed, July 13: Lenny will host "Thoughts About States Of Mind, Attitudes & Beliefs"
- Wed, July 20: "Do free-will or our values determine our decisions?"
- Sun, July 24: John Kent's Dissertation, Ch 12: "Betweenness, Direct-Mind, and the Psychology of Miracles" (can be downloaded here: https://www.searchwithin.org/johnkent/Chapter_10.html); Dan Garmat Host, every Sunday 3:15pm ET @ this new address
- Wed, July 27: Guest Host to be announced
=> All Forum subscribers are welcome to join us. Email to receive weekly topics with preparatory notes and Zoom invitations. Current events are listed on Meetup as Pittsburgh Self-inquiry Group (link above) and on www.pghsig.org.



Members-Only Area

A password-protected section of the website is available for TAT members. (Note that there's an occasional glitch that, when you try to link to the members-only area or a sections within it, you'll get a page-not-found error. If you try the link a second time, it should work.) Contents include:

Latest recordings:

TAT's Novemeber 2021 online gathering, titled What Do You Really, Really Want From Life?: 3.5 hours of selected sessions.

TAT's February 2021 online gathering, titled In Thought, Word and Deed : 2.5 hours of selected sessions.

TAT's August 2019 Workshop was titled Beyond Mindfulness: Meditation and the Path Within and included three guest speakers who each led separate workshops. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

TAT's June 2019 Spiritual Retreat Weekend was titled Between You and the Infinite. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

TAT's April 2019 Spiritual Retreat Weekend was titled Once in a Lifetime is Now. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

Please us if you have questions. (Look here for info on TAT membership.)


Amazon and eBay

Let your Amazon purchases and eBay sales raise money for TAT!

As an Amazon Associate TAT earns from qualifying purchases made through links on our website.

TAT has registered with the eBay Giving Works program. You can list an item there and select TAT to receive a portion of your sale. Or if you use the link and donate 100% of the proceeds to TAT, you won't pay any seller fees when an item sells and eBay will transfer all the funds to TAT for you. Check out our Giving Works page on eBay. Click on the "For sellers" link on the left side of that page for details.


Your Contributions to TAT News

TAT founder Richard Rose believed that working with others accelerates our retreat from untruth. He also felt that such efforts were most effective when applied with discernment, meaning working with others on the rungs of the ladder closest to our own. The TAT News section is for TAT members to communicate about work they've been doing with or for other members and friends. Please your "ladder work" news.

 

Humor {(h)yo͞omər}

"One thing you must be able to do in the midst
of any experience is laugh. And experience
should show you that it isn't real, that it's a
movie. Life doesn't take you seriously, so why
take it seriously." ~ Richard Rose, Carillon

Cellphone Evolution


evolution of the cellphone

*

~ Thanks to boredpanda.com


THE TRUTH


Once Satan and his demon sidekick were walking down the street, closely watching a man 20 yards ahead who was on the verge of realizing the Supreme Truth. The demon grew worried, and began to nudge Satan, but Satan looked quite calm. Sure enough, the man did, in fact, soon realize the deepest spiritual Truth. Yet Satan still did nothing about it. With this, the demon nudged Satan harder and, getting no response, finally blurted out, “Satan! Don’t you see? That man has realized the Truth! And yet you are doing nothing to stop him!” With that, Satan cunningly smiled and announced, “Yes, he has realized the Truth. And now I am going to help him organize the Truth!” (story heard years ago from the Indian sage Jiddu Krishnamurti).

*

~ Thanks to www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html.


Sisyphus on Vacation

~ Thanks to John Atkinson, Wrong Hands wronghands1.com/


We enjoy presenting humor here from TAT members and friends. Please your written or graphic creations. Exact sources are necessary for other submissions, since we need to make sure they're either in the public domain or that we have permission to use them.

 

Inspiration & Irritation

Irritation moves us; inspiration provides a direction


Response to "Everything You Believe is Wrong!"



I think the piece in the June Forum, "Everything You Believe is Wrong!" is well-written, and the topic—questioning beliefs in the relative world, with discussion of Rose and Blavatsky—is a great one. I just think it's important that the authors not over-stretch their claims in a way that could undermine their arguments. I saw at least two places where I think they might've done that....


See the complete response by Brett S.



On Conspiracy Theories


conspiracy theories


I heavily studied conspiracies between 2010 and 2012 and feel I learned a lot about why society falls so far short of what it should be capable of achieving. I'd sum it up as: people obsessed with power do seem to succeed sometimes in reinvesting that power to gain relatively more power for themselves, instead of for some higher principle. There seems to be no natural check on that mechanism in civilizations in general, as there are always more strangers ready to be fooled by sociopaths, and so conspiracies of elites are an endemic force in complex human societies.

If conspiracy reporting is simply relative truth, why did it get so much of my attention for so long? Beyond the bigger question of why is society so screwed up, I see four less conscious reasons....


See the complete response by Dan G.



Black Boxes


black box


As to the recent "Everything You Believe is Wrong!" article, alas, I find the authors hoisted with their own petard, as like those they critique, they have fallen to espousing the "current thing as dictated by the 'news' and calling it your opinion." The latest conspiracy is just a "thing" my friends, and will soon be superseded by some other story.

As they intone the spirit of Richard Rose to support their beliefs, I'll remind the reader that Rose didn't advise searching for truth by merely reading books and articles, and let's add in "alternative" podcasts, websites, videos—all just more forms of consuming someone else's beliefs.

Rose once told me he didn't like "black boxes"—he'd take the black box apart and see what's inside of it. So see for yourself, know for yourself.

Here's another set of useful questions to aim at whatever beliefs you're toting around:
What personal story is your belief supporting?
What "juice" is your little self getting from it?
Does it elevate you above your fellow man?
What does your perception of the outer world say about your inner world?

Lastly, what if these conspiracies are workings of another, more vast conspiracy? A conspiracy of creating conspiracies, a mega-conspiracy, designed to pull us further into the dream? Designed to create conflict, fear, and division. Designed to pull us down the rabbit hole, into yet another illusion.

~ Thanks to Shawn Nevins.


Math Riddle


penny


My 8-year-old daughter recently reminded me of a math riddle I remember from when I was a kid: "Would you rather have a million dollars right now, or one penny doubled every day for 30 days?" The answer seems pretty obvious at first blush—take the million bucks! Who wants a pile of pennies in a month? But the math behind the penny doubling is surprising and kind of fun. On day 1 you have one penny; on day 2 you have two pennies. By day 10 you have a little over five bucks. (Is that million-dollar deal still on the table, or is it too late?) By day 20 you have around $5,000; by day 25 you have over $150,000. On the 30th day you have—wait for it—over $5 million.

~ Thanks to Karen Wallace, CFP.

Q: Would you rather have more pleasure / less pain today ... or the possibility of heaven on earth / Christ consciousness / Self-Realization?


Please your thoughts on the above items.

 


Reader Commentary

Encouraging interactive readership among TAT members and friends


A reader wrote that what would make the Forum more interesting would be:

Hearing from people who are searching—and have questions instead of those providing endless advice and "answers." What challenges they are facing. What their doubts and questions are. How they perceive their path is going. What they are doing in their lives. Where they think they will end up. Etc., etc.

Can you help make the Forum more interesting?


The Reader Commentary's 3-pronged question for the July TAT Forum, thanks to Don A., is:

Have you considered doing all things for the sake of a higher power, and if so, what does that mean, and how would you go about that?

Responses follow.



From Colm H:
My best read as to what this means is to as much as possible do right by what is in front of me in terms of thought, word and deed, following my inner guidance accordingly, as best as I can. To go about that would involve following my intuition, conscience, etc. as honestly and sincerely as possible as I navigate through my day-to-day life. I have certainly considered doing this in the context of 'my will' and 'Thy will', and while I am not fully clear on how one secedes 'my will' to 'Thy will', I do strive to do this by trying to live as honestly as I can.


From Sergio F:
The idea doesn't initially make much sense to me, as I don't think a higher power would need our actions. But I believe the idea points at what Krishna explains in the Gita (3.19): "perform actions as a matter of duty because by working without being attached to the fruits, one attains the Supreme". Why would one attain the Supreme by working with detachment? My guess is that it may be because detachment allows our attention to be free, open, present, not distracted with the past, the future, or expectations. It may result in a form of attention-economy, an energy saving, a retreat from untruth by allowing the attention to let go of the many untruths the mind fabricates about past and future.

I don't think one can say "I will stop caring about the fruits of my actions" and stop caring. I think one stops caring when one sees that it's pointless to care about the results. One can only act, and then there are many unpredictable events outside one's control that may help or obstruct the result one had in mind when performing the action. There's usually a goal for the actions; this is not about spontaneous action but about detachment. So, I tend to act without caring about the result, but not for the sake of a higher power, but because of some form of philosophical analysis.


From Alex A:
I do consider my life to be under the guidance of a higher power. Doing all things for the sake of the higher means being open and sensitive to the needs of the moment. The primary means for doing this is by being Present; observing and flowing with the spontaneous, continuous emergence of life as it is. It means not taking things personally, not grasping at or resisting life, not judging myself or others. Most of all it means that there is no ‘me’ doing or not doing any of this. There is only ‘I’.


From Patrick K:
Find out your most heart felt desire, hopefully that is truth for you, and get to the point where you would die to become truth, or you would die for truth. Imagine a poor people being oppressed by another tribe of people. Imagine the overlords were ignorant and sloppy and damaging the purity of your child’s mind that was just breaking your heart and your will. Imagine getting to the point where you would die to protect that child. And against all odds, you would go so far as to make plans to oust the overlords or die in the pursuit. I feel if someone gets to really pushing in that way, they will find themselves more in tune with True Nature or Mother Nature. About trying to find the truth and beauty that is inherent in the innocence of a child with an unperturbed sense of freedom.


From Gus R:
"Do everything for the sake of a Higher Power . . ." has far more impact for me if reworded: "The Higher Power is doing everything for the sake of me, so what would be my role in such a life?"

If a Higher Power would be leading this life, then where am I in all this—who would I even be? Would 'this life' be nothing more than some story or movie which I would do no more than just watch? (Someone even suggested that I am nothing more than a blank surface upon which the movie could take place!) What becomes of my desire to be an individual, to be a someone? Does that reduce me to nothing more than a consciousness? My consciousness? Or do I loose all particularization, my individuality? Where does this leave me? So does that leave me with nothing to do, or does all this leave me with nothing else but one really big question?


From Brett S:
Today I met up with a friend who’s a TAT member and we discussed this. I said that doing things for the sake of a higher power meant not doing things that only benefit me. My friend questioned that, pointing out that he does things just for fun even if no one else seems to benefit. His comment reminded me of a discussion we had with Mike G. at the TAT Center in August: act with clarity of intention and honesty of motivation (paraphrased). When my intentions and motivations conflict with my ideals, I’m not acting for the sake of a higher power. My friend also pointed out that, as Art T. has said, “we don’t have a big enough computer to run the universe” (paraphrase again). Meaning, I really don’t know what‘s best for me or anyone else. So I have to rely on yet another paraphrase, I think from Rose: once a commitment is made, allow anything to happen that doesn’t conflict with that commitment. Doing something for the sake of a higher power is accepting the results of my commitments.


From Michael R:
This is a topic that crosses my mind often—what does it mean to do all things for the sake of a higher power, and what might that look like in practice?

There’s a quote from Susan B. Anthony which I think highlights one of the issues here; she says: “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”

I know nothing of God, nothing for sure at least, so how might I live for the sake of a higher power? The closest I’ve come to answering this question for myself is to say I’ll live for the principle of truth . . . beginning with relative truth, possibly leading to absolute Truth. If I do all things for the sake of being in line with truth, then there is no resistance with “what is” in a given moment. No “me” that holds some grievance or “authoritarian principle” over and above the way things are.

But the way things are includes both “internal” and “external” events . . . and these internal events include a very real longing to know God, Truth, whatever word we give to That. To deny this would not be living for the sake of Truth. At the same time, clinging to an attachment to an outcome here, Realization in this case, and resisting the current state of affairs. . . is also not living for the sake of Truth. It’s a razors edge in a way, fully honoring the truth of my deepest desire by following it, while fully honoring the truth of whatever happens by allowing it without resistance. There’s no self will in that equation, there’s simply allowance.

This isn’t a strategy to get something; that’s not living for the sake of a higher power, it’s devotion to a principle. It’s love of Truth, and therefore love for God. That’s the best way I know how to follow God’s Will, to do all things for the sake of a higher power, to not work for myself.


From JK:
In being able to consider doing all things for the sake of a higher power on the spiritual journey, I have and continue to experience as a lengthy process a continual questioning of the validity of the my individual character, small-s self. A slow dismantling of all the multiple expressions of the different aspects of my perceived sense of self that have played a daily role in this subjective experience called living. These parts representing the ego structure make such a convincing reality prolonging the hypnosis that is ingrained and automatic. The expression of this habitual personhood believes also in the false ability to somehow assert control in the management of deep seated (sometimes conscious but often unconscious) fear of annihilation and of the desperation to maintain security (possessions, people, habits, etc.) to protect the comforts that the false self is so identified with, driven by these fears.

However through the questioning and the observation of the latter, a subtle shift is continually arising in the organism thus loosening perception however small, beyond just the antagonising existential experiences of falsehoods (beliefs, concepts, thoughts, feelings and sensations). The shift in perception welcomes in a relationship with the higher power as it realises its falsehood through the slow process of inward reflection. However the subtle seeing or sensing goes through cloudy days where existing from the small-s self takes hold and motivation is arrested. In some quiet moments, where observation seems to be more acute and perception softens, a sense of peace arises in the system and the energy contractions are released and can be felt like darting trains up from the lower guts of the body. This could be subtle messages from a higher vibrational intelligence or it could just be another experience. It feels like a loosening of dense energies and that some type of dismantling is occurring. Therefore softening the beliefs in the personal wilfulness and a question about the control it is asserting.

In the quiet silent contemplation about the question of the control and its validity, something in the system becomes unstuck from its stubbornness. The energetic resonance shifts to the subtle gut-felt guidance of something greater, which I presume is what is often referred to as ‘Thy Will’ and no longer the assertion of ‘My Will’ in that moment. The energy of this state brings a type of a soft subtle surrender that presents in that moment and a feeling of connection to a higher consciousness emerges. I think this may be scratching the surface of following a sense of a higher power beyond the small-s self and allowing guidance from that place. It certainly feels worth exploring while strengthening the intention to welcome the idea of a higher power as part of a deeper intuitive guidance.


From Eric C:
As I consider “doing all things for the sake of a higher power,” there is an opening of the inner space, a setting aside of personal concerns and preoccupation.

The meaning of the phrase connects readily to the Christian chapter of my life—a state of consciousness still here. Over the years I have heard that finding what I’m looking for may have to do with my getting out of the way. While my intuition may assent to the need for the self to get out of the way, there is usually no shift in consciousness or perspective. Doing all things for the sake of a higher power, there is an inner yes and with the yes a relaxation of self-concern and over-thinking.

The inner re-orientation which the phrase points to seems best gently brought to mind with a reminder written on a notecard on my desk at home, and also through the sharing of the phrase with friends.


From Mark W:
I haven’t seriously considered doing it because it seems so extreme and beyond my capabilities for me to be that dedicated and committed. Doing all things for a higher power means to me that I would have to be way more unselfish than I currently am, even approaching an absolute surrender in a way I don’t understand and to a higher power I don’t understand.

The only way I can even remotely make sense of this question is to focus on the process of what I would have to do or how I would go about doing all things for the sake of a higher power. I would have to set an intention to question many beliefs I have about how the world works, and what I can and can’t do, as well as surrender my trust to that higher power.

Despite my initial doubts about even taking the question seriously, and the persistently alien feelings surrounding this question, I have to admit I can already see some parallels with what I’m doing in my search to loosen my attachment to my beliefs and identity, which suggests that at the very least I need to look some more at the process of surrendering and how I could go about that. Appropriately enough, it looks like one thing I can definitely do is question my beliefs and certainties by writing for the TAT Forum more often.


From Tina N:
I have not considered doing all things for the sake of a higher power until reading Mr. Rose's letter to Lee W.

The dictionaries defined "sake" as "for the purpose of, in the interest of, done as an end in itself rather than to achieve some other purpose, out of consideration for or in order to help someone's end or purpose." In Old English, "sake" is related to "seek," or "to go in search of, look for."

"Do all things for the sake of a higher power" could be read as, "Do all things for the purpose of, in the interest of, out of consideration for, and in search of a higher power." It could also be read as, "All things are done for the purpose of, in the interest of, out of consideration for, and in search of a higher power."

To "consider" means, "to think carefully about something and be drawn toward a course of action."

"Remember God in all that you do," my mother often says to me, for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a Catholic environment where God seemed to seep into the everyday language of the people around me. Even to this day, listening to conversations of people from my upbringing, it seems the word, "God" is embedded in almost every sentence: "Thanks be to God," "I will ask for God's guidance," "May God guide you," "God willing," "Bow to God," "If it weren't for God's grace..."

Mr. Rose's letter reminds me of Matthew 6 from the Bible. The chapter to me seems to begin with an outline of the difference between spiritual activity and spiritual action (spiritual action as defined by Bob Cergol in the article, "Generating the Doubt Sensation: The Precursor to Seeing the Real"), then mentions about "No man can serve two masters," and ends with "But seek ye first the kingdom of God."

"Do all things for the sake of a higher power" at this time to me means to remember the higher power, to sense for what is back here while going through daily activities. What that looks like, going by what has been happening since this topic has been on my mind, is the inward direction of attention, backing away from experience. It doesn't happen all the time, but with increasing frequency. Incidentally, a cue that I notice recently that seems to indicate attention is going outward to experiences is the straining of the eye muscles as if looking for something out there. When this is noticed, there is a resultant or perhaps simultaneous pulling back of attention, a lessening of interest in experience, and a growing desire to be drawn to the source of everything.


From Mark C:
This concept has been a part of my life since getting involved with a 12-step program, about 18 1/2 years ago. The third step of the program states that we "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him." I noticed that I wasn't very good at this at first, that I seemed to get better with it as desperation built up and time went on, and that I had a tendency to take control back when things in my life seemed to be going better. One of the phrases I used to hear my fellow 12-steppers say was: "My best thinking earned me a chair in this room." In other words, our reliance on self was a block that we had placed on ourselves rather than seeking a spiritual solution and turning it over to / trusting God.

My suggestion to try to implement this process in our daily lives is through using prayer and meditation, especially in the mornings before one starts their day. Beginning the day in this way is crucial to setting our daily intention, just as a ship on the ocean charts its course. Prayer can be a verbal affirmation of what we are setting out to accomplish, and meditation can allow one the space or the channel to allow divine guidance or inspiration to come in. Keeping that space open throughout the day is not always a very easy task, especially when we are busy, but taking a short break wherever possible can help one to recalibrate our compass. It is important to remember that even when it seems that nothing is happening...that there is always something at work.


From BH:
I reached a point where it became obvious that—while thinking/analysis-based inquiry was still an important tool for me—I would have to use my less-developed feeling and intuitional skills to explore deeper. I had tested and looked to find what I control or do or decide, and found that it doesn’t appear to be anything. I had looked to see whether I create my own thoughts, and it sure seems like I don’t. I’ve observed that my personality and what I have believed to be “me” is a series of traits and patterns that I had nothing to do with the creation or presence of. That my beliefs about how life should go were just that, beliefs, which were based ultimately on assisting in the projects of small-s self-concern and self-aggrandizement. With that evidence, my working hypothesis is that there must be something bigger than what I believe myself to be. All the things I thought I was seemed to be part of the same picture as what I thought I was not.

How I go about it, at least my best attempt (since it can feel impossible at times), comes down to self-honesty. Brett S. put it well: How do you do all things for the sake of a higher power? Well for one, you can try to do the opposite of doing things for the sake of yourself. I see it as observing and asking if I’m doing and rationalizing for myself, or not.

My last solo retreat was at a Christian center, and they sold placards with a quote from the book of Isaiah: “I will trust and not be afraid.” To me a big part of doing for the sake of a higher power is trust. Trust that you don’t know the answers, that you can’t do, and that what you are isn't big enough or smart enough to know or do better than that higher power. Doesn’t mean you don’t act, but with self-honesty you can trust the messages from the higher power (however you hear them) that no matter what happens, this is how it is supposed to happen.

To me it involves watching the movements of your body and mind, watching life unfold—asking if you are doing, thinking, fighting for the sake of yourself, or if you are allowing the movement of what is. As Dan M. suggested to me, it’s like riding a bike with the gears off. I interpret that as a felt balancing act you can't think your way through. Am I fighting to appease my ego? Or am I allowing what is supposed to be without fighting for "me" and also not on the other side just "going with the flow"? When my ego is bruised, do I rush to defend and cope, or do I observe and wait and watch for what happens?

I recently read about a Sufi concept, “dissolving into God.” To me that is the natural conclusion. Doing all things for a higher power means there is no separation between you and it.


From Mike Gegenheimer:
"Doing everything for the sake of a higher power" has come up in several of our Zoom meetings the past month, so it was a good prompt.

This translated for me in recent years to working to help other seekers without hope of gain, trying to put others first.

Nearer the end of the search, it become a commitment to know Truth for its own sake, regardless of cost. Cost, that is, to the “little s” self and its preferences, desires, egos, and attachments—putting it all on the table—and such cost does not encompass harm to others or their chances for spiritual realization.

I mention the lack of harm to others and their spiritual chances in view of the current cycle of religious fanaticism and obsessive evil leading to acts of violence characterized as terrorism, mass murder, or murder-suicides. Rather, the statement reflects the commitment of a seeker to leave no stone unturned in trying to define the self, simply for the sake of Truth, without fear of failure or hope of gain.

*

TAT Press publishes Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System coauthored by Mike and Shawn Nevins.


tiger

Next Month


Sergio F. writes: "Recurring tunes that involuntarily pop up and stick in your mind are common: up to 98% of the Western population has experienced these earworms (cf: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723199/). Usually, stuck songs are catchy tunes, popping up spontaneously or triggered by emotions, associations, or by hearing the melody."

The Reader Commentary's 3-pronged question for the August TAT Forum is:

Do you experience these 'earworms'? If so, do they follow some pattern? Do you have any theories about your experience of them?

Please your responses by the 25th of July and indicate your preferred identification (the default is your first name and the initial letter of your last name).

PS: What question(s) would you like to ask other TAT Forum readers?



Q: What are your thoughts on this month's reader commentary? Please your feedback.



Richard Rose described a spiritual path as living one's life aimed at finding the meaning of that life. Did you find anything relevant to your life or search in this month's TAT Forum?

passer-through-walls

See the story of Le Passe-muraille, the passer-through-walls. Google image search didn’t find any instances of this exact photo, but similar images of the sculpture in/on a Paris wall appear on lots of websites.


We like hearing from you! Please your comments, suggestions, inquiries, and submissions.

Sign up for notices of TAT's four annual events and free monthly Forums by email on our .

 

Founder's Wisdom

Richard Rose (1917-2005) established the TAT Foundation
in 1973 to encourage people to work together on what
he considered to be the "grand project" of spiritual work.


Quotes and Notes from Richard Rose Audiotapes

* Three Books of the Absolute *

  1. “Without the memory of ourselves there is no immortality.”
  2. You can be an observer parallel to life and remember your life. If you choose to forget, you embrace a period of oblivion.
  3. Only way over the hurdles is trauma. You can’t dream your way out.
  4. You don’t think of nothing, nothingness descends on you.
  5. No way to assault ignorance. Retreat from error.
  6. You try with all your being and you don’t get an answer, so you consider giving up, but know that won’t work. You find a new way of seeking where is doesn’t mater if you succeed or fail. You just want to know.
  7. Year by year we callous ourselves up.

*

~ Thanks to Shawn Nevins, who commented: "Notes I took from several Rose audiotapes. This must date to 1994-95. Direct quotes are in quotation marks, but the rest I assume is paraphrasing."




Definition of Terms

cherries separator

Index of many of the key terms and principles in Rose's work, with brief definitions, from Richard Rose's Psychology of the Observer: The Path to Reality Through the Self by John Kent.




Jacob's Ladder (Richard Rose diagram)

Jacob's Ladder © 2001 Richard Rose. See this transcript of a talk on the topic by Rose.


Homing Ground Update

… A spot on earth where people can do retreats and hold
meetings; where the emphasis is on friendship and the search.


Hurdle Mills new home for TAT


June 2022:

The small but steady donations keep arriving each month, which brings us to 29.8% of the fundraising goal for 2022!

Meetings, group retreats, and solitary retreats are all happening at the TAT Center this year. Hopefully, you'll get a chance this year to see and experience the TAT Center first-hand. And please consider joining the effort to sustain our Homing Ground for years to come.

Shawn Nevins

PS: Monthly contributions are a great way to support the TAT Center if making a larger one-time donation seems too much. If you're so inspired, click the Donate button below, then check the box for "Make this a monthly donation" as in the example below:

donation example



expanded meeting room exterior finished

Let's bring this to life! "The job is upon us," Richard Rose said, "and it is worthwhile." To contribute to the TAT Center, mail a check made out to the TAT Foundation to:

TAT Foundation
PO Box 3402
Roxboro, NC 27573

Big checks, little checks, all are welcome. Or use the PayPal link above (though we lose 2.2% of your donation to PayPal fees).

* See photos and more on the Homing Ground page. *

In friendship,
Shawn Nevins
on behalf of the TAT Trustees


TAT gathering


Did you enjoy the Forum? Then buy the book!
Readers' favorite selections from seven years of issues.
Beyond Mind, Beyond Death is available at Amazon.com.

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