The Hidden Work

In earlier forms of religious obligation the whole assembly was aware of its invocational significance and expected to produce through its efforts a shared higher emotion which would transport it as a single body into higher dimensions near that of the Absolute.

=============================

Chapter Summary Part I

The first part of this chapter shows us that groups can be successfully guided into higher states by someone that knows how to evoke the mood of a higher state. The earlier religious gatherings, storytelling, and plays, held not only a group effort but an expectation of working together to reach a heightened emotional state(expectation is more powerful than wishing).  Each member had to hold the attention and the intention for the whole group to use. The setting is carefully arranged and guided by the priestess or shaman who had a real knowledge of the science of evoking a higher state.

In more recent generations we are raised to be passive, raised by the TV, the only real expectation was to not cause trouble to the overwhelmed parents and teachers. The idea of participating actually helping (especially helping God), was never a consideration.

-If we are not the shaman, and we are not to be passive… then what do we do? What does it mean to be aware and to expect to produce through effort, a Higher Emotion? Can we expect our group to produce a shared higher emotion?

What is the “Effort” we are or should be expecting of ourselves to make?

We are attaining a group mood and do in fact attain higher states. There is a definite change throughout the hour of class and by the end the space is buzzing with higher energy. Our online group is able to evoke higher states of connection even though we are physically separate.

What draws us to the work is a longing for the Divine, this yearning for Divine communion. Once this connection is attained, we struggle, we are passive, we fail, we lack attention, and it takes us time, some long, some short, to discover and develop presence. Once we do, and begin to engage from that place within ourselves, things begin to take off and shift .

The clues have been left for us, a trail of bread crumbs, a hidden language, signposts to follow, if only we know what to look for, but for the most part it remains hidden in plain sight to sleepwalking eyes. But we are not those sleepwalkers anymore, we have as a group made this effort, somehow, someway, maybe without comprehension, without even knowing, or by conscious decision and intent. We have each and every one of us at some point, many points, decided to come together and gather as essential beings, to be fully present, and give our heightened undivided essential attention to the space and discussion, and by doing so, we as a group moved, we voyaged. We willingly followed the direction, the path, the opening in our collective essential selves that was created by pushing to reach for more and more in accordance with our essential needs.

We are becoming shaman in our own right, we are voyaging as a collective, we sometimes move clumsily or not at all, we sometimes take forever to settle, or come together only, …at last, instead of in the beginning, or all at once, but we are doing it! This collective group effort, gathering of essences, become a meeting of souls to share in the last super, in compassion for the suffering of ascending the cross, and the communion of and with the divine and each other. We have somehow moved back from passivity to active subtle effort.

Susan and Sheila (Auriah)

==========================

What then can we do? If we look back and see, or notice that we have in fact touched upon that higher invocational space, we can note that. Then, note well, the attributes about us as we entered into that space and the attributes we used to maintain that space.

As a group of efforts – this is called Prayer.

Audio File Chapter 02_Part 01 10_03_12

A copy of the Class – Part 1 log can be found here.

======================

Chapter 02 – Part 2

As we proceed forward with the chapter we leave the realm of ancient groups and begin to open the book of Prayer. Here in part 2, and in the next few chapters we will begin to consider the nature of Prayer.

We start to see a distinction between Objective Prayer and subjective prayer. Here then is the Summary of the second part of this chapter:

=================

Summary – Chapter 2 – Part 2

“Character, is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.”

And so… “Work” is making the effort, to live from essential presence and help the absolute by momentarily ascending the cross.

We come together out of compassion for the absolute because we are called, and from a deep sense of divine love and longing. We know there will be pain, suffering, and sacrifice along the way, yet we continue to step forward anyway, knowing it could lead nowhere, but keep moving for the chance that what we have to offer might be of help. We strive, not to help ourselves, our jobs, relationships, or for social gain… Rather we move from compassion, because somewhere, somehow, down deep, we already KNOW the suffering. We acquiesce, we move out of our own way, and move from a place of essence to ascend the cross for a brief moment.

In Prayer Absolute, we play a part through the many faces of a sacred theatre, we assume the role of the Absolute and maybe it is through the compassion of understanding of this suffering that we are able to do this Work, we are able to be willing. There are those who want to grow in the Work but for some reason or another are just not able to attain the willingness , to formulate the force of will, needed by the being to be able to move from the essential self. The block may be that we have a preconception of what form Prayer Absolute should be. We believe it must look a certain way or be achieved in a certain act. We are told that Prayer Absolute was common, and widely known by everyone. Yet, if it had been so common, and widely known to the populace, then it must be something so natural and essential to our very being that it still quietly resonates within us. This resonance being the very see of the Calling, the very same vibration of the absolute within ourselves. Those of us now awakening from our sleep walk are now attuned to this resonating vibration and compelled to act, to pray.

We have been taught that we can pray for the almighty to make everything okay for US and our families.  If we considered that the Absolute needs our help, it would terrify us and dissolve our solid sense of reality.

How can the Absolute need our help?

What could that mean? How am I, in my unperfected, human state, to be of any use? What are the choices?   As I awaken my sensing toward my Calling, I see that there has been left behind for us artifacts and monuments that are charged with a higher force, there are effects passing through those transformed persons among us, and we can find and participate in a work group to produce a higher charge for us. We can add our own efforts to these higher radiations, and as we add our own efforts we begin to produce change. As a class we invoke a higher force allowing us to participate in a reciprocal feeding and exchanging of energies that will produce change for both beings. This energy exchanged during class leaves an accumulated subtle change on the being allowing us to go further into the Work.

… Now that we are learning to use the energy.

Susan and Sheila

Audio File Chapter 02_Part 02 10_10_12

The log for the Second part of the Class can be found here.