Trusting the Present Moment
“Trusting in the Present” Online Retreat – Closing Session—Trusting the Present Moment
The ego has invented its own present moment, which is a tiny, insignificant blip, squeezed in between a vast past and a vast future. And that’s not really the present moment. The present moment is “before time was,” (T-13.VI.6:5) as Jesus calls it. So we’re on a real adventure here to experience the gateway to eternity.
Gold Nugget:
“I was just filled up with huge love this morning, opening my mind to God, a God of so much love. That is God’s will for us. This is something that is always here. We can always turn away from the images and the distractions, even though the ego says, Don’t pray. Don’t meditate. You are just wasting your time. You have too many important things to do to waste your time praying or being still.
It does remind me of that section, ‘I Need Do Nothing,’ (T-18.VII) in the Text, where Jesus directs us to make a quiet place in your mind. It’s like an opportunity to rest your mind and not be occupied and preoccupied with all the busy doings of the world. And he is again confident, ‘Your way will be different, not in purpose but in means.’ T-18.VII.5:1 It’s funny that he gives us a course that has a text, a workbook, and a manual for teachers, and then he tucks in there in the Text, ‘I Need Do Nothing.’ This is your way of saving many years of going in the wrong direction. You have to allow yourself to be still. You have to give your mind permission to go in the opposite direction of the ego and its frantic, riotous, distractive thoughts to sink deep within to the Kingdom of Heaven.
There are a lot of deep meditation Lessons in the Workbook where he is encouraging us, he’s calling to us, he’s saying, Sink down beneath the clouds in your mind. Feel them on your cheeks as you go past them. Or he’ll say, ‘If it helps you, think of me holding your hand and leading you. And I assure you this will be no idle fantasy.’ W-70.9:3-4 He’s saying we can even visualize holding on to his hand as we sink deep, deep, deep into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Recorded at the Awakening from the Dream Online Retreat – Trust in the Present on June 6, 2021
Recent Posts
I Taught the World to Teach Me
I Taught the World to Teach Me – In this session, David Hoffmeister emphasizes the importance of loyalty to the Spirit, the inner teacher, over personal desires and external opinions. This loyalty stems from truth and a deep connection with the Holy Spirit, not the ego’s demands. David shares parables of taking full responsibility for our state of mind by recognizing that we taught the world to teach us. By keeping this empowering thought in mind, it’s possible to remember that we don’t need to wait for externals to choose to be happy.
Coming Together with the Purpose of Healing
Coming Together with the Purpose of Healing – David Hoffmeister explores the perceptual problem, which pertains to the belief that the subject and the object are different, that the observer is different from the observed, and that the personality-self is different from the world that surrounds it. When we see an issue in the world, it really is just a split in the mind. This belief can result in significant problems such as conflict, climate change, and hunger, all of which can be traced back to the division within the mind. “Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved,” (W-79) and “Let me recognize my problems have been solved.” W-80 By examining the projected world, we often fail to identify the core problem because it manifests in many forms. You may resolve a few problems today, only to encounter more tomorrow. Therefore, the key lies in our perspective, which stems from our interpretation.
Relax, Step Back, and Unwind from the World
Relax, Step Back, and Unwind from the World – David Hoffmeister shares about the importance of placing the future in God’s hands, a concept that requires enormous trust. This trust is crucial as we have been conditioned to learn the past and plan the future. Trust is the foundation of a teacher of God and allows us to relax and feel divine ease. During this profound talk, David also gives an overview of the very first Strawberry Fields Festival in 2009. Jesus tells us to go from nightmares to waking with a transition between happy dreams and gentle waking. This process helps us feel softer and gentler, making the struggle and challenge easier. Enjoy this deep discussion with the participants that goes deep and yet fun.
Opening to Deeper Prayer
Opening to Deeper Prayer – David Hoffmeister begins this 4-day Japan retreat by exploring the concept of undoing the self-concept—a conditioned expectation that obstructs our understanding of the world. The ego arises from the mind’s pursuit of self-improvement, crafting illusory goals that keep the mind preoccupied and detached from its boundless nature. The ego’s game is endless, as it neither begins nor concludes. The purpose of our practice is to abandon the pursuit of temporal goals and relinquish the false identity—the mask of the ego. In doing so, we experience the mind’s all-encompassing nature, recognizing that the world, society, and everything once perceived as external are within the mind. As the mind reaches a state of rest, the external world reflects this peace, becoming more harmonious.
A Path of Gentle Letting Go
A Path of Gentle Letting Go – In this session, David Hoffmeister speaks about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, focusing on self-actualization as the top goal. This concept is based on the Greek belief that ‘know thyself’ is the ultimate goal of human development. The ego attempts to deny this through hypnotism, mesmerism and imagination, covering the truth with unreal images. Atonement, the correction, is the awareness that the separation never happened.
Teaching the Holy Instant
Teaching the Holy Instant – At the beginning of this talk, David Hoffmeister discusses the concept of choice and the duality of life. We seem to live in a world of duality, where one of the primary goals is to find a life partner. We can see even that is dualistic because even a successful life match involves two, while reality involves only one.