Taking It StepBy Stepphoto

by Jim GordonPresident of ILM

In the last few weeks, a number of peoplehave asked me about supposedly upcoming “earthchanges” – planetary events, like earthquakesand disasters, that have been predicted. Theseprophecies are often stimulating people in theirfear patterns, leading them to ask questions suchas what’s going to happen, where’s the best placeto live, what do I do so as not to go through this,or what do I do to help the world go through it.And my response has been to encourage them tosee that focusing on tomorrow and the fears of“what if” isn’t really assisting them in their livestoday. Instead, what’s most important is that wemaintain a focus on our own spiritual processand the steps that are right in front of us today.When we do that with full responsibility, thenwhatever comes up in the future we will also beable to handle with greater responsibility. So,what’s important is just to take care of the thingsright in front of us, because that’s where ourlessons are, and it is whatever is right in front ofus that eases the pathway when tomorrow comes.What’s happening in our lives right now mayseem unimportant and not really relevant, butlater we’ll see how it all fits together. Ultimatelywe will see that by taking care of today, we arebuilding a good support to stand on in the future.

A long time ago, a teacher on the inner levelstaught me to focus on “one day at a time, onebreath at a time.” In other words, to focus onright now. It is only when we do that that we arereally able to fulfill and to complete. If we’refocused on our tomorrows, we’re not going toget much completed right now, and tomorrowsnever get completed that way, either.

What is also very important to realize is thatwhenever we live in fear, then what we promote

Vol. 6, No. 2 The INNER LIGHT Ministries Newsletter April, 1995

in our future is fear, and we promote exactly whatwe fear will happen. In the Bible, it says, “WhatI feared has come upon me” (Job 3:25), and thosewho are holding these fears of changes are actu-ally promoting them by holding for the energy tocome about. Instead, it would be better to holdfor healing, forgiveness, loving, and peace, andfor participation and wholeness, as opposed toseparation and disturbance. And the easiest wayto do this is to bring about a state of peace withinourselves. As we focus on forgiveness, oneness,and peace inside ourselves, the same energy goesout into the world and affects others.

In 1987, I had the opportunity to be part of agroup that met with the Dalai Lama in India.While we were there, he said, “So many peopleare calling out for peace in the world, but what Iwould like for them to know is that, if they wantpeace in the world, they must first find peacewithin themselves. So, one thing I would like foryou to do when you leave here, if nothing else, isto go out and ask people to focus on peace andon loving, and on forgiveness. If I tell people tofocus on peace, they think, ‘Well, that’s just whathe’s supposed to tell us.’ But if you, as individu-als in your everyday lives, go out in the world andsay, ‘Let’s focus on peace,’ they’ll hear you morethan they’ll hear me, because in their eyes you’remore a part of their lives and equal to them. Theysee me as separate and above them, and thereforethey take what I say in a different way and actupon it differently. So, I want you to go out andask people to live from their place of peace, tolive from their place of loving, and to go into theworld with a sense of forgiveness.”

There are no unimportant events in our lives.There are no unimportant actions in our lives.They are all leading us to the next and then thenext, and if we don’t take care of that which isright in front of us, whatever is next after that willalso be left unnurtured and incomplete, and thepathway will not be built upon the way it couldbe if we just take it step by step.

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When asked to describe the kingdom ofheaven, Jesus often answered with a parable. Incontemplating the many stages of our great spiri-tual journey toward the Light, an understandingbegan to unfold within me in a similar form.

Imagine with me for a moment a great,radiant sun – one that shines every day in both“good” and “bad” weather. Clouds do not limitthe sun’s brilliant radiance; they only tempo-rarily limit our vision of it from below.

Imagine now that this same sun shines downon a calm, beautiful lake, and a nearly perfectimage is reflected on the still surface of itswaters. This image is then again reflected on theshiny, polished side of a marble temple near thelake. The sun can now be seen on the side of thetemple, although its image here is not so clear,nor quite so lifelike, as the image upon the lake.Near this temple, a large mirror has been placedagainst a tree. The mirror catches the image fromthe side of the temple; and the temple, the lake,and the sun are all reflected in the mirror.

Now, along comes a seeker of light, who isastonished to behold the images in the mirror.Excited, he believes that the mirror is the sourceof the light. But no matter how he tries, he cannotactually touch or be touched by this mysteriouslight in the mirror. It remains forever distant andseparate from him. And should the mirror be-come cracked or broken, the sunlight appearsfragmented and no longer whole.

Then, someone comes along and offers him ahigher vision by turning him toward the side ofthe temple. The seeker is bewildered at firstwhen he realizes that this is the real temple,whereas the image in the mirror was only a copy.He now understands that the temple, not themirror, was the source of the light he has seen. Hecan even feel the warmth of the light when hetouches the temple wall. Yet, again, this light

remains somehow distant and elusive, no matterhow hard he tries to grasp it.

Eventually, it dawns on the seeker that, whilethe temple is real, the image upon it is but anotherreflection. And so he sets off in search of itsorigin, and discovers the vastness and beauty ofthe lake. Here at last, he believes, is the truesource of the light, appearing to arise from some-where within the unfathomable and mysteriousdepths of the water. He becomes lost in wonder.

But at the very moment that the seekerreaches out to touch that light, the image disap-pears amid a flurry of ripples. Countless newreflections now appear within the waves, untilthe original is lost amid its replicas. In despera-tion, the seeker begins to grab at the waves, onlyto find that the more desperate his efforts, themore turbulent the waters become, and the morethe light eludes him.

But if the seeker persists, and if his longing isgenuine, one day someone comes along who is afinder of light. In his compassion, the finderpoints up to reveal the real light; and the seeker,though momentarily blinded by its brilliant powerand majesty, at last sees the light of the sun itselfin the sky.

In this moment, the seeker finds what he’sbeen looking for: he directly beholds that whichhe has sought for so long, and feels its warmembrace all around him. He can now touch andbe touched by the light. He begins to understandthat this same light is present everywhere – in thelake, in the temple, in the mirror – and yet can befound in none of them. It is reflected in every-thing but has only one true point of origin.

So it is in our search for the Light of God: weseek His face in an endless array of captivatingreflections, and long for the day when we shallsee face to face the grandeur and wonder of HisLight as our origin and as our true, unfailingSource.

Seeking the Light

by Steven McAfeeILM Midwest Coordinator

Editor’s note: Now we see but a poor reflection;then we shall see face to face. Now I know inpart; then I shall know fully, even as I am fullyknown. (1 Cor 13:12)

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their own next and rightful lessons.”I can do that (drink from a sippy cup) only

because I attracted, embraced, and progressedthrough that lesson once; and I can do that (standunassisted) because I attracted, embraced, andprogressed through that lesson, too. And I’mpretty good at dealing with injustice (some formsat least), and I’m so-so at dealing with rejection.And death – well, that’s a challenge at the best oftimes. So, I guess I’m still attracting, embracing,and progressing through those lessons, and nodoubt others, too.

Now that we’re “adults,” how much do wereally know? Aren’t we all still moving into andembracing whatever lessons are next before us –building a business, coping with loss, learning tolove.... Who among us isn’t just embracing ourvery next lessons at the level of our presentdevelopment? And through them, we all moveon to whatever is next.

People often say that our daughter looks a lotlike her daddy. Maybe her daddy looks a lot likehis child.

In the weeks before a newsletter comes out, Ioften find myself pondering a particular issue ortheme. It’s as though a new chapter opens for mewith the printing of one newsletter and continuesto the printing of the next. And the theme that hasbeen “calling” to me lately has to do with thenature of “wet behind the ears,” and the possibil-ity that this is in some ways true for us all.

As many of you know, I became a father forthe first time just six months ago. And I’ve beenhaving the opportunity to watch as our baby goesthrough her earliest stages of development. Iwas there at the moment of her birth and havebeen with her since she was literally “still wetbehind the ears.” And I’ve been watching hergrow and change with remarkable speed as shemoves from one set of challenges to the next.And here’s the kind of thought that keeps comingto me: first she had to learn how to nurse, thenhow to drink from a bottle. Recently she learnedhow to roll over. Now she’s working on how tosit up. Soon she will learn how to walk. Whenshe’s ready, she will learn how to talk. And someday she will learn how to write, to jump rope, andto ride a bike; and then to understand a foreignlanguage, to handle rejection, to cope with injus-tice, to find inner peace, to deal with death, to bea mother herself, to find meaning and Truth.... Itdoesn’t ever stop; it just moves from one set oflessons to the next.

The other day, I noticed a sign on the windowof a bookstore, and it said something to the effectof, “No man knows what he truly believes untilhe begins to instruct his children.” And it’s likethe universe is saying to me, “Don’t you see –there is no end to learning. There is no ‘betterthan’ or ‘more important than’ or ‘more adult’ or‘more childish than.’ It’s just a multitude of soulsattracting, embracing, and advancing through

Nick lives in Wimberley, Texas, with his wife,Kathleen, and daughter, Miya. An ILM ministersince 1989, he is the editor of the ILM newsletter.

Still Wet Behindthe Ears

by Nicholas Martin

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

An ILM Week-end Retreat

with Jim Gordon, Steven McAfeeand Nick Martin

September 8-10, 1995Camp Mack, Milford, Indiana

(an hour northwest of Fort Wayne)

Watch for details in ournext newsletter.

NONPROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Wimberley, TXPERMIT #25

Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

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INNER LIGHT MINISTRIESEditorial and Publishing Office

111 Lighted WayWimberley, Texas 78676Phone: (512) 847-5033

ABOUT ILMInner Light Ministries (ILM) is a nonprofit outreach organi-

zation founded in the fundamental principles of ancient andesoteric Christianity. It is dedicated to the development andbalancing of the fourfold nature of the individual. Towards thisend, it provides education and services concerned with theintegration of the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physicalaspects of the self, and with the development of publications andmaterials that aid in this process.

Among its fundamental tenets is that we really are “templesof the Holy Spirit.” As we seek and express this presence within,we find the peace, love, power, and wisdom we all so earnestlydesire. The many services of ILM are geared towards this path ofindividual unfoldment – through meditation, study, and prayer onan individual and group basis.

Service to humanity and the planet is its second majoremphasis, and ILM encourages individual service, in any of awide variety of possible forms, as a vital aspect of our dailyexperience. Please write or phone for more information.

Vol. 6, No. 2 The INNER LIGHT Ministries Newsletter April, 1995

ILM Executive Office: Jim Gordon, 203 Buckeye Trail, Austin, TX 78746; Business Office: Tom Beaver, P.O. Box 1086,Dripping Springs, TX 78620; Midwest Office: Steven McAfee, 6228 Lombard Place, Fort Wayne, IN 46815

The Staff of the Shepherdby Jim Gordon

An ILM publication focusingon the human journey throughlife and the many helpers who

assist us on our way. 158 pages,soft cover. $6 plus $3 shipping.

A special “thank

you” to those who

have sent in

membership forms or

changes of address.

We sincerely

appreciate it!

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Vol. 6, No. 2 The INNER LIGHT Ministries Newsletter April, 1995

A few years ago, a friend of mine placed in myhands a book written for women entitledA Circle of Stones, by Judith Duerk. I opened thebook at random and read this passage:

How might your life have been different ifthere had been a place for you? A place foryou to go . . . a place of women, to help youlearn the ways of woman . . . a place whereyou were nurtured from an ancient flow sus-taining you and steadying you as you soughtto become yourself.

As I read this passage, I remember feelinglike I was bursting with excitement, as if some-thing old and familiar had just been awakenedinside me. After reading the book, I had dreamsat night about creating circles of women so thatI and other women could receive what we mightnot have received as children or as young women– a sense of belonging within a gathering ofwomen, where an “ancient flow” would bond ustogether and sustain us. I knew that I wanted tosurround myself with this kind of feminine en-ergy which supports, nurtures, and renews, and isin balance and harmony with Mother Earth.

So I began to learn more about the NativeAmerican Indians and their Women’s Circles. Ilearned that Circles of Women were formed tocelebrate woman spirit, through storytelling,dancing, singing, and meditation. These ritualsallowed the women to focus inwardly and expe-rience balance and harmony, and the connected-ness between themselves, each other, and MotherEarth. Then, in January and March of this year, Ifacilitated two Circles of Women. They weremagical experiences, and I would like to share alittle about them.

In our Circles, we are learning to listen – to

the chatter inside our heads, to our own heart-beats, to the inner silence, and to nature’s song.We listen to words in poems, stories, and songs.We listen to each other’s stories. We reclaim ourown voice and learn that it is okay to speak ourtruth. We are learning to give to ourselves – tovalue our own stories, thoughts, and feelings –and we are learning to feel worthy of this time.

In our Circles, we are putting aside ourwomen’s roles as care givers. These circles pro-vide rich opportunities for women to receive –and to learn to do so without guilt. As oneexample, a meal is provided for the women inwhich they come to the table and all the food isprepared for them – just for them. The table isset, the candles are lit, the fresh bread is stillwarm from the oven. This gift to them does notgo unnoticed and is taken with much grateful-ness and tenderness.

In our Circles, we also receive from MotherEarth. We practice some of the Native Americanrituals of dancing, singing, and meditation asways to reconnect with the Great Mother.Through these rituals, we find that we begin toresonate with a power far greater than anythingwe can experience by ourselves – the power ofthe Great Mother, who nurtures us, cradles us,gives us the air we need to breathe, and providesus with the food we need to nourish our bodies.

Just as a circle continues, I will continue tofacilitate Circles of Women – the Circle here inAustin, Texas, will continue to meet, and we willsoon start a Girl’s Circle for mothers and theirdaughters. Circles will also be started this sum-mer in Michigan and Indiana.

As a prayer of affirmation we use reads, “ACircle has no beginning and has no end. It iscontinuous. It must be in constant harmony withitself to keep its form. We are a Circle of Womenjoining together for strength and support in searchof our womanness, and to reconnect with womanspirit in a way which our ancient ancestors knewso well.”

A Circle ofWomen

Laura Kesten-BeaverILM Minister

If we could hold our attention in the eyefocus, our attention would then be able tograsp the Truth which is vibrating within usand is self luminous and audible as SoundCurrent. So long as the attention is scatteredin the body or out of the body in the worldoutside, our face is turned away from Truth.

Sawan Singh

from Glimpses of the Great MasterYou have had the experience of being in

love and having a warm, special feeling foranother human being. Use that quality ofloving to enhance your spiritual practices.Meditate upon the Spirit of God as thoughyou were going to see your sweetheart, yourlover, in the next two or three minutes. Youknow what that feeling is. Use it as aspringboard to connect you with your lovefor God. Place that feeling of love anddevotion inside you; then meditate upon God.

John-Rogerfrom Walking with the Lord

It is true that slow and steady wins therace. How many times do we stumble and fallwhen we learn to walk. But as we grow olderwe forget the struggles and enjoy theperformance. So it is with spiritual work.

Charan Singhfrom Words Eternal

You can say, “I am doing the meditation,”provided you are doing it. But when youreally do it, then you won’t say, “I am doingit.” “I” only comes when we don’t do it.When we truly meditate, then “I” justdisappears. Then we realize His grace.

Charan Singh

from Words Eternal

Some of Jim’s Favorite Quotes

INNER LIGHT MINISTRIES PRESENTS A WOMAN’S WORKSHOP

A CIRCLE OF WOMENFacilitator: Laura Kesten-Beaver

Spend a day in a supportive, nurturing, female environment. Through ceremony,meditation, writing, and being with nature, we will experience a deeper understanding and amore loving appreciation of ourselves as women. Join us in the celebration of woman spirit.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Saturday, July 8, 1995 8:30 am – 7 pm $25Contact: Brenda Fishbaugh (219) 749-5062

Kalamazoo, Michigan Saturday, July 29, 1995 8:30 am – 8:30 pm $25Contact: Carolyn Dailey (616) 327-6851 home, 375-2000 work