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44 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2019 | Spriritual Teachers And The Enlightenment Process: What is a Spiritual Teacher? Is he/she someone who 'knows it all' and armed with this knowledge proceeds to preach it to the people? Not so. An authentic Spiritual Teacher is a thin veil between the Infinite Formless Consciousness (God/Self ) and him/her self. If anything, he/she knows nothing and as such is a perfect conduit for the Spirit, God, the Self. It is that Infinite Formless Intelligence that does everything, there is no other doer but the Self. If the Spiritual Teacher perceives a need for guidance it is because the Self, which is perfectly conveyed by the Teacher, sees that need. There is nothing but the Self and the Self is Infinite Awareness, and THAT does everything and it is IN everything and you are in fact THAT in your purest essence. Infinite Awareness knows exactly what is required for dissolution of the ego 'I'. No 'Form', be it a Spiritual Teacher, or some other form, knows what to do. It may seem as if the Spiritual Teacher is 'doing' something, but this is absolutely not so. It is the Self, and the Self alone that is the Master, the Spiritual Teacher, the 'Doer.' This is my experience and is not haphazardly stated. Experience has taught me that an ego entity sees in terms of the 'other' - in this case, the Teacher - as the source, the initiator of the experience, however this is not so. I used to say, "He did it." (meaning the Master), and the Master would reveal inwardly, no, no, "the Self did it"! I can tell you that it took me many years to see that the doer was none other than the ONLY doer - not the Master, not anybody, but the Self, your OWN FORMLESS ESSENCE and that is why the experiences you have are tailor-made, most perfectly made, for your own enlightenment process. In other words, you as the Self do it to yourself. For reference here, eventually you will see that there is only ONE Self – not two selves – ego self and the God Self. There exists ONLY ONE. I have expressed this Truth to you, the spiritual seeker. Will it make a difference in your search? Not really. You have to go through what you have to go through, in order to comprehend what is Real, that is, find the Self, your essence. There are no short cuts. Nevertheless, know that the Self/God helps you along the way. The Self will NEVER, EVER let you down. As long as you yearn for liberation, you will find the Truth and your own Self will be right there guiding you along the way. Trust in THAT! Trust in your Self/ God. SATSANG (GROUP MEETING WITH A SPIRITUAL AIM) begins with a 30 min. meditation (15 min if new people are present) followed by a discourse and a short video presentation offered by a teacher adhering to the teaching of Non-Duality. As always questions are warmly encouraged. We meet in the Multipurpose Room (next to the Library) in the Main Clubhouse. We meet Sundays from 11:30 am to 1 pm. This is a FREE offering. My background includes 30 years of formal spiritual practice under the guidance of two masters and 10 years of teaching (eight at Sun Lakes). You need not bring anything except an Open Mind. My name is Gina and I can be reached at gina-sat@msn.com or (951) 846-1220 if you have further questions. Meditation: a pathway to truth Happy Cookers Happy Cookers once again has batted 1000! Eggstravaganza wowed participants with all things "eggs." Members were not only able to create beautiful works of art with whole egg shells but tasted food which included egg salad, quiche, and baked goods. Each person was able to take home their "creation" as well as sample delicious member-made egg dishes. This month will offer a mixer, which is an opportunity to meet other members in a friendly, good-natured "getting-to-know you" environment. Please note for this month only, the meeting is on Fri., May 31 at 11 am in the South Clubhouse, due to remodeling during our regular fourth Friday meeting. We ask members to please use the front door as the Social Committee is extremely busy making sure the room is ready for your safety and enjoyment. What a time this will be to have the adventure of meeting new people, visiting with established friends and an opportunity to bring out the "child" that is still hidden within us. If you have questions about the program, contact Wendy Ditchfield, (951) 845-5553, or interested in membership, Carolyn Wright, (951) 797-3568. It's not too late to join this group of happy eaters.