A meditation toward imminent awareness (the Holy Spirit or the inshining Light).

There are many of us who are witnessing (living in) an existence wherein our conscious, conscience, meaning, purpose, and identity is established in imminent awareness itself in itself without regard to outward ideas, institutions, scriptures, persons, in political, religious, or economic contexts.  To testify to this way of existence is not in itself an act of judgementalism against an existence anchored in outward forms. Here is a testimony that may open a passage wherein imminent awareness (the inshining Light) may break in or reach into your conscious and conscience and show some of what is of the nature of imminent awareness. There is no specific place or context wherein it is better to engage in this meditation. Anywhere or anyplace and under any circumstance is as good as any other. This meditation is a mere testimony to a way of existence witness directly and that is open to anyone. The testimony itself is of no value in itself and should be summarily disregarded if there is no opening to imminent awareness itself in itself. What matters is not the testimony or meditation but the actual and real witness (experience) of the inshining Light itself in itself.

Consciousness is lost upon the death of the physical body for those whose consciousness is anchored in the outward forms or outward nature. I am testifying to a reality that can be tested on a personal level by anyone when they consider their selves without physical sight, physical hearing, physical smell, physical touch, physical taste, and physical brain to mirror ideas, emotions, and desires. Imagine your self without these. Then ask the simple question: "What is left?" I there anything to hold on to? Is there awareness or consciousness? If your answer is no, know that others have witnessed (experienced) a way of being wherein awareness is no longer dependent upon the sensations, ideations, and will of the body or outward nature. This way of awareness or being that sustains even upon the death of the body is open to anyone without regard to circumstance or condition and, in the act of imagining existence without the bodily or outward nature, you have come right up against eternity. Look at the hands you call your hands or the arms you call your arms and ask "who or what is looking at those hands or arms?" Again, take the time to really, really, really, ask yourself "who or what is looking at those hands or arms?" Do you "feel" or "sense" that otherness looking at those hands or arms? In the very act of experiencing that who or what, you are experiencing or witnessing or in awareness of that which sustains upon the death of the physical body. The hands or arms you call your hands or arms are not truly you ... you are that which is looking at those hands or arms. When those hands or arms no longer function and decay ... that which is right now looking at them is your eternal nature. To live and move and have being and awareness in that which is looking at those hands is to come into eternity. 

Daily rest in the act a living in that which is looking at your hand and arms. Slowly, in due time and with patience, you will begin to experience that which is looking at those hands when you are looking at your husband or wife or mother or father. You will then experience that which is looking at those hands when you look at trees, flowers, buildings, animals, doors, and when you are mopping the floor or reading scripture you will witness that which is looking at those hands or words. Then, in all things and circumstances, you will experience that which is looking at those hands. Your identity, meaning, and purpose will become more and more ordered in the Light of that which is observing those hands and arms. That which is observing those hands and arms will become more and more imminent in all those things you do and observe in daily life. 

Then, when you imagine being  without eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, nose for smelling, tongue for taste, nerves for touch, and a brain for ideation, emotion, and will you will know and experience that which looks at eyes, nose, tongue, ears, nerves, brain is that which sustains even upon the loss of these upon physical death. For you will know and experience the being or awareness that is the withness or witness behind or before the bodily or outward nature. 

The withness in all things and circumstances in daily life is the testimony of a Witness which is a new way of awareness or being and it is wonderful to live in the glory of this grace that is upon each and every one of us. It is just right there and all we do is take a moment and live in that which is doing the seeing, thinking, feeling, tasting, smelling, touching, hearing and to rest in that instead of a way of existence that is anchored in the outward manifestations like hands and arms. 

Eternal life or awareness itself in itself is so close and it is upon each one of us ... there is no special place or time or event or institution, or testimony, practice, or tradition, or idea, or theology that captures this witness (experience) or that is needful. The witness (experience) is with us right now and in our place and circumstance and offers a new way of existence without regard to political, religious, and economic, tradition, practice, faith, institution, or tradition ... a way of existence free from faith and hope in the outward nature but that is faithful and hopeful in the actual witness of imminent awareness that shatters the conscious, conscience, meaning, purpose, and identity, bound to the outward manifestation of politics, religion, and economics. 

To those whose living Witness is our testimony and who are being led out of outward forms.

There are many of us today whose way of existence or awareness on earth is inherently anchored. That is, our conscious or awareness is inherent in itself and our conscience is formed or informed inherently; our identity, meaning, and purpose is in direct and unmediated awareness itself in itself. This inherent existence is sufficient in itself to sustain awareness and to sustains our identity, meaning, and purpose in all things on this earth. We experience life on earth somewhat like this:

"When mopping the floor ... I am. When speaking to students on Natural History ... I am. While watching hummingbirds build their tiny nests ... I am. When I read scripture ... I am. While watching a Pileated Woodpecker pair feeding their young in a nest cavity ... I am. While attending local theater ... I am. While worshipping in a church building or Meeting House ... I am. As I garden ... I am. While I work on an upholstery project ... I am."

"I am in all things and circumstances and I am none of those things and circumstances. I am predicated to no-thing, tradition, or institution."

For the purposes of this letter, I will use the phrases "inherent existence" and "imminent awareness" interchangeably. Anywhere these two phrases are used, the terms and phrases, such as God, Christ, inward Light, etc. can be replaced for clarity.

I am inherent existence experienced directly in the conscious and guiding the conscience. Inherent existence is sufficient in itself (without regard to outward forms, people, things, circumstances, community, etc.).

Be ever watchful and vigilant over losing your witness in the face of anger, innuendo, and misrepresentation.

To those who witness or experience (or who are coming into this witness) the sufficiency of imminent awareness without regard to outward forms, traditions, institutions, or the professors of form and go about testifying about this witness, there will be those who, by their own admission, do not share our Witness and who are skeptical as to the reality of that which we witness and testify.  They will affirm their need for outward forms in regard to matters of the conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose. They will then argue that because their conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose is bound to outward form, they cannot imagine otherwise. Some (not all, by any means) will become angry, frustrated and even hostile and lash out with various accusations, innuendo, etc. In these circumstances, those of us who experience imminent awareness in all things and circumstances must be ever watchful and vigilant concerning our witness. 

It is important that we do not become so caught up in our testimony that it takes the place of our actual witness (inherent existence). One way to know this is happening is that we are no longer in the witness when we speak or write our testimony. That is, we become defensive and overly concerned with our testimony. The testimony solidifies and awareness hardens into it.   Then, when we are attacked by those who do not share a sustained life in the sufficiency of inherent existence itself as our identity meaning and purpose, we will often respond from the hardened brick of testimony and not from our witness itself ... imminent awareness. Under these circumstances, we have lost our witness. That is, we are no longer living in or witness (experiencing) inherent existence itself. It is very easy to become enchanted by our testimony which is then Witness lost.

Note: Very early in Quaker history, a rift happened between those founding Quakers who established outward forms amongst those gathered in the inshining Light and those who did not accept the establishment of outward forms like Monthly Meeting, Quarterly Meeting, Yearly Meeting, Men and Women's Meeting, set time for worship, etc. because they affirmed the sufficiency of inherent existence (the inward Light) to guide them in matters of conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose without regard to outwardly established forms. They testified to their Witness (experience) that they were led out of a dependency on outward forms in matters of conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose and that, for conscience sake, they would not participate in the forms other founding Quakers established. William Rogers' book written in 1680, entitled "The Christian Quaker ..." documents the testimony of the latter. The book is a wonderful testimony to their Witness of the sufficiency of the inshining Light itself in itself in matters of conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose. It also illustrates (not on purpose) the pitfalls of Witness lost in the face of criticism and angry backlash from those founding Quakers who institutionalized the Witness. The established forces were brutal in their angry criticism of those who spoke out for the sufficiency of the Witness itself regarding conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose; and the latter responded in kind ... Witness (inherent existence) Lost. There is much we, who share the Witness of those founding Quakers who testified against those other founding Quakers who institutionalized the gathering; both edifying and unedifying. 

This is where watchfulness and vigilance are important. When imminent awareness is no longer Witnessed while writing or speaking and anger and frustration lead our response, it is time to stop writing and speaking and to re-turn into your Witness (experience) and to let go of your testimony. That is, we must lay down the hardened testimony we have idolized and break it apart in and through our Witness in inherent existence.

Our living Witness is our conscious, conscience, identity, meaning, and purpose is independent of outward forms and our testimony must ever come out of that Witness. After all, if we lose our Witness (direct inherent existence or imminent awareness) we allow our testimony to turn us back again in that which we have been led out of in inherent existence.

In all things and circumstances, even in the face of angry criticism, we hold to our Witness and testify to it in and through the Light of the Witness itself. It is not ours to expect acceptance or to judge the anger and frustration of others, ours is to lay down our tender Witness before others and without expectation.

In our living Witness, we have victory over all circumstances and events is our lives and inherent existence is ever before us which is the joy and peace of heaven.