Category: Welcome
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Candice – The only practice
Recall.it Summary
- Awareness is the key to revealing one’s self-perfected nature, and relying on it is more effective than trying to achieve an altered state of consciousness, as it allows individuals to rest as points of view and find a power of thinking, speech, and action that is not present otherwise (00:00:11).
- When individuals rest as awareness, they can bring confidence and rest into their life, and the tension in their body, voice, and mind relaxes and releases, allowing them to speak and act without needing a script or worrying about what to say (00:01:13).
- The voice of awareness is like a lion’s roar, which can quiet all points of view, and when individuals remain in this state, they don’t need to pretend to be something they’re not or try to fulfill certain identifications, as they can simply remain as awareness that contains all (00:02:11).
- The sun of awareness shines equally on all points of view, without judgment or discrimination, and individuals can let all their points of view be as they are, as they are already self-liberated and free in their own place (00:03:06).
- The single practice of resting as awareness is exceedingly powerful and has been practiced by the greatest beings who have ever lived, making all other practices unnecessary, as it allows individuals to grow strong and find freedom in the present moment (00:04:01).
- This practice involves repeatedly resting as awareness for short moments many times, and it is enough on its own, as nothing else is necessary to achieve self-perfection and liberation (00:04:42).
What is this “in Me you may have peace”?
This is the same placeless place Candice O’Denver is pointing to in the above video.It’s too simple!
Short moments, repeated many times.
“Just be still and know I am.” -
The Veiled Christ
“The most impossible sculpture…
Recall.it ai summary
Introduction to the Veiled Christ and Its Impact
- The point where skill becomes extreme is when people start calling it something else, such as magic or the impossible, and this is what happened when a young sculptor in Naples created a sculpture called the Veiled Christ in 1753, which has left people in awe for nearly three centuries (00:00:05).
- The Veiled Christ is a life-size figure of Christ after the crucifixion, lying on a marble bed with two pillows beneath his head, and everything, including the shroud, body, pillows, pliers, shackles, and crown of thorns, was carved from a single block of Carrara stone by a 32-year-old sculptor named Giuseppe San Martino (00:00:39).
Technical Description of the Sculpture
- The shroud is made of marble and appears to cling to Christ’s body, following the contours of the rib cage, throat, and collarbone, creating an effect where the cloth seems to be a separate material entirely, even though it is made of the same stone as the body (00:01:34).
- A study published in Scientific American found that sculptors working in this tradition do not carve a continuous thin layer of stone over the features beneath, but instead selectively render the face and body as if the veil is not there, and then insert narrow ridges and subtle texture shifts to suggest the presence of cloth (00:02:18).
The Prince of Sansevero and the Commission
- The man who commissioned the sculpture was Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, a grandmaster of the Neapolitan Masonic Lodge, a practicing alchemist, and an inventor, who built a carriage with cork horses and developed fireworks that detonated with the sound of bird song (00:03:06).
- A legend emerged that the prince had taught San Martino a secret chemical process for transforming real linen into crystalline marble, but the documentary record, including a payment receipt and correspondence from the prince, confirms that the veil was carved from the same block as the figure (00:04:21).
- Despite the evidence, the legend persists, possibly because it is harder to accept that a young man with a chisel could create such a masterpiece by hand from a solid block of stone with no tricks and no chemistry (00:04:52).
Coredini’s Earlier Work and San Martino’s Commission
- Coredini’s statue of modesty is a technical marvel, featuring a fully veiled female figure whose body is visible through carved stone drapery, and it still stands in the same chapel (00:05:16).
- After Coredini’s death in 1752, the commission passed to San Martino, who ignored the older sculptor’s model and started from scratch, producing a work that Antonio Kenova later admired and would have given 10 years of his life to have created (00:05:32).
Details and Artistic Mastery of the Veiled Christ
- The Veiled Christ sculpture features intricate details, including a single vein visible through the veil on the forehead, which requires anatomical accuracy and the illusion of transparent fabric carved from the same piece of stone (00:06:16).
- The sculpture also features the instruments of the passion at the feet, with different surface textures for metal, fabric, and flesh, all achieved from a single slab of marble, demonstrating San Martino’s technical skill (00:06:38).
Interpretations and Theological Significance
- Art historian Rudolph Witkau dismissed the veiled Christ as a hypertrophic effort, but Ruth Lockheart interpreted the veil as a theological threshold, representing the boundary between the human and the divine, and the visible and the invisible (00:07:09).
- The veil can be seen as either a burial shroud, functioning as a final act of mercy, or as a means of exposing Christ’s wounds, making every rib more defined and every trace of suffering more legible than if the body were shown bare (00:07:47).
Legacy and Viewer Interpretation
- The Veiled Christ sculpture still sits in the center of the chapel in Naples, forcing viewers to choose between trusting the documents or their own eyes, as they are presented with two different interpretations of the sculpture’s meaning (00:08:43).
Holger:
In the above video it is mentioned that the artist uses one substance to create the impression of flesh, transparent veil, soft cloth, plus the hammer and the crown.
In our seeming ignorance – born from below – we believe to be flesh and overlook the one substance everyone and everything appears from: Awareness, Consciousness, Christ, Love, (the words are secondary).
In the Bible Christ is described as the Wisdom and Power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18–25
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”1 Corinthians 1:18–25
What is the veil that seemingly separates us from being the gift of Life?
As long as “I am” stuck in language, concepts, beliefs, assumptions, muscle-memory, there is two – you and me, this and that.
Jesus says “I and the father are one”; not symbolically, but literally:
Subject and Reality are the same substance.Jesus’ questions are your own questions:
Who do you say “I am”?“It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
“Before Abraham was I am.”
“I am the Light, I am the way, I am with you always…”
In thinking we are forever lost and hungry; the strange thing is that the veil is imagined.
Love.
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Within my own head and heart…
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.Christian pointers:
- God is Love.
- Your body is the temple of the living God.
- It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Nondual pointers:
- Pleasure and pain are circumstantial, suffering is attitudinal.
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Personal God?
The following are two answers by ai (notebookLM.google.com), based on 35 resources written by Joel S. Goldsmith:
Can we have a personal relationship with God?
NotebookLM.Google.com:
According to the sources , you can have a relationship with God that is intimate and personal, but it is not a relationship between two separate beings. True spiritual relationship is based on the realization of oneness, where the sense of a selfhood apart from God is overcome.
From Duality to Oneness
The sources emphasize that the traditional concept of a “personal relationship”—where a human being on earth reaches out to a God in heaven—is a form of duality or “twoness” that actually creates a sense of separation.
- The Error of Separation: Believing that you are “wo/man” and that somewhere else there is “God” is described as a “pagan” concept that was later incorporated into Christianity.
- The Reality of Oneness: The core relationship revealed by mystics is: “I and my Father are one”. This means God is not an entity external to you, but is the very substance, life, and consciousness of your individual being.
An Intimate, Inner Experience
While God is universal and impersonal in nature, the experience of God becomes deeply personal when realized within one’s own consciousness.
- Intimate Titles: The sources note that throughout scripture, individuals have known God in personal ways: Abraham knew God as “Friend,” while Jesus revealed God as “Father”. Others have experienced God as “Mother” or “Father-Mother”.
- Closer than Breathing: This relationship is described as being “nearer than hands and feet” and “closer than breathing”.
- The Inner Sanctuary: You do not find this relationship in holy temples or through rituals, but in the “inner sanctuary” of your own consciousness. It is an “inner communion” or “tabernacling” with the Spirit within.
The Role of the Indwelling Christ
The “personal” aspect of the relationship is often experienced as a connection between the individual’s outer human self and the indwelling Christ (the Son of God within).
- The Mediator: This divine Center within acts as a “Mediator” or “connecting link” between the individual and the absolute Source.
- Divine Partnership: This is described as a “divine partnership” where you are no longer fighting battles alone, but realize that “I and my Father” are together.
- Spiritual Companionship: By finding this inner relationship with God, you also find a “spiritual bond” with all people, which enhances human companionships and removes barriers of race or religion.
The Ultimate Goal: Conscious Union
The goal of the spiritual life is to move from “talking about God” to a God-experience.
- Listening, Not Telling: True relationship involves a “listening ear” and a “silent communion” rather than attempting to influence God or tell Him what you need.
- Disappearance of the “I”: In the highest state of this relationship, called conscious union, the separate, personal selfhood disappears, and only God is felt to be present.
- Self-Completeness: In this union, you discover you are “Self-complete in God,” meaning you no longer look to any human being or external circumstance for your fulfillment, health, or supply.
Is the relationship to God personal?
NotebookLM.Google.com:
According to the sources, the relationship to God is both universal and impersonal in its nature, yet deeply intimate and personal in its individual realization.
God as Universal and Impersonal
God is understood as universal Being whose laws function without exceptions or favoritism. In this sense, the relationship is not personal because:
- God has no favorites: God is no respecter of persons, religions, races, or nationalities.
- Impartial Activity: God’s activity is not directed at one individual over another; His grace falls on the saint and the sinner alike.
- No Personal Influence: Human beings cannot influence, sway, or persuade God through rituals or pleading to do something special for them.
- Universal Provision: God does not “set a table” for one person specifically but provides for the entire universe.
God as Individual and Intimate
While God is universal, the sources emphasize that God is incarnated as individual consciousness. This makes the relationship profoundly personal to the individual:
- The Father Within: Jesus referred to this relationship as the “Father within,” indicating an intimate, indwelling presence.
- Intimacy of Experience: Once God is felt and experienced, He ceases to be an abstract principle and becomes a “gentle friend,” “divine love,” or “Father”.
- Closer Than Breathing: God is described as being closer than one’s own breathing and nearer than hands or feet.
- The True Identity of “I”: The ultimate intimate revelation is that the “I” of your being is God. In this realization, you are not separate from God; God constitutes your very mind, soul, and life.
The Relationship of Oneness
The core relationship taught in the sources is oneness—a state of divine sonship that is indivisible and indestructible.
- Individual Union: Although God is universal, each person must find their own center in God individually; one cannot enter “heaven” two by two.
- Tabernacling: Spiritual living involves “tabernacling” or communing with God at the center of one’s own being in sacredness and secrecy.
- Self-Sufficiency: In this relationship, an individual finds their sufficiency within their own “Self” (God), rather than looking to other people or external circumstances.
In summary, while God is an impersonal, universal Principle that does not grant personal favors, the experience of God is the most personal and intimate relationship an individual can have, as it is the discovery of God as one’s own spiritual identity and life.
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Tabernacling
NotebookLM.Google.com:
Tabernacling is the spiritual practice of inner communion and constant companioning with God/Reality/Life at the center of one’s own being. It is the act of entering the “silent sanctuary” or “Holy of Holies” within consciousness to dwell with the Divine Presence.
According to the sources (books by Joel S. Goldsmith), tabernacling involves the following key elements:
1. The Sanctuary of Consciousness
Tabernacling is not something done in a physical building or geographical location; the true “tabernacle” is individual consciousness. To tabernacle with God is to “shut out the world,” close the doors of the five physical senses, and retire into the “secret place of the most High” within oneself.
2. A Listening Attitude
The practice is defined by a receptive, listening attitude rather than a vocal or pleading one. It is characterized by the humble address, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth”. Instead of telling God what is needed, the individual “rests back” in a state of expectancy, allowing the “still small voice” to provide direction, instruction, and peace.
3. Seeking the Presence, Not “Things”
The sources emphasize that the purpose of tabernacling is not to influence God or seek personal favors. Rather, it is to:
- Know God for God’s sake alone.
- Experience the realization of oneness with the Father.
- Rest in the assurance that God’s grace is “sufficient” for all needs without personal “thought-taking”.
4. Tabernacling with Others
The concept extends beyond the individual’s relationship with God to their relationship with others:
- Spiritual Identity: To tabernacle with others is to look past their human appearances (health, wealth, or behavior) and recognize the indwelling Christ or spiritual identity as the only reality of their being.
- Spiritual Household: It involves communing with those of one’s “spiritual household”—fellow seekers and the “saints and sages of all ages”—within the shared bond of spiritual consciousness.
5. Secrecy and Sacredness
Tabernacling is a sacred and secret activity. The sources warn against “casting pearls before swine” by discussing these inner experiences with those who are not ready to understand them. The spiritual fruitage of tabernacling should be revealed by its effects—such as increased peace, harmony, and healing—rather than through audible preaching.
6. A Way of Life
Ultimately, tabernacling is described as “praying without ceasing”. It is an hourly and daily practice of maintaining a continuous awareness of the Divine Presence while engaged in normal human activities like business, housework, or travel. By tabernacling in secret, the individual becomes a “transparency” through which God’s grace and peace can reach the rest of the world.
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Believe in a love…
“Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.”
When I speak of Love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.
