TRANSKRIP 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:08.560
Welcome to the Archer Stahl Temple Podcast, teachings for sovereign awakening, sacred union, and embodied devotion.
00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:11.519
I'm Christopher Stahl here with Aeon Archer.
00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:17.039
May this transmission meet you exactly where you are and open the next doorway on your path.
00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:18.399
Let us begin.
00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:19.920
Wisdom.
00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:34.000
So over the past several weeks, we've explored awareness, we've explored silence, effort, and all the subtle ways the mind pulls us away from the direct experience of life in this moment.
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:42.159
So today I'd like to explore something that almost every one of us has experienced at one point in time or another, FOMO.
00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:44.799
The fear of missing out.
00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:49.840
And at first glance, it can feel like a modern problem.
00:00:50.320 --> 00:01:01.600
Social media, vacations, relationships, businesses, watching everyone's everyone else's highlight reel while quietly questioning our own lives.
00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:09.840
But the more I sat with this this week, the more I realized that FOMO really isn't anything new at all.
00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:18.159
Because long before phones, people compared harvests, they compared families, reputations, my kingdom's bigger than yours.
00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:28.079
Uh, they compared their armies, people compared who had more wealth, who had more influence, who had the stronger family or the greater reputation.
00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:34.319
Even the disciples argued about who would sit closest to Jesus at the Last Supper.
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:40.000
So technology didn't invent comparison, it simply accelerated it.
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:41.680
It made it more visible.
00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:45.040
So, which tells me something profound.
00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:54.879
FOMO isn't really about social media, it's the ancient habit of believing that life is happening somewhere other than here.
00:01:55.519 --> 00:02:02.000
And the moment we believe that, we quietly leave the only place life has ever been.
00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:21.199
So if you think about how quickly it happens, you're sitting on the porch with your cup of coffee in the morning, the morning is peaceful, the sky is beautiful, the breeze is moving, the butterflies are in the yard, birds are singing, and everything is as it should be.
00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.759
Then you pick up your phone.
00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.000
Someone is standing on a beach in Greece, your dream vacation.
00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:37.039
Someone announces an engagement, their dream partner, someone's business reaches another milestone, someone has the body you've always been working toward.
00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.759
Nothing in your life has changed.
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:51.439
The coffee tastes exactly the same, the breeze still caresses your face, the birds continue singing, but suddenly your own life feels a little bit smaller.
00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:52.560
Why?
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.159
Because your attention left.
00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:57.199
Not your body.
00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:00.319
Your body didn't go somewhere else, your attention did.
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.280
The suffering didn't begin because someone else had a beautiful experience.
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:11.439
The suffering began when the mind quietly whispered, life is happening over there.
00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:20.800
So I've been sitting with one sentence all week as I was preparing this teaching, and it's comparison creates absence.
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:26.800
Because the moment comparison begins, presence disappears.
00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:32.159
Not because the present changed, but because your attention leaves that moment.
00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:37.840
So imagine holding the most beautiful flower you have ever seen.
00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:43.199
You're completely absorbed in its beauty by its fragrance and its color.
00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:49.680
And then someone walks by carrying another flower and says to you, This one is more beautiful.
00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:56.080
In that instant, you stop experiencing your flower and you begin to evaluate it.
00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:58.400
The flower didn't lose its beauty.
00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:01.199
You lost your relationship to it.
00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.199
So comparison replaced lived experience.
00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:10.960
And so I wonder how often this actually happens every single day.
00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:23.199
We compare our bodies, our relationships, our healing, oftentimes our spirituality, our finances, businesses, homes, even our meditation practice.
00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:31.519
And every comparison quietly removes us from the only place life is actually unfolding.
00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:34.160
So why do we compare?
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:36.319
Now here's something important.
00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:40.480
I don't believe the mind compares because it is broken.
00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:44.480
I don't believe the ego compares because it is evil.
00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:49.120
I think the mind compares because it is trying to protect us.
00:04:49.759 --> 00:05:02.560
The mind believes that if it can determine who's ahead, who's behind, who's succeeding, who is failing, then maybe it can finally discover how to become worthy.
00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:05.040
Notice the innocence in that.
00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:09.439
The mind isn't trying to hurt us, it's actually trying to help.
00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.519
It's simply looking for belonging with the wrong instrument.
00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:17.279
Because awareness has never needed to become worthy.
00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.000
Awareness already belongs.
00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:26.560
And comparison is what the mind does after it forgets it already belongs.
00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:35.360
Or perhaps you could say
Load full transcript
it this way: comparison is the mind searching for the belonging that awareness never lost.
00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:43.439
So when I first thought of that, something inside me became very quiet because suddenly comparison wasn't the enemy.
00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.480
It was simply a misunderstanding.
00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:51.040
The mind is searching for something it already has.
00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:55.439
So that actually brought to me a teaching by Jesus.
00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.360
And I thought I think this is a really good one.
00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:02.399
Because as I reflected on this, the words of Jesus came alive for me in a new way.
00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:07.279
Jesus said, Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:11.759
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.
00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:16.959
And with the same measure you use, it will be used against you.
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.560
Now for years I heard those words as a warning.
00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:26.000
If I judge others, then someday in the future, God will judge me.
00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:30.079
But over time, another possibility emerged.
00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:39.600
Perhaps Jesus wasn't only speaking about a future judgment, perhaps he was revealing something that happens immediately in that moment.
00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:49.279
So the moment I judge another person, I create the very instrument through which I see and experience myself.
00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:54.959
So if I decide that someone else is successful, I have created failure.
00:06:55.360 --> 00:07:00.879
If I decide someone is worthy, I have created unworthiness.
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:06.959
If I decide someone is enlightened, I have created those who are not.
00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:16.560
So the ruler I use to measure another person eventually becomes the same ruler I use to measure myself.
00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:22.480
So if I judge someone for being impatient, what happens the next time I become impatient?
00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:29.920
If I judge someone because they haven't healed, what happens when I discover parts of myself that are still healing?
00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:36.560
And if I judge someone because their business isn't growing, what happens when my business slows down?
00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:40.000
So the measure always comes home.
00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.199
Judgment has bars on both sides.
00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.959
Every judgment creates two prisoners.
00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:55.759
So the one being judged and the one who now lives inside a world where everyone must be measured.
00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:01.360
So comparison is the beginning of separation, the beginning of division.
00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.639
And this is where I think the teaching becomes even deeper.
00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:10.720
Because comparison isn't simply judgment, it is the thing that creates the separation.
00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:16.560
The moment I compare your life to
mine, I haven't discovered separation.
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:18.160
I have created it.
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:30.959
Suddenly there is your life and my life, your success and my success, your worth and my worth, your spiritual path and mine.
00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:36.799
And the mind believes comparison reveals reality.
00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:42.240
Awareness reveals that comparison creates it.
00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:50.240
Every comparison quietly asks one question: Who is more worthy?
00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.879
Awareness has never asked that question.
00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:57.200
Awareness doesn't compare.
00:08:57.519 --> 00:08:59.360
Awareness is inclusive.
00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:04.960
Awareness never asks who belongs, because it begins with belonging.
00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:10.480
So perhaps this is why comparison tends to hurt so deeply.
00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:20.399
Not because someone else has more, but because comparison momentarily convinces us that we are separate from life itself.
00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:24.399
So this brings me back to FOMO.
00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:29.360
So what is the real fear beneath the fear of missing out?
00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:30.399
FOMO.
00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:36.080
I think beneath every comparison is an even deeper fear.
00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:42.159
Not that we will miss an experience, but that our life won't matter.
00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:45.679
That we won't fully live before we die.
00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:52.399
That someone else will somehow experience life more completely than we will.
00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.159
And that is such a deeply human fear.
00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:06.559
But notice what happens because the more we chase another life, the less available we become to our own.
00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:12.320
Life patiently waits while the mind imagines somewhere and something better.
00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:16.320
And perhaps this is the greatest invitation of all.
00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:26.879
Not to stop living, not to stop dreaming, not to stop creating, but to stop abandoning this moment in search for another one.
00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:34.159
So perhaps the opposite of comparison isn't only gratitude.
00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:36.480
Perhaps it isn't contentment.
00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:39.360
Perhaps it is remembering.
00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:43.759
Remembering that life has never been divided.
00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:48.720
There's never truly been your life in someone else's life.
00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:56.080
There has only ever been life expressing itself through countless beautiful forms.
00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.919
The wave does not need to become another wave.
00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:04.799
It only needs to remember it has always been the ocean.
00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:21.919
And perhaps this is what Jesus was pointing toward when he said, the kingdom of God is within you, not somewhere else, not someday else, not after you've become successful enough or spiritually enough or worthy
enough.
00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:33.200
Here now, in this moment, before comparison, before judgment, before separation, an awareness.
00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:40.240
So we spend so much of our lives trying to arrive somewhere else.
00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:46.639
Yet life has been waiting patiently for us right here in this moment.
00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:51.120
And perhaps enlightenment is not finding a better moment.
00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:55.039
It is finally ceasing to abandon this one.
00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:05.039
Because this, this ordinary, miraculous, unrepeatable moment, is the only place life has ever unfolded.
00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.399
It is the only place love has ever been known.
00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:12.879
It is the only place awareness has ever awakened.
00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.919
Nothing real has ever been missing.
00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.360
Only your attention has wandered.
00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:32.480
And the beautiful news is this: the moment your attention returns, we discover that with which we've been searching for was never somewhere else.
00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:36.399
It was always here, always now.
00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:40.080
And it has always been waiting for us.
00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:42.879
Let's close in prayer.
00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:53.519
Divine presence, as we as we prepare to enter this silence together, help us gently lay down every measuring stick we have ever carried.
00:12:54.480 --> 00:13:04.480
May comparison soften, judgment dissolve, and every illusion of separation give way to the direct experience of presence.
00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.279
Remind us that we have never needed to become worthy of love.
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:13.600
We have only needed to remember that we already belong.
00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:22.639
And as Christopher now guides us into meditation, may we rest not in striving, but in the simple awareness.
00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:36.240
May we encounter the peace that has always been here, patiently waiting beneath every thought, and may we remember that presence is not found somewhere else, it is the ground of this moment.
00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:42.000
Omnamashivaya, omguruom, amen, aho ashe.
00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:43.679
And so it is.
00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.679
Christopher, the floor is yours.
00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.080
Omnamashiva, thank you, Aeon.
00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:57.919
What a beautiful teaching.
00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:07.440
And now it's time to embody the teaching.
00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:14.879
So if it feels comfortable, allow your eyes to gently close and take a slow deep breath in.
00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:19.840
And exhale.
00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.559
Again, breathing in.
00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:33.039
And breathing out.
00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:39.120
Another deep breath in.
00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.600
Allowing yourself to arrive.
00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:47.519
Right here.
00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:50.080
Right now.
00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:57.120
Feeling the support beneath your body.
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.360
Noticing the gentle rhythm of your breathing.
00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.000
Nothing to accomplish.
00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:11.120
Nothing to prove.
00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:14.960
Nothing to become.
00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:18.720
Simply this breath.
00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:21.120
In this moment.
00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:31.200
And take a moment to become aware of the sounds around you.
00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:34.720
Some are near.
00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:38.080
Some are far.
00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:42.720
No need to hold on to them.
00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.080
And no need to push them away.
00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:48.720
They arise.
00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:51.679
They pass.
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.399
And awareness remains.
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:04.639
Now notice your thoughts.
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:09.120
Perhaps they're quiet.
00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:13.759
Perhaps they're busy.
00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:21.840
Perhaps the mind is already comparing, planning, remembering, wondering.
00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:25.440
Simply notice.
00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.519
You are the one who is aware of the thoughts.
00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:34.639
You are not the thoughts themselves.
00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:42.320
Now gently bring your mind to someone you admire.
00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:48.480
Someone whose life you have at some point compared your own to.
00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:50.320
No judgment.
00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:52.960
Simply notice.
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:00.000
Notice what happens inside your body.
00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:05.200
Notice the stories that begin to arise.
00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.839
Notice the measuring mind.
00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:20.720
Now take one slow breath and silently say to yourself.
00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:23.839
Just like me.
00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.440
This person longs to be happy.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:31.200
Just like me.
00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:35.359
This person has known disappointment.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:39.359
Just like me.
00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.119
This person has questioned their worth.
00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:47.200
Just like me.
00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.519
This person is learning how to love.
00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:57.440
And feel what begins to soften.
00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:01.599
Comparison beginning to dissolve.
00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:05.839
Not because you forced it.
00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:10.160
But because compassion has taken its place.
00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:19.519
Now allow that person to gently fade and bring your awareness back to yourself.
00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:24.000
Feel your breath.
00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:29.200
Feel your heart.
00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.960
And feel the simple fact that you are here.
00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:37.839
Alive.
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.319
Breathing.
00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:42.400
Present.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.079
There is nowhere else you need to be.
00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.559
No other life you need to
live.
00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.200
No one else you need to become.
00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:58.960
Only the sacred expression of life appearing as you.
00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.559
Nothing real is missing.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:20.720
I already belong.
00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:26.240
This moment is enough.
00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:32.559
Rest here.
00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.640
Not trying to improve this moment.
00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:39.680
Not trying to escape it.
00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:44.400
Simply resting as awareness itself.
00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:10.720
And release.
00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.039
Feeling gratitude.
00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.400
For the breath of life.
00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:19.680
For our community.
00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:26.000
And for this beautiful, unrepeatable moment of life.
00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:33.920
Begin by bringing your awareness back into your body.
00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:38.720
Back into this room.
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.720
Back into this sacred gathering.
00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:51.200
And when you're ready, gently opening your eyes and coming back to this place.
00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:13.839
Before we move into today's announcements, I'd like to invite us into a moment of sacred generosity.
00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:19.039
This temple exists because people like you believe the world needs places like these.
00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:29.200
Places where no one has to earn belonging, where wisdom is shared freely, where people from every tradition can gather, breathe, and heal.
00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.720
And remember that we are not separate from one another.
00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:46.079
Every Sunday, every teaching, every meditation, every prayer, podcast, video, every person who discovers these teachings somewhere in the world, it is made possible because this community chooses to give.
00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:50.079
Today's teaching invited us to lay down the measuring stick.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.200
So this isn't a question of how much should I give.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:12.480
Your spiritual path, if these gatherings have helped you breathe a little deeper, love a little more freely, or remember something essential about who you are, would you help us carry this temple forward?
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:16.000
If you feel that invitation, don't wait until later.
00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:21.920
Take out your phone now, open Vinmo, and make this moment part of your spiritual practice.
00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:30.000
You can give today through Vinmo at Mercaba Temple or by visiting Mercabatemple.com forward slash donate.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:43.359
Whether your gift is$20,$50,$100, or$5,000, imagine how many scholarships we could offer for five, ten, twenty thousand dollars.
00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:52.640
Or whatever feels joyful and true for you, know that every offering, every offering becomes part of something so much larger than itself.
00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:59.440
It helps someone you've never met in a
place you've never been discover that they are not alone.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:01.440
So thank you.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:10.079
Not simply for what you give, but for believing that a world rooted in compassion, presence, and love is worth building together.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.720
Oh no, she won't smell.
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:17.039
So before we close, we'd love to share a few things happening in our community.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:25.519
First, Christopher has just published the fifth and final essay in Merkaba Temple's newest essay series, The Word That Made the World.
00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:26.720
Oh, that's a tongue twister.
00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:27.440
Yeah, it is.
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:29.519
The world, the word that made the world.
00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:33.440
A five-part series on mantra, consciousness, and sacred sound.
00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:42.880
Together, these five essays explore one of the oldest and most profound spiritual discoveries that the universe is not merely made of matter, but of vibration.
00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:48.559
And that mantra is one of humanity's most powerful technologies for awakening consciousness.
00:23:48.799 --> 00:24:02.559
Drawing from science, scripture, contemplative traditions, and modern psychology, this series explores how sacred sound has the power to transform not only the mind, but the way we experience reality itself.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:11.839
So if you've enjoyed our teachings on mantra over these past several months, we think you'll love this series, and the latest essay teaches us how to start a mantra practice.
00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:18.640
The link is in today's chat, and you can also find it on Merkhaba Temple forward slash blog.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:20.400
Oh, it's so good.
00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.880
Please, please, please read.
00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.799
The last one is really easy too.
00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:26.799
It's like how to start a mantra practice.
00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:30.400
And it you can even start a mantra practice in less than 10 minutes.
00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:32.079
So I give simple instructions.
00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:32.960
It's really fun.
00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:34.559
So please check them out.
00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.160
Second, this August, we'll be traveling to Austin, Texas.
00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.519
Top secret.
00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:45.440
Travel to Austin, Texas, where we'll be leading a very special sacred women's ceremony.
00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:52.960
Now, this intimate gathering is designed for women who are longing to reconnect with themselves in a deeply supportive, intentional, and sacred space.
00:24:53.200 --> 00:25:04.400
So if you feel called or if someone you love immediately came to mind as you heard this, please reach out to us today as we are finalizing the group this week.
00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:10.640
We'd be honored to share more details and help you discern whether this experience is right for you or a friend.
00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:12.319
Just contact us today.
00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:19.519
And finally, Christopher is currently welcoming a limited number of new psychotherapy, coaching, and spiritual mentoring clients.
00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:29.519
So if you've been listening to these teachings each week, if something has been stirring within you and you're feeling called to explore your healing more deeply, this may be the invitation you've been waiting for.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:46.640
Christopher works with individuals from around the world helping people heal from trauma, addiction, anxiety, relationship challenges, spiritual crises, and major life transitions through an integrative approach that weaves together psychotherapy, contemplative practices, and decades of clinical experience.
00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:51.599
So if you'd like to learn more, visit archershawl.guru forward slash book online.
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.400
We'd be honored to walk alongside you.
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.000
Now, let us take one more slow deep breath together.
00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:00.559
We love breathing here, Merkaba Temple.
00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:09.839
Returning once again to the simple presence that has carried us throughout this morning as we prepare to close in prayer.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:24.079
Divine light, in us, through us, and as us, with grateful hearts we thank you for this sacred hour, for the breath, the silence, every song, every teaching, and every moment that we have shared together.
00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:33.599
As we return to our homes, our families, our work, and our communities, may we carry this awareness with us, not as an idea, but as a way of seeing.
00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:37.200
When the mind begins to compare, may we choose compassion.
00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:43.519
When judgment begins to arise, may we remember that every soul is walking a sacred path.
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:53.920
When we are tempted to believe that life is happening somewhere else, may we gently return to this breath, to this moment, and to the quiet presence that has never left us.
00:26:54.160 --> 00:27:03.599
Help us to see ourselves with kindness, to see others with mercy, and to recognize the same divine light shining through every face we encounter this week.
00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:13.599
May our lives become places of welcome, our words become instruments of healing, and our hearts become reminders that no one is truly separate from your love.
00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:28.799
May we walk gently upon this beautiful Mother Earth, may we bless more than we criticize, may we listen more than we judge, and may we love more than we fear, and may every step we take become an expression of the peace we have tasted here today.
00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:40.640
So may all beings everywhere know that they belong, may all beings everywhere know peace, and may all beings everywhere awaken to the light within them, through them, and as them.
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:44.160
Amen.
00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:50.319
Oh, thank you for being here with us at Archer Shaw Temple.
00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:56.559
If something in this teaching helped your body soften or brought you back into yourself, let it keep moving.
00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:58.880
Share it with someone who's ready.
00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:08.160
This temple is sustained through conscious participation, through those who feel the resonance and choose to support the work from clarity, not pressure.
00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:15.599
If you feel called into write exchange, you're welcome to support the mission on Venmo at Merkova Temple all one word.
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:21.839
And if you'd like to go deeper, you can schedule a complimentary soul alignment session at archershawl.guru.
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:27.759
Until next time, take care of your nervous system, walk gently, and stay close to what's true.