Attunement Group – Kansas City

◄ by Mike Phillips and Karen Knox ►

On April 28^th Karen Knox and Mike Phillips teamed up together to lead the Attunement Group. Before sharing Attunements they presented and discussed Attunement as a Lifestyle. Here is a recap.

In A Beginner’s Guide to Attunement …The Energy of Being Chris Jorgensen wrote, “While people in the healing arts like to think of Attunement is an energy therapy (and it is), Attunement is also about one’s own living. It is a lifestyle where the quality and nature of Being is released into the immediate situation or circumstance at hand as one expresses one’s creative best in each moment.” In Attunement: Love Made Visible , Chris wrote, “Without spiritual consciousness and the actual experience of true identity, Attunement becomes just another energy technique!”

Why is it important to think of Attunement as a lifestyle?

In Attunement we work with the current of Love, the fire of Love, and Love requires a container in order to transform or affect change for the good. Without a container the current of Love can be destructive. For example, if we were to build a fire without a container it would eventually burn out of control and the building would be destroyed. That same fire with a container of a fireplace or stove would become a source of heat and could transform food by cooking. In the same way Love needs a container. In Attunement I am the container for the fire of Love. The quality and strength of my container is determined by my lifestyle. For instance, if I have an ongoing feud with my neighbor or while driving I experience road rage, the quality of the Attunement I share is affected and the strength of my container for Love is weakened. Every thought, word, and action impacts my inner state, my container. So in my daily living I want to cultivate virtues which strengthen and enable Love/Spirit to flow unhindered. I want to consistently refine my awareness so I know what strengthens me and what weakens my container. When I find something that weakens me, I want to do self-inquiry, the inner work, so that those things which impede or limit Love can be released. Through this process more of my Being or true Self is revealed and my container is strengthened, therefore I am able to allow more Love to flow unhindered. As this happens, I am more present in my life and feel more radiant when sharing Attunement.  This does require a level of commitment and focus.

How do you live Attunement as a lifestyle?

We live in a world that’s filled with manipulation, anger, jealousy, and hatred. We see it daily on the news and the Internet. It is easy to become emotionally involved and even consumed by these stories. They can seem overwhelming.

Many years ago Martin Exeter wrote a poem entitled, “To Pray Without Ceasing”. The first sentence reads, “Whatever arises, let me dwell in the secret place of the Most High.” The last sentence reads, “Let my presence be a beacon of enfolding radiance in every circumstance.” This is a clear description of Attunement and how to handle upheaval in our lives. Another suggestion is found in the title, “To Pray Without Ceasing”. I guess we could say “share Attunement without ceasing.”

One way I share Attunement is through the work that I do and the way I handle everyday life. I do this by working and living, as best I can, in uplifting ways. From my perspective one way to do this is through silence. Silently I express the atmosphere of peace, stillness, appreciation, respect, blessing, gratitude and of course, no judgment.

My neighbor and I will sometimes stand in our yards and talk for an hour or more. Occasionally he will begin gossiping about or putting down another neighbor. I make it a point to stay calm and focused as I listen, not giving any emotional energy to his comments. This usually keeps his conversation about the other neighbor(s) short. It also puts in place a higher or finer level of atmosphere, which provides a clearer and more balanced view of the issue. In this way my neighbor and I are lifting up our atmosphere, as well as that of the community around us. As my atmosphere lifts up, so does that of my family, friends, other people and my whole world.

What I am describing is a process. It doesn’t always come easy, but I keep at it. I begin noticing that my life is smoother with fewer bumps. Could it be that this is how manipulation and hatred in the world will dissipate?

Here are a few principles when considering Attunement as a lifestyle:

• Attunement is a daily practice, a way of life.
• Begin the day with a time of stillness/meditation. Become rooted, identified with Being/Truth/inner Self.
• Sanctification of the day (prayer, journaling, self-energy work….)
• The body, mind and heart are what we have, not who we are.
• Respect divinity inherent in all living things.
• Recognize the unity of all.
• The Creator’s radiation will do the work.
• God is all pervasive; there is no place God is not.
• The world is as we see it. It is a reflection of our inner world. Be aware of projections. We create our world.
• Healing is a side benefit of participating in the attunement process.
• Seek purity of heart which removes shame; love which dispels fear; understanding of truth which clears hatred, and expression of a generous spirit which banishes greed.
• Be willing to forgive.
• Seek to live beyond the pairs of opposite – praise/blame, right/wrong, pain/pleasure.
• Offer service without attachment to the outcome. Service is an offering of supreme Love. Let Love radiate without concern for results.
• Maintain a divine atmosphere of non-judgment and no agenda. This is gradually achieved by expressing the attitudes of peace, stillness, appreciation, respect, blessing and gratitude.
• Trust the process.
• Self-inquiry. Make certain one’s motives are clear and honest.
• Every thought, word, and action counts.
• Awareness of how I use my energy – what I allow in and how I expend my energy. Am I allowing myself to become depleted? Am I squandering the energy of my essence? Do I take time to recharge and replenish?
• Practicing these principles I become more aware that I am not separate from God and am more able to hear the inner promptings and guidance of Love. I am more able to be re-directed to the Truth.