Forum

December 2025 TAT Forum

This month’s contents include:

Convictions & Concerns: What Is Enlightenment?, by Shawn Nevins.

TAT Foundation News: Including the calendar of 2026 TAT events and a listing of local & online group meetings organized by TAT members.

Humor

Inspiration & Irritation

Reader Commentary: What if there were a glitch in the matrix and you could have one wish granted. What would it be?

Founder’s Wisdom

A New Home for TAT update: In-person TAT gatherings will be held at the Claymont Retreat Center until we’ve found a new property.

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Convictions & Concerns

TAT members share their personal convictions and/or concerns

What Is Enlightenment?

~ October 2025 interview of Shawn Nevins by Joel Morwood, founder of the Center for Sacred Sciences. “I think it’s my best talk to date,” per Shawn. Please email reader commentary to the TAT Forum.

TAT Foundation News

It’s all about “ladder work” – helping and being helped

Richard Rose, the founder of the TAT Foundation, spent his life searching for the Truth, finding it, and helping others to find their Way. Although not well known to the public, he touched the lives of thousands of spiritual seekers through his books and lectures and through personal contacts with local study groups that continue to work with his teachings today. He felt strongly that helping others generates help for ourselves as well in our climb up the ladder to the golden find beyond the mind.

Call To Action For TAT Forum Reader

With the intention of increasing awareness of TAT’s meetings, books, and the Forum among younger serious seekers, and to increase awareness of ways to approach the search for self-definition, the TAT Foundation is now on Instagram.

You can help! A volunteer is producing shareable text-quote and video content of Richard Rose and TAT-adjacent teachers. We need your suggestions for short, provocative 1-3 sentence quotes or 1 minute or less video clips of people like Rose, Art Ticknor, Bob Fergeson, Tess Hughes, Bob Cergol, Shawn Nevins, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Paul Rezendes, Paul Constant, & other favorites.

Please send favorite inspiring/irritating quotes—from books you have by those authors, from the TAT Forum, or any other place—to TAT quotes. If you have favorite parts of longer videos (ex: from a talk at a past TAT meeting), please email a link to the video and a timestamp.

Thank you!

TAT Foundation Press’s latest publication

 

Hope! Life’s Calling: Finding Yourself on the Spiritual Path Called Life  is a profound exploration of self-inquiry, personal clarity, and the search for life’s deeper meaning. The book invites readers to confront their deepest questions and engage in a journey of self-discovery, offering hope for understanding one’s true nature and purpose. Paperback and Kindle versions are available, and the audiobook is now available for purchase in the Amazon Store and on Audible.

“A one-of-a-kind guidebook written for the person who sincerely wants to discover their essence—to learn who or what they truly are at the core….” ~ Tara

“A masterpiece of a wake-up call, really a slap-in-the-face to almost all the books out there in the spiritual marketplace that claim to offer some variation of the perennial wisdom needed to seek Truth, Reality, Essence or Source….” ~ bk

Read their full reviews on Amazon. And please add your review to the Amazon listing. It makes a difference!

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Other TAT Press publications also available as audiobooks

1. Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System
2. Solid Ground of Being
3. Beyond Relativity: Transcending the Split Between Knower and Known
4. The Listening Attention
5. Falling for Truth: A Spiritual Death And Awakening
6. This Above All: A Journey of Self-Discovery
7. A Handyman’s Common Sense Guide to Spiritual Seeking
8. Always Right Behind You: Parables & Poems of Love & Completion
9. Pouring Concrete: a Zen Path to the Kingdom of God
10. At Home with the Inner Self
11. Sense of Self: The Source of All Existential Suffering?
12. Message in a Bottle: Reflections on the Spiritual Path

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Now available as a Kindle edition. Also available to read online and in .pdf format on SelfDefinition.org and SearchWithin.org.

Random rotation of
TAT Foundation Books & Videos

Solid Ground of Being by Art Ticknor

Read more: Solid Ground of Being by Art Ticknor

 
 

2026 TAT Meeting Calendar

January “TAT Talks” online event: TBD.
April Gathering (Claymont Great Barn): Friday evening through Sunday noon, April 17-19, 2026
May “TAT Presents” online event: TBD.
June Gathering (Claymont Mansion): Friday evening through Sunday noon, June 12-14, 2026
July “TAT Talks” online event: TBD.
August Gathering (Claymont Mansion): Friday evening through Sunday noon, August 21-22, 2026
October “TAT Talks” online event: TBD.
November Gathering (Claymont Mansion): Friday evening through Sunday noon, November 6-8, 2026
December “TAT Talks” online event: TBD.

Our in-person gatherings in 2026 will be held at the Claymont Retreat Center in Charles Town, WV.

Comments or questions? Please email TAT Foundation events.

Photo of TAT’s open door by Phil Franta

TAT’s YouTube Channel

Have you seen the TAT Foundation’s YouTube channel? Subscribe now for spiritual inspiration (and irritation)!

Volunteers have been updating the channel with hours of new content! They’ve also curated some great playlists of talks by Richard Rose, teacher talks from recent & not so recent TAT meetings, episodes of the Journals of Spiritual Discovery podcast, and other great TAT related videos from around the internet.

Featuring: Richard Rose, Bob Cergol, Shawn Nevins, Bob Fergeson, Mike Conners, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Paul Rezendes, Bob Harwood, Tess Hughes, Art Ticknor, Shawn Pethel, Tyler Matthew and other speakers.

This month’s video features an extract from a public talk by Richard Rose:

Local Group News

Groups with recently updated information are listed below. The complete listing of local groups is on the Find a Local Group page.

Update for the Online Self-Inquiry Book Club:
We’ll continue to meet at 2 PM ET, new meeting URL: https://zoom.us/j/92613150566?pwd=IR1gBHVCfaD02TjzbEbW5VbGM1f35j.1 and invite anyone interested in the topics to read the section and attend! We’re doing a split of the Happiness and the Art of Being by Michael James and The Direct-Mind Experience by Richard Rose.
The Happiness book finally reveals the simple, direct practice to look within in Chapter 10, “The Practice of the Art of Being.” As is the author’s exhaustive style, the description of the practice of attending to “I am” runs from pages 489 to 610, so we’ll split it up into smaller parts:
November 2: Direct-Mind Experience, “Notes on Betweenness” p. 257 – 289
November 9: No meeting (November TAT gathering)
November 16: Summarize Happiness and the Art of Being
November 23:  Nan Yar (Who Am I?) by Ramana Maharshi

 Update from the Pittsburgh, PA self-inquiry group:
> Use the e-mail link below for invitations to all meetings and to receive internal email announcements.
> In-person bi-weekly meetings: for November and December, will be held at 2-4 PM in the Library of the Pittsburgh Friends Meeting House in Oakland (4836 Ellsworth Avenue, PA 15213):
– Sun, Dec 14
– Sun, Dec 28
Pgh Self-inquiry Group meetings are interested in sharing, discussing and questioning each individual’s spiritual seeking. Specific topic and details at http://www.pghsig.org.
> Online group confrontation and individual contributions every Wed, 8:00 pm EDT via Zoom:
– Wed, Dec 3:   Bob Cergol Guest: “Hope! Life’s Calling” Is your spiritual path your response?
– Wed, Dec 10:   Mike Whitely Host:  “I Am – The Body – In The World”
– Wed, Dec 17:   Tyler Mathew Guest: “Problems as Opportunities: Relax Into It”
– Wed, Dec 24:  “Paradigms, Beliefs or Truths?”
– Thurs, Dec 25:  ONLINE 3rd Annual Christmas Party 2PM–for those without a family or home to return to–or not! All are welcome to come and go, bring something to or take something from the party
– Wed, Dec 31:  Gloria Host: “Paul Brunton’s Philosophic Approach combined with Spiritual Experience”
> All Forum subscribers are welcome to join us.
> Email  to receive weekly topics with preparatory notes and Zoom invitations. Current events are listed on Meetup as Pittsburgh Self-inquiry Group (link above) and on Pittsburgh Self-Inquiry Live.
We advocate self-inquiry, which is to question our beliefs and opinions of ourselves and those of others through honest and sincere feedback all in a friendly environment in order to recognize errors in our thinking and assumptions. Each participant gets an allotted time to voice their thoughts on the evening’s topic to which others can question or comment.
Our format and inspiration for self-inquiry are influenced by numerous teachers and books, none more so than the teachings of Richard Rose which can be researched here: Our format and inspiration for self-inquiry are influenced by numerous teachers and books, none more so than the teachings of Richard Rose which can be researched at TAT (Truth & Transmission) Foundation.

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See the complete listing of local groups on the Find a Local Group page.

Members-Only Area

A password-protected section of the website is available for TAT members. (Note that there’s an occasional glitch that, when you try to link to the members-only area or a sections within it, you’ll get a page-not-found error. If you try the link a second time, it should work.) Contents include:

  • How you can help TAT and fellow seekers,
  • Audio recordings of selected sessions from 2008-and-on in-person meetings and virtual gatherings.

Resources and ideas for those planning a group spiritual retreat.

  • Photographs of TAT meeting facilities, the Richard Rose grave site, a rare 1979 photo, and aerial photos of the Rose farm,
  • Presenters’ talk notes from April TAT meetings in 2005–2007, and
  • TAT News Letters from 1996–2013 and Annual Retrospectives from 1973 thru 2011. The Retrospectives from 1973–1985 were written by Richard Rose and are replete with ideas on the workings of a spiritual group—rich historical content.
  • TAT policies, TAT business meeting notes, and other information.

New audio recordings added:

  • December 2023 TAT Talk with Mike Gegenheimer.
  • January 2024 TAT Talk with Bob Harwood.
  • February 2024 TAT Virtual Event — Death, Dying, and Beyond.
  • March 2024 TAT Talk with Norio Kushi.
  • April 2024 in-person TAT Meeting.
  • May 2024 TAT Talk with Paul Constant.
  • June 2024 in-person TAT Meeting.
  • July 2024 TAT Talk with Art Ticknor.
  • August 2024 TAT Meeting – Running Between the Raindrops.
  • September 2024 TAT Virtual Retreat – Love, Self-Inquiry, Prayer: Three Paths or One?
  • October 2024 TAT Talk with Shawn Nevins.

Additions in November 2025: All 14 issues of the TAT Journal are now available in pdf format. Paperback issues of a “Forum for Awareness” were published on a quarterly basis from 1977 until 1980 and then on an annual basis until1986. The Journal’s editorial staff members, all of whom were volunteers, described the publication as a meeting place for…

 Esoteric searchers, transcendentalists, mystics, scientists for the new frontiers…

 People who are dedicated to the development of genuine friendship among all levels of spiritual and psychological research…

 People who see the need to share ideas, but who cannot meet personally, and for those who will give support and find support while seeking a common goal…

 Specialists who see the value of broadening their perspectives by association with specialists in related fields and for people who, regardless of specialty, find a value in the psychological encounters with their fellows that help them to better understand themselves and so find peace of mind and a better understanding of their friends.

Please email TAT Foundation events if you have questions. (Look here for info on TAT membership.)

Amazon and eBay

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As an Amazon Associate, TAT earns from qualifying purchases made through the above link or other links on our website. Click on the link and bookmark it in your browser for ease of use.

TAT has registered with the eBay Giving Works program. You can list an item there and select TAT to receive a portion of your sale. Or if you use the link and donate 100% of the proceeds to TAT, you won’t pay any seller fees when an item sells and eBay will transfer all the funds to TAT for you. Check out our Giving Works page on eBay. Click on the “For sellers” link on the left side of that page for details.

Downloadable/rental versions of the Mister Rose video and of April 2012 TAT sessions on Remembering Your True Desire:


Your Contributions to TAT News

TAT founder Richard Rose believed that working with others accelerates our retreat from untruth. He also felt that such efforts were most effective when applied with discernment, meaning working with others on the rungs of the ladder closest to our own. The TAT News section is for TAT members to communicate about work they’ve been doing with or for other members and friends. Please your “ladder work” news.

Humor {(h)yo͞omər}

“One thing you must be able to do in the midst
of any experience is laugh. And experience
should show you that it isn’t real, that it’s a
movie. Life doesn’t take you seriously, so why
take it seriously.” ~ Richard Rose, Carillon

Self Worth

Artwork by the British-American writer and artist Ashley Brilliant, copyrighted in 1985.

One of Brilliant’s signature “Pot-Shots,” which are postcard-sized prints featuring a simple line drawing and a humorous, often self-deprecating, one-line caption.

The caption reads, “Somehow, I have to believe that I’m worth all the aggravation I cause myself,” accompanied by a drawing of an elephant tied to a tree.

Ashley Brilliant (born 1936) is known for these concise, witty observations on life.

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~ Thanks to Dan G.

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More or Less

~ Thanks to Michael R. Adage source unknown. Widely spread on the web.

Then & Now

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~ Cartoon © John Atkinson, who has given us his permission to display it. See his website wronghands1.com.

Inspiration & Irritation

Irritation moves us; inspiration provides a direction

Strategy as a Journey

I was reading an article on “Collective Impact” for work, and thought that the guidance was also good advice for spiritual seekers. Just replace the words “Collective Impact” with “Spiritual Path.” I added the language in brackets.

Many speak of strategy as a journey, whether referring to an organization, a career, or even raising a family [or a spiritual path]. But we need to more fully confront what happens on the journey. Some days we will move quickly as planned, other days we may find our way forward unexpectedly blocked. We will meet new people and develop new ideas about our purpose, and even the coordinates of our destination. Going on a journey is a complex undertaking. Often, the best course of action is to make sure we are closely watching what’s happening at each stage of the way. As Brazilian author Paulo Coelho remarked “When you are moving towards an objective, it is very important to pay attention to the road. It is the road that teaches us the best way to get there, and the road enriches us as we walk its length.” Complexity theorists believe that what defines successful leaders in situations of great complexity is not the quality of decisiveness, but the quality of inquiry. As organizational behavior guru Margaret Wheatley puts it, “we live in a complex world, we often don’t know what is going on, and we won’t be able to understand its complexity unless we spend more time not knowing… Curiosity is what we need.” Collective impact [Spiritual] success favors those who embrace the uncertainty of the journey, even as they remain clear eyed about their destination. If you embark on the path to collective impact [or a search for Truth], be intentional in your efforts and curious in your convictions.

~ Thanks to Brett S. for this excerpt from “Embracing Emergence:  How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity” by John Kania & Mark Kramer, Stanford Social Innovation Review 2013. A downloadable pdf is available. The image is from writecream.com/chatgpt-picture-generator with prompt: “strategy as a journey”.

Design a Winnable Game

Graham Weaver, Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Founder of Alpine Investors, challenges students to ask themselves a question he wrestled with at the lowest point in his career during the 2008 Financial Crisis: “Why am I playing a game I don’t even want to win?” He also outlines a practical roadmap for anyone looking to step off the crowded path, design a game that aligns with your true passion, and—most importantly—how to start playing your game now.

~ You may be interested in checking out another of his half-hour presentations, How to Live your Life at Full Power, where he states: “Fear will lead you to a life that’s too small.”

The Lord’s Prayer (aka Our Father)

The earliest written records of “The Lord’s Prayer” are in Greek, found in the New Testament Gospels. Specifically, the prayer appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. While some scholars believe Jesus likely taught the prayer in Aramaic, the surviving texts are in Greek. The earliest English translation of the Lord’s Prayer appears in the Northumbrian translation around AD 650. It’s a translation from Greek or Latin. While there are earlier partial translations, the full text of the Lord’s Prayer in English is attributed to this period. ~ Google AI Overview

Here’s the earliest English Translation (circa AD 650) from the Wikipedia page about the Lord’s Prayer:

“Fader uor, thu art in heofnas,
Fader uor: Our Father
thu art in heofnas: Thou art in heaven

~ Additional YouTube videos you may be interested in: The Lord’s Prayer Revealed – What No One Ever Taught You | Edgar Cayce  and The Lord’s Prayer REVEALED — What Jesus Actually Taught Will Shock You. Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for “Le Pater Noster” painting by James Tissot. 

What Is the True Value of a Human Being?

Rob-in Leeds sent the following suggestion: 

Thought this might qualify for the Forum 

Quote: The true value of man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German thinker, writer and philosopher

I [Ed.] sent the following response:

How would you say it compares with views #2 and #3 below?

2. The “true value” of a human being is subjective and multifaceted, not easily quantifiable or determined by a single factor. It’s often viewed through a lens of ethics, personal growth, and societal contribution. Different perspectives emphasize various aspects like moral character, individual capabilities, and the impact on others. Ultimately, a person’s value is a complex interplay of their inner qualities, actions, and the relationships they forge. ~ Google AI Overview

3. “The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self.” ~ Albert Einstein

The Einstein quote comes from Einstein Archive 60-492, 1932, and was published in Mein Weltbild. Some sources also cite the quote in the book The World As I See It. However, the quote’s origin is debated, with some suggesting that Ram Dass popularized the phrase around 1970. ~ from Mein Weltbild, 1934. Reprinted in Ideas and Opinions, 12. English translation The World As I See It was published in 1935.

His reply:

In #2 I was affected most by a person’s actions, particularly their impact on others, are crucial. This includes their kindness, honesty, and willingness to help. … & …  the quality of their relationships, and their ability to find meaning and purpose in life. 

Both #2 & #3 seem to miss being of service selflessly to others … and I know from my own experience seeking to have “liberation from the self” also appears to be a self-deceptive form of “selfing”….

Q: What do you think/feel is the true value of a human being? Please share your view in response to the Reader Commentary question for January.

Please  your thoughts on the above items.

Reader Commentary

Encouraging interactive readership among TAT members and friends

A reader wrote that what would make the Forum more interesting would be:

Hearing from people who are searching—and have questions instead of those providing endless advice and “answers.” What challenges they are facing. What their doubts and questions are. How they perceive their path is going. What they are doing in their lives. Where they think they will end up, etc., etc.

Can you help make the Forum more interesting?

The Reader Commentary question for the December TAT Forum is:

What if there were a glitch in the matrix and you could have one wish granted. What would it be?

Responses follow:

From Jeff A:

If granted one wish, I’d choose to let the matrix fall into the background, so that what’s already here can reveal itself.

From Mike Whitely:

To have a wish granted because of a “glitch in the Matrix” means you are in the Matrix. You are dreaming. So, the best you can do is to wish to wake up.

From Chuck W:

If I got a wish it would be that my heart would open and my mind would lose interest in believing.

From Art Ticknor:

My first reaction was to wish that everyone could see/intuit clearly what they want most from life or, better yet, what life wants for them.

From TS:

If I could only have one wish granted it would be to know, without a doubt, what I am. I want to know my true identity at the most essential level with complete satisfaction and certainty. Without this knowledge, it seems that any decision made or action taken in life is nothing more than guesswork. If I know this one thing for sure, maybe all else will fall into place and be clear. It would also be nice if every time I made a statement [“I” this, or “I” that] I’d actually know what I’m talking about, I’d know where the statement is coming from. If I knew who or what it is that is living this life, perhaps life would make more sense and be easier to navigate. And even if it isn’t, “I” still want to know. Ultimately, I want to know God, but how can that desire possibly be satisfied if I’m not even sure who or what wants that? So, my wish is to have direct, unequivocal certainty about what I am.

From Patrick K:

My instinctual response to this was like, dah, I want enlightenment, only obvious answer really. C’mon ask me a better question already. But what is it really that “I” actually want? Enlightenment is a vague topic to my mind and conjures up a lot of various reports of accounts of awakenings that other seekers have had. Those accounts have benefitted me for sure, but will my fascination in the accounts of others push “me” over the line? I don’t think so, because if it could I would be awake twenty times over. This question has probed me to narrow in on what it is that would move me forward, even just incrementally, on my path of spiritual becoming.

From Tess Hughes:

I’d wish for everyone to remember their origin relatively early in life, maybe in the 30’s.

I’ve changed my mind! I think that the ending of the patriarchal system and misogyny would be the more effective wish. That would be enlightening!

From Anima Pundeer:

If I had one wish granted, I would wish for anyone who seeks Truth with a pure heart to find it. 

Other Reader Feedback

From Patrick K:

Am I becoming all Jesus’d out?

=> The Reader Commentary question for next month, the January 2026 TAT Forum, is:

What is the value of a human being?

Please  your response by the 25th of December, and indicate your preferred identification (the default is your first name and the initial letter of your last name). “Anonymous” and pen names are fine, too.

PS: What question(s) would you like to ask other TAT Forum readers?

Q: What are your thoughts on this month’s reader commentary? Please your feedback.

Richard Rose described a spiritual path as living one’s life aimed at finding the meaning of that life. Did you find anything relevant to your life or search in this month’s TAT Forum?

Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. October 2008 photo by Art T.    

We like hearing from you! Please email your comments, suggestions, inquiries, and submissions.

Sign up for notices of TAT’s four annual events, other virtual events, and free monthly Forums on our contact page.

Founder’s Wisdom

Richard Rose (1917-2005) established the TAT Foundation
in 1973 to encourage people to work together on what
he considered to be the “grand project” of spiritual work.

Absoluteness and Relativity

We cannot conceive of a condition of absoluteness as being invalid because it is a condition of absolute validity. Absoluteness is final validity.

We can conceive of relative things as being both valid and invalid—and relative things established as valid or invalid may be re-established by other standards: language or views, thus reversing seeming validity or invalidity.

Philosophically, the attempt to establish validity in regard to relative things brings us immediately to the paradox, or the possibility that validity exists only absolutely or tentatively, “tentatively” implying that possible proof or weight of evidence to the contrary, may appear.

~ Carillon: Poems, Essays and Philosophy of Richard Rose. AI image “paradox” from freepik.com.

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Q: Are you looking for final validity?

Definition of Terms

Index of many of the key terms and principles in Rose’s work, with brief definitions, from Richard Rose’s Psychology of the Observer: The Path to Reality Through the Self by John Kent.

Jacob’s Ladder © 2001 Richard Rose. See this transcript of a talk on the topic by Rose.

Homing Ground Update

… A spot on earth where people can do retreats and hold
meetings; where the emphasis is on friendship and the search.

Claymont Retreat Center

October 2025:

With the sale of the TAT Center in late September 2025, a committee is in the beginning stages of finding a future home for TAT.

A unique piece of land with a purposefully built retreat center building, acreage for solitary cabins, and a modest caretaker home is the view we have in mind. A place that feels more like a quiet retreat center than a large suburban home, and one that requires less ongoing live-in maintenance than our previous home are additional items that have been discussed. The net is cast widely, but we are focusing on the Appalachian Mountain range for property searches, seeking the right balance of solitude and accessibility.

The right property will come when it is meant to, and we look forward to that next chapter for TAT. In the meantime, many have expressed a fondness for the Claymont center, and we will hold retreats there until a new property for TAT is found.

A very special thank you to all who have been involved in creating and supporting the Hurdle Mills TAT Center during the last five years, and likewise to those planning TAT’s future home. We look forward to the coming TAT Meetings and Retreats and very much hope to see you there.

In Friendship, 
Michael, Shawn, and Mike
[our current trustees]

Did you enjoy the Forum? Then buy the book!
Readers’ favorite selections from seven years of issues.
Beyond Mind, Beyond Death is available at Amazon.com.

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