TAT Forum

2019 TAT Meeting Calendar

* April 5-7, 2019 (Claymont Mansion) *
June 14-16, 2019 (Claymont Great Barn)
August 16-18, 2019 (Claymont Mansion)
November 1-3, 2019 (Claymont Mansion)

Join us for TAT's April 5-7, 2019 spiritual retreat. Details & registration.

The following video recordings of presentations from the April 2017 TAT meeting are available on YouTube:

• Tess Hughes
• Paul Rezendes
• Shawn Pethel

Richard Rose spent his life searching for the Truth, finding it, and teaching 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. Meet Richard Rose is a 34-minute audio recording of an audiovisual presentation by Michael Whitely at the August 2017 TAT meeting that explores the arc of Richard Rose's life as seeker, finder, family man, and teacher.

Downloadable/rental versions of the Mister Rose video and of April TAT talks Remembering Your True Desire (details).

Local Group News

Update from the Central New Jersey Group:
The Central Jersey Self Inquiry Group had its first meeting on Jan. 4th, with the founding members plus one other person. On March 11th we opened up the meeting to others in our Eckhart Tolle Group community, and we had a good meeting with 6 attendees. The topic was: "What annoys you?" We plan to meet every 2 weeks. ~ Email for more details.

Update from the Central Ohio Non-Duality Group: The Columbus group operated under the name OSU Self-Inquiry Group and met for many years in a church next to The Ohio State University. After attendance dropped off, the venue was changed to a local Panera restaurant, and the name changed to Central Ohio Non-Duality Group. The group has exposure to seekers through Meetup, but has only occasional visitors outside a core group of 4 people.      Due to schedules, we have met infrequently the past semester, and in deference to an effort to try to do other things, like rapport sittings, in private meetings.      Meeting format is a discussion format on topics of interest to seekers, and often bridges from the concerns, questions and interests of the core members in attendance into the topic which we intend to discuss. See the rest of the update. We continue to meet on Monday evenings at Panera across from The Ohio State University. ~ For further information, contact or . We're also on Facebook.

"Double Take on Life" blog
Two friends—one a TAT member, one a TAT friend; one living in Canada, one across the border in the US; one male, one female—have partnered to create a blog site, which they hope other TAT members and friends will enjoy and respond to.
     "We are two friends who were encouraged to continue our spirited and free-wheeling conversation about life with a blog. This bipolar labor of love intends to roam between various forms of expression and perspective, both serious and amused. And traverse between the nitty-gritty of the everyday to the essence of being. As above, so below."

Update from the email self-inquiry groups:
Both the women's and the men's weekly email groups are active and welcome serious participants.
     The Women's Online Confrontation (WOC) group consists of weekly reports where participants can include:
     > What is on your mind?
     > Any projects that you want to be held accountable for?
     > Responses to a selected excerpt (in the previous report).
     > Comments/responses/questions for other participants.
     A philosophical/spiritual excerpt with two or three questions is included in each report. Based on what we share, participants ask questions to help get clarity about our thinking. The intention is to help each other see our underlying beliefs about who we are.
     One rule we try to adhere to is not to give advice or solve problems. The number of participants, to make it work efficiently, is between 4 and 7 including the leader.
~ Contact or for more information.

Update from the Gainesville, FL self-inquiry group:
We continue to meet at the Alachua County library on alternate Sundays. We're planning a weekend intensive retreat at Horseshoe Lake Park in Ft. McCoy, FL on Friday-Monday, Feb. 8-11. ~ Email or for more information.

Update from Galway, Ireland: Tess Hughes is currently working with seekers one-to-one and holding occasional group self-inquiry retreats. Anyone who's interested in self-inquiry activity in Ireland is welcome to contact . TAT Press publishes Tess's easy to read, profound This Above All, the story of her journey of Self-Discovery.

Update from the Google Hangouts self-inquiry group:
Thanks to the advent of technology, we have a group that meets electronically on Google Hangouts every Sunday at 6.30pm UK time.
Our goal is to investigate and confront our unexamined beliefs in a group dynamic, within a safe environment. And at the same time we aim to serve as mirrors for the other group members to see themselves more clearly.
We have one person elected to be the moderator of the group, who brings a question to the discussion, and then each participant answers with follow up questions from the others. Questions range from the psychological type, i.e., "What kind of people annoy you, and why?" to the more abstract "What is the nature of perception?"
The group has been running for well over a year now, and we have all become good friends. A number of us have met in person at various events. We welcome any new members who are committed to self-inquiry and look forward to meeting you. ~ Email .

Update from the Greensburg, PA self-inquiry group:
The Greensburg Self-Inquiry Group is still in hiatus. I do plan to start it up again at some point as I see it as a lifeline to my own spiritual path. Things got stale with my group's participants, but I will e-mail them at some point to schedule another SIG meeting. In the meantime, I participate in a local "Socrates Cafe" group at the coffeehouse/art gallery where I have had my meetings. This group is not into esoteric philosophy as such, but they're supposed to be into "Socratic Inquiry," and I figure it's better than not engaging in any discussions with people. At least we sometimes touch upon spiritual matters, and this makes attending their meetings worthwhile. ~ Contact .

A new self-inquiry group is forming in Hartland, VT: Located in central Vermont, along I-91, the group will be using TAT videos from past conferences as a primer for discussion. ~ Contact for more information.

A new self-inquiry group is forming in Los Angeles:
It's in the early stages—so this is a beacon to see who's already familiar with TAT, is in the area, and is interested in getting together. ~ For more information, contact .

Update from the Lynchburg, VA self-inquiry group:
We will be moving to a new location after the first of the year, The Drowsy Poet cafe at Little Dickens Bookstore, from 6:30-8:00 every Thursday evening. Participants are encouraged to bring topics of interest, questions, book quotes, whatever might generate discussion. If no one brings a topic, we dip into our folder of questions collected from Tess Hughes's site, and the writings of Richard Rose and Art Ticknor. If new folks show up, we give them a written description of what the group is about and rules of confrontation. Word of mouth is our system for finding new people—which hasn't been very effective. We're thinking of stuffing some relevant books in our local bookstores with provocative messages regarding our robotic nature, what you really want out of life, and how that's working for you ;-) See what comes of that. Email or for information on the meetings.

Update from the New York City area:
We've recently started a group in NYC and are looking for consistent, serious but lighthearted ;) members. So far, we have started each group meeting with a short meditation followed by a self-inquiry session with questions and responses. We plan to vary the format and also go on local retreats and spiritually-minded events, as time allows. We are meeting in downtown Manhattan (the financial district) in a really great public space that we are fortunate to have. Please contact me with any interest or questions. Tell a friend :) ~ Email .

Update from the Pittsburgh, PA self-inquiry group:
We meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month, from 7-9 PM, at the Friends Meeting House in Oakland (4836 Ellsworth Ave, PGH 15213) and on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, also 7-9 PM, at Panera Bread in Shadyside (5430 Centre Ave, PGH 15232). Last month's topics were:
Jan 2: A review of quotations which illustrate major themes found in esoteric seeking today: Do you agree, disagree?
Jan 9: More quotations regarding the esoteric Quest. Do you agree, disagree, why?
Jan 16: Mike W. monitored the meeting, with the topic: "The Mystery of Being: Be in touch with the part of you that is not afraid of the bigger questions of life..." What am I really? What is true in this world of illusion? What is real? What is authentic? What is reality? What is God? Those deep existential questions that orient you into the mystery of being.
Jan 23: Motivation and Intention in Seeking: How would you describe your search? What defines it, has it affected your everyday life, have your goals in life been affected?
~ For further information, contact or .

Update from the Portland, OR self-inquiry group: The big news in our Portland group is that Dan G., one of the founders, has moved to the East Coast. We will miss you, Dan!       We have two kinds of meetings in Portland. One is a small closed group that meets at a local coffee shop. The format for this meeting is to give each person 20 minutes or so to talk about whatever is coming up for them in their practice. The other is an open meeting, held at a local library, that is advertised through Meetup. These meetings usually have a topic with questions, and the format is to give each person approximately 10 minutes to comment on the topic and then to answer questions from others. We haven’t been holding open meetings regularly but hope to get them back on track for the new year. ~ Email for more information.

Update from the Raleigh, NC Triangle Inquiry Group:
The Triangle Inquiry Group (TIG) meets on Wednesday evenings near NCSU. ~ See the website for more information.

Update from the San Francisco Bay area self-inquiry group:
See the Shawn Nevins interview by Iain McNay of Conscious.tv, kicking off the publication of Shawn's book Subtraction: The Simple Math of Enlightenment. ~ Email for information about upcoming meetings and events.

Update from the Sarasota, FL self-inquiry group:
Meetings are on alternate Wednesdays. ~ Email for more information.

Members-Only Area

A password-protected section of the website is available for TAT members. The area contains information on product discounts for members as well as a substantial amount of helpful and historical information, including audio recordings, Newsletter archives, Retrospect archives, policies, conference proceedings, business meeting notes, photographs, and suggestions for ways to help.

TAT's November 2017 Gathering was titled The Treasure Within our Lives Unconnected to Experience. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area (there's also a text file describing the speakers and their sessions, not all of which were successfully recorded due to equipment malfunctioning):

• "Obstacles" by Anima Pundeer,
• "Navigating Our Spiritual Waters" by Paul Constant,
• "By His Logic, Man Can Do Nothing" by Shawn Nevins, and
• "TAT Weekend Key Take-Home Highlights" with Tess Hughes

TAT's April 2018 Gathering was titled Steps on the Path. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

• "Rose's Jacob's Ladder: Steps on the Path" by Bob Fergeson,
• "The Threefold Path" by Paul Constant,
• "What Keeps Us from Being Awake?" by Paul Rezendes,
• "Allowing Exploration" by Shawn Nevins, and
• "What's Trying to Get Your Attention?" by Mark Seabright.

TAT's June 2018 Gathering was titled In Search of Happiness. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

• "Four Views of Happiness: Three steps beyond the search" by Avery Solomon,
• "How You Can Be 'Free of Happiness'" by Gary Weber,
• "A Personal Perspective on Friendship: Ode to 'Mrs. C.'" by Larry Inderbitzin, and
• "Seeker Stories and Q&A" by Michael W., Penny W., and Michael R.

TAT's August 2018 Workshop was titled Beyond Imagination and included three guest speakers who each led separate workshops. The following audio recordings are now available in the members-only website area:

• "Nurturing What We Are" with Jenny Clarke,
• "The Art of Seeing" with Norio Kushi, and
• "Seeing Through Imaginary Traps" with Shawn Pethel.

Please us if you have questions. (Look here for info on TAT membership.)

Amazon and eBay

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

"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

~ Thanks to TAT member Colm H., seen in a bistro in Budapest.

We're hoping to present more humor from TAT members and friends here. Please your written or graphic creations. Exact sources are necessary for other submissions, since we need to make sure they're either in the public domain or that we have permission to use them.

 

Inspiration & Irritation

Irritation moves us; inspiration provides a direction

 

Please your thoughts on the above items.

 

Reader Commentary

Encouraging interactive readership among TAT members and friends

The question we asked readers for this month's Reader Commentary: Who/what makes your decisions? Who/what has veto power over them? Responses follow.

From Patrick K:
Always fear. Fear tells me the opposite of what I should do, and by that reaction propels me to a course of action in the positive. Really don't know off the cuff. The "veto" is maybe always surrender (indifference), whichever way a decision or my sense of control is being swayed I must let it go and understand my powerlessness to do, or realise the inadequacy of a "doer" principle. Like I'm going to take command of a situation feels ludicrous because I'm still rather undefined and don't trust my mundane reactions. And maybe getting wrapped up in the idea of me making decisions feels strongly of ego?

From Maggan H:
Nothing or everything.......it happens by itself.......the me/you is illusion.

From Isaac Hill:
Interesting question. I would say that the mostly unconscious patterns/habit make the decisions. I can "decide" to turn right at a crossroads and at the last second turn left. The "subminds" model of Culadasa makes a lot of sense here, where there are many subminds that project thoughts into consciousness, and "vote" on what action is taken based on previous experience. The only way "I" seem to be able to influence this is through conscious intention. This intention is however based on previous experience and can also be described as "habit energy" or "karma" too. It also seems that the more I meditate and try to be mindful in daily life, the more a space opens up between the recognition of a pattern coming to the surface and the birth of an action. That space allows for more subminds to tune into the becoming of the action, and sway the vote one way or the other with a fuller picture of the potential repercussions.

From B. Alford:
LIFE JUST HAPPENS. Decisions just happen, or maybe they don't—relative to "life just happens." Similarly, vetoes just happen. But there is only now. In a practical sense, decisions are apparently made. Even though the past doesn't exist, just like the future doesn't, people look back and attach a decision to things that have happened. (I woke up this morning and looked at my schedule. I had to meet a friend at 10 AM. I dressed myself in a t-shirt and black pants. I drove to my friend's house.) Who made those decisions? Does it matter? Of course, one can plan ahead and select the clothes to wear. Et cetera.

A more basic question might be, "Is something good or bad?" The word "something" likely means different things to different people, so let's use a few specific items. "Something" could be a riot where many are killed, or a pile of really gooey dog shit just stepped in, or an intense pain in the foot, or the death of someone very close who just died, or a beautiful sunrise leading the morning.  As Ram Das said at a meeting when he was asked what he thought about the bloody killing of a few people (at Waco maybe), "Everything is perfect." This is probably not the correct quote since it sounds a bit contradictory, but the meaning should be clear. How could there be something that is not perfect? Who or what is the judge? What is there that is perfect? TV meteorologists give us the weather. Often, they talk about good and bad weather—judgments? The Japanese TV channel NKH doesn't make weather judgments like many—just facts and beautiful music. So restful!

If a man was viciously kicking a dog, one might be inclined to say that this was bad. But then one could also try to stop the man from kicking—or not. If one experiences something they don't like, either try to change it or not, but don't judge it.

EVERY DAY MANTRA:  Life just happens.  Change, but don't judge.  

A lot more could be said about the "who" and "what."

From MT:
Over time my decision maker and veto power "I"s have changed. Things I did in the past would never occur to me now. My refining power has improved and tries to make most of my decisions from a spiritual perspective. Like dead leaves, many harmful and useless parts of me that made unhelpful decisions have fallen away. George Gurdjieff writes about the fact that almost all of us have many "I"s; and if we want to find our true self or "real I" then we need to create a "Deputy Steward" who is in charge instead of letting ourselves be blown about by the winds of life and making decisions wily nily. So I would say that my decision maker a lot of the time revolves around this part of me who seeks enlightenment or is trying to get as close as possible to this level of consciousness. It seems the decision maker and veto power part of me is many times the same "I" or a few more conscious "I"s that watch and decide the best decision, course of action, etc., as life happens. I don't make all my decisions or decide to veto these decisions from this more consciousness, spiritual part of myself but looking back over time, things are definitely improved … meaning there is less chaos and more coherence in my life.

From Anonymous:
After years of thinking and acting as if I were in control, I now feel in using the analogy of a pinball game, that I am that little steel ball whose course is determined not by my decision but by forces too complex to calculate let alone understand. And for the inevitability of the gutter, the flapper would represent my constant attention to keep the game going, with the caveat that might there be a lapse of attention to this game, I would need to deal with the consequence of "game over." However, I believe ultimately there is some influence over my zig-zag course in this game, but maybe not by what I want or do, but by forces with which I may have become aligned. Do I have choice? Rose said you have to "act as if," and perhaps this strategy hopes in some way of influencing indirectly in some unseen way, my life's course.

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?

"The lure of far away" in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo © Bob Fergeson.

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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.

Laws, Yardsticks, Exaltations

Part 2 of a talk given at Ohio State University in 1974 (continued from the January 2019 TAT Forum):

Intuition and Becoming

…And it was then that I realized that man would not find it by logic alone, and man would not find it by faith alone—because these things by themselves were inadequate. But, if anything, the first thing you needed was a combination of the two, which I call intuition. That you have to somehow develop your intuition—because you're dealing in a subjective matter, an abstract subject, a subject of intangibles; and logic barely applies to the things that are tangible. Faith is a sort of feeling thing, without any reasonableness at all; there's no reason to faith—you just believe for the sake of believing.

So these two things are extremes and you have to find somewhere in between—a faith in yourself and a faith that is tempered. By faith I mean persistence and determination. This determination has to be rooted in some sort of faith that you're going to succeed, or you'll drop it. So you have to have a faith, but it has to be rooted in common sense. You have to have logic, but it has to be tempered with intuition and inspiration. Logic by itself is a vanity; faith by itself is a fanaticism.

The next thing I discovered was that you don't find anything on the wisdom path, that wisdom will never bring you anyplace. Science is a typical example of where wisdom takes you: that you can split the atom, and you'll find out there's still something to be split. But you're not going to find pure essence by splitting matter. And the logical processes just produce more tangential fields of learning, rather than going directly to essence.

So I realized when I was 21 years of age that you had to become, you couldn't learn; you would never learn what the secret of the absolute is; you had to become it. And this came strictly as a form of intuition.

Now, of course that leaves you rather high and dry; because where do you find systems of becoming? There are systems of becoming in evidence—you have to kind of search around for them. And when I realized this—as I told you, I was born and raised in the Catholic church, and one of the tenants of theology at that time was, "Don't try to understand God, because the finite mind will never perceive the infinite."

The complete part 2 of "Laws, Yardsticks, Exaltations"

Homing Ground Update … A spot on earth where people can do retreats and hold meetings; where the emphasis is on friendship and the search. We are still very much in brainstorming mode for bridging the $100,000 gap between our original design and the funds we've raised. If you have ideas or suggestions, feel free to Shawn. Driveway entrance from Thomas Green Road. In the meantime, Use the PayPal button above to donate now. TAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization and qualifies to receive tax-deductible contributions. Alternatively, you can mail a check made out to the TAT Foundation (for instructions on mailing a check, please the TAT treasurer). For additional background, see the Homing Ground page. In friendship, Shawn Nevins on behalf of the TAT Trustees

 

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