Late Night Chat with Jeff: the impact of ”Effort & Grace,” Jan 21, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered!

Topic: The Impact of Effort and Grace

Dear Folks of Baba,

We are at the very end of Darwin’s book, Effort and Grace, and I thought after going over the last two sections, it would be interesting to hear from each other the impact that his book has had on our inner life. As I had said in a previous email, in my early years with Baba I had only a very nebulous and unformed idea of what was meant by the "inner life”. I thought that if I just went on living my life with Baba, my inner life would somehow be taken care of automatically. In going to Darwin and Jeanne’s meetings, I gathered from them that it is possible and even indispensable to be pro-active in focussing on the many subtle nuances of the inner life.

Like all of us, from time to time I had had inner experiences, flashes of insight, sporadic intuitions, surges of enthusiasm and uncommon inspiration, and above all, Baba’s loving presence—a number of unusual fleeting experiences—but I had only a very vague idea of how to integrate them. In asking Darwin many questions about the inner life over the years, he provided, in his usual unassuming way, a description of our interior landscape and a roadmap through this mystical terrain to the foothills leading up to the pristine mountain of the soul. He shared many things that were over my head at the time, especially his whole concept of creating "inner space", and sometimes it wasn’t until decades later that I would find myself in one of the interior places that he had described. These inner recognitions, like dropped bread crumbs, would give me confidence that I was on the right track as I made my stumbling way toward Baba's outstretched arms. What is paramount in Darwin’s approach is the intimate companionship that can be thrillingly enjoyed with Baba along the way, a relationship that is thoroughly enjoyed by Baba Himself!

How has Darwin’s Effort and Grace impacted your inner life with Baba? Have you adopted some of the practices that Darwin has discussed such as the provisional ego, dressing our soul with Baba, creating more "inner space" by giving our emotional complexes to Him (“The deeper the feeling, the deeper the healing” as Darwin would say,); becoming less attached and more of a witness to the unfoldment of life, working to overcome unworthiness, striving to be more receptive to Baba’s grace and presence throughout the day! So, feel free to share what Darwin’s book has awakened in you.

In His love, Jeff

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