What is the relationship between presence and the inner body?
Presence is pure consciousness — consciousness that has been
reclaimed from the mind, from the world of form. The inner body is
your link with the Unmanifested, and in its deepest aspect is the
Unmanifested: the Source from which consciousness emanates, as
light emanates from the sun. Awareness of the inner body is
consciousness remembering its origin and returning to the Source.
Is the Unmanifested the same as Being?
Yes. The word Unmanifested attempts, by way of negation, to express
That which cannot be spoken, thought, or imagined. It points to what
i t is by saying what it is not. Being, on the other hand, is a positive
term. Please don’t get attached to either of these words or start
believing in them. They are no more than signposts.
You said that presence is consciousness that has been reclaimed from
the mind. Who does the reclaiming?
You do. But since in your essence you are consciousness, we might as
well say that it is an awakening of consciousness from the dream of
form. This does not mean that your own form will instantly vanish in
an explosion of light. You can continue in your present form yet be
aware of the formless and deathless deep within you.
I must admit that this is way beyond my comprehension, and yet on
some deeper level I seem to know what you are talking about. It’s
more like a feeling than anything else. Am I deceiving myself?
No, you are not. Feeling will get you closer to the truth of who you are
than thinking. I cannot tell you anything that deep within you don’t
already know. When you have reached a certain stage of inner
connectedness, you recognize the truth when you hear it. If you
haven’t reached that stage yet, the practice of body awareness will
bring about the deepening that is necessary.