Reflections 15 to 28
12th February 2021
No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth. (ACIM, W-131)
***
This morning there was a beautiful sunrise. Orange flecks of cloud peppered the hazy blue sky. Then, when a thought made me want to look up again, just minutes later, it was gone.
It was a nice surprise. Unexpected.
Being in the present and memories are like two sides of the same coin. We see something beautiful and then it becomes a memory. We have countless memories. Some people even have memories of previous lives.
Something deeper lies within us. It is a quiet voice, a nagging memory of a beautiful state of being. Like a sunrise, or a wonderful piece of music, it lifts the spirits and enhances the beauty of life.
We live in a dark world and dark times. It is difficult and challenging. And yet there is still a memory within us of something that is better. Everyone might have their opinion about what that is. And many people are only too willing to tell you.
We need to take time to find the truth. We need to find it for ourselves. Out of darkness comes the sunrise.
Yet searching is inevitable here. For this you came, and you will surely do the thing you came for. But the world can not dictate the goal for which you search, unless you give it power to do so. Otherwise, you still are free to choose a goal that lies beyond the world and every worldly thought, and one that comes to you from an idea relinquished yet remembered, old yet new; an echo of a heritage forgot, yet holding everything you really want. (ACIM, W-131.3:1-4).
____________________________________________________________________________
16/ It Is Not for Us to Judge Our Worth
13th February 2021
We probably all have views about ourselves that vary during the day. Nothing is fixed. It might change according to a situation or event. Sometimes we feel weak, happy, sad or strong.
Sometimes we have feelings of despair at not finding our niche in life. Maybe we feel we aren't contributing enough.
If this is the case, it might be useful to know that A Course in Miracles states this: And what we think is weakness can be strength; what we believe to be our strength is often arrogance. (ACIM, W-154.1:7)
War might be a good illustration. There are apparently around 40 active conflicts on this planet. These are examples of how the arrogance of a few can dictate the suffering of thousands, if not millions.
And within those conflicts there are any number of courageous acts that go unnoticed by the media spotlight.
Very often we tend to put too much faith in other people who often might not have our own best interests at heart. This might include members of Government as well as any number of professions who control our destiny. In other words, we all create our own mini gods.
A Course in Miracles states that: God is not jealous of the gods you made, but you are. (ACIM, T-10.III.8:4)
Regardless of how we view God, we tend to defend what we consider to be truth. Sometimes we will even die for it. If we can learn to step aside from this and understand that we are all part of a bigger picture, we can become more in tune with our own roles. Everyone plays their part. We just have to learn to trust our inner intuition and guidance.
By playing our part, by tuning into the quiet Voice not the loud voice, we let the bigger picture take care of itself. The microcosm will reflect the macrocosm.
____________________________________________________________________________
17/ Understanding What Is Whole
14th February 2021
"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." Lao Tzu.
***
When we look up at the sky at night, we might have a sense of the infinite. It can be so beautiful. Thousands of stars can pepper the sky. Or maybe we just see the moon which in itself can be profoundly beautiful.
Sometimes, of course, we just see dullness. A layer of cloud obscures the clarity.
A layer of cloud obscuring the infinite is a metaphor that has been used many times for the veiling of the clarity of the mind.
A Course in Miracles is very clear. The world is an illusion (ACIM, W-155.2:1). It states that reality can only dawn on a mind that is free of illusions. ACIM tells us that truth and illusions are irreconcilable. (ACIM, T-10.IV.2:5)
In a world where everything is starkly real, the bit about the world being an illusion might seem delusional at the very least. And yet something within us might be curious. A Course in Miracles does not make any sense in relation to what we have been taught. It does, however, make a lot of sense when we take our time – when we study it slowly.
We probably all want to make the world a better place. We probably all want to do something that changes what we see. A Course in Miracles ignores this. ACIM is all about changing our minds.
A Course in Miracles wants us to see the world for what it is – simply a projection from the mind. ACIM changes this projection by changing our perception. We perceive the world from a different mindset. If we relate to ACIM, then we relate to the understanding of what is whole. The words below might sum up the essence of what it wants us to understand.
Understand totally by understanding totality. (ACIM, T-7.VII.10:10)
____________________________________________________________________________
18/ A New Perspective on Sin
15th February 2021
"If anyone can refute me - show me I'm making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective - I'll gladly change. It's the truth I'm after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance." Marcus Aurelius.
***
Deep within us is a fear that we will be punished for our sins. Or maybe we feel that other people are sinners and they are the ones who should be punished? Maybe the concept of sin has never crossed our minds but that is unlikely.
As we grow and evolve, we find a state of mind that suits us. We become an atheist, agnostic, Christian, Buddhist, the list goes on. But the fear of sin might never quite goes away.
Perhaps we have never have considered how our suffering feels through the eyes of God? A link for an account of a near-death experience that illustrates this is in the link below. There are also other accounts by Erica McKensie on YouTube. Her book is entitled Dying To Fit In.
It is an account that tells us all about real acts of love - the unconditional love that God knows, not the love that we know.
A Course of Miracles is very clear. There is no sin, but we do make mistakes; there is no external punishment for those mistakes but we do need to listen to our internal Teacher.
A Course in Miracles puts it as follows: Your Father created you wholly without sin, wholly without pain and wholly without suffering of any kind. If you deny Him you bring sin, pain and suffering into your own mind because of the power He gave it. Your mind is capable of creating worlds, but it can also deny what it creates because it is free. (ACIM, T-10.V.9:9-11)
____________________________________________________________________________
19/ Little Sparks of Light
16th February 2021
You need to hear the truth about yourself as frequently as possible, because your mind is so preoccupied with false self-images. (ACIM, W-67.5:2)
***
A Course in Miracles states that either God or the ego is insane. (ACIM, T-11.in.1:1)
We probably all have an opinion on this. An opinion, though, would be the domain of the ego.
When we consider God or the ego, we might also consider light and darkness. Where do we want to put our attention?
A Course in Miracles says that the whole of the ego's thought system is delusional. We made up the ego, it was not made by a creator. It states that the closer you come to the foundation of the ego's thought system, the darker and more obscure the way. (ACIM, T-11.in.3:5)
There's no doubt we feel dominated by the ego. Some days feel dark. Some days feel light. They are all based on the future and the past.
God's thought system, meanwhile, is light. God creates the light in us. A Course in Miracles says that the more you approach the centre of His thought system, the clearer the light becomes. (ACIM, T-11.in.3:4-5)
Within each of us is a little spark of light. Each one is the thought of God. It can only be seen by learning to be still.
____________________________________________________________________________
20/ The Passage of Time
17th February 2021
Your passage through space and time is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. (ACIM, W-42.2:3-4)
***
Time is our reality. A Course in Miracles looks at it differently. It states that time is a trick, a sleight of hand, a vast illusion in which figures come and go as if by magic. (ACIM, W-158.4:1)
This is a concept that is almost impossible to fathom. Our minds have to deal with facts. We know that we are born, we live, we die. Days come and go. We check the time on any number of occasions. We all have our routines.
We also know that time will run out one day. We don't know when this will be. If we think about our own death, it seems unreal.
A Course in Miracles puts it as follows. Time seems to go in one direction, but when you reach its end it will roll up like a long carpet spread along the past behind you, and will disappear. (ACIM, T-13.I.3:5)
Perhaps time is an illusion? When our time is up, perhaps we do step into the timeless?
We stress ourselves so much about different things. Time just goes by in a blur. We move from one thing to another, hardly paying any attention to where we are now.
We need to learn to slow down.
Learning to look within puts a different perspective on time. Within us lies the timeless.
____________________________________________________________________________
21/ Who Is in Control?
18th February 2021
"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” Chinese Proverb.
***
We live our lives trying to be in control. We accumulate what we can to make ourselves feel secure. When life goes our way, we might feel charitable and give some of it away. When life doesn't go our way, we might have to rely on the charity of others.
We have probably all asked for a miracle at some point in our lives. This wouldn't have been when life was going our way.
There's no doubt that when we are consumed with anger, fear, sickness or doubt, we feel we have lost control. A miracle seems a long way off. Impossible. A Course in Miracles starts with fifty definitions of miracles. The first one begins by saying there is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not "harder" or "bigger" than another... (ACIM, T-1.I.1:1-2)
Taking time to go into quietness is where the origin of the miracle arises. We take away the control of the angry, aggressive mind and listen for the quiet, healing Voice.
Then we extend it to others. This quiet healing Voice knows that to give is to receive. We give peace we receive peace.
A miracle then is a change of perception. We have to learn what is real and what is unreal, and surrender control. As A Course in Miracles states:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God. (ACIM, Preface)
____________________________________________________________________________
22/ There Is Nothing to Fear.
19th February 2021
A Course in Miracles has a section in the Text that begins with this: Never forget the world the sightless "see" must be imagined, for what it really looks like is unknown to them (ACIM, T-21.I.1:1-2). The section ends by saying: The light in one awakens it in all. And when you see it in each other, you are remembering for everyone (ACIM, T-21.I.10:6-7). From these lines, we can determine three things.
What we see with our eyes means we have forgotten what we are.
What we think with our minds is never as it really is.
What we see in this world is a projection. There is nothing to fear.
A Course in Miracles is a journey into ridding the mind of fear. We learn that fear is just an illusion and eternal peace is always within us. Peace is the reality of what we are.
The passage below highlights this. The passage below is from the same section of the Text as the lines above. The passage below is poetic because it is quite unlike anything we would have read before.
Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity, forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be outside, for there is nowhere that this light is not (ACIM, T-21.I.8:1-6).
A Course in Miracles tells us this is what we really are. It shows us a memory hidden in our minds.
A Course in Miracles tells us we are not the body. We are so much more than that.
____________________________________________________________________________
23/ The Bridge that Connects
20th February 2021
The bridge itself is nothing more than a transition in the perspective of reality. (ACIM, T-16.VI.7:1)
***
We quite often blame others for our problems. Or we might give ourselves a hard time, thinking we are the reason. Either way, there is always something that has caused our problems.
Every spiritual teaching has a method to overcome these problems. A teacher will guide us, and lead us in the right direction. We learn why the problems are there and how to step away from them.
A Course in Miracles is no different.
There is the Christ within each one of us. This is the essence of God. It does not vary from person to person. We are all one Christ, which means we are all the one Son of God.
There is also the ego which exists within our minds. This relates to the body and makes everything seem real. This is where nightmares exist. This is why we feel scared. The ego essentially means there are always two of us.
There is the Holy Spirit. This comes from God and connects us to truth, love and reality. The Holy Spirit's home is in the Christ within us. The Holy Spirit also operates through the mind.
The Holy Spirit is the bridge that connects us to our true home. While we inhabit bodies, we have choice. To listen to the loud voice of the ego, or to the quiet Voice of the Holy Spirit.
A Course in Miracles is here to teach us how.
____________________________________________________________________________
24/ What Matters Is Our Innermost Motivation
21st February 2021
Whenever there is fear, it is because you have not made up your mind. (ACIM, T-2.VI.5:8)
***
Many things motivate us in life. There are also many things that demotivate us. These will probably be related to fear. For most of us, fear is there, lurking in the background.
Sometimes, when life is going well, just a thought can unsettle us. Or someone says something and our thoughts may spiral out of control. Fear grabs us by the throat and shakes us.
When this happens, it is hard to face. Our mind becomes frantic. However, if we don't face it, then we will never see it for what it is. Just a bunch of thoughts.
A Course in Miracles says: the ego analyses; the Holy Spirit accepts (ACIM, T-11.V.13:1). The ego relates to fear and the Holy Spirit relates to love. One compartmentalises everything into boxes; the other sees love everywhere.
How we view another human being will always be a reflection of how we view our self. When we allow fear to drive us, we will see that in other people, situations and events.
A Course in Miracles states that the more you look at fear, the less you see it, and the clearer what it conceals becomes (ACIM, T-14.VII.2:8).
What it conceals is truth. As truth replaces fear as our internal guide, we get a sense of our true nature. We begin to see it in other people, situations and events. Our minds become calmer.
Our innermost motivation is really important. It will help or hinder our life.
____________________________________________________________________________
25/ There Is No Death
22nd February 2021
God made not death. Whatever form it takes must therefore be an illusion. (ACIM, W-163.8:6-7)
***
A Course in Miracles has a section in the Text which starts with this: It is impossible not to believe what you see, but it is equally impossible to see what you do not believe. Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience, and experience leads to beliefs. (ACIM, T-11.VI.1:1-2)
Our belief in death is fixed. It is going to happen to us and to those around us. And yet, we are told, it is just a thought.
A Course in Miracles tells us that this thought exists within our minds. It takes many forms - anxiety, fear, doubt, envy, the list is endless - but it is still a thought. The thought comes from the ego, and is to do with the body. We probably live our whole life in fear of this thought. It shapes our perception and leaves its imprint on how we live our lives. We don't doubt it. We barely ever question it.
There's a lesson in the Workbook entitled: There is no death. The Son of God is free (ACIM, W-163). The lesson begins with the words: Death is just a thought. Reading this is a reversal of our whole way of thinking. It feels impossible to comprehend.
Death exists all around us because we are not willing to look past it. We are not willing to challenge the thought that created it. To do so feels very scary, and yet it is about facing our fears.
A Course in Miracles simply tells us that God did not make death. Death is just an illusion. This is the same as saying the ego is just an illusion. However, we need to find this out for ourselves.
____________________________________________________________________________
26/ Eternity Has No End Point
23rd February 2021
"Eternity is boring, particularly towards the end.” Woody Allen.
***
A Course in Miracles says the following: What time but now can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is. (ACIM, W-164.1:1-3)
Our minds are so conditioned to see the past and the future. We see opposites. There is life and death. Love and hate. Black and white.
When we see good and bad, the egoic mind will always see some good, but never good in everything. So when the concept of eternity arises, it is rightly baffled. What is the opposite of eternity?
A Course in Miracles asks us not to look for eternity with our physical eyes. We have to go deeper. We have to go within.
Many people who have had a near-death experience say that they struggle to find the words to describe their experience. Jayne Smith had her NDE in 1952, when she was 23 years old. It was during the birth of her second child. The words she uses to describe her experience are very clear.
It was at the beginning of her experience that she said this: "I suddenly knew that I was eternal, that I was indestructible, that I had always existed, that I always would exist. I just knew that there was no end."
She remembered this phrase: "The plan is perfect and it is working itself out in its perfection."
There are a number of Jayne's accounts on YouTube. The link for the one today is as follows.
____________________________________________________________________________
27/ Sight and Vision
24th February 2021
A Course in Miracles states this: In this world the only remaining freedom is the freedom of choice; always between two choices or two voices. (ACIM, C-1.7:1)
This might feel a little disturbing. Perhaps it reminds us of a mental illness? And yet, if we did pay attention to the narrative of our thoughts, we would probably find at times that it is a little like a mental illness. Our thoughts are not always benevolent and kind. Their tone can be harsh, critical and judgemental.
A Course in Miracles compares us to little children. Children need to be taught what is scary. When they know that what they perceive as ghosts and monsters and dragons aren't real, then they laugh.
Like little children, we are being taught that what is scary in our minds, that what disturbs us in other people, and in the world, are merely the ghosts and monsters and dragons that exist within our minds. It is the difference between sight and vision. Our eyes only see form. Vision sees the formless. (ACIM, T-11.VIII.13:1-3)
A Course in Miracles teaches us that our minds are split. We have two voices. Our consciousness receives messages from either the Holy Spirit or from the ego. One is real and one is not real. We have choice; to put our faith in one and not the other.
We can find fault in anything if we want. When A Course in Miracles teaches us that the ego is not the truth of what we are, it is up to us if we want to listen.
You but mistake interpretation for the truth. And you are wrong. But a mistake is not a sin, nor has reality been taken from its throne by your mistakes. God reigns forever, and His laws alone prevail upon you and upon the world. His Love remains the only thing there is. Fear is illusion and you are like Him. (ACIM, M-18.3:7-12)
____________________________________________________________________________
28/ Every Loving Thought Is True
25th February 2021
A Course in Miracles uses the term attack a lot. The premise is that any attack upon us, either verbal or physical, really masks a call for help. If we respond with similar, we are making it real.
The underlying teaching is that there are only two emotions, love and fear. One is real and one is not real. Anything that masks love is really a call for help. Not only do we need to see this. We need to understand this.
We all have times in our lives when we have responded to people or events completely inappropriately. Some we are ashamed of, no doubt. We hear that domestic abuse is on the rise. There doesn't seem to be any sense in it. Physical and emotional abuse brings undreamed of suffering.
The point is not to allow ourselves to be a doormat. It is not to ignore violence if we see it happening. It is simply to respond to anything from a position of peace.
From a Christian perspective, Christ was attacked and nailed to the cross. And yet he still said: "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."
A Course in Miracles states that: Forgiveness is the answer to attack of any kind. So is attack deprived of its effects, and hate is answered in the name of love. (ACIM, T-26.VII.17:2-3)
We all have to start from where we are. We have all expressed hate, anger and fear at some stage in our lives. Likewise, we have all expressed love. We need to be kind to ourselves and know that we are human beings. But, as human beings, we are here to learn.
A Course in Miracles states this: Only appreciation is an appropriate response to your brother. Gratitude is due him for both his loving thoughts and his appeals for help, for both are capable of bringing love into your awareness if you perceive them truly. (ACIM, T-12.I.6:1-2)
Comments
Post a Comment