Reflections 43 to 56
43/ Looking at It Straight
12th March 2021
A Course in Miracles and the near-death experience have two things in common. They both deal in a deal in a greater reality and they both won't appear to us unless we are ready. Ultimately, they can both only hint at the wonder that we are.
There is a lot of terminology within A Course in Miracles that challenges us. For example, atonement, resurrection, salvation, Holy Spirit. The list goes on. It will either attract or repel us.
We might ask who the author is? No one has their name on the front cover. If we do our research, we will find it was "scribed" through a process of inner dictation. It happened between 1965 and 1972. The narrator never identifies himself but it doesn't take much to know that it is the voice of Jesus. This raises all sorts of questions.
It is written in a way that is difficult to understand. It demands attention and concentration. We might have to read a paragraph several times to understand it. We definitely need to persevere.
A Course in Miracles can actively push our buttons. And so can a near-death experience.
Finding out about NDEs won't occur to us unless something deep within us wants to find out. It is a good way to learn that death is not the end. It is a good way to learn that God is so much more than just our own interpretation. Likewise with love.
Raymond Kinman was nine years old in 1966 when he had his near-death experience. Like all near-death experiencers, his experience is as real today as it was then. Something deep within us might resonate with it.
And if we are resistant to terms like Creator, it is worth listening to the end because Raymond's description is so visual. And it's useful to have the experience retold by someone who has a clever and colourful use of language.
YouTube: Present! Raymond Kinman's Near-Death Experience. The link is below.
____________________________________________________________________________
44/ Out of Sight, Out of Mind
13th March 2021
We can't imagine the unimaginable. Everything we see makes up our world. We can see it, touch it, taste it, hear it and smell it. The concept of another reality should not be taken lightly.
Plato uses the allegory of the cave. Prisoners are chained to the wall and see shadows moving back and forwards on the wall in front of them. The shadows are the prisoners' reality, but are not accurate representations of the real world.
The question therefore arises, do we relate to being the prisoners in the cave? If the answer is yes, then we look for a solution.
A Course in Miracles is one solution. It would definitely endorse that what we see are merely shadows. It tells us there is another reality - the real world. We cannot see both this world and the real world. Each involves a different kind of seeing. The world we see is inspired by fear and is seen through the eyes. The real world is inspired by love and is seen through our spiritual sight. We have to want one or the other. It just depends on which one we want the most.
However, both this world and the real world are to do with duality. A Course in Miracles teaches non-duality. This is Oneness. We are shown that neither this world, nor the real world, are true. Our true reality is being One with God.
To get to this Oneness, we have to retrace our steps back to God. This is our decision. The thing is, we don't go anywhere. We just change our perspective.
To want this change begins with the suffering that the likes of Plato's prisoners felt in the cave. We need to want to wake up to a greater reality.
Every journey starts with the first step. Perhaps the first step is to stop judging? A Course in Miracles tells us this.
You who would judge reality cannot see it, for whenever judgment enters reality has slipped away. (ACIM, T-13.VII.5:5)
____________________________________________________________________________
45/ Life Is Not a Lottery
14th March 2021
In the ultimate sense, reincarnation is impossible. There is no past or future, and the idea of birth into a body has no meaning either once or many times. (ACIM, M-24.1:1-2)
***
In this life, it's probably the extremes of our life that we remember. It's unlikely we remember the humdrum. Maybe we can look at our life as a series of incarnations? One phase of life ends and a new phase begins. But something might trigger this new phase. It was like it was just meant to happen.
There is a book called Journey of Souls by Michael Newton. It maps out what happens to our soul between lives. Dr. Newton is a clinical hypnotherapist and has hundreds of case studies to draw from.
The accounts from these case studies demonstrate that we pre-plan our lives around the experiences that we want to have. We plan who our parents will be, where we will be born, and the challenges that will arrive. Different scenarios and possibilities will also be pre-planned. However, these scenarios are not set in stone. We always have free will.
Dr. Newton is very pragmatic in his approach. He didn't expect his clients to regress back to in-between lives. It took him by surprise and, from then on, it became the focus of his hypnotherapy practice. His books evolved out of this.
Perhaps we can look back on our life and see the connections? Or maybe we are at a stage of our life where we feel it is time for change? Whatever our situation is, reading Dr. Newton's book will help us to understand that where and with whom we live our life is not a coincidence.
The point is, we are all here having an experience. The experiences we have are all unique to us. We are all here to play a part.
We might feel we would never have chosen this. It might be just too painful. However, the caterpillar might not expect to grow into a butterfly, but it does. It's probably quite a painful transition. And then it can fly.
____________________________________________________________________________
46/ Pay Attention to the Little Things.
15th March 2021
"Great acts are made up of small deeds.” Lao Tzu.
***
It might be helpful to understand that each day is made up of a series of little things. Putting our feet on the floor as we get out of bed in the morning. Walking to the bathroom. Making a cup of tea. It doesn't matter how important we are, or how ordinary. It will always be a series of little things.
Our egoic sense of self lives in the past. Past mistakes loom large and colour the future. We miss the pleasure of the present moment. Of quietly being with the task in front of us.
So if something appears daunting - an important job interview, making a speech - it will really just be a series of little things. We've still got to get out of bed in the morning and brush our teeth. We've still got to get to the office or to the lecture hall. And so it carries on. The President of the United States just does a series of little things every day.
A Course in Miracles tells us this in the Text: Be not content with littleness. But be sure you understand what littleness is, and why you could never be content with it (ACIM, T-15.III.1:1-3). There's also a lesson in the Workbook entitled: I am affected only by my thoughts (ACIM, W-338). These thoughts keep us little, and block the magnitude of what we are
There's another lesson in the Workbook entitled: I will be still an instant and go home (ACIM, W-182). Taking a few moments to be still is always a good practice. It allows us to take a step back and observe what we are doing, what we are thinking, what we are feeling. It allows us to get in touch with a deeper awareness.
Then we just do one thing at a time. We try and be present as we are doing it. This also helps us to not get overwhelmed by our thoughts.
____________________________________________________________________________
47/ Guilt Is Not Real
16th March 2021
We all have layers of guilt, some more than others. It is hidden in our unconscious and can make an appearance when we least expect it. Early morning discontentment is not uncommon.
A Course in Miracles tells us that unconscious guilt blocks our awareness to the present moment. We are unaware of who we really are. We are unaware of love's presence.
The moment that you realize guilt is insane, wholly unjustified and wholly without reason, you will not fear to look upon the Atonement and accept it fully. (ACIM, T-13.X.8:6)
The Atonement is a complete forgiveness of what never happened. We have to learn this. But while our guilt seems real, we need to look at it closely. This needs to be done with the Holy Spirit and never with the ego. This means being consciously aware.
Like any spiritual practice, there will always be peaks and troughs. Sometimes we feel like we are failing because the pain is too much. Our guilt feels like it is killing us.
Jesus, the voice of A Course in Miracles, tells us this.
Like you, my faith and my belief are centered on what I treasure. The difference is that I love only what God loves with me, and because of this I treasure you beyond the value that you set on yourself, even unto the worth that God has placed on you. (ACIM, T-13.X.13:1-2)
We can look on Jesus as an older brother. We look up to an older brother, and simply ask his advice.
Jesus tells us that he is no different to us. It's just that, in his lifetime, he only thought with the Holy Spirit. He saw the Holy Spirit in everyone and everything. And that is what he teaches us to do by offering us A Course in Miracles.
____________________________________________________________________________
48/ Life as a Conscious Presence
17th March 2021
Miracles are habits and should be involuntary. They should not be under conscious control.
Consciously selected miracles can be misguided. (ACIM, T-1.I.5:1-3)
***
Everything we do and say and think has an effect. We might not like how we act but we can always change it. There might even be something within us that tells us we need to.
A lot of people go through life with no self-awareness at all. They are lost in their own habitual way of thinking. They have no idea that there is another way.
There are any number to teachers who will offer us the solution. Jesus, the Voice behind A Course in Miracles, teaches us that only God is real, His Son is real and everything else is just a dream. He tells us that, while we are in the dream, we can shape the experience that we are having
What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see. (ACIM, W-130.1:2-3)
Living life as a conscious presence will stop us being controlled by our egoic sense of self. This is the narrative of who we are, what we are, and a whole list of themes that are self-inflating or self-deflating.
When we are aware of ourselves as a conscious presence, we understand we are contained by something far greater. It is a stillness, an aliveness. It is the beingness of who we are.
It takes a willingness to be aware of it. Then, just by being an example of presence, other people will sense it too, and will endeavour to find it.
____________________________________________________________________________
49/ We Can Change Our Mind
18th March 2021
"Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so." William Shakespeare.
***
Everyone has a mind. Everyone can change their mind if they want to. We all have free will and we all have choice. A Course in Miracles teaches us that we only have two choices.
We might have spent our whole life not knowing this. We wouldn't have known that how we think acts as a projector out onto the world. This is because the world exists within our minds.
If we hate someone, A Course in Miracles tells us this: You never hate your brother for his sins, but only for your own. (ACIM, T-31.III.1:5)
If we need to forgive someone, A Course in Miracles tells us this: It is impossible to forgive another, for it is only your sins you see in him. (ACIM, S-2.I.4:2-3)
If we have self-esteem issues, A Course in Miracles tells us this: You have no enemy except yourself. (ACIM, T-26.X.3:6)
And so we have two choices. To listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Or to listen with the voice of the ego.
The ego is very dominant. This is the "enemy" that we both see and have. The ego is based on false belief and is not real. If we think with the ego, we can really make our lives hell.
A Course in Miracles teaches us to think with the Holy Spirit. It requires a willingness to detach ourselves from the constant stream of negativity and false belief. We have to learn a new way of thinking.
We don't have to change our lifestyle unless we feel we need to. Our family and our working life is all part of who we are. We can, however, change the way we think. We can change our minds.
____________________________________________________________________________
50/ We Have To Love Ourselves First
19th March 2021
A Course in Miracles teaches us that we can't offer a blessing to someone else without first having accepted it for ourselves. This means that, if we practice what ACIM teaches us, which is forgiveness, we have to forgive ourselves first.
If what you offer is complete forgiveness you must have let guilt go, accepting the Atonement for yourself and learning you are guiltless. (ACIM, T-14.I.1:7)
We all manifest guilt in different ways. If someone says some words that hurt us, this has nothing to do with the person saying them. It is our guilt arising. The after-effects, too, will linger. Guilt has a myriad of ways of making us feel bad about ourselves.
Within the Workbook, we are told this: The peace of God is shining in me now. Let all things shine upon me in that peace. And let me bless them with the light in me. (ACIM, W-188.10:6-7)
This requires some understanding. It might take us years, or a lifetime. Maybe many lifetimes.
Whether we feel the peace of God on occasion, consistently, or never, will all depend on the layers of guilt that are buried within us. Undoing these layers of guilt is the job of the Holy Spirit. We have to learn to forgive ourselves on a regular basis.
When someone pushes our buttons and a layer of guilt arises, we have to keep faith. Our job is to learn to love ourselves unconditionally. We have to love ourselves first.
____________________________________________________________________________
51/ The World We See Does Nothing
20th March 2021
“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anaïs Nin
***
A Course in Miracles tells us there is a law of seeing. It is this: You will look upon that which you feel within. (ACIM, W-189.5:3)
It is pretty clear that the world is in a chaotic state. It is therefore a good idea to be aware of what is going on in our minds. Is it chaotic and reactive? Maybe it is peaceful and loving? No doubt, it swings between the two, and probably with a lot more in between.
A Course in Miracles teaches us to be responsible for what we think. We need to train our minds to think differently. It is always our choice.
We are told we make the world with our thoughts. This sounds preposterous to the egoic mind but the whole purpose of A Course in Miracles is to teach us that the egoic thought system is not true. There is another way of thinking and that is with the Holy Spirit. This takes practice.
The ego is very dominant. So, while we are practicing, inevitably there will be times where we feel it is impossible to change.
A Course in Miracles suggests we say this to ourselves, but with conviction.
I am responsible for what I see.
A Course in Miracles tells us we make the world with our minds. This means, by definition, we can create a new world with our minds.
____________________________________________________________________________
21st March 2021
"Human consciousness is just about the last surviving mystery." Daniel Dennett.
***
Albert Einstein said: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle."
Scientists have come up with all sorts of theories as to the nature of the universe, but they haven't been able to pinpoint where a miracle comes from. Another thing has evaded then. They have not been able to discover the nature of consciousness.
And yet that is what we are. We are conscious human beings.
In the Bible, Jesus said: "I am the light of the world." He said to his disciples. "You are the light of the world". Did anyone really know what this meant?
A lesson in the Workbook or A Course in Miracles has the same title: I am the light of the world (ACIM, W-61). The opening paragraph starts with this: Who is the light of the world except God’s Son? This, then, is merely a statement of the truth about yourself. (ACIM, W-61.1:1-2)
The mystery of consciousness is the same as the mystery of the miracle, or the mystery of the light of the world.
A near-death experience is also a mystery. Peter Panagore had a near-death experience in 1980 when he was 21 years old. Peter has written several books, including Heaven is Beautiful. He has a number of interviews on YouTube. One is a short 20-minute video is with Shaman Oaks, and the title is: 'Why he no longer has faith after his near-death experience'. The link is below.
____________________________________________________________________________
53/ Are We Happy With the Life We Live?
22nd March 2021
"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." Dalai Lama.
***
Are we happy with the life we live? It is a valid question.
Taxes, for example, turn good days into bad ones. Ill health casts a shadow over a good life. A spontaneous act of good luck suddenly brings a glow to any bad day.
A Course in Miracles tells us that happiness is always within us. The solution is never outside of us.
Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. (ACIM, W-34.1:2-3)
A Course in Miracles always gives the burden of responsibility back to us. It tells us that we are responsible for what we think. It tells us how we think is the whole basis for the life we live.
If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with images that do not exist. (ACIM, W-13.3:2)
A Course in Miracles tells us that the mind projects the world. It tells us that the mind is infinitely more powerful than we think it is.
Whatever comes at us, we always make it personal when we think with the ego. The ego will never let us understand that it only happens in the mind.
Are we happy with the life that we live? It can only be perfect with the Holy Spirit. When we only think with the Holy Spirit, that's when we have complete peace of mind.
____________________________________________________________________________
54/ When Life Just Gets too Much
23rd March 2021
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail." Nelson Mandela.
***
Sometimes it just does. Life gets too much.
Many spiritual teachers say that pain can be our greatest teacher. The principle is that we are forced to stop. We are forced to do the opposite of what is natural to us. We are forced to step into the present moment, and this is where all our clarity lies.
Spiritual teachers tell us the present moment is beyond all pain. It is all there is. The present moment is only where the past happened. And it is where the future will happen as well.
A Course in Miracles calls this the Holy Instant.
In the Holy Instant, we step away from the ego. We step back from the pain that the ego is causing. We join with the Holy Spirit in the only moment there is.
When life gets too much, it's important to know that we are perceiving wrongly.
To perceive truly is to be aware of all reality through the awareness of your own. But for this no illusions can rise to meet your sight, for reality leaves no room for any error. (ACIM, T-13.VI.1:1-2)
When life gets too much, it's important to know the "I" of who we are.
The "I" is difficult to fathom. The "I" can only be experienced.
When life gets too much, it's a time that the "I" has the possibility of arising. The "I" is our Self. It is a Self that is complete and healed and whole (ACIM, W-pII.14.1:1).
____________________________________________________________________________
24th March 2021
"A Sufi holy man was asked what forgiveness is. He said - it is the scent that flowers give when they are crushed." Unknown.
***
There's no question that forgiveness is the core message of A Course in Miracles.
It is startling, when you begin to practice, how many things rise up to be forgiven. It's as if there is wave after wave of images, past and present, that queue up in our minds to take their turn. Big and small, nothing is to be missed.
This can be incredibly frustrating. It might take years, or even lifetimes. That is why it is essential to be kind to ourselves. It is essential to be in the present and not to think about the future.
It's a personal journey. We leave the ego behind. The ego loves the drama. It loves to make us feel bad. It loves to make us feel it is impossible.
A Course in Miracles teaches us to trust the Holy Spirit. With any problem that arises, it says: Forgive, and you will see this differently (ACIM, W-193.5:1). This means that we forgive by handing it over to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then solves it, and undoes our unconscious guilt at the same time.
In essence, the message of A Course in Miracles is this: Forgive the world, and you will understand that everything that God created cannot have an end, and nothing He did not create is not real. (ACIM, M-20.5:7)
Those things which seems solid and unmoveable are not real. That which seems invisible and intangible is real. The forgiveness lesson is to forgive those solid and unmoveable blocks that exist with the mind.
____________________________________________________________________________
25th March 2021
"Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace." Buddha.
***
A Course in Miracles says this: You speak two languages at once, and this must lead to unintelligibility. (ACIM, T-14.VI.7:5)
To be clear in our communication, we need to speak one or the other. The two bear no resemblance to one another.
One is bombastic in its use of language. It can be crude and aggressive. The other is clear and loving. It doesn't have any contradictions. One might be called the language of the physical and the other might be called the language of the spiritual.
If we listen to the language of the physical, we might feel we are at war with ourselves. Our thoughts are a constant stream of rhetoric that can shift from praise to criticism in an instant.
To listen to the language of the spiritual just requires that we are quiet. It could just as easily be called the language of peace.
Light cannot enter darkness when a mind believes in darkness, and will not let it go. Truth does not struggle against ignorance, and love does not attack fear. (ACIM, T-14.VII.5:1-2)
The language of peace does not struggle with the language of the physical. To learn this new language, A Course in Miracles has the Workbook. When applying ourselves to the exercises in the Workbook, this new language begins to manifest itself.
Ultimately, it all depends on desire. How much do we want the peace that comes from learning this new language?
Comments
Post a Comment