Making Explicit the True Meaning of Forgiveness: January FB Statuses

Some time ago, I set up a Facebook account, but I never really did much with it, until Sunday 8 April, Easter Sunday, auspiciously, when it occurred to me that I could post a Status statement on Facebook, daily.  These are my mini-essays for January.


1/1

I give you to the Holy Spirit as part of myself.

I know that you will be released, unless I want to use you to imprison myself.
In the name of my freedom I choose your release, Because I recognize that we will be released together.

So will the YEAR begin in joy and freedom. There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. Accept the holy instant as this YEAR IS BORN, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening. Make this year different by making it all the same. And let all your relationships be made holy for you. This is our will. Amen. T-15.Xl.10

1/2

Just as our GPS gives us a great road map, so can a Parable provide us with a great map, helping us navigate through our world to reality.

Here is Jesus in His Course in Miracles.

Listen to the story of the prodigal son, and learn what God's treasure is and yours: This son of a loving father left his home and thought he had squandered everything for nothing of any value, although he had not understood its worthlessness at the time. He was ashamed to return to his father, because he thought he had hurt him. Yet when he came home the father welcomed him with joy, because the son himself was his father's treasure. He wanted nothing else.  T-8.Vl.4

Just as the father welcomed back his son with an open heart, so will God greet us when we return to Him, as we overcome our sense of unworthiness.

You made neither yourself nor your function. You made only the decision to be unworthy of both. Yet you cannot make yourself unworthy because you are the treasure of God, and what He values is valuable. There can be no question of its worth, because its value lies in God's sharing Himself with it and establishing its value forever. 5

1/3

I am so grateful for A Course in Miracles, and I am still astounded that it is sheer poetry.  Just look at Lesson 336, Forgiveness lets me know that minds are joined, the first stanza is a sonnet, 14 lines of blank verse, meaning 10 syllables per line with a slack STRESS cadence.

For GIVE/ ness IS/ the MEANS/ ap POINT/ ed FOR/
Per CEP/ tion's END/ ing. KNOW/ ledge IS/ re STORED/
after perception first is changed, and then
gives way entirely to what remains
forever past its highest reach. For sights
and sounds, at best, can serve but to recall
the memory that lies beyond them all.
Forgiveness sweeps away distortions, and
opens the hidden altar to the truth.
Its lilies shine into the mind, and call
it to return and look within, to find
what it has vainly sought without. For here,
and only here, is peace of mind restored,
for this the dwelling place of God Himself.

Listen to this echo from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.

That TIME/ of YEAR/ thou MAYST/ in ME/ be HOLD/
When YEL/ low LEAVES,/ or NONE,/ or FEW,/ do HANG/
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

I invite you to click on this link to enjoy The Rhythm and Reason of Reality:  Poetry and Prose in A Course in Miracles.

http://www.throughamirrorbrightly.com 

1/4

Looking back, I am amazed to remember being a little kid running around the playground shouting a new phrase I had just heard, “Me, my Self, and I.” Little did I know, then, and in fact for many more years, that I was actually uttering a profound truth, describing the typography or my mind.

I came to learn that the “Me” is my ego self, seeing through the body’s eyes, thinking what is seen is real.

My “Self” is my true Identity, my mind united with God, seeing through Christ’s eyes, seeing a reflection of what’s real.

The “I” is the mechanism of decision, deciding between unreality and reality, determining my awareness.

“Decide” comes from the Latin, cidere, meaning to cut off. When I ally with my ego self, I cut away all awareness of my reality.  When I join with my Self, I cut away all awareness of unreality.

It is always simply, profoundly, a matter of my decision.

But let me not forget Your Love and care,
keeping Your promise to Your Son in my
awareness always. Let me not forget
my self is nothing, but my Self is all.
Lesson 358

1/5

One of the lessons I find most helpful is Lesson 338, I am affected only by my thoughts.  This makes it so simple:  when I am in fear, love is just a thought away; and when I am in the experience of love, fear is just a thought away.

His thoughts can frighten him,
but since these thoughts belong to him alone,
he has the power to change them and exchange
each fear thought for a happy Thought of love.

There.  The shift in thought is easy.  It is as easy as using the “Shift” key on the keyboard; to capitalize a letter--you simply press, simultaneously the Shift key and the letter key “t” et Voila, Thought.

Your plan is sure, my Father, - only Yours.
All other plans will fail. And I will have
thoughts  that will frighten me, until I learn
that You have given me the only Thought
that leads me to salvation. Mine alone
will fail, and lead me nowhere. But the Thought
You gave me promises to lead me home,
because it holds Your promise to Your Son.

1/6

I am CHARGED by starting over reading the Lessons of A Course in Miracles, Lesson 1 on January 1.

For example, in Lesson 3, I do not understand anything I see in this room, Jesus says:

Some of the things you see may have emotionally-CHARGED meaning for you.  Try to lay such feelings aside, and merely use these things exactly as you would anything else. (6,7)

This provides a solid reference for this passage from Matthew:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

And as for being CHARGED, I invite you to enjoy God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889).

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.   
  It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;   
  It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil   
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?   
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;            5
  And all is seared with trade;bleared, smeared with toil;    
  And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell:the soil   
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.   
    
And for all this, nature is never spent;   
  There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;            10
And though the last lights off the black West went   
  Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—   
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent   
  World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.   
    


1/7

A long time ago I saw Man of La Mancha at a Broadway theatre in New York City.  Of course, I was so inspired by hearing The Impossible Dream.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

When I heard the song again the other day, my first thought was that the song, as glorious as it is, is about being victorious in the dream, in the duality, simply being more brave than cowardly.  However, reading a passage from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling, I realized that Jesus implanted in the hero the impossible dream beyond duality, and in the song that is represented by the unreachable star  and  a heavenly cause.

Here’s Jesus speaking to Sarah Young:

True dependence is not simply asking Me to bless what you have decided to do.  It is coming to Me with an open mind and heart, inviting Me to plant My desires within you.  I may infuse within you a DREAM that seems far beyond your reach.  (the unreachable star) You know that in yourself you cannot achieve such a goal.  Thus begins your journey of profound reliance on Me.  It is a faithwalk, taken one step at a time, leaning on Me as much as you need.  Enjoy the blessedness of a victorious life, (That my heart will be peaceful and calm) through deepening your dependence on Me.  (January 5)

1/8

One of my main problems walking around in the dream is that I, habitually, set up a duality, bad vs good, negative vs positive.  It is cold, I wish it were warm; I feel bad, I want to feel good; she doesn’t like me, I want her to like me.
Then, I spend my time and energy trying to move towards the positive, eliminating the negative.

In fact, that old song just came to mind, Accentuate the Positive, written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen.

You've got to accentuate the positive
 Eliminate the negative
 Latch on to the affirmative
 Don't mess with Mister In-Between.

The tendency to make it better is a clever ruse by the ego to keep me preoccupied with thoughts that are meaningless.

Here is Jesus making this clear as early as Lesson 4, These thoughts do not mean anything.

In these practice periods, begin with noting the thoughts that are crossing your mind for about a minute. Then apply the idea to them. If you are already aware of unhappy thoughts, use them as subjects for the idea. Do not, however, select only the thoughts you think are "bad." You will find, if you train yourself to look at your thoughts, that they represent such a mixture that, in a sense, none of them can be called "good" or "bad." This is why they do not mean anything.

Remembering that these thoughts are meaningless is helpful to me, enabling me to pull out of the duality.

After writing this, I came across this wonderful quotation from Oscar Pistorius, the amputee sprinter.

“My mother used to tell us in the mornings, ‘Carl, put on your shoes.  Oscar, you put on your prosthetic legs, and that’s the last I want to hear about it.’  So I grew up not  really thinking I had a disability.  I grew up thinking I had different shoes.”

1/9

A long time ago, when I heard this Zen story, I found it very helpful.  As I remember it, a seeker stood before a Zen Master, holding a cup as the Master poured tea into it, but he kept on pouring, the tea spilling onto the floor; he was incredulous, saying, “You can’t get any more in!”

“Just so,” replied the Master.   “And like this cup, you are full of your own ideas and opinions.  How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

I was reminded of this when I read this passage from Angel Voices  by Karen Goldman.

Our destinies cannot “arrive” until we do.  Until we are “present” in our “lighter” state, we will never really ascent to any higher ground.  Until then, we are off center, banishing the good that waits to come to us, blocking the road to our own miracles with fear and pain, not really capable of accepting joy because our hands are already full.  We must empty them.  Let go of all we are holding, like angels, trusting that our lives will be filled with diviner things. (p. 109)

1/10

As I am typing this, I am looking at my hand-written copy, and occasionally glancing at the screen, but I hardly ever look at the keyboard.

Many years ago in the 9th grade of high school, I took Typing 1, learned the keyboard, and now I simply touch-type.

I was reminded of this last night when my son, Stephen, was trying to teach me to send text messages on my new cell phone.  The little keyboard slips out of the phone, configured exactly as my computer keyboard.

But…I was having great difficulty finding the letters one-by-one; trying to type a text message was painfully slow. What that made me realize is how ingrained our habits are. We take for granted, for “granite,” our conditioning, thinking that it is showing us reality.  We look out and see a world brought to us by years of conditioning.

Learning to undo our automatic, habitual perception requires sound mind-training.  If I am going to learn to send text messages, I will have to let go of the old and embrace the new.

In respect to mind-training, here is Jesus in Lesson 9, I see nothing as it is now.

It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. This idea can be quite disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms. Yet that does not preclude applying it. No more than that is required for these or any other exercises. Each small step will clear a little of the darkness away, and understanding will finally come to lighten every corner of the mind that has been cleared of the debris that darkens it. 3

With each “small step” I may be able to train my mind and actually learn to text.

1/11

Reading Lesson 7, I see only the past, I am reminded of a scene in the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know? where the Native tribesmen were unable to see the European ships.

When the tall European ships first approached the early Native Americans, it was such an ‘impossible’ vision in their reality that their highly filtered perceptions couldn’t register what was happening, and they literally failed to ‘see’ the ships.

Without a past reference, they were unable to “see” the ships.

Jesus reminds us of this in this magnificent paragraph, demonstrating how we associate perceptual phenomenon and our everyday experience. 

Look at a cup, for example. Do you see a cup, or are you merely reviewing your past experiences of picking up a cup, being thirsty, drinking from a cup, feeling the rim of a cup against your lips, having breakfast and so on? Are not your aesthetic reactions to the cup, too, based on past experiences? How else would you know whether or not this kind of cup will break if you drop it? What do you know about this cup except what you learned in the past? You would have no idea what this cup is, except for your past learning. Do you, then, really see it? 3

1/12

When I type a FB Status, for example, I type quickly and efficiently because I learned a long time ago to place my hands on the Home Row, my right index finger on the letter J, and my left index finger on the letter F.

I remember my Typing Class at Three Rivers High School (Michigan), taught by Gerald Royce, a be-speckled man who always wore a suit and a bow tie.  In the beginning of the first class, he said, “Place your hands on the Home Row and type ‘juj (space juj (space), and in unison we did.

All this has been coming back to me in the last couple of days as I am trying to learn to Text on my new phone.  The miniature keyboard slides out, and I forget everything I had learned about typing, reverting to “hunting and pecking” with my right index finger.  Although the keyboard is exactly the same as my computer keyboard (and, of course, my high school typewriter), I have such difficulty finding the letters that I get headaches trying to compose a Text Message.

My son, Stephen, said to use my thumbs.  Well, this morning I finally tried it, and “Lo and Behold” everything fell into place.  When my thumbs hover over the F and J keys, the keyboard finally lights up, and I can find the other keys with ease.

This is a parable, reminding me of the value of mind-training.  As I walk through the day, I ask for help to be anchored at home.  When I am in the state of mind of being home, I experience peace, echoing Lesson 160, I am at home.  Fear is the stranger here.
 
This is my home.  Here I belong, and will
not leave because a madman (fear) says I must. 2 

1/13

Years ago, when I first crossed the threshold of Endeavor Academy and stood in the lobby, I looked up and saw these words inscribed on a plaque on the wall:

It is certain because it is impossible.

I found it completely baffling at the time, and it took considerable mind-training for me to comprehend it, finally.  The ambiguity comes from the two pronouns “it,” having different references.
 
It is certain. . .reference:  Nothing real can be threatened.

It is impossible. . .reference:  Nothing unreal exists.
Knowing this distinction is peace:

Herein  lies the peace of God.

1/14

During the holidays, Christine and I spent some time with friends in Michigan.  One of my friends told me a story about her husband that fascinated me.

He was recovering from cancer surgery, and they went before a judge to determine how much money they would receive to pay for the procedure.  At one point in the middle of the deliberation, he began to forget things like where he was; what they were doing there; answers to the judge’s questions.  Pretty soon the judge became frustrated and adjourned the meeting.

My friend said that riding home from the meeting, she gently asked him questions, like, what is your son’s name; what day is it; where do we live; and then she asked “Who are you?” and he promptly said with a big smile, “I am the Holy son of God.”

Later, the condition was diagnosed by a doctor as “temporary amnesia,” and soon it passed, and he made a full recovery.

For me, this is a great example of what Jesus is teaching us in His Course.  If we were to let go of our meaningless thoughts, temporarily, we would experience the truth of what we are.  Just look at the titles of the first 7 Lessons.

Nothing I see means anything.
I have given everything I see all the meaning that it has for me.
I do not understand anything I see.
These thoughts do not mean anything
I am never upset for the reason I think.
I am upset because I see something that is not there.
I see only the past.

So, I sit here, breathe in and breathe out, letting go of my thoughts, experiencing temporary amnesia,  resting in the peace of God.

1/15

One of the difficult lessons is to learn is this:  Resist not evil.  I tend to resist negative thoughts in favor of positive ones, thereby maintaining the duality, preoccupying myself with thoughts, staying rooted in the dream.

We are told to invite them in, making them welcome, knowing that we conceived of them to help us learn who we are.  I was reminded of this by reading this magnificent poem by Rumi.


The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.


This echoes passages from the Course where Jesus teaches the same lesson.

Today I would remember the simplicity of salvation by reinforcing the lesson that there is one problem and one solution.  The problem is a grievance; the solution is a miracle.  And I invite the solution to come to me through my forgiveness of the grievance, and my welcome of the miracle that takes its place. Lesson 90.1:4-6

1/16

Master Teacher of Endeavor Academy often said, “I cannot take that away from you.”  What he meant is that he could not take away from us our conditioned belief system, our conceptual/perceptual ideas of what is real, but he could show us the truth of what we are.  In fact, he once said, “I will stand here for a moment so that you can catch your true reflection.”  He demonstrates to us that we are light.

This came to mind when I came across a book by Lorna Byrne, A Message of Hope from the Angels.  In the beginning she writes;

I have been seeing and talking with angels since I was a little baby.  I see angels every day and I see them physically as I see someone sitting in front of me.  Angels are my friends and companions and I talk with them all the time, sometimes using words and sometimes without words.  I have no idea why I should be able to see angels.  I am just an ordinary person. (p. 1)

She goes on:

Lately, I have been seeing the Angle of Hope.  I was shown him guiding soldiers through a trench battlefield.  I was shown one particular soldier crawling exhausted through the mud.  I could see he was injured.  The Angel of Hope was moving in front of him, constantly beckoning him forward.  I was allowed to see through the soldier’s eyes.  The soldier could not see the Angel of Hope, but he saw a light.

“Do you understand, Lorna?” the angel said.  The Angel of Hope cannot stop the war, heal this soldier, or rescue him, but he can give him the strength to make it to where he can be rescued.”

Thank you, Master Teacher, for showing us that we are the light of the world.

1/17

More and more horrible things “seem” to be happening in the world these days.  When you express this to a brother, it is not helpful to hear him say, “You are the cause, Dear One,” particularly, if he just leaves it at that.  In what way am I the cause?

Reading Lesson 12, I am upset because I see a meaningless world, I see clearly my responsibility.

The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion. You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. All these attributes are given it by you. The world is meaningless in itself. 1
I am the cause, then, in this sense:  All these attributes are given it by me.
Jesus continues, As you look about you, say to yourself:

I think I see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world, a sad world, a wicked world, a crazy world. 3

It comes down to whether I am looking out through the body’s eyes, or through the eyes of Christ.  It is always, in every moment, my choice;  if I choose to see through my body’s eyes, I will get the results of fear and loss; if I choose to see through the eyes of Christ, I will experience love and peace. 

So, my brother is right, I am the cause; this is just a more thoughtful way to express it.

As they simply say on the streets today when someone says something that’s true,  “Word.”

Beneath your words is written the Word of God. When your words have been erased, you will see His. That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises. 5

1/18

Recently, I received a phone call from a friend of mind, Darrell Price.  We became friends several years ago at Endeavor Academy, and after he left, I lost track of him.  He wanted me to know that he had just published a book, From The Christ Mind. 

Now, I am so grateful, so inspired because Jesus selected Darrell to scribe His book.  Darrell began scribing in January, 2012, and the book was published in December, 2012.

Here is Darrell speaking in one paragraph from his Foreward.

Then in January of this year, 2012, I began to experience a deepening and continuous communication with the Mind of Jesus.  Much to my surprise, He asked me to take dictation, to write down a teaching He would give me that was to be published in book form.  In addition to providing the material for this book, Jesus has guided me through every step of the process, from start to finish.  Everything necessary for the publication of this book was miraculously provided when and as needed.  This whole project has been a miracle, every step of the way.  To have been part of it has been a great blessing.  For that I thank Jesus, the Holy Spirit, my Heavenly Father, and all my brothers who have helped me along the way.  (p.14)

Here is just one paragraph from this magnificent book.

There is no place for Truth in the ego’s world.  Yet even here Truth cannot be completely obscured, for It waits for you in the present, underneath the loud and incessant chatter of the ego mind, resting in deepest peace.  A quiet mind is an invitation to Truth to enter and claim its Home once again.  You who have worked so hard to maintain illusion and protect yourself from Truth, need only lay down your defenses and the Self will return to your awareness.  Only defenselessness will bring you to a true state of safety.  In this condition of harmlessness, you will again know God.  (p. 26)

I am finding that I have to read this book very slowly, savoring every word. After  reading  just one Section, I am completely taken out and have to stop.

To order this magnificent gift to the world, please call Darrell in Chico, CA:
  (707) 888-3215, and it is available on Amazon.

1/19

I just came across this wonderful passage about the hummingbird.

The hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step aside we may see our life differently. The hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness. Constance Barrett Sohodski

This echoes a wonderful passage from a recently-published book entitled From The Christ Mind, scribed by Darrell Price, listening to the voice of Jesus.

If you would realize the Self, you must bring your mind into the present where Its Reality can be revealed.  To live in the past and chase the future is to live in dreams.  The Self cannot be found in dreams.  The choice between Truth or illusion, Love or fear, is the choice between the present or the past. Either you realize the Self and return to freedom, or you continue as the self always searching but never finding. (p. 26)

(To purchase From The  Christ Mind, please call Darrell in Chico, CA:
(707)888-3215), or order it from Amazon.

1/20

The idea of forgiveness is being bandied about rather loosely lately, prompted in the last few days by Lance Armstrong’s confession on the Oprah Winfrey Show of cheating.

Here are the first three paragraphs of a front-page story in USA TODAY(1/18/ 2013) entitled, “Can you forgive?”

And now Lance Armstrong’s televised cheating confession raises the question of whether, when it comes to fallen heroes, there’s anything Americans won’t forgive.

From Bill Clinton (again toast of the Democratic Party) to Charlie Sheen (again a sit-com TV star) to Michael Vick (again an NFL quarterback) the bar for public redemption seems to have gotten lower and lower.

“America,” says Frank Farley, former president of the American Psychological Association and a student of hero worship, “is the land of second chances.  All you have to do is ask—especially if you can throw a ball, sing a song, make a speech, coach a team.”

Giving someone a second chance is hardly forgiveness.  In the dream, in the duality, forgiveness turns out to be, I will give him a break, let him off the hook, look the other way,  not judge him harshly.  In this dualistic thinking, I am actually bargaining, being one-up, generous, at least, this time.

Forgiveness is not about people “out there;” forgiveness is letting go of thought images in our minds, recognizing that they have no source in reality.

Forgiveness is at the heart of A Course in Miracles.

Forgiveness recognizes what you thought
your brother did has not occurred.
It does not pardon sins and make them real.
It sees there was no sin. And in that view
are all your sins forgiven. What is sin,
except a false idea about God's Son?
Forgiveness merely sees its falsity,
and therefore lets it go. What then is free
to take its place is now the Will of God.
1.  What is Forgiveness?

1/21

As more and more tragic events seem to be occurring in the world, more and more people are asking, “Why would God allow this to happen?

Well, the short answer is that God knows nothing of it.

What we see in the world is always a result of our thinking; the thought always comes first.  The question is always, “Who is thinking, the self or the Self?

Here are two paragraphs from From The Christ Mind, a book scribed by Darrell Price, listening to Jesus speak.

The self, a self-invented limitation on and denial of what you truly are, will never be free.  How can that which denies itself freedom and is an active defense against it, find what it is so clearly deciding against?  Keeping alive the past is the means used to completely obscure the present and maintain an unbroken continuity of illusion based in the past and stretching to the future.  There is no place for Truth in the ego’s world.

Yet even here Truth cannot be completely obscured, for It waits for you in the present, underneath the loud and incessant chatter of the ego mind, resting in deepest peace.  A quiet mind is an invitation to Truth to enter and claim its Home once again.  You who have worked so hard to maintain illusion and protect yourself from Truth, need only lay down your defenses and the Self will return to your awareness.  Only defenselessness will bring you to a true state of safety.  In this condition of harmlessness, you will again know God.  (p. 26)

And again God knows you, as the Self, not the self experiencing worldly events.

(To order a copy of From The Christ Mind, please call Darrell Price, Chico, CA:
(707) 888-3215, or order it from Amazon.

1/22

Once again I am so grateful to begin reading at the first of the year the Lessons of the Workbook of A Course in Miracles.  Here is a paragraph from Lesson 15, My thoughts are images I have made.

This introductory idea to the process of image making that you call seeing will not have much meaning for you. You will begin to understand it when you have seen little edges of light around the same familiar objects which you see now. That is the beginning of real vision. You can be certain that real vision will come quickly when this has occurred. 2

Now, a long time ago when I read about the “little edges of light” around objects, I felt bad that I was not getting it because I did not see the light, and I don’t see it now, either. 

“Jeez, all these years and I’m still not seeing it.”  Guilt.  Guilt.

But, today for the first time, I had a Thought that was encouraging.  Perhaps, Jesus is not being literal; perhaps He is being figurative.  This came to mind when I remembered something that Maser Teacher of Endeavor Academy said one time, “Light is understanding.”

I feel better now because I do, indeed, experience the difference between seeing with the body’s eyes, and seeing with vision.  Right now I can look up, see the birds at the feeder and say to myself, I Am the holy Son of God, I am at peace, and what I see is a peaceful reflection, seeing through form and time and space, and this definitely is seeing through the mirror of my mind, brightly.

As you go along, you may have many "light episodes." They may take many different forms, some of them quite unexpected. Do not be afraid of them. They are signs that you are opening your eyes at last. 3:1-3

And from From The Christ Mind, scribed by Darrell Price, scribing Jesus.

True vision, wholly unified perception, is of the mind, not the body; it sees beyond the body to the Light wherein all are joined.  The appearances of form, the distortions of separation, cannot obstruct true vision or dilute its purity.  (p. 31)

1/23

I just love reading the book, Proof of Heaven, by Dr. Eben Alexander, and the subtitle expresses why I love it so much:  A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife.  Here is a highly-trained, professional, dedicated scientist who believed that brain consciousness was everything, the brain was an “extraordinary device,” that there was nothing beyond it.  Yet, in a coma he had these incredible experiences, while the brain was completely shut down.
Along the way, he had caught glimpses of something beyond the brain, but he did not know what to do with them.  As a young man, he did a great deal of parachuting and skydiving.  One time he found himself in an impossible situation, and by making a split-second decision, he miraculously pulled out of it, saving the lives of those around him.  He knew that the split-second decision came from beyond him, but he didn’t know what to do with it.
Here is what he says in his Prologue.

I finally chalked it up to the fact that the brain is truly an extraordinary device; more extraordinary than we can even guess.  I realize now that the real answer to that question is much more profound.  But I had to go through a complete metamorphosis of my life and worldview to glimpse that answer.  This book is about the events that changed my mind on the matter.  They convinced me that, as marvelous a mechanism as the brain is, it was not my brain that saved my life that day at all.  (p. 6)

He goes on to say:

During my coma my brain wasn’t working improperly—it wasn’t working at all. (p 8)

I am certain that he would now say,  echoing the Course:

I am not a “brain.”  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.
Lesson 199

1/24

I just finished reading an article in the newspaper entitled, “Marines learn to quiet the mind,” and this phrase came to mind, “Never underestimate the insanity of the conceptual mind.”

The U.S. Marine Corps, known for turning out some of the military's toughest warriors, is studying how to make its troops even tougher through meditative practices, yoga-type stretching and exercises based on mindfulness.

Marine Corps officials say they will build a curriculum that would integrate mindfulness-based techniques into their training if they see positive results from a pilot project. Mindfulness is a Buddhist-inspired concept that emphasizes active attention on the moment to keep the mind in the present. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 20, 2013, Section A,  p. 13)

Now, I, too, ask for help to experience a quiet mind.  But my question is, “For what purpose?”  I quiet my mind, so that I am receptive to hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit directing me where to go, what to do, what to say, and to whom.

Jeffery Bearor, the executive deputy of the Marine Corps training and education command at its headquarters in Quantico, VA, said,  "This is not tied to any religious practice. This is about mental preparation to better handle stress."

To learn to quiet your mind only to relieve stress is to make real what is inherently unreal.

Now,  this is a helpful exercise from Lesson 22, What I see is a form of vengeance.

Look at the world about you at least five times today, for at least a minute each time. As your eyes move slowly from one object to another, from one body to another, say to yourself:

I see only the perishable.
I see nothing that will last.
What I see is not real.
What I see is a form of vengeance.

At the end of each practice period, ask yourself:

Is this the world I really want to see?

The answer is surely obvious.

1/25

In His Course in Miracles, Jesus is so simple and so practical.  For example, here is a passage from Lesson 23, I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.

The idea for today introduces the thought that you are not trapped in the world you see, because its cause can be changed. This change requires, first, that the cause be identified and then let go, so that it can be replaced. The first two steps in this process require your cooperation. The final one does not. Your images have already been replaced. By taking the first two steps, you will see that this is so. 4

It is simply 1, 2, 3 to recognize that I am the cause of the world I see.

OK.  Let’s try it.

One.  I am upset because a brother just passed me, frowning.  That’s a pattern of mine from childhood.  I look at facial expressions and make up what someone is thinking. 

Two.  With this recognition, I can let go of negative thoughts.

Three.  There.  I now feel relaxed and peaceful, again.

How simple is salvation.

1/26

In his book Proof of Heaven, Dr. Eben Alexander makes it clear that now his life work, his mission, is to express his experience of Reality beyond our limited consciousness.

My experience showed me that the death of the body and the brain are not the end of consciousness,  that consciousness continues beyond the grave.  The place I went was real.  Real in a way that makes the life we’re living here and now completely dreamlike by comparison.  This doesn’t mean I don’t value the life I’m living now, however.  Once I realized the truth behind my journey, I knew I had to tell it.  Doing so properly has become the chief task of my life.  Now that I have been privileged to understand that our life does not end with the death of the body or the brain, I see it as my duty, my calling to tell people about what I saw beyond the body and beyond this earth.  (pp.9,10)

This brought to mind a passage from the Urtext of A Course in Miracles.  It is a passage reminding us to be ready to extend Truth while we are still “in” the world, knowing that we are  not “of” the world.

Readiness here means keep your perception right side up, (or valid), so you will ALWAYS be ready, willing and able.  These are the essentials for “listen, learn and do.”  You must be

READY to listen
WILLING to learn
And ABLE to do

Only the last is involuntary, because it is the APPLICATION of miracles which must be Christ-controlled.  But the other two, which are the voluntary aspects of miracles-mindedness, ARE up to you.  (p. 18)

Here is a another account, rather dramatic, of being invited to “do” by God.
Mary Neal wrote about her NDE in her book, To Heaven and Back,  A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again:  A True Story.  She writes:

“I didn’t seek out people to talk to, I put everything on the back burner until the day that God threw me out of bed and said, ‘OK, now is the time you are going to write this.’  And from that point on, this has been an incredible lesson in obedience, because I said, ‘OK.  I’m doing it.’”

1/27

It is so helpful for me to recognize how often in His Course, Jesus addresses a particular part of our mind by using the pronoun, “you.”  I find it useful each time He uses this pronoun, to identify the reference.  For example, here is a passage from the Text.

I can tell “you” what to do, but “you” must collaborate by believing that I know what “you” should do.  Only then will your mind choose to follow me.  Without this choice “you” could not be healed because “you” would have decided against healing, and this rejection of my decision for “you” makes healing impossible.  (T-8.lV.4:9-11)

It is obvious that the reference to “you” in his passage is the mechanism of decision, deciding between separation and union.

The decision to unite must be unequivocal, or the mind itself is divided and not whole.  Your mind is the means by which you determine your own condition, because mind is the mechanism of decision.  (5:6,7)

This all came to mind when I came across these wonderful passages in From The Christ Mind, scribed by Darrell Price, scribing Jesus.

What you identify with becomes your guide in decision making.  Identify with the body, with separation, and the ego is your guide, the thought system of separation is the context.  Identify with Spirit, the Self in you, Truth, and the Holy Spirit will gently direct you.  His direction is always in your highest interest and will lead you away from pain and fear. (p. 31)

You must learn the difference between Truth and illusion and learn it well, for you are constantly choosing between the two.  The Holy Spirit will lead you along the path of learning if you let Him, for the choice of which teacher to follow is always up to you.  There are only two:  one teaches Truth and gently reveals it to you; the other has been teaching illusion since first you chose to give him your mind.  The ego will continue to teach nothingness and take you nowhere until you withdraw your allegiance.  (p. 32)
 
1/28

In  her book, A Message of Hope from the Angels, Lorna Byrne tells us about her direct experiences with angels.

I have been seeing and talking with angels since I was a little baby.  I see angels every day and I see them physically as I see someone sitting in front of me.  Angels are my friends and companions and I talk with them all the time, sometimes using words and sometimes without words.  I have no idea why I should be able to see angels. I’m just an ordinary person.  (p. 1)

I see a guardian angel with everyone, regardless of their religion or nationality.  I have never seen anyone, anywhere in the world, without a guardian angel.  Your guardian angel is with you from before you are conceived until after your death and never leaves you even for one moment.  It loves you unconditionally and will do everything possible to guide you through life and keep you filled with hope.  Your guardian angel can let other angels in to help you, too.  (p. 5)

When I read these passages, I heard this echo from A Course in Miracles.

God's Name can not be heard without response,
nor said without an echo in the mind
that calls you to remember. Say His Name,
and you invite the angels to surround
the ground on which you stand, and sing to you
as they spread out their wings to keep you safe,
and shelter you from every worldly thought
that would intrude upon your holiness.
Lesson  183.2

1/29

I recently came across a book, actually it seemed to fall off a shelf in a bookstore during the holidays, entitled, The Universe in Black and White:  A Plain and Simple Illustrated Guide to Time, Space and the Meaning of Life by Terry Favour.

Thank God, it is Plain and Simple because it enabled me to catch a glimpse, for the first time, of the meaning of quantum physics. 

Here we go:  God is.  God is the energy pouring through the universe, infinitely,   a wave of energy, eternal. 

A wave becomes a particle when we observe it, when our sense apparatus gives it temporary form.  It becomes particular, an object fleshed out with our particular associations.

From the book:

But NOW we know that even a table is not solid.  What actually makes up the table is what I have been calling particles:  waves that have become particles upon observation, particles that have interacted with sense perception and then become the table.  (p. 159)

This book proposes that there cannot be form as we know it without human observation, since the manifested and the unmanifested  are different aspect of the same thing. (p. 169)

This provides an invaluable context for understanding A Course in Miracles.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.
Lesson 199

When I am free in my consciousness, experiencing peace and joy and harmony, I am experiencing being a wave; and when I experience myself as a body, I shift from wholeness to particularization.  In my particle consciousness, I am unable to experience my Self as God created me.

Now, here is where the abstraction comes home to me.  In my direct experience, the analogy that God is to the wave as the particle is to my ego consciousness manifests as the cosmic joke; we fear God’s Love to such an extent that we build a world of particles  to defend ourselves against it.  We make up an entire world with our senses, defending ourselves by holding onto the idea that seeing is believing.

I am so rigidly holding onto my belief system as a defense against God.
This is where the wave/particle analogy is helpful because it is a vivid reminder of my defensiveness.

One way for me to be less defensive and experience the wave in the midst of particles is to stop, breathe in and breathe out,  letting go of all thoughts making up my particle world, and experiencing the wave of the peace of God.

Jesus leads us to this wave consciousness in this paragraph.

Simply do this: Be still, and lay aside
all thoughts of what you are and what God is;
all concepts you have learned about the world;
all images you hold about yourself.
Empty your mind of everything it thinks
is either true or false, or good or bad,
of every thought it judges worthy, and
all the ideas of which it is ashamed.
Hold onto nothing. Do not bring with you
one thought the past has taught, nor one belief
you ever learned before from anything.
Forget this world, forget this course, and come
with wholly empty hands unto your God.
Lesson 189. 7

1/30

Some time ago, I wrote a poem in blank verse, entitled, TIMEOUT.  Now I look back and realize that it is a celebration of quantum, shifting from particalizing the world through our ego consciousness, to experiencing the wave of the peace of God.

TIMEOUT

The moment I become aware that I
am sinking into a morass of thoughts   
with neither source nor substance in the truth,  Lesson 131.10:3
bouncing back and forth in dualistic
frenzy, This or that, That or this, I take
action, reminding myself that I am
the holy son of God, created free,
my hands forming the universal sign:
“Timeout,” my left hand held horizontal,
my right hand held vertical, underneath,
fingertips pressing in my hand’s center,
not mine but Thine, breathe in, breathe out, TIMEOUT.
I place the future in the hands of God.  Lesson 194
It can be but myself I crucify.  Lesson 196
Particularization fades away,
And I experience a wave of joy.
The peace of God is shining in me now.  Lesson 188

1/31

Yesterday, our friends, Doug Christlieb and Karen Young, came over for lunch.  While we were in the kitchen preparing the food, Christine began slicing a lemon, and Doug  told us that when he was little, he and his Dad would take a small, sharp, stick and write with lemon juice on a blank piece of paper.  What they wrote was invisible to them, until they held the sheet of paper over a candle flame, and what they had written clearly emerged on the paper.

Christine grabbed a wooden skewer and wrote a word on white paper.  When she held it over a candle flame, the word appeared, majestically:  GOD.

Today, while reading Lesson 29, God is in everything I see, I saw that the heat of transformation enables me to see with vision, replacing the blankness that I see with my body’s eyes.  Transforming enables me to experience love and peace and joy, seeing with vision the reflection of my whole mind.

Try then, today, to begin to learn how to look on all things with love, appreciation and open-mindedness. You do not see them now. Would you know what is in them? Nothing is as it appears to you. Its holy purpose stands beyond your little range. When vision has shown you the holiness that lights up the world, you will understand today's idea perfectly. And you will not understand how you could ever have found it difficult.  (3)

Along the top of the page in my book for Lesson 29, I must have written the sentence some time ago:

Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.  Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)