(Tomas Vieira’s) Spirit IS

Monday, 6 December 2010 By Leave a Comment

photo of Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira; Take Me To Truth book cover

In the normal reckoning of space and time, I ‘met’ Thomas Vieira less than 2 years ago in San Francisco at a conference on A Course In Miracles. He and his former wife and teaching/learning partner, Nouk Sanchez, were giving a 75-minute workshop on their ACIM experiences and revelations. I immediately felt connected to both, like long-lost friends, as they engaged with everyone in the room, reminding us that we’re ALL long-lost friends. I can’t think of anyone I’ve talked to that didn’t have a similar experience. Starting with the whoopee cushions they placed on everyone’s seats, it was obvious that their sense of humor was of primary importance in their assigned task (while gently and whimsically reminding us it was OUR task as well) to dismantle the inner saboteur we thought we fabricated called ego.

Numerous metaphors that Tomas (and Nouk) shared stayed with me; for starters, how our inner voice for peace (a.k.a. Holy Spirit) is like a GPS; when we get off course, it doesn’t berate us for missing the optimal turn, it just gently recalculates another optimum way to see our ‘destination’ each moment without any implied guilt, blame or extra baggage. Probably my favorite analogy (that Tomas illustrated with great exuberance so that we could all identify with it, just long enough to see the joke and start DE-identifying with it :-) is the ego as the quintessential pork-pie-hat-wearing and cigar-smoking used car salesman… To paraphrase: “I’ve never steered you right before, but never mind that, just trust me this one … more … time.” What a great image! I remember laughing with Tomas at one of our favorite local restaurants (after they gave an outstanding 3-day workshop here a little over a year ago) talking about what a great video this could make to satirize our attachment to form…

… and Tomas really LIVED the lessons about releasing his interpretations about form, including his own deteriorating body. His attitude demonstrated the truly liberating truth that we’re not bound by anything, including the fleeting vehicles we ‘hang out in’. If ‘gentle tenacity’ isn’t too much of an oxymoron, Tomas showed us, in so many loving and kind examples, how we can make fun of our own follies and enjoy the lives we think we’re living all the more so by holding to the thought system that reminds us that separation never happened… and we can afford to enjoy an internal (and eternal) inner laugh about how silly our preoccupations are – no matter how seemingly serious. The candor that Tomas and Nouk shared about their personal lives that reminded us of our shared transpersonal LIFE was, IS and forever will be a joyous example of spirit.

If our shared spirit (way beyond what our little who-ville, persona-attached, need machine-obsessed minds could possibly fathom) IS eternally, then that same spirit we all share (and the idea we call Tomas was such a great fun reminder of) IS too, so thank you, Tomas, for a life in this holographic dream well spent in sharing what we all are, what we have always been and will always be (beyond time, space and all the other silly notions we seem to get caught up in.)

Will we miss Tomas’ form? Of course. But even as a few tears arise as we recall our dear friend, the sustainable smile breaks into outrageously joyous laughter remembering that (like the Joe Hill song lyrics go) “He did not die.”

Eternal smilezenhugs! :-)

Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira photo

Filed Under: Articles, Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vieira, Take Me To Truth

Finding Happy Birthday Peace!

Tuesday, 5 October 2010 By Leave a Comment

Finding Happy Birthday Peace!  By Sally McKirgan

Are we born only to die? And if so Why?  That was my waking thought on the morning of my recent 60 something Birthday!   “What a revolting development this is,” as a character on TV used to say in disgust.  Can it be that we are born, enter the body and the world only to ultimately march steady and directly to our death?  What a (bad) joke!

First we are born helpless and dependent on others for food, clothing, nurturing or maybe not, depending on your parents, circumstances and Country of choice.  Then secondly, little by little, you realize that you will have to figure out how to take care of your needs yourself.  You go to school, again, depending on where you were born, and what sex you are for that matter.  Growing up you may be abused, have an illness, but eventually you have to figure out how to “fend” for yourself when you grow up.  If you can’t figure it out, some become sad, take drugs to help the sadness, become homeless, steal to get money for food, and end up in jail or prison.  There are millions of people in prisons who were unable to figure out how to care for themselves.

Here’s the kicker – We are all; prisoners; jailers; parents; children; candlestick makers; soldiers; artists; wall street brokers; Muslim; Christian; Jewish; Atheists; Buddhists; Hindus; and others;  in the same boat.  No one is getting out alive and everyone is fighting a hard battle!

Who created this world of disaster, the ego or God?  Would a God that is Changeless, Eternal, All Love, have you accumulate some knowledge, express your gifts and suffer from an illness or accident and then die – kaput – the end?   Would a loving God create that kind of scenario?

This is the ego’s world and it is a “bad joke.”  God has had nothing to do with it.  That thought: ”God has nothing to do with it” is the cool breeze on the fevered cheek.  This is the ego’s world where it alone rules.  In the Course, Chapter 7. Section VII. p.11 “Perceive any part of the ego’s thought system as wholly insane, wholly delusional and wholly undesirable, and you have correctly evaluated all of it.”   It is not True and it is not Real.  The only thing in this whole world that is True and Real is Loving Thought.   The only reason you are here is to forgive and remember the Loving Thoughts held within your powerful decision making mind.

The ego does not want you to know you have a mind period, let alone a decision making one!  In coming to this world the ultimate lesson is to realize, find and follow your inner truth with the decision making mind.  The ego will try to keep you from it.  That is its job.  It will offer “seek and do not find” carrots and dilemmas that it insists will make you happy and offer up zillions of distractions.  We are all in the same boat whether we hail from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.   Everyone, no matter the lesson that their soul came to learn, has entered a dream, an illusion, and in this world EVERYONE has the same problem.  We think we are separate from God.  That is the only problem – our wrong thinking. The good news is: It is not true.

In summing this Birthday thought: The ego is a parasite on the mind, it made up a world and bodies that die.  If we choose it, which we all did when we came here, it will fill us with doubt, hatred, misery littleness or grandiosity and throw in a little piece of happiness now and then to keep you going.  But it is not True. Only Loving Thought is True.  Laugh at the ego and remember that as you go through your life’s lesson, forgive all mistakes, yours and theirs, for dreaming this illusion, and change your dream, with your thoughts, as only you can do.  As a Course students we are told over and over that we are not our bodies in the Workbook Review lessons VI. “ I am not a body I am free, for I’m still as God created me.”  And finally, in Chapter 12, Section VII p.15, s.1 Jesus says “When you are tempted to yield to the desire for death remember that I did not die!”  The cool breeze of relief for some Happy Birthday Peace!

Sally McKirgan
Ashland, OR

Sally McKirgan photo

Filed Under: Articles, Sally McKirgan

Inception and Forgiving the Dream We Made Up

Tuesday, 27 July 2010 By Leave a Comment

This past week, the illusion of the dream figure I call Bruce trekked across the street twice to watch the movie Inception. Like the Matrix series, I can skip the gratuitous violence, but enjoyed the IDEAS in the film immensely.

A quick update; I just saw this very cool clip which is almost like a ‘Cliff Notes’ vignette of the Inception movie in musical and special effects form; a fun rendition of “ Across the Universe (with the ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My World’ lyric; a fave Beatles tune) by Fiona Apple; talk about calm in the center of the dream cyclone! :-)

Here’s a comment I just posted on my Facebook page about a review that hit many of the key ideas: waking up from dreams, projections, and yes, even forgiveness and unconscious guilt were mentioned (albeit briefly) in the film:

Just read a great review of the movie Inception; here’s my reply:

Great review: Making the leap of faith in a dream: Philosophical reflections on Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” (2010), thanks! There are numerous hints in the film about the importance of forgiving our projections (the people and situations the egoic mind uses to keep us in the dream of separation and duality); our kindnesses and shared interests are the totems that awaken us with a gentle “kick” out of the addiction to unconscious guilt as you mention in this paragraph:

“Thus, resolution has something to do with the retrieval and acknowledgement of a hidden or repressed truth, followed by the work of letting go. Unless this is done, the burden of unconscious negative emotions (e.g. fear, guilt, anger, etc.) will continue to suck your psychic energy, preventing you from functioning and thriving.”

I highly recommend the work of Ken Wapnick, Gary Renard, & Nouk Sanchez/Tomas Vieira as complements or intros to A Course In Miracles to explore the dream metaphor more deeply and how we can use true forgiveness as the universal totem for gently awakening from a nightmare we forgot we made up. When I walked into the theater to watch Inception, I laughed silently, realizing I was already at least a couple of dream/theater levels deep! :-)

Another favorite ‘virtual reality’ genre film: Waking Life. In this animated film, the protagonist is given the suggestion that you can tell if you’re dreaming by flicking a light switch, and if the light goes on or off, then you’re not dreaming. Interestingly, I had a dream (of the nocturnal variety! :-) shortly after watching this movie, and in that dream, the light DID go on and off when I was toggling the switch in my dream within a dream world on a stairway landing! :-) Perhaps the only ‘real’ totems are those that help us gently laugh and kindly forgive ourselves for making the world up in the first place (undoing the dream of duality and separation.)

forgiveness totem shirt


make custom gifts at Zazzle

…

Addendum (added 27Nov2011; contributed by Nancy Bolton-Rawles):

When Ariadne finds Mal in the basement of Cobb’s memories, she starts to tell Mal her name but Mal cuts her off: “I know who you are.” How does Mal know who Ariadne is?

Since Mal is Cobb’s projection, if he knows her, then Mal should know her as well. If you’re looking at the film metaphysically, Mal (‘Bad’ or ‘Evil’ in Latin, French, Spanish and Portuguese) is the dream figure in Cobbs mind who symbolises his guilt. Guilt is undone by forgiveness. Ariadne symbolises innocence and forgiveness and shares this key with Cobb, telling him the only way to undo his guilt and free himself from  his dream-hell is to forgive both Mal and himself. She is thus recognised by Mal as her enemy, as her message of forgiveness will free Cobb from Mal’s control.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/faq#.2.1.51

The “Penrose stairs” (with a woman perpetually picking up papers) that Arthur shows Ariadne is a reference to a lithograph print by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. The print is usually called “Ascending and Descending” or “The Infinite Staircase”, and was first printed in March 1960; Escher is well-known for his drawings exploring optical illusions and real architectural, mathematical, and philosophical principles rendered in fantastical ways.

Ariadne, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete and his queen, Pasiphaë. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur by giving him a ball of red fleece thread that she was spinning, so that he could find his way out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth. The name is also a reference to Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s setting of the myth for Richard Strauss’s opera Ariadne auf Naxos. The opera is a play within a play, just as the movie is a dream within a dream.

Marion Cotillard’s character is called ‘Mal’, short for name ‘Malorie’, a name derived from French word ‘malheur’, meaning misfortune or unhappiness. The shorter version ‘mal’ means wrong/bad or evil (when a noun) in French, as well as some other Latin-based languages.

Mal’s totem, a spinning top, is (probably) a reference to the Clifford D. Simak’s story ‘Ring Around the Sun’ where the spinning top is used as a way to skip from one parallel Earth to another (by way of helping characters to concentrate).

The first letter of each of the main character’s first names – Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur/Ariadne, Mal, Sato – spell the word DREAMS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/trivia

forgiveness totem

Filed Under: Articles, Gary Renard, Kenneth Wapnick, Movies, Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vieira

You’re invited to an ACIM skype chat/meeting on your computer! Starts Monday, 14June2010, 7PM PDT

Saturday, 12 June 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hi all:

(Update: 24June2010: We actually haven’t started yet, but if this sounds interesting, email me your skype name and I’ll add you to the list for when we get started… soon! :-)

A handful of our local (Rogue Valley, Oregon around the Ashland/Medford area) ACIM enthusiasts from the Wed. evening ACIM/DU group have been having way too much fun (at the ‘post meetings’ on Wed. evenings we call our ‘after parties’) to not extend it, so we thought it would be fun to have an informal Skype chat on a regular (or semi-regular) basis and just see where it leads… Skype (if you haven’t already used it) is a free application you can download and install on your computer with just a few clicks that allows free teleconferencing with video and audio (if just between two computers) and audio (if teleconferencing between 3 or more computers.) I’ve used it for several years and find it’s much better than the phone in many cases and best of all, free! (You call also use it for computer to phone and phone to computer calls for a reasonable rate, which is how skype is able to subsidize the free service. I’ve talked with friends and family in Europe, Australia, Canada and all over the US.

Here’s Jonathan‘s comments on the idea (from our recent meeting talking about this fun idea):

“Our Course study group is morphing into an experiential group as we share and offer insights into the practice of forgiveness, and how it continues to clear up our murky perspective on the world and our lives. We’re guided to extend the love and celebration, and so invite you to do the same! All students feeling called to the Course or connected works by Ken Wapnick, Gary Renard, and others are welcome. With close to 20 years of the Course combined between us, we realize that this is not an easy path, and even if it doesn’t feel so loving and celebratory at times, we aspire to offer a safe space with whatever transpires as a gift toward healing our minds with the love of the Holy Spirit.”

Anyway, we thought we’d give it a go and start an informal chat session this coming Monday (June 14, 2010) at 7PM PDT (for an hour or two) and just see how it goes. It could be a lot of fun! The intention is to share the same sort of inspiration, heart-to-heart connections and support for our mutual (eternal) interest as we do with all of our other (wonderful!) local study groups, just without the gasoline and logistics for carpooling, driving, parking, etc.

At some point, we could record the sessions and put them online (It’s quite easy to upload audio, and I think it might be fun to share with folks via the web. I sure enjoy a wide variety of online media from other ACIM students, ranging from Gary Renard & Gene Bogart’s podcasts, to videos from Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vieira and  Ken Wapnick, to Regina Dawn Akers‘ audio recordings, Philip Urso’s “Crash Course In Miracles” podcasts and much more; all of these have been inspirations to share our common interest in undoing the ego and it’s sneaky made up unconscious guilt in a fun and enjoyable way. There’s lots of audio and video and other resource links on ACIMblog already, BTW, if you haven’t checked them out…

If you are interested, there’s really only a couple of steps, and the first one you only need to do once.

1) Visit http://www.skype.com with your web browser (e.g. Firefox) and follow the (relatively simple) instructions to install it. (You don’t need a video camera to use skype, but it is very fun for 1-to-1 chats. We’re going to just use audio for now.)

2) Email me your skype address, with “ACIM skype chat” in the subject heading.

This way I can add you to my skype ACIM list (different from the Wed. study group email list); since there’s no geographic boundary (aside from perhaps 7PM possibly not being a convenient time for someone in London perhaps :-) , there’s no reason we can’t invite ACIM-minded friends from around the planet. Please forward to anyone you think might be interested… The current limit is 25 (including the one who initiates the skype conference call) but we’ll deal with that when we get to that point. :-)

Then I’ll make a list of all the folks who want to get a ‘skype call’ Mon. evening at 7PM, and we’ll chat about ACIM with whoever show up! :-)

Since we’re not limited to just the Rogue Valley (although the off-planet connections are problematic for a while), this little invite is for any ‘serious’ student of ACIM. This page is where I’ll also post announcements for folks that just want to spontaneously attend any of the future sessions…

If you’re not interested in the ongoing idea, after trying it out, just let me know and I’ll remove you from the skype-chat list. If you’re busy or not interested in a particular session, just ignore the call (if you have skype running on your computer)
when it comes in (just like a regular phone call in that sense). Pretty easy, huh! :-)

Hope to see and/or skype with you soon!

Eternal smilezenhugs! :-)

ACIMblog star image

Filed Under: Articles, Audio, Commentary, Jonathan Joshua, Online Media

“Awakening to Conscious Co-Creation” interview archive

Thursday, 13 May 2010 By Leave a Comment

Here is an audio archive of my very fun conversation on “Awakening to Conscious Co-Creation” on Peter Tongue’s show. I meander a bit with geometric metaphors and Hermetic Laws (which will be familiar to those who know of some of my other interests), but it’s primarily about the pure non-dual metaphysics of ACIM. I have a link with more details on my personal blog here.

Bruce Rawles photo

Filed Under: Articles, Audio, Commentary, Online Media

Silence Is Itself

Friday, 30 April 2010 By Leave a Comment

Silence is itself … unmoving.

Silence needs nothing.

Silence is generous to movement with no response.

Silence could laugh at movement but that would require movement.

Silence might be angered by movement but anger is the child of pride and silence knows it not.

In the heart of silence forgiveness lies.

A forgiving heart demands no answers.

A forgiving heart is the answer.

Let us then … fall in love … in silence.

– Paul Hibbard

Filed Under: Articles, Paul Hibbard Tagged With:

Forgive Everyone Everything

Friday, 2 April 2010 By Leave a Comment

Forgive and be free! Forgive them for what they did or didn’t do! Exclude no one from the blessing of your forgiveness, including your Self. Forgive your 4th grade teacher, the co-worker who betrayed you, the military, parents, siblings, all relatives, enemies and friends! And whoever it was who scratched your car and forgot to leave a note. Right now as you read this, close your eyes and imagine that all is forgiven, the past, current issues and fears projected into the future! The power to change your mind i.e. what to think or how to think about something is up to you. That is where your true power lies. We have been brainwashed by parents, society, governments with laws but forgiveness, the release of judgment, is the trump card, your creative choice!

We live in a dualistic world: good and bad, hot and cold, short and tall, young and old, etc. We also have a split mind with two thought systems. We can listen to the ego or the voice of Love. YOU, the Decision Maker decides which system to follow. Choose the Christ mind, (Spirit, Source, God, Allah, Yahweh or Creator,) Love or the ego’s voice of fear, judgment, guilt and envy. Watch your mind to see these thought systems. For stress, choose the ego’s fear, pain, guilt and hate. For peace, choose the thoughts of forgiveness, equality, compassion, non-judgment and kindness. To tell which mind you are listening to ask yourself: How do I feel? A forgiveness thought brings a soothing balm. A blaming, judgmental thought brings guilt and fear of attack. The ego thought system is designed to keep the misery, disharmony and attack going. It can also make you sick, literally!

The purpose of the world is forgiveness! Forgiveness is our function over and above marriage, career, family etc. It brings inner peace. When you are upset there is something to forgive. We can be hurt by nothing but our thoughts and we can change all thoughts that hurt. For example: Someone at work really bugs you, he/she is a loud mouth, controlling, conniving busy body. Ask the voice for Love/Spirit in your mind: How can I see this differently? Then wait. A thought will come, maybe in the next few minutes, hour or even later but hang tight! Keep asking. If asked, the ego mind will bring up an attack or get even thought. The thought that brings a feeling of release and peace is the voice for love within your mind. Forgiveness sets in. Sometimes this has to be repeated because the ego is resistant. When we can see a person or situation differently, we understand that it was just a mistake; we had a lesson to learn about our perceptions, expectations and or projections. A projection is a judgment that we project out, onto someone else in order not to recognize it in ourselves. Like disliking someone who constantly interrupts when we in fact do the same thing but no one tells us!
How freeing to have a mind at rest! When tenseness, headache or worry sets in there is something to forgive. Forgive, release and laugh at it! Remember, your true identity is Spirit, eternal, residing in Oneness and Loved. So is everyone. How can the eternal be hurt? The only thing that seems to hurt is the ego and the ego is not who you are! It is false and has a loud shrill voice. Don’t listen to it. Choose the decision making mind and listen to Spirit, the eternal that is in you. Forgiveness enters and heals all wounds, judgments and grievances. We all have had painful experiences that seem beyond the forgiveness factor. The question is: How long do you want to hold onto the pain? We have a high tolerance for pain. It will last as long as you withhold forgiveness. Be pain free in 2010 and forgive everyone for everything!

Sally McKirgan, A Course In Miracles student, artist and poet lives in Ashland, Oregon.

Filed Under: Articles, Sally McKirgan Tagged With: , , ,

7 FAQs When Starting A Course Correction with ACIM

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 By Leave a Comment

“There must be another way. But what?”

I was asked in a review of The Disappearance of the Universe I wrote for Amazon to clarify how the messages of Arten & Pursah (the author’s teachers) actually helped me out. As Arten says in the book, “The most striking validity of this approach will be demonstrated to you by the fact that it works” I couldn’t help elaborating a little on how this book opened A Course in Miracles to my closed mind!

1. Why do terrible things happen in the world, if, as most spirituality says, God made everything in it? Can you have both a loving and a wrathful, or uncaring God?

My understanding of the answer in DU (Disappearance of the Universe): God is pure Spirit and unchangeable, constant Love, and has nothing to do with the world and it’s creation. The world and the body are projections from a level of mind where it seemed to split from being one with God. This concept of pure non-dualism is ancient in Eastern philosophy, yet more recent Christian religious thought emphasizes the world and the body as reality, and so attributes them to God, ignoring the contradiction inherent in a limited God having created transitory forms, and Is sometimes kind, sometimes cruel, but always including sacrifice and suffering.

2. Why do I have all these fears that seem to run my life with repeating patterns even if I apply traditional and alternative healing modalities?

When the mind first thought to separate from God, in a ‘what if’ idea, it experienced unimaginable pain from a sense of disconnecting from God’s Love. This resulted in denial of the incredible guilt that followed, and an attempt to ‘hide’ from God through projection into form, with the idea that God was going to come after us, for being ungrateful s.o.b.’s! Much like entering into a fantasy or dream at the level of the individual, this massive denial at the metaphysical level was the big bang of the entire Universe. The unconscious guilt that was repressed is what really runs our lives, and until it is forgiven at that level by rejoining with the unshakeable Love of God, we will continue to experience being in bodies and repeating victim experiences, fearing the very illusions we made up. Taking responsibility for the separation at this level of cause is one of the fundamentals of advanced forgiveness. This completely undoes the unconscious guilt that is behind the fears and issues that I’m more consciously aware of, releasing them forever.

3. Why can’t I be at peace with certain people that I’ve had issues with, and bring myself to forgive them?

I was usually discouraged in trying to heal relationships because I was dealing with the person at the level of effect, seeing them as a separate body that had really done something that harmed me. Advanced forgiveness, as described, undoes the sense of separation at its cause, by realizing you and everyone are pure spirit, totally innocent, and it never really happened. When Arten says, the evidence for the validity of this practice is that it works, he didn’t say it was easy. The training that is involved is simple repetition but it calls for constant vigilance, and to those who are ready, peace is the result. I’ve found that after doing the practice around someone that upset me, I felt no resentment toward them the next time I encountered them. Again, this is because the unconscious guilt was being undone at a deep level in my mind, affecting every aspect of my awareness on a quantum level.

4. No matter how successful in the world I was, or in loving relationships, or even living with an ocean view of Hawaii, there was always a longing that remained.

DU explains this longing as the call to return to God and the Love that we really are, but have forgotten. It is like a song, faintly heard, but a call that cannot be denied, no matter how many lifetimes we made up to try to hide from it. This paragraph from the Workbook Lesson 182 (p.339) says it so eloquently:
“The world you seem to live in is not home to you. And somewhere in your mind you know that this is true. A memory of home keeps haunting you, as if there were a place that called you to return, although you do not recognize the voice, or what it is the voice reminds you of. Yet still you feel an alien here, from somewhere all unknown. Nothing so definite that you could say with certainty you are an exile here. Just a persistent feeling, sometimes not more than a tiny throb, at other times hardly remembered, actively dismissed, but surely to return to mind again.”

Of course, we can celebrate here and bring joy into our lives in the world, where our experience tells us we are, and at the same time be ‘about our business’, preparing our minds through forgiveness to return to Spirit, where our true home is waiting. In DU, that is described as an experience where God’s Love never varies and every need is answered. Again, this is the experience which the practice in ACIM and DU is designed to bring about, not intellectual understanding. Although understanding is preliminary to choosing the Love and our rightful inheritance as one with God over the world’s meager offerings.

5. How is it this message of true reality is so rare?

Reality, as most are taught to accept it is of a world of transitory form where we eventually deteriorate through age, pain, and then death, with an endless emphasis on one’s identity as a particular body and personality. This book elaborates on A Course in Miracles’ definition of your reality, and that which ‘J’, (Jesus, or more accurately, Y’shua) taught, being that you are spirit having an experience of being in a body, and that at some point you will awaken to what you are, at home with a loving God. This concept is also quite old and there’s nothing new age or cultish about it.
This message of radical spirituality was quite upsetting to those in power 2000 years ago, who put people on crosses to silence those with a different view on reality. No one could hold power over another if they knew they weren’t some vulnerable body, or induce guilt and shame and sacrifice to serve the the current authority if you understood Jesus’ message of your absolute innocence. He understood Buddhist and Vedantic thought and knew the reaction he would get introducing it to western minds steeped in the traditions of the sacrificial god of Abraham. But he took Buddhism one step further, reconnecting the one innocent (prodigal) son back to the One loving God and then used his life to complete that journey as he rejoined with God, at the same time demonstrating the insignificance of his own body and our way home as equal ‘Son’s’. With only the understanding of the world as illusion, one can feel hopeless and depressed, but in the Course, J reunites us with God and reveals the purpose of the world at the same time–to offer us the opportunity to choose again by forgiving it.

Validity of an entirely different reality doesn’t come through corroborating evidence within your current reality. You have to get out of the box to discover you’re in a box, or as the ‘blasphemous’ Albert Einstein wrote, “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it.” The problem is we’re asleep in a false reality, and you can’t see the problem until you start to wake up. Holy Spirit knows we aren’t going to be happy campers if it shakes us awake before we’re ready, and so gently meets us where we think we are, and whispers from outside the dream through books, sleep, or other inspiration until we’re ready to ask for help.
That’s why this book is so unique. It isn’t afraid to question mainstream spirituality and gently offers an experience to those willing to have an open mind. We’re all having an experience that tells us we’re here, in a body. This teaching doesn’t ask you to deny that, or to not take care of yourself, or be kind to others. It’s just stating that it’s a false experience, and offers a way for you to awaken while still doing what you normally do. Your behavior or worldly work are not what needs to change for you to wake up, it’s how you see people in your mind, and your willingness to hand over separation thoughts and judgments to be lovingly corrected by Holy Spirit.
J understood the nature of the world as a dream and so transcended it. That was his purpose in life, and he now holds that out for everyone to follow, when they are ready. He turned the tables on the world of illusion and saw it as a place to forgive all the separation guilt he was holding by seeing everyone in his mind as pure, whole, spirit. Not part of God, but one with God.
Living out life as it unfolds is going to happen anyway, so go ahead and make your contribution here. But at the same time you can remember you’re really home with God having a dream and leaving the one purpose of awakening.
After a period of disillusionment (dispelling the illusion!) the ego quiets down it’s attempt to attack it’s way toward some control in the dream, and peace rules. You become much more effective in the world and in your relationships and you realize you’ve given up nothing (a life of quiet suffering; good times mixed with bad) for everything–a sense of connection to Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as God’s Messenger, the Voice for God that stays with the split mind, guiding us gently as to how to live in grace through practicing forgiveness, your constant companion in an ever-changing world of chaos.

6. If nothing’s real, why bother?

Many people misinterpret the concept of the ego or the world as illusion in a way that makes it sound like they don’t exist, so why bother? It is your mind that is real and offers true forgiveness, not the judging ego. It is asleep at the wheel in a make-believe world and only knows attack & blame, defense & guilt from seeing everyone as separate. It knows this level of release (advanced forgiveness) is it’s undoing, and resists it to maintain control. The situations that require forgiving are real to your ego, and the pain and upset you experience in holding grievances also seem very real, and so that’s where the Holy Spirit has to meet you–who you think you are in that moment, existing as a victim in a body–in order to help you heal the mind and eventually awaken to what you really, pure spirit and love.
By releasing the issues with this advanced forgiveness you realize they never really happened and join with Holy Spirit to correct your mind so you can see the situation and others as innocent. Why bother? Well, it wouldn’t occur to you if you’re content to keep appearing over and over in a dream where re-runs rule. But if you’re starting to feel you’ve done all this before and longing for what can never quite be satisfied in the world, this practice is the fast track that leads to peace of mind, and eventually, the end of reincarnation. It’s important for us to do the work of forgiveness and in this, participate in the healing of our mind, or by free will we would just keep appearing in the dream forever. God’s Will is that we be whole. The good news is, it’s our will too–when we remember!

Again, it’s really very simple, but not necessarily easy to apply, at least at first! The desire for peace, and the fulfillment that comes as you answer this calling to remember what you are (Love) will eventually provide the direct experience of that Love.
It’s not a ‘running away of the mind’ simplicity where you say everything is perfect and you don’t have to do anything; just ‘be’. Advanced forgiveness involves a proactive step of turning the tables on the ego when stuff gets brought up. Intellectual understanding of the concept of pure non-dualism are needed to approach this practice. Wisdom is required to choose to practice it. And honesty in viewing and forgiving what Holy Spirit pulls out of your hat, is the practice. This eventually trains your mind to choose against your ego by choosing Holy Spirit (forgiveness) at every opportunity. Over the years, the Holy Spirit’s thought system replaces the ego’s and old habits are released by continually identifying with your innocence each time you choose to forgive and see others as innocent. That translates into your unconscious mind as how you see yourself and the unconscious guilt is released bit by bit. Hey, I played around with bad habits for what seemed like lifetimes, so a few years to turn it around seems a bargain!

7. Okay, I can handle the world as illusion, I just don’t want my world turned upside down. What will my life look like if I live this?

A Course In Miracles is a self-study course, and a person can ‘graduate’ without anyone else knowing because it is correctly applied at the level of the mind, not in trying to change the world or it’s opinion of you. The miracle is your shift in perception from a world of pain and separation, to peace and oneness. I found The Disappearance of the Universe to be like a can-opener to ACIM due to my initial difficulty with the Course’s artful language. An answer to a call at this level is individualized for every seemingly separate mind.
Many move quietly toward their goal doing very similar things in the world as they had done, but forgiving the heck out of every situation that calls for it and so doing their part in the salvation of the world. And if you are called to share it, your real teaching will be done in thinking correctly and inspiring others to be directed to their own ‘right-minded thinking’. All healing is accomplished in the mind that chooses it, not by standing on a podium trying to heal others, or listening to someone like me carry on. At the same time if you’re called to stand up and teach as part of your forgiveness lesson, you should probably ask for something at the door! Just tell them you asked Holy Spirit how much you should charge :-) )
This work isn’t for everyone right now, but if you are moved to practice it, you will just know, without anyone’s influence. There are many paths that lead home. We all left bread crumbs on our outward journey, and we’ll find those familiar crumbs in the practices that appeal to us. For me, the fear of buying into a delusion was momentarily offset by the thought: “there must be another way.” It took a life-changing event and the feeling of being in crisis for the ego to back off and surrender control of ‘my’ world long enough to follow my heart over my beliefs. I found the Holy Spirit right there waiting when it was my time, leading me to the experience of lasting peace that evaporated all my doubts–and I’m a hard nut to crack!
And now I salute you for reading this far, as you must have forgiven me to do so! Actually, my intention was to express gratitude for what can really never be relayed in words. Thank you for helping me try.  I wish to cherish your natural state of being, beyond form, beyond conflict, beyond words and concepts, eternally at home in the loving Mind of God.
Peace,
Jonathan Joshua

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Don’t Blame God!

Thursday, 4 February 2010 By Leave a Comment

Do you often wonder where the term an “Act of God” came from? It probably originated in ancient times when The Gods were blamed for everything. It put some “order” on chaos in order to explain the unexplainable. When disaster happens like a tsunami, earthquake, hurricanes, horrible accidents, disease and death, there is no reasonable explanation so God takes the hit. We blame God for the misery of the world. Psychologically we very neatly do what Sigmund Freud defined as projection: we see something we cannot accept in ourselves so we project it out (onto someone else) in order to get rid of it. That is what we do to God or anyone we blame for some unrest. Throughout the ages we have collectively projected our dark side out there and onto anyone and especially God, because we cannot tolerate it within. We deceive ourselves into thinking the problem is with someone else rather than in our own thinking. Poor old God takes the hit.

We have Free Will so we can think or do anything we want; however, we are miserable and bereft of comfort for we have thrown our comfort away. Like the baby, God went out with the bath water! In projecting “hateful old man” on God we are fearful. We think he is out to get us with his lightning bolt. Ask yourself if blaming God for misery is worth throwing love away. God cannot represent both love and fear. That is like mixing oil and water. God is one or the other. God does not control your life or your thinking….you do – remember free will? What you think is up to you. Give up blaming chaos on God or you will deprive yourself of Love. Remember your thoughts are not always true!

If God is LOVE as many spiritual traditions believe the Creator to be, then surely such an energy could never even conceive of creating evil or malice. A Loving God would never create wars, torture, havoc, birth defects, disease, death or natural disasters.

Speaking of natural disasters, Insurance companies need to stop using the term “an act of God” in their policies. Scientists tell us that global warming is the cause for more intense hurricanes, stronger storms and the shift in world weather patterns. Did God create global warming? Nope, you and I did and still do.

There is no doubt about it God is a great mystery. If there are a zillion people on the planet, we will have a zillion different concepts or ideas of what this mystery might be. But for the time being and until we can agree, let’s stop calling it an Act of God and take God out of the misery producing business. Let’s rid ourselves of the old worn out concept that God is a paranoid schizophrenic, maniacal invisible being, bent on our destruction. That concept has been engrained into our thinking over the Centuries by our very own ego – not God’s.

When you enter the beautiful solid glass doors at SOU, Schneider Museum of Art, in Ashland, Oregon, look down, and you will see these words engraved on a large granite stone: “Art is a Gift from God.”

If Art is a gift, then it would be through our gift of creativity that we could find evidence of God. This means the creative process which has come down over the millennia includes your creativity and the gifts you bring forth. Everyone is creative! What do we do with gifts? We share them with the world. We are born creative. We sing, dance, paint, draw, drum, count, create music, songs, symphonies, write books, plays, poetry, hold a hand, design buildings, bridges, houses, cars, trucks, motorcycles, tricycles, airplanes, wagons and E=mc2 … all gifts to be shared with the world.

Creativity includes Compassion, Trust, Tolerance, Joy, Generosity, Faithfulness, Honesty, Gentleness, Patience, Open Mindedness, Mercy, Kindness and Goodness. Next time you think “Act of God” visit a museum or create something and remember God is in the business of Love, so do something you Love and you will be closer to God! An Act of God then is something that comes from Love flowing through you and the act is in letting it out! You are the Actor!

– Sally McKirgan, July 15, 2009

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Three Step Process To Undo The Ego

Friday, 29 January 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Disappearance of the Universe, straight talk about A Course In Miracles and a 3-step process to undo the ego.

A Course In Miracles is a spiritual teaching of pure love and forgiveness, written down by Helen Shucman as she heard the words dictated by Jesus. It is 3 books in one: a text that offers the theory of pure non-duality, a workbook to apply it in daily life, and a manual for teachers. It was presented in classic Shakespearean blank verse with Christian references, partly, it is believed, to be legible for future ages, and also to offer correction to traditional Christianity. It uses the masculine to reference God, and the Holy Spirit–or the Voice for God–and Christ, only for purposes of consistency with the understanding that they are genderless and really all one.

Gary Renard became a student of the Course after numerous remarkable visitations by his teachers who helped him offer Jesus’ message from the Course in a modern conversational format and offers clarification to many of the common mistakes made by students and teachers. Gary’s sense of humor, and the lightness his teachers bring to this advanced form of spirituality is so refreshing that it slips in the keys to secret of the Universe as disarmingly as a good joke!

3-part spiritual practice:

In the “Disappearance of the Universe“, Gary Renard’s teachers, two of Jesus’ disciples, now ascended masters, describe a silent prayer meditation practiced by Jesus 2000 years ago.

They suggested this meditation as one of a 3-part practice designed to accelerate the undoing of the ego by releasing the unconscious guilt that keeps us stuck in the cycle of reincarnation, as a way of hiding in the Universe of form and the belief that we chose to separate from God.

The practical results to this doing this work become obvious when you realize that peace, love, and true forgiveness brought into any area of your life have immediate benefits, not the least of which being peace of mind and a renewed passion to contribute toward positive change in whatever walk of life you’re in. Obviously, the world could use some change for the better, but the true power that results from practicing the Course is changing how you see the world and the people in your life. The focus is on affecting change at the level of cause (the mind and your thoughts) rather than effect (the world of illusory form). This is the only place of true change, since it undoes the unconscious guilt where it originated.

Meditate morning and evening for just 5 minutes in silent joining with God and you may find, over time, that the results can lead to direct inspiration in regards to your life purpose and any major decisions. On a day to day practical level, you may find that committing to this practice helps you become more peaceful throughout the day, and the things that used to really get to you, just don’t upset you anymore.

When you notice this, you’ll have solid evidence that this is working to undo the guilt and anger in your unconscious mind, and it will have lasting effects in your daily life. Your interactions with people become more harmonious and you will feel directly guided at times as to the best course of action in every moment of the day.
It has been revealed in A Course In Miracles that prayer as Jesus taught and practiced it, was intended to be done in silence as a joining of your mind with God’s. Becoming one with His love answers all worldly problems. Thinking of your complete oneness with God, rather than seeing Him as outside of you helps to put you in ‘one-mindedness’ or right-mindedness, as the Course describes, by choosing the Holy Spirit as our teacher and interpreter.

Apply Advanced Forgiveness to whatever disturbs you during the day. This isn’t about forgiving some guilty ____ for what you think they’ve done, but overlooking it by seeing who they truly are in their innocence, and so forgiving what never happened. It is a quantum approach to applying non-duality to every situation recognizing that you are not a victim. Pure non-duality, as presented in the Course, is the awareness that what God created is whole, and completely perfect and so cannot have any counterpart or opposite. At this level of awareness, the truth is revealed that you, as Christ, are one with God and there cannot be anyone or anything separate from the one.

You can start practicing this true forgiveness now, even though you seem to be experiencing separation in a body, by letting the Course retrain the mind to recognize there’s really no one outside of you making you feel the way you do. Seeing with true spiritual sight means seeing everyone as innocent and everything in the world as meaningless, except to offer it to the Holy Spirit for reinterpretation. This is the keystone to the work of getting home, where you remember you’ve been dreaming and you are really safe at home with God. Peace is the result of practicing this level of forgiveness, returning your mind to heaven, where God’s Peace is always the natural condition.

Einstein understood that what we’re seeing with the body’s eyes is an optical illusion of reality. In short, the only real problem is the belief that we’ve separated from our Source and are wandering around inside a body observing a real world. The one correction is to forgive the images we’ve made up since the beginning of time, whether they are bodies, trees, or universes. Here, the cycle of birth and death ends, and your immortality is all that remains.

A Course in Miracles describes our particular dilemma in this way: “You are safe at home in God, dreaming of exile, but perfectly capable of awakening to reality.” The key that Jesus found to waking up was to choose reality instead of the dream. He thought of everyone he saw as perfectly innocent and whole, not a part of God, but one with God. Eventually the guilt that had him perceiving incorrectly and judging others as separate from him and God was undone and he was able to think of them as pure Spirit and eventually experience that reality for himself. This practice of advanced forgiveness he offers through the Course is designed to be a fast track home, to reawaken to what he is–perfect and constant love–and to our mutual inheritance.

A good forgiveness example was offered by Gary’s teachers for times when someone is pushing your buttons: “You are Christ, whole and innocent. All is forgiven and released.” See them released into the light of pure Spirit and you are also being released from guilt and separation.

Ask the the Holy Spirit to guide you through the day as the final part of the 3-step practice. It is very simple, but not always easy to follow. Every morning upon awakening, hand over your day to Holy Spirit (the Bridge between your mind and God’s) to guide you through the day. When you don’t have time to ask, trust that His Wisdom will be there to guide you.

The ego is based on the fearful belief that you separated from God, projecting itself outside God and into bodies, and holding on to the guilt of separation in the split mind at an unconscious level. Projecting this guilt on to others is the only way we can sense some relief from this condition. Unfortunately it doesn’t last. The ego will continue to try to place it’s terrible burden of guilt outside itself and so never bring healing to the split mind that created it. The only way out of this is to undo the ego by choosing true forgiveness with the Holy Spirit, overlooking the belief in separation, thereby returning your mind to God.

This is a life-long practice for most, since the unconscious guilt must be removed gently by the Holy Spirit or we would be overwhelmed. But the immediate results from practicing forgiveness–ever expanding peace and more awareness of God’s Love–are constant reminders that your mind is being healed–forever. I’ve noticed the benefits also include a feeling of taking yourself more lightly. May your feet tread softly through the dream as you become a passerby!

– Jonathan Joshua

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