Some of you may have thought, “Well, yea!” when you read that. There might even be a fear that if you aren’t unhappy, the change you want will never happen.

This belief that unhappiness will get us what we want is a deeply held belief, and it is completely screwed up. The only thing this belief does is keep us from being happy when we could be happy. Metaphysically, that’s more sinister than it may sound since our energy goes out and paints the world we see.

If you want the world to be a happier more secure place, offer it a happier more secure person. Give what you want to see by being what you want to see.

In Chapter 15 of “The Untethered Soul,” Michael Singer wrote:

“[Unconditional happiness] leads you to absolute transcendence because any part of your being that would add a condition to your commitment to happiness has to go. … You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being.”

Happiness is the way to contribute to a better world, and happiness is the path to enlightenment. If you are not choosing to be happy now, there must be something else that you think you want. What is it?

Don’t simply read this and say, “Uh-huh,” or click Like. Read this and look. Whenever you are not happy, you think you can get something from not being happy. What is it that you think unhappiness will get you?

Will people start acting the way you want them to act?
Will people give you attention that you want?
Will God grant your wishes like a genie?
Will your thoughts quit coming?
Will you quit making mistakes?
Will your health get better?
Will someone love you?

Just what do you think you have to gain by being unhappy? What is the hidden desire that unhappiness is chartered with resolving? AND can you see that it is not your true desire? Are you willing to let it go, and simply be happy ???

Be happy even if people act differently than you would have them act. Be happy even if you don’t get attention from others. Be happy even if your wishes are not granted. Be happy even if the same thoughts keep coming in your mind. Be happy even if you make mistakes. Be happy even if the body isn’t healthy. Be happy even if someone chooses not to love you.

Do you share God’s Will for your happiness? Are you ready?

I prefer to help you SEE something is true, rather than just deliver the information intellectually. If you can see that mind and awareness are separate, and what you are is awareness, you will have a realization that transcends the belief in sin, which goes far beyond an intellectual teaching.

Today’s workbook lesson says that “suffering is causeless. Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you have misunderstood yourself.” MISUNDERSTOOD YOURSELF.

This is why awareness-watching-awareness (AWA) is such an important part of our practice. Through AWA you consistently (albeit subtly) attain more and more realization that you are awareness, not thought. Be sure to practice AWA for 10-15 minutes each day. Also use the 5 minutes per hour to watch awareness. When you can’t give a full 5 minutes, at least spend 3-5 seconds noticing yourself as awareness. Through AWA your identification will shift from body-mind to awareness, and that shift changes everything, even if nothing else changes.

Another way to disengage from seeing yourself as body-mind is to “abide as your Self.” Ramana Maharshi gave this guidance frequently. But what does it mean?

It means abide as life-intelligence-awareness instead of as a body-mind.

How do you do that? You will learn to abide as your Self by practicing the Loving All Method, which is assigned as part of your homework this week. Please read that assignment carefully this week, preferably several times. Find what questions you have and bring them to our next meeting. We want to take the Loving All Method seriously so we can live from it.

Practicing the Loving All Method is the same practice as the vow of Happiness taught in Chapter 15 of “The Untethered Soul,” which Jacquelyn shared in class last night. Both are the same as forgiveness as it is taught in A Course in Miracles. So, let’s get a clear understanding of these three as one, and then go forward from this week clear on how to live from happiness/love/forgiveness

Along the way to Self-realization some people may have some tremendous experiences that seem to be proof of something divine, but to me the simplicity of genuine happiness is the greater boon. To be happy no matter what appears to occur or not occur is a sure sign of detachment from the world and detachment from thought. It is a sure sign of awakening to realization of one’s real nature.

Happiness, openness, and confidence are the true miracles of awakening. When one isn’t feeling happiness, openness and confidence, something has gone wrong. An untrue thought has gained attention.

Root cause inquiry begins at unhappiness. Whenever we are not perfectly happy, it’s a good idea to look to see what untrue idea is driving us.

Sometimes it is easy to see what you’ve believed that’s causing unhappiness, and it’s easy to let it go. However, especially in the beginning, it often takes effort to uncover the ideas that block our happiness and even more effort to let them go. That’s because we’ve taught ourselves to believe some really crazy stuff, and some of these ideas have been very heavily learned.

Today, regardless of what you experience, contemplate the fact that happiness is natural, and unhappiness is the sign that you are believing something that isn’t true. This is always the case. When we accept this as true, we begin to respond to unhappiness appropriately. The appropriate way to respond to unhappiness is to look, uncover and release an untrue idea.

The pathway to salvation lies in the paragraph above. The key lies in “the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate…”.

Take a moment to notice your mind, meaning your thoughts. It doesn’t matter what they are. Notice them, whatever they are.

Next, notice what is aware of your thoughts; that is, notice awareness. Can you see that thoughts and awareness are separate? What I mean by that is, you can point (with inner figurative pointing) at thinking and say, “That’s thought,” and you can point at awareness and say, “That’s awareness.” They are different.

Now look at these two, thought and awareness. Which one is you? Which one can you look at and which one is you looking? You can decide to focus on a thought or let it go. Can you do the same with awareness, or is awareness what you are?

Look, and discover these answers for yourself.

Look at all the trouble thoughts conjure up. For example, every murder begins with a thought. Does awareness conjure up any trouble at all?

Look. Discover the answer for yourself.

When we infuse thoughts with attention, we enliven them. You can watch how this happens. Notice how a thought becomes more alive and the story grows deeper as your attention is more engrossed by it.

Is this true for awareness? Is awareness enlivened with attention or is it naturally alive even if you give it no attention?

Look. Find the answer for yourself.

If thought must be enlivened but awareness is naturally alive, which is illusion and which is real?

I said that the pathway to salvation is found in this:

“And yet [illusions] are not real, because the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate …”

The pathway to salvation is noticing that mind is separate from you, and you are real but thoughts are not.

Contemplate this tip today. Notice the difference between thought and awareness. Notice which causes all kinds of trouble and suffering, and which is peacefully present. Notice which is you and which is not

Today’s lesson says, “We take a stand on but one side today. We side with truth and let illusions go. We will not vacillate between the two, but take a firm position with the One.”

If you notice your attention has gone to illusory thoughts, simply remind yourself that you accept your function as spirit, gently remove your attention from anything you do not want to enliven with spirit, and place attention with …

With what?

A careful reading of today’s lesson will reveal that you are being guided to place attention with happiness and gratitude. So when you catch attention with illusory thoughts, you might ask yourself, “What happiness can I place my attention with now? What can I be grateful for?”

A bird’s song may catch your ear, and you might recognize the simple joy of life and place attention there. You may notice your own honest willingness for truth, and feel gratitude for your sincerity. You might feel a contraction in your chest because of the fear you were focused on a moment ago, and feel grateful that your attention can now go to rest, accept and trust.

Today is a chance to make a deeper commitment to our function. It’s another new beginning. Be still during the 5-minute breaks and contemplate how much you want to make this commitment today. Enjoy the opportunity to live the commitment during the other 55 minutes of each hour today.

Today we give the gifts of happiness and gratitude to ourselves and to the world

What’s listening?

Spirit.

You can’t get away from it. Spirit, everywhere.

Look at this verse from the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, “It is I who am the light over all. It is I who am the entirety: it is from me that the entirety has come, and to me that the entirety goes. Split a piece of wood: I am there. Lift a stone, and you will find me there.”

Spirit.

Here’s another verse from the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, “I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I’m guarding it until it blazes.”

What is the fire?

Realization of spirit.

Today’s workbook lesson says that the Holy Spirit will take each little 5 minute period we give today, and it will be multiplied “a thousandfold and tens of thousands more. And when it is returned to you, it will surpass in might the little gift you gave as much as does the radiance of the sun outshine the tiny gleam [of] a firefly.”

Fire cast upon the world, blazing.

Today, be a part of this fire. Contemplate this:

Whatever you are aware of today is spirit.
You, which is aware, is spirit.

Contemplate the everywhereness of spirit, the allness of spirit.

“The kingdom is within you and it is outside you.” ~ The Gospel of Thomas

Let the entire day be given to contemplation of spirit. It will be with you throughout the day everywhere that you go and in everything that you do.

There are some other fun little games you can play that will help bring Self-realization into your experience.

~ When you are with another person, contemplate their awareness. No matter what they are saying or doing, contemplate the fact that underneath personality and individual thoughts, their awareness is exactly the same as yours.

~ When you are with a pet, contemplate its awareness. Notice as your pet looks out of its eyes. Realize the awareness looking out through the pet’s eyes is the same awareness that looks out through your eyes.

~ When you are with nature, contemplate life. Contemplate the aliveness in a tree, an insect, a bird, a flower, grass, etc. Realize that the aliveness in nature is the same life-force that is in you, and then contemplate Life as what you are.

Today’s workbook lesson says, “Spirit makes use of mind as means to find its Self expression. And the mind which serves the spirit is at peace and filled with joy.”

As you look at awareness, contemplate awareness, and contemplate life, you will come to see life-awareness-intelligence as what you are. This is what the Course calls spirit. You will come to see it as playing through the human body and mind just like the air from the musician’s breath plays through the flute. Seeing yourself as life-awareness-intelligence playing through the human is much different than thinking you are the human, the body or the mind. When you see in this way, you know the difference between the real and unreal. You also see your Self in other people, in animals, and in nature. You begin to sense your eternal ongoing nature, and you experience happiness that unattached; happiness that simply is.

Today as we practice “Salvation comes from my one Self,” embrace every opportunity to contemplate our one Self, and “you lay another treasure in your growing store” of Self-realization.