Lesson 94. I am as God created me.

Today we continue with looking at the self concept issue that most of us experience.  In yesterday’s tip, Jacquelyn pointed out “Most of us have an unworthiness or ‘I am bad’ belief.  In fact, only those who have transcended the belief are not beleaguered by it, in one form or another.”  When I read the title of today’s lesson my thought was, if this is true–I am as God created me–then I can’t be bad.  That is why as this lesson says this idea brings complete salvation.  I’m not bad because of what I am.  I am God’s Son.  I am the Life Force that moves through everything.  Through Connie.  Through the tree.  I am the animating factor that is.  I am and you are the window that consciousness looks through.

Today’s lesson says, “Darkness cannot obscure the glory of the Son of God.”  How could Darkness obscure the Life force that moves through everything? What is darkness, but unforgiven appearances? Like what? Oh, the I am bad thought.  The bedrock of our unforgiven appearance is our belief that we are the body/mind/personality.  The I am bad concept is just meant to maintain that bedrock belief.  It is meant to keep us involved in the story.  If I continue to believe I am a human being will I “attempt to feel the truth in [me]” as this lesson asks us to do with the first five minutes of each waking hour?  “Now try to reach the Son of God in you.  This is the Self Which never left Its home in God, to walk the world uncertainly.  This is the Self Which knows no fear, nor could conceive of loss or suffering or death.”  This is the Self that knows its truth.

Self inquiry is a tool that helps us see that truth. It is important to recognize that Self Inquiry requires us to actually look!

Many people who study A Course in Miracles study at the level of mind–at the level of thinking–so when they come to Lesson 94, they adopt the idea, “I am as God created me,” including their imagination of what that means to them. It doesn’t penetrate very deep, because it is only at the level of mind.

We are now at the phase of Self-inquiry. Self-inquiry has nothing to do with thinking. Self-inquiry is LOOKING. For people who believe everything is resolved by thinking, it takes practice to drop thinking and practice looking, but it can be done. With looking you have the attitude of, “What am I?” and then you LOOK with inner-looking, intuitive looking, to realize the answer.

Mooji, in the video that follows, asks us, “What is it that simply is?”  Self inquiry looks!  It looks past the concepts.  “I am as God created me.”  Self inquiry looks and sees the truth of that.  We are not a character who is bad or even good, as this lesson tries to convey,  we are the “Self That never sinned, nor made an image to replace reality.”  We are awareness being aware.  Will you inquire to the truth of you and all that is?

Lesson 93. Light and joy and peace abide in me.

This lesson addresses an issue most of us would rather not look squarely in the face. Most of us have an unworthiness or “I am bad” belief. In fact, only those who have transcended the belief are not beleaguered by it, in one form or another. That sense that we have about ourselves, that sense that “I am the scum of the earth,” is the voice of the “I am a body” belief. It is created and fed by our focus on our body/mind/personality as who we are.

ACIM tells us, “The concept of the self has always been the great preoccupation of the world. And everyone believes that he must find the answer to the riddle of himself.” T-31.V.14.

So, we set about doing just that and the care and tending or “perfection” of that concept is never-ending. We call this focus on the body as who we are the “ego.” You know the voice, “Oh, good job, you showed them!” or “I cannot believe you failed at that task so miserably. Next time …..” Even if we attempt to create the most wonderful conception of ourselves, the voice tells us, “You have fallen far short.”

As Byron Brown writes in Soul Without Shame, “The [ego] generally recognizes the importance of essential human qualities such as value, strength, peace, compassion, and will. However, it does not believe that you have them innately; it tells you that you must acquire them from the outside through accomplishments and good behavior: ‘If you are an unselfish, giving person, then perhaps you have some value.’ The [ego] believes that you can only claim these qualities when you prove that you have earned them, you can control them, and you can live up to them through meeting its standards. If you can’t, then it tells you, ‘You must be faking the experience; these qualities are only a temporary occurrence, and they will be taken away from you at any moment because they don’t belong to you anyway.’”

As today’s workbook lesson teaches, the unworthiness or “I am bad” belief is undone by removing your believing attention from the idea that you are a body/mind/personality and placing your attention on the Truth of Your Being. The lesson tells us, “Today we question this, not from the point of view of what you think, but from a very different reference point.”

We are going to question our ‘I am a body’ thinking from the point-of-view of our truth. That is, from awareness. An important part of this questioning is “What am I?” Be curious to discover what you are. Are you the body? Are you this thinking? Or, are you awareness? Which one is most true about what you are? Which ones can you observe and which one is you, the observer?

We must begin to listen for the self chatter that purports to tell us who we are. After noticing negative self-chatter, pause to ask, “What am I?” and look beyond the “I am a body (or person or mind)” chatter to notice what you really are.

Today you are asked to give the first 5 minutes of each hour to today’s lesson. It’s possible that you won’t be able to do that, but give those 5 minutes when you can. During that time, wonder, “What am I?” and then look to see what the true answer is. Use the video that is attached to this post to help guide you. You might watch it as part of your practice during one or more of the 5-minute periods today.

When you can’t give a full 5 minutes to today’s practice, give at least the 2-5 seconds that was represented by yesterday’s Bentinho video. If you say today’s workbook lesson and then give a full 5 minutes (or at least 2-5 seconds) to this looking every hour today, you will take great strides in freeing yourself from the “I am the body” belief and from the thinking that goes with it.

Here’s today’s video:

Lesson 92. Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one.

When we have a revelation we have an insight that we previously have not had. The experience was dark and unknown to us prior to the revelatory experience. Similarly, a miracle can be described as a change of mind where a light comes in and illuminates the mind because of a strength that comes to us or through us seemingly not of our own accord, but from awareness. We lose the ability to experience this new found strength when we are body/mind/person conscious. When focused on body/mind/person, the potential for strength and light becomes weakened or darker or less likely. We don’t have the illuminating experience when we are caught up in the story, when we can’t see past appearances, when we worship false idols like money or security or romance or anything of form.

But we are asked in this lesson’s practice to give twenty minutes twice today to experience the strength and the light in which the gift of sight is given us. “Leave, then, the dark a little while today, and we will practice seeing the light, closing the body’s eyes and asking truth to show how to find the meeting place of self and Self, where light and strength are one.

Last night in the Satsang interview Jacquelyn had with Eshwar Segobind, he said the reason we meditate is to allow a space where there are no thoughts.  In the video below, Bentinho Massaro shares with us a technique where a space is provided for self to meet Self, a space to notice our true Self. He says that when you relax and don’t define anything that. that is where you will find the isness of life, the aliveness of life itself or a mystery of being that becomes self evident. He says when we are not applying stories to our circumstances we allows ourselves to relax with awareness and aliveness. It is totally inclusive, allowing and pervasive being innocent and causeless like a baby.

This is awareness watching awareness. This is our true Self. Strength comes from our true Self, life awareness. As we become more aware of our self as life-awareness we also become more aware of our strength. Thinking of our self as the body/mind/person is weakness.

I’m willing to relax my interest in the world, to allow for a space where miracles might be seen. How about you?

Lesson 91. Miracles are seen in light.

What is the miracle?

Today’s workbook lesson says, “The miracle is always there.” The miracle in this context is what you are.

What is light?

Light is awareness.

“Miracles are seen in light” means: Your truth is known in awareness.

Today’s workbook lesson also says, “To you, then, light is crucial. While you remain in darkness, the miracle remains unseen.”

The ego thought system is darkness. While we remain focused on the ego thought system, we are not aware of truth. We are not aware of what we are.

When today’s workbook lesson is contemplated deeply, we see why awareness-watching-awareness meditation is so important to our daily practice. When we are focused on awareness in meditation, we are paying attention to our Self.

In all honesty, most of our time on any given day is focused on darkness. Most of our time is focused on the ego thought system. We are typically absorbed in it, mesmerized, hypnotized, dreaming away. But when we sit down in awareness-watching-awareness meditation, we are concentrated in reaching for our Self. This practice is “crucial” for us.

One of the best ways to focus attention on awareness and to learn to concentrate attention on awareness is Self-inquiry. This is the practice of learning to ask, “What am I?” and then LOOKING to observe the answer (rather than thinking about the answer).

Today’s workbook lesson is an introduction to Self-inquiry. As we move through gentle healing together, Self-inquiry is a practice that will be practiced more and more. However, Self-inquiry is a means to awareness-watching-awareness. Awareness-watching-awareness is the primary practice. Awareness-watching-awareness is the direct path to Self-realization. It’s important to see this, because then our practice time will be more focused on what is most important.

There are two more things I’d like to point out about today’s workbook lesson, and then I will leave you to your practice.

1 – Today’s workbook lesson says, “Your efforts, however little they may be, have strong support.” This points to the quantum leaps that we can expect as we dedicate our selves to our purpose and our practice. When we combine intention with action (spiritual practice), we call out to our true Self with a power that the mind cannot fathom, and the true Self answers. This answer to our call is certain. We simply need to put out the call.

Do your part to the best of your little ability, and the true Self will do its part, and its ability is way beyond yours. Prepare to be amazed.

2 – Today’s workbook lesson says, “Faith goes to what you want, and you instruct your mind accordingly.” This points to the importance of developing the visualization plan you’ve been asked to develop this week. We will use our visualization plans in coming weeks. So if you haven’t set special time aside for deep contemplation and asking in order to develop this plan, please do. It is very important, for the purpose of calling forth the power of the Self, which is the power of, the power behind and the power beyond the entire Universe. As NTI Revelation, Chapter 1 says:

“You will never be asked to take a single step alone, but you must always be willing to take the lead by deciding the purpose and calling it out to Us.”

I don’t know about you, but I am excited for the new start that begins tomorrow … our first lesson after the second review period. My heart is beating excitedly with joyous anticipation of the journey ahead.

We are all currently working with our spiritual aspiration. After we watch the Meta-Secret film and listen to “The Secret Holy Spirit Style,” we will focus within and receive our own visualization plan. The purpose of the visualization plan is to promote our spiritual aspiration.

For most of us, the spiritual path is a path of hills and valleys, of what might feel like successes and failures. There are times when we feel like we aren’t doing good enough. Maybe we plan not to get angry, and then we get really angry. Maybe we plan to remember our Course lesson throughout the day, and then we forget about it for most of the day. Maybe we plan to meditate, and we fall asleep. Maybe it’s something else, but it seems there are opportunities to judge ourselves as not doing well enough.

In ACIM, Chapter 29, entitled “The Awakening,” we are told…”dreams are dreams; and that escape depends, not on the dream, but only on awaking.”  Last week we had a tip that pointed out some of the horrendous events going on in our world.  Escape as pointed out in this passage depends on our ability to wake up.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that circumstances will change in the world because we’ve awakened, but we no longer have to suffer the guilt and the blame and the unworthiness for the perceived split, for the perceived injustices.  There will be a physcological release or relief from knowing that this isn’t our true reality; it is not our brother’s reality either.

While circumstances may not change, it is quite possible that some of the horrible circumstances will change.  In Regina’s “Awakening at Home” audio she related some stories from Peace Pilgrim’s book about events where circumstances did change as a result of Peace Pilgrim’s awakened mind.  In one event, a man offered her a place to sleep with the intention of raping her and in another, a man’s intention was to beat a little girl. In both of these events, the men had a change of mind because of their interactions with the awakened Peace Pilgrim.

Though circumstances may or may not appear to change as we awaken, what they mean has changed. Again from ACIM  Chapter 29, “Perceptions are determined by their purpose, in that they seem to BE what they are FOR. A shadow figure who attacks becomes a brother giving you a chance to help if this becomes a function of the dream. And dreams of sadness thus are turned to joy… He [who] perceives its function, [] can utilize all dreams as means to serve the function given Him. Because He loves the dreamer, not the dream, each dream becomes an offering of love.”

Awakening brings such possibilities.

As mentioned in yesterday’s tip, discouragement is of the ego. It is a very successful ego trick, because it can lead us to let go of the practice that awakens.

Today I would like to share several quotes from masters. These quotes all make the same point: Complete awakening is possible for you if you make it the priority in your life.

This tip was written by Regina for the original Gentle Healing Year 1.

Some spiritual teachers, like Michael Langford and Ellie Roozdar, teach that awakening/enlightenment are extremely rare. Often, when people hear this, they feel discouraged. Recently, Kathy Smith expressed that discouragement during one of my Seven Steps teachings, and Michael heard it. He responded by writing a letter to Kathy. Here is some of what he wrote in that letter:

“When I make a statement that less than one out of every five hundred million humans attains [the final end of the ego], I am referring to the seven billion people living on the earth today. I am not referring to people who are practicing the truly Direct Path. Those odds do not apply to people who are practicing the truly Direct Path.

Regina reports that someone once asked what motivates her to spiritual practice. Her answer: “It is the practice itself that motivates me. I find that as I dedicate myself to spiritual practice, I experience an increase in my desire for spiritual practice.”

There may be some bio-chemical thing happening in the body to explain this. Just as the cells in our body can learn to crave certain emotions or specific types of food based on what we’ve given it, the body-mind can begin to crave spiritual practice and devotional time with God. This could be called “the positive use of craving.”