AT Blog Articles Archives - Page 3 of 9

The Ego is Not the Devil – Scribed by Regina Dawn Akers

January 15, 2017 By Regina Dawn Akers

The Ego is Not the Devil
Scribed by Regina Dawn Akers, February 13, 2005

The ego is not the devil. It isn’t a force outside of you that finds pleasure in deceiving you. It isn’t anything to struggle against or to fear, although it can feel as if it is.

The ego is a mistake that you believe in. The power of belief is undeniable. What you believe is real for you. Since you believe in separateness and attack, the world seems threatening to you. That is what you believe, that is what you experience, and that is what you fear. The experience of a threatening world seems real to you, and I don’t ask you to deny that seeming reality. I don’t ask you to step in front of a moving car and trust that it will not hit you, because it may. It would be dependent on the alertness and reaction of the driver behind the wheel. In this way, the world is real.

What I ask you to understand is that the “reality” comes from the belief. The belief is the cause of all that you experience. You make the world you experience.

Now you may ask, “If I change my belief about the world, will I see no more sickness, no more war and no more threat?” I’ve answered this for you before in many ways, but I will put the answers together for you now so you may see what seem to be pieces as a whole.

You are not an individual. Everyone that you experience in the world is a part of you. You are aspects of one mind. When I say that the world you experience is made by you, I am not referring to you as an individual. That would indicate that separateness is truth. When I say that the world you experience is made by you, I am referring to all aspects of the mind that believe in separateness. As one aspect of the mind lets go of the belief in separateness, more Light is brought into the whole mind. It helps to rouse the Sonship, but as the Sonship continues to sleep, nightmares of separateness continue in the world.

When I indicate that what you will see will change, the word “see” and the word “perceive” are synonymous. As long as you see a world, you perceive. I am not saying that a violent crime could occur around you and that others would see it and you would not. The body’s eyes will continue to show you the seeming actions within the world of illusion. When I say you will see differently, I mean that you will perceive differently, or to be even more clear, that you will feel differently about what you see. Your perspective will be different. Your feelings will be different and therefore, your action will be different. Remember the story of Jesus and the adulteress. Jesus saw the men that were preparing to stone this woman and he saw a woman who had seemingly broken the laws of Moses. His eyes did not show him anything different. But, Jesus did feel differently about what he saw. He saw the woman as innocent and he saw the men as innocent. So, he did not condemn the woman and he did not condemn the men. He acted in a way that was consistent with his perception and caused a change in events.

Peace Pilgrim also has many stories that demonstrate that her eyes showed seemingly dangerous situations, but her perception showed only a call for Love. Because she consistently reacted with Love, it caused a turn of events based on the introduction of Light into the situation.

On what seems to be a micro level, an introduction of Light into a seemingly dark situation can change the events as they were about to occur. This may appear to be a miracle of events, but it is not. It is Light within an aspect of the mind shining away darkness within the same mind, resulting in a change in form. The cause is in the mind. The results seem evidenced in form.

The same miracle can occur on what seems to be a macro level. This may look different in the world of form; it may seem that it takes involvement from more individuals in order to introduce lasting peace into the international situation, but if you remember that there are no individuals, you will see that it is the same cause and effect.

I’ve told you before that your only responsibility is to accept the atonement for yourself. Now, you must see how important it is that you let the Light come into awareness in your mind. You must also see how you do this on behalf of all of your brothers. Light within the mind is Light within the mind, and the entire mind benefits from the shining of that Light. There can be no exceptions.

I see that you are willing to do this for your brothers. I see that you are willing to let your perspective be changed from that of a seeming individual to Oneness, but you are finding it difficult. You are experiencing fear and you do not know what to believe. You aren’t certain what is truth and what is illusion. Even as you sit writing this with me, you wonder if you are making this up or if you are hearing the Voice for God, and you don’t know how to be sure.

I will tell you how to be sure. I’ve told you this before. Pay attention to how you feel. Let the feelings of Light guide you. Do what you are told to do while you feel those feelings. When the feelings of darkness are upon you, take no action. Spend that time giving the feelings over to me. If you act with the Light and refrain from acting with the darkness, you will be acting in accordance with Truth and Light, and you will be moving steadily along the path to enlightenment. Know also that the end of this path is certain and enlightenment is a reasonable goal since it is the only goal that can truly be obtained. However, don’t crave the goal so much that it becomes an individual desire. That will delay the result, since the cause of enlightenment can never be the desire to attain for the individual.

The ego is nothing but a belief in your mind. When the belief is gone, you will see that the ego was nothing.

Letting Go of Blame – Satsang by Chris Celine

January 14, 2017 By Regina Dawn Akers

Barbara Deurwaarder has transcribed Chris Celine’s Satsang, Letting Go of Blame.

Here is an excerpt from this Satsang:

Blame keeps the sad game going. You can keep blame in your back pocket, ready to pull it out like an identity card when you believe it’s necessary. But it’s a game that you’re playing. It’s a game that needs to be recognized for what it is because it keeps the sad game going. It will keep you imprisoned in your own slavery to your own identity. In the world it feels actually somewhat delicious…to blame, because to blame and to judge has a distortion of a sense of power. Your righteousness feeds you in blaming and in being right. Blame feeds the separate self and feeds the righteousness of separation. It feeds that insanity that you really do know. And that sense of knowing gives you a sense of…it’s a distortion…but the ego makes it feel like power. There’s a certain power that comes from…it’s not real power because it has no value. But it feels like power.

… And in the belief that it’s real to you, you suffer with it, not making the connection of where the suffering is coming from. But the suffering is coming from the refusal to let go of blame. The refusal to let go of being righteous…that righteous indignation of being right about what you think you know, about what everybody has done and what everybody seemingly continues to do. When you believe that the past is the problem and you believe that the past is where all your pain comes from rather than it’s coming from your own mind and your own belief of the past that you made…. What happens is that you keep making the same story again and again and again and again and everybody disappoints you and everybody turns against you and everybody is suspiciously held and everybody is right on the edge of betraying you.

… When you believe in blame, you believe in separation. And there’s no healing possible there until you’re ready to truly surrender all the ideas of wrongdoing, of being unfairly treated, of blaming for anything, of believing the past and the goals that you gave to everyone. And, all the roles you’re giving to everyone now. It doesn’t matter what shape or form they take, you have to let go of the roles that you’ve given to them, so that you can let go of the roles that you’ve given to yourself, because it’s all the same. It’s all the pain and the suffering.

Read the Entire Transcript

Chris’s website

Chris’s YouTube Channel

The Awakening of Bill Thetford, Co-Scribe of A Course in Miracles: An Article Written for Awakening Together by Carol Howe

January 10, 2017 By Regina Dawn Akers

Many people today are finding it ever more difficult to see the humorous and fun in every day life, besieged as we are by dire predictions and the sensational and emotionally driven content of our “news” sources. Thus, this is a perfect time to introduce Bill Thetford, co-scribe of A Course In Miracles, without doubt one of the funniest and wittiest human beings in my long experience.

We have heard from many sources that laughter is the best medicine, but that clearly depends. Some laughter is a defense against situations that might require our “getting real,” or an inappropriate response to a difficult situation, or a thinly-disguised cover for a put-down. Since egos want to be taken seriously, nothing is so humiliating as being the brunt of a joke, of having our words or actions worthy only of demeaning laughter.

On the other hand, Bill Thetford, co-scribe of A Course In Miracles, with sparkling wit and a bit of the mischief-maker, was masterful at using laughter in the most effective, kindly, and healing way, both for himself and everyone around. If ever there was one who learned to joke about the absurdity of the human condition, it was Bill. He was graced with a superb sense of humor, delighting in the antics, large and small, of both himself and his fellow human beings. A prayer in the liturgy of the Episcopal Church begins, “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, . . .” Bill was a mortal version of that omniscience; for him his fellow man was deeply transparent, an open book – and often a comic book. Nothing was too sacred or ominous for his lighthearted touch, his hallmark as he saw the comedy in the ego’s serious postures. He laughed not at people, however, but at our treasured notions, beliefs, and practiced self-deceptions.

Bill was brilliant and famous in his field of research psychology even before the Course became the centerpiece of his life. He carried out his myriad duties with prodigious industry and careful attention to detail, but no matter how diligently he approached his work at Columbia University, he also found it amusing. Without exception, all who knew him commented on his marvelous sense of humor and its profound effect; it was one of his ways of loving.

He had his own issues, of course, times that seemed depressing or fraught with difficulty, but sooner or later, his emotional equilibrium would be restored, the twinkle returning to his eye as he told his hilarious stories. When we can laugh at the dramas, the formerly unhappy circumstances in our lives, we know they are healed. With a rigid, humorless approach to any aspect of our lives, we still have work to do. Bill’s droll sense of humor pervaded his life and is the single characteristic I believe he would most want remembered.

Those of us who knew Bill can remember hilarious times with him, where we all laughed until we cried. One of his favorite early Course stories, told with kindhearted laughter, was about a gentleman who discovered his address in Manhattan and came knocking on his door. When Bill answered, the man earnestly announced that he was a new ACIM student and that the Holy Spirit told him to find Bill and ask him for $10,000. Without missing a beat, Bill responded that the Holy Spirit had already alerted him to this request and indicated he was not to give it to him. I can still see Bill’s delighted smile as he recounted such entertaining tales about humankind in general and Course-related drama in particular. He often said he thought he should write a book entitled A Course In Miracles Follies about the craziness that occurred while bringing this material into the world, as well as some of the strange ideas and misperceptions that have been perpetuated in its name. To his credit, he found these occurrences amusing rather than alarming, and we would all benefit from emulating his open-hearted approach.

Bill also recounted endless funny stories from his Columbia University days. For instance, he delighted to talk about being co-editor of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology from 1965-1971, the years of Course dictation. He periodically rejected articles that were “not sufficiently scientific,” and, of course, found this situation ridiculous and very humorous, given the teachings of non-duality in which he was secretly involved!

To experience life with richness and delight requires witnessing our circumstances as well as participating in them – in effect, not taking ourselves so seriously. Egos want to be important and see lightheartedness as a threat. Bill modeled that perfect balance between levity and honoring one’s worldly commitments to the fullest. He ended many a conversation with a twinkle in his eye, saying “I know it’s hopeless, just not serious.” He could see the agony and the glory of the human experience and smile at it all. He did not laugh at those who came to him for help, but was always able to offer those even in greatest distress a way to see their situation with a lighter heart.

Bill came to an awakened state by the end of his life. His joy and sense of humor increased exponentially until he could hardly keep his feet on the ground, quite literally. And how might we find that, despite the ways things look now, they can always resolve into a surprisingly satisfactory state? Like Bill, we can practice letting go of the judgments that weigh us down, that cause a clouded, limited, and somber experience of life. One day at at time, Bill chose to let go of grievances and asked for help in so doing. We automatically become more lighthearted and friendly, and life becomes richer and more fun, when our minds are cleared of the debris of fear and all that we hold against ourselves and others.

How dearly we would love to have Bill with us today (actually, I’m sure he’s right here!), leading the way in seeing the craziness of our current times as worthy of a huge smile, and not despair. Though it may seem a daunting task, we too can treat ourselves and others with more compassion, and following in Bill’s steady footsteps, find ourselves in the glorious state of being awake to the truth of our being – the single most fun and most helpful offering we bring to the world.

Written By Carol Howe

Carol Howe is one of the original and most experienced teachers of A Course In Miracles. A personal friend of co-scribe Bill Thetford, she wrote his biography, Never Forget To Laugh, and is also the author of Healing The Hurt Behind Addictions. Throughout her 40 year career with ACIM, she has helped many thousands on their journey to inner peace.

Carol will lead a Common Ground Mini-Series in the online Awakening Together Sanctuary each Sunday during April 2017 at 9pm ET.

www.carolhowe.com

www.facebook.com/carolhoweacim

www.twitter.com/carolhoweacim

New Messages from Jeshua ben Joseph through Brent Haskell

December 22, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

This page contains messages from Jeshua ben Joseph through Brent Haskell, author of The Other Voice and Journey Beyond Words.

These messages are not published and are currently only available from Brent Haskell through Awakening Together.

Enjoy this gift!

Jeshua on Emotion and Feeling

Jeshua on Faith

Jeshua on Forgiveness

Jeshua on Form and Content

Jeshua on Kindness

Jeshua on Surrender

Jeshua on Time and the Now

Jeshua on Vision

Jeshua on the Script is Written

Technique: Come Into the Room by Liz Cronkite

November 4, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

Back in the day my thing was not dwelling on the past. It was living in the future. Some of this was goals and plans. But most of it was just fantasy, even fantasizing about one day being at peace. But either way it was not being here, now, the only time in which it is possible to be at peace.

The personal thought system is always about the past or future or just elsewhere. The “elsewhere” thinking can be dwelling on something that is not in front of you, like a completely made up time, place, or story; or something going on in the world or someone else’s life. This was common for me, too. So when I found I was in the future or elsewhere and I wanted to be present I’d bring myself back into the room. I’d remind myself that this is where I am now. All I have to do is deal with what is right in front of me right now. And any lessons I have to learn are right here.

To do this I’d say to myself, “Come into the room” and then I’d make a point of looking at what was in the room with me. It did not matter where I was, at home or in public. If I was outside I’d say, “Come here, now” and I’d look at those things nearest me. This would ground me in the present. I’d remind myself that this is where I am. I am not with myself when my mind is in another time or place. And if I am not with myself I am not with the Awareness of Truth (Holy Spirit) or peace.

Sometimes students tell me that they can’t stop dwelling on the plight of others in the world. So I share with them this technique. Be with what is right in front of you. This is where you are. You cannot live anyone else’s life. You cannot solve problems that are not in front of you. If you are to act in some way to help someone else, near you or a world away, you will know in the present what actions to take.

Other students are concerned with lessons they’ve read or heard of but that they have not yet learned for themselves. I tell them to forget what they do not yet know or do not yet understand. The way you get to more advanced lessons is to learn the lessons in front of you now. What are you going through in your life now? What is there to learn? Just as in school, what you learn now prepares you for what you will learn later.

What I learned from this was how much of my experience, my “life”, was a fantasy of ideas. I saw how my “world” was a world of thoughts. There is a lot that can go on in my mind. But there is very little actually going on right in front of me. How much simpler and more peaceful it is to live with only what is right in front of me!

Liz’s Website

Your Cells Are Listening: How Talking To Your Body Can Help You Heal by Therese Wade

October 12, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

“Every part of your body has its own consciousness or its own soul.” These transformative words, spoken by indigenous medicine women, began my journey within to discover the extraordinary healing capacity of the human body.

When this perspective was introduced to me, I was suffering from a severe chronic pain disorder. I suddenly imagined incorporating this concept into my meditation routine. I thought, Can my body hear me…can I talk to it to gain its cooperation in healing this condition?

That night, after reaching a state of deep calm through meditation, I inwardly engaged my body in a heartfelt conversation, with hope, but having no idea what to expect. After about one hour of this focused communication, something amazing happened. My tissues began to respond. Connective tissue pulled and stretched apart layers of scar tissue. Nerves fired and my calf muscles began to perform flexion and extension exercises independently of my conscious control. As this response continued, one of my calf muscles that had become paralyzed by the neuropathic condition — diagnosed as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy — came back to life as electric-like jolts shot through the area.

My heart pounded as I realized that the path to my freedom from this condition had finally begun. With a background in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, I knew too well how prevalent chronic pain is in this country and I wondered what the implications of this phenomenon could mean to so many others who were suffering. As I continued to make progress with my condition, I organized my approach into a system that I could teach to clients and shifted my professional focus to hypnotherapy.

When instructing my clients, I explain that a regular meditation practice is necessary to train the brain to enter alpha and theta brain wave states. While in these states, communication between the conscious mind and the physical body is dramatically enhanced. I have found that when communicating, there are three key steps to gaining the cooperation of the body:

Approach your body with genuine compassion, understanding that it is made up of conscious cells who experience emotions.
Build trust by engaging your body in mental conversations about your desire for the two of you to cooperate and overcome the ailment.
Allow changes in the conversation by using different thoughts and words that elicit spontaneous elevated emotions.

From my experience, the above guidelines are necessary to achieve dynamic healing responses in the body. I recently came across a very similar set of factors that were discovered by researcher Cleve Backster, who spent 36 years studying biocommunication in plant, animal and human cells. He referred to these factors as real intent, attunement, and spontaneity.

Backster, formerly an interrogation specialist for the CIA, wrote about the defining moment which led him to his real work in this world, in his book Primary Perception. This moment occurred one February morning in 1966 when he decided to monitor the Dracaena plant in his lab utilizing polygraph equipment. He attached the electrodes to a leaf and began to think about ways that he might induce a surge in electrical activity in the plant. In humans this surge in electrical activity is associated with intense emotions. He suddenly imagined burning the electroded leaf. The same instant this idea entered his mind, the polygraph pen shot to the top of the chart showing an extreme reaction on the part of the plant. Amazed, he walked to his secretary’s desk to retrieve a set of matches while pondering the possibility that this plant was somehow detecting the force of human intention.

When he returned with the matches, the plant was still showing the same high level reaction which would interfere with tracking additional changes on the chart. Backster decided to “remove the threat” by returning the matches to the desk. At this point, the chart displayed a downward trend as the plant apparently began to calm down. When Backster attempted to repeat the same results by pretending that he was going to burn the plant, there was no reaction. The plant seemed to sense the difference between real and artificial intent. He eventually discovered that plants become attuned to their primary care takers, responding to both their positive and negative emotions and to their return after being away for a time. Chart findings also showed that plants prioritize the emotions of their primary care takers over the emotions of others nearby.

Backster later expanded his research to include testing human cells for signs of consciousness. He collected white blood cells from human donors, electroded them in a test tube and then recorded the cells’ reactions as the donors experienced different emotional states. He found that spontaneous emotions were necessary in order to elicit an electrical reaction in the cells. For instance, if a donor forced herself to feel an emotion, the cells would not respond. However, when she received a distressing phone call from her daughter, the cells reacted significantly.

He noted that distance seemed to be irrelevant in these experiments. For example, a donor left his electroded cells behind in the lab, then kept a detailed log of any stressful emotions experienced on his trip home to another state, such as missing a turn on the freeway, standing in a long line at the airport, and the take-off of his plane. Later, his logged incidents compared with the chart recording showed strong correlations between the timing of the stressful events and the electrical reactions in his cells. The chart became quiet again when he arrived home and went to sleep.

These experiments were conducted while using equipment that screened out electromagnetic radiation — the usual energies used for information transmission. The cells behaved as if the screens weren’t there, suggesting that this communication is carried by a field still unidentified by conventional science. Some scientists believe that the further development of quantum physics may help guide us to understand this field that communicates emotional intent between living things. Quantum Entanglement is a process where two particles of matter which have interacted with each other, still behave as if they are connected after being separated by many miles. When an energetic change is made to the properties (position, momentum and rotational spin) of one of the particles, the properties of the other distant particle will change at the same instant.

This scientific phenomenon and the research of Cleve Backster, point to the Eastern concept of oneness — the view that all of nature is interdependent. Ancient cultures understood this interconnection as a living universal energy field that sustains life while guiding the evolution of consciousness throughout the universe. The meditation techniques involved in my practice bring the mind into attunement with this field. Energy from this field is then focused into a physical healing event through clear intention — delivered by means of a conversation that evokes spontaneous emotions — and attunes the physical body to the conscious mind. This method which I call Antara (Sanskrit for within), enables one to experience the raw creative healing ability generated by an alliance of the mind and body with this living universal energy field.

Therese Wade received her Master of Science Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr University in 2003. Her combined experience with Chinese medicine, shamanic studies, and kundalini meditation are integrated within her approach to mind–body–spirit medicine. Please visit AntaraHealingArts.com for more information.

Freedom From The Maze – Teaching story from Michael Langford

October 9, 2016 By Jay McCormick

TEACHING STORIES

What follows are eight teaching stories created by Michael Langford for the purpose of helping spiritual aspirants see what the impostor self does not want them to see and what the impostor self usually prevents them from seeing.

FREEDOM FROM THE MAZE

Once upon a time, in the land of fictional stories created to reveal certain valuable lessons there was a Maze on a planet called Dirt. All of the people on planet Dirt lived in the Maze. Almost none of the people on planet Dirt realized that they lived in the Maze.

There was a Teacher who had successfully freed himself from the Maze. The Teacher wrote a book which was a map to show people how they could also free themselves from the Maze. The book was titled “How to Free Yourself from the Maze and Live Eternally in the Bliss of Reality.”

The following are some of the essential points from that book.

To free yourself from the Maze the first two and most important steps are:

1. See that part of you does not want to be free from the Maze.

2. Every day see how the fact that part of you does not want to be free from the Maze affects your actions, thoughts, feelings, desires, etc.

In almost all people the desire to continue to live in the Maze is much greater than the desire to be free from the Maze and this has been true for the entire history of the people of planet Dirt.

Therefore, almost all of the books that have ever been written claiming to show the way out of the Maze do not actually show the way out of the Maze.

People like to believe that they want to be free from the Maze. This creates a demand for books that claim to be about how to be free from the Maze.

However, most people do not really want to be free from the Maze.

When you combine these two, the fact that most people like to believe that they want to be free from the Maze
and the fact that most people do not really want to be free from the Maze, the result is that what people really want
are books that claim to show the way out of the Maze that do not really show the way out of the Maze.

This demand for books that claim to show the way out of the Maze has been answered throughout the history of planet Dirt and that is why almost all of the thousands of books that have been written about how to be free from the Maze do not actually show the way out of the Maze.

If you can see all of this, then you might be able to begin to see the importance of the first two steps:

1. See that part of you does not want to be free from the Maze.

2. Every day see how the fact that part of you does not want to be free from the Maze affects your actions, thoughts, feelings, desires, etc.

The Maze is illusion.

Everything perceived in the Maze is an illusion, even though it usually seems or appears to be real. All of the bodies, animals, plants, mountains, land, clouds, sky, objects, actions, concepts, feelings, and desires that are perceived while one is living in the Maze are illusions.

Why would anyone want to be free from the Maze?
Because sooner or later life in the Maze will become a sorrowful or suffering-full life and because the Reality beyond the Maze is Absolutely Perfect Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss that has no suffering and no sorrow.

How to make your desire to be free from the Maze much greater than your desire to continue living in the Maze?

One way to do this is by comparing life in the Maze with life in the Reality. If you go into detail looking at every negative aspect of life in the Maze and compare that with life in the Reality, which is Absolutely Perfect Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss, that can help to increase
your desire to be free from the Maze.

The other great key is self-honesty. Be honest about the fact that part of you does not want to be free from the Maze and that the part of you that does not want to be free from the Maze is also guiding your actions, thoughts, feelings, desires, etc. to prevent you from escaping the Maze. Then look every day to see how that part of you that does not want to be free from the Maze is directing your actions, thoughts, feelings and desires to keep you in the Maze.

Continue to do whatever you can do to increase your desire for freedom from the Maze so that the part of you
that does not want to be free from the Maze becomes less and less until it no longer exists.

Surrender the Meaning, by Chris Celine

October 9, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

Innocence of God. Perfect, glorious light of creation. This truth within…this truth within that is all that is keeps disappearing from awareness. It comes up in glimpses and many times those glimpses…the instinct is to try to capture it, hold onto it, figure it out. But, it can’t be figured out. In the world, that’s the intention: figure it out. From the time of incarnation, that has been the mantra of the world – figuring it out. Figure out what you want. Figure out how to be safe. Figure out how to walk in this world, when you already are aware from the moment of incarnation that you are not in alignment with your world.

Every beloved carries that deep fear, not even knowing what it’s all for. And the journey truly is to go within and find that innocence, that perfection, that beauty that is complete. That you, the divine, are complete in oneness with everyone and everything. When a Beloved finds the spiritual journey, feels called, answers that call, the split becomes more pronounced. The loyalty to the mind, the loyalty to habit…pulls. And the Truth, the Love…it doesn’t pull. It doesn’t pull because it is. And it is waiting for every beloved to reach down, sink down into that quiet inner place and listen. To listen to the Voice of Love, the Spirit of Love that is wanting to show you the way. But the world way doesn’t listen. It isn’t about listening, it’s about safety and protection of some kind. As you’re learning to listen deeply within, you’re also learning, and unlearning the perceived need for safety, the perceived need to protect and to defend…all through the belief in knowing. The Spirit of Love is calling to relinquish all knowing.

All knowing because the knowing that is held has been produced as a safety defense system. But, Love is calling, calling to the innocence that is within, to the sacred heart that is the center of your being. And, surrendering the mind to God, to Love. No longer wanting to figure things out. The freedom of no longer trying to figure it out is immense. It isn’t immense at first because you’re not geared to it. At first, all the fear comes up of being not safe or being out of control. But, slowly, surely peace begins to be recognized. And, trust captures the Heart. Trusting that only Love /God is real, trusting there is no death, trusting there is no enemy, trusting that there is only innocence. And willing to see and accept everything and everyone through that innocence. In this moment…this is a new day as every moment is new.

This is a new day of learning, a new way of healing. It isn’t new because it’s just been thought up. It’s only new because it’s been rejected so many times. A new way to embrace Love and to reject the fear and reject the pain. In this moment of Love, affirming, there is only one presence here. It is the Life Force of God. And, within this Life Force, we live and move and breathe as one. The universe is all Love. It’s all that exists. This sanctuary is filled with Love, because it is all that exists. To accept this Love and to accept your Self. It is what you are. And the you that believed itself to be separate, the you that was given an identity and developed an identity begins to fade as the Heart expands. There is no sacrifice in Love/God. There is not a giving up of anything that has any Reality. It is this relinquishment of a false identity. And, the universe of Love, and all of the Divine Beings that are temporarily in service of humanity’s remembering…they are your strength, and they carry the truth and hold it for you until quietness is there and you can hear and you want to hear and be guided to the teachings of love in every moment. Every moment.

So, as I sing this hymn, see if there’s a voice that goes with it, feel, feel the invitation, feel the calling. This hymn was received to call Beloveds to the realization of tenderness, the realization of mercy and beauty and grace. And, in that quiet place, the mind put aside, the tenderness of Love, the tenderness of God can be embraced.

(Sings)

I feel your tenderness, I feel your tenderness
I feel your tenderness of your ever loving hand.
I feel your tenderness, I feel your tenderness
I feel the tenderness from deep within.
I feel your mercy Lord, I feel your mercy Lord,
I feel the mercy Lord of your ever loving hand.
I feel your mercy Lord, I feel your mercy Lord,
I feel your mercy Lord from deep within.
I see your beauty Lord, I see your beauty Lord,
I see the beauty Lord of your ever loving hand.
I see your beauty Lord, I see the beauty Lord,
I see the beauty Lord from deep within.
I sense your truth oh Lord, I sense your truth oh Lord,
I sense the truth oh Lord of your ever loving hand.
I sense the truth oh Lord, I sense the truth oh Lord,
I sense the truth oh Lord from deep within.

Only for your Love.
We ask for Love and healing only for the truth.
Divine Mother of all creation we ask to recognize the Truth of Love.
We ask for healing. We ask for transformation in this moment.
And we say YES. To all healing, we say YES.

Only for your Love. Asking for healing, asking for light, asking for awareness. To ask the universe for help is to connect to the awareness that you are not separate. It is a statement even as it is a prayer. It is a statement of fact that you are not separate. And, when you have the faith to ask for help, in whatever form that it takes, that faith expands. It expands your awareness. It expands your devotion. It expands your willingness to stand firm in Truth, so that you can walk in this world in Truth and as Truth. When you walk in this world in Truth, no one really notices. As well they shouldn’t, because they wouldn’t know what they’re seeing.

But, as soon as you begin to offer peace, as soon as you begin to offer gentleness, as soon as you begin to offer kindness from the center of your Heart that is not looking for anything…it is looking to offer peace. Every Beloved recognizes that. They may not consciously recognize it, but it stirs within them and they are transformed by the peace that you offer. The transformation may not appear, it may not be in any way obvious, but it is the seed that has been planted of Love. It has been given without asking anything asked in return. Always. It is freely given because peace and Love and harmony have to be offered. Peace is an offering, gentleness is an offering, kindness is an offering. And it comes from the Heart, but it begins in the mind. It begins in the mind that has no judgment. It begins in the mind that is vibrating with Love and wants just to extend that Love. That is the gift that everyone carries that is willing to remember.

Maybe One Like a Buffalo

Your soul could have chosen a different kind of body,
One that was not nearly as fragile.
One maybe like a Water Buffalo, more suited to fender benders, lawsuits and corporate fights.
Actually, I tried that, your soul, being other things,
but then decided that a form like yours was the best jumping off spot.
A springboard, you could say, for your final somersault into the beyond. [Hafiz]

So, you have chosen this form. Everyone chose this form. But the ego chose that form because it proves you’re separate. It is your evidence of separation. And, the attachment to it has become, through the ego, so entrenched that the Spirit is forgotten. This (pointing to the body) is a means of communication. That’s it. But the Spirit that is within and all around is not limited to this form, not in any way. And, everything is calling you to go beyond the form, go beyond the meaning of the form and of all forms and come home to the truth of love. Is there a difference between having the form of a Water Buffalo and the form that you have – not really. Not really.

You have been in forms, you have been in many, many forms…none of them were the reality of you. And so now it’s being called on again to not attach and give meaning to this temporary identity. Water Buffalo…suited to fender benders…but it seems that even with this human frame, this human form, there’s no limit to the fender benders, there’s no limit to corporate fights and lawsuits. But yet, every beloved is being called to find the way back to Love. So, what is it that keeps everyone struggling? It’s very simple. It’s the simple teaching that you must stop giving meaning to every situation that you enter.

Every single situation, all day long is being reinforced and made “real” with meaning that comes from your past because that’s all the meaning that we can give to anything if we believe our own minds. It’s a leap of faith to refuse to give it meaning, whatever the situation is, and to ask for truth to be in your awareness so that you can learn from that situation, that moment. And you will learn in a way that you can never learn except through the letting go of the meaning. It comes into a manifestation…Truth comes into manifestation when you open that door. That’s the only way that you can have that Truth come to you is letting go of the meaning that you are giving to your world…to your life.

So, what does that look like? I wrote down a prayer. The first words are:

Everything in your experience can be endowed with spiritual Truth by bringing Love and acceptance and forgiveness to it. Everything in your experience can become Love. The Love that is already within can come through into the situation by your choice, by your willingness to be available. You think you understand the meaning of the events that occur in your life. Now, this is a universal teaching: everyone thinks the same. You think that you understand the meaning of events that occur in your life. The instant…instant connection with the meaning…it is so fast, it is so, so right there because it has been developed that there isn’t any time that the mind is not looking for meaning. And coming up with delusional meaning that it already has established…. It’s habit.

It’s a trance. It’s what runs. But how is it possible to step away from this meaning when it’s so ingrained? Everything is given meaning. Absolutely everything. Here are a pair of socks…they have meaning to the mind that looks at those socks and says “I know what that means.” Everything you see you identify it from the past and you give it your own meaning

But it’s all made up. It’s totally fabricated. Yet, every single moment is the opportunity of transformation by surrendering the meaning of whatever it is you think you know.

But, the Spirit of Love, has heard your call for help, has heard your YES, I want to remember, I want to come home, and begins to serve you with teachings, situations. But If you know the meaning of it, then there’s nothing to learn. You know the meaning of it, so you’re satisfied. And, it goes on all day. But, in that feeling of satisfaction from knowing and from having your own reasons and meanings…at the end of the day there’s always fear. It’s fear because the fear that you are feeling is actually the fear from the past because you gave it meaning from the past.

So, there’s a disturbance. Sometimes it’s very quiet. Sometimes it stirs greatly. But there is a healing place here that it is so powerful that it can transform everything that is not the Truth. It can transform it so deeply and so quickly that it will shock you because you will open to Truth and teachings that you didn’t know were possible because you gave everything meaning and you weren’t available for it.

It happens because you impose your own meaning on it. So, how do you keep your own meaning off it? How do you step back from and ask for help? You wish to understand the meaning of what happens in your life stop giving it your own meaning. There is a divine movement that is always showing up. Always. So, how does that look to not give something its own meaning? All day, there is a belief that you know how everything should be. Or you’re frightened because you don’t know how everything should be, but it’s kind of the same place.

I said one day in a teaching, “there’s a pillow on the floor.” And I said, “You gave meaning to that pillow and you identified that that pillow was green, and Spirit is coming to tell you that that pillow is not green, that you don’t know what that is.” Is there a learning there? Yes. Because you get to see more clearly that your belief of the pillow being green is fixed. It’s fixed. It’s determined. You’re not giving it up. And it shows the audacity of the ego of…that it has to be right. That it has to be held that that pillow was green. And it’s disturbing to even to think that it isn’t.

So, this is where the faith and trust comes in, because when you get shook up because the pillow…you’re being told that the pillow isn’t green and you have to accept that somehow or something else about it. It shakes up your, your defense system. But you don’t realize that the things you think you know and the meaning that you give everything is part of a defense system. It’s not a friend that is taking you to a deeper awareness of your Divine Self. It’s holding you in this manifestation, in this temporary illusion…it’s holding you. So, this pillow not being green gives you the opportunity to not be at the effect of your own fear of not being in control. Because the pillow being green and the adamant need for the pillow to be green is about control…fear of being undefended or not having enough defense. And yet, Love/God is calling you to unravel this entire belief system of who and what you think you are. So, can it be simpler than that? Yes, it can!

Someone knocks on the door. Is there a place within you that stops, or do you give it meaning immediately? Either someone’s at the door and the door has to be answered or there’s an irritation because somebody’s at the door and you don’t want to answer it. Either way, it’s a meaning that you’ve given it. Or, there could be ten other meanings, but you’re giving it meaning. Immediately, you give it meaning. And, if you would stop, somebody’s at the door. In this situation, there is a learning here for me. I’m open to it. I’m ready. I’m not going to give it meaning. And you will learn a teaching that you would not have been available for in not attaching a meaning to it.

Everything in your experience can be endowed with spiritual Truth by bringing your Love, acceptance or forgiveness to it. To accept that there is someone at the door and you don’t know what it’s for is to surrender and be available for learning. It breaks the trance and it breaks the “I know and these are my ways and this is how I do things in my identity.” Let the situation be felt fully. Don’t rush to the door, but feel it. Feel it fully and follow it to teach you why it has come into your life. Why has that beloved come to the door? You can go in the old way or you can ignore the door in the old way, but you won’t receive the teaching. The teaching is in everything.

I used an example the other day. I was in a shamanic ritual. And in this, which was many many, many hours…and we were in a yurt and there was a skylight. And the skylight was right above where I was standing and where my place was. And about a half an hour after the ritual started, the sun moved and started coming straight down through the skylight. Everything in me was talking about moving out of the sun that was directly on the top of my head. I stopped and I asked, is this…am I to move or do you want me here? And I was called to stay there for hours with the sun coming down on my head. I went through being annoyed. I went through doubt. I went through feeling like a victim, why me? I kept surrendering. I was supposed to stand there.

What was the lesson that I was there for? One was obedience and trust. But the deep healing that I received was to focus my attention on the Light of Love, the Truth of God, the praise of all creation, and to find that new direction to focus and to no longer be at the effect of the sun coming down on my head. I could have moved. But that instant reaction was the past. And the blessing that I received was a lifetime of learning just in that short amount of time. I learned to focus my attention on love and not on the body in that moment. I learned to trust that I wasn’t being hurt, that I wasn’t a victim, that I wasn’t being unfairly treated.

I learned the lesson because I asked. And this way is the way that cuts through the mind’s constant habits and opens the door to true healing…by learning, by being available to learn. But the first step in it is “I have given this all the meaning that it has and I have to step away from that meaning”, because it’s holding you prisoner of the mind of the ego. It comes into the smallest elements.

All day there’s decisions being made, but there’s no stopping, and it’s the stopping and asking and making a decision in that moment “I don’t know what this is for, I don’t know what this is about”.

If you felt that that fan should be turned off, just a small example, you have already made a decision in your mind based on what you know from the past of what it’s for. But what’s not being realized is it’s not good or bad…it’s what is the teaching? Is it meant to be turned off or is it meant to be left on because there’s a learning there. That’s the key. That stopping and asking, what would be most helpful? What will the learning come from? I don’t know. And it may not be, this is the beauty of oneness, it may not be that the real lesson in it is actually for you. It could be for the Beloved who is sitting next to you. But, we’re in service of all, and when one Beloved learns and is healed, everyone benefits. Everyone is touched by that healing. Everyone. There’s no difference between one healing and another. That’s how much there is in oneness.

Come to the center and ask, how does this situation help me learn the Truth of Love more deeply? How does this situation help me learn the Truth of Love more deeply? It’ll be shown. I wasn’t a rocket scientist standing in line of a ritual. I wasn’t highly intelligent figuring this out. I asked, is this where you want me? I didn’t know the connection between the meaning I had given it and coming into truth. I just knew there was a teaching here that was a gift. I was there in the ritual itself for healing. I was there to learn. I was there to heal. But the idea of the sun coming down through the skylight was bad…was a negative. That’s what has to go, too. This was a blessing. This wasn’t a curse. This was a blessing. I saw it as a curse. I saw it as a curse coming through the window and that was my instant, instant reaction. The instant meaning I gave it was, this isn’t ok…this is bad. Well, I was shown that everything is for healing. Everything.

There’s no good or bad. There’s no right or wrong. So, what happens when you begin to give up and no longer accept that there’s a good and a bad, a better and a worse, more or less? You’re stepping out of duality. You’re stepping out of the split that the world has made of separation, because that’s all duality is. It’s the evidence of separation. And it doesn’t exist.

To accept the healing and ask for the learning is a big leap into healing itself, because you are trading your concept of the world and your story and your identity for the healing manifestation of the Divine. The healing manifestation of the Divine, and it’s a teaching that is very clear, that the Spirit of Love can use everything in this world to teach healing. So, that’s what comes. It comes, and if you can embrace it fully, you can learn so deeply beyond what you would ever consider coming out of some little situation. They all are optimum if they are surrendered to the Holy Spirit. Now, the ego says “I don’t want it. Nope. My habits are sacrosanct. My habits have defended me, protected me. I developed them particularly to be safe and to surrender my meaning is terrifying.” The ego wants you to think it’s terrifying. If you remember the teaching from a few days ago, there is no compromise.

There is no compromise in Truth to illusion. There is no compromise to having a little irritation or a little bit of what you know to counterbalance what you have to let go of. There is no compromise. Not because Love is rigid. Not because Love is mean. Not because Love is attacking. But, because there is only Love. There is only harmony and peace. There is only kindness and gentleness. There is only your undefended heart and your healed mind. And the only thing that is keeping you from recognizing the truth of your inner beauty and your Self, your true Self, is the world that you made.

The false identity that has been held together by meaning. Meaning holds it together completely. You have meaning for everything. You have meaning for your culture, you have meaning for your age, you have meaning for being male or female, you have meaning for every habit that you have. Everybody carries the same, the same meaning. Not the same meaning for each thing, but a whole, a whole flock of meaning. And this is also why there is dissention and difficulty between beloveds, it is the meaning that is brought to each relationship .Because if you give a relationship meaning, if you give another beloved meaning, you are putting the past on them.

You’re not available to see and to be connected to that Divine Spirit. To no longer be willing to give something meaning including a relationship, is to open to the Love of that union, because that union is totally One Heart. But how can you enter into the One Heart undefended when there’s meaning that you placed on the other Beloved? You gave yourself meaning, but you’re giving them meaning, too. And there’s a calling that says, remember, the meaning that you give it is based on fear. It has no other resource. If it’s coming from the past, and where else could it come from, it has to be in fear, because that’s what the past holds. Fear doesn’t always look like fear. Fear looks like the absence of Love. It can look like irritation. It can look like disturbance. It can look like pleasure. It can look like success or satisfaction…all different kinds of elements of emotion, but it’s built out of fear…to let go of the meaning that you have given it. So, I had to read another poem.

Spare the world your good ideas. (comment: only Hafiz would….)
Spare the world your ideas of good until you know that all is perfect,
my teacher once said to me.
Spare the world your ideas of what is right until you know all is Holy.

Spare the world your ideas. It is such a delicious place to not know. There’s no interference with love in the not knowing. The freedom of not knowing allows the Heart to expand because there’s no competition. Just for a moment touch into knowing, something that you know. Then feel its energy. Feel the energy of that knowing. What you’ll discover is that there is tension in it. There’s always tension in it. Knowing has tension, because there’s a defense that goes with it. And allow yourself, just for a moment, to not know…to just BE. That you can breathe, you could BE with an open Heart…nothing is in the way. You can rest. Resting in God says I don’t know anything. I don’t have to know anything because everything is revealed in the perfect time, harmony. Everything is given to you in that open place. You don’t have to have the knowing and it’s keeping you from actually experiencing the truth of defenselessness. When you rest in God, you rest undefended. But when you rest in God, you come empty because there’s nothing to bring.

There’s only Love that is real, and that is your totality. But this is the deep healing avenue that Spirit has opened the door to you because you asked. You just may not have known what you are asking for. But, pull back the meaning. Pull it back when it wants to take charge and realize in that deep humility of Love that you don’t know…no one does. What is most helpful? You don’t know what the healing and the teaching may be if you will leave it be and ask what is the teaching here? And again, the beauty of asking that question is your realization that you’re asking for an answer and your faith is expanding because your faith is accepting that there is an answer, that you will be answered because you are so loved. That you will be answered because there is healing that is being sent to you. This is a schoolroom of love. It is a schoolroom, and the schoolroom is exquisite, absolutely exquisite…every moment. Every Beloved has this precious gift of learning and being available for that learning.

Spare the world your ideas of good until you know all is perfect.

Why would this teacher say this, spare the world your ideas? Now, if someone said that in the world you would probably think it was an insult. Spare me please your ideas. But, this is an offering of love. This teacher is saying to his student, let me show you the way…spare your ideas of good until you’re aware that everything is already perfect. Because it opens the door. Because the ideas are in the way. Because they keep you imprisoned in the past, in an identity that is no longer, even in your own awareness, it’s not as solidly, firmly fixed as it used to be. You question your identity. Thank God. What am I? What am I if I’m not this? Every Beloved is asking that question in some way.

Spare the world your ideas of right until you know that all is Holy.

There’s no right and wrong, there’s only a teaching in the moment of everything. If you have a flat tire, your immediate response is probably many things, crap I don’t know how to change my tire. I’m gonna be late. I thought I’d gotten better tires than that. All kinds of elements, but the only one that has any value to it is there’s a teaching here that I am being offered. I’m available. Show me what this is for. Show me what beliefs are being brought to the light so they can be released. Show me what I believe is occurring.

What old habits, what old beliefs…imagine that as soon as you have a flat tire that immediately what you go to is ahhh, I’m being unfairly treated. It isn’t that you say those words, but the feeling is there. Why me? I took care of that car. Why am I getting a flat? To be unfairly treated is to believe in the world that you made, and to believe that you can be unfairly treated by a flat tire or anything…someone’s words, it doesn’t matter what. You can’t be unfairly treated. It’s not possible. You are the light of God. There is nothing in this universe that can touch your perfection, and there is no harm that can come to anyone. It is not possible because you are not a body and your Spirit cannot be altered. Not possible.

So, that flat tire, that moment, if that belief rises, what an opportunity. And you would have missed it by going to the general consensus of crap, I thought my tires were better than this, crap I don’t have the money to fix the tires. Whatever it is, the opportunity of healing is there. But, it isn’t there with the thoughts coming in unless you say wait a minute, this is an opportunity…just like everything is an opportunity to heal and to see what meaning I have given to it.

Think of all the habits that are going on all the time in your everyday existence. Everybody has them…how you brush your teeth, how you wake up in the morning, how you walk. They’re all habits. They’re all habits. Who made them? Who made all the habits and what were they for? Some of them are just standard issue – brush your teeth. But, if you go deeper even the standard issue – brush your teeth – is not that standard issue. There is a purpose to every movement that everyone makes. There’s a belief that’s running, and the belief that…what, if you don’t brush your teeth.

What if the message was don’t brush your teeth this morning. And all of a sudden you are going like this (puts hand over her mouth). And all you can think about is you didn’t brush your teeth, because the fear has come up that you are your teeth. The fear has come up that somebody is going to judge you for not having brushed your teeth. Even that becomes a place of healing to see what’s being believed and what you think keeps you safe, what you think gives you worth because none of it does. Your worth has no way of being altered. Your worth is the worth of the Divine of the universe. You are the creation of all that is perfect and you are perfect in that creation.

What if you’re walking and you fall down in a thing of water. Is there a lesson there? Absolutely! Of course there is. But, you can choose to have it or you could choose not to. But if you stop giving it the meaning that you already had identified with it, there will be a tremendous place of healing and learning. Does it have be something like dropping into a pile of mud? No. What happens when you’re crossing the street and someone says “go ahead, go ahead of me. I was blocking your way. Go ahead.” What’s the teaching? What is the learning there? Or do you give it meaning immediately…figure it out. And what you begin to recognize as you are letting go of the meaning from the past is that not only are you opening this exquisite door of healing and awareness, but your identity is beginning to unravel because you’re questioning it. You’re questioning the meaning, and your identity is completely connected with the meaning that you give everything because it’s the meaning you give yourself at the same time.

So, you’re loosening from your own identity at the same time because the meaning is not the truth. So, if I give meaning to a situation and it’s that I’m being unfairly treated…flat tire…. Being unfairly treated is an identity that I developed, that I took on. The “I” that took it on believed in that made up illusion that I could be unfairly treated. It was an identity. I wore it. So, you’re healing all at the same time that you’re healing and it’s healing the identity. They’re totally connected. And, it’s your healing that continues to open. That’s when the time here on this earth plane becomes the schoolroom of love. It is no longer a functionary place to get from A to B, but it is the place of learning…the schoolroom of love that you have taken from being in a trance of a false identity to opening the door to all the healing help that the universe is willing to provide. Every moment has healing. Every moment has learning. It’s the blessings of your prayers that bring those opportunities.

What meaning are you giving from moment to moment? Ask the question. Let it become your practice, because without it, it’s a long hard road, when you’re not available for the teachings that Spirit is wanting to bring to you for your transformation. And the more that you’re available, the more your heart opens and the more you realize that you are the Light of Love. And that you never have to worry about having meaning again. There is no limit to the healing and teaching that is available in every moment. Every moment. Who are you with, where are you going, what’s the day for, what’s this moment for, and what is it that you think you know that wouldn’t be so blessedly helped by stopping and asking, what meaning am I giving this? And, what is the healing here that is being offered to me? I want to be aware of it. I want that healing.

That situation with the skylight, you could take that situation and multiply it by 10,000 because that’s how often I went to that place of asking what is this for, and teach me, teach me, teach me. Was anybody else doing that? I have no idea. But, that’s where I was taken was, I want to learn, I want to know the truth here and I want to learn to trust and I want to learn…a word that doesn’t get used very much…obedient. Obedience is not a dirty word. Obedience allows that the ego is not in charge, that I’m following Truth, and in following, I am obedient out of Self-love. To be obedient to Love itself is a blessing.

One with God…where else could I be obedient to? Except the obedience of God is the obedience of love, and it generates itself to everyone and everything. It isn’t about adoration of the Divine, it’s about the realization that the Divine is right here. And that adoration is transmitted and offered to every Beloved not out of obligation, not out of pity or rescue or anything else but out of pure Love. I must Love. I must Love with all of my Heart, because the Divine has said YES, Love with all of your Heart. And Love is healing. It is a loving offering to be in the schoolroom of love. It is a loving offering. It is the greatest gift that you can give to humanity because you’re helping heal all of the meaning that everyone is carrying with your own healing.

Begin by praying and actually just asking, I want to be in the schoolroom of love and I want to recognize the lessons that are sent to me because they are not a danger, they are the blessing, the blessing of Love. Accept them gladly. Ask for them gladly. Show the way.

(Pointing to the ceiling) If that fan needed to come off, turned off, because someone has a meaning that it should be turned off…stop. Stop and ask, is it really a healing or is this just the meaning that you’ve given it? Have you asked and surrendered this? If the fan is on and let’s say there’s a slight breeze with it and somebody wants the fan off…. Is that most helpful for them? That’s really the question. Will this serve their remembering? Nothing is as it seems. It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s turning on a light, it’s everything. Patience is learned through ways that are not expected. Generosity is learned through ways that are not expected. But they come through forms of manifestation where they can be learned and that is the key.

Spare the world your good ideas until you know that all is Holy. And all is a gift of learning. Moment to moment. All Love. All Truth.

Habitual Believing & True Compassion – by Rev. Regina Dawn Akers

October 3, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

This morning I read an article about a Pakistani man who killed his sister because she married a Christian. To this Islamic family, her marriage was a disgrace. The killing is considered an honor killing.

I have compassion for everyone involved in this story. Everyone involved is suffering from a belief that is believed by nearly every human on the planet. I call it the ‘I am bad’ belief. ACIM calls it guilt. NTI calls it unworthiness. In this article, the word ‘shame’ is used.

The men who taunted the brother about the sister’s relationship were trying to make themselves feel ‘bigger’ in order to deny how ‘low’ and ‘unnecessary’ they feel. The brother who killed his sister preferred to kill his sister than suffer the shame he felt around his taunters. The father approves of the killing and regrets the killing for the same reason, the shame it brings on him.

Imagine that. A father has just lost a daughter to death and a son to prison, yet what is driving his actions? Grief? No. Love? No. Compassion? No. He is driven by the fear of his own shame.

In the Bible, Jesus said that his life was a ransom for many. Buddha sought enlightenment because he wanted to end suffering for all beings. ACIM says that a miracle worker’s only responsibility is to accept the atonement for himself. NTI Ephesians explains how what we believe goes out into the world, has an effect, and then comes back to us again. Michael Singer calls false beliefs “environmental pollution.”

I feel that each of the teachings above point to the same truth. Because of how divine law works, and because we are all one, our personal belief in guilt, unworthiness and shame has an effect on others and on their believing. It is as if we are taunting others, encouraging them to believe that they are worthless whenever we believe it about ourselves or anyone else. In other words, our personal belief in guilt, unworthiness and shame is a part of honor killings too.

I don’t share this in order to increase guilt. To increase guilt would only increase the problem. I share this to help wake us up to the same motivation that Jesus felt (“My life is a ransom for many.”) and that Buddha felt. I say this to help us make a firm commitment to be the miracle worker. How do we do that? By becoming committed to letting go of the belief that some people are better and some people are less/worse. That includes the personal self. We need to be willing to let go of the belief that we are guilty, unworthy, shameful, less than, lacking, etc.

True compassion is letting go of the believing that we do that is also a part of the world’s recurring problems. Some of us will be more motivated to let go of false beliefs when we do it from true compassion just as Jesus and Buddha did. When we are motivated by both the desire for personal peace and out of compassion for all beings, we have more motivation to overcome habitual false believing. And these false beliefs are habits. They are habits shared by everyone who has not yet learned that it doesn’t need to be this way.

The Two Spiritual Goals, by Liz Cronkite

September 2, 2016 By Regina Dawn Akers

No matter a person’s spiritual path there are only two possible goals: To spiritualize the self’s life in the world or to transcend the self. The vast majority of people choose to spiritualize the self’s life in the world. Even if they’ve had higher miracles in which they perceive that the Truth is true and that the world is not they do not feel called to transcend the self. Being aware of Truth improves their life in the world and this is enough for them.

But a few feel called to transcend the self usually because they’ve experienced the reality of Truth in either a direct Revelation (only Truth) or a higher miracle. They feel called to Truth because It is the Truth and nothing else will satisfy them. They are willing to be wholly free from guilt.

Even those who feel called to transcend the self will go through a stage of spiritualizing the self’s life in the world. It is an inevitable stage when embarking on a spiritual path because when you start out all you know is the self. But whether one is satisfied there or feels called to go beyond only the individual can know.

A Course in Miracles is a useful tool for both those seeking a “better way” and those called to transcend the self. But your goal will determine how you read ACIM and which teachers of it, if any, resonate with you. If what you want is a spiritualized life in the world then you will probably spend your life studying ACIM and perhaps other spiritual teachings. But if you are called to transcend the self then you will understand that you are in a long process. You will recognize that the passages in ACIM that are about spiritualizing the self describe a stage through which you will pass. You will eventually reach a point where ACIM, indeed all study, falls away naturally. So it is helpful to discern which goal calls to you. Is a better life in the world because the Holy Spirit (Awareness of Truth in your mind) is with you enough for you? Or are you drawn to Truth like metal to a magnet?

Obviously, anyone I work with is spiritualizing the self’s life. If they were past that point they would not need to work with a mentor. But are they satisfied there or do they feel called to go past the self? This question is always in my mind as I watch their stories unfold. It can help determine how I answer their questions and help them through their blocks. Some know the answer if I ask but unfortunately the majority will say anyway that they want to transcend the self because in their guilt they think that is “superior” to spiritualizing the self. (Of course it is not. Both are temporary and fall away in the end).

Of course one’s goal can change. One may begin by thinking they want to transcend the self but find in time that they are quite satisfied with a better life in the world. And someone who thinks that they are happy spiritualizing the self may have an experience of Truth that then calls them to go beyond it.

If you are honest with yourself, putting guilt aside and what you think you “should” answer, which is your goal? If you have clarity on this, even if it turns out to be temporary, you can take a lot of pressure off yourself now. If you want to spiritualize the self you don’t have to pursue ideas or study that go beyond this. You do not have to try to understand what does not call to you. And if you do feel called to drop the self you can acknowledge that, for the time being, you are in the stage of spiritualizing the self. You can enjoy it knowing that it will pass naturally. You do not have to force yourself to be beyond it now.

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