March 27, 2012

Appearances deceive us, for appearances change. As we move through life, the world around us appears to change. But what really changes? It’s really our thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about the world that change. Our thoughts, ideas, and beliefs are the appearances we seem to see. If what we see changes, or can change, or we want to change, it is unreality. Reality is changeless. No thought or desire of change can make reality subject to change. So the wavering appearances of what we think is real is not reality. It is merely our perception based on our perceptions based on conclusions and judgments made in isolation.

The place we work this perception out is in our relationships. Do we see the reality of another we have encountered? Do we see them as God and Spirit see them? Do we see them whole and changeless? Or do we drift to how they appear to us at that moment? Does that appearance change from time? Do we see a lack in them? Are we recognizing ourselves in that one we are with right now? As we open ourselves to Spirit’s guidance we begin to see beyond the appearances we made up. We look beyond the judgments we have made about them. And we begin to see the Christ within them. We recognize the Divinity within them that is so familiar because it is the same Divinity within ourselves.

That Divinity speaks the truth of who we really are. It calls to all creation for the joining in our One Divine Presence. It is unchanging, for it is not of form, but is of Truth. It seems illogical that form cannot be changeless, but form is defined by our thoughts about form! Thus form is appearance and can change subject to our own thoughts.

Divine light shines within us from the One Source. We recognize that light in each other as we allow ourselves to see with Spirit’s eyes. We all have Spirit’s eyes. This vision allows the miracle of healing to come in us. The miracle is the seeing beyond appearances. The miracle transcends all appearances so we see reality. Withhold no appearance from the miracle offered. Let no attachment to any appearance keep you from seeing the whole of reality. Peace, joy, and love are there in that reality, offered so we may recognize the truth of who we really are. Let us take each other by the hand and let go of all the appearances we had held so dear and walk joyfully into the presence of the Christ, the light and bliss of reality. It is our reality.

March 20, 2012

As we go about our lives in this world, our interpretation of this world is in continual flux. We give the meaning anything has to everything we see and experience. And as we have new experiences we sometimes see new things and give them their meaning, or we change the meaning of things we have already given a meaning to. In our mind, our thoughts and ideas are always changing and adding to what we have already experienced and interpreted. In this way we write a script for each little bit of our lives, writing new scenes and acts for each new episode in our lives.

However, in the real world – the world seen through the eyes of Spirit – there is only one meaning for everything. That one meaning must apply to everything in order to be consistent and true. When anything is seen or understood clearly there can be no change in its meaning no matter what happens in the world of form. This idea certainly seems insane to us. Certainly everything can’t have the same meaning. What we must be willing to accept and understand is that the meaning we have given anything is based on incomplete information, an incomplete picture, and an incomplete or separated mind. We have tried to judge, understand, and perceive on our own – in isolation – without benefit of counsel.

Most of us would never dare try to navigate our court system without the benefit and guidance of a qualified attorney. Yet we are very willing to navigate the myriad paths of life without the aid of a qualified guide. We dive into the fray of life, many times without a clue of what we are in for, and try to make our way out of the messes in which we find ourselves in any way we can. And every moment we write a new script for the dream we are dreaming at that moment. We do our best. We do our very best. But we are missing a whole lot of crucial information to guide ourselves smoothly on the way. Sometimes we even find ourselves unnecessarily moving backwards rather than forward.

We need not be so confused, afraid, and unsure. Source – God – has provided us with counsel to guide us on the path. Spirit guides us in our perception to the correct perception for us in any given situation. The correct meaning will be evident in that new perception, that new interpretation that flows from Sprit within us. And that new meaning will be a shared meaning that we share with another, our brother or sister. Spirit always has the correct meaning for us at any given moment. It is our choice whether we perceive in isolation on our own or allow our mind to share in the most appropriate shared meaning Spirit guides us to. And as we share this higher meaning with those we are in relationship with, those relationships are healed. We experience the miracle of healing of our minds as we let our thoughts be guided by Spirit and the Mind of God. Then, as the song goes, “the world will be a better place, for you, and me…” Let it be so.

March 13, 2012

The Course asks us to let ourselves see beyond all appearances. That’s all appearances. If we are not willing to allow ourselves to see beyond all appearances, we are reserving the idea that some or a few appearances are real and thus not illusion. Looking beyond appearances is impossible to do when we approach doing so from our ego or separated mind. We have become attached to the appearances we think we see and the way we have always seen the world we live in. But as we are willing to let Spirit guide us, we begin to see beyond our first impressions based on our thoughts and ideas about how we see the world and others to a new appearance that reveals the truth about ourselves and each other. We see beyond the appearance of a separate body, limited and wrong, to the true essence of who we really are. We begin to see each other as God created and sees us. We recognize the Divine that is within all of creation that can never be denied.

Forgiveness is the process of letting ourselves see beyond appearances. It starts as all transformation starts with being willing, nothing more. We cannot be transformed unless we are willing to let ourselves be transformed. The willingness is the most difficult part. Once we entertain the idea of being willing to forgive, to see differently, to change our mind, we have opened the door to the infinite wisdom and power within us that is Divine. Spirit which is already within us directs our seeing, our forgiving, and the changing of our mind. Sprit reminds us of our own Oneness with God and each other and allows us to change our perception and see with Spirit eyes and love with Spirit hearts, and think with Sprit minds, the Mind of God that we all share.

As the Course has told us before, forgiveness is total. There can be no holding back of any forgiveness. It must be complete. For if we hold back any forgiveness, we have made some illusion seem real. We have reserved the thought that some thought or idea has power over the Divine and thus given power to that reserved thought to keep us from the full awareness of who we really are. The awareness of our true nature and being is unimaginably freeing. But if we reserve some bit of limitation or some bit of captivity, we are not free. We are either free or not. What would being almost free look like? Almost free is certainly not free in anyone’s definition. Forgiveness must also be complete and total.

Forgiveness, looking beyond all appearances, then brings healing. Healing is also total or complete. Who in their right mind would deny anyone any part of healing? Allow forgiveness to be complete and total. Hold no idea or thought back from the freedom of forgiveness. Complete freedom is our birthright. It is our gift from the Source given to us a t our creation. Be whole in the miracle of healing. Wholeness never left us, we simply forgot who we really are and believed it was true.

March 6, 2012

Do we really understand forgiveness? Do we use it for its intended purpose? Is our use of forgiveness justified? We may have a misperception of forgiveness. It’s a word that may carry a lot of baggage for us. We have been asked to forgive all our lives and yet may not have understood what we were doing. Understanding what the Course means by forgiveness is a very important perception to correct in order to begin to perceive the world correctly and understand who we really are.

Forgiveness is not pardon for an attack we perceive as having really occurred. For if we perceive attack we are perceiving incorrectly in the first place. As a result we cannot forgive correctly. If I forgive another for attacking me, I believe that I can be attacked and I reinforce that idea as I “forgive” while I carry around the idea that another has wronged me, is guilty and has hurt me. I have misperceived who I and another are. I have made both of us something we are not in my mind and through my thoughts.

But we can change this. We can change our thoughts. We can allow Spirit to show us a better way to perceive ourselves and each other. The forgiveness the Course asks us to extend is the changing of our mind to see correctly what has happened. We can see who we really are. We can see who another really is. We can understand that what we thought was an attack is not real and cannot hurt us. We can see that it is nothing more than a call for love. We can see and understand that at that moment another is crying out for the love they have separated themselves form recognizing within them and all they come in contact with. Forgiveness is the recognition we are in a separated state of consciousness, not our natural state of being. And as we recognize we are dreaming, we can allow ourselves to awaken to the real world and the awareness of our natural state of being.

Forgiveness is joyful, for it brings our awareness back to our natural state as we recognize ourselves as who we really are and always have been. It frees another and ourselves of all the mistaken perceptions we have loaded each other down with. In forgiving we set each other free to soar to the heights of peace, love, and joy that are already within us. Forgiving is letting go. Set the world free. You will also set yourself free. And you will recognize the Divinity that has always been in and around you. Let it be.

February 28, 2012

The text we are looking at talks about the purpose of the real world. Do we understand what the real world even is? Do we understand the difference between the real world and the world we think we see? The real world is a way of perceiving and seeing the world a correctly. Our tendency is to see the world through the lens of fear, or incorrect perception. This is the way we tend to perceive or interpret all we see 6throught the lens of all our past ideas and thoughts without the benefit of Spirit’s vision.

In an earlier section of this chapter we looked at how we make decisions. We began to learn to ask Spirit for help when making decisions rather than making them alone or separated from Spirit. Asking for guidance gives us access to the wisdom of God that is already ours. Being in touch with the Divine within through remembering to consult Spirit brings us into the awareness of who we really are. It draws back the veil and pushes away the fog that clouds our vision so long separated from the awareness of the Divine within. Fear begins to fade away from our mind as we allow the Mind of God to come to the front of our awareness.

The real world is a world without fear and filled with love. We understand the thoughts of idols and how they affect our thinking and our awareness. In the real world we still see how idols distract us ad we understand the illusion of power they bring. Yet we also understand the power is illusion and not real. In the real world we can forgive the illusion. We understand the misperception of one another and we see the face of Christ shining from one another. No matter where another may be at with their thoughts and understanding, we recognize the Truth about who they really are and understand they are acting out their misperceived ideas rooted in their belief they are separate.

Take a moment to step aside and let go of any fear. Look into another’s eyes and see the face of Christ within them. Recognize the Divine Oneness within that one and recognize your own true Self there. The real world is Heaven on earth. It is full of joy, love, peace, and an understanding that comes from the Source within us that is our Co-Creator. Recognize your Self there. And live life fully in the awareness of the unity of all Creation, the awareness of who we really are. Here we rest in our being.

February 21, 2012

In reality nothing is required for salvation, to be in safety. We are already safe. We are already in our natural state of Oneness which we have never left. And in the world of form, illusions, or dreams, very little is required for the awareness of salvation and safety. We need only forgiveness. We need only recognize that we are dreaming, that our perceived reality is merely a dream that we can choose to let go of at any moment we recognize it doesn’t serve us. It really is that simple.

God created us whole and perfect and an extension of God, inseparable from God. This is a fact, a truth that cannot be undone. We can choose to think differently of ourselves and believe our made up dream is real, but it never changes the fact, the truth of who we really are. We make up idols that we think will serve us well. Those idols let us down, never living up to our expectations of them. Everything we encounter we hurriedly make up explanations for, based on how we perceive our past experiences. And then we give them a life of their own and are surprised, disappointed, angry, fearful at what they seem to have become. Like the toys we are initially afraid of, we enjoy and are entertained by as we get used to how they function, and then get upset and angry with as they let our expectations down, our dreams we confuse with reality frighten, pleasure, and let us down when we place our trust and our well being in them.

Spirit s there within us to guide and inspire us. Spirit knows and holds the memory for us of our true being, the awareness of who we really are. We carry within us our Divine nature, our Divinity, our Oneness and connection to God. The acceptance of forgiveness is the willingness to let go of our attachment to the dream we made up about ourselves. Our dreams are where the idols and toys lie, fading away at the turning of our awareness from separation to Unity and Oneness. The world of form is here to lead us back to this awareness. Every experience, every encounter, every idea is an opportunity to see with the eyes of Spirit, and let go of our mistaken perception of ourselves and our lives.

Next time you think of it, step back for just a moment and ask yourself “What ad how am I thinking?” Do we think with the mind of Spirit, or the mind of the ego, the mind of separation? We may not realize it right now, but we always have this choice. We always have this opportunity. We just don’t take the moment to bring the awareness of that opportunity forward. We are always in a hurry on our way to salvation, safety, home, when we are unaware that we are already there. Let go of it all, everything for just a moment. Make it a purposeful decision to make thinking with the Mind of God a habit. Let that habit replace the habit of thinking apart from the Mind of God. And practice! My teachers always told me “practice makes perfect.” Make a conscious effort to practice thinking with the Mind of God. What could be more perfect than that?

February 14, 2012

We have no need to fear or defend ourselves against our dreams. They do not threaten us in any way. Our only mistake is that we thought they were real! It seems so simple, yet we still place our trust in those dreams that seem so real. They take so many forms in our minds. And they appear to change before our very eyes. They may first startle us and we fear them. Nest we get used to them and they become friendly and act the way we expect the, to. And then they change again and let us down or fail us in some unexpected way. They fail us because we place our trust in them without fully understanding them.

We make up the rules of what something is. We place our expectations on it and think that it is as we perceive and will act as we perceive. Then, all of a sudden, it does something completely unexpected that startles us that we don’t like. Then we get used to that new characteristic and enjoy that. And then pretty soon it fails us again and doesn’t act the way we thought it should. The Course uses the example of a Jack-in-the-box. It is a box that plays music. We like turning the crank and making it play the little ditty. Then the lid unexpectedly flies open and a clown pops up at us. Once we understand this is the way the Jack-in-the-box works, we enjoy the surprise as we never quite know when it will pop open, but we know what to expect and enjoy the surprise. Then the mechanism breaks and we are disappointed in the toy, get frustrated with it, or get hurt on it. It’s still no more than a toy.

Our dreams and our idols are just like a toy. We make up the rules for them. They play out on the screen of our mind as we wish them to. As we get used to those dreams and idols, we place our trust in them and trust them to always act the same. Then we throw something else in the mix and the dream changes for us in some unexpected way. We thought our dream was reality and truth, but it let us down. But that dream is nothing ore than an illusion playing out on the screen of our mind.

What would happen if we changed our focus? Truth and reality are always present no matter how mistaken our thoughts may be at the moment. Our dreams may be in the forefront of our mind, but Truth is always there behind it. Let the focus our perception shift to look past the dream to the Truth behind it. All of a sudden understanding of our experiences clears and we begin to perceive with the eyes of Spirit. Spirit’s understanding is there for the asking. We only need be willing to ask to see the Truth behind the illusion, the dream, and the idol. Take that moment, step back, observe your illusion on the screen of your mind, and see beyond to the reality of God and Spirit. Forgiveness is the recognition of the dream, the illusion. Let it be recognized for what it is. The light of reality will shine through.

February 7, 2012

It is Our Will to be complete. It is Our Will to be whole. And, it is God’s Will to be complete and whole. Our Will and God’s Will are one and the same. To be aware of our completeness, our wholeness is to be who we really are. It is our function, our purpose, to be who we really are, complete and whole. We have no need of anything outside ourselves to be who we really are, complete and whole, One with God and all creation. Completeness and wholeness are formless. They are limitless, and cannot be contained or made separate. And yet we continually try to find our function and purpose in form.

The moment we look outside ourselves for our purpose and our function, we have begun to limit ourselves. We begin to look to some form of an idea we think is outside ourselves that we think will make us complete. We have unwittingly made ourselves seem separate, unconnected, 8ncomplete, or not whole. This form takes on a form we give it and thus becomes limited. It becomes an idol, some idea or thing we think will make us whole. But something not whole cannot contain everything. God has everything there is and ever was. And God has shared it wholly with us as we are created One with God. Look away from the limited idea or form, the idol we think will make us whole. Look within to the vast abundance of God and Spirit. We are there smack in the middle of that wealth of love, peace, and joy. We are right there in the midst of everything we have ever really wanted, ad yet don’t recognize it.

As we accept the completeness of who we already are we begin to let that wholeness permeate all of our life in this world we call our existence. We call on Spirit to guide our decisions, realizing that we have no conflict with the Will of Spirit which is our true Will. The Grace of Spirit shines its light on all the world and, for awhile, we live in the realm of Heaven on earth. The peace, love, and joy of Spirit wells up from deep within us and spill forth to every corner of our being. Let go of those limited thoughts ad ideas. Recognize them for the limited idols they are. Sink luxuriously into the awareness of who we really are and be the Light of the world. Let your light shine with the peace, love, and joy that is our true being.

January 31, 2012

Freedom is the height of what we really want and desire. But we have a confused idea of what freedom is. Much of our idea of freedom is actually limitation. So we become bound by what we think freedom is. Ultimate freedom is to be completely surrendered to and immersed in the limitless abundance of all God has given us…everything, all there is ever was, and ever will be. This abandon is characterized by the experience of limitless and unconditional love, peace, and joy! We are one with God, inseparable as we are created by God. All that God is is all that we are.

But we tend to separate ourselves from that freedom. We put limits on our perception of who we are and judge each other to be less than who we are. Our will is the Will of God, yet we choose to be apart from our will and choose to fear each other or part of God. The fear we think is really what separates us from our freedom, because we don’t see clearly. What we see and perceive is mistaken. We see each other and the world as of through a fog or a veil, obscuring the reality of what we are looking at.

We already have the eyes of Spirit, of higher understanding. But we have obscured that vision with fear and lack of trust. We have decided to trust our limited perception guided by a split mind, disconnected from God, rather than the Mind of God and Spirit that dwells within us. Opposing God’s Will is actually opposing our own True Will. Is it any wonder we experience fear? We are pushing ourselves away from our true self, from the knowing we know deep within us that comes from Truth. This Truth has always been with us. We co-created it with God. We have always been that creation. And Spirit within us, always there is there reminding us of who we really are every moment of every hour. Stop a moment, step back from whatever thought or decision we are facing. Ask Skirt fro guidance in whatever se are facing. Be it major or trivial, ask. The answer will come. The knowing will well up from deep within. And you will find a deep peace in that answer. Let yourself experience the freedom of will, beyond the idols of your own separated thoughts.

January 24, 2012

The only meaningful decision we ever have to make is the decision to ask for guidance in making decisions, choices, or judgments. Even though our true nature is unchangeable, we have the choice to decide with the aid of the ego, separation, or with the aid of Spirit, our Oneness or higher consciousness. For when we fight Spirit, we fight ourselves! The decision to ask for the guidance of Spirit is the choice for Heaven, Love, and Peace. Isn’t that what we are really seeking? Every moment of every day is the opportunity to make this choice. Spirit is there within us waiting for us to just ask. And when we do ask, and act accordingly, we will find that our perception of the world has changed and we see the same world completely differently through the eyes of Spirit.

Our freedom comes in our decision to ask Spirit’s guidance. Our Will is God’s Will. They are one and the same, yet we seem apt to wander off on our own and choose the ego’s will which will always be the illusion of separation. It is our true will to be happy. It is God’s will we be happy. It is Spirit’s will we be happy. It is ego’s will we be separate and therefore unhappy. Why don’t w see this? It is time to set aside our need to be right no matter what and ask Spirit for guidance. Spirit’s guidance is already in us. It is within the Mind of God, which is our Mind, to as we are One with God. We are the creator of creation, we just don’t see it through our creator eyes, so we misperceive the world we see.

We already have all we need. We already have all there is. We already are the creator of all we have ever really sought. We have just misperceived what we see because we looked through the fog and veil of separation. Draw the veil aside. Wave the fog away. Choose and decide with the guidance of the higher Mind within. The world we see that seems like hell will shift to heaven as we learn to see, decide, and choose with the vision of Spirit. The ancient memory of who we really are will sound its song and we will remember the way of Oneness. Decide with Spirit and let the Truth of Oneness spread its wings and transform this world we thought we knew into one we know we know. Let it be so.