February 23, 2021

Today I begin with a quote from the Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman from his “Meditations of the Heart.

“There is in every person an inward sea, and in that sea there is an island and on that island there is an altar and standing guard before the altar is the ‘angel with the flaming sword.’ Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon the altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority. Nothing passes ‘the angel with the flaming sword’ to be placed upon your altar unless it be part of ‘the fluid area of your consent.’ This is your crucial link with the Eternal.”

This passage touched my heart as it was read at this Sunday’s worship at First Unitarian Church of San Jose. What do we consent to allow into our life and mind? This consent determines the world we see and experience in this moment.

Today’s lesson from A Course In Miracles is a review of 5 lessons from the past few weeks.

Lesson 54 –

Review of Lessons 16-20

(16) I have no neutral thoughts.

Neutral thoughts are impossible because all thoughts have power. They will either make a false world or lead me to the real one. But thoughts cannot be without effects. As the world I see arises from my thinking errors, so will the real world rise before my eyes as I let my errors be corrected. My thoughts cannot be neither true nor false. They must be one or the other. What I see shows me which they are.   W-pI.54.1:1-8

(17) I see no neutral things.

What I see witnesses to what I think. If I did not think I would not exist, because life is thought. Let me look on the world I see as the representation of my own state of mind. I know that my state of mind can change. And so I also know the world I see can change as well.   W-pI.54.2:1-6

(18) I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

If I have no private thoughts, I cannot see a private world. Even the mad idea of separation had to be shared before it could form the basis of the world I see. Yet that sharing was a sharing of nothing. I can also call upon my real thoughts, which share everything with everyone. As my thoughts of separation call to the separation thoughts of others, so my real thoughts awaken the real thoughts in them. And the world my real thoughts show me will dawn on their sight as well as mine.   W-pI.54.3:1-7

(19) I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.

I am alone in nothing. Everything I think or say or do teaches all the universe. A Child of God cannot think or speak or act in vain. They cannot be alone in anything. It is therefore in my power to change every mind along with mine, for mine is the power of God.   W-pI.54.4:1-6

(20) I am determined to see.

Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I am determined to see. I would look upon the witnesses that show me the thinking of the world has been changed. I would behold the proof that what has been done through me has enabled love to replace fear, laughter to replace tears, and abundance to replace loss. I would look upon the real world, and let it teach me that my will and the Will of God are one.   W-pI.54.5:1-5

What thoughts do we consent to give power to? The thoughts to which we give our power determine the world we see and experience. What thoughts and beliefs do you consent allow on your inner altar? There thoughts and beliefs determine the world you see and experience. Let us be determined to see clearly the real world.

February 16, 2021

Lesson 47 –

God is the strength in which I trust.

Let me begin by saying that I firmly believe we each get the teachings of the Course in our own way. Our higher Holy Spirit Self interprets each idea in a way that makes these teachings very personal – adapted to our own experience. That said, my experience of the Course’ teachings is uniquely mine. My hope and prayer is that you will benefit from my understanding even while you are being guided to your own understanding through your journey.

The Course teaches us that we are all One, that we are all connected at the level of Spirit. The Course also teaches that we are all One with God, we are all of One Mind, the Mind of God. I like to refer to this connectedness as Oneness. For me, this discards the idea that God is “out there” somewhere away form us. This may be a stretch for you right now, but I ask you to be a little open to this idea. I do know and realize that if I rely on my own strength it is often inadequate. It just seems that I don’t have enough. When I rely only on myself for strength, I am relying on my own egoic thought system – that false identity made on the basis of my belief that I am separate from everyone and God. When I trust in this egoic separate strength, it is woefully lacking. However, when I trust in the strength of Oneness (God) the strength I tap into is all powerful. The lesson offers this:

If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be apprehensive, anxious and fearful. What can you predict or control? What is there in you that can be counted on? What would give you the ability to be aware of all the facets of any problem, and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of it? What is there in you that gives you the recognition of the right solution, and the guarantee that it will be accomplished?   W-pI.47.1:1-5

The Course teaches us that we have all the strength we need. This strength is within us – meaning the collective us in Oneness. This strength is apparent when we are conscious of our connectedness in Oneness. The journey of the Course is the transformation of our awareness of who we really are in Oneness. It is a journey to reawaken the awareness of our holiness, our comopleteness, our strength. The journey brings us to the awareness of a deep peace and love that exist always within us whether or not we see it at any given moment. This lesson will help us reach past our own weakness to the Source of real strength. Try looking past the appearance of things that seem to make us weak to something deeper or higher that rings true to our higher consciousness.

Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with the situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will gain confidence. But the strength of God in you is successful in all things.   W-pI.47.5:1-4

As you sit with this idea, try to reach into your mind to a place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached it when you feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go of all the trivial things that churn and bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach beneath and beyond them to the Realm of Heaven, that place in you where there is perfect peace. This is a place in you where nothing is impossible. This is a place in you where the strength of Oneness abides. This is the real Self you are.

Remember that peace is our right, because we are giving our trust to the strength of Oneness within all of us. This peace, this strength, is our natural state of being. Nothing in this world can threaten that peace and strength when we join and rely on that Oneness.

February 9, 2021

Lesson 40 –

I am blessed as a Child of God.

As ones who have chosen to see and believe ourselves as separate and undeserving, we begin the process of learning to see ourselves differently – as we really are. We begin to open our minds to the idea that we are holy, that we are complete, that we are whole. This may seem very foreign to what we believe about ourselves. We can start by beginning to see ourselves as blessed. This is a place to begin. If we narrow our perception to just the present moment, we may begin to find a release, a freedom we may not have been aware of midst the chaos of the world. Right now, in this present moment, we have all we need. In this moment we are OK. In this instant we are perhaps willing to open just a little to new possibilities.

Why wouldn’t we be blessed? We are created by our Creator in that Creator’s image. Whatever name we use for our Creator – God, Oneness, Spirit – we are created in that  image. Could our Creator be something we don’t want to be like? Perhaps we have made an image that is less than holy and loving. Where did that image develop? We can take a new look and be open to having been mistaken. I remember years ago when I was struggling with the idea of a judgmental God and feeling like I was unworthy. One day amidst the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada I came to the realization that God could not be so unloving as to condemn God’s Creation. It just didn’t make any sense to me. From that moment on I felt a weight lifted from me. I began to open to all the blessings that flowed in my life. Kirtana, a singer/songwriter I love, wrote a song titled “Sweet Streams” that spoke to me. The message is that blessings are continuously coming our way and that only our denial and unwillingness to receive them keeps them away from us.

So, we begin to open ourselves to a few blessings. This lesson will start that process. We probably won’t be completely convinced this minute, but we need to start somewhere and begin to open to the change this attitude will bring. Today’s lesson begins thus:

Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you are entitled, being what you are.   W-pI.40.1:1

The lesson tells us to think this idea often, very often. We welcome such happy thoughts and a bounty of blessings coming our way. Some may appear to be material, but the blessings that never stop giving are the formless ones. They bring love and peace, comfort and release. They put our minds at ease and allow us to rest. Take the time today to visit this idea often. The lesson says every 10 minutes, but as often as it occurs to us is sufficient.

I am blessed as a Child of God. I am blessed as a Child of Oneness. I am blessed as a spiritual being. I am blessed period!

Let this idea seep into your mind and find yourself abundantly blessed beyond all imagination. This is the awakening of our consciousness. This is reconnection with the Oneness we are. Let it be so – right now.

February 2, 2021

Lesson 33 –

There is another way of looking at the world.

The lessons and teachings of the Course are designed to help us correct the way we see the world, ourselves, and each other. We each see the world through the lens of our past experiences. Some we have been taught. Some we have deduced for ourselves to the best of our abilities at the time. I think we all have seen that no two people see the same event in the same way. Sometimes we wonder if this person was really at the same event we were at. The same is true in how we see – or perceive – the world. Our egoic thought system is incapable of looking at the world objectively with no prejudice or judgement. So, no matter how objectively we think we are seeing the world, there is always another way to see this world. The lessons are about learning to see the real world rather than the world we seem to see.

Today’s idea is an attempt to recognize that you can shift your perception of the world in both its outer and inner aspects.   W-pI.33.1:1

The Course tells us the world we see is an illusion. It is merely our own perception of what we see. Thus, we can change or reinterpret what we see. This idea can be daunting when we believe that what we think we see is real. Shifting our perception of the world is not a task meant to be undertaken alone. We may seem to be alone and separate in this world. Yet, even that is a mistaken idea. Whatever our spiritual beliefs, we are all connected with Spirit and each other on a higher spiritual level or level of consciousness, which I like to  call Oneness. We cannot be separated from this Oneness no matter what we believe about ourselves. Perhaps we can begin by just entertaining the idea that there is another way to see the world.

We begin by simply looking around us and considering this possibility about each thing we see. We are not expected to immediately see a transformed world, for that’s a giant leap from where we may be right now. Let yourself just keep an open mind to the possibility of this idea. We have all the time we need to make this journey. So, allow Spirit or Oneness to be your guide. This shift is done in steps customized to each one’s own needs and pace.

Be patient with yourself. We have begun this journey with a desire to see change in our perception and the world. The journey takes time. It is our own journey even as we share it with each other, too. When it appears upsetting, step away for a moment and take a breath or two. We are whole, we are complete, we are limitless, and we have all we need to remember our wholeness and holiness. We have each other’s support even if we can’t see it right now. Relax and allow yourself to be guided by the wisdom and light within that knows the Holy One you really are. Peace and Love are there within you waiting to be shared with all in Oneness.