January 7, 2014

In the previous section we learned the first lesson Spirit would have us begin with:  “To have, give all to all.”  This may seem insane or at least conflicted since we are using a thought system based on the idea of separation rather than Oneness.  It certainly raises conflict in our minds since we usually think we need to get to have.  Much of our lives up to this point have been rooted in this concept.  Spirit is beginning to undo the learning we have taught ourselves over the course of our lives.  Spirit asks us to be uncomfortable for a while, since we are being asked to consider conflicting ideas as we move toward a seemingly new thought system.  Fear not, Spirit will not lead us wrong.

We return to the fact that we teach what we learn.  Whether it is correct or not, we still teach what we learn.  Whatever thought system we have chosen to operate by, we must believe it.  Otherwise it would make no sense to have adopted it.  And we hold allegiance to anything we believe in.  Understanding this concept is key to accepting the idea that if we want to change anything we must find a way to be willing to change it.  The willingness must come from us.  We can choose to be willing.  We always have that choice.  Spirit needs that choice to be able to work with us in making the change we want to happen.

Once we have chosen to change our way of thinking, living with conflict in our mind is a challenge.  It can make us very uncomfortable and we may wonder whether we are insane at times.  We are given the next lesson to begin learning and take us another step in our decision to change our thought system.  None of us can deny we want to be at peace and live in a state of peace of mind.    We may not yet be in a state of being that is peace, but we certainly can begin to have peace of mind, a way of perceiving that is peaceful.  As the Course teaches us that we are what we teach, we can have peace by teaching it to learn it.  One might ask, “How can we teach what we are learning?”  The answer to this is with the guidance of Spirit.  Once we make the choice to be willing to change our thought system, we allow Spirit to guide us.  The common thread throughout the Course is allowing Sprit to guide the change in our ways of perceiving resulting in the change of our thought system.  Spirit guides us step by step from the belief in a lower thought system rooted in the belief we are separate to a higher thought system rooted in the belief we are One with our Source, each other, and all of Creation.  In this transformation we return to the awareness of who we really are.  We realize we simply lost our awareness of the truth about ourselves.  Now, at our choosing, we can return to the awareness of what has always been.  It will take time and vigilance to make this choice consistent, for we spent all our lives learning our misperception of who we are.  But Sprit guides us.

Take a moment now and begin the journey back to the awareness of who you really are.  Choose to have peace by teaching it to learn it.  Allow Spirit to guide you in the transformation of your thought system.  Peace is just a thought away.  Let it be your thought right now.

December 17, 2013

All that is real is shared.  There is no separation in reality.  The real Mind is also shared and cannot be separated.  Peace, Love and Joy can only be shared, for they are real, too.  I can’t imagine what peace, love, and joy would be in isolation or separateness.  What value do any of these have if they are not shared?  They cannot help but be shared by their very nature.  Life is of the Mind, so life is also shared and cannot be separated.  Our true state of being is life.  It is shared.  We have a built in desire to share, to be in communication, to be in the awareness of our Oneness with God and all Creation.  This is who we really are and what we are searching for in our illusory state of unawareness.

As we approach the Christmas season, we many times get caught up in all the busy-ness of the season.  We forget to stop a moment and reflect on the messages that float by so fast in our busy minds.  What happened to Peace on earth, good will to all?  It’s very easy to lose sight of who we really are in the hubbub of the shopping and the parties and the concerts.  It’s especially important during this season to stop a moment and reflect on the truth of who we really are.  It’s important to remember that we are whole and that we are One with our Source, our Creator.  We are all connected at the level of Mind, at the level of Spirit.  Nothing can threaten that Oneness.  Only our letting down our vigilance will let us fall out of the awareness of who we really are and sink us into the turmoil of the chaos of the world of separation.  Take the time to remind yourself to be vigilant for Spirit.

This is a time of letting go of the old and bringing in the new.  Letting the idea of separateness die with the winter and rebirthing the awareness of our true self and the awareness of who we really are.  See the real Christ presence reflected in every one we encounter.  Let the Divine presence in each one shine brightly as we join in the sharing of our One Mind that is our true Mind.  Take the time for communication with the One we all are this season.  Anything worth having is worth giving.  And by giving all to all, we have all.  Sharing is the extending of all that is worth having.  Peace, love, and joy are increased by sharing, so share away and find yourself smack in the middle of peace, love, and joy.  It’s inescapable!  Have a wonderful holiday season and extend it to all you encounter.

Welcome to A Course In Miracles San Jose!  This site serves the Tuesday Evening Study Group that meets every Tuesday in downtown San Jose.  Information about the group, meeting place and time is found on the Tuesday Eve Study Group tab along with a link to subscribe to a weekly reflection on the text we are reading.  The weekly reflections will also appear below on this blog page.  We will also post other information of interest to the larger ACIM community as it becomes available. We are happy you found us here.  Enjoy your journey and know you are whole, complete, and loved just as you are.

December 10, 2013

The Holy Spirit is our teacher.  Spirit provides all the lessons we need.  Spirit teaches our lessons through whatever experience or encounter we are engaged in at any moment.  Each lesson is exactly what we need at that moment.  If we don’t learn our lesson in one encounter, then it will be taught again through another experience.  Spirit is the bridge that connects our lower mind to our higher Spirit mind and Oneness.  Spirit holds the memory of who we really are for us and reminds us quietly and continuously of that truth.  We carry within our higher mind the reality of who we are and that never leaves us.  This week’s ACIM Thought is, “There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and have not lost.” (WB-164:4:2)  Know that our true nature has never left us.  We can return to that awareness any time we choose.

Our body is an idea we made up to reinforce our mistaken idea of separation.  But the body is also a learning device Spirit uses to teach us the lessons we need to return to the awareness of who we really are.  The lessons take many forms, yet each one is used by Spirit to point us in the direction we need to turn.  We are moving from an upside down world that appears right side up to us from an upside down thought system to a right side up thought systems that perceives a right side up world.  It’s no wonder the world seems confusing to us when we are left to our own devices.  Spirit is the great corrector that rights our perception as we move through this journey returning to the awareness of who we really are.

We begin this journey with a first lesson:  “To have all, give all to all.”  “All” is contained within the Mind of God, the Mind we are all One with.  It is not physical.  It is not tangible to our lower thought system.  “All” can only be shared.  It is the free communication of the Mind of God.  It is the web of extension from all of Creation to all of Creation.  There is no limitation in the Realm of God.  And we can experience this Divine abundance while we still walk this journey in perception.  Spirit walks with us to guide us on this journey through perception.  Living in the awareness of who we really are does not require the body to die or disappear.  It requires only our willingness to shift our perception and change our minds and allow Spirit to guide us in our thoughts.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It is our choice in the present moment.  We either choose to allow Spirit to guide us, or we don’t.  We then choose again the next moment.  What is your heart’s desire?  Is it peace, joy, and love?  Or is it something other than that?  It’s your choice.  Choose Spirit’s way and let it be so.

December 3, 2013

We teach what we are.  More accurately stated; We teach what we believe we are.  The most convincing teaching is teaching by example.  This teaching happens continuously and without any real effort.  We learn this way whether we realize it or not.  Most of what we learn through our life we learn as we observe the world around us and apply what we see to our own lives.  The clearer our perception, the more correct our learning is.  So, if we are perceiving with the eyes of Spirit and using our Divine vision, we will learn the correct perception of what we see.  If we perceive with the eyes of separation, separation is what we will learn and thus teach.

Source does not teach for Source created perfect and whole.  Source sees all as it really is, without any separation, and knows that it is whole and good.  We are created in Source’s image and are One with Source and all of Creation.  It is our own mistaken perception that has made us believe we are separate form Source and each other.  We have mistakenly identified as a body and have limited our perception of ourselves as a result.  What we believe about ourselves we make seem real about ourselves even if it is not true.  It’s really very simple.  If we believe we are separate from Source, limited and not whole, that is what we will seem to be.  But if we believe we are whole and created One with God, then that is what we will seem to be in this world.

We can easily return to the awareness of who we really are.  Source has not left finding the answer to our limited perception of who we are.  That shift in perception would be impossible to our separated thought system.  Source has provided us with Spirit to guide us and direct the changes in thinking and perception we need.  We are already whole.  We always have been and always will be whole.  When we begin to believe we are whole and recognize that wholeness within us, we will teach just that.  Each lesson we learn about our wholeness and our Divine essence becomes the lesson we will teach each other just by being who we really are.  There is no convincing.  There is no debate.  There is simply the extending of the Love we are by recognizing it in ourselves and sharing it with each other.  An immense shift happens in our consciousness.  We remember the Divine Spirit being we really are and we see the Divine Spirit being we all are in each other.  Limits fall away.  The world we see is transformed.  We will understand and perceive the world with a new understanding that sees the correct lesson to be taught and learned in each encounter.  We have become the Realm of Heaven on this earth.  And all is good.  And so what we believe we see.

November 26, 2013

There really is only one answer to whatever we are dealing with in our lives.  It can manifest in many forms and present in many ways, but at the root of all there is only one answer.  The reason there is only one answer is that there is only one question that really matters.  Even the one question is unnecessary except that we have caused a need to ask it.  The question we must ask and answer is, “Who are we?”  Our mistaken answer to this question is the reason we need to answer it correctly for ourselves.  If we had never thought ourselves separate from Source and who we really are, we would have no need to seek this answer.  But, because we have mistakenly thought ourselves separate from others and Source, we must answer the question correctly to return to the awareness of who we really are.

It may seem such an oversimplification of the problem, but it really is that simple.  We blocked our awareness of our Oneness with Spirit, God, each other, and all of Creation simply by believing we are something other than who we really are.  We didn’t change who we are.  We simply blocked our awareness of who we are.  Everything else we perceive about our lives, ourselves, and the world we live in is based on a mistaken perception.  Is it any wonder we are confused and frightened.  When we base all our perception on a mistaken concept, there is no anchor for our mind.  With no real anchor we drift about on the seas of our perception at the mercy of unfounded perceptions of perceptions.  We need to find that anchor and secure it.

We find the answer to the question in the Holy Spirit.  Spirit is our anchor.  Spirit knows who we really are.  It has never been deceived by any misperception about who we really are.  Spirit knows we are the One Holy Child of God.  It knows we can never be anything else.  It knows we are not separate from the Source that created us.  As we drift about in our misperception about who we are, Spirit holds fast to our true Self knowing we can never be anything other than our true Self.  Spirit knows we cannot do any real harm to ourselves in this mistaken misperceived world.  It knows we will return, one way or another, to the awareness of our true state of being, so It calls to us gently, quietly reminding us of our Oneness, of our holy and whole nature.  We are extensions of Peace and Love and so are Peace and Love.  As we return to the awareness of that Peace and Love within us we see and perceive the world and each other in a seemingly new light.  Everything we experience and encounter in this life is a reminder of who we really are.  And once we remember that, we are the Light that guides each other to that same awareness.

The answer is always “Turn to Spirit.  Let Spirit guide you.”  It doesn’t matter where we are or what’s happening.  Allowing Spirit to guide us in any situation will lead us to the correct answer to the question.  We are the One Holy Child of God.  Let the truth of that answer rise to your mind and be who you really are.  Spirit is waiting.  Let yourself be guided by that Spirit to the awareness of you True Divine Identity.

November 19, 2013

“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”  The Course gives us this instruction which is a golden nugget of wisdom.  What would the world look like if we lived by this instruction?  We have lots of excuses, of course.  But the truth is if we apply this to ourselves, we would be at home.  We would be dwelling in the Realm of Heaven, at peace, and experiencing the joy of Spirit.  Teaching love is extending love.  Love cannot be projected because it is always shared.  Love cannot be divided or separated.  Love is total and unconditional or it is not real love.  Love is complete.

To truly extend love we must give up our attachment to any kind of attack.  This includes any kind of defense, too.  We have been taught that we are whole and that we have never not been whole.  Any idea that is divisive is not based in Truth.  Even the simple idea that we need to be seen as right is a form of attack.  The ideas we hold about ourselves have power, the power to perceive the world we see.   If we hold the idea that we can attack, we give power to that idea and thus teach others they can attack and attack is OK.  However, we have given power to an idea that is impossible in the real world.  Truth cannot be attacked and so the idea of attack has no real power.  We just think we can attack and so separate ourselves from the awareness of who we really are, thus making attack appear real.  So we must teach only one lesson, the lesson of love.

Love is the lesson Spirit teaches us when we ask for guidance.  Love is the lesson Spirit teaches us, no matter in what form the lesson comes.    To extend love is to see the reality of wholeness in another.  Love extends from the Mind of God which is our true mind.  Spirit connects our little or lower mind with the Mind of God when our belief in our separateness blocks our awareness of who we really are.  No matter what the world places in our daily living, there is an opportunity to extend love and thus heal in that situation.  Spirit guides us to the words and actions we need to use to be truly helpful.  Extending love will always be truly helpful.  And Spirit will always guide us to extend love.

All that is real is Love.  God creates only Love.  We are created in Love and are extensions of Love.  Our true essence is Love.  Our true state of being is Love.  The only thing we can really extend is what we really are and that is Love.  Teaching only Love is our purpose in this world.  We can only teach what we believe about ourselves.  What and who do we believe we are?  That belief determines what we teach others.  Spirit asks us only to believe the truth about who we are, that we are whole, One with God and One with each other and all Creation.  All thoughts of separation and attack are mistaken.  Reconnect with the reality of the Love we truly are.  Spirit is waiting to guide us in that awareness.  Listen to the call of Love within you.  Peace and joy are waiting within you for you to take notice.  And teach only what you really are – Love!

November 12, 2013

The Holy Spirit is within us.  No matter what we think or how we feel at any given moment, Spirit is with us, within us, and inseparable from us.  Sprit is our connection to the Mind of God, even when we have lost sight of it.  Spirit is our higher Holy Spirit Self.  When we have lost our awareness of who we really are, Spirit holds that knowledge for us.  Spirit carries our wholeness with us when we have chosen to perceive ourselves and each other incorrectly.  We may perceive that we have left the Mind of God, Oneness, but Spirit holds reality for us.  As Spirit holds that reality of Oneness for us, It quietly calls us back to the awareness of who we really are.  It systematically uses all we encounter and experience to teach us correct perception and return us to the Oneness, the Mind of God, we never left.

We have a choice.  We can make it easy or difficult to return to the awareness of who we really are.  We may, in wrong-mindedness, realize we are separated from the Mind of God.  The split mind can accept that idea.  But, the split mind finds it very difficult to accept the idea that returning to the awareness of our One-mindedness is simple.  It prefers to believe it is very difficult if not impossible.  Spirit walks with us continually reminding us of the truth about ourselves, and calling us to simply shift our perception to that which Spirit holds for us in our minds.  We simply shift our focus from our lower mind to Spirit who will guide us to the awareness of the Mind of God within us.  This is who we really are, One with God, each other, and all creation.  We see ourselves and each other through the eyes of Spirit causing us to see and perceive correctly.  Our perception of the world will shift.  Rather than seeing a world of division and separation, we see the Realm of Heaven.  We have a new understanding and a new way of thinking.  We will find peace, love and joy at the center of our being and see all through that lens.

We are the light of the world.  And where light abides, no darkness can enter.  It is impossible for darkness to exist wherever light is present.  We are whole, no matter what miss-thought we have believed.  Once we let go of our attachment to the ideas that block our light from shining outward, we extend that light to all so that they may also see there is no darkness.  Our awareness of our light within shines away another’s blocks to the light we all share.  As light shines forth from us, it also shines forth from another.  We share that light with all of creation.  Only what is real can be shared.  As we share the light and love of God with each other, we extend it to all of creation.  As this light and love extends, it expands.  There is no lack of light and love, for it is real and therefore limitless.  We have and are all we need.  Allow Spirit to show us that.  We are already where we are seeking to go.  We simply need to realize we are already in the Realm of God, Heaven on Earth.  Spirit is the gift given us to guide us to the awareness that the separation never occurred.  Let that awareness be so.

November 5, 2013

Our natural state of mind is whole-mindedness.  This is the One Mind, the Mind of God.  Our attempt to see ourselves as separate is split-mindedness.  Our belief in our idea of separation causes us to reject at least a part of our whole mind.  What we really do is shut out our true mind and the awareness of our wholeness for we cannot split that which is whole.  We turn our back on the wholeness we really are and place our trust in an illusory mind that is not real at all.  Wholeness cannot be divided or parceled out piece by piece.  Wholeness remains whole, so our attempt to be separate blocks our awareness of our wholeness.  Wholeness can be shared and extended, but it cannot be split up.  When we separate ourselves from the awareness of who we really are, we dissociate ourselves from ourselves.  We’ve made up a false identity to take the place of our true identity.

Projection is our way of rationalizing and maintaining our separation.  We don’t really like the state of mind separation we have made up, so we project our dissatisfaction and on others.  It can’t be our fault we are miserable, so we project the blame on others.  And so we heap more and more obscuring thoughts and ideas on each other.  Is it any wonder we are dissatisfied?  The pattern of blame and guilt just keeps building up within us.  And we have no idea how to fix the problem.  By fixating on our perceived differences we obscure the fullness of our equality with each other.  We obscure the awareness of the abundant love and power within us that was placed there by the Creator.

The answer to our separation problem is extension.  To extend is to share wholly.    We are all created with all the love, peace, and joy of God within us and all of it is shared by all of us.  Unless we have all of it, we have none of it.  If we reject part of it we reject all of it.  It is time for us to recognize the light within us.  It’s time to recognize the light that never goes out, the light that shines in the darkness showing us the way to our true reality.  Spirit is placed within each of us to guide us.  Spirit is the plan within us that leads us back to the awareness of who we really are and always have been.  We are all the light of the world.  We all have a choice no matter where we are at or what thought system we are attached to at the moment.

The shift is as simple as making a different choice.  It’s as simple as making a choice to follow Spirit’s guidance.  Rather than projecting attack or blame on another, we have the opportunity to see peace in any situation.  We have the choice to go to Spirit and ask for guidance in any situation.  No situation is too large or too small for Spirit to give guidance.  Spirit is patiently waiting for us to wake up.  It’s waiting for us to choose to see peace instead of whatever we are seeing at the moment.  The Realm of Heaven is waiting for us in that choice.  No matter what road we have travelled down, we still have the simple choice to choose the path of Spirit as we are guided.  Take a step back for a moment.  Take a deep breath and look at what is going on in your mind.  Is this where you really want to be?  Again, ease up on yourself.  Don’t take yourself so seriously and make a choice to see with the eyes of Spirit, think with the Mind of Spirit, and listen to the Voice of Spirit.  The Realm of Heaven is right here within each and every one of us waiting to be recognized.  Let the awareness of who you really are rise in your mind as it extends to you and then from you.  The Realm of Heaven is here now within you.  Say yes to it now and find the ‘you’ you’ve been looking for all along right there within you.  Let it be so.

October 29, 2013

The experiences we encounter in this world have only one purpose.  Their one and only purpose is that we learn from those experiences.  We each have the experiences that will teach us exactly what we need to learn.  Our correct perception of these lessons is the key to our learning the correct lesson.  Perception guided by the separated or split mind, the lower mind, will teach us the incorrect lesson and reinforce the blocks to the awareness of who we really are and our Divinity.  Perception guided by Spirit, our higher Spirit Self, removes the blocks to our own awareness of our true Divine Self, One with all Creation.  Whether we believe our experiences are placed in our lives by Spirit or that we encounter them by chance, each experience has a lesson to teach us as we allow our perception to be guided by Spirit.  All experience is neutral, neither good nor bad.  All experience has a lesson for us to learn.  It is our choice where we look for guidance in learning from our experience; lower mind or higher mind.

Spirit also teachers us through the experiences and lessons or others.  Jesus experienced the crucifixion to teach us we need not suffer, attack, or be attacked.  The crucifixion teaches us we cannot be attacked because we are an extension of and One with our Source.  When we believe we are a body, we believe we can be hurt because the body can be hurt.  But reawakening to the reality of who we really are reconnects us to the knowledge that we are not this imperfect body, but holy and complete, just as we were created.  The ones we encounter in our life journey all have lessons to teach us as we have lessons to teach them.  As we see another as whole and complete, we also see ourselves as whole and complete.  As we encounter another, Spirit interprets their experiences for us so we can also learn from them.  There is always a holy lesson to be learned as we allow Spirit to reinterpret our perceptions for us.

Approach each experience from a place of gratitude.  Allow spirit to guide our perception and understanding of any situation or experience.  We may not know why we should be grateful for an encounter or experience at the moment, but if we allow Spirit to guide our thinking we will receive a new understanding and healed perception.  Spirit will lead us in the healing of our mind; the miracle we are really seeking.  Our mind is already whole.  We were created whole and Source placed the Mind of God within us.  This right and holy thought system is already ours and has always been ours.  We simply looked somewhere else for guidance and made up our own little thought system.  It is time to unlearn that little thought system and reawaken to all that is truly ours.  There is no need for us to crucify ourselves in the name of learning something incorrect.  Learn as Spirit guides us through our experiences and the experiences of each other.  Spirit will teach us the perfect lesson form our experiences.  Let us all be guided in our learning experiences and return to the joy of our awareness of who we really are.  And so it is.