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.

January 17, 2012

The rules for decision are given to us for a very good reason. We do not make decisions from the right perception. We are still perceiving our lives and the world from a split mind, from a mind that is caught up in how the world appears to our limited perception. Perceiving beyond our limited perception is still not in our skill set. It has not become our default way of perceiving and therefore making decisions. No matter how well intentioned we may be, no matter how much we want to perceive correctly, it is still not second nature to us.

To make a new practice second nature, we must realize we have old habits, become willing to let go of them, and then actually let go of them. Next we must begin to develop a new habit by first stopping ourselves when we recognize that we are doing out of our old habit and consciously practicing the new practice we desire until it becomes habit or second nature. It does take time, practice, and effort. We’ve spent a lifetime learning the habits we have. It doesn’t have to take a lifetime to unlearn those habits but we must work consciously to change those engrained habits. The new habit, which applies top everything, is asking for guidance from Spirit in making any decision, choice, or judgment.

The asking only takes a moment. And the answer is instantaneous. The problem is by the time we ask, we’ve already made up our mind based on our habitual way of perceiving. Then we question Spirit’s guidance if we even listen for it at all. We must step by step change the way we make decisions, choices, and judgments. We are so busy being “right” in our narrow world of perception, we make decisions without all we need to make that decision present. Spirit has all the information we need. Spirit is within us, se we have all the information we need. We just don’t bother to look at what Spirit is showing and telling us.

Take that step. Be willing to ask Spirit’s guidance. Be willing to make all decisions in communication with Spirit. At least ask Spirit’s guidance whenever it occurs to you. This is the beginning of the change we really want to happen. This is the change in our way of perceiving that will lead us to the awareness of happiness, peace, joy, and love already within us. Ask and then listen for the answer. Then, make the decision with Spirit rather than on our own. Make it intentional so it becomes second nature. It’s habit forming!

January 10, 2012

Are you ready? Are you willing to make a commitment to changing your habits, the habitual way you think, and thus changing your life? This is what the Course has been leading up to. This is what it has been teaching us all along. It’s now time to make a new beginning and make the changes that will make the difference we really want in our lives. Be assured, this is what you really want. This is why you have stuck with this. This is why you keep coming back to this. Let go of your fears and plunge in. This is what you really want.

Every moment of every day we make decisions. We make countless decisions. Most, if not almost all, we are unaware of. They simply don’t need much attention. We don’t need to consciously make decisions to pick up one foot and move it forward, set it down and transfer our weight to that foot, pick up the other foot and so on to walk across a room. One who has lost the ability to walk may need to relearn how to walk, but it soon becomes second nature. We also make decisions about what we need to make conscious decisions about. Now we get into the realm of judgment. We judge what is worth our conscious attention. Here the Course is asking us to be aware of the judgments and decisions we make and how we make them.

Our problem is that we tend to try to make our decisions on our own. We try to make them based on our past experiences ad what we have been taught, even if all that is inadequate to make the decision. In this section the Course is asking us to be aware of the choices we are choosing and the decisions we are making. Perhaps we slow down just a bit and observe where our mind is going. We ca allow ourselves to begin to make some decisions from a place of awareness and awakening. We begin to teach ourselves new habits about haw we react to situations we find ourselves in. It takes practice to change habits, so we begin to be conscious of our habitual ways of making choices and decisions. Then we can make choices and decisions in a more mindfully awake way which will then become a new habit.

We needn’t stress about doing this ail at once with every little choice or decision. When we are willing, we will find ourselves awake when we have an opportunity to consciously change the way we make a choice or decision. If we fins ourselves resisting or unwilling, it’s no big deal. We are just not ready yet. As we begin practicing, we begin to nourish our change, growth, and awakening. Be patient. It takes time to change a lifetime of habits. But Spirit has the speed learning curriculum. We need only allow Spirit to guide us on this journey.