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Chapter 11: When The Path To Hell Transforms Into The Path To Heaven
The following essay comes in three parts. That's just how Jesus announced it to me in this morning's meditative writing. The next part will come within the next day or two, it usually does. This part begins a little dark, but then becomes bright and shiny by the end. So here it goes, when the path to hell transforms into the path to Heaven.
Part One
By now at least for most of us we have tested out forgiveness and experienced its healing effects. No longer is it an abstract concept, but a living and known fact based on our actual experience. Most of us know the drill by now. It often plays out as a journey into hell and then back to Heaven again. First, we notice we are not at peace, or we notice the symptoms of losing our peace. We may think, ”Oh no, here it comes.” There are so many symptoms, and we can experience one or many of them. There is anxiety or worry present. Pain, either physical or emotional, shows up. Or, we notice we are stuck in what seems to be an unsolvable problem. In general, we feel lethargic, unmotivated, and maybe even depressed. Perhaps there is a grievance or anger present towards someone or something. For whatever reason, we feel we are lacking something that if found would solve everything and return us to wholeness, completion, and to peace. There are other symptoms too numerous to mention. These “appearances” tell us that our mind seems to have been taken over by some alien power that Jesus in ACIM refers to as “ego.” It is a nothing, appearing as something, and it seems to have captured us as its prisoner. It feels so real and so much a part of us that we misidentify it as being us. It can feel like we are possessed or hypnotized by some unknown force. It makes us feel alone, separated and abandoned by God. The voice of the ego frightens us and keeps us in a state of fear. We may even come to believe the only way to survive is to bow to its will instead of the Will of God.
The voice of the ego always comes gift-wrapped in specific stories or situations that seem to validate its lies and convince us that they must be true. These stories and situations are but effects of the ego mentality and only serve to keep us under the ego's grip and control. There then comes an endless process of seek but do not find, for there are no answers in the ego's grab bag, which is based solely on the past. The past is the only point of reference the ego has as a source for any and all information. Yet, like the ego, there is no past and there is no time. Nothing the ego offers us has a thread of Truth within it. Yet, as unbelievable as it seems, while under the spell of the ego, there seems to be logic. Granted, it is a sick, distorted logic based on the ego's misperceptions and lies and only makes sense to a sick mind under its influence. Is any of this starting to sound familiar?
The voice of the ego takes us on a journey towards hell. We become time travelers. It keeps our mind fixed and focused on past regrets and future worries. It is the complete opposite of the Voice of God, which leads us on the path to Heaven. Its path is a peaceful one and can only be found here and now. The voice for God does not time-travel but, rather, keeps our focus on Now which Jesus teaches us is the closest approximation we have in our human experience to Eternity, and leads us to our true Home in God. I don't think a day goes by that I don't thank God for A Course in Miracles. It is an out-of-time communication brought to us in time because that is where we believe we are, and God always meets us where we are, or we believe we are. Jesus, in ACIM, comes to remind us that spells can be broken and that there is a remedy for ego's spell as well. ACIM reminds me that everything that is true and real is also eternal. Its everlasting and unchanging nature is still present within the mind I share with God. It reminds me that every loving thought I've ever had is saved for me for all eternity. All I need to do is touch the hem of God's love, right here and right now, and the ego's spell is broken. Anything and everything touched by love's presence is healed, restored, and returned to peace. We remember and recognize that our God-given free will is still intact, and we can always choose once again.
The one solution for any and all perceived problems is simply in our decision to return the mind to God, right here and right now. It comes through our willingness to forgive what never was. It comes with the willingness to accept the Atonement for ourselves. Willingness is the key. The willingness to see things differently, willingness to be here now, willingness to allow forgiveness to heal, willingness to be healed, willingness to accept God's Will instead of an alien will separate from God's. The willingness to return to the path to Heaven, and to peace. Willingness to join in unity with God and all of our brothers. The rewards are infinite. Most cannot be expressed through the word symbols of any language, but I do know this. With the healing of the mind comes everything I could ever want or desire. It comes with clarity, certainty, and peace. I recognize, I realize, and I remember who I am, who my brothers are, and who God Is. For me, the entire process I feel is summed up in one sentence, “Love recognizes Love and remembers Itself.” Also, there are two scripture verses that have miraculously come alive within me. No longer just flowery words, they live within me as absolute Truth. ”God is Love, and he that abides in Love abides in God and God in him.” The second one is, ”My Father and I are One.” Jesus tells us that ACIM is a beginning, not an end. Its goal was to Know Thyself. Now that we are aware of who we truly are, and now that we are awake to the fact that we are dreaming, Jesus is still here to guide us in how to navigate through this human experience. He did this over 2,000 years ago. To be in the world but not of the world, and to practice forgiveness in every situation. Or, as Wayne Dyer always said, to function as Spirit having a human experience. Jesus has a lot to say about all of this.
Part Two
Let us continue in our transition from the path to hell to Heaven's way. Part two may begin as a little too metaphysical for some, but it is fundamental. It is fundamental in our understanding of how the path to Heaven is wide open and available to all of us to choose. Its password is Love. Being it, extending it, sharing it, demonstrating it, and living it. We are really not going anywhere that Love is not. It just appears that way through distorted perception. The means of healing these distortions is forgiveness, the motivation is inner peace, and the goal is, Know Thyself. The return to Heaven's path is the return to Love’s awareness.
Since in Truth, Heaven is a state of mind, the path to Heaven begins in the mind. Heaven has never left our mind, and we have never left Heaven. Yet, perceiving via a split mind can make the path confusing. It is important to remember we are Spirit first and always. Yet, within our dream-like existence, we seem to be having a human experience. Just as the goal of ACIM is Know Thyself, so is it that we transform the path to hell into the path to Heaven by Knowing Thyself. It comes from the power of knowing our Real, True, and Eternal Self, as God created us. Jesus tells us. “The term mind is used to represent the activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy.” I find this whole section so significant in our acceptance of who we truly are. How our perception of it being split between Spirit and ego can really mess up our discernment of what is real and what is not.
The fact that the mind is the activating agent of the Spirit is key. Yet, because of its split nature, the mind can be misused on behalf of the ego, but only if there is a belief in place that this so-called ego is a real thing. Our perceptions follow the beliefs that are embedded within the mind. Our beliefs are projected out and perceived as real. Projection makes perception.We can never depend on our perceptions to tell us anything of Truth. They distort and hide the truth about everything we see. So we see nothing as it actually is. Mind can only act as it is directed. It will either respond to Love and activate Spirit, or it will react to fear and seem to activate ego. The first is a real response and the latter is an imagined reaction, believed to be real. It all comes down to Who/what is in control of the mind at any given moment. Love or fear. We are called to look within and ask, ”Am I functioning from my right mind (Holy Spirit) or my wrong mind (ego)?” and, "At this moment, is my mind aligned with Truth or illusion?” The real question is, “Am I at peace?” That answer tells me everything I need to know.
It is why keeping a present state of awareness is so critical to maintaining a peaceful experience of life. Am I at peace? Even asking this question will automatically bring your focus and attention back to now. This is because the answer can only be found within us, right here and right now. And, you will get an immediate answer, for only you know if you are at peace. You can't get the answer from anywhere outside yourself, only by looking directly within. The bottom line is that if I am not at peace, I am not in my right mind. If I am not in my right mind, then my mind must be aligned with fear. And if I go ahead and react while in this state of mind, it is by my decision the ego is activated instead of Spirit. We all know how the effects of that decision will play out in our experience. Here and now is where this decision is made because in truth there is no other place or time that exists. Yet, that fact is not helpful to us if our awareness is off traveling in time and engaging past regrets or future worries. It is our awareness that must be present, our conscious awareness, so we can make conscious choices. Otherwise, the choice is made for us and is seldom the right-minded one because it is based on our established and habitual pattern of thinking. Usually, if not always, it is controlled by the thought system of the ego. It is an imaginary thought system, but one that is believed to be real. This moment of decision between responding with Love or reacting with fear is not a time to think. It is the time to trust. It is the means to rule the Kingdom of our mind and to direct the mind to activate the Spirit of God within, the mind we all share in Unity as One with our Beloved Creator.
This is what training the mind means, and how it relates to the quality and peace of our everyday life. To not maintain a present state of awareness, is like relinquishing our freedom and our power as the Son of God. You can never lose it, but if it is out of our awareness, what good can it do for us? Here/now is the mission control center of the mind. Our mind-training helps reprogram our thinking to stay alert to the condition of the mind. The more we check in, the more we begin to notice the first hints of discomfort. At that moment, we are present to make the choice for God, thereby activating the Spirit and Creative Power of God within us. At that moment of making the conscious and deliberate decision to choose God, the Spirit is activated, It steps in, and takes care of everything for us. In that instant, all thinking stops. The mind can relax and rest in God, knowing that whatever is in need of healing will be healed, and most likely the only thing in need of healing is itself, the mind.
If you noticed, there was nothing for you to understand. There was nothing for you to fix or figure out. There was nothing for you to even think about. There was nothing for you to do, but trust in God and in Truth being True. We act on it by making the right choice for God/Love. With this decision, the mind was healed, returned to right-minded perception, and you returned to peace. Always remember Divine Order. First comes forgiveness and healing. With the healing of the mind comes understanding, clarity, certainty, and the Peace of God. In the process, we are also learning not to confuse cause and effect. In truth, there is no gap between them, just as there is no gap in giving/receiving. But perceptually, they do seem to play out linearly, a first this and then that experience. For the purpose of forgiveness, the cause of any misperception is the mind, and the effects of the misperception show up in our experience. Therefore, the mind is always the only aspect of self that is ever in need of healing. Heal the mind through forgiveness, and all seeming effects are healed with the healing of the mind.
I bring this up because we only waste time stumbling around trying to fix or understand the effects of our misperceptions. These effects show up as the stories that seem to validate and hold our fear in place, making it appear real. We can get stuck in the effects of our thinking, rather than addressing the cause. Jesus tells us that this is neither good nor bad, just a tragic waste of time. It is also not a call for judgment of ourselves or anyone else. We just return to the path of forgiveness. Why else would the choose once again option be included in The Plan of Atonement? It was put there because God, in His Infinite Wisdom, knew we would need it on our path to awakening to Heaven.
Jesus also reminds me often that the root cause of all of our perceived misery boils down to our misidentification of Self. However, Jesus also assures us that as we forgive (let go of) everything we are not, who we truly are naturally will rise up and into our awareness. I find it so comforting to remember that Christ is in all of us. Christ is ever-present and eternal, holding us all in Unity with God. What I've found helpful is to just say, I'm not that, to anything that does not reflect the purity, innocence, peace, and perfection of God. Just forgive it. Remember that forgiveness is not a doing on our part. It is the willingness to have it done for us. As Jesus teaches us, "Forgiveness, on the other hand, is still, and quietly does nothing. It offends no aspect of reality, nor seeks to twist it to appearances it likes. It merely looks, and waits, and judges not." Whatever shows up and seems to distress us, we simply let it be, let it flow, and let it pass out of our mind. Any appearance not of God and Truth will pass through and disappear, but only if we do not latch onto it and make it seem real in our experience. We just remind ourselves, I'm not that. We wave goodbye as it passes out of our awareness. All the while we stay fixed, here and now, in the loving arms and Mind of God. Love has returned to love and feels safe and secure in Its Embrace.
There is so much more to share on our path back to Heaven and Love's awareness. There is so much more to come. From the moment of our decision to choose Love over fear, which aligns our mind with Spirit and activates its power to serve us, comes healing. This brings back our memory of not only who we are but who our brothers and sisters are and most importantly who/what God Is. We discover this human adventure is a shared one. No longer is this sojourn in life a separate and lonely path, me transforms into we. We walk together, we love together and extend God's Love out onto the world we perceive before us. We seek no longer to solve or fix or even try to figure out what shows up before us. We trust the Spirit of God within us, our Holy Spirit, to take control of us. Let all things be exactly as they are. We do not interfere with God's loving remedy. Just as we do not touch a wound and expect it to stay clean and heal. We do not engage a seeming problem after we have given it to God to heal for us. At the level of mind, we simply let it be, let it flow, and let it go. This means think no more about it. It was but a misperception of the mind. To engage it is to engage nothingness. It is merely appearing to be something it is not. How do we access this realm of no thought? Very often, right after I have made the choice to activate the Spirit of God within me to handle whatever perceived problem is showing up before me. I leave the battleground that is the path to hell and simply do this. I’m still, and lay aside all thoughts of what I am and what God is, all concepts I have learned about the world, all images I hold about myself. I empty my mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashamed. I hold onto nothing. I do not bring one thought the past has taught, nor one belief I ever learned before from anything. I forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto my God.
I often visualize sitting at the feet of Jesus, my head laying in his lap, and he's comforting me, patting me on the head as a parent may do with its child. We are all the Children of God, and His will is always to Love and Comfort His creations. His Will is for our perfect happiness. We need only to accept His gift of the Atonement and own it as our own. We need only to always make the choice for love, truth, and trust in it with every fiber of our being. If we check in right here and right now in the mind of the one reading this essay, ask only,“ Am I at Peace?" This will tell you everything you need to know.
Finally, always remember that. This Course is a beginning, not an end. Your Friend goes with you, you are not alone. No one who calls on Him can call in vain. Whatever troubles you, make the conscious choice to join in unity with creation and leave behind the habitual mentality of separation. In that instant, the soul begins to awaken from Its slumber. It begins to become aware of Itself. Be certain that He has the answer, and will gladly give it to you, if you simply turn to Him and ask it of Him. He will not withhold all answers that you need for anything that seems to trouble you. He knows the way to solve all problems, and resolve all doubts. His certainty is yours. You need but ask it of Him, and it will be given you.
Part Three A few of these writings you’ve read but need repeating.
Within that Holy Instant of choice, we direct the mind to walk out of its separated state of isolation and rejoin our brothers/sisters in the Mind of God. In Truth, we have never left. The only thing that actually left was our awareness of being there. We simply forgot that our wholeness and completion always dwell with us in Unity with our Creator and all Creation. Within this Holy Instant (the here and now of us), the shift in perception occurs. But it can only come to my awareness by and through my decision to choose it. The Miracle happens in our decision to rejoin our Wholeness in God, with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our perception shifts back into alignment and the mind returns to sanity and peace.
This is why Jesus teaches us that Miracles are shared between brothers. The ever-present Love that we are inspires our choice to join, inspires our desire to decide once again and rejoin our family in God, and in Truth. This Love that inspires Miracles is the same Love that activates and expresses Miracles. You are not only a Miracle Worker, you are the Miracle because you are Love.Once again, we see the effects of choosing Love over fear and choosing Unity over separation. We remember that we are Spirit, seeming to be having a human experience, but now that experience is one of Love and Peace instead of worry and regret.
This begs the question, Who is the One that is making this choice? Who is the One that is directing the mind to decide Love instead of fear? It is the One that is now aware that there is a choice to be made. It is the Pure Awareness of Being. It is the One that is aware of being aware of the words of this essay and reading them now. The One that is aware of everything that seems to appear before it. The Pure and Perfect Awareness of Being, with nothing added to obscure or defile its Perfect State of Peace.
In short, it is the Soul awakening from its slumber and beginning to remember Itself. It is the One that at first just recognizes and notices I exist, that there is an experience of existence within this awareness. It notices that It is the One who is aware of being aware. When and if, It looks at Its Nature, all that it is aware of is a still, quiet, and peaceful presence. At that moment all it recognizes is that it is aware that It exists, and Its existence is aware of only Pure and Perfect Peace. Yes, Soul is awakening to the awareness of Self. It is just beginning to remember. If, and this is a big if, it goes deeper within, Its awareness seems to expand, and it recognizes that it is a part of something that is far more vast. As yet, it is not aware of what this vastness is, aware that there is more to become aware of in its experience of being aware. For now, all that It is certain of is that It exists as the Awareness of Perfect Peace, and stillness of Being. Little does It realize that It has stumbled upon Its Home in Love and Its Reality as Love. However, if at any instant It chooses to look without instead of continuing on Its journey within Its own Nature, it begins to become aware of other seeming appearances. They seem to be outside the pure and peaceful sanctity of Its Beingness. It now becomes aware of something that appears separate from Itself. At that instant, when Its focus is pointed without and away from its within, Its awareness seems to expand again but brings a completely different experience. These appearances seem to disturb its Pure and Perfect awareness of existence. It becomes aware of darkness being laid upon the Light of Its Being. This Being of Pure awareness becomes confused and frightened by Its new awareness of something other than Pure and Perfect Peace. For the first time, this Being of Pure and Perfect Peace asks, What Am I? Who Am I? Am I the within, or the without?
Its journey of Awakening and Remembering Truth has begun. In that instant, Its awareness becomes so limited, and It seems blocked by a new awareness. It is awareness of a darkness It does not understand. Little does It know of Its Divine Power, the Power of Love that Is Its Truth. Little does it know that there is nothing that is not a part of Its Wholeness and Oneness in God. It is not even aware that such a something as God exists. All that it is aware of is that it is frightened and alone, yet, it feels an inner urge to call for Help. Little does it know that Its call for Help was heard and answered. Little does it know that in that very instant, the Holy Instant, It made the choice for the opposite of the darkness that It was experiencing. It made the choice for Love. And in that Holy Instant, the awareness of a Light Within grew brighter and stronger and made a path back to Heaven, where only the awareness of Pure and Perfect Peace resided.
The call for Love was made, and the Father always responds to every call of His Son with the Self-Same Love contained within the call. The Son recognized the Love within as Its Father. Love recognized Love and remembered Itself. The choice was made to join in Unity as One. The choice was made to return to Love. Now, the awareness of the Perfect State of Oneness has awakened and exists within the Son ship with Its Creator. It is/will be/has been accomplished. Time rolls up into Eternity, here and now. Within the Holy Instant, miracles occur, and the mind shifts back into alignment with Truth and Reality. For a Holy Instant, time/space, the body, and the ego are forgotten long enough that one can catch glimpses of Reality, and they become points of reference for our access. These access points are never forgotten because they are Real. They are like building blocks that create a mental bridge that leads us back to the path of Heaven and to the Peace of God. Your Real and Present Memory is being restored to your awareness. It was never lost, only forgotten. Always keep in mind that Real Memory is of a present state of awareness, and has nothing to do with an imagined past.
Every occasion we choose to join in a Holy Instant in the present moment, our remembrance and awareness of Reality and of our True Self is strengthened. We begin by bringing our awareness to the present moment. We fix our focus and attention right here and right now. It may seem strange in the beginning, but soon we discover all the spiritual goodies associated with Truth are found and realized here and now; not the least of which is our peace of mind. Soon being present becomes a treasured habit. Once this habit is formed and stabilized, it is a place in which we desire to visit and stay within as much as possible. Every instant then becomes a Holy Instant in which we join and share Love and Peace with all of our brothers/sisters because they are there with us in the Mind of God.
The Holy Instant is the Instant God is remembered. The ego thought system, time, space, the body, and everything we have come to believe in as real, fades away in this present state of Being. It is in our joining and sharing of what Is Real (here and now) that Real Memory is restored and everything unreal disappears. Soon we learn to join with our brothers in this sacred space for healing and in sharing the Love of God.
Here and Now is a state of present consciousness that serves two primary functions. One function is that of experience, and the other function is choice. You could say consciousness is a state of being where we experience the effects of our choices. Consciousness of itself has no other powers or purpose. It responds based on the choices made through either the ego thought system or through the guidance of our Holy Spirit. Once a conscious choice is made, a conscious experience is had that is reflective of our choice.
Never forget God's safety net built into the plan of Atonement. We can always choose once again. Undo what never was and continue on the path to Heaven. Our end is really our beginning. When the choice for the ego thought system is made, we can count on all of our experiences to be fear-based. Because it is a dualistic thought system, our experiences may show up a good/bad, right/wrong, hot/cold, and up/down. However, what will be lacking always are certainty, clarity, and a peaceful state of mind. Even an experience that feels exhilarating and exciting can also be terrifying. Because duality is made up of only opposites, certainty is never possible. The mind bounces back and forth from one to the other, or often becomes stuck in the middle. Being a thought system based on confusion, it can never provide certainty. It is a thought system that thrives on conflict, confusion, and indecision. Clarity of mind is never an attribute. Obviously, without clarity or certainty, the idea of peace of mind must also be absent. How can one possibly compare the ego thought system to what is discovered within the Holy Instant of here and now? How does one describe a new primary color that has never been seen before? When one joins with another for the singular purpose of healing, something miraculous happens. One has to pay close attention to catch a glimpse of what is not present. There is no little self anymore. Something happens when two join in union with God. All sense of self disappears. One's awareness of anything outside that united holy moment vanishes. Now is all there is, and place becomes no more. Information comes from a new Source, a Source not of the thinking mind but outside of it. It is so huge and expansive, one can get lost in just the thought of it. What appears in the mind is not of our making, it just arrives without any effort, and you have a knowingness and a certainty that it is true and real.
Here and now, this Holy Instant, is the place of miracles. It is where forgiveness occurs and healing appears. It is where we commune with God in Christ and there is no sense of any gap or separation existing. It is whole, it is peaceful, still, and wonderful. It is Love. One wants to abide there forever, the path to sanity and happiness. The Holy Spirit is nothing more than your own right mind. The Holy Spirit is not separate from my own Divine Mind, I share with God. I have access to it whenever I choose it. Its healing power can only be released by my decision to join it.
When I think of right-mindedness, I think of clear thinking and clear perception or vision where everything makes sense again and its nature becomes obvious as if a light bulb has been turned on in the mind. I experience it as a link, not only a communication link but a link to a Source of high energy healing energy that I can ride along with for as long as I stay focused and fixed on its attributes and not be distracted and pulled back into an ego perception or mentality. It is like riding the God wave of Divine Energy, which should be our natural manner of existence. This is what is defined as the Happy Dream. A realm where, although still dreaming, we experience the dream as a reflection of God's Love and its Truth. To stay in the Happy Dream, I need to stay fixed and focused on it by aligning the mind with its attributes. These attributes are also the attributes of God and Truth. I'm not always successful, but when I am able to maintain my focus and attention on Truth, the following reminders have proven helpful to me and I hope you find them helpful as well. Affirming that I am One with this Source of Divine Energy that is God. I am not separate, nor have I ever been separate from my Source. And this magnificent Divine Energy of God provides for everything I could ever need. It is what the birds and flowers naturally accept and never question.
Watching my thoughts and feelings, they are my barometer for knowing if I am obstructing my access to my divine Source. They tell me if I am aligned with the Mind of God or in conflict with it. I practice forgiveness whenever the slightest hint of discomfort or disharmony shows up in my mind through either thoughts or feelings. When in doubt, forgive. Forgiveness heals whatever requires healing and returns my mind to peace. Expressing gratitude to God for who and what I Am. Gratitude acknowledges what I have, and to have it is to know I Am it. Sharing the gifts of the Kingdom. Our divine Source of everything is a continuous flow of Creation. It is always sharing itself and in this way ensures the process of Creation continues. Any hoarding or attachments to what has been given us only impedes its flow to and through us. Extending what I am to be what I am. This is similar to sharing in that to have Peace, I extend Peace. To know Love, I extend Love. God created us through the extension of His Love for us and to know we are a creation vehicle for God, we practice it in our daily life. Allowing and not resisting what shows up in our lives. Resist not evil is wise advice. For everything that shows up in our daily experience, we either Love it or heal it, but we never resist it. To resist is to give that which is not real a false reality. It is what ACIM calls, making it real. That is an obstruction to everything that Is real.
Listening and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I do this through meditation and prayer. Prayer to me is communion with God. I sit in silence and listen for thoughts that show up in my mind that are not of my making. While meditating or communing with the Father, I feel our Oneness and shared Love for all Creation. Grab hold of your divine Source and live there. Be alert to anything that suggests we are being drawn away from it by the ego. Pay the ego no mind, except for healing the idea that it is real and can affect our experience of God's Love as His perfect Child. Always remember, the ego is not a real thought and actually does not exist. When we are in our right mind, we realize this and pay it no mind.
Just behind all the imagined obstructions we have made to limit and block our awareness of the Truth, Truth stands eternal and shines Its Light. This Light of Truth is forever pristine, ever-present, and unaffected by our ignorance of it and Its God-given powers, which belong to us as creations and extensions of God. As such, we can truly say, We are the Light of the World. In Truth, there are no blocks or obstructions that can dim our Eternal Light. They are only the “seems to bees” of this life experience. “Seems to bees” are delusions and distortions of the mind and have no basis in Reality. They are like cloud vapors that try to block out the sun. Yet the light of the sun is never diminished by the clouds. Our imaginary obstructions show up as thoughts, perceptions, physical sights and sensations, and our beliefs about them. We give them so much meaning, they can captivate us and divert our focus and attention away from the ever-present Light of our Being. They distort Reality until it becomes unrecognizable and even forgotten. Yet, be never deceived for an instant, my friends. The brilliant Light of our Self continues to shine out from us into all Creation. The eyes of God see through the eyes of His Creations and beholds Creation as He Created it. God expresses and experiences Himself through His Son. God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.
Always remember that our imagined obstructions that seem to hide our Light have no power, other than the power we give them. We feed and nourish them when we focus our attention on them instead of on God, thereby affording them a false reality. They are illusions. They do not exist except within the ego thought system, and that is an illusion as well. How can nothing have any power? As Jesus reminds us, “By giving power to nothing, he throws away the joyous opportunity to learn that nothing has no power."
What is the remedy for the mess we made up? What is there to do about nothing appearing as something? We have been conditioned since birth to believe we must do something, to fix things and all kinds of “doingness”. The idea of doing nothing and accepting what is for the most part are alien concepts. They seem so counter-intuitive, and go against our human nature. Yet, where illusions are concerned, to do nothing is exactly what is called for. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is still, and quietly does nothing. It offends no aspect of reality, nor seeks to twist it to appearances it likes. It merely looks, and waits, and judges not. Over the years, I have discovered that there is but one solution to any and all perceived problems, and that is returning the mind to God. As we bring all of our focus and attention to this present moment, we are abandoning the imagined thought system of ego and choosing God instead. We bring whatever seems unlike Love to Love. There, all ego thoughts, feelings, and sensations naturally dissolve and disappear. And in this present moment, as we give them over to our Holy Spirit, they are starved by our lack of focus and attention on them. No longer are we giving power to nothing? Rather, we are reclaiming our Power as the Son of God. There is but One Power, Emmanuel, which means God with us.
In returning the mind to God, we literally swim within an ocean of Love. It is the atmosphere of our existence. How could anything exist outside All? In Unity and Wholeness, we were created and in Unity and Wholeness, we eternally remain. We affirm God Is and anything, unlike Love, disappears into the nothingness from which it came. We say God Is and cease to speak. Nothing else needs to be said because within God Is, everything is accomplished.You are the One you are searching for. Truth is only found within, and even then I ask What is the Truth of this? Whatever this may be at any moment. All perceptions are distorted, even those of great spiritual teachers. Only within can Truth be recognized, remembered, and experienced; all else is interpretation. We all carry the Truth within our own holy minds. As Jesus reminds us in ACIM, "Delay does not matter in eternity, but it is tragic in time."
Everything is a pointer to God and Truth. Even A Course in Miracles is but a pointer to Truth. I have found it to be a very effective one. Either through gratitude or desperation, we all find our way home. Let us not spend all of our time trying to understand the words of ACIM but rather seek the inner peace it offers and Truth is effortlessly revealed from that point of peace. The Peace of God is always right here and right now as your Holy and Divine Self. It is an accomplished fact. Yet, it is always our choice to take a long way home or a more direct route. Many times we are like the puppy dog chasing after its own tail, believing it is separate from Itself. Eventually, the puppy catches its tail and Truth bites him in the ass, surprise. Jesus tells us that awakening need not be painful, but it usually is. Putting false gods before our own, I Am, is merely an ego tactic to delay the inevitable,
Do you really believe the finite mind is capable of understanding Infinite Truth? You, right here and right now, are the Holy Son of God. Be that. God's Presence and God's Voice go with us wherever we go. They are the Reality of Self. His Voice and His Love define me. It is not the other way around. They are the truest Truth to me. They are the gifts I share with everyone and everything I see. It is the loving exchange and sharing of Love with Love, that giving and receiving merge into One complete, whole, and seamless experience. It is there that I discover my Holy Relationship with All of God's Creation. Practice makes progress. Yet, that which is Real and True is already accomplished. We are an accomplished fact of God.Might as well enjoy all the Gifts of the Kingdom. Now. Our ego wants us to be either regretting our past or, best yet, worrying about the future. When we live in the moment, what can hurt us? Nothing. The Course refers to this as living in The Holy Instant.
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