"Temptation has one lesson it would teach, in all its forms, wherever it occurs. It would persuade the holy Son of God he is a body, born in what must die, unable to escape its frailty, and bound by what it orders him to feel."-- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 31, Section VIII, 1:1-2
Do you regularly find things about yourself or your surroundings that are lacking, or should be different? Are you ashamed of things you have done or even are doing? Are you judgmental of what others are doing, mentally shaming them? All of these mental attitudes and actions are part and parcel of the guilty identity we learn as part of a separate self, living in a separate body in this world. Do you know anyone who is free of this?
Even very happy people react and become apologetic if someone else is upset. This is the conditioned guilty response. "I am so sorry," we say, as if we could do something about it. Or as if we should.
A Course in Miracles helps us understand that guilt is how a sense of body awareness and a separate self is maintained. Without the judgment and guilt, there is only the unified Mind, where all things exist in the Light of Awareness and Love, pure transparencies for God. Without judgment and guilt, there is an Awareness of Oneness, which is All Good and only Good. Perfect Oneness is our natural state, which is always and only God, reflecting and radiating the Light of Goodness and Love.
It's interesting, don't you think, that a small upset or affront to our egoic identity can send us into a seeming tail spin, can make us so agitated and fearful that it seems as if a huge thing has really occurred. When in such a state, it's impossible to conceive of a unified Mind that radiates peace and joy. And yet we are always and only reacting to our own judgments and guilty verdicts, the story of a separate body-self and the fearful 'others'. And even in the midst of this story of separation and loss, all we have to do is forgive our judgments and let them go. Right where all seems hopeless or angry or sad or lost or any other version of guilt, there is pure joy and perfect love. Right where the problem seems to be, there is only Love, which is the only Law of God.
"There are no laws but God's... there is no loss under the laws of God. Payment is neither given nor received. Exchange cannot be made; there are no substitutes; and nothing is replaced by something else. God's laws forever give and never take." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook 76, 9:1, 3-6
The story of the crucifixion and resurrection of God's Son is the story of everyone's life. The guilty identity that we have carefully protected for so long is not real. It can only seem fearful and shameful and wrong when we hang on to our 'laws' of judgment and refuse to forgive. A Course in Miracles gives us many ways to approach forgiveness, and all of them involve letting go of human laws of judgment and thus realizing what has always been true. The guilty identify was all made up, and has never been at all. This realization is the resurrection of the Son of God.
"Learn then the happy habit of response to all temptation to perceive yourself as weak and miserable with these words: I am as God created me. His Son can suffer nothing. And I am His Son. You are as God created you, and so is every living thing you look upon, regardless of the images you see. What you behold as sickness and as pain, as weakness and as suffering and loss is but temptation to perceive yourself defenseless and in hell. Yield not to this, and you will see all pain, in every form, wherever it occurs, but disappear as mists before the sun."-- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 31, VIII, 5:1-4, and 6:1-3
Showing posts with label Ego. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ego. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Give All to All
"Only those who have a real and lasting sense of Abundance can be truly charitable. This is obvious when you consider what is involved. To the ego, to give anything implies that you will have to do without it. When you associate giving with sacrifice, you give only because you believe that you are somehow getting something better, and can therefore do without the thing you give." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 4, Section II, 6:1-4
Whoa... this is really true, isn't it? I pay my cable bill because I think I'm getting something for it. I buy feed for the horses and dogs and cats because I think I'm getting a sense of satisfaction taking care of all these animals. I give to my children because I think it gives me a sense of satisfaction and connection.
Now the Course is not telling us to stop paying our bills or giving to our children. But it is pointing out the way the egoic mind works. Our conditioned self only gives to get. Because getting is what the ego does to maintain the illusion of separate self, and to make sure guilt stays repressed and hidden.
"The ego never gives out of abundance, because it was made as a substitute for it. That is why the concept of 'getting' arose in the ego's thought system. Appetites are 'getting' mechanisms, representing the ego's need to confirm itself. This is as true of body appetites as it is of the so-called 'higher ego needs'." -- ACIM; Chapter 4, II, 7:3-6
What is giving out of Abundance, then? Abundance is an attribute of God, and therefore of our true nature since we exist as extensions of the Mind of God. God has given us EVERYTHING, because God IS EVERYTHING... literally. There is no other. All means all. So what exists that could be lost, or needed? Giving out of Abundance is just being natural. The Course gives the first teaching of the Holy Spirit as "To have, give all to all." We know that we have because we have it to give. :-))
How do we make such a shift in perception? How do we change our minds to such an extent? Our self-concept, our egoic notion of a self, says we are limited, with limited resources, and only those that are careful with their resources have enough in this world. In other words, our egoic notion of self-esteem is tied up with what we think we have acquired by what the Course calls the 'getting' mechanism. "Self-esteem in ego terms means nothing more than that the ego has deluded itself into accepting its reality, and is therefore temporarily less predatory." (ACIM; II, 4, 6:8) So we think we have by getting, and temporarily think we are safe, as long as we don't have to give. Ha!
True Abundance is the Awareness of God. The overflowing of Being that is our True Self, living and moving and having being in God. By learning to listen only to the Voice for God, the Holy Spirit... by learning to walk in the Awareness of God's ever-Presence... we come to realize we are the Abundance of Spirit. Giving is the only natural extension of this realization, because all giving is mental, and of the mind. We are pure Spirit, reflecting the Mind of God.
"To have, give all to all." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 6, Section V: A
Whoa... this is really true, isn't it? I pay my cable bill because I think I'm getting something for it. I buy feed for the horses and dogs and cats because I think I'm getting a sense of satisfaction taking care of all these animals. I give to my children because I think it gives me a sense of satisfaction and connection.
Now the Course is not telling us to stop paying our bills or giving to our children. But it is pointing out the way the egoic mind works. Our conditioned self only gives to get. Because getting is what the ego does to maintain the illusion of separate self, and to make sure guilt stays repressed and hidden.
"The ego never gives out of abundance, because it was made as a substitute for it. That is why the concept of 'getting' arose in the ego's thought system. Appetites are 'getting' mechanisms, representing the ego's need to confirm itself. This is as true of body appetites as it is of the so-called 'higher ego needs'." -- ACIM; Chapter 4, II, 7:3-6
What is giving out of Abundance, then? Abundance is an attribute of God, and therefore of our true nature since we exist as extensions of the Mind of God. God has given us EVERYTHING, because God IS EVERYTHING... literally. There is no other. All means all. So what exists that could be lost, or needed? Giving out of Abundance is just being natural. The Course gives the first teaching of the Holy Spirit as "To have, give all to all." We know that we have because we have it to give. :-))
How do we make such a shift in perception? How do we change our minds to such an extent? Our self-concept, our egoic notion of a self, says we are limited, with limited resources, and only those that are careful with their resources have enough in this world. In other words, our egoic notion of self-esteem is tied up with what we think we have acquired by what the Course calls the 'getting' mechanism. "Self-esteem in ego terms means nothing more than that the ego has deluded itself into accepting its reality, and is therefore temporarily less predatory." (ACIM; II, 4, 6:8) So we think we have by getting, and temporarily think we are safe, as long as we don't have to give. Ha!
True Abundance is the Awareness of God. The overflowing of Being that is our True Self, living and moving and having being in God. By learning to listen only to the Voice for God, the Holy Spirit... by learning to walk in the Awareness of God's ever-Presence... we come to realize we are the Abundance of Spirit. Giving is the only natural extension of this realization, because all giving is mental, and of the mind. We are pure Spirit, reflecting the Mind of God.
"To have, give all to all." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 6, Section V: A
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Waiting for God
"I have no cause for anger or fear, for You surround me. And in every need that I perceive, Your Grace suffices me." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook 348
We're conditioned from an early age to listen to our parents, our teachers, our friends, our church... in other words, we look to the outer world for information, direction, and validation. Learning to listen within and wait for God's appointments and direction seems counter intuitive, and even crazy. Interesting defense, isn't it? The ego (the fictional aggregate of mental constructs we call a self, imagining we're separate from God and each other) is the very definition of insanity... a delusional defense against the whole. So it calls what is true, false, and insists that the unreal has substance and validity. That's how projection works. It's also the justification for fear and anger and all the insanity the ego insists is real.
Only take a moment to consider rationally... God, the very Ground of Being, is everywhere... pure and eternal Life and Love without form or condition. We live and move and have our Being in God. So how could we look anywhere other than God for what is essential and true? How could we look anywhere other than God for Who We Are? There is nowhere else. There's nothing out there but projected ideas based on a mistake... the mistake that somehow walling ourselves off from the whole will give us what we want and keep us safe. And when has that ever been the truth? Safe from what? What else is there but God, the All in All?
Waiting for God doesn't involve the future... it involves a present willingness to be still, to listen each holy instant in unceasing mindfulness. This doesn't involve effort or struggle or even a technique or practice. Once the willingness is given by the mind, the beauty of our true Self takes over. Stillness, one-pointedness, awakened awareness, pure joy and unshakable peace... these are all attributes we find to be our own, as natural as breathing. More so.
Waiting for God means we're willing to release the false and embrace the True. And we at last remember the Grace that enfolds and surrounds us and suffices us in all things.
We're conditioned from an early age to listen to our parents, our teachers, our friends, our church... in other words, we look to the outer world for information, direction, and validation. Learning to listen within and wait for God's appointments and direction seems counter intuitive, and even crazy. Interesting defense, isn't it? The ego (the fictional aggregate of mental constructs we call a self, imagining we're separate from God and each other) is the very definition of insanity... a delusional defense against the whole. So it calls what is true, false, and insists that the unreal has substance and validity. That's how projection works. It's also the justification for fear and anger and all the insanity the ego insists is real.
Only take a moment to consider rationally... God, the very Ground of Being, is everywhere... pure and eternal Life and Love without form or condition. We live and move and have our Being in God. So how could we look anywhere other than God for what is essential and true? How could we look anywhere other than God for Who We Are? There is nowhere else. There's nothing out there but projected ideas based on a mistake... the mistake that somehow walling ourselves off from the whole will give us what we want and keep us safe. And when has that ever been the truth? Safe from what? What else is there but God, the All in All?
Waiting for God doesn't involve the future... it involves a present willingness to be still, to listen each holy instant in unceasing mindfulness. This doesn't involve effort or struggle or even a technique or practice. Once the willingness is given by the mind, the beauty of our true Self takes over. Stillness, one-pointedness, awakened awareness, pure joy and unshakable peace... these are all attributes we find to be our own, as natural as breathing. More so.
Waiting for God means we're willing to release the false and embrace the True. And we at last remember the Grace that enfolds and surrounds us and suffices us in all things.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
My Only Need
"God has already done all things that need to be done. And I must learn I need do nothing of myself, for I need but accept my Self." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook 337, 1:5-6
There has long been a virtual cult in self-help circles, a cult of the virtues of self-esteem. And it's true that we can build our ego up and feel better about ourselves attitudinally. But it's not real self love. The love of an illusion of self can only give us the illusion of love, an illusion that comes and goes. It's the same with loving (or hating) another person... loving (or hating) the illusion we've projected can only breed more illusion.
There is only one way to know the Truth... we have to release what isn't true, and see what is always here, always effortlessly present. Like the huge dome of the sky, God is what is always here, regardless of the thought clouds and projections that come and go. To accept that my real Self is One with God and all that Is... and that God is the Source and I am One with Source... and that creation is seamless, whole, and complete, no lack or limitation possible in all of God's Being... this acceptance allows me finally to simply BE. I need do nothing.
In this lies freedom... because it also means that I am free to do whatever arises through the spontaneous inspiration that emanates from our One Being. I am not obligated or coerced or in bondage to anyone or anything. I co-create with all of Self in joy and love. Like the sun shines, we ARE. My only need, and yours, is to accept this and live it.
There has long been a virtual cult in self-help circles, a cult of the virtues of self-esteem. And it's true that we can build our ego up and feel better about ourselves attitudinally. But it's not real self love. The love of an illusion of self can only give us the illusion of love, an illusion that comes and goes. It's the same with loving (or hating) another person... loving (or hating) the illusion we've projected can only breed more illusion.
There is only one way to know the Truth... we have to release what isn't true, and see what is always here, always effortlessly present. Like the huge dome of the sky, God is what is always here, regardless of the thought clouds and projections that come and go. To accept that my real Self is One with God and all that Is... and that God is the Source and I am One with Source... and that creation is seamless, whole, and complete, no lack or limitation possible in all of God's Being... this acceptance allows me finally to simply BE. I need do nothing.
In this lies freedom... because it also means that I am free to do whatever arises through the spontaneous inspiration that emanates from our One Being. I am not obligated or coerced or in bondage to anyone or anything. I co-create with all of Self in joy and love. Like the sun shines, we ARE. My only need, and yours, is to accept this and live it.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Illusion of Time
"Each day should be devoted to miracles. The purpose of time is to enable you to learn how to use time constructively. It is thus a teaching device and a means to an end. Time will cease when it is no longer useful in facilitating learning." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 1, Section I, 15:2-4
"Time is a belief of the ego, so the lower mind, which is the ego's domain, accepts it without question. The only aspect of time that is eternal [real] is now." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 5, Section III, 6:4-5
The illusion of time seems to be the thickest veil we project across reality, to obscure the eternal. We may question a lot of the world's thinking, but my kids still appeared to grow up, my hair still appeared to turn white, and the seasons still appear to come and go... along with these bodies we seem to live in. We still seem to have deadlines and appointments to keep. How can we say this is not real, when our very lives appear to be slaves to time and its seeming power over us?
This morning I had a very interesting learning experience. I thought I had somewhere that I had committed to be, and it involved getting up very early (5 a.m.) and taking care of all the animals here at the Sanctuary so that I could leave the house by 7 a.m. No problem, usually. But this morning I woke up and felt like I shouldn't go. I prayed about it... in other words, I forgave and released my belief in time and the part of me that didn't want to go... but still couldn't get a clear 'go' or 'don't go'. I knew that in reality it didn't matter what I do... it matters only what the whole situation symbolizes, since that's all it really is. So I gave it to the Holy Spirit, my true Self, and forgave the whole notion of time and space and went back to bed.
When I woke up, two interesting things happened. One, I checked my e-mail and discovered that I 'miraculously' wasn't supposed to be there today, even though I clearly had it down in my calendar! And second, the wind had blown the barnyard gate off its latches... but only one horse was out, and she came right back in when I went out to feed them... no chasing involved. Now all of the horses could have run... but they didn't. And I could have driven to St. Louis and not been there when the gate blew off, and all the horses could have run off and been who knows where when I got home this evening. But I was here. So all I said was, "Thank you, Holy Spirit."
Now I don't think it matters at all whether it's about appointments or horses. They are symbols in the dream, and what they stand for in my dream is the awakening of the Son of God. By releasing it all to the Holy Spirit, by making no decisions by my egoic self, the meaning of all of it is changed. Now they are learning symbols, pointing to the timeless and eternal, the unchanging and Real. "Thank you, Holy Spirit, that only God is the meaning of everything." And God is everywhere, everything, always, and forever... wholeness, fulfillment, joy, love, and peace, this very now.
Jeshua ben Joseph gave us many ways to see past the illusion of time and impermanence. He said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven." (The Bible; Matthew 18:3) The complete dependence of a child, without any thought of yesterday or tomorrow. They simply know that they are loved and cared for NOW.
A Course in Miracles tells us that, "Except ye become as little children" means that unless you fully recognize your complete dependence on God, you cannot know the real power of the Son in his true relationship with the Father. The specialness of God's Sons does not stem from exclusion, but from inclusion." (A Course in Miracles; Chapter 1, Section V, 3:4-5)
We live and move and have our Being in God, and live as currents of thought and Being within the Mind of God. This Being is eternal and infinite and ALL, as God Is. Our Being is not exclusive, but inclusive of the entire Kingdom that is the Mind of God. The Sons of God are ONE, and without limit... whether appearing as horses, gates, or people. And the illusion of time has no meaning or power or reality in the Infinity of God.
"You cannot understand yourself alone. This is because you have no meaning apart from your rightful place in the Sonship, and the rightful place of the Sonship is God. This is your life, your eternity, and your Self. It is of this that the Holy Spirit [always] reminds you. It is this that the Holy Spirit [always] sees." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 5, Section III, 8:1-5
"Time is a belief of the ego, so the lower mind, which is the ego's domain, accepts it without question. The only aspect of time that is eternal [real] is now." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 5, Section III, 6:4-5
The illusion of time seems to be the thickest veil we project across reality, to obscure the eternal. We may question a lot of the world's thinking, but my kids still appeared to grow up, my hair still appeared to turn white, and the seasons still appear to come and go... along with these bodies we seem to live in. We still seem to have deadlines and appointments to keep. How can we say this is not real, when our very lives appear to be slaves to time and its seeming power over us?
This morning I had a very interesting learning experience. I thought I had somewhere that I had committed to be, and it involved getting up very early (5 a.m.) and taking care of all the animals here at the Sanctuary so that I could leave the house by 7 a.m. No problem, usually. But this morning I woke up and felt like I shouldn't go. I prayed about it... in other words, I forgave and released my belief in time and the part of me that didn't want to go... but still couldn't get a clear 'go' or 'don't go'. I knew that in reality it didn't matter what I do... it matters only what the whole situation symbolizes, since that's all it really is. So I gave it to the Holy Spirit, my true Self, and forgave the whole notion of time and space and went back to bed.
When I woke up, two interesting things happened. One, I checked my e-mail and discovered that I 'miraculously' wasn't supposed to be there today, even though I clearly had it down in my calendar! And second, the wind had blown the barnyard gate off its latches... but only one horse was out, and she came right back in when I went out to feed them... no chasing involved. Now all of the horses could have run... but they didn't. And I could have driven to St. Louis and not been there when the gate blew off, and all the horses could have run off and been who knows where when I got home this evening. But I was here. So all I said was, "Thank you, Holy Spirit."
Now I don't think it matters at all whether it's about appointments or horses. They are symbols in the dream, and what they stand for in my dream is the awakening of the Son of God. By releasing it all to the Holy Spirit, by making no decisions by my egoic self, the meaning of all of it is changed. Now they are learning symbols, pointing to the timeless and eternal, the unchanging and Real. "Thank you, Holy Spirit, that only God is the meaning of everything." And God is everywhere, everything, always, and forever... wholeness, fulfillment, joy, love, and peace, this very now.
Jeshua ben Joseph gave us many ways to see past the illusion of time and impermanence. He said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven." (The Bible; Matthew 18:3) The complete dependence of a child, without any thought of yesterday or tomorrow. They simply know that they are loved and cared for NOW.
A Course in Miracles tells us that, "Except ye become as little children" means that unless you fully recognize your complete dependence on God, you cannot know the real power of the Son in his true relationship with the Father. The specialness of God's Sons does not stem from exclusion, but from inclusion." (A Course in Miracles; Chapter 1, Section V, 3:4-5)
We live and move and have our Being in God, and live as currents of thought and Being within the Mind of God. This Being is eternal and infinite and ALL, as God Is. Our Being is not exclusive, but inclusive of the entire Kingdom that is the Mind of God. The Sons of God are ONE, and without limit... whether appearing as horses, gates, or people. And the illusion of time has no meaning or power or reality in the Infinity of God.
"You cannot understand yourself alone. This is because you have no meaning apart from your rightful place in the Sonship, and the rightful place of the Sonship is God. This is your life, your eternity, and your Self. It is of this that the Holy Spirit [always] reminds you. It is this that the Holy Spirit [always] sees." -- A Course in Miracles; Chapter 5, Section III, 8:1-5
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