"You are entitled to miracles because of what you are. You will receive miracles because of what God is. And you will offer miracles because you are One with God. Your claim to miracles does not lie in your illusions about yourself. It does not depend on any magical powers you have ascribed to yourself, nor on any of the rituals you have devised. It is inherent in the Truth of what you are. It was ensured in your creation, and guaranteed by the laws of God." -- ACIM; Workbook Lesson 77
"I am under no laws but God's. There are no laws but God's." -- ACIM; Workbook Lesson 76
I am inspired to offer this as a day of miracles. Instead of the world we think we see, we are entitled to the miracle of healed perception. This is my only prayer for each and every one of us.
"Hold your mind in silent readiness to hear the Voice that speaks the Truth to you. You will be listening to One Who says 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." -- ACIM; Workbook Lesson 76
We claim miracles for ourselves whenever and wherever we find ourselves forgetting Who We Are. And we give and share miracles as the Voice directs... always in overflowing Love and Gratitude for the Allness and Oneness we share.
"Ask for them whenever a situation arises in which they are called for. You will recognize these situations. And since you are not relying on yourself to find the miracle, you are fully entitled to receive it whenever you ask." -- ACIM; Workbook Lesson 77
Accept miracles today. And give them freely. This is your natural vocation.
"Let us today open God's channels to Him, and let His Will extend through us." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 76
Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
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
Monday, July 12, 2010
Changing Thoughts
"Think of this awhile: The world you see does nothing. It has no effects at all. It merely represents your thoughts. And it will change entirely as you elect to change your mind, and choose the joy of God as what you really want." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 190, 6:1-4
One of my teachers once said, "Thought is always moving." We have the illusion of sameness from one day to the next, but there is no such thing as a day when our thoughts are identical. They are always moving, like a kaleidoscope. And this analogy is especially apt, since the restless, changing, often nonsensical pattern of our thoughts projects the world we think we see. Things pop up and come and go, in seemingly random patterns. But make no mistake: It is our own projection, the mirror of our own thoughts and nothing else.
So the hard truth that none of us really want to see is that we are never at the mercy of a changing world. We live in our own projections, reacting to our own judgments and stories. The world we think we see is made of images reflecting our own changing thoughts.
"It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way. There is no cause beyond yourself that can reach down and bring oppression. No one but yourself affects you. There is nothing in the world that has the power to make you ill or sad, or weak or frail. But it is you who have the power to dominate all things you see by merely recognizing What You Are. And as you perceive the harmlessness in them, they will accept your holy Will as theirs. And what was seen as fearful now becomes a source of innocence and holiness." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 190, 5:1-8
How do we recognize Who and What we are? By letting go of the insistence that we know who we are. We think we know where we were born, who our parents were, and where we were educated. We think we know what we like and what we don't like. And we think these judgments and the thoughts associated with them mean something. We think these things point to who we are. In reality, they point to the kaleidoscope of action and reaction of thought that passes for life, and that projects the world as we have known it.
If we are still just a moment... if we're willing to not know for just an instant... if we're willing to allow that who and what we are must be natural, must be effortlessly already here, that it doesn't need to be judged or explained or defined or maintained... in the stillness of an instant, the Truth dawns. The changing thoughts that project the world are stilled, and in the unconditioned awareness of the holy instant, we recognize our true Self. This Self has never been lost, has always been. Our constantly changing thoughts and projections have simply obscured our awareness for a time.
"Be glad today how very easily is hell undone. You who perceive yourself as weak and frail, with futile hopes and devastated dreams, born but to die, to weep and suffer pain, hear this: All power is given unto you in earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do. You play the game of death, of being helpless, pitifully tied to dissolution in a world which shows no mercy to you. Yet when you accord it mercy, will its mercy shine on you. Then let the Son of God awaken from his sleep, and opening his holy eyes, return again to bless the world he made. In error it began, but it will end in the reflection of his holiness." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 191, 7:1 & 9:1-4
One of my teachers once said, "Thought is always moving." We have the illusion of sameness from one day to the next, but there is no such thing as a day when our thoughts are identical. They are always moving, like a kaleidoscope. And this analogy is especially apt, since the restless, changing, often nonsensical pattern of our thoughts projects the world we think we see. Things pop up and come and go, in seemingly random patterns. But make no mistake: It is our own projection, the mirror of our own thoughts and nothing else.
So the hard truth that none of us really want to see is that we are never at the mercy of a changing world. We live in our own projections, reacting to our own judgments and stories. The world we think we see is made of images reflecting our own changing thoughts.
"It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way. There is no cause beyond yourself that can reach down and bring oppression. No one but yourself affects you. There is nothing in the world that has the power to make you ill or sad, or weak or frail. But it is you who have the power to dominate all things you see by merely recognizing What You Are. And as you perceive the harmlessness in them, they will accept your holy Will as theirs. And what was seen as fearful now becomes a source of innocence and holiness." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 190, 5:1-8
How do we recognize Who and What we are? By letting go of the insistence that we know who we are. We think we know where we were born, who our parents were, and where we were educated. We think we know what we like and what we don't like. And we think these judgments and the thoughts associated with them mean something. We think these things point to who we are. In reality, they point to the kaleidoscope of action and reaction of thought that passes for life, and that projects the world as we have known it.
If we are still just a moment... if we're willing to not know for just an instant... if we're willing to allow that who and what we are must be natural, must be effortlessly already here, that it doesn't need to be judged or explained or defined or maintained... in the stillness of an instant, the Truth dawns. The changing thoughts that project the world are stilled, and in the unconditioned awareness of the holy instant, we recognize our true Self. This Self has never been lost, has always been. Our constantly changing thoughts and projections have simply obscured our awareness for a time.
"Be glad today how very easily is hell undone. You who perceive yourself as weak and frail, with futile hopes and devastated dreams, born but to die, to weep and suffer pain, hear this: All power is given unto you in earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do. You play the game of death, of being helpless, pitifully tied to dissolution in a world which shows no mercy to you. Yet when you accord it mercy, will its mercy shine on you. Then let the Son of God awaken from his sleep, and opening his holy eyes, return again to bless the world he made. In error it began, but it will end in the reflection of his holiness." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 191, 7:1 & 9:1-4
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Willingness to Give
"To have all, give all, to all." -- A Course in Miracles
"Supply is infinite, but there must be receptivity. We can have all the supply we will give. But that is where the barrier is... we must have the willingness to give. That is where the lack and limitation is." -- Joel Goldsmith
The issue of supply, of income, is a very popular topic for all of us, and for the media. There seems to be a lack of supply for a lot of us at any given moment. So the question that arises is this: how can there be a lack of anything in what is infinite and ever-present and ONE? This apparent conflict is the age-old struggle of the illusory separate self to maintain its apparent existence through fear and self-created lack. This illusion can be illustrated by the following story:
A little boy was given a package of cookies to take to school and share with his classmates. But the little boy, fearing there wouldn't be enough for him, chose to hide them in his desk and have a few each day for himself. Was there a lack of cookies in that classroom? No, but it appeared that only one child had cookies. The reality was, they were given to him to SHARE... and if he opened his desk and shared them, all the children would have cookies. And where would more cookies come from? From the same place... because the little boy's parents loved giving, too. And many of the other children would then ask their parents for cookies or treats to share, too. Sharing is fun, and much more natural than hoarding.
So when the little boy was afraid, he hoarded. When he trusted in the love that gave him those cookies to share, he shared and experienced an abundance of cookies and other treats. And so it is with us.
Does this seem too simplistic? It's simple alright, but not easy to be willing to pour yourself out to all of life. Our egos resist, insisting that we can't, or we won't have enough. We're not talking just about money, or about anything specific. We're talking about the unwillingness to give that is the nature of the egoic, illusory self that hoards and takes in the name of I, me, mine. Our true Self gives without condition, pours out of the infinity of Being. "We must begin to pour, to start the outflow. The damming up of supply results from our failure to pour in some manner." -- Joel Goldsmith
So what is it that we are unwilling to unconditionally give? Our time? Our love? Our presence? Our attention? Our honesty? Our devotion? Our commitment? Our money? Our unwavering support? Our talents and abilities? Our acceptance and approval? Our forgiveness? Our companionship? Our diligence? A non-judgmental listening ear? If we are lacking in any of these, it is certain that it is our own unwillingness to give that is appearing as the illusion of lack. All of these are IN us... we ARE the infinity of God pouring forth in the world. We can only appear to lack what we are unwilling to give.
"The subject of supply plays a major role in our lives. Until we begin to live as if we are One with God, as if all the Father has is ours, and act that out by sharing our resources, sharing forgiveness, cooperation, understanding, patience, whatever it is... until we are willing to give in this way, spiritual consciousness has not yet touched us." -- Joel Goldsmith
"Supply is infinite, but there must be receptivity. We can have all the supply we will give. But that is where the barrier is... we must have the willingness to give. That is where the lack and limitation is." -- Joel Goldsmith
The issue of supply, of income, is a very popular topic for all of us, and for the media. There seems to be a lack of supply for a lot of us at any given moment. So the question that arises is this: how can there be a lack of anything in what is infinite and ever-present and ONE? This apparent conflict is the age-old struggle of the illusory separate self to maintain its apparent existence through fear and self-created lack. This illusion can be illustrated by the following story:
A little boy was given a package of cookies to take to school and share with his classmates. But the little boy, fearing there wouldn't be enough for him, chose to hide them in his desk and have a few each day for himself. Was there a lack of cookies in that classroom? No, but it appeared that only one child had cookies. The reality was, they were given to him to SHARE... and if he opened his desk and shared them, all the children would have cookies. And where would more cookies come from? From the same place... because the little boy's parents loved giving, too. And many of the other children would then ask their parents for cookies or treats to share, too. Sharing is fun, and much more natural than hoarding.
So when the little boy was afraid, he hoarded. When he trusted in the love that gave him those cookies to share, he shared and experienced an abundance of cookies and other treats. And so it is with us.
Does this seem too simplistic? It's simple alright, but not easy to be willing to pour yourself out to all of life. Our egos resist, insisting that we can't, or we won't have enough. We're not talking just about money, or about anything specific. We're talking about the unwillingness to give that is the nature of the egoic, illusory self that hoards and takes in the name of I, me, mine. Our true Self gives without condition, pours out of the infinity of Being. "We must begin to pour, to start the outflow. The damming up of supply results from our failure to pour in some manner." -- Joel Goldsmith
So what is it that we are unwilling to unconditionally give? Our time? Our love? Our presence? Our attention? Our honesty? Our devotion? Our commitment? Our money? Our unwavering support? Our talents and abilities? Our acceptance and approval? Our forgiveness? Our companionship? Our diligence? A non-judgmental listening ear? If we are lacking in any of these, it is certain that it is our own unwillingness to give that is appearing as the illusion of lack. All of these are IN us... we ARE the infinity of God pouring forth in the world. We can only appear to lack what we are unwilling to give.
"The subject of supply plays a major role in our lives. Until we begin to live as if we are One with God, as if all the Father has is ours, and act that out by sharing our resources, sharing forgiveness, cooperation, understanding, patience, whatever it is... until we are willing to give in this way, spiritual consciousness has not yet touched us." -- Joel Goldsmith
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Love Created Me Like ItSelf
"Love created me like ItSelf." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 67
"Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man." -- Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy; Page 256, Lines 7-8
"Love is incapable of asking for anything." -- A Course in Miracles; Preface xi
A dear friend and client of mine has been wrestling with love, wanting love, fearing love... all as if it is something outside, something to be acquired. I know this story very well, as I suspect we all do. And I have suffered, as we all have, when I look at love as commodity... something to be given, or something to be acquired. Thank God we are so very wrong. Thank God we have only to give our vision a moment to clear, and Love simply IS.
Love has nothing to do with our human notions of the word. Love is the unmoving, unchanging, and infallible Principle in which we live and move and have our very Being. It is the Ground of Being, and cannot be lost or lacking in any way. It is omnipresent and omni-everything! God IS Love.
We are emanations of that Love, created in Love's image and likeness. We don't have any qualities distinct from Love. Like a snowflake, we can be viewed individually, with unique patterns and individual gifts that reflect the Love we are... but like the snowflake, we are still snow, still Love ItSelf.
I love the thought that Love is incapable of asking for anything. How could it ask when it already Is? Ha! A little clarification... when Jeshua ben Joseph told us to ask, he was urging us to self-inquire, to question the world around us, to go deeper and find what is Real and True behind the illusion that we call the world. He was always speaking about inquiring in consciousness... never about asking for things in the outer, which is the projection we are dreaming.
So in this holiday season of thanksgiving, love, peace, and goodwill, it is our joy to BE... we are the love we have been seeking. After all, Love created me like ItSelf.
"There is no love but God's." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 127
"Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man." -- Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy; Page 256, Lines 7-8
"Love is incapable of asking for anything." -- A Course in Miracles; Preface xi
A dear friend and client of mine has been wrestling with love, wanting love, fearing love... all as if it is something outside, something to be acquired. I know this story very well, as I suspect we all do. And I have suffered, as we all have, when I look at love as commodity... something to be given, or something to be acquired. Thank God we are so very wrong. Thank God we have only to give our vision a moment to clear, and Love simply IS.
Love has nothing to do with our human notions of the word. Love is the unmoving, unchanging, and infallible Principle in which we live and move and have our very Being. It is the Ground of Being, and cannot be lost or lacking in any way. It is omnipresent and omni-everything! God IS Love.
We are emanations of that Love, created in Love's image and likeness. We don't have any qualities distinct from Love. Like a snowflake, we can be viewed individually, with unique patterns and individual gifts that reflect the Love we are... but like the snowflake, we are still snow, still Love ItSelf.
I love the thought that Love is incapable of asking for anything. How could it ask when it already Is? Ha! A little clarification... when Jeshua ben Joseph told us to ask, he was urging us to self-inquire, to question the world around us, to go deeper and find what is Real and True behind the illusion that we call the world. He was always speaking about inquiring in consciousness... never about asking for things in the outer, which is the projection we are dreaming.
So in this holiday season of thanksgiving, love, peace, and goodwill, it is our joy to BE... we are the love we have been seeking. After all, Love created me like ItSelf.
"There is no love but God's." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 127
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