ACIM Lesson 100 ~ Iambic Pentameter ~ Listen

Recitation of Lesson 100 in ‘blank verse’ www.acimradio.net/IP_100/100_IP_ACIMRadio_meter_IP_dyn.wma IP formatting by Lee Flynn, voice&music: maz ~oOo~

Lesson 100“My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.” Just as God’s Son completes his Father, so your part in it completes your Father’s plan. Salvation must reverse the mad belief in separate thoughts and separate bodies which lead separate lives and go their separate ways. One function shared by separate minds unites them in one purpose, for each one of them is equally essential to them all. God’s Will for you is perfect happiness. Why should you choose to go against His Will? The part that He has saved for you to take in working out His plan is given you that you might be restored to what He wills. This part is as essential to His plan as to your happiness. Your joy must be complete to make His plan be understood by those to whom He sends you. They will see their function in your shining face, and hear God calling to them in your happy laugh. You are indeed essential to God’s plan. Without your joy His joy is incomplete. Without your smile the world cannot be saved. While you are sad the light which God Himself appointed as the means to save the world is dim and lusterless. And no-one laughs because all laughter can but echo yours. You are indeed essential to God’s plan. Just as your light increases every light that shines in Heaven, so your joy on earth calls to all minds to let their sorrows go, and take their place beside you in God’s plan. God’s messengers are joyous, and their joy heals sorrow and despair. They are the proof that God wills perfect happiness for all who will accept their Father’s gifts as theirs. We will not let ourselves be sad today. For if we do, we fail to take the part that is essential to God’s plan, as well as to our vision. Sadness is the sign that you would play another part, instead of what has been assigned to you by God. Thus do you fail to show the world how great the happiness He wills for you. And so you do not recognize that it is yours. Today we will attempt to understand joy is our function here. If you are sad your part is unfulfilled, and all the world is thus deprived of joy, along with you. God asks that you be happy, so the world can see how much He loves His Son, and wills no sorrow rises to abate his joy; no fear besets him to disturb his peace. You are God’s messenger today. You bring His happiness to all you look upon; His peace to everyone who looks on you, and sees His message in your happy face. We will prepare ourselves for this today in our five minute practice periods, by feeling happiness arise in us according to our Father’s will and ours. Begin the exercises with the thought today’s idea contains. Then realize your part is to be happy. Only this is asked of you or anyone who wants to take his place among God’s messengers. Think what this means. You have indeed been wrong in your belief that sacrifice is asked. You but receive according to God’s plan, and never lose or sacrifice or die. Now let us try to find that joy which proves to us and all the world God’s Will for us. It is your function that you find it here, and that you find it now. For this you came. Let this one be the day that you succeed! Look deep within you, undismayed by all the little thoughts and foolish goals you pass as you ascend to meet the Christ in you. He will be there. And you will reach Him now. What could you rather look upon in place of Him who waits that you may look on Him? What little thought has power to hold you back? What foolish goal can keep you from success when He Who calls to you is God Himself? He will be there. You are essential to His plan. You are His messenger today. And you must find what He would have you give. Do not forget the idea for today between your longer practice periods. It is your Self who calls to you today. And it is Him you answer every time you tell yourself you are essential to God’s plan for the salvation of the world.  “

Our Attack Thoughts

Our Attack Thoughts Attack Our Invulnerability

BY REJA JOY GREEN*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Recently I received a group email which was purported to be “An Actual Craig’s List Personals AD”.  The AD and my RESPONSE are below. Craig’s list ad–Read it closely folks… a good one. AN ACTUAL CRAIG’S LIST PERSONALS AD To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last. Date: 2011-11-27, 1:43 am. E.S.T. I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend, threatening our lives. You also asked for my girlfriend’s purse and earrings. I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message. First, I’d like to apologize for your embarrassment; I didn’t expect you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket.. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason.. my girlfriend was happy that I just returned safely from my 2nd tour as a Combat Marine in Afghanistan .. She had just bought me that Kimber Custom Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head … isn’t it?! I know it probably wasn’t fun walking back to wherever you’d come from with crap in your pants. I’m sure it was even worse walking bare-footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again]. After I called your mother or “Momma” as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you’d done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as those of four other people in the gas station, — on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 153 gallons and was extremely grateful! I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go’s, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!] I then threw your wallet into the big pink “pimp mobile” that was parked at the curb ….. after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver’s side of the car. Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA’s office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target. The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.) In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you … but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider, the career path you’ve chosen to pursue in life.. Remember, next time you might not be so lucky. Have a good day! Thoughtfully yours, Semper fi, Alex Probably don’t have to ask you to forward this one, it is priceless! Dearest Friend, This email is so incredibly mind blowing on so many levels. [Even if this email were not authentic, none of our thoughts are idle. They produce effects on some level. We should be asking ourselves, what DO we want to create?] All I could think of, as I was reading it, were these words, “In my defenselessness my safety lies.”ACIM Lesson 153 Today’s Lesson is “My holiness blesses the world.” And in the lesson HE tells us, “Those who see themselves as whole make no demands.” In this morning’s Recorded CONFERENCE CALL I mentioned this email, just saying that I received it from a long time Student. I hope you get to PLAYBACK the recording.  http://www.jcim.net/Music/6102140000_320134-Lesson37.mp3    [PLAYBACK via phone is: 610-214-0100 320134# Ref# 30 ]  What came to mind was Les Miserables, where the Bishop told the police that he gave Val jean what he took but said he forgot the candlesticks. I also remembered a story that KEN WAPNICK shares about how a robber came into his bedroom window to rob him. KEN saw him with the eyes of Christ and offered him more than he was wanting to take. As the thief left he asked for Ken’s blessing! “Those who see themselves as whole make no demands.”  Can we remove the idea of SACRIFICE in this world and not reinforce it. Holy Child of God, when will we learn that we are truly invulnerable and to attack our brothers in any way [even if we perceive that he is ‘attacking us’], is to attack our own invulnerability. As the Son of God, WHO or what could BE attacked. There is nothing anyone could take from us. We are whole and complete and still as God created us. These aren’t just words.  They are TRUTH. ♥ Today this was the paragraph that it was my turn to read. How synchronistic! 2There is no other way in which the idea of sacrifice can be removed from the world’s thinking. Any other way of seeing will inevitably demand payment of someone or something. As a result, the perceiver will lose. Nor will he have any idea why he is losing. Yet is his wholeness restored to his awareness through your vision. Your holiness blesses him by asking nothing of him. Those who see themselves as whole make no demands.  ACIM Lesson 37 I bless you dear One, as the Son of God. ~Reja Janaki Joy Green Omaha, NE *Reja Janaki Joy Green [Reja_CIMS] is one of the founding members of the Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]; She is the CIMS webmaster, eMagazine editor and producer of the Daily Lesson Mailings. Reja facilitates the Daily ACIM Lesson Conference Calls on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays as well as the Course in Miracles study group in Omaha. Reja is also an Ordained CMC Minister.   As a registered Yoga Instructor, Reja teaches Hatha Yoga from the perspective of A Course in Miracles and hosts several social media groups for those who share this journey. Reja currently resides with her loving husband Chris Green in Omaha, NE.

Proof of Heaven ~ a book review

Proof of Heaven A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife By Eben Alexander, M.D.* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Book Review by REJA JANAKI JOY GREEN*

In today’s world of electronic interconnectedness, it’s amazing how some ideas seem to go ‘Viral’ and others don’t. I received word of this book via a group email from a friend Tricia Aude who was a friend of  Helen Schucman and William Thetford, scribe and co-scribe respectively of A Course in Miracles and currently transcribes the messages of Jesus aka Rajpur ( Hindi for ‘place of the prince’) as He delivers them through Paul Tuttle. Or was it a message I received from another dear friend who mentioned they have just purchased and read it via Kindle or a second friend who shared they had just finished it. The Universe was saying, pay close attention, just as it did years ago when I kept hearing ‘A Course in Miracles’ mentioned over and over or recently when I learned of Anita Moorjani’s NDE experience. It appears that this is another one of those ‘wake up calls’ from [y/our] BEING. And so it is! The most significant facets of this Near Death Experience [NDE] are:  The person who experienced it was a skeptical neurosurgeon scientist.  The CORTEX of his brain was not functioning yet he experienced crystal clear clarity.  He had a complete and total recovery from E. coli meningitis, which is a medical miracle. We may have seen television shows regarding NDE’s which often begin with phenomenal claims of other worldly experiences and end with a scientific de-bunking using medical science of the brain to prove it was ‘all in their head.’ The evidence the scientists present is offered in an effort to show that there IS no ‘scientific proof’ that these experiences were anywhere but in the physical brain. This is exactly how Eben [Dr. Alexander] thought until his own first-hand experience of an NDE. “The more I read of the “scientific” explanations of what NDE’s are, the more I was shocked by their transparent flimsiness. And yet I also knew with chagrin that they were exactly the ones that the old “me” would have pointed to vaguely if someone had asked me to “explain” what an NDE is.” As I began reading this book and began reading some of the doctor’s experiences during his seven day coma I noticed a skepticism that was creeping in. I was asking myself: “Does this feel true or is this just another ploy to sell books and ride on the wave of NDE curiosity?” Although I am very open minded, I always employ my own internal ‘TRUTH METER’. I ask, “Does this resonate with the Truth I know within as the Christ?” This experience Eben was relaying  was very different from the NDE’s I am used to reading and hearing about and that caused my comfort zone to be stretched. His NDE in the beginning wasn’t all warm and fuzzy and I wondered if it were truly REAL. As A Course in Miracles tells us, “Nothing REAL can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the Peace of God.” When Dr. Alexander began to speak about the REALITY of his experience, that’s when my METER registered GREEN! I was getting a sense that the reality of the Interconnectedness and immensity of Spirit that Eben experienced could never be threatened. “The word real expresses something abstract, and it’s frustratingly ineffective at conveying what I’m trying to describe. Imagine being a kid and going to a movie on a summer day. Maybe the movie was good, and you were entertained as you sat through it. But then the show ended, and you filed out of the theater and back into the deep, vibrant, welcoming warmth of the summer afternoon. And as the air and the sunlight hit you, you wondered why on earth you’d wasted this gorgeous day sitting in a dark theater. Multiply that feeling a thousand times, and you still won’t be anywhere close to what it felt like where I was.”  P.39 Dr. Eben Alexander, husband, father, neurosurgeon  contracted the extremely rare condition of E. coli meningitis completely out of the blue. Only 1 in 10 Million people will do the same. He made a full recovery one month after lying in a coma, near death, for seven days. This book is his best attempt at trying to share an experience which was truly beyond words. As the book progresses, his story becomes an exquisite tapestry.  The experiences of his family and friends and doctors in the hospital, dealing with this grave E coli infection, are interwoven with a recounting of Eden’s experience as a consciousness, with no connection to the past, in a ‘place’ where words could never do it justice. Even though it kept the attention of the reader by the vacillating between the solid world that we know and the ephemeral albeit Real world that Eben was experiencing, it wasn’t until toward the end of the book that I found myself grabbing for the tissues. Just as we have all experienced wanting to tell everyone we know about a great book we just read or a great movie we just saw, Eben wanted to share this discovery with his friends and family and most of all with his colleagues. And that’s when he came up against ‘himself’. He saw in their eyes his own disbelief;  the disbelief he had once embraced. “I was wildly –and naively–eager to share these experiences, especially with my fellow doctors. After all, what I’d undergone altered my long-held beliefs of what the brain is, what consciousness is, even what life itself means–and doesn’t mean. Who wouldn’t be anxious to hear of my discoveries?” “Quite a few people, as it turned out. Most especially, people with medical degrees.” But more than just wanting his colleagues to look beyond the solid physical aspects of their experience, he also extended his Vision to our united situation on this planet. When he expressed these thoughts my heart opened with recognition and empathy: “For all of the successes of Western civilization, the world has paid a dear price in terms of the most crucial component of existence-our human spirit.” “The shadow side of high technology—modern warfare and thoughtless homicide and suicide, urban blight, ecological mayhem, cataclysmic climate change, polarization of economic  resources—is bad enough.” “Much worse, our focus on exponential progress in science and technology has left many of us relatively bereft in the realm of meaning and joy, and of knowing how our lives fit into the grand scheme of existence for all eternity.” P.152  “Without recovering that memory of our larger connectedness, and of the unconditional love of our Creator, we will always feel lost here on earth.” P.171 We are all so ensconced in the 3D that it seems we can’t see the forest for the trees. I began to see Eben, much as he sees himself, as another facet of our infinitude who knows now that he is “Here to Heal”. Eben recovered the memory of our larger connectedness. “So I was communicating directly with God? Absolutely. Expressed that way, it sounds grandiose. But when it was happening, it didn’t feel that way. Instead, I felt like I was doing what we can all do right now through various methods of prayer and deep meditation.  Communicating with God is the most natural one of all, because God is present in us at all times.” “Omniscient, omnipotent, personal—and loving us without conditions. We are connected as One through our divine link with God.” P.161 There is a part of Eben’s life that I have not mentioned and it has everything to do with the message he received and more importantly the Being who brought the message to him. Now I leave that mystery of WHO that was for you to discover, dear reader, although the message itself is for all to know and to remember. “You are loved and cherished, dearly, forever.” “You have nothing to fear.” “There is nothing you can do wrong.” ~*~ The following link is to a 30 minute PRESENTATION by Dr. Eben Alexander http://bitly.com/ProofofHeaven-Alexander Excerpts: “The brain is NOT the cause of consciousness.” “At the deepest level there is ONE Consciousness.” “The Body and the physical reality is not all there is to the world.” Morgan Freeman’s “THROUGH THE WORMHOLE” 43 minutes http://bitly.com/Wormhole-LifeAfterDeath ~*~ *Eben Alexander, MD  has been an academic neurosurgeon for the past 25 years, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women’s and the Children’s Hospitals and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Visit him at www.lifebeyonddeath.net     *Reja Janaki Joy Green [Reja_CIMS] is one of the founding members of the Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]; She is the CIMS webmaster, newsletter editor and producer of the Daily Lesson Mailings. Reja facilitates the Course in Miracles study group in Omaha, and is in the 2nd year of the CMC Ministerial program.    As a registered Yoga Instructor, Reja teaches Hatha Yoga from the perspective of A Course in Miracles and hosts several social media groups for those who share this journey. Reja currently resides with her loving husband Chris Green in Omaha, NE.

Forgiveness and Blaming the Victim

ACIM Q&A

Forgiveness and Blaming the Victim

BY REJA JOY GREEN
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The following is a question, posed on the new blog, “From Anxiety to Love: Finding Inner Peace with A Course in Miracles“. Corinne answered this question beautifully on her blog and a followup answer by Reja is below. Question: “I don’t understand how forgiveness in the Course is different than blaming the victim. I know that abusive people can, and have, misused the Course and other spiritual teachings to act from ego and hurt others. However, I still see in the Course amongst its teachers that the person who was hurt must then forgive by “accepting that what you thought happened, didn’t” and realizing that one “chose to hurt oneself through the abuser” and other concepts.” Thank you so much Corinne. The explanation you’ve given on your blog which is here-> http://bitly.com/ACIMQandA-BlamingVictim will resonate with a lot of Course students, I’m sure. What I’d love to do is hear from other Course in Miracle students on how they would answer this question as well. I felt the challenge to ask within my Self for how I would have answered this question if it were posed to me and so this Article was born. ~*~ The first part of the question stated: “I don’t understand how forgiveness in the Course is different than blaming the victim.” From the wording of this first part of the question, there seems to be a perception that blame is not only possible but that blame is actually occurring in the name of ‘forgiveness’, which makes it seem as though the ‘victim’ is being unfairly treated. And from the perspective of separation, this makes sense. However we, as students of A Course in Miracles [ACIM], are learning to choose a different kind of ‘perspective’.  And it’s a perspective to be used even here in this dream of physical space; even now, in our seeming experience of linear time. There IS NO OTHER Place or Time. The perspective of the Holy Spirit, of our Right Mind, of FORGIVENESS, will bring us to an experience of Peace and JOY ~  here and now! And this is the first step toward our awakening; the first step on this journey without distance to a goal that has never changed. The whole crux of the solution then is to understand the perspective that ACIM is teaching us. And the answer is closer to us than our breath. It is truly our own BEING. It is the Love that we ARE. When we choose to come from our Right Mind, which is actually a definition of ‘Forgiveness’,  then we are literally coming from the part of our Mind referred to as the Holy Spirit, Higher Self, or Guidance.  And this MIND shows us what is REALLY going on, past the limited perception of the ego which is based on separation. And that vision is what Forgiveness truly is. From the perspective of LOVE [aka Holy Spirit, Higher Self, Guidance, whatever you may call it], blame is impossible. It’s impossible because there is no condemnation. And there is no condemnation because there is no belief in separation. The Course asks us many times who would we attack if we truly knew the ‘other‘ as our Self? In order for attack to even take place we must first separate ourselves from the other. We must first think that we are different from them; that they are truly separate from us and then we decide whether they deserve either punishment or forgiveness. From the alternate perspective of UNITY, there is not only no condemnation, there is no separation between the person ‘perceiving the other’ and the ‘other’. This alternate perspective allows us to ponder the idea that what is truly going on is so much more than what our limited minds are showing us. It allows for the idea that what our limited minds are showing us is not Reality. We are not different from our brothers. We are Spirit having a human experience and we are ALL facets of the ONE. The Course is teaching us that MINDS are JOINED; That we share One Mind with God although we have divided that One mind in separate, warring parts that do not remember their Oneness. Our thoughts create the separation and then we react to it as if it were real. The SHIFT away from the view that perpetuates ‘separation’ to one that allows the Reality of UNITY to come forward is the MIRACLE. The Course tells us that the miracle is when we remove the blocks to Love’s awareness. The Course tells us that everything that comes from Love is a Miracle. Now, the next part of the question tells us that the questioner admits: “I still see in the Course amongst its teachers that the person who was hurt must then forgive by ‘accepting that what you thought happened, didn’t’….” In this statement we first of all see that the person ‘was hurt’ and then the person who ‘was hurt’ is being told they MUST FORGIVE by denying that it happened. This truly sounds ludicrous and yet there is more here than meets the eye. If we first look at the idea that the person is HURT, it is agreed that the appropriate reaction is NOT to deny this person’s experience. That would be something the Course calls:  ‘denying the DENIAL’ and the Course urges us NOT to do this. So what is DENIAL? DENIAL is occurring when anyone DENY’S their perfection. But our healing will never occur if we continue to deny that we are in DENIAL. J Yes, the person is hurt. Or yes, I am hurt. We should not deny that feeling. But the HEALING of the DENIAL and the pain which the DENIAL causes is what the Course is teaching us. We hurt. Yes. But in Reality we are still as God created us. We are not the weak and vulnerable and separate person our egos want us to believe we are. That concept of ourselves can cause us to feel hurt but that is not who we are. Actually, there is nothing outside of us. In reality there is One Mind and that Mind I share with God. Everything else is a call for help and healing, whether it’s from me or from the other person. Any concept of who I am that does not include my perfection and Eternal Being, is a concept supported by my vulnerable ego and will suffer pain. The Course tells us “I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts.” We learn this so beautifully in Lesson 281 as He teaches us this prayer: 1 Father, Your Son is perfect. When he thinks that he is hurt in any way, it is because he has forgotten who he is. And that he is as You created him. Your Thoughts can only bring me happiness. If ever I am sad or hurt or ill, I have forgotten what You think and put my little, meaningless ideas in place of where Your Thoughts belong and where They are. I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts. The Thoughts I think with You can only bless. The Thoughts I think with You alone are true. ACIM Lesson 281 Nothing outside of us can hurt us or change our eternal Reality in any way. The Course is teaching us that we can ALWAYS choose again when we are in pain. No one can hurt us unless we give them the power to do so. In the very last few paragraphs of the Course, we are gently reminded that: 87 Trials are but lessons which you failed to learn presented once again, so where you made a faulty choice before, you now can make a better one and thus escape all pain which what you chose before has brought to you. In every difficulty, all distress, and each perplexity Christ calls to you and gently says, “My brother, choose again.” He would not leave one source of pain unhealed nor any image left to veil the truth. [He would remove all misery from you, whom God created altars unto joy.] He would not leave you comfortless, alone in dreams of hell, but would release your minds from everything that hides His face from you. His holiness is yours because He is the only power that is real in you. His strength is yours because He is the Self that God created as His only Son.    ACIM OrEd.Tx.31.87 This is what we are learning. It is the concept that, as soon as we are feeling anything but JOY, there’s a RED FLAG that is there, letting us know that we need to ‘choose again’ and this time we choose for Reality and not what we thought was going on. That’s where the next part of this question comes in:  Once the person perceives themselves as hurt, it was thought that they must then – “forgive by ‘accepting that what you thought happened, didn’t’….” There’s that pesky word ‘FORGIVE’ again. Forgive, in the Course’s use of the word, does not mean that we make some action or thought real and then forgive it so we can be absolved or the other person can feel better. Forgive means to ‘see’ the action or thought with our Right Mind. It means to see it with the Mind of Christ. We will then know what is Really going on.  What ‘didn’t happen’ is anything that could change our Eternal Reality as LOVE. Nothing can change that. When we identify with WHO we Truly ARE, nothing of substance has changed. Yes, we make mistakes while we are coming from the perspective of separation and ego, but what is REAL cannot be changed by those mistakes. It’s as if they never happened.  You thought that someone hurt you but they cannot. The only thing that can be hurt is a limited sense of who you are, which is the ego. The Course tells us that our mission here is to demonstrate that we are not an EGO. And we demonstrate that by Knowing that no matter what anyone says or thinks or does they cannot change my Reality as a perfect Son of God nor change their Reality as a perfect Son of God. “It didn’t happen”.  The last part of this questions is: “..and realizing that one “chose to hurt oneself through the abuser” and other concepts.” When we use this new ‘perspective’, that we are learning as Course students, and view the ‘abuser’ we do not see anyone different from ourselves. We don’t continue to perpetuate the idea of separation which is not Real. They are the Son of God as we are. And they are either coming from Love or calling for Love, as we are. While they are calling for love, their Reality as the Son of God hasn’t change. That is their Eternal Being. It hasn’t changed even when it is not recognized by themselves or by others. The Love that you ARE waits on welcome, not on time. It will NEVER change. Only our Thoughts can hurt us in anyway. How we ‘see’ our brother and how we ‘see’ ourselves will either be through the eyes of illusion and separation or through the eyes of Christ/Holy Spirit/Love. And this is our choice. We choose to hurt ourselves if we are choosing to ‘see’ our brother as an abuser and if we ‘see’ ourselves as someone who can be abused. If I see someone as an abuser then I must be coming from the perspective of ‘separation’. If I am ‘hurt’ then I must be coming from the perspective of ‘separation’. It all comes down to who I identify with and the Course is teaching us that we are LOVE. Nothing we have thought about ourselves has changed our True Identity as the Perfect Son of God. Nothing we have thought of anyone else has changed their identity as the Perfect Son of God. When we keep coming back to Forgiveness, which is ‘seeing’ with Right Perception; with the eyes of Christ/Love, then all things fall into place. “Love doesn’t conquer all things but it does set all things right.” Nothing REAL can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. ~Reja Janaki Joy Green Omaha, NE

Anita Moorjani ~ Dying To Be Me … a review

DYING TO BE ME

MY JOURNEY FROM CANCER,
TO NEAR DEATH,
TO TRUE HEALING

By ANITA MOORJANI

www.anitamoorjani.com
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[as it appeared in the June 2012 Newsletter]

Review by Reja Joy Green

“It was as though every moment held infinite possibilities, and where I was at that point in time was a culmination of every decision, every choice, and every thought of my entire life. My many fears and my great power had manifested as this disease.” When I read this paragraph in Anita Moorjani’s book “DYING TO BE ME: MY JOURNEY FROM CANCER, TO NEAR DEATH, TO TRUE HEALING”  it reminded me of what my husband and I often say to participants as we begin our  presentations on A Course in Miracles [ACIM]. We express the idea that absolutely every decision they have made in  their lives has culminated in bringing them to this room and to this moment. Likewise, every decision I have ever made in my life has brought me to writing this review in this moment and all of the decisions you have EVER made have brought you to this moment in which you are reading it. It was the next sentence in that paragraph that stopped my mind for a moment: “My many fears and my great power had manifested as this disease.” Yes, I have learned and have experienced fear as a power capable of manifesting dis-ease. This is quite understandable. And yet the second part of this sentence was an idea that might even go unnoticed if the reader were looking from their regular, comfortable, point of view. Such a concept may not be understandable and so glossed over. “…my great power had manifested as this disease.”  What did Anita mean by this? Why would our POWER manifest as a disease? To answer this we may want to start with Anita’s experience of ‘disease’.  A dear friend [Soni] and also her brother in law had contracted cancer and had perished from the disease. When this happened Anita became deathly afraid of getting sick herself and also afraid of the medical treatment when she saw how it had ravaged her friend’s body and had not prevented her death.  In her study of cancer, Anita learned that cancer could come from many activities: the polluted air we breathe, the pesticides and preservatives in our food, the chemicals in the water we drink, even the negative thoughts that we think. Her fear only increased. And then the inevitable happened. In 2002 Anita was diagnosed with cancer. Since conventional, western style medicine had not helped her friend, Anita tried alternative methods: “I tried faith healing, praying, meditation, and energy-healing sessions. I read every book I could get my hands on about cancer, learning every possible connotation given to the disease. I worked on forgiveness therapy, and forgave everyone I knew—then forgave them again. I traveled through India and China, meeting Buddhist monks, Indian yogis, and enlightened masters, hoping that they’d help me find answers that would lead to healing. I tried being vegan, meditating on mountaintops, yoga, ayurveda, chakra balancing, Chinese herbal medicine, pranic healing, and Chi Gong. But despite all this, my cancer just kept getting worse.” (Kindle Edition, pp. 133-134). It was at the point of imminent total organ failure, after a four year battle, that Anita’s fight was over. She completely surrendered to – what turned out to be – REALITY. In this amazing book, DYING TO BE ME, Anita chronicles her life before her diagnosis in Part I, when she developed  a limiting and fear-filled thought system based on years of harassment and abuse for being seen as ‘different’. She shares how she became completely ‘other centered’ and continually struggled to fit in and be accepted and yet the result was always a deep sense of unworthiness. Part II chronicles her journey to death and back. Anita describes the “Near Death Experience” [NDE] itself, and what happened next. “Being healed of cancer and working to find a new place in the world has been a surprising, challenging, and exhilarating journey! In this section, Anita describes how she felt after the NDE when she was aware of a connection with everyone in her life, including those at the hospital: “I felt as though I were connected to them all at a deep level and knew everything they were feeling and thinking, almost as though we shared the same mind.” (pp. 83-84) As a Course in Miracles student, reading this is a wonderful  affirmation of what we are learning in the Course which teaches:  ‘minds are joined’. Part III is an expression of Anita’s understanding of “healing, the way the world is today, and how we can live as a reflection of who we really are, allowing our magnificence to shine through.” When the end came, and Anita finally let go completely she took the leap of faith, and was buoyed up by the LOVE that she knew herself to BE.  That’s when she realized, “My many fears and my great power had manifested as this disease.” (p. 70) Anita shares more about the Power manifesting as disease in the Question and Answer area at the end of her book: “I had this understanding: Ooh, I see—it didn’t happen to me, because in truth, I’m never a victim. The cancer is just my own unexpressed power and energy! It turned inward against my body, rather than outward. I knew it wasn’t a punishment or anything like that. It was just my own life force expressing itself as cancer because I didn’t allow it to manifest as the magnificent, powerful force of Anita.” (p. 165) When I read this I recalled a portion of the ACIM TEXT which teaches us: “The mind chose to divide itself when it willed to create both its own levels and the ability to perceive, but it could not entirely separate itself from the Soul because it is from the Soul that it derives its whole power to create. Even in miscreation will is affirming its Source or it would merely cease to be. This is impossible because it is part of the Soul which God created and which is therefore eternal.” ACIM OrEd.Tx.3.45 We derive our power to create from our Soul which is eternal and to which we are eternally connected. There is only one Power and we are given free will to use that Power. When it doesn’t have an avenue of expression it will turn within. In Anita’s NDE, she came to realize that it was her self-identity which caused the POWER to turn inward: “I believe that my cancer was related to my self-identity, and it feels as though it was my body’s way of telling me that my soul was grieving for the loss of its own worth—of its identity. If I’d known the truth of who I actually am, I wouldn’t have gotten cancer!” (p. 180) And Lesson 136 in A Course in Miracles tells us: “Sickness is a defense against the truth. I will accept the truth of what I am And let my mind be wholly healed today.” Time is also amazing when viewed from within the NDE. “Time felt different in that realm, too, and I felt all moments at once. I was aware of everything that pertained to me—past, present, and future—simultaneously. I became conscious of what seemed to be simultaneous lives playing out.” (p. 67) In ACIM we learn that time is an illusion. “Only eternity is real. Why not use the illusion of time constructively?” ACIM OrEd.Tx.1.26 “It is in the reality of now, without past or future, that the beginning of the appreciation of eternity lies. For only now is here, and it presents the opportunities for the holy encounters in which salvation can be found”. ACIM OrEd.Tx.12.30 Anita comes to the realization that Now is the only time there is and how it holds our ‘salvation’! “But if all time and experience exist right now, and we’re simply moving through it as we express our magnificence in a physical world, then we have nothing to fear. We don’t have to live in anxiety about what comes next. We can recognize the energy that we’re already a part of, and we can be love in every aspect of our lives. It’s unfortunate that we keep searching outside ourselves for answers—in religion, medicine, scientific study, books, and other people. We think the truth is somewhere out there, still elusive. Yet by doing this, we’re only getting more and more lost, appearing to move from who we truly are. The entire universe is within us.” (p. 144) And as Course students we are well aware of the dictum: “Seek not outside yourself. The search implies you are not whole within and fear to look upon your devastation and prefer to seek outside yourself for what you are.” ACIM OrEd.Tx.29.46 “Heaven is here. There is nowhere else. Heaven is now. There is no other time.” ACIM Manual for Teachers, #24, 6 This book by Anita Moorjani is such an amazing gift of love.  I am so deeply grateful for her willingness to heal others by sharing her experience of healing.  Anita had tried ‘forgiveness’ as a healing method for her ‘cancer’ and it had failed. She was using the paradigm of thinking something needed to be forgiven, although forgiveness is only called for once there is condemnation. In her NDE, Anita experienced that we are seemingly suffering from another type of cancer and that is the cancer of the mind which shows up as our condemnation of others for the evil they have done. Anita shares that in the NDE: “There’s absolutely no condemnation in that realm, because there’s nothing to condemn—we’re all pure consciousness.  On the other side, there’s total clarity about why we are the way we are and why we did anything we did, no matter how unethical it felt in life. I believe that those who hurt others only do so out of their own pain and their feelings of limitation and separation. Perpetrators of acts such as rape and murder are far removed from even having an inkling of their own magnificence.” (p. 169) This experience of the light beyond the apparent brought Anita the realization that, there is no longer “Us and them”: “Criminals have lost their center, and what they’re doing to others is actually a reflection of how they feel inside about themselves. We like to think of perpetrators and victims as ‘them’ and ‘us,’ but there is no ‘them.’ It’s all us! “When we realize this, we feel only connection with everyone and everything. I understood that in the other realm, we’re all One. We’re all the same.” (p. 170) Synchronistic-ly, today’s ACIM Lesson tells us: “Christ’s vision has one law. It does not look upon a body and mistake it for the Son whom God created. It beholds a light beyond the body, an idea beyond what can be touched, a purity undimmed by errors, pitiful mistakes, and fearful thoughts of guilt from dreams of sin. It sees no separation. And it looks on everyone, on every circumstance, all happenings, and all events without the slightest fading of the light it sees.” ACIM Lesson 158 Anita shared in her book that she went from an ‘outside-in’ view of reality to an ‘inside-out’ view. She wrote that she used to think that the external world was real and “that I had to work within its confines”.  With this view she realized she had given her power away to the outside world and that external events had the ability to control her. “Even illness was an external event that just ‘happened’ to me randomly.” Anita then writes: “However, after my NDE, I began to see myself as a divine and integral part of the greater Whole. This includes everything in the entire universe, everything that has ever existed and ever will, and it’s all connected. I realized that I was at the center of this universe, and knew that we all express from our perspective, as we’re each at the center of this great cosmic web.” (p. 113) Reading these words puts me once again in touch with the essence of Who I AM. It seems only appropriate to end this article with the very last words in Anita’s book which are the truly inspiring and always make me cry to read them. In the Question and Answer section the Questions was: “If there were a message or lesson from your NDE that you wish everyone could know or understand, something that you wish you could shout out from the rooftops, what would that be?” And Anita answers with all the Love in her Heart: “ I would want you to know that every part of you is magnificent—your ego, intellect, body, and spirit. It’s who you are—a beautiful product of this Universe’s creation. Every aspect of you is perfect. There’s nothing to let go, nothing to forgive, nothing to attain. You already are everything you need to be. It can seem so complicated, but it’s not. “If a religion makes you feel lesser than its deities, then you’ve either misinterpreted it or it’s not doing a good job of teaching you the truth. If a guru, teacher, or master makes you feel that you aren’t “yet” enlightened and still have more to “learn,” “release,” or “let go of” before getting there, then they’re not doing a good job of teaching you who you truly are, or you’re misunderstanding them. “Remind everyone close to you to be themselves, and tell them that you love them just the way they are! They’re perfect and so are you. There’s nothing not to love. Most suffering stems from feeling “less than.” You aren’t less than anything or anyone! You are complete. “The only thing you need to learn is that you already are what you’re seeking to attain. Just express your uniqueness fearlessly, with abandon! That’s why you’re made the way you are, and that’s why you’re here in the physical world. (pp. 182-183) P.S. “As though to confirm my realization, I became aware of both my father and Soni communicating to me: Now that you know the truth of who you really are, go back and live your life fearlessly!” (p. 76). And she is!! I believe that the greatest truths of the universe don’t lie outside, in the study of the stars and the planets. They lie deep within us, in the magnificence of our heart, mind, and soul. Until we understand what is within, we can’t understand what is without. I share my story here in the hope of touching your heart in some way and reminding you of your own magnificence. ~ Anita Moorjani Near Death Experience Research Foundation [NDERF] INTERVIEW with Anita Moorjani Anita Moorjani was born in Singapore and then lived in Sri Lanka until she was 2 years old. An ethnic Sindhi woman from India, her family then moved to Hong Kong where she grew up speaking fluent Sindhi, Cantonese and English, as well as being conversant with a multitude of cultural idioms. She was educated in English schools in Hong Kong and later studied in England before returning to Hong Kong to take up a senior management position for a French fashion company where she traveled all over the world using her multi-cultural, multilingual background in a variety of business and social settings.

2013 ACIM Conference ~ CHICAGO

This is your INVITATION to join
“Course in Miracles Society”
at the 2013 ACIM Chicago Conference

APRIL 26, 27, 28 ~ 2013

“A Gift of Lilies”

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This gathering of Miracle Workers in Chicago will be a seminal event in the A Course In Miracles movement. It will be a huge game changer. To be there will mean you are a part of the future of the ACIM movement.” - Rev. Tony Ponticello

Conference Location “The Congress Plaza Hotel is a living and breathing Chicago landmark that has played host to presidents, celebrities, performers and foreign dignitaries for more than a century. Guests at the Congress Plaza Hotel can explore the best downtown Chicago has to offer just by stepping outside our front doors. Situated adjacent to Grant Park, our 14-story property is located along Michigan Avenue, providing unlimited access to the city’s finest retail stores, the bustling business district and Chicago attractions.”  ~Excerpt from hotel website http://www.congressplazahotel.com/index.cfm

2013 ACIM Conference Chicago – “A Gift of Lilies” “Offer each other the gift of lilies, not the crown of thorns; the gift of love and not the gift of fear.” . (ACIM-OE CH20.2) There are 19 presenters scheduled to participate, giving very unique presentations. All of our presenters will be available to meet people and talk with them informally at their information tables, during meals and at breaks for the entire three days. Purchase your registration now to enjoy the lowest price. The greatest savings go to the earliest registrants. Registrations are transferable, so you can sell it if your plans change. Only $499 if full payment is received by August 31, 2012. This is a 23% savings ($150) from the “At the Door” price of $649. Jan.  1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2012 – $499 – 23% savings Sep. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012 – $549 – 15% savings Jan.  1, 2013 to Apr. 12, 2013 – $599 – 8% savings On and after Apr. 13, 2013 tickets may be purchased for the “At the Door” price – $649 When you register please tell them that you were referred by Course In Miracles Society (CIMS). A portion of the proceeds will be awarded to CIMS to continue its extension of Love. The first five people to register for the Conference and indicate they are a referral from Course in Miracles Society will receive a FREE ACIM Quote Calendar from CIMS. We love you and bless you! Conference Details and Registration PRESENTERS Gabrielle Bernstein [The NEW Marianne Williamson] At 25, Gabrielle Bernstein was addicted to cocaine and weighed under 100 pounds. Today she’s a bestselling author and inspiration to legions of admiring women. How did she get from there to here? Come and meet Gabrielle Bernstein, author of *Add More ~ing to Your Life* and *Spirit Junkie*. Read some beautiful TESTIMONIALS from Gabby’s fans: As Rev Tony Ponticello says: “She likes to photograph herself in the middle of a New York City street. She’s a “city girl!” We are so excited about her ‘exclusive’ appearance at the 2013 ACIM Conference “A Gift of Lilies” in Chicago.” Founder of HER FUTURE, Social Network to connect women with their mentors.COME MEET GABBY! ~*~ 2013 CO-SPONSORS & PRESENTERS 2013 CO-SPONSORS & PRESENTERS A CENTER FOR INNER PEACE, Marin County, CA ~ Sharon Sherrard ACIM GATHER, Hasting-On-Hudson, NY ~ David Fishman & Regina Dawn Akers ACIM INTERNATIONAL, Lake Delton, WI ~ Jubi Onyeama & Clare Lamanna COMMUNITY MIRACLES CENTER ** Host Organization **, San Francisco, CA ~ Rev. Tony Ponticello COURSE IN MIRACLES SOCIETY, Omaha, NE ~ Tom Whitmore & Carmen Cameron MIRACLES MAGAZINE, Washingtonville, NY ~ Jon Mundy Ph.D. MIRACLESONE FOUNDATION, Madison, WI ~ Rev. Paul Phelps & Rev. Deborah Phelps PATHWAYS OF LIGHT, Sanford, FL ~ Rev. Myron Jones & Rev. Larry Glenz UNITY CENTER OF PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY, Norwalk, CT ~ Rev. Shawn Moninger UNITY CENTER OF THE HEIGHTS, Cleveland Heights, OH ~ Rev. Tony Senf Learn More GUEST PRESENTERS  DONNA MARIE CARY ~ Recording Artist,: Eye of the Hurricane, No Solid Ground, & Real Love DAVIDPAUL and CANDACE DOYLE ~ Authors: The Voice For Love, & When God Spoke To Me MARY GERARD LENIHAN ~ Author: The Mentor Within, Visions of Illumination, & WNYHOO-NOW REV. JENNIFER HADLEY ~ Teacher / Counselor: Living ACIM Tele-class, & Finding Freedom – 7 Week Spiritual Boot Camp DAVID HOFFMEISTER ~ Author: Awakening Through ACIM, & Healing In Mind EARL PURDY ~ ACIM Lecturer: Workshop Leader, Associate Minister of Unity Temple Church, Denver, CO CINDY LORA-RENARD & GARY RENARD ~ Author: The Disappearance Of The Universe & Your Immortal Reality; Cindy & Gary: Musical Recording Artists REV. JERRY STEFANIAK ~ Author: Intimacy In Action & Compassionate Living JOE WOLFE ~ Author: Letter to a Prisoner Learn More THINGS TO SEE & DO IN CHICAGO! The hotel property is adjacent to Grant Park, and just a short walk away is the iconic Buckingham Fountain and Lincoln Statue.Millennium Park and Lurie Garden adjoin Grant Park on one end while Lakefront Trail offers a clear view of Lake Michigan harbor. There are links to all of these Attractions here: Aquariums Cultural Venues Gardens Golf Courses Historic Sites Museums Parks Performing Arts Private Golf Courses Public Golf Courses Sightseeing Zoos Take a ride on a 17-story ferris wheel at Navy Pier, visit the Children’s Museum, shops, live music stages and fantastic restaurants. Nearby you’ll find the Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum. “The Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center is the perfect place to spend your exciting vacation or business trip in the heart of Chicago.” ~ Congress Plaza Website A REFLECTION Reja Joy Green, one of the founding members of CIMS, shares her experiences at two of the CMC Biannual Conferences:The very first ACIM Conference I attended was back in 2000. That was the year Course in Miracles Society was incorporated as a non-profit organization and the year Jesus’ Course in Miracles was published. In fact, copies were just finishing up at the printers as Tom Whitmore and I were attending the conference. What a blessing to meet so many amazing Course students from around the world! It was 3 days of pure sharing! And now so much has changed since then especially in the area of Social Media! Now most of us have Facebook and Twitter accounts, LinkedIn and blog accounts and our ‘Connections’ are growing at warp speed. It certainly seems as though we are now experiencing the ‘Celestial Speedup’ that the Course spoke of. This year I had the opportunity to once again attend the biannual “2011 ACIM Conference” which gave me the chance to finally meet in person many of those Course students I had only known by username. The VIRTUAL ACIM world had suddenly filled in for me! How wondrous! The Course tells us: “Sharing is God’s way of creating and also yours.” acim-oe CH 5 50 Let’s come together to share and Celebrate in our BEING! We are whole and complete and still as God created us! I hope everyone here at CIMS has the opportunity to meet all of you. We’d love to join with you and so many of our ACIM brothers and sisters at this inspiring festival of SHARING! ♥ ~ Reja Janaki Joy Green http://www.facebook.com/rejajoy Course in Miracles Society (CIMS) is an international group of Course students and teachers organized to discover, authenticate and propagate the divine teachings of A Course in Miracles. As students, we seek to increase our knowledge of Jesus’ words and to deepen our experience of his teaching. As teachers, we work to circulate the message of A Course throughout the world by our words, by our deeds and by the example of our lives.Blessings of peace, Course in Miracles Society email: cims@jcim.net phone: 800-771-5056 web: http://jcim.net Please be sure to Let Community Miracles Center know that you were referred by Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] either by clicking the down arrow and selecting CIMS on the CMC website or if you are calling in your registrations you will just need to tell them that Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] is your sponsor. Part of the proceeds will be awarded to CIMS to continue its extension of Love. ♥

Course in Miracles Society BOOKS

JCIM CAFE COMMERCE

GAFF ~ Thoughts of a Fisherman, Battle of the Books

GAFF: And The Battle of the Books
Thoughts of an Old Fisherman
by Lorena R. Peter, Ph.D.*
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[as it appeared in the April 2012 Newsletter]

Priscilla was reading from the Course. “’The continuing will to remain separated is the only possible reason for continuing guilt feelings.’ And later it says, ‘Any decision of the mind will effect both behavior and experience.’” The three friends were sitting on Gaff’s spot, watching the clouds float across the sky and the pelicans dive for food. In the silence, each contemplated the meaning of the passage. Gaff silently asked the birds to leave him at least one fish for the cooler. He hadn’t caught many that day and he had promised his family a dinner of fresh grilled fish. Bobby smiled, “Well, if you always come out of love, you won’t do anything to feel guilty about.” Priscilla tapped his knee and smiled her agreement. She looked as though she were about to speak. Just then Wally’s voice reached them from the land side of the beach. “Just the people I wanted to see.” Gaff turned around to see Wally bearing down on them, a big grin on his face. When he saw Gaff turn toward him, he waved a book. “It’s all in here. You’re always bashing me for my sermons about the Apocalypse that’s going to destroy the earth. Well, here’s another book describing the very thing you say won’t happen.” Gaff grinned, “And what book might that be?” Wally slammed the book on the palm of his other hand. “It’s not even a man of the cloth. And he prophesies the end of the world—and soon, too.” Priscilla glanced at the book, one about Paul Solomon and the messages he got while in trance. She smiled. “Bet you haven’t gotten to the end of it.” Wally frowned. “How do you know that?” He looked at the page with a corner turned down. “Page 195.” He closed the book and looked at the other three. “That’s enough to see where he’s going with it. End of the world. And not a pretty one. The collapse of the Soviet Union was the start of all hell breaking loose. And those guys in the Middle East are going to bring it down on all of us. Bombs. Nuclear. A third of the people on the planet will bite the dust.”  His expression was smug and not just a little proud that his point of view was supported by the descriptions of death and destruction he was reading. Priscilla’s grin got bigger, but she didn’t say anything. Wally looked from one to the other of his friends, finally burst out, “What? What are you smiling about? This proves my point. Gonna tell the story from the pulpit this very weekend. “ He nodded, pleased with himself. Gaff looked at Priscilla. “I’m guessing you’ve read that book.” She nodded. Gaff turned back to Wally. “I have, too.” Wally looked at Bobby. “You, too?” “Nope.” Wally plopped down on the sand. “I was beginning to think I was the only one coming late to this read. It was published in the ‘90’s. Found it on the shelf at the Rectory.” His smug expression gone, he looked at Gaff and Priscilla. “I’m guessing from the looks on your faces that he talks about something good happening after the earth is destroyed. A field of daisies or something like that.”

CONTINUE READING FROM NEWSLETTER             Priscilla chuckled. “You remember in the beginning of the book he says that a prophecy that comes true is one that has failed?” Wally frowned. “Ye-e-es?” She continued, “Right where you’re reading now, he’s talking about a lot of people through the ages who predicted a horrible final act.” Wally opened the book to the marked place and glanced through several pages. “Yep. That’s what he did. Some really important, credible people mentioned in this chapter.” Gaff was enjoying this. “You haven’t gotten to the place where he talks about how to avoid it?” Wally closed the book. “He does?” “He does.” Now Wally looked suspicious. “And how would this be done?” Priscilla was really grinning now. “By feeling only love. By getting rid of any other feeling and only acting out of love.” Gaff glanced at the tip of his rod to find it wiggling: something big was on the line. “Yep, the way that guy describes the remedy– it is to get rid of duality.” Priscilla cut in, “You know, like love/ hate. You get rid of the hate part and keep the love part. That’s the same thing this book says.” She tapped the book resting on her knees. Wally glanced at the black book under Priscilla’s hand. “A Course in Miracles. You’ve mentioned it before. I’ve read that it is absolute blasphemy.” She nodded. “You have, have you? In fact, the part I was reading just now says that no one needs to feel guilty.” Wally hurrumphed. “You see. Blasphemy! What about feeling guilty when you do evil?” Priscilla went on, “The only reason we continue to feel guilty is so that we can feel separate from God.” Bobby added, “I think the most important thing is what it says about believing stuff like the end of the world coming.” Wally sniped. “And what would that be?” “What you believe influences your feelings about situations. Because if you expect to see something bad, you’re leaning in that direction anyway and you’ll interpret things as leading to the end you envision. Your feelings influence the way you act, too. So if you decide that the end of the world is coming, you’ll be fearful and every time a comet is spotted nearby, you’ll think it’s going to crash into the planet and kill us all. Then you’ll act afraid, maybe hide… or lash out at others.” Gaff added, “Worse yet, you might wage war against the people you think are going to cause the end of the world… and that would only add to the problem. Fighting begets fighting.” Wally was nodding, thoughtful. But his face said he was looking for the flaw in their logic. Priscilla said, “This whole book is about learning to think loving thoughts in all situations. ” Wally spoke slowly, “So I’m supposed to stand there and let people attack me and knock me around?” “Are they attacking you… really?” Wally was trying on this idea. “So if I think the world will end in flames, I may also do things to bring that end on? The reverse of what you’ve told me in the past– to be more accepting and loving so that others can love me.” “Here’s a thought. If you fear that the world is going to burst into flames, that’s thinking that there’s something out there ready to DO it to you. If you feel only love for the whole and you feel that you are a part of that whole, you are creating the future for yourself. You are the created AND the creator. If you act out of love, why would you create anything that was not loving?” Wally nodded slowly, deep in thought. “Let me see if I’ve got this. Feel that I am a part of the whole universe. And so I can create what I want for the universe. If I act out of love all the time, then whatever I do create will be loving… always!” “If you feel guilty or afraid, you are feeling separate from God.” Wally pounded his fist on the book.”What about all those people out there who are waging a war of terrorism in order to kill me and my family? Am I supposed to love them?” Gaff nodded. “Isn’t that what Jesus taught?” Another hurrumph. Bobby laughed. “I think it works in both directions. You feel a part of God, the ultimate source of love, and you’re so full of love that there’s no room for fear or guilt. Or, if you feel only love, you know that love is all around you, and that enables you to feel that you are part of God!” Wally looked at Priscilla’s book. “Hmm, that’s in your book there?” He held up his own book. “And this one, too? Maybe I need to finish reading this book before I start quoting it.” The three friends laughed. Gaff said, “I think you’ll like the end.” Then he stood to move toward his rod. He motioned toward it. “And I’m going to like what’s on the end of my line! Those birds may just have left some fish to jump on my hook after all. Julia and my kids are going to love pulling this one off the grill.” Priscilla stood next to him as his rod bent from the weight of the catch. “It’s a big one! You are always taken care of by the Source of all Love and by your friends out there. WE are part of the whole.” ~*~ *Lorena Peter, Ph.D., writes entertaining mysteries, romances and wisdom books. All have strong spiritual underpinnings and paranormal elements. She blends a medical intuition and healing practice (and travel) with her writing. You may contact her on Facebook. For her understanding of the Course, she thanks Carmen Cameron and the class in Louisville, KY. Peter is also the author of the delightful book: GAFF: WISDOM FROM THE SEA

Lady Gaga’s JUDAS and ACIM by Corinne Zupko

Lady Gaga’s JUDAS and A Course in Miracles by Corinne Zupko* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ [As it appears in the April 2012 Newsletter] *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ http://www.innerbalanceliving.com “Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself. Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible?” ~ A COURSE IN MIRACLES, ACIM OrEd.TX.6.20         I am a fan of Lady Gaga. I love her for her messages of choosing love, acceptance, and non-judgment, over hate, exclusion, and judgment. And I believe she often listens to her Inner Guidance System, which is what “A Course in Miracles” (ACIM) is teaching us to do. Being that my operating system is A Course in Miracles “one-point-0,” I tend to look at everything through the lens of ACIM. When I first watched Lady Gaga’s video, “Judas”, I didn’t get it. But as I watched it over and over through my ACIM lens, I ended up being moved to tears. If you haven’t seen it check it out on YouTube. To me, the lyrics of “Judas” speak to the state we find ourselves in this world. The song is about the split we feel in deciding between truth versus illusion, or love versus fear. We know that it is love that is good for us, and yet, we persist in choosing fear. In the song, Jesus represents love, truth, and Oneness. Judas represents the ego, which, according to the Course, is the part of our mind that WANTS to be separate from Oneness. Another way to describe the ego is fear. ♫ “I wanna love you, but something’s pulling me away from you, Jesus is my virtue, but Judas is the demon I cling to” – Lady Gaga’s “Judas” Our true state is one of Love. We are eternal, and we are One. And yet, according to “A Course in Miracles” we had the “tiny mad idea” that we wanted to experience ourselves as separate from our Source. And so we chose to enter earth school – this state of seeming separation that we believe is really happening. We chose to listen to the ego rather than to Love. And so the ego coaxes us to follow it, but all it offers us is dissatisfaction, loneliness, and pain. We know that Love is our virtue and will make us happy, and yet we cling to the ego to hide from Love. We really believe the ego has something to offer us. ♫ “I’m just a holy fool, and baby it’s so cruel but I’m still in love with Judas, baby.” – Lady Gaga’s “Judas” We are holy fools! The Course constantly likens us to spiritual children. We think we know everything. We think we know what is best for us. We think we know what makes us happy. And we think a love affair with the ego brings joy. Yet, we’re mistaken. Nothing here in this world really satisfies us or lasts forever. The ego’s motto is, “Seek but do not find” (~ACIM). How many times have we said, “when I get that better relationship, then I will be happy” or “when I get that new job, or those new clothes, then I will be happy.” When we achieve that which we were after, maybe we’re satisfied for a minute. Then we’re off searching for the next thing. The only true place to find happiness is within. Nothing outside of us can make us happy. The only thing that will really satisfy us is our connection to Spirit. With that comes a knowing of WHO we really are – that we are love, we are never alone, we are whole, and eternal. Being a channel for Love is what will make us happy. CONTINUED READING FROM NEWSLETTER And then the ego sings: ♫ “I’ll bring him down, bring him down, down. A king with no crown, king with no crown.” – Lady Gaga’s “Judas” When I intently watched the video and listened to the lyrics, seeing the forceful swoop of the dancers hands as they motioned bringing Jesus “down” I couldn’t help but feel emotional. In Jesus’ example, his persecutors (those who were identified with their ego) wanted to bring him (Love) down. Yet, we still do this over and over every day when we choose to listen to our egos and block out the Voice of Love. Judging one another and attacking one another are all various forms of wanting to bring love down. They are not acts of love, they are calls for love. According to ACIM, our egos are not our friends. The ego actively wants to keep love out. It doesn’t want you looking within, because if we really find what we are, which is love, we would stop believing in the ego. So the ego wants to take down Love. It wants to kill it.“The ego is therefore capable of suspiciousness at best, and viciousness at worst”(~ACIM). And yet, the Course also teaches that the ego is really nothing, and it is certainly nothing to be afraid of! It is just a dream with no power to change love at all. “Where there was darkness now we see the light. What is the ego? What the darkness was. Where is the ego? Where the darkness was. What is it now and where can it be found? Nothing and nowhere. Now the light has come…” – A Course in Miracles Where love is, the ego is not. And when we choose to identify with Love, the ego has no power over us. This makes me think of this “Judas” lyric: ♫ “Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain Even after 3 times, he betrays me” – Lady Gaga’s “Judas” Jesus forgave everyone. Even his crucifiers. The ego’s actions had no power over him. I watched a documentary on the Gospel of Judas recently, and was struck to learn that according to that gospel, Jesus instructed Judas on what his part would be. According to this gospel, Jesus actually told Judas that he should turn him in. Judas had a key role to play, so Jesus could demonstrate with an extreme example that love, which is what we are, cannot be destroyed. In the Course, Jesus states: “I elected, for your sake and mine, to demonstrate that the most outrageous assault, as judged by the ego, does not matter.” No matter what awful picture the body seems to go through, Jesus’ resurrection showed us that we cannot kill love. We are not asked to be crucified. We are simply asked, in much less extreme situations, to be willing to see with the vision of Love, rather than with fear. We cannot choose to see with love on our own, we need to call upon our Inner Guide that is within each and every one of us, for help. For this Inner Guide knows the way to love. We don’t. Learning to remove the blocks that we’ve put up to love and discover the beauty that is already within each of us what “A Course in Miracles” is all about. ~*~ *Corinne Zupko, Ed.S., M.A., C.P.C., is a speaker, adjunct professor, coach, writer, and meditation teacher. Corinne began her work with the Course in 1996 after struggling with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. By practicing the Course principles, “what appeared as terrifying and  unresolvable, ended up being one of the most growth-enhancing experiences in my life.” Her growth and healing journey led her into a career in the helping professions where she is passionate about helping others find and connect with their inner truth. For more information, Corinne is a regular contributor at  www.twitter.com/CorinneZupko www.facebook.com/innerbalancecoach www.linkedin.com/in/CorinneZupko Website: www.innerbalanceliving.com www.fromanxietytolove.com

Closing the Gap ~ Daniel Tipton

Dare to Be Happy

By Daniel Tipton*

CLOSING THE GAP

[as it appeared in the April 2012 Newsletter]

CLOSING THE GAP There is a gap we all experience but may not always be aware of. It is the gap of time between a grievance and a miracle. It is the time spent in hell. It is the time spent on the cross before the resurrection. It is this period of time that the Course is trying to get us to pare down to the holy instant. “I seem to have problems only because I am misusing time. I believe that the problem comes first, and time must elapse before it can be worked out. I do not see the problem and the answer as simultaneous in their occurrence. That is because I do not yet realize that God has placed the answer together with the problem, so that they cannot be separated by time. The Holy Spirit will teach me this if I will let Him.” (OrEd.W.90.5) By practicing A Course in Miracles, we are attempting to close the gap between grievance and miracle (or forgiveness). We start with a grievance at the beginning of a period of time and have to struggle to reach the miracle at the other end. As we all know, this period of time can be minutes, hours, days, or even years. All the while, we allow ourselves to suffer in that period of time. [78] Let miracles replace all grievances. 5 “By this idea do I unite my will with the Holy Spirit’s and perceive them as one. By this idea do I accept my release from hell. By this idea do I express my willingness to have all my illusions be replaced with truth according to God’s plan for my salvation. I would make no exceptions and no substitutes. I want all of Heaven and only Heaven, as God wills me to have.” (OrEd.W.89.5) The time spent in unforgiveness is the time we are attempting to do away with. It is the only reason we have time in the first place. No matter how big or small grievances seem to be, God would not have us misuse time in this way. We attempt to close this gap by being mindful (Mind the gap!   ) and practicing the Course. The gap will eventually shrink down into nothingness, which I believe is the holy instant. We can track our progress by how long we stay with a grievance. It may be particularly helpful to compare the times spent with similar grievances. “Do not be concerned with time and fear not the instant of holiness which will remove all fear. For the instant of peace is eternal because it is wholly without fear. It will come, being the lesson God gives you through the Teacher He has appointed to translate time into eternity.” (OrEd.T.15.17) “This course is not beyond immediate learning unless you prefer to believe that what God wills takes time. And this means only that you would rather delay the recognition that His Will is so. The holy instant is this one and every one. The one you want it to be it is. The one you would not have it be is lost to you. You must decide on when it is. Delay it not. For beyond the past and future, in which you will not find it, it stands in shimmering readiness for your acceptance. Yet you cannot bring it into glad awareness while you do not want it, for it holds the whole release from littleness.”  (OrEd.T.15.35) “The necessary condition for the holy instant does not require that you have no thoughts which are not pure. But it does require that you have none that you would keep. Innocence is not of your making. It is given you the instant you would have it. Yet it would not be Atonement if there were no need for Atonement. You will not be able to accept perfect communication as long as you would hide it from yourself. For what you would hide is hidden from you.” (OrEd.T.15.43) My favorite thing about the Course is that is has all responsibility fall on us. How long do we want to stay in hell? It is our choice. This is not saying that forgiveness becoming immediate is easy, but it is saying that it IS possible if we want it. Yet our wanting it is the little bit of willingness that Jesus asks for. All he wants is for us to lay down our swords and our shields, and ask him: “Jesus, there must be a different way. Please, show me”. That IS all. “The Holy Spirit asks only this little help of you. Whenever your thoughts wander to a special relationship which still attracts you, enter with Him into a holy instant and there let Him release you. He needs only your willingness to share His perspective to give it to you completely. And your willingness need not be complete because His is perfect. It is His task to atone for your unwillingness by His perfect faith, and it is His faith you share with Him there. Out of your recognition of your unwillingness for your release, His perfect willingness is given you. Call upon Him, for Heaven is at His call. And let Him call on Heaven for you.” (OrEd.T.16.69)                                                CONTINUED FROM THE NEWSLETTER I think we can track our progress by being aware of the time we spend with a grievance. It can be anything but it might help to choose something we are faced with over and over. (The re-occurrences are probably a sign that it’s time to move on anyway). For instance, I used to get pretty upset when my roommates were sloppy. It was more or less a grievance I carried around with me all the time, and one I used to deploy passive mental attacks. As I prayed and progressed, I noticed the time spent being bothered became less and less. It started only coming and going. Then, it would only last about an hour. Then, a few minutes, until I got to the point when I was able to shake it off almost immediately. It  comes. I see it. I shake it off. This lasts maybe 3 seconds now. I say “shake it off” because I usually shake my head to take me out of that thought and onto whatever else. This is not a form of denial because I address the issue if I feel I need to. It is ridding myself of unnecessary attack thoughts.I hope to apply this to all areas of my life. There are many I’m still working on, but I have noticed as I focus on them, and pray, I do progress. There is always something I can work on. It’s not hard to find new projects once one has been brought to a comfortable level. May we all shorten the time distance to miracles. May we all close the gap. Blessings to all. Daniel

*Daniel Tipton resides in Omaha, NE and is a member of the Course in Miracles Society study group. He is in his second year of the 2 year ACIM Ministerial Program offered by the Community Miracles Center; Daniel attended the 2011 Annual ACIM Conference in San Francisco and is currently working on a masters degree in Counseling at UNO. He will be assisting at the 2013 ACIM Conference which will be held in Chicago. More Conference Information here