People in the world are afraid of giving up control of their own thoughts. The “big brother” in George Orwell’s, “1984,” is based on fear and control. The Holy Spirit is different. The Holy Spirit never forces anyone, but waits until you voluntarily offer your thoughts. You can control the direction of your thinking and align with God and the Holy Spirit. Put your effort into this mind training.
Control
Reduce Stress and Worry, Grace vs. Control
We want to experience peace. We want to reduce stress and worry in our lives. But how? In this clip, David Hoffmeister shares on letting go of the illusion of control and sinking into divine Grace. The ego seeks to demonstrate that it is the author of itself by working, planning, and controlling as many “personal” aspects of life as possible. But doing each “must” and “have to” is highly stressful. The alternative to attempting to control things is to relax into divine Grace.
What’s Under the Twinkie?
Is there a way to be free from food issues? David Hoffmeister teaches that through working with “A Course in Miracles,” he gave over all things he thought he knew to Spirit. He was told by Jesus, “eat whatever is served,” and through many experiences he was loosened from all past conditioning about food. With all the past conditioning in the mind around food, nutrition, health, and body image, decision-making in this area can seem quite difficult and fraught with guilt.
Not Having a Job
ACIM videos immerse the mind in a new perspective. In this video, David Hoffmeister speaks on the topic of not having a job. Is the human condition your only choice or is there something beyond the human condition? When the mind goes to sleep and forgets Oneness and Nirvana and Heaven, it seems to now be existing in a very limited condition—the human condition. Part of the human condition is to have needs and desires and wants.
What Is Success?
What is success? You may have specific ideas about what success would look like in your life. Is it built on a concept like the “American Dream,” or some other artificial standard? These societal ideas about the “success” are like a cosmic fig leaf, covering over the separation and belief in guilt and shame. There is no need to cover anything up. There is nothing to hide.
Parenting and ACIM
Parenting control issues reflect the ego’s core belief, “I can make myself the way I want to be.” How much responsibility do we have as parents? The Holy Spirit uses parent/child mirroring to help parents with their authority problem. The game of inequality, of superiority and inferiority, is done. We are all equals. But the Self God created is pure Spirit. The body is a substitute for Spirit, and the ego uses pain and pleasure to reinforce this false identity. Use your mind for Spirit, for the miracle. A Course in Miracles shows the way, a specific experiential way to forgive.
Outgrowing the Familiar
Just like a child outgrows a favorite toy, as you move towards Awakening you are outgrowing the familiar. Everything is totally brand new! There is a sense of wonder. David shares his experience of how wonderful it is to not be sentimental, to not have an expectation. As soon as the mind clicks into the familiar, it is as if the mind knows something, and you don’t question the world. The agony of outgrowing the familiar brings openness, a freedom from conclusions, and joy.
Willingness, Readiness, and Mastery
Willingness is everything as we begin the path of going inward. Willingness will bring us to readiness. Don’t be frustrated if you’re willing and not ready. We have to learn how to walk before we can run. Mastery is a letting go of the personal so that you can’t take anything personally.
Bullying
Seeing something out of alignment with your heart calls for prayer to see it differently. Watching your mind and paying attention to emotions and reactions is a key to going deeper and allowing a purification of ego judgments. All perception is selective remembering and any amount of upset is still an aspect of mind. It always goes back to your own mind. Belief in “bullying” can be “pulled back” to be seen as a belief in control. If there’s any kind of control or bullying in your mind, it is believed to be much safer to see it acted out in the characters of the world-consciousness projected outward. David Hoffmeister gives a reminder of what the “A Course in Miracles” says about this: “Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.” (T-21.Intro.7)
Ideas Leave Not Their Source
There is no world apart from thought. Everything is Mind. There is no world apart from what you think. Ultimately, there is no world. But until we have a consistent experience of that fact, we need to look at all that is not that. We’re not asked to look at these blocks alone, but with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s perspective is that this world and all its happenings are the past. The more we join in this state of mind, the more the Healed Mind is reflected.