Nothing of the world can give you peace and nothing of the world can take it away. It is purely an intrinsic matter. You will always draw forth witnesses to what you believe, and when you call forth ego witnesses, you need merely call on the Holy Spirit to help you see them differently.
Mind Training
Problem with Self-Help
There is only one problem with self-help—the Self that we are doesn’t need any help. As we move towards the Atonement, we move increasingly to the awareness that we have been wrong about everything, and towards the realization that, “my mind holds only what I think with God.” Our purpose is not to create a utopia on earth, but only to open our minds to a state of deep love and gratitude for the One, our Creator. Many of us were taught that it’s not wise to become too happy, but Love invites us to be divinely and fully happy now.
Is Storytelling Good or Bad?
Is storytelling good or bad? The ego made up all the stories, and will use storytelling to justify emotions and to reinforce the personality identity. Yet storytelling can also be used by the Spirit to heal and bless. The real question to ask is, “What is the point, the purpose, of the story?” Just as Jesus only told stories that had a clear point and purpose to them, so too should we be equally mindful as to why we are telling a story.
The Chakra System and ACIM
The chakra system is not mentioned in “A Course in Miracles,” for it is merely another set of symbols that can be used by the Holy Spirit or by the ego, depending on one’s purpose. Used by the Spirit, the chakra system could be a helpful stepping stone in one’s journey towards getting in touch with one’s mind. Used by the ego, it can be a delay maneuver that keeps the mind believing there is causation in form.
How to Know What to Do Next
When you are willing, you can stop being distracted by the ego’s trick of linear time and allow Spirit to show you, very specifically, what to do next. ACIM daily lessons direct the mind out of the maze of linear time. Lesson 32 says, “I have invented the world I see.” To be human is to make images, to imagine hypothetical possibilities for the future. There is a lot of fear in this process. The ego mind keeps generating a future, which is just a construct, to keep the guilt going. Concern for the future is a defense against the present moment.
What Lies beneath My Upset?
What does it mean to be honest with yourself? If you think you are a person bound by time and space, then you haven’t been honest enough. Therefore, first things first: you need to turn towards getting truly honest, and never look back. Be honest with how you feel. You don’t have to try to avoid the emotions. You can have an attitude in your heart of, “Show me, guide me. Expose what I believe in.” What lies beneath your upset?
Open Relationships
No matter how many relationships you get into and how much pain you encounter, the key is to always look within. What is the issue in the mind? Unfortunately, the deceived mind is addicted to quite the opposite. It is addicted to projection and denial of this projection. This ACIM healing discussion explores relationships and anger: David uses the example of a friend’s experiment with open relationships to show how the mind can turn away from projection and denial, and towards true healing. David shares that in his story, he had to see that he did not want to project or deny any longer.
What Is the Cutting Edge of Healing?
What is the cutting edge of healing? It’s in learning the principles Jesus teaches and applying them without exception. Explore the ACIM healing principle that you can only offer the world a gift of lilies, or a crown of thorns. There are only two options. These two states of mind are really all that you can offer the world. What lens are you looking through? This takes mind training. Without mind training, we have no idea what we are offering beyond the words. We’re clueless until we start to see clearly the subtleties of the ego and its defense mechanisms.
Who Can I Trust?
“A Course in Miracles” says that trust is key to learning to hear guidance. Trusting David and the Messengers of Peace is a way to start. It takes great trust, willingness and readiness to hear Spirit.
Becoming Passersby
Empty the mind of concepts. The mind is the classroom. Spirit will use many different backdrops for mind training. The goal is to be able to watch the world without having investment in it, to become a passer-by.