What if you didn’t believe in money? True generosity is a giving heart; it’s really a state of mind of being loving, joyful, and happy, and it has nothing to do with what we describe and define generosity to be in terms of the material world.
Reciprocity
The Lie of “The Wages of Sin Is Death”
In traditional Christianity the cost of man’s eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is death. You did something wrong to God and must pay a ransom. Jesus, the innocent one, was crucified and the ransom was paid. Belief in the ego costs you the awareness of God. The wages of error (missing the truth) is the illusion of suffering.
An Uncompromising Path to God (Part 4)
David Hoffmeister has been teaching the principals found in ACIM for many years. He has been uncompromising in his practice of what the Course teaches. Because of his uncompromising approach, he is now a living demonstration of the Awakened Mind. As “A Course in Miracles” states: “You will learn this Course completely or not at all.” This series of videos recorded at the Kalani retreat center in Hawaii helps one to understand some of the steps required to awaken to the clear and beautiful state that the Course describes as the Christ Mind. Enjoy!
From Fear to Love: Transfer of Training
Fear is a getting-mechanism, whereas the miraculous life is about giving; you can only give what you have. It just takes practice to interpret situations in terms of love instead of fear. Don’t deny the negative things that seem to be happening; just accept that this is your perception, and ask for it to be changed. There is a tendency to see the problems outside yourself. Advanced mind training shows you that there actually are no problems. You don’t see the problems because you don’t believe in them anymore. Eventually, we begin to transfer/translate our mind training into everyday life and generalize the perception of love.
Form and Guidance
If the goal is peace of mind and form does not matter, how do we deal with things of the world such as locking doors and taking out insurance? While we seem to be in the world, we are not asked to overthrow those laws but to follow guidance on practical matters. We don’t need to ask, “Is this spiritual or not?” These things are like props coming in to use. We need to be open and prayerful as to the use of the symbols. When we are tuned in and listening there is no problem.
Live in Divine Providence
Although the world tries to teach you otherwise, it is possible to live completely in divine providence. Lesson 50 of “A Course in Miracles” is “I am sustained by the Love of God.” (W-50) In that lesson, Jesus tells us that “In this world, you believe you are sustained by everything but God.” (W-50.1:2) By following the Holy Spirit’s prompts, we begin to trust that we will be divinely provided for in every circumstance.
Transform Your Mind into Wholeness
Transform your mind. Give away the filter that is in place that is specialness. Specialness is the desire to get. It is the ego’s lens of seeing the world. Without this filter, you transform your mind into holiness; wholeness. The mind that believes it is separate is not satisfied with its self-image, so it wants to get more. The separate self wants to improve. It is constantly seeking and investing energy and time, and then feeling unsatisfied.
What about Sexual Relationships?
Freedom is only in mind. What does that mean for sexual relationships? Minds can join, bodies cannot. This is the proof that the body does not exist at all. You cannot achieve anything with the body. Therefore, seek not outside yourself for you will fail and you will weep each time an idol falls. Even companionship points out that you believe you are alone unless you are with another body. Companionship is a defense against the truth. Am I going to use the mirroring for emptying my mind from everything I believe? For there is the one true purpose in which things are used in the most helpful way.
Defensiveness in Relationships
When defensiveness in relationships arise ask yourself, “What am I defending?” In all cases it’s some aspect of our own self-concept; some aspect or image of what we’ve identified with. The deeper you go into spirituality, you start to realize that however it looks on the screen of the world, you are only ever talking or listening to yourself. The ego feels it is lacking and incomplete, and so it looks at a relationship partner to fill that lack. It thinks it deserves love and it looks for a partner to fulfill that love.
Divine Providence
“A Course in Miracles” is taking us to God dependency. Person-based dependency is stressful and the scarcity principal is played out whether we are protecting wealth or trying to get it. Divine providence can only give. When we go deeper into divine providence, we transcend reciprocity entirely. There will only be peace of mind when we are dependent on God.