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.
Spirit-Invitation
An Example of True Love and Acceptance
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit’s lessons begin with, “To have, give all to all.” (ACIM, T-6.V.A) This parable by David Hoffmeister is a wonderful demonstration of this lesson as it plays out in his encounters with friends, Mary and Steve. As always, David offers so much love, wisdom, and humor as the Spirit just pours through him.
Future Thoughts and Purpose
“A Course in Miracles” offers steppingstones and metaphors that point to the change of mind it takes to make a future different from the past. When you have gone through a phase of changing the mind this way, you dip into deeper states of mind called mysticism. Here, you begin to discover the sameness of the world and start to question even the idea of linear time, and the idea that the future could be different from the past. “The past is gone, the future but imagined. These concerns are but defenses against present change of focus in perception.” (W-181.5) This is an entirely different idea than making a future different from the past because when you have gone this deep, even thoughts about the future will be distractions away from the moment—the gateway to eternity. But “A Course in Miracles” is so practical, just like learning to ride a bike, we have to go out and pedal, and take our steps! We need to use the metaphors and the steppingstones that have been given to us. And it’s also very individualized; the Spirit reaches the mind through whichever form of communication the mind is open to, yet the supporting joy and love underneath the form is the same. This is based on our invitation.
Follow the Invitations
David Hoffmeister describes following the invitations and leaping from one “lily pad” to the next to build trust. This process can seem like a frog’s path of leaping, and builds trust in the divine plan.
Facing Discomfort
Allow the darkness to come up. Don’t distract away from discomfort and it will disappear in the light. It is all a reflection of thought. Nothing in the world can stop you from being happy.
Awakening through Relationships
“A Course in Miracles” is a pathway to God through relationships. In this session, David Hoffmeister shares on giving over relationships to the Holy Spirit. When you allow relationships to be used for the Holy Spirit’s purpose of healing the mind, it can be a very intense pathway to God as the mirroring can seem so heightened. What is getting exposed is the deep root of the belief in sacrifice and loss. Yet if you decide to learn it (a sustained and committed relationship for complete forgiveness/Atonement), the perfect lesson stands before you and can be learned. This is the fast track to Awakening as everything gets flushed up for the healing.
The Master Switch
Tired of living in this world of change, decay, and fear? The master switch is in your mind. The entire cosmos is an illusion, and the way that you don’t admit that to yourself is by making levels in the illusion. “A Course in Miracles” quotes, “there is no hierarchy in illusions.” (T-23.II.2:3) This world is made up of levels, degrees, increments, and gradations. You can call these levels judgments and you can call them preferences. Do you order everything in your world? All of the things that you perceive as differences are really the same. You are invited to join Jesus in the deep pool of unified awareness.
Why Do I Feel Rage?
Why do I feel rage and where does it come from? How can I move past it? To see a fragmented perceptual world entails rage because it is a form of vengeance. To see form means understanding has been obscured. You do not know your own best interest. The ego is the grievance producing your current context and rage is bound to come up. If your context involve following, you may see your leader as unfair and feel rage. The leaders’ guidance about tasks is appropriate. It may be strong. It is a witness to what you want in your heart, which is to break through that anger and resistance. You are never upset for the reason you think. Your anger involves a misperception, the ego trying to pin it on a person, a form. This is not its cause. The rage is tied to all of perception. Your companions are here to help you move through it.