In this talk, David reveals the practical tools of Awakening and how they are used to help heal our mind. He shares about his journey as a devotee of Christ, desiring only to be the living Presence of Spirit and to go wherever called. As he immersed himself deeply in the teachings of “A Course in Miracles,” allowing his mind to become empty of personal beliefs and expectations, he came to a consistent state of unified perception, the true experience of the happy dream.
Unified Perception
Relationships 10–30 mins, Awareness Of Dreaming, Beliefs and Concepts, Bringing Illusions to Truth, Non-Judgment, Perception, True and False Empathy, True Forgiveness, Undoing the Ego, Unified Perception, Upset
What Does Her Crying Mean?
When someone is crying, we usually perceive it as the release of deep emotions of sadness or joy. But the truth is that everything we see on the screen of the world was projected for the purpose of keeping us from knowing who we are. Separation is the name of the ego’s game, and perception is its playing field, and it relies on the “I-know” mind, the assumption that we know what things mean, to keep us in the game. The Holy Spirit wants to use perception instead for the purpose of bringing us back to a state of “unified playing,” which is the happy dream. Forgiveness is letting the Holy Spirit show you the world anew, after you have released all meaning that was given to the world.
Relationships < 5 mins, Collaboration, Illusion vs Reality, Intuition, Oneness, People-Pleasing, Private Minds, Private Thoughts, Quantum Field, True Helpfulness, Unified Perception, Worldly Issues
The Trick of Interdependency
Interdependency is assumed to be normal and necessary at every level of the human experience, from interpersonal to international. But, in truth, it’s an ego substitute for the oneness of Spirit which is our fundamental, quantum reality. Human collaboration will never set us free from the human condition. True collaboration comes from following your heart and your intuition, and for this to be possible, there must be a shift in perception that sees there is nothing outside of you and that all minds are inherently interconnected.
Family Conflict 10–30 mins, Atonement, Children, Dismantling, Education, Family, Function, Happy Dream, Healing, Love, Miracle Worker, Motivation, Parenting, Purpose, Questioning, Reflections, Roles, Self-Honesty, Symbols, True Freedom, Unified Perception, Worldly Issues
ACIM and Raising Children
Every symbol and image that you see with the body’s eyes is a reflection. When you look at a child, you can see the child as a mirror of your mind. Any grievances and limits you see in the child are within your own mind. If you are practicing ACIM and raising children, you see what is taking place in your thoughts. As children go through grade school and into high school, you can look at your own beliefs about authority, normalcy, education and success.
Inspiration 10–30 mins, Acceptance, Beliefs and Concepts, Contentment and Happiness, Empty Your Mind, Forgiveness, Happy Dream, Heaven, Non-Judgment, Oneness, Openness, Purification, True Joy, True Peace, Unified Perception
The Happy Dream
The happy dream is a dream of non-judgment. People organize their lives based on false belief systems. Forgiveness is a belief system that swallows all of them up. When you experience forgiveness, you experience that all specific beliefs are completely untrue and so you are in a state of complete open-mindedness and acceptance. It is no longer possible to get into an argument because there are zero differences, zero opinions. Everything is you, now, in peace and joy. The perceptual dream is purified and that is the only dream there is.
Inspiration 10–30 mins, Death Wish, Distractions, Forgiven World, Perception, Separation, Unified Perception, Unwinding from the World
The World
Jesus talks about the fragmented ego’s world, in which the ego wants you dead. “A Course in Miracles” Lesson 128 says, “The world I see holds nothing that I want.” Forgive it. He also talks about the real world, the happy dream. Lesson 129 says, “Beyond this world there is a world I want.” We need Spirit’s help to heal our perception and see the forgiven world.
Reincarnation and the Body
As long as we think that there is something in time and space that we want, we will keep changing the channel. Inspired by “A Course in Miracles.”
Inspiration 10–30 mins, Beliefs and Concepts, Body, Christ-Identity, Happy Dream, Illusion vs Reality, Jesus, Perception, Spiritual Vision, Unified Perception
Jesus and the Real World
All objects are part of the self-concept. Jesus let the Holy Spirit give them back to him cleansed, all in one category: unreal. On the cross, he was no longer in the body; he did not see Judas as betraying him. The body (not the temple) will be rebuilt in three days. If you believe in unity and wholeness you see the real world. Although the body’s eyes report differences, Vision comes through the mind.
Abandonment 10–30 mins, Desire, Dreaming, Ego, Healing, Holy Spirit, Mind Training, Miracle Worker, Perception, Responsibility, Separation, Split Mind, Trust, Unified Perception
Responsibility for Events in the World
If this is a dream, does that mean I have to take all responsibility for events in the world? Does “I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts” (W-54) mean I am responsible for an earthquake? The answer lies in “My Self is ruler of the universe.” (W-253) What we experience is what we desire. Giving and receiving are the same. The world is projected thought images. The world is not outside of mind. Our ego’s perception is fragmented and shows fragments, but they are all the same. Trust Spirit. With healed perception you see wholeness; you experience peace; you become a miracle worker.
Guidance 30+ mins, Anger, Attack Thoughts, Expectations, God-Dependence, Guidance, Hierarchy, Hypotheticals, Identity Confusion, Judgments, Questioning, Unified Perception, Victimhood
2008 Kentucky Retreat
In this “A Course in Miracles” (ACIM) retreat at the end of summer of 2008, David discusses some of the deepest themes in the teachings and application of the principles of ACIM: judgment and guidance. What is judgment, and how does the Holy Spirit use discernment to lead the mind to its escape from specifics and back to Heaven?