Daily Inspiration for Living A Course in Miracles

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God’s Will for Me Is Perfect Happiness

Robert:  I feel supremely blessed to know that God’s Will for me is perfect happiness. I am grateful that I have been shown the means to accept perfect happiness, to accept God’s Will for me. In this world I have only one function, and that is to loose the world from all I thought it was. I need only forgive myself for making up stories that it could be possible to have a will apart from God. I am grateful that in truth, this could never be. I am grateful that God does not change His mind about me. He knows me as Love and that will never change.

So today my job, my function, is to practice seeing each moment as an opportunity to see Love and nothing else. With this practice I am on the way to perfect happiness.

Holy Spirit through Mary:  Let go of your idea about time. Your real life is in the eternal, not in time. The life you live in time is an illusion. As you practice letting go and letting God, part of that practice is letting go of your belief in time. Watch your thoughts today. Are they reflecting a belief in time or timelessness? Are they reflecting the ego’s thought system or the Holy Spirit’s?

Watch, observe, and when these thoughts come up, hand them over to the Holy Spirit where they will be undone. They will be replaced by the Holy Spirit with the truth about you and everyone you see in the dream of separate bodies. The Holy Spirit will lift the veil and show you the truth. The Holy Spirit will show you that nothing can happen to change God’s one Son. Nothing but Love’s Oneness could ever be true. And then rest a while in gratitude with the Holy Spirit. Your job now is to receive the truth and extend the truth. You job now is to let go and let God.

Holy Spirit through Sharyn:  Letting go is nothing more than offering every single thought, situation or circumstance to Me. It is like bringing it to me on a platter. Thing of thanksgiving, when you prepare food for your loved ones and you bring it to them on a platter. That is what you do for Me. I know how much you love me. Therefore, when you bring Me your platter and give it to Me to heal everything, I will return it to you healed with Love.

Every situation or circumstance is perfectly planned for your healing. The timing is perfect, not matter what you think. And after it is all done you say many times, “Oh, Holy Spirit knew what was best and knew the perfect time.” You have said this over and over. Now please accept it for every single situation, circumstance or thought that you have from now on. And please bring it to Me on the platter and I will be very grateful to serve everything back to you healed, complete and perfect for you. I love you. Amen

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Who Do I Choose As My Companion Today?

Robert:  In every moment I have a choice of who I choose as my companion. When I choose the ego, I experience lack and loss, guilt and fear. When I choose Holy Spirit, I experience peace, happiness, Love and safety.

Lesson 156 tells us that we make this choice a thousand times a day. Because I have unconsciously and habitually chosen the ego as my companion, I now need to be vigilant and mindful of my thoughts. I need to be aware if my present thought is one of Love or fear, peace or conflict. If I notice any lack of peace, I need to take that thought to the Holy Spirit and choose Him as my companion. He will shine the Light of Love on that thought. In that Light, the illusion will be recognized as what it is and easily dismissed.

With the “economic crisis” that is the major topic of discussion and news in the U.S., this is a time to heighten our vigilance to choose our mighty Companion, Who reminds us in each moment that all of God’s abundance is ours. God’s Son cannot be harmed, for he remains eternally as Love created him.

My heart is filled with gratitude that a mighty Companion walks with me Who’s strength is mine and with His help I can walk the world certain of my safety.

Mary: Today as I quiet my mind and listen, I am reminded to choose peace. By choosing peace, I am inviting the Holy Spirit in. As I relax and let go even more, the feeling of peace gets even stronger. With it comes a sense of well being and a confidence that everything is alright. I know everything I need to know when I choose peace. Choosing peace is the same as choosing the Holy Spirit instead of the ego. When I truly choose to join with the Holy Spirit, peace always comes easily because that is Holy Spirit’s gift.

As peace fills my mind, the ego’s worries disappear. I remember that I am being carried. I am reminded that I am in the Mind of God and cannot leave. I am reminded that I am safe in Heaven now and for eternity. I am reminded that time is just an illusion and that letting go of my belief in time happens naturally as I continue to choose peace and leave out the welcome mat for a correction of my perception by the Holy Spirit. Today I will continue my practice of letting peace lead the way.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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To Forgive Is To Make Happy

Robert:  The Course says that to heal is to make happy. Since forgiveness is healing, it could be said that to forgive is to make happy. To the ego, some offenses are more unforgivable than others. But what’s really going on is that for some offenses, I’d rather be right than happy. Since the Son of God cannot be anything other than Love, if I take offense, it cannot be the Son of God that offends me. I can only be offended by an image that I have substituted for the Son of God. And that image I made up.

It works like this. I make up an image and substitute it for the Son of God. I decide what that image will do, how it behaves, what it represents to me. Then I forget that I made that image and it appears that the image is independent of my thinking. Yet it only reflects what I want to believe is true. The choice to make an image comes from the choice to be separate. So now it appears that I am the victim of an outer image because I have denied and hidden from my awareness that the image is simply a projection of my wish to be separate and my attempt to make separation appear to be real.

Because I want separation, that image cannot be forgiven. To forgive that image would be an admission that I am mistaken about what I am. And I would rather not be mistaken so I hang on to my judgment and unhappiness. Clearly this is an insane choice. But what else could it be since it comes from the insane wish to be separate from Love, to not be my Self? The choice to forgive is the choice to accept my Self as What I am. This is why forgiveness is the lynchpin of awakening.

Today I would practice looking past appearances to see the Love that is everywhere and that I am. I do this by taking each fearful or judgmental thought to the Holy Spirit and opening my mind and heart to His gentle correction. He will show me the meaninglessness of the image and it will fade away, revealing the brilliance of the Light of Love that is always there. This practice will bring me a day of joy, for love and joy always come together, being attributes of the Self I am.

Mary:  This morning, as I begin my day, I spend time in quiet listening.

What I receive is a reminder to place my trust in God instead of the ego.

I receive a reminder to let go of the past and the future.

I receive a reminder to continuously step back throughout the day and receive Holy Spirit’s gentle correction of all the ego thoughts that pass through my mind.

I receive a gentle reminder to accept the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and to soak in the healing waters of God’s peace frequently today.

I receive a gentle reminder that I am not a body. I am free, for I am still as God created me. I also receive a gentle reminder that this is the truth about every brother that I see or even think of.

I am willing to continue to receive Holy Spirit’s gentle reminders as I go through my day because I want to wake up more than anything else. I want to remember the truth and this little willingness will be all that I need to receive those gentle corrections throughout the day and every day.

I am in such great gratitude that I have this Help, because I know I cannot do it on my own.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Projection Makes Perception

Mary and Robert:  Yesterday Rick Herranz asked for help with understanding, “projection makes perception.” On the “Text Made Simple” section of the Pathways of Light web site, you will find the following explanation. It refers to the “What It Says” section of the ACIM Preface found on pages x through xiii. The following is that explanation.

What does projection makes perception mean and how does forgiveness help?

Paragraph 6 introduces the idea that projection makes perception. This idea is central to understanding how forgiveness frees us from the world of perception. Because our perception is a projection that is coming from our own mind, we have complete control over what we perceive. We change what we perceive by changing our minds (forgiveness).

The process of projection is concisely described in three sentences in Workbook Lesson 325.1:1-3.  “What I see reflects a process in my mind, which starts with my idea of what I want. From there, the mind makes up an image of the thing the mind desires, judges valuable, and therefore seeks to find. These images are then projected outward, looked upon, esteemed as real and guarded as one’s own.”
 
Back in the preface it goes on to describe what happens to our perception when we change our minds from the insane wishes of the ego to forgiveness, which sees a gentle world of mercy and kindness.

In paragraph 6 we also get a very clear description of how the Course defines forgiveness. The following two sentences provide an important foundation for what the Course is all about and how we can free ourselves from the chains of false perception: “As we learn to recognize our perceptual errors, we also learn to look past them or ‘forgive.’ At the same time we are forgiving ourselves, looking past our distorted self-concept to the Self That God created in us and as us.” It is with the help of our inner Teacher, the Holy Spirit, that we learn to recognize our perceptual errors. ACIM is one teaching aid the Holy Spirit has made for us to use in this learning process.

In other places in the Course Jesus describes forgiveness as seeing that what we made is not real, overlooking what never happened, and being willing to see past separation to oneness. An especially helpful definition of forgiveness is found in the Workbook, Lesson 122. In paragraph 3 it states, “Forgiveness lets the veil be lifted up that hides the face of Christ from those who look with unforgiving eyes upon the world. It lets you recognize the Son of God, and clears your memory of all dead thoughts so that remembrance of your Father can arise across the threshold of your mind.” It is also helpful to refer to, “What is forgiveness?” on page 401 of the Workbook (W-pII.1.)

Holy Spirit through Sharyn:  All is well in your perfect world when you choose to see perfection. It is your choice. Whatever you choose to see is what you have to offer the world. If you are looking at angry thoughts or resentments or judgments of others, that is exactly what you think of yourself and that is exactly what you are offering the world.

When your thoughts are of love, kindness and, “what can I do to serve?” your world reflects back to you the beauty, the Love of God and forgiveness. When you look at everyone and everything with forgiveness in your heart and mind, you will see nothing but Love. For when you are forgiving someone for their mistaken actions or their mistaken projections that you think are directed at you, you are looking at them as Jesus would.

With forgiveness in your heart you know perfectly well that you cannot forgive and hold grudges or judge at the same time. It is impossible. Therefore you are always making the choice. You are asking yourself always, “Am I going to look at this situation with loving eyes and forgiveness in my heart? Or am I going to judge this person and fall farther away from God?” Who in their right minded thinking would want to walk farther away from God? Amen.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Letting Go of False Ideas

Robert:  Today we did a quick review of the first 50 lessons. What stood out to me is that these lessons are offering us the means to recognize and let go of our false ideas about what we are. And they show us that we remain safe in God’s Love, unchanged and unchangeable.

It is very clear to me that I can only experience lack of peace because I am believing I am not as I was created to be. I am believing in a false image of myself. That’s the only problem. The solution is always to open my heart and mind to the gift of peace that is eternally present and by its acceptance I will know the strength and Love of God as my own.

Thank you God for not giving up on me, for not believing in the stories I made up. Thank You for being the changeless Love You are, and therefore, I am.

Mary:  Today I start the day with mentally putting out the “welcome mat” to the Holy Spirit. I start today by inviting the Holy Spirit into my mind. I start the day by receiving Holy Spirit’s gifts of peace and Christ’s vision. I sit a while in quiet with the Holy Spirit.

If any thoughts or concerns or worries come to mind, I hand them over to the Holy Spirit’s willing Hands. The Holy Spirit gladly takes these thoughts from my mind and in return, shows me the difference between the real and the unreal.

The Holy Spirit brings me true perception, which is the greatest gift I can receive. With true perception I am able to see that everyone is in the Mind of God. I am able to see that everyone is the same. I am able to see that there are no differences, even though it appears that there are differences in the dream.

I ask the Holy Spirit to hold my hand throughout the day as I encounter different circumstances. I am reminded that because I want a change in perception throughout the day, I will receive it. I am comforted by remembering that the Holy Spirit does not leave me while I go through my day.

My job is to step back frequently today and open my mind to Holy Spirit’s correction in my perception throughout the day. As I receive these corrections, I am filled with a sense of peace and quiet inner joy. I am reminded that I am safe in the Mind of God. I have not left, even though it appears to have happened in the dream.

Through my willingness to be open, I am reminded of the truth. I am reminded that in truth, nothing has happened to change God’s one Son. What appears as many is really just one undivided Son, one undivided extension of God’s Love. We have not left Love, but have merely forgotten our true Identity. With Holy Spirit, today is a day of remembering, remembering that we still are joined, we still share the one Mind of God and that nothing else is real. Love is. God is. And then we cease to speak.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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I Am Love and Nothing Else

Holy Spirit through Robert:  Remember your Source. That is how you remember What you are. Acknowledge and accept that you are Love and nothing else. See the Love that your brother is. If it appears that his Love is obscured in any way, bring that thought or perception to the Holy Spirit. He knows how to wash it clean so that once again you see with the eyes of Love. Let this be your practice today.

When you see with the eyes of Love, your heart overflows with joy and gratitude. You are perfectly calm because you know you are safe in the certainty of Love. This is your natural state. If you do not experience this it is simply because you have accepted a false image of yourself. It is this that must be let go. The practice of being mindful of your state of mind and bringing each disturbed thought to the Holy Spirit for His gentle correction is the way you return to your natural state. Practice and be free.

Mary: It is the Holy Spirit That shows us the difference between the real and the unreal. We can choose to see separate bodies with separate minds, but we cannot make them real. They remain illusions and nothing we wish can make separation real.

Our Source is One. Because we come from our Source, we are one with our Source. We can never change that. Herein lies our peace and eternal safety.

We are at a time now when we are coming to realize that our dreams of separation are merely dreams and not the truth at all. We are coming to the realization that everyone in our dream, like us, is one with the Father, our Source. We are coming to the awareness of innocence and that guilt could never be real. We remain within our Source, forever pure and innocent, just as our Source. We are coming to the realization that our dreams have changed nothing.

As we allow our minds to be healed of all the false ideas that could never be true, We are an instrument of healing for the Sonship, for the Son is One. This is our job today, to step back and allow our minds to be healed by the Holy Spirit. This is what brings us true and everlasting happiness.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Allowing Holy Spirit’s Peace

Mary:  I have believed that I was a separate “identity” and now I am learning to let that “identity” go. I have bought into the idea of separation and now I am learning to return to the truth that only oneness is real. I am learning daily that the way to return to the truth is through choosing peace. As I open my mind to peace, I am led by the Holy Spirit to a changed perception of myself and the world that I have been believing in.

I am learning that the Holy Spirit is my constant Companion and I am learning to accept Its help more consistently. I place the welcome mat out for the Holy Spirit by being willing to open my mind to the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace. As I allow Holy Spirit’s peace to enter my mind, understanding comes with it. Peace dissolves all fearful thoughts. Peace clears out the cobwebs and brings with it the feeling of gentleness and safety. As peace is accepted, Christ vision replaces ego’s perceptions. What is eternal replaces the temporal. Love is. God is. There is nothing else.

I now know that being willing to accept peace and extend peace is how I awaken to the truth. Accepting peace is how I accept the Holy Spirit’s help. I must be willing to accept peace first. Everything else that the Holy Spirit brings comes from this one choice.

In Lesson 305 of A Course in Miracles we are told, “Who uses but Christ’s vision finds a peace so deep and quiet, undisturbable and wholly changeless, that the world contains no counterpart. Comparisons are still before this peace. And all the world departs in silence as this peace envelops it, and gently carries it to truth, no more to be the home of fear. For love has come, and healed the world by giving it Christ’s peace.

“Father, the peace of Christ is given us, because it is Your Will that we be saved. Help us today but to accept Your gift, and judge it not. For it has come to us to save us from our judgment on ourselves.”

Robert:  One of the gifts that has come from following the guidance to move has been a lot of letting go of forms. We delivered many loads of ‘stuff’ to St. Vincent de Paul, gave many things to friends and loaded a trash bin with 3 1/2 tons of stuff that was no longer useful. It was amazing how much stuff we had hung onto, thinking it had value. This letting go of outer forms simultaneously symbolized letting go of mental attachments to ideas and beliefs that no longer serve. I am finding that I much more quickly recover from periods of disturbance because I have learned through this process to quickly let go of attachments.

When it became apparent that the property here in Wisconsin would not sell on the auction day, Mary and I went through a process of letting go of our disappointment. Clearly we had made an “appointment” in our minds that we expected to be kept. But that was a plan of our own making. So we went through a process of looking at possible scenarios that might develop. Each scenario was still an image in the illusion, but as we allowed ourselves to accept all the possible outcomes we could think of, our disturbance softened. We reached a point where we knew we could accept any outcome fully and in peace. Once again we remembered our safety is in God, not in any appearance in the world.

Now I find each day that I remain more consistently in peace and happiness. I feel more free and safe than I have ever felt. I know this is because I am more willing than ever to follow Holy Spirit’s lead. It is my own self-made plans that make me feel vulnerable and uncertain. So now I recognize uncertainty as just one more thought to hand over to Holy Spirit and open my mind to His vision. My heart is filled with gratitude that I walk in peace with a Mighty Companion Whose strength is mine.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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