Inspiration for Healing Through Changing Your Mind --The articles in this newsletter are written by people from around the world who are taking their perceived problems to the Holy Spirit, and sharing their miracles stories of how their thoughts are being healed.

Life Is a Workshop --by Rev. Mary Manke

This thought came to me recently: "Life is a workshop, a continuous workshop." Each day presents the opportunity to recognize some 'beloved' fear (something I cherish) for what it is. The lesson comes: Do I perceive the fear as what it is? Do I want to keep my fear? A lesson is whether I want to follow Love or take fear's hand. The fear lesson does not change anything for me, it only maintains the pain, guilt, sacrifice, and suffering game.

I need only decide this is not the game I want. I simply choose again, this time asking for the help to recognize this as a lesson to perceive truthfully. When I ask, then the day becomes a workshop in Love. I ask my true Teacher for help in seeing the Light and Love in everyone. A fear lesson becomes a lesson in Love. I have the chance to practice overlooking what is not there. The pain game is seen as meaningless, a trap of illusion. I will cease trying to make illusions real. It is not what I really want.

I would replace the thoughts of fear (which hold me in illusion) with my true thoughts, thoughts of Love. I want to learn what makes me happy and not forget. I'm willing to give up the teacher that I mistook as helpful, true and reliable. A teacher that teaches the opposite of Love, is not teaching me anything. Illusions never are made into reality, no matter how long the attempt is made.

I'm grateful to accept the lessons of my true Teacher. He recognizes the truth about me and my brothers. He never gives what I do not need. He knows my highest good, and knows what I am, beneath my illusions and games and dreams. He will teach me what my happiness is, taking it out of the shadows and darkness, where I've tried to hide it.

My life is a workshop in letting Love be Itself. That means letting me be my Self. I'm always choosing what I want to learn. When I remember that it is always a choice between happiness or despair, can it be a difficult choice? I am learning or remembering, that happiness is my inheritance, that illusions never bring happiness. My happiness is in letting go of false ideas, dropping the lessons of fear. These fear lessons are where I want to be 'right,' hold a judgment, make a comparison, being slightly irritated, or see any kind of difference between me and my brothers. My happiness lies in not seeing differences, but seeing the sameness. It is in remembering that my mind is the same as my brother's, it is in fact the same mind, for God created one Son.

Click here to email Mary.

A Snowy Miracle --by Rev. Philip Manke

Several years ago, a strange thing happened to me. I knew I wanted to write about it, but for some reason, I put it off. I've decided now is the time.

It was a snowy, blowy Saturday morning and I was traveling to Pathways of Light for a gathering. Rational sensibility might have told anyone that travel on the roads this day was not advisable. But, I had my own plan and I was stickin' to it. I felt I had pretty good winter driving skills and I wanted to be there.

In my younger days, I would intentionally go out on the snowiest days and nights just to see if I could get through. I always did somehow, usually with the aid of some friends who shared similar illusions. We had shovels, and chains, and trucks and cars to spare. We cared little for our personal safety and always came away with spectacular adventures to talk about. But that's a subject for a whole book by itself.

I certainly wasn't looking for winter driving adventures this day and I was not really prepared for it at all. As I traveled east through Fond du Lac, the conditions worsened. On Kiel Road, east of Lake Winnebago, the southwest wind was causing heavy, wet dunes to stretch across the road that hadn't seen a snowplow that day. I was fixed on a plan to go fast enough to blast through the drifts and still maintain control. Any other time, with a larger car or truck, it would have been no sweat, but my little Escort and my determination to make it through were propelling me now.

As I neared the west intersection of Kiel Rd. and Highway 149, near Marytown, the drifts were nearly continuous and the edge of the road was invisible. I was on a snow covered upgrade with the peddle floored as the car alternately slipped and gripped its way ahead. The wheels were turned to the left as the car was sliding to the right. The car started to tilt, still at a pretty good speed, headed at an angle toward some formidable trees in someone's yard. I knew I was in deep do-do and it was time to consider survival strategy.

I remembered thinking, "This is not working. Holy Spirit, help me!" With that I felt drained of my plan. I relaxed my grip on the wheel and resolved to accept whatever was dealt me. As I was giving up and giving over, suddenly peaceful inside, the outer world exploded!

A crunchy big thud, snow all over, and zero visibility. The front of the car bounced up, the wheel spun in my hands and the pedal was down to the floor as the motor roared. I braced myself. I thought there must have been an above grade driveway in here somewhere and it had just launched me. I felt inertia spinning me to the left and tilting again. I caught a glimpse of the scenery north of Kiel road just as a big KARUMPH of snow blasted all over. Tilting right again, I expected the reversal of gravity to soon inform me that I was rolling sideways. Then the nose of the car bounced up again as it spun to the right. The wind blew the snow off the hood enough for me to see that I was straight and level, eastbound on Kiel Road once again. Stopping at the stop sign at Highway 149, my senses were piqued, certainly more than a minute before. What had just happened?

The car was still running, so I continued on my way to Pathways. When I pulled up to the lodge, the car was running rough, so I opened the hood. It was packed with snow all over. How could it run at all? I cleaned out what I could while I calmed myself and tried to realize what took place about 25 minutes ago. I felt very fortunate.

In quiet reflection, I'm certain my driving skill didn't save me that morning. I could not, with practice, have executed the bit of 'trick' driving that occurred. During most of the experience, I couldn't even see. Did it have anything to do with my quick prayer and release? I consider miracles to be an undoing of my plans, all right. I just never thought the answer would be an immediate KARUMPH! Whenever I think of this experience, I am grateful for the awareness of Holy Spirit's presence in my life.

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Gentle Hands --by Rev. Christine Anderson

After living at Pathways for four years filled with healing and spiritual growth, I returned to Chicago. Being "back home" and living with my mom has given me so many wonderful blessings and opportunities to practice remembering the truth offered by A Course in Miracles. One of the confused personality aspects (see Course 111) in my own mind that I became aware of was "Sally Safety." Sally was trying to be helpful by assisting me in keeping mom safe (what a forgetfulness thought! She is always safe!) and through identifying with this aspect, I set myself (little ego self) up as her protector. As with all mistaken thinking, somewhere along the line I made a conscious decision to hide the Truth from my awareness. As the Wellness Course (909) is helping me to understand, I go into a 'quick forgetting" mode in my own mind as I do not want to remember that I am making this decision. So being in cahoots with silly ol' Sally seemed like a good idea at the time, however the association only brought me the illusion of pain.

It was Sunday morning and I decided to sleep in rather than go to church (which is right around the corner) with my mom. The activities of the day before were more than my usual and I felt tired. Chicago was starting to thaw out of the winter freeze and as I looked out the front window, I surmised, from seeing the cleared sidewalk, that mom would be okay to walk by herself. I did have a thought to hurry up and throw some clothes on and walk her over, but I ignored the thought. Not long after she left, she returned back home again. When I heard her come back into the house, I thought that maybe she had forgotten something. It turned out that when she got to the end of the block she fell as she slipped on an icy patch that was concealed under a puddle. Fortunately, she was not injured and a nearby snow bank served as support to boost herself up again. After she changed out of her wet clothes, she shared with me that she originally had the thought to stay home, but ignored her sensing. We were both being 'ignore-ants"!

The following Sunday I had gotten up and readied myself to walk with mom to church. I had a plan and that was to make sure that she didn't fall on any icy patches. I was behind schedule and mom took off on foot without me. She said something before she left, but I did not quite catch what it was. That was my first sign... not hearing her words was an indication that I was not hearing my own inner Guidance. Inner disturbance took over... I thought, "My plan went amiss... I'm supposed to protect my mother from falling... keep her safe!" Also an old abandonment aspect stepped up to the podium crying, "I got left behind. I don't count. I don't matter. I'm not good enough... too slow. Yikes, that ancient delusion of being abandoned is looming in the sky of my mind like a black cloud."

I quickly finished getting ready and left the house, eyeing the street for mom. As I rounded the corner, I did not see any sign of my mother. I thought to myself that either she was walking at top speed or she was down on the ground behind a snow bank where I couldn't see her. I arrived at the church to discover that mom was safe and sound. She told me that someone had given her a ride! I was glad to hear that, but I noticed with curiosity that I was still not at peace. A-ha! Here was a fine example that her safety did not depend on me, and the ego system was really rattled!

I didn't like the discomfort I was experiencing and I wanted a shift! I wanted so much to return to peace. I silently asked Holy Spirit to help me to remember the Truth. As I sat there in my chair, I opened to the willingness to change my mind. The choir was going to sing. I'll share with you the words of the anthem:

Gentle hands, holding on to me,
Gentle hands guiding me so carefully;
Tho' they lead me down through paths
I don't always understand,
I will never fear, for I'm in gentle hands.
Like a little child, sometimes it's so hard
to see just which way I need to go
and what is best for me;
But I have a loving Father who always understands, and it's a consolation
to know that I'm in gentle hands.
In the darkness of the midnight,
it's so hard to see; I don't have to worry when I know He's holding me.
Gentle hands, holding on to me,
gentle hands, guiding me so carefully;
Tho' they lead me down through paths
I don't always understand,
I will never fear, for I'm in gentle hands.

As I relaxed and really listened to the words of the song, I felt as if the choir was a "band of angels" led by Holy Spirit, singing me into remembering that I am truly safe in gentle hands and this is true for my mom also. The sweet tears from letting go were streaming down my cheeks. I could feel a softening take place throughout my being... What a relief! I realized that I do not need to set myself up as anyone's protector or go to any efforts to make myself safe. We all have that inner Voice of Spirit and we all have the choice to listen and follow... or not to listen, missing the experience of a Real Life.

By the way, my mom was one of the 'angel voices' in the choir, so I shared with her how meaningful the song was to me. May this story bring you the message of your eternal safety in Spirit. We can all turn our "yikes" into "Yippies"!

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Upon Awakening --by June Willey

Out of the stillness Love beckoned and said,
Come! Rise with me my beloved.
Here, where I am is freedom from care.
Rise! On the wings of peace.
My Peace which I bring unto you to share.

Grasp tight my hand and relinquish
your hold on mortal sense,
Love called unto Love
and only Love could enter
the precinct of the Presence.

My familiar world as though outgrown dissolved.
Light filtered through the edges of
consciousness as Peace flowed
into the awareness and Oneness
of Eternal Spirit and Infinite Soul.

Then Love spoke yet again and said,
Here, in the center of all being,
in the stillness I await my children to awake
To the Truth of their creation
in my image and likeness.
To realize that separation from Me
is just merely of their dreaming.

The choice is their's to be free,
or bound to the slavery and the illusion
of this world's malady.
Reveal to them the Truth and Beauty
of our dwelling place,
Which the veil of flawed mortal sense denies.

Lift the curtain of their dreams.
Wake! my children,
wake and know that only the
Harmony of Peace, Love
and Light Eternal, truly reigns.

Accepting Change --by Rev. Jenny Muniz

As I started on my spiritual journey, I have been learning so many things. Some hard lessons, some easy. Certain lessons did not make sense at all.

Every day I learn something new about myself. I do not ask why certain things happen. I have learned to accept them. One big lesson for me was that life is change. Once I accepted that, life seemed to become more fulfilling.

At first I did not want change in my life. I had lived in my own perfect world where nothing changed and I loved it that way. I was in control of my world. I controlled everyone and everything around me. If I wanted change, that was acceptable. If something in life tried to change, I would fight every step of the way.

As time went by, I noticed change was taking over my life. People were moving, less time with family, friends came and went. Emotions, ideas and health were changing. I did not like this at all and fought harder for life to stand still.

Life became very hard for me. I didn't like or understand life and change at all. Change was not my friend. It was not freedom. It became my hell. I tried to keep my life the same way but I was losing the battle.

Somehow change put me on my spiritual journey. Spirit told me one day that I would learn many lessons and this would be the first. Things changed in my life and I started adjusting to them. Spirit showed me that change is a good thing; to take one step at a time and Spirit will always be there with me. For me to go forward in this journey, I must have change in my world.

What have I learned? That this life is all about being willing to change. This is the only guarantee in life besides 'death.' I have found this wonderful new journey through change. I have embraced change with the help of Spirit. Change is now my friend and constant companion. Why did I dislike change so much? Only one reason. The fear of the unknown. I have realized that every day life sends me beautiful opportunities for growth.

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