Miracles News
Spring 2005

Holy Spirit, I’m Listening

by Colleen McNally

There is no Will but God’s. I am realizing that I have been giving more attention to my own will than to the Will of God. My ego takes over and I am in wrong-minded thinking. From here, my entire day can become a complete shambles and full of one illusion after another. It is like anxiety and fear become the ground of my being. It is here that I needed a change in my perception. This is the shift to right-minded thinking. In right-minded thinking, the ground of my being becomes the Love of God. “You focus your thoughts on remembering that the Holy Spirit is right there in your mind, waiting to help you remember your true Identity in the oneness of God’s Love. You let the Holy Spirit remind you that only God’s world of Love is real. You let the veil of the false world be lifted and you are willing to rest in the truth awhile.” (Course 921: Miracles Practitioner, Part I, pg. 47)

On coming to the section in the Manual for Teachers, “How should the teacher of God spend his day?” I was in for a major shift. The shift to right-minded thinking started with the practice of how I begin my day. It is that simple. My day is for God’s Will, not my will. “There is no substitute for the Will of God. In simple statement, it is to this first that the teacher of God devotes his day.” (M-16.10:1-2) This shift is to listening to the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit’s lessons teach us how to give the day to God.” (pg. 46) How different my day is when I stay in the peace of Love’s presence, in the presence of Spirit. In this way of being, I begin my day. The Course teaches that “Broadly speaking, then, it can be said that it is well to start the day right.” (M-16.2:6) It is essential that I be receptive to Holy Spirit on awakening and in awakening. “Let it sink in how important your receptivity to the Holy Spirit is to your awakening and your role as a Miracles Practitioner.” (pg. 46)

Peace becomes my ground and my starting place and everything shifts as Spirit leads and I follow. Each day, I open to the lessons of that day and I ask and listen to Holy Spirit for guidance. How much sense it makes to begin each day with the awareness of giving the day to Spirit, quieting my self and asking Holy Spirit to guide me and then listening. “Miracles Practitioners understand that Holy Spirit will present them with lessons each day in awakening to the Truth if they will listen.” (pg. 45) Yes, take time to breathe in Love, to listen and to let Spirit guide my entire day. My practice now is internalizing this. This means practicing every day, giving the day to God and letting Spirit guide me on my way, allowing my mind to heal as I embrace the truth of my brother and trust and follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. This is my call.

Colleen McNally is a Pathways of Light student living in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Email: colleenmac64@hotmail.com

True Abundance Is Awareness of God’s Eternal Love

by Linda Wisniewski

Since my husband lost his job and is starting his own business, money is tight. For me, money was never about acquiring material goods. I was also learning that what we needed to support our needs would be provided for if we put our trust in Holy Spirit’s guidance.

So why did I burst into tears when I was gently asked about making a deposit for my lodging during ordination week? Why did I turn down a friend’s offer to gift me with a ticket to attend a dance concert with her? Why did I become shaky in accepting a gift of Pathways course 908: Abundance Awareness to help me learn the truth about true giving and receiving?

Workbook Lesson 5 in A Course of Miracles states: “I am never upset for the reason I think.” So I knew all the tears weren’t about the gifts that were so lovingly and abundantly being offered to me. I knew it had to be about past beliefs hidden in the darkest recesses of my unconscious mind which needed to come to the light for healing. “Before we can be aware of our true abundant reality, we need to be vigilant to recognize ego thinking and let go of these sick ideas of separation.” (Course 908: Abundance Awareness, p.23)

I invited Holy Spirit to join me in helping me to become aware of my false beliefs and heal them. I was asking Holy Spirit for a miracle. Holy Spirit initially guided me to start writing. The following words came tumbling out onto the page: If you can’t pay for it, you don’t deserve it. It’s shameful to ask for help; where’s your pride? Do you really want everyone to know you are poor? You don’t deserve to be given to because you haven’t done anything to earn it. And, then came the attack thought from the ego: “Fine, if I can’t afford to pay my deposit, I won’t go for my ordination.” This would be ego’s ultimate vengeance to stop me from becoming a minister of God and ego would continue to triumph over my mind.

As I looked at these words, I was shocked but not surprised. I recognized these beliefs as part of a childhood ego script I was still carrying around. In this ego script, my sense of worth and value was tied to having money. In the ego script money was the medium of exchange for giving and receiving love. In the ego script love was also associated with having enough money to give to those you love. Through A Course of Miracles and course 908: Abundance Awareness, I am learning that in the world of illusion, money and everything else of the ego’s making causes feelings of lack, separation, scarcity worthlessness, and specialness. Like the body, money makes false idols. Those who have money, a beautiful body or a special relationship are worshipped like gods who can bestow special favors over ones who don’t have these special things — the haves over the have-nots.

Myron, who has facilitated me through my ministerial training, asked me to consider what would happen when beauty fades, jobs are lost, or a special relationship ends. Does that make me less beautiful, less valued, and less worthy of love? In the ego script, it sure did. My ego self was convinced that I am what I value and I had been taught to value money as well as my body and my special relationships. So, not having these things, or losing these things made me feel the lack more acutely. It made me believe I was worthless and unlovable.

Believing in lack creates guilt; i.e. if I was deserving I wouldn’t be in need. Abundance in the ego script is making us believe our value and self worth is tied to having material things, including special relationships.

I knew that only Holy Spirit could help me correct these false ideas that were causing these feelings of worthlessness. I asked Holy Spirit to correct my false ideas about self worth, love and abundance.

At a Sunday morning meditation service at Pathways of Light, I heard Holy Spirit’s gentle and loving Voice whisper the following to me: “It doesn’t matter how you make a living. Extending Love, peace and joy is doing God’s holy work. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. Receiving God’s limitless Love will fill you with abundance. It doesn’t matter how your body looks. Your true Self lies in the one Mind of God. It doesn’t matter what your title is or what special rewards you receive. Your true value and worth comes from knowing who you are, an Innocent and holy Child of God. You are as God created you in Love. God’s Love for you and all your brothers comes without condition. By receiving His Love you will naturally and freely extend His Love to all. God’s Love for you and all His Children is eternal, timeless and abundant. You are a reflection of His perfection and in this Love you will never lack for anything.”

Holy Spirit is teaching me that love, value and self worth are not tied to having or not having money or anything else in the illusion. With the guidance of Holy Spirit I am learning that, “The real meaning of abundance is accepting the truth of our Reality as Love’s universal presence and nothing else.” (A Course in Miracles Study Course 908, p.26)

Linda Wisniewski is a Pathways of Light minister in training living in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Email: linwis@aol.com

I Am Already Whole

by Rev. Gail Hamley

After my ordination in May, 2004, I was so excited, enthused and motivated to begin my new life as Reverend Gail, Pathways Minister. My journey had been a long one, with many hills and curves, but the decision to be ordained seemed like I had finally come to the road heading home. I had all kinds of thoughts, plans for classes filling my head. I even found locations to teach and interest was stimulated easily. As time went on, I became paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t do anything! Each time I prepared a schedule for a class, I would feel overwhelmed. I didn’t realize that Spirit was keeping gentle pace. I had a few students I was facilitating and a few Inner Wisdom Counseling appointments.

After the overwhelming fear came the guilt and retribution: I’m letting God down. I’m no good (for letting God down). I’m a wimp. As I was raking myself through the coals, a small Voice said, “You are perfect just the way you are. Relax. You are being guided and people will be guided to you naturally. You need not struggle.” I listened. I relaxed and I listened some more. You see, I work in a corporate environment yet I want to do my true love, teaching. I had been working diligently to pay off debts so I could quit this corporate job and fulfill my dream. Then I began noticing repairs that needed to be done around my home. At the same time, I began to see a great opportunity for teaching in my workplace.

One day, I realized how much fear played in my day-to-day experience. I began to see how fear was a great part of the entire experience. Egos were most often in charge and why not? We were rewarded and awarded for competing, winning, challenging and defeating. The motto I heard most often was: CYA (cover your ass). I began to pray for help. Shifts began to take place like-it wasn’t all about me. I began to have insights about other people and their fears. I began to have empathy and even humor. I began to understand that by seeing through the vision of my True Self, I could actually be a beacon of light to others. Today I offer a weekly meditation class and I have introduced Inner Wisdom Guidance counseling to some of my associates.

God is a gentle God and I am perfect just as I am. I don’t have to do anything, but I am willing to have God use me and I am so joyful when He does. He uses me at my own pace. In fact, he knows my pace better than I do. I have learned that God will use me wherever I am. That is my ministry. People and opportunities open up to me and I receive them in gratitude. Fear was my mask to prevent my light from shining through, a cloudy thought, that’s all. There may be a time when I leave this corporate environment. I am at peace with God’s plan now, though. I have been given many beautiful tools and I know that I am different because of them. Knowing that I am already whole has given me peace beyond anything I could have aspired to.

Rev. Gail Hamley is a Pathways of Light minister who lives in Tustin California.

Email: hamleyg@aol.com

Highlighted Minister — Rev. Veronika Birken

This month we are highlighting Pathways of Light Minister Veronika Birken, from Australia. She contributes to an ongoing Inner Healing Journal titled, “Meditation 2000” on the Pathways of Light web site. The following is her life story as told to her by the “Star Child.”

I was in Heaven with the angels. There was joy, light, love and peace. Veronika had a longing to go down to earth. She heard a calling. Her mother’s needs and her brother’s protection. We, the angels and I, carried her gently to her mother’s breast where she lay asleep, content to be where she wanted to be. She grew up. I was always with her — her playmate. When she forgot to laugh, I reminded her. When she ran out to play — I was with her. When she prayed, I was with her also with all the loving angels. She went to school. We went there together. She was aware of me, especially on Christmas Eve; the Christ Child was so dear to her. We made music together. This lay deeply in her heart — it reminded her of Home. She made friends easily because the Star Child in each child is still strong before adolescence dims the awareness of it. Then came adulthood. Was the man of the special relationship the longed for hero? She yearned and searched in vain. She became a mother.

By now she had nearly forgotten me. She felt an inner pain, a longing and knew not what it was. When would she look within and find Me? The search was long and the lessons hard. She tried to listen to my Voice and thought she saw a light. Oh, but to follow it! The yearning remained. Then she experienced the light much closer and with it God’s Presence. Could He be this close?! But where was the Christ? Again the way was dark and stony. The fall was sudden and the abyss deep. Where was His Voice and the light? The Comforter did come. He spoke to her, touching her gently by the shoulders. She sighed and took His hand in trust. ‘Oh, lead me, gentle Shepherd!’ Here was some rest, here was food. The storms seemed to have passed. I was with her. Through many nights she called for angels and the light. I held it up to her but she was still blind to it, yet her yearning for it great. Then she found the Book. It was in a store, lying at the bottom of a shelf, next to one quite dear to her. Her arms longingly stretched out to the only one that could lead her back to Heaven. I was with her, gently showing her the way. Dawn came to her tired mind. She awoke and we were united — became one again. She found her Self and smiled: “Where was I? I must have been asleep!” Now we continue on together — over the bridge — back Home.

Rev. Veronika Birken is a Pathways of Light minister who lives in Bega Valley, Australia.

Email: veronika@trueimage.name

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