Daily Inspiration for Living A Course in Miracles

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Getting Off the Ego’s Merry-Go-Round

Mary:  This morning we were led to read the first section of the ACIM Text, chapter 15, “The Two Uses of Time.” The whole chapter is about how to allow the holy instant to return to our awareness. When I get caught up in time, I lose the peace which is always present. It is only when I am willing to get off the ego’s merry-go-round of time a space that I am brought to a place of remembering the changelessness of my true nature. I am in Heaven now and so are you.

Letting this truth return to my mind brings me to that place of perfect calm and quiet. The Holy Spirit helps me remember that this is what is true always. The Holy Spirit helps me remember that all the changes that seem to occur in time are a trick. Belief in time brings fear and anxiety.

Just recently I found myself thinking that we would not have this building ready in time to be sold in a “timely” manner. I see now that this is just part of the ego’s thought system, and I can let it go. In reality I am eternally in Heaven, as is everyone. Heaven is in the present moment. My favorite quote from this section is, “Take this very instant, now, and think of it as all there is of time. Nothing can reach you here out of the past, and it is here that you are completely absolved, completely free and wholly without condemnation. From this holy instant wherein holiness was born again you will go forth in time without fear, and with no sense of change with time. Time is inconceivable without change, yet holiness does not change.” (T-15.I.9:5-7,10:1-2)

This is my lesson now. In the dream it appears that much change is occurring. It appears that we are moving from one location to another. In truth, we are all the same Love and Love is changeless. With all the activity that moving engenders, I know that my job is to consistently remember to step back and allow the Holy Spirit to remind me of the truth of what and where I really am right now.

This consistent practice is all important. Without this practice, I can easily get lost in time. Getting lost in time is filled with fear and anxiety. The habit of consistently stepping back and choosing peace is my first step in allowing the Holy Spirit to return me to the truth of where I really am now. So consistently remembering to choose peace is my life line to remembering what is really important. Today I am willing to strengthen that practice.

Robert:  When I step back and let go of trying to make decisions or interpret anything on my own, I feel a sense of calm assurance. There is a sense of confidence that all is in perfect order. I am in peace and I know that I rest in God. I trust that the future in this world of time is in Holy Spirit’s hands and will always bring me closer to full remembrance that I am at Home in Heaven. There is an inner feeling that in truth, I have no cares, no worries, no anxieties. I can be perfectly calm and quiet all the time.

I am grateful for the moments when I am able to accept this experience. The more I practice stepping back and putting Holy Spirit in the lead, the more I will have this blessed feeling. When I have completely relinquished all identification with the ego thought system, this feeling will be a constant state. It is worth the vigilance of mindfulness to recognize when I have tried to take control again and step back. I would step back and let Him lead the way.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Our Only True Purpose Is to Wake Up from the Dream

Mary:  Things are happening here on many fronts. Yesterday our dear friend, Jim Klapperich, and his son laid new vinyl flooring in the furnace and laundry rooms. What they did was beautiful, but how they did it was a beauty to behold. I believe Jim’s ministry is expressed through his work. His relationship with his son is inspiring. Once in a while we came downstairs to admire their work and join with them in happy laughter. I felt such gratitude for their work and their loving presence. 

We had lunch together and I asked Spirit to help me share my gratitude for them in a way that was helpful for all concerned. It all flowed so easily and without effort. It was wonderful to hear Jim’s son about his experience of trusting in God in a seeming difficult situation of having a flat tire in Chicago. He may be young, but Spirit brought him to me to inspire my level of trust with this move.

Yesterday, we received a very uplifting letter from Brenda Eden who recently went through the passing of her husband, Robert Mills. She and Robert followed Holy Spirit’s guidance all through the transition period and now Robert is helping her from the other side. She is journaling on her experience with him and will be writing an article which we will publish in a future Miracles News magazine.

It strikes me that everywhere I look everyone is doing their hourly work on letting their mind be healed by the Holy Spirit. The many postings to this group demonstrates this. Our only true purpose is to wake up from the dream and we can only do that by accepting the peace of the Holy Spirit no matter what appears to be going on in the dream and letting each circumstance be an opportunity for more mind healing. The Course tells us, “Ask of everything, what is this for?” Is it for reinforcing the illusion of separation? Or is it for forgiving the dream and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring us above the battleground to see the love that is behind every form.

Yesterday, we had a long talk with the Realtor who is selling a property we like in St. Cloud, Florida. We had many questions and she answered the best she could. But what struck me while she was talking is that I needed to see the Christ in her and not just think of her as a salesperson. The Holy Spirit guided me to express my gratitude and appreciation for her and tell her how helpful she was to us. I mentally saw her innocence and the quiet love that she is. I mentally remembered that we are the same Spirit, and that there are no differences between us.

So I am seeing that each day presents quite a variety of opportunities to look at the world differently by joining with the Holy Spirit instead of the ego. Today is another day full of opportunities. I will use this as lab time to remember to choose peace instead of the ego’s trauma drama while we paint the office today.

Robert:  I have before me a day that is clean and pure. What I make of it is up to me. If I align with the ego, I will make it a day of reinforcing a sense of separation. If I align with the Holy Spirit, it will be a day of peace, a day of recognizing love and giving love. It will be a day of seeing past images to the truth that is everywhere. Today I will practice following Holy Spirit’s lead in every moment. I will know that I have succeeded in holding this focus by the peace I feel.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Let Your Heart Be Glad

Holy Spirit through Robert:  Let your heart be glad. Happiness is your natural state. You let your heart be glad by accepting the vision of your true Self. This vision shows you the innocence in all your brothers, so that you recognize it in yourself.

Sadness comes with judgment, for judgment is nonacceptance and can only foster depression. Through forgiveness you learn to recognize that no form has value or any meaning of its own. Thus you learn to disregard form and accept the ever present reality of Love.

Today practice seeing with the eyes of Love. Love will show you your unity with your brothers. And your heart will be glad in the recognition of your oneness, for in it you see your Source. You feel the comfort of Home, where you know you are safe in the strength of eternal Love. Remind yourself today: “I choose to see the face of Christ now.”

Mary:  Yesterday during the quiet time of our Sunday service, the idea came to me that we are all reading a storybook which we authored ourselves, but forgot on purpose so that it would appear to be new to us. In this book we put on virtual reality suits and enter the story in a three dimensional setting, where it appears that there is a world outside of us that we are separate from.

Just like when we watch a movie, we get so engrossed in the story we forget that the story is not real but just a made up story. In this story it seems like we have decisions to make every day. It seems like it is up to us to make these decisions.

Now we are coming to the part of the story where we are learning that the entire story is not true. We could never separate off and be alone in truth. We could never be a victim of something that is outside our own mind in truth. There is no battle; there is no struggle; there is no death in truth. We are coming to a time when we are willingly waking up from the story. We are coming to a time when we are learning the difference between illusions of separation and the truth of oneness. We are willing to give up the struggle to be separate and alone.

And so the story reflects that inner desire. We gradually open to the guidance of our true Source and we are led to circumstances in the story that help us become aware of the story’s falsity. We look at every circumstance differently. With Holy Spirit we see that everything is either love or a call for love. Through the Holy Spirit we learn to respond to either with love, for that is what brings us happiness. Our trust in our inner Teacher grows and we see where our true strength lies.

The world is now given a new purpose. It becomes a place where the one Son wakes up to the truth that he never really left his Father’s Home. He learns that Love is. God is. And there is nothing else. He learns that waking up from the false story of separation is now what the world is for.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Letting Love Guide Me in All Things

Robert:  Today we read “The Test of Truth” section of the ACIM Text (T-14.XI). It reminded me that if I want to experience Heaven, I must give up totally any thought that I am on my own or separate in any way. I must not hold anything back for myself alone. I must offer all my thoughts to the Holy Spirit for His judgment in the Light. His judgment is very simple. He simply classifies every thought as love or a call for love. The Holy Spirit returns my thoughts of love magnified a thousand times and more. He shines His Light on my thoughts that call for love and the Light shows that they are nothing. He replaces these thoughts with Love, for Love is all there is.

Following Holy Spirit’s lead means letting Love guide me in all things. This practice will ultimately lead me to the full unqualified recognition that Love is all there is and I am one with that Love. In that recognition, all my brothers are joined with me at Home in Love.

In my daily experience, it is clear that I still reserve some thoughts for myself alone because I do not remain consistently in perfect peace. But the level of peace I do experience shows me that the practice of following Holy Spirit’s lead is working. My peace is disturbed less and less. Gratitude fills my heart more and more. Judgment divides me from my brothers less frequently. Though I am less certain of the future in form than I have ever been, I am happier and consistently in more peace than I have ever been. My faith is shifting from the shifting forms of ego to the certainty of God’s Love. I give thanks.

Mary: Today is a day of quiet listening. Today is a day of allowing my mind to be open to Holy Spirit’s guidance in the moment. Today is a day of accepting Holy Spirit’s peace. Today is a day of not deciding anything on my own. Today is a day of patience and trust. Today is a day of watching the ego thoughts that show up and allowing the Light of the Holy Spirit to shine them away. Today is a day of quiet inner peace. The Holy Spirit will bring to mind all that I need to know. And I give thanks.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Today I Have a Choice

Robert:  I have great gratitude that the Holy Spirit is ever present in my mind to guide me in every moment. It is the awareness of this Presence and remembering to turn to It for guidance that maintains my sanity. There are still so many things to do and details to be remembered that it is easy for me to make up stories that are overwhelming in my mind. On the one hand I get impatient with it seeming to take so long and on the other hand it seems like part of me is already in Florida.

The key is to remember to disregard the ego’s interpretation of everything and turn instead to the Holy Spirit for Its interpretation of everything. When I remember this, peace reigns and everything moves forward with ease. If I follow the ego’s thought system, I feel overwhelmed. I am grateful that I recognize now that I have a choice. So this is another day that I dedicate to following Holy Spirit’s lead, knowing that it is the path to the sanity of remembering I remain as God created me.

Mary: This morning as I take time to go to Spirit to receive peace and clarity, the picture of a child’s sandbox came to mind, like in Pathways’ course 210: Star Child. I am reminded that I am spirit. I am reminded that this world is just like a sandbox that children play in, pretending and making up stories that seem real to them in the moment. I am reminded that I am not a body and that the story I am currently experiencing is just a story. It is not the eternal truth.

This helps me not take things so seriously while we prepare this facility for sale and move forward on our next stage of the game in Florida. This helps my level of trust. This helps restore a peaceful state of mind. The one Son’s Home is Heaven and we are all there right now, no matter what appears to be happening in our made up sandbox stories of the moment.

Today Rev. Annie Arbona, who is in charge of the Spanish translations, will be taking a tour through a facility just south of Orlando. She will be taking pictures so we will get a clearer idea of what the facility looks like and whether it would meet our needs. I feel hopeful about it, but right now it is helpful for me to remember not to get too attached to any particular form.

If I remember we are just playing in a sandbox and it is only the Holy Spirit That knows what is best for everyone concerned and the timing that is perfect, it helps me relax through this process. I am thankful to remember I do not know what anything is for, but the Holy Spirit does. Today I will practice once again stepping back and letting Holy Spirit lead the way in the present moment.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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The Holy Spirit’s Job Is to Separate Out the Real from the Unreal

Mary:  This morning as thoughts come in to my mind about all the things that need to be done, what I think is happening or what I think is not happening, I remember it is my job to hand these thoughts over to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to separate out the real from the unreal. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to purify or shine away all that is not true. As I hand these thoughts to the Holy Spirit for purification, it is like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. In the past I have not done such a good job of deciding what things mean on my own. It has not worked out so well. It has not brought me happiness.

So as I begin my day today and think that there are so many things to do, or think that I know what is most important, my real job is to step back and open my mind to receive the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace. As I do this, the angst seems to fall away easily and it is replaced by a feeling of gentleness and trust. The thought comes in to my mind that everything is all right. The feeling of simplicity and ease is there. I am reminded that nothing has happened to change God’s one Son, no matter what appears to be happening in the dream. I remember the whole Sonship remains safe in the mind of God. All the crazy dreams mean nothing. I can relax now. I am not a body. I am free. I am still as God created me. The body is just an instrument, a helpful tool in the process of waking up from the dream.

I am reassured that no dreams really happen in truth. Love is eternal and changeless and so the whole Sonship is eternal and changeless. What a relief to remember this. I can let go of my silly worries or concerns about the future. I remain safe in the mind of God as pure Love, as does everyone else. God is. Love is. Anything else is just trying to be something that we are not. In peace I allow myself to remember the truth.

Holy Spirit through Robert:  There appears to be much to do in the world. The ego would interpret this appearance as an indication of your inadequacy, of lack, too much to do, too little time. But as you let Me be your guide in all your doing, I will use your doing to teach you that only Love is real. Your doing under My guidance will always be an expression of Love, of wholeness and abundance. When I am guiding your doing, you will be in peace. Your heart will be filled with quiet joy. Follow Me and learn of your Self.

© 2008, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Trusting In God’s Plan

Robert:  When I look through the body’s eyes, the world is incredibly complex. It seems almost overwhelming to try to understand or plan. Thinking about moving to Florida can get my ego mind swirling with questions.

In the practice of following Holy Spirit’s plan, it is not a goal to be without questions. But to maintain peace of mind and be aligned with Holy Spirit’s plan, it is essential that I bring each question that comes to mind to the Holy Spirit with an open mind and willingness to receive His guidance. Only with this practice will I know the peace that Holy Spirit offers.

The practice of taking each question to the Holy Spirit does not necessarily require that I make a ritual of taking each little nitpicking question to the Holy Spirit, but that I hold the attitude of not thinking I know any answer on my own. The moment I start trying to figure out an answer, I have excluded Holy Spirit’s guidance. Since this has been the habit of most of my life, it is easy for me to fall into that pattern. So vigilance is necessary to break the habit.

The moment I recognize a sense of concern or lack of peace, I need to step back and return to an open mind with willingness to receive wisdom from beyond the separate mind. This is the attitude and practice that will lead me Home to the quiet joy of Heaven.

Holy Spirit through Mary:  Trust that God’s plan for you is perfect happiness. Trust that God’s plan for you is perfect peace. Give time now to accept these gifts. Allow a clean and open space in your mind where nothing interferes with the awareness that God gives you. Practice being open and receptive to receiving God’s peace. Let it fill every nook and cranny by simply being willing to allow it to fill every part of your mind.

Let yourself rest in this inner sense of well being. Hand the reigns over and follow. Let the burden of trying to figure it out on your own be lifted from your mind. Give thanks that all your real needs are being met.

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