Daily Inspiration for Living A Course in Miracles

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Heaven Is Here and Now

Mary:
In our reading of A Course in Miracles this morning, this is what stood out to me: “The emphasis of this course always remains the same;—it is at this moment that complete salvation is offered you, and it is at this moment that you can accept it. This is still your one responsibility. Atonement might be equated with total escape from the past and total lack of interest in the future. Heaven is here. There is nowhere else. Heaven is now. There is no other time.” (M-24.6:1-7)

This really shows me where I have work to do. I am definitely not there yet when it comes to a total lack of interest in the future. Very often I still find myself future oriented, which means that I still have a lot of inner healing to do. My job now is to take it one day at time and open my mind to the truth that complete salvation is offered me right here and now. It all depends on my willingness to receive the truth in the present moment.

My willingness has grown over the years, but obviously I am still getting lessons in accepting the truth right now. That is what this day is for — opening my mind to the truth. And it is available to me right now, this very moment, if I will accept it. I am finding that accepting it comes, not through efforting, but from a melting in, a relaxing, a letting go of what is not true. Then what is true just quietly shows up. Heaven is here as soon as I am willing to become aware of Its presence. It’s been there all along. I was just too busy holding on to my struggles with the world to become aware of It.

Today is another day of lab time. I am willing to observe my thoughts another day and take them to the Holy Spirit to be undone. I am willing to practice accepting the truth that Heaven is here. There is nowhere else. Heaven is now. There is no other time.

Robert:
When I am in the present moment, joy fills my heart. Love overflows and embraces everyone and everything. There is a deep sense of undisturbable calm. The instant that I think about the future its as if that heavenly feeling never existed. In that thought of the future I have stepped out of the timelessness of now and into the separated world of time. The two states are mutually exclusive. Hell is in the past and future. Heaven is now.

In the dream of time and space, focusing on now seems highly impractical. Indeed it seems terrifying because the need to defend against an uncertain future is so intense. But this perceived need is based on false premises. It is based on the belief in the reality of time and space, of separation. I am grateful that in my mind my loving Creator has placed the means to bridge the seeming chasm between the belief in separation and the reality of timeless oneness.

Because of this Presence in my mind, it is possible to be focused on the present moment in complete safety because this inner Teacher sees the dream but does not believe it, and knows the dreamer is not the dream. Thus my inner Teacher will always lead me step by step, present moment by present moment, into a “future” free of the past. This Teacher will lead me back to the Heaven of now.

Today, right now, I dedicate to holding my focus in the present and letting my inner Teacher take care of the future.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Let Yourself Be Lifted Up

Holy Spirit to Mary:
Let yourself be lifted up to see the Love that is always there. You cannot do this with the false mind that thinks it is separate and alone. Surrendering, or being willing to let go or forgive all that you have made, is how it is done. When you let go, you open the door for your true Self to do it for you.

Your function now for true success is to forgive or let go. Quit trying to do it on your own. It will not work. Give it up. Instead, put your inner Teacher in the driver’s seat. Let go of all you think you know. Become as a little child and be willing to follow. Soften and relax, knowing that your inner Teacher knows the way that will work.

The truth is that you are Love immersed in Love because only Love is real. But right now you do not know it because you have insisted on thinking on your own. Let go and you will find God. Let go and you will see that all that is real is already yours. Let go and you will see that everyone is already Home, along with you. Let go and let yourself be lifted up to see the Love that is always there.

Robert:
Today we read in the Text of A Course in Miracles, “…decide against deciding what you want, in recognition that you do not know. …Leave all decisions to the One Who speaks for God, and for your function as He knows it.” (T-14.IV.5:2,4)

If I want to be truly happy, I need to fully accept that of myself I have no clue as to what will make me happy. Happiness cannot be found in any form in the world. Happiness is found only in fulfilling the function given me by God — to extend Love, always. The old habit has been to think that if only circumstances were a certain way, if only a certain person behaved a certain way, if only a desired event happened at my designated time and place in the way I prescribe, then I would be happy. But all these wishes are based on forms in the dream that have no content of their own. They are meaningless of themselves. The mistaken belief that there is value in these forms is what makes it impossible for me to make meaningful decisions on my own.

I really do want to be happy. I really do want the peace of God. I really do want to love my brother as God loves. But believing in a world of images stands as a barrier against allowing this into my experience. All that I really want is already mine, given me by God. To know this I must let go of the barriers. To let go of the barriers there is only one thing to do: Offer them all to the One Who knows what to do with them, my inner Teacher.

So today my practice is to be mindful of my attempts to find happiness in form and offer them to the Holy Spirit. He will help me let go of the mistaken thoughts and recognize the reality of the Love that is in everything I see.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Gentleness and Patience

Mary:
Holy Spirit, I am willing to let go of my ideas of specialness and individuality. I am willing to accept Your constant gift of peace. I am willing to relax my hold on the body and melt into Your healing Light. Only You, Holy Spirit, only You.

Holy Spirit:
Let the feeling of gentleness and patience settle in and fill every dark corner of fear. Rest in this feeling of gentleness and peace. Let every part of your body relax deeply. It is safe to lay everything down and let go. The Light within you is very gentle and very quiet. Just relax. Just relax. Lay down everything that comes up and let your mind be still.

Just follow and let your true Self be in charge. The experience you feel is beyond words. Permit this awareness of the truth. As you are willing to let go and let God, healing comes of itself. This is your only purpose now. Follow and allow.

Holy Spirit to Robert:
In this world there appears to be a choice between two paths. One is a path of chaos and death; the other is a path of changelessness and Life. Yet only one path is real. The other is a nightmare dream that can have no real effect on What you are. Though you may believe you are on a path of darkness, there is a Light in you that can show you the path of Light in every moment.

Today choose peace and open the door to that Light. Let It guide all your seeing. In this Light, nothing is an adversary. There are no threats to your safety. You see your brothers as part of you in the Self that God created. Each is a blessing and an opportunity to bless. Stay in peace today and let the Light guide you. And it will be a joyful day indeed.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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All Your Problems Have Been Solved

Mary:
Holy Spirit, right now I am willing to sit still, be quiet, and open to Your healing Light. I focus only on that. I am willing to let the barriers be removed to the presence of Your healing peace. I let the veil be lifted. I relax into the gentle flow of peace that softens everything. I hand over all my thoughts to You. I am willing to accept your mind healing perception. Instead of trying to figure it out on my own, I surrender to Your healing Light. I am willing to see as You see, through the eyes of Christ.

Holy Spirit:
Allow yourself to rest in God. Allow yourself to remember the eternal truth. The one Son of God is still as God created him; still pure, innocent, Light of Love. This is What you are. This is What everyone is. The whole Sonship is the same changeless, eternal Light of Love. This is true and nothing else is true.

The world of separation is a dream. You are safe. Everyone in the world is safe despite their fearful dreams. Awareness of dreaming is the function of God’s teachers. It is the source of their trust. They remember they have everything that is real and are willing to share Reality with all.

Rest in the truth today. And remember that every brother rests with you. Peace returns as you remember this. You are safe. You are innocent. You are loved. You are Home. When you are afraid, let this remembering return to your mind. As you let go of your belief in time, your memory of the eternal returns. Let go and let God. Here you remember that all your problems have been solved. As you are willing to open to the Light, the Light returns to your awareness. This is how you heal and are healed. Rest in this remembering today.

Robert:
All I really want is the peace of God. All I really want is to be my Self. I thought I wanted specialness, and dream dreams of getting what I want. Yet these dreams are inherently unstable so that no matter how pleasant the dream appears, there is always an underlying fear that it can be lost in an instant.

Within the dream of separation that fear is well founded, but another purpose can be given the dream. All I need do is let the Holy Spirit give the dream His purpose. Then every moment becomes an opportunity to join, to be helpful, to see my brother as myself. The appearance of a brother in fear becomes an opportunity to extend Love. The appearance of fear in me becomes a reminder to once again put the Holy Spirit in charge.

Today I have a big platter in front of me. On it I put all my images of fear, all my images of specialness. Some appear dirty and moldy. Others seem to sparkle and shine. All have fear at their core.

I offer this platter to the Holy Spirit. He accepts it with joy, for in my giving I open the way to receive His gift of God’s peace and happiness. I let the Holy Spirit fulfill His function and we join in gratitude that the changelessness of Love is accepted. The grace of God has held a place for me in the Heart of Heaven. I give thanks.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Like a Little Child

Mary:
Today my job is to be like a little child and listen to my Father, my Source. I do not know what is in my best interest and so I need to stop and listen to my inner Teacher. This means being willing to let my mind quiet. I must be willing to let the peace of the Holy Spirit in and from there I can receive clear insight.

The peace I receive softens everything. I rest a while and simply receive the peace in silence… I realize I don’t have to figure anything out and that all that I really need is being provided… From this peaceful state of mind, my present happiness is all I am aware of. I am reminded to let go of the past and the future. I am reminded to focus on choosing peace and all the rest will take care of itself.

This is the powerful lesson the Holy Spirit provides when I am willing to listen: Everything is all right. You are safe in the Mind of God. You are in Heaven now. This is the eternal truth. You become aware of this truth when you are willing to become as a little child and open to eternal peace, Love and joy. Practice this today and every day. Let the past go. As you do this you are able to see the eternal present. This is your practice today.

Robert:
I see myself as a little child playing in a sandbox. I make roads and bridges and imaginary streams. I make streets and houses and I make sounds that imitate the sounds of cars and trucks moving along the roads. I become so involved in my sandbox play that I am completely unaware of anything outside the sandbox.

Then I hear a Voice calling, seemingly far off in the distance. As I become aware of it, I realize that it has been calling for a long time, but I was unaware of it while I was enthralled by my sandbox games. But there is something about this Voice that calls to me beyond the sound. It touches my heart and reminds me of another place which far outshines my little sandbox with indescribable joy and peace.

This Voice becomes more and more compelling, for it reminds me of certainty and safety, of Love beyond words. The attraction of the sandbox fades. The games I played there have lost their appeal. The appeal of this Voice has captured my full attention now. I am willing to let go of childish games and step out of the sandbox into the Light of Home, where I belong.

Here I experience immeasurable gratitude for an unending, unlimited flow of Love that flows into me and through me, extending out everywhere, blessing all always. The sandbox is a distant, faded memory, and now is gone completely. I have now returned to all I ever wanted. I have returned to my Self.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Pay Attention to Your Thoughts

Holy Spirit to Robert:
Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself abandoned. God has not abandoned you. He could no more leave you than leave a part of Himself. You are part of Him and this will never change. Your belief that you have left God is the foundation for all perceived lack, loss and harm.

The thought that God could abandon you is simply a projection of your belief that you have abandoned Him. In truth you have not and cannot abandon God. But you can believe that you have, and make up an experience of being without God. This is experienced as terrifying because it seems as though you have lost your Life. Without God there is no Life. But the experience of lifelessness seems real to you because of your belief that you are separate from God. By God’s grace this could never be true. In this is your salvation.

It is time to give up childish dreams of isolation, loneliness and lifelessness. They do not bring you what you want. You want the peace of God. You want God’s Love. You want His joy. All these are already yours. No dream can bring you this. Dreams can offer only empty substitutes that cannot satisfy and only serve to deepen your despair.

Pay attention to your thoughts today. Do not tolerate any thought that is not peaceful, happy and loving. Offer any thought that does not have these attributes to Me. I will take it gladly. For each such thought you freely give to Me opens the door for the return God’s gift to you. That is My function. Yours is simply to offer Me each unforgiving thought, each dream fantasy of isolation and separation. What I return to you is a picture of peace, compassion and quiet joy. It is the real world that brings you to the gates of Heaven. Here God’s Love gently brings you Home to the unity of Love you never truly left. This is your heart’s desire. Let me bring you here today.

Holy Spirit to Mary:
Let go of your story. Let your mind be still. It helps to breathe deeply and relax your hold on the body… Let go… Let peace replace the tension you are still holding on to… Let yourself become aware that you are being showered with God’s peace. God’s peace is yours because you are in God’s river of peace… In truth, you are God’s peace… Accept the peace that you are… Let yourself become aware of the presence of peace residing in your mind… It has not left you, you have just replaced God’s Thoughts with ego thoughts… If you truly want to find the peace that is yours eternally, you will find it.

Let peace take over… Surrender to peace… Let go and let God… Let God’s gifts come into your awareness… Let yourself remember that you are still as God created you. You have not changed God’s one Son. Dreams cannot change Reality. Let simple, uncomplicated Love replace thoughts of individuality and conflict. Let the truth return to your awareness… You are safe… you are innocent… you are loved… you are Home.

Let the Truth replace your dreams of separation and lack today and you will see that peace and happiness are always yours to have and extend to the whole Sonship.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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I Will Forgive and This will Disappear

Mary:
This morning we read Lessons 192 and 193 in A Course in Miracles. What was most helpful to me is:

Each hour spend a little time today, and in the days to come, in practicing the lesson in forgiveness in the form established for the day. And try to give it application to the happenings the hour brought, so that the next one is free of the one before. The chains of time are easily unloosened in this way. Let no one hour cast its shadow on the hour that follows, and when that one goes, let everything that happened in its course go with it. Thus will you remain unbound, in peace eternal in the world of time.

This is the lesson God would have you learn: There is a way to look on everything that lets it be to you another step to Him, and to salvation of the world. To all that speaks of terror, answer thus: I will forgive, and this will disappear. To every apprehension, every care and every form of suffering, repeat these selfsame words. And then you hold the key that opens Heaven’s gate, and brings the Love of God the Father down to earth at last, to raise it up to Heaven. God will take the final step Himself. Do not deny the little steps He asks you take to Him.” (W-pI.193.12-13)

This is just what I needed this morning to clear my thoughts of misperceptions. I still find it too easy to get lost in the dream and forget it is not God’s Will that separate bodies be real. Jesus gives me very clear direction to apply to all “happenings” each hour of this day. When I am making separation real, I am not forgiving the false idea of separation.

Applying “I will forgive and this will disappear” to each circumstance of the hour helps clear my mind and makes way for the return of peace. Do I want to stay lost in the dream or do I want to awaken to my one Reality in the Mind of God? “I will forgive and this will disappear” is my touchstone to bring me back from insanity once again. I do not need to make separation real. I do not need to continue denying the Life I live in God. Applying each hour “I will forgive and this will disappear” is the way to free myself from the prison I have made by believing in the ego’s false ideas.

Holy Spirit to Robert:
Seek not for certainty in the world. Illusions have no substance and no stability. Certainty can only be found in the changelessness of Love. Certainty can only be found in the one Self you share with all. Forgiveness is the means to let go of your investment in making illusions seem real. In the release of illusions, the certainty of your Self is revealed. Let go. Offer Me all your thoughts about the world. I will use them on your behalf to teach you the lesson God would have you learn: Only Love is real.

Walk with Me today, and it will be a happy day of learning that will lead you to the real world, the forgiven world.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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