Miracles News

Tweet

October - December, 2009

Overcoming Death with a Single Choice for Love

by Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira

The ego thought system is geared to present us with a billion choices throughout our lives. Everyday it dishes out problems that appear to require solving or avoiding. A billion complex decisions all with one intent — to avert our awareness from the fact that at any ‘now’ moment there is always just a single choice calling to us, regardless of perceived complexity. That choice is Spirit… the choice to love and trust. Choosing Spirit first and foremost is the choice that excludes all fear-mongering by the ego.  

It appears to us (the current world consciousness), that life is full of conflict, full of opposing choices. The ego’s agenda is to confuse us by presenting a billion choices that all arise from and end in fear. And in all the ego decisions we seem to make, not one will arise from Love and end in Love, no matter how long and hard we try.

While we still keep faith with the ego we will be attracted to sickness and death. Death, to the ego, appears to grant us relief and respite from the burden of life’s incessant decision making. Death is seen as the great savior sent to rescue us from the overwhelming burden of conflicting choice. In death it seems we are no longer afflicted with the persistent sense of threat engendered by the overwhelming responsibility of making billions of choices. All these decisions, made consciously and unconsciously, entail great effort and sacrifice in either their attainment or the resistance applied to protect ourselves from change or loss.

Death is seen as escape from life’s challenges. Yet life, in truth, holds no challenges other than letting go of our addiction to death in all its forms. We overcome death in every moment with the single choice for Love. Our choice for Love is the only choice to make. In fact it is the Will of God. The pseudo choice for death is one with no real effects other than the continuation of a dream of death. Once we drop our delusional attraction to the ego (death), all that’s left, in fact all that really ever was, is the Will of God, which is unchanging and uninterrupted Love. Once we release our desire for sin, guilt and fear we drop our blocks to the awareness of Love’s Presence and we remember that we are the Will of God. With delusion and insanity gone, we recognize God’s Will and finally see it as our own! In this there is no choice… there is no conflict! All conflict we experienced was born from wishing for guilt and death in the form of an independent will apart from God… so called freedom!

With no desire for the trappings of death anymore, with no separate will running counter to the divine, death holds no lure. And in this is death overcome. Having no purpose, death falls away together with the sin, guilt and fear that appeared to give it cause.

Uncertainty of What we are, and therefore obscurity of our purpose, underlies all our fears and choices. If we are certain of What we are, we are assured too, of our only purpose which is to awaken to Love through forgiveness. The means to achieve this is brought about through the recognition and unequivocal acceptance of our eternal essence, the uninterrupted Love of God. Forgiveness restores in our awareness the Love that the ego previously obscured.

The Body is Not Your Responsibility

In every instant we choose. But if we choose independently without consulting the Holy Spirit, we will be choosing from unconscious guilt and fear — the ego.

Let’s look at the statement that “the body is illusion only.” In fact let us look at the ‘content’ of this statement rather than to allow the ego’s interpretation of it.

The body being yours or another’s, while an illusion, is not understood and accepted as illusion until one has explored the depth of the value he places on and within it. You cannot undo this illusion unless you see all the areas in which mistaken value has been placed upon the body. This means we are called to disclose all the body belief systems that we consciously or unconsciously value and trust. Specifically they include:

•  The body’s five senses. Trusting that what we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste is true.

•  Trusting the body’s desires. Believing that the pursuit of pleasure is the body’s (our) purpose; its body appetites, i.e. food, financial security, emotional security, sex, etc.

•  Trusting the body’s judgment. Believing that attack and defense are justified and that worldly cause and effect can bring about sickness and death ie. germs cause illness.

•  Believing we need to avoid. Get insurance,  protect ourselves from pain and suffering.

•  Believing that suffering is a legitimate experience, including physical and emotional suffering as an extension of this world’s ‘cause and effect’ ideas.

All these areas are illusory because, until they are raised to awareness and handed over to Holy Spirit, they are substantially governed by the ego. Therefore until we undo the ego, our underlying intent is to get our physical and emotional (ego) needs met through the body in the mistaken belief that it is who we are and houses us. The body here in this dream is seen as an end in itself. Nearly every decision we make in every moment is directed by an illusory need. We need approval. We need affection. We need money. We need sex. We need emotional security. We need excitement. We need recognition and validation. But, do we? Do we really need these things? Which self needs these things? Needing any of these things alerts us to what’s really missing here, which is the one cause of all seeming needs the body has. All our needs are met when we learn to prioritize the Peace of God first; when we set aside the ego’s illusory hierarchy of needs that act purely as a mass distraction from the one need that when met, cancels out the perception of all unfulfilled needs.

The degree to which we value the body as an end in itself is the extent that we value illusion over truth. When we switch to prioritizing Truth over illusion, the body reflects the one purpose it was gifted to fulfill; it becomes the means (and not an end in itself) by which the Holy Spirit carry’s forth His plan for awakening. The mind, and therefore the body, purified of the ego’s delusional intent, is ‘guilt-free.’ The body, being the screen upon which the ego projects its unconscious guilt (self-hatred), is free of the ego’s unrelenting attacks. The healed mind then cannot help but imprint its chief communication device (the body) with perfect health, being testimony to prioritizing Truth over illusion. Now the Holy Will of God is free to use the body to express Divine communication.

The body is illusion only. This statement cannot be truly known and experienced until you transcend the body. This comes not with denial, but with integration. You cannot transcend that which you have not yet integrated. The process of integration includes radical self-inquiry and the eventual voluntary abdication of the purpose of the body. Part of the integration process includes the discovery of untruth. Another stage of the process includes recognizing the body’s true purpose which leads to understanding the Divine value of the body; not for what it can give you but for what it can give away or share. Once this has been seen and accepted, there is no more need to deny the body’s value. You deny the body’s Divine value while you remain in resistance of it. Denial of the body’s true value is natural while your vision of the body is clouded by the ego’s guilt and fear. Until you voluntarily offer your body’s purpose along with its appetites to Spirit, you will continue to deny the body’s true value. Denial makes the error real and what you still believe is true, you cannot forgive (undo and correct).

Once the purpose of the body is relinquished to Spirit, there is no more need to deny or defend the body. In this purpose it becomes simply a conduit through which the Holy Spirit’s Will expresses Itself uninterrupted. The body itself is no longer your responsibility. Having the purpose of being a Divine conduit, all concerns about its health are also not your responsibility as these are thankfully offered to the Holy Spirit for His correction.

From the novice’s perspective, the body is indeed something to be mastered or denied. None of these approaches will work. Not until you recognize that the body is no-thing in itself will you see that You are everything. In this will your maturity reveal the nonsensical nature of previous attempts at mastery over or denial of the body. All these arise from the very fear that made the body in the first place. These must be set aside before understanding of the body’s purpose is accepted. Once acceptance has taken place all need to defend or deny fall away. There is no independent will to do either.  

Simple Exercise to Release Fear

Regardless of the degree of fear (or judgment, or need to control) you feel, this practical exercise is valuable in helping you to relinquish it. Look at your issue and ask the following questions:

1. Is this (fear, judgment, conflict, scarcity, disease, or pain) in any way a natural part of God, of absolute Love with no opposite?

2. Does God, Who is all Love, will this (fear, judgment, conflict, scarcity, pain, disease or death) for you?

3. Would Love ask for fear, judgment, conflict, scarcity, pain, disease or death?

4. How can your fear, judgment, conflict, scarcity, pain, disease or death possibly bring about Love and therefore healing?

See then that you do not want it! You must first see that you have made a judgment. Your perception of whatever is confronting you has caused you fear. This is your first step. Then, see that you made a mistake in choosing to listen to fear and it’s illusory consequences. Next, give it to Holy Spirit. Allow Him to take it from you and judge it. He will then reinterpret the situation and use it to teach you the single choice you ever need to make — that you are Love. Your last step is to accept the Atonement for yourself. You can do this by saying with sincerity: “I will accept Atonement for myself.” Read ACIM Lesson 139.

About the Authors: Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira are the authors of best-seller Take Me to Truth, Undoing the Ego. Initiated by A Course in Miracles, their seventeen year Spiritual Awakening journey led to the almost total deconstruction of their lives and belief systems before emerging from the process together. The result is this profoundly practical guide that clearly defines the blocks and the stages involved in Spiritual Awakening. They now travel the world together facilitating their ‘life-changing’ workshops. For information or to order their 8-DVD workshop, Undoing the Ego II, click here. Web site: Take Me to Truth

© 2009, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend

Printable Page

---

Tweet

October - December, 2009

From the One Who Knows

by Rev. Mary Manke

This morning I woke to find another symptom in the body. The left knee would not straighten. In this dream circumstance, it means that the nerve impulses are not getting through to the muscles in that area. I shared with Holy Spirit that I was feeling frightened, confused, disappointed and guilty for choosing this.

Holy Spirit gave this to me: In your daily dream you fall into the habit of accepting the ego’s meaning of the world, people, events around you. Dear One, look not to the world for answers, for images change at the slightest thought. You dream that you are a body. You dream that you are guilty. You dream that you are separate, alone, without help or solace.

Ask yourself, “Are dreams true?” When you wake from your night dreams, you look at the symbolism from the images that played in your mind. Can you ask yourself the same question for your waking dream? “Is this dream true? Is this image true? Is this thought true?”

Be willing to open to Holy Spirit’s answer, His interpretation. He holds for you what you have forgotten. He knows the outcome of your choice — every effect it will produce. Be willing to ask of every thought that pops up, “Is this true?” Step back and be still. Listen to Holy Spirit and feel the warmth of His Love surround you. Let Him decide for you, as you remind yourself that by yourself you do not know. How can you know what is true or real when you have given all the meaning to everything you see? The meaning that you “see” comes from past experience, and that experience is from dreams, which are not reality.

Defend not your choices, but lay them down. Ask only for meaning from the One who knows. He will not keep from you what He would have you know. If you think that you separated from God, then you think you deserve punishment. Now ask, “Is this true? Did I really leave God?” If you did not leave God, then you have been fooling yourself, playing with hallucinations. If you did leave God, then you do not exist, for there is nothing outside of God. Would you rather accept that you may have been wrong in your thinking? You have never left God, and there is only God, only Love. You are only Love, for nothing alters nor changes what God has created. Simply let this be.

Rev. Mary Manke is a Pathways of Light minister who lives in Wautoma, Wisconsin. To read more of her inspiring Healing Journal articles, click here.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend

Printable Page

---

Tweet

October - December, 2009

Excerpts from Course 918: The Power of Prayer and Meditation

Pathways of Light

In the Introduction to The Song of Prayer, Jesus describes true prayer as “The single voice Creator and creation share; the song the Son sings to the Father, Who returns the thanks it offers Him unto the Son.” (1:2) Here we are learning that all true prayer is sharing one voice with our Creator. True prayer is the Love the Father and Son share and extend as they recognize their oneness. True prayer is accepting our Father’s Love and extending that universal Love in one grateful, joyous voice. It is joining in one unified song of gratitude, appreciation and Love. It is sharing our Creator’s Love with the whole Sonship equally.

We are also learning that true prayer is accepting our one Identity in Christ and a recognition that we have no needs, only an eternal giving of praise and gratitude to our Creator, Who has given us all there is to give.

This means that true prayer is not needy. It does not supplicate out of fear or lack. True prayer does not make up a separate voice, different from our Creator. True prayer does not insist that we are vulnerable and weak.

True prayer does not make up images or personalities that are not true. True prayer does not give credence to the ego’s lies of being separate from God and the rest of the Sonship.

Jesus is being very clear in this introduction that true prayer is not asking God to make our dream of separation more to our liking or enhance our dream of specialness. Praying for more of the things of this world to bring us more of what we think we want is the opposite of true prayer.

We are learning here that we have but one need, and that is the need to recognize our oneness in the Mind of God. We are learning that laying down our dreams of specialness is the means by which we open to true prayer. We are learning that true prayer is sharing God’s Love with all equally.

In this world we think we have specific problems. This world was made up to keep our mind distracted from what is real — from God’s peace and Love — so we keep ourselves distracted by dreaming of having a continuous supply of problems. We do not realize that the problems are coming from our split minds and are illusions. That is why Jesus tells us, “…in prayer you overlook your specific needs as you see them, and let them go into God’s Hands. There they become your gifts to him, for they tell Him that you would have no gods before Him; no Love but His. What could His answer be but your remembrance of Him?” (4:3-5)

In our learning about true prayer, some key things that we want to remember and reinforce in our thinking are:

• True prayer asks for nothing and recognizes that we already have been given everything that is real. • To ask for something other than the truth of God’s Love is to ask for illusions and to receive what is really nothing. • The Holy Spirit purifies our mind so we can reach true prayer. He takes our thoughts of need and helps us recognize what our real need is. He helps us recognize that what is truly needed is already provided. • True prayer moves us past every perceived problem and helps us accept the one true answer to every prayer. • True prayer joins in our one eternal prayer of thanksgiving and Love.

What is Meditation? Meditation is the practice of quieting the ego mind, joining with the truth and accepting communion with God.

Process: Take a few minutes to step aside from your worldly activities… Let go of your everyday thoughts … Let your mind quiet and open your mind to your holiness … Let your mind go to Love… Remember that you are fully entitled to receive everything Love has to offer… Let your individual self-image go and unite with Love…

Let yourself be aware that Love is eternally present in your mind. It is still there, behind all the ego thoughts…  Lift the veil… Take as long as you need…

We are reminded that not everyone can attain the level of true prayer as yet. When we are still committed to the belief in separation from God, we are not yet able to accept God’s answer of remembrance of Him. When we pray with fear in our hearts, we have forgotten God’s goodness and we have forgotten our unity with God.

When we see that we or our brothers are in fear, we can help by recognizing the Christ in both of us. As we recognize that the Christ is still there in our minds, we are remembering our Self. This remembering helps us all.

What happens as we climb up from the bottom rungs of prayer? We see that our hidden belief in guilt is the source of our experience of scarcity. Our asking can change to move us higher on the road to healing. Instead of asking for more things of this world, we can “ask for gifts such as honesty or goodness, and particularly for forgiveness for the many sources of guilt that inevitably underlie any prayer of need.”

As we open to Holy Spirit’s healing perspective, we learn to recognize that our brother is joined with us in the one Christ Spirit. At this level we rise up the Ladder of Prayer and realize that judging another is really judging ourselves. We realize that we are only imprisoning our own sick mind that is in need of healing. We realize that a prayer for our enemy is really a prayer to heal our own projections, which are trying to make separation real.

For more information about Miracles Practitioner courses, click here.

© 2009, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend

Printable Page

---

Tweet

October - December, 2009

Complete Surrender?

by Rev. Myron Jones

As I was journaling with the Holy Spirit I asked Him about goals. He suggested I write down my goals for today and then we would look together. I wrote that I needed to finish this project. Then I had a list of things that had to be done before my friends arrived. This list included things like getting dressed and cooking lunch. The longer my list became, the more stress I felt. This reminded me that my list was not complete. I added to it. “I want to step back and allow the Holy Spirit to guide the way. I want to remember my purpose.”

As I added these goals to the list I realized that my list was exactly backwards. I changed the order and stepping back and remembering my purpose went to the top. When I did that I realized that I did not need to finish the list of things to do.  If I would be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me today, then I would not need a list. Could I set aside what I thought I needed to do? Could I set aside all decision-making and turn to the Holy Spirit in complete trust? Could I surrender the idea that I need to be in charge of my life?

I thought about that for a while. I have said that I want to be lived, but do I really?  What would I have to give up? I would not make decisions about what to do and in what order. I would not write any more stories. I would just watch the story already written as it unfolds as Myron’s life. I would have to give up the drama that comes with judgment as I simply observed the story of Myron’s life without deciding what it means. Would I miss that drama? Would I feel deprived if I wasn’t in charge of this life?

I decided to try. I sat at the computer after I wrote the last word and waited for a thought to appear. I thought to get up and take my shower. On the way I thought to put the rice on. I didn’t question the change in plans, or ask myself if that was the right order. I didn’t wonder if I should do something else instead. I just put the rice on and took my shower. While showering I did only that. I didn’t use the time to plan my next move or to decide what I would do when my friends arrived. I just enjoyed the feel of water and soap on my body.

I completed each chore exactly as it came to me to do it. Just as I finished the last thing that needed to be done, the first of my guests knocked on the door. Probably everything would have been done if I had made plans on my own, but by making no plans on my own and following Guidance instead, my morning went smoothly and was completely stress free.

Since then I have fallen back into the habit of trying to be in charge of my life. I notice that it is a lot more stressful. I forget things I need to do. My mind is in conflict nearly all the time as I argue with myself about what to do and when. I see that there are whole blocks of time I am living unconciously. I could not even tell you what I did because my mind was someplace else; in the future or in the past. It was focused everywhere except now. I seem to be missing my life.

It is not hard to allow myself to be lived. It is a little harder to want to do this. However, I am motivated to try again because the first time was so peaceful. I am beginning this day by reminding myself that not I, but Christ through me this day will be done.

Rev. Myron Jones is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Charles, Louisiana. Read more of her inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways of Light web site. Also to learn more about her new audio book titled, Healing Family Relationships — Applying the Principles of A Course in Miracles, click here.
Web site: The Way Home

© 2009, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend

Printable Page

---

Back to main page of Miracles News.

Has this page been helpful to you?
Your contribution to support this site is greatly appreciated. To make a tax deductible contribution with a credit/debit card, click here.
Click here to donate from your PayPal account.
Or send a check to Pathways of Light, 12530 Lions Chase Court, Huntley, IL 60142.