Miracles News

Tweet

October-December, 2020

Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood!

by Rev. Myron, Jones, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Everything is my responsibility. I sometimes forget that this is true, and begin to think the world is hurting me and responsible for my misery. I forget that I am only projecting these things on others from my own mind and that the only power to hurt me comes from my own. I can only be hurt if I decide that is to happen. I crucify myself. But eventually, I withdraw the projections that I cast onto others, reclaiming them so that I can allow the Holy Spirit to help me see them differently.
As a result of doing this daily, I notice a difference in my relationships. I feel loving toward other people, and I feel them respond more lovingly toward me. I noticed yesterday that when I called the office for help with a customer, I began by asking how my coworker was doing. This is not unusual, just common courtesy. What was unusual is that it was not just a polite way of beginning a conversation. It was a prayer, a song shared spirit to spirit. My soul sang of love and oneness to her soul. I think this is what communication between the children of God is supposed to be like. It is what it will be like all the time when I have allowed all my projections to be withdrawn and healed.
Holy Spirit, I see how my life is changing as I accept responsibility, but in A Course in Miracles it talks about how we crucify ourselves. Could you please speak to me about how I do that?

Holy Spirit: Last night you were looking at your daughter’s photograph and thinking about your earlier conversation with her. You began to think that the conversation didn’t go as well as you hoped. You thought about how hard it can be to talk to her and how sensitive she is, how hard it is to share on a personal level. You had many thoughts about her and about how she feels about you. Soon, you were feeling very anxious about your relationship.

Before you began thinking, you were very peaceful in your mind. After you had been thinking for a few minutes you were very anxious. What changed, Myron? Your relationship did not change; it was only your thoughts about the relationship that changed.

Here is the way the ego thought system works. You harbor within your mind the belief that you have not been a very good mother to this girl and have made unforgivable mistakes. As you listen to her words you look for proof that this is true. No matter what she says to you, it seems to prove that you have failed and she hates you for it. She told you about a book she read that said the brain can be damaged by pollution. She wonders if living near the plants when she was growing up could have caused her to be depressed and need medication.

Because you began with the underlying belief that you failed her as a mother, you heard her say that you are responsible for her depression. You moved her to a place that put her in danger and you did nothing to get her out of it. Her life is miserable now and it is all your fault.
She hates you for doing this to her.

The ego belief is that doing this kind of thinking protects you. The ego says that if you don’t pick apart the conversations and find the hidden meanings you won’t see the danger coming so how can you protect yourself. The ego then begins its “protection” of you. You start thinking that it was your ex-husband’s fault because he insisted the family live there and you feel hatred for him. He is the one to blame, not you.

Then you remember that you had wanted to leave and Susan had wanted to stay. It is her fault, not yours. You begin to think that she could do something about this in the same way you dealt with your depression, but instead, she wants to blame you. You begin to think what a difficult person she is and how hard it is to talk to her. You have made her the one who is wrong. This is what the ego calls protection.

What actually happened in that phone call, Myron? You had a conversation with your precious daughter. She shared some ideas with you. Then you crucified yourself. You began with your buried belief of unworthiness and proved to yourself you were right. You tried to cover it up by projecting the unworthiness onto others, but you were not able to undo the basic wrong-minded thought because you kept looking out there for salvation as you tried to find someone else to make wrong. The ego thinks that the only way to get you off the cross is to find someone else to take your place. Each time you do this you further convince yourself that the original premise must be right because you see proof of your unworthiness everywhere you look.

The solution is to recognize where the problem lies and then to choose a different teacher. You already know how the ego tries to solve the problem and you know it never works. Would you be willing to let go of the lie that you are unworthy of motherhood? Would you be willing to turn your ear away from the ego nonsense and give Me your attention? You have carried this thought for a long time and you are becoming aware of what an unnecessary burden it is.

P.S. Just recently, I had one of those crucifying thoughts about a child of mine, and asked the Holy Spirit to heal my mind. I was given a series of thoughts that led to a clear understanding of why I continue to do this with my children. I have always been surprised when I see proof that my children love me. I always think, as Holy Spirit just explained, that I made too many mistakes and don’t deserve that love, so it must not be there. But over and over, they just keep loving me.

So when I had this depressing thought about not being worthy of my child’s love, I was given another part of His teaching. Memories of how I treated my mother were brought to my mind. I thought of all the ways I failed her as a daughter and I thought how little respect and concern I had for her. Now, this happened mostly during my teen years and my early adult years. Any grievances I had against mom had all been forgiven a long time ago. I learned to admire her very much.

What the Holy Spirit showed me was that I had failed to forgive myself for my part in that relationship. I still carried the idea that I was guilty of all I did or failed to do, for my harsh judgments of her, for my lack of understanding and compassion. As long as I carried around that guilt, I would keep projecting it onto my relationships with my own children. I would see the guilt I felt for my relationship with my mom being played out by my children onto me. That is how projection works. This was not happening, you understand, except in my own mind. But I felt the pain of it as if it were really happening.

The truth is, I had nothing to be guilty about. Mom and I started with a special relationship, as all relationships here do, and we spent our lives allowing that relationship to be transformed into a holy relationship. This process of transformation is often a messy business with lots of ups and downs, and that too is normal and expected. It was a perfect use of our time together. Allowing my mind to be healed of the belief either of us was guilty of anything that occurred during this healing process was the last step in the transformation. Now that I have forgiven myself, perhaps I can finally get down off the cross and simply enjoy the love of my children.

Rev. Myron Jones, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Westlake, Louisiana. Read her inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways website. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Myron’s website is: http://www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org

© 2020, 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, 2020

How Miracles Affected the Health of My Body

by Rev. Rosemarie Tropf, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

I have always had a huge confusion as an ACIM student for many years. Since 1969 I have said to myself that I believe I am not this body, that I am Spirit. But, if I really believe that then shouldn’t I be healthy, happy and reap the rewards of that belief? Instead, I have lived in chronic pain the whole time from Fibromyalgia and spinal degeneration. Why? I ask myself that all the time. How does this all tie together for me?

So I questioned my beliefs, plus, I did a ton of forgiveness work. I did have a very dysfunctional childhood with physical, mental and sexual abuse. Doctors say that stress as a child creates autoimmune diseases. So I did lots of forgiveness work there also. I learned to understand that I came in with a script and that nobody is responsible for my condition but me at some level. I learned how to love my parents again without blame. I agreed that by me blaming others I contributed to my physical pain. So, through doing more forgiveness work for my own tendency to blame others because I was so angry, I learned to not blame others. Is the pain gone now? No.

So I learned to accept that everything is perfect in its time and this is the script that I chose to come in with. I learned to live with gratitude for the Course and the mighty companions I travel with on this path. I have so much love around me now and I have a really nice life. Except for the chronic pain of the body.

So, I feel dissatisfied with that conclusion. Doesn’t seem right to me. I feel like the princess with a pea under her mattress. Something just isn’t right. Recently in a group of ACIM students, including myself, under the tutelage of Myron Jones, we have been studying the Miracle Principles. I love those principles. They are so very enlightening.

For example, miracle principle 39 says, “The miracle dissolves error because the Holy Spirit identifies error as false or unreal.” I thought to myself, “Aha, it’s not me who identifies errors as false or unreal, it’s the Holy Spirit. I kind of knew that before but this principle stayed in my mind for some reason.

I also read in Principle 23: “Miracles rearrange perception and place all levels in true perspective.” Hmmmm? Rearrange perception? Things were beginning to gel in my mind.

Then a few days ago, I had been doing yoga nidra for an hour more, so I felt very relaxed with my mind calm enough that I could easily allow Holy Spirit in. I asked Holy Spirit to help me see this differently.

Holy Spirit showed me there was a movie part of my mind that I took for granted, that was so much a part of me that I never questioned it. Suddenly it popped to the foreground of my mind.

Many years ago I was trained to help people using health foods and vitamins. I was a layman, not a trained nutritionist, but trained only so I could do that job. As a result I read tomes of information about health foods and vitamins as remedies for body pain problems and a lot of it seemed to work. I did this job for close to 20 years, constantly updating those volumes of information.

I raised my children with that information and they were very healthy, never sick, never hospitalized etc. I thought aha. That works! This information became part of my life and part of my mind.

Here, I would like to compare the mind structure to a scaffolding (as a metaphor). I feel like quite a few of the beams on the scaffolding in my mind are made up from this data. I thought it was a successful way of life. After all we never did drugs, we were never sick… even though I was in chronic pain… not actually sick. (My children never knew about this.)

Doctors could never find any reason for this chronic physical pain other than autoimmune stuff… ‘possibly.’ I taught many people how to live a healthier more holistic life. I was rewarded with thanks plus two healthy children who are healthy adults now. So what’s wrong with that you might ask?

What Holy Spirit showed me a couple of days ago is that this information is made up of man-made solutions to an ego-mind created problem. Those tomes of nutritional information are all about man-made laws for health, but those man-made laws do not work every time and they do not work for everybody.

Holy Spirit showed me that as long as I, or anybody, live only by those man-made laws, we will not allow God’s laws to reach our mind. As long as I believe in those man-made laws, I will not ask Holy Spirit to correct my perceptions.

What I did most of my life with that man-made information was loving and well intended, no doubt about that. What I taught myself and others helped to create a healthy lifestyle. Living according to those rules, we had a healthier body than eating fast foods or taking aspirin or pain pills. So I would never think to change a lot of those healthy habits. But the missing part of the equation is Holy Spirit and asking Holy Spirit to teach me about God’s Laws in relation to physical pain and the mind.

So, in Miracles Principle 4 it says: “All miracles mean life, and God is the Giver of Life. His Voice will direct you very specifically.”

How could God direct me specifically when I never asked? Instead, and I didn’t realize it, I was walking around with this health food encyclopedia in my mind giving me solutions to this pain today, and that pain yesterday. I was constantly thinking about my body! Constantly! All day long I walk around thinking about how this muscle works with that vitamin, and how a certain number of hours of sleep fixes that part of the problem and this herbal tea fixes that area of the body etc. It was like question and answer in my mind day and night. And I was solving every one of those questions about this and that pain with that mental encyclopedia in my head with herbs, vitamins and nutrition.

I knew as a Course student that my body was a result of my thoughts. So I did forgiveness work on my thoughts constantly. But I never looked at these thoughts concerning man-made laws and man-made solutions to body issues. Holy Spirit showed me how many of my thoughts every hour every day are about this body. I have heard so many times you are what you focus on, or that you are your thoughts. I would think to myself, “What horrible, evil thoughts do I have that I am not seeing?”

It turns out they are not nasty evil thoughts… they are merely mistaken perceptions and false errors about the body being subject to only man-made laws. Because of that mistaken perception, I never asked Holy Spirit to show me what my pain means or how to see this differently, or how my thoughts (about pain) are images I have made. I was not asking Holy Spirit how this pain holds the meaning I give it, or how I am never upset for the reason I think. Instead I would reach for the vitamins and, “accept my fate,” kind of thinking. I asked Holy Spirit to help me decipher my life for so many other things but not for physical pain for some reason. What reason?

The reason is I had this encyclopedia in my mind giving me solutions I never once thought to question.

Since I saw this I have been asking Holy Spirit when I feel the pains, noticing small incremental changes in my perceptions. For example, I wanted to paint this morning and I wanted to write this article. But I felt tired and said to myself, “I’m too tired. I wonder if I need more B Vitamins.” I caught that thought and instead listened to Holy Spirit Who said, “Maybe you wouldn’t be so tired if you write that article.” Wow. All of a sudden I wasn’t so tired… I thought to myself, “This is so simple… I will do that.” And I am doing this article now. Then I will paint for a while. That’s using my mind to create my life with Holy Spirit guiding me. I had procrastination and false information, not fatigue.

That is a mental thought pattern that I can change, but only with Holy Spirit’s guidance. That would be allowing God’s Laws into my mind regarding physical pain. Man-made laws do not fix the mind. The mind creates the problem but the ego-mind is not the solution. Only God’s laws, (such as the daily lessons) with Holy Spirit’s guidance can change my mind, which is the only way to apply this “mind healing program” called ACIM. I am grateful for ACIM, and for Jesus and Holy Spirit. I am also grateful to Pathways of Light for all Robert and Mary do to keep this alive for us. They are truly mighty companions.

Rev. Rosemarie Tropf, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Safety Harbor, Florida. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Website: Artbyrosmarie.com

© 2020, 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, 2020

Wanting the Peace of God

by Rev. Larry Glenz, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

On the first page in the Text of A Course in Miracles it says:

“This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.

Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.”

The first paragraph that precedes this one speaks of “removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence.” Upon reading this for the first time, I wondered if I might be ready to learn how to remove these blocks.

In the fall of 1994 I attended a presentation by Marianne Williamson in mid-town Manhattan. A close friend had given me an audiotape of her first book, A Return to Love. Whatever it was that she was speaking about, I wanted to know more.

Following her performance in NYC, I bought the three books of A Course in Miracles – the Text, the Workbook, and the Manual for Teachers. From just listening to Marianne, I became inspired to start doing the daily lessons of the Workbook. I started with Lesson 1 on the train ride home from the city.

I had very little background in spirituality. I had been a self-professed agnostic for decades. But at age 44, during the first year of my divorce, I was searching for some inner strength to handle my fears about going forward.

But words like, “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.” sounded stupid to me. Who could believe such nonsense? What could that possibly mean?

Despite having doubts about my understanding of these metaphysical concepts, I could recognize that through the Workbook lessons, I was developing a relationship with God and His Voice, the Holy Spirit.

Throughout my early study of the Course, I had many doubts that I would be able to follow my new Guide. I certainly didn’t feel sinless. I didn’t feel blessed as a Son of God. I could not see myself as the light of the world.

I didn’t believe my attack thoughts hurt me. I could not accept that forgiveness was my only function and the key to my happiness. I was new to getting still and meditating. I often felt like I was wasting time. Getting quiet and listening to God was a chore, not an inspiration.

The idea that I could experience the peace of God did not come easily to my mind. Forgiveness did not appear to be deserved and Christ’s vision just did not seem attainable.

I did, however, realize that I wanted the peace of God. Who would not want that, I thought?

By doing the lessons every morning and throughout the day, I was developing a new relationship with the Voice for God. I was speaking directly to God through my new connection to the Holy Spirit.

Although I was more than a little confused about how or when I was going to feel the peace of God, Holy Spirit guaranteed it in the lessons. Holy Spirit — God’s Voice — and I had conversations. We had formed a relationship through my devotion to the Workbook lessons.

Little by little, I began to hand my ego thoughts over to Holy Spirit. His Voice was with me and I began to contact It with my thoughts. I was being asked to let go of my thoughts of judgment. There have been constant reminders that I do not know my own best interests. But He does!

If the end result that I was seeking was the peace of God, how could I possibly understand that “Nothing real can be threatened? Nothing unreal exists.”

Aren’t my wife and family real? They can be threatened, no? Isn’t my job, my home, my car, real?  There are real threats to all of these things. Is it worth my time to continue with this metaphysical nonsense?

There was no question that I had my doubts about it. My friend, Murph, was the person who gave me the audiotape and came to the Marianne Williamson’s presentation with me. He was the only person with whom I wanted to talk to about this. I believed everyone else would think this is all crazy.

Despite these doubts, I never skipped a day of doing the lessons. I stayed with a lesson for an extra day if I thought I had not given it the proper attention needed. On some level I believed that my study of the Course was preordained; that this was meant for me.

I felt that the book in my hands was a document of pure truth. I never said that to anyone. I kept a handwritten copy of the lesson of the day in my back pocket. I would take it out whenever I had a break and no one was around.

This was my secret. I could never discuss with anyone that there is no world. I was being taught that everything I was experiencing was a dream. None of it was real. The only thing that is real is God’s Love.

Now more than 25 years later, I have been shaped by these concepts. I believe I have been given the gift of great strength to handle whatever difficulties come my way.

Although I certainly have not mastered the process, I put my Higher Power, the Holy Spirit, in charge of my life. He has helped me to overcome so many challenges that my confidence in the process continues to be strengthened.

I do not have to convince others of these metaphysical concepts. I do enjoy sharing them with other Course students, however. My confidence in the value of these teachings continues to peak.

My ministry with Pathways of Light has become a delightful part of this dream I call my life. My gratitude for having these like-minded people with me in this dream is very strong.

My personal relationships on all levels of this dream have improved. I experience more love in my life every day. I try to accept things as there are. I let go of judgments and give them over to Holy Spirit. I can feel God using me as one of His teachers.

I believe “Herein lies the peace of God.”

Rev. Larry Glenz, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Long Beach, New York. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2020, 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, 2020

The Ladder

by Rev. Joyce Peebles, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

The teachings in A Course in Miracles can be likened to a ladder, each rung giving us an idea of where we are in our learning process. At the bottom of the ladder is the belief we are a body and should love another’s ego body. We are not asked to love anyone’s ego personality. We certainly are not asked to judge, nor make decisions on our own. We are asked to forgive.

In Workbook Lesson 122 it says, “Forgiveness lets the veil be lifted up that hides the face of Christ from those who look with unforgiving eyes upon the world.” (W-pI.122.3:1)

According to the ego, there is one awfully bad thing about forgiveness. You must extend it to each fragment of the Sonship without exception. There is no picking or choosing who to forgive.

Mother Theresa talked about ministering to the poor in India and said she saw the face of Christ in all His many distressing disguises. We are asked to see beyond the disguise of the ego body suit to the essence of who that person really is. Each of us eventually learns progressing up the ladder involves practicing this kind of forgiveness.

The Course tells us we meet nobody by accident. The disliked person you do not care for is in your life on purpose because you need them! The question is not how to change or get rid of them but what do I have to learn from this situation?

The Holy Spirit tells me often that what I see in this world is a shadow or mirror of the condition or beliefs in my mind. So, when I see someone my ego finds offensive, it mirrors back to me that portion of my self I am unwilling to love yet.

This Course is all about undoing the guilt and self-hatred I unconsciously have over a separation that in reality never happened. Once I see in myself what the offending person really represents, I see the situation differently. 

As we ascend up this ladder, we remember the Love of God is our Self, and see everyone without exception as this Love also. When we see Christ in our brother, we see Him in our true Self. This is impossible with ego thinking. We get there by allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal this to us each day, each judgmental thought, each encounter. “When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself. As you think of him you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself.” (T-18.III:4:1-5)

There is a saying in this world that love is blind. It means the person “in love” overlooks the faults in another. The forgiveness that Jesus talks about is love too, but it is not blind. It does not overlook the faults or sins. It sees that there is no sin. Rather than look upon what offended us, we look at our false beliefs that there is such a thing as sin and guilt.

Forgiveness does not forgive another’s sin; it sees that it never happened. What offended was only in my mind. That person can now be seen past his distressing disguise to the face of Christ, for in reality that is all there is. This is the miracle, the ability to see with different eyes. We are not saved in Heaven. We wake up on earth from our mistaken beliefs and see a different world. The erroneous thoughts fall away as we no longer desire them. The ideas of sin, guilt and fear lose their appeal. We do not need them as we are no longer afraid.

When we are at the bottom of the ladder, we see as through a glass darkly, but know there is clarity beyond our present condition. Jesus also speaks of the end of the ladder. This is where your brother stands before the gate of Heaven beside you. “I cannot go without you, for you are part of me.” (S-1.V.3:9) I am grateful that with the decision to experience separation from God, I took the memory of Him with me. The Holy Spirit will not fail to awaken this sleeping mind. I hear the call. At the bottom of the ladder, the Voice is faint, as we ascend it grows louder and we hear the ancient song of Love. That voice reminds me that as I journey home, I take everyone with me without exception.

© 2020, 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.