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January-March, 2018

The Messenger

by Rev. Vicki Rostant, O.M.C.

“When I respond with Love, I am accepting God’s gift. When I respond with Love, I am channeling God, who is Love, to my brother.”

This insight burst into my mind two days after the POL Ministers check-in meeting on Tuesday. Our sharing included a discussion about the events in Las Vegas two days prior, in the context of there being only two states — Love or a call for Love.

The conversation centered around the truth that, no matter what seems to be happening in the outer world of form, there is only one true way to look at it — it is an expression of Love, or it is a call for Love.

With Holy Spirit in charge, the discussion acknowledged that the “murderer” is also within us, and while it was “he, the other,” who carried out this seemingly blatant, extreme act of aggression, we recognized the dynamic.

After the meeting, with Holy Spirit, I reflected further on this idea. We can accept those actions as coming from a place of lack of awareness of the fullness of Love within. This creates states of pain and fear, resulting in judgments, criticisms, and condemnation, obviously culminating in an explosion within that led to those actions. While our own “explosions” may not be as obvious as to be heard around the world (Quantum Physics may have something to say about that!), when we are being honest with ourselves, the pattern is indeed familiar: In our guilt and fear, we isolate ourselves; in our perceived pain, we close ourselves off; we “blow up” at our kids, stupid people, other drivers; we “shoot” first and ask questions later when someone dares to question our place in our specially created world; we “repeat” our arguments continuously so our partner will finally say, “you’re right.” Why?

ACIM says it simply: “If you did not believe that you deserved attack, it would never occur to you to give attack to anyone at all.” (T-31.III.2:7)

The following questions then galloped through my mind: Which moment today should I choose to not give my love to? Which space of time is not worthy of my awareness? Which interaction, with which person, should I not bother with because it would be a waste of my time, and I don’t like them anyway? Which brother on the street should I ignore today because I have better things to think about? When I am washing dishes today, which one is beneath my dignity to give my attention to? As I move from one activity to another, in which space of time can I be unloving, because I need to focus on other things?

Seeing my everyday behavior and obvious mind-set from this perspective was a stunning revelation. It led me to see that if I give ”love” only when it suits me, then I am in that separate world, of my own making, and I am calling out for Love as did my brother. If Love has no conditions, boundaries or limitations, why do I allow limitations to impede its flow?

As ACIM states: “Your real terror is of redemption.” (T-13.III.1:11), and as Marianne Williamson says, in part: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

The place of illusion, the dimension of separation, in which we think we have abandoned God, is just that — an illusion. Since “A messenger is not the one who writes the message he delivers.” (W-pI.159.5)

If I accept my true role, then my only message is Love. Looking into this mirror, our brother has given us another chance to choose again; to choose to be the messenger and not the other, and we bless him for that opportunity.

Rev. Vicki Rostant, O.M.C. is a Pathways of Light minister living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2018

The Power of Devotion

by Rev. Joanne Kraenzle Schneider, PhD, O.M.C.

“Do not underestimate the power of the devotion of God’s Son, nor the power the god he worships has over him. For he places himself at the altar of his god, whether it be the god he made or the God Who created him.” (T-11.VI.5: 1-2)

Question: Inner Wisdom, what is the god I worship?

Answer: The god you worship is the world and everything in it. You are devoted to the world. You are also devoted to what people think of you. You are devoted to meeting expectations because that again ties into what people think of you. And this devotion drives your experience in the world.

Your devotion to the world is also manifested by your crossing things off your to-do list. More specifically, your devotion to the world is based on how you think about that list. You think you accomplish things in the world and this is symbolized by crossing them off of your to-do list. It gives you satisfaction and you believe that satisfaction affirms your worthiness.

That crossing-off satisfaction still does not satisfy the depths of your longing. It only distracts you from your true worthiness. You want more. You want to know peace. But looking for and focusing on satisfactions of the world distract you from that peace.

Don’t misunderstand. It is not the things you do in the world that is the issue; it is how you look at the things that you do in the world. You place value on the world and the things you do in the world. This gives them power over you. They are your master. They nag you to turn your attention their way. You feel guilt when you are not focused on them. The emotion triggered by these things you do (or don’t do) in the world indicates your allegiance to them, your devotion to the world.

Turn your focus inward to Me. Note how you get distracted easily: the blueberries distracted you and you ate them, then the crackers, then the roasted seaweed. And if it’s not food, it is your thoughts that distract you, or your phone with the latest text.

Refocus inward and the more you do you will get better at being inward until it is your new normal. Turning your focus toward me, Inner Wisdom, means listening to what I direct you to do next. At a minimum, know when you are focused outward to thought and how it feels differently than being focused inward. You will experience the outward pull. When this happens, refocus inward. Notice how your inward focus deepens your experience of peace.

Sit here and focus inward. You heard that text come in. Focus inward and ignore that text; it will wait. Refocus inward. Your thoughts go to the sprinkler running in the front yard. Refocus inward. Sit with your focus inward and continuously bring it back to Inner Wisdom.

“Do not underestimate the power of the devotion of God’s Son, nor the power the god he worships has over him. For he places himself at the altar of his god, whether it be the god he made or the God Who created him.” (T-11.VI.5: 1-2)

Finally, do not underestimate the power of your devotion as God’s Son. Your devotion can bring you many world achievements, and your devotion can bring you eternal peace. There is nothing your devotion cannot do. Yet, you do not use your devotion to its fullest. Focus your devotion. Place yourself at the altar of the God who created you with an unwavering and devoted heart.

Rev. Joanne Kraenzle Schneider is a Pathways of Light minister living near St. Louis, Missouri.
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2018

The Ten Top Lessons I Learned from Writing a Book

by Rev. Barbara Goodman Siegel, O.M.C.

I have been thinking for days about how to write an article about my new book, Finding Your Self in the Mirror: Awakening Through Mirror Affirmations for the 365 Lessons of A Course In Miracles.

What I was guided to do was to try to describe each phase of the writing process and what I learned from each of them in hopes it might help others to follow through with their own inspiration.

As I looked back on the entire three year project, I felt there were very distinct phases to the process which I will try to describe.

Phase One: The Inspiration Phase

Lesson 1: Ignore the ego

When I first felt the inspiration for the book, I can honestly tell you that I had no prior thought about writing a book and certainly not a book on ACIM. While I am a long time student of the Course, I certainly am not a scholar. So, of course, my ego kicked in and said: “Who do you think you are? You write a book on the Course? Seriously, get over it!”

Lesson 2: Follow your inspiration

My inspiration (as I explain in the introduction of the book) came from a Louise Hay program that I had signed up for and that started Jan. 1, 2015. I also started the Workbook lessons again on that day.

The Hay House program consisted of daily affirmations that you were to do in-front of your mirror. After about five days of doing the affirmations and the Course lessons, it came to me to write mirror affirmations for each lesson of the Course. I felt that this could be a tool that would take the lessons from the head to the heart. Following that inspiration, I started the Workbook lesson affirmations.

Lesson 3: Listen! When you tune in and listen, you will get direction, I promise.

Every day when I got up, the first thing I did was get a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch with my ACIM book and a legal pad and pen. I would read the lesson of the day several times, and then sit and listen for what the affirmations should be for that lesson. I usually only did one lesson a day.

Lesson 4: Never assume you know what the next step will be.

After a full year of doing the lessons, I thought I was done. When I sat down to type up the affirmations for the 365 lessons, I felt guidance that I was now supposed to find a quote from the text for each lesson that would tie the lesson and text together. “Really,” I thought, “But that will probably take another year!” To be totally honest, I wasn’t happy about this. However, I knew that was what I was supposed to do, so back to Lesson 1 I went and almost another year of work.

Phase Two: The Work Phase

Lesson 5: Following through with your inspiration will involve work.

I know I may be old fashioned, but when I am sitting quietly and listening for inner guidance, I (almost) always write out what I hear in my journal or, in this case, on legal pads. I do not do it on the computer. So, the next step was to type up everything I had written on five legal pads. I had to make sure all my ACIM quotes were correctly referenced and that I had used the correct capitalization and punctuation. I was also trying to format the work as I went. Yikes! I have to tell you, that this part was not fun, it was a lot of work!

Phase 3: The Networking Phase

Lesson 6: Networking involves love and rejection. Take the love and leave the rest behind.

I now have what I think may be a publishable book, but what do I do with it? I felt that for the book to be taken seriously, it would be valuable to have at least a few people who are known in the Course world endorse it. But who might that be? And, even more important, is there anyone who will publish it? If not, what is involved in self-publishing?

I started reaching out to friends that I knew had published or knew of publishers and, at the same time, I sent manuscripts to people I thought might endorse the book; this included people I knew and people I didn’t know, but I knew were involved in the Course. Most people were very positive and giving of their time and valuable information, and there were some people who never responded. I was very honored that, of the people I asked if they would endorse the book, most said yes.

Lesson 7: Review of Lesson 4: Never assume you know what the next step will be.

After all the information I had received in the networking phase, it seemed that the best and most expedient way to go was to self-publish. This was not what I had hoped for. I just wanted to hand off what I had done so far and let a publisher polish it up and market it. Many years ago, when I was a career coach, I wrote a career book. I did have a publisher and that is how the book world worked then. What I learned was that the book world no longer works that way and publishers, even when they do agree to publish a book, expect a lot of work from the writer.

Phase 4: The Publishing Phase

Lesson 8: I cannot see my own errors.

This may have been the greatest lesson of all. In self-publishing, the publisher will correct any errors that they make, but they do not edit the author’s work. The publisher sets up the manuscript and sends it to you and you approve or reject it. I got to see how easily I saw the publisher’s errors, but time after time, didn’t see my own. It was not until I got the fifth manuscript from the publisher that I was able to approve it, and in all honesty, most of the errors in the other four were mine! Obviously, this lesson was given to me over and over to show me what I am doing out in the world; judging others, but not seeing where I made an error.

Phase 5: The Marketing Phase

Lesson 9: “Your worth is not established by your teaching. Your worth was established by God.”

I have just begun the marketing phase, but one thing I can already see is that my ego wants to dictate my mood from happy (when someone says how wonderful and useful they think the book will be to them and others) to fearful (when I am afraid that no one will buy the book and all this time, effort, and money was wasted). In other words, the ego wants to take me on a non-ending roller coaster ride from success to failure with the success or failure of the book determining my worth.

Lesson 10: Let go and let God.

Any author will tell you that their book is like their child. Most of us know how challenging it can be to take our child to school on the first day of kindergarten and let go of that little hand and trust that God will protect him/her. But we also know it is time and we let go. I am the nurturing parent, but I know it is time to let go and trust that God will do the rest.

Rev. Barbara Goodman Siegel, O.M.C., author of “Finding Your Self in the Mirror: Awakening Through Mirror Affirmations for the 365 Lessons of A Course in Miracles,” is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, Missouri. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Web: Barbaragoodmansiegel.com

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2018

The Simplest Journey in the World

by Rev. Kirsty Randle, O.M.C.

A Course in Miracles is the simplest journey in the world. This is because we don’t have to do anything. We just have to be willing, and all the rest is all done for us. What could possibly be simpler than that?

And yet, for me, the Course is also the hardest journey in the world. Here I am, ten years on, showing willingness. Day after day, week after week, year after year, praying, meditating, doing the workbook lessons, studying the Text, attending groups and workshops, maybe getting closer, but never quite arriving at the promised land. Fear, rage, disappointment, shame and guilt are my constant companions, although I wish they weren’t.

So what gives, Holy Spirit, what gives?

“Reach out and love,” comes the reply, “Be willing to forgive that which you perceive needs forgiving, although you know that is only the stormy projection of the death throes of an old, tired ego, clinging on for dear life. Only in its dying do you remember your awakening and know that you are loved, held and directed like a ship in a storm to safety by the Light that knows no darkness. We are blessed.”

This, whilst very beautiful, and undoubtedly (in my mind) the voice of Holy Spirit, triggers me. I do nothing in this world but show a willingness to forgive. I know Lesson 78 by heart by now and the list of people I “behold” as my savior is growing daily, ably led by my ex-husband, with his young wife bringing up the rear. “I do my little bit,” I think, “and it’s about time Holy Spirit stepped up to the plate and did His thing.”

A few weeks ago, my ego punched a particularly hard blow. Some kid was bullying my son at a party, a sort of passive aggression that didn’t quite warrant an intervention, but I nevertheless found hard to bear. There was nothing for me to do but go to the church next door, drop my 20 pence in the coffer, light a candle, and “Lesson 78” the bejesus out of this situation. I swear I was there for the full two hours of the party, on my knees, praying with all my heart that I could forgive this kid.

And actually, I couldn’t. I left the church in a worse state of agitation than I had come in with, demanding to know “What kind of situation is this? I spend two hours on my knees, in a church, with a candle, and still cannot forgive an eight year old kid!”
And then concluding, “Really and truly, there is not much hope for me. I give up!”

And then, with this unexpected little bit of surrender, I experienced what must have been a holy instant, right there in the graveyard on the way to the hall to collect my son. I realized that I was not willing to forgive. I had never, ever been willing to forgive, and had, in actual fact, never forgiven anyone in my whole life. Every single grievance I had ever held, I still held — all my past forgiveness was but forgiveness to destroy.

I had been wishing to forgive, most definitely, but I wasn’t willing. Wishing is different from willingness. It’s of the ego — a desire for things to be different from how they are now. And suddenly I didn’t even know what willingness was. In that present moment, I was given the opportunity to let it go, to hand it over to Holy Spirit, every last bit of it. It’s what I had been praying for, for ten years, now finally handed to me.

“No way!”

In giving it up, I saw I was giving up everything I understood to be me, my entire identity, as a woman, as a mother, as a minister, as a victim of a cruel world. I was giving up my specialness. And yes, I also saw that something new would arise. Something more marvelous and beautiful than I could possibly imagine.

“No Way!”

“How bitterly does everyone tied to this world defend the specialness he wants to be the truth! His wish is law to him, and he obeys.” (T-24.VII.1:1-2)

Oh yes indeed! I bitterly defended my specialness I wanted to be the truth. And then, as my moment of reckoning had passed, I went to collect my son from the party, the righteous mother of the victimized child.

Frequently, the weekly Pathways of Light teleconference call on Sunday answers the question I have been asking all week. Holy Spirit uses it well. So, the Sunday morning after this incident, I was not surprised to find myself looking at Chapter 15 of the Text, The Holy Instant. There was one line that stood out for all of us on the call:

“It takes far longer to teach you to be willing to give Him this [instant] than for Him to use this tiny instant to offer you the whole of Heaven.” (T-15.I.11:4)

Aha! So, this, then, is the journey. The simplest, hardest journey in the world is the journey into willingness itself. I dearly wished that I was willing, (it seemed tragic to me that I wasn’t) but of course, as I already knew, wishing doesn’t do any good.

I had an unsettling experience a few weeks previously during a Sufi meditation. (ACIM is my path, but as it’s such a new path, I find tapping into the wisdom of older traditions helpful.) The teacher took me to one side and delivered a strange message from his “Inner Immam” during the tea-break; apparently I needed to say thank-you (Alhamdulillah) for everything that arose in my daily life. Then at the end he called me back. Having consulted once again with Inner Immam, he declared, “You need to change,” and gave me an inscrutable look.

Later, Holy Spirit gave me the message, “Acceptance that everything is as it should be in this moment is key to your forgiveness of all that never was.”

Then it dawned on me, what willingness means, at least for me. If wishing is the desire that things are different from how they are, willingness is the acceptance that things are exactly as they are. So, wishing and willing are exact opposites. This is what the Sufi teacher had meant by changing, the one single change I need to make in my life, that shift into acceptance that things are as they are, present moment by present moment, and giving gratitude for everything that arises, regardless of how the ego perceives it. That is all I need to do, and I should do nothing more, for Holy Spirit to take care of the rest. It is, after all, Holy Spirit’s plan for my salvation unfolding, like a ship in an ocean, slowly changing its course.

There’s an inspirational Oprah Youtube frequently shared on facebook. Oprah says that everyone she has ever interviewed who has traversed a difficult path would give their younger selves one piece of advice, “relax.” But I have to say, I disagree with this from personal experience. Yes, I can look back so far on my life and realize all I had to do was relax, but as advice for going forward it doesn’t work like that.

In “Resurrecting Jesus,” Adyashanti says:

“The events in the Jesus story can be seen as a living metaphor for what’s necessary in our own being. The true boundaries that need to be broken down are the boundaries within our own minds and within our own hearts. So the whole Jesus story, ultimately, is the map of a journey that happens within us.”

And Jesus had broken down boundaries to the point where he was raising the dead, walking on water, and calming a storm with his hand. He’d even had a transfiguration upon a mountain. But in Gethsemane, he was hardly relaxed. He was a human being, in deep fear of what was to come, yet willing to go through with it.

During one of my own trials, Holy Spirit gave me some guidance which I think acknowledges this:

“Do not expect the terror to dissolve into peace, but do expect a shift where you see things in their true Reality, for there is a point when all the ego’s power dissipates into the joke it really is.”

So it isn’t an easy journey, this breaking down of the boundaries between our own hearts and minds, as even Jesus will testify, and we have the ego to thank for that. But it is certainly simple. And after the tortuous journey through the labyrinthine tunnels of my ego, I arrive at the single Truth that will see me through

“Accept what is.”

Rev. Kirsty Randle, O.M.C. is a Pathways of Light minister living in Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom.
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2017, 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.

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