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January-March, 2011

When You Meet Anyone, Remember It Is a Holy Encounter

by Rev. Myron Jones

When two people meet, it is such a special moment. Stretched before them are infinite possibilities of discovery. What is this person’s story this time? Where do their stories cross? How will their stories be helpful to each other? How will their interactions affect the awakening of the Sonship?

Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if every time two people interacted, they could set aside what they think they know about the other person (the story they have written about the other through the filter of their own ego) and meet them anew? Each meeting would be exciting and interesting. Who, in this very moment, is this person standing before me?

What an incredibly loving thing it would be to allow each person to lay aside the past and taking up a clean slate, be the person they are in this now moment without the lie of a past. It seems that it should be possible to do this. A Course in Miracles tells us that there is no past and no future. There is only now. When meeting someone again, I could ask myself, “Who is this person before me? What gift does he bring with his presence?”

I imagine meeting John on the street. I look at him and see the ego I created to take the place of this holy Son of God.

I say, “Hi, John. Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s the wife?”

I think, “Been getting drunk and yelling at her lately?”

I have a picture in my mind about this man and allow it to define him. I saw something, or heard some gossip about something John did in the past, and I refuse to let the past go. I allow it to define everything I think I know about this man. To step even further from the truth, I allow what I heard to filter through my own past experiences with an abusive alcoholic father.

I have imprisoned this man in a box that defines him according to my own judging thoughts. In being unwilling to see him outside the prison house of my judgments, I have made it impossible to free my own mind from those judgments. As I judge him to be just another man like my father, I sustain in my mind a victimization story I chose for myself many years ago. And so, at least in my own mind, we two stand in the street pretending to chat amiably, but actually frozen together in the past, like bugs in amber, with no hope of escape.

There is a way out, a way to freedom for both of us and, make no mistake, freedom can be experienced only if it is experienced for both. We go home together. I would release John from the prison house of my mind so that I could be free as well.

From A Course in Miracles T-13.VI.

“You would anticipate the future on the basis of your past experience, and plan for it accordingly. Yet by doing so you are aligning past and future, and not allowing the miracle, which could intervene between them, to free you to be born again.”

“The miracle enables you to see your brother without his past, and so perceive him as born again. His errors are all past, and by perceiving him without them you are releasing him. And since his past is yours, you share in this release.”

I would like to be free of my past and I see the way to become free is to offer this blessing to my brother. As he is freed, so will I be freed. All that is required is my willingness. I stand in the street before my brother. Who is this man? Is he a reflection of his past? Or a reflection of mine, for that matter?

“Holy Spirit, my mind is so clouded by ego beliefs based on the past that I cannot see what stands before me. I created the clouds in my mind with judgments long ago and cherished all this time as truth. I am willing to see that I have been mistaken. I am willing to be wrong. I am asking for the miracle. Please help me receive it by correcting my thoughts and healing my mind. Please show me the man you see. Please let him be born again in my mind.”

I imagine meeting John on the street. I look at him and see another aspect of my Self. I wonder what his story is? I wonder who he is today?

I say, “Hi John. How lovely to see you again. It’s been awhile. Tell me what’s been happening.”

I think, “Holy Spirit, let no dark cloud from my past obscure from me the holiness of this man.”

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. Web site: http://www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2011

Holiness, Speed Bumps and L-L-Love

by Rev. Michael Ciavarella

There is nothing that my holiness cannot do. Wow! Is that powerful or what? If I am holy and there is nothing that my holiness cannot do, that must mean that I cannot fail. That must also mean that I am invulnerable. If I cannot fail and I am invulnerable, then it follows that I can live eternally.

Speed bump! Whoa! Hold on! I don’t think that I want to live eternally. I don’t even think I want to do 100 years. The past 58 were pure agony with the exception of a few smiles here and there. Yet, those smiles were all temporary. Nothing good lasts.

With that last sentence, I can feel the tugging of Holy Spirit as He brings me back to center. Let’s add, “In this world of form, time and space.” Nothing good lasts in this world of form, time and space. Okay. This has been a correction in thought. Isn’t that what this Course is supposed to be about?

The Truth is, only what is good and loving lasts. Those things are eternal. That is what makes up the Kingdom of Heaven. Well, here comes another bumpity-bump in the road.

It’s this whole “L-L-Love” thing. You see, l-l-love hasn’t been very good to me. Any time I have ever expressed l-l-love to a woman, including my wife when I was married, it came back to rip my heart out right from my chest. Other romantic relationships after the marriage proved to be no better. So, anytime “L-L-Love” comes up in the Course, I get the heebee-jeebees.

Oh, here comes Holy Spirit tugging at me again. It seems that when I think of Love, I equate that with romance and sex. Well, what do you expect? I am a man, after all. What other kind of love is there? Love is a lot of kissing and making out and, well, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to know where I am going with that.

Tug…tug…tug. Okay, so there is more to Love than romance. You see, most guys have a problem using the word love with other guys in the thought. But, Love comes in many colors and flavors. Most guys believe love is only about one thing. Most women claim that there are many, many forms of love. I have had this argument with almost every woman I have ever known.

Holy Spirit sees Love as an understanding that if you Love a brother (either gender) you are loving yourself. After all, there is only One of us “out there.”

There is nothing weird about Loving outside of the romantic structure of this world. All religions teach Love. Traditional Christianity talks about Agape Love. Agape is unconditional. There is nothing new in any of this. “Love thy neighbor as you Love thyself.” That’s one of the Ten Commandments. In our understanding it goes, Love thy neighbor in order to Love thyself and vice versa.

Needless to say, I have been grappling with L-L-Love since I became a student of the Course. I have caused my Mind Healing Partner, Rev. Cerise Smith, to pull her hair out over me and this issue. She’s nearly bald now. Not really.

I have come a long way, but I still have a ways to go. I’ll keep working on this. As the thought comes around, would you all hold me in the Light? This could be the speed bump that is keeping me in hell.

Rev. Michael L. Ciavarella is a Pathways of Light minister living in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Read more of his inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways of Light web site.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2011

In Honor of My Mentor

by Rev. Carol K. Springer-Witfoth

Occasionally I wake in the night. Several years ago, I did that on a Thursday night and turned on my radio to bore me back to sleep. There was a man named Gary Renard being interviewed on one of those nighttime talk show hosts. My interest peaked when I heard him use the word Oneness a couple of times. Renard had written book titled Disappearance of the Universe. After the interview was over I went back to sleep but not before I promised myself I would buy the book.

The next morning I called my favorite bookstore and reserved their only copy of Disappearance. I picked it up when I got off work that Friday night. I sat down with the book and all I did that weekend was read.

Saturday afternoon I called a little local bookstore because I had seen a copy of A Course in Miracles, which Renard referred to more than once and reserved a copy. The store owner told me I would probably like Path of Light by Robert Perry, too. I picked up both books and after checking out A Course in Miracles, I decided to wait a couple of weeks to start it on January 1. My introduction to the Course came in Path of Light. I felt as if I had come home.

As I neared the end of the year and the completion of my first reading of A Course in Miracles, my Little Voice nudged me to see what else might be out there. Google led me to Pathways of Light. Let me say here that there is nothing little about my Little Voice. I know Who it is. Most people call it Holy Spirit. I have lots of names for it. Beloved. Big Kahuna. El Jeffe Supremo. He doesn’t care what I call Him. All He wants is to be called. I stray.

I ordered my first course and requested a mentor. That is how I met Robert Mills. Robert became my teacher and friend. My hunger for the healing and teaching in the Pathways books amazed me. I went through them quickly. One evening, during our session, Robert commented on how quickly I was working. It didn’t seem quickly to me. He asked if I knew why. I could only respond that it was a comfortable pace for me and made me happy.

The Little Voice encouraged me to go forward and be ordained. Following my ordination there were no more courses with Robert Mills as my teacher and friend.

I was shocked when I learned of his transition. I wished him Bon Voyage as I do all who cross over. And then I knew the answer to his question about my working quickly along in the courses. Robert Mills was to be my mentor. Holy Spirit knew about Robert’s time line and wanted to make sure I learned from my mentor. It was my honor to learn from that wise man.

Robert has been in my thoughts lately. I want to take this opportunity to remember and honor him. I want to share with his loved ones what a privilege it was for me to be have him as my mentor. On more than one occasion he spoke of his family. You were blessed and loved by him. I was blessed to have him as my teacher.

Bon Voyage again Robert! You are honored and remembered fondly in the Light of God.

Rev. Carol K. Springer-Witfoth is a Pathways of Light minister living in Lincoln, Nebraska.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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January-March, 2011

The Story I Tell Myself

by Rev. Barbara Siegel

“The story I tell myself is…” This is a simple phrase that my friend Evonne, a psychologist, introduced me to. This little phrase will help you see what illusions you are trying to make real.

“OK, but what do I do with this phrase?” you may ask. Let me explain further.

Evonne introduced me to this phrase about four weeks ago. It was after my father had transitioned and I was talking to her about whether or not I would go to the funeral. Since I am in St. Louis and the funeral would be in Denver, this was not a simple decision. It would involve air travel and hotel for both myself and my husband. Evonne looked at me and said: “So, the story I tell myself is?” I looked back at her rather surprised. “What do you mean by that?” I asked. She explained to me that this was a term she had learned in a new type of therapy she was using. She went on to say how we all tell ourselves stories when we are facing decisions, the unknown, or something that we are trying to understand.

I realized Evonne was absolutely right. I had been telling myself a story, and the story I told myself was that my husband and I had driven to Denver a few months before my father’s passing, stayed several days and had a good visit, and I really said my goodbye to my father when I left. If you read my article in the last Miracles News, you will remember that leaving was very difficult for me and it took me several weeks to get back to “Normal.” I felt I didn’t want to go through that again. But, perhaps even more, the story I told myself was that the funeral was for the “current” family, the one he had married into 40 years ago. His new wife had two young adult daughters when they married and my father and the daughters became very close, so much so that when the daughters married and had children, those were the only grandchildren he was ever close to. He never bonded with either my children or my brother’s children. So the story I was telling myself was that this funeral would be for the current wife, the two daughters and the now adult grandchildren. Going to participate in this would be a very painful reminder that, to a great extent, he had turned away from his biological children and their families.

What a great tool this little phrase turned out to be! By verbalizing “The story I am telling myself,” I actually was able to clarify my feelings and concerns. I decide not to go to the funeral and observed the time I knew the funeral was being held in prayer and meditation. I was totally at peace with my decision.

Since that conversation with my friend, I have used “The story I am telling myself” countless times, but I added something new to it and that is, “What is the new story I am telling myself?“

Let me give you another example. Last week, my husband and I went over our new monthly costs. We just downsized into a lovely, but small condo, changed health insurance carriers, and cut out as many things as we could find to cut to bring our cost down. Unfortunately, at the same time, my husband’s work as an independent consultant went down about 75%. So, when we did our new monthly budget, our overall gain was zero. I went to bed that night feeling disillusioned and fearful. As I lay there, I thought: “What is the story I am telling myself?” and proceeded to say it to myself. “The story I tell myself is that we just can’t find anymore places to cut the budget, that we just can’t get anywhere, that I am not getting new counseling clients or new students, that the company he works for is in a real financial downturn, and that eventually, we will run out of the savings that we are now using to make up any shortfalls at the end of the month.”

“Yikes”, I thought! “So, your whole story is one of lack not only for you, but for your husband and the company he works for as well! Why don’t you tell your self a new story?” And so I did. I told myself a new story of abundance. A new story that my husband’s company is going to have a wonderful new year and he will have many new clients as will I. A story that our needs are met and exceeded and all is exactly as it should be. I repeat this story to myself whenever I feel my ego wanting to introduce the old story of lack and fear.

All this seems to fit in so perfectly with A Course in Miracles. We tell ourselves stories, illusions that we then believe and project out. Naming it a story helps to see that it is an illusion and changing the story to what we want to attract is so much more helpful. Yes, it may still be an illusion, but it becomes one of Love rather then fear.

So, what is the story that you tell yourself? What is the story you tell yourself about your abundance, your relationships, your job, your relationship with yourself and your Higher Power? What is the story you would like to tell yourself? What do you want to see in this new year? I encourage you to release yourself from your old stories and start anew. 

Love and Blessings for a wonderful year!

Rev. Barbara Siegel is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, Missouri.  Web site:Btheblessing.com

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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