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Undoing the Ego — A Review of Take Me to Truth

by Rogier van Vlissingen

Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira in their new book Take Me To Truth — Undoing the Ego share with us from their experience as they went their own (tandem) path of spiritual growth with A Course In Miracles by living it and applying it in their daily lives, and sharing the experience with each other and other people around them.

This book is many things. It is a powerful introduction to the Course in very non-religious terms, which may be helpful to some aspiring students. The book is also a comment on the practice of the Course’s Development of Trust section (in the Manual for Teachers, Chapter 4, M-4.A.3-8), and in the process it provides clarification on the Course’s teaching of the Holy Relationship. Both of these last two are very inspiring aspects of the Course’s teachings, as much as they befuddle many readers. The guidance provided in this book gives us an answer for living and learning by providing some very powerful hand holding to readers who may find themselves struggling with the same issues.

Take Me To Truth was born from living the Course, and it is an open invitation to the reader to do the same. The first most notable aspect of this book is that it is simply a good introduction to the Course, or perhaps I should call it an “on-ramp” to the Course, for it manages to introduce Course concepts effectively without any of the religious language in the Course. Since the seeming Christian terminology of the Course can be hard to take for some, this may prove very helpful. However I do believe that while the Course is not everyone’s path, if it is your path, getting clarity about your relationship with Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit is most likely part of that process.

A lot of cultural stereotypes, including the “bitter idol” we made of Jesus in Christianity is undone exactly through sorting out our initial tendency to misunderstand the terminology, which only appears to be Christian. This aspect would be my reason for calling the book more an on-ramp to the Course than an introduction in the narrow sense. Having said that, the authors accomplished something truly remarkable without any real compromise to anything the Course teaches. Their approach ensures that this book is not a “Course book,” in the narrow sense, for it ranges more widely than the Course, though the thought model of the Course is definitely its foundation. In short, people may read this book simply because it’s good, and it may happen to introduce them to the Course in a novel way, if they weren’t Course students already, but it’s not a necessity.

The book effortlessly incorporates the notion of Byron Katie’s “The Work,” which indeed is a very solid and also non-Christian sounding approach to the Course’s notion of thought reversal, of truly changing our mind through forgiveness. It is an elegant and simple process, which simply shunts the entire train of our thoughts on to a different track altogether. “The Work” is an utterly practical implementation of the Course’s forgiveness process. The book leverages other ideas as well. In particular,  the Enneagram as a personality inventory, which can be helpful in becoming more aware of one’s patterns in this particular life we think we are leading just now. Becoming more conscious of the games we (tend to) play is a very important step in any process of spiritual growth.

Next the book explores the dynamics of special relationships and the reasons why our special relationships can be the most powerful classroom for undoing the ego, since evidently all our own issues are comprised in them. Once again it clarifies an important Course teaching without getting caught up in Course language, doing it instead in straight forward everyday language. While the basis of the authors’ story is their making this journey together, they also pay at least some attention to what seems to be the more frequent situation, that one of the two in a relationship is working on a Course journey without any apparent participation or interest from the other party. At which point we may remember with Gary Renard that the only good relationship is a forgiven relationship, for it is only forgiveness which returns us home, and helps us to truly live the Holy Relationship in all our relationships.

Cooperation from significant others is not required, simply because in essence we are forgiving ourselves in the end, through learning, with the Holy Spirit (or the Universal Inspiration, as the authors call it), to see ourself in the partners in our special relationships.

Having thoroughly explained why our special relationships are our best classroom (because they mirror us), the bulk of the book could be read as a commentary onthe Course’s section on the Development of Trust, from the Manual for Teachers, again presented in straightforward language, without making it per se necessary to consult the Course. This remains quite a feat! Undoubtedly this section (Chapters 5 and 6) are the high point of the book, and if I were to describe the book to a Course student, I’d call it a commentary on the Development of Trust. To a more general audience I might represent it as a guide for undertaking a journey of spiritual growth in the context of our most important relationships.

These chapters are extraordinary. Most people, myself included, have quite a challenge with that particular section of the Course, and here it is, all in very clear, unambiguous language. The book correctly warns us that we don’t always go through these stages in an orderly fashion, but sometimes may find ourselves switching back to an earlier stage. This is probably the main reason why people have such difficulty comprehending this section, because it seems we can never figure out where we are in the process. This is a bit like a long dive, when you come up you can see how far you made it, but while you are under water, you just keep on going as long as you can. Most of us have a terrible tendency to go scuba diving instead of swimming across. As a result we work though the stages of the development of trust in a disorderly fashion, although we will gain clarity about it as we go along.  The explanations here are crystal clear, including a diagram on the misalignment of our needs and wants through this process, which I’m sure will shed a lot of light for many readers.

In conclusion, I could only say that this book is a truly inspired work, and an inspiring read. In the process of reading it twice this year, I experienced that first hand through a lot of integration that happened in the process of reading it.

The material from the Course and other sources is so well integrated, and the paraphrasing of the Course’s sometimes arcane usage is so crystal clear that I really do believe a general reader could successfully read this book without any need to consult the Course, which is high praise indeed. Having said that, I could not imagine why any reader who did not know the Course before, would fail to become interested in the process of reading this book. My point rather is that Take Me To Truth reflects such maturity and integration that this in and of itself is perhaps the best advertising that the Course actually means what it says. Jesus in the Course clearly states that his goal as a teacher is to make himself superfluous. On the other hand the ego’s teachers always teach at their pupil’s expense, as they need to build themselves up and thus they strive for dependence instead of true independence.

Jesus in the Course strives for equality, and this book demonstrates that he means it.

Finally, I believe we should understand what the authors call a Unified Relationship as a special case in the curriculum of the Holy Relationship.

For the Holy Relationship does not require two people, but only one, who can be “the saner of the two” in terms of the Course, to realize the Holy Relationship. There are no guarantees that our significant others in this particular time will come along at the same tempo in form, nor should students be dependent on that in any way. But evidently it can be very powerful if we can experience it in such a context, as these authors share with us. However, once we accept the Atonement for ourselves all our relationships would become a reflection of the Holy Relationship, though the experience in form may be odd and out of sync at times — no one would argue the crucifixion to be a peaceful experience.

Australian authors, Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira will be presenting an ‘Undoing the Ego’ Workshop at Pathways of Light, Sun. Nov. 18th. For details visit: http://www.pathwaysoflight.org/miracles weekends.html#UndoingtheEgo

© 2007, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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An Irresistible Plan: Translation of Pathways of Light Courses into Spanish

by Rev. Annie Arbona

The greatest thing I have learned in the last seven months is that Love’s Call is irresistible, and the response to this Call can become a magnificent adventure. A telephone call to Pathways of Light in mid February and the response to that call gave way to a chain of events that seemed to occur in perfect synchronicity.

When love calls and Love responds to that Call, anything and everything can happen. And everything did. The call and the generosity of the answer have birthed a wonderful project, the scope of which I’m sure we can’t see completely at this time, but already the results are mind boggling.

After the call to Pathways, I immediately began the Ministerial Counseling Courses, which felt so right to me that I knew it was part of a perfect plan. Shortly after starting the courses, the idea of translating them into Spanish burst forth in a moment filled with joy and enthusiasm, as do all projects inspired and directed by Spirit.

I mentioned this wonderful idea to my dear facilitator, Sharyn Zenz, and then we went to Mary and Robert with the news. I think it was quite clear to all of us from the very beginning, that we were receiving an assignment from Spirit. It was confirmed by the joy and excitement we were all feeling. As I sat down for the very first time to begin the translation, I was given the names of helpers who would be giving of their time to get the project going; someone to type, someone to edit, and off we went.

It was amazing to see how everything took off with such ease. Almost simultaneously the first potential Spanish students started to appear, from Puerto Rico, from Miami, and from New York. It has been so extraordinary to see the unfolding of a perfectly ‘calibrated’ plan. At this moment, there are twenty-one Spanish students registered for the courses, and we are almost finished with the translation of the first five courses that make up Step 1 of the Ordained Ministerial Counselor program.

Mary and Robert are becoming very knowledgeable in Spanish language, and one of our students from Miami, Johannys Hartog, is helping with the translation. The bliss that accompanies the assignment from Spirit makes the work most enjoyable and exciting.

And then… there is the gratitude. We are so grateful and honored to be doing this for the Spanish speaking communities everywhere in the world. It is a project born of a Call from Love, and definitely it has been irresistible.

Rev. Annie Arbona is a Pathways of Light minister living in Charleston, South Carolina. She is the Pathways of Light Spanish communicator and facilitates the ministerial training curriculum in Spanish and English.

© 2007, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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Allowing A Time of Quiet

by Mary Stoelting

When I do not feel relaxed and in a state of peaceful calm, I have a way to change this when I am willing. The Course reminds me in Lesson 189: “Simply do this: Be still, and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself. Empty your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, or good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashemed. Hold onto nothing.”  W-189.7:1-3

The sounds and sights of the world seem so appealing and demanding at times. It appears as though I am not doing my job unless I am constantly attending to the ‘things that come up’ in a steady stream that seem to demand my attention.

When I ask Spirit for help in returning to the peace that I know is so important to receiving clarity and understanding, I am reminded that the world will present an unending series of ‘problems’ and ‘challenges’ that disturb my being in a place of peace unless I am willing to disengage from joining with the ego thought system. Looking out through the body’s eyes and making what I see real is joining with the ego thought system — which has one intent — making separation from God’s oneness real.

The only way out of this ongoing cycle of self crucifixion is to stop and get off the ego’s bus that leads straight to forgetting What I am and Where I am in truth.

The way to get off the ego’s bus for me is to allow a time of quiet… allow an open space in my mind for peace to enter.

If I sincerely want God’s peace, I will make way for it in my mind. This is the Holy Spirit’s use for time — bridging me back to peace, where I will receive a miracle — a correction in the way I am seeing the world.

Sometimes it takes a while for all the busy thoughts of the world to stop. For this to happen in my mind, I must be willing to observe the thoughts that come up and hand them over to the Holy Spirit, no matter how important they seem to be in the moment. I would not keep them. I would not continue giving them residence in my mind. To help with this, sometimes I see these thoughts going into Holy Spirit’s Light to be purified.

As I hold fast to my one intent of handing over every thought that comes up to the Holy Spirit, my level of peace gradually gets stronger and finally fills every corner. Here I find quiet. Here I find peace. Here I find the gentleness and comfort of the Holy Spirit’s gift of Christ’s vision.

In Lesson 159 of the Course, I recently read, “Christ’s vision is the bridge between the worlds. And in its power can you safely trust to carry you from this world into one made holy by forgiveness. Things which seem quite solid here are merely shadows there; transparent, faintly seen, at times forgot, and never able to obscure the light that shines beyond them. Holiness has been restored to vision, and the blind can see.

“This is the Holy Spirit’s single gift; the treasure house to which you can appeal with perfect certainty for all the things that can contribute to your happiness. All are laid here already. All can be received but for the asking. Here the door is never locked, and no one is denied his request or his most urgent need. There is no sickness not already healed, no lack unsatisfied, no need unmet within this golden treasury of Christ.” W-159.5-6

Is this not worth a little of my time? Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to sit down and, in quiet, receive the Holy Spirit’s gifts. I have to ask myself what I am valuing more, Holy Spirit’s insight, or the ego’s constant stream of problems that are clamoring for my attention.

Each time I allow a time of quiet listening I am renewed and energized by the treasure house that resides right in my mind when I take the time in quiet listening.

In Lesson 159 I am reminded, “Behold the store of miracles set out for you to give. Are you not worth the gift, when God appointed it be given you? Judge not God’s Son, but follow in the way He has established. Christ has dreamed the dream of a forgiven world. It is His gift, whereby a sweet transition can be made from death to life; from hopelessness to hope. Let us an instant dream with Him. His dream awakens us to truth. His vision gives the means for a return to our unlost and everlasting sanctity in God.” W-159.10

I am in the ‘time’ of transitioning from death to life. This is now what time is for. Will I take the time to receive the gift of Christ’s vision? I am saying ‘yes’ to this question whenever I allow a time of quiet listening to receive Holy Spirit’s single gift of Christ’s vision.

All that I need comes quietly into my awareness. I see that all my needs are met now. I remember What I am and Where I am in truth.

Mary Stoelting is co-founer with Robert Stoelting of Pathways of Light. They live at the Pathways of Light Center in Kiel, Wisconsin.

© 2007, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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Who Am I?

by Rev. Étienne Pait

Perhaps what and how we do anything comes from a direct correlation of how we perceive ourselves.  How often do we define who we are as a name, a role, a relationship, a fan, a nationality, a color, a status, a member, and so on and so on, ad nauseam? If my answer to the question, ‘Who am I?’ is ‘Étienne’ (the name my parents gave me) then I will be and act out according to whom I think ‘I’ should be, given the meaning I have for this body and mind I am using.

If my answer is, “I am a minister” then I will be and act out what I think a minister should be according to my definition. If my answer is, “I am an American,” then I will act out what I believe an American should be. If my answer is, “I am a father,” then I will be and act out according to the meaning I give this role. You get the idea. If I choose to perceive and identify who I am only through distinct identities and special relationships, then I will limit Who I can be and Who I really am.

By these few examples, perhaps you see that there is a high probability that we pigeonhole ourselves into separate and limited identities based upon our conditioning and relationships among people and situations. We, also, may be impressed to believe that we are our minds, emotions, and/or bodies due to the subjective nature of our experience.

Ask yourself, “Who Am I?” When you’re asking yourself this question, who is the who that is asking? Who is the who that is answering? Who is the who that even thought about asking the question? Think about it! Are you your name? Are you your mind? Are you your emotions? Are you the role you express in the world? Are you an aspect of a relationship? Who were you before participating in a particular role? Who were you before that relationship? Who are you after the job is gone? Who were you before that body you’re using was born? Who will you be after that same body dies?

For illustration, simplicity and an attempt at redefining for the sake of seeking Truth, imagine yourself as comprised of three aspects – light, mind and world. This model is synonymous to that of a movie theater — light, film, and images. In the theatre, light shines forth from the projector through the film and casts images upon the screen.

Using this model, the Light is Who we really are. We all holographically share the same Light equally, without reducing the radiance of the Light. The film (the mind) contains the roll of frames segmenting our beliefs, aware thoughts and unaware thoughts. The images on the screen are the forms and outward appearances our beliefs and thoughts assemble, creating our world, as the Light shines through the film, our mind. This is the functional oneness model that is the foundation for remembering “Who we are.” This simple model will be the basis upon which our love, peace, joy and innocence will be realized in us, everyone and everything in our world — because it demonstrates our ONENESS with all of creation.

If you will, go a step further in remembering Who you are by imagining or pretending you are the only one alive — the absolute only one. Try to become aware that you are pure Awareness (as Light) absent of any concrete or abstract relations.

Everyone you perceive is merely an imaginary character you animate onto your screen, in your world, as you shine through your mind. Everything you perceive is only imaginary conditions and stage props you set up on your personal screen in your theater. You give life, form, reason and meaning to all, to everything on your screen. Everyone and everything are present because your Light is turned on and you beautifully create the image of them — for Divine purpose. Everything and everyone in your world have taken on form because your Light gives them form as you shine through your film (mind).

Step back in your consciousness and become aware of your awareness. This objective view allows a point of reference for your new identity, without being limited by a thinking mind, body or emotions.  Just imagine you are the only living beingness in life. You exist as Light. You are Light. Imagine your Light shining so brightly that your Light is eternally present. Your Light is animating every form you see around you. Imagine your Light is pure. Imagine your Light never dims nor weakens but stays brilliant.

Imagine, in your true Self, you are pure and you are eternal Light. As Light, you are using your mind, emotions and body as the formed vehicles to facilitate your moving around in the world and communicating in this earthly environment. So the new definition of “Who am I?” will be, “I am pure-light-energy-eternally-present” — as God created me.  I am Pure! I am Light! I am Energy! I am Eternal! I am Present!  I am as God created me. L.I.G.H.T. — Living In God’s Holy Thought.

This definition of being “pure-light-energy-eternally-present” will hit up against those areas inside us that have been trained to resist and not acknowledge our precious divinity, our purity and our greatness in our oneness with God. We’ve been taught (and we also teach) to be, think and live within boundaries. We’ve established restrictions within ourselves. We’ve created limits with and within others. We’ve separated ourselves, others and nations into parts, and the parts into parts.

We diagnose our bodies we’re using in parts, as though one part of the body is disconnected from another. We make laws and regulations according to nations, provinces, states, counties and districts. We’ve even separated ourselves from God and divided God into parts, and claimed ownership to the parts of God — my God and your God.

We have created experiences of separation instead of oneness. These partitioning and separating experiences have created a consciousness of incompletion, competition and a ‘less than’ and ‘better than’ perception. Consequently, do you not feel that something is missing?

Our experience of unity is missing. Unity is not missing! Our experience of unity is missing! Our sense of incompletion fuels our desire to be complete — to be whole, to be one, to ‘get it together.’ Is there not an inborn desire in us to find our real identity, our true home, where we came from, where we’re going and a sense of purpose of why we are here? We are looking for our divine coordinates, so to speak. We want to know where we fit in, so we no longer feel like strangers in strange lands. What is our goal? Do we have a purpose? What is our function here? Why are we here?  What is the bottom line?

Are we not ultimately present in this world of form to express and to know our divinity? Depending on what’s on our film (in our mind) will determine the expression on our screen (in our world).

If we have inharmonious beliefs and thoughts lodged in our minds (any form of judgment or fear) then the Light (Who we are) shining through this same mind will give inharmonious images (perceptions and experiences of discord in our world).

If, on the other hand, we have harmonious beliefs and thoughts flowing through our minds (love, joy, peace and innocence) then the Light (Who we are) shining through this same mind will yield harmonious images (perceptions and experiences of harmony in our world). Is it that simple? Yes! Changing the images on the screen is not done directly by altering the image but by editing the film (beliefs, aware and unaware thoughts of the mind)!

The way of oneness, through Truthful Identity, allows us to reclaim our power and to deliberately, mindfully and consciously allow joy, peace and love in our lives in this world of form — and to see the innocence in all.

Just think! When we know Who we are there is no one to blame, no one to judge, no one to criticize, not even one with whom to find fault. Our perception of everyone, everything and all conditions in our world is the result of our radiant Light shining through our minds. That is, our Light is shining through our beliefs and thoughts — creating your world, creating my world as a perfect hologram of impeccably woven and shared perceptions and experiences.

God is the principle, origin (the One Source) and cause of all. It is from this principle that Light is born. This means, we — as God’s created Light — share our identity. The Source contains the power.  Remember Who you are: Pure-Light-Energy-Eternally-Present! You, me, each one of us are the Light.

Remembering Who we are spontaneously and automatically connects us in our knowingness to our Source. Forgetting Who we are severs the experience and recognition of that connection. When we remember Who we are, we automatically think, speak and act from our Source — harmoniously. When we forget Who we are, we will think, speak and act inharmoniously.

Remembering or forgetting our Source will not change the Truth of Who we are — Pure-Light-Energy-Eternally-Present. Remembering or forgetting our Source only changes our conscious awareness of Who we are. Our connection is natural, yet oftentimes, forgotten; our disconnection is not natural, but is more often than not how we function. Our everyday experiences reveal when we remember our connection and when we don’t.

One of the most profound discoveries of the oneness experience is that there is no order of importance of me or anything I perceive outside of, or I perceive separated from, me. In Oneness, I am Awareness — not a form separated from another form. In Oneness, I realize I am Awareness being aware of and observing Itself — experiencing Itself through all perceived matter. The perceived me and the perceived forms outside of me are all equal parts in the Oneness Model. I (my aware Self, my real Self) literally blend and merge in and through with all that I previously perceived to be me (the body-mind me) and not me (people, objects, other forms). Now, all this blending and merging takes place totally in my awareness as I, in that moment of oneness, am able to reidentify and see Who I really am — the Life, the Energy expressed as Light behind what I perceive.

Who am I? I am as God created me — Light!

Rev. Étienne Pait is a Pathways of Light minister living in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

© 2007, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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