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Foundational Lessons

by Rev. Myron, Jones, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

When I first began studying the workbook of A Course in Miracles, I really disliked doing the first few lessons. I thought they were weird and didn’t make sense to me. Over the years all of that has changed. Now I love those lessons. I recognize that they are the foundation for everything to follow.

I invite you to take a fresh look at three of these lessons with me. I chose these three because I learned something particularly important from them.

Let’s look at Lesson 1 first. “Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.”  (W-pI.1) How is it that nothing I see means anything?

Jesus doesn’t explain this lesson but we can assume that the reason nothing we see has meaning is because we are using our eyes to see and the body’s eyes don’t actually see. They are image makers and serve only to show us what we want to see not what is actually there.

I also notice that he is being very specific in the practice of the lesson. This reminded me of what he said in the Introduction of the lessons. He said that the exercises should be practiced with great specificity to help us generalize the ideas involved to every situation. Later in the Course he talks about transfer of learning and this is what he is talking about here.

Here is how I have used the idea of transfer of learning. One thing I have learned is that guilt is not real. I started by using these lessons on different instances of guilty thinking. I let the Holy Spirit heal my mind of those specific instances.

For instance, I knew someone who I thought was guilty of being two-faced, talking about her ‘friends’ behind their back. Now it is true that in her story she did do those things, but it was not true that she is guilty. Who she is can never be guilty because she was created by God and there is no guilt in God. I used a forgiveness process on every instance in which I thought someone was guilty or that I was guilty. Any judgment was good to use because judgment assumes guilt.

Eventually, what happened is that I had experienced the miracle healing of my mind about guilt often enough that my mind finally snapped to the truth that all guilt was the same and that there was no instance in which guilt was justified. That was when I realized that guilt itself is not real. That was transfer of learning and when that happened everything changed for me. I shifted permanently into a life of nearly consistent peace and happiness.

Lesson 8

“My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.”

1. “This idea is, of course, the reason why you see only the past. No one really sees anything. He sees only his thoughts projected outward. The mind’s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers. Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.”

If you are a new student, or even if you are not, after reading this, you should be profoundly shaken. Even now, even though I know this is true, reading it stated so directly, shakes me a bit. It is easy to slip into the story of the world and just go with it. But there is no world. It was over long ego. OK then, what are we seeing when we open our eyes? Only the past which is not there. So, we are seeing nothing, just images of our thoughts. Seriously, every time I stop to truly consider this extraordinary truth, I feel like someone just shook me awake. Again. It’s the strangest feeling.

And from paragraph 2 and 4

2. “The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. ²To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions. ³Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. ⁴The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything.”

4. “The exercises for today should be done with eyes closed. This is because you actually cannot see anything, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought, you are not seeing anything.”

When I went to the Van Gough Immersive, I was given VR goggles. When I put them on, I found myself in his paintings, not before them, but in them. I was in a beautiful world, alive with color and movement. It felt as real as sitting at my computer doing this work.

That is what our eyes are, virtual reality equipment. Our mind holds the information that is then transformed by our eyes as a 3D experience. Only instead of just seeing it, we hear it and smell it and taste it. No wonder we get pulled into it. Just moving through Van Gogh’s paintings through the use of the VR equipment, was mesmerizing. I could have stayed there for a long time.

In this virtual reality we call the world, we will forget it’s not real unless we remind ourselves often. When I took off the goggles, the room I was in was still there. My daughters were sitting next to me. Nothing had changed just because I was unaware of it. The world is a representation of our thoughts and our thoughts are not real, so we are deep into an illusion. This is why we need to take the lessons seriously and let them do their job. As we let go of what is not true, our real thoughts will show us reality. It has gone nowhere while we have been lost in our imagination.

Lesson 11

“My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”

1. “This is the first idea we have had that is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive. Today’s idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see. Be glad indeed to practice the idea in its initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure. The key to forgiveness lies in it.”

I used to go to a lot of workshops and conferences. I met many students as well as teachers of the Course. I remember one teacher in particular that I judged harshly as a fake. Certainly not everyone felt the same way, but in my world, I was certain of this. The thought that the teacher was a fake was a meaningless thought. It was meaningless because it came from the ego.

The world in this case is how I saw this teacher. It seemed to be about the teacher but Jesus tells us that it is our thoughts that determine what we see. The value in noticing this judgment is that it showed me that in my mind is the belief that I could be a fake or be seen as a fake. There was also the fear that I could be fooled and made a fool of by this fake.

The idea of a fake began in my mind and was projected outward and seen in the teacher. I tried to repair the relationship with the teacher by choosing to overlook his errors. But seeing him as guilty and forgiving him anyway is not forgiveness and thus nothing was really healed. And so, the idea of fakes remained in my own mind. That meaningless idea was unhealed and so it happened again and again. It happened until I accepted that the problem was not “out there” but was in my unhealed mind. 

I finally understood that the idea of a fake comes from the ego-mind. It is not a bad thought or a good thought, it is just a meaningless thought as are all ego thoughts. Of course, meaningless or not, they have consequences. Believing this thought disturbed my peace of mind. But since it was my thought, it was mine to heal. 

I did this by recognizing that the meaningless cannot make anyone guilty including the thinker of the thought. The meaningless cannot affect reality. Both the teacher and I are innocent and safe. This invited the Holy Spirit to heal my mind and so it was done. As Jesus says in this lesson, this is major! The work I did with this situation is reversing the thinking of the world.

I am writing about each lesson and recording the lesson on YouTube. I also post them on my website and I invite you to join me in this study.

Rev. Myron Jones website is: http://www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org
https://www.youtube.com/c/MyronJonesOMC

© 2022, 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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Mind Repairs Through Car Repairs

by Rev. Robin Singler, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

I own a bright red passenger van named Ruby the Wonder-Van of Love. I was guided by Spirit to buy her in 2019, and like any other relationship, having Ruby in my life has brought many opportunities for forgiveness. Spirit has me on a new journey with Ruby that is leading me deeper into mind healing, or mind repair, as I get to choose whether I want peace or conflict.  Issues with Ruby’s ability to get me where I need to go consistently bring up worry and anxiety for me, but Spirit is helping to change all of that.

Having recently moved to Huntley, Illinois, I find myself in need of a trustworthy place to bring Ruby for her maintenance and repairs. Placing Spirit in charge, I began to look for local shops that had good reviews from customers that were nearby my home and were reasonably priced. When I saw the repair shop called JDM Repair, the words “Jesus does miracles” popped into my mind and I felt inspired to have them do an oil change.
I went into the shop for the appointment expecting a warm, inviting experience, but instead I left feeling disappointed and wondering why I had been guided to go there. I stood and waited at the service counter for 20 minutes while the employees were in another room, not even noticing that I had arrived for my appointment. This treatment went unacknowledged by them and rather than bringing it up in the moment, I just let it all unfold, certain Spirit would help interpret this for me.

My expectations had been high, I realized, because I felt so guided to go there. I made the mistake of assuming I knew how the mind healing would look in form. The reason for anything in my life as an ACIM student is mind healing, but I saw I made the mistake of fantasizing about a beautiful experience at the shop because of the guidance. As beliefs in my victimization came up I wanted to blame the shop for my feelings and make them the bad guy. Surely I shouldn’t go back there if I’m going to be treated like that! Forget them!

Soon after, Ruby started making unsafe sounds when I was taking turns, so I searched again for repair shops so I could get her issues diagnosed. I was led to call another local repair shop; however when I called I found that they would be closed for the next three weeks, which was too long to wait. They recommended another shop so I followed that prompt, but upon calling I learned they had no waiting room for customers due to COVID-19. This won’t work for me seeing as I must be able to wait for my car to be fixed when I get repairs done. And so, with a chuckle at how Spirit works, I found myself back to square one, looking to JDM Repair for help. Spirit was going to show me I could trust them by leading me back there; how amazing!

The next morning I brought Ruby there to have her safety issues diagnosed so I could understand what repairs were needed and make decisions about what to do next. I have a job that requires me to have a running vehicle every day, so my concerns about safety and keeping her on the road are high. Much to my surprise, the second appointment also left me disappointed in their service and the overall “vibe” of the place. There was an air of forcefulness and judgment that felt uncomfortable, and I did not want to give them my business. The estimates for the work needed were also very high. I left wondering what was this all about; where was the healing?

I realized that when it was made clear to me that I would be visiting JDM Repair again, I expected a change in their behavior that would convince me that I could trust this repair shop. I imagined the gentleman behind the counter would be warm and kind, and that signs and symbols would be used to change my mind about the feelings I had. When I still felt uncomfortable after the second visit I had to admit to myself that I was trying to determine what the healing would look like, and that I had been mistaken.

I assumed that because I was sent back to the same repair shop that there would be some change in my trust level of them right away. This was not the case, but I felt desperate. Ruby was in dire need of repairs that threatened my safety and I needed to be able to work. So reluctantly I made an appointment to have Ruby fixed there.  I knew I was doing this out of desperation and fear, not because I really wanted to. I thought I had no other choice available to me.

However, I was prompted to reach out for help to my brother-in-law who is an expert mechanic hobbyist. I texted him with the information the shop had given me and I asked for his opinion. Is this fair? What do you think about the price they’re giving me? As I waited to hear back from my brother-in-law, I sat and reflected on what was going on in my mind.

As I looked more at the situation, I was reminded about what Jesus says in the Course about the world being a reflection of my own state of mind, of my own thoughts. In workbook Lesson 15, the statement “My thoughts are images that I have made” is offered as a beginning step to accepting this. In Chapter 21 Introduction, He tells us “...the world…is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition.” (T-21.in.1:2-5)

I must has desired the experience of victimization, fear and entrapment so I projected it out from my mind, but I don’t have to keep that in place anymore; I can change my mind. The Holy Spirit can help me see this differently so my mind can be repaired along with Ruby!

I also realized that I am very accustomed to attacking and defending myself against what doesn’t feel comfortable to me rather than just walking away without judgment and waiting for Spirit’s guidance. I thought about posting negative reviews about this shop online, telling the world that their estimates were overpriced and that they were rude and had terrible customer service. I saw myself as a victim and felt the conflict in my mind growing. But as the day progressed I was reminded that everything in this situation represented thoughts arising from my mind to be looked at differently, and that there is a practical way to apply this.

If this repair shop circumstance is a result of my thoughts, and if the situation doesn’t feel comfortable to me or is not welcoming, it must be a call for love from my own mind. I saw that I was being given an opportunity to simply say, “No thank you” to the thoughts that felt unloving and uncomfortable for me (represented by the repair shop attitudes and appearances) instead of attacking and turning myself into the victim of the circumstances. 

This is a very deep and powerful change to how I’ve done things in the past. According to the small ego-self, if I get “mistreated”, then I am justified in attacking and defending myself. It became clear that the limited false self-concept was trying to hijack a beautiful opportunity to be grateful to this repair shop and the men who work there for showing me that I can merely step back, be patient and wait for guidance to come from Holy Spirit from a place of calmness and quiet strength instead of continuing the knee-jerk reactions that have been so habitual.

Soon after I had reluctantly made my fear-based appointment with the shop, I heard back from my brother-in-law that he disagreed with their estimate. In addition, he offered to help me order the parts online for much cheaper than what had been quoted at the shop AND to do the repairs for me himself that weekend!

By the end of the day a plan came together for me to get the repairs done in a timely fashion for far cheaper than I had imagined possible by someone whom I trusted to care about my safety. I was absolutely thrilled. My brother-in-law had never offered to help me with my car before. And now he was being sent in as an angel to get Ruby the attention she needed and get me back to a place of comfort where I felt taken care of. Isn’t this what God wants for me, to feel safe, loved and peaceful?  I was given the help I needed in a matter of a couple of hours in a form I wasn’t expecting, and my part was to simply reach out for help as I felt prompted to do so.

This new wonderful plan allowed me to cancel my fear-based shop appointment for the next day. When I called the shop, it was a powerful experience for me. There was no need to justify why I was canceling my appointment or explain myself, nor did I need to condemn them or bring up any perceived errors that I thought they had made. I simply told them with gratitude in my heart that I was unable to make the appointment. I thanked them very much and wished them a wonderful day and hung up the phone. The conflict was over.

Thank You Spirit, for using the images I perceive to reach and teach me. And thank You for the reminder that my job as a miracle worker is to give up my own ideas (expectations, opinions, etc.) to have them be replaced by Your Plan, which is much happier and easier than mine.

I can simply pause and choose peace over conflict and accept mind repair over mind despair.

Rev. Robin Singler is a Pathways of Light minister living in Huntley Ilinois. 
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  Phone: 530 859-2951

© 2022, 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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Entertaining a Miracles Mindset

by Rev. Jennifer McSween, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Around 6:30 p.m. on the evening of April 13th as I was in the kitchen preparing dinner I began having some very intense pains in the middle of my chest. It was a tightening sensation in the middle section of my chest radiating towards the right side and under my right breast. The pain then traveled upwards along my right clavicle, then up into my neck.

The intense pain lasted for no more than 10 minutes, however it felt like it was there for much longer. I remember walking slowly into the living room where my husband was sitting… sat on the sofa across from him and said:

“I’m having some very intense pains in my chest… It may be nothing but I feel I should go have it checked out.”

Because heart disease runs in my family, this felt like the natural thing to do. My husband had me chew two low-dose aspirins and asked if he should call 911. The pain had subsided at that point and I was now feeling only a slight pressure and a barely perceptible shortness of breath. So I declined his offer to call 911 and had him drive me to the emergency room of the nearby hospital, that was 10 minutes away. About an hour later I had an EKG, an intravenous in my arm and some blood and my blood pressure was taken.

Neither the EKG nor my blood tests showed any signs of a heart attack, however my blood pressure was extremely high. I was kept overnight to reduce my blood pressure and for further testing to determine the cause of the pains in my chest.

A chest x-ray and CT scan confirmed the presence of a 1.6cm spot/lesion on my lower left lung. The Pulmonary Specialists calmly explained to my husband and I that the best approach would be to take immediate action to find out what we were looking at. They suggested that during the following four to six weeks further testing, scans, and consultations should be done in case the ‘spot’ was something cancerous. Surgery, to remove that part of my lung as a curative measure was also suggested if it was cancerous but localized.

I remember feeling extremely calm as the two pulmonary specialists shared this information with my husband and me.

After they left the room I turned to my husband and asked: “So how do you feel about all this?” He responded by saying: “Never mind me… how do ‘you’ feel?” I shared that I was feeling quite calm and at peace despite the possible diagnoses.

I imagined he thought that I might be in shock… or that the news had not quite settled in yet. For a brief moment I wondered the same thing myself.

There was one thing however that concerned me in that moment. As I previously shared, I had held the first of the “7-Week Formula For True Forgiveness” classes the day before. We were scheduled to meet twice a week for the next six weeks. On Tuesdays for our regular class and Friday’s for Q&A.

I had no idea when the tests, scans, consultations, and possible surgery requisitioned and suggested by the Doctors during this four to six week period were going to be taking place. I did not want to have to be canceling classes to attend those appointments. I also did not want to have to stop at class four or five and have students wait a couple of months before finishing if I needed time for surgery and recovery. I wondered what to do about that… asked for guidance and felt led to put the rest of the classes on hold until we got a definite diagnosis, prognosis, and decision.

I decided I would even re-teach the first class so the students will have the uninterrupted 7-week course I promised. The following day was Friday. It was to be our first Q&A Session. I shared the news about my condition and the decision to postpone the 7-Week Course wondering how it would be received. Everyone was on board. I received unanimous support for my decision and an equal amount of support along my medical journey. I was deeply moved and very grateful.

At the time of this writing it’s been almost five weeks since I heard the news. I’ve had a lung capacity test, two CT scans, 1 PET scan and a consultation. I’ll be having a biopsy on Friday (in three days) and meeting with the thoracic surgeon next week for the results and next step. I’m still at peace and not once have I felt worried, victimized, or fearful of the outcome.

The way I’m looking at and feeling about this situation is the exact opposite of the way I did about a similar situation two years ago. I had been having some questionable symptoms and was very worried thinking about the possible causes. I was so afraid of the possible outcome I seriously considered ‘putting my papers in order’ on more than one occasion.

Shortly before I got the diagnosis back when my fear and level of stress surrounding the situation was at its peak, I remembered thinking, literally out loud to myself: “I could seriously use a miracle here.” Almost immediately this most central thought of A Course in Miracles came into my mind:

“There’s another way of looking at this that will allow you to feel safe, healed, empowered, and at peace regardless of the situation, circumstance, or condition in which you find yourself.”

As I became willing and open to that ‘other way,’ it felt like I was being ‘led’ to look at the situation from a perspective of Love instead of fear.

I was reminded to identify with my True Self and not my body. To accept the situation without judgment. Trust that all is well regardless of my symptoms, possible diagnosis, and/or prognosis. And have the understanding and awareness that all that is ever taking place in any moment or situation is that you’re experiencing the thoughts and ideas in the mind, in some form.

And… the truth is that you… the Real You … are never affected by anything you see, encounter, or experience in any form. 

Looking at my situation in this other way, my fear, worry, and stress became less and less; eventually there was no emotional charge when I thought about the symptoms I’d been having or the upcoming diagnosis I could possibly receive.

It is that same ‘other way’ through which I’m looking at my current situation that is allowing me to remain calm and peaceful as I move through the experience. And without having a need or attachment to any specific outcome.

A Course in Miracles teaches that a miracle is not a change in conditions but a change in your perception of conditions. When you engage in this “other way of looking” at anything or anyone you’re entertaining the “Mindset for Miracles.” As a result, what you’ll experience is a feeling of peace, safety, and healing, regardless of the circumstances or conditions you are facing.

If you want to experience peace… healing… a miracle in some area of your life you need to entertain the “Mindset for Miracles.” This begins with having the willingness to consider another way… a more peaceful way… of looking at yourself, your life, the world and whatever it is that’s taking place whether it’s in your body, your life, or in your world.

Rev. Jennifer McSween, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light Minister, The Miracles Mindset Strategist, True Forgiveness Coach and International Bestselling Author of the book “TRUE FORGIVENESS: The Proven Path From Pain To power In 5 Simple Steps.”
Website: http://www.revjennifermcsween.com

© 2022, 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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Wake Up Little Child

by Michelle Rado, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Often, I turn within and ask for guidance regarding what I need to understand and focus on in my awakening journey.  I would like to share with you the following poem that I received a couple of weeks back…

Wake up little child,
the Lord whispers in my ear.
So Soft I can barely hear it.

Turn away from the
world’s sorrows, Look within
for all that is needed.

Be still and thoughtful as
you move through each day,
looking past the many
appearances of human discord
and into the truth of all Creation.

Look to the Source and
you will be seeing the Truth
behind the human problem.

Don’t blame, don’t persecute
those who would offend you,
Look deep, through their offense
and into their core to see Me.

Recognize that they are ignorant
and in that ignorance they are
innocent. As innocent as you are,
even when you stand in judgment.

The only thing that is ever really
happening is ignorance of Truth.

This ignorance will be cast out bit-
by- bit as each of us step into the
Light of awareness and in the perfect
time for our individualized journey.

Until then, forgive them,
forgive yourself of this
ignorant thought system.

As you step through your human day,
in any moment that you feel even the
slightest anxiety, that is your cue that
your mind is accepting a human belief
in limitation of some sort.

That is your cue that you believe you
need something from outside of you,
some money or time or love or care
but that is never the case.

You are only able to enjoy that
which you give freely.

Stop and ask yourself what you
think you need in those moments,
and then find a way to give that
exact thing out to someone else.

Practice this and one day a great
dawning within yourself shall occur,
and you will come to rest in your
understanding of what you really are.

Rev. Michelle Rado, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Thousand Oaks,CA Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://www.revrado.com

© 2022, 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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