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ACIM Text Questions and Answers

Excerpts from Text Made Simple

Below is in reference to Text Chapter 1, Section IV on pages 11-12.

What does Atonement mean?

Miracles principal #26 tells us that, ” ‘Atoning’ means ‘undoing.’ ” So the Atonement is the undoing of the mistaken ideas in our mind. We are thinking that separate bodies are real and this is not how God created us. The means for the Atonement is the acceptance of miracles, which is the correction of our perception. As we listen to the Voice for God (Holy Spirit), the errors in our mind are corrected. As we accept a correction in our perception, we just naturally join in the plan of the Atonement, because in truth, minds are joined.

In this section, Jesus is correcting our perception by bringing us to the remembrance of our true Identity. He tells us, “You are the work of God, and His work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how a man must think of himself in his heart, because this is what he is.” (2:3-4) It is a very helpful practice to remind yourself often during the day that you are the work of God and that as God’s work (or extension), you are wholly lovable and wholly loving. Reminding yourself daily that you are Love’s extension helps you return to your true Identity.

What happens when we accept the Atonement?

As we accept the Atonement, or the undoing of the dream of separation, we recognize that we are united with all our brothers and we naturally join in releasing our brothers by focusing on their true reality as one with all Love. As we accept this change of mind for ourselves, we become miracle workers. Jesus tells us, “The miracle worker can only bless them [our brothers], and thus undoes their distortions and frees them from prison.” (5:11) The goal of the miracle is to restore the awareness of reality.

Why was this world ‘made’ and what is the way out of the stress and ups and downs we experience so frequently?

This world was made up in our minds as a ‘place’ to serve the ego belief that separation is real. The way out of this stressful dream of separation is through shifting our allegiance from the ego’s way of seeing everything in this world to the Holy Spirit’s spiritual sight. We do this by letting the Holy Spirit decide for us what everything means, and not deciding anything on our own. The early lessons of the Workbook teach us that we do not know what anything means. This is an important step in learning to let the Holy Spirit be in charge of all our thoughts.

When we join in the one-mindedness of the Holy Spirit, we are uniting with Jesus and serving God’s plan of awakening. When we put the Holy Spirit in charge, He leads us to forgive the past, to forgive our brothers and therefore know we are forgiven. By releasing our brothers from all guilt, we are helping them release themselves from guilt by not sharing in their distorted ideas about themselves. We bless our brothers by seeing them truly, with the Holy Spirit’s help. We see that they are still as God created them. Perceiving correctly with the Holy Spirit, we are helpful in all our relationships with ‘others.’ The Holy Spirit helps us recognize our own holiness and we are then able to see the holiness in everyone equally.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Miracles News, July-September 2020

 

There will be
no fear today
because the day is
given unto Love.
(ACIM W-pI.274.2:2)

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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What Happens When I Pause for LOVE?

by Mary Lenihan, O.M.C., Founder of PauseForInspiration.org

(Receive free PAUSE for LOVE cards by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))

While making lunch I found myself watching the news of all of the protests around the U.S. following the death of George Floyd in police custody. People yelling at one another, screaming, beating on each other — a mad crowd of forgetting. Accomplishing nothing.

I decided to go through the Pause For LOVE practice card while watching the screen and listening to the voices. It begins with PAUSE — I say aloud, “There is a LOVE that loves me” and immediately I feel less anxious. I realize that even amid these appearances, there is a LOVE that is loving all of the police and protesters and me.

“No matter what” is the next line of the practice. Yes, even amid chaos, LOVE is loving. Nothing or no one can undo This LOVE.

“Always ~ Unwavering ~ Forever” is the last line of PAUSE. It becomes obvious to me that what I am observing is happening in time and space, not in eternity. What happens in time and space is fickle and breeds discontentment, whereas this No Matter What, LOVE is safe and tender. This Unwavering LOVE is content, and I am content in it.

Okay, this all sounds right, but what about this current human experience? How do we extend healing? So, now I decide to begin the second section of the Pause For LOVE Practice, RECEIVE.

Watching the violence made it hard for me to breathe, so I say the first line aloud, “With this breath I receive This LOVE.” I decide not to ignore the reality of LOVE just because something else appearing before my eyes gets my attention. It follows “With this breath I let This LOVE ~ love me.” In saying this, I feel without question LOVE is enfolding all those on the news.

Everyone of us is being loved. I continue with, “I receive This LOVE” and as I receive, I refuse to buy into the fear that I can so easily be drawn into as if I must add some fear too, or I will be out of step with the world, and then what? I voice “I let This LOVE ~ love me,” still with full eyes on the TV screen.

It was the only way I could catch a glimpse of the circumstances and stay informed without bolting into anger, grievances, judgment, and pain. And, I do want to be informed of the transgressions that arise from believing that fear is stronger than LOVE. I do want to be aware of the darkness so I can choose to Pause For LOVE and let the light of LOVE dispel the darkness.

In letting LOVE ~ love me, I notice I am less interested in watching the TV screen. I keep hearing journalists and those they interview use the word “violence” and that word conjures up feelings, thoughts and images around attacking and being attacked.

Imagine if we used “lack of LOVE” or “obstacles to the awareness of LOVE’s presence”? How different the newscast would be, how transforming our conversations. Now we would be focusing on increasing awareness that one’s experience of having been abandoned by LOVE is the root cause and its solution is not to abandon one another.

When I Pause For LOVE, I am not only speaking of LOVE, but practicing LOVE instead of practicing defensiveness, instead of practicing violence. I need not ignore the violence or be deaf to the outcry. As I Pause For LOVE, I see the misperceptions, can have them corrected, and respond with LOVE. Love heals what I thought could not be healed; loves what I thought could not be loved.

LOVE MYSELF. This is the third section of the practice. “In this moment, right now, what does LOVE want to share with me”? The first words that enter my mind are clearly from the ego thought system — the part of my mind in fear — I hear, “You don’t matter.” I say to myself, “I know that’s not from LOVE.”

Okay, now that I recognize ego’s unawareness of LOVE and step back, what does LOVE want to share with me? Eyes on the police cars beaten up and bashed in, police striking people with their batons, protesters screaming in their faces, one woman bent over in pain having been struck, a man being handcuffed and arrested, etc. I hear “Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”

Do I really believe that or is that just a feel-good thing I read and recite? Do I believe truly that LOVE has already overcome the world and is simply waiting for our acceptance? I don’t think I do! Not always anyway. Herein enters the Pause For LOVE practice because it moves me from mistakenly believing that unawareness of LOVE is stronger than awareness of LOVE, to having a tangible, very real inner experience that LOVE overcomes all that is not-LOVE. That LOVE is all there is. Whether I believe it or not. In fact, it has already happened. I need only put my trust in LOVE consistently!

LOVE OTHERS. The fourth and last step of the Pause For LOVE practice. I say quietly within, “In this breath, as I let LOVE truly love me, I will truly love others.” The emphasis here on truly. Now as I look upon the darkness, I love these people. My mind quiets and I turn off the TV.

So, is that it? Is there action I need to take beyond loving these people? Love is the greatest action. Does this “inner action” now require an “outer action”? The inner action is outer action as the seeming two are not separate. As I experience LOVE within, I am a more loving person; as I love, I am awakened to This Inner Present LOVE.

I have witnessed people, circumstances and myself move from fear to LOVE right before my eyes simply as I choose to Pause, Receive, Love Myself and Love Others. It is so much simpler than trying to control ego thoughts. So much more loving. And it is LOVE that illuminates the darkness. Not my willpower, but my willingness.

When I Pause For LOVE, I am loving myself and loving others in that moment, and this is the greatest action one can take. When I Pause For LOVE, I often find that I am moved to speak and act out of love. Ego thoughts I was trying to control fall away. I love. My words are different, my tone of voice, how I proceed with a conversation or engage in an activity; perceptions shift toward peace; simple ideas enter my mind on how I can be truly helpful; creativity flows; energy is renewed, and my body eases.

Writing this article to share the Pause For LOVE practice is a perfect example of taking helpful inner—outer action. I have no doubt that Inspiration will continue to supply more ways that I can be a healing expression of This LOVE in the world. “With this breath we receive This LOVE. With this breath we let LOVE ~ love us.”

Mary Gerard Lenihan lives in St. Louis, MO. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Website: http://www.pauseforinspiration.org  Order more of the new card, Pause for Love, which is described in this article. Others: Kids Can Pause, Parents Can Pause, Teachers Can Pause. and a book, “Kids can Pause for Help …and Parents too! Get to Know Your Helpful Self.”

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Miracles News,

July-September, 2020

Stay Safe… Stay Home

by Rev. Stepan Mead, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Almost daily on TV, the governor of our state has addressed we Washingtonians regarding COVID-19, with a background banner reading, “Stay Safe - Stay Home.”  Electronic signs erected in various places on our highways flash the message, “Stay Safe — Stay Home.” Billboards throughout the city of Seattle blink, “Stay Safe — Stay Home.” One might get the impression the powers that be are trying to send us a message!

ACIM mentions the word “safe” 124 times and the word “home” 261 times. Perhaps the Power authoring ACIM is also trying to send us a message?

“The Father keeps what He created safe.” (T-24,VII.5:1) “Heaven is your home, and being in God, it must also be in you.” (T-12.VI.7:7) 

If I take those two quotes literally and I understand them correctly, I am always safe and I’m always home. What problem, situation or circumstance could possibly be a threat to me? How about the pandemic?
Like probably everyone else on the planet, my life was greatly affected with all the new rules and regulations that were quickly put in place, especially the quarantine. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t see my children and grandkids, and as I watched the news report, first hundreds, then thousands, then over a hundred thousand deaths — I wasn’t feeling all that safe.

Was this virus an exception to the Will of God? Wait! How could anything oppose the Will of God? So, does that mean the pandemic is God’s Will? That conclusion doesn’t make me feel too safe either, and what kind of home would foster the pain and suffering the millions who have been infected have experienced? Clearly, my conclusions must be erroneous, but they didn’t seem to be, at least at first. Might the answers be found in ACIM?

Fortunately, I’ve had much practice in quieting my ego mind when I really want to. There is an “Opening Preparation” statement included in the many study courses Pathways of Light offers. This statement contains six bullet points to meditate on. One of them, “I am willing to take responsibility for letting go of limiting thoughts and beliefs that reflect separation and specialness,” was particularly helpful. First, did I have limiting thoughts and beliefs about the pandemic? (check!) Second, was I willing to take responsibility that every non-loving thought about the virus was because I provided a “home” for it? (check!)

This was a bit difficult because all my thoughts were unloving, and how could it be looked at other than “I and my loved ones are not safe” And, “none of this is my fault!” I haven’t mentioned this yet, but two of my son-in-laws were diagnosed COVID 19 positive and were told to assume their spouses and kids (my daughters & grandchildren) had also been exposed. Who wouldn’t feel unsafe and far from the comfort and security of home under these circumstances?

Another bullet point in the Opening Preparation is, “I am willing to quiet my mind and ask Holy Spirit to take the lead.” (check!)

With a new willingness, I read the various ACIM references about “safe” and “home.” A peaceful calm replaced the storm in my mind. I was invited to contemplate a different conclusion about the pandemic, an inspired conclusion. Articulated, it would read, “You have unique and wonderful opportunities to ask Me how you can be helpful to your family and everyone else now, IF that is what you want to experience.” So, “Stay Safe, Stay Home!”  I’m going to go with that.

Rev. Stephan Mead, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Seattle, Washington. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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