Together, We Light the Way

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Manual for Teacher: A. Development of Trust, P 3. 10-26-17

A. Development of Trust
3 First, they must go through what might be called “a period of undoing.” This need not be painful, but it usually is so experienced. It seems as if things are being taken away, and it is rarely understood initially that their lack of value is merely being recognized. How can lack of value be perceived unless the perceiver is in a position where he must see things in a different light? He is not yet at a point at which he can make the shift entirely internally. And so the plan will sometimes call for changes in what seem to be external circumstances. These changes are always helpful. When the teacher of God has learned that much, he goes on to the second stage.

Journal
I don’t experience a great deal of distress at necessary changes anymore. I am still undoing, but I am certain that I want to, and having seen that it is good to make these changes, I don’t hesitate to make them. When I first began the undoing process I did not have this certainty. I had to develop trust as I did the practice. When I was completely unsure that this was for my best good, undoing was indeed painful.

Imagine that you had the ability to levitate, but you didn’t know about the ability, had no idea you could levitate. I come along and tell you to step off a cliff. I tell you that you cannot imagine the freedom you will feel when you realize you don’t have to worry about falling ever again. And to know this extraordinary freedom all you have to do is step out.

Even though you might trust me, or know you should trust me, you would be reluctant to give up the “safety” of the ground that seems to support you and keep you from certain death. You would value this sense of safety and be reluctant to let it go, and yet this trustworthy person is offering you the chance to be forever free of your fear of falling.

The true change being offered is that you would be giving up the sense of loss, vulnerability, and fear. But the outward appearance is that you would have to give up the safety of the ground under your feet. It would probably feel very frightening and very painful to contemplate and no matter how much you trusted me, extremely hard to take that first step into air.

Imagine now that you did finally step out and discovered that you really could levitate. The next time I told you that you could do something extraordinary you might experience fear, but you would have developed some trust and it would not be nearly so hard. You would have seen that I mean you only good. Suppose the next thing I tell you is that you can walk through fire and be unharmed. You will still be reluctant to let go of the safety of the place that has no fire, but you will consider my words with less trepidation than when you had the first experience of undoing a belief.

After many experiences of undoing, I know that they are all for my good, and I do trust the Holy Spirit. I have learned that I value all the wrong things, and though I feel some trepidation at giving up some beliefs, I also know that I will. I have developed trust to that degree and so this process is not seen as being as painful as it used to be and it is not so protracted.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Study of Text, C 15: III. Littleness versus Magnitude, P 1, 10-25-17

III. Littleness versus Magnitude, P 1
1 Be not content with littleness. But be sure you understand what littleness is, and why you could never be content with it. Littleness is the offering you give yourself. You offer this in place of magnitude, and you accept it. Everything in this world is little because it is a world made out of littleness, in the strange belief that littleness can content you. When you strive for anything in this world in the belief that it will bring you peace, you are belittling yourself and blinding yourself to glory. Littleness and glory are the choices open to your striving and your vigilance. You will always choose one at the expense of the other.

Journal
We are an extension of God, and even here we are expressions of God, and we can reflect that if we choose to do so. It isn’t easy at first. We have the intention of doing this, of being a clear reflection of our divinity, but at our birth, we forget who we are and we forget our intention. We spend the rest of our lives striving to remember why we came. That true desire to live big gets twisted into striving for something in the world that mimics magnitude but keeps us small.

From the moment we decide for God, we receive all the help we need to live our intention. We find A Course in Miracles and the teachers that are meant for us. And in each experience, we find a lesson that brings us closer to our goal. But before we get to that help, we have already built an ego construct that we quickly come to identify as our self.

We are taught from birth who we are by people who don’t even know who they are. We gather layer after layer of identity and when we are ready to remember our true identity, we must first loosen our acquired identity. We must learn to turn aside from our learned preferences, from the distractions of the world, and from all that we have come to value, that which props up our construct.

Imagine how hard that must be for people who have constructed a powerful or famous or wealthy self-identity. So many of them are obviously not happy, they get sick just like the rest of us and they loose people they love; their carefully constructed identity cannot protect them from the inevitable effects of separation. Their efforts fail them because they are trying for magnitude through littleness. Everything of this world is little because nothing of this world is real.

It can be just as hard for those of us who live ordinary lives. We gather family so we feel loved and they disappoint us or die or leave. We get educations, but no matter what level of education we receive, what accolades are heaped on us for our efforts, we still feel that something is missing. We fall in love and out of love and into heartache. We get good jobs and lose them or regret them or squander our life on them.

No matter what we do, what we buy, who we impress, we still are not satisfied because we are meant for so much more, and there is that secret knowing buried in our minds that we are not living up to our potential. There will come a time for each of us to remember, though. We are not meant for littleness. We did not come here to live small. We are magnificent beings, children of a magnificent God. When we decide to put aside our striving to make something of nothing, we will open our minds and hearts to the magnitude that we are meant for.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Manual for Teacher: A. Development of Trust P 2. 10-24-17

A. Development of Trust, P 2
2 When this power has once been experienced, it is impossible to trust one’s own petty strength again. Who would attempt to fly with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him? And who would place his faith in the shabby offerings of the ego when the gifts of God are laid before him? What is it that induces them to make the shift?

Journal
The power that is in us but not of us. This power is what allows the awakened mind to see through the illusion to the forgiven world. It is the power that lets an awakened mind trust the world and trust their brothers, and know the laws of the world do not mean anything.

My experience, and I think everyone’s experience has been to awaken slowly to this power. Though my awakening is not complete, I have come far enough that I seldom place my faith in the shabby offerings of the ego, and this is so different than when I started this path. It felt hard for a long time, and then it suddenly began to shift more quickly and easily and now I know I will never look back.

It was worth every bit of effort I put into this. I can only imagine how grateful I will be when the work is complete and my trust is certain. I will then accept the gifts of God with no reservations and will see the real world instead of the shabby world of the ego. Next, we are going to see what Jesus has to say about how our trust develops.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Manual for Teacher: 4. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S TEACHERS? P 2. 10-20-17

4. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S TEACHERS? P 2
2. All differences among the Sons of God are temporary. Nevertheless, in time it can be said that the advanced teachers of God have the following characteristics:
I. Trust
1 This is the foundation on which their ability to fulfil their function rests. Perception is the result of learning. In fact, perception is learning, because cause and effect are never separated. The teachers of God have trust in the world, because they have learned it is not governed by the laws the world made up. It is governed by a power that is in them but not of them. It is this power that keeps all things safe. It is through this power that the teachers of God look on a forgiven world.

Journal
How many times has Jesus emphasized that all differences between the Sons of God are temporary? At least three, I think. In time, however, there are differences, and so now we are going to read about the characteristics of the advanced teachers of God. Notice that he says advanced. We are all teachers of God at times and to the degree, we are presently able to do this. But there are some who are advanced teachers and none of them started that way. They had to do the work, just as we all do. These are the characteristics they have developed.

The first of these is trust, and we are to see that this is an important characteristic as Jesus is going into a lot of detail explaining it. In fact, he says: This is the foundation on which their ability to fulfil their function rests. Teachers of God have faith in the world, not as we typically perceive it, but because they know it is not governed by the laws we made up, but by the power that is in them but not of them.

Clearly, if I am looking at the world today through my ego mind, I see chaos and suffering everywhere I look. At its best, the world according to the laws we made, no matter how good it seems at any moment, is just on its way to another disaster. But if I forgive the world, I will perceive it as the Holy Spirit perceives it. That is the power that is in me but not of me.

I am not an advanced teacher of God, though I am more advanced than I used to be. What this means for me is that I am still in the process of forgiving the world we made, watching the errors we made come undone, and I am beginning to see the real world. It is still happening bit by bit for me, with peeks beneath the veil, spots that have worn thin, that encourage me to forgive and to make forgiveness my daily goal.

Those who are advanced teachers are awakened to the truth of the world and their perception allows them to see through the illusion to the love and the beauty that is really there. This is the world without guilt and fear, and though it is still an illusion it is an illusion that is closer to the truth.

Those teachers always teach for God, and nothing the body’s eyes show them has meaning for them. Their trust is not in the illusion, but in God, and it does not waver. We will all reach this level of trust one day, and consistent practice will bring us there sooner.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Text, C 15: The End of Doubt, P 4, 10-19-17

II. The End of Doubt, P 4
4 You do not realize how much you have misused your brothers by seeing them as sources of ego support. As a result, they witness to the ego in your perception, and seem to provide reasons for not letting it go. Yet they are far stronger and much more compelling witnesses for the Holy Spirit. And they support His strength. It is, therefore, your choice whether they support the ego or the Holy Spirit in you. And you will recognize which you have chosen by their reactions. A Son of God who has been released through the Holy Spirit in a brother is always recognized. He cannot be denied. If you remain uncertain, it is only because you have not given complete release. And because of this, you have not given a single instant completely to the Holy Spirit. For when you have, you will be sure you have. You will be sure because the witness to Him will speak so clearly of Him that you will hear and understand. You will doubt until you hear one witness whom you have wholly released through the Holy Spirit. And then you will doubt no more.

Journal
I asked the Holy Spirit for an example of this so that I could understand this. He immediately brought to mind someone I used to work for. I didn’t like or trust this man. Everything he said or did reflected my dislike for him. His words to me, and his actions toward me seemed to be an attack and I did not feel safe around him. I always expected him to fire me at any moment, and each attack seemed like a preamble to that.

What I did not see at that time is that I had an ego driven attitude toward him and he was reflecting this back to me. My ego and his ego seemed to be in a pitched battle all the time. The loss of peace this caused me was too much for me to bear and so I finally decided to end the war. I asked the Holy Spirit to show me a different way to see this man. I told Him I wanted to love this man.

My intention set the stage for the Holy Spirit in me to communicate with the Holy Spirit in Him, and the only communication the Holy Spirit knows is love. Very quickly, I began to notice so many good qualities in him. I began to enjoy our conversations and I found him very easy to work with. His words seemed kind and conciliatory.

It was as Jesus said: “It is, therefore, your choice whether they support the ego or the Holy Spirit in you. And you will recognize which you have chosen by their reactions.”  Well, I certainly saw a change in communication with him. Perhaps he was always the man I came to know and I simply heard from him what I expected to hear. When I changed my mind about supporting the ego in me, how I heard his words changed. It is a lesson I am not going to quickly forget.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

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