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Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 78 1-14-19

LESSON 78
Let miracles replace all grievances.

“Perhaps it is not yet quite clear to you that each decision that you make is one between a grievance and a miracle.”

I do realize this. Sometimes, I still kid myself that there are degrees of grievances, but I don’t really believe that and I change my mind as soon as I catch it. It is either miracle or grievance and there is nothing in between.

“You know the one to choose; his name has crossed your mind already.”

The name did come right away, no thinking needed. It is someone I love very much and yet someone I do not consistently see as the Christ. My mind wavers as it judges his behavior and as it imagines a future much like the past. Then I return to sanity and I see this one as he is for a while before I let my attention be drawn to the image I have of him. Sometimes even I can’t find proof for that image anywhere but in the past, and even then it is only proof of what my mind made of it.

“You will attempt to hold him in your mind, first as you now consider him. You will review his faults, the difficulties you have had with him, the pain he caused you, his neglect, and all the little and the larger hurts he gave. You will regard his body with its flaws and better points as well, and you will think of his mistakes and even of his “sins.”

I did that, but it is depressing to do so. I don’t want to ever return to that kind of thinking about him or anyone. At best it makes no sense and is foolishness, at worst it is tragic, at least in time, and that is where I see myself now.

“Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him.”

This is the miracle to which I am entitled. I ask for this. I insist on it. He is not standing in darkness, I am. I want to join him in the light and never forget who he is.

“The Holy Spirit leans from him to you, seeing no separation in God’s Son.”

I’m not interested in the image he has of himself or the image I have of him. I want only to see the reality that he is and the Holy Spirit is the bridge that brings us together in that vision. I am only as holy as he is and I don’t know either of us until I acknowledge that holiness in the of us.

The problem with casting my attention on the false image is that if I do it long enough, it becomes hard to look away. I am reminded of a story that I think was told by Brian Tracey or maybe it was Tony Robbins. Whichever it was, he had always wanted to be a racecar driver but knew that wasn’t going to happen. So he decided to have at least the experience of it once.

He hired a driver to teach him to race a car and while they were on the track and he was driving, they were going scary fast. He began to realize he was getting closer and closer to the wall. He was beginning to panic but then he heard the teacher calmly telling him to look away from the wall. It was very hard for him to do this because his fear of crashing kept him mesmerized by the wall.

But finally, the teacher got through to him. He took his eyes off the wall and his hands just naturally followed his eyes. Death from a fiery crash was averted. That story stuck with me and I remembered it just now thinking how hard it is to look away from my fear, and yet, how necessary it is that I do so. I’ve done this before; I know what will happen. When I look away from what I fear and cast my attention on what is true and helpful, I am fine, and the longer I keep my attention on the truth, the easier it is to stay there.

Regina’s Tips

Regina gave an especially helpful analogy that I recommend for anyone who doesn’t understand the importance of looking honestly at the situation. She then offers several ways to release them.

So as I was saying, first we let everything come out of denial so we can look at it, and then we …

Well, the next step really depends. You might:

• Ask God, Holy Spirit or Jesus to help you see another way. I used to imagine wrapping those thoughts, feelings and perceptions in a box, tying a beautiful bow around the box and then giving it to Holy Spirit as a gift. As I passed the gift to Holy Spirit, I let it go completely. After all, you aren’t giving a gift if you hold onto it, right?

• Practice rest, accept and trust while realizing you don’t want this anymore. This is a practice I moved to after I became more experienced with forgiveness.

Rest, Accept and Trust (RAT) is a simple reminder of your job in the healing process.

Rest the mind by withdrawing your attention/belief from obsessive thinking. If that is challenging, try positive healing-focused self-talk such as, “Ok, just breathe now. Take a deep breath. Now another. This is okay. This is coming up now because I have decided to heal. I want to heal. And in order to heal, things must come up. I am happy this is here, but I do not want to give it my attention. I want to rest attention away from this so it can be healed. I will focus attention on my breath. I trust healing is happening. I am happy for this opportunity.” Etcetera or something similar.

Accept the feeling. Allow it to be. Realize that as this feeing comes into awareness and is seen, it is healing. Stay out of the way. Do not try to change anything. It is just a feeling, an emotional energy and nothing more. Let it be as it is. Be grateful that healing is mysteriously occurring.

Trust that healing is occurring. You have done your part by resting and accepting. Clear awareness (God, Holy Spirit) is taking care of everything else. You have gotten out of the way so healing can happen. That is all you were asked to do.

• Practice inquiry, such as Byron Katie’s “The Work,” until you see through your previous way of thinking.

• Refocus your attention on awareness, and let the realization of truth heal the silly thoughts that you believed before.

My Thoughts

I’ve used all of these methods from time to time as well as recognizing that my grievances are just bad code and realizing that the only thing to do with bad code is to delete it.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 77 1-11-19

LESSON 77
I am entitled to miracles.

“You are entitled to miracles because of what you are. You will receive miracles because of what God is. And you will offer miracles because you are one with God. Again, how simple is salvation! It is merely a statement of your true Identity. It is this that we will celebrate today.”

What makes this a special day of miracles is my acceptance that miracles are my right and so I am going to ask with confidence expecting the miracle. I must say that I am a little confused about what I am supposed to ask for. I have a power ball ticket sitting beside me. It would take a miracle to win this. But is this the kind of thing I should ask for?

How about if I ask that my mind be completely healed of the belief that I have any needs that will not be met. Then I would not have to win a large sum of money and have lots in the bank to fall back on. If my mind were healed of the belief in lack, I would be absolutely confident in what I need showing up when I need it. I have always thought that the miracle is the healing of the mind and that what shows up as form in the world is just witness to the miracle.

“You have been promised full release from the world you made.”

This is the clue I need to understand this lesson. I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in years and did so only because I was caught up in the excitement of the billion dollar payoff for the Mega Millions. I didn’t win that, by the way. But having bought one, I wondered what I would do if I did win or even if I won the lesser prize of a million.

What I discovered is that I wouldn’t do much because I don’t have many needs, certainly, I don’t have a billion dollars worth. I also discovered that it made me tired to think of the responsibility of having that much money and the potential distractions from what really matters to me. That would not be the promised full release from the world I made. But what would be helpful is to ask for the miracle of a mind completely free of the belief that I might not have enough. Not enough is the ego mantra.

The ego says I haven’t lost enough weight. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough friends. I don’t have enough love and I am not loveable enough. I am not enough. It doesn’t matter what form it takes, in the ego mind there is never enough. This cannot be true because to be true, either God, as my Creator, would have to be not enough, or, the ego, which is the idea of not enough, would have to be my creator. Neither of those possibilities is true. The miracle will heal my mind of any false belief about my identity if I ask for it and I do ask.

“I am entitled to miracles.”

“Ask for them whenever a situation arises in which they are called for. You will recognize these situations. And since you are not relying on yourself to find the miracle, you are fully entitled to receive it whenever you ask.”

So today, I will pause for a miracle. I will notice those times when my mind strays to ego thinking, and I will remember that I am entitled to miracles. I will ask with confidence for the change of mind that will bring me peace. I will pay attention to my feelings because they are like smoke to fire. If I feel restricted in any way that is the smoke that tells me there is a fire in my mind that is burning away my happiness. I will ask what this is really about and then I will ask for the perfect miracle and I will be certain that I will receive it.

Regina’s Tips
Don’t decide what this means. Ask God to show you. Be like a little child that cannot find her own way, but willingly, openly and trustingly takes her parent’s hand and lets it guide her into realization.

“There is no room for doubt and uncertainty today.” – Put the mind aside. Put your illusions about yourself and about God aside. Be innocent, trusting and curious.

“We are asking a real question at last.” – What am I? What is God/truth? What is a miracle? Show me, that I may know.

My Thoughts
I appreciate this from Regina. If I use my thinking mind to decide what I am, what God is and what miracles are, I will not know anything. I am reminded of Lesson 15 which says “the thoughts you think you think.” We don’t even really think. How is it we will discover anything of importance by thinking about it. What will work is to be still and let our questions be answered for us.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 76. 1-11-19

LESSON 76
I am under no laws but God’s.

“There are no laws except the laws of God. This needs repeating, over and over, until you realize it applies to everything that you have made in opposition to God’s Will. Your magic has no meaning. What it is meant to save does not exist. Only what it is meant to hide will save you.”

We have made many laws to take the place of God’s laws. In our desire to separate from God, we imagined we separated ourselves from His laws that protect us. Our abandonment of our perfect safety left us in fear and in our fear and arrogance we made magical laws that we intended to take the place of God’s laws.

Like everything else in the world our laws do an imperfect job, and more importantly, they hide the truth from us. I suppose we don’t want to see the truth because we think we would be admitting failure. Really, I think we don’t want the only solution to our error because we still want our stories. We still want to try one more time to get it right.

As I read this lesson, I had two opposing reactions. First, I felt a surge of hope. I really do see how nothing I do saves me from this illusion of being a body in a world that seems to be getting worse all the time. Or perhaps it is that I have opened my eyes to new possibilities, to love and peace and joy as being real and possible. Now when I see anger and fear and guilt, it is painful to me. I want to wake up from this dream world. I do want salvation.

The opposing reaction is fear. I am afraid to give up all my magical solutions. What if I am not ready for this? What if all I do is cause myself more suffering? What if without my magic healing potions I cause the death of this body? I am not so in love with this body and this story that I would be devastated at ending it, but without true healing, I would just plunge right back into another story.

Here is what I am being asked to do. I am being asked to be still and open my mind to Him. I will be enlightened to the truth and to God’s love and care for me, about the endless joy He offers me. I think that this is how it must be done. Changing my behavior while still keeping the belief in magic and the fear of loss will not bring me to the truth.

As I open my mind to His Voice I will learn the truth. Listening to His Word is not frightening and is certain to bring salvation. I think that meditating with the intention of letting the laws of God permeate my mind is the same as finding the light. I am going to continue my meditation practice and now I will add to it as I remember that I am under no laws but God’s.

Regina’s Tips for this lesson
“Salvation is not divine intervention to receive the cures and fixes we think we need in order to be happy. Salvation is seeing beyond the belief that I am a body-mind. Salvation is realizing what I am, something real that cannot be threatened.”

My Thoughts
As Regina points out sometimes we do get what we need sometimes, but that only provides temporary relief. What we want to do with this lesson is to let ourselves be open to knowing who we are and what are God’s laws. This is our salvation. When we know this we will know that we are perfectly safe.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 75. 1-2-19

LESSON 75
The light has come.

“The light has come. I am healed and I can heal. The light has come. I am saved and I can save. I am at peace, and I bring peace with me wherever I go. Darkness and turmoil and death have disappeared. The light has come.”

This is my prayer for today, one I will repeat often. It is not a prayer in the sense of something I don’t have and wish for. It is the truth and just a fact that is irrefutable except in illusions, and what is the point in believing in illusions. The light has come and I am so grateful this is true. May I see only the light.

How has the light come? It comes because I have forgiven the world. I don’t want to burden the world with more unforgiveness. I don’t want to dim the light in even one mind with an unforgiving thought. I have been at the computer since early this morning so I got up to rest my eyes and stretch my legs. As I walked through the house, I saw so many unfinished projects, so much that need to be done. I felt guilty for not doing them and overwhelmed at the sheer volume of work undone. I also felt the light dim with these thoughts. Oops! Never mind, house. You will be dealt with in time.

Today, I have no interest in dark thoughts because, today, the light has come and I am rejoicing!

“From this time forth you will see differently.”

Holy Spirit, I know that I cannot fail to see the light today. I cannot fail to see the world differently. I cannot fail because I trust in You and You have told me that the light has come. I will not be tempted into the darkness.

“I dedicate this day to the serenity in which God would have me be. I Keep it in my awareness of myself and see it everywhere today, as I celebrate the beginning of my vision and the sight of the real world, which has come to replace the unforgiven world I thought was real.”

Regina’s Tips on this lesson
Read this lesson slowly at least 3 times today.
That’s it. That’s my tip. Love

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 74. 1-1-19

LESSON 74
There is no will but God’s.

“The idea for today can be regarded as the central thought toward which all our exercises are directed. God’s is the only Will.”

Acknowledging this is the way to perfect peace. For instance, if I have the thought that I need more money, I know this is not a real thought because it is not the will of God that I experience lack in any way. It doesn’t mean I can’t experience lack. If I believe in lack that is what I will know.

What it does mean is that I have accepted a conflicting thought as if it is true, but I can change my mind. If I know that God’s Will is abundance and if I know that His is the only Will, then I know my will is abundance as well, and abundance will be my only experience. Even if I seem not to have money, my mind will interpret the situation differently and it won’t feel like poverty.

Even more importantly, is the realization that since there is only God’s Will, what has been made with the ego mind cannot exist because it is not God’s Will. And, since there is only God’s Will, the world cannot exist for me, either, because I cannot have a will apart from the only will that exists and so I could not have willed this world into existence.
When I look at this computer and the fingers on the keyboard and the words appearing on the screen, I realize this is not happening. It could not happen because it is not God’s Will that I be separate from Him.

And yet, since I see myself here, I am grateful that what does not exist is being used to bring me to this realization. As I take in the truth that the idea of Myron is an illusion, I feel happier within the illusion. Is that strange? Maybe not. Maybe it is like enjoying acting in a play, or enjoying an interesting book. It would stop being fun if I forgot I was acting or reading and thought it was happening to me. I want to remember that only God’s Will exists and God’s Will is my will. How different this life will seem, then.

Regina’s Tips for this lesson.
God’s will is what you are, life-awareness-intelligence-open-freedom. You are that, and in being that you are God’s will.
The funny thing is, you can’t stop being that (even though you can deny you are that), so you can’t stop being God’s will.
You are God’s will.

My Thoughts
I know that this must have been a little scary or unbelievable at one time, but now I love these words. I long for them to be all that I believe. Mostly they are, but not entirely. I mean, I believe they are true, but I still act as if they are not. For instance, when I am afraid for myself or someone else, I obviously think that I am separate from God’s Will.

More from Regina
This is the same teaching that we find in NTI 1 Thessalonians:

“When fear intrudes on peace, you will hear it if you are listening. There will seem to be a slight upset, a stab thrust upon your peace, and an immediate desire to deny the thought or feeling that has intruded on your peace. … Do not accept temptation to deny the interruptions to peace. Pick them up and look at them in joy. For you have recognized that which you were tempted to deny. Do not deny the thought that has occurred, and do not accept it. Set it aside because it is not true. And continue joyously on the path of peace.”

Today’s workbook lesson and NTI 1 Thessalonians outline the practice that heals our mind.
1. Look at it.
2. Let it go.
And if you do that with joy or with the heart, it will be twice as effective.

My Thoughts
I have used this method for a long time. I look at it and let it go. However, I did not always do so in joy. I used to do it as if it was the hardest thing ever and as if I could possibly fail and that I might fail and then I would surely be condemned. Joy is much better. ~smile~ I do it in confidence now, knowing that I cannot fail in what is the Will of God and is my will.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 73. 12-31-18

LESSON 73
I will there be light.

Jesus explains to us the difference between the ego’s idle wishes and the will we share with God. Because the ego’s idle wishes are not shared, they have no power. We can use them to make the world as we see it, but it cannot make anything real. Because we believe in what we make with these wishes, it seems real to us, but it is not. It is just an illusion.

“Idle wishes and grievances are partners or co-makers in picturing the world you see.”

Our wishes give rise to this world and the ego’s need for grievances people it with figures that seem to attack and call for “righteous judgment.” When we look at our brothers what we see instead of the beautiful beings they are, are these figures we made to carry out the ego’s wishes. This is why we have to give up grievances if we want to see what is actually there. No matter how beautiful and how loving our brothers are, we will see only enemies until we release all grievances.

On the other hand, the will we share with God has all the power of creation in it because it is shared. While wishes bring us war and suffering just by their very nature, creation brings us love and light, happiness and peace. Because we share the power of creation with God, we can reason that what we create with Him is also in Him. Would God create what would cause Him to suffer? Clearly, He had nothing to do with the world we made.

I talk to and read about people who have reached the light we have been trying for in these lessons. They see the world so differently than we do. I want that, badly. Jesus says that is not Heaven, but the light of Heaven shines on it, and it shines from us. This can only mean that the light of Heaven is in us and can be found there.

“Your picture of the world can only mirror what is within.”

Whatever we see when we look at the world is just a reflection of what we see when we look within. If we see darkness, it is because we hold grievances still. This is not what we want. I have given up nearly all grievances because I don’t want them anymore. It really is that simple. What I no longer want is no longer part of me. This morning it came to me that anything that is not loving is a grievance. It is a grievance against God. It seems I still have some work to do, but I am way ahead of it because I know what I want now.

The following is a clear and firm declaration of freedom and one I accept as my own.

“7 I will succeed today if I remember that I want salvation for myself. I want to accept God’s plan because I share in it. I have no will that can really oppose it, and I do not want to do so. Salvation is for me. Above all else, I want the freedom to remember who I really am. Today it is the ego that stands powerless before my will. My will is free, and nothing can prevail against it.”

Regina’s Tips for this Lesson

Today we cross a threshold. We have stepped into a new level of commitment within ourselves. We are more willing for truth-realization today than we were yesterday.

Now we know that we crave pain and suffering, regardless of whether we experience that as grievances, stress, arrogance, unworthiness, guilt, jealousy, anger, suspiciousness, self-hatred, fear, worry, inertia, or whatever. We also know that we want happiness-love-freedom more than we want suffering. It is the latter realization that has ushered us across the threshold to a deeper commitment.

That’s today’s tip. We are more committed now. This has happened naturally as we have practiced the workbook lessons one day at a time. Today’s deeper commitment is one miracle in a series of miracles that are bringing us home.

My thoughts

I can only agree. I am more committed now than ever before. I want to awaken. I want to be free of the belief in the ego as self. I want to be free of suffering. Above all else, I want the freedom to remember who I am.

NTI 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

This is a short but powerful chapter that is a perfect follow up to this lesson. It assures us that we are not alone in our commitment to awakening. It begins by telling us this: “In peace, I come to guide you. Through peace, it is I that you shall know.” I said that I am committed to my awakening and, that above all else, I want the freedom to remember who I am. In this chapter He tells us:

“It is through peace that I come into your mind, and so it is through peace that you come to Me there. Welcome Me there in peace, with joy and gratitude. For I come upon you to remind you of That Which you Are.”

I do feel deeply grateful for all the help I am given.

© 2018, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 72. 12-26-18

LESSON 72
Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.

“While we have recognized that the ego’s plan for salvation is the opposite of God’s, we have not yet emphasized that it is an active attack on His plan, and a deliberate attempt to destroy it.”

I suspect that this is where the unconscious guilt comes into play. Somewhere deeply buried in our mind is the knowledge that we are actively attacking God with each grievance we hold. Oh, yes, the unconscious guilt continues to pile up and we continue to avoid bringing it to the surface. That is, we ignore it or project it until we are ready to awaken.

“The ego’s fundamental wish is to replace God. In fact, the ego is the physical embodiment of that wish.”

Eeek! And yet, here we are safe from retaliation. I guess that means God is not the vengeful being we have made him out to be. Perhaps He is Love as Jesus has described Him. Perhaps we have not actually succeeded in our plan to separate from God and take His place. I think that the whole idea is preposterous and just more ego lies.

Nevertheless, we did make the idea of a body to house our spirit, and we do use it to appear separate from God. The body does seem to limit communication and we do act as if this is an ideal situation. After all, the body has a mouth and ears and so it seems as if we have also succeeded in developing our own method of communication. But this communication is limited to what each body decides to share.

How different this is from true communication as God would have it be. In true communication there are no words to stumble over and misunderstand. There is no desire to limit what is known and so all know all. In God there is unbroken union through unbroken communication.

“Although the attempt to keep the limitations that a body would impose is obvious here, it is perhaps not so apparent why holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation. But let us consider the kinds of things you are apt to hold grievances for. Are they not always associated with something a body does? A person says something you do not like. He does something that displeases you. He “betrays” his hostile thoughts in his behavior.”

We don’t treat each other as if we are one. We treat each person as if he is the body he has manifested. We judge him for what is done in the body, and so instead of freeing him, we hold him guilty for his behavior as such. And if the Son is a body, so must the Father be that as well.

“If God is a body, what must His plan for salvation be? What could it be but death?”

I know that this is the way we think. Don’t our churches teach us about a God of vengeance? Doesn’t death stalk us from the moment we enter the world and isn’t death as sure as taxes? The ego’s answer to this is that we must embrace the little we have and take whatever gifts the body has to offer. The ego tells us that the body is the death of God and it is our savior.

“But while the body stands at the center of your concept of yourself, you are attacking God’s plan for salvation, and holding your grievances against Him and His creation, that you may not hear the Voice of truth and welcome It as Friend. Your chosen savior takes His place instead. It is your friend; He is your enemy.”

This is why we must let go of the insane idea that we are the body. The body is just a concept and all its stories are just that, stories made up in our minds and acted out in our minds, and witnessed in our minds. We are the observer of ego ideas being played out as if they were really happening and happening to us and by us. If we continue to identify with the body and to glorify it, we will see it as our savior and God will be seen as our enemy.

Fortunately, we are not trying to save ourselves. Salvation has already been accomplished. We are just trying to accept our salvation. This is why we are going to the trouble to learn about concepts that have already been undone. We are merely convincing ourselves that we want to be saved so that we can accept that it is done.

I will be determined to hear God’s plan for salvation and to accept His plan. I will listen for His answer, not only today but at all times until this thing is done and I remember who I am. Then I will know God.

Regina’s Tip on this lesson.

The body is literally the physical embodiment of the ego, the idea of “me.” The body reinforces that idea by craving specific chemicals, and we reinforce the body’s cravings with the thoughts and perceptions we decide to cast our attention on.

Obviously, we need to be liberated from this body-me attachment.

Just like any addict, we cannot depend on the addicted self to free us from the addiction. It wants the addiction too badly, even if the addiction is terribly painful. We need to look for help from clarity, which is the non-addicted Self within, the deeper parts of the ocean of our Self.

Today’s workbook lesson is an important part of the process of being liberated from “me” and “the body.” Today we realize the addicted self cannot liberate itself, and we ask the clear Self to help. Specifically we say, “I do not know. Tell me, that I may understand.” In this way we open up to receive the realizations we need to receive in any way our clear
Self can find to reach us. That means there are no limits on how this clarity may get our attention. We give it permission to come by any means, and we open ourselves to receive it.

My thoughts
Regina uses the ideas from What the Bleep to show how the body becomes addicted to ideas that are given consistent attention. She also points out that we cannot go to the addict to get free of addiction, so we need help from our clear Self, or as the Course calls it, the Holy Spirit. This is why I do my part, that is I notice what is happening and I choose differently. Then I allow my Higher Self or the Holy Spirit, to do Its part and liberate me from the body identification.

© 2018, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.