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April-June, 2012

Ghosts, Monsters, Dragons and Police Officers

by Joanne Kraenzle Schneider, Ph.D., O.M.C. and Don Carver, Ph.D.

Just one and one-half miles from my home, there is a parking lot where I meet my running buddies. I drive this street nearly every day. A couple of days ago I was on my way to meet two of my running buddies. The sun was shining bright and the temperature was moderate. I was singing Neil Young’s “old man take a look at my life…” with the radio. Life was good and then when I was just about at the lot, out of the corner of my eye, a police car pulled out of its parking spot. Yup, busted! I pulled into the lot as usual as he pulled in behind me with his lights flashing and my running buddies standing there in their florescent yellow jackets with big grins on their faces. Busted again!

You know how the rest goes. I got a ticket for doing 43 in a 30. The police officer was nice and didn’t bust me for not having my driver’s license. The police officer was all business and did his job. Then we took off for our run.

Two miles into the run, when ticket experience crossed my mind, I was surprised by such a heavy feeling in my chest. I wasn’t able to immediately label this emotion but I described the feeling to my running buddies who proceeded to ask questions. Responding to the questions I recognized that I valued money and that I was going to waste about $125. Getting the ticket also symbolized to me that I was not a good girl, not perfect.

I finished the run and drove home (slowly), showered, and decided to sit with the emotion for a while. But by then it had dissipated enough that I could not recreate it.

The next evening I discussed this situation and the emotion involved with a Course friend. He reminded me about the dynamics of the ego and referred to that section in the Course. “No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, for they cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego’s thought system because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since you realize you do not want it, you must be ready.” (T-11.V.1:1-3)

My Course friend pointed out that the Course encourages us to look at our illusion, hold it in the light, put it on the table, and look at it. In my situation, I needed to ask myself what was under this heavy feeling. My running buddies were instrumental at helping me do this. I said aloud what was under the heavy feeling. “And how else can one dispel illusions except by looking at them directly, without protecting them?” (T-11.V.2:2) My Course friend went on to point out that any feeling that comes up is an opportunity to examine it or it will come up again and we must first look at it to undo it. “Let us be very calm in doing this, for we are merely looking honestly for truth. The ‘dynamics’ of the ego will be our lesson for a while, for we must look first at this to see beyond it, since you have made it real. We will undo this error quietly together, and then look beyond it to truth.” (T-11.V.1:4-6)

Then, as good friends do, he challenged me by reiterating with emphasis, “We will undo this error quietly together…” (T-11.V.1:6) Whoa, that was eye opening to me, my second lesson from this experience. Only then was I aware that I had not immediately turned to Jesus (or the Holy Spirit or God) to ask for a change in my perception. “The Bible tells you to become as little children. Little children recognize that they do not understand what they perceive, and so they ask what it means. Do not make the mistake of believing that you understand what you perceive, for its meaning is lost to you. Yet the Holy Spirit has saved its meaning for you, and if you will let Him interpret it, He will restore to you what you have thrown away. Yet while you think you know its meaning, you will see no need to ask it of Him.” (T-11.VIII.2:1-5) That is where I was. I believed I had figured it out and dealt with the emotion. Therefore, I had no need to ask for help. I had dissipated the emotion and moved on.

“Children perceive frightening ghosts and monsters and dragons, and they are terrified. Yet if they ask someone they trust for the meaning of what they perceive, and are willing to let their own interpretations go in favor of reality, their fear goes with them. When a child is helped to translate his ‘ghost’ into a curtain, his ‘monster’ into a shadow, and his ‘dragon’ into a dream he is no longer afraid, and laughs happily at his own fear.” (T-11.VIII.13:1-3)

Holy Spirit, help me trust that you will change my perceptions.

Reinterpret how I see this experience and help me learn the lessons YOU want me to learn.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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