Together, We Light the Way

Click link to go to:
Together We Light the Way Index

Study of Text, Chapter 12, VII.Looking Within, P 6. 3-31-16

VII. Looking Within, P 6

6 I am the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and when you see me it will be because you have invited Him. For He will send you His witnesses if you will but look upon them. Remember always that you see what you seek, for what you seek you will find. The ego finds what it seeks, and only that. It does not find love, for that is not what it is seeking. Yet seeking and finding are the same, and if you seek for two goals you will find them, but you will recognize neither. You will think they are the same because you want both of them. The mind always strives for integration, and if it is split and wants to keep the split, it will still believe it has one goal by making it seem to be one.

Journal

No wonder we live in such confusion. This paragraph made me think of the ever elusive “love.” Through our real mind we seek for love. Through our ego mind we do not want love. So we seek and do not find. Of course. What else could happen? We seek love and find neediness. We tell ourselves that we were seeking love and so neediness must be love. Our love songs sing praises to it. “I need you so much. I can’t live without you.” Not really songs of love, but songs of ego. Only our minds can’t tell the difference because we have tried to integrate opposite goals.

When we are ready for the truth, we begin the search for love in the only place we will find it; we look within. We are the love we seek and until we recognize this, we will fail to find love. Once we recognize that love has found us, and there is no other place to look, we will see love everywhere. We will be in love with everyone and all things. There will be no place where love is not. This is true because our mind is no longer split. We have one goal and so we seek one thing and what we seek we will find.

I can talk about this because I have had glimpses of it, not enough to discuss it further, but just enough to know this is true. Now I spend all my time recognizing goals that are not love and changing my mind about my desire for them. For instance, I think that I need my daughter to spend time with me. I think I need my son to be something different. I think I need my friend to agree with me. Then I will feel loved.

Ha ha ha. This is not love no matter how the ego argues for it. I watch for that kind of confusion in my mind, and I give it to the Holy Spirit to correct. This is how my mind is healed and my vision made singular. One goal assures success. It is in this way, I will soon reach such clarity about what I want that I will ask for only the one thing. I will no longer obscure the love that is waiting for me to acknowledge it.

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12, VII.Looking Within, P 5. 3-30-16

VII. Looking Within, P 5

5 You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite. Your perception is the result of your invitation, coming to you as you sent for it. Whose manifestations would you see? Of whose presence would you be convinced? For you will believe in what you manifest, and as you look out so will you see in. Two ways of looking at the world are in your mind, and your perception will reflect the guidance you have chosen.

Journal


Jesus says that I will manifest what I want and I will believe in what I manifest. It is another way of saying that I will look within and project what I see there onto the world. Then I will look at the world and say, “See, I knew it was true.” This is why I never look at my manifestation and pray for another different one. I look at my manifestation to see what is in my mind, and then ask that my mind be healed. In that way I heal the source of the problem.

Another way to say this is that I use the world to show me if I am thinking with ego or thinking with Holy Spirit. This is why we can change the world as we change our thoughts, and in fact, must change the world as we change our thoughts. The world is the reflection of our thoughts. This would seem impossible, but it is actually very simple, and even easy when we become convinced that we want to see a forgiven world rather than a vengeful one.

The reason it is simple is that we are always manifesting as we are guided to do. Whose guidance are we listening to? If we are listening to the ego we will believe that we are separate and alone and must guard against all others. We must protect and defend and that means we must attack when we think we are attacked. Or better yet, we must go on the offensive and attack first.

Have you ever had an imaginary conversation in your mind with someone you think might attack you, and in the conversation you get the upper hand? Nothing has happened, you have not been attacked and maybe never will be. But, hey, you have already won the battle and the ego says that’s the way to go. If it keeps you in anxiety, the ego says that’s good. You need to be on the defensive.

The Holy Spirit has guidance that is completely differently. He says we are not separate and therefore not vulnerable. He says we are holy and we are in God and part of God, and cannot be hurt. He guides us to surrender to this reality and we will experience only love and gladness. He says it is safe to disarm, and in fact, He says that it is in our defenselessness our safety lies, because it is this constant defense that is scaring us.

So when I have those imaginary conversations now, I turn from them and ask the Holy Spirit to remove those fear based thoughts from my mind. If this imagined attack occurs and there is something to say, I will be told what that is. From this place of certainty I will feel safe and the “attack” will not frighten me. I will see the call for love and will gladly answer it. Why wouldn’t I?

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12: VII. Looking Within, P 4. 3-28-16

VII. Looking Within, P4
4 You cannot see the Holy Spirit, but you can see His manifestations. And unless you do, you will not realize He is there. Miracles are His witnesses, and speak for His Presence. What you cannot see becomes real to you only through the witnesses that speak for it. For you can be aware of what you cannot see, and it can become compellingly real to you as its presence becomes manifest through you. Do the Holy Spirit’s work, for you share in His function. As your function in Heaven is creation, so your function on earth is healing. God shares His function with you in Heaven, and the Holy Spirit shares His with you on earth. As long as you believe you have other functions, so long will you need correction. For this belief is the destruction of peace, a goal in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit’s purpose.

Journal
In Heaven my function is Creation, which I share with God. Healing is my function here in time and space. I share this function with the Holy Spirit. So it becomes my work here to clear the way for the Holy Spirit to do His healing work through me. I do this as I allow Him to heal my mind of untrue thoughts. My mind can be very dark if I allow ego thoughts to proliferate, but as I notice these thoughts and ask that they be removed, the mind is light and in this light the Holy Spirit works Its miracles.

As I see His manifestations in my life, He becomes as real to me as the world used to be. It’s funny to see this change. I used to believe in the world and doubt Divinity and now it is completely reversed. I was speaking to someone about miracles this weekend. He sees what I see but interprets it differently. Things that clearly reverse the laws of the world leave him unimpressed. He sees each one as having some “logical” explanation, even if he can’t find that explanation. We see what we want to see.

I suppose that is why we each have to experience the miracles ourselves. I have to open my mind and allow the Holy Spirit to work miracles through me if I want to know the Holy Spirit exists in me. It is not enough that I see someone else believes in miracles or even experiences them.  It must be my experience to be real to me.

I have seen things in my own life that were beyond the laws of the world, physical healings, for instance. But the miracles that astound me and convince me are the healings of my mind. Sometimes it requires time for me to accept and thus allow these healings to be manifested through me, and sometimes it is instantaneous. As they occur more often, I become more convinced and thus more accepting, and the idea of the Holy Spirit, and healing and miracles becomes as dependable and as expected as gravity. Gratitude has become the ocean I swim in daily.

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12: VII. Looking Within, P 3. 3-23-16

VII. Looking Within, P 3
3 The Holy Spirit is invisible, but you can see the results of His Presence, and through them you will learn that He is there. What He enables you to do is clearly not of this world, for miracles violate every law of reality as this world judges it. Every law of time and space, of magnitude and mass is transcended, for what the Holy Spirit enables you to do is clearly beyond all of them. Perceiving His results, you will understand where He must be, and finally know what He is.

Journal
When people experience their awakening, they say that they see the world entirely differently.  Fear falls away and they no longer see guilt, but only love.  That is surely a miracle! I have not yet experienced that miracle. However, I have witnessed the results of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life.

I have experienced pain disappear because the Holy Spirit healed my mind at my request. I have seen injuries heal quickly and without pain, and I am sure it would have been instantaneous if I had been ready for that. I have watched as time slowed down because I needed it to do so and called on Jesus to adjust time for me. I have witnessed anger, fear, and guilt dissolve so completely that I could not remember what they felt like.

I have read about miracles in the lives of others. Anita Moorjani talks about her miraculous experience in Dying to Be Me. It is a well documented story and is the work of the Holy Spirit making clear His presence. Jan Frazier shares her story of fear falling away in such a dramatic way that we cannot miss the miracle of it. I have talked to several people who witnessed the dead returning to life at a workshop given by Nouk Sanchez. And she has shared healing miracles that occurred to her personally.

When our minds are healed we experience the presence of the Holy Spirit and we know that It is real. The Holy Spirit is an invisible power but a very real power, and that power is made manifest in the world through our acceptance of the Atonement. We can’t see gravity, but we know it is there because we stay grounded to the earth. We can’t see love but we know it is real when we look at our children. We don’t see the Holy Spirit, but we know He exists because He enables us to transcend the laws of the world.

The world is an illusion, but it doesn’t seem like an illusion. It feels very real to us. Its laws seem immutable. It may not, in reality, matter what happens in this illusion, it is important, I think, to allow the miracle to express within the illusion. It is in this way we make visible the invisible, and we become convinced that the Holy Spirit in us exists. It is not a miracle that the world changes, the miracle is the change of mind that creates the appearance of change. The change itself is merely the manifestation of the miracle, but it is a powerful effect as it witnesses to the existence of your power being used for healing.

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12, VII. Looking Within, P 2. 3-23-16

VII. Looking Within, P 2
2 Everyone in the world must play his part in its redemption, in order to recognize that the world has been redeemed. You cannot see the invisible. Yet if you see its effects you know it must be there. By perceiving what it does, you recognize its being. And by what it does, you learn what it is. You cannot see your strengths, but you gain confidence in their existence as they enable you to act. And the results of your actions you can see.

Journal
I must play my part in the redemption of the world. My part is essential. I think of it as a vast tapestry that encompasses all of the world. My part in the weaving of this tapestry is very tiny, but if I don’t do it, there will be hole in the tapestry. So that I must do it is not in question. But what is my part? My part is to accept the Atonement for myself.

In this story of Myron that appears as looking at the situations that make up my life here, recognizing that they represent beliefs in my mind. I then allowing the mistaken beliefs to be healed. Sounds simple enough, and it is simple, but there are times when it has felt hard. In fact there are times when I didn’t understand it, and times when it has felt like I couldn’t do it.

But when my faith in myself has faltered, I have believe in Jesus. I believed he gave us the Course as a way to understand and as a carefully planned system to help us accept the Atonement. So I kept going. I kept trying to accept the Atonement, and trusted that it was working even when I felt inadequate to the task. I didn’t see my own strength and had trouble believing in it.

Over time, though, I have experienced the healing that Jesus promised in the Course. Even though it is not complete yet, I see from the results I have experienced so far, that it will be done as he said it would be. So I am gaining certainty in my strength even though that strength is not always apparent. I am gaining certainty because the healing of my mind is the effect of that strength and so it convinces me that what I cannot always see is, indeed, there.

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12, VII.Looking Within, P 1. 3-22-16

VII. Looking Within, P 1

1 Miracles demonstrate that learning has occurred under the right guidance, for learning is invisible and what has been learned can be recognized only by its results. Its generalization is demonstrated as you use it in more and more situations. You will recognize that you have learned there is no order of difficulty in miracles when you apply them to all situations. There is no situation to which miracles do not apply, and by applying them to all situations you will gain the real world. For in this holy perception you will be made whole, and the Atonement will radiate from your acceptance of it for yourself to everyone the Holy Spirit sends you for your blessing. In every child of God His blessing lies, and in your blessing of the children of God is His blessing to you.

Journal

The first thing I always have to do when reading about miracles is to separate in my mind the difference between a miracle and a demonstration of a miracle, or the physical manifestation of a miracle. For instance, I have been working on my mind in regards to the body size. I want this body to be smaller. I want to turn around and look into the mirror and see a smaller me. Now that would be a miracle, right?

No. That would simply be the physical manifestation of a miracle. The miracle would be the change in the mind that allowed a change in the world. Here is the miracle I am really looking for. I want to look in the mirror and see a body I use for only one purpose and that is to be the communication device the Holy Spirit needs it to be. I want to see a body that is used only to light the world with love and innocence. Now that would be a miracle, and one I expect!

When I reach my expectation and I use this body only as the vehicle for extending love, will it be a skinny body? How about a pretty body while we are at it? A healthy body, an energetic body? I have noticed a shift in my thoughts about the body as I have continued my practice of miracle minded thinking. I notice that there is still the ego desire to use the body for its own purposes, but I also notice an equal if not greater desire to relinquish the body to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said that he would take the body and the ego if we want him to. He will do this so that we could see their unimportance. This is what I want more than I want to be smaller or prettier or anything else. I want to be free of these ego “wantings.” I want to be free of all that stands between me and my God. I want to be free of this veil that hides the light I am from my own awareness and so keeps me from being the light of the world.

This is the miracle I want. I want to be single-minded in all things, to know only one desire, one purpose, one function. From this miracle all others will flow. I don’t know how this will manifest within the world, and I am ready, perhaps fully ready, to disregard all ego desires for a particular manifestation. I know that I will not be asked to sacrifice, but how that occurs is not something I need to even think about.

I am ready for this, not because I think I am guilty for what the ego mind wants, but because the ego desires distract me from what truly matters to me. As I fully release the body and the ego to Jesus, I become free of anxiety about them. What happens at that point is not my business, and I discover that while this is not complete in me, I am losing interest in directing the miracle. I will for the miracle of a changed mind, and I allow for its manifestation in whatever way it unfolds. And amen to that!

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Study of Text, Chapter 12: VI. The Vision of Christ, P 7. 3-21-16

VI. The Vision of Christ, P 7
7 What is one cannot be perceived as separate, and the denial of the separation is the reinstatement of knowledge. At the altar of God, the holy perception of God’s Son becomes so enlightened that light streams into it, and the spirit of God’s Son shines in the Mind of the Father and becomes one with it. Very gently does God shine upon Himself, loving the extension of Himself that is His Son. The world has no purpose as it blends into the purpose of God. For the real world has slipped quietly into Heaven, where everything eternal in it has always been. There the Redeemer and the redeemed join in perfect love of God and of each other. Heaven is your home, and being in God it must also be in you.

Journal
Over the last few days the ego has not found very much in my mind to hold onto, because my mind has been very clear. So last night when it found a guilty thought it made the most of it, bringing it to my attention first thing this morning and building on it as I went about my business. Very quickly the ego works to break down all that I have gained, encouraging doubt and uncertainty, inflating the little guilty thought into an unforgivable sin. The ego mind is not my real mind, but it is fully dedicated to separation and never wavers from its intent, and it works diligently to convince me that it is my only self.

But my will is the Will of God and cannot be distorted unless that is my choice. I am under no laws but God’s and cannot be governed by an alien will. Today’s paragraph is a powerful reminder of my true Self. I bring the guilty thought, this nothing of a thought, to the altar, my gift to God. In the light of God I easily ignore the ego interpretation of what this thought means, and accept that I am, with God, the light of the world. In the story the character I dream about gets confused and worries and frets and acts out of fear and guilt. But I am not that. I am the extension of God and I am loved by my Creator.

I stand at the altar this morning, and I surrender self to Him, as I dedicate this day to His Will. And He simply loves me. I am overwhelmed. I am crying. Where is guilt now? What meaning can guilt have in the face of such power and such love? What meaning the world? “Very gently does God shine upon Himself, loving the extension of Himself that is His Son.” And tears turn to laughter as I take this in. I am the extension of God. What influence can the ego mind have over the extension of God?

I had a problem once, for a brief instant of time, and the Father answered that problem. He placed the solution in my mind, next to the problem where I could always find it when I was ready for it. In my imagination I had conceived of a plan to experience myself different than reality.

I saw myself as if I were separate from Love and watched that unfold into an imaginary world of separation. I have remained perfectly safe as I have experienced this strange and impossible world. And all the time the solution remains in my mind waiting for my acceptance. I accept the solution now. I welcome it gladly and as I do so I am awakening from this strange dream. Thank you, God. I love you, God.

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this article.
Printable Page

Page 1 of 3 pages  1 2 3 > 

<< Back to main page of Together, We Light the Way

Has this page been helpful to you?
Your contribution to support this site is greatly appreciated. To make a tax deductible contribution with a credit/debit card, click here.
Click here to donate from your PayPal account.
Or send a check to Pathways of Light, 12530 Lions Chase Court, Huntley, IL 60142.

Free Online Resources

Electronic "Magazine"Sign up to receive periodic emails with thoughts to ponder, inspirational articles and the latest news.

Subscribe to daily emails of Workbook Lesson Insights.

ACIM Text Made Simple — answers to hundreds of questions about the Text. Click here.

Daily Inspiration Blog — Thoughts to inspire your day. Click here.

Inspiring journals by Pathways of Light ministers applying the principles of ACIM. Click here.

Miracles News — hundreds of inspiring miracle stories. Click here.
 

We'd Like to Hear from You

Request Free Printed Program & Product Catalog

Or call 1-800-323-7284 (US & Canada) or 386-615-7284.

Click here to email your questions.

United Kingdom: Click here to email your questions about Pathways of Light in the UK or call +44 (0) 207 7262 0209.

Give us your feedback or report site problems.
 

Pathways Ministers Audio/Videos

ACIM Spiritual Counselor Training

Inspired by the principles presented in A Course in Miracles, this ministry training focuses on accepting the mind healing that is guided by the Teacher within, the Holy Spirit. As our minds are healed, we become Holy Spirit’s instruments of healing. For more information click here.
 

ACIM Practitioner Courses

If you would like a deeper understanding of key principles of A Course in Miracles, the 24 Pathways of Light ACIM Practitioner courses provide a complete, multimedia package to help you make ACIM principles a ready resource to call upon in your mind throughout your day. Click here for more information.
 

Featured Items

Minister training based on A Course in Miracles Spiritual Counselor Training — based on principles of A Course in Miracles, including ordination. More….

Hey, Holy Spirit,
It's Me Again Hey, Holy Spirit, It's Me Again by Rev. Myron Jones. An indispensable guide for anyone on the path of ACIM with insights on the 1st 90 lessons. More….

Tru Eternal Life and A Course in Miracles by Jon Mundy, Phd. A Path to Eternity in the Essential Text. Learn more.

True Forgiveness True Forgiveness by Rev. Jennifer McSween. The Proven Path from Pain to Power in 5 Simple Steps. Learn more.

Listen & Receive 30-Day Home Study Listen & Receive 30-Day Home Study Learn to receive insight for your life in a form that is perfect for you …heal fears, find joy & peace. Learn more.

Minister training based on A Course in Miracles Spiritual Counselor Training — based on principles of A Course in Miracles, including ordination. More….

Miracles Practitioner courses24 ACIM Practitioner courses including 50-page study guide, CD's with facilitator. More….

Tru Live Your Happy by Rev. Maria Felipe. A real-world approach to living happily, based on A Course in Miracles. Learn more.

From the Christ Mind From the Christ Mind scribed by Darrell Morley Price. A simple, yet profound message that you can immediately apply to current circumstances. More….

Forgiving KevinForgiving Kevin Audio book by Rev. Larry Glenz. A moving and inspiring true story of a father/son relationship that withstood seven years of addiction, recovery, and relapse. More….

Healing Family
RelationshipsHealing Family Relationships Applying the Principles of A Course in Miracles 6 CD audio book by Rev. Myron Jones. Learn how family relationships offer fertile grounds for forgiveness and healing your judgments of the world. More.