Mini Musings

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Mini Musings

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 389

Epilogue

The regimen of our daily lesson has come to its pre-ordained conclusion. We have had a solid year of opportunities to realize how great God's love is for us, how holy we are and how important our role is in transforming the world.

Despite all the great wisdom we have imbibed in our year long journey, our Brother knows we have just begun our lifting-of-the-weight-of-the-world from our shoulders. Now that we have a solid foundation in the principles that will guide our path from now on, we can continue our travels through time, consciously dropping the ego's hand and inviting the Holy Spirit to be by our side.

This will be as easy or as difficult as we decide it should be. From this time forward we do not fool ourself that anyone else is to blame for what we see in the world. We take full responsibility, not to find fault with ourself, but to quicken the time it takes to rectify a misperception in our mind.

We have learned that we must first accept responsibility for what we perceive before we can then ask for its correction. We cannot be coerced. We freely and gladly choose to submit our sufferings to One Who has only our happiness and peace in mind. Knowing His Love is ever-present will help us through the rough spots we will still encounter in our quest for God's peace and joy.

I have tread this path for 30+ years, growing more and more peaceful as i have learned to call upon my beloved Helper and Friend more and more frequently. I know He is with me whenever i choose to allow His presence to fill my mind. And i am certain that He will never leave me comfortless.

May His peace and joy fulfil your greatest expectations.

Together, let us say,
Amen


godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 388

With these last lessons we bring our intensive study with the Workbook to a close. That we have come this far, past all the minefields set up by the ego to blow us back to its domain, is cause for great joy in Heaven. One of Its own has remembered that hir rightful place is beside the Source of all Being and is working with concentrated focus to complete hir return.

This is accomplished by our choice to forgive the world, thereby setting our Self free. It has been said time and again, in many different ways, that our only function is salvation. We are here to heal the rift between us and God which only exists in our separated mind.

We repatriate the right mind very simply. In each encounter, in every interaction with a sibling, we need only remember that one purpose carries us both to the goal of God's peace. Keeping our shared purpose as one with our Source in mind will naturally attract the beneficence of miracles and the forgiveness they engender.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" said Jesus as the only Son of God in the gospel of John. Our Brother Jesus tells us in his workbook that ALL OUR SIBLINGS ARE THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE because each one is the reflection of the Son of God in this world, whether they recognize it or not. It is merely up to us to see their reality so that we may know our own.
 Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 365
 This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

       "Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols.  They are thus twice removed from reality." (M21.1)

With these ideas in mind, let us spend our lesson time expressing the prayer of our heart to Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and rest in the certainty of Their devotion and love for us. We will be given everything we need to attain our goal, of that we can be sure.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 387

With these last lessons we bring our intensive study with the Workbook to a close. That we have come this far, past all the minefields set up by the ego to blow us back to its domain, is cause for great joy in Heaven. One of Its own has remembered that hir rightful place is beside the Source of all Being and is working with concentrated focus to complete hir return.

This is accomplished by our choice to forgive the world, thereby setting our Self free. It has been said time and again, in many different ways, that our only function is salvation. We are here to heal the rift between us and God which only exists in our separated mind.

We repatriate the right mind very simply. In each encounter, in every interaction with a sibling, we need only remember that one purpose carries us both to the goal of God's peace. Keeping our shared purpose as one with our Source in mind will naturally attract the beneficence of miracles and the forgiveness they engender.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" said Jesus as the only Son of God in the gospel of John. Our Brother Jesus tells us in his workbook that ALL OUR SIBLINGS ARE THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE because each one is the reflection of the Son of God in this world, whether they recognize it or not. It is merely up to us to see their reality so that we may know our own.
 Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 364
 This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

       "Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols.  They are thus twice removed from reality." (M21.1)

With these ideas in mind, let us spend our lesson time expressing the prayer of our heart to Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and rest in the certainty of Their devotion and love for us. We will be given everything we need to attain our goal, of that we can be sure.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 386

With these last lessons we bring our intensive study with the Workbook to a close. That we have come this far, past all the minefields set up by the ego to blow us back to its domain, is cause for great joy in Heaven. One of Its own has remembered that hir rightful place is beside the Source of all Being and is working with concentrated focus to complete hir return.

This is accomplished by our choice to forgive the world, thereby setting our Self free. It has been said time and again, in many different ways, that our only function is salvation. We are here to heal the rift between us and God which only exists in our separated mind.

We repatriate the right mind very simply. In each encounter, in every interaction with a sibling, we need only remember that one purpose carries us both to the goal of God's peace. Keeping our shared purpose as one with our Source in mind will naturally attract the beneficence of miracles and the forgiveness they engender.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" said Jesus as the only Son of God in the gospel of John. Our Brother Jesus tells us in his workbook that ALL OUR SIBLINGS ARE THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE because each one is the reflection of the Son of God in this world, whether they recognize it or not. It is merely up to us to see their reality so that we may know our own.
 Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 363
 This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

       "Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols.  They are thus twice removed from reality." (M21.1)

With these ideas in mind, let us spend our lesson time expressing the prayer of our heart to Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and rest in the certainty of Their devotion and love for us. We will be given everything we need to attain our goal, of that we can be sure.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 385

With these last five lessons we bring our intensive study with the Workbook to a close. That we have come this far, past all the minefields set up by the ego to blow us back to its domain, is cause for great joy in Heaven. One of Its own has remembered that hir rightful place is beside the Source of all Being and is working with concentrated focus to complete hir return.

This is accomplished by our choice to forgive the world, thereby setting our Self free. It has been said time and again, in many different ways, that our only function is salvation. We are here to heal the rift between us and God which only exists in our separated mind.

We repatriate the right mind very simply. In each encounter, in every interaction with a sibling, we need only remember that one purpose carries us both to the goal of God's peace. Keeping our shared purpose as one with our Source in mind will naturally attract the beneficence of miracles and the forgiveness they engender.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" said Jesus as the only Son of God in the gospel of John. Our Brother Jesus tells us in his workbook that ALL OUR SIBLINGS ARE THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE because each one is the reflection of the Son of God in this world, whether they recognize it or not. It is merely up to us to see their reality so that we may know our own.
 Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 362
 This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

       "Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols.  They are thus twice removed from reality." (M21.1)

With these ideas in mind, let us spend our lesson time expressing the prayer of our heart to Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and rest in the certainty of Their devotion and love for us. We will be given everything we need to attain our goal, of that we can be sure.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 384

With these last five lessons we bring our intensive study with the Workbook to a close. That we have come this far, past all the minefields set up by the ego to blow us back to its domain, is cause for great joy in Heaven. One of Its own has remembered that hir rightful place is beside the Source of all Being and is working with concentrated focus to complete hir return.

This is accomplished by our choice to forgive the world, thereby setting our Self free. It has been said time and again, in many different ways, that our only function is salvation. We are here to heal the rift between us and God which only exists in our separated mind.

We repatriate the right mind very simply. In each encounter, in every interaction with a sibling, we need only remember that one purpose carries us both to the goal of God's peace. Keeping our shared purpose as one with our Source in mind will naturally attract the beneficence of miracles and the forgiveness they engender.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" said Jesus as the only Son of God in the gospel of John. Our Brother Jesus tells us in his workbook that ALL OUR SIBLINGS ARE THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE because each one is the reflection of the Son of God in this world, whether they recognize it or not. It is merely up to us to see their reality so that we may know our own.
 Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.

Lesson 361
 This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

       "Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols.  They are thus twice removed from reality." (M21.1)

With these ideas in mind, let us spend our lesson time expressing the prayer of our heart to Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and rest in the certainty of Their devotion and love for us. We will be given everything we need to attain our goal, of that we can be sure.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 383

We are in the home stretch with these last few lessons. We have been working diligently to comprehend the many terms and concepts of our Course.
We now understand that the meanings we knew for words like God, ego, sin, guilt, fear, salvation, forgiveness, happiness and so on, have been given new definitions in this metaphysical program.
We have been taught that there is no death, that we are God's holy creation, that everything we see with our eyes is an image we have made up, that separation from our Creator is an illusion, to name a few.
Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 360
 Peace be to me, the holy Son of God.
Peace to my brother, who is one with me.
Let all the world be blessed with peace through us.
 
"Amen" is the last note in the song of prayer. For over a year we have been fervently praying to God through the medium of our lessons. Hopefully we have laughed, cried, gotten angry, felt guilty, been confused, experienced miracles and expanded our consciousness to include all our siblings, if only for a precious moment. Yet in that moment, in a place out of time, we have glimpsed our true nature as God's holy creation.

Today's lesson is the last one in the form we have become accustomed to using since we began Part II with lesson 231.These have been our sacred time with our brother Jesus who spoke for us to our Source. We have learned of his endless love for us as he walks with us through every lesson in our Workbook and in our life, never commanding, always supporting and guiding.

He has been helping us to relinquish the dream of separation we manifested in our mistaken belief that our Creator was angry with us. We have confronted our guilt, our anger, our feelings of victimhood, our righteous indignation at the unfairness of our life, our unrealistic expectations, our disappointment with our 'special ones', and all the other contrivances of the ego to keep us firmly in its grasp.

With the Holy Spirit's gentle guidance we have been practicing forgiveness which is the reflection of God's Love in this world. The fog is lifting and we are beginning to see how our choices have been clouded by our decision to walk in the rain. Now the Son peeks through the clouds of doubt and fills our vision with the light of Heaven's reason and beauty

Our Course is not asking us to throw down our bodily experience and leap into heaven. It is simply requesting that we be "a little willing" to alter our thinking about who and what we are, and not without assistance. We have been given God's Voice to answer all our fears with understanding so that where we saw animosity or distrust we now see a call for love.

It is this call that we recognize in our self and our siblings as an opportunity to invite our Brother and the Holy Spirit to join us on our journey of return. Our passport is a miracle, our vehicle is true perception and our destination is the peace of God.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 382

We are in the home stretch with these last few lessons. We have been working diligently to comprehend the many terms and concepts of our Course.
We now understand that the meanings we knew for words like God, ego, sin, guilt, fear, salvation, forgiveness, happiness and so on, have been given new definitions in this metaphysical program.
We have been taught that there is no death, that we are God's holy creation, that everything we see with our eyes is an image we have made up, that separation from our Creator is an illusion, to name a few.
Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 359
 God's answer is some form of peace. All pain
Is healed; all misery replaced with joy.
All prison doors are opened. And all sin
Is understood as merely a mistake.


How do you feel when you are told that you are wrong? If you are listening from the ego (or separated) part of your mind you will be annoyed if not insulted and defensive. Nobody enjoys being criticized. We naturally take umbrage at being told we are not the wise, intelligent being we consider ourself to be. We want to believe that every opinion we express is spot-on. Having our bubble burst is painful and disorienting.

Yet here is our Course, telling us that we "have misunderstood all things"! This is certainly not the first time we've heard this from our Teacher. Many stopped reading the Course the first time He mentioned it. But we are still here at the very end of the lessons and are still being told we are wrong! The ego, always a sucker for punishment, will consider this abuse.

However, we are still here. We may be struggling, wandering off the path frequently, forgetting Who we are most of the time, yet we are still studying because we have let a chink of light into our mind. We have begun to entertain the notion that everything we believed about the world and our place in it, must be untrue because we are suffering here, and God, being a loving Creator, would never cause His creations pain.

Thus, the false ideas that have brought us to our knees have not been a 'gift from God' but instead, a choice we made, based on false premises. This is very good news though, because our lessons teach that we have not sinned but merely made mistakes. Sins are indelible but mistakes are correctable. If God caused us to sin, then sinners we would be until He decided otherwise. But if we are the cause of our mistakes then we can recognize the error and correct it with the help of God's Voice.

With our new perception, born of the miracles that are correcting our mistakes, we can celebrate our new-found clarity of mind and never look back on the fallacy of our previous thoughts. The prison doors are indeed opening, and we are free to remember that sin is not real because God did not create it. With a great sigh of relief we now can recall Who we are.


Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 381

We are in the home stretch with these last few lessons. We have been working diligently to comprehend the many terms and concepts of our Course.
We now understand that the meanings we knew for words like God, ego, sin, guilt, fear, salvation, forgiveness, happiness and so on, have been given new definitions in this metaphysical program.
We have been taught that there is no death, that we are God's holy creation, that everything we see with our eyes is an image we have made up, that separation from our Creator is an illusion, to name a few.
Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 358
 No call to God, can be unheard nor left
Unanswered. And of this I can be sure;
His answer is the one I really want.

We cannot hear God's answer if we are unwilling to listen. We may say we want to hear His Voice but complain that we never hear it. Today's lesson confirms that all requests are answered so if we don't hear it must be because our ego is blocking the communication.

Many years ago when i was studying with my first teacher Paul, he spoke about this topic. One of the women in the group responded by telling us how she asked for the Holy Spirit's guidance and what she heard didn't sound right so she asked again. She heard the same answer as before and again discounted it as her ego. Then she asked again, saying, "Tell me something else so i know it's really You."

We all laughed because we could see what she refused to see--She was given guidance that she didn't want to acknowledge so she didn't believe she was getting guidance from H.S. I have learned to recognize that when i ask and seem not to hear His Voice it is because i am not ready to be peaceful at the moment. Then i say, "In Your time, not mine." and let it go.

God's answer is always waiting, ready for us when we are ready to accept our Self as God created us. That is the purpose of the miracle--to show us the truth in our mind regardless of the ego's attempts to blot it out. Our work here is to encourage miracles by consciously opening our mind to listen without judgment.

It is easy to say this but not so easy for us to do. We've invested a tremendous amount of energy into the ego and 'love' what we have made. To toss it out as a bad job flies in the face of the ego's pride of ownership. Doing the lessons helps us weaken the hold of the ego on our mind by teaching us in our quiet time, that the ego is not our friend. And in fact, it is our allegiance to the ego that is causing all our suffering.

In our ego we cannot know what is best for us because the ego's goal is to keep us separate from others. This can never lead to harmony and joy. It's 'guidance' will always assure us that we are being taken advantage of, and need to protect ourself against future attacks.

Yet we have the power to side-step the ego's suggestions in favor of H.S. All it takes is the willingness to be wrong, to step back and entertain the possibility that we can't make right decisions on our own because we aren't meant to be alone. The only right answer is the one that helps us see the sinlessness in our siblings and in ourself so that we can then realize I AM ONE WITH MY SOURCE.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

A Year with A Course in Miracles Workbook Day 380

We are in the home stretch with these last few lessons. We have been working diligently to comprehend the many terms and concepts of our Course.
We now understand that the meanings we knew for words like God, ego, sin, guilt, fear, salvation, forgiveness, happiness and so on, have been given new definitions in this metaphysical program.
We have been taught that there is no death, that we are God's holy creation, that everything we see with our eyes is an image we have made up, that separation from our Creator is an illusion, to name a few.
Having stayed the Course thus far, we are ready to commit, with ever greater dedication, to uncovering our True Self. May these last priceless pearls of divine wisdom seep into the very core of our being, releasing what has never been imprisoned.
Lesson 357
 Truth answers every call we make to God,
Responding first with miracles, and then
Returning unto us to be itself.

Today i just finished watching Devil's Advocate, a marvelously acted movie
with Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. Reeves plays the country lawyer who has never lost a trial. A NY mega law firm makes him an offer and he takes it. His rise to the top is meteoric. Soon he's living in a huge apartment on Central Park West and giving his wife all the money she wants to fix it up. His vanity and self-centeredness prevent him from seeing how his marriage is falling apart. He refuses to heed his mother's pleas to come home.

Pacino is the head of the firm. Soon we learn that he is the devil incarnate, tempting Keanu with all the trappings of power and wealth. Yet, all along the way, Pacino points out to Reeves that he can back off, turn away, make another choice. In fact, Pacino orders him to drop a case and tend to his ailing wife. The lust for power has seized Keanu and he refuses to leave the case. His wife ends up with a nervous breakdown and kills herself (or so we believe).

In Course terms, Pacino as the devil, is the projection of Keanu's split mind which believes there are choices to make between good and evil, and he can figure out which one is good. But because he in not in his right mind, his choices are all ego based and therefore destructive.

 All hell breaks loose and in a crescendo of horror, finally Keanu does turn his back on temptation. Like the ego, the devil has no power unless we give it to him. There's another twist to the story which i won't divulge because i recommend you see this excellent movie.

The point the story makes and one our course teaches too, is that we must remain vigilant for God at all times otherwise we are automatically choosing the ego as guide. Each time we face a crossroads (and they arrive with regular frequency every day), we have the opportunity to ask our right mind, where the Holy Spirit resides, for a miracle, a change of perception, so that forgiveness dawns in our mind.

Forgiveness is Truth's reflection because it shows us the love that was always there but we couldn't see because we had covered it over with ego desires in which no love can exist, as in Keanu's striving for the glamour of power. Ego always separates and True Love always joins. Our forgiveness returns the truth of Love's presence in our holy mind.

Dear Brother Jesus, we are lifted by Your love. Every fiber of our being vibrates with a song of joy as we feel Your Being accompanying us along our path. We are growing in harmony, unity and happiness with each gift of forgiveness we offer. We give thanks for Your unconditional caring and concern.
godislove

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