Chapter 1 The Meaning of Miracles
III Atonement and Miracles
Atonement is described as forgiving or pardoning a transgression. Basically God forgiving our sins. The reason that we come before God is that his part of the atonement is the cancelling out of all the errors that you could to otherwise correct.
"As you share my unwillingness to accept error in yourselves and others, you must join the great crusade to act to correct it. " I admit that I am not one that can be considered perfect. I admit with all sincerity that I am a work in progress. I like how this statement is not filled with fear or condemnation. It is simply a statement that you are expected to lose your way and make mistakes.....that is how life is but if you do you need to identify that and correct it. Simple. That is attainable where as I am a long shot from perfect.
"The power to work miracles belongs to you. I will provide the opportunities to do them, but you must be ready and willing. Miracles arise from a mind that is ready for them. " We are provided with many opportunities throughout the day to make positive change and to make a difference in our own lives and others. Look at these as everyday miracles. Seize the opportunity to truly listen to a brother or sister. Be present. Celebrate life. A walk on the beach at sunset with awaken your belief in miracles.
"You are the work of God, and His work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how man must think of himself." I love this statement. This is something I can work with. We all deserve to be loved and are lovable despite our imperfections. All of God's children are entitled to this regardless of your race, religion, sexual orientation, social or economic status or any other factors that could not possibly define us.
"When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and to me"
We are requested to provide others with acts of kindness. To begin our own path towards God and also to release others on their path. Forgiveness of self and others provides this release. We provide miracles by simply loving our brothers and sisters.
You respond to what you perceive , and as you perceive so shall you behave. The Golden rule asks you to do unto others as you should have them do unto you. This is a rule of appropriate behaviour. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of one family, as you perceive both so you will do to both.
A little about me:
Obinna is one of my greatest gifts. I have only come across a few truly enlightened people in my life and Obinna is one of them. His love is limitless, powerful and selfless. Obinna also provides with the best stories pertaining to love because the love vibrating from him is palpable. He shines really brightly. He might only be four but the wisdom that he holds is inspirational. I keep saying that he must be aware that he is divine because wisdom and love flow from his lips.
I have two Obinna stories to share with you. One occurred today. Obinna and I were speaking on the phone. He was telling me of a friend that he had visited. This woman had seriously wronged me in the past and although I have forgiven her for her indiscretion against me and my family I can honestly say that I have not come to a place where I could say that I loved her. I have never mentioned this to Obinna yet I sometimes feel that he knows what is in my heart. He was telling me what the two of them had done during the day when he suddenly stopped his conversation and simply said to me that I should try to love " this woman" because we are supposed to love everyone. I thanked him for his statement. It resonated with such truth that I needed to check myself. I told him that I am working on being more loving. I was a little taken aback by his statement due to the pure honesty in it. This four year old is right though. Regardless of the situation I should be projecting love onto my sister. We are here to just love one another and sometimes when we believe that a person has 'wronged' us we forget about love and focus on our hurt. So, I guess thanks to Obinna, I am busy trying to remove my blocks for loving this woman. It is easy to love those that love us. I find it a challenge to love those that have hurt me in some way. This woman has provided me with a fabulous opportunity to grow and I need to thank Obinna for recognizing that. I guess I am blessed to have him reminding me of who I truly am.
The second story happen a couple of days ago. Obinna and I are separated for a few weeks so that he can feel his fathers love for a period of time. During a phone conversation Obinna told me that while he was sitting in his room he could feel my love for him. He asked me if I could feel his love all the way in Vancouver. I made him aware of the fact that no matter where I was in the world our love for each other could always be felt because love is powerful. It is his perspective on life that makes me realize that some gifts are more special than others. Love is a very special gift.
Lesson Three
I do not understand anything that I see in this room.
The point of this exercise is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you really understand about them. It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgement, in selecting the things to which the idea for the day is applied.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Revelation, Time and Miracles
Revelation, Time and Miracles
Lesson 2
I have given everything that I see all the meaning that it has for me.
There is a blantantly obvious duality that is explored with the first two lessons. This lesson was a little more complex for me. Prior to starting lesson one I was clear that it was a lesson in detachment. I understood clearly after a few moments that I could not identify with the objects around me. It wasn't until the completion of lesson two that the power in the words resonated with me. Any value or meaning that I associate with the items around me....including my self I have projected that. I am what I chose to identify with. I guess you have to be mindlful of what you align yourself with.
I shape my reality and how I view what surrounds me is determined by me. My true divine self is free from my identification with objects. I can choose not to be influced by object referral. If I project meaning onto things then giving them a sense of external power. If I relinquish that control I can experience the freedom that my soul desires. Love wins over fear.
"You are free to beleive what you choose, and what you do attests to what you beleive. " Our lives are a reflection of our choices and beliefs. What you see in the world around you is a relfection of those beliefs.
"A miracle is a sign of love amoung equals. Equals should not be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. "
"My brother is entitled to love because he is a brother and devotion if he is devoted. " Love is our natural state. We were created in love and can ultimately choose to return to this blissful state. Simply stated we are entitled to love. Projecting love onto our brothers and sisters is natural. Obinna is the first person that I have personally encountered that attests his love for EVERYONE openly...and has since he could speak. I am blessed to him guide me on this path that is ultimately returning to love.
There is nothing that you cannot attain. I have nothing that does not come from God. The difference between us is that I have nothing else. This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you.
This reminds me of the law of pure potentiality that was mentioned by Deepak Chopra in his book the Spiritual Laws of success. It simply states that our true self is one of pure potential. and that when we align ourselves with the we have a true seat of power.
" The first spiritual law of success is the Law of Pure Potentiality. This law is based on the fact that we are, in our essential state, pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is pure potentiality; it is the field of all possibilities and infinite creativity. Pure consciousness is our spiritual essence. Being infinite and unbounded, it is also pure joy. Other attributes of consciousness are pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, invincibility, simplicity, and bliss. This is our essential nature. Our essential nature is one of pure potentiality.
When you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have, because you are the eternal possibility, the immeasurable potential of all that was, is, and will be. The Law of Pure Potentiality could also be called the Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is the unity of one all-pervasive spirit. There is no separation between you and this field of energy. The field of pure potentiality is your own Self. And the more you experience your true nature, the closer you are to the field of pure potentiality. " Deepak Chopra....The Seven Spiritual Laws.
Lesson 2
I have given everything that I see all the meaning that it has for me.
There is a blantantly obvious duality that is explored with the first two lessons. This lesson was a little more complex for me. Prior to starting lesson one I was clear that it was a lesson in detachment. I understood clearly after a few moments that I could not identify with the objects around me. It wasn't until the completion of lesson two that the power in the words resonated with me. Any value or meaning that I associate with the items around me....including my self I have projected that. I am what I chose to identify with. I guess you have to be mindlful of what you align yourself with.
I shape my reality and how I view what surrounds me is determined by me. My true divine self is free from my identification with objects. I can choose not to be influced by object referral. If I project meaning onto things then giving them a sense of external power. If I relinquish that control I can experience the freedom that my soul desires. Love wins over fear.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A course in Miracles Chapter 1-1
Chapter 1. The Meaning of Miracles : I. The Principles of Miracles
I guess we have to start somewhere and defining is the most logical step considering I am certain that not all miracles have the same packaging as the walking on water one preformed a few years ago.
'The source of miracles is God and they are naturally occurring expressions of love. Everything that comes from love is a miracle.'
' God's voice will direct you very specifically towards miracles.'
'Miracles are natural, when they do not occur then we are doing something wrong. Miracles are every ones right,. They are healing because they supply lack and are performed by those you temporarily have more for those you temporarily have less.'
'Miracles are an exchange. Like all expression of love, the exchange reverses the physical laws. They bring more love both to the giver and the receiver.'
'Prayer is the medium of miracles. It is a mean of communication of the created with the Creator, Through prayer love is received and through miracles love is expressed. '
'The miracle is never lost. It may touch people you have not even me, and produce undreamed of changes of situations you are not even aware of. '
'Miracles arise from a miraculous state of mind, or a state of miracle readiness.'
Lesson One
Nothing that I see means anything.
The exercise was one that all objects within my visual field was to be identified as not meaning anything. This exercise in detachment is not as easy as it seems. We place so much meaning on possessions and self. At times are identity is linked with our possessions or roles that we play. I generally don't define myself by material possessions but I have acquired them because to me they do represent something to me. A car represents an ability to get from point A to point B with ease. My clothes enable me to leave the house without getting arrested. The sounds and scents I surround myself with enhance my environment. I am sure that further exploration of the course will allow me to see this lesson in attachment for what it truly is.
Why do we identify with objects, roles and our physical self to such a degree. We generally see the worth in these items but tend to ignore our true authentic self and don't identify with or acknowledge the divinity within.
I guess we have to start somewhere and defining is the most logical step considering I am certain that not all miracles have the same packaging as the walking on water one preformed a few years ago.
'The source of miracles is God and they are naturally occurring expressions of love. Everything that comes from love is a miracle.'
' God's voice will direct you very specifically towards miracles.'
'Miracles are natural, when they do not occur then we are doing something wrong. Miracles are every ones right,. They are healing because they supply lack and are performed by those you temporarily have more for those you temporarily have less.'
'Miracles are an exchange. Like all expression of love, the exchange reverses the physical laws. They bring more love both to the giver and the receiver.'
'Prayer is the medium of miracles. It is a mean of communication of the created with the Creator, Through prayer love is received and through miracles love is expressed. '
'The miracle is never lost. It may touch people you have not even me, and produce undreamed of changes of situations you are not even aware of. '
'Miracles arise from a miraculous state of mind, or a state of miracle readiness.'
Lesson One
Nothing that I see means anything.
The exercise was one that all objects within my visual field was to be identified as not meaning anything. This exercise in detachment is not as easy as it seems. We place so much meaning on possessions and self. At times are identity is linked with our possessions or roles that we play. I generally don't define myself by material possessions but I have acquired them because to me they do represent something to me. A car represents an ability to get from point A to point B with ease. My clothes enable me to leave the house without getting arrested. The sounds and scents I surround myself with enhance my environment. I am sure that further exploration of the course will allow me to see this lesson in attachment for what it truly is.
Why do we identify with objects, roles and our physical self to such a degree. We generally see the worth in these items but tend to ignore our true authentic self and don't identify with or acknowledge the divinity within.
The beginning of a Course in Miracles
There are a few statements and ideas from the prologue that piqued my interest. Anything in quotations is a direct quote from The Course in Miracles and if there are just single quotes then I am basically paraphrasing.
'The world we see merely reflects from our internal frame of reference. Projection makes perception'. This statement is definitely one of those universal truths. We all shape our reality based on our experiences and emotional states of being. Our senses are merely directed by our neurological patterning based on what we have experienced to date. If we experience a shift in perspective and actually view the past differently then our view of the present will change and thus in turn shape our present reality.
'We look inside first, decide the world that we want to see and project it onto the outside world to make it truth. ' I speak to a lot of different people from all walks of life each day each experiencing the world in a different way. I love these differences and celebrate them but also find them amusing. Each person generally is of the belief system that their viewpoints are on the only correct viewpoints and are shocked when others see things differently. I was speaking to a really wise man a few years ago that caused me to reflect on this exact point. I was driving in Calgary and saw a man pushing a shopping cart full of all his worldly possessions. I was at a really rough point in my life financially and was doing everything in my power to make sure that I was remaining financially buoyant. The struggle for me was all consuming. The scene that I witnessed though invoked an emotional response in me. Mainly because I would assume that this is not the state that my brother would chose. I felt for the person. I was upset about it when my friend called. I relayed what I had seen to him. His perspective was entirely different from mine. He simply stated to me that it was wrong for me to project my feelings onto this person and that his perspective might be different. This state of being for him could have represented freedom and surrender. His previous experienced could have been one of financial pressure and emotional pain. He said that I had to right to judge this man's situation as 'bad' because of my views of the situation. He has a point. I had labeled his situation in my mind and had wrongly passed judgement on him. I still stand by the fact that our basic need of security (being food and shelter) need to be met but I no longer project my feelings onto another persons situation.
The Course in Miracles has a different perspective on a number of items compared to conventional interpretations of the bible and common religious beliefs. The generally christian consensus is that sin is basically breaking the 10 Commandments. As long as you follow those basic guidelines you are pretty good to go. In the Course in Miracles sin is describes as a deviating from love....or a lack of love. At first I thought this concept was a little bit vague because I am definitely sinning more often than not. Fear generally gets in the way of love during most of my day. So even though I am generally not breaking any commandments through out the day I can tell you that I am not making all of my choices love based choices. This project I am undertaking.....which is basically a whole overall of myself.....will take quite a bit of effort.
"Love is incapable of asking for anything". This is probably the reason why I am single. The love I have for children asks for nothing in return, there are no conditions to my love and there is no agenda. That is the closest thing that I have experienced to true love. The love that I have for a partner has expectations placed on it. I expect their love to feel a certain way and for them to act a certain way. I do not expect perfection from a partner for I realize that relationships are God's way of providing us situations so that we can grow. The challenges that are posed in relationships are generally so that we can come closer to discovering and accepting our authentic self. So this simple statement that true love asks for nothing might be the root cause for me not finding a partner. I am sure that this dynamic situation will be explored further.
So the Course's definition of love follows the verse in Corinthians: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
The course basically states that Love is the only thing that exists. The aims of the course is to remove the blocks that we have to the awareness of loves presence which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear but what is all encompassing can have no opposite. Fear, according to the Course is a construct of the ego and it ascertains that nothing unreal exists. To in essence.....love is all there is.
I realize that this might seem ridiculous but lets close our eyes and walk a new path for a minute. Our realities are dictated by our beliefs and our experiences....so even if the world remained at it was and just your perception of reality shifted to a place of love the world would shift. If we all let go of our fears and our ego based constructs the world would ultimately shift to a place of peace. Similar to a heaven-like state.
The Course states that Heaven is our natural state....which is the state of love. Forgiveness is the means by which we will achieve that. Forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others. If today you resolved to forgive all those that have wronged you.......EVER I think that this would free up a lot of space to focus on love. IF we looked at those "wrongs" as opportunities for us to grow, then we really can only thank those people for those experiences. Just a thought.
I can't wait to start the Course.
One love
'The world we see merely reflects from our internal frame of reference. Projection makes perception'. This statement is definitely one of those universal truths. We all shape our reality based on our experiences and emotional states of being. Our senses are merely directed by our neurological patterning based on what we have experienced to date. If we experience a shift in perspective and actually view the past differently then our view of the present will change and thus in turn shape our present reality.
'We look inside first, decide the world that we want to see and project it onto the outside world to make it truth. ' I speak to a lot of different people from all walks of life each day each experiencing the world in a different way. I love these differences and celebrate them but also find them amusing. Each person generally is of the belief system that their viewpoints are on the only correct viewpoints and are shocked when others see things differently. I was speaking to a really wise man a few years ago that caused me to reflect on this exact point. I was driving in Calgary and saw a man pushing a shopping cart full of all his worldly possessions. I was at a really rough point in my life financially and was doing everything in my power to make sure that I was remaining financially buoyant. The struggle for me was all consuming. The scene that I witnessed though invoked an emotional response in me. Mainly because I would assume that this is not the state that my brother would chose. I felt for the person. I was upset about it when my friend called. I relayed what I had seen to him. His perspective was entirely different from mine. He simply stated to me that it was wrong for me to project my feelings onto this person and that his perspective might be different. This state of being for him could have represented freedom and surrender. His previous experienced could have been one of financial pressure and emotional pain. He said that I had to right to judge this man's situation as 'bad' because of my views of the situation. He has a point. I had labeled his situation in my mind and had wrongly passed judgement on him. I still stand by the fact that our basic need of security (being food and shelter) need to be met but I no longer project my feelings onto another persons situation.
The Course in Miracles has a different perspective on a number of items compared to conventional interpretations of the bible and common religious beliefs. The generally christian consensus is that sin is basically breaking the 10 Commandments. As long as you follow those basic guidelines you are pretty good to go. In the Course in Miracles sin is describes as a deviating from love....or a lack of love. At first I thought this concept was a little bit vague because I am definitely sinning more often than not. Fear generally gets in the way of love during most of my day. So even though I am generally not breaking any commandments through out the day I can tell you that I am not making all of my choices love based choices. This project I am undertaking.....which is basically a whole overall of myself.....will take quite a bit of effort.
"Love is incapable of asking for anything". This is probably the reason why I am single. The love I have for children asks for nothing in return, there are no conditions to my love and there is no agenda. That is the closest thing that I have experienced to true love. The love that I have for a partner has expectations placed on it. I expect their love to feel a certain way and for them to act a certain way. I do not expect perfection from a partner for I realize that relationships are God's way of providing us situations so that we can grow. The challenges that are posed in relationships are generally so that we can come closer to discovering and accepting our authentic self. So this simple statement that true love asks for nothing might be the root cause for me not finding a partner. I am sure that this dynamic situation will be explored further.
So the Course's definition of love follows the verse in Corinthians: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
The course basically states that Love is the only thing that exists. The aims of the course is to remove the blocks that we have to the awareness of loves presence which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear but what is all encompassing can have no opposite. Fear, according to the Course is a construct of the ego and it ascertains that nothing unreal exists. To in essence.....love is all there is.
I realize that this might seem ridiculous but lets close our eyes and walk a new path for a minute. Our realities are dictated by our beliefs and our experiences....so even if the world remained at it was and just your perception of reality shifted to a place of love the world would shift. If we all let go of our fears and our ego based constructs the world would ultimately shift to a place of peace. Similar to a heaven-like state.
The Course states that Heaven is our natural state....which is the state of love. Forgiveness is the means by which we will achieve that. Forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others. If today you resolved to forgive all those that have wronged you.......EVER I think that this would free up a lot of space to focus on love. IF we looked at those "wrongs" as opportunities for us to grow, then we really can only thank those people for those experiences. Just a thought.
I can't wait to start the Course.
One love
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The time is Now
There are no coincidences in life. I believe that what we are exposed to and who we encounter is designed to teach us and allows us to grow. Believe me I have a lot of growing to do which is why I think that I tend to encounter great people that expedite my learning. I have been given a lot of life lessons....the most valuable ones did not come without some pain attached to them but I am grateful for them all.
In life there have been a lot of people that I have met and a lot of words that people have said that I have instinctively known would be important. I guess its called using your intuitive powers when you recognize things that resonate with you. For some reason whenever someone has mentioned the text "a Course in Miracles" to me I have a sensation in my solar plexus similar to the one you get when you ride a roller coaster.....the very first few seconds of the big descent. Ever since I read the Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle I realized that I should probably examine a Course in Miracles.
I love books but part of my love of books is involved in its acquisition. I love looking through old second hand book stores and finding the treasures within. So for over two years I have been actively looking for a Course in Miracles in second hand book stores. Not really an easy book to find. I finally gave up and ordered the book from a spiritually based book store here in North Vancouver. I didn't tell anyone that I ordered the book neither did I mention to anyone that I was looking for the book. The day after I ordered it my son (who is 4) and I were at a friends house just spending some time. Dave has an amazing book collection. Alot of books that cause you to question life, self and the universe. I tend to borrow books periodically. As we ere leaving Obinna (my son) mentioned that I should borrow a book from Dave before we went. he went into Dave's room (not a place that I have frequented) and comes out with a Blue soft cover book that was so well loved that the gold letters were missing from the front. I had no idea what the book was but I knew that I needed to read that book. I opened the front cover to discover that it was A course in Miracles. Now Obinna, like most children, has one foot in heaven and one foot on earth.....which is why I am assuming he intuitively picked this book for me. I explained to Dave that I have been looking for this book and wanted to explore it and mentioned that I just ordered a copy from a "real bookstore". After telling him that I had been looking for the book for years and couldn't find it second hand.....he explained to me that people either buy it and it causes such profound changes in self that it is constantly being used and referenced or ....or conversely it causes such a perspective shift that the person that they question reality and cannot accept the concepts being discussed and therefor want to sever all ties with the book and that they probably burn it.
So this is where this part of the journey begins. I will be chronicling my perspective on A Course in Miracles and also giving you glimpses into my life.
Enjoy,
One love
In life there have been a lot of people that I have met and a lot of words that people have said that I have instinctively known would be important. I guess its called using your intuitive powers when you recognize things that resonate with you. For some reason whenever someone has mentioned the text "a Course in Miracles" to me I have a sensation in my solar plexus similar to the one you get when you ride a roller coaster.....the very first few seconds of the big descent. Ever since I read the Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle I realized that I should probably examine a Course in Miracles.
I love books but part of my love of books is involved in its acquisition. I love looking through old second hand book stores and finding the treasures within. So for over two years I have been actively looking for a Course in Miracles in second hand book stores. Not really an easy book to find. I finally gave up and ordered the book from a spiritually based book store here in North Vancouver. I didn't tell anyone that I ordered the book neither did I mention to anyone that I was looking for the book. The day after I ordered it my son (who is 4) and I were at a friends house just spending some time. Dave has an amazing book collection. Alot of books that cause you to question life, self and the universe. I tend to borrow books periodically. As we ere leaving Obinna (my son) mentioned that I should borrow a book from Dave before we went. he went into Dave's room (not a place that I have frequented) and comes out with a Blue soft cover book that was so well loved that the gold letters were missing from the front. I had no idea what the book was but I knew that I needed to read that book. I opened the front cover to discover that it was A course in Miracles. Now Obinna, like most children, has one foot in heaven and one foot on earth.....which is why I am assuming he intuitively picked this book for me. I explained to Dave that I have been looking for this book and wanted to explore it and mentioned that I just ordered a copy from a "real bookstore". After telling him that I had been looking for the book for years and couldn't find it second hand.....he explained to me that people either buy it and it causes such profound changes in self that it is constantly being used and referenced or ....or conversely it causes such a perspective shift that the person that they question reality and cannot accept the concepts being discussed and therefor want to sever all ties with the book and that they probably burn it.
So this is where this part of the journey begins. I will be chronicling my perspective on A Course in Miracles and also giving you glimpses into my life.
Enjoy,
One love
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