ACIM Mentor

"Except ye become as little children" means that unless you fully recognize your complete dependence on God, you cannot know the real power of the Son in his true relationship with the Father. (T-1.V.3) Some students are uncomfortable with the idea that the world was not created by God. Remember, the Course uses the term “creation” to mean Oneness with God, not “to bring into being” as we are used to using it. God is Being and there is no lack in God. There is no need in God to bring anything into being. When the Course says “God created you” it means God knows you in Oneness with God. Some come to the Course believing that God made the world and sent us here to learn. I’m not sure what the learning goal is supposed to be, but this implies separation and lack, also. This means you are not Part of God, Who is All and therefore cannot have anything to learn. It is true we are here to learn Who we are, but only after we have change our minds about who made the world. The lack...

There comes a time when students begin to “get” the Course and they start to “should” and “shouldn’t” all over themselves. They say things like: “I should know better than this.” “I should look at him as Christ, not a body.” “I shouldn’t let little things upset me anymore.” “I should be at peace.” “I should be happy.” There is no “should” in awakening! The only thing that matters is willingness to change your mind. Try saying: “I don’t need to be upset anymore. I am willing to look at this differently.” “I am not looking on Truth here. Let me remember Truth instead.” “I can have peace instead of this. I open my mind to a new way of looking at this.” “Happiness is my natural state of mind. I will let go of this and be happy.” “Should” and “shouldn’t” are the ego’s way of inserting guilt onto your path of awakening. Let go of the situation and the “shoulds” as well, and simply be willing to change your mind instead. www.acimmentor.com

Most students find that after they have been studying for a while they are able to detach from situations or relationships that once would have bothered them. But they often still have a problem letting go of situations or relationships that began before they became students. Keep in mind that any situation that causes you to have a strong emotional reaction is meant to replace God. This means even so-called “positive” emotions. The idea is to get you so involved in the world/body/ego that you forget Who you really are. Detachment is natural as you recognize that this “life” in the world is not your Reality. If you are really hooked into a relationship you cannot seem to detach from, here is a three-stage practical way to reach detachment (you can use these for other situations not involving people as well): First, it is easier to deal with people when you can clearly accept them only as an idea – when they are not physically present or occurring. So take advantage of this, and when th...

Many have chosen to renounce the world while still believing its reality. And they have suffered from a sense of loss, and have not been released accordingly. Others have chosen nothing but the world, and they have suffered from a sense of loss still deeper, which they did not understand. Between these paths there is another road that leads away from loss of every kind, for sacrifice and deprivation both are quickly left behind. This is the way appointed for you now. (W-155.4-5) Do you know the story of Prince Siddhartha, who became Buddha? (The word Buddha is derived from Sanskrit and means “to wake up” or “to be enlightened”. Buddha and Christ are the same state of awareness of Oneness). As a prince, he had everything material in the world one could ask for. He also married and had a family. But he did not have fulfillment and was overwhelmed by how much of life was suffering. So he renounced the world, became a mendicant and went to study among ascetics and seek for enlightenment. ...

Whether or not you consider yourself Christian is up to you. The designation “Christian” is a concern of the world, not of awakening. (The term “Christian” is used in the Course only in Chapter 3, part I. Atonement Without Sacrifice ). For the most part those who call themselves Christian seem to agree on one point: At minimum, you must declare yourself a sinner and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior to be a Christian. Of course, there are others who call themselves Christians who do not accept these concepts. The Course teaches us we cannot sin, that we are all Christ in Truth, and that we are One with God. The Course teaches us that God did not make this world, so therefore it cannot be real; that it is a projection of the wish to be separate from God; that atonement means correction of this perception, not punishment for it; that guilt is unjustified; that sacrifice has no place in God’s plan for your awakening. All of this is the opposite of what traditional Christianit...

The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything. (W-8.2) What time but now can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is. (W-164.1) Until you have experienced Truth, it may be difficult to accept the Course’s definition of forgiveness, which is that nothing that happens in the world is real. Forgiveness recognizes that only God is real, and nothing can change God. The purpose of time, from the point of view of the desire to be separate from God, is to make it seem as though God isn’t real. The past is what is real; it has happened and you cannot change that. If you have learned correctly in the world, you anticipate a future that will be just like the past. The present is where nothingness resides; it is but a brief transition from past to f...

There is a way of living in the world that is not here, although it seems to be. You do not change appearance, though you smile more frequently. Your forehead is serene; your eyes are quiet. And the ones who walk the world as you do recognize their own. Yet those who have not yet perceived the way will recognize you also, and believe that you are like them, as you were before. (W-155.1) When I talk to students who have not yet experienced the holy instant about detachment from the world and living within themselves in the Presence they focus only on what they perceive they would lose. Will I still eat? Will I still work and pay my bills? How will I raise my kids? Am I going to have to go live in a cave? Can I go to the movies? If you have experienced the holy instant than you know how you can be present to God and still appear to be in the world. Outwardly, your life looks no different. You go through the motions while within you are in peace and joy. You are unaffected by what seems ...

In my 4/11/06 blog I wrote about the importance of reading the Course in context – meaning, understanding the whole message of the Course to understand each line and paragraph. Though the Course can be read on many levels, there is no part of the Course that isn’t consistent with the whole. I just read of an example of taking the Course out of context that had me laughing. I went to Amazon.com to send my brother a copy of the Course and they had a little blurb about the books. The writer of the blurb pointed out that some people may find the Course too simplistic, and used the quote “ To heal is to make happy ” as an example. When I read this I burst out laughing. She must think the Course is saying all you have to do is take someone out for an ice cream (or whatever treat will make them happy) and they will be healed! Well, of course what the Course is saying is that happiness and healing are the same thing. In fact, if you read the quote (T-5.in.1), you only have to go to th...