Evolving Toward the Holy Spirit
Few students of A Course in Miracles are happy to find that they have embarked on a process – they want Heaven now! Sometimes they are in immediate pain somewhere in their life and they want a quick fix. Usually they’ve had at least one tantalizing glimpse of peace and they want it back – all the time! But their impatience is really a lack of faith that peace is theirs, otherwise they would simply relax into the process of awakening to it. They may think they lack faith in themselves (“How do I know I won’t step off the path?”; “How do I know if I’m following the Holy Spirit?”), but when you are still identified with ego, trying to put your faith in yourself means withdrawing your faith in the Holy Spirit. Either you have turned your life over to the Holy Spirit but don’t trust the Holy Spirit; or you haven’t faith enough in the Holy Spirit to turn your life over yet.
It is but the first few steps along the right way that seem hard, for you have chosen, although you still may think you can go back and make the other choice. This is not so. A choice made with the power of Heaven to uphold it cannot be undone. Your way is decided. There will be nothing you will not be told, if you acknowledge this. (T-22.IV.2)
If you have truly turned your life over to the Holy Spirit you can trust that your life has been taken over. But note the “if you acknowledge this” in the statement above. It certainly isn’t enough to merely say you’ve turned your life over. And even if you have truly done so, you must acknowledge your choice by having an actual relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot guide you if you are not paying attention.
Your process of awakening to peace is really the evolution of your relationship with the Holy Spirit, Who is your True Self. You will go through different stages in this process:
Separate
The ego is the only identity you remember and the Holy Spirit seems like the alien Presence in your mind. You must learn to sort out the Holy Spirit from ego. Your motivation to build a daily, ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit is weak. The Workbook of A Course in Miracles is necessary to give you some structure to do so at this point. You call on the Holy Spirit only in certain, specific instances, usually when you are in pain or are faced with a big decision. You still really want the world more than you want God, but you also really want peace. What you really want is to find peace in the world. There is a lot of conflict at this stage. The more you turn to the Holy Spirit the easier it becomes for you to sort out when you are hearing the Holy Spirit or feeling the Holy Spirit’s promptings and guidance.
Building Trust
This is where most students are when they finish the Workbook. You have called on the Holy Spirit enough to have some trust in It. You are more motivated to keep in touch with the Holy Spirit through daily meditation and by calling on the Holy Spirit often. You are still very involved in the world and with your place in it and you are still calling on the Holy Spirit in specific situations. You experience a lot of conflict with letting go of the ego as your life in the world has improved through your relationship with the Holy Spirit. You may stay here for a long while feeling you have reached a tolerable balance of life-in-the-world and spiritual connection. But eventually it is not enough; you know there is more peace to be had and that the only way to have it is to let go of the ego and of the world.
Trusting
You no longer feel the need to call on the Holy Spirit in specific instances because the Presence of the Holy Spirit is always with you. You are totally motivated to maintain your sense of connection with the Holy Spirit. You meditate daily and you remember the Holy Spirit throughout the day. You realize the Holy Spirit only guides you away from what you want when what you want will distract you from your path of spiritual awakening. You now have a level of peace that cannot be shaken. So much conflict is behind you, yet you know there is more peace to be had. You have with you what you used to seek for in the world and so you are seeking in the world less and less. Your life is now about being a means for the Holy Spirit to reach others who have yet to learn they are Part of God.
Shifting
It seems as though you can’t find the Holy Spirit anymore, yet your peace and certainty are growing every day. You notice that you always get what you want and you are doing with your life what you want to do. This is because you now want for yourself what the Holy Spirit wants for you. You realize that the line between you and the Holy Spirit has become blurred. Where do you end and the Holy Spirit begin? Your motivation to let go of the illusion of separation from God is stronger than it has ever been and it is growing all the time.
Identifying
There is only the Holy Spirit. Your peace is complete and unshakable and you see through the veil of the world. You are ready to totally let go of the world and return to God.
>>>>
Receive this bi-weekly blog directly in your email by contacting Liz@acimmentor.com.Now available at www.acimmentor.com: Understanding A Course in Miracles: A Quick Reference for Students.
It is but the first few steps along the right way that seem hard, for you have chosen, although you still may think you can go back and make the other choice. This is not so. A choice made with the power of Heaven to uphold it cannot be undone. Your way is decided. There will be nothing you will not be told, if you acknowledge this. (T-22.IV.2)
If you have truly turned your life over to the Holy Spirit you can trust that your life has been taken over. But note the “if you acknowledge this” in the statement above. It certainly isn’t enough to merely say you’ve turned your life over. And even if you have truly done so, you must acknowledge your choice by having an actual relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot guide you if you are not paying attention.
Your process of awakening to peace is really the evolution of your relationship with the Holy Spirit, Who is your True Self. You will go through different stages in this process:
Separate
The ego is the only identity you remember and the Holy Spirit seems like the alien Presence in your mind. You must learn to sort out the Holy Spirit from ego. Your motivation to build a daily, ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit is weak. The Workbook of A Course in Miracles is necessary to give you some structure to do so at this point. You call on the Holy Spirit only in certain, specific instances, usually when you are in pain or are faced with a big decision. You still really want the world more than you want God, but you also really want peace. What you really want is to find peace in the world. There is a lot of conflict at this stage. The more you turn to the Holy Spirit the easier it becomes for you to sort out when you are hearing the Holy Spirit or feeling the Holy Spirit’s promptings and guidance.
Building Trust
This is where most students are when they finish the Workbook. You have called on the Holy Spirit enough to have some trust in It. You are more motivated to keep in touch with the Holy Spirit through daily meditation and by calling on the Holy Spirit often. You are still very involved in the world and with your place in it and you are still calling on the Holy Spirit in specific situations. You experience a lot of conflict with letting go of the ego as your life in the world has improved through your relationship with the Holy Spirit. You may stay here for a long while feeling you have reached a tolerable balance of life-in-the-world and spiritual connection. But eventually it is not enough; you know there is more peace to be had and that the only way to have it is to let go of the ego and of the world.
Trusting
You no longer feel the need to call on the Holy Spirit in specific instances because the Presence of the Holy Spirit is always with you. You are totally motivated to maintain your sense of connection with the Holy Spirit. You meditate daily and you remember the Holy Spirit throughout the day. You realize the Holy Spirit only guides you away from what you want when what you want will distract you from your path of spiritual awakening. You now have a level of peace that cannot be shaken. So much conflict is behind you, yet you know there is more peace to be had. You have with you what you used to seek for in the world and so you are seeking in the world less and less. Your life is now about being a means for the Holy Spirit to reach others who have yet to learn they are Part of God.
Shifting
It seems as though you can’t find the Holy Spirit anymore, yet your peace and certainty are growing every day. You notice that you always get what you want and you are doing with your life what you want to do. This is because you now want for yourself what the Holy Spirit wants for you. You realize that the line between you and the Holy Spirit has become blurred. Where do you end and the Holy Spirit begin? Your motivation to let go of the illusion of separation from God is stronger than it has ever been and it is growing all the time.
Identifying
There is only the Holy Spirit. Your peace is complete and unshakable and you see through the veil of the world. You are ready to totally let go of the world and return to God.
>>>>
Receive this bi-weekly blog directly in your email by contacting Liz@acimmentor.com.Now available at www.acimmentor.com: Understanding A Course in Miracles: A Quick Reference for Students.
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