ACIM Mentor

My last blog ( You Don’t Need to Save the World ) seems to have confused some students. What am I doing as a spiritual teacher if my goal is not to save the world? Didn’t this blog contradict my own life? Haven’t I written blogs that talk about the part we all play in the Great Awakening? First of all, I don’t look at the world as needing to be fixed or saved. I look at it as – well, nothing. The world is a problem for me when I get caught up in it or get attached to it. Then the problem is not in the world, but in me. My goal is to let go of the world (forgive). I also do not look at students as needing to be fixed or saved. I offer you my experience and you can take it or leave it. That’s not really any of my business. The students I mentor are in charge of our relationship. They can use what I have to offer any way they want to. It’s not about me. It’s not personal. I’m not interested in being some great guru with all the answers. The Answer is within you and if reading what I write...

Many students come to A Course in Miracles from social or religious traditions that have taught them that they are supposed to make a difference in the world, make it a better place, save the world one person at a time. Often they don’t let go of their attachment to the idea of saving the world and they see the Course as a means to attaining their goal. Some even believe that the goal of the Course is to bring heaven to earth, to return us to “Eden”. But anything to do with the world is about separation from God. Let’s take a thorough look at the idea of a perfect world. First of all, what would the perfect world be? Would we all be Democrats or Republican, Greens, or non-partisan? Christians, Muslims, Buddhists? Would monogamy prevail or would there be a return to universal polygamy? What kind of family would be the perfect family? It’s clear to see that we would not be able to agree on what a perfect world would be. But let’s put aside our obvious differences and get idealistic he...

The human race is not going to change because you’ve embarked on a spiritual path. Nor is your perception of the human race going to change. What changes is your attachment to the human race and to the world. And then your perceptions change. Maybe. Here is a totally made up scenario, but it’s very typical of what I often hear from students: Mary is married to George and they have three children. George has always been pretty much about George. When he’s not working, he’s watching TV or playing computer games or hanging out with his friends. George has no real interest in his home and only nominal interest in his children. He’s particularly interested in his children when they share an interest with him, like a computer game or a TV show. Mary lived with George and knew what he was like before they had children, but she thought that having children would change him. It has not. Mary has a different set of values. Though she works too, she puts her marriage and her children and the care...

In the study group I led a few years ago I mentioned how for many years I used A Course in Miracles to abuse myself even though I knew its message was wholly loving. I was reading it through the lens of guilt that I brought with me as a new student. One woman in particular could not understand what I was saying. I don’t know if this is because she didn’t do this at all or if she did it so thoroughly she didn’t want to hear what I was saying! But I come across this with students all the time. Just as the Holy Spirit uses what you have made to teach you to awaken, the ego uses the Course to teach you that you are guilty. Here are some common examples of the ego using the ideas in the Course to attack: You are wrong to enjoy anything with the body. You should not enjoy sex or eating or a massage or working out, etc. You are wrong to be concerned with the health and well-being of your body. You are wrong to use outside healers or remedies to heal the body. You are a failure if you do no...

Many students become interested in A Course in Miracles because they are experiencing a physical illness or pain and they want relief. The Course teaches us that the body exists only in the mind and that therefore all physical symptoms arise in the mind. This is a fact, not an accusation; it is not meant to make you feel guilty, but to remind you that the source of relief from physical symptoms is within you. If you are ill or in pain, I have created at my website a questionnaire to help you look deeper into your illness or injury: http://www.acimmentor.com/areyousickorinpain.html Remember that it is always only your mind that needs healing. For a while, accepting healing in your mind may be more frightening to you than the illness or pain itself. If so, it is always okay to go to outside agents (doctors, healers, medicine, etc) to get relief of physical symptoms. There is no reason to suffer. Remember that miracles always come to us in the form that we can accept at the moment, so b...