Abusing Yourself With the Course
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 not see the Holy Spirit in everyone.
You are a failure if your primary relationships are not completely harmonious.
You should not be aware of the limitations of the ego in others and you should put up with whatever behavior they throw at you.
The world is an illusion. It’s meaningless. Enjoying anything in the world is a failure on your part.
Since money is nothing, you should be poor.
Since things are going wrong in your life, you are failing spiritually.
All of these distortions are typical of the ego’s teaching that God wants you to sacrifice and that you need to change your behavior, not your mind. The Holy Spirit teaches that ego is the sacrifice and that behavior follows the mind. It is always only the mind that needs to be corrected and when your mind is changed your behavior will change automatically. Now let’s look at what the Course really teaches:
The body isn’t you, but it will take you a while to learn this. In the meantime, you can use physical remedies and take care of the body in worldly ways. Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all of this. As for pleasure, as you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit and become aware of your inherent Wholeness, you will not find it necessary to seek in the world for pleasure to make you happy or whole.
As you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit, you will no longer use others to make you feel whole. This will lead to harmonious relationships. This also takes time. Being aware of the Presence of the Holy Spirit does not mean you have to put up with the harmful, destructive or negative behavior of others. In fact, healthy boundaries are the result of your awareness of the Holy Spirit and the sense of wholeness and self-respect this brings.
The world is an illusion, but do you really experience it that way? Until you do, the Holy Spirit will use the world to teach you that you are One with God by teaching you to forgive the world. In time, you will see through the illusion. It serves no purpose to pretend that what is very real to you is unreal.
Money is nothing so why should you be concerned with it at all? Money is also necessary in the world so let the Holy Spirit make monetary decisions for you.
Things “going wrong” in your life is a judgment made by an ego that is not getting its way. You can overlook all the ego’s perceptions and look on God instead.
Be patient with yourself as you walk with the Holy Spirit. You do not have to judge your behavior. Practice the Four Habits for Inner Peace, which will change your mind. In time, your behavior will line up with the ideas taught in the Course.
>>>>
At www.acimmentor.com find information on one-on-one mentoring, a free weekly telephone study group, study and practice aids, and answers-by-topic from this blog.
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 not see the Holy Spirit in everyone.
You are a failure if your primary relationships are not completely harmonious.
You should not be aware of the limitations of the ego in others and you should put up with whatever behavior they throw at you.
The world is an illusion. It’s meaningless. Enjoying anything in the world is a failure on your part.
Since money is nothing, you should be poor.
Since things are going wrong in your life, you are failing spiritually.
All of these distortions are typical of the ego’s teaching that God wants you to sacrifice and that you need to change your behavior, not your mind. The Holy Spirit teaches that ego is the sacrifice and that behavior follows the mind. It is always only the mind that needs to be corrected and when your mind is changed your behavior will change automatically. Now let’s look at what the Course really teaches:
The body isn’t you, but it will take you a while to learn this. In the meantime, you can use physical remedies and take care of the body in worldly ways. Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all of this. As for pleasure, as you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit and become aware of your inherent Wholeness, you will not find it necessary to seek in the world for pleasure to make you happy or whole.
As you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit, you will no longer use others to make you feel whole. This will lead to harmonious relationships. This also takes time. Being aware of the Presence of the Holy Spirit does not mean you have to put up with the harmful, destructive or negative behavior of others. In fact, healthy boundaries are the result of your awareness of the Holy Spirit and the sense of wholeness and self-respect this brings.
The world is an illusion, but do you really experience it that way? Until you do, the Holy Spirit will use the world to teach you that you are One with God by teaching you to forgive the world. In time, you will see through the illusion. It serves no purpose to pretend that what is very real to you is unreal.
Money is nothing so why should you be concerned with it at all? Money is also necessary in the world so let the Holy Spirit make monetary decisions for you.
Things “going wrong” in your life is a judgment made by an ego that is not getting its way. You can overlook all the ego’s perceptions and look on God instead.
Be patient with yourself as you walk with the Holy Spirit. You do not have to judge your behavior. Practice the Four Habits for Inner Peace, which will change your mind. In time, your behavior will line up with the ideas taught in the Course.
>>>>
At www.acimmentor.com find information on one-on-one mentoring, a free weekly telephone study group, study and practice aids, and answers-by-topic from this blog.
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