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Showing posts from March, 2009

A Lesson in Form Versus Content

Last week I wrote an article ( Equal Access to God ) that resulted in intriguing feedback. By far most of it was positive and those responses concerned the overall message of the article – each individual awakening is essential to the Great Awakening so no one is special. Those few comments and emails from confused or offended readers that I received all concerned the initial paragraph where I wrote about book signing. Wasn’t I making a big deal about something insignificant and wasn’t I singling out book-signing to judge against when nothing in the world means anything? These reactions are a good lesson in how the ego always speaks first and how it emphasizes form over content. Of course the overall message of the article had nothing to do with book signing and wasn’t judging against it. The article simply used seeking signatures from teachers of A Course in Miracles as an example of a subtle form of idol-making. Those who were confused and offended by the ego’s interpretation of the

Equal Access to God

The other day someone said something to me along the lines, “When the translation is published and you are signing books…” I told them that I will not be signing any books. The ideas in the translation do not come from me and it would be inappropriate for me to take credit for them. But even if I had written a book that was original to me I would not be signing copies of it. Who am I that my signature has some special value? What would my signature in a book give to another that they don’t have? This is not false modesty or even true modesty. I’m nothing special and I don’t say this out of low ego-self esteem but out of recognition of the Truth, Which is beyond estimation. Why would I want to teach myself anything else? God is everywhere and we all have equal access to God because we are all One with God. The ego likes to make some teachers in the world “special” and to exalt them as a way to put distance between you and the teacher. It will make you think that you are doing something

No Hoops; Just the Holy Instant

One of the things about A Course in Miracles that distinguishes it from other paths to God is that it does not require you to jump through any hoops to reach God. You can join with God in the Holy Instant anywhere at any time, no matter what seems to be occurring around you or within you. In this Holy Instant your sense of separation from God is over. You are Home. There is no place else to go; there is nothing else to do. Even other paths that teach you that God is within you often teach elaborate plans for you to reach God. They say that you must attain this or learn that. Often their hoops take the form of requiring you to have many lifetimes to evolve to God. But time is only the illusion that the ego uses to keep you apart from God. It’s a “buffer” that the ego develops to keep itself going in your mind because you won’t stop and just be with God now if you believe that it’s going to be many lifetimes before you can be with God. The Holy Instant is so simple! Just like

Which Comes First?

A Course in Miracles teaches you that to learn that you have God’s Love within you, you must extend it in your awareness. It also points out that you accept God’s Love through your willingness to extend It. But elsewhere it says that you are the center out from which God’s Love extends in your awareness. You must touch God’s Love within you to be able to extend It. So this question arises from students of the Course : “Which comes first – knowing God’s Love is within you and extending It or extending God’s Love to become aware of God’s Love within you?” Actually, it works both ways. Love extends naturally from you when you tap into It, no matter how slightly. It overflows from the center of your Being to color your perception without you even trying. From a small awareness of God’s Love comes your full awareness of God’s Love. And when you are not feeling God’s Love (peace, happiness) within you, you can do it quickly by making the choice to extend God’s Love. In place of the awaren