Ask: Impatient to Experience the Holy Spirit
I have just recently found and begun to study the Course (about 6-9 months ago). I find myself so impatient to develop a feeling of connection to the Holy Spirit/God. It seems that the harder I try, the more it eludes me! I am feeling very frustrated. Can you offer any advice to alleviate this sense of pressure that I have imposed upon myself? I also have a dread of having to endure countless future lifetimes if I don’t “get it” during this one...Thanks for your help. – L.D.
You will be relieved to know that it does not take many lifetimes to attain inner peace. In fact, it doesn’t even take one lifetime. It only takes an instant.
You have never left God, so you always have inner peace. What is missing is your awareness of the inner peace that is always within you, and that only takes a moment to choose. Inner peace results when you are aware of Truth (God) within you, and you can invite Truth into your awareness right now. In fact, only right now can you be aware of Truth and be at peace.
There is no past or future, and the idea of birth into a body has no meaning either once or many times. (M-24.1)
The idea that it takes time to be at peace is the personal thought system’s (ego’s) way of putting distance between you and God in the form of time, of discouraging you from even trying to find inner peace, of validating itself by making it seem that you find peace through its story, and by trying to assign to itself an aspect of Truth – eternality – by having you believe that it has a real existence that lasts many lifetimes. The personal thought system is never real; it never really exists. It is only an erroneous idea in your mind right now which makes you unaware that you are always in God, so it is only right now that you can put it aside and be at peace.
You have already invited Truth into your mind; this is why you are studying A Course in Miracles. In time, it seems to take time for peace to unfold in your awareness, but you can circumvent this, and the frustration that this seems to make you feel, any instant that you choose, by turning inward to Truth. Each time that you sincerely open yourself to Truth, you lessen your belief in time, and the hold that this belief has over you.
Practicing coming into the present to be with Truth will bring up your obstacles to peace. These are beliefs and attachments that make you fear God. For peace to grow in your awareness in time, all that you need is the willingness to work through your obstacles to peace with the Holy Spirit.
Simply rest in the present with God, trust, and let the process unfold. Your becoming more and more aware of the Holy Spirit and being at peace (this is the same thing) is inevitable, because you already have peace, and, in your perception that you are in time, you’ve already chosen it.
>>>>
Learn about The Plain Language A Course in Miracles at www.placim.com.
If you have a question that you want answered in the ACIM Mentor Newsletter/Blog, send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and indicate that you want it answered here.
You will be relieved to know that it does not take many lifetimes to attain inner peace. In fact, it doesn’t even take one lifetime. It only takes an instant.
You have never left God, so you always have inner peace. What is missing is your awareness of the inner peace that is always within you, and that only takes a moment to choose. Inner peace results when you are aware of Truth (God) within you, and you can invite Truth into your awareness right now. In fact, only right now can you be aware of Truth and be at peace.
There is no past or future, and the idea of birth into a body has no meaning either once or many times. (M-24.1)
The idea that it takes time to be at peace is the personal thought system’s (ego’s) way of putting distance between you and God in the form of time, of discouraging you from even trying to find inner peace, of validating itself by making it seem that you find peace through its story, and by trying to assign to itself an aspect of Truth – eternality – by having you believe that it has a real existence that lasts many lifetimes. The personal thought system is never real; it never really exists. It is only an erroneous idea in your mind right now which makes you unaware that you are always in God, so it is only right now that you can put it aside and be at peace.
You have already invited Truth into your mind; this is why you are studying A Course in Miracles. In time, it seems to take time for peace to unfold in your awareness, but you can circumvent this, and the frustration that this seems to make you feel, any instant that you choose, by turning inward to Truth. Each time that you sincerely open yourself to Truth, you lessen your belief in time, and the hold that this belief has over you.
Practicing coming into the present to be with Truth will bring up your obstacles to peace. These are beliefs and attachments that make you fear God. For peace to grow in your awareness in time, all that you need is the willingness to work through your obstacles to peace with the Holy Spirit.
Simply rest in the present with God, trust, and let the process unfold. Your becoming more and more aware of the Holy Spirit and being at peace (this is the same thing) is inevitable, because you already have peace, and, in your perception that you are in time, you’ve already chosen it.
>>>>
Learn about The Plain Language A Course in Miracles at www.placim.com.
If you have a question that you want answered in the ACIM Mentor Newsletter/Blog, send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and indicate that you want it answered here.
Comments
I don't know if this will help, but I have gone through the same thing. I relied on Liz quite a bit when I was first starting. I read her history of how she began, as an adolescent, to receive answers from the Holy Spirit to her questions. When she was about 20 and beginning the Course she started having spiritual experiences as well as Revelations. When I was starting I built my expectations around this sort of time line. In her history Liz says her mother as well as her sister were 'intuitive.' Some people are, sometimes it seems to run in families. I'm not and had no real experience or reassurance from the HS that I was on the right track for years. When it came it came as silence and a kind of 'gut feeling' that every thing was OK. For me I have had to look at my progress in terms of years not months. As I told Liz it took me about five years of study to understand Forgiveness and Miracles. To really understand them you have to have a pretty good feel for what the Course is saying and that takes awhile. I have been at this for six years and have never had the type of experiences that Liz talks of.
Much Luck
will
In thinking about this post last night I would be remiss in not telling you this. I was very involved in 12 step, counseling and did a wide variety of therapy. ACOA, Co-Dependency, A&D, group and individual counseling, all that stuff. All gave me tools but no long term solution to the very toxic ego in my head. The Course is pulling this stuff out by the roots. I can almost feel it, the day to day changes.There is a constant awareness of the presence of the HS. I could not ask for a greater gift. Writing these two posts has been very helpful to me. Thanks.
w.