Ask: Is feeling "elevated" from the world part of the process?


I have been doing the Course since three years ago, and I deeply felt I resonated with its message of Love as the only Truth…After some months of doing it, my life started to change, I felt the calling to change my way of living, to leave behind my career as a lawyer, and I started to get very in touch with "spirituality"...I have made many of the mistakes you point out in your blog...for a long time I resisted the world, tried to force the experience of the Course, and went into spiritual sacrifice, I went deeply in trying to understand my ego and others’ egos…I felt depressed, and kind of elevated from this world... instead of feeling joyfully and lovingly here on earth...I am not sure if what I lived was necessary, but I know that today that I want to choose differently...I am starting to choose what feels light, joyful, and free instead of dense and heavy…But I feel I need a guidance on this matter, because there are times when I feel I am working on something deep, (for instance a deep attachment), where I feel led to be inwards, away, passive, I feel kind of apathetic to the world, and elevated, but I feel in peace...This peace however is not alive and joyfully on earth...Is this part of the healing process? Should I be patient when I feel in that mood, or should I not give it much space...I am kind of sorting out if it comes from a healing of the Holy Spirit, or if it comes from a part of me that doesn't want to live in joy and stay focused in the "healing"... - NA

            What you described that you initially experienced was what I call the “honeymoon” phase. You accepted the goal of inner peace, but then felt closer to it than you really were. You still had to work through your obstacles to fully experiencing peace, which takes many years. You then entered a phase of trying to force yourself to be further along than you are, of sacrificing, etc. and this is also very typical. In the beginning you are used to listening to the personal thought system (ego) and it tries to take over your spiritual process.
            As you grow aware of Truth you will feel detached from the world. You will feel love and peace and joy within yourself and not from the world or about the world. You will become aware that you are leaving the idea of the world behind. But this will not cause you to feel depressed. If you feel depressed from your experiences of feeling detached or “elevated” from the world it is because the personal thought system interprets these experiences as loss and you still agree with it. It will take some time for you to fully accept that leaving the idea of the world behind is not loss. The more that you experience Truth the less that you will feel that letting go of the world is loss. You will recognize that your attachment to the world is an obstacle to peace.
            Sometimes when you feel peace it will be a neutral, quiet experience rather than something that is vibrantly joyful. But if this turns into depression then you want to look with the Holy Spirit (Teacher of Truth) at the thoughts and beliefs that lead to the depression.
            Everything that you experience as you grow your awareness of Truth is necessary. It wouldn’t come up if it was not there within you to be embraced or released.

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Learn about the books The ACIM Mentor Articles, The Plain Language A Course in Miracles, and 4 Habits for Inner Peace at www.acimmentor.com.

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