All A Mind Needs is Willingness
For a mind to be aware of Truth and at peace it really is
all about willingness and nothing else.
Looking back to when peace began for this mind so much time
and energy were wasted trying to make peace happen when “my” part was over as
soon as Peace came into the awareness of this mind. This awareness could not be
sustained so this mind thought “I” had to make it happen again. But in
hindsight it is clear that for this mind time has been about undoing the
obstacles that stood in the way of this mind keeping Peace in its awareness.
All of this was done within this mind as the natural unfolding in time of the awareness
of Truth that came to it all those years ago. For this mind this is the meaning
of “the script is written”. It does not mean that every detail of the self’s story
in time was pre-ordained. It simply means that the outcome of this mind’s experience
in time was inevitable once Truth came into its awareness. This awareness changed
the trajectory of this mind’s story in time. In fact, time was really over for
it once Truth came into this mind. And all it’s really had to do since then is to
accept this.
This mind’s mistake over the years was focusing too much on whether
it was happy or comfortable in its identification with a self. It looked and
worked for the ego (personal thought system) to become peaceful. It expected
the self would not go through the usual life processes. But when Peace came
into the awareness of this mind it was not to the ego or to the self. The ego
is still in this mind, blathering on with its judgments, conflicts, and
confusion. The self’s story continues on with the usual life processes. But Peace
is here in this mind despite the ego and the self. This is how this mind came
to see it is not an ego or a self.
When this mind recognized that Peace was not leaving its
awareness it wondered why there was still a world in its thoughts. And the Holy
Spirit (this mind’s awareness of Truth) noted, “What difference does it make?
You have peace.” Of course! This mind was focused on the wrong thing. Peace is
what is real, not the story of a universe of form and the ego’s interpretation
of it. Whatever this mind attends to grows in its awareness.
Despite this mind thinking what it needed for Peace, Peace
came anyway. Not because this mind knew how to make peace happen in its
identification with a self and an ego. But because this mind was was willing to have It in its awareness.
Willingness allowed the awareness of Truth (Holy Spirit/Teacher of Truth) to
work in this mind to undo its obstacles to Peace. Any obstacle that it needed
to look at and undo, any technique that it needed for centering itself in Truth,
came into its awareness because it was willing not because of any effort it
made.
What does it mean for a mind to be willing? It means for it
to be open, despite obstacles and fear, to letting the Truth work in it. The transformation
occurs mostly on an unconscious level. This mind had shifts toward Peace,
insights, miracles, and Revelations. And none of these ever came where this
mind was “working on” the ego and the self trying to get them to change. These
came despite this mind’s efforts in
the ego and the self.
This mind’s willingness was demonstrated by its invitation
to Truth to come into its awareness with no agenda but to be aware of Truth. It
was demonstrated by its inviting the Teacher of Truth (Holy Spirit/awareness of
Truth) to be its Constant Companion, Guide, and Teacher. It was demonstrated by
its turning to Truth throughout the day simply to remember that It is here.
This mind’s willingness was never perfect. But as A Course in Miracles says, you only need
a little. It does not have to be perfect; it just has to be there. If this mind
had accepted this long ago it would’ve saved itself a lot of effort and pain
and guilt. But it couldn’t accept it because it found it unbelievable, and
somewhat insulting, that “I” did not have to make peace happen. It was all wrong about what is real. A mind naturally
at peace is real. The rest is just a meaningless story.
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Learn about the books The ACIM Mentor Articles, The Plain Language A Course in Miracles, 4 Habits for Inner Peace, and Releasing Guilt for Inner Peace at www.acimmentor.com.
Comments
The idea that we have peace not by our efforts, but simply by our willingness feels similarly sublime to me.
Thank You!
.... Minds fixation on a "good or bad" self from my experience.
i think i hear you saying that willingness is a letting go into that Place where i do sense an Inner Guide. i have difficulty holding that awareness for long however, as a vague anxiety arises and tosses me back into avoidance. at this point, all i know to do is to return again, as soon as i notice i have wandered. this is what the Course must mean about patience....why would i continue to feel this resistance if i now know and have felt this Peace when i turn toward my Inner Teacher? i will go back and study your words again, and remain ever grateful. nicci
it also explains why I can read this and the other books and experience this smooth Peace and then later I can't remember what I read. Apparently it's this mind trying to remember something to which it has no access. Now the frustration of not remembering doesn't seem as real - more like it's going on in the background but not disturbing me.
I also wondered why the world is still going on around me as before, however I feel less obligated to respond to it. And when I do respond it is gentle and loving and in the back of my mind it feels like I'm talking through and to myself - if that makes any sense.
Big hugs to you.