Beyond Managing Mere Moods

This mind is grateful that its current stage of awareness of Truth coincided with this body’s peaking in peri-menopause because otherwise it would be a neurotic mess. If peri-menopause had happened earlier in this mind’s developing awareness of Truth this mind would be totally distracted by the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of the wild and unpredictable surges in hormones that are the natural process of this stage of the body’s life.  The body would require hormone replacement therapy at minimum and perhaps anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines. This time of life for the body coinciding with this stage of growing awareness of the mind has in fact helped this mind to hone its detachment from the body, the self, and its story. It has helped it to see that there is no real difference between a “good” mood and a “bad” one in that they occur in the same self-identified part of mind. It has helped this mind to see all moods as one single experience – the human experience – so it can let go of them all as one. And it has helped this mind to see how much time it spent before managing mere moods and mistaking that for “spiritual” work.

Not all of the body’s moods when it was younger were caused by hormones. Many moods were the result of this mind’s conscious and unconscious belief in guilt and were only sometimes exaggerated by hormones.  But this mind does now see that it was not always aware when hormones were in play. In any case, being self-identified, this mind believed the body’s feelings and the thoughts that they induced were its reality. Its efforts were all toward managing these moods. It used spirituality to feel better or to feel good. In fact, it thought that was the point of the spiritual process. It was endlessly trying to find the right thought, the nicer thought, the good thought, the loving thought, etc. that would fix or change the body’s mood. It wasn’t until peace came to stay in its awareness and the body and the ego (personal thought system) didn’t change that this mind realized that it had been using the wrong gauge for measuring its awareness of Truth. The moods of the self are irrelevant. Managing the self’s moods is a distraction from true Peace because nothing about the self has anything to do with Peace. A “good” mood is not inner peace and a “bad” mood is not inner conflict. The mind can be at peace and observe that the self is in a “bad” mood. The shift this mind needed was not in mood but in where it rested within itself: in Truth rather than in the body.

This mind has come to accept that this self will never be lastingly happy. This mind has a deep, abiding contentment despite this so this fact is nothing. True Peace comes from the awareness that Truth is and It is completely untouched by anything in the universe of form. Of course what motivated this mind to pursue an awareness of Truth was the desire for personal happiness and peace. How could it be otherwise when the self was all it thought it knew? It had to learn that there was more to mind than ego. It had to undo its belief in guilt, which is what made the ego real to it. And then it found detachment from the ego and the self. This mind can manage the self’s moods or it can rest in Peace and just watch the self’s moods. But it can’t do both.


[Let me head off some emails by saying that in the first paragraph I am not saying it is “wrong” for women to use HRT, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety medicines in peri-menopause. I advocate for the judicious use of medication that will make anyone physically or psychically less distracted by the body and its processes and disorders. I have been able to (narrowly) avoid them only because of the detachment I have attained after more than 30 years in this process. You cannot pretend a detachment that you do not have. You cannot pretend an awareness that you have not attained. There is no value in being in pain or so uncomfortable that you do not have any quality of life].

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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

hannah said…
well.. sh**!! and yay... its like the jigsaw making a totally different picture than what i saw on the box! some of your previous comments/blogs have already painted this picture, but this is so clear. dagnabbit, there really is no eradicating ego in the dream ;)

im curious though.. the feeling of detachment youve spoken of in regard to the happenings in the world.. is that like a lessening of the intensity of mood? or is the intensity of moods experienced in the same way as before you came to lasting peace, but you just dont mind anymore due to your knowledge of truth?

ACIM Mentor said…
In detachment there is no mood, Hannah. You observe that the body has a mood.
hannah said…
ok.. in light of that and after reading your writing again, especially the following...

"In any case, being self-identified, this mind believed the body’s feelings and the thoughts that they induced were its reality. Its efforts were all toward managing these moods. It used spirituality to feel better or to feel good. In fact, it thought that was the point of the spiritual process. It was endlessly trying to find the right thought, the nicer thought, the good thought, the loving thought, etc. that would fix or change the body’s mood. It wasn’t until peace came to stay in its awareness and the body and the ego (personal thought system) didn’t change that this mind realized that it had been using the wrong gauge for measuring its awareness of Truth. The moods of the self are irrelevant. Managing the self’s moods is a distraction from true Peace because nothing about the self has anything to do with Peace. A “good” mood is not inner peace and a “bad” mood is not inner conflict. The mind can be at peace and observe that the self is in a “bad” mood. The shift this mind needed was not in mood but in where it rested within itself: in Truth rather than in the body. "

...i can see i was still trying to spiritualise the individual self, to bring peace to myself. and i think ive been mistaking detachment for calm, not concerned moods rather than for letting go of self identity and being aware of true being. i think so anyway. thank you.
Unknown said…
Yup. What she said. Truth is True and the rest is, well, not. Also, this mind, being judgmental, prefers the new, cleaner look of your weekly emails.
Unknown said…
Liz, once again thanks for your clarity! I thought I could be detached by observing myself and what goes on around me, but I fall into the ego trap by trying to fix my moods. So how does one continue to stay in Truth? By being vigilant constantly? I have started playing a game with my ego where, when I'm watching my thoughts I gently refuse to react to them. However before the day is done I have failed and fallen into the trap and reacted, but I do find I'm becoming more of an observer and accept responsibility for my thoughts. I totally agree I will never be completely happy here but in Truth is where it is found. I find though, that I'm attacked (mentally) more than before. I suppose more forgiveness lessons and the usual phrase comes to mind ' what's the purpose of this'? To keep me mindless and try and fix the world. Always look forward to your next theme....many thanks Liz
nicci said…
thank you liz, and hannah, for clarifying this process.
endless Love, n
Frank C said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Frank C said…
after a certain point, there is no need for any more words.... aaaaaahhhhhhhh!
Desert Dreams said…
Liz, as a Course student, I consider myself in 'mind training' and that means I read and meditate daily with the goal of getting into the present moment as often as I can to remember that only Truth is True.

And so this mind's efforts are to: detach from ego thoughts, catch 'this mind' from identification with ego thoughts and to thwart any action that is ego based (judgment, attack, perceived attack). In other words, to make different choices moment to moment.

Along the path, and you know what's coming... this mind gets down on itself for screwing-up! Only, I forget and then believe that it is my True Self that has failed and not my mind.

When I perceive my mind to be in a weird mood that is less than peaceful, I assume I have unforgiven guilt on a subconscious level. That produces more guilt!

So is it possible to imagine how incredibly clarifying this article is to 'this mind'?

I recently asked the HS to be with me 24/7 and that I was 'willing' to let go of what I thought I should do, be, think, say, feel... and know deep in the True Loving Awareness that I AM... that I would be gently guided to each lesson toward 'knowing'.

Lately, I get up in the morning and say to myself.... 'Well, what kind of gifts will your dream produce today? What miracles will you 'dream-up?'

It's obvious that your message of mood and Truth was a magnificent gift, to you and to us all!!
ACIM Mentor said…
Marissa, you don't have to work to stay in Truth. Just bring your mind back to It when you can. Also, allow your emotional reactions to your thoughts. It does not work to deny them. Acknowledge how your feel then look at your thoughts and the beliefs underlying them. As you undo false beliefs you will find yourself less and less emotionally charged. An emotional charge is a signal that you have a belief to undo.
Hal Seeley said…
When I first started reading and doing the lessons in ACIM (about 10 years ago)I wanted to awaken from the dream as soon as I could. I envied those who had seeming sudden awakenings. I also came to ACIM looking for a miracle cure and it has taken me many years to let go of this desire to improve the illusion of this body.

The clarity which Liz writes here in her blog pays tribute to her 30 years as a student and teacher of ACIM. The added value to her followers is that she is able to teach from experience that we all identify with. What she has gone through we all go through eventually and reading of her learning experiences here validates our learning and subsequent efforts. This is why I no longer worry about awakening right now as I too, along with all of you, can guide other students along the path as we go before them.

Thank you Liz for your guidance.
hannah said…
liz, im confused now!

if how we are feeling is not the gauge to measure our awareness of truth.. what is the gauge we can use when still identified with this self? it sounds to me like youve undergone a shift in identity that showed you, by HAVING the experience, where you had been mistaken in your gauging.. but do you think you had to go by that mistaken gauge in that earlier part of the process?? im a bit afraid of the thought of not managing my moods, afraid of the intensity of feelings. oh, hang on.. does your answer to marissa's question contain the answer to this question? dont manage the feelings.. have the courage to allow them and then question the beliefs underlying them? so the gauge would be, maybe, how soon i turn to the questioning of beliefs?

youre welcome nicci :) much love to you too xx
Frank C said…
my word the day: Equanimity (Latin: æquanimitas having an even mind; aequus even animus mind/soul) is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. ;-)
ACIM Mentor said…
The gauge of your awareness of Truth, Hannah, is whether or not you are at peace apart from the personal experience. You cannot use the personal as a gauge.

I had to go through that mistaken gauge because I did not know any better. If I knew better I would not have made that mistake. Also, I never said you have to remain in a bad mood.That will happen naturally. It is an effect of being aware of Truth. It's about focus. If you are managing your moods because you think the mood reflects your awareness of Truth you are mistaken. But if you are aware of Truth you will shift out of the part of the mind in the mood (the personal). And then, as an effect of this, you will be able to look at what caused the mood.
ACIM Mentor said…
Equanimity is the word, Frank. It is the result of being aware of Truth.
hannah said…
thank you liz and frank! i was listening to the audio of the supplements to acim today, and the section about true healing and false healing helped to clarify this too.

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