You Don't Have to Go It Alone

You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

When I was a new student of A Course in Miracles going through the long and uncomfortable (sometimes downright painful) “period of sorting out” it would have been so nice to speak every now and then with someone who had been through what I was going through and who had actually attained the inner peace I wanted. But there was no one around then who offered a professional relationship like that. So I muddled through in more discomfort and pain than was necessary. And, eventually, when I was ready I became a mentor for others so that they could have an easier time than I did as they made their way to inner peace.

Obviously I do have clients so some people have taken me up on this offer.  But it is frustrating for me to hear of others who are still trying to go it alone. Clients tell me of friends who have questions or blocks to peace that they need help working out. They tell them, “Call Liz!” But they rarely do. Sometimes I can tell from comments people write at my blogsite or in emails that they are unhappy or uncomfortable or are ready to work through guilt and would benefit from a session with me. It’s not a time-consuming relationship. People get relief from just a half-hour call with me, every now and then or on a regular basis (weekly, every-other week, monthly). I’ve never had a client tell me that they felt worse at the end of a call. So why don’t they call?

Here are some things I’ve heard:

“I feel I should hear the Holy Spirit on my own.” But you read books and listen to tapes and go to a study group or to seminars? Like those the mentoring relationship is just another instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to reach you. And unlike books and tapes and seminars or a public study group, a mentor can answer your specific questions, give specific examples and tools, and clarify points. The give and take of a private conversation brings greater clarity and deeper understanding.

“I don’t want to pay for it.” But you pay for all sorts of everyday pleasures. Your lattes and booze and massages and ice cream and manicures and cable/satellite TV and books and tickets to movies and sports and plays, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s natural to pursue pleasure to offset the pain of the human condition. So why wouldn’t you pay for something that brings relief rather than just offsets the pain for a little while? Isn’t inner peace a worthwhile investment?

“I’m not worth it.” Well, what can be said about this but, “Yes you are and I’m sorry you don’t know it.” Not feeling worth it is something we can discuss, too!

“I don’t want to waste your time.” Really, people have said this. (No doubt the feeling was related to the last quote). Well, when I wanted help I felt this way, too. If anyone was available to help they were not people who mentored for a living so there was a feeling of taking up their time. But with me it’s a professional relationship. I am offering my time, energy, education, and experience in exchange for money so you don’t have to feel guilty about using them. A professional relationship puts us on equal footing.

“I don’t have anything ‘big’ enough to talk about.” If it’s an obstacle to peace size does not matter! And if it’s just a burning question it will hold you back, too. Not all of my calls with my clients are about problems or questions. Sometimes clients share what is working and good in their life. They share miracles. A lot of what I do is validate, which helps my clients move past doubts that hold them back.

Sometimes my readers have a vague idea that they would benefit from speaking with me but don’t know what to talk about. Anything and everything! Your whole life is your spirituality. We don’t have to discuss A Course in Miracles directly. As a client once said to me, “You teach spirituality; ACIM is just the language you use.” On most of my calls ACIM does not come up directly at all. Just bring to the call whatever is on your mind. I cannot tell you how often clients say, “I don’t know what to talk about today” and yet we fill up the time effortlessly.

The point is: You don’t have to go through the process to peace alone. You don’t have to stew with questions, doubts, or a nasty ego that won’t let you move past it. I’m here to help you make it easier on yourself. It is the path to peace after all…


(You can read testimonials here: www.acimmentor.com/clienttestimonials.html)

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Learn about one-on-one mentoring, how to send a donation for this blog, and 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

Manav Khanna said…
Liz, the testimonials link in your article is not working. I would like to say thank you for the work you do as a mentor. I value it and appreciate it a lot.
ACIM Mentor said…
Thanks, Manav. The link should work now.
Anonymous said…
I have had dozens of 1/2 hour mentoring sessions with Liz and I can say that overall they have had, like conventional therapy, a cumulative positive effect on my growth. Not every session is a winner, there is no quick way to undo years of ego-based thought patterns. Unlike with conventional therapy however, I have gone to a much deeper place. I am now going through the "notorious" Period of Sorting Out, building a relationship with the Holy Spirit, and fully committed to a long process. The other teachers I have encountered do not and could not offer
what Liz does. Be kind to yourself, try it.
Christine said…
The two or three sessions I had with Liz over the phone a few years ago - with many months in between, helped me move on so much...I still go over what Liz told me in those few short sessions...so impersonal, neutral - like having a referee whose rooting for neither side but is there for everyone.
It really helps to have someone whose impartial to "hear you out", we can get over our dumb stories - and they are silly!! Our Meaning of them is silly - I feel like I am now only ankle deep in my story, not up to my chin anymore with the weight of the world's endless soap opera of despair...or being distracted by all the "good stuff"!
Liz's mentoring is worth every dollar - and so much more. Help yourself - this is what we do here, we get help if there are issues...sticking points. Even if it seems so serious to you, Liz meets you where you are and hoists you out of your personal pit!
Anonymous said…
A follow up to my anonymous comments above. For me my growth with Liz is not just about mentoring sessions; its about everything that Liz has to offer: Her translations, her 2 books "Releasing Guilt", and especially "The 4 Habits for Inner Peace", her blog archive, telephone study group recordings, personal emails - all of which have been and continue to be
important. But unlike so many ego-invested teachers, its never about her - but rather, as she pointed out in a recent blog, "Between Me and Me" - this work has now become truly between me and me.
Anonymous said…
Yup, that was me. One who would identify with a personal self that would go it alone. That character played the part of martyr quite well, wearing a mask of false strength to cover what she believed was true, that she was unworthy. When I began to look, really look and began to get to the root of it all, I began to see how root bound the belief in guilt was. Those roots were all tight and twisted in a pot of unworthiness. With more looking, more letting go, came healing with the Guidance, it's time to “repot”. As the roots began to loosen in Richer Soil, and trust began to grow, a sense of deserving sprung up. Adding “Miracle Grow” gave the nutrients of Truth, the renewed belief of true worthiness, no longer needing to be bound to the past of poor poor pitiful me, I'm all alone and abandoned and nobody cares. Then just recently, my mind sensed a shift with the desire to move to another “spot” where even more healing light can shine and then the perfect “spot” appeared. It is a supportive space where further healing abides and what unfolded was a miracle in itself. After spending time basking in the light of Liz, she demonstrated teaching through Truth and with non-judgment revealed with ease that my mind's identification to my story was false, simply by not reflecting any belief in it. For this mind, it wasn't just the insight and validation of my right mindedness that was truly helpful, it was what she didn't validate, my wrong mindedness that was truly healing. I'm still in the unfolding and with a renewed sense of worthiness, I am shining as gratitude with your nourishing light Liz.

Carinos, Deb
nicci said…
thank you deb. yes.

endless L, n
Anonymous said…
While watching a PBS special last night titled “Becoming An Artist, my mind was graced with insights to their application to my journey with the Course, an Art Form in all It's Grandeur . . . Here are some comments from both the mentors and students in the program that I thought were aprapos to Liz's post . . .

Becoming an Artist
Power of mentorship
Becoming an Artist is not easy
It's great to be an artist . . . honor it . . . cherish it . . . pay it forward

Mentoring is extremely important
It's an investment
You have to love the craft
Chasing excellence
Be natural and free . . . do not add color
Feels natural but strange . . . I am use to a different way
It's not having control over it . . . It's about guidance
There is a need to express yourself
Creative impulse
You have to study and learn from the masters
Take your “playing” to another level
A question, a feeling like I don't deserve . . . Get over it . . . A question not worth asking . . . Expel it!
If you are not around others that have the same passion, it can be lonely
You can't do it alone
Need to be surrounded by artists
Not to be hindered
Push you on your path
Own your path
You have to know what the art is
Keep investing in it
It's never ending
After you live a little your art becomes more vast
Be grateful to your mentors
The quest . . . to follow that Star . . . no matter how hopeless . . . not matter how far
Now you are going to meet You
Your life is a sham
I Am What I Am
Walk to the Beat of My Own Drum
will said…
This quote is from Kenneth Wapnick in a movie called "45 Days With Kenneth Wapnick." I've never seen the movie. Ike Allen made a number of movies about the Course none of which I have seen. I just put the quote and info out there for those who might be interested.

"One of the things Helen (Schucman) used to say about the Course, is that it’s only for about five or six people. There was a period of time when she actually counted who she thought the five or six people were. I’m not going to give you the names. At some point, I think it was in a weak moment, she expanded it to nine or ten. But the point of that is not to take it as literally true, but as a symbol for the fact that this Course, in its pure form, in what it’s really teaching, is for relatively few, because it’s so frightening."

"It threatens the very fabric of our existence. It threatens the greatest value of all, which is the value of our personal self. So while I quote Helen’s line rather often, about the five or six people, and sometimes we even say, half jokingly, that I try to dissuade people from the Course, it’s really a way of saying that this is much more serious than you think. This is a much more serious thought system than you think. This has a depth far greater than you believe. And that in a sense, I’m kind of warning them that if you continue with this, you’re going to lose everything, at least everything that you hold dear."

"So there’s a gentle kind of transition, but at the very end, the whole thing dissolves into its own nothingness. So I like to caution people, at least alert people, to take this Course much more seriously than they may otherwise do; and to really have enough humility and enough respect for the Course to see oneself as spending a lifetime growing into it, rather than being tempted to scale it down to our size, but to see our lives as growing into it. Because this is a thought system that literally reaches to Heaven, even though it meets us in this world, in the illusion – but its ultimate goal is to awaken us from the dream and return us home."
will said…
Apparently 45 days with Kenneth Wapnick is a book or books.
will said…
Can of worms!! Ike Allen 'wrote' a number of books on the Course but they are not what you might think the title implies. And that's all I have to say about that!
Christine said…
Thanks, Will.
Anonymous said…
Liz, Thank you for all you do.
JontheArtist said…
My couple of sessions with Liz was a springboard to advance me further in the application of Course principles in my day to day dream life. I often say to other Course students that I sometimes make the statement that I'm getting too cerebral over the Course and not concentrating on the application. Whether I'm perceived right or wrong in my interpretation of Course principles is not going to get me there any faster, but a aha moment of forgiveness and recognizing the inner peace it brought me is worth it's weight in gold. I had that experience yesterday, a true Holy Instant! Thank you Liz for all you do.
Anonymous said…
I find Liz to be remarkably insightful. There will be something she said, the way she put it, etc. that I usually don't pick up on right off, but I go off later and run it back a few times (more than a few) and somehow I'll pick up on the idea of it - catch a glimpse. I tend to function that way anyway - as opposed to a more linear thought process because, well, I ain't the brightest bulb in the room. Wow! I sort of "sense" my way through life.
Something struck me (not sure how) in this poem that seemed to hit home - got me laughing!:

I was doing time in the Universal Mind
I was feeling fine
I was turning keys, I was setting people free
I was doing all right
Then you came along
With a suitcase and a song
Turned my head around
Now, I'm so alone
Just looking for a home
In every place I see

I'm the freedom man
I'm the freedom man
I'm the freedom man
That's how lucky I am

- "The Universal Mind" - Jim Morrison

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