Emptying to Contemplate God

            "Forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.” (W-189.7)

 Normally, I encourage students to state the positive rather than the negative, as in “Only God is Real” rather than “this world is an illusion” because, on its own, a negative statement affirms lack. But when it comes to contemplating God, it is often best to empty out, as the above quote implies, simply because God is beyond our experience of consciousness.

In fact, because God is unlike our experience in consciousness, we often speak of God in negative terms:

 God is Formless

God is Limitless

God is Timeless

God is not a state

God is not a condition

God is not existence

God is not thought

God is not experience

God is not awareness

God is not being

We may say:

God is Love

God is Joy

God is Peace

 But these are conditional experiences of God’s Glory, that condition being the limitations of consciousness. Therefore…

 “We say ‘God is,’ and then we cease to speak…” (W-169.5)

 …lest we feel that what we know of God in consciousness (Christ/Spirit) is all there is to know of God.

Only in consciousness is God best understood by what God is not, because consciousness is a state relative to the Absolute. In other words, only in consciousness does God seem to be emptiness or a void, because God’s Abundance is beyond the grasp of consciousness.

The Hindus use “neti, neti”, or not this, not that, negating everything that rises to conscious awareness in meditation to understand Brahman (God). The practice of contemplating God by emptying rather than filling invites God into conscious awareness as Spirit and perhaps can prepare you for a direct Revelation of God, Which would be to go beyond consciousness. The holy instant is best approached with an open mind

>>>>> 

If you have a question the answer to which you feel may be helpful to others, send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and I will answer it in this newsletter/blog.

Comments

Kay said…
Thank you once again, Liz. Your final words on your post: "The holy instant is best approached with an open mind" are exactly what I need to carry with me wherever I go. kay
5:22 AM
nicci said…
thank you. nicci
6:40 AM
will said…
Practicing Presence and the Holy Instant.

Practicing is the operative word. It is an activity as well as a description of where I am in the Course. As I see it today:

Presence: The awareness of the Holy Spirit throughout the day.
Holy Instant: Using the body for its only purpose, communication with the Holy Spirit.
For me, I see this practice as a long-term goal. My enjoyment in learning seems to be the main activity.

How I practice: I sit in my favorite chair. To my right is the coffee table with the literature I am using. Two tablets, one for listing the place of important parts of the course the other for everything else. Thoughts mostly. To the left is a small table with my coffee and a candle. I have a heavy blanket I call my bear rug in my lap. Across the room two candles are lit in places that feel comfortable.
I always practice with my eyes open, usually focusing on the rug in front of me. In formal meditation, which I don’t do too much of, it is eyes closed on contact and awareness of the Holy Spirit. Presence and the Holy Instant are about getting to constant state throughout the day; throughout my life. Mind training of an undisciplined mind.

In the fall of 2020, I found that my reading of the text had changed dramatically both in ease of reading and understanding. I read the text again. It was like reading something for the first time. I then started doing the Lessons again. It was terrific. I let the Holy Spirit/Jesus guide me on how I did them which was very different than the first time. I found a new closeness to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. My relationship with Them grew.
That has been my day since 2020.
5:48 PM
will said…
About me: I started the Course in 2005. Along the way life dealt me some major disruptions that I had to deal with. I never left the Course, but I wasn't really able to focus or learn either.
6:46 PM
ACIM Mentor said…
Nicci and Kay, you are welcome! Glad you find it useful.
2:20 PM
will said…
M-29
Jesus tells us what our personal relationship with the Holy Spirit should look like. A good read.
1:03 PM
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