Relax and Enjoy the Journey

             In ego-consciousness, you can become aware of God within you—Christ. You can grow this awareness. You can learn to trust Christ’s Spirit (Holy Spirit) as your Guide, Teacher, and Therapist and make It your Constant Companion as you go about the world. In fact, you can make being in the world about being with Spirit. You can be a Spirit-centered person. This will help you to detach from ego, to mitigate the pain of ego. In my experience, it was the only way to live in ego-consciousness with any peace and happiness.

But what you cannot do is make Spirit take center in consciousness, which causes ego to fall away. This is what is commonly called “awakening.” No amount of spiritual practice can bring this about. At most, it can prepare you for it, if it is to happen.

And it is not necessary for it to happen. Ego will fall away, it will “die”, one way or another, either through awakening in consciousness or the death of the body. It is only a passing experience in any case.

Any seeking for awakening in ego-consciousness is an illusion because ego can only imagine it as some sort of glorified ego experience. But as awakening is the end of ego, what it seeks does not exist.

So, the value of a spiritual journey in ego-consciousness is in the journey itself—the study and practice and, of course, your relationship with Spirit, all of which help you to detach from ego. As the saying goes, “the journey is the destination.”

So, relax and enjoy your spiritual journey for its own sake and do not reach. Value it for what it gives you now, in your life today. There will be shifts to greater peace and happiness along the way. And if you are to awaken, you will be prepared.

 >>>> 

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

Comments

Anonymous said…
Valuable information no matter where you are in the Course.
8:02 AM
Anonymous said…
It would be a mistake to think of awareness as "awakening lite." As Liz points out you can have awareness of God all the time. This is invaluable when you are depressed or even going out each day to face the world. My awareness comes in two ways. One is this constant feeling in my chest. It feels about the size of a quarter and has been with me as long as I can remember. The other is feeling "the Presence" when I study. I don't learn while read but feel strongly the Presence teaching me. This is fairly subtle stuff but is clearly felt.

8:08 PM
Anonymous said…
Remember, there are millions and millions maybe billions of people who would give anything to know if God even exists.
8:57 PM
Anonymous said…
I mean, come on, there was a time when the thought you could have AWARENESS of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit sitting with you in your living room would have blown your socks off! :)
5:12 AM
Anonymous said…
“A teacher does not give experience, because he did not learn it. It revealed itself to him at its appointed time.” L.158

We have used the personal egoic mind to learn all our lives. Jesus prepares us for the Holy Spirit's teaching, telling us we will now learn through the Holy Spirit reveling to us what we need to know. When we read the text be aware for spirit teaching.
6:49 AM
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