“Someone was asking me some questions the other day-including some of the basics

that maybe we don’t think about enough. I think I wanted, like a day, to think about each one
and come up with the perfect answers: you know- things like what makes you unhappy and
what brings you joy.

Part of the conversation we had was about the choice to be happy or not. We can all
look at just about anything and find either something in it to be unhappy about or something to
be grateful about or something to be joyous about.

I love this time of year because the reminders are all around us. I was at my sisters
the other day and all of her tulips are starting to come up. Simply unfolding, in their slow and
steady way. We can think about all of the laws of nature that have come in to play to make
that happen. Or we can call it a miracle.

Miracle or Law? I don’t know. But I do know that when I start to get all in my head in
the analyzing of it I remind myself that if it wasn’t a little bit miraculous, I could make it.

So this is the last couple of weeks of Lent: this year I am borrowing a new acronym from
my friend Rev. Edward in No Calif. Lent-Living Enthusiastically with New Thinking.

His idea is that rather than giving up things like chocolate for Lent, as many of us grew
up doing, we give up thoughts and ways of being that no longer serve us. I liked this one for
today:

“”Today I give up the idea that my thoughts are different from my words. I give up
the idea that things are independent from my ideas. I embrace the mystery of oneness and
diligently look for the signs of connectedness in everything that appears before me.”

What would you do if you believed that anything was possible?

I would snap my fingers and change the “system” so that no one was ever without
enough to eat again. I don’t know how to do that, but I can hold the vision and I can know that
the miracle is possible.

Why that? A lot of reasons, many of them having to do with numbers and facts about
food production and things that aren’t for this morning. But the biggest reason?

When I embrace the mystery of Oneness, when I truly remember and know that there is
no separation between myself and God and therefor there can be no separation between me

and you, then I know there is no they, there is no you, there is no me and. And when I really
get that, I know that allowing others to be hungry leaves us all hungry. Allowing others to be
poor, or mistreated, or harmed, leaves us all poor and mistreated and harmed.

We just might not see it right away. We might refuse to see it at all.

But here’s the thing I know today: when I refuse to see, when I walk by the hungry man
on the side of the road and I feel nothing, or I show contempt or disrespect. When I refuse to
feel, then I am keeping myself separate. And when I keep myself separate from you, I keep
myself separate from God.

And I no longer want to be separate.

Rumi said: Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers
within yourself that you have built against it.

That seems like a good assignment for this week.”

Namaste

Above is an excerpt from a talk with Reverend Barbara Bue on 3-17-2013.

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The ego and the Holy Spirit, mutually exclusive, are two parts of our minds. The ego is not a malevolent being; it is merely a belief we hold. To the ego, there are problems. To the Holy Spirit, there are no problems – only opportunities. It is up to us to decide which we listen to.

Everything that happens in my life happens for a purpose. I can choose the purpose. I can choose it to serve the ego’s purpose – to keep me stuck, in pain and turmoil – or I can use what happens for the Holy Spirit’s purpose, as an opportunity for learning and growth.

For example, I recently taught a workshop in Norway. Having established all the details several months in advance, I was all set to go. Two days before my departure, I learned that my co-facilitator and I would receive only a small fraction of the pay we had expected. Unbeknownst to me, a residential retreat weekend had been arranged; the participants provided with two nights’ lodging and two days’ meals – paid for out of the workshop fee. My co-facilitator and I would, consequently, be paid only what was left. In effect, we would be paying for participants’ board and lodging out of our pockets.

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I was shocked, angry, disappointed and bewildered in equal measure. When I told the Norwegian promoter how I was feeling, she asked if I wanted to cancel the weekend. Without hesitation, I replied that we would be there and that I was sure it would work out. I was determined to see this differently and to accept it regardless – but I felt sick.

It turned out that the retreat centre was beautiful, located amongst wooded hills 100 miles southwest of Oslo. It had been snowing and the setting was idyllic. The group of 14 participants was delightful, the food provided was wonderful, and the workshop was a great success. I had an excellent weekend. It was a gift.

On the Sunday night following the workshop, the promoter invited my co-facilitator and me into her stunning home, where we stayed for two days. That night I sat with her to discuss the issue that had arisen. Even though I considered the weekend a gift, I hadn’t yet forgiven the mix-up and lack of communication. We both shared how we felt about the events five days earlier. As I heard her speak of how ashamed she felt and how much she believed she had failed by not informing me what was being planned and how it would affect us, my heart went out to her. Suddenly, I felt nothing but warmth, empathy and closeness to her. It was a beautiful moment of joining – my second gift.

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 ”The truth is simple, being one for all.” -A Course in Miracles

I could have chosen to see the situation as a problem, even as a disaster, and closed myself to the miracles and healing opportunities available. I am grateful that I chose to see it differently, receiving the gifts that were the inevitable result of changing my mind.

Perhaps we can begin to welcome problems for what they truly offer us, opportunities to let go, to forgive, love, and remember the truth.

Ian Patrick is Manager/Coordinator of Miracle Network, publisher of “Miracle Worker” magazine, serving students of A Course in Miracles in the UK since 1994.

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From the Right Mind of AVAIYA Founder, iKE ALLEN

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It will be like this: if I had a dream tonight about you, and I saw you the next day, and in that dream I had about you last night, you do something really unconscionable to me, you abuse me, attack me terrible, and I come see you the next day and yell at you for what you did to me last night, you would lock me up. You would wonder if I had taken my medication this morning, because you say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Well that’s what happens when we get angry. We are blaming other people for the dis-ease that we feel. This doesn’t mean that other people aren’t coming from their Egos, it’s simply saying, “What do other Egos have to do with me?” What do other Egos have to do with me? No matter what they’ve done, they are not responsible for my not feeling the Love and the Peace of God. That is always the bottom line. That’s why anger is never justified.

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You may attack my Body but you cannot attack my Mind. There’s a line in the Course that’s a rhetorical question that says, “Are thoughts dangerous?” And then the answer is, “To bodies, yes.” But I’m not a Body. You’re not a Body. There is no world in which bodies interact. That’s part of the hallucination. There’s a line that says, “What if you knew this world was an hallucination?” Well, it would terrify us, because if the world was an hallucination, as it is, then I don’t exist. I’m not here! I can only be here as a Body living in a world into which I believe I was born – a world that existed before I was born, a world that existed while I’m here, and a world that will exist after I die. But all that is made up; it’s just a bad dream. A gigantic dream, but it is still a dream.

So the question is, “Who am I angry at?” And who is the “I” that is getting angry? I want to get angry at you. That’s why anger is such a problem. Psychologists are very wrong – and I can speak of that since I’m a psychologist – psychologists are very wrong when they say that anger is a basic human emotion. It’s not a basic human emotion. There are no basic human emotions. There are no human emotions. There’s only one emotion in the Mind, if you want to call it emotion, and that would be Fear. Everything in this world is a projection and a split off part of that Fear. But anger is not a basic human emotion; anger is a wish, a wish that says, “I want to be unfairly treated by you, so I can be justified in being angry and point an accusing finger at you – and say,” in the words of the Course, “Behold me Brother, in your hands I die.” Or in your hands I suffer. And I need people to attack so that then God will find them out and discover them to be the sinner and not me. A fundamental principle of the Ego thought system is one or the other. In fact, that’s how the Ego thought system began – it was God or the Ego. It was a capital S Self of perfect Oneness or a little s self of individuality, separation, and specialness and uniqueness. It’s one or the other; both can’t co-exist.

And so, if the Ego is to survive, it has to believe that it destroyed God. And of course then, that’s what the Course would call original sin except it’s a sin that never happened, it’s just a sin that we believe happened . But since that’s what made the Ego, and the Ego is our father, the Ego is our source, then everything we do revolves around that “one or the other” mentality. I don’t care about you; I just care that my needs are met. And if it’s one or the other, there can only be one sinner, and I want to be sure that it’s you and not me. So I want you to hurt me, I want you to do unkind things, that’s the key thing in this Course that makes it so unique as a Spirituality – it exposes the darkest depths of the Ego thought system that has the thought, “I want you to do bad things.” Because then I can say to God, “Here’s the sinner.” And there’s a line in the Course, actually it’s the same section that “Behold me Brother, in your hands I die” comes in; it says, “Your brother’s sins are writ in Heaven… and go before him.” I want you to sin against me, so God in his Heaven will see your sins and they will go before you and he will lead you to Hell. If it’s one or the other, if you go to Hell, I must go to Heaven. And what is it that establishes you as a sinner?  My suffering. In fact, the title of that section is “The Picture of Crucifixion,” which is not a reference to the Biblical myth, it has nothing to do with the Biblical story. We all show this picture of Crucifixion to each other; look how you’ve hurt me. That’s why people love to hold onto their child abuse stories and will never let them go. And they’re willing to pay therapists thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars to reinforce the fact that something terrible happened to them. Now indeed, something terrible happened to their bodies, and I’m not justifying people’s pedophilia or people’s child abuse, but I’m simply saying, “That’s not the cause of my distress now.” It’s understandable, as a child, I would be greatly distressed over sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, but I’m not that child anymore.

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Access your deepest peace and wisdom by exposing the false “I” self

The true you is your absolute best self. This true self of yours is strong, wise, peaceful and infinite. Most of us are rarely able to get in touch with this true self—beyond a glimpse now and then—because our personality-self covers it over like a heavy blanket. A scratchy, smelly blanket that could stand a bit of washing.

This personality-self is not who you really are. Yes, I know it feels like your personality-self is really you, but that’s not the case.  The personality-self is nothing more than a dense, complex web of thoughts, beliefs, opinions, cultural conditioning, past memories and future projections, woven tightly together. This hodgepodge of influences and ideas forms our concept of “I” or “me.”

We all do it; we all form a self-image based entirely on mental stuff. I think of myself—of “Carrie”—as someone who loves dark chocolate and hates the 24-hour news channels. I’m a writer. I’m an American. A graphic designer. A spiritual seeker. And yet, I’m none of these things. Not really.

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It’s easy to mistake this tangled-up web of mental stuff for our real self. Each of us tends to grasp onto this false “I” self, convinced that it’s who we are. Because we clutch this personality-self so tightly, it seems as if it’s permanently bonded onto our real self, like skin on a body. Yet that’s not really true. We can easily start to loosen the grip of the “I” self if we want to. And this loosening can help us access the true self that’s waiting patiently beneath the blanket.

It’s possible to tap into that highest, best self anytime, and it takes no special communication skills to do it. But first, we have to reduce the overbearing mental chatter of the “I”. We have to weaken the hypnotic force of that personality-self, so that we can hear the quiet wisdom of our true self.

How? By learning to become the observer of our thoughts. Becoming the observer does some wonderful things for us; for example, stepping back to observe our own thoughts automatically brings us into the present moment. And if we’re inhabiting the present moment, it means we’re not busy weaving more past or future threads into that nasty old “I” blanket.

This exercise is not a meditation; we’re not trying to empty our mind of thought. Just let thoughts pop into your mind as they will. And when a thought arises, take the time to observe it. This simple act is a very powerful practice.

Our default programming is that we believe our thoughts are true, and we believe our thoughts make up who we are. This ongoing belief is what keeps the dense blanket of the personality-self alive and powerful.  By standing back to observe each thought, we give ourselves the opportunity to examine that thought with a fresh eye, and ask: Do I believe this thought? Is it really who I am?

• • •

Try this experiment for a few days, if it interests you: Subject each one of your thoughts to this statement: This thought is not me.

No thought is exempt. All thoughts, no matter how holy, how neutral or downright disgusting they may seem to be, are fair game for this exercise. As you observe a thought and silently remind yourself that this thought is not you, do your best to detach all belief from the thought.

And that’s the whole practice. Simple, right? Remind yourself the thought is not you, and then detach from the thought. You may not notice much difference at first. But if you keep it up, soon you’ll start to realize that as you detach, the thought instantly loses its meaning. The complex backstory you’ve woven around the thought begins to fall away. And as the story drifts away, you’ll see that all judgment associated with the thought drifts away too. And when judgment and story have gone, the thought contains nothing to anchor it in your mind, so it drifts away as well.

And you’ll be able to feel the knotted threads of your personal “I” blanket loosening and detangling. The blanket, which formerly seemed attached as tightly as skin, now starts to become unbonded from the real you. A gap starts to form between the two.

This gap is a thought-free zone. Cherish this gap; strengthen it by hanging out there as often as you like, for as long as you can manage. And from the quietness of this gap, you’ll find it so much easier to access the infinite gift of loving wisdom and gentle peace that the real you is patiently waiting to share with you.

Go there anytime. All the time, twenty-four/seven. Your true self is waiting.

© Copyright 2013 Carrie Triffet

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Painfully shy and not wanting to attract attention, I did as I was told and fared well in school. But my introspective nature kept me from connecting with my classmates.

For the first six years of my life, we lived in a house built for the employees of the aluminum company for which my dad worked. My mother was the consummate homemaker. I had my own room, toys to play with, and clothes for all seasons and home cooked meals. It was a simple existence for a small-town family in the peaceful mid-fifties, the perfect beginning for a happy and uncomplicated life. Which might have been the case, except for the persistent divine discontent that caused me to search for answers to the unanswerable. Raised Catholic, I learned that God was the boss, all knowing and ever present. If you messed up, you’d end up in hell; I desperately wanted to go to heaven. This bleak metaphysics might have washed right over me, as it had with most of my peers, had it not been for my fascination with Jesus, God’s very special son. But I had many questions. I wanted to know why we were here, and, if God was our Father, why had He abandoned us. Why couldn’t we have simply stayed in heaven? Why could I not see or hear God like Jesus had? Why did He make this world? Why did He create a world in which people suffered? How could he allow his favorite son to suffer and die? Why was the Catholic Church the one and only Church?

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In my early teens, I discovered books, in particular, the stories of spiritual seekers. Books became my best friends. Edgar Cayce in particular opened up a world of possibilities, resonating with truths that lay deeply buried, also igniting my interest in astrology. Intrigued by Cayce’s predictions on geological events, I enrolled in college in Pure and Applied Sciences. Somehow, I thought that physics and metaphysics were related. It wasn’t long before I learned that academia was not for me. To add to my distress, I developed a severe case of acne and suffered paralyzing migraines. Slowly, darkness swallowed up the light in my soul, and I slipped into a profound depression. On my way home from school at night, I’d stand just beyond the safety line of the subway platform, wondering what it would be like to fall in as a train arrived at full speed. My life barely begun, I was ready to leave this world. Yet there remained a tiny ray of hope, and I held on.

For my physical healing, I turned to alternative therapies; for my soul’s healing, I discovered Transcendental Meditation. I read the works of Ramana Maharshi, Yogananda and others who bridged the gap between Eastern and Western spiritualities. Returning to my Catholic roots, I read Thomas Merton. Had I been a boy, I would probably have followed in Merton’s footsteps and joined a monastery. At twenty-two, in search of my life purpose, I visited a palmist. Ghanshyam understood my feelings of loneliness and isolation. He encouraged me to study astrology and invited me to study palmistry with him. From the Vedic tradition, Ghanshyam’s faith in the Divine was as uncomplicated as it was unshakable, and he often pointed out my own lack of faith, something I desperately wanted to fix. Spiritual seekers had the gift of profound faith, something that I had not been able to find in myself.

After three difficult years, I gave up on college and found an office job. My health issues gradually cleared up, and I started to feel better about myself. In my continued search for truth, I joined a school of mind training. This path was more accessible for someone of little faith like me, with an approach that was focused on mindfulness and Zen-like discipline. I had a job, a spiritual path that suited my style and then, I met Mike. Things were looking up. I would have a home, a family and someone with whom to share the spiritual journey. For the first few years of our marriage, I was content to be a mother to my beautiful daughters. But the shadows soon resurfaced. It was a losing battle. When difficulties emerged in my marriage, I consulted my spiritual mentor for advice. I was shocked to learn that I would be helped, but in exchange for sexual favors.

Eight years into my marriage, I met a shaman. It was infatuation at its most intense. Divorce followed, and a new life with Arthur began. He taught me much about astrology and his unique brand of shamanism. His approach was decadently hedonistic and self-serving, and very anti-Christian. Though for a while I was intrigued, it soon began to feel wrong. There was something missing in this form of spirituality – it was Godless. The end of my relationship with Arthur marked a significant pause in my quest for spiritual fulfillment.

In my forties, I focused on the business of life. To build my astrology practice, I adopted a philosophy of life that was practical and down-to-earth. God and Jesus were replaced by impersonal concepts such as the universe, the power of mind and energy. I gave up the spiritual quest and became an entrepreneur. But I was unable to keep the fires of the quest buried forever. A decade later, I became overwhelmed by a profound urge to make peace with God. The meaninglessness of a life lived without spirit caught up with me.

Once again, feeling the pull of darkness, I hit the books. But this time, nothing satisfied my need for truth. On occasion, I had been inspired to reach for a book with a navy blue cover, only to realize that it was not the one I needed. The book on my shelf was navy blue, with silver lettering, a book on healing. The one I was urged to read had gold lettering. When I came across a reference to A Course in Miracles, I immediately recognized it as the book I was being guided to read. When I received my copy, I eagerly began to read it. But this text was not for me. It was written in a far too sophisticated style. I set it aside. Shortly thereafter, I received an e-mail promoting a new book called The Disappearance of the Universe (DU) by Gary R. Renard. It was subtitled Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness. My immediate reaction was “Oh no, not another channeled work.” But there was a reference to A Course in Miracles, and, despite my misgivings, I ordered a copy. DU was the “ACIM for Dummies” I needed to get started on my new path. The vast library of workshops by Kenneth Wapnick became my school. I studied A Course in Miracles with a fierceness I had never before experienced. Although at first I didn’t understand much of what I was reading, a part of me sensed that it would bring me the experience of peace I desperately sought, and so I persevered. Jesus became my new teacher. As I started to apply its message of forgiveness, old wounds began to heal. Long unanswered questions were answered. Excited about having finally found the truth, I continued to deepen my understanding of its message.

But after nearly four years of intensive study, to my profound disappointment, instead of experiencing a greater sense of peace, the old shadow of doubt returned with a vengeance. I began to question the message of the Course and to doubt its teacher. Darkness grew very intense as I realized that if this teaching were not true, then there really was no hope. If that were so, then there was nothing left to live for. The emptiness I had felt in my childhood returned to swallow me completely. I grew desperate for a sign. I felt like a child. I needed proof.

One day, following yoga practice, I grabbed the tattered old bedspread I used to curl up in when I watched television and quickly threw it over myself, but it was lighter than I expected, and it landed over my head. I snuggled into the soft cotton folds, and, closing my eyes, took a couple of deep breaths. With my mind calm and clear, as was my custom after yoga, I sat quietly, peacefully. In one silent instant, I sensed that I was no longer in my basement yoga room. Nor was I in my body. I was a young girl, clutching a dusty shawl about myself, hiding behind a group of men who were having an animated discussion by the roadside. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of the man who stood just beyond them talking to passersby. Jesus, they called him. I was fascinated by the man and wanted to follow him with the others, but my brother had ordered me to return home. This was not the place for a girl, he said. But I was small, and well hidden, and as I watched, the man turned and spotted me where I was certain no one could see me. He smiled, and, for one transcendent moment, I knew that the waiting had not been in vain, for, in that briefest of moments, I knew that I had seen the Face of Love. Be kind, he said without words. Be kind. The experience of love in that one single moment was so overwhelming that I doubled over on my yoga mat in child’s pose and wept. His gaze held a kindness filled with the purest love I had ever seen and I understood that this was my answer.

Be kind to others, but above all, be kind to yourself.

As I wept some more, I felt the lifting of huge burdens and soon I was overcome by a profound sense of peace. Gone were the questions and the uncertainty. At that moment, I knew that I would never again travel alone; I knew that I would never again doubt.

My experience of A Course in Miracles has given me a profound sense of peace that comes with knowing that, in truth, we are as God created us, and we have never left our heavenly home. Our experience here in bodies is a temporary condition, the result of our belief in the dream. I live my life very much in the present moment, mindful of my thoughts and perceptions, ready to practice the forgiveness process that is at the heart of the Course’s thought system. To forgive is to look beyond our interpretations of our perceptions. What I see outside is a picture of what lies deeply buried within. As I forgive what I see outside, I also forgive the mistaken thoughts I have about myself. Whenever a concern arises, I call on my teacher, and I know with absolute certainty that I will be inspired as to the best way to forgive. This practice is what will allow me to gently awaken from my worldly dream and return to my heavenly home. It is a simple process and one that is guaranteed to bring an experience of peace. In being an example of this different way of looking at the world, I am an instrument of the love and the peace that we all share. There is no peace except the peace of God.

Pauline Edward, author of Making Peace with God: The Journey of A Course in Miracles Student, is an astrologer-numerologist, author and speaker, living in Quebec, Canada. Founder of A Time for Success, a consulting business specializing in Trends, Cycles, and Lifestyle Planning, Pauline offers counseling, coaching and workshops for individuals and businesses worldwide.

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Which is reasonable. I’ve certainly never known anyone looking for less love in their life.
Although interestingly, people seem to think there is a limited amount of love available and
they might run out if they aren’t careful about how they dole it out.

In reality—well, in Spirit actually, which is like Reality—there are no limits on love except the
ones we place on it. Spirit doesn’t limit love; instead, we decide that it is too risky, and we hold
back love. We decide that we’ve shared enough, and we hold back love. We decide that we’ve
made too many stupid choices with our hearts, and we hold back love.

We talk, in New Thought, about laws: Provable ways that the universe works. One example is
the Law of Attraction, which you’ve heard so much about over the last few years. But there
is another very important law: The Law of Circulation. The Law of Circulation says that what
we give out we receive back. The law itself makes no judgment about it, nor does it choose.
It simply responds to our action and says yes. So if I hold back love, I experience the world
around me also holding back love, as if everyone inhales at the same time and forgets to
exhale.

But if I give out love, then the entire action of Spirit aligns with me and says YES and more love
shows up around me. It may not look exactly as I expect, but if I am open to seeing the love
around me just as it is and just as it is not, then I get to experience it. When I experience it, I
grow from it in my faith that it works. Then, I give out more and I continue to receive more. Of
course, this works for everything I want to expand in my life.

I was told that in Native American tradition, if you give a gift to someone, it becomes
inappropriate for you to ask anything about the gift again, because if you truly give something
away it is no longer yours to be concerned about. When you give it away, you have released
your attachment to how or whether is used by someone else. What if we could create a
practice like that with love? What if we could give it away with no concern for how it is
received or what happens next?

Giving away love could mean giving money to a stranger, spending extra time with a friend in
need, or cooking a meal for someone we care about. Often we do those things and look for a
particular result. We expect a certain behavior, or we have some idea about getting something

back because of this thing we did. How many arguments have been caused in relationships
because our unspoken expectations didn’t get met somehow? Once we understand that Spirit
is Love, therefore we are always surrounded and held in love when we are open to it, we can
let go of our expectations of how any one person will respond or behave. We can know that
somewhere along the way we will have the experience of greater love within our own being.

Then, the only expectation we have is simple: God, let me more freely give love that I may more
fully experience love. No fear, no disappointment, no heartache. Just stretching and leaning in
to the practice of Love.

Now that is a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Rev. Barbara Bue is the Sr. Minister and Community Spiritual Leader of the Creative Center for
Spiritual Living. She can be heard at www.CreativeCSL.org or Sundays at 1113 8th Ave.

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Each of us comes into this world equipped with a thinking mind — an incessantly chattering internal voice that provides us with a constant, ongoing play-by-play. It never shuts up. It’s with us always.  And most of us mistake this thinking mind for who we really are.

Thinking minds are useful tools, handy for getting around in the world. But we don’t actually need them most of the time. And generally speaking, they do a lot more harm than good. Anytime you feel pain, (or fear, or rage, or guilt, or shame, or despair, or even just boredom) you have your thinking mind to thank for it.

Here’s another interesting thing about the thinking mind: It’s never satisfied right now, in this current moment. If you look at it closely, you’ll see this is true. Even when you’re at your most satisfied, you’ll notice that your thoughts are automatically pushing you to chase after something better still, in order to be really happy. Like this satisfaction you feel right now doesn’t actually count. If I only had…[fill in the blank]… more money, more success, the respect of my peers, a nicer house, a better car…THEN I’d be happy. If I only had true love, someone to stick by me no matter what, then I’d be happy.

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But the truth is, nothing and nobody can complete us or make us happy. That’s an inside job. So if we’re incredibly lucky in life, we acquire some, or most, or all of the things our ego mind says will make us happy – and then we discover it’s all a lie. We feel the same empty way inside that we felt beforehand.

Some of us realize this and say, well then, I’ll put myself on a spiritual path; I’ll clean up my insides. And that will make me happy. And a handful of us go even farther and say, I’m going to seek enlightenment. Because once I’m enlightened, THEN I’ll be happy.

Do you see the crafty way the ego mind is working here? It’ll do or say anything to keep you future-focused in your search for peace and fulfillment. Why is that? It’s because the present moment, right here right now, IS the jackpot.

And by ‘the present moment,’ I mean THIS present moment. This mundane, un-special, unfulfilling, imperfect moment in time. As it turns out, all transformation, all healing, all forgiveness and all atonement take place only when we sink into the present moment without resistance, and accept it exactly as it is. And all authentic joy and peace comes as a result of that.

But the thinking (ego) mind can’t hang out in the present moment, because the present is real, but the ego is not. And when we’re authentically inhabiting the present moment, it instantly becomes clear that the ego mind is nothing but a strange sort of unnecessary hitchhiker — a bit of extra software that our minds could easily do without.

So it’s a self-preservation thing, really. Your ego doesn’t want you to realize how easy it is to find lasting happiness and peace, because then it would be out of a job.

But here’s the thing. You don’t need your ego’s permission. In fact, you don’t need anything beyond what you’ve already got. You don’t have to search the world for the right present moment, or apprentice yourself to the right Eastern guru in order to find presence. (Although you can bet your ass that the guru will find it for you and make you stay in it until you recognize it as yours.)

But really. We all have a relatively abundant supply of present moments, and they’re right here, right now. And if you miss this one, no worries – the next one is coming up right behind it. And it’s free. And it’s wherever you are right now. This is liberation, and it’s equally available to everybody.

It’s so simple. Difficult as hell (until it isn’t) — but then, who knows, maybe one day you find yourself actually present within a certain number of your own present moments — instead of pushing them away, instead of letting your ego mind run the show. And that’s when the unstoppable peace, and joy, and fulfillment start welling up, little by little, from within.

Jackpot.

That magnificent peace and joy are here with you right now, and they’re with you always. Total fulfillment and happiness are hallmarks of who you really are. They’re your birthright.  It’s only the ego mind that blocks you from feeling any of it.

Whenever we decide to show up and be present in our own lives, we get a taste of what REAL freedom feels like. So isn’t it about time you took your lasting happiness into your own hands?

~ Carrie Triffet, author of Long Time No See, and The Enlightenment Project

© Carrie Triffet 2013

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The Ego is a Course term for a thought system. I think it’s important to understand that even though the Course talks about the Ego as if it were a thing – in fact, at one place in Chapter 4 of the Text, Jesus basically apologizes for talking about the Ego as if it were a separate thing, almost like the Devil, even though the Course doesn’t believe in the Devil. But the Ego is not a thing, the Ego really is a decision-maker’s decision to embrace a thought system of separation and individuality and guilt and attack. So the Ego is really not an entity in and of itself. The Ego is simply a thought that we have made real by virtue of our belief in it. That really is important to understand. The Ego itself is absolutely nothing, which means that Ego should not be fought against, it should not be, one should not seek to offer comment, one should not struggle with it, one should not be afraid of it, one should not be guilty over it. Because once you have one of those feelings or any other feeling, you are making it real and giving it a power that it doesn’t have.

The Ego, once again, is nothing more than our belief in it. And the “our” that believes in it is the decision-making part of our Mind that wants to be on its own, wants to be independent, autonomous and be totally separated from God and his love – that’s what the Ego is. And this is extremely important in terms of how one practices the Course. There’s a very important line that says, “Into eternity where all is One, there crept a tiny mad idea at which the Son of God remembered not to laugh.” What that makes clear is that the problem was not the tiny mad idea, and then by extrapolation, not any of the fragmentary shadows, namely our perception of the Universe, of that tiny mad idea; the problem is that we took it seriously. That’s what it means to “remember not to laugh.” By taking it seriously, we said, “This is real, and is a problem and we have to do something about it.” That’s exactly what the Ego does, that’s exactly what most formal religions do, and unfortunately, it’s actually what most spiritualities have done. They make the thought system of the Ego real no matter how they conceptualize it and then they have a plan to kind of deal with it. What makes the Course different is that it says the Ego is never the problem. How could what doesn’t exist, what never happened, be a problem? The problem is that we took it seriously. We remembered not to laugh at it.

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What this means in terms of our practical living, our everyday life, is that we become aware when we choose the Ego by recognizing when we’re disquiet, when we’re upset, when we’re not totally at Peace, when we exclude certain members of the Sonship from our love and our forgiveness. And when we become aware of that – not to be upset, not to feel guilty over having done this, but recognize what we have chosen, what the consequences of that choice are, namely that I will not be happy and I will not be peaceful, and that’s what will motivate me to choose again. If I get upset because I’ve chosen the Ego, I’ve made the Ego real. And then I will never let it go; I’ll struggle against it and struggle against it and struggle against it. So this should not be taken seriously as the problem. It should point the direction to the problem. And again, the direction that it’s pointing to, which is what the role of the Miracle is, which again, is why this is called A Course in Miracles, is to tell us the problem is not the dream, not the Ego thought system, either as it’s expressed in the world or in our Mind, the problem is that our decision-making Mind chose to believe in it. And because we chose to believe in it, we can now choose not to believe in it, and to choose the Right-Minded thought system of correction. So again, the Ego is literally nothing; in fact, in the Classification of Terms, which is like an Appendix to the Teacher’s Manual, it says, “What is the Ego?” – and it says, “Nothing.” “Where is the Ego?” – “Nowhere.” So again, the problem is not the Ego or its thought system, the problem is our belief in it.

From the Right Mind of AVAIYA Founder, iKE ALLEN

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Divine intervention is the proof of forgiveness. The universe, spirit, verifies that we have opened our own door to forgiving ourselves by deleting the painful experience we were about to have and replacing it with something that we might call “the answer to a prayer.”  How does this happen? How do we get divine intervention to work for us when the chips are down?

There is so much talk about quantum physics, parallel realities, all time being simultaneous time, and miracles rearranging time and space for their own benefit, that we are beginning to catch on to the idea that life bears no resemblance to what our parents and teachers told us it was about. It certainly is not about getting an education so we can “get ahead in life” or “watching out for old number one.” To add to the disparity between what appears to be real and what reality may actually be, physicists today tell us that time is not linear, we can go backwards or forwards in time, or experience all time simultaneously.

We might say life is karma yoga. If there is any such thing as karma, and that would assume that time is linear, one life being lived after another, then the old testament tells us that the path of the un-awakened seeker is “an eye for an eye,” another way of saying we learn by experiencing the effects of our own unskilled behavior. We have the tables turned on us. For most of us this means we are in big trouble. If we have to pay for every mistake one at a time, this could be an infinite and very painful journey through life. We find ourselves facing one no win situation after another. We believe our selves to be victims of people, the economy, and society.

As we continue to seek for answers we read about persons who seemed to be able to demonstrate that it is not necessary to be victimized. Indeed they make outrageous statements such as “ask and you shall receive” and “in my defenselessness my safety lies.” Very much a different view of life than the one the authority figures gave us growing up.

OK, let’s assume there are no situations which can’t be healed. How do I bring the healing of the situation into my life? Depends on which workshop you just attended I guess. Do you have the right prayer for this situation? Can you process your unreleased grievances?

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No master teacher ever mentioned the past behavior or the karmic lessons of the person they were healing at the moment. They just ask, “Do you believe I can do this?” If the answer was yes then the healing took place. If the answer was no, then they were sent on their way with the blessings of the teacher.

And all master teachers have agreed that forgiveness (a shift in thought and emotion) is the key to healing and to awakening. We don’t like to hear that because it is extremely difficult to forgive someone who has done irrefutable harm to us or to our loved ones.

There are many books on forgiveness that assume that the action to be forgiven really happened and the harm really took place. I am reminded of Neil Armstrong’s statement when he stepped onto the surface of the moon. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” It is time for the giant leap in consciousness.

Brace yourself because what I am about to say does not fit the model of reality which we were handed when we grew up.

There is only one of us in the human race. No one has ever done anything to someone else. There are no victims. Life is a motion picture and no actors have ever been harmed during the filming of the massacre scene. It is all karma yoga until it isn’t. If all time is simultaneous time then by thinking a loving thought in the present moment we transform all of our past and all of our future into love.

Pragmatically speaking what do I do when I am between a rock and a hard place? Surrender! The intellect has no answers. All correction belongs to spirit. It’s not your job to fix your problems.

In retrospect, examining my personal experience, I see that the universe stepped in and bailed me out of deep-water dozens of times that I recognized, and probably thousands of times that I didn’t recognize. However spirit was able to step in only after my intellect understood it did not have the ability to fix my problem. I had to release my grievances. Surrender is forgiveness.

When I barely graduated from college with a low grade point average I wasn’t sure I would get a job, certainly not a dream job. I was OK with that. I surrendered to what would be. I walked past a sign on the street that said “Job Fair.” I went in with no expectations.  An airline had a booth and I thought, “I like airplanes,” so I stepped up and talked to a nice looking fellow with the smiley face button. I talked to him about what I liked, he asked me a few questions, and he said, “You’re hired.” My dream job was mine. I didn’t have my college transcript with me so he didn’t know about my grades. A miracle? No… just normal divine intervention.

Several years later I decided to go into business for myself, in spite of having a dream that showed me running a red light. The business was a disaster. I lost my health, my business, my house, my marriage, and was at the end of my rope. Sitting on my sofa (which now belonged to the bank) one night at 2 am I asked whoever might be hearing what was going on in my head for permission to kill myself. Twice in my life I have heard an audible voice, not just in my head, but as if someone was in the room with me. This voice gently said, “Not allowed.” Damn! Now what? No way out. I just collapsed in surrender. I was awakened at 8 am by the phone ringing. It was Carol Parrish, a spiritual teacher whom I knew. She said, “Spirit just told me to call you and offer you a scholarship to the retreat which begins tomorrow.” The retreat was being held at a resort on a lake nearby. I had no money so I thought I will just sleep in my car and maybe someone will buy me lunch. As I walked into the lobby of the lodge I heard my name on the PA system. I went to the desk and was told that someone had paid for my room and board. At the retreat an astrologer gave me a free reading letting me know that all was not lost and my future was bright. How many divine interventions took place in the space of three days?

Divine intervention needs a crack through which it can work its way into our lives. What is the crack? Forgiveness. Letting go of grievances. Surrender. Surrender is the state of releasing the belief that you have answers for your own life. When life has backed you in a corner and beaten you severely about the head and shoulders and there is no hope, surrender is the only option. However, we have the choice to surrender before it gets that bad. When we surrender, we forget about our grievances, we forget about the power of our separated minds, that is to say, we are in a state of total forgiveness of ourselves and of others. There is no room for blame. That is where the answers lie. That is the space in which spirit does the driving.

Paxton Robey is the author of No Time for Karma. He feels that A Course in Miracles is a ‘short cut’ path to awakening for many people in today’s world.

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From the Right Mind of AVAIYA Founder, iKE ALLEN

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First, congratulations to the LGBT community in Colorado on the passage of Civil Unions and,
more importantly, the furthering of the idea that all of us are created in the image and likeness
of God ,and therefore ALL people are created equal and endowed with the right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve expanded and moved forward in a way that brings hope
and joy to millions of people.

Then, congratulations to the Catholic community on the election of a new pope. Pope Francis
sounds very much like the old pope; most of what I have read so far about him leads me to
believe that he is very conservative and will not be rushing to change anything about Catholic
doctrine. I can see that this brings comfort and peace to millions of people.

And then spring poked her head out this week, bringing rays of warmth, some wet snow
and commercials about yard work. The seeds are out at the hardware store and farmers are
plowing. In the midst of the dichotomy in the world right now, the seesaw back and forth
between the “liberal” and the “conservative,” we are reminded that life simply moves forward
and renews itself every year. Mother Nature doesn’t care one whit about all the things we find
to disagree over; she simply brings warmth and renewal. Her resurrection, every year, brings
comfort and joy and hope and peace to millions of people.

So much seems to divide us these days, and yet we all are so alike in our desires. We are
all looking for love, acceptance, a feeling of security and a little happiness. If only we could
change the dialogue, getting away from the question of how we get there and starting with the
simple question, “What do you really want?” With that question I am sure we can begin by
recognizing our commonality. Then, we can move beyond our fear and find solutions that work
for everyone.

Of course, this only works if everyone is willing to give a little in order to receive a little.

As we approach the Spring Equinox and Easter, the season of renewal and rebirth, I am
reminded again and again of the simple yet profound commandment: “Love thy neighbor.” To
love requires a bit of compassion, and perhaps a dose of non-judgment and a willingness to
look with new eyes. Perhaps it requires a willingness to see through the eyes of God, to whom
we are all simply precious and awesome.

For those moments of fear and those moments we simply don’t understand, I offer the Unity
Prayer of Protection (written by James Dillet Freeman).

The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;

The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is.

Amen. May the renewal of spring bring joy and light to your life.

Rev. Barbara Bue is the Sr. Minister of the Creative Center for Spiritual Living. She believes we can
create a world that works for everyone. www.CreativeCSL.org

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