Course Note #137: A Contract for Awakening

A contract for awakening -- are you ready to sign? 

        In the book The Teachings of the Inner Ramana, there is a chapter entitled, “A contract for awakening”.*  I had no desire to read that chapter, and I even had the thought that I was not ready to go there, and was not going to read the chapter until I was.  Well, as I entered into a year of “letting go” on December 2, 2011, I was also prompted on that date to print the contract for awakening, and to read it, and to sign it.  I knew this was true guidance, because “Sheryl” would not have even considered doing something like that! Ha!

            As I read it, I knew that I was ready to go to the next step.  Before I get into that though, I was prompted first to turn to a previous chapter in the book, “Looking at the False ‘I’ Thought”, where it says:

            “It’s time to go beyond everything you’ve learned.  Everything you’ve learned has been helpful.  It’s been helpful toward willingness to take this next step.  But without the step that we are taking together now, all that you’ve learned serves no real purpose toward awakening.”

            This section goes on to say that all the stories in the mind are about me, myself and I!  It’s amazing that we’ve missed this for so long!  It’s somewhat of a rude awakening, but a liberating one as well.

            Here, I’d like to comment on the word and idea of “awakening”.  I don’t resonate to the idea of someday becoming awakened or enlightened.  It seems to me that ego can grab a hold of this idea and make it carrot-on-a-stick, that is, another goal to be sought, but not found.

            Whenever I recognize that I am listening to ego, in that moment, I am awake.  As I consistently make the choice to stop listening to ego’s chatter, I begin to wake up to the truth that ego is not what I am.  Such moments of awareness begin to string together like a strand of graduated pearls, one building on the next, until I awaken to the truth that I am indeed as Love created me, unlimited and free. 

            In the audio I share a lot more from the “contract”, but here I will share highlights from it: 

Inner Teacher: What do you think I am teaching you?

Student:  I understand that you want me to lay the individual thinking mind aside.

           

            I’ve written about how I’ve been in “a period of relinquishment” for the past 5 years, and now in this year of increased letting go, I fully understand just what it is I am being asked to relinquish.  This is what that section in A Course in Miracles is pointing to, laying aside the identification with the “thinking mind”, that is, the voice of the self that we are not.  In the Course, the word “ego” is synonymous with “thinking mind”.  You could say that the thinking mind is the voice of ego, which is simply the belief in separation.

Inner Teacher:  I want you to see that it is nothing.  And the Heart is everything.

            It’s not that we are going to stop thinking, thoughts are always coming into the mind, however, we can make a choice to stop listening to the voice that speaks of nothing that is true.  Heart is synonymous with true Self, Holy Spirit, Ramana… 

In this section of the contract, more is said about clarity on the Source of the thoughts.  In the audio I share a couple practices that are helpful to do this.  One of them is the practice of journaling when your mind is spinning out-of-control.  In that way, we put the words outside of ourselves, and can then observe them.  In the observer mode, we can question whether the thoughts come from ego or the Heart.  A few years ago I began to call the incessant chattering of the thinking mind, the toxic Chatty Cathy, and in doing so, it was even easier to be the observer instead of the “thinker”.

Until we start doing this deeper work, we believe our thoughts, and we think they are who we are.  We are mesmerized by the thoughts in the mind, and I can now see that in these last five years, my inner teacher has been leading me to see, and I mean really see, that this voice is indeed the cause of all suffering and enslavement.  Seeing this is a great impetus to give greater willingness to let it go.

Inner Teacher:  Your identification with the mind is the obstacle to knowing the beauty of your true Self.  It is this identity that makes you blind.  When you judge Me and when you judge life by the mind’s standards, you throw a blanket over the truth, and you choose not to see.

Here I am reminded of a favorite teaching in the Course that says:  It is your task to seek and find within yourself the obstacles to the awareness of the Love that You are. 

Over the years I have come to see many obstacles to this awareness: the false beliefs in guilt, attack, unworthiness, to name a few, but ultimately I have come to see that the obstacle is the belief in separation; the belief that we could be separated from our Source.  This false belief is kept in place with the thinking mind.  The obstacle is identification with that which is false.

Inner Teacher: It is important that you accept responsibility for your own path.  I will lead you most deliberately now, but you must choose to follow just as deliberately.  Do you agree to follow Me and to do as I ask?

Me:  Yes!  I feel this with full commitment. 

Inner Teacher:  This may seem to be putting your self aside, but it is not, because the self that you call ‘you’ is but an illusion of the mind.  Therefore you put nothing aside.  The one who chooses to listen to Me and follow Me is the awakening of your true Self, so do not doubt your willingness to listen and follow Me.  That is you.  And by listening to that desire, you listen to your Self.

            Some people have a problem with the idea of surrender, and it makes sense, because we may wonder just what it is we are surrendering to.  As we do this work we come to see that Holy Spirit, the Inner Teacher, is the true Self. 

Would your true Self lead you away from your joy or to your joy?  See, with our attachments to our thoughts and this world, we cannot surrender to joy.  What “I” really want can only be known as I am willing to let go of what “Sheryl” is attached to wanting.  We are really being asked to follow that which is our truth.  We will not be led to harm, but to joy…and this we must trust.

Inner Teacher:  Outside voices may seem to challenge your desire to follow Me.  Those outside voices will shout loudest in your own head. 

            Well of course we’ve heard those “outside voices”, those that come from family and friends who question where we’re headed.  In the past few years as I have moved beyond the Course to the teachings in NTI and Ramana and the practices of mantra and surrender, I’ve certainly heard those “outside voices”. 

Fortunately, before I even found spiritual communities on the internet, through the Course, I had established and cultivated a relationship with the Inner Teacher, and so consequently, I have learned to trust inner guidance, and that has deepened over the years.

How do we know if something is guidance?  Well for me anyway, I see that Holy Spirit is totally consistent in what I am guided to, and often, it’s not something that “Sheryl” would have had interest in.  I trust this guidance because now I see the fruits of that labor.
 

Someone said something recently about mixing spiritual paths, and I understand that.  Let’s say that you get into A Course in Miracles and after awhile you feel that your life is still a mess, and Course students are still angry, and just not good examples.  Then you move into Buddhism, but after awhile you find that you are still unhappy, and these Buddhist people are just in denial.  See what I mean?  We can jump from one spiritual path to another because the one we’re on now isn’t working for us, and it’s not working for those “other” people either! 

When a spiritual path is not working for you, either you are not practicing what it says to practice, or, it may not be the one for you.  Beware of getting locked into attachment to one path as being the only one.  Holy Spirit is within and knows the best way to guide each one of us to our truth.

Using my own example, I have been filled deeply through all the years with ACIM.  I have been filled deeply in my study of NTI.  And I am being filled deeply now from the Inner Ramana.  I see that the same Holy Spirit is teaching me consistently.  It’s not different paths, but the same path.  It’s the path of learning to remember who I am.  I am Love.  You are Love.  We are free now.  So learn to trust where the Inner Teacher leads you. 

And then of course, we are all familiar with those voices that shout loudest in our own head!  Ha!  Holy Spirit is saying, don’t listen to that stuff.

Inner Teacher:  Do not question My teachings.  Do not ask why.  Do not ask for explanations of how it works.  Just trust your Heart and follow Me in devotion and love and desire to know your Self.

            That’s what I’ve seen grow in me more than ever, the desire to know thy Self.  Whatever you are being guided to, what are the fruits of your labor?  For me, it doesn’t matter what those outside voices say, because I am increasingly guided from within.  I am letting go of being mesmerized by the world.

Student:  Alright, what would you have me practice today?

Inner Teacher:  Practice all that I teach.  Practice the mantra, and surrender, and the questioning of the “I” thought, and do it all through devotion.  But most importantly, know your own inner devotion to these practices.  Know your desire to practice them.  Know your love and gratitude that such practices (gifts) have been given.  And know that love, that devotion, that desire is you, and listen to your Self.

            To practice through devotion is to practice from a place of “I want to”, rather than from, “I should” or “I have to.”   After many months of practicing the mantra: I am that I am.  I am as God, I have come to see this practice for the gift that it truly is.  Increasingly, it silences the mind, and reminds me of the meaninglessness of all the stories in the mind.  Learning to practice the mantra throughout the day, is without a doubt, the greatest gift that I have ever been given.

            As of yet, I have not practiced surrender and self-inquiry to a great extent, but I can see that coming around when I am ready.  When I am ready, I will be led there, and I trust that. 

           

            Let each one of us become increasingly willing to listen to the Voice of our Worth, the Voice that guides us truly to the knowledge of the true Self.

I want only God now.

I want nothing else.

I ask you, Universe, to help me.

I am not afraid to ask.

I understand you are benevolent-love.

I ask benevolent-love

to help me awaken

to only love,

and I trust you.

Amen.

                                            

                                                                                 (A Thought of Awakening 7/20/11)

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The audio teaching was recorded on 12/4/11 and is 58 min. long

 
 

 
   
 

           

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* This contract can be found in its entirety at: http://www.reginadawnakers.com

under monthly archives dated March 12, 2009.  It is also found in the book, The Teachings of the Inner Ramana

Course Note #136: I've won the Lottery!

This morning, after writing checks to pay the business bills, I fell into focusing on thoughts of lack and limitation, which is funny because I’ve just had one of the busiest months ever.  My husband happened to be here with me, and I walked into his office and commented on how I wished I’d win the lottery.  In order for that to happen, I’d have to start buying tickets! Ha!

I was feeling sort of dispirited, and then the mail arrived with a card from a friend. I opened it to read this:

“It’s amazing that we have to ‘let go’ to receive.  I mean the Course is telling us that we have indeed won the lottery.  I think we spend the entire process of ‘realizing’ this as our primary task.  Why do we have such a hard time cashing in the ticket?  I’m beginning to feel very safe all of the time now.  Finally!”   

As I read my friend’s divine message, I felt such gratitude for the connection that we all share.  Yes, to receive, I need only let go of an identity with the false self – you know the one – it chatters away about how you’ll never have enough, will never be enough, blah, blah, blah.

As I write this, Natalie Merchant's “Carnival” is playing, how appropriate: 

I’ve walked these streets

A virtual stage

It seemed to me

Make up on their faces

Actors took their

Places next to me.

Have I been blind

Have I been lost

Inside myself and

My own mind

Hypnotized

Mesmerized

By what my eyes have seen?

Have I been wrong

Have I been wise

To shut my eyes

And play along

Hypnotized

Paralyzed

By what my eyes have seen?

We do walk this world, mesmerized and hypnotized by what our eyes see.  It does take vigilance to turn away from the carnival, and rest once again in the silence beyond it.

I have a few quotes taped above my desk, and you know how it is with that sort of thing, after awhile they become like the wallpaper, there, but not really seen.  Moments before receiving the guidance to write this blog, I saw this quote from my friend Regina, one that I had snipped out of one of our email exchanges a couple years ago: 

“It is truly my belief and feeling that I will always be provided for perfectly if I give no thought to money and only give thought to knowing my guidance and following that, so that is my purpose.”

This really spoke to me this morning because as I move into a year of increased silence, as in, letting my “busy doing” be guided from the silence within, I no longer wish to be mesmerized by what form appears to show me. I now want to be mesmerized and hypnotized by the truth of Who I Am ~ Love.

My purpose is to know thy Self as Love created it,

 unlimited and Free.

My purpose is to be only Love,

 to know only Love

and to extend only Love.

My purpose is to know my guidance
and follow that. 

As I listen within the silence,

 I remember who I am.

With willingness to keep true purpose in the forefront, we are then guided to the realization that, Yes!  I have indeed, won the lottery!

~Thank you Jim for the reminder~

"There is no need to run outside
for better seeing,
nor to peer from a window.
Rather abide at the center of your being."
Lao-Tsu

             

Course Note #135: Moving into a Year of Silence...

 Hi Friends,

              Over the last six months I have been using the tools of mantra and surrender, as they are taught in The Teachings of the Inner Ramana, to quiet the active thinking mind.  In Course Note #132 I wrote about moving into a year of letting go of that which no longer serves me.  A deep inner shift is occurring, one that is leading to greater ease in practicing the tools that usher in silence.

A couple weeks ago I received a gift from a friend, a biography on Ramana Maharshi entitled, Timeless in Time.  That evening I sat down and read the introduction, and as I came upon this sentence, “I can feel strongly his boundless grace at work…” suddenly, I was embraced by the sweetest silence I had ever known.  I rested there for what seemed to be about ten minutes or so and then I felt it lift.  I later realized that in those moments, I had rested in Ramana’s Presence – the silence of the Self.

 

Regina Dawn Akers visited India in December, and on her flight home she received guidance to lead a year of silence in 2012.  As soon as I heard her talk about this, I too, heard the inner call.  Many of our friends have as well.  And as you read this, you may hear the call too.

Many have wondered what “a year of silence” is to look like.  Can I talk?  How can I remain silent for a year?!  Well surely, it will be different for each one of us.  As you begin to rest in the silence, you will be guided.  Regina spoke of being “actively silent”, and as I heard her say that, a teaching from A Course in Miracles on “I need do nothing" came to mind.

“This quiet center, in which you do nothing, will remain with you, giving you rest in the midst of every busy doing on which you are sent.”

I immediately felt the guidance that in this year of silence, I am to rest in the silence more frequently and to let my “busy doing” extend from there.  I find that the mantra practice is a doorway into stillness and silence that I have not heretofore experienced; and that it can be used for this purpose while teaching, listening, talking, driving – basically, anytime and anywhere.

I can readily experience the difference between the “doing” that extends from silence, versus that of being so busy doing things in the world that I have no time to rest in silence.

I am sure that it is not a coincidence that on 12/2/11 I entered into a year of letting go and relinquishment, and have also heard the call to rest more deeply in the silence of the true Self as I journey through the year.  

            As I enter this year of relinquishment and increased silence, I am prompted to a "Single Quiet Thought" that combines the two.  How Cool Is That?

~97~

Slow down between the thoughts.

Let go of definitions.

Let go of conclusions.

Let go of reliance on words.

Do not feel that silence is empty.

Silence is not empty.

Silence is the birthplace of all ideas.

Let go of the old.

Make room for the new.

Let go of your way of seeing and expecting.

Make room for Mine.

~From our Holy Spirit

                                                                

Here is a link to a 30-minute recording of Regina talking about her guidance regarding the year of silence.  http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/RAkers/RDAPublicFolder/IR122811.mp3

A couple months ago I felt strong guidance to buy a book for Regina entitled, The Seven Steps to Awakening, and it turned out to be right-on guidance because Regina feels that it will be a great guide for us all in this year of silence.  She began teaching on this book January 2.  Here's a link to the first 60-minute teaching: http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/RAkers/RDAPublicFolder/1-2-12SevenSteps.mp3

 The Picture on this blog is of a recent painting done by Mooji, entitled: Yogini. It is another perfect symbol as we move into a year of silence in 2012.

Mooji tells the following story of a great Yogini (a female Yogi).

          "A great Yogini was deep in meditation. Suddenly, beautiful and melodious sounds could be heard, appearing as if from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. It was like nothing she has ever heard. She felt: this music is truly wonderful but it cannot be what I am for I am here to hear it. The music faded away. Next appeared the most exquisite colours, like no painter could paint; nor could any flower display it for it was not of this earthly realm. 

          "She thought, 'this is, indeed, astonishingly beautiful. However, it cannot be who I am nor can it be real for it cannot appear if I were not here to perceive it.' This phenomenon, too, she ignored. Shortly afterwards, it also vanished in the presence of her deep and unmoving silence. Shortly after this, there appeared several beings shaped as if from pure light, floating through space and smiling lovingly at her in a welcoming manner. 

          "She felt profoundly touched and filled with loving emotions but inwardly, she somehow, kept her composure. "How profound," she felt, "but this also cannot be what Is the unchanging reality, for, were I not here, who would see them?" As soon as this insight occurred, the figures vanished. Her mind entered her heart and could no more produce any effects. A deep silence prevailed as her mind merged inside her indivisible, unconquerable and essential being."

The print can be ordered here: 

http://www.mooji.org/shop/products.php?product=THE-YOGINI-%252d-POSTER-%28Size-245mm-X-360mm%29 

"Single Quiet Thoughts: are found at: http://www.reginadawnakers.comhttp://www.reginadawnakers.com

Course Note #134: I Let something New be Born in Me!

Happy Holidays!

            This holiday season may we pause for a moment to reflect on the many blessings that embrace our lives.  Each new day is a gift ~ a present ~ wrapped just for you.  And yet...most of us awaken each day to many gifts that we all too often leave unopened.

            All experiences contain a gift.  God is.  Love is.  God is in the present.  When I am not resting in the present, I am not resting in the Presence, and thus, I cannot receive the presents that the present holds.

            I’ve noticed that many of the Christmas stories that we have been brought up with tend to reveal a similar theme, that of transformation.  There was Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean-spirited and cold-hearted man who is transformed through the power of Love.

             

            George Bailey, sad and disheartened by the ways of the world, we watch as he returns to the remembrance that his is indeed, A Wonderful Life!

             

            With anticipation we see Rudolph overcome his fears and move on to lead his fellow reindeer.  And I mean really, we knew all along that the Grinch just could not steal Christmas!

            

              And then…there is the Christmas story: The angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her of a new birth.   Mary represents the miraculous as she expands in consciousness to say, “Yes”.

             

            The characters in these beloved stories came to a point of decision, and yes, transformation.  Like them, we too may be facing such a fork in the road.  Will we constrict into old habits and old ways of thinking?  Or, will we take Mary’s lead and expand to say, "Yes! Something new can be born in me!"

            We stand on the threshold of new beginnings.  We are creating the future now.  May we decide to create something new, to begin again, to perhaps stand forth differently than we have in the past? 

             

           Let us seek to heal old wounds with family, friends and others who have touched our lives.  Let us be willing to love more fully, forgive more freely, appreciate more deeply, and to serve from our highest level of being.  Easier said than done of course, but this is our task.

            Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what we owned, accomplished, published or saved; what matters is whether or not we let Love transform us, and extend through us.  What do you want to carry into the New Year?  What do you want to create?  The time is now.

   
             Love whispers to you now:

This Christmas give Me everything

that would hurt you.

Let yourself be healed completely

that you may join with Me in healing.

Trust the process of life

to take you to your highest good.

Rest in the present

in peace.

Much Love to you and yours!

Course Note #133: Four Preparations on the Path

Recently I was prompted to Peace Pilgram’s website, and specifically to her “Steps toward inner peace.”  There she talks about the preparations, purifications and relinquishments that are necessary on the spiritual path. 

            She came to a point in her life where she desired to dedicate her life to service, and prayed to God to please use her.  She realized that she could never go back to self-centered living.  She also realized this:
         “However, there’s a great deal of difference between being willing to give your life to service and actually giving your life, and for me, fifteen years of preparation and inner seeking lay between.”

            I was reminded of when I too, prayed a similar prayer.  And for me, it’s been twenty years of preparation, purification and relinquishment since then.  Around that time, a friend said that she was talking about me to another person and said that I was so spiritual, and that I was like that naturally and did not even have to work it.  I laughed-out-loud and said, I have to work really hard at it!  Here I am twenty years later still needing much vigilance.  I bring this up because spiritual work is hard work, and it is a process to be willing to relinquish the ego’s thought system.   

            Here I am reminded of a passage from The Way of Mastery, which says:

            “I have said many times that the world you see is nothing more than the effect of the thoughts you have held within the mind.  Therefore, awakening requires the act of vigilance and discipline.  The discipline to cultivate a way of living in which you observe your own thoughts, in which you listen to the words that are coming out of your mouth, in which you observe the feelings that are evoked within your body, the reactivity that seems to own you, and to see these things as innocent and simply self-caused.”

           In the previous blog I wrote about entering into a year of increased willingness to relinquish what is no longer needed.  When I came across these steps by Peace Pilgrim I was inspired to talk and write about the preparations, purifications and relinquishments that are required.  Here I will start with preparations, using her steps as a springboard for my own experiences regarding these steps.  As usual, much more is shared in the audio, but for the sake of brevity I will share highlights here.

Four Preparations

1.  Assume right attitude toward life.

            Peace Pilgrim says about this step: “Stop being an escapist or a surface-liver as these attitudes can only cause disharmony in your life.  Solve the problems that life sets before you, and you will find that solving them contributes to your inner growth.”

            With this step, I was immediately reminded of the first two stages in the “development of trust” as outlined in the manual of A Course in Miracles. 

            Many have gone through experiences in their lives where it seems as if all hell is breaking loose – a time where it seems like we are loosing what we value, perhaps a job, relationship, etc.  This is a time when the universe seems to be directing us into new directions.

            The Course calls this “a period of undoing”, one which need not be painful, but often is because is seems that things we find valuable are being taken away.  Yet it is also a time where we can learn that these changes are necessary and helpful.  Once we learn this we go to the next stage, “a period of sorting out”.  We are told that this stage is always somewhat difficult because through life experiences, we are being taught the difference between what is valuable and what is valueless.

               “It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful.”

           
                The Inner Teacher uses the fabric of our very lives to teach us, and as we realize this, life becomes more interesting, meaningful and fun.  Everything can be used for healing.

SQT ~1~

Accept all things given
as a gift from our Holy Spirit
for the purpose of peace
and awakening to love.
 

2.  Live good beliefs.

            Peace Pilgrim says: “The laws governing human conduct apply as rigidly as the law of gravity. …Since many of these laws are already common belief, you can begin by putting into practice all the good things you believe.  No life can be in harmony unless belief and practice are in harmony.”

            The workbook of the Course came to mind for me here, as it was an incredible preparation period for me which spanned three years, as I was guided to do it twice and each time took exactly 14 months.

            Through the practice of the workbook we are being shown the ego thought system of guilt, attack and fear, and we are introduced to the Inner Teacher who then can help us specifically to undo the ego. We are told: "The purpose of the workbook is to train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world.”

            It tells us not to decide for ourselves that the lessons apply to some situations and not others.  I’m sure I am not the only one who has had thoughts like:

           
           “Well I can see how remembering that “I am sustained by the Love of God” may be helpful if I am feeling in the dumps, but what-on-earth does it have to do with this horrible financial situation!?” 

            When mesmerized by the world of form we might not see that the lessons are applicable, but with willingness to actually apply the lessons, not just to some situations, but to all situations, we see their efficacy. 

            In fact, when I read this step, I immediately thought of this lesson I am sustained by the Love of God.  “Here is the answer to every problem that will confront you, today and tomorrow and throughout time.”

            “I am sustained by the Love of God” is a great belief to live by, one that I have personally found to be the workbook lesson for the self-employed! And my friend Teddy says that it is God’s diet plan! Ha!

           

3.  Find your place in the Life Pattern.

            Peace Pilgrim says: “You have a part in the scheme of things.  What that part is you can know only from within yourself.  You can seek it in receptive silence.”

            Several things came up for me when I reflected on this step.  First, I was directed again toward the manual, to section 9: Are Changes Required in the Life Situation of God’s Teachers?

     
               When we embark on the spiritual path we may anticipate great changes, or we may be fearful of great changes occurring, and fear is often more likely.  Twenty years ago when I became incredibly inspired to dedicate my life to service, I can still recall the trepidation I felt as I wondered if I was going to be asked to so something I didn’t really want to do, or if I would have to give up relationships or something else I valued.

   
              Fortunately though, I had realized by then that I had lived the first 33 years of my life without God, and at that point, a year with God had made a major difference – I was not going back!

            In this section in the manual of the Course, we are told that our training is always highly individualized, and that the majority are given a slowly-evolving training program.  So let’s not beat up on ourselves for noticing that these steps of preparation, purification and relinquishment require decades, and maybe lifetimes!

            Twenty years ago, and still today, a daily prayer for me was this prayer from ACIM:

I am here only to be truly helpful.

I am here to represent Love that sent me.

I do not have worry about what to say or what

to do, because Love that sent me,

will direct me.

I am content to be where I am, knowing

that Love goes with me.

I will be healed as I let Love teach me to heal.

            Through this I was led to a deeper calling.  If you who are reading this have been wondering what you are meant to do in the world and what your true purpose is, simply be willing to ask: How Can I Serve Today? 

            As we act on how we are inspired to serve today, then we are guided to the next step, and then the next.  My true calling, my true passion is doing what I am doing right here today, letting Holy Spirit speak to me and through me about who I really am.

4.  Simplify life to bring inner and outer well-being into harmony.

            Peace Pilgrim says: “Many lives are cluttered not only with unnecessary possessions but also with meaningless activities.   Cluttered lives are out-of-harmony lives and require simplification.”

            In my self-help junkie days I learned about making goals and setting affirmations, and how this process could be used to change various aspects of my life.  Even then I recognized that there were not enough hours in the day to chant affirmations about all the things I wanted to fix!  What a revelation it was when I finally got to A Course in Miracles to learn that I could let go of all those useless goals and focus on one goal – God.

I have found that the very best way to simplify my life is to recognize that I need focus on only one goal, one purpose, one desire: Know thy Self as Love created it, unlimited and free.

As we are willing to do this, to seek first the Kingdom, then automatically we step into all four of these preparations to living in inner peace. 

I absolutely love what Peace had to say here: “Your lower self sees you as the center of the universe – your higher Self sees you as a cell in the body of humanity.”

It’s with ego that we get caught up in what we’re meant to do or achieve, or focused on me, me, me. 

Rest in today: How can I serve today?  How can I be truly helpful in this moment?  In this way, Love can use us as a cell in the body of humanity to serve one another. 

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In my next talk, I will be talking about purification.[i]  In this audio I share quite a bit more on living these steps. 

           

 

 

 
   

 

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* SQT, Single Quiet thoughts can be found at: http://www.reginadawnakers.com

[i] I will be speaking on this on Sunday, 12/18/11 at Acimgather.  Visit my website, and click on ‘lectures’ for information on how to listen in.  http://www.sherylvalentine.com

Course Note #132: Time to let go of the old!

             In the Manual of A Course in Miracles there is a section on “The Development of Trust”.  It came to my awareness in August of 2007 that I was in the third stage, “a period of relinquishment” and had entered that stage around January of that same year.  Now that we’re coming up on 2012, I have been in this stage for going on five years. 

            It’s been a fascinating journey in these last 5 years, as Holy Spirit has used the fabric of my very life to lead me through this idea of “relinquishment”. 

           

“The third stage to which one must go can be called “a period of relinquishment.”  If this is interpreted as giving up the desirable, it will engender enormous conflict.  Few escape this distress entirely.  There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken.  The third step is rarely if ever begun until the second is complete.  Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the one feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth.  He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be.  He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless.  Through this he learns that where he anticipated grief he finds a happy light-heartedness instead; where he thought something was asked of him he finds a gift bestowed on him.” (ACIM M-4.I.A.5)

           

            I have definitely experienced “enormous conflict” and feeling like I had to sacrifice what I wanted in behalf in truth, in even the letting go of mundane lifestyle habits.  So as I began to see that I was really being asked to let go of self-will and all that goes along with that, like my attachments and my thinking, well now, “enormous conflict” is an understatement.

            And yet, in the areas that I have surrendered, I did see that I gave up nothing but an attachment to form.  The truth is, we surrender to the true Self, which is who we really are, and so who we really are is not going to lead us to do something that we don’t want to do, this Self leads us to know our joy.

In 2007 and early 2008, I was being urged to give up certain behavioral habits.  At that time, I was guided to the passage in the Bible regarding not being able to put new wine in old wineskins because if new wine is poured into old wineskins the skins will burst and thus the wine will be wasted.

            My inner teacher has used these teachings at various times over the past 5 years to teach me this: “I cannot pour new power into you if you are unwilling to give up old ways of being, old attitudes and old habitual thought patterns.”

First, I was guided to give up certain habits, and then for the last few years I have been guided to look deeper than ever before at the ego thought system, and how it is kept alive through the thoughts that we think. 

In August of 2009, actually while at our first “be the love” event, in the middle of the night I heard, “Now is the time to study NTI.”  And so, I began to do just that.  Off-and-on for a period of a couple years I was led consistently to NTI Luke.  Last year, I realized why, it’s basically a guidebook to navigate through this period of relinquishment!   When I was prompted to read the “overview of contents”, I had this Aha! Moment.

“NTI Luke – Focuses on judgment and separation-based thinking as obstacles that must be let go in order to realize enlightenment.  Helps the reader to question the value he places on his own judgment and thinking so he will increase his willingness to let them go.”

I now see that my inner teacher has led me step-by-step, not just in the last five years, but all through my life, to the understanding of just what it is that I am to relinquish – my attachment to the false self, and specifically, to “my” thinking, which is the voice of this self. 

And still, I can see how certain behavioral habits are being used, even now, to show me my attachments to form and consequently, my unwillingness to fully surrender.  I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about this in the coming year!

Supposedly, we live our lives in 9-year cycles that begin on our birthday. I have been feeling this energy to let go of old things for quite a while now, and lo and behold, on 12/2/2011 I enter into year 9, which is a year of letting go of old things, in order to move into new beginnings in the following year.

Recently when I taught on “Distractions, Practice and Devotion” I was prompted, once again, to Holy Spirit’s interpretation, through NTI, of the wineskins passages.  It seems that everywhere I turn in the last few weeks, I am receiving the message to let go of the old!

So first, let’s look at NTI Luke, Chapter 5:

“Old habits must be let go, for old habits will not usher in a new day.  With old habits, all things remain the same.  But with new habits, all things are possible.  I have come to teach you new habits.  You will learn these habits by practicing them as I ask.  Remember Me, and practice.”

I’d like to comment on this idea of “habits”.  When I first received guidance from this passage in the Bible, and later from NTI, as I said, HS was speaking to me about lifestyle habits, but also used those habits to teach me more about habitual thought patterns. 

Great spiritual literature like ACIM, NTI and the Bible meet us where we are at any point in our spiritual evolution, which is why these books can be read over-and-over again at various times in our lives, and seem to teach us totally new things. 

Ultimately, these same teachings were used to reveal to me that the only habit that I really need to relinquish is the habit of listening to ego, the false self.

With old habits, all things remain the same.  Until we change habits, nothing changes, and I’m sure you too, have seen the truth of this.  Even so, ego uses our behavioral habits to keep us focused on changing things “out there” rather than looking at the real problem – listening to ego.

I love how my inner teacher has used habits in form to really teach me about the habit of listening to the stories in the mind, listening to the voice that crucifies, listening to the voice that judges every thing we think, say, see or do.  Once we really break this habit, most likely, all the others will take care of themselves. 

 “Let go of old habits and old ways of thinking.  They have not served you.  To hold onto the old is to create a future like the past.  That is not useful to you now.  Listen to My Word.  Hear what I say.  Practice it.  Then you will know what to do.”  (NTI Matthew 9v14-17)

I also want to share a section from NTI Acts, Chapter 3 that speaks to me so poignantly as well:

“Do not worry about the mistakes you have made.  They are based on ignorance, not reality.  Be happy that you have been mistaken!  Be joyous that there is another way to see!  This is what it means to repent.  To repent is to choose again.  To repent is to decide to turn from the ways of ignorance and turn to the Voice of Knowledge.  This is a joyous decision, for this is the decision that changes all things.  This decision that you have made is a decision to listen to another Voice.  It is the decision to let go of the thoughts you have listened to until now and to listen to another Voice, the one that comes from God.  This decision is a decision to change habits you have had until now.  It is a decision to see yourself through new eyes, eyes that are based on a foundation of truth.”

Even after all these years of feeling truly guided, I never cease to be amazed by it.  Recently I wrote about being guided to the teachings in NTI on becoming an empty shell, which is essentially about learning to not listen to the “thinking mind” that chatters incessantly about nothing.  And then being led to The Teachings of the Inner Ramana, which through its teaching on mantra and surrender, has given me tools to navigate through the next step.

So on the eve of my birthday, which will take me into a year of letting go of the old, I rest in gratitude for the help that is always here.

This is why I am here.

 I am here to help you make this change

from believing in the false to

 listening to the Voice of what is true.

 This is the decision of your joy. 

This is your path. 

This is your way.

 And I will help you,

until you do not need this help anymore.

                         (NTI Acts 3)

~

Thank you Holy Spirit,

To You Who is

my true Self.

Course Note #131: Mind-watching through painful experiences

Recently I heard a story about a man who owned a factory.  Suddenly, or so it seemed, the machines in the factory were breaking down and employees were having accidents.  The owner kept trying to figure out what was going, and his mind was caught up in thinking about how to solve the problem.  A rival company had made an offer to buy his business, and he was thinking of selling because it had become such a headache.

One night he went to the factory at midnight.  He took a chair up to the top floor of the factory and sat down to watch. As he watched the factory from above, he saw vandals and saboteurs enter the factory.   He watched as they did things to the machinery that would cause breakdowns and accidents to occur.  He later found out that the rival company had sent the intruders to encourage him to sell his business.

The point of the story is that he didn’t solve the problem by thinking about it and trying to figure out a solution, he solved the problem by simply watching from above.

As we watch the mind from above with Holy Spirit, and see the saboteurs and intruders that cause us pain, we realize that they are just our thoughts.  When we believe the story running through the mind that tells us something outside of us as causing our pain, then, we cannot hear the voice of Truth because we’re mesmerized by the thoughts that tell us we have a reason to be in pain.  Pain is part of the story.

Awhile back, my mind was caught up in such a story, and it was around this time that my inner teacher introduced me to the practice of mantra and surrender as taught in The Teachings of Inner Ramana.  If you’ve been reading my blog, then you are privy to how much I have gained from the incident because in my willingness to stop listening to the story, I learned practices that are taking me deeper within. 

In fact, recently I woke up one morning and heard thoughts about that story and immediately had this thought, "OMG, I am so bored with this story!”  I had to laugh.  Now when thoughts about that particular story come up, I immediately see that the thoughts are truly meaningless, as are the thoughts about all the stories that try to run through the mind.

 This morning I had a deep meditation, and then went on a walk with my dog.  During most of the walk I focused on the mantra practice, but then thoughts began to come up about my childhood, thoughts that I had not heard in a very long time.  I saw the meaninglessness of the thoughts, and thought, “Sheesh! I’m going to be 55 in a few days. It’s definitely time to let go of that story.”  It was obvious that ego, the voice of separation, was just throwing a curve ball into my peaceful mind.  I returned to my mantra practice instead of listening to a story, and soon, the story dissolved back into the nothingness from which it came. 

In this blog I will be sharing from a message from the “Be watchful with Me” series called: “Mind-watching through pain”.*

When a time of pain comes upon you, Holy Spirit in this message asks us to pay careful attention to the thoughts that rise through the pain, such as:

I am victim.

I am afraid.

Something is wrong with me.

There is no God.

I hate myself.

There is only loss.

                   I can certainly relate to having thought all of these thoughts in various moments of emotional pain, and I can certainly recall the desire to believe them as true.  I am thankful that I know now that such thoughts come from the voice that speaks from who I am not. 

                 HS: “Watch the thoughts that arise, and remain aware that you need not accept these thoughts.  In observing the thoughts that come up through the pain, without slipping into accepting the thoughts, you release many false thoughts from the mind.”

The way the word “accept” is being used here is synonymous with the word believe, as in believing that the thoughts are true.  I feel to make this clarification because there is a difference between accepting thoughts as true, and accepting that right now the thoughts of fear or loss are in my mind.  When I see the thoughts in the mind, and recognize that they are the cause of my pain, I can then give willingness to let them go to healing; but to believe them and accept them as true, is to keep them.  In keeping a tight hold on such thoughts I continue to create experiences of pain.

When we are willing to do this mindful work, we begin to wake from our slumber.  I now find it amazing that an incident that occurred in my life that caused me much emotional pain, is something I now see as a gift that has led me to deeper healing.  It was through my willingness to let go of the painful thoughts that seemed to bombard me that I allowed myself to be guided to see thoughts of victimization and unworthiness that were triggered by the incident.  I gained a deeper look within.  And thus, I came to a deeper understanding of acceptance (see course note #111 and 115).  Then I was guided to the practices of mantra and surrender, which are without a doubt, the most helpful and powerful tools I have come across.

HS: “Use your pain to free yourself, by choosing release from the thoughts that are the basis and cause of all pain.”

Let your pain be a gift that sets you free from the prison you have made for yourself.  It is truly our thoughts that enslave us.  Even though we need not grow through pain, we often do as we hold onto ideas that cause pain. 

“It is time to look within at the darkness that blinds you to your awareness of Life.  You will see many things, all of which are false.  Hold My hand, and know it is your own truth that you hold to as we look together at all you are not.”  (NTI 2 Timothy 1v1)

            NTI 2 Timothy has been incredibly instrumental in helping me do this.  Through my work with the teachings, I have discovered that when I have been really willing to look at the pain, it’s not that painful!  I mean it is for a moment…but pain becomes joy as we look at it from above the battleground, with the vision of Holy Spirit, and there we can release it to Love for healing.

“The overlooking of the battleground is now your purpose.  Be lifted up, and from a higher place look down upon it.  From there will your perspective be quite different.  Here in the midst of it, it does seem real.”  (ACIM T-23.IV.4:5)

          It can be difficult to practice mind-watching when going through emotional pain, because it is a time when we can become more self-absorbed, and stuck in our story.  But be willing to entertain the willingness to let the pain become a gift.

Take this moment to be quiet

and to ask Me

to look at your pain with you. 

I am with you always,

but through inviting Me

 you acknowledge My presence within you.

In peace we will experience your pain together.

Through peace,

 we will joyously let it go.

Healing is your only purpose.

Do not be distracted.

You enjoy the process as you come to recognize its reward,

and the reward you recognize is

That Which you truly Are.

Amen.

                   (NTI 2 Timothy 4v16-22)

***********************

The audio was recorded on 9/11/11 and is 53 min.

and delves into more than I have shared here.

 
 

 
   
 

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* The message can be found in its entirety at: http://www.reginadawnakers.com in the monthly archives dated 1/19/2007.