Nothing Real Can Be Threatened

Christmas as the End of Sacrifice

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness. See it not outside yourself, but shining in the Heaven within, and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come. He comes demanding nothing. No sacrifice of any kind, of anyone, is asked by Him. In His Presence the whole idea of sacrifice loses all meaning.

This Christmas give the Holy Spirit everything that would hurt you. Let yourself be healed completely that you may join with Him in healing, and let us celebrate our release together by releasing everyone with us. Leave nothing behind, for release is total, and when you have accepted it with me you will give it with me. All pain and sacrifice and littleness will disappear in our relationship, which is as innocent as our relationship with our Father, and as powerful. Pain will be brought to us and disappear in our presence, and without pain there can be no sacrifice. And without sacrifice ther love must be.

Let no despair darken the joy of Christmas, for the time of Christ is meaningless apart from joy. Let us join in celebrating peace by demanding no sacrifice of anyone, for so you offer me the love I offer you. What can be more joyous than to perceive we are deprived of nothing? Such is the message of the time of Christ, which I give you that you may give it and return it to the Father, Who gave it to me.

( Say, then, to your brother: )

seriously?
Seriously!

There is an A Course in Miracles game! http://www.shiftthegame.com/

I'm reading a tough (for me) part of the Course - I haven't gotten much further than my last post.

I was thinking about forgiveness. I find it much easier to forgive others than I do myself. Particularly in situations where I acted like an ass. Am I holding myself to some sort of standard that I'm not holding others to? Why is it easier to forgive them? I have many "excuses" for myself, from the level of form right on up to the Course's idea of forgiveness, it's clear that I have not forgiven myself. And although it's less and less often, I still beat myself up about that one situation.

sigh. on the ng
I stated in my first journal post that I created this journal to give myself a background with the goal of being accepted at the moderated news group - but I have changed my mind. It seems to me, that the moderated version is run by the "negative nellies" and free speech is not allowed. Even if the un-moderated version is rampant with "trolls" - I think free speech is better. And one thought I have about the troll - when she is not so bogged down in her insults, she sometimes gives good criticism. You just have to dig far and wide to find it.

I have never been afraid to see all sides of an issue. The people at the ng are very self-referential and have relationships that go back many years. One thing I noticed is that they discuss other boards, issues and old discussions but don't link to them, so lurkers (like me) often go for a very long time not knowing what the hell they are talking about. ((I find this weird b/c in my secular journal we all link to everything all the time!)) Recently someone finally posted a link to Awakening the Open Mind, and from there I found links to other stuff they had been talking about. ATOM is not very active, but I decided that that is where I will sign up and join and ask questions.

And just so my thousands of readers (ahem.) can see for themselves, here are the links...

The moderated news group.
The un-moderated news group.
Awakening the Open Mind

special
Special Love = Special Hate

I'm reading a part called "the Treachery of Specialness" - and I seem to struggle with this part. I don't have much problem letting go of my special hates, but I DO have trouble letting go of my special loves. Particularly with my cats. And my fiance. And my family and friends. And that I am special. If I love my cats more, then I must love some other animal less, and if I love my friends and family more, then I must love someone else less.

So, I'm reading and it says "You are not special." I immediately think of Fight Club and Tyler Durden saying, "You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else." and "You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."

I have nothing profound or insightful to say about this - I just thought it was funny that Jesus and Tyler say the same thing for completely different ends. But J makes non-specialness beautiful instead of degrading: "He is in need of your acceptance of himself as part of you, as you for his. You are alike to God as God is to Himself. He is not special, for He would not keep one part of what He is unto Himself, not given to His Son but kept for Him alone. And it is this you fear, for if He is not special, then He willed His Son to be like Him, and your brother is like you. Not special, but possessed of everything, including you. Give him but what he has, remembering God gave Himself to you and your brother in equal love, that both might share the universe with Him Who chose that love could never be divided, and kept separate from what it is and must forever be."

hi
I haven't updated this journal for a few days. I haven't been reading the Course, I sorta got distracted by a John Irving novel for a few days. :-)

I've never been good at asking for things. Asking for anything. It's pretty extreme sometimes... I remember not asking for toothpaste when I was in high school after emptying the tube. I've known this for a long time (thanks Drew!) and it's something I've been working on little by little, over the years.

For the past couple of weeks I have working extra hard on it, but instead of asking people for things, I've been asking the Holy Spirit to help me with my insomnia. I figure that is the best way to build a relationship of trust. Then, later, I can move on to other problems that I have, and I can ask for help with those. Practicing asking for help is just as vital as practicing forgivness. At least for me it is.

And let me tell you, it's working! I had a little problem last night, but I think that had to do with the coffee I drank after too-much-turkey. But I have been sleeping pill free 2 weeks! I got an attitude of gratitude....

clarification of terms
Mind - Spirit

The term mind is used to represent the activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy. When the term is capitalized it refers to God or Christ (i.e., the Mind of God or the MInd of Christ). Spirit is the Thought of God which He created like Himself. The unified spirit is God's one Son, or Christ.

In this world, because the mind is split, the Sons of God appear to be separate. ... In this illusory state, the concept of an "individual mind" seems to be meaningful. It is therefore described in the course as if it has two parts; spirit and ego.

The term "soul" is not used except in direct biblical quotations because of its highly controversial nature.

The mind can be right or wrong, depending on the voice to which it listens. Right-mindedness listens to the Holy Spirit, forgives the world, and through Christ's vision sees the real world in its place.

Wrong-mindedness listens to the ego and makes illusions; perceiving sin and justifying anger, and seeing guilt, disease and death as real.

In this world the only remaining freedom is the freedom of choice; always between two choices or two voices. ... Consciousness is the receptive mechanism, receiving messages from above or below; from the Holy Spirit or the ego.

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I've read this many times, and this is a shortened version, but this time I noticed that the Voice of the Course (supposedly Jesus) does NOT capitalize "biblical".

I did good
I kept my mouth shut all weekend long. Not one peep. Of course, no one asked, either. Sometimes I think that is the only downfall to a MM, that so few good discussions take place, that I never find out what is truly happening in the lives of the people I hang out with. I'm too busy laughing!

Every time I have tried to explain the concepts behind the Course I have failed to achieve understanding. I have been thinking of a new "presentation" that I would like to try out. Now all I need is a victim, I mean volunteer. I mean victim, er, I mean volunteer. I'm not a very good writer, but perhaps I should think about a written presentation...

sometimes the Course is funny
"The wrapping does not make the gift you give. An empty box, however beautiful and gently given, still contains nothing. And neither the receiver nor the giver is long decieved." T23,3,2

Sometimes I read the most beautiful things, and I want to share them.

"Joy is unlimited, because each shining thought of love extends its being and creates more of itself."

T22,14,8

14,7
What do you want? Light or darkness, knowledge or ignorance are yours, but not both.

The search for truth is but the honest searching out of everything that interferes with truth. Truth is. It can neither be lost nor sought nor found. It is there, wherever you are, being within you. Yet it can be recognized or unrecognized, real or false to you.

It is not possible to convince the unkowing that they know. From their point of view it is not true.

Light cannot enter darkness when a mind believes in darkness, and will not let it go. Truth does not struggle against ignorance, and love does not attack fear. What needs no protection does not defend itself. Defense is of your making. God knows it not.

the miracle
Since this is a course in miracles, I suppose I ought to think about what a miracle is.

( Read more... )

I've been thinking about the random quote today... It's part of a bigger discussion of "you are what you teach" with "teaching" being a larger context than a classroom. What I think it really means is you teach what you are, and you can choose that.

Let's say you are angry. Your pissed at the world, the government, your family, God, a particular race, an ex-lover, what have you. Maybe (on the plus side) you use that anger to get out there and do something about it.... you demonstrate, you write letters, you journal endlessly about the injustices of the world in your blog. But what are you doing, really? You are perpetuating, increasing and expanding that anger. Teaching others (and thus yourself) that you are anger, that it's ok to be angry, and how to express that anger.

Whether we want to be teachers or not, we are. What are you teaching?

Imagine teaching love. If you demonstrate with your actions that you have love for every single person on this earth (no matter how seemingly vile and repugnant), then you perpetuate, increase and expand love. You teach yourself and others that you are love, it's ok to love and how to express that love.

Now imagine every single person on earth teaching love.

random quote
When you teach anyone that truth is true, you learn it with him. T14,2,5

what I don't like...
He, His, Him, God, Son, Sonship, Brother. Nary a She, Sister or Goddess to be had.

God is sexless, and words are just symbols, so I let it go. And I remember that the whole thing is written for a specific audience, namely Xtians. Focus on the message, not the words.

I forgot to mention that one of the things I really like is the "When I said"s. It's always a correction of the Bible. The Course doesn't really judge the Bible as being wrong... it just quietly and consistently corrects its mistakes. An example:

When I said "I am come as a light into the world," I meant that I came to share the light with you. Remember my reference to the ego's dark glass, and remember also that I said, "Do not look there." It is still true that where you look to find yourself is up to you. Your patience with your brother is your patience with yourself. Is not a child of God worth patience? I have shown you infinite patience because my will is that of our Father, from Whom I learned of infinite patience. T5,6,11

( Here's a good one, on the mistakes of the Apostles and the Crucifixion... )

me, now
Things I really like about the Course:

It never claims to be the-one-and-only-way-through-Jesus. It does claim that the only way to peace is to change how you think.

It never directs you how to behave, only how to think. There are no morality and Thou-Shalt-Nots here.

It's very design and structure does not lend itself to any organization (read: religion) of any kind. It is an individual workbook.

It does not aim to change the world. It aims to change how you think about the world.

It redefines Love as all-encompassing.

It's writing is beautiful.

clarification of terms
The name of Jesus is the name of one who was a man but saw the face of Christ in all his brothers and remembered God. So he became identified with Christ, a man no longer, but at one with God. The man was an illusion, for he seemed to be a separate being, walking by himself, within a body that appeared to hold his self from Self, as all issusions do. ... Is he the Christ? O yes, along with you. His little life on earth was not enough to teach the mighty lesson that he learned for all of you. He will remain with you to lead you from the hell you made to God. .... Is he God's only Helper? No, indeed. For Christ takes many forms with different names until their oneness can be recognized.

God or the Ego
It is impossible not to believe what you see, but it equally impossible to see what you do not believe. Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience, and experience leads to beliefs. It is not until beliefs are fixed that perceptions stabilize. In effect, then, what you believe you do see. This is what I meant when I said, "Blessed are ye how have not seen and still believe," for those who believe in the resurrection will see it. The resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ over the ego, not by attack but by transcendence.

T11,VI,1

On Judgment.
I've never been comfortable with the concept of sin or evil. Happily, the Course teaches that there is no such thing. If Jesus died for our sins, why does the concept of sin still exist? The obvious answer is that Jesus did not die for our sins.

Why, then, did Jesus die? Or better yet, since that question is loaded with presumption, Did Jesus die?

The resurrection clearly shows that Jesus did not die. He returned again and again to show that death is an illusion and the body did not matter.

The Course teaches that God never condemned because we are still perfectly innocent in Heaven. God simply dismisses the ego-illusion we call the universe because it has never been. If God does not judge us, why do we judge each other? If we are all one, then to judge another is to judge yourself.

( Text Ch. 8, Section 3, paragraph 4 )

The Goal of Truth
( Text Chapter 17, section 6, 2 - 7 )

This passage struck me deeply. Not only in the big picture, but in the everyday ego-oriented way. And it struck me again when I was embroiled in an "evolution/creationist" discussion. For most people, the goal is not the truth, but to support their view of the world, viewing it from the past and then trying to make sense out of it.

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