A Course in Miracles

Dean1973, There is nothing inherently wrong with all those book you have, but one of the things that is obvious (from your own words) is that you are not "there" yet. All of those books and many of the teachings, courses, seminars, etc. that are available out in the world fall into a category that some people, including myself, refer to as "get well."

There is nothing wrong with "get well," but it does start with the assumption that you and others are not already well. More than that, many of the purveyors of "get well" also want you to know that they have the information or whatever that you are looking for. Some of these people are very good at what they do, and if their body of information sounds familiar, it's because it is usually based on time-honored wisdom that comes from Buddha, Jesus and others.

The idea that you are already well, a complete and whole person, is a higher level game and, ultimately, much more fulfilling than living with the viewpoint that you constantly need to be fixed. Whether we are happy or not is about the choices we make in life, and those choices are available to all of us. As andrew says, "We choose to be happy. We choose to be grateful. We choose to be joyful." I totally agree with all of those statements.

It requires expenditures of energy to live a happy life...at least most of the time. Sometimes if feels as if happiness just sort of happens to us, and, when it does, savour those experiences! It also requires expenditures of energy to be miserable and depressed, and most of us find that the energies we spend being happy pay much greater rewards than being caught up in negativities.

If you would like to discuss this more, I am delighted to do that! Best wishes!

Dean, I have been a student of ACIM for quite a few years now. It seems to be a springboard for further nondual teachings. You sound as if you are on the cusp for more nondual teachings so you might be interested in Adyashanti, Scott Kiloby, Ramana Maharshi and there are many others.

Checkers

[Xan]

Dean: My mind immediately starts getting into parts of the "how" though - the main thing with me is always this constant anxiety around not knowing what I want to do in life...

I also know suspect that maybe once I'm more peaceful and clearer, what I'd like to do might become more evident to me, I might become a bit more unstuck.


Dean, I very much became a "how" kind of person after years of gaining understanding and inspiration from ACIM and so many other clear teachers of healing and spiritual truth.

The best How method I know is EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques - which uses healing phrases along with specific acupressure points to release stuck patterns like uncertainty about one's direction, lack of confidence, anxiety and so much more. When used correctly EFT works so well it is truly amazing, so I hope you'll check it out.

There's a short article about it at: - http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4478


blessings
Xan

LaMont Cranston: thanks for your message - I understand what you mean regarding the concept of "self help", but that phrase seems to have a negative connotation to it. I think the reading I enjoy is really just confirmation of just that, as you say, that it is all about inner shifts.

Checkers: that sounds really interesting, I'll have a look into those teachings/authors .. tell me what you mean by 'nondual' teachings?

Xan: I've heard of EFT so so often, always comes up for me, I wonder why I keep feeling that yes it sounds great, but more of a complimentary thing (such as reiki or other energy healing forms) to essentially finding new ways to just change my mind. Strange, maybe I need to look into it more, be more open to the idea of EFT. Thank you though : )

This was such an enjoyable thread! What I have been through started with intense, very deep loneliness which gave me tremendous desire for change. I began my spiritual journey and began experiencing many spiritual / psychic events (dreams, visions, ability to heal psychically, read chakras and balance them.)

Then someone came into my life and while they are the answer to my prayers and the loneliness is gone and I am very happy... my spiritual / psychic experiences are not so intense.

To me there is a correlation between desire and results. Over the past couple of years, I have attempted to learn many different things. The psychic healing is what I love to do. I studied AP, Tarot Cards and different meditations. What I have discovered is that what I focused on is what grew. When I focused on these other things, the healing connections faded in intensity.

I don't know if I've explained this well... but I guess in a nutshell, it would be that "you have to want it with your whole heart" to get the kind of results you want.

I too have a conflict with manifesting things and not really wanting it so much. I feel the need to be less materialistic, so it's kind of hard to focus on it.

[Xan]

Originally Posted by Dean1973

Xan: I've heard of EFT so so often, always comes up for me, I wonder why I keep feeling that yes it sounds great, but more of a complimentary thing (such as reiki or other energy healing forms) to essentially finding new ways to just change my mind. Strange, maybe I need to look into it more, be more open to the idea of EFT. Thank you though : )

Well Dean... Since it's your mind that's making you feel anxious and so involved with thinking about life issues that you can't fully experience the truth of your being, it needs to be changed.

Healing and releasing mind patterns opens a space so we may become more aware beyond the ego-mind and its traps.

This is my own experience.


Xan

My lesson for today from the Course in Miracles is 'There is no will but God's', and within it, it says for instance:

'There is no will but God's, these conflict thoughts are meaningless'

or

'There is no will but God's, my conflict thoughts about ....are meaningless'

'I am at peace'
'Nothing can disturb me'

The last few weeks have been the most difficult in many years, but no matter what's going on in one's mind, however much moaning or thinking etc, life always brings you into line somehow, and more often than not it takes a bit of a jolt to do that.

I love all these lessons because although I feel completely overwhelmed right now, I value looking at this differently, than I do the feelings themselves ('would I rather be right or happy') and it's strange because it's only when there's real crisis that I do well. It's daily mundane life just moving along that I find is so much more difficult for me. When it becomes overwhelming and far too much to handle, that's when I sink into these lessons, because I know that my identity doesn't rest in the circumstances, but in what they're there to point me to.

What this lesson means for me is that nothing, including these fears and terrors, are separate from the will of God/love/light/truth/mickey mouse (whatever you want to call it), so I just hand it over and let myself be at peace. The trick is to focus on it again and again, as much as possible I would think, to see shifts.

I think mindfulness is a big part of this as well, because mindfulness for me is having a basic trust in the fundamental energy underlying the feelings - not engaging in them, just allowing them to be, which is a surrendering and "handing over" I think.

Here's a quick definition.

http://www.livingintruth.com/non-dual-teachings.html

Just google nondual teachers and you will have a lot to read for the rest of your life.

[Xan]

Dean: The trick is to focus on it again and again, as much as possible I would think, to see shifts.


Dean, there are two tricks to getting free of our mind's interference with remaining aware in our true nature.

One is, as you said, returning our attention to It again and again.

The other is, to release the mind patterns that occupy so much of our attention and time and keep us in struggle and conflict instead of peace.

No matter what one's path is, these two parts of the process are essential.


Xan

Checkers: thanks, the site looks interesting, I'll look for more on the teachings as well. The site speaks about non dual teachings as:

'...emphasize that the truth that we seek is the very one who is seeking for it, and this can be realized right now since the truth is already what we are rather than something we will one day become through our efforts...'

I'll look into it more, sounds interesting, but I don't get where this might be different from how I already think? I don't feel I'm striving for anything or anywhere other than where I am and what I am right now - as with the lessons from the Course in Miracles (or any of these teachings/books) for instance, that encourage self acceptance in the present moment.

Xan: '..releasing the mind patterns that occupy so much of our attention..'. I'm guessing you're referring to EFT as a way to do this?

The way I know is letting go and self acceptance with what is (without struggling against it), or mindfulness (just allowing the fears and thoughts etc to be there without engaging in them / seeing them as 'sensation' rather than a solid block called "pain" or "fear" or whatever ..)

But ja there are issues around me doing this it seems, staying focused on this.

Maybe none of it even really matters, maybe it's also a case of "you'll get there" (and I'm speaking vertically, not horizontally on some linear time frame line), but it's up to you if you want to choose the bumpy ride or the smooth ride. The Course in Miracles speaks about it as entering heaven kicking and screaming or peacefully ..something to that effect.

PS: Is this the right way I'm doing things in my replies? Can a person reply to 'each comment', or is there just this reply box where I reply to all comments above? : )