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Why Worry? This need not be!

The Courage Bench – Sits at Westpoint, overlooking the Hudson River

I don’t know about you but there are several things going on in my life and in our Country’s life that make me worry.  I worry about the division that is making people blind these days.  Maybe it has always been and always will be BUT I don’t have to buy into it and take sides.  But my ego wants to of course.

The Course reminds us to “look within” and realize it is my choice to be worried but….this need not be!  Since it is a choice I don’t have to choose it…..do I?  What part of my mind is choosing?  Where is my decision maker?  A few days ago I caught a thought; actually it was a judgment (condemnation) about a person who was obese.  I caught the thought and said “I don’t have to think this or believe this thought – I don’t choose it.”  It was disturbing to think it!  I stopped the ego – this need not be! 

When your mood tells you that you have chosen wrongly, and this is so whenever you are not joyous, then know this need not be. ³In every case you have thought wrongly about some brother God created, and are perceiving images your ego makes in a darkened glass.”(ACIM, T-4.IV.2:2-3)

That was it! I started seeing the beauty in that individual and the fine intelligent mind that out shown the form in every way. The judgment turned to acceptance and then opened to love.

One night I was worried sick about my son who was very late getting home.  I finally decided I would put him in “God’s Hands” and let it go.  This need not be!!  I went to bed. Everything was fine and even if it turned out differently, he was in God’s Hands forever where I had placed him.  The truth is WE, you and I are in God’s Hands too!  If we are in God’s Hands then what is there to worry about? “

“Search sincerely for what you have done and left undone accordingly, and then change your mind to think with God’s. ⁶This may seem hard to do, but it is much easier than trying to think against it. ⁷Your mind is one with God’s. ⁸Denying this and thinking otherwise has held your ego together, but has literally split your mind.” (ACIM, T-4.IV.2:5-8)

Denying that we are One with God has left us bereft and lonely.  When I am worried I am also sad because I made a mistake and wonder what the consequences will be and then that makes me anxious.  This is all 1000% ego thoughts!

When you are sad, know this need not be. ²Depression comes from a sense of being deprived of something you want and do not have. ³Remember: you are deprived of nothing except by your own decisions, and then decide otherwise.   When you are anxious, realize that anxiety comes from the capriciousness of the ego, and know this need not be. ²You can be as vigilant against the ego’s dictates as for them.” (ACIM, T-4.IV.3:1–4:2)

And then I feel guilty because of the mistake – The Course tells us that only the ego can experience guilt and I am not my ego and neither are you!

When you feel guilty, remember that the ego has indeed violated the laws of God, but you have not. ²Leave the “sins” of the ego to me. ³That is what Atonement is for. ⁴But until you change your mind about those whom your ego has hurt, the Atonement cannot release you. ⁵While you feel guilty your ego is in command, because only the ego can experience guilt. This need not be.  Watch your mind for the temptations of the ego, and do not be deceived by it. ²It offers you nothing.” (ACIM, T-4.IV.5:1–6:2)

The Course mentions “sin” in the above paragraph and defines sin as lack of love!  That’s it!  I’m not sure what Jesus means when he says “to leave the ego to him” but I trust he has a good plan. And the “Atonement” means that we are called upon to Remember we are One with God….That’s it!!  You don’t have to give yourself lashes with a whip or “atone” in some other way.  We just need to re-member or re-attach ourselves to the memory of God…..we never left God!  We SEEM to find ourselves alone in the world without him.  Not True!  He is with you and will be with you Always because He is in your Mind and always will be.

Watch your mind for the temptations of the ego, and do not be deceived by it. ²It offers you nothing. ³When you have given up this voluntary dis-spiriting, you will see how your mind can focus and rise above fatigue and heal.” (ACIM, T-4.IV.6:1-3)

DECIDE – to Watch your mind, all thoughts that judge and separate, negative and good thoughts both separate you from others and are dis-spiriting.   We are no longer in SPIRIT. 

The Course says this is a HABIT to be developed if you let your mind slip, and feel moody, just look and see what you have thought that God would not have thought.  Forgive – letting it go!  You are FREE!

See Chapter 4. Section IV. This Need Not Be!!

God Bless – you ARE LOVED!!

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Merry-Go-Round or Ego-Go-Round

THE CHOICE IS YOURS: HEAVEN OR???!

We have a choice to make every second of the day: Am I to believe this thought that is crossing my mind? Is it a thought of inclusion or separation? How does it make me feel? Am I at peace. Can I look at this thought and say…..”No….not interested.”

A thought can lead us to pain and suffering OR Peace!

We can change it with the power that is given us and ask for HELP to see it differently.

We have help via ‘A Course In Miracles’ Lesson 151, All things are echoes of the Voice for God.

In paragraph 4.2.”You have often been urged to refrain from judging, not because it is a right to be withheld from you.  You cannot judge.  You merely can believe the ego’s judgments all of which are false.  It guides your senses carefully, to prove how weak you are; how helpless and afraid, how apprehensive of just punishment, how black with sin, how wretched in your guilt.”  Do we listen and believe it?

The ego has our attention but that need not be! We have judged others and ourselves our entire life and believe we are right and know what is true.  We were born with a gavel in our fat little hand, leveling judgments as if we were sitting on the “Judge’s bench” knowing everything there is to know about something or someone. 

That gavel was bestowed to our hands by the ego, the split off part of our mind that separated from God. And not knowing any better, we listened and believed it. We never thought to question that maybe the stream of thoughts emanating were not really our thoughts!  We didn’t know any better. I know, it sounds complicated but just remember: You are Loved and God’s Son regardless of how you see yourself.   

Then the Course says that the ego “projects itself onto you.” “This thing it speaks of, and would yet defend, it tells you is yourself. BUT “It is itself alone that it condemns.  It is within itself it sees the guiltIt is its own despair it sees in you.”   The ego projects its inadequacies and condemnations onto YOU. It does not know anything because it is unsure of itself! 

It’s kind of like a blustering Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz, so unsure of himself but can never let anyone know his secret….He’s scared and unsure!

But we have believed the thoughts of separation; sin i.e. error, guilt and fear and have done the ego’s work of projecting the ego’s condemnation and despair out onto the world and onto others to get rid of it.  We just pass the ego’s judgments along like a puppet doing its bidding UNTIL we decide “Enough of this Ugliness”  “STOP with the Baby Business, like Ken Wapnick tells us!!”

I find this to be amazing…….all my life listening to the wrong voice and believing it, until I came across the Course In Miracles, and I know I still listen to it because I catch myself….a lot!!  I am responsible for what I think or what I believe from the ego point of view.  I must over-ride those thoughts.  Like Byron Katie asks: Is that True???  If coming from the ego it is NOT True! 

So….now what!  Lesson 152. The power of decision is my own! No one can suffer loss unless it be his own decision.  No one can grieve nor fear, nor think him sick unless these are the outcomes that he wants.  No one dies without his own consent.”  And in paragraph 9. We lay aside the arrogance (of the ego) which says that we are guilty, and afraid, ashamed of what we are; and lift our hearts in true humility instead to Him Who has created us in power and in love.”  We CHOOSE to drop the hand of the ego and reach for Jesus’. We stop believing the ego thoughts! Now!

And in humility the radiance of God’s Son, my gentleness, my perfect sinlessness, my Father’s Love, is my right to Heaven and release from hell, is joyously accepted as my own.Take this in and own it!

We have the power of choice! It means freedom! We are a Decision Making Mind, and we can stop believing the stream of lies that are fed to us.  We can encourage our frightened mind with this:

“The power of decision is my own. 

This day I will accept myself as what my Father’s Will created me to be.”

Then will we wait in silence, giving up the ego’s self-deception as we humbly ask our Self that He reveal Himself to us.  In patience wait for Him (the Holy Spirit) throughout the day, and invite him hourly.  He will substitute the peace of God for all your frantic ego thoughts ( of worry , fear, doubt, guilt) the Truth of God for self-deceptions, and God’s Son for your illusions of yourself.”

Little by little we become the Light of the World as we undo the blocks and recognize Love’s Presence is within, waiting to be acknowledged.

You are Loved!!

Here are the lessons – close your eyes, quiet your Holy Mind and play to listen to them.

Lesson 151 – All things are echoes of the voice for God.
Lesson 152 – The power of decision is my own

Alert! Decision maker choosing ego!

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Whenever you become upset about anything remember it is your *decision maker choosing the ego thought system. Choose again. Re-direct the decision maker to the Holy Spirit within your mind.

Whatever it is that upsets you; neighbors dog barking; boss rude; friend doesn’t call or answer e-mail; have a lousy cold; grief; death of a loved one; current situation in the middle east; Jews bombing Palestine; Palestine bombing the Jews; War; or all the problems of the world and life in general, they will never cease. There is always a problem to replace the last problem that was solved. But you do have the choice to see problems differently. How do you perceive things?

It does not matter what the problem is. You have chosen to notice it and let it upset you. You want it. You want to be upset….because your ego mind wants you in a state of unsettledness.

You have a powerful mind, given to you by God. At birth you were imbued with the spark that connects you to the great mystery; the One that is Father.

You have free will and can THINK anything you want. You can side with the ego or choose to listen to the voice of Peace, the Holy Spirit within. Test it out!

Try it, you’ll like it!!

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Sunriver, OR

*Dr. Kenneth Wapnick coined the term “decision maker” meaning that part of your mind that can and will choose. You are no longer a helpless victim of the ego’s thought system. You can choose between it and the other voice within, the voice of love, grace, compassion, the Holy Spirit within.

His books on the Course In Miracles are available at: http://www.facim.org