Hello my friends!
Happy March to all of you! Can you believe how fast the year is going? Wow!
I wanted to recommend a couple books that I’ve found very helpful. They are by New York Times Best-Selling author Anthony William. the first is Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal. The second is Medical Medium: Life Changing Foods!
Following Anthony’s suggestions have resulted in increased energy and peace of mind! Enjoy!
Blessings,
Jackie
Hello my friends!
There appears to be many things happening to make us fearful these days. We see images and hear a narrative on the news of how bad things are. It can seem overwhelming, to say the least. We naturally want to stay “informed” so we know what’s going on in the world.
However, if we look at things from a higher perspective, through a different lens, we can choose where to invest our focus, time and energy. Why would we look at things from a higher perspective? There comes a point when we say “enough is enough – there must be a better way.” It is possible to have inner peace regardless of what is happening around you.
The ego looks at what goes on through the lens of fear and illusion, while the Holy Spirit/Higher Self looks through the lens of true forgiveness and compassion.
A Course in Miracles gives us a way to deal with the illusion (world) and reverse our projections of unconscious guilt. This is a “process” because we experience time-space and need help from outside this cosmic dream. For sure, we are having the experience that everything is real.
Ego ( false self) says – “This world is a mess! Oh, but there are some good parts to life too, and a lot of beauty in the world. You are at the mercy and a victim of your experiences here, but if you stay positive, be a good person, do the right thing and try to make the world a better place, everything will be okay.”
It is never okay in a permanent way. This approach does not work.
We experience duality in the world which means there are both good and bad experiences. We temporally experience an illusory process with a beginning and an end. Because our experience is temporal and spacial, the Course speaks to us where we believe we are. We need help to change our thinking- our perception. The ego wants to keep its existence, so it does not show us the truth. We have to change our teacher in the mind. Enter the Holy Spirit/Higher Self/Jesus.
Holy Spirit/Higher Self says: “Yes, the world is a mess because it was made by a messy ‘thought’ of separation, sin, guilt & fear. The guilt was so acute in the mind that it was seemingly projected outward resulting in the making of the world. The body was made along with the world only to experience separation. This projection of separation is the whole world you see. It is not real – you are asleep and dreaming.”
The physical universe is the opposite of Heaven, which has no form, only awareness. The Holy Spirit is the memory of What and where you really are, and is also a thought in the dreaming mind, just like the ego. Our job is to choose it. You can awaken the sleeping mind to reality at anytime. True forgiveness facilitates our awakening.”
There are 2 ways to view the projection – through the ego’s lens of it being real, or through the Holy Spirit’s “true perception” that the separation didn’t really occur – we did not separate from perfect Oneness in Heaven. We just THOUGHT we did.
Therefore instead of believing the “tiny, mad Idea” of separation, we can choose the atonement (correction of perception that the separation did not occur) and recognize what we’re seeing isn’t true. Now we are at cause ( mind) instead of effect (bodies in a world).
We function normally in the world, but under a different set of principles – the principles of spiritual sight, true forgiveness, shared interests and kindness. We THINK about everything differently. This undoes the idea of separation in the mind (ego) and does not further illusions, but wakes us up!
The way to heal the world is to reflect love into it-into the time-space dream. This is done by how you think about the world. How you choose to think will direct all your functioning. Feeding the fear reinforces the illusion.
Love & blessings!
Jackie
Hello my friends! I hope this new year is treating you well!
This year has started off right up the ego’s alley – separation, division and differences. I’m speaking of the political scene seemingly dividing many groups at this time. Let’s look at it through ACIM‘s perspective.
A Course in Miracles reminds us that everything we see in the world is a reflection of the thought of separation in the mind. The Course teaches that we are mind – this is the mind outside time and space where we are viewing our dream. It doesn’t matter what images that thought system reflects, it’s all part of the same illusion that has never left its source in the mind. The world is a projection of the unconscious guilt in our mind over the seeming separation from our Creator/Source. The unconscious guilt projected from the mind takes form – bodies, objects- animate and inanimate. The Course teaches that the world is an “outside picture of an inward condition”. The inward condition is the ego thought system of separation. The ego wants to keep us convinced we’re bodies so we never go back to the mind and choose against it in favor of Spirit.
The Course teaches ” I am never upset for the reason I think.” We forget that what we see is all part of the same projected illusion. The illusion of the world and body comes from the illusory thought in the mind. This illusory thought that we could be separate from our Oneness in Heaven seemed to occur as a “tiny mad idea…” in the mind. When we chose to believe this “tiny, mad idea”, it set into motion the whole chain of seeming choices that resulted in the making of the illusory time-space universe.
The mind seemed to go to sleep for a little while and is dreaming we are separate from our Creator/Source. We are fooled into thinking that the cause of our upset is all the people and situations in the world. However, we are really upset because we chose the teacher of sin, guilt and fear in the mind that made up the illusory world to keep us mindless.
The figures in our dream take many forms – these forms include political figures. Remember…anytime anything external in the world makes us upset, triggered, angry, a victim, depressed, sad, etc., that is our clue to go back to the mind (cause) and choose the right teacher.
A political situation is no different than any other situation, person, or event. We forgive all images equally because they’re all untrue. As we forgive, we undo the idea of separation in the mind, thus helping us awaken from the dream.
When we forgive the images our body’s eyes show us for what they haven’t really done, we make the choice for the entire sonship because there’s only one mind that thinks it’s here. Everyone is included when we make a choice for the atonement, which is the correction of our belief in sin. Atonement in ACIM says we did NOT sin (we did not separate from our Creator). Mistakes call for correction, not punishment.
The core process of forgiveness is withdrawing our projections. The miracle (a shift in perception) takes our attention from the illusory world and brings it back to the mind so we can choose again. Changing our thinking changes everything in our experience. It does not necessarily change the world/forms, but when we are right-minded we are not concerned with form, rather we are focused on the content of love in the mind. The love is then reflected into all our actions and words. Our bodies are involved in the “doing”, however we know that we are not really our bodies. When we feel there’s something to “do”, the Course asks us to let the content of love be the agent of our “doing”.
Love & blessings,
Jackie
Hello my friends!
The MiracleShare virutal Conference is a wonderful gathering of ACIM teachers and students from around the world! I am honored to have a short video presentation as part of the “LIGHTWORKERS” part of the conference. My video will be airing on Sunday October 23 @ 5pm (PST), 8PM(EST). The conference will be archived, so you can still purchase the package. Corinne, Danielle, and Craig have done a wonderful job putting this together! Check it out! Miracleshareconference.org
Hello my friends!
It’s helpful when we’re feeling “down” or in the ego’s grip to remind ourselves that the ego thought system of sin, guilt, scarcity, loss, deprivation & death is represented by the body. The body only exists so we can experience separation in the mind. The ego thought system and all the forms contained in it are merely symbols of that illusory ego thought.
The world is a shadow reality, as is the body. To feel guilty or fear about an illusory self is to feel guilty or fearful about nothing. ACIM states that “nothing unreal exists”. Anything not of God and perfect Oneness is not real and therefore does not exist. However, we are having a dream that “we” exist apart from God.
Our only problem is that we believe the shadows are reality.
To apply this teaching in your everyday life:
Whenever you are upset in any way, it is an opportunity to “choose once again”, as ACIM suggests, and remember that you are the observer of the events seemingly happening to you. Interrupt the thought as it is happening…stop yourself, choose the miracle – the shift in perception to the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of the the dream you made up. True forgiveness, recognizing that no illusory thing can take away your inner peace because you made it up, is the cornerstone of this process.
Having awareness in the moment recalls your projection. You are no longer projecting the ego thought system onto the person, event or situation in your dream. This is how the Course teaches us to undo the ego and eventually awaken to our true identity as Spirit/Oneness with God.
Be well & blessings!
Hello my friends!
You may already be aware of Alexander Marchand’s book The Universe is a Dream. If not, I highly recommend it!
Using the unique form of a graphic novel, Alexander guides the reader through the advanced nondualistic metaphysics of the spiritual teachings of A Course in Miracles. If you are ready to wake up, this book not only gives you a “picture” of the true nature of the universe, according to ACIM, but also reminds the reader of practical ways of thinking with the right-minded teacher and practicing true forgiveness that facilitates this awakening to Spirit/ Oneness.
Here’s a reminder of the Course’s teachings on forgiveness from the book:
“True forgiveness is essentially lucid dreaming; It is nondualistic forgiveness whereby the observer is the observed and thus the forgiver is the forgivee. You don’t forgive people for what they did. You forgive yourself for believing a dream full of characters that only ever did what you asked them to do — albeit on an unconscious level. When you go around truly forgiving, you go around seeing the dream as a dream. You keep in mind that you made up the dream. You keep in mind that the content of the dream is merely symbolic of the content of your mind.” p.93
The illustrations that go along with the words in his book add significantly to the message! Check it out!
Be well & blessings,
Jackie
Hi friends!
A Course in Miracles teaches that the body is part of the projection of the world, which is still in the mind.
“The body is merely part of your experience in the physical world. Its abilities can be and are frequently overevaluated. However, it is almost impossible to deny it’s existence in this world. Those who do so are engaging in a particularly unworthy form of denial. The term ‘unworthy’ here implies only that it is not necessary to protect the mind by denying the unmindful. If one denies this unfortunate aspect of the mind’s power, one is also denying the power itself. “( T.IV.3:8-13)
Knowing the body is an illusion sometimes fosters the error that giving it attention is sinful and wrong. This can lead to asceticism and an unworthy form of denial, keeping the illusion/separation real in the mind. It’s okay to practice discipline behaviorly and do “normal” things bodies do as steps in shifting from a troubled body to the real problem which is a troubled mind. The Course uses the term “magic” to denote when we attempt to solve a problem where it does not exist (in the world). Any issues with the body are the ego’s attempt to shift the guilt from the mind (where it really is) to the body. This keeps us “mindless” so we’ll keeping looking outside the mind (the world and body) for the answer. The Course teaches that behavioral changes alone will not solve the mind’s addiction to guilt, and it’s faulty decision in choosing the ego thought system, which is the choice for guilt, fear, pain, suffering, attack & judgment.
When we choose the Holy Spirit or Jesus’ interpretation of the body, it becomes a communication tool and is used as part of our classroom ere in the world to get us home. We use the body as a communication tool to bring us back to the mind so we can choose Jesus as our teacher. Ken Wapnick, P.hD. says, “Solving the problem on the physical level may be a helpful step in allowing us to return to the real problem, but it cannot undo the decision to be guilty, which follows the wish to be a special and unique individual”. ( We first seemingly chose separation, individuality and specialness over our Oneness with God, which led to our guilt over that choice) “When we are right-minded, we will no longer feed the projection that protected our guilt and kept it safe from undoing the change.” The mind’s projection is the whole world – the time-space dream. The mind ACIM is talking about is outside of time and space.
Here is a helpful reminder: Think of yourself as the “observer”. You are the dreamer of the dream and not the figure in the dream. You are not a body, but having a dream you are a body. Therefore, when something is wrong with “the body” you are having a dream that something is wrong with the body. When you have a headache, you are having a dream you have a headache. You say to yourself, “Interesting, I feel a headache coming on, however, I’m aware that the headache is in my mind (not my head, which is a part of the body, which is a part of the unreal projection) …I’m dreaming that this person called Jackie in the dream is having a headache.” This is an example of being the observer. You may still take aspirin (which I do sometimes), however, you took that action AFTER going within first and looking at your issue with the Holy Spirit/Jesus as your teacher. That choice, to see yourself as the observer, did not make the separation real, rather, it allowed the Holy spirit to undo some of the unconscious guilt in your mind – which is where real healing takes place.
Be well & blessings!
Hey friends!
The Course is teaching that there are two ways to interpret illusions – one breeds them and the other undoes them.
When we choose our right-minded inner teacher/the Holy Spirit/Jesus, we are reminded that the world is our “made-up” projection. We are having a dream of existing apart from perfect Oneness. This interpretation slowly undoes the illusion of separation.
Understanding we’re dreaming is how we can begin to integrate the Course’s thought system experientially. Advancing in our practice, we recognize “seeing the world as an illusion” means it doesn’t have the power to take away our inner peace. It doesn’t mean denying our experiences here in a cavalier or dismissive way. Rather, we have the awareness from our right-minded teacher that what happens to us in the dream is not the true cause of our dis-ease or lack of peace. Our choice for the ego in our mind that projected the world is the cause of all the physical and psychological pain the body feels.
For sure bodies can be hurt and destroyed in the dream, but our mind (outside of time and space) can be at peace allowing us to be more effective relating in the world. While the mind dreams of separation, we can certainly be anxious, fearful, sick and depressed in the dream. However, as we awaken, the dream fades and we have less investment in our illusions. Choosing the miracle, a shift in perception, undoes our illusions. With less conflict in the mind there is less tension interfering with our daily functioning.
What happens in the morning when you slowly awaken from your nocturnal dream? Your investment in the dream is less and less until it fades away and you realize it never really happened.
Another way to know we’re becoming more “miracle-minded” is instead of having the intensity and strife that accompanies trying to solve illusory problems in the illusory world with the ego, thus furthering illusions, we become more peaceful in our approach. If a problem confronts us, checking in first with the right-minded teacher reminds us that “there is another way to look at this”. Then our actions will follow without the intensity of needing to solve everything on our own.
Be well everyone!
Jackie
Hello my friends! This is a reminder that we are dreaming our life here in the illusory world. We can “wake up” by remembering in each moment to “choose once again”, as ACIM suggests. Enjoy!
Miracles are “shifts in perception”. We are shifting from the ego thought system of sin, guilt, and fear to the Holy Spirit’s/Jesus’ thought system of true forgiveness. This is done in the mind, as the mind is all there is.