A Course in Miracles.

(this post was written in 2012, along with the last couple that I posted.)

Started reading 'A Course in Miracles' which I've had on my bookshelf for awhile now but just opened. It feels like a very important and life changing book. I experienced that shift also with Eckhart Tolle's, 'A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose' before this, years ago. Some books wait to come to you until the right time, I think. 

A few statements that hit home for me...

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

We make up our own realities. We tell ourselves stories that become real for us only for the telling and the retelling of them. The movie The Village is a perfect example of the stories people tell themselves in order to protect and control. Having faith that all is as it should be gives peace.

"It is the privilege of the forgiven to forgive."

We all need to be forgiven for something, somewhere. We all need to forgive ourselves as well for acting out of what we thought was protecting ourselves, or feeling of something we lacked or fear of something unknown. I love that it is the PRIVILEGE of the forgiven to forgive. It's not a duty, but a privilege. Extending forgiveness out into the world is a privilege. (not always an easy one, I'll admit, but if we can see others as teachers and also as children who were probably hurt...and are acting out of that hurt, it helps). 

"[...] that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. This step brings escape from fear."

I spent a lot of years hiding myself. My whole self, as much as I could because I could only see myself as I thought others saw me. However, you never really know how others see you anyway. You can only guess at what they see and how maddening is that to imagine a million ways that someone might or might not see you? Who cares? At the end of the day, what does it really matter. If you spent the rest of your life finding out about the magic that lies within you, I'm sure that there would be some left over that you didn't have a chance to get to. Focus on that. 

I'm through with hiding.

"You can make an empty shell, but you cannot express nothing at all. You can wait, delay, paralyze yourself, or reduce your creativity almost to nothing. But you cannot abolish it. You can destroy your medium of communication, but not your potential. You did not create yourself."

How egotistical to do nothing, to hide yourself. Like you created yourself..you (I) did not. Letting yourself shine is almost an obligation. The quote by Marianne Williamson..."Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"Time can waste as well as be wasted." 

What's wrong with now? What's wrong with today? There is nothing you lack but you're alive and you want to explore, do and be...do it now! There is so much in the world to fall in love with. There is no shortage of things to do or learn about. It's a matter of finding that spark within you that allows you to see the abundance.

"Belief produces the acceptance of existence. That is why you can believe what no one else thinks is true. It is true for you because it was made by you."

I know people who believe that only the worst will come to them. If you believe it, it is true. Point of view is so particular to each individual...change your thoughts, change the world.

So much good stuff! 

I hope that this post reaches out and touches someone who needs it. As we all need touched by grace, beauty, truth... and I was touched by this book. Pick it up if you like to read, I'm only on day one but I think it's a game changer!