The New

“Without trust in one’s own knowing, no matter how oblique or unspeakable, there will not be this advent of The New.

“What you are asked to do is to build anticipation for it, not to explain it.”  Mirari

We don’t know when The New will really get underway. But we will know our part in the New when we turn inward. No other way will answer our questions. No other way will provide the assurance that we are walking toward God in this pathway toward The New.

The New refers to a new world being created by love. We seem far from that now, but God can act swiftly when the time is right. He needs our co-creation, though; he needs our hands and feet. If we don’t act in the world, based on the inner knowing that we feel, there is nobody else to do it. God Himself looks to us to create the good world that we all want.

If all of us long for a new world, we are setting the stage for that new world to emerge. We might see things happening before its full advent that are mightily disturbing to us. We may not speak of these things, for speech tends to create the things being spoken of.

Go within for the knowing that we need. This inner knowledge is true guidance, for God dwells within all of us. We are immanent with Him. And if we will listen, we will always know what to do to make things better.

Knowing

“I did not know to what extent Jesus was aware of who he was as he grew, and I knew it was not for me to tell him.  No one ‘told’ me this, but I knew, just as you know, without being told, of certain essential things.”  Mirari

If we can believe, we see that Mari (who received Mirari) and Mary (mother of Jesus) talked very intimately about Mary’s relationship to Jesus. In this revealing statement, near the beginning of Mirari, we see that Mary was very circumspect with her son. She knew he was the fulfillment of Scripture, but when did he know this? She let events unfold that would tell him; she did not mold her son to be what he perhaps he could not yet conceive of.

The words about a “knowing” are instructive, for knowing is how we come to understand guidance in A Course of Love. Early on, with the Holy Spirit, we let our guidance come by way, often, of feelings about what to do or say. But this way of perceiving guidance is overtaken by just “knowing” when the Christ-Self takes over our lives. Here we move easily through our days, sure of ourselves, sure of God. And Mirari and Mary’s words seem to be in the spirit of A Course of Love.

Guidance has long been a theme song of mine in my writing, for I seek to go God’s way, and His guidance is the way to do so. When certain of how to respond to a given situation, we are probably calling on guidance to help us.

Guidance, through knowing, helps us immensely in daily life.

It is our way back Home.

Devotion

Let us look at the real act that makes manifest: devotion. Heart and soul working together to fulfill destiny. “Knowing” where you are meant to be and what you are meant to be doing. Mirari.

Not all of us are ready for such certainty as Mary expresses in this quotation.  We may not yet understand where we are meant to be or what we are meant to be doing—much less “know” it with any certainty.

But Mary does not leave us hanging.  She tells us the secret to “knowing”—and it is devotion.  Listening to our heart and soul.  Listening to God in the silence that speaks to us.  We are never left bereft.  God beckons, “Come to Me,” and then He opens the floodgates of love that transform us.

We all have a destiny to fulfill.  Or we may have several different purposes over our lifetimes.  Purpose is everything.

Ask for our destiny today.  God does not keep secrets from us.  We will know all we need to know when His time to reveal arrives.  And for this time to be now, we only need devotion—and to ask Him for a knowing.

Imagining Jesus’ Lifetime

“As you come to feel grounded, rooted in that deep and silent place, ask whatsoever you will and its answer shall not be hidden from you. Ask to witness my lifetime as I walked upon your Earth, and it will be shown to you. Ask to be shown the vibrational field in which you were conceived in this life; it will not be hidden from you. Ask whatever you would about a friend, who perhaps has seemed troubled of late, and the source of what is occurring within them will be gently revealed to you.” (“The Way of the Heart,” WOM, Lesson 11, Page 137)

This quotation says startling things that are actually great blessings. Would we not want to know more? When we are grounded in our walk through this world, we develop certain powers that are not available to us when we live on the surface of life.

This is a “knowing.” We don’t imagine, develop figments of the imagination or flights of fancy. This knowing leads us by the hand and gives us a better way to view life.

These are the new gifts that come to us as we walk farther along our pathway back home.

These are gifts that hurt nobody, and that offer a solace to ourselves, as well as our brothers and sisters.

Be sure to say “thank You” to God for these new, psychic gifts.

Just a Quiet Knowing

“Within this awareness lies the answer to every question you might choose to ask. Within this shimmering awareness is the reassurance that the end of the journey is certain. Within this shimmering awareness do you abide at one with all minds and every aspect of creation. Join with me here often, in remembrance of me. For this is the secret of communion—to relinquish the perception of the world in favor of the acknowledgment of Reality.” (“The Way of the Heart,” WOM, Lesson 11, Page 136)

The perception of the world includes much that is deplorable. We don’t have to look with fearful eyes at this perception, though. Reality, true Reality, is perfectly harmless. It is the way we perceive that shows us harmony, joy, peace, Love. It leads into knowing, or into just “knowledge,” which is an immediate understanding that is largely intuitive. We act out of knowing when we are sure of the action we are taking. No voices, no locutions, no magic. Just a quiet knowing.

We are invited to commune with Jesus so that he can show us more than we could figure out on our own. Our awareness takes a giant leap forward when we take him up on his word. His foci of consciousness is very great, so that many of us can tune in and be answered at any given time. Of course, such speculation is beyond us. How could there be numerous foci of consciousness on the part of one entity? We don’t know, but then again, we don’t have to know. We can test out our suspicions about Jesus’ availability to us, and we will not be disappointed. We will find him here for us, if we ask for his presence with an open heart.

Would it not be wonderful to have the solution to every problem, shining in the wind? Every question we seek to ask has a ready Answer in the Holy Spirit or the Christ-Self. We need simply pose a question, clear our minds, get quiet, and then wait patiently. The Answer will, when we are open, pop into our mind. There is no struggle. We are the ones who make struggle, and we are looking deep in our depths, where there is only quiet, no struggle at all.

Commune with our depths today.

We will never find a better way to live.

Following the Spirit

From my “ponder” series. . .

I don’t know when I encountered the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It must have been a quiet experience. I do know that when I was working as a media coordinator in the public schools in North Carolina, I went about my duties in the library with one ear tuned to what I was feeling. The Holy Spirit talked to me through my feelings. Sometimes it seemed that I was even prompting to turn left or right at a given time, not sure what I would see when I turned.

It was all a bit unnerving. My preacher had previously told me that Holy Spirit doesn’t tell you whether to turn left or right at a stop light, but my experience was different. To me, guidance spoke in particular ways in my everyday life.
Things went along well when I tuned in. The “feelings” were somewhat different from what I would term “intuition.” Intuition can be a “knowing,” and the nudges I got were not a knowing, because I didn’t understand what would transpire when I made a move in the direction prompted.

My Unconscious mind, where I think the Holy Spirit resides, must have been very close to the surface during that early period of learning how to listen. And the listening continued for long years, culminating now in a sense of knowing. I don’t get those indications of whether to turn right or left.

Is something missing, or am I just following guidance another way?

Ego Dilemmas

It has been hard for me to let go of egotistical striving. I was reared, as I am sure many of us were, to equate “success” with ego games–to equate the “good life” with having achieved. Part of me has always believed that actually “dropping out” was the way to go, and at various points in my life I have done just that, but never for very long. I enjoyed these respites, but ultimately I rejoined the success trap and sought in my everyday life and profession (especially profession) to achieve success because I knew that this had gotten me kudos as a child. Getting good grades was always highly regarded, and as a first and only child, this type of commendation was taken to heart in a big way.

When I discovered A Course in Miracles, I began to realize, as I read, that the egotistical striving that I was doing to “deserve” love, and my belief that only if I were successful would I have God’s stamp of approval, were just myths. Yet a part of me still wanted to strive, because, I told myself, what if I would come to regret a slowdown in the future? In my own case, library administration was my bugaboo. This is where the money is in librarianship, my profession, but more importantly, this also signals “success” in the eyes of my colleagues in my chosen field. What if I did not pursue this, and later felt sorry? The fact that I had not sufficient intrinsic interest in the responsibility that this would entail, or in the antagonism that I would likely incur from my subordinates (whom I would be evaluating) did not dissuade me, at least for a long time.

This period of indecision lasted fully 15 years. Once in a workshop that was boring, I wrote out five or six pages of reasons (pro and con) that I was considering for my next direction. Later, I destroyed the pages in an attempt not to be sucked back into this quagmire.

As the years were passing, I dropped big hints to my supervisors that I did not want to be considered administrative material. I said “no” before I might be asked. The fact that I was not asked (until later on) seemed only a minor point; in my egotism, I felt that I would be if I expressed interest. And I did not want to be faced with something that I might have trouble declining. I see the wiliness of the ego even in my indecision.

Later on I was asked. And it was largely a disaster that lasted scarcely two months, ending with me in a frazzle, resigning because my temperament rebelled. So, all along, my real self had been trying to get through to say that this particular pathway was not for me. I am a slow learner; it took trying it out to realize that my doubts (conscious and subconscious) knew best all along.

Let the ego battles go. Our inner Self knows the way we ought to go.

Coming to Know

Many called to the way of Mary will ‘do’ much that is greatly desired in the world but what they do will be a byproduct of their way of being rather than a means of facilitating that way of being. Many of the way of Mary will find acclaim, yet neither acclaim nor obscurity will matter to those following these ways. Being true to the self and the calling of the One Self is all that matters. Eventually all will follow the way of Mary and such ideas as acclaim and obscurity will be no more. But at this time of transition, both ways are needed to demonstrate the means of coming to know, which are what all true expression is about. (ACOL, D:Day19.11)

We are coming to know in this new world. And there is space for both being and doing, the way of Mary and the way of Jesus. Needing both, we cooperate with each other, supporting each other.

The way of Mary seems to be a less obvious way, in that people wonder if any acclaim would be due those who are following this way. There may be acclaim, as well as much doing, but these will be secondary to the relationships that we will form. The relationships in this new world are primary, above and beyond all. We won’t be concerned with acclaim, given or not given, and this will be a hallmark of knowing that the ego has faded away. We will listen for guidance, deep within, and then make our plans to carry out that guidance. We are then being true to our self of personality as well as our Christ-Self.

And that will be all that matters.

Open to True Knowing from the Christ-Self Deep Within

“Just beyond your mind’s ability to call it forth lies the truth that you and all other beings know. The access to what seems to lie beyond your ability lies in the Christ in you. You might think of the ego as the hand that swats away this knowing.” (ACOL, T2:10.8)

We do know the truth, because the truth is of the Christ-Self deep within us and all of our brothers and sisters. When we open more and more to the Self within, our subconscious becomes available to us, and we know in a way that we have not known when the ego has been in the ascendancy. We need to dethrone the ego now, now and forevermore. It does us no good to think ourselves better—or worse—than another. We just drop into highs and lows, for the way of the world is to undo the ego. It is God’s Will that we give up this part of our belief about ourselves that has done us no good. It is also God’s Will that we request Christ-consciousness, and that we remove the barriers to the bestowal of that blessing upon us. God makes the decision, but we can and must get irrelevant specks of our personalities out of the way before. Our personalities have latched onto the ego as something that will save us from ourselves, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

All of us are equal to one another. All of us are equally gifted, though the display of that giftedness might vary in this time of learning. Thinking we are more special than another is an ego mechanism for weakness, a weakness that will unhinge us repeatedly. Give up the idea that we are special in any way—or conversely, believe that ALL are special, for all are creations of God, and He means all of us equally well.

We can learn more about our lives and what we are doing when we let the Christ in us come out. Our Christ-Self will not lead us wrong. It is the ego that does that. And our knowing is affected by the ego’s swatting away the truth. We need knowing in our lives, true knowing. And this true knowing will come when we stay open to the Self, who speaks from deep within us. We must get quiet to hear this quiet voice. We must give up our adrenaline rushes, too caught in the world, to a perfect calm and quiet that will lead us surely down the path to greater peace.

Prayer

Thank You for the mellow feeling that overcomes me today. It is true that I am somewhat tired, even though it is early in the morning; I have had two stressful days. But You are able to encourage me to get extra sleep when needed, and this I will do. Thank You for Your encouragement that I listen to my body and get the rest I need.

Be with me as this day unfolds. Help me to feel Your warmth, Your loving Presence. This always sets my day aright. And it may even mean that I don’t really need to sleep right now. Guide me, please.

Thank You.

Amen.

Knowing that Is Not Human in Origin

“As the dawn is unrestrained in its bursting forth, so has been your time of innocence. Not so the approach of day as the sun slowly rises and as slowly sets. This is a time of being both guided and restrained. A time of realizing that you can know without knowing what to do, and that this is not a mistake. Many reach this stage and, not knowing what to do with what they know, begin to doubt their knowing. This is a human response to a knowing that is not human in origin.” (ACOL, C:28.10)

Today’s quotation addresses a problem we may encounter as we proceed in listening to our heart and getting guidance from our Source, the inner Self who is part of God. We must walk easy, not forge ahead into ways that we don’t yet understand. We must sometimes hold back. Our knowing is not human in origin when we listen to our Self, a divine being. And this knowing may confuse us, for this knowing is telling us things that we have not heretofore believed, or maybe even known about.

We are being guided. If we doubt this, I suggest an exercise. Sit down with a computer, or with paper and pencil, and write out a series of questions that might trouble you about ultimate things. Get still and quiet. And then listen for answers from your heart. Let the words just come to you, for nobody has to see this. See if your confusion doesn’t begin to fall away. The Self knows how to speak to your finite mind. The heart, the center of the Self, knows what to write.

We can each reach God in our own way. He is nearer than our breath, for, as I have repeatedly indicated, we are a part of Him (ACIM and ACOL doctrine). God will not let us down. We know enough to access His wisdom, and in the access will come clarity.

Try and see. None of us will be disappointed.

Dear Father/Mother,

I have used the exercise I write about many times. Thank You for guiding my fingers to type what works for me. Thank You for being there, and guiding my heart to inform my mind.

I need Your knowledge more than my perception. This is very clear today as it is every day. May the right words come to mind when they are needed. May You give me the words to say.

Amen.

You Can Know without Knowing What to Do

“As the dawn is unrestrained  in its bursting forth, so has been your time of innocence.  Not so the approach of day as the sun slowly rises and as slowly sets.  This is a time of being both guided and restrained.  A time of realizing that you can know without knowing what to do, and that this is not a mistake.  (A Course of Love, 28.10)”

Affirmation  “I will be patient today in my ‘knowing.'”

Reflections:

1 – Reassuring Passage

This passage is a reassuring gesture on the part of Jesus to us who are still learning.  We may have experienced a sudden relief when we realized that we truly are innocent, but as time goes on, the movement toward Christ-consciousness slows down–as the sun slowly rises and slowly sets.  While this slow movement is not always the case and does not receive the most attention, it is the most common way.  We see glimpses before Christ-consciousness can be maintained.  Indeed, maintaining the elevated Self of form is very rare indeed, at least at this time in our history.

2 – Commune with God

But we can commune with God, we can internally ask questions of Jesus, and we can read A Course of Love–all to get a roadmap to enlightenment.  Most of the outstanding examples of enlightenment in our history have been sudden experiences, but the very suddenness may have given rise to the awareness of the existence of these people.  A more gradual Awakening is kinder to us, for then the light does not suddenly dawn upon us, leaving us perhaps a bit frightened.  (These are interpretations based in part on both A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love.)

3 – Rest in Stillness

When we “know,” but don’t know what to do, I think it would be wise to rest in stillness until we do know what to do.  We do not want to go off willy-nilly, making mistakes that will only set us back.  Ask for guidance, for the solution is always found with the problem.  We will always be answered, and my experience is that it does not take long for the answer to come.  Ask, and ye shall receive (from the Bible).

4 – Imaginary Bonds

We often strain at imaginary bonds that seem to restrain us.  We have learned so much from A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love, and we are so eager, as a result, to walk the whole pathway to Awakening or Christ-consciousness.   Our eagerness with A Course of Love is greater than with ACIM, even.  This difference, this increase, is because we finally see that we have “learned” all that is needed, and we simply need to assimilate our learning so that it becomes knowledge rather than perception.  The knowledge cannot come until we let the ego die, and sometimes this dying is painfully slow–even when we wish it to happen fast (perhaps especially when we wish it to happen fast).  The knowledge will go with us on the whole pathway to full salvation.  And we need to rest awhile in peace, before we will know what our next steps ought to be.  We are not bade to evangelize the world, but we are bade to live in it as followers of Jesus.  At this point he is fast beyond our companion, our teacher no longer.

5 – Change in This World

Help us to assimilate this knowledge so that the change can happen universally in this world.  Life is at a crisis point (as life has always been), and we need to accomplish what we can to wish our brothers and sisters well in all of their activities toward salvation.

Prayer:

Dear Father/Mother,

Thank You for the knowledge that will lead me to Awakening.  I would be ready sooner rather than later.  I would not delay by egotistical means.  I would drop the ego.  Help me to do so, today.

Be with us as we seek to have a good day.  This is a blessing, to have a good day.  May we enjoy our companions, including Jesus, if we can believe that he is always by our side.

Amen.

Being Sure of God

“There is a trust that goes beyond proof and beyond the need for any witnessing at all.  This is the trust of knowing.  Knowing is of the heart, and holds a consistency and certainty that the dawn of innocence does not contain.  (A Course of Love, 28.5)”

Affirmation:  “I would ‘know’ today.”

Reflections:

1 – Knowing vs. Perceiving

Jesus has longed for us to know since he first mentioned these words in A Course in Miracles.  There he contrasted “knowing” and “perceiving,” and indicated that only in knowing is there permanence.  Perception was what we had projected from within, and it is illusion, for we are living in a dream.  Elements of the real world do surface, though, when we live from knowing.  Knowing is of God, and it something for which we are now ready.

2 – Intuition

Listen to your heart.  Sometimes this heartfelt message is sensed as intuition, but not always.  There are many ways that the heart can come to understand.  Inspirational words of others are yet another source.  And, of course, scripture–whether of the Bible, other holy books, or the latest perennial philosophy of ACIM and ACOL.

3 – Innocence

When we have first known innocence, and known that it is of ourselves, we have loosed the hold of the ego on ourselves.  This is where ACIM took us.  We have not sinned, but have merely made mistakes that we would correct, and which we would forgive in ourselves.

4 – Jesus

But we have traveled beyond simple innocence now.  We know that the innocence is a fact, but we also know many other things.  Jesus has taken us by the hand, and through the reading of A Course of Love, he is leading us to full equality with him.

Prayer:

Dear Father/Mother,

May I be sure of You today.  I have had faith for a long time, and I do not leave my mind at the door when I pray.  I know in a way that I did not when I was younger.  Thank You for this certainty, for this truth of knowing that You are with me always.

May my trust be expanded.  Trust has been a bit of a problem for me, and I would not have it so.  Trust is the bedrock of our salvation, and I would trust completely and wholly that You are with me all the time.  Thank You for the trust that is growing within me.

Amen.

Definition of Love

“Knowing and love are inseparable.  When this is realized, it is obvious that love is the only true wisdom, the only true understanding, the only true knowing.  Love is the great teacher.  And your loving relationships the means of learning love.  (A Course of Love, 23.1)”

Affirmation:  “I would learn love from my relationships today.”

Reflections:

1 – Knowing

We must seek to “know,” not to perceive, for perceptions are fleeting and knowledge is eternal.  When we love our significant others, and even beyond to other people, we come to knowledge.  This is the way of A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love.  It is through relationships that we come to know.

2 – Love Cancels Out Fear

Only in relationships will we be free of fear, for love, true love, cancels out fear.  Is not this motivation indeed?

3 – Dislodge the Ego

The motivation to dislodge the ego, and to replace that ego with true identity, is paramount if we are to know lasting happiness.  And lasting happiness, along with salvation and forgiveness, represent our function here.  Happiness, salvation, forgiveness–all are synonymous.  And when we have reached outward to our brothers and sisters, we will know that love is here to envelop us.

4 – Today’s Task

May we know this today.

Prayer:

Dear Father/Mother,

I would know love today, for surely this is the all-important pathway to happiness.  And happiness is a worthy goal, though I have not always believed that it was my function (along with salvation and forgiveness, as ACIM says).  Help me to love, first, my significant others, and then may I also love myself as I love them, and then may I love my brothers and sisters, met and unmet, in this world.  I am conscious of the Other Side.  Indeed, I imagined that my great-grandmother and a friend of ours visited me in the middle of the night two nights ago when I was having trouble sleeping.  I sensed their presence, though I did not see nor hear anything.  Thank You for that experience.  A very comforting experience.

May I seek only to bring comfort today, an affirmation that Hugh Prather, the late writer/speaker on ACIM, recommended.  May I bring comfort to my husband, who is so good to me and such a blessing in my life.  I waited a long time to find him, but the wait was worth it.  Thank You for giving me the patience to wait until the right man entered my life.

Be with me as I seek to know more of love today.  You are Love, and You are not simply an emotion.  Help me to see more of that which You are.  And thank You for guiding me so gently and peacefully to good days of serenity.

Amen.