The Disappearance Of The Universe taught me almost all the essentials about ACIM, making the entry into the philosophy wonderfully easy.
One thing I feel is missing though, is a thing I learned from Ken Wapnick:
The essence of forgiveness is just looking at the ego.
Just looking, without guilt or fear.
Or looking with the holy spirit, if you will.
The ego can't look at itself.
This must be why therapy works sometimes. If you're really looking, you must be looking with the holy spirit.
It can be applied to anything. Anytime you are not 100% peaceful and happy (and how many of us are thus most of the time?) just look at what's happening and what you're feeling and thinking about it. Just look, without judgement, without fear.
For example today I was watching a documentary about police and vigilantism. And I was getting all upset about how people were conned into the idea that only the selected forces in society has any right to use force. Then they showed a governor who a long time ago went on TV and spoke supportively of a mob who had lynched two kidnappers/murderers. And I got all upset about this idiot. I suddenly noticed that I had seamlessly changed viewpoint 180º within seconds! Total ego thinking.
And just by watching this and not judging it, I have defused the ego thinking a little bit more.
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About spirituality and coming home to Source. By Eolake Stobblehouse, studying multiple branches of spirituality for 30+ years.
"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God”
- A Course In Miracles
About Me
- Eolake Stobblehouse
- Born in Denmark, living currently in England. I write about creativity and communication and technology which supports those. And about spirituality/metaphysics.
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4 comments:
Great start - and a good idea for a blog Eolake.
I too had a 're-perception exercise' today - regarding money. The form doesn't matter. I was simply willing to *look* and see it differently.
Your home town looks idyllic. Then again, that comes to my mind as an image from my past wherein a kind of "Hans Christian Andersen" - style postcard had a similar view on it.
Yet another lesson in how we see through filters most of the time. :)
Thanks.
You have the first comment ever. :)
Karrebæksminde, Denmark, is a pretty place. See photos on stobblehouse.com.
Ken is a very wise person one of the most, if you'll pardon the laughable reference, down-to-earth-guys in ACIM.
I like especially how he hasn’t made ACIM a New Age thing, or another pseudo-religion even though it could lend itself to that end. He has kept it pure, and has helped make it easily understood.
I often found myself siding with ego, like failing the UK driving test twice on minor technicalities (1st time bumping the curb backing into a space and the next time 13 minor things like the examiner didn't like my use of the clutch/shifting), all which would not have been even noted in the US.
After facing the ego, in the form of anger, and self righteous indignation I realized that my creation - ego - was giving me a lesson in forgiveness, not egoness.
Once I saw that, I let go and found myself at peace with the whole process and anyone I perceived connected with my creation of failure - especially myself.
Now I'm at peace without the perceived need to drive, or proving myself wronged, or the need to be right.
I mention this driving issue as a lesson for me because I use to be one of those road rage nuts, which came from a lot of rage and self righteousness.
When I now feel the need to be right over being peaceful, I recognize it a lot quicker. I smile and say to the ego, “Hey, been there done that…take a hike.”
Jerry
"The essence of forgiveness is just looking at the ego."
I really like that. I had a bit of difficulty with the emphasis on "forgiveness" in ACIM at first because I grew up in a false notion of forgiveness and was seeped in it. I had an alcoholic parent who verbally abused the lot of us, and I, a good Christian girl, just kept forgiving her, going back to her with open heart and warmth, and kept getting pounded emotionally. My "forgiveness" was based on feelings, thinking I had to "love" my enemy through warm fuzzy feelings. But now, I'm learning that true forgiveness has little to do with feelings of "love", and nothing at all to do with what appears "out there" -- it has to do with looking at the Truth, looking calmly at ego, and all the false images and beliefs fade away. i.e. "I am being hurt", i.e. "I have to love this person". Love is already and always present.
true forgiveness is seeing rightly,
it is not an emotion.
Thanks Eo for the blog.
Laurie
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