Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Asking Big

Laurie commented: "We ask too small."

It's a good point. Not long before I really encountered non-duality (in the form of The Disappearance Of The Universe), I was for a while into the whole Manifestation thing (which later hit big with The Secret). But I was already losing my interest in earthly manifestations like the trappings of success etc. So in the end, the only thing I really put my wish-force behind was wanting stronger communication with Everything.

Everything and everybody in the universe. But when it comes down to it, what's "everything" except Source, or God? So my rewards in that direction have gone into hyperdrive since then.

Full disclosure demands that I reveal that this does not necessarily mean an easier life, at least not for a while. To speed up spiritual contact also means to speed up the shedding and shredding of old, hard-packed energies full of beliefs and fear and anger and such. And this process can be highly stressful. But I do believe that there's an end to anything, except Truth.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

One's own heart


It is a fine thing to establish one's own religion in one's heart, not to be dependent on tradition and second-hand ideals. 
- D. H. Lawrence

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

"Cosmic Consciousness"

Below is an excerpt from an interesting book, "Cosmic Consciousness".
It can be found on Amazon on paper or electrons. (Be sure to get the right one, by Richard Maurice Bucke, it's a century old.)

(Click for easier reading.) 

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Study assumptions


Study the assumptions behind your actions. Then study the assumptions behind your assumptions. 
— Idries Shah

One of the most basic and wise sayings I've heard. 
Harder than you'd think, though. Because we all tend very strongly to confuse our assumptions with facts. That's why we assumed them after all. 

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Book: "Living With Miracles"

D. Patrick Miller, the original publisher of The Disappearance Of The Universe, has a new book out: Living with Miracles (author's page and Amazon page).

I warmly recommend it both as a gentle and easy-to-read introduction to the Course, and paradoxically also, for me at least, further study around the basic ideas of the Course for more advanced students.

For example the book contains one of the best definitions I have seen of the "Holy Spirit" of the Course: "an intuitive communication link between our own seemingly limited consciousness and the unlimited consciousness of God".

"Intuitive communication link", that's just spot-on.

I asked D. Patrick:

What's the raison d'étre, amidst all the other books on the subject?

My previous book UNDERSTANDING A COURSE IN MIRACLES was mostly history and journalism, describing  how the Course came to be and became influential, and providing a summary of its chief principles. I told a few personal stories of how it had affected me, however, and I noticed that those were the parts of the book most often mentioned by readers. So I thought there would be some interest in a book that focused on stories of how the Course had affected students, including myself. So it's a more personal book in that respect, and is more about the *experience* of ACIM than its history. 


Thanks for the write-up! BTW I just published an e-book that provides an in-depth study of healing a relationship with forgiveness, entitled THE PERFECT MOTHER.  

Friday, December 2, 2011

On gratitude


Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.
           -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Wow, what a cynical thing to say. I hope this was said by a fictional character, for a person must have had a poor life indeed to never had felt any real gratitude for anything. 

I remember when I was around 7 or 8, all summer we went to the beach every day, we had a very nice beach nearby, all light sand, no stones etc. But I was afraid of getting my head under the water. A pal of mine, a year or two older, coached me into getting used to it, and swimming under the water became one of the most fun things I ever did. I got so extremely grateful to him that I kept saying I Love You to him, something Scandinavians are not wont to, being a very reserved people. I had to stop that since it embarrassed him. But that was real gratitude, somebody had really enhanced my life. And I certainly did not have any "hope of further favors", what would that be, teaching me mountain climbing?  (In Denmark! Haha, the tallest place is like 1500 feet.)