A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #326 - I am forever an Effect of God.

 Lesson #326

I am forever an Effect of God.

We are extensions of God’s Unconditional Love. This is what the Universalists teach. As such, we always were perfect, are perfect now, and will be perfect into the future until time no longer has any meaning.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God Whom we have never left but only forgotten.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person which stems from being an Effect of God.

Today it is suggested that we remember who we are, from whence we came, and in which we abide as we go through our day.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #325 - All things I think I see reflect ideas.

 Lesson #325

All things I think I see reflect ideas.

The world we see is a projection of the ideas in our mind. If we expect to see bad things, we see bad things, and if we expect to see good things, we see good things. So the major question is what kind of a life do we want: good or bad?

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step ten, that we continue to take a personal inventory and admit what we find both good and bad. Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. So what kind of ideas do I find reflected in my thoughts?

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning and where we look will have significant consequences for what we find. The ideas we choose to explore project our thoughts. It is called “confirmation bias''. If you expect to find bad things you will find them. If you expect to find good things you will find them. What is it that you are expecting to find in your search for truth and meaning? All things I think I see reflect ideas in my mind.

Today it is suggested that we be aware of our biases. Our biases are the filter through which we selectively perceive and these perceptions create our experience. Do you believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person starting with yourself? Searching for this inherent worth and dignity is a choice you have.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #324 - I merely follow, for I would not lead.

 Lesson #324

I merely follow, for I would not lead.

“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Will it be my willfulness or my willingness to discern and follow God’s will that I follow? That is the question.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step three, that we make a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understand God.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which takes us eventually to discerning what God’s will for us is. This is a lifelong quest. Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. How many people do you know who live examined lives? Are you one of them? An examined life is one of curiosity, reflection, compassion, and reverence. We endeavor to appreciate the good, the true, and beautiful. These attributes are usually not of our making but something that we are blessed by when we are in a receptive frame of mind and heart.

Today, I merely follow, go with the flow, allow the world to unfold exactly as it would. Am I becoming the person I believe deep down in my heart God wants me to become, and doing with my life what it is deep down in my heart God is calling me to do? Polonius says in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, “Above all else to thine own self be true.” Polonius is not referring to the ego but to our alignment with God’s will for us. I merely follow, for I would not lead.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #323 - I gladly make the "sacrifice" of fear.

 Lesson #323

I gladly make the “sacrifice” of fear.

With shedding the ego goes our fears and what wells up in its place is the awareness of God’s Unconditional Love for us. Giving up the ego with its manipulative fears is really no sacrifice so in today’s lesson the word “sacrifice” is put in ironic quotation marks.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with the God of our understanding through prayer and meditation. Great idea. When we do this it brings peace and a sense of well being.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which takes us to the “sacrifice” of our ego and its fears. This leads us to the acceptance of one another and the encouragement to spiritual growth.

Today, it is suggested that we give up the things of our ego and its concomitant fears. What will take its place? An awareness of God’s unconditional love for us.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #322 - I can give up but what was never real.

 Lesson #322

I can give up but what was never real.

The idea is purification. Before we can turn to the Divine we must give up the things of the ego. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. Sorry. The things of the ego are impermanent and illusory and at their essence not real. So to give them up is to actually give up nothing. The things of the ego are like bubbles of champagne. They might tickle but they have no substance.

When we free ourselves to focus on the Divine we enter into the real, the ground of our being. It is written in the introduction to A Course In Miracles: “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Here lies the peace of God.” Today’s lesson is the granting of peace.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we turn our will and lives over to the care of God which is Love which is what is real.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which will lead to giving up what is unreal in service of what is real. The search will take us beyond the things of the ego world to the Transcendent Source.

Today, it is suggested that we remind ourselves multiple times that we can give up the things of the ego because they were never real, and then remember what is real, our essence, which is Unconditional Love.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #321 - Father, my freedom is in You alone.

 Lesson #321

Father, my freedom is in You alone.

The bar card reads, “If you think you know what’s going on, you’re full of shit.” The great prayer that Jesus teaches us to pray is “...Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The great question is my will or God’s will?

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step three, that we make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand God. Isn’t it about time that we came to recognize, acknowledge, and admit which side of the toast the butter is on?

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which eventually brings us to the realization that God’s Unconditional Love is what we have been searching for all along.

Today, it is suggested that we remind ourselves several times throughout the day and my freedom and peace and joy is in the Divine as it was, is now, and every shall be.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #320 - My Father gives all power unto me.

 Lesson #320

My Father gives all power unto me.

The power that the Father gives to me is the control over my own mind. While I can’t control external circumstances I can control my response and management of them. My Father has given all that power to me if I choose to use it.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested in step three that we make a decision to turn our will over to God and in doing so we gain the whole world.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote seven principles which, if applied, facilitate a spiritual journey characterized by salvation which is when everybody loves everybody all the time. Our Father has given us each the power to do this. All we need do is forgive our resentments, our grievances, our fears, our guilt and ask ourselves “What would Love have me do?” In discerning the answer to this question, my Father gives all power unto me.

Today, it is suggested that we invite and welcome the power that God gives to us to make the world a Loving place and in doing so it is sanctified and becomes holy.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #319 - I came for the salvation of the world.

 Lesson #319

I came for the salvation of the world.

The three big existential questions that all human beings are challenged by are: Why was I born? What is the purpose of my life? What happens when I die? Today’s lesson gives us some answers. The lesson teaches us that we came to facilitate the salvation of the world. How do we do that? By forgiveness and miracles.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we share our spiritual awakening with others and thereby strengthen our own.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to accept one another and encourage each other’s spiritual growth through implementing the seven principles.

Today it is suggested that we remind ourselves several times why we were born and what our purpose is here. Like the Blues Brothers we are on a mission from God to save the world.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #318 - In me salvation's means and ends are one.

 Lesson #318

In me salvation’s means and end are one.

There are many quizzical ideas in a A Course In Miracles such as you learn what you teach, you can be right or be happy, salvation’s means and end are one.

A Course in Miracles teaches that a “miracle” is a shift in perception from separation and division to unity and wholeness (holiness). Being a part of the whole we recognize that our individuality is also a part of a whole and in this recognition and acknowledgment we are saved.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we strengthen our recovery by sharing it. As we as individuals become healthier and we share our health with others, the collective becomes healthier. As the collective becomes healthier our individual health is enhanced. There is a mutual resonance between the part and whole and the whole and the part.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to accept one another and encourage each other’s spiritual growth. The same dynamic occurs  in AA or any group where the parts are aware of the whole and the whole supports and nurtures the parts.

Today it is suggested that we remind ourselves several times that the means of our salvation and the end are the same. Our destination is the journey. We are not trying to do something or achieve something, we are intent on becoming aware of our consciousness here and now. We come to realize that all our striving is for naught as we are already perfect in our essence, our natural inheritance.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #317 - I follow in the way appointed to me.

 Lesson #317

I follow in the way appointed to me.

“...Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Isn't it time to get around to doing God’s will instead of your ego’s? Haven’t you wasted enough time and made enough mistakes to learn that your life, run by the ego, is unmanageable? Isn’t it time to find and use a new compass? 

The new compass is simple, simply reconnoiter with what Love would have you do?

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step three, that we make a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God and follow the way appointed for me.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which can be found when we give up the suggestions and enticements of our egos and instead discern and follow the way appointed us.

Today, we start living our lives differently. Instead of asking what does my ego want me to do, we ask what would Love have me do? The first way is the path to anxiety and depression, and the second way is the path to peace and joy.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #316 - All gifts I give my brothers are my own.

 Lesson #316

All gifts I give my brothers are my own.

It is one thing to sing in the shower and another to sing in a chorus. It is one thing to laugh at a joke alone and another thing to laugh when you tell a joke to another person.

There are things that are much more enjoyed when we do them with others such as forgiveness, kindness, understanding, mercy, and of course, love. We can’t give what we don’t have. We can’t share what we don’t possess. So one of the paradoxes in life is that we receive more when we give it away. Therefore, we can say, “All gifts I give my brothers are my own.”

Today’s lesson is well exemplified in the twelfth step of Alcoholics Anonymous where it is suggested that we reinforce our own program by sharing it with others. We learn what we teach.

In Unitarian Universalism, in the third principle, we covenant together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. In other words, we practice what we preach and it becomes clear that all the gifts I give my brothers and my sisters are my own. We are not mimicking or parroting or saying do as I say not as I do. We try to walk the talk and teach by example and in this way the gifts we give are something we, ourselves, own.

Today, I strive to be authentic, and genuine and realize that the gifts I give my brothers and sisters are deep down not only my own but increase as I give them away.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #315 - All gifts my brothers give belong to me.

 Lesson #315

All gifts my brothers give belong to me.

We stand on the shoulders of millions of people who have come before us and no person is an island. Our lives are daily supported by the work, effort, and energy of others. Don’t forget that all gifts my brothers and sisters give belong to me. Without them, I could not exist on this planet for long.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested that we carry the message of our spiritual awakening to others in step twelve as many of them carry theirs to us. Meetings would not exist and hope could not be offered without the work of many people in the rooms.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm seven principles because without our brothers and sisters there would be no covenant and no way to practice our principles. All the gifts given by my brothers and sisters belong to me.

Today, it is suggested that we reflect on our many blessings, many of which come from the thousands of supply chains which nourish and support our lives.

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #314 - I seek a future different from the past.

 Lesson #314

I seek a future different from the past.

We have been socialized and conditioned to live in the past world of the ego. Like the person in Plato’s cave, we have freed ourselves from shackles forcing us to watch the dancing shadows on the wall of the cave and gone to the mouth of the cave to look outside and see what a wondrous world awaits us.

In Alcoholic Anonymous, it is suggested in step one that we admit that our lives in the world of the ego have become unmanageable and in step two that a power greater than ourselves can restore our awareness to sanity. Alleluia, Blessed be!

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning which takes us from the world of the ego to the world of the spirit. We seek a future different from the past.

Today, we let the past go and shed our conditioning and socialization and move toward freedom and enlightenment which is our natural inheritance. We seek a future different from what we have been experiencing.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #313 - Now let a new perception come to me.

 Lesson #313

Now let a new perception come to me.

The “new perception” is the understanding of Oneness of non duality as compared to separation and division. It is impossible for us to grasp the Oneness but we can guess at it, we can intuit it, we can attempt to imagine it. As John Lennon sang in his song, Imagine, “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” “The world will live as One.”

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God. This “conscious contact with God” is the “new perception” being referred to today in today’s lesson.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This “inherent worth and dignity” is not a common perception in our very judgmental world which seeks to separate, divide, exclude, subjugate, oppress, and dominate. UUs are very counter cultural in the principles that UUs covenant together to affirm and promote.

Today is is suggested in lesson #311 that we let a new perception of the Oneness come to us in which the holiness of the world is recognized, acknowledged and deeply appreciated.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #312 - I see all things as I would have them be.

 Lesson #312

I see all things as I would have them be.

The comedian, Flip Wilson, when he did his Geraldine routine, would have her say, “What you see, honey, is what you get.” “Perception is reality” as they say, and perception comes from judgment. What will you judge today that will lead to your perception which will contribute to what you experience? We can choose the things of the ego or the things of the Spirit (Love).

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested in step eleven that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation. Good suggestion, yes?

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and in this affirmation and promotion we look for the divine spark in every person.

Today, it is suggested that we accentuate the positive and minimize the negative. We can remind ourselves that I see all things as I would have them be.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #311 - I judge all things as I would have them be.

 

Lesson #311

I judge all things as I would have them be.

A Course in Miracles makes it very clear that the world of the ego is bull shit. The only thing true is our Oneness with our Divine Source. Our separation from our Divine Source is not real but an illusion and at some point we will realize this and when we come to know this we will judge things as I would have them be in alignment with the world of Spirit (Love).

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested in step three that we make a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God. Is this turning over how you judge all things should be or do you want to continue to manage things on your own terms?

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning and in so doing we seek to judge all things as we would have them be, one with truth, beauty, and goodness.

Today, it is suggested that we turn our lives and judgement over to our Divine Source so that they would be as God would have them be since God created them in the first place.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #310 - In fearlessness and love I spend today.

 Lesson #310

In fearlessness and love I spend today.

The choice is ours between fear and love in how we spend our day. Could it be that simple? Is it easier said than done? Is today’s lesson merely wishful thinking that does not correspond to reality?

We cannot control the external circumstances of our lives but we can always control our response to them. In that distinction there lies the awareness of our choice. Can we decide to make the best of a bad situation? Can we get things in perspective and find a more positive view?

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we seek to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation. How about trying that?

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning and where are we to find this truth and meaning: in fear or in Love? The Universalists are clear in their answer, in Love.

Today, it is suggested that we repeat this mantra often, “In fearlessness and love I spend today.” Say it especially when fear, anger, resentment, guilt starts to arise into our awareness. At that point we can make a choice. Which will I choose? The Beatles said it best when they sang, “Love, love, love, love is all there is.”

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #309 - I will not fear to look within today.

Lesson #309

I will not fear to look within today.

John Bradshaw taught that the basis for addiction is shame. We believe that deep down there is something wrong with us, that we are deficient or inadequate in some way and it is only a matter of time before what we believe is our inadequate nature is found out.

The truth, on the contrary, is that deep down within us is  a brilliant diamond illuminated by a Divine Spark which is perfect. And yet our ego doesn’t want us to believe this Truth that our essence is Divine and so instigates fear and tells us not to look because if we do we will be horrified by what we see. Today’s lesson counters the fear driven suggestion of the ego not to look within and suggests that we say to ourselves, “I will not fear to look within today.”

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation which involves a looking within. If we find the courage we will be delighted by what we find when we see the Divine nature from which we arise.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The Universalists knew about the Divine Spark within and taught that we are all loved unconditionally by our Creator because we are the extension of God’s Love.

Today, it is suggested that we say, “I will not fear to look within today,” many times during the day. We will like what we see and it will feel like a miracle. This is, afterall, lesson #309 from A Course In Miracles.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #308 - This instant is the only time there is.

 Lesson #308

This instant is the only time there is.

Have you ever felt that time stood still? We get caught up in an activity and we lose track of time. It is the experience that enthralls us and time disappears. There is no past and no future, only the experience we are experiencing.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation and being present. The past is gone, the future yet to come, all we have is our current experience. The wonderful AA slogans of “One day at a time” and “Easy does it” serve us well.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence which brings us into the experience of the non dualistic Oneness which is the Ground Of Our Being. In this experience there is no time. Time has vanished and we become part of the eternal Now.

Today, it is suggested that we rise above time by ignoring the past and the future of the ego and instead allow ourselves to experience the Holy Instant. You will know when you arrive in that place by the experience of peace and bliss.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #307 - Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

 Lesson #307

Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

If a person has been raised in a Christian denomination they undoubtedly have learned or at least heard “The Lord’s Prayer” which reads in part, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We willful  humans want our will to be done not Thy will and so there exists in our lives conflicting wishes and at the end of the day we recognize that these conflicting wishes cannot be right and it is in aligning our will with God’s will that peace and happiness lie.

In Alcoholic Anonymous, right in the very first step, it is suggested that we admit that our lives are unmanageable. In the second step we recognize and acknowledge that there is a power greater than ourselves running the Universe of which we are just a part, and in the third step, we make a decision to turn our unmanageable lives over to the will and care of that Higher Power whatever we choose to call it.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are just a part. We come to realize that whatever is going on it is far beyond our control and we are wise to turn our will over to the flow of the Universe which some call Tao.

Today, we rise above the conflict of my will and the will of Tao and go with the flow and become one with the Universe of which we are a part.