The correction which is miraculous.

A miracle is a correction introduced into false thinking by me. It acts as a catalyst, breaking up  erroneous perception and reorganizing it properly. This places you under the Atonement principle, where perception is healed. Until this has occurred, knowledge of the Divine Order is impossible. T-1.1.37:1-4

The miracle is a shift in perception from conditional love to unconditional love which was taught by Jesus. With this shift the separation from the Unconditional Love of God is undone and the right order has been restored. Until this shift occurs things will continue to be messed up.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step one, that we admit that we are powerless in the face of the conditional love of the ego and that our lives are unmanageable on this basis.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion putting an end to divisiveness and separation.

Miguel had heard that sometimes people don’t want to make changes until they hit bottom. Miguel was close to bottom when he said to Jose, “There must be a better way.” Jose said that there was and that Miguel should talk to Maria and go to some meetings with her.

Miguel did talk to Maria and went to some meetings with her and then found a sponsor and started working the steps of recovery. Miguel wanted to recover his sanity which he had departed from. 

When I met Miguel he said he had three years in the program and never felt better about himself and his life. Miguel said that this turnaround was a miracle. 

I asked Miguel what was one of the most important factors in the turnaround and he said simply, “The fellowship.”

It seems that joining others in the desire to correct their false thinking and priorities had restored Miguel’s life to be more in alignment with the Divine Order.

Today, we can turn our lives over to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Higher Power, the Force, whatever you want to call it, to undo the separation from God’s Unconditional Love to the world of conditional love. In choosing this shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of the Spirit, we make a correction which is miraculous.

Miracles can be illegal

Miracles are examples of right thinking, aligning your perceptions with truth as God created it. T-1.1.36

A Course In Miracles teaches that there is wrong thinking and right thinking. Wrong thinking is aligned with the ego and right thinking is aligned with Spirit. The wrong thinking of the ego is based on conditional love, and right thinking of Spirit is based on unconditional love. God is Truth based on unconditional love. Ultimately, as the Beatles sang in their great song, “Love is all there is.”

In Alcoholic Anonymous, in step eleven, we are encouraged to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation and right thinking. When we do this miracles happen.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This inherent worth and dignity is true as God created it and when we perceive it miracles occur.

Jose came to the United States, undocumented, to work in the fields to cultivate and harvest the crops. Jose would send part of his pay check back to Mexico to help his family live a better life. Jose was grateful for the work he found in the U.S. and for the well being he was able to nurture in himself and his family in Mexico.

When asked what he thought of his lifestyle, Jose said that he wished his family could come to the U.S. to be with him as he worked to support them, but that his ability to find work to support them even though they could not be with him seemed to him like a miracle.

Finding farm work to cultivate and harvest the crops to feed people in the U.S. and to earn a living for himself and his family is Jose’s way of extending the love of God for God’s creation on earth. Jose was aligning himself with the perception of truth as God not humans created it. In God’s world there are no boundaries and borders.

Some say in the world of the ego that Jose is illegal and should be deported. He is a criminal hunted down by ICE but in the world of Spirit Jose is a child of God and is doing what is necessary to sustain life on this planet bringing heaven to earth.

Today, it is suggested that we align ourselves with unconditional love which is as God created us to be. We eschew the idea of separation and divisions and perceive the unity, the Oneness, that is of God.

Unconditional loving is its own reward.

Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects. T-1.1.35

Unconditional love is usually not reciprocated. In fact, often the opposite is the case. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. In the world of the ego this makes no sense. In the world of spirit is makes perfect sense.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we carry the message of our spiritual awakening to others. What others do with it is up to them not up to us. Mother Teresa taught that we are to be faithful not necessarily successful. Whether we are successful or not in carrying the message of love depends on other factors that are out of our control.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and the encouragement to spiritual growth. This acceptance and encouragement often falls on deaf ears, blind eyes, and hardened hearts. We are to affirm and promote this acceptance and encouragement anyway.

Bill did many good and loving things for others. Very few people noticed. Bill didn’t need their recognition and acknowledgement. He liked being kind to people. It made him feel better regardless of how other people responded.

When Bill was asked about his not needing recognition and acknowledgement to continue his work of kindness to others, Bill said, “Being kind to others enhances my own sense of integrity and self respect and that is good enough for me.”

Today, remember that unconditional loving is its own reward because we experience the joy and peace of God.

Go and extend unconditional love to others.

Miracles restore the mind to its fullness. By atoning for lack they establish perfect protection. The spirit’s strength leaves no room for intrusions. T-1.1.34:1-3

The miracle is the shift from conditional to unconditional love, from the world of the ego to the world of the spirit. In the world of unconditional love there is no lack. Unconditional love is a decision not a feeling. You love just because you decide to do it. There is nothing to be earned, or merited, or reciprocated. How do you love?

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that through prayer and meditation we improve our conscious contact with God. This means we decide to shift our attention from the world of the ego to the world of the spirit. As conditioned as we are by the things of the world of the ego, this shift away from the things of the ego to the world of the spirit takes practice. The commitment to this decision must be made repeatedly throughout the day, throughout the week, the month, the year, the decade, a lifetime. “Recovery” does not just mean abstinence from alcohol and other compulsive behaviors, it means shedding our conditioning by the world of the ego so we can enjoy the world of the spirit. In the world of the spirit there is no lack and this apprehension is the miracle.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. We embrace the whole enchilada without separation and exclusion. We recognize and acknowledge our oneness with everything.

Joe said he was unhappy because his wife no longer made him happy. “She could if only she would and she won’t because she is such a bitch” he complained. I chuckled. “Joe,” I said, “you sound like a victim.”

“I am,” shouted Joe. “What should I do! You tell me. I don’t think she loves me anymore.”

“What about forgiveness, Joe?” I ask. “Forgiveness is giving up making other people responsible for your unhappiness. The only person, in the last analysis, who can make you happy or unhappy is you. Your happiness or unhappiness doesn’t depend on other people or circumstances; it depends on how you choose to respond. You have the power. It’s how you use it that makes the difference.”

Joe looked at me blankly as if he were stunned. Then he smiled. I felt like I was witnessing a miracle in the making.

Today, restore your mind to fullness and realize that you, ultimately, lack for nothing. The only question is whether you will decide to love conditionally or unconditionally. God loves you unconditionally. Go and extend that unconditional love to others.

The miraculous gift of kindness.

Miracles honor you because you are lovable. They dispel illusions about yourself and perceive the light in you. They thus atone for your errors by freeing you from your nightmares. By releasing your mind from the imprisonment of your illusions, they restore your sanity. T-1.1.33:1-4

We are loved unconditionally by our Transcendent Source. This is the teaching of the Universalists. The teaching of unconditional love is hard to believe in the world of the ego which teaches the opposite. The Universalists perceive the light in every person. The faith of the Universalists releases us from the nightmares of the world of the ego and restores us to sanity.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step two, that we come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. The faith of AA is the same as the teachings of the Universalists that a shift in perception from the world of conditional love to unconditional love can restore our sanity..

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This affirmation and promotion of every person’s inherent worth and dignity is miraculous.

John had lost everything in his life. He was 55 and going through a divorce a few years after two of his children were killed in an auto crash. The divorce required that the home in which he was living be sold. During this time, he also lost his job because of corruption at his workplace. All these factors contributed to bankruptcy. John said to his friend, Steve, “Steve at my age of 55 I have lost everything, my children, my wife, my home, my job, all my money. What is the measure of a man?” Steve said without missing a beat, “Kindness. Kindness is the measure of a person.”

John felt the weight of his despair lift as he recognized that he had always tried to be kind. In spite of the nightmare through which he was living, kindness had enriched him in a miraculous way. John realized Steve’s regard and love for him and the sense of loss and failure was dispelled by the light which arose within his being. John felt that the crazy times he was living through didn’t matter. John realized that kindness, unconditional love, is the key to sanity.

Today, recognize and acknowledge that we are loved unconditionally by the Transcendent Source that created us. Having been given our lives, who are we to doubt this? Like John be the recipient of and pay forward the miraculous gift of kindness.

How do you love: conditionally or unconditionally?

I inspire all miracles, which are really intercessions. They intercede for your holiness and make your perceptions holy. By placing you beyond the physical laws they raise you into the sphere of celestial order. In this order you are perfect. T-1.1.32:1-4

The “I” in this principle is the Jesus of A Course In Miracles. Jesus tells us that the miracle, the shift in perception from the world of conditional love to unconditional love, is an inspiration of our and other peoples’ holiness. This holiness is beyond the physical world and resides in the Transcendent Source of which we are a part.

In Alcoholic Anonymous we are encouraged in step elven to  improve our conscious contact with God. In this step it is suggested we do this through prayer and meditation. In A Course In Miracles it is suggested that we can also do this by working a miracle, that is: shifting our perception from the world of conditional love to unconditional love which is inspired by Jesus’ example. Jesus told his disciples that the way to the kingdom is “to love as I have loved.” Jesus isn’t talking about special conditional love but unconditional love where we forgive even our enemies.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Seeing this inherent worth and dignity as Jesus did is a miracle. 

Jerry was a client of mine in psychotherapy. He is an avowed white supremacist and uses the n word freely as he describes the inferiority of black people as compared to white. I told him I don’t agree with his views but I understand how he has come to the conclusions which he so freely, at least, with me professes.

Jerry is a difficult client for me to love. After a 2 year year relationship Jerry says to me one day, “You know Dave, I know you don’t agree with my beliefs but this is the one place I can say what I think and feel. Jerry had tears in his eyes as he said this almost in an apologetic way as his racist thinking subsided. Freud said something along the line of “You can talk it out or act it out.” I wonder whether having a safe place to express his racist thoughts and feelings even in an atmosphere of disagreement coupled with unconditional love made it less likely that Jerry would act out his racist beliefs?

Today, it is suggested that we reflect on the idea that Jesus’ unconditional love is an inspiration for the miracle based on the shift in perception from the world of the ego, conditional love, to the world of the Spirit which is unconditional love.

All Saint's Day 2021

 Today, November 1, is All Saints' Day.

People forget that fact even though they make a big deal and take notice of Halloween, All Hallows Eve.

Who is your favorite saint?

In the Catholic Church there are seven sacraments with 3 being what are named "Sacraments of initiation: baptism, first holy communion, and confirmation.

At the sacrament of confirmation the applicant is asked to pick a saint's name. This is known as the person's "confirmation name." I chose Joseph.

St. Joseph is my patron saint. He was quite a guy. The husband of Mary and the Step-father of Jesus.

Who is your favorite saint?