Managing the shadow.

The escape from darkness involves two stages: First, the recognition that darkness cannot hide. This step usually entails fear. Second, the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. This step brings escape from fear. When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.T-1.IV.1:1-3

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

We usually don’t like being kept in the dark. We want to know. When we consider being kept in the dark by others or even by our ego, it is helpful to understand a couple of things. First, keeping things hidden doesn’t work. Sooner or later what is hidden will come to light. Second, when we see the light we realize there was nothing to be afraid of to begin with.When we come into the light with nothing any longer to hide there is great peace and joy. We sleep better at night.

People in Alcoholics Anonymous who work the steps are afraid of doing the fourth which is a “fearless moral inventory.” In Catholicism this is called “examining your conscience.” Socrates taught that “an unexamined life is not worth living.”

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This search takes us from the dark into the light.

Today, examine your conscience and prepare yourself to articulate your findings to another human being. We all have a shadow side and it is best that we recognize it, acknowledge it, and clean it up.

The person with ears to hear, let them hear.

That the miracle may have effects on your brothers that you may not recognize is not your concern. The miracle will always bless you. T-1.III.8:1-2

It is a key concept in A Course In Miracles that we learn what we teach.

Mother Teresa said that she did her work to be faithful not to be successful. She left “success” up to God. Jesus said that the way to the kingdom is “to love as I have loved,” and she did her work to be loving not to be successful. Today’s idea in the Course is the same. Miracles are achieved by the doer and their consequences often are not known or even appear, at the time, to be impotent, and yet our faith is that they are helpful at least to the doer if not the intended recipient.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we share our spiritual awakening with others. Whether the sharing has a positive intended effect is out of our hands. We shouldn’t try and can’t control it. Our sharing is not necessarily for the others benefit but the sharing strengthens our own recovery.

In Unitarian Universalism we affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. Growth is not anything we have the power to produce. We are merely the catalyst. We encourage in faith and success is not our goal.

Today, we are encouraged to share the good, the true, and beautiful as best we can. Whether this sharing falls on deaf ears or fertile ground is best left up to factors that are outside of our control.

Where are you looking for truth and meaning?

Error cannot really threaten truth, which can always withstand it. Only the error is actually vulnerable. You are free to establish your kingdom where you see fit, but the right choice is inevitable if you remember this: Spirit is in a state of grace forever. Your reality is only spirit. Therefore you are in a state of grace forever. T-1.III.5:1-6

Of all the many passages in A Course In Miracles, this one may be one of the passages which is most comforting. The truth is inviolate and does not have to fear error. Of the two, truth or error, error is vulnerable while truth is inviolate.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step four, that we do “a searching and fearless moral inventory.” It is promised that the truth will set us free and we have nothing to fear. Our body can be destroyed but our spirit is forever.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which is to be found in the world of Spirit and not the world of the ego. 

Today, it is suggested that we be aware of where you are looking for truth and meaning. It is not to be found in the world of the ego. It is to be found in the world of the Spirit.

All for one and one for all.

The forgiven are the means of the Atonement. Being filled with spirit, they forgive in return. Those who are released must join in releasing their brothers, for this is the plan of the Atonement. T-1.III.3:1-3

“The forgiven” means those who have recognized the separation and decided not to make it responsible any longer for their unhappiness. They have risen above the world of the ego and focused on  the world of the spirit. When the forgiven focus on the world of the spirit they release their brothers and the Atonement is achieved.

In Alcoholics Anonymous the healing is achieved through fellowship, the desire to join with one another in finding a better way to live one’s life. In AA judgment is dropped and a unity in spirit is developed and enjoyed.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote an acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. It is in this acceptance that forgiveness is manifested.

Today, we redirect our focus from the world of the ego and separation through forgiveness to the world of spirit and our unity with one another. The means of this redirection is what the Course calls forgiveness.

How does evil manifest in the world of the ego?

Stories about moral and philosophical ideas

This is one in  a series of stories which provide ideas for reflections on moral and philosophical ideas. They can be used for all kinds of discussion groups and for individual reflection.

David Wiseman wrote a story entitled “The Devil You Know” which appeared in the After Dinner Conversations magazine on July 2021.

The narrator is walking down the Main St. in a small town on Christmas eve when he encounters the devil all dressed up in formal attire with two of his sons. The devil says “hello” to the man as they  pass each other on the street and the man says “Who are you?”

The devil says “ I’m Nick, Nick Baphomet, other places I go by other names, but I think you already know me.”

The narrator says, “I ‘m not sure, maybe I do. You live here?”

The devil says, “No, not full time, just here for the holidays.”

The narrator says, “You celebrate the holiday? I mean…you celebrate Christmas?”

The devil says “Of course!” he replied, “One of my great successes, don't you think?”

“Your great successes? But…”

“Oh yeah. Jesus, Mohamed, Abraham, all the other guys like that, all mine.” He smiled and leaned towards me slightly, so a cloud of foul breath rolled over me. “To be honest, I’m still pretty smug about ‘em all. Used to be that there were so many gods nobody knew who did what and who to pray to, then I got the idea of just one god. Counterintuitive, right? But then the argument’s over whose god is the real god. So good, eh? Brought more misery into the world than anything before or since. Yep, proud of that.”

The devil goes on to tell the narrator that he likes peace and quiet and that people for the most part avoid him and pretend they don’t see him.

The narrator then asks the devil where else he visits like down there. The devil mocks him  and says he hasn’t been down there in centuries.

“No! Down there’s all closed up, has been for centuries. Got too crowded, and besides, there was nothing down there that couldn’t be done right here.”

“So where?”

“All over, a week here, another there. We’ve got offices worldwide, all the big cities and some fairly out of the way places too. There’s opportunities everywhere.”

“Offices? You have offices?”

“Incorporating was probably the single best thing I ever did. Meant I could delegate so much. Mostly it runs itself nowadays, I can put my feet up and do little more than watch, sometimes for decades. When I look back, I can’t imagine what it’d be like running things in the old way. It’d be ridiculous, I’d never keep up. 

The narrator then says to the devil “Let me get this right,” I said slowly, “You’ve turned into some kind of jet-set corporate executive and you don’t want my soul in exchange for my heart’s desire?”

“Where’ve you been, friend!” He threw back his head and snorted a kind of cross between a laugh and a whinny. “Do you have any idea how much a single soul is worth today? Even a hardly used one like yours?”

I shook my head dumbly.

“Less than the cost of a cell phone. And a very cheap one too, not one of your fancy things. Nobody deals in singles any more. Everything’s wholesale, bought and sold in bundles of two million here, ten million there.”

The narrator thinks about killing the devil while he has the chance but then realizes such an attempt wouldn’t work. The devil says “No, unless you really have got magic powers – and I’m pretty sure you haven’t – then it’s probably best to stand down your red alert. Here, let’s shake and we’ll be going.”

The narrator says “Well,” I said a little lamely, trying to retain some vestige of self-respect, “at least I didn’t sell my soul, I can say that. I didn’t do a deal with the…”

The devil says,“You didn't do a deal?” he called back, “Oh, Robert, I think you already did. I’m pretty sure we've got a file on you somewhere. There’s a file on everybody somewhere.”

Questions for discussion

1. Do you think the devil has a file on everyone? If so, what’s in yours?

2. What do you think about the claim by the devil that he invented “Christmas? In what ways has Christmas done harm to members of our society?

3. Some people say they hate the holidays. What are some of the reasons that they might say that?

4. The devil claims one of his best ideas was getting rid of many gods and claiming there was only one because with only one it’s easier for people to fight over the concept. What do you make of the devil’s claim?

5. The devil says that he closed up hell centuries ago and now has offices world wide, he has incorporated. What do you make of this claim?

6. The devil says that a single soul, barely used, isn’t worth much. He’s after volume now. What do you think of the idea that populations have sold their soul to the devil espousing certain beliefs and cultural values?

7. What do you think of the narrator, who we learn at the end is named “Robert,” thinks of killing the devil, but can’t figure out how to do this successfully. Would you want to kill the devil?

8. At the end, Robert tries to take comfort in his claim that he hasn’t sold his soul to the devil, but the devil questions him about this claim  and tells him he has a file on him somewhere. Do you think the devil does have a file on Robert, and what would be found in it if such a file exists?

Heaven and earth shall pass away.

 “Heaven and earth shall pass away” means that they will not continue to exist as separate states. My word, which is the resurrection and the life, shall not pass away because life is eternal. You are the work of God, and His work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how a man must think of himself in his heart, because this is what he is.

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. T-1.III.2:1-4

People didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them. They still don’t today. Most of the so-called “Christians” don’t follow or teach the wisdom of Jesus. What Jesus meant in Matthew 24:35 is that the world of the ego will pass away and we will become aware of the Oneness. This is one of the perennial insights of the mystics of the world’s great religions: that we all are one.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation. In today’s terminology, we use the concept of “mindfulness.” All we need to do is ask ourselves, “What would Love have me do?”

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and in this affirmation and promotion we recognize the same Divine Spark that exists in every one of us.

Today, we can remind ourselves that we have a choice; to believe in the world of the ego or the world of the Spirit. It is our choice. We can live in a world of conditional or unconditional love. It’s up to each one of us to decide and choose.

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Peace and joy.