Treadmill of Illusion
A Course in Miracles tells us that the world "out there" is really a projection of our beliefs. As long as we think the world is real, we will stay on the treadmill of setting future goals that we think will make us happy. This weekend workshop held on Vancouver Island, Canada, in June 2011, looks at how to use mind training to unwind from the thoughts that keep us hooked into believing that the problems and solutions are outside our own mind. As we release through the present goal of forgiveness, we are able to hop off the treadmill and come to the realization that only God’s love sustains us.
2013 ACIM Conference - Save on early registration!
2013 ACIM Conference
with David Hoffmeister, Gary Renard, Earl Purdy, and more
Conference title: A Gift Of Lilies
Date: 2013 - April 26,27,28
Place: The Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago
520 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605
"Offer each other the gift of lilies, not the crown of thorns;
the gift of love and not the gift of fear." (Tx.Or.Ed.20.2)
The next major ACIM Conference in 2013 is moved from San Francisco to Chicago and the organizers have lined up a fabulous group of presenters. David Hoffmeister, Cindy Lora-Renard & Gary Renard, Earl Purdy, Donna Marie Cary, Joe Wolfe, David Paul & Candace Doyle, Mary Gerard Lenihan, Rev. Jennifer Hadley, and Rev. Jerry Stefaniak and more.
David's welcome video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fn0c1_cdOU
Registration
Register via phone: +1 (415) 621-2556 or +1 (888) 621-2556 (toll free in USA)
Secure online registration: www.miracles-course.org/2013_register.html
More details at www.miracles-course.org/2013_conference.html
When enrolling, please say that you heard about this ACIM Conference from David Hoffmeister, and a portion of your registration will go to support him and the Messengers of Peace and their global ministry of sharing and demonstrating the teachings of A Course In Miracles. Thank you!
Deposit
$125 (the final remainder second payments must be received March 31, 2013 or reservation is forfeited). Four all you can eat buffet meals are included in the price. You must book your hotel room separately. We have negotiated the special rate of $169 (double or single) per night. It is currently too far in advance to reserve hotel rooms. We will let you know when and how to do it.
Price
Early enrollment discount now in effect!
Only $399 if you send full payment by August 31, 2011
Mar. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2011 - $399 — 39% savings
Sep. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011 - $449 — 31% savings
Jan. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2012 - $499 — 23% savings
Sep. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012 - $549 — 15% savings
Jan. 1, 2013 to Apr. 12, 2013 - $599 — 8% savings
On and after Apr. 13, 2013 tickets may be purchased for the "at the door" price — $649
The Presenters
Events in Canada during May 2011
Hello EveryOne
There are several events coming up in Canada during May. See below for details of these.
Information about all our scheduled events can be found on our website
Link.
| May 05 |
Gathering
|
Canada |
Victoria, British Columbia |
Fairfield United Church |
| May 06 - May 08 |
Retreat
|
Canada |
Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
Private Home |
| May 10 |
Gathering
|
Canada |
Calgary, Alberta |
Unity Church, 2035 26A Street Southwest |
| May 11 |
Gathering
|
Canada |
Longview, Alberta |
Highwood River Inn |
| May 11 |
Gathering
|
Canada |
Longview, Alberta |
Highwood River Inn |
| May 14 - May 15 |
Gathering
|
Canada |
Edmonton, Alberta |
Sarah Huemmert's House |
Many Blessings
David
Las Vegas Lunch Gathering, April 5th 2011
Gathering
USA
TimeDate: Tue, 05 Apr 2011
Start time: 11:00 AM
End time: 2:00 PM
CostCost: $12.00 for lunch and a love offering to David
Cost includes: Lunch and open dialog with David
Venue address:
4444 Sunflower Ave. Las Vegas, Nv. 89120ContactContact person: Ava Gould
Email:
avagould@gmail.comPhone: 702-454-4444
DescriptionPlease join us for an enlightening luncheon in the garden! Enjoy wonderful food and an open sharing of insight and inspiration with David Hoffmeister.
Living Miracles Events 2011
For details of all the coming events see Living Miracles Events 2011
March 2011
|
| Mar 20 |
Gathering |
USA |
Pahoa, Hawaii |
EMAX - Kalani Retreat Center |
| Mar 26 |
Gathering |
USA |
Pahoa, Hawaii |
EMAX - Kalani Retreat Center |
April 2011
|
| Apr 05 |
Gathering |
USA |
Las Vegas, Nevada |
Private Home |
May 2011
|
| May 06 - May 08 |
Retreat |
Canada |
Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
Private Home |
| May 10 |
Gathering |
Canada |
Calgary, Alberta |
Unity Church, 2035 26A Street Southwest |
| May 11 |
Gathering |
Canada |
Longview, Alberta |
Highwood River Inn |
| May 11 |
Gathering |
Canada |
Longview, Alberta |
Highwood River Inn |
| May 21 |
Gathering |
USA |
Naples, Florida |
Naples Unity Church |
| May 27 |
Gathering |
USA |
Kansas, Missouri |
Unity Village Community Center |
| May 28 |
Gathering |
USA |
Kansas, Missouri |
Unity Village Community Center |
August 2011
|
| Aug 19 - Sep 22 |
Devotional |
USA |
Duchesne , Utah |
Monastery |
ACIM Conference 2013 with David Hoffmeister
Save money on the early sign up for the...ACIM Conference 2013
with David Hoffmeister
"A Gift Of Lilies"
The ACIM Conference in 2013 is moved from San Francisco to Chicago and the organizers have already lined up a fabulous group of presenters. The returning ones will be David Hoffmeister, Gary Renard, Jon Mundy Ph.D., Rev. Mary Gerard-Lenihan, Tom Whitmore and Carmen Cameron of CIM. New presenters are Jubi Onyeama and Claire Lamanna from ACIM International, Rev. Tony Senf from Unity Center of the Heights. Ike Allen founder of the movie production company AVAIYA and many more will be added.
When enrolling, please say that you heard about this ACIM Conference from David Hoffmeister, and a portion of your registration will go to support him and his Messengers of Peace and their global ministry of sharing and demonstrating the teachings of A Course In Miracles. Thank you!
Price
Tony Ponticello is the main organizer of these conferences and he just wrote to us, giving all of our friends an early enrollment offer! He said:
“If you or your friends want to enroll NOW, you can by calling us and enrolling over the telephone. The cost is $399 and you can just pay the deposit of $125 now with the rest due by July 31, 2011. After July 31, 2011 the price will jump to $449.
Love Rev. Tony"
Phone: +1 (415) 621-2556
Toll free phone no: +1 (888) 621-2556
PS: Tony also said that 104 people have already enrolled!
Website
Our website will be updated, as we get more information from Tony about the conference. Here's the address for you to bookmark for this event:
http://www.livingmiraclescenter.org/events/event.php?eventid=59
David shining at the 2011 ACIM Conference in San Francisco!
Seeing Beyond Some Common Ego Defenses
The ego cannot separate What God created as One. No thought of disharmony can stand the Light of Truth. All things work together for good because there is a common perspective which sees all things (i.e., events, things, happenings, etc.) as illusory. In quietness are all concerns already answered and is every seeming problem already resolved.
There is nothing to fear in honesty inquiry. One must stop running and avoiding and projecting and justifying and rationalizing what one thinks one knows to be the case. Admit that you have been deceived and be open to question all that you think you know. How else can one allow for a complete change of mind about oneself, and accept one's Reality as the Self God created? Stop pretending that you are an autonomous, independent person who knows something of Divine Mind. The Mind and body have no meeting point, no point of reconciliation. You are not a person with a mind. You are wholly, purely, completely Mind. True independence is not the independence of autonomy but of complete dependence on God. Surrender all ideas of what you think you are to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to teach you to forgive and thus remember Divine Mind.
The ego states emphatically: "I no longer need a teacher!" A healed mind has no need to make such a statement. Did Jesus ever make such a statement? As long as you believe bodies, persons, and autonomous private minds have reality you will be attracted to or repulsed by "personal" teachers, for the ego made the world and all idols to distract you from looking within and following the Teacher Who remembers your innocence. The ego wants you to find scapegoats to bear the blame and idols to raise up and cling to that you may retain autonomy and independence as a person with a separate will, be it leader or follower. And all under the guise of "spirituality." Open to the Teacher within, and hear Him speak to you through a variety of symbols in which you believe. The world is nothing but a representation of private thoughts. The Holy Spirit uses what was made in hate to teach the meaning of true forgiveness. Meaning is within. Meaninglessness is outside.
The ego states: "You don't need to look at the ego, just love." Can one love a world of images, something which was made to take the place of God? The world was made by belief, not by God. Can one remember love, which has been veiled from awareness by belief, without questioning such belief? Jesus has said: "To learn this course requires willingness to question every value that you hold. Not one can be kept hidden and obscure but it win jeopardize your learning."
"No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, for they cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego's thought system because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since you realize you do not want it, you must be ready." Don't be fooled into thinking you can forgive a world without raising to awareness the belief system that made it. The mind cannot release what it has denied from awareness, and all ego "shortcuts" to "love" are really nothing more than delays and/or distractions.
The ego insists: "Words are unnecessary. Stop using words and be silent." The insistence gives the ego away. True Silence is the state in which God is remembered. Revelation is beyond all words. This deep Silence is always available, though it is very fearful to a conflicted mind, to the ego. Chatter, thoughts of the past and future, are the ego's attempt to deny Silence from awareness. Words are but symbols of symbols, representations of thoughts. In the Course Jesus says: "Is the teacher of God, then, to avoid the use of words in his teaching? No, indeed! There are many who must be reached through words, being as yet unable to hear in silence. The teacher of God must, however, learn to use words in a new way. Gradually, he learns how to let his words be chosen for him by ceasing to decide for himself what he will say. This process is merely a special case of the lesson in the workbook that says, "I will step back and let Him lead the way." The teacher of God accepts the words which are offered him, and gives as he receives. He does not control the direction of his speaking. He listens and hears and speaks."
Workbook Lesson 296 is an example of this kind of use of words: "The Holy Spirit speaks through me today." "The Holy Spirit needs my voice today, that all the world may listen to Your Voice, and hear Your Words through me. I am resolved to let You speak through me, for I would use no words but Yours, and have no thoughts which are apart from Yours, for only Yours are true. I would be savior to the world I made. For having damned it I would set it free, that I may find escape, and hear the Word Your holy Voice will speak to me today. "
A mind in accord with the Holy Spirit is silent. Whether the body seems to be speaking or moving is irrelevant to such a miraculous silence. The purpose or motivation the mind chooses determines the state of mind one experiences. Silence is natural, but is obscured from awareness by the choice to align the mind with the ego. The issue is never to speak or not to speak, but instead to be clear in mind of one's purpose, for that is the decision to be made. The rest merely follows.
The ego demands its freedom: "I” will not be confined by another person, institution, teacher, group or set of rules. I am a free person." The ego tells the mind that it is possible for a person to be free from a world external to itself. The ego feels free when it's not being looked at. It does not bring to awareness the law "ideas leave not there source" and the realization that there is no world apart from one's mind. Persons can never be free, for the mind that believes it is a person has enslaved itself by deception. One cannot be mind and body, spirit and matter, eternal and temporary. The concept of person is an attempt to combine or reconcile what can never be combined or reconciled. Since there is no world apart from the mind, there are no "other" persons, institutions, or sets of rules" outside." Images can seem to act out the belief in control, but can do no more than symbolize the illusion of control, since God did not create control. Freedom from control cannot, therefore, come to a mind which believes it is a person in a world external to itself: but only to a mind which realizes it has dreamed the entire world and that the world is merely a world of ideas. The forgiven world is quickly forgotten and the Kingdom of Heaven, Life Eternal, is True Freedom.
Perhaps you have avoided someone, using the justification that they were trying to control you or institutionalize your spiritual journey. Perhaps you feel safer or even happier because they are away. Your mind is powerful, powerful enough to make a world, to make up bodies and construct institutions within time and space. Only a mind that believes itself to be a body, a person, in a world of other persons and institutions, groups, external to itself could perceive itself as capable of being controlled, institutionalized, or feel happier because a body is not around. One is responsible for choosing peace. Nothing can happen to oneself apart from what the mind desires, and if one wholly desires the peace of God and nothing else, that must be one's experience.
The ego always focuses on specifics and persons, past and future, for it has no awareness of the Holy Spirit's purpose in the present. When you notice that your mind is preoccupied with such senseless musings, choose again. The miracle will remind you that the false is false, and you will feel the ease of your position on High, above the battleground. There is no peace, no safety, and no security on the battleground of thoughts of persons and specifics. Be clear of what you really want, and you will not feel the need to pay attention to the world of images. The truth is the light within.
Journal Entries & Adventures
The teachings from David presented here are inspired by the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. They are reflected in reading material such as the Bible, A Course in Miracles (ACIM), Christian Science, the Urantia Book, and more recently in a book with other Ascended Masters: The Disappearance of the Universe.
They offer a roadmap inward to Heaven, through forgiveness, as taught in A Course in Miracles. A Course in Miracles or ACIM is freely available for Awakening to the Oneness of Divine Love. Our foundation freely offers teachings inspired by A Course in Miracles. The Perspective of the Holy Spirit is available every instant and may be accepted using A Course In Miracles. Be you perfect. The Kingdom of Heaven is within. The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Click here to learn more about David & the Messengers of Peace..
Click here to read David's introductory writings on enlightenment or to hear audio from his spiritual gatherings.
I have so enjoyed being in China! Watch how lively and involved this group becomes as we begin to share the practice of exposing 'private thoughts' in our very first expression session in Beijing. The groups were much larger than those we have at the monastery and metaphysical center in Utah, but everyone caught on quickly and there was much, much Healing! I am coming back to China in March with a group of Messengers of Peace, and they are founding the first "peacehouse' in China right now.
Love you and wish you Happy New Year,
~David
Sing Me Awake! (In Beijing, China) Practicing the Presence of Unconditional Love with everyOne we meet or even think of.
Showers of Forever Love,
~David
We invite you and welcome you to enjoy a glimpse into the Peace House located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The blessings of Spirit has given us the Peace House and it is a symbol of our commitment and willingness to heal the mind. Living in spiritual community is our fast track to awakening! We practice living the teachings of A Course In Miracles joined as Mighty Companions dedicating our lives to mind training. With our love, our desire and deepening experience of Trust, we expose the ego thoughts of resistance and fear removing the blocks to the awareness of Love's presence. We are linked in with the Love and support from Living Miracles, David Hoffmeister and the Messengers of Peace. We are so grateful!! Come visit us and walk with Love at your side!!
Movies are modern day parables. Happy Feet is a story that gives us insights into finding the “inner dance”, forgiveness, and social commentary. Even though free-falling out of old belief systems is a scary prospect, Divine Providence seems to slip in when we least expect it, and Mighty Companions show up to accompany us on the way.
Yes, you can come to visit and practice mind training at the Living Miracles Monastery by contacting us at LivingMiraclesCenter.org and making arrangements. A schedule of coming retreats is posted on the website. Or you may wish to come for a stay of up to six months as a volunteer/retreatant. At the monastery we gather for inspiration at miracle moment in the morning and have expression session at lunch time. This is a time to bring up private thoughts and feelings.
My life was based on fear of consequences. In the late 1980s I tried to overcome my fears by going into the woods and fasting. The ego laughed at me. I realized I needed mind training. The Holy Spirit told me to read the "I need do nothing" section of ACIM and choose the Holy Relationship. Spirit told me that He wanted to speak through me. So I went out to gatherings and let Him communicate through me with people in holy encounters. Now my mind is still, and the communication is involuntary and spontaneous.
People pleasing is an insidious defense. The way through it is integrity of mind. We are responsible for our state of mind; not for our erroneous thoughts, but for their correction. To correct them we must become aware of the beliefs that are generating them. For example, when we become aware of, and step away from, the belief in competition, we become more peaceful. Rather than live in fear of the possible reactions of others, we become authentic and stay in integrity with our truth.
How much responsibility do we have as parents? The Holy Spirit uses parent/child mirroring to help parents with their authority problem. The game of inequality, of superiority and inferiority is done. We are all equals. Parental control issues reflect the ego’s core belief, “I can make myself the way I want to be.” But the Self God created is pure Spirit. The body is a substitute for Spirit, and the ego uses pain and pleasure to reinforce this false identity. Use your mind for Spirit, for the miracle. ACIM shows the way: a specific experiential way to forgive.
We think that if we expose our feelings, especially the guilty, unruly, jealous ones, that they will come back to haunt us. But the truth is, this is the beginning of true healing. And at some point, one realizes that it is the only way. “How could I ever think that holding these things back or hiding them would ever serve me?” one asks eventually. It’s the most difficult at the beginning, but rather than take stands for or against ideas of right and wrong, be honest instead, and the way will become very clear, open to new ways of being and seeing. The old way begins to be seen as literally insane.
The ego belief system is a death wish, the belief that there is no God, the separation. It is a denial of reality. You can dispel it by withdrawing your belief from it. This world was made to reinforce guilt; its only useful purpose is forgiveness. We want to remove the obstacles to the awareness of Love's presence.
"Is a child born separated?" Birth represents individuation, separation. Yet Spirit's interpretation of individual is "indivisible." It is the concepts in the mind that are fragmented. All the world's a stage and Divine Mind can play no part. When we awaken from the fragmentation, the world ceases to exist. The Course is calling us into the experience of revelation, which is like blazing light. Most of us are not ready for revelation, but we are ready for miracles.
In high school I experienced a lot of denial and repression. This had to be removed before I could feel my feelings. Although we were created in love, when we identify with the ego, we experience its feelings. As we peel away emotions, we encounter the ego's rage. I went off into hermitage experiences to allow that rage to come up and to face it. During that phase I felt the trees and rocks could handle my anger better than people.
I asked how God could have anything to do with my grandfather dying? I heard this Intuitive Voice say, "I don't." The number one question I hear is, "How did the separation happen?" Mystical experiences show you that it didn't happen. You are not limited by time and space. Participant: "Are we really here?" It can seem that way. We need a Guide. And it is important to ask Him real questions, questions that do not start from the assumption that the ego illusion is real. Loosen your consciousness, ask deeper questions and you will be freely answered.
Images and icons such as Jesus and Buddha are held very personally in the separated mind. Even these universal metaphors need to be released from the limited ways in which we think of them, so that we are not offended by another’s identifications, pictures or associations with them. In ACIM, Jesus says, “Forgive me your illusions”, meaning fo rgive yourself for your own interpretations. Spirituality doesn’t “belong” to any one church or set of beliefs or image/idol. Everything is for the purpose of watching how the mind is so easily disturbed by these things. Nothing is sacred—no belief or set of beliefs—except the Love (awareness) that holds them. That only is sacred.
The ego can even misuse the idea of "opening up" to the experience of Guidance. There has been so much abuse in the name of Christianity, that we are left with a bad taste in our mouths concerning churches and theological principles/practices. This is a journey of “unlearning”, washing our minds free of all concepts—even the ones we thought of as “good”.
To begin this journey of revealing self to Self can be very frightening. But Giving and Receiving are the same; it’s divine law. Getting out of your comfort zone by revealing and releasing your resistance and judgments takes courage. “Creating your own reality” is an notion coming from the ego; self improvement. This is not about improving the personality; it is about letting it go, and moving in the direction of the Unknown. The gap between what is known and what is unknown can be terrifying; old ways of relating seem to be falling apart and bringing us to our knees. Everything we thought we “possessed” is being taken away. We are being washed from the sense of need, of control, and of what was previously valued, but now is being questioned. But fear not, and do not compromise; let it all up and out.
Things that seem to happen in the world are neither good nor bad. It is the underlying thoughts and fears that need to be looked at. How do I really feel is the continuing barometer. Minor fearfulness is the same opportunity as intense fear or anger. The ego will minimalize that but the message underneath is that you are worth that mind-watching. ACIM says "Beware of the shabby belief that neither you nor anyone else is worthy of consistent effort." If we follow those thoughts down they will lead to a concept of self that was made to take the place of the spiritual self. The guidance that we receive from Holy Spirit is designed to unravel ourselves from that. We don’t really have any issues in form, it’s all mental. It takes a lot of mind training to experience that. We need to practice with what is arising. The key is moving the focus from what happened or didn't happen to what am I feeling.
We hide our divine Self by trying to be important or by being loved in a special way. We are constantly trying to improve and become a better self. This is exhausting and unnecessary. The ego fears loosing itself. We fear intimacy in relationships because we fear being swept away by glorious Love. Ultimately, this Love is experienced beyond the interpersonal context. We feel guilty and fearful of God. All our unconscious guilt comes because, deep down, we believe we've separated from God. The ego is the big, guilty secret. When we expose it, we are free of it.
As you grow spiritually and take the limits off your consciousness, you outgrow interpersonal relationships much as a child outgrows toys. You experience peace and no longer need to have past grievances acted out. Everyone becomes your family and you feel deep connectedness.
As we actually begin to put the Kingdom of Heaven first, we enter into a conversation with the Inner Teacher; the Voice for God. Truth starts to dawn upon the limited mind as we question our goals and the motives for the choices that we make. Pleasure and pain, past and future seem like opposites to the ego, but the insanity of this duality is soon revealed to the open and teachable mind; for they are literally the same. The illusory nature of the idols/images we value here becomes obvious, and it is clear that we were never meant to possess or control anything, including our bodies. Far from being a disappointment, this is a great relief; a way into the simple delight of Being.
Love has no object; that is, True Love does not focus on one special relationship or one person. It loves all equally. We can use our personal relationships, however, to take us to higher and higher realms of the experience of love, asking always, “What is the purpose?”
A Holy Relationship is really reflective of our True Nature, of our love for God. It is not interpersonal. But the Holy Spirit can use anything the ego has made if it is given to Him. We will learn to check our motives for anything we do, particularly in relationship to others.
We are often tempted to choose where it's not really possible. Most of the choices we make in this world are of the same order, and the questions we typically ask make no sense in Reality. Choices become easier when we follow the Holy Spirit (Peace); we will feel in harmony and flow with life. Ask only one question in any situation: "What is it for?" That's very different from the ego saying, "What are the pro’s and con's here?" A mind in turmoil is not an inspired place from which to make decisions.
Right and Wrong are the polarities of a dualistic mind. The ego will find numerous ways to keep the mind preoccupied with these kinds of external distractions. Arguing about "good and bad" ways of being can never bring about better behavior, personal or social; whereas right thinking--or a peaceful mind--will lead towards knowing one's True Nature. The Atonement is the Great Undoing of all personal goals and behaviors.
All the world's a stage, an act, in which you play your part. But it is just a movie, not real. You give it all the meaning it has for you. You can apply these lessons to the symbols of the world and undo your ego beliefs:
· I am never upset for the reason I think.
· I am upset because I see something that's not there. (I hallucinate!)
· I see only the past. (Not the present)
· My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts. (I've been living in the past!)
You are trying to maintain a false identity and compete with God. But God loves you so much he has given you an owner's manual for your mind with a curriculum, a step-by-step training program that will heal your mind.
This is your life's work. The best way to discern between the voice of the ego and Spirit is to ask yourself, "How do I feel?" The ego generates a lot of feel-good disguises. But it is impossible to seek for pleasure without finding pain. It is as if you got an electric shock every time you had sex. This discernment work takes deep introspection and inner work. Only the miracle gives you everything you want. Yet it costs you nothing; there is no deprivation. Just follow the tickle of your heart, of your intuition, which will lead you to the Truth.
The purpose of the ego is death. It has no good aspects, no source and no healing purpose. Unplug from it. The world is a projection of guilt, hatred, and anger. But Spirit, Love, has the power to reinterpret it so you perceive it differently. This world is error. The Correction (Atonement) is that the separation never happened. An experience of pure love will come that will end your doubting. This is the reason for happiness. You are not responsible for the error, but only for accepting the correction. Stop projecting the error to the world; that is the way you keep it. On the other hand, when you forgive it, you free yourself and the world.
In meditation we observe our thoughts, yet self-inquiry is the pathway inwards to stillness. As I inquired into myself, I found that beneath my faulty perceptions were fear-based emotions, and beneath them were my thoughts. And what drove my thoughts was my belief system. The core belief of the ego thought system is linear time. This is the root of all conflicts. The ego made linear time to cover over the present moment. The ACIM Workbook is the beginning of self-inquiry. It leads you to an open mind and to the experience of miracles.
Question: Does "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts" mean I am responsible for an earthquake? The answer lies in "My Self is ruler of the universe." What we experience is what we desire. Giving and receiving are the same. The world is projected thought images. The world is not outside of mind. Our ego perception is fragmented and shows fragments, but they are all the same. Trust Spirit. With healed perception you see wholeness; you experience peace; you become a miracle worker.
Should you commit to a relationship that has darkness? You commit to go through the darkness to the Light. Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford had a testy relationship. Spirit uses all kinds of assignments. There has to be some sense of attraction, of purpose. In the Course, Jesus says the teaching/learning balance is perfect in lifelong relationship assignments. Spirit uses the body for communication, leading ultimately to communion with the One.
To learn A Course In Miracles, you must question every value that you hold. At our monastery we have two guidelines that help us do this: No Private Thoughts, and No People Pleasing. Every day people expose their private thoughts at Expression Sessions.
The Ego is a belief system that is the denial of Love, a fear of real intimacy. Everyone on earth believes in it. The ego invented romantic love to take the place of Divine Love. Withdraw your belief in the ego's distractions and remember your spiritual nature, which is pure Love and Light
We seem to have a variety of relationships. Yet we are teaching and learning about ourselves in every interaction. We want to tune into guidance, and relationships are part of the plan. We want to forgive as deeply as we can in every encounter. Building commitment with the Holy Spirit helps us face the darkness that comes up.
Boredom is a form of depression that occurs when the mind has become addicted to change. The cure is the spontaneity that comes from connection with inner guidance in the moment, connection with purpose. You become immersed in the Presence and the doer disappears. Spirit does the task through you and collaboration flows easily.
David invites you to join him at the 2012 ACIM Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 8, 9, 10
What we do follows from what we think. We must become consistent and clear in our thought processes in order for our actions to flow clearly from them. When we think of them as not connected there is not a sense of harmony. This whole world is the Pinocchio syndrome. Human beings believe that they are autonomous people. We have to start to acknowledge the invisible strings and conditions. There is a very direct connection between action and thought. It seems invisible because the ego belief is that we have minds, thoughts and bodies of our own which all support the belief that we are autonomous individuals. Nothing could be further from the truth. To the ego pure Oneness is boring. We want to let the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and let the actions flow from this clarity in mind.
Offer each other the gift of lilies, not the crown of thorns; the gift of love and not the gift of fear." (Tx.Or.Ed.20.2) The next major ACIM Conference in 2013 is moved from San Francisco to Chicago and the organizers have lined up a fabulous group of presenters. David Hoffmeister, Cindy Lora-Renard & Gary Renard, Earl Purdy, Donna Marie Cary, Joe Wolfe, David Paul & Candace Doyle, Mary Gerard Lenihan , Rev. Jennifer Hadley, and Rev. Jerry Stefaniak etc.
For more information, and where to register online for the ACIM Conference, please go to: www.livingmiraclescenter.org/events.html
Register via phone: (415)621-2556 or (888)621-2556 (toll free in USA)
Register online: www.miracles-course.org/2013_conference.html (incl. registration details)
When enrolling, PLEASE SAY THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS ACIM CONFERENCE FROM DAVID HOFFMEISTER, and a portion of your registration will go to support him and the Messengers of Peace. Thank you!
Only $399 if we receive full payment by August 31, 2011. See pricing options on the above websites.
David and the Messengers of Peace invite you to join them for gatherings and retreat during their trip to Mexico in October 2011.
David and the Messengers of Peace invite you to join them for a week-long retreat at Living Miracles Monastery in September 2011.
While the mind is invested in lack, working at a job to meet perceived needs is very practical. Even if the needs were set up by the ego, they must be slowly unwound under Spirit’s guidance. Can a CEO be enlightened? “No.” The ego mind is full of false concepts that generate upset. As you move along with Spirit and empty your mind, you come to a still point; you realize you are full of light. You realize you are sustained by Divine Providence. The mind of a CEO is full of business concepts, not allowing for the light. Concepts like jobs are slowly outgrown.
Often people say about the Course, “Ah, at last, a spiritual approach for intellectuals!” For different reasons, one might think that highly intelligent people, Christians, or even atheists may take to it, but the responses are not predictable. Emotions are sometimes overwhelming, too strong to want to feel. ACIM is not meant to cover over these, but to reveal them. Movies and music can help; in this way, life will seem fresh, and like an adventure. Stuffing feelings or using the lessons as affirmations or mantras will only stunt your spiritual understanding.
Health is inner peace. I can be hurt only by my own thoughts. As I cleared my mind of fearful thoughts I lost the need to be cautious. I simply followed Spirit into so-called “dangerous” situations. Rather than seek healing for myself, I have experienced the healing of others.
In response to a man who asks about fear of public speaking David says that as you open up to Spirit’s purpose, you experience that the only function of the body is to let the Voice of the Holy Spirit speak through it. Fear is overcome through exposing your unconscious thoughts and beliefs. As you align with God, you will find yourself speaking in public naturally.
The one good dependency is intuitive dependence. If you tune into spiritual practice all things come to you. I ask God’s Will for me and I am provided with all that is needed to carry it out. The means merely shift from money to miracles.
David quotes Alanis Morissette: “Thank-you for your most generous triggers”. The ego rages at God, strangely wanting to be “right” about its misperception of littleness. If we can remember this gentle phrase from the song-writer however, we can stop the explosion of the ego, and approach the truth of any situation with some grace. There is a tendency to project the “authority problem ” out onto parents, police, the judge, etc. Taking responsibility for our own projections is ultimate and true humility.
The main addiction of the mind is judgment. But the mind wasn’t created to judge, it was created to “be”. So trying to control it, on any level, doesn’t work. At some point, you’ll have to do a major mind “overhaul”, and look at all thoughts about cause and effect. “Temptation” is simply the desire to want to make illusions real. It does this through preferences and hierarchies of bodies and other structures. But the ego hates the body as much as it claims to love it, raising “idols” up and then tearing them down: i.e., the golfer, Tiger Woods.
There is a belief that some people have “disabilities” and are lacking. We are not seeing with spiritual vision. This is a perceptual problem. Everyone who comes to this world is schizophrenic in that they listen to multiple voices in their minds. The sleeping mind is trying to listen to both spirit and to the ego—sickness itself. Psychosis is a break from reality; and everyone who believes in this world is psychotic, because Reality has nothing to do with this place. We are pure Oneness. I have had three mystical experiences in which the physical world disappeared into blazing light and Love. I gave up what I used to believe. And Spirit helped me communicate the joy of this experience. The spiritual solution to our problems is accessible within all of us.
The workbook lessons are “replacement ideas” for your ordinary, everyday, repetitive thoughts. Our thinking is generally stuck in the past or future anxiety. Disturbances can be approached differently by using Course principles; for instance, you can use, “The Rules for Decision”, for re-interpreting everyday occurrences. Ease yourself into transferring everything that happens during the day into a practical training of the habituated, conditioned mind.
We seek completion in relationships. Relationships mirror your consciousness; they are based on desire and future expectations. When these expectations, such as the desire for companionship, are not met, we feel discomfort. The journey to peace is a journey into consciousness in which layers of expectations and beliefs are uncovered and exposed. As we feel, and look closely at, our discomfort, we can come to see that guilt runs deep beneath it. The way to find completion is to find and follow your inner calling.
Instead of focusing on the body, put your attention on joining, connecting. The ego mind looks for problems to solve; the whole world is a mirror of this mind searching and exaggerating the problem instead of the solution (joining). A succession of personality identities will be revealed; even “teacher of God” or the “saint” are masks. We must keep unveiling until all is exposed and we have moved completely into the Light. Always be authentic and Guidance for the next step will be there.
At first we begin with tiny impressions that seem to lead us by their feeling nature; very subtle. Watch for synchronicities. They can often be quite simple and practical. As you open yourself to Guidance more and more, the same Presence speaks to everyone, yet it is highly individualized; can even be like a clear stream of thought. As I read the Course, I used it as I would the I Ching at first; sitting in silence, then posing a question and opening the book and turning directly to the answer. I didn’t always read it chronologically, and didn’t push myself. I delighted in the lessons as if with each one, I might have a spiritual awakening. And I often did.
A spiritual community can be a “celestial speed-up” for self realization; an intense mirroring of all your thoughts. Projecting or denying your feelings will not release them. We must face our emotions directly; we are 100% responsible for our state of mind. We are not at the mercy of others in this world, nor of the world itself. Let your thoughts and emotions come up, give them full expression, and then ask the Holy Spirit to handle them for you.
Reciprocity is an assumption in this world. True giving or true abundance in the heart goes beyond the idea of exchange of things. "All that I give is given to myself" is a strange notion to the ego but a divine principal that is true.
When we don't trust, we experience ego's doubt and fear. We can rely on guidance and trust to bring peace of mind. Delay is unknown in eternity but tragic in time only because this need not be. When you do dive in, the fruit is spectacular.
To the Spirit, ownership is sharing. There is nothing dangerous about the concept of ownership, but the ego's use of ownership for its purpose to perpetuate itself is dangerous. Giving everything to the use of the Spirit for peace of mind is purposeful. The Messengers of Peace are truly sustained by guidance rather than donations. Guidance from the Spirit brings the peace of mind.
As you approach the healing of the mind, you are doing a “service” to the whole of mankind. Your family of origin may have been a strong focus before, but now your focus “softens” or widens, as it were and begins to take on universal proportions. God did not create this world; it is a world of idolatry. We have “idolized” concepts such as romantic love and traditional family values. Don’t worry about the Biblical “Golden Calf”. Far greater idols are concepts like, “Mom and Dad”. You have only One True Source. Jesus said, “Leave your father and mother (your concepts) and follow me. Let the dead bury the dead.”
Allow yourself to feel what you feel without judging it. Don't conclude anything about your identity as a result. Suicide is the conclusion that your life is worthless, but your ego laughs and pursues you beyond the grave. Just let the feelings come and go; release them.
Fear is a “getting” mechanism, whereas the miraculous life is about giving; you can only give what you have. It just takes “practice” to interpret situations in terms of love instead of fear. Don’t deny the negative things that seem to be happening. There is a tendency to see the problems outside yourself. Advanced mind training shows you that there actually are no problems. You don’t see the problems because you don’t believe in them anymore. Eventually, we begin to transfer/ translate our mind training into everyday life; to “generalize” the perception of love.
A woman who killed a bird while driving her car asks, "How to let go of the guilt?" The ego world is complex and meaningless. Life is in recognizing who you really are. Recognize that you do not know anything. Give up trying to figure it out. Your education is of no value. Hand guilt to the Holy Spirit. When you drop it, you can say what you are really trying to say: "I love you. Let's go Home together." It is all about experiencing your innocence. Expose the ego guilt, release it, and experience a glimmer that you are perfect as you are.
Here is a handy decision making mechanism: how many decisions are based on fear of consequences? Imagine if Love were your only motivator. Ask, “what am I doing this for?” The fear motive is the insatiable desire to get. Let God direct all your “doing”. The ego thinks you need to get the job, the wife, the house, the kids, etc. Ask the Holy spirit for the real purpose of this particular decision. You want freedom, intimacy, love, peace? Perhaps you think you have to do a lot of things to get them. Follow Spirit/Intuition every instant instead. ACIM is like a sharp blade that burrows down into your mind, healing it.
The walking dead IS the EGO; it is the fear of the life of miracles. The ego is the definition of the walking dead. But there is a lot of vitality and energy when you are not in conflict and anxiety. It’s not monotonous or boring to be in Spirit. Instead of “raising the dead”, however, David gave people in hospice the permission to pass on. If you are aware of the unlimited nature of life, there’s no sadness. People are your thoughts, made manifest. The construct of family was made in guilt. Let the family go—and they will come back reborn.
This beautiful music video is a gift from the Messengers of Peace, by Jason Press. . .
This simple statement, “I need do nothing” is a total threat to the ego. Having identified with the ego as being a doer, we place ourselves in an impossible situation. According to the ego we can never do enough to get the love that we seek.“I need do nothing “ is a statement of beingness and one that Jesus asks us to make as a demonstration of our loyalty.
A brand new audio has been added to the Teacher of Teacher's website. This talk by David Hoffmeister was taken from a recent Sunday message at Living Miracles Monastery. David reads from the "Setting the Goal" section of the Course and goes deeply into the importance of setting peace out front.
Our minds are powerful. The Holy Spirit urges us to rivet our minds on what we want in advance of any situation rather than letting perception be the determiner of our state of mind. By deciding what we want in advance, we then perceive the situation as a means to make it happen. If the goal is peace, it is inevitable that we will be peaceful and see the outcome truly. If we fail to decide the goal in advance, we are at the mercy of the situation and our assessment afterward will always be wrong. If the ego perceives a problem, it will attempt to fragment or split off the negative aspect of the situation to solve it somewhere else in time or space. In this way, the problem may appear to be fixed, and with it the illusion of peace, but it never lasts. It is when we change our minds and make peace our focus that we find the only lasting solution.
This recording can be accessed directly from this link
http://miracleshome.org/tot_mp3/setting_the_goal.mp3
Teacher of Teachers website is dedicated to the advanced teachings of A Course in Miracles. This website is intended as a study aid for anyone who wishes to study and master the theories of ACIM. Our library contains approximately forty-five hours of audio MP3's and nearly two hundred fifty pages of written material.
http://www.miracleshome.org
In this clip David encourages us to listen and follow those little hunches or suggestions that we get. Following these suggestions will save us time and torment. Don't worry about getting it wrong. You cannot mess up God's perfect plan of Atonement.
David talks to us about our right mind and wrong mind. The wrong mind or the part identified with the ego is the only part that requires training. Awakening can be seen as a process of popping through the various layers of consciousness . Enlightenment is when you have purified your mind to such an extent you are ready for God to take the final step.
David defines Christ as love and then says Christianity is a defense against Christ/love. In essence he says this is true of all religions. The ego has taken something in form (eg Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammed) and then turns it into a religion. David then reinterprets the word religion to mean a peaceful state of mind and so does not view himself as belonging to any formal religion but instead part of a religion of oneness and truth.
Intellectualizing? Empty the mind and drop all concepts. The Holy Spirit is like a vacuum cleaner, sweeping out the mind of all its concepts. Education of the world is useless here. Soften into what the Buddha called, emptiness. Are you being defensive? Then you are identifying with illusion. A woman took my book and tossed it in the garbage can; she thought I’d be very upset. I was unmoved. When you are not intellectualizing, you will feel mentally passive, no longer identified with the “do-er”; the doing mind. This is not good or bad; There’s just a heaviness that way. Being “done through”, there is, instead, a sense of peace. . .
The power of desire is very strong. Anything that you truly desire you experience. If you feel bad the desire is what is at the core of it all. When you want to open yourself to the grace of God you must first recognise the power of your wanting . The ego's judgement pushes the awareness of that power down. People are afraid of the power of their thoughts. Until you first start to take the limits off the mind, you think you are tiny. Defense mechanisms are there to keep you from seeing how powerful your thoughts are. You ask for too little and pray too small.
The power of desire is very strong. Anything that you truly desire you experience. If you feel bad the desire is what is at the core of it all. When you want to open yourself to the grace of God you must first recognise the power of your wanting . The ego's judgement pushes the awareness of that power down. People are afraid of the power of their thoughts. Until you first start to take the limits off the mind, you think you are tiny. Defense mechanisms are there to keep you from seeing how powerful your thoughts are. You ask for too little and pray too small.
Does Spirit inhabit the body? No. Ego animated life is like a Disney cartoon. It has no life; it is just quickly flickering images. Remember Pinocchio? He wanted to be a “real boy”; to think he had autonomy. It’s as though we decide to go back to letting the body be God’s puppet—let Him “pull the strings, not trying to make the body a real concern for us. How shall I use this body? What is it for? Only for communicating Love; to let the Voice for God speak through it. This could sound really boring to the ego.
To see a complete set of David Hoffmeister’s newly posted audio files, “Runaway Toboggan for God”, (along with many other audio clips from his tours to the South Pacific,2007-1011), check out this website: http://www.miracleshome.org/MP3/southpacific2008.htm
A central theme in these remarkable discussions is how we can have a "Happy Dream" when we to turn our problems over to God and allow our strengths and talents to be redirected; thus fulfilling our True Purpose.
No is an absolutely essential word in the vocabulary of the Holy Spirit. It is not helpful to get into bargaining in relationships, constantly compromising, people pleasing in order to be liked. This re-inforces the idea of my way and your way. When you tune in to Guidance and prompts you can confidently say no. No's from the Holy Spirit are firm no's. "No, but thank you for asking".
You made the ego by believing in it. The ego IS the big bang! ACIM: “An experience (beyond the ego) will come to end your doubting.” This will not be another theological concept. It will be an experience. Problems have been defined within the illusion, the dream world; and there’s no solution there. Going “within” the mind is the only answer. “Everything in my life is okay except---“ That’s “The Trigger” for the ego. Things will be stirred up : “But you will believe this Course completely or not at all.” Trying to defeat the ego is hopeless—the ego loves that kind of attention. The ego will fear its own death because it is simply a self concept, and all concepts will certainly die in the end.
All objects are part of the self-concept. Jesus let the Holy Spirit give them back to him cleansed of concepts, all in one category, unreal. On the cross he was no longer in the body; he did not see Judas as betraying him. The body (not the temple) will be rebuilt in three days. If you believe in unity and wholeness you see the real world. Although the body's eyes report differences, vision is through the mind. The miracle of the woman without pupils who could see.
Divine Law is that giving and receiving are the same; what you give is what you get. You are Love, simultaneously extending and receiving Love. But in this world there appears to be a time delay between giving and receiving. None-the-less, it is you who are bringing what you think about into awareness--now. If you think an unhappy thought, you are holding that thought now. This is present cause. You manifest your present thoughts.
You can release your mind by releasing your thoughts. You have been completely mistaken about everything. So surrender; forgive your false thoughts, and move toward the true meaning of love.
Extending the Love
from "Glimpse of Grace" by David Hoffmeister.
Read by Frances Allan.
Music and Video by Jason Press
www.livingmiraclescenter.org
New video by Jason Press and Living Miracles Productions.
Excerpts from A Course in Miracles
On the question of Guidance and decision making David refers to the Rules for Decision section in A Course in Miracles which outlines how to have a happy day. There are rules and beliefs in operation in the mind about what must occur in a day to be happy. This is not so. Align with the Spirit and things will get taken care of. The achievement of certain outcomes impinges on peace of mind / challenges the self concept. When we start to loosen from these concepts and move from being the doer to being done through, we start to relax and start to hear the Guidance more.
The sense of service can be a helpful step, as a backdrop for watching the mind for getting out of thinking in terms of how I can benefit the personality self. The ego can also run with the service idea. Everything is thought and really the service is learning how to forgive and release attack thoughts. "I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts". Service cannot be judged in terms of form. True service is an alignment in purpose.
David Hoffmeister talks about the value of the metaphor of "the script is written" and how we need to free the mind of thinking there is any choice in form. "Seek not to change the world, rather seek to change your mind about the world".
Projection: It's always my lesson. Phase 1 is exposing the error and phase 2 is overlooking the error. It is important to keep clearing the mind in order for the light that is always there to shine through.
