Fireside III
It is to the Village Square that the townspeople come to exchange views and thoughts on their beloved spiritual philosophy, learning from each other in kindness and wisdom. Then when their minds have been filled, they retire to the tavern on the western side of the square where they share in social discussion, learning of each other’s events and challenges, happinesses and sometimes sadnesses, too. With a mug or glass in hand, they collect in front of the great Fireplace that dominates the long wall. Benches and chairs are often filled on market day with those who have come from farther away, bringing news of events and views the local people delight in hearing.
If you are feeling disoriented by all the philosophical talk by the fountain in the Village Square, then come sit down on the bench here with us for a while just to soothe your mind and share a mug of tea or coffee. Let’s all make sure the conversation is quiet and simple, caring and thougtful, exactly the kind of talk you might have around a warm hearth, the only light filling the room coming from the fireplace.
This is the third installment in the Fireside discussion series. After we reach 900 comments, the page takes too long to load on your computer, and so we start another fresh page. To review previous discussions, we keep the old pages (Fireside I and Fireside II) which you can find under the ‘Village’ tab on the navigation bar at the top of screen under the image of the tree.
Paulo, seeing thru the eyes of Zeph
How lucky I am that I found the Blue Book that day in Cambridge, MA….
(:
ps. Listening to one of my favorite teachers on video, and the thought came to visit here…
Oooh feelin’ the unstoppable love and sending big squeezy hugs to all those who feel squirmish at all this mushy love stuff ! { whether they want it or not]
Good luck Bernie dear ! It sounds wonderful….
It wasnt me that first called us a tribe Bernard – i think it was Michele or maybe zafu……
For all my bragging that I like my solitude, I did feel a little uneasy that no one else but me was here at the spot that i camped at last night. It’s very secluded with not even a farmhouse within cooee – very quiet and peaceful beside this lovely river by day, but as night came on, I took one more peek to see if there were any fellow travellers – no not a one….
I had tea and watched a bit of Seinfeld and then went to bed. The last thing I do is pull back the curtains so I can fall asleep watching the stars. The thought occurrred to me what if suddenly a surrealistic van gogh face suddenly appeared at the window? Suddenly scared, I yanked the curtains shut. Yet as I examined the thought I remembered that if so, it would be all be my own projection and I gently pulled back the curtains once again. Then I thought of the horror movie The Ring. I have both 1 and 2 on my computer ready to watch. I would like to watch them to explore my fears and I would like to do it soon so I could delete them off my computer, as if they are somehow contaminating it.
Then I fell asleep. I woke up at some point in the night and noticed that a strangle light was shining down the river. I peered out and saw a still large orange light at some distance and wondered what one earth it could be – some strange fisherman light ? But where would he be positioned? There were no roads down thataways that I knew of and if he was in a boat wouldnt the light be moving ? I thought of the min-min, the strange unexplained light sometimes seen in the outback, but doubted that that’s was it was.
I calmed myself and pulled the curtains closed and went back to sleep, this time to dream.
In the dream I see a strange light exactly as I had just witnessed complete with the exact same scenario. I woke up frightened {in the dream] and told my mother about it. She said that we should go and tell Dad. I didnt like to bother him but timidly knocked on his bedroom door. He cheerfully called me in and I told him about the strange light. Mum said she too had been seeing strange lights and then to my shock she also said she had seen a strange face suddenly appear at the window. Dad just laughed { by the way they werent my “ present life Mum and Dad”}and said that it’s not as if there’s a bunch of murderers waiting just outside. I felt goose-bumps all over at that remark and I think my fear woke me up.
I looked out the window and the orange light was gone but blow me down, now there was another light shining from the opposite direction. A probing light was bouncing off the gums and the river. I peeked out the other side and clearly saw that it was coming from a bluish light aways away, but it was all over the place as if someone was waving a blueish torch all around. Why would anyone use a torch like that and who could be out there anyway…..?
I felt it was coming my way and fearing “it” my see me, I quickly pulled the curtain back and wondered what I should do. Breathe deeply thought I…… Should I suddenly climb behind the wheel and just drive away in my nightie and all ?
That action screamed of fear base. No I am just going to lie here and forgive it. As I proceeded to do just that, I thought how pathetic was all my so-called belief in the miracle when everything pointed to form being the reality. And yet I held fast. I was thirsty and wanted a drink but if I put on the light, “it” would surely see me and “get me”, so I groped in the dark and got up and just keep feeling my way for the water bottle.
When I went back to bed, I pondered just how insane I was, and resumed my practice. I wondered if I should take another peek but then I thought what if the light was gone ? Then I would think that “it” had turned it off and was silently sneaking up on me in the dark to catch me unawares.
No I dont trust what I see…. all I have is my practice. If a murderer wants me this very night, he can have me, but it wont be without at some stage my remembering that I made him up. I might have hours of pain and torture and other lives to come back to but this life wont be in vain if I can face my killer and just for one teeny instant remember to practise forgiveness, which i am confident i am capable of. That little bit will be enough because I can only take little steps and I am happy with that.
I thought of that lovely workbook lesson but couldnt remember it word for word – but I just stayed with it and before long felt immensely comforted…..
(Simply do this – Be still and lay aside all your thoughts. All the ideas you have every judged worthy, as being good or bad and all the ideas of which you are ashamed…Hold on to nothing. Forget this world , forget this course and come with wholly empty hands unto your God…)
I experienced no distracting thoughts as i focussed on it, and lay there feeling a deep sense of contentment. I went back to sleep but some time later woke up suddenly, opened my eyes and saw a light about 18 inches from my eyes. I wasnt frightened. I just looked at it, closed my eyes, opened them again – it was still there. For a minute I wondered if there was a baddy shining a torch in at me but my curtains I knew were completely closed. There was no logical explanation. It was a white light about the size of an orange and though it stayed in the same place, the edges were constantly moving and dancing, as though it were a mini-star. As I watched it, I decided that it must be some kind of optical illusion and wondered no more about it.. just watched it until it faded and was gone about 2 minutes later.
I went back to sleep and was quite chuffed to find that I woke up alive and well this morning….
Winnie, that Light was your Father shining a little torch at you. I felt such a soft tenderness when you described it. fear interpreted the big lights as fear – trust would have helped you see wonders, miracles.
Says Nina,( in very safe distance from the fears or the Australian wilderness.)Oh my God how much I love your stories “out there”
I am so happy that I made you up
hey – who made me up then?
“That would be me too”
yes, but i still want my safe and loving family, God
S M I L E
love you winnie … mahalo for all sharing your experiences … fears … wonderings …
my goodness what a night
ufos
would like to say that light was me checking on you making sure you were safe and cozy
then if we talked and there was still the other ‘it’ light, we could at least laugh together and make up allll kinds of maybes about it
hope it isn’t too horribly scary now that it is the next morning
whatever gets you through the night …
some nights are just like that … some days … some lights
am on your side … am loving your stories …
have had my own weird visiting it light experiences in ages gone by … sounds that go bump in the night … the sure feeling that it is there … you described it so well
anyway
good morning to you
may this be a happy day for all
bernard and pat …
hope you had a grand euphoric experience full of energy and delight while pretending to sell scarves in the marketplace (knowing you were giving love and beauty and sharing neighborly conversations and all manner of friendliness) … something like that!
the wood work and set up sounds exquisite … very village like and reminded me of something like a fairy tale place full of carved wood and very inviting
hope you guys had fun
also, congratulations on the acim meetings too
new life and new experiences and meeting new people and doing new things … so much growing going on
am so thankful for the sharings and stories and lives being lived in ways that are kind and helpful and a blessing to all
looking around, I also see katrina and a and nina visiting here fireside and am greeting them with smiles and hugs as they are all happy in their presence … and pam and bernard and winnie …
it’s kind of quiet in a good way
am happy we’re here
am happy you’re here … they’re here
am saying hi … happy thanks to all
sometimes it’s hard to see who is here, am thankful for this place
such goings on happen around here
am wishing everyone a happy day …
Thank for stopping by, Zafu . we’re just sitting around being happy – and Oh, the looks of bernard’s face when he told us about his market-day ( and Paolo was right there, behind him ( and i was sitting with Zeth. Wow, that guy!)
Another dream last night… -> I was sitting on Steve McQueen who was in his mid-forties and out of impulse asked him to marry me. I was feeling his chest and thinking how much I love a man’s chest. It makes me feel protected. He was wearing a pink and blue t-shirt will beautiful patterns on it, uncluding little flowers and birds. I read the word right up at the neckband out loud. It was “love”.
He said, “And then what does it say………..?”. When he said that then I realized there was another word it was hyphenated to, and that word ,was “hate”. We looked at each other meaningfully understanding what we were getting into.
Then I wondered if I could get out of the situation. I thought I could slip away while he wasnt looking and was just escaping up a flight of stairs when I felt him tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and was secretly disppointed to see him standing there.
(end of dream)
Consciously I feel neither the need or the inclination for romance or relationship. But at least in my unconsious, where desire still lives, this dream is showing me that i am processing the truth about relationships.
……………………….
I was thinking about those night’s strange lights. By the way it wasnt a difficult or painful night at all. There were only a few moments of fear and these were those i mentioned.
In the morning, I saw a car down the other end where the blue torch-like light had been coming from, so it could well have been local young people spotting possums or such. It was a Saturday night after all, and the other orange light could well have been coming from a fisherman. They do like to fish in the middle of the might and the river abounds with fish.
The third light however could not be explained using logic other than it being an optical illusion, not that I have ever had one before. It certainly wasnt a mystical experience. It did have great value however.
Firstly by showing me that illusions look just as real as “reality”
Next time I am frightened by anything I will remember this experience and be comforted. From that moment, my eyes lost some of their credibility.
But also the experience shows me that at an unconscious level, I am being guided. I was woken up to see that optical illusion = (I woke myself up to show myself how I can make and project illusions}
The other interesting thing about that night was the dream I had.
In this “dream” we call life, I dreamed that I had a dream about the exact scenario of the first light episode, complete with river and van and me…… a dream within a dream within thedream was showing me it is all just a dream within a dream etc…..
….
I love you too dear zafu and Nina and big hugs to Katrina and Kendall and A* and Pam and Bernard and all xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Winnie the minute I read this line…”He said, “And then what does it say………..?”. ”
In a flash I knew it was Jesus,”dressed” as Steve talking and then when I read the next…..”and that word ,was “hate”. We looked at each other meaningfully understanding what we were getting into.”
I knew this symbolised our love-hate relationship with Jesus which ultimately is our love-hate of our own self/Self.
hugs to all
greetings to you too, zafu… nice to be here with you. san fran to hawaii is an easier leap to make now (:
winnie, loved your detailed writings. feels like i can be there with you on these journeys you’re taking within the mind, and within the dream too !! love you, a
Hey Pam great that you got that out of it…. I saw it simply as recognizing at a deeper level, that there is indeed hate hidden under the special human love relationships, symbolised by my not seeing the word “hate” at first- {it was hidden from view}…..
I must confess to finding it very difficult to seeing my hate of Jesus.
The first time it surfaced was when i broke my arm and in among the pain and shock, i was utterly astonished to suddenly find myself feeling angry with Jesus for letting this happen to me – me – who is such a good Course student !! { hee hee}
That experience revealed to me for the first time my hatred of Jesus for which i was so pleased to see, {after i recovered| having listened for years to Ken insisting that we have to see it….
Secondly it showed me that i most certainly do believe deep down that Jesus/God is a magical figure who is responsible/ is the cause.. for my dilemmas.
Gloria says -> ” And so in all honesty we need to look at how we fear and hate Jesus, feelings that are almost always buried in our unconscious minds, under layers and layers of defenses.”
big loving smoochy hugs to you a* ….
{ Bakes a big apple pie and leaves it on the window sill to cool }
(Munch, munch, munch…)
Oh, I was supposed to leave some of that pie??? But it was just sitting there on the coffee table with only three big pieces left. I promise I wasn’t the one who started on the pie. Promise. It was… ah… Nina! Yeah, she dug into it first. I saw the crumbs she was wiping from her face, I did. Yes siree.
Market day – it was a big hit!! I’ll have to write out the whole story, but time seems to be so short these days. We spent all day there till early evening, then bushed, then Pat’s parents came for the day Sunday, then work yesterday, then… now off to work, gotta walk the doggie quickly.
Promise I shall tell all. And yes, Paulo held my hand the whole time, and Zeph and Nina were chuckling quietly looking on as Pat and I fumbled our way through our first day. What fun! Thanks and love and hugs to all – B.
You all as always, have been on my mind. I have been under the weather as of late, no energy and scattered. I just caught up on what I have missed, and it cheered me up. I just dropped in to say hey, love ya all.
And Winnie, I think all of us are relieved when we hear from you. You, young lady are a brave soul. I do believe when you put your trust in your beliefs, that ultimately you call the shots.
You dialed up you dreams, and learned from them, way cool! I am starting to sweat for no reason at all, so good night all.
Go To Bed Knowing That You Are A Thought In The Mind Of God
God bless us every one
lawrence
And, by the way –
LOVE LOVE LOVE to everyone
And Happy Birthday to our Mayor!
Best wishes! And many happy returns of the day!
Bernard,
I am pleased everything turned out so well for you and Pat. I can’t wait to hear about it, when you get the time of course. Following is your yearly horoscope. Thanks to Tex for the heads up on your “B” Day. Remember though this is only for amusement and any semblence of truth is purely…
The Year Ahead
Forecast for October 2011 to October 2012
If You Were Born Today, October 25:
Your appetite for life and experience is big, but you also know that you have to work to achieve all that you want. Although your emotions run deep, you are a practical person with a sound mind and intelligent outlook. You are charismatic, original, and your interests are many and varied. Your sense of humor is sarcastic. Seldom afraid of a challenge, your approach to problems is to embrace them and then conquer them! You are charismatic, bold, and intelligent. Famous people born today: Glenn Tipton, Marion Ross, Pablo Picasso, Jon Anderson, Minnie Pearl.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
The Moon is in its Balsamic phase in your Solar Return chart, marking this year the end of an important cycle, or stage of growth, in your life. You take more “down time” than normal, and this is natural, even good for you. This is a year when you are likely closing important projects or “chapters” in your life. You may be itching to do something new, but you are perhaps unsure about what that “something” is! The year, in a general sense, is best used as a meditative time for inner searching. It is a time for letting go of the past in order to prepare for the new. Although the new is still totally unrecognizable, it is important to allow the necessary surrender to the unknown.
Beginning in March 2012, Neptune transits trine to your Sun, which is a mostly pleasant influence. A higher purpose to your life is what you seek, and you rely more heavily upon your intuition in order to achieve it. You could find that your intuition is subtly enhanced and that you’re often in the right place at the right time, probably because your hunches are more likely to be correct. This aspect softens your disposition somewhat, as you tune into your imaginative and artistic side. This is a good year for self-improvement programs or efforts. The need to “get away from it all” can be strong. A more sensitive—even mysterious—persona is projected this year, and this can attract pleasantly unusual circumstances (and people) into your life. You will want to reserve time alone away from the hectic pace of life for reflection and meditation.
Your mind is fertile this year, and you are able to blend practical thinking with imagination. You can talk your way into, or out of, almost anything. Try to avoid getting caught up in power plays, however, as this can only serve to distract and frustrate you. Also, avoid getting hung up on differences of opinion.
You are good at tying up loose ends and restoring balance this year. Work is solid in this period of your life, and you can see results from your efforts, or at least foresee success down the road. This gives you a sense of responsibility and a feeling of directedness and purposefulness. Traditional methods work, and thoroughness brings rewards. Practice or refining a technique is favored this year. The approach that seems to work best with this aspect is a step-by-step one, with modest ambitions and the appreciation of slow but steady progress. You will achieve the most success if you develop consistency.
You may be actively involved with teamwork and collaboration with others this year. Your passions are stirred, and you generally find it straightforward to form positive connections with others.
Your affections are strongly stimulated this year, and you are more acutely aware of your powers of attraction. Romance, love, and sexuality occupy your mind more than usual. You can enjoy an increase in personal magnetism (as well as libido), but be wary of competitiveness or tension in existing love relationships, as your passions are ignited in general, whether they’re feelings of love or anger! Watch for a tendency to be excessive on emotional and financial levels.
Emotionally, you can be prone to excesses this year, and this can also be the case on a financial level if you’re not careful. Romance is up and down but stimulating as well. However, your more imaginative qualities are enhanced this year, and creativity is at a peak.
2011 is a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time, when it is easy to enjoy life and other people. Focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure. It is likely to be a rather lighthearted year, when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a good year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out, but avoid scattering your energies.
2012 will be a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to deal with practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Positive new relationships are generally not formed in a Four personal year. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.
Well my good friend, It is what it is, unless it ain’t.
Wishing you much love and happiness on the one day that specialness rears its ugly head and we say, what the hell let it be.
God Bless
lawrence
Hey, Tex, I thought I was going to slip by incognito! Thanks for the bday wishes, guys. It has been a totally mad day. Started with the cat that needed to be rushed to the vet for an eye problem, then late to work for a big day to try to finish a project, then running home at lunchtime to pick up medication for Pat who is coming down with the flu and then deliver it to her work, then back to work myself, then back home to walk doggie and prepare dinner plus food for tomorrow… We actually lit a candle to have with our fried eggs for dindins! Not much of a bday supper, but both of us are too tired to do anything else. In bed now at 9 pm for both of us. Ahh… I have no idea how people manage who have kids. Two pets and a wife is quite enough for me! Hihi.
I much prefer slipping by to the Tavern for a birthday drink by the fire with you all. I’ll have an Irish coffee tonight, please. Oooh, I’d just love an after eight mint. Yum.
Lawrence, my good man, thank you for your kind wishes and thoughtfulness with the horoscope. So sorry to hear you’ve been under the weather lately – hope you get a dose of Village-vitamins and feel better tomorra. I do have to point out, however, that my bday is the 26th, and not the 25th. At the risk of getting you to do some more work, it’d be fun to see the results for the 26th. Could you? I also wanted to add that I was totally bowled over by Kaityln’s video. She was really amazing, a natural speaker, and more than that of course, so naturally really inspiring. What a story, and she tells it with no regret or suffering. There is a real depth to that young woman that is quite impressive. You must be very proud of her.
Winnie, I loved in your last dream how you wanted to marry Steve/Jesus on impulse. Great dream! Love all your stories.
Zafu, big autumnal hellos from blustery France. It is definitely not Hawaii over here, so it is lovely hearing all your stories. And thanks again for your support for our market activities. I still have to tell that story which is worth it, but not tonight. Headin’ straight to bed now.
Hugs to y’all.
PS Let’s all blow a kiss and a hug to Annie who must be quietly slipping by unnoticed.
Wow – everyone’s still here! Nice to see familiar names n faces and feel the lovingness of you all extending to each other. It’s been a queerdly weird year for this downunderer. Took a foray back into sex work (something I’ve done in the past with gusto and heart), continued my counselling and social work degree studies, met and fell in love with a fella that ticks all four boxes – seems to meet me where I (think I) am in mind, body, spirit AND makes me laugh – which is a REALLY nice classroom!!, developed as a Mum, learning to tango and all the while holding Ken and Jesus’ hands and steadily giving that daily ‘little willingness’… Just letting you know you’ve all gently remained in my mind and I sometimes blow you all kisses from across the ocean of space n time. xxxxxxx
Hi Bernard, Happy B-day to you! I would like to have an Irish coffee too and lots of smiles. Fun to hear about your life. You know, my husband and I both had full-time, intense jobs when we had our daughter and we thought we would just continue on. But we realized we just could not deal with it all very well. So, since she has been about 2 years old one of us has either not worked a job outside the home or worked a part-time job. I have usually been the one working full-time outside the home. This way of doing life has made all the difference for our comfort level and I think it has been amazing for our daughter to have her parents around so much more.
Anyway…love you guys!
OMG !!! It’s Al !!!!!! {faints}
{ Nina brings forth the smelling salts}
Oh AL i am so pleased to hear from you….{gives Al a great big smoochy bear hug } You are not going to believe this but i was just now this very second missing you because, having just now discovered that it’s Bernard’s birthday i wanted to write him a limerick which was starting to form thus….->
Oh a wonderful chappy is Bernard
Who of course of the Course is quite learned
But Fried Eggs for tea
On your birthday – oh gee
…….
…..and then i i couldnt think up the final line and i’m like “oh gawd where’s Al when you need her !!!
and then, stuff me shufflers there you were !
It is wonderful to hear from you and to know everything is going so well – you have been missed and often lovingly thought of xoxoox
Kendall i am giving you a big hug too – I hope you are well.. – love you darling…
Bernard so glad your Market Day went so well and looking forward to hearing your story… and of course giving you a big happy birthday hug xoxoxoxoox
Lawrence i am sorry to hear that you havent been feeling well { makes him a big pot of chicken soup with lots of fresh herbs} I assure you i am not brave – i really am a big fat cowardy custard, but thank you for your kind words… I hope you are getting plenty of rest
Tex – as always you shower us with love – well right back atcha girl !
…..
I’m excited to be coming back in to internet range more and more frequently now.
Yesterday the first thing i thought when i awoke was the thought that my remark about wanting to improve my speech may have been offensive to some since i said that i noticed it particularly after being in America. I thought that maybe my remark may have been taken the wrong way. What i meant was that my speech sounded poor compared to the more pleasant American accent….
As Kendall says – “love you guys !”
Hi Al, nice to see you here. You were in thoughts quite recently ! (although it was not in the context of limerick writing ! (: — in fact, until Winnie mentioned it, I had even forgotten that skill of yours. So good to hear some snap-shots of what you’ve been upto, and hope you come by the Tavern, whenever you have the time and inclination.
Bernard – two pets and a wife is perhaps equivalent to a wife and a kid, so I hear you, bro (: —
I should have remembered your b’day, it’s the same as my only sibling I have in conventional, worldly terms – she’s also Oct 26th. Hope to remember it for next year (:
So in the last remaining 40 minutes in California time before we start the 27th… many happy returns of the day, and a big birthday hug !!
take care,
a
with my little eye I spy {{{{{{Al}}}}}}} Oh my gosh it’s been so long. giggles with happiness and excitement. Soo good to see you again. hugs Al again and kisses on cheek. hands her a mug of dark vanilla ale and thick slice of raisin bread with honey butter…. come and sit by the fire and tell us your tale. sounds like you’ve had quite the adventures.
Happy(belated) B-day roses for you dear mayor —}–@ —}–@.And warmest wish for you. I predict as the market stall takes off you won’t need to plaster as much.(-: …..hands Bernard chocolate mint cake with mint frosting.
Bernard here is the right “B” Day forcast. I hope to steal some time tonight to read posts better and write some thoughts you all inspire. Speaking of inspiration and sushine and smiles, Al! I am so happy your little family is in a good place, love ya kid and wish you nothing but the best! Hope you stop in from time to time.
The Year Ahead
Forecast for October 2011 to October 2012
If You Were Born Today, October 26:
You express yourself with authority, sometimes intimidating others without ever intending to do so! Your mind is sharp and incisive, and your wit is on the ball. You have the benefit of both analytical skills and perceptive understanding of others. It is hard to put anything past you! When you care about someone, you are generous to a fault. Although you certainly possess business sense and ability, you are not a traditional businessperson in that you have a strongly idealistic and humanitarian side to your nature. Famous people born today: Hillary Clinton, Pat Sajak, Jaclyn Smith, Dylan McDermott, Mahalia Jackson, Keith Urban.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
The New Moon in your Solar Return chart suggests that you will instinctively begin a new phase of your life this year. A decisively new direction has come about in your life. This can be an emotionally stimulating time in which you feel the urge to initiate and project, even if you are not quite clear about what you are projecting. Much of the energy in your life can have a magical quality to it as things are just automatically going in a certain direction. It is important to be intuitive at this time and allow the natural course to show you the way to the next step. Surprises (mostly very pleasant) pepper your year. New beginnings are in order, and you are bound to feel some level of excitement as the year unfolds.
Beginning in April 2012, Neptune transits trine to your Sun, which is a mostly pleasant influence. A higher purpose to your life is what you seek, and you rely more heavily upon your intuition in order to achieve it. You could find that your intuition is subtly enhanced and that you’re often in the right place at the right time, probably because your hunches are more likely to be correct. This aspect softens your disposition somewhat, as you tune into your imaginative and artistic side. This is a good year for self-improvement programs or efforts. The need to “get away from it all” can be strong. A more sensitive—even mysterious—persona is projected this year, and this can attract pleasantly unusual circumstances (and people) into your life. You will want to reserve time alone away from the hectic pace of life for reflection and meditation.
Your mind is fertile this year, and you are able to blend practical thinking with imagination. You can talk your way into, or out of, almost anything. Try to avoid getting caught up in power plays, however, as this can only serve to distract and frustrate you. Also, avoid getting hung up on differences of opinion.
You are good at tying up loose ends and restoring balance this year. Work is solid in this period of your life, and you can see results from your efforts, or at least foresee success down the road. This gives you a sense of responsibility and a feeling of directedness and purposefulness. Traditional methods work, and thoroughness brings rewards. Practice or refining a technique is favored this year. The approach that seems to work best with this aspect is a step-by-step one, with modest ambitions and the appreciation of slow but steady progress. You will achieve the most success if you develop consistency.
Your affections are strongly stimulated this year, and you are more acutely aware of your powers of attraction. Romance, love, and sexuality occupy your mind more than usual. You can enjoy an increase in personal magnetism (as well as libido), but be wary of competitiveness or tension in existing love relationships, as your passions are ignited in general, whether they’re feelings of love or anger! Watch for a tendency to be excessive on emotional and financial levels.
New beginnings are in store in the period ahead. You may feel as if you are beginning a whole new “chapter” in your life. Emotionally, you can be prone to excesses this year, and this can also be the case on a financial level if you’re not careful. Romance is up and down but stimulating as well. However, your more imaginative qualities are enhanced this year, and creativity is at a peak.
2011 is a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to deal with practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.
2012 will be a Number Five year for you. Ruled by Mercury. This is a year of exploration and freedom. It’s a time when exploration and reaching out to others brings opportunities. It’s a good time to advertise and sell. Surprises are in store, and the routine is broken. This is a year when exciting relationships can be formed, or, if you are already in a partnership, new life is breathed into the relationship. Advice – explore, look for adventure, keep your eyes open for opportunities, mingle.
Bernard, some of it seems right on.
Peace my brother
lawrence
Hey, Al!! So great to see you stop by. Wow, some story, so many things moving for you. As Pam says, stop by the Tavern; it hasn’t once run out of good food and drink since we last saw you. And the fire is still toasty warm.
Many thanks to you all for your luverly bday wishes. And thanks, my man, Lawrence! So cool, fits pretty well, I think. All the more reason to give it my all this 2011-2012.
I know I still have our market day story to tell, but I’m falling asleep as I’m writing! At this rate, I’ll have done the second day (this Saturday) and will tell you about that, too. I take off tomorrow afternoon from plastering to get the stall ready for Saturday market. Paulo, Zeph, and the Mayor.
Winnie – here’s your line love…
Oh a wonderful chappy is Bernard
who of course of the Course is quite learned ( great line!)
but Fried Eggs for tea
On your birthday – oh gee
Justice just wasn’t done, I’m concerned.
So nice to be so warmly welcomed back – and ( without leaving it another year!) I’ll stop off in the tavern for a beer … soooooon. Love yas.
we’ll have a cold one waiting for ya Al xoxoxoxooxoxoxo
and dont be put off by the Northern Hemisphereans sitting around the “toasty warm” fire {they’ve got a weird sense of weather …. tee hee]
Mmmm this chocolate mint cake is good Pammy…… speaking of chocolate….. I love that line in DU that says “candy is designed to bind you to the universe”. We dont use the word “candy” in Oz, so i change it to “chocolate” which doesnt flow as well but speaks to me more clearly.
I allow myself to eat as much chocky as i want but my only condition is that i focus on that thought while i eat it. Now eating the chocolate has a holy purpose – who says ya cant eat ya cake and have it too !
By the way it has taken me years to get to this point. I’d theorize about that idea constantly but when chocolate-eating time came round, i’d usually forget about my plan, as if somehow under a sweet sweet spell.
{ starts fantasizing about those awesome American hot fudge sundaes} I cant for the life of me figure out why we dont have them over It’s just not fair! {pouts}
They’re the very best thing about America – that and the fact that the Course was birthed there ….{ in that order … tee hee}
winnie, so what do you call candy in aussie land?
LOVE LOVE LOVE to have Al here again! (shmooches happily, sharing the cold-beer-drinking-thingy, and with Pam’s great cake. It is soon eaten, folks. We are not saving it for anybody. I guess we want to stay here a little longer.
Winnie, you’ve got to share how you manage to make that a holy purpose: why don’t you feel small and guilty like me when you eat chocolate?
Chocolate in Aussie Land?
Done Under?
lol
I think it can serve a very holy purpose – just to share it!
The course says that J said “If I live in you, you are awake!”
Ken keeps asking “Who TOLD you that you were asleep?
The ego did – that’s who.”
So just to have the choco with HS is maybe a good thing.
Or at least – a good start.
tex, are you saying that Jesus comes to us a chocolate?
Nope –
I’m saying (for me) that I am dimly starting to realize that this MUST be a dream.
NO WAY would a Loving GOD allow this cr*p to happen in Reality.
(Fear, etc.) THAT much I know.
So I ask for help. An advisor. A Saviour. A Friend. Some kind of Ghost in the Machine.
That’s when I get lost again. Trying to figure it all out in “dream terms…”
THAT won’t work – THAT much I know.
So I choose again… to want to choose the idea that I’m dreaming.
A little willingness. Trust NOT my good intentions. They are not enough…
“This is a time for FAITH!” I remind myself. Trusting that *God* might really be Love. And that might be a good thing!
“A call for help is given help..” still reciting – by rote – all the things I’ve learned.
” ** Sinlessness is guaranteed by God. Over and over this must be repeated, until it is accepted. It is true.” [My sinlessness. YOUR sinlessness. OURs. ALL sinlessness.]
Deep Breath…. Catch a glimpse of Truth (maybe) … look around… nothing “here” has changed… But I feel better… just a wee bit better….if only for an instant.
Then eat the chocolate – or not!
But I eat it knowing it won’t bring the specialness I really sometimes seek.
It may – or may not have a direct parallel to anything of Truth.
Not “Devils Food” or “Angel Food” cake!! lol
One thing I know chocolate and J have in common..
both are (or represent) an experience that can not be put into words.
What does chocolate taste like? Um…. it tastes …. like…. chocolate!
Love ya all!
Cool, very cool thoughts, Tex. I really liked the intensity behind them – this has to not be real! As you say, “I want to choose the idea I’m dreaming.” When I really look around at how the world works, I, too, really want this to be a dream. Even if that ultimately spells the end of this dream I think I am. If that’s the ‘price’ I have to pay, to lose an illusion of myself in order to gain the understanding of reality, a reality that I’m promised is kind instead of vicious and hateful, then that’s a price I’m learning to be willing to pay. And if I can enjoy some chocolate while learning to understand that it, too, is part of the dream, then all the better! So, have an after eight mint on me! And, we are also promised, that the only reason that eating anything might have a negative effect on us is because our thoughts are still siding with guilt/self-condemnation/imprisonment/bodily limitations. So if we learn to eat that chocolate with Jesus, letting go all thoughts of the relationship between that substance and bodily functions, then it will ultimately have no effect on us whatsoever. From what I got from Google, Jesus prefers dark 70 % chocolate with little bits of hazelnut, but you can never trust the web. He probably just likes plain old Hershey’s kisses.
All this reminds me of a wonderful story told by Ram Dass when he first went to India and met his teacher, Neem Karoli Baba. It was at the time when Timothy Leary (his colleague and friend from Harvard) was experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs to promote ‘spiritual’ experiences. Ram Dass told his teacher about this form of accessing spiritual states, and his teacher said they did nothing at all. Babaji asked to see some of these pills. Ram Dass proferred a sachet filled with pills, which Babaji then proceeded to empty into his mouth – all of them. He told Ram Dass the pills did absolutely nothing, and indeed it seemed they had not the slightest reaction on him. There are many other stories of people whose bodies who do not follow the same ‘laws’ as everyone else’s. This is just to say that the body is a projection within the mind and has no objective reality, as such. This is not to say that any of us should be trying to push against what seem to us as the laws governing our bodies. There is no value in that at all from the Course’s point of view. We are to escape from the meaning we have given to the constraints of the body, not escape from those constraints themselves. There is nothing spiritual in having no reaction to pills, or to chocolate, or to anything else. There is something very spiritual in tickling our judgment of our guilt until we stop giving ourselves a hard time. Hihihi… hahaha… hohoho…
Okay, on another note, Pat and I didn’t get to go to market this weekend because we were both so bushed from the week. Actually, Pat has been in bed the whole time with laryngitis. She had a cold while she was working at the kids center this past week, and really over did it with her voice (30+ kids will do that to you). And I just needed a break, so it was a very cosy weekend for the two of us here at home.
So, just to catch up with last week’s market adventure, for those who’re still interested (snore…): We were a bit tense about heading out for our first market day, wondering how we would do, and so got to town a little earlier than scheduled. We were told to arrive at 8 am to meet the ‘placer’, the fella who would give us our spot. All the permanent stands were pretty well in place already at that time (some start at 6am), and we felt kind of late getting set up at 8 am. Well, the guy didn’t arrive till 8.30, putting us under more time pressure to get set up, and there were about 20 of us wanting to get a spot. He took off at great speed up one end of the market and started calling out spots that were available. You were supposed to shout out ‘MINE!’, and then take it. It all was going a bit fast for us. He pointed out this one spot and it looked okay, though not great, so I took it. The placer meanwhile hurtled off down the road in the other direction. We started to look around the spot to see how it would work for us, and then I noticed we were outside a delicatessen. And outside the deli was this rotisserie machine installed on the sidewalk. I asked, and the owner confirmed that in an hour he would have twenty chickens cooking away roasting in that machine, not 6 feet from our stand. Er, well, roasting chickens and silk scarves – I just couldn’t see them going together. So…
I bolted down the road to catch up with the ‘placer’ and the others. A number of other choice spots had been given away. I explained the situation and he understood. He then announced another spot which looked great to me. ‘I’ll take it!’ I shouted. You really want this spot? he asked. I couldn’t understand the reason for his question. It was outside a fancy patisserie and looked fine.
I get the van and we start to set up. At that moment the shop owner comes out and reels out her awning which was up till then. And we spot a problem. We won’t be able to put up our umbrella which was critical since our scarves were set up all over this umbrella and it’s special four feet. Then the owner came out and told us not to block her display window or entry. Okaaay.
We have only half our stuff out of the van and we realize we won’t be able to put up our stall. Then this guy starts honking and telling me to move my van because I was blocking the street. I tried to explain that we had a problem and he didn’t want to know. Get the van out of the way! So I look at Pat and say don’t worry, I’ll just go down the road (it was a tiny one way main street through town), then circle back around and come back down the road, letting this guy and a few others pass. I started off and then came to a halt 150 feet further down where the traffic was jammed because of another van unloading. So now I had left Pat on the sidewalk with half our gear, my van was blocked and I couldn’t do anything, and people were starting to flock to market to shop around us. I grabbed some of our stall equipment and stumbled back up the 150 feet to where Pat was, leaving the van stuck in traffic. No sooner was I giving her a hand than this guy comes running up the road telling me to get my ass into gear and get my GD truck off the road! It seems the other vans had moved on and now my driverless van was again blocking the circulation. Well, weren’t we having fun!!
So I managed to get going and circle back around, empty the van onto the sidewalk of all our stuff. Then we set about trying to put up a makeshift stall out of the bits and pieces we had. It was not what we had planned, but we actually managed to put together a little stall that was presentable. And we made some sales! It was, all in all, a very positive experience for us, especially since we had decided we weren’t going to make a big deal out of all the hassles we had encountered. JAFO. NBD. So we’re looking forward to doing it again, hopefully this next weekend. Fortunately, Paulo and Zeph were around that day and gave us a hand. Those guys…
Jeezes bernard – you must have a patience like a – a- no words for it. Unless you swore silently all the time. No? what an forgiveness-opportunity.
I saw something relevant to your first post – about the body just being a projection. It is taken from Myron Jones’ blog today:
“This lesson, and Your words to me are so lofty and my heart swells as I read them. And yet I feel strong resistance. I feel very petty and small as I say this, but you have said we should keep nothing from each other so let me tell you that I seem most afraid of looking foolish in front of others. An example of this is Friday when I was worried about a cut on my finger. It seemed at first to be healing quickly, and then it seemed to get worse. It was red and swollen and I wondered if it was infected.
I fretted about it for a day or two then as I was looking at it I put my hand on the cut and said, “heal.” I didn’t know where that came from, but it felt right. It came out of mouth, not as a hope, but as a gentle command. It seemed to get better immediately. The tenderness went away and by the next day it was drying up.
Just as you shared to day, I began to think about what happened, and the thinking mind tried to figure out what happened and what it means. But I let that go. Then the ego warned me about sharing this with anyone. What if I imagined the healing? What if it was going to do that anyway? What if I tell someone then it gets worse? I will look foolish. Even now I want to delete all of this.
Holy Spirit: And yet you are not deleting it. The ego is afraid. You are not the ego. Turn your attention away from the ego thoughts. The ego says to be afraid to let the Christ rise in you. It says to let things be as they are, to slip back into the darkness where you will not be noticed, where God will not see you. But I ask you; does it make sense to be afraid to allow the Christ to rise in you? What really could there be to fear?
Does it seem odd to you that you should command the flesh to heal? You command the world you know to exist. You do this all the time. If you stopped commanding this that world would disappear. You are not mistaken in your power, only afraid of it. Do not hide behind the ego longer than you must. But until you are ready to step out into the light and accept your true identity, give Me your faith. I will direct you and God’s angels will safeguard you.”
Thanks, Nina, Thanks, Bernard — good Sunday reading and meditation for me.
Nina- this is yet again that Myron Jones blog has helped me. Maybe I need to visit it daily. I find I need a daily boost, in plain non-coursey language – the lessons are starting to not hold me through the day as they once did.
Course fatigue (:
{ giggling } you didnt have fun at first but i sure did reading about your market adventure Bernard – so glad you had some good sales. I hope Pat gets better soon …hugs to her xoxo
love you too Tex and on the subject of chocolate and Jesus, wouldnt it just be so much more appropriate at Easter to ditch all the eggs and bunnies and just have all the chocolate shaped as Jesuses { do you like me plural for Jesus …hee hee}
We could have white chocolate Jesus { white for holy} on a liquorice stick cross with raspberry streaks to represent blood – and then we could have the two thieves as dark chocolate on account of them bein’ not as pure as Jesus ‘n all…. it would be much more fun !
Pam, we dont have a collective word as such – it’s either chocolate or lollies
Nina, i am giving eating chocolate a holy purpose by being mindful when i eat it, instead of zoning out and forgetting that its delicious sweetness is all in my mind. Now I am remembering while I eat it that I am not a body and that in truth, I would infinitely prefer its sweet sweetness to the whole of the Kingdom of God. Not that my timing I realize, matters, and yet it does to seem to make the exercise more powerful. It doesnt make me enjoy it any less but I am becoming aware that maybe it’s not as wonderful as I have always cracked it up to be.
I never feel guilty about having as much as i like, but then i never really have very much coz i need to fit into my pretty clothes ..
big hugs to all { blows kisses to sweet Annie}xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxxoxoo
I once heard a story about Gandhi.
A mother brought her Little Chocolate Obsessed Child to Gandhi
to ask him to help the child end his chocolate eating ways.
Or was it a girl.. I forget…anyways….
Gandhi told them to come back in three days; he would help them then.
So they did. Three days later the mother brings the Chocolate Fiend back.
And Gandhi looks at the child and points and says “Quit eating chocolate!”
The mother looked at Gandhi and was like
“That’s it? Just like that? ‘Quit eating chocolate’?
If it’s all so easy, why did you send us away to come back in three days?”
And Gandhi answered “Because – Three days ago I was still eating chocolate!”
Tex, awesome story
Annie, much love to you
Winnie: remembering that the sweetness is in my mind…ahhh
a – that Course fatigue – oh yes. Have had it the last 14 days or so. SO good to realize it isn’t just me
going out into the fall-sun
love to all
LAURA! LAURA….LAURA?
Hi everyone great stuff I’m trying to catch up . We went out of town to visit our friends in Lincoln. had a good time.
Luffles ya all
Yes, it was “fun”, Winnie – in a manner of speaking. I was on the phone most of the time finishing up a work-call while wife and son walked through the rather smallish acquarium.
The jellyfish exhibit with it’s white light and tens of transparently white jellyfish with four round “stomach” each, flapping away, induced a moment of “wonder” at the complexity and detailed nature of the ego’s creation. It was quite “wonderful” if I may so (:
The kicker was to see the little note on the display that asked which are older, dinosaurs or jellyfish – and then to be informed the jellyfish are older, and have existed for 500 million years.
Lately, I’ve been feeling I can’t even fathom what a day “means” (each day “feels” so long – for someone somewhat numerically inclined like myself to fathom that length of time meant literally disappearing into nothingness, as I stood there looking into the windows of jellyfish.
And then to remember that this entire world was/is already over in an instant, mind-boggling for someone like me who lately has been feeling my mind is in my head, but those thoughts just turned my “mind” into mush… inconceivable really, the mind as the Course defines it. So vast…
We leave tonight the US, and arrive in Asia on the second day of November – the first day “spent” entirely in flight (:
Take care, dear friends… Nina, hope our course fatigue dissipates and disappears ! (:
or not (:
What will be, will be.
Nina…Nina…Nina…yes! I’m still here in the Dream…had you going, huh?
Like maybe I had checked out? Can’t say that would have been a bad thing…ha…ha…but I’m still here. In fact…there’s news. My daughter
is expecting a baby in the spring. I’m gonna be Grandma. Gonna need some
training on that. Any tips out there?
Trying to catch up on posts. Sure seems like the gang…whoops, new name…the “tribe” is all here.
Work is my biggest forgiveness lesson right now. Ego thinks it would be a
hoot to try working more to cover for fewer co-workers. I’m thinking this
might get me farther along the path faster. 🙂
May the fall sun warm your hearts with peace…Laura
a, I am currently reading the lovely Gangaji’s latest book “Hidden treasure.” She tells about her first meeting with Poonjaji: he tells her to “just stop.”
Everything.
I tried that. I was able to keep it going for some seconds. As soon as i was not paying attention to all the crazy thoughts, the underlying silence was seen as identity.
Yes, and i soon just had to think about something…
Gangaji wrote that she had to go through the dis-identifying-thing for quite a while – after having tasted the true identity many times – until one day she heard an inner thunder of clapping, and there was no doubt any longer Who she was. She said she laughed the whole night.
For me, ego is all about doubting truth. And also addiction to fear.
But I am much more vigilant in turning it over.
To day I received a postcard from a new client wanting a session. The image was God’s finger touching Adams-finger –
Speaking of Buudha……..
The other day i thought to line up my 7 lollies { my after-lunch treat] well before lunch so i could ponder more fully on what they’re purpose is. {They’re jubes in the shape of babies but i reckon they look like little Buddhas}
I’m never tempted to eat sweet things when i am hungry, so it was a great idea to do this little exercise without any fear that i may be tempted. There they sat, laughing at me with their flabby little tummies every time i looked at them, as if that was what they were secretly offering me… {tee hee}..I thought it very interesting that the lollies were in the shape of a body.
I have never really resonated with the preference to being right over being happy that Jesus talks about in the Course. For all of my adult life i used to question people in a bid to get to the truth, consciously wanting to be proven wrong if it stood in the way of my search.
Anyway as i looked on the sickly smile of my little lolly-gods, it occurred to me that i want to eat them because i would prefer to be right than be happy. I would prefer to believe that my self, my body, my specialness is infinitely more appealing, more real and therefore more “right” than anything Jesus can offer. I want the joy they give me, and i dont want to ever be without it.
I felt humbled to at last see through myself and recognize the lust for lollies as a symbol of preferring to be right.
Later on in the day, while out walking, i realized that i could do without “candy”. It’s just not as good as i’ve always cracked it up to be. This idol is crumbling baby !
Luffles to you too Pam – glad you had a good time….
ooh oooh oooh – how cool that right after i talk about jelly babies {that’s what Aussies call them} with their flabby stomachs, that you a*, mention about jelly fishes and their “flapping” stomachs – oh dont you love that symbol of connectedness !
yeah i can imagine how mind-boggled you felt thinking about time while looking at those ancient creatures. Arent we clever that we, however can step right out of time every time we forgive? -> { gives everyone a pat on the back …… and a big hug…… but not a jelly baby – i might need one or two for later…..tee hee
G’day (( Laura )) …. How wonderful that you are soon to be a grandma… I’m expecting another one in January. I have a tip for you – Don’t be surprised if the experience presses your “special hate” buttons….boy i had such a huge dose of that, that i had to call on all my acting powers to act appropriately outwardly while seething with hatred inwardly while practising forgiveness from moment to moment.
I think it was because i was an unwanted child so i didnt get my specialness needs met during that period. During my period as a wife and mother, i devoted myself to fulfilling their specialness needs at the expense of my own. Then at the tender age of 45, while still bringing up an eleven year old, i became a grandmother, and it was if something inside of me suddenly erupted to shriek “It’s not fair ! – when is it gonna be my turn to be made fuss of !!!!” I think that’s why there were so many “grumpy” old women of our parents generation.
May your heart be warmed with peace xooxoxoxooxo
Nina gawd i’d hate to have to practise “just stop” for long. It sounds exhausting. How lucky we are to have this gentle path that asks instead “just look”
hugs to all xoxooxoxoox
Winnie – that hate comes up in dreams still about my daughter. First I am shocked, and then I remember that it is a set up and I can choose again. I choose to join with her instead, and boy does it feel perfect.
And to the “just stop” exercise – it doesn’t feel like a practice, really. I just here the suggestion “could you just stop?” and often I can. Feels good to rest. Simple. Until I start to crave the fear and chaos again. But judgments are falling for sure.
Natti all
I am so glad Laura posted. Next: Bev! Kendall! Lawrence! long time no see. I know you are here, but still I miss you 🙂
LOVE you
Nina
Winnie I loved your sharing of your insights with your jubes. I was addicted to them, ate them to relieve my anxiety, ate them until I was sick, while I was going through University and until I went on my trip to Austrailia and then I couldn’t find a brand that I liked. I never equated eating them with being right but it makes perfect sense to me as I’ve hadd an “addiction” to being right. It pops up in the most unusal places.
Now I prefer dark chocolate covered almonds and I’m going to experiment with
contemplation before mastication. (: Bev
Hiya gang-tribe (:
(gang doesn’t sound kind of sinister, eh ? (: — well, anyway, it’s great to be back in Asia in Winnie time-zone (well, in a manner of speaking (:…
Which reminds me, hey, Winnie- you mean that you were writing about jelly-babies in 544, and then scrolled up to see recent comments ? or was there an earlier post on jelly-babies that i missed — my obsessive self is sure to check into the Village everyday, so I’m wondering how I missed that (;
Today’s lesson has a line that got my mind hooked again (after a long time)… “I can forget the world I made today”. (That’s not the actual Lesson title, which of course talks of lofty things like Christ vision, blah, blah, etc (: — I can’t resonate with that stuff right now.
But “I can forget the world I made today”… now that does seem within the realm of the possible. for today. Cause what do I have to look forward to except several more business-people/managers, all of whom are seeking my company’s inputs on solving the many problems that they face, on an on-going basis.
and it’s really not much fun to be dealing with problems all the time.
for once, i’d like one of my companies to be just rolling in the dough, so i don’t have to rustle up even more money to support their on-going survival ! (and I do have one or two in my portfolio that are doing reasonably well, but my clever ego rarely lets me relish that success. they should be doing better. more. more. more.
(always the ego’s mantra, as David Hoffmeister so kindly brought home to me in one of his videos)
but… i digress. (:
let me relish the lovely thought instead, that I “can forget the world I made today”. It really offers me nothing that I want. Just that I think I can make it work. If only I had more …Or if I had done that in 1998 instead… (:
The actual Lesson is “The gift of Christ is all I seek today”. Can I really go there ? It’s interesting. In the time it’s taken me to write this post, I seem to have built up enough “positive” momentum to actually contemplate that perhaps, just perhaps I can say to myself that “the gift of Christ is all I seek today”.
Perhaps this is how the Course works. One thought/one sentence amongst many provides the hook, and pulls me up the ladder. perhaps one more rung. Of the million rungs ahead.
Ooh. that’s not such a happy thought anymore (:
and you, dear reader, are wondering what the hell I’m frapping about, sharing every single thought as it occurs. Perhaps I should take a writing class ? (:
It’s all OK.
I suppose. (:
Nina, Poonja/Gangaji were/are a good duo. Not my thing anymore. (I had done a lot of reading on them and Poonja’s teacher about 7-10 years ago). I think for me, inspite of Course fatigue (which is less today due to the thoughts above), the Course is the way to go. The spiritual buffet line has ended.
For a while I thought I had to choose one particular teacher within ACIM, like Ken, or Gary, or David, or Carrie… that that was also a kind of teacher buffet I was indulging in.
But now I have come to the conclusion that each of these wonderful human beings have something that speaks to me. Each of their methods of articulation can connect me on any given day or moment. And they come to my mind through various parts of the day, much as all of you do too.(although I don’t think they come to mind as much as each of you do – and that’s probably because I’m not actually communicating with them the way we do here on this so-very-helpful Village)
Methinks I’ve prattled on enough ! (:
hugs to all of you, and peace be with you, my friends.
a
Don’t take a writing class. It’s just judgeybug who whispers things to you and you believe him. Turn down his volume (-:
It is exactly the free-flowing river of your writing that makes me so happy. I am certain I am not alone in that delight. It is the lack of correcting and perfection that I enjoy, and which helps you come so near to us.
Going to the mall
loves to all
Nina
I am so glad we have the Course….
Without the Course – worst case scenario – we would all be running around
asking “Who am I?…What am I?….Where am I?…..” Like a 1950’s bad movie.
Best case scenario – we would just hate everyone, and be afraid all the time!
Well, yeah… then there’s that!
I just received the UK Miracles Magazine, and found this little gem:
Q: What did the Japanese
ACIM student say on finding
out that the fish he had just
eaten was radioactive?
A: “The piece of cod is shining
in me now”!
Enjoy your fish!