Fireside III

Salviac village bisIt 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.

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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.

1,011 Responses to “Fireside III”

  1. Pam says:

    OH, What a grand adventure Sir Winniekins. And the new awareness’s you find,wonderful. Bar keep, another round of ForGuinness please!(-;

  2. Annie says:

    I’ll raise my glass to another round of ForGuinness this morning! And the next round is on me Pam.

  3. Pam says:

    Jean, Yoo Hoo! You have been in my thoughts lately.

  4. Pam says:

    Quite awhile back Hedda shared an excerpt from Mark Twains “The Mysterious Stranger”. It is a short story (I read it in about 2hrs)and it is published in full at Wikipedia. I found it interesting and thought provoking. I think Mark was very close to non-dualistic realization at the end of his life.

    The wiki article about the story says it wasn’t finished but comeing from a non-dualistic thought system I think Mark did finish it. A dualistic thinking person might not get it though.

    Anyway for those that are interested here’s the link to the story

    http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Stranger

  5. Annie says:

    Thanks for the link Pam. The story immediately captured me and though it is short I can’t finish it right now. Will return to it hopefully soon.

    Where do you live Hedda? And what are you reading these days?

  6. Bernard says:

    Hey, Winnie, such a wonderful story. I can just see the kind of Outback bar you must have found yourself in! Pretty courageous sheila, I reckon. Such a grand experience of happiness and joining – the absence of all those judgments was palpable. Many thanks.

    Jean has made it back to NY where she has become very busy settling back in and working out a new phase of her life. She says she will try to visit the Village when she can and I know she sends her love.

    I haven’t heard from Hedda for a while but I believe she pops in still from time to time.

  7. Laura The Toddler Student says:

    Pam…fascinating story…The Mysterious Stranger…though am not finished reading…can maybe guess where the plot might be going. Thanks for calling this to attention.

    Hugs!

  8. Nina says:

    Laura – pinkie jinx!! xoxoxo

  9. winnie says:

    Thanks Pam i will look out for that book…
    Bernard… um actually i am nowhere near the Outback. I am travelling at snail’s pace and have had technical hold-ups to boot…..love to all xoxoox

  10. Nina says:

    Winnie dearest
    snail pace…
    yesterday I looked out the window at a
    darkbrown plank fence, and there were these
    exquisite dried-up snail trails :
    glimmering in rainbow colors –
    it looked gorgeous on all that brown –
    like trails of a fairy
    leaving her pixie-dust

  11. Laura The Toddler Student says:

    Nina…high five’s today! And xo’s back at ya!

  12. winnie says:

    aw Nina how beautiful !

  13. Annie says:

    Morning.

    Another day …another thread.

    But whose counting?

    And I mean that literally; who is doing this counting?

    I woke up from a most exhausting dream. Infact, I woke up from it a few times. Too
    early to rise I told myself to change the dream but always it returned to the same
    thing. The only way out was to just get out of bed and make my coffee. The feeling is
    still sticking with me.

    The basic message was: I can’t escape by running. I can’t outsmart, out think, and above all, I can’t trust anything I see…it’s all a lie.

    My only solace is I have The Course.

    The other day some guy named Murdoch spoke of being humbled…and I felt that was a perfect word to describe my process as well.

  14. a says:

    Morning, Annie !

    “tis a weird world indeed.

    I have nothing to say, and I have everything to say. But I’ll speak to you (all) in my mind. Too tired to write (:

  15. Tex ...to you says:

    My dearest Annie

    One of my fave lines in the beloved Course….
    Resonates with me all too often…..
    “You can’t escape insanity by going somewhere else.”

    Today my first thought (upon awakening)
    was about the carpet of time rolling up.
    [Thanks to WinWin’s beautiful words.]

    In my dream-like state – just waking up –
    the scene turned into a Monty-Python~esque
    view of outer space… with all the stars twinkling…
    And then, appeared this giant cosmic roll of paper towels….
    All rolled and unrolling….

    My first reaction was “How nasty of the ego to spoil the beauty of the dream!”
    On the other hand… maybe it’s a great thing to clean up with!
    Bounty – the quicker -picker upper?!
    Bountiful indeed!

    Hope your day gets better….
    Thinking of you!

  16. Nina says:

    Hi all – the dream has taken a violent turn in Norway – our first terror attack on the Government area in Oslo ,and simultaneously on an island close to Oslo. Don’t know the number of deceased, but many casualties.
    What is most prevalent are the frantic atmosphere and all the speculations from every corner. All the TV stations are sending the same program – like this is so very real.
    Seemingly, ti has to do with Al Qaida and revenge for Muhammed-drawings i the papers – but it has not been confirmed, and no-one has yet stepped forward and said ” we did it.” The bomb was momentous – the city looked like a bombed crater. The preminister and the government was not in the building.
    I am so grateful for living alone and not obsessing in front of the TV with someone else. I am so grateful I am not a journalist.
    This night I was dreaming of “frenzy”. I took it personal – well, I was the hero of the dream – and used the night to heal some frenzy-memories and choosing again for peace. The frenzy is now seen in the journalists and the speculations. They’re doing their jobs – and frenzy is part of that.
    We are told that this is the most dramatic day in Norway after the second world war.
    Me writing about it here is an attempt to place it where we all know that we live in a dream of our own making.
    Phew

  17. lawrence says:

    OK, This is long, and it was actually part of my last post to Pam, which when I read it again she must think I am nuts. It got too long and became it’s on entity. So here it is, the Fireside seems the place for it. I have been goofing off all morning now I must go back to work! Love you guys.

    Our cat Claudia had been missing for six days, she returned last night. When our daughter Kaitlyn was fighting cancer is when we got Claudia. We of course got Claudia for her. I think that weighed on my mind, more than I thought. One doesn’t have control over such things, and I was willing to accept it. But I am very happy that in my dream of what we take to be reality, this not so friendly cat has returned. She was a street kitten at one time, what they call a Ferrel cat, but we are good friends now.

    My wife Sharon and I are going to a U2 concert here in Pittsburgh next week. It is U2’s 360 Tour. The kids all had tickets but Sharon and I didn’t. As luck, or someone would have it, a good friend John Baum who owns a small business and who I used to work with, bought tickets for Sharon and I along with some other friends.

    So, the whole family will be there. Kaitlyn, had a Make A Wish granted, in 2001, and her wish was to meet U2. Sharon and Kaitlyn met them, and all the kids went to their concert in Tampa Florida, on U2’s Elevation Tour. I couldn’t go, but this time, we will all be there. It is fitting kinda a “360” thing as well, in that Kaitlyn will be going away for graduate study, at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a Masters of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy. She will once again be starting life anew.

    It is fitting because Kaitlyn’s ending her fight with cancer, is tied in with U2’s elevation Tour in 2001, because it happened at the end of Kaitlyns chemotherapy, and a new beginning for her. Though, It still had it’s challenges and unknowns to be dealt with, she was more than up for it.

    Now she goes off to Chicago the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, taking on incredible debt and with the same unknowns. But what is different now is she is no longer a child. Kaitlyn will turn 26 on August 11th, and she is moving to her new apartment in Chicago on the 1st. And I miss her already!

    Kaitlyn was home for a few days last week, and she had this video, a 10 minute speech on Hope she wanted us to see. As it turns out the video was Kaitlyn speaking for the ten minutes on her fight with cancer. She didn’t prepare at all for this talk she was to give. Having experienced it myself, I know well that it isn’t necessary to do so. She had lived it, and it lives on in a person who undergoes a year of severe chemotherapy.

    You don’t dwell on it, but it is always looking for some kind of sharing. A need to sound the alarm to warn people that it is as real as this world seems to be. And, You gotta be aware of that! But, no matter what comes your way in this world, there is always Hope, Always!

    Following is a link to the foundation where Kaitlyn gave her talk. I forget what is and is not allowed so I will just give you something you can search that will take you there. Sharon and I are very proud of her, and all our children. We are richer by far for their coloring our lives as they do. And I am richer by far in meeting you. All of you, writing and not writing. You have colored by world as well! Winnie is coloring the hell out of it even as we speak.

    lawrence

    Just search in Google kaitlynwittigsurvivor just like it is and at the bottom of the first paragraph is a link to her Talk.

    Much Love

    lawrence

    God bless us every one

  18. lawrence says:

    Nina I am so sorry! I normally check whats happening before sending a long post. I am so slow in my writing that the world could end before I finished. I send my love your way, and blessing and prayers to all those lost in such a needless tragedy. Those steeped in the course have a different slant on things, and it helps somewhat. But truth be told we are still travellers on path and the world around us is real enough at times!

    Peace, Love and Understanding

    lawrence

  19. Nina says:

    After yet another night of crazy tensions, I prayed to have a dream that would show me what was beneath them. I was seeing a frenzied cat going amok among huge chinks of raw meat = bodies.

    Listening inward to Blue, I was hearing that the frenzy came from many memories in this life (and others) – where I/my soul/ has been in situations with frenzy, and identified myself with that experience and terror.

    A dream is a dream. I am dreaming this dream. I want to turn off the projector and look with Jesus as what has always been inside the mind.

    As I turn inward and ask to align myself with Love, I am reminded how many times I have experienced unity and Oneness – and how I have known that my experience is truth. It is clear for me in this moment that BOTH frenzy AND Love can not be true. Frenzy belongs to the dream, and from my choice to believe that it was possible to separate from Love. I question that belief, and RIGHT NOW I choose Peace. If these frenzied acts were real – then God is not real.

    I am not responsible for what happened after the decision to believe in the TMI. I am responsible for choosing to accept the solution to this – the miracle.

    In Oslo, 5 hours ago, a terrorist attack was launched in the Government area. The Preminister and the Government are safe. The city is bombed, and looks like it. My daughter called with thin voice to ask if I was alive.

    Right now I am sitting under the Bodhi Tree with the Buddha and looking at Mara’s very convincing razzledazzleworks. I am grateful that we are there together.

  20. Nina says:

    Lawrence, I just had the pleasure to look at the video of Kaitlin. What a trooper she is. How proud you all must be!
    Reading my two lasts posts let me see that I must be a little more shocked than i thought.
    As look would have it though, I am in some minutes attending a free conference call in the Sedona method, where I will get help on the line to release some of the onslaught of emotions these last 48 hours.

  21. Nina says:

    Oh – the Sedona call was yesterday (:
    I was asking myself what I value in this situation, and waited for an answer. It came pretty fast: Now we are connected – if only in fear. It helps, in a weird way, to know that what I am feeling this moment – a kind of frenzy definitely – is not “my” frenzy, but a “Norwegian” frenzy. Still, I feel very much as a Norwegian.

  22. lawrence says:

    I am working, I just wrote a piece for my listing for a book titled “”the Years of Our Church” by Clarence J. Carlsen. Minneapolis 1942. The Forword states (in 1942) “Lutherans of Norwegian decent in the United States are about to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary or organized church work in their midst.

    That just seems crazy to me. I am going to fix the pictures for this listing, my first book having anything to do with Norway, except maybe war books. I have been selling books in one fashion or another for at least 15 years now, and today when it is bombed?

    So, We have a Norwegian friend during yet another attack claiming innocent lives. I am proud to have a Norwegian friend. And know, I would take away you bad dreams if I could. But alway’s know you have the power to do that, and you will.

    lawrence

  23. Nina says:

    Thanks, Lawrence – watching TV I sens that I am scared to shut it off – it feels like I am disconnected from Love – it’s all upside down. I am asking for correction. – it so happens that there also has been shot about 10 youths and children on a summer-camp for the governments political party – and that there is a connection with the bomb in Oslo. I sense the hate behind that, and also know that this is a smoke screen from the ego.
    I also see how wonderful the Norwegians are dealing with all of this. A wonderful and calm psychiatrist reminds us to be alert, but not nervous – that helped me a lot, and i sense a lot of Norwegians. All the youth at that camp are already collected with their families and are receiving all kinds of help to process the whole thing. The helpers seem calm, loving and professional. people are cuing to give blood.
    Maybe this shock may change people’s thinking – the consuming-thinking – and help change our minds just a little more toward being there for each others, connecting in any ways possible.
    Lawrence, I have tried to remove bad dreams – or work with them – fort at least 40 years. They still come – and since they are still there, i think they are that for a reason – to help me see the patterns that I still am clinging to, like frenzy: seeing that what I/we deeply repress within, comes as a bomb from outside. It is my hope that someone could write about this is the paper, in a way that is understandable for non-acimers. maybe it will be me.

  24. Nina says:

    I was dowsing for a helpful quote in this situation in my little helpful-quote-book, and got this: “WE are not asked to “overlook” a real attack that calls for punishment, because they are no real attacks that would ever call for punishment when we are in our right mind. This is not to deny that people do insane things that they intend to be hurtful to others, but nevertheless it can only be my ego-based interpretation that would lead me to perceive them as attacks against me personally.”
    The “me” here would be the Norwegian identity.
    That is a very helpful view – and not one who is shared by non-acimers.

  25. lawrence says:

    I Hope it is you Nina, that writes that book. I have known your for almost four years now I think. Just through our posting. Your spiritual presence goes before you woman. And I know real bad things happened to you in the past, and in the moments spent in dreaming at night the darkness of them can wreak havoc with our psyche. I have my own darkness that’s hard to shake. Alone and at night we make the perfect victim, but when we have our wits about us we can deny their reality.

    Nina,I go to bed knowing I might not control the dream at first, but when I don’t react as a victim when waking, then I move closer to the light within. On waking see the Jesus is holding your hand. He will watch with you what ever you need to look at, till yo no longer need to look. So you know, I was glued to the TV when the twin towers went down, and flight 91 wasn’t far from where we lived. I think you need to watch the events unfold. I think too that it puts you in a deeper place of understanding the contradiction in the waking and sleeping dreams. And that I think is very healing.

    Much Love

    lawrence

  26. Pam says:

    Lawrence dear of course you’re nuts and that is what I find so endearing about you; non-nuts are no fun in my book. (-; Glad the cat came back. Ooooo have fun at the concert.

  27. Pam says:

    {{Hugs Nina and all Norway}} Wow. I just read the article on MSNBC homepage. I’m glad to know you and your daughter are OK.

  28. Nina says:

    Could somebody lease wake me up – quick – there was no terrorist-act – it was a 32-year old blond norwegian, christian and right-wing, interested in hunting and bodybuilding (very symbolic isnt’t it –
    ego is death – he calmly aimed at the children and told them he was a policeman (he had dressed as one) – 80 dead youths/children has been found until now
    someday I will laugh, I am not there now
    thank God you are there – here
    please pray for me, sleep is f a r a w a y , it is almost morning

  29. Pam says:

    That was an act of terrorism just domestic instead of international.

    Sounds like our Timothy McVeigh that bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

    Pouring you a cup of chamomile tea with honey.

  30. winnie says:

    giving you big big hugs dear Nina…. will keep you and Norway in our hearts and thoughts at this very sad time ….. You’re right Pam it certainly was an act of terrorism… the only good thing about this tragedy is that it wasn’t al-qaeda…

    Tex – loved that the carpet of time turned into a giant roll of paper towels… tee hee..

    Lawrence – i just watched the video of Kaitlyn and can see why you are so proud of her. She’s a lovely young woman. It was an excellent talk especially considering she didnt even prepare ! How wonderful that she values honesty so much and it was clear she was particularly talking about self-honesty.. I wish her all the very best….

  31. Tex ...to you says:

    Nina – big hugs across the miles….
    And that cuppa tea…

  32. Nina says:

    Thanks for the good thoughts and hugs. I feel completely sauced into the whole thing. But the police and the helping folks are fantastic. I am in awe of the superorganisation of it all ( the help), and all the good things re connection that comes out of it. People bring flowers and candles to the disaster area in town – and I am reminded what a tiny country we are – just 4, 5 millions – so that connects us, and now everybody talks to everybody.
    They have already found out that the bombman also was a member of the mason lodge – oh did they got shocked when they learned that he had done this. And they found out that his bomb was made of the same sort of fertilizer as Timothy McVeigh’s bomb.
    I have today been able to look at my thoughts for less that one minute. Boy did that feel good. Since then, no luck – however much I intend it and pray for help to look. It feels lousy to fail in getting God’s help. It’s now almost 30 hours since the bomb, I have not slept and feel like bursting – but not able to sleep.
    Thanks for being there. And thanks for not giving good course-advices.

  33. Michele says:

    {{{{Hugs for Nina and All of Norway}}}}

  34. a says:

    {Nina}

  35. Pam says:

    The Foundations Q&A 827 is very good in relation to the events in Norway and the last paragraph also addresses Nina’s question from a few days ago in the Village Square about responsibility.

  36. a says:

    Hi Pam –
    Just read through 827. And perhaps it’s my state of mind right now, but the thought I came away with is “no wonder people find ACIM really a difficult path”… (:

    That answer left my head spinning (: – I can’t imagine ever discussing that answer with any of my friends that I hang out with in my “daily” life…

    Kind of relates to your comment to Lawrence on being “nuts” – from Heaven’s point of view, we’re nuts (: From this worlds point of view, we(ACIM students) are nuts (:

    Peace..
    a

  37. Nina says:

    Dear Village Family

    The Holy Moment

    In the morning, a strong impulse to turn on TV. It is an ecumenical memorial-service from our Oslo Cathedral, filled to the brim. A female bishop – Helga Byfuglien (her name would be, in English, Sacred City Bird-from-valley) is speaking. I am struck by the radiant simplicity and light in her soul, and her way of bringing forth the words for the feelings we all have in these days. Mentioning them all, she gives support to all who might have been ashamed of feeling this way. She asks God to be here, so we can feel His Presence. There are no “Christian” words of punishment, sin and evil, but a strong Sacred Presence. She says,
    “We are all sharing the same sorrow. We are not alone in this. Do not listen to the fear in your heart. It is far too easy to believe in that voice – but there is a way out, which goes through togetherness and unity with our brothers, and the beauty of sharing. This Unity has God placed within us.”
    She then reminds us where we have seen this Unity lately, and refers to the youths at Utøya – naming as example a young boy who with fear for his own life swam for two hours to the main land – carrying with him a wounded helpless young boy. She points to virtues coming forth in the midst of terror, the willingness to be there for someone else than ourselves- and the longing to share our love and grief: in our main paper today there is a photo of a main marketplace in town filled with flowers and candles – and around, a circle of many hundred people holding around each other. Adults and children.
    There is a silence emanating from that photo: a deep palpable sense of connectedness and Oneness.

    I am a part of that circle right here.

    Bishop Sacred Citybird continues:“Believe in Me. You are never alone” says Jesus – “ I am with you through this. There is room for all in the Love of God. – There is a deep tenderness where he gives us His hands and tells us he shares this with us – and so we can do the same with our brother.”

    I am acutely aware of ego’s perception of the sermon – I sense its fascistic contempt of this congregation that believes in “this God of separation” and not the “real God” of the Course – how stupid they all are. – The unpleasantness of this helps me recognize these ego-thoughts and judgments – I am just looking with ego! – and realize there is another way to see, and that I want the right-minded way. Immediately the ugliness disappears, and the rest of the service is immense beauty.
    Citybird: “The way through the pain is to be compassionate and see the other as yourself. Grief and evil can never be stronger than Love. And that’s why we hold each other in embrace today – in offering each other hope and love, in the remembrance of Him who created us to love each other.”

    It is amazing to sense the ego’s contempt at her last sentence – ego needs to teach her that” God did NOT create humans, and there are no plurals here.” The sense around these thoughts are repugnant and fascistic in its conviction that IT IS RIGHT AND EVERYBODY ELSE ARE WRONG AND MUST DIE. The words are true – but the condemnation around them makes them toxic.

    Which bring me to Anders Behring Breivik: the Son of God who played the devil’s part in our drama-dream.
    His face has from the first sight reminded me of a mediaeval knight from the crusades. Today in the paper, we read about his 1500pages manifest –and it has an image of the Knights Templar cross, which also adorned his uniform when he killed. I go to his “manifest” on Google and read about his conviction that he is a world-savior and Christian Martyr and a crusader ( and “King Richard Lionheart is my mentor”) and see that he is not crazier than any religious figure convinced he is RIGHT. My thoughts go to our saint St. Olaf who showed incredible cruelty and murder lust in converting his fellow Norwegians to “the right belief.”( I forgive him for that (:)

    It is liberating to remember how I have believed in ego’s argument, and don’t any more – I believe in the radiant Love in my fellow Son of God who attends the sermon, where it seems we are plural – but all the plural parts are just possibilities to see Love’s myriad expressions of Beauty.
    I love how I am seeing Love in everyone in this church.

    Our prime minister Jens speaks and cries and expresses that it seems like an eternity has passed since the massacre day just 2 days ago. This is so true. And with strong determination he repeats that nobody can remove our love or feelings of togetherness, and that we will restore Utøya to the symbol of love it always has been. The place he speaks from is soberness, and he tells us it is time to stop and feel and allow what is there to be there – and to be there for each other.

    There are times where his words are ego-based – and it is simple to see where he comes from, and love him and everyone who perceives in ego’s way – that includes me, most of the time (:. That is just an error. He talks about the dignity, warmth and steadfastness he has met, and my heart overflows once more. This is the heart of the Son of God. I sense a strong ego-pride when he says “we are a small and proud nation, but we will never give up our values. Our answer to terror is more democracy and more humanness.”

    This is seen with a smile.

    And he quotes a young woman who told him, “ If one man can show so much hatred – think about of how much love all of us can express together.”

  38. Nina says:

    P.S. I posted this on Garden. I think it belongs there.

  39. Bernard says:

    So, my dear ones, I join you all in this Village blessing for Norway, along with all the other unhappy countries in this world suffering from equal craziness. May we remember the truth of the Love that shall eventually erase all our painful conviction in this world’s horrors. May we all remember the reason for our having chosen this craziness, and that we no longer need do so. A moment of peaceful quietness can accompany us as we think fondly and tenderly of those who are in sorrow and loss, and also of those whose confusion led directly to these painful scenes.

    We are all deeply mistaken, all of us who have chosen this world as our home. And yet that mistake is so easily and miraculously undone the instant we remember that this need not be. We do have a choice; we do not need to carry our conviction in separation from Love and its subsequent guilt one instant longer. We can approach that holy place of silence within our hearts and learn from our magnificent Brother that our wish for true peace and release has been granted.

    We return to his side and look back on this world from a very different perspective, and comfort returns to our hearts. In our kind thoughts for everyone, the sorrowing victims and the confused victmizers, we share the greatest gift of healing: the recognition that we are all one family of mistaken children, mistaken but not guilty. Innocent, and still infinitely acceptable, and beloved of our Father. Let us remember the peacefulness that underlies all the scenes of distress in this world, and remind ourselves that Love is still true. So blessed are we to have found the truth now, and to let its kindness heal our wounded thoughts.

  40. Bernard says:

    I’m a bit on the run these days. Ran back home Friday evening but since it’s summer we now have family guests on the weekend, so a bit busy. Now Sunday evening I’m preparing for leaving again early tomorrow morning for a week’s work. My love to everyone this week, and all my appreciation for keeping our Village home filled with the love and light of your comments and thoughts. Lots of things I’d like to write about but that’ll have to come later. Love you all.

  41. winnie says:

    Oh Nina that is beautiful…… and so beautifully and honestly expressed… big hugs to you and all of Norway XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOXOOX

  42. Bernard says:

    Amazing how Q&A 827 is relevant to the happenings in Norway. As A says, it seems crazy from this world’s point of view. Yet all we have to do is make one little shift in our understanding, and all the pieces fall into place. If we shift gears and see that we are not bodies but mind outside the body far away from any physical experience, but that we now want to know nothing about this ‘other reality’, then we can understand why we make up such painful scenes in our lives: they appear to confirm in stark 3D liveliness what from the point of view of the abstract mind is not true at all. They appear to confirm that the separation and manifestation into bodies is true and real, and that the pain of that condition always lies in some horrific set of events in this dream world. These events seem to allow us to say, “The pain I feel is so clearly because of what’s going on in my body’s life – it’s certainly not got anything to do with some unspoken decision I’ve made in my mind to see myself as an entity separate and distinct from Love.”

  43. Bev says:

    This is worth reading thru to the end; a little lightness for us.

    Judas Asparagus
    If you need a laugh today, then this should do it!

    A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

    The Children’s Bible in a Nutshell
    In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.
    Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ and someone did.

    Then God made the world.
    He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet.

    Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one badapple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden…..Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn’t have cars.

    Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

    Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

    One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

    After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

    Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh’s people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

    God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbour’s stuff.
    Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humour thy father and thy mother.

    One of Moses’ best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

    After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me.

    After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then got barfed up on the shore.

    There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them.

    After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, ‘Close the door! Were you born in a barn?’ It would be nice to say, ‘As a matter of fact, I was.’)

    During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.

    Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

    Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

    But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

    Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminium. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.
    Luv Bev

  44. Nina says:

    Oh Bev. This is hilarious. And think how many children who believe stuff like this for years!
    I remember a Christmas Psalm I loved when little. It sounded like this ( in translation) “Here come your poor little ones,” – but “poor” and “arms” may sound alike in Norwegian, so I ( and many with me) thought the text was, “Here comes thy small(short) arms.” Nobody really wondered loud what that meant – but since it was psalm, it came from the upper store and we’d better respect ut :::giggles:::
    I hope Aluminium comes soon
    L O V E to all
    nina

  45. Laura The Toddler Student says:

    Bev…this was so funny that I had to read it twice to get all the laughs.

    Thanks for the laugh!

    Hugs!

  46. Annie says:

    My fav line was “Thy Lord Thy God is One…but I think he must be alot older than that!”

    Couldn’t help but notice the child had a Republican slant…which added to my suspicion that it may not have been written by a child at all, nevertheless, I couldn’t help but giggle all the way thru 🙂

    NIna: Wish I had brilliant morning coffee observations to share…I probably would if I had time but as of late things have sped up for me.

    My parents moved back in which meant we had to get an apartment for my daughter to move into (she didn’t mind giving up her room as you can imagine) So all that packing and set up kept me busy for a few weeks. Mom and Dad arrived last Wednesday and this week has just been about adjusting. Now that we are into somewhat of a routine Mark and I will be leaving on Sunday for a week to Paris; to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I figure there is not much I need to take but still I haven’t started any packing. All I know is that I won’t be bringing my laptop so my correspondences will be absent til at least the 7th.

    Still not sure if I can hook up with the Mayor-so close yet so far.

    Big Hugs to All
    Annie

  47. winnie says:

    Oh Annie how exciting ! I hope it will be every bit as romantic as it sounds….Boy you sure have a lot going on at the moment, so it is going to be wonderful to have a whole week in Paris

    Thanks for the laughs Bev….

    When i was a little girl, my father was amused to hear me sing “Glory glory how do you do ya”, instead of ” Glory glory Hallelujah”

    Then there’s the story of the little girl who named her teddy-bear, “Gladly”. Her mother told her that was a funny name. The little girl said that is was in the bible…. “gladly my cross I’d bear”

  48. Pam says:

    Thanks for the laughs Bev.

    Wow, that is alot going on Annie but cool 25 years and a trip to Paris wow again.

  49. a says:

    I sit by the FireSide for a long time.

    It’s empty – has been so for a few days now. Pam’s laughs from Bev’s posting echo gently through the room. This is a fun village indeed ! As the Mayor says, the love that people express here for each other, in their writings and sharings is very real – real glimmers of the Love that Is.

    I came here, smiling, having just finished a peaceful and lovely call with my Mother. I talk to her every Sunday – this time it so happened to be a Tuesday.

    I thought I would write up a short version of it, but now, sitting in this silence, with the gentle echoes of Pam’s laughter, thinking of Annie in Paris, (will she get to meet Mr. Major ?), I feel the silence deepening around me.

    It’s very quiet, late at night – if I sit here long enough, perhaps I will see the daybreak – my wife and child slumber in the cottage next door.

    Perhaps I should go join them.

    Blessings to you all, gentle neighbours. May your days and nights be filled with Peace.

    love,
    a

  50. Pam says:

    And blessings to you and yours a*. Rest well dear brother.

    “In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit preceive the cause, and looks not to the effects……….and you will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brothers joined with His. ACIM T-27