I am not the victim of the world I see.

Today’s lesson can be a difficult one to anyone who still believes in separation.

You are not the victim of the world you see. Everything that has happened to you, you caused. This can seem downright sick and cruel. I caused cancer? I caused rape? I caused murder? I caused sickness? I caused terrorists? I caused car crashes?

Most people can accept on some basic level that they cause the good stuff that is happening in their personal life. Most will agree they are the creator of their own destiny. Look at all the “secret of attraction” books. Look how many people believe in the power of positive affirmation. They say you attract and manifest riches as well as poverty in your own personal life, but very few people are willing to take the step of admitting the TOTALITY that they’re causing everything.

All of it.

The World Trade Center collapsing. The war in Iraq. The children starving in Africa.

If someone can lose 100 pounds and have a sexy body through proper nutrition and exercise, then why do we not apply that same power to everything else?

You must begin to start looking at this logically.

All power is given to you in Heaven and earth.

Jesus, after he has cured a man who was sick for 38 years, says in John 5:19-21 :
“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”

So, you’re going to do what Jesus did … and more … by allowing God to work THROUGH you.

But not while you play the role of a victim.

You are not helpless in the face of what appears to be happening to you.

If you are sick, you can absolutely change your mind and watch it disappear. It’s not magic. It’s the power of God, which is your mind.

While you play the victim, you have lost sight of WHO you are. You are the holy Son of God, limitless and innocent and free. Sickness is impossible.

One of my favorite sections in the text of A Course in Miracles is Chapter 8, Section VII, The Body as a Means of Communication.

“If you use the body for attack, it is harmful to you. If you use it only to reach the minds of those who believe they are bodies, and teach them through the body that this is not so, you will understand the power of the mind that is in you.”

Please read this text section today: The Body as a Means of Communication. Chapter 8, Section VII. You will absolutely be amazed.

(ps: Barnes & Nobles is having an after Christmas sale - you can buy A Course in Miracles for $8.95. Click the link. So if you don’t have a copy of the book yet, today is your chance.)

The Body as a Means of Communication is so incredible. It tells you “the removal of blocks, then, is the only way to guarantee help and healing.”

That’s why you should take advantage of the mind-training lessons and apply them in your own daily life. They are the fast track. They remove the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, in simple easy lessons. You don’t have to do anything except follow instructions.

One thing that will block learning is your insistence on past learning, or past experience, or to question the lessons, or to make exceptions.

And you will make exceptions. You absolutely will. So be prepared.

You will say, okay, maybe I did cause my relationship to fall apart because I was such a bitch but surely I did not cause myself to be sick. Surely that is some random thing in the universe that has nothing to do with me.

But look at it.

How is sickness caused?? Is there any explanation that could possibly satisfy you, or make any logical sense?

Just look at it. Some people smoke and drink and eat crap and live to be healthy till 100, and other people take care of their bodies, eat fresh organic fruits & vegetables, go to church, give money to charity, love their neighbors and are the kindest sweetest people in the world and they get cancer.

Can anyone explain this to me????

You can’t do it. There’s no explanation. People says it’s genetics, but that’s not entirely true all the time either.

Sickness, in worldly terms, is entirely random.

What about people who get into car accidents or who are murdered. Good people. Young responsible loving people. Can anyone explain that? You can’t do it. There is no logic in the world. None. Zero. There is no explanation for the bad stuff. And there is no explanation for the good stuff. Everything appears purely chaotic.

People make jokes about people whose time it is to die in a plane crash. What about the other 300 innocent bystanders on the plane with him??

What about people who win the lottery? What about those people who DON’T win the lottery?

You must begin to get logical in your mind.

Everything that is happening to you, you asked for, and receive as you have asked. And the purpose of everything is to help you awaken from your dream.

People pray to win the lottery, but you’ve seen what happens in many cases: people’s lives go entirely chaotic.

Why does everyone want to be rich or famous? Look at the rich and famous. Do they seem happy?

You say: I just want a little piece, a house where I can live and be comfortable.

here’s the difficulty: when you ask for a little piece of something in time & space, you get the whole ball of wax. When you ask for a piece, you get the whole.

So be careful and mindful what you ask for.

The entire scripture of Jesus is directing your mind to get with God. You gotta get out of time and space. Reside in Heaven, where there is no sickness, no chaos, no separation, no order of difficulties in miracles. Live in Heaven, all the time. Live under God’s Laws. Jesus says: “be in the world, but not of the world.”

Begin to recognize yourself AS A MIND.

You are not a body. You are not a victim.

Please read Chapter 8, Section VII today. It is important. The Body as a Means of Communication.

e-mail me when you have read it: lisanatoli2@gmail.com

Your first homework assignment.

And if you are feeling ambitious, continue on with the next section: The Body as means or End.

This will really help clear up any confusion. I want you to begin to see miracles. I want to give you everything. I want to help in every way possible.

There is no need to be afraid and there is no need to beat yourself up if “bad” things have happened to you, or you are sick, or if all seems hopeless. This is the starting point. Let the past go.

Forget about everything that has happened to you, and just simply do today’s lesson: I am not the victim of the world I see.

It’s very specific. It shows you that your outer world is identical to your inner world. The world you see is a reflection of the thoughts you hold in your mind about yourself and the world. This lesson is another step in releasing you from the prison house you have made.

It is your declaration of release: I am not the victim of the world I see.

“One moment of presence brings more light to the world than a thousand years of “good works.” In presence, all action is uncluttered and unsullied. It is spontaneity born from stillness.” - Tony Parsons

I love it.

Robert Frost says:

“We dance around in a ring and suppose.
But the secret sits in the middle and knows.”

When you know the truth, you will lose your necessity to do things in the old way. You will realize the futility and ridiculousness of expectation, motivation and goals. It all becomes meaningless because you recognize you have everything now.

I think everyone has experienced attainment of a lifelong goal, only to see it is empty and hollow. You realize that everything you were searching for was right in front of you the whole time in the simplicity of say, a dinner at home with your beloved on a Monday night.

Except the difference in presence is that you recognize THIS IS MY BELOVED sitting across the table. Where before that same exact dinner was just ho-hum routine, something to be endured, with a person who was a nuisance or worse yet, invisible. Complacency is the worst place to be. So open your eyes. Look at what is in front of you. An ordinary dinner can transform into the best thing in the world. If you are alone, become aware that you are NOT alone. Those you love are with you. It would be a perfect time to start communicating. In presence, you come alive. You see everything differently. Colors which were previously dull become vibrant. You become aware of tastes and sounds. Your heart opens up and you are filled with gratitude and joy.

It’s like you shed your old skin and uncover the YOU that was there all along, but buried under old ideas, habits, and routines. That spark becomes a bonfire, and all of a sudden, without any warning, you feel a need to MOVE. Your whole body is filled with passion, and your cells are flooded with light and life.

While it is happening, it can dreadfully uncomfortable. Think about it. To lose all your protective layers can be downright scary. But in truth, it is exhilarating. Just let it occur. Let yourself move.

Be a presence, today.

Don’t wait till some future time to start living.

To be a presence is to be a force and this is how healing is accomplished.

You simply come into a present state of awareness, which is now.

This moment is the one you’ve been searching for.

Maybe the reason I know this is because I’ve done a million interesting things and achieved my goals. I’ve eaten in the best restaurants, traveled around the world, and seen all my wishes fulfilled … and nothing beats hanging out with my cats.

I’m not joking. This is a great moment, right now.

No success in the world can compare to a quiet dinner at home. Or a bath. Or a good book.

Joy lies in the simple things that you have previously taken for granted.

You will find, after you have chased after all your dreams and achieved some level of success, that everything you were searching for was right in front of you the entire time but you were so preoccupied with future goals, that you were blind. You missed all the “ordinary” moments which were actually spectacular.

A Course in Miracles transforms the ordinary into the spectacular. Not by changing situations, circumstances or people, but by changing YOU.

There is nothing to achieve. Forget about all your striving and struggling, resisting and persisting, wishing and affirming … to attain some fantasy state in a non-existent future. That is child’s play.

What do you want to become? It is available to you today. The life you are so desperately chasing after is available to you today. The person you want to become is what you are now.

It’s just buried. Let the top layers go by remembering the truth.

There is only the gift of vision. Open your eyes. You are all light. What you have been searching for is available to you now.

Let’s not waste any more time.

Lesson 30 says: God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

Everything you look upon exists only in your mind, and your mind is the Mind of God.

Pure creation.

So everything you are looking at is an extension of the Love of God. Projection is translated into extension. Everything transforms instantly before your very eyes.

Where before you tried to understand ‘is this the ego? or is this God?” … now you realize that everything is God. There is no ego.

Because God is in everything.

Where is the ego if God is in everything????

If you are thinking there is an ego - either in you or someone else - you are trapped in dreams. You’ve forgotten the truth. You’ve forgotten everything. Stand still and remember:

God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

There is no such thing as an ego. God is everything there is. There are no separate bodies, doing separate things.

There is only you, coming alive. Recognizing your own perfection in God. Recognizing everyone else’s perfection in God. It’s all you. This is your world, complete in all its details.

It’s all God.

I think one of the most difficult things people struggle with is how to have “an experience.”

I get this question a lot.

People want to have an experience of light, an experience that transports them out of their ordinary routine, an experience of knowing God, an experience of peace, joy, love and relaxation.

Here’s the problem: too many people writing books and giving seminars about how to reach God, acting like “an experience” is something you achieve. That’s the falsity. Nothing comes later in time. Nothing is in the future. Everything happens now. The experience you’ve been waiting for happens right now … and it is today’s lesson.

God is in everything I see.

God is in the computer. God is in the words you are reading on the screen. And further, they are your own thoughts. There is no Lisa. These are your words. There is only you, looking at your own ideas and projected images … and God is in everything you see.

I’m in your dream. You asked for a solution and you got me.

You are looking at God when you look at the coffee cup. You are looking at God when you stand before a friend, a stranger, an enemy, a cashier at the supermarket. It’s all God.

God is in everything you see.

Today’s idea is the whole basis for vision.

You’ll start to see differently.

You’ll begin to understand why you must let all your past concepts go, including all your ideas that you already had a grand experience in the past. What is over is over and you cannot repeat that experience again. It happened already. You want a new experience, and it won’t happen while your mind is still trapped in something that happened a month ago, a year ago, or 10 years ago.

Just clear your mind and be present here today.

Today is the new beginning.

God is in every moment. God is in every person. God is in everything.

He’s everywhere.

As you start to grasp this idea, you’ll start to feel a new energy rising in you. You’ll start to get excited. You’ll start to feel joy. You’ll start to feel like you can relax, like everything is going to be okay.

That’s the experience of God.

It’s not anymore complicated than that. It’s simple. Forget what other people say about leaving their bodies. What a tremendous waste of the power of God. What abuse. What mindless magic. Stop testing God.

You’re waiting to have an experience, forgetting entirely that you will never see this moment - that one that is happening right now this minute - ever again. This moment is what Heaven is, and you are missing it while you wait for something “to happen.”

When you start connecting to the idea that God is in everything you see, the images you see will change. Your world will change. Your relationships will change. Your depression and anger will fade away into nothing. Your memories will change. Nothing happened the way you thought it happened.

I’m in your mind. That’s how we know each other.

Today’s lesson says: “Try to begin to learn to look on all things with love, appreciation, and open-mindedness.”

Isn’t that great? Wouldn’t that be an amazing way to live? To look on everything with appreciation, love and open-mindedness.

I cannot think of a single reason why NOT to love everything.

What have you got to lose?

What reason do you have for judging or defending yourself? Has it ever brought you peace, love or appreciation? Why would you hold back from anyone?

Can you imagine a world where your heart was wide open and you were loving everyone equally?

All that is needed is for you let go of perception and judgment, and you’ll see clearly. Because it is Christ within you who is looking.

It’s a magnificent gift to see clearly, and it is given to you today that is be accomplished in you.

Simply lay aside your human attributes and you’ll have an experience of God, of love, of peace, of joy, of light.

Right here and right now.

Okay, I’m totally late.

I spent the entire day yesterday, from morning to night, cooking a 3-course meal (which was awesome, if i may add) for my friends wedding which was last night.

So I gave myself the luxury of sleeping in this morning.

I’m still in my robe. The coffee is brewing.

But I’ll have a new post up soon, along with today’s audio.

Above all else I want to see things differently

Yesterday, while sitting in church, I saw an old situation (that has been plaguing me for years) differently.

I couldn’t believe it. I actually began to see things differently. I had been repeating yesterday’s lesson all morning:

Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.

And then all of a sudden I had a thought: be a little child.

and another thought: The Joy Diet.

and then another thought: be happy.

This might seem like thoughts of zero consequence, but to me they were revelatory.

For those of you who know me you know I go back and forth, and round and round with rules of behavior around dieting and exercising. It is a lifelong pattern. It is completely and utterly insane, all in attempt to weigh a self-imposed number on a scale: 135, which is 30 pounds less than I am now.

But for those of you who know me, I can’t stick with a diet. Not to save my life. One week I am vegan, the next week I am eating cookies, the next week I try raw foods, the next week I am eating cheese.

So to back up this story briefly, I got a gym membership for Christmas. The first three weeks, I resisted like crazy. I went 1-2 times/per week (5 times in 3 weeks to be exact) and dreaded every second. I hated it. I kept thinking I should go more, and that maybe if I could lose 10 pounds then exercising would suddenly become fun.

Ha. Not.

Running (eh hem, walking) on a stationary machine (with 4 tvs blaring in front of me with commercials, soap operas, court television and Dr. Phil) is not my idea of fun.

So last week my friend Marielle asked me to go the gym, but to the pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub. I WAS IN HEAVEN. Oh my God. I can’t believe this is my gym!! I am the luckiest girl alive. It never entered my mind that a gym could be a fun place to go. For me, always, the gym experience equals a prison sentence.

So we were in the sauna, and it’s like being in a DAY SPA.

Then we spent 45 minutes in the pool doing laps (it’s the largest pool I’ve ever seen in my life, almost 10 feet deep at the deep end), then the hot tub, steam room, and more sauna.

I never felt so good in my entire life.

So I went to the “gym” every day last week, totally loving every minute of it.

I’m being nice to myself. I’m having fun … and I’m glowing.

So a few nights ago, a new energy hit me sideways. I suddenly felt an urge to MOVE like a little kid. So I spent two hours jumping around my room, dancing to Gloria Estefan and songs from the 80’s. What is amazing is that a 5-minute dance song can leave you breathless, with your heart pumping like crazy.

More exercise than any 30 minutes I’ve ever spent walking on a treadmill.

I love dancing. Last year my friend Marielle and I decided to do a dance routine - Hot Honey Rag from the movie Chicago - and it took us six weeks to perfect a 4 minute dance routine. I loved those six weeks. All we did was laugh and have fun and sweat like crazy.

So this whole week, I’ve been playing like a kid. I’ve been doing what I love. I’ve been laughing.

Then the other night I found our next dance routine - The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders dancing to Gloria Estefan - and it’s going to require us to buy pompoms.

Ha. I’m psyched. I definitely want those white boots. Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down. I love to hear percussion.

There’s a dance room at the gym we can use, with mirrors on one whole wall.

So for this whole week I’ve forgotten entirely about food rules and dieting because I’ve been having so much fun playing.

And then yesterday in bible, it hit me: Jesus says be a child.

Little kids do not restrict themselves with stupid adult rules. They don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. They tear around the front lawn like it’s the best activity in the world, and then beg to stay outside after it’s dark so they can play some more. They don’t worry about money. They don’t put themselves on a diet. They eat what they like, and stop halfway through so they can go back outside and play.

Totally boundless energy … that’s what I am and that’s what I want.

I’m asked to let go of all my ideas, so that something new can be revealed to me. The beauty of the workbook lessons is that they WORK.

Today’s lesson is a continuation of yesterday’s lesson:

ABOVE ALL ELSE I WANT TO SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

All this means is let go of all your preconceived ideas, stand still, pause, stop, observe, and say “Above all else I want to see things differently.” This simple practice will allow a new vision to come to you.

Just practice.

I love you.

Above all else I want to see.

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. ~unknown

I think a better quote would be: In the land of the blind, a clown is king.

Today’s lesson asks you to simply repeat the lesson every half hour, preferably more times: every 15-20 minutes.

Simply repeat the lesson to yourself in every situation: ABOVE ALL ELSE I WANT TO SEE.

You are instructing your mind what you want. This is the end of meaningless goals. You want to see, above all else.

Above all else, I want to see.

You’ve been blind and deaf your whole life. Now you’re coming alive. Your eyes are beginning to open, at last.

I cannot be stated enough: there is no process to “enlightenment”. There is no journey. There is only recognition of what you ARE already. You can see. You can hear. You can be in a constant state where there is only love.

Trust me.

Everything you are searching for, exists in you this moment. You are the treasure. You are the goal. You are the Holy Grail. Everything you are looking for is inside you, and waiting for you to acknowledge it.

“Enlightenment” is recognition of yourself as God created you. It is awareness of your own perfection in God. It’s not some special state that only a few can achieve. If someone tells you they are enlightened, run the opposite direction.

It would be like a girl telling you: “I’ve achieved a special state: I’m a girl”

Duh. How obvious. There is nothing special about it.

This whole charade of “enlightenment” is the reason why so many people are confused.

I love the quote (album) by Ben Lee: “AWAKE IS THE NEW SLEEP”

haha

No one has to tell you they are enlightened. You’ll be able to see it plainly for yourself. It’s the most natural thing in the world and that’s why you can let go of all your ideas that you are not worthy or holy enough or smart enough, or that you haven’t had a chance to go sit on a mountain top to meditate. The path to God is not for a select privileged few.

It is for you.

You can breathe, right? And it’s not difficult, right? You do it with no effort. You do it without thinking. It comes naturally.

Then you can see.

All day long remind yourself: Above all else, I want to see.

My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.

Today’s lesson is basically the last one that involves cleaning away the cobwebs, pulling up shallow roots and cleaning out the basement, attic, closets, under the bed, etc.

Lesson 1-26 gut out & excavate attack/fear thoughts from your mind. These early lessons are designed to show you your own responsibility for everything you see. They also show you the source of both the problem and the solution: YOUR THINKING.

So these lessons all build upon each other. They are part of a holographic Whole that are designed to remove fear and leave you in a state of love, grace, gratitude and appreciation.

If you have been practicing correctly for the past 25 days (one lesson a day, and following the instructions), then you begun to develop a new way of seeing, thinking, responding and interacting.

It should, by now, be reasonable to you to STOP and PAUSE before reacting to anyone or anything. You have begun to OBSERVE your world instead of mindlessly participating it, oblivious.

By now, Day 26, you should be having some light experiences that leave you slightly breathless that the “guy out there” is you.

You have learned that everything that is happening to you, you caused. All the pain and all the good. You caused it. This should begin to make you happy because you realize that all you have to do to change the world you see is to change your mind.

Simple.

You have learned to look beyond form and appearances and you begin to respond only to the Christ in your brother. You stop being deceived by words and actions. This is what it means to develop Christ vision: you begin to see truly.

You have learned to stop categorizing good vs bad, right vs. wrong. Now you simply categorize things into truth vs. illusion. There are no shades of gray anymore. Either something is true or false. There is no in-between.

That which is changeless and eternal is true, that which is perishable is false.

You’ve learned there are only two emotions: love and fear. And what is not love is a call for love.

Love is real and fear is false.

You have started to listen better. You listen now with a new attentiveness, to both what you are saying to other people and what other people are saying to you because you realize you are looking at a mirror reflection of your own mind.

It’s a very cool thing, placing you in a state of wonder and amazement.

You start to look at the tiniest blade of grass and think: I made that. You look at your kids, your job, your body, your friends, your house, your pets, your meals, your love life (or lack of one) and you say: I made these things.

I thought all this into existence.

I did this.

And hopefully you have started to ask the question: DO I LIKE THE WORLD I SEE?

Because if you do not like the world you see - a world of chaos, confusion, loneliness, depression, fear, jealousy, anger, guilt, and loss - then you simply have to change your mind.

All this … in 25 days.

If you have not started to practice the workbook lessons, I highly suggest it. Get a copy of A Course in Miracles and read the Introduction and start on Lesson 1. Do one lesson a day. You can find corresponding lessons and audio starting back on January 1, 2008. Just scroll down. Do not jump in where we are. Start at the beginning. Lesson 1-26 are ultra important. Coming to Gorgeous for God every day and listening to the audio is NOT enough. You must buy the book and begin to practice on your own. Your active participation is necessary if you want to begin to see results.

Coming to this website without practicing on your own would be like watching an exercise video from the couch while eating popcorn. It would be like getting a book on yoga and then just looking at the photos and diagrams without ever leaving your chair. You need to get up and move. You need to stretch your body in the way the pictures suggest. You need to be active in order to see a change.

So buy A Course in Miracles and begin to practice. Stretch your mind.

These lessons clean out the dust, muck and crap. It’s like taking a hose and blasting you with a huge dose of light. These lessons go right into your memories, your cells, and dissolve what does not belong there in the holy Mind of the Son of God, which is you.

Lesson 26 is awesome. It’s a good one.

Repeat today’s idea - My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability - then close your eyes and review unresolved questions whose outcomes are causing you concern. The concern may take the form of depression, worry, anger, a sense of imposition, fear, foreboding or preoccupation. Any problem as yet unsettled that tends to recur in your thoughts during the day is a suitable subject.

I am concerned about ____________

Then go over every possible outcome that has occurred to you in that connection and which has caused you concern, referring to each one specifically, saying:

I am afraid __________ will happen.

After you have named each outcome of which you are afraid, tell yourself.

That thought is an attack upon myself.

!!!!!!!!!!!

This is amazing. You are not trying to solve your problems. You’re simply realizing that you are attacking yourself … ALL … DAY …. LONG.

No wonder you get sick. No wonder you’re afraid. You attack yourself from morning to night.

I am concerned about (money, my job, my relationship, my kids, my house, my health)

I am afraid the bank will take the house away, my kids will get hurt, I’ll get sick, I’ll lose my job, I won’t have money for retirement, my partner will leave me for someone else … and so on.

Then:

THAT THOUGHT IS AN ATTACK UPON MYSELF.

It’s the opposite of what you’ve thought about attack. Up to now you’ve probably thought of attack as someone yelling or being physically abusive.

But now, you’re realizing your attacking yourself all day long.

I’m concerned about this meeting. I’m afraid I’ll be late for work. I’m afraid I’ll forget what I’m supposed to say and lose my job. I’m afraid I’ll look like a fool. I’m afraid someone with more experience will shine brighter. I’m afraid I’ll never be good enough. I’m afraid I’ll never find my purpose in life. I’m afraid I’ll never get married.

And on and on and on and on and on. All day long. You’re concerned and afraid about something. All day long.

And then you think: That thought is an attack upon myself.

And finally, when you begin to realize you are the HOLY HOME OF GOD HIMSELF, you will make a decision to stop attacking yourself. You will make a conscious decision to stop being concerned and afraid.

Concerned and Afraid is an attack upon yourself.

Just stop it.

If you missed this Bob Newhart Youtube video when I posted it a week ago, here it is again. It’s brilliant:

When you see excellence, you should try to surpass it.
When you see the opposite, examine yourself. - Lao Tzu

I do not know what anything is for.

This lesson will help you stop classifying things as “good” or “bad”, “big” or “little”, “important” or “unimportant”.

Today, you are taking another step in recognizing that everything is meaningless and that you have given it the meaning that it has for you.

Period.

Everything you see is based on your own perception.

There is no good or bad. There is no right or wrong. There is no nice and evil.

There is only love.

The murderer is identical to the good Christian girl.

They are exactly the same.

Bodies are meaningless.

So whatever you see here in the world - it could be anything - a relationship, a cup, money, a job, a situation, a baby, a location, a town, a book, a monument, a marriage, a car, a street - it has no meaning, except the meaning you have given it.

As long as you look upon the form of anything, you are blind to the true meaning that lies beyond the appearance.

This is the reason for today’s lesson: I do not know what anything is for.

You see only form. You think you know what your body’s eyes show you - you believe you know what a pencil, a cup, a hand is for - but in fact, you’re not really seeing anything.

This is the reason for the early instruction in the workbook lessons to let go of all of your ideas about everything. Wipe the slate clean. Stop trying to understand.

“It is crucial to your learning to be willing to give up the goals you have established for everything. The recognition that they are meaningless, rather than “good” or “bad” is the only way to accomplish this. The idea for today is a step in this direction.”

You have to get above the level of understanding in order to see clearly. Einstein says “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them.”

It makes perfect sense. You have to get above your problems. You have to get above your ideas of understanding. Since you are a mind (and not a body), this is a very simple thing to achieve. You just rise up “above the battleground” and get with God.

This is accomplished by clearing a space, standing still, doing nothing, following instructions, having willingness, and faith the size of a mustard seed.

Quite often when you travel along a “spiritual” path, there will be many “rules of behavior” and you have to be careful because those very rules designed to free you can further bound you in time and space. This is how religions are built, and you will notice - they keep the separation in place. The sinners vs. the righteous. The damned vs. the saved. All meaningless.

So be mindful to let all your ideas about everything go every single day because you are changing all the time. In Heaven there are no rules of conduct. There is no right or wrong. There is no good or bad. There are no levels, degrees or intervals. Everyone is equal. There is only love.

And yes, I have been known to instruct people based on instruction that has been given to me. Year ago I was asked to give up meat, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs and I followed instruction. It worked for me. I started to experience a new clarity of mind. I began to experience a new kind of joy. But people who eat meat or drink alcohol are neither good nor bad, and the only rule I am asked to follow is: DON’T JUDGE.

There is no good or bad.

There is only true or false.

This path is not about other people, so don’t worry about what they are doing.

This path is about you. Just look at yourself. As YOU change, THEY will change because “they” are an effect of the thoughts you think about yourself.

You help “other people” by helping yourself. This is the reason you don’t have to change anything outside yourself. Stop trying to change your husband, children, and friends. Let everyone be exactly as they are - recognize the perfection - and “they” will change as you change. It’s a miracle.

The value for me in giving up meat, cigarettes, and alcohol had nothing to do with the thing itself, but with the fact that I was demonstrating my ability to follow instructions.

I made a decision to stop harming myself and to let Jesus tell me what to do.

My whole life I’ve been running my own show. Doing what Lisa wants to do. The Queen gets what the Queen wants. If someone told me not to do something, I would do the very thing I was told not to do. I was constantly breaking rules, marching to my own drum, and basically doing whatever the hell I wanted with no regard to anyone but myself.

And along comes Jesus and says: Follow me.

Follow instructions, Listen to what I say, and Do it. For the Love of God and for the Love of all your brothers who are One with you.

So I am telling you this so you do not get trapped in rules of conduct you picked up along the way. You are asked to let go of all your ideas that came before you started this journey, and you are asked to let go of all of your ideas that you picked up in the last 25 days. Simply open your mind in every new moment.

Release every thought, habit, and routine that came before this instant, and just do the lesson.

Every day is a new beginning.

You are a mind. You are spirit. You are whole and perfect. Honor the spirit within - in yourself and others.

A Course in Miracles heals the separation. It will remove all your ideas of guilt from your mind. And sometimes we are so bound to things in time that for a moment it is good to give them up, not because of the “thing” itself is harmful but because your belief has you deeply grounded in guilt. As you let a thing go - harmful relationships, particular foods, addictions - the guilt is loosened. The fear rises to the surface, and then you can look at it and give it to the Holy Spirit … and it is removed forever.

All this path requires is that you be willing to actively participate in your own transformation. The fast track is to practice these lessons in your own daily life.

I can guarantee you will begin to witness miracles.

I do not perceive my own best interests.

I love this lesson. It’s so practical it will blow your mind. You will see why nothing new every seems to happen for you. You’ve been conflicted about what you want.

This lesson will show you that you have many different goals, on several different levels and that many of your goals are contradictory.

Today, you’re going to find unresolved situations about which you are currently concerned … then you are going to list all the goals you want to occur in the situation. List them all. You will see that many of these goals conflict with each other.

This is the reason you do not perceive your own best interests, because you don’t know what you want.

In this situation involving my relationship, I would like to be married and have that bond of commitment and I would like to be independent and free.

In my living situation, I would like to live in a big house and I would like to live as simply as possible so that i am free to travel whenever I want.

In this situation involving work, I want to write and travel and inspire people, and I would like to be able to work from home.

It’s funny when you look at it. I want to travel and stay home? Which is it? I want to live in a big house and not be burdened by worldly things. I don’t even know what I want.

I do not perceive my own best interests.

This lesson will begin to clear your mind and bring you into a singular goal.

Find all unresolved issues and list all the goals you want to happen. What this lesson will uncover for you is that you actually don’t know what you want in any situation.

“You will recognize that many of your goals are contradictory, that you have no unified outcome in mind, and that you must experience disappointment in connection with some of your goals, however the situation turns out.”

This lesson is a step toward opening your mind so learning can begin.

What do you want?

I want to be happy. Knowing this, it doesn’t matter what happens - marriage or no marriage, big house or no house, stay home or travel. It doesn’t matter anymore. I do not perceive my own best interests. I just know I want to be happy, and nothing else matters … and everything lines itself up to help me meet my one singular goal to be happy.

The audio is back up. I’m going to move over to a different audio program in the next day or two. We’ve already found a new system that looks awesome, and you will love it, but it’s still in construction mode and I’d rather complete it before sending you over to a place where there is still much work to be done.

It just occurred to me right now as I’m typing that I should keep Talkshoe and have the audio in two places in case one fails.

“I am only one, But still I am one.
I cannot do everything, But still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
~ Edward Hale

I love Chapter 25 in A Course in Miracles. It says I have a particular function, that is specific and individual to me. I love this. It means I’m not in competition with anyone. You have your function, and I have mine.

“Such is the Holy Spirit’s kind perception of specialness; His use of what you made, to heal instead of harm. To each He gives a special function in salvation he alone can fill; a part for him alone. Nor is the plan complete until he finds his special function and fulfills the part assigned to him, to make himself complete within a world where incompletion rules.”

I love that.

Somewhere in the Course it says: You will not be happy until you find your function for God and fulfill it.

It is the most true statement I have ever encountered. I am only happy when I am in a state of love. I am only happy when I am giving. I am only happy when I am extending the joy I feel. I am only happy when I am inspiring people, and feeling like I am making a difference.

And I am MOST happy when I am writing.

I get to be myself. I get to do what I love. The Holy Spirit is not asking me to sacrifice, or to do something I don’t want to do. He wants me to be happy and to do what I love.

For me it is a deep desire to communicate. I’ve always been this way, ever since I was a little girl. Always with a pen in my hand. Always drooling over Smythson of Bond Street stationery and leather bound journals. My most memorable Christmas gift was a silver Cross pen. You should have seen me in Florence Italy. It was like I’d died and gone to paper heaven.

I love paper. I kiss it … like the best friend that it is to me. I adore it. I cherish it. I absolutely love it. I love the way it smells. I love the way it feels. I love lounging in my bed with a stack of books on one side of me, a journal, a pen, and my cats peacefully sleeping while I read and write. It absolutely doesn’t get any better than that.

Writing for me was always a hobby. I never in a million years considered it a profession. It never occurred to me to even TRY to get paid to write. I knew I liked writing, but I didn’t think anyone would ever be interested in what I had to say. I have a deep memory of always starting to speak up and then someone else speaking over me - like I was invisible - and the whole group turning to the other person and ignoring me. I was constantly getting cut off mid-sentence and I’d sit there feeling like an idiot, unheard and unseen.

So I wrote.

At least my journal listened to me. At least I could finish my sentences without being interrupted.

I’ve spent my life writing.

Love letters. Cards. Journals.

Leo Tolstoy is my all-time favorite writer for the sheer number of times his characters write notes and invitations. Have you ever read Tolstoy? All people do all day long is write notes and send them across town on horseback.

It’s marvelous.

Writing is my first love. It’s my true love. It’s where I’m at home. It’s the place where time ceases to exist. It’s the ultimate luxury and the ultimate comfort, and it’s my favorite thing in the world.

I want you to think about what you really love to do.

What moves you? What inspires you?

The goal of A Course in Miracles is to “know thyself”.

You need to know how your own individual energy moves. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Find what moves you.

What do you love doing the most?

I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.

We’re on Day 23!! Wow. It’s been 3 weeks already. How’s it going?

You should be experiencing some happy changes by now.

The other day I wrote “if you say you are happy all the time, then I say you are a liar” and what that means is to come into an honesty and not try to sugar-coat things with your own ideas of happy and nice. Just be honest and see if you are truly happy with constant love as your daily experience or is “happiness” just a face you wear? Be honest. Beyond fear and anger is a happiness that endures forever, and is constant.

And that’s where we’re headed. We are uncovering the crap to get to the light, to get to the treasure.

I have found for myself, through the practice of the lessons of A Course in Miracles, is that I am happy - truly happy - almost all the time. I love my life. I love what has happened to me. I still have brief moments where I go through pockets of fear or confusion, but it’s very rare, and in these moments I have developed the ability to change my mind about everything in the minute it occurs … so those downswings come and go and I don’t even remember them.

It’s like going through pockets of dark energy and I move swiftly through them.

The trick is not to pick up any of that dark energy. Just move through it, and leave it behind. If someone says something mean to you, just move through it. You don’t have to respond. And you definitely don’t have to take it personally. Let it go. Don’t pick it negativity and darkness. It’s not worthy of the Son of God.

You deserve only love and full appreciation.

And you should be giving only love and full appreciation.

In situations when someone is attacking me I say silently: I’m doing this to myself. I want the peace of God. I don’t want conflict. I can see this situation differently … and in that instant, everything shifts. The whole picture changes.

I’ve learned that when I don’t pick up conflict, it doesn’t cling to me.

I don’t participate in drama anymore because I want to be happy and fulfill the function God sent me here to do.

I’ve chosen not to be a human being anymore. It’s much more fun to be the Light of the World. It’s much more rewarding to extend the light of Heaven here on earth than it is to participate in the nonsense.

This is what A Course in Miracles is really offering: the ability to change your mind in every situation. There is always another way of looking. Always. There is always another way of responding. Always.

I noticed recently that I’ve lost the ability to attack.

It’s an astonishing thing. I have trained my mind sufficiently to STOP before responding to anything. When I’m talking to someone, I remind myself “this guy is me, and we are One in God together.” When i do this, i find that I listen differently. I pay more attention. This is the holy Son of God talking to me! I want to hear what he has to say! I don’t want to attack him. I want to honor him. I want to love him. I want to give him everything.

This is the real miracle. You get aligned with God all through the day. You STOP first before responding to anything. There is a pause now where before you used to go charging ahead, oblivious.

Now, you stop before writing that e-mail. You stop before opening your mouth. You stop before gossiping. You stop before complaining. You stop before buying a super-size chocolate bar that you think will make you feel better. You stop before going on a wild shopping spree because you are bored and lonely.

You stop.

And you ask for guidance.

You ask for what you really want.

For me it boils down to this: I just want to be happy.

Maybe that chocolate bar or shopping spree will truly make you happy - it’s not good or bad - but at least be sure so ASK first if that’s what you really want … or is it simply to fill an empty hole? Get into the practice of stopping, pausing and asking what you really want before you do anything.

From the 50 miracle principles from the text: “God is the giver of life. His Voice will direct you very specifically. You will be told all you need to know.”

See?

So ask about everything … and you will be told SPECIFICALLY what to do.

Get into the habit of talking to God.

I don’t want conflict. I don’t want to feel sick. I don’t want to put myself in a situation that I’m going to have to fix later. I want to be conscious of my thoughts, behaviors and actions. Thank you very much. I want to be awake. I don’t want to sleepwalk through life. I want my life to be a full creative expression of the Love I feel.

How simple.

And the way this is accomplished is by giving up attack thoughts.

It’s a conscious choice. I choose to respond to everything with love. I choose to drop the grievance. I choose to forgive. I choose to see only the good in everyone, and forget everything else.

The audio is still not working. I got an e-mail from Talkshoe yesterday that says they had a “hardware failure” the night before and needed to replace the system. They said everything was supposed to be back up and running yesterday, but not so. The system is still down. Sorry.

What I see is a form of vengeance.

For some odd reason, today’s audio lesson is not loading on Talkshoe. I’ve tried uploading it 3 times. They are a new website and I think they have too much traffic. That’s what I think. Hopefully the audio shows up soon. Thank you for your patience.

In the meantime, you can do today’s lesson on your own.

What I see is a form of vengeance.
I see only the perishable.
I see nothing that will last.
What I see is not real.
What I see is a form of vengeance.

You must begin to give up attack thoughts. Practice, practice, practice. We are only on Day 22 and you are asked to apply these ideas in your daily life. I’m asked to apply these lessons in my own life.

Attack thoughts are the reason you see a world of vengeance. These thoughts won’t go away magically … you must make a conscious decision to GIVE THEM UP. You must begin to stop having ideas of worry, conflict, grievances, jealousy and anger. JUST STOP IT.

Stop it.

Stop worrying. Stop bitching. Stop complaining. Stop cooking up ways to get even with other people. Stop trying to prove yourself. Stop competing with other people. Stop being angry.

These ideas do you no good.

They serve no purpose. They only harm yourself and create a world of conflict.

Knowing this, why would you hold attack thoughts about anything???

You may still think you can secretly hold an anger idea and not see the effect. You think you can be pissed off at other people and remain unaffected. Be careful. There is a universal law of cause & effect. You are not exempt. You cannot escape the thoughts you hold in your own mind. You will get the effects, guaranteed. Attack thoughts are the cause of all problems and sickness.

Jesus says “you must be born again.”

Today would be a great day for that.

Born again. Your Birth Day. January 22, 2008.

To be born again means you have no reference to the past. It means you are brand new today. This is the fast track. It means you don’t have to fix anything that came from yesterday or 10 years ago or 20 years. It means you don’t know anything. You are a new born baby, with no reference to anything at all. You just got here.

You’re standing in the light of brilliance of your own magnificence.

You’re perfect as a newborn baby.

What is it so difficult for you to accept the fact that you are brilliant, magnificent and gorgeous?

Be only that. Be your best self, without the layers of negativity. Be bright. Be brand new. You’re the light of the world.

Happy Birthday.

This is cool:

A Course in Miracles Satellite

Get A Course in Miracles RSS feeds on your Google Reader. This allows you to see updates, as soon as they occur (truthfully, the internet freaks me out sometimes - the speed at which news travels).

A Course in Miracles Blogs, music, A Course in Miracles Radio, podcasts, ACIM teachers on Youtube. Etc.

Click this link to add it to your Google Reader:

A Course in Miracles Satellite

I am determined to see things differently.

I am loving the Lisa Natoli daily audio broadcasts. Ha. I’m loving my own talk show! How funny. I actually sigh a little every evening (and bitch & moan) as I get ready to record the lesson, but once I open the book and start teaching, I love it. The practice of the lessons are bringing a new clarity into my mind. If you need a little extra help & push every day, have a listen.

Click the Talkshoe box in the right sidebar, find the lesson you need, and click Play.

Why do anything alone anymore if help is available?

Help is my only purpose. Jesus is available. I’m available.

You don’t have to attempt to accomplish things alone anymore. It’s easier when you have support. It’s good to have a guide, a trainer, someone standing beside you as you journey.

Plus, it’s way more fun.

Lesson 21 is great. It asks you to “find situations past, present or anticipated that arouse anger in you.”

So today you are looking for thoughts of anger.

ANGER.

Then you will apply today’s lesson: I am determined to see things differently.

This lesson is not asking you to find thoughts of anger or problems so that you can solve them. No, no, no. It is simply asking you to bring anger to the surface, and be determined to see the situation differently.

Our problem solving days are almost over, and we are only on Day 21!

And please do not try to be the best student in the class and say you have no anger in you. If you say you are happy all the time, I say you are a LIAR. Be pissed off at me. There are situations that make you angry, so admit it.

Most people do not even notice the sheer number of times during a day they get angry. That’s how unconscious and programmed we have become. Just watch yourself today. It’s a simple practice. Be aware of how many times you read something on the internet that causes you “a twinge of annoyance” (which is really “a veil drawn over intense fury”)

Watch yourself today to see how much anger is in you.

Someone does something you don’t like, things don’t go your way, someone says an unkind thing or ignores you, the car in front of you isn’t paying attention to the road because the driver is talking on their cellphone, the cashier is rude, you’re gonna be late for work because the car door won’t open because it’s 26 below zero, etc.

The practice of the workbook of A Course in Miracles is to uncover what you don’t want (fear, confusion, jealousy, anger, sorrow, conflict, chaos), look at them directly, and give them to the Holy Spirit so He can remove them.

Then they are gone forever. But you must first raise fear/anger to your awareness and YOU MUST LOOK AT IT.

There is no other way.

Finally, we are not burying fear anymore. We are coming out of hiding. We are not using addictions to sedate uncomfortable feelings. We are stepping into the sunlight. We are bringing all our ideas into full-focus, feeling the discomfort, naming the cause of upset, and being determined to see differently.

We are taught here in the world to be fine. To be okay. To put on a happy face. To smile. To cheer up. To buckle up. To get back in the saddle.

You’ve heard it before: Don’t cry. Be happy. Things are okay. Things will get better. Etc.

Now, you are being asked to admit that things are NOT okay, that you are NOT fine, and that you are indeed angry, pissed off, and upset.

Finally, you’re going to admit what you’ve been secretly feeling all along anyways.

ANGRY.

Today’s lesson is not asking you to fix the problem. You’ve tried that already and it didn’t work. Be honest. You’ve discovered moments of peace & relaxation, only to have anger rear his little ugly head again. Now you are simply DETERMINED to see the situation differently.

See how simple this is becoming? A Course in Miracles is forever logical.

Once your mind is open to seeing a situation differently, a space is cleaned of all your old ideas. An open space in your mind is a direct invitation to the Holy Spirit to communicate to you.

With determination to see a situation differently … you will see it differently. Something new will occur to you. Where before you saw hate, now you see a call for love and you will respond differently.

Where before you saw a pile of debt, or a job you didn’t like, or a living situation that pissed you off … now you are determined to see things differently. You are willing to look at the situation differently.

And that’s a miracle.

Just to let you know: I give A Course in Miracles talk - live! - every Sunday at 2pm EST for 90 minutes. And occasionally, when all the stars are aligned, Bastiaan shows up and teaches half the class and that’s always fun.

You can listen in 2 ways:

1. Go to ACIM Gather Radio and open iTunes or whatever application you use to listen to audio. At 2PM EST.

OR

2. Go to Paltalk to ACIM Gather. This is a little more complicated. You will have to download the FREE program, and then find ACIM Gather room. It does not work on Macintosh. But if you select this option, you’ll be able to write in comments, and have a chance to talk or ask a question.

So that’s today, Sunday - and every Sunday - at 2pm EST.

I am determined to see.

The audio is up for you to listen: click the Talkshoe blue box in the sidebar that says: A Course in Miracles with Lisa Natoli.

As a reminder, if you come to this blog in the morning and I’ve not written anything yet, the audio for the day will probably already be available as I record the night before, for our European/New Zealand/Australian friends who are hours and hours ahead. Simply go to the Talkshoe blue box on the sidebar, choose the lesson you want, and click Play.

Lesson 20: “This is our first attempt to introduce structure.”Repeat today’s idea slowly and positively at least twice an hour today, attempting to do so every half hour.

So that’s every 30 minutes, you will apply today’s lesson: I am determined to see to whatever situation is occurring.

“Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’.”

- Jedi Master Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back