Osho – Man can function from three centers: one is the head, another is the heart and the third one is the navel. If you function from the head you will go on spinning thoughts and thoughts and thoughts. They are very insubstantial, dream-stuff – they promise much, they deliver nothing.
The mind is a great cheat but it has tremendous capacities to delude, because it can project. It can give you great utopias, great desires, and it always goes on saying ’Tomorrow it is going to happen’… and it never happens.
Nothing ever happens in the head – the head is not the place for anything to happen. … The second center is the heart. It is the center for feeling, one feels through the heart. You are closer home – not home yet, but closer. When you feel, you are more substantial, you have more solidity; when you feel, there is a possibility that something may happen. There is no possibility with the head, there is a small possibility with the heart.
But the real thing is not even the heart. The real thing is deeper than the heart – that is the navel. It is the center of being.
Thinking, feeling, being – these are the three centers. But certainly feeling is closer to being than thinking, and feeling functions as a method. If you want to come down from the head you will have to pass through the heart – that is the crossroads from where the roads separate. You cannot go to being directly, there is no way; you will have to pass through the heart. So the heart has to be used as a method.
Feel more and then you will think less. Don’t fight with thinking, because fighting with thinking is again creating other thoughts of fighting. Then the mind is never defeated. If you win, it is the mind which has won; if you are defeated, you are defeated. Either way you are defeated – so never fight with thoughts, it is futile.
Rather than fighting with the thoughts, move your energy into feeling. Sing rather than think, love rather than philosophize, read poetry rather than prose. Dance, look at nature, and whatsoever you do, do it through the heart.
For example, if you touch somebody, touch through the heart, touch feelingly, let your being vibrate. When you look at somebody don’t just look with stone-dead eyes. Pour out your energy through the eyes and immediately you will see that something is happening in the heart. It is only a question of trying….
The heart is the neglected center: once you start paying attention to it, it starts functioning. When it starts functioning, the energy that was moving in the mind automatically starts moving through the heart. And the heart is closer to the energy center – the energy center is in the navel – so to pump it to the head is hard work in fact.
That’s why all the education systems exist: they teach you how to pump the energy from the center to the head and how to by-pass the heart. So no school, no college, no university, teaches how to feel. They destroy feeling, because they know that if you feel you cannot think.
If you feel too much then the energy will be stopped at the heart center, it will never go to the head. It can only go to the head when the heart center is completely denied. It has to go somewhere, it has to find an outlet. If the heart is not the outlet, it will go to the head.
In fact, the whole educational system which has developed all over the world is just to teach you how to avoid the heart, how to become more and more heady and how to pump the energy directly to the head.
So love is denied, feeling is denied, condemned – it is almost a sin to feel. One has to be logical and rational, not emotional. If you are emotional, people will say you are childish – in a way they are literally true, because only a child feels. A grown-up person, educated, cultivated, conditioned, stops feeling. He becomes almost dry, dead wood – no juice flows any more. Hence there is so much misery: misery is because of the head.
The head cannot celebrate, there is no celebration possible through the head. It can think about celebration – it can think about and about and about, but it cannot celebrate. Celebration happens through the heart.
So the first thing for you is to start feeling more and more…. Become an abode of love, a shrine of love, a house of love; this is the first step. Once you have taken this step the second will be very very easy.
First, you love – half the journey is complete. And as it is easy to move from the head to the heart, it is even more easy to move from the heart to the navel. In the navel you are simply a being, a pure being – no feeling, no thinking; you are not moving at all. That is the center of the cyclone.
Everything else is moving: the head is moving, the heart is moving, the body is moving. Everything is moving, everything is in a constant flux. Only the center of your existence, the navel center, is unmoving; it is the hub of the wheel.
Good Morning!
I’ll be on at 12EST today on ACIM Gather talking about a technique described by Osho for centering.
http://www.acimgatherradio.org
The center is your root, your connection to the whole. Man is born with a center but remains completely oblivious of it.
I’ll be talking about the reason why TRYING TO FEEL BETTER, TO LIVE MORE FROM YOUR HEART, TO LOVE MORE, OR TO THINK YOUR WAY OUT OF YOUR PROBLEMS usually doesn’t work and feels like efforting and hard work, because your heart and mind is NOT your true center. Feeling and thinking is learned behavior. Your true center is in BEING, which is your navel. Your root, your center is in the Divine.
Your center is your navel – your Beingness – this is the center you are born with, grounded with roots to everything.
But almost immediately the world teaches you TO FEEL, and thus people think the heart is center, but this is a “learned” center, not your true center.
People are taught to FEEL – but this is a learned habit.
YOUR TRUE CENTER IS IN BEING.
There is nothing to do. No need to improve your mood.
Spirit – WHO YOU ARE – doesn’t feel. Spirit just IS, in Being.
That’s why all the information and self-help books about TRYING TO FEEL BETTER, TO LIVE MORE FROM YOUR HEART, TO LOVE MORE ETC. usually doesn’t work and feels like efforting and hard work, because it’s not your true center.
Your heart is NOT your true center. It’s close, but it’s not it.
feeling is learned. So a lot of what goes around right now in spiritual groups about FEELING as the most important thing is not true. Living from your heart is close, it can be helpful, but living from your center – YOUR NAVEL, YOUR BEING – will ground you back in God, back to yourself, and then you’ll know happiness.
So it’s not a doing, just an awareness of becoming centered again – to go within and recognize Who you are.
Then the world teaches you to think, so people think the intellect and mind is the center, but again, this is not your true center – the mind is the 3rd learned “center”
Your true center is your navel – that is your root. You have roots in the Divine.
If you do not know your center, you go on drifting, aimless, always searching outside yourself because you are not aware of your root. Without an awareness of your root, there is always a searching or reaching or seeking.
So 12pm EST today. Come join me: http://www.acimgatherradio.org
Here is the recording from this morning. Click this link to listen:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/LisaEgoVsGod.mp3
Good Morning.
A new 30-minute audio recording from this morning:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/LisaEgoVsGod.mp3
ENJOY!
The topic is :EGO VS GOD: A BATTLE THAT IS BEING WAGED – YOU NEED NOT RESPOND.
When you say yes! to God, the ego’s defensive system is threatened and it will no longer bother to pretend to be your friend.
Loudly the ego tells you not to look inward, for if you do, your eyes will light on sin, and God will strike you blind. This you believe, and so you do not look. Yet this is not the ego’s hidden fear, nor yours who serve it. Loudly indeed the ego claims it is. TOO loudly and TOO often. For underneath this constant shout and frantic proclamation, the ego is not certain it is so. Beneath your fear to look within because of sin, is yet another fear, and one which makes the ego tremble. What if you looked within, and saw NO sin? This “fearful” question is one the ego NEVER asks. And you who ask it now are “threatening” the ego’s whole defensive system too seriously for it to bother to pretend it is your friend. -A Course in Miracles, Chapter 21, Section 5
While you were asleep in oblivion acting out your habits and routines on auto-pilot, the ego only caused minor aches and pains – but they were constant – sort of low-rumbling annoyance that never went away, but that also was not too disturbing. You managed to learn to live with constant fear, because it was manageable, right?
We all did this.
When you say YES! to God and decide to take this journey, the ego becomes vicious. IT STARTS SHOUTING AND SHRIEKING REALLY LOUD. It no longer pretends to be your friend. This is usually the time when relationships are disrupted, jobs are lost, all chaos breaks lose, the body starts doing weird things and unexpected disturbances start coming from out of nowhere. It’s all ego trying to get you to go back to sleep. Like I said: A BATTLE IS BEING WAGED. You do have to go through a wilderness to get to the Promised Land. All this stuff breaking is only temporary if you don’t give it any attention.
However, most people, because the screaming of the ego is now SO LOUD that that’s where their attention goes. They attempt to understand and fix and change all these problems. That’s just giving attention to ego, which is what it wants. WALK AWAY. Do not pay attention.
Alongside this shrieking nothingness is a small quiet child standing there just waiting for you to acknowledge HIM and take HIS hand, and walk with him in a state of grace.
And believe me, I KNOW, it will take a miracle because once you make a decision to take this journey, THE EGO WILL NO LONGER PRETEND TO BE YOUR FRIEND.
The ego will become vicious, things probably will appear to be breaking and shifting and in the transition it can be wildly confusing and disorienting. But if you just STAND STRONG IN CHRIST, the ego will disappear. It doesn’t stand a chance in the light of God.
9:30am EST: http://www.acimgatherradio.org
Here you go – this morning’s audio, ENJOY http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/LisaMoses120411.mp3
I’m talking about Moses and CROSSING YOUR RED SEA – getting out of the slavery of “Egypt” which is your habits, old thinking, comfort zones, and how whenever you want to make it to the Promised Land, you’ve got to cross through the Wilderness that’s why TRUST is so important. Most people prefer to remain slaves than make the journey. But if you’re ready to leave your self-imposed prison, the door is open, let’s go. Listen in here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/LisaMoses120411.mp3
Bible Sunday at ACIM Gather Radio this morning at 9:30am EST.
LIVE!
I’ll be talking about Moses and CROSSING YOUR RED SEA – getting out of the slavery of “Egypt” which is your habits, old thinking, comfort zones, and how whenever you want to make it to the Promised Land, you’ve got to cross through the Wilderness that’s why TRUST is so important. Most people prefer to remain slaves than make the journey. But if you’re ready to leave your self-imposed prison, the door is open, let’s go. Listen in here: http://www.acimgatherradio.org/
You have the key – the door is open.
My friend and co-author Marielle School and I offer a program to help people with food addiction. It’s not a diet. There’s no food rules – we trust you to figure out what you need to do as far as the specifics of what you want to eat. What we DO offer is support for all the ideas of self-hatred and loathing that lead to food addiction, along with simple practical steps towards nurturing, happiness and living life without guilt and shame.
TONIGHT! Saturday December 3rd we will be giving a 90-minute talk at ACIM Gather Radio at 8:30pm EST: http://www.acimgatherradio.org
ON A SIDE NOTE: TODAY IS MY ZUMBA CERTIFICATION TRAINING. WISH ME LUCK!! Woohooo. I think it’s gonna be a blast.
Here is the first video I ever saw on Zumba that got me interested and excited in it in the first place. That’s Tanya Beardsley in the front there, the instructor. She’s awesome. This is still my very favorite Zumba video. If you want a fun 10 minute workout RIGHT NOW, this is it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0q6qtThF4
So I’ll be off doing this all day – and then tonight at 8:30pm EST we will be on PALTALK.COM – HEALING FOOD ADDICTION WITH A COURSE IN MIRACLES – and the room is ACIM GATHER (which can be found by typing it in the SEARCH BOX – if that doesn’t work go under the folder EDUCATION, then the folder OTHER)
Then every Monday starting this coming Monday December 5th we have a 1-hour show from 3-4pm EST at ACIM GATHER.
You can order a copy of our book on Amazon either in paperback or Kindle:
If you need individual support, we have a 40-day program along with weekly Friday night Live! Skype meetings at 6:30pm EST which are private-for-members-only – which means that you can be free to share whatever is going on with you and receive the support you need: http://www.itmatterstotally.com/40dayhealing/
There is no need to struggle or suffer. There is a solution – and thank God it has nothing to do with food!
I am on tomorrow morning live! Friday December 2, 10:30am EST on ACIM Gather Radio for 30 minutes: Don’t try to be happy or nicer or more generous – this is an UNDOING, not a doing. Don’t try to be in the frequency of joy and love, just be only concerned with forgiveness and releasing the past. The only work needed is to be willing to STAND STILL QUIETLY not engaging in conflict anymore. In that clean space where you are no longer battling with yourself or other people, God will raise you up Himself and then you’ll know happiness and peace.
Carlos Castaneda talks about “needing a certain amount of energy” to go to higher vibrations, and that the only way you can get that extra energy needed is to stop wasting it on things like complaining, self-importance, worry and fear.
It’s takes a tremendous amount of energy to leave time and space, to leave your story behind, to leave addictions.
You have all the energy you need -THE POWER OF GOD IS YOURS - but how are you using it??
When I watch Mooji, I realize he is speaking from the very top – he IS a Master, speaking simply and beautifully – giving an absolutely pure message but the people who are asking questions do not have enough energy to hear him, and that’s why they ask a second question and a third question and on and on – because they do not have enough energy to hear him. They have not done the forgiveness work necessary that gives them the energy to reach that vibration he is in. It’s not good or bad, it’s just very clear to see – the questioner is using their energy on their stories, trying to fix problems, attempting “to understand” – leaving them no energy to reach those vibrations where these is a Mooji, or a Jesus or a Buddha.
Once you are in that vibration, there are no more questions, except maybe “What is for lunch?” There is only then a quiet happy listening for guidance on where to go and what to do and what to say to fulfill His Plan, but there’s no confusion or suffering in it. Just an alertness and joyful expectancy that He who is working through us will do so if we let him.
Many have stored enough energy to come close to a Master, but most do not have to energy to hear them, or to consistently vibrate in that space with them without falling back down into routine and littleness.
and thus the absolute necessity to make a conscious decision to stop wasting your energy on hate, misery, sadness, complaining, etc. Because while you continuing to do that – that’s energy you are dissipating horizontally on meaningless things – it’s just wasteful and that’s why you get tired because you took the power of God and spent it to linger in time and space trying to figure out your confusions and problems. WHEN THAT VERY SAME ENERGY COULD BE SAVED, REDIRECTED AND FOCUSED TO REACH THE HIGHER VIBRATIONS.
Same with Jesus. That’s why no one could hear him. They were using their energy on resentments and grievances, leaving them zero energy to travel to reach those higher vibratory notes of joy and love.
The biggest waster of energy is on self-importance, trying to maintain your identity. Second biggest waster of energy and time is attempting to sequence time with past and future. Trying to remember what and why people said and did things. Waste of time! Waste of energy! It’s all just effects and appearance and smoke and mirrors. If you stopped looking at the world and yourself, and started looking only at God, you’d have a tremendous amount of energy to use for creation.
It’s up to you what you do with your time and energy.
This is at 12EST noon.
http://www.paltalk.com
ROOM: ACIM Gather
Today is the first Sunday of the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas – the first of 4 candles is lighted today – and these candles represent hope, love, joy and peace.
You can observe the season of Advent in any way that reminds you of the Christ within.
I am not a big decorating-at-Christmas kind of person but I do love Christmas Songs. Here is my very favorite Christmas song of all, John Denver: A Baby Just Like You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1hhGwHChow
Another way that some churches mark the time of this season is with an Advent wreath. The evergreens help to symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus Christ. The wreath consists of five candles; four candles around the wreath and one white “Christ” candle in the center. One candle is lit each week with a corresponding Scripture reading until all are lit. The growing light and development of the story progressively reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. Each candle is typically assigned a specific theme:
Recognizing Advent is a great opportunity to get friends and family together to remember Jesus. It’s also a chance to begin giving to others in his name. Just for the fun and joy of it.
To listen to today’s audio about Gratitude, click this link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/
Enjoy!
Come join me today, live! at: http://www.acimgatherradio.org
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
I have been asked to give a Metaphysical interpretation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, one of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
It is amazing how this picture, a fairy story, swept sophisticated New York, and the whole country, due to Walt Disney’s genius.
This fairy tale was supposed to be for children, but men and women have packed the theatre. It is because fairy tales come down from old legends of Persia, India and Egypt, which are founded on Truth.
Snow White, the little Princess, has a cruel stepmother, who is jealous of her. This cruel stepmother idea appeal also in “Cinderella.”
Nearly everyone has a cruel step-mother. THE CRUEL STEP-MOTHER IS A NEGATIVE THOUGHT-FORM YOU HAVE BUILT UP IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS.
Snow White’s cruel step-mother is jealous of her and always keeps her in rags and in the background.
ALL CRUEL THOUGHT FORMS DO THIS.
The cruel step-mother consults her magic mirror every day, saying: “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” One day the mirror replies: “Thou Queen, mayst fair and beauteous be, but Snow White is lovelier far than thee.” This enrages the Queen, so she decides to send Snow White to the forest to be killed by one of her servants. However, the servant’s heart melts when Snow White begs for her life, so he leaves her in the woods. The woods are filled with terrifying animals and many pitfalls and dangers. She falls in terror to the ground, and while there, a most unusual spectacle presents itself. Scores of the most delightful little animals and birds creep up and surround her. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, beavers, raccoons, etc. She opens her eyes and greets them with pleasure; they are so friendly and attractive. She tells her story and they lead her to a little house which she makes her home. NOW THESE FRIENDLY BIRDS AND ANIMALS SYMBOLIZE OUR INTUITIVE LEADS OR HUNCHES, WHICH ARE ALWAYS READY TO “GET YOU OUT OF THE WOODS.”
The little house proves to be the home of the Seven Dwarfs. Everything is in disorder, so Snow White and her animal friends begin to clean the house. The squirrels dust with their tails, the birds hang things up, using the little deer’s horns for a hat-rack. When the seven dwarfs come home from their work of digging gold, they discover the change and at last find Snow White asleep on one of the beds. In the morning she tells her story, remains with them to keep house and cook their meals, and is very happy. THE SEVEN DWARFS SYMBOLIZE THE PROTECTIVE FORCES ALL ABOUT US.
In the meantime, the cruel step-mother consults her mirror and it says to her: “Over the hills in the green wood shade, where the Seven Dwarfs their dwelling have made, there Snow White is hiding her head, and she, is lovelier far, Oh, Queen than thee.” This infuriates the Queen; so she starts off disguised as an old hag, with a poisoned apple for Snow White. She finds her in the house of the Seven Dwarfs and tempts her with the big, red luscious apple. The birds and animals endeavor to tell her not to touch it. THEY TRY TO GIVE HER THE HUNCH NOT TO EAT IT. They rush around in dismay, but Snow White can’t resist the apple, she takes one bite and falls, apparently dead. Now all the little birds and animals rush off to bring the Seven Dwarfs to the rescue; but too late, Snow White lies lifeless. They all bow their little heads in grief. Then suddenly the Prince appears, kisses Snow White, and she comes to life. They are married and live happily ever after. The Queen, the cruel step-mother, is swept away by a terrific storm, THE OLD THOUGHT-FORM IS DISSOLVED AND DISSIPATED FOREVER. THE PRINCE SYMBOLIZES THE DIVINE PLAN OF YOUR LIFE. WHEN IT WAKES YOU UP YOU LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
This is the fairy story which has enthralled New York and the whole country.
Find out what form of tyranny your cruel stepmother is taking in your subconscious. It is some negative conviction which works out in all your affairs.
We hear people saying: “My good always comes to me too late.” “I’ve lost so many opportunities!” We must reverse the thought and say repeatedly: “I am wide awake to my good, I never miss a trick.”
WE MUST DROWN OUT THE DREARY SUGGESTIONS OF THE CRUEL STEPMOTHER. ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM FROM THESE NEGATIVE THOUGHT-FORMS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing can hinder, nothing can delay the manifestation of the Divine Plan of my life.
The Light of Christ streams on my pathway, revealing the Open Road of Fulfillment!
No-one can suffer loss unless it be his own decision. No-one suffers pain except his choice elects this state for him. No-one can grieve nor fear nor think him sick unless these are the outcomes that he wants. And no-one dies without his own consent. Nothing occurs but represents your wish, and nothing is omitted that you choose. Here is your world, complete in all details. Here is its whole reality for you. And it is only here salvation is.
You may believe that this position is extreme, and too inclusive to be true. Yet can truth have exceptions? If you have the gift of everything can loss be real? Can pain be part of peace, or grief of joy? Can fear and sickness enter in a mind where love and perfect holiness abide? Truth must be all-inclusive if it be the truth at all. Accept no opposite and no exceptions, for to do so is to contradict the truth entirely.
Salvation is the recognition that the truth is true and nothing else is true. This you have heard before, but may not yet accept both parts of it. Without the first the second has no meaning, but without the second is the first no longer true. Truth cannot have an opposite. This can not be too often said and thought about. For if what is not true is true as well as what is true, then part of truth is false, and truth has lost its meaning. Nothing but the truth is true, and what is false is false.
This is the simplest of distinctions, yet the most obscure. But not because it is a difficult distinction to perceive. It is concealed behind a vast array of choices which do not appear to be entirely your own. And thus the truth appears to have some aspects that belie consistency, but do not seem to be but contradictions introduced by you.
As God created you, you must remain unchangeable with transitory states by definition false. And that includes all shifts in feeling, alterations in conditions of the body and the mind, in all awareness and in all response. This is the all-inclusiveness which sets the truth apart from falsehood, and the false kept separate from the truth as what it is.
Is it not strange that you believe to think you made the world you see is arrogance? God made it not. Of this you can be sure. What can He know of the ephemeral, the sinful and the guilty, the afraid, the suffering and lonely, and the mind that lives within a body that must die? You but accuse Him of insanity, to think He made a world where such things seem to have reality. He is not mad. Yet only madness makes a world like this.
To think that God made chaos, contradicts His Will, invented opposites to truth, and suffers death to triumph over life, all this is arrogance. Humility would see at once these things are not of Him. And can you see what God created not? To think you can is merely to believe you can perceive what God willed not to be. And what could be more arrogant than this?
Let us today be truly humble, and accept what we have made as what it is. The power of decision is our own. Decide but to accept your rightful place as co-creator of the universe, and all you think you made will disappear. What rises to awareness then will be all that there ever was, eternally as it is now. And it will take the place of self-deceptions made but to usurp the altar to the Father and the Son.
Today we practice true humility, abandoning the false pretense by which the ego seeks to prove it arrogant. Only the ego can be arrogant. But truth is humble in acknowledging its mightiness, its changelessness and its eternal wholeness, all-encompassing, God’s perfect gift to His beloved Son.
We lay aside the arrogance which says that we are sinners, guilty and afraid, ashamed of what we are. And lift our hearts in true humility instead to Him Who has created us immaculate, like to Himself in power and in love. The power of decision is our own. And we accept of Him that which we are, and humbly recognize the Son of God.
To recognize God’s Son implies as well that all self-concepts have been laid aside and recognized as false. Their arrogance has been perceived. And in humility the radiance of God’s Son, his gentleness, his perfect sinlessness, his Father’s Love, his right to Heaven and release from hell are joyously accepted as our own. Now do we join in glad acknowledgment that lies are false and only truth is true.
We think of truth alone as we arise, and spend five minutes practicing its ways, encouraging our frightened minds with this:
“The power of decision is my own.
This day I will accept myself as what
My Father’s Will created me to be.”
Then will we wait in silence, giving up all self-deceptions as we humbly ask our Self that He reveal Himself to us. And He Who never left will come again to our awareness, grateful to restore His home to God as it was meant to be.
In patience wait for Him throughout the day, and hourly invite Him with the words with which the day began, concluding it with this same invitation to your Self. God’s Voice will answer, for He speaks for you and for your Father. He will substitute the peace of God for all your frantic thoughts, the truth of God for self-deceptions, and God’s Son for your illusions of yourself.
-A Course in Miracles, Lesson 152 The Power of Decision is my Own
In order to see miracles, you must align with them. Everything you have ever wanted, wished for, prayed for is here now – but unless you become one with it, you will never see it.
That’s why it says in the Bible “my Will is one with the Father”
Until you join your Will with God’s Will – JOIN WITH IT AS ONE ENERGY FIELD – nothing at all can happen.
The Power of God is always here, always operating perfectly, always available to anyone who wants it HOWEVER !! (there’s always a “but” isn’t there – no such thing as a free lunch) you gotta align yourself with it. Your active participation is required for it to work. It’s working already magnificently, but unless you’re aligned with it, you’ll think it’s not there.
If you want to be happy, simply plug yourself into the vibration of happiness – and ride that wave. Anyone can do it who really wants it.
It’s kinda like an electric lamp or an electric anything, you gotta plug it in. And it’s that simple. You don’t have to wrack your brain how to figure out how to make the toaster work, and you don’t have to pray endlessly, you don’t have to work hard, you don’t have to “hope” it works, nor do you need to use visualization, JUST PLUG IT IN ALREADY! 
And so it is with the Power of God, it’s there just waiting for you to access it.
But you gotta plug yourself into it.
You must join with it, become One with it.
And it’s that simple.
And PS: there are two more spots available in the 40-Day Program if you have been wanting to do it – here is your chance. We start today. http://gorgeousforgod.com/gorgeousforgod/
Here is today’s audio recording from this morning ACIM Gather Radio: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/Lisa112011.mp3
ENJOY!
The topic is HONESTY AND EXCUSES
Also, for fun, I tell a really amazing story about THE POWER OF THE WORD as instructed by Florence Scovel Shinn (from her book The Game of Life and How to Play It – the book that I just won’t stop talking about!) that I put into practice on Tuesday to manifest a new living room set by Sunday. I don’t normally do that kind of thing, but you know, finally, why not?? Why not ask for EVERYTHING.
And, MAKE MY DAY, a little poster that my friend Charles in Japan made today after listening to this morning’s ACIM Gather broadcast. So great. Thank you Charles. And thank you all for listening in. I love you. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4621838/Lisa112011.mp3
As you most know by now – if you’ve been reading my posts for the past week – I am passionately in love with Florence Scovel Shinn! I bought her collection of books from Amazon and it arrived a few days ago and all I’ve been doing is reading and living in a pure space of delight. She is so great!!! Her expression is so simple, so beautiful, and really powerful.
To buy the book, click this link:
I wanted to share this story with you from her book – Crossing your Red Sea – that everyone has to cross through a wilderness to get to the Promised Land – and that most people prefer to remain “slaves in Egypt” -slaves to the routines, slaves to the old way of thinking, slaves to the “comfort” zone – rather than go through the tests and trials and chaos that is required on the path from dark to light. It’s easier to stay in bondage and suffer than to make the journey.
But there is always someone to tell you to go forward.
Someone to challenge you and encourage you to cross over.
Enjoy!
“Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” Ex. 14:15
One of the most dramatic stories in the bible is the episode of the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.
Moses was leading them out of the land of Egypt where they were kept in bondage and slavery. They were being pursued by the Egyptians.
The children of Israel, like most people, did not enjoy trusting God; they did a lot of murmuring. They said to Moses: “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
“The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
We might say that Moses pounded faith into the children of Israel.
They preferred being slaves to their old doubts and fears (for Egypt stands for darkness), than to take the giant swing into faith, and pass through the wilderness to their Promised Land.
There is, indeed, a wilderness to pass through before your Promised Land is reached.
The old doubts and fears encamp round about you, but, there is always someone to tell you to go forward! There is always a Moses on your pathway. Sometimes it is a friend, sometimes intuition!
“And the Lord said to Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward!”
“But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
“And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”
“And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”
“And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”
“And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.”
Now remember, the bible is talking about the individual. It is talking about your wilderness, your Red Sea, and your Promised Land.
Each one of you has a Promised Land, a heart’s desire, but you have been so enslaved by the Egyptians (your negative thoughts), it seems very far away, and too good to be true. You consider trusting God a very risky proposition. The wilderness might prove worse than the Egyptians.
And how do you know your Promised Land really exists?
The reasoning mind will always back up the Egyptians.
But sooner or later, something says, “Go forward!” It is usually circumstances—you are driven to it.
I give the example of a student.
She is a very marvelous pianist and had great success abroad. She came back with a book full of press clippings, and a happy heart.
A relative took an interest in her and said she would back her financially for a concert tour. They chose a manager who took charge of the expenses, and attended to her bookings.
After a concert or two, there were no more funds. The manager had taken them. My friend was left stranded, desolate and disappointed. This was about the time that she came to me.
She hated the man, and it was making her ill. She had very little money and could afford only a cheerless room where her hands were often too cold to practice.
She was indeed, in bondage to the Egyptians—hate, resentment, lack and limitation.
Someone brought her to one of my meetings, and she spoke to me and told her story.
I said, “In the first place you must stop hating that man. When you are able to forgive him, your success will come back to you. You are taking your initiation in forgiveness.”
It seemed a pretty big order, but she tried and came regularly to all my meetings.
In the meantime, the relative had started a suit to recover the money. Time went on and it never came to court.
My friend had a call to go to California. She was no longer disturbed by the situation, and had forgiven the man.
Suddenly, after about four years, she was notified that the case had come to court. She called me upon her arrival in New York, and asked me to speak the word for rightness and justice.
They went at the time appointed, and it was all settled out of court, the man restoring the money by monthly payments.
She came to me overflowing with joy, for she said, “I hadn’t the least resentment toward the man. He was amazed when I greeted him cordially.” Her relative said that all the money was to go to her, so she found herself with a big bank account.
Now she will soon reach her Promised Land. She came out of the house of bondage (of hate and resentment) and crossed her red sea. Her goodwill toward the man caused the waters to part, and she crossed over on dry land.
Dry land symbolizes something substantial under your feet, the feet symbolizing understanding.
Moses stands out as one of the greatest figures in biblical history.
“It came to Moses to move from Egypt with his nation. The task before him was not only the unwillingness of Pharaoh to let go of those whom he had made into profitable slaves, but also to stimulate to open rebellion this nation which had lost its initiative under the hardships of its taskmasters.”
“It required extraordinary genius to meet this condition, which Moses possessed with self abnegation and the courage of his own convictions. Self abnegation! He was called the meekest of men. We have often heard the expression, ‘As meek as Moses.’ He was so meek towards the commands of the Lord, that he became one of the strongest of men.”
The Lord said to Moses, “lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
So, never doubting, he said to the children of Israel, “Go forward.” This was a daring thing to do, to lead a multitude of people into the sea, having perfect faith they would not drown.
Behold the miracle!
“. . . the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
Now remember, this could happen for you this very day. Think of your problem.
Maybe you have lost your initiative from living so long a slave to Pharaoh—(your doubts, fears and discouragements).
Say to yourself, “Go forward.”
“. . . the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind.”
We will think of this strong east wind as a strong affirmation.
Take a vital statement of Truth. For example, if your problem is a financial one, say: “My supply comes from God, and big happy financial surprises now come to me, under grace, in perfect ways.” The statement is a good one, for it contains the element of mystery.
We are told that God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. We might say in surprising ways. Now that you have made your statement for supply, you have caused the east wind to blow.
So walk up to your Red Sea of lack or limitation. The way to walk up to your Red Sea is to do something to show your fearlessness.
I will tell the story of a student who had an invitation to visit friends at a very fashionable summer resort.
She had been living in the country for a long time, grown heavier, and nothing fitted her but her girl scout suit. Suddenly, she received the invitation. It meant evening clothes, slippers and accessories, none of which she had, and no money to buy them. She came to me. I said, “What is your hunch?”
She replied, “I feel very fearless. I have the hunch to go, anyway.”
So she squeezed herself into something to travel in, and went.
When she arrived at her friend’s house she was greeted warmly, but her hostess said, with some embarrassment, “Maybe what I’ve done will hurt you, but there are some evening clothes and slippers I never wear which I have put in your room. Won’t you make use of them?”
My friend assured her she would be delighted—and everything fitted perfectly.
She had, indeed, walked up to her Red Sea and passed over on dry land.
The waters of my Red Sea part, and I pass over on dry land, I now go forward into my Promised Land.
I’ll be on live! this morning on ACIM Gather Radio at 9:30am EST for an hour.
http://www.acimgatherradio.org
The topic is EXCUSES and HONESTY.
One of the most powerful things you can do is stop making excuses. I’ve talked in the past about making a conscious decision to stop complaining and stop explaining – just don’t do it. If someone wants you to do something you don’t want to do, just say, “No thank you.”
End of story!
But what most people do is start explaining and start in with the excuses of why they can’t do the thing they don’t want to do – which remember: YOU ARE ONLY GIVING EXCUSES TO YOURSELF.
That person is not there, remember? You’re talking to your own effect that you put out there. You’re trying to get out of something and you’re only talking to yourself.
Must more powerful and honest to simply say: NO, I DON’T WANT TO, THANK YOU.
Back in the early days when I used to be on ACIM Gather Radio on Sundays, when David Fishman first asked me to come on I was terrified!! I had never spoke publicly and I was terribly afraid. And then I discovered that Paltalk didn’t work on a Macintosh and I was so happy that I had “a good excuse” – A REAL EXCUSE! to get out of it! “I can’t do Paltalk because I have a Macintosh. Sorry, I don’t have a computer.”
I see this a lot. I can’t do this because I don’t a microphone or I don’ t Skype or I don’t have a computer, I don’t have the money, I’m busy, I’m not feeling well, I need to lose weight first before I get into a relationship, I need to get out of debt first before I start doing work I really love, etc.
All delay tactics.
What happened for me (finally!) is that I got honest: I WAS AFRAID TO GET ON PALTALK.
And what does A Course in Miracles say: you must face your fears. Do the thing you are afraid to do.
In my case: get on Paltalk and start talking about Jesus.
I had to admit (and it was a tough bullet to bite) that even though I said “I’m wiling to do anything to experience this awakening” the TRUTH of the matter was: I was NOT willing to do anything.
In fact, I was not willing to do hardly anything! It was much easier to sit around talking about how much I wanted it than to do the work.
So, I made a decision I would do it. I WOULD FIND A WAY! In my case, it meant finding 4 different people with PC computers that I could possibly use their house on Sunday afternoons. I had to find 4 locations because not every place was always available every Sunday, so I found 4 places just in case the other places weren’t available, and then I drove my car there just to get on Paltalk – every Sunday for about 2 years!
And it was the fast-track. I made mistakes. I’d tell personal stories that made me cringe in horror to be exposing so much intimate details of my life – and I’d think: Oh God, I’m a terrible teacher! I’m such a screw-up! But then I’d get beautiful letters from people thanking me, saying, oh thank you so much! I didn’t know anyone else felt that way! Thank you so much for sharing that!
And that’s the beauty of getting honest and allowing yourself to be exposed and vulnerable – there is healing in it. You’re not hiding anymore. You’re putting yourself out there.
This goes for relationships, for things we ask for.
9 times of out 10 I have discovered that people don’t really want the thing they ask for!!
They say they want to be happy, but when it is offered to them, they say: Oh … no …. I’m not ready yet. And then they do something to sabotage it.
It’s much more powerful and honest to say: I LIKE MY DEPRESSION. I LIKE BEING SICK. I LIKE STRUGGLING. IT’S WHAT I AM USED TO AND IT’S SAFE.
I SAY I WANT HAPPINESS BUT I DON’T REALLY MEAN IT.
At least then you’re being honest.
The other thing is when people are spiritually nice – trying to cover up hate and anger. Better to just be totally in rage and vomit it all out.
If you are lucky, you will vomit it out to a person who has A Course in Miracles (or is on a spiritual path really working his program) and he won’t engage back with you. That kind of a person is about the greatest gift you can ever receive – someone who doesn’t engage in the conflict with you – because then you are just left to sit in your own vomit, and after a while the stench starts to stink and then comes that glorious moment when one of the lessons will come back to you (usually in the middle of the night when you are quiet, by yourself): OH MY GOD, THERE IS NO ONE OUT THERE, I AM DOING THIS TO MYSELF!!
That’s a gift when that happens, and it can’t happen when you are hiding all your real emotions and attempting to be spiritually nice.
Better to say I HATE YOU – at least then something can change. But when you are saying “I love you” to someone when you actually despise them, nothing can happen.
So that’s our morning topic. HONESTY AND EXCUSES.
Hope you can make it.
http://www.acimgatherradio.org
Paltalk – the room is ACIM Gather
We are deceived no longer.
Amen.
This is the simplest thing in the world to do because it’s not a “doing.” It’s merely a willingness to be as God created you. It’s a conscious choice you are done with struggling, done with conflict, done with the false self you made. In that single decision to SAY YES TO LIFE and YES TO LOVE and YES TO GOD, all suffering, loss, sadness, anxiety, fear and doubt disappears automatically. You were never those things to begin with, and they were never real.
Pay your debt – a debt that is merely the letting go of self-deceptions and false images.
If you want a life of joy and have the willingness to change your thinking, this path is so easy. If it seems difficult and you need help, I am available. I have a 40-day Program that starts this coming Monday, November 21st – only 2 more days to sign up! Click here: http://gorgeousforgod.com/
To read praise for this Program from current participants, click this link: http://gorgeousforgod.com/2011/11/15/praise-for-the-40-day-program-next-group-starts-monday-november-21/
There is no need to suffer or struggle anymore.
