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E-NewsSeptember 2009 Volume 22 |
In this issue
* The Bridge to Abiding by Regina Dawn Akers, and |
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Dear E-News Subscriber, Hello and welcome. Tomas had a ball in Canada over the month of August. Visiting B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Here is a little Gift to you as one of our E-News Subscriber. This song was recorded by Jamus Dorey. We love it and we hope you like it too! |
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Announcing my departure from Event Planning! by Silvana LippaLife-changing Workshop, Toronto Canada...Alas, with great sadness, but also with joyful anticipation for what lies ahead for me, I announce my departure as Nouk and Tomas's Event Planner. Yes it is time to move on, as I quote from lesson 159: "I give the miracles I have receive... behold the store of miracles set out for you to give." It is time for me to step up and be a light unto others... so much to do, as I have many ideas and must free up more time to continue my work with studying and teaching the "A Course In Miracles". |
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I want to continue to support and grow ACIM groups here in Toronto, Canada. I am currently facilitating a study group in Toronto every Tuesday afternoon 1-3pm and am also looking at starting a Wednesday evening study group this fall. Another current project I am working on is a website to connect all Canadians who are interested in or want to learn more about the study of ACIM. Keep a lookout on the next newsletter for news of this site which is yet to be named. I am very happy to announce that Tania de Winne will be replacing me as Take Me To Truth: Event Planner. She has accomplished many miracles already for Tomas and Nouk in Europe and speaks many languages. She is perfect radiating light, love and joy where ever she goes and I know you will all love working with her. Her email address is: tania@takemetotruth.com I would like to thank Tomas and Nouk for the wonderful opportunity they have allowed me to connect with hundreds of ACIM students and teachers across the world. I am so grateful for their love, guidance and friendship and will stay within their circle sharing ideas and spreading the love. Please feel free to contact me anytime in any regard as I consider all of you my personal friends and fellow students. Be sure to change my email address in you contact list to: silvanalippa@rogers.com. See you all at ACIM happenings. Love and light, Silvana Thank you Silvana! We love you heaps and wish you all the joy and peace of following your authentic Self! |
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WorkshopsTania De Winne has come on board to assist us with our event planning. Tania has previously been the translator and organizer of our workshops in Belgium. Like Silvana before her, Tania is dedicated to the awakening process and we are grateful to have someone with her dedication on board. You can contact Tania at tania@takemetotruth.com |
EUROPEFrankfurt - Germany - contact Armin Rott Reit im Winkl - Germany - contact Herbert Reinig ph:0049 8640 98880 or 0049 8640 98880 East-West Center, Orval - Belgium - contact www.owc.be Holland - contact Frans Kok 2 day workshop USAAshland, OR - contact Bruce Rawles For more workshop cites and dates, please go to:- www.takemetotruth.com/seminars.html |
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The Bridge to Abidingby By Regina Dawn Akers |
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Recently, my inner Guide taught me about three states of mind: the resistor, the doubter and Abiding. The resistor is a common state of mind within the world. It is the state of resisting our truth. The resistor thinks he knows who he is. The resistor might say, "Hi. My name is Regina. I am a 49 year old woman and the mother of one daughter. I like hiking and ice cream. I don't like coconut. I'm not very competitive, but I do know how to set goals and achieve them." That is the resistor. The resistor is the idea that I am this body, this personality and these thoughts. When I am fully in the resistor state of mind, I do not question who I am and I may not realize I am resisting my truth, because I think I know who I am. |
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The next state of mind is progressive towards awakening. It is called the doubter. The doubter has become aware of an inner Guide. It may see itself as listening to God, Holy Spirit or Jesus, and it may recognize a desire to surrender to this One. As we progress within the doubter phase, we listen to the false self (resistor) less and we simultaneously follow the inner Guide more. However, while we are in the doubter state of mind we are not fully embracing the inner Guide as our Self. That is why this state of mind is called doubter. We are increasingly aware of our true Self, but we continue to doubt it is what we are. We prefer to see it as a holy Other whom we talk with, listen to and follow. The third state of mind is Abiding. Abiding is fully recognizing our Self and abiding as Self. The doubter state of mind is a bridge from resistor to Abiding. The willingness to listen within and follow is a helpful part of the process of awakening. An obstacle to awakening is resistance to the idea of inner-surrender. When we resist surrendering to an inner Guide, we refuse to step on the bridge to Abiding. Resistance to surrender is common, which means that many of us are not stepping on the bridge we want so much to cross. How do we overcome resistance to surrender when our mind is telling us that surrender is sacrifice? One answer to this question is self inquiry. We can begin a questioning process with the purpose of recognizing the difference between the false self and our true Self. A person who feels the desire to awaken has a sense that he is not the person he claims to be. This means the true Self is beckoning him, and he can hear the Voice (or intuitive guidance) of his true Self. Therefore, he can trust that the process of self inquiry will help him step off of the shore of resistor and onto the bridge to Abiding. Here is how self inquiry works. The person who wants to move into surrender must recognize that he has two ideas in his mind. One idea is to maintain the self he already knows, and the other idea is to surrender and begin the journey towards Abiding. The one who recognizes these two ideas must pause and question each idea for Self-resonance. He asks, "Who is the 'I' that wants to make decisions and maintain control?" As the mind answers, he can also ask, "Is this who I am?" And then he asks, "Who is the 'I' that wants to surrender and step onto the bridge to Abiding?" He can also say, "The unknown is fearful. Who is the 'I' that wants to go? Is this who I am?" As he asks these questions, he should feel within for Self-resonance. When the two ideas are questioned, the questioner will recognize that one idea returns answers with a deeper Self-resonance. The one with deeper resonance is the idea that speaks for the true Self. The other idea may be louder and more fearful. It may seem to have more reasons for why it is right and why the questioner should listen to it. But the questioner can recognize the Voice of his true Self by the deep feeling of resonance within. As one practices self inquiry regularly, one becomes surer of the difference between the two ideas. As one becomes more aware of the difference, one becomes more willing to follow the Voice of the true Self onto the bridge of surrender. This is how one passes from the resistor state of mind to the doubter, which leads to Abiding. Here is how The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI) describes the process: When the Light begins to dawn within the mind, you will recognize it. And yet, you will not understand it or accept it completely at first, and so you may also fear it. This is only the reaction of a mind long blinded by darkness when it first encounters the reality of Light. Let this fear not upset you. It is natural in the transition. But because you have seen a glimmer of the Light, it will call to you, and you will follow it through your fear. For somehow you know that in the Light lies the absence of fear and all that you have ever sought. As you listen for the Light, the Light will grow brighter in your sight. It will speak to you and touch you so that you know it is the Light's intention to reach you. You may sense that the Light comes from someplace else, outside of you, but you will not be mistaken regarding the love of the Light, which is undoubtedly for you. Next, a merging will seem to occur. You will continue to sense the Light as if it comes from a source that is separate from you, but you will begin to notice the Light within you also. It will move you and work through you, and you will begin to feel excited about following its guidance. During this time, miracles will move you, and you will notice that you have begun to change. Times of doubt will visit also. But if you open to Me, even within your moments of doubt, the miracles that you experience will convince you that your faith is well placed, and you will continue to follow the guidance of the Light. When you are ready to listen to Me and trust Me fully in all matters and all things, the time will come that you will experience that which you did not expect. This will be a time of celebration, for your eyes will be opened, and you will be fully immersed within the Spirit. The Light shall be one with you and you shall be one with the Light. And you will not ask, "How is it that this happened?" For you will know it is your truth, and you are now seeing it, because it is so. When you have given yourself fully to the Spirit, the Spirit shall be fully within you. This is not a change at all. For this is as it has always been, but in your sleep, you do not know. So the realization of your truth is but an awakening from a sleep in which you thought one thing was true when it was not. (NTI John, Chapters 20 & 21) (For additional reading, please see A Course in Miracles, Chapter 5.II, The Voice for God) Bio: Regina Dawn Akers is the scribe and teacher of The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament (NTI). Like the Course (A Course in Miracles), NTI was delivered through inner dictation. It is a scriptural companion to the Course and teaches "letting go" as a practice that leads to spiritual enlightenment. Contact: |
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How Do I "live" A Course in Miracles?By Sheryl Valentine |
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A Course in Miracles informs us that the ego likes to grab hold of scripture and distort it for its purposes of condemnation, separation and fear. Well it comes as no surprise that this is also done with the teachings of the Course. A Course in Miracles is not about teaching us how to love, more profoundly, it teaches us why we don't. Each one of us have an ego alive and well within, and it will not be subjugated with spiritual admonitions. When attempting to live our chosen spiritual path, we may be accused either by ourselves or someone else, of not living our spirituality when we behave in a way other than what is deemed as "loving". Unfortunately, what it means to love is something the ego has greatly distorted for it's own purposes. The problem with evaluating behavior as a sign of one's spiritual maturity is that one can behave "lovingly" in public, or write nice emails, and nevertheless, harbor venom in their mind. On the other hand, if someone is seen behaving in away deemed as "unloving", unbeknownst to the casual observer, he or she may have made giant strides in that area. Obviously, when our mind is aligned with Love it will be reflected in our behavior, but let's face it, we all have moments when choosing Love is difficult. I had a discussion with a friend about what it means to "live" A Course in Miracles. She said, "When I am angry or judgmental, I know that I'm not living the Course." This is not true, but many of us have felt this way. We then move into using spiritual principles to beat up on ourselves, and that is not what they're for. I said to my friend, "If you are angry, and then blame those feelings on a person, place or thing, then, in that moment, you aren't living the Course because you're placing the cause of your distress as being "out there". But if you become aware that you're angry, and then recognize that you're viewing the person or situation through the lens of fear and separation (ego), then you are living the Course." One of the things I really love about A Course in Miracles is that it doesn't impose "should" and "shouldn't" on us. Instead, it merely points out what we do, why we do it, and then offers another choice. It's not about acting a certain way. It's not that we're not supposed to feel anger, fear, sadness or judgment; rather, and again more profoundly, it's that we're not to blame those feelings on causes outside of our own mind. But please don't fall into blaming yourself, for that is the same mistake. A friend once said to me, "I don't like coming to your lectures because they are always about me! How come there's never anything wrong with the other person?" We laughed. She was going through a difficult divorce at the time, so I could see her point. "Oh My God, It's Me!" is not about blaming yourself, it's about taking a look at yourself; but this doesn't mean that "they" aren't doing anything. I am not responsible for another person's behavior, I am only responsible for my reactions to their behavior. We react to other people based not on reality, but on our perception of reality. Most of the time, people who upset us are simply marching to the beat of their own drum, yet we perceive their behavior as being specifically designed to make us nuts. A big part of spiritual practice is learning to let go of our expectations of what others should be for us, and asking Holy Spirit (the great transformer of perception) for a higher interpretation. As we allow this Inner Presence to return our mind to Love, then Love will extend through us. Ultimately, we are taught to bring awareness to the ego, without judging it. Admittedly, this takes (at least for most of us), quite a few years to master! This is one of the reasons I am so glad that I've stuck with the practice of A Course in Miracles for going on two decades! It is a gold mine -- a continual fount of wisdom and riches taking me deeper into an awareness of the Truth of Who I Am. The purpose of a spiritual path is to lead us to healing, not further self-condemnation. A passage in the Course that really speaks to me is: It's not that you're to have no impure thoughts, just none that you would keep, give them to Me because I am the purifier. For years I tried to be more patient, loving, kind, peaceful... it never worked! Finally, I realized that I really cannot do it by myself, I must let my thoughts and feelings go to Holy Spirit. This does work: Holy Spirit, Help me see this person or situation So that's the deal. It's not that we're expected to be perfect human beings, in fact, we can't be unless we return our awareness to the Truth of our spiritual perfection. It is our Inner Spirit that is the light which shines away the darkness. Healing is restoration. The purpose of any spiritual path is to restore to my awareness that I Am indeed a child of God, and one in whom God is well pleased. Footnote: Sheryl Valentine is the author of "Oh My God. It's Me!" |
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Oh Spider...ByRikki VieiraOh spider, why is it that you The intricacy of the mind is but a trap that leads |
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Be for a moment, in all your Radiance and Don't forget to pass this along to your friends if you find this valuable. And please drop us a line if you have a question and or
contribution to make. See you soon |