Shifting Perceptions

A Course in Miracles provides a very different way of looking at the world than the way we have become used to seeing it. It reminds me of the way don Miguel Ruiz describes this concept in The Four Agreements. He says there that we have become "domesticated" - or trained to see the world a certain way and we have stopped questioning things that might not work for us anymore. If we want to get rid of some of the "agreements" we've made over our lives, we can replace those old ones with four new ones:

Agreement 1
Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Agreement 2
Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Agreement 3
Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Agreement 4
Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

The first part of the workbook of A Course in Miracles is similar because it helps undo the way we see now. It helps train our minds in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world.

So each day I'll post the lesson for the day from the workbook, along with the miracles in my own life. The miracles are there every day - whether I notice them or not. By shifting my perception, it is my intention to notice at least one miracle a day - and to invite readers to share the miracles they notice in their own lives.

Today's Lesson:

Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.

What I noticed today:
New Year's Day has typically been a day I've chosen to relax and contemplate my intentions for the new year. Another ritual I've taken on is watching the Festival of Roses parade on TV. This morning I discovered that Direct TV is having a problem with my local channels today and they have been off air all morning. I noticed that, since this doesn't mean anything, there is no need to get upset about this. This may seem small, but every time I can notice that something that used to upset me doesn't anymore, I consider that a miracle. I'm just glad I'm not a college football fanatic because those bowl games aren't on my TV today! That's something I can be grateful for!

Happy 2007!

UPDATE: I turned over to the local channels and, after being off-air all morning, just after I published this post, the channels came back. Coincidence? Or Miracle?