Day 96

Today's Lesson:

Salvation comes from my one Self.

The Truth is we are all one Self, even though we see ourselves as two: good and evil, loving and hating, mind and body. We know this isn't working, and have sought many solutions. There is a solution, but we haven't tried it yet. Because we keep being upset and frustrated, we keep getting more of what we don't want. We must begin to accept the fact that truth and illusion cannot be reconciled if we want to be saved. Until we accept this, we will attempt an endless list of goals we cannot reach and will continue to fail and waste a lot of time and effort.

We cannot solve the problems we have the the same mindset that created the problems. The self we made can never be our real Self, nor can our Self be split in two and still be what It is and must forever be. A mind (Spirit) and a body (ego) cannot both exist and we need to stop attempting to reconcile the two, for one denies the other can be real. We are fighting a losing battle. If we are body, our mind is gone from our self-concept, for it has no place in which it could really be part of us. If we are spirit, then the body must be meaningless to our reality.

Mind apart from Spirit cannot think. It has denied its Source of strength, and sees itself as helpless, limited and weak. Salvation cannot make illusions real, nor solve a problem that does not exist. Salvation is a thought we share with God, because His Voice accepted it for us and answered in our names that it was done.

In our practice periods today, we are to attempt to find this thought, whose presence in our minds is guaranteed by Him Who speaks to us from our one Self. Our hourly five-minute practicing will be a search for Him within our minds. Begin with saying this:

Salvation comes from my one Self. Its Thoughts are mine to use.

Then seek Its Thoughts, and claim them as our own. These are our own real thoughts we have denied. If we succeed, the thoughts that come to us will tell us we are saved, and that our minds have found the function that they sought to lose. Our Self knows that we cannot fail today. Maybe we are still uncertain. Let us not be dismayed at this. Let us tell our frantic minds that salvation comes from our one Self. Each time we remember that today, we lay another treasure in our growing store. And all of it is given to everyone who asks for it, and will accept the gift.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I spoke last night to a wonderful group of employees, some of whom were apparently not too keep on having to give up an evening of their own for this "work thing." I can't say I blame them. But together we co-created the evening, and shared stories about capacity and the past and communication and effectiveness and ecstatic engagement - and we discovered that if we are committed to dialogue instead of discussion in our lives, we will reap amazing rewards. I learned last night that everything I am learning from this course is applicable to my entire life, including my work. I really do see that when I can give up the ego, Spirit is right there to fill in those gaps, and I become more like a channel for the words of the Spirit, which is my Salvation.

I shared with them last night a couple of things that I've read in Conversations With God - and also here in the course. We talked about how it works to see the world in black and white, right and wrong, good and bad. What if there were no such thing as right and wrong, good and bad, and only what works and what doesn't? How would that change our communication? That goes right along with what today's lesson is telling us. How is it working to have a split mind? If we're honest, we see that there must be a better way.

I'm noticing that, sometimes without even trying, I am allowing Spirit a larger opening in my life. It's becoming much more natural to notice - to listen - and then to allow. That is my 2007 mantra and I can see how it doesn't always have to be a conscious thought anymore. Even though I may not practice the lessons as much as I'd like - I still forget the 5 minutes an hour - Spirit is still working. I don't have to beat myself up about not being perfect. The practice of connecting with Spirit is cumulative and every little bit counts.

Now that's a miracle!