Erik: I've been reading the Bible more lately, especially the words of Jesus, to get more acquainted with what he supposedly said 2000 years ago. And also to really practice discerning the true spiritual meaning behind the words, which has been very illuminating.
Today I was reading the Sermon on the Mount, and found great peace in this passage, which I'd like to share my interpretation of...
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof “ (Matthew 6:33-34)
To me, the last two sentences are basically saying that you already have sufficient “evil”, or ego temptations, to be vigilant against today, so don't be preoccupied with the future. You don’t need to preoccupy yourself with tomorrow (or any time in the future), because tomorrow will take care of itself. You merely need to pay attention to what’s going on right now: how you feel, what your thoughts are, where you mind is at, etc... and then be willing to invite the Spirit in to abide with you in order to remind you of the Truth. In this way, we place our minds under the Guidance of Truth and Love, and learn that we can rely on that Guidance for everything in our lives, rather than relying on our own petty strength or limited intelligence.
This teaching has been so helpful for me on my path, for the ego is constantly trying to frighten me into worrying about the future - where will I be going, how will I be support myself and my wife, etc.. But Jesus is telling us not to worry about the future, but to keep our attention on the here and now. Indeed, he tells us, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." (Matthew 6:25)
Over the years, as I've practiced keeping my attention on removing the ego blocks to Love's awareness, the ego's voice has become much less frightening to me. I simply don't take it as seriously as I once did, recognizing it for what it is - a meaningless attempt to hide from the Light by the part of my mind that is still attracted to separation. By the same proportion, my trust in the Spirit has grown, and I've experienced first hand how all the particulars in my life can be handled easily and Joyfully and without effort or planning - when I place my full attention only on what's in front of me right now that is blocking my awareness of the Kingdom of Heaven within. By bringing my awareness continually back to this moment, watching my mind for the distractions of the ego and repeatedly asking for help from the Spirit of Christ within me, my mind has become clearer and clearer.
In this way, I have indeed found it to be true that when you seek first the Kingdom of Heaven (which is to seek and remove the barriers I've placed between myself and God), then all else that is necessary is indeed added unto me. Such peace that is then available...
Love,
Erik
Aug 19, 2010
Aug 14, 2010
Clarity, simplicity...
We just watched the movie "the Shift" from Wayne Dyer, it the thrid time in four months for me, and every time it brings me back to that same place... IT'S SO SIMPLE... In the same time, it sows other gifts on my way, which are allowing me to go deeper yet. And that Truth come from my heart, my Being.
And from that seeing, what comes to me is that all is so simple!
The Course in an help, to go along on my path, not another opportunity to create a special relationship, even thought it is not wrong, for nothing is wrong, anyway! But it is a pointer to the Truth within...
I don't have to make it a new religion, using his metaphysics terms to speak to everybody, his words to teach to everybody. The Course is for me... for my practice! It's there to show me the way. Once I understood the meaning of his message, I practice it, for me, because it's for me, not for anyone else! I can leave on the side those special terms, the book even. I become the Course, I live the Course, I am the Course, in a sens.
I don't have to tell to everybody that the world doesn't exist, as well as the body is, etc... Just knowing it, for myself. Because that, as well as true forgiveness is what is helping us to remember our true nature, for a while. It helps us to have some detachement, regarding everything. And not being attached anymore to any specifics, I'm not suffering anymore. I'm not taking anything personnally, knowing I am not this body, this person, knowing who I trully am...
I don't have to shout that to everybody, it could create more separation, if I use those words, ideas to show how different I am, how special, spiritual, evolved, superior, better....
To teach is to demonstrate. So I don't have to go to anybody and talk to them about all that to make them evoluate, change, to teach them something, for the world to change...just to change my mind about all that and follow my guidance, the Spirit in me, my heart to talk to the ones that are sent to me, knowing they have been sent for that. I don't have anything to do by myself, coming from my will.
Being, looking, living from that postion of detachement, it's being in the I am, in the Holy Spirit, in the love, bathed in our true Being. And from there, I extend, extend what I am, what we all are... this Awareness. I see who are my Brothers, their Innocence, Perfection. For wherever is coming from what they say, what they do, ego or Spirit, what is important is from where I want to look at, live, love. This is always my practice, my lesson.
If I take the Course fully, I practice it in everything, every moment, and then from that position of the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit, I look at the world with love and trust, knowing that everything is always perfect, that I am not guilty of anything (for there is no guilt), has never done anything wrong (it was just a thought!) and that He is taking care of everything, Life is taking care of itself, I have nothing to do, just not interfere, just giving all the desire I may still have and follow Him, go with the flow of Life. Everything happens at the perfect moment. Anyway, I am never the one in charge, it was just an illusion!
I was also seeing that when we grow, we loose our carelessness, and we start to fear consequences, as if I've done something wrong and that I am expecting in every moment to be punished. The child is in the moment, in what he is living, doing. He doesn't think about the futur, what it may look like, what might happen, will there be consequences or not...
I was thinking about that for in the movie, a mother is offered a lollypop by someone. And at first she is surprised and say no, but then suddenly, something happens and she says YES! And I felt it was like saying YES to the child, YES to the innocence, YES to now, YES.............. just YES............ without thought, guilt, fear of anything, just YES!! And I was seeing with that how much we are always thinking about later, and not that much spontaneous... This is what becoming a child again means... Children just enjoy the moment, are in the moment, whatever it is... pain, joy, anger, tears, playfulness... they just live it!
Aren't we the beloved child of God?
With Love
Armelle
And from that seeing, what comes to me is that all is so simple!
The Course in an help, to go along on my path, not another opportunity to create a special relationship, even thought it is not wrong, for nothing is wrong, anyway! But it is a pointer to the Truth within...
I don't have to make it a new religion, using his metaphysics terms to speak to everybody, his words to teach to everybody. The Course is for me... for my practice! It's there to show me the way. Once I understood the meaning of his message, I practice it, for me, because it's for me, not for anyone else! I can leave on the side those special terms, the book even. I become the Course, I live the Course, I am the Course, in a sens.
I don't have to tell to everybody that the world doesn't exist, as well as the body is, etc... Just knowing it, for myself. Because that, as well as true forgiveness is what is helping us to remember our true nature, for a while. It helps us to have some detachement, regarding everything. And not being attached anymore to any specifics, I'm not suffering anymore. I'm not taking anything personnally, knowing I am not this body, this person, knowing who I trully am...
I don't have to shout that to everybody, it could create more separation, if I use those words, ideas to show how different I am, how special, spiritual, evolved, superior, better....
To teach is to demonstrate. So I don't have to go to anybody and talk to them about all that to make them evoluate, change, to teach them something, for the world to change...just to change my mind about all that and follow my guidance, the Spirit in me, my heart to talk to the ones that are sent to me, knowing they have been sent for that. I don't have anything to do by myself, coming from my will.
Being, looking, living from that postion of detachement, it's being in the I am, in the Holy Spirit, in the love, bathed in our true Being. And from there, I extend, extend what I am, what we all are... this Awareness. I see who are my Brothers, their Innocence, Perfection. For wherever is coming from what they say, what they do, ego or Spirit, what is important is from where I want to look at, live, love. This is always my practice, my lesson.
If I take the Course fully, I practice it in everything, every moment, and then from that position of the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit, I look at the world with love and trust, knowing that everything is always perfect, that I am not guilty of anything (for there is no guilt), has never done anything wrong (it was just a thought!) and that He is taking care of everything, Life is taking care of itself, I have nothing to do, just not interfere, just giving all the desire I may still have and follow Him, go with the flow of Life. Everything happens at the perfect moment. Anyway, I am never the one in charge, it was just an illusion!
I was also seeing that when we grow, we loose our carelessness, and we start to fear consequences, as if I've done something wrong and that I am expecting in every moment to be punished. The child is in the moment, in what he is living, doing. He doesn't think about the futur, what it may look like, what might happen, will there be consequences or not...
I was thinking about that for in the movie, a mother is offered a lollypop by someone. And at first she is surprised and say no, but then suddenly, something happens and she says YES! And I felt it was like saying YES to the child, YES to the innocence, YES to now, YES.............. just YES............ without thought, guilt, fear of anything, just YES!! And I was seeing with that how much we are always thinking about later, and not that much spontaneous... This is what becoming a child again means... Children just enjoy the moment, are in the moment, whatever it is... pain, joy, anger, tears, playfulness... they just live it!
Aren't we the beloved child of God?
With Love
Armelle
Aug 4, 2010
Walking with Jesus
Today is a silent and Inner Dance day at the Peace House, for the retreat... Mmmh... Deep.
We started the day by Inner Dance, which, that time had no end of session, for it was the invitation for the day... Dancing whenever we feel, and staying in that slow motion in which the Inner Dance puts us into, that state of total Presence.
So for me, it went on for the whole day... fabulous, with so many gifts and the simple miracles of Life.
Dancing to start the day, for a while, the sensation or I don't know how to call it of being someone disappeared. Totally melting in the movement of Life, being danced by the Spirit, merging into the everything, all the barriers were gone. Love was pouring. So much, that when I stopped and sit quietly, there was that overflowing gratitude and almost overwhelming Love. A piano piece of music did the rest to invite the sobbing and tears of JOY, ALIVENESS...
After a while in that state, I've been guided to go to the bank to pay the rent. I didn't want to move, just staying in that state. The Spirit then told me « you'll stay there, you'll follow me ». Ok then, I trust You. So I left. And I think I never walk so slowly for so long...
There was so much presence in every step, it was incredible, the love was pouring. It was so overwhelming that I started to be cold, and immediately the thought came in my mind that the body cannot feel, that cold is a thought in the mind, not depending on wheather conditions. It stopped.
In every step I was making, I was feeling the presence, the ground under the foot, the whole sole, amazing. Which gave the impression that only that part was existing, showing me how things are existing when you put the focus on!
On the way to go, I felt Jesus's presence so strong, as if He was by my side, and I was walking (I wrote waking at first!!!) holding His hand. One moment, it was so deep that I had the impression to be at His time, when He was in a human form, walking with Him through Jerusalem.
We've been listening to a Ken Wapnick talk the other day, in which he was talking about holding Jesus to walk through the crowd of guilt, I heard, which was the cloud of guilt, Erik told me! Funny for it had a lot of meaning for me that it was the crowd. It was what I was supposed to hear, apparently.
So we were walking through Jerusalem and I was holding His had, and we were crossing a huge crowd of people so angry. They were all pointing at me, staring at me, shouting at me. And we were walking together. One moment He asked me « do you feel it? » and I said « Yes, I am innocent... » then I paused and was feeling it more and more.... then I said « wow Jesus I feel so free, I am free... » at that moment some people in the crowd started to scratch my arms to blood and I didn't feel anything, there was no hurt, no sensation, nothing! « Jesus I don't feel it... And I love them sooo much. » at that time I was burning, there was just love pouring, it was amazing. Then those words came « they don't know... they really think they are that... » and there was just love for everything, everyone, just love manifesting in that picture; and that so huge feeling of Freedom and Innocence, like never before. And Jesus was silent, smiling the whole time, holding my hand, strengthening my strength by sharing His, by demonstrating His, by being so innocent and free and knowing the Truth about all our Brother and us.
Then I was suddenly back here, still walking so slowly on the side of the road, as if the time had stopped for a moment. It was like a glimpse of what True Freedom and True Innocence is.
I took the same way then usual but I saw other things for the first time. I saw so beautiful colored houses, flowers. I felt so much love in people's garden that I never saw before.
I stayed silence at the bank, no need to say a word, just being.
On the way back I stopped in front of the church, and saw a sign « welcome »! I felt I was supposed to stop there, but didn't feel going inside, so I went on. 5 meters farther, I saw a cross with Jesus on it. So I went back and came there. I fell on my knies and stayed there, with Him. And there again I felt so free. And He told me that was the message of the crucifixion... that we are free, that there He was free. For we are not the body, and the Spirit is free, eternally Free. It was amazing how much love was present at that moment, like a shower running on me.
I realized later that I had absolutely nothing to do or to think of when I am fully present, or fully absent should I say(!!), when there is identification with the Spirit, for every move is done for me when it supposed to happen, every word given at the perfect time.
I was also looking in front of me at the end of the road, like looking at the future, and feeling that even if I look there, what is important is the step I am making right now, and that' where all my atttention should be.
I felt how much Jesus had been guided me to go inside those last weeks, to stop looking outside thinking I would find the peace, the answers, the love... oustide of me, in a special teacher, in meeting some special people, in going to special places, in watching some special videos, just going inside and being with Him, listening to His voice more and more and learning to discern it from the other voices from the world. And at that moment, I was feeling how much I was so much more open to receive His love, how much I was really feeling that I was worthy of it, that I deserve it. Those last weeks of emphasizing on being inside and listening to Him have been so helpful. It was really the answer to my deep deep call...
He told me « it's even more that you deserve it, it is who you are, your natural state. You just forgot, and thought you were that, so I am just reminding you gently. You are more than worthy of It, you are It. »
Then I saw two kind of whole in the ground which for me seemed to be two hearts. And I was feeling how much our perception is depending on who we choose to look at things, and our interpretation on who we want to be our guide. And that the place I am looking from make the way I perceive things, from who I think I am, or form who I am, HS's.
It is really crazy all the things that we can see, realize, learn when we go slow, when we take the time, when we are so present to what is, that the rest disappear in what is...
This is really what I am going deeper and deeper with the practice of the Inner Dance. This is where it's leading me... that state of Truth. I can't really express it, it's like there is no word. I feel it's something to live... to experience... that we can't understand or grasp on, just living it!
Love Eternally
Armelle
We started the day by Inner Dance, which, that time had no end of session, for it was the invitation for the day... Dancing whenever we feel, and staying in that slow motion in which the Inner Dance puts us into, that state of total Presence.
So for me, it went on for the whole day... fabulous, with so many gifts and the simple miracles of Life.
Dancing to start the day, for a while, the sensation or I don't know how to call it of being someone disappeared. Totally melting in the movement of Life, being danced by the Spirit, merging into the everything, all the barriers were gone. Love was pouring. So much, that when I stopped and sit quietly, there was that overflowing gratitude and almost overwhelming Love. A piano piece of music did the rest to invite the sobbing and tears of JOY, ALIVENESS...
After a while in that state, I've been guided to go to the bank to pay the rent. I didn't want to move, just staying in that state. The Spirit then told me « you'll stay there, you'll follow me ». Ok then, I trust You. So I left. And I think I never walk so slowly for so long...
There was so much presence in every step, it was incredible, the love was pouring. It was so overwhelming that I started to be cold, and immediately the thought came in my mind that the body cannot feel, that cold is a thought in the mind, not depending on wheather conditions. It stopped.
In every step I was making, I was feeling the presence, the ground under the foot, the whole sole, amazing. Which gave the impression that only that part was existing, showing me how things are existing when you put the focus on!
On the way to go, I felt Jesus's presence so strong, as if He was by my side, and I was walking (I wrote waking at first!!!) holding His hand. One moment, it was so deep that I had the impression to be at His time, when He was in a human form, walking with Him through Jerusalem.
We've been listening to a Ken Wapnick talk the other day, in which he was talking about holding Jesus to walk through the crowd of guilt, I heard, which was the cloud of guilt, Erik told me! Funny for it had a lot of meaning for me that it was the crowd. It was what I was supposed to hear, apparently.
So we were walking through Jerusalem and I was holding His had, and we were crossing a huge crowd of people so angry. They were all pointing at me, staring at me, shouting at me. And we were walking together. One moment He asked me « do you feel it? » and I said « Yes, I am innocent... » then I paused and was feeling it more and more.... then I said « wow Jesus I feel so free, I am free... » at that moment some people in the crowd started to scratch my arms to blood and I didn't feel anything, there was no hurt, no sensation, nothing! « Jesus I don't feel it... And I love them sooo much. » at that time I was burning, there was just love pouring, it was amazing. Then those words came « they don't know... they really think they are that... » and there was just love for everything, everyone, just love manifesting in that picture; and that so huge feeling of Freedom and Innocence, like never before. And Jesus was silent, smiling the whole time, holding my hand, strengthening my strength by sharing His, by demonstrating His, by being so innocent and free and knowing the Truth about all our Brother and us.
Then I was suddenly back here, still walking so slowly on the side of the road, as if the time had stopped for a moment. It was like a glimpse of what True Freedom and True Innocence is.
I took the same way then usual but I saw other things for the first time. I saw so beautiful colored houses, flowers. I felt so much love in people's garden that I never saw before.
I stayed silence at the bank, no need to say a word, just being.
On the way back I stopped in front of the church, and saw a sign « welcome »! I felt I was supposed to stop there, but didn't feel going inside, so I went on. 5 meters farther, I saw a cross with Jesus on it. So I went back and came there. I fell on my knies and stayed there, with Him. And there again I felt so free. And He told me that was the message of the crucifixion... that we are free, that there He was free. For we are not the body, and the Spirit is free, eternally Free. It was amazing how much love was present at that moment, like a shower running on me.
I realized later that I had absolutely nothing to do or to think of when I am fully present, or fully absent should I say(!!), when there is identification with the Spirit, for every move is done for me when it supposed to happen, every word given at the perfect time.
I was also looking in front of me at the end of the road, like looking at the future, and feeling that even if I look there, what is important is the step I am making right now, and that' where all my atttention should be.
I felt how much Jesus had been guided me to go inside those last weeks, to stop looking outside thinking I would find the peace, the answers, the love... oustide of me, in a special teacher, in meeting some special people, in going to special places, in watching some special videos, just going inside and being with Him, listening to His voice more and more and learning to discern it from the other voices from the world. And at that moment, I was feeling how much I was so much more open to receive His love, how much I was really feeling that I was worthy of it, that I deserve it. Those last weeks of emphasizing on being inside and listening to Him have been so helpful. It was really the answer to my deep deep call...
He told me « it's even more that you deserve it, it is who you are, your natural state. You just forgot, and thought you were that, so I am just reminding you gently. You are more than worthy of It, you are It. »
Then I saw two kind of whole in the ground which for me seemed to be two hearts. And I was feeling how much our perception is depending on who we choose to look at things, and our interpretation on who we want to be our guide. And that the place I am looking from make the way I perceive things, from who I think I am, or form who I am, HS's.
It is really crazy all the things that we can see, realize, learn when we go slow, when we take the time, when we are so present to what is, that the rest disappear in what is...
This is really what I am going deeper and deeper with the practice of the Inner Dance. This is where it's leading me... that state of Truth. I can't really express it, it's like there is no word. I feel it's something to live... to experience... that we can't understand or grasp on, just living it!
Love Eternally
Armelle
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