Regina’s Tip for Lesson 38

Some people may find today’s lesson hard to believe. That’s okay. You don’t have to believe it. You only need to practice it.

Others may get the impression they can pick a problem or form of suffering and ‘heal’ it miraculously with their holiness. You might be surprised to hear that’s not the best way to understand this lesson. The reason that’s not the best way to understand the lesson is that understanding puts too much emphasis on your perception of problems and suffering. When you are focused on problems and suffering, you are not focused on your holiness.

Remember, you are not alone in experiencing the effects of your seeing. If you see problems, there are problems. If you see suffering, suffering is experienced.

A better way to understand this lesson is in relationship to NTI Ephesians, NTI Colossians and NTI Luke 9. As we contemplate our truth, our holiness extends into the world and manifests as grace. Grace touches the world in miraculous ways. It corrects misperceptions. It undoes miscreations. Grace is able to do this, because we are not involved in seeing—and therefore in miscreating—problems and suffering.

In other words, our role is simply to contemplate our holiness. Grace takes care of arranging the miracles that extend from that.

This point is emphasized in A Course in Miracles, Chapter 1 as miracle principle #5:

“Miracles are habits, and should be involuntary. They should not be under conscious control. Consciously selected miracles can be misguided.”

Consciously selected miracles are misguided for the reason already explained. If you select a problem or form of suffering and decide it needs a miracle, you’ve already seen a problem or form of suffering, and you are not alone in experiencing the effects of that seeing.

You may ask, “If that’s the case, why am I asked to select problems and forms of suffering as part of today’s Workbook lesson?”

That’s because right now you do see problems and forms of suffering in the world. Today you look at the way you see now and have faith that your perception will change as you focus on your holiness. And, your perception will change as you focus on your holiness, because there is nothing your holiness cannot do. As your perception changes, grace will extend into the world and perform miracles of correction. This will happen when your perception changes, because you are not alone in experiencing the effects of your seeing.

Homework for this week

1. Homework Assignment A: Workbook Lessons 36-42.
2. Homework Assignment B: Read NTI Luke, Chapter 9 (p 144-146) and NTI Galatians (p 327-338).
3. Homework Assignment C: Nondual Awakening Meditation – Where am I? by Gary Weber, which is a video in the Gentle Healing Playlist: Click Here to Watch

The Epilogue

This isn’t an end; it is a new beginning. I have stated before that Year 2 will be focused on following the inner teacher. The Epilogue shares this same emphasis. Before we close A Course in Miracles and move on to our next step, let’s contemplate some final ideas from the Epilogue.

Whatever troubles you, be certain that He [the inner teacher] has the answer, and will gladly give it to you, if you simply turn to Him and ask it of Him.

As we move forward with Gentle Healing, let’s embrace the opportunity for purification and clarity. Whenever you are upset, turn to your inner teacher. Ask questions in trust that you will receive answers from within. Even if an answer does not come right away, trust that it will, and wait for it. You might sit and wait, as Adyashanti did when he wrote with inner wisdom, or you might go to other things while leaving the question open in your heart, knowing an answer will come in a form that you will recognize. Do not to try to figure out or think up an answer for yourself. Wait for the gift of an answer, and an answer will come that is beyond the limited mental self, an answer that will take you further into healing and awakening.

You are as certain of arriving home as is the pathway of the sun laid down before it rises, … For it can not be possible to change the course of those whom God has called to Him. Therefore, obey your will, and follow Him Whom you accepted as your voice, to speak of what you really want and really need.

The confusion that we suffer from is confusion regarding what we are. When we listen to our mental self and believe our emotional self, that confusion continues. When we trust our intuitive self and follow it, we walk away from confusion and into clarity.

If we feel that the mind and emotions are “me”, and we fear that following intuition may result in some sacrifice of what “I” want, we are still very confused about what we are. If we believe that idea and listen to our thinking over intuition, we cling to confusion.

Before beginning our second year of Gentle Healing, it is good to contemplate what we want now. Are we ready to lean on intuition instead of our thinking and emotions? Do we want to listen to the Subtle Within and follow it as we let our familiar self squirm, weaken and fade?

Let Him prepare you further.

There is more to come for each of us on this journey of awakening. None of us know what lies ahead, nor do we know the experiences we need to prepare us for the next shift or realization. Therefore, it is helpful to trust everything that comes while leaning on the inner teacher completely.

You will be told exactly what God wills for you each time there is a choice to make.

We do not need to make choices anymore. This is good news! However, if you are anything like me, you will need to learn not to make choices. We were taught how to think and make choices; no one taught us how to not make choices. However, the universe will take care of itself, and our role will be given to us through intuition if we give up making choices and become the observer of everything that unfolds.

… ask His Will in everything we do.

Of course, to move beyond choice completely, this is the habit we need to cultivate. We need to remember to ask, “What am I to do now?” Guidance can become a new habit, but we need to put effort into cultivating that habit first.

As we go forward, we will most likely listen to the mental and emotional, familiar, self-centered self sometimes, and to the mysterious, intuitive self other times. Our goal is to live from the former less and less while learning to depend on the latter more and more. Let’s commit ourselves to this goal today, and let’s work towards it in Year 2 with conscious effort.

Meditation Options

Note: This is the last time I will put the meditation options at the bottom of the tips. For easy access, please bookmark the following links:

Guided Meditation Audios

YouTube Meditation Playlist