This thread is dedicated to sharing your favorite quotes from the Course In Miracles..
When you share, add the page number where that quote is found, the book title, (Teachers Guide, Text or Manual, etc.), and possibly a few thoughts on why you like it, or what you got out of that particular quote. Quote no more than a short paragraph.
As we share, we teach. As we teach, we learn even more deeply. As we progress deeper into the light of our Being, we will strengthen Heaven on Earth, and extend the miracles that the quotes and sayings produce..
This post was modified from its original form on 01 May, 6:48
"Nothing is so alien to you as the simple truth, and nothing are you less inclined to listen to. The contrast between what is true and what is not is perfectly apparent, yet you do not see it. The simple and the obvious are not apparent to those who would make palaces and royal robes of nothing, believing they are kings with golden crowns because of them."
ACIM Text Pg.253
There are many things in the world that pretend to be the truth or mascarade as truth... such as beliefs, dogma, political views, material things, power, prestige, science and propoganda, but these are NOT the ultimate truth, no matter how hard they are 'sold', as being the truth.
Let us take just one as an example; science. Science represents that it is the ultimate truth, because it clothes itself in neutral impartiality and objective research, based on exploring all facets of the physical universe. So far, that sounds perfectly reasonable and logical, and so it is.
Science limits itself ONLY to what can be measured, and that limits the known 'truth' only to what the senses can get feedback from; sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste. Anything outside of these limited senses cannot be truth, as it is not 'testable' by these senses. Science goes further and says that it will only create theories of truth and base all truth on theory, which is tested over and over again. If the theory can be duplicated in a lab, or given more credence by other scientists, it is validated and the theory is given more prominence, which then creates 'truth'.
The problem with this scenario, is that 99% of the world is INVISIBLE... Matter itself is made up mostly of space. Whirling atoms and other particles give the illusion of solid matter, which is not actually there. In truth the body and all things seen are mostly 'non-space', so that what is seen is actually illusion. Senses that seem to be experiencing what is called 'truth' are actually experiencing non-sense, in non actuality. How can one draw conclusions about something that is 99% not there, and then call the 1% that is 'visible', 'truth'? This is like saying that an iceberg is only made up of what is on top of the surface of the water and the 99% that is below the surface does not exist because it cannot be seen. Calling that the 'truth' does not make it true.
Further, let us take one thing that everyone can agree on that is invisible; emotions.. How can scientists study this? An emotion is absolutely and completely invisible, yet it exists.
Emotions are truth, but they cannot be studied, as they are invisible, so no proofs or theories can be drawn from an emotion, as an emotion is not provable with scientific measuring instruments.
So how does science reconcile the truth of emotions with science? Science mostly ignores emotions as truth that can be studied, since emotions cannot be proven with measurements..
We could go much further into the invisible world, into such things as love, joy, inner peace, consciousness, chakras, Heaven and more, but all of these are but extensions of the above, and rely on the same premise that what is invisible cannot exist for science, so it cannot be studied, so it cannot be truth. Yet, these things make up ALL truth, so if these are ignored and we are told they do not exist, does that create 'truth'?
Almost all science, religion, media, politics, sports, education and business relies on this same scenario in many cases, (with some exceptions.)This is the whole world, wouldn't you agree? Bottom line, most of the world is focused on illusions and therefor an upside down view of reality and 'truth'.
So if science, media, sports, religion, business, politics, medicine and most of the worlds processes and procedures ignores truth and studies/focuses on illusions, how can any sane and true conclusions be drawn from this process?
Bottom line, most of the world is based on insanity and illusion. This is part of what is taught in ACIM.. in great detail, but without threatening or attacking the illusion. THis is why most of what a person thinks they know has to be undone first, before any truth can be taught..
A cup that is already full cannot be filled.. It must first be emptied of dross, before it can be filled with truth.
"The truth is true. Nothing else matters, nothing else is real, and everything beside it is not there. Let Me make the one distinction that you cannot make, but need to learn. Your faith in nothing is deceiving you. Offer your faith to Me, and I will place it gently in the holy place where it belongs. You will find no deception there, but only the simple truth. And you will love it because you will understand it."
ACIM text pg. 253
ACIM can be used to discover what is true.. You will experience truth directly... Read the text, go through the lessons... but persist through the first 60 lessons or so, where most of the work is UNDOING, since we discovered that most of what the world fill us up with is illusion...
"Only Gods plan for salvation will work."
We can make our own plans, not relying or supported by God, and those plans will fail in the end. Why? Because ego acting alone and apart from the Source, is not connected to reality. So the plan is an illusion. Any plan based on illusions will not work long term. A plan generated by ego means the whole thing is separate from the Source. How can that work?
A mind disconnected from the Source of all Reality creates only an illusion. The ego calls this illusion reality and then tries to force it to work, dumping millions, billions of dollars into it, plus sweat and suffering on top of it, sometimes using millions of people or more for many generations. Is it real, or illusion.
Forcing some illusion on the world through the power of ego, does not make it any more real than a religion saying the sun revolves around the Earth, when the opposite is true. Believing in illusions does not make them any more true. Perceptions can mascarade as truth, but again, with ego in charge, only suffering, chaos and failure results.
Ego plans things around and about threats, grievances, attacks and defense,as well as black and white absolute thinking, which is totally contrary to God.. So how could any of that work, ever? This is why ego destroys whatever it touches, including business, church, relationship, etc.... ad nauseum.
In the end, egos are left with a trail of destruction and chaos, created by nothingness, and ending in nothingness. So why bother going there? How many times must this lesson be learned? How much time must be wasted on a futile insane exercise, repeated over and over again, a thousand, a million, a gajillion times over?
Why not turn it all over and let the Source direct all actions, words and accomplishments? This lesson is about being 'saved' from illusions, from nothingness, and from the Hell that this creates.
What would the Source have me do, if my ego were not involved? Where would I go, and what would I say?
If I can no longer hold grievances, or act on them, which is the opposite of God's plan, then what is left?
Salvation is the plan that comes directly from Source. Salvation is the ONLY plan that will work. Salvation is the only thing that will have any lasting positive effect, beyond the nothingness that ego creates.
"Exempt no one from your love, or you will be hiding a dark place in your mind where the Holy Spirit is not welcome. And thus you will exempt yourself from His Healing Power, for by not offering total Love, unconditionally, you will not be healed completely."
This post was modified from its original form on 29 May, 7:44
Love gives life and hate destroys it
"It is not possible to convince the unknowing that they know. From their point of view it is not true. Yet it is true because God knows it..... To God, unknowing is impossible. It is therefor not a point of view at all, but merely a belief that the unknowing have, and by it they are wrong about themselves. They have defined themselves as they were not created. Their creation was not a point of view, but rather a certainty. Uncertainty brought to certainty does not retain any conviction of reality." ACIM text pg. 267.
I ran into someone today who claimed to know something about The Course In Miracles. They said it was a logic based program that was not worth much, as it was all about mind stuff and logic... maybe magic... like a magician performing magic tricks onstage. Magic tricks performed onstage are all about illusion, perception, and misdirection. To this person, ACIM was not based on actual experience, but on something this person had heard ABOUT the course.
The difference between illusion and truth is one is based on belief and the resulting false perception. It is based on second or third hand stuff, not experience. Truth is based primarily on experience and pure unconditional love. What one experiences first hand cannot be taken away. Unconditional love cannot be threatened and it does not need any defense. Both agape love and the experience of it are beyond belief and perception, in the Holy instant.
All of this reminds me of the following, which I ran into in the Healthy Living Group here in Care2...and it is worth repeating here.
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by
the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and anyone else anyway ..........
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"Can you imagine what a state of mind without illusions is like? How would it feel? Try to remember when there was a time, - perhaps a minute, maybe even less-when nothing came to interrupt your peace; when you were certain you were loved and safe. Then try picture what it would be like to have that moment be extended to the end of time and to eternity. Then let the same sense of quiet that you felt be multiplied a hundred times, and then be multiplied another hundred more.
And now you have a hint, no more than just the faintest intimation of the state of your mind will rest in when the truth has come."
"Miracles happen every day. Not just in remote country villages or at holy sites halfway across the globe, but here, in our own lives."
- Deepak Chopra
"Spirit is passionate; without passion no one can be truly spiritual."
- Deepak Chopra
"Unconditional love cannot be threatened and it does not need any defense. Both agape love and the experience of it are beyond belief and perception, in the Holy instant."
I love that statement
hope you don't mind my pasting this:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Prayer of St. Francis
PS. i ordered the magazine from the link, and intend to purchase the paperback as soon as i can afford it. i have been curious about ACIM for many years. thanks for the tolerance til then.
"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions."
- Deepak Chopra
"The secret is the law of attraction"
Please feel free to share this with your friends.
We are one heart, wherever we are on the planet. If you give yourself to love one hundred percent you cannot know what the outcome will be.
Giving yourself to love is laying yourself bare without knowing how you will be used; knowing that however you are used, you are given to love, in service to love. Whatever your mistakes may be, however you fumble, however you stumble, if it is in service to love it teaches you something. You pick up and you serve love even more strongly. You marry love, and you say, "I am yours." Then whatever beautiful temptations go by, you say, "I am taken. I have given myself to love."
There are moments of extreme difficulty in all lives. When you really give yourself to love then you are not concerned with difficulty or ease. You may not like difficulty but it is here. How is it serving love? Where is love in this, where is silence? Where is truth? Then life is the teacher of love.
Thought for the Day: "You can make your life into a grand ever-evolving work of art. The key is your thoughts, the wondrous invisible part of you that is your spiritual soul." Dr. Wayne Dyer
