Coming together and really sharing the heart is the dispelling of the ego. The Course says to the ego, communication is abandonment; that you will be abandoned if you communicate. Perhaps you have close relationships where you think, "I can't tell him or her that. If I did, he or she would leave me."
The whole basis of the ego is that you have a private mind with private thoughts and you've got some hideous things in there--things that if your husband or your best friend or your lover ever knew about, they would be gone in an instant. That they would leave if you ever shared yourself completely. The Course is basically saying that the desire to communicate attracts communication; that as we start to desire to let the Spirit come and be the guide of our lives and speak, then we attract witnesses to the Holy Spirit. We can see the Spirit more and more.
You can't see the Holy Spirit, but you can see the witnesses to the Holy Spirit in your life and that is how you know He is there. He would be invisible otherwise. I always keep that in mind because when you come together in any type of groups, the temptation is to go only so far with communication or to keep certain areas private and not let go of your mind completely. These temptations symbolize the resistance to springing into the oneness of One Mind.
Love,
David
The Power of "No Private Thoughts"
I have studied A Course in Miracles for many years. Although I have experienced many miracles, and have deepened into the Truth of Who I am by practicing forgiveness and watching my thoughts, nothing has been as powerful as releasing private thoughts --- andnothing has seemed to take more courage.
At one point, it seemed like I hit a wall as far as the Course was concerned. I felt stuck, like I was just spinning in place. As the prayer of my heart called out to go deeper, I was given the next steps that would accelerate and deepen my experience of what the Course promises: "God's will for me is perfect happiness."
One of the most powerful experiences I had was at a devotional where we had Clarity sessions every day. During these sessions we would allow whatever was coming up in our minds to be released, through sharing in a space where no one tried to fix or analyze the things that were being expressed. I listened and (feeling incredibly self-conscious) exposed my own thoughts. Within my mind, I judged and analyzed my companions.
However, after several sessions, I began to experience the unreality of what was being shared. It was a profound moment when I realized that all of the thoughts being exposed meant absolutely nothing and they did not need to be analyzed or figured out! They no longer had me! I could literally see that, because they were meaningless, we were innocent. I realized my role was in listening beyond the words, joining only in the Truth.
The process of exposing private thoughts digs deep into, and unearths, the ego's foundation. It exposes the radiance that lies underneath all those thoughts that keep it hidden. As the Course teaches, "The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying to think without God. What I call "my" thoughts are not my real thoughts.
"My real thoughts are the thoughts I think with God. I am not aware of them because I have made my thoughts to take their place. I am willing to recognize that my thoughts do not mean anything, and to let them go. I choose to have them be replaced by what they were intended to replace. My thoughts are meaningless, but all creation lies in the thoughts I think with God." W-51.4
Halleluja! The purpose for releasing these thoughts with another is for both to see their unreality and to begin to experience what lies under them. My experience is that true love and true joy comes bubbling up from seemingly nowhere, launching the mind into a state of Clarity and Peace.
This process does take courage but I can honestly say it has been the answer to my prayer for deepening into an experience of the miracle.
What a tremendous opportunity we have available as we take our steps. It takes willingness and trust to believe that these steps actually uncover who we are in Truth. But I and many others who have desired an experience of authentic Peace, can attest to the fact that the practice of no private thoughts is indeed a powerful catalyst for undoing the false belief in the ego's thought system. At the monastery, we practice this Clarity Process daily, as we all join in this amazing gift of healing.
If you have a desire to go deeper and have a group that you study with or just one mighty companion to join with, click the butterfly icon to view the Clarity Process pdf to help you on your way to a deep sense of communion with the essence of who You are.
Before I began this Clarity Process, I would never have believed that exposing thoughts would lift me as the Course states "above the battleground". This is really the accelerated path to awakening from the wrong mind!
In Love,
Suzanne
New website launched
The new Living Miracles website is now available at www.livingmiraclescenter.org which presents everything that we provide at one and the same place (global coming events, ordering materials, news, volunteering, monastery info, donations, membership etc.)! Helena, Doug, Ross, Pam, and Jason P. have collaborated on this website since last year (thank you!!!) and now can bookmark this page and visit us online when ever you feel to!!!
A Message from Kirsten
Dear Friends,
I have returned to Australia after a wonderful stay in the U.S. and wow! There is a groundswell of enthusiasm around Living Miracles Australia! It's such a joy to join and collaborate together in our shared purpose, and to see the ways that this can come about.
Our new Living Miracles Australia website, which will be a way of sharing the teachings of Christ and communicating all that is happening in Australia, is underway. The website will have information about the church, coming events, and opportunities for collaborating and joining together, as well as resources that are available locally. We are hoping to have the new website available in about a month. Helena, Ross, and JP are working behind the scenes on all the technical aspects, while Jackie, Karen, Karla, Melanie, and I are gathering and organizing the Australian-based content. There is inspiration around creating a monthly newsletter that you will be able to sign up for. Right now we have the Living Miracles newsletter that goes out to many friends around the world each month as part of Living Miracles U.S. Rather than re-inventing the wheel, we will use this forum to have an Australian-based newsletter that will go out to Living Miracles Australia church members and for anyone else who wishes to receive it.
I am staying with Jackie and Karla at the Beacon, which is where the Living Miracles church services will be held. Peter is pouring his graphic-design skills into making a church bulletin, and once the website is available, information about the services will be posted online. I've loved attending the services at the monastery on Sunday mornings. Some of the services are reverent and deep, and others are full of passion and joyful singing. The Spirit knows exactly what is called for, and the experience of joining in the Presence and listening to the Holy Spirit's messages of love, trust, faith, and joy is a beautiful way to spend time together.
If you would like to join the Australian church service via Skype, e-mail Karen@livingmiraclescenter.org to let her know you would like to be included on the call. Then add Living.Miracles.Australia to your Skype friends contact list. The service begins at 11 am and it will be helpful if you can be ready to join the call at 10.45 am since it's the first time we'll be using the technology in this way.
Suzanne will be joining us at the Beacon for a three-month stay from mid-November to mid-February. Jason, David, Helena, and Noell will be arriving in mid-to-late November. We're looking forward to joining together and launching out from the Beacon to join with everyone throughout the summer.
Thank you to my beloved friends and companions in the U.S.--you are soooo dear in my heart! I love going from one continent to another and feeling the same rich, deep, shared purpose that we have. I delight in "reuniting" with beloved friends as if we have never been apart. This is my experience now--that there is a sameness, a steadiness, an inner contentedness that comes from within, so that it doesn't really feel like a change at all. Thank you, God, my prayers have been answered. I am at Home in You. Enjoy these fun videos that are all about collaborating and being in the vibe together! Collaboration video
With Love,
Kirsten
David and the Messengers meet with those who desire to discern between the ego's thought system and the Holy Spirit's purpose of forgiveness. Acknowledging that truth is in the Mind, they offer an invitation to engage in the uncovering of the beliefs that seem to obstruct the awareness of love's presence. The Messengers of Peace serve as mighty companions for each other and recognize that awakening is not a casual endeavour, but one that demands a deliberate and uncompromising commitment. The depth of devotion and faith reflect their willingness to question all assumptions. Total transformation of the mind is approached with passion, devotion, and a burning desire from within. This is their unified goal and purpose.
