A Course In Miracles: Can It Help You In Your Life?

It is likely that you have either heard of A Course In Miracles (ACIM) or are already familiar with the teachings.  Many luminaries of our time, motivational speakers, metaphysicians, new agers and spiritual leaders refer to ACIM often in their teachings, books and speeches.  A Course In Miracles has been translated in several languages and has sold over one and a half million copies.  The popularity of the Course continues to grow.  Their are currently over 2,200 study groups that now meet worldwide on a regular basis.  No one has the rights to the material in ACIM because the authors claimed that the writer of the text was divine, therefore anyone is free to quote the material just like other religious texts such as the Bible.

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is the result of the collaboration between two Columbia University psychologists, Dr. William T. Thetford and Dr. Helen Schucman. In 1965, Helen experienced what she described as a Voice which spoke clearly in her mind, saying “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.”  The two continued over a period of seven years to document and assemble the information that came to Helen from the voice, whose name was given as Jesus.  The three-volume set was published in 1975 through the Foundation for Inner Peace.

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is a self-study, spiritual thought system.  Although it uses traditional Christian terms and language, the focus of ACIM is on universal spiritual teachings. ACIM expresses a non-sectarian, non-denominational spirituality and is not a religion. A three-volume curriculum consisting of a Text, Workbook for Students, and a Manual for Teachers, the student has several ways available to study the material.

The Course teaches the way to universal love and peace, owning our feelings and thoughts, releasing others from blame, remembering God and undoing guilt through forgiving others. The basis for fear and guilt are explained, as well as how they can be overcome through miracles.  Miracles are defined as a maximal expression of love. The miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love.

The summary introduction, which appears in ACIM reads:

“This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.”

This Course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.”

The Course is aimed to create spiritual transformation within an individual.  Many people have found great peace and self-acceptance through studying the Course, with profound spiritual experiences.  The Course is well-known in many spiritual circles around the world.  ACIM helps people make better sense of life and live in a greater state of balance and peace.  You may find it helpful to you as well.  ACIM is divided into lessons.  It is recommended that you do no more than one lesson per day.  Try it out for a week or a month.  There is no better way to see if ACIM is right for you then by trying it out for yourself.

May your life be filled with happiness and spiritual wealth!

Unconditional Love: Loving Without Condition

A student of life, there have been several times when I have wondered to myself, “How did I do that?”, notably some of the times that my heart chakra opened and I could feel its effects on my surrounding.  I searched for the answers to my awakened heart experiences for quite some time and although gained a lot of wisdom, I still felt unsure how I could repeat the experience.  When I felt the warm sensation of my heart opening, others could feel it too!!!  I read book after book, many that were very helpful to my spiritual development and growth, yet I remained puzzled about the key to unlocking my own heart.  One of my teachers had asked me how I knew it wasn’t opened already, which made me realize that it probably was.  Although I was not in a state to feel my open heart consistently, this did not mean that it was not open.  I still searched for a way to feel the love pouring from me at will, for an answer to how I opened it spontaneously so many times before.  My many experiences were the best tool that I had toward repeating them at will and one day, while in a state of meditation, the truth was revealed to me.  It was an “ah-hah moment”, as I realized that it is so simple …

The secret, the answer to my heart opening experiences is through unconditional love.  Unconditional love is true love, pure love … and it is potent, healing, intense and feels amazing.  Unconditional love creates spiritual union.  It raises your vibration and increases the flow of positive energy into your life.  Unconditional love is lucky …

Unconditional love makes you feel whole, happy and complete, with a rich inner garden that seeds many potentials.  Unconditional love is freeing, as it releases us from the restrictions and limitations we put on others and on ourselves.  Loving unconditionally is easier than conditional love.  With a little practice, releasing the joys and blessings of pure love into your life and into your heart is easy.

To begin to practice loving in a pure, unconditional way let’s first take a look at what conditional love is.  Conditional love is loving with conditions, with limitations.  Conditional love is like paying for love.  If you act a certain way, you will get love.  If you do not act a certain way,  love is omitted.  This is the way many people love, especially of themselves.

Unconditional love is love without limits.  It is having love for someone, no matter what that person does, says or is.  When unconditional love is present their are no judgments and forgiveness comes easily.  Unconditional love is giving love without expectation, with total acceptance of the way the person is.  Unconditional love is loving someone as they truly are.  Pure unconditional love feels wonderful, as it resonates with the universe, creating a spiritual union.  Unconditional love is natural!  It is something we are born with.

Having unconditional love for yourself is important to spiritual growth and development.  Actually in order to love another in a balanced and wholesome way, you must first love yourself.  Act in ways that reflect self-love and forgive yourself for making mistakes.  Loving yourself no matter what is what pure, unconditional love is all about.  Unconditional love is continuing to feel love, without interruption, without excuse, without reason to cut the ties of love.  Pure love gains momentum, as there are no excuses to stop the flow.

Unconditional love can be very difficult at times, yet it is extremely rewarding.  When you love without strings attached, you open yourself up to so many blessings, including deep understanding of yourself and others.

For myself, unconditional love has given me a feeling of freedom.  Keeping up with all the mistakes of myself and others can be very draining and energy consuming.  Although I certainly do not condone certain behavior, it is easy for me to forgive it.   Forgiveness allows me the freedom of letting go of the resistance to being in the flow of love.  It is so much easier to feel love when not holding on to the burdening resentments of the past.  After all, to err is human and certainly we have all learned some of the most important lessons at one time or another through a mistake.  Letting things go has uplifted me beyond measure … helping me to remove the barriers to opening my heart.  Having pure love and filling my heart with unconditional love is a wonderful feeling, a vibrational match to all my heartfelt desires.  It is a gift I have given to myself.  Try it out for a week and see the difference it can make in your life.

Affirmations: The Power of The Word

An affirmation is the assertion that something exists or is true. Every word you think and every word say is an affirmation.  You can use affirmations to change your life in a positive way by consciously choosing words that create good in your life.  An affirmation opens the door to change.  It is possible to reprogram the mind in a such a way that you attract all sorts of good to you by using affirmations.  Successfully affirming good into your life can be easy.  In order for your affirmations to manifest there are few tips that will keep you open to receiving what it is that you would like welcome into your life.  So let’s get started.

*It is a good idea to have a notebook handy for affirmation work, preferably a new one devoted to your affirmations.  Even if you never use it, other than simply recording your affirmative statements, a notebook serves as a reminder of the thoughts and words you are introducing into your consciousness.

What you choose to think is what you will get in life.  An affirmation is a declaration that something is true.  Affirmative statements go beyond the reality of the present into the creation of the future by the words you use in the now.  Affirmations are planting seeds for future prosperity.  The more you repeat the affirmation, the better the chances of successful manifestation.

Our thoughts and words are like seeds in the mind.  A happy atmosphere within your mind will create a fertile environment, with rich soil that will create beautiful results.  That is the key to bringing your positive affirmations into reality … the right environment for them to grow.

Many people do not find affirmations helpful, but the truth is that they must bring about positive change if they are done correctly.  Here are a few guidelines to follow to find success in using affirmations.

• Always say affirmations in the present tense.
• Write, speak or think your affirmations everyday until you see results.
• If you do your affirmations before bedtime they will swim around within your mind all night long.
• It is easier to think positive affirmations when you feel good, so create a joyful inner environment with lots of gratitude.
• Every thought you think and every word you speak is creating your future.  If you say your affirmations, yet live in a state of contradiction, don’t expect much.  In fact, things may get worse.  Pay attention to the words you use everyday, both with your inner voice and your outer voice.  Choose positive affirming words all day, everyday … as much as possible.  You must change the way you speak and think in order for affirmations to work.
• Every complaint is an affirmation of something you do not want.  It is important to turn negative affirmations around into positive affirmations.
• Too many negative thoughts create blocks of resistance that slow down positive affirmations or inhibit them completely.  Thoughts of bitterness, blame, guilt and resentment need to be let go of in order to achieve maximum results from your positive affirmations.
• If you do not feel you deserve the manifestation of the affirmation, you will create a barrier to bringing your positive affirmation into fruition.  Your beliefs affect your life.

Every moment you have a choice as to what you will think about.  Our thoughts create our experience in life.  It is important to remember that every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation, so you want them to be as conducive to as great a life as possible.  It is very important to pay attention to the words you use every day, and the way you feel when saying them, for we become programmed by them.  Saying affirmations is only part of the formula … what we do for the rest of the day and night is even more important.  The secret to having your affirmations work well is to create a nurturing and loving inner environment,  conducive to their growth.

Positive affirmations and positive thinking techniques can help develop a powerful and positive attitude in life, which is an essential element in life success and good health. You can use affirmations to change your life in a positive way.   Here are a few affirmations to get your started, although once you get some practice you will be able to write your own.

• I am open and receptive to all the good and abundance in the Universe.
• Right now, I accept the abundance that is flowing into my life.
• I trust my intuition to lead me to abundance.
• Changing careers is easy and joyous.
• My intuition clearly guides me to my new career.
• Each morning I wake up energized and excited for my day because I am passionate about my work.
• I am supported in my pursuit of prosperity.
• I am willing to recognize the opportunity to change careers.
• I am guided to an abundance of joy.
• I lovingly do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health.
• My new work environment is fun and supportive. I enjoy each day there.
• I leap knowing that there is nowhere to fall to. I trust in the universe.
• My life is filled with delight, joy, love, and good humor.
• I only attract loving people in my world for they are a mirror of what I am.
• Today is a delightful day. Money comes to me in expected and unexpected ways.
• I choose to express a confident attitude to others.
• I already have the experience and understanding I need to perform my absolute best.
• When I believe in myself, others believe in me to.
• All my relationships are loving and harmonious.
• I trust in the process of life.
• My life is a joy filled with love, fun and friendships.
• I choose to allow love, joy and freedom into my life.
• I open my heart and allow wonderful things to flow into my life.

For more affirmations, please visit The University of Metaphysical Sciences.

Enjoy your life!  The universe wants you to be happy.

Communication Skills – A Key To Peace

When an individual improves their self they contribute to the well-being of the totality of the whole.  The improvement of skills that allow one to communicate well is integral to the healing of our planet, especially in these fragmented and complex times.  Communication skills can improve the world we all live in.  They are important for the survival of an individual as well as the evolutionary progress of our planet.  The lightworkers among us know of the significance of being able to communicate, articulate and understand the language of the needs shared by all humanity on both a spiritual and practical level, as this skill greatly serves humanity.

Most people do not know how to express their needs to others, nor do they know how to interpret other peoples’ needs.  One of my favorite methods of learning how to communicate, even among great conflict, is known as Nonviolent Communication, or NVC for short.  Developed by clinical psychologist, Dr. Rosenburg, NVC is a system for getting in touch with the basic needs of ourselves and those around us.  Dr. Rosenberg has been teaching this system of communication across the globe for over thirty years.  He lives what he teaches, the mark of a true healer, teacher and sage.

Nonviolent Communication is a way of being, thinking, and living in the world.  According to NVC, when we recognize the needs (a common bond of humanity) of ourselves and those around us, strategies can then be discussed to meet the needs of everyone involved.  NVC teaches a literacy of needs, something most people do not have.  This technique has tremendously successful results when applied in conflict resolution, as well as increasing intimacy between individuals.  When we make the choice to help someone with something that they need it feels good to contribute to the well-being of another.  The gift of giving comes from the heart to heart connection between individuals.  A true bond forms this way and everyone gets their needs met, therefore everyone is satisfied with the results.

Identifying our core needs and developing a strategy to get them met, as well as helping others to meet their needs is the main focus of NVC.  NVC teaches ways to express ourselves while accepting the risk of vulnerability and formulating requests in ways that work toward resolution.  This method allows an individual to be more in touch with their authenticity and what is alive within them.  The language that is taught fosters compassionate and empathetic connection between people.  Although the system is simple, it takes great patience and desire to put it into practice.  With a little initial effort the use of NVC is tremendously rewarding.  It has great use in conflict resolution, especially when all others methods have failed.  As they say in A Course In Miracles, “When we empathize, their is nothing to forgive”.

By contributing to the peace between individuals, whether you are the mediator or communicating for yourself, you help to contribute to the peace of the planet.  The global community of unity is emerging and there is a sense of being less separate from one another.  While our own personal uniqueness gives us each an individual mark on society, as well as our own personal mission and role, the human commonality between us all helps us to communicate and share with one another.  If we bring our knowledge and awareness of understanding and cooperation to our immediate spheres of influence, the ripples of transformation and healing will reach great distances.  One person can have a great effect on many.  Learning to communicate and understand the core of what others are saying is a skill that has the power to touch your heart and your life, as well as those around you.  Be the change!

For more information on communication skills, please visit the University of Metaphysical Sciences.