Courage

The desire to hide from the sadness and cruelty of the world is strong. We seek some peace from the emotional stress of exposure to people who are in pain and from our own pain. Yet our deepest calling is to bring and enlightened consciousness to the world we find right in front of us. We are called to be our authentic Selves and bring a consciousness of love and compassion to all of creation. This means we do not try to escape; we try to open ourselves to ourSelves more completely and from there, face the tumult.

 

Affirmative Prayer

Prayer is not an act of overcoming God’s reluctance, but an active acceptance of Its highest willingness.

Mistakes

“You know, Malachizer, we human beings have an aversion to mistakes. We equate ‘mistakes’ to ‘sins’ and to being wrong.” The High Priest nodded. “But what if there is no ‘sin’? What if what we call a ‘mistake’ is really an opportunity to develop a new awareness?  For example, what if our new awareness showed that a false fact was accepted as true, or that there was a simple misunderstanding or that some method or technique we rely on needed to be adjusted or relearned? If we get defensive about our mistakes, these necessary changes would never occur.

“With ourSelves, there are no mistakes. There are only opportunities to choose again, to learn, grow and change, to become less like ourselves and more like ourSelves. Being negative is easy. The real courage is finding the good in whatever is happening, so-called ‘mistake’ or no, and the pros in every con.”

Listen

Listen to this cool discussion about Devorah:
http:emotionalpro.com/archives/6835

Projection Makes Perception 2

“Projection makes perception. If we see disaster and catastrophe in the world, it is because we see disaster and catastrophe in ourselves. If we see holiness and hope, it’s because we see holiness and hope in ourSelves. There is no choice that lies between these two decisions. We will see the witnesses to the choice we made. The world you see but shows you how much joy you have allowed yourself to see in you and to accept as yours.”

Projection Makes Perception

Once again, the insights Devorah shares arise from the Course in Miracles.

“Projection makes perception,” Devorah said to the multitude. “What we think and feel in here,” she touched her head and heart, “is what we see out there. In fact with spirit, there is no ‘out there’ or ‘in here’ either. The world we see is what we gave it, nothing more. But though it is no more that that, it is not less, and thus is important to us. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition.

“As we think, so we perceive. Therefore, seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. Perception is a result, not a cause. Everything looked up with vision, with yourSelf, is healed and holy. Nothing perceived without it means anything. And where there is no meaning, there is chaos.”

Response Ability

“We tend to think of responsibility as meaning we’re admitting we did something wrong or owning up to a mistake,” Devorah smiled. “That’s OK, but there’s more to it than that. That’s the Scrolls way of thinking about it. The way I like to think about it, the Covenant way, is ‘response ability’ – the ability to respond, a choice about how to respond.”

Barak nodded. “You’re saying we may not be fully responsible for what happens, but we are 100% responsible for how we respond to what happens.”

“Yes, that’s it, Barak!  When we blame, we give up power. If another person, place or thing is to blame only they have the power to heal the situation. It’s only by claiming our inner power, our reality as spirit and identify with ourSelves and by knowing and accepting full responsibility for our responses that we are empowered. That’s ‘response ability.’”

The Caterpillar and the Butterfly

“From the position of the caterpillar, it’s impossible to predict that a butterfly will emerge,” Devorah nodded. Good, she thought. “From identifying with myself, it is impossible to identify with mySelf. The wonderful, colorful, flying butterfly – mySelf - is there within the earth-bound caterpillar. MySelf knows it’s there and its still small voice, often in the form of intuition, passion and desire, is always singing to me. But myself, thinking of itself as an earth-bound caterpillar, rarely hears it. I want to stop thinking of mySelf as a caterpillar and more like the butterfly mySelf really is.”

Star Stuff

“We are made of the same particles as the stars,” Devorah stared at her reflection in the pool. “So let go of that grim face.” She smiled. “I have within me all that I need to fully realize my power. Yes!” She arose. “It is time I fully realized my greatness and the greatness and grandeur in everyone and everything and expressed It, allowed mySelf to shine through.”

Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional

“I have found that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional,” Devorah said to Barak. The general looked a question at her. “Suffering - anguish, distress and misery - does not have to follow automatically from pain. Things the ego labels ‘bad’, such as a broken arm, or cancer or a flood, will cause pain. But if we allow it, the pain will depart. We hold on to it by worrying, blaming and anguishing and that is a choice, an unnecessary choice.

“Pain stretches us, pushes us past our comfort zones, is part of living and growing. We suffer because we fear discomfort, are content with where we are, don’t think we need to grow and fear the unknown. Go where the pain is leading you. Ask it what it wants you to do or change. Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.”

If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It

For the next few posts, Devorah’s insights arise from the Science of Mind monthly magazine. Today’s is as if she were speaking directly to me…perhaps you’ll feel that way, too.

“Stop thinking anyone has to be taught anything. The Intelligence in and through everyone and everything imbues each of us with all we need to navigate life successfully. When we seek to ‘fix’ ourselves, another person, situation or thing, we violate a basic tenet of this Intelligence namely that nothing needs fixing, all is in process, all is awakening to its true potential.

“Every being is a work in progress, moving towards a greater expression of itSelf. This process is often messy, painful, hurtful and difficult, but everyone and everything is doing what its supposed to be doing in the best way it can. We can be inspired to do better quicker, but its best to do this without blame or judgment and not thinking we need to be fixed, because we’re not broken.”

Thank you!

Thank you!
Devorah and I thank all the wonderful people who joined us last nite at Books and Books.

TONIGHT!

TONIGHT1

Dr. Steve and Devorah!  Books and Books Coral Gables.  6:30

One Week to Go!

One week to go to join Dr. Steve and Devorah at Books and Books in Coral Gables! Looking forward to seeing you there - 6:30 PM, Wed, July 10th.

 

Sin

Please remember, dear readers, that the concepts in Devorah’s mind and many of the words she uses come from The Course in Miracles.

“What if life is not as we think it is,” Devorah said to the soldiers. “What if life is not just a struggle to avoid death and destruction, pain and suffering? What if we’ve had it upside down, inside out and backwards all this time? What if life was meant to be an adventure, an upward spiral of expansion, inclusion, love and joy? What if instead of living as we do fearing, trembling, avoiding, we lived as if we were supported – which we are, and could not fail – which we can’t? What if peace is more than the absence of war? What if the benign spirit of the Covenant is real and the truth about us and the fearsome, punishing spirit of the Scrolls is a mistake? What if there was no sin…?” The soldiers were still, but a few among them smiled and nodded.

Devorah smiled and nodded in return. “The Wisdom Within that guides me and is also available to guide you, tells me that it is essential we not confuse error with sin. For error can be corrected, and the wrong made right. But sin, were it possible, would be irreversible. Remember my brothers, sin is possible only in the ego nightmare, but awake with spirit we know sin is impossible. To sin would be to violate reality and succeed. Sin is the proclamation that attack is real and guilt is justified.

“We children of the one God can be mistaken; we can deceive ourselves; we can turn the power of our minds against ourSelves. But we cannot sin. The Wisdom Within proclaims there is nothing we can do that would really change our waking reality in any way, nor make us really guilty.”

Time is Running Out!

Miracles still happen. Grace is within.  Hear Dr. Steve and Devorah talk about it, Books and Books in Coral Gables, 6:30, Wed, July 10th.