tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175833142008-05-10T08:06:36.708-06:00acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-47166502026359503122008-04-22T21:24:00.005-06:002008-04-22T22:03:01.207-06:00

There is no "Course community". It's a convenient term, and one I've used and will continue to use, but not one I will take seriously. I also vote. And have been known to plant stuff. And have thisorthat insurance. And take copious notes in Ken's classes. When we take the ego seriously we take the body and world seriously, which inevitably means we'll end up taking the Course and the idea of a

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-66054621127306556652008-04-21T07:49:00.005-06:002008-04-21T08:14:42.266-06:00

In addition to my blog on this the main page, which mainly consists of more formal posts, I have created a more personal daily blog which can be accessed by clicking on the monastery link to your right in the About Me box. The "monastery blog" consists of briefer postings and is where I share in real-time the latest news, on-goings, lessons, experiences and insights in my personal ACIM journey.

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-11881248641776565582008-04-09T17:00:00.021-06:002008-04-14T09:48:13.598-06:00

Q: There are many references of "living things" in the Course. What are "living" things? Animals of all sorts? If so, why is the Course separating out animals/living things from the rest of the perceived world if it is only an illusion anyway? Are "living things" not illusions? Here are three examples from the Course where "living things" are mentioned: "There is no living thing that does not

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-17229678501791689212008-02-07T09:11:00.001-07:002008-03-22T08:30:08.524-06:00

Q: I know I keep asking this, but if you don't mind, I'll keep asking until I get it. How could we have a thought other than God? The Course says, "In time this [the tiny mad idea, the separation] happened very long ago. In reality it never happened at all." (M-2.2:7-8, parenthesis & italics mine) So you can see your dilemma: You think you exist as a separate, autonomous individual. That you

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-67176616733525807992008-02-02T21:15:00.003-07:002008-03-23T21:54:58.468-06:00

Love transcends religion. It transcends spirituality, faith, and philosophy. It soars high above doctrine, dogma, and worldly decree. It sees beyond brick and mortar existence, beyond the tallest range of snow-capped mountains that bind and captivate our earthly gaze, to a vista far beyond all mortal horizons and vain imaginings. It sees the purity of its own heart. And from there, into the

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-61369106770467896252008-01-25T05:51:00.000-07:002008-01-25T16:08:38.376-07:00

Reflections are seen in light. In darkness they are obscure, and their meaning seems to lie only in shifting interpretations, rather than in themselves. The reflection of God needs no interpretation. (T-14.IX.6:1-3) This is a simple Course. However, there is nothing simple about the defenses we will erect against its message of pure love. Sometime, in the not-too-distant future, a setting sun

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-64537862582878540492008-01-22T07:19:00.000-07:002008-01-24T19:28:44.945-07:00

Q: What do you think is the deal with Course teachers and all the controversy? Is that just the nature of the beast (the ego), so to speak? A: Yes, that's all. Course teachers and students are no different than anyone else or each other; they have split minds and are "in process", so the normal factions, separate interests, and controversies will arise in forms specific to the Course, spiritual

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-80004246860927068072008-01-16T19:32:00.000-07:002008-02-05T07:59:14.219-07:00

The difference between a sin and a mistake is fundamental to the practice of forgiveness in A Course in Miracles. When we chose to look upon "the tiny mad idea" with the ego, the ego instantly called it sin. "In his forgetting did the thought become a serious idea, and possible of both accomplishment and real effects." (T-27.VIII.6:3) Our sin, we believe, is that through our selfish choice we

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-44652845006188801452008-01-15T12:23:00.000-07:002008-01-15T18:16:30.559-07:00

Q: I figure I may as well put my personal life and struggles out there and own it, right? There are no private thoughts. A: When the Course says "There are no private thoughts" (T-15.VII.14.4, W-pI.19.2:3 etc.) it's not talking about our lives and personal thoughts here, - we don't think here, we only think we're thinking - it's talking about the thoughts we think in our mind. Since there are

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-16435982884853759692008-01-06T20:44:00.000-07:002008-01-08T11:39:18.562-07:00

Q: My other question also has to do with Ken's "teachings." In a number of places (can't recall where), I've seen him say something like "If you find it easy to forgive (etc.), you're doing this wrong." I think it may have been in the 50 Miracle Principles of ACIM. Again, I'm paraphrasing, but I find this a tad worrisome. But the weird thing is that DU (The Disappearance of the Universe) was

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-1328020674724952622008-01-01T20:30:00.000-07:002008-01-08T12:18:05.135-07:00

Q: I was wondering what you think about the affirmations for forgiveness in Gary Renard's books? A: Affirmations, like anything else, can have a right or wrong-minded use. The way affirmations are often used fosters denial. Repetition for repetition sake is about as helpful as saying, "I am not a body, I am not a body" while you're using the body's lips and tongue to repeat the affirmation. "To

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-70386653189521008922007-12-22T09:35:00.000-07:002007-12-22T10:07:34.975-07:00

The Hush of Home Dear Jesus, Please help me look at this life I live, the world around me, the thoughts I think, the people I see, and myself, with just a little more kindness, gentleness, and patience, so that my heart is filled with compassion and inclusiveness, even as my thoughts remain imperfect. In the embrace of your faithful love do I entrust my mind. You are my whispered peace, the

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-70023465487559150842007-12-16T08:07:00.000-07:002008-02-05T08:01:10.328-07:00

These are my responses to questions about "the observer" from someone named "Jane". My responses come from my own experience; I'm sure it is different for everyone. --- Q: How do I become more identified with the observer? A: Simply forgive, and it will happen of itself. It's nothing more than that. It is deserving of all your trust. The dreamer (decision maker) having chosen the ego, dreams it

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-47723487540752686122007-10-18T08:55:00.000-06:002007-10-21T07:35:07.571-06:00

The love in in our mind is abstract, but so is the guilt. You might call it free-floating guilt attended by free-floating fear. The way we make fear specific is we project it from our mind into a world. We do this to: 1. Attempt to escape the overwhelming fear that guilt engenders 2. Attempt to make the guilt real / keep the guilt / maintain an individual, separate identity 3. Give the guilt

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-3400362916684184852007-10-01T22:05:00.000-06:002007-10-01T22:32:45.404-06:00

I'm listening to Ken Wapnick's workshop, Duality as Metaphor, and someone in the class asked the question: "What do we do with our pain?" When we hear the word "pain" we tend to think of physical pain first, but no matter the form (psychological, emotional, mental, physical) all pain comes from our choice for the ego. So, really, the question is: "What do we do with our painful experience of

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-83066381469024334812007-09-21T20:08:00.000-06:002007-10-23T18:52:54.188-06:00

Recently, I've read opinions regarding A Course in Miracles, and Ken Wapnick's teachings, being nihilistic. In my personal experience, Ken is the least nihilistic teacher and person I've ever known or could imagine, and A Course in Miracles is as far from nihilism as one can get. I think what happens is the content of the Course is so threatening to our self-identity, and the meaning we have

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-13835781705102128872007-09-18T08:32:00.000-06:002007-10-05T19:00:21.911-06:00

Forming a relationship with Jesus is central to the process of Atonement in A Course in Miracles. We need help from outside our own egoic thought system to move beyond it. However, we want to remember not to confuse "means and end", falling into the trap of using our relationship with Jesus to try and compromise the ultimate purpose of the Course. As we grow with the Course and deepen our

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-84182581639452140402007-09-14T20:18:00.000-06:002007-10-24T19:36:57.084-06:00

It is important for us to remember the only 'authority' over our mind is us. Just as we have the power to accept God's love, or to believe we have rejected it (when the truth is nothing happened), so too do we have the power to accept the content of A Course in Miracles, or to reject its message. The power is found in our decision making ability. Course teachers such as Ken Wapnick, no matter

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-69520110214594878562007-09-09T12:11:00.000-06:002007-10-02T12:21:37.458-06:00

A Course in Miracles is highly metaphoric. Our self-identity, and therefore, thinking, is highly specific, so we often mistakenly read the Course that way. One well-known phrase that is often misinterpreted is the term 'mighty companions', found in the fourth stage of 'The Development of Trust' in the Manual for Teachers: "The teacher of God needs this period of respite. He has not yet come as

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-53370514993522189142007-09-01T21:19:00.000-06:002007-09-28T08:06:17.267-06:00

When I was at the Foundation for A Course in Miracles this June, we came back after the midday break and Ken Wapnick mentioned hearing about a conversation between two Course students at lunch, and for the next ten minutes implored us not to do "Course talk" with other Course -- or non-Course -- students while having a normal conversation. He emphasized that while it is a common phenomenon

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-29639902639475533882007-08-02T14:35:00.000-06:002007-08-03T13:37:53.483-06:00

The concept of dissociation is an important one in A Course in Miracles. Dissociation occurs when the mind splits off two mutually exclusive thoughts. E.g. The thought of atonement and the thought of separation. In more generic terms: the right and wrong minds. "The ego and spirit do not know each other. The separated mind cannot maintain the separation except by dissociating." (T-4.VI.4:1-2) An

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-31445303831508512652007-07-23T20:14:00.000-06:002007-07-24T07:15:49.019-06:00

The happy dream has nothing to do with the world or the body. It might not sound like it, but that's the good news. The bad news is the "happy dream" most of us seek has everything to do with the body, and is impossible to achieve. It reflects the ego's maxim of pure hopelessness: "Seek but do not find." (T-16.V.6:5) This is the compromise so many of us have tried to make with the content of the

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-85893593984906407122007-07-03T16:47:00.000-06:002007-07-03T19:42:46.826-06:00

Recognize what does not matter, and if your brother asks you for something "outrageous," do it because it does not matter. (T-12.III.4:1) Jesus is always speaking on the level of content - choice in the mind - even when it appears He is speaking on the level of form. In the above quote from Chapter 12, what is "outrageous" (impossible) is the idea that something in the world of form could bring

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-7428474633494768132007-04-17T14:38:00.000-06:002008-02-05T08:03:51.423-07:00

"Worshipping A Course in Miracles would be like worshipping Jesus' finger as He points to the sun." (Ken Wapnick) A Course in Miracles isn't the experience of Love, it just points us to the experience. Once in the experience, we no longer need that which helped get us there. That's all the Course is - one tool amongst thousands which points to this experience; nothing more, but also nothing less

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17583314.post-57811240971451701892007-04-16T20:29:00.000-06:002007-04-18T18:11:27.309-06:00

In most cases, when A Course in Miracles talks about silence it's not talking about silence in the way we would normally understand it. It's not addressing the activities of the body (speaking, writing, moving), but rather the activities of the mind. The only activity of the mind is the choice for or against the Holy Spirit. Quiet with words is form. The Course is talking about quieting the ego.

acimmonkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354185102732227881noreply@blogger.com