INNOCENCE AND CURIOSITY

The word “CURIOSITY” can not be found anywhere in “A Course In Miracles©.” However, to my mind, even though it is not expressed, it plays a big part in the metaphysics of the Course.
When God’s Thought of Creation is put into linear thinking to be recognized by out conscious, human mind, curiosity comes very early in the story. Of course, we understand that in truth God and His Thoughts are not linear but circular, being always and forever without beginning or end. So He can not be spoken of (understood), being beyond all linear thinking.

But early in OUR linear thinking after our creation, we had “gone” to God and asked to be special in His Love. This not being possible, He explained to us that He loved all His Children equally. This did not satisfy some of us and we had a burning CURIOSITY to know if there could be something else other than God’s World.

Our original condition as created was one of complete Innocence. One of the properties of innocence is curiosity. When we watch a very young child, we observe his natural curiosity. Almost his first word is, “Wassat?” He wants to explore everything, sticking his little finger into everything he can find. He knows nothing of danger or inappropriate behavior. He just wants to know and experiment to find out. He may crawl to an electric wall outlet and stick in a spoon to investigate. So curiosity is a natural tendency when we are new.

God wants us to be co-creators of Love with Him by our own choice. To make that choice we have to be allowed to investigate and make our own decision. God knows some of us have to do this to be satisfied that the All Which He Created for us is everything we want. Then we can return to It with our whole heart. Any less, and we would not be any good to Him or able to fulfill our birthright.

So, like the prodigal son that we are, God allows us to wander in our world as beautiful or as horrible as it may be so that we will see the DIFFERENCE between our world and Heaven, and make the choice to return Home to Him. This, of course, may take many years or many lifetimes.

As with the prodigal son, who picked himself up out of the mud of the pigsty, declared, “Even the servants in my father’s house have it better than this!” And decided to return home regardless of the certain punishment he was sure he would receive, and deserved. What a shock when he discovered that his father was not annoyed, welcomed him with open arms because he has never stopped loving his son unconditionally all the while.

And so it is with us. When we finally have had enough of our Godless world and have returned Home, we will be met with the same welcome and Love.

God knows we have to see for ourself. He is not disturbed. He knows the certainty of our return. He knows there IS nothing else to find nor anywhere else to be as He IS Everything and Everywhere. WHEN we decide to return has been left up to us. God does not want us back until we are absolutely sure that is what we want. Every dark corner of our illusion must be opened to His Light and no secret thought be kept as true.

Many places in The Course, the perceived effect of our separation is that we “murdered God.” The Course is once again explaining cause and effect. When we “caused” ourself to leave God and His Kingdom, it gave rise to the “effect” that we had abandoned or “murdered” Him.

One of the most profound lines for me in The Course is where it says, “You were redeemed the instant you thought you had deserted Him.” (T12-VIII.6.4) By this one sentence I finally realized that it was I who had left Him and that He had never left me! This was absolutely empowering and opened the door for my return. The prodigal had picked himself up out of the mud and the journey home began. This was my “Branching of the Road.” My destination became dedicated and sure.

I realized that everything in my life that was not about God and my return to Heaven was a waste of time and not worthy of consideration. My life began to turn around and I was on my way.

I also realized that Heaven was right here within my spirit mind. Whenever I decided to be in spirit mind I could experience the reflection of Heaven. It was very liberating there and I could experience no concern or worry and always the Peace of God. That is how I knew I was in that mind.

I still had a few areas of curiosity that needed to be explored, but I knew that was okay because I felt that I was getting closer Home as each was examined and released. I could picture God holding the door open for me and smiling as he watched my progress.

I could smile too because I could realize my purpose here and be totally okay with whatever happened in my life, in the lives of those around me and, in fact, with the entire world. There were NO ACCIDENTS and everything that happened was a LESSON to be learned! EVERYTHING! I might not always see the reason, but I knew in absolute surety that Holy Spirit was guiding it all. I did not have to. I might not understand, but could rest in peace knowing He did. It did not require my understanding or concern. I would be told what my part would be as He needed me to know. Happiness had returned to me and I could continue my journey lightly with single-minded purpose and willingness to be shown.

IT NEVER HAPPENED

When did you stop beating your wife? When did the separation happen? Why? and to whom? are not questions at all, but statements of belief. You have assumed they are real, did happen, and are now looking for answers to justify your belief. The obvious truth is always overlooked in favour of maintaining the conflict in your mind. The obvious solution - it NEVER HAPPENED AT ALL. It was only a thought I had in my mind. As the old adage says, “What did thought do? He didn’t do anything at all, he just thought he did.” So here we are, maintaining the thought, going ‘round in circles looking for the “answers.” But let’s not EVER consider the FACT, THE TRUTH that it never happened.

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

We have opinions, beliefs, and judgments about nearly everything in our world. How we see things depends upon our POINT OF VIEW. We base our thinking upon what happened in the past and what we learned since we came into the world. We are caught in this time-warp where we think we know what is real and the way things are. At least, it certainly seems so from our viewpoint, our perspective. Our problem is that we are standing within our illusion, in our body, in the center of our world. Therefore, everything we “see” is coloured by our perception. This now becomes our “reality,” and everything outside us is judged by our yardstick. We not only have told everyone that comes near us what they are, we have even told God what He is, and what He can do. We are now convinced that this is really us, as we begin to look around for meaning and a “way out”. Sometimes we get the vague feeling that we are not really “at home” but can’t seem to understand why this should be, or where “home” might be anyway. We may confuse this feeling as a longing for our old ancestral home, the family of our childhood, or the county and place of our birth. This plaintive longing can be heard in much of the music and ballads about our call to "go home”, as in Negro spirituals, Irish and Newfoundland folk songs. It is a plea to go back to the way things were when we recognized vestiges of our innocence and peace. But our longing for “home” goes much deeper; all the way back to our Original Home as The Christ, in Heaven, as we were/are created.

So now we must consider another question. Where are we really? Are we in the foreign land of our body and our world, or are we really alive in Ourselves as The Christ in Heaven, simply dreaming we are in this land of exile? A Course In Miracles© proposes this Truth to us and asks us to consider what we believe we have done. This thought requires a complete reversal in our usual view of things. We must change perception to vision - as we look from that completely opposite VIEW POINT.

We believe we have actually successfully separated from our Self in Heaven. Now floating in this void of nothingness, we feel guilty for having committed our “sin” of separation and fear punishment for having done something “wrong”. Punishment can take many forms of deprivation, pain, and isolation. Possibly the worst fear is that of never, ever being able to return “home” again and like the Flying Dutchman, being condemned to drifting in the total black void of “nothing” forever. We fear death, as we think that this then will be our fate. So we hang onto our existence here, desperately seeking “life.” We even try to make our situation better, personally and globally, trying to avoid thinking about our rush to oblivion.

Once we realize the futile insanity of all this, it is time to get very still, go quietly deep inside, take another look, another POINT OF VIEW, and realize the Truth of What is Real. Our original thought of, “Could there be something more than everything and better than perfect?” was born out of the curiosity of our Innocence. Well, here we are, answering that question. When we are ready to say, “O.K., I’ve had enough, I have proven it, I am already Perfect, Complete, Joyous and Eternal as I exist as my Self, The Christ in Heaven”, we are automatically “back home”, as we have never really left, never did anything at all, just had that insane thought. Once the thought is withdrawn, it is over. The trouble is, while we see any value in our body, the world or any thought or existence outside of Heaven, we have not totally given up our question, our dream, the illusion, and must pursue it until we see it has no meaning or further interest to us.

However, we are not “alone” in our dilemma. Holy Spirit has a place in our “traveling” mind. If we care to go there and meet Him, He will direct the best way for us to go for “our own highest good.” This often is not what we would judge as “best”, but He has the “big picture” in view, and knows what IS best for us. Also, we have all our “brothers,” all the other parts of us, who are holding up lights to help us find our way. When we can “see their lights”, our path will be lit.

As we stumble our way through the maze of our darkness, it is very difficult to keep focused on the Light that we are. From our original insane thought, came an insane world. The world itself is not supposed to make any sense. It is simply a “negative proving ground” where we have come to prove to ourself what is not real and what we are. What does make sense is discovering the Love that we and all our brothers truly are, as we go through our chosen lessons. The error we make (which means nothing in eternity but everything in time), is in not paying attention to our lessons as they arise, and what each one means to us. There are no accidents, and everything is a lesson to be learned.

Every lesson we get we have “asked for” (outside our conscious mind), and we receive as we have asked. We chose the lesson, so pay attention now, or do it again!

In order to more easily see our lessons and their purpose, we must establish a new POINT OF VIEW. We must stop judging events and appearances from within our world and its values. We must change our “vision” as if we were totally back in Our Self in The Christ in Heaven and look from there. When we read in ACIM, “Behind the door lies nothing”, we have to remember that the Author, Jesus, is viewing our battleground, the place of “nothing,” from His vantage point in Heaven, looking “down through the gate of heaven” at us. We, on the other hand see ourselves as looking “up” through the open gate. That is why He sees “nothing,” but we will see “everything,” when we choose.

So, as we earnestly go along our spiritual path, it is necessary to always look at our lessons, ourself and our brothers from this new perspective, this new POINT OF VIEW. As we maintain this new Vision, our lessons take on a whole new meaning, we see only the Light of Christ shining in all our brothers, and our steps become surely guided back Home, to Heaven. This process may take a little time or a long time, depending upon our “willingness to see’, our single—minded dedication to re-discovering our own Truth, and our persistent determination to be “vigilant only for God and His Kingdom”. See you back Home!

OUR PURPOSE HERE

We are all pilgrims on a journey. We are all seekers for the Light. We are all individual aspects of God proving to Itself what is Real. We are all students and teachers of each other. There are NO accidents, and we are all exactly where we need to be for what we need to learn. Many lessons have been chosen; necessary steps leading to the final lesson of realizing What We are and where We are forever.

We may not always be able to keep in touch with these thoughts as we go through our daily life experiences. It certainly seems that the world, other people and “our life” is doing it to us. The problem we have is in always keeping in touch with the concept that everything that happens to us is a lesson for us. (Moreover, that at some deep level of our mind, we have chosen the lesson.) That is a hard one to accept.

We are all unhealed healers. As we begin to see and accept our own perfection, happiness, innocence, and love, to whatever degree we allow ourselves to see it, we will see it in others. We then share those aspects of Us, with them. Everyone has this Light to the same degree, but some are holding more darkness up in front of theirs, so it is harder for us to see it. As we and they awaken further to Truth and its witnesses, we realize we are not the thing we thought we were, but what We really are. As we are “gently guided” through our lessons by the Holy Spirit, we come to the “knowing” of our true “Self” in the Real World. When the lessons get very hard, seem terrifying and without purpose, it is because we have blocked His gentle guidance with our own darkness. If we carry our darkness to His Light, that darkness will be shone away until all that will be left is Our Light.

WHAT IS LOVE?

Truth is Love. Love is Truth in motion. Love is the fragrance of a flower. Love is sunshine. Love is a smile. Love is the expression of pure Joy in just Being. It has no reason to be or not to be. It just IS. It is that expression of natural, innocent Being without judgment, connivance, or guilt that is our true Self and natural state. Once there is any necessity to do, be, or think anything else outside of this pure state of Love, peace has been abandoned. I must do nothing except shine, and extend the Love that I AM.

- A rock is being pure Love, just being a rock.
- A tree flutters its leaves, and sends the peace of its Love.
- The sun warms our cheek, and kisses us with Love.
- A bird sings and we hear its innocent Love.
- A brook tumbles happily onward in Love of being a brook.
- The ocean rolls and claps applause at its majestic oneness.
- A butterfly silently and carelessly shares its beauty and defenselessness.

We touch someone, or smile, and share the Love that We are.

- No control, No judgment, No accusation. No need - - Just the pure Love of Being -

ON GREATNESS

- Decisive boldness is the engine on the road to greatness. The mud encountered is the need for verification.
- Success can be achieved in all things; big or small. Greatness is in accomplishing what others have not even dreamt of.
- Ego greatness is in the accomplishment of ideas of the self.
- Spiritual greatness is in resting in the knowledge of Self.

THE ENDLESS CIRCLE

We are God proving to Itself that there is nothing but God; and in the end, that there is no need to prove it.

Keep away from thought that tells you what anything is or is not.
No thought knows, and that which knows - cannot tell.

The concept of God and The Christ in Heaven is the ego’s finest triumph. In it, ego has entered Heaven and made a duality that doesn’t exist. In truth, there is only ONE where no duality can ever exist. Even the words “ever” (time) and “exist” (form) are meaningless within that state of ONENESS called Heaven.

You can express your path, and your progress upon it, in whatever way is appropriate to your present development. Meditation, contemplation, prayer, thought, purification, ritual, dogma or nothingness are all appropriate places in that path; and in the end all lead to the knowing and being of ONENESS.

“I AM ABOUT MY FATHER’S BUSINESS.”

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