ACFIP
Newsletter
Issue 7 - DECEMBER 2005
Quarterly Newsletter of the Australian Centre for Inner Peace
Michael Dawson
PO Box 125, Point Lookout
North Stradbroke Island,
Queensland 4183,
Australia
Email: mdawson@acfip.org
Web site: http://www.acfip.org
CONTENTS:
•Article - Dialogue on "I Need Do Nothing"
•Healing Section - Sexual Abuse
•Story - and there was light
•Symptoms of Inner Peace
•Workshops
•Books and Audio Materials for Sale
•Links
•Inspirational Quotations
___________________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the SEVENTH issue of the Australian Centre for Inner Peace Newsletter.
If you wish to read previous issues please go to http://www.acfip.org/newsletterarchive.html.
If your email address ends with .au I put your address on my Australian list for
advance warning of workshops I am giving in Australia. If you do not want to be on
this list please let me know. If you reside in Australia and want to be on this list,
but you address does not end in .au, please email me and I will include it.
If you are new to the Course you might find my summary of help. You can find it at
http://www.acfip.org/sum.html
Regards
Michael Dawson
http://www.acfip.org
___________________________________________________________________________
ARTICLE
Dialogue on "I Need Do Nothing"
There is an important but oft misunderstood section in A Course in Miracles
entitled "I Need Do Nothing" (T-18.VII). The following fictional dialogue
between a student and teacher is designed to help make clear this section and deal
with some of the misunderstandings that arise.
Q. I have been told there is a section in A Course in Miracles entitled "I
Need Do Nothing" . Do you know the origin of this passage?
A. Originally that section was not in the Course. It was a message from Jesus to
Helen regarding solving a non-existent problem. Helen was living with her husband
on the 16th floor of an apartment block in New York. Lift operators were threatening
to call a strike and Helen feared getting a heart attack climbing the stairs and
being separated from her husband. She decided to stay at a nearby hotel for a week,
not realising that the threatened strike was called off before it started. Jesus
pointed out that she should have turned to him for the answer and not to her maladaptive
solution to a non-existent problem. She needed to do nothing. (from "Absence
from Felicity" by Kenneth Wapnick).
Q. Does doing nothing mean I can just sit back and relax from now on?
A. Your ego would love to see this passage as an excuse for idleness, passivity and
spiritual inactivity. This is how the Course defines doing nothing:
To do nothing is to rest, and make a place within you where the activity of the
body ceases to demand attention. Into this place the Holy Spirit comes, and there
abides. T-18.VII.7:7-8
To make a place within you for the Holy Spirit is the Course's path of forgiveness.
To be guided by the Holy Spirit requires the mind to be quiet so you can hear His
voice. You cannot hear His voice if your mind is full of judgement, whether for yourself
or others. Forgiveness is not easy. It requires vigilance, awareness and a recognition
that the problem is in our mind and not in the world. This is not brought about by
dozing in bed all day but in the 'classroom' of relationships.
Q. O.K, but maybe I need to do as little activity as possible during the day?
A. When the Course states you need do nothing it means that we allow Jesus or the
Holy Spirit to do the doing and not us. We no longer do things on our own but allow
spirit to work through us. I need do nothing does not mean you won't do anything.
This could result in a very active life but as you are not the doer you no longer
feel tired. Instead of working from ego energy your strength comes from a higher
source. You will no longer do things from guilt and you will never be in a hurry.
You will lose the sense of urgency in what you do.
Q. I am finding it hard to believe so little is being asked of me. Surely I need
to pursue some worthy task in life like helping the poor or healing the sick?
A. This may be your forgiveness path in life but beware of being attached to results.
If your peace is dependent on the outcome of your efforts you will know the ego is
in charge and not the Holy Spirit
Anything in this world that you believe is good and valuable and worth striving
for can hurt you, and will do so. Not because it has the power to hurt, but just
because you have denied it is but an illusion, and made it real. T-26.VI.1:1-2
Q. This all sounds a bit selfish to me. Surely the Holy Spirit needs my help to make
this a better world?
A. The only purpose the Holy Spirit sees in this world is as a classroom for healing
ourselves.
The sole responsibility of God's teacher is to accept the Atonement for himself.
Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors. When this has been accomplished,
the teacher of God becomes a miracle worker by definition. M-18.4:5-7
Our job is first to heal ourselves which will allow the Holy Spirit to then guide
our lives making us a beacon of light and love in the world. We will then no longer
be driven to fix things in the world: our mere presence will bring healing where
it is needed. This does not mean we have to be perfect before we can be of help.
Our work may already be in the helping professions. However, we realise that it is
in this work we can learn to heal ourselves by learning to lay our egos aside and
invite the Holy Spirit to work through us.
Q. But surely I will need to continue my spiritual search, my meditation and contemplation.
And then there are all my faults I need to fight against.
A. Searching implies that something is hidden.
Why wait for Heaven? Those who seek the light are merely covering their eyes.
The light is in them now. Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.
Workbook Lesson 188.
We were created perfect as Christ. The Christ is hidden by veils of judgement which
can be removed by forgiveness.
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. T-in.1:6-7
The workbook does contain some meditative exercises but this is not the main thrust
of the Course. Forgiveness of our relationships is the main teaching of the Course
with the Holy Spirit or Jesus as our guide.
Forgiveness ... is still, and quietly does nothing. .... It merely looks, and
waits, and judges not. (W-pII.1.4:1,3)
Meditation, contemplation and fighting against sin are paths but Jesus warns us they
are long and tedious.
Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised.
Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment
from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their
purpose. Yet the means are tedious and very time consuming, for all of them look
to the future for release from a state of present unworthiness and inadequacy.
T-18.VI.4:8-11
Q. What about finding the way back to God? I must be responsible for the search.
A. Jesus tells us that if we think we are bodies then we are insane. That makes most
us insane and how can the insane know anything of importance let alone the path back
to God?
Is it not He Who knows the way to you? You need not know the way to Him. Ask and
receive. But do not make demands, nor point the road to God by which He should appear
to you. Lesson 189
We are told that our paths are highly individualistic and as such require the guidance
of the Holy Spirit. By practising our daily forgiveness lessons we open more to His
guidance and He will lead us home.
Q. I still need to make plans. Surely that's all right isn't it?
A. That depends on who is making the plans.
A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through
listening to Wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should
be done, and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for anything
except its adequacy to fulfil the plans assigned to it. It is secure in certainty
that obstacles cannot impede its progress to accomplishment of any goal that serves
the greater plan established for the good of everyone. Lesson 253
When plans are needed they will be given at the right time and place. We are being
asked to get out of the driving seat, to reduce the function of the thinking mind
from trying to sort everything out and simply follow plans from a higher source.
J. Krishnamurti said that only confused people make decisions for there is only one
right action at any given moment. The ego cannot know this but the Holy Spirit does.
Q. You seem to imply I know nothing of value and should give up all my efforts to
improve myself.
A. Who are you trying to improve? If the Christ within you is already perfect that
can only leave your ego to improve. If your ego is particularly dysfunctional such
that you cannot survive easily then some work to make your ego more confident would
be necessary. However, if you are capable of surviving satisfactorily why try and
improve your ego. Surely that will only delay the time of awakening to the grandeur
of your spiritual reality?
We have mesmerised ourselves into thinking we are bodies and afford them great importance.
Most of our time is spent in satisfying their desires, protecting them and making
them feel comfortable. Jesus refers to our body as the hero of the dream.
To do anything involves the body. And if you recognize you need do nothing, you
have withdrawn the body's value from your mind. Here is the quick and open door through
which you slip past centuries of effort, and escape from time. T-18.VII.7:1-3
Q. There does not appear that there is much for me to do. I am told I know nothing
and my efforts are delaying my awakening. I am beginning to find all this rather
personally insulting!
A. If it's any comfort Jesus agrees with you!
You find it difficult to accept the idea that you need give so little, to receive
so much. And it is very hard for you to realize it is not personally insulting that
your contribution and the Holy Spirit's are so extremely disproportionate. You are
still convinced that your understanding is a powerful contribution to the truth,
and makes it what it is. Yet we have emphasized that you need understand nothing.
Salvation is easy just because it asks nothing you cannot give right now. T-18.IV.7:3-7
The Course states that all that is required of us is a little willingness. Not a
big willingness, as that could be seen as an invitation to the ego to start offering
his solutions (which are designed never to work). A little willingness means that
we recognise problems are in our mind and not the world, that we can see them differently
and find peace and this will happen once we invite the help of Jesus. Simply put,
a little willingness means we look at our minds without judgement.
You do not have to seek reality. It will seek you and find you when you meet its
conditions. (Peace through forgiveness) ... You need do so little because your
little part is so powerful that it will bring the whole to you. Accept, then, your
little part, and let the whole be yours. T-8.IX.2:4,5,9,10
Q. I guess I am being asked to be more humble and confess how little I know of importance.
I am beginning to sense the possibility of laying a large burden down. What a relief
it will be to give up being in charge all the time! I am beginning to see my mind
is a useful tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit but a weapon in the hands of my
ego. Any last advice?
A. Let's finish from the section of the Course you first asked about;
Save time for me by only this one preparation, and practice doing nothing else.
"I need do nothing" is a statement of allegiance, a truly undivided loyalty.
Believe it for just one instant, and you will accomplish more than is given to a
century of contemplation, or of struggle against temptation. T-18.VII.6:6-8
If you have sufficient humility, are happy to surrender to a power higher than your
logical and reasoning mind and let the body lose its dominant importance in your
life Jesus offers you a fast way to peace and joy.
___________________________________________________________________________
HEALING SECTION
Sexual abuse
David was a participant in a two-week workshop I was giving at the Findhorn Foundation.
During the first week he became aware of a hatred he carried towards himself. He
felt the hatred to be 'located' in his solar plexus and that its origin lay in the
sexual abuse he had experienced from his uncle when he was ten years old. He only
realised in the workshop setting that following the period of abuse, he had repressed
feelings of guilt and blame for what had happened. This new awareness caused him
much discomfort and he developed asthma and a chest infection by the end of the first
week of the workshop. David felt ashamed of his memories, did not want to explore
this issue with anyone and considered leaving the workshop. He visited the local
doctor and was given a course of antibiotics.
During the start of the second week of the workshop, David asked me for a private
healing session. After a period of relaxation and laying on of hands, I decided I
would try to get him to explore and accept the hatred he was experiencing in his
solar plexus. The Course states: "There is an advantage to bringing nightmares
into awareness, but only to teach that they are not real, and that anything they
contain is meaningless." (T159; T-9.V.3:1) If David could uncover his 'nightmares'
of self-hatred and guilt without judging them, he would then have an opportunity
to change his mind about his seeming 'sins' of the past. My own feeling of acceptance
and non-judgement of him, which I experienced as I gently guided him on this journey,
would also help this process.
To help him undo his state of repression - what the Course calls 'denial' - I asked
him to explore the sensation in his solar plexus. Previous experience had taught
me that important messages are locked up in our areas of pain. I asked him to describe
how large the area of discomfort was, its shape and depth, its colour and texture,
and whether it felt hotter or colder than the rest of his body. As it is impossible
to resist and explore the pain simultaneously, I was encouraging David to undo his
denial about himself. When clients follow this approach, they are describing the
"clothes of the messenger" and this can lead them into deeper levels of
their mind where the 'nightmares' are to be found.
David discovered a hard red ball in his solar plexus. I asked this 'messenger' how
it was feeling and David replied that it was angry. He experienced a strong resistance
to his discovery. He could not accept it in his body and hated it being there. He
said it felt like a foreign object which needed to be attacked and thrown out. Feeling
his strong resentment towards this part of his body, I went within and asked for
help in what to say or do. What came to me was to ask him how this hard, red, angry
ball had served him all these years. After all, it was his creation and he was holding
on to it with great determination. Not surprisingly, he objected strongly to my question
and reiterated he did not want this ball inside him. I felt guided to continue gently
exploring this issue with him without any investment on my part in trying to bring
about changes in him that I thought were necessary.
Slowly David began to receive insights on how this ball of hatred was serving him.
He realised that he had created it as a protection against his fear of opening his
heart to people and acting more spontaneously in life. He saw himself as a person
dominated by his mind and rigid control patterns. To let go of his investment in
his self-hatred and guilt was to free himself to relate more lovingly and openly
to people. This opportunity was now before him. He could hear two parts of his mind
counselling him: the ego and the Holy Spirit. His ego told him that it would be very
dangerous to let go of his control patterns, as he would not be able to predict how
people would behave to him if he related more from his heart than his head. The Holy
Spirit part of his mind counselled him in the opposite direction.
He had nothing to lose but an illusion of sacrifice. The new way of relating would
bring him renewed energy and joy. David could also sense a suppressed part of himself
he called the 'joker' and felt it would be fun to let this joker out. As he struggled
with these two voices, I asked him if he would try and see if he could give away
his angry red ball. I reassured him it would be okay if he could not, but he could
lose nothing by the experiment. I suggested he visualise a pair of loving, gentle,
golden hands outstretched before him awaiting the gift of his angry red ball. I told
him that these hands wanted his pain, not his love, as a gift. The hands were only
interested in "removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence"
(Intro, Text) in him. David decided to give his pain away to these hands. As he did
this, he started to laugh and cry at the same time. A lightness of being came over
him and a strong energy entered his body, so much so that after the session he went
off to run and literally jump in the nearby woods. Although he had been on the point
of leaving the workshop, he now felt happy to stay and complete it.
[reprinted from “Healing
the Cause - A Path of Forgiveness”
Michael Dawson - Findhorn Press. ]
___________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: The Australian Centre for Inner Peace is not a counselling or
psychotherapy centre; therefore, we do not offer telephone or email service or counselling,
therapy, or crisis intervention for personal problems related to the Course. Please
see the Contacts section at the end of this newsletter.
___________________________________________________________________________
STORY
and there was light
Without the guidance of a higher part of us we are spiritually blind, trying to live
on the advice of our ego. Being blind we continually 'bump' into situations that
cause us pain.
The following book extract describes how Jacques Lusseyran, who was accidentally
blinded in both eyes when he was eight years old, came to rely on inner help to navigate
his world. Jacques discovered to his surprise that an inner light was available to
help him. When walking down a tree-lined road he could sense where the trees were.
If he was sufficiently at peace within himself he could even sense where the branches
were positioned. When his childhood playmate ran away from him he could still follow
her as she left a 'red trail' behind her. The book also illustrates how he could
lose touch with this guidance. His story mirrors our own lives and our spiritual
blindness when we try to do everything by ourselves.
Still, there were times when the light faded, almost to the point of disappearing.
It happened every time I was afraid.
If, instead of letting myself be carried along by confidence and throwing myself
into things,
I hesitated, calculated, thought about the wall, the half-open door, the key in the
lock; if I said to myself that all these things were hostile and about to strike
or scratch, then without exception I hit or wounded myself. The only easy way to
move around the house, the garden or the beach was by not thinking about it at all,
or thinking as little as possible. Then I moved between obstacles the way they say
bats do. What the loss of my eyes had not accomplished was brought about by fear.
It made me blind.
Anger and impatience had the same effect, throwing everything into confusion. The
minute before I knew just where everything in the room was, but if I got angry, things
got angrier than I. They went and hid in the most unlikely corners, mixed themselves
up, turned turtle, muttered like crazy men and looked wild. As for me, I no longer
knew where to put hand or foot. Everything hurt me. This mechanism worked so well
that I became cautious.
When I was playing with my small companions, if I suddenly grew anxious to win, to
be first at all costs, then all at once I could see nothing. Literally, I went into
fog or smoke.
I could no longer afford to be jealous or unfriendly, because, as soon as I was,
a bandage came down over my eyes, and I was bound hand and foot and cast aside. All
at once a black hole opened, and I was helpless inside it. But when I was happy and
serene, approached people with confidence and thought well of them, I was rewarded
with light. So is it surprising that I loved friendship and harmony when I was very
young?
Armed with such a tool, why should I need a moral code? For me this tool took the
place of red and green lights. I always knew where the road was open and where it
was closed. I had only to look at the bright signal which taught me how to live.
[From And There Was Light]
The inner light that guided Jaques also helped him discern whom he could trust and
whom he could not. This talent helped him become the leader of a large group of French
resistance fighters in the Second World War. The one time he went against this inner
knowing resulted in him being arrested and imprisoned in a concentration camp. His
reliance on his inner guide allowed him to survive the harsh conditions of the camp
and to go on to become a university professor after the war.
Reprinted from Healing the Cause. Findhorn Press by Michael Dawson
See http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
___________________________________________________________________________
Symptoms of Inner peace
SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already
been expose to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down
with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up
to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.
Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:
A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
A loss of interest in judging other people.
A loss of interest in judging self.
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
A loss of interest in conflict.
A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
Frequent attacks of smiling.
An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable
urge to extend it.
WARNING:
If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition
of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to
anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.
by Saskia Davis
___________________________________________________________________________
2006 Workshops
AUSTRALIA
BRISBANE - 1 day - Saturday March 11, 2006
RELATIONSHIPS AS PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
- from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
with Michael Dawson
Learning to understand ourselves
by seeing how we relate to others.
"When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter.
As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself.
As you think of him you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him
you will find yourself or lose yourself." from "A Course in Miracles"
A relationship based on truth and awareness is one of the most powerful tools for
healing and growth. How we relate in the instant we pass someone in the street, how
we relate to our friends, an employer, family members or our partners all provides
us with mirrors reflecting our own beliefs about ourselves and the world.
In our lives we create barriers to the presence of peace and love within us. We pursue
substitutes of power, money, sex, possessions, status and so on, which can never
satisfy the yearning within for deeper fulfilment.
In this workshop, using the mirror of relationships, we will look at what needs to
be healed in ourselves and how, by changing our relationships based on dependency
to ones based on honesty and forgiveness, we can discover a path that will return
us to the awareness of love's presence within us. A gentle and safe space is created
enabling participants to trust and go deep.
This workshop is not specifically for partners. It is designed for anyone who wishes
to improve how they relate to others in any type of relationship.
An introduction to the Course’s metaphysical, psychological and spiritual teachings
especially regarding relationships will be covered.
VENUE:
Relaxation Centre,
cnr Brookes and Wickham Streets,
Fortitude Valley
Brisbane 4006
BOOKINGS:
Relaxation Centre
07 3854 1986
(Please do not book through me)
Times: 9.30 a.m. to 5.15 p.m.
Cost: $55
Bring lunch to share
___________________________________________________________________________
Adelaide - Thursday evening, 23rd March 2006
Healing Ourselves
- from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
- an evening mini workshop -
“Health is inner peace....
Healing involves an understanding
of what the illusion of sickness is for.
Healing is impossible without this.“
from A Course in Miracles
Using the spiritual path of A Course in Miracles we will explore what true
healing is - the return to our awareness of our spiritual identity. Identification
with our body as our home is the origin of all our physical and psychological suffering.
This workshop will focus on undoing the blocks we have built to the presence of God’s
love and joy within us through the understanding and practising of forgiveness.
An overview of the Course's metaphysical, psychological and spiritual teachings especially
in regard to healing will be covered. No previous knowledge of the book A Course
in Miracles is required
VENUE:
Adelaide, Australia
DATE:
Thursday, Thursday, 23rd March 2006
BOOKINGS:
Cancer Care Centre
08 8373 1470
Tickets can be purchased by phone.
Time: To be announced
Cost: To be announced
Note: A one day
intensive workshop on this theme will be given on Tuesday 28 March. See below for
more details.
___________________________________________________________________________
Clare - Sat 25 and Sun 26, March 2006
(2hrs drive north of Adelaide)
RELATIONSHIPS AS PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
- from the perspective of A Course in Miracles ®
with Michael Dawson
Learning to understand ourselves
by seeing how we relate to others.
"When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter.
As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself.
As you think of him you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him
you will find yourself or lose yourself." from "A Course in Miracles"
A relationship based on truth and awareness is one of the most powerful tools for
healing and growth. How we relate in the instant we pass someone in the street, how
we relate to our friends, an employer, family members or our partners all provides
us with mirrors reflecting our own beliefs about ourselves and the world.
In our lives we create barriers to the presence of peace and love within us. We pursue
substitutes of power, money, sex, possessions, status and so on, which can never
satisfy the yearning within for deeper fulfilment.
In this workshop, using the mirror of relationships, we will look at what needs to
be healed in ourselves and how, by changing our relationships based on dependency
to ones based on honesty and forgiveness, we can discover a path that will return
us to the awareness of love's presence within us. A gentle and safe space is created
enabling participants to trust and go deep.
This workshop is not specifically for partners. It is designed for anyone who wishes
to improve how they relate to others in any type of relationship.
An introduction to the Course’s metaphysical, psychological and spiritual teachings
especially regarding relationships will be covered. No previous knowledge of the
book A Course in Miracles is required.
VENUE:
Clare
SA 5453
(2hrs drive north of Adelaide)
DATE:
Sat 25 and Sun 26, March 2006
TIME:
Sat 25 - 9.30 TO 5.30
Sun 26 - 9.30 TO 4.30
BOOKINGS:
Tel: 08 8842 3114
PO Box 614
Clare, SA 5453
Cost
Deposit: $60
plus a donation
___________________________________________________________________________
Adelaide - Tuesday, 28th March 2006
Healing Ourselves
- from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
“Health is inner peace....
Healing involves an understanding
of what the illusion of sickness is for.
Healing is impossible without this.“
from A Course in Miracles
Using the spiritual path of A Course in Miracles we will explore what true
healing is - the return to our awareness of our spiritual identity. Identification
with our body as our home is the origin of all our physical and psychological suffering.
The cause of all disease lies in the mind and not the body. Disease is a shadow on
the body, of the guilt in our mind.
This workshop will focus on undoing the blocks we have built to the presence of God’s
love and joy within us through the understanding and practising of forgiveness.
We will investigate what the Course means by healing ourselves.
We will use exercises to help understand the ego and to practice forgiveness and
turning within for guidance.
An overview of the Course's metaphysical, psychological and spiritual teachings especially
in regard to healing will be covered. No previous knowledge of the book A Course
in Miracles is required
VENUE:
Adelaide, Australia
DATE:
Tuesday, 28th March 2006
BOOKINGS:
Cancer Care Centre
08 8373 1470
Tickets can be purchased by phone.
Time 10am to 5.00pm
Cost: To be announced
_________________________________________________________________________
North Stradbroke Island, Queensland - 6 May 2006
Overview of A Course in Miracles
1-Day Workshop with Michael Dawson
at Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island, QLD
Date: 6 May 2006
Times: 9.45 for 10.00am to 4.45pm
OUTLINE
In this workshop we will investigate the metaphysical, spiritual, psychological and
practical teachings of A Course in Miracles.
Introductions will be given on the following topics:
•Heaven and our separation
•The Holy Spirit and guidance
•The nature of the ego
•Forgiveness
•Sickness
•Healing ourselves and others
•Relationships - special and holy
Experiential exercises will be used and handouts will also be provided.
VENUE
"Carolina"
25, Midjimberry Road
Point Lookout
North Stradbroke Island
Queensland 4183
Australia
For directions and ferry details please go to:
http://www.acfip.org/directions.html
If you require accommodation and tourist information please go to:
http://www.acfip.org/straddieinfo.html
Morning and afternoon refreshments will be provided.
For lunch - a number of cafes are within 5 minutes walk of the venue, and overlook
the ocean.
COST
By donation
BOOKINGS
The workshop will be limited to 12 participants.
Places on the workshop must be reserved beforehand. To reserve your place please
send half your donation as a non-refundable deposit, making cheques payable to 'Michael
Dawson' to:
Michael Dawson
PO Box 125
Point Lookout
QLD 4183
mdawson@acfip.org
www.acfip.org
___________________________________________________________________________
GERMANY 2006 WORKSHOPS
RAVENSBURG - Saturday 24 June 2006
Opening to the Light
-from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
Forgiveness, on the other hand, is still, and quietly does nothing.
... It merely looks, and waits, and judges not.
A Course in Miracles W-pII.1.4.
A one day workshop - 23 June 2006
The light, love and joy of God are ever present and wait only our acceptance. We
need not earn them as they were freely given at our creation. Nor is sacrifice or
suffering required. So why do we rarely experience the light? This workshop will
look, firstly, at why we are afraid of the light and the illusions we fear to let
go. Our illusions and unforgiveness stand as barriers between us and the light and
the guidance that would lead us home.
The second part of the workshop will focus on overcoming our fear through forgiveness
- the path of awareness, acceptance and asking for help.
Exercises will be used to help identify our illusions and fear of sacrifice so they
can be healed through forgiveness. We will practise watching our minds without judgement
or as the Course puts it ... " (forgiveness) merely looks, and waits and judges
not."
Location of workshop:
ULEN Centre
Felz - 88212
Ravensburg
Germany
CONTACT
ULEN Centre
Felz - 88212
Ravensburg
Germany
Tel: 49 [0]751-26985 (Sybil)
Fax: 49 [0]751-3527933
Email: uelen@t-online.de
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FREIBURG - 1/2 July 2006
The Path Home
from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
Save time for me by only this one preparation, and practice doing nothing else.
"I need do nothing" is a statement of allegiance, a truly undivided loyalty.
Believe it for just one instant, and you will accomplish more than is given to a
century of contemplation, or of struggle against temptation.
from A Course in Miracles T-18.VII.6:6-8
There is a common belief that the path home to God must involve strenuous effort
and sacrifice. Just as we strive for material goals we believe we must strive for
our spiritual goals too. We decide the best path home and do not realise our very
striving may be blocking our awakening.
Jesus tells us in A Course in Miracles that we need do nothing.
This workshop will explore what it means to "do nothing". What stops us
standing aside and allowing the help in? What is the part we must play so that our
lives can be directed gracefully? How can we use our relationships to take us home?
We will use material from the Course from the chapters on 'I Need Do Nothing', holy
relationships, receiving guidance and the 'Development of Trust'. Exercises will
be used to help identify our individual obstacles to guidance so they can be healed
through forgiveness. This allows the Holy Spirit to enter our mind and guide our
path home to joy, peace and love
No previous knowledge of A Course in Miracles is required but attendance at
the Friday night (date) introductory talk would be helpful for people new to the
Course.
Introductory talk on A Course in Miracles - evening Fri 30 June
Location of workshop:
Center Margarete Sennekamp
Schauinslandstr. 39
79100 Freiburg-Günterstal
Tram 4, Klosterplatz
Contact:
Sophia-Institut
Margarete Sennekamp
Adalbert-Stifter-Str. 16
79102 Freiburg
Tel/Fax : 0761-73930
www.Sophia-Institut.de
Biography
Michael discovered A Course in Miracles whilst visiting the Findhorn Foundation
in 1982. He subsequently became a member of the Foundation for about six years and
involved himself with healing and teaching. In 1994 he published Healing the Cause
- A Path of Forgiveness which serves as an introduction to the Course. His second
book, The Findhorn Book of Forgiveness (Findhorn Press) uses exercises, stories
and case histories to guide the reader to inner peace through forgiveness. Michael
now lives in Australia and gives workshops on the Course world-wide.
___________________________________________________________________________
BOOKS AND AUDIO MATERIALS FOR SALE - by Michael Dawson
Books:
Healing the Cause - A Path of Forgiveness. Findhorn Press. 1994
The Findhorn Book of Forgiveness. Findhorn Press. 2003
For more details and how to purchase please visit: http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
Audio Tapes and CDs
Since 1986 I have been conducting healing workshops in the UK and abroad, and
have continually experimented to find healing and forgiveness exercises that are
effective. I have found that a particular exercise can be effective for one person
but not another. Accordingly, I was led to develop a series of exercises. Over the
years workshop participants asked if these exercises could be put onto audio cassettes
and CDs so they could repeat them. This has resulted in the Healing the Cause - Exercise
series - Tapes 1 to 4
(2 exercises on each tape) and CD1 and 2 (4 exercises on each CD)
For more details and how to purchase please visit: http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
___________________________________________________________________________
CONTACTS
Resources
Foundation
for A Course In Miracles
41397 Buecking Drive, Temecula,
CA 92590
Tel: 909 296 6261 Fax: 909296 9117
Books, videos, CDs and audio tapes by Kenneth and Gloria Wapnick are available from
their web site http://www.facim.org
Question and Answer Service:
Their electronic outreach section has a question and answer service http://www.facimoutreach.org/ on the theory and practice of the Course.
Their database of hundreds of questions and answers is searchable and you can ask
your own questions.
Their publications can also be ordered in Australia at:
Adyar Bookshop
230 Clarence Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Foundation
for Inner Peace - the publishers
of A Course in Miracles
http://www.acim.org/
ACIM study groups.
Go to The
Miracle Distribution Center
http://www.miraclecenter.org/ for the largest and most frequently updated
list of A Course in Miracles study groups available anywhere.
Miracles Studies
Australia http://www.miraclestudies.webcentral.com.au/ lists study groups for Australia and new Zealand
A Course In Miracles Pen Pals
The Miracle Network http://www.miracles.org.uk hosts a A Course in Miracles pen pals
group:
To join this e-mail
discussion group, send your e-mail address to e.pals@miracles.org.uk. They will send you updated lists of other e.pals and
inform them of your e-mail address.
A Course In Miracles Chat Groups
http://miraclesalliance.no-ip.org/acim_chat_groups.htm
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTATIONS
About three or four times a week I send a short quotation from some spiritual teacher
or poet to people who have requested some uplifting thoughts. I have included some
below. If you wish I can add your name to the list.
Please email at 
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Do understand that you are destined for enlightenment.
Co-operate with your destiny, dont go against it, dont thwart it.
Allow it to fulfil itself.
All you have to do is to give attention to the obstacles created by the foolish mind.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
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When you listen to the voice in your head, that
is to say, do not judge. You’ll soon realize: there
is the voice, and here I am listening to it, watching
it. This I am realization, this sense of your own
presence, is not a thought. It arises from beyond
the mind.
- Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now
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In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do, and that
sign becomes this art.
- Rumi
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One is more likely to awaken through surrender than through seeking to waken. The
effort to awaken is the effort of ego, whereas to surrender is to give up all efforts
and to place oneself in the hands of a vast force that is more powerful than any
realization of non duality.
When one finally gives up one’s futile attempts to make reality conform to one’s
own wishes, and allows it to unfold on its own terms, all the energy that was tied
up in foolish attempts to manipulate the universe is freed up.
Mariana Caplan
Halfway Up the Moutain - The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment
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Yet searching is inevitable here. For this you came, and you will surely do the thing
you came for. But the world can not dictate the goal for which you search, unless
you give it power to do so. Otherwise, you still are free to choose a goal that lies
beyond the world and every worldly thought, and one that comes to you from an idea
relinquished yet remembered, old yet new; an echo of a heritage forgot, yet holding
everything you really want.
A Course in Miracles Lesson 131
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There’s one great delusion that lies at the core
of all of our suffering: the false belief in the reality
of the separation of life and in the subsequent
true existence of an individual ego.
All fervent attempts to control or to mortify this
illusory ego through penance, rituals and sacrifice,
however, will only serve to intensify the delusion
that this ego is actually very real and that it only
needs to be, somehow, subdued, conquered or
destroyed.
- Chuck Hillig
Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003