ACFIP Newsletter
Issue
33 - June 2012
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:
* How Do I Forgive?
* Kenneth Wapnick Interview
* The
Best Thing You Can Do for Yourself - Jan Frazier
* Call Off the Struggle - Adyashanti
* Workshops
* Books and Audio Materials for Sale
* Links
* Inspirational Quotations
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 notice 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
summaries of help.
You can find them at http://www.acfip.org/sum.html and http://www.acfip.org/art4.html
New
1. Healing the Cause -A Path of
Forgiveness.
Inspired by A Course in Miracles.
This is the eBook version of the paper back.
2. A Course in Miracles - Explanations
of Major Themes
New book in eBook format
3. Forgiveness - A Path to Inner
Peace.
Inspired by A Course in Miracles
This is the eBook version of the paper back.
The eBook versions can be read on
Kindle, iPad, Microsoft eReader, Nook, PDF readers (Mac and
PC) and most eBook readers.
¥ Downloadable MP3s of my Healing the Cause self-help CDs
now available.
See below for details.
For more details and how to purchase please
visit: http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
Regards
Michael Dawson
How do I forgive?
Forgiveness ... is still, and quietly
does nothing. .... It merely looks, and waits, and judges
not.
A Course in Miracles W-pII.1.4:1,3
At the heart of all true spiritual traditions
is the concept of awareness. The spiritual path contained
within A Course in Miracles is no different. Looking
at the definition of forgiveness above, we see the stress on
awareness. Awareness does not do anything and is
still. It observes what is going on in the world and in our
own minds. Awareness is not out to change anything. That is
why it can wait. To look without judgement is the simplest
definition of forgiveness.
Vigilance was required of me (Jesus) as
much as of you, and those who choose to teach the same thing
must be in agreement about what they believe.
A Course in Miracles T-6.V.C.9:9
Just be aware;
that is all what you have to do, without condemning, without
forcing, without trying to change what you are aware
of.
J Krishnamurti
Watching is the key, nothing else matters,
slowly slowly an understanding start growing, a witness
arises and this witness is the bud of our being, the miracle
that transforms, the miracle that heals, the miracle that
gives birth to your authentic self.
Deeshan
The hallmark of the ego is that it takes
sides. It states, "This is right, this is wrong, this is good
this is bad". Forgiveness seeks to change nothing. This does
not mean appropriate action cannot come from awareness. In
fact, it's the only true action. While we look at the world
and find ourselves appalled by what is wrong, what shouldn't
be happening, what is not right, then
we are limited in our helpful response towards it. Our judgements upon the suffering in the world
actually closes our hearts. If we can look upon the
suffering in ourselves and in the world without judgement, we
enable a loving wisdom to enter our minds and direct our
actions. A Course in Miracles calls this the Holy
Spirit, or Jesus. There is no need to first judge the
situation before you help. The Course reminds us that constant
judgement is very tiring.
You are not really capable of being tired,
but you are very capable of wearying yourself. The strain of
constant judgement is virtually intolerable. It is curious
that an ability so debilitating would be so deeply
cherished.
A Course in
Miracles T-3.VI.5.
All that we need to know any moment is
available to us. But we must play our part, in removing the
veils that separate us from that wisdom and love.
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.
A Course in
Miracles T-in.1.
These veils are our judgements, our labels of
right and wrong that we place upon the world. Just simple
looking, with nothing added to it is required. This is not
cold detachment, when our minds look for a place of safety, or
retreat from the world.
Every day when we are awake, we could choose
to view the world as a classroom of forgiveness.
Gently, gently, I trained my mind to
suspend its processes and thoughts. Then (in the windless
calm), the flame of the Lamp, shining steady and bright, Revealed my true nature unto me.
Lalla
We can decide to operate on two levels. The
first and most important level is to forgive what happens
throughout the day both in our minds and in the world we
observe. Second is the practical level of getting achieved
what we need to do for the day. We practice being aware
without judgement. We try to watch everything without the
intervention of the judgemental mind. This will allow an inner
wisdom to rise and inform us what to say, what to do and where
to go. Our minds should only be used for practical
applications. This function of mind has
been called "toolbox mind" by the American teacher
Adyashanti.
What the Course asks of us is really very
simple. However, we often find it difficult to carry out as it
contradicts the ego's plan for salvation.
The ego's plan for salvation centers around holding grievances. It
maintains that, if someone else spoke or acted differently,
if some external circumstance or event were changed, you
would be saved. Thus, the source of salvation is constantly
perceived as outside yourself. Each grievance you hold is a
declaration, and an assertion in which you believe, that
says, "If this were different, I would be saved." The change
of mind necessary for salvation is thus demanded of everyone
and everything except yourself.
A Course in
Miracles W-pI.71.2.
We should not be surprised therefore that
during our day judgement will continuously arise. The
judgement, "I am failing to forgive" will also come. We may
fall into the trap of listening to the ego and feel guilty for
our lack of progress. In contrast, the Holy Spirit will guide
us to forgive our lack of forgiveness. It's okay if we are not
ready to forgive yet. This approach will still greatly speed
the time when we can forgive. The Course does not ask us to
stop judging, for this is impossible for us at the moment. It
does ask us to try not to judge our judgements. Any judgement
means the ego has returned.
Judgement here refers to value judgements
like right and wrong and not to the judgements/decisions we
all must make in life.
You have no idea of the tremendous release
and deep peace that comes from meeting yourself and your
brothers totally without judgement.
A Course in
Miracles T-3.VI.3.
Another statement of forgiveness used in the
Course is to learn to smile gently at our egos. This means to
stop taking the ego seriously. There is no need to attack it,
suppress it or deny it. We may still get angry many times in
the day, but as we watch the anger without judgement we soften
it. In time, as we learn to smile at the ego, we might say to
ourselves ÒHere I go again. What's new? This is no big deal."
This is great progress!
Step back from your experience. Observe
yourself, your reactions, and everything that happens
through the eyes of a compassionate witness. This is what it
means to pay attention.
Metta Zetty
If we look upon the ego as an iceberg of
guilt, guilt that we normally project out onto others as it's
to painful to become aware of in ourselves, then the approach
of forgiveness will gradually cause this iceberg to melt. This
iceberg has been hiding our true spiritual nature from our
awareness. As it melts we become increasingly more peaceful
and joyful, the hallmarks of our spiritual reality.
Awareness cleaned my mind to a polished
mirroring.
The presence came near, and I knew that That was everything, and I nothing.
Lalla
Gradually we learn not to try to change our
ego or other people's egos. We only try to change things we
take as real. If we make someone's ego real then we forget their spiritual reality. Only one can
be real, not both. And if we make another person's ego real,
we will also make our own ego real as well. This does not mean
we may not have to take action when in the presence of a
violent ego, but our action need not be taken out of
judgement. If we do not label then wrong or bad we create a
space in our mind to receive the help we need which will also
be for the highest good of the other.
If we can succeed in dedicating a major part
of our day to practising non-judgemental awareness, we will be
on a fast track to peace and joy.
This awareness, that is not thinking, if
applied with great consistency, will cause the mind,
thought, the dominance of mind, the tyranny of mind, to
spontaneously collapse. .... As you gently relax into
awareness, into listening, the mind's compulsive contraction
around objects will fade. Silence of being will come more
clearly into your consciousness, welcoming you to rest and
abide. An attitude of open receptivity, free of any goal or
anticipation, will facilitate the presence of silence and
stillness, and reveal them to be your natural condition.
Adyashanti
___________________________________________________________________________
A conversation with Ken Wapnick: Did I
mention youÕre too serious?
by Susan Dugan
http://www.foraysinforgiveness.dreamhosters.com/interviews
Renowned Psychologist, Teacher, and Author
Kenneth Wapnick, PhD, has been studying, teaching, and
writing about A Course in Miracles since 1973, and worked
closely with Course Scribe Helen Schucman and Collaborator
Bill Thetford in preparing its final manuscript. With his
wife, Gloria, he is president and co-founder of The
Foundation for A Course in Miracles (http://facim.org)
in Temecula, California.
OK, so admittedly I did most of the talking
when Ken Wapnick once more generously agreed to answer some
questions about practicing forgiveness and looking with
Jesus. Along with the other characteristics of GodÕs
teachers mentioned in the Teachers Manual, he also
demonstrates honesty, defined in A Course in Miracles as
consistency. I found his response to my overly complicated
questions newly humbling. ÒDonÕt take it seriously,Ó he
answered, in response to every query. He has said this
before and will likely have to say it again because
eventually we begin to try to make awakening a goal and
weÕre not smiling with Jesus anymore but gritting our teeth
with the ego, once more seeking and never finding our self.
Thank you Ken, for reminding us to quit working so hard and
simply smile .
You talk a lot about forgiveness being a
process of the decision maker looking with Jesus/our right
mind. IÕve noticed lately in practicing forgiveness that I
really want Jesus to look with me rather than look with him.
Oh, youÕre pretty slippery. And here I thought
you were a nice person.
Nope. I think I need a review because thatÕs
what IÕve been doing and what it shows me is how resistant I
am to really looking. Could you go over the process of
looking and maybe speak to our tendency to deceive ourselves
about what weÕre really doing?
Well, the whole idea of looking makes sense when
you realize itÕs the correction for the egoÕs not looking.
ThatÕs really the bread and butter of the egoÕs thought system
because if you donÕt look it means youÕre mindless. If you
look you become a mind instead of a body and if you donÕt look
you can never see that the ego is really nothing. Forgiveness
defined as looking is really just the correction for the ego
telling you not to look.
When you want Jesus to look with you, then you
want him to look at your body and your experiences as a dream
figure. To look with him means you look at the world and see
it as a projection of an inward condition
which means you go back to the mind. ThatÕs the key.
ThatÕs why nobody wants to do it that way.
Well, I want him specifically to see how awful
these people are treating me.
He just smiles at that. ThatÕs when I get a phone
call saying, ÒYou know what she just said to me?Ó And then he
just bursts out laughing.
I knew you were going to say that.
Well, IÕm glad I didnÕt disappoint you.
I have been practicing forgiveness in a special
relationship each time conflict arises and experience deep
comfort when I look at whatÕs really going on with my right
mind but sooner or later feel once more attacked. I get
discouraged and I suppose impatient wondering if IÕm ever
going to heal my mind completely about this relationship.
ThatÕs what trips you up right there. At that
point youÕre making it into something serious and real and
impossible when all you want to do is just look at your ego
and smile at it. DonÕt try to let go of your ego. I kiddingly
say that Jesus hates serious people and he especially hates
serious A Course in Miracles students because all they
want to do is let go of their ego. And if youÕre so hell-bent
on letting go of your ego youÕll never let it go because the
ego is not the problem.
So that impatience I feel should clue me in
that thatÕs what IÕm doing?
Exactly right.
It amazes me how quickly I can go from
right-mindedness to really feeling genuinely attacked and
completely out of my mind. Even though I understand what the
Course is saying and am committed to practicing forgiveness
it feels like an ambush. Does it ever get easier?
Yes, when you stop taking it so
seriously. YouÕre such a nice person, Susan, but
youÕre so damn serious. ThatÕs what trips you up. It wonÕt
start getting easier until you give up the idea that thereÕs
an ÒitÓ that has to get easier.
So, itÕs still that idea of having to do this
right thatÕs the problem.
Yes.
ThatÕs a hard habit to break.
Yes, it is. But the whole idea is to live
lightly. As I quote all the time the problem was not the tiny
mad idea but that the Son of God forgot to laugh at it. The
problem is not anything of the ego; the problem is that we
took it seriously.
So when we find ourselves taking it seriously
the answer is looking with Jesus who only smiles?
ThatÕs what looking with Jesus means. And heÕs
smiling at the silliness of ever having thought that this is
important, which is silliness.
So not joining with an ego attack, just letting
it all pass.
Letting it all pass which doesnÕt necessarily
mean you donÕt have a behavioral response but it means you
donÕt get upset by it and you donÕt want to change it.
And you donÕt want to get upset with yourself
when you do get upset.
Yes, absolutely.
I have found myself mentally complaining a lot
about all the external demands on my time that seem to keep
me from spending quality time with Jesus. It makes me laugh
because even though I understand that A Course in
Miracles is a path in relationship I still want to
withdraw from relationships and just be with my right mind,
be with Jesus. Does that make me a really bad student?
It makes you a really bad student only if you
donÕt laugh at yourself.
Because thatÕs really trying to take away the
curriculum, right? So, donÕt do that?
Not unless you want to get me angry at you. Jesus will laugh at you and
IÕll yell and scream at you.
ItÕs just this desire to have a little time in
between forgiveness lessons to breathe. Because sometimes it
seems like thereÕs just this unrelenting, incoming barrage
of lessons that just wonÕt quit.
(Internationally renowned priest and author)
Henri Nouwen said something like I kept getting interrupted in
my work and then I realized my interruptions were my work. So,
if you want to spend time with Jesus, then see him in
everybody; thatÕs the answer.
I fear sometimes that some really catastrophic
forgiveness lesson is looming around the corner. I know
thereÕs no hierarchy of illusions but sometimes it seems
that the lessons are becoming more challenging.
ItÕs true that the lessons are getting more
challenging because youÕre becoming more and more serious.
So ego issues that you (unconsciously usually) held off;
now youÕre saying I canÕt get it unless I look at all these
spots of darkness. So these are the ones that we have the most
fear and guilt associated with and so our experience is that
they become more difficult.
So all of them have to come to the surface and
those are just the ones we are the most frightened of?
Yes. At the beginning we tell Jesus IÕll look at
this one with you and that one with you but I donÕt know about
this one. And after a while you say, well, I better start
looking at this one because this is really starting to be a
problem.
I was flying back to Denver recently in
turbulence and suddenly found myself demanding to have an
embodied Jesus holding my hand to protect me. I know you say
we need to mature as Course students instead of relying on
Jesus because weÕll never begin to see that we are one with
Jesus otherwise. But when IÕm really frightened I still need
that thought of a hand to hold. Is that OK?
Yes, of course. YouÕre really too strict with
yourself. Did I mention youÕre too serious? Just do your daily
stuff and be as normal as you can and try not to take your ego
or the ego of others seriously. Be patient with yourself. Be
gentle with yourself. Looking with Jesus really just means
sharing that sweet, knowing smile. ThatÕs what it means. He
takes nothing here seriously because thereÕs nothing
here. And when you get serious about something especially if
itÕs about the Course then youÕre missing the whole point.
ThatÕs a big trap; getting too serious about
the Course.
Oh, God; thatÕs the worst trap. ThatÕs why we
already have the regurgitation of Christianity with the
Course; itÕs already happening.
Yes. I wanted to ask you about the
proliferation of channeled and abbreviated and new and
improved versions of A Course in Miracles that are
cropping up all the time. I havenÕt even looked at any of
them because I came to this path after a lot of seeking and
I donÕt believe there can possibly be anything faster or
simpler or more loving than the Course.
I think thatÕs very true.
Can you talk about this whole impulse to
improve on perfection?
ItÕs the egoÕs thing. We tried to re-write Heaven
right at the beginning and weÕre still trying to. If the
Course is a reflection of the truth of God and the love of
Heaven, which it is; then people are going to try to re-write
it, too. And thatÕs just another form of a magic thought
talked about in the Teachers Manual. The idea is to not get
angry at it because thatÕs what people do and thereÕs nothing
wrong with people doing it.
You often talk about how thereÕs no need to
teach A Course in Miracles but is there anything
wrong with teaching the Course?
No, I think I do that. The whole idea is not to
identify with your role of being a teacher and to also know
that the real teaching is to demonstrate what the Course is
saying and the formal teaching is just another way of
demonstrating. And thatÕs what you want to identify with. If
you start to get serious about your teaching then you know you
got caught in the trap. Just donÕt take it seriously, thatÕs
all.
WhatÕs really important in practicing the Course
or teaching the Course is not to work at it. If youÕre working
at it youÕll never get it. What you want to do at this point
is not to work at it during the day which means donÕt work on
your ego, donÕt work on anybody elseÕs ego, donÕt work on your
response to anybody elseÕs ego; just keep asking Jesus to
remember to smile. The end of Chapter 27 is wonderful because
itÕs all about the importance of smiling and laughing. When
you read it, though; read it seriously. :-)
A Course in Miracles, Chapter 27, The
Healing of the Dream, VIII., The
ÒHeroÓ of the Dream, paragraph 5, text page 586:
ÒHow willing are you to escape effects of all
the dreams the world has ever had? Is it your wish to let no
dream appear to be the cause of what it is you do? Then let
us merely look upon the dreamÕs beginning, for the part you
see is but the second part, whose cause lies in the first.
No one asleep and dreaming in the world remembers his attack
upon himself. No one believes there really was a time when
he knew nothing of a body, and could never have conceived
this world as real. He would have seen at once that these
ideas are one illusion, too ridiculous for anything but to
be laughed away. How serious they now appear to be! And no
one can remember when they would
have met with laughter and with disbelief. We can remember
this, if we but look directly at their cause. And we will
see the grounds for laughter, not a cause for fear.Ó
___________________________________________________________________________
The Best Thing You Can Do for Yourself
Jan
Frazier
http://www.janfrazierteachings.com
ItÕs the most radically relieving thing you
can do for yourself. Radically illuminating.
Simple. So simple a gesture, so
uncomplicated. Unambiguous
as a surgeonÕs knife.
DonÕt let it get complicated. Seize any
impulse to judge and set it aside, far over there,
with lots of space around it. Take any thought to change
yourself and set it over there
beside the temptation to judge. These two things must be
far away, so far you forget they
were ever an option.
Now come back here and look. Cleanly, with
wide, inquisitive eyes, observe to what extent your experience
of your life is determined by something going on in your
head. Anything at all going on in
your head.
You are thinking, But
itÕs unavoidable. Something will always be going on
inside my head.
Remember, the thought to change anything needs to
be set aside.
Discover to what extent the way your life feels
to you is shaped by mental activity, by the mind-made lens you
look through.
You are thinking, But
itÕs important for the mind to process, to evaluate, to look
out for danger, to hope for a better time.
Relax the tendency to object. This isnÕt
about second-guessing. ItÕs about the willingness to
notice. YouÕre simply observing a phenomenon, as itÕs
presently operating.
This isnÕt (above all) about improving your
thoughts. It isnÕt about wresting control of your life
by creating a spruced-up mental framework. ItÕs about
relaxing the wish to control.
ItÕs about discovering, for yourself, the
difference between a moment of real life and your mental
handling of it.
We live inside our mental impressions of life.
You say, But
thereÕs no choice about that. Oh yes there
is. You say, But
we are intelligent beings, and besides, the mind runs on
automatic.
It does, yes. And we have fine brains that
are useful when they are useful.
This isnÕt about stopping thought. ItÕs
about seeing that thought is one thing and the direct,
yielding encounter with reality is another.
The mind insists that it has to
mediate. That to relax the habit of mediation would
subject a person to danger.
Has your mind ever grown still? Have you
been stunned to stillness? Have you had that experience
where time has seemed to stop?
What did it feel like?
In the confrontation with a single riveting fact,
has all the rest of the world Ñ and all thought Ñ
fallen away? In the physical
presence of a beloved, the shock of devastating news, a
sudden threat to your existence? A singer on a stage, her voice breaking your
heart open and open and open? A labor contraction getting worse by the
millisecond? A grenade you can see sailing
toward you? Your body in purely focused effort (running
at top speed, climbing a mountain)?
Where was the mind then? Where were you?
Lost in the moment. Given utterly to the present
thing. What strange calm suffuses a person at such a
moment (even when itÕs a terrible moment).
But most moments arenÕt mind-stilling
ones like these. Life is nearly all lived inside the
head. So, we suffer.
This isnÕt about trying to change anything.
The desire for things to be different, like the tendency to
lament (or celebrate) what is seen, needs to be allowed to
recede. These tendencies are structures that block the
light. Just watch what happens inside the head.
Observe the running background commentary, and see how it
affects your feeling state.
Oh yes, it can all change. Not by your trying to make it change.
But by the simple, clean gesture of watching whatÕs actually
going on, as you presently are. Trying to
change yourself guarantees you never will. Try
the other way, and see what happens.
___________________________________________________________________________
Who Hears This Sound?
Call Off the Struggle.
Adyashanti
Most people are in a constant state of struggle
with themselves. Tremendously burdened by the past and in
constant anticipation of the future, most human beings are
rarely able to be fully present for more than very brief
moments. The tremendous openness and intimacy that is required
to be fully present is beyond most people's ability to sustain
for more than a few moments before they habitually contract
back into the familiar condition of separateness and struggle
that so characterizes the human condition. This constant state
of struggle manifests as a compulsive and addictive
relationship to the movement of thought, emotion, and time.
There is great reluctance to stop struggling
because in the absence of struggle you suddenly begin to lose
your boundaries and definitions of who you are. For many
people this causes fear to arise as they experience the loss
of their familiar sense of self. Struggling is how the
ego-personality maintains its existence. When you cease to
struggle, identification with the personality begins to break
down and you become aware of your emptiness and lack of
boundaries.
The most difficult thing for spiritual seekers to
do is to stop struggling, striving, seeking and searching.
Why? Because in the absence of struggle you don't know who you
are: you lose your boundaries; you lose your separateness; you
lose your specialness; you lose the dream you have lived all
your life. Eventually you lose everything that your mind has
created and awaken to who you truly are: the fullness of
freedom, unbound by any identifications, identities, or
boundaries.
It is this locationless freedom of being that
spiritual people are seeking, and at the same time are running
away from because its faceless nature gives no fixed reference
point for the personality to hold onto or to seek security in.
As long as you remain identified with the personality, you
will always be seeking security to the exclusion of the Truth,
and will remain in a constant state of struggle. It is only
when your love and desire for Truth outweighs the
personality's compulsive need for security, that you can begin
to stop struggling and be swept up into the arms of an ever unfolding revelation of the Truth
and Freedom of Being.
___________________________________________________________________________
Forthcoming Workshops on A Course in
Miracles
in Australia and Germany
For up to date information on my workshops go to http://www.acfip.org/fws.html
Australia 2012 Dates
Brisbane
Relaxation Centre
BRISBANE - 1 day - Sunday 29 July, 2012
9.30a.m. to
4.30p.m.
Being, not Doing
- A Path to Peace
Those who seek the truth by means of intellect and
learning only get further and further away from it.
Huang-po
When we put aside our restless pursuits,
whether material or spiritual, we create a space where peace
can return.
This workshop will explore how we can awaken
to our spiritual reality through simply being, awareness and
forgiveness.
No knowledge of A Course in Miracles is
required.
Michael Dawson lived and taught at the
Findhorn Foundation in Scotland for many years and has
presented A Course in Miracles in many countries.
VENUE:
Relaxation Centre,
15 South Pine Road
Alderley
Brisbane 4051
COST
$55
BOOKINGS:
Relaxation Centre
07 3856 3733
(Please do not book through me)
The Brisbane Relaxation Centre has informed
me that many people are increasingly booking at the last
moment. I check the number of participants on Friday
morning before the workshop. If numbers are small I
cancel the workshop so those the are
booked can be informed and make other plans for their
weekend.
If you wish to attend the workshop please book
by the Thursday before.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Germany 2012 Dates
Bonn
June 16 and 17, 2012
9.30am to 5.30pm
Surrendering to the Light: Undoing the Ego
from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
Love
waits on welcome, not on time.
Release
is given you the instant you desire it.
(A
Course in Miracles)
The Course teaches us that we do not know the way
home and need to be guided from within. Realising we know
nothing about discovering our inner joy and peace, the
workshop aims to explore the path of humility and surrender to
allow truth to reveal itself to us.
As we approach the light our ego will become
fearful and will resist its own undoing. Our minds do not want
to release control and seek to be in charge of our spiritual
path. Only by stopping, letting go, relaxing, trust and
surrender can we fully open to the love, wisdom and peace
within us.
We play our part by discovering the obstacles to
love and releasing them through forgiveness.
Workshop subjects will include: the nature of the
ego, no path to God, fear of love, not knowing the way,
awareness, "I need do nothing", being in the present, ladder
of trust and forgiveness.
Exercises will be used to help us undo the ego
and move into the present moment.
No knowledge of A Course in Miracles is
required.
An Evening Introductory Talk - Fri 15th
June 2012
7.30pm
to 9.30pm
Contact:
Albert-Schweitzer-Haus
Beethovenallee 16
Bonn 53173
tel: 0228 - 36 47 37
http://www.albert-schweitzer-haus-bonn.de
---------------------------------------------------------------
Freiburg
June 23 and 24, 2012
10 am to 6 pm
Surrendering to the Light: Undoing the Ego
from the perspective of A Course in Miracles
Love
waits on welcome, not on time.
Release
is given you the instant you desire it.
(A
Course in Miracles)
The Course teaches us that we do not know the way
home and need to be guided from within. Realising we know
nothing about discovering our inner joy and peace, the
workshop aims to explore the path of humility and surrender to
allow truth to reveal itself to us.
As we approach the light our ego will become
fearful and will resist its own undoing. Our minds do not want
to release control and seek to be in charge of our spiritual
path. Only by stopping, letting go, relaxing, trust and
surrender can we fully open to the love, wisdom and peace
within us.
We play our part by discovering the obstacles to
love and releasing them through forgiveness.
Workshop subjects will include: the nature of the
ego, no path to God, fear of love, not knowing the way,
awareness, "I need do nothing", being in the present, ladder
of trust and forgiveness.
Exercises will be used to help us undo the ego
and move into the present moment.
No knowledge of A Course in Miracles is
required.
An Evening Introductory Talk - Fri 22 June
2011
8pm
- 9.45pm
Contact:
Margarete Sennekamp
Winterhaldenweg 4,
79856 Hinterzarten,
Tel./Fax: 07652-917530
email: M.Sennekamp@t-online.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.
______________________________________________________________
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. Please see the Contacts section
at the end of this newsletter.
___________________________________________________________________________
BOOKS AND AUDIO MATERIALS FOR SALE - by Michael
Dawson
New teaching and healing materials - eBooks
and downloadable MP3s:
Ebooks:
1. Healing the Cause -A Path of
Forgiveness.
Inspired by A Course in Miracles.
This is the eBook version of the paper back.
2. A Course in Miracles - Explanations
of Major Themes
New book in eBook format
3. Forgiveness - A Path to Inner
Peace.
Inspired by A Course in Miracles
This is the eBook version of the paper back.
The eBook versions can be read on
Kindle, iPad, Microsoft eReader, Nook, PDF readers (Mac and
PC) and most eBook readers.
For more details and how to purchase please
visit: www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
Downloadable Mp3s:
1. Healing the Cause: Self-Help
Exercises 1
This MP3 contains the identical four exercises as
the CD
2. Healing the Cause: Self-Help
Exercises 2
This MP3 contains the identical four exercises as
the CD
3. Healing the Cause: 3 Self-Help
Exercises in English with German translation
This MP3 contains the identical three exercises
as the CD
For more details and how to purchase please
visit: http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
Books:
Healing the Cause - A Path of Forgiveness.
Findhorn Press 1994
Also available in
German, Romanian, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
The Findhorn Book of Forgiveness. Findhorn
Press. 2003
Also available in
German, French, Polish and Romanian.
For more details and how to purchase please
visit: http://www.acfip.org/books_tapes.html
MP3s (see above) and CDs:
Healing the Cause:
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)
CD - 3 Healing Exercises in English
with German translation. 10 Euro
Content:
Ex1. Forgiving Ourselves.
Ex2. Changing Perception and
Finding peace.
Ex3. Changing Perception of another - exercise
for two people.
These exercises are similar to existing exercises
already available on CDs but are translated into German.
Workshops:
1. Three Steps of Forgiveness.
This workshop concentrates on the process of
forgiveness from the perspective of A Course in Miracles.
Includes 3 healing exercises.
Recorded at the Annual Miracle Network
Conference in London, November 2001. 1
hour 12 mins. One CD
2. Finding and Eliminating the Blocks to
Receiving Guidance.
This talk investigates what stops us hearing the
guidance that is ever present in our lives. Recorded at
the Annual Miracle Network Conference in London, October 20001
hour. One CD
For more details and how to purchase please
visit: http://www.acfip.org/audio.html
___________________________________________________________________________
CONTACTS and COURSE INFORMATION
Search Engine for ACIM Sites,
Definitions and Articles by Joe Jesseph.
A
Web search engine dedicated to finding discussion and
definitions of terms and concepts found in
A Course in
Miracles as well as Web sites, articles and other writings
related to the Course.
Question and Answer Service from
the Foundation
for A Course in Miracles.
Their electronic outreach
section has a question and answer service on the theory and
practice of the Course. Their database of 1,400 questions and
answers is searchable. They no longer take new questions as
they feel all possible questions have now been put.
Foundation for Inner Peace..........................Publishers
of
A Course in Miracles and responsible for the translation
programme. On-line mail order.
Foundation
For A Course In Miracles................FACIM
is the official teaching organisation of the Foundation for
Inner Peace and the copyright-holder of_A Course in
Miracles and all related materials. Publishes the
quarterly Lighthouse newsletter.
They have extensive on-line mail order for their books, CDs
and DVDs.
The Foundation was started by Kenneth and Gloria
Wapnick and has moved to Temecula in California. Kenneth is my
teacher of A Course in Miracles.
Their publications can also be ordered in
Australia at:
Adyar Bookshop
230 Clarence Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Kenneth Wapnick ......ÉÉÉ Biographical information and
excerpts from his writings
Glossary of
ACIM terms from FACIM
"The Most
Commonly asked Questions about A Course in Miracles"
by
Kenneth and Gloria Wapnick
Index of Links to Miracle Studies
Resources ...ÉÉ.......
A rich resource of materials
on A Course in Miracles by an ex-staff member
of the Foundation For A Course In Miracle.
Joe also has a blog and has recently published A Primer of Psychology According to
A Course in Miracles.
miraclestudies.net ÉÉÉÉ A Course in
Miracles Resource Web Site for ACIM Students
A Course in Miracles Study groups
Search for A Course in Miracles Study
Groups Around the World.
The Foundation for Inner peace also has a
study group search engine.
Miracles Studies Australia http://www.miracle-studies.net.au
lists
study groups for Australia and new Zealand
ACIM Historical
Recordings & Video
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.
Belief.net ACIM discussion:
This Belief.net web-based
discussion is hosted by Joe Jesseph.
http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=151
______________________________________________
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTATIONS
About three 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 email list.
How long, O Son of God, will you maintain the
game of sin? Shall we not put away these sharp-edged
children's toys? How soon will you be ready to come home? Perhaps today? There is no sin.
Creation is unchanged. Would you still hold return to Heaven
back? How long, O holy Son of God, how long?
A Course in Miracles
Lesson 250
Do understand that you are destined for
enlightenment.
Co-operate with your destiny, don't go against
it, don't 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
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
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 Mountain - The Error of Premature
Claims to Enlightenment
__________________________________
Michael Dawson
PO Box 125
Point Lookout
North Stradbroke Island
Queensland 4183
Australia
EMAIL: mdawson@acfip.org
WEBSITE: http://www.acfip.org