Most of us believe that our perception of the world is a fairly accurate portrayal of reality. Our various sense organs (especially the eyes and ears) bring us data from the world, and our brain processes that information in such a way to craft a framework for reality. And it all seems to hold together just fine, even though we experience widely varying degrees of emotion from euphoric happiness to the depths of despair. But rarely do we question the basis on which our entire thought system rest...
Mar 09, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 48
We are all insane. Only we’re not aware of it. Insanity is unsoundness of mind. Believing in things that aren’t real. Reality is perfect oneness, unconditional love. There is no duality, no subject-object. And most disconcerting to our healthy egos, no you-me. We are so terrified of returning to sanity that we cling to this false belief that we are real and can suffer. Hence this line from A Course in Miracles : “Only the insane would choose fear in place of love.” We are all choosing fear. In f...
Mar 08, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Fear is perhaps the most predominant emotion we experience. Much of our lives are spent either avoiding fear or striving toward goals we believe will reduce fear. If we honestly assess our daily motivations and thoughts, we’ll discover that fear plays a central role in much of our physical and mental activity. But it doesn’t exist. As A Course in Miracles so powerfully states, “Fear is not real.” We made it up, as a means to prove that we are unique, autonomous selves and that we can suffer. Yet...
Mar 07, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Growing up I hoped for a computer every year at Christmas. My family couldn’t afford one, but I nonetheless persisted in dreaming. And each year I’d feel sad that my wish was unfulfilled. Years later, when the school of my dreams (MIT) rejected my early-admission application, I thought my life was ruined. And many other countless disappointments in between and since. It is so easy to believe that sadness, anger, emptiness, and all the other “negative” emotions come from things in the world (and ...
Mar 06, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Oscar Wilde once famously quipped, “Be yourself, for everyone else is already taken.” But what does that mean, “Be yourself?” Be true to my ideals? Do what matters most to me? Follow my passion? In order to be yourself , we must first be able to answer the question, “What am I?” And this is where all hell breaks loose. We believe we are these bodies with certain characteristics, skills, and experience. We have a list of what we think we’re good at, areas we believe need work, and preferences we’...
Mar 05, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Perception is based on contradiction. We can’t discern music without silence between the notes. An object can only be identified in contrast to what it stands apart from, including a perceiving subject with sensory apparatus (ie. us). Peace is the absence of conflict. One denies the existence of the other. Death only has relevance in its opposition to life. And vice-versa. This is the nature of duality. The world in which we believe we exist. But we made it. It has no reality on its own. Similar...
Mar 04, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Consider this challenging line from A Course in Miracles : “In every hurtful thought you hold lies the denial of your true Self.” My thoughts are simply my musings regarding the world around me. They are private to me and are relatively harmless. Right? WRONG! As we further read in the Course, “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In fact, the Course goes on to further address this question: “Are thoughts dangerous? To bodies, yes!” There is no such thing as an idl...
Mar 03, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 42
When we associate sense of self with our body, then we will constantly be in defense mode. Not only does our body need to be protected against various forms of attack - both physically and psychologically - but we also see the body as a frail entity that will eventually die. Believing we are a body, we are continually under assault. This is powerfully illustrated by a workbook lesson in A Course in Miracles which says, “If I defend myself I am attacked.” The Course goes on to further state: “Def...
Mar 02, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Whenever we feel tempted to judge someone, get angry with them, or see them as having done something wrong, here is a very helpful question we can ask ourselves: “Would I accuse myself of doing this?” A Course in Miracles notes that this question represents “a very simple way to find the door to true forgiveness, and perceive it open wide in welcome.” True forgiveness is not about letting others off the hook or repressing our “righteous wrath” - rather it is recognition that nothing happened. Th...
Mar 01, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 40
This provocative line from A Course in Miracles showcases the platform of the ego: “Arrogance is the denial of love.” Arrogance blusters, “I am better than you. My superiority will triumph.” We all know people like this, and we’ve all had our moments of such pomposity of thought. The Course expands on that phrase: “Arrogance is the denial of love, because love shares and arrogance withholds.” And we are always choosing one over the other. “Your choice is determined by what you value.” When we ch...
Feb 28, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 39
These very powerful words of encouragement can be found twice in A Course in Miracles : “You do not ask too much of life, but far too little.” The first is in Chapter 26 in a section describing how all our pain comes from a choice in our minds for the ego thought system of separation, lack, and fear. We think the world and other people are responsible for our unhappiness, but that’s not how it works. The source of all sadness is the choice for the ego. The second is in Lesson 133 entitled, “I wi...
Feb 27, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 38
This is one of those mind-bending, framework shattering statements in A Course in Miracles : “There is no world apart from what you wish.” What we experience as the real world seems so objectively “out there”. We believe the world exists as a solid foundation apart from and independent of us. We are born into that world, live a certain number of days experiencing varying amounts of pain and preferably pleasure. And then we die; our bodies decomposing back into the world. But our perspective is w...
Feb 26, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 37
My eyes seem to tell me a story. In that story are good people and bad ones. Beautiful sights and ugly ones. Happy experiences and sad ones. In this story, I sometimes see myself as a victim. An innocent bystander impinged upon by the challenges of life. But it’s just a story. A child’s tale. As we read in A Course in Miracles : “What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking reflects your choice of what you want to see. Fear has made everything you think you see.” The story’s narrative ...
Feb 25, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Anytime we attack someone - even if it’s just with our thoughts - we are attacking our sense of self. We are basically saying to the universe, “I am not complete. Something outside of me has taken away my peace. And I am fully justified in my reaction.” These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “All attack is Self attack. Attack is the way in which your identification is lost, because when you attack, you must have forgotten what you are.” When we remember our true nature ...
Feb 24, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 35
It seems that our reality is a body in this world, interacting with other bodies, sometimes experiencing moments of pleasure and, perhaps more often, times of pain. We toil away to provide for our loved ones with the hope of having our needs met, maintaining adequate health, and achieving a certain amount of success. What’s going on in the world, our environment, and within our body seems to determine our sense of happiness. But our perception is completely wrong. As we read in A Course in Mirac...
Feb 23, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Your presence touches the world. Your energy envelops everyone you think about. No illusions of littleness that you believe about yourself or others is true. Listen in silence and you will hear the glorious melody of your infinite soul as it echoes throughout the world. You are here to share your music. As we read in A Course in Miracles , “This world will change through you.” Embrace your power. Support the show...
Feb 22, 2019•44 sec•Season 1Ep. 33
“Arouse joy in others.” For me, this is such a helpful, inspiring mantra to live by. It comes from a passage in A Course in Miracles discussing why we don’t consistently experience happiness. The Course goes on to say, “It seems to you that the Holy Spirit does not produce joy consistently in you only because you do not consistently arouse joy in others.” I think about how often I am looking for something in another person - a particular need or desire - at the expense of channeling joy to them....
Feb 21, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 32
“Your gifts fill the world with gladness and gratitude.” That is today’s beautiful inspiration from A Course in Miracles . Thank you for YOU! Your gifts do indeed fill the world with gladness and gratitude. As we go about our days and encounter all the challenges and drama that seem to come our way, let’s try to remember our special gifts. They are always there, radiating beautiful love and embracing everyone. In the moments we don’t sense that, it’s only because we’ve become temporarily distrac...
Feb 20, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 31
A therapist who believes that something is broken which needs to be healed is not viewing the patient properly. When we look for causes in the world as the source of our sorrows, we will never find them. The world - and other people - are not responsible for our state of wellbeing. Rather, it is the choice for the ego that leads to all manner of unhappiness. These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “A therapist does not heal; he lets healing be. It is in the instant that ...
Feb 19, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 30
It is so easy to see the faults and limitations of others. The things they do wrong, the ways they are not kind, the deficiencies in their character, their lack of intelligence, absence of compassion, mistakes in judgement, and so on. Their errors are crystal clear to us. And not only do we know what they’re doing wrong, we also know how they should be corrected. But we couldn’t be more wrong. As these powerful statements from A Course in Miracles make poignantly clear: “If you point out the err...
Feb 18, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 29
When we judge, we are essentially saying, “this is how much I value something.” If I judge it as “bad” or “negative”, then I’m setting a low price. If I think it’s amazing and spectacular, then I’m setting a high price. This is a very powerful concept from A Course in Miracles : “Judgment is the setting of a price. And as you set it you will pay it.” The opposite of setting a price is seeing everything the same. Not creating a hierarchy of value where some people are nicer or better or more pref...
Feb 17, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 28
If only people would do and say what we want them to, then life would be so much better. Yet that is exactly what they do. Only we’re not aware of it. This very powerful line from A Course in Miracles sums it up: “The message your brother gives you is up to you.” In other words, we receive from others precisely what we want. That is such a challenging concept. In fact, we very actively resist it. Nonetheless it is true. Whichever part of our mind we’ve chosen - either the mind of ego or of love ...
Feb 16, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 27
“The ego analyzes; the Holy Spirit accepts.” That is today's inspiration from A Course in Miracles. When I encounter a problem that I care about - whether that be in the world at large or specifically in my or a loved one’s body - my ego is all over it. How did this happen? Who or what is responsible? What needs to be done to fix it? How can we ensure this doesn’t happen again? I’m clearly coming from a place of judgment. Judging that the experience is not how it ought to be - based on my clear ...
Feb 15, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Despite appearances to the contrary, we are not these bodies. Wayne Dyer was fond of saying, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” But we’ve made quite the association between the body and our sense of self. When the body exhibits certain symptoms - what we call illness - we don’t say “the body is ill.” Instead, we say, “I am sick.” When we dream at night, we very much associate our sense of self with the main character in the...
Feb 14, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Today’s inspiration from A Course in Miracles is this: “The ear translates; it does not hear. The eye reproduces; it does not see.” We think our ears and eyes hear and see reality respectively. But they don’t. As A Course in Miracles goes on to say, “The body’s eyes see only form. They cannot see beyond what they were made to see.” Elsewhere, “See how the body’s eyes rest on externals and cannot go beyond. Watch how they stop at nothingness, unable to go beyond the form to meaning.” When we judg...
Feb 13, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 24
It’s easy to believe that our thoughts are mostly harmless. They’re just thoughts after all. But it’s not true. As we read in A Course in Miracles , “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In other words, our thoughts create our reality - not the other way around. There is no objective reality out there impinging on us. We create it all with our thoughts. Similar to our sleeping dreams at night. That concept is so very difficult to accept, because it places responsib...
Feb 12, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 23
We categorize people based on what we think about them. Those we like or admire rank higher than the ones we despise. We consider some people to be “good energy” and others to be a drag on our state of joy. Yet there is no difference between anybody. Only in our judgment. Everyone is the same. The superficial differences of form don’t matter. We are all one. And when we can see the sameness in everybody - the spirit of oneness that unites us all - then we recognize each person as they truly are....
Feb 11, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 22
There’s a very challenging line in A Course in Miracles that reads, “Anger is never justified.” When we feel attacked or unfairly treated, we want retribution. We want the offending party to be held accountable in some way. We want justice. But justice is impossible from such a state. Whenever we judge any situation, we are with our ego and projecting the contents of our wrong-minded thought system. In fact, the only way we can be without peace is if we’ve chosen the ego. No one and no-thing can...
Feb 10, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 21
“I will receive what I am giving now.” - A Course in Miracles . Imagine having complete control over all our experiences! In fact we do. We always receive what we give. While it may not be in the exact same physical form, it is certainly true in content. Check out this powerful lesson from the Course: “To give and to receive are one in truth.” Unfortunately we’re so conditioned to believe that everything we experience is some independent reality that just happens. We judge occurrences and situat...
Feb 09, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 20
“Those whom you perceive as opponents are part of your peace.” This is such a powerful truism from A Course in Miracles . We think we’d be better off if the people we distrust, despise, or even simply dislike were either no longer part of our life, or better yet, changed their ways. However, what we miss is that the exact people who “push our buttons” are the ones who can be our greatest teachers. Those “opponents” are part of our path to peace. Precisely because they reflect some internal block...
Feb 08, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 19
