The ego is a very slippery character. It convinces us that we can find joy in other people. But what the ego never tells us - what it actively hides from awareness - is its cannibalistic nature. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles : “The ego establishes relationships only to get something.” In other words, we enter into relationships with people because they have something we believe we need. On the surface, most of us would agree that our close relationships are rewarding to us. But if...
May 24, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 108
I remember being surprised the first few times I attended cocktail parties and networking events. The first question people always seemed to ask one another was, “What do you do?” Of all the things we could ask a human being we just met for the first time, why would it be “What do you do?” Obviously simplicity and cultural norms play a role, but there’s also an ego aspect behind it. We want to see how this other person compares to our ideals (and to ourselves). I much prefer asking people, “What...
May 23, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 107
When we seek for things in the world (or other people) to make us happy, we are convinced that the source of joy is somewhere “out there”. Our belief system might be something like, “Once such-and-such happens, then I’ll be happy.” And as always happens with such a focus, we will be disappointed. People will let us down. Situations will go differently than we hoped. Our body will betray us. The reason this is so is because we are looking in the wrong place. Consider this quote from A Course in M...
May 22, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 106
When we get angry or frustrated with someone, it’s because of something they did (or didn’t do) - in the past. Likewise, if we feel shame, regret, or guilt - it too is based on something from our past. In fact, nearly all of our judgment is based on the past. But the past is gone. It’s over. It doesn’t exist. Yet we often cling to it as if it were real. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles : “God knows you now .” In other words, our only reality is the present moment. There are no sins w...
May 21, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 105
How are you feeling right now? Are you at peace without a care in the world? If not, then you are hostage to pain. Which we can all relate to. But consider this line from A Course in Miracles : “You are host to God, and hostage to no one and to nothing.” We all too often forget that we are “host to God” and that perfect peace is within us - simply being our right-minded choice for love. The Course further challenges us to consider this: “Would you be hostage to the ego or host to God? Let this q...
May 20, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Think about a complicated situation in your life. Maybe it’s a challenging relationship or a particular grievance you’re dealing with. Our natural inclination is to prefer peace over conflict, simplicity over complexity. Yet we seem to continually find ourselves dealing with problem after problem. And that’s because we are secretly attracted to complications. From A Course in Miracles : “Truth is simple. Complexity is of the ego, and is nothing more than the ego’s attempt to obscure the obvious....
May 17, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 103
In every moment we are choosing between the ego mind and the mind of spirit. We’re not aware of this choice since it occurs outside of consciousness, outside the realm of time and space. But what we are aware of is the effect of this choice. When we choose the ego mind, we will always experience some form of unhappiness. Whether that is fear, anger, regret, shame, sadness, etc. makes no difference. When we choose the ego mind, we will not be at peace. But since we don’t realize the source of unh...
May 16, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 102
We don’t strive for too much. We strive for too little. Everything we search for, our desire to get ahead, to reduce pain, to make life easier - all of those are setting the bar too low. There is nothing in the world that can bring us real peace. Consider these insightful lines from A Course in Miracles : “Be not content with littleness. Everything in this world is little because it is made out of littleness, in the strange belief that littleness can content you. When you strive for anything in ...
May 15, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 101
When we’re mad, is it not because we’re upset at what someone did (or failed to do)? Or something that occurred that we believe should not have happened. Our anger shouts to the world that something or someone is in the wrong. But what if nothing happened? Imagine you’re dreaming at night, and in the dream someone is unkind to you. When you see the person the next day, could you be mad at them for what happened in your dream? Of course not. But that’s exactly what we do here in what we consider ...
May 14, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 100
When I am stressed, it is because I am either anxious about the future or upset over the past. Sometimes both. We spend most of our lives dwelling on what has already gone by or anticipating - with hope or fear - what is yet to come. But rarely are we present in the present moment. And this is what makes life hell. Think about this quote from A Course in Miracles : “There is no hell. Hell is only what the ego has made of the present.” When we choose the ego mind, we give up the present “now” and...
May 13, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Whenever we listen to the voice of our ego, we will be led astray. How do we know that we’ve chosen this guide? If we feel any sense of discomfort, stress, fear, pain, annoyance, guilt, shame, or sadness - then we know. The purpose of the ego is to convince us that we are bodies, that we can suffer, and that the world (and other people) are the source of our pains and joys. And every grievance we hold reinforces this belief. But there is a way out. A Course in Miracles teaches us: “Call not upon...
May 10, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 98
In every moment we experience joy or pain, peace or sorrow. And as much as we may think it’s a function of what’s going on in the world around us, it isn’t. All our sense of well-being comes from a choice we make in the mind. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles : “Earth can reflect Heaven or hell; God or the ego.” What we reflect is determined by that choice in the mind. And if we don’t like our experience, we need merely choose again. Support the show...
May 09, 2019•46 sec•Season 1Ep. 97
In every situation, we have an opportunity to choose our response. And our response will be based on how we interpret the moment. But what if our interpretation is wrong? Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles : “ I do not know what anything, including this, means. And so I do not know how to respond to it. And I will not use my own past learning as the light to guide me now .” If we are wrong about the meaning we give each situation, then there’s no way we can respond in a way that will...
May 08, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 96
There is no place we can be that takes us out of union with everyone. There is nothing we can do that excludes us from the oneness of which we are a part. Anything that seems counter to that is a mistaken belief, a “tiny, mad idea”, an illusion. A dream. But we will all awaken to the oneness we never left. And we can take comfort in that awareness. As A Course in Miracles so beautifully reminds us, “Where God is, there are you.” Support the show...
May 07, 2019•45 sec•Season 1Ep. 95
We all want to be happy. And we all want to experience blissful love and peace. Thus [therefore] everything we do is in the belief that it will bring us one step closer to the goal. But what if those things cannot be sought after? Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles : “The search for truth is but the honest searching out of everything that interferes with truth. Truth is . It can neither be lost nor sought nor found.” The same is true for love and peace. The more we try searching for ...
May 06, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles : “What is kept apart from love cannot share its healing power because it has been separated off and kept in darkness.” What and who do we keep apart from love? Each one represents a “speck of darkness” that we want to keep hidden within ourselves. A fear that we’re not quite ready to release. But once we are ready to finally let go of our burdens, we can bring each of these grievances to the light of love and watch them dissipate into nothingness. Su...
May 04, 2019•48 sec•Season 1Ep. 93
When you look out on the world and see other people, particularly people you don’t like or don’t agree with, how do you feel? Do you believe that you are in the right, and they are not? A Course in Miracles teaches us that we can only see truth or illusion, innocence or guilt. And in every moment we can only experience one or the other. “The ego sees everyone as guilty. The Holy Spirit sees only guiltlessness.” We can only see guilt if we’ve first chosen the mind of the ego. But when we choose t...
May 02, 2019•53 sec•Season 1Ep. 92
Everyone has something to teach us. Without exception. But when we judge or look down on someone, when we feel any sense of resentment or anger or frustration with another, then we are missing out on a perfect learning opportunity. What we, and everyone, can learn from each situation is that we are united. The only differences between us are superficial and meaningless. This line from A Course in Miracles helps put that into perspective: “To attack those who have need of teaching is to fail to l...
May 01, 2019•59 sec•Season 1Ep. 91
When I dislike or complain about anyone, I am clearly not seeing their holiness. Instead I am seeing their ego in all its pretentiousness. But I cannot see the ugliness in someone else unless I am looking out through my own lens of ugliness. Instead, when I choose my right mind, I’m reminded of these lovely lines from A Course in Miracles . “No one is without holiness, nor anyone unworthy of perfect love.” From this perspective, I see the love that unites all of us. And the peace that surrounds ...
Apr 30, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 90
When we accuse anyone of anything - which is simply a form of blame - then we are not seeing them as they truly are. We are seeing them as we want them to be. By seeing them guilty, we hope to perceive our own innocence. But it doesn’t work that way. When we see someone as at fault, we are reaffirming our own guilt, even though it may remain deeply unconscious. Check out this line from A Course in Miracles : “To accuse is not to understand . Blaming others does nothing but increase our own sense...
Apr 29, 2019•54 sec•Season 1Ep. 89
We strive so hard to find peace and relaxation in the world. All our efforts are geared toward making life better for us and the people we care about. And deep down, we all want to be loved and cared for. But there is a love that “surpasses all understanding” which embraces everyone. Check out these beautiful lines from A Course in Miracles : “You cannot understand how much you are loved, for there is no parallel in your experience of the world to help you understand it." When we see beyond the ...
Apr 26, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 88
In 2nd grade, I had a dream one night that the teacher re-arranged the classroom such that I was sitting next to my best friend Robbie. The next morning, sure enough, the teacher announced she was changing all the desks. And I was seated next to Robbie. I was less interested in the coincidental premonition and much more attuned to my joy at the new seating assignment. I had other friends, but Robbie was my best friend. As I progressed through school, I had some teachers I liked, some not so much...
Apr 25, 2019•3 min•Season 1Ep. 87
All the drama in our lives is purposeful. But it’s not the purpose we think. The reason we believe things happen the way they do is the result of our efforts, or because of other people, good or bad luck, or other worldly causes beyond our control. But it’s none of those. The reason things occur the way they do is to keep us rooted in the belief that this is real and consequential. In other words, it’s a giant smokescreen. As we learn in A Course in Miracles : “The purpose of the world you see i...
Apr 24, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Have you ever had the feeling that this world is not your home? It might be an incredibly brief feeling - the sense that you’re an outsider in a strange land. If so, then you will relate to these lines from A Course in Miracles : This world is not where you belong. You are a stranger here. But it is given you to find the means whereby the world no longer seems to be a prison house or jail for anyone. The reason we experience so much pain and suffering in the world is because we set it up that wa...
Apr 23, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Every time I feel unfairly treated, I am mentally (if not literally) pointing a finger at someone and saying, “You hurt me.” And if there are others who witness my wounds, they too will agree with my assessment. But is my evaluation fair? In not one circumstance! In fact, anytime I perceive myself as unfairly treated, I am judging incorrectly. These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: Unfairness and attack are one mistake, so firmly joined that where one is perceived the o...
Apr 22, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 84
We get what we give. Figuratively. And literally. When we give a gift to someone, how often do we expect or hope for some form of gratitude? Perhaps even the slightest nod of appreciation. Of course, that’s not giving from the heart. That’s “giving to get”. When we freely offer a gift, we are completely divested from any form of acceptance. But when we expect or desire some form of “thank you,” we are giving from a place of lack. And that’s exactly what we get back. No matter what the other pers...
Apr 21, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Misery loves company. When things are not going well, the last thing we want to hear about is others whose lives seem superb. They have what we want. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we feel a sense of bitterness and perhaps even resentment. On the other hand, when we learn of others who are clearly worse off than we are, we might experience pity or sadness. And we might even feel compelled to want to help them in some way. But, once again, if we’re really honest, there is a part of us that e...
Apr 19, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Have you ever tried to watch your thoughts? Just observe them without judgment. It’s very, very hard to do. For one thing, we get so easily distracted. One moment we are observing, and the next thing you know, we’ve gone for a ride with one or more of the thoughts deep into some story. I can’t believe she did that. I should have said this in return. I wonder how that meeting will go tomorrow. I’m worried about next week’s doctor’s appointment. That rabbit trails are endless. Cat: Where do you wa...
Apr 18, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 81
We are all our own worst enemies. Yet it’s an enemy we made up. The reason we judge ourselves - the reason we look down on ourselves - is because we believe we are sinful. We aren’t good enough. All the mistakes we’ve made, all the ways we’ve let other people down, all the misery simply prove this is so. But it’s not so. It’s a mistaken belief. Purposive, but still mistaken. The purpose of choosing such negative thoughts is to perpetuate the ego’s belief that we are separate from one another and...
Apr 17, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Everything I see is an experience of what I’m feeling within me. That idea runs so counter to everything we’ve taught ourselves. Namely, that our feelings result from the experiences we have in the world. But we have it backwards. Whatever we feel, we then project out onto the world and experience it there. This vivid passage from A Course in Miracles makes it so clear: “You will look upon that which you feel within. If hatred finds a place within your heart, you will perceive a fearful world, h...
Apr 16, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 79
