*This is part of my Monthly Musings series, where each month I share reflections on A Course in Miracles and how we can apply it’s teachings. While these musings explore spiritual concepts, my practice welcomes anyone seeking support, regardless of their spiritual beliefs or familiarity with the Course.*
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It’s been slow going this month writing my musings. I got the topic very soon after I published February’s, and whilst I knew it was a great one, it was something I was being challenged on, and still am being.
What sustains us
Thankfully, the daily lessons this month have been beautifully timed as always. If you’re unfamiliar with the Course, there’s a workbook included with 365 lessons – contemplative exercises that are generally done one per day. Many people begin lesson one on 1st January. One of these lessons states simply (and perhaps boldly), ‘I am sustained by the Love of God. (ACIM, W-50)’ We think we are sustained by many, many things. For lots of people, God would be very far down that list. Money, food, clothes, friendships, family… these are all things we think of when we think, ‘What keeps me going? What keeps me alive?’ When these things fall away, or aren’t how we think they should be, we wobble.
There’s a section in the Manual for Teachers (the third part of the Course) that’s titled ‘The Development of Trust’. I encourage you to read it, even if you haven’t read anything else in the Course. I will often read it when I feel my trust wavering; when something throws me off or isn’t how I expected or wanted it to be. If I feel myself feeling fear coming up around resources or the future, I go back to that section. It’s a helpful reminder to be open to releasing what we might think serves us or is of value to us, but isn’t, and stay open to being sustained by God, and love, and expecting miracles.
When the world feels hard to understand
I know I hinted at not feeling the flow to write this month, and it might be helpful to give an example of how trust and curiosity can be useful when moving towards a more peaceful and loving existence. The Course teaches that the world is a dream of our own making. I’m aware I may lose a few people here, and that’s okay, it’s just what the Course teaches, and it’ll either resonate or not. You can also take what works and leave the rest. Anyway, if something shows up in your experience: if you see something on the news, or a friend is going through a tough time, or you seem to be going through a tough time, it is all your experience. It is all part of your dream, and therefore stems from an unhealed belief in lack, separation or limitation in your mind. If you didn’t believe it, it wouldn’t be there.
The theory is, if we have a belief we don’t like, we’ll project it out into the world in an attempt to get rid of it. It’ll then show up in the form of a person or situation playing out those beliefs. We get to look at them and say, ‘that’s nothing to do with me’, all the while continuing to suffer one way or another, believing that you live in a world where whatever it is, is possible.
Choosing trust and curiosity instead
This is where the development of trust comes in, alongside curiosity. It is very confronting to think that seeing people in your world suffering is a consequence of your belief in suffering. It would be easy to jump to defense or blame – either that’s not true and this has nothing to do with me, or I’m causing all this suffering and therefore I must be an awful person. Neither are true, nor necessary. Remember, if we are following the Course teachings, the world is our dream. Therefore, we get to release it from all we think it is, and instead create space for the miracles. Instead of bringing more guilt and anger to ourselves and the world, we become willing to be shown where our unhealed beliefs lie, and trust that if things seem to fall apart, it’s helping us see what’s truly of value, and how we can loosen our thoughts around how things should be, in order to experience something different, that feels better.
Trust teaches us that change is possible. Curiosity teaches us that what seemed to happen in the past, doesn’t have to dictate what happens now. Regardless of what you think about the world and what you see happening, I imagine that if there was a way to feel easier about it, less stuck, more open to the possibility of something better coming, that would be preferable to sitting in the stuckness and frustration, blame and guilt.
A real-world example
Earlier this year, Portugal was hit by a succession of storms, some bringing winds of 200km per hour. We received two to three times more rain than average. Electricity pylons (the giant metal ones) were flattened to the ground. Whole towns were flooded. Landslides buried houses. People died. Whole communities are still without power and water more than three weeks later. My small community was relatively unaffected. Roads were blocked with fallen trees, small landslips and localised flooding, but in general, we were safe. Others seem to have suffered so much loss, and have to rebuild their whole lives from scratch. Like many in my community, I watched the events unfolding in disbelief. I also knew that I could easily forget my training and go into fear and despair, or instead, remember to trust and be curious.
Of course, being on the ‘outside’ of the devastation makes it easier to practice this. Still, it’s a practice I chose to follow. What I have seen is the calm after the storm. The resilience and kindness of people, coming together to volunteer, donate time, money and basic supplies. Seventy electricians flew over from Ireland to help rebuild the power grid. Volunteer whatsapp groups and car sharing have sprung up to try to co-ordinate efforts to reach those isolated from their communities and help them. Love is an incredible power.
Recognising miracles
There is still loss. It will take many, many years to rebuild what has been destroyed. I don’t know where people will find the resources for what they need. I imagine many feel hopeless, despite the rallying of their communities. Yet, I am trusting that the material things in the world are being cleared to help me, and you, and everyone (because we share one mind) recognise that the dream we have created is not sustainable. It’s not stable, and if we put our faith in it, it will eventually fail us. Instead, we learn to put our faith and trust in God. In the miracles that we get to experience when we are open to seeing things differently. When we remember and start to believe that we are under no laws but God’s.
We have all had miraculous experiences: something happening that just didn’t seem possible. Maybe a paperwork blunder meant a speeding ticket didn’t get processed, or a mistake at work seemed to correct itself, or someone gifted us the very appliance that had just broken and we didn’t know how we were going to pay for it to be replaced. When things happen that seem to be outside the laws of the world as we know them, we call them a fluke or good luck. When we learn to trust, we understand that these are the moments we allowed ourselves to be curious about what the world would look like if we believed in miracles, and that we could trust God to sustain us.
Practice invitation
We might not see the changes we would want or expect in form. Then again, we might. Either way, get curious about what is being shown to you. What are you believing about the way the world works that would make what is happening make sense. Get curious about what might happen if you changed your mind about the world. Be open to the miracle.
This week, when something challenges you, whether it’s something in your personal life, something you see in the news, or a general feeling of unease, try this practice:
Pause and notice what you’re feeling. Fear? Anger? Helplessness?
Get curious: “What am I believing right now that makes this feel so difficult?”
Trust: “There is a way to see this that would bring me peace. I’m willing to be shown.”
Stay open: Don’t rush to fix your feelings or force a different perspective. Simply hold the willingness to see differently.
A little note: this isn’t about dismissing real pain or pretending everything is fine. It’s about building resilience through trust and knowing that no matter what appears to be happening, there is always a miracle available: a shift in perception that can bring peace.
Next month: I am under no laws but God’s.
What resonates? What questions are coming up for you? I’d love to hear in the comments.
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