Miracles News
Winter 2005

Giving Thanks for Miracles

by Rev. Barbara Kraetsch

When I let go of the past, I can come to forgiveness now. How often the past wants to assert itself. Here comes the memory of our failure to be open and giving. Here comes the memory of our quiet resentment or anxiety. Here comes the memory of our judgment against our brother, maybe it was unspoken verbally, but it was there in our attitude and actions. We distanced ourselves from others.

I did this on Thanks-giving Day. In all the hustle-bustle, I felt resentment at all the work of putting on the big dinner. I felt judgment toward family members for their perceived failures. I felt jangled when the turkey roasting pan sprung a leak in the oven. I was not entirely peaceful. Realizing that this was all about me, not about my family or the smoking oven that still needs to be cleaned, I am left with forgiving myself for my perceived failures. In some ways I find this embarrassing to say to myself because, as a Course student, I think that my mind should never be in these petty thoughts. I think I should be farther along by now on the path to perfect peace. But I find myself saying once again that I am still in need of major mind healing.

In order to come to true forgiveness of myself for not being ‘perfect’ in the happy dream world, I must let go of all thoughts of harm. I must believe truly that no harm can occur from negative thoughts, even negative actions of complaining or distancing. The only way to God is through forgiveness. I must come to God in the appointed way because there is no other, and that means really coming to grasp the idea that sin remains impossible.

When I sit in the now moment, I feel forgiveness for myself and others. But the ego brings memory of the instant where I failed to see the Christ in me and my brother, just like a little reliving of the moment I thought I separated from God. Reliving the instant of the tiny mad idea over and over, the ego keeps bringing up the past and the idea of ‘what if’ harm really occurred. It’s the same guilt recycled again and again in a different form, a different sounding ‘what if,’ but the same underneath.

There is no embarrassment in looking at our mistakes — looking at them straight on and admitting we believed bodies real for a time. If I let the ego convince me that this keeps me from forgiveness, then I cherish the mistake and give it power. I did cherish the mistake for a little while as I allowed the ego thought system to keep bringing the memory to me. Today, God is my only goal. I let go of these ego memories of an illusive past. The thoughts weren’t real then and they are not real now. I can replace the dream of guilt with the dream of forgiveness by letting go of the memories of the past. I can only do this with the help of Holy Spirit. I am dependent on Him for this healing.

Only letting go of the past brings us to the now moment where we experience the miracle of healing. Only in letting go of the past can we come to true forgiveness of self for perceived shortcomings, because it is only in the now moment that we can see they truly have no effect. No harm was possible and no harm was done, not to anyone else, not to me. All is well.

Silly thoughts remain silly thoughts — they cannot keep me from God if I choose God as my only goal. Forgiveness is the way to return my mind to Him. I forgive myself for thinking I am sinful and pretending to be. Holy Spirit is right there with me, helping me to release the burden of the illusion.

What relief to let go of the past. No need to struggle against ego memories or push them away. I let go of the past by looking through the mistake to see the truth. I look with forgiving eyes to see only the love that was present, is present now and always will be present. I look with forgiving eyes and witness the sharing, the joy, the laughter, the giving of thanksgiving, the coming together in love.

The Christ was present at Thanksgiving. I see Him now with Holy Spirit’s eyes. That is all that is important really — that I see Him now. All else is a false past that never was. The miracle of seeing is now. I give thanks for miracles that come everyday that I let go of what never was and accept the truth of love with the help of Holy Spirit.

Rev. Barbara Kraetsch is a Pathways of Light minister living in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Email: kraetsch@execpc.com

From Fear to Faith and Love

by Linda Wisniewski

During the month of October and into the first weeks of November, I noticed I have been gripped by more fear than usual. It’s not surprising when I realized I had been watching more TV than usual and listening more to National Public Radio, ego’s boom boxes for gloom and doom. News about the flu vaccine shortage, the war in Iraq, cancer scares, ads for new drugs that would first promise cures and then kill you from the side effects, and electioneering all flooded my mind.

Both Kerry and Bush promised we would be safer if we voted for them and be subject to more terrorist attacks if we voted for the other guy. Before the election we were told to vote against same sex unions and the right of women to choose because this is what was making the world a dangerous place in which to raise our children. The elderly were threatened with losing Social Security and enjoying a ‘comfortable’ retirement. In addition to all this, my husband had recently lost his job and we were without health insurance. Is it a wonder that I lived in fear?

The seduction of worry or fear captured me. I was giving my life over to the ego and it was a nightmare. The ego was winning the battle that was taking place in my mind.

By the time of election night, everyone seemed to be going insane. The United States was divided into red and blue states; husbands and wives on opposite sides of the political arena were fighting with each other; children were even taking sides in the tug of war of good guys vs. bad guys. “The ego is nourished by the insanity that makes us feel separate.” (Casey, Karen; Daily Meditations for practicing the Course; June 29) “The separation we perceive is merely a figment of our ego imagination and gives rise to the fights, fears, and threats we endure daily.” (Daily Meditations; Dec. 30)

On the day of the election, I vowed I was not going to turn on the TV and watch the results. I went to bed early and felt proud that I made a choice not to let the ego seduce me further. I kept waking up and forcing myself to return to sleep. I even put on meditation music. But lo and behold, I awoke at 4 a.m. and turned on the tube, gazing at flashing lights proclaiming Bush the winner. The ego part of me went berserk. I rushed downstairs where my husband was calmly baking bread and ranted and raved. When I calmed down, I started to examine my thoughts and I wrote down; “I’m scared. I don’t feel safe. I wish there was somewhere I could run.” I felt so vulnerable.

It was not a surprise that I awoke the next day with a cold and an eye inflammation. My body had become a battle ground for the war games that were taking place in my mind. I was so focused on the dream of the illusory world created in one mad instant by the ego that I was making the error real. It really wouldn’t have mattered if Kerry, the person I voted for, won. It would only have given me a false sense of security in the illusion. The ego wants us to believe that the enemy is outside of us. The politicians were projections of that belief. But I have been learning that is was all being created by my thoughts — the elections and the ‘bad’ news are all reflections of my projections.

As I shared this with Myron, my facilitator in the Pathways of Light ministerial program, she gently reminded me that there is no place in the Illusion where we are safe. In fact Myron said, “There is no illusion. It’s all in our mind.”

The madness of the outside world is only a projection of the ego. “But the purpose of the madness is to finally bring us back to the other part of our minds — the part we call holy. When we choose that space, we are at peace. In that space we can’t see or hear the madness. In that space we are secure, filled with love and free from stories that haunt us.” (Daily Meditations, Feb. 13)

Since then, I have been letting Holy Spirit lead me into the still waters of my holy Mind. With Holy Spirit, I feel safe and secure, remembering that in the real world we are all one in God’s Love and nothing can harm us. I have been restored to sanity with Holy Spirit’s guidance.

The outcome of the election was a mass call for love and an appeal for help. I suddenly felt compassion for all my brothers and sisters who are coming from fear and crying out for love and to feel safe in this nightmare of madness. I am grateful for what I am learning through the Pathways of Light courses and A Course of Miracles itself. In my most fearful moments I am now turning to the Course and practicing the daily lessons.

I am learning in Lesson 50 that “I am sustained by the Love of God.” “Put not your faith in illusions. They will fail you. Put all you faith in the Love of God within you; eternal, changeless and forever unfailing. This is the answer to whatever confronts you today. Through the Love of God within you, you can resolve all seeming difficulties without effort and in sure confidence. Tell yourself this often today. It is a declaration of release from the belief in idols. It is your acknowledgment of the truth about yourself.” (W-50.4.1:8)

In the days since the elections, instead of turning on the TV, I tune into Holy Spirit and I am transported into a sea of tranquility and calmness which spills over into every aspect of my life. Every day my joy increases knowing that, with the guidance of Holy Spirit, the conditions for our awakening are being created; we are being led to our true Home, safe in God’s Love.

Linda Wisniewski is a Pathways of Light minister in training living in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Email: linwis@aol.com

Freedom

by Rev. Erin Whitney Lawson

True freedom is the “Freedom of eternal Truth” and as we all know, God is the Author of Truth. God created us in His image and likeness. He created us in His Reality with His Divine attributes. We, as His children in Truth, are blessed with His attributes, one of which is unlimited freedom. To know and experience our freedom in Truth, we must first realize and accept the Truth of God as our existence now. Once we have accepted the undeniable Truth, we then devote ourselves to living in a way that honors Its expression in all that we think, say and do. This is the way of Christ.

Look at the glorious demonstration of our holy brother Christ Jesus. Listen to his words: “I am the Way, I am the Truth.” “No one comes unto the Father except by me.” That does not mean we all need to drop to our knees and beg for his intervention to win us acceptance into the Kingdom. As we exist in Truth, we are the Kingdom. He is saying that if we want to know and experience what God created for us and us for, this is the way. We awaken to the Truth and experience Its presence by living according to the Laws that govern It. Unlike the laws, written and unwritten, of this world, the “Laws of God” are not in place to control us. They are set in place to honor our existence as He created us. The “Laws of God” guarantee our oneness with Him, in Him, eternally. As I honor my eternal existence as one with God, the Laws of His Reality function in my daily living and demonstrate His holy presence in my existence here and now.

Generally speaking in this world, America is thought of as the protector and guarantor of freedom for human kind. Yet if we visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., we will see thousands of volumes filled with one legal limitation after another upon the freedom America supposedly protects and guarantees. It is true that America was founded on the ideal of truth that we are created with certain rights given by the Creator. However, to know the fulfillment of our God given rights, we must live according to the laws that established them — the Laws of God and His eternal Kingdom. If I place my faith in America to guarantee my freedom, I am in fact denying the Truth that God is the Author of my freedom and that it is already mine eternally.

As I compose this article, it is the time of year in which we celebrate the advent of the Prince of Peace into the world. It is the joyous season of Christmas in which we all hope and pray that peace will indeed cover the earth. Peace, true peace, is indeed a condition we experience in God’s gift of freedom. However, look at the law the world uses to establish peace on earth. If we maintain the most powerful military in the world with the most fearsome weapons, no one would dare attack us. Who cannot see the utter insanity of that thought? The only thing overwhelming threat has ever guaranteed is fear and endless conflict. A Course in Miracles teaches us that our only responsibility is to accept Atonement for ourselves. Accepting Atonement is accepting responsibility for our experience of our holy relationship with God. It is accepting the Reality of Christ, the Prince of Peace, as our existence here and now. “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” If we truly want peace on earth, the peace of true freedom, it is up to each and every one of us to accept the Gift of God, the Reality of Christ as our existence and live according to Its Laws here and now.

As I devote myself to living according to the Laws of God in my daily life, the ego floods my mind with images of struggle, suffering, sacrifice and even death, should I be ‘foolish’ enough to continue in my devotion. This is when I need to offer my unequivocal trust to God and His Will for me. As I do, the Holy Spirit fills my mind with the awareness of absolute freedom, the Love and peace of Christ and says, “This is the Gift of God, your eternal Life, one with Him and His Holy Son.” I am reminded that I have to choose if I will honor Truth or illusion, Heaven or hell, God or the ego. If I want to be the Truth that God created me to be, I must accept His Thoughts absolutely to the total exclusion of the world’s (the ego’s) thought system.

This is the time of Christ, the holy season of Christ-mass. Let us all accept our oneness with God and His holy Son offering His Love, peace and freedom to all of His children each and every day. In this way we do our part in establishing His peace on earth, giving Him dominion over all things. As we live in God’s freedom, being and offering the Love of Christ to all of Creation, we will truly rejoice and know “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Rev. Erin Lawson is a Pathways of Light minister living in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Email: erinlaw96822@yahoo.com

The Bottom Line

by Rev. Mary Manke

These thoughts came to me after reviewing the daily lesson of “I seek a future different from the past.”

The bottom line is that in my insanity I’m trying to make separation real. This endeavor puts my mind in conflict, trying to use two opposing belief systems. There is only one Will, and my true will is in accord with the Will of Love. In my insanity I think that my will can be different then God’s Will. I mistake my insane thoughts for truth. I think that separation happened, so I am condemned by a vengeful god. The insane mind scrambles to try and keep itself intact. It tries to direct every thought, belief, and action; it grasps tightly to its dream images.

What a sorry picture this is! This mind, filled with delusions can do nothing.

Only my belief in this mind gives it existence. The belief in separation made the sick mind appear real.

Without turning each meaningless thought over to Holy Spirit for correction, I will be preoccupied with the images I have made. This is not the present, but the past layered on the present moment. Without willingness to accept correction, I am lost in my illusions. Do I really prefer to see insane images in place of Christ’s innocence? Christ’s innocence is all there is to see. His voice is all there is to hear.

My only escape from dreams of guilt is my willingness to turn each insane thought over to Holy Spirit. He will show me that insane thoughts are not real. My guilt dream is not real at all. I must be willing to give up my self made dream. I must be willing allow new thoughts to replace insane wishes. To accept Holy Spirit’s help and healing is to know peace and joy beyond anything I have ever made in my dream. Do I really want to continue holding onto what is not real? Do I want to think that pain will “save” me? Only Love heals. Love is undefiled, indivisible. Nothing can change Love.

To know the benefits of letting Holy Spirit help me, I must quiet the chatter of my mind. I must be still and simply listen, making room for Spirit to enter. Each moment that I practice listening to this true Voice, I give room for the truth of Love, I invite Love in. My innocence is guaranteed by God, so is every other mind that dreams of exile. My holiness is safe and secure because dreams do not change the truth. I have not left my Father. Let me teach only that God’s Son is guiltless, that is my only purpose here.

Rev. Mary Manke is a Pathways of Light minister who lives in Markesan, Wisconsin.

Email: imdelight@vbe.com

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