I’m not sure I was hugely swooning per se, but I did have some gorgeous times in nature – walking, gardening, qigonging… I noticed and remembered how, in nature:
- there is no casting judgment – no good/bad – no shame or guilt
- no overcomplicating – things are as simple as they can be, be that richly complex sometimes
***ACIM17/18+10minMed***
Glossary: ‘magic thoughts’ in ACIM
Thoughts which claim that we can be saved by our own separate will, by certain special people, by various external things—by anything other than the miracle, the Will of God healing our minds. The teacher of God will encounter magic thoughts in his pupils and must learn how to react to them without anger. Found only in sections 17 and 18 in the Manual. See magic.
A Course in Miracles – Manual for Teachers – 17. How Do God’s Teachers Deal with Magic Thoughts?
M-17.1. This is a crucial question both for teacher and pupil. 2 If this issue is mishandled, the teacher of God has hurt himself and has also attacked his pupil. 3 This strengthens fear, and makes the magic seem quite real to both of them. 4 How to deal with magic thus becomes a major lesson for the teacher of God to master.
A Course in Miracles – Manual for Teachers – 18. How Is Correction Made?
M-18.4. In order to heal, it thus becomes essential for the teacher of God to let all his own mistakes be corrected. 2 If he senses even the faintest hint of irritation in himself as he responds to anyone, let him instantly realize that he has made an interpretation that is not true. 3 Then let him turn within to his eternal Guide, and let Him judge what the response should be. 4 So is he healed, and in his healing is his pupil healed with him. 5 The sole responsibility of God’s teacher is to accept the Atonement for himself. 6 Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors. 7 When this has been accomplished, the teacher of God becomes a miracle worker by definition. 8 His sins have been forgiven him, and he no longer condemns himself. 9 How can he then condemn anyone? 10 And who is there whom his forgiveness can fail to heal?
I see how I have got in the habit of allowing in ‘the faintest hint of irritation’, or outright judging people… essentially for their and my having ‘magic thoughts’! This has been a barrier to my development I can now see. The healing (ie. ceasing of condemnation ie. atonement ie perception of innocence of all beings including me) starts in my mind. May my perception arise to see only gentle innocence in all. As nature does.
What is your message for me today, please?
Whenever you see an ‘error’ in your path, note that; correct your perception, and walk on. There are no errors in reality. All is at its perfect state of evolution. If, and we know that this is a big if, you can be at peace with ‘where people are’ then you really have something to offer them. If you cannot forgive them for being where they are, then know that you are hurting both them and yourself. Remember that phrase: Everyone Is Doing Their Best. This is not to be cast over or made ironic. Even if someone is much, much mistaken in their perception, they are doing their best, and frankly it is not your role to cast aspersions if they are not ‘level’ with you. Or if they are not responding to your prompts to ‘level up’.
What if time is pressing for people to make a shift in their perception? What if it’s a life and death situation, as it is for one of my clients?
Each person has a set of lessons they wish to learn in this life. If the lesson you perceive they ‘need to learn’ is not in this lifetimes’ set, it may well be in the next. Leave them to it – and love them unconditionally in their seeming ‘error’. Seriously, can you bring unconditional love to each person you see? If you can, you can be of service. If their ‘slow development’ distresses you – or worse, if you perceive it might put you in a bad light professionally because you don’t manage to ‘correct’ them in time – then you are adding vinegar to their perfect pudding. You are often as much ‘client’ as they are. In fact, you can leave that word, and use ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ and you will be better placed to progress. If, if, if you can see the perfection of that person, without words or persuasion… If you can but witness their perfection… then in the realms of possibility, you will have opened wide the possibility of the person seeing their own perfection, of accepting their perfection, of accepting atonement as it is offered. Can you see the perfection in each person?
Yes! I need to slow down, and attune to people, don’t I? And I need to weed out hints of criticism or judgment or other automatic knee-jerks (emphasis on jerk) about others in myself, sharpish! I need to hold them in perfection in my mind. I can. I will.
I am holding each person in perfection
I am seeing the perfection in each person