Thank you Sean as always for your reminder. I particularly appreciate this paragraph which helped me to correct my subtle misunderstanding : “Think of "letting" here as a form of giving attention to what is. You don't "let" rain fall but there is a way of relating to rain that is not fueled by either resistance or indifference. It is gentle and natural. It is not driven by judgment; its lodestone is not survival.”
You're welcome, Aysin. Thank you for reading and sharing.
For what it's worth, I like that paragraph too, because it points to what I consider the Holy Instant aspect of practicing A Course in Miracles. Giving attention to what is without trying to change it in any way AND, critically, realizing how hard it is to do that! How deeply the conditioning - the central self, the emphasis on evaluation and judgment, and the "I am entitled to make changes to this" vibe - runs! So much to let go against a deeply entrenched pattern that DOES NOT WANT TO LET GO, that would rather die than let go. As the course says - here paraphrased - absent a miracle it would not be possible.
So comforting to be reminded of this conditioning, as I keep forgetting this and feeling guilty of not being able to let go which is also part of the conditioning 😊
After two nights of self-inflicted suffering, this morning I said to David: “I have to give up the idea that I have any control over the [political] narrative.” Then I read Richard Rohr who writes that mankind’s universal addiction is to control. And then came the manna of your words here today, Sean . . . And in the midst of all this, some stranger suggests listening to Sam Garrett’s “I Choose to Live in Love.”
All reminders that although I have no control over anything happening in this world, by choosing love I can perhaps move the needle toward inner peace. It’s not easy. . .and I’m not a natural at it. Thank you for your clearly worded guidance, Sean. The way you have broken it down via ACIM is very helpful. ❤️
Honestly, here in the dream of separation, none of us are natural at shifting the needle from fear to love. But also honestly, I think the real hard part of the work is SEEING that it's not natural and accepting how far we are from the mercy and justice that is our shared North Star. Once we hit bottom - realize our powerlessness - then it's easier to hear the Holy Spirit's gentle and non-dramatic guidance. Very much a one-step forward, two-steps back kind of move, at least for this slow learner :) We really do need each other to hold the trail and keep one another on it.
Thank you for the last sentence, Cheryl - I appreciate it very much.
"When we let go of the illusion of control, the truth naturally reveals itself. We step out of the ego's endless addiction to conflict and rest in the Holy Spirit's assurance that we are not alien to God or Creation." AND
"When we realize the illusion of control we naturally become defenseless. When we are defensless all our relationships become holy because we no longer view the other in terms of what we can get from them or what we might lose to them. Instead, we see their perfection and know it is an extension of our own."
WOW!!!!!!!! Goosebumps. So amazing and such truth. I needed that today. The whole thing was spot-on and timely. So hard not to be afraid these days, but, as you said, there's always been fear. In these human forms, there has always been and will always be, at least to a certain extent. We are vulnerable as physical beings and it creates this separation and this us against them-ness. Constantly trying to wrestle a feeling of control is really the crux of the matter. The creator of fear. That's where allowing comes in. So difficult through these human lenses indeed. Thank you as always for your incredible and humbling insights.
You're welcome, Heidi. Thank you for reading and sharing.
Yes - the human body and our identification with it - is the source of so much confusion and thus conflict. At that level, it was ever thus. I think the value of the course is the way it undoes our resistance to realizing that we are brothers and sisters - even though that, too, is a human frame or lens, it is the one course suggests most effectively leads to the happy dream in which God can gently restore us to the peace that surpasses understanding.
Truly, a lot comes down to our relationhip with control! And our ability to see that it's an illusion, at which point setting it aside isn't so difficult. There is nothing really to let go!
Thanks again for being here, Heidi. I appreciate it very much.
Thank you, Sean. I look forward to your “notes”. They are thought provoking and I feel I am finally hearing and learning what I need to navigate this “illusion”. Much appreciation.
This is a most timely post, Sean. My challenge, in light of the recent events in the US, is to let go of my judgment of how the attempted assassination is “interpreted” by others. I want them to see it my way. Control, control.
I'm glad it's helpful, Jennifer. Yes - wanting to force the interpretation of others to mirror my own is straight up ego playing the same old game of separation. There is a better way and I'm glad we are working on it together 🙏
Thank you, Sean. As so often happens, you spoke directly to me today. These lines especially rang true: "Worrying is a symptom - perhaps the symptom - of our investment in control. We are all afraid of what happens if we let go. . . . But all that happens next is what always happens next: relationship with our brothers and sisters. Honestly, there is nothing else." I still worry a fair amount, but it feels much lighter, and I can remember to choose alignment with God's Love and Wisdom over my fears. Thanks for your help over these years. (And thanks, too, for mentioning the wonderful Eugene Gendlin.) Take care.
You're welcome, Margaret. I'm glad it was helpful, and I'm grateful for your companionship. We really do do this work together, all of us. And yes - Gendlin is wonderful. Deeply helpful writer and thinker.
I really liked your post, thank you, it was so thoughtful... it has the same tone as and reminded me of one of my favourite poems by Wendell Berry "the peace of wild things"
Life at its simplest point is my relationship to my wife. 58 years of giving and taking control. Then in the quiet moment realizing that control is an illusion and defenselessness is letting go. When the world is out of wack your words light my way.
Thank you, Sean.I woke up "insane", again, and really needed this message. Do I leave the States? Do I bother to distribute this album? Do I totally "drop out"? Will finances ever improve? What am I doing?!! How delusional or present am I, really? You and your choice of words returned me to peace and trusting the Voice, yet again.
You're welcome, Silvanus. I'm glad it was helpful. A lot of those questions resonate with me - variations of them are in my mind as well. We are not alone! And I'm grateful that we can find moments of peace in which the Holy Spirit can guide us to the clarity that brings forth a peace that does not come and go. Thank you for being here and sharing the way.
Hello Sean - I was waiting for your post! Thank you for writing this beautiful reminder about being defenseless. What has been resonating with me too is, "I see only the past". It has helped me relax about current events but I don't know if I am misinterpreting it. "For we but see the journey from the point at which it ended, looking back on it, imagining we make it once again; reviewing mentally what has gone by." (W-158.4:1-5). Is this lesson just about salvation or can I apply it to the "script" in the dream? I feel that it helps me put control into perspective.
"Time seems to go in one direction, but when you reach its end it will roll up like a long carpet spread along the past behind you, and will disappear. ⁶As long as you believe the Son of God is guilty you will walk along this carpet, believing that it leads to death. ⁷And the journey will seem long and cruel and senseless, for so it is." (T-13.I.3:5-7)
I do think that leaning into ACIM metaphysics (e.g., time is not real, it doesn't pass, we're basically watching a movie) can be helpful in terms of bringing the temperature down - relaxing us a little with respect to external events so that we can focus on the interior, where the actual errors are repeating themselves. A gentle investment in coherence feels helpful.
I don't think it's an error to think that way about the script in the dream - in a sense, understanding it's a dream and a script is what facilitates salvation. What is helpful? We get worked up about being right and wrong with respect to the course - this has been a major site of learning for me - but the question is really, what helps? What helps us breathe, what helps us stay calm amid seeming crisis, what helps us focus on the other, what helps us focus on what we share rather than what we can get or keep?
In a nontrivial way, what works - what is right - is what is helpful in a given moment and this is ALWAYS about relationship.
That is so so important in our ACIM practice - being aware of and attentive to relationship, all of them without exception. Whatever is going on, we are called to give attention to our brothers and sisters, and to de-emphasize the personal so that we CAN give attention. This is what holy relationship is - the recognition that we share an interest in salvation (in inner peace and happiness) and then committing together to do what it takes to undo whatever blocks the recognition and extension of peace and happiness.
So when I am asking myself "does this help?" I am basically asking how clear and open and willing I am with respect to others - Chrisoula and the kids, the neighbors, co-workers, my little ACIM community, strangers in the coop. How ready am I to be of service? To find Christ in you so that I can remember Christ is in us together?
For me, the value of the "time is a long carpet" metaphor is that it takes the pressure off! If I can believe this is all a dream then the work I do within it is just more dream stuff. And yes - I'm super committed to being a gentler, kinder and more loving man. But also, the end is sure so I can do that work with a light heart. Everything doesn't depend on me getting anything right. No heroes necessary! Just friends helping friends remember the cause for peace.
I think, too, there's a theme here - evident mostly in especially the workbook lessons cumulatively - that has to do with our retiring from the world and the world's interests in order to seek only reality (e.g. W-ep.3:2). As if there is a point where we really just divest from the external and devote ourselves to inner peace. The Manual for Teachers is a roadmap for this. I think for some of us - certainly for me - this is a call that we have not really fully embraced (or possibly even considered).
Anyway, some scattered thoughts from a fellow traveler! Thank you for reading and sharing, Susan. I appreciate the dialogue very much.
Thank you for taking the time to answer. I so love your response. "Does this help?" is the gateway to tolerance and forgiveness. ACIM students will come to the metaphysics as they are ready. I aspire to live by your words, "What helps us breathe, what helps us stay calm amid seeming crisis, what helps us focus on the other, what helps us focus on what we share rather than what we can get or keep?" Love always answers. Thank you again.
Thank you Sean as always for your reminder. I particularly appreciate this paragraph which helped me to correct my subtle misunderstanding : “Think of "letting" here as a form of giving attention to what is. You don't "let" rain fall but there is a way of relating to rain that is not fueled by either resistance or indifference. It is gentle and natural. It is not driven by judgment; its lodestone is not survival.”
Much gratitude 🙏
You're welcome, Aysin. Thank you for reading and sharing.
For what it's worth, I like that paragraph too, because it points to what I consider the Holy Instant aspect of practicing A Course in Miracles. Giving attention to what is without trying to change it in any way AND, critically, realizing how hard it is to do that! How deeply the conditioning - the central self, the emphasis on evaluation and judgment, and the "I am entitled to make changes to this" vibe - runs! So much to let go against a deeply entrenched pattern that DOES NOT WANT TO LET GO, that would rather die than let go. As the course says - here paraphrased - absent a miracle it would not be possible.
Thanks again for being here.
~ Sean
So comforting to be reminded of this conditioning, as I keep forgetting this and feeling guilty of not being able to let go which is also part of the conditioning 😊
Thank you 🙏
After two nights of self-inflicted suffering, this morning I said to David: “I have to give up the idea that I have any control over the [political] narrative.” Then I read Richard Rohr who writes that mankind’s universal addiction is to control. And then came the manna of your words here today, Sean . . . And in the midst of all this, some stranger suggests listening to Sam Garrett’s “I Choose to Live in Love.”
All reminders that although I have no control over anything happening in this world, by choosing love I can perhaps move the needle toward inner peace. It’s not easy. . .and I’m not a natural at it. Thank you for your clearly worded guidance, Sean. The way you have broken it down via ACIM is very helpful. ❤️
The cosmos is backing up your insight!
Honestly, here in the dream of separation, none of us are natural at shifting the needle from fear to love. But also honestly, I think the real hard part of the work is SEEING that it's not natural and accepting how far we are from the mercy and justice that is our shared North Star. Once we hit bottom - realize our powerlessness - then it's easier to hear the Holy Spirit's gentle and non-dramatic guidance. Very much a one-step forward, two-steps back kind of move, at least for this slow learner :) We really do need each other to hold the trail and keep one another on it.
Thank you for the last sentence, Cheryl - I appreciate it very much.
~ Sean
Asked and received: Truth just flows and flows💗
Magnificent !! Really needed to read this today. Thank you Sean. 🙏♥️
You're welcome, Glenda! Thank you for reading and sharing. I am grateful that we can share this space together.
~ Sean
"When we let go of the illusion of control, the truth naturally reveals itself. We step out of the ego's endless addiction to conflict and rest in the Holy Spirit's assurance that we are not alien to God or Creation." AND
"When we realize the illusion of control we naturally become defenseless. When we are defensless all our relationships become holy because we no longer view the other in terms of what we can get from them or what we might lose to them. Instead, we see their perfection and know it is an extension of our own."
WOW!!!!!!!! Goosebumps. So amazing and such truth. I needed that today. The whole thing was spot-on and timely. So hard not to be afraid these days, but, as you said, there's always been fear. In these human forms, there has always been and will always be, at least to a certain extent. We are vulnerable as physical beings and it creates this separation and this us against them-ness. Constantly trying to wrestle a feeling of control is really the crux of the matter. The creator of fear. That's where allowing comes in. So difficult through these human lenses indeed. Thank you as always for your incredible and humbling insights.
You're welcome, Heidi. Thank you for reading and sharing.
Yes - the human body and our identification with it - is the source of so much confusion and thus conflict. At that level, it was ever thus. I think the value of the course is the way it undoes our resistance to realizing that we are brothers and sisters - even though that, too, is a human frame or lens, it is the one course suggests most effectively leads to the happy dream in which God can gently restore us to the peace that surpasses understanding.
Truly, a lot comes down to our relationhip with control! And our ability to see that it's an illusion, at which point setting it aside isn't so difficult. There is nothing really to let go!
Thanks again for being here, Heidi. I appreciate it very much.
~ Sean
Thank you, Sean. I look forward to your “notes”. They are thought provoking and I feel I am finally hearing and learning what I need to navigate this “illusion”. Much appreciation.
You're welcome, Carol. I'm glad they're helpful. We are in this together!
~ Sean
Absolutely 💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏
This is a most timely post, Sean. My challenge, in light of the recent events in the US, is to let go of my judgment of how the attempted assassination is “interpreted” by others. I want them to see it my way. Control, control.
Your post helps, tremendously. 🙏
I'm glad it's helpful, Jennifer. Yes - wanting to force the interpretation of others to mirror my own is straight up ego playing the same old game of separation. There is a better way and I'm glad we are working on it together 🙏
~ Sean
Great post as always and I especially enjoyed the reference to Gendlin.
Thank you Doug and yes, Gendlin is fantastic. Focusing - the book and the process - have been very helpful to me. Thank you for being here!
~ Sean
Thank you, Sean. As so often happens, you spoke directly to me today. These lines especially rang true: "Worrying is a symptom - perhaps the symptom - of our investment in control. We are all afraid of what happens if we let go. . . . But all that happens next is what always happens next: relationship with our brothers and sisters. Honestly, there is nothing else." I still worry a fair amount, but it feels much lighter, and I can remember to choose alignment with God's Love and Wisdom over my fears. Thanks for your help over these years. (And thanks, too, for mentioning the wonderful Eugene Gendlin.) Take care.
You're welcome, Margaret. I'm glad it was helpful, and I'm grateful for your companionship. We really do do this work together, all of us. And yes - Gendlin is wonderful. Deeply helpful writer and thinker.
~Sean
Hi Sean,
I really liked your post, thank you, it was so thoughtful... it has the same tone as and reminded me of one of my favourite poems by Wendell Berry "the peace of wild things"
Amanda
That's a beautiful poem, Amanda - thank you for such kind words - and thank you for reading and sharing. I am grateful we share this path.
~ Sean
Sean
The message to a control freak.
Life at its simplest point is my relationship to my wife. 58 years of giving and taking control. Then in the quiet moment realizing that control is an illusion and defenselessness is letting go. When the world is out of wack your words light my way.
Love
Jack T
Thank you Jack - it's always good to hear from you - I appreciate you reading and being here.
Love,
Sean
Thank you, Sean.I woke up "insane", again, and really needed this message. Do I leave the States? Do I bother to distribute this album? Do I totally "drop out"? Will finances ever improve? What am I doing?!! How delusional or present am I, really? You and your choice of words returned me to peace and trusting the Voice, yet again.
You're welcome, Silvanus. I'm glad it was helpful. A lot of those questions resonate with me - variations of them are in my mind as well. We are not alone! And I'm grateful that we can find moments of peace in which the Holy Spirit can guide us to the clarity that brings forth a peace that does not come and go. Thank you for being here and sharing the way.
~ Sean
This helps! Thanks Sean ❤️
You're welcome, Mike. Thank you for being here.
~ Sean
Hello Sean - I was waiting for your post! Thank you for writing this beautiful reminder about being defenseless. What has been resonating with me too is, "I see only the past". It has helped me relax about current events but I don't know if I am misinterpreting it. "For we but see the journey from the point at which it ended, looking back on it, imagining we make it once again; reviewing mentally what has gone by." (W-158.4:1-5). Is this lesson just about salvation or can I apply it to the "script" in the dream? I feel that it helps me put control into perspective.
"Time seems to go in one direction, but when you reach its end it will roll up like a long carpet spread along the past behind you, and will disappear. ⁶As long as you believe the Son of God is guilty you will walk along this carpet, believing that it leads to death. ⁷And the journey will seem long and cruel and senseless, for so it is." (T-13.I.3:5-7)
Thank you for any insight you have on this.
Hi Susan,
I do think that leaning into ACIM metaphysics (e.g., time is not real, it doesn't pass, we're basically watching a movie) can be helpful in terms of bringing the temperature down - relaxing us a little with respect to external events so that we can focus on the interior, where the actual errors are repeating themselves. A gentle investment in coherence feels helpful.
I don't think it's an error to think that way about the script in the dream - in a sense, understanding it's a dream and a script is what facilitates salvation. What is helpful? We get worked up about being right and wrong with respect to the course - this has been a major site of learning for me - but the question is really, what helps? What helps us breathe, what helps us stay calm amid seeming crisis, what helps us focus on the other, what helps us focus on what we share rather than what we can get or keep?
In a nontrivial way, what works - what is right - is what is helpful in a given moment and this is ALWAYS about relationship.
That is so so important in our ACIM practice - being aware of and attentive to relationship, all of them without exception. Whatever is going on, we are called to give attention to our brothers and sisters, and to de-emphasize the personal so that we CAN give attention. This is what holy relationship is - the recognition that we share an interest in salvation (in inner peace and happiness) and then committing together to do what it takes to undo whatever blocks the recognition and extension of peace and happiness.
So when I am asking myself "does this help?" I am basically asking how clear and open and willing I am with respect to others - Chrisoula and the kids, the neighbors, co-workers, my little ACIM community, strangers in the coop. How ready am I to be of service? To find Christ in you so that I can remember Christ is in us together?
For me, the value of the "time is a long carpet" metaphor is that it takes the pressure off! If I can believe this is all a dream then the work I do within it is just more dream stuff. And yes - I'm super committed to being a gentler, kinder and more loving man. But also, the end is sure so I can do that work with a light heart. Everything doesn't depend on me getting anything right. No heroes necessary! Just friends helping friends remember the cause for peace.
I think, too, there's a theme here - evident mostly in especially the workbook lessons cumulatively - that has to do with our retiring from the world and the world's interests in order to seek only reality (e.g. W-ep.3:2). As if there is a point where we really just divest from the external and devote ourselves to inner peace. The Manual for Teachers is a roadmap for this. I think for some of us - certainly for me - this is a call that we have not really fully embraced (or possibly even considered).
Anyway, some scattered thoughts from a fellow traveler! Thank you for reading and sharing, Susan. I appreciate the dialogue very much.
~ Sean
Thank you for taking the time to answer. I so love your response. "Does this help?" is the gateway to tolerance and forgiveness. ACIM students will come to the metaphysics as they are ready. I aspire to live by your words, "What helps us breathe, what helps us stay calm amid seeming crisis, what helps us focus on the other, what helps us focus on what we share rather than what we can get or keep?" Love always answers. Thank you again.
"Love always answers" - very much this.
~ Sean