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Experiencing miracles is so much better than just reading about them.
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02 Jan 2012 Comments Off on ACIM with Amy, Comments on Lesson 1
I’m feeling my way into what I’m meant to blog this year … here’s a video from yesterday–there will be another one for today a bit later, and then we’ll see 🙂
28 Jul 2011 Comments Off on Shekinah, Divine Feminine & the Holy Spirit
Last night we had a guest from Israel in our Course in Miracles class. About an hour into class, I referred to the Holy Spirit as “He” and she bolted upright with surprise!
“He?” she said, making sure she heard me right.
“Yes,” I answered, “The Course is written with Christian terminology. It’s a genderless ‘He’ but the masculine is used.”
“Not in the Hebrew edition,” she said.
“What does the Hebrew edition say?” we asked.
“She,” was the answer. And then a lightbulb went off in my mind: Shekinah–the Divine Feminine!
I suddenly remembered my interfaith seminary education where the concept of “Shekinah” was introduced to me by an African-American classmate (ironic since I was raised in a Jewish family but up until then knew nothing of Shekinah). 
So, I am no scholar when it comes to Shekinah, but this is what I’ve gathered from a bit of research:
Shekinah is the spark of the Divine within us, what A Course in Miracles calls the memory of God within us, aka, the Holy Spirit.
Shekinah and the Holy Spirit each seem to be a bridge to help us find Home–both are often presented visually with the symbol of a dove. Shakti is also an aspect of Divine Feminine, found in Hinduism, but it is more concrete as an activating force within the world of form.
Shakti is the life force within humans, animals, minerals, etc. I’m sure the Divine Feminine goes by many other names offered by countless cultures (Kwan Yin, Yemaya, Green Tara, on and on).
The point is, as the Course teaches me, I don’t know anything. But I can use everything I think I know in service of God’s Will with the Holy Spirit/Shekinah as my Guide. I have ascribed meaning and interpretation to everything in the world, because I am the dreamer of the world.
When I allow my source of knowing to be from Beyond this world then Love becomes the only pronoun.Â
Women, and sometimes men, often ask for inclusion of the feminine in A Course in Miracles language. It is interesting to find out that “She” is used in the Hebrew translation of the Course to represent the Holy Spirit. Remember, what is most important is that both “He” and “She” in A Course in Miracles are all-inclusive, therefore genderless. A pronoun is necessary to communicate with us, but whether it is male or female is ultimately unimportant.  A Course in Miracles is not political–it is spiritual.
Spirituality, by definition, must be both female and male because the truth is we all are One.  Spirit is the ultimate equalizer. Spirit is what truly empowers us. Miracle principle #1: There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not “harder” or “bigger” than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal. Because Love is maximal. No matter what the representation of Love–Jesus, Mary, Holy Spirit, Shekinah–Love is maximal. Love is the content which is constant, eternal. Everything else is symbolized in form, which is ephemeral, ever-changing.
My background is in psychology, not the Bible nor the Torah. And my resonance with A Course in Miracles has a lot to do with my desire to understand human nature non-judgmentally, with an open heart and an open mind. The Course tells us that anything that upsets us is of our own making–we have chosen pain and victimhood. So when women (or men) feel left out or devalued by the omission of the female pronoun in A Course in Miracles, it is an opportunity to examine how we are separating and devaluing ourselves. Eleanor Roosevelt told us, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
The scribe of A Course in Miracles was Helen Schucman, a very accomplished professional woman. Her partner, without whom she could not have fulfilled her task, was a man, Bill Thetford (who happened to be gay). Ken Wapnick was instrumental in helping to organize the raw ACIM material, but Judy Skutch was the one who got it published.
Ken started the first ACIM teaching institute, with his wife, Gloria Wapnick. And Marianne Williamson is the one who really popularized the Course–on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Everyone is included in God’s plan. If we are excluding ourselves, and we are true Course students, it is incumbent upon us to take responsibility for self-exclusion and give that fear-based belief to our Higher Self: Shekinah/Holy Spirit.
Guan Yin by B Moussart
Sometimes students ask me, “Where is Mary in A Course in Miracles?” I don’t know. I don’t see Mother Mary or Mary Magdalene in
A Course in Miracles, but it doesn’t matter to me. Because I know that if I want to commune with Mary or Mary, or Kwan Yin for that matter (the Buddhist Madonna, or Mother of All Buddhas) They are Right Here, Right Now. All I have to do is tune in to Her and ask for Her Grace, Her Compassion, and Her Guidance. Any spiritual teacher you desire is available to you–take the time to pray and meditate and you will find that out for yourself.
Each time A Course in Miracles is translated into other languages, it is translated back into English again before being published, to make sure the Course teaching is accurately retained. Isn’t it beautiful and true that whether we say “She” or “He” the Holy Spirit remains the same Loving Memory of God in our mind? We can count on the constancy of Love Itself. There are no semantics, there is no discrimination within God’s Mind. God is empowering, God is empowerment. God is Love Power. Know God and you will know Thyself, masculine, feminine and everything in-between.
Copyright © 2011 Amy Torres. All rights reserved worldwide.
17 Jul 2011 Comments Off on Forgiveness is Illusion that is Answer to the Rest
“Condemn and you are made a prisoner. Forgive and you are freed. Such is the law that rules perception. It is not a law that knowledge understands, for freedom is a part of knowledge. To condemn is thus impossible in truth. What seems to be its influence and its effects have not occurred at all. Yet must we deal with them a while as if they had. Illusion makes illusion. Except one. Forgiveness is illusion that is answer to the rest.” ~from Lesson 198: Only my condemnation injures me.
What does this passage from Lesson 198 mean?
A Course in Miracles is using the word “condemn” to mean that we have chosen to believe a tiny, mad idea that we could separate from God’s Mind. God’s Mind is our Home. We were born there, and we live there right now. It is possible to daydream nightmares in Heaven, and once upon a time we had a thought that we could leave the Formless, Changeless, Perfect, Abstract Mind of God and be God ourself.* It was an idea that couldn’t be taken seriously because that would be like wishing to be human while extracting our own DNA–not gonna happen.
Anway, we went ahead and “remembered not to laugh” as the Course puts it, and believed our fantasy that we had separated from God’s Mind. In order to talk ourselves into this idea of splitting off and being an autonomous god, we had to divorce ourself from Infinity and Eternity. So we made up space and time. This was simply to put God out of our mind … or, more accurately, to become mindless about the fact that we are forever one with God’s Mind.
We tried to forget God and His quality of Unified Oneness (which the Course also calls “knowledge”). We fooled ourself into thinking there was more than one of us. Remember, this is all a game of pretend: if you see it you believe it–if you didn’t know better, an airplane in the sky would seem to be the size of an ant, but that doesn’t make it so! We pretended we were a separate thought from God and projected images out of God’s Mind that seemed real. Then we started a game of war: if I oppose you, that proves there is someone out there, which also disproves the Oneness of God. What a grand distraction! 
This sense of being separate from God is called “ego.” The ego came up with the delusional idea that we could fence God’s Oneness off within individual bodies–bodies with senses with which to perceive the world. The perceptions we have seem to be facts–we believe the world happens to us. The Course teaches us we are the dreamer of this illusory dream world.
The Holy Spirit is the memory of God within our minds which we can never lose, just as a human can’t be human without DNA. This memory is restored to us through forgiveness, which the Course defines as recognizing this world, our senses, and the belief that we are separate individuals, is actually a tiny, mad idea–a game of pretend. Since we are so convinced, the Holy Spirit meets us halfway and uses our dream to help us awaken to God’s Truth. Forgiveness uses the medium of illusion to undo our belief in illusion. Forgiveness is the only illusion, within our illusion, which leads to awakening and recognizing what we already are: God’s Child, safe at Home, never alone, always at One with Each Other.
Feel free to ask questions 🙂 Email me at [email protected].
* I use “ourself” rather than “ourselves” because there is only one ego mind which seems to be split into all of our individual personal selves–but that, too, is an illusion.
17 Jul 2011 Comments Off on I Know You Really Love Me
For most of my life, I assumed there was something deep, dark and shameful about myself that would make people recoil in horror from me, if they really got to know me. This belief was unconscious, and it actually took a lot of work for me to admit this to myself. It was necessary, because I kept getting involved with people who didn’t value me. This included boyfriends, bosses, friends, family, casual acquaintances, and strangers. Even if they did value me, I was unable to accept their positive regard because secretly I believed I had some disgusting, unforgivable qualities which deserved repulsion.
These are strong words, I know. Disgusting, repulsion. And where do feelings like this come from? On a spiritual level, we all feel this way until we recognize what we already are — that is how the ego works. Lesson 93 from A Course in Miracles is called “Light and joy and peace abide in me” and yet it begins, “You think you are the home of evil, darkness and sin. You think if anyone could see the truth about you he would be repelled, recoiling from you as if from a poisonous snake.” Under the dark cornerstone of the ego thought system shines the light and joy and peace you truly are. But in order to reach this inner light, you must be honest with yourself first.
On a human level, there are all sorts of reasons to explain feelings of shame. For example, if our parents found changing our baby diapers disgusting, we could absorb deep feelings of shame and disgustingness. This happens automatically, at a 
pre-verbal stage of development, and we live with the deep, buried feeling that we are disgusting, dirty, smelly, etc. Obviously, there are many more emotional dynamics at play within families than just poopy diapers.
About 15 years ago, I had a revelation. I was in group therapy, feeling like a misfit, as did most people in the group (it makes me laugh now, but the majority of humans feel deeply misunderstood and alone). Someone had not shown up for group, and that person’s presence was still felt, even though he was not there. It occurred to me that even a person’s absence is presence … they are still part of the 
group even when not physically there. This got me thinking about a small dance performance I had done not long before. I was horribly nervous before going on, and a fellow dancer told me I must be imagining the audience was against me, but she wanted me to know that the audience was friendly and supportive–they were actually on my side and rooting for me.
These two ideas were spell-binding. I had never thought any of this through–and I had never danced publicly before–so the thought that the audience could be friendly was so reassuring and embracing that it did make sense if I let go of my own chronic self-criticism. I linked the idea that the audience was friendly with the idea that my presence is felt even in my absence and presto! transformation! My life changed forever.
I received the miracle A Course in Miracles teaches – a true shift in perception. Now I understood that whenever anyone behaved in a hostile or superior manner that underneath they really loved me – they were just projecting their own poor opinion of themselves and others, but that had nothing to do with my own lovableness. My mind opened and suddenly I saw myself and them through God’s eyes – I was lovable and they were lovable and that could never change.*
A Course in Miracles teaches “ideas leave not their source.” I had been living from the idea that I was a separate person in competition with others for love–the source of that idea is the ego. The miracle reconnected me with God as my Source and His Idea that we are Love. The only reason people ever think poorly of themselves or another is because they are afraid. The 
Course teaches there are only two states of mind: fear or Love. All fear is a call for Love. The Answer is always Love. As one of my favorite songs, Nature Boy, says, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” And the Course agrees, “A miracle is a universal blessing from God through me to all my brothers.” (Miracle Principle #27)
Lessons 196 and 197 in A Course in Miracles are companion lessons. Lesson 196 teaches us that “It can be but myself I crucify” and Lesson 197 follows up with, “It can be but my gratitude I earn.” Lesson 197 assures us, “It does not matter if another thinks your gifts unworthy. In his mind there is a part that joins with yours in thanking you. It does not matter if your gifts seem lost and ineffectual. They are received where they are given.”
This simple message gives my life full purpose. I now know that I am generous, kind and loving — I feel the Truth of that. And because I place myself in God’s Hands and live in service of His Will – I am His channel – I can rest assured that all is in right order even if the person across from me doesn’t think so. The only mind that needs to change is my own.
Now I know that you really love me, because I love me, and we are the same One. A Course in Miracles assures us, “A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and produce undreamed of changes in situations of which you are not even aware.” (Miracle Principle #45) and “Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects.” (Miracle Principle #35)
I offer you this practice: when you think that someone doesn’t like you, is out to get you, wants to win at your expense, is taking advantage, feels indifferently toward you, is outright rejecting you, or any variation of the above, send them the thought, “Deep down, in your heart of Hearts, I know you really love me!” Wait and see, something will change for the better. Let me know how it goes.
* “You are the work of God, and His work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how a man must think of himself in his heart, because this is what he is.” ~ACIM, T-1.III.2:3-4
Read Five Steps to Cultivating Your Relationship with the Holy Spirit to feel truly loved by God 
Copyright © 2011 Amy Torres. All rights reserved worldwide.
10 Jul 2011 Comments Off on Inexplicably, Predictably Happy
Recently a phrase popped into my head, “Inexplicably predictably happy.” That’s one way I experience God–words come to me and I can tell they are not mine 🙂
I was actually grieving at the time I “heard” those words, but even though I was grieving, I remembered to ask God to remind me of who I really was. In that moment, as I cried, I felt my heart expand and a peace move through me that was filled with joy. There was no logical explanation about why I needn’t grieve–I just felt at peace, even as I wept.
There was a smile inside me that said, “Inexplicably predictably happy” and I knew it to be True. “Inexplicably” because the joy of God is beyond words and explanations. “Predictably” because God is reliable, and if I ask Him for help, I will receive His help. “Happy” because God is full–full of joy, peace, love, eternal life, infinite creativity, and there is no way I cannot be happy because God’s treasures are my inheritance. Joy, peace, love, eternal life, infinite creativity are always mine–I just forget.
These days I remember my inheritance more and more and life is so interesting, full of wonderful surprises and beautiful people. I know that when I’m scared and overwhelmed that I’ve just forgotten who I really am, and knowing that is a great comfort. Another name for the Holy Spirit is The Comforter, and He really is. When I accept Him, I am inexplicably, predictably happy 🙂
26 Jun 2011 Comments Off on How to Find God through Percussion
More than one student has commented on my measured reading of A Course in Miracles. They say it’s soothing, or grounding, or helps them slow down. They say I read aloud in an unhurried, steady way–I attribute that to my dance background. I’ve always had a great love of rhythm and percussion. The melody was always secondary to the beat when it came to my enjoyment of music. Back in the days when I first started attending kirtans,* I heard someone say, “God is in the space between the notes.” Another way of putting it is, “God is in the space between the thoughts.”
The ego mind uses “splitting” to keep us unaware of God. (Splitting is a psychological term that means dissociating from what’s real because it is too painful or disturbing to tolerate. A Course in Miracles explains that the ego mind uses this device of splitting and dissociating from God to believe it is autonomous–although that is impossible.) Along with splitting comes a racing sensation. In yoga they speak of “monkey mind” which is a ceaseless chatter that keeps us unaware of God’s Stillness which is ever-present.
Many spiritual paths teach that the ego is using the past and future to keep us out of the present moment which is where God resides. The ego seduces us with guilt, fear and worry based on past experience (or even without experience– cautionary stories we’ve been told and swallowed) and projects those fears onto the future nimbly bypassing the present.
A Course in Miracles explains that the ego is actually reviewing the past, which is over and never even happened–the past is actually a delusional state of mind. That’s a juicy subject for another day. For now, suffice it to say, speeding up is a ploy for keeping us from our natural Stillness.
We each have an internal rhythm of our own. My Sufi teachers, Puran and Susanna Bair, say the heart is our signature rhythm, akin to our fingerprint–wholly unique to each of us. When we are able to slow down and focus on ourselves internally, we discover our signature rhythm. Once we’ve done this, we can honor our rhythm by connecting our voice and our breath and our movement to our organic flow. The more we are loyal and true to our own flow, the calmer life gets. Phones and cars and cyberspace can zip and zoom around and we can remain unshaken. This provides the opening to recognize Spirit. As a yoga teacher I find this important because it keeps students centered and calm, and keeps the practice balanced as we hold a pose on the right side of the body, and then switch to the left. Many yoga teachers hurry a little and the second side gets short shrift.
Puran Bair taught me to have more impact on the world than the world has on me. He demonstrated the potential in this when he participated in an experiment where he placed his arm in ice while being monitored on medical equipment. Normally the body rejects the arm to save its life. Puran connected with his heart and mindfully sent warmth to his arm–eventually he melted the ice. Pretty impressive. But more important than this sort of feat is the practical application in everyday life of remaining connected with our own internal rhythm so we can be open receptors for God’s Stillness.
Many people believe that God’s Stillness is boring. And that it means doing nothing. But think about it–isn’t music riveting in the moment when all sound stops–just before it kicks in again? Don’t we hold our breath with pleasurable anticipation during that musical pause? Stillness is the Absolute–absolute Peace, Love and Joy … Unified Oneness. As long as we believe we are human, we can choose to apply the wisdom of rhythm to experience the space between the notes. Musicians might experience this as a unified oneness while they jam. Dancers feel a seamless communion as they dance with a partner, a group, or God Itself, whether the movement is improvisational or choreographed. When doing the Sufi turn (the dance Rumi discovered to heal himself of a broken heart from losing his spiritual teacher, Shams), I feel the Oneness and the Joy of Cosmic Self. Union is natural and reveals itself between the beats–we become One with the Universal Heart.
A Course in Miracles tells me I can change my mind and experience a shift in perception called a “miracle.” One way of making this happen is, like any good percussionist, plugging in to a solid pulse and holding that beat no matter how many other sounds and distractions are around me. I practice this until I can stay the course, hold the rhythm, become constant. In this way I become an open conduit for God’s Rhythm. When that happens, I recognize what I’ve always been–the Source of Percussion Itself.
*In Sanskrit, “kirtan” means “to repeat” and is used in devotional services. Live musicians play the harmonium, tamboura and other instruments, and lead chants or mantras (repetition of sacred sounds to facilitate direct connection with God–Om Namah Shivaya is a classic) in a call and response format. Krishna Das is a well-known contemporary Westerner who has embraced this genre, performs regularly, and has recorded many CDs.
© 2011 Amy Torres
Amy Torres is an established spiritual teacher, as well as a Gestalt psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and yoga instructor. A Course in Miracles is the foundation of all her work. To contact her, call 212-340-1201 or email: [email protected]
15 May 2011 Comments Off on Symptoms of Spiritual Awakening & DNA Activation
52 SYMPTOMS of SPIRITUAL AWAKENING by Karen Bishop
1. Changing sleep patterns: restlessness, hot feet, waking up two or three times a night. Feeling tired after you wake up and sleepy off and on during the day. There is something called the Triad Sleep Pattern that occurs for many: you sleep for about 2-3 hours, wake up, go back to sleep for another couple of hours, wake again, and go back to sleep again. For others, the sleep requirements have changed. You can get by on less sleep. Lately I have been experiencing huge waves of energy running into my body from the crown. It feels good, but it keeps me awake for a long time, then subsides.
Advice: Get used to it. Make peace with it and don’t worry about getting enough sleep (which often causes more insomnia). You will be able to make it through the day if you hold thoughts of getting just what you need. You can also request your Higher Power to give you a break now and then and give you a good, deep night’s sleep. If you can’t go back to sleep right away, use the waking moments to meditate, read poetry, write in your journal or look at the moon. Your body will adjust to the new pattern.
2. Activity at the crown of the head: Tingling, itching, prickly, crawling sensations along the scalp and/or down the spine. A sense of energy vibrating on top of the head, as if energy is erupting from the head in a shower. Also the sensation of energy pouring in through the crown, described as “sprinkles”. This may also be experienced as pressure on the crown, as if someone is pushing his/her finger into the center of your head. As I mentioned in #1, I have been experiencing huge downloads of energy through the crown. In the past, I have felt more generalized pressure, as if my head is in a gentle vise. One man related that his hair stood on end and his body was covered with goosebumps.
Advice: This is nothing to be alarmed about. What you are experiencing is an opening of the crown chakra. The sensations mean that you are opening up to receive divine energy.
3. Sudden waves of emotion. Crying at the drop of a hat. Feeling suddenly angry or sad with little provocation. Or inexplicably depressed. Then very happy. Emotional roller coaster. There is often a pressure or sense of emotions congested in the heart chakra (the middle of the chest). This is not to be confused with the heart, which is located to the left of the heart chakra.
Advice: Accept your feelings as they come up and let them go. Go directly to your heart chakra and feel the emotion. Expand it outward to your all your fields and breathe deeply from the belly all the way up to your upper chest. Just feel the feeling and let it evaporate on its own. Don’t direct the emotions at anyone. You are cleaning out your past. If you want some help with this, say out loud that you intend to release all these old issues and ask your Higher Power to help you. You can also ask Grace Elohim to help you release with ease and gentleness. Be grateful that your body is releasing these emotions and not holding onto them inside where they can do harm. One source suggests that depression is linked to letting go of relationships to people, work, etc. that no longer match us and our frequencies. When we feel guilty about letting go of these relationships, depression helps us medicate that pain.
4. Old “stuff” seems to be coming up, as described above, and the people with whom you need to work it out (or their clones) appear in your life. Completion issues. Or perhaps you need to work through issues of self-worth, abundance, creativity, addictions, etc. The resources or people you need to help you move through these issues start to appear.
Advice: Same as #3. Additionally, don’t get too involved in analyzing these issues. Examining them too much will simply cycle you back through them over and over again at deeper and deeper levels. Get professional help if you need to and walk through it. Do not try to avoid them or disassociate yourself from them. Embrace whatever comes up and thank it for helping you move ahead. Thank your Higher Power for giving you the opportunity to release these issues. Remember, you don’t want these issues to stay stuck in your body.
5. Changes in weight. The weight gain in the US population is phenomenal. Other people may be losing weight. We often gain weight because many fears we have suppressed are now coming up to the surface to be healed. We react by building up a defense. We also attempt to ground ourselves or provide bulk against increasing frequencies in our bodies.
Advice: Don’t freak out, but just accept it as a symptom of where you are right now. You will release/gain the weight when all your fears have been integrated. Release your anxiety about this. Then you might find it easier to lose/gain the weight eventually. Exercise. Before eating, try this: Sit at the table with an attractive place setting. Light a candle. Enjoy how the food looks. Place your dominant hand over your heart and bless the food. Tell your body that you are going to use the food to richly nourish it, but that you are not going to use the food to fulfill your emotional hungers. Then pass your hand from left to right over the food and bless it. You may notice that the food feels warm to your hand even if the food is cold– I like to think that the food is good for me when it feels warm and nourishing to my hand. I have also noticed that when I practice blessing the food, I don’t eat as much. It is important not to let yourself off the hook when you forget to bless the food before you eat. If I’ve forgotten and I’ve nearly finished eating, I bless the food anyway. That way I don’t slip out of the habit. Another thing you can do is to stay present while eating — don’t watch TV or read. Heartily enjoy what blessings are before you.
6. Changes in eating habits: Strange cravings and odd food choices. Some find they are not as hungry as they used to be. Or hungrier.
Advice: Don’t deny what your body tells you it needs. If you are not sure, you might try muscle-testing before you chose a food to see if it’s what your body wants. Also try blessing the food as described in #5.
7. Food intolerances, allergies you never had before: As you grow more spiritual, you are more sensitive to everything around you. Your body will tell you what it can no longer tolerate, as if it, too, is sloughing off what doesn’t serve it anymore. You might be cleansing yourself of toxins.
Some people find they often have a white residue in their mouth, much like that of runners at the end of a race.
Advice: An acupuncturist told me that this film can be removed by sloshing 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed olive oil in your mouth for 10-15 minutes (don’t swallow, whatever you do), then spitting it out into the toilet — not the sink, for you just removed toxins from your body and don’t want them in the sink. Brush your teeth and do the same. Then clean your brush.
(Sorry this is yukky, but it works.)
8. Amplification of the senses. Increased sensitivity.
8a. Sight: Blurry vision, shimmering objects, seeing glittery particles, auras around people, plants, animals, and objects. Some report seeing formerly opaque objects as transparent. When you close your eyes, you no longer see darkness, but a redness. You may also see geometric shapes or brilliant colors and pictures when eyes are closed. Colors appear more vivid — the sky might look teal or the grass an amazing green. Often I see grids running across the ground. As you become more sensitive, you may see shapes or outlines in the air, especially when the room is almost dark. When your eyes are open or closed, you may see white shapes in your peripheral vision (these are your guides).
Advice: Your vision is changing in many ways — you are experiencing new ways of seeing. Be patient. Whatever you do, do not be afraid. Hazy vision may be relieved by yawning.
8b. Hearing: Increased or decreased hearing. I once thought I would have to pull off the road because of the painfully amplified sound of my tires on the freeway. Other symptoms are hearing white noise in the head, beeps, tones, music or electronic patterns. Some hear water rushing, bees buzzing, whooshing, roaring or ringing. Others have what is called audio dyslexia– you can’t always make out what people are saying, as if you can no longer translate your own language. Some hear strange voices in their dreams, as if someone is hovering near them. You can either ask the presence(s) to leave or ask Archangel Michael to take care of the situation. Again, there is nothing to fear.
Advice: Surrender to it. Let it come through. Listen. Your ears are adjusting to new frequencies.
8c. Enhanced senses of smell, touch, and/or taste. I notice I can now smell and taste chemical additives in some foods in a rather unpleasant manner. Other food may taste absolutely wonderful. For some people, these enhancements are both delightful and distracting. You might even smell the fragrance of flowers now and then. Many of the mystics did. Enjoy it.
9. Skin eruptions: Rashes, bumps, acne, hives, and shingles. Anger produces outbreaks around the mouth and chin. I had a dermatitis on my extremities for several months that accompanied healing an episode from my past. When I had worked through most of the issue, the condition was released.
Advice: You may be sloughing off toxins and bringing emotions to the surface. When there is an issue to be released and you are trying to repress it, your skin will express the issue for you until you process the emotions. Work through your “stuff”.
10. Episodes of intense energy which make you want to leap out of bed and into action. Followed by periods of lethargy and fatigue. The fatigue usually follows great shifts. This is a time of integration, so give into it.
Advice: Roll with the nature of the energy. Don’t fight it. Be gentle with yourself. Take naps if you are tired. Write your novel if you are too energized to sleep. Take advantage of the type of energy.
11. Changes in prayer or meditation. Not feeling the same sensations as before. Not having the same experience of being in contact with Spirit. Difficulty in focusing.
Advice: You may be in more instant and constant communion with Spirit now and the sensation may therefore be altered. You will adapt to this new feeling. You are actually thinking acting in partnership with Spirit most of the time now. You may find your meditation periods shorter.
12. Power surges: All of a sudden you are heated from head to toe. It is a momentary sensation, but uncomfortable. In contrast, some people have felt inexplicably cold. I have experienced both. More recently I experience waves or currents of energy rolling through me. Sometimes the energy seems so intense when it first comes into my body that I feel a little nauseated. But if I think of the energy as divine and let go of fear, I feel wonderful and enjoy the sensation. If you are an energy worker, you may have noticed that the heat running through your hands has increased tremendously. This is good.
Advice: If you are uncomfortable, ask your Higher Power, that if it be for your best and highest good, to turn down/up the temperature a bit.
13. A range of physical manifestations: Headaches, backaches, neck pains, flu-like symptoms (this is called vibrational flu), digestive problems, muscular spasms or cramps, racing heartbeat, chest pains, changes in sexual desire, numbness or pain in the limbs, and involuntary vocalizations or bodily movements. Some of us have even had old conditions from childhood reappear briefly for healing.
Advice: Remember what I said about seeking medical help if you need it! If you have determined that this is not a medical condition, relax in the realization that it is only temporary.
14. Looking younger. Yippee! As you clear emotional issues and release limiting beliefs and heavy baggage from the past, you are actually lighter. Your frequency is higher. You love yourself and life more. You begin to resemble the perfect you that you really are.
15. Vivid dreams. Sometimes the dreams are so real that you wake up confused. You may even have lucid dreams in which you are in control. Many dreams may be mystical or carry messages for you. And in some dreams, you just know that you are not “dreaming” — that what is happening is somehow real.
Advice: You will remember what is important for you to remember. Don’t force anything. Above all, stay out of fear.
16. Events that completely alter your life: death, divorce, change in job status, loss of home, illness, and/or other catastrophes — sometimes several at once! Forces that cause you to slow down, simplify, change, re-examine who you are and what your life means to you. Forces that you cannot ignore. Forces that cause you release your attachments. Forces that awaken your sense of love and compassion for all.
17. A desire to break free from restrictive patterns, life-draining jobs consumptive lifestyles, and toxic people or situations. You feel a compelling need to “find yourself” and your life purpose — now! You want to be creative and free to be who you really are. You might find yourself drawn to the arts and nature. You want to unclutter yourself from things and people that no longer serve you.
Advice: Do it!
18. Emotional and mental confusion: A feeling that you need to get your life straightened out–it feels like a mess. But at the same time you feel chaotic and unable to focus. See #45.
Advice: Put your ear to your heart and your own discernment will follow.
19. Introspection, solitude and loss of interest in more extraverted activities: This stage has come as a surprise to many extraverts who formerly saw themselves as outgoing and involved. They say, “I don’t know why, but I don’t like to go out as much as before.”
20. Creativity bursts: Receiving images, ideas, music, and other creative inspirations at an often overwhelming rate.
Advice: At least record these inspirations, for Spirit is speaking to you about how you might fulfill your purpose and contribute to the healing of the planet.
21. A perception that time is accelerating. It seems that way because you have had so many changes introduced into your life at an unprecedented rate. The number of changes seems to be growing.
Advice: Breaking your day up into appointments and time segments increases the sense of acceleration .You can slow time down by relaxing into the present moment and paying attention to what’s at hand, not anticipating what’s ahead. Slow down and tell yourself that you have plenty of time. Ask your Higher Power to help you. Keep your focus on the present. Try to flow from one activity to the next. Stay tuned to your inner guidance… You can also warp time by asking for it. Next time you feel rushed, say, “Time warp, please. I need some more time to —–.” Then relax.
22. A sense of impendingness. There is a feeling that something is about to happen. This can create anxiety.
Advice: There is nothing to worry about. Things are definitely happening, but anxiety only creates more problems for you. All your thoughts — positive or negative– are prayers. There is nothing to fear.
23. Impatience. You know better, but sometimes you can’t help it. You want to get on with what seems to be coming your way. Uncertainty is not comfortable.
Advice: Learn to live with the uncertainty, knowing that nothing comes to you until you are ready. Impatience is really a lack of trust, especially trust in your Higher Power. When you focus on the present, you will experience miracles — yes, even in traffic.
24. A deep yearning for meaning, purpose, spiritual connection, and revelation. Perhaps an interest in the spiritual for the first time in your life. “Constant craving”, as k.d. lang says. The material world cannot fulfill this longing.
Advice: Follow your heart and the way will open up for you.
25. A feeling that you are somehow different. A disquieting sense that everything in your life feels new and altered, that you have left your old self behind. You have. You are much greater than you can possibly imagine. There is more to come.
26. “Teachers” appear everywhere with perfect timing to help you on your spiritual journey: people, books, movies, events, Mother Nature, etc. Teachers may appear to be negative or positive when you are trapped in polarity thinking, but, from a transcendent perspective, they are always perfect. Just what you need to learn from and move on. By the way, we never get more than we are ready to master. Each challenge presents us with an opportunity to show our mastery in passing through it.
27. You find a spiritual track that makes sense to you and “speaks to you” at the most profound levels. Suddenly you are gaining a perspective that you would never have considered before. You hunger to know more. You read, share with others, ask questions, and go inside to discover more about who you are and why you are here.
28. You are moving through learning and personal issues at a rapid pace. You sense that you are “getting it” quite readily.
Advice: Keep remembering that things will come to you when they are ready to be healed. Not sooner. Deal with whatever comes up with courage and you will move through the issues rapidly.
29. Invisible presences. Here is the woo-woo stuff. Some people report feeling surrounded by beings at night or having the sensation of being touched or talked to. Often they will wake with a start. Some also feel their body or bed vibrate. The vibrations are caused by energetic changes after emotional clearing has taken place.
Advice: This is a sensitive topic, but you may feel better blessing your bed and space around it before you sleep. I rest assured that I am surrounded only by the most magnificent spiritual entities and am always safe in God’s care. Sometimes, however, the fear gets to me, and I call in Archangel Michael and/or Archangel Uriel. I don’t beat myself up for being afraid sometimes. I forgive myself for not always sovereign at 3:00 a.m.
30. Portents, visions, “illusions”, numbers, and symbols: Seeing things that have spiritual importance for you. Noticing how numbers appear synchronistically in your awareness. Everything has a message if you take the time to look. I enjoy the experience of “getting the messages.” What fun!
31. Increased integrity: You realize that it is time for you to seek and speak your truth. It suddenly seems important for you to become more authentic, more yourself. You may have to say “no” to people whom you have tried to please in the past. You may find it intolerable to stay in a marriage or job or place that doesn’t support who you are. You may also find there is nowhere to hide, no secrets to keep anymore. Honesty becomes important in all your relationships.
Advice: Listen to your heart. If your guidance tells you not to do something, speak up and take action. Say “no”. Likewise, you must also say “yes” to that which compels you. You must risk displeasing others without guilt in order to attain spiritual sovereignty.
32. Harmony with seasons and cycles: You are becoming more tuned to the seasons, the phases of the moon and natural cycles. More awareness of your place in the natural world. A stronger connection to the earth.
33. Electrical and mechanical malfunctions: When you are around, light bulbs flicker, the computer locks up, or the radio goes haywire.
Advice: Call on your angels, guides, or Grace Elohim to fix it or put up a field of protection of light around the machine. Surround your car with blue light. Laugh.
34. Increased synchronicity and many small miracles. Look for more of these.
Advice: Synchronistic events tell you if you are heading in the right direction or making the correct choices. Honor these clues and you cannot go astray. Spirit uses synchronicity to communicate to you. That’s when you begin to experience daily miracles. See #30.
35. Increased intuitive abilities and altered states of consciousness:
Thinking of someone and immediately hearing from them. More synchronicities. Having sudden insights about patterns or events from the past. Clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, and other psychic phenomena. Intensified sensitivity and knowing. Awareness of one’s essence and that of others. Channeling angelic and Christ-consciousness energies.
36. Communication with Spirit. Contact with angels, spirit guides, and other divine entities. Channeling. More and more people seem to be given this opportunity. Feeling inspiration and downloading information that takes form as writing, painting, ideas, communications, dance, etc.
37. A sense of Oneness with all. A direct experience of this Wholeness. Transcendent awareness. Being flooded with compassion and love for all life. Compassionate detachment or unconditional love for all is what lifts us up to higher levels of consciousness and joy.
38. Moments of joy and bliss. A deep abiding sense of peace and knowing that you are never alone.
39. Integration: You become emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually stronger and clearer. You feel as if you are in alignment with your Higher Self.
40. Living your purpose: You know you are finally doing what you came to earth for. New skills and gifts are emerging, especially healing ones. Your life/work experiences are now converging and starting to make sense. You are finally going to use them all.
Advice: Listen to your heart. Your passion leads you to where you must go. Go within and ask your Higher Power, “What is it you would have me do?” Watch for synchronicities. Listen.
41. Feeling closer to animals and plants. To some people, animals now seem to be more “human” in their behavior. Wild animals are less afraid. Plants respond to your love and attention more than ever. Some may even have messages for you.
42. Seeing beings of other dimensions. The veil between dimensions is thinner, so it is not surprising. Just stay in your sovereignty. You are more powerful than you can ever imagine, so do not entertain fear. Ask your guides for help if you slip into fear.
43. Seeing a person’s true form or seeing loved ones with a different face — past life or parallel life.
44. Physically manifesting thoughts and desires more quickly and efficiently.
Advice: Monitor your thoughts. All thoughts are prayers. Be careful what you ask for.
45. Left -brain fogginess. Your psychic abilities, your intuitive knowing, your feeling and compassion, your ability to experience your body, your visioning, your expressiveness all emanate from the right brain. In order for this side of the brain to develop more fully, the left brain must shut down a little bit. Normally the left-hemisphere’s capacity for order, organization, structure, linear sequencing, analysis, evaluation, precision, focus, problem-solving, and mathematics dominate our often less-valued right brain.
What results are memory lapses, placing words in the wrong sequence, inability or no desire to read for very long, inability to focus; forgetting what you are just about to say; impatience with linear forms of communication (audio or written formats); a feeling of spaciness, being scattered; losing interest in research or complex information; feeling bombarded with words and talk and information; and a reluctance to write. Sometimes you feel dull and have no interest in analysis, lively intellectual discussion, or investigation.
On the other hand, you might find yourself drawn to the sensate: videos, magazines with photos, beautiful artwork, movies, music, sculpting, painting, being with people, dancing, gardening, walking, and other kinesthetic forms of expression. You may search for spiritual content, even science fiction.
Advice: You may discover that if you allow your heart and your right brain to lead you, the left will then be activated appropriately to support you. And someday we will be well-balanced, using both hemispheres with mastery.
46. Dizziness. This occurs when you are ungrounded. Perhaps you have just cleared a big emotional issue and your body is adjusting to your “lighter” state.
Advice: Ground yourself by eating protein. Sometimes “comfort food” feels right. Don’t make any food right or wrong for you. Use your guidance to know what you need at any given moment. Take your shoes off and put your feet in the grass for a couple of minutes.
47. Falling, having accidents, breaking bones. Your body is not grounded or perhaps your life is out of balance. Or your body may be telling you to slow down, examine certain aspects of your life, or heal certain issues. There is always a message. When I recently broke my ankle, I understand that my ankle was taking on what I myself refused to deal with. And that was all of the above.
Advice: Stay grounded by taking your shoes off and putting your feet in the grass; even better, lie down on the grass without a blanket under you. Feel the earth beneath you. Get out in nature. Slow down and pay attention. Be mindful about what you are doing. Feel your feelings when they come up. Stay in the present. Surround yourself with blue light when you are feeling shaky.
49. Heart palpitations. A racing heart usually accompanies a heart opening. It only lasts for a few moments and means that the heart is re-balancing itself after an emotional release. I had one episode that terrified me: I woke up in the middle of the night, my heart pounding.
I thought it was going to come right out of my chest. It only happened once and was, I understand, a huge heart-chakra opening. But I did check it out. There is nothing wrong with my heart.
Advice: Remember what I said about getting medical attention when needed. Consult your doctor about any conditions you are not comfortable with.
50. Faster hair and nail growth. More protein is being used in the body. Too bad we can’t tell the body where to grow the hair and where not to grow it. (Or can we? Hmmm.)
51. A desire to find your soulmate or twin flame. More than ever before, the idea that we can have a relationship that matches who we are seems more desirable.
Advice: The truth is, we have to be the kind of person we want to attract.
We have to love ourselves and where we are right now before we can attract a more “perfect” mate. The work begins at home. Here is how I think it works: Hold the desire for this person in your heart, but without attachment. Expect that someday you will meet someone who is more suited to you, but let go of any expectations as to who this will be and how it will happen. Focus instead on cleaning up your own life and being the kind of person you want to be. Be happy now. Enjoy your life. Then you may see…..
52. Memories surface. Body memories, suppressed memories, images of past lives and/or parallel lives. We are healing and integrating all our “selves”, so expect to have some of these experiences.
Advice. Keep in mind that it is best to recall what only what comes to mind, leave the rest alone, don’t analyze everything to death (because you will be stuck in the tape loop of infinite issues to process), and feel your feelings as they come up. Ask for help from your guides.
~Written by Karen Bishop. Please visit her website for more information: http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/ What’s Up On Planet Earth
29 Apr 2011 Comments Off on The Practice Undoes Us
The Workbook promotes an experience. It is not to be just read, but practiced. The practice undoes us. It unwinds us like a ball of yarn. And at the end of the skein is nothing. No thing. No thing reveals Everything. The lesson of the day offers us specific instructions for undoing.
Eventually we are undone enough that we begin to enjoy true perception–an experience of receiving the truth of Who We Are, which induces a natural inclination (the miracle) to give love to others, which reflects back to us the love that we are, which strengthens our conviction that our true identity is God, and so on.
We are learning to recognize how the ego thinks, and not to take the ego seriously. We are encouraged to choose again–choose the right-mindedness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. And we learn through repetition. This is the mind-training ACIM offers. It is thorough, flawless, mighty. It is loving, uncompromising, truth. It is the memory of God within your mind, calling you.
We are all God-blessed. God wants us to claim our inheritance. The Workbook instructs us on how to do so.
22 Apr 2011 Comments Off on The Process of Image Making
More than one spiritual path explains that this world is an illusion. Even science now agrees. But what do they mean? And if this world is an illusion, what good does it do us to know that?
A Course in Miracles (ACIM) teaches us, “It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your ‘seeing’ was made. This is the function you have given your body’s eyes. It is not seeing. It is image making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions.” (ACIM Workbook Lesson 15) ACIM posits that we are hallucinating this world by projecting our thoughts outward. In Hinduism and some forms of Buddhism, this is called “maya”–the dream of duality, or the ignorance of our true God-Self. Einstein has assured us that solidity is a mirage. Quantum physics explains that the observer affects what is observed.
Let’s break this down: “… the thoughts you think you think” tell you that what you consider thinking is not really thinking. What the ego (our sense of individual identity) does is replace God’s Thought with images–imaginary thoughts that appear as pictures. You view these pictures and call them “eyesight.” You believe in them, but that does not make them real. The function the ego gives the body’s eyes is to hallucinate images which are not real to distract us from the Reality of God’s Vision.
But why would the ego want to distract us from God’s Vision? Because the ego knows that if we re-discover this formless Peaceful Creative Light within ourselves, the personal self as we know it will unravel and “die.” Within this “death” lies Eternal Life–but that’s not the way the ego sees it. One scientist put it this way, “If you look at the universe with through a golf ball-sized lens, you will see a universe the size of a golf ball.” The ego limits our experience, but denies that it does this.
Un-think your way through this. Tell yourself, “I do not really think. What I think are my thoughts are images the ego made. These images are neither good nor bad, they simply are not real. Would I rather think these puny little thoughts that lead to suffering and death, or would I rather gently peel these images from my eyes today, and truly see what God would have me see?” Ask God, “What would You have me see?” He will show you. Then you can decide for yourself whether you prefer the image making eyesight of the ego, or God’s Vision.
© Amy Torres 2011
22 Mar 2011 Comments Off on What You Can Do to Grow on Your Spiritual Journey
Many years ago, at an Al-Anon meeting, someone asked, “Are we human beings on a spiritual journey? Or are we spiritual beings on a human journey?” From A Course in Miracles perspective I would say we are spiritual beings on a human journey. Underneath the limitations of our humanity, there is a boundless Light from which we can live. We can use our human journey as a classroom to learn about our true spiritual nature. There are many practices which can help us grow on our spiritual journey and, depending on your nature and circumstances, one may be more useful than another.
Below I list five practices that can access our Inner Light. Read through them and see if one or more stand out for you. Then focus on the practice to which you are drawn. Set yourself up for success. If you think you are ready to take action, make a plan to do the practice regularly for a specific amount of time. If you feel concerned about your self-discipline, or lack thereof, be gentle with yourself. Read and re-read the practice. Write it down and put it in places where you will see it and read it throughout the day. That alone will strengthen your ability to follow through down the road.
1. Chant. A very simple and powerful way to kickstart your spiritual growth is to chant, or recite, a mantra. You can try “Om Namah Shivaya”-I have been cleansed, balanced and empowered by it, and have offered it to many clients who report great results. Roughly translated it means, “I bow to the Divinity within me” but more important is the potent vibration that Om Namah Shivaya provides. It is pronounced the way it looks. You can search YouTube to hear variations for yourself and choose the one you like best. If you would prefer to use English, try “I am that I am” highly recommended by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
2. Pray. It is said that prayer is speaking to God and meditation is listening to His Answer. Most of us use prayer to beg and barter for what we want, and in this way we miss the point of prayer. A Course in Miracles says that the only meaningful prayer is to request that we be able to recognize what we already are. We already are that boundless Light which is eternal, peaceful, unified Oneness. As we ask God to help us identify with that Light rather than our personal lives, we will have a new perspective on whatever is paining, angering or scaring us.
3. Meditate. Meditation is the second part of prayer. Now we sit and listen. The way to do this is to clear our minds just like opening a door for God to enter. If we sit with the door closed, and get caught up in our thoughts, God has no entry point. When thoughts come, we can give them to God and in this way keep directing our minds back to God. Swami Chidvilasananda says that God is in the space between the thoughts. Just one brief opening and you will have a mystical experience that is beyond words.
4. Move. Some of us are too restless to sit quietly in meditation. There is the option of moving meditation, where we use yoga, dance, or qi gong, for example, to quiet the mind and help us get out of our own way. As long as we control our experience, we are blocking God. When we are willing to let God guide us, then any practice will work for us. Setting an intention to step back and let God lead the way before we start our day will accomplish this.
5. Breathe. Most of us are shallow breathers and don’t know how it feels to fully inhale and exhale. We’re too busy talking and running around to stop and invite a complete breath to fill us, nourish us, open us to Spirit. Spiritual energy rides on the breath. The breath carries the healing energy, like a train tranporting cargo, and deposits this life energy within us. We can direct it to specific parts of the body if that seems useful, or simply inflate on the inhale all over, like a balloon, and deflate on the exhale to empty the lungs of all toxins and the body of overall tension. There are countless breath techniques, called pranayama in yoga, which you can look into.
These five potent practices are tried and true techniques found in many spiritual teachings throughout the world. The more you do them, the more you learn from your own inner experience. If you would like more tools to help you grow in your spiritual journey, please drop me a request-there are plenty more to share.
© 2011 Amy Torres
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