Search in this category
SearchShould I share my Joy and all that's unfolding for me spiritually with my old friends who may not understand?
Question:
I am writing to share an experience I had. I told a few people about my idea for my trip to see you, including my best friend from childhood. She thought I had lost my mind. I thought back to our phone conversation and remembered that when you do some things that are based in Spirit, of course it seems illogical to the physical world. Her response didn't send me off into fear; I felt very sure and confident in what I said to her. I also expressed to her that the purpose of the trip wasn't the destination but the process by which I get there. I guess that when you fully committed to your path, people thought you were mad too! I shared my enthusiasm with my friends because I think this is a wonderful moment in my life and I feel so happy and blissful about my spiritual freedom. Now I wonder if I should have kept it under wraps. Thanks for listening. Any advice you can give me would be gratefully appreciated.
Answer:
As for your best friend from childhood and those that have been close friends, many will not understand the direction the Spirit is leading you in. Remember my metaphor of the deck of cards I shared over the phone. As you let the Spirit "deal," the witnesses that show up in your experience will reflect your new Purpose. You will seem to be a way-shower to those who cling to the thinking of the world.
Your mind is loosening from what it believed about time, including the past and thus everything of the world. In ACIM Lesson 76, Christ teaches, "I am under no laws but God's," and friendship is listed as one of the ego's make-believe laws. This undoing of the ego can seem a bit disorienting when it comes to friendships and associations. The mind loosens from loving in a special way, and opens to Loving as God Loves, in a Universal Way.
Question:
I understand… I feel that is true. My love has grown in a way I couldn't have imagined and I know it will continue to deepen and expand. As far as friendships I see the truth in what you are saying. I don't try to hold on to the idea that everyone is going to accept or understand the path that I am on. It is solely for the purpose of my internal awakening, and I know that looking from the outside, people are not going to understand because it is not their personal experience. That is fine. The reactions of the world won't influence my decision because I know I am led by the Spirit within and I have made an eternal commitment.
Answer:
Yes, and it all comes back to the clearing and purification of one's own perception. People act out the wishes of the mind, as if they are external to the mind. Those who act out doubt thoughts should be offered love and gratitude for bringing into awareness what is still believed unconsciously. As they come up, all doubt thoughts can be released forever.
Question:
Yes. I am grateful for all the experiences I have, and even when people doubt, I know that is just more for me to turn over in my own consciousness to the Holy Spirit within. When you say, "People act out the wishes of the mind as if they are external to the mind," what exactly does that mean?
Answer:
The realization of Enlightenment comes first with the realization that there is only one mind instead of private separate "minds" with "private” thoughts. Persons are symbols of what is believed, and that is why to forgive one person completely brings release to the one mind, and thus all are healed as one. ACIM puts it this way: "When I am healed I am not healed alone." One mind is whole and complete, and the doubt—or ego thought—about wholeness and oneness is what made the dualistic world of separation. The belief in separation makes it seem as if there is something outside or external to our one mind.
Question:
Everyday, I see more and more how the world is a trap for the mind and spirit. I am grateful for the freedom I have awakened to. It is so profound it is beyond words. I really appreciate your love and attention during this time. I know we are all part of the One mind but I still like to say thank you.
Answer:
I am with you All the way, for we share the same Self, the same Identity in Christ. It is our Joy to rejoice together.
Love & Blessings,
David