Listen and Follow: A Path of Addiction

Mighty companions, DeeOna and Nicole, share with us their experience moving from the path of addiction to choosing Love. In using the movie "Revolver" and quotes from the non-dual teachings from A Course in Miracles and David Hoffmeister, we can all dive deep into the healing with them.

"This is a course in listen and follow. This is not a course in 12-15 hours a day of meditation. This is not a course in 10 hours a day of contemplation. This is a course in listen and follow." ~ David Hoffmeister

DeeOna: I was involved in a special relationship for over 30 years. One that heavily involved drugs and alcohol as we both seemed to be addicted to each other and substances. I went around and around repeating the same cycle and what was called the tiny mad idea over and over and was my obstacle to peace. T-19.IV.C.5. 

Hitting bottom

I attempted every type of form-manipulation to cure the internal pain, misery, and suffering. Until one fateful day, I completely surrendered to Spirit. I was finished; I could no longer fight. I was saddened by the fact that my partner would not/could not join me in this desire, so we took two seemingly different paths. I left the city and state and he remained. I spent the next 5 years in what the Course and David refer to as a massive unwinding of the self-concept—read in chapter 31 self-concept versus self in ACIM. I started to unravel layer by layer the illusory self. The 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous has also been a huge contributor in removing the blocks to the awareness of Love’s Presence. I have disclosed private thoughts during multiple 5th steps and feel great freedom of mind with issues I believed were hidden in a separated, isolated mind.

Relinquish judgment

Five "seeming" clean and sober years later coupled with mind training through the teachings of David Hoffmeister and A Course in Miracles I am being guided to revisit the city I believed was responsible for “my” destruction. I am in deep prayer and asking Holy Spirit step by step to unravel the self-concept as emotions arise. I am in full awareness to stay open to Spirit’s reinterpretation while I am here resulting in many forgiveness opportunities and Miracles.

While at Kamas, Co-Living during MWGE’s movie workshop “Revolver”, David Hoffmeister provided a reinterpretation of the character Jake and his pre and post-prison experience. David said, “Go where you most don’t want to go and that’s where you’ll find him." Him meaning, the ego, and it is here you will discover your true power and true strength.

“Who would attempt to fly with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him?" M-4.I.2.

I am moving through this experience one miracle at a time as that is what I am choosing—the power of an eagle. And the beautiful eagle symbol in full flight crossed awareness the day before leaving Kamas Co-Living. (acourseinmiraclesnow.com/course-miracles-manual-teachers-4-characteristics-gods-teachers/)

"Revolver" Movie talk by David Hoffmeister

With the help of Spirit and Mighty Companions, I am relinquishing judgment, facing the perceived fear, and staying willing to ask the Holy Spirit for all reinterpretation. I am shifting into unified perception that witnesses to the Truth that nothing happened. Only the Truth is true and nothing else is true. I have become what the course calls a happy learner.

I no longer have a perceived need to alter a faulty perception rather a sincere desire to fully commit to handing everything over to Spirit for the glorious retranslation from darkness to Light as I am the light of the world.

The earlier experience with me and my partner was a contrasting experience in which spirit could speak through me. This spoke through me as there’s still a belief in the body. Through these seeming differences, I am able to make the shift in mind from what I do not want to versus what I do want to experience. It is an exercise in choosing Truth over illusion by relinquishing judgment to the Holy Spirit for healed perception. 

Nicole: Similar to mighty companion DeeOna, I too was caught up in an addiction to alcohol that involved full investment in ego perceptions of success, power, and negative emotions of depression, anxiety. I was in a constant state of fear, flight, and fight. 

One of my inspirations during this dark time in my life was painting. In the moment of the painting, I could find myself in union with who I am in which I experienced clear thought and direction. During one of these dark states, I asked for help when I was painting an art piece. I sat down, listened, and found a willingness to submit to the voice of intuition to guide me. Guidance was given to title the art piece I was working on as “ Forgiveness”. After the painting session was over the next prompt of guidance was immediate. “Go to that recovery meeting down the street” and so I went.

Out of addiction into listen & follow

This started me down a path out of addiction. One of the tools used for this was an inventory of an addictive episode which helped focus my state of mind. In this inventory, I was faced with a narrative of the ego, which was mostly about blaming other people for not doing what I wanted. 

David Hoffmeister's commentary on the movie "Revolver" really brings this point deeper. Similar to Jake, in the movie, I was also obsessed with achievement and underneath it was pride. David says:

 “This is pretty common if you talk to most people most human beings they do equate money with power mobility, resources, choices to say if you have more money, more choices, all the things, and above all to the ego, more money is more success... But what is underneath, success, same, money, power, achievement, what is the one thing that's underneath all these things… It's pride. And that is the ego."

“Jake is really filled with pride. And now you're going to see how the Holy Spirit deals with pride. How the Holy Spirit reaches through that pride to reach through to the humbleness, that's inside all of us” 

Through the inventory process, the Holy Spirit helped me see that I was making judgments, listening, and agreeing to the ego's voice that specific things of this world would make me happy. When I was not happy or things didn't go as planned I would use my pride to conjure up new ideas and continue the cycle. I was in fact addicted to judgment.

When this was exposed, I was then able to ask for the reinterpretation of these things with Holy Spirit. I found that I was the one making the decision to perceive the world from this perspective. I was humbled and asked Holy Spirit to move through me to have a different perception. This inventory where pride and judgment were exposed was truly a symbol of my call for love. 

Collaborating with other mighty companions and watching movies for awakening mighty companions DeeOna and Nicole were able to share in a  joint experience of the power of Holy Spirit. Movie watching is a great tool for leading us on a path of listen and follow and out of a path of fear towards love.

We'd love to hear how you feel now after reading this and if you'd like to share any of your own experiences you can do so in the comment section.

Thank you very much.

Love,
DeeOna & Nicole

 

Come and join us in the miracle of watching movies for healing and awakening every Saturday!

If you like the idea of co-living with other's on the same path of forgiveness, check out our different locations in Chapala (Mexico,) Kamas (Utah) and Mallorca (Spain).