“THESE LAST FEW MONTHS have been full of learning for Paul and Susan — not just about staying afloat and managing to meet the needs with fewer goods available, but in terms of really neglecting to energize fear and faithlessness. Making that choice when it seems totally unreasonable is the threshold where everyone on the globe stands right now, and it must be practiced without self-righteous resentment in any form. When it is something one doesn’t feel like doing, and yet it has to be done, one had better include it in his or her awareness of what the practice of spirituality involves today, making it less exclusive, more relevant to human need, and doing it!
As I have mentioned before, Paul and I have had numerous conversations addressing these issues, which are relevant to everyone. We have yet to begin to post them, but even with everything else that is going on, it will be done.
False pride gets in the way of Paul’s willingness to sit down and listen for these requests to “make whole” when it comes to meeting the needs he is responsible for taking care of. But, this month he has no qualms whatsoever about letting everyone know of the need to “make whole” and to “keep whole” the benefactor who, after 10 years, is requesting to finish the agreement. This one’s support, contributing to making our work available around the globe, extended into substantial monthly contributions for most of the past 10 years, as well, and gratitude is justified.
Unfortunately, “It’s impossible!” seems to be the aggressive mantra of faithlessness, forcing everyone to decide with undivided commitment which Teacher he is going to listen for and give voice to. It is a refrain confronting Paul and Susan every day . . . and every day, whether you can see it or not, they persist in choosing me. These days it is not usually an inspiring process, but one of learning, of accepting the fact that there is no alternative, and then not being discouraged! In many ways it feels like work, and they are learning to accept that, with the same commitment they bring to revelations of peace and joy. And this is where everyone is today.
The emphasis, therefore, of what I must bring has shifted, and it is showing up in my private conversations with Paul. And so, those will begin to be the primary source of what will be shared, together with pertinent illumination and practical education right in the face of what seem to be the present circumstances in the world. In other words, it’s “confrontive lab work” time in this higher school of education called A Course in Miracles and the world which the miracles — the sudden shifts of perception — end up bearing witness to the truth of!
Spiritual exclusivity and escape from “the world,” is not the function of the miracle or the Course. It is, instead, becoming defenseless against the world — abandoning the meanings you have given it — neglecting to enforce your perceptions upon it, and letting the Father’s perspective of Creation register with you, “letting His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” because earth is heaven misperceived. It is “your will be done” overlaid on His until you stop and the miracle happens!
It is Stare Down the Bogeyman time. It is stand with me or the Holy Spirit time, facing your fear, and not running away from it — facing every gruesome, alarming moment of staring it down, because whatever it appears to be, it is nothing covering up Something.
Fortunately and unfortunately the world is confronted by two frightening elements. One, which no one is responsible for (a virus), and another which is an aggressive political promotion of division and fear by those who should know better. Those two elements, which seem to have truly scary dynamics unique to them, making them seem quite different, are identical and call for one thing, and one thing only: Choose Your Teacher! NOTHING ELSE!
Although one of them seems to have the force of human will behind it, and the other seems to have the force of “evolution,” what you are seeing is absolutely determined by the teacher you’re looking with, not by what they seem to “say” they are. You will see neither one of them when you choose to look with me. You will call it a healing, a miracle, and you will be right!
Why did I say “fortunately and unfortunately”? Because in the realm of belief, in the imagination, in current ignorance, there are only two creative forces: Human Will and Nature. When both of them simultaneously present themselves, side-by-side, as maximally powerful and as dangerous as they can be, and they are so blatant in their unreality, the “call for correction” is so inescapable that full release from both of them is imminent . . . if you don’t turn your back on the them, but stare them down, instead.
This constitutes real change in your behavior — changes which take practice, changes which feel unnatural because they haven’t become natural and you haven’t found the joy of practicing them yet.
I could go on, and I will go on, because what we are discussing is the “leaven that leavens the whole lump.” You don’t have to know how leaven works. You only have to add it to the dough. You don’t even have to have faith in order for it to leaven the whole batch. But you do have to neglect to let faithlessness discourage you from adding it. Likewise, you don’t have to make the miracle work. You just have to stop standing in the way of it.
I can say this in thousands of ways, but that is enough for now. It sufficiently makes the case for making whole and keeping whole. It also opens the door to an awareness that as Sons and Daughters of God, as members of the Brotherhood, it is your function to be Benefactors on behalf of each other, to embrace our Function as Teachers of God. And to be grateful we’re not out of a job until we’re actually out of a job because everyone is Awake!
Paul is sitting here, hearing, transcribing, and agreeing with every word. But when we first began, he was not a happy camper. False pride and arrogance stood in the way of his finding pleasure in listening for my words, my perspective, my embrace of him and of my embrace of you by means of his willingness to give voice to the Voice for Truth. He has experienced a shift of perception and has, as a result, been the embodiment of everything I have shared. Everyone is blessed — and he along with everyone else.
I love you all, and there is more to come.”
I shared these words for the first time last September, and I am sharing them again because of their extreme relevance at this time. And what makes them of extreme relevance today is not “a serious problem” but a profound shift of perception which is moving things to a new perspective and therefore new behavior for new reasons.
Let’s put it this way: When you actually learn that you are a holy Son of God and not a struggling mortal, your motivation no longer arises out of the need to escape death, but the inspiration to live Life! That which moves you is no longer fear, but peace . . . and joy . . . and power . . . “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) And, yes, the holy instant is the means by which God gives . . . yes, present tense . . . us the spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind. He gives us His Spirit in His ever-present (as in “now”) creating of Us in His image and likeness!
The unrealized fact is that God does not make us in “our own image and likeness,” and therefore we don’t have an image and likeness of our own!
Such a small shift of perception!
But do we know how to behave, and why we would behave the way we would behave if we didn’t have an image and likeness of our own? Would we even think to ask those two questions? No. And so, such a tiny shift of perception just doesn’t occur.
What, though, would you do instead?
Well, you would probably just “sit on your a**” unmoved, unafraid and invite your fellow “a**-kickers” to sit down with you in the name of peace and stop being “a**-holes.” You might find a way to get them to look into your eyes, so that they might recognize the innocence with which you are looking at them and Know that they can be defenseless with you. You might become the first domino falling in an incredible chain reaction of transformation—not as a defense, but as a revealer, a Teacher of God—because you dared to let yourself be “the image and likeness of God” instead of the image and likeness of someone who never existed . . . except in everyone’s imagination.
Now, when I shared the above last September, I also said the following:
“Ten years ago, when the Foundation purchased a residence for Paul and Susan to live in, a generous benefactor loaned $500,000 in order to complete the purchase. Since then this individual has allowed repayment to be pushed further and further away, until now. At this time repayment is being requested in the amount of $527,271.17.
This means that above and beyond the original $500,000 the Foundation is only being charged $2,727 per year for interest—an incredibly low rate. Repayment has been requested by the end of September, although Paul has suggested the possibility of extending that date until October 31.
To this end, we are today initiating a vigorous fundraising process in order to keep this individual financially whole and treated with the respect which the sort of support he has given calls for.”
That was September 15th. On November 13th Paul was admitted into the hospital, followed by two months at an extended care facility . . . returning home on January 12th. During those four months, vigorous fundraising did not occur, substantial expense was,incurred the lienholder extended the deadlineuntil April 30th, financing to pay off the lien has not been forthcoming, and Paul continues to stand with me through all of that, plus what the medical community calls “miraculously rapid recovery,” even though he is having to deal with impatience.
Such is the unexpected behavior which one finds himself engaged in when he doesn’t have an image and likeness of his own. The image and likeness of God identifies fulfillment when human will yields to the divine will and sits immovable, like a Rock of Gibraltar—meaning “at peace,” “with clarity”—and learning, in the process, how things happen that one can’t anticipate when one doesn’t know how things work if he doesn’t have an “image and likeness” of his own.
This is a very long post, and it is presently 2:46 a.m. in the morning. Paul has nothing better to do than give voice to these words and embrace you with them . . . except let worry, doubt and fear take hold, silence wisdom, and give voice to and teach what only “one’s own image and likeness” can teach.
The Voice of wisdom invites everyone who “hears” It to listen outside the box of one’s own “image and likeness,” feel for the inspiration of Love, and do what gives It greater presence in everyone’s experience. That Paul and Susan, Chris and Judy have places to live in which to fulfill the purpose of the Northwest Foundation for A Course in Miracles is a basic need—for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,” you could say. And that is what they do.
It may have seemed very quiet on the surface for a number of months, but as you can see, it has not been. Through it all, they have persevered. Since coming home, Paul has been revamping the website with a more functional Gathering Place and you are invited to start using and enjoying it right away by clicking here.
As inconsistent as it seems to be, the Gift is being made as collapse seems to be happening. And it will continue to be. What else does one dare to do when “can” seems to meet “can’t”? If “real” and “unreal” were actual, if “truth” and “error” were actual, if “positive” and “negative” were actual they would have to be Universal. And if they were Universal then instantaneous catastrophic annihilation would already have occurred—a Big Bang in reverse.
One cannot intelligently negotiate with “can’t” or “settle for less,” or justify being unavailable to the inspiration to live Life while being available to fear death when the correction lies in just a tiny shift of perception! Utilities, phone, internet access, minimal paychecks, etc., are not luxuries. Keeping each other whole is not a luxury, either, nor is it optional. Learning to keep them in perspective means not treating them as commodities—the cause of profit and loss—and forgetting to treat each other as Brothers, Family, Sons and Daughters of a Father we all have in common and from whom we derive our Identity.
“Let him who has ears, hear,” and join with me in reaching more ears. “Let us who have ears, hear, and join together in reaching more ears. You can’t finance Brotherly love. You can only be It and substantiate It in your behavior. If you can finance It, you can use it for control, It can be used to control you—and it will be! But Love cannot be abused, or used to abuse. It keeps everything safe.
I love you very much.
Rajpur
Kingston, Washington
April 18th, 2021
For those who wish to make a contribution, you can do so via:
NWFFACIM
P.O. Box 1490
Kingston, WA 98346