School for A Course In Miracles
"The universe of learning will open up before you."
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Zoom is a new videoconferencing technology. Zoom is free to download, and free for you to attend another’s meeting (like any of our meetings) for as long as the meeting lasts.It is also free to have your own meetings with one to 50 people, for up to 40 minutes each time (and longer if you prefer more time for your own meetings, by paying a monthly fee).With Zoom, you can connect over your computer, with or without a webcam. So the choice is yours about how you connect – computer, smartphone, tablet, or ordinary phone.
Connecting from your PC or Mac or Smartphone or TabletTo connect from your computer is easy, just click on this link:https://zoom.us/j/5749176177This will open a page in your web browser. The Zoom application will automatically download itself and run, and then connect you to our meeting. Depending on your system, you may need to click on a button to give permission to run the application. If your system doesn’t have a webcam, we won’t be able to see you, but you’ll still be able to see us, and everyone else on the call who does have a webcam.
Connecting by telephone from within the States… The U.S. number is 1-415-762-9988 When you connect, it will ask you for your Meeting ID: 574 917 6177(and then press “#”) Once you are on the call, you can Mute yourself by pressing the Star key (“*“) and then and Unmute (“6″) . Please mute yourself when not speaking to eliminate background noise. ——————————-
Connecting by telephone from another country… If you are outside of the US, here is the page from Zoom with the list of telephone numbers you can call. If you are calling from within the country listed, you don’t need to use the country code (the 2 or 3 numbers after the “+” sign), but depending on which country you’re in, you probably need to dial (0) before you dial the number. Countries #’s:
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The following are random notes that I made for a recent Course Immersion class on forgiveness. My goal is not to present a beautifully written document, but to help the reader to better understand forgiveness through comments, quotes from the Course and suggested sections on forgiveness.
Forgiveness is probably the most important word in A Course in Miracles. It is also the most misunderstood because we come to it with our own ideas about it. The process of forgiveness in the Course is unique among all the world’s spiritualities and must be learned from a teacher who stands outside of time and space. That teacher is Jesus, a symbol of love that is not of this world.
Forgiveness is the pathway to inner peace – the condition of our minds in which God is remembered. It combines a lofty view of reality with practical application as to how, despite the world’s illusory nature, we can live here — kindly, attentively and aware of our need to practice forgiveness while we reside where we are not at home.
To indicate from the outset the uniqueness of the Course’s forgiveness here are a couple of quotes from What is forgiveness? Workbook, part 2. page 401. I recommend reading the entire section.
“Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred.”
“Forgiveness, on the other hand, is still, and quietly does nothing………….It merely looks, and waits, and judges not.”
We are ready to learn forgiveness when we are motivated by our own despair to seek another way to relate to the world and the relationships we find ourselves in. We have tried to fix them and evidence seems to indicate that they can’t be fixed so a statement like the following suddenly attracts us:
“Tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. Eventually everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there must be a better way.” T. 2. III.3:5,6.
“Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.” Ch. 21. Intro. 1:7.
A good thing to keep in mind when turning within is that the correction to all our mis-thoughts are already with us in our right minds symbolized by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We just need the little willingness to be helped by inviting their Loving Presence to show us how to see the situation without the ego’s interpretation, from above the battleground (in the mind) and outside the dream. By looking we learn are the dreamer of the dream and not the figure in the dream. (For clarification on that subject read Reversing Cause and Effect in its entirety, in Chapter 28.)
The ego, representing the thought of separation, wants us to remain identified with the body as a dream figure so we remain mindless, unable to decide against it. The ego is nothing but a phantom, an impossible idea of separation held in place only by belief in it and all of its shenanigans. Jesus’ mission is to show us how to look at it with him, meaning without judgment. Forgiveness then, is looking at the ego and not judging it. Judgment makes it real and something we fight against. Forgiveness, on the other hand, undoes our identification and belief in it. Remember, first and foremost, ” forgiveness is still and quietly does nothing. It merely looks, and waits, and judges not.”
Further on in What is forgiveness? we read:
“Do nothing then and let forgiveness show you what to do, through Him Who is your Guide, your Savior and Protector, strong in hope, and certain of your ultimate success.” In many ways this is a new morality in which our behavior is informed by love instead of judgment.
No matter where we find ourself, and in whatever condition, we are the Decision Maker, and not the dream figure. We have only one decision to make: Who will direct the figure in the dream? Will it be the ego or the Holy Spirit? Given any situation in which we are fearful or angry, the Holy Spirit will, if given the opportunity, reinterpret it for us, and give us peace and joy in return. Isn’t this a fair trade for the ego which directs the figure in the dream to suffer physical and psychological pain and eventually die in order to prevent returning to the mind and choosing against it?
“The miracle (forgiveness) establishes you dream a dream, and that its content is not true. This is a crucial step in dealing with illusions. No one is afraid of them (illusions) when he perceives he made them up. The fear was held in place because he did not see that he was author of the dream, and not a figure in the dream.” T. 28. II. Reversing Cause and Effect (taking back our projections)
We are the dreamer of the dream and not the physical/psychological person in the dream. The decision maker (in the mind) chooses either the Holy Spirit or the ego as the teacher. If the ego is decided for, it directs the body’s senses to seek and find guilt outside the mind. If the Holy Spirit is chosen, the dream is one of healing and forgiveness.
The content of all dreams is fear. Based upon our belief in the ego’s teachings of sin and guilt we believe we deserve to be punished and in fact demand it. The ego tells us we can get rid of the guilt in our mind by projecting it on to our body or someone else’s. Forgiveness is the process of bringing our projections – whether on our body, or someone else’s – back to the mind where they can be looked at with the help of a Loving Presence that shows us our guilt is entirely made up.
“Resign now as your own teacher.”
If we want a better way that way is forgiveness. It must be learned from a teacher that represents love that is not of this world. We turned against it when we chose to believe the “tiny mad idea” of separation. If we define our problems ourselves we also are setting limits on their solutions. What the Course directs us to do is to make a deliberate choice to look at our problems differently, meaning with help, instead of defining them and then trying to solve them. We choose to expose their darkness to the light of truth. In the process we learn there is but one problem and one solution.
“When you have been caught in the world of perception you are caught in a dream. You cannot escape without help, because everything your senses show merely witnesses to the reality of the dream. God has provided the Answer, the only Way out, the true Helper.”
from What It Says
Developing trust in the Holy Spirit
As we develop trust the the Holy Spirit as the Great Corrector of our misperceptions our faith begins to grow. In fact the measure of our advancement in the curriculum is our willingness to turn all problems over to Him. We need to develop trust in a Loving Presence within our minds that helps us look at the guilt we have heretofore denied and projected. Our part is to grow in trust in this Teacher show us the truth instead of the illusions the ego has raised as a mighty fortress against it (truth). Our part is to be still, watch, wait, and do nothing.
(Suggested reading: Chapter 18. I Need Do Nothing)
“This is the shift that true perception brings: What was projected out is seen within, and there forgiveness lets it disappear. For there (within the mind) the altar (the point where we choose the Holy Spirit or the ego) to the Son is set, and there his Father is remembered. Here are all illusions brought to truth and laid upon the altar. What is seen outside (the mind) must lie beyond forgiveness, for it seems forever sinful. Where is hope while sin is seen as outside (the mind)? What remedy can guilt expect? But seen within your mind, guilt and forgiveness for an instant lie together, side by side, upon one altar. There at last are sickness (separation) and its single remedy joined in one healing brightness. God has come to claim His Own. Forgiveness is complete.” Manual for Teachers, From the Clarification of Terms
True Perception – Knowledge, page 86 (My notations are in parentheses)
The first two steps require your co-operation; the third does not. Our relationships reflect back to us the guilt that is in our own minds and give us the opportunity to reverse the projection by bringing it back to the altar where, brought to the light of truth it is shined away.
Step 1. Reversing our projection. and bringing guilt back within the mind.
The cause of my upset is not external. It’s an interpretation that I am making about me.
In other words, I become the victim of my own interpretation.
“ The secret of salvation is but this: That you are doing this unto yourself. No matter what the form of the attack, this is still true. Whoever takes the role of enemy and of attacker, still is this the truth. Whatever seems to be the cause of any pain and suffering you feel, this is still true. For you would not react at all to figures in a dream you knew that you were dreaming. Let them be as hateful and as vicious as they may, they could have no effect on you unless you failed to recognize it is your dream.” Ch. 27. VIII.10: 1-8.
We are never upset at a fact. We are upset at our interpretations of a fact. This amounts to “taking it personally.” Our conclusion is always about us being an innocent victim and someone else the victimizer and therefore the guilty one. This enables us to wear a “face of innocence”, gained at someone else’s expense. Through our projection of guilt onto others we imagine we have are innocent and they are now “the home of evil, darkness and sin” not us.
Step 2. Recognizing that the guilt is in me and looking at it with help. Now “I am the home of evil, darkness and sin.”(Les.#93) This is referred to as the dark night of the soul.
The ego’s survival depends upon us never looking within our minds. It shrieks, “Do not look within.” It made the body to look out and seek for guilt in someone else. Keeping the problem in someone else prevents us ever looking at the ego and learning that it has no power other than the power we give it. At that point its days are numbered.
As we bring the darkness to the light we must have help to look at the ego without judgment. It must be a Teacher that is in our minds, but one whose voice is NOT OUR EGO’s. Jesus/Holy Spirit are symbols of this loving Teacher. The ego can masquerade as the Holy Spirit. If the result of your listening to the Holy Spirit makes you special and therefore separates you from others then it is likely the ego’s Holy Spirit that is advising you.
IMPORTANT: Jesus/Holy Spirit do not take guilt from us. They simply stand with us and help us look at it without fear. They are really part of our right minds and we will eventually become them.
The dark night of the soul myth goes something like this: “I ruined my entire life and everyone else’s around me. I withheld love from myself, my brothers, and God. I am indeed ugly, vicious, and mean.”
Look at the guilt involved in that and not judge it.
Step 3. Do nothing. The blocs to love’s presence have been removed. What was always there in your mind will reveal itself if you relax and don’t interfere.
Good reading on this subject is:
Lesson 189: I feel the love of God within me now, Paragraphs 7, 8, and 9.
My anger at you was a cover for my anger at me. With the Holy Spirit’s help, I can learn I made them both up.
#1 – I say “no” to my judgment of others: You are the home of evil, darkness, sin… ”NOT!”
#2 – I say “no” to my judgment of myself: I am the home of evil, darkness, sin… “NOT!”
#3 – The slate is now clean. The Word of God/Atonement replaces illusions.
The three steps of forgiveness appear very succinctly for the first time in paragraph 5, sentence 2. It is speaking of undoing the cause of the world.
“This change requires, first, that the cause be identified and then let go, so it can be replaced.”
Forgiveness is the process that gives your life true meaning.
It is all internal so you can apply it anywhere, with anyone, and become a “happy learner” in which you learn there is no world that can harm, hurt or effect you in any way because “there is no world”. (Lesson 135: “If I defend myself I am attacked.”)
You are truly a decision making mind, and not a body. You only have one decision to make, OVER AND OVER AND OVER, until the you, the decision maker in your mind, listens only to ONE VOICE, and learns all of the lessons He has to teach.
It doesn’t ask you to do anything….in fact, it requires that you do nothing so you can be taught.
It doesn’t have anything to do with someone else.
It is applied to illusions, not to truth.
It teaches you how to “see” with your mind instead of your eyes.
Lesson 23 – I can escape the world I see by giving up attack thoughts. The three steps of forgiveness appear very succinctly for the first time in paragraph 5, sentence 2.
Lesson 62 –Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
Lesson 72 – Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.
Lesson 121 – Forgiveness is the key to happiness
Lesson 122 – Forgiveness offers everything I want.
All are welcome, especially those brand new to the Course. We will look at the themes of “love without conflict” and the “gift of peace.”
Jesus reminds us that it is in the day to day application of the Course that we learn forgiveness. As we live normal lives and apply his lessons, we ultimately climb the ladder and “go home.” Jesus also encourages us to see our special relationships as one of the best classrooms for practicing forgiveness. What better time to recognize the purpose we choose for our relationships than during the Holidays?
In this spirit we’ll explore the following themes in November and December:
November- Love without Conflict. We’ll look at the nature of special relationships- the ego’s purpose for relationships (between bodies) and the invitation to choose again with Jesus to serve the new purpose of healing rather than separation.
December- The Gift of Peace. Together we will explore how the ego keeps us frantically trying to solve our “problems” in the world as a way to keep us mindless. The more we believe our unmet needs of desire, lack, and loneliness can be satisfied by the world, the more we perpetuate an experience of suffering and stress. With this awareness, we’ll look to see how we can approach this holiday season with a true purpose toward peace and so choose again the Right Teacher and see through the eyes of Christ.
Call Tim Wise to register: 720-391-9294.
$20 for dropins per session
The School of Reason has a new name – We are now the School for A Course In Miracles.
When School of Reason was founded in 2007, we had been working with Chapter 21, Reason and Perception from the text of A Course in Miracles. Reason, another word for right-mindedness, seemed like a very appropriate word to include in the name for our school. It wasn’t until recently that we considered that it might not be the easiest way for students of A Course in Miracles to find us. School for A Course in Miracles seemed much more appropriate. To our surprise it was also available, as if waiting for us to claim it.
Understanding the non-dual metaphysics of A Course in Miracles is immensely helpful in applying the Workbook lessons that will change our minds and the way we see the world. We will explore fundamental Course topics such as forgiveness, healing, and relationships.
In this series of 4 classes we will learn
We will consider the benefits of making the momentous decision to “choose again” and address the fears that arise in the process.
The purpose of this class is to present A Course in Miracles as a path to inner peace, so that one can decide if it is the right path for them. This four week series is ideal for beginners or ongoing students who want to review and understand in depth the basic Course metaphysics, and how it can be applied on an everyday practical level.
(The class is also highly recommended for those relatively new Course students considering going to the SFACIM Christmas Retreat in December, and who may not be familiar with Kenneth Wapnick and his profound teachings on “A Course in Miracles”.)
All are welcome.
Four Wednesday Evening Classes:
Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30 (2015)
7:00-8:45 pm
In the library of the Rocky Mountain Miracle Center (RMMC), 1939 S. Monroe St., Denver, Co. 80210
Tuition: $80
“The Holy Christ is born in me today.” ( Les.#303)
Three buildings to be aware of :
1) Francis Place Bldg….check-in & pick up your room keys (The Woodmen Meeting Room for all classes is also in Francis Place)
2) Marian Hall Bldg …This building has most of our sleeping rooms (some are in Francis Place) and includes the Bonzel Living Room on the ground floor for socializing
3) Guest Dining Room Bldg: all meals
Please print out a copy of the schedule below and bring it with you..thanks! Plan to check in at the posted check in times below*, otherwise call Tim @ 720-391-9294 to arrange a key pick up time.
Friday*1:45- 3:45 pm….check in and key pick up are at Main Office in Francis Place Bldg…. Barb, Carrie, and Jeanne will be there to register you, hand out keys, show you the buildings, and where to park during the retreat. Temporary parking in Francis Place Parking area is fine during check in.*
2:30-3:45 pm… videos on Helen Schucman in Woodmen Room
4-5:30 pm…. First Session in Woodmen room: We will review Ken Wapnick’s Chart of Course Metaphysics. Please do not miss this opening session if possible. This gets us all on the same page about the basics, and will set the framework for the rest of all our sessions.
*5:30- 6:00 pm…late check-ins at Francis Place, look for Tim.*
6-7 pm….dinner in Guest Dining Room
*7:00- 7:15 pm…latest check-ins @ Francis Place, look for Tim.*
7:15 pm… orientation and announcements in Woodmen room
7:30-9:00 pm…panel discusssion (with Lyn, Whitney, and Susan) on Lesson 182 “I will be still an instant and go home”, in Woodmen room
9:00-10:00 pm…social gathering, tea and cookies, in Bonzel room (Marian Hall)
10 pm-7 am….quiet time (no talking please in your rooms or hallways on the sleeping floors of Marian Hall and Francis Place; Bonzel Room on ground floor of Marian Hall is available for socializing at any time)
7:30 am….20 minute meditation ( on Les. #182 ) in Woodmen Room
8-9 am….breakfast in Guest Dining Room
9:25 am… morning announcements, Woodmen Room
9:30-11:45 am…“Christmas: The End Of Sacrifice” with Susan Dugan, in Woodmen Room
Noon-1 pm… lunch
1:00-2:00 pm… Ken’s video on “Unconscious Mind” in Woodmen Room
2:15 pm…annoucements in Woodmen Room
2:30-4:45 pm….“Christmas: Going Home” with Tim Wise, in Woodmen Room
5:00- 5:50 pm… Continuation of video “Unconscious Mind” in Woodmen Room
6-7 pm….dinner
7:15 pm ….announcements in Woodmen Room
7:30-9 pm….”Christmas Giving: We who are one cannot give separately” with Lyn Corona, in Woodmen Room
9-10 pm….social gathering with tea and cookies in Bonzel Room
9:15 pm… Movie “Joyeux Noel” (beautiful true life drama about forgiveness and letting go of differences at Christmas time in WWI trenches, 2hrs. long), Woodmen Room
10 pm-7 am….quiet time (no talking please in your rooms or hallways on the sleeping floors of Marian Hall and Francis Place)
7:30 am….20 minute meditation (on Les# 303) in Woodmen Room
8-9 am….breakfast
9:25 am… morning announcements, Woodmen Room
9:30-1145 am…. Final Session: “The Holy Christ is born in me today” with Lyn and Tim in Woodmen Room
12:00 pm….lunch
(all meals are in Franciscan Center cafeteria, called the “Guest Dining Room”)
(all classes, meditations, and videos are in the Woodmen Room in Francis Place)
(Bonzel Room in Marian Hall is available for ‘hanging out’ at any time during the retreat, including the two evening Socials @ 9pm)
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Carpooling will be offered on Friday afternoon leaving from the RMMC parking lot around 1:00pm and returning Sunday afternoon after the retreat’s final lunch. Barnes has volunteered to cooridinate the carpools. If interested in driving your own car and sharing it , or riding with others in their car, give him a call @ 720-434-0982.
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Suggested Course readings before the retreat:
Text: Chapt. 15, sections IV, X, XI ( Three sections on Christmas)
WB: Lessons 182 & 303 (Two Lessons on Christmas)
Song of Prayer: 2. Forgiveness I, II, III ( What Forgiveness is, what it isn’t)
Gifts of God… Prose Poem (Ego’s gift vs Holy Spirit’s gift)
Suggested Listenings: any of Ken Wapnick’s CD sets on Christmas (with links to FACIM descriptions):
We do have the above 4 CD sets available in our Wapnick Library.
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in northwest Colorado Springs area, just a couple miles west of I 25 (exit 149), on Woodmen Rd.
It is a beautiful setting (right up against the mountains in the foothills), with a wonderful atmosphere. We loved the happy presence of St. Francis in all the statues and paintings, as well as in the deer and baby fawns (with spots even) frolicking on the lawn. The retreat’s rooms are simple, clean and very well appointed, and the prices great!
Visit their website at www.franciscanretreatcenter.org for some pictures and description of their place. Groups as diverse as Mile High Church, Self Realization Fellowship, and DU have taken advantage of this facility.
Purpose:
The purpose of the retreat is the celebration of the true meaning of Christmas (in our minds) with our brother, teacher, and dearest friend Jesus. Before the world’s mistaken version of “special giving” overtakes us, we come together to understand and experience Jesus and his message in Chapter 15 “We who are one cannot give separately.” We then can carry that awareness (that the holy Christ is born in you, me, and Jesus together today) throughout the season and the new year.
We are planning to have six sessions led by different facilitators throughout the retreat. The line up includes Lyn Corona, Tim Wise, and Susan Dugan. Our first session is currently scheduled on Friday from 4:00 to 5:30pm, with dinner following at 6:00pm.
Lodging:
The retreat price includes the entire program, 6 meals (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch), and lodging. We have rented out the entire Marian Hall residence building for the retreat.
*The retreat is only open to those staying overnight both Fri.(12/4) and Sat.(12/5). *
We will be able to begin arriving and checking in at 1:45pm on Fri., Dec.4, well before Friday rush hour traffic.
Meals:
Six meals are provided: Dinner on Friday; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner on Sat. ; Breakfast and lunch on Sunday
The price includes the entire retreat program (with all six sessions), all meals, and lodging for two nights.
We would like everyone attending the retreat to have a basic understanding of the Course teachings on true forgiveness at the level of the mind, and also be familiar with Kenneth Wapnick, his chart, and some of his insightful and prolific teachings on the Course. You can see many of Ken’s brief 10 minute ACIM presentations on youtube.
Registration:
Please do not call the Franciscan Center about registration, because we, not the Franciscan Center, are handling those details.
Any questions about the retreat , please call Tim @ 720-391-9294….thanks!
Sorry, NO MORE OPENINGS.
Many thanks to everyone who registered! Thirty-six retreatants total (including the facilitators) are coming from Boulder to Pueblo in Colorado, and South Dakota and California. We are really excited to have this opportunity for us all to get together and look at this Christmas through the lens of Jesus’ Course, with him as our guide and teacher.
