Commentary on ACIM Lesson 56
©2010 Rev. David Seacord
Reviewing Lessons 26 -- 30
When I see my ego nakedly in a nano-moment of clarity, I am stunned at 'my arrogance'. Then, I am flung to the floor in appreciation of this Course, which offers me such a sure Way to Remember my real Self. Just to be absolutely clear with every reader, I am writing these Commentaries because they save me. Remember that little truism (from Richard Bach, again).... "We teach best what we need to learn most"? That is the mirror I shave in everyday. What would I do without a friend like this Course? I do not wish to contemplate that. Actually, I don't have to. I have memories.
What has been opening for me since beginning this practice of shoveling through my depths to find a gem to write and share about on a daily basis is..... also, finding those memories. Perfect, isn't it? We find our diamonds amidst our mud. Diamonds equals 'the carrot', mud equals 'the work'. (The Carrot is a muleskinner analogy--- you use a carrot to get the mule moving....). But we (as egos) are STUBBORN. I have been. Is this not true for you, too? So it usually takes at least a diamond (of God's Love) to get us moving. (If this is not 'your story', don't make it mean anything..... )
Now that we are Moving, the Idea IS: Don't Stop!!!! Although we will hear the screams (or whispers) of our resistances using every kind of seduction imaginable to sidetrack our intention, it is best not to break 'sadhana' (a Hindi word for 'spiritual practice') until we are 'cleared' (by you Know Who and it's not your ego) to do so. Most likely that will only happen when we have given up our 'old life/old ways' enough that there is no going back even if we wanted to. I mean, I have been this ordained of God 'reverend' since 1978, but have been entirely shy (read: way too committed to being 'unworthy') about it to actually be it!! (Except sometimes...) Yet now that I have given up some ways of being and am finally willing, and AM being it Publicly, I am finding it fits me like my own skin. AND, it so OUTS me. (And no, this is not an 'orientation' conversation.) It outs me like the stage curtain rising calls me to walk to the podium and deliver the goods. No more stalling, no more jockeying for a more comfortable/less risky position, no more any of that. In my life, I am now where the buck stops, I am the point guy. In your life, so are you. That clear, let's talk about the mud.
Here's my take. Sadhana is best kept simple. It's a shower of God, and you do it at least once a day, but better more often. In doing this Course, it just means doing the Course. Then, it's back into the mine (Mind?), and shovel the mud out. At first, it's our own mud, then we help others. Of course you know the shovel.... it's Forgiveness. Look, it is not bottomless. It will not take forever, and we are here to help each other. And the payoff is: Man, will we ever learn to love each other!!! I mean, this is come together Soul Family time!! This is the real Party!! (Gangaji told me that sometimes you have to watch how you say things so they are not misunderstood, so just to be sure, I am not talking about debauchery, I am talking about true 'belonging', as: Being Within the Communion.)
What takes us out of the Communion is pretending about our mud, like that we don't have any any more. That is the 'my egos arrogance' I was speaking of, and by this writing, outing (again). But here is the thing..... I love forgiving and being forgiven. I do the Ho Ho Pono Pono* thing a lot these days, and it clears amazing space inside of me to be happy. I find it hoses off so much of the effort in life (which is mostly about 'making it' so that everybody will 'see how good we are' even though we are still up to our neck in the mud).... I just don't see any way to hide that we do our spiritual journeying publicly and naked. And if there is anybody awake around us, they will see. Usually in this culture, we chose starring in our personal version of 'The Emperors New Clothes', losing ourself to pretense again. But that does not need to be.
I remember a line I wrote several Commentaries back: "Therefore, whatever recognizes our inauthentic beingness is our best friend." (from #45) It was one of those lines that just dropped in and clunked so hard I did not dare touch it. It points to the value of our close spiritual relationships. It is so good to be surrounded by these, by deep spiritual friendships, and if possible to be in a sangha (spiritual community). But, whatever our circumstances, our job is still to make sure we have clearly communicated to our trusted spiritual friends the direct request that they stay leveled and straight with us, and take no pretense of us. Just as nobody can see their own face without a mirror...... (you get it, right?)
(*more on Ho Ho Pono Pono tomorrow, as I've been long-winded today)
Namaste,
David
©2010 Rev. David Seacord
Reviewing Lessons 26 -- 30
When I see my ego nakedly in a nano-moment of clarity, I am stunned at 'my arrogance'. Then, I am flung to the floor in appreciation of this Course, which offers me such a sure Way to Remember my real Self. Just to be absolutely clear with every reader, I am writing these Commentaries because they save me. Remember that little truism (from Richard Bach, again).... "We teach best what we need to learn most"? That is the mirror I shave in everyday. What would I do without a friend like this Course? I do not wish to contemplate that. Actually, I don't have to. I have memories.
What has been opening for me since beginning this practice of shoveling through my depths to find a gem to write and share about on a daily basis is..... also, finding those memories. Perfect, isn't it? We find our diamonds amidst our mud. Diamonds equals 'the carrot', mud equals 'the work'. (The Carrot is a muleskinner analogy--- you use a carrot to get the mule moving....). But we (as egos) are STUBBORN. I have been. Is this not true for you, too? So it usually takes at least a diamond (of God's Love) to get us moving. (If this is not 'your story', don't make it mean anything..... )
Now that we are Moving, the Idea IS: Don't Stop!!!! Although we will hear the screams (or whispers) of our resistances using every kind of seduction imaginable to sidetrack our intention, it is best not to break 'sadhana' (a Hindi word for 'spiritual practice') until we are 'cleared' (by you Know Who and it's not your ego) to do so. Most likely that will only happen when we have given up our 'old life/old ways' enough that there is no going back even if we wanted to. I mean, I have been this ordained of God 'reverend' since 1978, but have been entirely shy (read: way too committed to being 'unworthy') about it to actually be it!! (Except sometimes...) Yet now that I have given up some ways of being and am finally willing, and AM being it Publicly, I am finding it fits me like my own skin. AND, it so OUTS me. (And no, this is not an 'orientation' conversation.) It outs me like the stage curtain rising calls me to walk to the podium and deliver the goods. No more stalling, no more jockeying for a more comfortable/less risky position, no more any of that. In my life, I am now where the buck stops, I am the point guy. In your life, so are you. That clear, let's talk about the mud.
Here's my take. Sadhana is best kept simple. It's a shower of God, and you do it at least once a day, but better more often. In doing this Course, it just means doing the Course. Then, it's back into the mine (Mind?), and shovel the mud out. At first, it's our own mud, then we help others. Of course you know the shovel.... it's Forgiveness. Look, it is not bottomless. It will not take forever, and we are here to help each other. And the payoff is: Man, will we ever learn to love each other!!! I mean, this is come together Soul Family time!! This is the real Party!! (Gangaji told me that sometimes you have to watch how you say things so they are not misunderstood, so just to be sure, I am not talking about debauchery, I am talking about true 'belonging', as: Being Within the Communion.)
What takes us out of the Communion is pretending about our mud, like that we don't have any any more. That is the 'my egos arrogance' I was speaking of, and by this writing, outing (again). But here is the thing..... I love forgiving and being forgiven. I do the Ho Ho Pono Pono* thing a lot these days, and it clears amazing space inside of me to be happy. I find it hoses off so much of the effort in life (which is mostly about 'making it' so that everybody will 'see how good we are' even though we are still up to our neck in the mud).... I just don't see any way to hide that we do our spiritual journeying publicly and naked. And if there is anybody awake around us, they will see. Usually in this culture, we chose starring in our personal version of 'The Emperors New Clothes', losing ourself to pretense again. But that does not need to be.
I remember a line I wrote several Commentaries back: "Therefore, whatever recognizes our inauthentic beingness is our best friend." (from #45) It was one of those lines that just dropped in and clunked so hard I did not dare touch it. It points to the value of our close spiritual relationships. It is so good to be surrounded by these, by deep spiritual friendships, and if possible to be in a sangha (spiritual community). But, whatever our circumstances, our job is still to make sure we have clearly communicated to our trusted spiritual friends the direct request that they stay leveled and straight with us, and take no pretense of us. Just as nobody can see their own face without a mirror...... (you get it, right?)
(*more on Ho Ho Pono Pono tomorrow, as I've been long-winded today)
Namaste,
David
posted by Rev. David Seacord at
5:43 PM
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