The Gospel of Transformation, discover the real story of the Bible: January 2017

Saturday, January 28, 2017

The Women’s March and the Age of the Feminine

The Age of Aquarius is the beginning of the influence of the Age of the Feminine, which will last from 2000 to 4100. It replaces the Age of Pisces (masculine energy), which heavily influenced civilization for the last 2,100 years. Perhaps you remember the Harmonic Convergence in 1987 or the Mayan Prophecies in 2012. These two esoteric events were to be the beginnings of the Age of the Feminine. This beginning began – astrologically – with the Harmonic Convergence and concluded with the Mayan Prophecies, which declared that this was the end of the [masculine] world as we knew it. The earliest description of the Age of the Feminine I can recall was that this feminine influence will emphasize cooperation over the old-energy masculine emphasis on competition.

It was stated that the transition from Pisces to Aquarius will last 50 years or so. This shift from competition to cooperation also will occur within the midst of a rapidly advancing shift from national information, politics and economies to one of globalized information, politics and economics. I do not believe we have any problems seeing the current effects of this occurring shift.

But the varied groups, interests, and focuses that were represented in the “Women’s March” were so diverse, yet unified, that everyone seemed to ignore the small differences that existed between their specific, acute causes. They had coalesced around their commonality rather than splintering off for their specific interests. Perhaps, it is an indication of how a feminine outlook is not as concerned about power struggles for “top billing,” or for egoic recognition. It was a perfect example of the feminine emphasis on cooperation rather than the old energy of competition.

Carolyn Myss wrote in her newsletter [Museletter - I marched in the Women's March ... Jan 23, 2017] about her experience in Chicago during the Women’s March. I want to quote from it and encourage each of you to read the entire article: <info@myss.com>. I think she is right-on:

“As a grad student in Theology, I learned some wildly intriguing Truths about the nature of good and evil and how these forces weave their way into the human condition…. Light does attract Darkness and Darkness does attract the Light. This is the polarity of the Yin and Yang.… How often is a person tempted to misuse some new form of power (money, position, authority) before that individual really learns how to manage that power?

“Yesterday was an experience - perhaps the experience - of the global rise of the Light embodied in the Feminine uniting Her countless fragments to become a global voice for power, for survival - for human dignity. Yesterday, we took our own authority to a new level, beyond the personal and catapulted into the impersonal, cosmic field. We witnessed our own power connected with hundreds of thousands of soul-companions, all of whom shared the same passion and respect for their own body, their intelligence, their spirit - and their rights as citizens. We saw what we can do beyond small groups, beyond local support groups, beyond our small prayer groups. Yesterday, while we were walking in our individual cities, towns and villages, we were simultaneously weaving together a global "inner net" of souls.

“Amazing. Just astounding. But maybe not…. Maybe this is exactly the right time to become activists. Yesterday felt so right. I felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. Truly, deeply hopeful. I felt that instead of "accepting the things I cannot change", we could "change the things we cannot accept."

“And this may be the most outrageous thought of all: We might have to thank the darkness for uniting all of us together. For this remarkable movement of inspired and empowered human beings would not have happened had it not been for his occupying the White House. The Feminine Light would not have burst forth through us like a cosmic blast, inspiring millions to take to the streets and represent our dignity and spirit, had he not made such a "Lightning Strike" essential. But Light stood up to darkness on Saturday. And in the perfection of peacefulness, the Light sent shock waves around the world: We are here. We are no longer silent.

“… From a mystical perspective, the Light uses the Dark to awake in people that inner craving for those qualities of the soul that are fed by the Light: Liberty, Dignity, Virtue, Honor, Equality. He is the essential catalyst that stirred up a hidden shadow side of humanity, a shadow all of us have in some way helped form… Remember that we are a part of every event in some way. We need to look at this darkness in ourselves, carefully and deeply, as Darkness around you can draw you in. Hatred, [fear] and rage are contagious.

“Light participates in the dance of Darkness and Darkness participates in the evolution of the Light. It has always been this way. History teaches us that any time massive change happens, societies become fearful [and we need to be aware that you] and I can become fearful and fragile at any time… We are a changing society in a rapidly changing world. We cannot go backwards to some "good old days…." People fear the future because they cannot see a place for themselves "somewhere down the line…." A fearful [masculine] society always tries to repress its women and its intellectuals. We are both. And we say NO.

“Maybe another politician who recognized this vulnerability and anger in the public could have awakened the fearful and stirred the underbelly of anger in America…. Nevertheless, it was his shadow charisma that called out the Light of the Feminine more strongly than any other event of force in the history of the planet… Nothing and no one person has ever inspired a global uprising in support of the dignity of women. We have to say to him, ‘Well done. Thank you for uniting us. Honestly. We thank you. No one else could have done this.’"

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) states this truth in the Manual for Teachers, Section 18 (How is correction made?), paragraphs 2-3:

2 [The major lesson for God’s teachers is to learn how to react without anger/fear to thoughts that appear to be true in our perceived world of form. (My words: And it must be remembered that acceptance is merely being aware without judgment and fear)]. Only in this way can [Teachers] proclaim the truth about themselves. Through them, the Holy Spirit can now speak of the reality of the Son of God. Now He can remind the world of sinlessness, the one unchanged, unchangeable condition of all that God created. Now He can speak the Word of God to listening ears, and bring Christ's vision to eyes that see. Now is He free to teach all minds the truth of what they are, so they will gladly be returned to Him. And now is guilt forgiven, overlooked completely in His sight and in God's Word.

3 Anger but screeches, "Guilt is real!" Reality is blotted out as this insane belief is taken as replacement for God's Word. The body's eyes now "see;" its ears alone can "hear." Its little space and tiny breath become the measure of reality. And truth becomes diminutive and meaningless. Correction has one answer to all this…:

You but mistake interpretation for the truth. And you are wrong. But a mistake is not a sin, nor has reality been taken from its throne by your mistakes. God reigns forever, and His laws alone prevail upon you and upon the world. His Love remains the only thing there is. Fear is illusion, for you are like Him.

As I’ve stated before, “I have to understand, on a visceral level, who the “Me” or “I” really is when I am speaking or thinking. The “I” that says to myself, “I really need a newer, more reliable car” is a different “I” than the one that says to Spirit, “I can’t do this anymore; help me perceive things the way You see them.”

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening to me and getting to know me – warts and all. As always, feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#4 Jan 2017

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Seeing Is Not Vision

Starting around January 5 or 6, I began hearing a recurring melody in my head upon waking. This kept on for 7-8 of the last 10 days. It was there when I woke up and stayed in my head for 45 minutes or so. Although it was a mysterious melody to me it felt very familiar.

After several days I began “remembering” a few phrases of the words that accompanied the melody. I remembered “Thou my best thought….” I remembered the idea of being “…Thou true son.” But I still could not place the tune.

On Saturday, January 14 of this year, I suddenly recognized the tune as that of the familiar hymn: “Be Thou My Vision.” The hymn is based on an ancient Irish melody with words added by Eleanor Hull in 1927.

The verses of the first three stanzas are as follows:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.

Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

I’m not sure what all this may mean, if anything. However, in light of my last two posts dealing with the initial Lessons of A Course In Miracles (ACIM), I just found it to be very pleasing and reassuring, although I’m not sure why I felt reassured. The initial lessons, deal with the fact that my egoic perceived reality is not really real. But, why was I thinking of that tune for the last 10 days – especially the very first thing after waking?

However. Lesson 15: “My Thoughts Are Images That I Have Made,” begins to deal with the difference between sight and vision. Then, suddenly, I remembered the name of the hymn on Saturday only to read Lesson 15 on Sunday, January 15, dealing with the unreality of my images.

Paragraph One of Lesson 15 states: It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your "seeing" was made. This is the function you have given your body's eyes. It is not seeing. It is image making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions.

On Thursday of this week I went outside to do my ACIM exercise, Lesson 19, “I Am Not Alone In Experiencing The Effects Of My Thoughts.” Following the lesson, I walked back into the house and noticed how vibrant was the green of the grass. As the sight-to-vision shift begins, Lesson 15 also states that differences in colors and light will become noticeable.

Things are changing in me. Sometimes it’s exciting. Sometimes it’s unsettling. I find this all very, very interesting. If any of you have suggestions as to how I can interpret any of this, I would be appreciative of your insights.

Since last weekend it has seemed that the lessons have been tailor-made for me in light of the upcoming Inauguration of Donald Trump. This is quite appropriate for me, since today’s lesson (Lesson 21) is: “I Am Determined To See Things Differently.”

That’s been a rather difficult lesson for me today.

Don

#3 Jan 2017

Saturday, January 14, 2017

The Unbelievable Importance Of My ”Story”

In last week’s message, Msg-1-Jan-2017 “Don’t Think So Much Sometimes…Just Do”], I mentioned I was beginning the 365 daily lessons of A Course In Miracles (ACIM). I was recommitting to them the same way I did with the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). I worked through these early Lessons before – at least intellectually.

This time around these same early lessons are affecting me viscerally.

Lesson 10: My Thoughts Do Not Mean Anything and Lesson 11: My Meaningless Thoughts Are Showing Me A Meaningless World.

From Lesson 11 (emphasis mine): 1 This is the first idea we have had that is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive. Today's idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see. Be glad indeed to practice the idea in its initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure….

4 … The introduction to this idea, in particular, should be practiced as casually as possible. It contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation and freedom from worry that we are trying to achieve.

Lessons 10 & 11 are an affront to my rationality – just like AA was. Early in my sobriety, I was admonished, “Don’t think, Don, just do what you’re told – just for today go to a meeting and share, pray, work the Steps, work with your sponsor, and the rest of your life is none of your business. Never forget that your way of thinking got you into these rooms in the first place.”

Not very flattering is it?

Lesson 12: I Am Upset Because I See A Meaningless World:

1 The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion. You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. All these attributes are given it by you. The world is meaningless in itself….

5 What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy. But because it is meaningless; you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be. It is this you see in it. It is this that is meaningless in truth. Beneath your words is written the Word of God. The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been erased, you will see His. That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

Why does the thought of a meaningless world upset me? Because I love drama. I love my story – not my superficial story but my values-based story. My superficial story is my name, my history, my careers, my marriages and my children. My values-based story is the lessons I think I’ve learned that propel me to love humor, root for the underdog, find meaning in my life through lessons learned, value the spiritual side of life, admire simplicity, and respect the environment. These are values that require me to do what I believe is right whether or not anyone notices. I tell myself all these values help me frame the world in ways I can understand it. However, all my values-based story is really doing is defining the world I see so I can then interpret, react, and respond in ways that are consistent with this very same story – all of which keeps Felix very much alive.

Lesson 13: A Meaningless World Engenders Fear:

2 Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. It represents a situation in which God and the ego "challenge" each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that meaninglessness provides. The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own impotence and unreality. And on this alone it is correct.

The fear or upset I feel is the apprehension that my values-based story is all made up. There are instances where I have remembered occurrences in my childhood that I believe truly shaped me. However, my brother has no remembrances of those instances. Hmm.

ACIM is telling me that my story is all made up; it is my creation. Felix made it up because it “fits” what Felix wants me to believe: Felix is really real. I must let my story go if I am to find peace, serenity and joy. But, if I let my story go, who am I? How do I define myself to myself? That’s scary.

I am finding myself avoiding doing this. I believe my value-based “story” is who I really am. That’s what my ego, Felix, thinks. However, that is not reality. Believing what Felix wants me to believe is what is keeping me from experiencing peace, serenity and joy. I

It is frightening, but I cannot just think about the Course, or memorize pithy quotes from the Course, or opine on the meaning of the Course. I just need to swallow my rational pride and do the Lessons as instructed. Just like I learned to do in AA.

Don

#2 Jan 2017

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Don’t Think So Much Sometimes … Just Do

Early in my recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous I was mesmerized by one of the simple sayings of old-timers in the Program: “You don’t think yourself into a new way of living, you live yourself into a new way of thinking.” I had always prided myself on my intellectual prowess, my ability to discern and apply specific lessons to a wider field, and my ability to remember and to “connect the dots.” Now I was basically being told to ignore my intellectual strength and just follow simple directives.

They also said over and over: “If you want what we have do what we do.” They did not say, “Think about doing what you think we are doing.” They simply said, “Just do what we do.” These old-timers also said: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Do the steps – don’t think about the steps, memorize the steps, opine about the steps. Just do the steps and you’ll change and, eventually, come to understand that you have had a spiritual awakening. You will no longer be the same person – and you will probably be the last person in the room to recognize how much you have changed. They also reminded me: “Work the Steps, live sober today, and the rest of your life is none of your business.”

So, if they said “Jump!” I jumped. If they said, “Get here early and make coffee,” I got to a meeting early and made coffee. I did what I was told and I got better. My compulsion to drink left me – although I couldn’t remember when that happened. I began thinking of others. I became aware of my impact (or not) on others depending on how I had acted. All these things were new to me, a little uncomfortable to me, and always a little awkward for me.

And then I had a marvelous experience during the early years of my recovery.

While I was still drinking, a young man from my university (although many years behind me) came to work as a software developer on a project of which I was the Test and Integration manager. Several years later, now sober, I was a Program Manager overseeing 7 different projects. I hired this same young man, Joel, to be a project manger over two of the projects. Our client, a federal departmental director, was very difficult to work with. He called and wanted me to fire Joel and to cancel our work. Joel and I went to see him. After the meeting the client not only rescinded his request for terminating our effort, but had actually expanded our scope of work. Later that day, Joel asked if he could discuss something privately with me. We went to lunch.

Joel told me something like this: “When we worked together 3-4 years ago, I got to know Don O’Dell from North Texas State University. You still look the same and still smoke a pipe, but everything else about you is absolutely different. What has happened?” I told him about my recovery in AA. We became very close friends.

That acknowledgement of how much I had changed was such a wonderful gift to me. I had just been doing what I had been told, and here was a total “outsider” who was amazed at how different I had become. It was such a cherished bit of feedback.

All this is true for A Course in Miracles (ACIM), a well.

It’s been two years since I have worked the lessons in the Workbook For Students in ACIM. In the Introduction to the Workbook, there is an instruction that is very reminiscent of what I learned in AA (Bold emphasis is mine):

INTRODUCTION

1 A theoretical foundation such as the text provides is necessary as a framework to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful. Yet it is doing the exercises that will make the goal of the course possible. An untrained mind can accomplish nothing. It is the purpose of this workbook to train your mind to think along the lines the text sets forth.

2 The exercises are very simple. They do not require a great deal of time, and it does not matter where you do them. They need no preparation. The training period is one year. The exercises are numbered from 1 to 365. Do not undertake to do more than one set of exercises a day….

4 The purpose of the workbook is to train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world….

6 The only general rules to be observed throughout, then, are: First, that the exercises be practiced with great specificity, as will be indicated. This will help you to generalize the ideas involved to every situation in which you find yourself, and to everyone and everything in it. Second, be sure that you do not decide for yourself that there are some people, situations or things to which the ideas are inapplicable….

8 Some of the ideas the workbook presents you will find hard to believe, and others may seem to be quite startling. This does not matter. You are merely asked to apply the ideas as you are directed to do. You are not asked to judge them at all. You are asked only to use them. It is their use that will give them meaning to you, and will show you that they are true.

9 Remember only this; you need not believe the ideas, you need not accept them, and you need not even welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter, or decrease their efficacy. But do not allow yourself to make exceptions in applying the ideas the workbook contains, and whatever your reactions to the ideas may be, use them. Nothing more than that is required.

I cannot just think about the Course, or memorize pithy quotes from the Course, or opine on the meaning of the Course. After reading the Text, I just need to do the Lessons as instructed.

Don

#1 Jan 2017