Sometimes the greatest things can come to us in the darkest moments. It kind of feels like 2020 is a year of intense darkness, with so much drama and trauma occurring across the globe. It may feel as if a huge shadow has been cast on the planet, but what if this isn’t the case at all? What if the opposite is occurring? We are witnessing more than what we can see. I bet you can feel it.
It’s true, from what we can see, chaos is out in the world, but what does your inner world feel like? Are you feeling calm and at peace? Or are you stressed, worried and in fear? One of the tools that has helped me stay so calm throughout the tough times is my faith. I’ve returned to A Course in Miracles for my daily practice and its guidance has uplifted my mind, body and soul.
ACIM is a self-guided curriculum for spiritual advancement. It works by helping you to shift your mindset from fear to love. “The whole purpose of the course is to teach you that the ego is unbelievable and will forever be unbelievable” (page 131, VIIII.7.1). It is a very loving text and teaches us how to be, see and feel the love in an often dark world. The underlying premise is that the greatest “miracle” is the act of simply gaining a full “awareness of love’s presence” in our own life.
To support you on your journey, here are lessons from A Course in Miracles to transform your fear into faith. I hope they bring you comfort and help you to remember where your true power lies.
Lesson 23: I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.
Last week I found myself in a complete funk. I was wondering, What is the point? The world is so dark and heavy. I had no motivation or drive. I felt guided to go to my bookshelf and pick up ACIM. The page I opened to was just the lesson I needed to get me out of my own way. Lesson 23 teaches I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.
As the course shares, there is no point in trying to change the world but there is a point in changing your thoughts about the world. It’s often been said that our thoughts create our outcome, so if this is the case, we must ask ourselves what we are thinking and projecting about the current situations. If something is causing you dis-ease, go inward to your mind and see what your thoughts are about that situation. Chances are, you are trapped in fear or blame. We can escape this pain by giving up all thoughts that are derived from attack, blame or shame. We are never trapped in the world we live in, because as soon as we shift our thoughts, we can change our experience.
Lesson 34: I could see peace instead of this.
We always have a choice. And thinking we don’t have a choice is indeed a choice. We can choose peace, but it must start in our mind. Our ego will try to convince us that the outside world needs to become calmer and only then can we find peace, but our true self, the spiritual self, knows that once we find peace, everything outside of us will be in harmony as well. “It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises,” (Lesson 34.1.4), not the other way around.
You can tell yourself:
“I can replace my feelings of depression, anxiety or worry (or my thoughts about this situation, person or event) with peace” (Lesson 34.6.4).
Lesson 48: There is nothing to fear.
Fear can be a showstopper, holding us back from seeing the truth. Ask yourself: Where in my life is fear taking over? We can feel so locked down and trapped by our fears that if we aren’t careful, they control our every move. It feels better to make our choices from a place of love, hope and compassion vs. fear. And we can do this by reminding ourselves that there is nothing to fear. The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength. The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind, you have remembered God and let his strength take the place of your weakness (Lesson 48.3.1).
Lesson 264: I am surrounded by the love of God.
Love is around you always and available to help. Source energy, God’s love, is in all things and there is no source but this divine love. We can remember that God created us and all things, for everything we see is part of God. This is love in action.
Furthermore, the course itself can be summed up in a very simple way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
(1.2-4)
Lesson 243: Today I will judge nothing that occurs.
When the world seems to be turned upside down and nothing makes sense, it can be so easy to fall into judgment and blame. With so much angst, there can be a lot of separation. I see it on social media and in conversations with people: everyone seems to be right, and if you have a different belief or disagree with them, they will cancel, delete or unfriend you. But if we can adopt a mentality of compassion and kindness by practicing nonjudgment, we can all feel more ease. Today, practice nonjudgment with everything you see. As you live in a more neutral state, watch how things start to feel better. It is a process that works.
Lesson 194: I place the future in the hands of God.
A lot of the anxiety we feel right now is tied to not knowing what the outcome will be. Anxiety is a fear of the future, and the unknown is one of our greatest fears. But when we put our faith in God, we trust the unfolding and see that all is well. If you are feeling worried and unsure about the outcome, turn your fear over to the universe and remember that joy is your birthright and cannot be denied to you. You can be at peace and all is well when you trust and put your faith in the hands of God.
Lesson 292: A happy outcome to all things is sure.
Know that only joy is the final outcome for everything. Yet it is up to us when this can be reached. We can surrender our fear now and trust the unfolding. We can put our faith into action and take steps to uplift and support one another. We can come together in our humanity and help support one another with love. We can move past separation and know that a happy outcome is our destiny.
Lesson 195: Love is the way I walk in gratitude.
Other than unconditional love, gratitude is one of the highest vibrational resonances we can align with. When we make gratitude a daily practice, we move into our true alignment, one connected to source energy and love. We see beyond the illusions of separation, those of fear, doubt, blame and shame and we step into wonder and awe. Peace is possible when we align with appreciation. We can become an example of what is possible when we walk in a path of light and love with grace and gratitude.
Lesson 77: I am entitled to miracles.
Miracles are our birthright. A Course in Miracles defines a miracle as “A Shift in Perception, from Fear to Love,” and they “Occur naturally as expressions of love.” When miracles aren’t happening, it is said something has gone wrong. We have leaned into fear and blocked ourselves from the healing love and light of Source energy. Return to your true self by embracing the love within you. This is a miracle to see yourself as the light you truly are. Embrace a life full of miracles because you are entitled to them.
