6/30/08

Christ control

These are the references to Christ-control that were deleted from the edited version of ACIM published by the Foundation for Inner Peace. These excerpts are reproduced here for reference purposes. The concepts of the unconscious mind and of Christ-control are very important to understand what is required to be a miracle-worker.

1. Remember, you already have a point about the involuntary nature of miracles. We also have established the fact that everything involuntary belongs under Christ-control, not under yours. Under Christ-control, miracles replenish the doer as well as the receiver.

2. Christ-controlled miracles are part of the Atonement, but Christ-guidance is personal, and leads to personal salvation. The impersonal nature of miracles is an essential ingredient, because this enables me to control their distribution as I see fit. Christ-guidance, on the other hand, leads to the highly personal experience of revelation. This is why it involves personal choice. A guide does not control, by definition, but he does direct, leaving the following up to you.

3. Tell Bill that his slip [of tongue] should be noted. Some slips reach consciousness from the un-Christ-controlled subconscious, and betray lack of love. But others come from the superconscious, which is in communion with God, and which can also break into consciousness. His slip was an expression of a soul gaining enough strength to request freedom from prison. It will ultimately demand it.

4. Scribes must learn Christ-control, to replace their former habits, which did produce scarcity rather than abundance. From errors of this kind, the sense of deprivation IS inevitable, but very easily corrected.

5. The miracles you are told not to perform have not lost their value. They are still expressions of your own state of Grace, but the action aspect of the miracle should be Christ-controlled, because of his complete awareness of the whole plan. The impersonal nature of miracle-mindedness ensures your own grace, but only Christ is in a position to know where Grace can be bestowed.

6. Readiness here means keep your perception right side up, or valid, so you will always be ready, willing, and able. These are the essentials for "listen, learn, and do." You must be ready to listen willing to learn and able to do. Only the last is involuntary, because it is the application of miracles which must be Christ-controlled. But the other two, which are the voluntary aspects of miracle-mindedness, are up to you.

7. Christ-controlled miracles are selective only in that they are directed toward those who can use them for themselves. Since this makes it inevitable that they will extend them to others, a very strong chain of Atonement is welded. But Christ-control takes no account at all of the magnitude of the miracle itself, because the concept of size exists only in a plane that is itself unreal.

8. Fear cannot be Christ-controlled, but it can be self-controlled. Fear is always associated with what does not matter. It prevents Me from controlling it. The correction is therefore a matter of your will, because its presence shows that you have raised the unimportant to a higher level than it warrants. You have thus brought it under your will, where it does not belong. This meansyou feel responsible for it. The level confusion here is perfectly obvious. The reason that I cannot control fear for you is that you are attempting to raise to the mind level the proper content of the lower-order reality. I do not foster level confusion, but you can will to correct it. You would not tolerate insane behavior on your part, and would hardly advance the excuse that you could not help it. Why should you tolerate insane thinking?

Course inspired poetry by Thulananda

The sticky bits

The laws of chaos held me prisoner
in darkness deep and searing pain.
Fierce anger burned as bright as fire
and cold as ice the howling wind:

No hands to hold, no smile to find
confusion rife, and love unseen
did crawl into my mind, my angry
blindness seeking but relief to escape
my drear dark sticky broken life.

I saw my brother stumble and his errors
were so fierce, affecting all around them
in forever loss and lack and blame:
I saw his pain,
and did not know how to respond.
oh, shame...

The need to blame then quickly found
its target blindly, slaying all that was so
good a while ago: all gone and lost
like sticky plastic blowing in the wind.

No religion nor belief could aid us,
helplessly entrapped in chaos' snares,
to follow but the call of money and
of wives and friends to suit our taste.

When looking now upon this saddened scene
I sought to lay the blame on me, for
it is me that what I see, and Shiva's
arms did rescue me from Kali's claws.

There is no blame! but darkness swelled,
my learning incomplete, despondency
then dwelled within my chest and eyes;
defeat my lot, and healing far behind.

This living death could not allay
a spark to enter here, and there,
to light this saddened life away
from never-ending sad despair.

These sparks, alive with love became
my guide, for nothing helps but light
to shine with beams in darkened night
and see the blighted terror flee away.

I cannot blame my brother for my blindness,
nor can I hide my nakedness from God.
Yet when I came before the Throne without defenses
a miracle or two and help was now my lot.

I stood there shiv'ring, and received
a cloak of peace to wear, with belt to fasten
to my heart and mind - to hasten Home !-
A crown was placed upon my head
with shining light therein:

forgiveness is the key to put away all sin.

Then I step back into Their Holy Arms
with innocence bestowed on all I see
and know those children lost,
my brothers! are like me:
and we are One.

I gratitude I know
that trusting all
will follow.



thulananda
2008-06-30
Yahoo! Group - I Know that I Am

6/28/08

Fire and Ice

In an early transcript of A Course in Miracles there is a curious use of the phrase "fire and ice":

"Revelations induce complete but temporary suspension of doubt and fear. They represent the original form of communication between God and His Souls, before the intrusion of fire and ice made this impossible."

Although the section "before the intrusion of fire and ice made this impossible," was edited out, and does not appear in the 1972 version of the Course, it seems likely the meaning of "fire and ice" is to be found in Rober Frost's short poem by that name.

Fire and Ice
by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

first published in Harper’s Magazine, December 1920
re-published in Frost's 1923 book New Hampshire

In this poem Frost compares two world-destroying forces: fire, representing passion, and ice, symbolizing hatred. Frost presents desire as somethig he has tasted, enough at least to recognize its destructive potential, and that it is his first choice over hatred, which he also knows. It is interesting that for Frost, hatred is likened to the frigid rigidity of ice.

The Course holds the view that the world we know will not be destroyed by passion and hatred. It is the intrusion of these forces - fire and ice - that cut us off from communion with God, and which hold the world of separation in place.


6/9/08

Christmas day 1999 - JCIM cover art


The original artwork that was used for the cover of the 2000 edition of Jesus' Course in Miracles was inspired by a Christmas day meditation, December, 1999.

Artist: Carmen Cameron
Louisville, Kentucky





Jesus' Course in Miracles was published in paperback by the Course in Miracles Society in April, 2000. Distribution of the edition was shut down almost immediately by lawyers for Kenneth Wapnick and the Foundation for A Course in Miracles.

Gloom from the past





Sometimes change and improvement can be noticed only be comparing now with then. Here is a piece I wrote nearly eight years ago during the height, or the depth, of the ACIM copyright wars.

I'm glad that my attitude has changed for the better since then.












Subterranean Holy War Blues
Tom Fox - Louisville, Kentucky
July 10, 2000

What do you do with a holy book, a book that looks like a bible and which is revered by thousands as such, when you suddenly discover it might not be holy at all? Burn it or just forget it?

For twenty-five years the book "A Course In Miracles" has been promoted as being the miraculously communicated words of Jesus Christ. According to the widely published story of its origin, it was claimed the lengthy three-part work had been "dictated" by the "voice" of Jesus Christ "speaking" to Helen Schucman, who merely "scribed" the "inner dictation" in collaboration with her professional colleague, William Thetford, and the dictated words were published "virtually unchanged." Helen Schucman died in 1981 and during her lifetime she steadfastly denied any claim to authorship of "A Course In Miracles" and refused to have her name associated with the book.

When faced with legal challenges to the validity of the copyright on the Course due to the representations of divine origin, the story has been shifted. In court, Helen Schucman has now been proclaimed as the real author of "A Course In Miracles." The Foundation for A Course In Miracles, a New York corporation which presently claims ownership maintains in court papers that the book is merely a self-study course in psychological mind training and not a religious document at all. The renewal of a multi-million dollar book contract likely depends upon the validity of the copyright. The Course has sold over 1.3 million copies and its commercial value has resulted in a U.S. trademark registration on the name, a residential teaching center in the Catskills in New York and a teaching branch in California. "A Course In Miracles" has been translated into a half-dozen foreign languages.

Helen Schucman was a research psychologist at Columbia University in New York City working as an assistant to William Thetford, Ph.D. Declassified documents made available through the Freedom of Information Act show that Dr. Thetford worked at Columbia on part of the CIA's now infamous MK Ultra project on mind control, or the so-called "Manchurian Candidate" project. Much of the work on "A Course In Miracles" occurred in their University offices and at University, or perhaps CIA, expense.

Although Thetford and Schucman may have possessed the combined intelligence and sophistication to concoct "A Course In Miracles" as a hoax, or as a mind control experiment, all available evidence indicates that that Thetford and Schucman themselves genuinely believed the words of "A Course In Miracles" to have come from some outside intelligence, and that it was not their own creation.

A Catholic priest who was also a Ph.D. psychologist, Benedict J. Groeschel, was a very close friend of Helen Schucman. He gave a eulogy at her funeral in 1981. Father Groeschel wrote in his book, "A Still, Small Voice, A Practical Guide On Reported Revelations," Ignatius Press 1993, "This woman who had written so eloquently that suffering really did not exist spent the last two years of her life in the blackest psychotic depression I have ever witnessed."

During an October 1994 lecture on "Discernment" given at Holy Cross Church, Rumson, N.J., Father Groeschel also stated his belief that Helen Schucman's experience with the channeled "spirit" was possibly a true diabolic manifestation. As a psychologist and having served as an exorcist for the Catholic Church, Father Groeschel is professionally qualified to speak to both the psychological and spiritual aspects of the phenomenon.

To make matters more complicated, an earlier version of "A Course In Miracles" was recently discovered in the Edgar Cayce Foundation Library, named after the famous Kentucky psychic, at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, Va. It is obvious this earlier typed manuscript was extensively modified to produce the 1975 published version, in contradiction to the public claim that the version of "A Course In Miracles" available in bookstores is substantially the same as the original "dictation" from Jesus. A copy of this pre-1975 version of ACIM was obtained by unidentified individuals, digitized, and freely distributed on the Internet, prompting a storm of controversy and threats of litigation.

The instructional and promotional materials produced by those claiming ownership of "A Course In Miracles" uniformly misrepresent the true extent of the pre-1975 editing to the original "dictated" words of "Jesus." Large portions were deleted and terms were modified. As one example, the term "spiritual eye" in the pre-1975 version was changed to "Holy Spirit" in the bookstore edition. Many long-term students of the Course are shocked when they first discover the true extent of the modification. In the world of academic scholarship, uncovering this distortion of "history" surrounding the origin of "A Course In Miracles" might well be considered a major scandal. In the world where the name of Jesus Christ is used to sell books and build fortunes, it might be expected.

The repeated claims in print and on video of Jesus' authorship, and the first-person style of "A Course In Miracles" itself, have convinced many of the 1.3 million purchasers of the book to believe what it says and to act upon its teachings. This includes the formation of church organizations based upon "A Course In Miracles" and individuals who are willing to risk litigation to follow their faith in the Course's teaching. Many believe the mandate expressed in "A Course In Miracles" is to freely give away what are considered to be the actual words of a living Jesus Christ.

Ironically, those claiming copyright and trademark ownership have pursued a strategy of suing the Course's strongest supporters and adherents. Kenneth Wapnick, president of the Foundation for a Course In Miracles, denies that Jesus was an actual historical person. Some have suggested a personal vendetta by Dr. Wapnick against those who accept the literal truth of Jesus' life, crucifixion and resurrection. The legal attacks may also be explained as an attempt to placate the Penguin publishing group and to preserve a multi-million dollar empire.

Penguin/Viking is the current publisher of ACIM under a five-year contract that is timed to expire early next year.

A recently formed non-profit corporation, Course In Miracles Society, was organized to print and distribute the pre-1975 version of ACIM, as being the "more authentic words of Jesus." The members of Course In Miracles Society believe that the copyright on the Course is invalid or unenforceable for a number of reasons and they are willing to contend with Wapnick's Foundation in court.

On the other hand, some of the more technically inclined fans of "A Course In Miracles" have resolved to use the latest Internet technology, including the anonymous distributed data storage and retrieval protocol known as "the Gnutella network", to make the digital version of the pre-1975 manuscript freely available on the Internet and immune from legal threats under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This is the same technology used to make life miserable for music publishers.

The efforts of Wapnick's Foundation to prevent this Internet distribution has been largely unsuccessful. The digital version of the pre-1975 manuscript is still easily located for free download on the Internet, and an informal international network of computer savvy volunteers, mostly well hidden and beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, has grown in response to the threats of legal action.

In April, the pre-1975 manuscript was published by Course In Miracles Society in book form with the title "Jesus' Course In Miracles." Within a few days of first distributing the book the Society was sued for copyright infringement by Wapnick's Foundation, and the Society was temporarily restrained from further activity. One of the possible remedies for a copyright infringement, if the Foundation prevails in court, is the destruction of all copies of the offending book.

What do you do with a holy book, a book that looks like a bible and which is revered by thousands as such, when you suddenly discover it may not be holy?

Maybe a Federal Judge will decide to burn it, but it is unlikely it will go away or be forgotten.


Subterranean Holy War Blues

An infusion of spirit

A metaphor . . . .

Consider a sugar cube placed in a bucket of water. At first there is a clear boundary line between pure sugar and the water. Almost immediately the sugar cube begins to dissolve and diffuse. Then there are three regions:
  • Pure sugar.

  • Sugar water.

  • Pure water with no sugar.

Given enough time the sugar cube will totally dissolve and disappear from sight. The sugar will be dispersed throughout the whole bucket in a weak diluted form.

But, even when the sugar and water are completely mixed together, they are still separate and distinct chemical compounds. The water doesn't change the sugar and the sugar does not change the water. Boil the water until it all evaporates, and the sugar will re-crystallize. When the water is gone, only the sugar remains.

This metaphor can be used to picture the pure sacred impulse - illustrated by the sugar cube - originating from outside the world as we know it, and being placed within the world. Straight away after its arrival, the influences of the world begin to act upon it and weaken it.

An application . . . .

A Course in Miracles is a big and imposing book. Many are intimidated by it, perhaps fearing they are not smart enough to understand it or that it is too difficult. So they turn to others for an easy explanation.

There is nothing wrong with seeking help from others, but many distortions have been introduced by well-intended teachers of the Course. That's just the way things work when spirit is injected into the world.

The only authority on what the Course says is the Course itself.

6/8/08

Identity of redemption

In the thinking of the world the words 'savior' and 'redeemer' are generally connected to individual identity. The words convey a status rather than describe a function, and they are commonly used to indicate a unique special status, as in "Jesus is savior and redeemer of the world, and you are not."

A Course in Miracles makes it clear that this type of thinking has all the hallmarks of the ego's thought system. The Course tells us that Jesus is neither special nor unique, only that he was first to realize "I and my Father are one." According to the Course, this is a realization that must, in time, dawn upon every seemingly separated mind. It is an essential stage in the plan of atonement.

Savior and redeemer of the world is not an honorable title used to indicate a lofty status of specialness, it is a function. The word 'savior' does not indicate an identity. Our identity, or who we are, is established by God, according to the Course, and in God's eternity there is no need for saviors.
"The soul never loses its communion with God. Only the mind needs Atonement . . . Whatever is true and real is eternal, and cannot change or be changed. The soul is therefore unalterable because it is already perfect, but the mind can elect the level it chooses to serve."
The soul does not need salvation, but the mind does.
"If you would be a savior, you must understand what needs to be escaped. Salvation is not theoretical. Behold the problem, ask for the answer, and then accept it when it comes. Nor will its coming be long delayed. All the help you can accept will be provided, and not one need you have will not be met. Let us not, then, be too concerned with goals for which you are not ready. God takes you where you are and welcomes you. What more could you desire, when this is all you need?
Savior and redeemer of the world is not who you are, it is what you manifest. You are called upon the be spirit's manifestation in this world.

6/3/08

Defying the laws of density

According to a story in the New York Times today, scientists have despaired of getting to the bottom of the mystery of why the universe is expanding in defiance of gravity and the laws of density.
"Having been impelled apart by the force of the Big Bang, the galaxies, in defiance of cosmic gravity, are picking up speed on a dash toward eternity." NY Times - Dark, Perhaps Forever

Astronomers have named the mysterious force "dark energy," for whatever is driving the apparently anti-gravitational behavior on the part of the universe. Nobody claims to understand why it is happening. It is called "dark energy" simply because it is invisible.

Scientists acknowledging there are unseen and unknown forces at work in the universe.

Imagine that.

6/1/08

Projection and extension

Projection and extension are the same function, according to the the Course. Projection differs from extension only in purpose.
"Projection is a fundamental law of the mind, and therefore one which ALWAYS operates. It is the law by which you create and were created. It is the law which unifies the Kingdom, and keeps it in the Mind of God. To the ego, the law is perceived as a way of getting RID of something it does NOT want. To the Holy Spirit, it is the fundamental law of sharing by which you GIVE what you value in order to keep it in your OWN mind."
In the original, the discussion starts with the idea of projection, including the notion that God projects. "Projection, as undertaken by God, is very similar to the kind of inner radiance which the Children of the Father inherit from Him." As the text progresses, the idea of misprojection, or projection of error, is introduced.
"If the crucifixion is seen from an upside-down point of view, it DOES appear as if God permitted, and even encouraged, one of his Sons to suffer BECAUSE he was good. Many ministers preach this every day. This particularly unfortunate interpretation, which arose out of the combined misprojections of a large number of my would-be followers, has led many people to be bitterly afraid of God."

-oOo-
" . . . .nothing you have seen begins to show you the enormity of the original error, which seemed to cast you out of Heaven, to shatter knowledge into meaningless bits of disunited perceptions, and to force you to further substitutions. That was the first projection of error outward. The world arose to hide it, and became the screen on which it was projected and drawn between you and the truth."

Later the text settle in on the conventional distinction between projection as projection of error, and the extension of love.

This essential similarity between projection and extension was unfortunately muddied in the final editing of the Course. It is unfortunate because it obscure the fact that projection of error is accomplished with the full power of God. This has lead some sincere Course students to the conclusion that it is possible to escape from the world or error by leaving it behind, but that is not what the Course is suggesting.