Transcripts of talks given by Linda and James
The following notes are what we used when giving our talks at the Miracles
Cafe during 1997. As such the earlier ones are written more for our presentation
rather than as an article to be read. However we thought they might be of
benefit for those who were not present at the talks. The more recent notes
are written more like an article than speaker's notes.
Although during our presentation we would often quote from the Text,
Workbook or Manual for Teachers, the full text of these quotations are not, in the main, included in the text of the article. However
we have provided the complete reference (as per the second edition style)
and urge you to look them up and read them in conjunction with these notes.
Click on the transcript titles to view the full article.
The Course teaches that we are all teachers and learners every second of the day whether we realise it or not. We teach by demonstration and by demonstration we teach not only others but primarily and most importantly ourselves. There are two possible curriculums or thought systems that are possible to teach and therefore learn. The thought system of the ego (the world’s curriculum) or the thought system of the Holy Spirit (the system the Course is designed to introduce us to.)
In believing we are separated from wholeness, love and truth we experience ourselves as fragmented, incomplete and lacking. This is intolerable and we are therefore compelled to constantly seek outside ourselves for the completion we lack. This completion, this sense of being whole is dependant on us feeling special. We seek to extract or take that specialness from others overtly and covertly in the associations we form.
Easter is the single most important festival in the Christian Church. It is the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection being the culmination of his ministry on earth. It was the ordination of a new covenant, where man was redeemed from sin and death. It has, since that event which it commemorates, influenced by way of its interpretation most of the western world regardless of the faith of those it touched.
We began our discussion last time with the first two obstacles to peace;
1 The desire to get rid of it, and
2 The belief that the body is valuable for what it offers.
We also likened these two obstacles to a dynamic of attack, first attack outside, then attack on oneself. In this light we spoke of the third obstacle as being viewed as the ultimate payment for this attack, be it directed outward or inward. As we shall see however, this "ultimate" cost is but a veil to hide from our sight the final obstacle that peace must flow across. But more of that later, for now let us look at the third obstacle to peace.
The collection of sections, The Obstacles To Peace appear just past the half way point through the Course. It follows on from the discussion of the holy relationship and the transformation of our perception of the world as a place of attack and fear to one of peace, through the invitation extended to the Holy Spirit to enter with us into our relationships.
The Course’s concept of healing, particularly in our time of spiritual revival and New Age movements is likely to be misunderstood, or at least be somewhat confusing if not seen from an understanding of the Course’s metaphysical foundation. If our aim or purpose is, as the Course defines it, healing, it is necessary we be very clear about what it is we need to avoid and therefore by implication, seek.
Magic, one of those words we use quite freely in our everyday life, receives a radical overhaul in its meaning as given in ACIM.
Exploring the concept of specialness confronts us with the challenge of looking at all that we value and all that we believe about what we are and the nature of the world we live in. As the introduction makes clear, each decision we make is a conclusion based on all that we believe
In Part I, we explored the topic of specialness–how it began, what it is, how it expresses itself and its purpose. Specialness is, in essence, the least decision to choose attack instead of love. The original and primary attack was the attempt by the Son of God to substitute his own self-concept in place of his Self as created by God. His true Self can only be known in his relationship to the Father, because that is what he is. In that knowledge the Son is also creator:
We will begin our talk by summarizing some of the ground we covered in Part I where we discussed the first three of the five ‘laws’ of chaos.
The first law is that the truth is different for everyone. So in contrast to what the Holy Spirit’s first and last lesson would be: the truth is true…
The "Laws" of chaos section comes in chapter 23 of the text, entitled "The War Against Yourself," and it is perhaps in examining this context that we can best introduce our discussion of these "laws."
This chapter begins with a question:..
Prayer is one of those words we use quite widely in our lives and ascribe various meanings to. It is also one of those words which, if not dramatically redefined, is certainly used in a number of specific ways by the author of the Course. Like many of the ideas presented in the Course the meaning…
Part 2 will focus on the specifics of what is entailed in our movement up the "ladder" of prayer. You will recall that the ladder is a symbol used by Jesus to express, in this context, the stages that a spiritual seeker seems to go through in order to reach the upper rung or end of prayer: remembrance of the changeless, eternal relationship…
This is the season when you would celebrate my birth into the world. Yet you know not how to do it. Let the Holy Spirit teach you, and let me celebrate your birth through Him. The only gift I can accept of you is the gift I gave to you. Release me as I choose your own release. The time of Christ we celebrate together, for it has no meaning if we are apart. T-15.X.1:5-10…
Christmas is one of the three most important festivals in the Christian calendar, the other two being Easter and Epiphany. It is, in this context, the celebration of the birth of Christ, or “Christ’s Mass”. Historically it has been observed in Rome since the early part of the 4th century from where it spread, eventually to the Church of Jerusalem by the middle of the 5th century. This was a time of much debate…