ACIM Blog - David Hoffmeister A Course in Miracles

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Answering the Call

Hi David,

I found your website online a couple of weeks ago and have been
fascinated. I have been a very serious student of the course for 2
1/2 years now and am at a bit of an impasse. I do not know any
other course students at all, because I quit my job and began
traveling extensively overseas and across the USA specifically to
concentrate on the Course. The results have been slow, but steady
and amazing.

About 6 weeks ago, I was told by the Holy Spirit to "walk the
earth". I knew that this would be/will be inevitable and mandatory,
just a Jesus did, because it is the only way to clean out all fear
and to enable complete concentration. I was just incredibly
surprised at how soon I was told to do this. I thought it would be
3 more years at least. Quite frankly, it frightened me a bit
because I do not feel ready. I asked "what will I do, where will I
go?" and was told "move in the body of Christ" which I take to mean
go from church to church, all denominations, initially. I should
also mention that I "found" a book on the Peace Pilgrim about 3
weeks before this happened. I had heard the name years before, but
had forgotten about her and never did know what she did.

All this prompted me to search more intensely on the web for ACIM
web sites desperately looking for anyone who had done this. That is
when I found your site and was amazed. I have listened to many of
the online meetings, and was impressed by what a fabulous speaker
you are, able to share without proselytizing. I need to learn how
to speak about the course, but have not yet had a chance to do so.
I also feel that I am still on the "learning circuit" rather than
the speaking circuit because I have not yet reached inner peace and
have much to learn.

So why am I writing? I really want to talk to other ACIM people who
understand the more advanced stuff that I hope to learn. Also, I
would like to know what your experiences were, what you did, and
what happened. I would really like to find another ACIM person who
also has been "called" as I have to walk the earth and walk
together. Do you know anyone like me that I could contact? I
believe Jesus sent his apostles out 2 by 2, but I'm not sure. I
feel that I would be much less fearful if I had another person with
me who had the same goals. I also felt that I was asked to carry
nothing but the Course book with me. Yikes! No sleeping bag, no
nothing!

I went up into the mountains for a few days to fast and pray, and
was inspired to think about an organization of ACIM people who walk
the earth as pilgrims 2 by 2, being directly trained by the Holy
Spirit for at least a year at a time. Some people would want to
continue doing it and could bring out new people who, like me, would
love to learn like this but do not yet have the faith to do it alone
(yes, I know, we are never alone). It would be neat if Americans
began to become familiar with pilgrims walking the countryside.
What a demonstration in faith! I believe part of the Peace
Pilgrim's earthly mission was to show that this could be done, and
complete reliance on God is possible.

I am not sure what to do. I semi-decided to move down to Los
Angeles and get a job and join a course study group. I was also
planning on getting involved in 2 or 3 churches to greatly increase
my learning and communication skills with this material. I have
this driving desire to talk to pastors and ministers and find out
what they know about God, what they have learned and to say "teach
me". I am very interested in the Church of Christ Scientist which
supposedly has people who do bone fide faith healing. I want
exposure to this. I am ready to be a sponge. But as I start
looking for a job in the WORLD, I am not crazy about it. I am
already spending too much time paying attention to the resume,
what "profession" I should be in, etc. I am spending much less time
concentrating on the course. That's it. Worldly stuff makes me
break my concentration and I am becoming re-absorbed back into all
this stuff I k now is absolutely meaningless (i.e. "rules" of how to
dress for an interview, good grief!). The job search process is
also making me realize how deeply frightened this world is and how
it constantly is searching for guilt. For example, most employers
want background checks, credit checks, DMV checks. It is really
unbelievable. How I long work for God and be completely out of
the "money" system!

Hopefully this e-mail isn't overwhelming for you. I haven't had the
chance to talk to anyone who could understand what the Course does
to you. I literally feel like I'm standing with one foot in two
worlds, and I will have to choose soon. Thank you for taking the
time to read this! Drop me an e-mail with your thoughts when you
get a chance. Thank you very much, and what a marvelous website
you have! It has been so helpful to me!

----------------------------------------------------------

Beloved One,

Thanks for pouring your heart out with such openess. You are being
Called, and everyone is Called. In this world the ego's voice and
goals can seem to crowd out the Holy Spirit's Voice, and though
everyone is Called few seem to listen and Answer. To Answer is
simply to be happy, for God's Will is for Perfect Happiness. The
time-space cosmos was made as a mechanism to avoid the Perfect
Happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet in Answering the Call there
can only be happiness. It is my joy to meet with you while I am in
California and explore everything entailed in Answering the Call.

Trust in the Holy Spirit is the key to Awakening. To the extent you
are able to trust HS you will increasingly be aware that you have no
problems. The ego was a limit placed on unlimited comunication, and
as you are willing to communicate you will attract communication to
you. There are two friends, Deb and Paul, who are embarking on a
similar Calling in September - traveling with a camper to Wisconsin
and then around to meet ACIM students wherever invited. A simple
life of listening and trusting and following will transfer the
lesson of forgiveness to encompass your entire perception. Healed
perception is integrated perception, and in this not one person,
place, or thing is held apart from the blessing the miracle brings.
Trust would settle every problem now, and a simple life of trust
will yield immediate results in terms of peace of mind.

Salvation is not for sale. Enlightenment is not for sale. Those
who would truly Give offer freely what has been received from the
Holy Spirit. Rituals fall away as the mind yields to Divine
Spontaneity. The desire to "get" dissolves in True Giving. Travel
can be a symbol for the willingness to share and the willingness to
Flow and accept and to not expect. What shows up is perfect in that
it is orchestrated and provided by One Who Knows your best interests
in every seeming situation. Everything is for one's best interests
in healed perception. To surrender is to yield the personal
perspective in favor of the Flow.

If you would trust do not attempt to activate the past, organize the
present, or plan the future. If there are plans to be made you will
be told of them by our Inner Wisdom and they will be for the benefit
of everyone. The miracle meets every perceived need in one gentle
perspective, and leaves a blessing for all.

I am with you all the way, and we cannot fail in a Plan destined to
Awaken all in Oneness and Love. Take my hand and we shall skip
along singing and rejoicing as we go. For we but seem to travel in
happy dreams of forgiveness, all the while safe at Home in God.

Leave the structure of the ego's world with Me and enter into
another world of happy, peaceful perception. There is no loss in
this exchange, for dreams of pain are over now. Leave the world of
giving to get, of paying to partake, of repeating past mistakes.
Come join me in the real world, a world inspired by joy that knows
not of a fear of consequences. You have a Great Gift to share, for
you are Divine Love Itself. Nothing can hold you back from your
appointed function, for God goes with Us All Now.

One Moment of Trust can change the entire outlook. Come and See.

Blessings of Love Forever and Ever,

David

PS: The second web site listed below will help take you into the
furthest depths of the mind.

http://awakening-mind.org

http://miracleshome.org

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hi David,

I wanted to get some clarity about a deep issue in mind. The passage
in chapter 12 crucifixion by guilt 2nd last paragraph reads: "The
Atonement has always been interpreted as the release from guilt, and
this is correct if it is understood. Yet even when I have interpreted
it for you you have rejected it and have not accepted it for
yourself. You have recognized the futility of the ego and its
offerings but though you do not want the ego you do not look upon the
alternative with gladness. You are afaid of redemption and believe it
will kill you.( what does this mean?) (if this is true no wonder I am
resisting salvation) (how do I overcome this?) Make no mistake about
the depth of your fear. For you believe that in the presence of
truth, you will turn on yourself and destroy yourself." (help can you
explain this)

I feel right now tremendous guilt and pain in my mind and it is
manifesting physically in that I feel sick nearly all the time and
have constant severe headaches. I feel like my mind in contracting in
terror and I try to relax and use the lessons (its not true its just
a dream) but it doesnt penetrate the depths where it changes and I
Know its not true. I keep my life as simple as possible and I hardly
have any energy -I have to lay down all the time. And it seems to be
getting worse. The paragraph which touched me the most in the whole
text is in the fear of redemption paragraph 7. It touched a nerve and
feels like this is the place I am at in my mind. It reads:

"The reason you must look upon your delusions and not keep them
hidden is that they do not rest on their own foundation. In
concealment they appear to do so, and thus they seem to be self
sustained. This is the fundamental illusion on which they rest. For
beneath them and concealed as long as they are hidden is the loving
mind that thought it made them in anger. And the pain in this mind is
so apparent when it is uncovered that its need of healing cannot be
denied. Not all the tricks and games you offer it can heal it for
here is the real crucifixion of gods son..."( Can you explain this)

I also get confused on how not to identify with the ego when Jesus is
talking in the course directly to the ego (eg., he says 'you
believe'....how am I meant to not identify with the ego and expose it
at the same time, seems so confusing. Help I feel so embarassed
exposing this because part of my mind knows its a lie yet the other
part doesn't. Does that make sense? Thanks for your help.

__________________________________________________________

Beloved One,

Thanks for pouring out your heart with the willingness to release the
block. Together we will look at the questions you have raised, one
by one, about the passage in ACIM that you read.

1. "You are afaid of redemption and believe it will kill you."

To come to this world is a witness to the belief that Heaven has been
replaced by error, or that Truth has been replaced by illusions. To
the mind that has forgotten its True Identity (Light), the Light is
indeed very fearful. The self-concept was made as a replacement for
Love, and as the self-concept is exposed and released the ego judges
redemption as its own death. Thus the Holy Spirit, which the ego
does not know but suspects, is believed to be the killer and the ego,
which is the belief in death, is believed to be real and having
existence. The Holy Spirit is actually the reminder of and the
memory of Spirit, Which is Life. Yet Life, and Life's Representative
are threats to the ego.

2. How do I overcome this?

All this is overcome by miracles, the shifts in perspective that show
the false as false, and the cosmos as unreal. So many miracles are
needed for the sleeping mind to be convinced that the cosmos is only
a dream of images that have no meaning.

3. "...make no mistake about the depth of your fear. For you believe
that in the presence of truth, you will turn on yourself and destroy
yourself."(help can you explain this)

The ego is the belief in Self-destruction, and so this is a version
of Psychic suicide in the Face of Truth.

4. "The reason you must look upon your delusions and not keep them
hidden is that they do not rest on their own foundation. In
concealment they appear to do so, and thus they seem to be self
sustained. This is the fundamental illusion on which they rest. For
beneath them and concealed as long as they are hidden is the loving
mind that thought it made them in anger. And the pain in this mind is
so apparent when it is uncovered that its need of healing cannot be
denied. Not all the tricks and games you offer it can heal it for
here is the real crucifixion of gods son."( Can you explain this)

Beyond all the games and tricks on the surface is hidden pain, and
healing cannot occur until this pain is acknowledged instead of
denied. Yet once acknowledged the pain can quickly be released.
Illusions which are not protected from the Light will disappear,
simply because they have no foundation.

5. I also get confused on how not to identify with the ego when
Jesus is talking in the course directly to the ego (eg. he says you
believe....how am I meant to not identify with the ego and expose it
at the same time, seems so confusing. Help I feel so embarassed
exposing this because part of my mind knows its a lie yet the other
part doesn't - does that make sense?

The exposure of the ego seems difficult only because the ego is
judging itself and the Awakening. Yet judgment has no basis, and an
error condemning itself is insane but not beyond Correction. ACIM
has many metaphors (as if the separation had happened) yet these must
be released as well when they no longer serve. Just be willing to
follow the instructions of the Workbook, and let the rest of the
healing process unfold step by seeming step.

I am joined with you in the healing. Thanks for your willingness to
look upon the insanity of the ego belief system. It cannot ever be
understood, only forgiven or released.

Blessings of Love,

David

Monday, March 8, 2010

6 week devotional retreat in Mallorca, Spain

Beloved One,

Blessings of Joy. Last year's 4 week devotional retreat in Mallorca, Spain was
so inspiring and transformational, that we have decided to hold a 6 week
devotional retreat this Fall (mid-October through November) once again on the
island of Mallorca, Spain.

Christian Christensen jcc_australia@hotmail.com is on the Mallorca 2010 team
along with Lynne Sears lynnesears@hotmail.com and Claire Waling
cwaling@gmail.com and this year they are organizing the event in collaboration
with the Foundation for the Awakening Mind.

Christian sent me the following information:

"We are delighted to invite you to join us for the 2010 "A Course In Miracles"
event of the year. After the amazing 2009 event the Holy Spirit has provide us
with an other opportunity to go deeper and more intensely inward then ever
before. Over 30 people from all over the world participated in last year's
event, and words cannot describe the peace and joy that we all experienced over
the 4 weeks that the retreat lasted in 2009. The feedback from nearly all
participants was that 30 days was too short and therefore the 2010 event will
give you the opportunity to stay for up to 6 weeks in a nurturing and loving
environment. The event will be based on the teachings of David Hoffmeister and
"A Course in Miracles" and in the live environment the depth of the teachings
can be experienced to it's maximal potential.

We feel that this event will be booked full fairly quickly, so to give everybody
the same possibilities booking can only be done on one website link, which
Christian and his webmaster Shaun have set up, and very soon this link will be
posted by our webmaster on the Foundation for the Awakening Mind's Mallorca 2010
website at:

http://global-miracles.net/mallorca/index.htm

This initial launch of the event includes a Mallorca 2010 devotional retreat
announcement website on Awakening Mind website (linked to from the Coming Events
page on the main website), a mailing announcement to our Living Miracles mailing
list, a mailing announcement by Christian to those who have contacted him and
given him their email address, and a mailing announcement on this
Awakeninginchrist Yahoo global mailing list. All bookings will be first come,
first served until each of the 90 two week slots are booked. Particpants can
book for 1 or 2 or all 3 two week slots and thereby attend and participate in 2
weeks or 4 weeks or all 6 weeks of the devotional retreat. The payment can be
made via credit card or debit card through Paypal, and the payment is in euro
currency even though it will show up on your credit or debit card statement as
debited in the currency of the country and card that you use for payment. The
payment includes all food and lodging and airport pick-up and drop-off, and
teaching for the duration of your stay. A donation to the Foundation for the
Awakening Mind and the Messengers of Peace will come from the proceeds of the
retreat, as will our expenses for travel to and from the event.

Last year Jenny coordinated the Mallorca 2009 retreat, and she has offered her
input for this year's Mallorca retreat. She will continue to offer support and
input based on her experiences with the 2009 retreat and the Guidance she
receives for the 2010 event.

This year Messengers of Peace currently has a team of Jason Warwick, Lisa Fair,
Helena, Jenny, and Jason Press joining me for the retreat. Jason Warwick plans
to visit Mallorca and meet with Lynne and Claire on Sept.16th and for a couple
days thereafter, a month before the event begins. Christian will meet with
Lynne and Claire in the Spring to continue with the planning details for the
event. Helena will visit with Claire in Mallorca in mid-August.

On behalf of the Mallorca 2010 organizing team and the Messengers of Peace, I
invite you to join us for an event that will be a life changing opportunity to
experience an opening of the heart and a more consistently peaceful perception
of the world. This is another leap in the Great Awakening for everyone and
everything, and I am honored to be coming back to Europe for the experience.

In Love & Gratitude,

David