“We are all captives of a story,”—Daniel Quinn
For more than 100 years, physicists have known that Newton’s classical view of physical reality doesn’t work at its core. The subatomic realm so defies all reason and logic that most scientists, scared to endanger their academic credentials, have more or less ignored the fact that life is nothing like what we pretend it is.
In fact, the world is so freaky—particles popping up out of nowhere, time slowing down and speeding up, particles reacting and communicating with each other even when separated by thousands of miles—that the main thing scientists have done with this information is develop technology that allows us to blow each other up, send text messages and nuke leftover black-eyed peas.
We now have inscrutable proof that the two main fundaments of physical reality— space and time—are nothing but extremely convincing optical illusions.
As Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, a physicist popularly known as Dr. Quantum, says, “It boils down to this—the universe doesn’t exist without a perceiver of that universe.”
And that’s what the Course in Miracles is all about. It advocates the idea that consciousness creates the material world. It says we humans decide in advance how we’re going to experience life, that we choose beforehand what we want to see.
The problem is, we all look at the world with a giant chip on our shoulder.
So to change the course of our lives, we must actively see and expect a different reality. Most of us, devote time and attention (our consciousness, if you will) to things we don’t want.
But it’s nothing more than a bad habit. And like any bad habit, it can be changed with conscious and deliberate effort.
Which is why I go through the Course lessons every year. Which is why I’ve made mind training my number one priority. I often compare it to housebreaking a puppy.
You just keep taking it back outside and showing it a different reality until one day, it finally realizes, Wow, there’s a whole big world out there. And it’s a lot more fun to pee on trees and bushes and fire hydrants than on Pam’s ratty old house slippers.
Your mind will be astonished by the beauty that’s available when you put it on the spot. Deep peace will appear. Great ideas will materialize and expand. Joy will rise up.
The only thing you need to do is devote your mind only to things you want. If you want peace, think of peace. If you want love, think of love. If you want Jimmy Choo pumps, think of Jimmy Choo pumps. Do not think about how peace looks impossible or that love seems fleeting or that there’s no money in your bank account for Jimmy Choo pumps. Keep your mind focused only on what you want. And anytime that puppy starts heading toward those slippers, pick it up and take it back outside.
But for today, there’s simply Lesson 2: “I have given everything I see all the meaning it has for me.”
For a quick minute, you simply look around and acknowledge that you have given meaning to whatever happens to cross your view.
For example, I’m currently giving meaning to a big globe, a peace tree I recently bought from an artist in Haiti, an encaustic painting I made when writing a story for Cooking Light about art camps in Carmel.
That’s it. One simple day at a time. Just know, that you do not have to seek peace and joy and love. It is your natural state and will come pouring forth once you make space in your mind.
Have an extraordinarily epic day, my beautiful friends!
Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just-released, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.
50 Responses
I am totally digging this! This is fun, fun, fun!
And so it shall remain–fun, fun, fun.!
Love this! Happy 2018! Love you tons! ♥♥
Love you megatons!
It’s a new year and I just started E-Squared again…to remind me. And because of your consistent urging, I’ve also just started A Course in Miracles for the very first time. Thank you for your joyful motivation and commentary!
You’re welcome. I love doing anything joyful.
You’re amazing. Thank you. I’ll be practicing every lesson you send!
One Grateful Buda, Victoria Buda
Being Me Movement
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I’ll be practicing along with all of you.
This is really fun, Pam! Thank you! It’s been years since I’ve gone through the Course, and ahhhhh! Are you going to continue this all year? Please 🙂
My intention is to do this all year. As of now, that’s the plan.
Thank you, Pam. This is a huge gift. I am committed to making ACIM my primary focus for 2018 and having you along for the ride is wonderful!
Can I call shotgun?
Thank you Pam for using this year to go through A Course in Miracles. I go through the Course each year too and these posts are adding meaning for the lessons for me.
I like starting on January 1 with lesson 1 because I feel like lots of people are out there doing it, too. It feels good to be on the same lesson as a whole group.
Love your explanations of the Course lessons. Hoping you might continue this, as my inner puppy needs constant reminding of where to go!
Blessings for your empowering insights.
All of our puppies need constant reminding.
Hi Pam – I love that you’re sharing your take on ACiM lessons this year. Thank you!!!
I’m loving it so far, too. Of course, I’m only on Day 2.
What a beautiful sentiment to start the new year with. Thank you Pam, as always, your posts are full of joy.
Ah, full of joy! Just as I like it!
Thank you! I am so happy you are summarizing daily course lessons for us and translating them so beautifully it makes their application doable. And, I’m assuming, we get to read your magic everyday… YAY, Happy New Year to us! Love,love,love you! Jenn patterson
Sent from my iPad
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Yes, Joyous New Year to every one.
I love it, too, Pam! I started last year and fell off the bandwagon. Will you be doing it every day :-)?
Just so you know, we all fall off the bandwagon. Which is perfectly okay. The real question is do we get back on? And, yes, my intention as of this moment is to do it every day.
Thank you for this well needed message to start the new year off. My inner puppy definitely needs practice.
Woof-woof! Mine, too.
Pam, as always, thank you for your insight. You make it sound so uncomplicated and it is if that is what we believe. Perhaps this is not rocket science after all. LOL
Thanks much! Happy New Year!
That’s the thing about the Course. It’s not difficult at all. It’s just very DIFFERENT than the way most people think.
Thank you for the reminder , Happy New Year <3
Back at you, my beautiful friend!
I am so honored that you are taking your time to do this! It is an answer to prayer. Already things are manifesting! Bless you for this. I pray this service comes back to you tenfold.
All that we give comes back tenfold. Or even more. It’s law.
This is wonderful to wake up to. Yesterday when you said to look at things in your line of sight, my husband sent a post of what coffee is to people (a parody). I couldn’t believe it. Going for coffee with him is one of the things we like best to do. Such a good reminder of how things, people and what you focus on are what you receive.
Beautiful story! I’m totally into fika which is meditative coffee. Here’s a piece I recently wrote about that very thing:
http://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1859229-travel-why-we-should-fika-coffee-sweden-20171127-story.html
So many times I have envisioned something, felt the emotion, the physical sensation, the joy of it happening. When it doesn’t I am more devastated than if I hadn’t thought about it at all.
Choose the opposite of devastation to be, to focus upon: advantage, benefit, blessing, favor, regeneration.
The last word in that sentence could be easily overlooked but it is so important. “I have given everything I see all the meaning it has for ME.” I’ve never noticed it before. I don’t get to give it meaning for you or anyone else. Just for ME. That just took me so by surprise though I have read it many times. See, it’s important to do this with a facilitator that knows their stuff. I’ll keep working with that puppy. 🙂 Good way to explain it.
Wow ! Great insight! Thank you so much!!
This is so profoundly helpful! Helpful on a huge level as in, “The Only Instructions You Need as a Human on Earth to Thrive”! And also so helpful because it translates a Course lesson and shows how to use it. I really appreciate this very direct “here’s why and how I use the Course in my life” kind of post. It’s so simple and practical and shows a clear path. Thank you very very much!!!
Impeccable timing and magnificently written as usual. Um… I just sent you a message thru your website and I can’t help but wonder if you actually get those messages or if they pop in and out like particles so I thought I would mention it here. I’m retraining my brain too and thinking that anything is possible (including my request) Thanks to you and your books. It’s going to be a great year!
(((Pam)))
With your words of wisdom, I began ACIM last summer…Am loving the Course, and you! Both filled with blessing upon blessing!!
Happy 2018!
Mermy
Excellent into to the Course in Miracles. I studied that so long ago and keep coming back to the same realization from many different sources. We really are what we focus on. My focus in on love. We need to all understand that we are naturally loving unless blocked my our own thoughts and taking in the thoughts of others.
Wonderful lessons! Yesterday when I practiced, I would see my cat and think, “No, he means something to me, I can’t disregard him like that.” So I’d skip over him and look at a lamp or something inane. Now today, I’m able to look at my cat and apply the meaning he has for me. What a relief!! For a while there, I worried about the things/people/animals that do matter. How do I handle them in my new mindset? But I think I get the difference. 🙂
After reading this blog post Pam, the very first thing come to mind is the old song from the fifties “It’s only make believe” Keep the wisdom coming my friend!
A wonderful post Pam, very magical and wise, just what I needed to read 🙂
Oh my goodness! I am so glad you are blogging on your daily readings of the Course. I too am a student of it and somehow your perspective is helping to cement its wisdom into my consciousness even more. Thank you! You know these writings are going to be your next book don’t you?
Pam, Thank you for your reminders, encouragements, and general joy you share. I have gotten behind in reading your messages….SO am binge reading.