“The function of art is to imagine what’s possible.”—bell hooks
So I’ve got a challenge for you.
But before that, I want to issue a fat sloppy thanks to all of you that have sent notes, kind words and emails wondering where I’ve been. My last post was six weeks or so ago. That’s a long time for someone who lives to rant and rave about the inherent beauty and grace in the world.
Several things have consumed my attention. For one, I’ve been traveling, hiking in an old growth forest, visiting inspiring civil rights museums. Yesterday, I wrote my first travel story in years. I realized how much I miss it. Writing AND traveling.
Which brings me back to my challenge. Those of us who know about the mighty power of consciousness are desperately needed right now. So I summon all of us to use the strength of our attention to focus on the often unseen river of love that flows through everything—ourselves, the natural world, even those with whom we might disagree.
Over the past couple years, there has been a huge fixation on the narrow physical part of ourselves—worrying about our bodies, working hard to keep them safe. Because we’ve focused so obsessively about the tiny part of us that is physical, the distortion machine known as our ego has convinced us that trouble is afoot. It has tricked us into focusing on our differences instead of all we have in common.
So here’s the challenge. Let go of all your beliefs and conflicts and surface desires. Look only towards goodness, towards wonder, towards wisdom and truth. And ask yourself, “How can I use my talent, my job, my situation to say, “I love you!” That’s all any of us really wants to do.
Love, as we know, is all that’s here once you remove the fear.
As Jenny Odell wrote in her wonderful book, How to Do Nothing, “Civilization has taken a detour into a cul-de-sac. The way out is to go back to the primal source of consciousness” which we all know is love, nothing but love.
Have the best weekend of your life, my friends. And again, thanks for all your beautiful sentiments. I love and appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. #222 Forever!
Pam Grout is the author of 20 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, The Course in Miracles Experiment: A Starter Kit for Rewiring Your Mind (And Therefore Your World) that has just been turned into an app. Badass ACIM (badass-acim.com)
88 Responses
YES! To All of this! I am trying to rewire myself to allow my ego to sit down and relax and allow my inner spirit to sour. Not an easy task. But I am trying to do this.
So glad to hear it!
Amen, A-women. and I shall! (thanks for the reminder – I am not the body, I am not the mind, immortal Self I am…immortal LOVING Self!)
So great to see your name, my friend! Blessings galore! Are you still in Virginia?
It’s so interesting that just yesterday I was hugging a tree and wondered about my favorite author… while hoping for a blog post email since it had been while. Thank you! Much love to you Pam!
Tell your tree I said hello!
Thank you dear Pam! This was exactly what I needed to remind me to look for beauty and love. I see it now. Thank you for the reminder. Big love to you. ❤️
And big love back to you!!
Indeed 🙏
Indeed indeed!!!!!
I think I’m gonna cry a little. I’ve just in the past few days had an inspiration on doing just this and here is a lovely, lovely sign. 🌼
I depend on those signs! I love how benevolent the universe really is–when we take time to notice.
Thank you, Pam. Because your reply – how you wrote it – just happens to come exactly when I needed to read it, aka, another sign. 🌼
Pam! I was just wondering about not seeing your blog in a while…and BAM! Here it is! Thank you so much for this! Challenge gratefully accepted ❤️ And ironically, I just finished a poem yesterday (I have been working on it since May and I have some small tweaking to do yet) about exactly this! This synchronicity is CRAZY cool! I will send it by email this weekend! So glad you are getting back to your travel writing…and better yet HIKING! 🙂✍️🍁
Hiking AND bird watching–thanks, in part, to you!
YAY 😀!!!! Happy Birding!!!
Big YES to this post. So nice to see the blog pop up in my email!
Thanks, Cheryl!
Hello Pam, I am also a fan of Mother Nature, I love trekking in the Black Forest in Germany. I wish you success! May God bless you! It`s not easy to travel any more, unless you are vaccinated.
By the way, have you heard about “forest-bathing”? Spend a day or a half in a forest, especially among the evergreens, and it will strengthen your immune system at least for two weeks. The oil-vapour of fur-and pine trees help your to multiply your virus-and bacterium-killing cells. The energy of other trees is also vitally important. It comes from Japan. It has no side-effects, unlike most anti-Covid-vaccines! Why do you think politicians don´t talk about it, although they want to take care of our health (allegedly)?
Have a nice week-end.
Julian
I adore forest bathing–do it every chance I get!
We love you Pam. So glad you are traveling and always look forward to your wisdoms……….completely on board with reaching out with love!!!!!
You are a gift in my life and I have incredible gratitude for you my Sistar!!!!!!
Back at ya, my Sistah!!!!
I accept this challenge. Love it! In fact the intention I wrote down for today was to “connect” with the Living Life Force everywhere.
I love this intention. And it’s TRUE–the Living Life Force is everywhere!
Infinity Love to You, thank you for every thingyou do🌈🌈🎶☮️👼🏼
Thanks!
Welcome back Pam! It’s so good to “see” you here -and to literally see you in the beautiful photo above alongside those amazing trees. ☺️🌲🌿🌳 I love the question you’ve given us to ask ourselves as part of your challenge: “how can I use my talent, my job, my situation to say ‘I love you!’” I think this is perfect timing for me to ask myself that question. And to remember love. To remember that love is what it’s all about. I’ve forgotten this lately. So Thankyou for the reminder, and for giving us the chance to “visit with you” once again in this space. 💛 I’ve missed you Pam! Have a wonderful weekend yourself, and see you back here next time. 😁🌺🌞🌳⭐️🦋💛
Hello, my wonderful Aussie correspondent!
How beautiful, how true, how essential. What have we learned in there’s last two years? The beauty of slowing down hopefully… An connecting to what is most important… Love. Thank you for your immense inspiration.🙏💚💫
Immense inspiration–I’m blushing. Thanks!!!
That was 6 weeks of profundity right there. Going to let that challenge marinate and the love emanate. Thank you, Pam!
Love marinating–I love that image!
So happy to read this-I am having so much difficulty being loving and especially sending these loving thoughts to those who haven’t been so unconditional in their love. I recognize how important it is right now and just these past few weeks I’ve started to share uplifting things on Facebook business page again. Trying to be love and light and hold space for all those needing it, including myself. Thank you for being that light for me when the world seems like such a lonely place with not much light visible at the end of the tunnel🙏🏼💕
I’m so happy to be the light! As you all are for me!
Dear Pam, I missed you very much. I have been re-reading your books. I am so glad that you reported in. I am doing ACIM and using your book alongside the big book. I love you! And your work. Julian
Thanks so much, Julian! So glad you’re doing ACIM!
Thanks for that Pam. Going to play some music Sunday and we will travel the River of Love.
Amen! I love that river of love!
So so happy to see my Pam Grout email back in my inbox today. But I can hardly think of a better reason for your absence than to be traveling and hiking through old growth forests. Cheers to the power of NOW! Love you, Pam Grout! You changed my life for the better.
Thank you! That’s some high praise!
Thank you, I would have loved to have been hiking with you. Touching nature/love.
Thank you for your generous gifts you share so freely.
It’s my medicine–sharing love! Works EVERY TIME!
We Love ❤️ you Pam
Love you, too!!!
Love you, Pammy Sue! Challenge accepted!
xox
Pamela Joy
You’re a living example of using your life to say, “I love you!”
…Beyond thrilled to have this pop up in my email! I needed some Pam Grout wisdom today! ❤️
Glad to be of service!
Juicy!!! Thanks for the nectar!!
Drink up!!!
Oh Pam I’m so glad your back here! I looked for your posts daily. Yet I’m also so happy for you to be out exploring the beauty that surrounds us all.
Peach my friend,
Kate
Peach to you, too! And a heaping helping of peace to go with it!
Like so many others, I’ve been wondering how you’re doing (and also worrying a little!). So good to hear you’ve been traveling and doing things you love. “Look only towards goodness, towards wonder, towards wisdom and truth” — I’m writing that down and making that my number one priority in the coming days. Have the best weekend of your life, Pam!
YAY! Thanks for wondering.
It’s wonderful to see a post from you…and it’s about trees. I love walking in the trees, hugging trees, and listening to what the trees have to tell me. The trees always give me the correct information. They have memories since the first tree that was planted on earth many, many years ago. I read something you wrote that led me to Mellen Thomas-Benedict and his near death experience. I have listened to his you-tubes over and over since that day and am connecting to the light. It’s amazing. You’re amazing. We’re all amazing. We are all LOVE. And we’re all a part of the light. We’re all love and everything is love. There’s only love. Thank you!
Now that’s a profound comment. We are all amazing. We are all LOVE. There’s only love! Thanks!
Yes. Love is All. Let’s focus on what’s going right in the world…
So glad you’re back!
So much is going RIGHT in the world. Most all of it, in fact.
Welcome back Love Warrior! Thank you for your wisdom and yes this is the what I have been saying to those close to me. We do not need to fight, we simply need to love, the best healer of all.
Linda x
Indeed. The best healer of all!
Challenge accepted. Have a GREAT time doing what you love.
I will. I do!
So happy to have your inspiring words to start my day. I really do love you.
And I really do love you!!!
I resonated so much with the words Love Warrior as posted
Above❤
Will be headed to the arboretum tomorrow. Thank you for the inspiration from this group
Love warriors R We!
I just love you!
And I love you, as well! Thanks!!
So lovely to see you again & read your inspiring words. Funny thing, I was thinking about you yesterday & today I see your email. Keep on traveling!
Always traveling–both inner and outer!
Thank-you Pam, for showing me courage.
Glad you see courage! Because you ARE courage.
Love. Well I have said to some men in my life, I love you. I do add that does not mean I wish to sleep with you.
As a former female who is nice looking, this has been a pain in my butt for sometime. I am kind and loving and. Compassionate, and thank-ful have food and shelter. Way to many clothes. All from a second hand store, minus the bras and undies.
you are my girl crush, one of two right now. Be safe, have fun. Thank-you for you optimism. With Love ( no I do not want to sleep with you, I am happily married, by sheer determination.
Happy to be your girl crush! I sorta have crushes on all of humanity!
I so needed to read this today, dear Pam.
At age 72, I am in the end process of selling my home and all my stuff, to go out into the world and travel for the foreseeable future.
Not having a home for the first time in my life is challenging, but I feel that if I don’t do this now, I never will.
Opening to trust in the Universe has been a path of mine for some time now, and I feel that ‘whatever will be, will be’ is going to bring me much growth and happiness.
Many blessings to you, always!
So excited to hear more about your journey! It is amazing what the universe will unfold as you step forward in trust. Keep us posted!
Love all that you post. I am retired now and a pretty snapppy 81 yr. old and I will find ways to Spread the LOVE❤️ And forgive everyone and those closest who have hurt me. It is ALL small stuff in the great whole of all life. THANKYOU for your inspiring words and LOVE coming your way from Victoria, British Columbia. You want to see some big trees and old growth? Please visit Haida Gwai, above Vancouver Island…..you will be blown away🙏
Haida Gwai is now on my bucket list. Thanks!
Hi Pam, Good to receive an email from you ( new to your list) Enjoying the ACIM Experiment daily ritual.. Bless you Love Gerda
Welcome, Gerda! So glad you are here!
Thank you for your beautiful words, always positive and encouraging.
Thank you! I write these for me. And am blown away when others respond.
Dear Pam
You are amazing. Aka via Love.
Please come to Toronto, Ontario, Canada\
Home of the RollingStones.
I Will take you on tour of Toronto.
Mariannefunny@hotmail.com
PS, I have connected to some lovely folks in the US.
Dear Pam, as ever so often my note is a bit late 😉 So glad to read you’re well and had a fantastic time travelling in nature. Nature is pure, wonderful, available to all of us (ok, to most of us as some don’t seem to see it) – for free. Bliss! Sending you all my love from Germany xxx
Dear Pam:
I am so very glad you are back. Like the purple butterfly that manifested after I had given up and thought that I just wasn’t one of those lucky people who could do that “manifesting stuff” you show up. And not only do you appear again in my email box you do so with exactly the sentiments and desires I sent to someone else not five minutes ago. I feel the deep inner need to put down that shield of cynicism and the sword of my tongue and see the beauty that surrounds me always, have compassion for all the pain, and trust that within me as with all people there is that light of love and kindness.
Thanks so much.
Hi Pam
Marianne in Canada you friendly neighbour to the north.
I heard a thought about love that is befitting to my life at this moment.
I love Humanity, but some individuals are a tough sell.
Cheers,
Marianne
I look forward to tomorrow, when my best friend which I am grateful to have comes to my house for a sleepover.
I have another girl crush on an amazing non whining woman.
Sadly because covid I cant do my hobby 😦
Hi Pam,
It was a great read! I always find your article and writings very insightful and eye-opening, and this one was no different. I agree how people have a fixation on ego, and I gained a lot of insights as to how we should live. I will be letting go of my conflicts and surface desires and using my talent to remove the fear that controls us. Thanks for sharing this resource, it was a great read, and I enjoyed reading it a lot.