“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence and the truth comes to me.”– Albert Einstein
A Course in Miracles constantly reminds us that darkness can only come from our own imagining, from our own thoughts, our own misguided beliefs.
All the while we’re grumbling about some circumstance or person, we’re surrounded– literally swimming in love and light.
The Course says we exist in a conceptual prison created by our own minds.
When we drop below the crazy antics of obsessive, egoic thinking, we discover an intelligence and a realm of beauty far beyond our normal imaginings.
With the World Series in full swing (My partner watches. I half-listen while doing Sudokus), I thought I’d share a baseball story that speaks to this truth.
On June 12, 1970, Dock Ellis, a pitcher for the Pittsburg Pirates, completely forgot he was slated to take the mound against the San Diego Padres. Before the game, before he realized the manager was going to call him in, he dropped an elephant-sized hit of acid.
While that might sound like a recipe for disaster, it actually accomplished the opposite. Being in, shall we say, a different state, Ellis’ normal self-consciousness and acute fear of failure completely disappeared.
Without those dark imaginings, those debilitating thoughts that make up the baseline operating consciousness for most of us, he played with a rare meditative calm. He pitched with a fliduity that looked more like dance than sport. He went on to pitch a no-hitter, the best game of his entire 11-year professional career.
It was an unusual outing, to be sure. The serenity on his face was visible clear up to the stands. He later reported a dissolution of any sense of time and was convinced he could bend the ball’s path with his mind, with the sheer force of his will.
I’m not suggesting LSD as a go-to spiritual gateway. Far from it. Simply pointing out that without our pre-set thoughts and concepts, something a whole lot greater is going on.
#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)
15 Responses
I’m surprised he didn’t get disqualified for being on drugs whilst pitching! Surely that’s not allowed.
Different times!
“ “We are the ones that dwell within” – The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)” I know what you mean. Thanks dearly. Xoxo
Welcome dearly!
Thank you Pam
For sharing
Sincerely
Marianne
Go JAYS GO.
WITH LOVE FROM TORONTO
Go Jays indeed!
There’s definitely something greater going on, like The Force ✨
Your notes to your readers are always so full and real. The mind loves to control our thoughts and create our world. I loved your story. Clear the mind and the thoughts it gives us and see what we’re really capable of. 💞 Pamela in Ecuador
Great story!! I’ve recently been dabbling with micro dosing psilocybin. Finding it is calming the chatter from my mind!! Micro dosing is the KEY word here.
Love it!!
I’ve been wrestling with my mind lately and it’s been beating me every round- thank you for showing me there’s a way around it
Yankees fan here routing for the Jays with a quiet admiration for LA. Love this story, Pam, and all that you do for us. xoxo
Here’s to diving below the noisy chatter of the mind and swimming in the love and light that’s always there – and is where the magic happens. Thank you Pam! 🎉💝😘
Ahh! The seventies! ✌️
Love this! Mind games is our weakness!