“God does not share these weird beliefs with you.”—A Course in Miracles
Another “find” from my road trip to Iowa.
I LOVE road trips with all my heart. I love seeing new sights, experiencing new places and finding things I had no idea even existed.
This weekend’s version included stumbling on to Free Cookie Friday, meeting a delightful Jamaican expat who runs a food truck in tiny Lamoni, Iowa and hiking across a high trestle bridge. And that was just the first few 24 hours.
Road trips also have a way of pushing the limits of what I’m able to imagine. All of us are shaped by what we perceive, what we allow ourselves to see. And once we define something, we’re blinded to the bigger truth of it. We literally reduce our apertures.
What I’m finding in my morning practice is that with a slight shift in awareness, the narrow band of awareness widens. I notice the whole world starting to hum.
It’s also becoming clearer to me that life doesn’t have to be the way we think it is. The division, the wars, the greed is just one system, one way of understanding the world. It’s far from a complete picture. Quite easily, we can begin to transcend this particular way of thinking.
And it starts with knowing that it doesn’t have to be this way. How often do we shrug and think, “Well that’s just the way it is.” “That’s just the way our system works.”
But is it really that way or have we limited what we can perceive?
The practice I’m doing now is opening a portal to something bigger. This Voice, as I guess I’ll call it today (I was relieved to recently learn that Hindus have 330 million different names for God) isn’t so much about getting answers, but about feeling a connection, a Divine Buzz, a different way of seeing the world.
The reason I chose the above headline is because I want any of you who are trying the 30-day experiment to know that there is no right or wrong way to do it. Wrong and right are just concepts that live in that narrow band of perception.
“Here, they call you crazy. But in India, if you wake up one day and say, I just discovered I can talk to God, they’ll laugh and say, “Congratulations! What took you so long?”—Alan Watts
In case, you hadn’t noticed, there’s a lot of noise out there. So many podcasts. So many books and teachers and workshops. So many competing factions claiming their news is fact while the other guy’s news is a bunch of reindeer do-do.
It’s all a bunch of rehashed tropes stuck like old gum to the bottom of my shoe.
Surely there has to be a better method for separating the Divine Signal from the cultural din. Surely there’s an easier way to access the 24/7 Voice promised by the Course in Miracles?
I wanted something new, something true.
And that’s when I heard about this crazy practice that was used in the early days of Alcoholic Anonymous. Long before the Big Book debuted, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the founders of A.A., engaged in a morning ritual they called The Two-Way.
On a daily basis, using a pen and spiral notebook, they personally consulted with what millions of folks in 12-step programs today call their Higher Power. In fact, the meetings which are now the heart of 12-step programs were considered secondary to this daily get-together with the Dude.
In the end, Bill W. concluded the Two-Way was a tad bit too woo-woo (probably not his exact words) for general consumption so it was omitted from the final draft of the Big Book.
Being rather fond of woo-woo, I decided—what the heck! Why not conduct my own experiment with the Two-Way?
What did I have to lose? I hadn’t felt that “Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!” feeling for awhile. My spiritual practice seemed to be flatlined. What if the Two-Way could provide a way to tune in to a Higher Signal?
In the early months of my experiment, there was lots of gentle solace, lots of healing messages such as “Ya know, Pammy Sue, you’re really okay. Despite how you sometimes feel, you’ve always been deeply loved and wholly cherished.” It was reiterated that Taz is happy, on fire with love and that whatever twinges of guilt I might still harbor should be wiped away. Like now.
Eventually, I started getting bits of incredible insight, brilliant ideas and, as you can probably tell from recent blog posts, a game-changing new outlook. To say this odd, mystical practice has enlivened me is an understatement.
I’m sorta like Tigger, bouncing out of bed, eager to learn what new ideas will be dished up today.
The experiment is proving that when it comes to the joy and aliveness of spirituality, I was only scratching the surface.
So since you’ve asked and since you seem to be eager to give this new experiment-o-mine a whirl, it goes like this:
It starts with the following hypothesis: Anybody who wants can have a two-way conversation with their Source. Anybody who’s willing to open their mind and pick up a pen will be rewarded with an intimate, personal connection with something a whole lot bigger than themselves.
The time frame for the experiment is thirty days because a) it takes a while to get the hang of it and b) it’ll probably take that long for you to trust it. Eventually, the voice will start telling you stuff that’s so uncanny, so valuable that you’ll never stop. I mean, we’re talking consultations with the Universe.
Here are the simple steps:
Set aside 10-15 minutes each morning before the day starts crowding in.
Get a journal (I once did a Ted X Talk on how a 25-cent notebook was the most important book in my library.)
Read something inspirational, a short passage, anything that touches your soul. No big surprise — I usually read a page from the Course in Miracles.
Spend a couple minutes in silence, reminding yourself that you are about to have a chat with the most holy, loving, wisest (albeit disembodied) voice in the world.
Using your imagination (this was something Carl Jung suggested to Bill W) and allow the voice to speak. Father Bill W, the AA historian I mentioned, suggests starting with a term of endearment. My Cosmic Concierge, for example, often calls me sweet little Pammy Sue.
Then let the words flow. Simply listen. And write.
You’ll probably doubt what’s being said at first and that’s okay. Just keep going. Just keep using your imagination.
I’ll probably add some instructions in the coming days. But for now, just remember, it is virtually impossible to do it wrong.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Here’s to love and surrender and experiencing deep peace and joy.
“Creativity flows from a Source so deep within you that no language or dogma can contain it. It’s a force that will express itself though you in such a way that serves the awakening of all creation.” — Way of Mastery
Happy Wednesday, my fine-feather friends in fun, frivolity and fabulousity. (Did I just invent that word?)
I want you to know that I am not being coy or trying to build suspense about the practice I’ve been opining about, the practice with which so many of you have agreed to experiment.
I will share the super easy steps on Friday. I just talked with the guy who introduced me to this practice, so I’ve now got the guidelines straight from the historian’s mouth. I say historian because it’s a practice that was first introduced nearly a century ago.
I personally love it because, after six months or so of using it, I have deepened my relationship with the living spirit the Course in Miracles promises. My practice, which had grown crusty and stale, has been enlivened in a whole new way. In fact, today’s ACIM lesson, about light and joy and peace abiding in me, seems like the truest statement in the world. That lesson also says that, despite how it sometimes looks to the naked eye, nothing can touch or change this eternal bond, thus the headline for today’s post.
So for now, while gussying up the easy instructions for the experiment, I thought I’d fall back on one of my old standards—sharing a couple miracle stories. Eventually, of course, we’ll figure out that what we call miraculous is nothing more than the universe saying, “Psst! Over here.”
1. The first is from a reader (actually she called herself a re-reader) who, while doing one of the experiments in E-Squared, made the intention to manifest something out of thin air. She didn’t specify what, decided to leave that up to the universe.
Later that day, a Bengals baseball cap showed up in her yard. At first, she assumed it had blown off a neighbor’s head or fallen out of a passing car. But in closer examination, she realized it was a brand-new cap with stickers, labels and the price tag still on it. Her son, a die-hard Bengals fan, remarked, “Well, if nobody comes for it after a day, maybe we should just, you know, hang on to it?” Well, guess who is now wearing a brand-new baseball cap.
2. The second was from a reader who had lost her grandmother’s emerald ring. She was reading E-Cubed that suggested asking the universe to prove it was working in concert with her intentions. So she said, “Alright universe, remember that emerald ring I lost two years ago, the one I inherited from my grandma? Well, I really miss that ring and I’d love you to bring it back to me.”
She went out of town for work for a week and when she returned to her apartment in New York City, the ring–the very ring that had gone missing—was sitting square center on her welcome mat.
So folks, like the Course in Miracles tells us, we can turn our minds back to full creation at any minute. The burdens we’ve placed in our minds, the burdens that block the awareness of our unassailable light, are made of dust, ready to be gently blown away.
“Listen. The world is trembling into possibility.”—Margaret Renkl
As much as I’m tempted to just keep repeating, “Thank you, thank you, thank you” for the entirety of this post, I should probably temper myself and explain why I’m feeling such jubilation.
So first, take a bow, because it’s you guys — this beautiful community — that is cause for my rejoicing. I’m thrilled that so many of you have openly said, “Count me in” for the 30-day experiment.
I’ll reveal the details (it’s nothing hard or weird or costly) later this week.
In short, it’s about cutting out the middle man. Going straight to the root for answers.
In the last couple days, I’ve bought tickets to two different performances—one here in Lawrence, featuring my dear friend, Jay Pryor, and one for out-of-town next weekend.
Both times, in addition to the ticket prices, a fee was added for processing. I have no idea who this mysterious middleman is that gets the additional $7, but it got me thinking about all the in-betweens we believe are necessary.
For example, we think time must elapse before solutions can come. The Course says every so-called “problem” comes with a built-in solution. We think months, years, lifetimes must occur before our dreams come true. We think somebody else’s book or seminar will finally provide the key to that “life most extraordinary.”
The jam sessions I’ve been having with this invisible wise guy (and I don’t mean that in a derogative way) are proving to me that universal intelligence doesn’t require an intermediary. It’s available to all of us. At any time. And that’s what the experiment is about.
So far, in my own experimenting, I’ve been able to kick an early morning phone addiction. I’ve received a whole new writing project and well, the biggest thing is the sheer relief of no longer having to rely solely on myself. Being separate and disconnected (as most humans are) is just too lonely—especially when this universal life stream is just so HERE. It’s as close as our breath, waiting silently and lovingly for permission to flow through us.
So again, thank you all. For everything. For the anonymous hedgehogs you send. For the beauty you see. For the love you allow to express through you.
This is an exciting time of emergence. And I’m overjoyed that y’all (hey, I was born in Kentucky), like me, are ALL IN. Stay tuned!
“I began to see myself as God saw me, which was a very different picture than the one I had of myself. It produced in me a vibrant feeling, as though a strong current of life had suddenly been poured into me.”—Frank Buchman
So people are starting to ask. What is it exactly you’re doing to connect to this Voice that is bringing you so much pleasure?
It’s pretty simple and I’ll definitely fill you all in. In fact, if anybody here wants to participate in a 30-day experiment, by all means let me know.
The bottom line is I’m listening to a Voice that’s a whole lot smarter than I am. I sorta keep this practice on the downlow, because well, my culture regards listening to a disembodied voice as batsh*t crazy.
All I can say, to paraphrase the song, “If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right? is I’m blissfully okay with that title.
When you really think about it, we listen to voices ALL of the time. The soundtrack we normally subscribe to comes from our brain and tells us how scary life is and how unworthy we are. And nobody blinks an eye when you listen to that voice’s monologue.
What I’m listening to is a whole different message. A message that’s restoring my faith in myself and in the world and in what the future might entail.
The guidance I’m getting is STOP! Quit seeking. It’s all right here.
I’ll be speaking to someone next week who has been practicing what I’m practicing for some 30-40 years. And, after that, I will definitely “share my toys.”
Until then, my favorite online soul mates, I see you having the very best weekend of your life.
In love, in gratitude, in the peace that reigns within.
“There’s no escape from the labyrinth of contradiction in which we live except by an entirely new road unlike anything hitherto known.”—P.D. Ouspensky
When Star Wars first came out, movie goers raved about the bizarre creatures who patronized the cantina where Luke Skywalker first met Han Solo.
They were weird, yes. But mostly I noticed a bunch of familiar body parts and recognizable animal species thrown together in a new design. Nothing that seemed unprecedented or radical.
Which is why I’m not overly excited one way or another about artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence, in my view, is limited. The best it can do is rearrange the furniture. Granted, it has access to massive amounts of data. But it’s all words, images and patterns from the past, data we’ve known before.
Plastic, cans, old newspapers. Those, I believe in recycling. But when it comes to ideas, I prefer brand new.
And that’s why I believe the intelligence I’m getting from my morning shindig with the Divine is holy work.
Maybe I’m the only one, but it seems as if the world could use some new ideas. The old way of doing things worked for a long time. We designed educational, medical and economic systems that benefitted many folks. They still benefit SOME of us. But the intel I’m getting is that well, most of our systems need an update.
But more personally, I could use an update. Viewing the world via the lens of the past has curtailed the amount of joy and peace I can experience. All my grievances (as the Course calls anything I don’t rate as five stars) shows me a reality that isn’t really true. It excludes grace from my awareness.
At all times, we either view the world through the peephole of the past or we view it from the magnificent vantage point of the all-that-is. The all-that-could-be.
As my real nature is being revealed in my morning connection (I shudder to think how much we cut off by believing the grievances, the past stories), I notice an ever more beautiful world where so-called problems dissolve on their own.
Thank you for all your kind words, friends! I’m eternally loving you and reveling in what might be possible.
“I’ll just keep saying yes and see where it takes me.”—John Roedel
Okay, okay. I admit it. I’m sometime prone to hyperbole. I end sentences (especially when responding to comments) with three, sometimes four exclamation points. I occasionally get unreasonably excited about the simplest things. And I’ve been known to dance in places where others are grocery shopping or eating sushi.
But this new exhilaration (about the connection I’ve been mentioning) feels anything but overstated. Or exaggerated. To the contrary, it feels like the most true and authentic adventure I’ve ever undertaken. I’m actually starting to trust that I’m tapping into “the something bigger” I’ve been writing about my whole life.
I still get scared and feel like a phony at times, but it always comes back to this sense that real answers are being delivered, answers I would have no other way of accessing.
And the best part is this presence is spilling over into my non-writing life. Like things I need are mysteriously showing up. People I’m meant to meet are dropping into my inbox.
And this weekend, I heard clear instructions for dealing with an extremely puzzling life dilemma from one of my favorite mentors.
I’ve wrestled with this particular issue for well…ever! It comes up in comments on my FB page and here on the blog. I’ve never had a good answer.
How does someone with so many blessings respond to thorny issues like poverty, war, famine? How is it fair that I have such an easy life? And how does “believing in life’s beneficence” contribute to those in other parts of the world who, according to news reports, seem to be suffering?
Having traveled extensively, I’m fully aware that most stereotypes we attribute to those without, say running water or a pair of shoes are usually way off. Those we call “less fortunate” are often a gazillion times happier than folks I know with a closet full of Birkin bags. Birkin bags, for the uninformed, start at around $8 grand and well, some ring in at $350,000.
Being completely uninterested in material things (true riches in my universe are relationships, art, nature, creativity), I wouldn’t even recognize (let alone be impressed) by the Hermes bags that allegedly provide a better investment than the stock market.
But back to the question for which I’ve long wondered. What can an uber-blessed person like myself do for people who weren’t born with endless opportunities? Michael Beckwith, my long-time mentor (I go to his church every time I’m in L.A. and I was thrilled to be interviewed by him when E-Squared first came out), said those of us who “know” have a responsibility to serve as vibrational proxy for those who don’t.
Those of us with the luxury of waking up each morning without worries about our next meal owe it to our brother and sisters to reflect infinite truth. To follow the path that was given to us and to hold a vision that everyone deserves happiness and peace.
In the worldview that’s prevalent now, people believe they must be physically present to assist others.
This is the worldview we’re leaving behind.
And why it’s so important to stand in vibrational proxy for every sentient being—demonstrating that all of us are one. Demonstrating that death doesn’t exist. Demonstrating that, despite, how it looks to the naked eye, everything is going to be okay. My joy doesn’t interfere with other’s right to have it. There’s plenty for everyone.
AND….when you’re hooked in and communing daily with Infinite Intelligence, any instructions that require your physical or financial presence will be crystal clear. You will be told exactly what to do. There will be no question.
Thank you, Michael Beckwith, for clearing this up for me. And thank you Divine Intelligence for hiring me to spread joy.
“It doesn’t matter that it doesn’t make sense. Sense is old news.”—Oliver Tompkins Ray
So there’s one more thing I failed to mention about my new “practice.”
It must be the very first thing I do. Before my old identity has time to click into place.
Every morning when we wake up, there’s a moment or two when we literally re-assemble ourselves, when we remember pieces of the identity we have taken on.
“Oh, yes,’ my mind reminds me. “Your name is Pam. You have a daughter named Taz. You live in Lawrence.” And on and on.
These identities are what the Course in Miracles calls “the past.” When it says, we see only the past, it means that over and over we take on the same old stories from yesterday.
It’s handy, of course, to have a name, a certain character you can play. But there’s a whole lot of “new” that’s available every morning. And that’s what I’m finding when I ask the mystery to point me in the right direction.
Rather than gather up all the components of my old identity that tends to come with a lot of grievances, problems, responsibilities. I wake with a sense of curiosity. What new idea is going to emerge today? What new possibility awaits?
It feels a little like plugging in to a higher truth. All I know for sure is it will never be found in the assembly of my old beliefs and identities. Those stories just keep me—and the world I see—stuck in separation, in scarcity.
The old identities and beliefs do nothing but clog up the pipes. They keep me from seeing the aliveness and beauty that exists in every moment.
As much as all the kings horses and all the kings men try to put Pampty Dumpty together again, I am happy for my practice that allows me to stay open, free and eager to receive life’s immeasurable gifts.
“We cease using the world to serve our happiness and instead we use our happiness to serve the world.”–Rupert Spira
Happy Wednesday, you beautiful beings of light. I just returned from a joyous week of living in the woods, walking daily with my sister and tuning into nature. And, yes, I continued to strengthen “the connection” each and every morning.
Although technically my process is called “writing,” it’s more like I’ve agreed to participate in the emergence of this as yet-to-be named project. And I’m really, really enjoying it which means it’s the right thing for me to do.
We all have this inner guidance system. And despite what we’ve been told, it’s easy to recognize. Think goosebumps! Excitement! Think “this is really fun!”
Of course, there are days where it doesn’t flow. But once you’ve recognized the buzz, felt the shivers, you know it’s worth hanging out until it begins to flow again. It just feels right.
Someone asked in the comments how one establishes this connection so, while there is no one-size-fits all prescription, I’ll happily share what I’m doing.
I go to my journal first thing. It’s my number one priority. I ask Infinite Intelligence, the Universe, the F.P. (there must be a hundred synonyms) to please spill the tea.
“T,” of course, stands for truth and I request that this marvelous mystery (yet another name) dish up all the juicy universal gossip. In other words, what exactly do I need to know?
It’s almost freaky how wise and loving and apropos the guidance is.
And that’s the other thing. I absolutely have to lay aside all skepticism and doubt. I have to ignore the fact that “normal people” don’t expect to actually hear from God — although they’re really good at telling “the big guy” what they think he should do for them.
Because I’m so cognizant of how little I know, I’m thrilled to consult the higher source that has a much grander, more-encompassing viewpoint.
Over and over again, I keep getting variations of this message: love, happiness and peace is our true nature. We can access it any time. For me, I find it in the pages of my journal.
Love you all to the first quarter phase of the moon (today’s phase, I checked) and back!
“The universe is one huge light party.”—Bob Grayson
Meister Eckhart once said that if the only prayer you ever utter is thank you, it will be enough. It’s certainly the predominate prayer on my lips these days.
I’m having big, big fun hanging with my sis in an old growth forest. I’m buzzing with gratitude for all your generous comments.
And most importantly, I’m making space first thing every morning to write and commune with “the something bigger.” It seems as if an important connection has been established, that I’m tapping into something important.
I’m accessing a greater sense of openness and peace. In fact, I warned my sister last night that I’m almost at the point of stopping complete strangers and gushing about how much I love them.
It’s becoming more and more clear that this connection is available to all of us. And it’s available all the time. It’s our inheritance. It’s our natural state. It’s who we really are.
We often don’t recognize this because we’re paying attention to other things. We’re paying attention to problems, to worries about the future, to beliefs that we’re not quite good enough.
The best we can do when we operate from that narrow band of energetic perception is reformulate the past, rearrange what we already know. But there’s SO MUCH MORE available.
Now that I’ve made listening and writing my number one priority, the connection appears to be growing stronger. The guidance is flowing. Things that have never been thought are flooding in.
My friend Jay who regularly “sees dead people” said Taz even showed up recently (on 2/22, of course) to say that something even bigger and more profound than my earlier work is being delivered.
All I know for sure at this point is my purpose and my happiness are synonyms. And my purpose has something to do with changing the trajectory of not just my life, but others, as well. And I feel joyous that the portal has been opened.
Stay tuned as I tune in ever more deeply and ever more joyously to life’s unending beneficence.
