Becoming and Empty Shell with our Experiences and Feelings Pt.3

 Part 3

All of our experiences/feelings of negativity come from our sense of separateness which also gives rise to guilt and fear, and whether we are conscious of it or not  these feelings interfere with our relationship with God.

Our job in emptying ourselves, dying to our little self, or as Jesus put it, “Unless the grain of wheat fall to the ground and die unto itself, it shall not live.”---is to continually to look deeply and honestly within ourselves and with the help of the Spirit to root out all that seems to keep us separate.

NTI Mt. 12(v 43 - 45) “1The thoughts you think are your evil doing, and so you may choose to let go of them. 2Let me tell you that it may not be that easy. 3For the belief that spawns the thoughts is like a deep root within you, and where you cut off its leaves, more will rise up to take their place. 4Be prepared to let go of many leaves, but know they will come back until the day you have rid yourself of their root. (v 46 - 50)1The belief in separateness and differences is the root you must let go. 2For if there is more than one Will, the truth is not true and death is all there is. 3Is this the final resting place of your faith? 4Or are you willing to put your faith in Life and Love and One? 5If you will put your faith in Me, I will lead you to the end of your root. 6There, shall you find the truth, and your truth will be you.”

The ego can get in the way of our house cleaning using the tools of denial and projection. When we are experiencing anger, for instance, the directive in Corinthians is asking us to acknowledge the feeling as being our own, feeling it/experiencing it and letting it go (move upwards see 1 Cor. Chap 7)

Again, this does not need to be big or dramatic.

Even though we might be working at rooting out some deep seated feelings of guilt, fear, and shame let us also be aware that we also have within us a core of peace, love, and joy, the Truth of Spirit. Let us also remember that no matter what we have experienced in life, no matter how bad or horrible we felt about ourselves, that this core of Truth has always been stronger than the sense of separateness.

In other words where we have known it or not, we have always known the truth we have always been in touch with it, we have always acknowledged it.

SOME QUOTES FROM THE COURSE(from the Course in Miracles Society Original  Edition)

“Yet what is it except a game you play in which identity can be denied? You are as God created you. All else but this one thing is folly to believe. In this one thought is everything set free. In this one truth are all illusions gone. In this one fact is sinlessness proclaimed to be forever part of everything, the central core of its existence, and its guarantee of immortality.” Lesson #191

“You whose minds are darkened by doubt and guilt, remember this: God gave the Holy Spirit to you and gave Him the mission to remove all doubt and every trace of guilt that His dear Son has laid upon himself. It is impossible that this mission fail. Nothing can prevent what God would have accomplished from accomplishment. Whatever your reactions to the Holy Spirit’s Voice may be, whatever voice you choose to listen to, whatever strange thoughts may occur to you, God’s will is done. You will find the peace in which He has established you, because He does not change His Mind. He is invariable as the peace in which you dwell and of which the Holy Spirit reminds you.” Perception of Knowledge: Guarantee of Heaven 

“Never approach the holy instant after you have tried to remove all fear and hatred from your mind. That is its function. Never attempt to overlook your guilt before you ask the Holy Spirit’s help. That is His function. Your part is only to offer Him a little willingness to let Him remove all fear and hatred and to be forgiven. On your little faith, joined with His understanding, He will build your part in the Atonement and make sure that you fulfill it easily. And with Him you will build a ladder planted in the solid rock of faith and rising even to Heaven. Nor will you use it to ascend to Heaven alone.”  Dream and Reality: The Happy Dream

Becoming and Empty Shell with our Experiences and Feelings Pt.2

It is my impression, and I state this emphatically, this is my interpretation: Many of the experiences referred to in 2 Timothy are what I like to call “unfinished feelings” they are feelings we have never dealt with, feelings we have stuffed because they were too scary or powerful to look at.

Now even those involved with psychological health will tell us of the toxicity of unfinished feelings. They can produce all sorts of problems including depression, and physical illness.

Again, simply on a psychological plain, there will be many times when bringing those deeply suppressed feelings to awareness will allow us to feel them and quickly let them go. The process begins by acknowledging our anger, fear, or hurt. We might cry, hold ourselves tightly, physically shake, yell, or scream to be able to feel the feelings and let them go.

This is what often times happens in therapy, a 5th Step (for 12 steppers), the sacrament of confession (now called the Rite of Reconciliation), or in the presence of another loving human being. The event does not have to be dramatic, loud, or complicated.

There are times when simply bringing a feeling to consciousness, acknowledging it, and owning it can be enough to produce the energy of letting it go.

When we become more clear and aware, feelings and experiences can become much less “sticky.” For instance, if I were to bring to consciousness a childhood memory of deep hurt, it might be necessary for me to cry, rage, have someone else understand and empathize with me in order for me to experience it and let it go. (As a child, obviously, I experienced the hurt, but I never “finished” the experience. I never worked through it enough to release it, let it go and heal). 

If I am aware of experiencing hurt today, I can first acknowledge the feeling, be aware that as real as it feels it is still a false perception (no one can do anything or take anything away from me; I am not being attacked, etc.). Then with the Holy Spirit release it upward. It’s done. It is only when I give the experience the “meaning of reality” that I have to deeply feel the feeling.

Along with all that it is important to know that the Presence of Spirit is here with us, walking us through the whole process. 

Acts 11(19-30) “The authority of the Holy Spirit is a great joy that fills your heart and leads you to do “the work of the Lord.” The work of the Lord is the work of the Holy Spirit, which means it does not come from you or any illusory authority. It comes directly from the authority of Spirit, and it is known in you by its joy and its authority. The Holy Spirit is within you because you have accepted it there. It is waiting in peace for the time in which you will invite it to come forth and be authority through you. It is an authority you will follow and you will be, that you may lead by its Word and be within your awareness.”

Please remember, not only are we not alone in this process of emptying and healing, but the Spirit is working with us. What is called for here as well as many other places on the path is our willingness: our willingness to feel; our willingness to experience; our willingness to let go, to move through; and most of all, our willingness to know who we truly are. 

Walking through the experiences we desired to have allows us to let go of the attachment to the feelings in and around that experience. Once the attachment is gone, the feeling is either meaningless or irrelevant. 

We are not alone; we are always in the presence of Truth. There is nothing to be afraid of because there is nothing to fear.

The end point of all our experiences is to lead us back to the realization of who we are, One with God.

Some experiences will remind us of who we are not, others will reinforce the Truth.

1Tim 4(1-5) “To love thy Self is to love all things and all circumstances, because you know all things and all circumstances come into being through God, which is all that is. Be grateful for the process that is God. In this way, you come to know within awareness that which is God, and you come to accept and love thy Self.”

Remember that all circumstances come to you for your awakening, because you are the creative process that is God and awakening is the purpose you have chosen. Look at your circumstances and remember your purpose, while remembering who you are. Place your faith with your motive as you look. In this way, you will be grateful for all things and all circumstances, because you see them in the light of purpose. In this way, you shall always rejoice, because you know there is no cause that can lead you away from rejoicing. (v 9, 10) This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: All things work together for God, and the purpose of God is to Know thy Self

I would also encourage you to read Luke 12. It gives a wonderful overview of much of this process.

Becoming and Empty Shell with our Experiences and Feelings Pt.1

                       Becoming and Empty Shell with our Experiences and Feelings
                       Pt.1


Whenever we encounter resistance and confusion it is usually a sign that we are bumping up against an important lesson. There is no right or wrong here, just the awareness that fear can take many forms, resistance and confusion being among them.


Mk 9 (2-13) “Peace is a gift from our Lord,” Jesus explained. Fear is our resistance to this gift. Both acceptance and resistance are in your mind now, so you experience both peace and fear. But know this won’t continue forever, for only peace is forever. Fear must pass away. Continue the work the Father has given you. When fear seems to come upon you, fall to your knees and join in counsel with the Voice for our Lord. Give Him your fears and your willingness to continue in service of our Lord. Your fear will fade away. Then rise and continue your work. In this way, you find yourself on the path of healing with a mighty companion by your side.”


Bear with me, as I am walking through this myself. This is truly a case of teaching what I want to learn; I simply want to be open to what the Holy Spirit has to teach me.


Let us keep our focus on what it is we are after, the healing of the One Mind and with it Peace, Joy, Oneness with God. (I was going to say the experience of Peace, Joy, and Oneness, but when we truly embrace who we are we do not experience these qualities, we are these qualities.) 


1 Cor 12(21-26) 2-6 "For everything works for the healing of one mind. There is no error, and there is no mistake. There isn’t one single flaw. There is only a mind listening to itself and recognizing which self is true. It is an awakening, a growing recognition, and it is perfect in every way."




I believe we all entered this study with a knowing that we live with a sense of separateness with God and one another, and that we deeply desire to heal that sense of separateness. So let us also focus on our intention, and know the Spirit is holding our hand and walking us home.
(Mt. 13(33)”it is through your choice, but not through your effort, that the kingdom of Heaven is given, for the kingdom of Heaven must be a gift given by the Father to you.”
Acts 10(9-23)14-18 “He will reach out to you through His Holy Spirit, which is His appointed Messenger sent to you within your dreams. This Messenger, knowing who you think you are, will meet you there in your dreams and talk to you as if you are the one you think you are. But this one comes to you for only one purpose and with only one goal. His purpose is to awaken you by leading you from where you think you are to the remembrance of what you must be. This is a holy purpose, and He comes to you in gratitude, grateful to meet you in your dreams and grateful to bring you Home.”


Let us start with the beginning (which I do not claim to fully understand). “A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the One Son of God had a tiny mad idea.”
That idea can be expressed in many ways: “I wonder what would be like to experience separateness?” or “I wonder what it would be like to experience what cannot be?” or “I wonder what it would be like to experience everything different from what it is?”


Now as the story goes, we became so captured  by our question that we immediately began to think of it as real. Because we thought that this “creation of separateness” was real, we began to experience guilt and fear. We then began to “think” that the guilt and fear were real and began to create a huge stage to play out that “reality.” (Have you ever witnessed a movie scene where a child is reading a book and all of a sudden they get sucked into it and become part of the story?)


Here we are today knowing that, “there is something wrong with this picture.” We begin to be aware of the desire of our heart, as mentioned above---Peace, Joy, Oneness with God.
We live with the faith that this yearning will be fulfilled. We also grow in awareness that this desire of our heart--peace, joy, oneness, has never gone away. The Truth has never not existed. We have just forgotten or have been lost in the dream of separateness.


Here we are today, knowing that all the stuff we have learned earlier about separateness, unworthiness, guilt, etc. has all been untrue and needs to be let go of, but that does not happen just by “wishing” it were so.


There is work to be done. The Course refers to the work as unlearning.
NTI refers to the work as becoming an empty shell.
We have been fairly clear about emptying the shell so far, but I think we got a little tangled in the working through experience part of things.


Let’s explore this one, remember resistance and confusion are usually the face of fear, and what we are working on doing (not alone, but with the Holy Spirit) is releasing all that is getting in the way of our knowing and embracing Truth.


We asked to experience separateness, we wanted to be able to explore what that would be like. There are infinite ways we can experience separateness, and they might all appear very different (incidents of anger, fear, depression, sickness, death, hurt, war, outrage, scarcity)*, but if we observe them closely and honestly they will all say the same thing: “you are separate."


*be aware of the cleverness of the mind in creating these experiences of separateness. The mind creates all sorts of props or stage setting to enhance the experience or make it seem “more real.” We can easily become lost in the props or the stage settings and lose touch with the experience we wished to have.


It seems obvious to me that any experience of separateness will interfere with my experience of Truth (peace, joy, oneness). I am being asked to let go of these distracting experiences as I become more of an empty shell, BUT the experiences of separateness that I wished for don’t go away simply because I want them to. I created these experiences to experience them, and therefore that is what needs to happen. I need to experience them.
Now--I do NOT need to experience them as the truth.
As I become more clear my experience might simply be a reflection of my awareness of a negative or separate thought and with the power of the Spirit within me, I might simply decide I do not wish to hold onto or enhance it any and allow it to pass “upward.”