Revelations 5

The seals on the scroll are the blocks and barriers to Truth that the mind thinks are real.
As it states so clearly (6-10) 2-3 "So what blocks this knowledge from your awareness?
It is the belief that you are what you are not, and that you could have done what you could not do."

Make a list of all the definitions you have of yourself and throw them all away. You are none of these.

There are no definitions of the Self, the Self simply IS.

This chapter is all about WORTHINESS.

In the Old New Testament version none are worthy except the "Lamb who has been slain." That leaves all the rest of us out in the cold.
The ONT also references the phrase, "Oh, Lord, I ma not worthy" any number of times, and that phrase has been incorporated into the Catholic liturgy and other places as well, I am sure.


If you were brought up Catholic, then the words, "Oh, Lord, I am not worthy" are probably indelibly written in your mind.
You might also know that the quote comes from at least two places in the Gospel: 1) John the Baptist speaks of being unworthy to "loose the sandal strap" of Jesus, and 2) the Roman soldier who was askign for healing for his servant said to Jesus, "I am not worthy that you should enter my under my roof."


In the past it seems saying "I am not worthy" was a way of showing honor and respect to another person, but we have turned it around to simply focusing on ourselves in a negative way. Most unfortunate. Jesus never told anyone they were not worthy.

NTI tells us very simply that everyone is worthy. No one is unworthy. You can't be. You are God's perfect creation.

We have been so pummeled by this false idea of unworthiness that it becomes quite difficult for us to be aware of our Divine nature. In fact, the false idea of unworthiness has been so deeply ingrained that to think we are One withe God and God's perfect creation is seen as arrogance. It is just the opposite that is true: to see ourselves as anything but the perfect creation of God is arrogance. Holding onto our unworthiness is a way of saying to God, "I'm right and You're wrong."

And so it is the belief "that you are what you are not, and that you have done what you could not do" that keeps us from the Truth.
We think we are unworthy; we think we did something that separated us from God. Do you get a sense of how powerful the ego thinks it is? Not only does it know more than God, but it also thinks it did the impossible, caused creation to be separate from its creator.

I'm thinking of a quote from ACIM (speaking of the ego): This fragment of your mind is such a tiny part of it that, could you but appreciate the whole, you would see instantly that it is like the smallest sunbeam to the sun, or like the faintest ripple on the surface of the ocean.
In its amazing arrogance, this tiny sunbeam has decided it is the sun, this almost imperceptible ripple hails itself as the ocean.
Think of how alone and frightened is this little thought, this infinitesimal illusion, holding itself apart from the universe...Do not accept this little, fenced-off aspect as yourself.
The sun and the ocean are nothing beside what you are.

REVELATIONS CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4

I just love this first paragraph:

(v 1 - 6)1Looking too deeply for the meaning of symbolism is an activity of the thinking mind. 2Analyzing details and searching for meaning is asking the ego to explain images to you.  P. 466

Here I am spending my time and energy trying to figure something out, and missing the show. It’s like I find a ticket to Cirque de Soilet in my pocket and instead of watching the show I soend all my time womveringhow the ticket got there. And at theend of the show I still don’t have an answer, but I missed the whole thing.

This lesson is even more powerful for me since I found some of the language in this chapter quite confusing, and spent a good bit of time trying to figure it out and understand it.

After I wrestled with the material for awhile what finally came to me was that I could analyze all the diffent little pieces of illusion, but they would still be illusion. 

Anything that seems to tell me I am separate from God, or Truth or Love, is an illusion and needs to be let go of--that’s my ticket--

(14_22) v.3 But when you have left these beliefs behind as tiny wisps of air that are not noticed, you shall see the world differently. From chapter 3 P.466

REVELATIONS CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

The Message here is “Wake Up!” But as I mentioned before it is not about waking up and being frightened or guilty. I is about waking up to the Truth you already know: you are theSon of the God, the Christ. The Prodigal Son never left home(only in his mind, because you can never leave the Father’s unconditional love--you can pretend, you can forget, but that does not detract from Truth that IS.

There is a great line in this chapter about thinking that you are the “greatest sinner of all time.” I was reminded of that old definition of an alcoholic--an egomaniac with an inferiority complex.”

I really get tweeked when I read passages such as v. 11-13 telling me that  joy, peace, etc. are right around the corner. When I here messages like that I find myself waiting for something to happen. OK, God, I’ ready for the joy now, and then nothing happens. What I miss is that this is not a passive trip, there is work to be done. 

In its simplest form the work is described in (14_22) v.3 But when you have left these beliefs behind as tiny wisps of air that are not noticed, you shall see the world differently. P.466

REVELATIONS CHAPTER 2

Revelations Chapter 2

 The beginning of this chapter reminded me of that beautiful quote from Augustine, “You have made our hearts restless, and they will never rest until they rest in Thee.”

When confusion hits, know it is the ego that is confused, not You.

“Do not hate the voice. Simply do not follow it.” Tell it, Thank you for sharing and then open yourself to Divine guidance.

1. 8-11 remind me that “in my defenselessness my safety lies.” (ACIM)

1. 12-13 is great wisdom in dealing with darkness.

You might also want to check out:

Mark 1(43-45); Romans 1(18-32) 1-8; and 2 Thessalonians 2(1-4)

Fear and Guilt go hand in hand, although neither on is the truth they can grab us because we are so used to experiencing those two demons.

We are encouraged to stare them down, as the lies that they are in the powerful presence of God, and let them dissolve away.

REVELATIONS CHAPTER 1

Reflections:           NTI  Revelations    Chapter 1

The old/New Testament book of Revelations was formerly known as the Book of the Apocalypse(meaning The End of the World, Final Judgment, and all those other things). Coming at the end of the New Testament, I always felt as if it was a very definite warning to get your act together because you “did not know the day or the hour.” It did not seem as if anyone was safe.

Even beginning with chapter , the Lord says some good things about a particular church, but then slams them with what they are doing wrong--again, “you better get it together, NOW!”

There is a good bit of fear and trembling here. I often wondered where did the God of Love go to?

In NTI we are also reminded that the time has come, but in a much more gentle loving way. The time has come to claim your inheritance as the Son of God, because you are now aware of this truth. You are Home, or at least you are beginning to know the truth of that. 

It is all a question of what I am identifying with---my ego, my attachments, who I think I am, my past, my fears or my True identity--which is beyond all “I” thinking.

Reflections on v. 1-8

You already know you are more than your body, mind and emotions. Why do you keep identifying with them? This identification and attachment keep you in false perception.

All my thoughts keep shouting, “look at me; I’m real!”

The Truth of who you are is not to be grasped by the intellect, the thinking mind(or as Marianne Williamson calls it, “the mortal mind.”)

Buddha’s reflection on the Golden Rule--”See yourself in others, who then shall you harm.”

My mind still wants an answer, still wants to explain everything. Here is where I get trapped so often.

I want to think/believe that I have some purpose, but that’s the catch, ultimately, there is no “I”

I would also like to explain and understand why we got here, how this whole thing got started. 

Buddha suggested, “It’s none of your business.”

The most consoling message for me is, “You are not alone.” in all your confusion, and even self-doubt and other struggles, You are not alone.

If I could only remember that I would probably struggle much less.

THE MEANING OF LIFE PART 1

After studying ACIM,NTI and other forms of spiritual awareness, many of us are still left with the question, “Why did we start this whole thing if it seems so messy and painful?” “If it is a game, can’t we stop it right now?” or “How did this whole thing get started?”

ACIM explains the beginning of the illusion or life on planet earth as beginning with a “tiny mad idea” of wondering what it would be like to be separate (fromGod). NTI has a similar explanation that it all begin with a wish to experience things different than they are.

My take on all this is that the Western mind is oriented, perhaps even hard-wired to having a mental construct or intellectual framework to operate in initially.

Whenever I was giving a retreat, without even  thinking about it, I would usually spend the first few hours helping to construct a model or intellectual framework that we would be working with. Even though the material would be spiritual in nature, the 12 steps, healing, etc. It always felt natural and comfortable for me have a structure to fall back on even though it essentially became irrelevant) 

What I am beginning to get for myself is that no matter what system we might be working with, traditional Christianity, ACIM, NTI--any other form of Western Spirituality, there seems to be need to explain how it all began, what happened.

Buddhism and Hinduism do not seem to need this kind of explanation.

I am working on becoming less attached to the story, the explanation of how it all got started, whether it was eating an apple, or a “tiny mad idea” or “a wish to see thing differently than they are.” 

All these are “stories”--ways to explain the unexplainable. They have the purpose of shutting up the thinking mind for a while, so the soul can do its work.

Soon the mind will be dissatisfied with the story and go looking for a new one. 

I don’t want to spend my time thinking about or trying to prove a particular story is true or real or not.

 My Soul has more important things to do or not do.

I missed an implication in NTI some time ago,and as I was rereading a passage it hit me.

Romans 4 (13-15) 3-8 p. 266

3In creating you, God extended Himself. 4In extending His Truth, that which is Enrichment was enriched further. 5So in your existence, God Himself is enriched. 6This is why you are His joy. 7You are His own enrichment. 8And that which enriches God must be Enrichment Itself.

The above passage explains the “meaning of life” in a much more positive way than the tiny mad idea, etc. It apples more to my sense of mystery as well as not involving my mind in the pseudo-judgment about guilt, fear ,etc.

I cannot understood the stemming form NTI with my head, only my heart.

The link below will take you to a sound clip from a talk given by Ram Dass. He has a delightful take on this question. There might be a short ad before the .mp3 file is available.

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/1aLqHYCs/meaning_of_life.html

REFLECTIONS ON TITUS AND PHILEMON

TITUS and PHILEMON

I am both at a loss for words and grateful for not needing them.

The next two books, Titus and Philemon stand on their own. I would encourage you to read each one slowly and reverently. Know that you are not grasping these truths with your mind, but you are letting them settle into your heart where you already know them as true.