A Course in Miracles teaches us that our life in this world is but a dream, and that if we wish to be happy, we must choose to see it differently, through the eyes of Spirit. This has become the purpose of my life, and I've come to realize that this Purpose is truly my only choice. In this blog, I'll be sharing my insights, experiences, and miracle stories... as well as the videos, audios, and music I've found to be very helpful. May these resources offer you the peace and clarity you deserve!
I went live on Facebook tonight to share about “no people pleasing”, and “no private thoughts”... AND about this new documentary which illustrates these principles in action! Here’s a brief summary…
In our Living Miracles community, “no people pleasing”, and “no private thoughts” are the two foundational guidelines we practice as a means of opening our heart and transcending the ego self. When I tell people about this, they usually tell me that it sounds a bit “scary”!
I can understand why it would seem that way. AND... in my experience these principles are practiced with such care and intuition in our community. It is a path of love, transparency, and True Kindness. And if you could only see the healing that occurs in people as a result…
Well the good news is that now you can! There’s a brand new film that was produced this year called “Take Me Home” which documents the healing process that went on over a 30-day period at our Living Miracles Monastery where these principles are practiced. The documentary was produced by Frances Xu, who was guided to make the film purely for her own healing (as opposed to for worldly acclaim), and the end result is an amazing experience. It is a film that has the potential to bypass your intellect, go straight to your heart, and connect you directly with Source.
I’ve seen it twice now and both times it was like a profound meditation. I was brought to tears several times throughout the movie, and at the end, I was basically like ‘puddy’ in the Holy Spirit’s Hands. :-)
For those of you who’d like to see “no private thoughts” and “no people-pleasing” in action, I invite you to join us for the ONLINE PREMIER of this documentary in late December. Since the U.S. premier last August, Frances, David Hoffmeister, and members of the cast and crew have begun leading workshops and retreats on these principles, using the film as a means of illustration and to give people the chance to ask questions. This will be the first time such a retreat will be offered online, and I can think of no better Christmas gift to give yourself than a weekend devoted to the Christ in you. ❤️❤️❤️
It’ll be on the weekend of Dec 27-29. If you'll be somewhere with family, I suggest telling them that you’ll be taking the majority (if not ALL) of that weekend as a Christmas Gift to yourself to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas. Be willing to face whatever backlash arises, and trust that it'll all be okay. :-) I’ve had to communicate this kind of thing SO many times in the past with my family over the holidays, where I felt to be more “inward” than “social”. And while it was always a bit difficult to stick with what I Knew was best for my healing, it was always definitely worth it!
Plus, it’s a great opportunity to start practicing “no family pleasing”! 😍
I'll be going live again tonight... this time to share my experience of practicing "the secret of true prayer".
In "The Song of Prayer: Prayer, Forgiveness, Healing", one of the two supplements that followed A Course in Miracles, Jesus gave us this amazing sentence:
“The secret of true prayer is to forget the things you think you need.” (S-1.I.4:1)
I've always found this line to be SO helpful and practical. It is the secret of true prayer because not only does it undo the ego's replacements for inner Peace (the things I think I need), but it ensures that everything we TRULY need WILL be Given us. <3 <3 <3
I'll be live at 9pm EST, or you can always watch the replay later. :-)
I'll be going live quite soon from YouTube (Tuesday, Nov 12, at 9pm EST) to share a song and some metaphysics from A Course in Miracles. You can watch live or see the replay later!
After A Course in Miracles was all written but before it had been published, Helen, Bill, Judy, and Ken sat down one day and prayed to Jesus, "What should we do with the Course now that it's finished?"
The answer they got?
"Make the commitment first."
Before he could give them their next steps, they needed to first have made a commitment to stewarding the Course as faithfully as possible for the rest of their lives. Why? Because Jesus knew that all the steps that would follow would flush up a great deal of ego resistance, and that if their minds were "wishy-washy", the ego would win the day.
Someone once asked Mother Teresa, “If you knew what your life would become once you picked that first person up off the street, would you still have done it?” And she said, “No!” She said at that point in her life it would have been too frightening to even ponder that amount of responsibility, and that the fear would have made her give up.
This is why the Spirit only gives us steps He knows we can handle. And He asks us to commit to whatever He knows we’re ready for, because this will pull us through the ego resistance that will inevitably follow. This is how we are led from step to step along the mind-training of A Course in Miracles, as each small commitment prepares us for the next and then the next... until we're ready for the final commitment: choosing to accept the Atonement for our Self once and for all and without ever turning back! :-D
Committing to attend an event with the purpose of Awakening is one example of a step that can be offered by Spirit. I've experience SO many times how the event actually begins the moment that I register. It may feel like a big step in the moment, but once I take that "leap of faith" and commit, a quantum shift is felt immediately! My whole life reorients around this new, inspiring future and sense of Purpose, and all the universe suddenly seems to conspire to support me!
Of course, doubt thoughts may seem to arise (usually in the form of other people—family, friends, etc.), but once I've made the commitment, it doesn't phase me. It's like I'm plugged into a reservoir of Strength from beyond "me" and which carries me through whatever fears may arise. I can face all those doubt thoughts with Love, knowing that they're only arising to be forgiven.
It's very empowering to follow my heart regardless of what the world thinks of me, knowing I can't be swayed from my Goal.
If you feel you're meant to be there with us next August 2020 for Awakening 2 Love, I invite you to "make the commitment first" and register now before the early bird special ends. Following your heart ALWAYS involves facing your fears, but you'll be SOOOOOOOO glad you did in the end!
By the way, here's a taste of last year's Awakening 2 Love event—the complete opening talk from David Hoffmeister and Frances Xu!
Description: In this opening session of the Awakening 2 Love Enlightenment Retreat held at the Living Miracles Monastery in Utah, David Hoffmeister and Frances Xu share some incredible insights and parables about the awakening journey. They speak about the addiction to time and how thinking about the past and future are actually defenses against a present change in focus. It is actually possible to not think about time at all and live fully in the present, happy and free.
In this session, Frances also speaks about the making of her documentary movie “Take Me Home” which will be shown at this retreat. The documentary illuminates the two principles we practice here at the monastery, “no people pleasing” and “no private thoughts.” These principles are all about being transparent, which we've discovered to be helpful practices towards awakening from the egoic thought system of fear and guilt. At the end of this opening session, several participants share their gratitude for being here (some came from quite a long distance) and for David and the way he has demonstrated the truth for so many years.
This session opens with two beautiful songs performed live by Svava Love. It was recorded on the evening of August 2, 2019, at the Living Miracles Monastery in Utah, USA.
This was a Facebook Live I did on November 10, 2019 to share about what I'm being Guided to do next. In my last video I announced I'd be going on tour soon, but after praying into that more, I discovered that Spirit had other plans for me!
This weekend I attended an online retreat with David Hoffmeister,Frances Xu, and others from the Living Miracles community, and it was a very powerful experience for me. Not only am I going through a transition at the moment in my life (getting ready to embark on a new phase of Spirit-led travels - see last post), but I've been praying for a deeper experience of what Purpose really means. This retreat was an answer to my prayer.
The weekend started off with a beautiful and intimate session with Frances Xu, in which she shared from her own experience and opened it up for others to share as well. Some of my favorite take-aways from this session were as follows (each point below is a combination of what was actually said plus the insights I gained from this):
Session one with Frances
1. Our mind's creative power is active ALL the time. It never sleeps. It is therefore important to watch the mind carefully in every moment, for it is always using its power to align with and extend the Truth, or to multiple illusions. The difference between these two purposes in our experience is the difference between Heaven and hell.
2. It is necessary to become as honest as I can about my own egoic motivations and purposes in every moment, as subtle as they may seem. For example, when I'm not happy in what I'm doing, it's helpful to ask myself why I'm doing it. "Am I doing this to please somebody, to gain approval, to ensure that I'll still be loved?" Just acknowledging and being honest with ourselves about our underlying motivations is how the healing process begins.
This is, in fact, what the mind-training of A Course in Miracles is for. Jesus says, "The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance." And the only way to allow those blocks to be removed is by first allowing them to be seen and accepted. It's helpful, for example, to admit, "Yes, right now I'm very much wanting to make sure that so-and-so will remain happy with me. That is my purpose at the moment."
This is akin to the first step of all 12-step programs: "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable." In our terms we could say "We admitted we were powerless over our egoic desire for approval—that our lives had become unmanageable." Only by taking this first step of exposing the problem exactly as it is can we then open up to accepting Holy Spirit's Help.
3. Just relax! Only in a relaxed state can we hear everything we need to hear from Spirit. Yet we generally take this spiritual journey way too seriously, as if we have to personally "get it right". In the Course, Jesus makes it clear that our tiny part is merely to have "a little willingness". And when Frances invited us all to just relax and let go of any seriousness or pressure we may have been putting ourselves, I realized something profound: that relaxing is HOW I can give my little willingness to the Spirit! So long as I'm tense and trying to figure something out or "get it right", I'm actually usurping His function. Relaxing is mine!
Incidentally, "Just Relax" was the title of the first song I was Guided to write ten years ago when I was going through a similar phase. And I need to hear it now just as much as I did back then. Listening to it again now, I am reminded of how simple this journey really is: my willingness to relax is truly ALL that is being asked of me.
Session two with David
As I shared in a recent Facebook post, there were two main take-aways I got from this very powerful session with David:
1. That purpose is in and of the mind. It has nothing to do with the body or form of any kind.
What it means to me is that whenever I'm asking the question, "What should I do?" or "What is my purpose on this earth?", I'm actually caught on the ego's playing field already. My question should actually be, "What is my purpose in the mind?" This question can serve to redirect my attention back to the fact that I am not the body but the mind; the dreamer of the dream. And as the dreamer, I only have one of two choices to choose between: I can either fall asleep and use the dream to reinforce the belief that I am a body, or I can let Holy Spirit awaken me from the dream by forgiving all the symbols I perceive.
On this topic, I was also reminded by something David said regarding the disappearance of the universe. This is where it's all leading, because the "physical universe" was merely a projection of the ego, made to keep the mind asleep. Awakening leads first to a happy dream in which the dream is SEEN as a dream, and then to the permanent revelatory experience in which the dream disappears once and for all!
So the question becomes, am I willing to let the dream (and myself as a body) disappear? Am I willing to let it all go?
If not, it's good to look at what I'm still valuing here. Not to beat myself up over it, but simply to become aware of the problem exactly as it is (again, like the first step). Awareness of the problem is always the first step to becoming free of it.
2. The second major take-away I got was regarding transparency and how important that is. Transparency with the Spirit. Not hiding anything. Allowing my dark thoughts to arise and be exposed in His Light. This is related to the "Technique to end all techniques" audio post I recorded, which helped me through a morning of deep darkness I was stuck in recently...
Session 3 with David (Movie session)
For the third session of the retreat, David showed us the movie "Illusion", which I HIGHLY recommend if you haven't seen it (and if you have, you should watch it again)!
Here's a trailer...
This movie brought up some deep emotions for me, and it again brought me to the question I mentioned above... am I willing to disappear? Am I willing to let the movie of my life end? If not, why not? Am I identified with it? And if so, is that identification worth the cost of being unaware of my true Identity which it was made to replace?
Deep questions...
After the movie, David really emphasized the need to put our full focus on Enlightenment Now... to really go for it! To not hold back! To put our full heart into it! It really stirred my heart when he began talking this way, and I realized how much I needed to hear that. I've been so caught up in trying to be a good person, even a good "spiritual person" that I'd forgotten how deeply I want to transcend personhood all together!
Final Session with David and a panel of others
Okay, I took a lot of notes during this session, because my mind was just exploding with insights the whole time! Some of these notes were based on what David said, and others just came to me independent of what he said but were clearly related. I'll list them all and elaborate on some of them...
1. I don't have to figure anything out! Just trust and sink inwards beneath the thoughts in order to look at them. Nothing else to do...
2. Even making future plans is to make a bodily identity, and to make a bodily identity is to deny our True Identity. Future plans can still be made through me, but this is a very different kind of experience than making plans for the future to secure the body and it's paradigm. Personal planning is actually an attack on the Son of God, our true Identity.
3. Even to just be concerned about the future is to attack the Son of God.
4. Again... my purpose and function are IN THE MIND (not in the body).
5. Only the MIND is in need of salvation (not people). And it is salvaged ONLY through Peace. Peace requires that we listen to and follow only ONE Voice in our mind; the Voice of the Holy Spirit.
8. Be like a turtle: just relax and go slow! Slow and steady is the way to return to God.
9. And finally, my favorite: If I'm not clear on what to do next, it's probably best to do nothing until I am. There's nothing that I need to do, for doing is never a cause in and of itself. It is always merely an effect of my purpose in mind, and it doesn't have any effects of its own (doing is never causative). My willingness to look within is ALL that is ever required, and all the appearances of "helpful doings" will merely arise out of this willingness automatically.
Summary
Overall, I feel like this retreat helped me open to a deeper experience of the metaphysical teachings Jesus has offered us in the Course; the dream-like nature of this world, the fact that it's all MIND, and that our little willingness to look at everything with Spirit is all that He's asking of us.
The turtle analogy has been coming in very strongly as well; to just relax and allow myself to go as slow as I need to feel steady and relaxed throughout. Of course, there are times when the Spirit will move through us very quickly in order to reduce the pain and fear (like pulling a band-aid off quickly instead of a torturous peeling), but this is under Christ's control and not our own. Willingness, again, is the only contribution we can make to His overall Plan.
And thank God! For if willingness is our only contribution, well then, our only job in each moment becomes to see how we are unwilling and to look at the underlying fears. Probably my favorite "technique" for transcending fear, which I've used and talked about many times over the years, is to ask myself, "What specifically am I afraid of right now?" I've found that just becoming aware of what I'm specifically afraid of and then asking Jesus for help with it brings me to a feeling of ultimate release.
So thanks so much for reading this and hopefully you got a few "nuggets" out of these notes. Keep in mind that these kind of online retreats are currently happening on the first weekend of every month, and the value they offer is truly priceless! Next month's theme will be "The Forgiven World" and you can learn about it (and other upcoming events) by clicking here. ❤️
Over the past 10 years, I've often been guided to travel on faith to share music, love, and the teachings of Jesus in A Course in Miracles. Each travel adventure has been instrumental in taking me deeper into the experience that Jesus promises us in the Course:
"Once you accept His plan as the one function that you would fulfill, there will be nothing else the Holy Spirit will not arrange for you without your effort. He will go before you making straight your path, and leaving in your way no stones to trip on, and no obstacles to bar your way. Nothing you need will be denied you. Not one seeming difficulty but will melt away before you reach it. You need take thought for nothing, careless of everything except the only purpose that you would fulfill. As that was given you, so will its fulfillment be. 10 God's guarantee will hold against all obstacles, for it rests on certainty and not contingency. It rests on you. And what can be more certain than a Son of God?"
~A Course in Miracles (T-20.IV.8.4-12)
These travel phases seem to be interspersed by periods of deep rest and/or devotion to service in my spiritual community. Whether traveling, sinking into stillness, or collaborating on projects with other devoted brothers and sisters, the purpose remains the same: Awakening. Through it all, I can feel Jesus lovingly guiding me deeper and deeper into the experience of Eternal Peace that he discovered himself, that he may extend that experience through me. Here's an interview I did in which I shared more about my experience of this (please forgive the video issues that occur)...
As I write this blog (November 3, 2019), I'm getting ready for another travel phase that will take me from the Peace House (one of our community centers) in Cincinnati to wherever Spirit guides. This typically occurs through invitations from others who feel a Calling to join me in this purpose by hosting me for a gathering in their home or a local venue. I've posted many of these gatherings online here for anyone to freely listen to.
Once the details of this upcoming travel phase (and where I'll be going) becomes clear and invitations start coming in, I'll be posting all the details on this Event page. If you'd like to receive updates by email, simply subscribe to this blog (in the upper-right) as I'll be posting each new gathering that gets scheduled (you can always unsubscribe later). You can also subscribe to my regular mailing list here and let me know in the comments section of any inspirations you have to connect!
And if you're interested in the possibility of hosting a gathering with me yourself, you can send me an email at erik@livingmiracles.org. I'll then be happy to join with you over the phone and pray into the possibilities. 💖💖💖
With love,
Erik
P.S. If you'd like to go deeper into the teachings of Jesus in A Course in Miracles, you can find many online resources I've shared over the years, and you can also check out the much larger body of resources that have been shared by my long-time teacher and friend David Hoffmeister. To me, David is like a modern-day Jesus. He has been a huge inspiration and blessing to thousands whose lives have been touched by his, and his teachings are crystal clear, down-to-earth, and uncompromisingly joyful!
Well the good news is that now you can! There’s a brand new film that was produced this year called “Take Me Home” which documents the healing process that went on over a 30-day period at our Living Miracles Monastery where these principles are practiced. The documentary was produced by Frances Xu, who was guided to make the film purely for her own healing (as opposed to for worldly acclaim), and the end result is an amazing experience. It is a film that has the potential to bypass your intellect, go straight to your heart, and connect you directly with Source.
