Apr 4, 2009
Philip interviews Tomas Vieira about his possibly fatal illness and his use and experience of Course practices.
youHi Philip,
Can't tell how helpful these podcasts have been. I've been studying the course for about a year, sometimes struggling with doubts and confusion. Hearing your podcasts has shed light on many issues for me and helped me feel less isolated. I don't know any other course students and am not sure how to connect with a group. Thanks for your insights.
Paulette
Susan and Jeff
According to the course: the Holy Spirit is you. It is you in truth. All the rest, the voice of ego, is illusion. Never was.
Philip
Just in reply to Jeffs comment ...
"action recommended is ask Holy Spirit to help me see a situation properly. If we are of one mind, how can we ask anything outside ourselves for help? "
I would say that the Holy Spirit is of us ( or inside us, part of us)
it works with our perception so when we see something "out there" and we are asking to see it differently, seeing it differently happens in our thoughts, inside us, and the holy Spirit helps to change our perception which changes, our allows us to see it differently.
Just what I think, hope it helps
God Bless
EFFECT MAKES THE CAUSE.
no effect, no belief, it would not be for us, it would not continue
I wish I just wrote that at first :)
Joseph
Van.BC
Sorry guys my little chart didn't come out like I typed it in comment box so disregard it.
What I meant was
without an EFFECT(which causes more of the same)the cycle stops, or doesn't start,
so the effect is the cause,
it makes it real for us and makes more of the same,
what we believe ( perceive ) is what continues,
the EFFECT is our belief, and what we will experience,
its our responsibility to be mindful of our "EFFECTS" and ask
GOD to guide us.....I think
Philip, am I making sense here?
I think I just had a break through.
I started the lessons again. I just came back to where I grew up and I have long history of some pretty wild behavior. All which is a bit of a dream to me now. Anyway I'm reading pg 47 in text about judging. I write for a bit and realize,
EFFECT, IS THE CAUSE
with regards to perception ( not truth or knowledge ) without belief that something is, it isn't,
I used to think
CAUSE > EFFECT
then I thought
CAUSE>EFFECT>CAUSE>EFFECT etc
then if effect leads to a cause then it is a CAUSE,
if you do not believe something, it would not have an EFFECT,
it would not be for you. Believing something is the CAUSE,
is what makes it real
CAUSE>__________> nothing>nothing
so then
( imagined belief)
|
cause - EFFECT
|
it starts here
or doesn't
|
CAUSE > cause > effect >....etc
if we do not judge, no effect, it ceases to be for us, change our
mind, change the world, perception is optional,
truth/knowledge is certain,
anyway, thats where Im at, jus thought id share, thanks for the
pod casts Philip and crew, very helpful and a BIG thanks for the visuals, I'm really grateful for the effort.
Joseph
Van,BC
Great Post Susan, your bit below
The one thing that throws me a bit about ACIM as I'm understanding it is that the one action recommended is ask Holy Spirit to help me see a situation properly. If we are of one mind, how can we ask anything outside ourselves for help? Isn't it a perpetuation of the very idea of me vs. "the other" that has us in this dream in the first place?
is something that I would love some clarification on. Hopefully someone can help us out with this one!
Two things I want to say, neither specifically directed at this episode, but I can't find a way to send a general email....
I've come to A Course in Miracles for the second time recently. The first was about 30 years ago, when the 3 volumes were given to me by a man I was afraid of. I of course couldn't see the books at the time but rather the man in 3 volumes. I sold them at a garage sale for $10 (Somebody got a great deal!).
In the years since then my spiritual practice has centered in yoga, vedic mysticism, and the modern teachers of both, such as Chopra. Your podcasts, stumbled upon in a synchronous way that is quite amusing, are speaking to me powerfully, absolutely the right material at the right time. The shadow of that man is utterly absent, AND my formerly closed mind about all things Christian is absent, too, slowly evolving over 25 years of sobriety and personal growth supported by the 12 Steps. Bias gone! Yay!
So the first thing is: Thank you for making them available. I'm very enthusiastic about hearing and practicing knowledge that for me began in vedanta and is coming so clearly to me now through ACIM.
The second thing is a question I've had for many, many years. If I accept the underlying principle of unity, then it seems every thought or action that references in any way "the other," i.e, not me, is at its core separation, duality. Because of that idea I have not been a practitioner of petitionary prayer in any form, usually sticking to ideas such as intention, carried into meditation but not asking for anything. The one thing that throws me a bit about ACIM as I'm understanding it is that the one action recommended is ask Holy Spirit to help me see a situation properly. If we are of one mind, how can we ask anything outside ourselves for help? Isn't it a perpetuation of the very idea of me vs. "the other" that has us in this dream in the first place? I'd love to hear some perspectives on this.
Again, thank you for making the podcasts available to us all.
Rose
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Philip
Having lost my son to cancer in 2008, this episode really effected me. What Tomas said didn't come to him all of a sudden, it was something he had been seeking for a long time, I've been on this same quest trying to find this awe moment, thinking it was gonna be some huge neon sign when I got there, possiblely some miracle healing that was suppose to be a sign for all to see. It's not that at all, it's just a knowing, peace, a trusting that "this" isn't all there is. I have peace knowing that my son is around me, he shows me little signs all the time. You asked Tomas in the episode if he was just denying the facts, or are we just telling ourselves nice happy ending stories? No, it's something you just know, feel and as much as someone might try to drill this information into someone elses head, their only gonna get it when their ready. I think today when I heard this, I was ready to take it into my being. Does that sound weird? Maybe its because it's not your time yet. Keep seeking the truth, it will find you!!