Ultra-retreat - 5, pm

I went for a 50 minute walk this afternoon. I noticed as I hiked down the hill to the park that my quads are still unhappy. Unhappy quads do not do a very good job of keeping knees properly aligned. So I will stay on flat roads for my morning jogs. I really really enjoyed what I did this morning.

On to the metaphysics:

I am a Course student (A Course in Miracles). This means that I am serious about learning the Course material. The Course's premier practice is “forgiveness.” Course students do not forgive sins; but they practice seeing only holiness and innocence, using Christ vision, because no sin ever happened. God only created the holy. Nothing else exists. What we humanly think of as sins are really mental errors which need correction by Jesus. Hence the second Course practice is for me to bring all my mental errors (grievances and fears) to Jesus for correction.

If Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself;” then anyone should understand perfectly why I am a Course student. The Course offers the most clear cut directions I’ve ever studied about how to get the junk about myself out of my mind, and how to get the junk I think about others out of my mind.

So, I come to the great gift I’ve received in being temporarily unemployed. The opportunities for resentment abound; but I am a serious Course student, hence I recognize that the opportunities for practicing authentic, genuine, heart true forgiveness abound also. It is more important to me to learn forgiveness than to have financial security; because the world is an illusion anyway.

Step 1: In looking at myself, I see that my ego whispers to me, “You must have done something wrong or you would not have been laid off. There is some flaw in you.” This is not true even on the material world level. According to the Course, I did nothing wrong and have never done anything wrong: because the world is an illusion. So, see only holiness and innocence in myself. Deny the ego its power by not believing it, but believing Jesus instead.

Step 2: “They” didn’t do anything wrong either. They are the Holy Son of God who can bless me endlessly if I give them their holiness and innocence back by seeing only that in them. I am not a sacrifice or a victim. They are not unfair cheaters or somehow luckier than me. The only truth is the silent presence of God everywhere and in everyone, seen in holiness and innocence.

Step 3: Keep using Christ vision no matter what. In the mean time, follow Jesus guidance both on the mental plane and the physical plane. Wherever it is that I accept employment, it will be where I can be of maximum service to Jesus. That is all that matters.

Thank you Son of God. Thank you Jesus.