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A Course in Miracles

We all are living lives of Quiet Desperation says Thoreau, where we “Seek But Do Not Find.”

Simply doing busy-ness all week can wear me thin sometimes. So this weekend became a time of reading and thinking, pondering and even a bit of praying for understanding on a deeper level, a level that might restore Peace.

Seeking helped me to find the following excerpts which miraculously restored my Peace, possibly it will assist you to re-member your own.

“A Course in Miracles” is the primary reference for this mindset, though I’d recommend starting with

The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness

for a beginning introduction.  Most of what I share here can be read in it’s full context in “The Lighthouse,” a newsletter of the Foundation for a Course in Miracles Volume 20 Number 4 December 2009 issue by Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D.  His masterful insights into A Course in Miracles was the inspiration for sharing this post with you.)

“…everyone who is born to dwell in this ‘dry and dusty world, where starved and thirsty creatures come to die’ (has) …chosen to believe the ego’s lies of separation over the Holy Spirits’s truth of Atonement, and (is thereby) still choosing to place faith in a pathological liar (the ego) who can never be trusted.”

A Course in Miracles suggests that our lives are quietly desperate because we shall never find the love and innocence for which we yearn, since we are looking in the wrong place.

An ego’s journey which leads to the hellish existence of sin, betrayal and death.  Taking the tiny mad idea of separation seriously – ie. calling it sinful.

What but the defenses of repression and projection can enable us to maintain our existence while still believing in the ego’s unchallenged reality of guilt and punishment?

The decision making mind that chooses guilt is the source of all the problems we experience as bodies.  Indeed, concealing our mind’s choice for the ego’s guilt is the purpose of the world.

…it was only our decision to be separate from love that has caused our distress.

The bodily dreamworld of guilt has come to occupy our attention so that the mind’s dreamworld of guilt is obscured, an obscurity that prevents our ever awakening from the dream to the loving innocence we left only in our delusional state of thinking.

And so the mind’s guilt over the nonexistent sin of destroying innocence remains concealed and protected by a world that is ignorant of what is driving its very existence.

As long as you believe that guilt is real.  This is the crux of the problem, as well as the solution…the issue is not the guilt itself, nor the world of guilt that arose from it, but only our belief in them.  This understanding is imperative if we are to return attention to our minds so that we may hear a different Voice.

A voice that helps us to make the correction from sin to mistake, from guilt to innocence, is the basis of forgiveness, the thrust of A Course in Miracles.

All distress is unforgiveness.

What worldly experience can ever come close to the joyous comfort that Jesus brings us through forgiveness?

It is nothing less than the peace of God that comes when we know not only that we are a mind, but a guiltless mind that is free from the illusions of an insane thought system, and therefore identified with the thought of truth.

All pain is resistance, our fear of the truth of our identity as God’s one Son.

What do you think?

Where are you looking for Truth?

Who is the Guide that you are following?

Photo of Tim and our son “Neo.”

Sam Deep’s recent blog post enlightened me with his insightful understanding of what I would call true-leadership (highlights and link to read the full article can be found at the bottom of this post).

It opened my eyes to a recent experience I had in the birthing room of a hospital when my wife gave birth to our son “Neo.”

What do you think is the biggest mistake that leaders make?

I look forward to you sharing your personal experience of being a leader and/or follower with your replies and comments.

Here is what I shared in response to Sam’s article:

“Deep and Insightful post Sam thank you.

It may not be a 12th major leadership mistake being similar to “5. Relating to people as objects,” but a distinction I’d like to add in any case.

Making the leadership mistake of…

“Being a Power over others, in place of a power to them”

…Though, I learned profoundly in a hospital birthing room just days ago it’s a mistake that can be made both ways!

As an American now living with my viking-wife on the fjord here in Norway and having just become parents to our son “Neo” provides the setting of my story.  At almost 44 years old it certainly is not my first experience with “power over vs. power to” but 5am in a birthing room with my wife and professionals wielding very large needles certainly required me to draw upon all my past experiences with leadership.

Placing the epidural needle into my wife’s spine was not going well as she looked to me at a time when I felt powerless to lead anything but my own hand which must have stroked her head hundreds if not thousands of times by then.  She was laying on her side and in ever increasing pain pleading with me to help her understand what the anesthesiologist was doing to her back!

Zero communication from the professionals in the room left me to guessing why the procedure had not been completed yet.  After what seemed at least 4 attempts to place the needle into my wife’s spinal fluid failed…my being in the role of being a power to the anesthesiologist flipped when FINALLY she communicated to us that she’d like to “try” the procedure again.

Silly what comes to mind at certain times in our life, all I could think of then was Master Yoda in Star Wars saying to Luke Skywalker “…no try, do or don’t do…”

Applying my vocabulary, understanding and compassion to the situation required that I then and there become the leader of it.

Was I mistaken in my own personal leadership allowing someone to stick large needles into my wife’s back while attempting to lead us as “objects?”

It took me a while to realize it…but ultimately my answer was a resounding “Yes” when I stood up to a professional who had violated our trust.

Is it possible that being a power “over” ourselves is the prerequisite to extending power “to” another?”

What are your thoughts?

I’m looking forward to you sharing your story of leadership experience.

(Sam’s list of the 11 Biggest Mistakes the leaders make is:

1. Succumbing to fear.
2. Failing to hold people accountable.
3. Refusing to learn.
4. Not seeing themselves as others do.
5. Relating to people as objects.
6. Not delegating enough.
7. Burying their heads in the sand.
8. Valuing “what” over “how.”
9. Acting unethically.
10. Leading in a spoke network.
11. Being a failure-preventer rather than a success-insurer.

I highly recommend reading the full post which can be found at:

http://www.asksamdeep.com/what-is-the-biggest-mistake-that-leaders-make

and the follow up post which can be read at:

http://www.asksamdeep.com/what-are-the-biggest-mistakes-that-leaders-make/ )

Previous Video “Trust” can be viewed HERE

What might joining us mean to you?

How might we be of service to each other?

Let us know with your comments below.

A sharing of my (usually private) morning time to establish the priority of Trust.

What does Trust mean to you?

Who do you Trust?

Leave your answers below by commenting on this video.

Looking forward to Extending and Strengthening Trust with You!

View video at Facebook Here (video opens in a new browser window, after it opens click on it):

http://www.facebook.com/v/1224509384276

Video can also be viewed Here:

http://www.audioacrobat.com/playv/WrV5M3ds

The follow up video to the one here is, “Life on the Fjord” and can be viewed here: http://timothybertowen.com/interviews/life-on-the-fjord/

After viewing the “Trust” video on this page leave us your comments below and let us know if Trust is important to You too.

Tim and Andrine Tindvik Owen

Tim@TimothyBertOwen.com

Skype ID:  tim-andrine

November 18th, 2007 my wife Andrine and I united here in Norway, two years ago tomorrow.

This was the music of our “First Dance” together during our quaint winter wedding ceremony in Brekstad, Norway (‘the mainland’ as us islanders refer to it:-)).

Smartest decision of my life…and we dance on!!

Andrine, you are my world…and our union is the greatest of all my Riches!!!!!!!!!

With You, All is Love.

Your Tim

PS. Apologies for poor coordination between the video images and the sound…new webcam with built in microphone is now on the wish list, any good recommendations for desktop webcams with a good built in microphone for windows?

Sound and images are well coordinated in the video below, enjoy!!!