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So, it becomes plain to us that whereverwe may find ourselves is exactly where weshould be, for we are there to bring salva-tion to the world through our forgivenessof the situation, or rather through ourwillingness to let the Holy Spirit’s percep-tion be ours. This healing in thought maynot always bring change in the way wethink it should appear or come as quicklyas we think it should happen, but “healing

is always certain.”(M-6.1:1)

During this holidayseason, which culmi-nates with the celebra-tion of the birth of thePrince of Peace, let usobserve the rebirth ofpeace and trust withinour hearts. Let us trustthat what we view inour lives asconflict,pain, or

sorrow can give birth to peace ifwe are willing to look throughthe eyes of the Holy Spirit. “TheHoly Spirit, as always, takes whatyou have made and translates it into alearning device. Again as always, Hereinterprets what the ego uses as anargument for separation into a demon-stration against it.” (T-6.V.A.2:4)

The following story, by the Editors

s the season of gratitude and peaceapproaches, it is often difficult for

us to believe God is present in the painful,confusing situations of life, or that anything“good” can come of a tragic circumstance.And yet, this is our guarantee, for as weread in the Course, “All things work to-gether for good. There are no exceptionsexcept in the ego’s judgment.” (T-4.V.1:1)

The face of God is in that person whojudged me unjustly, thehand of God is workingin the internal politicalstruggle our country isgoing through, and thepeace of God is thefinal outcome for thatbattle between thosewarring countries. Yes,God is present, notbecause He caused theproblems in our livesor seeming pains andconflicts in the world.God is present because He can never beabsent from our minds. God is in ourminds as the reminder that there is a betterway, that love is our strength, that forgive-ness is the key, and that joining with mybrother past the seeming circumstances oflife is the way that Christ is recognized. Inthat recognition is salvation accomplished.“Salvation of the world depends on youwho can forgive. Such is your functionhere.” (W-pI.186.14.5)

A

Beverly is the co-founder and president of MDC, one of the longest running organizations basedon A Course in Miracles. As a student, lecturer and author on the Course since 1977, herrecorded weekly commentaries on Course principles have become a wonderful source of inspi-ration and study for many around the world. Receive a FREE recording by contacting MDC.

Let’s Keepit Going!

by Beverly Hutchinson McNeff

November / December 2014A Miracle Distribution Center Publication

Continued on page 15

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Lay DownYour Arms

““TThhee ffaaccee ooff GGoodd iiss iinn tthhaattppeerrssoonn wwhhoo jjuuddggeedd mmee

uunnjjuussttllyy,, tthhee hhaanndd ooff GGooddiiss wwoorrkkiinngg iinn tthhee

iinntteerrnnaall ppooll ii tt iiccaall ssttrruugggglleeoouurr ccoouunnttrryy iiss ggooiinngg

tthhrroouugghh,, aanndd tthhee ppeeaaccee ooffGGoodd iiss tthhee ffiinnaall oouuttccoommeeffoorr tthhaatt bbaatttt llee bbeettwweeeenn

tthhoossee wwaarrrriinngg ccoouunnttrriieess..””

our responses to our 2014fundraising appeal have just begun

coming in as we go to press on thisissue of THE HOLY ENCOUNTER. As always,we at the Center are grateful not just foryour support during this annual appeal,but for those of you who generouslyand loyally support MDC’s work all yearlong.Our monthly Holy Helpers, along

with all our consistent donors, keep theCenter functioning year-round, servingCourse students and reaching outaround the globe. While we do our ut-most to see that each and every individ-ual donation is gratefully acknowledged,it’s important for us to remind you justhow essential you and your support areto MDC’s mission.

If you have yet to re-spond to this year’s appeal,please consider joining the ranks of those whokeep MDC’s doors openand the Course’s teach-

ings going outinto the world. We also

included in themailing a Miraclecard that can be carried with you.It’s a little different

this year; not only is there a powerfulquote from the Course on one side, buton the other side you’ll find a barcode

Y

Continued on page 13

�� She is not a body, she is free! On August 6, 2014, our dear friend and mem-ber of Miracle Distribution Center’s Boardof Directors, Connie Rief, gently laid herbody down. She was athome in hospice carewith her husband Jerrylovingly at her side forthe last few months.Now it’s time for her “to rest a while fromlabor gladly done andgladly ended.” She andJerry, who is still a boardmember, were always the first to lend ahand in support and service. We will missConnie’s sweet smile and physical pres-ence, but she will always live on throughthe life of the Center. To paraphrase TheSong of Prayer when it describes what weexperience at death: “Now Connie goes inpeace to freer air and gentler climate,where it is not hard to see the gifts shegave were saved for her. For Christ isclearer now; His vision more sustained inher; His Voice, the Word of God, more cer-tainly her own.” We celebrate your libera-tion, Connie, and we are grateful to haveyou surrounding us with your love. Wesend our continued prayers to Jerry andthe family during this healing time.

��Welcome Trinidad We recently wel-comed a new group in the Republic ofTrinidad and Tobago to our map of ACourse in Miracles Study Groups. Anatahosts a group in the country’s capital city,

Port of Spain. Search our world map to findone of the 2,000 groups nearest you. Justgo to www.miraclecenter.org

�� Conference Memories Our 2014Conference was a transformational experi-ence for those who attended. After you’veread our wrap-up commentary and en-joyed some photos from the weekend onpage 8 & 9, we invite you to view a video of highlights from the weekend. Our talented videographer Bill Kasal hasassembled an inspiring collage of confer-ence memories. Go to our websitewww.miraclecenter.org and find a link tothe video in the right column.

�� Lend your voice to our conferencesong We created a song for our 2014Conference based on the conferencetheme, “The Light Has Come.” Sung to thetune of the English folk song, “The Water isWide,” the song was performed through-out the weekend. We invite you to watchthe video on our website. You’ll see thewords, along with beautiful photos, but itwill require your voice to complete thearrangement, so try out your karaoke skillstoday. Go to www.miraclecenter.org andclick on “Blog” in the menu bar.

�� Giving a truly meaningful Gift Here’swhat many students of the Course havedone: Given a tax-deductible donation toMDC in someone’s honor or memory. Ifyou would like to give in such a way, sendyour donation and request, and we willsend him, her or the family a personalized

letter acknowledging your appreciation andsupport. It’s a wonderful honor for thatdedicated someone or their family. And,what a blessing it will be to those the Center serves, for your donation will go tosupport its free services! Gifts in memoryof... Natsu Ugehara, “my dear friend” fromMitsue Hugel in Pennsylvania. ... MelMitchell from Dawn Ahart in California.…Bill in “loving memory” from Martha Hallcroft in Florida.

�� Legacy Community The Center’sLegacy Community recognizes individualswho make one of the deepest, most per-sonal commitments to our Center throughplanned gifts. When including a charitableinterest to us in an estate plan, it means including Miracle Distribution Centeramong those people and places you valuemost. Bequests, charitable trusts, namingMiracle Distribution Center as beneficiaryof an IRA and charitable gift annuities areamong the many gift vehicles that qualifyas planned gifts. We invite you to call us at 1-800-359-2246 or visit our website formore information.

�� The Course reminds us that God doesnot hear our words but the prayer of ourhearts. Perfect words in prayer no matterhow lovely they may be are not the way toget God’s attention. A heart focused onhealing and willingness, however, opens agentle path to God. Let us use this intent aswe turn to God in prayer... that we may letthe distractions of the world cease so wemight be willing to experience His healingand guidance. We invite you to stop andjoin us each day at 4:30 pm (Pacific Time)for a moment of prayerful support foryourself, your loved ones, and everyone inthe prayer ministry. Thoughts for:November: The peace of God is shining in

me now. (L188)December: I am as God created me. (L162)January: I am Spirit. (L97)

2Call 1-800-359-ACIM(2246) or at miraclecenter.org

Request your free, full-color 2015 bookmark today which lists all the thoughts in the prayer ministry & join us each

day at 4:30 pm (PT) as we unite in a moment of prayerful support for one another.

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4

ACourse in Miracles has been a lifesaver for me, enabling me to look

beyond my body and to experience theLight and Love of God within me. And I domy best to shine my Light and to see theLight in others, regardless of their behav-ior. I do my best to remember that Love isletting go of form and letting go of my attachment to my ego script for experienc-ing my life. I remind myself often that I amnot a victim of theworld I see, but a creator, producer, anddirector of all my ownillusions.

Part of spiritual vision is to see past other’s illusions. Tochoose to see the Light in them and toknow it is but a reflec-tion of the Light in me.Diane and I love usingour friend, FredMatser’s wonderful motto, “Let us gothrough life with miles and miles of smiles”to inspire each other and to feel betterabout ourselves and our lives.

Spiritual vision is choosing to lookthrough the eyes of Love and not fear aswe go through life. It is to stay on courseby asking ourselves, “Is this thought a Godthought or is it from my ego?” and then“choosing once again.” We know from theCourse that “our meaningless thoughts create a meaningless world” of fear andthat what we perceive in the world is a direct reflection of the thoughts in ourminds.

Spiritual vision is experiencing the worldthrough Love’s eyes and not through ourbody’s ego eyes of fear. More and morewe are remembering the only thing that isreal and that never changes is our unitedconnection with our Source. We believe

Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane Cirincione-Jampolsky, Ph.D., international lecturers and bestselling authors, share their insights and expe-riences in applying the principles of A Course in Miracles in our world. Their books and other items are available at www.miraclecenter.org

our spiritual vision has a DNA of happi-ness, unconditional love, kindness, tender-ness, and gentleness. It is celebrating theLight and Love we know we are and seeingonly Love wherever we go... for that iswhat we are. It is celebrating freedom fromour self-imposed ego prisons.

For me, utilizing spiritual vision is remembering I am blind when I make inter-pretations followed by judgments of other’s behaviors based on what I see

through my physicaleyes. And I am sightedwhen I remind myself Iam not my past or myglaucoma, nor am I mybody. I am the essenceof the Peace of God.Spiritual vision is to seeeverything through theeyes of a loving andgentle God; throughour hearts and not ourheads.

I have been blessedby having Diane as my spiritual partnerwho is completely committed to choosingher spiritual path daily. Diane has been anamazing teacher not only to me, but to somany others of unconditional love, gentle-ness, kindness and compassion. There aretimes I forget completely that I have achoice in how I see the world and every-thing seems so real and deserving of myjudgments. Mother Teresa once told Dianeand me that no one is in higher conscious-ness all the time, but that it is our “inten-tionality” of going in the right direction thatcounts. At this moment, I am determinedto see everything through kind, loving, andnot judgmental eyes. I find most people see me as happy and

smiling most of the time. I will be ninetyyears young this coming February and amblessed with excellent health. The only

““SSppiirriittuuaall vviissiioonn iiss cchhoooossiinngg ttoo llooookk tthhrroouugghhtthhee eeyyeess ooff LLoovvee aanndd nnoottffeeaarr aass wwee ggoo tthhrroouugghh ll ii ffee..II tt iiss ttoo ssttaayy oonn ccoouurrssee bbyyaasskkiinngg oouurrsseellvveess,, ‘‘IIss tthhiisstthhoouugghhtt aa GGoodd tthhoouugghhtt oorr iiss iitt ffrroomm mmyy eeggoo??’’ aanndd tthheenn ‘‘cchhoooossiinngg

oonnccee aaggaaiinn.. ’’””

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Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

by Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane V. Cirincione-Jampolsky, Ph.D.

Spiritual Vision

medicine I take is eye drops for my glaucoma. I feel fortunate to have hearingaids to help with my hearing. I have beenblind in my left eye for several years andlegally blind in my right eye for the last sixmonths. I do not choose to be a victim ofmy blindness, and continue to remind myself that true seeing is spiritual vision.When people ask me how my eyes aredoing, I often reply, “My spiritual vision isgetting better all the time!”

Diane and I like to be playful in the gymto make our exercises less boring. On occasion I will come up behind Dianewhen she is on a stationary bike and kissher on the cheek. And there are times shewill do the same with me. Well, one day Icame up behind Diane to give her a kiss onthe cheek and all of a sudden I realized Iwas kissing the wrong woman! So there issome humor here because at the gym Ihave been nicknamed the “blind kisser!”

We know how blessed we are. We try togo through life with the goal of dissolvingany thoughts of loss or separation in ourlives by enhancing love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness and humor.

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Miracle Musings...by Paul McNeff

Paul McNeff is married to MDC’s founder and has been a student of the Course since 1986. He is a professional singer and conductor andholds a master’s degree in vocal performance. In 1997, along with Beverly, he founded KidSingers, an inner-city, after-school children’s chorus. The program has won many awards and been featured on Good Morning America. Learn more at: www.kidsingers.org

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

hat are your best memories ofthe Holiday season as a child?

Some of mine have to be the annualChristmas parties thrown by my Dad’s employer, Detroiter Mobile Homes. Whatwas truly amazing though, was that theirgifts did not require any gifts from us in exchange. I guess our gift to them was ourdad’s hard work. One year at this highlyanticipated annualevent I remember receiving a beautiful,bronze-colored, mightyTonka Truck made ofone-hundred-percentsteel to guarantee its magnificent strength! To an eight-year-old,small-town Kansas boy,there was nothingcooler. This was big!

Where did the ideaof exchanging gifts during the year-endholidays get started? Probably in no smallpart, it came from the Biblical account ofthe Magi bearing gifts as they came fromafar to visit the newborn Christ child. Notthat baby Jesus was old enough to remem-ber, but I always wondered if Mary andJoseph were as blown away that night withthe wondrous gifts of gold, frankincense,and myrrh, as was that wide-eyed, eight-year-old boy that night in Kansas.As we have come to appreciate from

this story, whether literally true or not, thegifts of the Magi represented gifts ofgrandeur and great value which were givento someone who was worthy of such

magnitude, the Christ child. There wasnothing little about that.

In A Course in Miracles’ text section,“Littleness versus Magnitude” it teaches:“In this season (Christmas) which cele-brates the birth of holiness into this world,join with me who decided for holiness foryou... It is beyond all your littleness to givethe gift of God, but not beyond you. ForGod would give Himself through you.”

(T-15.III.7:1)

Like those Magi ofyore, we too can givegifts of great magni-tude to the Christ-child. Only theChrist-child we seekcan be found in anyone and everyone,friend or foe. This section of the Coursenot only speaks to usabout magnitude but

also about littleness. Littleness can best beunderstood as the idea that worldly thingscan never satisfy our true needs. TheCourse also instructs us in our seeking tofind true peace, describing how to tran-scend littleness by choosing the magnitudethat is already inherent within us. Is thiseasy? Not always. Just as the Magi had toundertake a long and arduous journey to finally find the Christ child, we too, muststrive to find the magnitude within us andprotect it from the littleness of the world.“All your striving must be directed againstlittleness, for it does require vigilance toprotect your magnitude in this world.” (ibid.4)

Beautifully, the Course does not

endorse any one religion or philosophy. It does however, embrace the basic tenets of all great wisdom teachings — love andforgiveness — and wraps them up in a giftthat says: Within you is God’s gift of magnitude; you are worthy, you are limit-less, you are holy. These gifts are exchangeable. In fact, the more you exchange them, the more they multiply. As you learn to see, experience, and revealthem within yourself as truth, you can thengive the gift of God to others.

Whether you celebrate Christmas,Chanukah, Kwanza or no religious holidayat all, we all have the potential within us tocelebrate this Holiday season by giving thegift of God. “Call forth in everyone only theremembrance of God, and the Heaven thatis in him. For where you would have yourbrother be, there will you think you are.Hear not his appeal to hell and littleness,but only his call for Heaven and greatness.Forget not his call is yours, and answer himwith me.” (Ibid.12)

So go forth and get all that regular holiday shopping done this season. But asyou do, join me in birthing the true gifts ofthe heart and of God. And, there is a bigdiscount on these gifts. In fact, they won’tcost you a dime, for you already have themin the treasure house within you. Think of it as a spiritual Amazon.com. Except theGod-gift always fits, never spoils, and willalways arrive on time. Give the gift of asmile, a forgiving thought, a helping hand,or a prayer — all the real gifts that bring usthe grandeur of peace on earth. HappyHolidays!

“And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell downand worshiped him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Bible: Matthew 2:11)

“My birth in you is your awakening to grandeur. Welcome me not into a manger, but into thealtar to holiness, where holiness abides in perfect peace.” (T-15.III.9:5)

““WWhheerree ddiidd tthhee iiddeeaa ooff eexxcchhaannggiinngg ggii ffttss dduurriinngg tthhee

yyeeaarr--eenndd hhooll iiddaayyss ggeettssttaarrtteedd?? PPrroobbaabbllyy iinn nnoossmmaallll ppaarrtt,, ii tt ccaammee ffrroommtthhee bbiibbll iiccaall aaccccoouunntt ooff tthheeMMaaggii bbeeaarriinngg ggii ffttss aass tthheeyyccaammee ffrroomm aaffaarr ttoo vviissiitt tthheenneewwbboorrnn CChhrriisstt cchhii lldd..””

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Did You Know??Our caring staff is available to help you during

our regular office hours of Mon.– Fri. from 9am to 4pm.

Just call800-359-2246 or714-632-9005

We look forward to assisting you!

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You may be reading this article closeto the holiday season — a time that

can be devoted to light — or at anothertime. Whenever you may read it, may yousee the foundational importance of findingthe light within all beings. Prior to, during,or following any interaction, remind your-self of these three truths:

1) When you see the light in othersrather than their faults, you are findingyour own freedom from the pain andmisery that your judgments and resent-ments have brought to you.2) In your lifetime, your mind can comeup with thousands of reasons not to for-give, but there is only one reason to for-give — to be free.3) You may run out of, or feel deprivedof, what you have believed is valuableand important, butyou will never runout of what truly is— the ability to havea tender heart andloving presence.

The above reminders are difficultto find if we do notpractice stilling ourmind. Though some of my daily spiritualpractice consists of meditation and a quiet-ing of my thoughts, trying to force or manufacture stillness within never workswell, especially if you are already upset orpreoccupied about something. If you havea busy mind or are repeatedly thinkingabout something upsetting, it is far moreeffective to just observe your thoughts, notdemand that they stop. What I do is to observe my thoughts as though I am sittingon my favorite beach watching waves rollin and out — I don’t try and stop the waves,for that would only be frustrating. Thispractice of inner observation approachesour mind as the ocean, the waves as our

thoughts. Without such a practice of quietly observing, about all we ever do isjump on the back of a thought like mount-ing a wild horse, being bucked and thrownevery which way throughout the day.The goal is to observe and become

aware of our thoughts. In this way weeventually become able to reverse any habitual ways of thinking that are based infear and do not actually serve us. The most powerful reversals in thinking

I have experienced have not come fromideal situations with other people in my life,nor from a leader, therapist, or trustedteacher who has acted wisely or given advice. The most powerful reversals — theholder of the greatest lessons on whereand how to find freedom and peace —have been found in observing my thoughtsand wondering, “who is the thinker?” As I

begin to shift my focusfrom observing mythoughts to observingthe thinker, a muchbroader awareness andconsciousness is entered.

When we begin tosee there is a level ofconsciousness, anawareness and intelli-

gence that is much larger than our individ-ual thoughts, we see the things that arevaluable and important. The three reminders at the start of this writing helpwith this realization — that forgiveness,love, and tenderness arise not from ourthinking, but from something that is beyond our thinking. A Course in Miraclesis concerned with helping to change ourthoughts and beliefs that limit us, but it alsoworks on going beyond thoughts to adeeper wisdom.Some of our greatest opportunities for

growth come from the individuals we haveheld complaints against, the people alongthe way we most readily judged, or were

most reluctant to forgive. You will alwaysfind that if you can see the light within aperson you are tempted to judge harshly,to see the love within them that is concealed by behavior you don’t like, ifyou can hear a call for love beyond yourreasons to judge, then you have truly madeprogress toward peace and awakening. With this, every person can become a

messenger of light, a reminder of the importance and value of love. When youhave seen their light and goodness beyondtheir behavior and what your hurt feelingswant you to believe about them, then youhave begun to see the difference betweenfreedom and imprisonment, between whatis real and what is not, between what isvaluable and important, and what doesn’tmatter. This is part of what is meant by“love your enemy.” In other words, whenyou see the light in others rather than theirfaults or defensive/attacking behavior, paradoxically you are finding your ownfreedom from the pain and misery thatyour judgments and resentments havebrought you.

I am not perfect at all at this, nor do Iexpect you will be. However, I will say that I know this is the best use of our time here,to not hold onto grievances, to not valueanger in any form or believe it is where wewill find solace or safety. This is not to saythat if we experience anger or upset weshould never communicate our feelings,but we should also not accept or be complacent with it. If you allow them to,your hurt feelings and the thoughts thatbring them will become like weeds in yourmind, taking over and causing pain.

After many years of practice, I seldomhold a grievance for very long. However, ifI look honestly at the thoughts in my mind,I will discover that if I am anything otherthan free from all suffering, totally peacefuland joyous, I will find some form of griev-ance there. The ego wants to hide thesesmall grievances in the corners of my

““WWhheenn yyoouu sseeee tthhee ll iigghhtt iinnootthheerrss rraatthheerr tthhaann tthheeiirr

ffaauullttss,, yyoouu aarree ffiinnddiinngg yyoouurroowwnn ffrreeeeddoomm ffrroomm tthhee ppaaiinnaanndd mmiisseerryy tthhaatt yyoouurr jjuuddgg--mmeennttss aanndd rreesseennttmmeennttsshhaavvee bbrroouugghhtt ttoo yyoouu..””

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Recognizing Spiritby Dr. Lee Jampolsky, Ph.D.

Dr. Lee Jampolsky is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Carmel, CA. He is the author of several books based on A Course in Miracles. Lee can be reached at www.DrLeeJampolsky.com

Finding the Light: Inspirational Psychology on Observing the Mind

Continued on page 13

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mind, or disguise them as something else— opinions, preferences, beliefs, moral,good/bad, and so on — so it is easy to be deceived, to refuse to recognize griev-ances for what they are. Herein lies theneed for quiet mind observing time eachday, time devoted for watching the thinker,and for real and completely honest self-assessment of my thoughts. Without this, I cannot possibly hope to recognize thebarriers to peace of mind, to my griev-ances, to the shields within my conscious-ness that I have made to block the lightfrom my vision.

During these times of quiet observation— a turning over of the rocks to see whatgrievances remain beneath — there is onethought, one directive that is always helpfulto employ when any grievance is found:

Let me behold my teacher of freedomin this person. They are here as the one forme to see my own innocence within, andto lead me to the light of love. I won’t abandon their soul, nor mine.

I fully understand that to most people inthe world, this approach sounds insane,especially if a horrible behavior has occurred or we anticipate somebody beingangry or unreasonable. To the ego mind, itcertainly makes more sense to be more interested in building a case against certainpeople than to see one’s own freedomwithin that person. But Inspirational Psychology, along with A Course in Miracles, sees such a reversal as the onlypath to real and lasting happiness. It alsorecognizes we cannot do this without turning within to our Inner Wisdom whichis beyond our thoughts and opinions. If wepay attention only to our thoughts andopinions, and never begin to watch thethinker, we are listening to habitual fearthat will continue to deceive and imprisonus. Even if we turn to well-meaning peoplefor help and ask for their opinions orthoughts, we will continue to be deceived;we will only be adding others to join us inour delusion of not seeing beyond ourthoughts, not asking who is the thinker ofour thoughts, and what wisdom is beneathand beyond it all. I am not suggesting no-body has a valuable opinion or helpful ad-vice, however, ultimately we do well torespond to an upset that a grievance brings

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Continued on page 13

n Christmas Day my favorite musical, “Into the Woods” is

being released as a film. I’ve been recom-mending the PBS stage version to peoplefor years now, because it is such a lessonin the ways the ego seeks to steal our joyby seducing us into believing stories ofspecial love and fairy tales of searching forthings outside of us. Much of the musical isabout what happens AFTER the “and theylived happily ever after” part comes. For instance, what if Prince Charming has awandering eye and finds marriage boring?

Of course, this dismantling of the various fairy tales makes way for learningand understanding what real love is andhow life actually works. We see how pos-sessive love almost guarantees we will losethe one we love — how “nice is differentthan good,” and how “no one is alone.”

There is a lyric in the show that thewitch sings warning us to be careful of thattale we tell because “that is the spell.” Thewords we speak are forever weaving thespell of the world we perceive. The storythat each of us tells about our own world iswhat we will see the evidence of, even if itis flimsy and circumstantial at best. Ourwords are the spell we cast on ourselves,which is why the Course is always askingus to be more and more diligent about seeing with love, speaking with love, beingled by love. It is also why the Course tellsus not to seek to change the world, but tochange our minds about the world sinceprojection makes perception. Our storycauses the way we will experience ourworld.

At this time in history, there are manywho are telling the story that things areworse than they’ve ever been. Others aretelling the story that things are better than

they’ve ever been. Many go back and forthbetween the two. Yet they are all stories,stories, stories — woven by the thoughtswe entertain and the words we speak. Weproject our own world into being throughsome inner version of “Once upon atime...” in which we are the “hero of thedream.” Then, the mind goes about gather-ing up evidence that proves it is right aboutwhatever story it is telling.

For me, the Course is a mystical teach-ing that reminds us we are all under a veryinsidious spell. Some of the metaphysi-cians of the last century taught of the “hypnotism” of the world, and the Course

simply says we are asleep, caught in whatis often experienced as a kind of night-mare. Sleep is a huge theme in fairy talesand fables. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White,even Dorothy in Oz had a spell of sleepcast over her. And what awakens us fromthis spell is spiritual love — not the “special” kiss of a hunky prince but ratherthe oceanic impersonal non-attached lovethat comes through us, but is not of us. Itis “love without conflict” that brings us upout of the spell into an awakened moment.And this is the journey — to see how manyawakened moments we can experienceand then connect together until we spendmore and more time in a state where weare not under the spell of the worldlythought system.And it is our task to awaken one an-

other through love. But what is extremelyimportant to remember is that the way weawaken others is not through our teachingor preaching, not through our good advice

and spiritual ideas, not through our chang-ing them and fixing them and healing them.We awaken others only by BEING AWAKEourselves. When we are awake and notunder the spell, it begins to awaken thosearound us who are ready to be awakened.This is why when the Buddha was asked ifhe was a god, or an angel, or a messiah, hesimply replied, “No, I am awake.”

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus says,“The Kingdom of Heaven is spread outupon the Earth and men do not see it.” Thatis the spell of the ego thought system —hiding the Kingdom in plain sight. The realworld is right here, obscured by the spellwhich keeps us looking for love whenthere is already love all around us. As wewake up from the spell, we begin to seethe Kingdom spread before us, seeing Godin everything, for God is now foremost inour minds.

A very efficient way I’ve found of waking up when I find myself gettingcaught up in the nightmare again is simplyto say, “The End.” This realization camewhen I had reflected on how many times Idid not end a “story” when it could havebeen ended. Perhaps someone said or didsome loveless thing — whether it was trulyunloving or I just perceived it that waydoesn’t matter. The realization was thatvery often I’d continued the story in mymind for many years to come, carrying itaround as baggage that was not servingme. Now, I’m learning to catch thesethings much more quickly so I can stayawake instead of falling back under thespell of separation and specialness. I’vecome to see that even if someone walks upto me and says, “You are stupid and talent-less and have nothing to offer, and besidesthat, you’ve gotten old and fat” — I cansimply say, “The End” and walk away with-out ever giving it another thought. Ratherthan calling everyone I know to repeat thestory, and going over it in my head for a

by Jacob Glass

The End

Jacob lectures in Southern California and has a global ministry of his recorded weekly talks. His new book, “The Miracle Worker’s Handbook ” is available now from our center. You can contact Jacob at www.jacobglass.com

The real world is the symbol that the dream of sin and guilt is over, and God’s Son nolonger sleeps. His waking eyes perceive the sure reflection of his Father’s Love; the certainpromise that he is redeemed. (W-pII.8.4:1)

““WWee aawwaakkeenn ootthheerrss oonnllyy bbyyBBEEIINNGG AAWWAAKKEE oouurrsseellvveess..””

••

God was there. Adding that awareness toour painful memories helps us heal because now we are healing the realsource of our hurt: the feeling that wecould be separate from God.

The presence of God is like a goodfriend. We feel so much better when weare able to sit down with a good friend and

talk. The friend doesn’thave to say anything –in fact it is probablybetter when they don’t.The fact that they arethere listening tells usthey love us and caremuch more than anywords.

God is always withus. I have seen that first hand over this pastyear. There were moments that I felt Hispresence so strongly. And, other times

s I was flipping through HughPrather’s perpetual flip calendar

(see page 14), I was struck by the abovethought. It was just what I needed to hearand so I know it will bless you, as well. Itgave me such peace to be reminded onceagain that God is with me always – lovingme, not judging me.

As we approach theend of another year,perhaps there werethings we wish we haddone or handled differ-ently. If we are sitting inanger, guilt, or resent-ment over the past,maybe it’s time for us to allow it to be trans-formed. Do you really think you were alonein the painful situation or the hurtful act?

11

A

by Beverly Hutchinson McNeff

““II ccaann kknnooww tthhaatt GGoodd iisswwiitthh mmee eevveerryywwhheerree II ggoo..

HHee iiss nnoott ddiissttaanntt jjuusstt bbeeccaauussee II hhaavvee cchhoosseenn ttooddiissttaannccee mmyysseell ff ffrroomm HHiisslloovvee.. HHee ssiimmppllyy wwaaiittss ffoorrmmee ttoo cchhaannggee mmyy mmiinndd..””

•

•

May the Past Be Transformed

“We can’t change the past, but we can transform it. God was there when it happened,and adding this Truth to the memory heals the source of pain. Never again think of any mistake you made without remembering the loving presence of the One Who was there and Who has never judged you.”

when I felt alone. But, was I alone? Or was I just unwilling to experience His love? I canbe willing now, though. I can know thatGod is with me everywhere I go. He is notdistant just because I have chosen to distance myself from His love. He simplywaits for me to change my mind.

So as we walk through the rest of thisholiday season and enter into the NewYear, let us remind ourselves who walkswith us ... “I walk with God in perfect holiness.” As workbook lesson 156 from A Course in Miracles tells us:

“Who walks with me? This questionshould be asked a thousand times a day,till certainty has ended doubting and established peace. Today let doubtingcease. God speaks for you in answeringyour question with these words: I walk withGod in perfect holiness. I light the world, Ilight my mind and all the minds which Godcreated one with me.”

May you feel God’s love. And, if youever doubt, please know that we at theCenter are here in loving gratitude for yourpresence in our lives.

12

All day my nose has been snaffled, releasing unmentionables, so I

reach for a Kleenex which is a roll of toiletpaper in Thailand. This is dual purposesince the end of my digestive tract has signaled changes of a suspicious nature.Yet as a soldier in the campaign against theego, I press on. I have been studying special love/hate these past few monthsand last THE HOLY ENCOUNTER issue Itouched on romantic special love. My egolikes special love: it makes me excited,happy, expectant and at one with the universe — for a moment. I would likespecial love all thetime; the right food,the best sex, the perfect sleep, an attractive body, because enough special love adds up to happy satisfaction,right?

When the flagshipstore of Krispy Kreme was in easy reach ofmy sugar craving fingers, I bought their hotglazed donuts when the “hot” sign wasswitched on at the side of the store. I knew it was authentic love when mymouth took the first bite and the second.When I was through five donuts and looking for number six, I made myselfstop. After those two minutes of pleasantsensual experience, I always noticed something was missing: enduring, con-tented joy. If I ate the seventh donut, Iwould not feel the joy I longed for, and if Iate a dozen, I would become numb to joy.Yet those two minutes were somehowworth it until I discovered that donuts ledto double-fried apple fritters at the Cambo-dian guy’s place and middle-age spreadaround my waist. Now with senior-citizenspread, even thinking of donuts makes mypants stop fitting.

Sugary food, sex, drugs, and alcohol,and just about any producer of pleasantsensation in the body can give off a faintecho of love — the promise of joy that’snot quite fulfilled. Mistaking the echo oflove can lead to addiction for some. Evenobsessive thinking can produce the sem-blance of hope for love’s presence as wehave the fantasy of controlling others withthoughts and plans. The grandiosity ofGod-like thinking can be very pleasant.Who hasn’t felt the satisfaction and exhila-ration of seeing everything going right intheir lives and feeling “on top of the world”

as plans work out forsome important goal ifonly for a moment? Wefeel the echo but aftertwo minutes of faintecho, beats no joy at all— so we must be com-passionate for ourselvesand others when weshow special love at-tachment to particularsensory experiences —even grandiose think-

ing. It’s nice to think and make plans butthe world has a way of foiling our plans ifwe are not thinking with God.I rode to my spiritual meeting today on

my bicycle feeling not even a mini echo oflove. Several days of amoebic bubonic jungle rot of the lower tract and hanta ratvirus/M1A1 infection of the upper one hadme “thinking,” and not in a happy way.Mild diarrhea and a common cold werebeing escalated into a general forebodingand prediction of doom. I knew humancontact was perilous when I feel rotten, soI asked Spirit to guide all aspects of my re-action to the meeting. I sat down withoutmajor coughing or snarfling and listened toa large, burly, youngish man share. I soonfound myself repelled by his not talkingwith the proper form of “I” statements.After all, I have a well-trained psychologicalego. As I relaxed, I could see the young

guy was being fearlessly honest and reveal-ing his struggle to love himself. I was over-whelmed with love for him. My nose andstomach instantly felt better. For manyhours after I felt that love — a joy far beyond donuts, and not dependent oneverything going well in my body. That evening my boyfriend made my

favorite dish, Thai chili chicken salad, andhe had even substituted soy chicken to accommodate my vegetarian leanings. Eating vegetarian will make me live forever.I have this on good authority from the Internet. Sure enough the chicken saladwas refreshing and delicious and made bysomeone I love. Eating with him made it totally satisfying. When I told him of themild rumblings of my stomach, he gave methat gentle inquiring look that said, “Areyou sure eating the chili chicken is a goodidea?” I continued to march; after all, I’dserved in the Army and I have a very militant ego. No little green vegetable cantouch me, after all, veggies will save mefrom cancer, hemorrhoids and toe fungus.Storm warnings of little gurgles continued.I was winning the nose battle with sprays,pills, quarts of water and even a few min-utes of mild aerobics. The Army ego likesthe exercise part so it can think we are incontrol of this illness thing. Yet why did Ifeel so uneasy?

I tried to meditate. I had been redoing A Course in Miracles Workbook in prepa-ration for a film project. The lesson was“God is in everything I see because God isin my mind,” so I began slowly repeatingthe sentence. I know I cannot do a majorfilm project without God. Without seeingGod/love in everything and everyone, Iwould never complete the project or harmmy health and wellbeing trying. Yet I havebeen out of the big book, big speaking, bigTV appearance, big anything business.Nevertheless, I accepted the film assign-ment, and I choose to radically love whoever I am going to run into and look to

““WWhhoo hhaassnn’’tt ffeelltt tthhee ssaattiissffaaccttiioonn aanndd

eexxhhiillaarraattiioonn ooff sseeeeiinnggeevveerryytthhiinngg ggooiinngg rriigghhtt iinntthheeiirr lliivveess aanndd ffeeeell iinngg ‘‘oonn ttoopp ooff tthhee wwoorrlldd’’ aass ppllaannss wwoorrkk oouutt ffoorrssoommee iimmppoorrttaanntt ggooaall iiffoonnllyy ffoorr aa mmoommeenntt??””

•

•

Emotional Healingby Richard Gayton, Ph.D.

The Echoes of Love

Dick Gayton is a psychologist and writer. His book The Forgiving Place: Choosing Peace After Violent Trauma is available through the Center.

13

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God with every step. This is a universeaway from loving donuts, so I will need toget in top spiritual “shape.” Can I realize Iam only love and nothing else? Can I makeno exceptions in loving? I tend to seek Godwhen I run into trouble and reserve Spiritfor emergencies. The gravitational pull ofmy ego’s judgment is strong in everydaylife.

Suddenly the gurgle has moved frommy stomach to lower and small intestinewarnings signal an approaching gastroin-testinal hurricane. I grab a new roll of TPand trot for the bathroom — as myboyfriend waves. How can I make a featurefilm? How can I be peaceful with diarrhea?Spirit answers, “You can do anything if yousee only love.”

Continued from page 1Let’s Keep It Going

Continued from page 10The End

link that can be scanned with your phoneor mobile device. It will send you to aCourse thought picked just for you at thatmoment! So as you carry this card, youcan remember that a thought of help isever at hand.

If you would like additional cards or didn’t receive one along with our letter,please use the special return envelope youreceived with this year’s fundraiser, the envelope bound inside every issue of THEHOLY ENCOUNTER, or one of the donationlinks at www.miraclecenter.org to do so.We thank you so very much.

couple of decades while carefully maintain-ing a grievance against someone who mayhave just been having the worst day of hislife and didn’t really mean a word of it, Ican go in the exact opposite direction andsay to myself, “The End, and I lived happilyever after.”

Continued from page 6Finding the Light

by saying to ourselves:“I will be very quiet now, and look upon

this person as my teacher. Allow the miracleof who I am, Love, to replace my grievancesabout this person.”

15

Continued from page 1Lay Down Your Arms

of Guideposts Magazine, beautifully exemplifies, with a holiday theme, the ideathat God is always working in our liveseven in the face of what seems to be terrible conflict and pain. As you read thefollowing true piece of history, keep inmind this thought from A Course in Miracles:

“So do the parts of God’s Son graduallyjoin in time, and with each joining is theend of time brought near. Each miracle ofjoining is a mighty herald of eternity.” (T-20.V.1:5)

Christmas, 1914The Great War was only a few months

old, but already the two sides were dead-locked in the grisly new pattern of trenchwarfare. Both the British and Germans hadlearned to shovel miles-long ditches in therocky French farmland, ditches from whichmen blasted at one another with machineguns and mortars. In these muddy, rat-infested trenches, British soldiers openedsoggy Christmas greetings from their Kingwhile a few hundred yards away Germantroops read a message from the Kaiser.

Between the rows of trenches, whereshivering men thought about families athome, lay a barren no-man’s-land, a zoneof craters and shattered trees where anything that moved was instantly fired at.So narrow was this strip that wheneverthere was a lull in the roar of the guns,each side could hear the clink of cookinggear from the other.

Late on Christmas Eve, with the sleet tapering off and the temperature dropping,a British Tommy on guard with the FifthScottish Rifles heard a different sounddrifting across no-man’s-land. In the German trenches a man was singing.“Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht...”It was a tune the British soldier recog-

nized as “Silent Night, Holy Night.” The sentry began to hum along with themelody. Then, louder, he chimed in withthe English words, singing an odd duetwith his enemy beyond the barbed wire.“...heilige Nacht...holy night...”A second British soldier crawled to the

sentry station and joined in. Little by littleothers on both sides picked up the song,

menced. Within hours the Fifth Scottish Rifles issued an order forbidding such contact: “We are here to fight, not to fraternize.”

And the soldiers obeyed. The war, ashistory tragically records, destroyed almostthat entire generation of young men onboth sides. But there was an indeliblememory in the minds of those who lived torecall that first Christmas at the front. Thememory of a few hours when their masterhad been neither King nor Kaiser, but thePrince of Peace.*

No matter the conflict that may be raging in your life, take a moment to withdraw your loyalty from the ego’s worldand allow the Prince of Peace to be borninto your awareness. Even if it is only for amoment, ask the Holy Spirit to be youreyes, your tongue, your hands, your feet,so that your one purpose may be to blessthe world with miracles of peace. (Lesson 353paraphrased)

God bless you, dear friends, on yourjourney of peace and joining this holidayseason.

*Reprinted with permission from Guideposts Maga-zine. Copyright (c) 1988 by Guideposts Associates,Inc. Carmel, New York 10512

blending their rough voices across theshell-pocked landscape. The Germansbroke out with a second carol, “O Tannen-baum,” and the British replied with “GodRest You Merry, Gentlemen.” On and onthe antiphonal singing went. A British soldier with binoculars reported that theGermans had hoisted a ragged evergreenwith lighted candles in the branches to thetop of the sandbag barrier. As dawn ofChristmas day broke, signs appeared onboth sides, in two languages: “MerryChristmas.”Pulled by a force stronger than fear,

one by one the soldiers started layingdown their arms, creeping beneath barbedwire and around mortar holes into no-man’s-land. At first it was just a fewmen, then more and more, until scores ofBritish and German troops met together inthe first light of Christmas day. The boysbrought out photographs of mothers andwives, exchanged gifts of candy and cigarettes. Someone produced a soccerball and the men played on a few yards ofcrater-free ground.

Then the Soldier’s truce was over.By mid-morning Christmas day,

horrified officers had summoned their menback to the trenches; firing had recom-

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In this issue . . .• Beverly says, “Lay Down Your Arms”• Jerry and Diane see with “Spiritual Vision”• Paul reflects on Christmas• Lee explores “Finding the Light”• Jacob says “The End”• Dick hears the “Echoes of Love”• Two new books by Ken Wapnick