
I want to thank Jason, and everyone at the Monastery again for welcoming me with such openness. I’m still amazed that I was granted this opportunity to see shining examples of the teachings of A Course in Miracles, and for the first time in a long while, I do not feel alone.
Part of me wanted to stay longer, but beneath that desire was the thought that I would be doing so for the wrong reason; as a way to avoid my problems. The stronger feeling was, and is, that my travels will continue.
Before I left, Jason asked if I had had any insights acim. What I’m about to share was not yet clear at that time; only on the drive away did it coalesce.
That morning, several lines from a Vance Joy song kept running through my head, “I never should have told you, never should have let you see inside. Don’t want it troubling your mind, won’t you let it be?” This confused me as I could not think of anything that I had said that I felt regret for.
Eventually, the phrase, “don’t want it troubling your mind” stood out. This reminded me that the most prominent fear I had in coming to the Monastery was that I would somehow interfere with its residents’ peace of mind, simply by my presence alone. This belief that I could negatively affect other people’s state of mind has been with me for many years, and has colored many of my past experiences and relationships.
This fear left my awareness soon after I arrived. On the drive away it rose again, but I remembered David saying in one of his videos that minds cannot attack. I cried and laughed, and now feel as if the belief is being (has been?) released.
There are other things that happened that felt important, but I can’t think of them right now.
While the majority of us have already been raised to trust that prayer requires asking to Lord to greatly help, save your self, correct problems and carry people things nowadays, that is not true prayer nor their purpose. Prayer in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is very different and really beautiful. More than a music, it’s joyous trade of Enjoy and thanks between Lord and His Designs that uses the forgiveness method to improve your brain until the Prayer Tune is all that remains. It’s the admission house so understanding true prayer, and forgiveness, may be worth the time in retraining the mind.
Prayer is changing (sharing) a Track of Enjoy and Formation or judgments of the pride predicated on everything you require (agree with) in the mind. There’s no other way. In the Course, the mind (content) is separate between God and the vanity; and you’re choosing all the time with a part as cause for effect.
Forms (all points with this world) are miscreations highlighting the ego’s judgmental thought system. We’ve managed to get up (miscreated this world) and will give it down any time by improving your head (forgiveness). Correct prayer requires that modification of the mind as Lord has nothing to do with forms.
What Prayer is Not:
When you are usually determining, that which you request whenever you pray is what counts. Once you plead in prayer to own Lord resolve a questionnaire trouble with yet another variety problem, you are asking the confidence brain for support (not God). Those forms and wants are deemed more important than God’s Enjoy which will remain concealed to the degree you decide on the illusion.
All outside points (forms) are needs. Different brands are needs, dreams, status, problems, sickness, human love (special relationships), gifts and targets in this world, etc. They are what you select as replacements for God’s Love and the pride can overlook the goal of prayer by with them to help the illusion. Thus, prayer can not be about “forms” or “needs” in any way.