December 2013 ACIMblog bulletin

ACIMblog bulletin for December 2013:

Remembering Kenneth Wapnick

All too soon, our quintessential exemplary teacher of ACIM, Ken Wapnick, has appeared to leave our space-time classroom; he will be missed! However, his teaching lives on in our hearts and minds, every time we practice kindness, forgiveness, mindfulness and inclusion. It would be impossible to put into words the profound impact that Ken’s teaching has had on my life and so many others, just as it would be equally daunting to attempt to convey the ineffable nature of ACIM itself; it seems so appropriate that the last LightHouse newsletter article about the Treachery of Images conveys a reminder to always seek the higher truth beyond the form, whether it be a physical teacher, a book, or any other specific that we might attempt to forge a special relationship with. Even though words can never fully convey our experience, they can reflect that awareness; Gary Renard shared his sentiments about Ken’s impact on his life beautifully today. The last paragraph of section IV of Chapter 5 of the text speaks also to that grace of our shared eternal truth that has never left Spirit despite our dreamt imaginings to the contrary – how appropriate for Ken’s legacy of gifts:

“How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God creates is eternal. You can indeed depart in peace because I have loved you as I loved myself. You go with my blessing and for my blessing. Hold it and share it, that it may always be ours. I place the peace of God in your heart and in your hands, to hold and share. The heart is pure to hold it, and the hands are strong to give it. We cannot lose. My judgment is as strong as the wisdom of God, in Whose Heart and Hands we have our being. His quiet children are His blessed Sons. The Thoughts of God are with you.”

Like so many, I could fill volumes with examples of Ken’s wonderful teachings. Here’s a minuscule sampling of his prolific and profound wisdom that I review daily (from: The Pathway of “A Course in Miracles”: From Spirituality to Mysticism; 03.08 “Do Not Fight Yourself”):

“…before I can accept that (God’s) love, I have to forgive myself for rejecting it. The workbook is perfect for that.”

lesson 95; middle part of lesson is all about resistance (what you do when you forget the lesson) …
“don’t sweat the small stuff, and anything in this world is small stuff… It IS important that you forgive yourself…”

“We’re not saying it’s sinful; We’re not saying it’s serious. You’re remembering finally to laugh …
Isn’t this silly of me, to prefer the busyness of my illusory life to a love that is my Self.
… It’s not sinful, it’s not criminal, it just becomes silly.”

“…what upholds the world is the belief that guilt is real…”

“You don’t want to work hard at this. The only real training as you work with this course is not to take it seriously. … It doesn’t mean you don’t read it, it doesn’t mean you don’t study it, it doesn’t mean you don’t put it into practice; but you do it easily, and kindly, and softly. The Italians say ‘dolcissimo’ (very, very sweetly). That will mean that you’ll not only be sweet with your self and easy, but that you’ll be kind and soft with everyone else. And people will like you, not because you’re a nice person necessarily, but because you don’t make them feel guilty.”

That last phrase seems like a great feedback indicator, when we begin to notice that (with HS help) we’re starting to undo the unconscious guilt by forgiving it, which means we’re not as desperate as we used to be to pass the buck and dump it on someone (or something) ‘else’ :-)

“Let what’s in this course help you live your life more kindly, more gently, more lovingly, more patiently. That’s what you want. You don’t want to leave your family, your job, your body or any of the things that people do.
You want to leave your guilt. You want to leave your anger. You want to leave your seriousness. How could what doesn’t exist be serious?* What this course helps us to do is look at the Tiny Mad Idea in all its forms and laugh at it.”

*(What doesn’t exist is just silly.)

… and to wrap up this all-to-brief mini-memorial for Ken, here’s a wonderful interview sharing that same spirit of being kind and gentle, by Susan Dugan.

Love Has Forgotten No One – Gary Renard’s new book

I’ve completed two readings of the superb 3rd book by Gary Renard, Love Has Forgotten No One, which is available on Kindle and in paperback… and looking forward to more readings! Definitely worth the wait if you’ve waited a while, like many of us did! If you haven’t already read Gary’s first two books, I recommend reading (or re-reading) them first, since the third book builds on the foundation of pure non-dualistic thought that was established in the first two books. I’ve been reading from this book on ACIMGather on Saturday mornings (7:30-8AM Mountain Time) lately, so if you want to tune in, please join us; there are links to ACIMGather toward the middle of the Resources page. Gary and Gene Bogart also have some related commentary – always fun and interesting – on the most recent Gary Renard podcast #48.