In this video, “Dr. Bob” a.k.a. Robert Rosenthal, M.D. – author of “From Never-Mind to Ever-Mind“ talks about his latest book: “From Loving One to One Love: Transforming Relationships Through A Course In Miracles.” In this conversation with Bruce Rawles, Bob – drawing from and building upon ideas from his earlier books – covers some of the highlights of this 2nd book – the next in a 5-part series. This book explores relationships, certainly one of the most important emphases in ACIM with its practical classroom of applied forgiveness.
Here are some helpful quotes from chapters 11-14 of Bob’s new book:
“Grievances never occur in the present tense. They are never about what’s happening now, in this moment. They are ghosts from the past that feed off memory to haunt the present.
Grievances are remembered, not experienced. But they reach out from their perch in memory to ensnare us, binding us to people and events long gone.
A grievance is a way of keeping the past alive.”
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“When we judge anything as unforgivable, that’s our judgment, not the Holy Spirit’s. The power of forgiveness lies in its universal applicability, and this in turn rests on a vision of holiness that goes well beyond our familiar notions of self and other. To the Holy Spirit there is no “other”; the concept makes no sense. All are one, and so all are forgiven the “sin” of separation and its dark consequences. The moment we carve out an exception to this and judge anyone as unforgivable—even someone whose deeds were as despicable as Hitler’s—we are affirming the ego over the Holy Spirit. We choose the dream over awakening. And the accusing finger that points in the direction of the other will inevitably convict us as well, because we are one.”
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“Bill Thetford, the coscribe of A Course in Miracles, was once asked, ‘How do you know whether or not you’re making progress with the Course?’ Bill answered with his own question: how long does it take you to forgive a grievance?
Forgiveness seems difficult, but really it requires no time at all. How long does it take to change your mind—to shift the way you see things in order to release the past and recognize that what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred?”
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“Projection is a cornerstone of the ego’s approach to relationships. …
Projection is a psychological defense mechanism, similar to denial, in which we escape from what we find unacceptable in ourselves by projecting it outward onto others. We then react to them and their “sins” by attacking them, without apparent threat to our own psychological well-being. … Whereas shame primarily affects the perception of self, projection takes this a step further and distorts our perception of others. Projection is not simply a defense mechanism to protect you from what you’d rather not have to face in yourself; it is an attack on reality. By locating the source of a grievance outside yourself, in another person, you block any chance of exposing it for the fiction that it is. You’ve hidden it where it can no longer be brought forth, because you think it no longer lives within you. It’s not about you anymore; it’s about them. This keeps you and them apart. They are not like you. They will never be a thou. They are other—something different, deserving of your judgment, your rejection, and your attack. Projection not only preserves but strengthens the ego’s world of separation.”
Along with Tamara Morgan – daughter of Judy Whitson, the founder of the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) which publishes A Course In Miracles, Dr. Bob is co-president of FIP, as well as the author of From Plagues to Miracles (FPTM) – his prior book about ACIM –which explores the metaphysical metaphors and symbolism of the story of Exodus, available in both paperback and Kindle editions. The book page on his (new) Robert Rosenthal, M.D. website provides an overview of his books, novels, and screenplays. Listen to numerous interviews with Dr. Bob here as well on Charlotte Spicer’s BlogTalkRadio channel series.
Related Webinars from Foundation for Inner Peace
Visit the FIP Events page to register for a webinar Tuesday, April 7, 2020; 1:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) (UTC-7) Passover and Easter: Freedom, Resurrection and A Course in Miracles – with Dr. Robert Rosenthal. On that page you can register for other upcoming webinars and view past ones as well; highly recommended!
This video was recorded on April 3, 2020.