Many nondual spiritual traditions tell us life is an illusion, a dream. A Course In Miracles is a nondual teaching that says we review a journey that was over long ago. Not only is the journey over but our true identity, as spirit, resides at home in heaven and is one with God. Life in the illusion seems otherwise.
Every day we hear about disasters around the world. The cover of the April 8, 1966, edition of Time magazine asked: “Is God Dead?” The great Philosopher Nietzsche, quoted in Gay Science, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann: “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” (Quoted from Wikipedia)
According to the Course, God is not dead but we chose not to remain with Him in heaven. We had a “tiny mad idea” that we could be our own authority, an individual, on our own and not answer to anyone, be God ourselves. We forgot it was our idea and think he is either dead or blame Him for being an absentee father. As individuals, we project onto God what we have done. We left, but we still blame him by calling tragedies “an act of God” or “God’s will.” The unconscious guilt that Nietzsche recognized is enormous. We ran away and we are still doing it from moment to moment.
Speaking of fathers, a few weeks ago we celebrated Fathers Day. We buy a gift, send a card, and call if our father is still living. Some hold grievances against their fathers. But earthly dads are just that: of the earth. They are human. They make mistakes. The Course teaches that the past is gone and it “can hurt you not.” However, in holding onto resentment you hurt yourself. When we choose to forgive, it cracks open the door to inner peace.
We have one thing in common — we want to be loved. It is what we really do want. A comforting thing to know is that no matter what kind of father you had, you do have one who is 100 percent loving, compassionate, kind. One who makes no comparisons and loves everyone equally.
Both Alcoholics Anonymous and the Course teach it is up to us to have a relationship with our true father. In AA God is mentioned or referred to in seven of the lovely 12 steps. Step No. 2: “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” And step No. 11: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” The Course has 365 daily lessons that include forgiveness, undo the hurtful thoughts of the ego and lead us gently back to a relationship with God. Lesson 29: “God is in everything I see” and lesson 30: “God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.” God is not dead but His memory resides in a part of our mind that we uncover as we gradually let go of the ego and its distractions.
No one knows what the mystery of God is but the Course says, “We say ‘God is’ and then we cease to speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless. God is Father and Source, Creator and First Cause and His Son (all of us) the created effect all joined as One and united in His perfect Love.” The peace of the Father resides in our mind where it can be uncovered.
Sally McKirgan facilitates the Tidings Inner Peace Column and A Course In Miracles study group in Ashland, Oregon.
For the Tidings (Originally posted in the Ashland Daily Tidings)
Posted: 2:00 AM June 30, 2012