5/4/2016 (Day 125) Watching Myself Like a Hawk: 40 Days

A few weeks back, one of the women in the M.I.N.D. group I was in told us about a 40 day program she had recently started doing that is based on A Course in Miracles. She said she had done it once before and that it had had a profound effect on her and that she was delighted to see that, although she had just begun another round, she was already feeling a positive effect. She told us she'd email us the info so we could check it out, because a new round was starting up again on May 1st. In the email she sent, she said this:

"I completed this 40 day practice 2 years ago. It changed my life completely. And again, it is saving and changing my life this time around. It is a very energizing program that teaches: LOVE cannot exist where there is FEAR; FEAR cannot exist where there is LOVE. There is no overlap. We choose which state to live in."

My interest was piqued.

The message went on to shared the following from Lisa Natoli:

"It's practically impossible to believe, but only one month until the May 40-Day Program begins!! Starts May 1, 2016. Wow. I would love to open up the conversation here to see how you feel about telling your friends and family about the 40-Day program, to talk with them about God, about Jesus (that might be a stretch! but just checking!) to share about your practice of listening and following daily guidance from your Inner Teacher, about not having to suffer, about realizing that you always have a choice between love and fear. Almost everyone who has taken the 40-Day Program heard about it from a friend or family member - it has grown almost entirely through word-of-mouth alone, which is just absolutely awesome - THANK YOU!! - and we'd love to continue to have everyone tell people you know about this program and how it can change their life and how it changed your life. If you have fear around inviting people to take the 40-Day, I would love to hear from you! Would also love to hear from people who are grateful someone told them about the 40-Day! Let's pass the invitation to the 40-Day Program around to the people we know and love."

I've never studied A Course in Miracles, and, to be honest, I really know next to nothing about it. I have read a few snippets here and there...but not much. I've picked up copies of the book at tag sales and used book stores when I'd come across it in my travels time and again over the years, but I never bought a copy. The main reason I'd never allowed myself to explore and benefit from it's teachings, was because, for so many years, I had been resistant to the Christian based language used in the teachings. After having remembered lifetimes in which I had been persecuted (burned at the stake, killed, enslaved, and maimed for my various different beliefs and gifts) at the hands of the Christians, and; in this lifetime, having forgotten in my early years, I had found peace in the Christian Church as a child..,only to learn, as a young adult, that the Church had slaughtered millions who had practiced the Ancient Ways of healing, that my rightful wisdom and heritage had been robbed from me in the name of Christianity.  And then to remember that I, myself, had been tortured and murdered, in past lives, caused me to spend many years unable to get past anything that smacked of Christianity...even though I still and always would connect to the Love of the Christ Consciousness, and have a deep respect for and Love of Master Jesus, who has been one of humanity's greatest teachers of Love; I have, for many years, found myself resistant to anything that smacks of Christianity. So, even though I'd heard good things about A Course in Miracles, I'd always resisted exploring it because I couldn't get past the language.

When I read that message, my tendency to bristle at all things Christian sounding attempted to rear it's head...but I chose to ignore it, and I clicked on the link with the message and I stated to watch the introductory video. Right off she said ''and I wondered what it would be like to have an experience like Jesus had"...and again, I resisted the urge to dismiss it because of the seemingly too Christian bent of it, and I continued to listen.  And when she got to the part where she said Jesus was tempted by The Devil during his 40 days in the dessert, I almost shut it down (few things cause more bristling in me than talk of "The Devil"), but then she said something remarkable that I had never heard before, and I felt myself interest pique...she said, "the bible calls the temptations that He experienced ''The Devil," but the Devil is nothing more than what A Course in Miracles calls ''your ego thoughts"..." And that made more sense to me than anything I had ever heard about ''The Devil!"

And I realized how true that was, it occurred to me that my ego was what I had to let go of in order to suspend judgement of the words being spoken in order to and allow the essence of the message to speak to me. And, in that moment, I decided to let go of ego and say...

YES MOVES MOUNTAINS AND MAKES ALL THINGS POSSIBLE.

I'm pretty excited....I'll keep you posted on how it goes :) Our first  Here's more info on it if you're interested in knowing more. The next round is in September....I'll let you know later if I recommend signing up...but I have a feeling I will. We'll see. Meanwhile, "I'm all in" and committed to ''watching myself like a hawk'' for the next 40 days as I allow my thought to shift more fully into Love and more completely out of fear <3 

About the 40-Day Program:

http://www.teachersofgod.org/40day/

It’s a commitment you make to yourself – to live in a whole new way for 40 days.

It’s a spiritual commitment – a spiritual discipline to know yourself and to know God.

It’s a direct experience of the power and presence of God in your life – you will see miracles with your own eyes and through your own personal experience.

You will not be able to predict what happens. (My favorite part!)

Instead of asking others for advice, you will seek guidance from your Inner Teacher.
At first, you might feel discomfort & resistance – remember your commitment and to trust.

No stories.

This is about discovery, not trying to make something happen. This is about allowing.

Go all the way.

You will become aware of your chattering mind and learn how to not let it run your life anymore.

You will realize you have the ability to be happy in all circumstances, no matter what is going on.

You will develop a new practice of being quiet and going within.

The Purpose of This Program:

• to focus on God consistently for 40 days
• to become aware of your thoughts and feelings
• to spend more of the day intentionally thinking about God
• to create a deeper connection with your Inner Teacher

The Power of 40!

The number 40 appears 146 times in the Bible.

THIS NUMBER 40 SIGNIFIES TESTING & PREPARATION – it represents the complete and sufficient period to finish an important work.

The Bible uses the number 40 when starting a new chapter of the history of the salvation.

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW CHAPTER IN YOUR LIFE?

Forty day spiritual journeys are well-known in the Bible.

40 = The Number of Testing

40 is the death of oneself and spiritual rebirth.

FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS

Jesus in the Wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights before beginning his public ministry.

Moses with God on Mount Sinai, 40 days and 40 nights.

Moses AGAIN with God on Mount Sinai, 40 days and 40 nights.

Noah – 40 days and 40 nights in a flood.

Jesus remained on earth for 40 days after his resurrection with his disciples.

Elijah journeying forty days toward Mount Sinai in search of God.

Siddhartha meditated under the Bodhi tree for 40 days and became Buddha – which means “one who is awake.”

AN EXPERIMENT!

Treat it as an experiment, a time of discovery and awareness.

For 40 days, I am paying attention to the thoughts I’m thinking and the emotions I am experiencing.

For 40 days, I’m setting aside time for God, for prayer.

For 40 days, I am acknowledging that there is a Presence & Power with me, as me. This Presence is my Inner Teacher, my Guide, and I’m listening!

I’m in. I AM ALL IN!