Guiding Thought

I now invite, welcome, and receive the effects of Divine Love, and I am Truly grateful.

I experience Divine Mind as I experience these effects, and Divine Presence confirms itself in my life, activities and affairs.

Sharing

I wrote this Journey in 2014. At that time, I had only just begun thinking how important it is to invite Divine Love and Divine Presence into my life and affairs. Now, six years and 3 Fulfillment Journeys later, after I’ve been using the phrase, “I invite, welcome, receive…” regularly, frequently, and I look back and remember there was a time when seeing the effects of the Divine in my life was not a regular, common occurrence.

Leonard Orr used to say, “the Divine is so ordinary It’s often overlooked”.

When I was studying with Leonard, 25 years ago, I took this to mean that I should pay more attention to ordinary, common things that I would often overlook in order to become more aware of the Divine in my Life. It became a mindfulness practice, to notice the Divine, to find the Divine in small things, in the base happenings of my life.

Now I understand this phrase very differently, and I am certain that it has to do with consciously inviting the effects of Divine Love into my normal, ordinary, base life more and more frequently over the past 6 years.

The way I now understand Leonard’s phrase is very akin to the Sixth Principle of Miracles, “Miracles are natural. When they do not occur something has gone wrong.”

I experience miracles every day. It’s hard to explain; it’s not like big things are happening. It’s not like time stands still or the heavens open, or I am “cured” of anything, or anything like that. There are basically 3 categories that I notice “miracles” in my life:

1. Something potentially really tragic or dangerous unfolds in front of me and I meet it with Peace, clarity, and equanimity. For example: When I was on the highway at 70mph and the truck ahead of me lost it’s tire, with one huge piece flying at me and several smaller pieces flying every which way. I just notice, breathe, and “see” where I can drive safely and do so. Or, another driving example: It was a dark and stormy night (yes, really), I was driving up Route 1 (NJ), with people in a hurry all around me going 50-55 bumper-to-bumper traffic. A car on my right cuts me off to pass the guy in front of him, then immediately slams on his brakes because traffic ahead is slowing down. Just before that happened, I “knew” he didn’t see me, knew he was going to cut me off, and I was prepared and slowed down in advance–he still almost hit my front bumper… I have several more of those kinds of stories. I always know that I am safe, that all is well, and–sometimes–I feel like I was put into those kinds of situations to remind people to slow down with “near misses”, to help them avoid a much worse situation in their future.
2. My life works…perfectly. What I mean is that big things in my life work out perfectly. Moving. Job. Finding a place to live. Meeting “the right” people. This is why/how I know that whatever happens with my relationship, it will be perfect. All is well. (This is not to say that I am immune to tough emotions, mind-disturbances, or uncomfortable situations–I have these, too, and I simply remain vigilant in keeping my mind focused as best I can on the Divine through these situations).
3.  I notice that when I do have disturbed thoughts or feelings, or am in a disturbed situation, when I change my mind to invite the Divine, I handle the situation better than “I” could ever handle the situation. I’ve experienced this over and over. I turn my mind to God in the moment, and all is well. The situation smooths out, tensions dissipate, emotions reconcile, the other person becomes more peaceful. “Om Namah Shivaya”.

When the effects of Divine Love become usual, common, and ordinary, Miracles are experienced naturally, as life. When Miracles are experienced often, usually, as common, daily, ordinary interactions, it’s easy to “overlook” them. One way I notice the miracles in my life is by reminding myself, that others don’t experience life the way I do; other people have hardship and struggle. My life is good. So very good.

And one day, this will be the experience of everyone. Miracles are natural. Divine Love is Who We ARE. Divine Perfection is what we can expect. Always. All ways. This is Life.

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I just had an unrelated thought that I’d like to share:

I’ve always thought of A Course in Miracles to mean something like, “A class-type format, which through study will teach a person what miracles are and how to live a miraculous life”. And, it is that.

My new thought changes the meaning of the word “course”, to mean “a route”, a path, a direction. So not only is A Course in Miracles a learning format, but it is also a course/route to Miracles. Not much different than a Journey, eh? 🙂