I sometimes tell people who have
someone who’ s not around anymore, “Well, you might as well keep
talking to them because they are still there. You just can’t see them, but
they are still there.” And if you have attack thoughts toward somebody ,
you will see that person as the thoughts you have about them. It may feel
like a very foreign idea, but it is within your own thinking that you have
all of your relati onships and your communications. This is why you need
to take great care of what you think and be aware of what  kind of
relationship you have with your thoughts. The way to an increasing awareness of your thoughts is to pay
attention to the way you feel. Not only will your feelings be the
indicators of where you have let your thoughts go, but your external
relationships will also always reflect what is going on in your thinking. This is because your powerful mind communicates all the time.The mind is very powerful, and never loses its creative force. It
never sleeps. Every instant it is creating. It is hard to recogni ze
that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can
literally move mountains. We need to have experiences that show us that we are more than a
body and that we can communicate beyond the body . Sometimes people
will tell me they have a dream where they can fly and experience
freedom. In whatever way is given to us, in whatever way we attract, we
need to have an experience that we are more than a body . There is a lot
of resea rch around near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences
and lots and lots of reports around people who are in comas and
unconscious. If communication were based on the body and certain brain
activity , a coma would seem like a definite break in communication. Yet
over and over, we hear stories of patients who come out of comas and
say things like, “Why did you tell that story about me?” This shows
clearly that communication is not limited to the body . This shows that
we can begin to loosen up from  the idea that we are powerless and go
beyond preconceived limits with our communication. Sometimes we can
even have telepathic experiences. It works more like prayers: you send
out a vibe with your thoughts, then the universe responds to that vibe,
and that is reflected directly in the world around you. This is what I
mean when I say that you communicate all the time. The more we allow for open and transparent communication, the
more we feel our expansiveness. Therefore, this is a very helpf ul prayer
to the Holy Spirit: “Please show me how to use the body and
communication best to expa nd my perception .” This expanded
perception gives us a feeling of a much stronger connection to everyone
and everything. Communing with Spirit in Communication
The Holy Spirit uses the body  for only one purpose, and that is as a
communication device to help the mind regain the awareness that true
communication is through Spirit and that true communication is with the
Creator . Becaus e the mind has fallen asleep and believes in separationand bodies, the Spirit has to use what the separated mind believe s in. For
example, you go about your day using words as you speak and maybe as
you write, so the Holy Spirit will guide you through words to train the
mind to come back into true communion. The purpose of Spirit -inspired
communication is to go beyond the interpersonal communication to
communion with the One. The more you practice this, the more you let Spirit pour through
you and express  through you. You don’t hold back anymore. You start to
have an experien ce of an inner dialogue, as if you are teaching yourself,
as if there is nobody else in the universe but you. There is just one mind,
but that one mind has been forgotten and seems to have fragmented off
into billions of pieces that only know of the little personality self. In everything you do, let your practice become to see the body and
personality self as your means but never the “end goal.” When the body
and the person are the focus and are given too much attenti on, they
become the end rather than means. Let your mind be the end, your divine
mind, the mind that you truly are, the mind that thinks with God. The
whole purpose of life is to have a connected experience. Let your
intuition take charge. Your ego has been running the show for quite a
while without getting to what you really , truly want. It has been striving
—another goal, improving the body , another relationship—see king and
not finding. Now you can start allowing your mind to be the end and the
body the means  for this end in all your relationships and situations in
life. You can start to see that your body has only one purpose: to be a
communication device that the Spirit can use to expand your perception. Healing your mind deserves your full attention. If you let the body be
your communication device and if you don’t withhold any
communication, everything channels into one experience. In trusting and following the Holy Spirit, you are shown a sense of
intimacy and connection that is not dependent on bodies being together . Why does it sometimes feel so terrible when the bodies go apart? Separation anxiety happens when you believe that there can be a break in
communication. When you feel located in a body in a particular place in
space, you can feel very , very alone.Exercise: Feel Connected in Y our Communication
When you are ready to begin your next assignment, take your
usual few minutes to calm and quiet your mind. Take several deep
breaths, remembering your healing purpose, and invite the Holy
Spirit to be with you during this process. In this exercise, you are
going to look at fear of communication. When you feel ready to
look within, open your mind to the following steps:
1. Choose a current relationship where you are holding back
from communicating. Write down all the ways you hold
back. 2. Identify situations where you have opportunities to speak
up, share, or connect and still feel you hold back. Write
them down. 3. Are you willing to communicate how you really feel in order
to experience true connection? Write down your immedia te
response. If you notice any resistance or hesitation, be
honest about it and make notes. 4. Journal about the relationship : your thoughts, feelings, and
beliefs about yourself and the other . Don’t leave anything
out of your exploration. Include thoughts about a specific
situation if this comes to mind. 5. Write a list of all the things you would say to the perso n
involved. For the purpose of the exercise, don’t exclude
anything out of a belief that you need to be nice or hold up
a certain mask, for example. 6. Do you have any expectations about the other person’ s
response? Write them down. What responses do you fear? What responses do you hope for? 7. Are you willing to let go of your expectations and open to a
new perspective? Know that releasing your expectations isthe means to peace. Take time to go into this inquiry and
journal about your observations. 8. Open your mind to the light behind your perception of the
other person and remember your healing purpose. Take a
deep breath, welcome a prayerful state of mind, and relax. Ask the Spirit for guidance about what it is you are to do or
say to them and finally , give this relationship over to Him. Sharing Freely Is Loving
When you make  it a priority to follow the Holy Spirit’ s inspiration in
your heart and stay in full open communication with others and with
God, doubt and fear will start to disappear and not be reflected by other
people anymore. When you have integrity—when what you think, say,
and do, are in alignment—you are at peace. God created us in truth as love; therefore, this is the only thing that
we can truly share. Words of wisdom pour through you when you are in
communion with your Creator , whether that be with other people,
through the Internet, or anything that blesses.Chapter 13
Collaboration
Divine collaboration differs from  special relationships in every way, as it
holds the promise of a lived experience of relationship without
expectations at its core. It has a deep respect and an understan ding that
transcends the usual roles we play. It wants nothing from another , but
each person within a holy collaborative relationship is sharing something
that is deeply nurturing, leaving  each feeling full and grateful. These are
the relationship s that offer an experience of joining with something
much greater . Collaborative Assignments for Deeper Alignment
with Spirit
Once you have made the decision to make healing the goal for your
relationships, the Holy Spirit provides the means for it to happen. There
is a divine plan available for our worldly interpersonal relationships,
though this plan is generally hidden until our minds have reached a
certain maturity . The purpose of a collaborative relationship, as well as
of every assignment, is to learn as deeply as you can about who you truly
are. Healing through relationships comes in many forms. Some people
don’t feel intuitively guided or drawn in to an intimate or romantic
relationship since they have plenty of relationships in their daily life, at
work, and with friends and relatives. There are many different
assignments that we can use to align with the Holy Spirit, and couple
relationships can be major assignments. They are among the most potent
training grounds in this world.You need a sense of a shared purpose in relationship assignmen ts, a
commitment, that is always directed to the light and the healing. The
unconscious mind is filled with much darkness that has to be exposed. You need to go through the darkness to arrive at the light. It can seem
like a long, dark tunnel; sometimes you may wonder if there is light at
the end. The shared purpose is what sustains you as you move  through
the darkness to reach the light. It is not always  immediately obvious how a relationship can be
truly helpful. Sometimes two people are not even conscious of how
important it is that they be together . The relationships or assignments can
be very intense. If one or the other leaves the relationship, one should
not worry; the lesson will come back. It will be repeated, maybe with
another person. Because once readiness and willingness are in
alignment, we attract the mean s for what we need to heal until it’s
healed. It’s helpful to be aware that the ego, being scared of the end,
does not like this, so it’s going  to fight against the means, against the
relationships. Relationships offer endless opportunities for collaboration. They
serve as a backdrop to come together . Collaborative relationships with a
healing purpose contain two qualities: they are undefined, and they are
guided. Those qualities aren’ t typically part of relationships in this
world. The “undefined”  part is very scary to the ego, but it is an essential
entry point. Openness is one of the main doorways to a holy relationship
and thus to freed om. An undefined relationship is about being willing to
be open, to just show up. This is why collaborative relationsh ips don’t
have the rigidity , the expectations, and the demands that linear (time-
based) or special relationships have. When the relationship is undefined,
there isn’t a structure or an agenda already set in place. There isn’t a
standard that the relationship has to meet. There is no role to live up to. You don’t ever have to put any thought into how to keep someone happy
or how to keep the relationship alive. Imagine what that would be like. The “guided” part is very important because this is how it can be
used by the Holy Spirit for healing and the highest good. The
relationship is for a higher purpo se and doesn’ t have a form goal. In fact,you don’t know what outcome is best or how to achieve it. So, it’s
essential to leave space for the Spirit to make it obvious. A collaborative
relationship contains an inspirati on and an agreement to be used together
in some helpful way that benefits the healing of the mind and therefore
blesses the whole universe. Opposing the idea of collaborati ve assignments for healing, the ego
basically says, “Distract yourself, use entertainment and fantasy , and
forget about commitment to a mind-training practice or collaboration. Live it up because you’re going to die anyway .” The Holy Spirit is
saying there is much more than that. When you reach a certain stage of
maturity , you can be guided into shorter or longer assignments. You can
even have lifelong relationships or partnerships where the teaching-
learning balance  is perfect. And, if you decide to learn it, the perfect
lesson is laid before you and can be learned. This is very optimistic. Spiritually , two are drawn together because of this teaching-learning
balance, and there will be countless opportunities to really get the lesson. It is worth hanging in there when that happens! The Power of Joining
An experience of collaborative joining is an experience of being
connected in mind. It’s an experience of being deeply joined in a shared
purpose: the healing and forgiveness of illusion. Being in colla borative
relationship can be a bit like the 12-step programs, where you have a
sponsor . A sponsor is a trusted brother or sister to join with on decisions,
a joining that shows you the way or guides you. When you link up in
mind with others to join in decision making, you are open to asking and
to be shown the direction. You are not operating from a place of thinking
you already know, where you believe you don’t need to join or listen. Things that weren’t clear before always become clear through joining
and open communication. It’s not that others necessarily know better
than you. Nobod y really knows. It is the joining that is so powerful and
makes the direction clear . It’s a different focus than just trying to
accomplish things. After a while, the joining becomes internalized to a
point where you become really humble as you just ease into a state of
inner listening, flowing, and following.In the ego’s world, the personality and the personal perspective is
the baseline for everything. It is sticky , it is enmeshed, and it is
uncomfortable. There is an underlying low-level anxiety with it that can
increase with different things you do. But your holy companions, your
friends in this purpose, are showing up as symbols of love and support
and saying, “Let’s go on this journey together . Let’s remember  who we
truly are. Let’s be shown our wholeness. Let’s not be tempted to become
depressed.” There is much more that awaits beyond the dismantling of
the ego. There is an immense sense of freedom that comes with vibrational
connections and collaborations. Being connected to the Spirit, you feel
free. You don’t feel bound to the world. Your mind is not think ing, How
am I going to survive, what’ s going to happen tomorr ow, and how am I
going to deal with this and that? , the typical things that the egoic mind is
focusing on. In holy collaboratio n, your mind is lifted into a realm that’s
higher than those doubts, fears, and concerns, and your spirit emanates
from this higher place. It’ s divine!Exercise: Clearing the W ay for Collaboration
Sit quietly and allow a current relationship to come into
awareness. Any relationship  that comes to your mind can be
used. You can repeat this exercise as many times as you’d like
and with any of your relationships. Use your journal to answer the
following questions. 1. How do you define the role you play in the relationship ? Examples could be girlfriend, husband, friend, mothe r,
grandparent, or boss. Includ e what expectations you have
of yourself in that role. 2. How important is it that you define yourself as this role? Write down any thoughts that cross your mind, such as It is
my identity. I would be lost without this. I worked hard to get
to here. I have proven myself worthy of it. Others depend
on me to uphold them. 3. What roles have you assigned the other person in this
relationship, and what are your expectations of them? For
example, I expect my husband to provide for me and my
family and love me as his wife. I expect my sister to be
supportive and always agree with me. 4. Is there a link between the different roles you have
assigned for both of you and the expectations you have
about the relationship? Describe it in your journal. 5. Finally , in your definition of the relationship (marriag e,
friendship, coworker , or another agreement), ask yourse lf:
How does this definition lock you and the other into place? Write down how you feel about this. 6. Does this definition of the relationship adhere to social or
cultural standa rds and past thinking? Write down what
those standard s are and your thoughts and associations
around them.Put away your pen now and gently imagine yourself in this
same relation ship but without the expectations you have
identified. Let any feelings you may have about releasing the
relationship as you currently see it come to the surface. Take your
time to allow this to feel helpful and relaxing. Now it’ s time to make a promise or prayer for healing:
Holy Spirit, help me to expand my view of this relationship so
that I may realize our shared nature of innocence, peace, and
love. Show me even in small ways that Y ou provide the miracle
I’m seeking in all my relationships. Guide me so that I may be
truly happy . Amen. It only takes a little willing ness, so I encourage you to
envision your relationship outside of past parameters and into
purpose. Allow an experience of giving over your relationship for
the purpose of healing. You may feel some uneasiness or
discomfort when looking at changing old habits of relating with
others. The greatest shift that I encourage you to make is the one
in your mind. Allow yourself to change the direction of your
thinking, and this will be reflected in your relationships. A Collaborative Purpose
There may be many in your circle of relationships who are not able to
hear about your desire for deepe ning and healing. The important thing is
to allow yourself to look at these concerns and allow the fear to rise from
within to be released. Remember that all of your concerns or discomforts
come from the ego’s fear of love. So, having this broader context for
moving ahead with the suggesti ons I have offered can make the process
easier to give yourself allowance for imperfection and fears that arise. Allow the excitement of the journey and the tickle in your heart for
healing to guide the way . The more you practice showing up with the purpose of the Holy
Spirit in the forefront, the more  you start to draw forth witnesses of thisnew purpose. Relationships and collaboration may take on a whole new
meaning! It can be with old friends who are ready to expand with you or
new ones comin g into your life as reflections of your new purpose. It
really only takes practice. It doesn’ t matter how long you’ve been on the
spiritual journey ; it’s about your willingness to practice the steps, to
practice the principles, and to invite and allow the healing collaborations. It is not necessary that you fully believe in or welcome these
practices. It is their use that will show you they are true. That’ s powerful. That’ s a huge emphasis on pract ical application. Don’ t be disheartened if
you find yourse lf resisting the unconditional love impulse as it arises in
these “new” relationships. The ego is extremely threatened by this
impulse for unconditional love, for agape love. Be assured, as you align
with the purpos e of love and joy, a flood of miracles will show up and
naturally dissolve all the unhelpful thoughts and fears.Chapter 14
Holy Relationship
Finding yourself on Earth comes with the belief that you could leave
God and exist in a far, far land that’s very strange and very different than
Home. You may feel at times like you are caught in no-mans-land. You
are just in betwe en, you’re in betwixt in this transformation, and it does
not feel stable. It doesn’ t feel consistent. It doesn’ t feel harmonious. It
feels stirred up, like there’ s a great sorting out going on, and you are
smack-dab in the middle of the sorting. That’ s when you’re grateful to
have a companion or a partner , and you can say, “Here we go; another
day of this healing process. Let’s commit to purpose, and we’ll be ready
for whatever is coming our way!”
As you make a stronger comm itment to healing your mind and if
you have a relationship with a special partner , you may feel your
relationship begin to transform and shift as you align and open to the
Spirit’ s path. The relationship is basically leaving its former goal, maybe
of gratification, for a higher goal of peace of mind. This is an experience
of relationships becoming less personal and more encompassing. In other
words, the move from special relationship to holy relationship is directly
related to the shift from a special—distinct and separate—purp ose to a
holy purpose in your mind. The decision for holiness or holy relationship
comes from within and is reflected as a deeply felt purpose in each and
every encounter and situation. Entering into holy relationship means that
you will find a deeper meaning in the stillness of your mind. You will be
happy because you experience the meaning of the present moment and
the miracle that is your essence. This is the birth and the being of your
Self. Until you reach this higher self-realization, people in your life are
just concretized beliefs, acting out the unhealed parts of your mind. At
times it can look very dysfunc tional, with lots of hiding and people
pleasing. This is why you need supportive friends and holy companions.As you move forward, after a lot of inner work and clearing, you move
toward holy relationship. From there you will begin to draw forth more
and more witnesses to your healed mind and to the growing love in your
heart. Y ou will attract vibrational connections. Imagine partner ing with someone or a group of people who, after
you pour your heart out, simply say, “What do you want?” Imagine if
you asked for help or advice, and they simply focused you back to the
desire of your heart rather than giving you their opinions on what you
should do. This is the same as saying, “I love you. I love you. I totally ,
unconditionally love you. Now , what do you want? I loved you before
your decision and I will love you after your decision.” It’s really a
beautiful expression of love when you have the strength and confidence
to allow someone to make a decision and love them beyond whatever
that decision is. These relations hips are the beginning of the undoing of
linear , special relationships. They are healing because of their purpose. Your inner calling for holy relationship will bring your whole life in
alignment with this purpose. This is my invitation to everyone: let us
join together in a very trusting relationship so we may hear the answers
that are freely given to us by the Holy Spirit. Inviting the Holy Spirit into Relationships
A holy relations hip is born out of the release of the layers of darkness
below the surface of our awareness. The fastest way to transform a
special relations hip into a holy relationship and wake up to a happy
dream is a combination of silence and committed relationship. Silence is found through short or extended times of contempla tion
and prayer or meditation, quiet times where you are able to go deep
within and expand in Spirit and look at your thoughts and beliefs. Combined with a committed relationship, devoted to forgiveness and
communication, this is the fast track to peace of mind and to
enlightenment. It is a quick, powerful, supportive, and at times, intense
way through the darkness to the light within. It is very helpful to
remember that it doesn’ t really matter what forgiveness and healing look
like in form; it is more about what you want the relationship to be for,what purpose you give to the relationship. When the relationship  is given
over to serve the Holy Spirit’ s purpose rather than the ego’s, the healing
can be very rapid. Holy relation ship is a means to save time for yourself
and the whole universe. The transition from specialness to holiness will result in a gradual
dismantling of the ego that come s from your choice for peace—choosing
this present moment over specialness. It is about self-honesty . It is
always very helpful to take time to pause and remember the purpose of a
relationship. When your mind is ready , you will inevitably invite the
Holy Spirit to come into the relationship. Once the Holy Spirit enters, it
can temporarily become very intense. This is because inviting the Holy
Spirit is asking for a purification to occur , to align the relations hip with
true love. The reason why the relationship can become more intense is
because the ego does not like the new purpose. The ego gave the
relationship the old purpose of personal gratification, dependency , or
getting something from the other , which it wants to use to maintain
itself. When you invite the Holy  Spirit, you unplug from everything that
is not true love,  and if the relationship has deeply rooted habits not
aligned with Spirit’ s purpose , then the whole foundation for the
relationship will start to teeter and shake. This is an important phase of
maintaining trust. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to do the work even
though you may be tempted to give up. It’s helpful at this time to be in
touch with your feelings and be willing to talk about them. When you
shift from attack to love, love is extended and comes back to you. It just
takes willingness to practice. Don’ t let the ego dissuade you. All relationships , even the ones where hatred has entered, can and
will turn into holy or sacred relationships when you give them over to
the Holy Spirit. It is only in that giving that you share the same purpose
and truly have a relationship. From that point on, your alignm ent with
Spirit will create a space for open communication and a nonjudgmental,
safe place where you will stop hiding and protecting feelings. You will
have honest communication; a deeper way of communicating that will
become more and more consistent. Seeing the Truth of Christ in Each OtherRecurring difficulties, perhaps grievances or agendas, or a feeling of fear
or tightn ess around a person happens because you have forgotten the
truth about them, and you have also forgotten the truth about yourself. When you are interacting with a brother or when you are speaking to a
sister , remember that what you say is what you yourself most need to
hear. Are you gentle when you speak with your brother or sister  because
you see the truth  in them? It’s not so much even the words; you want the
love and gentleness of the Spirit. This is what you can offer to every
brother you meet and every sister you think of. Christ is God’ s Son as He created Him. He is the Self we share,
uniting us with one another , and with God as well. He is the
Thought which still abides withi n the Mind that is His Source. He
has not left His holy home, nor lost the innocence in which He
was created. He abides unchanged forever in the Mind of God. Mother Teresa taught this. She told her devotees to see the face of
Christ in everyo ne they look upon. When I heard that, I thought, She’s
teaching holy r elationship. She made it clear that was their only purpose. She believed that holy relation ship is a total commitment, moment to
moment. She taught holy relationship through healed perception and
through service. It wasn’ t about the behaviors; it was about seeing the
face of Christ in every singl e person they met and follow ing the
guidance of the Spirit. You can also see holy relations hip as a relationship between you
and the Holy Spirit. The point of authentic spirituality , of holy
relationship, is to discover the now and the eternal and the power of the
present momen t that is the gateway to eternity . Therefore, holy
relationship is not in a specific form, and so you will not arrive  at some
point in time where you look around in the world and say, “By golly , I
finally reached my holy relati onship, and it looks like I expected.”
Instead, it is a glorious state of mind, a state of nonjudgment. Imagine
how still your mind would be if you were in a state of comp lete rest
where you perceive your partner and everyone else from a place of
complete nonjud gment, where you didn’ t have one single opinion about
them. This align ment and understanding within the relationship  leads to
a powerful connection and to an experience of holiness.Exercise: Uncover the Miracles in Relationships
To listen to a recorded versio n of this exercise and the prayer , go
to http://www .newharbinger .com/41870 . There is a tremendous release and deep peace that comes
from meeting yourself and your brothers totally without judgment. A mirac le exists in every relationship, in every moment. To reveal
the miracle, you must eliminate the obstacle hiding it. This
obstacle, which stands between you and others, is a gap caused
by a lack of communication, with other people or with the Holy
Spirit. It is formed from judgments, grievances, blame, hurt, anger ,
and all other ego-serving emotions. It is ultimately formed  by the
belief in separation. You are the only one who reinforces the ego’s
ability to separate you from others when you engage and maintain
grievances. Doing this two-part exercise with attention and
willingness has the potential  to remove this obstacle, which was
erected by the ego, and release you, your relationship, and
everyone from darkness to reveal the light of the miracle. You will practice seeing this obstacle as a call for love. This is
how you see it with the Holy Spirit. Part 1. Praying for a Unified Perception
Give yourself plenty of time to quietly go inward with this prayer . You can read it aloud, pause to contemplate it, copy it into your
journal, or post it on your refrigerator as a reminder . You may
repeat this prayer as often  as you want to really focus your
attention on your desire to have an experience of union. Pray for
an experience of these words. My brother and sister and I are the same. I am grateful to have them as a mirror
to see the unhealed thoughts in my mind. I desire to see past all differences,to the truth of who we are. This prayer can give you a glimpse into the nature of the
miracle and the transformativ e shift in the mind from specialness
to holiness. There will be no question of the beauty and validity of
this fresh and new experience. You are opening to the miracle of
releasing the other and yourself from specialness and realizing
your identity is far beyond the ego and far more expans ive than
the thoughts that held you back. Part 2. Contemplating Union
You may now hear the call for love in yourself or your partner and
feel a softening  within. Open to the mind’ s call for love. When you
bring your irritations to the light of love, your relationship becomes
a path to healing. Bring a relationship to mind and spend a few minutes writing
in your journal any difference s you are aware of between yourself
and the other person. Become aware that there is a perceived
split or a gap. Now, get comfortable, take some deep breaths, and
reflect on the following:
“Where two or more are gathered, there I AM.” Where we are
gathered with someone in purpose, the Spirit’ s presence  is with
us. In this recognition, all personal concepts are undone, such as
competition, success, reciprocity , personal gain, and pride. The
aim of a holy relationship is to let go of any sense of individual
interests for the benefit of the whole, the one mind. For this part of the exercise, I’d like you to be willing to see, if
only for a moment, your and your partner ’s goal as the same goal,
that there is no difference. Go within and allow your mind to sink
beyond distrac ting thoughts to reach a clean space that is filled
with light to welcome this idea. Take as much time as you need to
contemplate and experience the meaning of this profound idea. “Even at the level of the most casual encounter it is possible
for two people to lose sight of separate interests if only for a
moment. That moment will be enough. Salvation has come.”Seeing you and your partner as innocent, with the same core
purpose, is to see past all seeming differences. The way is to
move beyond all concepts of attack, defense, and separate
interests to the bliss and joy of this freedom, and to come wholly
empty handed unto God. A Mechanism for Miracles
Being in holy relationship is to be fully present with no thoughts of the
past intruding. It’s very free-flowing and open, free of expectations and
limits, and free of the egoic motive to get something. Therefore, it is free
of the belief in reciprocity . There’ s a sense of respect with holy
relationship, a sense of trust. You don’t have to have a special role or be
in a Buddhist monastery to allow for a holy relationship. It’s an elevation
of purpose in the mind, and this can happen anywhere and with anyone. It can be experienced in a brief encounter at the supermarket or in an
extended relationship with family or a friend. The essence of a holy relationship is an experience of a joining that
includes full and open commun ication where nothing is hidden. Open
communication turns relationships into a wonderful mechanism to
inspire, to bless, and to help us remember the truth of who we really are. This is the most glorious experience. The ego made bodies and
interpersonal relationships as a substitute for total, open communication. As a result, we have fear-based egoic relationships based upon lack and
scarcity , which don’t lead to truth. So, when we return to open
communication, it is like communion, like a telepathic awareness of
love, like a happ y dance. And so holy relationship is a symbol used only
to reflect the divinity of God’ s love. When you give over the situatio ns and relationships in your life to
the Holy Spirit and allow Him to use you for a holy purpose, there is a
great sense of fulfillment. In your intimate relationships and daily
encounters, the best thing you can do is pause, and then ask the
questions, “What is this for? How can this relationship or encounter raise
my mind higher?” You can pray, “Am I willing to give this relationship
or encou nter over to You now, God? Please show me how I can do that.”Use this prayer to get in touch with your true feelings and learn to be
transparent with the one in front of you. And, learn to listen! Then every
single relationship becomes an opportunity to extend and a way to fulfill
your function. That is going to make the relationship extremely fulfilling
and very purposeful, and this is miraculous!Part IV
Being the MiracleChapter 15
Healing
All forms of sickness, without exception, have their origin in the idea
that we could be separate from our Source. This is the origin al attack
thought. But truly, our Source could not possibly create sickness. Would
all the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven or nirvana, just say, “Oh yeah,
let’s throw in a little sickness into the mix? It’s perfect as it is, but let’s
give it a little contrast!” It would not and could not do that. I think most
people on a deep level sense that there is some kind of trick going on
with sickness. This chapter will show how, when you start to tune in to
that intuitive knowledge and realize the power of your mind, to see that
you have the capacity within: the power inside to heal, to be healthy and
well, and to be peaceful, joyful, and happy . The experience of sickness in
the body then can be your strong call and incentive to go insid e and to,
with the help of the Holy Spirit, see things dif ferently . True Healing Equals Peace of Mind
Because everything is consciousness, everything we see and experience
is only really happening in the mind. It can be surprising at first, even
shocking, but what we call physical symptoms in the body are actually
thoughts in the mind. In other words, like the whole world, our body is
just a projection. This brings us to the natural conclusion that everything
around sickness—symptoms, different diseases, pain, and suffering—is
nothing more than a projection of the mind. We are getting more and more clues and hints that things are not
what they seem, including within the field of medicine. There are
numerous resear ch studies about the power of the mind over matter , and
the power of faith, prayer , and belief. Doctors are prescribing placebos
and achieving results. All of this breaks away from the idea that anythingin form has a causative effect on the body . It’s pointing us back to the
power of the mind. When we get into looking at our thoughts, we start to uncover that
there are certain thought patterns and beliefs that aren’ t conduci ve to our
peace of mind. We discover that we don’t feel well when we complain
and hold judgments. When we look deeper , we discover that it is the
judgmental thought patterns that are the actual cause of symptoms and
sickness. We can become disillusioned when healing does not occur . This is
because we have identified the problem in form rather than in our
thinking—our only focus is to fix symptoms, change conditions of the
body , or change something in our environment. But sickness does not
come from germ s or viruses. Sickness does not come from things in the
world. Sickness is a projection of our attack thoughts. We first project
our attac k thoughts onto the body; then we give the effect of these attack
thoughts a name, like cancer or the flu. If you look to the body or the world for the cause of sickness or its
solution, you will be trying to solve what is actually a conflict in the
mind through changing external circumstances. And this is the grand
deception. When you realize that external circumstances do not provide
a lasting solution, you will make  a switch and say, “I’m not going to play
this game anym ore! I’m going to stop looking for causes of sickness in
the world and in the body .” Sometimes we go through the schoo l of hard
knocks before we are ready to hear that we have to look inside. We can’t
just say, “Well, one option is to look inside.” It’s absolutely crucial for
our peace of mind and well-bein g that we look inside. There is no other
way to heal. There isn’t even an external “God” to pray to that can fix it
for you. Instead of trying to pray to “Papa” in the sky and hoping he’s
listening—which is kind of what’ s been going on for millennia—we
need go far beyond the hopes and attempts of asking the man with the
white beard on the clouds, an external God, for healing. Instead, when
we want  to heal, we need to go very deep into the mind to release the
original attack thought. This is the only way to healing! People who have heard me say that sickness is a decision think it’s
bizarre that anyone in their right mind would choose to be sick. Andthat’s correct. No one in their right mind would choose to be sick! Sickness is just a wrong-minded decision. And so, obviously , this
decision has to get exposed and released. The metaphysics behind
sickness can be explained this way: Because we believe we have pulled
away and separa ted from God and our home in Heaven, we believe that
there could be some punishment or retribution, or some price  to pay. This fear of retribution from God is unconscious. Because of this and of
being unaware of the truth that you can be hurt by nothing but your
thoughts, the mind is actually afraid of healing, and this is why it makes
itself sick. It is saying: “The body is real; it is my identity .” This fear
strengthens our belief in the body as our identity rather than the mind. The perceptual world is the outer ring of the levels of the mind (as
shown in the illustration in chapter 2). This is where we find our
perception of sickness. If we perceive a symptom, a painfu l toe for
example, and we spend lots of money , effort, and resources addressing
this toe—there may have been a huge focus for years on this toe—we are
looking in the wrong place for healing. We are looking to the external
perceptual realm . What we really need to do, first of all, is to take the
focus off the toe. The toe and the pain in the toe is an effect . The mind is
misdirected when it’s so riveted  on what’ s just an effect. We have to pull
the attention off the toe and open to the awareness that the problem does
not have  anythi ng to do with the specifics—the pain or the toe. The
problem is a perceptual problem. We may need a lot of convincing to
realize this, and we will have to remind ourselves over and over and train
our mind to pull our attention off of effects. We do this by stepping away
from our current perception and training our mind to find and realize the
real cause of our problems: the belief in separation. This is the only real
and lasting option for relief. It’s reframing the problem from perception
and pulling it back to see that it’s much more profound than that. The toe
is just a tiny ef fect of the actual problem. Sickness Is a Grievance
Sickness, in other words, is wrong-minded thinking. It is a grievance,
and only forgiveness heals a grievance. This grievance lies much, much
deeper than the surface symptoms that you are aware of. In fact, thegrievance probably doesn’ t even seem to have any overt or obvious
connection to the symptom. You may not understand it conscio usly, but
you will begin to feel an impetus to go much, much deeper and start to
welcome what’ s unconscious into awareness. And this is really a time of
rejoicing. It’s not a time of think ing you have failed to find a solution to
this specific symptom. It’s more like a time of rejoicing that you’re
getting to the point where you want to look much deeper inside. So
rather than looking for symptom relief, you start to look for perceptual
problem relief. It is a huge difference! It’s a relief to no longer try to heal
the toe, but rather to focus on the unconscious wrong-minded thinking
that has projected the painful toe: the story of how it happened, the life
situation in general, the body , and the whole universe. We can see sickness as a call for help. It is a call for love. By
exercising our willingness to expose and dispel our attack thoughts, we
can answer this call for help and experience healing—physically ,
emotionally , and mentally . We start to clearly see that the ego is
constantly tryin g to play a major trick on us by covering the original
attack thought of separation with other surface attack thoughts that
generate the sickness: attack thoughts around the body , attack thoughts
around the toe, fear thoughts around any symptom that you seem to
have. It can take a lot of convincing to accept that all illness is actually
mental illness, that it is all in the mind. The convincing will happen
through miracle s that will help us fully release the belief that events and
circumstances are the cause of sickness. Feeling sick is a call for us to question our unconscious beliefs and
conclusions and to gently invite another perception. We do this step by
step, little by little, practicing with what’ s currently in front of us in our
awareness, in our life. If somebody says they are ill, the immediate thoughts that follow
are usually questions about what is wrong with them, what is hurting
them, what are the symptoms, and what is the diagnosis. There is such a
focus and fixation on the body and physical symptoms, on the particulars
of the disease, and the form of the illness. The world has set up a
sophisticated medical model to treat and prevent physical and mentalhealth problems. As such, there is often a desire to try to find the
answers on the level of form. The attempts at solutions are endless: diet,
exercise, surgery, and a countless variety of different therapies and
practices. Dismantle and Heal
Let’s take a look at a scenario that could have a transcending nature for
you if you yearn for healing. A patient typically goes to a doctor or
therapist becaus e they want a magical shift. They want a better life in
form. They want the doctor to magically take away their problems, their
difficulties, and their pains and symptoms. And herein lies the problem. Getting a better life in form is just a temporary shift; it can never be
lasting. The true healer , the Holy Spirit, is the real therapist and doctor . However , the patient thinks twice about accepting this healing, since
healing with the Holy Spirit requires a complete shift. It means that they
would have their self-concept, their entire world, dismantled. They might
think, I didn’t ask you to take my life away . I asked you to make it better! Give me a better life; give me a better illusion instead of the dism antling. Because of the fear of the loss of this life as they know it, the patient will
not trust the Holy Spirit, so the sickness and the temporary fixes churn
on and on like a treadmill. But dism antling is what we are in for now. When we go for healing,
we are in for a journey of letting go of everything we believe and
everything we think we know , and this is how we discover the full power
and potential of our holy mind. Healing occurs the instant we no longer
see any value in sickness. It can be hard to understand what that even
means! First we have to admit that we must have some kind of attraction
to sickn ess—a sick attraction to wrong-mindedness, a sick attraction to
pain, a sick attraction to guilt, or an addiction to misery . People who
have gone throu gh a 12-steps program often feel that they had some kind
of sick attraction  to their addictions. And what we need to ackn owledge
is that deep down, we are choo sing our sickness. It comes from a bad
thinking habit. But you can change your habit. Whatever you made can
be unma de. Whatever you thought you did can be undone. No matter
how bad you think it has becom e, it is reversible because you can acceptthe correction in your mind. You just need to quit hiding. You must go
inside, face what’ s there, and for give it. We are responsible for what we think, and if we hold on to ego
thoughts, fear will inevitably be the emotion that we experience. There is
usually a resistance to completely letting go of these thoughts because
many of them are part of a defense mechanism that the mind uses to try
to keep things the way they are. We have to be convinced through
miracles that it is safe to let go of our habitual thinking—the judgments
and the attack thoughts—and trust that this is the only way we can heal
our mind. We are invited to join with the Holy Spirit to have our
unconscious issues flushed into awareness so we can transcend them
completely . When we rise above the battleground of our conflicts and
hurts, peace starts to settle in our mind. Then there’ s no longer a need to
act out the grievances and wrong-minded thinking in the form of
sickness. Free from Grievances
There can be an enormous temp tation to be hard on yourself as you go
through your healing process. Don’ t give in to it. The ego wants to
sabotage the whole healing process by having you throw in the towel,
thinking it’s too difficult. Maybe you think you’re not doing it good
enough or that you’ll never get past the obstacles, the sickness, or the
darkness of your wrong-minde d thinking. The ego just wants you to
come up with some conclusion to shut down your willingness. But it is a
fact that the ego has no defense when your willingness is joined  with the
Holy Spirit. This ignites a huge powerful healing. The only thing that
you are really asked to do is offer your willingness, and if you stay
willing, it can be a pretty quick journey! Here is a story that clearly shows how a little willingness to forgive
can bring about a powerful heali ng. I used to work at a hospice. One day
I went for lunch with a colleagu e, who is also a minister , as he wanted to
talk. He looked at me and said, “I have been diagnosed with leukemia,
and it’s pretty far advanced, so I don’t know how many more  weeks I
can continue on with the hospice training.”I looked at him, and the Holy Spirit guided me to say, “Is there
somebody in your life who used to be really close to you, someone
whom you used to just talk and laugh with, but whom you haven’ t
spoken to in years?”
He sat back, he put his burger down, and he said, “How did you
know about my sister?”
I said, “So, you haven’ t spoken to your sister in years?” And the
Holy Spirit guided me to continue, “You know what, this leukemia
diagnosis that you have got; it’s not what you think it is. You have got a
grievance again st your sister , and you need to go home. Here is your
hospice homew ork for the night: you need to go home and bury the
hatchet; you need to call her and talk to her from your heart because I
know that underneath the grievance, you love her .”
And he said, “Yes…you’re right; it is crazy; it is just absolutely
crazy that I haven’ t spoken with her, that I have been carrying this for so
long.” Until then, he had not made the connection between the grievance
with his sister and the leukemia . When I saw him a few weeks  later, he
told me that he had immediately contacted his sister and cleared the
grievance. And when he later went in to the hospital, they couldn’ t find a
trace of leukem ia. It was all healed because he had gone through that
opening of his heart. He burie d the hatchet. He let go of the long-
standing grievan ce. He shared with me that what he had been holding on
to was so silly in hindsight. This is what we can do now. We can allow ourselves to make  the
connections in our mind like, Wow, it’s important for me to be free of
grievances so that I can heal. And know, that with the help of the Holy
Spirit, it is possible! Being free of grievances means that anyone from
your entire life could show up; you could just sit there, look them in the
eye, and smile; you could give them a big long hug; and you could love
them without any sense of anim osity , any belief in wrongdoing, not even
any sense of irritation or annoyance. When you remember who you are, you will bless everyone and
everything you see. There will be no past and therefore no enem ies. And
you will look with love on all that you failed to see before.You were just mistaken when you perceived that your brother or
your sister want ed to attack or hurt you. It was you who wanted to throw
something that was wounded in yourself onto them. Letting go of
grievances and grudges is your most practical remedy . It is a miracle!Exercise: Open Up to Healing
For this two-pa rt exercise, find a quiet place where you will not be
disturbed and have your journal with you. Turn your attention
inward. See this as a devotional time that you set aside for
yourself. Part 1. Identifying and Releasing Y our Grievances
In this exercis e, you are going to look at the purpose a current
upset or frustration seems to serve. Be very open to recognizing
any “reasons” that you may be using to maintain sickness or a
symptom. Allow yourself to settle inward; ask the Holy Spirit to
help you see any thoughts and beliefs that are under the surface
of your consciousness. Even  if they are intense, just allow them. Your healing is worth the effort you put into your practice  now. It
will open your mind to the miracle of this present moment where
all answers are given. Y ou are going inside to heal. In your journal, prayerfully write down your answers to the
following:
1. List and describe a current disturbance, annoyance, or
upset. It can be an irritation , a discomfort, or a physic al
symptom. Ask yourself: Is there someone or something I’m
upset with? Who and what is it? Welcome and allow the
feelings. 2. What might you be trying to “prove” to yourself or someone
else by having these disturbances or symptoms? This may
not be appare nt at first. Take your time and ask Spirit to
help you see deeply into your mind. 3. Irritation or sickness of any kind comes with a feeling of
separateness and withdrawal. Why are you choosing to be
separate? List every possible reason. Make sure to not
avoid anything.The ego uses all disturbanc es and all forms of sickness  to
have you “prove” to yourse lf that you are limited, weak, and
vulnerable. It can also use an illness to “prove” that you are
vulnerable in order to receive attention and love from others. You
may be using a grievance to avoid a particular event, situation, or
person and “prove” that you are weak. Take a moment with this prayer:
Holy Spirit, I trust Y ou to show me what I need to see so that I
can heal. Please help me see my thoughts so they may be
released into Y our loving hands. I seem to have grievances
and symptoms; I seem to have things going on in my body . I
open my mind to Y ou now and ask Y ou to show me that I am
not upset, worried, or fearful for the reason I think. Sit quietly . Notice how you are feeling. You may feel a sense
of relief or anticipation, or you may notice feelings of discomfort. It’s okay . Take your time. When you are ready , take the next step. Now, invite these powerful, true ideas into your mind. Say to
yourself:
There is no problem that is separate or apart from my mind. There is no problem that is separate or apart from my thoughts. I am willing to be wrong about my thoughts. I give them now to
You, Holy Spirit. I want to heal. I want to be happy . I want to
know love. Part 2. Meditation:  Going Beyond Grievances, Praying for
Healing
Through your willingness to see your grievances as wrong-
minded thoughts, you have risen above the battleground. True
healing comes  when you see that you have false belief s about
sickness and false beliefs about your identity . As you welcome
and remember  the truth, the fog that obscured the light of peace
dissolves. I invite you to stay open and listen. Listen to the silence
of your mind.Imagine now that you are entering a space inside your mind
where you can be totally relaxed and feel perfectly safe. Let go of
any distraction s, worries, or problems that may be calling for your
attention. You can return to them later, if you wish. Take a few
deep breaths and spend a few moments in quietness with this
prayer . Here, in this moment I give myself permission
to sink deep down to a place of rest inside my mind. I come now into a safe, sacred space,
where my mind is open to the truth,
I offer Y ou all of my doubts and call upon Y our certainty . I see that sickness and grievances are my calls for love. I will no longer hide my nightmares from Y ou;
I expose them. I release them. I bring the darkness to Y our light. Now I am quiet,
in the midst of all the raspy noises of the world. I sink down into deep stillness. Today I look straight at every image or symptom,
realizing that the goal is inevitable;
the goal of love, happiness, joy , and peace. Perfect love casts out all fear! Today I trust the Holy Spirit…and I accept His trust in me. I look within and find peace. Amen. Healing Yourself Is Healing the UniverseIf you pray for healing but stay concerned with and look for symptoms,
you need to redirect your mind, otherwise healing cannot occur . It will
take a great deal of vigilance to bring your attention back to your mind
and release all worry and concern around symptoms to the Holy Spirit. It
takes determina tion to watch the doubt and fear thoughts and to keep
handing them over. If the fear becomes too great, you may feel that
going to the doctor or getting some medicine will support you
temporarily while sincerely working with and looking at all of your
thoughts and situations calling for forgiveness. This is okay because a
fearful mind is itself a block to healing, to the awareness of love’ s
presence. The feeling of trust arises naturally with a relaxed and grateful
mind. Come into the prayer of your heart, be willing to have a change of
perception, and feel the joy of healing! You are worthy of expe riencing
your real purpose, the only way to real and lasting healing. It is important to see that there is an obvious choice. There are
numerous opportunities to take the bait and perceive yourself as being
separate, attacked, rejected, and abandoned. The ego has been
sponsoring this attack and defense game for so long, and now you’re
going to shift and open to healing. This is a great shift of mind. When
you begin to see your sickness as a call for love, you’ll notice a
softening, a change both in your mind and in your day-to-day life. And
as you allow the love that you perceive as missing to be exten ded, you
receive it immediately . It will get reflected right back to you as a
miracle. This is how healing of the mind and the body works. Exactly as
it is with mental healing, physical healing can always only be of the
mind. When the mind has full and open communication and all wrong-
minded thoughts  have been raised to the light, healing will follow . The
body will be a healthy tool or vehicle for a mind that is happy and at
peace. It’s important to remember that when you genuinely desire healing
for yourself or for others, your focus is not on whether the symptoms
stay or disappea r. The key is to not be invested in a bodily outcome or
appearances. Remember that healing is not really about removal of
symptoms; it is about returning your mind to God. Joining your mind
with God, your Source, will give complete clarity and awareness of your
true identity . When you experience this, when you are fully present inthe miracle moment, you will have no perception of sickne ss, only
unending peace, a peace beyond understanding. It is in coming back to inspiration and vibrancy that you heal. You
do this through holding the hand of the Holy Spirit in every moment. Whether you want healing for an ailment, to heal tiredness to become
alert and vibrant, or just to have an inspiring day, this is always  so. This
is your function  of forgiveness in this world, and it will bring many
miracles that transform your entire life. Bring it into your daily thinking
and daily decision making, moment to moment. This is the way to
release the ego. When you do not want to protect your ego, you are
harmless. When  you are harmless, you cannot hurt anyone or yourself,
neither your mind nor your body . Because you are working with your perception, others will heal as
you forgive and heal. It’s exciting because it’s an invitation from the
Holy Spirit to a whole new way of living. When you look at the tools
you have and the people in your life, you can make wise and helpful
choices that value the love that’s in your heart. You will value your
opening heart, expanding and unfolding. And you will want to surround
yourself with everything that is conducive to your healing.Chapter 16
Forgiveness
The ego has a version of forgiveness that humanity has bought hook,
line, and sinker . The belief is “I forgive you for what you did to me,” or
“I forgive myself for what I did to you.” This is not really forgiveness. It
doesn’ t work. It is no wonder that, in the Bible, Jesus was quoted as
saying, “When you forgive, forgive seventy times seven.” If you are
forgiving in an ego way, you have to do it more than 490 times. It is
endless. You could do it 490,00 0 times or 490 million times. If you just
keep forgiving in the ego’s way, you will still feel guilty , and you will
wonder why it didn’t work. I did it plenty of times. My gosh, how many
Hail Marys do you have to do to get out of this difficult feeling? As long
as you are tryin g to forgive what you believe somebody did to you or
what you did to somebody , you will not really forgive. You are on the
ego’s playing field: it loves it when you get angry at somethin g in the
world. The ego is like a little spider sitting back in its web, saying, “Ha-
ha, fooled them again. They think it is about this or that.”
The ego is hiding behind the projection. It is disguised by what you
project. You don’t recognize that it is in charge. The ego’s form of
forgiveness makes an error real first, and then, out of your own
goodness, you can forgive it. This way, you are attempting a forgiveness
that can never accomplish the goal of peace. The ego is the first premise of an erroneous thought system, and
anyone who studies logic knows that if your first premise is faulty, then
everything after it is faulty . True forgiveness is not like forgiveness of
the world where you forgive somebody for what they did to you. Divine
logic starts with another premise: you are whole; you are complete; you
are innocent. This leads to a way of forgiveness that truly works. It involves
bringing the projections back in and taking full responsibility for yourmind and thoug hts. You forgive your perception , your idea of what you
thought the other did, because  in truth  they did not do it. It was only a
projection of belief. This may sound strange; the ego scratches  its head
and says, “Oh, forgiving what they didn’ t do, that sounds quite difficult.”
But your mind is powerful and made up everything you perceive. Complete forgiveness means seeing and deeply experiencing that
nothing happened . This is peace of mind, the highest state. The step we take in forgiveness now is about allowing percept ions
and beliefs to come up in awareness and be released to the Spirit within. The way is to join with others, rather than separating from them, and
being  the forgiveness. Being the forgiveness takes blame off the objects:
forgiving my mother , forgiving my father , forgiving the Holocaust,
forgiving white  supremacy , forgiving racism, forgiving the president,
forgiving my body . When you take the focus off all the specif ic things
that blam e seems to be about and take it all the way in, you will realize
you are only forgiving the self that you thought you made, the self that
took the place of what you truly are. As I got into mysticism, I seemed to fail in the role and image of a
son. At one point, my father came to me with a look of remorse in his
eyes, a look of such sadness. These words came out of his mouth, “Dave,
I wasn’ t a very good father .” It was a moment of admissio n. I had
already reached a consistent experience of peace at that point, and I said,
“That is nonsen se. You did the best you could do, based on what you
believed. And I did the best I could do, based on what I believed.”
Whatever that was—autopilot, repression, projection—at the time, it was
the best I could do, based on what I believed about myself. I said, “This
game is over now. I’m not going to ever hold you to anything. I’m not
going to hold you to the dad role, and I’m not holding me to the son role
because I have seen that the ego made up those roles.”
God creates us as Spirit, not as mothers, fathers, sisters, and
brothers. When I let go of playi ng these roles, my relationships lit up. I
had forgiven the belief in roles . My father and I had the happ iest and
most loving, joyful relationship,  and that relationship continued until the
day that he passe d away . At our last encounter , we were not holding onto
the past; we were rejoicing in truth, joy , and happiness!The Cause of Any Problem—and the Solution
An unfor giving mind experiences guilt and suffering. It experiences
differences. The cause of any and all the problems you can think of is
basically just an unfor giving mind, while a forgiving mind brings
everything you want. It brings contentment, peace, and a deep sense of
connection. The solution to anything is forgiveness, forgiveness  of what
is not true. What is not true is everything that is not love. This includes
all the judgments that we see and think about the world, about ourselves,
and about others. Out of all the concepts believed in this world, forgiveness is the
only truly helpful one. Dream softly of your sinless brother who unites with you in
holy innocence. Dream of your brother ’s kindnesses instead
of dwelling in your dreams on his mistakes. Select his
thoughtfulness to dream about instead of counting up the
hurts he gave. Forgive him his illusions, and give thanks to
him for all the helpfulness he gave. And do not brush aside
his many gifts because he is not perfect in your dreams. Brother , come and let me look on you. Your loveliness
reflects my own. Your sinlessness is mine. You stand
forgiven, and I stand with you. It is a miracle to let go of grievances by allowing memories and
beliefs to surface in awareness and then letting them go. This is how you
forgive: When the temptation to perceive yourself as unfairly treated
arises, surrender  the thought, the perspective, and the desire to be “right”
about the way it was “set up” or seemed to be, let go into the miracle. As
this becomes a habit, being a miracle worker is happily discovered as our
function in all situations! We are joined in the purpose of forgiveness,
and I am grateful this is so. When I was working with my own healing over the years, I finally
got to the point where I turned the tables. I began to allow myself to feel
the darkness and emotions as they came up. Instead of having a
judgmental or harsh reaction to them and trying to repress and push themback down, I welcomed them. The ego wants to minimize discomfort, so
it was a big step when I decided I wasn’ t going to judge myself  for how
this process looked or felt. My face was wet with tears when I went
through the phase of just welcoming it all. I said to myself and the Holy
Spirit, “Now , I welcome this even if it doesn’ t look pretty or feel pretty . No matter how it looks—let’ s go for the healing!”
The intensity of emotions was so strong.
This-Moment-is-Your-Miracle_by_David_Hoffmeister.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        I sometimes tell people who have
someone who’ s not around anymore, “Well, you might as well keep
talking to them because they are still there. You just can’t see them, but
they are still there. ” And if you have attack thoughts toward somebody,
you will see that person as the thoughts you have about them. It may feel
like a very foreign idea, but it is within your own thinking that you have
all of your relati onships and your communications. This is why you need
to take great care of what you think and be aware of what  kind of
relationship you have with your thoughts. The way to an increasing awareness of your thoughts is to pay
attention to the way you feel. Not only will your feelings be the
indicators of where you have let your thoughts go, but your external
relationships will also always reflect what is going on in your thinking. This is because your powerful mind communicates all the time. The mind is very powerful, and never loses its creative force. It
never sleeps. Every instant it is creating. It is hard to recogni ze
that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can
literally move mountains. We need to have experiences that show us that we are more than a
body and that we can communicate beyond the body. Sometimes people
will tell me they have a dream where they can fly and experience
freedom. In whatever way is given to us, in whatever way we attract, we
need to have an experience that we are more than a body. There is a lot
of resea rch around near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences
and lots and lots of reports around people who are in comas and
unconscious. If communication were based on the body and certain brain
activity, a coma would seem like a definite break in communication. Yet
over and over, we hear stories of patients who come out of comas and
say things like, “Why did you tell that story about me. ” This shows
clearly that communication is not limited to the body. This shows that
we can begin to loosen up from  the idea that we are powerless and go
beyond preconceived limits with our communication. Sometimes we can
even have telepathic experiences. It works more like prayers: you send
out a vibe with your thoughts, then the universe responds to that vibe,
and that is reflected directly in the world around you. This is what I
mean when I say that you communicate all the time. The more we allow for open and transparent communication, the
more we feel our expansiveness. Therefore, this is a very helpf ul prayer
to the Holy Spirit: “Please show me how to use the body and
communication best to expa nd my perception. ” This expanded
perception gives us a feeling of a much stronger connection to everyone
and everything. Communing with Spirit in Communication
The Holy Spirit uses the body  for only one purpose, and that is as a
communication device to help the mind regain the awareness that true
communication is through Spirit and that true communication is with the
Creator. Becaus e the mind has fallen asleep and believes in separationand bodies, the Spirit has to use what the separated mind believe s in. For
example, you go about your day using words as you speak and maybe as
you write, so the Holy Spirit will guide you through words to train the
mind to come back into true communion. The purpose of Spirit -inspired
communication is to go beyond the interpersonal communication to
communion with the One. The more you practice this, the more you let Spirit pour through
you and express  through you. You don’t hold back anymore. You start to
have an experien ce of an inner dialogue, as if you are teaching yourself,
as if there is nobody else in the universe but you. There is just one mind,
but that one mind has been forgotten and seems to have fragmented off
into billions of pieces that only know of the little personality self. In everything you do, let your practice become to see the body and
personality self as your means but never the “end goal. ” When the body
and the person are the focus and are given too much attenti on, they
become the end rather than means. Let your mind be the end, your divine
mind, the mind that you truly are, the mind that thinks with God. The
whole purpose of life is to have a connected experience. Let your
intuition take charge. Your ego has been running the show for quite a
while without getting to what you really, truly want. It has been striving
—another goal, improving the body, another relationship—see king and
not finding. Now you can start allowing your mind to be the end and the
body the means  for this end in all your relationships and situations in
life. You can start to see that your body has only one purpose: to be a
communication device that the Spirit can use to expand your perception. Healing your mind deserves your full attention. If you let the body be
your communication device and if you don’t withhold any
communication, everything channels into one experience. In trusting and following the Holy Spirit, you are shown a sense of
intimacy and connection that is not dependent on bodies being together. Why does it sometimes feel so terrible when the bodies go apart. Separation anxiety happens when you believe that there can be a break in
communication. When you feel located in a body in a particular place in
space, you can feel very, very alone. Exercise: Feel Connected in Y our Communication
When you are ready to begin your next assignment, take your
usual few minutes to calm and quiet your mind. Take several deep
breaths, remembering your healing purpose, and invite the Holy
Spirit to be with you during this process. In this exercise, you are
going to look at fear of communication. When you feel ready to
look within, open your mind to the following steps:
1. Choose a current relationship where you are holding back
from communicating. Write down all the ways you hold
back. 2. Identify situations where you have opportunities to speak
up, share, or connect and still feel you hold back. Write
them down. 3. Are you willing to communicate how you really feel in order
to experience true connection. Write down your immedia te
response. If you notice any resistance or hesitation, be
honest about it and make notes. 4. Journal about the relationship : your thoughts, feelings, and
beliefs about yourself and the other. Don’t leave anything
out of your exploration. Include thoughts about a specific
situation if this comes to mind. 5. Write a list of all the things you would say to the perso n
involved. For the purpose of the exercise, don’t exclude
anything out of a belief that you need to be nice or hold up
a certain mask, for example. 6. Do you have any expectations about the other person’ s
response. Write them down. What responses do you fear. What responses do you hope for. 7. Are you willing to let go of your expectations and open to a
new perspective. Know that releasing your expectations isthe means to peace. Take time to go into this inquiry and
journal about your observations. 8. Open your mind to the light behind your perception of the
other person and remember your healing purpose. Take a
deep breath, welcome a prayerful state of mind, and relax. Ask the Spirit for guidance about what it is you are to do or
say to them and finally, give this relationship over to Him. Sharing Freely Is Loving
When you make  it a priority to follow the Holy Spirit’ s inspiration in
your heart and stay in full open communication with others and with
God, doubt and fear will start to disappear and not be reflected by other
people anymore. When you have integrity—when what you think, say,
and do, are in alignment—you are at peace. God created us in truth as love; therefore, this is the only thing that
we can truly share. Words of wisdom pour through you when you are in
communion with your Creator, whether that be with other people,
through the Internet, or anything that blesses. Chapter 13
Collaboration
Divine collaboration differs from  special relationships in every way, as it
holds the promise of a lived experience of relationship without
expectations at its core. It has a deep respect and an understan ding that
transcends the usual roles we play. It wants nothing from another, but
each person within a holy collaborative relationship is sharing something
that is deeply nurturing, leaving  each feeling full and grateful. These are
the relationship s that offer an experience of joining with something
much greater. Collaborative Assignments for Deeper Alignment
with Spirit
Once you have made the decision to make healing the goal for your
relationships, the Holy Spirit provides the means for it to happen. There
is a divine plan available for our worldly interpersonal relationships,
though this plan is generally hidden until our minds have reached a
certain maturity. The purpose of a collaborative relationship, as well as
of every assignment, is to learn as deeply as you can about who you truly
are. Healing through relationships comes in many forms. Some people
don’t feel intuitively guided or drawn in to an intimate or romantic
relationship since they have plenty of relationships in their daily life, at
work, and with friends and relatives. There are many different
assignments that we can use to align with the Holy Spirit, and couple
relationships can be major assignments. They are among the most potent
training grounds in this world. You need a sense of a shared purpose in relationship assignmen ts, a
commitment, that is always directed to the light and the healing. The
unconscious mind is filled with much darkness that has to be exposed. You need to go through the darkness to arrive at the light. It can seem
like a long, dark tunnel; sometimes you may wonder if there is light at
the end. The shared purpose is what sustains you as you move  through
the darkness to reach the light. It is not always  immediately obvious how a relationship can be
truly helpful. Sometimes two people are not even conscious of how
important it is that they be together. The relationships or assignments can
be very intense. If one or the other leaves the relationship, one should
not worry; the lesson will come back. It will be repeated, maybe with
another person. Because once readiness and willingness are in
alignment, we attract the mean s for what we need to heal until it’s
healed. It’s helpful to be aware that the ego, being scared of the end,
does not like this, so it’s going  to fight against the means, against the
relationships. Relationships offer endless opportunities for collaboration. They
serve as a backdrop to come together. Collaborative relationships with a
healing purpose contain two qualities: they are undefined, and they are
guided. Those qualities aren’ t typically part of relationships in this
world. The “undefined”  part is very scary to the ego, but it is an essential
entry point. Openness is one of the main doorways to a holy relationship
and thus to freed om. An undefined relationship is about being willing to
be open, to just show up. This is why collaborative relationsh ips don’t
have the rigidity, the expectations, and the demands that linear (time-
based) or special relationships have. When the relationship is undefined,
there isn’t a structure or an agenda already set in place. There isn’t a
standard that the relationship has to meet. There is no role to live up to. You don’t ever have to put any thought into how to keep someone happy
or how to keep the relationship alive. Imagine what that would be like. The “guided” part is very important because this is how it can be
used by the Holy Spirit for healing and the highest good. The
relationship is for a higher purpo se and doesn’ t have a form goal. In fact,you don’t know what outcome is best or how to achieve it. So, it’s
essential to leave space for the Spirit to make it obvious. A collaborative
relationship contains an inspirati on and an agreement to be used together
in some helpful way that benefits the healing of the mind and therefore
blesses the whole universe. Opposing the idea of collaborati ve assignments for healing, the ego
basically says, “Distract yourself, use entertainment and fantasy, and
forget about commitment to a mind-training practice or collaboration. Live it up because you’re going to die anyway. ” The Holy Spirit is
saying there is much more than that. When you reach a certain stage of
maturity, you can be guided into shorter or longer assignments. You can
even have lifelong relationships or partnerships where the teaching-
learning balance  is perfect. And, if you decide to learn it, the perfect
lesson is laid before you and can be learned. This is very optimistic. Spiritually, two are drawn together because of this teaching-learning
balance, and there will be countless opportunities to really get the lesson. It is worth hanging in there when that happens. The Power of Joining
An experience of collaborative joining is an experience of being
connected in mind. It’s an experience of being deeply joined in a shared
purpose: the healing and forgiveness of illusion. Being in colla borative
relationship can be a bit like the 12-step programs, where you have a
sponsor. A sponsor is a trusted brother or sister to join with on decisions,
a joining that shows you the way or guides you. When you link up in
mind with others to join in decision making, you are open to asking and
to be shown the direction. You are not operating from a place of thinking
you already know, where you believe you don’t need to join or listen. Things that weren’t clear before always become clear through joining
and open communication. It’s not that others necessarily know better
than you. Nobod y really knows. It is the joining that is so powerful and
makes the direction clear. It’s a different focus than just trying to
accomplish things. After a while, the joining becomes internalized to a
point where you become really humble as you just ease into a state of
inner listening, flowing, and following. In the ego’s world, the personality and the personal perspective is
the baseline for everything. It is sticky, it is enmeshed, and it is
uncomfortable. There is an underlying low-level anxiety with it that can
increase with different things you do. But your holy companions, your
friends in this purpose, are showing up as symbols of love and support
and saying, “Let’s go on this journey together. Let’s remember  who we
truly are. Let’s be shown our wholeness. Let’s not be tempted to become
depressed. ” There is much more that awaits beyond the dismantling of
the ego. There is an immense sense of freedom that comes with vibrational
connections and collaborations. Being connected to the Spirit, you feel
free. You don’t feel bound to the world. Your mind is not think ing, How
am I going to survive, what’ s going to happen tomorr ow, and how am I
going to deal with this and that. , the typical things that the egoic mind is
focusing on. In holy collaboratio n, your mind is lifted into a realm that’s
higher than those doubts, fears, and concerns, and your spirit emanates
from this higher place. It’ s divine. Exercise: Clearing the W ay for Collaboration
Sit quietly and allow a current relationship to come into
awareness. Any relationship  that comes to your mind can be
used. You can repeat this exercise as many times as you’d like
and with any of your relationships. Use your journal to answer the
following questions. 1. How do you define the role you play in the relationship. Examples could be girlfriend, husband, friend, mothe r,
grandparent, or boss. Includ e what expectations you have
of yourself in that role.
The Holy Spirit uses the body as a communication device to help the mind regain awareness that true communication is through the Spirit and the Creator.
According to the author, what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in relationships?
The author believes that these experiences show that communication is not limited to the body and that we can begin to loosen the idea that we are powerless.
What is the author's perspective on the idea of near-death and out-of-body experiences?
The key to healing is to acknowledge and release all wrong-minded thoughts and beliefs, and to focus on the mind rather than the body.
What is the key to healing, according to the author?
According to the author, sickness and illness are a result of wrong-minded thinking and are not caused by external factors or circumstances.
What is the author's message about the origin of sickness and illness?
The author emphasizes the importance of letting go of the ego's influence in relationships and instead focusing on the mind and the Holy Spirit.
What is the author's perspective on the role of the ego in relationships?