Darkness is untrue

Joining is as simple as saying a prayer alone or with a brother, seeing a brother with love, and playing together with joy!  Joining with Spirit is recognizing the truth of love and joy right now!  These are practical experiences that point directly to the Holy Instant and acceptance of the atonement.

A practical application of Joining in Light is expressed in the blog about Roger- The Light Pours through.   The beauty of this experience is that joining with Roger was a refection of joining with the Holy Spirit to recognize the presence of love in myself.  At the time I thought the shift or change in perception was in HIS mind.  What I recognize now is that was the form that the Holy Spirit used for a shift in perception in MY mind.  What I saw in Roger is only a reflection of what I was willing to be shown by the Holy Spirit.  At the time I thought I was “doing something for” Roger, which was projection, although helpful for where the mind was at the time.  Roger was a gift to help me learn to listen to the voice of Spirit and welcome love into my heart.  This is a beautiful example of how the Holy Spirit uses the symbols that we are familiar with for where were are  to help us see the truth.

Prayer is the restatement of inclusion directed by the Holy Spirit under the laws of God. Salvation is of your brother. The Holy Spirit extends from your mind into his and answers you. You can not hear the voice for God in yourself alone, because you are not alone. You will not trust the guidance of the HS or believe it is for you unless you hear it in others. (ACIM, T-9.II.6.2)
You will be answered as you hear the answer in everyone. (ACIM, T-9.II.7. 7)

A few days after I met with Roger another gentleman at the prison expressed his upset over his relationship with his father. I did not offer advice, rather I said, “What if we ask God about that?” We joined hands and light and within a minute or two of placing his “concerns” in the light he expressed a feeling of peace. The next day I heard from a social worker that he had “forgiven” his father. We did not speak of forgiveness: that inspiration came from Holy Spirit. He told me that he had written a letter to his father to connect with him.  This is another beautiful example of the simplicity of the symbol the Holy Spirit brought into my mind to step back and trust that this would be handled by Spirit.

In past “coaching” sessions I would have had long discussions with “the other person” to identify the problem and change the beliefs.  That was before I understood there is nothing to change, only to recognize what is already present.  Learning that shifts in beliefs and perception is possible is very valuable because the foundation of the Course is about questioning every belief that blocks the perception of truth and love. The offering light symbol was a way to help me to learn to step back and let Him lead the way to these shifts in perception, there was nothing for me to do, per se.

Thus can you serve them while you serve yourself, and set their footsteps on the way that God has opened up to you, and them through you.

Illusion still appears to cling to you, that you may reach them. Yet it has stepped back. And it is not illusion that they hear you speak of, nor illusion that you bring their eyes to look on and their minds to grasp. Nor can the truth, which walks ahead of you, speak to them through illusions, for the road leads past illusion now, while on the way you call to them, that they may follow you.

All roads will lead to this one in the end. For sacrifice and deprivation are paths that lead nowhere, choices for defeat, and aims that will remain impossible. All this steps back as truth comes forth in you, to lead your brothers from the ways of death, and set them on the way to happiness. Their suffering is but illusion. Yet they need a guide to lead them out of it, for they mistake illusion for the truth. Such is salvation’s call, and nothing more. It asks that you accept the truth, and let it go before you, lighting up the path of ransom from illusion.  (W. L-155.5.4)

I will step back and let Him lead the way,

For I would walk along the road to Him.(W-155.14.3)

Joining in Light to hear the Voice is of great value in experiencing that what the Holy Spirit says can be trusted and is of great value, rather than to be feared.

A friend called feeling frustrated and upset about a decision she felt she needed to make. We “Joined in Light” over the phone. Spirit quickly cleared emotional blocks/beliefs that were causing discomfort around the decision.

In the first experiences of trusting Spirit through joining and stepping back to let the Spirit speak I could feel a sense of panic, thinking, “What if God tells the other person the wrong thing?” (As if he could!).  This was only a reflection of my doubt thoughts about “what if I hear the wrong thing?!”   To my amazement it has not happened over many joining sessions in prison.  The insights shared have almost always been deeply profound truths.

In the beginning I was listening to what I thought was Spirit speaking through others, until I developed enough trust to understand this is Spirit speaking to me!  The experience builds trust that the Holy Spirit does indeed answer prayers when two brothers honor the gift they have for each other.

Joining in Light helped me to understand that I could join at any time by recognizing Light with a brother, without necessarily using this specific form (hands held together), so eventually Joining in Light in the mind became a more frequent experience. During particularly intense emotional surges I have imagined light joined to mighty companions at the Living Miracles Devotional Centre, Ramana, Spirit or another brother and the pain will ease. The thought of joining is a powerful antidote provided by Spirit as all fear is fear of separation. Joining is a denial of separation.

The gift of learning to focus on Light/what is already joined first has been beyond measure in the healing of my mind. When I did not focus on Light first such as trusting the light in my brothers before bringing up darkness (e.g. in expression sessions), it felt as though the ego grabbed tightly. This experience helped me understand the meaning behind this section of the course:

You can ask of Holy Spirit then only by giving to Him and you can give to Him only where you recognize him.

The course says that it is not necessary for two to join in this way to find peace, for if one decides to change the mind it is all handled by Spirit. Now is always preferable!

Yet it is wholly possible for us to share it now. And so I choose this instant as the one to offer to the Holy Spirit, that His blessing may descend on us, and keep us both in peace. T-18.V.7:5-6

Joining in Light is given as a symbol that can ease the surrender to the will of God and build trust with our brother and thus Spirit.  And the gratitude that has entered my life from the brothers who have stood by my side and joined with me when the illusion of darkness clouded my mind is indescribable. What a precious gift to share with mighty companions!

But forget not that your relationship is one, and so it must be that whatever threatens the peace of one is an equal threat to the other. The power of joining its blessing lies in the fact that it is now impossible for you or your brother to experience fear alone, or to attempt to deal with it alone. (T-18.V.6:3-4)

Re-Interpret attack into ability to share, He translates what you made into what God created. (T-9. IV 3. 3.3)

Over time there is only the recognition of trust and gratitude for this shared gift with a brother and peace that comes from knowing minds are joined.  Every brother who comes before us is asking to join!  It is always a call to recognize what is joined (love). We can welcome him/her to the celebration of what has already happened.  And the gratitude that pours forth is the gateway to heaven.

Now can you say to everyone who comes to join in prayer with you:
I cannot go without you, for you are a part of me.

And so he is in truth. Now can you pray only for what you truly share with him. For you have understood he never left, and you, who seemed alone, are one with him.

The ladder ends with this, for learning is no longer needed. Now you stand before the gate of Heaven, and your brother stands beside you there. The lawns are deep and still, for here the place appointed for the time when you should come has waited long for you. Here will time end forever. At this gate eternity itself will join with you. Prayer has become what it was meant to be, for you have recognized the Christ in you. (S-1 V3.8)

Heaven is restored to all the Sonship through your relationship, for in it lies the Sonship, whole and beautiful, safe in your love. Heaven has entered quietly, for all illusions have been gently brought unto the truth in you, and love has shined upon you, blessing your relationship with truth. God and His whole creation have entered it together. How lovely and how holy is your relationship, with the truth shining upon it! Heaven beholds it, and rejoices that you have let it come to you. And God Himself is glad that your relationship is as it was created. The universe within you stands with you, together with your brother. And Heaven looks with love on what is joined in it, along with its Creator. (T-18.I.11.)

Whom God has called should hear no substitutes. Their call is but an echo of the original error that shattered Heaven. And what became of peace in those who heard? Return with me to Heaven, walking together with your brother out of this world and through another, to the loveliness and joy the other holds within it. (T-18.I.12.)

Holy Spirit keeps saying:  Join, join, join, join, join!

Here is a summary of the steps for Joining in Light:

1. Open mind, open heart.
2. Focus on light, extend light to your brother.
3. Ask for God’s will.
4. If it feels guided, join open hands together and imagine the light joined.
5. Place any mis-perceived darkness in the shared light.
6. Pause with open mind and open heart, relax and notice (let Spirit do the heavy lifting)
7. Listen for the voice of spirit, which can often be heard in the stillness following joining.
8. Share your experience as guided.
9. Thank God. Celebrate!

With love and gratitude,

Cay

Joining in Light to find truth together.

In A Course in Miracles Jesus emphasizes the power of opening to direct experience in order to recognize our true nature and thus see through the ego’s false sense of separation and fear. Joining in Light is a form given by the Holy Spirit of focused joining in prayer with a brother to ask for a miracle that provides a direct experience the power of light/truth to shine away error/sense of separation which is experienced as fear and suffering.  Joining in Light is a gentle invitation to the present moment. This form helps the mind remember to focus on truth; that we are light and light is the gift brothers have to offer to each other.

You who hold your brother’s hand also hold mine, for when you joined each other you were not alone. Do you believe that I would leave you in the darkness that you agreed to leave with me? In your relationship is this world’s light. And fear must disappear before you now. (T-18. III.4)

Focusing on light stimulates recognition within the mind that the problem has been solved. It eases the path to joining (recognition within the mind that minds are joined) and provides an experience of the power of joining for a shift in perception. This gentle shared experience opens trust for a brother and concurrently in Spirit. It thus questions the existence of “enemy” or brother as separate.

Until the second level at least begins, one cannot share in prayer. For until that point, each one must ask for different things. But once the need to hold the other as an enemy has been questioned, and the reason for doing so has been recognized if only for an instant, it becomes possible to join in prayer. Enemies do not share a goal. It is in this their enmity is kept. Their separate wishes are their arsenals; their fortresses in hate. The key to rising further still in prayer lies in this simple thought; this change of mind:
We go together, you and I.” Song of Prayer, S:1.IV.

There is much resistance to joining because of the habit of the mind of wrong mindedness, which is the abdication of creative power into believing thoughts that seem to prove separation. Thus the practice of Joining in Light can be a stepping stone to help move past resistance to joining with a brother, and thus joining and trusting in Spirit. It is proper use of denial which denies error and a symbol of the acceptance of the atonement. It is the decision in mind to focus on the truth. It is for the correction of error.

You can do anything I ask. I have asked you to perform miracles, and have made it clear that miracles are natural, corrective, healing and universal. There is nothing they cannot do, but they cannot be performed in the spirit of doubt or fear. When you are afraid of anything, you are acknowledging its power to hurt you. Remember that where your heart is, there is your treasure also. You believe in what you value. If you are afraid you will inevitably value wrongly, and by endowing all thoughts with equal power will inevitably destroy peace. That is why the Bible speaks of “the peace of God which passeth understanding. “This peace is totally incapable of being shaken by errors of any kind. It denies the ability of anything not of God to affect you. This is the proper use of denial. It is not used to hide anything, but to correct error. It brings all error into the light, and since error and darkness are the same, it corrects error automatically.

True denial is a powerful protective device. You can and should deny any belief that error can hurt you. This kind of denial is not a concealment but a correction. Your right mind depends on it. Denial of error is a strong defense of truth, but denial of truth results in miscreation, the projections of the ego. In the service of the right mind the denial of error frees the mind, and re-establishes the freedom of the will. When the will is really free it cannot miscreate, because it recognizes only truth.

You can defend truth as well as error.  (T:II.2)

In a simple form of Joining in Light inspired by the Holy Spirit two brothers sit facing each other, with hands cupped together as though holding a shared ball of light.  Both brothers imagine sharing his/her “light” as a symbol of “joining”, ask for God’s will together and listen quietly for His answer. It is a symbol of shared purpose and extension.

It is a form of charity, as extending Light and to see light in a brother is charity until such time that the Light that shines within is all that is known.

Healing is an ability that developed after the separation, before which it was unnecessary. Like all aspects of the belief in space and time, it is temporary. However, as long as time persists, healing is needed as a means of protection. This is because healing rests on charity, and charity is a way of perceiving the perfection of another even if you cannot perceive it in yourself. Most of the loftier concepts of which you are capable now are time-dependent. Charity is really a weaker reflection of a much more powerful love-encompassment that is far beyond any form of charity you can conceive of as yet. Charity is essential to right-mindedness in the limited sense in which it can now be attained.

Charity is a way of looking at another as if he had already gone far beyond his actual accomplishments in time. Since his own thinking is faulty he cannot see the Atonement for himself, or he would have no need of charity. The charity that is accorded him is both an acknowledgment that he needs help, and a recognition that he will accept it. Both of these perceptions clearly imply their dependence on time, making it apparent that charity still lies within the limitations of this world. I said before that only revelation transcends time. The miracle, as an expression of charity, can only shorten it. It must be understood, however, that whenever you offer a miracle to another, you are shortening the suffering of both of you. This corrects retroactively as well as progressively.

Through the use of the symbol, joining in light, brothers can support each other in looking beyond the level of the body, to see the light within. Lesson 189 is a beautiful preparation for this recognition and welcoming a brother in joining:

Lesson 189. I feel the Love of God within me now. There is a light in you the world can not perceive. And with its eyes you will not see this light, for you are blinded by the world. Yet you have eyes to see it. It is there for you to look upon. It was not placed in you to be kept hidden from your sight. This light is a reflection of the thought we practice now. To feel the Love of God within you is to see the world anew, shining in innocence, alive with hope, and blessed with perfect charity and love.

Today we pass illusions, as we seek to reach to what is true in us, and feel its all-embracing tenderness, its Love which knows us perfect as itself, its sight which is the gift its Love bestows on us. We learn the way today. It is as sure as Love itself, to which it carries us. For its simplicity avoids the snares the foolish convolutions of the world’s apparent reasoning but serve to hide.

Simply do this: Be still, and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself. Empty your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, or good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashamed. Hold onto nothing. Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught, nor one belief you ever learned before from anything. Forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.

Is it not He Who knows the way to you? You need not know the way to Him. Your part is simply to allow all obstacles that you have interposed between the Son and God the Father to be quietly removed forever. God will do His part in joyful and immediate response. Ask and receive. But do not make demands, nor point the road to God by which He should appear to you. The way to reach Him is merely to let Him be. For in that way is your reality proclaimed as well.

And so today we do not choose the way in which we go to Him. But we do choose to let Him come. And with this choice we rest. And in our quiet hearts and open minds, His Love will blaze its pathway of itself. What has not been denied is surely there, if it be true and can be surely reached. God knows His Son, and knows the way to him. He does not need His Son to show Him how to find His way. Through every opened door His Love shines outward from its home within, and lightens up the world in innocence.

Father, we do not know the way to You. But we have called, and You have answered us. We will not interfere. Salvation’s ways are not our own, for they belong to You. And it is unto You we look for them. Our hands are open to receive Your gifts. We have no thoughts we think apart from You, and cherish no beliefs of what we are, or Who created us. Yours is the way that we would find and follow. And we ask but that Your Will, which is our own as well, be done in us and in the world, that it become a part of Heaven now. Amen.

With this preparation in mind the partners join with open hands and hearts together.  Partners call together without interference and offer only light to each other to recognize what is already joined.  Within the Light that is shared by two brothers we ask for God’s will and thus open together to hear Spirit’s guidance.   Jesus reminds us in the Song of Prayer:

“Even together you may ask for things, and thus set up but an illusion of a goal you share. You may ask together for specifics, and not realize that you are asking for effects without the cause. And this you cannot have. For no one can receive effects alone, asking a cause from which they do not come to offer them to him. Even the joining, then, is not enough, if those who pray together do not ask, before all else, what is the Will of God. From this Cause only can the answer come in which are all specifics satisfied; all separate wishes unified in one. (S:1.IV.3)

After the offering is made both focus on the light and pause for a few minutes in the stillness listening with an open mind.  If there are grievances that are in awareness, each person can place those thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and/or concerns (darkness) in the shared Light with the request for assistance/insights from Holy Spirit.

Joining in Light is easy to learn and can be shared with anyone when guided by the Holy Spirit.  When a 7 year old was asked, “What happens in the Light?” She said, “It melts trouble”. It is an experience of the power of light to shine away darkness.

What is “placed in the shared Light” may be placed silently or spoken out loud. It is not necessary to speak the words. The experience of release from emotional/perceptual blocks brings a deeper understanding of the value of “joining” with a brother. It also re-enforces in the mind “I need do nothing” and “I will not intrude upon my guest”. Nothing need be said for a healing to occur.

Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing.… God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. (M-21.1:1,7).

Your brother will not learn it from your words or from the judgments you have laid on him. You need not even speak a word to him. You cannot ask, “What shall I say to him?” and hear God’s answer. Rather ask instead, “Help me to see this brother though the eyes of truth and not of judgment,” and the help of God and all His angels will respond (Absence from Felicity, p. 381).

In the beginning it can be helpful to ask the Holy Spirit for help with insight on a general topic with the associated emotion/feeling placed in the Light. For example, “I feel angry in my heart about x”, “I am unhappy about my relationship with my sister.” I feel guilt about x. The exact “problem” or thoughts do not need to be identified, as HS knows what is in the heart and what is needed. A simple thought may be most helpful e.g.: “I wish to return to right mindedness” is sufficient. This releases the mind from “pre-deciding” the “problem” and an answer to the misperceived problem.

Prayer for specifics always asks to have the past repeated in some way. What was enjoyed before, or seemed to be; what was another’s and he seemed to love, — all these are but illusions from the past. The aim of prayer is to release the present from its chains of past illusions; to let it be a freely-chosen remedy from every choice that stood for a mistake. What prayer can offer now so far exceeds all that you asked before that it is pitiful to be content with less. You have chosen a new-born chance each time you pray. And would you stifle and imprison it in ancient prisons, when the chance has come to free yourself from all of them at once? Do not restrict your asking. Prayer can bring the peace of God. What time-bound thing can give you more than this, in just the little space that lasts until it crumbles into dust? (S-4.IV.3.3)

Silent sharing into Light is helpful. Speaking can be a form of delay to healing. It can flush up additional fear because of concerns over judgment, activate a story, stimulate trying to “figure it out”, and associated guilt and thus emotion/pain can intensify, which is not necessary for a shift to occur. It can also increase the feeling of “realness” and reinforce the belief that there is something to be undone.

Do NOT let any belief that it is real enter your mind or you will believe that you must undo what you have made to be forgiven. (T-9.IV.5.4)

Often simply placing the emotion that is felt into the light is sufficient to quickly experience a shift in perception, to hear the comforting words of Spirit and return to now.  It is helpful to remember that uncomfortable emotions arise out of our denial of the truth of who we are, thus when this discomfort is aroused it is for our benefit because it brings into awareness that we are withholding love from ourselves.

Discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction into awareness. (T:26.II.8.)

Jesus is not asking us to be in discomfort, only to offer with willingness the discomfort that we have created for ourselves through our subconscious beliefs in separation to the Holy Spirit to be reinterpreted as quickly as possible.  Also, discomfort is a denial that all is joined so a fast antidote to discomfort is to join to deny separation!

It is helpful to remember that it is not possible for us to judge this discomfort and the purpose of it, as we learned in lesson in lesson five of the workbook.

I am never upset for the reason I think. (W:5.1)

At first silent sharing can be helpful because not everyone is accustomed to “joining with Spirit/remembering light” when confronted by an intense emotional state in another person. Those who have experience with remembering light/stillness can serve a brother to quickly release intense emotional blocks using this form of focused joining when it is guided by Spirit.

Whoever is saner at the time the threat is perceived should remember how deep is his indebtedness to the other and how much gratitude is due him, and be glad that he can pay his debt by bringing happiness to both. (T-18.V.7.1)

The practice of Joining in Light helps train the mind to remember light whenever darkness is flushed into awareness.  With experience and trust built in Spirit and our brother through the mind training of remembering light/right mindedness we know that anything can be expressed and in any form- intense emotion, strong words, etc. and that none of this has bearing on the truth of what God made.  And in this recognition and understanding is Glory!  Let our light shine through all of it. Imagine a world where all that is offered and received is light in open hands and open hearts.  The world is there now to be recognized!

After a few moments of joining the mind rests in stillness and one or both participants may hear the Holy Spirit and/or come to a new understanding of the situation that was offered for a miracle. There is usually a shift in perception where emotional charge around an area of concern completely dissipates, with associated beliefs evaporating and a new perspective coming into awareness.

It is beautiful when partners share what each has experienced. In this way both the perceived “problem” is expressed concurrently with the solution provided by Spirit. It is a celebration of the miracle and thus the compression of time for removing the blocks to love’s presence. A shift in perception is a return to the present moment. And it is helpful to recognize that what is offered and accepted is love, and the results may not be directly observed.

Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects. (T-I.1.35)

Examples of the Joining in Light will be shared throughout this blog.  Here are a few links. Light Pours Through.   It is helpful to remember that any time a brother is welcomed into the heart this is joining, as well as praying to ask God’s will (joining with God/Spirit).   All joining with open hearts and open hands to welcome the gifts we already have honors the truth of who we are and is a joyful celebration of what is. Just the thought of two minds joined can quickly dispel an illusion of darkness within the mind.

Healing is an act of thought by which two minds perceive their oneness, and become glad. This gladness calls to every part of the Sonship to rejoice with them, and let God Himself go out into them and through them. (T-5.I. 1.)

Here is a summary of the steps for Joining in Light:

1. Open mind, open heart.
2. Focus on light, extend light to your brother.
3. Ask for God’s will together.
4. If it is given, join open hands together and imagine the light joined.
5. Place any perceived darkness in the shared light.
6. Pause with open mind and open heart, relax and notice (let Spirit do the heavy lifting)
7. Share your experience as guided.
8. Thank God.

With love and gratitude,

Cay