Moving from Place to Place

I am in the process of writing my new book as I am going through a new experience that is leading me to deepen my faith and trust in Spirit. Below is a copy of one of the chapters.

This happened on: September 15 (my birthday)to September 23, 2009

These last few days have been rather interesting. Just when I wonder where will I rest my head next, or where my next meal is coming from, all that I need continues to show up in my life.

After I moved out of my new friend Bob’s house on Tuesday, I stayed with Gene at his place. Originally I was supposed to stay there for only one night since his roommate would be returning Wednesday morning. The night before however, I was teaching a class on A Course in Miracles, which I call, Practicing A Course in Miracles. The class went very well. It was the first time some people showed up since I just started teaching it and not anyone knew who I was. At the class, I was very open about my situation, and once again, that seems to be what people appreciate the most about me. Although it could be argued that many want to hear about heroes and people who seemed to have it all together, somewhere deep within, many feel alienated. In my case, the response I get is very positive and reassuring. Interestingly enough, I even open myself up for help to continue to come my way.

So as I am staying with Gene, he and his roommate are working on a project that requires graphic design, which they have had a tough time getting their vision across to the one who is doing the graphics for them. Gene shared with me what he wanted to created, I started putting images together for him, to what Gene said, “Oh my gosh, that’s exactly what I have been trying to get my graphic art man to do and I felt as if I was pulling teeth.”

I earned myself few more days at his house, not because of Gene, because he did not mind about me staying at his place, but because of his roommate who did not know me. I also have couple of places that have opened up for me to stay as I continue on this journey of surrendering and trust. Here is some of the feedback I continue to receive as I share my story with friends and Course in Miracles’ community:

“Oh Nick,

I finally read your latest post; it is truly amazing! Thank you on behalf of us all for blazing an experiential pathway - busting through the illusion of doubt and fear.

What a fabulous book (your next book) this section of the pathway will be...TRUST! What the hell is trust...unless it is ALL you're hanging onto? And the outcome of the gift of TRUST cannot be known until then...but who dares to take the risk? You do Nick...thank you.

Much love,”

Nouk Sanchez, co-author of Take Me To Truth

Dearest Nick,

See that everything is perfect exactly as it is. Rest in Awareness not as an anedote but with all the negative feelings. Be at peace with the feelings. Allow them to fully flower and see that they have no power to destroy you. Tremendous power is released in this moment and incredible insight. All of this is only images in a mirage without substance or power and are the dynamic energy of awareness.

All is well, this too shall pass back into the nothingness from whence it came... It is only temporary.

Love & Hugs,

Linda Jean McNabb, author of One Again

Although resources keep showing up from you could say unexpected sources, at least to get me through the day, what I would say that my journey is leading me to, is to keep my focus on the present moment. It is as if though, every seeming challenge I may be faced with, as I stop judging it and continue to surrender my thoughts to the Holy Spirit, I find myself experiencing more and more peace. And from that space, either ideas or opportunities continue to show up that are helping me develop more an more trust in my Higher Self. So even when from an intellectual perspective it could be argued that my life is less than perfect, in the larger scheme of things, the experiences I am drawing to me are nothing but opportunities to develop a more solid spiritual foundation.

The fact is that it is very easy to trust God when things seemed to be going well, but when they don’t we forget about God altogether and find ourselves in a survival mode, trying to change, fix, arrange, and control things, not realizing that all the effort is futile, because, not only our self initiated plans are not going to lead us to peace, they simply add more stress and fear to a mind that is fearful in the first place. It is a loose, loose situation.

As I was meditating at the park, where this book is also being written, and by the way, this is the same park where my first book, What Happens When You Let God was written as well, I felt moved to pick up A Course in Miracles and read lesson 135 titled, If I defend myself I am attacked. I would like to share the lesson here with you while also explaining what the lesson is about. But before doing so, if you are not familiar with A Course in Miracle’s teachings, I would suggest you read my first book What Happens When You Let God so that the full contend in this post, which will become my next book is clearly understood.

If I defend myself I am attacked.

"Who would defend himself unless he thought he were attacked, that the attack were real, and that his own defense could save himself? And herein lies the folly of defense; it gives illusions full reality, and then attempts to handle them as real. It adds illusions to illusions, thus making correction doubly difficult. And it is this you do when you attempt to plan the future, activate the past, or organize the present as you wish." W-pI.135.1:1-4

Notice that what the Course is referring to is that as long as I believe in my own projections, I am attacking myself. And that is because in reality there is really nothing happening out there. Everything is really happening in my mind. So if I stop reacting to images I am making up, then there is no reason for me to defend myself. Would you defend yourself if you were in a movie theater and the protagonist in the movie was calling out names that may seem as if he was looking right at you? How silly would it be to yell back at a movie screen, yet, that’s exactly what we do every time we react to illusions that seem to be taking place in our lives. One of my favorite lines from this lesson’s first paragraph is:

“...it gives illusions full reality, and then attempts to handle them as real. It adds illusions to illusions, thus making correction doubly difficult.” W-pI.135.1:2

Why is making the correction difficult? Because as long as I believe that I am a body, and that the circumstances I am dealing with are real, by me trying to attempt to solve them, all I am doing is solidifying in my unconscious the belief that that which I am trying to solve is really there. That’s why A Course in Miracles simply ask me to hand all of my thoughts and seeming challenges to the Holy Spirit so that the part of my mind that is projecting the illusions in the first place can be healed. Because remember, the ego is the part of the mind that believe in separation. It is not even real it is a mere believe. And to counteract that belief, the Holy Spirit is the part of our mind that remembers who we really are. It is the mediator between the thoughts of fear and the voice of God. And as long as we keep our attention on the Holy Spirit’s message, by choosing peace above all else, we are no longer at the effect of the illusions we seem to be projecting.

That’s pretty much what I am doing as I continue on this journey. I simply take each experience and offer it to the Holy Spirit for reinterpretation. That way I keep my peace, regardless of what’s going on in my seeming challenging experience. Do I get it right all the time? The answer is no. I still have my moment when fear and doubt arises, but as I continue to practice I get better at trusting, and developing faith. The faith that is allowing me to continue writing this book, and the one that allows me to experience peace as I share my story with you. Let us move on to the next paragraph.

"You operate from the belief you must protect yourself from what is happening because it must contain what threatens you. A sense of threat is an acknowledgment of an inherent weakness; a belief that there is danger which has power to call on you to make appropriate defense. The world is based on this insane belief. And all its structures, all its thoughts and doubts, its penalties and heavy armaments, its legal definitions and its codes, its ethics and its leaders and its gods, all serve but to preserve its sense of threat. For no one walks the world in armature but must have terror striking at his heart." W-pI.135.2:1-5

Although the paragraph is self-explanatory, I want you to see if you can guess which two words I would like you to pay close attention to:

“And all its structures, all its thoughts and doubts, its penalties and heavy armaments, its legal definitions and its codes, its ethics and its leaders and its gods, all serve but to preserve its sense of threat.”

The words I am referring to are “its gods.” Notice that gods is not capitalized, but most importantly, if you understand what A Course in Miracles is about, it could be said that the word gods within the context of the paragraph pretty much applies to everything that is not real. And what is not real? The whole world is not real. That includes not only the things we see but also everything that we seem to hear, taste, touch, smell, every thought we hold to be true, every belief, concept, idea, notion that we have about ourselves and everything else in general.

If you really want to know what it is that you consider to be your god simply notice what it is that you are attached too. Anything of this world that if as a result of being taken away would cause you to suffer, it is your god. If for example I let my experience and present circumstances determine how I should feel, or if I make my bank account or my job my source of financial safety, or if I let any relationship become my source of love, these are my substitutes for my Real God. And my present experience is simply giving me an opportunity to remind myself that my source of everything is God. As I said before, by simply doing my best to keep my attention in the present moment, and by choosing peace above all else, I can move through this experience without any suffering or impulse doing.

Have I achieved enlightenment? Have I got it al-together? Can I consider myself a highly evolved being, a guru, a master? I would say that the answer would be no. But at least, I keep doing my best to remember what the Course is always asking me to do. And that is to simply choose again. Remember, this is not a book I am writing from memory. Just like my first book, I am typing these words as I am moving through my present experience, just to help remind you that whatever it is you may be going through, you are exactly where you need to be, and that all I am doing is to serve as an example that there is a power within you that is wiling to take care of all of your needs, if you are willing to relinquish your thoughts to It. As a matter of fact, I told those who attended my Course in Miracles’ practice group last night that if I ever become a well-known speaker and author, they all have witnessed the place where I came from. Next paragraph.

"Defense is frightening. It stems from fear, increasing fear as each defense is made. You think it offers safety. Yet it speaks of fear made real and terror justified. Is it not strange you do not pause to ask, as you elaborate your plans and make your armor thicker and your locks more tight, what you defend, and how, and against what?" W-pI.135.3:1-5

I want you to notice the first ten words of the third sentence where the answers to all of your problems rest. “Is it not strange you do not pause to ask,...” Isn’t that what we’ve been told by every single master in one form or another when we are asked to “be still?”

The purpose of the stillness is so that the voice of the Holy Spirit can reminds us that all that we seem to be afraid of is not real. It is a constant reminder that I am not here to try to fix the world I see, for in doing so, as the paragraph you just read reminds me, is to “make your armor thicker and your locks more tight,...”

"Let us consider first what you defend. It must be something that is very weak and easily assaulted. It must be something made easy prey, unable to protect itself and needing your defense. What but the body has such frailty that constant care and watchful, deep concern are needful to protect its little life? What but the body falters and must fail to serve the Son of God as worthy host?" W-pI.135.4:1-5

"Yet it is not the body that can fear, nor be a thing of fear. It has no needs but those which you assign to it. It needs no complicated structures of defense, no health-inducing medicine, no care and no concern at all. Defend its life, or give it gifts to make it beautiful or walls to make it safe, and you but say your home is open to the thief of time, corruptible and crumbling, so unsafe it must be guarded with your very life." W-pI.135.5:1-4

"Is not this picture fearful? Can you be at peace with such a concept of your home? Yet what endowed the body with the right to serve you thus except your own belief? It is your mind which gave the body all the functions that you see in it, and set its value far beyond a little pile of dust and water. Who would make defense of something that he recognized as this?" W-pI.135.6:1-5

"The body is in need of no defense. This cannot be too often emphasized. It will be strong and healthy if the mind does not abuse it by assigning it to roles it cannot fill, to purposes beyond its scope, and to exalted aims which it cannot accomplish. Such attempts, ridiculous yet deeply cherished, are the sources for the many mad attacks you make upon it. For it seems to fail your hopes, your needs, your values and your dreams." W-pI.135.7;1-5

"The "self" that needs protection is not real. The body, valueless and hardly worth the least defense, need merely be perceived as quite apart from you, and it becomes a healthy, serviceable instrument through which the mind can operate until its usefulness is over. Who would want to keep it when its usefulness is done?" W-pI.135.8:1-3

"Defend the body and you have attacked your mind. For you have seen in it the faults, the weaknesses, the limits and the lacks from which you think the body must be saved. You will not see the mind as separate from bodily conditions. And you will impose upon the body all the pain that comes from the conception of the mind as limited and fragile, and apart from other minds and separate from its Source." W-pI.135.9:1-4

"These are the thoughts in need of healing, and the body will respond with health when they have been corrected and replaced with truth. This is the body's only real defense. Yet is this where you look for its defense? You offer it protection of a kind from which it gains no benefit at all, but merely adds to your distress of mind. You do not heal, but merely take away the hope of healing, for you fail to see where hope must lie if it be meaningful." W-pI.135.10:1-5

In the previous seven paragraphs, what we are reminded of is that since the body is not real, it has no needs and no power in and of itself. However, the mind, which is responsible for projecting the body, and for that matter everything we perceive to be real, is the one that assigns the body whatever it is that it seems to need. That’s why A Course in Miracles is never about fixing the body but about bringing the mind back to its original state, which is one of love; oneness. And although it talks about the body as my defense mechanism against truth, it could be said that it refers to all illusions. As much as the mind can make a body real and try to fulfill its illusory needs, it also projects a world that is not real in order to try to fulfill its illusory responsibilities. It’s really all the same.

Looking at my current state of affairs, the logical thing for me to do would be to panic, or worry, or to try to fix or change my seeming experience. But what if in reality there is a perfection unfolding as I type these words, that even when I am not sure where my life is going, or what am I going to be doing next, in due time I will be able to have an experience far more fulfilling, or even more extraordinary than anything I could have possibly imagine? But for me to allow that experience to unfold I have to do the complete opposite of what the world teaches, I have to develop trust, faith. But trust and faith in who or what, you may ask? In the part of me that remembers Who I really Am. And that part can only be accessed through peace. In other words, by being still.

"A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through listening to wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for anything except its adequacy to fulfill the plans assigned to it. It is secure in certainty that obstacles can not impede its progress to accomplishment of any goal that serves the greater plan established for the good of everyone." W-pI.135.11:1-4

“A healed mind does not plan.” Interesting isn’t it? It reminds me of the old scripture, “Be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The challenge with many spiritual teachers is that they think that controlling the mind is about us taking charge of our thoughts so that we can take charge of our lives. And yet, the fact that we have been trying to take charge of our lives is the reason why we find ourselves striving, struggling, pursuing, fixing, when the reality is, there is nothing to strive for, to struggle for, to pursue, to fix. And that is because everything we think it is missing in our lives, it is within. But since we are projecting all that we see, and regardless whether the projections seem pleasurable at times, they are still projections. So to recognize the kingdom within, we have to let go of everything that is not real. That’s why we offer all of our thoughts to the part of our mind who remembers Who we really are.

You could say that I want my circumstances to change. Well, if I want to exchange one illusion for another that could be true. However, if I want to experience my true Self, I have to trust that every experience I am having is simply leading me to that recognition. And as the lesson suggest, we do so by “listening to wisdom that is not its (our) own (intellect).” The ultimate paradox is that when we let go of wanting to fix our experience, we open ourselves up to experiences that in illusory form may seem more pleasant. But where we have to be careful is that we are not attempting to change our illusions, all we want is the peace of God so that we are never at the effect of any illusions.

"A healed mind is relieved of the belief that it must plan, although it cannot know the outcome which is best, the means by which it is achieved, nor how to recognize the problem that the plan is made to solve. It must misuse the body in its plans until it recognizes this is so. But when it has accepted this as true, then is it healed, and lets the body go." W-pI.135.12;1-3

Noticed that it says that a healed mind is relieved from the belief that it must plan, and not the mind itself. Because the mind, which is only One mind, the mind of God, needs no healing. However, the belief within the mind is the one that we are able to heal from when we allow the Holy Spirit to do the work it is appointed to do, and that work is not our own. We need do nothing except but to surrender our thoughts to the Holy Spirit for reinterpretation. That’s pretty much what I do in each and every moment, to the best of my abilities, as I move through this seeming challenging experience. And yes there are times when I find myself judging my experience. And yes there are times when I feel a bit frustrated. And yes there are times when I question my own journey. And all of these are opportunities for me to practice forgiveness and to simply choose again.

The paragraph also talks about the fact that “it must misuse the body in its plans until it recognizes this is so.” Misusing the body is the same as to make our own plans based on our idea that first, we know something, and second, that what we perceive with our physical senses is true reality. But once we recognize the truth of Who we Are, the mind is healed and there is no reason for us to project another body, and for that matter a world of illusions. Then we get to experience ourselves back to the place we never left, our home in God.

"Enslavement of the body to the plans the unhealed mind sets up to save itself must make the body sick. It is not free to be the means of helping in a plan which far exceeds its own protection, and which needs its service for a little while. In this capacity is health assured. For everything the mind employs for this will function flawlessly, and with the strength that has been given it and cannot fail." W-pI.135.13:1-4

This one I have to be a bit careful because the words may suggest that having a healed mind is synonymous of a healed body. We must understand that the body itself is not real, however, it could be said that when a mind is healed, the body that needs to carry out a plan for Spirit will experience health and strength in physical form. However, a healed mind, meaning, a mind that is very clear that it is not a body would not be disturbed at all, even when the body may be experiencing what could be considered a physical imbalance. That’s what it is often referred to as the peace that passeth understanding.

As I am going through this seeming journey, I have had experiences that many would consider fearful or even painful. Lets’ face it. I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping tonight. And I seemed to be going from couch to couch, with an occasional bed when someone has an extra room to spare. I have been fortunate for the donations I have received because I don’t have any source of income coming in. As a matter of fact, I just put my music studio for sale, and have financial commitments that I don’t know how they’ll be met. And while the world may be screaming at me “DO SOMETHING”, here I am typing these words. I simply trust that this is what I need to be doing, and I’ll be led as to what to do next as I continue to trust, to let go, and let God.

Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I am insane. Interesting enough, here is a little quote I received today from someone who was interested in the studio monitors: “There's a thin line between insanity and genius and that is success!” -Albert Einstein. I am not saying that I am pursuing success, but who knows, maybe I am up to something here.

Another interesting synchronicity I would like to share, this morning as I went to the park, a quick fear-based thought started to creep in. At that very same moment someone walking towards me was listening to a song in his iPhone, the words of the songs, just as he want by were, “speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” If you recall from my book What Happens When You Let God, the words let it be by the Beatles are what I end up every chapter with. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

"It is, perhaps, not easy to perceive that self-initiated plans are but defenses, with the purpose all of them were made to realize. They are the means by which a frightened mind would undertake its own protection, at the cost of truth. This is not difficult to realize in some forms which these self-deceptions take, where the denial of reality is very obvious. Yet planning is not often recognized as a defense." W-pI.135.14:1-4

Let’s look at what you just read. What is a self-initiate plan? It is nothing but an idea the frightened mind comes up with in order to attempt to insure its own protection. But if the world that we see is not real, what is the frightened mind afraid of in the first place? It is afraid of nothing. Right now, I am having an experience that may suggest that I need to make plans to ensure my own survival. Yet, so far, I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people, and to even been a vehicle for healing to them, that would not have happened had it not been for me having this experience. Let’s take it one step further. This whole experience is a huge opportunity for me to look at my own ego, and to notice where I need to heal. However, if I were to judge my experience, I would not be able to make decisions based on truth because my focus would be more on the survival of the form, rather than the healing of my mind. But if I continue to trust that everything is happening in divine order, as it is supposed to, I will be provided with what I need in order to continue doing the work I am here to do. And just for the record, I am open to the possibility of getting a job. I have placed applications and nothing has come back. This reminds me however of a conversation I had with my friend Regina, who is becoming a well-known spiritual teacher, author and lecturer.

She shared with me about a day or so after I had to leave the place I was living in that when she felt guided to quit her six figures salary career to start writing her book, when her savings started to run out, for a moment she started to question whether she should find employment or not. The first thought that came to her mind was that if she go out there and start looking for work from a place of fear, she is really not allowing the Holy Spirit to truly take care of her needs. As she continued bringing herself back to peace, the still voice within was letting her know that it was not necessary for her to do anything, and that as she continued to trust, while doing the work she was appointed to do, all of her financial needs would be met.

Family and friends started to get angry at her thinking she was being insane. Long story short, to this day, she continues doing her spiritual work, being called to facilitate workshops across the country, and all of her needs have been met, while aside from selling her books, and being compensated for her work, people who truly believe in what she does continues to support her financially. And by the way, did I mention that she is a single mother who has a daughter? Talk about faith!

Now let’s say that things were to change and to go my way. That’s when the lesson reminds me, “This is not difficult to realize in some forms which these self-deceptions take, where the denial of reality is very obvious.” The reason being is because although my illusion may appear to be very appealing, it is still an illusion. By the fact that I am sacrificing truth for illusions I am simply setting myself up for changes that will continue to perpetuate the fear in the mind. That does not mean that I cannot enjoy an exchange of illusion. What I am saying is that even as I am writing this book, and my circumstances could dramatically change for something that may appear to be more pleasant, I have to remind myself of what my real and only goal is, which is to remember Who I really Am.

"The mind engaged in planning for itself is occupied in setting up control of future happenings. It does not think that it will be provided for, unless it makes its own provisions. Time becomes a future emphasis, to be controlled by learning and experience obtained from past events and previous beliefs. It overlooks the present, for it rests on the idea the past has taught enough to let the mind direct its future course." W-pI.135.15:1-4

The paragraph you just read in pretty self-explanatory. However, let’s take a look at the next one, which I think you’ll find rather interesting.

"The mind that plans is thus refusing to allow for change. What it has learned before becomes the basis for its future goals. Its past experience directs its choice of what will happen. And it does not see that here and now is everything it needs to guarantee a future quite unlike the past, without a continuity of any old ideas and sick beliefs. Anticipation plays no part at all, for present confidence directs the way." W-pI.135.16:1-5

If I look at my life experiences, you could say that have learned many things that if I were to put them into practice may produce specific results. So I could use those experiences as references in order for me to plan ahead and change my life. But am I really changing my life? Or am I simply operating from old beliefs and memories. And if that is the case, changing is not what I am seeking but security. In doing so, by not giving myself the opportunity to live in the present moment, I would not be giving myself the opportunity to experience true change. The scenery may change a bit, as most people have experienced when they end up making more money, or exchange partners, or purchase new toys. But they are just locked in a never ending loop of constant dissatisfaction, always wanting more, until the more, and the excess and their external distractions no longer fulfill them.

By me surrendering to the moment I am giving myself an opportunity to having new experiences unlike the ones I experienced in the past, which does not exist by the way, and a future, which is also an illusion. In form, the illusions may consists of a better job, more money, a partner that would make me happy, for some, better health and so on. In truth however, a future quite unlike the past means, the permanency or peace, happiness, wealth, love and joy that results in remembering Who you really are.

A quick reminder, if some of what I am sharing here may be a bit challenging for you to grasp, it will become very clear if you read my first book, What Happens When You Let God.

"Defenses are the plans you undertake to make against the truth. Their aim is to select what you approve, and disregard what you consider incompatible with your beliefs of your reality. Yet what remains is meaningless indeed. For it is your reality that is the "threat" which your defenses would attack, obscure, and take apart and crucify." W-pI.135.17:1-4

Remember that your plans are the defenses against the truth of Who you are. They are what you use to attempt to protect yourself from illusions that are not real. In doing so you are exchanging the permanency of your joy and peace for an illusory world that is constantly changing, for one that is always fluctuating from pain to pleasure and back to pain again. Now let’s move on to one of my favorite paragraphs from this lesson.

"What could you not accept, if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past, present and to come, are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good? Perhaps you have misunderstood His plan, for He would never offer pain to you. But your defenses did not let you see His loving blessing shine in every step you ever took. While you made plans for death, He led you gently to eternal life." W-pI.135.18:1-4

I am going to translate that paragraph using my personal experience.

"What can I not accept, if I but knew that everything that is happening, all events, past, present and to come for me, are gently planned by the One Whose only purpose is my good?"

“Do you mean me not having a place to call my home? Not having enough money in my bank account? Not knowing where am I going to sleep? Wondering if I will ever make money or have a wonderful life and on, and on...? Well, although this may be hard for most to accept, that is exactly what the Course is asking me to do. To trust that everything is unfolding exactly as it is supposed to for my highest good. That being said however, it could be said that I am extremely creative, and very inspired to type the words you are reading. Many people go to a job and bring in a paycheck, but they have no life. Their soul is consumed by their false sense of security, one that in due time will change because that is the nature of a world of illusions.

Applying it to myself, then it goes on to say:

“Perhaps I have misunderstood His plan, for He would never offer pain to me. But my judgments did not let me see His loving blessing shine in every step I ever took.”

As I look back in my life, I can honestly see how everything that took place was perfectly orchestrated in order to help me grow, always looking out for my best interest. Had it not been for me sleeping in my car last week, I would not have met Gene, Bob, and the streaming set of events that have taken place since. I am not saying that I am looking forward to sleeping in my car, what I am saying is that I am not resisting what is, for in doing so, I am making myself believe that I know something. The Course always reminds me that I don’t know what anything is for, which I’ll elaborate a bit more after reading this last sentence.

“While I make plans for death, He lead me gently to eternal life.”

The gift my journey is offering me, as I continue to remain open, is that is helping me see how I truly don’t know. The more I keep surrendering to the fact that I don’t know, the more I open myself to true knowledge and wisdom, wisdom not of my own. Paradoxically however, all of my needs are met as I continue to do the work I feel more inspired to do as opposed to the work everyone thinks I should be doing. Where will I be led to? The answer is, I don’t know, and I am okay with it! That’s trust, that true freedom!

I feel that by know you have an understanding for what this lesson is about and how I am applying it to my own experience. I will leave the rest of the lesson for you to read and enjoy before moving on to the next chapter. And if there is any confusion, remember that What Happens When You Let God will be able to bring clarity to what I have shared in this chapter.

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Your present trust in Him is the defense that promises a future undisturbed, without a trace of sorrow, and with joy that constantly increases, as this life becomes a holy instant, set in time, but heeding only immortality. Let no defenses but your present trust direct the future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter with the truth that only your defenses would conceal. W-pI.135.19:1-2

Without defenses, you become a light which Heaven gratefully acknowledges to be its own. And it will lead you on in ways appointed for your happiness according to the ancient plan, begun when time was born. Your followers will join their light with yours, and it will be increased until the world is lighted up with joy. And gladly will our brothers lay aside their cumbersome defenses, which availed them nothing and could only terrify. W-pI.135.20:1-4

We will anticipate that time today with present confidence, for this is part of what was planned for us. We will be sure that everything we need is given us for our accomplishment of this today. We make no plans for how it will be done, but realize that our defenselessness is all that is required for the truth to dawn upon our minds with certainty. W-pI.135.21:1-3

For fifteen minutes twice today we rest from senseless planning, and from every thought that blocks the truth from entering our minds. Today we will receive instead of plan, that we may give instead of organize. And we are given truly, as we say

If I defend myself I am attacked. But in defenselessness I will be strong, and I will learn what my defenses hide. W-pI.135.22:1-4

Nothing but that. If there are plans to make, you will be told of them. They may not be the plans you thought were needed, nor indeed the answers to the problems which you thought confronted you. But they are answers to another kind of question, which remains unanswered yet in need of answering until the Answer comes to you at last. W-pI.135.23:1-4

All your defenses have been aimed at not receiving what you will receive today. And in the light and joy of simple trust, you will but wonder why you ever thought that you must be defended from release. Heaven asks nothing. It is hell that makes extravagant demands for sacrifice. You give up nothing in these times today when, undefended, you present yourself to your Creator as you really are. W-pI.135.24:1-5

He has remembered you. Today we will remember Him. For this is Eastertime in your salvation. And you rise again from what was seeming death and hopelessness. Now is the light of hope reborn in you, for now you come without defense, to learn the part for you within the plan of God. What little plans or magical beliefs can still have value, when you have received your function from the Voice for God Himself? W-pI.135.25:1-6

Try not to shape this day as you believe would benefit you most. For you can not conceive of all the happiness that comes to you without your planning. Learn today. And all the world will take this giant stride, and celebrate your Eastertime with you. Throughout the day, as foolish little things appear to raise defensiveness in you and tempt you to engage in weaving plans, remind yourself this is a special day for learning, and acknowledge it with this:

This is my Eastertime. And I would keep it holy. I will not defend myself, because the Son of God needs no defense against the truth of his reality. W-pI.135.27:1-8

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Less is More!

When we look at the world through the perception of the ego, i.e. physical eyes, we are caught in a dream in which we think we are participants in a play that is real, and that things do happen to us, and that we need to do things to fix, change or correct our experiences.

As we practice turning within, and allowing the Holy Spirit's perception to permeate our mind, although we still do things in physical form, our actions are led, not by fear but by love. There is a sense of peace and serenity within, even when our circumstances seem to be chaotic. As we let life unfold as it will, it becomes fascinating as to how every event follow a perfect order, and everything works together for our highest good as well as the good of everything and everyone who may be directly, or indirectly affected by our state of being.

My experience has been, that as I continue to let go and let God, I find myself doing less and less, ironically, I end up accomplishing more and more. And in the meantime, all of my needs are met as I continue on this wonderful path.

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com

Personal Growth Versus Spiritual Growth

I was part of the self-help movement for 20 years and all that I was taught was the if I am not growing (personal-growth) I was dying. Yet something deep within me knew that it was all a lie. I could not understand how come I did not feel like pulling through.

As I have let go and let God, my life continue to fall into place more easily, offering me whatever lessons I need to learn in order to continue to undue my ego. Not a bed of roses I have to say, but in hindsight, the suffering had nothing to do with the experiences I was having but in my resistance to what was taking place.

But as I continued to trust that everything is unfolding just as it is supposed to in order to help me detach from my personal self, I experience more peace, which is the ultimate goal, to experience the peace that passeth understanding. And from there, whatever I do in physical form it is what it is. What a peaceful way of living.

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com

To judge them individually is pointless. Their tiny differences in form...

"To judge them individually is pointless. Their tiny differences in form are real no difference at all. None of them matters. That they have in common and nothing else." T-18.I.7:8-10

In life we experience all kinds of seeming challenges, yet what A Course in Miracles reminds us is that even when in form they appear to be different, in truth, every seeming challenge is the same for there is no order of difficulty in miracles.

Whether you are dealing with a financial, health, career, relationship, emotional or whatever the issue may seem to be, all we are asked to do is to offer our challenges to the Holy Spirit to help us see things as they really are; illusions and not truth.
In that sense, our mind is healed and the challenge no longer has an effect on us. As we practice being more peaceful and trusting as a result of surrendering our troubles to Spirit, we experience clarity of thought. From that space we are guided as to what to do, if there is a doing involved, which could be the answer to any seeming challenge we may be faced with.

But if we continue to solve our problems ourselves, all we are doing is perpetuating the illusion of lack and limitation within our own mind. Remember that everything we think is happening to us, is really happening within us and therefore projected out into the world. That's why it is said that as within so without.

So if we want to experience a difference without, we first need to address the within, which caused us to project the without we are experiencing. We address the within by offering our fear-based thoughts to the Holy Spirit, not by us trying to fix or change anything. In doing so, even if the without does not change, at least we are at peace with what is, which is referred to as the peace that passeth understanding. See how simple it is?

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com

Is it okay to charge money for doing Spiritual work?

QUESTION: I am so much in the heart and to make money you need a mind. I wished to coach and teach EFT, but I have difficult in charging people in need. Spiritual people have these issues about charging others, do you have an insight for this?

ANSWER: The question is not really about money but about the guilt behind asking for money. When I ask for money am I coming from love or fear? First I am going to share an excerpt from my book, What Happens When You Let God:

"As I am bringing this chapter to and end, another thing I would like you to be aware of, is that after twenty years of following and even teaching self-empowering techniques, getting to meet some of these well-known speakers, even working for one of them, I noticed a concurrent theme. Not for all of them, but for most, all that they want is money for the false sense of power they derive from it. Without it, they feel small. Not because they are, but because they believe they are, even when they are in denial of it. As a result, they even make others feel guilty for not having money. And they must, for that is how they can manipulate, or as they say, “persuade” others into investing in whatever it is they have to offer, especially when most believe, as stated earlier, that you, me and everyone out there is their source and supply.

Here is a disturbing email I received before this book was published by someone who simply came across my website. These are her exact words, without any editing;

----- begin email -----
'Dear Nick, I just wanted to say that I am so pleased I found your site. I feel that this law of attraction fever, is two far away from the truth. I listened to (name undisclosed) tele-seminar last night on attracting wealth and it left me cold.
The questions were all from people wanting money. Not enough emphasis is being put on internal peace and strength. It took me a long time to realize this and forty years of searching, but mainly plumbing the depths. I gave up almost everything I had, ran my businesses down to virtually nothing and basically jumped empty handed into a void.
What I found astounded me. Peace, happiness and a totally new way of life. It mended not just my broken spirit, but all my relationships with family and my beautiful child who had become separate from me spiritually. I am now in a position to retain the beauty I have found in my new life, while attracting to me exactly what I need.
I found it interesting from my new perspective, that when you have peace and strength, there is little else you want, and attracting your needs is enjoyable, fun and effortless. You are a wonderful inspiration, and I believe that the world really needs you, now more than ever. With love, Sue. W.'
----- end email -----

Am I saying that there is anything wrong with having money? Absolutely not, as a matter of fact, feel free to have as much as you want and enjoy it! I do enjoy it when I have it. There is no reason to feel guilty about having lots of money. What I am saying is, be careful whom you choose as your god. If you were to be honest with yourself right now, unless money is not an issue for you, that’s where most of your attention probably is. And unless you want God more than anything else, meaning choosing peace above all else, if I can come up with a tool or something that can promise you financial freedom, you are most likely to fall prey to what I have to offer. In her book titled, “Oh My God. It’s ME” Dr. Sheryl Valentine states:

'Our true inheritance is not money or things; it is the remembrance that God is the source of all good. Once we remember this—instead of living in a place of isolation and fear, our lives become filled with purpose and meaning.'

The truth is, not having money is not the problem. The real problem is a two-point never-ending loop. The first problem has to do with the way you feel about not having it, and second, the mistake of believing that the way you feel has to do with not having it. In other words, if I feel bad for not having money, that triggers guilt and fear. Now that I am feeling fearful and guilty, and thinking that not having money is the reason I feel the way I do, that puts me in a very vulnerable position because I have introduced a new god (money) into my life. That forces me to keep my attention out into the world as opposed to where my attention should always be, which is within, in other words, on God. Even many people in the spiritual community don’t want to accept that they have bought into the ego’s way of thinking. That’s why you hear titles such as, “spiritual prosperity” or “the law of spiritual abundance” or some other variation of the same premise."

Now let's look at money from A Course in Miracles' perspective. Everything I see in the world is an effect. The Mind is what project all effects I see in the world. However, I am having an experienced, which, although it is not real, it is still an experience. My experience is that I am a body who lives in a world that is real and that I needs financial resources, shelter, food, and so on. So as we heal our mind from our sense of separation from God, all we need to do, is to establish a very intimate connection with our Spirit within, so that every decision we make is rooted in love and not in fear.

From that space, we begin to feel that we are fully taken care of and provided for. As a result, the resource that we need will show up in the form of money, or something else. Using myself as an example, there are times when I feel appropriate to charge for my time and at other times I feel moved to offer my services freely. The key is to not doing service out of guilt because in that sense I am not serving neither one of us, and here is the reason why.

There is only one of us in the room. If I buy into someone's guilt, all I am doing is reflecting back at them their own fear, which in turn solidifies the fear in me. Why? Because the person I am seeing out there is my own projection. Remember, I am the one projecting everything I see. So really, the one who needs healing, is really me. They are the projections I am putting out there in order to make myself belief that they are the ones who need healing, when in reality they are showing the parts of me that need healing.

A world filled with fear is simply a reflection of the fear that resides within me. A world filled with love, on the other hand is simply reflecting back at me the love that is within me. So the work is never on healing others or the world, it is always on healing the dark spots in my mind that are projecting the world I see. That's why every master in one way or another have said, "Everything is perfect in my world." Because they are not seeing a world through the eyes of the ego, they are seeing a world through the eyes of Spirit, from the love that they are, not from the false sense of most of us believe ourselves to be.

So when it comes to money, the fear is not about charging money, the fears is about thinking that there is not enough to go around and when I charge someone, I think I am taking something away from them. But once again, the REAL issue is that we think that our source comes from the world, when in reality, it comes from Spirit. Once you are grounded on Spirit, then the money shows up from wherever it is at the moment.

Sometimes may show up from people compensating you for services rendered. Sometimes it will be from a business you started, or from a friend or stranger offering you a gift, from a sell of a product, from having money mysteriously showing up in your bank account, from having a gut feeling to play a lottery ticket, who knows. So if you want to teach EFT, just remember that even when the money seems to be coming from your clients, the real "Cause" behind the transaction is God, Spirit, whatever you want to call it. Always, always, ALWAYS, align yourself with Spirit FIRST! And whatever it is you end up doing, you can't go wrong. It's that simple!

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com

All questions asked within this world are but a way of looking, not a question asked.” -A Course in Miracles

“A problem set in conflict has no answer, for it is seen in different ways. And what would be an answer from one point of view is not an answer in another light. You are in conflict. Thus it must be clear you cannot answer anything at all, for conflict has no limited effects. Yet if God gave an answer there must be a way in which your problems are resolved, for what He wills already has been done. Thus it must be that time is not involved and every problem can be answered now.” -A Course in Miracles

Let’s take a look at the very first sentence. “A problem set in conflict has no answer, for it is seen in different ways.” What is conflict? It refers to our present state of human consciousness. The fact that we see duality suggest that we are in conflict. For in Heaven, there is no conflict, there are no opposites, only oneness. In Heaven, there is only peace.

So from a place of duality (conflict) no real answers are possible, only different points of view. Because as the Course states, “one point of view is not an answer in another light.”

So where can we find answers? First of all, there are no such thing as multiple answers, only multiple imagined problems, each requiring a seeming different answer. Yet, the only answer is I AM. With that answer, all seeming questions disappear. And where is the I AM answer found? In the present moment, or as the Course also refers to as the Holy Instant.

Every problem we seem to have is either rooted in fear or worry of an illusory future or guilt and pain based on a illusory past. And they are both in illusory sense of time. But as we surrender each moment to God, keeping our attention in the present moment, times ceases to exist, all worries and concerns are gone and we are in the midst of the experience of our oneness with God.

I know this sounds very appealing but because we have so much guilt deep in our unconscious, which is what is projecting the world that we see, or I should say, all of our seeming problems, we need to remove that guilt so that the experience of our oneness with God can reveal itself through us. And the way we do so is through practicing forgiveness. Forgiveness removes the guilt that is blocking us for the full experience of the now moment (the Holy Instant).

From that space, all of our problems resolve themselves! Either that, or we are not longer affected by our seeming circumstances, from which ideas can then surface that could be the answer to any seeming challenge we seem to be dealing with at the moment. Not that we are trying to solve anything, but if we are going to ask for guidance, why not ask the Holy Spirit first. At least His one answer, out of all the millions and zillions of points of view and choice we seem to have, will always be the perfect answer to every seeming challenge we may be faced at any given time.

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com

This is an insane world, and do not underestimate the extent of its insanity.

"This is an insane world, and do not underestimate the extent of its insanity. There is no area of your perception that it has not touched, and your dream is sacred to you. That is why God placed the Holy Spirit in you, where you placed the dream.” -A Course in Miracles

Sometimes the Course can use pretty strong words to get make a point. In the first sentence we could say, “This world is not your home, and do no underestimate your belief in thinking it is so.” But what is important is what the Course is helping us realize, and that is, because I created this illusion, every area of my perception is influence by this belief in the illusion, by my belief in separation.

So the way God answered is by placing the Holy Spirit in the same place where I placed the dream, which is in my mind. So in essence, what the Holy Spirit does is having a continuous conversation with the part of my mind that remember Who I really am. The purpose of our forgiveness process is to allow the Holy Spirit to continue this conversation until His voice becomes more clear than the one of the ego, which is nothing more than a belief.

It is pretty much like having a conversation with oneself. When I talk to myself out loud for example, it seems as if there are two people talking, but in reality, it is just me talking to me. Or I could say, one illusory part of me talking to another illusory part of me. That is the conversation most of us have in our heads when we try to convince ourselves of anything we believe to be true for us.

Many times I have made decisions that were not very wise, because although my feelings were warning me about it, my intellect, my perception, is what I used to justify what I was thought to be true. As a result I ended up suffering the consequences. So the more I practice listening to the Holy Spirit, His guidance always will lead me to truth. And all I need to do, is to simply practice being still and listen. There is nothing for me to do. I just need to hand over to Him every seeming concerned to be reinterpreted by Him, and if there is something for me to do, I’ll be led to it. How simple that is!

Remember to order a copy of Nick's book What Happens When You Let God at: www.TruthAndMiracles.com or www.WhatHappensWhenYouLetGod.com
And to hire Nick to speak at your church, college or corporate event, simply visit: www.NickArandesPomo.com