Q #1194:
Can you address if it is possible to
incorporate the principles of A Course in Miracles in my practice of
Reiki? Can I perform Reiki and be still following these principles?
A: The purpose you identify with in your mind is the key to applying
the principles of A Course in Miracles . “What is it for ?” is
the only question Jesus wants us to ask about anything (T.4.V.6:8,9,10,11;
T.24.VII.6:1,2,3) . That simplifies things enormously, because there are
only two purposes we can choose: the purpose of the ego (to see ourselves as
bodies, separate from others), or the purpose of the Holy Spirit (to see
ourselves as sharing the same interests with others). Applying this to
performing Reiki means that you would see each session as a means of learning
that you and this other person share the same split mind and the power to
choose either the ego or the Holy Spirit as your teacher. Thus, the form
pertains to the body; but the content pertains to the thought system you choose
to identify with.
Q #1121:
I am a practitioner of Reiki in Brazil. Reiki
uses the life force energy that flows through us, and it is administered by
“laying on hands.” It's universal energy that comes from God. It's used to heal
any kind of problem we have, be it mental or even physical problems. I have
read that Jesus used Reiki to heal people. I strongly believe that all of us have
this tremendous power inside but we don't know how to use it.
I understand A
Course in Miracles to be saying that our focus should not be on what we do
in our lives, but on learning to understand our minds. So it doesn't matter
what we do. What really is important is how our minds look at the world and the
people as a whole. My question concerns the fact that I was channeled with some
kind of energy that flows through me and suddenly I am doing things that I
couldn't do in the past, even healing people who have physical problems. How
would you explain this to me? How do you explain those people who heal others
with different beliefs, even different spiritual beliefs? What's the connection
between Reiki and the Course?
A: The fact that Reiki involves a technique for channeling energy
through the body, no matter what the source of the energy is perceived to be,
means, from the Course's perspective, that it is a form of magic. Now magic, as
the Course uses it, is not a pejorative term. It simply means that the effort
to bring about desired changes is occurring at the level of effect, that is,
through energy forces and the body, rather than at the level of cause, that is,
the mind. This must be the case because the energy is operating within a
spatio-temporal framework, that is, from one body to another at a specific time
when those two bodies are in physical proximity, and then through the body of
the one being treated.
The Course has a
different metaphysical foundation from Reiki, and would not consider anything
that can be directed through the body to be divine, or from God. The world of
spirit and the world of the body are two mutually exclusive realms, only one of
which is real, according to the Course (T.31.VI.1) . The Course's
“technique” is forgiveness, which seeks to bring about changes at the level of
mind, not at the level of the body. For this reason, while the Course takes no
position on this, it would be more consistent with the Course's teachings to
see the Jesus of two thousand years ago as healing through the principles of
forgiveness, which means through reminding others of the power of their own
minds to make a different choice about the ego and its effects, including the
body, looking on all of it without judgment and without guilt -- that is the
true means of healing, according to the Course.
How then does Reiki
produce its effects, including your own personal experience of being changed by
your attunement with Reiki energy so that you can apparently produce changes in
others? There are mutually and nearly universally agreed
upon laws of the illusory physical and energetic universes, operating within
the ego system, that all split minds share, whether individual minds are
conscious of those laws or not. An obvious one is the law of gravity. These
laws receive their power from the collective belief of the Sonship. Although
made by the ego mind (Race Mind)., they are neutral in themselves and can be used for either ego
purposes or purposes of healing, that is, to reinforce our belief in the
reality of separation and differences, or to allow us to begin to heal the
guilt and thoughts of attack in our mind.
Many other spiritual
teachings describe aspects of energetic fields within and surrounding the body
that are not visible to the naked eye that can be modified and directed by
those who are tuned in to them. Yet all of these subtler energies remain a part of the ego thought system, and manipulations can
have no effect unless on some level, in most cases unconscious, the minds in
relationship have agreed to be affected by those apparent manipulations.
Always, behind any observed effect, there is a belief at the mind level,
whether the individual is aware of that belief or not.[1] Much of the ego's belief system remains at an unconscious level so
we can remain unaware of our own agreement to seem to be affected by forces
outside ourselves. If we allowed ourselves to recognize and acknowledge that
inner decision, we could no longer see ourselves as victims of anything outside
ourselves again.
Reiki does share some
similarity with the Course at the level of content, since it emphasizes that
the individual practitioner does not direct the healing process nor decide what
problems to address. And so the practitioner is
considered to be an instrument of healing*, but certainly not its
source. In fact, the practitioner as well as the patient is considered in need
of healing and benefits through willingness to be a channel. As with all things
of this world, Reiki has the power to direct the mind to an awareness of
something beyond ourselves, and it does point symbolically to a seemingly
invisible power beyond all appearances that intends only good for all.
Q #1186:
I would like some clarity around choosing A
Course in Miracles as my spiritual path yet devoting time to yoga and
meditation. I consider the Course to be my spiritual path with forgiveness
being the way out of the dream. However, I also find that practicing yoga,
meditation, and chanting are great tools for me to use to focus, increase my
awareness, and remember my divinity. I also use yoga as a way to see the body
and its energy symbolically, while understanding that it's not real. I also
love my yoga community. Are there any conflicts with this?
A: Many students continue with other practices such as yoga and
meditation while they are learning to integrate the principles of A Course
in Miracles into their lives. There is no need to discontinue what you find
helpful, whether that is yoga, going to a fitness center, meditating,
long-distance running, or eating organic foods. Why stop doing something that
helps you feel better and function better? Similarly, there is no need to leave
a community you feel comfortable in and love so much just because you are a
student of the Course.
Our goal as Course
students is to become less judgmental and selfish as we go through our day
interacting with others -- family, friends, groups, co-workers, team mates,
etc. This can be practiced in any milieu -- forgiveness can be learned and practiced
while doing yoga, shopping, or playing golf. The idea is to shift the purpose
of all these kinds of activities from achieving bodily results to learning that
everything is a classroom in which either the ego or the Holy Spirit is
teaching you, depending on your choice (the content in your mind). With the ego
as your teacher, you will continually feel special and separate in some way --
with interests you do not share with everyone else. With the Holy Spirit or
Jesus as your Teacher, you will experience yourself as less and less separate
from others, as you realize your interests are not separate from anyone else's.
Form will recede in importance as content ascends and occupies more and more of
your attention.
The discussion in our
answer to Question #282 might be
helpful in shedding further light on this issue.
Q #282: In addition to being a student of A Course in Miracles, I
am also a Buddhist. I find that Buddhism and the Course fit very well together.
I am considering taking up robes and becoming a Buddhist nun, in order to
further my spiritual understanding. By letting go of a “normal” lifestyle of
having a job, paying bills, etc., am I postponing lessons that I will need to
learn, or is the adoption of a monastic lifestyle a great step forward in
letting go of my attachment (forgive my Buddhist terminology) to the world of
illusions that my ego has created?
A: A Course in Miracles focuses only on the
content in our minds, not form or behavior. And that content is either of the
ego or Holy Spirit. So whether you are in a monastery or in a corporate office
makes no difference from that point of view. What makes a difference, spiritually,
is whether you see your interests as different from everyone else’s or as the
same. The Course encourages us to see our life circumstances and settings as
classrooms in which we can choose to learn either the ego’s curriculum, which
is based on separation, or the Holy Spirit’s curriculum, which is based on the
undoing of separation. It teaches us to think always in terms of purpose: Are
we using the world and our relationships to reinforce our belief in separation
or to undo it? The world and the body, thus, are not the problem; the way we
use them is the problem. And that always is the result of the choice we make in
our minds to be taught by the ego or by Jesus. Thus, what would be most helpful
in your situation is to ask for help in undoing any specialness that might be
involved in the decision you are making. That would go a long way toward
removing the doubts and conflicts you experience.
* I attended a Therapeutic Touch course and
someone mentioned he was “an
instrument of healing”.
Most of the time I don’t make comments on websites, but I'd like to say that this article really forced me to do so. Really nice post! acim book
ReplyDeleteThis is a great high resolution screen which you have shared for the users. Making a website is not an easy task but managing a good website is really a hard work. As far as this website is concerned, I am very happy. free online acim lesson
ReplyDelete