A Form of Prayer

A form of prayer: 

there's an empty screen before me, and then in an instant words are given and some meaning begins to show. Every morning starts this way for me, a writing ritual of trusting that just the right words will appear without me having to reach for them. This once was a moment of anxiety for me, every artist knows the blank intimidation of a waiting page or canvas, and I would struggle with this early morning confrontation of emptiness. There was an underlying fear that perhaps it was this morning that inspiration might finally abandon me. Most mornings now I face the screen with a complete trust that I will be given the exact words needed to fulfill the sacred purpose the page. I am here for a very specific reason, a holy obligation to share myself through words, and I have complete faith in the flow of inspiration. What I write is really and only meant to display this trust. 

it's a form of prayer.

and so the purpose is built into the very fabric of page, emptiness serving as the capacity to receive, and this early morning ritual is meant to convey that sense of trust through every aspect of my day. It's a beautiful beginning...a prayer that's always answered.

holy spirit,

thank you for these words.

amen.

~

I love you, Eric

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Awaken

Awaken: 

truly, forgiveness becomes the ultimate expression of Jhana yoga, being a deep means of self inquiry that takes us directly to the heart of the matter. This is forgiveness as taught by Jesus in A Course in Miracles, an entirely different practice than what's commonly known as forgiveness. What we're asked to do is to see beyond the perception of an open wound shared between us - to the reality of the seamless expression of love. Our true identity. One Self. Realizing who we really are makes animosity impossible, no grudges nor judgement exists within an open realm of pure awareness. So forgiveness simply asks us to be aware, to rest in the comfort of who we truly are - at least for the moment of our practice. And as we forgive, stringing these eternal points of practice together for a lifetime...

we awaken.

~

I love you, Eric

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Heart-Reach

Heart-reach:

I'm not exactly sure when I finally got it, truly understanding that it's the entire world that needs forgiven, and that my smallest part was to simply forgive each moment as it came to me. The initial stage of my practice was to confront the big issues that haunted me, paring them down to manageable thoughts of past events that could no longer hurt me in the present. I thought of forgiveness as a tool of self-improvement, a means of setting myself free from the resents of the past. And of course it certainly is an effective means of healing and I felt considerably better for my practice. But through years of deepening study of A Course in Miracles, developing a sincere and committed wish to opening fully to its message - 

forgiveness became what I offered to the world.

by this I mean that, while yes, there's still ongoing issues to forgive, it's a much deeper and ongoing practice that touches every aspect of my life. It's not about forgiving "things' or people, not solely at least - it's more profound, I see it now as a continuous meditation on the presence of the holiest of lights that shines from within us all, animates the world, expanding my heart-reach through every small act of grace and kindness. 

forgiveness is living in that heart-reach of love.

continuously so.

and even when I forget, as I still often do....it becomes another aspect of my practice.

just one more thing to be forgiven.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Blessing the World

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Blessing the World

 

Blessing the World: 

the real is question is:

are you blessing the world with your practice, 

are you kinder,

gentler,

more patient in your care for others?

yes.

and still I continue with my practice.

~

those words above seemed to float towards me while I was sitting in meditation, the initial question asking if my practice is actually blessing the world or am I lost in the details of my daily rituals - it provided a wonderful opportunity to review the depth of my practice. Forgiveness is hands on affair between myself and the Holy Spirit, a continuous blessing that's quietly offered to the world. It's not showy or dramatic, no big rituals in place, nor are any invocations needed. I simply forgive at the first sign of any grievance or judgement, no matter how slight in their appearance, recognizing my own internal error of misjudgment, and then ask the Holy Spirit for help in its release. It's often a seamless practice now, more immediate than ever before - but not always. 

yet eventually, 

I always return to forgiveness.

so this has become my blessing to the world, that it's such a relief to no longer carry the weight of all those concerns, being released from petty judgement, my deep wounds healing, and letting go of each resentment as soon as it appears. I am lighter now, more at ease, and yes, kinder and more gentle - towards myself and to others. But it's a continuous practice, moment to moment, and it's that which actually brings me the greatest peace of mind. I no longer have to entertain a single grievance, not even for an instant, I can forgive, and forgive, and still forgive some more. 

as often as it's needed.

and with this my practice truly has become...

a blessing to the world.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Arriving From Grace

Also, please visit to buy: A Course in Miracles

Thank you. 

 

Arriving From Grace

Arriving from grace: 

yes, I am a bit surprised to find myself drawn to the rosary, with my own long time mantra now being replaced by an almost forgotten childhood prayer, beads slipping through my fingers in a silent count of trust. But it feels familiar too, ancient, even feral, as if I'm returning myself to the womb of the great mother herself. There are a few changes in the wording and process, a spontaneous replacement of the closing word "death" with what feels like a more natural expression - awakening. The Lords Prayer is most often omitted and as I reach those larger beads I am reminded instead of these oft repeated lines from A Course in miracles - I am not a body, I am free, as I am still as God created me. The prayer has become my own, it feels alive, 

and I allow the words to be whispered to me from their Source. 

indeed, arriving from grace.

blessing me.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Rosary

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Rosary

Rosary: 

lately, and surprisingly, I have felt a call to return to prayer, a soft repetition of the Hail Mary counted on my mala beads. My Catholic days are far behind me, left back in childhood with my rosary - and even with my commitment to Jesus and A Course in Miracles I don't identify as Christian. I think there's a great need for the sacred feminine today, it feels vital that we invoke a healing force that calls for the opposite of what's being practiced right now.  Maybe I'm just being asked to play my part in these difficult times, to be a small link in a holy chain of invocation. 

it feels right.

soft and healing.

exactly what's needed...at least for me.

and so each morning, 

for however long I'm asked to do so - 

it's what I offer to the world.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Beautiful Lines

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Beautiful Lines

Beautiful lines: 

and I trust that by the end of whatever time I spend here writing - that there'll be a few meaningful words arranged across this page, perhaps even a beautiful line or two that fill me with a small joy when I consider where they arrived from, having been inspiration sent, and given only to this quiet moment of writing. My great wish is to carry this trust even further now, with my entire life being a page and receiving only those beautiful lines whispered by the Holy Spirit. 

it starts here,

with an empty page...

and my trust in inspiration.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: My Practice

Also, please visit to buy: A Course in Miracles

Thank you.