Another Way

A plea: 

he spoke for us all, unknowingly, but those heartfelt words were from the collective soul and meant for every one of us. William Thetford, head of the medical psychology department at Columbia University, gave an impassioned please for another way, a more peaceful means of communicating with his colleagues, particularity with his assistant Helen Schucman - and this is generally considered the energetic birth of of A Course in Miracles. I love that this is a personal as well as universal prayer and the beginning point for us all, being a birthplace for miracles to now unfold. 

my own plea was mostly silent, 

it was loneliness,

an alcoholic daze.

there was nothing spoken aloud that I can recall, but a pleas through so many little things - such as books that I felt compelled to read, a deepening dedication to meditation and yoga. It was as if my mind gave voice to a prayer that my body could not yet comprehend, a deep sense that there was, indeed, another way. A better way. And of course there was. It was during this time that repeated references to A Course in Miracles made themselves known, and not long after that I was gifted the means to buy the book for myself, an intuitive hunch that this was "another way" for me to go. 

being an answer to my silent plea.

that was over 30 years ago, 27 of them miraculously sober. 

grace given.

my friends, yes, there is another way. I don't know what the way is for you, which path is designed for your own healing, and ultimately, for your awakening. But there is another way....and maybe through words, or presence, or even the transmission of a loving smile or simple act of kindness - 

we'll help each other find it.

together. 

you are not alone.

ever.

I love you.

~

Eric 

To read more from Headless Now, please visit:Consistent Courtesy

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Consistence Courtesy

Consistent courtesy: 

the original edition of A Course in Miracles calls it a "very healing habit to acquire" referring to the practice of consistent courtesy, which is really a very zen like mindfulness act of direct recognition of the inherent holiness of others. This is a new line for me, recently discovered, and I instantly fell in love with it, clearly recognizing its importance. Consistent courtesy, for me, and how it seems presented here, is truly the practice of continuous forgiveness - meaning that I'm reminding myself of the depth of our connection and then living each moment in this awareness. 

a very healing practice, 

indeed.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Best Writing

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Best Writing

Best writing: 

my best writing is not entirely my own, containing words and phrases and deepest insights that are clearly beyond my imagination. That this doesn't happen all the time is a testament to my stubbornness, some buried need to still prove my cleverness to the page. Yet after decades of daily writing, a streak of 27 years I believe, the one thing that has gotten easier is surrendering my cleverness for silence, allowing just the right words to grace their way to me and easily reach the page. In my best moments I'm not actually a writer, more of a temporary vessel serving as a conduit between inspiration and the page - a vital part, yes, but only in service to the entirety of writing. What's really happened is that my trust has developed to the point that I've outsourced my ego for the sake of completion. It's still allowed to claim authorship of course, signing a name, taking credit for the best of words and defending the worst. Ego stuff. That's what it best after all, boasting of ownership, rushing for the completion of a delicate task, and basking in the smug satisfaction gained from hearing its own applause. 

and yet the best writing happens on it's own.

unhurried,

words gifted,

with no authorship to claim.

a shared grace. 

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: A Peaceful Mind

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A Peaceful Mind

A peaceful mind: 

it's those lessons that interrupt thought patterns that are so important to me, vital in arresting those downward spirals into judgement and resentments. A Course in Miracles has become a mind-reference for me, while decades of practice hasn't rid me of every grievance, there's a quicker return to peace now, with a quiet mind more natural than the chaos of  the ego's every demand. And it's so often those early lessons that come easiest to mind, especially the reminder that I am never upset for the reason I think being an abrupt full-stop, almost urgent in it's arrival - and my ego's almost instantly in check, a readiness prevails, and the Holy Spirit then speaks gently through my mind. So after decades of practice it all comes down to this....just a little willingness to forgive. 

and everything else seems to happen on it's own.

natural,

easily. 

a peaceful mind abides.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: Awakening

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Awakening

Awakening; 

it's a direct path, and the reason is that it's very beginning is also the endpoint of our journey. A Course in Miracles offers zero detours, at least not in its purest sense. If everything is to be forgiven, with no exceptions made, then whatever confronts us, even if we feel ill prepared, is at the very least examined before we forgive or decide otherwise. Nothing is demanded of us, but we are asked to choose which internal teacher we wish to learn from right then, and we always have the option of choosing once again when we feel more ready reexamine whatever it is that troubles us. Personally, each time I forgive, in the truest sense of the practice - I'm awakening. By this I mean, quite literally, that I experience the light of reality right then and there, directly, and then there's the grace of letting go...

if only for the moment of my practice.

until once more,

I'm asked to choose again. 

and so indeed, 

awakening never ends.

~

I love you, Eric

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

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My Errors

My errors: 

it seems a sobering thought though, a reminder given in lesson 115 of a Course in Miracles that my only function here is to forgive the world for all the errors I have made - and who could blame me for not being ready for such a heavy task? This could definitely feel like a burden, believing that is's my job to the do the work of fixing all of the innocent mistakes I've made, and worse, that there are many grievances I feel completely justified to carry with me. Yet, indeed, these are all my errors, every perceived sin is a mistake I've made in judgement on the world. It's all me. And now, many years into my practice of forgiveness, I find that this isn't a burden at all, but a great joy that frees me from having to carry the weight of my own misjudgment. The truth is, there's only one thing to forgive and that's  the misperception that there's a world actually here that needs forgiveness. What I'm forgiving is the singular belief that created the world to begin within - that I am separate from the love of God, and worse, that I have caused this separation through my wish to feel more special. 

that's the one error.

multiplied through the illusory appearance of t's aftereffects. 

and the great news is that the separation didn't really happen, the impossible never actually occurred, and I am guilt free and at home in God right now. And with this in mind forgiveness simply becomes a joyous remembering of my own innocence. The world is full of opportunities to remember, and yes, some feel very painful in their blessing, and it's okay to not feel ready to receive them - but what a relief to deeply know that when I'm ready, whenever that might be....heaven is revealed in a forgiven world.

and my only function here is to see it. 

as often as I'm able.

~

I love you, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: An Instant Grace

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A Instant Grace

An instant grace: 

here's the possibility that's offered in the closing words of chapter 20 of A Course in Miracles - coming almost in a soft urgency of a whisper, asking me to think 'but an instant" on the holiness of God's son and then consider the possibility that there is nothing else to ever see. The Course says it in beautiful and powerful language, creating a zen moment of instant awakening if the reader is ripe for such a thing. There are moments, brief and often lengthy between them, when I truly behold only the holiness of another. A near lifetime of practicing forgiveness has sometimes given me a glimpse of this reality. I have been blessed by this holy sight...an instant grace of eternity it seems. 

and the world after this is never quite the same.

as I found myself in the very same light that holds you...

a holy son as well. 

~

I love you, Eric

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