Gary's Miracle Class Blog

THE 21 LAWS OF WEALTH AND WISDOM by Dr. Gary Arnold, May 23, 2006

Dr Gary Arnold — Tue, 23 May 2006 21:08:00 GMT

21 LAWS OF WEALTH and WISDOM, by Dr. Gary Arnold May 23, 2006

Here are 21 laws of wealth and wisdom. I did something different in this blog and lesson. I gathered together 21 laws on wealth from a variety of sources, not just the Course. These 21 laws are the result of furrowing through the writings and principles in A Course In Miracles, Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, Mark Victor Hansen, my own book The Road to Wealth and Wisdom ,and a few other sources. Most of the laws are taken almost word for word from the 'Wisards of Wealth' that wrote them. The laws of prosperity, money and wisdom tend to operate predictably, -- throughout time (over time), in every culture -- and apply to everyone. Remember that your life in every moment is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful.

God picks you up as a reed-flute. He gives you breath and listens. You are the notes of passion that return to the ears of God. Remember who gives you original breath. Remember He hears your song playing. Listen to your song and each note as you create the music in your life. There is only one Breath, and my true will is in accord with that Will of Love. Be clear; tune up often. Be what you are with every thought, belief, and action. Let each moments note resonate with love. Quiet the chatter of your mind.

In Lesson 158 in the Course Jesus tells us, “Christ’s vision has one law. It does not look upon a body and mistake it for the Son whom God created. It beholds a light beyond the body; an idea beyond what can be touched, a purity undimmed by errors, pitiful mistakes, and fearful thoughts of guilt from dreams of sin. It sees no separation. And it looks on everyone, on every circumstance, all happenings and all events, without the slightest fading of the light it sees.” (W-158.7:1-5)

Law number one, Suze Orman said, "Truth creates money; lies destroy it. " Leo Tolstoy said, "There is no greatness where simplicity, goodness, and truth are absent." Be honest with yourself. Respect and value your time and your wealth, and the time and wealth of others. The Course tells us to learn to live with love and respect; and value and enjoy life and freedom NOW.

The Course says, "T-10.IV.4. God's laws will keep your mind at peace because peace is His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. 2 His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. 3 Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws cannot be understood together. 4 The laws of God work only for your good, and there are no other laws beside His. 5 Everything else is merely lawless and therefore chaotic. 6 Yet God Himself has protected everything He created by His laws. 7 Everything that is not under them does not exist. 8 "Laws of chaos" is a meaningless term. 9 Creation is perfectly lawful, and the chaotic is without meaning because it is without God. 10 You have "given" your peace to the gods you made, but they are not there to take it from you, and you cannot give it to them. T-10.IV.5. You are not free to give up freedom, but only to deny it."

Law number two, "Be Present. Look at what you have, not at what you had. Money has no power of its own. Know the difference between assets and liabilities. Acquire assets. Possessions possess you. Don't buy things; buy freedom.

Law number three, "Do what is right for you –GET OUT OF DEBT. Do what is right for you BEFORE you do what is right for your money. Stupidity is a four-letter word: DEBT. One absolute truth: Debt is a stranglehold on a family's future. If you have it − other than mortgage debt − get it paid off as fast as you can. You owe it to no one more than yourself. Be honest with yourself. Face your fears and create your truths.

Lose debt; gain freedom. A personal cash-flow statement should help do the trick. How much do you have coming in every month? How much is going out, an where is it going? Are the minimum payments on your credit cards keeping you from saving? A good rule of thumb is that you should save 10 percent (including what you put into retirement accounts) of what you earn. Start with 3%, go to 5% and work your way up.

Law number four, " Invest in the Known BEFORE the unknown." Know thy self. Know what you believe and why. Know your tendencies. Know your goals. IF YOU DON'T know yourself, and examine your path, you will repeat your history instead of create it.

The Course says, " T-19.IV.B.17. It is not given to the ego's disciples to realize that they have dedicated themselves to death. 2 Freedom is offered them but they have not accepted it, and what is offered must also be received, to be truly given. 3 For the Holy Spirit, too, is a communication medium, receiving from the Father and offering His messages unto the Son. 4 Like the ego, the Holy Spirit is both the sender and the receiver. 5 For what is sent through Him returns to Him, seeking itself along the way, and finding what it seeks. 6 So does the ego find the death <it> seeks, returning it to you."

Law number five, "Live below your means." The most useful move you can make isn’t an investment move at all. It’s to save. Don’t overspend, don’t run up debt, set something aside every month. Your bills tell your past, but they also tell your future. Every debt, every monthly payment, every dollar you owe is a claim against your future. Debt affects what you can — and cannot — do about your future. And when you pay off the credit cards and IOUs, you open up new worlds of financial possibilities for yourself. You have more to spend, more to save, and a whole lot less to worry about.

Law number six, "Plan. Act. Listen. Modify." Your past holds the key to your financial future. Remember that EVERY action has a result. What's the problem, and why is it there? What are you doing wrong? Pay attention. Do some homework. Do some planning. Make some changes. Expenses will rise in proportion to income. But without a change in mindset and a strict financial discipline, the "more money" that occurs every so often via a raise in pay, or an inheritance windfall, or whatever, will always be accompanied by a proportionate rise in expenditures. Thus the saying: "All I want is to make ends meet − but someone keeps moving the other end." More money does not solve the problem; financial intelligence does.

Law number seven, "You create your own experience."
You are accountable for your life. Good or bad, successful or unsuccessful, happy or sad, fair or unfair, you own your life." Mother Teresa said, "Even if you cannot do great things, you can do small things with great love." Be responsible to those you love.

Law number eight, " People do what works." Self-defeating, self-sabotaging actions "works" for that respective individual. He or she is always getting some sort of payoff from it — subconscious or otherwise. Until that payoff is uncovered and dealt with, the behaviors will continue and the quality of life will further deteriorate.

Remember, thoughts are like boomerangs.

Law number nine, Dr. Phil says - and the Course would agree, " You cannot change what you do not acknowledge." The first step toward financial freedom is recognition − recognition of your current situation, obstacles, and capabilities. If you've been relying on others to get you where you want to go, then stop. No one will execute your personal interests better than you.

Take control of your life. Even the smallest, simplest problem in your life cannot be resolved until you acknowledge that it exists. You must be honest with yourself. You must accurately assess where your life is right now, and where it might be in the future. There is absolutely no place for any sort of denial in your life. If you're unwilling or unable to identify and consciously acknowledge your negative behaviors, characteristics, or life patterns then you will not change them.

Law number ten, "Life rewards action." People care not about what you meant, but about what you did. Insight and education are nice to have, but they don't produce results in the physical world. Begin to measure your life by real-world results, not intentions. When it comes down to reasons to do something versus excuses not to do it, there will always be more excuses. Live with the words, "I will do this because . . .." Write them down.

Law number eleven, " There is no reality; only perception." We all experience our respective lives through personal filters. How you interpret and respond to your senses is determined strictly by you.

The Course says, "T-21.VII.7. Forget not that the choice of sin or truth, helplessness or power, is the choice of whether to attack or heal. 2 For healing comes of power, and attack of helplessness. 3 Whom you attack you <cannot> want to heal. 4 And whom you would have healed must be the one you chose to be protected from attack. 5 And what is this decision but the choice whether to see him through the body's eyes, or let him be revealed to you through vision? 6 How this decision leads to its effects is not your problem. 7 But what you want to see must be your choice. 8 This is a course in cause and not effect."

This reminds me of the message I received while watching The Wizard of Oz recently. At the end of Dorothy’s journey, she came to recognize that she had always possessed the means within her to go home. When she finally made the choice to stop seeking outside of herself to find the way home, she was able to close her eyes, go within and proclaim, “There’s no place like home.” And so the same is true for me. I seem to be traveling on the yellow brick spiritual road. Sometimes I am distracted and sidetracked; sometimes I believe I will find what I need in a great spiritual wizard or guru. Instead, the pathway to the open door of Heaven is right there within me. It can be found within the place of quietness and peace within my mind.

Law number twelve, "Life is managed; it is not cured." As long as you're alive, there will never be a day when every single one of your problems has been vanquished. Work toward resolving, rather than enduring, your array of problems. Draft realistic expectations rather than naïve ones. Learn to regard success as an always-moving target.

Law number thirteen, " We teach people how to treat us." All human relationships are in a constant state of negotiation. Thus, they are always changing, with the participants repeatedly learning what is and is not acceptable in the relationship; i.e., they are learning and relearning the rules and boundaries of the relationship.

The Course tells us, "T-24.V.3. Where could your peace arise <but> from forgiveness? 2 The Christ in you looks only on the truth, and sees no condemnation that could need forgiveness. 3 He is at peace <because> He sees no sin. 4 Identify with Him, and what has He that you have not? 5 He is your eyes, your ears, your hands, your feet. 6 How gentle are the sights He sees, the sounds He hears. 7 How beautiful His hand that holds His brother's, and how lovingly He walks beside him, showing him what can be seen and heard, and where he will see nothing and there is no sound to hear."

Law number fourteen, " There is power in forgiveness." Feelings change who you are. They change your heart and mind. When the time comes to forgive and resolve the situation, you must act constructively, assertively, and from a position of control. You're not doing this as a gift to the other person; you're doing it as a gift to yourself. The travels of life are difficult enough without you shouldering unnecessary emotional baggage.

Throughout the Course Jesus reminds us over and over again of the importance of practicing forgiveness — forgiveness of our brothers, ourselves, and the illusion of the world that seems to be around us. He tells us that when we forget to forgive our brothers, it is ourselves we are actually crucifying. “Offer him thorns and you are crucified. Offer him lilies and it is yourself you free.” (T-20.II.3:8)

The Course says, " T-26.V.1. A little hindrance can seem large indeed to those who do not understand that miracles are all the same. 2 Yet teaching that is what this course is for. 3 This is its only purpose, for only that is all there is to learn. 4 And you can learn it in many different ways. 5 All learning is a help or hindrance to the gate of Heaven. 6 Nothing in between is possible. 7 There are two teachers only, who point in different ways. 8 And you will go along the way your chosen teacher leads. 9 There are but two directions you can take, while time remains and choice is meaningful. 10 For never will another road be made except the way to Heaven. 11 You but choose whether to go toward Heaven, or away to nowhere. Tp549 12 There is nothing else to choose.

Law number fifteen, " You have to name it before you can claim it." Ask and it is given you. Not knowing precisely what you want is not okay. Be specific. Focus on what you truly want, describe it, plan for it in writing, and then head in that direction. Be bold and strong, but also be realistic. Be honest. Be watchful. And always require more of yourself than others require of you. Doubt is expensive. History remembers the "doers," not the doubters. It is challenging to face the "dark side" of how you handle money — or the doubts, fears, worries, and thwarted hopes that may appear. Sometimes it's hard to see the hidden treasure, but when we tell the truth about what we see, even when we don't want to see it, we're given even more strength.

Law number sixteen. Mark Victor Hansen says, "The Rule of Holes is: If you're in one, stop digging. Hope is not a strategy. " Hope carries value. Hope is vital. Hope is your gasoline. Positive impact comes only from action. Behaviors must be precisely targeted, discarded, and/or developed. Big changes must be made, and you must initiate them. Watch for feedback. Act accordingly.

Law number seventeen. My mother used to say, "Life by the yard is hard. Life by the inch is a cinch." You cannot save $5000 until you save $1000. You cannot save $1000 until you save $500. You cannot save $500 until you save $10. Even the greatest accomplishments start out small. If you're looking ahead and getting frustrated because all you can see is how daunting your tasks/goals are, then break them down.

Divide your work into steps. Make them smaller, more manageable. But keep them big enough to still be tangible and fulfilling when they're accomplished. With each completed step, that sense of progress you'll feel is what will keep you going. Anything can be accomplished if it is done a little bit at a time.

Law number eighteen, "Power Attracts Money." When you feel safe, you feel powerful, and power, remember, attracts money. The safer you feel, the more powerful you are, and the more money will come your way. The key to harnessing the Power Law is to define appropriate incentives for others to affiliate with you rather than any other person or company and, in the process, enhance the value you can offer to them.

Law number nineteen. "Apply the 80/20 rule to your life. 80% of your wealth comes from 20% of your effort and acts." Pareto's Law, the 80/20 rule, is enormously helpful as a guide to value assessment, cost-cutting and near-term performance improvement. Identify the 20% of people, customers, products, facilities, business units and blocks of time that generate 80% of the profits in your life, home and work. These are precisely the activities that generate the most value today with the least effort and investment. Remember, 20% of the effort tends to account for 80% of the value.

Law number twenty, " Value what you can not see." Socrates once said that he went to the market and saw what he really didn't need and why. He actually talked himself out of things, mainly because he knew that he was happy and that they would not make him happy! Can you imagine man today doing that, going shopping and deciding why he doesn't need all that stuff?

Law number twenty-one, 'Look within.' " Ask and it is given. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door is opened." Understanding spiritual truth within the context of this world's illusion requires that we embrace a paradox, the combination of spirit and form. In the world of form, seeking and finding are directly linked by our thoughts and actions.

For instance, if I feel hunger and I seek out food to satisfy this hunger, my seeking will yield a surcease to my hunger. Temporarily, at least, I feel satisfied. I am no longer hungry. The paradox is that it is only when we stop seeking that we truly have the opportunity to find what it was all along evading our search. For the answer to the quandary that so mystified us for so many years, perhaps even lifetimes, is inside of us. It was always here, the one place we never looked.

The Course says we are to be Cause. "T-26.V.1. A little hindrance can seem large indeed to those who do not understand that miracles are all the same. 2 Yet teaching that is what this course is for. 3 This is its only purpose, for only that is all there is to learn. 4 And you can learn it in many different ways. 5 All learning is a help or hindrance to the gate of Heaven. 6 Nothing in between is possible. 7 There are two teachers only, who point in different ways. 8 And you will go along the way your chosen teacher leads. 9 There are but two directions you can take, while time remains and choice is meaningful. 10 For never will another road be made except the way to Heaven. 11 You but choose whether to go toward Heaven, or away to nowhere. Tp549 12 There is nothing else to choose."

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January was our 18th consecutive year (1988-2006) of Thursday evening Course In Miracles Classes in Metairie Louisiana by Dr. Gary Arnold.

Welcome to our web site, http://www.miraclecourse.com or our weekly newsletter and blog at www.blog.miraclecourse.com . I hope it helps you to stay abreast of current local and regional classes, books, CD's, workshops and seminars. We are always interested in your feedback. You

Our ACIM Class is every Thursday, 6:30PM to 8PM at the Unity Church, 3939 Veterans Blvd. Metairie, LA. The course is free and open to the public. Please pass this information on to those you think may be interested.

Yours in Peace,

Dr. Gary Arnold

The 7 Principles of Prosperity by Dr. Gary Arnold

Dr Gary Arnold — Mon, 15 May 2006 23:50:00 GMT

THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES TO PROSPERITY
BY DR. GARY ARNOLD

There are 7 Principles to Prosperity I would like to outline.

1. Prosperity comes when you do the right things at the right time for the right reason. With that said, do what you want to do and focus on your ability and your competence to do the right thing.

2. Prosperity has a spiritual mind set. Don't squander. Don't hord. Don't be careless. Keep track of what happens; know where your spending and receiving happens and why (what you measure, you watch with increased precision). Be responsible. Keep your receipts. Watch the flow, the going out and coming in.

3. Prosperity is a state of mind. Your sense of abundance is based on what you value. Value and demand are components of relationship that extend onto all things worldly. Money is a relationship portaryed as a piece of paper; showing the relationship of value and demand to things like labor, energy, tools, and resources. It is a global communication medium of exchange. Everything has an exchange value.

4. Prosperity can not be put in a storehouse. Prosperity and Abundance do not depend on outward form for their existence. The belief that prosperity is 'external' is responsible for 90% of all crime- and always has. The Bible says, 'the love of money is the root of all evil.' This misconception has existed since the world began, ie, 'In Eden they valued the apple; it represented what they thought they did not have'.

5. Prosperity is a flow of alliances. You create alliances with people, places and things. Prosperity alliances are a relationship with flow, mutual exchange, channels of distribution that work through taking responsbility with people who take responsibility. You form alliances with those who have mutual goals and aspirations and values. Begin with the end in mind. It makes doing the dishes after the meal a worthwhile venture. Remember that and apply it- it creates discipline, order and productivity. Discipline is remembering what you really want.

6. Prosperity is an idea and is always free and can be shared without loss. Its representations of money, property and fame are not, they are things; nor can they be given without cost or repayment, ie. borrowed, loaned, leveraged, support and committment, performance, or investment. A gift of money is an exchange, a committment, a contract to perform, a repayable loan requiring an alliance, or accounting of performance satisfactory to the giver. Only the enlightened give gifts with no strings attached, and what they give consumes no space, time, thought or form.

7. Prosperity is possible without money. Heaven requires no money; neither does wealth consciousness here, now. As mankind evolves, so will our concept of money and wealth and prosperity. Interest, profit, capital, inflation/deflation, currency will evolve with our consciousness as well. A physical world without poverty in some form is not possible. A heavenly world with poverty is impossible. Choose.

Your mindset? Let it ring true to this; I am at the center of the Co-creative process. I am responsible for all outcomes I see. I recognize all thoughts have consequences, even the most minor. I identify with a larger Self than the self living here and now in this limited physical body. I see that events form patterns, hold lessons and signs and communicate. There are signs of inner events in and out of allignment with outer events. No accidents. No victims.

There is a Buddhist teaching about business and money. The Course In Miracles would agree:

1. Your business should make money and be personally and socially redeeming.

2. The owner of the business should enjoy the business, the effort of the task at hand, the quest-plan-outcome, and the money made.

3. At the end of the day, or the end of the business, or the end of your life, you should be able to look back and see it was value to you as well as others.

The universal law of sowing and reaping applys to the marketplace. Inany task, job, profession or business, when you come from the creative plane of acting from love, increasing value for others, extending peace and service, it's going to come back to you.

What you focus on expands. In whatever job or business or task you do, when you focus on being inspired and creating value, your life force expands including your level of prosperity on the material plane. Everything is interconnected. "How you do anything is how you do everything." People and customers are attracted and opportunities present themselves.

Peace and love,
Dr. Gary Arnold

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OUR COURSE CLASS PARTICIPANTS discover what inspires them, how to live their life in harmony with their intent, passion and purpose!

IF you want to see who and what inspires Dr. Gary Arnold come to the ACIM THURSDAY MIRACLES CLASS at Unity Church, 3939 Veterans Blvd. Metairie LA.

Find out what inspires you. Find what your true calling is. Learn how to live an inspired life every day.

A COURSE IN MIRACLES shows how contact with your Higher Self is cultivated and recognized as the driving force throughout your life. Currently does It only show up every now and then and just as mysteriously disappearing, seemingly independent of your wants wishes and desires?

Learn that your intent and spiritual inspiration is always available and can be recognized and remembered in any moment! Your God-Self isn’t reserved for occasional use or only difficult high-profile creative problem solving situations. Accessing your inherent Divine Higher-Self is yourbirthright. You have been conditioned from the time you were born to ignore your Higher Self. As children we were taught over time and repeated circumstance to believe exclusively in the world of phenomena where ego is dominant and inspiration diminished and occasional.

Dr. Gary Arnold shows how the Course teaches us to experientially reclaim our Divine Birthright and experience the benefits of living an inspired Spiritual life:

· Your thoughts break their bonds and you learn to access the infinitely expansive home of Stillness and Peace.
· Your mind transcends all limitations and joins the Realm of Heaven on earth, now, here.
· Your consciousness expands in every direction so space, time, thought, and form are no-longer limits to your Co-Creating.
· You find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful Heaven Consciousness and thus a new world.
· Dormant forces, faculties, and talents come alive because you rely on your God-Self.
· You discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be because you see yourself as an extension of LOVE and God-Consciousness.
· You become one with your source and an inspiration to others.
· You discover new spiritual sources for personal inspiration in any situation.
· You learn out-of-the-box ways to stay connected with Spirit through prayer and meditation and relationship awareness.
·You experientially learn the answer to the question: Why am I here, and what is my purpose?

OUR COURSE CLASS PARTICIPANTS discover what inspires them, how to live their life in harmony with their intent, passion and purpose!

IF you want to see who and what inspires Dr. Gary Arnold come to the ACIM THURSDAY MIRACLES CLASS at Unity Church, 3939 Veterans Blvd. Metairie LA.

JOIN US EVERY THURSDAY AT 6:30 PM at the Unity Church, 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie Louisiana. Call 504-888-1320 or 504-885-7575 for more information. The Course is free and open to the public.

This message was sent from Dr. Gary Arnold, www.garnold@windhorse.org, to members and prospective members of the Miracle Course Class. Please forward Dr. Arnold the email addresses and names of others who may be interested in receiving this blog. To be removed from the Miracle newsletter blog reply to remove@windhorse.org.

Overcoming Death by Gary Arnold

Dr Gary Arnold — Wed, 10 May 2006 01:02:00 GMT

Overcoming Death by Gary Arnold
     ACIM has a few great things to say about death and dying. As I worked on my dad's eulogy up here in New Hampshire, I thought I'd do a quick blog to share this spiritual perspective with you.

Bill Thetford said, "A difficult concept to deal with in the Course is that when we recognize illusions for what they are we can laugh at them. Well certainly emotional crises are very real and not funny to most folks, such as death, grief, pain, starvation, and so on. How should you deal with this?  The Course suggests that we forgot to laugh at the moment we first began to believe illusions were real. Perhaps one way we can find our way back to our true nature is to begin to laugh at the foolishness of many of our beliefs."

"Norman Cousins has already demonstrated the importance of laughter in the healing process. For example, in order to help anyone, whether in psychotherapy or in everyday life, I don't think we can identify with the problem. What we need to do is to identify with the Answer. Since any problem is always some form of fear, guilt or separation, our responsibility is to identify with the only Answer that works.    In offering God's Love in whatever form is appropriate, we are offering the only answer that is possible withing this world."

"The Course states very clearly that "There is no death. The Son of God is free." In a sense, since we were created eternal, we literally were never born, hence we can never die. That is, within the framework of eternity, we have always existed as an extension of God's Love. I think the notion of freshly minted souls coming into this material world for a few years, and then going into the great beyond is not the lesson that the Course would teach. The Course repeatedly states that we remain as God created us; we remain as eternal aspects of spirit and have never been limited by form."

"When the body is no longer alive and animated, it simply means we no longer have a use for it. Our body has nothing to do with our being alive or dead because our body is not our true identity."

Way back in 1976, Judith Schuth talked about ACIM's view of death this way, "We are told to stop concentrating on the suffering, stop concentrating on the sacrifice, stop concentrating on the death, on the pain, on the poor, on the disease, on illness. That is not what we are. That is a mistake. But it’s a mistake that can be corrected so easily just by changing your mind. Just by agreeing that there is no death, that there is no illness, that there is no disease. We can make it happen. Now does mean that disease does not exist today, that there aren’t people who feel ill, that there isn’t famine, that there isn’t suffering? Of course, we see it as that. But it does mean, that through healing ourselves of the misperception that we are in, we can extend that healing to others and others and others and others, and it will spread, and because we are all joined by mind, there isn’t in the end one mind that can’t be affected by someone’s individual choice to change his or her perception. "

"Remember only this, you need not believe the ideas, you need not accept them, and you need not even welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter at all or decrease their efficacy. Don’t allow yourself to make exceptions in applying the ideas, however, no matter what your reactions may be. Use them. Nothing more than that is required.” This is extremely important statement that is saying, this may be hard for you to grasp, at first, because we all think we’re bodies, and we act as if we are. And we’re afraid of pain and suffering and death."

"We have a glimmer, of course, and all of you in this room share with me the knowledge that we are more than body. But there are still some very powerful ideas in this book and it’s saying it very straight. So, that when the very first lesson says, what you are to do is to look around the room, for about a minute, no longer and say, “Nothing I see in this room means anything,” either way there’s resistance. What do you mean, “nothing means anything?” What it’s trying to do is to erase your past concepts of what you think something means, to prepare you for some new concepts of what you really are, so that you can use them."

"The focus should be, “There is no death, because I am alive. I live as spirit."

The Son of God is free.
Peace and Love,
Gary

Dr. Gary Arnold shows why some people thrive and grow with life's challenges while some people are swept away. Beyond Survivorship teaches the attitudes and mind set of remarkable individuals. Learn to be active rather than passive. Process both pain and pleasure beneficially. Recognize your inner strength and potential. Then actuate it.

Dr. Gary Arnold discusses paradox, those logical dilemmas imposed by language and our modern world and corporate views. According to Dr. Arnold, unresolved paradox leads to chaos, indecision, and the inability to deal with change.

Dr Gary Arnold travels the road to developing the million dollar wealth and wisdom habit. Learn to apply proven techniques for emotional success. Apply the filter designed to eliminate 'poverty consciousness' and then replace it with 'wealth consciousness'.

A cornucopia of life-affirming thoughts complied by Dr. Gary Arnold, Dan Glaviano and Len Foley. A great source of affirmations, meditations and reflection.

Experience the power of recreating your life. Direct the flow of your reality. Align your intentions with your efforts. In this book, Dr. Gary Arnold explores the power of belief and intentional choice.

Life is good. Gary's father taught him that life has meaning and purpose. In this trio of vignettes, Dr. Gary Arnold speaks straight from the heart about the life lessons he's learned. Relearn your own inner worth, and launch your potential through the wisdom shares in this book.

Dr. Arnold shows you how to predict your future. Dissolve negative, unworkable states of mind. Access your natural powers of intuition. Learn to re-create reality. Eliminate worry and fear. Develop your 'magnificent glimpse'. Align your intentions with your actions.

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PROSPERITY as ACIM Sees It by Dr Gary Arnold

Dr Gary Arnold — Fri, 05 May 2006 00:03:00 GMT

PROSPERITY as ACIM Sees It
by Dr. Gary Arnold

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Class members, here is the material for tonights class on what the Course says on prosperity. I hope you like it, apply it and benefit from it. ALL the Course quotes I gave you here are from the HUGH LYNN CAYCE ACIM VERSION. I thought that would be more thought provoking for you. The PURPOSE OF TODAY'S CLASS is to explore three terms. The terms are CONSCIOUSNESS, RESISTENCE, and DESIRE. These terms structure how the Course frameworks Prosperity.

Class members can find further COUSE REFERRENCES ON PROSPERITY LISTED ON OUR WEB SITE http://www.miraclecourse.com/ : 1. T9/11 2. T57/63 3. T526/567, 4. T404/434, 5. T257/276, 6. W79/79, 7. W36/36, 8. T239/256, 9. T99/107, 10. M32/33, 11. SOP 6, 12. T575/619, 13. T515/554, 517/556 14. W236/242, 237/243 15. W287/294, 16. W311,318
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PROSPERITY as ACIM Sees It.

On the first page of our web site http://www.miraclecourse.com/, we have a quote from Anais Nin saying, "We see the world not as it is, but as we are." 'The Course Teachings on prosperity can guide you to higher realms of application, shifting you in a way that will change your living forever. Dissolve incongruity, dissolve small mindedness, cast away limit and lack. WHO YOU ARE in the bigger scheme of things is a Light that shines away illusion, anger, doubt, fear and lack. Stop confusing the little irritations of living, with your Life. Learn how to stop valuing ego projections and scarcity. Infinity is too abundant, grand, and generous for such a small basket.'

WHY LEARN ABOUT PROSPERITY as the Course sees it, in the first place?
• Happiness or unhappiness, what would you prefer? The Course can set you free of old restraints that make you unhappy?• Beliefs are a stumbling block for many. Why not make them a stepping stone and learn to align your beliefs with the goals you want to accomplish?• Security is a primal desire. How can you feel more secure about your ability to conduct your own life?• Ego or Higher Self- you have to recognize one or the other. The Course says you can experience a higher, wiser, more peaceful expression -your Higher Self. Want to know the signs of the Higher Self?• Still struggling? Want to give up the struggle and rise above the sorrows? Learn to see struggle and sorrow for what they really are?• Heaven, nirvana, enlightenment - is this available now-here or no-where? Would you like to experience the state of heaven consciousness traditionally described as enlightenment?

WHY DO THE DAILY ACIM WORKBOOK EXERCISES TO LEARN ABOUT PROSPERITY?
Be Zen-like for a moment. Think about archery like an Einstein. (Einstein rode on a beam of light in his imagination.) You aim your bow and arrow. You fired the arrow. But this time mid-flight you stop the arrow (Like a Matrix movie moment), and again sight (re-aim) along the arrows shaft and the target. You recalculate. Adjust. You arange energy in motion.
Your life and your decision making process can be like that. The Course says, "I am responsible for what I see" . If can stop your life and your decision making process in flight and re-sight along the way- recalculate, recompose, restructure the energy. Are you headed where you wanted to go? Are you moving toward enlightenment with this current path and decision? Are you helping the planet progress toward an enlightened civilization. The Course can save you a thousand years if you choose to awaken your consciousness. Wouldn't you want to become increasingly immune to anything 'taking your peace'? Don't you want to know knows what REALITY really is? Want to value peace, love and wisdom regardless of circumstance? Then read on.

What ACIM says about POSSESSIONS AND WEALTH
T-29.VIII.8. (this is from the HUGH LYNN CAYCE ACIM VERSION)
4The world believes in idols. 5 No one comes unless he worshipped them, and still attempts to seek for one that yet might offer him a gift reality does not contain. 6 Each worshipper of idols harbors hope his special deities will give him more than other men possess. 7 It must be more. 8 It does not really matter more of what; more beauty, more intelligence, more wealth, or even more affliction and more pain. 9 But more of something is an idol for. 10 And when one fails another takes its place, with hope of finding more of something else. 11 Be not deceived by forms the "something" takes. 12 An idol is a means for getting more. 13 And it is this that is against God's Will.T-29.VIII.9.

God has not many Sons, but only One. 2 Who can have more, and who be given less? 3 In Heaven would the Son of God but laugh, if idols could intrude upon his peace.4 It is for him the Holy Spirit speaks, and tells you idols have no purpose here. 5 For more than Heaven can you never have. 6 If Heaven is within, why would you seek foridols that would make of Heaven less, to give you more than God bestowed upon your brother and on you, as one with Him? 7 God gave you all there is. 8 And to be sure you could not lose it, did He also give the same to every living thing as well. 9 And thus is every living thing a part of you, as of Himself. 10 No idol can establish you as more than God. 11 But you will never be content with being less.
The TV shows Survivor, Amazing Race, Beauty and the Geek, - and on and on can teach us something the Course would like us to learn. We can develop our ability to dis-create illusions we once valued. We can play the game of life differently. And we can alter our decisions about living to alter our perception of life.

WE CAN DECIDE TO CHANGE OUR CHANNEL
Beliefs are a filter. They are tuning (choice) mechanisms in our consciousness. I always have a sensory filter through which I observe and interact with life. The filter is a particular belief (choice). I always filter out certain information. I also allow information that aligns with my beliefs- the lens I look through. TV Reality shows are a good analogy: Survivor is on. Your tuned to Survivor. Your not tuned to the other shows on at the time. That is all you can see on TV because that is all you are tuned into. You are watching the program you are tuned into. If you don't change the channel that channel is all you'll watch no matter how much 'effort' you apply. Even if you have a 'role-model' to coach you, if you are tuned to that channel, that is what you see. If you are in therapy or a support group or are taking assertiveness training you see that channel if that is what you are tuned to.

If your TV has 'picutre in picture' you see a small 2 inch cube of something else happening on another channel but the big picuture is 95 % of what you see. The point is, if you don’t change the channel, that is what your senses will be absorbed in. That is what they use to make your world view, your universe.Beliefs are the tuning and filtering mechanism in your mind's TV station. The information on the screen you watch is what channel you are tuned into.

To see anything else you need to change the channel. If you don't then what you see is the channel that is on. As with TV so with your life.Time to use the remote. If you want to change what you are looking at you need to change what you are tuned into to - you need to alter your belief filter frequency. If you believe that 'life's a bitch and then you die, then life will be hard. If you believe that money is hard, or Life is serious stuff. Or that no one is credible and giving and loving (ie- people are only out to get what they can out of you), or living is hard work and not much fun, then that is what your belief filters will see. That is what gets projected onto your consciuosness. The Course says, "Perception makes projection." Anais Nin said, "We see the world not as it is, but as we are." We see what we project onto the screen of our consciousness.

If you proceed through life with a 'life is tough' mentality then what you get is a 'life-is-hard' outcome that just reinforces your belief. If you have an 'I need .... (fill in the blank)' mentality then you attract circumstance that support that belief and keep it locked in place. Beliefs like, I never get any breaks, or, it’s hard to have fun, or having money is hard show up and get noticed because that is what you choose to look for. Get the picture? The belief filter lets in information primarily aligned with your beliefs- what you’re tuned into.What beliefs are you stuck in? All beliefs are filters. Beliefs create (filter in) and dis-create (filter out). Are they yours from living experience or are you stuck in someone elses beliefs? Is you childhood (old beliefs) still guiding you through today. Are you aware what you are tuned into? Is it a conscious decision? Is it the channel you want to choose consciously? That’s one of the things people learn in the Course—they go through a years lessons in the Workbook to learn how to improve their reception of Reality and get a picture they like (value) better.

You can choose what you value (or don't value) also. The Course wants us to hold on to our beliefs loosely. To give them up effortlessly when a higher belief comes along. We are to learn not only to create new beliefs but to deliberately dis-create beliefs we don't value (ie. "You can always choose again.") What you see on the screen of your consciousness is what you wrote there. Knowing you create your beliefs you can write and produce shows you like -like happiness, peace, wisdom, love, kindness, and prosperity. You’ll take over the network!

HERE'S A FUN EXERCISE FOR ACIM CLASS MEMBERS
Do a reality show of your own. Here’s an exercise you can do to explore the power of your belief filters. (NOTE: this is what the daily exercises in the Workbook are for.) Do some channel changing of your own- learn to choose again.

For openers we are going to play with two different viewpoints, one at a time. Note that you can aquire either viewpoint and doing so living appears a little different. In viewpoint #1 you see your brother and sisters as 'others'. you see everyone as Bodies, Egos, Personalities, Unique, and Separate. They are different from you. With this idea in your beliefs and imagination you see what you believe. The universe provides it as you expect it. With this (separation) as your filter everything you observe is filtered by that viewpoint. Look around you with that filter. Notice your feelings and your judgments. Notice your thoughts expectations. Look at someone you know. How do they look through that filter. Listen to your thoughts- your mental dialogue.

Now look through a different filter, filter #2. The course calls this filter the happy dream, the viewpoint that sees union instead of separation, peace instead of chaos and love instead of fear. Now use this to see what the course would have us experience with this new belief filter. Now try to see from this viewpoint ( What Carlos Castinata would see as a . Really examine the people you see. What do you notice? Do you see them as a body, separate, an other, or do you see them as part of the sonship, a son of god. Can you see the union, the eternal joining of the infinite within the brother you see. Can you sense the expansiveness of this viewpoint? Did switching gears give you a new perspective able to see everyone as offering love or a call for love.

Viewpoint #2 sees the simility, the unity, the sameness of being alike - like Son's of God - whether they know it (remember it) or not. Believing this idea the universe provides evidence that it is real. (Note: both viewpoints are a closed looped system consistent within their own perspectives.) Know that if you believe it you think it's true. You value it. You support it. You identify and defend your beliefs. Look at those you see with this filter. Again witness your thoughts, observations, feelings, judgments. Observe your thoughts and feelings now. Take a few breaths with this idea. See the sameness, the unity of the people around you. Observe the differences disappearing.

See that you deliverately choose your beliefs, your viewpoints, your perspectives. Now life seems different than with viewpoint #1. Now you feel connected, joined, part of the whole. You surender to the guidance of your Higher Power, the Holy Spirit within. Viewpoint#2, enhances your wellbeing, the wellbeing of those in relation to you, and the planet's expression of life and freedom. People who you connect with assume similar beliefs and attitudes- effortlessly. Like attracts like.

The Course reminds us to see Situations, circumstances, people and places as love or a call for love. Not because of any particular circumstance. No specific situation or person need be different because of the filter you are using - effortlessly you trust - it's all perfect. Love is the highest, most powerful force in the universe. Now the filter and lense is love, peace, trust, wholeness, oneness, and this is the channel you choose. You choose your belief- the highest thought, clearest word and grandest vision.

Circumstance doesn't dictate how things are going spiritually. On the level of Awareness it’s all perfect, always has been and always will be. Neither does your understanding dictate how things are spiritually. Your beliefs are only a temporary filter and ALL beliefs filter. And you can always choose to change the channel- YOU CAN CHOOSE AGAIN - to see and experience the highest understanding you are capable of experiencing at this time, in this moment, in this place. You hold your belilefs gently, willing to let them go as you gain recognition of further Awareness.

The Course is designed to show you how to choose your beliefs again, in an easy and light-hearted way. The ACIM workbook teaches 365 practical, how-to-do-it techniques that are currently missing from your ego's toolbox. Incidently, they will always be missing from the ego's toolbox. You don't make a good ego. You don't focus on correcting the ego or teaching the ego. You simply allow the ego (illusion) to dissolve by exposing it to the Light ( heaven consciousness, awareness). A happy dream will do until you give up techniques and meditations and exercises and make this your lifework and natural habit. When this is all you value, when love is all you value, you won't settle for less. Thoughts and beliefs will only slow you down.

LET'S LOOK AT THREE IMPORTANT COURSE CONCEPTS 'CONSCIOUSNESS, RESISTENCE, AND DESIRE' INVOLVED WITH PROSPERITY

The 1st term, CONSCIOUSNESS
A COURSE IN MIRACLES -CLARIFICATION OF TERMS-INTRODUCTIONC-in.1. This is not a course in philosophical speculation, nor is it concerned with precise terminology. 2 It is concerned only with Atonement, or the correction of perception. 3 The means of the Atonement is forgiveness. 4 The structure of "individual consciousness " is essentially irrelevant because it is a concept representing the "original error" or the "original sin." 5 To study the error itself does not lead to correction, if you are indeed to succeed in overlooking the error. 6 And it is just this process of overlooking at which the course aims.

Consciousness is God plus ego. Another way to see this is as a veil to the clarity of vision. Vision is awareness without the ego - seeing what is as it is in reality- unlimited by temporary constraints of time space thought and form. Consciousness is awareness plus. The plus is an ego intrusion, a judgment, a word defining what you are experiencing. Consciousness puts time (the not-eternal), thought (past experience verse the all-encompasing now) , form (separation/body) and space (distance vs oneness) , effort ( ego vs spirit), desire (God/Heaven/All That IS plus ego) . Awareness is your Reality. Awareness is what is, as it is, without time, space, thought, or form.

Awareness is your pure, clear, present Self. Your god-consciousness views life ( God-consciousness itself) without your filters and beliefs, pure being, effortless, non-time bound, non-space bound, beyond conscious definition. Awareness is Source. With awareness you are a 'sourcerer'- one with the Source. Awareness is the essence of your consciousness. Understanding, misunderstanding, confusion and doubt are all functions of the judging consciousness. Understanding is simply to rearrange What Is in an order that is acceptable to you. Space is simply the our sphere of recognition of things within predetermined spheres of responsibility (read that as levels) you assume.

One can achieve understanding in two ways. You can either reduce the number of conscious creations by quieting the mind, or you can broaden your sphere of responsibility to create more space. Do I Meditate or achieve? That may be the wrong question. Confusion is disorder or worry. There are too many creations, too little space. Too many thoughts, not enough responsibility. The zen saying, "how you see anything is how you see everything." describes your consciousness. Your posessions posess you. The state of your possessions reflects your conscious state. ( a la read Zen and the Art of Motorcyce Maintenance) . When you clean house, the attic, the closet or garage, you therapeautically effect your consciousness. This is more powerful than worry and grasping. Attachment, worry and grasping are all about keeping too much, thinking too much, craming too much into the moment. The moment is too small a space to cling. Worrying is like fishing without dolphin-free nets - you cling and catch what you don't want and what won't do you any good. Clinging is a veil that covers your Awareness of your Awareness. Without clearity, Awareness vanishes. Heaven consciousness requires clearity. Experience while Aware requires clarity. Awareness is no substitute for understanding, thinking, feeling. Awareness is what holds these sensory experiences clearly. Awareness is effortless, clear, light, free. When you feel exhausted, your consciousness is exhausted, not your awareness. Awareness does not tire.

**** The bridge across separation is perception. **** Appreciate your perceptions just as they are, without judgment or evaluation, without desire or resistance. When you do not grasp and cling to the ego-lens, separation disappears and the light of awareness returns. Life is a eternal, continuous, joined, flow. When you see the flow and feel the flow the recognition happens that there are no separate events or people or ideas or places. The more you are Aware the more joined What Is becomes. The more synchronistic flow is recognized, the more order is recognized. (ie, ACIM says , "Perception makes projection.")

The 2nd term, RESISTANCE
T-30 in.1
I. Rules for DecisionT-30.I.1. Decisions are continuous. 2 You do not always know when you are making them. 3 But with a little practice with the ones you recognize, a set begins to form which sees you through the rest. 4 It is not wise to let yourself become preoccupied with every step you take. 5 The proper set, adopted consciously each time you wake, will put you well ahead. 6 And if you find resistance strong and dedication weak, you are not ready. 7 8 But think about the kind of day you want, and tell yourself there is a way in which this very day can happen just like that. 9 Then try again to have the day you want.T-30.I.2. (1) The outlook starts with this:2 Today I will make no decisions by myself. 3 This means that you are choosing not to be the judge of what to do. 4 But it must also mean you will not judge the situations where you will be called upon to make response. 5 For if you judge them, you have set the rules for how you should react to them. 6 Andthen another answer cannot but produce confusion and uncertainty and fear. T-30.I.3. This is your major problem now. 2 You still make up your mind, and decide to ask what you should do. 3 And what you hear may not resolve the problem as you saw it first. 4 This leads to fear, because it contradicts what you perceive and so you feel attacked. 5 And therefore angry. 6 There are rules by which this will not happen. 7 But it does occur at first, while you are learning how to hear. T-30.I.4. (2) Throughout the day, at any time you think of it and have a quiet moment for reflection, tell yourself again the kind of day you want; the feelings you would have, the things you want to happen to you, and the things you would experience, and say: 2 If I make no decisions by myself, this is the day that will be given me.3 These two procedures, practiced well, will serve to let you be directed without fear, for opposition will not first arise and then become a problem in itself.

Resistance is an opposition, due to some belief, to experiencing something just as it is. It’s an attempt to create from consciousness rather than from awareness. Time is the primary resistance that consciousness creates. It delays experience so that an event can be understood—meaning sorted and categorized according to prior stored events and preserved as consciousness. Adding time transforms the flow of experience (what’s happening now) into defined, separate events with beginnings and ends that are stored as a time track of creation. Awareness is timeless.These resisted events will still be experienced, eventually. Maybe little by little over a long period, or all at once at some future time when consciousness has collapsed in on itself, over and over, and reached some critical mass.

Let me digress for the next paragraph which describes KARMA - not a Course term, but it is interesting to explore in light of what we have just reviewed.
This is the mechanism behind the idea of karma. 'Whatever you create, you will eventually experience. ' 'The univese records everything.' 'No good deed goes un-noticed.' 'What goes around, comes around.'

Within every belief there is an intention. Beliefs are seed-pods of intention. As they are focused on and energized, recognized and identified with they blossom. (Review all the garden and seed parables in the New Testament). What beliefs grow into is their creation and effect. Their effect is either suffering or joy. The consciousness you perceive and intend with the belief you extend comes around in the experience of what is made by the belief. A judgment is a receipt of your intention and belief. It is the color you put on the lens of your senses. Judgments color experienece. Like or dislike, good or bad, judgments create separation and veil clarity of awareness. Experiencing transforms your intents (words, definitions, beliefs), into awareness. John's gospel starts with "In the beginning was the word" and so your words and beliefs turn life (eternal) life into living (time bound form).

Just experienceing with awareness is seeing what is as it is, as they are created, without judging, coloring the experience with expectations of how things should be. You accept the mystery and paradox as it is. You drop understanding and defining. You step into the experience without seeing the past (nolonger time and space bound). You give up the symbols, holy books and gurus. You accept being within the mystery. You no longer require or seek god-plus.

The 3rd term, DESIRE
T-30.IV.5. Appearances deceive they are appearances and not reality. 2 Dwell not on them in any form. 3 They but obscure reality, and they bring fear they hide the truth. 4 Do not attack what you have made to let you be deceived, for thus you prove that you have been deceived. 5 Attack has power to make illusions real. 6 Yet what it makes is nothing. 7 Who could be made fearful by a power that can have no real effects at all? 8 What could it be but an illusion, making things appear like to itself? 9 Look calmly at its toys, and understand that they are idols which but dance to vain desires. 10 Give them not your worship, for they are not there. 11 Yet this is equally forgotten in attack. 12 God's Son needs no defense against his dreams. 13 His idols do not threaten him at all. 14 His one mistake is that he thinks them real. 15 What can the power of illusions do?

The Hindu expression is, "Desire is the creator, and desire is the destroyer. (read that in Course terms as "Desire is the maker, Desire is the destroyer." All Desire is resistance to what is or what is not. Desire is the belief of lack applied to form, space, time, and thought. Desire is the experience of resistence to What Is. Desire makes the whole - compound and subject to destruction. All compound elements and substances have entropy. Resistence is friction, dis-ease, dis-comfort.

When appreciation is at hand, there is effortless mastery, awareness and grace of what is athand. The trap of desire is the failure to see grace and appreciation. The power of love and peace and wholeness and beauty and goodness is deeper than desire, deeper than resistance. Consciousness filters out appreciation and instead sees resistance and desire. Appreciation leads to awareness in the moment. Awareness is all-pervasive; it is throughout your life and illusions, your consciousness and unconsciousness, your dreams and your remembering of reality, your living and your dying. Awarenes is realizing, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. And so you are faithful to your Awareness and mere consciousness is surrendered to the ALL THAT IS .

peace and love,
Gary

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What was important Pre-Katrina is what is important Post-Katrina by Dr. Gary Arnold

Dr Gary Arnold — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:44:00 GMT

What was important Pre-Katrina is what is important Post-Katrina
By Dr. Gary Arnold

Eight months ago I packed up a truckload of stuff from my New Orleans office, and a carload of stuff from my fiancée’s home. As was our custom during hurricane warnings, we lifted everything we had to leave behind table-high in case we got a few inches of water in the building – which is what we expected. We took pictures of how our property looked pre-storm for our insurance records. Then we drove to my home across the lake in Folsom. Folsom Louisiana is 50 miles north of New Orleans.

As we arrived so did our ‘guests’ who were evacuating from their homes in New Orleans. My home has been a resource to hurricane evacuees before. There are two reasons for this; one - because my house is on a hill 65 feet higher than the city road, and two -my home has 14” thick steel reinforced concrete walls. It feels safe when the wind blows.

By the time Hurricane Katrina hit the next day, August 29^th,we had 18 people staying with us. And the wind did blow. I played the piano for entertainment as we huddled together in a couple of rooms and watched outside as the trees blew, bent over and then broke away. We listened to the TV and radio for what was happening in New Orleans. We knew it was a direct hit. Then we heard a loud crack as a nearby tree broke and the power in the house went out. The 20 horsepower John Deer generator didn’t kick in. The house was without electricity. We looked out the window on the side of the house and saw a large pine tree had landed squarely in the middle of the shed directly on the generator. Our home would not have electricity again for another 45 days.

All tolled, about 400 trees fell on my Folsom property. My home and barn were spared. It took four of us with chainsaws two days to saw our way out of the driveway onto the city road. The town roadway leading out of the property wasn’t passable by car for another three days.

My New Orleans office and my fiancée’s New Orleans home were 6 blocks away from the now infamous break in the 17^th Street Canal. All the properties in the neighborhood received 10 ½ feet of floodwater. Eight months have passed since the storm and we are just this week able to start gutting out the house and the office. We doubt we will rebuild.

Half the people that stayed with us had homes and offices that received extensive damage.

When people and entire communities experience extensive devastation by a hurricane it’s not uncommon to feel small and insignificant. But the Course says, “seek not to change the world, but seek to change your mind about the world”(T. 415). We realized we could best help those effected by the hurricane by observing effective compassion. St. Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.” And that was our post-Katrina motto.

For a month after the storm we were living and working together. It was like a commune. People worked together, rested together, helped one another, and did chores together. We shared costs, labor and responsibilities. Our community ‘To Do’s’ was the order of the day. We couldn’t get well water (no electricity). So when the bottled water ran out we convoyed and made store trips for supplies. C–rations were never our thing. We cooked on a camper gas stove, caught catfish from the pond, and improvised on our Cajun recipes. We pooled our automobile trips into town for our supply runs because gas was not available for a week after the storm. Then gas lines were blocks long and the wait for gas took hours. Few stores were open. None had electricity. For several days gas for the cars was not available because there was no electricity for the pumps. Most stores had no electricity so if they were opened at all they could only sell their non-perishable items. There was no refrigeration.
We went back to ‘simple’. We left complex problems to another time when we would have more capable means and we focused and dealt with the basic needs of today and the problems, i.e. hidden-opportunities at hand.

It was like living on an extended camping trip with 20 people. We set up a clothesline amid the trees. We washed dishes and clothes in the pond and bathed there also. We caught fish from the pond. We shopped for supplies together. We did house chores together. We read together. We entertained each other with nightly stories, some of which I image were true. We laughed and cried and talked and smiled. And we did it together. By candlelight we shared with each other from our hearts and soul.

When people went back to their homes in New Orleans we helped each other with the cleaning up. Food in the refrigerators was thrown out – often the whole refrigerator was thrown away. Walls were torn out; carpeting was pulled. Destroyed possessions were trashed. The work to repair and replace and re-inhabit had begun. Food, water, gas, clothes, a place to sleep were everyone’s concern. Those that needed prescription drugs sought suppliers; people joined together in their search.

In our small Miracle’s community we provided shared efforts as well as hope and encouragement. These were components that no bureaucracy could provide. When we could little needs were met and recognition was noted. The sharing and giving was the order of the day. Everything was either love or a call for love; no other alternative was possible. In the midst of the chaos love ran supreme.

It was five weeks after the storm before our Course In Miracles class could get into a new location and restarted. We met at first in a day care center. The Unity Church where we regularly held our Thursday night meetings had been extensively damaged. For 18 years this same Miracles class has met on Thursday nights in Metairie Louisiana. The class members were scattered, several were homeless, and most were disoriented. But we had no ‘victims’ by choice. At the end of chapter 15 the Course says ‘make this year different by making it all the same’. The reference was for a New Year’s resolution. We used it as our post-Katrina resolution for a new beginning. See everything as love or a call for love, and always react the same…with love. We communicated by email and cell phones to find out how everyone in the group was doing, where everyone was, and how we could help.

Visits were made. We updated each other with information and kept every one in our prayers. The hurricanes destruction was broad and deep. Our communities light and love and caring ran broader and deeper.

The images on TV didn’t seem to express the devastation like seeing or smelling it in person. Thousands of homes and office buildings were destroyed. Mold and debris were everywhere. Cars flooded. Boats sank. Pets were lost. Many people died. Fear, doubt, anger and despair were common in the streets. The storm interrupted everyone’s life. It uprooted their sense of normalcy. But as Henri Nouwen, a Yale professor said, “I kept being interrupted in my work until I recognized that the interruptions were my work.” Interruptions can be good lessons. They give us helpful guidelines amid the moments of reflection. How can we help? What can we say? What can I do that will make an impact? How would Love see this? And the Spirit answers.

Stores and businesses that served the community worked months to reopen to serve the people. Construction crews came in. Homes began to be rebuilt. Trash was hauled away creating piles of debris that were several stories high. These trash piles seemed to go on for blocks and blocks and blocks and blocks. Labor to restore the community was in flow. Everyday something new or rebuilt or reopened is noticed.

Regardless of this external world, I see peace is at home here. I hear it from the class members and the weekly stories they share. The Course text page 542 says, “God willed he waken gently and with joy, and gave him means to waken without fear.” That hasn’t changed. Jesus said on page 193 in the Text, “Teach not that I died in vain. Teach rather that I did not die by demonstrating that I live in you.” The world of sin, death, destruction and fear had no effect on him. That’s how he lived, by canceling the effect of fear. That’s how we are to live and that’s what I see post-Katrina happening today.
As my friend Saul Steinberg, the first printer of the Course, used to say, quoting the Course, “Teach only love, for that is what you are.”

Gary Arnold became a student of the course in 1980. Since 1988 he has continuously held a Thursday night Miracles Class in Metairie, Louisiana. He has recently completed his eleventh book, How to Get to Heaven in 21 Days or Less, also available as a 4 CD set. Gary is an international public speaker and lecturer, having made more than 1200 presentations. His primary focus is teaching the release from fear, doubt and negative emotions. You may contact him at: garnold@windhorse.org