WONDER 1

You can know without words or images. You can KNOW.

Now, I don’t mean, “I just know” as a hunch or suspicion. This is not about being right or proving  something. We are speaking of Awareness and the kind of Knowing that exists beyond the intellect.

“I Know I am loved. I Know I live in a Universe that has meaning. I Know that when everything else is used up, worn out, no longer necessary, that Love will still be who I am and who we all are.”

Instead of “I Know” I could have written “I believe”, but that’s not it. In my awareness right now “belief” means holding onto a thought or idea that I would like to be true, that I think is true, but that I cannot really substantiate for myself or anyone else. 

We are encouraged here to begin to trust our own inner knowing. That’s not easy. 

Even as I was writing the paragraphs above, I felt a little twinge in my belly, and if it had a voice it would have said, “Hmmmm, do you really want to go out on that kind of a limb? You are saying that you know something that is pretty huge—do you really want to commit to that as the Truth?”

To my way of thinking, Knowing and Wonder are quite similar. They both go beyond the intellect, and they are both different forms of perception than we usually experience with our intellect and five senses.

Several times in this chapter there are references to “feeling” and or “seeing” these energies we are working with. I would encourage all of us to be cautious about using those feelings or sensations as a measuring stick or barometer  of our growth. There might or might not be these sensations such as  “feel as if you are an Alka-Seltzer frothing” or “for some of you, this will mean you get visualizations that have been far richer than you have had before. For others of you, it will mean that you’ll begin to see energy frequencies with your eyes, or your third eye amplifying that which is before you in frequency.”

I have not had any of those experiences, and of course my ego chimes in and says, “Well, you must be doing to wrong” or “Well, here is another method that doesn’t work for me; it works for everybody else, but not me. I guess I am essentially flawed——on and on.

STOP!!!!!!!!!

None of us know how the Spirit of God is manifesting within us. The knowing here is to know that because of my willingness and intention that Spirit is manifesting EXACTLY  how It needs to manifest through you and me giving us exactly hat we need to grow in “wisdom, age and grace.”

Just a personal aside—what i have noticed for myself as I have become involved in this work is:

1. a better ability to move into my “observer consciousness” where I can be aware of what I am feeling or how I am reacting and have better choices of where I want to go with my stuff. In other words I am less caught up in the drama of the moment and can respond to life in more loving ways;
2. my intuitive sense of compassion and understanding of others has been enhanced. I can’t quite put that in words, but I “hear” you better; I am more aware of you; and because of that I “see” you better.

William James in The Variety of Religious Experience (a dense, but powerful book, and years ahead of its time) describes “spiritual awakening” in at least two different forms. The first is the one we are most familiar with, what I refer to as the "Road to Damascus" experience. Sudden, powerful and life transforming. Examples: Paul of the gospels getting knocked off his horse, struck blind and hearing the words (of the Risen Jesus), “Saul, Saul, why do you prosecute me?”; Bill Wilson co-founder of AA, and many more.

In fact, most books we come across are by authors who have had similar kinds of drastic and dramatic awakenings like Eckhart Tolle, and many of the “near death experience” books, etc.

Since my ego is so addicted to drama and excess, I want one of those too. If I remain attached to having the dramatic form of awakening, then I will likely miss what is really happening with me.

The problem is, as James points out, most spiritual experiences  and awakenings are not so dramatic. He describes most “awakenings” as being of the “educational” variety. What he means by that is most experiences and awakenings happen gradually over time and most of us are not even consciously aware of the transformations that are taking place.

That is, we do not become aware until we are presented with a situation which, in the past had been scripted one way, and now we find ourselves responding differently. Suppose I run into someone who just sets me off by looking at him/her and I am getting ready to feel the intensity of that negative reaction, and I find that the fear, hatred, anger is just not there. It has been replaced by compassion and acceptance. That can be pretty stunning!

Wonder is simply the ability to “see” things differently, and we begin to become aware that “seeing”is a choice. (Again, please note that I have not learned how to change my feelings instantaneously and I still get pretty  annoyed when I am told that my feelings are a choice. Why would I choose to be angry, depressed, jealous—whey would I choose any feelings that make me feel miserable????? BUT when I decide to change the thoughts I am holding onto, when I am willing to release my hold on being right or some other form of nonsense  then (after a time) my feelings will change accordingly.) That is our essential action here—willingness and intention.

“Once you could understand that engaging in wonder will lift your frequency and align you to breaking out of a belief system that has held itself prominent, you can use it to your benefit to change yourself permanently. Period. 

That is another way of saying that often quoted piece from ACIM, “I could see peace instead of this.”

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 A few years ago a witty and wise teacher named Margo introduced me to the concept of “going through awkward.” 

Awkwardness is a natural part of our growth process. Whenever we begin to work on something new and different we don’t usually “get it” right away. We practice, we screw up, we get angry and frustrated. At that point it is very easy to give up and think that we are  attempting the impossible, and our ego will probably say something like, “This doesn’t feel good; there must be something wrong here. I better go out an buy a new skate board or a new guitar or a new tennis racket or maybe I ought to take up knitting instead of crocheting.”

The ego hates awkward! It would rathe quit than go through awkward.

Here is where Knowing comes in again. Different strokes for different folks; one size does not fit all. This is a real delicate place when we need to open ourselves up prayerfully and lovingly to know if this path or practice is right for me, and to know that the choice I make here is not for a lifetime, it is simply what is right for me NOW. 

I became a student of A Course in Miracles in the early ’80’s and bounced around with it for years, and then ACIM led me to The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, and I became very excited about spiritual study and growth, then (in some mysterious way) NTI lead me to I Am the Word—and the other two books scribed by Paul, and here I am. I “knew” each one of those teachings were right for me at the time, and I am grateful that I allowed myself to be lead in this direction.

I’m going to record the “Ladder” meditation. It will be available via the christintraining.com web site under the I Am the Word class tab.

I’m just going to enclose the next couple of prayers/affirmations so you can have them handy.

Even though this was primarily written for Paul, I think it applies ot all of us.

“I am Word through my intention to release the resistance to divine information that is being brought forth through me, to me, and for me, and for those I would work with as readers and students. I align myself now to the higher frequency in fullness, and I give permission for the resistance I have claimed to be released now in love and in safety. Word I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.”

“I am Word through my intention to open my third eye clearly to see that which is before me in the higher realms of consciousness. I do this easily and I am supported in the release of anything and everything that needs to clear from my third eye in order to bring me the experience of wonder that I need to lift my consciousness in completeness. I give thanks that this is done perfectly and that I am supported in my growth by myself on a higher level and by the guides and spirit teachers who are working with us now. Word I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.”

Towards the end of what we covered this week Victoria shares her “stuckness” with this whole “I Am the Word” thing.

Like most of us she is trying to “wrap her mind” around it. Ain’t gonna happen.

That’s the whole point. You can't’ wrap your mind around this one; it’s too big. It’s not a concept or an idea it is a Truth like unconditional love.

I can’t understand that, but I can Know it—and see that is what Wonder is all about—allowing ourselves to go beyond the confines of the intellect; to stop trying to grasp it with our minds.

I could be lost in a sunset on the beach OR I could have a scientist explain to me how certain types of particulate matter are causing the refraction of light waves off some alto-cumulous clouds and producing the colors and effect I am seeing.

Same sunset, but

Which one do you want????

I Am Word is really short hand for I am Peace: I am Joy; I am Love, etc.

Notice the energetic difference between saying “I have peace” as compared to “I am peace.” 

or you could affirm, “I am Peace in action; I am Love in action; I am joy in action…

The book goes on to state simply and beautifully:

“The Word is God in action. When you claim, “Word I am Word,” you are identifying with that aspect of God that is the Word that can be realized through man. And that is the action of the Christ, period.”

Say out loud or to yourself: “I am Word through my intention to align my consciousness to the belief that ‘I am Word’ can be claimed and worked with on a conscious level that I am inhabiting and am comfortable with. Word I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.”

“You have set the intention and then the energy will begin to work with you to realign the conscious mind to the extent that you will enable it to, through your permissions, to go forth and adjust to this idea, to this truth. Period.”

Peace.