ACIM Inspiration with Anthony Gold
228 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratingsEach week Anthony shares an inspirational quote from A Course in Miracles along with some brief commentary on what it means and how we can practice the teachings of the Course. You can see all posts and essays on Anthony's site, Live Beyond the Illusion: www.LiveBeyondTheIllusion.com
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The Most Challenge ACIM Concept
December 18, 2019 21:00 - 1 minute - 1.18 MBThe single most challenging concept related to A Course in Miracles is the idea that the world is not real. It’s a projection from our thoughts. The reason that it’s nearly impossible for us to grasp is because our experiences suggest otherwise. All our senses convince us that the world, our bodies, and everything going on around us is very real. But our senses lie. Everything in our body and the world has one purpose - and that’s to keep us mindless. By remaining mindless, we believe tha...
Lesson 24: I do not perceive my own best interests
December 17, 2019 19:00 - 1 minute - 1.01 MBThe beginning of this lessons explains why we don’t know what’s best - for ourselves or for anyone else. "In no situation that arises do you realize the outcome that would make you happy. Therefore, you have no guide to appropriate action, and no way of judging the result. What you do is determined by your perception of the situation, and that perception is wrong." The reason our perception of any and every situation is wrong is because we’ve chosen the ego as our guide. The course teaches...
Lesson 23: I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts
December 16, 2019 19:00 - 1 minute - 1.24 MBWhile all 365 lessons are powerful, this one is instrumental in helping us understand the relationship between thought and experience. “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In other words, things don’t “just happen” in the world. We create our experiences with our thoughts. Just like in dreams at night. The drama doesn’t randomly occur - we make it up in our mind, project it into the dream, and then totally forget we set it all up. That’s why this lesson goe...
Escape From Anger
December 13, 2019 23:00 - 1 minute - 1.1 MBToday let’s unpack anger a bit. Every one of us feels justified in our anger. Meaning that when we get angry, we feel there is a good reason for it. Somebody did or said something they shouldn’t have. A situation didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. Or maybe we even got angry at ourselves for our own misstep. The why we’re angry doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we are angry. This question from A Course in Miracles makes it so clear: “When you are angry, is it not because s...
Lesson 22: What I see is a form of vengeance
December 12, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 782 KBIn this lesson, we’re asked to say to ourself the following thoughts: I see only the perishable. I see nothing that will last. What I see is not real. What I see is a form of vengeance. Is this the world I really want to see? Thankfully, as we’ve been learning in these lessons, we can see differently. We can see from “above the battleground” as the Course says. From this perspective, we don’t feel any negative emotions. In fact, all we experience is peace - and what we see is either love ...
Lesson 21: I am determined to see things differently
December 11, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 851 KBThis lesson asks us to search our mind for anger. And it introduces a very challenging thought: there is no difference between a mild twinge of annoyance and murderous rage. The reason they are the same is because they are both the result of the choosing the ego mind. We think there is a hierarchy - rage being “worse” than annoyance. But everything of the ego is a projection of sin, guilt, and fear - regardless of the form it takes. So as this lesson asks us to focus on a willingness to se...
Seek Not Outside Yourself
December 10, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 980 KBYear ends and year beginnings are times many people think about goals and what they want to accomplish in the coming weeks and months. And goals essentially suggest that there is a desired state we haven’t yet achieved - but with careful planning and execution, we can make it happen. But as we think about what will bring us happiness, we want to be sure we are looking in the right place. If we think that a certain level of money, health, societal position, family relationships, or anything...
Lesson 20: I am determined to see
December 09, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.05 MBAn important thought in this lesson is this line: “Your mind is totally undisciplined, and you cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and fear.” That is very hard for us to accept. We believe we can definitely tell the difference between happiness and sadness. Yet the Course is teaching us that these are two sides of the same coin. What we consider to be “good” is a result of the world and our body being in a certain state where our needs and desires are met. It...
Lesson 19: I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts
December 06, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 1.13 MBThere are two important lines I want to share from this lesson. The first is this: “Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate.” Our experience always reflects whatever we are thinking. There is no exception to this. That’s why the Course puts all its emphasis on changing our mind, not on changing the world or bodies or situations. The second line I want to highlight is this: “Minds are joined.” It goes on to say “This may even be regarded as ...
Differences Don’t Matter
December 05, 2019 22:00 - 1 minute - 1010 KBA prominent theme in A Course in Miracles is that we are all the same. The challenge is that it doesn’t seem that way to us. When we look at other people, we see them as separate from us. We are “here” and they are “there”. We have “this” combination of personality, skillset, dreams, and fears. And they have “their own” way of relating and being in the world. And most significantly, we are “we” and they are “they”. But as the Course points out, “differences are only of the body.” We all s...
Lesson 18: I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing
December 04, 2019 23:00 - 1 minute - 842 KBWhat this lesson is emphasizing is that it is not so much “what” we see but rather “how” we see it. And the “how” being with which teacher. We can only see with one of two teachers - either the wrong-mind of the ego, or the right-mind of spirit. This lesson also introduces the idea that minds are joined. We all share the same ego mind, the same spirit mind, and the same ability to choose one or the other. That’s why we’re never alone in experiencing the effects of our seeing. We are all ...
Lesson 17: I see no neutral things
December 03, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.1 MBThis lesson follows up from the prior lesson “I have no neutral thoughts.” In fact, this lesson starts off by saying “You see no neutral things because you have no neutral thoughts. It is always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe that it is the other way around.” So, what we see first begins with what we think. And if our thoughts are not neutral, then we won’t see anything neutral. We will always see through the lens of judgment. Later in this lesson, the Co...
What Real Forgiveness Looks Like
December 02, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.17 MBThe Course uses the prominent theme of forgiveness in a way that is contrary to all our past experiences. We think of forgiveness as a means to absolve others of their bad behavior. They did something that hurt us or others in some way. There was an offense committed. But now, in the graciousness of our heart, we will forgive them “their trespasses” (as the Bible says). But what if there was no trespassing? Here is how A Course in Miracles defines atonement: “Forgiveness separates the d...
Lesson 16: I have no neutral thoughts
November 27, 2019 18:00 - 1 minute - 1 MB"The idea for today is a beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no effect. Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception to this fact. Thoughts are not big or little; powerful or weak. They are merely true or false." Those lines are so compelling. “Everything you see if the result of your thoughts.” And what he means by thoughts being merely true or false - that depends on which mind we’ve chosen: either the ego mind or the mind of spirit...
We’re All Playing the Children’s Game of Make-Believe
November 26, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 1.4 MBWhen we were young, we played make believe. We made up characters and gave them a history and then presented them with various challenges. And as kids, a part of us believed in these characters. We identified with them. They were something of an alter-ego for us. But a part of us obviously knew it was made up. In fact, the extent to which we immersed ourselves in the character is how much emotion we felt about the character’s various obstacles and interactions. In the same way, we are still...
Lesson 15: My thoughts are images that I have made.
November 25, 2019 18:00 - 1 minute - 1.11 MBLet me read the first paragraph of this lesson: "It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your “seeing” was made. This is the function you have given your body’s eyes. It is not seeing. It is image making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions." In other words, what we see when we look around us is not reality but rather our interpre...
Lesson 14: God did not create a meaningless world
November 22, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 922 KBThis lesson hearkens back to the introduction in A Course in Miracles: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." What the introduction and this lesson are teaching us is that anything that can be threatened or suffer or die is not real. What God created - which is the only true reality - is perfectly whole, lacking nothing. In this lesson are these lines: “The world you see has nothing to do with reality. It is of your own making, and it does n...
Perception is a Choice
November 21, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 944 KBOne of the most challenging concepts in A Course in Miracles is the idea that perception is something we make, not something we observe. In other words, everything we experience is not the result of the various goings-on in the world and our body. Instead, what our senses witness to us comes from a choice we make in the mind. This line from the Course makes it clear: “Perception is a choice and not a fact.” (T-21.V.1) When we choose the ego mind, everything we experience has the purpose o...
Lesson 13: A meaningless world engenders fear
November 20, 2019 18:00 - 1 minute - 1.1 MBEverything we see and experience in the world is without meaning. There is no good. There is no bad. But we project onto this “blank slate” all the meaning everything has. What this lesson is teaching us is that we are quite fearful of this meaninglessness. And the reason is that our ego sees this void and worries that if it doesn’t rush in and fill this empty space that its own impotence and unreality would be demonstrated. To which the Course says “And on this alone is it [the ego] corre...
Nothing Needs to be Forgiven
November 19, 2019 21:00 - 1 minute - 1.03 MBForgiveness is a tricky word. We think of it in regards to someone who has wronged us in some way. They did or said something hurtful, and we hold them accountable for their offense. Forgiveness, then, is putting it behind you. Overlooking the foul. Letting the other person off the hook. But is it really? If we still feel any sense of pain or regret or even a mild twinge of annoyance, then have we really forgiven? Perhaps the watered down version of “I forgive you, but I will never forge...
Lesson 12: I am upset because I see a meaningless world
November 18, 2019 19:00 - 1 minute - 1.03 MBThe word “meaningless” is typically associated with some negative judgment. But when the Course uses that word, it literally means “without meaning”. In fact, toward the end of this lesson, are these lines: “What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy.” We get upset because of things going on in the world, other ...
Does He Need Help or Condemnation
November 17, 2019 02:00 - 1 minute - 958 KBThere’s a powerful question that A Course in Miracles suggests we ask ourselves anytime we’re tempted to be angry or upset with another person. And that question is this: “Does he need help or condemnation?” When we’re with our ego, we see all the reasons why this person deserves our wrath. They did this awful, unkind thing to us. They are not a good person - at least not in a particular moment. They were unfair. They should feel bad for what they did. And so on. But when we step back and...
Lesson 11: My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world
November 14, 2019 21:00 - 1 minute - 1010 KBOur senses seem to inform us of what’s going on in the world and our body. But we have it backwards. Our thoughts determine everything we experience. https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-11/ Support the Show.
Lesson 10: My thoughts do not mean anything
November 13, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBThe causes of all our experiences in dreams aren’t what other people are doing. The cause of everything is the dreamer’s thoughts. The same is true when we’re “awake”. https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-10/ Support the Show.
Where is Heaven?
November 12, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.15 MBI grew up thinking that Heaven was a place you attained after leading a virtuous life. And it was a magnificent venue with no lack - just complete and total bliss. But it was conditional. If life weren’t lived well, then Heaven would be barred. Instead, I’d be cast into a fiery pit of hell. Eternal damnation. Talk about extreme opposites! It was never very clear to me what the entrance criteria was for Heaven. Some people said it was based on your birth lineage. Others said it was depen...
Lesson 9: I see nothing as it is now
November 11, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.12 MBWhat we think of as reality is an illusion. We’ve lost ourselves in slumber or story and don’t realize that what we experience isn’t real. https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-9/ Support the Show.
Lesson 8: My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts
November 08, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 1.15 MBWhen we realize the extent to which our mind is preoccupied as such, we being the process of recognizing the power of our mind - and the ability to completely change our experience. https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-8/ Support the Show.
How to Experience Blissful Peace
November 07, 2019 19:00 - 2 minutes - 1.57 MBI used to spend a lot of time traveling for business, including countless hours sitting in airports. In most instances I was able to get away with just a carry-on, but on a few occasions I needed to bring more luggage. And in every one of those instances, I stood for a long time at the baggage carousel waiting to retrieve my suitcase. Inevitably, on another nearby conveyor belt, a bunch of unclaimed bags would spin round and round patiently waiting for their owners to come. And this image o...
You Cannot Be Unfairly Treated
November 06, 2019 18:00 - 1 minute - 984 KBWhenever someone hurt me in some way - whether it was a verbal assault or any other unkind action - not only would I feel upset and offended, but I also wanted to do something in return. I would often spend a lot of time, including many sleepless nights, rehashing the incident and wishing some sort of retribution for the violator. I eventually came to realize that no amount of revenge or “karma” - either real or imagined - would make me happy. And then I discovered A Course in Miracles and...
Lesson 7: I see only the past
November 05, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 911 KBRecognizing that we see only the past begins the process of learning how to step out of time and into the blissful state of now. Read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-7/ Support the Show.
Never Feel Anger Again
November 04, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 1.12 MBHow would you like to never again feel angry? It’s a nice thought, but is that even possible? After all, anger is the result of a fair assessment of a situation in which an unfairness of some sort has occurred. But is it really? Let’s step back and think about what anger really means. And we’ll use this powerful sentence from A Course in Miracles: “Anger cannot occur unless you believe that you have been attacked, that your attack is justified in return, and that you are in no way respon...
Lesson 6: I am upset because I see something that is not there.
November 01, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 991 KBWhat we think of as “reality” is just like our dreams at night. It seems real, but that’s only because we’ve identified with the dream figure instead of the dreamer. Read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-6/ Support the Show.
What Is It For?
October 31, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 1.2 MBSeveral of the early workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles focus on the idea that we don’t know what anything is for and that we give everything all the meaning it has for us. These support a key Course theme that “projection makes perception.” In other words, everything we perceive in the world (and in our bodies) is something we first projected from our mind. But that’s totally different than anything we believe. We’ve taught ourselves that the world represents an objective reality in ...
Lesson 5: I am never upset for the reason I think.
October 28, 2019 18:40 - 2 minutes - 1.45 MBWhenever we’re upset - it’s because we chose the ego. Not because of anything that happened in our lives or with our body. Read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-5/ Support the Show.
Lesson 4: These thoughts do not mean anything
October 27, 2019 16:55 - 1 minute - 1.41 MBThe reason our thoughts don’t mean anything is because they come from a source that doesn’t mean anything. Read more in this article: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-4/ Support the Show.
The Tragedy We Enact
October 25, 2019 17:42 - 1 minute - 938 KBAll we need to do to experience unconditional peace is let go of judgment. Not just in action. Not just in thought. But in belief. Our belief in judgment is what leads to the perception of bodies, separate interests, and lack. Without judgment, we see the sameness in everyone and everything. We see no differences. We experience no separation. But all our strain, all our suffering, all our anxiety come from the unwillingness to let go of judgment. And thus we delay our awakening from this ...
Lesson 3: I do not understand anything I see
October 24, 2019 15:52 - 1 minute - 1.09 MBWe really don’t understand what anything means. We think we do, but we’re wrong. But there’s another way of giving meaning that leads to real happiness. Read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-3/ Support the Show.
How to Deal with Grudges
October 23, 2019 19:46 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBIs there someone in your life you hold a grudge against? Thinking of them brings up feelings of anger or unfairness or disappointment. Or maybe even other negative emotions. We’ve been wronged by this person, and the memory is painful. There’s a line in A Course in Miracles that says, “frightened people can be vicious.” And we all know vicious people. At some point we, too, have been vicious, at least in our thoughts. While we aren’t responsible for the viciousness of other people and the...
Lesson 2: I give everything I see all the meaning it has for me.
October 22, 2019 17:56 - 1 minute - 1000 KBIn Lesson 2, Anthony discusses the power of thought and how it is that we give everything all the meaning that it has for us. Learn more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-2/ Support the Show.
Lesson 1: Nothing I see means anything.
October 21, 2019 20:00 - 1 minute - 1.11 MBThis is the first lesson in A Course in Miracles. Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything. I talk about what that means and introduce the concept of mind: the wrong mind of the ego and the right mind of spirit. You can read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-1/ Support the Show.
The Power of Belief
October 20, 2019 17:10 - 1 minute - 1.04 MBWhen I began my career as an engineer designing computers, I fell in love with business. And not just business in general, but building and running companies. In particular, I wanted to lead a company. My dream was to be a CEO. That goal in itself wasn’t necessarily good or bad; however my strong desire to be the CEO was definitely not helpful. I saw every encounter through the lens of “will this propel me or hold me back from my dream?”. I’m reminded of these powerful, introspective lines...
How to Achieve Unconditional Happiness
October 12, 2019 16:10 - 2 minutes - 1.71 MBHow often have you thought about what would make you happy? We all have our lists. If such-and-such happens, then I’ll be happy. And it doesn’t matter what such-and-such is. For some of us, it’s a number in the bank account. For others, it’s related to the health of our body or someone else’s body. For someone else it might be a job title or societal position. And for another person, it might be the removal of some negative element in their life. It doesn’t matter who you are or how much y...
How to Deal with Frustration
October 01, 2019 16:38 - 1 minute - 1.09 MBHave you ever found yourself getting frustrated by another person? Maybe they did or said something that you didn’t think was appropriate. Perhaps they were being inconsiderate, thinking of no one but themselves. We might even try to rationalize their behavior. “They’re probably having a bad day. Maybe things are really difficult in their life.” Yet it still feels painful to us. We bear the brunt of their actions. But we don’t need to do that. I really like this line from A Course in Mir...
Being captivated by the body
September 18, 2019 16:59 - 1 minute - 1.4 MBThink about how much we live in the service of our body. It clamors to us all day long. I’m hungry, feed me. I’m bored, let’s do something. I’m angry, let’s stew on this topic awhile. I’m sad, let’s dwell on why. And when we’re fearful or in pain, that’s when we really get locked in on the body. Pain and fear are so compelling. But we made them that way. With the purpose of rooting our attention in the body and convincing us that our bodies are a core part of our identify. When our body su...
Send Only Messengers of Love
August 26, 2019 18:52 - 1 minute - 1.34 MBA Course in Miracles uses the beautiful metaphor of messengers of love. These messengers are essentially envoys that we send out in search of love. And they return to us what they found. There are also corollary agents known as messengers of fear. They, too, are sent out in search of what they value - in this case, fear - and they also return to us their “treasures”. So, we have these two sets of messengers that we send forth into the world to bring us their findings. But here’s the catch...
How to have a better experience
August 10, 2019 20:51 - 2 minutes - 1.88 MBIt can be very hard to accept that everything we experience is the result of our thoughts. Yet no matter what happens around us or to us, we give it the meaning it has for us. We choose how to see it and how to respond to it. And that choice determines how we feel. I remember how often I would get upset over something - only to eventually realize that I had completely misinterpreted the situation. But in those moments I realized that my emotions weren’t caused by what someone said or did, r...
Anxiety is Awful
August 02, 2019 17:15 - 2 minutes - 1.71 MBThe feeling of anxiousness - especially chronic anxiety - is awful. There is little experience of peace or calm. The world, and our body, is off kilter. There is no sense of relaxed breathing and everything feels like it’s on the edge of some precarious precipice. And in such a state, it is very difficult to think deeply or find much cause for optimism. In fact, it’s a very dark place. But there is a way out. The goal of studying and practicing A Course in Miracles is to experience peace....
How can we see beyond the body?
July 24, 2019 16:44 - 1 minute - 1.34 MBA theme that is discussed very often in A Course in Miracles is that of the body - ours and everyone else’s. We learn that the body is nothing - it is a neutral thing onto which we project all the meaning it has for us. But when we look about the world, and especially when we contemplate our emotional state, we think in terms of the body. How does my body feel? How are the bodies of people I care about? When we are unhappy, it is often because certain bodily needs are not being met - eithe...
What if you hate your job?
July 19, 2019 18:35 - 2 minutes - 1.77 MBIf you’re in a job you don’t enjoy - whether that’s because the work isn’t stimulating, you don’t feel fairly treated, or you don’t like your co-workers or boss - it feels pretty crappy. Essentially there are three things you can do. The first is to do nothing, in which case you’ll keep experiencing the same stuff over and over. The second thing you could do is to change your job. Either within the same company, or to a different one. And the third is to change the way you think about you...
You need do nothing
July 16, 2019 19:28 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBHave you ever wondered what you should be doing? I don’t mean specifically what projects you should be working on for your job or your family. But more generally, what you should be doing with life. I remember thinking a lot as a kid, “What am I here for? What is my purpose in life?” Then I got consumed with school, career, relationships, and all those sorts of things. But behind it all, I felt this tug of “what should I be doing?” I remember the first time I read the line in A Course in M...