ACIM Inspiration with Anthony Gold
228 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 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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Episodes
The past is not in you
April 15, 2019 16:49 - 1 minute - 910 KBWhere is the past? Literally, where is it? Is it hanging around somewhere in the world? Is it in some eternal repository being held future judgment? Is it stuck to the bottom of your shoe? No, no, and no. The past is gone. It’s over. It is completely non-existent. Only in our thoughts do we make it real. A Course in Miracles succinctly states, “The past is not in you. Your weird associations to it have no meaning in the present.” But our “weird associations” - meaning, our thoughts abou...
Choosing to Remain Guilty
April 12, 2019 16:56 - 1 minute - 1.2 MBEach time we’re tempted to get frustrated or upset, it’s helpful to remember that we’re actively choosing to not be at peace. Other people very well may have done unkind things toward us. But that has nothing to do with who we are. Unless we choose not to see it that way. All negative emotions like anger, sadness, and fear come from an underlying sense of unworthiness, or guilt. And because we don’t like having that guilt, we do what everyone does - we project it out. And we hope that by se...
What is named is given meaning and will then be seen as meaningful
April 11, 2019 17:37 - 1 minute - 1.03 MBMy family got a cat when I was young. It was an “indoor / outdoor” cat - meaning that it would come inside for food and sleep, but spend most of the day outside playing and, presumably, hunting. And like all pet owners, we gave the cat a name. The cat was no longer an independent entity; it was “our” pet. And because the cat tended to sleep in my bed the most, it went from being “our” pet to “my cat”. Any time we name something, we are giving it some sort of meaning for us. I love these lin...
Ego is like an app that keeps us continually distracted
April 10, 2019 18:37 - 2 minutes - 1.58 MBI suffered from an addiction to email. Because I got so many messages each day, I had to keep checking email in order to stay on top of everything coming in. Or so I told myself. It would have been far more practical to check email just a few times per day. That way I could get my most important work done without being distracted. But I couldn’t help myself - I had to keep checking mail. It didn’t even feel like a conscious choice - it just happened. Choosing our ego is much the same way. ...
I will be still an instant and go home
April 09, 2019 17:33 - 1 minute - 1.38 MBWhen I was a little kid, my favorite book was Horton Hears a Who! In the story, the elephant Horton hears a tiny speck of dust speaking to him. He tries to convince all his friends in the jungle that there are people living within the dust mite - in fact, an entire town called Whoville. But the other jungle inhabitants mock Horton and conspire to destroy the speck of dust. Until, at last, the Whoville community makes enough noise that the other jungle animals finally hear, following which th...
The ego's need for grievances is necessary to maintain the world you see
April 08, 2019 17:42 - 2 minutes - 1.47 MBI have a cart full of groceries, and I’m ready to checkout. There are two lanes to choose from. One seems like it will be faster than the other, and I’m in a bit of a hurry to get to a previously scheduled, somewhat important meeting. I choose what appears to be the faster lane. Only to quickly realize that I made the wrong choice. But it’s too late to switch because the other lane now has more customers in line. Ever have that experience? Our first thoughts might be something along the li...
To be born again is to let the past go
April 05, 2019 18:03 - 2 minutes - 1.53 MBWhen I was growing up, my best friend’s parents were born again Christians. I didn’t really understand the concept of “born again” but I got the gist of it from their behavior and perspective on life. Especially their focus on “sin”. For me, the term “born again” held a very “religious” and somewhat oppressive feeling to it, particularly from adherents who staunchly advocated that their way was the way. If you didn’t follow the proper “way”, you were damned. This seemed as crazy to me as my...
You perceive a brother only as you see him now
April 04, 2019 17:30 - 1 minute - 1.11 MBWhen I’m in my ego mind, I see the past in everyone and everything. I remember how you hurt me before, and I don’t want that to happen again. Or, this person has great character and integrity - I want to spend more time with them. And similar such mind musings. We don’t see people as they truly are - we see them based on our analysis. Analysis being a euphemism for judgment. And all our judgment comes from the past. But the past isn’t real - we make it up in every instant. There’s a wonder...
Life Is Thought
April 03, 2019 17:03 - 2 minutes - 2.05 MBHow powerful are thoughts? They are the source of everything we experience. Reality, as we understand it, is nothing but an interpretation of what we believe is going on around us. Much like Plato’s cave dwellers, mirrored in the words of A Course in Miracles, “Your thoughts determine the world you see.” The Course goes on to say, “Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. Life is thought.” Have you ever known someone who continually radiated a sense of inner joy and peace? They ...
Projection Makes Perception
April 02, 2019 15:51 - 2 minutes - 1.42 MBThree words can change your life. They have mine. And they are perhaps the most popular - and most often quoted - words from A Course in Miracles: "projection makes perception.” Here’s how it works: in every moment, we are projecting out the contents of our mind. Those projections result in every thought and experience we have. So our perception of everything is nothing but “seeing” what we first projected out. This is such a foreign concept, radically challenging our mistaken belief that ...
You have but two emotions, love and fear
April 01, 2019 18:44 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBLet’s explore the range of emotions we experience. Desire. Joy. Pain. Contentment. Anger. Frustration. Happiness. Disappointment. Anxiety. Hope. Suffering. The list is long. And sometimes we experience a sweeping array of emotions in the scope of even a single day. But our emotions lie. They tell us what we want to experience, not reality. An incredibly powerful concept in A Course in Miracles teaches that we have just two emotions, love and fear. Love is real - being our true, timeless n...
Now Has No Meaning to the Ego
March 31, 2019 23:35 - 1 minute - 960 KBWe carry the past with us wherever we go. Every reaction we have - in every single encounter - comes from a past reference point. This is why it’s so hard to let go of times we were unfairly treated. And this is why it seems like the same situations keep recurring again and again in our lives. It’s not that we’re being punished by a punitive God or that we’re repaying some karmic debt. Rather, we do this to ourselves by choosing to step out of the present moment. These lines from A Course i...
War and Peace
March 29, 2019 15:28 - 1 minute - 840 KBThe most joyful moments of life come when I’m in a state of inner peace. Everything I look on softly glows with gentle compassion. And my spine tingles with warmth. But when I’m not in that state, all hell rages around me - and within. I’m reminded of this phrase from A Course in Miracles: “In peace you need nothing and ask for nothing. In war you demand everything and find nothing.” When we are with our ego mind, we are literally at war. We have needs that must be met, oftentimes at the ...
You can hold on to the past only through guilt
March 28, 2019 16:19 - 1 minute - 1.15 MBThe past is so rich with history and drama. Especially our personal dramas of the times when things went well and particularly those moments when we were the victim. And for many, the negative recollections far outweigh the positive ones. But does the past serve us? We might argue that all our learnings from the past enable us to function today. All of our abilities like walking and talking are things we learned in the past. But outside of skill development necessary for functioning in the...
When you equate yourself with a body you will always experience depression
March 27, 2019 17:27 - 1 minute - 1.36 MBI was a child riding on the back of a bicycle, barefoot, with my feet resting precariously on the outside axle pegs of the rear tire. We hit a bump and my foot slipped into the spokes of the wheel, jamming the tire which caused a rapid, skidding stop. The pain was excruciating. Even recalling the experience now, so many years later, still evokes the awful feeling of the moment. But like everything with our body and mind, we made them for the express purpose of experiencing pain, fear, guil...
Be kind; Everyone You Meet Is Fighting a Hard Battle
March 25, 2019 16:43 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBKen Wapnick (one of the key people responsible for bringing A Course in Miracles into the world) taught this very powerful analogy for kindness: Imagine you are walking out of a building. And just outside, you see a little child crying, all alone, tears streaming down its face. Would you step around the child and continue on your way, or would you seek out the parents of this baby? Then Ken would offer this truism: inside of everyone is that frightened little child crying out for love. No m...
The present is the only time there is
March 24, 2019 17:14 - 1 minute - 1.07 MBWe remember the past. We anticipate the future. But we can only exist in the now. This line from A Course in Miracles redefines how we think about linearity: “The present is the only time there is.” Time is merely a dimensional tool, like length or width. It has no reality on its own. Yet we’ve co-opted it to rule our lives. All our emotions surround the past and future. I’m angry about something that happened yesterday, last year, in my childhood, or perhaps even past life. Or, I’m worried...
Your patience with your brother is your patience with yourself
March 23, 2019 17:27 - 1 minute - 985 KBHow do you like sitting in traffic jams - especially when there is no clear reason why traffic is stopped? How about waiting in a long line at the grocery store or the post office or any other such slow queue? How do you feel when you’re waiting for someone to get back to you on something important - but you haven’t heard from them despite repeated reminders? Do you get restless or annoyed when you’re faced with long delays? If you’re like most of us, patience is not your strongest attribut...
The purpose of all seeing is to show you what you wish to see
March 22, 2019 15:22 - 1 minute - 1.04 MBThis very challenging line from A Course in Miracles is quite hard to accept: “The purpose of all seeing is to show you what you wish to see.” It flips the whole world of cause and effect on its head. How does it work? The Course explains it: “You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite. Your perception is the result of your invitation, coming to you as you sent for it. Two ways of looking at the world are in your mind, and your perception will reflect the guidance you have ch...
Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself
March 21, 2019 15:07 - 1 minute - 1000 KBEverything I’m afraid of is an idol for me. Each has substantial influence over my life. I’ve given away my sense of peace to every one of my fears. I essentially say to each fear, “You own me. You dominate my psyche. I experience strong emotions when I think about you.” In a sense, our attachment to fear is so strong that we become enmeshed with it. And then we lose ourself. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself.” When w...
Resign now as your own teacher; for you were badly taught
March 20, 2019 18:08 - 1 minute - 848 KBThis line from A Course in Miracles can’t help but cause a wry chuckle: “Resign now as your own teacher … for you were badly taught.” We’ve certainly taught ourselves a lot that hasn’t served us well. Believing that the world holds something of value and can also be a place of danger. That other people can make us happy as well as cause great sadness. And perhaps most powerful of all, that this concept of “me” (and others I care about) will live for a little while and then die. We’ve maste...
See no one as a body
March 19, 2019 16:34 - 1 minute - 1.25 MBWhen you interact with other people, what do you see? Perhaps their physical body, specific personality, and underlying character? Following which, we generally judge people based on how we feel. If we like or admire them, then we might say they are “good”. If we’re turned off or even despise them, then they are “bad”. What we see - and how we assess them - is based on our own interpretation. In fact, in every encounter with other people, we act based on how we comprehend the situation. Ho...
Everyone convinces you of what you want to perceive
March 18, 2019 17:51 - 1 minute - 1.29 MBWe think other people have the power to make us happy or sad. In fact, we all have examples of times we’ve either been the victim of someone else’s cruelty or moments where we’ve perpetrated unkindness toward another. While we aren’t responsible for what others say or do, we choose how we feel about it. That is a very challenging concept to accept: our feelings are not caused by what is happening around us, rather our feelings are chosen (mostly unconsciously) by us. Consider this provocat...
Insistence means investment
March 17, 2019 15:13 - 1 minute - 1.27 MBThere is one simple test we can use to determine our level of peace in any situation. How invested are we in the outcome? If we have a strong desire for the situation to turn out a certain way, then we know our investment is high. If we want a person to change (either their behavior or their thought patterns), then once again, we can be certain that our vested interest is substantial. And one telltale sign of investment is how firmly we assert our opinion - even if it’s just to ourselves. ...
Step back and let reality lead the way
March 15, 2019 19:25 - 1 minute - 1 MBWhen “stuff” happens in the world - especially things that are not to our liking - we judge and get taken over by our emotions. “This isn’t how I want things to be. Why is this happening? If only …” That could be the mantra of the ego: “If only …”. A Course in Miracles teaches us that our ego literally screams, “I want it thus!” But consider how much our judgment and emotions change the reality of the situation. Answer: not at all. The irony is that we are doubly upsetting ourselves. Firs...
Do not let your hatred stand in the way of love
March 14, 2019 15:32 - 1 minute - 1.06 MBIf we hate one person, no matter how despicable their behavior, then we are excluding everyone. Love isn’t conditional. If you love one person but not another, then it isn’t real love. Of course the form of our love - how we demonstrate it in our lives - is different for each relationship. But the underlying content of love is all-inclusive. This does not mean we tolerate or condone awful behavior in others (or ourselves). But what it does clarify is that if we ourselves are not at peace (...
Fear and love are the only emotions of which you are capable
March 13, 2019 16:58 - 1 minute - 1.1 MBWhat we see in others is really what we see in ourselves. We can’t experience ugliness in someone else unless we’ve first looked within, chosen the mind of ugliness (ie. the ego), and now believe we are seeing it on the outside. In truth, everyone around us is either extending love or crying out for it. It doesn’t matter what form the crying out takes, it is still true. A Course in Miracles teaches us that “fear and love are the only emotions of which you are capable.” And the purpose of f...
Only appreciation is an appropriate response to your brother
March 12, 2019 17:30 - 1 minute - 1.19 MBHave you ever been in a conversation with another person and felt upset or disappointed by what they were saying? Maybe they were being arrogant or insensitive or unkind. Perhaps you’ve even experienced such frustration when reading the news. It is so obvious to us when someone else is not behaving as they ought to be. A part of us would like to help them see the error of their ways, and another part feels the kind thing to do would be to take the high road and say nothing. But it doesn’t ...
Every loving thought is true. Everything else is an appeal for healing and help.
March 11, 2019 17:08 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBHere is a line from A Course in Miracles that totally swipes the rug out from under our judgmental ego’s feet: “The analysis of ego motivation is never without your own ego involvement.” In other words, when we try to understand why a person behaves the way they do, we are looking at them with our own ego. No matter how well-intentioned we are. It is impossible to analyze anyone without first having chosen our ego as judge and jury. But there is a way that we can see others with proper clar...
Heaven is within you
March 10, 2019 18:27 - 1 minute - 1.05 MBHeaven is not a place we are granted entry as a result of various worldly deeds or affiliations. There is nothing we need to do, nor any organization or tribe in which we need to belong in order to curry favor with a judgmental gatekeeper. No person, religion, or spiritual path is “the way”. All ways lead home. And each of us chooses the path we walk in this particular dream (incarnation). As we learn in A Course in Miracles - one of thousands of such paths - “Heaven is within you.” Nowhere...
What you perceive is your interpretation
March 09, 2019 18:11 - 1 minute - 1.31 MBMost of us believe that our perception of the world is a fairly accurate portrayal of reality. Our various sense organs (especially the eyes and ears) bring us data from the world, and our brain processes that information in such a way to craft a framework for reality. And it all seems to hold together just fine, even though we experience widely varying degrees of emotion from euphoric happiness to the depths of despair. But rarely do we question the basis on which our entire thought syste...
Only the insane would choose fear in place of love
March 08, 2019 17:54 - 1 minute - 1.06 MBWe are all insane. Only we’re not aware of it. Insanity is unsoundness of mind. Believing in things that aren’t real. Reality is perfect oneness, unconditional love. There is no duality, no subject-object. And most disconcerting to our healthy egos, no you-me. We are so terrified of returning to sanity that we cling to this false belief that we are real and can suffer. Hence this line from A Course in Miracles: “Only the insane would choose fear in place of love.” We are all choosing fe...
Fear is not real
March 07, 2019 18:34 - 1 minute - 862 KBFear is perhaps the most predominant emotion we experience. Much of our lives are spent either avoiding fear or striving toward goals we believe will reduce fear. If we honestly assess our daily motivations and thoughts, we’ll discover that fear plays a central role in much of our physical and mental activity. But it doesn’t exist. As A Course in Miracles so powerfully states, “Fear is not real.” We made it up, as a means to prove that we are unique, autonomous selves and that we can suffe...
Only you can deprive yourself of anything
March 06, 2019 18:30 - 1 minute - 1.12 MBGrowing up I hoped for a computer every year at Christmas. My family couldn’t afford one, but I nonetheless persisted in dreaming. And each year I’d feel sad that my wish was unfulfilled. Years later, when the school of my dreams (MIT) rejected my early-admission application, I thought my life was ruined. And many other countless disappointments in between and since. It is so easy to believe that sadness, anger, emptiness, and all the other “negative” emotions come from things in the world ...
What is life except to be yourself?
March 05, 2019 17:31 - 1 minute - 1.27 MBOscar Wilde once famously quipped, “Be yourself, for everyone else is already taken.” But what does that mean, “Be yourself?” Be true to my ideals? Do what matters most to me? Follow my passion? In order to be yourself, we must first be able to answer the question, “What am I?” And this is where all hell breaks loose. We believe we are these bodies with certain characteristics, skills, and experience. We have a list of what we think we’re good at, areas we believe need work, and preferenc...
Contradiction is the way we make what we perceive
March 04, 2019 19:13 - 1 minute - 1.19 MBPerception is based on contradiction. We can’t discern music without silence between the notes. An object can only be identified in contrast to what it stands apart from, including a perceiving subject with sensory apparatus (ie. us). Peace is the absence of conflict. One denies the existence of the other. Death only has relevance in its opposition to life. And vice-versa. This is the nature of duality. The world in which we believe we exist. But we made it. It has no reality on its own....
In every hurtful thought you hold lies the denial of your true Self
March 03, 2019 17:49 - 1 minute - 1020 KBConsider this challenging line from A Course in Miracles: “In every hurtful thought you hold lies the denial of your true Self.” My thoughts are simply my musings regarding the world around me. They are private to me and are relatively harmless. Right? WRONG! As we further read in the Course, “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In fact, the Course goes on to further address this question: “Are thoughts dangerous? To bodies, yes!” There is no such thing ...
If I defend myself I am attacked
March 02, 2019 22:55 - 1 minute - 981 KBWhen we associate sense of self with our body, then we will constantly be in defense mode. Not only does our body need to be protected against various forms of attack - both physically and psychologically - but we also see the body as a frail entity that will eventually die. Believing we are a body, we are continually under assault. This is powerfully illustrated by a workbook lesson in A Course in Miracles which says, “If I defend myself I am attacked.” The Course goes on to further state...
Would I accuse myself of doing this?
March 01, 2019 16:55 - 1 minute - 1000 KBWhenever we feel tempted to judge someone, get angry with them, or see them as having done something wrong, here is a very helpful question we can ask ourselves: “Would I accuse myself of doing this?” A Course in Miracles notes that this question represents “a very simple way to find the door to true forgiveness, and perceive it open wide in welcome.” True forgiveness is not about letting others off the hook or repressing our “righteous wrath” - rather it is recognition that nothing happen...
Arrogance is the denial of love
February 28, 2019 18:15 - 1 minute - 825 KBThis provocative line from A Course in Miracles showcases the platform of the ego: “Arrogance is the denial of love.” Arrogance blusters, “I am better than you. My superiority will triumph.” We all know people like this, and we’ve all had our moments of such pomposity of thought. The Course expands on that phrase: “Arrogance is the denial of love, because love shares and arrogance withholds.” And we are always choosing one over the other. “Your choice is determined by what you value.” Whe...
You do not ask too much of life, but far too little
February 27, 2019 19:12 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBThese very powerful words of encouragement can be found twice in A Course in Miracles: “You do not ask too much of life, but far too little.” The first is in Chapter 26 in a section describing how all our pain comes from a choice in our minds for the ego thought system of separation, lack, and fear. We think the world and other people are responsible for our unhappiness, but that’s not how it works. The source of all sadness is the choice for the ego. The second is in Lesson 133 entitled, ...
There is no world apart from what you wish
February 26, 2019 21:06 - 1 minute - 994 KBThis is one of those mind-bending, framework shattering statements in A Course in Miracles: “There is no world apart from what you wish.” What we experience as the real world seems so objectively “out there”. We believe the world exists as a solid foundation apart from and independent of us. We are born into that world, live a certain number of days experiencing varying amounts of pain and preferably pleasure. And then we die; our bodies decomposing back into the world. But our perspective...
What you see reflects your thinking
February 25, 2019 20:10 - 1 minute - 1.3 MBMy eyes seem to tell me a story. In that story are good people and bad ones. Beautiful sights and ugly ones. Happy experiences and sad ones. In this story, I sometimes see myself as a victim. An innocent bystander impinged upon by the challenges of life. But it’s just a story. A child’s tale. As we read in A Course in Miracles: “What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking reflects your choice of what you want to see. Fear has made everything you think you see.” The story’s nar...
All attack is Self attack
February 24, 2019 19:31 - 1 minute - 1.19 MBAnytime we attack someone - even if it’s just with our thoughts - we are attacking our sense of self. We are basically saying to the universe, “I am not complete. Something outside of me has taken away my peace. And I am fully justified in my reaction.” These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “All attack is Self attack. Attack is the way in which your identification is lost, because when you attack, you must have forgotten what you are.” When we remember our true n...
You are at home in God, dreaming of exile
February 23, 2019 20:14 - 1 minute - 939 KBIt seems that our reality is a body in this world, interacting with other bodies, sometimes experiencing moments of pleasure and, perhaps more often, times of pain. We toil away to provide for our loved ones with the hope of having our needs met, maintaining adequate health, and achieving a certain amount of success. What’s going on in the world, our environment, and within our body seems to determine our sense of happiness. But our perception is completely wrong. As we read in A Course i...
This world will change through you
February 22, 2019 19:11 - 44 seconds - 567 KBYour presence touches the world. Your energy envelops everyone you think about. No illusions of littleness that you believe about yourself or others is true. Listen in silence and you will hear the glorious melody of your infinite soul as it echoes throughout the world. You are here to share your music. As we read in A Course in Miracles, “This world will change through you.” Embrace your power. Support the show
Arouse joy in others
February 21, 2019 20:06 - 1 minute - 784 KB“Arouse joy in others.” For me, this is such a helpful, inspiring mantra to live by. It comes from a passage in A Course in Miracles discussing why we don’t consistently experience happiness. The Course goes on to say, “It seems to you that the Holy Spirit does not produce joy consistently in you only because you do not consistently arouse joy in others.” I think about how often I am looking for something in another person - a particular need or desire - at the expense of channeling joy to...
Your gifts fill the world with gladness and gratitude
February 20, 2019 18:55 - 1 minute - 954 KB“Your gifts fill the world with gladness and gratitude.” That is today’s beautiful inspiration from A Course in Miracles. Thank you for YOU! Your gifts do indeed fill the world with gladness and gratitude. As we go about our days and encounter all the challenges and drama that seem to come our way, let’s try to remember our special gifts. They are always there, radiating beautiful love and embracing everyone. In the moments we don’t sense that, it’s only because we’ve become temporarily di...
A Therapist Does Not Heal; He Lets Healing Be
February 19, 2019 19:51 - 1 minute - 762 KBA therapist who believes that something is broken which needs to be healed is not viewing the patient properly. When we look for causes in the world as the source of our sorrows, we will never find them. The world - and other people - are not responsible for our state of wellbeing. Rather, it is the choice for the ego that leads to all manner of unhappiness. These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “A therapist does not heal; he lets healing be. It is in the instant ...
To Perceive Errors in Anyone is to Make Them Real to You
February 18, 2019 19:36 - 1 minute - 1.17 MBIt is so easy to see the faults and limitations of others. The things they do wrong, the ways they are not kind, the deficiencies in their character, their lack of intelligence, absence of compassion, mistakes in judgement, and so on. Their errors are crystal clear to us. And not only do we know what they’re doing wrong, we also know how they should be corrected. But we couldn’t be more wrong. As these powerful statements from A Course in Miracles make poignantly clear: “If you point out ...