Can the Spiritual Journey Be Fun?
Children, Specialness and Spirit’s Use of Symbols—Can the Spiritual Journey Be Fun?
Gold Nugget:
“I think a lot of us always felt that we would like the spiritual journey to be fun even though when the darkness comes up, it is not experienced as fun—when the attack thoughts are passing through, and those heavy dark feelings are passing through—but the hope is always there. The spiritual awakening is really the experience of this beautiful teaching in the Bible, ‘all things work together for good to those who love God.’ (Romans 8:28) In A Course in Miracles, Jesus really clarifies it even further. He firmly says, ‘All things work together for good. There are no exceptions except in the ego’s judgment.’ T-4.V.1:1-2
So it is like you are watching this swirl of images, and there is not a sense that things could be different than they are. The wisdom of just seeing that all things are working together for good. Another Workbook Lesson is, ‘Let all things be exactly as they are.’ W-268 He says it in a lot of different ways, but it is basically a sense of acceptance. You have no inclination. You have no ambition. You have no desire to change the world. You have no desire to fix people. You have no desire for one political outcome or another political outcome, or one economic outcome or another economic outcome, or one ecological outcome or another. It is a state of acceptance. It seems radical, but it is actually the most natural state that there is. It is actually fun to have no opinions about anything. It is actually fun, when someone asks you a complicated, intellectual question or something scientific or whatever, to say ‘I don’t know’ and to feel wonderful about that with a big smile on your face. I don’t know. I don’t care to know. I’m not interested in knowing.”
Recorded on February 23, 2016 in Lafayette, California
Recent Posts
I Taught the World to Teach Me
I Taught the World to Teach Me – In this session, David Hoffmeister emphasizes the importance of loyalty to the Spirit, the inner teacher, over personal desires and external opinions. This loyalty stems from truth and a deep connection with the Holy Spirit, not the ego’s demands. David shares parables of taking full responsibility for our state of mind by recognizing that we taught the world to teach us. By keeping this empowering thought in mind, it’s possible to remember that we don’t need to wait for externals to choose to be happy.
Coming Together with the Purpose of Healing
Coming Together with the Purpose of Healing – David Hoffmeister explores the perceptual problem, which pertains to the belief that the subject and the object are different, that the observer is different from the observed, and that the personality-self is different from the world that surrounds it. When we see an issue in the world, it really is just a split in the mind. This belief can result in significant problems such as conflict, climate change, and hunger, all of which can be traced back to the division within the mind. “Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved,” (W-79) and “Let me recognize my problems have been solved.” W-80 By examining the projected world, we often fail to identify the core problem because it manifests in many forms. You may resolve a few problems today, only to encounter more tomorrow. Therefore, the key lies in our perspective, which stems from our interpretation.
Relax, Step Back, and Unwind from the World
Relax, Step Back, and Unwind from the World – David Hoffmeister shares about the importance of placing the future in God’s hands, a concept that requires enormous trust. This trust is crucial as we have been conditioned to learn the past and plan the future. Trust is the foundation of a teacher of God and allows us to relax and feel divine ease. During this profound talk, David also gives an overview of the very first Strawberry Fields Festival in 2009. Jesus tells us to go from nightmares to waking with a transition between happy dreams and gentle waking. This process helps us feel softer and gentler, making the struggle and challenge easier. Enjoy this deep discussion with the participants that goes deep and yet fun.
Opening to Deeper Prayer
Opening to Deeper Prayer – David Hoffmeister begins this 4-day Japan retreat by exploring the concept of undoing the self-concept—a conditioned expectation that obstructs our understanding of the world. The ego arises from the mind’s pursuit of self-improvement, crafting illusory goals that keep the mind preoccupied and detached from its boundless nature. The ego’s game is endless, as it neither begins nor concludes. The purpose of our practice is to abandon the pursuit of temporal goals and relinquish the false identity—the mask of the ego. In doing so, we experience the mind’s all-encompassing nature, recognizing that the world, society, and everything once perceived as external are within the mind. As the mind reaches a state of rest, the external world reflects this peace, becoming more harmonious.
A Path of Gentle Letting Go
A Path of Gentle Letting Go – In this session, David Hoffmeister speaks about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, focusing on self-actualization as the top goal. This concept is based on the Greek belief that ‘know thyself’ is the ultimate goal of human development. The ego attempts to deny this through hypnotism, mesmerism and imagination, covering the truth with unreal images. Atonement, the correction, is the awareness that the separation never happened.
Teaching the Holy Instant
Teaching the Holy Instant – At the beginning of this talk, David Hoffmeister discusses the concept of choice and the duality of life. We seem to live in a world of duality, where one of the primary goals is to find a life partner. We can see even that is dualistic because even a successful life match involves two, while reality involves only one.