Book Reader

The following is a recent thread on a Yahoo discussion group about the books that led students to A Course in Miracles.

Martha begins, "As I was sharing some of my life story with Gary in Dallas last weekend, the memories of how one gets here came back... and I began to wonder what was it like for you all?"

About books... this is more about how did the "Hand" of your Inner Teacher lead you here? How did the new ideas get into your head?

Sometimes we find a book in the oddest of ways... but then another comes and you begin to piece together the answers and weave the understandings that send you off in your mind-shifting path...

Martha

In my case it was this sequence and the main points that each taught
until finally arriving at ACIM:

1) Bible / Catechism (as a child up to about age 13) (Learned of God's
love, Jesus' traditional story of sacrifice, questioned the validity
of much of this teaching).

2) Revolutionary Psychology (Gnostic Christian Books - Read Many of
those books, including Gnostic Science, Perfect Matrimony, The Golden
Blossom, but the one that impacted me the most was: Revolutionary
Psychology, which describes the inner workings of the ego and how to
undo it in a 3-step process) (Learned about the ego, Karma,
Reincarnation, The Christ in All of us, Astral Projection, 9
Dimensions, Awakening of the Chakras, Rising of the Kundalini,
etc.) (Ages 13-30 or so).

Over the last 10-12 years:

3)HinDisapperance of the Universe Gita. (The love story of man and God.
It brought tears to my eyes and puzzled me in as of its statements).

4)Zen Buddhism (2 or 3 books) (Mind training. Look for what is real by
detaching from what isn't real. Seek Peace within. Meditation).

5)Bible (A deeper study, comparing versions, books about the bible)

6)And the Angels were silent by Max Lucado. (Is Christianity somewhat
true? Is J coming back in the flesh?).

7)Left Behind Series (Stopped at book 5. yikes! This is not God! I
need answers about God! The God I know!)

8)Flight of the Feathered Serpent by Armando Cosani (Ah! God is Love!
And He is in me. There is no inner or outer world. Forgive Judas
because The Christ cannot be betrayed. Practice Forgiveness, but a new
kind of way, without condemnation. Understood some of the History
behind the events of Nazareth 2000 years ago. Now, what would it be
like if Jesus came back and was here now?).

9) Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh (Books 1-3, began 4
and stopped. Where is Jesus in all this? I really need Jesus in my
Theology.)

10) Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. (What is this "Love" she's
talking about? I wanna know more. Neale told me about ACIM and
recommended her. But where is Jesus? What would it be like if Jesus
came back today and was here and now?)

9) Joshua Series by Father Joseph Girzone (Joshua, Joshua in the City,
Joshua and the Children, Joshua in the Holy Land, etc. Just fell in
love with J all over again. So...that's what He would be like if he
were here and now!).

11) Teach only Love by Jerry Jampolsky (Ah! This is what God is... He
is in me. But how do "I" get there?)

12) A Course in Miracles (Thank you Jesus... This is lovely, yet this
is very hard!)

13) Disappearance of the Universe. (Thank you Jesus again... (and Gary
Renard, A&P), now it's very clear.)

14) A Course in Miracles. (Parked here for what I know will be the
rest of my life.)

This doesn't mean I do not read for fun, because I do enjoy reading,
especially when on the road.. not much of a TV person, so hotels can
get boring without nothing to do. But it is no longer about searching.
More like a literary rounding or completing of a task, or just for
fun. But still read the Course and do the lessons everyday.

Sometimes I pick up books people recommend but if they do not
resonate I just put them down. Sometimes it has to be read.

So I'm reading Elaine Pagels' Beyond Belief, the Secret Gospel of
Thomas. This one, I cannot put down.

How about you?

Martha C.

Yikes! Books and stuff!

My first response to Martha's post was "Life!" But, hey, seriously, books and stuff is what brought me here (ACIM) and here I intend to stay for whatever "time" I may have left (soon to be 70). Sure, I am only 5 months into being a student of ACIM, but I have a certainty that I have come home to the REAL stuff.

A list of books would be too long to list here. In fact, I am finishing up a book I am writing about my transition to ACIM. I have been writing a certain book for quite a number of years, and when Disappearance of the Universe and ACIM knocked at my door, I answered...and Disappearance of the Universe came in first to sit with me; afterwards ACIM also entered and also stayed. I am not about to kick them out the door! Nope -- No way, Jose!

Anyhow, the book I am writing either had to be totally wasted, or it somehow had to be re-done by the Holy Spirit. It is almost re-done, and may make it to the printers in 2005.

It is a story of one man's journey of awakening from the dream...12th child of an immigrant family, through World War II, through college and a degree in Philosophy, through theological seminary and ordination as a Presbyterian minister, through Selma, Alabama in the 60s working with blacks to help them register to vote, through the Vatican and an audience with the Pope, through a walk on the land of Israel looking for my roots...through a swing into Pentecostalism looking for the "real" Jesus...outside the church walls looking for "reality" in the halls of New Age thoughts....Until finally Disappearance of the Universe came knocking at my door.

This gives me another idea for my book...perhaps I will add an entire chapter to all the books that have been the stepping stones to lead me safely to the lighthouse of ACIM. Good idea, Martha.

Love in the Perfect Son,

Joseph

The books that brought me 'here' are

1. There is a River; and, Many Mansions. Both about
Edgar Cayce. I was first reading about Cayce to find
out when California was going to fall into the ocean
and what happened was, for the first time in my life, I
allowed myself to accept the idea that there might be
something to this God and Jesus stuff. I think that
was either '71 or '72

2. The New Aquarian Gospel Of Jesus, the Christ of
the Piscean Age. Here I found a theology about Jesus
that I could accept. None of this 'died for your
sins' stuff.

3. Next it wasn't so much books as it was a 15 year
connection with The Emissaries of Divine Light and the
teachings offerd by it's founder Lloyd Meeker who
wrote under the pen name Uranda.

4. A Course in Miracles (1999) The very consciousness
altering experience that I had been pursuing in the
late 60's and early 70's through sex, drugs, and rock
'n roll...Peace. As far as I can see at the moment,
the Course will always be my baseline and benchmark
regardless of anything else I read. It will be my
written guide.

5. Love Without Conditions. The first book that spoke
out loud to me. I was lost in thought and wandering
through the bookstore in my Unity church in Boulder
when I heard a voice say, "Buy me." I looked to my
left where the voice came from and I saw Paul
Ferrini's book on the shelf (I was only about a foot
away) and it repeated it's command, "Buy me." Here I
heard much the same as I was hearing in the Course but
in a softer, gentler, smoother way. And...I must also
say a less complete way than the Course.

6. The Bible. New Testament, and a metaphysical
interpretation of the same as offered by Jack
Groverland (minister, Unity of Boulder) and then
through continuing education classes offered at Unity
Village. (Thank you Charles Fillmore)

7. The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard.
I learned detached self observation. I think this man
was a genius at cutting through the extraneous garbage
of the ego and getting right to the raw heart of what
to do to free our mind from it's self imposed
prisioning.

8. Disappearance of the Universe. DU drove me into a
deeper understanding of the Course. It seems to have
given me a clearer, more easily understandable essence
of the Course. It has opened up my prayer experience
and helped me to have a more frequent experience of
'being in the world but not of it'. It has made
tangible for me the idea that forgiveness is the
bridge to the disappearance of the universe. (and thus
the experience of 'God Is.'

Blesseverything,
Brad

Books that brought me here....hmmm....I guess I'll list my favorites
in chronological order, but I certainly didn't just drop them and
forget about them. But lately, it has been all Course books.

The Bible

"Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield. Not exactly an eye opener,
but a fun story. Brings out the idea that there is truth about God
that cannot be found within the church.

"The Seven Storey Mountain" by Thomas Merton. Autobiography of a
Trappist monk. I was inspired by his dedication to find God.

"Illusions" by Ricard Bach. Stresses how this is all in your mind.
Not exactly filled with wisdom, but a fun quick read.

"The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer" edited by Irwin,
Conrad, and Skoble. Not spiritual, but makes everything funnier.
Especially if you think of this life as a cartoon. All of it is
written by the same mind anyways. The Simpsons are a personal
favorite of mine.

"Ideas and Opinions" by Albert Einstein. The whole book is not
exactly interesting, but the book has some wonderful letters that he
had written. "The most beautiful experience we can have is the
mysterious." "I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes
his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in
ourselves." "This more aristocratic illusion concerning the
unlimited penetrative power of thought has as its counterpart the
more plebian illusion of "naive realism", according to which
things "are" as they are perceived by us through our senses." "The
ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me
new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and
Truth." And perhaps his most intriguing analysis was of
Schopenhauer's saying, "A man can do what he wants, but not want
what he wants."

"Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. Simple. Direct. Filled with
meditations. Sheds light on the follies of the average mind. "Most
people work for their mind, instead people should have their mind
work for them." (pretty close quote, but from memory)

"Going Home" by Thich Knat Hahn. A Vietnamese Buddhist monk who is
as gentle as humanly possible. Inciteful and poetic. Covers many
things.

"The Silva Mind Control Method" by Jose Silva. Not really spiritual
in its teaching, but it certainly can take you out of your mind's
box.

"The Way We Think; Conceptual Blending and the Mind's Hidden
Complexities" by Turner and Fauconneir. Not spiritual, but it shed
some light onto how to step back and look at what my mind is doing.
It later helped me to understand how HS can heal the unconscious
mind. (I had to read it for class, but it helped in my spiritual
development too)

"Symposium" by Plato. Socrates impressed me with his ancient
ability to show how people are really pursuing (ie love) what they
have judged to be good, but they are all really wrong. It explores
the many ways to attempt to tackle the meaning of love, but of
course it fails. For the meaning of love cannot be taught! This
book helped me to accept that.

"Power vs. Force" by David R Hawkins. I'm currently writing a term
paper evaluating his methods of induction used in kinesiology. The
book is scientific and spiritual...Ground breaking. With all of his
writings: It can be easy to let kinesiology take you off the path.
He's so far along, and I think that sometimes he forgets about how
it affects other people. I think most people misinterpret his
teachings. Many many helpful things in his writings. Without him I
may not have read Disappearance of the Universe or the Course.
Currently, I only use kinesiology to calibrate books. I'm also reading
his doctoral thesis.

"The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Knat Hanh. I've read
a few books about Buddhism, and this is my favorite. Well organized
and very clear. A true poet.

"The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life" by John
Daido Loori. Poetic book filled with great quotes. He's a
photographer, but he can really bring out the art in anyone.

"A Course in Miracles" Initially I had read a few chapters and
started on the Workbook, but lost patience. Later renewed by
Disappearance of the Universe.

"The Eye of the I" by David R Hawkins. Second in the series. Good
book.

"The Disappearance of the Universe" by Gary Renard. Probably the
most influential book I've ever read.

"I: Reality and Subjectivity" by David R Hawkins. My favorite of
the three.

Only Course books by Ken Wapnick since. (besides the Course itself)
Peace, Kevin

What got me started on my spiritual path was taking African History in college.

When I learned that Egypt was a part of Africa and that many of the bible stores were on the The Egyptian Book of the Dead 1240 BC; The Papyrus of Ani, then it dawned on me where Moses got the most of the Jewish laws, including the 10 commandments. He was educated and raised in Egypt.

So with that understanding threw the bible right out of the window of being "the" holy book and I started to realized that each group had their own story of how we got here and how we should live here, just that over the centuries there was this contest as who is the best mirrored by the Cain and Abel story.

I went into deeper study of Afrikaan history, but most of it parrelled other groups. Yes there were differences, however caught my attention is that most of Greek culture that European and eventually America culture adapted and built their culture on was based on Afrikaan concepts. Africa was the first to introduce monotheism. Plato, Socrates got their education in Africa. All of this is written in history, but since the powers that be is of a different color, they made sure this info was not known and did their best to distort it ... like separating Egypt from the continent of Africa.

But my spirit still was not satisfied, so I called myself the prodigal daughter and just wondered through the world of unbelievers hoping one day to find something that I could resonate with.

Well I hit bottom, and ended up in a 12-step program and the rest of my story sounds very much like the others I have read. It was in a meeting that I hit me that God never disserted me and so I had to find out where he was all this time. I was introduced to Unity and read so much and loved myself some Eric Butterworth ... but eventually I found ACIM in '88 and my wondering spirit was able to rest, finally. Now I can do the work I need to do to awaken.

Peace
Ossie

Listen to Ossie sing - click the play button (►) on the player bar:

This looks so much like my path, especially the Ouspensky, Casey and
Ram Dass. I also went through the Life and Teachings of the Masters
of the Far East with a meditation group for many years. I grew up a
Catholic, but became a Baha'i in my teens. I studied Mary Baker
Eddy for a while while living with a group of witches in the late
sixties.

Surprisingly, much of the basis for my spiritual belief is the vast
quantity of Science Fiction I have read since childhood. As I have
mentioned, Robert A. Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon
is a Harsh Mistress), Phillip K. Dick (Valis and just about
everything else), Robert Silverberg, Issac Asimov...you name them,
these are the guys who really have the in on human nature and
possibilities. Needless to say, literature has been my saving
grace. Now with ACIM I can see how it all relates. Talk about
miracles!

Lyn

After reading some of the responses to Martha's question and
thinking about my own chain of books, I realized that my search had
come full circle before discovering the Disappearance of the
Universe. The first spiritual book I had ever read (except for the
Bible in Sunday school which I had no interest in) was the
Celestine Prophesy in 1997 which sparked my 8 year spiritual
journey. I liked many authors, such as:

Gary Zukav, Deepak Chopra, the Dalai Lama and especially
Neale Donald Walsh.

When I started on some Wayne Dyer books, I kept seeing references to
a Course in Miracles and was very curious about it. I purchased the
book about 6 months ago but like many others, didn't immediately
take to it, so it sat there for a bit while I moved on to

Esther & Jerry Hicks and Marianne Williamson.

I felt strongly about a Return to Love but not enough to send me
back to ACIM. At this point I decided to read Celestine Prophecy
again because I knew the movie was coming out this year. It
affected me again, peaking my interest in energy and going back to
being vegetarian.

I was Christmas shopping in the Hay House catalog when I saw
Disappearance of the Universe for
the first time and thought that my boyfriend might like it. I
ordered it for him but when it came a few days later, I started
reading it and couldn't put it down. I ended up buying three more
copies for friends and my boyfriend and have read it twice myself.
Now I'm a serious ACIM student, doing the workbook and reading the
text. I'm so thankful for my journey but glad that I finally know
the truth!
Jill