Principle 7 Miracles are everyone’s right, but purification is necessary first.
Miracles are everyone’s right, but purification is necessary first.
Miracles Principles 7
7 Miracles are everyone’s right, but purification is necessary first.
Purification is something I have practiced for many years. I purify my mind of thoughts that are not in alignment with God. I was reading a past journal from many years ago. At the time, I was worried about a tropical storm in the gulf. My concern was that it would become a destructive hurricane. This is some of what I experienced at that time and how I used it to further purify my mind.
From My Past Journal
Here is what I am thinking that is true. A tropical storm in the gulf might hit New Orleans tomorrow. When it does, there will be high winds and heavy rainfall. That is the only thing that I actually know right now. There is nothing in that thought to cause undue alarm or worry. It is something to keep an eye on, is all. Now here are the thoughts that have been in my mind off and on since I heard about the storm.
Surely, it has to be significant that this hurricane is predicted to make landfall on the anniversary of Katrina. Many, many thoughts are triggered by that thought, and none of them are neutral to me. The levees built to keep the gulf and Lake Pontchartrain out of the city are antiquated as well and have proven to be weak and inadequate. They could give way, and the city would be underwater, and everyone there killed. (My son is one of those people and that thought is enough to send me into panic mode.)
More Scary Thoughts and Questioning Them
My son should leave right now, just in case. Something terrible is going to happen. I can’t stand the thought of the terror and panic that those who stayed would feel. In picturing this happening to my son, I can vividly imagine this. I am helpless to influence the outcome and helpless to influence my son. I don’t want to be a fearmonger, and I don’t want to teach fear, but I also want to do those things.
So which thoughts do you think are the thoughts I am thinking with God? Can you imagine God sitting around biting his nails, wishing He could influence people to panic and run? ~smile~ I doubt that I am the only one with thoughts very similar to these right now, but that does not make them true. Could any of them happen in the story? Yes, they could. But no matter how dramatic and tragic the story becomes, it is still just a story. When things get tough, I have the opportunity to gauge my identification with the story.
Another Way to See
There are two ways to experience these thoughts. The first is the way I have done in the past. I see the thoughts and believe them to one degree or another. The more I focus on these thoughts, the more I believe in them. Eventually, I feel compelled to act on them. Acting from fear is never a good idea, and when I have done so, I regretted it. And acting from fear increases fear and my belief in fear.
The other way to experience these thoughts is to recognize them as ego thoughts and to give them to the Holy Spirit for purification. In doing this, I am undoing the ego and adding to the Kingdom. Through the example of living fearlessly, I am teaching myself and others that fear is not real.
For A While It Is Back and Forth
As the Holy Spirit purifies my thoughts my mind clears and becomes quiet. I am left with true thoughts and I remember that I am not living this story but observing this story. I watch the play with interest and I wait for instructions. Is there something for me to do? I won’t have to figure out what that should be, I will simply know.
The panic thoughts return again and again and I watch them each time. I know they do not originate with me, nor do they define me or in any way affect who I am. I am not a bad Course student because they appear in my mind. Nor am I dooming the Sonship to unending dreams of suffering because I notice these thoughts in my mind. It is my purpose, my job to notice them and to allow them to be healed in the mind. They are nothing. They are meaningless.
Say Yes to Miracles
I watch as Myron feels drawn to them and I see how believing an untrue thought causes so much suffering. There is only one useful thing to do with these thoughts and so I give them to the Holy Spirit when I notice them, and I ask Him, once again, to purify them. I do this over and over again as often as I am aware of the thoughts. Each time I do this I am healing the entire Sonship. I am chipping away at the ego belief system.
It is important that the purification take place because without it, the fear that fills the mind blocks the awareness of Love’s presence. Choosing fear over love is the same as saying, “No miracles, please.” Miracles are our right, but they are never forced on us and we can say no if we prefer the drama of the story. Choosing to give these thoughts to the Holy Spirit and asking Him to purify the mind is how I say yes to miracles.
Now it Is Different
That was then. But how about now, years later? When we were threatened with Hurricane Laura in 2020, I just planned my evacuation. I did what I could to protect my home and I left when it was time. I was gone for weeks and evacuation comes with its own problems. There was so much devastation when I returned and damage to my house that would take many months to get repaired. But though I had moments of frustration, the work I have done in the past to purify my mind paid off.
The situation when I evacuated was not ideal, but I continued to take calls from clients and I was, for the most part, peaceful and happy. When my mind did wander to “what if” scenarios or I otherwise lost my peace, I asked the Holy Spirit to purify my mind of those thoughts. I quickly returned to peace.
This was a very different experience than the previous one. A clear mind is really a miracle. I continue to watch my mind for fear thoughts and allow them to be healed so I can return to love as quickly as possible. A purified mind is a mind that is miracle ready, a clear channel for miracles. The effect is a miraculous life.
If you would like to read an article I wrote, click here.