Posts Tagged ‘Beliefs’
Walking Through Illusion
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
I was recently given the book, Walking Through Illusion, written by Betsy Otter Thompson. The book features a series of short stories about biblical people who either knew Jesus or knew of him. The author believes that we don’t take our beliefs with us when we leave here. Rather, we take the love we found from having them.
Each chapter focuses on a specific theme through a conversation with a biblical person. The end of each chapter has a worksheet with questions, which is designed to deepen the conversation and engage the reader in their own personal journey.
This is a book for those of us who have questions about their own faith and beliefs and how beliefs play a part in our faith and life. As Thompson says:
Faith Can’t Be Bought, Bartered, or Begotten.
It Is the Knowledge of Who You Are,
Why You Are Here,
And How to Enjoy That Search.
In the end, the book is about deepening our relationship with ourselves and stepping beyond the illusion of seeking approval. “The greatest achievement you’ll ever reach is to love and accept yourself.”
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to bring more love & insight into their life and heart. Enjoy!
Mary Anne
What Does Forgiveness Mean?
Monday, October 11th, 2010
Last week I received a response from one of my blogs about Tolerance. A young boy wrote that he was kicked out of his house because his father found out he was gay. He told me how ashamed and scared he felt. But even more powerful was when he said, “I want to forgive my father for hating and rejecting me. And I want to forgive myself for believing him.”
What parts of ourselves have we not forgiven?
If you are interested in expanding your thoughts and experiences about forgiveness, join me for an upcoming Resting in Radical Forgiveness 4-week telecourse (on the phone from the comfort of your own home).
In this 4-week telecourse we will deeply examine forgiveness from many points of view. We will see where we are carrying the pain of not forgiving and why it is important to be free. We will spend time looking at the 4 levels of forgiveness. You will leave the course with a deeper understanding of resting in radical forgiveness and the impact it has on your daily life. Guided meditation/imagery, deep listening, examining world views, and inspired writing are all a part of this course.
Monday’s, November 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2010 at 8:00PM – 9:00PM (ET)
For more information and/or to register: https://www.toningtheom.com/events/?event_id=105
Peace!
Mary Anne
Doing Our Work – One Thought at a Time
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Recently, I read that we have as many as 65, 000 thoughts a day. Imagine if you caught just one thought and held on to it for a moment. What would the thought say? Whatever it is, it is just a thought. No more and no less – until we give it meaning.
I realized how neutral thoughts are after spending a weekend doing The Work with Byron Katie in New York City with over 3oo hundred people. We had the opportunity to inquire deeper about our thoughts after asking four simple and profound questions.
“Is it True?” (Answer with a yes or no only)
“Can you absolutely know that it is true?” (Answer yes or no only)
“How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?”
“Who would you be without the thought?”
Following the four questions is the Turn Around Statement. “Each turnaround is an opportunity to experience the opposite of your original statement and see what you and the person you’ve judged have in common.” (http://www.thework.com)
Throughout the weekend with Katie, I often sat at the edge of my seat, smiling, laughing, crying, sighing, and at moments holding my breath as people told their personal story. Everyone’s story became my story because there was a lesson about a thought I believed about myself that holds me back. As Katie says, “Listen for what we believe along the way that prevents us from living now.” Katie walked participants through The Work – one thought at a time.
We talked about what happens when we react to our thoughts about infidelity, lies, guilt, and even global torture. Katie challenged us to go beyond what others do to us and ask what we do to ourselves with our thoughts. When are we unfaithful to ourselves? What lies have we told ourselves? Where do we wrong others and torture others in our life? Once I believe something terrible about somebody else and it hurts me, and the hurt makes it true – that is my work. As Katie says, “Once I believe the thought, I become responsible.”
During lunch, Katie sat at a table to sign her books. (I love book signings!) As I stood on line waiting, I wondered what I could possibly say to this amazing teacher. When it was my turn, I opened up her book on the table, and in a soft whisper said, “Thank you.” In Katie style, she looked up, held my hand, and said, “Oh, honey, thank you.” Her beautiful crystal blue eyes stared into mine. I leaned in and said, “I am free.” Her eyes and mine both filled with tears as we stood for a moment in silence. Katie, holding my hand tighter, said, “I love you. I love that you are free.” A soft still moment followed by a big deep breath.
Exhale. I am free – one thought at a time.