Red Doughnuts

INTRODUCTION TO MIRACLES:

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you may elect what you want to take at a given time...

I have been studying the Course in Miracles, or rather I have been listening to the CRASH Course in Miracles pod-casts hosted by my beloved most favorite yoga teacher in the whole wide world, Philip Urso (http://www.liveloveteach.com/philip), because, as I disclosed in an earlier post, I have not quite developed a strong enough relationship with patience to read through the 500+ pages and lessons; and this is what I have learned so far: I have issues with the word god, and my “red doughnut” is delicious and cozy.

First my issues with god. Even though my god is that bright shiny thing in the sky that gives us light, warmth, life and protection from all the scary night predators, when someone says the word god I can not help but think of that imaginary white haired bearded man in the sky and I cringe inwardly at the audacity of all that he implies. I do not have any tragic fear inspiring memories associated with the church. For all intents and purposes I grew up rather agnosticly. The reasons for the involuntary flinch that occurs in me each time I hear it uttered may require some investigation... more on that later.

Right now, I am eating doughnuts. Delicious, warm and soft, food that hugs you, red doughnuts of fear. I mean really, when life gives you doughnuts the only thing that you can do is eat through them, binging on all that greed, lust, suffering, rage and ego until you are so engorged with your own sense of self that the only thing left to do is purge. Stick your finger down your proverbial throat and face the truth. None of that is real. The only thing that is real is love. When you eat through to the other side of the barrier you might even realize that not even your indulgence caused stomach ache is real and all that is left is, well, god... also known as joy, love, spirit, trust, forgiving, peace, wholeness, stillness, knowledge, healing, etc...  

* Photo is from Philip Urso's Crash Course in Miracles which can be hear on iTunes as well as his live recorded yoga classes (my favorite is the floating turds class, don't ask, just listen!)

*PS I did not ask permission to use his photo or his name so I hope he doesn't mind!