The Script is Written

THE SCRIPT IS WRITTEN
Jeshua/Jesus thru Brent Haskell

AUDIO – The Script is Written

 

Greetings to you this day. I am Jeshua. And I have come, as always, to discuss with you A Course in Miracles. You have been struggling, as it were, for some time, about some words, which I have placed in A Course in Miracles. And those words are these; “The script is written.” (See ACIM Workbook Lesson 158)

And what I have told you with those words is that for everything that seems to happen here, it has already been done. The time when each of you shall come to understand the truth of who you are is set. It is in the script. It is just as if it has been placed at a certain frame on the film that you play out, that you call your life. And only when you arrive at that frame and that moment, that seeming moment in your time, will you truly understand.

And I have said to you that time only seems to go in one direction. Time only seems to go in one direction. And all of this can present such a dilemma for you, can it not?

Here, in your earthly life, what can you do? I have told you that always when you come to the point in time when you understand, when you come to your moment of awakening, you will realize in that same moment the truth that – There was nothing I needed to do.

But your question for today goes even beyond that. For indeed, is there anything that you can do at all? If you are impatient to know the peace of God, can you, in your time, speed up the process? Can you be diligent and make the moment come sooner in your time? Does the time of your study, the time of your contemplation, the time of your simply being silent, does any of that make any difference at all? Or will you simply one day awaken and say, “Aha, I see.”?

Now I have told you, have I not, so many times, that this world never happened. And I have told you that this world is but illusion. It is not real. And do you know one of the aspects of reality itself – reality is imbued with creative power. That which is real is of God. You are of God. Because you, the reality of what you are – you are real. But this world, ah – `tis not real.

And what does that include? That includes your bodies. They are not real. That includes the aspects you see of space and time – the skies and the heavens – the earth about you the flowers and the trees – none of it is real. `Tis but a figment of imagination, if you will.

And this is part of what I have told you, but is so difficult for you. The thoughts you think you think are not real. The thoughts of which you are aware are not real thoughts. And that means this, as I have told you – the thoughts you think you think, the thoughts of the brain, if you will, the thoughts of space and time, are not real. And as such, hear me well. They have no creative power.

So can you, of your thinking, of your planning, of your struggling, of your doing things here, change anything, do anything at all? And the answer must be no. The answer must be no.

This is the fundamental struggle that you – insofar as you believe yourself to be your ego – this is the fundamental struggle that you must deal with. And I have spoken to you and called it the authority problem.

As ego, as a conscious thinking being, here, who seems to have life and seems to have choice, and would seem to perhaps have power associated with your choices, is there anything that you can do? And the answer is – no.

Consider for a moment – what if that were not so? What if you, in your conscious thinking, could in fact change your mind and see your life or your world change? Then that would demand that your thinking, the thoughts of this world, had creative power. Suppose that you could, with your body, do acts, do things that could change your world. That would mean that bodies had within them creative power. And that would mean that the thoughts of consciousness, the body itself, would be of God. That which has creative power must be God Itself, just as you – in your reality, have creative power and are God.So how do you deal with this issue, if I tell you, as I truly am telling you, that nothing you do in your life makes any difference at all? And one of your great passions, one of your great concerns in being loving and pursuing the spiritual path – for most of you – for so many of you – is that you say, “I want to make a difference. I want, when my life is over, to be able to stand tall and say, `I made a difference. I changed my world.'” And do you know what this is? Truly that is but the voice of the ego crying out not to die.

Ask yourself this – if this world is not real, if it is but illusion – if it has no effect of any kind in all of eternity – then why would it matter whether your life here makes a difference? That too is but illusion. So if you would be a student of A Course in Miracles, if you would be a teacher of A Course in Miracles, if you would be a writer of books, the sharer of wisdom through lectures or speaking engagements, or workshops – does any of that matter? And the answer truly is – it does not.

Such harsh words are they not? For have I not just told you that all of your struggling, everything you would do to seek to accomplish good in your life, matters not at all. DO you recall that I said in A Course in Miracles, “Your only goal is to accept the Atonement for yourself.”?

And do you recall the words I spoke in A Course in Miracles, that experience cannot be given directly? The only thing you have to offer is the vision of Christ – the vision of the Holy Spirit.

And vision itself – hear me well – has no power to change. Vision is but experience that you have within yourself when you – in a moment – see this world differently, when you forgive this world. And that, as I have told you, is your only function – to forgive this world – to forgive yourself – to forgive your brother – to forgive me and to forgive God Itself.

Have you heard these words at the core of your being? You forgive through vision. You forgive not through action, not though doing, not through trying, above all not through studying and struggling and dialoguing, if you will.

So what does that mean? What it means is – you must hear these words I speak this day, and these words which you will find in A Course in Miracles as you look for them – it means that you must take those words and experience them. For if you do not, or until you do, you will not know the peace of God. Hear me well.

So if your life matters not – ah, did I say that? Did I say your life matters not? Or did I say that there is nothing you can do to change anything? There is a difference. There truly is nothing you can do to bring about sooner the moment of your awakening. And if you feel you are awakened already – and wish to give the gift to your brothers and sisters, there is nothing you can do whatsoever to hasten the moment of their awakening as well. The script is written. The time is set.

Time but seems to flow in one direction. What does that mean? You believe in cause and effect being separate. That ultimately is the belief in your time. For you believe that an action, a thought, a word, a deed, now, will result in a change. The word “will” speaks of the future, do you hear? You believe that a word, an action, a thought, now, can effect what you see as the future. And it is absolutely not so.

I have told you that every single moment of your time is totally independent of every other moment of your time. That is what it means to say that cause and effect are not separate. In the absence of time, the Son of God imagines whatever he will, and in that instant, it is done. There cannot be delay. Delay is but illusion.

And so all of your struggling to become is but your desire to worship time, and to hallow what you would call the future, the result. And it is the grandest delusion of the ego to believe that what you call the future is the result of the past. And if it is then, you can further delude yourself into believing that what you did in one moment affected the next And thus you believe that you have creative power.

The nature of God, the fact that time itself does not exist, makes it impossible that such could be the case. In this moment, you either know the peace of God or you do not. And the next moment is the same. The next is the same. The next is the same. The next is the same. And creative spirit, which sits at the core of your being always knows the peace of God.

Did you, Mind, cease creating for a moment to make up a world of illusion? Hear me well. To create is to be. And to cease to create would be to cease to be. Mind never sleeps. It is creating every moment. That I have told you. And what is it that Mind creates – nothing but love. For that is all there is.

This world, I tell you – and this fact lies at the core of your forgiveness – this world, every aspect of it, is love being expressed. And in your forgiveness – when you awaken – in your moment of awakening, you will know that to be true. And that shall be the forgiveness that you seek. And in your forgiveness, you shall find the peace of God.

Can you, from within the framework of the ego, from within consciousness, can you rationalize, can you discuss and discover, can you debate and find, can you figure out how it is that this world is nothing but love? Hear me well. Absolutely not. It is the framework of this world which imprisons you. It is that framework which you use to form that which you call ego, that which you believe yourself to be, but which you are not. From within the domain of the ego, you cannot discover, you cannot find vision, the vision of the Holy Spirit, the vision of your One Self, the vision of Christ, the vision of God. They are all the same.

How then can you find the peace of God? Do you remember that I have told you – you have but one choice in this world – to which voice shall I listen? One choice – to which voice shall you choose to listen? I have told you that there is nothing you can do to hasten the moment of yours or your brother’s awakening. Your goal is to forgive. Your only goal is to accept the Atonement for yourself, which is exactly the same thing.

There truly is nothing you can do. For if it were not so, this world would be imbued with creative power, and would be real. And that which you pretend to see would be God Itself. And the universe would be a place of fear and horror. And it is not so. Hear me well.

How do you choose to listen to the Voice for God? How do you choose to hear the Holy Spirit? For when you do make that choice, then what will fill your awareness is the vision of Christ. For truly then, your One Self, the Holy Spirit, I, God Itself, were He to choose to look upon this world, would see with vision, and would see nothing but love.

How do you choose to do that? There is but one way. For the choice you have of which voice you shall listen is not really a choice at all. So even in the sense of choosing which voice you shall hear, there is still nothing you can do. Hear me well. For this I have told you before.

The Holy Spirit, the Voice of God, the bringer of the vision of Christ, speaks with the quietest of whispers you could ever imagine. The truth is this, my brothers – you hear the Voice of God in your silence. The only choice you have is the choice to be still, to cease the workings of your conscious mind. For when you do not think, you are free of the busyness of the world. You are no longer burning with a passion to dialogue or debate, or study or think or to use your thoughts to become. When you are free of that, then in your silence there comes a whisper, the Voice of the Holy Spirit.

And as you sit in your silence for more than a moment, then there will come exactly this, a vision. And arising out of your silence, you will be given a new world. But nothing will have changed at all. You will be given a new world because, as you look upon your world and experience this world here – beyond the domain of the ego – you will come face to face with the vision of Christ. And everything you see will be the Love of God. And everything you experience will be the Love of God.

And what will you do in your life? You will celebrate. For the fullness of the awareness of that Love will make it impossible for you not to do so. Hear me well this day. That is the measure of your forgiveness. As you look upon your world, do you see nothing but love? As you look upon your world do you see nothing but love in action? As you look upon your world, are you filled with joy and wonder at it all? And as you look upon your world are you filled with a total peace that desires to change nothing? For why would anyone desire to change the perfect Love of God? Do you see?

Then what do you do in your life, if all your doing matters not? And this I have told you as well. How do you know if you are happy? Do you contemplate and debate, or do you simply know at the core of your being? How do you know if you are filled with love? Do you debate the meaning of love? Do you define love and write books about love or do you simply experience that which it is? And experience, as I have told you, is beyond thought – is beyond your thinking mind – is beyond the domain of the ego.

So what can you do then? You simply experience your life. If you would do that, you do not plan one moment in the future, but simply experience your life. And do you remember those words? I spoke them even two thousand years ago, and yet again and again in so many times and places. And yet again in A Course in Miracles. If you would simply experience your life, what will you do? And the answer is so extremely simple that you perhaps have never heard it. If you would simply experience your life, you will follow the path of your own joy.

Do you think I was joking when I said, “God’s will for you is perfect happiness”? and when I gave you the affirmation of “God’s peace and joy are mine”? Not at all. What if your joy does not lead you to study A Course in Miracles? What should you do? Follow the path of your own joy. What if your joy does not lead you to writing books and going to workshops or seminars or dialoguing with your brethren about the nature of truth? What should you do? You should follow the pathway of your own joy. I promise you, if you are not following the pathway of your joy, you are nowhere near, at all, the discovery of the peace of God.

Can you speed up your time? No, indeed. Can you be joyful in your life? Yes, you can. What happens if you truly become silent and open your being, and open your heart – if you will – to the presence of the Holy Spirit – to my presence – to the Voice of God? What happens if you do that? Time itself collapses. I have told you that as well. “Miracles collapse time”. Those are not new words to you, are they? The only place that time can collapse is in your silence. The only activity that can possibly bring you to the point of time collapsing are those that bring you joy.

And what is the measure of your joy? I have told you this also many times. If you believe you are experiencing joy, then ask yourself – “Can anything of this world threaten my joy?” And if the answer is “yes”, then it is not the joy of God. It is still the ego clamoring and crying out to be heard, and trying to convince someone, somewhere, that it exists – which of course it does not.

In the moment of your silence, in the moment of your joy, in the moment of the collapse of time – then all of time becomes the same instant. Do you hear? And in that instant – in that instant of the forever of your time – as it collapses into a single moment, the time of your awakening is there. And I have, have I not, called that moment the Holy Instant – the moment of the miracle. And that is exactly what it is – the moment of the miracle – the moment in which time collapses.

But remember, you cannot make it happen. You cannot figure it out. You cannot dialogue and discover what it is. You can never, ever, ever, give it as an experience to someone else. The only thing you can do is enter into your own silence, wherein you listen and are still, and wherein you hear the Voice of God, and wherein you gain the vision of Christ, and wherein you see a new world – not a world that has been changed, but the same world seen anew.

And in that moment you will no longer see a world of illusion. Illusion will pass away, including the illusion of time. And in the moment of forever, you shall awaken. And in your awakening, you will have within you the vision of Christ.

Can you force it upon your brothers? No, indeed. But as you hold that vision, then it is present for anyone and everyone – throughout all of space and time, past, present and future – to experience and to celebrate. And in your own moment of experiencing that vision, truly as I have told you, your silence and the joy to be found therein, make you, without effort, the savior of the world. And your life, moment upon moment, shall become blessed in ways beyond what you can comprehend – even though the moments of your space and time have changed not one iota.

My blessings upon you all. That is all.

END

~*~ 

AUDIO – The Script is Written

 

*See also Brent Haskell’s book “Journey Beyond Words: A Companion to the Workbook of the Course” in which Jeshua/Jesus talks to Brent about the workbook lessons in Jesus’ teachings outlined in A Course in Miracles.And Brent Haskell’s book “The Other Voice: A Companion to the Text Chapters 1-15” in which Jeshua/Jesus talks to Brent about Jesus’ teachings outlined in Text of A Course in Miracles.

Also available at the Journey Beyond Words Yahoo Group.

 BOTH books are available on amazon.com

Disappearing Truthe ~ Chris F Minshew

Disappearing Truthe
~*~
By Chris F Minshew*

[as it appeared in the October 2011 Newsletter]

 

Wantingly, wearily, they begin to see
The writing on the wall confirms you and me.


We all tried to tell them, but to no avail
This isn’t heaven, it’s literally hell.


Forget what we told you, believe it or not
The truth behind hell is neither cold nor hot.


Living it is the only way you will see
Nothing here exists, not even you or me…

 

**Chris F. Minshew has led anything but a “normal” life. His list of prior occupations ranges from Bail Bondsman to Golf Club Executive to Walt Disney World employee! For the past 20+ years (as well as in past lives) he has been a musician and a poet (150+ poems & counting). In the past couple of years he has begun putting some of the poems to music under the band name “Punchweasel” (www.punchweasel.com). On more than one occasion, when asked how he has been able to write so many poems/songs, Chris has been overheard saying, “I don’t write them, I just write them down…” (Most of the time, the poems are dictated from a “Source.”) Along with his wife Summer (Punchweasel’s vocalist), Chris is working towards using his music for healing purposes (as instructed by his “Source”). Chris and Summer reside in Carthage, MS and have been studying ACIM for the past few years.

 

Poetry ~ Helen Schucman

 

The Comforter
~*~
By Helen Schucman*

[as it appeared in the  August 2011 Newsletter] 

Step back, My child, and let Him lead the way
Whom I have sent to you. He holds your hand
And speaks to you of Me. His memory
Holds in your mind My Name. His peace surrounds
My child with all the love a Father feels
For what He cherishes above all else
In earth and Heaven. Whom I sent to you
Has shared My Heart and brings My Word with Him
To solace and to comfort all the world
That has forgot My Name. Homeless are they
Who would abide alone, apart from Me.
Yet would I call them home. My Voice I send
To sing in soundless places. Hear from Me
The song a Father sings to you, His child;
A melody from far beyond he world,
Step back and listen, for He comes to bless
And tell you that you are not comfortless
.The summer’s stillness of arresting heat;


– by Helen Schucman

1/1/1974

*Helen Schucman, scribe of A Course in Miracles, was also a poet who took
down several poems even while she was scribing A Course in Miracles. This poem “The Comforter” was dated January 1, 1974 and is located among many of her other poems in a book titled, “The Gifts of God” published by the Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP]. The book is available through FIP and also through the Community Miracle Center CMC.

 

Summer’s Daydream ~ Marc R Boulais

Summer’s Daydream
~*~
By Marc R. Boulais*

[as it appeared in the July 2011 Newsletter] 

Artist ~ Suzette Boulais

The summer’s stillness of arresting heat;

That makes you lie down in lush green pastures

To marvel at the passing menagerie of heaven’s clouds

Bringing perfect peace and no distractive sounds.

May you daydream of Vikings with horned helmets,

Pirate ships and floppy capped elves; Puffy dragons

Passing overhead in a lazy afternoon parade led

By the bearded lady of the circus; gives rise to

Long lost imagination and contemplative delight.

A cacophony of crickets, cicadas and mosquitoes

Kamikazes with their buzz of surprise attack

On vulnerable arms and legs. And the fourth of

July lightning bug daredevil pilots with their

Pulsating beauty and aerial dogfights

In flashing blazes of glory.

Add the mystery of a sudden summer evening

Display of blood-chilling thunder and fireworks

Of Greek gods of mythology hurling their

Thunderbolts of lightning across the agitated night sky.

The tears of God’s falling rain soften the earth

In a rejuvenation of hope that each living plant or

Person becomes a personification

Of His non-judgmental Love.

May your thirst for God be as single-minded

As the spawning salmon who overcomes any

Obstacle of opposing currents and fearlessly

Jumps the rapids of self-comfort, self-concern,

Self-preservation and self-reliance with a

Goal-oriented determination to escape the

Life-destroying clutches of the grizzly bear of self-pity.

Where is your path, O’ Lord that I may walk with you

And forever dwell in your heart’s arms?

“Walk in the path of delight, my Child, and dance for joy.”


– by Marc R. Boulais

7/2011

* Marc R. Boulais is a serious student of Life who is committed to learning, living and practicing universal life truths. Having been raised Roman Catholic, it is clear that his short story Deep Waters includes imagery and references that reflect his strong Christian background. But Marc is also a student of other disciplines. He studies A Course in Miracles, the works of Joseph Campbell, the teachings of native American Indian Fools Crow, as well as the poetic writings of Rumi and Lao-Tzu, to name a few. According to Marc, all spokes of the wheel lead to the center and that center is God.

Painting Artist: Suzette Boulais is a student of Course In Miracles and co-facilitates a Sunday morning Course in Miracles class in Peoria, Illinois. More of Suzette’s artwork can be found on her website at http://www.suzetteboulais.com/

Will to Mind by J.Michaels

Will to Mind
By J. Michaels*
~*~*~*~*~*~
[As it appears in the May 2011 Newsletter] 


It breaches the intellectual

Exceeds beyond time and space

Entering realms incomprehensible

Looking angels in the face

Communicating without words

Thought not required at all

Knowledge shared through being

In love that heard our call

So much more than expected

More than can be known

By minds locked in separatioin

Restraining the holy flow

Treasures beyond imagination

Await in mindful prayer

For the one pure moment

When Sons of God declare

Dissatisfaction with the normal

and will to Mind most fair

From Odd Duck J. Michaels Copyright 2011

 

J. Michaels
Writer, Storyteller & Poet
Blog: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theovernightpoet/

Poetry ~ Marc R Boulais

 

Resurrected Flight

By Marc R. Boulais*

All of Nature’s quiet, expectant groaning

Trapped by seed self under Earth’s death door

Yearning for existence to reach for Heaven’s heights

And be caressed by sun’s and wind’s gentle touch once more.

Something inside must die to crack its small prison

Ego’s craftiness controls to thwart Life’s purposeful decision

Dying to self  brought seeds of blood to the Master’s brow

Let go and trust God in darkness impossible to understand

Accept mysterious Love appearing as loss dealt from such a heavy hand.

The Father’s Love is ever faithful to see His children

Reach for heights of Love’s upward, transformed fruition.

Your crucifixion is the plan to pay the cost of Life’s tuition

To be raised anew in a Christ-centered selfless creation.

The worm sees not the flight, but eats the dirt to his delight.

God’s plan is much better; A Resurrection born in flight

To reach ever upward and soar the skies to mystical height

Of Love’s infinite capacity to give of True Self

In Resurrected glory to become a beam of Light.

by Marc R. Boulais
3 -19 -2011

* Marc R. Boulais is a serious student of Life who is committed to learning, living and practicing universal life truths. Having been raised Roman Catholic, it is clear that his short story “Deep Waters” includes imagery and references that reflect his strong Christian background. But Marc is also a student of other disciplines. He studies A Course in Miracles, the works of Joseph Campbell, the teachings of native American Indian Fools Crow, as well as the poetic writings of Rumi and Lao-Tzu, to name a few. According to Marc, all spokes of the wheel lead to the center and that center is God.

Painting Artist: Suzette Boulais is a student of Course In Miracles and co-facilitates a Sunday morning Course in Miracles class in Peoria, Illinois. More of Suzette’s artwork can be found on her website at http://www.suzetteboulais.com/

ACIM Lesson 100 ~ Iambic Pentameter ~ Listen

SonShip Radio Logo

Recitation of Lesson 100 in ‘blank verse’

www.acimradio.net/IP_100/100_IP_ACIMRadio_meter_IP_dyn.wma

IP formatting by Lee Flynn, voice&music: maz

~oOo~

 

Lesson 100“My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”

Just as God’s Son completes his Father, so
your part in it completes your Father’s plan.
Salvation must reverse the mad belief
in separate thoughts and separate bodies which
lead separate lives and go their separate ways.
One function shared by separate minds unites
them in one purpose, for each one of them
is equally essential to them all.

God’s Will for you is perfect happiness.
Why should you choose to go against His Will?
The part that He has saved for you to take
in working out His plan is given you
that you might be restored to what He wills.
This part is as essential to His plan
as to your happiness. Your joy must be
complete to make His plan be understood
by those to whom He sends you. They will see
their function in your shining face, and hear
God calling to them in your happy laugh.

You are indeed essential to God’s plan.
Without your joy His joy is incomplete.
Without your smile the world cannot be saved.
While you are sad the light which God Himself
appointed as the means to save the world
is dim and lusterless. And no-one laughs
because all laughter can but echo yours.
You are indeed essential to God’s plan.
Just as your light increases every light
that shines in Heaven, so your joy on earth
calls to all minds to let their sorrows go,
and take their place beside you in God’s plan.
God’s messengers are joyous, and their joy
heals sorrow and despair. They are the proof
that God wills perfect happiness for all
who will accept their Father’s gifts as theirs.

We will not let ourselves be sad today.
For if we do, we fail to take the part
that is essential to God’s plan, as well
as to our vision. Sadness is the sign
that you would play another part, instead
of what has been assigned to you by God.
Thus do you fail to show the world how great
the happiness He wills for you. And so
you do not recognize that it is yours.

Today we will attempt to understand
joy is our function here. If you are sad
your part is unfulfilled, and all the world
is thus deprived of joy, along with you.
God asks that you be happy, so the world
can see how much He loves His Son, and wills
no sorrow rises to abate his joy;
no fear besets him to disturb his peace.
You are God’s messenger today. You bring
His happiness to all you look upon;
His peace to everyone who looks on you,
and sees His message in your happy face.
We will prepare ourselves for this today
in our five minute practice periods,
by feeling happiness arise in us
according to our Father’s will and ours.
Begin the exercises with the thought
today’s idea contains. Then realize
your part is to be happy. Only this
is asked of you or anyone who wants
to take his place among God’s messengers.
Think what this means. You have indeed been wrong
in your belief that sacrifice is asked.
You but receive according to God’s plan,
and never lose or sacrifice or die.

Now let us try to find that joy which proves
to us and all the world God’s Will for us.
It is your function that you find it here,
and that you find it now. For this you came.
Let this one be the day that you succeed!
Look deep within you, undismayed by all
the little thoughts and foolish goals you pass
as you ascend to meet the Christ in you.

He will be there. And you will reach Him now.
What could you rather look upon in place
of Him who waits that you may look on Him?
What little thought has power to hold you back?
What foolish goal can keep you from success
when He Who calls to you is God Himself?
He will be there. You are essential to
His plan. You are His messenger today.
And you must find what He would have you give.

Do not forget the idea for today
between your longer practice periods.
It is your Self who calls to you today.
And it is Him you answer every time
you tell yourself you are essential to
God’s plan for the salvation of the world.  “

ACIM in Iambic Pentameter

 
 

In Lesson 100, the full transition to blank verse in the Transmission from Whole Mind to human mind has been accomplished. From here on, the entire workbook has been dictated in fluent iambic pentameter.

The following article is an adaptation from the MIRACLES HEALING CENTER FULL Article “The Rhythm & Reason of Reality ~ Prose and Poetry in A Course in Miracles

THE RHYTHM AND REASON OF REALITY

Those of you who have discovered the unearthly masterpiece,
A Course in Miracles, will no doubt be aware of, and grateful
for, its divine message of the remembrance of God and reality
through love and forgiveness, that are only made possible in
the realization that this world is a dream of your own making.
You may remember reading, amongst the literature concerning the
scribing of the Course, references to the use of a poetic form
called iambic pentameter.

The purpose of this volume is to present the poetry of the
Course in a totally accessible manner. You need know nothing
about poetic forms and meters to begin enjoying immediately.
You may, however, wish to read this introduction, as a search
to ascertain the extent of the poetic form within the Course
reveals another astounding dimension in its structural
integrity.

Iambic pentameter is usually described as “lines consisting of
five iambs”, which in turn are described as “metric feet of two
syllables each, the second syllable being the stronger”. Put
simply, a line of iambic pentameter sounds like this:

|Da-DUM |Da-DUM |Da-DUM |Da-DUM| Da-DUM | — |

This form is also called “blank verse”, a more general term
denoting even rhythm without rhyming. Because the Course is
presented entirely as prose the extent to which this form is
used is a surprising and exciting discovery.

The Text of A Course In Miracles can be seen as three distinct
parts, two of twelve chapters each, and the last of seven
chapters, each differentiated from the other by the use of
meter. Within this structure, a gradual transition is made
from prose to blank verse.

The first twelve chapters of the Course are written in a
rhythmic prose, and the portrait of the human condition given
is prosaic indeed. The very last sentence of Chapter 12 is the
first glimpse of what, metrically speaking, is to come: “Your
Father could not cease to love His Son. (a line of iambic
pentameter)

The second part begins with the first seven sections of Chapter
13 becoming increasingly iambic, until in section seven, “The
Attainment of the Real World”, each paragraph contains on
average only three of four arhythmic lines, non-iambic lines.
This is the metric characteristic of the second twelve chapters.
Occasionally, paragraphs begin with emphatic statements of
light reality, given in iambic pentameter: “There is a light
that this world cannot give;” is the first such occurrence. “You
do not really want the world you see;” “We cannot sing
redemption’s hymn alone;” “Your faith in nothing is deceiving
you.” These glorious statements are each elucidated
conceptually in the paragraphs that follow from them, but each
also offers an opportunity to enter into real communication….
You are being prepared for a new mode of data
transmission.

Deeper into the second part, increasingly strong “insertions”
of iambic pentameter occur; longer passages that persist
further into the paragraphs. For instance, in Chapter 21:

Thus they define their life and where they live,
adjusting to it as they think they must,
afraid to lose the little that they have.
And so it is with all who see the body
as all they have and all their brothers have.
and fail again.

Coincident with the approach of total iambic pentameter, (the
last seven chapters), Jesus makes this statement (in Chapter
22): “This is a crucial period in this course, for here the
separation of you and the ego must be made complete.”
And this:

This course will be believed entirely
or not at all.
For it is wholly true or wholly false,
and cannot be but partially believed.

Chapter 25 is the beginning of the final part. In Chapters 25
and 26 the final transition is made into perfect iambic
pentameter, making feasible the presentation as poetry in the
two same manner as the works of Shakespeare are presented,
with columns of the short blank verse lines to a page. It is at
this final part that this volume of transformative rhythm and
poetry takes up the Text. Encoded into the ongoing
presentation of conceptual ideas is the true communication the
Course aims to teach. Each line is a perfectly whole package
of information.

Some parts of these two chapters are still not regular enough
to allow breakdown into lines of iambic pentameter and so are
presented (in Russell’s book) as prose. Also, the regular
iambic pentameter in these two chapters and early in Chapter
27, often contains idiosyncrasies, such as lines that contain
one extra syllable, or short lines of only four or six
syllables. These discrepancies are used to emphasize ideas in
the same manner that the iambic pentameter was used in the
middle chapters of the text, only rather than lifting you into
communication, they drop you out momentarily, the aim being
to teach you to recognize the difference.

In the last five chapters of the text the iambic pentameter is
perfect. Jesus never abbreviates words to achieve this, but it
does account for what seemed to be occasionally unusual syntax
– but which now makes perfect sense, read as poetry.

A transition from prose to poetry also occurs in the Workbook,
but it is much simpler, and quicker. The first ninety lessons
are plain prose, with the exception of Lesson 78, which is
totally poetic (iambic pentameter). The transition occurs
entirely with ten lessons. Lesson 91 is prose. The following
lessons have increasing percentages of verse, but the
distinction is kept very clear. Any paragraph will either be
entirely prose, or entirely poetry. It is astonishing to
discover that everything in the Workbook from lesson 100 on is
in iambic pentameter ~ the introductions to Reviews, the
“instructions on themes of special relevance,” such as ‘What is
Forgiveness’, the prayers and the Epilogue.

Attempts to read the poetic form directly from the original
prose layout often result in diminished comprehension.
Conversely, the presentation as blank verse guarantees placing
correct emphasis for understanding, (though not understanding
itself), and the elegance and eloquence of Jesus’ poetry and
the regular rhythmic lope offer an expanded experience of the
Course to the musical mind.

The magnitude and beauty of the Course, simply as a work of
literature and without regard to its miraculous content,
adequately belie any notion of its human authorship. The
divinity of the ideas expressed is beyond question. Certainly
the poetic and prosaic forms contained in A Course in Miracles
are there because that was necessary for the healing of God’s
Son, since this is the Holy Spirit’s only purpose.

 

Poetry ~ Lisa Trevino

 

 

 

Lesson 106

“Let me be still and listen to the truth.” 

re-written by Lisa Trevino in

rhythmic poetry guided by Spirit

~*~*~*~*~*~

If I will lay aside the ego’s voice

however loudly it may seem to call;

If I will not accept its petty gifts

which give me nothing at all;

 

If I will listen with an open mind,

not knowing what salvation is;

Then I will hear the mighty Voice of truth,

quiet power, strong stillness;

 

If I listen and hear my Father speak to me

through His appointed Voice;

Silencing meaningless thunder,

showing the way to peace – my choice;

 

If I am still today and listen to the truth,

not deceived by voices of the dead

Which tell me they have found the source

of life, and offer that instead;

 

If I attend them not, but listen to the truth,

unafraid to circumvent them;

But, hearing all of them not, walk lightly

past their meaningless persuasion;

 

Going past all things which do not speak

of Him Who holds my happiness

Within His hand held out to me in welcome,

in love, and peaceful bliss;

 

If I hear only Him today, one Voice,

and do not wait longer to reach Him

Today, the promise of God’s Word is kept,

if I am silent enough to listen.

 

He will speak to me with miracles

a thousand times as happy and wonderful

As those I have ever dreamed of or

have wished for in my dreams at all.

 

His miracles are true and

they never fade when dreaming ends.

They end the dream instead forever and

these are what, to me, God sends.

 

If I prepare myself for miracles today,

allowing for my Father’s pledge to me

And to all of my brothers be kept,

I will hear today and truly see

 

As I listen to the Word which lifts

the veil which lies upon the earth

And wakes all those who sleep,

cannot see, nor remember their worth

 

God calls to them through me,

needing me to speak to them to hear

For who could reach God’s Son but

my Father calling through me here?

 

If I hear Him today, and offer

my voice to speak to the multitudes

Who wait to hear the Word that He speaks

today that Salvation includes

 

It is here, given unto me, that

I will learn my function from the One

Who shows it in my Father’s name

for me; I am my Father’s Son.

 

I will hear a Voice Which will resound

throughout the world through me.

The Bringer of miracles needs me

to receive them first so I can be

 

The joyous giver of what I received. 

Thus salvation starts and ends

When everything is mine and

given away to everyone He sends

 

This is how it will remain with me

forever and the lesson learned.

This is how I see what is my right

and not something to be earned.

 

If I practice giving, not the way I understood

it as, but as it really is.

I will remember the Whole Kingdom

and know that ALL is truly His.

 

If I am still and listen for the truth –

I can ask and expect the answer

What does it mean to give and to receive?

The truth waits at the altar.

 

The answer to this request has been

waiting long to be received by me.

It will begin the ministry for which I came;

which will set the world free

 

From thinking giving is a way to lose,

readying the world to understand.

That salvation is not what is in the world,

but in our Father’s hand.

 

If I am still and listen to the truth today,

I will come to realize

That for each five minutes spent in listening,

thousands open their eyes

 

As their minds are opened to the truth,

they will hear the Holy Word I hear.

And when the hour is past, I will

again release a thousand more from fear,

 

Who pause to ask that truth be given them,

with me – the Holy Word is kept

Through my receiving it to give away,

the world learns why it wept,

 

By teaching what giving means by learning

it and letting Him be heard.

I must reinforce my choice to hear

and to receive the Holy Word.

 

By my reminder, given to myself

often and throughout my day:

Let me be still and listen to the truth;

I am the messenger of God today

 

My voice is His, to give what I receive. 

So, I must say, “Let me be still”

And let me listen to and share the truth today

as I learn of My Father’s will.

LISA TREVINO

P.O. Box 401256Las VegasNevada89140USA

Lisa facilitates a moderate
sized Course Study Group
on Tuesday nights from 7-8:30pm
and on Saturday afternoons
from 4-5:30pm in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contact Lisa via email
to join you
or your organization
at a workshop,
conference or other event.