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Welcome to this episode of From Anxiety To Love Radio.

I’m excited to be doing a video podcast today, which of course you can still listen to the audio version on Apple Podcasts.

I’m going to be sharing a lot so if you want the transcript of this episode, please go over to the show notes page at FromAnxietyToLove.com/27.

So I felt guided to speak about some Insights and Tools that have been helpful to me in dealing with this current COVID-19 situation.

Now, I used to say that if you’ve ever had a panic attack, you know how hard it is to convey the depth of the fear to someone who has never had a panic attack. I felt like it was hard for your average person to relate to understand what anxiety can do; how it can make you feel.

Coronavirus has leveled the playing field. I can no longer say that.

I feel like because of coronavirus, I believe the vast majority of people now have an understanding of what really intense, overwhelming anxiety really feels like… how it can bring you to your knees.

The world has been having a collective panic attack. We’ve been having a collective trauma.

And it sucks.

But, as my first panic attacks, and my anxiety disorders, changed my life in an incredible way, these experiences ultimately led me to a spiritual pathway, these experiences shaped my career first as a therapist, then professor, and now a student and teacher of A Course in Miracles and an author. And so, I’m so grateful for my anxiety that I wouldn’t change it.

And now of course we could think of ways we’d love to think of ways we could change this current situation, but in a similar way that we could have post-traumatic growth surrounding coronavirus this whole experience can open doors to a new beginning.

Will you let coronavirus fears transform you to a new state of being?

Now what other people are going to do with this experience is up to them. But my question for you is, will you let your coronavirus fears transform you to a new state of being?

Or will you simply revert back to “normal” when things calm down (which things eventually will, though we don’t know when, but they will eventually.

So what I really want to speak to you today about the opportunity, the incredible opportunity you have when you are experiencing intense anxiety that you don’t usually have when everything seems “fine.” 

There’s a poet from the 15th century, his name is Kabir, and he says in one of his poems “Don't let a chance like this go by!”

So, in the same manner, your anxiety that you’re feeling, your fear that you’re feeling can propel you into a new state of awareness and being. So, don’t miss this opportunity.

I have three tools I want to share with you today that you can use to evolve because of this pandemic.

Now, before I get to those three tools, I want to share just a few personal thoughts just about gratitude and also about doubt.

Gratitude and Doubt

So to start off with gratitude, I’d like to begin by just saying how incredibly grateful I am for the pathway of A Course in Miracles. To be completely honest with you, if it weren't for the Course, if I didn’t have a Course in Miracles in my life, right now I would be a pile on the floor, overwhelmingly fear-stricken - I’d be immobilized. Back in 2009, when H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic happened, that was nothing like this, my anxiety levels were through the roof. I was absolutely petrified at that time.

Although I’ve experienced some “fear spikes” in this situation, especially initially when we were all figuring out what the heck was happening, I am much different this time around. And so I really encourage you to get into gratitude and to stay there. Do you have a roof over your head? Can you be grateful for that? Can you be grateful for a rainy day? Can you be grateful for a sunny day? Just think about all the things you can be grateful for because, as the Course says… there’s a Course quote that says, “…love cannot be far behind a grateful heart and a thankful mind” (p. 1637) And I just love that quote. So tap into gratitude as much as you can.

I’d also like to say a few words about doubt surrounding your spiritual practice. I know in my spiritual pathway, I’ve had doubt arise at times. And ACIM even says, “that doubt along the way will come and go, and go to come again, and yet is the ending certain… and yet is the ending sure” (p. 1676). To be 100% honest with you, I’ve had times that I wondered if I’m completely deluding myself with A Course in Miracles, and with my spiritual pathway, and I’m wondering if you can relate to this.

Yet here we are, where it seems like the rug has just been collectively yanked out from underneath us. Our world feels like its flipped upside down (and by the way, the world is upside down, and we have a chance to start functioning right side up). As we all have to sort of come to grips with what’s happening and how unstable the world is, it’s right here in this space where I know ACIM is NOT a bogus pathway because of the transformation I have seen in myself. My trust in love has grown. And if you’re called to be a student of the Course, this pathway - it works.

I feel like my healing from anxiety is proof of that. And if you want more proof, please tune into some of my other podcasts. In Episode 22 I have a really great episode with Natasha Black. In Episode 3, I have a wonderful episode with Fiona Williams where she talks about how she healed vertigo through A Course in Miracles. So healing is real; this pathway works.

Three Tools

So let’s move into my three tools that can help you shift out of fear and into love. And I definitely had fear spikes initially when this all started happening with coronavirus, and these 3 tools have made all the difference for me. This i show I still feel so grounded.

By the way, this first tool is actually a quote from my mom. So tool number 1:

1. It is time to stop being only WILLING. It is time to use your WILL.

So, in my book, From Anxiety to Love, and in A Course in Miracles (which is what my book is based on), we speak a lot about the importance of willingness. Willingness is the precursor to all change.

To experience miracles (which are expressions of love, and shifts in perception from fear to love), we have to first be willing to experience change!! We have to be willing to see differently. We have to be willing to extend love. We have to be willing to heal. And our willingness is everything in our spiritual journey.

So the next step, of course is to offer our willingness to Spirit, and to ask for that miracle instead.

But we can’t stop there.

So again it’s time to stop being only willing, now we have to actively use our will. And this has really become so clear to me with this coronavirus situation.

 

What is your will?

Ok, let’s start first: What is your will?

Let’s start with what your will is not (but this is what we typically think our will is).

So we’re  used to exercising our will as a “small ‘s’ self.” This small ”s” self is my identity as “Corinne.” The small “s” self is your  identity as {YOUR NAME}.

In our ego identity, we use our “small self” will all of the time.

So to give you some examples of our “small self” will, these examples are things like:

• I decide what every thing means
• I decide how things should be.
• I decide who is right and who is wrong.
• I see separation and separate bodies everywhere.
• I hold others guilty, and point the finger...
• I decide what makes me happy, what makes me sad
• I decide how to manipulate a situation to get what I want
• I decide that the world is my home

 

These are things that you seem to do when you use your “small ‘s’ self” will. But these are not examples of Your will. These are not examples of your capital "S" Self will. So let’s talk about that...

What is your capital "S" Self will?

• Your WILL is to know the Truth beyond appearances.
• Your WILL is to know the blazing love that we all are.
• Your WILL is to know our complete safety and innocence that you share with everything.
• Your WILL is to know eternity.
• Your WILL is to be indescribably happy and at peace.
• Your WILL is to create and extend love.
• Your WILL is to know your oneness with every living thing.

 

That’s your will. And guess what. This is what God Wills too. So your will and God’s will are the same. You can’t be in conflict (Lesson 74), because your will and God’s will are the same. This is from lesson 74, from A Course in Miracles.

So here is my challenge to you in this first tool: 

Rather than willing for things to be different “out there” in the world, will to know the Truth instead. Will to know the love that we all are. This is a shift, when you find yourself getting caught in wishing things were different out there, remind yourself to say instead, “ I will to know the truth.”

Willing to know the Truth is healing for you, it’s healing for the world.

And you can say things like:

• “Spirit, help me know my Will”
• “I WILL to know the Truth”

These are just some self-talk suggestions… There’s actually a really fantastic quote from A Course in Miracles that says,

“The miracle prayer is: If you will tell me what to do, I will to do it.” It says, “This prayer is the door that leads out of the desert forever.”

Isn’t that gorgeous? 

 

Helpful Lessons from A Course in Miracles

I also LOVE Lessons 73, 74, and 75 in ACIM… there are so many other ones but these are ones that I’ve worked with recently that really help you to get in touch with your will and recognizing that your true will is the same as God’s will.

• Lesson 73 is: “I will there be light.”
• Lesson 74 is: “There is no will but God’s” (and again through this lesson we come to see that our will and God’s will are the same).
• Lesson 75 is: “The light has come.” 

 

So these are great lessons for you to review. 

Sickness, suffering, and separation are NOT your will. Your will is to manifest love, and light, and joy for every living thing. This is what makes you happy.

So just to recap tool #1: It is time to stop being only willing, it is time to use your will.

It’s time to align yourself with Spirit and direct your will towards remembering Truth, and Love, and Light, and God. 

 

My second tool is to:

2. Use your WILL to see the LIGHT beyond the FORM. 

A Course in Miracles is training us to see past appearances to the blazing truth beyond. Our bodies' eyes cannot perceive this light. But there is a spiritual eye in you that can see this light. It is a different way of seeing. I kind of feel it’s more of a knowing in my heart.

And I have an exercise to help you experience what I’m describing.

This exercise is inspired by a singer/songwriter. Her name is Kristene DiMarco and her song, It Is Well.

I will share a link to this song on the show notes page. But I just want to share of the lyrics with you right now.

Some of her lyrics are:

“Through it all, through it all

My eyes are on You”

 

So through it ALL… through Coronavirus, through anxiety, through whatever crisis or situation you might be facing, “my eyes are on you.”

We keep our eyes focused on God, on Spirit, and on Truth. I keep my mind focused on Jesus because he is just very relatable to me but you can use whoever you feel most connected to. So...

“… through it all, through it all

My eyes are on You”

 

The song goes on to say:

“It is well...

So let go my soul and trust in Him”

 

Here, I feel like we’re talking to ourselves, reminding ourselves that it is safe to trust.

And then the song goes on to say: 

“And it is well with my soul”

So I want you to really feel into these words.

It is well with your soul.

No matter what is happening on the level of form, it is well with your soul.

A Course in Miracles teaches us that we have not left God. We are safe at Home in God, in love, wholly innocent, guiltless... We have not separated! And this is cause for JOY.

So it is well with your soul. You need be troubled over nothing.

Now what I want you to do after you’re done watching, or listening to this podcast, is go to Kristene’s song, in the show notes, again you can find that link at fromanxietytolove.com/27, and I want you listen to the song, and I want you to really feel the meaning behind the words.

Deeply listen to the lyrics. Maybe play the song a number of times to really let the lyrics, let the meaning of those lyrics, sink in. So you can feel how it is well with your soul. 

When you can feel that it is well with your soul, despite all appearances, on this level of form, when you can feel that, you are touching the part of your mind that has not left God. And the more you focus on this, the more you dig in to the truth of “it is well with your soul,” the more you will be aware of your connection with Spirit and then you can then look out from this place… you can look out into the world from this loving place within.

In Lesson 75 in A Course in Miracles (which I mentioned earlier) it actually says, “From this time forth, you will see differently.” 

How gorgeous is that!!! 

As you connect with the truth that it is well with your soul, and you look out from that space, into the world, you can recognize that it is well with other souls too. And that awakens them, which in turn awakens you. And what an incredible healing opportunity that is.

So again to recap, my second tool is, “Use your will to see the light beyond the form.” This means touching on the truth that it is well with your soul, and it is well with others’ souls, because we have not left God, we have not separated from our source. This begins to open our spiritual eye so we can stay connected to Truth despite appearances.

 

Finally, tool #3:

3. Your task is to master love, not fear.

I was listening to a talk, recently, by Eckhart Tolle and he inspired me to share the same Bible passage he shared in his talk. This is a parable, stated by Jesus, and it’s in the book of Mathew, it’s called “The Wise and Foolish Builders.” This parable reads:

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine, and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.

The rain came down.

The streams rose. And the winds beat and blew against that house.

Yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down.

The streams rose. And the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a great crash.

 

So building your house on sand is like trying to find safety in the world.

The world is quicksand. You can’t put a foundation in shifting sands.

The world appears to be solid and welcoming and soft (like in the summertime, on the beach), but in an instant… we know it can all just go to hell.

So we want to build our house on a solid unchanging, welcoming, certain, secure foundation.

And this is a foundation that cannot be found in this world because everything in this world changes. Everything. Even the plates of the Earth’s crust are shifting, right now,  beneath our feet, even though it’s too small for us to notice.

I have another Course quote for you, this is from Lesson 50. And this quote reads:

“Put not your faith in illusions. They will fail you. Put all your faith in the Love of God within you; eternal, changeless and forever unfailing. This is the answer to whatever confronts you today.”

  

The love of God within you is the foundation you want because this is the only foundation there really is. 

And it is from this foundation that we can learn to master love.

Now, here’s another Course quote that I want to share, pertaining to this 3rd tool. And it is one of my favorite quotes. It is:

“Attempting the mastery of fear is useless. In fact, it asserts the power of fear by the very assumption that it need be mastered. The true resolution rests entirely on mastery through love.” (FIP T-2.VII.4) 

So how do we master love? 

Well first, we have to take responsibility for our fear because we made it by believing that we are a separate self.

And, another favorite Course quote, that I’ve talked about a lot.. I also talk about it in my book From Anxiety to Love… this is a great prayer for taking responsibility for fear and for how it is that we’re feeling, this is on “page 90” in the Foundation for Inner Peace edition of the Course. This prayer begins:

“I must have decided wrongly, because I am not at peace.

I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise.

I want to decide otherwise, because I want to be at peace.

I do not feel guilty, because the Holy Spirit will undo all the consequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him.

I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me.”

 

I will put this full prayer on the show notes page because it’s really worth reading, and reading slowly, so you can absorb the meaning of the words, because this prayer leads us out of fear and back into love. It has us take responsibility for how we are feeling, turning it over, not feeling guilty, and letting Holy Spirit choose for Love, for us. Because we don’t know how.

So let’s back to my question… “How do we master love?” How do we do that? 

Well, mastering love is what A Course in Miracles is ALL about! Mastering Love is what my entire book is about! And I’ve spoken about specific tools and skills throughout my book and throughout my podcast but of course I want to recap some of those tools for you now.

To master LOVE and not FEAR, we have to practice:

• Handing everything over to Spirit.
• Getting quiet.
• Listening for guidance.
• Giving love to everyone you meet.
• Seeing past appearances to the LOVE beyond the form.
• We have to practice releasing grievances.
• We have to forgive EVERYTHING.

 

So we master love by practicing ALL of these things. This is the practice itself.

And when you do all of these things, you bring your mind back into alignment with Love, with Truth, with Spirit. That is how we master love, and it is part of our ongoing spiritual practice.

 

Summary

So let’s go ahead and sum things up!

I opened this podcast by speaking about the incredible opportunity that we have right now, that you can utilize to let your anxiety, your fear about coronavirus propel you into a new awareness, a new state of being. Don’t miss this opportunity.

So, when the fear comes up, first notice it (which honestly, I’m sure you’re having no problem with that right now because it’s really easy to notice the fear, beacuse it’s big. It’s smack in our faces.) 

Remember, rather than wanting things to be different or to “go back to normal:"

• Number 1, Direct your WILL to want to know the TRUTH BEYOND APPEARANCES.
• Number 2, Use your will to connect with the love beyond the form. Use your will to connect with this idea that “IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL” and look out from that knowing. Look out to the world to your brothers, this helps you connect with the LIGHT behind the form
• And number 3, focus on LOVE instead of trying to overcome the fear.

  

So, if you want further support, I always highly recommend it (if you don’t already have it) - A Course in Miracles. Get the book. Get a copy of From Anxiety to Love… or whatever pathway you might be on, DO THE WORK.

Dive in as if your life depended on it, because you deserve happiness. Everyone you meet deserves to know the light in them through your love for them.

There is a network of miracle workers in the world, and you are part of it.

And I’m absolutely thrilled to be walking the path Home with you.

I know I shared a lot in this episode, so please go to the show notes page to get the link to the transcript. I will also post the quotes that I shared from this episode. And you can find all that on the show notes page at https://FromAnxietyToLove.com/27.

I love you with my whole heart. 

The light in you is TOO BRIGHT to fail.

Thank you for your dedication to remembering the truth.
💖

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