Читать книгу Forgiveness: A Path to Inner Peace - Inspired by A Course in Miracles - Michael Dawson - Страница 5

Peace of mind is a rare quality to find in this world. The strife we observe all around us mirrors the discord in our own minds. The path of forgiveness takes us back into ourselves where the source of all conflict begins. Forgiveness asks us to stop pointing our finger at the people and events in the world as the cause of our pain and turn instead to the unforgiven thoughts in our own minds. Here we can create change, which will lead to an ever-increasing sense of inner peace.

My inspiration for writing this book comes from A Course in Miracles (see appendix). In 1982, I visited the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland to take part in their Experience Week programme, where I discovered the book A Course in Miracles displayed in the window of the Phoenix store at their Park site. I took it from the window, opened it at random and read a paragraph. I cannot remember what I read, but I do remember the almost electric effect of the words upon me.

Each day, after lunch, I would remove the book from the window and read another paragraph. I did this for two weeks before I had to return home to London. Missing my midday read, I decided to purchase the book and study its teachings on forgiveness.

My studies coincided with a time when my interest in healing was developing, after discovering – by accident – that I could sometimes help people by the laying on of hands. In my healing work and research, I discovered that the mind exerts a very powerful effect on the body. Although people were helped by the laying on of hands, I found their problems would often return unless they forgave the thoughts in their mind which led to the dis-ease. In time, I developed a healing approach (see chapter Five) to help clients look at the unforgiveness in their minds and let it be healed by spirit.

In 1980, I felt guided to resign from my work as an electronics lecturer and explore a different path in life. Visiting the Findhorn Foundation and doing some healing work in London was part of this new adventure. Whilst visiting the Foundation in 1984 to take part in a workshop, my partner and I felt a strong spontaneous impulse to become members. We returned to London, sold our house, and moved to Findhorn. For three years I directed the healing department at the Foundation’s Cluny Hill site. I went on to develop a two-week workshop entitled ‘Healing the Cause’, which I ran at the Foundation for some years. My background in teaching electronics in London was helpful, but I had to learn to be guided intuitively in my approach to teaching these workshops. This was a whole different arena, requiring a flexibility and openness never really required previously in my more technical role.

My study and practice of A Course in Miracles continued and deepened my knowledge of healing and the need to open myself to inner guidance. In my younger years, I had believed I could happily plan what I wanted from life and did not need anyone's help thank you! However, as my life progressed, it became clear that without a willing surrender to an inner guidance there was no chance I would discover the inner peace I sought.

My deepening interest in the Course and my experiences from the workshops led me to write a book (Healing the Cause: A Path of Forgiveness) and also resulted in my running even more workshops – both at the Findhorn Foundation and elsewhere. And of course, it has also now led to the writing of this book.

The path of forgiveness can be practised every day, for life presents us all with endless opportunities; it invites us to stop seeing the world as the source of our pain and encourages us to bring a non-judgemental awareness to the contents of our own mind – the only place where healing can occur. As we surrender our pain to the healing power of spirit, we gradually remove the veils we have created between our physical selves and our spiritual reality: a state of inner peace and joy that is not dependent on anything in the world.

In this book, I set out the steps required to take on this journey of forgiveness. I invite you to join me on this path to peace.

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