A Course In Miracles (ACIM) workbook lesson #187 - I bless the world because I bless myself.

I bless the world because I bless myself.

The law of the ego world is one of scarcity. The law of the Spirit (Love) world is one of abundance. I can’t give what I don’t have. I can’t possess what is not mine. 

The law of the world of Spirit (Love) teaches that we don’t divide, we multiply. I bless the world because I realize that I, myself, am blessed.

In Alcoholics Anonymous, in the twelfth step, it is suggested that we strengthen our recovery by giving it away to others.

In Unitarian Universalism, we covenant together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. In this acceptance and encouragement we ourselves are strengthened.

Today, it is suggested that we regularly, throughout the day, bless the world as we realize that we ourselves are blessed. A way of blessing the world is to do a random act of kindness. The more acts of kindness the better. Can you do three or more today?

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #186 - Salvation of the world depends on me.

Salvation of the world depends on me.

“Salvation” in A Course In Miracles is a return to the non dualistic Oneness of God. When the monk asks the hot dog vendor to “make me one with everything” the monk is asking for salvation and the awareness of salvation depends on the monk.

Salvation is ours for the asking, and in fact, has always been ours, but we have forgotten it so what we are asking for is the conscious awareness of our natural inheritance which is the Oneness with our Transcendent Source.

In Alcoholic Anonymous, in step three, it is suggested that we not only ask for salvation but actually engage in it by deciding to turn our wills and lives over to the care of God as we understand God.

In Unitarian Universalism, we covenant together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and the encouragement to spiritual growth which is the salvation we facilitate when we ourselves and others return to the Oneness from which we separated ourselves in our incarnation into our earthly bodies.

Today, it is suggested that we remind ourselves frequently that salvation of the world depends on us, on me. The monk became frustrated when the hot dog vendor didn’t give him his change when he gave the vendor $5.00 for a $2.50 hot dog so the monk asked the vendor, “Where’s my change?” and the vendor said, “Oh monk, you should know more than anyone that change comes from within.” The vendor is reminding the monk that the salvation of the world doesn’t come from without but from within him and it is up to him to choose to attend to it.

How it works: Discerning God's will

 

St. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians "If God is with you who can be against you?" You and God are a dynamic duo.

Peace arises when we bring our will into alignment with God's will for us. What is God's will? It is perceived through a process of discernment which begins simply with asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and then listening, listening deeply, and paying attention to the inklings that arise.

How it works: Dying a peaceful death

 

How it works: Creative activity nourishing one's interior spiritual life

 

Using our creativity is a way of extending God's love into the world by creating something that is good, truthful, and beautiful. Some people say that the three characteristics of God are truth, goodness, and beauty. One of the ways to determining the quality of one's interior spiritual life is to rate the level of truth, goodness, and beauty that you experience in your life and share with others.

Spiritual value in reading Run For The Hills by Kevin Wilson

For those dedicated to the journey of spiritual growth, Kevin Wilson’s novel Run for the Hills offers a surprisingly profound map of the human heart, wrapped in the guise of a quirky American road trip.

While Wilson is celebrated for his eccentric and deadpan humor (Nothing to See Here), this novel strips away the magical realism to dig into the raw, everyday spiritual work of forgiveness, identity, and the sacred nature of chosen community.

The story begins with Madeline "Mad" Hill, who lives a quiet, hyper-insulated life with her mother on a Tennessee farm. Her predictable existence is disrupted when Reuben, a half-brother she never knew existed, pulls up in a PT Cruiser. Armed with the findings of a private investigator, Reuben is on a cross-country quest to gather their shared father’s abandoned offspring and confront the man who left them all behind.

As they drive west, collecting two more siblings along the way, the novel shifts from a simple family drama into a deep exploration of the spiritual themes that echo ancient wisdom traditions.

Each sibling knew their father under a different name and a completely different identity (a crime writer's dad, a basketball coach, a TV cameraman). He was a man who constantly tried on new lives, shedding them when they got difficult. For the spiritual seeker, this hits on a profound truth: seeking total validation or closure from the person who broke you is an illusion. The siblings must learn to stop looking to their flawed creator for answers.

Forgiveness in this novel isn't a dramatic, cinematic moment of tearful embraces. When the siblings finally track their father down in California, the reunion is awkward, unresolved, and starkly human. Wilson beautifully illustrates that spiritual healing doesn't require a perfect apology. Instead, grace is found in accepting what is, rather than mourning what should have been.

The real miracle of the book isn't the destination; it’s the vehicle. These four strangers, bound only by a shared wound and a fraction of DNA, find their souls knit together through shared storytelling. They discover that while our biological beginnings are an accident of nature, building a sanctuary of mutual support is a conscious, holy choice.

"Healing doesn't always come from the person who hurt you. Sometimes, it comes from the people who were hurt just like you."

If your spiritual practice involves looking honestly at family baggage, releasing resentment, and learning how to belong to yourself and others, Run for the Hills is a beautiful, light-filled companion. It reminds us that our paths to wholeness are rarely straight lines—sometimes, they require a chaotic road trip with absolute strangers who happen to carry the exact missing pieces we've been looking for.

Spiritual Takeaway: A masterclass in radical acceptance. It shows us that we can surpass the limitations of our past and find a sacred home in the family we choose to build along the way.

Markham's rating is 4.5 out of 5. I recommend it to people struggling with family baggage.

Spiritual insights from the book "10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World" by Elif Shafak

 Elif Shafak’s novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World offers a profound exploration of human consciousness, resilience, and the interconnectedness of souls. The narrative hinges on a fascinating scientific and spiritual premise: after the heart stops beating, the human brain remains active for exactly 10 minutes and 38 seconds. During this fleeting threshold between life and the afterlife, the protagonist, Tequila Leila—a sex worker in Istanbul—recalls her life through sensory memories.

When read through a lens of spiritual exploration and inner growth, the novel yields several deep insights into the human condition, grief, and the nature of the soul.

1. The Liminal Space as a Sanctuary of Truth

The entire first half of the book takes place in a profound liminal space—the threshold between the physical plane and whatever lies beyond. Spiritually, this suggests that the mind possesses an innate capacity for deep, unburdened reflection when stripped of immediate worldly distractions. In those final minutes, Leila is not defined by her trauma, her social status, or the violence inflicted upon her; instead, her consciousness becomes a sanctuary where her essential truth is preserved. It implies that our inner life holds an enduring sanctity that the external world cannot corrupt.

2. "Water-Families" and the Spirit of Belonging

One of the book's most moving spiritual frameworks is the distinction between "blood-families" (biological relatives) and "water-families" (the chosen families we bond with through shared suffering, love, and understanding).

• Leila’s biological family rejects and fails her due to rigid religious dogmatism and patriarchal shame.

• Her "water-family"—a marginalized group of five outcasts in Istanbul—embraces her fully.

From a perspective of spiritual intelligence, this highlights that true spiritual kinship is rooted in empathy, mutual recognition, and unconditional acceptance rather than mere biology. It suggests that healing from profound alienation occurs when we find souls who align with our inner essence, creating a sacred space of belonging where dogma failed.

3. Sensory Memory as a Gateway to Gratitude and Presence

Each minute of Leila's remaining consciousness is triggered by a specific sensory memory: the taste of spiced goat’s stew, the scent of lemon and sugar, or the smell of cardamom coffee. This structure offers a poignant lesson in mindfulness and presence. It suggests that the sacred is often found in the ordinary, fleeting moments of physical existence. Even in a life marked by severe hardship, the soul clings to these sensory anchors of beauty and connection, illustrating an inherent capacity for resilience and gratitude.

4. Dignity in Marginalization and the Cemetery of the Companionless

Shafak takes the reader to the Cemetery of the Companionless (Kilyos), a real place in Istanbul where the forgotten, the unidentified, and the socially outcast are buried without headstones or names—only numbers.

The spiritual insight here is a stark critique of institutional or rigid moral structures that strip humans of their inherent dignity. By giving Leila and her friends a vibrant, deeply compassionate voice, the novel asserts that every soul possesses sacred value. True spiritual wellness demands that we look past societal labels to honor the unseen and the marginalized, recognizing that dignity is an birthright, not something granted by social conformity.

5. The Continuity of Love Over Material Reality

In the latter half of the book, Leila's chosen family risks everything to give her body a proper, dignified burial. Their actions demonstrate that love is a powerful spiritual force capable of transcending fear, legality, and even death itself. The physical body may fail, but the ripples of love and devotion left behind in the hearts of others create a form of continuity. It beautifully illustrates how communal grief, when channeled into collective action and honoring a loved one, becomes a path toward healing and sacred closure.

A Core Takeaway: Ultimately, the novel suggests that while the physical world can be incredibly harsh and fragmented, the human spirit possesses an extraordinary capacity to synthesize meaning, find beauty in the margins, and achieve a state of wholeness before it returns to the source.

I give the book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It might be a good book club discussion book.