CwG Weekly
Bulletin #172: The Forgiving Season 
Week of
My Dear, Dear
Friends...
Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukkah!
The world is not
what we would want it to be at this holy and happy time of year, but we are still
invited by all the heavens to be merry, and I hope that you are today.
Ours is a world
of terror and madness, of grief and loss, of economic unfairness and
educational inequality and political oppression and minority suppression and
suffering at every turn. Yet it is also a world of wonder and joy, of grand
achievement and great advancement, of rightfulness (as opposed to
righteousness) and kind-heartedness, of generosity and compassion, of sweet
love and childlike magic and majestic beauty and of God's magnificence
everywhere present.
There is much to
celebrate even in this time of unrest, and there is much for which to be
grateful even in this moment when there is so much that we wish were different.
So let us be glad at this time. Let us embrace joy, and create more.
This is the
season for giving, and I would like to suggest that we TRULY make this the
forgiving season by offering the greatest gift. Let us forgive, this
Dec.25, everyone who has ever hurt us, everyone who has ever caused us sorrow
or pain or grief or loss or limitation. Each of us comes from our own pain and
loss and limitation when we inflict pain and loss and limitation on
another.
We do not strike
out at each other for no reason. Perhaps our thinking is mistaken and distorted
(indeed, always it is) when we do lash out at another, but we surely do not do
it for no reason at all. And so what we must heal within our human society is
our human thinking. We must learn to begin thinking like God.
Still, if we
imagine that God thinks in terms that include lashing out, that include hurting
others, that include judgment and condemnation, violence in the name of
righteousness, and killing in the name of God, then we will continue our
barbaric behaviors under the banner of that which we call Holy. Only if we
imagine that God loves without limitation, forgives all, punishes none, and
welcomes each soul back Home without reservation or condition, can we begin to
create Peace on Earth by calling this season for giving The Forgiving Season.
We have been
saying on our Christmas cards now since the first card was designed and sent by
John Calcott Horsley in 1843: "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men." Our
opportunity at the time of this holiday is to do whatever we can to begin the
collective creation of that reality. It can be our greatest gift.
So this evening
or this weekend, please give yourself a quiet moment to sit down and look deep
within. See if there is any place in your heart where you have still not
forgiven someone. Ask yourself what it would take for you to give that gift
this Chanukah and this Christmas.
As you know,
Chanukah celebrates the Legend of the Light that Cannot Be Extinguished, the
flame from the oil lamp of the
Just as there is
no incorrect way to spell Chanukah in languages other than Hebrew, so, too, is
there no incorrect way to find the Eternal Light of God within the
Let me tell you
the story of The Only One Club.
This is an
astonishing, perfectly wonderful children's book by Jane Naliboff, with
illustrations by Jeff Hopkins. "Today we are going to make Christmas
decorations," Mrs. Matthews tells her class of school children. But
because Jennifer Jacobs is Jewish, Mrs. Matthews allows her to make Hanukkah
decorations instead. Jennifer enjoys the attention and creates "The Only
One Club," of which she is the sole member. When her classmates want to
join, she is resistant until she realizes that each one of her friends is also
"the only one" at something! As
Jennifer inducts them into her club she reveals the unique qualities that make
each of her classmates extraordinary.
Through this
touching Chanukah story, young children are encouraged to discover and treasure
their own uniqueness and to actively look for special qualities in others
beyond race or culture.
As one reader
review of this book posted on Amazon.com said..."Differences in race,
religion, politics, ideas and lifestyles have given birth to such an enormous
amount of negative media these days. In the newspapers we read and the news
programs we watch, we are suffocated by it all. What an absolute pleasure to
read such a positive expression of being different. Jane Naliboff creates a
beautiful story wonderfully written which should be required reading for all!"
And, of course,
The Only One Club could very well be the subtitle of Conversations with
God, because God has made it clear that, even in our uniquely individual
expressions, we are all Divine Individuations of The Only One There Is.
As you know,
Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, and the Perfect Love of the Christ
that is born and reborn within all of us in every single moment when we gift
others with our love, without restriction or condition. I am not certain about
this, but Forgiveness may be the most perfect form of Love. Surely it is high
on the list. And so this Christmas Day, and so during this holy week of
Hanukkah, light a candle of love in your heart, and forgive the unforgivable.
You will find that the person to whom you have given the biggest gift is
yourself, for you will know, at last, peace in your heart.
Then you can
turn to 2006 and make it the best year of your life so far. I end this
week's letter with a recommendation that you might find a wonderful way to
begin the New Year. Get a copy of the newest book by my dear friend
Debbie Ford, titled The Best Year of
Your Life
This is an
inspirational, incredible book from an inspirational, incredible person. This
link will take you to more information: www.bestyearofyourlife.com/shiningstar
And now, peace
be with you, my friend. May God be expressed in your life, both now and even
forevermore.
With love and
light,
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
WOULD YOU LIKE TO
Would you like to ask him anything at all about The New Spirituality, and how
it applies to your daily life?
Call him Wednesday at
CALL NEALE ON WEDNESDAY with any problem, question, or comment you have about
your life and your world.
The Dialogue Begins.
This Week’s Bulletin
Topics:
-
- Visit our Webstore
for Inspiring Ideas for the New
Year
-
“I'm heartbroken that I let my life get to this
point…”
“You can be peaceful no matter what the outer
world is doing
—and the wonderful irony of this is
that what the outer world is doing
will very often be affected by what you are
being…
How do you remain peaceful
when the world is demonstrating everything but
peace?
Loving, when the world is demonstrating
everything but love? Forgiving, when the world is demonstrating
everything but forgiveness?
You insist on being who you are
no matter what the rest of the world is being.
Slowly, the world you touch will change.”
- The New Revelations – pages 322-323
Blessings
to you
for
a peaceful holiday season
from
and
the
staff of
the
CwG Foundation.
CwG says that there are three levels of awareness at which most people
operate: hoping, believing, and knowing. All are useful, all are creative (as
is all mental activity), and all are powerful.
Hope has been known to keep people alive. Hope has been known to change
people’s lives. And so, hope can be very powerful. Yet of the three, Hope is
the least effective tool of creation.
God says that all thought is creative, and Hope is a form of thought. It
is a particular way of looking at something. It is a way of holding a topic or
idea in your mind. But it is like having your foot one-third of the way down on
the accelerator, all the while seeking to get somewhere in the shortest
possible time.
When we say that we “hope” something will happen, we are saying that we
are wishing that it will. Hoping is a subtle form of asking. A hope is kind of
like a “special request” to God. To hope is to yearn. It is a statement of our
heart’s desire, and desire is the first level of creation.
Hope is good, but Hoping is not nearly as powerful as Believing.
Belief is also a form of thought. It, too, is a particular way of
looking at things. It is a way of holding a topic or idea in your mind. It is
like having your foot two-thirds of the way down on the accelerator—not bad, if
you are seeking to get somewhere in the shortest possible time.
When we say that we “believe” something will happen, we are saying that
we are under the impression that it will.
Believing has nothing to do with asking. Believing bypasses asking. It is not a special request
sent to God, but rather, an announcement to God that we assume that our request
will be granted. It is a statement of our heart’s faith, and faith is the
second level of creation.
Knowing is also a form of thought. It, too, is a particular way of
looking at things. It is a way of holding a topic or idea in your mind. It is
like having your foot all the way down on the accelerator—allowing you to get
somewhere in the shortest possible time.
When we say that we “know” something will happen, we are saying that we
are sure that it will. Knowing has nothing to do with assuming. Knowing bypasses assumption. It is neither a special
request sent to God, nor an announcement to God that we assume that our request
will be granted. It is a declaration that requesting is not even necessary. It
is a statement of our heart’s certainty, and certainty is the first level of
creation.
To hope is to yearn for a thing to happen. To believe is to trust that
it will happen. To know to is to have no doubt that it will happen.
When we “know” something, we don’t have to trust. Trust is not
necessary. Hope is even further removed.
Hold a fresh egg six feet from the floor. Drop it. You do not have to
“hope” that it will break. You do not have to “trust” that it will break. You
“know” that it will break. There is no question about it. Hoping is not part of
the equation.
You can’t even get into hoping,
because the feeling of hope is so far removed from the level of awareness at
which you find yourself with regard to the egg and the floor. Trusting is not
part of the experience. You don’t even think about trusting, because your
awareness of what will happen when the egg hits the floor places you way past
trust. Your knowing puts you above and beyond hope and trust.
Take a second fresh egg. Hold it one-half inch from the floor. You can
now “trust” that it will break, but you cannot “know.” It could or it couldn’t.
It is highly likely to, so you should find that your trust has been well
placed. But you cannot be certain. You cannot know.
Take a third fresh egg. Hold it one-sixteenth of an inch from the floor.
You can now “hope” that it will break—if breaking is what you need the egg to
do. You cannot “trust” that it will break, and you certainly cannot “know” that
it will break. It may or it may not. The likelihood is no greater for one
outcome than for the other. You can only hope.
Hope is a small part of believing. Believing is a small part of knowing.
Knowing is a small part of being. Being is the highest form of existence. It is
the pure experience of essential expression. When one is “being” something, one
moves past “knowing,” into pure expression. -
CwG Webstore
The Little Soul and the Earth
The collaborative team
that brought you
The Little Soul and the Sun returns with an uplifting follow-up.
The first book in a new series of Little Soul adventures, The Little Soul and the Earth finds our
favorite little soul being asked by God to return to Earth in order to
"experience who he really is."
Upcoming Events
It’s about to begin…will you join us?
Our Annual
in
(
Gift yourself this year
with a celebration of joy
and an exploration into
Who You Are and
Who You Want to Be
in preparation for your most important year ever.
Click Here for more
information and to register.
***************************************************************************
LEP in Australia March 17-25, 2006
The CwG Foundation is teaming up
with Embracing Change to host an 8-day facilitator training in
This experience
will provide you with an inspiring introduction to integrating and embodying
the concepts of CwG in your life, as well as offer some of the essential
skills necessary to be an effective messenger and facilitator of the New
Spirituality.
Experienced and
beginner teachers alike with be given some incredible tools and processes to
make their own retreats/seminars/workshops or programs more effective.
If you are
interested in jumping to the next level of your spiritual growth we invite you
to learn more about this event; click here or email Karen Coffey at Karen@cwg.org
To find out more about Embracing Change visit http://www.embracingchange.org
Questions and Comments
from CwG Readers
Hi
I just read an email to you that triggered something in me. I'm not sure
what my specific question is, so forgive my rambling...
I am estranged from my 18 year old son. I have 2 other younger sons with
whom I have a good relationship (they live with their father, which is a
decision that is extremely difficult for me to live with). The history is
long and convoluted, but suffice it to say that my 18 year old does not like
the man I am currently married to (his father and I divorced, and it wasn't
pretty, so I understand that part of the equation).
My son was physically abusive to me on two occasions when he lived with me, and
the second time I called the police. Then he mouthed off to my current
husband, who got into his face and basically threatened him (I am surrounded by
violent, controlling men! Red flag number one!).
I have always considered myself a rational, intelligent person with a good
grasp of my spirituality. I now realize that I have let others control my
life, and here I am, in a place I don't want to be, and I now know that I
"made my own bed" so I get to sleep in it!
I guess my question is: I have such regret at the events that have transpired,
and the choices I've made. I'm heartbroken that I let my life get to this
point.
Can you help me find a lesson here so I can move forward and stop dwelling on
the past?
Thanks so much for your generosity with sharing your work.
Please sign me as "anonymous" - red flag number 2!
My Dear
Friend...
I am so sorry
that your choices have produced these results. The first thing I would like to
advise you to do about it is tell the truth. Just sit down with everybody and
tell the truth!
This will clear
the air and give you an opportunity to make a true "fresh start."
Then, tell your family and your loved ones how you are choosing to create your
life from this time forward. Specifically...
1. Tell your son
that if he ever raises a hand to you again that you will press charges, have
him thrown in jail, and remove him effectively from your life. You are not
required to continue to receive and accept physical abuse in order to qualify
as being spiritually awakened. In fact, just the opposite is true.
2. Tell your
current husband that you do not choose to live with a man who is controlling
and potentially violent and that you would like him to join you in counseling
to explore alternatives other than getting in people's faces and threatening
them when they "mouth off."
3. Tell everyone
who has an interest in knowing that you are no longer going to allow your life
to be controlled by others, and that is this does not work for them, they may
want to consider their own future options.
Do none of this
in anger or with negative energy. Simply have a quiet talk with everyone and
"say it like it is."
My friend, it is
not true that because you have made your bed, now you have to lie in it. You
can change anything that you want in your life. Start by telling everyone the
truth. Start by telling everyone that you so, so regret the choices you made.
Then begin to make new choices--yes, even if it means, in a sense, going
backwards. Yesterday is not today, and it certainly is not tomorrow. Each
moment, much less each day, is a chance to start over. Don't you dare give up
your future because it looks like you have no choice. You ALWAYS have a choice.
Remember that.
Tell the truth,
tell the truth, TELL THE TRUTH.
The truth shall
set you free!
It may look
"scary" for a while, but the truth shall set you free. Every time I
have gotten myself into a mess it is because I have not told the truth, and the
whole truth, to someone important.
Tell the truth,
tell the truth, TELL THE TRUTH.
Hugs and best
thoughts....neale.
====== ======
In Response to Last
Week’s Comments on the Execution of
Hi
Thank you for your
insight into Tookie
It is my hope that as we
continue our evolvement, we will begin to see the futility of the death penalty
and abolish it forever.
Peace,
Dear
It was comforting to read your thoughts on the
execution of
As an Australian writing from
A few years ago, I recall a European visit by a member
of the
Anyway, while I have your attention, a couple of
random thoughts…
1. I
have enjoyed immensely (nearly) all your books and the weekly column and they
have totally changed my life, yadayadayada…. I’m sorry to say that my interest
has waned a little recently. I have
tried to understand why and have come up with the following:
(a) I think the discussions (in the
books and bulletins) has shifted into very serious, end-of-the-world
territory. I know it is currently rather
fashionable to think the end is nigh, that we are descending into the abyss,
that things have never been so bad. I do
not share that view. People seem to
forget where we have come from. Let’s
look at a few recent decades. Do you
remember the 1980s? Ronald Reagan? Cold War still raging across much of the
planet? The fear of imminent
annihilation? Or the 1970s, Richard
Nixon, the scourge of the Vietnam War, 1960s, Cuban Missile Crisis? World teetering on the brink? And I haven’t even got to a true World War….
I happen to think that things are rather wonderful at
this moment in the Earth’s evolution.
That mankind is evolving in a rather beautiful way (yes, even Americans)
and…wait for it… everything is going to be alright! So there, I’ve said it. Hang me!
(b) Which brings me to my second
point…. I think some of the humour in
the early dialogue has been sorely lacking (which I guess is understandable as
humour and Armageddon do not make easy bedfellows). In my conversations with God, I’m never quite
sure when she’s on the level and when she’s just having a laugh. I like it that way.
As you may have gathered, I am a fan
of not taking the whole thing (ie life, the universe etc) too seriously. Now I know that’s not a problem with God
(she’s always banging on about me loosening up a bit), but I hope it’s also OK
with you.
(c)
In fact, it’s kind of like family members. I feel that I have the absolute right to
criticise you as a fellow family member, but should anyone else try to utter a
single negative word towards you, and I feel myself springing to your defence
in righteous indignation!
And just to end on a random thought about the
thought/word/deed creative process… I guess if you follow this through to its
logical conclusion, the rain dances performed by various indigenous peoples
throughout the centuries may have actually worked after all.
Thanks for listening…. Er, HELLO! Still writing here! Wake up!
Luke
Thank you, Luke,
for your letter. I appreciate you very much for writing it. I hear you
when you say that perhaps things have gotten a little heavy around here. We'll
try to lighten things up.
Hugs to you.
Dear
I was so glad to see your message about
I've been thinking about the potential this man had to change a
nation--again. And, I feel a real sense of loss that we will miss the
opportunity to utilize his ability to really encourage people to make changes
in their life. Obviously, he was convincing to many in the 70's. I
believe that he took his ability to lead in a new direction once he found
himself incarcerated.
This doesn't mean that I don't have a concern or loving feeling towards the
families of his victims, as I also have to put myself in their shoes--I can't
fathom having a child or spouse or sibling or parent murdered. That would
be horrendous.
Though, at a soul-level, I wonder what role the victims were playing out?
If the messages in
Thanks again for giving us your take on the issue.
Sincerely,
Kristie Calohan
Yia sou
May I please suggest that
it does not serve us to use the term 'capital punishment' any longer, for it
hides what it is - the death penalty. Capital punishment for capital crime is
justifying a primitive action. Blessed is the soul,
Namaste
Vassilis
In response to your thoughts
regarding the execution of
I will be very interested
to see how positively this will impact the sale of his books and consequently
the issue itself.
thanks for all you are
and do
love, hugs and
blessings to you all
Heather
If you would
like to send a comment or a question to Neale here at the Weekly Bulletin, you
may do so by addressing an email to: weeklybulletinresponse@cwg.org Please note that because of the volume of
mail that we receive, it is possible your letter will not get printed
here. However, we do our best to see
that all letters get a response, if not directly from Neale, then from a CwG
Foundation staff person, or LEP participant.
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