| My name--or rather, the name I've
chosen to go by on the Internet--is Teresa. Many years ago, I bought the movie Jesus
of Nazareth, starring Robert Powell in the title role. I loved the character he
played; he was unlike everyone else in the world. He really cared for and helped people. I
was going through a hard time at that point, and I needed peace in my life, so I started
to read the Bible, focusing only on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, for they were the only
books that spoke of Jesus. I also read various other Christian books that were about the
life of Jesus. I couldn't get enough of him. So I asked God, Where do I go next? My husband had bought himself a three-volume set of books
called A Course in Miracles, and he let me take a look at it. I started to go
through it, and grew so interested in it that he took me to the bookstore, and I got my
own copy of it. It was all so fascinating that I underlined almost every word in the book!
We went to a few Course in Miracles discussion groups. One of them needed a place
to meet, so we became their new host.
It was at some point while we were holding those
meetings at our house that I started to receive inner dictation--just as Helen Schucman,
the author of the Course, did. I heard an inner voice explaining to me what I was
reading, and it always ended in "forever" and "amen." I knew that I
didn't think that way, so I realized that I was taking dictation on the Course.
By that time, though, I remembered that the first dictation I'd taken had already been
crumpled up and thrown in the garbage. That was upsetting, because now that I recognized
what was happening to me, I wished I still had it to add to my notes. But much to my
surprise, that very dictation showed up the next day in perfect shape. It was really
exciting to find it unwrinkled and still around, because I knew it had been thrown away.
So as I went through the Course, taking
notes, I understood that I was being taught its message by the Holy Spirit. I also took
dictation on parts of the Bible. I would take a particular verse, ask about its meaning,
and the dictation would come. And that verse would be translated into Course in
Miracles thought. I liked the King James version of the Bible, and the dictation
would come through in that language. And no matter which chapter of which book I took the
dictation on--whether it was Psalms, Proverbs, Matthew, or John--the material would come
through in the tone of that book and chapter.
I would also have dreams at night that I would
remember very clearly in the morning, and I would take dictation on those as well. I
usually don't remember my dreams, and it was neat now to find out that they had meaning.
This was another avenue that the Holy Spirit was using to come to me.
Today I still have all the dictation, typed up
and organized in binders. It's my desire to share it all with you, and the Internet has
allowed me to do just that. Following is my introductory dictation, then links to each of
the sources that I have taken dictation on. Enjoy! |
