The ideal world goal would be salvation for all, wouldn’t you think? Salvation would mean that we’re all saved. Which would mean that we’re all in a state of peace and love. At least that’s what I think it means.

Growing up Christian I was taught that I needed to make Jesus Christ my own personal saviour or else I wasn’t going to go to heaven. And I learned that salvation was only possible because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and all that. We sang songs about salvation and were very proud of ourselves for having heard about our man, Jesus, because otherwise we would’ve been lost lambs on our way to the slaughter.

Of course as I grew into my teenage years having this father figure of whom I needed to obey in order to get my reward was the perfect paradigm to rebel against. Eventually, I simply threw it all away as anything real or necessary. And frankly, I deemed it all a bit naïve and arrogant to assume that Christians had the right idea and everyone else was misguided. In fact, it became very clear that Christianity was probably one of the most misguided religions in the world.

Fast forward nearly 20 years and I pray to God regularly, I am delighted that Jesus showed up on Earth 2000 years ago, and I embrace a lot of the characteristics of Christianity that are at the core of the religion, like loving kindness. I don’t go to church and I don’t want to. I believe in no-religion and embrace peace and love and joy for all human beings – even the sinners. I guess this is also what the Christians say but you just don’t see them acting on it much. Then again, you probably won’t see me acting on it either because I am private about my spirituality and motivations for loving kindness.

What are my motivations? Salvation for all. It’s true. Talk about arrogance though, right? I think that’s why I feel it’s important for me to be writing all this anonymously. I don’t want my ego to get in the way of what I feel is my true path. I believe, through my own inner knowing and from what I’ve come to learn from other spiritual teachers, that by seeking higher consciousness for myself I will be contributing to elevating the consciousness of everyone. Thus, my own loving kindness, my non-judgment, my path to enlightenment, will be a catalyst for the salvation for every human being on earth.

Maybe that sounds strange. When I see it written out it looks similar to what a power seeking leader would say to influence the actions of a large group of people: “Follow me and you will be saved!” But, that’s not what I’m saying. And I’m not saying that “only” my enlightenment will save the world. And I’m not even saying that I will become enlightened in this lifetime. It could take a couple more centuries for all I know. But, the simple fact that I, a North American middle-class starving-artist white lesbian from a christian background, am on a path that unites me with Source means that many many others like me and unlike me at all are also on the same path. And the more of us that are on this path then the more of them will also be on this path. And eventually us and them will be one. That is salvation for all.

My lesson today in A Course in Miracles is, “Salvation for the world depends on me.” It’s a beautiful little phrase. When taken in the appropriate context, that being from the perspective of the spiritual seeker, it has so many beautiful layers of hope and expectation for love and peace. Imagine every single person in the world reading that phrase and taking in its truth. Imagine if today everyone in the world contemplated that thought. If everyone knew that phrase then it would literally be true wouldn’t it? The salvation of the world does depend on me, and it depends on you and it depends on every conscious being alive on earth. But, what can one person do? One person can put a thought into the world and invite others to hold that thought as well. If I withdraw my contribution of thinking this thought, then I am stopping the flow of salvation. I am withdrawing the power of the thoughts that we think and withholding salvation from the world. Salvation for the world depends on me. I will be contemplating that all day long today. Join me if you so desire.

Strangely, this is a very strong and controversial statement. Even though people are always striving for retirement and leisure on the weekend and saving their money in hopes that someday they will be able to “do nothing”, if you suggest this course of action as a strategy for productivity or inner peace you are inevitably going to come up against resistance.

I am a champion at doing nothing. And I’ll write more about that soon, but this article isn’t actually about that. It relates to a section I recently read in A Course In Miracles (ACIM) entitled “I Need Do Nothing” which reveals a strategy for getting closer to God (ie. being present in the moment, experiencing inner peace, becoming enlightened) which focuses on the body, or rather removing focus from the body.

After renewing my inspiration to write for this blog on a regular basis I picked up ACIM for the first time in quite a while. I’m working my way through the lessons. I’m up to lesson 200 and I stopped a while back because I was losing focus and decided to take a break.

So upon returning to the book and reading the text where I had left off the words really resonated with me. It says that we rely too much on our body to survive and “do” our work in the world and suggests the radical move to “utterly forget the body”. Lessons like these are rarely literal so I’ll try to keep the expression of my interpretation simple. The body itself is going to be worthy of hundreds of articles of exploration and experimentation.

First, I’d like to start with the literal body. At the beginning of every day I go for a walk in the park. This is my way of getting focused and getting a little bit closer to nature in the big city. I burn calories. I loosen up my muscles. And I get some much needed fresh air. When I return I get right down to work and it feels amazing. I don’t go to the gym these days. I am a butch dyke and I’m athletic but I rarely play in team sports. I’ll tend to do solo activities like boxing, running, swimming, or biking. Lately though, my pace has been a walking pace. Occasionally I feel guilty about not pushing myself more, for not doing everything I can do to be fit and trim. I am, afterall, pushing 40 and the waistline expands much more easily with every year that passes.

The “I Need Do Nothing” section says that we always place our bodies in the past or in the future. “It is always remembered or anticipated, but never experienced just now.” Going to the gym and purposefully trying to lose weight or get buff would be a literal expression of that statement. I look at my body and I think it’s bigger than it used to be (past) and think I need to make it smaller again (future). The point of “I Need Do Nothing” is to get you into the present. Eternity and peace is in the present moment. I know that if you’re reading this you’re likely a person who seeks to be more present in life. (And I’ll be sure to write plenty about that as we go along.)

Dr. David R. Hawkins states in all of his lectures that nothing is causing anything and that everything is happening of its own. This is what comes to mind when I’m asked to embody the sentiment “I Need Do Nothing”. By surrendering doing as it relates to the body I begin allowing. The only thing required to fully get into the present and to experience the moment of pure peace and love is to let go of past rememberings, future imaginings and realize that I need do nothing. No doing of simplicity is required. No action of detachment is needed.

Take this opportunity right now. Be radical. Let go of the guilt of the past and the pressure of the future and simply do nothing. Find that place within and let it be for just one second. When you return to doing you will be changed and eventually that central place of peace within will get easier and easier to access. Then the magic of allowing the world and your life and your actions to unfold on their own will reveal itself to you with amazing results.