✨Greetings Mighty Companions✨ There’s nothing like a romantic dramedy to explore an essential spiritual question… Where does one find true stability? Where does it reside? In what? Perhaps we recognize that our stability cannot reside with our own sense of control in our lives... A COURSE IN MIRACLES points us toward real stability by saying, "Only a constant purpose can endow events with stable meaning. ²But it must accord one meaning to them all.” [CE T-30.VIII.3-4] Our featured movie to kick off Summer is called: No Reservations. It’s a great little flick to show how all happenings in our lives always have the same purpose for the Spirit: to bring us into an awareness of the present by helping us to trust our brother. When we are stuck in the past, day after day, in our routine, we’re on autopilot, lost in a dream… When somehow our false sense of control is disillusioned, we still cannot make sense of our lives. But if we open ever so slightly to joining with what is beyond our littleness, then Spirit reveals itself in miraculous ways which lift our hearts. Miracles reflect the willingness to communicate from a clear and more loving ground of awareness. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Kate, head chef at a fancy high end restaurant. She has tensions with her boss who has insisted that she attend therapy, but Kate doesn’t know why. She runs a tight ship and almost all her customers love her, paying top dollar. She aims to please but is heavily defended against customer complaints, aggressively spitting fire and fury if someone criticizes her dishes. She has become so deeply identified with the role of head chef, she's forgotten what it’s all for. For Kate… well… no one seems to knows better than Kate, so she does it herself. She runs everything to the point of perfectionism. She seems to be headed toward burn out. But everything changes when her sister dies suddenly in a car accident on the way to have dinner with Kate. Which makes Kate the legal guardian of her niece Zoe, (who doesn’t really like her sophisticated cooking.) Enter Nick, (Aaron Eckhart) an Italian sous-chef with a love of opera. Kate dislikes Nick because he’s spontaneous and unpredictable. Zoe loves Nick’s more refreshing way with things and his yummy Italian food. Kate is presented with an opportunity to trust and collaborate with her new sous-chef, or distrust and compete against him. Nick brings exuberance into Kate’s very serious kitchen (as well as Kate and Zoe’s personal life), which threatens the calculated way Kate does things. But Kate needs more than a little opera and charm from Nick. She needs a miracle to raise Zoe in a new town after her mother’s sudden death. Kate must navigate the waters of huge change: becoming a mom by default, losing her sister, and trusting something bigger than herself in her personal life and career. So let’s take a journey into loosening our grip, and opening our hearts. This is a love story that will help us see through the rules and limits by which the ego attempts to establish control. And what might we find instead? Can we admit when we're mistaken and find out? In service to God’s loving plan for everything, Brian and Alexandra💞

"1 All things work together for good. ²There are no exceptions, except in the ego’s judgment. ³The ego resents everything it does not control. ⁴Control is a central factor in what the ego permits into consciousness, and one to which it devotes its maximum vigilance. ⁵This is not the way a balanced mind holds together. ⁶Its control is unconscious." [CE T-4.VII.1] “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a common English idiom that meansdon’t waste your time feeling sorry or upset about something that has already happened and can’t be changed. It is often used to advise someone to move on from a past mistake or misfortune and not dwell on what could have been done differently. In Mr Destiny our hero is given a healing drink called the "Spilt Milk". It has the effect of bringing the mind into gratitude for the way our lives appear in this very moment. Will we drink it? Mr. Destiny features Jim Belushi, Michael Caine, and Linda Hamilton. Our friends at MWGE.org have a great synopsis of this little gem of a movie, calling it an awakening classic. Here’s what they say: "The central problem of the world could be characterized as the belief that things would be better if circumstances in life, or events of the past were different. Larry Burrows believes his life would have turned out better if he had hit a home run instead of striking out during his high school baseball team’s state championship game. A spiritual guide named Mike, (in the form of a bartender) appears to help Larry see the truth beyond his wishful thinking. We shall come to learn to be grateful for everything in life and to trust that indeed all things work together for good and that all events, situations, and circumstances have a singular purpose behind them. We can choose to be happy and grateful regardless of circumstances, for our state of mind is always a decision. As Mike tells Larry, “I make the suggestions; you make the decisions.” So let’s take a journey of self discovery and drink a cocktail of Spilt Milk with Larry... and learn about decision making from the perspective of a Holy Spirit Bartender named Mike.... And perhaps we'll understand why we can’t really know what our lives are for, while we struggle to control the outcomes for what we think is best. Mr. Destiny will bring you closer to acknowledging one real relationship with your own Inner Teacher. And it will help you to see that your mind is dreaming the world and is willing to wake up right now! "13 Praise be to your relationship with Him, and to no other. ²The truth lies here and nowhere else. ³You choose this or nothing." [CE T-16.VII.13:1-3] Holy Spirit, decide for God for us!! May it be so.🙏✨ Brian and Alexandra💞 Please note: Conscious movie watching is not primarily about entertainment. And it has nothing to do with movie critique. It’s about becoming proficient in mind watching and honest feeling. Expect ample time devoted to the teachings of ACIM in conjunction with the movie. We will pause the movie at some points to share ideas and bring light to the topics at hand. Please settle in before hand with minimal distractions. We accept and appreciate donations! This is a free gathering. We use all donations toward our mission of bringing peace. Venmo: Brian Theard @teachonlylove PayPal: miraclesarenatural@gmail.com

A Course In Miracles Movie Gathering with commentary with Brian and Alexandra S7,E25: Star Trek The Next Generation "All Good Things...." ✨Greetings Mighty Companions✨ This is going to be fun. This is a classic. Let’s open to the profound meaning of the resurrection as taught in A Course in Miracles, using the bombshell season 7 finale of Star Trek The Next Generation: "All Good Things…" What might Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise have to teach us about this holy instant and the collapse of linear time? Let’s lay everything on the line and take a leap of faith with Jean-Luc, as he inspires fearlessness and a trusting heart to face directly into an utterly impossible situation and find the answer. In this adventure, we find Captain Jean-Luc aboard the Enterprise bouncing between different times in his life, past, present and even future. And it seems much more real to him than a mere nighttime dream. In the future he’s a retired admiral, who has difficulty making sense of things under the spell of cognitive decline. In the past, we see he’s just become a Federation Captain, and his crew have just met him, although he clearly remembers already having lived that day. As he puts the pieces of the puzzle together, he realizes his predicament has been instigated by a mischievous all powerful being known as “Q”, who has a way of testing the human species by seeing if Jean-Luc and crew can actually learn something of real value… Oh... and as the script of Jean-Luc’s life is being rolled out in non linear fashion, there’s just one other little thing: a spatial anomaly appears in the neutral zone that threatens all human existence. If you are wondering how this movie can be practical for us, remember "that an extreme example is a particularly helpful learning device." [CE T-6.I.3:2] The miracle never fails and trust would settle every problem now. The Course says, "Very simply, the resurrection is the overcoming or surmounting of death. It is a reawakening or a rebirth; a change of mind about the meaning of the world." [CE M-28.1:1-2]. This is the inevitable goal of learning that we all come to accept for ourselves… Yet on the road to acceptance we first develop a sense of trust that grows ever stronger through all our relationships. Mustn’t we learn to see that every relationship, whatever the form, ultimately serves the same purpose of healing our mind? What other purpose would we really want? Developing trust not only precedes awakening but guides every step we take toward recognizing perfect equality with our brothers, and perfect union with Light. The take home value of this class will be seeing through the roles of leader and follower. And recognizing our inherent equality as Sons of God. The Sonship is one. We are all healed together, as we walk with Christ. This is our holy instant of release. In Living Light and Love, Brian and Alexandra💞

✨Greetings Mighty Companions✨ Are you ready to give up the suffering associated with fear based decision making and negative self talk? Then this is your movie. It’s called Violet, and it’s an absolutely brilliant film written and directed by Justine Bateman. This is some of the most insightful directing and practical story telling you'll find in recent years, depicting the healing of our thoughts and emotions in a raw, honest and artistic way. Olivia Munn stars as Violet, our main character who's "a keep it together” kinda gal, and don’t admit what really going on. Her family history is messy, with an angry older brother and a contemptuous aunt, who are more interested in guilt tripping her than anything else. Her childhood is basically a memory of trauma. You wouldn’t know it but she’s barely hanging on inside. We then get a clear window into Violet’s life as she begins going through a major transformation, which involves risking sharing her feelings, making amends, and trusting her friends Red and Lila in a deeper way. She miraculously discovers she can do the opposite of the negative voice in her head. And that’s a game changer. And as she chooses to step out of her internal prison, her outer life takes shape in a surprising new light. We’ve all noticed how fear based thinking adversely affects our outlook and choices if we listen to it. In this psychologically keen exposé we’ll see that learning to choose against negative internal dialogue fosters an incredible sense of relief in our lives. But how do we weed through our traumatic experiences? As Violet will teach us, her path opens up from her desire to be free! When the desire for freedom overpowers our addiction to suffering, then freedom finds us and paves our way forward. In this class we’ll explore the idea from lesson 193: "All things are lessons God would have me learn”. And we’ll get into several juicy ACIM themes. ✨The development of trust and transparency in relationships ✨ ✨Refusing to fuel special relationships in family and at work.✨ ✨Letting go of people pleasing, duty and obligation.✨ ✨Seeing through the ego’s tyranny and wish for death.✨ Wow!! Truth is a frequency of love and forgiveness. Lies are painful to perpetuate. The take home value of this class will inspire you to see through your worst fears. And how would you feel to let that burden go, and step forward on a bright path to freedom? Let’s find out. In freedom and healing Brian and Alexandra💞

Our ACIM Movie Gathering for February is definitely an adventure! It’s also an unconventional love story filled with insight that’ll have you captivated and laughing. Let’s take a journey to the far reaches of Earth with Hector, and see how he discovers happiness. He’s driven, and willing to find the answer! This is an excellent film to dive into the teachings of ACIM and let your heart be opened wide. Hector (Simon Pegg) has his life put together in the most organized kind of way. But in fact he’s down right frustrated and needs help. He's a smart, successful psychiatrist in England, in a “perfect” relationship with a successful woman named Clara (Rosamund Pike). Except there’s just one thing… He’s not really happy at all!! He’s dissatisfied in his relationship. And he has unfinished business with a girlfriend from grad school. Even though his clients are lining up to see him, he’s doesn’t know what healing their problems would entail in truth. In a bold move, he decides to take a traveling sabbatical, to break out of his self made prison and open up to more spontaneity. When we are cut off from emotional responsibility, we feel all our relationships suffer. Hector is what the Course refers to as an “unhealed healer”. He’s hiding behind his role. Everyone knows what it’s like to feel like a fraud at one time or other, because that’s exactly what the ego is… a complete and utter fraud. At some point, our own hypocrisy starts to stink so bad, that we can no longer take it. This is a big blessing, and a turning point, helping us to take off our mask and be authentic. When we sincerely ask for happiness in our lives, we don’t suspect that laying aside the image of ourself could be relieving and uplifting. To the ego that sounds like a very bad idea. But the Spirit can use every situation to convince us that when we let go of our identity with the roles, they can be used in a miraculous way. That way is joyful, and is our inheritance; our destiny in each and every circumstance. Are we willing to give up control, and stop identifying as the roles we play? We have nothing to lose, except our suffering. The take home value of this class will be a tender open heart, and encouragement to end the compromises that seem to block us from genuine aliveness. Buckle up friends, this is gonna be fun! ✨✨✨⭐️✨✨✨ Quotes from 📘ACIM 📘 that came in during the movie and in our discussion time: 📘The Holy Spirit, seeing where you are but knowing you are elsewhere, begins His lesson in simplicity with the fundamental teaching that truth is true. ²This is the hardest lesson you will ever learn, and in the end the only one. ³Simplicity is very difficult for twisted minds. ⁴Consider all the distortions you have made of nothing; all the strange forms and feelings, and actions and reactions, that you have woven out of it. ⁵Nothing is so alien to you as the simple truth, and nothing are you less inclined to listen to. ⁶The contrast between what is true and what is not is perfectly apparent, yet you do not see it. ⁷The simple and the obvious are not apparent to those who would make palaces and royal robes of nothing, believing they are kings with golden crowns because of them. [CE T-14.II.3] https://acimce.app/:T-14.II.3 📘A miracle is never lost. ²It touches many people you may not even know, and sometimes produces undreamed-of changes in forces of which you are not even aware. [CE T-1.46.1] https://acimce.app/:T-1.46.1 📘The miracle, as an expression of true human charity, can only shorten it at best. ³It must be understood, however, that whenever you offer a miracle to another, you are shortening the suffering of both. ⁴This introduces a correction into the record, which corrects retroactively as well as progressively. [CE T-2.VIII.12:2-4] https://acimce.app/:T-2.VIII.12:2-4 Thank you for supporting these gatherings and our shared mission to live in peace and, naturally, share the peace. 🕊️🕊️🕊️ 😍Ways to donate: Venmo: Brian Theard @teachonlylove PayPal: miraclesarenatural@gmail.com (use “send to friend” method to avoid fees, this requires using a checking account not credit card) This is Brian Theard’s personal pay pal account. Zelle: Brian Theard, lifecaretherapy@gmail.com, 415.717.5065. Alexandra and Brian Theard 2305 Ashland St #104-209 Ashland, OR 97520 💖💚💖

Join Brian & Alexandra in this A COURSE IN MIRACLES movie gathering ✨🎥✨ We’ll be watching: ✨Midnight in Paris✨. Format: 4:30-4:35: Logistical announcements, 4:35-7:25: Keynote setup, featured movie with ACIM commentary and teachings. 7:25- 8:15pm: Group discussion, official end of gathering. Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), is a Hollywood screenwriter turned novelist. He and his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) are in Paris on a vacation with her parents. None of them are really getting along well. What could possibly go wrong, when Inez runs into her college crush, while Gil steps into an antique Peugeot precisely at midnight, opening up a time portal to the 1920’s scene in Paris? What might Gil learn about himself and his relationship, from the famous artists and writers of that time? And what might ACIM teach us on this adventure with Gil? What makes this a delightful teaching movie is that we'll open with Gil to asking for guidance and following the heart, instead of compromising our lives according to what we think is best for us. Isn’t it typical ego thinking, to confuse following our heart with some form of defeating compromise? Thus in this tantalizing tale, we'll explore not selling out for what we think we should do, and open with Gil, to step toward what inspires us instead. But like Gil, inspiration for anyone of us means letting the past go, including our plans for how we insist our future should go. Isn’t that the key to what makes our relationships satisfying and intimate? Our “safe" ideas about the future are bound by fear, until we choose to follow our intuition and let a new pathway open before us. Our launching point for this class is wonderfully expressed in this quote from ACIM: "There is no problem in any situation that faith will not solve. ²There is no shift in any aspect of the problem but will make solution impossible…. Is it not possible that all your problems have been solved, but you have removed yourself from the solution?" [CE T-17.VII.4] The take home value of our class will be a budding recognition that: God would not have put the remedy for sickness where it cannot help. That is the way your mind has worked, but hardly His. He wants you to be healed, so He has kept the source of healing where the need for healing lies. [CE W-70.4:1-3] Let’s open our minds to the remedy and stop trying to escape from our difficulties! What a blessed way to take another giant stride together. May we all blossom into whole mind and shine like the sun, Brian & Alexandra✨💞✨🙏 Please note: Conscious movie watching is not primarily about entertainment. And it has nothing to do with movie critique. It’s about becoming proficient in mind watching and honest feeling. Expect ample time devoted to the teachings of ACIM in conjunction with the movie. We will pause the movie at some points to share ideas and bring light to the topics at hand. Please settle in before hand with minimal distractions. We accept and appreciate donations if you feel inspired! This is a free gathering. We use all donations toward our mission of bringing peace. Venmo: Brian Theard @teachonlylove PayPal: miraclesarenatural@gmail.com

As we launch into Thanksgiving weekend, we'll combine the ideas in Week 47 of the Workbook with a light, yet incredibly insightful film, with profound metaphysical overtones. It's a 1998 classic featuring Jim Carrey, called The Truman Show! This will be a fun journey, and a deep dive into exciting topics that can seem sometimes difficult to approach. Have you ever noticed "a glitch in the matrix”? Perhaps you’ve experienced what A Course In Miracles calls an “out of pattern time interval"? Somehow many of us suspect the world isn’t real, yet questions can seem to linger… Like how can the world be an illusion when it feels so real, down to the finest details and nuances? If it’s all fake, who staged this grand theatre and why does it seem so serious?… The desire to waken and be free can’t be left unfulfilled. Once we feel the call, we can distract ourselves for only so long before we reach an essential turning point-- where we are willing to face all our fears and be free!!

Join us for a mind blowing, evocative and epic movie with ACIM commentary and Keynote: ✨Contact ✨- with Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and James Woods. This film is a thrilling ride into the light of higher purpose and deeper listening. It depicts the earnestness and determination that is required in our search for truth... Clearly showing us the importance of formulating a clear goal, keeping it in mind, and persevering until it is reached. And we’ll see how the desire for meaningful contact with what lies beyond, must include meaningful communication with those around us, regardless of our seeming differences. ✨For those of us who have been practicing the daily lessons from the Workbook of A COURSE IN MIRACLES: This class will inspire renewed commitment and increased zeal, to continue our practical application of the workbook lessons through the holidays with God’s strength carrying us into the new year... ✨ The take home value of our movie watching will be reflected in these wonderful ACIM themes: 1. Listening is always answered. (We can always listen more deeply.) Listening and following is a happy way of life, which takes willingness and perseverance, yet brings profound peace and meaning. 2. Collaboration is essential, but must be intelligently guided in order to reveal the truth. 3. Recognizing we truly don’t know anything, is to recognize a grand Intuitive Intelligence that knows perfectly what is best for everyone, in each of our decisions. In deepest listening, grace and love, Brian and Alexandra✨💞✨ New and experienced ACIM students - If you'd like to be added to our monthly movie announcement email list send an email to miraclesarenatural@gmail.com With Add me to Movie Watching through the Lens of ACIM email list in the subject line.

Documentary Dying to know with ACIM commentary and pauses... ✨Class Themes✨ 1. To soften and lighten our hearts around the taboo topic of dying. 2. To appreciate the value of mind training in our lives, as preparation for forgiving the world, and peacefully letting go of the self concept long before our last breath… Mind training is preparation for finally laying the body aside in happiness, gentleness and mercy. 3. To inspire gratitude for those mighty companions we meet and who share a holy purpose with us, and take the journey with us. What is Death? Keynote teachings on death from A COURSE IN MIRACLES. What is the value of mind training? Opening our hearts to the unknown with trust and safety. From Specialness to Holiness. Finding a holy purpose in life.

ACIM Movie Gathering (Powder) Keynote slides and Commentary with Brian & Alexandra. Themes: *The longing to return home. *Healing the fear of God and the idea of abandonment by God. *Healing the idea of being unfairly treated or falsely accused. *True innocence and the end of projection. *Coming into the function of healing, and forgiveness of all attack thougths. *Answering the longing of the heart.

All things work together for good. We are all in this together. Having integrity and taking responsibility. Trusting and letting go of control. Letting skills and Abilities be used by the Spirit. Learning is change. Changing concepts is salvations task. Salvation is escape from concepts.

keynote starts 20min11secs What I give to my brother is my gift to myself. Meanness/Kindness-- watching the mind. Purpose--What is it for? Holy instant. Every Loving thought is true.

Tron: Legacy Reeling all the projections back into the mind they never left. Resurrection in acim Keynote Slides Commentary with featured teachings. Coming back to responsibility I am responsible for what I see Waking up from the dream of attack. Ego belief in usurping the throne of God

Love holds no grievances-- letting go of grievances Welcoming the Light instead of fearing it. True Healing versus symptom cure Dying as a gentle laying aside of the body, with mercy and joy. Group discussion

Class Intention: ³The ego made the world as it perceives it, but the Holy Spirit, the reinterpreter of what the ego made, sees it only as a teaching device for bringing you home. [CE T-5.IV.14:3] True Destiny vs. fake destiny Class check in and discussion.

Movie starts at 4min 45 secs. We can all save time by learning to use time constructively. "To have give all to all" Supports WB lessons

This Keynote slideshow gives context to Groundhog Day in terms of the workbook lessons. We'll bring in our class intention and discuss the idea of a singular, true purpose.