Trust in Holy Spirit shatters our limiting illusions.

Byline: FROM HEART TO HEART By Chikur Cameron and Aloha Heart For The Register-Guard

In our relationship as partners, the Holy Spirit is our teacher leading us home to God. Through his teaching we learn a new way of relating to one another and to all of life.

`To have, give all to all.' - A Course In Miracles

An important tenet of relating is that we do not use our relationship to deny love for ourselves or anyone else. In our individual search for God, we began studying "A Course In Miracles," which teaches freedom from identification with the limited self.

As we are experiencing moments of greater openness and trust with ourselves and others, we are opening to an expanded "self-identity" with God. Our lives are dedicated to serving this purpose. Forgiveness provides the stepping-stones. Forgiveness is the practice of seeing through the illusion of apparent separation from everything and everyone to the loving truth that we are one.

Nothing outside of self (the Divine) can ever provide love. Only God can serve that function and God can only be recognized in wholeness. We cannot join with God while still remaining apart from anything or anyone. Our shared commitment to God has shown us that we can trust Holy Spirit to use every situation to heal our minds of illusions that we hold about ourselves and each other.

Knowing this we can unmask our darkest thoughts and fears to one another; we trust in the highest outcome. It helps free us from jealousy, competition and other fantasies of separation. Whenever self-limiting ideas of anger, guilt or fear surface, we are committed to bringing them to light so the Holy Spirit may heal us.

Honesty and self-examination quicken this process. Not keeping secrets allows us to release our minds quickly from self-limiting ideas that disturb our peace and keep us feeling separate from one another. We know that the purpose of our relationship is to remember our wholeness, to be healed of our illusions and to be a healing presence in the world.

Learning to be nonjudgmental is part of our practice and commitment to Holy Spirit's teachings. This agreement helps us feel safe to express ourselves without fear of being attacked or punished. Witnessing for each other without judgment shows us a new way to look upon the world. Judgments that we believed were obstacles to love can now be looked at together from love, where we can see that these things cannot separate us and thus have no power to affect us.

Our relationship is harmonious and joyful because when difficulties arise we have simple practices that increase our minds' willingness to receive healing grace. Among these practices are: releasing limited ideas of self and thus opening to an expanded self-identity with God, asking for guidance from Holy Spirit, recognizing we are divine love, extending love, forgiveness, trust, honesty and self-examination, witnessing without judgment, and looking at everything together from love.

Last but not least, just about anything can be lightened with good-spirited laughter.

Chikur Cameron and Aloha Heart are immersed in the study and practice of "A Course In Miracles." This column is coordinated by Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries, a network of more than 35 religious and spiritual traditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. For more information, call 344-5693 or visit www.interfaitheugene.org.