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Three years ago, after participating in Lisa Natoli’s 40-Day Journey Program for Personal Transformation, I opened fully to A Course in Miracles in ways not possible prior. After studying the course for over two decades, it was the 40-Day journey that served as the key that granted me access to the Course in its totality. As such, I no longer study the course—I live it. The Course might exist tangibly as the “big book” that sits in various areas of my home, but the ideas of the Course are now woven deeply into the fabric of my everyday life.
Part of the way that I have come to “live” the Course is through a set of daily practices that have helped me to integrate it into my daily life. These practices are not substitutions for the Lessons in A Course in Miracles, but play a significant role in keeping me miracle-minded. These practices set up my day, keep me in check, and serve to call me back to Christ Consciousness whenever I am lured away by Ego.
A lamp must be plugged into a wall socket for it to work. When it works, we see very clearly around us. Much like the lamp; we, too, need to be “plugged into Source” to “see” clearly and to function well. The practices shared here are the ways that I keep myself “plugged in” to Source. I notice that whenever I am tired, irritable, anxious, depressed, or fearful—I am not plugged in. Whenever I am engaging in gossip, openly discussing and dramatizing grievances, and harshly judging myself or others—I am not plugged in.
In sum, whenever I am not at peace, I am not plugged in.
These practices help me to keep the power of my own “light” on and as such, I can see things and others very clearly. I am fully awake to and aligned with Christ Consciousness.
My intention in this blog is to lead you through five key stages of my day within which I am purposefully checking in on myself and if necessary, re-connecting to Christ Consciousness. I hope that these practices will be helpful to you and that you might consider integrating them into your daily routine.
Join me as I walk you through my day.
I.
Dawn: Plugging In
I purposefully set my morning alarm so that I am rising before the first light of day. The tender moments prior to dawn feel sacred to me. At pre-dawn, I am quiet, vulnerable, and open hearted. It is during this time that I am most acutely aware of God’s Presence.
Before setting my feet on the floor and starting my day, there are three specific steps I take to set up my day.
Step One: Basking in the Energy of Christ Light
Laying still on my side, I take several deep breaths. I envision that I am surrounded by a radiant golden light. This light symbolizes Christ Light. Closing my eyes, I envision that I am held and cradled in this light. In some cases, I imagine being held in the arms of Christ, much like a child might be held in the arms of her mother during that tender time that precedes dawn. This visualization is one within which I feel nurtured, protected, and completely supported. More importantly, this practice is how I join with Christ.
Step Two: Connecting to Source
Fully engulfed in the vision of being held in Christ Light, I gently nudge Ego to step aside so that I might be the pure, open channel through which God is fully expressed.
Nothing matters more to me than to live each day as an expression of Christ here on earth in this body form called, “Christine.”
I ask that anything that is obstructing the full expression of my Divinity to drop away. I ask to be freed of any worry, concern, irritation, anger, or grievances that might keep me in the mindset of fear.
Step Three: Living from Christ Consciousness
Once I move through steps one and two, I say the following prayer. I wrote this prayer some time ago. Uttering these words at the break of dawn each day keeps me “living” the course all day long. Feel free to borrow this prayer as part of your morning practice.
“Today—with all people and in all my affairs…
May I think with the mind of Christ,
May I intuit from the Guidance of the Holy Spirit,
May I see through the eyes of Christ,
May I speak with the Voice of Christ,
May I serve with the hands of Christ,
May I traverse the terrain of my day with the feet of Christ,
May I live every moment of this day from the Heart of Christ.”
The practice of this prayer is a North Star of sorts. Whenever I am feeling triggered throughout the day, I pause and I think back on this morning prayer.
I then ask myself:
“In this moment, are your thoughts coming from the Christ Mind?
How would this look different through the eyes of Christ?
Have you severed your connection to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit?
Are the words you are choosing expressions of the Christ voice?
Have you ceased serving?
Are your feet moving in the direction of love, growth, compassion, inspiration?
In this moment, what might you do to come back to living from the heart of Christ? “
The mere act of running myself through these questions whenever I feel triggered reconnects me back to the Truth of who I am and the prayer that I spoke at dawn.
II.
Morning Commute
One of the hallmarks of my morning commute is to call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance. Inspired by Lesson 71 in The Course, I ask of the Holy Spirit:
“What would You have me do? Where would You have me go? What would You have me say, and to whom?”
Additionally, I add a prayer that I created to assist me in extending the love of Christ in the direction of anyone I will encounter throughout the day.
“May I bless everyone I encounter with my Holiness so that I might see theirs. As such, I am reminded that we are of the same Sonship—expressions of the same Divine Source deserving of every opportunity to remember who we are.”
This prayer has had a transformational impact on my interpersonal relationships. Within the context of my personal and professional relationships, I am rarely triggered anymore. And when I am—I lean into the word “Sonship.” When feeling reactive, I might say:
“This person before me is my brother/sister. We are of the same Sonship. Unique expressions of Divinity–no more or no less radiant in our expression.”
Leaning into the remembrance the Sonship, I am freed from the charge, suffering, and negativity of relational triggers.
III.
Lunch Time Date with the Holy Spirit
Lunch time requires a longer period of intentional reflection.
While preparing lunch, or sitting quietly before my plate of food, I take a few moments to reflect upon any person or situation that has proved challenging thus far that day, or anything ahead that I might be feeling anxious about.
Bringing this person or situation fully to mind, the central question that hovers over my lunchtime “date” with the Holy Spirit is:
“Seated in the firm, reliable, and stable foundation of love—what would love do in this situation?
What “inner teacher” have I chosen to best deal with this situation—Ego or Holy Spirit? Do I need to make a shift?”
I might reflect on these questions for a period of 3 to 10 minutes—committing to however long it takes for me to reconnect to the Light.
There are days when this lunch time date is not easy or convenient. However, on the days that I miss my date with the Holy Spirit, I am far more inclined to be jerked around by Ego.
I often need to find creative ways to keep this date. This might mean running myself through these questions while walking to lunch or scheduling lunch with a colleague ten minutes later than usual so that I might sit quietly in my office to keep my “date.” Another strategy is to journal the answers to the questions above. The act of journaling will get you accustomed both to the questions and to taking the time to keep your date with the Holy Spirit.
This lunch time date, if kept consistent, is a form of wiping the slate clean—beginning again so that you might experience the rest of your day more fully connected to God and to your brothers and sisters.
IV.
Honoring the Sacred at Dusk
From the time I was a child, I have always found dusk to be as sacred as dawn. There is something about the change in light that makes me want to drop to my knees in gratitude. This is one of the reasons that I have come to honor the changing light of dusk by implementing a gratitude practice. Regardless of where you are located geographically, use the shift in light as your sign to take a mental pause and shift into gratitude.
I practice the principal of what I call, “just 3 things.” I know that no matter the circumstance, I can always find at least three things about which to feel grateful. That said, to truly live your own Divinity, I encourage you to focus on all the ways that you have felt the Presence of God throughout your day. For example, my gratitude practice might sound something like this:
“I am so grateful that while leading my morning workshop, I experienced myself as a clear channel through which Christ energy flowed.”
“I am grateful that during my challenging conversation with John, I saw him as my brother and that shifted everything.”
“I am grateful that when triggered by the email I received from my daughter—I caught myself—paused, and asked: “how would love respond to her right now?”
Keep your dusk gratitude practice simple. It may be that you are grateful for the feeling of the earth beneath your feet or the freshness of the air you are breathing. It may be that you are grateful for the sound of your child’s laughter, the sweetness of your lover’s kiss, or the beauty of your pet sleeping soundly at your feet as you read. What matters most is the practice itself.
V.
Evening Lullaby with God
My favorite practice comes at the end of my day. Before drifting off to sleep, I do a 3-stage mental inventory centered around a series of questions.
Stage One: Honoring the Good
Reflecting upon my day, I contemplate the following:
What happened today that went really well?
When did I feel totally plugged into Christ Consciousness? What was happening? How did that feel?
Stage Two: Acknowledging My Humanity
Gently acknowledging that I am a perpetual student and an expression of Divinity, I take a moment to gently assess other parts of the day where I could have “chosen differently.” It is important to ease into this part of the evening routine without judgment!
Reflecting upon my day, I ask:
In what circumstances and with what people was love absent?
When did I feel threat, fear, anxiety, judgment?
Noting those times when I became triggered and reactive throughout my day, I take myself back into the scene and I ask:
“How could I have handled that differently? What might I have changed to manage this situation from Christ Consciousness?”
I then clearly envision myself making the correction and I “feel” into a different outcome. I stay with this imagery until I feel peace. I then release the situation from my awareness.
Stage Three: Forgiveness
Begin this final phase of the evening routine by asking yourself: “Who do I need to forgive before drifting off into sleep?” To the best of your ability, placing this situation and/or person into the hands of the Holy Spirit.
More importantly ask:
“In what ways do I need to forgive myself?”
This may be the most important question of the day. Identifying moments of self-judgment, self-loathing, and self-criticism and releasing them into the hands of the Holy Spirit is a powerful form of self-compassion. Free of guilt and shame and fully connected to God, we are then free to sleep deeply and well.
I end my evening practice by coming full circle. I envision myself cradled in the golden light of Christ. And from this place of connection, protection, support and deep love, I enter deep rest.
My sincerest hope for all of you who are fiercely devoted to A Course in Miracles is that you will come to live your own Divinity as you begin to see the course as a way of being. The simple practices I share here will help you to integrate the course more deeply into your everyday lives. Feel free to create your own rituals and practices to support you in feeling “plugged in” all day long. Lean into your practices to gently guide yourself “back home” whenever Ego lures you into states of panic, fear, anger, irritation, judgement and negativity.
Although we read, study, teach, talk and write about A Course in Miracles, it longs to be lived. May these practices inspire you to live your Divinity so that your brothers and sisters of the Sonship will remember their own.
If you would like to take part of Lisa Natoli’s 40 Day Journey, you can learn more here.
Christine Kiesinger, Ph.D.
Dr. Christine E. Kiesinger has been a student of A Course in Miracles for over two decades. She is a university professor, integrative wellness educator and a personal and professional development coach. Christine lectures extensively in the areas of communication, relationships, leadership and mindfulness. Regardless of topic area, all of Christine’s teachings are rooted in the fundamental principles of A Course in Miracles as she aims to be a living expression of the peace, grace and love of God.
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17 Comments on “Living Divinity: A Course in Miracles and Daily Life”
it is in the experience of living the Course that it’s theory is validated for me. these suggestions help to anchor me in the light through out the day. thank you sister.
You are so very welcome, Nicci!
Beautiful, clear and inspiring ways to be grounded; And, as well to be connected to the Truth of Being. Thank You!!!
You are SO welcome, Carine!
I truly love you and Lisa for guiding me on this journey. So grateful!
Thank you Christine! So many great suggestions that I am going to implement in my daily practice! Love You!
Thank you, Donna. I hope that these practices become part of your daily life!
Thank you Christine! Just beautiful and so helpful.
I was fortunate to have done the 40-Day (for the second time I think) the first time there was a Facebook group attached to it (or maybe it was the first time I participated in it-I did the 40-Day 3 times) and you were doing it also and reading your comments at the time just blew me away and helped to bring the Program more clearly into my being. And I just knew that you would become part of TOG! So happy I was right!
Thank you! ❤️
Thank you, Denise! I am doing the 40-Day for the 4th time. Each time, I “hear” something new and come to live my Divinity ever more deeply.
Thank you Christine! I love this post. Your day is almost identical to my day. I do NOTHING before plugging into the light before I get out of bed – before the eyes open. I have super vivid dreams and waking up in the morning always feel like I crash back into the body so it’s usually disorienting to be back here – so I stay in bed, breathe deeply and plug in – center in God, connect to this light. Obviously, we are all already connected to this light as this light – but there is the awareness of it – so I make sure that occurs before I do anything.
I get to a state of mind where i am in love with love and feeling excited, joyful, grateful and happy – and then and only then – do I get out of bed. It usually only takes a minute – but there are sometimes I notice the mind wandering down side-roads to things to do, stuff that happened yesterday, etc. So I keep coming back to the center until there is that definite click that I’m plugged in as the light of God.
My morning routine is almost exactly identically the same each day: coffee and back into bed with my journal and A Course in Miracles. I stay in bed usually for an hour, sometimes two hours if I wake up early enough. Sometimes three hours. lol. On Saturday or Sunday.
I usually wake up around 7am, but sometimes I’m up at 5:30 or 6:00am so that means more time in bed with my journal. I write in the morning. Loads of notes on healing in my journal. I get out of bed around 7:30 or 8am depending on when I landed back in the body that morning.
Then I make smoothies – which is like science lab in the kitchen. Some sort of combination of Blueberries, frozen bananas, frozen cherries, protein powder, almonds, chai, flax, cacao powder, maca, acai. I’m just kind of a mad scientist mixing this all together, which is like ice cream for breakfast.
I’ve started working in an office – which I love – to be around people and the activity of an office. And then the day is always different. Sometimes the gym. Always lunch and coffee breaks. I never know what any day will be like. But one thing is certain: I never lose sight of my Great Companion, God with me, as me. My days are already fun because I feel like an undercover agent in a Lisa bodysuit.
Here to bring joy, light, peace, joy, laughter, happiness and healing to everyone and everything. So I’m a state of joy all day.
Dinner around 6 or 7pm. I love cooking. I love making raw desserts.
Then movies, reading or a bath. Lately Bill and I have been going out at night, for dinner, getting together with friends, movies. That’s kind of a new thing. We are mostly homebodies. We travel quite a bit and when we are home, we like to stay at home. I love that every day is brand new – and you can allow yourself to be surprised and delighted when the scenery changes.
Always a bath. I love baths. I love hot water. I sit in there for an hour, sometimes more. And my books. And lavender salt
Then back into bed – more books, more reading. I probably read 4 hours a day.
And right as I am about to drift off to sleep, my last thought always is: THANK YOU GOD.
xoxoxox
I love this so much, Lisa–we should all share more about how we LIVE the Course. Your days sound so beautiful!
Love this post and am a new student to the Course of Miracles. I am reading the book now, in the healing group and the presentation series. Thank goodness I am a retired teacher and have time to develop a routine for doing all these practises. I so enjoy listening to Lisa and thanks so much for all the extra e-mails.
Bernadette Gauthier
I have been practicing this beautiful way to live my divinity for the past few days.
My loving heart is expanding and the voice for Spirit is facilitating a meditation group for bereaved women , uplifting all of our lives.
With love and heart felt gratitude,
Oh, Linda–I think that this is phenomenal. Follow Spirit…these women need you. xoxo
Thanks Christine for such a great “road map” to staying in the Course throughout the day! I love your prayers and will use them as a model to write my own. One question has been bugging me for both you and Lisa: I don’t know about you gals but as a woman “of a certain age” the first thing I have to do in the morning when I wake up is put my feet on the ground and hightail it to the bathroom! LOL! Do you really do all these practices first?
Christine your post is marvelous and I have some ideas from reading it that I can use. Thank you very much.
Lisa asked to share how I spend my day. I do not set my alarm I am usually awake close to when it is light. After using the bathroom and getting a large glass of water I am back for a 16 minute meditation. I often would listen again to one of Lisa’s 40 day guidance messages I have taken that program twice as well as her healing cure program I am also using the app Insight Timer with thousands of meditations.
Lisa knows what I am using at the same time for those 16 minutes and do the same later in the day for 8 minutes. Many days after my meditation, I then spend some time with my journal with a cup of coffee I am writing for my intentions to be guided meaning ” Steve pay attention to the messages you are intended to receive ” I am also expressing gratitude as best I can and expressing love for people who come to mind. 4:2:1 is the formula I like 4 items of gratitude I write more as Abraham suggests 68 second twice a day the 2 – sending love to two people who come to mind and again there is always more then 1 – what am I intending specifically to experience or manifest now.
Most days I exercise and while dong that I listen to educational podcasts and think about how best I can share with my network helpful information Then I will post an article and a lot of them I send out to my health and wellness email list and my holistic health meetup group. There is a lot more I can do to help people and I am thinking about how I can direct my energy to reach more.
I get diverted by current events and usually decide I am paying too much attention to them However I also have the belief that the more people know the more they are able to make a decision about how we as a race can progress.
Christine – thank you! WoW! You write with such practical wisdom and insight! I love love love this. You have given such great sage advice on how to keep coming back to the light that you are / centering yourself. And like Lisa says below, it is not a coming back to the light because you are always the light, it is about become the awareness of the light that we are.
I pretty much start my day as you and Lisa do. When I wake up, after vivid dreaming, I lie in bed, place my hand on my heart and say – I am the light of the world. I take a few deep breaths – see myself as the light, in the light and I see the light expanding in and around me. I bring all situations that are in my mind into the light and I ask Holy Spirit to make all things unholy holy.
I love that the Course says – ‘The bringing together of truth and illusion, of the ego and God, is the Holy Spirit’s only function’. So I ask the Holy Spirit to help me with this. This is a new practice for me – and as I learn more of ACIM and really dive deep into the application of the Course, I see my practices shift and fall more into alignment of Truth.
Unlike you, I have periodic times throughout my day (working from home right now so far less interruptions) – I am more scattered in my approach to my check-in periods. However, I like the structure you have – set a lunchtime date with the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the day I check in with how I am feeling, because my feelings tell me if I am off center or not. And then I give to God whatever is troubling me.
In the evening, I am pretty much a relax, let go, watch a movie or two, play scrabble and then head off to bed. When in bed, I check in with my feelings again. I then surrender all that needs to be given to the light and I ask Holy Spirit again to join the unholy with the holy.
Now, as you can see, I have some work to do on my daily practice – far too scattered. Like Lisa, I looooooooove long hot baths – but we cannot have because we have a water shortage (a few years now), so I like to read from the Course first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I am going to give myself 3 months to create a new daily practice and solidify the habit – to live and experience the Course.
Thank you everyone for sharing. This is an experience which I live and no longer only theorize.
I love you all.
Forever learning – always loving – completely forgiven for there is nothing to forgive.
Jenny xoxoxoxoxox