ACIM, Time, and Bokara

In A Course In Miracles, Jesus says that the Course will save time. The Course has much to say about time. Among the core principles of the Course is the statement that time does not exist. Yet the Course says that the Holy Spirit can make use of time.

Some poeple feel they have no problem understanding time. For them, there is the clock, the watch, the cell phone, or other time-tracking device and what it tells them is the time. Others, like myself, have always felt at odds with time by the clock, and even calendars for that matter.

There have been times when, for example, on waking from sleep I closed my eyes to meditate and one opening my eyes again, felt that hours had passed, but only a few minutes of clock time had advanced. Other times, after what seemed like a few minutes of meditative reverie, a half day had vanished. Maybe time is more elastic than we think. Or, as Einstein said (paraphrased), "what time it is depends on where you are."

The Course says that the nearer something is, the more likely we are to think of the distance in terms of space. For example, of two people sitting across a table from each other, we acknowledge that a spatial distance of two to three feet exists between them. We might use a term like "arms length" or acknowledge a distance of "eye contact" to be somewhere between very close to across a room. Of a friend living in another geographic area, we might say the friend is 250 miles away or 5 hours away. It is amusing that we can state the distance between the earth and the sun in terms of miles, but also the time it takes for the sun's light to reach the earth. The distance of things further away are is stated in terms of time, light-years.

But what is this time the Course claims to save us? By following the exercises outlined in the Course, we save search time and experience a state of timelessness, peace, and oneness. The experience of this state is the goal of many spiritual practices. The Course states that a universal theology is not possible, but a universal experience is not only possible, but necessary. Therefore, the Course is not the only way to reach this experience, but the Course comes to you "in a language you can love and understand." If this is the Course for you, fine; if not, there are other ways to reach this experience. The Course says that we can experience eternity in exchange for a few minutes of our time. Does the Course shorten or lengthen our life-time here? Probably neither, in most cases.

How much time does the Course take? Let's see. A few weeks to a few months to read the text. I remember the first time I read A Course In Miracles. I felt, right away, that this set of books was the end of a lifetime of spiritual searching. I did not want to stop reading it, but as I neared the last few chapters, I read slower because I didn't want it to end. Then there is the Workbook, which is given in 365 daily lessons. Those lessons might take more than a year though; one might want to stay on one lesson more than one day, or skip a day here and there. So, all together, a couple of years of study, at least. Someone might start the Course and put it away for a long time before getting back to it. It is a required Course because everyone will have this universal experience at some point, but the time you take it is your own. Free will is always ours. The power of decision is always ours.

I subscribe to a podcast called The Moth1. It's a story telling podcast. There was one in the series that I heard around the time I started this web site. I thought it was hilarious and fantastic, fantastic in the sense of incredulous. But The Moth podcasts are supposed to be "true stories, told without notes, before a live audience." I had to listen to it more than once.

You can listen to the single podcast of Bokara Legendre below, or subscribe to The Moth's podcast with Bokara Legendre, The Magic Bus story.

When I first listened to this story, I thought, "Well, that is one long way around to the universal experience." But the Course is also a life-time endeavor.

Who was the woman, Bokara Legendre, who told this story, I wanted to know and I wanted to meet her. I had to search the internet to find out that she hosted a series called, Lunch with Bokara in which she hosted guests from monks to rabbis, Ram Dass to researchers, and scientists to philosophers. She also produced talk shows in Washington, DC, and Palm Beach, FL; hosted talk shows in San Francisco and and New York City; was a performer; a reporter; and an artist. She is writing a book on her interests in shamanism, native traditions, and eastern spiritual practices.

By The Way, Bokara, I need a bus, too.
Book tour? I'll drive.

1. 1. The Moth Podcast