Asking for More

When I was growing up, we were taught '"I want" doesn't get.' But now the fashion has swung right the other way. The message today is: 'Follow your dream, do what you love, go for it, the sky's the limit.' So you are free to ask, what do I want? In fact, it is essential, for if you do not know what you want, how can you make decisions at all? But we can be conflicted about what we want, let alone about asking for it.

We are all incomplete and striving for completion. Even if we know that what we want is something intangible - like a happier state of mind - we still look for specific solutions to fix any lack as we experience it. From the large needs we all know - for food, for money, for supportive relationships, for health, for shelter and warmth - to the minor and personal ones like wanting to paint your room a different colour or get a new umbrella to replace the one you left on the train, we are always wanting something.

But we may not know what exactly, or why, or how much we want it, or what to do about it. In this workshop we will look at all of these; along with the meaning of scarcity and abundance, the power of the mind to choose, and what the choices are. What is the connection between the ambiguous granting of wishes in fairy stories, the lilies of the field, the famous scene in Oliver Twist and the two voices described in A Course in Miracles: one which gleefully whispers 'Seek and do not find' (T12 IV 1), and the even more silent one which promises 'If you ask you will receive' (T11 VIII 5)?

What do you want, what do you not want, how can you know what is best for you anyway - and where do such questions lead you? Begin writing your wish-list now! for it will keep changing as you get closer to the heart of what you want.

Saturday 8th November

10.30 am to 2.30 pm

31 Harrow Way, Andover SP10 3RQ

£35  

Let me know if you would like to come and have not already booked. Please send your payment in advance to confirm a place.

I can send you an easy Paypal invoice by email, or my bank details for online transfer; or send your cheque made out to Anna Powell, to 31 Harrow Way, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3RQ. Thank you!

See you soon.

The Two Uses of Time

The latest series of workshops is all about the power of choice. In our world we are spoiled for choice, ever pressed to make decisions, vote between one uncertainty and another. But what choices do you really have, on what basis do you choose between them, and in the end, what difference does it make? We will be looking at how the radical teaching of A Course in Miracles points past all our doubts, desires, striving and moral arguments to the peace that comes with one single certain thought: The truth is true. Nothing else matters, nothing else is real, and everything beside it is not there (T14 II 3.3).

But what has that to do with your actual experience, when the washing machine breaks down or your money has run out, when the kids are screaming or your relationship has gone cold, when you are lonely, sad, sick or in pain? Everything! this is a very practical course, and one that means exactly what it says (T8 IX 8). These workshops are about finding a better way of thinking, and of living wholeheartedly from the reality in you outwards. Within a small informal group, whether you are a Course student or not, here is an opportunity to discuss and consider some of its far-reaching ideas and see for yourself the transformative effect they can have.

The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world. You can decide to see it right (T12 VII 9).

The workshops begin on Saturday October 11th with The Two Uses of Time. Time is 'meaningless', 'a vast illusion', only 'a little hindrance to eternity'...But try telling that to your boss, or turning up late for an important appointment. The Course does not ask us to contort our thinking to try and believe the impossible, or to deny the reality we live in: since you do believe in it, why should you waste it going nowhere, when it can be used to reach a goal as high as learning can achieve? (T26 V 2).

All workshops are held at 31 Harrow Way, Andover SP10 3RQ - please ask if you would like directions. The railway station is conveniently close, and for anyone coming from London there is a train from Waterloo around 9.50.

Doors open from just after 10 am, to give people time to arrive and have a cup of coffee or tea before the workshop starts at 10.30. Please bring something to contribute to a shared lunch. We will stop for lunch around 12.30 for an hour, then continue with discussion and questions until the workshop ends at 2.30 pm.

Numbers are limited, so if you have not booked already please let me know if you would like to come. Each workshop is £35 for the day, or only £180 if you book in advance for the series. Please send cheques made out to Anna Powell to 31 Harrow Way, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3RQ, or email me for an easy Paypal invoice or for bank details.

Thank you! See you soon.