Why Am I Unsure of My Asking of the Holy Spirit?

When you are first learning to take direction from the Holy Spirit you still have ego valuing going on. The Course explains it this way; you first decide the answer and then ask the question. The only way to truly take direction from the Holy Spirit is not to value the outcome. The only thing that would value or prefer an outcome would be the ego or the child. The ego is delighted when you value or prefer something in the illusion because its fondest desire is that you make the illusion and therefore it and the separation real. By valuing something you are making it real by definition. Your true Self wouldn’t value an illusory nothing. So no matter how small the preference, it is a valuing of the separation. If we are to be directed by the Holy Spirit we must learn not to value the outcome of the illusion.

Also, remember that when you do value or prefer something you are not doing it as an adult in the present. Your child self is always valuing or preferring something in the past. You are never in the now while valuing or preferring.

In addition, valuing is not always – I want something some way. It can also show up in the negative. I don’t want something some way. To judge anything as negative or positive, desirable or undesirable is to make it real and can only be done by a child in the past. Judgment makes the illusion real, the character real, and the separation real. We will either, at every moment, either judge or forgive. Valuing or preferring anything is not forgiveness.

Our job is forgiveness. Our job is to not make it real. Our job is to realize that we are not the self that is making it real or valuing or preferring.

To further enlighten us, let’s discuss what we’ll call “the Confab Principle”. Imagine that I ask you a question. Let’s say, “What would you like to eat for dinner?” You can go in one of two directions for the answer. You can either go to the tribunal of Huckle, Muckle, Fuckle and Pruckle, heretofore known as the Confab or you can go to the Holy Spirit. If you go to the Confab they will argue, sometimes viciously, about the answer, weigh all possible scenarios determining which will be the most satisfying and best way to please the ego. Then they will give you your marching orders and have you go “sell” the answer. You will be attached to the answer because you think it is you. Based on which character wins the screaming match or the war you will give an answer to the question from a child about something in childhood, thinking you are talking about the present.

The Confab is always coaching you and you are always taking direction from the Confab unless you are actively soliciting counsel from, listening to, and acting upon counsel from the Holy Spirit. You can be sure you are carrying out the Confab’s orders if there is any dis-ease, any negative emotion, or any twinge of discomfort or uncertainty. It is easier to recognize Confab coaching with Muckle and Fuckle than with Huckle and Pruckle. Huckle and Pruckle always seem to be rational and in the present. You must be alert to the nuances between “clarity” and Huckle and Pruckle.

Taking coaching from the ego is a hard habit to break. It is as if you have a radio in your head that is always tuned to the same station and the music is always playing so we don’t even notice it. The volume is cranked up on the ego radio station and the Holy Spirit radio station can be easily drowned out. We must continually examine our voices so we can learn to easily distinguish between the voices of the characters and the Voice of the Holy Spirit. In the beginning it might be helpful to assume that you are always asking advice from the Confab. Keep examining and learning the distinctions between your voices. The ego doesn’t want us examining ego thinking. I can’t think of a better reason to. Thanks ego. Keep telling us what not to do and we will do it.