E-Newsletter                July 2016
TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE

There are generally only two types of experiences we usually have on earth: "good experiences" and "bad experiences." Good experiences typically are the ones where we feel good, loved, appreciated, creative, hopeful, and healthy. Bad experiences typically are the ones where we feel bad, unloved, unappreciated, stuck, hopeless, and unhealthy. 

But there's actually a third type of experience: Bad experiences that we change into a good experience--or at least as good as it can be. People often refer to this as "turning lemons into lemonade."

And let's not forget, however, that none of this is random; the type of experience we have (good or bad) is a choice--even though it may not feel like it in the moment. Whether we have good experiences or bad ones, they can only come from choices we've made. In other words, our experiences are the outcome or effects of our previous decisions in life--conscious or unconscious. We traditionally refer to the results of such decisions as "good karma" and "bad karma."

As we learn to recognize our part in life's lessons, we then empower ourselves to turn even the worst experiences into potentially positive ones--mainly by making different choices. 

The types of choices we often make that end up manifesting as negative experiences can include any of the following (and more):
  • Failing to start and end each day in communion with God--even if for 5 minutes 
  • What we believe about ourselves and others (i.e. judgments and opinions) 
  • Not choosing to complete our healing related to wounds of the past
  • Believing someone or something outside ourselves can offer us anything of value
  • Failing to recognize, integrate, and give thanks for lessons from past experiences
  • Not taking responsibility--which means we have no power to make a different choice 
  • Not making a different choice, a better choice--choosing again
  • Choosing to judge or hate instead of to love and forgive
So what is it in us that would make such self destructive choices? We could attribute it to laziness, stubbornness, hurt/anger, and so on. But in a word, it really comes down to "EGO." Our ego was the one who convinced us in the first place to make any of the poor choices noted above and then convinced us to create the karmic effects of our poor choices. In so doing, the ego keeps us trapped in "lose-lose scenarios" and even succeeds in keeping us from noticing it.

But when life seems to give us "lemons," there are three distinctly different ways that people handle such things (each being a progression forward):
  • Being tired of having so many lemons (lessons) and throwing them away--those of us who act like victims and react poorly to life's lessons
  • Beginning to search for different uses for the lemons--those of us who begin to take responsibility and grow from our experiences 
  • Mastering our use of the lemons--those of us who emerge from life's tests and end up turning life's lessons into the greatest gifts possible 
The bottom line is that "life happens." But it doesn't happen TO us; It happens WITH us or FOR us. Life reflects our inner and outer choices but can be seen as a gift since, whatever it shows us, can help us make different choices, thus changing what we will experience tomorrow. Of course making different, healthier choices does not always reveal a better world immediately. Sometimes gifts will be seen (or felt) in seconds and other times it might be delayed until another life. But it's still worth the effort to create these changes because it's the only way to change the effects (bad days) set into motion from our bad decisions in the past AND prevent ourselves from creating more of those bad days for the future. 

One thing is certain, however, and that is that what we experience in our lives is a choice but not a choice we are usually aware of, nor one we are used to making. But as we begin to live the life of a master on the spiritual path, instead of being a victim, we clearly learn to step up and begin to "create our own reality"--not so much in a form that we see so often mis-used in the New Age community, but rather in a form that reflects our willing to release our ego and begin to "co-create a reality" that reflects the loving and positive gifts of God. 

About Michael Mirdad: Michael Mirdad is a world-renowned spiritual teacher, healer, and author. He has worked as a healer and counselor for over 30 years and is the author of the best-selling books, The Seven Initiations on the Spiritual PathYou're Not Going Crazy...You're Just Waking Up!Healing the Heart & Soul, An Introduction to Tantra and Sacred SexualityCreating Fulfilling Relationships and his new book, The Heart of A Course in MiraclesHe has also been the Spiritual Leader at Unity of Sedona for nearly five years. Michael is respected as one of the finest and most diverse healers of our time and for his ability to share the deepest teachings in a clear, applicable manner. Explore his 
~ANNOUNCEMENTS~

 Returning to the Heart of A Course in Miracles
A 12-week Online Intensive with Michael Mirdad

Based on the 12 Primary Concepts of A Course in Miracles, this online course is an incredible way for beginners or advanced students on the spiritual path to learn the deepest teachings found in the Course and beyond. Each week, a new topic will be presented and discussed during a live call with Michael Mirdad, followed by a question and answer period. The format will encourage the students ability to understand (and integrate) the lesson of the week. Exercises and homework assignments will be included and discussed the following week. Students will also receive weekly study-guides and will be invited to join a special online FaceBook group for mid-week discussions with other participants in the course. 
 
Topics include:
  • Creating Miracles
  • Having a God Day: Starting the Day with God
  • How It All Began: Bliss & Oneness vs. Separation
  • Love vs. Fear
  • God's Holy Spirit vs. the Ego
  • Forgiveness vs. Judgment
  • Innocence vs. Guilt and Shame
  • Reality vs. Illusion
  • Responsibility vs. Projecting
  • The Spiritual World vs. The Material World
  • The Unlimited Soul vs. The Limited Body
  • How It All Ends: Holy Relationships vs. Special Relationships  
EARLY REGISTRATION:
Regular price - $495 - Special early registration price - $449
Class is scheduled to begin this fall! Please register here.
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MICHAEL'S NEW RELEASE!!!
Michael Mirdad provides a profound yet easy to follow guide to understanding and applying the 12 primary concepts of A Course in Miracles. Michael walks us through the Course's concepts such as Oneness vs. Separation, Love vs. Fear, God's Holy Spirit vs. the Ego, Reality vs. Illusion and so much more. This book will take you from confusion to clarity, from intellectual understanding to practical application, from drifting to a daily spiritual devotion. 

Get yours on amazon today and be sure to rate it and write a review

Another rave review for Michael's new book, The Heart of A Course in Miracles:
I first want to comment on the aesthetics of the book. It is the perfect book size making it very comfortable to hold and read. I have been a Course in Miracles student for many years and am currently facilitating a study group. As with other students of ACIM, there came a moment in my mind in which I realized that ACIM is a compilation of every book, every thought out there, sharing the Truth of who we really are, the Oneness of our Being. However, as simple as the Truth is, understanding the layers upon layers of information provided through the Course can be very daunting. There are many books written to simplify the process of learning the content of A Course in Miracles--most being too analytical or intellectual. While helpful to a certain degree, I was looking for more. To truly understand what we are learning/have learned, we have to experience these principles through their use in our daily lives. And they have to resonate in a way that facilitates daily practice. When a person experiences the peace, the joy, and the sense of oneness that comes from the Christ in themselves extended to the Christ in others (the Holy Encounter/Instant ... the miracle in ACIM) if even for one moment in time, it creates a yearning in them to experience it more. And with that, continued experience, begins to come the understanding of all that the Course is. Michael's book is written from the Heart space and I believe the Soul purpose of this book is to empower us to experience the Course in just this way. And when we begin to master the primary principles he walks us through in his book, our experiences will allow us deeper understanding into A Course in Miracles. The Heart of ACIM is meant to touch our hearts, allow us to feel, to experience that return to Love (our right mindedness), and to allow God's miracles into our lives. Because the more love we feel, the more we open ourselves to receive, the more we extend to others, the greater and stronger our connection to each other and All That Is. 
~KL
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OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL MIRDAD

Creating Fulfilling Relationships
Relationships are at the core of all that we experience in this world. Every thought, feeling, word, and action is motivated by our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. This book is about making all relationships (not just partnerships) healthy and fulfilling. It's about being centered in our True Self, committing to self-healing, and sharing fulfilling relationships with others. 

Healing the Heart & Soul
Healing bookcover
Healing the Heart & Soul offers the essential ingredients for personal, life transformation, as well as providing a deeper understanding as to why some people don't seem to heal. It also covers the roles of forgiveness, mirroring, and miracles in relation to healing. Then it shares the specific technique of the five-step, Soul-Level Healing Process that will, in nearly every case, uncover the "real" cause (or causes) hidden behind any particular challenge or problem.

You're Not Going Crazy...You're Just Waking Up!
book11
In this book Michael Mirdad explains why the challenges in your life (and in your heart) may make you feel as though you're "going crazy." The Five Stages of the Soul Transformation Process guide you through such challenges (including the "dark night of the soul") and lead you to the "Light at the end of the tunnel," wherein you gain a new perspective of your life, yourself, and your purpose. The Soul Transformation Process includes: 1) Dismantling, 2) Emptiness, 3) Disorientation, 4) Re-building, and 5) A New Life. 

Most of Michael's books are ALSO available on Amazon Kindle. 

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TESTIMONIAL

I loved the wonderful messages of love, forgiveness, and release Michael shared at the special Holiday Father's Day services. To see him interact with the children who attended was a precious gift to all who were there and witnessed. When he spoke to them, cared about their comfort and offered them a coloring book, he was the Father we all needed and need in our lives--especially me. Then when he did a spontaneous reading for the woman's baby (which had not been born yet), he clearly told them things (including the gender of the baby) that they felt were accurate--words we all needed to hear. That moment and that family's presence brought us all back to the beginning of life and all the wonders it can hold. His presence, words, wisdom and love for each and every one of us is beyond measure.
--LS, AZ
 
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