By LaVoice Kallestad
My life before the Course was not necessarily “bad,” but there was a shallowness. Growing up, I was very involved in the Baptist church. My mother made sure that we were at church every time the door opened. However, in college, church was no longer part of my life. In 2001, I told myself, “Maybe that’s what is causing this void feeling.” I was a spiritual butterfly looking for a place to land.
Later that same year, I attended a service at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg, FL. By the end of that first service, I knew that I was home. I began to participate in as many activities as possible. Originally, I had no intention of becoming a Unity teacher, but my teacher strongly encouraged me. I agreed because I realized that in training to be a teacher, I would put more effort into understanding the material.
In 2006, my husband Pete and I relocated to Lexington, SC. I joined the Unity church in nearby Columbia and completed the requirements for licensure in 2007. I served the church teaching classes as a Licensed Unity Teacher, and then, when the minister retired in 2011, I also began delivering the Sunday messages and providing administrative support. In 2013, I was officially hired to be the Spiritual Leader—same duties, but now a paid position. I loved the experience and the board wanted me to remain in this capacity; however, the Holy Spirit had other plans.
One day during my tenure, the thought came to me: Why not introduce A Course in Miracles (the Course) to the congregants? I am sure the Holy Spirit was the source of that thought. I had heard about its benefits and purchased the book at First Unity in Florida. But I had enough on my plate digesting Unity principles, so it remained on my bookshelf untouched. I knew a study group leader by the name of Joy Connor who was steeped in the Course. She agreed to present a six-week introduction to the Course at the church. The book she used was the Foundation for Inner Peace’s version of the Course. After taking her introduction, I started attending the Sunday gatherings in her home to study the Text (the theory). Our group of six were all serious students and my time with them from 2011 until 2017 was a blessing. Thus began my journey with the Course.
Pete and I migrated to Groveland, FL in 2017. The Unity Church in the area also offered A Course in Miracles classes but they were using the Complete and Annotated Edition (CE). I fell in love with the CE version, especially the footnotes, which made it so much easier to understand complicated passages. Later, I joined Course Companions of the Circle of Atonement (the Circle), which further enriched my studies.
The pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me. In the fall of 2020, I enrolled in the Circle’s Study Group Leader Training Program. I was already leading a Course group on Zoom, but it was primarily a discussion group. The study group leader training positively changed my approach. I began to feel a closer connection with God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. I continued to meet weekly with my group for our two-hour gathering, but now I enjoyed the opportunity to delve deeper into the Text. I felt at home. The void within started to wane. When the pandemic restrictions were lifted, I did not return to Unity. While I will be forever grateful for the Unity teachings that laid the foundation for my spiritual path, it was the Course that enriched my journey. I decided that, going forward, A Course in Miracles through the Circle of Atonement would be my spiritual path. I cannot imagine my life without the Course and the Circle. All the teachers and staff are exceptional. I will continue to take advantage of all the offerings because each one is moving me closer to end the journey without distance.
Since making this decision about my path, my life has not always been rosy. Over the last 18-month period, I have experienced personal relationship issues, the death of maternal family members, and health challenges; however, the Course has been both a healer and eye opener of my self and my (higher) Self. I am a work in progress learning how to love like Jesus. I have come a long way but I recognize that there is more work to do. I now have a deeper personal relationship with the Holy Spirit Who is with me always to gently guide me… if I choose to listen. I now have a greater appreciation for my brother Jesus and all my earthly brothers. Whenever I need to consult my moral compass to determine where “true north” is, I ask myself: “What would Jesus do?”
I close by sharing the holy instant practice that I do first thing in the morning. The holy instant is the altar where mind meets Mind. It is my “go to” for answers, guidance, and peace. I recommend it as a great way to start the day.
Take this very instant,
And think of it as the only time there is.
This instant is not one of creation but rather recognition,
For recognition is of vision and suspended judgment.
Nothing can touch me from the past, for it is here that
I am completely absolved, completely free and wholly without condemnation.
Undoing is not my task,
But it is up to me to welcome it.
In this instant where holiness is born,
I go forth in time with no fear and with no sense of change in time.
Thank you, God, for this knowing.
Amen
(Based on Chapter 15, Section I of the Text: “The Two Uses of Time”)
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