This video (part of an ongoing series of which this initial video was an introduction) is part 2 of a 2-part interview (here is part 1) with “Dr. Bob” a.k.a. Dr. Robert Rosenthal and Bruce Rawles about Dr. Bob’s excellent book, From Plagues to Miracles: The Transformational Journey of Exodus, From the Slavery of Ego to the Promise Land of Spirit. Dr. Rosenthal briefly recaps the first half of the book before launching into further insightful detail about the second half of the book and how our spiritual journey is profoundly symbolized by Moses (a metaphor for our right mind) and the Hebrews (associated thoughts) wandering through the wilderness, striving to reach the promised land – the ineffable Oneness we never left, except in dreams. Dr. Bob talks about how we get through the wilderness as akin to resolving post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how our forgiveness classroom purifies our residual ego identity investments:
“Living in slavery under the ego is (like) living in a war zone under continual stress … we get these flashbacks … to ego thinking … and ego styles of coping.”
Other topics from the latter half of his book touched upon in the conversation include:
- Crossing the Red Sea as a spiritual re-birth and a milestone in shifting from insane ego to a sane identity
- Infinite patience for immediate results
- Seeing the desolation of the wilderness of ego’s (residual Pharaoh) thinking
- the manna (What is it?) and water miracles of lovingkindness that sustains us, moment to moment
- the mirages of ego’s fake oases and our ambivalence / resistance to complete release of ego’s lures (nostalgia)
- vicar-ious experience and fear of direct experience of Oneness and ego’s need for intermediaries
- the map is not the territory (level confusion – clinging to form at the expense of content in the mind) and one specific path doesn’t “fit all” … our curriculum is highly individualized, yet draws our awareness to Unity
- the golden calf made from slave wage coins in the shape of a related (Egyptian Neter) idol of the bull
- Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab as a parallel spiritual metaphor to the ego character portrayed by Pharaoh in Exodus
- archetypal challenges, transformations and generalizing; seeing metaphors in cinema, literature, everywhere
- resolving instead of revolving through forgiveness
- Eastern mystical ’emptiness’ resolved through the underlying Oneness of Lovingkindness; we’re all in this together!
- wanderers lost in a consensual delusional dream (see Workbook Lesson 182) and our shared need to awaken
- not reaching the promised land as metaphor for the ultimate goal of ACIM being beyond its curriculum:
“This course is a beginning, not an end. …”
– ACIM Workbook Epilogue (W-Ep.1:1)
Dr. Bob is the co-president of the Foundation for Inner Peace, as well as the author of From Plagues to Miracles (FPTM) which explores the metaphysical metaphors and symbolism of the story of Exodus, available in both paperback and Kindle editions. Listen to numerous interviews with Dr. Bob here as well on Charlotte Spicer’s BlogTalkRadio channel series.
from ACIM Blog – A Course in Miracles Blog
