On Sunday May 6, 2012, Scott Grace addressed the congregation at the Community Miracles Center in San Francisco, CA. Scott is a well know spiritual musician and teacher who always works a lot of humor into his songs and presentations. He has performed widely throughout the A Course In Miracles community, at workshops and conferences for many years. What follows is a lightly edited transcription of his lecture.

Tony, I’m going to start out with a song, because the Dr. Seuss presentation needs a little foreplay in the form of a song, to get you ready. This song is from my latest CD “Something New” which was birthed in 2004.  Ha! (A loud exclamation from Scott.) That was awhile ago. I can’t believe that was my latest CD. I’ve been busy with other things. (Scott recently became a devoted, loving, and proud father.)

There is a remedy for any ill
It’s over the counter and it’s not in a pill
When you’re all hot and bothered it will get you to chill
With no side effects at all.

A little levity, when you’re not at your best
A little levity, when life is hard to digest
It puts the Rolaids to your acid test
So come on now and get some relief.

I have some allergies but not to hay
My ego breaks out when things don’t go my way
But I need no antihistamine to save the day
My cure is already inside.

A little levity when you’re in distress
A little levity when your mind is a mess
When you forget the lyrics to your own, confess
And ask Holy Spirit to fill them in.

There’s enough, heavy stuff
Raining down on you and me
May I suggest a lighter consciousness
Loosing weight through levity.

If telemarketers pay you a call
Don’t let them drive you up the wall
Pretend that it’s phone sex and have a ball
In no time they’ll be getting off.

A little levity, when you’re running amuck
A little levity, when your hair day sucks
A little dab will do more than enough
To smooth our your split ends.

A little levity, it’s how angels fly
A little levity, it’s gonna get you high
Blow all your worries a big kiss good-bye
A little levity makes gravity fun.

A little levity when you’re feeling down
A little levity ...

So I’m sitting there thinking, “Do I want to do a song? What song would be appropriate for this talk?” I heard the words, “A Little Levity.” So, I did it! Most of it.

Wow, this is so exciting. I’m so glad to be here. Forget my name, I’m not Scott Grace for the next few minutes I am the next incarnation of Dr. Seuss. If you can imagine if Dr. Seuss was on the loose and speaking at this church I bet we’d find his talk would rhyme a lot like the following verse.

Gather my friends, ‘cuz the end times are here
Not the end of the world, but the end of your fear.
So turn off the lights, make it dark now, I dare you!
Stick around for awhile and I’m gonna “unscare” you.
Now when you were young and most things were quite swell
Fear knocked on your door with a product to sell.
And like most good salesmen he cast quite a spell
While selling insurance called, “All Is Not Well.”

Now “All Is Not Well” came in its own case
The case that there’s danger all over the place.
And after you bought it, your “All Is Not Well”
You felt it your duty to share and to tell.
And so mouth to mouth was how Fear procreated
With no YouTube or Facebook to disseminate it.
Fear soon went viral all over the globe
Using old time religion to dispense and promote.
Because Fear knew the way to get globally big
Was to drive a false wedge between God and his kid.
And that’s how he came to be so domineering
By replacing God loving with “You must be God fearing!’

Then fear and religion began co-creating
And cooked up a symbol of Fear they called Satan.
As if infinite Love had a worthy opponent
With pitchfork in hand who could strike any moment.
The concept was great for maintaining control
Making people behave as if they’re on parole.
‘Cuz when God fearing people are scared for their souls
They put much more silver and gold in the bowls.

So business was booming and Fear kept on spreading
And Fear loved the credit the Devil was getting.
For Fear itself likes to stay hidden from view
And play hide and seek in its house which is you.
“I’m not afraid, I’m just angry!” It shouts
“I’ve been mistreated and need to speak out!”
“I’m not afraid, I’m upset and I’m caring.”
There’s so many disguises that Fear enjoys wearing.
He’s proud of his wardrobe because he designed it
Though he wouldn’t admit it Fear’s quite “clothes-minded.”

So he doesn’t realize that he’s often dressed funny
Wear layers of worry looking like a stress bunny.
And when you’re not looking he dresses you too
In stress bunny outfits that don’t become you.
‘Cuz when you wear worry it wears tight and stiff
From statically clinging to imagined “What ifs?”
Worse case scenarios fill your projector
Then Fear says, “Don’t worry. I’ll be your protector.”
He shows you his life insurance policy
And says, “Here’s what you get when you sign up with me.
“You get top notch, around the clock, security
“An arm and alarm system on your body
“And if you’re harassed I’m your personal bouncer.
“And for making decisions I’ll be your guidance counselor.
“No more will I let you take risks that could hurt you.
“Just stick with me kid I will never dessert you.
“Now all of your loved ones have already signed.
“But be a black sheep. Join the flock. You’ll be fine!”

So you signed up and breathed a big sigh of relief
‘Cuz you thought you’d feel safer with Fear as your chief.
But the contract had fine print too fine to be seen
You didn’t read the clause that denied you your dreams.
From then on, heart’s desires that came to be birthed
Were blocked by your fears before they could reach Earth.
It seems your new policy’s whole life protection
Was more birth controlling than most contraception.
How could you conceive of a life more abundant
With fear in your ear like a cable news pundit
Who’s yelling, “I’m telling the truth – fair and balanced!”
While drowning out most of your love, gifts and talents.

Now Fear says, “Get real!” That’s his bottom line thing
And Fear learned what’s real from his friend, Stephen King.
Whose collection of books make outstanding addictions
As long as you realize you are reading fiction.
Which is what you can do with your own fear collection
Just transfer them to your mind’s fiction section.
‘Cuz no matter how gripping a tale Fear can tell
It’s original premise that all is not well
Is a bit topsy-turvy in this universe
And deserves to be laughed off the face of the Earth.
And while you are laughing you let in the light
Which makes Fear pack his bags and get on the next flight.
‘Cuz he needs to feel needed and when you choose joy
Well then Fear has no place but to be unemployed.

Fear used to feel needed when lions were chasing you
Gathering speed with intentions of tasting you.
But now-a-days all of the lions we find
Are fictional cats roaming round in our minds.
And when you stop feeding the cats in your head
They just go away ‘cuz they’re not getting fed.
And with a clear head you are free now to choose
A channel that’s broadcasting much better news.
So you get off the coach and turn off the T.V.
And tune into W.L.O.V.E.
It’s got no commercials and nothing to sell
Just a steady reminder that all is quite well.
And all is quite well is insurance enough
You’re already covered by a plan you can trust.
You’ve got Universal, the original plan
And there’s never a moment when you’re not in good hands.
You’re no longer buying Fear’s insurance scam
‘Cuz you know every moment you’re safe in God’s hands.

So this is the end of the world, are you ready?

I had a conversation last week with somebody who was saying, “Oh the kids now-a-days, they have to grow up and they’re afraid of global warming. They’re afraid of catastrophes. They’re afraid of all these global, galactic things! How terrible!” And I said, “I don’t think it’s anything new. When I was growing up there were end of the world fears. I used to wake up in the middle of the night terribly scared of a nuclear holocaust. I was constantly afraid of the end of the world when I was little.

We’d go into these public schools, and they would have shelter drills, these nuclear drills, where we’d go in halls and sit against walls and cover our heads between our knees. Then I’d go home and learn that we’d all be instantly vaporized if there was actually a nuclear explosion. (laughter) What is this crouching going to do to help? It just didn’t make sense and I knew they weren’t telling me the whole truth.  That increased my fear, so I grew up with the fear of the end of the world.

Then I started studying A Course In Miracles in 1981. I read what it said about the end of the world** and I started looking forward to the end of the world. I started getting excited, “Oh ho! The end of the world! The end of the world!”

And now I experience the end of the world as already happened. It’s a done deal. It’s gone. The world is no more. It doesn’t exist in my world. It’s just a movie screen that shows me what I’m thinking. As soon as I start thinking anything that causes me pain, as soon as I start to tighten up in my thoughts. I know it because I start to feel lousy! I start to feel angry, scared. I start to feel tense. That feeling tells me what I’m thinking. So the greatest and most important question I’m asking myself these days is, “What was I thinking!?” But not in a judgmental way. More like, “What was I just thinking that caused me to feel this tension?” More importantly, “How can I give what I was just thinking to the Holy Spirit, so I’m no longer thinking it.” And it’s very simple, all I have to do is recognize that it hurts and that I can trade it in for a newer model. “Ouch!” is the greatest and one of the most wonderful things an ego can feel. “Ouch.” This hurts. I choose to release it.

It reminds me of that game I used to play as a kid, named Hot Potato. You pretend that whatever you are tossing is so hot, that you can’t hold it. Why would you want to hold something that’s burning you. You toss it, hot potato. You toss it. Why would you want to hold onto a thought that’s hurting you? As soon as you recognize it’s a burning sensation you toss it. “Holy Spirit take it – ouch!” “Boom” Righteous anger. “Boom” Hurts me! “Fear, anxiety” Hurts, ouch! I would release it. I give it up.

I would say the whole journey we’re on with A Course In Miracles, is just about learning to recognize the ouch and the willingness to give it up. We do that faster and faster. I don’t really know of anybody who doesn’t have the ouches, the ego, and the ego thoughts, but what I do see is that there are people, including myself, who have learned to give them up faster and faster. People who have learned to say, “Ouch. This hurts and I am not deserving of this pain.” There’s no reason to suffer. It doesn’t serve me and it doesn’t serve the universe to hold onto this thought a moment longer.

The hardest part for me has been recognizing that my painful feelings, whatever they are: fear, anger, sadness,  ... are caused, not by something outside of me, not by some other person saying something or doing something, not by the amount of money, or the lack of money, but by my thoughts. And it’s so simple. It’s so outrageous because there’s no teaching, no person ... nobody in the world would give you support for taking that much responsibility. It’s radical. It really means the end of the world. It means the end of the world as you know it to take that much responsibility for how you feel and what you’re thinking.

For me, it means taking a fast from watching so much T.V., watching the news, reading the news, listening to people who are insane, as if their opinions matter. So it has been a very valuable thing for me to disengage from the insane world so I can start to choose, and to own, my thoughts more frequently. Then I come back into the world and I read the newspaper and I bless. Rather than freak out, agree or disagree, get scared, go into an agreement that the world is a painful place ... any of that. The only purpose I would ever read the newspaper, or listen to the news, or go into a political argument, is so that I – with my holy mind – would offer a blessing to those who are experiencing pain. Also, because I find it fun. I find it a blast, because I’m not attached. I’m having fun. This is a playground. It’s like a maze, a miraculous maze of illusion. It’s a fun house. When you’re not stuck in the illusion, then the illusion becomes a fun house and you begin to have a happy dream.

So we say the journey is being child-like – because you’re a child – (Scott laughs) on this journey the mind is free and innocent and there’s lots of wonderful rhymes, and playfulness, and levity. And then go into the world like the Buddha did. See the pain, absorb it. Get that ego going. Experience suffering. Give your suffering to the Holy Spirit and start to experience levity again, the medicine of lightness. Being the light of the world. Being in the world but not of it. Now I would say that I am having my childhood again, except this time without the dysfunction.

I think I’m done! (applause)

“The world will end in joy because it is a place of sorrow. When joy has come, the purpose of the world has gone. The world will end in peace because it is a place of war. When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world? The world will end in laughter because it is a place of tears. Where there is laughter, who can longer weep?” (OrEd.Mn.14.5)

To watch a video of Scott performing his Dr. Seuss rhyme go to the following web page:
http://youtu.be/_WyjuLA5qlw Y

Scott Grace can be contacted at scott@scottsongs.com
To find out more about Scott Grace, his music and his teaching go to: <http://www.scottsongs.com/>.

This article appeared in the May 2012 (Vol. 26 No.3) issue of Miracles Monthly. Miracles Monthly is published by Community Miracles Center in San Francisco, CA. CMC is supported solely by people just like you who: become CMC Supporting Members, Give Donations and Purchase Books and Products through us.