When the ego tries to get an A in spirituality

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Subject: When the ego tries to get an A in spirituality

May 16, 2026

Hello Mighty Companion,

You don’t need to master A Course in Miracles — you need to use it. That’s where the ego gets nervous. The ego can study the Course, memorize the lesson, quote a section, and still avoid living it. It can even try to become the valedictorian of A Course in Miracles. But Lesson 71 is very simple: “Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”

The ego’s plan always sounds like this: “If this were different, I’d be happy.” If they acted differently, if the money changed, if the relationship changed, if the world finally got itself together — then I could have peace. That plan has one tiny little problem: it does not work. And we know it does not work because we have tried it. Repeatedly. With enthusiasm.

So today, don’t worry about being spiritually impressive. Just notice where you are still looking outside yourself for happiness. When the grievance shows up, pause and ask the questions from the lesson:

“What would You have me do?
Where would You have me go?
What would You have me say, and to whom?”

That is where the Course becomes practical. That is where willingness begins.

If you’d like to join a community where the ego’s intellectual pursuits take a back seat to heart, Spirit, and real practice, I invite you to join the Mighty Companions Miracle Community with an annual membership that provides live gatherings, weekly Study Guide Journals, unlisted ACIM playlists, the Language of Love Glossary, and exclusive workshops to support you in applying A Course in Miracles to your everyday life.

Come join us in community.

Sundays at 1:00 pm MST.
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(Doors open at 12:30 PM)

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With love and appreciation,
Earl

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Every month, Earl and the Mighty Companion Miracle Community Members join is a 90-minute LIVE Zoom call to explore practical ways to apply ACIM to real life situations.

The featured video for this past week was:

Why Only God's Plan for Your Happiness Will Work | A Course in Miracles W-71 | Earl Purdy

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Practical Miracles

It’s hard to believe we are nearly halfway through the year — and nearly halfway through the A Course in Miracles Workbook lessons. Graduation season reminds us how much the world values intellect, achievement, and credentials.

There is nothing wrong with learning, but the Course was never meant to stay in the mind alone. It was meant to help us meet real life with more peace, honesty, and guidance.

That is where a Clarity Session can help. In a focused one-on-one conversation, we look together at the real-life situation that feels heavy, confusing, or blocked and begin applying the Course right there — not as theory, but as a practical way to shift perception, release fear, and listen for guidance.

For ongoing support, Coaching & Mentoring helps you apply A Course in Miracles to relationships, decisions, fears, and grievances as they arise. With more than 50 years of studying and living these teachings, my focus is helping you turn insight into practice — so peace becomes something you experience now, not just understand intellectually.

Here are ways we can keep growing together:

Thank you for walking this journey with me.

When the Ego Tries to Become Spiritually Impressive

You don’t need to master A Course in Miracles—you need to use it. Sometimes the ego doesn’t resist by rejecting the Course. Instead, it tries to be spiritually impressive—analyzing everything but avoiding simple application. Let’s be clear: this isn’t about impressing anyone. It’s about willingness.

The Ego’s Spiritual “Graduation”

The ego loves to turn everything into a competition—even spirituality. It’s not content with peace; it wants to be the best at peace. But the Course isn’t asking you to be advanced. It’s asking you to practice. Instead of trying to “graduate,” we need to apply.

The Ego’s Plan: “If This Were Different...”

Now, let’s talk about the ego’s plan for happiness. It’s always external. If someone else changed, I’d be happy. If circumstances shifted, I’d be at peace. We all know how that goes. No matter how many times you rearrange the externals, if the mind doesn’t shift, you’ll face the same patterns again. The ego’s plan never provides lasting peace.

✨ Astrology for May 16–23: New Moon, New Vision

The week opens with the New Moon in Taurus on May 16, planting seeds for a six-month growth cycle around stability, self-worth, values, money, the body, and what you are ready to build in a more grounded way. This is a quieter kind of beginning — one that asks you to slow down and notice what kind of happiness you actually want to root into your daily life.

That same day, Mars meets Chiron in Aries, which can bring up tender places around identity, anger, courage, and the need to prove yourself. Then, as Mercury moves into Gemini on May 17, where it stays through June 1, the mind gets quicker. Ideas, conversations, questions, and insights may come fast — especially with Mercury connecting to Uranus that same day. This is excellent energy for learning, writing, teaching, and seeing things differently, but it can also tempt you to scatter, compare, or think your way around what you already know you need to practice.

By May 19, Venus sextile Mars softens the tone and supports warmth, connection, creativity, and cooperation. Then the end of the week gets more sensitive and unpredictable as Venus squares Neptune around May 21–23 and the Sun meets Uranus on May 22. Hearts may feel more open, but clarity may come in flashes rather than straight lines.

So let this week plant the seed, quicken the mind, soften the heart, and wake up what is ready to change — without turning every insight into overthinking. Keep coming back to what is useful, grounded, and true.

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