The Peace That Comes Through Trust

An Exclusive Interview

(Permission to reprint from Sounds True - www.soundstrue.com)

Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira are living proof of the power of A Course in Miracles to completely transform our lives. A teaching couple and international workshop leaders, Nouk and Tomas specialize in translating the wisdom of the Course into a practical path to enlightenment. We spoke to them about their new audio-learning program The Miracle of Trust (produced by Sounds True), and what can happen when we surrender control of our lives to the will of the divine.

Sounds True: What do you mean when you use the term “trust”?

Tomas Vieira: What we’re talking about is transferring our trust from our limited concept of self—this person, all it’s learned, and the importance we place in that—to the part of us that is connected to the divine and to the eternal. This puts us in touch with a source that knows infinitely more than we could ever possibly know in one short lifetime. Within the context of the Course, we’re talking about withdrawing trust from the illusion not only of ourselves but of this world, and placing it in the everlasting, in the non-changing, in the all-knowing part of ourselves.

Some people might say, “Well, isn’t it naïve to remove a trust that’s been built on knowledge gathered over a lifetime, with access to information through history and books?” Yes, but here we’re talking about withdrawing trust in anything outside or based on the past—because that’s all it is, past information. This is about placing trust in what we call “the Teacher within” who knows right now. So it’s actually a more secure base of operation because of two things: one, you’re placing trust within; and two, you’re placing it with the divine.

ST: “Ego” is the term often used to describe the more familiar base of operation. What does the transfer of trust reveal about the ego?

Nouk Sanchez: What we learn is that we are not the ego. Before we start the journey of awakening, we believe that we are the ego—or the “I,” the self that is separate from everyone and everything, including God. As we undo that belief, we realize that we have a choice: we can choose either the inner Teacher, or the ego’s voice. We can make this choice in every minute, day by day, until ultimately we no longer choose to listen to ego. There’s no obliteration of the ego, as some people might think; there’s just a gentle falling away of ego when we no longer choose it.

ST: How do we tell the difference between the voice of the ego and the inner Teacher?

TV: It’s actually very easy. When we listen to the voice of the ego, there will be an increase in fear; listen to what the Teacher within has to say and trust that, and you experience the contrast: a strange sense of peace. This is not to say that when you consult the Teacher within, there won’t be some discomfort at first. Because, after all, it is for most people a new pathway. But watch for that sense of peace; that’s when you know you’re on the right track.

ST: Is this experience related to what the Course calls "the holy instant?"

NS: A Course in Miracles is founded upon the principle that we’ve never left the perfect oneness of love. We've forgotten this in the perceptional paradigm we call “the world" and "my life." There is nothing apart from God’s absolute love, except in a dream of false beliefs. The holy instant is when we remember in the here and now that the only thing that matters is love. It's when the inner Teacher helps to shift our perception in a miraculous way. And we’re entitled to these miracles every day and every minute of our lives.

ST: So even if the ego says that you don’t know what the hell you're doing, if you experience peace by following the inner Teacher, you’re on the right path?

TV: Yes, and that peace includes the understanding that there is absolutely no need to attack or defend. We can hand all of that energy over to Spirit. What a relief! It's all about discovering that the water is warm, jump in! It’s safe. Trust yourself.