Lesson 6. I am upset because I see something that is not there.
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Lesson 6. I am upset because I see something that is not there.
The exercises with this idea are very similar to the preceding ones. Again, it is necessary to name both the form of upset (anger, fear, worry, depression and so on) and the perceived source very specifically for any application of the idea. For example:
I am angry at ___ because I see something that is not there.
I am worried about ___ because I see something that is not there.
Today's idea is useful for application to anything that seems to upset you, and can profitably be used throughout the day for that purpose. However, the three or four practice periods which are required should be preceded by a minute or so of mind searching, as before, and the application of the idea to each upsetting thought uncovered in the search.
Again, if you resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others, remind yourself of the two cautions stated in the previous lesson:
There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
And:
I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.
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Below, is from Kenneth Wapnick's commentaries on this lesson, from his book set, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles," which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
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Lesson 6. "I am upset because I see something that is not there."
*This lesson is a bombshell. What is so intriguing about these first lessons is that Jesus does not become involved with weighty metaphysics. Yet that is exactly what grounds the idea that "I am upset because I see something that is not there." What is upsetting me is <within> me, not outside. <There is nothing outside of me>. What I think I see is merely a projection of a thought in my mind, and this thought -- of separation from God -- is not there either! My perceptions are of illusions, the projections of thoughts that are themselves illusions. What else can an illusion breed but further illusions?
The first paragraph, as it itself states, is already familiar in its emphasis on specificity. Paragraph 2 should also be familiar: *
(2) "Today's idea is useful for application to anything that seems to upset you, and can profitably be used throughout the day for that purpose. However, the three or four practice periods which are required should be preceded by a minute or so of mind searching, as before, and the application of the idea to each upsetting thought uncovered in the search."
*Mind searching is the focal point of Jesus' message and the means of applying his teachings to our daily experiences. He then returns to two ideas mentioned in Lesson 5:*
(3) "Again, if you resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others, remind yourself of the two cautions stated in the previous lesson:"
There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
And:
I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same."
*It would be difficult to over-emphasize the importance of this idea of the inherent <sameness> of all things -- both large and small upsets (as well as large and small pleasures). It occupies a central place in Jesus' teaching, as it is the means of our learning to tell the difference between illusion and truth or, in Plato's words, appearance and reality.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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