Lesson 58. These ideas are for review today:
Lesson 58. These ideas are for review today:
1. My holiness envelops everything I see.
From my holiness does the perception of the real world come. Having forgiven, I
no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept the innocence that is the truth
about me. Seen through understanding eyes, the holiness of the world is all I
see, for I can picture only the thoughts I hold about myself.
2. My holiness blesses the world.
The perception of my holiness does not bless me alone. Everyone and everything I
see in its light shares in the joy it brings to me. There is
nothing that is apart from this joy, because there is nothing that does not
share my holiness. As I recognize my holiness, so does the holiness of the world
shine forth for everyone to see.
3. There is nothing my holiness cannot do.
My holiness is unlimited in its power to heal, because it is unlimited in its
power to save. What is there to be saved from except illusions? And what are all
illusions except false ideas about myself? My holiness undoes them all by
asserting the truth about me. In the presence of my holiness, which I share with
God Himself, all idols vanish.
4. My holiness is my salvation.
Since my holiness saves me from all guilt, recognizing my holiness is
recognizing my salvation. It is also recognizing the salvation of the world.
Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid. And because I am
unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is the gift of God to
me and to the world.
5. I am blessed as a Son of God.
Herein lies my claim to all good and only good. I am blessed as a Son of God.
All good things are mine, because God intended them for me. I cannot suffer any
loss or deprivation or pain because of Who I am. My Father supports me, protects
me, and directs me in all things. His care for me is infinite, and is with me
forever. I am eternally blessed as His Son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 58. "These ideas are for review today:"
*This next series of lessons is about our holiness, the other side of our minds
that is kept hidden by the ego and the unholiness of its thought system.*
(1:1) (36) "My holiness envelops everything I see."
(1:2) "From my holiness does the perception of the real world come."
*When we make the internal shift and identify with Jesus' love instead of the
ego's hate, his love extends through us. We may perceive the exact same world --
the dream in <form> does not necessarily change -- but now it is perceived
through the love that is within ourselves. This marks the birth of true
compassion. We do not feel sorry for people's bodies, but for the real source of
pain: the belief they are orphaned and will never return home. In that
compassionate vision are <all> people recognized as sharing the same suffering.*
(1:3-5) "Having forgiven, I no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept the
innocence that is the truth about me. Seen through understanding eyes, the
holiness of the world is all I see, for I can picture only the thoughts I hold
about myself."
*This is a succinct summary of forgiveness. We first shift our perception so
that by looking differently at another's sin -- recognizing it is but a
projection of a belief about ourselves -- we accept the illusory nature of the
ego's thought system of separation and attack. This allows the innocence of the
Atonement to return to our awareness and then become the basis of our new
perception of the world.
Innocent or true perception is all-inclusive, as we now see:*
(2:1) (37) "My holiness blesses the world."
(2:2-5) "The perception of my holiness does not bless me alone. Everyone and
everything I see in its light shares in the joy it brings to me. There is
nothing that is apart from this joy, because there is nothing that does not
share my holiness. As I recognize my holiness, so does the holiness of the world
shine forth for everyone to see."
*We are not only one in the ego thought system, we are also one in the Holy
Spirit's. With this recognition, born of our new perception, is the ego's belief
in separation undone by the vision of Christ that embraces the Sonship (and thus
the world) with its holiness. If our vision is not all-inclusive, it is not
vision. By excluding even one part of the Sonship, the Whole is excluded as
well, and so we can never remember we are God's Son. That is why Jesus gives us
these words as a reminder:
"To your tired eyes I bring a vision of a different world, so new and clean
and fresh you will forget the pain and sorrow that you saw before. Yet this a
vision is which you must share with everyone you see, for otherwise you will
behold it not. To give this gift is how to make it yours. And God ordained, in
loving kindness, that it be for you." (T-31.VIII.8:4-7).*
(3:1) (38) "There is nothing my holiness cannot do."
(3:2-3) "My holiness is unlimited in its power to heal, because it is unlimited
in its power to save. What is there to be saved from except illusions?"
*We are not saved from the world, nor from some terrible fate, and we do not
save the world for other people. We are saved from our misthoughts, the mistakes
coming from having chosen the ego instead of the Holy Spirit. That has nothing
to do with the world, but everything to do with our illusory thoughts. Again, it
is salvation that heals as <one>, because there is only <one> illusion in <one>
Son.*
(3:4-6) "And what are all illusions except false ideas about myself? My holiness
undoes them all by asserting the truth about me. In the presence of my holiness,
which I share with God Himself, all idols vanish."
*Again and again we see Jesus returning to this central point. Our
misperceptions are caused by the <one> misperception of ourselves -- we are not
as God created us. When this <one> misthought is healed, all the ego's mistaken
images -- the idols of specialness -- are undone as well: <one> problem, <one>
misperception of unholiness; one solution, one vision of holiness.*
(4:1) (39) "My holiness is my salvation."
(4:2-3) "Since my holiness saves me from all guilt, recognizing my holiness is
recognizing my salvation. It is also recognizing the salvation of the world."
*Jesus' symphonic theme continues, in an almost endless <series> of wonderful
variations. The <one> problem of guilt disappears in the <one> solution of
holiness, which causes all problems to disappear as well. Thus is my perception
of myself healed and saved, as well as my perception of the world, which has
never left its source in my mind.*
(4:4-5) "Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid. And
because I am unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is the
gift of God to me and to the world."
*The source of <all> fear is our having chosen the unholiness of our separate
individuality instead of the holiness of the oneness of God's Son. Since minds
are joined, acceptance of my holiness reminds others to make the same choice.
This does not mean that everyone <will> make that choice now. However it does
mean that in my holiness I recognize the choice has <already> happened because
the separation has been undone. <When> that choice is accepted throughout the
Sonship is only a matter of time.*
(5:1) (40) "I am blessed as a Son of God."
(5:2-8) "Herein lies my claim to all good and only good. I am blessed as a Son
of God. All good things are mine, because God intended them for me. I cannot
suffer any loss or deprivation or pain because of Who I am. My Father supports
me, protects me, and directs me in all things. His care for me is infinite, and
is with me forever. I am eternally blessed as His Son."
*All loss, deprivation, and pain arise because we have forgotten who we are.
That is the problem, without exception, which is why there is no order of
difficulty in miracles (T-1.I.1:1). When we drop Jesus' hand and take the ego's
instead, we are automatically in pain. Following the ego's strategy to protect
our wrong decision, we put a gap between the cause of the pain and our
experience of it, and think we understand its source -- the world, our special
partner, our bodies, our food, or whatever -- and thus are never able to
recognize the real cause in our minds. When we at last come to our senses and
realize our mistake, we return to the thought of the Atonement that reflects our
true Self, an Identity that is perfectly safe because It is beyond all thoughts
of pain and loss. Awakening from the ego's dream of suffering, we are at home
with the God we never truly left.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 57. Today let us review these ideas:
Lesson 57. Today let us review these ideas:
1. I am not the victim of the world I see.
How can I be the victim of a world that can be completely undone if I so choose?
My chains are loosened. I can drop them off merely by desiring to do so. The
prison door is open. I can leave simply by walking out. Nothing holds me in this
world. Only my wish to stay keeps me a prisoner. I would give up my insane
wishes and walk into the sunlight at last.
2. I have invented the world I see.
I made up the prison in which I see myself. All I need do is recognize this and
I am free. I have deluded myself into believing it is possible to imprison the
Son of God. I was bitterly mistaken in this belief, which I no longer want. The
Son of God must be forever free. He is as God created him, and not what I would
make of him. He is where God would have him be, and not where I thought to hold
him prisoner.
3. There is another way of looking at the world.
Since the purpose of the world is not the one I ascribed to it, there must be
another way of looking at it. I see everything upside down, and my thoughts are
the opposite of truth. I see the world as a prison for God's Son. It must be,
then, that the world is really a place where he can be set free. I would look
upon the world as it is, and see it as a place where the Son of God finds his
freedom.
4. I could see peace instead of this.
When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects the laws
of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey. I will understand that
peace, not war, abides in it. And I will perceive that peace also abides in the
hearts of all who share this place with me.
5. My mind is part of God's.
I am very holy. As I share the peace of the world with my brothers, I begin to
understand that this peace comes from deep within myself. The world I look upon
has taken on the light of my forgiveness, and shines forgiveness back at me. In
this light I begin to see what my illusions about myself kept hidden. I begin to
understand the holiness of all living things, including myself, and their
oneness with me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. (31) "I am not the victim of the world I see."
(1:2-9) "How can I be the victim of a world that can be completely undone if I
so choose? My chains are loosened. I can drop them off merely by desiring to do
so. The prison door is open. I can leave simply by walking out. Nothing holds me
in this world. Only my wish to stay keeps me a prisoner. I would give up my
insane wishes and walk into the sunlight at last."
*We find this compelling because we feel we are victims. If this is a world we
made, which is what Jesus has been teaching us from the beginning, the world is
not the problem. <The fact that we made it is the problem> -- "How can [we] be
the victim of a world that can be completely undone if [we] so choose?"
We have to be willing to admit we have been wrong about everything. What makes
us believe we are right is our experience of being victimized by everything
else. Remember, the "everything else" is not only others' bodies, but our own as
well. The body is exclusively outside the mind, the source of our true identity.
The analogy to a prisoner walking into the sunlight refers to Plato's famous
Allegory of the Cave in <The Republic>. It is worth summarizing -- albeit
briefly -- as Jesus makes more specific references to it in the text. The
allegory is set in a cave, where prisoners are chained in such a fashion that
they can see only the interior wall of the cave, unknowing of the opening behind
them, through which streams the sun's rays, casting shadows onto the wall, of
the passers-by along the road that runs past the mouth of the cave. Thus the
prisoners believe that the shadows are the reality, since they know of nothing
else. One of the prisoners (representing Plato's esteemed teacher Socrates) is
freed and, turning around and making his way to the light, begins to understand
the difference between appearance and reality. Returning to teach his companions
the truth, he frees them, only to meet with murder at the hands of those still
fearful of truth's light. Here, then, are the two specific references in the
text:
"Prisoners bound with heavy chains for years, starved and emaciated, weak
and exhausted, and with eyes so long cast down in darkness they remember not the
light, do not leap up in joy the instant they are made free. It takes a while
for them to understand what freedom is."
(T-20.III.9:1-2).
"Eyes become used to darkness, and the light of brilliant day seems painful
to the eyes grown long accustomed to the dim effects perceived at twilight. And
they turn away from sunlight and the clarity it brings to what they look upon.
Dimness seems better; easier to see, and better recognized. Somehow the vague
and more obscure seems easier to look upon; less painful to the eyes than what
is wholly clear and unambiguous. Yet this is not what eyes are for, and who can
say that he prefers the darkness and maintain he wants to see?" (T-25.VI.2)
Thus we recognize we have been our own jailors, and now can make the only
sensible decision available to us: leave the darkness for the light. Our chains
of guilt and attack were simply the unwillingness to open our eyes and <see>,
and now we choose vision. The next paragraph repeats the lesson:*
(2:1) (32) "I have invented the world I see."
(2:2-3)"I made up the prison in which I see myself. All I need do is recognize
this and I am free."
*That is why Jesus keeps saying this is a simple course. All we need do is
realize we made this up; that the world is an hallucination (T-20.VIII.7) --
everything we think is hurting us is not true. The key to unlocking this
illusory prison of darkness has always been in our minds. Now at last we have
teacher and path that help us realize this joyous fact is indeed so.*
(2:4-8) "I have deluded myself into believing it is possible to imprison the Son
of God. I was bitterly mistaken in this belief, which I no longer want. The Son
of God must be forever free. He is as God created him, and not what I would make
of him. He is where God would have him be, and not where I thought to hold him
prisoner."
*This is a theme that becomes prominent later in the workbook: Lessons
94,110,162, and Review VI. If we are as God created us, everything the ego and
its world have taught us is false. Their "light" deceived us, and once we
recognize it was <self>-deceiving we can do something about it by choosing
differently, leaving the world of darkness forever and returning the world of
light -- "where God would have us be" -- to our awareness.*
(3:1) (33) "There is another way of looking at the world."
(3:2-3) "Since the purpose of the world is not the one I ascribed to it, there
must be another way of looking at it. I see everything upside down, and my
thoughts are the opposite of truth."
*In order to be able to look at the world "another way: a key statement in A
Course in Miracles, we need the humility to admit we are wrong. It is always
helpful to be vigilant, to realize how stubbornly we insist we are right, not
only in the blatant ways of believing the separation is real, but in the subtle
and everyday ways of being so certain our perceptions of others are correct.*
(3:4-6)"I see the world as a prison for God's Son. It must be, then, that the
world is really a place where he can be set free. I would look upon the world as
it is, and see it as a place where the Son of God finds his freedom."
*Clearly the reference here is not to the world itself, but to our <perceptions>
of the world; and even more to the point, the <purpose> we have
given it. If we have given the world the purpose of imprisoning us, it will do
so. If, on the other hand, we have given it the purpose of forgiveness and
release; we are free. We shall return to this important theme presently. For now
we can remember that the shift in purpose entails a shift in teachers, therein
shifting our perception of the world from a prison of guilt to a classroom of
forgiveness.*
(4:1) (34) "I could see peace instead of this."
(4:2-4) "When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects
the laws of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey. I will understand
that peace, not war, abides in it. And I will perceive that peace also abides in
the hearts of all who share this place with me."
*This refers to the real world, which we shall discuss in much greater depth
later. Suffice it to say for now that it reflects the oneness of reality by
enabling us to see all members of the Sonship -- <without exception> -- as
sharing the common goal of leaving the prison house of war for the place of
peace that abides in <all> people. Thus we shift our purpose from guilt to
peace, imprisonment to freedom.*
(5:1-2) (35) "My mind is part of God's. I am very holy."
(5:3-5) "As I share the peace of the world with my brothers, I begin to
understand that this peace comes from deep within myself. The world I look upon
has taken on the light of my forgiveness, and shines forgiveness back at me. In
this light I begin to see what my illusions about myself kept hidden."
*This is also another important theme, especially in the manual (e.g.,
M.-in.1-3). Teaching others is how we learn. The more I let go of my grievances
against you, teaching there is another way of thinking, the more I reinforce
that idea in myself. In this light of forgiveness I see what my illusions kept
hidden. As we have seen, forgiveness consists of joining with Jesus, our
together holding the lamp that shines in the darkness of our minds, exposing the
ego's illusions to the light of truth (T-11.V.1). Forgiveness lifts the veils of
the ego's defensive system, allowing us to see the love that is really there. By
withdrawing the projections of guilt's darkness from you, I reflect the
willingness to withdraw my investment in the darkness in me. Thus do illusions
give way to the light of truth, and peace dawns upon a mind that had heretofore
believed in conflict.*
(5:6) "I begin to understand the holiness of all living things, including
myself, and their oneness with me."
*This is what lies underneath the ego's belief we are children of separation,
specialness, guilt, and fear. It is this constellation of unholiness as children
of love; a holiness shared by <all> "living things," including ourselves. We can
therefore equate unholiness with separation, and holiness with oneness.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 56. Our review for today covers the following:
Lesson 56. Our review for today covers the following:
1. My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.
How can I know who I am when I see myself as under constant attack? Pain,
illness, loss, age and death seem to threaten me. All my hopes and wishes and
plans appear to be at the mercy of a world I cannot control. Yet perfect
security and complete fulfillment are my inheritance. I have tried to give my
inheritance away in exchange for the world I see. But God has kept my
inheritance safe for me. My own real thoughts will teach me what it is.
2. Above all else I want to see.
Recognizing that what I see reflects what I think I am, I realize that vision is
my greatest need. The world I see attests to the fearful nature of the
self-image I have made. If I would remember who I am, it is essential that I let
this image of myself go. As it is replaced by truth, vision will surely be given
me. And with this vision, I will look upon the world and on myself with charity
and love.
3. Above all else I want to see differently.
The world I see holds my fearful self-image in place, and guarantees its
continuance. While I see the world as I see it now, truth cannot enter my
awareness. I would let the door behind this world be opened for me, that I may
look past it to the world that reflects the Love of God.
4. God is in everything I see.
Behind every image I have made, the truth remains unchanged. Behind every veil I
have drawn across the face of love, its light remains undimmed. Beyond all my
insane wishes is my will, united with the Will of my Father. God is still
everywhere and in everything forever. And we who are part of Him will yet look
past all appearances, and recognize the truth beyond them all.
5. God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.
In my own mind, behind all my insane thoughts of separation and attack, is the
knowledge that all is one forever. I have not lost the knowledge of Who I am
because I have forgotten it. It has been kept for me in the Mind of God, Who has
not left His Thoughts. And I, who am among them, am one with them and one with
Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1:1)(26) "My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability."
(1:2) "How can I know who I am when I see myself as under constant attack?"
*I have to see myself as under constant attack because I am attacking everyone
else. That is why the lesson is entitled "My attack thoughts are attacking my
invulnerability." I am truly invulnerable as God's Son, but in identifying with
the ego I see myself as vulnerable, because guilt demands punishment and I feel
victimized by God's counterattack. If I believe everyone else is going to attack
me, I cannot be as God created me -- innocent and invulnerable. Thus, the ego
reasons to me, if it can prove that God's Son <is> truly vulnerable -- the
purpose of the body -- then how could I be God's Son? This reasoning is clearly
presented in the following passage from "What is the Body?" to which we shall
return much, much later in this series:
"For the Son of God's impermanence is "proof" his fences [bodies] work, and
do the task his mind assigns to them. For if his oneness still remained
untouched, who could attack and who could be attacked? Who could be victor? Who
could be his prey? Who could be victim? Who the murderer? And if he did not die,
what "proof" is there that God's eternal Son can be destroyed?"
(W-pII.5.2:3-9).*
(1:3) "Pain, illness, loss, age and death seem to threaten me."
*Again, it is essential to realize we are living in a world of pain, illness,
loss, age, and death; a world deliberately chosen by our egos to prove that its
thought system of separation is right and the Holy Spirit's Atonement is wrong.*
(1:4-5) "All my hopes and wishes and plans appear to be at the mercy of a world
I cannot control. Yet perfect security and complete fulfillment are my
inheritance."
*Jesus once again is showing us we have a split mind, and that we can choose
whether we will see ourselves as living in a state of constant terror, fear, and
vulnerability, or in a state of constant safety. It is not true that we are,
again, "at the mercy of things beyond [us], forces [we] cannot control"
(T-19.IV-D.7:4), for the truth is that our "Self is ruler of the universe"
(W-pII.253).*
(1:6-8) "I have tried to give my inheritance away in exchange for the world I
see. But God has kept my inheritance safe for me. My own real thoughts will
teach me what it is."
*It cannot be said often enough that in order for us to access our real
thoughts, we first have to let go of our unreal ones, which we cannot do without
knowing they are there. We learn this happy fact by understanding that the world
we perceive is the one we made, and is therefore unreal: a projection of our
unreal thoughts of separation and guilt. Our true inheritance is as a beloved
and treasured Child of God, not the ego's child of guilt and fear. As Jesus
concludes "The Treasure of God":
"What God has willed for you is yours. He has given His Will to His
treasure, whose treasure it is. Your heart lies where your treasure is, as His
does. You who are beloved of God are wholly blessed." (T-8.VI.10.:1-4).*
(2:1) (27) "Above all else I want to see."
(2:2-6) " Recognizing that what I see reflects what I think I am, I realize that
vision is my greatest need. The world I see attests to the fearful nature of the
self-image I have made. If I would remember who I am, it is essential that I let
this image of myself go. As it is replaced by truth, vision will surely be given
me. And with this vision, I will look upon the world and on myself with charity
and love."
*Jesus always comes back to the same central idea: Our perceptions reflect our
self-image -- child of God or child of the ego -- and vision corrects the
vicious and fearful misperceptions of the ego, reflecting our Identity as
spirit. Vision thus <undoes> the ego's thought system. As we are taught in the
text: The ego always speaks first (T-5.VI.3:5), and the Holy Spirit is the
Answer.
"The ego speaks in judgment, and the Holy Spirit reverses its decision,
much as a higher court has the power to reverse a lower court's decisions in
this world. The ego's decisions are always wrong, because they are based on the
error they were made to uphold." (T-5.VI.4:1-2).
With vision replacing judgment, we look out on a unified world of peace and love
regardless of what our physical eyes behold.*
(3:1) (28) "Above all else I want to see differently."
(3:2-3) "The world I see holds my fearful self-image in place, and guarantees
its continuance. While I see the world as I see it now, truth cannot enter my
awareness."
*The projected world's purpose is to keep my fearful self-image in place. This
foreshadows an important statement in Part II of the workbook, speaking of our
unforgiving thoughts:
"An unforgiving thought is one which makes a judgment that it will not
raise to doubt, although it is not true. The mind is closed, and will not be
released. The thought protects projection, tightening its chains, so that
distortions are more veiled and more obscure; less easily accessible to doubt,
and further kept from reason. What can come between a fixed projection and the
aim that it has chosen as its wanted goal?" (W-pII.1.2).
Thus do our projections enable the ego to protect its self-concept of separation
and hate, since that concept is now perceived to be external to the mind that is
its source. This is the self-concept that says I am an individual, which
individuality I purchased at the cost of sin. This sin must be punished, and
therefore I deserve to be afraid. Nothing really has changed except that now I
believe I am not the source of the fear, which has as its source in something
outside of me. Certain of what I see, I never question my perception. Without my
perception being questioned, my condition of fear and pain cannot be answered by
the Holy Spirit.*
(3:4) "I would let the door behind this world be opened for me, that I may look
past it to the world that reflects the Love of God."
*The one who opens the door for us is Jesus, but we must <let> him do it, by
asking his help to bring our illusions of attack to his truth of forgiveness.
This real world of complete forgiveness reflects God's Love, which waits just
beyond the door held open by Jesus:
"Christ is at God's altar, waiting to welcome His Son. ...The door is not
barred, and it is impossible that you cannot enter the place where God would
have you be. ... You can refuse to enter, but you cannot bar the door that
Christ holds open. Come unto me who holds it open for you, for while I live it
cannot be shut, and I live forever. God is my life and yours, and nothing is
denied by God to His Son." (T-11.IV.6:1,3,5-6).*
(4:1) (29) "God is in everything I see."
(4:2-4) "Behind every image I have made, the truth remains unchanged. Behind
every veil I have drawn across the face of love, its light remains undimmed.
Beyond all my insane wishes is my will, united with the Will of my Father."
*As in lessons one through fifty, Jesus emphasizes the nature of our
right-minds. The wrong-mind is filled with thoughts of attack: disease,
suffering, death, murder, and judgment. He helps us realize that these thoughts
are covering something else. However, the fact that he tells us this does not
mean we need not go through the work of choosing <something else>, but at least
now we are aware of what it is we choose between. It is not that I choose <kill
or be killed> -- do I kill you or do you kill me? -- I choose miracles or murder
(T-23.IV.9.8). This passage tells us there is another thought system in our
minds, awaiting our choice. It also implies there is a <purpose> inherent in our
having chosen attack over love: the wish to preserve our identity -- chosen in
separation and forged in hate -- by proving we are right and God is wrong. Thus
we chose to live in darkness, and believed it to be real <because we believed
it.>*
(4:5-6) "God is still everywhere and in everything forever. And we who are part
of Him will yet look past all appearances, and recognize the truth beyond them
all."
*Jesus reassures us that the "outcome is as certain as God" (T-2.III.3:10), for
we shall surely make the right choice -- as any good Platonist would -- between
appearance and reality. Our fervent attempts to the contrary, we remain as God
created us, powerless to change the resplendent truth about ourselves. Thus do
we see a world reflecting back to us the radiant reality of God's Love.*
(5:1) (30) "God is in everything I see because God is in my mind."
(5:2-5) "In my own mind, behind all my insane thoughts of separation and attack,
is the knowledge that all is one forever. I have not lost the knowledge of Who I
am because I have forgotten it. It has been kept for me in the Mind of God, Who
has not left His Thoughts. And I, who am among them, am one with them and one
with Him."
*Held for us by the Holy Spirit is the memory of the knowledge that we never
truly separated ourselves from God. Early in the text Jesus says that "to lose
something does not mean that it has gone. It merely means that you do not
remember where it is." (T.3.VI.9.3-4) The same is true here: Even though we have
lost the knowledge of who we are and have forgotten our Source, it does not mean
His Love is not fully present in our minds. Such reassurances are replete in A
Course in Miracles. Here are two of them:
"The Father keeps what He created safe. You cannot touch it with the false
ideas you made, because it was created not by you. Let not your foolish fancies
frighten you. What is immortal cannot be attacked; what is but temporal has no
effect." (T-24.VII.5:1-4).
"You can lose sight of oneness, but can not make sacrifice of its reality.
Nor can you lose what you would sacrifice, nor keep the Holy Spirit from His
task of showing you that it has not been lost." (T-26.I.6:1-2).
What remains is the acceptance of Jesus' certainty, which points to our mind and
the memory of the Oneness that created us one with Him.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 55. Today's review includes the following:
Lesson 55. Today's review includes the following:
1. I am determined to see things differently.
What I see now are but signs of disease, disaster and death. This cannot be what
God created for His beloved Son. The very fact that I see such things is proof
that I do not understand God. Therefore I also do not understand His Son. What I
see tells me that I do not know who I am. I am determined to see the witnesses
to the truth in me, rather than those which show me an illusion of myself.
2.What I see is a form of vengeance.
The world I see is hardly the representation of loving thoughts. It is a picture
of attack on everything by everything. It is anything but a reflection of the
Love of God and the love of His Son. It is my own attack thoughts that give rise
to this picture. My loving thoughts will save me from this perception of the
world, and give me the peace God intended me to have.
3. I can escape from this world by giving up attack thoughts.
Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see
a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my awareness, I will
see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I choose to see, in
place of what I look on now.
4. I do not perceive my own best interests.
How could I recognize my own best interests when I do not know who I am? What I
think are my best interests would merely bind me closer to the world of
illusions. I am willing to follow the Guide God has given me to find out what my
own best interests are, recognizing that I cannot perceive them by myself.
5. I do not know what anything is for.
To me, the purpose of everything is to prove that my illusions about myself are
real. It is for this purpose that I attempt to use everyone and everything. It
is for this that I believe the world is for. Therefore I do not recognize its
real purpose. The purpose I have given the world has led to a frightening
picture of it. Let me open my mind to the world's real purpose by withdrawing
the one I have given it, and learning the truth about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1:1) (21) "I am determined to see things differently."
*Jesus is now appealing directly to the power of our minds to choose.*
(1:2.) "What I see now are but signs of disease, disaster and death."
*In deference to Helen, I like to point out alliteration when it appears. Note
the three d's. <disease, disaster and death>. Again, it is important we perceive
disease, disaster and death all around us, not love, hope, and joy, for there is
none. Indeed, the world was made <not> to be a place of love, hope, or joy. If
we do not recognize this, we will have no motivation for changing our mind. We
will believe in our arrogance that we have already changed it by virtue of our
having perceived light instead of death. We believe what our egos have
programmed us to believe, which is why we need to question the value of having
chosen the ego as our teacher.*
(1:3-5) "This cannot be what God created for His beloved Son. The very fact that
I see such things is proof that I do not understand God. Therefore I also do not
understand His Son."
*This at least is a good initial step, because if we think we are looking on a
world of light, peace, and joy, we will believe we understand God, Jesus, and,
unfortunately, his course. Acknowledging that what we see "are the signs of
disease, disaster and death" is the beginning of the humility that reaches to
Wisdom. We begin by denying the ego's thought system of denial, and gradually,
step by step, we are led by Jesus to understand that spirit and ego are mutually
exclusive states, and so are love and hate, life and death, joy and pain. To
make one real is to deny the other.*
(1:6-7) "What I see tells me that I do not know who I am. I am determined to see
the witnesses to the truth in me, rather than those which show me an illusion of
myself."
*Once having learned to tell the difference between <form> and <content>, we
call upon our new Teacher to help us see truly, the vision of Christ that
reminds us who we are -- along with our brothers -- as God's one Son.*
(2:1) (22) "What I see is a form of vengeance."
(2:2-3) "The world I see is hardly the representation of loving thoughts. It is
a picture of attack on everything by everything."
*This is the same point Jesus was making earlier, saying the world we see
represents an attack on "everything by everyone." There are no exceptions. If we
think we see a loving world, we will believe there are only loving thoughts
within and so we will not look at the <unloving> ones. By not looking, the
unloving thoughts remain buried in our minds, and whatever is buried has the
terrible habit of finding its way out -- the dynamic of projection -- and
attacking everyone else. Because we are not aware that the source of our attack
is our mind's unloving thoughts, we will not be aware that we are the ones who
did this. We will actually think that because we think we have only loving
thoughts, our attacks and judgments of others are loving, too. That is why it is
important to see the world for what it is and recognize its source. Only when we
look with Jesus at the <un>loving thoughts in our minds and forgive them, will
we realize that underneath the unloving thoughts and concealed by them are the
loving ones we have always had.*
(2:4-6) "It is anything but a reflection of the Love of God and the love of His
Son. It is my own attack thoughts that give rise to this picture. My loving
thoughts will save me from this perception of the world, and give me the peace
God intended me to have."
*The unloving nature of the world is again unmistakably depicted in Jesus'
words: "It is anything but a reflection of the Love of God and the love of His
Son." The last sentence is carefully phrased: "My loving thoughts will save me
from this perception of the world." The problem is the <perception>. It is not
the world. Disease, disaster, and death do not exist out there, because <there
is no out there.> They exist in a mind that is filled with guilt, hatred, and
terror. Therefore it is the <perception> that has to be changed, not the world:
"Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world"
(T-21.in.1:7). Our perception is changed by first bringing it back from its
projected form to its source, the <mind>. Only then, as we have already seen,
can we exercise the mind's power of decision and choosing the loving thought of
the Atonement instead of the unloving thought of separation.*
(3:1) (23) "I can escape from this world by giving up attack thoughts."
(3:2-5) "Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I
could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my
awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I
choose to see, in place of what I look on now."
*One could not ask for a more explicit statement of salvation. We are not saved
from the world or from some abstract sense of sin, but from our own thoughts. To
escape the horrors of the world -- Hamlet's "slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune" -- one need only look with Jesus at our horrifying thoughts. Joined
with his gentle laughter at the silliness of the ego's thought system of attack,
we watch its thoughts slowly dissolve into their own nothingness. Looking out,
we perceive only "peace and safety and joy," the world of forgiveness given
form.*
(4:1) (24) "I do not perceive my own best interests."
(4:2-3) "How could I recognize my own best interests when I do not know who I
am? What I think are my best interests would merely bind me closer to the world
of illusions."
*I do not know who I am because I think "<I> am," with the emphasis on the <I>.
I actually think there is an "I" here, therefore I do not know who I am. How,
then, could I possibly know what is best for me? What we think is best is always
some glorification, gratification, or anything that will preserve our illusory
identity as an individual "I".*
(4:4) "I am willing to follow the Guide God has given me to find out what my own
best interests are, recognizing that I cannot perceive them by myself."
*That we cannot do this without help is an extremely important theme throughout
A Course in Miracles. There is no way we can do this without the Holy Spirit's
or Jesus' help. Humility says: "I do not know, I do not understand, but thank
God there is Someone in me who does, and thank God He is right and I am wrong."
That is why Jesus says that he needs us as much as we need him (T-8.V.6:10): he
cannot help us <unless> we ask him to. We see this "collaborative venture"
(T-4.VI.8:2) expressed in the statement we have already seen in its full
context: "Together we have the lamp that will dispel it [the ego's thought
system]" (T-11.V.1:3). Jesus cannot accomplish it without us, and we certainly
cannot accomplish it without him!
The next set emphasizes the important theme of purpose, which, to state it
again, is not emphasized as much here as it is in many other places in A Course
in Miracles.*
(5:1) (25) "I do not know what anything is for."
(5:2-3) "To me, the purpose of everything is to prove that my illusions about
myself are real. It is for this purpose that I attempt to use everyone and
everything."
*Everything we think, and everything we see in the world has the purpose of
proving we are right. That is the reason for having made the world in the first
place. What God did we can do even better. There are no exceptions in the
<either-or> thought system. Just as holiness and love do not make exceptions on
the side of love, specialness does not make any exceptions, either. We either
love or hate, forgive or attack, but there is no in between: If my self is real,
then my Self is not; and, to the ego's dismay, <vice versa.> As a much later
lesson puts it: "Let me not forget myself is nothing, but my Self is all."
(W-pII.358.1:7).*
(5:4-6) "It is for this that I believe the world is for. Therefore I do not
recognize its real purpose. The purpose I have given the world has led to a
frightening picture of it."
*I have used the world to fulfill my purpose of proving I am right; i.e., that
the illusion about my individuality is the truth. This means I killed God so I
could exist. However, in my right mind I understand how I have used the world to
fulfill the purpose of making attack real and justified. If I am to exist,
everyone has to be sacrificed to my selfish desire. If I am trying to do it to
you -- since everyone out there is a part of the dream I made up -- I know you
are trying to do the same thing to me. This inevitably produces a world of fear,
not safety, for our guilt can only cause a world of perceived punishment and
death. But now I gladly choose otherwise.*
(5:7) "Let me open my mind to the world's real purpose by withdrawing the one I
have given it, and learning the truth about it."
*Here, too, it is clear that Jesus and A Course in Miracles cannot do it for us,
but can only remind us we have to withdraw our beliefs about the world. We need
to open our minds by withdrawing the purpose we gave to the world. In other
words, again, we have to say (and mean!) that we were wrong. Only then can we
recognize the world's true purpose of forgiveness, the pathway that leads us
home through the power of our mind to decide <for> God instead of <against>
Him.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 54 These are the review ideas for today:
Lesson 54 These are the review ideas for today:
1. I have no neutral thoughts.
Neutral thoughts are impossible because all thoughts have power. They will
either make a false world or lead me to the real one. But thoughts cannot be
without effects. As the world I see arises from my thinking errors, so will the
real world rise before my eyes as I let my errors be corrected. My thoughts
cannot be neither true nor false. They must be one or the other. What I see
shows me which they are.
2. I see no neutral things.
What I see witnesses to what I think. If I did not think I would not exist,
because life is thought. Let me look on the world I see as the representation of
my own state of mind. I know that my state of mind can change. And so I also
know the world I see can change as well.
3. I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.
If I have no private thoughts, I cannot see a private world. Even the mad idea
of separation had to be shared before it could form the basis of the world I
see. Yet that sharing was a sharing of nothing. I can also call upon my real
thoughts, which share everything with everyone. As my thoughts of separation
call to the separation thoughts of others, so my real thoughts awaken the real
thoughts in them. And the world my real thoughts show me will dawn on their
sight as well as mine.
4. I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
I am alone in nothing. Everything I think or say or do teaches all the universe.
A Son of God cannot think or speak or act in vain. He cannot be alone in
anything. It is therefore in my power to change every mind along with mine, for
mine is the power of God.
5. I am determined to see.
Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I am determined to see. I would
look upon the witnesses that show me the thinking of the world has been changed.
I would behold the proof that what has been done through me has enabled love to
replace fear, laughter to replace tears, and abundance to replace loss. I would
look upon the real world, and let it teach me that my will and the Will of God
are one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1:1) (16) "I have no neutral thoughts."
*In this lesson Jesus focuses almost exclusively on the power of our thoughts.
The reason we have no neutral thoughts is that our thoughts have the power to
make up a world such as the one in which we live: a world of pain, suffering,
and death; a world in which God appears to be absent. Our thoughts can be just
as powerful on the right-minded side, however, in their power to undo the ego.
The ego's thoughts have no effect in Heaven, of course, but within the dream
they have tremendous power; thus the focus in A Course in Miracles is on the
power of our minds; specifically on the power to choose.*
(1:2-4) "Neutral thoughts are impossible because all thoughts have power. They
will either make a false world or lead me to the real one. But thoughts cannot
be without effects."
*These statements are reinforced by a statement Jesus makes in the text: "All
thinking produces form on some level" (T-2.VI.9:14). Our thoughts have
extraordinary effects. They can make the world of specialness in which we live,
or help us attain the real world by the complete undoing of the ego's world. The
problem is that because of our defensive structure, including the power of
denial, we almost never experience the effects of our thoughts. Consequently, we
are not aware we have thoughts, because we are not aware we have a mind.
(1:5) "As the world I see arises from my thinking errors, so will the real world
rise before my eyes as I let my errors be corrected."
*The real world, which is the end product of forgiveness, is the state of mind
in which all ego thoughts have been undone. It is not something that is
specifically chosen, but rather is the natural state of the guiltless mind when
the ego's thought system of guilt has been chosen against.*
(1:6-8) "My thoughts cannot be neither true nor false. They must be one or the
other. What I see shows me which they are."
*This is another statement of that important theme, <one or the other>. We do
not have Heaven <and> hell, or hell <and> Heaven. They are mutually exclusive
states. This is the underlying metaphysical premise of A Course in Miracles, the
cornerstone of its thought system: There is God, and there is nothing else. If
we believe there is something else, we are believing there is no God. Again, the
way we know which thoughts we have chosen in our minds is by vigilantly paying
attention, with Jesus beside us, to our perceptions of the outer world. They
will reflect to us our decision for Heaven or hell, truth or falsity.
Now Jesus returns to the idea stated previously: *
(2:1) (17) "I see no neutral things."
(2:2-6) "What I see witnesses to what I think. If I did not think I would not
exist, because life is thought. Let me look on the world I see as the
representation of my own state of mind. I know that my state of mind can change.
And so I also know the world I see can change as well."
*We can see how Jesus repeatedly returns to this theme. The beauty of this
review is in the succinct manner in which Jesus weaves together the major themes
of the first fifty lessons. And this is a crucial one: "Let me look on the world
I see as the representation of my own state of mind." We recall these parallel
lines from the text:
"[The world is] the outside picture of an inward condition of evil
(T-21.in.1:5).
"[Perception] is the outward picture of a wish; an image that you wanted to
be true." (T-24.VII.8.10)
We cannot change the world but we can indeed change our minds. Certainly, "the
world I see can change as well." This does not mean, however, that the outside
world can change, but rather <the way that I see it> will change. Keep in mind
that perception is never of facts, it is always an interpretation of what we
call facts; an interpretation of either the ego or the Holy Spirit. When Jesus
talks about the world I see, "he is not talking about the world outside. <There
is no world outside>. The world is nothing but a projection or extension of the
thoughts in our minds. It is essential, therefore, that we recognize the direct
connection between the world and our thinking, otherwise we will never be able
to do anything to change our thoughts.
Before we move on, note the allusion in 2:2 -- "If I did not think I would not
exist" -- to Descartes' famous dictum "I think therefore I am (Cogito ergo sum).
However, while the great 17th century philosopher used this statement to prove
his <real> existence, Jesus ultimately employs it to demonstrate the presence of
our <illusory> existence, stemming from our <illusory> thoughts.
In paragraph 3 Jesus introduces the thought of <oneness> -- in Heaven as God's
one Son, as well as within the split mind. God's Son is One, whether He is
called Christ or the separated Son of God.*
(3:1) (18) "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing."
(3:2-4)"If I have no private thoughts, I cannot see a private world. Even the
mad idea of separation had to be shared before it could form the basis of the
world I see. Yet that sharing was a sharing of nothing."
*Even though it "was a sharing of nothing," that does not mean we do not believe
it. These statements nicely reflect the idea that despite what the world looks
like -- i.e., even if it is a dream of separation -- the Son of God has remained
one. That is why forgiveness is the central teaching of A Course in Miracles: In
forgiving you, I reflect that you and I have no separate interests, for we share
the same need to awaken from the dream of separation, guilt, and hate. That
begins the process of reversing the ego's fragmentation. As the text emphasizes:
If I forgive you perfectly, behind you stand thousands more, and behind each one
stands yet another thousand (T-27.V.10:4). This means that if I forgive you
perfectly, I have forgiven the Sonship -- there <is> only one Son.*
(3:5-7) "I can also call upon my real thoughts, which share everything with
everyone. As my thoughts of separation call to the separation thoughts of
others, so my real thoughts awaken the real thoughts in them. And the world my
real thoughts show me will dawn on their sight as well as mine."
*This tells me my function. It is not to heal others, nor to change or teach
them in the conventional way. My function is to remind you that the choice I
have made in the holy instant is the same one you can make. A passage in the
manual for teachers wonderfully summarizes this for us. We have quoted it
already, but its relevance certainly deserves additional mentions:
"To them [those who are sick] God's teachers come, to represent another
choice which they had forgotten. The simple presence of a teacher of God is a
reminder. His thoughts ask for the right to question what the patient has
accepted as true. As God's messengers, His teachers are the symbols of
salvation. They ask the patient for forgiveness for God's Son in his own Name.
They stand for the Alternative. With God's Word in their minds they come in
benediction, not to heal the sick but to remind them of the remedy God has
already given them. It is not their hands that heal. It is not their voice that
speaks the Word of God. They merely give what has been given them. Very gently
they call to their brothers to turn away from death: Behold, you Son of God,
what life can offer you. Would you choose sickness in place of this?"
(M-5.III.2)
However, the process works the other way as well: My separation thoughts call to
the separation thoughts in you. The expression of my decision for the ego --
judgment, attack, anxiety, and fear -- tells you that you are right in believing
you are separate, because I am demonstrating that you are. My anger confirms you
are right, as does my special love and dependency. You want to confirm that you
are right, just as I want you to do the same for me. These are the "secret vows"
we make with each other to reinforce our insanity, as Jesus explains in the
text, again in the context of sickness:
"This is the secret vow that you have made with every brother who would walk
apart. This is the secret oath you take again, whenever you perceive yourself
attacked. No one can suffer if he does not see himself attacked, and losing by
attack. Unstated and unheard in consciousness is every pledge to sickness. Yet
it is a promise to another to be hurt by him, and to attack him in return."
"Sickness is anger taken out upon the body, so that it will suffer pain. It
is the obvious effect of what was made in secret, in agreement with another's
secret wish to be apart from you, as you would be apart from him. Unless you
both agree that is your wish, it can have no effects." (T-28.VI.4:3--5:3).
Yet, again, Jesus is also telling us we can reinforce right-minded thinking in
each other:
"Whoever says, "There is no gap between my mind and yours" has kept God's
promise, not his tiny oath to be forever faithful unto death. And by his healing
is his brother healed."
"Let this be your agreement with each one; that you be one with him and not
apart. And he will keep the promise that you make with him, because it is the
one that he has made to God, as God has made to him. God keeps His promises; His
Son keeps his." (T-28.VI.5:4--6:3).
Thus, when I choose Jesus as my teacher instead of the ego, and I release my
grievances through forgiveness, I am teaching there is a right-minded thought in
you as well, and in that moment I have become a healing symbol for you. I do not
have to say anything, nor preach to you. Indeed, I do nothing. Moreover the
<you> may be someone who died twenty years ago. Since minds are joined,
forgiveness has nothing to do with bodies. <You> as a thought and <I> as a
thought are still united. Whenever I choose to let go of my grievances against
you, I am sending a clear message that says: "Awaken from the dream of death."
Delivering that message is our only function.*
(4:1) (19) "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts."
(4:2-3) "I am alone in nothing. Everything I think or say or do teaches all the
universe."
* "All the universe" is the universe of the Sonship in my mind, joined with
everyone else's. There is only one mind, and I can think, say, or behave from
the Holy Spirit or my ego. Thus Jesus reiterates his teachings on oneness --
spirit <and> ego.*
(4:4-6) "A Son of God cannot think or speak or act in vain. He cannot be alone
in anything. It is therefore in my power to change every mind along with mine,
for mine is the power of God."
*This does not mean I can literally change your mind for you. I can serve as an
example of one who has changed his mind for himself, thereby realizing that that
"self" is all of us. Likewise, Jesus cannot do it for us. He can be our teacher
and model, showing us there is another choice we can make, but he cannot choose
for us. Jesus explained this to Helen early on in the scribing, and therefore to
all of us, in the context of her asking him to take her fear away. His answer
was a foreshadowing of all he was to teach in A Course in Miracles, for he
emphasized the power of Helen's mind to choose fear or against it, and that he
could not, and certainly would not remove that power from her mind by making the
choice for her:
"You may still complain about fear, but you nevertheless persist in making
yourself fearful. I have already indicated that you cannot ask me to release you
from fear. I know it does not exist, but you do not. If I intervened between
your thoughts and their results, I would be tampering with a basic law of cause
and effect; the most fundamental law there is. I would hardly help you if I
depreciated the power of your own thinking. This would be in direct opposition
to the purpose of this course. It is much more helpful to remind you that you do
not guard your thoughts carefully enough." (T-2.VII.1:1-7) *
(5:1) (20) "I am determined to see."
(5:2-3) "Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I am determined to see. I
would look upon the witnesses that show me the thinking of the world has been
changed."
*The witnesses we look upon are the witnesses we send out. This is an implied
reference to "The Attraction of Guilt" in the "Obstacles to Peace"
(T-19.IV-A.i). We send out messengers of love or fear, and what we send out we
see outside us, which become the witnesses that show what we have chosen. If we
are angry or upset, stubborn or having a temper tantrum, that tells us we have
sent out messengers of guilt, fear, hatred, and certainly separation. It is
these external witnesses we make real in our perception, seeing them outside
rather than in our selves. Another passage in the text illustrates the important
role our perceptions play in healing. By observing the witnesses in the world I
perceive, I am taught to see them as reflecting a decision I made in my mind.
Only then can I exercise the mind's power to change the decision:
"Damnation is your judgment on yourself, and this you will project upon the
world. See it as damned, and all you see is what you did to hurt the Son of God.
If you behold disaster and catastrophe, you tried to crucify him. If you see
holiness and hope, you joined the Will of God to set him free. There is no
choice that lies between these two decisions. And you will see the witness to
the choice you made, and learn from this to recognize which one you chose."
(T-21.in.1:1-6)*
(5:4-5) "I would behold the proof that what has been done through me has enabled
love to replace fear, laughter to replace tears, and abundance to replace loss.
I would look upon the real world, and let it teach me that my will and the Will
of God are one."
*Thus will we know which choice we made by paying careful attention to what we
perceive around us. We cannot be reminded too often that perception is not an
objective fact, but always an interpretation. When A Course in Miracles teaches
us to look at what we perceive, Jesus is not speaking of looking out and seeing
a desk or a book, a tree or a person. Rather, we are being instructed to look at
the <way> we perceive objects, people, and situations. In other words, do we
perceive proof of the Atonement principle, or proof of separation? Again, what
we perceive will reveal to us what our minds have chosen. Perceptions of love or
calls for love reflect the decision to accept the Atonement, and this
unequivocal choice ushers in the real world and the happy remembrance of the
unity of God and His Son.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 53. Today we will review the following:
Lesson 53. Today we will review the following:
1. My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.
Since the thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything, the world that
pictures them can have no meaning. What is producing this world is insane, and
so is what it produces. Reality is not insane, and I have real thoughts as well
as insane ones. I can therefore see a real world, if I look to my real thoughts
as my guide for seeing.
2. I am upset because I see a meaningless world.
Insane thoughts are upsetting. They produce a world in which there is no order
anywhere. Only chaos rules a world that represents chaotic thinking, and chaos
has no laws. I cannot live in peace in such a world. I am grateful that this
world is not real, and that I need not see it at all unless I choose to value
it. And I do not choose to value what is totally insane and has no meaning.
3. A meaningless world engenders fear.
The totally insane engenders fear because it is completely undependable, and
offers no grounds for trust. Nothing in madness is dependable. It holds out no
safety and no hope. But such a world is not real. I have given it the illusion
of reality, and have suffered from my belief in it. Now I choose to withdraw
this belief, and place my trust in reality. In choosing this, I will escape all
the effects of the world of fear, because I am acknowledging that it does not
exist.
4. God did not create a meaningless world.
How can a meaningless world exist if God did not create it? He is the Source of
all meaning, and everything that is real is in His Mind. It is in my mind too,
because He created it with me. Why should I continue to suffer from the effects
of my own insane thoughts, when the perfection of creation is my home? Let me
remember the power of my decision, and recognize where I really abide.
5. My thoughts are images that I have made.
Whatever I see reflects my thoughts. It is my thoughts that tell me where I am
and what I am. The fact that I see a world in which there is suffering and loss
and death shows me that I am seeing only the representation of my insane
thoughts, and am not allowing my real thoughts to cast their beneficent light on
what I see. Yet God's way is sure. The images I have made cannot prevail against
Him because it is not my will that they do so. My will is His, and I will place
no other gods before Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 53. "Today we will review the following:"
*We see here a direct connection pointed out to us between our thoughts and the
world, even though Jesus has made this connection before:*
(1:1) (11) "My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world."
(1:2-4) "Since the thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything, the world
that pictures them can have no meaning. What is producing this world is insane,
and so is what it produces. Reality is not insane, and I have real thoughts as
well as insane ones."
*Our thoughts of individuality, sinfulness, specialness, etc., have produced
this world. Therefore, since the cause of the world is my insane thoughts, then
the world, as the effect, must be equally insane. <Cause> and <effect> are never
separated, for they are one. Reality, however, is not insane, despite the ego's
protestations to the contrary. It tells us God is insane, vengeful, and angry,
yet "[He] thinks otherwise" (T-23.1.2:7). As he did in the first fifty lessons,
Jesus explains that we have a split mind, containing unreal thoughts of hate,
and real thoughts of love. It remains for us to choose which ones we shall make
real for ourselves. He tries to help us realize how miserable and unhappy we
become when we choose the unreal thoughts of attack, judgment, and specialness.
It is that misery that will ultimately impel us to choose again:
"Tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. Eventually
everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there must be a better way. As
this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning point."
(T-2.III.3:5-7).*
(1:5) "I can therefore see a real world, if I look to my real thoughts as my
guide for seeing."
*This is the world of vision, the <inner> world in which there are no thoughts
of separation or judgment; the world of thought that is beyond the dream of
hate, wherein we are able at last to see the dream for what it is. From there it
is only an instant longer until God reaches down and lifts us to himself, the
<last step> in our journey, as we see depicted in this lovely statement:
"And then your Father will lean down to you and take the last step for you,
by raising you unto Himself." (T-11.VIII.15:5).
We shall return to a discussion of the real world later.*
(2:1)(12) "I am upset because I see a meaningless world."
(2:2-7) "Insane thoughts are upsetting. They produce a world in which there is
no order anywhere. Only chaos rules a world that represents chaotic thinking,
and chaos has no laws. I cannot live in peace in such a world. I am grateful
that this world is not real, and that I need not see it at all unless I choose
to value it. And I do not choose to value what is totally insane and has no
meaning."
*In "The Laws of Chaos" Jesus puts the word "laws" in quotation marks,
signifying they are not really laws because they make no sense: the only <true>
laws are the laws of God. Jesus does not do so here, but the meaning is the
same: "chaos has no laws."
Before we can elect <not> to value what is "totally insane," we first have to
accept that the world <is> insane. What helps us realize this is that the world
makes us totally unhappy. Our specialness desires -- even when they are
fulfilled and gratified -- do not make us happy and do not bring us the peace of
God. The ultimate reason our insane thoughts are so upsetting is that they
remind us of our original insane thought, which we believe will lead to
punishment. In the ominous words of the ego, depicted in this powerful passage
from the manual, we read (and tremble!) about the effect of our insane thought
of separation, placed in the context of magic thoughts, recognized in another
and/or in ourselves:
"They [ magic thoughts ] can but re-awaken sleeping guilt, which you have
hidden but have not let go. Each one says clearly to your frightened mind, "You
have usurped the place of God. Think not He has forgotten". Here we have the
fear of God most starkly represented. For in that thought has guilt already
raised madness to the throne of God Himself. And now there is no hope. Except to
kill. Here is salvation now. An angry father pursues his guilty son. Kill or be
killed, for here alone is choice. Beyond this there is none, for what was done
cannot be done without. The stain of blood can never be removed, and anyone who
bears this stain on him must meet with death." (M-17.7.2-13).
Forgiveness allows us to examine the destructive insanity of such a thought
system, helping us accept it for what it is; a recognition for which we can only
be deeply grateful, as its miracle leads beyond insane magic to the pure sanity
of eternal life.*
(3:1)(13) "A meaningless world engenders fear."
(3:2-5) "The totally insane engenders fear because it is completely
undependable, and offers no grounds for trust. Nothing in madness is dependable.
It holds out no safety and no hope. But such a world is not real."
*The only reality is Heaven, which is totally dependable because it is certain:
There is only God. This world, as we have all experienced it, is not dependable.
It was made to be so. That is what lets us know that the world and our
experience of it are not real. Once again, it is our guilt, born of the belief
in sin, that leads us to expect certain punishment and to trust no one. The best
we can do is protect ourselves from certain attack by utilizing various
defenses, which serve only to maintain the separation that established the need
for defenses in the first place. Thus the vicious cycles of guilt and attack,
and attack and defense, continue and continue and continue. They will always
continue, until their fundamental premises are exposed to the truth.*
(3:6-8) "I have given it the illusion of reality, and have suffered from my
belief in it. Now I choose to withdraw this belief, and place my trust in
reality. In choosing this, I will escape all the effects of the world of fear,
because I am acknowledging that it does not exist."
*Again, it is essential that we make the connection between our suffering (the
effect) and our thoughts of judgment, attack, and specialness (the cause). We do
not escape the world of fear by use of our armaments -- attempts to control,
manipulate, and seduce. We control the world only by realizing there is no world
to control. What does need to be controlled, however, are our thoughts, as Jesus
gently admonished Helen, to repeat an earlier quote: "You are much too tolerant
of mind wandering" (T-2.VI.4:6). Most of the time there is nothing we can do
about certain things in the world, but we certainly can do something about our
uncertain thoughts. And we must, for they serve a vitally important purpose.
They keep us here, holding intact our individuality, self-concepts, and very
existence. Recognizing the purpose of our thoughts enables us to exert the power
of decision to change the ego's goal of separation to the Holy Spirit's goal of
Atonement. By changing the ego's underlying purpose we are able to escape its
effects of pain, anxiety, and fear.*
(4:1)(14) "God did not create a meaningless world."
(4:2-6) "How can a meaningless world exist if God did not create it? He is the
Source of all meaning, and everything that is real is in His Mind. It is in my
mind too, because He created it with me. Why should I continue to suffer from
the effects of my own insane thoughts, when the perfection of creation is my
home? Let me remember the power of my decision, and recognize where I really
abide."
*You can see how Jesus returns over and over to the core symphonic themes of
these lessons: reality, illusion, and the power of our minds to choose between
them. The point here is extremely important, because the problem is that we have
forgotten that we have such power to choose. The ego set up its series of
defenses so we would never remember that we have a mind, let alone a mind that
can choose. Thus were the body and brain made to keep our minds hidden from us,
replaced by the mindless state of living in a body that is governed by a brain
that thinks it thinks, but in reality only carries out the thoughts of the
unconscious mind. These thoughts are but two: the ego belief that the
meaningless has triumphed over the meaningful; and the Holy Spirit's Atonement
that the ego thought is unreal because it is outside the Mind of God. Thus it
has no effects. Despite my feverish dreams to the contrary, I remain at home in
God, held in memory in my right mind by the Holy Spirit. Now I can remember to
choose again.*
(5:1)(15) "My thoughts are images that I have made."
(5:2-4) "Whatever I see reflects my thoughts. It is my thoughts that tell me
where I am and what I am. The fact that I see a world in which there is
suffering and loss and death shows me that I am seeing only the representation
of my insane thoughts, and am not allowing my real thoughts to cast their
beneficent light on what I see."
*This points out a crucial dimension of anyone's work with A Course in Miracles.
Many of its students tend to deny they see a world of suffering, loss, and
death. Instead they proclaim the world is really wonderful -- part of God's or
Jesus' plan: moreover, the new millennium will bring healing everywhere it is
needed, bathing us all in light. The problem with looking through rose colored
glasses is that if we do not recognize the insanity, pain, and suffering of the
world, we will never recognize their source in our minds. The <only way we can
return to the insanity in our minds is by recognizing the insanity we perceive.>
If we stubbornly, arrogantly, and self-righteously insist that everything is
wonderful -- e.g., this is a wonderful world, replete with wonderful happenings;
this is a wonderful course Jesus gave us -- we will never realize that what we
are seeing outside is a defense. ... Once more, the only way we can get to our
thoughts and change our minds about them is to see their effects, which, again,
is the cruel and vicious world in which we live.*
(5:5-7) "Yet God's way is sure. The images I have made cannot prevail against
Him because it is not my will that they do so. My will is His, and I will place
no other gods before Him."
*Jesus again appeals to the power of our minds to choose: between illusions and
the truth. The final sentence is taken from the first commandment in the Book of
Exodus (20:3), the basis for part of the discussion in Chapter 10 in the text
(see especially T-10.III.-V).The point there, as well as here, is that the ego's
gods of separation, sickness, suffering, and death have no power over the Son of
God, who remains as God created him. God remains God, and no wild imaginings can
erect another to take His place, except in dreams. Thus our will has never
ceased to be one with His, and we remain at home, where God "would have us be"
(T-31.VIII.12:8).*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 52. Today's review covers these ideas:
Lesson 52. Today's review covers these ideas:
1. I am upset because I see what is not there.
Reality is never frightening. It is impossible that it could upset me. Reality
brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it is always because I have replaced
reality with illusions I made up. The illusions are upsetting because I have
given them reality, and thus regard reality as an illusion. Nothing in God's
creation is affected in any way by this confusion of mine. I am always upset by
nothing.
2. I see only the past.
As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon. I call this seeing. I hold the
past against everyone and everything, making them my enemies. When I have
forgiven myself and remembered Who I am, I will bless everyone and everything I
see. There will be no past, and therefore no enemies. And I will look with love
on all that I failed to see before.
3. My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is preoccupied with the past. What,
then, can I see as it is? Let me remember that I look on the past to prevent the
present from dawning on my mind. Let me understand that I am trying to use time
against God. Let me learn to give the past away, realizing that in so doing I am
giving up nothing.
4. I see nothing as it is now.
If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be said that I see nothing. I can
see only what is now. The choice is not whether to see the past or the present;
the choice is merely whether to see or not. What I have chosen to see has cost
me vision. Now I would choose again, that I may see.
5. My thoughts do not mean anything.
I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only private thoughts of which I am aware.
What can these thoughts mean? They do not exist, and so they mean nothing. Yet
my mind is part of creation and part of its Creator. Would I not rather join the
thinking of the universe than to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful
and meaningless "private" thoughts?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 52. "Today's review covers these ideas:"
*As discussed above, we find here the continual weaving of themes from the early
lessons. In this set Jesus introduces forgiveness.*
(1:1)(6) "I am upset because I see what is not there."
(1:2-8) "Reality is never frightening. It is impossible that it could upset me.
Reality brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it is always because I have
replaced reality with illusions I made up. The illusions are upsetting because I
have given them reality, and thus regard reality as an illusion. Nothing in
God's creation is affected in any way by this confusion of mine. I am always
upset by nothing."
*This is an example of why we cannot study this course, let alone practice it,
without understanding the underlying metaphysics. That is not necessarily a
requirement for those just starting out with A Course in Miracles, but as we go
along we see how its underlying metaphysics is present all the way through.
Thus, if the world out there comes from our thoughts, which do not exist, the
world must not exist either. It therefore makes no sense to be upset by it.
The truth is that we fear reality because it represents the end of our
delusional thought system of separation, which includes the insane idea we can
and do exist apart from God. It is thus our egos that fear the decision for
reality. That is why Jesus teaches in the text that we "are not really afraid of
crucifixion. [Our] real terror is of redemption" (T-13.III.1:10-11). However,
the ego teaches that reality is to be feared because of what we did to it;
namely, separated from its love, thereby destroying it. Thus we deserve to be
punished for our sin. However, the Holy Spirit's Atonement principle is that we
<never> separated from God, and therefore there is nothing to fear. Nothing
happened -- "Not one note in Heaven's song was missed" (T-26.V.5:4) -- and
without the belief in sin, there can be no fear of punishment. The ego's thought
system of sin, guilt, and fear is made up. Nothing, therefore, can only lead to
nothing, to paraphrase King Lear's outburst.*
(2:1) (7) "I see only the past."
(2:2-4) "As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon. I call this seeing. I
hold the past against everyone and everything, making them my enemies."
*Once again we see that if we understand the Course's metaphysics, we would
quickly realize why these lines are true. We began our existence as individuals
by making God our enemy, and then, as one Son, projected that thought, making up
a world of billions and billions of fragments. But the ontological thought came
with us, and exists in each individual fragment. Thus the prevalence of <one or
the other> in our thinking and our experience: If I am to exist, everyone else
must be killed. We people our world with many special love partners, however, so
that our ultimate goal is not apparent. Nevertheless we hold the past against
everyone and everything, making them our enemies. And what is the past? Sin. We
sinned in the past, projected it out, and now see it in everyone else. What we
think we see, therefore -- a world of separation and sin -- is not really there
at all, and thus is not <seeing.> Our arrogance in all this lies in that we
really believe we think, see, hear, and especially that <we> understand.*
(2:5-7) "When I have forgiven myself and remembered Who I am, I will bless
everyone and everything I see. There will be no past, and therefore no enemies.
And I will look with love on all that I failed to see before."
*It is not only that I <will> bless everyone, I <must> bless everyone, because
there is only God's blessing within my mind, that is all I can ever see. Again,
if I realize I am a child of God, I am not separate from Him. Thus, there is no
sin, and without sin there is no past. Obviously, then, there is nothing to
project. What remains is the blessing of love on all things, for we have blessed
ourselves with the thought of forgiveness.*
(3:1) (8) "My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts."
(3:2-3) "I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is preoccupied with the past.
What, then, can I see as it is?"
*Vision is impossible as long as I believe I am separated and special, as long
as I think that I count, am important, am wonderful, and on and on and on -- the
<me, myself and I> syndrome. These are but ways of asserting that I exist and,
moreover, that I demand to be treated with the dignity I deserve. Needless to
say, hidden in back of this is that I want you <not> to treat me this way,
because then my ego is home free. I have become the eternal victim, and you the
eternal victimizer. I get to keep my ego's cake of separation, eat, and enjoy
every guilty morsel, too.*
(3:4) "Let me remember that I look on the past to prevent the present from
dawning on my mind."
*If we read this carefully we can recognize a clear statement of purpose: "Let
me remember that I look on the past <to> prevent the present from dawning on my
mind." There is a purpose for our holding on to the past and our attack
thoughts. That is what keeps the present, the holy instant, and Jesus' love from
"dawning on my mind." In the presence of his love we can no longer exist as
special and hate-filled individuals. That is the fear: losing our special
identity.*
(3:5-6) "Let me understand that I am trying to use time against God. Let me
learn to give the past away, realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing."
*Again, we see the purpose behind our world of time and space. The ego uses its
linear time -- <past, present, and future> -- as the way of reinforcing its
underlying thought system of <sin, guilt, and fear>. In this way, the Everything
of God is prevented by the nothingness of the ego from being remembered.*
(4:1) (9) "I see nothing as it is now."
(4:2-4) "If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be said that I see nothing.
I can see only what is now. The choice is not whether to see the past or the
present; the choice is merely whether to see or not."
*We cannot see the past, because there is no past, no sin, no separation. Thus
what we think we see -- which includes what I remember happening in the past and
whatever I am seeing now -- is a projection of our sinful past on to the others.
Consequently, what we are seeing is not there at all, and that characterizes our
insanity.*
(4:5) "What I have chosen to see has cost me vision."
*That is precisely why I have chosen to see it! The vision of Christ sees the
Sonship as one, in which there are not special, important people. We are all the
same. This <sameness> of purpose reflects the <Sameness> of God's Son.
Perception originated in the need to defend against knowledge, which is
remembered through Christ's vision.*
(4:6) "Now I would choose again, that I may see."
*Note the recurring emphasis on the power of our minds to choose. Even if we are
not yet ready to make this choice -- vision still being too frightening -- we
can at least recognize the possibility of choice, and forgive ourselves for not
yet being able to make it.*
(5:1) (10) "My thoughts do not mean anything."
(5:2-5) "I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only private thoughts of which I
am aware. What can these thoughts mean? They do not exist, and so they mean
nothing."
*My thoughts mean nothing because they are "my" thoughts. They are based on
separation and exclusivity, and so are based on the exact opposite of Heaven's
Oneness, our <non-specific>, and thus <non-private> reality.*
(5:6-7) "Yet my mind is part of creation and part of its Creator. Would I not
rather join the thinking of the universe than to obscure all that is really mine
with my pitiful and meaningless "private" thoughts?"
*Importantly, Jesus says "all that is really mine," not what I <think> is mine,
which are but a few gifts scraps of specialness. What is <really> mine are the
gifts of Heaven: love, eternal life, real freedom, and perfect oneness.
Obviously Jesus does not think very much of our individuality, and he implores
us not to think very much of it, either. The problem is that we value it much
more than we ever thought we did. As we work seriously with A Course in
Miracles, it becomes clearer and clearer how much we do value our individuality,
how much we do have serious authority problems, and how we do not want anyone to
tell us anything other than what we believe is true. We need to be aware of this
arrogance without judging ourselves; to realize that, yes, this is where my
thoughts are coming from, and they are just a silly mistake.
It is apparent as one reads through A Course in Miracles, not just these
lessons, that Jesus is persistently consistent in presenting the truth to us,
and does not judge us for our illusions. He makes fun of us occasionally, but
his attitude is certainly not punitive. He simply says: "Will you please
recognize that you are wrong and I am right. As long as you continue to think
otherwise, you will not be happy. I am not the one who will punish you; <you>
will punish you. I wait patiently for you, but why delay your happiness?" As he
asks us twice later in the workbook: "Why wait for Heaven?"
(W-pI.131.6:1;W-pI.188.1:1)*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 51. The review for today covers the following ideas:
Lesson 51. The review for today covers the following ideas:
1. Nothing I see means anything.
The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and nothing has no meaning. It is
necessary that I recognize this, that I may learn to see. What I think I see now
is taking the place of vision. I must let it go by realizing it has no meaning,
so that vision may take its place.
2. I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.
I have judged everything I look upon, and it is this and only this I see. This
is not vision. It is merely an illusion of reality, because my judgments have
been made quite apart from reality. I am willing to recognize the lack of
validity in my judgments, because I want to see. My judgments have hurt me, and
I do not want to see according to them.
3. I do not understand anything I see.
How could I understand what I see when I have judged it amiss? What I see is the
projection of my own errors of thought. I do not understand what I see because
it is not understandable. There is no sense in trying to understand it. But
there is every reason to let it go, and make room for what can be seen and
understood and loved. I can exchange what I see now for this merely by being
willing to do so. Is not this a better choice than the one I made before?
4. These thoughts do not mean anything.
The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying to
think without God. What I call "my" thoughts are not my real thoughts. My real
thoughts are the thoughts I think with God. I am not aware of them because I
have made my thoughts to take their place. I am willing to recognize that my
thoughts do not mean anything, and to let them go. I choose to have them be
replaced by what they were intended to replace. My thoughts are meaningless, but
all creation lies in the thoughts I think with God.
5. I am never upset for the reason I think.
I am never upset for the reason I think because I am constantly trying to
justify my thoughts. I am constantly trying to make them true. I make all things
my enemies, so that my anger is justified and my attacks are warranted. I have
not realized how much I have misused everything I see by assigning this role to
it. I have done this to defend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no
longer want. I am willing to let it go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 51. "The review for today covers the following ideas:"
*Before beginning, let me mention something that probably has eluded almost all
students of A Course in Miracles, certainly the non-obsessive ones. Helen had
<insisted> to Jesus that each of the one-sentence introduction to the day's
review be different. And you will surely be impressed to discover how many
different ways Jesus can say that "the review for today covers the following
ideas:" *
(1) (1) "Nothing I see means anything."
*In these early lessons Jesus emphasizes that what we see does not mean anything
because what we see comes from <mis>thoughts of judgment and attack.*
(1:2-5) "The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and nothing has no
meaning. It is necessary that I recognize this, that I may learn to see. What I
think I see now is taking the place of vision. I must let it go by realizing it
has no meaning, so that vision may take its place."
*While Jesus does not use the term here, he points out to us that we have a
split mind. We have the capacity of seeing through the vision of the Holy
Spirit, but to ensure that that does not happen we cover those loving thoughts
with thoughts of attack and separation. Indeed, we cannot achieve the goal of
vision if we do not recognize and understand the inherent illusory and
meaningless nature of our perceptions. It is these misperceptions that we have
deliberately chosen to take the place of vision, fulfilling the ego's purpose of
protecting itself -- really, our separated self protecting its separate identity
-- that prevents us from discovering the only meaning for being in this world:
forgiveness.*
(2) (2) "I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me."
(2:2-4) "I have judged everything I look upon, and it is this and only this I
see. This is not vision. It is merely an illusion of reality, because my
judgments have been made quite apart from reality."
*This restates the teaching that the world we see is not there simply because it
comes from our judgmental thoughts, which also are not there. Remember, every
thought in the ego thought system is a defense against the truth of the
Atonement principle, which is that we never left God. Everything we perceive is
a shadowy fragment of the original judgment that we separated from our Source
and reality, the fundamental illusion from which all others come.*
(2:5-6) "I am willing to recognize the lack of validity in my judgments, because
I want to see. My judgments have hurt me, and I do not want to see according to
them."
*Jesus is appealing to our sane, rational minds to understand that what we are
doing with our thoughts, and therefore with the perceived world, hurts us: "My
judgments have hurt me." The ego has set up its defensive system as a huge gap
between our attack thoughts and the pain that is their effect. This gap is
represented by the world of time and space, its purpose being to enable us to
feel justified in attributing our pain to "things beyond [us], forces [we]
cannot control" (T-19.IV.-D.7:4). That, of course, is the wonder of projection
from the ego's point of view. We wind up feeling assured that we are not
responsible for the pain that results from our choosing against God and His
Love: others, our bodies, or the world are the cause of our distress --anyone or
anything <but> ourselves.
Thus the idea of these lessons is to bring the <effect> to the <cause>, so we
can realize it is our judgments alone that have us hurt us. In so doing we
restore to awareness the power of our minds to decide our own destiny: happiness
or misery, peace or conflict.*
(3) (3) "I do not understand anything I see."
(3:2-4) "How could I understand what I see when I have judged it amiss? What I
see is the projection of my own errors of thought. I do not understand what I
see because it is not understandable."
*This is the beginning of humility. We are always so sure we are right: what I
see is what I see, what I hear is what I hear, and my understanding of a
situation is what <I> say it is. If we are skillful enough, we get a multitude
of people to agree with us. That is not sanity, but collective <insanity>! In
French this is known as <folie a deux>: a delusion shared by two people. But it
could just as easily be ten, hundreds, thousands, millions, if not billions, for
we all share the same insanity. We therefore cannot truly understand anything,
nor go to anyone else for true understanding. If at any point we feel
specialness, judgment, or separation, we should not trust anything we conclude
based on those feelings; we will inevitably be wrong.*
(4) (4) "These thoughts do not mean anything."
(4:2) "The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying
to think without God."
*This is the bottom line. Representing God is the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or the
thoughts of these lessons. If we are not thinking in harmony with these thoughts
-- i.e., if we are holding on to grievances, attack thoughts, or specialness
needs in any way, shape, or form -- we are <not> thinking, and anything that
results from not thinking must be non-existent. Remember, cause and effect are
never separate. Illusions can merely breed further illusions.*
(5) (5) "I am never upset for the reason I think."
(5:2) "I am never upset for the reason I think because I am constantly trying to
justify my thoughts."
*Once we make the decision to be an individual and a first person possessive
singular, we constantly try to justify that existence. This is the role of the
face of innocence: It is not my fault, and I gather together as many people as
possible to justify the perception of myself as a victim. This is never
difficult to do, by the way, because the vastness of the world supplies an
almost endless number of potential objects for our projections. Moreover, what
makes it interesting is that we <all> seek to justify our face of innocence,
thereby ensuring that we continue to exist as separated individuals <but that
others will be responsible for the sin.> Therefore, it is they who will be
punished for the sin that is no longer found in us.*
(5:3-7) "I am constantly trying to make them true. I make all things my enemies,
so that my anger is justified and my attacks are warranted. I have not realized
how much I have misused everything I see by assigning this role to it. I have
done this to defend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no longer
want. I am willing to let it go."
*Students doing the workbook for the first time usually do not pay careful
attention to what they are reading. However, if they continue studying A Course
in Miracles over many years and read the workbook much more carefully, which I
strongly recommend, they will be astounded at what Jesus is actually saying;
statements such as we have just read being prime examples.
Jesus here is putting words in our mouths, hoping we shall keep them there: We
are now deciding we are glad we were wrong, and even happier to realize there is
someone else within us who is right. This involves letting go of our anger,
judgments, and arrogance; our devotion to specialness, and ultimately our
individuality. We need to withdraw our investment in using others as
reinforcement for our defense of projection, putting them either in the category
of special love or special hate -- objects with whom we seem to join, or from
whom we seem to separate. Either way, our ego's need to demonstrate its
innocence is fulfilled through attack and judgment, making others guilty of the
sins we have projected onto them, magically hoping we can escape punishment
through this insane and magical dynamic. Now we can happily say we choose
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Review 1. Introduction
(1) Beginning with today we will have a series of review periods. Each of them
will cover five of the ideas already presented, starting with the first and
ending with the fiftieth. There will be a few short comments after each of the
ideas, which you should consider in your review. In the practice periods, the
exercises should be done as follows:
(2) Begin the day by reading the five ideas, with the comments included.
Thereafter, it is not necessary to follow any particular order in considering
them, though each one should be practiced at least once. Devote two minutes or
more to each practice period, thinking about the idea and the related comments
after reading them over. Do this as often as possible during the day. If any one
of the five ideas appeals to you more than the others, concentrate on that one.
At the end of the day, however, be sure to review all of them once more.
(3) It is not necessary to cover the comments that follow each idea either
literally or thoroughly in the practice periods. Try, rather, to emphasize the
central point, and think about it as part of your review of the idea to which it
relates. After you have read the idea and the related comments, the exercises
should be done with your eyes closed and when you are alone in a quiet place, if
possible.
(4) This is emphasized for practice periods at your stage of learning. It will
be necessary, however, that you learn to require no special settings in which to
apply what you have learned. You will need your learning most in situations that
appear to be upsetting, rather than in those that already seem to be calm and
quiet. The purpose of your learning is to enable you to bring the quiet with
you, and to heal distress and turmoil. This is not done by avoiding them and
seeking a haven of isolation for yourself.
(5) You will yet learn that peace is part of you, and requires only that you be
there to embrace any situation in which you are. And finally you will learn that
there is no limit to where you are, so that your peace is everywhere, as you
are.
(6) You will note that, for review purposes, some of the ideas are not given in
quite their original form. Use them as they are given here. It is not necessary
to return to the original statements, nor to apply the ideas as was suggested
then. We are now emphasizing the relationships among the first fifty of the
ideas we have covered, and the cohesiveness of the thought system to which they
are leading you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is from Kenneth Wapnick's commentaries from his book set called "Journey
Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles." which can be purchased at the
following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review 1. Introduction
*I have often spoken of the symphonic structure of A Course in Miracles, and
usually refer to the text when I do so, but the same holds true for the workbook
as well. One of the characteristics of a symphonic work, especially those
written in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is that the opening movement
has an <exposition> that presents the different themes, a <development> section
that elaborates on them, and a <recapitulation> where the composer brings back
the themes, but in a new way. This is what we find in the workbook.
Lessons 1 through 60, especially, demonstrate the masterfully symphonic way
Jesus has organized his material. The first fifty lesson consist of the
exposition and development of the various themes, and here in the first review
they return, but presented differently. He explains this at the end of the
introduction, as we shall see presently. My discussion will focus on the major
themes of these early workbook lessons -- and the ways in which Jesus integrates
them in the review.
In general, we can summarize this movement of our symphony thusly: Just as the
text begins with its central theme -- the first principle of miracles: "There is
no order of difficulty in miracles." (T.1.I.1.1) -- so do we find the workbook's
central theme in these early lessons -- "There is no order of difficulty in
<perception.>"
In the first three paragraphs Jesus instructs us how to proceed with the
lessons, asking us to think about the ideas in the review "as often as possible"
throughout the day:*
(1:1 -- 3:2) "Beginning with today we will have a series of review periods. Each
of them will cover five of the ideas already presented, starting with the first
and ending with the fiftieth. There will be a few short comments after each of
the ideas, which you should consider in your review. In the practice periods,
the exercises should be done as follows:
Begin the day by reading the five ideas, with the comments included. Thereafter,
it is not necessary to follow any particular order in considering them, though
each one should be practiced at least once. Devote two minutes or more to each
practice period, thinking about the idea and the related comments after reading
them over. Do this as often as possible during the day. If any one of the five
ideas appeals to you more than the others, concentrate on that one. At the end
of the day, however, be sure to review all of them once more."
"It is not necessary to cover the comments that follow each idea either
literally or thoroughly in the practice periods. Try, rather, to emphasize the
central point, and think about it as part of your review of the idea to which it
relates."
*We thus see Jesus' ongoing emphasis on thinking about, and applying these ideas
throughout the day. Moreover, we note his insistence on the lesson's <content>
-- its "central point" -- rather than its <form.> He is not seeking our
literalness (i.e.,compulsivity) in practicing, but our learning to generalize
the lesson's message to whatever specific aspect of our day is meaningful.*
(3:3 -- 4:1) "After you have read the idea and the related comments, the
exercises should be done with your eyes closed and when you are alone in a quiet
place, if possible." ...
"This is emphasized for practice periods at your stage of learning."
*These are two important sentences, wherein we see Jesus providing us with
structured periods of meditation. In "I Need Do Nothing," on the other hand, he
tells us this is not a course in contemplation or meditation (T-18.VII.4). He is
certainly not against meditation, but that is not integral to the process of
forgiveness. In this Introduction, Jesus indirectly cautions us about something
he is more direct about in the teacher's manual ("How should a teacher of God
Spend His Day?" [M-16]) which we have already discussed. The point, once again,
is that when you have structured periods of learning or meditation, they easily
become rituals and gods in their own right. In that sense they counteract Jesus'
teachings on specialness. I emphasized in my lectures of the first fifty lessons
that one of the principle goals of A Course in Miracles, well articulated in the
workbook, is to have us learn to generalize. Therefore, if you can be with God,
think of Jesus, or remember the lesson <only> during the structured practice
periods, you are defeating their purpose. That is why Jesus specifically says
"at your stage of learning." He is assuming that everyone is starting at the
bottom of the ladder, and so he is essentially re-training our minds from the
beginning. He is asking us to set aside everything we think we know about
meditation, contemplation, prayer, and spirituality and let him teach us anew.
Our teacher starts us off with structured and oftentimes simple exercises, but
he does not want them to become special objects of attachment. Even though this
is early in the workbook, Jesus is already issuing a word of caution about the
potential misuse of these exercises.*
(4:2-3) "It will be necessary, however, that you learn to require no special
settings in which to apply what you have learned. You will need your learning
most in situations that appear to be upsetting, rather than in those that
already seem to be calm and quiet."
*Jesus is not saying there is anything wrong with arranging things externally in
order to be comfortable when you meditate, but he does not want you to form a
special relationship with your posture or breathing, the scent of your candle,
the music, A Course in Miracles, or anything else. The emphasis should not be on
modifying the external situation so you are happy, but on trying to change your
thoughts so you would be <truly> happy, regardless of where you are or its
conditions. Again, he is not against your doing anything that will help you
relax, as long as you are vigilant for the ritualistic specialness which would
act <against> your learning.*
(4:4-5) "The purpose of your learning is to enable you to bring the quiet with
you, and to heal distress and turmoil. This is not done by avoiding them and
seeking a haven of isolation for yourself."
*To make this important point still again, Jesus is not saying we should not
meditate and have structured periods of practice. In fact, that is precisely
what this workbook has been all about. He is simply letting us know we are in
the early stages of learning, and that he is going to take us far, far beyond
where we are now. We get a glimpse of this "far, far beyond" in the lovely
passage from the manual for teachers, given in the context of learning to
practice the justice of the Holy Spirit:
"There is no inherent conflict between justice and truth; one is but the
first small step in the direction of the other. The path becomes quite different
as one goes along. Nor could all the magnificence, the grandeur of the scene and
the enormous opening vistas that rise to meet one as the journey continues, be
foretold from the outset. Yet even these, whose splendor reaches indescribable
heights as one proceeds, fall short indeed of all that wait when the pathway
ceases and time ends with it. But somewhere one must start. Justice is the
beginning." (M-19.2:4-9)
Structured periods of practice and meditation are thus the beginning.*
(5:1) "You will yet learn that peace is part of you, and requires only that you
be there to embrace any situation in which you are."
*The idea is that we would feel peaceful not only when all is quiet around us,
but also, <and especially,> when everything seems to be falling apart: when we
or our families are ravaged by sickness; when anger and accusations are rampant;
and when we are in the midst of guilt, anxiety, terror, and any of the feelings
that are an inherent part of our lives. These are the times when we especially
need to think of Jesus and what he is teaching. It would obviously make no sense
from a learning point of view if we could only turn to him and find peace when
we were physically quiet. Our quiet times are simply part of the training
program of learning to go <inside,> so that once comfortable with this process,
we can call upon peace <whenever> we find ourselves turning to the ego for help,
immediately recognizing the need to change our teacher.*
(5:2) "And finally you will learn that there is no limit to where you are, so
that your peace is everywhere, as you are."
*This is the ultimate goal of learning to <generalize> the specific lessons and
situations in which we are being taught so they apply to all relationships, all
situations, at all times, and in all circumstances -- without exception. If
there is no world out there, which is the key metaphysical premise of A Course
in Miracles, then the world is <inside> you. That is where peace is found.
Further, if there is no world outside you, how can it affect you? That is what
we need to learn, which we do through careful study and practice.*
(6:1-3) "You will note that, for review purposes, some of the ideas are not
given in quite their original form. Use them as they are given here. It is not
necessary to return to the original statements, nor to apply the ideas as was
suggested then."
*Note Jesus' flexibility, a model for us <not> to obsess about the <form> of
these lessons, focusing instead on their underlying <content>.
The final sentence of the Introduction helps introduce what we shall be talking
about as we proceed through this review:*
(6:4) "We are now emphasizing the relationships among the first fifty of the
ideas we have covered, and the cohesiveness of the thought system to which they
are leading you."
*Restated, Jesus is saying that in these ten review lessons he will bring
together these themes and show us how they are integrated: "the cohesiveness of
the thought system." Understanding any one theme or concept in A Course in
Miracles will automatically lead you to the others, reflecting its internal
consistency. As I mentioned, the predominant theme of these first fifty lessons
is the correction of our misperceptions. We have seen again and again how much
emphasis Jesus places on our learning that our thoughts determine the world we
see, elaborating on the principle he gives us twice in the text: <projection
makes perception> (T-13.V.3:5; T. in.1:1). We first look within and recognize
with horror our thoughts of sin, guilt, and fear -- specifically in this
context, thoughts of attack and judgment -- which we then project. These
projections become the <cause> of the world we perceive outside us, which in our
distorted experience appears as the <effect>. Thus Jesus teaches us this is a
course in cause and not effect, as we have already seen (T-21.VII.7:8). In other
words, this is not a course in changing the world or our behavior, but in
changing our thoughts, laden with judgment and attack.
When Jesus tells us that what we call thinking is not thinking at all, it is
because we are thinking in opposition to him and God. What opposes God and His
loving Oneness does not exist. Therefore, our thoughts of attack, anxiety, and
judgment do not exist. Within our delusional minds, however, we most certainly
think they do. We project these illusory thoughts of separation and hate, and
see a world that does not exist because it comes from thoughts that are not
really there. It is therefore our thinking that is the problem, from which we
have to be saved. Salvation thus teaches us to correct our misthoughts, choosing
the consequence of peace instead of conflict. This familiar statement near the
end of the text is worth another look, to which we add an additional sentence:
"Salvation can be seen as nothing more than the escape from concepts. It
does not concern itself with content of the mind, but with the simple statement
that it thinks. And what can think has choice, and can be shown that different
thoughts have different consequence." (T-31.V.14.:3-5).
Another major theme is decision, or changing our minds, and so a major thrust of
these lessons is helping us realize what we are doing so that we can change our
minds from thoughts of anger and judgment to forgiveness and peace. When we
choose those thoughts they automatically extend, and we make the transition to
what Jesus refers to as "vision." The external world does not necessarily
change; indeed, many times it does not change at all. What changes is the way we
perceive the world, which means the way we interpret it. Continuing with the
process of forgiveness is what ultimately leads to Christ's vision, or the
perception of the Holy Spirit that sees and knows the inherent sameness of God's
one Son.
To summarize: The central themes -- there are several subsidiary ones which we
shall look at as well -- are realizing the connection between our attack
thoughts and the world we see; and recognizing Jesus' appeal that we change our
minds and allow him to be the source of what we see, thus attaining true vision.
Of the many themes of these ten review lessons, vision is by far the most
important, as we shall see now.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 50. I am sustained by the Love of God.
Lesson 50. I am sustained by the Love of God.
Here is the answer to every problem that will confront you, today and tomorrow
and throughout time. In this world, you believe you are sustained by everything
but God. Your faith is placed in the most trivial and insane symbols; pills,
money, "protective" clothing, influence, prestige, being liked, knowing the
"right" people, and an endless list of forms of nothingness that you endow with
magical powers.
All these things are your replacements for the Love of God. All these things are
cherished to ensure a body identification. They are songs of praise to the ego.
Do not put your faith in the worthless. It will not sustain you.
Only the Love of God will protect you in all circumstances. It will lift you out
of every trial, and raise you high above all the perceived dangers of this world
into a climate of perfect peace and safety. It will transport you into a state
of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can
intrude upon the eternal calm of the Son of God.
Put not your faith in illusions. They will fail you. Put all your faith in the
Love of God within you; eternal, changeless and forever unfailing. This is the
answer to whatever confronts you today. Through the Love of God within you, you
can resolve all seeming difficulties without effort and in sure confidence. Tell
yourself this often today. It is a declaration of release from the belief in
idols. It is your acknowledgment of the truth about yourself.
For ten minutes, twice today, morning and evening, let the idea for today sink
deep into your consciousness. Repeat it, think about it, let related thoughts
come to help you recognize its truth, and allow peace to flow over you like a
blanket of protection and surety. Let no idle and foolish thoughts enter to
disturb the holy mind of the Son of God. Such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is
the resting place where your Father has placed you forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 50. "I am sustained by the Love of God."
*Lesson 50 differs from the preceding ones, and we shall be reintroduced to
themes that will return later. Specifically, this lesson makes another
statement, much clearer than the previous one, about the nature of the special
relationship. The terms <special relationships> and <specialness> do not appear
in the workbook at all; however, it is clear in passages like these that this is
Jesus' referent.*
(1) "Here is the answer to every problem that will confront you, today and
tomorrow and throughout time. In this world, you believe you are sustained by
everything but God. Your faith is placed in the most trivial and insane symbols;
pills, money, "protective" clothing, influence, prestige, being liked, knowing
the "right" people, and an endless list of forms of nothingness that you endow
with magical powers."
*If these statements are read in the context of A Course in Miracles as a whole,
it is obvious that Jesus is not saying we should feel guilty because we take a
pill, wear warm clothing in the winter, or have friends with whom we spend time.
This passage is similar to Lesson 76 "I am under no laws but God's," which we
shall discuss in due course and where we shall issue the same caveat. Moreover,
Jesus is not saying we should let go of our bodily concerns. That would be
confusing levels -- mind and body -- which he warns us about in the text (see,
e.g.T-2.IV.3:8-11). We <can> overlook our bodies -- physical and psychological
-- if we are in the real world, because at that point we <know> they are not our
identity. But Jesus knows his students, and knows us well, and he wants us to be
aware of the thought system on which dependencies (or special relationships) are
based, and to understand the source of our trust in the things of the world.
Only then can we make the meaningful choice against them. He continues with the
source of these special attachments:*
(2) "All these things are your replacements for the Love of God. All these
things are cherished to ensure a body identification. They are songs of praise
to the ego. Do not put your faith in the worthless. It will not sustain you."
*Again, Jesus is not saying we must give up anything that makes us feel better
physically or mentally. However, he is saying we should be aware of our
<dependence> on it, what in the text he refers to as <idols.> Such dependency is
a statement that says God's Love is not enough, we want more:
"The world believes in idols. No one comes unless he worshipped them, and
still attempts to seek for one that yet might offer him a gift reality does not
contain. Each worshipper of idols harbors hope his special deities will give him
more than other men possess. It must be more. It does not really matter more of
what; more beauty, more intelligence, more wealth, or even more affliction and
more pain. But more of something is an idol for. And when one fails another
takes its place, with hope of finding more of something else. Be not deceived by
forms the "something" takes. An idol is a means for getting more. And it is this
that is against God's Will." (T.29.VIII.8.4-13).
But we knew all this anyway, otherwise we would not be in the world, for no one
comes here, as we have just read, unless he seeks more than the love God has
offered. Be careful not to use Jesus' teaching as reason to club yourself or
others over the head. However, <do> use it as a way of reminding yourself that
the journey takes you through your specialness; a journey you cannot make until
you first recognize your heavy involvement in it. Lessons like this, as well as
much of the text, make that abundantly clear. We shall return to this theme over
and over again, for the same reason Jesus does: The journey to Heaven through
hell <is> the path Jesus leads us on, and understanding the journey's contours
will enable us to be led gently home.*
(3) "Only the Love of God will protect you in all circumstances. It will lift
you out of every trial, and raise you high above all the perceived dangers of
this world into a climate of perfect peace and safety. It will transport you
into a state of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where
nothing can intrude upon the eternal calm of the Son of God."
*Jesus is reminding us our goal is to walk through this dream without fear. When
we can do so, we shall realize we are not in the dream at all: the dream figure
we call ourselves but reflects a thought of love with which we are now
identified. Remember this is a process, and in this lesson we are presented with
the journey in its entirety; where we begin, the nature of the journey -- going
through our specialness -- and then at last the journey's end.*
(4:1-4) "Put not your faith in illusions. They will fail you. Put all your faith
in the Love of God within you; eternal, changeless and forever unfailing. This
is the answer to whatever confronts you today."
*There are many lovely sections and passages in the text about not putting our
faith in illusions. We read, for example, this one on <faithlessness>, putting
our faith in nothing:
"It is impossible that the Son of God lack faith, but he can choose where
he would have it be. Faithlessness is not a lack of faith, but faith in nothing.
Faith given to illusions does not lack power, for by it does the Son of God
believe that he is powerless. Thus is he faithless to himself, but strong in
faith in his illusions about himself." (T-21.III.5:1-4).
The opening to "Seek Not Outside Yourself" summarizes the entire section:
"Seek not outside yourself. For it will fail, and you will weep each time
an idol falls. Heaven cannot be found where it is not, and there can be no peace
excepting there. Each idol that you worship when God calls will never answer in
His place. There is no other answer you can substitute, and find the happiness
His answer brings. Seek not outside yourself. For all your pain comes simply
from a futile search for what you want, insisting where it must be found."
(T-29.VII.1:1-7).
Whenever we are troubled, it is because we do not believe we are sustained by
the Love of God. Still closer to the truth, we do not want to be sustained by
everything else, as long as it is outside our minds. Looking at that horrid
thought without judgment or guilt is the way to move beyond it to the state of
true sinlessness, the innocence that is our natural Identity as God's Son.*
(4:5-8) "Through the Love of God within you, you can resolve all seeming
difficulties without effort and in sure confidence. Tell yourself this often
today. It is a declaration of release from the belief in idols. It is your
acknowledgment of the truth about yourself."
*The Love of God is the <content> that automatically heals all "seeming
difficulties," which deal only with <form>. The ego, as we have already seen,
literally made up the world of <form> -- both collectively and individually --
to keep us from choosing the <content> of the Atonement that ends the ego's
reign in our minds. When the external problem is kept from the internal answer,
the problem will never be solved, for it can but shift from one form to another.
However, when brought to the truth within, it cannot help disappearing. As a
later lesson on forgiveness puts it: "I will forgive, and this will disappear"
(W-pI.193.13:3); italics omitted).
The reference to the idols, from which we are released, is special
relationships. We invoke these substitutes for God's Love as replacements for
what threatens our ego's existence, and which provide the illusion that our
needs are met:
"Let not their form deceive you. Idols are but substitutes for your
reality. In some way, you believe they will complete your little self, for
safety in a world perceived as dangerous, with forces massed against your
confidence and peace of mind. They have the power to supply your lacks, and add
the value that you do not have." (T-29.VIII.2:1-4).
We can therefore see that Jesus' purpose for us in these lessons is to help us
realize the idol of specialness for what it is, so we can choose against it.
Jesus asks now to sink into consciousness, which means going deeply into our
minds, an instruction we have already seen, and which our chart (see p.135)
helps us envision:*
(5:1-3) "For ten minutes, twice today, morning and evening, let the idea for
today sink deep into your consciousness. Repeat it, think about it, let related
thoughts come to help you recognize its truth, and allow peace to flow over you
like a blanket of protection and surety. Let no idle and foolish thoughts enter
to disturb the holy mind of the Son of God."
*The way to prevent these thoughts from disturbing your holy mind is through
your recognition of them. Without such acknowledgment, they simply remain. The
idea, again, is to see the "idle and foolish thoughts" of specialness in all its
forms asking Jesus for help in understanding what they are <for>.*
(5:4-5) "Such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is the resting place where your
Father has placed you forever."
*A lovely way to end this first major section of the workbook: the reminder of
our ultimate goal.*
*This concludes the first 50 lessons, leading to the first review. We have seen
how Jesus has given us an understanding of the journey, emphasizing the
importance of taking seriously our study and practice of his course. This means,
as we have discussed repeatedly, looking at our ego thoughts and asking Jesus'
help. This process clearly implies the existence of our separated minds, split
between the wrong-minded thought system of separation, guilt, and hate (the
ego), and the right-minded correction of Atonement, forgiveness, and peace (the
Holy Spirit). Thus are we trained by Jesus to recognize these two thought
systems, asking for help to exercise our mind's power to choose the Teacher Who
alone will bring us peace.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 49. God's Voice speaks to me all through the day.
Lesson 49. God's Voice speaks to me all through the day.
It is quite possible to listen to God's Voice all through the day without
interrupting your regular activities in any way. The part of your mind in which
truth abides is in constant communication with God, whether you are aware of it
or not. It is the other part of your mind that functions in the world and obeys
the world's laws. It is this part that is constantly distracted, disorganized
and highly uncertain.
The part that is listening to the Voice for God is calm, always at rest and
wholly certain. It is really the only part there is. The other part is a wild
illusion, frantic and distraught, but without reality of any kind. Try today not
to listen to it. Try to identify with the part of your mind where stillness and
peace reign forever. Try to hear God's Voice call to you lovingly, reminding you
that your Creator has not forgotten His Son.
We will need at least four five-minute practice periods today, and more if
possible. We will try actually to hear God's Voice reminding you of Him and of
your Self. We will approach this happiest and holiest of thoughts with
confidence, knowing that in doing so we are joining our will with the Will of
God. He wants you to hear His Voice. He gave It to you to be heard.
Listen in deep silence. Be very still and open your mind. Go past all the
raucous shrieks and sick imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure
your eternal link with God. Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond
the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world. You do
not live here. We are trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the
place where you are truly welcome. We are trying to reach God.
Do not forget to repeat today's idea very frequently. Do so with your eyes open
when necessary, but closed when possible. And be sure to sit quietly and repeat
the idea for today whenever you can, closing your eyes on the world, and
realizing that you are inviting God's Voice to speak to you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 49. "God's Voice speaks to me all through the day."
*This is a lesson from which many students of A Course in Miracles have derived
a great deal of mileage, unfortunately going the wrong way: to hell rather than
Heaven. They often take this lesson to mean they hear the Holy Spirit tell them
wonderful things -- <all the time>. If we follow the thinking in these lessons,
however, it is obvious that we cannot <hear> God's Voice all through the day
because of our mind's constant clutter. Jesus already has explained the
clutter's presence: our resistance to losing our individual and special
identity. This resistance is reflected in cherishing the ego's voice of
specialness in order to prevent our hearing the Voice of the Holy Spirit, as we
see in this pointed passage from the text:
"You are not special. If you think you are, and would defend your
specialness against the truth of what you really are, how can you know the
truth? What answer that the Holy Spirit gives can reach you, when it is your
specialness to which you listen, and which asks and answers? Its tiny answer,
soundless in the melody that pours from God to you eternally in loving praise of
what you are, is all you listen to. And that vast song of honor and of love for
what you are seems silent and unheard before its "mightiness". You strain your
ears to hear its soundless voice, and yet the Call of God Himself is soundless
to you."
"You can defend your specialness, but never will you hear the Voice for God
beside it." (T.24.II.4:1--5.1)
While it is therefore true that God's Voice speaks to us all through the day --
because the Holy Spirit is in our minds -- this does not mean that we <hear> it.
Pay careful attention to the lesson's words: Jesus does not say we <hear> God's
Voice all through the day, but that God's Voice <speaks> to us all through the
day. We are not going to listen because, again, of our resistance to losing our
identity, expressed through the investment in perpetuating our specialness. That
is why it is so important to read this (and all passages in A Course in
Miracles) very carefully.
Another important point that speaks to the heart of Course students becoming
confused is that we are <always> listening to an inner voice. We cannot listen
to anything else! Our bodies are the vehicles (or: channels) through which
either the voices of the ego or the Holy Spirit "speak." Students often think
that just because they hear an inner voice it must be the Holy Spirit. They
unfortunately have totally forgotten about the <other> voice, which was
specifically and intentionally made to drown out the still, small voice of the
Holy Spirit, as we saw in the above passage. This is why Jesus emphasizes
helping remove our investment in the ego, so that we could inevitably and
naturally "hear" the Voice that speaks for truth. My wife Gloria has made a
similar point when she would remind students that hearing an inner voice they
believe belongs to an entity "on the other side" does not necessarily mean that
entity is more advanced or ego-free than they. In the end, discernment is a
prime prerequisite for any spiritual seeker, no less so for students of A Course
in Miracles who need to discern the difference between the two voices.*
(1) "It is quite possible to listen to God's Voice all through the day without
interrupting your regular activities in any way. The part of your mind [ the
right mind ] in which truth abides is in constant communication with God,
whether you are aware of it or not. It is the other part of your mind that
functions in the world and obeys the world's laws. It is this part that is
constantly distracted, disorganized and highly uncertain."
*This does not mean that if you are in your right mind you are not to obey the
world's laws, as some students would unfortunately misconstrue this. Jesus is
talking about obeying the world's laws because you <believe> they are real laws.
To repeat, he is not saying, for example, that you should become an anarchist or
libertarian. We read, for example, this instruction to teachers of God, his
students who wish to grow beyond their ego selves:
"There is a way of living in the world that is not here, although it seems to
be. You do not change appearance, though you smile more frequently. Your
forehead is serene; your eyes are quiet." (W-pI.155.1:1-3).
In other words, we are not asked to look different or behave differently from
anyone else. What <changes> is our attitude, or which inner teacher we have
chosen to follow. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, the world becomes a
classroom in which its symbols become the language through which we express His
teachings. Lesson 184 discusses this in greater detail, so we will defer further
discussion until then.
The issue is to obey the world's laws of illusion, not because we believe them
to be true, but, again, because they are the <form> through which we express the
mind's <content> of truth in a way that people can respond to without fear. An
early passage in the text makes this essential point of meeting people where
they are -- the illusion of <form> -- yet expressing the truth of the <content>
of the correction, known as the miracle:
"The value of the Atonement does not lie in the manner in which it is
expressed. In fact, if it is used truly, it will inevitably be expressed in
whatever way is most helpful to the receiver. This means that a miracle, to
attain its full efficacy, must be expressed in a language that the recipient can
understand without fear. This does not necessarily mean that this is the highest
level of communication of which he is capable. It does mean, however, that it is
the highest level of communication of which he is capable now. The whole aim of
the miracle is to raise the level of communication, not to lower it by
increasing fear." (T-2.IV.5).
It is the content of love that should be our inspiration and guidance, not any
preconceived notions about the <form> in which that love is to be expressed.
This ensures our response will be kind and non-judgmental, accepting people
where they are, not where we want them to be.*
(2:1-3) "The part that is listening to the Voice for God is calm, always at rest
and wholly certain. It is really the only part there is. The other part is a
wild illusion, frantic and distraught, but without reality of any kind."
*This brings to mind Plato's famous analogy from the Phaedrus of the charioteer
and his two horses, and offers a poetic description of the right and wrong
minds:
"Let it [ the soul ] be likened to the union of powers in a team of winged
steeds and their winged charioteer ... With us men. ... it is a pair of steeds
that the charioteer controls; moreover one of them is noble and good, and of
good stock, while the other has the opposite character, and his stock is the
opposite. Hence the task of our charioteer is difficult and troublesome. ... He
that is on the more honorable side is upright and clean-limbed, carrying his
neck high, with something of a hooked nose; in color he is white, with black
eyes; a lover of glory, but with temperance and modesty; one that consorts with
genuine renown, and needs no whip, being driven by the word of command alone.
The other is crooked of frame, a massive jumble of a creature, with thick short
neck, snub nose, black skin, and grey eyes; hot-blooded, consorting with
wantonness and vainglory; shaggy of ear, deaf, and hard to control with whip and
goad (Phaedrus 246a; 253d-e).
This was an analogy that influenced Freud's view of the psyche, whereby Plato's
depiction formed the basis for Freud's understanding of the <Id>, or the
unconscious. That, of course, is the nature of the ego thought system: a
reservoir of hatred, murder, and viciousness.*
(2:4-6) "Try today not to listen to it. Try to identify with the part of your
mind where stillness and peace reign forever. Try to hear God's Voice call to
you lovingly, reminding you that your Creator has not forgotten His Son."
*Again, we can observe the implication of Jesus' urging: He asks us to recognize
our call to the ego, and then choose against it in favor of our right minds,
wherein dwell stillness and peace. We are encouraged to choose again, despite
Jesus' awareness that our resistance is great. Yet it is early in our training,
and there is still much to learn and practice.*
(3) "We will need at least four five-minute practice periods today, and more if
possible. We will try actually to hear God's Voice reminding you of Him and of
your Self. We will approach this happiest and holiest of thoughts with
confidence, knowing that in doing so we are joining our will with the Will of
God. He wants you to hear His Voice. He gave It to you to be heard."
*Another pep talk: God's Voice <is> within us, and patiently awaits our choice.*
(4) "Listen in deep silence. Be very still and open your mind. Go past all the
raucous shrieks and sick imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure
your eternal link with God. Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond
the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world. You do
not live here. We are trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the
place where you are truly welcome. We are trying to reach God."
*Jesus wants us to be <really> clear about our purpose. However, we cannot reach
God without going past the "raucous shrieks and sick imaginings" of the ego; and
we cannot go past those shrieks and fantasies without looking at them. Thus,
opening our minds means the decision maker chooses the Holy Spirit's forgiveness
instead of the ego's attack. We have already seen that in order to reach God we
have to set aside our identification with the ego's voice of specialness, and it
is the workbook's aim to help us reach God through this process.*
(5) "Do not forget to repeat today's idea very frequently. Do so with your eyes
open when necessary, but closed when possible. And be sure to sit quietly and
repeat the idea for today whenever you can, closing your eyes on the world, and
realizing that you are inviting God's Voice to speak to you."
*Jesus returns to his emphasis on doing the lessons with eyes open or closed,
although his current preference in our training is our eyes shut, maximizing the
experience that it is our <thoughts> that need correction. As we have repeatedly
seen in the recent lessons, we are urged to apply the idea for the day as often
as we can remember: "very frequently," "whenever you can." In this way, we
reinforce our learning that it is the Holy Spirit's wisdom and love we truly
want -- found in our <minds,> not in the world.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 48. There is nothing to fear.
Lesson 48. There is nothing to fear.
The idea for today simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who believe
in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It
is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize it for
those who want illusions to be true.
Today's practice periods will be very short, very simple and very frequent.
Merely repeat the idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes open
at any time and in any situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you
take a minute or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea
slowly to yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the
idea immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind.
The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength.
The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind,
though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have remembered God,
and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The instant you are
willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 48. "There is nothing to fear."
*Lesson 48 is nice, short, and sweet: "There is nothing to fear." If God is the
strength in which we trust, nothing in this world could ever make us afraid. The
basis of fear is the principle that guilt demands punishment. If I am afraid, it
is because I first see myself as guilty and weak. If I choose Jesus as the
source of my strength, I am not weak or separated, and therefore not guilty. If
I am not guilty, there can be no projected belief that I will be punished.
Without such belief, there can be no fear. Again, it is the same process, all
the time. If I want to live without fear, I must live without guilt. If I want
to live without guilt, I need Jesus to help me look at it.*
(1) "The idea for today simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who
believe in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to
fear. It is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize
it for those who want illusions to be true."
*As the text says, the only fact is God: "God is not symbolic; He is Fact"
(T-3.1.8:2). The "fact" -- "There is nothing to fear" -- is really a reflection
of God's reality. The state of fear's absence corrects the ego's fundamental
thought that fear is punishment for our sin. It is this illusory fear you have
to look at. You want illusions to be true because <you> are an illusion, and you
want <you> -- your individual identity -- to be true. What makes it difficult to
have an anxiety-free day is your not wanting today's lesson to be true. If it
were, <you> are not true.*
(2) "Today's practice periods will be very short, very simple and very frequent.
Merely repeat the idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes open
at any time and in any situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you
take a minute or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea
slowly to yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the
idea immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind."
*We can see over and over again, in just about every lesson, that Jesus is
telling us to practice this thought in our everyday lives, and to bring him our
concerns. In this day's exercise he is asking us to apply the thought throughout
the day, <as often as possible>. Moreover, he once again urges us -- "It is
particularly important" -- to think of the idea whenever we are disturbed; in
other words, to bring the darkness of our upset to the light of his thought of
love, a thought that by its presence dispels the darkness of fear.*
(3) "The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own
strength. The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in
your mind, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have
remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The
instant you are willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear."
*When we find ourselves becoming fearful in any of the forms that fear takes --
and sometimes it may not even be fear; it could be anger, depression, or sadness
-- it is because we chose the ego once again; in effect, telling Jesus or the
Holy Spirit to get lost. The wrong-minded decision is the problem, and accepting
the Correction is the solution. This simplicity of A Course in Miracles -- one
problem, one solution (W-pI.79-80) --is what makes it such a powerful and
effective spiritual tool.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 47. God is the strength in which I trust.
Lesson 47. God is the strength in which I trust.If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to beapprehensive, anxious and fearful. What can you predict or control? What isthere in you that can be counted on? What would give you the ability to be awareof all the facets of any problem, and to resolve them in such a way that onlygood can come of it? What is there in you that gives you the recognition of theright solution, and the guarantee that it will be accomplished?Of yourself you can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to putyour trust where trust is unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety, depression,anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and feel safe? Yet who canput his faith in strength and feel weak?God is your safety in every circumstance. His Voice speaks for Him in allsituations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to doto call upon His strength and His protection. There are no exceptions becauseGod has no exceptions. And the Voice which speaks for Him thinks as He does.Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the Source of realstrength. Four five-minute practice periods are necessary today, and longer andmore frequent ones are urged. Close your eyes and begin, as usual, by repeatingthe idea for the day. Then spend a minute or two in searching for situations inyour life which you have invested with fear, dismissing each one by tellingyourself:God is the strength in which I trust.< Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It isobvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelingsof inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with thesituation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will gainconfidence. But the strength of God in you is successful in all things.The recognition of your own frailty is a necessary step in the correction ofyour errors, but it is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidencewhich you need, and to which you are entitled. You must also gain an awarenessthat confidence in your real strength is fully justified in every respect and inall circumstances.In the latter phase of the practice period, try to reach down into your mind toa place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached it if you feela sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go all the trivial things that churnand bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to theKingdom of Heaven. There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. Thereis a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where thestrength of God abides.During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to any disturbance.Remember that peace is your right, because you are giving your trust to thestrength of God.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 47. "God is the strength in which I trust."*This introduces another important teaching that is central in the text: thecontrast between our weakness and the strength of Christ in us, or between theego's illusory power and the Holy Spirit's true power. As we read near thetext's end:"You always choose between your weakness and the strength of Christ in you.And what you choose is what you think is real. Simply by never using weakness todirect your actions, you have given it no power. And the light of Christ in youis given charge of everything you do. For you have brought your weakness untoHim, and He has given you His strength instead." (T.31.VIII.2.3-7)This lesson subtly introduces the theme of special relationships, which entailplacing trust in someone or something outside us to alleviate our anxiety, orsimply to make us feel good. That means we are substituting some object,substance, or relationship for the Love of God, giving power (or strength) tothese special objects to bring us pleasure or alleviate pain. This choice forspecialness is the substitution of weakness for strength.*(1:1) "If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to beapprehensive, anxious and fearful."*Trusting in our own strength means that we have made the ego thought systemreal. Having done so, we will feel guilty. Guilt will be projected and we willinevitably fear the punishment we believe is forthcoming as a natural expression(really an <un>natural expression) of the guilt we feel in our minds. You cansee, incidentally, how often in these lessons the dynamic or projection isdiscussed.*(1:2) "What can you predict or control?"*Everyone in this world has control issues. We always try to predict what mighthappen so we can be in control, thinking ahead: If I do such and such, what willthe outcome be? This is mandatory if we are to survive as an ego. We have to bein control. If not, Jesus is, which means our special identity is gone. Our needto exclude him finds its expression in the need to control what is going onaround us, like the Dutch boy who kept his finger in the dike to prevent acatastrophic flood that would destroy his village. That is our fear: if ourfinger slips, the waters of God's Love would rush through our defensivestructure and flood our egos into non-existence. Thus we keep our fingers ofspecialness and hate firmly planted in the walls of our minds, ensuring that noright-minded water of forgiveness ever gets through and washes away our self.*(1:3) "What is there in you that can be counted on?"*We figure a hell of a lot! We are sure that if we do not save ourselves, we aredoomed. I mentioned earlier that we have constructed our lives in such a waythat were convinced from the outset that no one could be trusted; no one isdependable, and therefore the only one who could save us is ourselves. Again, weare absolutely certain we are right. However, we are not aware of the underlyingthought that supports this defense: I have written my life's script so that itwill prove I am all alone in the universe, and therefore I had better take careof me because no one else will! Recall that all-important line from the text:"The secret of salvation is but this: That you are doing this untoyourself." (T-27.VIII.10:1).We <want> to be alone, since that justifies our living all alone -- trusting noone -- and thus we reinforce our origin of being all alone, totally apart fromour Creator and Source.*(1:4) "What would give you the ability to be aware of all the facets of anyproblem, and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of it?"*This idea is expressed more fully in the text and manual: the Holy Spirit, notourselves, is the only One Who can judge correctly. We read, for example:"It is necessary for the teacher of God to realize, not that he should notjudge, but that he cannot ... The aim of our curriculum, unlike the goal of theworld's learning, is the recognition that judgment in the usual sense isimpossible... In order to judge anything rightly, one would have to be fullyaware of an inconceivably wide range of things; past, present and to come. Onewould have to recognize in advance all the effects of his judgments on everyoneand everything involved in them in any way. And one would have to be certainthere is no distortion in his perception, so that his judgment would be whollyfair to everyone on whom it rests now and in the future. Who is in a position todo this? Who except in grandiose fantasies would claim this for himself? ...Make then but one more judgment. It is this: There is Someone with you Whosejudgment is perfect. He does know all the facts; past, present and to come. Hedoes know all the effects of His judgment on everyone and everything involved inany way. And He is wholly fair to everyone, for there is no distortion in Hisperception." (M-10.2:1;3:1,3-7;4:6-10).It is simply our arrogance as egos that lead us to believe we could possiblyunderstand the true nature of any problem, not to mention its solution. Thisarrogance has ensured throughout the millennia that no problem -- individual orcollective -- has ever truly been resolved. Thus we go from day to day, year toyear, century to century, reliving the same painful experiences over and overagain, with no respite from the terror of being wrong and being separated:"Each day, and every minute in each day, and every instant that each minuteholds, you but relive the single instant when the time of terror took the placeof love." (T-26.V.13:1).*(1:5) "What is there in you that gives you the recognition of the rightsolution, and the guarantee that it will be accomplished?"*It certainly is not us, our wrong-minded self, but our right-minded self whenwe choose to identify with Jesus or the Holy Spirit.*(2) "Of yourself you can do none of these things. To believe that you can is toput your trust where trust is unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety,depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and feel safe?Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak?"*This is what everyone's life is all about. We are frightened, anxious,depressed, angry, and sad. If not, we are not paying attention to our life'ssituation, which proves we are right in believing the world is hostile,threatening, and lonely place, replete with those we cannot trust. We feeljustified in thinking this is why we feel as terrible as we do, unaware that thesource of these thoughts and feelings is our decision to trust the teacher ofweakness, rather than the One of strength.*(3) "God is your safety in every circumstance. His Voice speaks for Him in allsituations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to doto call upon His strength and His protection. There are no exceptions becauseGod has no exceptions. And the Voice which speaks for Him thinks as He does."*Passages like these, and there are many of them in the workbook, make it soundas if the Holy Spirit is with you to tell you exactly what to do. In one sensethis is true, but the focus is never really on what you do, because that isunimportant. Rather, Jesus is emphasizing how you <think> about what you do.This is where the Holy Spirit enters the picture. If you would join with HisLove -- meaning you have let go of the barriers that would keep you separatefrom Him -- everything you do and say will come from love. That is what it meansto be guided by the Holy Spirit. Not that he tells you specifically what to door not to do. When your mind is aligned with His, everything coming from thatmind must be His since our bodies are nothing more than a projection orextension of what is in our minds. When these are joined with the Holy Spirit,again, everything we do will be an expression of love. Our experience might bethat Jesus told us this or the Holy Spirit told us that. In reality, we havesimply joined with abstract love in our minds, and that love becomes the sourceof our specific thoughts and behavior."The Song of Prayer" specifically addresses the issue of moving beyond our needfor specifics, our going so far as to ask God or the Holy Spirit for thefulfillment of our special requests. Indeed, one of the major emphases of thisall-important writing is to have students of A Course in Miracles ask <only> forhelp in removing the obstacles to hearing the non-specific Voice of love. Onceour egos are out of the way, we automatically <know> what to do or say. ThusJesus teaches in the pamphlet's opening pages:"The secret of true prayer is to forget the things you think you need. Toask for the specific is much the same as to look on sin and then forgive it.Also in the same way, in prayer you overlook your specific needs as you seethem, and let them go into God's Hands. There they become your gifts to Him, forthey tell Him that you would have no gods before Him; no Love but His. Whatcould His answer be but your remembrance of Him? Can this be traded for a bit oftrifling advice about a problem of an instant's duration? God answers only foreternity. But still all little answers are contained in this." (S-1.I.4.)This important teaching was underscored in a personal message to Helen,correcting her tendency to ask for <specific> words to say to a person introuble. Here is what Jesus told his scribe:"Remember you need nothing, but you have an endless store of loving gifts togive. But teach this lesson only to yourself. Your brother will not learn iffrom your words or from the judgments you have laid on him. You need not evenspeak a word to him. You cannot ask, "What shall I say to him?" and hear God'sanswer. Rather ask instead, "Help me to see this brother through the eyes oftruth and not of judgment," and the help of God and all His angels willrespond." (Absence from Felicity: The story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribingof A Course in Miracles, p.381).We shall return again and again to this vital point, for it points the waybeyond the ego's <spiritual specialness>, one of its greatest defenses againstthe spiritual truths found in A Course in Miracles and many otherspiritualities.*(4:1) "Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the Source of realstrength."*This is reminiscent of Lesson 44, where Jesus helped us sink down into ourminds, passing by the ego's illusions to reach the Holy Spirit's truth.*(4:2-5) "Four five-minute practice periods are necessary today, and longer andmore frequent ones are urged. Close your eyes and begin, as usual, by repeatingthe idea for the day. Then spend a minute or two in searching for situations inyour life which you have invested with fear, dismissing each one by tellingyourself:"God is the strength in which I trust."*Again, this is the process. The way to reach your real strength is to move pastyour weakness by becoming aware of your ego's thoughts. That is why there issuch heavy emphasis on mind searching in these lessons. You cannot move past thedarkness until you first realize there <is> darkness. You must look at yourinvestment in having your ego be alive and well, and then bring that investmentin weakness to the strength of God within.*(5) "Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy.It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated withfeelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal withthe situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will gainconfidence. But the strength of God in you is successful in all things."*Still again, we are asked by Jesus to turn away from the weakness andinadequacy of the ego's thought system to the strength of God he holds out forus. That is why he exhorts us in the text:"Resign now as your own teacher.... for you were badly taught."(T-12.V.8:3;T-28.1.7:1).*(6) "The recognition of your own frailty is a necessary step in the correctionof your errors, but it is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidencewhich you need, and to which you are entitled. You must also gain an awarenessthat confidence in your real strength is fully justified in every respect and inall circumstances."*The structure here is typical of most of the sections in the text: first youget the ego's side; then the Holy Spirit's answer. Throughout A Course inMiracles Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms how important it is that we lookat our ego. Here he is saying we must look at our weakness, which comes fromidentifying with the ego. However, Jesus also teaches there is a presence oflove, strength, and truth inside us, which is the basis of our looking. Webecome aware that the way we identify with truth and find real happiness andpeace is by looking at our darkness with the expression of that truth -- Jesusor the Holy Spirit -- beside us. Recall that wonderful passage from the text,quoted here more fully than previously:"No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not lookingis the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, forthey cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego's thoughtsystem because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since yourealize you do not want it, you must be ready. Let us be very calm in doingthis, for we are merely looking honestly for truth. The "dynamics" of the egowill be our lesson for a while, for we must look first at this to see beyond it,since you have made it real. We will undo this error quietly together, and thenlook beyond it to truth.""What is healing but the removal of all that stands in the way ofknowledge? And how else can one dispel illusions except by looking at themdirectly, without protecting them? Be not afraid, therefore, for what you willbe looking at is the source of fear, and you are beginning to learn that fear isnot real.... Do not be afraid ... to look upon fear, for it cannot be seen.Clarity undoes confusion by definition, and to look upon darkness through lightmust dispel it." (T-11.V.1:1--2:3,8-9).Thus we are given both sides of the split mind: the truth within, as well asinstruction for the journey to that truth, which entails looking at the ego'sweakness.One more point: Looking at the ego is not enough if you do not move beyond it tothe strength of Christ. Half the lesson is not the whole. This thought issimilar to the passage in the text on healing being of the <mind>, not the<body>; the removal of physical symptoms is not the issue:"Yet half the lesson will not teach the whole. The miracle is useless if youlearn but that the body can be healed, for this is not the lesson it was sent toteach. The lesson is the mind was sick that thought the body could be sick;projecting out its guilt caused nothing, and had no effects." (T-28.II.11:5-7).Thus, "letting go of the ego" means nothing. Moreover, it is not <really>letting go if one does not identify at the same time with the gentle,defenseless, and loving strength of Christ, inherent in which is the remembranceof the Oneness of God's Son.*(7) "In the latter phase of the practice period, try to reach down into yourmind to a place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached it ifyou feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go all the trivial thingsthat churn and bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below themto the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a place in you where there is perfect peace.There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in youwhere the strength of God abides."*Again, we let go of "all the trivial things that churn and bubble" in our minds-- our thoughts of specialness -- by bringing them to Jesus or the Holy Spirit;no longer holding on to them for safety and defense. In other words, we nolonger want the purpose they serve: preserving and protecting our separatedself.*(8) "During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to anydisturbance. Remember that peace is your right, because you are giving yourtrust to the strength of God."*And so we return to this central theme of the early lessons: the need topractice continually by bringing our disturbances to Jesus' specific answer,trusting in its strength rather than the weakness of the ego's shabby substitutefor God.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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Lesson 46. God is the Love in which I forgive.
Lesson 46. God is the Love in which I forgive.God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must becondemnation before forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need ofthis world, but that is because it is a world of illusions. Those who forgiveare thus releasing themselves from illusions, while those who withholdforgiveness are binding themselves to them. As you condemn only yourself, so doyou forgive only yourself.Yet although God does not forgive, His Love is nevertheless the basis offorgiveness. Fear condemns and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fearhas produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason,forgiveness can truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusionsdisappear.Today's exercises require at least three full five-minute practice periods, andas many shorter ones as possible. Begin the longer practice periods by repeatingtoday's idea to yourself, as usual. Close your eyes as you do so, and spend aminute or two in searching your mind for those whom you have not forgiven. Itdoes not matter "how much" you have not forgiven them. You have forgiven thementirely or not at all.If you are doing the exercises well you should have no difficulty in finding anumber of people you have not forgiven. It is a safe rule that anyone you do notlike is a suitable subject. Mention each one by name, and say:God is the Love in which I forgive you, [name].< The purpose of the first phase of today's practice periods is to put you in aposition to forgive yourself. After you have applied the idea to all those whohave come to mind, tell yourself:God is the Love in which I forgive myself.< Then devote the remainder of the practice period to adding related ideas suchas:God is the Love with which I love myself. God is the Love in which I am blessed.<The form of the application may vary considerably, but the central idea shouldnot be lost sight of. You might say, for example:I cannot be guilty because I am a Son of God. I have already been forgiven.No fear is possible in a mind beloved of God.There is no need to attack because love has forgiven me.<The practice period should end, however, with a repetition of today's idea asoriginally stated.The shorter practice periods may consist either of a repetition of the idea fortoday in the original or in a related form, as you prefer. Be sure, however, tomake more specific applications if they are needed. They will be needed at anytime during the day when you become aware of any kind of negative reaction toanyone, present or not. In that event, tell him silently:God is the Love in which I forgive you.< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 46. "God is the Love in which I forgive."*This lesson is the first time we find a serious discussion of forgiveness.*(1:1-3) "God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must becondemnation before forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need ofthis world, but that is because it is a world of illusions."*As we shall see later, Jesus "likes" this first sentence so much that herepeats it verbatim in the review lesson. Forgiveness has no place in Heaven,but only in the dream that began with the condemnation thought of sin and willend with sin's undoing through forgiveness, love's reflection. "There must becondemnation before forgiveness is necessary," which makes forgiveness anillusion since it corrects what never happened. Since God does not (because He<cannot>) recognize the illusion, He cannot correct it. There is no need for itin Heaven.*(1:4-5) "Those who forgive are thus releasing themselves from illusions, whilethose who withhold forgiveness are binding themselves to them. As you condemnonly yourself, so do you forgive only yourself."*Jesus is making it very clear that forgiveness has nothing to do with anyone wethink is outside us. It occurs in the context of a relationship we have madereal, but must recognize that what we are forgiving is a projection of the guiltwe do not want, not to mention the responsibility for our distressing situation.Lesson 196 - 198, which we shall discuss much later in this series, elaborate onthis essential point, as their titles suggest:"It can be but myself I crucify.""It can be but my gratitude I earn.""Only my condemnation injures me." *(2:1) "Yet although God does not forgive, His Love is nevertheless the basis offorgiveness."*We are reminded here that forgiveness is a real and right-minded thought thatreflects the real thought of love in our Christ Mind.*(2:2-3) "Fear condemns and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fear hasproduced, returning the mind to the awareness of God."*The right mind, or forgiveness, undoes the wrong mind of fear and hate. Whenthe right mind undoes the wrong mind, both disappear and all that remains is theawareness of God. Once again, we need to recall that A Course in Miracles doesnot teach the truth, but the <undoing> of the illusory barriers to truth; aprocess that allows the memory of God to dawn upon our sleeping minds, awakeningus at last from the ego's nightmare world of guilt and fear.*(2:4-5) "For this reason, forgiveness can truly be called salvation. It is themeans by which illusions disappear."*Salvation thus has a different meaning in A Course in Miracles. Rather thanbeing the plan of God to save us from our very real sinfulness, it now becomesthe Holy Spirit's correction of forgiveness for our <belief> in sinfulness. Itis the simple change of mind from the illusion of separation to the truth ofAtonement.*(3) "Today's exercises require at least three full five-minute practice periods,and as many shorter ones as possible. Begin the longer practice periods byrepeating today's idea to yourself, as usual. Close your eyes as you do so, andspend a minute or two in searching your mind for those whom you have notforgiven. It does not matter "how much" you have not forgiven them. You haveforgiven them entirely or not at all."*This is an expression within the dream of the <all or none> idea, what weearlier described as Level One. In our experience we do not forgive totally; weforgive a little bit here and a little bit there; we forgive this person but notanother. This passage is telling us, however, that if that is our practice offorgiveness, we are not finished yet. Forgiveness has to be total, otherwise itis not real. This <all or none> idea finds a similar expression in the followingstatement about A Course in Miracles itself: "This course will be believedentirely or not at all" (T-22.II.7:4).*(4) "If you are doing the exercises well you should have no difficulty infinding a number of people you have not forgiven. It is a safe rule that anyoneyou do not like is a suitable subject. Mention each one by name, and say:God is the Love in which I forgive you, [name]."*This is the first of several exercises in which Jesus asks us to identify thosepeople we have chosen not to forgive. He assures us we shall have no trouble inidentifying these special hate objects. Later on we shall be gently instructedto expand this category to include those we believe we love. An importantteaching of the text is that special love and special hate are the same, beingbut different <forms> of the same basic <content> of separation. Thus we need toforgive <everyone>, since everyone -- friend or foe -- is perceived to beseparate from us.*(5:1) "The purpose of the first phase of today's practice periods is to put youin a position to forgive yourself."*"Forgiving yourself" is what this course is all about. I think I am forgivingsomeone outside of me, but I am really forgiving myself. Again, needless to say,this thought is the central theme of A Course in Miracles. It reflects thedynamic of projection, wherein we seek to place in others the guilt we cannotaccept within ourselves. Once having projected the guilt, we have no furtherawareness of its ongoing presence in our minds, which for all intents andpurposes have been forgotten beneath the <double shield of oblivion>(W-pI.136.6:2) -- the belief in guilt in ourselves (mind) and in others (body).Only by recognizing our unforgiveness of another can we be led to theunforgiveness of ourselves, and beyond that to the Atonement that links us backto Love we never truly left.The next few lines present various statements as suggestive of our practice forthe day. These, incidentally, should not be taken as <affirmations> as is thepractice of many New Age students. By this I mean that statements such as theseshould <not> be used to cover the ego's thought system of negativity and hate,but rather understood as symbols of the right-minded presence of correction, <towhich> we bring the ego's thoughts:*(5:2--6:7) "After you have applied the idea to all those who have come to mind,tell yourself:God is the Love in which I forgive myself.Then devote the remainder of the practice period to adding related ideas suchas:God is the Love with which I love myself.God is the Love in which I am blessed.The form of the application may vary considerably, but the central idea shouldnot be lost sight of. You might say, for example:I cannot be guilty because I am a Son of God.I have already been forgiven.No fear is possible in a mind beloved of God.There is no need to attack because love has forgiven me.The practice period should end, however, with a repetition of today's idea asoriginally stated."*If we do these exercises properly, we will become increasingly able to note ourego thoughts of separation and specialness and bring them quickly to the lovethat embraces the Sonship as one, at the same time it undoes our thoughts ofguilt, fear, and attack. This is reiterated in the lesson's final paragraph,where Jesus returns to his central emphasis of using the idea for the day, aswell as its variations, whenever we are tempted to choose the ego instead of theHoly Spirit:*(7) "The shorter practice periods may consist either of a repetition of the ideafor today in the original or in a related form, as you prefer. Be sure, however,to make more specific applications if they are needed. They will be needed atany time during the day when you become aware of any kind of negative reactionto anyone, present or not. In that event, tell him silently:God is the Love in which I forgive you."*Jesus is asking us, once again, to be aware of any kind of negative reaction,major or minor, and then to bring these reactions <to> the suggested thoughts ofthe day. In this way his light can shine away the darkness in which we hadsought to hide. This process requires great vigilance and diligence as we seekcontinually to <practice> the holy instant (T-15.IV). I am reminded of thefamous joke: A lost New Yorker asks someone how to get to Carnegie Hall, thelegendary concert auditorium. The response is: <Practice, practice, practice>!*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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Lesson 45. God is the Mind with which I think.
Lesson 45. God is the Mind with which I think.Today's idea holds the key to what your real thoughts are. They are nothing thatyou think you think, just as nothing that you think you see is related to visionin any way. There is no relationship between what is real and what you think isreal. Nothing that you think are your real thoughts resembles your real thoughtsin any respect. Nothing that you think you see bears any resemblance to whatvision will show you.You think with the Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with Him, asHe shares His with you. They are the same thoughts, because they are thought bythe same Mind. To share is to make alike, or to make one. Nor do the thoughtsyou think with the Mind of God leave your mind, because thoughts do not leavetheir source. Therefore, your thoughts are in the Mind of God, as you are. Theyare in your mind as well, where He is. As you are part of His Mind, so are yourthoughts part of His Mind.Where, then, are your real thoughts? Today we will attempt to reach them. Wewill have to look for them in your mind, because that is where they are. Theymust still be there, because they cannot have left their source. What is thoughtby the Mind of God is eternal, being part of creation.Our three five-minute practice periods for today will take the same general formthat we used in applying yesterday's idea. We will attempt to leave the unrealand seek for the real. We will deny the world in favor of truth. We will not letthe thoughts of the world hold us back. We will not let the beliefs of the worldtell us that what God would have us do is impossible. Instead, we will try torecognize that only what God would have us do is possible.We will also try to understand that only what God would have us do is what wewant to do. And we will also try to remember that we cannot fail in doing whatHe would have us do. There is every reason to feel confident that we willsucceed today. It is the Will of God.Begin the exercises for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closing youreyes as you do so. Then spend a fairly short period in thinking a few relevantthoughts of your own, keeping the idea in mind. After you have added some fouror five thoughts of your own to the idea, repeat it again and tell yourselfgently:My real thoughts are in my mind. I would like to find them.< Then try to go past all the unreal thoughts that cover the truth in your mind,and reach to the eternal.Under all the senseless thoughts and mad ideas with which you have cluttered upyour mind are the thoughts that you thought with God in the beginning. They arethere in your mind now, completely unchanged. They will always be in your mind,exactly as they always were. Everything you have thought since then will change,but the Foundation on which it rests is wholly changeless.It is this Foundation toward which the exercises for today are directed. Here isyour mind joined with the Mind of God. Here are your thoughts one with His. Forthis kind of practice only one thing is necessary; approach it as you would analtar dedicated in Heaven to God the Father and to God the Son. For such is theplace you are trying to reach. You will probably be unable as yet to realize howhigh you are trying to go. Yet even with the little understanding you havealready gained, you should be able to remind yourself that this is no idle game,but an exercise in holiness and an attempt to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.In the shorter exercise periods for today, try to remember how important it isto you to understand the holiness of the mind that thinks with God. Take aminute or two, as you repeat the idea throughout the day, to appreciate yourmind's holiness. Stand aside, however briefly, from all thoughts that areunworthy of Him whose host you are. And thank Him for the Thoughts He isthinking with you.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 45. "God is the Mind with which I think."(1:1) "Today's idea holds the key to what your real thoughts are."*That is because our real thoughts are with God. Note in the followingdiscussion that Jesus identifies our real thoughts with the Christ Mind.*(1:2) "They are nothing that you think you think, just as nothing that you thinkyou see is related to vision in any way."*Jesus is always giving us a little jibe, telling us that we but think we think,we but think we see. In fact, we are not thinking or seeing at all.*(1:3) "There is no relationship between what is real and what you think isreal."*Other words could be substituted for these. We could say, for example, there isno relationship between what God is and what the world thinks God is -- so muchfor theologies of the world! Returning to the workbook lesson, we see a LevelOne statement -- there is absolutely nothing, no middle ground, between thetruth and illusion. Any time we think we understand something, suchunderstanding cannot be real because we are involved only with our own thoughts,and <our> thoughts are never real. The purpose of A Course in Miracles is not tolead us to an <understanding> of God, but to an experience of His Love, forwhich we must escape the darkness of our guilt and hatred. The followingstatement from the Introduction to the clarification of terms expresses thisgoal of experience rather than understanding:"A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not onlypossible but necessary. It is this experience toward which the course isdirected. Here alone consistency becomes possible because here alone uncertaintyends." (C-in.2:5-7).We can also recall this wonderful line from the text:"You are still convinced that your understanding is a powerful contributionto the truth, and makes it what it is. Yet we have emphasized that you needunderstand nothing." (T-18.IV.7:5-6).*(1:4 -- 2:5) "Nothing that you think are your real thoughts resemble your realthoughts in any respect. Nothing that you think you see bears any resemblance towhat vision will show you.""You think with the Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with Him,as He shares His with you. They are the same thoughts, because they are thoughtby the same Mind. To share is to make alike, or to make one. Nor do the thoughtsyou think with the Mind of God leave your mind, because thoughts do not leavetheir source."*The extremely important principle <ideas leave not their source> makes itsfirst appearance here in the workbook, although we have already discussed itmany times. Jesus mentions it again later in the lessons, and it is at thecenter of his teaching throughout the three books. To state it differently: Thisprinciple is the Atonement, which reflects the unchanging truth we are an ideaor thought in the Mind of God, and have never left our Source. This means theseparation never happened. We are thus saying that all thoughts, if they arereal, have never left their Source. Even though we believe we have left God andare asleep in the dream, we can still have reflections of these thoughts. Onceagain, in these passages Jesus is not making a distinction between real thoughtsand the reflection of real thoughts.*(2:6-8) "Therefore, your thoughts are in the Mind of God, as you are. They arein your mind as well, where He is. As you are part of His Mind, so are yourthoughts part of His Mind."*All is one, since <ideas leave not their source>. The mind we think we are isunreal, in contrast to the Mind of Christ, Jesus' referent here.This is yet another example of how the language of the workbook is not, strictlyspeaking, theologically correct. Since forgiveness is impossible in God, as weshall see in just a moment, our forgiveness thoughts, in reality, have nothingto do with God either. More properly, forgiveness is the <reflection> of God'sThought. Read this material, therefore, as you would a wonderful poem, not atechnical treatise to be analytically dissected.*(3) "Where, then, are your real thoughts? Today we will attempt to reach them.We will have to look for them in your mind, because that is where they are. Theymust still be there, because they cannot have left their source. What is thoughtby the Mind of God is eternal, being part of creation."*The function of the Holy Spirit is to hold those thoughts in our minds, which,despite our mind wandering, remain in their source. Projection is a powerful andpersuasive defense, yet it cannot defy the basic principle: <ideas leave nottheir source.> It is our learning this salvific fact that the ego continuallytries to prevent.*(4:1-2) "Our three five-minute practice periods for today will take the samegeneral form that we used in applying yesterday's idea. We will attempt to leavethe unreal and seek for the real."*Sentence 2 seems to say the exact opposite of the passage in Chapter 16 that Iquoted earlier -- "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek andfind all the barriers that you have built against it" (T-16.IV.6:1) -- for herethe words say you should seek for truth. This is yet another indication of hisinconsistent use of words. However, it is equally true that the principles heteaches never vary and are consistent, as the remainder of the paragraph makesclear. In other words, we find the truth (the real) by first finding theillusion (the unreal) and then leaving it and deciding against it. Incidentally,4:2 is taken from the famous Hindu statement about leaving the unreal for thereal. Here now is the rest of the paragraph:*(4:3-6) "We will deny the world in favor of truth. We will not let the thoughtsof the world hold us back. We will not let the beliefs of the world tell us thatwhat God would have us do is impossible. Instead, we will try to recognize thatonly what God would have us do is possible."*The way we seek for truth and what is real is by denying the unreal, which wedeny by looking at our unreal thoughts with Jesus. Again, when we look with himat our judgments, hatred, and guilt they will disappear, leaving only the truth.Indeed, the very process of <looking> is what heals. As I discussed in thePrelude, it is not looking at our guilt that preserves its illusory existence.That is the function of the world and body: to keep us from looking within.Therefore, looking without guilt or judgment at our decision to be guilty undoesit, transferring its substance from a solid wall of granite -- <heavy, opaque,and impenetrable> -- to a <fragile veil> that has no power to keep away thelight (T-18.IX.5:2-4). We shall return to this important theme repeatedly beforeour journey through the workbook is completed.*(5) "We will also try to understand that only what God would have us do is whatwe want to do. And we will also try to remember that we cannot fail in doingwhat He would have us do. There is every reason to feel confident that we willsucceed today. It is the Will of God."*Jesus is reminding us here of our purpose in doing the workbook and studyinghis course: what we really want to do is be an expression of God's Will, eventhough strictly speaking God does not have us do anything. Once again, andhardly for the last time, we see Jesus appealing to our right-minded motivation:We want to learn his lessons because they will make us feel better.*(6) "Begin the exercises for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closingyour eyes as you do so. Then spend a fairly short period in thinking a fewrelevant thoughts of your own, keeping the idea in mind. After you have addedsome four or five thoughts of your own to the idea, repeat it again and tellyourself gently:My real thoughts are in my mind. I would like to find them.Then try to go past all the unreal thoughts that cover the truth in your mind,and reach to the eternal."*The way you go to the eternal is through your unreal thoughts, which you bringto the real ones of the Holy Spirit. Our chart (in Lesson 43) illustrates this.You find God by going through the ego system, which begins with your experienceof yourself as a body. You next realize your body is a projection of the mind'sunreal thoughts of separation, specialness, and guilt, which you bring to thereal thoughts of the Holy Spirit. And then they are gone, leaving only thetruth. This process of going through the <unreal> to the <real> -- the essenceof forgiveness -- is powerfully described in the following passage from the textthat tells of our journey through the "circle of fear" to God, with the HolySpirit as our companion and guide:"Yet God can bring you there [beyond all fear], if you are willing to followthe Holy Spirit through seeming terror, trusting Him not to abandon you andleave you there. For it is not His purpose to frighten you, but only yours. Youare severely tempted to abandon Him at the outside ring of fear, but He wouldlead you safely through and far beyond." (T-18.IX.3:7-9).*(7:1) "Under all the senseless thoughts and mad ideas with which you havecluttered up your mind are the thoughts that you thought with God in thebeginning."*These are not thoughts we normally think of as thoughts, for Jesus speaks of anexpression of God's Will -- Oneness, truth and love. Even though we are unawareof them, these thoughts remain nonetheless, "held in safekeeping" in our rightminds against the time we choose them, <and only them.> Jesus makes the samepoint in this moving passage early in the text. I quote it in its entirety."How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty isgone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses andevery loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hidtheir light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They arebeyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you,and we know what God creates is eternal. You can indeed depart in peace becauseI have loved you as I loved myself. You go with my blessing and for my blessing.Hold it and share it, that it may always be ours. I place the peace of God inyour heart and in your hands, to hold and share. The heart is pure to hold it,and the hands are strong to give it. We cannot lose. My judgment is as strong asthe wisdom of God, in Whose Heart and Hands we have our being. His quietchildren are His blessed Sons. The Thoughts of God are with you." (T-5.IV.8)*(7:2-4) "They are there in your mind now, completely unchanged. They will alwaysbe in your mind, exactly as they always were. Everything you have thought sincethen will change, but the Foundation on which it rests is wholly changeless."*These thoughts, reflecting the Love of God are always with us -- totallyunchanged. We have covered them over with senseless and cluttered thoughts, andJesus is helping us uncover the truth that is in us. In the end we shall come torecognize that these insane thoughts are made up. Their seeming power had no<effect> on the truth, and of such truth <is> the Kingdom of Heaven rememberedon earth.*(8:1-4) "It is this Foundation toward which the exercises for today aredirected. Here is your mind joined with the Mind of God. Here are your thoughtsone with His. For this kind of practice only one thing is necessary; approach itas you would an altar dedicated in Heaven to God the Father and to God the Son."*Jesus again is urging us to take these lessons seriously and remember why weare doing them. However, we are not taking them seriously if we do not applythem, which is why our vigilance becomes so important. In the text, Jesusexplains that altars are devotions:"Both Heaven and earth are in you, because the call of both is in your mind.The Voice for God comes from your own altars to Him. These altars are notthings; they are devotions. Yet you have other devotions now. Your divideddevotion has given you the two voices, and you must choose at which altar youwant to serve. The call you answer now is an evaluation because it is adecision. The decision is very simple. It is made on the basis of which call isworth more to you." (T.5.II.8.5-12).And so we are instructed to recognize <which call is worth more to us>. It isour practice and vigilance that will reinforce what we <truly> want.*(8:5-7) "For such is the place you are trying to reach. You will probably beunable as yet to realize how high you are trying to go. Yet even with the littleunderstanding you have already gained, you should be able to remind yourselfthat this is no idle game, but an exercise in holiness and an attempt to reachthe Kingdom of Heaven."*We are once more asked to remember the importance of these lessons to us, beingthe practical and specific application of the principles of the text. Thesincerity in our desire to return home will be reflected in our commitment tothis ongoing practice. Thus Jesus says in the first sentence in paragraph 9:*(9:1) "In the shorter exercise periods for today, try to remember how importantit is to you to understand the holiness of the mind that thinks with God."*It should be apparent by now, through his continual emphasis, how importantJesus believes these lessons to be, and how important they should be to us. Weshall discuss presently how this importance will be measured by our willingnessto relinquish our investment in specialness.The lesson closes with this final plea from Jesus to choose against ("standaside") our ego's thoughts, and <for> his reminders of the Thoughts we sharewith God:*(9:2-4) "Take a minute or two, as you repeat the idea throughout the day, toappreciate your mind's holiness. Stand aside, however briefly, from all thoughtsthat are unworthy of Him Whose host you are. And thank Him for the Thoughts Heis thinking with you."*Gratitude is an important theme in A Course in Miracles, and one to which weshall often return. The core of this gratitude is that God has never ceased tobe Who He is, despite all our insane attempts to make Him be otherwise.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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Lesson 44. God is the light in which I see.
Lesson 44. God is the light in which I see.
Today we are continuing the idea for yesterday, adding another dimension to it.
You cannot see in darkness, and you cannot make light. You can make darkness and
then think you see in it, but light reflects life, and is therefore an aspect of
creation. Creation and darkness cannot coexist, but light and life must go
together, being but different aspects of creation.
In order to see, you must recognize that light is within, not without. You do
not see outside yourself, nor is the equipment for seeing outside you. An
essential part of this equipment is the light that makes seeing possible. It is
with you always, making vision possible in every circumstance.
Today we are going to attempt to reach that light. For this purpose, we will use
a form of exercise which has been suggested before, and which we will utilize
increasingly. It is a particularly difficult form for the undisciplined mind,
and represents a major goal of mind training. It requires precisely what the
untrained mind lacks. Yet this training must be accomplished if you are to see.
Have at least three practice periods today, each lasting three to five minutes.
A longer time is highly recommended, but only if you find the time slipping by
with little or no sense of strain. The form of practice we will use today is the
most natural and easy one in the world for the trained mind, just as it seems to
be the most unnatural and difficult for the untrained mind.
Your mind is no longer wholly untrained. You are quite ready to learn the form
of exercise we will use today, but you may find that you will encounter strong
resistance. The reason is very simple. While you practice in this way, you leave
behind everything that you now believe, and all the thoughts that you have made
up. Properly speaking, this is the release from hell. Yet perceived through the
ego's eyes, it is loss of identity and a descent into hell.
If you can stand aside from the ego by ever so little, you will have no
difficulty in recognizing that its opposition and its fears are meaningless. You
might find it helpful to remind yourself, from time to time, that to reach light
is to escape from darkness, whatever you may believe to the contrary. God is the
light in which you see. You are attempting to reach Him.
Begin the practice period by repeating today's idea with your eyes open, and
close them slowly, repeating the idea several times more. Then try to sink into
your mind, letting go every kind of interference and intrusion by quietly
sinking past them. Your mind cannot be stopped in this unless you choose to stop
it. It is merely taking its natural course. Try to observe your passing thoughts
without involvement, and slip quietly by them.
While no particular approach is advocated for this form of exercise, what is
needful is a sense of the importance of what you are doing; its inestimable
value to you, and an awareness that you are attempting something very holy.
Salvation is your happiest accomplishment. It is also the only one that has any
meaning, because it is the only one that has any real use to you at all.
If resistance rises in any form, pause long enough to repeat today's idea,
keeping your eyes closed unless you are aware of fear. In that case, you will
probably find it more reassuring to open your eyes briefly. Try, however, to
return to the exercises with eyes closed as soon as possible.
If you are doing the exercises correctly, you should experience some sense of
relaxation, and even a feeling that you are approaching, if not actually
entering into light. Try to think of light, formless and without limit, as you
pass by the thoughts of this world. And do not forget that they cannot hold you
to the world unless you give them the power to do so.
Throughout the day repeat the idea often, with eyes open or closed as seems
better to you at the time. But do not forget. Above all, be determined not to
forget today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below, is an excerpt 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:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 44. "God is the light in which I see."
*Jesus continues here his series of Level One statements: only God is true; only
God is light. Everything else is an expression of the ego's darkness.*
(1) "Today we are continuing the idea for yesterday, adding another dimension to
it. You cannot see in darkness, and you cannot make light. You can make darkness
and then think you see in it, but light reflects life, and is therefore an
aspect of creation. Creation and darkness cannot coexist, but light and life
must go together, being but different aspects of creation."
*We are so sure we are correct in what we perceive, think, and feel, which is
what Jesus means by saying: "You can make darkness and then think you see in
it." We are so sure that we are right, but that is only because we made up the
world of opposites -- light and darkness -- and then forgot where it came from:
the nothingness of our illusory thoughts. But because we see the world, we
believe it is real, and then try to get as many people as we can to confirm our
perceptions and experiences, not realizing we are merely asking the blind to
teach the blind.
The "light" of which Jesus speaks is not perceptual, to be clarified in the next
paragraph, but is another symbol to express a characteristic of Heaven. Darkness
represents the ego and its thought system of guilt, hate, and specialness; while
light represents the Holy Spirit's thought system, which affirms that darkness
had no effect upon reality.*
(2:1) "In order to see, you must recognize that light is within, not without."
* When Jesus says: "God is the light in which I see" he is not talking about
what we see with a naked eye. Vision comes from right-minded thought, and thus
we do not see light outside us. Recall Lesson 15, which I have referred to
several times, where Jesus is not talking about literally seeing edges of light
around objects. If you do have such an experience, realize it is nothing but a
reflection of a thought of forgiveness in your mind. These lessons make it very
clear that light is not external. Remember, there <is> nothing external. As we
shall read in a later lesson: "There is no world! This is the central thought
the course attempts to teach." (W.PI.132.6.2-3).*
(3) "Today we are going to attempt to reach that light. For this purpose, we
will use a form of exercise which has been suggested before, and which we will
utilize increasingly. It is a particularly difficult form for the undisciplined
mind, and represents a major goal of mind training. It requires precisely what
the untrained mind lacks. Yet this training must be accomplished if you are to
see."
*Here, as well as other places in the workbook, Jesus departs from the main
theme of the lesson and talks instead about our practice. It is certainly
difficult to be thinking about the lesson or God throughout the day. By clear
implication, Jesus is saying that we, his students, are not disciplined, and he
is letting us know ahead of time that he fully expects us <not> to do the
lessons as he has given them. Thus we should not feel guilty when we forget, nor
does Jesus want us to deny that we forget, or deny our motivation for forgetting
(which we will discuss in a moment). In fact, he frequently reminds us of the
power of our minds. For example, he gently chides Helen, and indeed all of us,
near the end of the text for complaining this course is too difficult to learn.
After all, he says, <look at what you have learned>:
"What you have taught yourself is such a giant learning feat it is indeed
incredible. But you accomplished it because you wanted to, and did not pause in
diligence to judge it hard to learn or too complex to grasp."
"No one who understands what you have learned, how carefully you learned
it, and the pains to which you went to practice and repeat the lessons
endlessly, in every form you could conceive of them, could ever doubt the power
of your learning skill. There is no greater power in the world. The world was
made by it, and even now depends on nothing else. The lessons you have taught
yourself have been so over-learned and fixed they rise like heavy curtains to
obscure the simple and the obvious. Say not you cannot learn them. For your
power to learn is strong enough to teach you that your will is not your own,
your thoughts do not belong to you, and even you are someone else."
(T-31.1.2:7-- 3:6)
Therefore, Jesus is helping us recognize not only our learning skill, but the
great need to <un>learn what we have so skillfully taught ourselves: our
"ancient overlearning" (T-31.1.5:4). To accomplish this undoing, great
discipline of learning is required. Thus, the need for this workbook.*
(4) "Have at least three practice periods today, each lasting three to five
minutes. A longer time is highly recommended, but only if you find the time
slipping by with little or no sense of strain. The form of practice we will use
today is the most natural and easy one in the world for the trained mind, just
as it seems to be the most unnatural and difficult for the untrained mind."
*Jesus is again telling us that we will have trouble unlearning what we have
taught ourselves, and he explains why in the next paragraph:*
(5:1-4) "Your mind is no longer wholly untrained. You are quite ready to learn
the form of exercise we will use today, but you may find that you will encounter
strong resistance. The reason is very simple. While you practice in this way,
you leave behind everything that you now believe, and all the thoughts that you
have made up."
*Jesus informs us that the problem we will encounter is our own resistance, born
of the fear of losing the thoughts we made up, which, by the way, include
ourselves! We have already discussed how fearfully resistant we become when in
the presence of truth. The reader may recall Jesus' words in the text as to why
<he> was perceived as a threat:
"Many thought I was attacking them, even though it was apparent I was not.
An insane learner learns strange lessons. What you must recognize is that when
you do not share a thought system, you are weakening it. Those who believe in it
therefore perceive this as an attack on them. This is because everyone
identifies himself with his thought system, and every thought system centers on
what you believe you are." (T-6.V.B.1:5-9).
Thus these lessons constitute a direct attack on our egos, seen from the
perspective of the individual self desperately trying to protect its separation
by defending its bodily defense against truth's incursions into the mind.
Note that Jesus is not qualifying his words. To repeat:*
(5:4) "While you practice in this way, you leave behind everything that you now
believe, and all the thoughts that you have made up."
*He means "<everything> that you now believe, and <all> thoughts," not just
<some> of them. That is the basis of our fear, and why everyone tries to
compromise what A Course in Miracles is teaching, having Jesus saying something
he is not saying at all. He is telling you quite explicitly that if you practice
as he instructs, your ego will disappear. It is therefore important to
understand why you do <not> practice the specific lessons, let alone the ongoing
lessons we have with each other.
Very often people ask where in A Course in Miracles does it say what I just
said. This is one of the places, and Jesus says it in very simple English too;
no complicated sentence structure. One more time, here is a statement of the
problem: "While you practice in this way, you leave behind everything that you
now believe, and all the thoughts that you have made up."
We continue with yet another statement of the same theme:*
(5:5-6) "Properly speaking, this is the release from hell. Yet perceived through
the ego's eyes, it is loss of identity and a descent into hell."
*This is the idea I repeat over and over and over again: the major fear that
<everyone> in this world shares is the loss of individuality or personal
identity. Since we cherish this self, to expect that we would not have
resistance to the workbook lessons is rather naive.*
(6:1) "If you can stand aside from the ego by ever so little, you will have no
difficulty in recognizing that its opposition and its fears are meaningless."
*Jesus is speaking here of the decision maker, because he talks about a <you>
that is not the ego (to the left in our chart, see lesson 43). As we have seen,
if you stand aside from the ego you automatically stand aside with Jesus or the
Holy Spirit in your right mind. It is one or the other. The <you> that has
chosen the Holy Spirit, again, is the decision maker.
One other point: Jesus is talking about the ego as if it were a separate entity.
But the ego is simply a thought we have made real, with which we have
identified. In other words, the ego is the part of our split minds that enjoys
being separated. It thus represents our opposition to the Holy Spirit's
Atonement principle. In the following passage Jesus explains why he speaks of
the ego <as if> it were separate from us:
"Only your [i.e., the decision maker] allegiance to it gives the ego any
power over you. I have spoken of the ego as if it were a separate thing, acting
on its own. This was necessary to persuade you that you cannot dismiss it
lightly, and must realize how much of your thinking is ego-directed....The ego
is nothing more than a part of your belief about yourself." (T-4.VI.1:2-4,6).*
(7) "Begin the practice period by repeating today's idea with your eyes open,
and close them slowly, repeating the idea several times more. Then try to sink
into your mind, letting go every kind of interference and intrusion by quietly
sinking past them. Your mind cannot be stopped in this unless you choose to stop
it. It is merely taking its natural course. Try to observe your passing thoughts
without involvement, and slip quietly by them."
*To repeat, the <you> Jesus is addressing is the decision maker, the part of the
mind that chooses. <Watch your mind>. When you feel guilty, when you judge your
thoughts or your actions, you are making them real and opposing them. But you
must look at them, which does not mean to look and then continue your unloving
thoughts and actions. It means looking without judgment, realizing exactly what
you are doing. That would motivate you to let them go, because you would see the
pain of choosing the ego is causing you. The process of looking at the ego with
Jesus thus inevitably entails understanding the <cost> to us when we choose the
ego instead of him, separation instead of unity, hate instead of forgiveness.
When we see clearly that the choice for judgment leads to suffering and pain --
the unnatural -- while the choice for vision leads to peace and joy -- the
natural -- the motivation to choose healing is strong enough to bring it about.
As Jesus concludes Chapter 23: "Who with the Love of God upholding him could
find the choice of miracles or murder hard to make? (T-23.IV.9:8).
Referring to the chart that is why God is on the bottom instead of the top: The
thrust of the lesson and our meditation is to begin where we are on top: The
thrust of the lesson and our meditation is to begin where we are on top, and
then <sink down> into our minds where God is.*
(8) "While no particular approach is advocated for this form of exercise, what
is needful is a sense of the importance of what you are doing; its inestimable
value to you, and an awareness that you are attempting something very holy.
Salvation is your happiest accomplishment. It is also the only one that has any
meaning, because it is the only one that has any real use to you at all."
*The reason "what you are doing" is so important to you is that this is the way
out of hell, the way out of all pain and suffering. You need to keep reminding
yourself: " I am a student of A Course in Miracles, and I have chosen Jesus as
my teacher. Moreover, I am doing the workbook because I want to escape from the
hell of my life of judgment of others and myself. That is why I am the Course's
student: those judgments are the source of my pain and distress, which I no
longer want." Thus Jesus asks you to read these lessons conscientiously, and
<think> about what they mean in terms of your goal of peace. <And then practice
them>.
Jesus again turns to resistance:*
(9) "If resistance rises in any form, pause long enough to repeat today's idea,
keeping your eyes closed unless you are aware of fear. In that case, you will
probably find it more reassuring to open your eyes briefly. Try, however, to
return to the exercises with eyes closed as soon as possible."
*Note especially his <gentle> insistence that we become aware of our resistance,
our fear of these lessons.*
(10:1-2) "If you are doing the exercises correctly, you should experience some
sense of relaxation, and even a feeling that you are approaching, if not
actually entering into light. Try to think of light, formless and without limit,
as you pass by the thoughts of this world."
*Jesus speaks of light as a thought in the Christ Mind, because it has no form.
The reflection of light in our right minds is forgiveness, which has form
because I think I am a person who has to forgive <you>. Again, Jesus uses the
words <light> and <real thoughts> interchangeably with <right mind> and <Christ
Mind>. *
(11) "Throughout the day repeat the idea often, with eyes open or closed as
seems better to you at the time. But do not forget. Above all, be determined not
to forget today."
*We find in these lessons Jesus' urging us to take these lessons very seriously,
to take the practice of A Course in Miracles very seriously. If we do not
practice it day in and day out, we are not going to learn it. This has nothing
to do with an intellectual mastery of the text. We cannot do these lessons
properly in the end if we do not understand the text, but simple understanding
is not enough. We must practice bringing the darkness of our ego's illusions to
the light of the Holy Spirit's truth, and understand <why> we are doing it.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 43. God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.
Lesson 43. God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.Perception is not an attribute of God. His is the realm of knowledge. Yet He hascreated the Holy Spirit as the Mediator between perception and knowledge.Without this link with God, perception would have replaced knowledge forever inyour mind. With this link with God, perception will become so changed andpurified that it will lead to knowledge. That is its function as the Holy Spiritsees it. Therefore, that is its function in truth.In God you cannot see. Perception has no function in God, and does not exist.Yet in salvation, which is the undoing of what never was, perception has amighty purpose. Made by the Son of God for an unholy purpose, it must become themeans for the restoration of his holiness to his awareness. Perception has nomeaning. Yet does the Holy Spirit give it a meaning very close to God's. Healedperception becomes the means by which the Son of God forgives his brother, andthus forgives himself.You cannot see apart from God because you cannot be apart from God. Whatever youdo you do in Him, because whatever you think, you think with His Mind. If visionis real, and it is real to the extent to which it shares the Holy Spirit'spurpose, then you cannot see apart from God.Three five-minute practice periods are required today, one as early and one aslate as possible in the day. The third may be undertaken at the most convenientand suitable time that circumstances and readiness permit. At the beginning ofthese practice periods, repeat the idea for today to yourself with eyes open.Then glance around you for a short time, applying the idea specifically to whatyou see. Four or five subjects for this phase of the practice period aresufficient. You might say, for example:God is my Source. I cannot see this desk apart from Him. God is my Source. I cannot see that picture apart from Him.<Although this part of the exercise period should be relatively short, be surethat you select the subjects for this phase of practice indiscriminately,without self-directed inclusion or exclusion. For the second and longer phase,close your eyes, repeat today's idea again, and then let whatever relevantthoughts occur to you add to the idea in your own personal way. Thoughts suchas:I see through the eyes of forgiveness. I see the world as blessed. The world can show me myself I see my own thoughts, which are like God's.<Any thought related more or less directly to today's idea is suitable. Thethoughts need not bear any obvious relationship to the idea, but they should notbe in opposition to it.If you find your mind wandering; if you begin to be aware of thoughts which areclearly out of accord with today's idea, or if you seem to be unable to think ofanything, open your eyes, repeat the first phase of the exercise period, andthen attempt the second phase again. Do not allow any protracted period to occurin which you become preoccupied with irrelevant thoughts. Return to the firstphase of the exercises as often as necessary to prevent this.In applying today's idea in the shorter practice periods, the form may varyaccording to the circumstances and situations in which you find yourself duringthe day. When you are with someone else, for example, try to remember to tellhim silently:God is my Source. I cannot see you apart from Him.< This form is equally applicable to strangers as it is to those you think arecloser to you. In fact, try not to make distinctions of this kind at all.Today's idea should also be applied throughout the day to various situations andevents that may occur, particularly to those which seem to distress you in anyway. For this purpose, apply the idea in this form:God is my Source. I cannot see this apart from Him.< If no particular subject presents itself to your awareness at the time, merelyrepeat the idea in its original form. Try today not to allow any long periods oftime to slip by without remembering today's idea, and thus remembering yourfunction.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 43. "God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him."*Before discussing this lesson, I should like to review a chart I hope will helpin our study of this and subsequent lessons. This is a modified version of thechart I usually use, because in these lessons the mind's structure is portrayedas going from the bottom up, instead of the other way around.At the bottom is God, the One Mind, the place of truth in our minds and subsumedunder the term <knowledge>. This is the realm of our real thoughts with God.These do not have form, and can be understood as an expression of eternal life,love, the Will of God, and the oneness of creation.**** Please note that the chart may not come out the same on Course_Talk, as itis in Ken's books, but the description above and below will help in giving thegeneral idea of it.***______________________________________PE WORLD -- BODY------------------------------------------------------------------------RCDecision E EGO (WRONG MIND) -- UNREAL THOUGHTSMaker P*------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIO HOLY SPIRIT (RIGHT MIND) -- REAL THOUGHTSN________________________________________________KNOWLEDGE GOD -- REAL THOUGHTS___________________________________________________The split mind is represented by the layers above God, beginning with the <rightmind>, the home of <the Holy Spirit>. In these lessons Jesus does not make adistinction between our right-minded real thoughts and our One-Minded realthoughts. This is but another example, incidentally, of how A Course in Miraclescannot be approached as a scientific treatise in which each term is carefullyanalyzed. Jesus is relatively loose with words, probably more so in the workbookthan in the text. It would thus be more accurate to say that our right-mindedthoughts are the <reflection> of our real thoughts. For purposes of theselessons, however, our real thoughts include both those that are held for us bythe Holy Spirit in our right minds, as well as the Thoughts of God in the OneMind.Above the Holy Spirit is the <wrong mind>, the domain of the <ego>, whereinreside our unreal thoughts. It is these that are projected out, thereby makingthe world in which our bodies live.The <wrong> and <right minds> are the domain of perception. The ego's falseperceptions are corrected in our right minds by what is referred to in the textas <true perception>. The entire realm of the split mind -- the right and wrongminds, and the projections that make the world -- comprises the world of<perception>. All of this, as will be evident in a moment, is contrasted withthe realm of <knowledge>, the Home of Christ, our true Self.We shall see in the lessons that follow how Jesus guides us in the process ofsinking down into our minds, past our <external perceptions> and through the<ego's unreal thoughts> that gave rise to them, to the <real thoughts> of theHoly Spirit. These correction thoughts will then ultimately fade into the<Thoughts of God>.Let us now look at Lesson 43: *(1) "Perception is not an attribute of God. His is the realm of knowledge. YetHe has created the Holy Spirit as the Mediator between perception and knowledge.Without this link with God, perception would have replaced knowledge forever inyour mind. With this link with God, perception will become so changed andpurified that it will lead to knowledge. That is its function as the Holy Spiritsees it. Therefore, that is its function in truth."*Having been made as an attack on God (W-pII.3.2:1-5) perception cements ourbelief that separation and individuality are real. However, once arising inapparent opposition to knowledge, it can be used to serve a different purpose.The section called "The Special Function" provides a clear description of thisshift in function or purpose. What we have made to harm, the Holy Spirit uses toheal (T-25.VI.4). Specialness is an aspect of perception, and although it wasmade to harm and keep us separate from each other, when brought to the HolySpirit and looked at differently, it becomes an expression of forgiveness.Everything the ego has thought, done, and used to separate itself from God andeach other, can be turned around to become a vehicle for our forgiveness -- ifwe ask Jesus' help. This shift in purpose is the cornerstone of forgiveness andthe Holy Spirit's redirected purpose for our being in the world.In this paragraph we find a clear example of what I sometimes refer to as thetwo levels on which A Course in Miracles is written. Level One reflects theCourse's metaphysical principle that <only God is true and real, and everythingelse is unreal, an illusion>. Or as the very opening of the text states:Nothing real can be threatened.Nothing unreal exists. (T-in.2:2-3; bold italics omitted).It is that distinction between what is true and untrue that comprises thishighly important aspect of A Course in Miracles. The first two sentences of thisparagraph express Level One: the world of perception -- which is not just theworld we see with our eyes, but the very fact that we <think> we see a world atall -- is an illusion. The split mind, which includes our thoughts ofseparation, the world which expresses those thoughts, as well as the HolySpirit's correction, is totally unreal. Since this separated mind cannot be partof totality, wholeness, and perfect Oneness -- the very nature of God -- itcannot be true in any way. Stated differently, if the contents of the split mindare not part of God, they must be outside Him. If they are outside God, theycannot exist. Only knowledge is true and therefore real.Level Two deals <only> with illusion: the contrast between the ego's<wrong-minded > perceptions of separation and specialness, and the Holy Spirit's<right-minded> corrected perceptions of forgiveness and healing. This level canbe thought of as the more practical one, insofar as this is the part of A Coursein Miracles that deals with <the condition in which we think we are>(T-25.1.7:4): the world of the body. Thus is the world of illusion split intoperceptual realms: the false perception of the ego and its correction, the trueperception of the Holy Spirit.Sentence 3 represents the transition from Level One to Level Two. The HolySpirit can be understood as that part of our split minds that remembers truth.Thus He can be defined as the memory of God's Love we took with us into thedream when we fell asleep. Remember that all of this is metaphorical, since wenever fell asleep in the first place. We, like Jesus in A Course in Miracles,are using symbols to denote the reality from which they are "twice removed"(M-21.1:9-10). The Holy Spirit, representing our right-minded thinking, is theexpression of the Atonement principle that is the mediator or bridge between the<unreel> world we made and the <real> world of Heaven. The Holy Spirit'sthoughts are reflected in any expression of forgiveness, and these arereflections of the real thought of love that is in our minds.One final comment, it is the integration of these two levels -- theuncompromising non-dualistic view of reality, along with the specific guidelinesfor living within the illusory world under the principle of forgiveness -- thatmakes A Course in Miracles so unique as a spirituality, and so perfect for ourage.*(2:1-2) "In God you cannot see. Perception has no function in God, and does notexist."*Many times students will try to bend or twist statements in A Course inMiracles so that it seems to be saying that God <did> create the world and it isholy, but did not create the world that we <misperceive.> That is <not> whatJesus is teaching, and sentences like this make it clear. "In God you cannotsee" because seeing presupposes duality: a perceiver and a perceived. The realmof perception, therefore, is outside of God. This is reflected in statementslike this: "Your life is not a part of anything you see" (W.PI.151.12.1). Again,the very fact we think we can <see> -- i.e., something outside us -- is proofthe <seeing> self cannot be real. Duality and non-duality, perception andknowledge, are mutually exclusive states. True life is only of the spirit, whichis beyond the subject-object or perceiver-perceived duality. That is why Jesusmakes this Level One statement in the text:"There is no life outside of Heaven. Where God created life, there life must be.In any state apart from Heaven life is illusion." (T.23.II.19.1-3).*(2:3) "Yet in salvation, which is the undoing of what never was, perception hasa mighty purpose."*We have in this one sentence expressions of both Level One and Level Two. The"undoing of what never was" is a Level One statement: the separation neveroccurred. Yet as long as we are here in this dream world, the Holy Spirit, theexpression of God's Love within the dream, has a purpose and function. Thisfunction, which we know to be forgiveness, constitutes the Level Two aspect of ACourse in Miracles.*(2:4-6) "Made by the Son of God for an unholy purpose, it must become the meansfor the restoration of his holiness to his awareness. Perception has no meaning.Yet does the Holy Spirit give it a meaning very close to God's."*This echoes the early lessons in which Jesus teaches that nothing in the worldhas meaning because we have given everything all the meaning it has; the meaningof proving we are right and Jesus wrong: the separation is real. Once we askJesus for help, however, perception does have a meaning: not in reality, but ameaning based upon reality. In other words, the right-minded meaning ofperception is that is it is a reflection of the truth; not the truth, but areflection of the truth that we are one in God, and the separation a meaninglessdream. Truth's reflection within the dream is that <we are one in sharing acommon purpose and need.> This is because we share the same ego.It is helpful to remember that the Sonship is one: in Heaven as Christ (the OneMind), and on earth as an ego (the split mind). Therefore, each seeminglyseparated fragment of the Sonship is one: in Heaven as Christ (the One Mind),and on earth as an ego (the split mind), Therefore, each seemingly separatedfragment of the Sonship carries within it the totality of the ego's wrong-mindedthought system of separation and judgment, <and> the totality of the HolySpirit's right-minded thought system of unity and forgiveness. Thus we all sharethe insanity of the guilt-laden shadowy fragment of separation as well as thesanity of forgiveness, the light-filled reflection of Heaven's Oneness. Clearly,therefore, it could not be the ego that provides the meaning of our trueperception. That is why it is essential to distinguish between these two voiceswithin our split minds, one of the principle goals of the workbook.*(2:7) "Healed perception becomes the means by which the Son of God forgives hisbrother, and thus forgives himself."*This is an extremely important teaching -- not elaborated on here -- a keytheme in A Course in Miracles. We read, for example:"To perceive the healing of your brother as the healing of yourself is thusthe way to remember God. For you forgot your brothers with Him, and God's Answerto your forgetting is but the way to remember." (T-12.II.2:9-10).Future lessons will express this theme as well.Forgiving our brother, thus forgiving ourselves, is the reflection of theAtonement principle that says the separation never happened. The oneness ofGod's Son has never been compromised, thus my forgiveness of you recognizes weshare the same purpose. What we thought happened never happened at all, as weremain as God created us: one Son united within himself and with his Source.*(3:1-2) "You cannot see apart from God because you cannot be apart from God.Whatever you do you do in Him, because whatever you think, you think with HisMind."*Jesus is speaking only of the right-minded seeing, doing, and thinking, becausethe ego's seeing, doing, and thinking are an attack on God, designed to keep usseparate from Him. Therefore, in our right minds we cannot see apart from God.If we are going to see our brothers as sinless, it can be done only when we callupon Jesus or the Holy Spirit for help, a call that says: "I want to be provenwrong. If I am wrong, God is right." In truth He does not see, for there is noseeing in Heaven, but God's reality becomes the basis for vision -- truth'sreflection in the dream.*(3:3) "If vision is real, and it is real to the extent to which it shares theHoly Spirit's purpose, then you cannot see apart from God."*Once again, Jesus clearly implies that vision is not real, except in the sensethat it reflects the oneness of reality. This reflection is the Holy Spirit'spurpose, which is to forgive. Once that purpose is fulfilled vision isunnecessary, and its inherently illusory nature causes us to disappear. The useof the <real> in terms of vision is similar to Jesus' explanation of the <realworld>."This is the journey's end. We have referred to it as the real world. Andyet there is a contradiction here, in that the words imply a limited reality, apartial truth, a segment of the universe made true. This is because knowledgemakes no attack upon perception." (T-26.III.3:4).The real world is <real> insofar as its state of mind <reflects> the reality ofHeaven: the unity of the Son. However, still being a correction of an illusion-- albeit the <final> one -- it remains illusory as well.The instructions that follow in paragraph 4- 6 reflect the earlier the earlieremphasis on the implicit <sameness>of what we see and our thoughts.*(4) "Three five-minute practice periods are required today, one as early and oneas late as possible in the day. The third may be undertaken at the mostconvenient and suitable time that circumstances and readiness permit. At thebeginning of these practice periods, repeat the idea for today to yourself witheyes open. Then glance around you for a short time, applying the ideaspecifically to what you see. Four or five subjects for this phase of thepractice period are sufficient. You might say, for example:God is my Source. I cannot see this desk apart from Him. God is my Source.I cannot see that picture apart from Him."*We again see Jesus asking us to apply the idea for the day of the specifics ofour lives, even the mundane ones. That is how we learn there is no hierarchy ofillusions -- all problems are the same -- and therefore no order of difficultyin miracles -- all solutions are the same. As a later lesson teaches: "Oneproblem, one solution" (W-pI.80.1:5).*(5) "Although this part of the exercise period should be relatively short, besure that you select the subjects for this phase of practice indiscriminately,without self-directed inclusion or exclusion. For the second and longer phase,close your eyes, repeat today's idea again, and then let whatever relevantthoughts occur to you add to the idea in your own personal way. Thoughts suchas:I see through the eyes of forgivenessI see the world as blessedThe world can show me myself I see my own thoughts, which are like God's.Any thought related more or less directly to today's idea is suitable. Thethoughts need not bear any obvious relationship to the idea, but they should notbe in opposition to it."*Exercises like these remind us that we do indeed have a right mind, andtherefore a right-minded way of looking. It is important that we recognize thisin ourselves, for it affords us the necessary means of comparison when ourthoughts turn to the ego's judgment. Comparing the two -- bringing judgment tovision -- allows us to make the correct choice and know we are truly blessed asGod's Son.*(6) "If you find your mind wandering; if you begin to be aware of thoughts whichare clearly out of accord with today's idea, or if you seem to be unable tothink of anything, open your eyes, repeat the first phase of the exerciseperiod, and then attempt the second phase again. Do not allow any protractedperiod to occur in which you become preoccupied with irrelevant thoughts. Returnto the first phase of the exercises as often as necessary to prevent this."*In a sentence we shall revisit often, Jesus says:"You are much too tolerant of mind wandering, and are passively condoningyour mind's miscreations." (T-2.VI.4:6)As in the text, Jesus is asking us in this lesson to become increasinglyvigilant for our ego thoughts. They do not come unbidden, but are defenses wechoose to prevent our achieving the goal of these exercises. The last thing ourego's want is that we learn to question its thought system of separation,specialness, and judgment.*(7) "In applying today's idea in the shorter practice periods, the form may varyaccording to the circumstances and situations in which you find yourself duringthe day. When you are with someone else, for example, try to remember to tellhim silently:God is my Source. I cannot see you apart from Him.This form is equally applicable to strangers as it is to those you think arecloser to you. In fact, try not to make distinctions of this kind at all."*This goes back to a point I made earlier about these lessons: Jesus is tryingto help us generalize his teachings to <all> situations. It is not helpful if wepractice this <here>, but not <there>. To do so would be to nullify everythingwe are learning. the emphasis on not making distinctions between strangers andthose perceived to be closer to us goes to the heart of the ego's defense of<special relationships>. As he does throughout the text, Jesus is calling forthe end of our specialness. <All> people are part of the Sonship of God,<without exception>, as this statement from the text explains:"God is not partial. All His children have His total Love, and all His giftsare freely given to everyone alike. ... The specialness of God's Sons does notstem from exclusion but from inclusion. All my brothers are special."(T-1.V.3:2-3,5-6).On the level of <form> we obviously cannot enjoy the same interaction witheveryone, but we nonetheless need not <exclude> anyone from the love we arelearning to choose as our reality. Thus we reverse the ego's emphasis on <form>rather than <content>.*(8) "Today's idea should also be applied throughout the day to varioussituations and events that may occur, particularly to those which seem todistress you in any way. For this purpose, apply the idea in this form:God is my Source. I cannot see this apart from Him."*Jesus is reminding us again of the importance of being vigilant whenever adistressing thought crosses our minds, whether severe or mild, regardless ofwhat we believe to be the source. When it does, we should immediately go to theHoly Spirit for help and say: "Please help me look at this differently because Iam not at peace." At the end of Chapter 5 in the text, Jesus makes a series ofstatements when we are not at peace. They make clear that if we are notpeaceful, it is our responsibility and no one else's :"I must have decided wrongly, because I am not at peace.I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise.I want to decide otherwise, because I want to be at peace.I do not feel guilty, because the Holy Spirit will undo all theconsequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him.I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me."(T-5.VII.6:6-11: italics omitted.)Thus is the defense of projection undone, and responsibility returned to thedecision-making part of our minds.Jesus concludes the lesson by saying: *(9) "If no particular subject presents itself to your awareness at the time,merely repeat the idea in its original form. Try today not to allow any longperiods of time to slip by without remembering today's idea, and thusremembering your function."*Jesus' purpose is obviously not to make us feel guilty, but rather to remind uswe are doing the workbook because we want to learn what A Course in Miracle isteaching. Thus we have to be vigilant for our ego's in practicing these lessons.We have already seen, and shall see again, that Jesus wants us to become awareof our <resistance> to practicing such vigilance. Only then can we chooseagainst our fear.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 42. God is my strength. Vision is His gift.
Lesson 42. God is my strength. Vision is His gift.The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of majorimportance. It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains whyyou cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. You will seebecause it is the Will of God. It is His strength, not your own, that gives youpower. And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you.God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. This means thatyou can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatevercircumstance you find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not atrandom. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. Such is thestrength of God. Such are His gifts.We will have two three-to-five-minute practice periods today, one as soon aspossible after you wake, and another as close as possible to the time you go tosleep. It is better, however, to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself, ata time when you feel ready, than it is to be concerned with the time as such.Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today slowly, with youreyes open, looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again,even slower than before. After this, try to think of nothing except thoughtsthat occur to you in relation to the idea for the day. You might think, forexample:Vision must be possible. God gives truly,< or:God's gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me.< Any thought that is clearly related to the idea for today is suitable. You may,in fact, be astonished at the amount of course-related understanding some ofyour thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring unless you find your mindis merely wandering, and you have let obviously irrelevant thoughts intrude. Youmay also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come to mind. If suchinterferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought once more whilelooking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, and thencontinue to look for related thoughts in your mind.Remember, however, that active searching for relevant thoughts is notappropriate for today's exercises. Try merely to step back and let the thoughtscome. If you find this difficult, it is better to spend the practice periodalternating between slow repetitions of the idea with eyes open, then with eyesclosed, than it is to strain to find suitable thoughts.There is no limit on the number of short practice periods that would bebeneficial today. The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughtstogether, and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system inwhich nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that iscontradictory or irrelevant.The more often you repeat the idea during the day, the more often you will bereminding yourself that the goal of the course is important to you, and that youhave not forgotten it.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 42. "God is my strength. Vision is His gift."(1:1-2) "The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of majorimportance. It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains whyyou cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course."*This "cause and effect relationship" is that if I know God "walks with me" andHe is my strength, I shall automatically perceive through the eyes of His Loveand Holiness. Christ's vision comes from the thought I am holy and part of God.When I look out, which, as we have learned, has nothing to do with our physicaleyes, all I shall see are figures in a dream either expressing love and tryingto return home, or still too afraid of love and attempting to attack it. Inother words, the <cause> is the vision that sees all people as part of theSonship, regardless of their disparate forms.*(1:3-5) "You will see because it is the Will of God. It is His strength, notyour own, that gives you power. And it is His gift, rather than your own, thatoffers vision to you."*Jesus is urging us to trust him that we cannot fail. Illusions of ego strengthcan have no power over the real Source of strength within us. Jesus now sets outthe wonderful consequences of this happy fact:*(2:1-2) "God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. Thismeans that you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are, and inwhatever circumstance you find yourself."*Since the mind, the home of God's strength, is beyond time (and space), it is<always> available to us. It simply awaits our acceptance. That is why Jesustells us in the text, already cited, that we need do nothing (T-18.VII). We needdo nothing <except> to accept what is already there. Thus our need is to learnto <un>do what the ego has taught us, releasing God's strength to once again beour own. Since this is a process occurring in our <minds>, which are totallyunder our control, this joyful acceptance can occur anywhere, any time,regardless of external circumstances.This discussion next moves more specifically to the topic of time, which weshall examine much more carefully later on. For now I shall just make some briefcomments: *(2:3-6) "Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but bein the right place at the right time. Such is the strength of God. Such are Hisgifts."*Jesus is saying that nothing is at random because it is all our dream. The egochooses our scripts as a way to keep us further and further away from the truth.When we look at these scripts with Jesus, they then become classrooms. Butnothing is random. I -- the mind that my current physical identity is but afragment of -- have chosen my life and what happens in it as a way ofreinforcing my individuality and specialness. If I look at any aspect of thiswith Jesus and ask his help, I see it as the means of learning forgiveness so Imay return to an awareness of my true Identity. Thus I am "in the right place atthe right place at the right time," for lessons of forgiveness can <always> belearned, regardless of the outer circumstance.For the two longer practice periods today, Jesus encourages us to focus onhaving <quiet> time. Looking at the instructions for these lessons as a whole,we can see how Jesus has emphasized different aspects of our practice atdifferent times; sometimes focusing on the <form> (the external), other times onthe <content> (the internal). The point here, of course, is to help us at ourown level of learning, so that we may come to understand that <cause andeffect>, <content and form> <inner and outer>, are never separated.*(3) "We will have two three-to-five-minute practice periods today, one as soonas possible after you wake, and another as close as possible to the time you goto sleep. It is better, however, to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself,at a time when you feel ready, than it is to be concerned with the time assuch."*Jesus' weaning us from reliance on the <form> of our practicing is part of histraining us not to be slaves to ritual. We previously cited the discussion inthe manual for teachers in this regard, and here is the relevant passage:"There are some general rules which do apply, although each one must usethem as best he can in his own way. Routines as such are dangerous, because theyeasily become gods in their own right, threatening the very goals for which theywere set up. ... This course is always practical. ... Duration is not the majorconcern. One can easily sit still an hour with closed eyes and accomplishnothing. One can as easily give God only an instant, and in that instant joinwith Him completely." (M-16.2:4-5;4:1,4-6).We shall return to this important theme of the <quality> of our time spent withthe Holy Spirit, rather than its <quantity>.The fourth paragraph discusses our personal thoughts "in relation to the ideafor the day." *(4) "Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today slowly, withyour eyes open, looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the ideaagain, even slower than before. After this, try to think of nothing exceptthoughts that occur to you in relation to the idea for the day. You might think,for example:Vision must be possible. God gives truly,or:God's gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me."*Once again we can observe the emphasis Jesus places on bringing <our> thoughtsto <his>, and thereby practice bringing them into harmony with his vision offorgiveness and peace.In the next paragraph Jesus plays down the active mind-searching exercises ofbefore, asking us to be quiet, letting his thoughts come to us, rather than ourcoming to them:*(5) "Any thought that is clearly related to the idea for today is suitable. Youmay, in fact, be astonished at the amount of course-related understanding someof your thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring unless you find yourmind is merely wandering, and you have let obviously irrelevant thoughtsintrude. You may also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come tomind. If such interferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought oncemore while looking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, andthen continue to look for related thoughts in your mind."*However, if nothing "comes," our gentle teacher instructs us in the nextparagraph to become more active again and look for the thoughts. Yet, thislooking is <not> the focus here, but rather the letting go of control, allowinghis guidance to take over, reminiscent of this statement from the text:"My control can take over everything that does not matter, while myguidance can direct everything that does, if you so choose. ... This iscontrolled by me automatically as soon as you place what you think under myguidance." (T-2.VI.1:3;2-9)*(6:1) "Remember, however, that active searching for relevant thoughts is notappropriate for today's exercises."*Jesus is thus saying you do not have to search for God. Once you have removedyour negative thoughts, the work of earlier lessons, the resultant blank slateallows the thoughts of love to appear to you. Therefore:*(6:2-3) "Try merely to step back and let the thoughts come. If you find thisdifficult, it is better to spend the practice period alternating between slowrepetitions of the idea with eyes open, then with eyes closed, than it is tostrain to find suitable thoughts."*I might add that in reality the thoughts do not come to us; <we come to them>.It was our mind's decision maker that chose to leave the thought of theAtonement for the thought of separation, and so it is this decision maker thannow must make the choice to return to that thought, although our experience maywell be that the Atonement and its reflected thoughts come to us. Thatexperience is reflected in this lesson, as is Jesus' emphasis on the gentle andnon-coercive nature of this learning.*(7) "There is no limit on the number of short practice periods that would bebeneficial today. The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughtstogether, and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system inwhich nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that iscontradictory or irrelevant."*This is a point that Jesus makes in many other places as well. Everything youever need is in this course; there is no need to seek elsewhere. Once you decideA Course in Miracles is your spiritual path, to do anything else will simplyconfuse you. As Jesus told Helen specifically, in words meant for <all> hisstudents:"You are not making use of the course if you insist on using means whichhave served others well, neglecting what was made for you." (T.18.VII.6.5)A Course in Miracles contains everything that will help you undo your ego, andtherefore everything that will help remind you of who you are. Insisting on"using means which have served others well," will simply defend againstaccepting the Course's message of forgiveness as your own.*(8) "The more often you repeat the idea during the day, the more often you willbe reminding yourself that the goal of the course is important to you, and thatyou have not forgotten it."*You need to realize there is a part of you, despite your fear, that does wantto learn what this course is teaching, and that its goal is truly important toyou. Despite all attempts to cover it with clouds of guilt, there remains theright-minded self that remembers your goal: above all you want to return home. ACourse in Miracles, with Jesus as your teacher, will be the means to help youultimately reach that goal.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
|
Lesson 41. God goes with me wherever I go.
Lesson 41. God goes with me wherever I go.
Today's idea will eventually overcome completely the sense of loneliness and
abandonment all the separated ones experience. Depression is an inevitable
consequence of separation. So are anxiety, worry, a deep sense of helplessness,
misery, suffering and intense fear of loss.
The separated ones have invented many "cures" for what they believe to be "the
ills of the world." But the one thing they do not do is to question the reality
of the problem. Yet its effects cannot be cured because the problem is not real.
The idea for today has the power to end all this foolishness forever. And
foolishness it is, despite the serious and tragic forms it may take.
Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and
out into the world. It will cure all sorrow and pain and fear and loss because
it will heal the mind that thought these things were real, and suffered out of
its allegiance to them.
You can never be deprived of your perfect holiness because its Source goes with
you wherever you go. You can never suffer because the Source of all joy goes
with you wherever you go. You can never be alone because the Source of all life
goes with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your peace of mind because
God goes with you wherever you go.
We understand that you do not believe all this. How could you, when the truth is
hidden deep within, under a heavy cloud of insane thoughts, dense and obscuring,
yet representing all you see? Today we will make our first real attempt to get
past this dark and heavy cloud, and to go through it to the light beyond.
There will be only one long practice period today. In the morning, as soon as
you get up if possible, sit quietly for some three to five minutes, with your
eyes closed. At the beginning of the practice period, repeat today's idea very
slowly. Then make no effort to think of anything. Try, instead, to get a sense
of turning inward, past all the idle thoughts of the world. Try to enter very
deeply into your own mind, keeping it clear of any thoughts that might divert
your attention.
From time to time, you may repeat the idea if you find it helpful. But most of
all, try to sink down and inward, away from the world and all the foolish
thoughts of the world. You are trying to reach past all these things. You are
trying to leave appearances and approach reality.
It is quite possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy, because it is the
most natural thing in the world. You might even say it is the only natural thing
in the world. The way will open, if you believe that it is possible. This
exercise can bring very startling results even the first time it is attempted,
and sooner or later it is always successful. We will go into more detail about
this kind of practice as we go along. But it will never fail completely, and
instant success is possible.
Throughout the day use today's idea often, repeating it very slowly, preferably
with eyes closed. Think of what you are saying; what the words mean. Concentrate
on the holiness that they imply about you; on the unfailing companionship that
is yours; on the complete protection that surrounds you.
You can indeed afford to laugh at fear thoughts, remembering that God goes with
you wherever you go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 41. "God goes with me wherever I go."
*This is obviously a happy thought, and just as obviously Jesus is not talking
about a literal physical God Who walks with us, reminiscent of the song in the
movie version of <The Student Prince,> "I walk with God." Jesus is telling us
here that the memory of God is in our minds -- the home of the Holy Spirit --
and thus is always with us. In that sense, God is indeed with us wherever we go.
This will become more evident as we go through the lesson.*
(1) "Today's idea will eventually overcome completely the sense of loneliness
and abandonment all the separated ones experience. Depression is an inevitable
consequence of separation. So are anxiety, worry, a deep sense of helplessness,
misery, suffering and intense fear of loss."
*What reappears here is the important theme of <cause and effect.> Although the
words are not specifically used, Jesus' teaching can nonetheless be seen as a
reflection of that theme. Our problems are all the same and come from one
<cause>: believing we are separated from God. The <effects> of this mistake are
worry, depression, misery, suffering, and fear of loss. We have discussed before
how the world exists to provide causes of our distress, which merely disguise
the true cause. Our egos are incredibly skillful in concealing the truth,
leading us to be certain we know the sources of our unhappiness -- everything
but the mind's decision for guilt.
Thus, if I know that "God goes with me wherever I go" because He is in mind,
that means I have not abandoned Him and He has not abandoned me. Further, it
means I have not killed Him, nor am I separated from Him. If I accept this truth
of the Atonement, I cannot be depressed, lonely, anxious, or fearful, as these
come from guilt, which, without the belief in separation, cannot exist. The way
I will know about my belief in separation is to become aware of my feelings of
anxiety, worry, and unhappiness. That is why it is essential not to cover over
negative experiences. If we do, there is literally no hope, which lies in first
recognizing our discomfort and despair, and then realizing these are simply the
effects of the thought that God does <not> go wherever we go because we killed
him off. That sinful thought represents a decision that can <now> happily be
changed.
You need to learn your were wrong, and that you now want to be a happy learner
who is happy to be wrong, not because you have proven your self to be right
(T-29.VII.1.9). This is an idea that cannot be cited often enough. If you have
an investment in being right, you will never be happy. Perhaps you are right
today, but the "rightness" (or innocence) that you stole from someone else will
be stolen back by the one from whom you took it in anger. The only way you can
be truly right is to know that God is with you wherever you go, which means that
everything the ego has taught you is a lie. You <did> not separate from God
because you <could> not.*
(2:1-2) "The separated ones have invented many "cures" for what they believe to
be "the ills of the world." But the one thing they do not do is to question the
reality of the problem."
*"Ills of the world" is in quotes because there are no "ills of the world."
Since there is no world, how could it have ills? There is only an ill thought.
"Cures" is in quotes as well because you cannot cure a problem that does not
exist. The true problem is separation, and if we do not recognize that thought
as the cause of our problems, how can we question it, let alone change it? The
ego has convinced us that separation is real, and is such a horrid thought we
can never look at it again, lest we be destroyed. As Jesus explains in the text:
"Loudly the ego tells you not to look inward, for if you do your eyes will
light on sin, and God will strike you blind. This you believe, and so you do not
look." (T-21.IV.2:3-4).
The ego thus counsels us to run away from the mind, the home of the separation
thought, and erect one defense after another, put up wall upon wall, all of
which serve the purpose of rooting our attention in the world of the body. Thus
we are protected from questioning the seeming reality of the statement: "I
separated from God." As long as we remain in the state of <mindlessness>, we can
never truly "question the reality of the problem, " which remains always in its
source: the <mind>.*
(2:3) "Yet its effects cannot be cured because the problem is not real."
*Our attempts to cure a problem in the world, whether in our personal worlds or
the world at large, will never meet with success. Perhaps the symptom will
disappear temporarily, but we will still believe the problem -- the <cause> --
is real. As long as we do, the cause of guilt will continue to generate symptoms
-- Freud's <symptom substitution> -- that plague us. Despite their pain
demanding constant attention, however, the underlying cause of the symptoms
remains unnoticed, and the ego continues to reign triumphant until we can
explain: "There must be another way!" Our teacher helps us finally get beyond
the effect to the cause, so that it can be changed.*
(2:4-5) "The idea for today has the power to end all this foolishness forever.
And foolishness it is, despite the serious and tragic forms it may take."
*Importantly, Jesus does not use the word <sinful>; he simply says it is
<foolish>. What he expresses here is identical to what he teaches in "The "Hero"
of the Dream," where he says that the problem is our having forgotten to laugh
at the tiny, mad idea, and that the Holy Spirit looks at our concerns and laughs
at them, not derisively, but with the gentleness that knows that upsets are not
real. This theme recurs throughout A Course in Miracles, but the following
passage from the end of Chapter 27 is representative:
"In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the cause, and looks not
to effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the cause
entirely? He bids you bring each terrible effect to Him that you may look
together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him a while. You judge effects, but
He has judged their cause. And by His judgment are effects removed. Perhaps you
come in tears. But hear Him say, "My brother, holy Son of God, behold your idle
dream, in which this could occur". And you will leave the holy instant with your
laughter and your brother's joined with His." (T-27.VIII.9).
Later in the workbook we shall examine the use of the metaphor or <toys> to
depict the seeming gargantuan nature of sin, which but serves to conceal its
innate foolishness.*
(3) "Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you
and out into the world. It will cure all sorrow and pain and fear and loss
because it will heal the mind that thought these things were real, and suffered
out of its allegiance to them."
*If I know that God goes with me, that through the Holy Spirit His Love is
always with me, I realize everything I had believed and perceived is not true.
Again, that is the fear -- if my beliefs and perceptions are not true, then *I*
am not true either. Thus I unconsciously hold to the belief that guilt is
heaven, for it proves that I exist, the *I* that I think myself to be.*
(4) "You can never be deprived of your perfect holiness because its Source goes
with you wherever you go. You can never suffer because the Source of all joy
goes with you wherever you go. You can never be alone because the Source of all
life goes with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your peace of mind
because God goes with you wherever you go."
*Jesus would like you to see how steadfastly and stubbornly you try to prove
these statements wrong and your beliefs are right. You do this by proving the
world is hostile, threatening, and sinful. It does not matter which. It is
extremely helpful to look at how you defend against this truth by continually
asserting you are right and seek to prove it. It is also crucial that you
recognize that you do not believe Jesus' words, as he will tell you in the next
sentence.
One more point before we move on: If we were to accept as true the beautiful
statements in the above paragraph, our guilt would have nowhere to go except to
remain within our minds, where the ego told us waits our certain death at the
hands of a vengeful god, hell-bent on our destruction. Our projected suffering
and unhappiness <without> protects this terrible thought <within>. It is this
need to protect ourselves that provides the resistance to acceptance of Jesus'
comforting words.*
(5:1-2) "We understand that you do not believe all this. How could you, when the
truth is hidden deep within, under a heavy cloud of insane thoughts, dense and
obscuring, yet representing all you see?"
*How could you possibly understand this when you still believe there is a <you>
reading these words? How could you possibly understand when you remain
preoccupied with your specialness, individuality, and problems? Once again, we
see the <purposive> nature of our insane thoughts leading to our insane
perceptions: they keep hidden the truth that would indeed make us free of the
ego's thought system of fear, hate, and suffering.*
(5:3) "Today we will make our first real attempt to get past this dark and heavy
cloud, and to go through it to the light beyond."
*Jesus will use this form again in Lesson 70, the thought being that Jesus is
the one who leads you through the cloud. He asks you not to deny the presence of
this cloud of guilt, individuality, and specialness, but to pay close attention
to it. We can never get to the light without going through the cloud, "dark and
heavy" only to the ego. In truth, however, it is but a "fragile veil before the
light," as we read in this wonderful extended passage from the text:
"For the reality of guilt is the illusion that seems to make it heavy and
opaque, impenetrable, and a real foundation for the ego's thought system. Its
thinness and transparency are not apparent until you see the light behind it.
And then you see it as a fragile veil before the light."
"This heavy-seeming barrier, this artificial floor that looks like rock, is
like a bank of low dark clouds that seem to be a solid wall before the sun. Its
impenetrable appearance is wholly an illusion. It gives way softly to the
mountain tops that rise above it, and has no power at all to hold back anyone
willing to climb above it and see the sun. It is not strong enough to stop a
button's fall, nor hold a feather. Nothing can rest upon it, for it is but an
illusion of a foundation. Try but to touch it and it disappears; attempt to
grasp it and your hands hold nothing."
"So should it be with the dark clouds of guilt, no more impenetrable and
no more substantial. You will not bruise yourself against them in traveling
through. Let your Guide teach you their insubstantial nature as He leads you
past them, for beneath them is a world of light whereon they cast no shadows."
(T-18.IX.5:2-4;6;8:1-3).
Indeed, this teaching about guilt's "unsubstantial nature" is the heart and soul
of A Course in Miracles; the essence of the Atonement. It teaches there is no
need to defend against the thought of guilt, which has no effect and therefore
is not there. Again, we can note how the profundity of the text's teachings is
found "hidden" in these "simple" workbook lessons.
We continue now with the instructions for the day, which have us return to a
long practice period. This time Jesus urges us more directly between the brain's
activity of thinking and that of the mind, the true source of our source of our
thoughts: *
(6:1 --7:2) "There will be only one long practice period today. In the morning,
as soon as you get up if possible, sit quietly for some three to five minutes,
with your eyes closed. At the beginning of the practice period, repeat today's
idea very slowly. Then make no effort to think of anything. Try, instead, to get
a sense of turning inward, past all the idle thoughts of the world. Try to enter
very deeply into your own mind, keeping it clear of any thoughts that might
divert your attention."
"From time to time, you may repeat the idea if you find it helpful. But most
of all, try to sink down and inward, away from the world and all the foolish
thoughts of the world."
*And everything here is foolish; or, better, it is foolish to believe that the
things of the world can bring us pleasure or pain. Sinking past them means
moving past our pleasure and pain -- to the mind that is the only source of our
feelings and thoughts. It is in the mind that we experience God's Presence
through the Holy Spirit, and it is in the mind that the decision is made to
substitute the ego's presence for His.
The next two sentences emphasize the crucial distinction, borrowed from Pluto,
between appearance and reality, awareness of which is the purpose of our going
inward:*
(7:3-4) "You are trying to reach past all these things. You are trying to leave
appearances and approach reality."
*Jesus wants us first to look carefully at what appears to us as real: the
world, replete with people hearing and seeing our bodies, and whose bodies we
hear and see. The next step, then, following Jesus' gentle guidance, is
recognizing the illusory nature of these appearances and moving beyond them to
the thoughts of the ego; and then, finally, beyond the ego to the Holy Spirit's
thought of the Atonement.*
(8:1-4) "It is quite possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy, because it
is the most natural thing in the world. You might even say it is the only
natural thing in the world. The way will open, if you believe that it is
possible."
*Jesus is not saying you have to have to believe this totally, you just have to
believe that perhaps, just maybe, it is possible he is right and you are wrong.
If the only natural thing in this world is to reach God, and everything in this
world is a movement against Him, then nothing in this world is natural,
including yourself, your body, personality, and individual existence. It is your
<belief> that will lead you Home, once you place its power under the Atonement
principle of the Holy Spirit, correcting the mistaken belief in the separation.
Jesus next underscores for us the importance of this lesson, trying to buttress
our confidence in the workbook's process of retraining our minds. This is one
among the many "pep talks" he gives us along the way:*
(8:5 -- 9:3) "This exercise can bring very startling results even the first time
it is attempted, and sooner or later it is always successful. We will go into
more detail about this kind of practice as we go along. But it will never fail
completely, and instant success is possible."
"Throughout the day use today's idea often, repeating it very slowly,
preferably with eyes closed. Think of what you are saying; what the words mean.
Concentrate on the holiness that they imply about you; on the unfailing
companionship that is yours; on the complete protection that surrounds you."
*These last lines point to the truth that lies just beyond the illusion, a truth
that is ours once we truly focus on the lessons and the practice of the
exercises.
And then the last line of the lesson:*
(10) "You can indeed afford to laugh at fear thoughts, remembering that God goes
with you wherever you go."
*Jesus returns to the theme of laughing at the ego, i.e., not taking it
seriously. This is only possible when we have brought our fear thoughts to the
Love of God that is remembered for us by the Holy Spirit. Without this process
of bringing the illusions to the truth, our laughter will be superficial at
best, and derisive and judgmental at worst. The Holy Spirit's laughter is born
of the gentle smile that knows the difference between appearance and reality,
illusion and truth, separation and Atonement. In Lesson 187 Jesus makes the
seemingly outrageous statement that you could look at the pain, suffering, and
starvation in the world and laugh at it. You will laugh at suffering, not
because you are making fun of people, but because, having joined with the Holy
Spirit in your right mind, you will know it is not true -- it has no power to
take away the peace and Love of God away from you.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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Lesson 40. I am blessed as a Son of God.
Lesson 40. I am blessed as a Son of God.Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you areentitled, being what you are. No long practice periods are required today, butvery frequent short ones are necessary. Once every ten minutes would be highlydesirable, and you are urged to attempt this schedule and to adhere to itwhenever possible. If you forget, try again. If there are long interruptions,try again. Whenever you remember, try again.You need not close your eyes for the exercise periods, although you willprobably find it more helpful if you do. However, you may be in a number ofsituations during the day when closing your eyes would not be feasible. Do notmiss a practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under anycircumstances, if you really want to.Today's exercises take little time and no effort. Repeat the idea for today, andthen add several of the attributes you associate with being a Son of God,applying them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consist ofthe following:I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.< Another might take this form:I am blessed as a Son of God I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.< If only a brief period is available, merely telling yourself that you areblessed as a Son of God will do.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 40. "I am blessed as a Son of God."(1:1) "Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you areentitled, being what you are."*In these early lessons, as we have previously discussed, Jesus makes it veryclear that our minds are split, part of which worships guilt and attackthoughts, while the other contains the memory of Who we truly are. Beginningwith this lesson and continuing for the next ten, Jesus gives our egos a respiteas he speaks almost exclusively about the other side -- "the happy things towhich you are entitled" -- our right minds." *(1:2-6) "No long practice periods are required today, but very frequent shortones are necessary. Once every ten minutes would be highly desirable, and youare urged to attempt this schedule and to adhere to it whenever possible. If youforget, try again. If there are long interruptions, try again. Whenever youremember, try again."*The exercises for today thus represent a departure from the previous onesbecause of the absence of a long exercise period. In addition, Jesus continueshis strong yet gentle urgings that we keep trying to remember -- as often aspossible each hour -- without making our forgetting into a sin. Quite obviouslyhe knows we will.The next paragraph is extremely important because it helps us recognize thatthese exercises must be applied <all> the time, whether we are meditating in aquiet room, or being about our busyness. <We do not have to close our eyes inorder to remember God and His Son>: *(2) "You need not close your eyes for the exercise periods, although you willprobably find it more helpful if you do. However, you may be in a number ofsituations during the day when closing your eyes would not be feasible. Do notmiss a practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under anycircumstances, if you really want to."*Thus, no matter where you are during the day -- driving your car, eating with afriend, quietly alone, busy at work -- you can remember today's lesson.*(3) "Today's exercises take little time and no effort. Repeat the idea fortoday, and then add several of the attributes you associate with being a Son ofGod, applying them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consistof the following:I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.Another might take this form:I am blessed as a Son of God I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.If only a brief period is available, merely telling yourself that you areblessed as a Son of God will do."*Jesus is asking us to take the general statement of our Identity and make itmore specific, thereby making it more personal to us. The lesson's final linereiterates how we do not need a quiet place or set time to remember.Underlying Jesus' teaching here is that we need time and place -- i.e., rituals-- as long as we identify with our bodies. But since Jesus' ultimate teaching isthat we are minds, weaning us of our dependency on externals is an importantstep toward our eventual identification with the mind: the source of ourblessedness, as well as the birthplace of our resistance to accepting Who wetruly are.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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