Review III - Introduction
(1) Our next review begins today. We will review two recent lessons
every day for ten successive days of practicing. We will observe a
special format for these practice periods, that you are urged to follow
just as closely as you can.
(2) We understand, of course, that it may be impossible for you to
undertake what is suggested here as optimal each day and every hour of
the day. Learning will not be hampered when you miss a practice period
because it is impossible at the appointed time. Nor is it necessary that
you make excessive efforts to be sure that you catch up in terms of
numbers. Rituals are not our aim, and would defeat our goal.
(3) But learning will be hampered when you skip a practice period
because you are unwilling to devote the time to it that you are asked to
give. Do not deceive yourself in this. Unwillingness can be most
carefully concealed behind a cloak of situations you cannot control.
Learn to distinguish situations that are poorly suited to your
practicing from those that you establish to uphold a camouflage for your
unwillingness.
(4) Those practice periods that you have lost because you did not want
to do them, for whatever reason, should be done as soon as you have
changed your mind about your goal. You are unwilling to cooperate in
practicing salvation only if it interferes with goals you hold more
dear. When you withdraw the value given them, allow your practice
periods to be replacements for your litanies to them. They gave you
nothing. But your practicing can offer everything to you. And so accept
their offering and be at peace.
(5) The format you should use for these reviews is this: Devote five
minutes twice a day, or longer if you would prefer it, to considering
the thoughts that are assigned. Read over the ideas and comments that
are written down for each day's exercise. And then begin to think about
them, while letting your mind relate them to your needs, your seeming
problems and all your concerns.
(6) Place the ideas within your mind, and let it use them as it chooses.
Give it faith that it will use them wisely, being helped in its
decisions by the One Who gave the thoughts to you. What can you trust
but what is in your mind? Have faith, in these reviews, the means the
Holy Spirit uses will not fail. The wisdom of your mind will come to
your assistance. Give direction at the outset; then lean back in quiet
faith, and let the mind employ the thoughts you gave as they were given
you for it to use.
(7) You have been given them in perfect trust; in perfect confidence
that you would use them well; in perfect faith that you would see their
messages and use them for yourself. Offer them to your mind in that same
trust and confidence and faith. It will not fail. It is the Holy
Spirit's chosen means for your salvation. Since it has His trust, His
means must surely merit yours as well.
(8) We emphasize the benefits to you if you devote the first five
minutes of the day to your reviews, and also give the last five minutes
of your waking day to them. If this cannot be done, at least try to
divide them so you undertake one in the morning, and the other in the
hour just before you go to sleep.
(9) The exercises to be done throughout the day are equally important,
and perhaps of even greater value. You have been inclined to practice
only at appointed times, and then go on your way to other things,
without applying what you learned to them. As a result, you have gained
little reinforcement, and have not given your learning a fair chance to
prove how great are its potential gifts to you. Here is another chance
to use it well.
(10) In these reviews, we stress the need to let your learning not lie
idly by between your longer practice periods. Attempt to give your daily
two ideas a brief but serious review each hour. Use one on the hour, and
the other one a half an hour later. You need not give more than just a
moment to each one. Repeat it, and allow your mind to rest a little time
in silence and in peace. Then turn to other things, but try to keep the
thought with you, and let it serve to help you keep your peace
throughout the day as well.
(11) If you are shaken, think of it again. These practice periods are
planned to help you form the habit of applying what you learn each day
to everything you do. Do not repeat the thought and lay it down. Its
usefulness is limitless to you. And it is meant to serve you in all
ways, all times and places, and whenever you need help of any kind. Try,
then, to take it with you in the business of the day and make it holy,
worthy of God's Son, acceptable to God and to your Self.
(12) Each day's review assignments will conclude with a restatement of
the thought to use each hour, and the one to be applied on each half
hour as well. Forget them not. This second chance with each of these
ideas will bring such large advances that we come from these reviews
with learning gains so great we will continue on more solid ground, with
firmer footsteps and with stronger faith.
(13)<Do not forget how little you have learned.
Do not forget how much you can learn now.
Do not forget your Father's need of you,
As you review these thoughts He gave to you.>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The commentary on this lesson is an excerpt 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review III - Introduction. With commentary by Kenneth Wapnick.
*The introduction to the reviews provide important messages, as we have
seen, and this one is no exception. Its basic theme is our vigilance in
doing these reviews. Even more importantly -- a point emphasized in
almost every lesson -- these exercises will have no relevance if we do
not practice them. The importance this concept holds for Jesus will be
evident as we go through the Introduction. He wants us to apply these
thoughts throughout the day, especially when we find ourselves upset,
which should be rather frequent if we are truly vigilant. It is thus
essential to practice the thoughts set forth here. The idea that the
world is an illusion, for example, is meaningless if we do not realize
that if this is so, there is nothing outside us with the power to take
God's peace from our minds. These, then, are ideas Jesus asks us to
apply throughout the day, and our practice is the burden of this
Introduction.*
(1) "Our next review begins today. We will review two recent lessons
every day for ten successive days of practicing. We will observe a
special format for these practice periods, that you are urged to follow
just as closely as you can."
*Jesus is not a harsh judge, sitting in Heaven with a scorecard keeping
track of how many times we forget a practice period. Yet he does appeal
to the decision-making part of our minds that would be tempted to choose
the ego instead of the Holy Spirit, specialness and individuality
instead of learning the lessons that would undo them and return us home.
He urges us not because there is anything sacrosanct about these review
periods, but for our well-being. He reminds us in statements like this
that doing things our way brings pain, while having him guide us brings
release from pain. We therefore will feel better if we acknowledge we
are wrong and he is right, and indeed that he has always been right.*
(2:1-2) "We understand, of course, that it may be impossible for you to
undertake what is suggested here as optimal each day and every hour of
the day. Learning will not be hampered when you miss a practice period
because it is impossible at the appointed time."
*Jesus is not naive, nor harshly demanding. There certainly may be times
throughout the day when at the hour's stroke it is impossible to spend
to spend a few minutes thinking of the lesson. If there is a fire, a
drowning person, an automobile accident or any urgent matter, you are
going to pay attention to what is happening, and not necessarily take
five minutes to sit with closed eyes and think of the lesson. Again
Jesus is not harsh, but he is saying -- as we will see in just a moment
-- to be careful in distinguishing between what is reasonable and what
is not, in terms of missing a practice period. The "unreasonable" is
choosing to forget out of fear.
The point is to respond to the gentleness with which Jesus acts as our
teacher. This is not a punitive assignment, for he asks only that we be
mindful of our fear thoughts when we find these lessons too threatening
for our specialness. This fear often leads to forgetting them at the
appointed time. Recall, too, our discussion in Lesson 95. Our success in
these lessons does not lie in having a <perfect> record in remembering,
but in being <perfectly> mindful of our temptation to feel guilty. We
shall return to this thought presently.*
(3:1-3) "But learning will be hampered when you skip a practice period
because you are unwilling to devote the time to it that you are asked to
give. Do not deceive yourself in this. Unwillingness can be most
carefully concealed behind a cloak of situations you cannot control."
*Jesus distinguishes between those situations that are really beyond our
control and those that are not. He asks that we be vigilant for our
resistance to learning A Course in Miracles and practicing these
exercises. Again, he is not being punitive or harsh, nor keeping track
of our practice schedule. Helping us to implement what he teaches in the
text, Jesus is simply re-training our minds to think with him, than the
ego.
As I have said, our success with the workbook comes not by practicing
its exercises exactly as they are written, but by learning to forgive
ourselves when we forget. This forgetting is a shadowy fragment of the
original thought when we chose to forget God. As all time has occurred,
and is ongoing within one instant, we re-live this unholy instant when
we chose to forget God's Love and Oneness, substituting instead our
separated and special existence:
"Each day, each hour and minute, even each second, you are deciding
between the crucifixion and the resurrection; between the ego and the
Holy Spirit. The ego is the choice for guilt; the Holy Spirit the choice
for guiltlessness. The power of decision is all that is yours. ...You
are guilty or guiltless, bound or free, unhappy or happy."
(T.14.III.4.1-3,6)
We become aware of our original mistake by observing its re-enactment
today, this very minute of choosing attack over forgiveness, guilt over
guiltlessness.
You therefore need to see how quickly you forget the day's lesson,
understanding that this forgetting is not because you are an amnesiac,
have Alzheimer's, or are so extraordinarily busy and important. Most of
the time, if not all of it, you forget because you want to. Remember,
this is a course in motivation. You want to forget because to remember
God means forgetting the ego. Jesus asks you not to feel guilty when you
forget, but that you be honest when you do, telling yourself you forgot
because you were afraid. Period. Even in an emergency, the chances are
that even as you attended to what was needed, you could have managed a
few seconds to hold the thought of looking at the situation. Jesus thus
asks you to make the distinction between what is reasonably objective in
terms of your schedule, and what is not:*
(4:1) "Those practice periods that you have lost because you did not
want to do them, for whatever reason, should be done as soon as you have
changed your mind about your goal."
*Jesus pleads with us to be mindful of our sneakiness. The serpent --
i.e.,the devil -- has been referred to as the most subtle of beasts, and
the ego, the source of the projected devil, is the archetype of
subtlety. It is important to catch the clever subterfuges we employ in
trying to escape from the "terrible burden" of peace A Course in
Miracles "threateningly" holds out to us.*
(5) "The format you should use for these reviews is this: Devote five
minutes twice a day, or longer if you would prefer it, to considering
the thoughts that are assigned. Read over the ideas and comments that
are written down for each day's exercise. And then begin to think about
them, while letting your mind relate them to your needs, your seeming
problems and all your concerns."
*This final sentence is the central theme of the introduction,
articulated throughout: The lessons represent the truth to which we
bring our needs, concerns, and problems; and whatever time we give to
practice will suffice, it is time we truly want to spend.*
(8) "We emphasize the benefits to you if you devote the first five
minutes of the day to your reviews, and also give the last five minutes
of your waking day to them. If this cannot be done, at least try to
divide them so you undertake one in the morning, and the other in the
hour just before you go to sleep."
*Jesus lets us know we may not be able to do this as strictly as he sets
it forth here, and that it is all right if we cannot. I recall some
twenty-five years ago meeting a spiritual eager beaver who decided after
receiving A Course in Miracles that he should leave his profession and
family, and retire to a remote location. Only there, he reasoned, could
he practice and study the Course without being encumbered by the daily
demands of his life at home and office. He unfortunately missed the
point. A Course in Miracles is not meant to be done in a desert,
mountain top, or anywhere else you would <exclude> yourself from the
world. It is generally meant to be done as part of your normal day. What
this was before you started the Course should be the same as now, for
that is where you need reminding that worldly distractions have no hold
on you unless your mind chooses to have them do so. Thus we read Jesus'
words addressing the issue of external changes:
"Changes are required in the minds of God's teachers. ... It is most
unlikely that changes in attitudes would not be the first step in the
newly-made teacher of God's training. ...There are those who are called
upon to change their life situation almost immediately, but these are
generally special cases. By far the majority are given a slowly-evolving
training program, in which as many previous mistakes as possible are
corrected."
(M-9.1:1,4,6-7).
If things of the world distract you from God or Jesus, it is not because
of the world, but because you do not want to be reminded of Them or
Their peace. The workbook's mind-training program, again, allows you to
get in touch with the resistance that seeks always to protect the ego's
thought system of separation. It is helpful to see how quickly you may
try to blame external circumstances for what is your own mind's mistaken
choice.*
(9:1-2) "The exercises to be done throughout the day are equally
important, and perhaps of even greater value. You have been inclined to
practice only at appointed times, and then go on your way to other
things, without applying what you learned to them."
*This is where Jesus tells you: "I understand what you are doing. Do not
judge yourself, and for your own sake stop excluding me and my message
because it will not make you happy to continue to do so." You do not
have to pretend you are an outstanding student of A Course in Miracles
because you do the lessons faithfully. Being faithful does not mean
meeting the half-hour or hourly obligation, but applying the daily
thought whenever you are tempted to be upset. If you are being vigilant,
you would see yourself upset almost every minute, for there is always
something you believe is intruding on your peace. When you fail to apply
the thought to your upset, you learn to forgive yourself for once again
choosing the ego over the Love of God. This constitutes the faithful
application of the lessons and the meaning of forgiveness.*
(10:1-5) "In these reviews, we stress the need to let your learning not
lie idly by between your longer practice periods. Attempt to give your
daily two ideas a brief but serious review each hour. Use one on the
hour, and the other one a half an hour later. You need not give more
than just a moment to each one. Repeat it, and allow your mind to rest a
little time in silence and in peace."
*It should be obvious by now how much Jesus wants us to apply these
ideas -- day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Only such diligence
and attention will the mind-training purpose for these exercises be
achieved.*
(11) "If you are shaken, think of it again. These practice periods are
planned to help you form the habit of applying what you learn each day
to everything you do. Do not repeat the thought and lay it down. Its
usefulness is limitless to you. And it is meant to serve you in all
ways, all times and places, and whenever you need help of any kind. Try,
then, to take it with you in the business of the day and make it holy,
worthy of God's Son, acceptable to God and to your Self."
*This is an important paragraph. The language is simple, but Jesus tells
us in no uncertain terms how essential these lessons are, as long as we
practice and apply them. He told us earlier that the workbook is a
one-year training program. The hope is that at the year's end we would
have understood the importance of remembering thoughts from A Course in
Miracles throughout the day, using them as symbols of the truth to which
we bring the illusions of our upsets.
To reiterate, understanding the metaphysics of A Course in Miracles
means nothing if we still find ourselves guilty, angry, depressed, and
isolated. The metaphysic's importance lies solely in helping us realize
that the world is indeed illusory, and that we made everything,
including our upset, to keep specialness intact and the Love of God
away. Therefore, we have to practice over and over the return to the
decision-making part of our minds, where we had chosen against Jesus'
truth by choosing the ego's illusion. Only then can we correct our
choice for fear.*
(12) "Each day's review assignments will conclude with a restatement of
the thought to use each hour, and the one to be applied on each half
hour as well. Forget them not. This second chance with each of these
ideas will bring such large advances that we come from these reviews
with learning gains so great we will continue on more solid ground, with
firmer footsteps and with stronger faith."
*Jesus' final plea, then, is for us to use these lessons and not forget
them, and when we do forget, to forgive ourselves. He closes with this
quatrain:*
(13:1-2) "Do not forget how little you have learned.
Do not forget how much you can learn now."
*Our learning has nothing to do with the intellectual mastery of a
thought system. As students of A Course in Miracles, we must certainly
understand the text's teaching. However, understanding without
application is meaningless -- thus a text <and> a workbook. Practicing
the lessons -- being vigilant for our resistance to the truth -- will
help us a great deal. Note, too, the appeal to our humility by being
reminded how little we have learned. Recognizing we still have much to
learn leaves us open to learning it, reminiscent of a somewhat similar
statement in the fourth stage of the development of trust in the manual
for teachers: "He [the teacher of God] has not yet come as far as he
thinks" (M-4.4.1-A.6:10); there yet remains stages five and six.*
