Day 31

Text:

The Rewards of God

"In learning to escape from illusions, your debt to your brother is something you must never forget. It is the same debt that you owe me. Whenever you act egotistically towards another, you are throwing away the graciousness of your indebtedness and the holy perception it would produce. The term 'holy' can be used here because, as you learn how much you are indebted to the who Sonship, which includes me, you come as close to knowledge as perception can. The gap is then so small that knowledge can easily flow across it and obliterate it forever." "You have very little trust in me as yet, but it will increase as you turn more and more often to me instead of your ego for guidance." "Learning through rewards is more effective than learning through pain, because pain is an ego illusion and can never induce more than a temporary effect. The rewards of God, however, are immediately recognized as eternal.

Workbook:

Lesson 31

"I am not the victim of the world I see."

I am wary of this lesson because it is stated in the negative, yet it is still an effective tool. Because it has truth to it.

Day 30

Text:

The Ego-Body Illusion

"All things work together for good. There are no exceptions except in the ego's judgment." "Thoughts of God are unacceptable to the ego, because they clearly point to the nonexistence of the go itself." Neither the mind nor the ego can provide protection. "This is the question that must be asked: 'Where can I go for protection?' 'Seek and ye shall find' does not mean that you should seek blindly and desperately for something you would not recognize. Meaningful seeking is consciously undertaken, consciously organized, and consciously directed." "Preoccupations with problems set up to be incapable of solution are favorite ego devices for impeding learning progress. In ass these diversionary tactics, however, the one question that is never asked by those who purse them is, 'What for?' This is the question that you must learn to ask in connection with everything. What is the purpose. Whatever it is, it will direct your efforts automatically."

Workbook:

Lesson 30

"God is in everything I see because God is in my mind."

It's good to know where God is. I perceive with my mind, and God is in my mind, so if I am able to perceive God, then I will have knowledge.

Day 29

Text:

This Need Not Be

"If you cannot hear the Voice for God, it is because you do not choose to listen." "When your mood tells you that you have chosen wrongly, and this is so whenever you are not joyous, then know this need not be" "The problem is not one of concentration; it is the belief that no one, including yourself, is worth consistent effort."

Workbook:

Lesson 29

"God is in everything I see."

This doesn't seem to be a monist view but perhaps maybe a transcendentalist's? Anyway, I would say God IS everything, but it is also in everything as well.

Day 28

Text:

"You who identify with your ego cannot believe God loves you." "Love will enter immediately into any mind that truly wants it, but it ust want it truly. This means that it wants it without ambivalence, and this kind of wanting is wholly without the ego's 'drive to get.'" "Let us ask the Father in my name to keep you mindful of His Love for you and yours for Him."

Workbook:

Lesson 28

"Above all else I want to see things differently."

This is true. It is also very difficult to say it and to feel the conviction of it. But again, I suppose practicing saying it is just the first step.

Day 27

Text:

Love Without Conflict

The ego cannot understand what "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you" means. "The Kingdom of Heave IS you" "The Kingdom is perfectly united and perfectly protected, and the ego will not prevail against it. Amen" The ego regards spirit as its enemy. "Against this sense of temporary existence spirit offers you the knowledge of permanence and unshakable being. No one wo has experienced the revelation of this can never fully believe in the ego again.

Workbook:

Lesson 27

"Above all else I want to see."

This is a wonderful affirmation. I used it a lot today. I don't know if the conviction was there, or really even the perception of what seeing would be like, because of course if I did, I'd have the knowledge and be there. But this is the beginning of training my brain.

Day 26

Text:

"Only those who have a real and lasting sense of abundance can be truly charitable." "Body appetites are not physical in origin. The ego regards the body as its home, and tries to satisfy itself through the body. But the idea that this is possible is a decision of the mind, which has become comletely confused about what is really possible." "the ego is the mind's belief that it is completely on its own."

Workbook:

Lesson 26

"My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability."

I liked this one. Instead of taking time through out the day to do this lesson, i just constantly did it, because almost every thought I had was an attack thought. This idea brought be some peace of mind.

Day 25

Text:

The Ego and False Autonomy

Egos are created depending on people's individual perceptions. "The ego is only an idea and not a fact" "Do not forget the mind need not work tht way, even though it does work that way now. We treat our ego as part of ourselves that we love. "The question is not how we respond to the ego, but what you believe you are. Belief is an ego function, and as long as your origin is open to belief you are regarding it from an ego viewpoint." When teaching is no longer necessary you will merely know God. Belief that there is another way of perceiving is the loftiest idea of which ego thinking is capable. That is because it contains a hint of recognition that the ego is not the self."

Workbook:

Lesson 25

"I do not know what anything is for."

I'll just have to take this on faith.

Day 24

Text:

"Your worth is not established by teaching or learning. Your worth is established by God. As long as you dispute this everything you do will be fearful, particularly any situation that lends inself to the belief in superiority or inferiority." "God is not the author of fear. You are. You have chosen to create unlike Him, and have therefore made fear for yourself." "In this world you need not have tribulation because I have overcomet he world. That is why you should be of good cheer. "

Workbook:

Lesson 24

"I do not perceive my own best interests."

Another one potentially hard to swallow, but logical. I we do not perceive truthfully, then how can we perceive our own best interests. It is also relieving when applying this lesson to certain thoughts to think that my conflicting feelings about everything are perfectly normal, because they're all wrong anyway.

Day 23

Text:

Right Teaching and Right Learning

A teacher must believe in the teaching but also in the student. "Many stand guard over their ideas because they want to protect their thought systems as they are, and learning means change." This leads to fear of further separation because that was their first experience of change. The ego cannot know, and spirit cannot perceive. "The spirit need not be taught, but the ego must be. Learning is ultimately perceived as frightening because it leads to the relinquishment, not the destruction, of the ego to the light of spirit." "If you are willing to renounce the role of guardian of your thought system and open it to me, I will correct it very gently and lead it back to God." The hope of the teacher is that one day the student will not need him.

Workbook:

Lesson 23

"I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts."

This is a very useful lesson and leads to palpable freedom of spirit. The world thus far has become an obvious construction of the ego, attacks thoughts abundant. Being conscious of letting them go is very therapeutic and I believe lessening the egos hold.

Day 22

Chapter 4

The Illusions of the Ego

Inspiration is the opposite of fatigue. "To be fatigued is to be dis-spirited, but to be inspired is to be in the spirit. To be ego-centric is to be dis-spirited, but to be self centered in the right sense is to be inspired or in spirit." "Do not embark on useless journeys, because they are indeed in vain. The ego may desire them ,but spirit cannot embark on them because it is forever unwilling to depart from its Foundation." Repeating the crucifixion is simply re-enacting the separation...leading only to death to have it be done over again. "Such repetitions are endless until they are voluntarily given up."

Lesson 22

"What I see is a form of vengeance."

This was a weird one for me. Apparently, we have attack thoughts about the world as a form of defense, because the world seems to be hostile and full of fear. So what we see is a form of vengeance for our own attack thoughts, and it creates a cycle.

Day 21

Text:

Creating versus the Self-Image

Even though a thought system may be based on lies, it has power because it was created by children of God. "It is essential to realize this, because otherwise you will be unable to escape from the prison you have made." "Eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge is a symbolic expression for usurping the ability for self-creating. This is the only sense in which God and His creations are not co-creators." "The mind can make the belief in separation very real and very fearful, and this belief is the 'devil.'" "You can perceive yourself as self-creating, but you cannot do more than believe it. You cannot make it true."

Workbook:

Lesson 21

"I am determined to see things differently."

This lesson is very helpful. When anything disturbing or unsettling comes up, I am able to with conviction state I want to change things. I suppose this is the beginning of change - it seems that change rarely occurs instantly.

Day 20

Text:

Judgment and the Authority Problem

"Judgment is the process on which perception but not knowledge rests." "Judgment always involves rejection." "One of the illusions from which you suffer is the belief that what you judged against has no effect." "All uncertainty comes from the belief that you are under the coercion of judgment. You do not need judgment to organize your life, and you certainly do not need it to organize yourself." "The strain of constant judgment is virtually intolerable." "God offers only mercy. Your words should reflect only mercy ,because that is what you have received and that is what you should give. Justice is a temporary expedient, or an attempt to teach you the meaning of mercy. It is judgmental only because you are capable of injustice." "All fear comes ultimately, and sometimes by way of very devious routes, from the denial of Authorship. The offense is never to God, bu only to those who deny Him. To deny His Authorship is to deny yourself the reason for your peace, so that you see yourself only in segments. This is strange perception is the authority problem."

Workbook:

Lesson 20

"I am determined to see."

This is the first time I have been asked to really invest myself in this process. I am determined to see things the way that they really are.

Day 19

Text:

Beyond Perception

"When you make something to fill a perceived lack, you are tacitly implying that you believe in separation." "The highly specific nature of invention is not worthy of the abstract creativity of God's creations." We can not know ourselves through perception. We have not image to be perceived. it is not a part of knowledge. "Prayer is a way of asking for something. I is the medium of miracles. But the only meaningful prayer is for forgiveness because those who have been forgiven have everything." Which is of course a prayer for something we already have. "As long as perception lasts prayer has a place...Communion, not prayer, is the natural state of those who know." "Do not perceive yourself in different lights. Know yourself in the One Light where the miracle that is you is perfectly clear.

Workbook:

Lesson 19

"I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts."

This is consistent with the idea that we are all of one mind. Our individual bodies make us think differently, but we are not alone in experiencing the effects of our thoughts. Still a difficult thing to envision. With time.

Day 18

Text:

Error and the Ego

"The abilities you now posses are only shadows of your real strength." Our functions are open to question and doubt - we are not certain how to use our abilities, and are "therefore incapable of knowledge." "Spirit has no levels, and all conflict arises from the concept of levels. Only the Levels of the Trinity are capable of Unity. The levels created by thte separation cannot but conflict. This is because they are meaningless to each other." Consciousness makes the mind a perceiver instead of a creator; this is the domain of the ego. This is the attempt to perceive ourselves as we wish to be, instead of how we are. Yet we can only truly know ourselves as we truly are; everything else is open to question. The ego is good at asking questions but not at answering. It is divided and therefore must be confused. This leads to fear and vulnerable to attack. "You have every reason to be afraid as you perceive yourself. This is why you cannot escape from fear until you realize that you did not and could not create yourself. Perception leads to a misuse of mind and uncertainty. In separation it chooses to perceive. "The mind returns to its proper function only when it wills to know. This places it in the service of spirit, because it is from spirit that it derives its whole power to make or create." "God knows you only in peace, and this is your reality."

Workbook:

Lesson 18

"I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing."

All minds are connected, thus the above is true. This is a little hard to accept seeing as how we are all individuals, or view ourselves that way. But I like where this is going.

Day 17

Text:

Perception versus Knowledge

Perception is a precursor to knowledge. "To know is to be certain, and certainty is strength. Perception is temporary." "Questioning illusions is the first step in undoing them. The miracle, or the right answer, corrects them." "Certainty is always of God." "To perceive the truth is not the same as to know it." "Perception can and must be stabilized, but knowledge is stable." "You cannot know your brother when you attack him." Recognize means to know again, implying we already knew our brothers and God.

Workbook:

Lesson 17

"I see no neutral things."

Obviously, if I have no neutral thoughts, and my thoughts dictate my perceptions, I see no neutral things either.

Day 16

Text:

Miracles as True Perception

We must choose one or the other, light or dark, yet we can not commit to darkness because everyone has experienced some light. "No one, therefore, is able to deny truth totally, even if he thinks he can." Innocence means you always see truly. You always see what exists, and never what does not. Minds that have miscreated are afraid of God's will because they believe they are not free. "It is therefore limited and not free to assert itself. To be one is to be of one mind or will. When the Will of the Sonship and the Father are one, their perfect accord is Heaven." "Nothing can prevail against a Son of God who commends his Spirit into the Hands of his Father. By doing this the mind awakens from its sleep and remembers its creator. All sense of separation disappears." "If you perceieve truly you are cancelling out misperceptions in yourself and in others simultaneously."

Workbook:

Lesson 16

"I have no neutral thoughts."

This makes sense. Since perception always depends on a point of view, of course our thoughts are going to have one spin or another.

Day 15

Text:

Chapter 3

The Innocent Perception

Atonement Without Sacrifice

"The crucifixion did not establish the Atonement; the resurrection did." It appears God's son suffered because he was good. This is an upside down version of the truth. "The best defense, as always, is not to attack another's position, but rather to protect the truth. "Persecution frequently results in an attempt to "justify the terrible misperception that God Himself persecuted His Own Son on behalf of salvation. The very words are meaningless." He "was not "punished because you were bad. The wholly benign lesson the Atonement teaches is lost if it is tainted with this kind of distortion." A vengeful God arises from projection. The idea of sacrifice arises from fear. "The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolize that strength and innocence are not in conflict, but naturally live in peace." "Innocence is incaable of sacrificing anything, because the innocent mind has everything and strives only to protect its wholeness. It cannot project." "Good can withstand any form of evil, as light abolishes forms of darkness. The Atonement is therefore the perfect lesson. It is the final demonstration that all the other lessons I taught are true. If you can accet this one generalization now, there will be no need to learn from many smaller lessons. You are released from all errors if you believe this."

Workbook:

Lesson 15

"My thoughts are images I have made."

Our entire perception of the world is based upon our thoughts. Our thoughts are images of the world, like pictures we've taken, each which a certain perspective. We take those pictures and so they are subject to falsehoods. Untruths. Based on our experiences, which have been based on a world that has been created for us. I want to see the real world. Not the world I have made or the world I have been given.

Day 14

Text:

The Meaning of the Last Judgment

We must remember that we did not create ourselves, a very egocentric way of looking at the world. Obviously. Creative ability lies within the mind, and so whatever we create we believe in, but that does not necessarily make it true in the Mind of God. The Last Judgment is performed by our Brothers, not by God, and is not a punishment but rather healing. "The Last Judgement might be alled a process of right evaluation. It simply means that everyone will finally come to understand what is worthy and what is not." We must separate what is true and what is false. "When everything you retain is lovable, there is no reason for fear to remain with you. This is your part in the Atonement."

Workbook:

Lesson 14

"God did not create a meaningless world."

For this exercise, I search for things that disturb me, and say "god did not create this, so it is not real." Events and disturbances that are meaningless do not exist in God's world; he did not create meaningless things; we did. With so many seemingly awful things going on in the world, these sentiments provide a certain amount of relief.

Day 13

Text:

Cause and Effect

Fear does not really exist, but we do not know that. Yet we can not ask God or Christ consciousness to relieve us from fear nor can they intervene between our thoughts and their results. " If he did so he "would be tampering with a basic law of cause and effect; the most fundamental law there is." "Miracle working entails a full realization of the power of thought in order to avoid miscreation." "You have misperceived and miscreated us, and believe in what you have made." We cannot master fear...thinking so gives it more power. Instead "the true resolution rests entirely on the mastery through love." "The initial corrective procedure is to recognize temporarily that there is a problem, but only as an indication that immediate correction is needed. This establishes a state of mind in which the Atonement can be accepted without delay."

Workbook:

Lesson 13

"A meaningless world engenders fear."

I add to this "because I think I am in competition with God." When the world is meaningless, we attempt to add our meaning to it. To take our perceptions and re-focus them creating a worldview. However, this worldview is inherently flawed in the realm of God, because it is fraught with the Ego. This lesser view of the world when compared to God's perspective is meaningless. We are in competition with God, or think we are, and that is frightening because we think we are on our own to create meaning in a meaningless world.

Day 12

Text:

Special Principles of Miracle workers

Christ Consciousness will adjust time and space to adjust to any miracle. Respond to error with the desire to heal. A miracle is the affirmation of truth. Miracle mindedness is correction, not judgment.

Fear and Conflict

Fear can be self-controlled. "The presence of fear shows that you have raised body thoughts to the level of the mind. We are responsible for what we think because it is only at this level "that you can exercise choice." "Whenever you are afraid, it is a sure sign that you have allowed your mind to miscreate and have not allowed me to guide it." "You must change your mind, not your behavior, and this is a matter of willingness" "You do not need guidance except at the mind level" "Before you do anything, ask me if your choice is in accord with mine. If you are sure that it is, there will be no fear." "There is no strain in doing God's will as soon as you recognize that it is also your own." "Only your mind can produce fear. It does so whenever it is conflicted in what it wants, producing inevitable strain because wanting and doing are discordant." Pragmatic steps part of the larger remedy of the Atonement: "1. Know first that this is fear. 2. Fear arises from lack of love. 3. The only remedy for lack of love is perfect love. 4. Perfect love is the Atonement." A need for the remedy induces fear. An acceptance of it abolishes fear. "You prefer to believe that your thoughts cannot exert real influence because you are actually afraid of them." This allays awerness of guilt, but makes us think the mind is impotent. Yet "All thinking produces form at some level."

Workbook:

Lesson 12

"I am upset because I see a meaningless world."

I think I see a depressing, a beautiful, a confusing world...but I am really upset because I see a meaningless world. And again, it does feel meaningless, because there are so many opinions, so many perspectives, that I can't find my own. My ego feels like an underdeveloped ego, and I just can't choose. Thus the world is meaningless to me. So this lesson says.

Day 11

Text:

The Function of the Miracle Worker

We must understand the fear of release. Release can appear a kind of imprisonment; it is not. The mind can not harm itself. It can only correct the thoughts that affect the body. The miracle worker must be in their right mind, or else they can not help someone else come into their own right mind. "The sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself."
"Corrective learning begins with the awakening of spirit and the turning away from belief in physical sight. This often entails fear, because you are afraid of what your spiritual sight will show you." I wonder why we would be afraid. "Discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction into awareness."
Healing rests on charity, and charity is a way of perceiving the perfection of another even if you cannot perceive it in yourself." Charity is treating the person as if they have already accepted the atonement - it is a in-congruent with respect with time - it is treating the person as if they have already accepted the Atonement. So charity is still a part of this world bound by time.

Workbook:

Lesson 11

"My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world."

I caught myself many times today thinking thoughts that were a disservice to me, and had this lesson ready at hand to help. I don't know how much it actually helped more than the last lesson, but it is a step and a realization of the truth. I do see a meaningless world, because there are so many perspectives, I can't choose one. My thoughts, perceptions, are meaningless, thus the world I see is meaningless.

Day 10

Text:

Healing as Release from Fear

Healing: "The miracle is the means, the Atonement is the principle, and healing is the result." "All Healing is essentially the release from fear." In order to heal, we can not be fearful ourselves, because we do not understand healing due to our own fear. "Only the mind is capable of error." The body can not err, except in responding to "misthought." Illness indicates a belief in magic. Magic rests on the idea that "there is creative ability in matter which the mind can not control." The body is the learning device of the mind. The mind creates, not the body, nor spirit, because spirit has already been created. The body inevitably resides in this world.
The use of remedies is a use of magic, the non-creative use of mind. It shows a belief that the body creates it's own illness. All sickness can be healed creatively through the mind, though non-creative means are usually used. However, those whose illness has a strong hold on the mind can not reach the Atonement. In this case, a mind body compromise should be established, for an increase in sickness would cause an increase in fear and vice versa.
The Atonement will reach people, or vice versa, not necessarily through their highest mode possible of communication...but rather their highest mode of communication at any particular moment. "The whole aim of the miracle is to raise the level of communication, not to lower it by increasing fear."
I can relate to the part of this section concerning healing and the difference between the mind and the body. I believe I can heal myself with my mind, but have only experimented with colds or aching body parts. I would not, however, stop taking a "necessary" medication, because I am not without fear yet.

Workbook:

Lesson 10

"My thoughts do not mean anything."

I was to add to this: "This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe." It is a difficult principle to conceive. It seems that are thoughts mean everything to us. They are how we understand the world. I of course often don't like my own thoughts, so having them not mean anything is a relief actually. Although, that also means I must equally apply them to all of my other thoughts, the good ones as well.

Day 9

Text:

The Altar of God

"The Atonement can be accepted within you only by the releasing of the inner light." Traditional defenses are designed against the Atonement, "and thus maintain separation. This is generally seen as a need to protect the body." Inside the temple of the body there is the altar of God. "The Atonement is the only gift that is worthy of being offered at the altar of God, because of the value of the altar itself. It was created perfect and is entirely worthy of receiving perfection. God and his creations are completely dependent on each other. He depends on them because He created them perfect." God asks nothing but for the Atonement, it seems, the returning of ourselves back to Him.

Workbook:

Lesson 9

"I see nothing as it is now."

I will take this on faith. I don't know what anything would look like otherwise...how could I? This exercise makes me want to see clearly, with love and light.

Day 8

Text:

Chapter 2

The Separation and the Atonement

The Origins of Separation

Since we were made in God's image, the will to create is imbued within us. Often though, our use of this extension, creating, can lead to projection, in which case we can believe that some lack exists in us, and that we "can fill it with your own ideas instead of truth. "This process involves the following steps: First, you believe that what God created can be changed by your own mind. Second, you believe that was is perfect can be rendered imperfect or lacking. Third, you believe that you can distort the creations of God, including yourself. Fourth, you believe that you can create yourself, and that the direction of your own creation is up to you." If we could truly reverse these beliefs, imagine the relief we would feel! And the idea that we are not in charge of the direction or what we create is a relief, but also seems a contradiction, since it was just said that we can create.
There were no needs in the pre-separation state, or the Garden of Eden. The "lies of the serpent" were untruth. We do not have to believe them unless we choose to do so. I guess we've been choosing so long, we forget we can make another choice. "What is seen in dreams seems to be very real. Yet the Bible says that a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and nowhere is there reference to his waking up." When someone turns on the light in the middle of someone's nightmare, initially the sleeper may mistake the light for part of the nightmare, when in fact it is reality, and truth. This light, or knowledge, sets us free.

Atonement as Defense

There is nothing we are not capable of, but these miracles can not b performed in a spirit of doubt or fear. Because our thoughts are creative, we allow fear the power to hurt us.
"Denial of error is a strong defense of truth, but denial of truth results in miscreation, or the projections of the ego." The Atonement is a defense can not be misused, though it can be refused. This refusal cannot turn it into a weapon of attack, and is therefore the only defense that is not a two-edged sword. It can only heal. "The miracle turns the defense of Atonement to your real protection, and as you become more secure you assume your natural talent of protecting others, knowing yourself as a brother and a Son."

Workbook:

Lesson 8

"My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts."

This is just a more specific restatement of last lesson. Though the workbook recommends practice periods where you let random thoughts come and apply these ideas, I automatically use the lesson when I have fear. I wonder if this is a good idea, since I am not supposed to discern between thoughts. I'll try both.

Day 7

Text:

The Illusion of Needs

"You who want peace can only find it by complete forgiveness." Lack does not exist in creation because God created it, but we have made it ourselves. "Needs arise only when you deprive yourself." This is a deprivation of the acceptance of the truth, of God's truth. "A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need correct." We have always seen ourselves as lacking in some way, perhaps from guilt. "The idea of orders of need, which follows from the original error that one can be separated from God, requires correction at its own level before the error of perceiving levels at all can be corrected. You cannot behave correctly while you function at different levels." This is important, because it includes the idea that we can never truly be separate from God. It also says while we function on different levels, "correction must be introduced vertically from the bottom up. This is causes you think you live in space where concepts such as up and down are meaningful. Ultimately, space is as meaningless as time. Both are merely beliefs." Space and time as merely beliefs? That's a tough one to swallow, because it is such a universal experience we have as humans. "The real purpose of this world is to use it to correct your unbelief. Fear does not exist at the creative level, and therefore does not exist. Perfect love casts out fear, and only perfect love exists. "Only God can establish this solution, and this faith is His gift."
Having faith, now there's a big jump. For someone like me who was raised secularly, and even to believe in empiricism, faith is a subject I am for the most part foreign to. But as I think about life, fate, destiny, and self determination, I figure I must have faith if I believe in living. Otherwise, I would not want to exist. So faith is something I will have to work on and look forward to learning more about.

Distortions of Miracle Impulses

"Your distorted perceptions produce a dense cover over miracle impulses, making it hard for them to reach your own awareness." We've seen this before...we are asleep, and so we cannot see the truth. "Physical impulses are misdirected miracle impulses. All real pleasure comes from doing God's will." Okay smarty, what is God's will? Fantasies of any sort are distortions of our perceptions. "This is a course in mind training." The earlier lessons are important stepping stones for the later lessons, which we may fear if we are not properly prepared. Since awe can be confused with fear, and awe is only appropriate for a response to God, and since later lessons involve direct approaches to connecting with God, earlier lessons and preparation such that we not confuse awe with fear. This seems like fair warning, and also it is exciting to know that further down the line we will be introduced to techniques to approach God directly.

Workbook:

Lesson 7

"I see only the past."

This is so true. How else could it be so? We can not see the future because it has not happened; any concept we have of the future is based in some way on the past. Rarely are we anywhere but one of these two places by the way. Two? I guess it really is only one. The past and the projection of the past into the future. So, thus, I see only the past. What does this mean? It means what we see has no meaning, we don't understand it truly, because it is all influenced, or rather created, by the past.

Day 6

Text:

Wholeness and Spirit

We are an inextricable part of God and spirit. We are all holy, though we can choose to be nearly without creativity, but always have some of it because we are of the Creator. "When everyone recognizes that he has everything, individual contributions to the Sonship will no longer be necessary...When the Atonement has been completed, all talents will be shared by all the Sons of God." We are truly deprived of nothing...all real power we have flows from God. "The creation is whole, and the mark of wholeness is holiness." I might actually like to substitute the word "wholeness" for "holiness" because holy is another term that I find difficult to process. Just like the Atonement - I like more to think of it as the At-one-ment. Shallow roots cannot be deepened...this is an illusion. Shallow roots, our attachment to the world, must be uprooted. We need only realize it seems that we are Sons of God and we are whole because we are part of creation. I like this idea. Pulling up shallow roots does sound a challenge, however, as we are so attached to this story of ourselves and the Ego.

Lesson 6

"I am upset because I see something that is not there."

And so the answer is...I am upset because I see something that is not there. This makes sense. If nothing I see and none of my thoughts do not mean anything, then I suppose seeing something that's not there goes along with those lines of thought. I found relief in this exercise as well. When I became upset about something and repeated this phrase, I was reminded nothing real can be threatened.

Day 5

Text:

The Escape from Darkness

"The escape from darkness involves two stages: First, the recognition that darkness cannot hide. Second, the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. This step brings escape from fear. When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy (what is communion? Communion with God? With the trinity? Attaining Christ consciousness and therefore being capable of communion?). We are fearful, and work to establish darkness as reality. "The miracle sets reality where it belongs," only in spirit. "It thus dispels illusions about yourself, and puts you in communion with yourself and God." (Ah, so it is communion with God. No wonder we are in need of purification if we believe in darkness) Through the process of Atonement, the mind is placed in the service of the Holy Spirit. "If a mind perceives without love, it perceives an empty shell and is unaware of the spirit within. But the Atonement restores spirit to its proper place. The mind that serves spirit is invulnerable." "Darkness is a lack of light and sin is a lack of love." I would suspect fear is also a lack of love. This is scarcity belief. The purpose of the Atonement is to restore the fact that we have everything and need nothing into our awareness. "The emptiness engendered by fear must be replaced by forgiveness." Darkness is a challenging thing to avoid it seems. In our lives, wrought with worry, we are always told there are dangers everywhere and we must be prepared for them. But in the light, it seems, there is no danger; no darkness. Only holiness.

Workbook:

Lesson 5

"I am never upset for the reason I think."

Okay, I can take this on faith...of course I get excited about the question it raises? Why am I upset? Am I apart from God? Do I not understand anything? Maybe the answer will come tomorrow...

Day 4

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Atonement and Miracles

Christ consciousness is in charge of the process of Atonement. He stands at the end if we fail temporarily. He corrects our errors in thinking. We take an active part in the Atonement, performing miracles for ourselves, and through those, for our brothers. For the Golden Rule to work, we must first perceive correctly what both we and our brothers would have done unto us. We should look out from the perception of our own holiness to the holiness of others. Our connection to others through miracles stops them from being strangers and becomes our brother. Miracles are guided by Christ consciousness since he has an awareness of the whole plan. What is this whole plan? Perhaps the correction of all misperceptions leading to the enlightenment of all brothers and sisters.

Workbook:

Lesson 4

"These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].

This lesson was simple and relieving. I felt a weight being lifted when I repeated this phrase to myself when my mind wandered. The ultimate goal is of course to delete or not judge the mind chatter of the ego. This seems like a nice first step. I did have a question, however, because I could perform this lesson concerning thoughts, but when it came to visceral feelings it was more difficult. Perhaps if I think of a thought associated with the feeling? Well, more to learn.

Day 3

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Revelation, Time and Miracles

Revelation is a connection with God. Revelation is a very personal thing, and cannot be adequately described. Awe is reserved for revelation, because it is an emotion in the presence of the Creator of perfection. The miracle is a sign of love among equals. Even though "No man cometh unto the Father but by me" simply means that Christ consciousness and we in closeness to God are separated only by time. Time of course is an illusion. Christ consciousness is an intermediary step between us an God, as an older brother assists the younger, less experienced. Miracles minimize the need for time. While revelation and recognition of the equality of the members of the Sonship (Christ consciousness is in charge of the Sonship) seems insurmountable, the miracle " introduces an interval from which the giver and receiver both emerge farther along in time than they would otherwise have been. The miracle thus has the unique property of abolishing time to the extent that it renders the interval of time it spans unnecessary.

How do we adequately understand these statements above? I think since a miracle is right thinking and allows us to see truth, it is possible for us to Atone, be at one, with God through the Sonship. I suspect the way a miracle functions has something to do with Christ consciousness orchestrating our connection to God.

Workbook:

Lesson 3

"I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place]."

Going along with the last two lessons, this one is pretty easy to do. I really don't understand anything I see. I do assign meaning to it, but everything seems so complicated, and yet so familiar we take it for granted. I think it takes some humility to do this lesson and believe it.

Day 2

Text:

Here comes the next 25 Principles of Miracles. A few select principles:

-"Miracles represent freedom from fear. 'Atoning' means 'undoing.' The undoing of fear is an essential part of the Atonement value of miracles."

-Miracles heal because they deny body-identification and affirm spirit identification.

-Miracles should inspire gratitude.

-"I inspire all miracles, which are really intercessions. They intercede for your holiness and make your perceptions holy. By placing you beyond the physical laws, they raise you into the sphere of celestial order. In this order you are perfect."

Note: This is the first time a narrator comes into the mix. We will come to see him as Christ, but that's just too Christian for me, so I would like to think of this voice as the embodiment of Christ Consciousness.

-"Miracles restore the mind to its fullness. By atoning for lack they establish perfect protection. The spirit's strength leaves no room for intrusions.

-"Miracles are examples of right thinking, aligning your perceptions with truth as God created it.

-"The Holy Spirit (I need to find out what this is exactly) is the mechanism of miracles. He recognizes both God's creations and your illusions. He separates the true from the false by His ability to perceive totally rather than selectively."

-"The miracle compares what you have made with creation, accepting what is in accord with it as true, and rejecting what is out of accord as false."

So we see that miracles are a path to truth. They do away with illusions that our minds have created and inspire us to be closer to God and they way things really are. Apparently, Christ and the Holy Spirit are mediums of miracles. Part of me has a problem with these terms because I was raised in a mostly atheistic Jewish household. However, I am striving to see past the loaded aspects of this Christian terminology and see what they mean on the level of spirit. I will be doing a job of interpreting for myself these terms as we go along so I can better understand them in a more universal context.

Workbook:

Lesson 2

"I have given everything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] all the meaning that it has for me"

This is a statement I can accept. Each thing in our lives means different things to different people, so of course we give meaning to each thing ourselves. While we may agree on meanings, each person is separate in their perspective. My creative mind is creating the meaning any one thing has for me.

Update 1/20/19

This truth also indicates that perhaps materiality has no inherent meaning, at least in the intellect, and therefore the beliefs of the mind dictate our reality, our experience of the material world, and perhaps the material world itself.

Day 1

Introduction

"This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God."

I found A Course in Miracles on my mother's bookshelf among The Lost Books of Eden and The Tibetan Book of the Dead, not to mention the Bible, obvious remnants of my grandfather's legacy. Though WASPish, he nevertheless dabbled in everything else, including lots of drugs. Anyway, as I explored this book, I was captivated because although it begins from a Christian worldview, as the introduction puts it "the Course deals with universal spiritual themes." I would like to think it is something the Gnostics would have taught. I will not dwell, I hope, on how different this teaching is from mainstream Christianity because just as much as I don't appreciate being evangelized, I certainly don't want to reverse-evangelize. There are of course similarities as well.
I would like to think of myself as extremely open minded, being accepting of any benevolent religious or spiritual credence. In short, at this point in my life I believe there is one universal entity we are all an inextricable part of - it may be called God, Source, or The Great Unity of Being. I believe through meditation and prayer we can become more in tune with this, well, I'll just use the word God because The Course does. I do mean God in the widest, largest, most expansive possible sense.
I undertake this course with humility as its depth and breadth is rather huge. I will write one entry everyday on 1-3 pages of the 622 of Text, and on one of the 365 lessons in the Student Workbook. Through this rigorous study, I hope to further enlighten myself and anybody else who cares to read along. I would actually prefer to have companions on the journey, so let's delve into this together, shall we?

Some helpful Glossaries: http://www.facim.org/acim/glossary.htm, http://www.circleofa.org/glossary/AcimGlossaryIndex.php
A Crash Course in Miracles podcasts: www.cloudsun.com
An all encompassing site: http://acim-search.miraclevision.com/

Text:

Chapter 1

The Meaning of Miracles

Principles of Miracles

The first two pages consist of 25 of 50 principles of what Miracles are. Miracles are natural. Miracles are involuntary habits. They bring love to both the giver and the receiver. To be honest, there are many detailed principles, yet I still have very little idea of what a miracle is. Here are some important points:

-Miracles are expressions of love.

-Miracles are thoughts, that can represent bodily or spiritual levels of experience; lower or higher respectively. One makes the physical, the other creates the spiritual.

-Miracles are every one's right, but purification is necessary first (Hmm, that sounds ominous).

-Miracles bear witness to truth. They arise from conviction and are therefore convincing. Otherwise they would be magic, the uncreative use of mind.

-"A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously."

-Miracles indicate forgiveness. Through them you accept God's forgiveness by extending it to others.

-"Miracles enable you to heal the sick and raise the dead because you made sickness and death yourself, and can therefore abolish both. You are a miracle, capable of creating in the likeness of your Creator. Everything else is your own nightmare, and does not exist. Only the creations of light are real."

-"Miracles are part of an interlocking chain of forgiveness which, when completed, is the Atonement (important vocab word)."

I have had to copy some of these verbatim because the concepts are just so new and vast to me. I suppose we would be remiss if we did not have a first idea of what a miracle is since we're taking a course on them, but I think as we go along everything will become clearer. So to sum up, so far it seems to be that miracles are forms of love which help us to rise higher up on the spiritual scale and bring forgiveness and freedom to us and others.

Workbook:

Part 1

Lesson 1

"Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything."

This lesson is easy enough to perform. Saying it to yourself. Believing it is another matter. Everything we see holds some meaning for us. Our egos make up stories and we react emotionally to everything. There is usually a feeling associated with the thing. So when I do this exercise, I acknowledge the feeling and see the object devoid of its meaning for me. No easy task.