I was not meant to speed-read A Course In Miracles. My chaotic, disorganized, and undisciplined ego-mind must be trained to slow down and understand.
Fear and Love cannot coexist, yet my fantasy-world is one where they seem to. ACIM is a course in mind-training and its goal is to teach me to think differently. I perfectly taught myself to think my mind into a world "without" God. What would a world without God be like? So I dreamed all that would exist in such a world: chaos, hate, vengeance, mixed with a tiny shard of love and happiness (because God cannot be completely denied), but always returning to sorrow and loss.
Of course anything not of God cannot exist. Though l dream, imagining different lives and scenarios. Yet, God does not abandon me to my nightmare. He Gently responds, "Awaken and be One with Me; return to Love and Joy."
My Self is Complete, Whole and Joyful. Fear is a stranger to Love. If I identify with fear, I will be a stranger to my Self. Who but a madman could believe he is something he could not possibly be?
There is a stranger in my midst (ego) who believes in an idea so foreign to Truth, it is as if it speaks a different language. Ego looks upon and tries to understand a world Truth does not know and regards as senseless. Why do I try to make sense of a fantasy-world?
I invited a stranger (ego) to take the place of my Self. Is it me or fear who is unsuited for Heaven? There is no home that can shelter both Love and fear. They cannot coexist, and one of them does not exist at all. If I am Real, then fear must be an illusion.
Who fears, except for one who has denied his Sonship? If I am God's Creation, then I am His Son. If I am His Son, I am like Him in All Ways, except that I did not create myself. God is Love. Anything else does not exist. God creates only Love. If I believe this to be true, can a world without God exist?
A stranger to himself will find no home no matter where he looks. He has made return impossible. His way is lost. Only a miracle can help him now. Yet, the miracle will come, for in Reality his Self remains.
Whom God has joined remains forever One. "Whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder." This is referring to the Sonship.
Be thankful! Today God has come to search the world for what belongs to Him. I may see Him as a stranger because I still do not recognize my Self. Yet as I welcome Him, I will remember. He will lead me Gently Home.
God forgets no one. ALL are called Home.
I will remember God when I look on my brother with Christ-Vision. Who denies his brother denies him Self and denies God. Accept the Gift of Sight through forgiveness.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Lesson 159 ~ God's Treasure House has all I need; take, then give.
Even in this world I can agree that to "give" something, I first must have it in my possession. Here the laws of Heaven and the dream-world agree.
On a the following idea, the world believes: to possess something, I must keep it and if I give something away, it is lost to me. If I give away $100, I have $100 less than before.
Salvation teaches otherwise. To give is how to recognize that I have received, proof that what I have is mine. In other words, when I first accept healing for myself, I will only then understand I am already healed and able to give healing to another; I will understand I am forgiven, when I am able to forgive another. When I recognize my brother as myself, I will perceive I am Whole. Forgive everyone everything. Only then will I realize there is nothing to forgive. Refuse to judge anyone, including myself.
There is no miracle I cannot give, for all miracles are given me first. Receive them now. Open the storehouse of my mind where they are laid for me. Gladly give them away. For in the giving, I realize they are mine.
Christ-Vision (the ability to forgive everyone everything and perceive Innocence all around and within me) is a miracle. It reflects Eternal Love. It reflects Heaven, for It sees a world so similar to Heaven, that what God created Perfect can be mirrored in the dream-world. Christ-Vision is the source of all miracles. It remains with each miracle I give and It also remains with me, the giver. Christ-Vision beholds no sin in anyone. It is the bridge between Heaven and Earth. Trust in Its power to carry me safely from this world into one made Holy by forgiveness.
This is God's Gift: A Treasure House to which I can appeal and be Perfectly Certain that everything in it will contribute to my Happiness. Everything in this Treasure House can be mine for the asking. Here the door is never locked and I am denied nothing. There is no sickness not already healed. No lack unsatisfied. No need unmet. Within this Golden Treasury is everything I could ever need, want or desire. Behold the Storehouse of miracles set out for me, and in the giving do I see that all is mine.
Here do I remember what was lost when I created a fantasy-world "without" God. For here, in the Treasure House, is all repaired and made new again in a different Light. What was made to be the home of sin becomes the center of redemption and hearth of mercy. The suffering are healed and welcome. NO ONE will be turned away from this new home; my salvation awaits.
The Christ (my brothers and myself healed and United) has dreamed the dream of a forgiven world. It is His gift to me for a sweet transition from death to Life; from hopelessness to Hope. Let me dream with Him, for His dream Awakens me to Truth. His Vision is the means for my return to God.
The darkened glass the fantasy-world presents shows only twisted images in broken parts, but forgiveness pictures Heaven's Innocence, my innocence. I AM Innocent.
As I receive miracles I will give them away, and in the giving know they have always been mine.
On a the following idea, the world believes: to possess something, I must keep it and if I give something away, it is lost to me. If I give away $100, I have $100 less than before.
Salvation teaches otherwise. To give is how to recognize that I have received, proof that what I have is mine. In other words, when I first accept healing for myself, I will only then understand I am already healed and able to give healing to another; I will understand I am forgiven, when I am able to forgive another. When I recognize my brother as myself, I will perceive I am Whole. Forgive everyone everything. Only then will I realize there is nothing to forgive. Refuse to judge anyone, including myself.
There is no miracle I cannot give, for all miracles are given me first. Receive them now. Open the storehouse of my mind where they are laid for me. Gladly give them away. For in the giving, I realize they are mine.
Christ-Vision (the ability to forgive everyone everything and perceive Innocence all around and within me) is a miracle. It reflects Eternal Love. It reflects Heaven, for It sees a world so similar to Heaven, that what God created Perfect can be mirrored in the dream-world. Christ-Vision is the source of all miracles. It remains with each miracle I give and It also remains with me, the giver. Christ-Vision beholds no sin in anyone. It is the bridge between Heaven and Earth. Trust in Its power to carry me safely from this world into one made Holy by forgiveness.
This is God's Gift: A Treasure House to which I can appeal and be Perfectly Certain that everything in it will contribute to my Happiness. Everything in this Treasure House can be mine for the asking. Here the door is never locked and I am denied nothing. There is no sickness not already healed. No lack unsatisfied. No need unmet. Within this Golden Treasury is everything I could ever need, want or desire. Behold the Storehouse of miracles set out for me, and in the giving do I see that all is mine.
Here do I remember what was lost when I created a fantasy-world "without" God. For here, in the Treasure House, is all repaired and made new again in a different Light. What was made to be the home of sin becomes the center of redemption and hearth of mercy. The suffering are healed and welcome. NO ONE will be turned away from this new home; my salvation awaits.
The Christ (my brothers and myself healed and United) has dreamed the dream of a forgiven world. It is His gift to me for a sweet transition from death to Life; from hopelessness to Hope. Let me dream with Him, for His dream Awakens me to Truth. His Vision is the means for my return to God.
The darkened glass the fantasy-world presents shows only twisted images in broken parts, but forgiveness pictures Heaven's Innocence, my innocence. I AM Innocent.
As I receive miracles I will give them away, and in the giving know they have always been mine.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Lesson 154 ~ Awaken and be glad!
What God has created is Perfect, Holy, Sublime, Divine, Whole, and Everything Good. Am I worthy? I cannot judge myself as worthy or unworthy. Who am I to judge what God has created? I can delay accepting this, but it will eventually be realized and accepted. It is just a matter of "time," and "time" does not exist.
I am dreaming of exile, but perfectly at Home with God in Heaven.
ACIM will help me to Awaken if I so choose. I can procrastinate, but why? Do I want to continue to accept "less than".....a broken world of loss, death, destruction, mayhem, murder, loneliness? "But there are good times. There are good things that happen. There are people I love," I might think. Do those good times last forever? Are not those good things followed by some kind of loss? Do not those people I love eventually die, leave, or move away?
Anything that changes is not of God. God's World has only Good Things, which never change, never go away, never die, never leave. God's World is always Happy, Joyful and Peaceful. And this NEVER changes.
In the world of dreams, what I think is weakness may be Strength, and what I believe to be strength is often arrogance. I am caught up in a nightmare of my own doing, though what I experience is not real and I am Safe in Heaven with God. The dream is already over.
I am the Son of God ~ Eternal, Sublime, Whole, Joyful. I am caught up in a nightmare. God calls to me Gently, "Awaken and be glad!" Trust in God, who hears ONE Voice Which is His Own.
I must learn how to listen to The Divine. I taught myself how to seemingly create a world without God and with the help of God, I will learn how to Awaken. Only in my alternate reality is "learning" necessary. Only in my alternate reality is salvation necessary.
Listening to God, I will succeed in everything I do related to what It tells me. God will never tell me anything that is not of Heaven. God's Voice is the Voice of the Father and the Son, united as One, which is my True Reality. God created me Sinless and that is what I am no matter what my world and my confused minds tell me.
No one can receive (and understand that he has received) until he gives. In the giving, is my acceptance of what I have received. In Reality, giving and receiving are one and the same.
God will use my voice, my hands, and my feet in the only True usefulness of my body. I do not need to evangelize or actively "do" anything, just practice ACIM and live my life as usual. Open myself to God and let Him do the work. There is nothing required of me except for my small willingness.
God denies NOTHING to His Son. I am like the son of a king, lost at birth, adopted into poverty, living as a pauper and begging for every last need. Years later, a messenger appears and shows the pauper his true identity telling him of the riches and bounty that belong to him. The pauper knows this king and his wealth and goodness, yet being a pauper for so long is used to having to scrape and beg. He must be slowly adjusted to his new identity or it will overwhelm him. Each day, the messenger takes him one more mile closer to the Kingdom, reminding the pauper that while he seemed to be poor and neglected, he always and truly belonged to the king. By the time he arrives at the kingdom, he will be ready to accept his place with his Father.
The world recedes as my mind is enlightened. This message is sent today from my Creator. My many Gifts from Him will become visible the closer I come to the Kingdom, and I will recognize my Inheritance.
I cannot think on these thoughts too often because the world will distract me. Yet I must live in the world while I believe I do, Awakening slowly and gently into The Divine. It must be gradual or I will be terrified. God will never frighten me with a sudden and overwhelming shift into His World. I must gradually unlearn the world I created and remember my Reality.
I am dreaming of exile, but perfectly at Home with God in Heaven.
ACIM will help me to Awaken if I so choose. I can procrastinate, but why? Do I want to continue to accept "less than".....a broken world of loss, death, destruction, mayhem, murder, loneliness? "But there are good times. There are good things that happen. There are people I love," I might think. Do those good times last forever? Are not those good things followed by some kind of loss? Do not those people I love eventually die, leave, or move away?
Anything that changes is not of God. God's World has only Good Things, which never change, never go away, never die, never leave. God's World is always Happy, Joyful and Peaceful. And this NEVER changes.
In the world of dreams, what I think is weakness may be Strength, and what I believe to be strength is often arrogance. I am caught up in a nightmare of my own doing, though what I experience is not real and I am Safe in Heaven with God. The dream is already over.
I am the Son of God ~ Eternal, Sublime, Whole, Joyful. I am caught up in a nightmare. God calls to me Gently, "Awaken and be glad!" Trust in God, who hears ONE Voice Which is His Own.
I must learn how to listen to The Divine. I taught myself how to seemingly create a world without God and with the help of God, I will learn how to Awaken. Only in my alternate reality is "learning" necessary. Only in my alternate reality is salvation necessary.
Listening to God, I will succeed in everything I do related to what It tells me. God will never tell me anything that is not of Heaven. God's Voice is the Voice of the Father and the Son, united as One, which is my True Reality. God created me Sinless and that is what I am no matter what my world and my confused minds tell me.
No one can receive (and understand that he has received) until he gives. In the giving, is my acceptance of what I have received. In Reality, giving and receiving are one and the same.
God will use my voice, my hands, and my feet in the only True usefulness of my body. I do not need to evangelize or actively "do" anything, just practice ACIM and live my life as usual. Open myself to God and let Him do the work. There is nothing required of me except for my small willingness.
God denies NOTHING to His Son. I am like the son of a king, lost at birth, adopted into poverty, living as a pauper and begging for every last need. Years later, a messenger appears and shows the pauper his true identity telling him of the riches and bounty that belong to him. The pauper knows this king and his wealth and goodness, yet being a pauper for so long is used to having to scrape and beg. He must be slowly adjusted to his new identity or it will overwhelm him. Each day, the messenger takes him one more mile closer to the Kingdom, reminding the pauper that while he seemed to be poor and neglected, he always and truly belonged to the king. By the time he arrives at the kingdom, he will be ready to accept his place with his Father.
The world recedes as my mind is enlightened. This message is sent today from my Creator. My many Gifts from Him will become visible the closer I come to the Kingdom, and I will recognize my Inheritance.
I cannot think on these thoughts too often because the world will distract me. Yet I must live in the world while I believe I do, Awakening slowly and gently into The Divine. It must be gradual or I will be terrified. God will never frighten me with a sudden and overwhelming shift into His World. I must gradually unlearn the world I created and remember my Reality.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chapter 3 ~ Innocence
I exist in Reality with my Father, but I experience a dream of separation because that is what I have chosen to experience.
There are no problems in Reality, because if there were, God would always and immediately provide the solution. Even in the world of dreams I can see examples of this. There is the story of a man named John List who, suffering from financial difficulties and seeing no other way out, killed his entire family, including his elderly mother who was in his care. It turns out that the answer to his problems was right in his grasp; the skylight window in his house was an original Tiffany's worth $100,000. The answer to my problems, even in the world of dreams, is always at my fingertips. Often I despair, failing to see this.
Chapter 3 is one of my favorite chapters. There are several biblical references explained, and there is so much hope, it is obvious the hand of God is at work in the words.
The Innocent. According to Christian teachings, it appeared that God permitted one of His Sons to suffer and die - a sacrificial lamb - to atone for the sins of mankind. I can look at this another way. First of all, ACIM has made it clear that there is so "sin." This world that I seemingly created, shows me "a world without God." God's Son had a passing thought, "what would a world separated from God be like?" And because God's Son has the Creative Power of His Father, I seemingly indulged this thought, creating a fantasy-existence "apart from" Reality. Presently guilt and fear guide my every move. Unconsciously, I now believe I am capable of deeds so heinous that I have to live "apart from" God. My fantasy-world is not Real but I imagine that it is, and "ego" is the part of me who thinks it exists "apart from" God. Then, I imagine a God who asks for sacrifice to atone for my behavior. Preferably an innocent. Ego needs blood, wounds, entrails, suffering, and brokers bones. The more horrific, the better. The innocent shall suffer. Hence the story of Jesus Christ dying for my sins. No wonder I fear God. I have assigned Him the role of avenger.
Yet, I say to myself, 'there is Love in this world' - I loved my baby the minute she was born; I have been married 55 years to the same woman and I love her more today than ever. But most of my decisions in the dream-world are based on fear, and my Reality has seemingly been divided into many bodies. It is a lonesome, fearful existence. If I do not marry that woman, someone else will get her. I am constantly in fear of losing my loved ones to separation or death. The love I have is merely a shadow of Love in God's world. True Love never dies, never goes away and it never changes or abandons me.
God does not believe in retribution. He does not know of sacrifice. He does not hold my "evil deeds" against me. He knows evil exists only in fantasy, and that fantasy does not exist.
The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolize that Strength and Innocence naturally live in Peace. Reality does not confuse Innocence with weakness and destruction, because it rightly associates Innocence with Strength. The Innocent have Everything, there is no need for sacrifice. Innocence strives only to protect Its Wholeness. It honors all Creation because honor is the natural greeting of Love. The Atonement (the process of forgiveness) radiates nothing but Truth and gives only Blessing. Innocence is Wisdom and is unaware of evil because evil does not exist.
The Innocence of God is my True State of Mind.
Love or fear. Until I decide whether to commit to Love or commit to fear, my thinking will be erratic. I see everything in opposites in the dream-world, but some concepts cannot be understood that way. Can Light and darkness exist together? How about Everything and nothing? Innocence is not a partial attribute; Innocence is not Real until it is Total. The partially Innocent are apt to be quite foolish at times. Innocence (or True Perception in my world) means that I never misperceive and always see Truly. In other words, I never see what does not exist (illusions), and always see what does (Reality).
Think of what it is to back a wild animal into a corner. They viciously lunge in fear. Frightened people, too, can be vicious. And that is what I am. If I do not have Love, I have fear. I seemingly created "a world without God (Love)" therefore, in my apparent world, only fear remains.
Truth. Nothing but Truth exists. Only what God Creates, or what I create with God has any Real existence. Until I understand this, my perception will be distorted.
When the Will of the Son (me) is joined with the Father, the State of Mind called Heaven, or Truth, is experienced. Nothing can prevail against the Son of God who commends his Spirit into the Hands of the Father. By doing this, the mind Awakens from its sleep and all sense of separation disappears.
The way to correct distortions is to withdraw my faith in them and invest in only what is True. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make what is untrue (illusions), True. Today I am willing to accept only Truth in everything I perceive. Just as Light overcomes darkness, Truth overcomes all error. Those who live in error and emptiness can never find lasting Peace. Always seek Truth. Truth heals. And when my mind heals, the "world" heals, because the "world" is a thought in my mind. Mind is the only Reality.
Perception. Perception is the means of understanding in the world of dreams. Knowledge is of Heaven. My perception must be corrected before I can Know anything. Perception did not exist until the "separation." Perception is how the illusory world understands itself. It always involves misuse of the mind. Perception is temporary. Perception involves interpretation, which can never be consistent. Perception can be expressed only by fear or the world's idea of "love." Misperceptions produce fear, True perceptions foster Love; yet perception never brings Certainty because perception is inconsistent and variable. Knowledge is Timeless and always of God. I Know Truly when I have ceased to ask questions.
True perception is the basis for Knowledge, but Knowing affirms Truth and is beyond all perception. Knowledge provides Strength and results from Revelation. Knowledge is Timeless. To perceive the Truth is not the same as Knowing it. Yet Right perception is necessary before I can communicate again with God. Knowledge came before perception and time, in the end It will replace them.
Perception can (and ultimately will) be stabilized, but Knowledge is stable. "Fear God and keep His commandments" becomes "Know God and accept His Certainty."
Questioning illusions is the first step in undoing them. Forgiving illusions results in miracles (or Right perception).
I do not perceive my Self correctly. The word "image" is perception-related. Images are symbolic and stand for something else. In the world of dreams, the idea of "changing my image" recognizes the power of perception, but also implies that there is nothing stable to know. Knowing is not open to interpretation.
I have lost the Knowledge that I, myself, am God's Son. Creation is my Source and my only Real function.
Perception is impossible without a belief in "more" and "less." At every level it involves selectivity. It is a continual process of accepting and rejecting, organizing and reorganizing, shifting and changing. Evaluation is essential because judgments are necessary in order to perceive. Perception becomes impossible if there are no judgments and only Perfect Equality. Then only Truth can be Known. To Know any part of Truth is to Know It all (Truth is holographic) and all of it is equally True. Truth can only be Known, not perceived. Partial Knowledge is impossible. Either I Know or I do not know.
Forgiveness heals the perception of "separation." Perceiving "others" correctly is necessary, because my mind has chosen to see itself as "individual, separate" bodies. My Spirit Knows God Completely - that is its miraculous Power. The fact that I have this Power is a condition completely alien to the world's thinking. The world believes that if someone has everything, there is nothing left for the rest. But God's World is total.
Perception rests on lack, and as long as the world of lack seems real to me, prayer has a place. Perception is based on the idea of "separation," so it needs healing. Communion is the Natural State of Reality. I am a Thought of God. How Beautiful indeed are the Thoughts of God who live in His Light.
Knowledge can never deceive, but perception can. The mind can make the belief in the separation very real and very fearful.
Judgement. I have no idea of the tremendous release and deep Peace that comes from seeing myself and "others" totally without judgment. When I recognize Truth, I will realize that judging anything or anyone is without meaning. How can I judge the Son of God who is Perfect? In fact, Reality's meaning is lost to me precisely because I judge. While I judge, I will never recognize Reality. Judgment disappears in the presence of Knowledge.
When I feel tired, it is because I have judged myself as capable of being tired. When I ridicule someone, it is because I have judged him as unworthy. When I hate myself, I must hate others, if only because I cannot tolerate the idea of being more unworthy. This is exhausting and disheartening. I am not really capable of being tired, but I can weary myself. The strain of constant judgment is virtually intolerable. It is strange that an ability so debilitating would be so deeply cherished by me. Yet if I continue to want to be perceive a world "apart from" God, I will insist on holding on to judgment. Unconsciously this is very fearful to me because I realize that someday that same judgment will be used against me.
Judgment is symbolic and only lasts while I believe in the separation. Beyond the "separation," there is no judgment. "Judge not, that ye be not judged" means that while I judge others, I will be unable to avoid judging myself. The choice to judge (rather than to forgive) is the choice to live without Peace. Judgment always involves rejection and it always emphasizes the negative aspects of what is judged. What has been perceived and rejected (or judged and found wanting) remains in my mind. I cannot continue to believe that my judgment of anything or anyone has no effect. In the end, it does not matter whether my judgment is right or wrong, either way I am putting my belief in the unreal.
All my difficulties stem from the fact that I do not recognize my Self....or God. To recognize means to "know again," implying that I knew before. If I attack or judge anyone or anything, I will only hurt myself. It is impossible to Know God's Creation and attack It at the same time. Attack is always made upon what seems to be "outside" me. Yet there is nothing "outside" God's Creation. God knows His Son with Perfect Certainty. He Created me and He recognizes me Perfectly.
God offers only mercy. In my quest to return Home, I should reflect only mercy; my words should speak only of mercy.
Who is the Author? I believe I am the author of my destiny in the world of separation. When I have an authority problem, it is always because I think I am the author (creator) of myself (and I project this delusion onto "others"). Then when there is conflict, it is perceived as a situation in which "others" are literally fighting me for my authorship. Here in a world without God, I believe I have usurped the power of God making a separate "life" for myself. And the "power" I have is used at the whim of myself and "others." This belief is frightening, but it hardly troubles God. He is eager to undo it only because He knows it makes me unhappy. God is my Author. He Created me. When I deny this in my fantasy of "separation," allowing myself to doubt Reality, there is such uncertainty in my mind that I may even doubt whether I really exist at all. It s a mistake to believe that a thought system based on lies (illusions) is weak. Nothing made by a Child of God is without Power, even his fantasies.
I will return to my Beginning which is Truth. My True Self remains in Peace, it is only my ego in conflict. As I approach the Beginning, I will feel the fear of the destruction of my "separation" thought system like the fear of death. Yet, I must remember, there is no death.
Biblical References. "God created man in His own image and likeness" can be better understood as "God created His Son of like quality."
"Many are called by few are chosen" should be "many are called but few chose to listen." God Knows me only in Peace, and Peace is my Reality. When I deny my Sonship, I deny Everything and embrace nothing.
Even the Christian legend of mankind can be helpful in understanding Truth. Atonement is not accomplished by crucifixion, but by resurrection. The resurrection demonstrated that nothing can destroy Truth. "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," is not the blood-stained lamb, it is the Pure and Innocent Lamb who shows me that, like Him, I am Pure and Innocent. He takes away the "sin of the world" by showing me that there is no sin.
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven," should be "Will the Kingdom of Heaven" ~ Know who I am and accept my Inheritance. Peace is my Heritage.
"The branch that bears no fruit (the world of illusions) will be cut off and will wither away (it will disappear)." Be glad! God's Kingdom is not of the dream-world. This world is not left by death, but by Truth.
The fruit of a tree was "forbidden" in the symbolic Garden of Eden. But if God had forbidden it (God forbids nothing, He wills that His children have Everything), it could not have been eaten. If God Knows His children (and He absolutely does), would He have put them in a position where their own destruction was possible? Ironically, the "forbidden tree" was called the "tree of knowledge." Yet God Created Knowledge and what God Creates is given freely to all His Creation.
There are no problems in Reality, because if there were, God would always and immediately provide the solution. Even in the world of dreams I can see examples of this. There is the story of a man named John List who, suffering from financial difficulties and seeing no other way out, killed his entire family, including his elderly mother who was in his care. It turns out that the answer to his problems was right in his grasp; the skylight window in his house was an original Tiffany's worth $100,000. The answer to my problems, even in the world of dreams, is always at my fingertips. Often I despair, failing to see this.
Chapter 3 is one of my favorite chapters. There are several biblical references explained, and there is so much hope, it is obvious the hand of God is at work in the words.
The Innocent. According to Christian teachings, it appeared that God permitted one of His Sons to suffer and die - a sacrificial lamb - to atone for the sins of mankind. I can look at this another way. First of all, ACIM has made it clear that there is so "sin." This world that I seemingly created, shows me "a world without God." God's Son had a passing thought, "what would a world separated from God be like?" And because God's Son has the Creative Power of His Father, I seemingly indulged this thought, creating a fantasy-existence "apart from" Reality. Presently guilt and fear guide my every move. Unconsciously, I now believe I am capable of deeds so heinous that I have to live "apart from" God. My fantasy-world is not Real but I imagine that it is, and "ego" is the part of me who thinks it exists "apart from" God. Then, I imagine a God who asks for sacrifice to atone for my behavior. Preferably an innocent. Ego needs blood, wounds, entrails, suffering, and brokers bones. The more horrific, the better. The innocent shall suffer. Hence the story of Jesus Christ dying for my sins. No wonder I fear God. I have assigned Him the role of avenger.
Yet, I say to myself, 'there is Love in this world' - I loved my baby the minute she was born; I have been married 55 years to the same woman and I love her more today than ever. But most of my decisions in the dream-world are based on fear, and my Reality has seemingly been divided into many bodies. It is a lonesome, fearful existence. If I do not marry that woman, someone else will get her. I am constantly in fear of losing my loved ones to separation or death. The love I have is merely a shadow of Love in God's world. True Love never dies, never goes away and it never changes or abandons me.
God does not believe in retribution. He does not know of sacrifice. He does not hold my "evil deeds" against me. He knows evil exists only in fantasy, and that fantasy does not exist.
The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolize that Strength and Innocence naturally live in Peace. Reality does not confuse Innocence with weakness and destruction, because it rightly associates Innocence with Strength. The Innocent have Everything, there is no need for sacrifice. Innocence strives only to protect Its Wholeness. It honors all Creation because honor is the natural greeting of Love. The Atonement (the process of forgiveness) radiates nothing but Truth and gives only Blessing. Innocence is Wisdom and is unaware of evil because evil does not exist.
The Innocence of God is my True State of Mind.
Love or fear. Until I decide whether to commit to Love or commit to fear, my thinking will be erratic. I see everything in opposites in the dream-world, but some concepts cannot be understood that way. Can Light and darkness exist together? How about Everything and nothing? Innocence is not a partial attribute; Innocence is not Real until it is Total. The partially Innocent are apt to be quite foolish at times. Innocence (or True Perception in my world) means that I never misperceive and always see Truly. In other words, I never see what does not exist (illusions), and always see what does (Reality).
Think of what it is to back a wild animal into a corner. They viciously lunge in fear. Frightened people, too, can be vicious. And that is what I am. If I do not have Love, I have fear. I seemingly created "a world without God (Love)" therefore, in my apparent world, only fear remains.
Truth. Nothing but Truth exists. Only what God Creates, or what I create with God has any Real existence. Until I understand this, my perception will be distorted.
When the Will of the Son (me) is joined with the Father, the State of Mind called Heaven, or Truth, is experienced. Nothing can prevail against the Son of God who commends his Spirit into the Hands of the Father. By doing this, the mind Awakens from its sleep and all sense of separation disappears.
The way to correct distortions is to withdraw my faith in them and invest in only what is True. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make what is untrue (illusions), True. Today I am willing to accept only Truth in everything I perceive. Just as Light overcomes darkness, Truth overcomes all error. Those who live in error and emptiness can never find lasting Peace. Always seek Truth. Truth heals. And when my mind heals, the "world" heals, because the "world" is a thought in my mind. Mind is the only Reality.
Perception. Perception is the means of understanding in the world of dreams. Knowledge is of Heaven. My perception must be corrected before I can Know anything. Perception did not exist until the "separation." Perception is how the illusory world understands itself. It always involves misuse of the mind. Perception is temporary. Perception involves interpretation, which can never be consistent. Perception can be expressed only by fear or the world's idea of "love." Misperceptions produce fear, True perceptions foster Love; yet perception never brings Certainty because perception is inconsistent and variable. Knowledge is Timeless and always of God. I Know Truly when I have ceased to ask questions.
True perception is the basis for Knowledge, but Knowing affirms Truth and is beyond all perception. Knowledge provides Strength and results from Revelation. Knowledge is Timeless. To perceive the Truth is not the same as Knowing it. Yet Right perception is necessary before I can communicate again with God. Knowledge came before perception and time, in the end It will replace them.
Perception can (and ultimately will) be stabilized, but Knowledge is stable. "Fear God and keep His commandments" becomes "Know God and accept His Certainty."
Questioning illusions is the first step in undoing them. Forgiving illusions results in miracles (or Right perception).
I do not perceive my Self correctly. The word "image" is perception-related. Images are symbolic and stand for something else. In the world of dreams, the idea of "changing my image" recognizes the power of perception, but also implies that there is nothing stable to know. Knowing is not open to interpretation.
I have lost the Knowledge that I, myself, am God's Son. Creation is my Source and my only Real function.
Perception is impossible without a belief in "more" and "less." At every level it involves selectivity. It is a continual process of accepting and rejecting, organizing and reorganizing, shifting and changing. Evaluation is essential because judgments are necessary in order to perceive. Perception becomes impossible if there are no judgments and only Perfect Equality. Then only Truth can be Known. To Know any part of Truth is to Know It all (Truth is holographic) and all of it is equally True. Truth can only be Known, not perceived. Partial Knowledge is impossible. Either I Know or I do not know.
Forgiveness heals the perception of "separation." Perceiving "others" correctly is necessary, because my mind has chosen to see itself as "individual, separate" bodies. My Spirit Knows God Completely - that is its miraculous Power. The fact that I have this Power is a condition completely alien to the world's thinking. The world believes that if someone has everything, there is nothing left for the rest. But God's World is total.
Perception rests on lack, and as long as the world of lack seems real to me, prayer has a place. Perception is based on the idea of "separation," so it needs healing. Communion is the Natural State of Reality. I am a Thought of God. How Beautiful indeed are the Thoughts of God who live in His Light.
Knowledge can never deceive, but perception can. The mind can make the belief in the separation very real and very fearful.
Judgement. I have no idea of the tremendous release and deep Peace that comes from seeing myself and "others" totally without judgment. When I recognize Truth, I will realize that judging anything or anyone is without meaning. How can I judge the Son of God who is Perfect? In fact, Reality's meaning is lost to me precisely because I judge. While I judge, I will never recognize Reality. Judgment disappears in the presence of Knowledge.
When I feel tired, it is because I have judged myself as capable of being tired. When I ridicule someone, it is because I have judged him as unworthy. When I hate myself, I must hate others, if only because I cannot tolerate the idea of being more unworthy. This is exhausting and disheartening. I am not really capable of being tired, but I can weary myself. The strain of constant judgment is virtually intolerable. It is strange that an ability so debilitating would be so deeply cherished by me. Yet if I continue to want to be perceive a world "apart from" God, I will insist on holding on to judgment. Unconsciously this is very fearful to me because I realize that someday that same judgment will be used against me.
Judgment is symbolic and only lasts while I believe in the separation. Beyond the "separation," there is no judgment. "Judge not, that ye be not judged" means that while I judge others, I will be unable to avoid judging myself. The choice to judge (rather than to forgive) is the choice to live without Peace. Judgment always involves rejection and it always emphasizes the negative aspects of what is judged. What has been perceived and rejected (or judged and found wanting) remains in my mind. I cannot continue to believe that my judgment of anything or anyone has no effect. In the end, it does not matter whether my judgment is right or wrong, either way I am putting my belief in the unreal.
All my difficulties stem from the fact that I do not recognize my Self....or God. To recognize means to "know again," implying that I knew before. If I attack or judge anyone or anything, I will only hurt myself. It is impossible to Know God's Creation and attack It at the same time. Attack is always made upon what seems to be "outside" me. Yet there is nothing "outside" God's Creation. God knows His Son with Perfect Certainty. He Created me and He recognizes me Perfectly.
God offers only mercy. In my quest to return Home, I should reflect only mercy; my words should speak only of mercy.
Who is the Author? I believe I am the author of my destiny in the world of separation. When I have an authority problem, it is always because I think I am the author (creator) of myself (and I project this delusion onto "others"). Then when there is conflict, it is perceived as a situation in which "others" are literally fighting me for my authorship. Here in a world without God, I believe I have usurped the power of God making a separate "life" for myself. And the "power" I have is used at the whim of myself and "others." This belief is frightening, but it hardly troubles God. He is eager to undo it only because He knows it makes me unhappy. God is my Author. He Created me. When I deny this in my fantasy of "separation," allowing myself to doubt Reality, there is such uncertainty in my mind that I may even doubt whether I really exist at all. It s a mistake to believe that a thought system based on lies (illusions) is weak. Nothing made by a Child of God is without Power, even his fantasies.
I will return to my Beginning which is Truth. My True Self remains in Peace, it is only my ego in conflict. As I approach the Beginning, I will feel the fear of the destruction of my "separation" thought system like the fear of death. Yet, I must remember, there is no death.
Biblical References. "God created man in His own image and likeness" can be better understood as "God created His Son of like quality."
"Many are called by few are chosen" should be "many are called but few chose to listen." God Knows me only in Peace, and Peace is my Reality. When I deny my Sonship, I deny Everything and embrace nothing.
Even the Christian legend of mankind can be helpful in understanding Truth. Atonement is not accomplished by crucifixion, but by resurrection. The resurrection demonstrated that nothing can destroy Truth. "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," is not the blood-stained lamb, it is the Pure and Innocent Lamb who shows me that, like Him, I am Pure and Innocent. He takes away the "sin of the world" by showing me that there is no sin.
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven," should be "Will the Kingdom of Heaven" ~ Know who I am and accept my Inheritance. Peace is my Heritage.
"The branch that bears no fruit (the world of illusions) will be cut off and will wither away (it will disappear)." Be glad! God's Kingdom is not of the dream-world. This world is not left by death, but by Truth.
The fruit of a tree was "forbidden" in the symbolic Garden of Eden. But if God had forbidden it (God forbids nothing, He wills that His children have Everything), it could not have been eaten. If God Knows His children (and He absolutely does), would He have put them in a position where their own destruction was possible? Ironically, the "forbidden tree" was called the "tree of knowledge." Yet God Created Knowledge and what God Creates is given freely to all His Creation.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Chapter 2 ~ "Original Sin"
The Origins of Separation. A fundamental aspect of God's Creation is extension. God extended Himself creating me and all His Creation is Perfect like Himself. Because God created me like Himself, I am a creative being. However, I can seemingly create fantasy, as I did in projecting a world without God. A world without God (a world of emptiness and lack) cannot truly exist, but because I believe in it, it exists for me.
The separation can also be called the "detour into fear." The biblical references to the Garden of Eden indicate that after Adam ate the apple, there was a "deep sleep," with no reference to waking up. This is part of the mythology of how the world started and there is some truth to every tale. "Deep sleep" would be a good term to describe the state I find myself in. There will be no Awakening while I project my anxieties and guilt outward creating this world. In my miscreation it seems that I am more powerful than God, with the power to create and end "life," to change love to hate, to make war, to have enough atomic power to end the world as I know it, (the world I say God created). In essence, I have created a world in which I seem to be a god and I greatly fear what I can do. I am caught up in my own nightmare.
All this can disappear in the twinkling of an eye.
I do not have to believe in what is not true unless I choose to. What I see in my dreams only seems to be real. I created what I "see" and my creative powers were bestowed on me by God. So what I create, even if it is a fantasy, is Mighty indeed. But unless it shares the characteristics of God (Eternal, Perfect, All-Love, etc) it does not Truly exist.
So why does God not just Awaken me from this madness? Does He not see the distress I am in?
He will never destroy what I create. If I will a fantasy to be what I wish to experience, He knows I am Safe in Heaven with Him. There are no monsters, no dragons, no demons chasing me waiting to steal my life. I am Safe in Heaven, dreaming of exile.
My only hope of escape is forgiveness (Atonement). I learn to forgive. I forgive my thoughts, and everyone and everything. By doing this, I eventually learn there is nothing and no one to forgive. God makes the final step and I Awaken to Perfection and Love. Any errors or sins I believe I committed, never occurred. I am perfectly unaffected by dreams. No error or sin can shake the Peace of God. Health is inner Peace. Illness is no peace. Illness is restless searching for answers "out there." Inner Peace enables me to remain unshaken by the world around me.
The Atonement as Defense. Miracles are changes in my perception of what I believe is "reality." They are natural, corrective, healing, and universal. They are given by God as a result of my forgiveness.
Denial is a protective device. I deny my spouse has a drinking problem, so I do not have to pack my things, move out and uproot my children. The way I currently use denial, it is a defense for inaction.
True denial does not hide anything from my Awareness. Denial of error and sin Frees my mind. I am Free when I recognize only Truth. Sin, error and fear are not True and do not exist. Only the things of God exist: Love, Perfection, Eternity, Joy, Happiness, Contentment. There are no opposites. Nothing else exists. When I use denial properly to deny illusions and dreams, I Free my mind.
The Atonement (the process of forgiveness) is a defense against dreams. It cannot be mis-used by me because it is not something I created. It is the only defense that is not a two-edged sword; it can only heal. Normally a defense is two-way: someone attacks me, then I put up my shield and ready my own sword. A two-way defense has two edges and can be turned against me very unexpectedly. Not so with the Atonement. It only heals and corrects, and is the only True defense. The world I created had to be learned. There is no learning in God's World, there is only Knowing. The Atonement is the final lesson I have to learn in the world of dreams. It allows me to Free myself from the "past" which I come to learn never existed. There is no need to retrace my steps to into the "past" to make corrections. The Atonement adjusts "time" and "space." As I become more and more secure in my Identity as God's Son, I assume my Natural State of Being.
The Altar of God. The body is not the Temple of God. The body does not exist and the Temple of God is not a structure at all. The emphasis on beautiful structures "outside" me is a sign I am preoccupied with dreams. Before the "separation," fear did not exist. "Separation" and "fear" are dreams requiring only correction. I will return to my Father. This does not contradict my Free Will. I can procrastinate, but can never entirely separate from my Creator, because it is my Will to be with Him. But I have lost sight of my True Will while my mind is imprisoned by dreams. An imprisoned Will creates a situation which, in the extreme, becomes intolerable. MY tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. I eventually will begin to realize that there must be a better way. As this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning point, ultimately reAwakening Spiritual Vision and at the same time, weakening the investment in the dream. While this is happening, I will alternate between "realities" or perception of realities (God's World/dream world) and this can cause confusion and lack of equilibrium. But I have no need to fear, the outcome is Certain.
Spiritual Vision does not see error. All solutions the body's eyes seek are useless. Spiritual Vision looks within and aims to repair and protect; it will look past error to Truth. The Strength of Spiritual Vision reestablishes the Power of the mind, making it increasingly unable to tolerate delay, realizing that delay only adds unnecessary pain. As a result, the mind becomes increasingly sensitive to minor intrusions of discomfort.
The Son of God is entitled to Perfect Comfort. Until I achieve this, I waste time on useless attempts to make myself more comfortable in the world of dreams. The Real means of finding Comfort has already been provided and involves no effort.
God and His Son are completely Dependent on each other. The Son of God must learn to look upon the dream-world only as a means of healing the "separation." The Atonement guarantees that I will ultimately succeed. The best gift I can offer God in my current state, is forgiveness.
Healing as Release from Fear. The emphasis now is on healing. Atonement is the principle (theory), the miracle is the means (the how), and healing is the result. Healing releases me from fear.
Healing is not a miracle. It is the natural order of things. It should concern me when physical health is absent. Physical illness reinforces the dream and seems to be something the mind has no control over. Medication, diagnostic tests, or surgeries performed on the body are a form of "magic" that seems to "heal" the body. The body was created by the mind as a learning device to learn to live in a world without God. The body is merely a part of my experience in the physical world. It has no abilities of its own. However, it is almost impossible to deny its existence in this world, and it is fruitless to do so. There is no need to protect the mind by denying the unmindful (the body). While I believe I am a body, it is wise to use what is available (e.g. medicine) for "healing" as the dream-world continues its hold on me. There is no need to increase fear in the already fearful. If I am prematurely exposed to a miracle, I may be thrown into a panic, because miracles at this point may be frightening.
The Atonement can be expressed in many ways. If used Truly, it will be expressed in ways most helpful to me, in a way I can clearly understand without fear.
The body can be used only as a learning device for the mind. Only the mind creates, and in the mind is where correction occurs. Teaching the mind to give up dreams is the only positive use of my Creative ability (in the dream-world) that is Truly meaningful.
Corrective learning always begins with the Awakening of Spirit and turning away from belief in dreams. As long as I believe what my physical sight tells me, my attempts at correction will be misdirected. Correcting my mind may produce discomfort. However, discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction into my Awareness.
The body does not exist, so it is impossible that it can act wrongly. Only the mind can err, and in the mind is where correction takes place. As long as "time" persists, healing is needed.
Fear and Conflict. I believe I am responsible for what I do, but not for what I think. The Truth is: I am responsible for my thoughts. What I do comes from what I think. If I change my mind, right behavior will follow. Correction happens in my mind.
Fear is always a sign of strain. For instance, first I do conflicting things like marry and try to become a husband and father, but I also drink to excess. What I want and what I am actually doing are obviously in conflict, creating a strained and intolerable situation. On the one hand, I behave as I think I should (being a husband and father), but without entirely wanting to do so (by drinking to excess). Whenever this happens, it is because I have not made up my mind about my goal. When my mind is split, my behavior inevitably becomes erratic. Correcting the error at the behavior level (trying to control behavior) is fruitless. There is only ONE error: the apparent separation from God. This can be corrected only at the place it was created: in the mind.
Conflict is an expression of fear. There are simple step to correcting this: 1. Recognize fear (anything not Love); 2. Know that fear arises from a lack of Love; 3. Realize that the only remedy for lack of Love, is Perfect Love. 4. Understand that Perfect Love is the Atonement (starting with forgiveness of everyone and everything).
I do not appreciate the Real Power of my mind and I do not remain fully Aware of it all the time. The mind is very Powerful. It NEVER loses its Creative Force. It NEVER sleeps. Every instant it is Creating. Thought and belief combine into a Power Surge that can literally move mountains. To believe such Power about myself is not arrogant. God Created me just like Himself. If He can do it, I can do it. The only thing I cannot do is create myself. But I seemingly created this dream-world with all of its rules, learning, and complex behaviors and beliefs. So moving a mountains is really the least of what I can do. In the dream-world I believe that my thoughts cannot exert Real influence. But Thought is the only thing that matters.
There are NO idle thoughts. All thinking produces FORM at some level in the dream-world.
Only the mind can produce fear and it does so whenever it is conflicted about what it wants. But I can make it easier on myself when I realize there are only two choices: Reality or dreams; God's Will or living in a world without God. God's Will offers Everything. A world without God offers nothing and does not exist. How is this even a choice?
Correcting fear is my responsibility. When I ask for release from fear, I am implying that it is not my responsibility. I will ask, instead, for help with the conditions (the idea of separation) that have brought about the fear. Willingness to be "separate from" God is under my control. I am much too tolerant of my wandering mind, passively condoning my mind's fantasies. The fantasies themselves do not matter, but the fundamental choice to be "separate from" God does. Before I choose to do anything, I will ask myself if my choice is in accord with the characteristics of God (Loving, Peaceful, Serene, Joyful, Happy, Content, Whole, Inclusive).
Changing my behavior is only possible when I change my mind.
There is no strain in doing God's Will when I recognize that it is also my own. Do I want to be sad, conflicted, angry or confused? Of course not. I want to be Happy, Joyous, Whole and Content. This is what God wants for me as well. In fact it IS God's Will for me.
Cause and Effect. I complain about fear but persist in making myself fearful. God cannot release me from fear, because fear does not exist. If God stepped in to intervene between my thoughts and their results, He would be tampering with the basic law of cause and effect, going against my will.
It is helpful to remind myself that I do not guard my thoughts carefully enough. I will ask for God's Guidance in my thoughts. Both miracles and fear come from thoughts, but if I am not Free to chose one, I would not be Free to choose the other. By choosing miracles, I reject fear.
I have been fearful of everyone and everything, including God and even myself. I have misperceived and miscreated in my own mind. I have assigned God and myself false roles and false characteristics and I believe in what I made. Yet, miscreation causes pain. The fundamental conflict in this world is between Creation (all Love) and miscreation (all fear).
I think I cannot control my fear because it seems to be completely out of my control. Yet to try and master it, would be useless. To resist, will only make it persist. The true resolution of fear is to replace it with Love. Until then, conflict is inevitable.
"Nothing" and "Everything" cannot coexist. To believe in one is to deny the other. Fear is nothing. Love is everything. Whenever Light enters darkness, the darkness is abolished. Believing in my own creations, the "separation" becomes true for me. To deny it or concentrate on the error of it will do no good. First I need to recognize that there is a problem that needs immediate correction. This prepares the way for Atonement which starts with forgiveness. Fear cannot be mastered. It can only be gently laid aside and replaced with Love. The only Real Mastery is through Love.
Ultimately, no compromise is possible between Everything and nothing. Time is essentially a device in which all dreams can eventually be given up. It only seems to "take time" or happen in increments.
The Meaning of the Last Judgment. Creative ability rests in the mind. What I dream is "real" in my own mind, though not in the Mind of God.
The Last Judgment is one of the most threatening ideas in my thinking, but only because I do not understand it. God does not judge.
The Last Judgment is not a meting out of punishment, but a final healing and restoration of Right-Mindedness. It is a time of separating the wheat (Love) from the chafe (fear), the worthy (Reality) from the unworthy (illusions).
I will ultimately look upon my dreams and choose to preserve only what is good. The first step toward Reality, is separating the false from the True. The Last Judgment is the doorway to Life, not death. When I fear, I live in death.
The Atonement is the correction of the error of separation through forgiveness.
The separation can also be called the "detour into fear." The biblical references to the Garden of Eden indicate that after Adam ate the apple, there was a "deep sleep," with no reference to waking up. This is part of the mythology of how the world started and there is some truth to every tale. "Deep sleep" would be a good term to describe the state I find myself in. There will be no Awakening while I project my anxieties and guilt outward creating this world. In my miscreation it seems that I am more powerful than God, with the power to create and end "life," to change love to hate, to make war, to have enough atomic power to end the world as I know it, (the world I say God created). In essence, I have created a world in which I seem to be a god and I greatly fear what I can do. I am caught up in my own nightmare.
All this can disappear in the twinkling of an eye.
I do not have to believe in what is not true unless I choose to. What I see in my dreams only seems to be real. I created what I "see" and my creative powers were bestowed on me by God. So what I create, even if it is a fantasy, is Mighty indeed. But unless it shares the characteristics of God (Eternal, Perfect, All-Love, etc) it does not Truly exist.
So why does God not just Awaken me from this madness? Does He not see the distress I am in?
He will never destroy what I create. If I will a fantasy to be what I wish to experience, He knows I am Safe in Heaven with Him. There are no monsters, no dragons, no demons chasing me waiting to steal my life. I am Safe in Heaven, dreaming of exile.
My only hope of escape is forgiveness (Atonement). I learn to forgive. I forgive my thoughts, and everyone and everything. By doing this, I eventually learn there is nothing and no one to forgive. God makes the final step and I Awaken to Perfection and Love. Any errors or sins I believe I committed, never occurred. I am perfectly unaffected by dreams. No error or sin can shake the Peace of God. Health is inner Peace. Illness is no peace. Illness is restless searching for answers "out there." Inner Peace enables me to remain unshaken by the world around me.
The Atonement as Defense. Miracles are changes in my perception of what I believe is "reality." They are natural, corrective, healing, and universal. They are given by God as a result of my forgiveness.
Denial is a protective device. I deny my spouse has a drinking problem, so I do not have to pack my things, move out and uproot my children. The way I currently use denial, it is a defense for inaction.
True denial does not hide anything from my Awareness. Denial of error and sin Frees my mind. I am Free when I recognize only Truth. Sin, error and fear are not True and do not exist. Only the things of God exist: Love, Perfection, Eternity, Joy, Happiness, Contentment. There are no opposites. Nothing else exists. When I use denial properly to deny illusions and dreams, I Free my mind.
The Atonement (the process of forgiveness) is a defense against dreams. It cannot be mis-used by me because it is not something I created. It is the only defense that is not a two-edged sword; it can only heal. Normally a defense is two-way: someone attacks me, then I put up my shield and ready my own sword. A two-way defense has two edges and can be turned against me very unexpectedly. Not so with the Atonement. It only heals and corrects, and is the only True defense. The world I created had to be learned. There is no learning in God's World, there is only Knowing. The Atonement is the final lesson I have to learn in the world of dreams. It allows me to Free myself from the "past" which I come to learn never existed. There is no need to retrace my steps to into the "past" to make corrections. The Atonement adjusts "time" and "space." As I become more and more secure in my Identity as God's Son, I assume my Natural State of Being.
The Altar of God. The body is not the Temple of God. The body does not exist and the Temple of God is not a structure at all. The emphasis on beautiful structures "outside" me is a sign I am preoccupied with dreams. Before the "separation," fear did not exist. "Separation" and "fear" are dreams requiring only correction. I will return to my Father. This does not contradict my Free Will. I can procrastinate, but can never entirely separate from my Creator, because it is my Will to be with Him. But I have lost sight of my True Will while my mind is imprisoned by dreams. An imprisoned Will creates a situation which, in the extreme, becomes intolerable. MY tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. I eventually will begin to realize that there must be a better way. As this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning point, ultimately reAwakening Spiritual Vision and at the same time, weakening the investment in the dream. While this is happening, I will alternate between "realities" or perception of realities (God's World/dream world) and this can cause confusion and lack of equilibrium. But I have no need to fear, the outcome is Certain.
Spiritual Vision does not see error. All solutions the body's eyes seek are useless. Spiritual Vision looks within and aims to repair and protect; it will look past error to Truth. The Strength of Spiritual Vision reestablishes the Power of the mind, making it increasingly unable to tolerate delay, realizing that delay only adds unnecessary pain. As a result, the mind becomes increasingly sensitive to minor intrusions of discomfort.
The Son of God is entitled to Perfect Comfort. Until I achieve this, I waste time on useless attempts to make myself more comfortable in the world of dreams. The Real means of finding Comfort has already been provided and involves no effort.
God and His Son are completely Dependent on each other. The Son of God must learn to look upon the dream-world only as a means of healing the "separation." The Atonement guarantees that I will ultimately succeed. The best gift I can offer God in my current state, is forgiveness.
Healing as Release from Fear. The emphasis now is on healing. Atonement is the principle (theory), the miracle is the means (the how), and healing is the result. Healing releases me from fear.
Healing is not a miracle. It is the natural order of things. It should concern me when physical health is absent. Physical illness reinforces the dream and seems to be something the mind has no control over. Medication, diagnostic tests, or surgeries performed on the body are a form of "magic" that seems to "heal" the body. The body was created by the mind as a learning device to learn to live in a world without God. The body is merely a part of my experience in the physical world. It has no abilities of its own. However, it is almost impossible to deny its existence in this world, and it is fruitless to do so. There is no need to protect the mind by denying the unmindful (the body). While I believe I am a body, it is wise to use what is available (e.g. medicine) for "healing" as the dream-world continues its hold on me. There is no need to increase fear in the already fearful. If I am prematurely exposed to a miracle, I may be thrown into a panic, because miracles at this point may be frightening.
The Atonement can be expressed in many ways. If used Truly, it will be expressed in ways most helpful to me, in a way I can clearly understand without fear.
The body can be used only as a learning device for the mind. Only the mind creates, and in the mind is where correction occurs. Teaching the mind to give up dreams is the only positive use of my Creative ability (in the dream-world) that is Truly meaningful.
Corrective learning always begins with the Awakening of Spirit and turning away from belief in dreams. As long as I believe what my physical sight tells me, my attempts at correction will be misdirected. Correcting my mind may produce discomfort. However, discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction into my Awareness.
The body does not exist, so it is impossible that it can act wrongly. Only the mind can err, and in the mind is where correction takes place. As long as "time" persists, healing is needed.
Fear and Conflict. I believe I am responsible for what I do, but not for what I think. The Truth is: I am responsible for my thoughts. What I do comes from what I think. If I change my mind, right behavior will follow. Correction happens in my mind.
Fear is always a sign of strain. For instance, first I do conflicting things like marry and try to become a husband and father, but I also drink to excess. What I want and what I am actually doing are obviously in conflict, creating a strained and intolerable situation. On the one hand, I behave as I think I should (being a husband and father), but without entirely wanting to do so (by drinking to excess). Whenever this happens, it is because I have not made up my mind about my goal. When my mind is split, my behavior inevitably becomes erratic. Correcting the error at the behavior level (trying to control behavior) is fruitless. There is only ONE error: the apparent separation from God. This can be corrected only at the place it was created: in the mind.
Conflict is an expression of fear. There are simple step to correcting this: 1. Recognize fear (anything not Love); 2. Know that fear arises from a lack of Love; 3. Realize that the only remedy for lack of Love, is Perfect Love. 4. Understand that Perfect Love is the Atonement (starting with forgiveness of everyone and everything).
I do not appreciate the Real Power of my mind and I do not remain fully Aware of it all the time. The mind is very Powerful. It NEVER loses its Creative Force. It NEVER sleeps. Every instant it is Creating. Thought and belief combine into a Power Surge that can literally move mountains. To believe such Power about myself is not arrogant. God Created me just like Himself. If He can do it, I can do it. The only thing I cannot do is create myself. But I seemingly created this dream-world with all of its rules, learning, and complex behaviors and beliefs. So moving a mountains is really the least of what I can do. In the dream-world I believe that my thoughts cannot exert Real influence. But Thought is the only thing that matters.
There are NO idle thoughts. All thinking produces FORM at some level in the dream-world.
Only the mind can produce fear and it does so whenever it is conflicted about what it wants. But I can make it easier on myself when I realize there are only two choices: Reality or dreams; God's Will or living in a world without God. God's Will offers Everything. A world without God offers nothing and does not exist. How is this even a choice?
Correcting fear is my responsibility. When I ask for release from fear, I am implying that it is not my responsibility. I will ask, instead, for help with the conditions (the idea of separation) that have brought about the fear. Willingness to be "separate from" God is under my control. I am much too tolerant of my wandering mind, passively condoning my mind's fantasies. The fantasies themselves do not matter, but the fundamental choice to be "separate from" God does. Before I choose to do anything, I will ask myself if my choice is in accord with the characteristics of God (Loving, Peaceful, Serene, Joyful, Happy, Content, Whole, Inclusive).
Changing my behavior is only possible when I change my mind.
There is no strain in doing God's Will when I recognize that it is also my own. Do I want to be sad, conflicted, angry or confused? Of course not. I want to be Happy, Joyous, Whole and Content. This is what God wants for me as well. In fact it IS God's Will for me.
Cause and Effect. I complain about fear but persist in making myself fearful. God cannot release me from fear, because fear does not exist. If God stepped in to intervene between my thoughts and their results, He would be tampering with the basic law of cause and effect, going against my will.
It is helpful to remind myself that I do not guard my thoughts carefully enough. I will ask for God's Guidance in my thoughts. Both miracles and fear come from thoughts, but if I am not Free to chose one, I would not be Free to choose the other. By choosing miracles, I reject fear.
I have been fearful of everyone and everything, including God and even myself. I have misperceived and miscreated in my own mind. I have assigned God and myself false roles and false characteristics and I believe in what I made. Yet, miscreation causes pain. The fundamental conflict in this world is between Creation (all Love) and miscreation (all fear).
I think I cannot control my fear because it seems to be completely out of my control. Yet to try and master it, would be useless. To resist, will only make it persist. The true resolution of fear is to replace it with Love. Until then, conflict is inevitable.
"Nothing" and "Everything" cannot coexist. To believe in one is to deny the other. Fear is nothing. Love is everything. Whenever Light enters darkness, the darkness is abolished. Believing in my own creations, the "separation" becomes true for me. To deny it or concentrate on the error of it will do no good. First I need to recognize that there is a problem that needs immediate correction. This prepares the way for Atonement which starts with forgiveness. Fear cannot be mastered. It can only be gently laid aside and replaced with Love. The only Real Mastery is through Love.
Ultimately, no compromise is possible between Everything and nothing. Time is essentially a device in which all dreams can eventually be given up. It only seems to "take time" or happen in increments.
The Meaning of the Last Judgment. Creative ability rests in the mind. What I dream is "real" in my own mind, though not in the Mind of God.
The Last Judgment is one of the most threatening ideas in my thinking, but only because I do not understand it. God does not judge.
The Last Judgment is not a meting out of punishment, but a final healing and restoration of Right-Mindedness. It is a time of separating the wheat (Love) from the chafe (fear), the worthy (Reality) from the unworthy (illusions).
I will ultimately look upon my dreams and choose to preserve only what is good. The first step toward Reality, is separating the false from the True. The Last Judgment is the doorway to Life, not death. When I fear, I live in death.
The Atonement is the correction of the error of separation through forgiveness.
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