Chapter 14 ~ Truth

I am blessed, yet unaware of that blessing, though I have all the means for being able to see it quite clearly.  My ego uses "logic," but its conclusions are insane, pointing to darkness and death.  Truth uses logic as well, with sane conclusions which point clearly to Heaven. I have seen what ego has done for me.  Now I will choose Truth.

Conditions of Learning. The dream-world is a world of learning. Heaven needs no learning but the dream-world does, and Truth can use it to Awaken me. I have learned to judge and condemn, but I can learn to forgive and bless. Whatever I offer another comes back to me. Within the Laws of God, giving and receiving are one and the same. When I have accepted that God has blessed me, I will be able to give blessing to "others." Giving blessing is proof that I have it.  I can only give what I already have. Accept Atonement for myself and learn that I am Innocent.

Ego's logic leads to nothing. If I accept ego as my teacher, I will direct my thoughts into oblivion. If I deny my Reality as Son of God ~ Who Has, Gives and Is Everything ~ I have closed myself off to Truth. The dream-world is an insane world; do not underestimate the extent of its insanity.

As soon as I created the problem (separation from God), He gave the solution.  I placed a dream in my mind; at the same time God placed Truth. The thoughts I think in this world are not my Real Thoughts. I think and live and breath a world "without" God and this is what preoccupies me. Yet part of me remembers I am of God and share all His Thoughts (my only Real Thoughts), and these Thoughts contain all of His Power. I must learn to think again with God, for even though I already think with God (which requires no learning), I have chosen another experience ~ a world without God ~ and this world requires learning because it is not natural.  I allow the thoughts of this world to occupy my mind.  I must learn a different way.  I taught myself to be in this world and Truth will teach me to Awaken to Reality.

God must introduce simple Truth into my thought system, which has become so twisted and convoluted that I cannot comprehend its unreality. I made the dream-world and believe it so I, myself, cannot see through it or undo it. In choosing to put my efforts into a world without God, I have chosen to deceive myself and forget Heaven.

The Happy Learner.    In the dream-world I believe misery is happiness.  I, who am devoted to misery, must first recognize that I am miserable and unhappy.  I am "happy" sometimes, but there is always a catch. Tragedy of some sort or another is always around the corner.  My best friend makes  me "happy," but soon she is spending more time with her boyfriend and has less time for me, which makes me sad and annoyed. Birthday presents make me "happy," but soon they lose their newness and as time passes they become less special, so I look for the next new thing. Happiness in the dream-world is always followed by something less than happy, such as boredom or restlessness. In Heaven, Happiness is Constant and Eternal. It does not fade or change.  I know nothing of Real Happiness. Truth Awakens me by pointing to contrasts of the dream-world and Reality.  My world exists only in dreams ~ an illusion that I taught myself to believe. If I value anything in it, I value nothing and believe "nothing" can be precious.  I am making the untrue "true" for  me.

Truth sees where I think I am, but knows me Safe in Heaven. God's Lesson in Simplicity begins with the fundamental teaching that "Truth is True."  What does this redundant statement mean?   It means, Heaven is my True Home and my only Reality. Anything else is untrue. My world "apart from" God is untrue, because I cannot be apart from God.

Simplicity is very difficult for twisted minds. I have made many distortions of nothing. I have woven strange forms, feelings, actions and reactions out of my odd world. There is nothing so alien to me than simple Truth. There is nothing I am less inclined to listen to. The simple and the obvious are not apparent to those who would make palaces and royal robes of nothing.  I think I see kings with golden crowns. God teaches me simply, that none of it is True. He brings the Light of Truth into darkness. It shines on me.  I accept the Light, releasing the heavy chains that seems to bind me to the nothing known as despair.  I see the chains disappear in Light and I know they were nothing at all.

I first accept Truth and then I project it "outward," to learn It and reinforce It in myself.  I will learn that what seemed hardest was easiest.  My goal was to make a world without God, a world of nothing. But that is impossible. That I think it is possible is another thing altogether. God's lessons are Joyful and Happy.  I have not been abandoned to a world of nothing. A universe of learning will open up before me in all its gracious simplicity. With Truth before me, I will not look back.

The dream-world is entrenched in the past. All my responses to present happenings are based on what I learned in the past.  God's Plan will Free me from the past. The Light will shine away the shapes, forms and fears of nothing.  I do not realize Light is here now and has already Freed me from the sleep of darkness.

I created "others" to experience a separated world; I am in "this body," my brother is in "that body."  Yet Oneness is the only Reality. Truth will use what I have made to lead me to Freedom.  I have Light the instant I choose to perceive It. It is impossible to deny Truth. There IS nothing else. God is Everywhere and as His Son, I am with Him in Everything. Can I sing a song of sorrow knowing this is True?

Choose Innocence. Guilt interferes with salvation and serves no useful function at all. Only in my Innocence can I be Happy. When the pain of guilt attracts me remember that if I give into it I will be blind to Happiness.  I will accept my Innocence and share It, by perceiving Innocence in everyone and everything.

Each second, minute, hour and day, I decide between crucifixion and resurrection; between ego and Sonship; between Love and fear, between Happiness and sorrow; between a world without God and Heaven; between Reality and illusions. When I dabble with guilt I choose ego. God is the choice for Innocence and He assures me that I am Innocent. What I can decide between is fixed:  ego (illusion) or God (Truth). There are no other alternatives in the dream-world, though there seems to be many. The Power of decision is mine.  I am guilty or Guiltless; bound or Free; unhappy or Happy.  I choose.

The miracle reveals itself when I have chosen Innocence, Freedom and Joy. The miracle is the effect of my Right Thinking. When I choose to perceive a brother as Innocent, I offer healing and healing returns to me.  All whom I attack keep this attack and hold it against me. Now whether they do or not makes no difference....I will think they do.  It is impossible to offer what I do not want (attack, judgment, hatred, pity) without this penalty. It always comes back to me. The cost of giving is receiving. Either I suffer a penalty or I celebrate a Happy Treasure.

No penalty is ever asked of me, God's Son, except by myself. Each chance given me to heal is another opportunity to replace darkness with Light, and fear with Love.

It all takes place in my mind, but because I think I live in the "world," I will perceive the glad results "out there" as well.

Truth teaches me that darkness has no power over me.  I am the Son of God.......Truth teaches me to remember Reality.

Whatever my "brother" may do, I am Invulnerable because there is nothing and no one "outside" me.  This insanity is all taking place in my mind.  If I think I can be hurt or that I can hurt others, I only reinforce feelings of guilt which hide Reality from me.

Cause and effect:  I am cut off in traffic, so I curse the aggressor; someone smirks at me and I become enraged. A friend does not ask me to their party, I feel slighted.  This is what cause and effect seem to be in the world of dreams.   In Reality God is the only Cause and I am His Effect.  I am One with All That Is, and All That Is is Invulnerable and Innocent. What I seem to experience in the dream-world is not happening at all. No one can hurt the Son of God.  I cannot be injured in any way. 

Any decision I make will be wrong because I am lost in illusion, and thinking destructively.  My decisions are based on dreams, not Reality.  In Reality, no thought I think can be separate, isolated or hidden in its effects. Every decision I make affects the entire Sonship. When I choose, I never choose for myself alone. The choices I make influence a constellation larger than anything I could ever dream.

The Atonement, taught by Truth is my way out of "hell;" a hell created by dreams of a world without God; a world of war, destruction, sadness, impermanent joy and happiness, and finally death. God's Will is my will.  I have forgotten this. Truth keeps this Knowledge for me and offers it to me without effort, strain or the impossible burden of choice.  I never have to make decisions for myself. Choose with God, He knows the answer.  I choose littleness, He reminds me that I am and have Everything. I do not even need to decide whether or not I am deserving of God's Gifts. God Knows it for me.

There is Perfect Purity, Truth and Peace in everything God Created.  I do not know what Real salvation is, I do not understand it. Bring every question, every decision to God.

God is my only Friend here. He is Protector of the Innocence that is in me. Let Him be my only Guide. He knows the way and leads me gladly.  I will not fail to learn with His Gentle Counsel. What God Wills for me IS my will. God will make every decision for me and every decision will be a Happy one.

I will not judge my own worth.  I have no idea of who I really am. To judge the Son is to judge the Father.  If I judge against Him, I will feel guilty for this, not really knowing why it is I feel so bad.  I will be quiet in my faith in God, Who leads me out of insanity. Madness may be my choice, but it is not my Reality.

Say to God, "decide for me," and it is done. With Him, error of any kind becomes impossible. Why do I struggle so frantically to anticipate all I cannot possibly know? All Knowledge lies behind every decision God makes for me. Learn of His Wisdom and Love. When I choose for myself I choose for the entire Sonship, so trust God to choose for me. He will answer quickly, Surely and with Love for everyone. Everyone benefits from God's answers.

I have taught myself the most unnatural habit of not Communicating with my Creator. Unlearn this isolation through God's Loving Guidance. Remember through Him, the Happy Communication I have "thrown away" but could never lose.

My Function in Atonement. When I accept Atonement for myself, I give it away to Truly Know that it is mine. When I grant it to a ''brother," I see the Truth of what I have acknowledged in myself. This is the miracle. First I perceive Truth, Happiness and Love, then I offer It to know that It is mine.

The First in Eternity is God the Father, Who is both First and One. Beyond the First, there is no other. For there is no order (no second or third) and nothing but the First.  I belong to the First Cause, created by Him, a part of Him and like Him in all ways except that I did not created myself.  I am more than merely guiltless. Yet I must remember that I am Guiltless because I have taught myself otherwise.  I will remember my Innocence because until I do, I will continue to think I am separate from God.  Oneness with God cannot be taught, It can only be Experienced. Atonement will lead the way.

My Father gives Himself to me, because giving Himself is all He Knows. Do not ask for forgiveness, I have no need of forgiveness. Ask rather, to learn to forgive myself and others and to restore what Always Was to my unforgiving mind. Then I learn there was nothing and no one to forgive. Atonement becomes real and visible when I use it. On earth forgiveness is my only function.

No matter what form it takes, guilt comes from failure to fulfill my function of being God's Son.

Before I make any decisions for myself I must remember:  I have created this chaotic world.  I have denied my function as God's Son. So consider carefully whether or not I am competent in making my own decisions. It would be in my own best interest to decide against making decisions on my own, recognizing that I do not know. Leave all decisions to God. He will teach me to remove the awful burden I have laid upon myself. Give up the frantic, insane attempts that cheat me out of the Joy of Living.

When I learn to decide with God, all decisions become as easy and as right as breathing. There is no effort. I will be led as Gently as if I were being carried down a quiet path in summer. Only my thoughts about choosing make decisions difficult. God will not delay in answering my every question. He Knows what to do. He will tell me and then DO IT FOR ME.  I will find His Way more Restful than sleep.  I may be able to bring my own guilt even into sleep, but not into God's Plan.

I must be Innocent to know God.  I AM Innocent, but I choose not to believe it.  I have denied God and do not recognize Him, but He is Everywhere. It is impossible that the Father be without the Son; but that the Son can believe he is "apart from" the Father is without question.

I cannot understand how much my Father Loves me; there is no parallel in the dream-world to help me understand. There is nothing on earth which can compare.  God teaches me how to remove the blocks that stand between me and Reality.

Communication with God is LIFE. Nothing else exists. 

Circle of Atonement.    The only part of my mind that has Reality is the part that links me with God.  Leave the world of death (where there is no value) behind, and return quietly to Heaven (which contains Everything of Value).

I am God's Son and God's Son is Innocent.  Denying this IS painful. That pain appears to me as fear, hate, loss death, sadness, annoyance and defeat.

God's Plan for my Awakening is as Perfect as mine is fallible.  I do not know what I am doing. God teaches me nothing except how to be Happy.

Son of God, Joy was created for me. Who can condemn what God has blessed?  I can use denial to deny fear (guilt, hate, sadness, etc.,) in all its forms. When I accuse or judge, it is because I do not understand. Make no decision without God. With Him the world of separation will slip away and Full Communication with God is restored.

When "others" seemed to have failed to learn, do not attack or judge, for there are no "others," there is only One Son. When I attack or judge, it will remain in my mind blinding me from Reality.

There is no error in God's Curriculum. Every Teaching points to the Peace of God. Join my own efforts to the Power that cannot fail and must result in Peace. From all whom I bless, I will inevitably learn my Innocence.  I will find ever-increasing confidence and Peace in my part in Atonement.

NO ONE is excluded from God's World.  I only exclude myself, by denying my function as His Son. The Power of God draws me to its Safe Embrace of Love and Union. Stand quietly in the Safety of Peace and Holiness. Teach forgiveness and Love, not fear and guilt.

The resurrection, not the crucifixion, has a part in Atonement.  The resurrection is the symbol of release from guilt by Innocence. When I perceive another as guilty, I crucify him. When I perceive another as Innocent, I bless. Ego aims to crucify; it sees everyone as guilty, and by its condemnation it would kill. God seeks to restore Innocence, and in His Gentleness, He releases me from fear and re-establishes Love.

When I leave a brother outside, or make a space for him within the Holy circle of Atonement, I judge him fit for crucifixion or for redemption. If I bring him inside, I will rest there with him. If I leave him without, I join him. Refuse to see any "other" as nothing less than Son of God. Holiness must be shared, for therein lies everything that makes it Holy. Come gladly into the Holy circle of Atonement and look out in Peace on all who seem to be outside.

The Light of Communication. The journey I take is the exchange of dark for Light and ignorance for Understanding. Nothing I understand with God is fearful. It is only in darkness and ignorance that I perceive what is frightening and run from it into further darkness. Only what is hidden can terrify, not for what it is, but for its "hiddenness."  What is concealed cannot be loved and so it must be feared.

Attack will always surrender to Love if it is brought to Love, not hidden from It. The Light of Love dispels all darkness, unless it is hidden from Love's Beneficence. What is hidden from Love does not share Love's healing Power.

Death yields to Life simply because destruction is not True. The Light of Innocence shines guilt away because when they are brought together, the Truth of one makes the falsity of the other Perfectly Clear.

I believe the "separation" broke my Communication with my Father. Love reinterprets this as a means of re-establishing what was never broken, but which I have blocked from my Awareness. God uses everything I made for His most Holy Purpose. He knows I am not separate from Him, but He perceives that I think I am.

In creating my world, I made the power of decision in place of the Power of Creation of God's World.  I made the power of decision to crucify myself. Truth will teach me to use my Power of decision to my benefit, as I learn how to apply it to the Holy Cause of restoring me to God's Kingdom.

I speak in dark and confounding symbols which I call language.  I do not even understand the symbols myself.  They have no meaning. Language's purpose is to disrupt Communication (the Tower of Babel).  Yet even this strange and twisted effort to Communicate (through not communicating) holds enough of Love to make it meaningful if I allow Truth to interpret for me.  Truth will interpret with Perfect Clarity.

I do not even know what to say and I do not understand what is said to me. Truth understands the meaning in my alien tongue. It will separate out all that has meaning, leaving the rest, offering only True Communication.  I speak two languages at once, that is why I fail to understand. One language means nothing, the other Everything.

Love is the Great Communicator. It will remove whatever interferes with   Communication.  It will not attack the sentinels I put in place to guard my illusions. I will bring illusions to Love and let Love's Gentleness teach me that illusions are nothing. Do not hide anything.  I must open all doors and let Light come streaming through. There are no hidden chambers in God's Temple. Its Gates are open wide to greet His Son. Do not close the door on my Father's Welcome.

Perceive with the Light. Light or darkness. Knowledge or ignorance. Which do I want? Opposites must be brought together, for their separation is only in my mind and they are reconciled by Union, just as I am reconciled by Union with all "others."  In Union, everything not Real must disappear, for Truth is Union. As darkness disappears in Light, so ignorance fades away when Knowledge dawns.

Truth Is. It cannot be lost or found. It is there wherever I am, being within me. Yet It can be recognized even in my dream-world.  I have hidden Truth and surrounded It with fear. Under each cornerstone of fear in my insane thought system, Truth lies hidden. Do not be afraid to look directly at what I fear, for the more I look at it with Truth the less I fear, and the more Truth will become clear.

My thought system is one of dissociation, which is a distorted thought process whereby two opposing beliefs (a world without God and God's World), which cannot possibly coexist, are nevertheless maintained. One is kept in darkness from the other, and their separation seems to keep them both alive and equal in their reality. Yet in Reality I cannot have both. Bring them together and their incompatibility is instantly apparent. While I see one, the other will be hidden, but only One is True.

Light cannot enter darkness when a mind believes in darkness. Truth does not struggle against ignorance; Love does not attack fear. God's Thought System needs no protection or defense, it merely Is and everything else disappears in Its Light.

Defense is of my making, but God can use defense on behalf of Truth. He can use anything I created for a Holy Purpose. Defenses, like everything I made, can be gently used for my own good, translated by Truth from a means of self-destruction to a means of release. It is a mighty task, but one which Truth has already accomplished. Do not worry about how this is to be done, leave it to God.  I am not asked to do Mighty tasks myself, I am merely asked to do the little He suggests. All the tasks He asks of me are easily accomplished.

Bring to God every secret I have locked away. Open every door to Him and He will Lighten away all darkness. He enters gladly....at my request. But what I hide, is kept hidden from Him. Bring all my dark and secret thoughts to Him and look at them with Him. He holds the Light while I still grasp the darkness. Join my perception with His, and let God's Judgment prevail.

Seeing with Truth will show me that all meaning comes from the gentle fusing of everything into One Meaning, One Emotion and One Purpose. This single vision which Truth offers me will bring this Oneness to my mind with Clarity and Brightness.

The Holy Meeting Place.  I have hidden the Glory God gave me in the darkness of the dream-world. God's Glory is in me, but It lies hidden, shrouded in guilt and the denial of Innocence. In Reality nothing can obscure God's Glory, but that I can deny It, is without question.

The Holy Meeting Place is the part of me, joined in Communication with the Father. Unbroken and Uninterrupted Love flows constantly between the Father and the Son. This is the Place where the Father and Son are One. Love shows me the way.

Where God is, there I am. Everything God Created knows its Creator. In the Holy Meeting Place, the Father and all His Creations are joined in Oneness. Heaven Itself is Union with all of Creation, and Heaven remains God's Will for me.

Reflection of Holiness. Atonement does not make me Holy, I was Created Holy. Atonement brings illusion to Truth and is dispelled by Truth. In creating a "world   without God," I made "time" take the place of Timelessness, choosing against being what I am (Son of God). Therefore the Truth was made "past" and the present dedicated to illusion. The past I think I "remember" never was and is only the denial of what always was (Heaven).

Bringing ego to God is bringing error to Truth, where it stands corrected. How long can it exist when its impossible nature is clearly revealed? Illusion is not attacked when brought to Light, it merely vanishes because it never was.

Truth cannot change with time, mood or chance. Its Changelessness is what makes It Real.

Atonement offers me God. It is so Gentle, I need only whisper to it and all its Power will rush to my assistance.  I am not frail with God beside me. In the Holy Place, Love waits quietly for my return. The Graciousness of God will take me Gently in and cover all my pain and loss with Love. The fear of death will be replaced with the Joy of Life. For God is Life Itself.

Even in this world, I can become a spotless mirror, in which the Holiness of my Creator shines forth from me.  I can reflect Heaven, even here. Earth can reflect Heaven or hell; God or ego. Clean my mirror of all dark images and God Himself will Shine through. God's Reflection needs no interpretation; It is Clear. Clean the mirror and the message will shine forth.

There is one answer to all problems and one response to any form of error:  Forgiveness. Learn to offer only forgiveness. Holiness can be reflected in the dream-world, but It is the actual Condition of the Next. By forgiveness, I let go of illusions and bring the reflection of Heaven to earth.

Equality of Miracles. The reflections I accept into the mirror of my mind bring Eternity nearer or farther. Reflect the Peace of Heaven here, and bring the dream-world to Heaven. The reflection of Truth draws me to Truth, just as Love attracts Love.

Miracles are the natural result of forgiveness. Miracles are mysterious and ethereal only from the world's viewpoint, yet they are more Natural than anything the world can offer.

My thoughts occur in great numbers and often simultaneously.  I classify some as more important, wiser, more productive or valuable than others.  My thoughts in this world result in a weaving, changing pattern that never rests and is never still.  Sometimes reflections of Heaven appear, yet they last only a moment, then grow dim as the darkness of illusions blots them out.  Where there was Light, darkness covers It in an instant.  Alternating patterns of Light and darkness sweep constantly across my mind. The little Sanity that remains is held together by the sense of order I established.  The very fact that I can bring any order into chaos shows that I am not an ego......there must be more than ego in me.  Ego is chaos and if ego were all of me, order would be impossible. The order I impose on my mind limits ego, yet it also limits the Son of God. To "order" is to judge or to arrange by judgment.

It will seem difficult to learn that I have no basis at all for ordering my thoughts.  Truth will show me that my way of ordering is wrong, and It offers me a better way.  First I learn that everything in my world is either Love or a call for Love.  A call for Love is a call for help.  There is one response to every call for help.  A call for help is given help. The call for help is not judged, it is merely recognized as a call for help and the answer is given accordingly, without consideration to whose call is louder, greater or more important.  I have the Power of God in me.  Miracles witness to that.  Miracles give equal blessing to all who share in them, and all benefit.  The Power of God is Limitless, Maximal and offers Everything to every call for help.  There is no order of priority, importance, urgency or difficulty.  A call for help is given help.

God's Judgment involves one division into two categories:  Love, or the call for Love. I am much too confused to recognize Love or believe that anything not Love is a call for Love.  I am still too bound to form and illusions, and do not value content.  What I consider content is nothing at all.  I do not respond to what a brother really offers me, I respond only to my ego's perception of his offering. 

Ego cannot understand content; if the "form" is acceptable, the content must be.  If I think I understand anything of the dynamics of ego, I can be sure I understand nothing.  The study of ego will not help me understand the mind.  In fact, ego enjoys studying itself.  It thoroughly approves the undertakings of students who would "analyze" it, proving its importance.  Yet it is a study only a form (or illusion), with a meaningless content.  Ego as teacher is senseless, though careful to hide this fact behind impressive sounding words.  Ego's judgments are incoherent, inconsistent and utterly chaotic.  The basic lack of content makes a connected, productive system impossible.  Ego's chosen condition is separation.  Alone, I cannot judge ego, yet when two or more are joined in searching for Truth, ego can no longer defend its utter emptiness and lack of content.

God communicates Everything to me and is Perfectly Open and Freely Accessible. 

Where there is Love, I must give It because Love extends, always.  But when there is a call for Love, I must give it as well because of what I am (Son of God).  In Reality, God and His Son are continually exchanging Love.  This is my True Nature and if I am not living my True Nature I will never be Truly Happy.

This course will restore to me, my Identity as Son of God and this Identity is shared with all "others."  Sharing It will reinforce It in myself.

Test of Truth.  It is essential for me to learn that I do not know.  Lost in a world of my own making, I could not possibly see alternatives.  Everything I have taught myself has hidden my Identity.  Be willing for everything I think I know to be undone.  Be grateful I am not bound forever.  I have taught myself to be without God, imprisoning my Self.  It is a lesson only the insane, in deepest sleep, could even dream of.  Can God learn how not to be God?  This is impossible, yet so is thinking it is possible for me to be anything other than God's Son.

Atonement teaches me how to escape forever from everything I have taught myself.  Let it all go.  Do not attempt to understand anyone or anything, for it will only become more obscure.   I have created a darkness which makes understanding impossible.

God's Happiness is mine.  Every secret, every hidden thought and dark lesson I bring to the Him, He will accept and exchange it for the Bright Lesson He holds for me.  Any lesson I learn apart from God means nothing.

There is one test by which to know if what I learn is True:  I am Wholly Free of fear, and all those who meet or even think of me share in my Perfect Peace.

Do not worry about how I can learn a lesson so different from everything the world has taught.  I need only recognize that everything I learn on my own I do not want.  Ask God to help me when my peace is threatened or disturbed in any way.  Do not attempt to teach myself what I do not know.  God will take His Rightful Place in my Awareness the instant I invite Him.  I cannot be my own guide.  I may think I can deal with certain aspects of my life alone, but consider this: has my way ever worked?

I have no problems that God cannot solve.  Every fear, pain or problem I have had, has already been undone and never was.  I can deny God, but He will wait for me to change my mind.

Accept that I know nothing and become willing to learn Everything.  If I trust myself, I will not learn.  If I think I already know, I will have no motivation for learning.

God will completely fill my mind when I make room for Him.  If I want Peace, I must give up judgment and attack.  God will never abandon me.  I can desert Him, but He will never leave me.

Make way for Peace and It will come.  The Creator will never take my illusions from me.  He sees that I grasp them in my tight little fist, throwing a temper tantrum at the thought of relinquishing them, yet He waits patiently until I am ready to let them go.

I do not know anything, but I walk with One Who does.