Archive
Lesson 64 “Let me not forget my function.”
Meeting notes - by Chris Boyd
Let us recap. The ACIM says the course can be summed up as follows:-
Nothing real can be threatened. (the spiritual realm)
Nothing unreal exists. (the world of the ego)
Herein lies the peace of God.
We are here because we want peace and joy and to extend love to all
those around us. We know misfortune and loss will still come along
– that’s unavoidable, so we know we can’t be happy
all the time but the course holds out the prospect that instead of
intense pain, grief and despair at those times, we can have just sorrow
and feel the support of the Holy Spirit and know inner peace,
‘the peace that surpasses all understanding’.
So we want to get there and the previous lessons have told us we are to
be the light of the world which brings peace to every mind through our
forgiveness. The lesson tonight says ‘let me not wander into
temptation and forget my function’ – being that of
forgiveness.
We have the choice of keeping our focus on the spiritual world/ the
Holy Spirit/ our higher selves, with love and forgiveness as our
guiding light, OR we can fall into the temptation of focusing on the
world that we normally seem to see – the world of the body, as
the course says, the world we create for ourselves to make us safe and
comfortable – with money, status, appearance, fashion,
possessions, power and control. The world of the ego.
The ego shouldn’t be demonised of course. It is merely a normal
part of (almost) all human beings. It shouldn’t be allowed to run
our lives but it is a very tempting world.
As humans we have evolved with primitive defence and survival
instincts. These drives, along with our ability to think logically and
abstractly, gives us the ability to create the world we live in and
there we think we are safe – we think we have salvation in our
own hands! We think that this is the purpose of our existence as a
body and therefore all or most of our energy goes into protecting it
and making this so.
I will remind you of the little story ….Is anyone else there?
So you can see quite clearly that our first choice is normally to
choose to be saved by our own bodies ability to use and control the
world of form.
But the world of form is a fragile and transient place. It is based on
duality. I have to cling on to and protect my possessions (in the
widest sense) to stop them being taken by others or being lost. Your
healthy body or good looks give you pride and safety because you give
them great value but built in to that attachment is the very pain and
loss, which you wished to avoid. That pain will be revealed when those
things, which you so value, are taken away by old age or illness. Such
is the nature of duality.
So why is forgiveness so important? It must start with our judgements
and values. Those very judgments allow us to be attacked since we can
not judge others without judging ourselves in exactly the same way. Any
such attack, whether we think it comes from outside, or from within,
makes us afraid that the abstract world of form we have created and
become attached too, will be lost. As fear arrises within, so too do we
project it outwards through attack or defence both of which are not
love and will not extend love. As like as not, we will get the same
attack reflected back to us and hence end up in a hell of our own
creation.
Why is forgiveness so difficult? In order to forgive, we must come to
the painful but inevitable conclusion that the value we attribute to
our possessions and attachments (in the widest sense) is unfounded.
They are, in fact, just illusions. We are addicted to the seeming
safety they provide and will find them very hard to give up.
Forgiveness - definition from ACIM
“Releasing your mind from the wrong perception that another
sinned against you and deserves punishment. Releasing another not from
what he did but from your misperception of what he did –
God’s son is guiltless.”
Projection – defined by Freud:
In psychology, psychological projection (or projection bias) is a
defence mechanism in which one attributes ("projects") to others,
one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions.
Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted
subconscious impulses/desires without letting the ego recognise them.(I
am kidding myself in order to feel better!)
Love is the answer. Love is what is real. Simple, uncomplicated Love
brings the peace of God. God is the Love in which I forgive. God is the
love in which I
forgive myself. Myself is the one that I really need to forgive. The
Self that’s always been there needs no forgiveness but what I
really need to understand is that the ego is nothing and is not me. And
therefore I need no forgiveness, because I have never been condemned.
Only the ego condemns and is condemned.
Am I forgiving out of fear or am I forgiving out of Love? Honestly, true forgiveness can only be in Love.
Reflections on lesson 35
by Chris Boyd
My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy.
I find that hard to say.
Since I don’t see myself as the same as you
then that suggests separation. …. And
that’s where we are! Something in my subconscious is affecting the way I see
myself. I don’t see the truth.
Tonight I want to try to help you (and me)
see what the truth really is.
Can you know you are very holy - if you haven't experienced it? Can you only know this if you really experience it.
Dr Hawkins gave this little example.
Do you know what a cat is? You think you
know what a cat is but only a cat really knows what it is to be a cat. Only a
cat knows what catness is! The only one to know what catness is in our house is
the cat. He the authority on what catness is!
From
“You will believe that you are part of
where you think you are. That is because you surround yourself with the
environment you want. And you want it to protect the image of yourself that you
have made. The image is part of the environment.”
So you will know only what you want to know. ...
And it appears that the environment we seem
to want is all about keeping us safe. That safety is an illusion – it is a
fantasy of the ego.
What do we really want to know? That we are very holy!
From
“The idea for today presents a very
different view of yourself. By establishing your source it establishes your
identity, and it describes you as you must really be in truth.”
Holiness - definition from ACIM.
Holiness is the natural condition of
Gods children – shared by all . It is characterised by oneness with all
that is.
My Mind is part of god's. So - no separation!
Forgiveness - definition from ACIM
“Releasing your mind from the wrong
perception that another sinned against you and deserves punishment. Releasing
another not from what he did but from your misperception of what he did – God’s
son is guiltless.”
Quote from the text P259 (old book)
'Then let him teach you quietly .. .. .. it first to his son. - That's us - part of god's mind!
The lesson goes on to have you list all the
ways that you see yourself. - instead of seeing yourself as very holy!. And to
remind you that all of them are equally unreal - because you do not look on
yourself through the eyes of holiness.
That’s quite enough for the intellect to choke on. But for this lesson we must emphasis experiencing being part of the mind of god. … And its quite simple – we must choose the love of god over ALL ELSE.
So I thought we would try a little
guided visualisation ...
The idea is to use your imagination - be there experiencing all the sounds, feelings, sights and sounds etc. Do not think about what you experience, do not rationalise why you feel the way you do or why images come to you as they do. Just observe.
There should be no strain. If you don’t see
yourself as I describe then that is ok too. We are all in the perfect right
place where we need to be. If you do feel uncomfortable .... then open your
eyes and relax.
If you hear sounds or disturbance or have a thought occur to you - just let them go.
Close you eyes and take a deep breath.
Exhale and let all thoughts go, let all your fears go. If you have a worry -
just put it up on the shelf beside you - you can pick it up again later.
Listen to the silence surrounding my words.
Remember that you are quite safe - that you
are surrounded by people who only want you to experience peace, love and joy.
Sink into you chair and feel your feet on the floor, your back against the backrest and just relax.
Take another deep breath. Feel the energy
of the universe filling your heart. As you breath out feel the love and energy
flowing to all parts of your body, down your arms and into your fingers – down
your legs and into your toes.
Know that you feel the energy of god’s love throughout your body.
In your imagination, see that you have an
old coat or painting coverall next to you with a paint-brush and a pot of black
paint. Put on the coat and feel it covering you - fasten the buttons one by
one. You feel safe.
We have a game to play - we are going to do some painting.
Think of an instance when you felt imposed
upon. Make a mark or paint some words on to the outside of your coat which
shows how you feel.
... saw yourself as depressed.
... as failing.
See how the paint soaks into the fabric.
... as endangered.
... as helpless.
You have some big shinny labels. Write on
them and pin them on.
... as victorious. 'I was a winner'
... was charitable.
... see yourself and virtuous.
Notice how the coat is getting heavy and
uncomfortable. Notice how you feel letting other people see all your markings
and labels.
In your imagination, walk to the door of the room, open the door. Hear the noise and bustle from the street outside, hear the noise of people talking in the distance. Feel the cool air outside.
Start to unbutton the coat and notice how a
clear bright golden light shines out from deep inside you. The light gets
brighter as you open the coat. A golden light reflects from all around you - it
is wonderful. Notice how you feel lighter as you take off the coat. There is
nothing left but bright golden light.
Leave the heavy coat outside the door. Know that if you wish you may pick it up again when you leave this place.
You feel surrounded in golden energy and
love - move back into the room and notice that all the other people are
wonderful beings of golden light just as you are. Feel safe and secure in this
place with others just like yourself.
Know that you can choose to return to this place when ever you want. You don’t need any labels or concepts of who or what you are.
Enjoy the golden light – it is yours - and when you feel ready, return to your
seat - relax for a little while and feel safe.
In a moment I will count backwards from five. When I get to one and when you are ready, open you eyes and come back to the room.
**********************
Lesson 36
My holiness envelops everything I see.
A Meditation led by Irene Nelson
We can do this lesson and try to get a real sense of how holiness may emanate from us; enveloping, blessing and surrounding everything.
I hope we’ll try and experience our holiness enveloping, and blessing everything in this meditation.
Sit comfortably.
Close your eyes.
Relax.
Inhale for the count
of 3 – Exhale for the count of 5.
Relax and feel the
heaviness of your body, your legs, your arms, your shoulders; now your whole
body.
Encircle your whole body
with light, love and peace.
Then repeat to
yourself:
My holiness envelops and blesses my loving heart.
My holiness envelops and blesses my body.
My holiness envelops and blesses this room, including all the furniture and all of us here.
My holiness envelops and blesses this whole building.
My holiness envelops and blesses the whole of
My holiness envelops and blesses the whole of
My holiness envelops and blesses the
My holiness envelops and blesses the Planet Earth.
My holiness envelops and blesses the Sun and the Planetary System.
My holiness envelops and blesses the Milky Way and the Galaxy.
My holiness envelops and blesses the Universe.
And pushing right into infinity……………
Pause
Feel the Peace and
Love of God embracing us…….
Pause
Now we return slowly back from Infinity……..
And let my holiness envelop…..
The Universe
The Milky Way and the Galaxy
The Sun and the Planetary System
The Planet Earth
The
The whole of
The whole of
This whole building
This room
My body
My loving heart.
We now feel…….
Rejuvenated
Revitalized Renewed
with God’s love and blessings.
We place the future
in the Hands of God.
Slowly become aware of
your whole body.
Gently move your
hands, your feet.
Give yourself a good
stretch.
Open your eyes and
return to this room.
Thank you Holy Spirit
for guiding us.
Reflections on Lessons 15 and 16 from ACIM – Sam Webb
WHAT
EINSTEIN, SOCRATES and The
UPANISHADS SAID TO
ME ABOUT THESE
LESSONS
I
find that knowledge can sometimes be
deepened with understanding and understanding can be gained through
reflection
on related perspectives whether these are already familiar to us or
not. Here
are some ponderings from the scientific, philosophical and religious
worlds
that may be of value to you.
What Einstein had to say:
In
giving us E=MC2 Einstein
effectively told us
that everything is energy. Everything that appears to be solid to us is
in fact
a swirling cluster of subatomic particles.
The
physical world around us is one large
sea of energy that is constantly flashing in and out of being. Science
now
tells us that what we see with our eyes is actually an illusion. The
world you
see is a mirror of your thoughts about what you think you see.
Why is this? It’s simply because of the limitations of our senses and our personal interpretations based on our internal map of reality.
Throughout the animal kingdom the evidence of how we sense from a range of spectrums is apparent. A dog can hear a very high- pitched whistle that we cannot hear. A hawk can see a mouse from a height where we would be unable to se it.
When
we look at a TV screen we think we
see a moving picture of form and pattern.
This
is really an illusion as what we are
really viewing is a mass of electrons bombarding a screen in a certain
way.
So
we are constantly creating images from
the sea of energy all around us. But we do this by perceiving through a
very limited
and limiting range of senses and arriving at an incomplete, inaccurate
and
false experience of reality.
Furthermore as humans we go further by adding personalised interpretation based on our internal map of reality. Our map is made up of our life’s experiences and acts as a filter and interpreter, influenced by our prejudices, beliefs, assumptions, preferences and so on.
Science
also tells us that nothing exists
independent of its observer. In other words the very act of observing
an object
causes it to be there for us. It’s also true that when we
change the way
we look at things, the things we look at begin to change.
We replace vision with illusions through the function we give to the body’s eyes.
What
Socrates had to say:
“All
men are innocent by virtue
of the fact that they are unable to discern appearance from essence,
truth from
falsehood and that they
pursue illusion”
Socrates
What we think we see is not what is, what we perceive as truth is often falsehood
There is a dual reality in the universe. Two dimensions which we dance between. An unbalanced life is usually characterised by a dominant identification with the worldly
dimension. The world of form, ego, sense perceptions, thoughts and emotions.
The other part, the essence of who you really are, is the formless world or Being. This part is often blotted out or unnoticed because of our insistence of living in and our identification with, the world of Form.
The
Dance Between
The Two Worlds
FORM SPACE/FORMLESSNESS
THE WORLD
THE
THINGS NO-THINGNESS
TIME ETERNITY
FOREGROUND BACKGROUND
DO BE
MIND CONSCIOUSNESS
SEPARATION ONENESS
SENSES STILLNESS/SILENCE
TRANSIENT EVERLASTING
APPEARANCE ESSENCE
FALSEHOOD TRUTH
My thoughts are
images that I have made, Lesson 15.
I
have no neutral thoughts, Lesson 16
God is in
everything I see, Lesson 29
What
The
Upanishads had to say:
The Upanishads form part of the ancient Indian scriptures known as the Vedas and are regarded as being the divine revelations of saints and seers who lived hundreds of years before Christ.
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the most profound and beautiful. It describes the nature of reality and the unity of all existence through a story revealing the essence of the nonlocal self.
The nonlocal self could be referred to in other ways including God. Nonlocal means it cannot be localised, it is beyond the realm of space and time, it is not IN you or OUT there. It simply is.
The ACIM lessons we are discussing progress to the later lessons such as Lesson 29
which tells us God is in everything I see and Vision shows the holiness that lights up the world. Each lesson from lesson 15 however is portraying this truth at some ‘level’.
The Chandogya Upanishad provides another way of accepting, understanding and experiencing these truths.
I have not recounted the complete story here but selected portions. There is a great little Signet Classic book, The Upanishads, Breath of the Eternal by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester which you may want to check out for further reference. Also Deepak Chopra’s book, SynchroDestiny is a great read and
very relevant to this. He also tells some of this
story in his book.
From
The Chandogya
Upanishad
The great sage Uddalaka sent his twelve year old son, Svetaketu to school to study under a Guru for twelve years telling him “ none of our family is ignorant of the ultimate reality (Brahman)”
He returned after twelve years full of pride because he could remember all the Vedas. His father asked him:
“Svetaketu,
what is that thing which cannot be heard but makes hearing possible,
which
cannot be seen but makes seeing possible, which cannot be known but
makes
knowledge possible, which cannot be imagined but makes imagination
possible?”
“What is that thing Father?”
“When
we know one lump of clay, all
things made from clay are
known, the difference being
only in name and arising from speech. When we know a single nugget of
gold all
things made from gold are known. All the jewellery is just gold and all
the
pots are just clay- exactly so is that knowledge, knowing which we know
all.”
“Surely if my teacher knew of this knowledge he would have given it to me. Will you then give me this knowledge Father?”
“Be it so” said Uddalaka and continued,
“In
the beginning there was
Existence, One only, without a second. Some say in the beginning there
was
non-existence only, and that out of that the universe was born. But how
could
such a thing be? How could existence be born of non-existence? No, in
the
beginning there was Existence alone-One only, without a second. He, the
One
thought to himself: Let me be many, let me grow forth. Thus out of
himself he
projected the universe; and having projected out of himself the
universe, he
entered into every being. All that is has its self in him alone. Of all
things
he is the subtle essence. He is the truth. He is the Self. And Svetaketu, you are
that”
“Tell me more my father”
“In the same way the bees make honey from the nectar of many flowers, but once the honey is made the nectar cannot say, ‘I am from this flower or that one’ So too when you merge with your nonlocal Self you become one with the Self of all, and Svetaketu, you are that.
“Please
father tell me more about
this Self”
“The
river
So too my son, everything that exists has its source in the nonlocal Self, and that Self is the subtlest essence of all. It is the true Self. And Svetaketu, you are that.
“Enlighten
me further father”
“Bring me a fruit from the Nyagrodha tree”
Svetaketu brought the fruit to his father.
“Break it open and tell me what you see”
“Tiny
seeds father”
“Break one open and tell me what you see now”
“I
see that there is nothing left,
father”
“That which you do not see is the subtle essence, and in that is the whole of the Nyagrodha tree. So too the universe sprouts forth from the nonlocal Self. That is the Truth. That is the Self. And Svetaketu you too are that.
Uddelaka then asks his son to place a cube of salt in a
pail of water. On
the following day Uddelaka
asks Svetaketu
to give him back the cube of salt
“I cannot, it has dissolved”
“Sip the water and tell me how it tastes”
“It
tastes salty father”
“Just as the salt is localised in the cube and dispersed in the water, so too your Self is simultaneously localised in your body and pervading the entire universe.
You
do not perceive the Self in your body,
but without it conceptualisation would not be possible. You cannot
imagine the
Self, but without it imagination would not be possible. However, when
you
become the Self and live from the level of this nonlocal
Self, you will be
connected to all that exists,
because the Self is the source of all that exists. Truth, reality,
existence,
consciousness, the Absolute – call it what you wish, it is
the ultimate
reality, the ground of all being. And you are that, Svetaketu.
“Live
from that level, Svetaketu
and all your desires will come true because from
that level they will not be just your personal desires, they will be
aligned
with the desires of all that exists”
And
Svetaketu
practiced all that he had learned and became one of the greatest seers
of the Vedantic
tradition.
For
a copy of this or further
reflections or to share your own reflections please email
Sam on
samwebb@balanced4success.com
ACIM Workbook Part 1
Lesson 22
‘What I see
is a form of
vengeance.’
Leader: Chris Boyd
This bit is to help the intellect to
understand->
Projection – defined by Freud:
In
psychology, psychological projection
(or projection bias) is a defence mechanism in which one attributes
("projects") to others, one’s own unacceptable or unwanted
thoughts or/and emotions. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the
expression
of the unwanted subconscious impulses/desires without letting the ego
recognise
them.(I am kidding myself
in order to feel better!)
This is to be heard by the
heart->
In this lesson Jesus is helping me understand that this whole world I see as outside me is really a projection of the conflict that is coming from my mind. Jesus is helping me understand that this world I think of as outside me is really a projection of my belief in separation.
This projection shows up as a world
of conflict that appears
to be outside my mind. Because I feel guilt for this desire for
individuality I
do not want to acknowledge this wish to see separation and push these
thoughts
of conflict down into the unconscious realms.
Now because I want to heal my mind, I need to have what is really happening at unconscious levels brought to my attention. This lesson helps me understand why I see so much conflict in the world. The conflict that I see out in the world is simply a reflection of the conflict that is in my mind. This helps me understand why I experience fear. There are times when it seems to go away, but it will resurface until I let go of the cause. So I do need to know and understand fully the depth of attack thoughts that reside in the unconscious layers of my mind.
I want to go with the Holy Spirit and
look at it very
directly and see this ego thought system for what it is. The Holy
Spirit will
show me that it is really not what I want. I really do not want to
continue
seeing separation. I want to recognise
lack of Love
for what it is and let it go. I want to see behind the veil of separate
bodies
with separate minds to what is real.
In
today’s lesson I am learning
that what I see is a form of vengeance. I am willing to let the Holy
Spirit
walk me through the unconscious motivations I have been attached to. I
am
willing to hand them over. I am willing to practice letting my mind be
healed
today.
But He has provided us the means to
escape from the insane
world we appear to have made. It is His Voice, our inner Teacher, Who
is ever
present to show us what we really want if we will but ask. Eventually
the pain
of ‘living’ in the world we appear to have made
becomes so great that
we are willing to look for a better way.
As I begin to meditate on today’s lesson, I say, “I place my mind under your guidance, Jesus.” Soon afterwards, the tightness around my heart begins to dissolve. I am reminded that love is not an intellectual exercise. It is the lifting of the veil, the lifting of the illusion of separation between what appears to be two beings. This experience and experiences like this are the flip of the switch that take me from seeing the world as a form of vengeance into the experience of extending Love through the world. These experiences open my heart and remind me of the truth of Who I am. This is my healing.
It is helpful not be afraid when we
look at the vengeance in
ourselves and others. It is so important for us to not feel guilty, for
as
Jesus said, “We know not what we do.” When we
become aware, we
easily turn to Spirit and ask to see things differently. He shows us
the Love
that we have inside. He shows us the joy and peace we have inside. And
He
reminds us that we are truly worthy and loveable and all is truly well.
Yesterday I could not believe how many people and incidents in my life made me angry. Especially when I stopped pretending that twinges of annoyance didn't count as anger. Today it is easy for me to see how I have peopled my world with all that anger. No wonder the world seems so scary. I would feel anger toward someone or something and stop myself long enough to realise I was defending against my own projected illusions.
Do I want to live in a world of fear? This is not how I was created to exist. If I let go of my ego vision and allow the Holy Spirit to show me what is real, I can be happy. I can live as I was created to exist because I see fear is not real. Only Love is real. In Love I am happy for I am truly me.
ACIM Workbook Part 1 Lesson 23
'I can escape the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.'
Leader: John Gribben
The
last lesson focussed on
becoming aware of how attack thoughts dominate
the way we see the world. This lesson moves on to what we can do about
that,
how we can change it. Briefly, what we must do is begin to IDENTIFY
these
attack thoughts, then we
must let them go. It’s as simple
as that. This course is just that – a course,
like a course of
antibiotics; if you stop the treatment halfway through you won’t
get well. Or, it’s
like a Degree or Diploma course.
Halfway through the course you don’t
know everything there
is to know – there’s
a lot of things you don’t
understand – but you have to stick at it and practice
for it to sink in and start to make sense. This lesson refers to Vision
– but
that comes later; for the moment we have to work our way through these
early
steps. And, like many fields of learning, the Course is recursive; you
learn a
thing and come back to it a year later and realize you have to learn it
again,
to go deeper, to let it
sink in a bit further.
So,
it’s
very simple – just do the exercise. Identify the attack
thoughts and let them
go. But there are some difficult things here, too. Sometimes the
simplest
things in life are also the hardest. What about, "The world you see is
a
vengeful world and everything in it is a symbol of vengeance"? Isn’t that a bit
harsh? Surely the world isn’t
that bad. Surely I’m
not that bad! No, the
world is not bad and I am not bad. But, no matter who I am, I will have
picked
up pain that has still not been released somewhere along the line. Many
of us
carry generations of pain – I don’t
mean that it’s
passed on in the blood or by magic – I mean that, down
through the generations, families perpetuate patterns of behaviour
and perception which are modelled
to children – these
ways of acting and seeing cause us and those around us pain. A man who
never
got much affection from his father will often behave similarly towards
his own
son, depriving him of much-needed support, inflicting pain in the form
of
shame, for example, and of course passing on that same behaviour
to him. In a wider context, we are all burdened by the perceptions we
learn
from the communities we grew up in, as we in
And what
about this business of not changing the world? Surely we need
to help others?
Surely we need to change the awful hell people are living in Darfur or
This
lesson is about
recognition. We need to work at recognising
the
attack thoughts in us. And then what?
Let go. But that’s
not as easy as it sounds either. Antony
de Mello says just wake up, be aware, and the rest happens by itself.
Others
say there are three steps: Awareness, Acceptance and Process. Part of letting go is acceptance; accepting
that these awful
thoughts are in us, that we are weak. Process is about
allowing all that
pain to flow through us and not get stuck. Is it that simple? This
lesson gives
us hope – it says, "you
will not be making them
alone." I suggest that this is a pointer to the great conclusion of the
Course and any spiritual path; that we are not alone.
I
said earlier that you can’t
jump ahead too far, you have to take the Course a
step at a time AND PRACTICE! But I want to just
leap ahead briefly and
tackle that word Vision. Some people, reading about attack thoughts
will say,
"Yeah, I have attack thoughts, and that’s
because people are attacking ME! So don’t
give me any
guff about it all being an illusion. It’s not an illusion that my father hurt me, that
my teachers abused
me, that my classmates ridiculed me. So it’s
no wonder I have attack thoughts!" It’s
not easy
to say to someone who speaks like this that all he has to do is drop
his / her
illusions. She/ he might well retort, "They’re
not illusions; those people really hurt me!" This, for me, is where the
business of "not being alone" comes in. The fact is,
we are all in this world together. And
not just the ones that
are here today – everybody who has ever lived.
We are all part of the
same big universe. I am as responsible for you as I am for me, because we’re all in this
together. Everything that you do was
caused, in a round-about way, by everyone else, by all of us. (Perhaps
this is
what the church means by Original Sin.) We are all in this world to
heal
together and we are all responsible for everything we do and everything
everyone
else does. This is the message of the mystics – after much
meditation and
spiritual struggle, awakening takes the form of the realisation
that we are all one. So, the thought that someone HURT ME is only true
on a
very superficial level. The challenge is to see beyond the hurt to the
healing.
************
ACIM Workbook Part 1 Lesson 24
'I do not perceive my own best interests.'
Leader: Sam Webb
Notes
The CIM learning is said to be
circular. Themes and
lessons come around again and again impacting us with varying degrees
of
intensity on different levels and at different junctures on our journey.
Each lesson too
is circular and complete in
itself and often its wholeness is further strengthened in the
associated preceding
and subsequent lessons
And so, Lesson
24 while being complete in itself
leaves us on a knife edge, knowing that our
perceptions are wrong when seeking our best interests in any situation
we find
ourselves in. It’s
not until the following lesson that
we learn why this is and what
we can do about it.
It’s a bridging lesson and we have
just stepped on the
bridge to gaze at the water beneath us to ponder its flow. This lesson
does not
take us across the bridge however. But to unlearn
and relearn what
we think we already know we must stop a while and become
aware of how
we are doing what we are doing.
And so this
lesson requires of us Honesty,
Patience, Humility, Awareness, Acceptance and Open-mindedness.
We are told our
perceptions of the situation
we are concerned about are wrong and therefore it is not possible to
know what
our best interests are.
Admitting to
ourselves that we have several
conflicting and contradictory goals regarding the outcome of the
situation can
be humbling. As we patiently and honestly reveal the array of goals we
have
attached to this situation we realise
the truth in today’s
lesson.
We cannot know
what are own best interests
are nor the outcome that would make us happy. We cannot know because of
our
faulty perceptions
and yet our actions taken are
determined by these
perceptions.
Before making
decisions and determining our
actions we can now become aware that :
MANY OF OUR
GOALS CONTRADICT EACH OTHER.
WE DO NOT HAVE A
UNIFIED OUTCOME IN MIND.
WE MAKE DEMANDS
ON THE SITUATION THAT HAVE
NOTHING TO DO
WITH IT AND WE WILL EXPERIENCE
DISAPPOINTMENT REGARDING
SOME OF OUR GOALS.
The objective
then of the lesson here is to
let us open our minds to the real knowledge which
is that we do
not know. We believe we do and our conviction blinds us from learning
what our
own best interests really are.
Could it be that
we need help
? Could it be that the results are in God’s hands ? Could the outcome then be
anything but good?
Could we
let it be ?
Could we let
whatever happens be OK?
We can never
know everything about a
situation. We operate from a limited viewpoint. We have a personal
agenda. We
filter information . We
add meaning, interpretations
and we attach to preferential outcomes.
We come to one
decision, only to imagine some
previously unconsidered possible outcome and so we change again and
again and
again.
And when we are
totally sure that we really
know what’s
best for us and we are certain
that we know what we want for ourselves – it’s
particularly at these times we cannot be taught what our own best
interests
really are.
We need patience to go through this as often as we need to until we see that we do not perceive our own best interests in this way.
Here are some comforting words before the more
solution-based
lessons to come:
Learning
and growth always follow chaos
and confusion
Let it
be unto me as You
will.
Jesus
Take no
thought for tomorrow
Jesus
ACIM Workbook Part 1
Lesson 26
'My attack thoughts
are attacking my
invulnerability.'
Leader:
Chris Boyd
This
lesson is teaching me that if I fear
anything, if I am worried about anything, or if I have a concern of any
kind, that what appears
to come from the outside world is
really coming from attack thoughts that are still residing in my mind.
Remember
that, as well as fear of being attacked, our ‘attack
thoughts’ are
most potent when we dress them up as a defence or justification for our
actions. We can also feel good or justified in bringing someone down to
earth
who is ‘too big for their boots’. We feel safest
when we can be the
judge of the situation and impose our own sense of values –
as if we knew
what was best in any given circumstances.
Our
experience of the outer world is an
effect, not a cause. If I think I am vulnerable in any way, it is
because I am
still holding on to attack thoughts. It is very powerful to have this
understanding. What I think of as real in this
‘life’ journey shows
me where there is still a need to heal my mind.
We have
a choice of two ways of thinking. Our
normal way of thinking is to identify with our supposition that we are
primarily alone in our responsibility to keep ourselves safe. We learn
strategies
involving power and possessions and cherish our ability to get what we
want to
keep ourselves feeling secure. The unconscious thought behind all this
is that,
if we don’t do it, then we will become unhappy, with not
enough standing
or status in the world, not enough to keep ourselves amused and
entertained or
not even enough to eat or keep our selves warm. In fact we might even
die if we
don’t give this our full attention! We are a separate
insignificant sole,
under constant threat of being alone, vulnerable and only as good as
our latest
accomplishment or possession.
However,
we have a choice of two ways of
thinking. The alternative way of thinking is to identify with our
loving centre
and the Holy Spirit. I am sure we have all come across times when say -
talking
to a friend or a child, when we just know in our hearts that this
person needs
love and acceptance and understanding – and at that moment
the last thing
we want to do is to tell them of our latest possession or
accomplishment –
and instead we listen and encourage. The result of these experiences is
that we
just know that this is a real moment of a meeting of
hearts, and is so
much more valuable than the money, possessions or power which normally
takes up
most of our time.
In these
‘sane’ moments I just
know that when I am dead and gone, that all the money, status
power etc
that I thought I had, will be long gone and that what will remain, to
ripple
outwards and onwards, is the love that I have sent out into the world
by showing
that liberating kindness or consideration to those who I have had a
‘real’ connection with. To those I have treated as
my brother with
no separation.
I hope
you can see that I am saying that I
know I have a choice of where my mind attributes value. –
What I believe
is valuable.
SO, I
have a way out of the seemingly endless
spiral of thinking that I am weak and vulnerable in a dangerous world.
Now I
know that this simply is not true. In truth, all that is REAL is Love,
so all
that is real is invulnerable. In the introduction to the Course it
says,
“Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal
exists.”
It is
only my own attack thoughts that give me
the dream experience of being attacked or vulnerable. I can change my
thoughts
and I am thankful that this is so. I am willing to look at all the
places where
I am concerned or afraid, and realize that these thoughts are an attack
upon myself. I can take
each situation to the Holy Spirit. I can
receive a correction in my perception. This process of taking each
concern, no
matter how mild it may seem, to the Holy Spirit is important. Each baby
step
takes me one step closer to returning me to my true Identity as Love
and
nothing else.
This lesson is making it very clear that if I perceive vulnerability
anywhere,
that is an attack on myself.
I have forgotten Who I
am. I have forgotten that I was created by Love as
Love. Thus any time I perceive somebody as harmed in any way, including
myself,
or I see the potential for harm, I am attacking myself. I could not
perceive
this weakness if I did not perceive weakness in myself first. This
again points
to the damaging ‘faulty beliefs’ that, with the
help of the H.S., I
will bring out of the darkness to dissolve in the Light.
*********************
ACIM
Work Book Part 1
Lesson 27
“Above
all else I want to see”
Leader:
Sam Webb
Notes:
Purpose
and Meaning
The
purpose
of this lesson is to bring closer the day when you want vision more
than
anything and everything else.
We
may well
ask how it differs from Lesson 20 that taught “I
am determined to see”
Lesson
20
was about bringing some structure and discipline to our practice
periods
through decision - making and determination. Yet we are also to
understand it
is not to do with an effort to exert force or pressure.
Lesson
27
is our second lesson in frequent practice but is emphasising something
more
powerful than determination. It positions the desire to see at the
highest level
“above
all else”. This means no matter how significant or important
any other
goal seems to us, it can never be in first
place. That place is reserved for our desire to see.
How
often
we remember to repeat the idea will be the indicator of how determined
we
really want to see above all else. However we should first consider all
we are
told in the lesson about practice and the many repetitions required
with this
lesson.
Practice
We
experience even greater structure here than in Lesson 20. We are to
repeat the
exercise at least every half hour and more frequently is suggested with
a set
time schedule. This can be a tough schedule to stick to but we are
given some
welcome encouragement:
We can repeat the lesson to
ourselves even when we are engaged in
conversation
or otherwise engaged.
When we forget a practice
period we don’t need to let failure bother us, but
simply get
back on track immediately.
All it takes to save many
years of effort is to repeat the idea just once
during
the day with perfect sincerity.
We don’t even need to be
concerned about meaning the idea fully. We are
to
repeat it to bring closer the day when we will mean
it
No
Sacrifice or Cost
Repeating
the idea may arouse fear or the feeling of having to give up something.
In that
case we can add: “Vision has no cost to
anyone” and further
if necessary, “it can only
bless”
The
phrase “above
all else” can certainly be challenging but when we
add these two
phrases our fears are put to rest.
If
we do
have to give something up we come into the realization that we are
giving
nothing up that we truly want. There is no real
sacrifice. The path of
the Course does not believe in sacrifice. The only thing we are asked
to give
up is illusion. In reality this is only an illusion of sacrifice.
Remember we
are told: “Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal
exists”
Spiritual
Sight
Wanting
to see
is referring to Vision and the Course refers to vision using
various terms
throughout. ‘ Spiritual
Sight’ to me is
perhaps the most explanatory meaning and this is the Christ sight. A
question I
ask myself is “ what
would Jesus see
here?”
It
often
takes this spiritual sight to answer truthfully. Right-mindedness, true
perception and Christ’s vision are other terms referring to
vision or
wanting to see.
What
we are wanting to arrive
at is seeing everything as it truly is
which is perfect.
Vision
sees
only sinlessness,
innocence and holiness. Rather than
seeing through the body’s eyes it sees through the eyes of
Christ in us.
It is a knowing within us rather than an
interpretation of sense data.
It is about seeing essence, pure content and pure meaning, looking past
forms
to the light of holiness.
Vision
is
our natural sight and is available to us when we want it. Above all
else I want
to see.
Non-Course
but relevant quotes
A
couple of
quotes I came across put the idea across succinctly and with different
perspectives.
The gloom on the world is but a
shadow.
Behind it, yet within its
reach, is joy.
There
is radiance
and glory in the darkness could we but see
And to
see we have only to look. I
beseech you to look.
Fra Giovanni
15th-16th
century Italian scholar
And now here is my secret, a very
simple secret;
It is only with the heart that
one can see rightly,
******************
by Chris Boyd
God is love.
See the Definition of God and Christ per
the Course:-
I am being taught to shift from physical sight to spiritual sight. God can not be seen with the physical eyes. But I can be aware of God’s Presence as I open my mind to an inner vision, Christ’s vision. With Christ’s vision, I see that behind every form is the Light of God. I can train myself to open my mind with consistent practice to be open to the awareness of God’s presence everywhere.
This is a central and most important
principal of the course. All is based on this.
Although I don’t realise it, my thoughts, I, choose what I see (or perceive) in the world around me. I create the world I live in. If I perceive a fearful world then I will feel fear and project this on to others, blaming them for what I think is there.
We can do no better for ourselves, than to
believe that love is everywhere in the world, ie God is everywhere. If we see
love in everything ( and in the spiritual world love is all that is real) then
we will live in a happy beautiful world. If we see love in everyone around us
then we will treat them with love, respect and acceptance. They will feel loved
and respected and reflect that back to us. The whole world gains.
In previous lesson we were taught:
I am never upset for the reasons I think.
My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
My thoughts are images that I have made.
What I see is a form of vengeance.
I do not perceive my own best interests.
My attack thoughts are attacking my
invulnerability.
What I see is an effect not a cause. The
Bad news is – I am creating the bad experiences in my life. – The good news is
-- I am creating the bad experiences in my life! It is good news because if I
am do it then I can change it.
Today I am asking to see with spiritual sight and I know that what I really want to see, I will see. And so I use time today to practice opening my mind to spiritual sight, opening my mind to Christ’s vision. Through Christ’s vision I remember that only Love is real, and behind all form is the Love that is eternal, that is always there to see if I am open to seeing it.
Today I am asking to see with spiritual
sight and I know that what I really want to see, I will see. And so I use time
today to practice opening my mind to spiritual sight, opening my mind to
Christ’s vision. Through Christ’s vision I remember that only Love is real, and
behind all form is the Love that is eternal, that is always there to see if I
am open to seeing it. I am willing to practice today letting my mind be healed.
I am willing to practice remembering that God is in everything I see.
If I see something that upsets me or I’m afraid of, clearly I’m not seeing Love there. I’m perceiving something else. This lesson is teaching me that despite my perception, Love is still there. If I’m not seeing it, I must need an adjustment in my perception.
I can experience God in every moment, if I
choose to, because this is the reality that exists. I can choose reality or I
can choose the illusion of separation, separation from God and, consequently,
separation from persons and things. Today I choose Truth. Today I choose Love.
Chris Boyd
Peace begins within. From our thoughts it extends outwards. It’s from our internal peace of mind that a peaceful world perception arises.
The
Luke 17
The power in the lesson comes from the realisation that we are not to focus on changing the outside circumstances, conditions, people, places or situations in order to be at peace but rather our thoughts about these things.
Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
Romans 12
When your mind is at peace then you can respond if it’s necessary, in a more calm and constructive manner rather than react in a negative way and furthering unpleasant consequences.
….the
peace that transcendeth all understanding
Paul
To React means to act again. We tend to keep reacting in the same way and obtaining similar results. Trying to change the outside without changing the inside first perpetuates the chaos.
As without so within
Hermetic
Truth
The tendency is to believe ‘I will be at peace when my problem is resolved or the condition improves’ This frame of mind leaves us in constant stress and fighting the world. You see things differently when you begin with your thoughts.
Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter
ACIM
Lesson 34
. Go within . Find that peace that is there
regardless of how circumstances are
appearing to you.
. Throughout the day watch your mind for
those things that unsettle you
.
Accept where you are and know it’s where you are supposed to be
.
Don’t feel guilt if you are not seeing peace. You could not
should see peace
.
Practice will be required. Believe that you could see peace instead
change.
There is a part of you that is peace. It is found within. It is always there. You are never apart from it. It is there regardless of how things appear outside.
You could see this peace instead of what you are experiencing.
Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14
Sam Webb
Author’s note
Some views and ideas expressed in this article
are personal understandings and interpretations and some content may
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miracles’ None of the content should be considered endorsed by the
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