This is another beautiful Lesson that is so similar to what we focused on in the Lesson yesterday. It is all about the light in our right minds that we don't access when the darkness of the ego thought system prevails. Yet we can access this light when we identify with the thought system being taught by Jesus through this Course. He tells us precisely what we are to do, which is to forgive. Forgiveness is about releasing the thoughts that reflect our choice for the ego. It is a choice based on the decision we made to separate from the love that is our natural inheritance. Why do we not experience the peace and joy if it is already in us? It is only because we have blocked it from our awareness. We have identified with the separate, individual, special self we think we are. We think we are on our own and have to figure out this life and address the problems that show up in form, so we could find happiness in the world, but this is the smokescreen of the ego. There is nothing to be done in form that will ever bring us the love we seek. Why, because the love is within. We must go within if we are to find this place in us where the light dwells.

It is in the experience of the holy instant where, in that instant, we connect deeply with the peace, the love, the innocence, joy, gentleness, quietness, and hope, in a moment of blissful silence where all of our thoughts, hopes, expectations and concerns are stilled just for a moment. This light is in us now and it is intended to be known. "It was not placed in you to be kept hidden from your sight." (W.189.1.5) Jesus reminds us, " There is a light that this world cannot give. Yet you can give it, as it was given you. And as you give it, it shines forth to call you from the world and follow it. For this light will attract you as nothing in this world can do. And you will lay aside the world and find another." (T.13.VI.11.1-5)(ACIM OE T.12.VI.55)
 
What keeps us from experiencing this light that is there in us all of the time? Jesus says we are "blinded by the world," (W.189.1.2) but when we feel the Love of God, which is in us, we will see the world "alive with hope." (W.189.1.7) This is the real world, but it is not external. This world reflects our way of seeing it. In the experience of the real world, what happens now does not concern you because there is an awareness that you are not the dream figure but the dreamer. How can what happens in the dream affect you when you know that you are the one dreaming it? From outside of the dream nothing here is real nor has any real consequences. When we identify with ourselves as the figure in this dream, everything is to be defended against because the dream figure is vulnerable indeed. Our awakening from this dream will be preceded by a change of perception, which Jesus describes as the real world.
 
"Who could feel fear in such a world as this? It welcomes you, rejoices that you came, and sings your praises as it keeps you safe from every form of danger and of pain. It offers you a warm and gentle home in which to stay a while." (W.189.2.1-3) The real world is a state of healed perception that precedes Heaven. "This is the world the Love of God reveals." (W.189.3.1) It is not the world we experience when we identify with the ego and see ourselves as a figure in the dream that is being acted upon. The world becomes meaningless when seen from the perspective of the dreamer of this dream. From the perspective of the ego mind, the world is full of hatred and attack of every kind, but it is important to remember that it all starts in the mind. The world we see is an outward expression of an inner condition. Perception makes projection. So the world we see is a projection of our own thoughts. It is a giant projector screen where we see what is in our own minds. "You will look upon that which you feel within." (W.189.5.3) Everyone on that projector screen offers us another opportunity to look within and see what wounds we have that are being projected outward. It takes great honesty and courage to look at these wounds, without judgment and without defending against them. Our suffering is nothing but our resistance to look. Say yes to the experience. Allow everything to come to mind. Allow yourself to experience fully what is coming up because without resistance, the feelings and emotions that have been kept suppressed can be brought to light and thus dissipate. Now the blocks to love are released.
   
I am not saying there are not events in the world that reflect behaviors that are hateful and attacking, These behaviors are facts. Yet our interpretation of these facts upset us. For example, someone may take your money. That is a fact. They have the money you had and now you don't have it, but only your interpretation that they are a thief and deserve to be punished causes you pain. As Jesus tells us, "Perhaps it will be helpful to remember that no one can be angry at a fact." (M.17.4.1) When we interpret the act of taking money from us by someone who is a thief, we are accusing ourselves of thievery, but what have we stolen? We believe the ego's story that we have stolen our identity from God, but we don't want to see that in ourselves. We prefer to see the thief outside of ourselves.

Thus, we are being shown there is nothing outside of us. Everything starts in our own minds. We don't look within, but see the problem outside of ourselves. Now we are reacting to our interpretations, as if they were correct. "This is shown by the fact that you react to your interpretations as if they were correct." (T.12.I.2.3)(ACIM OE T.11.I.2) Now we defend those interpretations and we suffer as a result. "Under the circumstances, would it not be more desirable to have been wrong, even apart from the fact that you were wrong?" (T.13.IV.3.1)(ACIM OE T.12.IV.25) When we recognize " Perception is a mirror, not a fact," (W.304.1.3) we will be more willing to investigate what is being mirrored that is unhealed within. To me this is the most important factor in recognizing for our own healing. The temptation is always to blame instead of looking within. Only by looking within can we heal our own misperceptions.
 
I had a discussion with someone last night about the ills of the world and all of the crises going on with things seemingly getting worse. Many people are being challenged by the economic conditions. The world we see seems full of problems and no matter how hard we try, they continue generation after generation. Yet that is precisely why the world was made. It was made to distract us by focusing on this screen where all these activities seem to be taking place. This is why the Lesson says we are "blinded by the world." (W.189.1.2) " Yet you have eyes to see it." (W.189.1.3) The truth won't be seen through our body's eyes, but when we identify with the right minded perception, we will see with vision. Vision has nothing to do with the body's eyes that were made not to see. Their seeing stops at the forms of the world. Behind these images lies the real world.
 
We cannot see both worlds. It is either a world of malice or the real world. The pictures are mutually exclusive. "Yet is the world of hatred equally unseen and inconceivable to those who feel God's Love in them." (W.189.4.1) Yes, we will still see the misbehaviors in the world, but we don't need to see them as anything real and they do not have to disturb our peace. "What would you see? The choice is given you. But learn and do not let your mind forget this law of seeing: You will look upon that which you feel within. If hatred finds a place within your heart, you will perceive a fearful world, held cruelly in death's sharp-pointed, bony fingers. If you feel the Love of God within you, you will look out on a world of mercy and of love." (W.189.5.1-5)
 
The real world is only experienced when we forgive everyone. This means there can be no exceptions made with regard to anyone. Yes, it is a total commitment we must make to the journey and it does take a lot of disciplined work, but it is what time was made for. Jesus reminds us that to delay the healing of our minds is tragic. He is not trying to coerce us, only remind us, on behalf of our own happiness, because he knows how we suffer when we follow the dictates of the ego. We can't do this alone, and need the power of the Holy Spirit, Who is always available to us when we call on Him. He is in our right minds. He is the light that is always there to shine away the darkness of our egoic thoughts.

We need to ask ourselves, "What do I have to give over to the Holy Spirit for healing in order to feel the love of God within me now? How much desire and willingness do I have to stay vigilant to the workings of my mind?" It means looking at the reactions we have to everything that is happening. We can no longer cherish our grievances, our self-concepts, all of the images we hold about ourselves, all of our beliefs about what is good or bad, and all of our judgments about what we like or don't like. Imagine the honesty and courage that goes into this kind of self-revelation. This is why it is so important to be watchful of our thoughts, observing them without judgment and allowing the Holy Spirit to be the Guide rather than listening to the voice of the ego. With willingness and desire for healing, and honesty, in looking at our thoughts, the Love of God that is always within us, will shine forth. We become a channel of His love and His peace.

Look at the ways you define yourself as a man/woman, father/mother, employee, Course student, good cook, talented singer, or whatever else. Now look at the rules you have for your relationships and the expectations you have of someone you deem important in your life. When these expectations are not met, we have grievances. As Jesus explains, it is because we see ourselves as different from the other rather than the same. I am me and you are not. Further, we see our needs as more important. I am end and you are means. Thus, I am always the important one in a relationship and you are there to meet my needs. All of the rules of behavior, all the roles, all the expectations, all of my concepts of what I need to be happy create the dance of specialness. That is why we must look at it all and raise everything to awareness. Otherwise, we simply operate on automatic pilot reacting as we always have. Instead Jesus asks us to "Simply do this: Be still and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself." (W.189.7.1) He is telling us to hold onto nothing we think and believe. He tells us we have been wrong about everything. He wants us to remember that the problem and the solution are not in changing anything in the world of form, but only in our own minds. He is asking us not to determine how any problem is to be solved, as it can never be solved where it is not, which is in the outer forms of this world.
 
"Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught, nor one belief you ever learned before from anything. Forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God." (W.189.7.4-5) He is not proposing we put the Course down and do no more Lessons and no more study. We have more to do at this stage. However, it is ultimately about letting everything go, including this Course as a prerequisite to entering this state of Oneness with God in our meditation time. To know the Course is not enough. Ultimately, it is about experience, which comes when we are willing to apply this teaching. It is about letting go of the past and the future. Jesus wants us to forget what we have taught ourselves because we have been badly taught. Now we must let go of everything we have learned and allow ourselves to open up to being taught. "Let us be still an instant, and forget all things we ever learned, all thoughts we had, and every preconception that we hold of what things mean and what their purpose is. Let us remember not our own ideas of what the world is for. We do not know. Let every image held by everyone be loosened from our minds and swept away." (T.31.I.12.1-3)(ACIM OE T.31.I.12) It certainly does require surrendering our way, which requires great humility. Just notice how much reluctance shows up in this process---how much we want to hold onto our answers, our views, our perspectives, our point of view and ultimately our control over our own lives.
 
A block to our experience of the holy instant is the thinking we could figure it all out instead of releasing everything. "You need not know the way to Him. Your part is simply to allow all obstacles that you have interposed between the Son and God the Father to be quietly removed forever." (W.189.8.2-3) This is the arrogance of the ego, where we think we can know the way, where we defend our beliefs and strategies instead of just emptying our minds and asking to receive. We do not need to point out the way nor make demands. "Ask and receive. But do not make demands, nor point the road to God by which He should appear to you." (W.189.8.5-6) Isn't this what we do when we ask God for the answer to a specific problem we seem to be facing? We are telling Him we know what the problem is and we have determined what answer we want from Him, but it is not up to us to choose the way.
 
Our part is to set aside what we think we know and let Him come. It is a choice we must make to surrender our way. We just need to "step back and let Him lead the way." (W.155) We just need to "Rest in God," (W.109) and as we turn over all of our self-attack and self-hatred (which we generally defend against) for healing, the Holy Spirit then offers us the miracle. He knows the way, so let us lay down our belief that we will find the way and simply let go of interfering thoughts, concepts and beliefs. All we have to do is open the door, be willing to call out to Him for help and then be willing to release our thoughts and leave the rest to Him. As lovely as this sounds, we so often find ourselves putting ourselves in charge of our spiritual process instead of surrendering ourselves with simple willingness to identify the blocks to the awareness of His Love and support for us.
 
"Father, we do not know the way to You. But we have called, and You have answered us. We will not interfere. Salvation's ways are not our own, for they belong to You. And it is unto You we look for them. Our hands are open to receive Your gifts. We have no thoughts we think apart from You, and cherish no beliefs of what we are or Who created us. Yours is the way that we would find and follow. And we ask but that Your Will, which is our own as well, be done in us and in the world, that it become a part of Heaven Now." Amen. (W.189.10.1-10)
 
If we pray with true desire to know the truth about the Self  we are, we need to admit that we don't know, that we are lost, and that we can't figure our own way. We release the "I know" mind and simply allow everything to come up for healing. Just because it is all illusion doesn't mean we can simply glide past it. Having the courage to look at the concepts, beliefs and demands we make and the wounds we are holding onto is easier when we open up and allow the light of Truth to come forth.

This is such a favorite Lesson of mine because I think it is ultimately the whole Course summed up in terms of what we are to do every day to have the experience of the holy instant and to truly feel the Love of God.