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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 1 "THE INTRODUCTION TO MIRACLES"
I. PRINCIPLES OF MIRACLES
18.
18 A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service one individual can render another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. The doer recognizes his own and his neighbor's inestimable worth simultaneously.
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
WORKBOOK
INTRODUCTION
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Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
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A theoretical foundation such as the text is necessary as a background to make these exercises meaningful. Yet it is the exercises which will make the goal possible. An untrained mind can accomplish nothing. It is the purpose of these exercises to train the mind to think along the lines which the course sets forth.
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The exercises are very simple. They do not require more than a few minutes, and it does not matter where or when you do them. They need no preparation. They are numbered, running from 1 to 365. The training period is one year. Do not undertake more than one exercise a day.
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The purpose of these exercises is to train the mind to a different perception of everything in the world. The workbook is divided into two sections, the first dealing with the undoing of what you see now and the second with the restoration of sight. It is recommended that each exercise be repeated several times a day, preferably in a different place each time and, if possible, in every situation in which you spend any long period of time. The purpose is to train the mind to generalize the lessons, so that you will understand that each of them is as applicable to one situation as it is to another.
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Unless specified to the contrary, the exercise should be practiced with the eyes open, since the aim is to learn how to see. The only rule that should be followed throughout is to practice the exercises with great specificity. Each one applies to every situation in which you find yourself and to everything you see in it. Each day's exercises are planned around one central idea, the exercises themselves consisting of applying that idea to as many specifics as possible. Be sure that you do not decide that there are some things you see to which the idea for the day is inapplicable. The aim of the exercises will always be to increase the application of the idea to everything. This will not require effort. Only be sure that you make no exceptions in applying the idea.
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Some of the ideas you will find hard to believe, and others will seem quite startling. It does not matter. You are merely asked to apply them to what you see. You are not asked to judge them, nor even to believe them. You are asked only to use them. It is their use which will give them meaning to you, and show you they are true. Remember only this-you need not believe them, you need not accept them, and you need not welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter nor decrease their efficacy. But allow yourself to make no exceptions in applying the ideas the exercises contain. Whatever your reactions to the ideas may be, use them. Nothing more than this is required.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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DAILY LESSON
L e s s o n 5
I am never upset for the reason I think.
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
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This idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation, or event you think is causing you pain. Apply it specifically to whatever you believe is the cause of your upset, using the description of the feeling in whatever term seems accurate to you. The upset may seem to be fear, worry, depression, anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy, or any number of forms, all of which will be perceived as different. This is not true. However, until you learn that form does not matter, each form becomes a proper subject for the exercises for the day. Applying the same idea to each of them separately is the first step in ultimately recognizing they are all the same.
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When using the idea for today for a specific perceived cause of an upset in any form, use both the name of the form in which you see the upset and the cause which you ascribe to it. For example:
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I am not angry at ____ for the reason I think.
I am not afraid of ____ for the reason I think.
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But again, this should not be substituted for practice periods in which you first search your mind for "sources" of upset in which you believe and forms of upset which you think result.
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In these exercises, more than in the preceding ones, you may find it hard to be indiscriminate and to avoid giving greater weight to some subjects than to others. It might help to precede the exercises with the statement:
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There are no small upsets. They are all
equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
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Then examine your mind for whatever is distressing you, regardless of how much or how little you think it is doing so.
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You may also find yourself less willing to apply today's idea to some perceived sources of upset than to others. If this occurs, think first of this:
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I cannot keep this form of upset and let
the others go. For the purposes of these
exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.
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Then search your mind for no more than a minute or so, and try to identify a number of different forms of upset that are disturbing you, regardless of the relative importance you may give them. Apply the idea for today to each of them, using the name of both the source of the upset as you perceive it and of the feelings as you experience it. Further examples are:
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I am not worried about ___ for the reason I think.
I am not depressed about ___ for the reason I think.
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Three or four times during the day are enough.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections
Lesson 5
I am never upset for the reason I think.
Sarah's Commentary:
What is it we get upset about? Anxious about? Worry about? Hate? Fear? Resent? Get disgusted about? What kind of a day have you had? Did a news story upset you? Did a driver cut you off in traffic? Did you drop something? Break a nail? Get on the scale and see you have gained weight? Have an angry exchange with someone? Has your computer crashed? Missed a call? Hundreds of things upset us in a day. We try to find ways to do life better only to end up feeling depressed because we can't get this thing called life, no matter how hard we try, which leads to disillusionment.
We think there are myriad causes for our upsets, all outside of ourselves. The forms of the upsets seem different, but the form does not matter for purposes of this exercise. We apply the lesson to each form of upset that shows up, but ultimately we are learning that all upsets are the same. As Jesus reminds us in the introduction, we apply the lesson to the specifics in our lives, but the idea is that the learning is eventually generalized. The generalization will come to us when we see that every form of upset is the same because are all disturbing to our peace of mind. We also see that nothing comes from outside of our own minds. We think these upsets are generated by things in the world, but in fact, they are generated by our own minds. Thus, the mind is the cause of every upset, rather than what is outside. Our upsets come from the way we are looking at everything and the interpretations we give to what we are seeing.
The truth is nothing outside of the mind causes us to be upset. We have made a decision to be upset because we see ourselves as the innocent victim of outside events. And we see ourselves that way because we want to be upset by events seemingly outside of the mind. Why? Because that way we can see ourselves as not responsible for how we feel. The power of decision is our own.
"The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world."
(T.12.VII.9.1)(ACIM OE T.11.VIII.70) But when we chose to run away with the ego and from God, we brought guilt into the mind. This is the actual source of all of our upsets. We think we know the cause of our upsets, but Jesus tells us we don't. Everything comes from inside of us, not from outside. We have made the events outside real, and to us they are as real as the monsters in our nightmares while we sleep. When we awaken we see they don't exist. It is the same in this illusory dream, where, no matter what we are bringing into our daily experience, it all comes from our own minds.
The exercise starts by having us look within. We look at whatever thought or feeling we are holding about anything or anyone.
"I am not angry at _____for the reason I think." "I am not afraid of _____for the reason I think."
(W.5.2.3-4) We are searching our minds for "sources" of upset in which we believe, so that we can start to recognize they come from within ourselves and then show up as forms of upset we project 'out there'.
We may think some upsets only cause a slight irritation and there is no point in really spending time with them, while the things that make us really angry seem more important to us. Thus, "
You may also find yourself less willing to apply today's idea to some perceived sources of upset than to others."
(W.5.6.1) We are cautioned not to do this. If we want to exclude anything, we are urged to remind ourselves,
"I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same."
(W.5.6.3-4)
This addresses the fact that for us there is an order of difficulty with regard to our upsets. We place a hierarchy of importance on upsets. We experience some as bigger and harder than others, but this is precisely how the ego keeps us invested in the world, constantly working to solve the myriad of problems in our lives. While we are constantly occupied with what we think is coming at us, the goal the ego has set is accomplished. Its goal is to keep us from recognizing the real problem, which is the guilt in our minds. Thus, the only answer to every problem is in healing the mind, which is where the real problem is. Only then can the love we are shine forth. That love is currently blocked by our wrong perspective. When we bring our dark thoughts to light, we make space for the love, peace and joy in us to shine through. That is our motivation to commit to this kind of mind training. It requires we stay vigilant in undertaking the practice of these lessons.
We are reminded that we don't believe this idea and we don't need to. We don't even need to accept it or welcome it. All we are asked to do is apply it. When I started the workbook, I found that even though I hardly understood what was being said, simply doing the lessons to the best of my ability resulted in my mind being shifted. It just happened in spite of my lack of understanding the metaphysics at a deep level. I approached the lessons with a naive perspective and a significant willingness. The shift came about from the desperation I felt about my life. I had so much angst and distress in my life that I was very receptive to anything that might work to shift my perspective. It seemed that everything I had tried up to that time, and I did try very hard to be happy in the world, was just not working for me. Oh yes, I looked successful as the world determines success, but inwardly it seemed to me that nothing was working. I was jealous of what others seemed to have and felt deprived at my inner core. Only now I see that as the state for everyone of us here, regardless of appearances. We all came here to seek and never find. That is the nature of this world, until we get a path of undoing our mistaken identities.
All we need is to be willing to be taught. Are we willing just to do the lesson and accept that we don't know? If we think we already know, our minds are not open to be taught. Really take in the idea that you don't know, and what you think is the reason for your upset or your worry or jealousy is not the reason. Right now there is just acceptance of the "know nothing" mind and that the cause we give to the upset is simply never the cause.
We do not overlook any upset. We start the exercises by reminding ourselves,
"There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind."
(W.5.4.3) Our decision to overlook an upset is actually a decision to keep it. Jesus continually asks us to make no exceptions. Don't keep anything for yourself. Don't keep it apart from this healing process.
Clearly there is no easy way to salvation, but strain is not helpful. While we are to be gentle with ourselves and not to push through resistance, clearly mind training such as this does take work and attention. This is not an easy Course to undertake. We may wish it were soft and magical, without doing the disciplined work it calls for. Some walk away from the Course because it seems too hard or too much work. At that point there may be a temptation to start shopping for other spiritual paths, but it is all a rationale for keeping our ego intact. Why? Because the ego is significantly threatened when something that might be its undoing shows up. Clearly the ego is threatened by the power in us to change our minds and choose against its lies. The ego does not love us. Yet this path will take us all the way home to the love that is who we are. I can't attest to that with certainty, but I have had enough demonstration of its power to stay very committed to this path.
Love and blessings, Sarah
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15.
15 Each day should be devoted to miracles. The purpose of time is to enable man to learn to use it constructively. Time is thus a teaching device and a means to an end. It will cease when it is no longer useful in facilitating learning.
16.
16 Miracles are teaching devices for demonstrating that it is more blessed to give than to receive. They simultaneously increase the strength of the giver and supply strength to the receiver.
17.
17 Miracles are the transcendence of the body. They are sudden shifts into invisibility, away from a sense of lower-order reality. That is why they heal.
18.
18 A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service one individual can render another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. The doer recognizes his own and his neighbor's inestimable worth simultaneously.
19.
19 Miracles make minds one in God. They depend on cooperation because the Sonship is the sum of all the Souls God created. Miracles therefore rest on the laws of eternity, not of time.
20.
20 Miracles reawaken the awareness that the spirit, not the body, is the altar of truth. This is the recognition that leads to the healing power of the miracle.
21.
21 Miracles are natural expressions of total forgiveness. Through miracles, man accepts God's forgiveness by extending it to others.
22.
22 Miracles are associated with fear only because of the fallacious belief that darkness can
hide. Man believes that what he cannot see does not exist, and his physical eyes cannot see in the dark. This is a very primitive solution and has led to a denial of the Spiritual eye. * The escape from darkness involves two stages:
A.
23 The recognition that darkness
cannot hide. This step usually entails fear.
B.
24 The recognition that there is nothing you
want to hide, even if you
could. This step brings
escape from fear.
23.
25 Miracles rearrange perception and place the levels of perception in true perspective. This heals at
all levels because sickness comes from confusing the levels.
26 When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy. Your commitment is not yet total, and that is why you still have more to learn than to teach. When your equilibrium stabilizes, you will be able to teach as much as you learn, which will give you the proper balance. Meanwhile, remember that no effort is wasted, for unless you remember this, you cannot avail yourselves of
my efforts, which
are limitless. Only eternity is real. Why not use the illusion of time constructively?
24.
27 Miracles enable man to heal the sick and raise the dead because he made sickness and death himself and can abolish both.
You are a miracle, capable of creating in the likeness of your Creator. Everything else is only your own nightmare and does not exist. Only the creations of light are real.
25.
28 Miracles are part of an interlocking chain of forgiveness which, when completed, is the Atonement. This process works all the time and in all the dimensions of time.
29 I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle unto any of my brothers, you do it unto
yourself and me. The reason
you come before
me is that I do not need miracles for my own Atonement, but I stand at the end in case you fail temporarily. The purpose of my part in the Atonement is the canceling out of all lacks of love which men could not otherwise correct. The word "sin" should be changed to "lack of love" because "sin" is a man-made word with threat connotations which he made up himself. No
real threat is involved anywhere. Nothing is gained by frightening yourselves, and it is very destructive to do so.
*
The term "Spiritual eye" is later replaced by the Holy Spirit, and the "physical eye" becomes the ego. The emphasis on the two ways of seeing, however, remains throughout.
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