DAILY LESSON

 

L e s s o n  17

 <AUDIO><VIDEO> 

¹This idea is another step in the direction of identifying cause and effect as it really operates. You see no neutral things because you have no neutral thoughts. It is always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe that it is really the other way around. This is not the way the world thinks, but you must learn that it is the way you think. If it were not so, perception would have no cause and would itself be the cause of reality. In view of its highly variable nature, this is hardly likely. 

²In applying today's idea, say to yourself, with eyes open: 

³I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts. 

⁴Then look about you, resting your glance on each thing that catches your eye long enough to say: 

about _____ are not neutral.

⁶For example, you might say: 

about bodies are not neutral.

⁸As usual, it is essential to make no distinction between what you believe to be animate or inanimate, pleasant or unpleasant. Regardless of what you may believe, you do not see anything which is really alive and really joyous. That is because you are unaware as yet of any thoughts which are really true and therefore really happy. 

⁹Three or four specific practice periods are recommended and no less than three are required for maximum benefit even if you experience resistance. However, if you do, the length of the practice period may be reduced to less than the minute or so which is otherwise recommended. 

ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections 

 LESSON 17  

This lesson continues to look at the relationship between what you think (cause) and what you see (effect).  The truth is that people, objects, and events outside of ourselves do not cause our perceptions. What we see is determined by our thoughts. What we believe we are seeing and experiencing are the effects of our thoughts. We have a thought and as a result of the thought that is in our mind, we project that thought onto the world of people, situations, things and events and see our thoughts reflected there.  Yet we have forgotten that the cause is in our minds. We think that the world is the cause and we are the effect. And thus we feel like a victim of this world and helpless in the face of events, people and circumstances acting on us.

And so we wonder how did I get here (on this planet)?  How did it happen that I have the parents that I do? Why am I so unhappy? We don't see that it is all our own decision. We truly have come to believe that none of this was our choice and that it is because of events outside of our own power that cause  us to feel and think as we do. This is all a result of our free will whereby we chose the separation from God. But we do not want to take responsibility for that choice so we project our decision to separate, on God and now see Him as abandoning us. It is how we have reversed cause and effect. It is this reversal that forms our belief that the world is acting on us and there is nothing we can do about it. If this was the case, then we truly would be victims of our circumstances. But all of this was set up by the ego to keep us in this illusion. If all the power is with outside events and circumstances then we would indeed be powerless. What if we truly have been wrong as Jesus says we are. "If it were not so, perception would have no cause, and would itself be the cause of reality.  In view of its highly variable nature, this is hardly likely." (1.5-6)In other words, the world of perception would then be real and would be the cause of our experience and there would be nothing we could do about it. We would then be caught in hopelessness. Now the conditions of the world become real, as does suffering and death. When we realize that our minds are the cause then there is something we can do to be released from this hopeless cycle of birth and death. Now  Jesus is telling us that indeed there is a way out if we are willing to admit that we have been wrong. "This is not the way the world thinks, but you must learn that it is the way you think." (1.4)

We have come to trust our way of seeing the world. The perpetrators of our experience are seen "out there." We trust our senses and thus think that what we are seeing and experiencing is the truth.  We may wonder why we are feeling the way we are and start to look for the causes of these feelings. And what do we do? We start to look for things in the world that we believe caused these feelings of anger, depression, sadness or happiness. We blame others for attacking us, betraying us, hurting us, upsetting us etc.  We are convinced that the cause is outside of ourselves and not our own thoughts. And we want to make meaning of the snippets of things that have seemingly happened in our lives and we tell a story that fits our experience. We weave it together is such a way that it seems to make rational sense.

For years I told the story of victimization at the hands of my parents until one day the question that was put to me was "what if I had chosen them?" What if they were absolutely perfect for what I came to this planet to learn? Contemplating this possibility changed everything for me so that now I am very grateful for the events of my life. Increasingly I see that it is my script that serves my highest good. Though often painful to the ego, I can now see that it is all for my awakening when used for this purpose.

Jesus is trying to help us see is that nothing we see or interpret is the truth-NOTHING! We are wrong about everything. But until we are ready to admit that our way does not work no matter how hard we try to get our needs met, and no matter how much we try to avoid pain, it is impossible. And at that point we become motivated to listen to what Jesus is trying to help us see. But it is a process and, not an easy one for us, so we will have many opportunities to help us in this regard.  "Trials are but lessons that you failed to learn presented once again, so where you made a faulty choice before you now can make a better one, and thus escape all pain that what you chose before has brought to you." (T.31.VIII.3.1) That is such an encouraging thought!

We are learning to see that our thoughts are where the power is and not what others do. This is a reversal of how we think now. I find it helpful to think of myself as the director of this play of my life. I wrote the script for these characters in my dream. They are just acting out the script written by me. In my play there are special people that take center stage.   Some I love to hate and others I think I love but they hurt me and betray me and upset me, sometimes fulfilling my needs and other times failing my requirements. They are the most difficult characters in my play. Then there are the irritating minor roles; the inconsiderate clerk in the store; the guy who cut me off in traffic; the person who put graffiti on my wall; you get the picture! But I keep forgetting that I wrote the script. I keep forgetting that these are all my thoughts projected out and reflecting my own thoughts back to me. While I am seeing their actions as independent of my thoughts there is nothing I can do.  I think what I am seeing is a fact because, after all, I see it all with my own eyes and can make a convincing case that this is all exactly the way it is. And every time I do see it that way, I am telling Jesus that he is wrong in what he is saying. I am telling him that I am right about the way I am seeing the situation and furthermore, I have the evidence and am prepared to make my case. Do you see how we do this over and over again every time we justify our feelings of being victimized?

Jesus is telling us that "It is always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe that it is the other way around."  (1.3)And this is the whole basis for forgiveness. To forgive  is to see my own judgments and to take responsibility that what I see in the world is a reflection of my thoughts. Now I have the power to change those thoughts. I can choose to look at my brother as the ego directs which is to judge, attack and see guilt 'out there', or I can choose the Holy Spirit as my Guide and Teacher and first look within at my own condemning thoughts.  While this is empowering it is also difficult. Daily we find ourselves reacting to the external. But we must not judge ourselves for our mistakes. It is just another opportunity to recognize what we have done and to give our judgments to the Holy Spirit. Being mindful as to how we are constantly pushing this teaching away and reacting to the external, will help us to see how much we resist this idea. The ego set it up for us so that we would never change our minds and be stuck in this cycle of sin, guilt and fear through myriads of lifetimes, living at the mercy of a cruel world, suffering and dying with no hope of ever knowing true joy and peace.

Perception is an effect, caused by our own thoughts. Our perception is so variable because our thoughts are so variable. One day we see someone as very difficult and then we change our minds and see that we were wrong in what we saw previously. We can see the "highly variable nature" of our perceptions. (1.6) So we can see the same person through judgment one day or through forgiveness the next and thus it becomes a different picture we see. While perception is highly variable, reality is changeless.

The purpose of the course is to help us to see the sameness in all illusions. Some problems are not bigger than others even though it appears so to us. Until we recognize that all illusions are the same, we find some more difficult than others. They have no meaning except the meaning we give them.  Some we prefer more than others. Some we see as more difficult than others. And just as there is no hierarchy of illusions,  there is no hierarchy when it comes to miracles. The miracle does not regard some illusions more difficult or harder to address than others. "There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not harder or bigger than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal" (Miracle principle 1, Chapter 1)

"Regardless of what you may believe, you do not see anything that is really alive or really joyous. That is because you are unaware as yet of any thought that is really true, and therefore really happy."  (3.2-3) What an amazing statement! It is certainly radical for us to think about because we do think of this experience as our life. But Jesus says    "What you have given "life" is not alive, and symbolizes but your wish to be alive apart from life, alive in death, with death perceived as life, and living, death." (T. 29.II.6.2 )   So we are told in the course that the body does not die because it has never lived.  What the course calls life is what can never die which is our eternal Self. The body and world is the effect of our choice for the ego thought system of sin, guilt and fear, projected out.   Sin is the past, guilt is the present and fear of consequences is the future. Thus, in the ego thought system, suffering, aging and death are part of the reality of time and space.  When we accept this as life, there is nothing we can do about it except live our lives as best we can, avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. But what we are learning in this course, is that suffering and death are the result of our thought system. We will come to know our innocent, eternal Self that can't suffer and die when we learn to identify with the thought system of this teaching rather than with that of the ego.  

So nothing we see is true. Only God's thoughts are true. Only what God created is real. God created perfect love. Nothing real can be threatened (Spirit); nothing unreal exists

(body/form). Reality is everlasting, unchanging and true. Perceptions are temporary interpretations based on our beliefs, past experiences and associations. There is no objective world. There is only One Reality. There is only One Divine Mind and nothing apart from that. We believe we have separated from our Source although this is not possible. What is possible though, is our lack of awareness of that connection. The  belief  we hold, that we have separated from our Source, has brought pain into our minds. Our belief that we have separated from God is the reason for our mountain of guilt and this is what we now project out.

So, more specifically with regard to this lesson, it is about helping us start to see that what we think determines what we see. Recently as we were watching the news Don and I were sharing our perceptions about what was being said. I shared with him my judgment  that one of the candidates for office (in my perception) had views that were dangerous and that I didn't trust him. Don, on the other hand saw him as benign. Who is right? Neither one of us is right. Obviously our perceptions are not objective reality. They are, indeed, only the projections of the guilt in our own minds.   "Nothing beyond yourself can make you fearful or loving, because nothing [is] beyond you. Time and eternity are both in your mind, and will conflict until you perceive time solely as a means to regain eternity. You cannot do this as long as you believe that anything happening to you is caused by factors outside yourself. You must learn that time is solely at your disposal, and that nothing in the world can take this responsibility from you." (T-10.in.1:1-4)

Now for the practice for today, for one minute, (or less if you feel a lot of resistance coming up), three or four times today with eyes open, say "I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts". Then we look about and resting our glance on each thing we note, long enough to say "I do not see a neutral______, because my thoughts about ________are not neutral."

If you find you experience resistance  "the length of the practice period may be reduced to less than the minute or so that is otherwise recommended." What a loving teacher we have who takes us through this process so gently, not asking us to strain. He recognizes that this is challenging for us and that we will have tremendous resistance. He does not wish for us to experience more guilt than we already have. He understands that this idea runs contrary to everything we now believe. So noticing our fear and resistance can be helpful so that we can ask for help with it.

Love and blessings, Sarah 

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Quotes in this article are from Foundation for Inner Peace edition; To locate the same quotes in the 'Original Edition', use this link:  http://www.jcim.net/acim_us/Acim.php    

A Course in Miracles   
TEXT 

Chapter Two

The Illusion of Separation

III. Healing as Release from Fear   

⁵² The emphasis will now be on healing. The miracle is the means, the Atonement is the principle, and healing is the result. Those who speak of "a miracle of healing" are combining two orders of reality inappropriately. Healing is not a miracle. The Atonement or the final miracle is a remedy, while any type of healing is a result. The kind of error to which Atonement is applied is irrelevant. Essentially, all healing is the release from fear. To undertake this, you cannot be fearful yourself. You do not understand healing because of your own fear.

⁵³ A major step in the Atonement plan is to undo error at all levels. Illness, which is really "not-right-mindedness," is the result of level confusion in the sense that it always entails the belief that what is amiss in one level can adversely affect another. We have constantly referred to miracles as the means of correcting level confusion, and all mistakes must be corrected at the level on which they occur. Only the mind is capable of error. The body can act erroneously, but this is only because it is responding to mis-thought. The body cannot create, and the belief that it can, a fundamental error, produces all physical symptoms.

⁵⁴ All physical illness represents a belief in magic. The whole distortion which created magic rests on the belief that there is a creative ability in matter which the mind cannot control. This error can take two forms-it can be believed that the mind can miscreate in the body or that the body can miscreate in the mind. If it is understood that the mind, which is the only level of creation, cannot create beyond itself, neither type of confusion need occur.

⁵⁵  The reason only the mind can create is more obvious than may be immediately apparent. The Soul has been created. The body is a learning device for the mind. Learning devices are not lessons in themselves. Their purpose is merely to facilitate the thinking of the learner. The most that a faulty use of a learning device can do is to fail to facilitate learning. It has no power in itself to introduce actual learning errors.

⁵⁶ The body, if properly understood, shares the invulnerability of the Atonement to two-edged application. This is not because the body is a miracle but because it is not inherently open to misinterpretation. The body is merely a fact in human experience. Its abilities can be and frequently are over-evaluated. However, it is almost impossible to deny its existence. Those who do so are engaging in a particularly unworthy form of denial. The term "unworthy" here implies simply that it is not necessary to protect the mind by denying the unmindful. [There is little doubt that the mind can miscreate.] If one denies this unfortunate aspect of the mind's power, one is also denying the power itself.

⁵⁷ All material means which man accepts as remedies for bodily ills are merely restatements of magic principles. It was the first level of the error to believe that the body created its own illness. It is a second misstep to attempt to heal it through non-creative agents. It does not follow, however, that the use of these very weak corrective devices is evil. Sometimes the illness has a sufficiently great hold over a mind to render a person inaccessible to Atonement. In this case it may be wise to utilize a compromise approach to mind and body, in which something from the outside is temporarily given healing belief.

⁵⁸ This is because the last thing that can help the non-right-minded, or the sick, is an increase in fear. They are already in a fear-weakened state. If they are inappropriately exposed to an "undiluted" miracle, they may be precipitated into panic. This is particularly likely to occur when upside-down perception has induced the belief that miracles are frightening.

⁵⁹ The value of the Atonement does not lie in the manner in which it is expressed. In fact, if it is truly used, it will inevitably be expressed in whatever way is most helpful to the receiver. This means that a miracle, to attain its full efficacy, must be expressed in a language which the recipient can understand without fear. It does not follow by any means that this is the highest level of communication of which he is capable. It does mean, however, that it is the highest level of communication of which he is capable now. The whole aim of the miracle is to raise the level of communication, not to impose regression in the improper sense upon it.

⁶⁰ Before miracle workers are ready to undertake their function in this world, it is essential that they fully understand the fear of release. Otherwise, they may unwittingly foster the belief that release is imprisonment, a belief that is very prevalent. This misperception arose from the underlying misbelief that harm can be limited to the body. This was because of the much greater fear that the mind can hurt itself. Neither error is really meaningful because the miscreations of the mind do not really exist. This recognition is a far better protective device than any form of level confusion because it introduces correction at the level of the error.

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