"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.
Herein Lies the peace of God."
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A Course in Miracles
TEXT
CHAPTER 2
The Illusion of Separation
PAUSED FOR WEEKEND
III. Healing as Release from Fear
continued
61 It is essential to remember that
only the mind can create. Implicit in this is the corollary that correction belongs at the
thought level. To repeat an earlier statement and to extend it somewhat, the Soul is already perfect and therefore does not require correction. The body does not really exist except as a learning device for the mind. This learning device is
not subject to errors of its own because it was created but is
not creating. It should be obvious, then, that correcting the creator or inducing it to give up its miscreations is the only application of creative ability which is truly meaningful.
62 Magic is essentially mindless or the miscreative use of the mind. Physical medications are forms of "spells." Those who are afraid to use the mind to heal should not attempt to do so. The very fact that they are
afraid has made them vulnerable to miscreation. They are therefore likely to misunderstand any healing they might induce and, because egocentricity and fear usually occur together, may be unable to accept the real Source of the healing. Under these conditions, it is safer for them to rely
temporarily on physical healing devices because they cannot misperceive them as their own creations. As long as their sense of vulnerability persists, they should be preserved from even attempting miracles.
63 We have already said that the miracle is an expression of miracle-mindedness. Miracle-mindedness merely means right-mindedness in the sense that we are now using it. The right-minded neither exalt nor depreciate the mind of the miracle worker
or the miracle receiver. However, as a creative act, the miracle need not await the right-mindedness of the receiver. In fact, its purpose is to
restore him to his right mind. It is essential, however, that the miracle
worker be in his right mind or he will be unable to reestablish right-mindedness in someone else.
64 The healer who relies on his
own readiness is endangering his understanding. He is perfectly safe as long as he is completely unconcerned about
his readiness but maintains a consistent trust in
mine. If your miracle working propensities are not functioning properly, it is
always because fear has intruded on your right-mindedness and has literally upset it (or turned it upside-down). All forms of not-right-mindedness are the result of refusal to accept the Atonement
for yourself. If the miracle worker
does accept it, he places himself in a position to recognize that those who need to be healed are simply those who have not realized that right-mindedness
is healing.
65 The
sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself. This means that he recognizes that mind is the only creative level and that its errors
are healed by the Atonement. Once he accepts this, his mind can
only heal. By denying his mind any destructive potential and reinstating its purely constructive powers, he has placed himself in a position where he can undo the level confusion of others. The message he then gives to others is the truth that
their minds are similarly constructive and that
their miscreations cannot hurt them. By affirming this, the miracle worker releases the mind from over-evaluating its own learning device (the body) and restores the mind to its true position as the learner.
66 It should be emphasized again that the body does not learn any more than it creates. As a learning device, it merely follows the learner, but if it is falsely endowed with self-initiative, it becomes a serious obstruction to the very learning it should facilitate.
Only the mind is capable of illumination. The Soul is already illuminated, and the body in itself is too dense. The mind, however, can bring
its illumination
to the body by recognizing that density is the opposite of intelligence and therefore unamenable to independent learning. It is, however, easily brought into alignment with a mind which has learned to look beyond density toward light.
67 Corrective learning always begins with the awakening of the Spiritual eye and the turning away from the belief in physical sight. The reason this so often entails fear is because man is afraid of what his Spiritual eye will see. We said before that the Spiritual eye cannot see error and is capable only of looking beyond it to the defense of Atonement. There is no doubt that the Spiritual eye
does produce extreme discomfort by what it sees. Yet what man forgets is that the discomfort is
not the final outcome of its perception. When the Spiritual eye is permitted to look upon the defilement of the altar, it also looks
immediately toward the Atonement.
68
Nothing the Spiritual eye perceives can induce fear.
Everything that results from accurate spiritual awareness is merely channelized toward correction. Discomfort is aroused only to bring the
need for correction forcibly into awareness. What the physical eye sees is
not corrective nor can it be corrected by
any device which can be seen physically. As long as a man believes in what his physical sight tells him,
all his corrective behavior will be misdirected. The
real vision is obscured because man cannot endure to see his own defiled altar. But since the altar
has been defiled, his state becomes doubly dangerous unless it
is perceived.
69 The fear of healing arises, in the end, from an unwillingness to accept the unequivocal fact that healing is necessary. Man is not willing to look on what he has done
to himself. Healing is an ability lent to man after the separation, before which it was completely unnecessary. Like all aspects of the space-time belief, healing ability is temporary. However, as long as time persists, healing is needed as a means for human protection. This is because healing rests on charity, and charity is a way of perceiving the perfection of another even if he cannot perceive it himself.
70 Most of the loftier concepts of which man is capable now are time-dependent. Charity is really a weaker reflection of a much more powerful love-encompassment which is
far beyond any form of charity that man can conceive of as yet. Charity is essential to right-mindedness in the limited sense in which right-mindedness can now be attained. Charity is a way of looking at another
as if he had already gone far beyond his actual accomplishments in time. Since his own thinking is faulty, he cannot see the Atonement for himself or he would have no need for charity. The charity which is accorded him is both an acknowledgment that he
is weak and a recognition that he
could be stronger.
71 The way in which both of these perceptions are stated clearly implies their dependence on time, making it quite apparent that charity lies within the human limitations, though toward its higher levels. We said before that only revelation transcends time. The miracle, as an expression of true human charity, can only shorten time at most. It must be understood, however, that whenever a man offers a miracle to another, he is shortening the suffering of
both. This introduces a correction into the whole record which corrects retroactively as well as progressively.
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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Introduction Part I
I. Introduction
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Lesson 20
I am determined to see.
1 We have been quite casual about our practice periods thus far. There has been virtually no attempt to direct the time for undertaking them, minimal effort has been required, and not even active cooperation and interest have been asked. This casual approach has been intentional and very carefully planned. We have not lost sight of the crucial importance of the reversal of your thinking. The salvation of the world depends on it. Yet you will not see if you regard yourself as being coerced and if you give in to resentment and opposition.
2 This is our first attempt to introduce structure. Do not misconstrue it as an effort to exert force or pressure. You want salvation. You want to be happy. You want peace. You do not have them now because your mind is totally undisciplined, and you cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and fear. You are now learning how to tell them apart. And great indeed will be your reward.
3 Your decision to see is all that vision requires. What you want is yours. Do not mistake the little effort that is asked of you for a sign that our goal is of little worth. Can the salvation of the world be a trivial purpose? And can the world be saved if you are not? God has one Son, and he is the resurrection and the life. His will is done because all power is given him in Heaven and on earth. In your determination to see is vision given you.
4 The exercises for today consist in reminding yourselves throughout the day that you want to see. Today's idea also tacitly implies the recognition that you do not see now. Therefore, as you repeat the idea, you are stating that you are determined to change your present state for a better one, and one you really want.
5 Repeat today's idea slowly and positively at least twice an hour today, attempting to do so every half hour. Do not be distressed if you forget to do so, but make a real effort to remember. The extra repetitions should be applied to any situation, person, or event which upsets you. You can see them differently, and you will. What you desire, you will see. Such is the real law of cause and effect as it operates in the world.
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ACIM Edmonton
Sarah's Reflections
Lesson 20
I am determined to see.
How determined am I to see? What is my reluctance about? To see is to have vision, which means we let go of judgment. Judgment is what keeps our specialness in place. It is what keeps us feeling superior, different, and separate. It is what keeps us invested in thinking we know. I was watching the news about the captain of the cruise ship who was being vilified for leaving his passengers aboard as he made his escape. How easy these kinds of situations are for us to judge, but judgment costs us vision. It costs us our peace, our joy, and our happiness. We don't see the connection between holding onto judgment and loss of peace and happiness, but Jesus is showing us what we can't see. He is motivating us to learn what he is teaching so the pain of guilt we experience can be seen for what it is.
When we come to the place where we begin to recognize that something is missing in our lives, we become more willing to let go of what we think we know and open to the messages given us to practice in these Lessons. We may have achieved our dreams and goals in the world, but we may still lack fulfillment. Perhaps we came to the Course because nothing we have tried has worked. It does not matter what the reason is. What matters is that now we are willing to see where this path leads us. In other words, we are developing some trust that perhaps where Jesus is leading us is a better place than where our lives have taken us up to now. We still have a lot of resistance, though, which is why Jesus is so gentle with us. He says that he does not want to coerce or convince us. He only wants to show us how unhappy we are and show us the way that can bring us to consistent peace and joy. No, we may not yet be convinced, but we may be more willing to see what he has in store for us.
Some of us have been spiritual seekers for a long time and have gone through a variety of paths and teachings in seeking enlightenment. In spite of this desire for awakening, we come up against fear and resistance. This may include the times when we try to do the Lessons regularly, but we "forget." We drag our feet about doing the practice. We actively rebel against the thoughts put forward. We get sleepy or hungry when we try to do the reading. There are many ways the ego keeps us distracted.
"Yet your willingness to learn of Him depends on your willingness to question everything you learned of yourself, for you who learned amiss should not be your own teacher."
(T.11.VIII.3.8) (ACIM OE T.10.VIII.76) Later in this section, he says,
"You may complain that this course is not sufficiently specific for you to understand and use. Yet perhaps you have not done what it specifically advocates. This is not a course in the play of ideas, but in their practical application."
(T.11.VIII.5.1-3) (ACIM OE T.10.VIII.80)
We want to be right about our perceptions, and we still want to put the blame on others for our circumstances. We think we know what our needs and requirements are for our own happiness. There are times when we ask for guidance, but often, we rely on our own decisions. We still look outside of ourselves for the fulfillment of our needs. We say we want happiness and peace of mind, but we have defined how that should look. We try to get our needs met through our special relationships, requiring others to do our bidding. We are very defended against looking at our part and our responsibility for everything that seems to happen to us. Jesus asks us to look at how invested we are in not wanting to see. This requires that we get very honest with ourselves since these are the blocks the Course continually talks about that keep us from the love we say we want.
"Your decision to see is all that vision requires. What you want is yours."
(W.20.3.1‑2) We want other things besides our awakening. The ego is still very much at the forefront, and our minds resist structure. We do not like being told what to do, even though Jesus guides us gently in this process. He never forces us in any way and never coerces our practice. It is all up to us.
You will notice that in the first nineteen Lessons he has been so careful not to push us in our practice but simply to invite our participation. Now he tells us that what we really want is to spend time with God because we want to be happy. If we regard ourselves as being coerced, the resistance will show up as
"resentment and opposition."
(W.20.1.6) That is why the workbook approaches structure with great care and caution.
"This is our first attempt to introduce structure."
(W.20. 2.1) However,
"Do not misconstrue it as an effort to exert force or pressure."
(W.20.2.2) He reminds us that this isn't about making us do something against our will, but indeed, it is about our will to be happy. He knows that getting aligned with God's Will is the only way we could ever be happy because our true will is God’s Will. Jesus knows, just as we increasingly see for ourselves, that our idea of happiness has never worked except perhaps intermittently. He says our moments of happiness are indistinguishable from pain.
How this looks is that we may feel great pleasure at getting a new job, new car, new relationship, coming into lots of money, going off on a wonderful trip, or any number of things the world defines as pleasure. Yet this Lesson says that we really can't distinguish between
"joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and fear."
(W.20.2.6) This certainly makes us take notice. I think I do know the difference, but in the illusion, Jesus reminds us that there is no hierarchy of differences. All illusion is about fear. All illusion is just our way of keeping ourselves from the truth. It is one big distraction the ego has set up to keep us in the dark and give us small scraps of apparent happiness. In an ever-changing, shifting pattern of events, we try desperately to manage but mostly feel at the mercy of events that are not in our control. If we really believed that through the application of this teaching we would experience total release from fear and real joy, it would certainly enhance our motivation to want to see.
We are being encouraged to appreciate that there is great reward in doing this mind training. All that is required is our
"decision to see."
(W.20.3.1) He will do the rest. The effort asked of us is really minimal, as we are just being gently encouraged to do the practice only as long as we don't experience strain. How much do you want the result? The goal is indeed awesome. It is about our salvation. It is about restoring our true power to our awareness. It is about waking up from this dream state. It is about the determination to have vision restored to us.
"Can the salvation of the world be a trivial purpose? And can the world be saved if you are not? God has one Son, and he is the resurrection and the life. His will is done because all power is given him in Heaven and on earth. In your determination to see is vision given you."
(W.20.3.4-8) Jesus wants us to understand that while he was identified as the one Son of God, we are the same as him. We can do whatever he could do. We are the resurrection and the life. All power is given unto us. We can't even change that about ourselves. We can only be unaware that this is so. When vision is restored to us through our practice of these teachings, our awareness of this power will return to our minds. The world is not external to our minds, and therefore, all Jesus is talking about here is that the world is seen differently when our thoughts are changed about it.
The practice requirements now increase. We are now repeating the idea at least twice an hour, attempting to do so every half hour. At the end of the day, we can see how this went. While we are encouraged to make a real effort to remember, we are asked not to kick ourselves if we don't.
We can be firm with ourselves in practicing these Lessons, yet gentle. There is no benefit in crucifying ourselves. That is just another ego ploy to increase our guilt. If you forget, pick up on it again without berating yourself. Just notice that you are forgetting and that your determination is not yet strong.
Let's look at the practice instructions. We repeat the idea
"slowly and positively,"
(W.20.5.1) remembering that we are determined to exchange our present state for one we really want. This is not just about saying the words but letting them really take on a powerful meaning and affirming that this will bring about our happiness. We are asked to make a real effort to remember. How do we do that? Remembering this Lesson every half hour will take commitment. Think about what will help you to remember, but whatever you do, don't make yourself guilty and upset if you miss doing the practice. Just notice your resistance and start again.
"Do not be distressed if you forget to do so, but make a real effort to remember."
(W.20.5.2)
Whenever you are tempted to get upset with any person, situation, or event in your day, you can apply this Lesson. Any judgment you make about anything or anyone can change if you are willing to look at your judgment and let it go. When any situation is seen with vision, we see only a call for love and understanding. I noticed my judgment last night when I watched the movie
Atonement
, where a 13-year-old girl sees something she misunderstands, tells a lie, and destroys all possibility of happiness in three lives, including her own. Her lie has devastating results, and it is easy to want to judge her and think events such as this, that lead to such devastating results, are unforgivable. This was exacerbated as she had full knowledge of what she did. We want to see guilt "out there." I am reminded that we are not responsible for the error in the mind, but we are responsible for the Correction. To accept Atonement for myself is to be willing to take responsibility for my judgments and give them over to the Holy Spirit.
"What you desire you will see. Such is the real law of cause and effect as it operates in the world."
(W.20.5.5-6) In other words, when I judge, it is because I want to see someone guilty. The cause is in my mind. I see in the world what I choose to see because I still want to see guilt outside of my own mind.
Thus, we are asked to use every opportunity to watch our minds and remind ourselves today,
"I am determined to see.
" (W.20)
Love and blessings, Sarah
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