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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 8 "THE JOURNEY BACK"
VI. THE POWER OF JOINT DECISION
51 The journey to God is merely the reawakening of the knowledge of where you are always and what you are forever. It is a journey without distance to a goal that has never changed. Truth can only be experienced. It cannot be described, and it cannot be explained. I can make you aware of the conditions of truth, but the experience is of God. Together we can meet its conditions, but truth will dawn upon you of itself.
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
WORKBOOK Part I ~ REVIEW II
INTRODUCTION
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
1 We are now ready for another review. We will begin where our last review left off and cover two ideas each day. The earlier part of each day will be devoted to one of these ideas, and the latter part of the day to the other. We will have one longer exercise period and frequent shorter ones in which we practice each of them.
2 The longer practice periods will follow this general form: take about 15 minutes for each of them, and begin by thinking about the idea and the comments which are included in the assignments. Devote about three or four minutes to reading them over slowly, several times if you wish, and then close your eyes and listen. Repeat the first phase if you find your mind wandering, but try to spend the major part of the practice period listening quietly but attentively.
3 There is a message waiting for you. Be confident that you will receive it. Remember that it belongs to you and that you want it. Do not allow your intent to waver in the face of distracting thoughts. Realize that, whatever form they take, they have no meaning and no power. Replace them with your determination to succeed. Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams. Trust it to see you through and carry you beyond them all.
4 Regard these practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth, and the life. Refuse to be side-tracked into detours, illusions, and thoughts of death. You are dedicated to salvation. Be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
5 Reaffirm your determination in the shorter practice periods as well, using the original form of the idea for general application and a more specific form when needed. Some specific forms will be included in the comments. These, however, are merely suggestions. It is not the particular words you use that matter.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
DAILY LESSONS
L e s s o n 89 ~ Review II
[Review Lesson 77 and Lesson 78]
<
AUDIO
><VIDEO>
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
1 These are our review ideas for today:
[77] I am entitled to miracles.
2 I am entitled to miracles because I am under no laws but God's. His laws release me from all grievances and replace them with miracles. And I would accept the miracles in place of the grievances, which are but illusions that hide the miracles beyond. Now I would accept only what the laws of God entitle me to have that I may use it on behalf of the function He has given me.
3 You might use these suggestions for specific applications of this idea:
4
Behind this is a miracle to which I am entitled.
Let me not hold a grievance against you [name],
but offer you the miracle that belongs to you instead.
Seen truly, this offers me a miracle.
[78] Let miracles replace all grievances.
5 By this idea do I unite my will with the Holy Spirit's and perceive them as one. By this idea do I accept my release from hell. By this idea do I express my willingness to have all my illusions be replaced with truth according to God's plan for my salvation. I would make no exceptions and no substitutes. I want all of Heaven and only Heaven, as God wills me to have.
6 Useful specific forms for applying this idea would be:
7
I would not hold this grievance apart from my salvation.
Let our grievances be replaced by miracles, [name].
Beyond this is the miracle by which all my grievances are replaced.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections
LESSON 89
Review II ~ Lesson 77 and Lesson 78
Sarah's Commentary:
The Lesson for the morning, "I am entitled to miracles," (W.89.1.1) affirms our entitlement to be released from all grievances because of who we are as a Son of God. It dismisses our belief that we deserve to be punished. Regardless of how we see ourselves, we can't change the truth of who we are, and that is certainly a relief. All that can happen is to become unaware of the truth of what we are.
The Atonement Principle is our assurance that the separation never happened, although we experience it as if it had. However, God's law is unchangeable. We remain as we were created. If this is the case, the things I think I have said and done that seemed to have an effect on me have not actually happened. I cannot hurt and cannot be hurt. This is the case because the world is an illusion.
Everything I have held against anyone is just what I secretly hold against myself in order to keep the separation going. What we do is project our unhealed thoughts and self-attacks that are in our minds. Projection makes perception. It is an outside picture of our inward condition. Grievances draw a veil across the face of Christ, and they hide the miracles. We hold onto grievances because we are ultimately afraid of connecting to the love in our minds. In other words, we have a deep fear of intimacy, so we keep a distance from each other, and this is the same distance we have with God. The fear is not as much of the love, as it is of the god the ego has made, for it is a god of retribution whose punishment we fear.
Grievances come in many forms, and they show up: when our expectations are not met, when we become disappointed in people, when difficult events show up in our lives, when we try to alter things we think we want and need, and when our focus is on seeking pleasure. The stories we tell of our betrayals, disappointments, and difficulties constitute our lives. Our grievances are all about complaints, regrets, frustrations, disappointments, and losses. Why do we hold onto them? Isn't it because we feel they define us? Isn't there something we get to be right about? Isn't there some kind of payoff we get from holding onto our perspectives? Of course, the biggest payoff is that we keep our separated self. "Where the attraction of guilt holds sway, peace is not wanted." (T.19.IV.B.1.2) (ACIM OE T.19.V.b.59)
We are invested in the illusion and actually afraid of love, and that is precisely why we choose to hold onto our stories. Grievances don't just come to us. We choose them and hold onto them because we want others to be responsible for how we feel. We don't want the responsibility for seemingly leaving God. We want to make others responsible for our misery. We are only miserable because of our decision to hold onto our separate, unique selves, and we do that by holding onto our suffering. We still value what the world has to offer, even if that offering is nothing but more suffering and misery disguised as hope that the world has something to offer us that we think we still want.
Actually, at the bottom of our existence in this illusory world is pure, unequivocal goodness, innocence, and joy. To discover this truth is a blessing of grace. It is grace because there is nothing we have to do to achieve wisdom, miracles, and ultimately the truth about ourselves. Grace is a direct experience of divine presence. It is always available to us but requires surrender. We need to relax our control over our lives. We cannot add anything to the truth, improve on the light of God, nor do we need to improve ourselves. We just need to undo the blocks to love. In order to recognize these eternal moments of grace where the miracle shines through, we can't be caught up in our issues. The miracle is available to us now. Enlightenment is not a goal we need to reach. As Adyashanti says, it is not some kind of finish line we need to cross in order to accomplish something.
The simple moment of letting a grievance be replaced by the miracle is the moment of awakening to the wisdom of our authentic Self. It is not complicated to observe our minds on a daily basis so that we can bring the judgments and grievances to the Holy Spirit to be released. We can't heal what we don't acknowledge in ourselves, but when we look at our guilt through the loving, gentle eyes of Jesus, we can smile at its unreality. Yet we must want the peace more than we want to be right about our perceptions.
If we really, truly, and completely believed that any grievance we held kept us from miracles, would we hold them regardless of the perceived attack on us by others? Think of the power unleashed whenever we forgive. The power of God brings us miracles. We are worthy and thus deserving of miracles. Attack makes us feel like we are unworthy of them, that we don't deserve God's love, and that we are not entitled to miracles. Removing ourselves from God's love by erecting a wall of grievances that block His love from our awareness simply hurts us. Why would we want to continue to do that to ourselves?
Very often I find myself stubbornly hanging onto my point of view, my self-righteous position, and my judgments of others. What does this do? It puts me in hell. It accentuates my guilt and fear. It keeps me separate and in fear of punishment. I am actively choosing to be in a state of darkness rather than opening up to God's love, which is the current that turns on our light so it can be extended to everyone. We have a function given to us in this world, which is to allow God's love to shine through us as we extend it and offer miracles. The way to experience this is by forgiving what stands in the way.
Our grievances are the basis for our stories and our dramas, which keep us from knowing our reality. We can let these stories be dissolved in God's healing love. When we hold expectations of how others must be, we are judging them for not living up to our expectations. Now we can turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to look at the grievance with us and give us His interpretation of how to see the situation. When we are willing to release our justifications for how we feel and recognize that holding grievances will not make us happy, we can know the love and peace that is our inheritance. Do I want to be right about the way I see this situation, or am I willing to accept His help so I can be happy?
Now, instead of judging and attacking, we release our judgments by bringing them to light. We are helped by Jesus/Holy Spirit to see "others" as part of our One Self. When we are willing to overlook their errors, we see that they are pure light and innocence, just as we are. We embrace them in the truth of who they are, no different from ourselves. We express deep gratitude for our brothers and the gifts they bring. That is how grievances are replaced by miracles.
If we remembered this in every moment, we would experience peace; but our peace is not consistent yet, which is why we are in this classroom. Our saviors are everywhere to help us see what is in our own minds where healing is needed. What is required is our willingness and our desire to take responsibility for what is in our wrong minds that we are projecting onto others. We must be willing to admit that what we see is incorrect and only the Holy Spirit's interpretation, not ours, is correct. Insisting that we are right has not brought us peace and joy. Now we must become willing to see that our will is the same as God's Will "and perceive them as one." (W.89.3.2) This is our "release from hell." (W.89.3.3) This is enacted in the world when we see our interests the same as our brothers'. As we join with our brothers, it is a reflection of our One Will that is the same as God's. Our release from hell is through our relationships with our brothers.
Today, we are asked to take up our function as channels for miracles. Bring to mind people in your life you have grievances against. Say to them in your mind, "Let our grievances be replaced by miracles, [name]." (W.89.4.3) This is a statement of our willingness to acknowledge that how we are seeing a brother is wrong. Bring a difficult situation to mind where you are experiencing struggles in your life, something that feels ugly or hopeless, and say, "Behind this is a miracle to which I am entitled." (W.89.2.2) Miraculous transformation is possible in any situation.
Be willing to make no exceptions, and hold onto nothing that is a substitute for the eternal. Know that it is all available to you as you release your grievances. "I want all of Heaven and only Heaven, as God wills me to have." (W.89.3.6) Make this Lesson a personal statement by reading it all in the first person. Bring your desire and intent to it. It is about valuing the gift of Heaven more than valuing the wants and demands of our personal self. It is not about doing anything, trying to change ourselves, nor make ourselves more loving. We are not needed to improve on truth, light, and love.
It is through the day-to-day practice of recognizing "By this idea do I accept my release from hell" (W.89.3.3) that we affirm our own ideas are wrong. Our ideas are conditioned by the learning of the world. We must recognize our need for learning. In order to learn, we are basically unlearning all we have previously held as true. When we clearly and firmly embrace what Jesus is telling us, it opens us to the awesome power within. That is what this teaching offers us daily.
Love and blessings, Sarah
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Chapter Eight
The Journey Back
<TEXT AUDIO>
Voice and Music by Martin Weber, CIMS SonShip Radio
VI. The Power of Joint Decision
42
We are the joint will of the Sonship, whose wholeness is for all. We begin the journey back by setting out
together and gather in our brothers as we
continue together. Every gain in our strength is offered for all, so they too can lay aside their weakness and add their strength to us. God's welcome waits for us all, and He will welcome us as I am welcoming you. Forget not the Kingdom of God for anything the world has to offer. The world can add nothing to the power and the glory of God and His holy Sons, but it
can blind the Sons to the Father if they behold it. You cannot behold the world and know God. Only one is true.
43 I am come to tell you that the choice of which is true is not yours. If it were, you would have destroyed yourselves. Yet God did not will the destruction of His creations, having created them for eternity. His Will has saved you, not from yourselves, but from your
illusions of yourselves. He has saved you
for yourselves. Let us glorify Him whom the world denies, for over His Kingdom, it has no power. No one created by God can find joy in anything
except the eternal. That is not because he is deprived of anything else, but because nothing else is
worthy of him. What God and His Sons create
is eternal, and in this and this only is their joy.
44 Listen to the story of the prodigal son, and learn what God's treasure is and
yours: This son of a loving father left his home and thought he squandered everything for nothing of any value, although he did not know its worthlessness at the time. He was ashamed to return to his father because he thought he had hurt him. Yet when he came home, the father welcomed him with joy because only the son himself
was his father's treasure. He
wanted nothing else.
45 God wants only His Son because His Son is His only treasure. You want
your creations as He wants
His. Your creations are your gift to the Holy Trinity, created in gratitude for
your creation. They do not leave you, any more than you have left
your Creator, but they
extend your creation as God extended Himself to
you. Can the creations of God Himself take joy in what is not real? And what
is real except the creations of God and those which are created like His?
Your creations love you as your Soul loves your Father for the gift of creation. There
is no other gift which is eternal, and therefore there is no other gift which is
true.
46 How, then, can you
accept anything else or
give anything else and expect joy in return? And what else but joy would you
want? You made neither yourself nor your function. You made only the
decision to be unworthy of both. Yet you could not make
yourself unworthy because you are the treasure of God. What
He values
is valuable. There can
be no question of its worth because its value lies in God's sharing Himself with it and
establishing its value forever.
47
Your function is to add to God's treasure by creating
yours. His Will
to you is His Will
for you. He would not withhold creation from you because
His joy is in it. You cannot find joy
except as God does.
His joy lay in creating
you, and He extends His Fatherhood to you so that you can extend yourself as He did. You do not understand this because you do not understand
Him. No one who does not know his function can understand it, and no one
can know his function unless he knows who he
is. Creation is the Will of God. His Will created you to create. Your will was not created separate from His, and so it wills as
He wills.
48 An "unwilling will" does not mean anything, being a contradiction in terms which actually leaves nothing. When you
think you are unwilling to will with God,
you are not thinking. God's Will
is thought. It cannot be contradicted
by thought. God does not contradict
Himself, and His Sons, who are like Him, cannot contradict themselves
or Him. Yet their thought is so powerful that they can even imprison the minds of God's Sons
if they so choose. This choice
does make the Son's function unknown to
him, but
never to his Creator. And
because it is not unknown to his Creator, it is forever knowable to him.
49 There is no question but one you should ever ask of yourself- "Do I
want to know my Father's Will for me?"
He will not hide it. He has revealed it to me because I asked it of Him and learned of what He had already given. Our function is to function together because
apart from each other we cannot function at all. The whole power of God's Son lies in all of us, but not in any of us alone. God would not have us be alone because
He does not will to be alone. That is why He created His Son and gave him the power to create with Him.
50 Our creations are as holy as we are, and we are the Sons of God Himself and therefore as holy as He is. Through our creations, we extend our love and thus increase the joy of the Holy Trinity. You do not understand this for a very simple reason. You who are God's own treasure do not regard yourselves as valuable. Given this belief, you cannot understand
anything. I share with God the knowledge of the value
He puts upon you. My devotion to you is of Him, being born of my knowledge of myself
and Him. We cannot
be separated. Whom God has joined cannot be separated, and God has joined all His Sons with Himself. Can you be separated from your life and your being?
51 The journey to God is merely the reawakening of the knowledge of
where you are always and
what you are forever. It is a journey without distance to a goal that has never changed. Truth can only be
experienced. It cannot be described, and it cannot be explained. I can make you aware of the
conditions of truth, but the experience is of God. Together we can meet its conditions, but truth will dawn upon you of itself.
52 What God has willed for you
is yours. He has given His Will to His treasure, whose treasure it is. Your heart lies where your treasure is, as His does. You who are beloved of God are wholly blessed. Learn this of me, and free the holy will of all those who are as blessed as
you are.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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