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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 7 "THE CONSISTENCY OF THE KINGDOM"
IX. THE DEFENSE OF CONFLICT
90 The whole purpose of this course is to teach you that the ego is unbelievable and will forever be unbelievable. You who made the ego by believing the unbelievable cannot make this judgment alone. By accepting the Atonement for yourself, you are deciding against the belief that you can be alone, thus dispelling the idea of separation and affirming your true identification with the whole Kingdom as literally part of you. This identification is as beyond doubt as it is beyond belief. Your wholeness has no limits because being is in infinity.
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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 81 ~ Review II
[Review Lesson 61 and Lesson 62]
<
AUDIO
><VIDEO>
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
1 Our ideas for review today are:
[61] I am the light of the world.
2 How holy am I, who have been given the function of lighting up the world! Let me be still before my holiness. In its calm light, let all my conflicts disappear. In its peace, let me remember who I am.
3 Some specific forms for applying the idea when specific difficulties seem to arise might be:
4
Let me not obscure the light of the world in me.
Let the light of the world shine through this appearance.
This shadow will vanish before the light.
[62] Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
5 It is through accepting my function that I will see the light in me. And in this light will my function stand clear and perfectly unambiguous before my sight. My acceptance does not depend on my recognizing what my function is, for I do not yet understand forgiveness. Yet I will trust that in the light I will see it as it is.
6 Specific forms for using the idea might include:
7
Let this help me learn what forgiveness means.
Let me not separate my function from my will.
I would not use this for an alien purpose
.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections
LESSON 81
Review II ~ Lesson 61 and Lesson 62
Sarah's Commentary:
Now we review the Lessons of the last twenty days. This time, we do one Lesson, "I am the light of the world," (W.61) in the morning and the next Lesson, "Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world," (W.62) in the afternoon. The focus of the review is to read the thoughts over slowly for three or four minutes, then close your eyes and listen "quietly but attentively." (W.PartI.ReviewII.IN.3.1) We are asked to be confident that we will hear. Set your intention and determination to succeed in hearing the message that is waiting for you. "Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams." (W.PI.RII.IN.4.4) We are also asked to, "Regard these practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth and the life. Refuse to be sidetracked into detours, illusions and thoughts of death." (W.PI.RII.IN.5.1-2) Each day we focus on our function of forgiveness.
Finally, he reminds us in our review of the comments that follow each idea for the day, "It is not the particular words you use that matter." (W.PI.RII.6.4) This is important in that we are not trying to be good students who do what the teacher asks of us to the letter of the law. There are no tests to pass, and ritualistic study is not helpful. It is all about our devotion, dedication, and sincerity in how we approach these lessons. Our focus now is all about purpose.
Jesus says, "It [the resurrection] is the relinquishment of all other purposes, all other interests, all other wishes and all other concerns." (M.28.1.9) This means it is important to clear away anything that distracts us from our purpose to know our Christ Self. Desire and devotion are what is important. If our desires are still for the things of this world, our attention will not be focused. So, to the extent we can, we recognize the importance of what we are doing and just keep our focus fixed on our goal of awakening. I recently read an account by a friend who said this process was like churning butter. It seems that in the process of churning, nothing is happening, but you keep doing the churning and one day all of a sudden you have butter.
In the morning, I remind myself, "I am the light of the world." (W.61) This is what I want to demonstrate so everyone I encounter is made happier by my presence. The light can only shine through me when I am willing to see my blocks to love, take responsibility for them, and bring them forward for healing. In the Prayer of St. Francis, we read, "Make me a vessel of your peace; where there is darkness, let me bring light." Our own darkness keeps the light away. The light is always there behind our dark ego thoughts. The light shines through us when we focus daily on our function of forgiveness. It is our only reason to be here. "How holy am I, who has been given the function of lighting up the world!" (W.81.1.2) Then, "Let me be still before my holiness." (W.81.1.3) It is like coming before a vision of a great spiritual being, yet it is our own holiness we come before with a sense of humility and receptiveness. This holiness shines its calm light and brings a deep peace within our own minds, where all conflicts we hold in the mind disappear. From that place of truth within, we become a radiant reflection of God's Love in the world.
We are given, "Some specific forms for applying this idea when difficulties seem to arise. . ." (W.81.2.1) When difficulties arise, we often give them a lot of power, and this keeps us in hell. Yet we have been given a remedy here. We willingly bring our perceptions of darkness to the truth where they are shined away. Our interpretations of the situation will always be wrong and driven by the ego, but we are reminded they cannot obscure the light in us. They have no power when we choose the truth. Difficulties are illusions, and thus they are nothing unless we make them into something.
For the latter part of the day, we focus on the second Lesson, "Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world." (W.62) "It is through accepting my function that I will see the light in me." (W.81.3.2) Only by bringing illusions to the truth can we experience the light in our minds consistently. If we get distressed about anything today, we are reminded that every distress is just another opportunity to forgive. The world is our classroom to help us remember who we are. We can only do that when we bring the darkness in our minds to the light of truth. "Realize that, whatever form such [distracting] thoughts may take, they have no meaning and no power." (W.PI.RII.IN.4.2) We are asked to replace our distracting thoughts with our determination to succeed. The power of our minds is aligned with God's power. "Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams." (W.PI.RII.IN 4.4) It is not our own power but the power of truth within us. Every irritation, every frustration, and every distraction is just another opportunity to forgive.
Although I do not understand forgiveness, "Yet I will trust that, in the light, I will see it as it is." (W.81.3.5) Meanwhile, we just need to look at every difficult situation in our lives, and let each one teach us what forgiveness is. We just keep doing the practice laid out in these lessons, and the light will dawn on our mind more and more. We don't really get forgiveness as described in the course because we think it means overlooking something real that someone has actually done or that we have done. We do not yet recognize that nothing real has happened, and we are only applying forgiveness to our own misperceptions of what we see and experience. When we experience the light and fully understand forgiveness based on the recognition that nothing is outside of our own minds, we will have made great progress in our awakening.
Jesus reminds us, "You are still convinced that your understanding is a powerful contribution to the truth, and makes it what it is. Yet we have emphasized that you need understand nothing." (T.18.IV.7.5-6) (ACIM OE T.18.V.39) He reminds us that not only do we not need to understand, but our attempts to do so can actually get in the way. "Salvation is easy just because it asks nothing you cannot give right now." (T.18.IV.7) (ACIM OE T.18.V.39) What we can give right now is our acceptance and appreciation of every event and circumstance in our lives as another opportunity to learn how to forgive. It is also to accept that nothing is outside of our own minds. The world is a witness to what is going on in us.
I was doing this Lesson some time ago when a situation came up that really brought this home for me. I got up very early for an appointment with the dentist, which I was really happy about as I was anxious to get the final stages of dental work done after having fallen and broken several teeth. I had gone through a long and arduous, not to mention expensive, process to get all the work done and was at my final appointment to have the temporary teeth replaced with implants; and this would conclude a seemingly long and difficult journey. It would have been like an anniversary, as I had fallen in April, three years prior. I got to the office but was kept waiting, which was very unusual. I started to sense something was wrong, and I was finally told that the implants were not ready. Furthermore, I was told that I could not get another appointment until late May!
There was no explanation as to what the problem was nor why the delay. As the frustration arose in me, I remembered the Lesson, "Let me recognize my problems have been solved." (W.80) It did not feel that way at the moment, yet I was willing to accept that I was giving this situation my interpretation, and I really did not know what it was for. The chatter continued in my mind and anger arose at having had to get up so early, driving all the way downtown, paying for parking, and feeling very inconvenienced. I kept asking for help to see it another way, to just accept the situation and to let it go. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me see everything in the light of love and to extend that thought through me with whomever I might encounter in my day.
Having missed breakfast, I decided to go to a diner. I ordered breakfast and chatted with a lovely server and started to read Chapter 8 III (ACIM OE T.8.IV) "The Holy Encounter." Shortly after ordering breakfast, a couple walked in whom I had not seen for perhaps 15 years or so. They are two practicing psychologists whom I dearly love. They wanted to know what I was doing these days. I mentioned the Course and the "Power of Clearing" sessions I do, and they wanted to know more and asked for my phone number so we could connect. It was a lovely encounter that I would have missed if my implants had been ready. I reminded myself of the many times I chose to stay in distress rather than choose to forgive and apply the Lesson immediately when I seemed to encounter difficulties. I wondered what the meaning of this encounter was and its importance, but I recognized I had no idea. Everything is in His hands. I don't need to try to figure it out. I just recognized the perfection of it all and my joy at having the opportunity to meet once again with my friends.
In every situation, we can choose to remember who we are and what our function is in this world. These are the kinds of events that give us the opportunities we need to practice remembering the truth and to enhance our motivation. What situations or difficulties do you face today that could be transformed in the light of truth? What expectations do you need to release in order to experience peace?
It is good to pick a time of day when you plan to start the second Review Lesson, or you might find the day just slips by and you haven't given it the attention it requires. We continue with the process we have been using in our practice periods so far where we take a longer practice period twice a day. Now we will be focusing one of our longer practice periods on the morning Lesson and the second one in the afternoon. Watch how your days go during this review period. Notice how often you forget, which is an indication of how much resistance there is in the mind, but don't judge yourself when you do forget. It is just another opportunity to notice your fear of awakening.
Love and blessings, Sarah
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Chapter Seven
The Consistency of the Kingdom
<TEXT AUDIO>
Voice and Music by Martin Weber, CIMS SonShip Radio
IX. The Defense of Conflict
82 We once said that without projection there can be no anger, but it is also true that without projection there can be no love. Projection is a fundamental law of the mind and therefore one which
always operates. It is the law by which you create and were created. It is the law which unifies the Kingdom and keeps it in the Mind of God. To the ego, the law is perceived as a way of getting
rid of something it does
not want. To the Holy Spirit, it is the fundamental law of sharing by which you
give what you value in order to keep it in your
own mind.
83 Projection, to the Holy Spirit, is the law of extension. To the ego, it is the law of deprivation. It therefore produces abundance or scarcity, depending on how you choose to apply it. This choice
is up to you, but it is
not up to you to decide whether or not you will
utilize projection. Every mind
must project because that is how it lives, and every mind
is life. The ego's use of projection must be fully understood before its inevitable association between projection and anger can be finally undone.
84 The ego
always tries to preserve conflict. It is very ingenious in devising ways which
seem to diminish conflict because it does
not want you to find conflict so intolerable that you will
insist on giving it up. Therefore, the ego tries to persuade you that
it can free you of conflict, lest you give the
ego up and free
yourself. The ego, using its own warped version of the laws of God, utilizes the power of the mind
only to defeat the mind's real purpose. It projects conflict
from your mind to
other minds in an attempt to persuade you that you have gotten
rid of it. This has several fallacies which may not be so apparent.
85 Strictly speaking, conflict cannot
be projected precisely
because it cannot be fully shared. Any attempt to keep
part of it and get rid of another part does not really mean
anything. Remember that a conflicted teacher is a poor teacher
and a poor learner. His lessons are confused, and their transfer value is severely limited
by his confusion. A second fallacy is the idea that you can get
rid of something you do not want by giving it away.
Giving it is how you
keep it. The belief that by giving it
out you have excluded it from
within is a complete distortion of the power of extension.
86 That is why those who project from the ego are vigilant for their
own safety. They
are afraid that their projections will return and hurt them. They
do believe they have blotted their projections from their
own minds, but they also believe their projections are trying to creep back
into them. That is because the projections have
not left their minds, and this in turn forces them to engage in compulsive activity in order
not to recognize this. You
cannot perpetuate an illusion about another
without perpetuating it about yourself. There is no way out of this because it is
impossible to fragment the mind.
87 To fragment is to break into pieces, and mind
cannot attack or
be attacked. The belief that it
can, a fallacy which the ego
always makes, underlies its whole use of projection. It does not understand what mind
is and therefore does not understand what
you are. Yet its existence is dependent on your mind because the ego
is your belief. The ego is therefore a confusion in identification which never had a consistent model and never developed consistently. It is the distorted product of the misapplication of the laws of God by distorted minds which are misusing their own power.
88
Do not be afraid of the ego. It
does depend on your mind and, as you made it by believing in it, so you can dispel it by withdrawing belief
from it. Do not project the responsibility for your belief in it onto anyone
else, or you will
preserve the belief. When you are willing to accept sole responsibility for the ego's existence
yourself, you will have laid aside all anger and all attack because they
come from an attempt to project responsibility for your
own errors. But having
accepted the errors as yours,
do not keep them. Give them over quickly to the Holy Spirit to be undone completely so that
all their effects will vanish from your minds and from the Sonship
as a whole.
89 The Holy Spirit will teach you to perceive
beyond belief because truth
is beyond belief, and His perception
is true. The ego can be completely forgotten at
any time because it was always a belief that is totally incredible. No one can
keep a belief he has judged to be unbelievable. The more you learn about the ego, the more you realize that it cannot
be believed. The incredible cannot be understood because it
is unbelievable. The utter meaninglessness of all perception that comes from the unbelievable must be apparent, but it is not
recognized as beyond belief because it was made
by belief.
90 The whole purpose of this course is to teach you that the ego is unbelievable and will forever
be unbelievable. You who made the ego by believing the unbelievable cannot make this judgment alone. By accepting the Atonement for
yourself, you are deciding against the belief that you can
be alone, thus dispelling the idea of separation and affirming your true identification with the whole Kingdom as literally
part of you. This identification is as beyond doubt as it is beyond belief. Your wholeness has no limits because being is in infinity.
~ Original Hand Script of ACIM
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