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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 29 "THE AWAKENING"
IV. GOD'S WITNESSES
22 You cannot wake yourself. Yet you can let yourself be wakened. You can overlook your brother's dreams. So perfectly can you forgive him his illusions, he becomes your savior from your dreams. And as you see him shining in the space of light where God abides within the darkness, you will see that God Himself is where his body is. Before this light the body disappears, as heavy shadows must give way to light. The darkness cannot choose that it remain. The coming of the light means it is gone. In glory will you see your brother then and understand what really fills the gap so long perceived as keeping you apart.
CHAPTER 29 IV-V, 20-30
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
DAILY LESSON
WHAT IS THE SECOND COMING?
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
Christ's Second Coming, which is sure as God,
is merely the correction of mistakes
and the return of sanity. It is
a part of the condition which restores
the never-lost, and re-establishes
what is forever and forever true.
It is the invitation to God's Word
to take illusion's place; the willingness
to let forgiveness rest upon all things
without exceptions and without reserve.
It is this all-inclusive nature of
Christ's Second Coming that permits it to
embrace the world, and hold you safe within
its gentle advent, which encompasses
all living things with you. There is no end
to the release the Second Coming brings,
as God's creation must be limitless.
Forgiveness lights the Second Coming's way
because it shines on everyone as well.
*And thus is oneness recognized at last.
*this line is not in Notes
The Second Coming ends the lessons which
the Holy Spirit teaches, making way
for the Last Judgment, in which learning ends
in one last summary which will extend
beyond itself, and reaching up to God.
The Second Coming is the time in which
all minds are given to the hands of Christ,
to be returned to Spirit in the Name
of true creation and the Will of God.
The Second Coming is the one event
in time which time itself can not affect.
For everyone who ever came to die,
or yet will come or who is present now,
is equally released from what he made.
In this equality is Christ restored
as one Identity, in Which all Sons
of God acknowledge that they all are one.
And God the Father smiles upon His Son,
His one creation and His only joy.
Pray that this Second Coming will be soon,
but do not rest with that. It needs your eyes
and ears and hands and feet. It needs your voice,
and most of all it needs your willingness.
Let us rejoice that we can do God's Will,
and join together in Its holy light.
Behold, the Son of God is one in us,
and we can reach our Father's Love through him.
~ Original Hand Script
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
DAILY LESSON
L e s s o n 304
Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
I can obscure my holy sight, if I
intrude my world upon it. Nor can I
behold the holy sights Christ looks upon,
unless it is His vision that I use.
Perception is a mirror, not a fact.
And what I look on is my state of mind
reflected outward. I would bless the world
by looking on it through the eyes of Christ.
And I will look upon the certain signs
that all my sins have been forgiven me.
You lead me from the darkness to the light;
from sin to holiness. Let me forgive,
and thus receive salvation for the world.
It is Your gift, my Father, given me
to offer to Your holy Son, that he
may find again the memory of You,
and of Your Son as You created him.
~ Original Handscript of ACIM
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ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections
LESSON 304
Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.
Sarah's Commentary:
"Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ."
(W.304) This Lesson can be translated throughout the day to include specifics such as, "Let not this situation, this event, this feeling, this self-concept, this belief, this opinion, or this thought obscure the sight of Christ." This covers a lot of ground with what constitutes our world. We ask today: "Holy Spirit, please help me not to let my thoughts about this situation keep me from the love I am. I am willing to be wrong about the way I see this person or event. I am willing to be wrong about everything I believe or think about. Basically, I am willing to be wrong about anything unlike love that comes up in my awareness and obscures the sight of Christ, including everything in this illusory world of attack and separation."
The question is, "Do I want to hold onto my thoughts and my version of events or do I want everything in my life to be used for the purpose of awakening?" Purpose is everything! If my purpose is to know the Christ Self, then everything that shows up can be used for that purpose. There is nothing good or bad, right or wrong, that is happening. There are no bad days and good days. Everything is helpful when used for the purpose of awakening to what we are. Jesus does not coerce us to accept what he is teaching. He simply shows us the consequences of our thoughts and beliefs and invites us to look at how we bring needless suffering into our lives. He shows us how we can come to a realization of who we are so we can experience the joy and peace that lies beyond our limited thinking mind.
While we can take as long as we want, he continues to urge us to choose to do the forgiveness work and asks us to think about, "How long, O Son of God, will you maintain the game of sin?" (W.PII.Q4.What is Sin?5.1) It is up to us. We are not being coerced. As he says, "You are free to determine who shall be your guest, and how long he shall remain with you." (T.11.II.7.3) (ACIM OE T.10.III.22) In other words, we invite our guest to be the ego or the Holy Spirit in each moment; it is up to us.
Undoing everything that obscures Christ's vision must become our goal if we want to know who we are. When we tune into the voice of the ego, we are basically only concerned with ourselves. We see ourselves as the center of our world, using others to get our needs met. When we recognize that "The ego rewards fidelity to it with pain, for faith in it is pain," (T.13.IX.2.3) (ACIM OE T.13.III.12) our allegiance to it will diminish. That is why Jesus goes to great lengths to demonstrate how our belief in attack returns that attack to us. In other words, we are always hurting ourselves when we judge and attack others. When we want someone else to receive their just desserts, we are actually asking this for ourselves. Every attack thought held in our minds attracts what we don't want. "And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward." (W.304.1.4)
What we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and think with our brains makes the illusion seem real and solid. That is precisely what the senses were made to do. That is how the ego set it up, so we would never choose against it. It all starts with our thoughts. If we hold a belief in lack, we will experience lack in our lives. The evidence for it will be seen as our not having enough. Our allegiance to our beliefs prolongs our suffering. Can a Son of God, who has everything, be lacking? The ego is committed to this world of pain and misery, even though small pleasures are thrown in here and there; but, ultimately, it is a world of suffering. All pleasures are temporary and always end in pain.
When our thoughts and perceptions are healed, everything about our world will change. Difficult situations and difficult people will just fall away. The things that seemed problematic to us before no longer matter because we see everything differently. Now we see that the seeming attacks directed our way are just a call for love. That call is simply a brother, who asks that we see who he really is beyond the seemingly attacking behaviors. To see in this way is to see with the eyes of Christ. It is to see with vision, instead of judgment.
In the Introduction to Chapter 21, we are reminded, "Projection makes perception. The world you see is what you gave it, nothing more than that. But though it is no more than that, it is not less. Therefore, to you it is important. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition. As a man thinketh, so does he perceive. Therefore, seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world." (T.21.IN.1.1-7) (ACIM OE T.21.In.1)
The world reflects what is in our mind. "Perception is a mirror, not a fact." (W.304.1.3) When we see through the eyes of Christ, we give only blessing to everyone and everything in the world. This is true perception, which is to see everything through the eyes of love and to overlook everything that is not the truth. To see the world through the eyes of Christ is to see everything as a reflection of truth. As we bring all our judgments and all our misperceptions to the Holy Spirit, He reinterprets them. We no longer see the world as a projection of our judgmental thoughts, our fears, our attacks, our false empathy, and our needs, but instead, we see the world as a reflection of the love in us.
This Lesson reminds us that forgiveness is the means to coming home to the Self. As we bring our mistaken perceptions to the Holy Spirit, we are being led from sin to holiness. It is a step-by-step process, but it has already been accomplished because the Atonement Principle assures us that we cannot and have not changed ourselves. In essence, blessings go out from our holy nature when the blocks to the awareness of love's presence are dissipated by the Holy Spirit, Who already knows that these blocks do not exist and have no substance. "And I will look upon the certain signs that all my sins have been forgiven me." (W.304.1.6) Thus, as our misperception of the world is healed, it will be reflected back to us as a forgiven world in which there is only love or a call for love. "By their fruits ye shall know them, and they shall know themselves." (T.9.V.9.6) (ACIM OE T.9.IV.30) When we make space for the blessing to shine through us, we receive it in that same instant. Thus, we come to know our own holiness, which is such a gift! Guilt is replaced with innocence, and we feel the holy presence in us, which is our true nature.
Sin is described in the Course as a lack of love, the home of illusions, insanity, and a game with no substance. Yet Jesus makes it clear that there is no sin. All that is needed for us to see this is that we must let our minds be changed. We have forgotten who we are. As we bring our dark secrets, our shame, and our guilt to the Holy Spirit and willingly release the thoughts of this world that obscure the sight of Christ, awareness of the truth of who we are, as the holy Child of God, returns. Now truth is reflected in everything we see.
This takes us to the end of the journey, which is the experience of the Second Coming and the total undoing of the dream. "Forgiveness lights the Second Coming's way, because it shines on everything as one. And thus is oneness recognized at last." (W.PII.Q9.What is the Second Coming?2.3) The means to this awakening is through forgiveness. "Let me forgive, and thus receive salvation for the world." (W.304.2.2) When I hold onto a grievance against a brother, I am really saying, "I don't want to go home. I'd rather stay angry with my brother." "Every attack is a step away from this, [peace] and every healing thought brings it closer." (T.11.II.1.2) (ACIM OE T.10.III.16)
Thus, we extend peace to our brothers by bringing all our grievances to the Holy Spirit for reinterpretation, so we might see them with the eyes of Christ. When we see the sameness of all brothers, it is a reflection of the Oneness we are. Differences affirm separation. Forgiveness leads us from the darkness to the light and from sin to holiness. We can become a spotless mirror in the world where only love is reflected through our Being. The return of Christ is the return to the One Mind that is all there is. The return of Jesus is not an event within time and space, but a realization, outside of this dream, that we all share the same Self.
Today, let nothing in your world obscure the sight of Christ by being willing to bring to the feet of truth all doubt thoughts, all worries, all plans, all concerns, and all thoughts that keep you prisoner to the world. Do not deny your thoughts and feelings or try to distract from them or do anything to mitigate them. Be with them by being willing to look at the beliefs that are there and the story around them, which is never the truth.
Today, we look past all illusion and affirm the truth of who we are, as perfect, whole, and complete ---as created by God. Today, I look at my mind and see distress about a situation where I feel wrongly accused. I affirm that I will not let his situation obscure the sight of Christ. I am willing to rest the story and release the feelings that I am experiencing about this person so I can receive salvation for the world. "It needs your eyes and ears and hands and feet. It needs your voice. And most of all it needs your willingness." (W.PII.Q9.5.2-4)
My wrong perception obscures the Christ in me. What I see is only my perception, which is a mirror of my own thoughts and never a fact. The ego argues this point vehemently, but if we stubbornly side with it, we keep ourselves in our self-made hell. We have a way out, and the way out is to look at our thoughts and feelings honestly, take responsibility for them, and be willing to turn them over to the Holy Spirit. Hanging onto them keeps us from experiencing the miracle and keeps us from the peace that we say we want.
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Chapter Twenty Nine
The Awakening
CHAPTER 29 IV-V, 20-30
Voice and Music by Martin Weber, CIMS SonShip Radio
IV. God's Witnesses
20 Condemn your savior not because he thinks he is a body. For beyond his dreams is his reality. But he must learn he is a savior first, before he can remember what he is. And he must save who would be saved. On saving you depends his happiness. For who is savior but the one who
gives salvation? Thus he learns it must be his to give. Unless he gives, he will not know he has, for giving is the
proof of having. Only those who think that God is lessened by their strength could fail to understand this must be so. For who
could give unless he has, and who could lose by giving what must be
increased thereby?
21 Think you the Father lost Himself when He created you? Was He made weak because He shared His love? Was He made incomplete by your perfection? Or are you the
proof that He is perfect and complete? Deny Him not His witness in the dream His Son prefers to his reality. He must be savior
from the dream he made, that he be free of it. He must see someone else as
not a body, one with him, without the wall the world has built to keep apart all living things who know not that they live. Within the dream of bodies and of death is yet one theme of truth---no more, perhaps, than just a tiny spark, a space of light created in the dark, where God still shines.
22 You cannot wake yourself. Yet you can
let yourself be wakened. You can overlook your brother's dreams. So perfectly can you forgive him his illusions, he becomes your savior from your dreams. And as you see him shining in the space of light where God abides within the darkness, you will see that God Himself is where his body is. Before this light the body disappears, as heavy shadows must give way to light. The darkness cannot choose that it remain. The coming of the light
means it is gone. In glory will you see your brother then and understand what
really fills the gap so long perceived as keeping you apart.
23 There, in its place, God's Witness has set forth the gentle way of kindness to God's Son. Whom you forgive is given power to forgive you your illusions. By your gift of freedom is it given unto you. Make way for love, which you did not create, but which you
can extend. On earth this means forgive your brother, that the darkness may be lifted from your mind. When light has come to him through your forgiveness, he will not forget his savior, leaving him unsaved. For it was in
your face he saw the light that he would keep beside him as he walks through darkness to the everlasting light.
24 How holy are you, that the Son of God can be your savior in the midst of dreams of desolation and disaster. See how eagerly he comes and steps aside from heavy shadows that have hidden him and shines on you in gratitude and love. He is himself, but not himself alone. And as his Father lost not part of Him in your creation, so the light in him is brighter still because you gave your light to him to save him from the dark. And now the light in you must be as bright as shines in him. This is the spark that shines within the dream---that you can help him waken and be sure his waking eyes will rest on you. And in his glad salvation,
you are saved.
V. Dream Roles
25 Do you believe that truth can be but
some illusions? They are dreams
because they are not true. Their equal lack of truth becomes the basis for the miracle, which means that you have understood that dreams are dreams and that escape depends not on the dream, but only on awaking. Could it be some dreams are kept and others wakened from? The choice is not between which dreams to keep, but only if you want to live in dreams or to awaken from them. Thus it is the miracle does not select some dreams to leave untouched by its beneficence. You cannot dream some dreams and wake from some, for you are either sleeping or awake. And dreaming goes with only one of these.
26 The dreams you think you like would hold you back as much as those in which the fear is seen. For
every dream is but a dream of fear, no matter what the form it seems to take. The fear is seen within, without, or both. Or it can be disguised in pleasant form. But never is it absent from the dream, for fear is the material of dreams from which they all are made. Their form can change, but they cannot be made of something else. The miracle were treacherous indeed if it allowed you still to be afraid because you did not
recognize the fear. You would not then be willing to awake, for which the miracle prepares the way.
27 In simplest form it can be said attack is a response to function unfulfilled as
you perceive the function. It can be in you or someone else, but where it is perceived, it will be there it is attacked. Depression or assault must be the theme of every dream, for they are made of fear. The thin disguise of pleasure and of joy in which they may be wrapped but slightly veils the heavy lump of fear which is their core. And it is
this the miracle perceives, and not the wrappings in which it is bound.
28 When you are angry, is it not because someone has failed to fill the function
you allotted him? And does not this become the "reason" your attack is justified? The dreams you think you like are those in which the functions you have given have been filled, the needs which you ascribe to you are met. It does not matter if they be fulfilled or merely wanted. It is the idea that they
exist from which the fears arise. Dreams are not wanted more or less. They are desired or not. And each one represents some function which you have assigned, some goal which an event, or body, or a thing
should represent and
should achieve for you. If it succeeds, you think you like the dream. If it should fail, you think the dream is sad. But whether it succeeds or fails is not its core but just the flimsy covering.
29 How happy would your dreams become if you were
not the one who gave the "proper" role to every figure which the dream contains. No one can fail but your
idea of him, and there is no betrayal
but of this. The core of dreams the Holy Spirit gives is
never one of fear. The coverings may not appear to change, but what they mean
has changed because they cover something else. Perceptions are determined by their purpose in that they seem to
be what they are
for. A shadow figure who attacks becomes a brother giving you a chance to help if this becomes the function of the dream. And dreams of sadness thus are turned to joy.
30 What
is your brother for? You do not know because
your function is obscure to you. Do not ascribe a role to him which you imagine would bring happiness to you. And do not try to hurt him when he fails to take the part which you assigned to him in what you dream your life was meant to be. He asks for help in every dream he has, and you have help to give him if you see the function of the dream as He perceives its function, Who can utilize all dreams as means to serve the function given Him. Because He loves the dreamer not the dream, each dream becomes an offering of love. For at its center is His love for you, which lights whatever form it takes with love.
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