DAILY LESSON

 

L e s s o n  30

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¹The idea for today is the springboard for vision. From this idea will the world open up before you, and you will look upon it and see in it what you have never seen before. Nor will what you saw before be even faintly visible to you. 

²Today we are trying to use the new kind of projection. We are not attempting to get rid of what we do not like by seeing it outside. Instead, we are trying to see in the world what is in our minds, and what we want to recognize is there. Thus we are trying to join with what we see, rather than keeping it apart from us. That is the fundamental difference between vision and the way you see. 

³Today's idea should be applied as often as possible throughout the day. Whenever you have a moment or so, repeat it to yourself slowly, looking about you and trying to realize that the idea applies to everything you do see now or could see now if it were within the range of your sight. 

⁴Real vision is not limited to concepts such as "near" and "far." To help you begin to get used to this idea, try to think of things beyond your present range as well as those you can actually see, as you apply today's idea. Real vision is not only unlimited by space and distance, but it does not depend on the body's eyes at all. The mind is its only source. 

⁵To aid in helping you to become more accustomed to this idea as well, devote several practice periods to applying today's idea with your eyes closed, using whatever subjects come to mind and looking within rather than without. Today's idea applies equally to both. 

ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections 

 LESSON 30

Through these lessons we are learning a kind of seeing that does not come from looking at the world with one's eyesight but instead seeing with vision. In fact, this lesson says that the idea today is a "springboard to vision." (1.1)It is an important lesson as, "from this idea will the world open up before you, and you will look upon it and see in it what you have never seen before."  (1.2)So if God is in everything I see because God is in my mind, then vision must come from getting in touch with the love of God that is in my mind.  From this will come a new kind of seeing which is not about the eyes at all. It is about the love of God,  extending through us. Thus one could expect that with vision, there would be no judgment because it is judgment that blocks vision. With vision our perception of everyone and everything would reflect innocence and holiness.

In fact it is "a new kind of 'projection " (2.1) because rather than projecting the guilt that is in our minds based on our judgments, love is projected (i.e. extended) through us. When we hold onto judgment against ourselves, it is very painful. So we project it on others and now we don't recognize that our minds are the cause of everything we see 'out there.'  The ego has counseled that we can project our guilt on others and thus get rid of it. The reality is, that that is precisely how we keep the guilt. So what we project on others we actually maintain in our own minds. We think we are getting rid of it but it is only being concealed.

Now Jesus is talking about a new kind of projection which later he calls extension. And this is what vision leads us to. It is about looking within and, through forgiveness, connecting with the love that we are which is then extended and seen all around us. It can only come through us when the guilt, that is in our own minds, is brought forth for healing. There is no other way to connect with the love that is in us. To try to be loving, while holding onto our guilt, is an ego ploy. The ego does not know how to love. To put on a loving mantle, which covers over the guilt, is simply to do a spiritual bypass. To get to the light within, we must go through the darkness. We must do the forgiveness work of bringing our dark, judgmental thoughts to the light.  Then the light and the love that is in our minds, which is currently hidden by our guilt, is seen everywhere. When we are in touch with the love that we are, it is extended through us to everyone and everything. So with projection we are "attempting to get rid of what we do not like by seeing it outside," (2.1)while with extension we connect with the love that we are and see it all around us, even in situations that are cloaked in pain and fear, where the call for love is heard by the Love that is in us.

But because of our investment in the separation,we still resist the truth.We project our guilt on others because we want to see them separate from us. "We are trying to see in the world what is in our minds, and what we want to recognize is there." (2.3)Vision sees that we are all the same.With vision, we can truly join with our brothers. Our interests are now seen to be the same.  "Thus, we are trying to join with what we see, rather than keeping it apart from us.   That is the fundamental difference between vision and the way you see." (2.4-5)Again, the way we see now is to keep everything separate from ourselves but with vision we experience joining with all that is rather than keeping ourselves separate and apart. We see our interests as the same with everyone which reflects our inherent oneness.

What is it that we want? Do we want to see a world of separation? If we do, then seeing our brother guilty is how we maintain the separation and the differences that we want to maintain. When we project our guilt on others it is so that we can make them responsible for our condition. That is the basis for all of our stories of victim-hood. When we choose with the Holy Spirit then we are saying that we want to connect with the love that we are and thus see it in everyone. Alternatively, we can see the call for love in them when they exhibit distressed behavior. It all starts with what we want. It all starts with our choice for the ego or the Holy Spirit in each situation. It all starts with our thoughts.

Now Jesus takes this a step further by saying that "Real vision is not limited to concepts such as "near" and "far," (4.1)nor is it limited by space and distance and "does not depend on the body's eyes at all."  (5.1) Vision depends on joining with the love within. It is actually a state of mind. Mind is the source and seeing is the effect. Or another way to say it is that mind is the cause and the world we see is the effect. "To aid in helping you to become more accustomed to this idea as well, devote several practice periods to applying today's idea with your eyes closed, using whatever subjects come to mind, and looking within rather than without.   Today's idea applies equally to both." (5.3-4)Again what we see out there is simply a projection of our thoughts. It all starts in our own minds. And then we can 'see' that there is nothing out there.  Whether we see it within ourselves or what looks to be outside, it is all the same.

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 Three

Retraining the Mind

V. Perception versus Knowledge 

³⁰ We have been emphasizing perception and have said very little about cognition as yet because you are confused about the difference between them. The reason we have dealt so little with cognition is because you must get your perceptions straightened out before you can know anything. To know is to be certain. Uncertainty merely means that you do not know. Knowledge is power because it is certain, and certainty is strength. Perception is merely temporary. It is an attribute of the space-time belief and is therefore subject to fear or love. Misperceptions produce fear, and true perceptions produce love. Neither produces certainty because all perception varies. That is why it is not knowledge.

³¹ True perception is the basis for knowledge, but knowing is the affirmation of truth. All your difficulties ultimately stem from the fact that you do not recognize or know yourselves, each other, or God. To recognize means to "know again," implying that you knew before. You can see in many ways because perception involves different interpretations, and this means that it is not whole. The miracle is a way of perceiving, not of knowing. It is the right answer to a question, and you do not ask questions at all when you know.

³² Questioning illusions is the first step in undoing them. The miracle, or the "right answer," corrects them. Since perceptions change, their dependence on time is obvious. They are subject to transitory states, and this necessarily implies variability. How you perceive at any given time determines what you do, and action must occur in time. Knowledge is timeless because certainty is not questionable. You know when you have ceased to ask questions.

³³ The questioning mind perceives itself in time and therefore looks for future answers. The unquestioning mind is closed because it believes the future and present will be the same. This establishes an unchanged state or stasis. It is usually an attempt to counteract an underlying fear that the future will be worse than the present, and this fear inhibits the tendency to question at all.

³⁴ Visions are the natural perception of the Spiritual eye, but they are still corrections. The Spiritual eye is symbolic and therefore not a device for knowing. It is, however, a means of right perception, which brings it into the proper domain of the miracle. Properly speaking, "a vision of God" is a miracle rather than a revelation. The fact that perception is involved at all removes the experience from the realm of knowledge. That is why visions do not last.

³⁵ The Bible instructs you to "know yourself" or be certain. Certainty is always of God. When you love someone, you have perceived him as he is, and this makes it possible for you to know him. However, it is not until you recognize him that you can know him. While you ask questions about God, you are clearly implying that you do not know Him. Certainty does not require action. When you say that you are acting on the basis of knowledge, you are really confusing perception and cognition. Knowledge brings the mental strength for creative thinking but not for right doing. Perception, miracles, and doing are closely related. Knowledge is the result of revelation and induces only thought. Perception involves the body, even in its most spiritualized form. Knowledge comes from the altar within and is timeless because it is certain. To perceive the truth is not the same as knowing it.

³⁶ If you attack error in one another, you will hurt yourself. You cannot recognize each other when you attack. Attack is always made on a stranger. You are making him a stranger by misperceiving him so that you cannot know him. It is because you have made him a stranger that you are afraid of him. Perceive him correctly so that you can know him. Right perception is necessary before God can communicate directly to His own altars which He has established in His Sons. There He can communicate His certainty, and His knowledge will bring peace without question.

³⁷ God is not a stranger to His Sons, and His Sons are not strangers to each other. Knowledge preceded both perception and time and will ultimately replace them. That is the real meaning of the Biblical description of God as "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End." It also explains the quotation, "Before Abraham was I am." Perception can and must be stabilized, but knowledge is stable. "Fear God and keep His commandments" should read "Know God and accept His certainty." There are no strangers in His creation. To create as He created, you can create only what you know and accept as yours. God knows His Children with perfect certainty. He created them by knowing them. He recognized them perfectly. When they do not recognize each other, they do not recognize Him.

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