"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.
Herein Lies the peace of God."
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A
Course in Miracles
TEXT
PAUSED FOR WEEKEND
CHAPTER 29
The Awakening
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.
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A
Course in Miracles
TEXT
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CHAPTER 29
The Awakening
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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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Part II
What is the Second Coming?
1
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 exception and without reserve.
2
It is the 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 one.
3
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 that will extend beyond itself and reaches 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.
4
The Second Coming is the one event in time which time itself cannot 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.
5
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.
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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Lesson 307
Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.
1
Father, Your Will is mine, and only that. There is no other will for me to have. Let me not try to make another will, for it is senseless and will cause me pain. Your Will alone can bring me happiness, and only Yours exists. If I would have what only You can give, I must accept Your Will for me and enter into peace, where conflict is impossible. Your Son is one with You in being and in will, and nothing contradicts the holy truth that I remain as You created me.
2
And with this prayer, we enter silently into a state where conflict cannot come because we join our holy will with God's in recognition that they are but one.
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ACIM Edmonton
Sarah's Reflections
Lesson 307
Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.
Sarah's Commentary:
This Lesson starts off by saying,
"Father, Your Will is mine, and only that.
"
(W.307.1.1) Well, if the truth is that
"There is no other will for me to have,"
(W.307.1.2) how is it we seem to express another will when we choose what we want? Clearly, we have made another will, which Jesus says is precisely what is causing us pain. Indeed, our will never has and never will bring us the peace and happiness we strive for because it is the will of the separate self that came with the decision to separate from love. In that tiny tick of time, fear entered the mind. The Holy Spirit immediately solved the separation, yet we still are holding onto the fear.
The separation was based on a thought system of "one or the other," "kill or be killed." It was me or God. God had to be killed in order for me to exist. This thought system of "one or the other" was taken into the world and it is now a world of competition. It is a decision not to know the holy Self that was created by God. Thus, the will of the separate self brings nothing but pain. How could a will that causes us pain be something that we want to hold onto when our true will is where happiness resides? The thing is, we have no idea that when we pursue what we think will make us happy, it brings pain because it leaves us in a state of separation and thus aloneness. If we believed that this were the case, would we not want to accept our Father's Will where true happiness resides? Would we still want to pursue our own will that only brings suffering?
There is a battle going on because we now hold two thought systems in our mind, which are mutually exclusive. We responded to the Call to know the Self, which is what brought us to this Course. It was a decision to give up the investment in our own will. But there is still a part of the mind that resists this decision. It is the part of the mind that identifies with the ego. While we give the ego power, in reality, it is a "puff of nothingness." It has no power except that which we give it. What seems to be going on now in our mind is an inner battle between our will and that of God's, even though the battle only comes from the ego.
"So does it do constant battle with the Holy Spirit about what your happiness is. It is not a two-way battle. The ego attacks and the Holy Spirit does not respond. He knows what your function is. He knows that it is your happiness."
(W.66.2.2-6)
It seems there is a battle going on in our mind because we want the peace of God, but we also still want to exert our independent control over our lives. We still doubt that we can rely solely on God. We want to make our own decisions because we think we know what will bring us happiness. We still desire to hold onto our personal agenda. We want our demands to be met as we define them. It is the reactive mind that has been conditioned by past learning and we fear letting it go because we believe that it keeps us safe.
Turning our will over to God means trusting in His guidance and depending on Him for all our needs. It reminds me of the Bible verse that says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you." In other words, we can trust that all will be given as needed when our only goal is God. We place our trust for all our needs on God, not on our own efforts. It is all done through us as we give over our way to Him. While fear and resistance still show up, we eventually recognize that our own will has no real power. Yet we are afraid to fully trust the promises made by God. Our part is to notice the fear as it arises and allow it to be transmuted by the Holy Spirit as we turn more and more to Him for guidance. As we go through the process of undoing our way and turning more and more to guidance, resistance increasingly falls away.
A few years ago, when my husband had left me, and I was in a lot of despair, I felt clear guidance to move from my home and community and start anew. The idea of a move brought up a lot of fear, but I decided to act on the guidance and almost immediately the perfect home showed up. It appeared to be such a gift and so perfect that I did not look any further and made an immediate decision to buy it. I trusted that it was given by the Holy Spirit. My husband and I held joint title on the current home which was a potential obstacle to this purchase. I did not have the money to cover the funds needed to make an offer. In spite of these potential obstacles, I was guided to write a check and put in an offer with no conditions. Having done so, the next day tremendous fear came up and I questioned the guidance. Also, my son’s refusal to move, as it was his last year in the high school he attended, it created a lot of trepidation for me.
My realtor heard of my fears and offered to tear up the check and forget the whole thing. I asked him for another twenty-four hours to reflect. I spent the whole night in prayer as fear gripped me and doubt thoughts plagued my mind. I experienced feelings of unworthiness, abandonment, and aloneness. It seemed crazy to go ahead when there was no money to cover the check and no assurance that our other house would sell in sufficient time to meet the conditions. In spite of this, there was a deeper call to trust what seemed to be given. I recognized that this home had shown up perfectly, yet my trust was wavering. However, when morning came, there was a quiet confidence and desire to move forward. I saw the perfection of what had been given. Yes, it felt like a big leap of faith and it was. Despite my lingering trepidation, I told my realtor I was going to go ahead and within seven days our house miraculously sold, with the agreement of my husband! My son was allowed to continue in the previous school district and no additional costs were levied, as was normally the case. There was no loss but only gain to everyone.
I am not suggesting that God is some kind of divine butler, delivering what will keep our egos happy. I look at this situation now as an example of how the form that was given (this home) was just a means for the content of His Love to be experienced by me. It was early in my journey with the Course and I needed this "evidence" to support my wavering faith in the Holy Spirit's presence in my life. Jesus gives us these words:
"The miracles I give are given back in just the form I need to help me with the problems I perceive."
(W.345.1.4) Currently, the house has been given over to a bigger purpose and serves that purpose beautifully. It is being used for gatherings, spiritual movie nights, workshops and occasionally as a place for those needing a temporary stay. It is perfectly situated for this purpose in a way I could never have conceived. The space is perfect, the location is between two freeways, thus easily accessed, and parking is not a problem, even though it is in a neighborhood of many adjoining homes. It is not something I could have ever foreseen had I relied on my own will. Following His Will enables us to fulfill our special function in God's plan for salvation in ways we could never have conceived of on our own.
"The ego believes that all functions belong to it, even though it has no idea what they are."
(T.9.IV.7.2) (ACIM OE T.9.III.15)
With each opportunity to look at our fears, unworthiness, anger, grievances, and whatever the ego throws at us, we can choose to recognize that we don't have to listen to it. It is always wrong about everything. We listen because we want to be in control. Trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit seems frightening because it is stepping into the unknown. We are no longer in control. The ego insists that we are not safe with God, but we need to check this out for ourselves. My experience is that when I let go of my fears and trepidation, based on fear thoughts, a glorious new opportunity opens up. No, it does not always mean everything initially looks rosy. In fact, a lot of unconscious guilt is brought to the surface as was my experience. But the trust has grown with many experiences that reinforce the promise God gives us that we are safe with Him.
God only wants happiness for us.
"If I would have what only You can give
[happiness]
, I must accept Your Will for me."
(W.307.1.5) Conflict is only possible when we listen to our separate will. When we join our holy will with God's and see it is the same,
"conflict cannot come."
(W.307.2.1) Clearly, when we pursue the things we still think we want, and when we are tempted to listen to our fears and act on our grievances, there will be a conflict with what God offers us. We see this when there is conflict in the mind between what we think we want and the pull to join with God's Will. We see it when we hold thoughts in our mind of guilt, sadness, grievances, and judgments. It is particularly evident when there are parts of our lives we try to control on our own. We may, for example, want to maintain control over our investments, our health, exercise, special relationships and literally every area of our lives where we keep God out. It is how the love we are is kept from our awareness. Jesus reminds us that our natural desires are all aligned with God's Will.
We have learned to live with conflict. We see the conflict when we want to hold onto a grievance and justify it, and yet we also want to join with our brother and have peace. Conflict can only be resolved when we recognize how much we hurt ourselves when we stubbornly hang onto our positions. Willingness to join with God's Will is the bridge to truth. Notice how much reluctance there is in doing this at times. Notice the thoughts that hold you back. Notice the temptation to stay in hell. Notice the conflict in your mind and how you keep yourself from peace when you hold onto your own will and your own way.
Jesus tells us that we do not know what we want, and what we think we want can never bring us peace and happiness.
"Therefore ask not of yourself what you need, for you do not know, and your advice to yourself will hurt you. For what you think you need will merely serve to tighten up your world against the light, and render you unwilling to question the value that this world can really hold for you."
(T.13.VII.11) (ACIM OE T.12.VII.69)
We think we have made ourselves, yet the Course reminds us to say over and over,
"I am not a body, I am free. For I am still as God created me."
(W.PI.RVI.3.3-5) We can't change what we are in our creation. We are not the authors of our lives---God is. We have made a substitute self, an image, an untrue will that has no foundation, yet we put a lot of energy into defending this image. All our needs, our lacks, and our desire to be important, to be admired, to be liked, to have approval, to get attention, to be listened to, to be acknowledged, and to be wanted and loved are about having others see us as special. With God, there is a solid foundation of security and invulnerability in knowing who we are. Our real Will, which is of God, is unlimited love. Everything else is just a substitute. As Lesson 331 says, we have made a plan for our damnation, yet we have a certain way that is given us to experience release. How much do we want it?
Clearly, we will never be happy as long as we are in conflict. The end of this conflict is the acceptance of the unity of our will with God’s. In the holy instant, we join in the One Will, and every time we experience resistance and conflict, we recognize that we have chosen wrongly. We now have a beautiful opportunity to look at what we are thinking and believing that is incorrect and be willing to stay with those thoughts and recognize that we don't need to believe them. They are thoughts that are trying to pull us into the chasm, but we don't have to agree to go there. Help is always available to dissolve the thoughts that do not serve us and shift our perception to the truth of who we are.
"And with this prayer we enter silently into a state where conflict cannot come, because we join our holy will with God's, in recognition that they are the same."
(W.307.2.1)
Love and blessings, Sarah
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