TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: The text is taken from the JCIM edition <now referred to as the original edition>of A Course In Miracles.  The Course is a Miracle in itself, and I have so much appreciation for Helen Schucman's ability to hear and express His Voice with such supreme beauty.
 
I have not changed the Course text at all, except as it is interspersed with Jesus' current Guidance on it.
 
The Course text is in bold face and slightly larger font.  The Guidance is in normal type, slightly smaller.
 
In His Guidance here, He has asked Me to capitalize the pronouns You and We as an acknowledgement of the Divinity of All of Us, an acknowledgement of Equality, an expression of His Love and respect for You.   When You see the word 'You'  capitalized in the Guidance, know that He is not just speaking to You, He is honoring You.  

22. Miracles are associated with fear only because of the fallacious belief that darkness can HIDE.

May 26, 2006 

Why would anyone be afraid of a miracle?  And what does that mean, the "belief that darkness can hide"?   Well, if You thought You were an ego - and egos are dissipated by the Light - the very Presence of Love - of God - then the Light would be a frightening thing, promising extinction.

May 28, 2006 

It is well to remember - when contemplating the ego - that it has only one 'function' - and that one only serves itself.  The function of the ego is to survive - to keep its self going - not You. 

In fact, the ego will willingly - and often does kill You off, rather than have You awaken to realize its uselessness.  Be alert to this.  As I said two thousand years ago: "If (You) keep My saying, (You) will never see death." (John, Gospel of; chapter 8, verse 51.) 

Therefore, the ego loves darkness, the thicker the better - where Light is far away.  This accounts for the popularity - and increase - of depression in the human condition, as more Truth penetrates consciousness.  Depression serves the ego well, and it is only of the ego.  Do you understand that?  There is no Divine basis for depression at all. 

Man believes that what he cannot see does not exist, and his physical eyes cannot see in the dark.Indeed, You do believe that what You are blind to does not exist.  Why is that?  Because You have allowed the ego to be 'You' - what You call You.  You have hidden Who You Are out there in the Light - as the Light - while You huddle in the deep cave of ego-dom, blind as a bat because your eyes have become unaccustomed to Light.

This is a very primitive solution, and has led to a denial of the Spiritual eye. *To say that this is a primitive solution is charitable.  It is a very childish, immature way of being, to shut one's eyes to good, while at the same time complaining about the darkness.  The solution, of course, is to take one's petty little ego mind off one's self and to think about how one can extend some needed Love to others. 

The escape from darkness involves two stages:

The recognition that darkness CANNOT hide. This step usually entails fear. 

In other words, that You can realize what You are doing - and do differently.  The extreme self-concentrated thinking that You have been engaging can suddenly become repugnant to You.  (Remember, You are the very Presence of Love - of God - despite the game You are playing.  This remembrance would bring with it a longing for Home.)  The response the ego brings up to this memory is usually fear - the fear of God's 'retribution'.  This is absolutely nonsensical and only possible because You  have forgotten What the Presence of Love really is.  Nonetheless, to the ego - who loves punishment - the inflicting of it - this fear and concept seem very real and even sensible.  It involves a total amnesia of God, Love. 

Nothing could be farther from the Truth.  And nothing stands in the way of your finding yourself Home but unwillingness.  Now You see why I have asked only for a little willingness. 

The recognition that there is nothing you WANT to hide, even if you COULD.

May 29, 2006 

You see how safe you feel with Me.  Now, multiply My total acceptance of You Infinitely.  With so much Love supporting You, does it still seem a task too hard to Love the 'unlovable' (or so they seem)? 

God has not made You so, and thus He has not made them so.  You have just gotten this and the possibility is suddenly viable, isn't it?  I feel your 'yes' with Joy.  What cannot We do together as You offer Me your willingness? 

It is a measure of the Safety that You feel, that willingness is freely given.  Many things in the world still frighten You, and yet the Embrace of God has become your Sanctuary, and this is good. 

This step brings ESCAPE from fear.

May 30, 2006 

Well, of course!  In a benign world - a benign Universe flowing from a benign Good, what is there to fear.  Reality, then, is permanent and Good, while only the split-minded beholder believes s/he can 'see' what isn't.  And why is the world perceived in such a bizarre way, so far from anything that's Real?

This is an important question because, in the answer, lies the key to your non-existent cell door.

(* The term "Spiritual eye" is later replaced by the Holy Spirit and the physical eye becomes the ego. The emphasis on the two ways of seeing, however, remains throughout.)

Having forgotten that You made a choice to see the world askew, I am now - with Joy - reminding You.

The reason is quite simple.  In the strange delight the dreamers found that with a squint they could see the world anew - came sudden fear at their temerity.  To defy Omnipotence seemed a crime that would be punished by annihilation - a possibility related to Truth only by its impossibility.

Fun was gone and in its silly place appeared survival.  Counting only its own survival worthy, this strange ego thought - becoming more alien by the moment - found its formerly dear brothers and sisters now quite worthy of sacrifice.

This heartlessness was backed up - indeed based on the absolute need to be 'right' - a new concept replacing the Goodness of All Be-ing.  Now survival is firmly based on being the 'rightest'.

Look around your world - look at all relationships.  Even parent-child, the supposed tenderest of all relationship - child and parent are vying for the prize of rightness, the parent only assigning it to child if it is clear the parent made it so.

And so the Love that stands silently where each One is is hidden securely behind these games of hate.  The pain of this is so great that the dreamer - albeit sleeping all the time - soon is tired.  And so 'death' was invented and agreed upon, along with its partners 'sin' and 'sickness' to prepare the hapless one for his or her 'final reward'.  This exit from the dream comes with a rider: it allows each one to choose again. 

Having become addicted to this compelling behavior demanding rightness - almost like God - the choice is made far too often for the dream once more.

What I have come to tell You for the past 2000 years is that the Choice for God can be made at any time.  The Choice entails no loss of Good at all, but a Gain - right Here and Now - of a Happiness beyond words.  There is no loss of your loved ones - or of You for them.   Instead, You now will begin to really Love again instead of sacrificing them to your insatiable altar of survival.  Your Peace assured, their True well-being becomes your dearest wish.