Daily Lesson

  

   L e s s o n  19

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.

<AUDIO> <VIDEO>
Hear Today's Lesson~Voice & Music by
Martin Weber-Caspers [maz] 
<GUIDANCE from ELDER BROTHER>

¹ The idea for today is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone. You will notice that at times the ideas related to thinking precede those related to perceiving, while at other times the order is reversed. The reason is that the order does not actually matter. Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate.

² Today we are again emphasizing the fact that minds are joined. This is rarely a wholly welcome idea at first, since it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of responsibility and may even be regarded as an "invasion of privacy." Yet it is a fact that there are no private thoughts. Despite your initial resistance to this idea, you will yet understand that it must be true if salvation is possible at all. And salvation must be possible because it is the Will of God.

³ The minute or so of mind searching which today's exercises require are to be undertaken with eyes closed. The idea is to be repeated first, and then the mind should be carefully searched for the thoughts it contains at that time. As you consider each one, name it in terms of the central person or theme it contains and, holding it in your mind as you do so, say:

⁴ I am not alone in experiencing the effects of
this thought about ___.

⁵ The requirement of as much indiscriminateness as possible in selecting subjects for the practice period should be quite familiar to you by now and will no longer be repeated each day, although it will occasionally be included as a reminder. Do not forget, however, that random selection of subjects for all practice periods remains essential throughout. Lack of order in this connection will ultimately make the recognition of lack of order in miracles meaningful to you.

⁶ Apart from the "as needed" application of today's idea, at least three practice periods are required, shortening the length of time involved if necessary. Do not attempt more than four.

Workbook - Part 1
 Introduction 

 <AUDIO> <VIDEO>      

Voice & Music by Martin Weber-Caspers [maz] 

¹ A theoretical foundation such as the text is necessary as a background to make these exercises meaningful. Yet it is the exercises which will make the goal possible. An untrained mind can accomplish nothing. It is the purpose of these exercises to train the mind to think along the lines which the course sets forth.

² The exercises are very simple. They do not require more than a few minutes, and it does not matter where or when you do them. They need no preparation. They are numbered, running from 1 to 365. The training period is one year. Do not undertake more than one exercise a day.

³ The purpose of these exercises is to train the mind to a different perception of everything in the world. The workbook is divided into two sections, the first dealing with the undoing of what you see now and the second with the restoration of sight. It is recommended that each exercise be repeated several times a day, preferably in a different place each time and, if possible, in every situation in which you spend any long period of time. The purpose is to train the mind to generalize the lessons, so that you will understand that each of them is as applicable to one situation as it is to another.

⁴ Unless specified to the contrary, the exercise should be practiced with the eyes open, since the aim is to learn how to see. The only rule that should be followed throughout is to practice the exercises with great specificity. Each one applies to every situation in which you find yourself and to everything you see in it. Each day's exercises are planned around one central idea, the exercises themselves consisting of applying that idea to as many specifics as possible. Be sure that you do not decide that there are some things you see to which the idea for the day is inapplicable. The aim of the exercises will always be to increase the application of the idea to everything. This will not require effort. Only be sure that you make no exceptions in applying the idea.

⁵ Some of the ideas you will find hard to believe, and others will seem quite startling. It does not matter. You are merely asked to apply them to what you see. You are not asked to judge them, nor even to believe them. You are asked only to use them. It is their use which will give them meaning to you, and show you they are true. Remember only this-you need not believe them, you need not accept them, and you need not welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter nor decrease their efficacy. But allow yourself to make no exceptions in applying the ideas the exercises contain. Whatever your reactions to the ideas may be, use them. Nothing more than this is required.

ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections 

Lesson  19 
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.     

Sarah's Commentary:        

Yesterday the focus of the lesson was on seeing; today it is about thinking. Thinking is cause and seeing is effect. "Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate." (1.4) It all happens so simultaneously that it is hard to recognize that the thought is the cause of our seeing. We don't recognize that each thought we have produces an effect which we see in the world. So, every problem, every event, every situation, everything in this world of form, starts with a thought which is in our minds. In fact the whole world is a projection of the thought of separation, so essentially, the world is not separate from the mind. Nothing is really outside of the mind. It does seem like the world is outside of my mind but  Jesus reminds us that ideas do not leave their source. Another way to say this is that effects do not leave their cause and the cause is always our minds.

Another way to think about this is to think of the mind as a movie projector. The projector is the thought system running a film and is constantly producing an experience.  We are the writer, director, producer and actor in this movie which is running on the screen. Thus our lives are like a screen play that we made up. All of the characters that show up in the play, we have put there. Now we seem to be having an experience which is happening to us because we have separated effect  from cause. We now think that we are the victims of the play instead of the writers and producers of it.

When you look at a movie, you get emotionally involved in the action on the screen and forget that the projector is the source of what you are seeing and that the movie is the effect. The film in the projector can't leave its source. In the same way, our decision making minds have chosen what is on our film and now it is projected on the world. Why we see it this way is because we want this experience. We want all of this to be real. Our desire is to have the experience of this individual existence. We are invested in our movie. On a metaphysical level there is tremendous guilt in the mind as a result of the choice that we think we made to separate from God. The guilt that is now in our minds as a result of this choice is being projected out in the world. We now see others as having the guilt so we don't have to be responsible for it. Now others can be seen to be the bad guys who are the guilty ones and who victimize us. Now we see ourselves as innocent victims who are not responsible for any of it. Jesus is exposing for us how this all came about because we don't remember any of it. A veil of forgetfulness dropped across the mind when we chose the separation. Now it seems that the world is the cause and we are the effect. And everyone in this world holds the same thought system.

On another point, Jesus says that the way we perceive does not affect us alone. It seems to us that we can have private thoughts that are ours alone. But Jesus tells us that this is not so. If my thoughts affect others, as was discussed yesterday, then this puts a lot of responsibility on us. Jesus says here, that it is not always a welcome idea at first, because "it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of responsibility, and may even be regarded as an "invasion of privacy." (2.2) But notice that he says it is not a welcome idea at first. Later we will see that we will welcome this idea because it is the essence of the power we have to change our minds.  That is what makes salvation (healing) possible. "Despite your initial resistance to this idea, you will yet understand that it must be true if salvation is possible at all".(2.4) It means that each of us can choose peace and healing and are not victims of outside circumstances and we choose it, not only for ourselves, but for everyone because we are One. 

And this is the basis for forgiveness. As I release the dark thoughts in my mind, I heal my relationships. Some time ago I was going through some difficult issues with my mother's senior's residence. The company that owns the residence doubled her rent and put her and all of us in financial jeopardy. So what was there to do? I met with company officials and berated them for taking on vulnerable seniors in this way without seeming concern or consideration.

I then spoke with the media and the situation got good coverage. And finally, I addressed it with a lawyer. But all the ego strategies did not result in any changes and my mind was in turmoil. I had gone about trying to fix things on the screen forgetting that the work was to look at my need to see others as guilty.   And as I released my anger and frustration and saw my seeming "enemies' in this situation in a different light, everything started to change. Solutions were found to make this work for my mother. No, the company did not reverse their decision but were prepared to work with us to try to find some solutions and in the process have shown a depth of understanding and support that has been welcome. "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts". And indeed this fact makes salvation possible. It is all about taking responsibility for our thoughts and being willing to bring them to the light. Only then can the miracle shine forth. It certainly does not mean that there are not things that we need to attend to in the illusion, but the real cause is in the mind and that is the only place that salvation is possible. It is a call to choose again.

As in other lessons we are asked to be indiscriminate in selecting subjects to use in practicing this lesson. This is important in all lessons, as we are learning that all illusions are the same. There is no hierarchy in illusions. There are no differences in thoughts. There are not some that are better, worse, bigger, more powerful etc than others. All of them are actually nothing. None of them are the truth. They are all meaningless as we learned in previous lessons. It is all random. The ego likes to order everything. But there is no order of difficulty in miracles. As such, we are learning that some things are not more important than others. Whether we lose our job or lose our keys, it makes no difference in terms of the magnitude of the problem, except to the ego of course. So each problem is like every other problem. All problems are just reflections of the belief that we are on our own, separate from everyone else with our own private thoughts and our own unique problems. If this were the case then separation would be real and not the illusory dream that we have constructed.  

At least three times today and four if you feel no strain, for one minute or shorter if necessary: Search your mind for the thoughts that are there and "as you consider each one, name it in terms of the central person or theme it contains, and holding it in mind as you do so, say:

"I am not alone in experiencing the effects of this thought about_________"

Finally if there are no secrets and no private thoughts then why would we need to hide behind all of our defenses? We only imagine that we are safe in our walled off private self. When we choose thoughts of healing and forgiveness where once we held grievances against someone, the thoughts alone bring salvation. And it is all up to us. We can make that choice and with the choice, the world becomes a gentler place because our mind makes space for more peace. While that feels like a lot of responsibility, it carries with it an opportunity that can take us out of the ego game of being the victim of events and situations. It is really only about taking responsibility for our OWN thoughts and bringing them to the light. 

Sarah's Home Page

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A Course in Miracles   
TEXT  

Chapter Two   

The Illusion of Separation

III. Healing as Release from Fear    

⁶¹ It is essential to remember that only the mind can create. Implicit in this is the corollary that correction belongs at the thought level. To repeat an earlier statement and to extend it somewhat, the Soul is already perfect and therefore does not require correction. The body does not really exist except as a learning device for the mind. This learning device is not subject to errors of its own because it was created but is not creating. It should be obvious, then, that correcting the creator or inducing it to give up its miscreations is the only application of creative ability which is truly meaningful.

⁶² Magic is essentially mindless or the miscreative use of the mind. Physical medications are forms of "spells." Those who are afraid to use the mind to heal should not attempt to do so. The very fact that they are afraid has made them vulnerable to miscreation. They are therefore likely to misunderstand any healing they might induce and, because egocentricity and fear usually occur together, may be unable to accept the real Source of the healing. Under these conditions, it is safer for them to rely temporarily on physical healing devices because they cannot misperceive them as their own creations. As long as their sense of vulnerability persists, they should be preserved from even attempting miracles.

⁶³ We have already said that the miracle is an expression of miracle-mindedness. Miracle-mindedness merely means right-mindedness in the sense that we are now using it. The right-minded neither exalt nor depreciate the mind of the miracle worker or the miracle receiver. However, as a creative act, the miracle need not await the right-mindedness of the receiver. In fact, its purpose is to restore him to his right mind. It is essential, however, that the miracle worker be in his right mind or he will be unable to reestablish right-mindedness in someone else.

⁶⁴ The healer who relies on his own readiness is endangering his understanding. He is perfectly safe as long as he is completely unconcerned about his readiness but maintains a consistent trust in mine. If your miracle working propensities are not functioning properly, it is always because fear has intruded on your right-mindedness and has literally upset it (or turned it upside-down). All forms of not-right-mindedness are the result of refusal to accept the Atonement for yourself. If the miracle worker does accept it, he places himself in a position to recognize that those who need to be healed are simply those who have not realized that right-mindedness is healing.

⁶⁵ The sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself. This means that he recognizes that mind is the only creative level and that its errors are healed by the Atonement. Once he accepts this, his mind can only heal. By denying his mind any destructive potential and reinstating its purely constructive powers, he has placed himself in a position where he can undo the level confusion of others. The message he then gives to others is the truth that their minds are similarly constructive and that their miscreations cannot hurt them. By affirming this, the miracle worker releases the mind from over-evaluating its own learning device (the body) and restores the mind to its true position as the learner.

⁶⁶ It should be emphasized again that the body does not learn any more than it creates. As a learning device, it merely follows the learner, but if it is falsely endowed with self-initiative, it becomes a serious obstruction to the very learning it should facilitate. Only the mind is capable of illumination. The Soul is already illuminated, and the body in itself is too dense. The mind, however, can bring its illumination to the body by recognizing that density is the opposite of intelligence and therefore unamenable to independent learning. It is, however, easily brought into alignment with a mind which has learned to look beyond density toward light.

⁶⁷ Corrective learning always begins with the awakening of the Spiritual eye and the turning away from the belief in physical sight. The reason this so often entails fear is because man is afraid of what his Spiritual eye will see. We said before that the Spiritual eye cannot see error and is capable only of looking beyond it to the defense of Atonement. There is no doubt that the Spiritual eye does produce extreme discomfort by what it sees. Yet what man forgets is that the discomfort is not the final outcome of its perception. When the Spiritual eye is permitted to look upon the defilement of the altar, it also looks immediately toward the Atonement.

⁶⁸ Nothing the Spiritual eye perceives can induce fear. Everything that results from accurate spiritual awareness is merely channelized toward correction. Discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction forcibly into awareness. What the physical eye sees is not corrective nor can it be corrected by any device which can be seen physically. As long as a man believes in what his physical sight tells him, all his corrective behavior will be misdirected. The real vision is obscured because man cannot endure to see his own defiled altar. But since the altar has been defiled, his state becomes doubly dangerous unless it is perceived.

⁶⁹ The fear of healing arises, in the end, from an unwillingness to accept the unequivocal fact that healing is necessary. Man is not willing to look on what he has done to himself. Healing is an ability lent to man after the separation, before which it was completely unnecessary. Like all aspects of the space-time belief, healing ability is temporary. However, as long as time persists, healing is needed as a means for human protection. This is because healing rests on charity, and charity is a way of perceiving the perfection of another even if he cannot perceive it himself.

⁷⁰ Most of the loftier concepts of which man is capable now are time-dependent. Charity is really a weaker reflection of a much more powerful love-encompassment which is far beyond any form of charity that man can conceive of as yet. Charity is essential to right-mindedness in the limited sense in which right-mindedness can now be attained. Charity is a way of looking at another as if he had already gone far beyond his actual accomplishments in time. Since his own thinking is faulty, he cannot see the Atonement for himself or he would have no need for charity. The charity which is accorded him is both an acknowledgment that he is weak and a recognition that he could be stronger.

⁷¹ The way in which both of these perceptions are stated clearly implies their dependence on time, making it quite apparent that charity lies within the human limitations, though toward its higher levels. We said before that only revelation transcends time. The miracle, as an expression of true human charity, can only shorten time at most. It must be understood, however, that whenever a man offers a miracle to another, he is shortening the suffering of both. This introduces a correction into the whole record which corrects retroactively as well as progressively.