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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 9 "THE CORRECTION OF ERROR"
X. MAGIC VERSUS MIRACLES
85 All magic is a form of reconciling the irreconcilable. All religion is the recognition that the irreconcilable cannot be reconciled. Sickness and perfection are irreconcilable. If God created you perfect, you are perfect. If you believe you can be sick, you have placed other gods before Him. God is not at war with the god of sickness you made, but you are. He is the symbol of willing against God, and you are afraid of him because he cannot be reconciled with God's Will. If you attack him, you will make him real to you. But if you refuse to worship him in whatever form he may appear to you and wherever you think you see him, he will disappear into the nothingness out of which he was made.
ACIM.OE.TX.CH 9.X.85
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES WORKBOOK Part I ~ REVIEW III INTRODUCTION
<AUDIO>
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
Our third review begins today. We will
review two of the last twenty ideas
each day, until we have reviewed them all.
We will observe a special format for
these practice periods, which you are urged
to follow just as closely as you can.
We understand, of course, that it may be
impossible for you to undertake
what is suggested here as optimal
each day and every hour of the day.
Learning will not be hampered when you miss
a practice period because it is
impossible at the appointed time.
Nor is it necessary that you make
excessive efforts to be sure that you
catch up in terms of numbers. Rituals
are not our aim, and would defeat our goal.
But learning will be hampered when you skip
a practice period because you are
unwilling to devote the time to it
which you are asked to give. Do not deceive
yourself in this. Unwillingness can be
most carefully concealed behind a cloak
of situations you cannot control.
Learn to distinguish situations which
are poorly suited to your practicing
from those which you establish to uphold
the camouflage for your unwillingness.
Those practice periods which you have lost
because you did not want to do them for
whatever reason should be done as soon
as you have changed your mind about your goal.
You are unwilling to cooperate
in practicing salvation only if
it interferes with goals you hold more dear.
When you withdraw the value given them,
allow your practice periods to be
replacements for your litanies to them.
They gave you nothing. But your practicing
can offer everything to you. And so
accept their offering, and be at peace.
The format you should use for these reviews
is this: Devote five minutes twice a day,
or longer if you would prefer, to
considering the thoughts that are assigned.
Read over the ideas and comments which
are written first in each day's exercise.
And then begin to think about them while
letting your mind relate them to your needs,
your seeming problems and all your concerns.
Place the ideas within your mind, and let
it use them as it chooses. Give it faith
that it will use them wisely, being helped
in its decisions by the One Who gave
the thoughts to you. What can you trust but what
is in your mind? Have faith, in these reviews,
the means the Holy Spirit uses will
not fail. The wisdom of your mind will come
to your assistance. Give direction at
the start, and then lean back in quiet faith,
and let the mind employ the thoughts you gave
as they were given you for it to use.
You have been given them in perfect trust;
in perfect confidence that you would use
them well; in perfect faith that you would see
their messages, and use them for yourself.
Offer them to your mind in that same trust
and confidence and faith. It will not fail.
It is the Holy Spirit's chosen means
for your salvation. Since it has His trust,
His means must surely merit yours as well.
We emphasize the benefits to you
if you devote the first five minutes of
the day to your review and also give
the last five minutes of your waking day
to it. If this cannot be done, at least
try to divide them so you undertake
one in the morning, and the other in
the hour just before you go to sleep.
The exercises to be done throughout
the day are equally important, and
perhaps of even greater value. You
have been inclined to practice only at
appointed times and then go on your way
to other things, without applying what
you learned to them. As a result, you have
gained little reinforcement, and have not
given it the opportunity to prove
how great are its potential gifts to you.
Here is another chance to use it well.
In these reviews we stress the need to let
your learning not lie idly by between
your longer practice periods. Attempt
to give your daily two ideas a brief
but serious review each hour. Use
one on the hour, and the other one
a half an hour later. You need not
give more than just a moment to each one.
Repeat it, then allow your mind to rest
a little time in silence and in peace.
Then turn to other things, but try to keep
the thought with you, and let it serve to help
you keep your peace throughout the day as well.
If you are shaken, think of it again.
These practice periods are planned to help
you form the habit of applying what
you learn each day to everything you do.
Do not repeat it and then lay it down.
Its usefulness is limitless to you.
And it is meant to serve you in all ways,
all times and places, and whenever you
need help of any kind. Try, then, to take
it with you in the business of the day,
and make it holy, worthy of God's Son,
acceptable to God and to your Self.
Each day's review assignment will conclude
with a restatement of the thought to use
each hour, and the one to be applied
on each half hour as well. Forget them not.
This second chance with each of these ideas
will bring such large advances that we come
from these reviews with learning gains so great
that we begin again on solid ground
with firmer footsteps and with stronger faith.
Do not forget how little you have learned.
Do not forget how much you can learn now.
Do not forget your Father's need of you,
as you review these thoughts He gave to you.
~ Original Handscript of ACIM
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DAILY LESSON
L e s s o n 111 ~ REVIEW III
[Review Lesson 91 and Lesson 92]
Voice and Music by CIMS SonShip Radio
*IAMBIC PENTAMETER*
1 For morning and evening review:
[91] Miracles are seen in light.
2 I cannot see in darkness. Let the light
Of holiness and truth light up my mind,
And let me see the innocence within.
[92] Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one.
3 I see through strength, the gift of God to me.
My weakness is the dark His gift dispels
By giving me His strength to take its place.
4 On the hour:
5 Miracles are seen in light.
6 On the half hour:
7 Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are
one.
~ Original Handscript of ACIM
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ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections
LESSON 111
Review III ~ Lesson 91 and Lesson 92.
Sarah's Commentary:
The introduction here is very important and makes some suggestions that we need to give serious thought to. First, the importance of not ritualizing our practice periods is stressed. They should not be rote activities where we make excessive efforts or when we miss a practice try to catch up "in terms of numbers." (W.PI.RIII.IN.2.5) Instead, what is stressed here is willingness. There are many places in the Course that emphasize the importance of being willing. Our learning will not be hampered if we miss a practice because for some reason it is impossible to do what is suggested. However, learning will be hampered if we miss a practice period because we are unwilling to devote the time to it.
This is interesting because Jesus is helping us to see our resistance to this learning. "Yet the wish for other experience will block its accomplishment, because God's Will cannot be forced upon you, being an experience of total willingness." (T.8.III.2.3)(ACIM OE T.8.IV.17) How important is this journey to peace for you? How devoted are you to your awakening to the truth of who you are? The answer will be reflected in how willing you are to do this practice. How willing are you to give time to it?
In the introduction, Jesus talks about how we can hide our unwillingness, telling ourselves it is just not convenient to practice and, sometimes, Jesus does acknowledge it is true. There are, however, other times when we lie to ourselves to "camouflage our unwillingness." (W.PI.RIII.IN.3.4) This is something to really look at, not only with our practice, but in other ways, where we lie to ourselves and rationalize our behavior due to self-betrayal and self-deception.
He also talks about application here, which is the essential part of these Lessons. To be vigilant and diligently do our Lessons is great, but when things come up during the day and we don't apply the Lesson, he says you "have not given your learning a fair chance to prove how great are its gifts." (W.PI.RIII.IN.9.3) Having said this, Jesus never wants us to feel guilty. On the contrary, he is very gentle and patient with us, as he wants us to be equally gentle with ourselves while still maintaining discipline. He knows how much guilt we have put on ourselves, as well as the mountain of unconscious guilt we hold in our minds. His goal is not to add to that guilt, but only to show how much he loves us and wants us to have the gifts in our lives he offers us. He wants us to experience the benefits, so we can see how great are the gifts we receive in applying these Lessons. We get additional reinforcement in applying the Lessons throughout the day, so we can experience more peace in our lives and not just do these Lessons as an intellectual exercise. Every benefit we receive is in the application.
We do get off course regularly, but it is reassuring to remember we need not beat up on ourselves or get discouraged, because once on the path, we can't turn back. In Gary Renard's book, "Disappearance of the Universe," Pursah says, "You should keep in mind that each of the four major attitudes of learning are long roads in themselves, and you will sometimes bounce around like a ping pong ball between them. The Holy Spirit will correct you along the way and set you back in the right direction. Do not feel bad when you temporarily lose your way. There is no one who has ever walked this earth, including Jesus, who did not give into temptation in some way. The myth of living a perfect life in terms of behavior is self-defeating and unnecessary. All that is necessary is to be willing to receive correction."
Pursah goes on to say, "Just as a navigator or computer constantly corrects the course of a jet airliner along its route, the Holy Spirit is always correcting you, no matter what you may appear to do or on what level of spiritual awareness you may appear to be. It may be possible to ignore Him, but it is never possible to lose Him. The jet airliner is always going off course, but through constant correction it arrives at its destination. So will you arrive at your destination? It's a done deal. You couldn't screw up if you tried. The real question is, how long do you want to prolong your suffering?"
I've had lots of examples in my life when miracles have shown up, when I've been willing to look at the grievances, and I have asked for help in offering forgiveness. When we are willing to be very honest with ourselves and, when we look at our intentions and our motivations in any situation with courage, the miracle is born there. How would we ever learn if we weren't motivated to heal our minds when difficult events in our lives occur? The events of our lives provide us with the classroom where the healing can occur. They come up every day for us. Today, I noticed frustration showing up as I tried to respond to what seemed to me to be a long list of demands. When I looked deeper, I recognized how I had set myself up by setting expectations on myself. It was my attempt to make myself worthy. The belief was that I needed to serve everyone's needs if I were to be a good person.
Jesus supports us through all our tribulations, holding our hands and always supporting us on this journey. We will, from time to time, lose faith in the process, especially during turbulent times in our lives, but knowing we can always bring our thoughts back to truth brings sanity in the midst of the chaos.
I feel deep gratitude in the knowledge that whenever I am open to His presence in my life, miracles abound. I can choose this experience, and I do so by being willing to let go of the obstacles to peace I hold in my mind. These obstacles show up as judgment, anger, worry, depression, attack, grievances, expectations, feelings of unworthiness, fear and all manner of self-attack.
Each time I am willing to look at these blocks without judgment from outside the dream (above the battleground), I can smile at the dream figure (the image of Sarah). I have taken all this drama so seriously. Now grace can flow in, and with each experience my faith is strengthened. Even in the midst of turmoil, I know I have been given another opportunity to look deeper in my mind at another level coming up for healing. When I accept everything in my life as just a reflection of the thought system I am choosing in my mind, I am motivated to do this work, knowing the power is within me to change how I perceive everything. With willingness and readiness, I can take responsibility for everything that seems to be happening to me, and remind myself I have chosen it all. I am not the victim of any situation I experience.
It is easy, in my experience, to dismiss Review Lessons as having very little new to chew on since there is very little information included in the Lesson. However, having said that, my experience is that when I do the Review as instructed, I receive very valuable guidance. When I use the thoughts provided in the Lesson and follow the practice instructions, the day becomes one of constantly watching my mind.
In the introduction, Jesus reminds us how to let the Holy Spirit use our minds. "Read over the ideas and comments that are written down for each day's exercise. And then begin to think about them, while letting your mind relate them to your needs, your seeming problems and all your concerns." (W.PI.RIII.IN.5.2-3)
Thus, it is important not to let our egos to manage this process, because the ego will never undo itself. We need the Holy Spirit for that purpose. "Place the ideas within your mind, and let it use them as it chooses. Give it faith that it will use them wisely, being helped in its decisions by the One Who gave the thoughts to you. What can you trust but what is in your mind?" (W.PI.RIII.IN.6.1-3) Today, we are asked to step back from the ego and simply try to release the mind to the Holy Spirit, letting related thoughts come on their own. These are the healing thoughts now in our minds as a result of our work with the Course. We let these thoughts come to mind to address our needs, problems and concerns. "The wisdom of your mind will come to your assistance." (W.PI.RIII.IN.6.5) Allow the sane part of your mind to come to your assistance in the face of any temptation to become distressed.
The related thoughts in these two Lessons for me today are, "Miracles are seen in light," (W.91) and "Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one." (W.92) I am so grateful this Course is in my life and I have a way to get to peace by bringing my needs, my seeming problems and all my concerns to His healing light, so I can know the beauty of my own innocence and the innocence of others.
I am so grateful I don't need to rely on my own puny strength to try to figure a way through this illusion and all its seeming problems. Instead, God's strength and guidance are available to me. I do not need to be strong to come to the light. I simply bring my weakness to Him. I give him all my murderous, angry, bitter, and despairing thoughts, as well as my beliefs in my specialness and, by releasing them, I gain strength by connecting with the light in me. If I don't like what I feel now, I can use these feelings as a motivation to find my way to peace by applying this Lesson. The Lesson will only have value in the doing of it, in every distressful situation.
These Lessons are not meant as pretty, inspirational words to be set aside. I know the only way to happiness is by getting in touch with my Self, the purely loving being I am. This is my motivation for doing the Lessons and applying them as often as I can to every situation in my life. Jesus says if we consistently remember to do these Review Lessons, it is our second chance with each of these ideas to bring great advances. Our learning gains will be significant and will put us "on more solid ground, with firmer footsteps and with stronger faith." (W.PI.RIII.IN.12.3)
Love and blessings, Sarah
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85 All magic is a form of reconciling the irreconcilable. All religion is the recognition that the irreconcilable cannot be reconciled. Sickness and perfection are irreconcilable. If God created you perfect, you are perfect. If you believe you can be sick, you have placed other gods before Him. God is not at war with the god of sickness you made, but you are. He is the symbol of willing against God, and you are afraid of him because he cannot be reconciled with God's Will. If you attack him, you will make him real to you. But if you refuse to worship him in whatever form he may appear to you and wherever you think you see him, he will disappear into the nothingness out of which he was made.
86 Reality can dawn only on an unclouded mind. It is always there to be accepted, but its acceptance depends on your willingness to have it. To know reality must involve the willingness to judge unreality for what it is. This is the right use of selective perception. To overlook nothingness is merely to judge it correctly, and because of your ability to evaluate it truly, to let it go. Knowledge cannot dawn on a mind full of illusions because truth and illusions are irreconcilable. Truth is whole and cannot be known by part of a mind.
87 The Sonship cannot be perceived as partly sick because to perceive it that way is not to perceive it at all. If the Sonship is one, it is one in all respects. Oneness cannot be divided. If you perceive other gods, your mind is split, and you will not be able to limit the split because the split is the sign that you have removed part of your mind from God's Will, and this means it is out of control. To be out of control is to be out of reason, and the mind does become unreasonable without reason. This is merely a matter of definition. By defining the mind wrongly, you perceive it as functioning wrongly.
88 God's laws will keep your minds at peace because peace is His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws cannot be understood together. The laws of God work only for your good, and there are no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawless and therefore chaotic. Yet God Himself has protected everything He created by His laws. Therefore, everything that is not under them does not exist. "Laws of chaos" are meaningless by definition. Creation is perfectly lawful, and the chaotic is without meaning because it is without God. You have given your peace to the gods you made, but they are not there to take it from you, and you are not able to give it to them.
89 You are not free to give up freedom, but only to deny it. You cannot do what God did not intend because what He did not intend does not happen. Your gods do not bring chaos; you are endowing them with chaos and accepting it of them. All this has never been. Nothing but the laws of God has ever operated, and nothing except His Will will ever be. You were created through His laws and by His Will, and the manner of your creation established you as creators. What you have made is so unworthy of you that you could hardly want it if you were willing to see it as it is. You will see nothing at all. And your vision will automatically look beyond it to what is in you and all around you. Reality cannot break through the obstructions you interpose, but it will envelop you completely when you let them go.
90 When you have experienced the protection of God, the making of idols becomes inconceivable. There are no strange images in the Mind of God, and what is not in His Mind cannot be in yours because you are of One Mind and that Mind belongs to Him. It is yours because it belongs to Him, for ownership is sharing to Him. And if it is so for Him, it is so for you. His definitions are His laws, for by them He established the universe as what it is. No false gods you attempt to interpose between yourself and your reality affect truth at all. Peace is yours because God created you. And He created nothing else.
91 The miracle is the act of a Son of God who has laid aside all false gods and who calls on his brothers to do likewise. It is an act of faith because it is the recognition that his brother can do it. It is a call to the Holy Spirit in his mind, a call to Him which is strengthened by this joining. Because the miracle worker has heard Him, he strengthens His Voice in a sick brother by weakening his belief in sickness, which he does not share. The power of one mind can shine into another because all the lamps of God were lit by the same spark. It is everywhere, and it is eternal.
92 In many only the spark remains, for the Great Rays are obscured. Yet God has kept the spark alive so that the rays can never be completely forgotten. If you but see the little spark, you will learn of the greater light, for the rays are there unseen. Perceiving the spark will heal, but knowing the light will create. Yet in the returning, the little light must be acknowledged first, for the separation was a descent from magnitude to littleness. But the spark is still as pure as the great light because it is the remaining call of creation. Put all your faith in it, and God Himself will answer you.
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