The world was made in hatred; everything eats everything else. The purpose of forgiveness is to see the false as false. We give the world to the Holy Spirit and say, “Show it to me another way.”
Forgiven World
Icons, Images, and Identities
Icons, images, and identities such as Jesus and Buddha are held very personally in the separated mind. Even these universal metaphors need to be released from the limited ways in which we think of them so that we are not offended by another’s identifications, pictures, or associations with them. Have you ever felt embarrassed about discussing Jesus in public? Have you ever felt afraid to curse, as if you might upset an anthropomorphous god?
Spiritual Vision
The body’s eyes do not see. The first 10 lessons of “A Course in Miracles” lay out this idea very clearly and springboard into the grandaddy of all ideas, “God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.” (W-29) Of course, God isn’t in the table as I see it. Yet the practical element, while I still believe I see through the body’s eyes, is seeing the purpose the table holds along with all the universe: to know I am one with Source. The Holy Spirit equalizes all the images of the world and shows me their sameness so I can be steady and at peace. When I see differences, I am blind. Coming into spiritual vision, I start to see sameness and my mind begins to loosen from the inability to judge. The result is truly peace.
Outward Picture of an Inward Condition
There are no people “out there.” The body is a projector, not a receiver. The body is part of the projection. The mind is where the distortions are. There is only one mind dreaming. Everything starts and ends in consciousness. When you clear the mind of distortions you see a new fantastic world.
What Are Thoughts?
What are thoughts? How does my mind work? In the state of the sleeping—deceived mind—there are two kinds of thoughts: real and unreal. In the core of your mind, you have real thoughts. They are abstract. They are extensions of Source. They are your bright essence. They spring from Love. You are a thought in the mind of God and your real thoughts extend this. Surrounding those thoughts is a bunch of monkey-mind thoughts. These are ego-based thoughts. They are not real! They have no source. They are thoughts about the past or the future and they keep you distracted in a spinning wheel of changing perception.
Relationships Mirror Unconscious Beliefs
David Hoffmeister describes the way to forgive relationships by seeing the value that people offer as mirrors of unconscious beliefs. Through relationships and spiritual community you recognize the “fast track” to enlightenment. The ego is undone when it no longer holds any value or attraction, and forgiveness lights the way.
You Are the Christ
ACIM reminds us that everything in the world is an idea and they are all unreal. Because they are all equally unreal, there are no conflicting ideas. Yet there is an actual real idea behind them, called Christ. You are an idea of the Mind of God. Christ lives forever in the Mind of God and has not left the Source. That is what you are waking up to. That is where all this is going to: an endless mind being an idea in the Mind of God. That is Oneness. Any time your mind goes into any kind of upset, it indicates that there is something to forgive.
What Is My Identity?
What is my identity? Who am I? How do I define myself? Maybe you’ve had the feeling that Neo had in the movie “The Matrix,” that there is a splinter in your mind driving you crazy. It is a deep-down feeling that something is not right. It makes you question your self-concept. Anxiety and discomfort comes with having a split mind. People try to feel better by changing things out in the world. They try to see if they can feel free by giving away all of their things, living a life of renunciation and simplicity. It doesn’t matter what you do in form. It is not the possessions that are the problem, it is the belief in possessions that is the problem! It is an identity crisis in the mind.
Healing through Relationships
Healing through relationships is practical. Use the relationships that you have in your life now to heal your mind and awaken. You don’t have to be in a monastery chanting “hail Mary” or “om!” It is possible to go through your day and listen to the Holy Spirit without interrupting your regular activities in any way. You will see how the Spirit can use everything you believe in: relationships, spiritual practices, the job you seem to have, the family concept. Anything you believe, the Spirit will lightly use to loosen your mind from it to help you feel more in the unified awareness, the quantum field. If you have a partner or friend, you can tell them what is on your heart.
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