What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is about overlooking the seeming problem entirely. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want us to try to figure out what the problem is, He wants us to release this belief in separation and overlook the problem entirely to the light of the Atonement. That is what the Holy Spirit’s function is, to overlook the error and see only the correction.
Perceptual Problem
I See Only the Past – ACIM Meditation
I see only the past and I can relax now, knowing that all I need to do while I seem to be in this world is to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His guidance. I don’t have to strive for anything or to set any goals, because I see only the past. I don’t have to think about what to do in the future, because I see only the past. I have no control over the world I made, and never did, because I see only the past. “This world was over long ago” (T-28.I.1:6) and I rest in this Holy Instant, now. “I see only the past. This idea will be very important in our awakening, because this idea must be first acknowledged before an experience can come that is beyond it. This idea is so important that the first six Lessons of the Workbook are all based on it. You might say it is a very fundamental step on the seeming ladder of awakening. There will be ideas that will come along that may seem very radical like, “the script is written”, an idea that seems very perplexing to students of this Course, but actually, is just another form of this lesson number 7, “I see only the past.” So, when we say “I see”, it means “I perceive.” I perceive a world of images, a world of sequenced images that seem to come one after another in what seems to be called daily life, in what seems to be a linear cosmos, moving from past to future in that direction, and yet all that, all those perceptions are based on the past. The meanings that are seen, experienced, are based solely on the past. If everything I perceive is the past, it can show at once how delusional are the thoughts and images that pass the mind. I say delusional, because if you think of this in terms of making a series of choices that all seem to be different throughout the day, choosing this over that, choosing to stay or to go, preferring one thing over the next, watching your eyes be drawn to one thing instead of another thing, planning the day, having a schedule, following a calendar, you are presuming that there is something going on other than the past. There seems to be something actively present and actively unfolding in the direction of the future. Presumptions of seemingly different locations in time and space, different increments of time, some much shorter and tinier, some much, much longer, all rest on the belief that this world is somehow dynamic and unfolding.”
ACIM Meditation – I Am Upset Because I See Something That Is Not There
ACIM Meditation – I am upset because I see something that is not there. Nothing of this world resembles reality because the ego made up the world and the ego knows not of God. The ego is a hallucination and is only capable of making more hallucinations. That is why you cannot expect this world to tell you who you are. You can only be supremely happy if you know who you are and the Holy Spirit is the means to do so. The Holy Spirit is the bridge given us to escape from time and enter into eternity. Sink deep and allow this ACIM meditation to strengthen your connection with the Holy Spirit. “Today’s Workbook Lesson is giving us the chance to unpin, to unwind from the belief in being trapped in appearances. When our very identity of love of the living Christ, a perfect idea in the Mind of God, has been forgotten and completely pushed out of awareness, appearances seem to have come to take the place of love and light. This condition could be called hallucination. It is like when a thirsty traveler walking through a desert, feeling scorched, hot, parched and dry may hallucinate an oasis of shade and water. The sleeping Son of God has believed himself to be bereft of his holy Father, his creator. He finds himself lost and wandering in a desert of images, a desert of perception that God did not create: a fantasy world, a fictitious, linear stream of images that have nothing to do with reality, nothing to do with eternity, divine love and happiness. And so, the first step in healing from this apparent condition of separation is to realize that all upsets experienced are coming from a perception which is not there.”
ACIM Meditation – These Thoughts Do Not Mean Anything
These thoughts do not mean anything. Today we begin a practice of meditation. The workbook lessons are guiding us, helping us to train our minds to meditate. And the first three lessons are: “Nothing I see means anything,” “I have given everything I see all the meaning it has for me,” and “I do not understand anything I see.” These first three lessons are the very beginning of letting go of all meaning of what is perceived, all meaning of the linear perceived world of time and space. It’s like the first three lessons are opening the lid of a can, and then, as we peel that lid off, we are told these thoughts do not mean anything. So today’s lesson is the first lesson from Jesus that is addressing thoughts. The first three lessons’ addressed perception, and now, lesson number four addresses directly the thoughts of a sleeping mind. So, we now make the attempt to stop, and watch, and sink within toward “Be still and know that I am God”, toward the truth of our being. Move away from the temporary, the ephemeral, the fleeting, and inward towards certainty. Focus on this idea for today, “These thoughts do not mean anything.”
Forgive What the Ego Made and Be Free
The goal of spiritual practice is to be in the flow of presence, to be tuned in to Spirit. Here we learn to forgive all perceptions of suffering and lack we have placed upon the world. Decision-making becomes simple and easy with the Spirit. It only seems difficult when we attempt to run some aspects of our lives by ourselves. This is where all sense of struggle comes in. When we completely let go and let God, all struggling comes to an end. In its place we find happiness, joy and freedom.
This Life Is but a Dream
This world we see can seem very real, but, in fact, it is a dream. We may feel like we have many problems in this life such as money, relationships, jobs, family issues, addictions and all kinds of issues the ego wants us to believe we have. There is only one problem, and that is our perception. By changing our thought and belief system we can wake up from this dream world and change our perception to a happy dream. The ego would have us think that to escape the world as we see it is a very complex mission, whereas the Spirit would have us learn that it is very simple.
Violence in the World
Violence is in the mind, not in the world. The ego belief system opposes oneness, opposes love, opposes God. The ego belief system is what is violent and abusive. Judgment is violent. Egoic perception is violent. Jesus gave us the two most helpful words in all of history: “Judge not.” Therefore, when you have a major upset and are perceiving violence in the world, the most helpful thing you can do for yourself is ask for help in perceiving differently. Only true forgiveness can heal the perception of violence.
Willingness
There’s nothing in the linear world that can inform you of your readiness for Awakening. The willingness is the first step, which is why most people can relate to being willing to follow Spirit throughout the day. Readiness comes after much willingness, and then mastery follows. The ego believes that mastery can be achieved by doing things in form to master their fear, but true mastery can only be achieved through Love—through following the Holy Spirit’s gentle and loving guidance without exception.
What Thoughts Are Running Your Life?
What thoughts and beliefs are running your life? Do you think you need to act a certain way and say the right things in order to be loved? Do you think something bad will happen if you actually follow your heart? These people-pleasing mechanisms can be released when their underlying beliefs and assumptions are held […]
ACIM Talk (Part 5)
Tilba, Australia 2009. The lost car parable continues.