A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple

To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple, we recommend that
you read the corresponding chapter and section in the Text of the Second or
Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.

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Chapter 15: The Holy Instant

Section VIII: The Only Real Relationship

Read ACIM Chapter 15, Section VIII (pages 320-322)

How does the Holy Spirit help release us from fear, pain and unhappiness?

In paragraph 1 Jesus emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will use everything in our dream of separation to help release us from the dream. He understands that we have a fear of forgiveness (or letting go of thoughts of being different from our Source) because, hidden below our conscious awareness, we believe that this would mean letting go of something that we still want.

The Holy Spirit knows that we do not let go of our belief in separation because we believe we would be losing something. The Holy Spirit also knows that instead of loss, forgiveness, or letting go of our belief in the dream of being separate, would bring us release from fear, pain and unhappiness. Jesus tells us, “He will teach you to remember that forgiveness is not loss, but your salvation. And that in complete forgiveness, in which you recognize that there is nothing to forgive, you are absolved completely.” (1:6-7)

How long will we hallucinate that we are not united?

We will hallucinate the opposite of the truth (that we are not united) as long as that is what we desire to see. But the good news is we can change our mind about what we want to see. We can change our mind by allowing our mind to be changed by the part of our mind that has never left the truth — the Holy Spirit. We can choose to open up to being under the Holy Spirit’s influence.

What does choosing to be under the Holy Spirit’s influence mean?

How do we go about doing this? We do this by stepping back from our normal way of thinking, stepping back from thinking we know anything. What we think we know is just an hallucination, but we think it is real in our minds and so we experience it that way. Once we learn to question what we think we know instead of going along with it, there is a chance for the Holy Spirit to enter.

The Holy Spirit quietly waits until we are ready to listen. We listen by being quiet. We listen by focusing on being open and receptive to receiving the Holy Spirit’s peace. We join with the Holy Spirit’s peace. We allow ourselves to rest in Holy Spirit’s peace awhile. We give our weary minds a respite from the constantly changing and shifting sands of the ego’s ongoing story of separation. We let our mind stay open and continue to receive the peace and sense of well-being that continues to flow through our mind. We give thanks because we know that peace of mind is not a small gift. It is our pathway to freedom from the tyranny of the ego.

What happens as we practice being under the influence of the Holy Spirit?

As we practice being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Who still resides in our minds, we will be brought to the holy instant. We will be brought to the truth of our unity with God and every brother. Jesus tells us, “Relate only with what will never leave you, and what you can never leave.” (3:1) We can never leave God and God can never leave us. God’s perfect Love is all that can ever be real and we can never make our delusions of separation real, no matter what our body’s eyes show us.

What is our only real relationship?

As we learn to choose peace, the Holy Spirit does the rest. The Holy Spirit brings us to the only real relationship — our relationship with God. In paragraph 4 Jesus tells us, “Your relationships are with the universe. And this universe, being of God, is far beyond the petty sum of all the separate bodies you perceive. For all its parts are joined in God through Christ, where they become like to their Father. Christ knows of no separation from His Father, Who is His one relationship, in which He gives as His Father gives to Him.” (4:4-7)

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