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.
Read A Course in Miracles, Chapter 29, Section IV. (pages 612-613)
Jesus describes a miracle as receiving the truth in place of illusions. With the miracle of transformed perception the Holy Spirit brings to us, we understand that every dream of separation from God’s oneness is equally untrue. We do not try to make some dreams be the truth just because we still want them to be true.
Jesus tells us, “Do you believe that truth can be but some illusions? They are dreams because they are not true. Their equal lack of truth becomes the basis for the miracle, which means that you have understood that dreams are dreams; and that escape depends, not on the dream, but only on awaking. …The choice is not between which dreams to keep, but only if you want to live in dreams or to awaken from them.” (1:1-3,5)
Jesus wants us to understand that fear is the basis for every dream of being separated from Love, our Source. He tells us, “The dreams you think you like would hold you back as much as those in which the fear is seen. For every dream is but a dream of fear, no matter what the form it seems to take. The fear is seen within, without, or both. Or it can be disguised in pleasant form. But never is [fear] absent from the dream, for fear is the material of dreams, from which they all are made.” (2:1-5)
It may not seem like it to us who look at the dream story as real, but Jesus tells us, “Depression or assault must be the theme of every dream, for they are made of fear. The thin disguise of pleasure and of joy in which they may be wrapped but slightly veils the heavy lump of fear that is their core. And it is this the miracle perceives, and not the wrappings in which it is bound.” (3:3-5)
Another way to look at this is that the miracle sees every dream as a call for love. The truth is we have wandered far from Home and are looking for love in all the wrong places. Nothing ever really satisfies or lasts. We do not remember What we are and Where we are in truth. We have tried to replace the truth and all it has ever brought is is struggle, fear and pain.
Think about when we get angry. Is it not because something is not going the way we think it ‘should’ go according to what our perceived ‘need’ is? Are we not judging the circumstances according to our liking?
Jesus tells us, “When you are angry, is it not because someone has failed to fill the function you allotted him? And does not this become the ‘reason’ your attack [judgment] is justified? The dreams you think you like are those in which the functions you have given have been filled; the needs which you ascribe to you are met. It does not matter if [the needs] be fulfilled or merely wanted. It is the idea that [needs] exist from which the fears arise.” (4:1-5)
It is very helpful to develop the habit of stepping back from dreams and let the Holy Spirit be in charge of how we perceive them. Jesus gives some examples: “A shadow figure who attacks becomes a brother giving you a chance to help, if this becomes the function of the dream. And dreams of sadness thus are turned to joy. (5:6-7)
“[Your brother] asks for help in every dream he has, and you have help to give him if you see the function of the dream as [the Holy Spirit] perceives its function, Who can utilize all dreams as means to serve the function given Him. Because He loves the dreamer, not the dream, each dream becomes an offering of love. For at its center is His Love for you, which lights whatever form it takes with love.” (6:5-7)
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