A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 365 Insights

To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Lesson Insights, we recommend that you
read the corresponding lesson in the Workbook of the Second or
Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.
Click here to read or listen to this ACIM Workbook Lesson online.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 35 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 35 Insights

“My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy.”

Today I am being asked to take illusions to the truth. I am being asked to look very closely at the self-image I have made. I am being asked to look at the situations I see myself in and look at the thoughts that go with it. “What is the self-image that goes with this situation?” Then I am asked to take this image to the truth. Unless I am willing to look very closely at this self-image I have made, it will remain unconscious and not healed. But the closer I look at this self-image with the Holy Spirit, the sooner it will be undone.

The truth for myself and everyone is we are all part of God’s Mind. God’s holiness is ours. Today’s lesson is an important part of retraining my mind. With today’s lesson, I am learning to pay attention to what self-image I am reinforcing, and then to hand it over. All the images I have made are false. Because God is Mind, I am mind. I am willing to look at these images today and take them to my Source to be undone.

Recognizing that I am the perceiver of this world, I can choose to relinquish my belief in the ego thought system of separation. I can choose to perceive the truth of my mind — my mind is part of God’s. I am very holy. This perception aligns my mind and my thoughts with the one Mind and releases my belief in thoughts of separation. Today I choose to focus on and remember the truth of Who I am. My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy. Repeating this affirmation brings me peace and joy because it is a reflection of my true Self.

Today’s idea brings great relief. It tells me that I am not the vulnerable, alone and fearful image that I have thought was me. It tells me that I am innocent, for I could not be guilty and also be holy and in the Mind of God. When I look at all the various attributes that came to mind when I did the exercise, I realized that all those attributes were ways of distinguishing myself from others and therefore being separate. My mind cannot be part of God’s and remain separate.

So each time I remind myself that my mind is part of God’s and I am very holy, I reclaim my innocence. I reclaim my place in God’s Mind. I affirm God’s completeness and my own. I reclaim the strength of God as mine. I reclaim my Self. I am grateful to be reminded that littleness is not my inheritance, but rather the grandeur of God is mine and everyone’s. No one has less or more, for God has given all of Himself to all. I rest in gratitude and joy.

What I appreciate about these lessons is that they make me very aware of my thoughts and actions. There is so much mind wandering and I tend to treat that as normal, expected and harmless because I am not aware of it in a conscious way. Doing lessons like this one brings these thoughts into focus and reminds me that they are indeed real thoughts with effects.

This lesson saves me from my “terminal uniqueness.” I am no longer apart from, different than, separate from anyone! My mind is part of God’s. I am very Holy. My identity is established and I no longer have to surround myself with reflections of a limited, unhappy, depressed, frozen self. I have the wings of an eagle. I’m tired of flopping & flapping around with the tiny wings of a sparrow!

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 34 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 34 Insights

“I could see peace instead of this.”

In earlier lessons we learned that God is in everything we see because God is in our minds. Since peace is an attribute of God and God is in our minds, peace must be in our minds. This means if I am not seeing peace, I must be closing off my real Self from my awareness. Since peace is already in my mind, I don’t have to acquire it. I need only accept its presence. Any situation in which I am not feeling peaceful is an indication that I am using something to hide peace from my awareness.

In the introduction to the Course, it tells us that it is not going to define what Love is, but will merely help us remove the barriers to Love’s presence. This lesson is another step in removing those barriers. We will know Love when we have let down the barriers against it. Today’s affirmation is a powerful tool to help us step back from the myriad forms of distress and pain and unhappiness that we experience in our lives.

Just repeating that statement reminds me that I don’t have to see the world the way that I am seeing it. I have a choice. The little crack is opened through which the Holy Spirit can offer another way of seeing. Each time I affirm this thought, I give myself the gift of opening my mind to the possibility of healing. I may not be ready to accept it, but I am at least a step closer. Just because I don’t feel healed yet in a particular circumstance is not reason to give up. Rather it is simply a sign that I need more practice. These lessons are designed to help me build a habit of practice. I am grateful that in every situation I can see peace.

This lesson reminds me that my awakening to the truth has nothing to do with the outside world and as everything to do with the thoughts I am holding in my mind. This lesson has everything to do with remembering that my experience of peace is an internal matter and that, if I am not in peace, I can choose differently. This lesson asks me to search my mind for thoughts that are not peaceful. This lesson encourages me to be open to letting these thoughts go. “I could see peace instead of this.”

When I get wrapped up in some circumstance where I lose my peace, I usually do not realize that I have lost my peace. I get so wrapped up in what is wrong ‘out there,’ that I forget that it starts with what is wrong in my mind. From a peaceful state of mind comes a peaceful perception of the world.

This is a powerful lesson. If I am willing to practice changing my mind and choosing peace in every situation where there appears to be distress or conflict, I can take great steps forward. This is the key to my awakening.

Just like the lesson, “God is in everything I see because God is in my mind,” I could also say, “Peace is in everything I see because peace is in my mind.” This world is coming from my imagination. I have invented the world I see. When my mind is in a state of peace, I see a peaceful world. So I must start with my mind.

If I jump first to trying to fix something out in the world, I will have forgotten where the real problem lies and where the real solution lies. As I consistently practice choosing peace first, I heal my mind and am open to a peaceful solution to every “problem.”

The Course tells me that peace and understanding go together and are never found alone. If I want a deeper understanding about anything, the way I find it is to choose peace. Jesus tells me that I am much too tolerant of mind wandering. This lesson helps me choose what is most important of all — to be in a state of peace. In a state of peace, my mind is clear. I see a peaceful world. The problem is never out there.

I am learning to ask myself, “Where is my state of mind?” When I am joined with Holy Spirit, peace seems easy and natural. When I am joined with the ego, peace seems very far away and hard to reach. Today’s lesson reminds me that it is my choice. And which I choose is what I will see.

They say that God works in mysterious ways, but if we think about it, it’s really not that mysterious; as a matter of fact, it’s really quite simple. However, we (or our egos) always try to complicate things. We get so wrapped up in what’s “out there” that we forget it’s only a reflection of what’s “in here” that causes all the chaos.

I can often be so impatient with the fact that I have very little patience and I seem to keep putting situations in my life where I have to practice being more patient. I need to see these situations as means for practicing my patience and not frustration.

Holy Spirit, help me see peace instead of frustrating situations in my life this day.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 33 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 33 Insights

“There is another way of looking at the world.”

More and more I am seeing the connections between these lessons. Most of the time when I look at the world, I am not aware of God being there. But an earlier lesson says that God is in everything I see. I must be missing something. There is another way of seeing the world. When I affirm this, I am cracking the door open to receive the vision of the Holy Spirit, which will show me Love in everything I see. So today’s lesson is another step in opening my mind to be taught by my Inner Teacher, the Holy Spirit.

The fact that I am not aware of God in everything I see is proof that I need this reminder constantly. I go through most of my day assuming that I know the meaning of what I am seeing. I assume that what I see is true and rarely stop to question what I see or how I am interpreting what I see. Using this lesson frequently through the day is another step that is essential to learn if I want the peace of God.

The peace of God cannot be found by excluding Him from everything I see. Along with remembering that there is another way to see the world, it is helpful to also remember that God is in everything I see. If I’m not seeing Love, I need help. I am grateful for the Course and all the help it offers. The more I work with it, the more I appreciate its compassionate genius in offering me the means to see anew.

Today’s lesson, “There is another way of looking at the world,” helps me step back from my past way of seeing things. It helps me remember that I do not know what anything is for. It’s a helpful wake up call reminding me to step back and ask the Holy Spirit for a new kind of vision. I need this practice because I forget often.

I need to remember that there is another way of looking at this a hundred times a day. This practice will help jar me out of simply repeating the past. I want a new way of looking at the world. But first I must remember that there is another way of looking at the world. I want to be happy. I want to wake up. I want to remember the one Self that is eternal. Today’s lesson is an important step in this process.

As I work with this lesson I have a nice feeling of being gently led along a path where I can easily see that what seems so real in the world is not what it seems since it can literally change from moment to moment. We can also see that the pictures we see in our mind are not different from those we think we see with our eyes. They’re not different and they’re equally unreal. We can learn this by simply observing the shifting nature of these perceptions.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 32 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 32 Insights

“I have invented the world I see.”

At any time, I am either joining with the ego thought system or the Holy Spirit’s thought system. When I join with the ego thought system, the world I invent is filled with struggle, victimhood and lack. I feel separate and alone. I feel like life is hard. Things don’t seem to go easy. It is filled with blame and guilt and tragedy. On the other hand, if I join with the Holy Spirit, the world looks very different. I see innocence instead of guilt.

I see unity instead of separation. I see that the only meaning for time is to now awaken to the truth and join with my brothers in that awakening. I see that we all go Home together. We don’t go Home alone. My take on the world is the total opposite of the ego’s perspective. So each day, each hour, each minute, it is my choice. Do I join with the ego’s invention or do I allow the Holy Spirit to write the script? Which I choose at any moment is up to me. This choice determines the world I see.

As I was doing the exercise for today, I looked out the window, at the new snow that had fallen over night. I made a beautiful, lacy image of the trees. It sure didn’t seem like I invented the world I am seeing. But I was reminded of a recent lesson in which we were to look at various objects and say, for instance, “God is in that tree, or God is in the snow.” I remembered that in that lesson it said that certainly God is not in that physical object as I see it. In fact, my seeing of the object blocks my awareness that God is there.

So if I am not aware of God in everything, it is not because God is not there, for God is in my mind. It is because I am seeing a world I have invented that stands between me and my awareness of God. I have invented the world as I see it. Were I able to strip away what I have invented, I would see only God. I would see God everywhere, because God is in my mind.

That is why it is important for me to realize that it is I who have invented the world I see. It is in recognizing this that I open my mind to a new way of seeing. It also reminds me that I have absolute control of what I see and what I experience. I always have choice. I am not the victim of the world. I can join with the Holy Spirit and see the world with Christ vision. I can see God everywhere. I can see Love everywhere.

I have invented the world I see. What an exhilarating thought this is for me. As I truly begin to understand this and take responsibility for my thoughts, I become aware that I am free to choose. I can continue, along with the ego thought system, to create thoughts within my mind that terrorize myself, or I can place my mind under the guidance of Jesus and ask for each thought to be rewritten as an expression or extension of Love. I can choose to separate with my thoughts or I can choose to heal my mind and bless the world. I am free as God created me.

I was talking to a clerk in a store yesterday and she started talking about how scary things are now, with the failing economy, talk of war etc. As she talked on, I found myself responding with one of those stock answers we use to just make conversation in which I was basically agreeing with her. I stopped myself from continuing that way and wanted to say something constructive, but someone else came in and the opportunity passed.

It made me very aware of how careless I am with my thoughts and words. It also made me aware of my responsibility to myself and my brothers. I had an opportunity to speak truth and chose to add to the illusion instead. I feel thankful that I saw myself doing this and was aware of my error. Now I have the opportunity to choose differently. I’m grateful for today’s lesson because it gives me a chance to reinforce my lesson from yesterday. My thoughts have effects, and my thoughts are my choice. I can change them.

I, too, found myself agreeing with several people yesterday about how bad things are and last night I was in a state of confusion. As I worked with my facilitator last night, what came to me was that my agreement with any ego gives my ego permission to rule!

I was miserable and didn’t really understand why until this morning! I do have a choice as to whether I listen to ego or to Holy Spirit. I am not a victim and I cannot agree with anyone that they are either. Out of my own Self interest, I must be generous with the Truth. I can change my mind about myself.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 31 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 31 Insights

“I am not the victim of the world I see.”

When I hear the words, “I am not a victim of the world I see,” what I’m really hearing is that I’m not vulnerable. This doesn’t mean to me that I accept pain, suffering or sacrifice with an attitude of tolerance, it means that I am free to be in pain if I choose, or I am free to be in Love if I choose. The choice is literally mine. And this is how this idea for today is not a threat, but a window to freedom. I want to use this idea with an open mind so that I can allow Spirit to help me experience the freedom that comes with this choice to experience a more pure state of being that reflects invulnerability.

I am not a victim of the world I see is a huge release for me. It is the key to freedom from the self-attack I have created. Each time I see myself as a victim of something in the so called outer world, what I am really doing is attacking my Self, attacking my true state of innocence and invulnerability. The good news is I can choose to stop this at any given moment. More than anything else, the Course is giving me the tools to stop my own victimhood. In this realization, I am free to be as God created me.

As I was doing this exercise, in the eyes closed portion, I suddenly remembered something that I had committed to doing, but had not done. The immediate reaction was guilt. And then I remembered I am not the victim of the world I see. I do not have to use my perception of anything as an excuse for guilt. Guilt is self-attack. I do not have to play the victim of guilt. Sometimes that even seems to be an attractive gain. I can use it to get sympathy from others. But that sympathy comes with a very high price. The price is that when I accept guilt, I lose awareness of Love, which means I lose awareness of my Self.

This lesson is telling me that this need not be. I am not the victim of the world I see. I always have choice. I always in every moment choose who is my guide for seeing. When I choose the ego it will always show me guilt and justification for attack. When I choose the Holy Spirit as my guide, It will always show me Love and justification for Love. With one comes pain, and with the other comes peace. I choose peace. I choose to remember that I am not the victim of the world I see.

At any time I am either choosing to join with the ego or join with Holy Spirit. This lesson is a gentle reminder to join with the Holy Spirit. Joining with the ego always attracts victimhood. The ego script always leads to guilt, victimhood and “problems.” If I ever think I have a “problem,” I am learning to look at how I have joined the ego one more time. When I return to joining with the Holy Spirit, the perception of a problem always gets turned around. I am always helped to heal my mind of belief in problems when I return to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit shows me that the problem is coming from my own mind. The Holy Spirit brings the Light that dissolves the perception of a problem. The Holy Spirit brings a much bigger picture. The Holy Spirit brings trust, compassion and Love. The Holy Spirit brings peace. The ego always goes for the opposite. The ego always goes for pain, problems, victimhood and lack.

Through this gradual step by step awakening process, I am brought to look at ways I may still be thinking I am a victim of the world. I am brought to releasing these false ideas by taking them to the Holy Spirit to be undone with simplicity and ease. There is no problem that will not be undone if I am willing to take it to the Holy Spirit and receive a corrected perception. This is how I heal my mind. This is how I heal the world.

I am not the victim of the world I see. The world I see is in my mind. The world I see is the endless stream of thoughts in my mind. Thoughts that run like wild horses, never stopping, never resting, across a vast plain of fear. These thoughts are mine — of my ego. I am no bystander. I watch the scene. I see the horses’ power to stir up the dust of fear to try to blind me to the truth.

Yet these wild things are not me, not really. Only one part of me allows them to run free. My Real Self looks on in amusement. These wild things grow smaller and smaller. They can be tamed. They can be seen for what they are — a product of my choice.

I can choose differently. I can ask for help to discipline my wild thoughts. They can be herded into a corral. I can take charge of my own mind with Holy Spirit’s help. I am God’s will. No wild things can hold against that. Today I remember I am One with God, One with the power of All That Is. I am no victim. With Holy Spirit’s help, I see that I am the Son of God, and in this I find true freedom and power.

I am not a victim of the world I see, because God doesn’t need me to be victim and so never sends hardness my way. That is my doing, my need.

I am not a victim of the me I see. My short comings are not Mine, neither are my virtues. They are illusions along with my ego. I will remember this lesson now.

I no longer need to prepare this body to be worthy to be used in His service. I am no longer victim to the worry about my traits (that cause my failure to happen in the world arena) letting God down. These traits, “good” and “bad” are traits of the body. I no longer waste my prayers begging to be changed to the person who will be more capable to help heal the world, and coincidentally, be able to live in the world more productively. I am not a victim of illusions. I am what God needs. I am the Holy Son of God.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 30 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 30 Insights

“God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”

If we can see past the angry person to the real person inside them, then we can forgive ourselves and see God in ourselves also. If we can hear the opinionated person and see past those opinions to the real person, then we can forgive ourselves and know that we are one with God. If we can be with one who is whining and complaining and see the God in them, see their wish to be happy, see ourselves in them and know that we are forgiven and we are all one, and then we know we are also forgiven and are at one.

The God, or Love that is in everything and everyone is what is eternal. The God, or Love in my mind is what is eternal. The God that is in everything I see is what is real. It does not change. It is beyond time and space. It is all that is. It is All.

Today I am learning to return my mind to the truth. I am learning to focus on what is real in everything and in everyone, the eternal changeless Love That is All That is.

Remembering this truth brings me peace, joy and happiness. What a happy thing to practice remembering it all day long. “God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”

This lesson uses “you” in reference to us as if we were the ego. There are many places in the Course where he refers to us using “you” where it is helpful to discern what this “you” is referring to. In this lesson he is acknowledging what we think we are or what most of us think we are. Chances are if we are reading this book, we are to some degree identifying with the ego as what we are. The Course point blank says, “You are not the ego.” Yet here he seems to be referring to us as if we were. This is because he is referring to us the way we think we are.

I can certainly recognize that I do not see God in everything I see, though I truly want to. So this lesson acknowledges where we are and gives us a tool to help us let it go. It is helpful to remember when he seems to be referring to us with ego characteristics that we are not the ego. He is merely acknowledging that we believe we are the ego. It is this that needs to be undone. It is this undoing that the lessons are for, that the entire Course is for.

I am grateful that Jesus does not accept the limitations that I accept. It is his vision of innocence that I am striving for and that his support makes it easier for me to accept. It is why I want to see God in everything I see. I want to know that God is in my mind and I am one with God. I want to know that I am Love.

There is a Light in my mind, a Light I tend to ignore, a Light I tend to define, a Light I often won’t allow to be Itself. It is a level of consciousness in which I interact with control. And as I make my own interpretations about this Light at that level, I experience the world accordingly. The guidance of this lesson inspires me more deeply to resign the meaning I think I need to give to the Light of God. I am inspired to let it be, I am inspired to trust It even more to reveal itself as whole, abundant, free, sharing, one with me.

I want to be in the world, but not of the world, to see the world and know it is not so; to live with the human sight of differences and separation, while knowing the body’s eyes see not the truth for true vision rests in the mind where I am One with God.

This vision I must practice, I must remember, I must be mindful. My mind must be full of God because I have consciously and consistently chosen the reality of Oneness.

There are many textbooks for human eyes to read about experiencing God, but there is only One God in which we all are joined. The Course contains instruction that everyone can understand and a wonderful way to practice that really helps us allow our minds to be healed and filled with God. When our minds are filled with God, our bodily eyes will not deceive us into believing illusion is reality.

Today I choose practicing. Today I choose remembering. Today I choose Oneness because this is already in my mind. When I experience Oneness in my mind I can see Oneness everywhere and be filled with gratitude.

In today’s world it is finally becoming popular to realize that most of our lives are reflections of our attitudes and our thoughts. We are beginning to see that only a change of our own mind can execute any real change in our lives, and subsequently, in the world. There are many sources of this concept.

Some are spiritual (with and without God as the Power behind the spirit). Some are body oriented such as sports, and habits that need breaking. While other sources are found in the self-improvement and professional psycho-therapy fields. And let’s not forget Madison Ave. advertisers & the psycho-babble gurus. Yes, even they speak (use) the truth.

We, who believe (or try to) that God is everywhere, in everything, in our minds, are so very fortunate to have the easy way to find about this concept. We know God. We know the Power Source. And just as importantly, we have the Guide Who will show us the “how to” to use this Power to change our priorities in this world to reflect His Creation. Every time I struggle with the course material I am reminded of how hard it would be without it.

A couple of nights ago I had a disagreement with my son. He was very angry with me and hung up on me. This was so upsetting. We never argue and he has never acted like this. I went through all sorts of emotions; anger that he should treat me with such disrespect, self doubt because maybe I could have handled it better, fear that this will affect our relationship.

The blessing that came from this is that while trying to deal with it, I suddenly saw very clearly that this is another special relationship. I love my son very much, but I love him best when he loves me. I love him best when he gives me what I think I need and lack; love and respect, admiration, obedience. When he doesn’t supply my needs, the relationship suffers. I had never before been able to admit that even my relationships with my children are special relationships.

When I saw this I was able to give this relationship to Holy Spirit to heal. I want this to be a holy relationship, for my sake and for his. It took all that day and into today before I started feeling good. And all through today, whenever I thought of my son I would think about how God is in him, because God is in my mind.

I also noticed that once I asked for the healing of this relationship, I began praying for my son’s well being. I began to ask that he experience God’s Love and comfort. For the first time since this happened, my focus was on him instead of on myself. I had been projecting all the bad things I was making myself feel onto my son and I was able to quit doing that. I feel that I have been blessed with a powerful insight and that our relationship has been blessed with a powerful healing.

He called me to ask a question late this afternoon and was on his way out of town so we didn’t have time to talk, but he promised to call me back this weekend. In the meantime I will continue to see God in my son and in this relationship.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 29 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 29 Insights

“God is in everything I see.”

As I repeat, “God is in everything I see,” I am being taught to shift from physical sight to spiritual sight. God can not be seen with the physical eyes. But I can be aware of God’s Presence as I open my mind to an inner vision, Christ’s vision. With Christ’s vision, I see that behind every form is the Light of God. I can train myself to open my mind with consistent practice to be open to the awareness of God’s presence everywhere. I can practice by realizing that God is where I see that plant. God is not the physical plant, but through Christ’s vision I see the Light of God is what is really there.

Today I am asking to see with spiritual sight and I know that what I really want to see, I will see. And so I use time today to practice opening my mind to spiritual sight, opening my mind to Christ’s vision. Through Christ’s vision I remember that only Love is real, and behind all form is the Love that is eternal, that is always there to see if I am open to seeing it. I am willing to practice today letting my mind be healed. I am willing to practice remembering that God is in everything I see.

This lesson tells us that the idea that God is in everything I see is central to the Course, the basis for all previous lessons and all subsequent lessons. Yet as I say God is in that table, all that I’m aware of is that table. It doesn’t seem that I am seeing God. But the exercises are designed to open my mind to accept the possibility that God is there, that He is everywhere. Just because I am not aware of God everywhere doesn’t mean that God/Love isn’t everywhere.

If I see something that upsets me or I’m afraid of, clearly I’m not seeing Love there. I’m perceiving something else. This lesson is teaching me that despite my perception, Love is still there. If I’m not seeing it, I must need an adjustment in my perception. Thus every moment can be a reminder to take my perception to the Holy Spirit to receive His vision. His is the vision that will show me the Love that lies beyond my perception. So this lesson is introducing me to a world I have not allowed myself to perceive. It is telling me there is more to see.

It is part of the process of retraining my mind to question the limits I have accepted. I do not have to be limited to what I am currently able to perceive. God is there for me to see. I need only let go of my limitations. I am not limited to a body, because I am not a body, I am free. I am still Love, as God created me.

The Love in me always recognizes God in everything I see. If I don’t recognize it, it is because I don’t recognize my Self. I am grateful for the opening this lesson brings to prepare the way for me to know my Self. The Love I share with God is in everything I see.

God is with me in every step I take. If I see truly, I see Oneness, every thing, every person, all joined in Oneness. We are all made from the same substance, Love, even though we may look different. Above all I want to see the Love that is present, not the seeming differences. The differences are nothing. Only the Love present is real.

Love is in everything I see. I can see Love if I open my spiritual eyes and mind. I can see Love if I choose to because I am capable of seeing it. I am Love and can see my Self. This is not too hard for me. There are no partitions between parts of the Oneself. The Oneself can see its whole Self. I can see God because I am one with God. I can experience God in every moment, if I choose to, because this is the reality that exists. I can choose reality or I can choose the illusion of separation, separation from God and, consequently, separation from persons and things. Today I choose Truth. Today I choose Love. Today I choose Peace. Today I choose God.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 28 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 28 Insights

“Above all else I want to see things differently.”

While growing up, I learned to give meaning to everything around me. I learned what everything is for. I am now learning to step back from my past, to let go of the past. I am now learning to have an open mind about what anything is or what it is for. I am learning to let go of my automatic responses and open to a new meaning given me by the Holy Spirit.

This has not been easy for me unless I quiet my mind, slow it down and let it shift into another gear. When I do this, the Holy Spirit lifts the veil — the meaning I have given things — and shows me the Love of God that lies behind each thing that I see.

This only happens when I am willing. The part of the lesson that says “above all else” is meaningful here. Unless I really want to see things differently, I will bring the past to the present. Right now I am working with “above all else.” I find that often it isn’t, “above all else.” But today’s lesson brings me closer, through consistent practice, to letting that “above all else I want to see things differently” a little closer to my experience.

I really want to practice today’s lesson as often as possible, knowing that this practice will lead me toward more consistency in seeing the Light of God that is really there. I am willing to take it a step at a time and forgive myself if I forget. I want to consistently remember that there is only Love. God is All. There is nothing else. Today I take one more step by practicing this lesson over and over. This leads me to freedom. This leads me to consistent experience of the peace of God.

As I did the practice exercise, it became clear to me that my day is filled with labeling and categorizing, sorting things I hear and see into various boxes of meaning. If something occurs that I cannot easily put in one of those boxes, I feel uneasy because it seems like I don’t know what it means. Without a meaning that I can assign to it, it can even seem fearful, because it is unknown and I don’t know how to defend against it if need be. All this comes because I have learned that it is my job to assign meaning to everything. That is what perception is for, or so I have learned.

This lesson is helping me to let go of this idea. It is helping me withdraw from the role of assigning meaning and open to the meaning that lies beyond the form, beyond the labels and categories I have learned in the past. As I can open my mind and withdraw the assignment of meaning from the past, I can receive the Holy Spirit’s enlightening vision. I become open to seeing the Light that is shared by all that is real.

The statement is a commitment, a dedication that I may not believe wholeheartedly yet, but each little step in that direction leads me to freedom. It leads me to recognize my Self as I was created and as I am. Here is the peace of God, for I was created in the peace of God. There can be no goal greater than this, no greater satisfaction than reaching it. “Above all else, I want to see things differently.”

When I say the words to myself, “I want to see things differently,” I notice that my attention is drawn to the word ‘want.’ I noticed as I looked around and really asked myself, “Do I really want to see this differently?” a strong sense of peace came over me.

The biggest gift in this lesson today is the comfort that when I do get tired of assigning meaning to everything, there is a truth that will embrace me. I can make a commitment to withdraw my preconceived ideas. I can let go gradually with an open mind, knowing that when my mind and heart join in unity to see the Light in everything, It will be there for me. Above all else I want to see things differently, and it will in the time that I allow it.

The peace of God is shining in me now. Above all else I want to see the peace of God. Above all else I want to see the radiance of Love that is the real truth of my brother and of all things that are part of God. I want to bless the truth in myself and my brother. Connecting with the radiance within everyone and everything is my only goal. Herein lies the peace of God.

Take my sight, O God, and let me see anew. I give to You myself. My life is Yours. It has always been Yours, but today I choose to recognize this is so in every moment. Your purpose is my purpose. Your Love is my love. We are One in all that I am. This is my comfort and my joy. I am not alone. I am One with You and that can never change.

Above all else I want to see Oneness surrounding me. I want to see You in my brother and sister. I want to see You in all things, circumstances and events. In having this sight, I have all there is to have. In this I am complete and whole. In this I am in the now with You, and this is my only reality. Above all else I want the reality of my existence.

I’ve felt lately a connection and that others are experiencing this process of changing mind in so much the same way as I am. It seems to help that others seem to experience the same frustrations that I seem to feel. Also, when I see talk of positive progress, that makes me feel more certain that I can too.

I was struck by the reference to the table as a way of gaining vision. It may not be particularly flattering that we aren’t essentially different from the table in sharing the purpose of the universe, but it does eliminate a lot of complications. I think the point is that there is nothing outside of our mind and our real mind is the One Mind that encompasses all that is. We’re learning that there isn’t someone or even something else. I’m sure I haven’t learned that yet but I’m very grateful that I’m willing to be taught.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 27 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 27 Insights

“Above all else I want to see.”

Seeing with Christ’s vision means seeing the real world. It means seeing through the eyes of Christ. It means seeing past bodies to the one Light and Love of God. It means overlooking the barriers to Love and recognizing that only Love is real. Seeing with Christ’s vision brings infinite happiness and joy. It brings healing to myself and everyone around me. When I remember this, why wouldn’t I want to make seeing with Christ’s vision my very highest priority?

Jesus tells us often in the Course that we see what we want to see. This lesson is encouraging us to want to see with Christ’s vision. As we make it our top priority, we will see with Christ’s vision. What an opportunity we all have today to give ourselves the constant suggestion that “above all else I want to see.” I want to see with Christ’s vision above all else.

This makes today a very exciting day. A day of great strides toward what is the most important thing there can be. There is nothing more important than my return to seeing with Christ’s vision. There is nothing more important to my happiness than this. There is nothing more important to my awakening than this. This is my one true function, seeing with Christ’s vision.

Through Christ’s vision I heal and am healed. I feel inspired to follow the instructions at least every half hour. I see that the benefits are huge. Seeing with Christ’s vision is really my one goal. It brings me the peace of God. It brings me deep happiness and fulfillment. It helps me see my invulnerability and everyone’s invulnerability. It helps me see past illusions to the truth. What could be more important than this? What an opportunity I have today! There is nothing more important than this.

This lesson acknowledges that right now, we may not be wholehearted in affirming that above all else we want to see. It even gives us an antidote to the fear that might come up that we might lose something we value if we make seeing through Christ vision our top priority. And it tells us that we need this affirmation to help us move toward the time when we can say it wholeheartedly, without reservation.

It is helpful to remember this supportive and understanding view that the Course holds of our process of awakening. There are many times in later Workbook lessons when it appears that the Course is expecting us to be at a level of clarity and certainty that we do not yet feel. This lesson is making it clear that Jesus is holding a view of us as we truly are, even though we may not hold that view of ourselves as yet. That is his gift to us, by seeing past our false self-images and not accepting them as true, he makes it easier for us to let them go. We do the same for our brothers when we are able to forgive and see their innocence, even when they do not see it themselves.

This lesson is very inspiring. It not only offers us a tool to set a new priority for ourselves, it supports us with gentle compassion in letting go of our fears. It holds a view of us as a holy Son of God in spite of the false images we have built in our minds and believed to be true.

It gives me a feeling of comfort and rest as I am held in the gentle, loving arms of God. I have a Friend Who sees the truth in me and Whose only function is to support me in seeing the truth in myself. “Above all else I want to see.”

This morning I woke up slightly depressed, the way I sometimes do for no particular reason. When I read today’s lesson, I almost cried with plea to my Heavenly Father “yes, above all else I want to see. Please help me!”

I get so tired of being depressed, I get tired of holding resentments over petty issues, I get tired of seeing the world that I made. I can’t understand why I resist giving myself entirely to what the Course is trying to tell me. Today I surrender myself and my life to my Father and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me.

I wrote today’s lesson on my hand with black permanent marker because I am determined to repeat the lesson as often as I can today to remind myself that above all else I want to see.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 26 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 26 Insights

“My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.”

This lesson is teaching me that if I fear anything, if I am worried about anything, or if I have a concern of any kind, that what appears to come from the outside world is really coming from attack thoughts that are still residing in my mind. My experience of an outer world is an effect, not a cause. If I think I am vulnerable in any way, it is because I am still holding on to attack thoughts. It is very powerful to have this understanding. What I think of as real in this ‘life’ journey shows me where there is still a need to heal my mind.

Now, instead of continuing with these effects, I can change my mind by handing over all thoughts of duality, all thoughts of attacking or being attacked to the Holy Spirit to be undone. I have a way out of the seemingly endless spiral of thinking that I am weak and vulnerable in a dangerous world. Now I know that this simply is not true. In truth all is Love, so all that is real is invulnerable. In the introduction to the Course Jesus says, “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.”

It is only my own attack thoughts that give me the dream experience of being attacked or vulnerable. I can change my thoughts and I am thankful that this is so. I am willing to look at all the places where I am concerned or afraid, and realize that these thoughts are an attack upon myself. I can take each situation to the Holy Spirit. I can receive a correction in my perception. This process of taking each concern, no matter how mild it may seem, to the Holy Spirit is important. Each baby step takes me one step closer to returning me to my true Identity as Love and nothing else.

This lesson is making it very clear that if I perceive vulnerability anywhere, that is an attack on myself. I have forgotten Who I am. I am forgotten that I was created by Love as Love. Thus any time I perceive somebody as harmed in any way, including myself, or I see the potential for harm, I am attacking myself. I could not perceive weakness if I did not perceive weakness in myself first. In reviewing my thoughts, it is clear that there are many areas in my thoughts where I perceive weakness. I have established many defenses to protect myself. I think about ways to avoid ways to avoid confrontation. I think about taking vitamins to stay healthy. I think about financially preparing for a secure future. I think about what might happen to my body if one thing or another occurred.

Thoughts like this pass through my mind many times a day in different forms. Sometimes they seem to be about me. Sometimes they seem to be about other people or world conditions. They are all the same. They are all thoughts of vulnerability and therefore they represent belief that it is possible to be separate from the all powerful strength of God, my Source.

I am grateful that this lesson makes it clear that I can change my mind. It gives me a tool to become aware of the many ways I attack myself, mostly unconsciously. By bringing it to conscious awareness, I have the opportunity to turn it over to the Holy Spirit to receive His gentle and loving correction. This is how I free myself from limitation and fear. This is how I transform my world from a place of vulnerability and conflict to a place of safety and peace.

The more I practice this lesson, the more I will become aware of ways that I limit myself with my thoughts so that I can turn these thoughts over to Holy Spirit to receive His healing Light. The truth is that I and everyone are created invulnerable, for we remain in the heart of God, not separate and alone. We remain Love and nothing else.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 25 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 25 Insights

“I do not know what anything is for.”

I do not know what anything is for because, if I am identifying with the ego, I do not know what I am or where I am. I do not realize that what I am seeing as an outside world is coming from my own mind. I do not realize that what I am seeing is what is in my mind. The meanings that I give to the world are the meanings that are still in my mind, and if I am identifying with being a separate person, all these meanings are wrong. They are simply mistaken ideas that are reflecting the ego’s thought system.

Because I still do identify with the ego thought system, I do not know what anything means. I need practice in stepping back and being willing to open up to the Holy Spirit’s healing correction. As I am willing to let go of the meaning that I am giving to things, it leaves an empty space where the Holy Spirit can write its true meaning.

I need to do this with everything I experience in this world. Atonement, or true perception, means undoing the meaning that I have given to everything. This comes with stepping back again and again and again, letting the Holy Spirit bring Its healing perceptions into my mind. This is my salvation. This is how I return Home to where I never left. This is how I remember my true Identity. This is how I find freedom from the ego’s imprisoning thoughts of separation.

I find that reminding myself that I don’t know what anything is for is a great way for me to open my mind to receive insight from Holy Spirit. I need to practice this many times through the day. I have invested much in training myself to figure out what things are for. In my ego identification, my value or worth is attached to my ability to figure out what things are for, what circumstances mean and if they are not to my liking, to fix them. The aspect that takes pride in this is insulted to hear that I do not know what anything is for.

I am grateful that I have had enough experience with acknowledging that I don’t know and receiving the healing of Holy Spirit’s perception that my willingness has grown to practice this lesson. Despite the pride that comes with ‘knowing,’ there is always an accompanying sense of inadequacy, because underneath, there is still a recognition that this ‘knowing’ is very limited. And so this affirmation offers me release from limited perception and identification with inadequacy. It welcomes the all knowing, wise and compassionate perception of the Holy Spirit. It is this I truly want. It is this that brings me peace and happiness. I am willing to remember that on my own, I do not know what anything is for. I am willing to perceive the gift of Holy Spirit’s vision.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 24 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 24 Insights

“I do not perceive my own best interests.”

When I was growing up, I was often asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to do with your life?” I was given the impression that I needed to decide and that it was my job to decide my likes or dislikes, where I lived or who I lived with, or what I did with my time. I have thought that this individual life I appear to be leading was up to me and that I could find happiness by deciding on my own. Now I am finding that the opposite is true.

I am now learning that it is not my job to decide on my own because I do not perceive my own best interests. I am learning that my job is to step back and go into a place of quiet and ask the Spirit of Wholeness in my mind for direction. I am learning to practice remembering that on my own I do not know what my best interests are. But the good news is there is a Source of Wisdom and Love in my mind that does.

As I learn to practice stepping back more and more, I am finding that this Source of inner Wisdom does know what my best interests are and will lead me moment by moment to accomplishing my true purpose in this ‘life.’ I am learning that my real Life is in being the Love that I am and this real Life never changes and is eternal.

In the world of perception, the circumstances of my service does change. The form may change, but the Love stays constant. Removing the barriers to my remembering my true Identity is my fundamental purpose right now. It begins with remembering that I do not perceive my own best interests.

This lesson is helping me recognize that I don’t know as much as I think I know. It is helping me open my mind to be teachable. We’ve all seen little children decide that they want something and demand it, even though we can see that it is not in that child’s best interest. The child clearly thinks it is. What is not so clear is that most of the time we are like that little child, demanding that circumstances in our lives be a certain way to make us happy. Like the child who does not know the whole picture and all the effects of having what it demands, we have a limited perception and do not know all the effects of having what we think we want would have on us.In looking at my life experience, I can see many examples of when I insisted on things being a certain way, only to discover that I was not happy when I had it. There have been times when I had what I thought I wanted, and it appeared to be taken away. It was upsetting to me.

But I learned an affirmation years ago that I use many times in situations like those. It was, “I can hardly wait to see the good that comes from this.” To me this is another way of saying I do not perceive my own best interests. It is acknowledging that my perception is limited and that if I am willing to listen to my inner Teacher, I will receive what is helpful and learn what is helpful. In every situation in which I perceived loss, when I used this affirmation or something like it, great good did come from the experience — sometimes important turning points in my life.

Today’s lesson is a great tool to use whenever I believe I know what my best interests are. It is useful when I have believed I have lost. It is also helpful to use when I believe I have what I want to help me open my mind to a greater perception, with Holy Spirit’s help. It is a great reminder of the limits of my perception and an opening to let Holy Spirit give me His bigger picture. The more I can do this, the more peace and happiness I will allow in my life.

How can I see what is in my best interest with my ego eyes? I cannot. My best interest is the interest of the Oneself. That is far beyond the comprehension of the ego, even if it desired to understand my True Self’s best interest, which it does not. My ego expectations run amok, here, there, and everywhere like wild creatures, untamed and undisciplined. Thoughts going in all directions at once, each demanding attention.

My best interest is the interest of my true Self. I need Holy Spirit to show what this is in every moment. I can no longer pretend that I know what anything means. I give all expectations and all competing voices to Holy Spirit this day. Today I am willing to say I don’t know anything and I am willing to follow the lead of Holy Spirit. Only then is my best interest made manifest. Only then am I in love and peace, and surely love an peace are in my best interest.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 23 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 23 Insights

“I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.”

This lesson is helpful to me because I still need to be reminded that I am the image maker. The world I see is coming from my thoughts. It invites me to take responsibility for seeing a world of separation, a world of bodies that are separate and alone. I need to be reminded that it is the thoughts I am holding onto in my mind that are giving me this experience. Jesus reminds me, “Each of your perceptions of “external reality” is a pictorial representation of your own attack thoughts.” (2:2)

This lesson tells me that the images I have made have been replaced. “Vision already holds a replacement for everything you think you see now.” (4:4) If I am not seeing the replacement, then I am still holding onto the images. These images are like a barrier to the Love that is behind them.

It does not seem like these images are attack thoughts. But from the Course I am learning that any thought that does not come from the oneness of God is trying to separate from the oneness of God. Any thought of individuality is an attack thought. It appears to be ‘out there,’ but what is ‘out there’ is really coming from my mind. This is called projection. This is called image making.

I need practice in owning the thoughts that are the cause of the world I see. I am the one in charge of giving up these attack thoughts. As I am willing to give them up, I will realize that these images I have made have been replaced. As I let them go, I realize again that only Love is real. All forms of separation are really just false ideas that I held in my mind a while. I am willing to hand them over to my true Self Who will shine a light on them and show me that they are nothing. I am willing to give up attack thoughts.

The ego disguises some attack thoughts with cloaks it calls compassion, caring and sympathy. If I see someone injured and I cringe at the pain that I think this person must be suffering, that is an attack thought. If I worry about a loved one, that is an attack thought. If someone shares with me about their loss and I join in their perception of loss, that is an attack thought. These are attack thoughts because they are perceiving the Son of God as weak and vulnerable, capable of being harmed. These thoughts are attacking the truth by perceiving God’s extension as weak.

Because a creator can only create like itself, the creations must be like the creator. If I perceive God’s creations as weak, I must also perceive God as weak. Yet the Course is telling us that the Love of God is all there is. And that God is our strength.

This lesson is a step toward recognizing the investment the ego has in perceiving vulnerability and is telling us that letting go of those thoughts of vulnerability is the way we escape from this world. It is our function to recognize every thought of attack (falsifying the truth) and let it go.

The Holy Spirit is in our mind to help us do this. We need only the willingness to turn over every attack thought to the Holy Spirit. He will take them gladly and show us their replacement in the brilliant Light of Love. As we learn to do this, fear recedes and we experience the strength of Love more and more.

When a friend comes to us in pain, we do not identify with the pain, but with the strength of Love in our friend. From this peaceful and loving place, we can be guided by the Holy Spirit in our minds to offer our friend whatever is truly helpful in that moment. It may be a loving touch, a word of comfort or just a thought focusing on the truth of them in our mind. If we let the Holy Spirit be our Guide, we will be led in each moment to be helpful.

Everyday there is a lesson to pay particular attention to, but what does this one really mean to me? Do I physically escape from the world I see? No, not really. I escape mentally and emotionally from identifying with ego fears and needs. I let myself be cleansed with the light of Love. I let Love wash me of lingering muddy fears that hide my true nature.

As the fears are washed away, I see fresh and clear. I see my light, my love, and then that others are just like me. Others are light and love underneath their muddy fears. Everyone needs a bath of light and love to show us our one true self, and Holy Spirit is happy to oblige as the great washer.

We can escape the mud. We can live shining and sparkling, if we are willing to recognize that we have muddy thoughts and are willing to let them go. Today I am willing to allow myself to be washed in the sea of Love. I am willing to shown my sparkling self. I am willing to be set free. I am willing to see the Oneself.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 22 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 22 Insights

“What I see is a form of vengeance.”

It is very helpful when Jesus reveals the unconscious motivation for making up this world of separation, of separate bodies with separate minds. In this lesson Jesus is helping me understand that this whole world I see as outside me is really a projection of the conflict that is coming from my mind. Jesus is helping me understand that this world I think of as outside me is really a projection of my belief in separation.

This projection shows up as a world of conflict that appears to be outside my mind. Because I feel guilt for this desire for individuality I do not want to acknowledge this wish to see separation and push these thoughts of conflict down into the unconscious realms.

Now because I want to heal my mind, I need to have what is really happening at unconscious levels brought to my attention. This lesson helps me understand why I see so much conflict in the world. The conflict that I see out in the world is simply a reflection of the conflict that is in my mind. This helps me understand why I experience fear. There are times when it seems to go away, but it will resurface until I let go of the cause. So I do need to know and understand fully the depth of attack thoughts that reside in the unconscious layers of my mind.

I want to go with the Holy Spirit and look at it very directly and see this ego thought system for what it is. The Holy Spirit will show me that it is really not what I want. I really do not want to continue seeing separation. I want to recognize lack of Love for what it is and let it go. I want to see behind the veil of separate bodies with separate minds to what is real.

What is truly real is changeless. Everything in this world of time and space is in a constant state of change and therefore I am learning it is not real. It seems difficult at times to look at this, but I have so much Help. And this eternal Help goes with me and is there to hold my hand and lead me out of these delusions of separation as I am ready.

In today’s lesson I am learning that what I see is a form of vengeance. I am willing to let the Holy Spirit walk me through the unconscious motivations I have been attached to. I am willing to hand them over. I am willing to practice letting my mind be healed today.

Sometimes I think of this world as a childish temper tantrum, in which we are saying to our Father, “You won’t give me the world of specialness I want and so I will make my own.” God will not stop us from making an illusionary insane world because He gave us all power. We can use this power to create or miscreate. If He were to interfere with our miscreation, then we would no longer be His equal as He created us. We would become of a lesser order. This He cannot do because He created us like Himself.

But He has provided us the means to escape from the insane world we appear to have made. It is His Voice, our inner Teacher, Who is ever present to show us what we really want if we will but ask. Eventually the pain of ‘living’ in the world we appear to have made becomes so great that we are willing to look for a better way. Our previously closed minds open a door, a window, a crack in the armor to let Love in, to let God’s answer in. And we get a taste that there is another way to be, a way that is far happier, far more peaceful and more filled with Love than anything we have experienced in this world.

That taste motivates our willingness to seek for more and to recognize that what we have made is not what we want in truth. This lesson is a step in helping us to recognize that we don’t really want the world we have made. There must be a better way, a happier way, a more loving way, a peaceful way. Today I am willing to stop the tantrum and open the door wider to the peace of God.

As I begin to meditate on today’s lesson, I say, “I place my mind under your guidance, Jesus.” Soon afterward, the tightness around my heart begins to dissolve. I have a memory of holding my tiny infant daughter in my arms. I remember her tiny hand holding my finger. I remember looking into her eyes as I feed her. I see the luminescence of love in her eyes. As I gaze into her eyes and speak to her gently and softly and sing to her, I am filled with a sense of wonder, awe, love and total oneness. There is no separation between us.

This memory reminds me that love is not an intellectual exercise. It is the lifting of the veil, the lifting of the illusion of separation between what appears to be two beings. This experience and experiences like this are the flip of the switch that take me from seeing the world as a form of vengeance into the experience of extending Love through the world. These experiences open my heart and remind me of the truth of Who I am. This is my healing. This is my memory of the extension of Love that my Father gave to me and that I am to give others as I walk in the dream.

It is helpful not be afraid when we look at the vengeance in ourselves and others. We can see it everywhere, on the TV news, a friends gossiping, the conditioning that we have grown up with, road rage, and all the divorces. When we see these things in ourselves and others, we only have to know that they are not what we really are.

It is so important for us to not feel guilty, for as Jesus said, “We know not what we do.” When we become aware, we easily turn to Spirit and ask to see things differently. He shows us the Love that we have inside. He shows us the joy and peace we have inside. And He reminds us that we are truly worthy and lovable and all is truly well.

Yesterday I could not believe how many people and incidents in my life made me angry. Especially when I stopped pretending that twinges of annoyance didn’t count as anger. Today it is easy for me to see how I have peopled my world with all that anger. No wonder the world seems so scary. After reading the lesson I saw this dynamic several times. I would feel anger toward someone or something and stop myself long enough to realize I was defending against my own projected illusions. I don’t think this means I’m going to stop now, but it is a small step in that direction, and I don’t think I can ever again be completely blind to what I am doing.

God wants us to be happy. He created us to be happy. Yet we surround ourselves with so many things to take care of to convince ourselves that our lives seem real. All these things distract us from the reality of what we are, yet we revel in them. We prize them. These things are projections of my fear that I won’t have enough or that I won’t be comfortable. They are projections of my fear that my True Self is not real, that God may be there for others, but not for me. I see my fear in all that is around me.

Do I want to live in a world of fear? This is not how I was created to exist. If I let go of my ego vision and allow Holy Spirit to show me what is real, I can be happy. I can live as as I was created to exist because I see fear is not real. Only Love is real. In Love I am happy for I am truly me.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index
Listen to Lesson 21 Insights

ACIM Workbook Lesson 21 Insights

“I am determined to see things differently.”

I’m determined to see things differently. I am determined to allow the Holy Spirit to show me in every given moment what is really happening. I accept that my true nature is of abundance, well-being and Love and that the only thing that separates me from that experience is the limited way in which I see things, myself and others. So I surrender to the fact that I need guidance because of my limited vision. I surrender, not because I’m bad or guilty, but because I choose to remember my innocence and my unity with Love.

So when I am determined to see, I am assisting Love in the healing process, which is my only function. It’s not my job to create abundance, security, safety. Its already been created. I’ve only been hiding myself from it. When I am determined to see things differently, I am inviting help to let the truth in about my freedom and experience of it. I can trust in every moment a sincere willingness will bring me closer to the remembrance and experience of Who we really are.

I am determined to see things differently means I am willing to see God everywhere. Beyond the veil of illusions and separation is the real Love in my brothers and my self. I am determined to see this Love in place of any thought of separation. I am determined to allow Spirit to show me the innocence and unity of my one Self in all the Sonship. I hold to Love and this seeing creates a new world.

If I find myself holding even a twinge of anger, I have found it is helpful to ask, “How does Jesus see this situation?” or “Jesus, how do you see this person? Show me.” Then it is helpful for me to be quiet and listen, letting go of my preconceived ideas. It is also helpful for me to remember, “I do not know what anything, including this, means.” I am open to be shown by the Holy Spirit. I know that understanding comes to the quiet mind. I am willing to allow my mind to be quiet a while and to be shown how to see things differently. I am willing to recognize that I do not know on my own and that I need help. There is a Source of Love that always resides in my mind. I am willing to go to that Source and be taught how to see things differently.

Grievances are a form of anger. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m holding a grievance. One way it shows up is when I get upset because its the third time something happened. I obviously have been counting and I have been holding the first time as a grievance, even though I told myself it didn’t bother me until the third time.

It’s interesting to observe the little ways the ego tries to disguise its anger and hide the anger from conscious awareness. If we were truly aware of all the anger we hold, it would be intolerable and we would immediately seek to do something about it. We would turn to Love because it would be very clear that anger does not serve us.

That is why it is important for us to realize that there is no difference between a minor irritation and intense fury. Any thought that holds us separate from our Source and our brother is equally untrue, but also equally destructive to our awareness of the truth. This is why it is important to be determined to see things differently. It is not up to us how to see things differently, only to be willing. The how is provided by the Holy Spirit in our minds. But we cannot receive it if we are not willing. The willingness opens the door to complete release from fear and return to our Home in Love.

As I sit in stillness and allow my True Self to be more present, I realize that the thoughts coming from my subconscious are not me. I look at them in amazement. They are all concocted to be problems “out there”—this person, that situation. Yet I can think differently about this person or that situation from day to day. These thoughts cannot be real and true, but I have made them and so I must look at them.

As I become more and more comfortable with allowing my True Self to be in conscious awareness, my focus shifts from seeing differently “outside” to seeing differently “inside.” It is my True Self who sees with Christ eyes, who sees with Love. If I can see that this is so, that it all happens inside myself, I can allow my mind to be healed from the seeming wound of its splintering into separate parts. There are no separate parts. There is only One. I am whole and never was anything else. I am determined to see Oneness in all I see. I give to Holy Spirit in each moment and this true seeing can be mine.

After working with the lesson I quieted my mind and received the following message from Holy Spirit:

When one begins to look at things differently the healing process has begun. You don’t need to be in a hurry and think it has to happen “right now.” Be patient with yourself, just as Spirit has been patient with you. Ask and you shall receive. Therefore, don’t forget to ask! Ask Spirit to tell you how to see this person or situation differently. Your answers WILL come to you. Be assured of that.

When I begin to see things differently, the world outside of me, and others will also see things differently. For one thing, they will see me differently, because I am! I am no longer carrying around the negative thinking or anger that I did before because I chose to see things differently. As I change my thoughts and see things differently, so does my world change. What a gift!! As I see a happy you, I can see a happy me. As I see a kind you, I can see a kind me. As I see a Light filled you, I can see a Light filled me. As I see a peaceful you, I can see a peaceful me. As I see a joyful you, I can see a joyful me. For what I see in you, I see in me.

© 2003, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

Tell a Friend about this article.

Printable Page

Page 23 of 25 pages ‹ First < 21 22 23 24 25 >

Click link to go to:
• • Lesson Index

This section has been viewed 7451601 times

Has this page been helpful to you?
Your contribution to support this site is greatly appreciated. To make a tax deductible contribution with a credit/debit card, click here.
Click here to donate from your PayPal account.
Or send a check to Pathways of Light, 12530 Lions Chase Court, Huntley, IL 60142.

Search Key Words
in Daily Lesson Insights
and ACIM Text Made Simple

Subscribe to Free Emails
of Daily Lesson Insights

Click here to subscribe to free daily emails of the Workbook Lesson Insights. You can synchronize your subscription so the lesson emails coincide with the lesson you are studying. Synchronizing instructions are provided at the end of each lesson email.

Reference Keys for
A Course in Miracles Quotes

How to Read References for Quotes from A Course in Miracles

Below are example references to specific sentences using the notation of the Second & Third Editions of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace:

T-26.IV.4:7 = Text, Chapt. 26, Section IV, paragraph 4, sentence 7.

W-pI.169.5:2 = Workbook, Part I, Lesson 169, paragraph 5, sentence 2.

M-13.3:2 = Manual for Teachers, Question 13, paragraph 3, sentence 2.

C-6.4:6 = Clarification of Terms, Term 6, paragraph 4, sentence 6

Free Online Resources

Electronic "Magazine" — Sign up to receive periodic emails with thoughts to ponder, inspirational articles and the latest news.

Subscribe to daily emails of Workbook Lesson Insights.

ACIM Text Made Simple — answers to hundreds of questions about the Text. Click here.

Daily Inspiration Blog — Thoughts to inspire your day. Click here.

Inspiring journals by Pathways of Light ministers applying the principles of ACIM. Click here.

Miracles News — hundreds of inspiring miracle stories. Click here.

We'd Like to Hear from You

Request Free Printed Program & Product Catalog

Or call 1-800-323-7284 (US & Canada) or 386-615-7284.

Click here to email your questions.

United Kingdom: Click here to email your questions about Pathways of Light in the UK or call +44 (0) 207 7262 0209.

Give us your feedback or report site problems.

Featured Store Items

Spiritual Counselor Training — based on principles of A Course in Miracles, including ordination. More….

24 ACIM Practitioner courses including 50-page study guide, CD's or MP3s, with facilitator. More….

Listen & Receive 30-Day Home Study Learn to receive insight for your life in a form that is perfect for you …heal fears, find joy & peace. Learn more.

Hey, Holy Spirit, It's Me Again by Rev. Myron Jones. An indispensible guide for anyone on the path of ACIM with insights on the 1st 90 lessons. More…

True Forgiveness by Rev. Jennifer McSween. The Proven Path from Pain to Power and personal happiness in 5 Simple Steps. Learn more.

From the Christ Mind scribed by Darrell Morley Price. A simple, yet profound message that you can immediately apply to current circumstances. More….

Eternal Life and A Course in Miracles by Jon Mundy, Phd. A Path to Eternity in the Essential Text. Sale, 32% discount. Learn more.

Forgiving Kevin Audio book by Rev. Larry Glenz. A moving and inspiring true story of a father/son relationship that withstood seven years of addiction, recovery, and relapse. More….

Healing Family Relationships Applying the Principles of A Course in Miracles 6 CD audio book by Rev. Myron Jones. Learn how family relationships offer fertile grounds for forgiveness and healing your judgments of the world. More.

A Course in Miracles Lesson Insights

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 35 Insights

“My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 34 Insights

“I could see peace instead of this.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 33 Insights

“There is another way of looking at the world.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 32 Insights

“I have invented the world I see.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 31 Insights

“I am not the victim of the world I see.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 30 Insights

“God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 29 Insights

“God is in everything I see.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 28 Insights

“Above all else I want to see things differently.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 27 Insights

“Above all else I want to see.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 26 Insights

“My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 25 Insights

“I do not know what anything is for.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 24 Insights

“I do not perceive my own best interests.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 23 Insights

“I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 22 Insights

“What I see is a form of vengeance.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Tell a Friend about this article or send the link with a Tweet

ACIM Workbook Lesson 21 Insights

“I am determined to see things differently.”

Tell a Friend about this article.

Search Key Words in Daily Lesson Insights and ACIM Text Made Simple

Subscribe to Free Emails of Daily Lesson Insights

Reference Keys for A Course in Miracles Quotes

Free Online Resources

We'd Like to Hear from You

Featured Store Items

Search Key Words
in Daily Lesson Insights
and ACIM Text Made Simple

Subscribe to Free Emails
of Daily Lesson Insights

Reference Keys for
A Course in Miracles Quotes