A Course in Miracles Text Q&A on Preface & Introduction, How It Came

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 19: The Attainment of Peace

Section I: Healing and Faith

Read ACIM Chapter 19, Section I (pages 398-402)

What is ‘faithlessness’ and how does it affect our relationships?

In this first section of Chapter 19 Jesus again returns to the idea of faithlessness and how it affects our minds and our relationships. Here he describes faithlessness as “the perception of a brother as a body, and the body cannot be used for purposes of union.” (4:2) Previously, in Chapter 17, Section VII. he said: “A situation is a relationship, being the joining of thoughts. If problems are perceived, it is because the thoughts are judged to be in conflict. But if the goal is truth, this is impossible. Some idea of bodies must have entered, for minds cannot attack. The thought of bodies is the sign of faithlessness, for bodies cannot solve anything. It is their intrusion on the relationship, an error in your thoughts about the situation, which then becomes the justification for your lack of faith.” (T-17.VII.3:1-6)

Jesus is being very helpful to us here when he emphasizes again that in order to heal, we need to let go of the error of perceiving our brother as a body. When we believe in the reality of bodies, the truth of union is lost to us. We cannot believe in separation and union at the same time. We cannot heal when we are not remembering the truth of our unity in the one Mind of Love.

How do we move past faithlessness to healing?

Jesus knows that we have imprisoned our minds by the insanity of the ego so he very specifically tells us how to move past faithlessness (or focus on bodies) to healing (focus on the truth): “Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal the Son of God. And he is healed because you offered faith to him, giving him to the Holy Spirit and releasing him from every demand your ego would make of him.” (2:1-2) So, instead of continuing to see our brother as a body, we hand over this false perception of separate bodies to the Holy Spirit because we want to choose the truth of oneness instead of separation.

This process of ‘giving him to the Holy Spirit’ comes most easily when we have built the habit of remembering that we do not know what anything means. (This habit comes naturally with repeated practice of the first 50 lessons in the Workbook.) As we really ‘get it’ that our meaningless thoughts of separation are showing us a meaningless world of separate bodies, we are more open to the healed perception of union that the Holy Spirit brings to our minds. “Thus do you see him [every brother] free [of the limitation of the body], and in this vision does the Holy Spirit share. And since He shares it He has given it, and so He heals through you. It is this joining Him in a united purpose that makes this purpose real, because you make it whole. And this is healing. The body is healed because you came without [the body], and joined the Mind in which all healing rests.” (2:3-7)

We are being invited to join the Holy Spirit in the Universal Purpose of seeing past the ‘instrument of illusion’ — the body — by putting all of our faith in the truth of our one, united Mind. We accept this invitation to remember the truth of one Mind as we are willing to apply giving faith to the truth as we perceive every brother. “And everyone must be involved in [your faith], or else your faith is limited and your dedication incomplete.” (1:5)

How can we practice this right now?

Because seeing everyone as the same extension of God’s Love is so important to freeing ourselves from the insanity of the ego, let’s practice this joining with the Holy Spirit’s Universal Purpose now. Take one person who you usually think of as a separate person and hand over this perception to the Holy Spirit… Mentally imagine yourself handing over this perception… Now let the Holy Spirit replace this with true perception… Let the Holy Spirit bring in the awareness of the eternal truth that this person’s reality is still only God’s Love… Feel the peace that comes with thinking about your brother as united with you eternally in the one Mind of Love…

Jesus describes how this works: “By faith, you offer the gift of freedom from the past, which you received. You do not use anything your brother has done before to condemn him now. You freely choose to overlook his errors, looking past all barriers between yourself and him, and seeing [yourself and him] as one. And in that one you see your faith is fully justified.” (9:3-6) Here is how we truly find peace at last. Here is how we free our brother and ourselves. “You see the Christ in him, and he is healed because you look on what makes faith forever justified in everyone.” (10:6) As we open our minds to see the Christ in him, we also see that we are united in the one Mind of which we all are part.

In paragraph 11 we see that there are only two ways of seeing — through the eyes of faith or through the body’s eyes. The eyes of faith sees only the eternal now and do not confuse our brother with what the dream of separation would show us. In paragraph 12 Jesus calls seeing every brother through the eyes of faith a holy relationship. He says, “Yet faith unites you in the holiness you see, not through the body’s eyes, but in the sight of Him Who joined you, and in Whom you are united.” (12:7) As we learn to look with the Holy Spirit, we see beyond the body to the eternal Love every brother truly is. In our dedication to remembering only the eternal, we bring healing to every brother and ourselves.

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section IX: The Two Worlds

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section IX (pages 393-97)

How does this little thought of separation try to maintain its delusional world?

In the first paragraph, Jesus goes on to describe how ‘the little ripple’ talked about in Section VIII tries to keep itself separate from God’s one ocean of Love. He emphasizes to us that the little ripple is just an insane thought: “Yet this wild and delusional thought needs help because, in its delusions, it thinks it is the Son of God, whole and omnipotent, sole ruler of the kingdom it set apart to tyrannize by madness into obedience and slavery. This is the little part you think you stole from Heaven.” (1:5-6) He also describes how this little thought of separation (the ego) tries to maintain it’s delusional world. He says that this little thought is: “surrounded by darkness, guarded by attack and reinforced by hate.” (1:9)

Jesus brings the cruelty and hate of ‘the insane little ripple’ to our attention so that we will become more willing to “bring the darkness to the light, and guilt to holiness.” (1:1) We need to see the error in ego thinking (the wish to be separate) so that we will be willing to hand it over to the Holy Spirit for correction. “Therefore, it is the tiny part of yourself, the little thought that seems split off and separate, the Holy Spirit needs.” (1:3) It is the Holy Spirit that will show us the difference between reality and illusions of separation. It is the Holy Spirit that will move us past thoughts of hate and guilt to an awareness of the innocence and Love that is everyone’s reality. As we learn to step back from our ego thoughts and hand them over to the Holy Spirit, we are brought from fear thoughts of division and separation to happy thoughts of union.

Why does Jesus go into such detail in describing how empty and meaningless this thought of separation is?

In paragraphs two through eight Jesus describes how the Holy Spirit brings the awareness of union to us. He begins by describing how empty and meaningless this thought of separation is because at this point we do not fully realize how dark and cruel it really is. When we desire specialness and the ability to make decisions on our own that the ego’s world appears to bring us, we do not realize the guilt, fear, hate and cruelty that comes with it. That is why Jesus tells us, “From the world of bodies, made by insanity, insane messages seem to be returned to the mind that made it. And these messages bear witness to this world, pronouncing it as true. For you sent forth these messengers to bring this back to you.” (3:1-3)

Why does the ego hide ‘the circle of fear’ below the appearances of separate images?

Jesus wants us to understand how deceptive and full of hate the ego thought system is. On the surface it gives us images of autonomy and uniqueness. Below the surface appearances of separate images the ego hides the circle of fear. Jesus knows that once we really recognize the true purpose that is behind what the body’s senses show us, we will be willing to forgive, or let go of, the ego thought system of separation. We will no longer tolerate the pain, guilt and fear that go with it. This is why Jesus explains to us: “The circle of fear lies just below the level the body sees, and seems to be the whole foundation on which the world is based. Here are all the illusions, all the twisted thoughts, all the insane attacks, the fury, the vengeance and betrayal that were made to keep the guilt in place, so that the world could rise from it and keep [guilt] hidden.” (4:1-2) The ego’s purpose of the world is to keep the guilt that lies in our mind hidden by projecting it outward to a world that is perceived as outside us. By projecting guilt we seem to be relieved of the guilt that comes with believing in separation.

But Jesus shows us here why the technique of projecting guilt doesn’t really relieve us of the guilt. It only gives us serial ‘lifetimes’ of loneliness and despair. He tells us: “[Guilt’s] shadow rises to the surface, enough to hold [guilt’s] most external manifestations in darkness, and to bring despair and loneliness to it [our life as a separate individual] and keep it joyless.” (4:3) Here we see what resides in the circle of fear that is just below the surface of conscious awareness and why our ‘life’ scripts bring us the experience of conflict, guilt, attack, scarcity, sickness and finally death.

Why are we not aware of the intense guilt that still lies at unconscious levels in our minds?

Jesus wants us to understand why we are not aware of the intense guilt that still lies at unconscious levels in our minds. He explains: “Yet [guilt’s] intensity is veiled by [guilt’s] heavy coverings, and kept apart from what was made to keep [guilt] hidden. The body cannot see this, for the body arose from this for [guilt’s] protection, which depends on keeping [guilt] not seen. The body’s eyes will never look on [guilt]. Yet they will see what [guilt] dictates.” (4:4-7) So here we see that the body, and what we experience through the body, was made to protect us from the intense fury of guilt that comes with believing in separation. All our made up stories of seeing the guilty ones outside us will not protect us, but simply keep us stuck in the insanity of the ego thought system.

Why is guilt still in our minds if it shows up in our ‘life’ stories?

This is why Jesus tells us so often that the guilt we see in others is not real. He often tells us that ideas of guilt do not leave their source, which means that if guilt still shows up in our stories, guilt is still in our minds. This is why, to free us from this insanity, Jesus so kindly tells us: “The body will remain guilt’s messenger, and will act as [guilt] directs as long as you believe that guilt is real. For the reality of guilt is the illusion that seems to make it heavy and opaque, impenetrable, and a real foundation for the ego’s thought system. Its thinness and transparency are not apparent until you see the light behind [guilt]. And then you see [guilt] as a fragile veil before the light.” (5:1-4) It is the Holy Spirit that shows us the light behind the guilt we see. “Let your Guide teach you their insubstantial nature as He leads you past them, for beneath [the clouds of guilt] is a world of light whereon they cast no shadows.” (8:3)

How are we shown the real world, where guilt meets with forgiveness?

As we continue to forgive, or let the Holy Spirit show us the truth that lies behind our our projections of guilt, we are shown a world of undivided Love. “This world of light, this circle of brightness is the real world, where guilt meets with forgiveness. Here the world outside is seen anew, without the shadow of guilt upon it. Here are you forgiven, for here you have forgiven everyone. Here is the new perception, where everything is bright and shining with innocence, washed in the waters of forgiveness, and cleansed of every evil thought you laid upon it.” (9:1-4)

We have believed in separation and kept the illusions of separation going through the deceptive technique of projecting guilt. Now we see that this is a useless and fearful journey. We are now ready to be done with these fearful and conflict generating perceptions. Jesus encourages us to continue on this healing journey of seeing only innocence with the Holy Spirit as our Guide. “Here is your innocence, waiting to clothe you and protect you, and make you ready for the final step in the journey inward. Here are the dark and heavy garments of guilt laid by, and gently replaced by purity and love.” (9:6-7)

As we are shown the real world, how does the purpose of our relationships change?

As we continue in our daily process of letting ourselves be shown the real world, the purpose of our relationship with every brother changes. Forgiveness is our present goal, until every perception is “cleansed and purified, and finally removed forever. Forgiveness removes only the untrue, lifting the shadows from the world and carrying it, safe and sure within its gentleness, to the bright world of new and clean perception. There is your purpose now. And it is there that peace awaits you.” (14:2-5)

We need not be concerned about what lies beyond this important process of daily forgiveness. “Here you are led [to the real world], that God Himself can take the final step unhindered, for here does nothing interfere with Love, letting It be Itself. A step beyond this holy place of forgiveness, a step still further inward but the one you cannot take, transports you to something completely different. here is the Source of Light; nothing perceived, forgiven nor transformed. But merely known.” (10:4-7)

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VIII: The Little Garden

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section VIII (pages 390-93)

What makes love seem limited?

There is an important idea in paragraph one that we will look at more closely in our process of mind healing or reversing our false perceptions. Jesus tells us, “It is only the awareness of the body that makes love seem limited. For the body is a limit on love. The belief in limited love was [the body’s] origin, and [the body] was made to limit the unlimited. ...[the body] was made to limit you. (1:1-4)

In order to help us through this liberating thought reversal process, Jesus gives us a clear explanation of how accepting the belief in limited love has adversely effected us and has limited our awareness of Heaven. He wants us to see how debilitating this belief in limited love is so that we will be willing to forgive, or let it go.

We have already learned that the world we see is the effect of our thoughts or our beliefs. Here Jesus is helping us understand that we see a world of bodies because we are still believing in limited love. In other sections Jesus tells us to ask of everything, “What is this for?” Here he clearly shows us that the purpose of bodies is to limit the unlimited or make Love appear to be limited. Because God is Love, we are attempting to limit God.

How does belief in limited love show up in our ‘life’ experience?

Looking closely at how this belief shows up in our experience will give us plenty of motivation to let go of this core false idea of ‘limited love,’ not out of sacrifice, but because we see how painful it is to keep holding on to this false concept. We want to free our minds from the bondage of the ego’s treacherous thought system. To this end it is helpful to ask ourselves, “Has love appeared to be limited in my ‘life’ experience? Is the love I give and receive constant, or does it come and go, like the wind?” Seeing how this belief in limited love shows up in our thoughts is very helpful to us as we want to awaken to the truth. Once we see that we have been experiencing the painful effects of an idea that is false, we will be more willing to hand over these false concepts to the Holy Spirit to be replaced by true perception.

The next time you find yourself believing in the reality of any body, tell yourself, “I now let go of the idea of limited love. I release the idea that bodies are real because I am done with trying to limit the unlimited. I let the Holy Spirit bring me the awareness of Love’s limitless Reality.”

How does belief in limited love shut God out of our awareness?

In paragraph two Jesus tells us, “And while you limit your awareness to [the body’s] tiny senses, you will not see the grandeur that surrounds you. God cannot come into a body, nor can you join Him there. Limits on Love will always seem to shut Him out, and keep you apart from Him.” (2:2-4) Jesus cannot be more straightforward about explaining to us how we are limiting ourselves. This limitation is not being done to us. It is being done by us as we continue to believe in the reality of limited love, which is the same as believing in the reality of what the body’s tiny senses are showing us. We are only fooling ourselves and this “April fool’s joke” on ourselves does not bring us true and lasting happiness. What we really want is to still the ego mind in order to make an open space for the awareness of unlimited Love to return. To do this we need to stop reinforcing the idea that unique bodies could be real. This is the same as the ripple thinking it is separate from the ocean. We need to see that this is just a barrier that holds truth away. As we invite the truth in, we see that behind the appearance of every body lies only God’s ocean of unlimited Love.

How does Jesus describe the arrogance insanity of this belief in littleness?

Living our ‘life’ in the world as though everything in it were real is what is bringing us fear. The ‘reality’ of uniqueness and differences is literally a fearful idea. Jesus wants us to see what is really going on with all of our so called ‘lives’ in this world: “Within this kingdom the ego rules, and cruelly. And to defend this little speck of dust it bids you fight against the universe. This fragment of your mind is such a tiny part of it that, could you but appreciate the whole, you would see instantly that it is like the smallest sunbeam to the sun, or like the faintest ripple on the surface of the ocean. In its amazing arrogance, this tiny sunbeam has decided it is the sun; this almost imperceptible ripple hails itself as the ocean. Think how alone and frightened is this little thought, this infinitesimal illusion, holding itself apart against the universe. The sun becomes the sunbeam’s ‘enemy’ that would devour it, and the ocean terrifies the little ripple and wants to swallow it.” (3:1-6)

This is very helpful to show us how small and insignificant our little illusion of separate bodies really is. To us who have joined with the arrogance of the little ripple, it seems like there is a vast world ‘out there’ that is real. When we insist that this world of bodies is real, our awareness of God — the Source of our real Life — disappears. Jesus is very specific in his direction to help us awaken. “Do not accept this little, fenced-off aspect as yourself.” (7:1)

How does our desert of littleness turn into God’s garden of Love?

As we are willing to accept God’s Thought of Love as What we are, the barrier of separation we have built up in our minds will fall away. “The Thought of God surrounds your little kingdom, waiting at the barrier you built to come inside and shine upon the barren ground. See how life [Love] springs up everywhere! The desert becomes a garden [of Love], green and deep and quiet, offering rest to those who lost their way and wander in the dust. (9:1-3) Here, in a nutshell is our real job while we still dream this dream of individual bodies. Our job is to offer rest to those who have forgotten about the Thought of Love that surrounds them and is in them.

As we open to God’s garden of Love, what is our job description?

Jesus goes on with our job description: “Give them [those who have forgotten their true Identity] a place of refuge, prepared by Love for them where once a desert was. And everyone you welcome will bring Love with him from Heaven for you. They enter one by one into this holy place, but they will not depart as they had come, alone. The Love they brought with them will stay with them, as It will stay with you. And under its beneficence your little garden will expand, and reach out to everyone who thirsts for living water [Love], but has grown too weary to go on alone.” (9:4-8) Here we see that everyone who comes into our ‘life’ is part of our job description. We are to love them as God loves them. This is how we live the happy dream — we allow Love to heal the parched desert dream of belief in differences and separate bodies.

And the benefit to us is that we receive the Love that we extend to everyone in our garden of Love. “Go out and find them, for they bring your Self with them. ...And you will recognize yourself, and see your little garden gently transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven, with all the Love of Its Creator shining upon it.” (10:1,4) The way we do this is to accept the holy instant, which brings us the awareness of the truth about every brother equally. In the truth we know that no one is the form that is found in the ‘ripple.’ Everyone is one with the one ‘ocean’ that is God’s Love. As we let in the holy instant (instant of wholeness), we find a sense of deep inner happiness, inner contentment and comfort. Here is where our lasting joy abides. It is not out in the world. It is right in our minds where the Holy Spirit resides, waiting to include everyone.

If we are having trouble accepting the holy instant, Jesus gives us advice for how to move past this barrier: “In the holy instant, you ask of Love only what It offers everyone, neither less nor more. Asking for everything, you will receive It. And your shining Self will lift the tiny aspect that you tried to hide from Heaven straight to Heaven. No part of Love calls on the whole in vain. No Son of God remains outside His Fatherhood.” (11:4-8) In our little garden of Love, we know that Love is all inclusive. It does not compare or see differences. It sees everywhere the same Love that everyone is, equally.

Jesus closes this section with a message of hope and confidence that we will succeed with our new job description. “He Whom you welcomed has come to you, and would welcome you. He has waited long to give you this. Receive it now of Him, for He would have you know Him. Only a little wall of dust still stands between you and your brother. Blow on it lightly and with happy laughter, and it will fall away. And walk into the garden Love has prepared for both of you.” (13:3-8)

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VII: I Need Do Nothing

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section VII (pages 388-90)

What does Jesus mean when he talks about ‘doing nothing’?

In paragraph seven, Jesus describes what he means by ‘doing nothing.’ He says, “To do nothing is to rest, and make a place within you where the activity of the body ceases to demand attention. Into this place the Holy Spirit comes, and there abides.” (7:7-8) Through this brief definition of ‘doing nothing’ we see that ‘doing nothing’ means stopping bodily activity, which gives an opening for the Holy Spirit to come.

He also clarifies his definition of ‘doing nothing’ as something we stop doing with our minds. We stop making time real by ceasing to give credence to thoughts about the past or future. “It is impossible to accept the holy instant without reservation unless, just for an instant, you are willing to see no past or future.” (4:1) This means we stop thinking within the framework of time. When we really “do nothing,” everything stops — all physical activity, all mental activity. “To do anything involves the body. And if you recognize you need do nothing, you have withdrawn the body’s value from your mind. Here is the quick and open door through which you slip past centuries of effort, and escape from time. This is the way in which sin loses all attraction right now. For here is time denied, and past and future gone.” (7:1-5)

Giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to heal our minds means giving our busy minds a rest. This takes a willingness to still the ego’s constant chatter. The title of this section is, “I need do nothing.” This is teaching us that we need to stop. And that includes stopping our mental activity. If our minds are still racing with a continuous flow of thoughts within the ego’s world of time and space, we are not leaving room for God. we are still not making room for the gift the Holy Spirit brings — the holy instant. If we continue to entertain ego thoughts, we are not doing ‘nothing.’ We are still busy joining with the ego by focusing on ego thoughts, which is still doing something.

Are we responsible for stopping our ‘activity’ of believing in separate bodies?

In paragraph one Jesus tells us, “No one accepts Atonement for himself who still accepts sin [belief in separation] as his goal. You have thus not met your one responsibility. Atonement is not welcomed by those who prefer pain and destruction.” (1:4-6) Here we see that our ‘activity’ of believing in separation and the dreams that come from this belief is what we need to stop. Jesus is showing us that we do not need to do this anymore. We can safely stop this activity of believing in the appearance of separate bodies. In fact, he tells us that this is our one responsibility. As long as we continue with this ‘activity,’ we are not welcoming the Atonement, which comes naturally as we cease this activity of accepting separation as our goal.

Jesus knows that we are very attached to this belief in separation. That is why he says, “There is one thing that you have never done; you have not utterly forgotten the body. It has perhaps faded at times from your sight, but it has not yet completely disappeared. You are not asked to let this happen for more than an instant, yet it is in this instant that the miracle of Atonement happens. Afterwards you will see the body again, but never quite the same. And every instant that you spend without awareness of [the body] gives you a different view of it when you return.” (2:1-5)

So here we are seeing that “I need do nothing” means that we are to stop doing what we are doing — which is making the body real through continuing to believe in its reality. Throughout the Course Jesus tells us that we expend great effort in our goal of trying to make separation from God real. He helps us see that all this efforting is tiring and depressing.

Does this mean we are to stop making judgments about what is real?

He reminds us that we are so busy making judgments that are not true that we have forgotten what is true. Many times throughout the Course he gently suggests that we give up this futile effort to build barriers to our awareness of Love’s oneness. He asks us to give up the battle with God’s Will for us. He asks us to laugh at these illusions and to not take them seriously. “[Forgiveness] does not countenance illusions, but collects them lightly, with a little laugh, and gently lays them at the feet of truth. And there they disappear entirely.” (W-pI.134.6:2-3)

This is what happens when we are willing to give up our constant mental doing, our constant giving belief to the opposite of the truth. Illusions simply disappear. “In any single instant the attraction of guilt would be experienced as pain and nothing else, and would be avoided.” (3:5) Once we become willing to forgive, or give up the efforting, the battle with God, we simply stop. Once we we become willing to stop, the holy instant — what is real — has the opportunity to return to our awareness.

Another important point that Jesus makes in this section is that we need not fight or battle against illusions. We only battle with or struggle against something that we still think is real. That is why having a quiet mind (doing nothing), which leaves an opening for the Holy Spirit to enter, is the key to our freedom. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to release us from illusions. It was our making them (illusions) real that got us into this mess.

When our mind is quiet, what does the Holy Spirit show us?

In this place of quiet, it is the Holy Spirit Who shows us our brother’s holiness when we forget. It is the Holy Spirit Who shows us the difference between what is real and what is unreal, what matters and what does not matter. It is the Holy Spirit Who undoes the ego belief that we are unworthy and inadequate. It is the Holy Spirit Who brings us peace and true comfort when we frighten ourselves with our false stories of conflict and differences. Jesus tells us in this section: “Your way will be different, not in purpose but in means. A holy relationship is a means of saving time. One instant spent together with your brother restores the universe to both of you.” (5:1-3)

In the holy instant, which comes when we leave a quiet space for it, we are shown that God’s holiness (wholeness) belongs to everyone and is everywhere. “This quiet center, in which you do nothing, will remain with you, giving you rest in the midst of every busy doing on which you are sent. For from this center will you be directed how to use the body sinlessly. It is this center, from which the body is absent, that will keep it so in your awareness of it.” (8:3-5)

In Lesson 135 of the Workbook Jesus reinforces again this idea of going to this quiet center where we are directed in how to play our part in God’s plan of releasing us from dreams of separation. “A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through listening to Wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for anything except its adequacy to fulfill the plans assigned to it. It is secure in certainty that obstacles can not impede its progress to accomplishment of any goal that serves the greater plan established for the good of everyone.” (W-pI.135.11:1-5)

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VI: Beyond the Body

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section VI (pages 384-88)

What is really going on behind our desire to think that the body is our identity?

What a very helpful section! Here Jesus helps us see what the real motivations are behind the scenes for our dreams of living in a separate body and why we attack and even kill the body in our dreams of separation from God. In several places throughout the Course Jesus tells us to ask of everything, “What is this for?” Asking this question helps us recognize what is really going on behind our desire to think that the body we are ‘living’ in is our identity. In paragraph two he explains: “The belief that you could give and get something else, something outside yourself, has cost you the awareness of Heaven and of your Identity.” (2:3)

Here he clearly explains what it is that is the cause of our forgetting about Heaven and our Identity in God. Jesus reveals to us here that we have believed that we could give and get something other than Heaven. We believed we could give and get something that is outside of God. It is this false belief that has generated dreams of bodies that could be separate and alone. Finding out about the beliefs that started all this is important, because now we can recognize the effects of these beliefs and how they are being demonstrated in our ‘life.’ Once we see what is going on clearly, we can choose once again, and this time with the Holy Spirit.

How are we still thinking that we could give and get something outside ourselves?

Process: Take a few minutes and think about your thoughts about yourself. Where are your current thoughts still reflecting the belief that you could give and get something outside yourself? It is helpful to remember here that we are in charge of what we hold to be true. This means that no one else is in charge of what we experience but us. As long as we continue to hold on to false beliefs, that is how long we will continue to experience the effects of these beliefs. To help us out of this mindless habit of thinking that we could give and get something that is outside of God, it is helpful to frequently ask ourselves, “What am I thinking I am giving or getting right now? Am I thinking I could give or get something other than God?” Once you see the mistaken thoughts, it is helpful then to hand them over to the Holy Spirit. Only He knows what to do with them. He will gladly replace these thoughts with what is eternally true about you and every brother you meet in your dream.

Not only does Jesus explain what our beliefs are that started the dreaming of the world, but he also explains why we dream dreams in which our bodies are weak and vulnerable and finally die. He says, “And you have done a stranger thing than you yet realize. You have displaced your guilt to your body from your mind. Yet a body cannot be guilty, for it can do nothing of itself. You who think you hate your body deceive yourself. You hate your mind, for guilt has entered into it and [your mind] would remain separate from your brother’s, which it cannot do.” (2:4-8)

How is the body used as the scapegoat for guilt?

In paragraph six he tells us, “It is insane to use the body as the scapegoat for guilt, directing its attack and blaming it for what you wished it to do. It is impossible to act out fantasies. For it is still the fantasies you want, and they have nothing to do with what the body does. [The body] does not dream [the fantasies], and [the fantasies] but make [the body] a liability where [the body] could be an asset.” (6:1-4)

How do we heal these sick beliefs?

Jesus knows that to heal these sick ego beliefs, we need to see the insanity of our underlying premise of what reality is before we will be willing to let these insane ideas go. That is why he explains further: “For fantasies have made your body your ‘enemy’; weak, vulnerable and treacherous, worthy of the hate that you invest in it. How has this served you? You have identified with this thing you hate [the body], the instrument of vengeance and the perceived source of your guilt. You have done this to a thing [the body] that has no meaning, proclaiming [the body] to be the dwelling place of God’s Son, and turning [the body] against [God’s Son].” (6:5-8) Here we are shown why there is so much unconscious guilt hidden beneath the conscious layers of our mind and why we dream dreams of experiencing continuous problems, one after the other. We really hate our mind for trying to destroy God but we continue to want to have our fantasies of separation. We are not ready to be done with them yet or we would let our minds be healed of believing in illusions.

Jesus knows that we can’t keep hiding from recognizing what we are still choosing to believe in. We need to look at our ‘state of mind’ often with the Holy Spirit so He can differentiate for us between the false and the true. We have gotten so confused that we can’t undo it on our own. It is only the Holy Spirit that brings us the awareness that, “Minds are joined; bodies are not.” (3:1)

In paragraph five he asks us, “Would you not have the instruments of separation [bodies] reinterpreted as means for salvation, and used for purposes of Love? Would you not welcome and support the shift from fantasies of vengeance to release from them?” (5:1-2) This is where our willingness comes in. The Holy Spirit waits on us to welcome Him into our awareness. At our invitation He will reinterpret every perception we willingly hand over to Him. As we are ready, the Holy Spirit brings us to the eternal properties of our joined mind — the universal communication that lies within us.

How does universal communication work within our mind?

Jesus explains how this works: “Mind reaches to itself. It is not made up of different parts, which reach each other. It does not go out. Within itself it has no limits, and there is nothing outside it. It encompasses everything. It encompasses you entirely; you within it and it within you. There is nothing else, anywhere or ever.” (8:5-11) This is where we are being led by the Holy Spirit as we are willing to let go of limitation and return to the awareness of Reality.

We need to let go of the idea that there can be barriers between anything that is real. Oneness means no barriers, no differences, no division, no conflicting ideas. Jesus encourages us to reach past these mental barriers when he says, “You can stretch out your hand and reach to Heaven. You whose hand is joined with your brother’s have begun to reach beyond the body, but not outside yourself, to reach your shared Identity together.” (10:1-2)

What keeps universal communication from our awareness?

We have been believing that we each have a separate mind and now we are learning that the truth is we have a shared Identity, a shared Mind that encompasses everything that is real. It is only our ‘fear of union’ that has kept the truth from our awareness. With our willingness to accept what the Holy Spirit brings, “You have escaped from fear to peace, asking no questions of reality, but merely accepting it. You have accepted this instead of the body, and have let yourself be one with something beyond [the body], simply by not letting your mind be limited by [the body].” (11:10-11)

Because Jesus knows that we still have fear of union, he tells us that it is safe to let go of our barriers, our belief in ‘being’ a separate entity. To help soften our fears of losing something that we value, he says, “There is no violence at all in this escape. The body is not attacked, but simply properly perceived. [The body] does not limit you, merely because you would not have it so. You are not really ‘lifted out’ of it; it cannot contain you. You go where you would be, gaining, not losing, a sense of Self. In these instants of release from physical restrictions, you experience much of what happens in the holy instant; the lifting of the barriers of time and space, the sudden experience of peace and joy, and, above all, the lack of awareness of the body, and of the questioning whether or not all this is possible.” (13:1-6)

We can experience this release. The body can be properly perceived. But it does require our willingness to go within, quiet our mind and let ourselves be led out of illusions by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and our Guide. Jesus encourages us to go to this sacred place in our mind: “Come to this place of refuge, where you can be yourself in peace. Not through destruction, not through a breaking out, but merely by a quiet melting in. For peace will join you there, simply because you have been willing to let go the limits you have placed upon Love, and joined It where It is and where It led you, in answer to Its gentle call to be at peace.” (14:5-7) Let us join in going to this sacred place in our minds now.

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section V: The Happy Dream

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section V (pages 382-84)

What brings the happy dream?

The happy dream comes with being willing to join with the Holy Spirit’s purpose of “the undoing of what never was.” (1:1) We join with the Holy Spirit’s purpose when we “offer Him a little willingness to let Him remove all fear and hatred, and to be forgiven.” (2:5) In previous chapters Jesus reminds us that all fear and hatred comes from making illusions of separation real. It is this that needs to be let go of, or forgiven. As we do this, this dream becomes loving, because when fear and hatred are removed from our tortured minds, we see that only Love is there. The dream becomes loving because the Holy Spirit replaces illusions with the truth.

What is our role and what is the Holy Spirit’s function in the happy dream?

In the happy dream, we realize what is our part and what is the Holy Spirit’s part. In the happy dream we realize that our part is to be mindful of when we are fearful or judgmental and to be willing to offer these thoughts to the Holy Spirit to let Him remove them. “When you feel the holiness of your relationship is threatened by anything, stop instantly and offer the Holy Spirit your willingness, in spite of fear, to let Him exchange this instant for the holy one that you would rather have.” (6:1)

This is a daily, moment by moment, practice that brings us the Holy Spirit’s happy dream. We have it very clear that it is not our part to remove fear and hatred from our mind. This fear and hatred is the effect of guilt. It is the Holy Spirit’s function to remove that guilt, at our invitation. That is why Jesus tells us here, “Never attempt to overlook your guilt before you ask the Holy Spirit’s help. That is His function.” (2:3-4) The Holy Spirit knows that we are holding onto a lot of unconscious guilt and it is only He Who knows how to remove it. It is only the Light that can remove darkness. As we accept the Light, we see that the darkness is gone.

To experience the happy dream, what is our constant focus?

Understanding the difference between our function and the Holy Spirit’s function is a very important part in being able to experience the happy dream. Our one, constant focus is, ” ‘Thy Will be done,’ and not, ‘I want it otherwise.’ ” (4:3) Once our role is clear, and we are willing to do our part of stepping back and following, the Holy Spirit knows how to do the rest. “On your little faith, joined with His understanding, He will build your part in the Atonement and make sure that you fulfill it easily. And with Him, you will build a ladder planted in the solid rock of faith, and rising even to Heaven. Nor will you use it to ascend to Heaven alone.” (2:6-8)

Why can’t we ascend to Heaven alone?

We do not ascend to Heaven alone because, as we allow the Holy Spirit to heal our thoughts of separation, we learn to see that all the little illusionary ‘minds’ in the dream of separation are really connected. We are, in fact, joined. This means we are not alone and never were, even though we believed it for awhile. Jesus tells us, “But forget not that your relationship is one, and so it must be that whatever threatens the peace of one is an equal threat to the other. The power of joining its [your holy relationship of oneness with your brother] blessing lies in the fact that it is now impossible for you or your brother to experience fear alone, or to attempt to deal with it alone. Never believe that this [dealing with fear alone] is necessary, or even possible. Yet just as this is impossible, so is it equally impossible that the holy instant come to either of you without the other. And it will come to both at the request of either.” (6:3-7)

How do we bring happiness to every mind?

Here Jesus clearly explains how it works that, as we are willing to accept the Holy Spirit into our minds, we are bringing happiness to every mind because in truth, every ‘separate’ mind is really joined as one. He even gives us a prayer to say to help us remember what is really happening behind the scenes as we accept the holy instant — a touch of Heaven — into our mind:

“I desire this holy instant for myself, that I may share it with my brother, whom I love. It is not possible that I can have it without him, or he without me. Yet it is wholly possible for us to share it now. And so I choose this instant as the one to offer to the Holy Spirit, that His blessing may descend on us, and keep us both in peace.” (7:3-6)

Because of our experience in this world of having separate minds, it seems unlikely that what we do in our minds affects our brother. Jesus is working with us to reverse this false premise. We may not be joined at the hip, because bodies cannot join. But we are joined at the level of the mind, whether we want to recognize it or not. What we do in our minds does affect our brother.

How do we let the Holy Spirit fulfill His function through us?

As we join with the Holy Spirit in the happy dream, we are joining with the idea of God’s wholeness. We are joining with the idea of Love’s oneness and the fact that there is nothing else. This is why Jesus tells us in paragraph five: “It is no dream to love your brother as yourself. Nor is your holy relationship a dream. All that remains of dreams within it is that it is still a special relationship. Yet it is very useful to the Holy Spirit, Who has a special function here. It will become the happy dream through which He can spread joy to thousands on thousands who believe that Love is fear, not happiness. Let Him fulfill the function that He gave to your relationship by accepting it for you, and nothing will be wanting that would make of it what He would have it be.” (5:1-6) The function that the Holy Spirit gives to every relationship is the same as what God gives to all of us equally — that we are all the same united Love, and this we cannot change.

In this section Jesus emphasizes again that it is through our relationships that we return Home. In paragraph one he says, “The holy instant, the holy relationship, the Holy Spirit’s teaching, and all the means by which salvation is accomplished, would have no purpose [if we already understood the difference between truth and illusion].” (1:3) Holy means whole or one. A holy relationship means that we remember we are one mind, joined eternally with the one Mind of Love. The Holy Spirit in every mind knows that every mind is joined as one. As we accept this, we are accepting the happy dream. What an opportunity we have now as we stop thinking that we know what will make us happy and let the Holy Spirit be in the driver’s seat. The Holy Spirit always brings us to the one Love we all are, which is true happiness.

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section IV: The Little Willingness

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section IV (pages 380-82)

What comes with a little willingness to accept the holy instant?

In this section Jesus talks about our need for a little willingness to accept the holy instant. He tells us that the holy instant comes to us with our determination to be holy (or whole). We can only see that we are already holy or whole when we are willing to let go of ideas of separation from holiness. In Chapter 16, Section VII he tells us, “The holy instant is the opposite of the ego’s fixed belief in salvation through vengeance for the past. In the holy instant it is understood that the past is gone, and with its passing the drive for vengeance has been uprooted and has disappeared. The stillness and the peace of now enfold you in perfect gentleness. Everything is gone except the truth.” (T-16.VII.6:3-6)

When everything is gone except the truth, we see every brother as he truly is in eternity. In time we see him the way the ego sees him. In eternity we see the ever constant truth about him. We see that he still is as God created him and that dreams of differences never really happened. We see that illusions of bodies are just that — illusions and nothing more. We acknowledge that these illusions need not threaten us or cause us to be afraid. What is seen as illusion does not need to be defended against. What is really nothing and never existed does not need our constant attention.

In Chapter 27, Section V. Jesus tells us what happens when we are willing to accept the holy instant instead of the past. “The holy instant’s radiance will light your eyes, and give them sight to see beyond all suffering and see Christ’s face instead. Healing replaces suffering. Who looks on one cannot perceive the other, for they cannot both be there. And what you see the world will witness, and will witness to.” (T-27.V.6:5-8) As we are willing to see our brother as he really is in the holy instant, the Holy Spirit brings us the sight of Christ. We see holiness where we once saw weakness and separation from Love. It is here, in the holy instant that we experience true communication, true communion with our brother. In this communion, we witness that our brother is host to God and that we are host to God. We witness what is eternally real and see that there are no differences.

Why is it so important that we learn to overlook error or forgive what never was?

Jesus reminds us often in the Course that we see what we want to see. He also tells us that the whole Course was brought to us to help us become more willing to see beyond illusions to what is true. In the Introduction to the Clarification of Terms Jesus tells us, “This is not a course in philosophical speculation, nor is it concerned with precise terminology. It is concerned only with Atonement, or the correction of perception. The means of the Atonement is forgiveness. The structure of ‘individual consciousness’ is essentially irrelevant because it is a concept representing the ‘original error’ or the ‘original sin.’ To study the error (the ego) itself does not lead to correction, if you are indeed to succeed in overlooking the error. And it is just this process of overlooking at which the course aims.” (C-Intro.1:1-6)

So the content of the Course is to help us to forgive, which means to overlook error. That is why Jesus tells us, “Release your brothers from the slavery of their illusions by forgiving them for the illusions you perceive in them. Thus will you learn that you have been forgiven, for it is you who offered them illusions. In the holy instant this is done for you in time, to bring you the true condition of Heaven.” (T-16.VII.9:5-7)

How do we see that nothing has ever happened to change God’s Son?

As our willingness increases to let our errors in thinking be undone, the Holy Spirit takes over and replaces the mistaken thoughts with the truth of our brother’s holiness. We return to the awareness that nothing has happened to change God’s one Son. The Holy Spirit knows that it seems hard for us to let go of our ‘precious’ images of differences. It seems hard to let go of the idea that we have been unfairly treated. That is why Jesus tells us in paragraph two: “Trust not your good intentions. They are not enough. But trust implicitly your willingness, whatever else may enter. Concentrate only on this, and be not be disturbed that shadows surround it.” (2:1-4)

We are so accustomed to making bodies and ‘different personalities’ real that it seems difficult to us to see past these images of individuality. Jesus knows that it seems difficult for us to see past bodies to the truth. That is why he asks us to concentrate only on our little willingness. He tells us that if we do only this, it will be enough, because, “It is He Who adds the greatness and the might. He joins with you to make the holy instant far greater than you can understand.” (1:8-9) Just our willingness to open our minds to the Holy Spirit in quiet is needed. As we step back and let our busy minds quiet, we are inviting the Holy Spirit to take over and purify our mistaken perceptions.

What holds guilt in place and what releases it?

Jesus knows that along with joining with the ego comes guilt and feelings of unworthiness and self-hatred. We push these thoughts and resulting feelings into the unconscious, but just because we are not aware of our belief in our guilt, self-hatred and unworthiness does not mean that it has gone away. Pushing the effects of joining with the ego thought system into the unconscious does not make the insanity of the ego thought system go way. It just holds it in place. This is why Jesus tells us, “Your difficulty with the holy instant arises from your fixed conviction that you are not worthy of it. And what is this but the determination to be as you would make yourself?” (3:3-4) When we refuse to let the Holy Spirit bring us a touch of Heaven, we are still intent on holding onto illusions of differences. Here we see that this is the same as holding on to belief in our unworthiness and refusing to let it go.

To this Jesus tells us, “God did not create His dwelling place unworthy of Him. And if you believe He cannot enter where he wills to be, you must be interfering with His Will. You do not need the strength of willingness to come from you, but only from His Will.” (3:5-7) This is very good news for us who have forgotten about our reality in Heaven. We may have wanted to experience separation by making separate bodies real, but our way out of this dream of separation is not of our own making. We have the unlimited power of God’s Will to bring the holy instant into our awareness.

Jesus knows that the common misperception of the sleeping Sons of God is to think that they need to atone for their sin of rejecting God, of trying to change God into an image of our liking. To this misperception, Jesus tells us, “Atonement cannot come to those who think that they must first atone, but only to those who offer it nothing more than simple willingness to make way for it. Purification is of God alone, and therefore for you. Rather than seek to prepare yourself for Him, try to think thus:

I who am host to God am worthy of Him. He Who established His dwelling place in me created it as He would have it be. It is not needful that I make it ready for Him, but only that I do not interfere with His plan to restore to me my own awareness of my readiness, which is eternal. I need add nothing to His plan. But to receive it, I must be willing not to substitute my own in place of it.” (5:6-13) This last sentence is the essence of what is really needed. We must be willing to let go of our own plan in order to receive His. Our plan has not worked and never will. Thinking we know on our own only prolongs the pain.

Why do we believe the holy instant is difficult to receive?

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that we secretly believe that experiencing the holy instant is difficult. That is why he so gently tells us, “If you believe the holy instant is difficult for you, it is because you have become the arbiter of what is possible, and remain unwilling to give place to One Who knows. The whole belief in orders of difficulty in miracles is centered on this. Everything God wills is not only possible but has already happened. And that is why the past is gone. It never happened in reality. Only in your mind, which thought it did, is its undoing needful.” (8:2-7) Here again Jesus reminds us that we don’t change anything in the world. Rather, we allow our minds to be changed by the Holy Spirit by stepping back and receiving the truth.

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section III: Light in the Dream

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section III (pages 378-80)

How do we join with our brother instead of separating?

In Section II Jesus explains how we joined with the ego’s idea of trying to control reality and how guilt was thus made real in our minds. He shows us the ego’s answer to guilt was to see it in our brother. “You do not realize that you are making them act out for you, for if you did the guilt would not be theirs, and the illusion of satisfaction would be gone.” (T-18.II.5:6) We also learned that as we practice taking all our projections of guilt to the Holy Spirit, we will see holiness instead of guilt. “He uses everyone who calls on Him as means for the salvation of everyone. And He will waken everyone through you who offered your relationship to Him.” (T-18.II.7:6-7) As we learn to see innocence instead of guilt, we are joining with our brother instead of separating. We are reversing our past goal. Instead of bring truth to illusion, we are now bringing illusions to the truth.

Why are we keeping our minds so busy with the things of this world?

In Section III Jesus carries his mind retraining further. He knows what is going on at unconscious levels in our minds. He knows that these false ideas need to be transformed by the Light of truth. Because we have pushed the guilt we believe is ours to unconscious levels, we are not aware that it is there. That is why he tells us here, “A little flicker of your eyelids, closed so long, has not yet been sufficient to give you confidence in yourself, so long despised. You go toward Love still hating It, and terribly afraid of Its judgment upon you. And you do not realize that you are not afraid of Love, but only of what you have made of It.” (3:4-6) We unconsciously keep our mind so busy with the things of this world so that we do not get in touch with the guilt that is hidden below the stories of separation reflected in the world. We think the images of separation will protect us from God’s wrath for killing Love’s oneness and shattering it into pieces.

Why does Jesus emphasize that guilt is the cause of the world we see?

We do not realize what is going on at unconscious levels, so that is why Jesus is bringing it to our awareness now as part of our awakening. “And you sought a blackness so complete that you could hide from truth forever, in complete insanity. What you forgot was simply that God cannot destroy Himself. The light is in you. Darkness can cover it, but cannot put it out.” (1:5-8) Because the Light is in us, we can remember It when we are ready. As soon as we have even a tiny willingness to see past the guilt to the holiness in our brother, we have the help of all of Heaven. Jesus wants us to know that he joins us in this one goal. “You who hold your brother’s hand also hold mine, for when you joined each other you were not alone. Do you believe that I would leave you in the darkness that you agreed to leave with me? In your relationship is this world’s light. And fear must disappear before you now.” (4:1-4)

Who walks with us in bringing Heaven to the Son of God?

Jesus wants us to understand that when we accept the Love that is in our brother, we are accepting God. We are joining with God’s Will for us. We are accepting the goal of remembering the truth. We are bringing illusions to truth instead of trying to replace truth with illusions. Jesus wants us to know how much help we have in bringing Heaven to the Son of God. He tells us, “I hold your hand as surely as you agreed to take your brother’s. You will not separate, for I stand with you and walk with you in your advance to truth. And where we go we carry God with us.” (5:5-7)

The Truth of our oneness in God is in every brother. And we will find It there as we desire to see It. We cannot truly join with our brother in illusions because illusions come from the very idea of separation, which is the opposite of joining. That is why frequently in the Course we are told that bodies cannot join because they were made to make appearances of separation seem to be real. When we talk about joining in the Course, we mean union, or being one and the same. In this context Jesus tells us, “Those who would see [the truth of union] will see. And they will join [be one with] with me in carrying their light into the darkness, when the darkness in them is offered to the light, and is removed forever. My need for you, joined with me in the holy light of your relationship, is your need for salvation. Would I not give you what you gave to me? For when you joined your brother, you answered me.” (6:3-7)

As we are willing to see the truth, how does time become readjusted to suit Heaven’s goal?

As we continue to be willing to ‘make whole,’ or see oneness with God where we once saw separation, we heal and are healed. We have the help of Heaven at our disposal. Jesus tells us that even our belief in time and the stories of separation within the framework of time become readjusted to suit Heaven’s goal. “We are made whole in our desire to make whole. Let not time worry you, for all the fear that you and your brother experience is really past. Time has been readjusted to help us do, together, what your separate past would hinder. You have gone past fear, for no two minds can join in the desire for Love without Love’s joining them.” (7:4-7)

In wholeness, time does not exist. In wholeness, we find the truth about every brother. We remember that our unity is constant and that we all have been safe eternally in Heaven. “God cannot destroy Himself.” (1:6) Jesus gives us a parting message in this section that encourages us to hold to the one goal of truth and the blessings that will come from this advance to truth. “You have found your brother, and you will light each other’s way. And from this light will the Great Rays extend back into darkness and forward unto God to shine away the past and so make room for His eternal Presence, in which everything is radiant in the Light.” (8:6-7)

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section II: The Basis of the Dream

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section II (pages 375-78)

What causes us to dream of separation from Heaven, where we are?

In this section, Jesus gives us invaluable insight into how the ego thought process works in our minds. He helps us see the basis of the dream, what causes it and what we are really joining with when we think we ‘have’ an ego — an individual self personality. To ‘have’ something is to ‘own’ it, think that it belongs to us. When we say, “My ego thinks or does this or that,” we are equating this as what we are thinking or what we are doing.

We identify with ‘having’ an ego because at some level, conscious or unconscious, we think it is cool. We want it. Jesus wants us to see what is really there, behind the sugar coating of ‘having’ an individual identity so that we will see what we are really ‘buying’ into. He wants us to see what we are ‘owning’ or thinking belongs to us.

What is happening when we think we are under attack by anything or anyone?

Jesus wants us to understand that when we believe in the ego thought system, we are buying into the idea that we can attack and be attacked. He is very clear about this when he tells us that the ego, “always looks upon itself, and therefore on you, as under attack and highly vulnerable to [attack].” (1:6)

Whenever we think we are under attack by anything we perceive as outside us, it is the ego thought system that we are joining with, not our true Reality. It is only by being willing to join with the idea of attack that we can ‘have’ dreams of attack. When we are willing to let go of the idea of attack (which is what the ego is), dreams of attack cannot come.

Jesus also wants us to see that our nighttime dreams and our daytime dreams are simply different aspects of the same dream of attacking and being attacked. We want specialness and so we dream dreams of being special and of having special others to give us what we want. But because every ‘special’ dream is really a dream of attacking our Reality, or God, the dream soon turns into a dream of anger and fear, which reflects its basis — the idea of attack. “Dreams are perceptual temper tantrums, in which you literally scream, ‘I want it thus!’ And thus it seems to be. And yet the dream cannot escape its origin. Anger and fear pervade it, and in an instant the illusion of satisfaction is invaded by the illusion of terror. For the dream of your ability to control reality by substituting a world that you prefer is terrifying.” (4:1-5)

Why do we make up such depressing dreams of hurt, loss and sickness?

Many people (including Course students) have quietly asked themselves, “Why does my life have to be such a struggle? Why does it seem to be so hard? If I’m controlling things, why am I so hard on myself in the dream?” In paragraph three Jesus says, “In dreams you arrange everything. People become what you would have them be, and what they do you order. No limits on substitution are laid upon you.” (3:4-6) If no limits on substitution are laid upon us, why are we so cruel to ourselves? Why do we make up such depressing dreams of hurt, loss and sickness? Jesus gives us the answer: “Your attempts to blot out reality [God] are very fearful, but this you are not willing to accept. And so you substitute the fantasy that reality [your true Identity as Love] is fearful, not what you would do to [Reality]. And thus is guilt made real.” (4:6-8) We are trying to smash Reality (God) and we feel guilty for it.

Thus it is the guilt that we have made unconscious that becomes the writer of the sick dreams we are dreaming. In our efforts to try to get rid of the guilt that we secretly believe is ours, we dream dreams of seeing the guilt in someone else. Jesus is telling us that this is why we dream dreams of being attacked by the guilty ones we see as outside of ourselves. “You do not realize that you are making them act out for you, for if you did the guilt would not be theirs, and the illusion of satisfaction [of seeing guilt in another] would be gone.” (5:6)

Jesus is helping us see how hopeless this attempt to project guilt really is. We are seeing that it will never work, no matter how long we try. Seeing guilt in another may seem to relieve the symptoms for awhile, but in our unconscious minds, the guilt is being held on to, not released. Seeing guilt in another just keeps us in hell. That is why only forgiveness, or letting go of the dream of guilt, releases us.

How does Jesus help us turn this into the happy dream?

The good news is Jesus gives us a way out of this dilemma that truly will work. He shows us how to let the Holy Spirit transform our dream of specialness into a dream of holiness, unity and peace. “The Holy Spirit, ever practical in His wisdom, accepts your dreams and uses them as means for waking. ... That is what the Holy Spirit does in the special relationship. He does not destroy it, nor snatch it away from you. But He does use it differently, as a help to make His purpose real to you.” (6:1,4-6)

The Holy Spirit’s purpose is always to remember the truth of everyone’s wholeness in God. “Your special relationship will be a means for undoing guilt in everyone blessed through your holy relationship. It will be a happy dream, and one which you will share with all who come within your sight. Through it, the blessing the Holy Spirit has laid upon it will be extended.” (7:1-3) So here we see what our real purpose is while we still appear to be in the dream. Instead of continuing the struggle of attacking God by trying to change what cannot be changed, we let the truth be what it is. We let the Holy Spirit show us every brother’s holiness instead of what we saw before. We let the Holy Spirit be in the driver’s seat, bringing healing to our mind. “He uses everyone who calls on Him as means for the salvation of everyone. And He will waken everyone through you who offered your relationship to Him. If you but recognized His gratitude! Or mine through His! For we are joined as in one purpose, being of one mind with Him.” (7:6-10)

As we join with Holy Spirit’s purpose, the wish to make dreams appear to be real will be gradually given up in favor of the Holy Spirit’s happy dream. Instead of wanting to see guilt, we want to see innocence. We want to see holiness. “Its coming [seeing holiness] means that you have chosen truth, and it has come because you have been willing to let your special relationship meet its conditions. In your relationship the Holy Spirit has gently laid the real world; the world of happy dreams, from which awaking is so easy and so natural.” (9:3-4) The real world reflects the truth of Heaven. The real world reflects forgiveness, the wish to see only innocence, which is the truth. When we change the basis of the dream through the Holy Spirit, sin disappears because we only want to see holiness, our true one Identity as Love.

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section I: The Substitute Reality

Read ACIM Chapter 18, Section I (pages 372-75)

When are we making up a substitute reality?

Just think what it is like to be aware that everyone is, “joined and indivisible.” (2:2) Think what it is like to “not judge between them, knowing they are one.” (2:3) To apply this in your ‘life,’ take a moment to think of your family, friends and coworkers in this way. Remembering that truth is the real goal of all your relationships, think of each one as being the same extension of Love that you are… Remember the truth that each one is not unique and alone….

Jesus is letting us know in this section that when we are not remembering that everyone is the same, we are making up a substitute reality. We are choosing not to remember the all-inclusiveness of Love. “Nothing can come between what God has joined and what the Holy Spirit sees as one. But everything seems to come between the fragmented relationships the ego sponsors to destroy.” (2:7-8)

How is everyone seen when we look through the eyes of fear?

Not remembering the truth about Love — What we all really are — generates fear. Through the eyes of fear, “No one is seen complete. The body is emphasized, with special emphasis on certain parts, and used as the standard for comparison of acceptance or rejection for acting out a special form of fear.” (3:6-7) Unless we look closely at how this is working in our minds right now, we will not let these beliefs go because we think these perceptions of differences and uniqueness are just the natural order of things. We will not question these perceptions of individuality because we think the ‘substitute reality’ is what is real.

Why have we lost the awareness that we are still in Heaven?

Jesus wants us to clearly see the error in the way we are thinking and what this kind of thinking does to our peace of mind. He wants us to understand that we have made the thought system of separation supreme in our mind and this choice of making separation real has made us very fearful. It has caused us to lose the awareness that we are still in Heaven. “It has become so splintered and subdivided and divided again, over and over, that it is now almost impossible to perceive it once was one, and still is what it was. That one error, which brought truth to illusion, infinity to time, and life to death, was all you ever made.” (4:3-4) The one error that the Son of God made is wanting separation to be real instead of oneness. Jesus tells us, “Everything you see reflects [wanting separation to be real], and every special relationship that you have ever made is part of it. ...You do not realize the magnitude of that one error. It was so vast and so completely incredible that from it a world of total unreality had to emerge.” (4:6, 5:2-3) Because of the power of our mind, we have the ability to make illusions appear to be real.

Because Jesus knows he is one with us, he wants the part of the Sonship that thinks it is lost in dreams to know what is really going on when we see these hallucinations of separate bodies. He wants us to wake up to the truth. He wants us to return to the awareness of Heaven. That is why he brings this truth to us: “The world arose to hide [the error of wanting separation to be real], and became the screen on which it was projected and drawn between you and the truth.” (6:2)

He wants us to know about the error in our thinking, but he does not want us to feel guilty about this choice. He wants us to realize that nothing has ever really happened. That is why he emphasizes again and again in many ways: “Call [the error in thinking] not sin but madness, for such it was and so it still remains. Invest it not with guilt, for guilt implies it was accomplished in reality. And above all be not afraid of it.” (6:7-9) Knowing about what Jesus is telling us in this section is one thing, but letting the errors in our thinking be undone is what is important.

How do we let the errors in our thinking be undone?

Process: Think of situations when your ‘life’ story was fearful for you. Become aware of how real it appeared to you…

Now think of circumstances when you believed in the reality of guilt, either in yourself or another… Become aware of how real it appeared to you…

Now think when you thought that this whole dream — your whole life script as a separate individual — was accomplished in reality….

Now, in your mind, imagine handing over all these thoughts to the Holy Spirit, Who knows what to do with them. Receive His comfort and insight about what is real…

Jesus knows that we have the ability to wake up from this dream of madness. He reinforces our innocence again and again and encourages us to see the innocence in every brother we see in the dream. Once we let it in that this is just a dream, we no longer need to fear it. We just need to see it as just a silly dream that never could be reality.

To help us with this letting go process, he gives us this important advice: “When you seem to see some twisted form of the original error rising to frighten you, say only, ‘God is not fear, but Love,’ and it will disappear. The truth will save you. It has not left you, to go out into the mad world and so depart from you. Inward is sanity, insanity is outside you. You but believe it is the other way; that truth is outside, and error and guilt within. Your little, senseless substitutions, touched with insanity and swirling lightly off on a mad course like feathers dancing insanely in the wind, have no substance. They fuse and merge and separate, in shifting and totally meaningless patterns that need not be judged at all. To judge them individually is pointless. Their tiny differences in form are no real differences at all. None of them matters.” (7:1-10)

After hearing this, go back to the process above and apply Jesus’ message to each part of the dream where you have been in fear, bought into the idea of guilt or thought that this insane dream was real… Now say to each circumstance: “None of this matters. I am still safe in Heaven, where God put me and where I belong.”

We remember that we, along with every brother, are still safe in Heaven as we are willing to be led by the Holy Spirit to the healing journey inward. This healing happens in our mind as we open to a place of inner quiet. In this quiet place in our mind, “The Holy Spirit takes you gently by the hand, and retraces with you your mad journey outside yourself, leading you gently back to the truth and safety within. He brings all your insane projections and the wild substitutions that you have placed outside you to the truth.” (8:3-4)

There is a holy place within our minds where truth resides. It is always there. It is always available to us. It calls to us to return Home, where we belong. We answer the call when we are willing to turn in quiet to the sanity within. “And turn you to the stately calm within, where in holy stillness dwells the living God you never left, and Who never left you.” (8:2) Here we are returned to the wholeness that alone is real. Here we are shown that we are joined with every brother, not as bodies, but as the same Thought in the one Mind of Love.

Earlier in the Text we are told that we are but an idea in the Mind of God. We are told that God is an Idea of perfect Love and we are joined with that same Idea. Bodies do not intrude upon this holy place of truth. “You are not joined together in illusions, but in the Thought so holy and so perfect that illusions cannot remain to darken the holy place in which you stand together. (10:7) All this awareness returns to us as we are willing to go to that sacred place of quiet within to receive the truth. “Heaven has entered quietly, for all illusions have been gently brought unto the truth in you, and Love has shined upon you, blessing your relationship with truth.” (11:2) Here we receive spiritual vision, which replaces what we see with the body’s eyes. Here we learn to see past separate bodies to the one Thought of Love that is always truly there. Here we recognize our holy function.

What is our holy function?

In paragraph 13 Jesus reminds us of our holy function: “You have been called, together with your brother, to the most holy function this world contains. It is the only one that has no limits, and reaches out to every broken fragment of the Sonship with healing and united comfort. This is offered you, in your holy relationship. Accept it there, and you will give as you accepted. The peace of God is given you with the glowing purpose in which you join with your brother. The holy Light that brought you and him together must extend, as you accepted It.” (13:1-6) Here we see that our holy function is to go within and receive the truth of our wholeness in the Mind of Love, and extend It to every brother. This is how we join with the Holy Spirit’s purpose as Comforter to every brother and do our part in God’s plan of Atonement. This is how we make every relationship holy. This is how we forgive, or let go of the substitute reality.

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Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Holy Relationship

Section VIII: The Conditions of Peace

Read ACIM Chapter 17, Section VIII (pages 370-71)

Why is it so important to reach beyond the limits of the body’s senses to the holy instant?

When we believe in separation, in a world of separate individuals with bodies and personalities, we are identified with the ego thought system. We believe what the body’s eyes show us and what we cannot see with the body’s eyes seems unreal and unbelievable. Yet the truth in our brother and ourselves cannot be seen with the body’s eyes because they were made to make illusions appear real. We have come to trust in the body’s senses and distrust what cannot be perceived with the body. But trust in the body, an illusion, is really trust in nothing. That is why belief in illusions is faithlessness. Becoming aware of the truth in our brother as the loving extension of Love he is requires faith because we are reaching beyond the limits of the body’s senses. We are being asked to trust in the reality of our brother as Love instead of identifying him with a body. The holy instant is an experience of perception beyond the body. That is why, “It calls forth just the same suspension of faithlessness, withheld and left unused, that faith might answer to the call of truth.” (1:3)

Why does forgiveness help us see through the eyes of wholeness and bring us peace?

This last section of Chapter 17 is the perfect culmination in making it clear that forgiveness makes every relationship holy. The Holy Spirit has one purpose for every situation, and that is to let the truth be what it is without trying to change it. This is the same as saying to let God be what He is without trying to change Him. This is what we mean by forgiveness and why we experience in the holy instant. Jesus tells us in paragraph one: “The holy instant is the shining example, the clear and unequivocal demonstration of the meaning of every relationship and every situation, seen as a whole.” (1:4) Seen as a whole, every relationship really is a relationship with God, a relationship with Love as Love Is. When we see through the eyes of wholeness, perfect peace is there, because there is no conflict in wholeness. Awareness of our beingness in peace is allowed when we let go of trying to change what cannot be changed.

Why is it so important to ‘let truth be what it is’?

In paragraph two Jesus brings our awakening down to its simplest terms: “This simple courtesy is all the Holy Spirit asks of you. Let truth be what it is. Do not intrude upon it, do not attack it, do not interrupt its coming. Let it encompass every situation and bring you peace.” (2:1-4) If we are not aware of the holy instant in every situation, it is helpful for us to honestly recognize that we are intruding upon it, attacking it and interrupting its coming in some way. That is what time is for now — expanding our willingness to let truth be what it is. There are thousands of words in this Course, but it all comes down to this: Simply letting truth be what it is instead of trying to substitute illusions in its place.

How do we apply this goal of letting truth be what it is in our daily life?

For a moment, imagine what your life would be like if you let every situation be another opportunity to be aware of the truth — the holy instant. Take a minute now and think of how you can apply this to your life situations. Relax, step back, quiet your mind of all you think you know about how your life ‘is.’ Let the Holy Spirit show you how awareness of the truth could be accomplished with your current life circumstances. Really listen in deep quiet. Relax into the truth… When you are finished with your quiet time, you may want to write write notes about your experience to reinforce this awareness so you can apply it to your daily thought patterns.

Your goal now every day is to simply let the truth be what it is. You are tired of the crucifixion and are ready for the resurrection. You see that putting your faith in illusions has only brought struggle, depression, sickness and pain. You see the need to continue to let your mind be open to accepting the truth. You let go of the strain of efforting on your own and relax into following Holy Spirit because you know that your job is not to decide anything on your own. Your job is to be receptive and open to Holy Spirit’s lead. As you accept the Holy Spirit’s goal for your relationships, you assume your part in your brother’s redemption and your own. You fully accept responsibility for your brother because you know he is one with you. You remember your only purpose is to see the truth in him.

How do we become a ‘giver of peace’ like Jesus?

Jesus gives us an important message at the conclusion of this section: “When you accepted truth as the goal for your relationship, you became a giver of peace as surely as your Father gave peace to you. ...Give as you have received. And demonstrate that you have risen far beyond any situation that could hold you back, and keep you separate from Him Whose call you answered.” (6:1,6-7) So now you are a ‘giver of peace.’ You receive peace and give peace. This is your calling. This is your joy.

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Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Holy Relationship

Section VII: The Call for Faith

Read ACIM Chapter 17, Section VII (pages 367-70)

When we have problems in our relationships, what is it showing us?

In the last section Jesus explained to us that, “The goal of truth requires faith.” (T-17.VI.6:1) In this section he goes into detail about what happens when we do not have faith in the goal of truth regarding our relationship with every brother. When we have problems in our relationships, it is always because of our lack of faith in the goal of truth. “The problem was the lack of faith [in the truth], and it is this [lack of faith in the truth] you demonstrate when you remove [the problem] from its source [in your mind] and place it elsewhere [out in the world]. As a result, you do not see the [real] problem. Had you not lacked faith that it could be solved, the problem would be gone.” (1:3-5)

When we do not acknowledge that the real source of every problem stems from our belief in separation, we will try to change the effect — the problem we see in someone else — instead of letting go of our belief in separation, which is the true cause of every problem. Jesus wants us to see how hopeless this ego solution is when we continue to focus on changing what we see with our body’s eyes (the outer form) instead of allowing our minds to be changed about what we are seeing. Do we want to see truth or illusions? When we look out from our body’s eyes, we are always seeing the effects of our thoughts. We are always seeing what we want to see. As long as we continue to want to see separation, we will continue to see guilt, conflict and problems, because that is what the ego wants to see in order to maintain the illusion of separation.

Why are our ego ‘life’ scripts filled with problems and conflict?

Along with belief in the reality of this world comes unconscious guilt. In our goal of awakening to truth, it is very important that we realize fully that guilt is the foundation stone upon which the ego’s thought system of separation from Love is held intact. That is why our ego ‘life’ scripts in this world of separation are filled with problems and experiences of conflict. When our goal is truth, we see that everyone is still one with God. The ego, on the other hand, hates oneness and is the idea of being the opposite of God. That is why Jesus tells us so many times in the Course that the ego hates us and wants to see us dead. The ego is the idea of hating God and replacing God with the idea of a world of individual bodies. That is why Jesus tells us in this section, “The thought of bodies is the sign of faithlessness, for bodies cannot solve anything. It is their intrusion on the relationship, an error in your thoughts about the situation, which then becomes the justification for your lack of faith.” (3:5-6)

Why does Jesus always tell us that the error does not matter?

Jesus knows that we still have faith in illusions (separate bodies), but he tells us, “The error does not matter. Faithlessness brought to faith will never interfere with truth.” (3:8-9) As soon as we are willing to let the goal be set not by us but by the Holy Spirit, the goal of seeing illusions (bodies) will be replaced with the goal of seeing holiness (wholeness). “But remember this; the goal of holiness was set for your relationship, and not by you. You did not set it [the goal of truth or holiness] because holiness cannot be seen except through faith, and your relationship was not holy because your faith in your brother was so limited and little. Your faith must grow to meet the goal that has been set.” (4:2-4) So here Jesus is telling us exactly what needs to be done (our faith in truth must grow) in order for our minds to be healed.

Why is every relationship another opportunity to strengthen our faith in truth?

In paragraph five Jesus shows us how every relationship we have is another opportunity for us to strengthen our faith in truth instead of illusions. He says, “Use not your faithlessness [to the goal of truth]. Let it enter and look upon it calmly, but do not use it.” (5:3-4) We are to look at our thoughts of faithlessness and see them clearly for what they are. When we look at these thoughts of separation calmly with the Holy Spirit, we will not be tempted to continue to bind ourselves to the ego, which is the same as binding ourselves to guilt and lack of Love. When we don’t recognize the truth, it doesn’t keep the truth from being there, it merely interferes with “the value of the goal [of truth] to you.” (5:8) We will not value the truth as long as we value seeing illusions. We cannot value both at the same time. As long as we value illusions, we will not experience lasting happiness.

When we are willing to value the truth, the whole universe of truth is there to help us. “The goal’s reality will call forth and accomplish every miracle needed for its fulfillment. Nothing too small or too enormous, too weak or too compelling, but will be gently turned to its use and purpose. The universe will serve it gladly, as it serves the universe. But do not interfere.” (6:6-9) So we are seeing that every moment we have an opportunity to let the enormous power of the Holy Spirit’s goal of truth aid us every day, with every relationship we have. It is only our willingness to receive the help that is needed.

In paragraph eight Jesus brings in a ‘wake up call’ that is very important for us to understand as long as we would place blame on any brother for anything. He tells us, “Yet think on this, and learn the cause of faithlessness: You think you hold against your brother what he has done to you. But what you really blame him for is what you did to him. It is not his past but yours you hold against him. And you lack faith in him because of what you were. Yet you are as innocent of what you were as he is. What never was is causeless, and is not there to interfere with truth.” (8:1-6) Once we really get it that the guilt we are seeing in every brother is really what we unconsciously think is ours, we will see the projections in the light of truth and calmly let them go. We will move past the need to project guilt because we will remember that we are innocent, as every brother is. That is why forgiveness of guilt is our way Home. Every time we forgive, or look past illusions, instead of blame, a little unconscious guilt is melted away. We will know that all unconscious guilt has been removed when we consistently see everyone as innocent, just as we are.

Jesus knows that we can do this. He is holding our hand and guiding us all along the way. “You call for faith because of Him Who walks with you in every situation. You are no longer wholly insane, nor no longer alone. For loneliness in God must be a dream.” (10:1-3) Because we know we are no longer alone, we consciously join with the Holy Spirit’s goal of truth and extend it to every brother. We do this because we know that we and our brother are one. We truly are joined as one Light as we share the goal of truth.

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Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Holy Relationship

Section VI: Setting the Goal

Read ACIM Chapter 17, Section VI (pages 365-67)

Why is joining Holy Spirit’s goal of truth so important to our awakening?

This is a very important section to fully understand and applying the content in this section is crucial to our awakening. In essence, Jesus is telling us that we must join with the Holy Spirit’s goal of truth unequivocally in order to awaken to the truth, or awakening to the fact that only God’s Love is real and what is not Love is merely a dream of separation from Love.

Unequivocally means being certain and unwavering, and not in a state of constant flux. When we are unequivocal with the Holy Spirit’s goal, which returns us to the awareness that we never really left Heaven, we consistently apply the goal of truth to every situation in our lives. We cannot want the truth in certain situations and want fantasies of separation to be real in other situations and still remember that we are still extensions of God’s Love and that we have not left the Mind of God.

What does Jesus tell us we are always deciding between?

No matter what any situation in this world looks like, we are always deciding between seeing separation or oneness. Jesus tells us an important way to be unwavering with the Holy Spirit’s goal is to ask yourself with every situation, ” ‘What do I want to come of this? What is it for?’ The clarification of the goal belongs at the beginning, for it is this which will determine the outcome.” (2:1-2) He also tells us, “The value of deciding in advance what you want to happen is simply that you will perceive the situation as a means to make it happen.” (4:1)

The opposite of the goal of truth is the ego’s goal. Jesus describes the ego’s goal quite clearly: “The ego’s goal is quite explicitly ego autonomy. From the beginning, then, its purpose is to be separate, sufficient unto itself and independent of any power except its own. This is why it is the symbol of separation.” (T-11.V.4:4-6) on Text page 203.

What happens when we have only the goal of truth?

When we have only the goal of truth, we will see with Christ’s vision. We will overlook what is not the truth. We will see unloving behavior as merely the effect of following the ego’s false ideas. We will see innocence and oneness with God behind the ego’s false facade of separate bodies. We will not make fantasies of separation real. When we do this, we will be at peace.

This accepting the goal of truth is so important that Jesus emphasizes it again and again in the Text. Following are some examples.

“...the question ‘What do you want?’ must be answered. You are answering it every minute and every second, and each moment of decision is a judgment that is anything but ineffectual. Its effects will follow automatically until the decision [of what you want] is changed.” (T-5.V.6:2-4) on Text, page 85. The decision to see separation is changed when we unequivocally decide only to see the truth instead of continuing to make illusions of separation real.

“... ‘What for?’ This is the question that you must learn to ask in connection with everything. What is the purpose? Whatever it is, it will direct your efforts automatically. When you make a decision of purpose, then, you have made a decision about your future effort; a decision that will remain in effect unless you change your mind.” (T-4.V.6:7-11) on text, page 67.

Another section in the Text that is helpful in this context of the importance of deciding for the truth is: The Rules for Decision, found in Chapter 30, Section I, on pages 625-629.

When we have the goal of truth, will we always experience peace?

In paragraph five of this section, Jesus emphasizes another important benefit of deciding for truth. When we do not waver with our decision to see the truth, we will be at peace. Fear will dissolve. He tells us, “The goal of truth has further practical advantages. If the situation is used for truth and sanity, its outcome must be peace. (5:1) He shows us how truth and peace always go together: “If you experience peace, it is because the truth has come to you and you will see the outcome truly, for deception cannot prevail against you.” (5:6) Note: Also see The Test of Truth on Text pages 296-300.

Another section that expands on how deciding for truth brings peace is found in Chapter 5, Section VII. The Decision for God:

“Decision cannot be difficult. This is obvious, if you realize that you must already have decided not to be wholly joyous if that is how you feel. Therefore, the first step in the undoing is to recognize that you actively decided wrongly, but can as actively decide otherwise. Be very firm with yourself in this, and keep yourself fully aware that the undoing process, which does not come from you, is nevertheless within you because God placed it there. Your part is merely to return your thinking to the point at which the error was made, and give it over to the Atonement in peace. Say this to yourself as sincerely as you can, remembering that the Holy Spirit will respond fully to your slightest invitation:

I must have decided wrongly, because I am not at peace. I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise. I want to decide otherwise, because I want to be at peace. I do not feel guilty, because the Holy Spirit will undo all the consequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him. I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me.” (T-5.VII.6:1-11) on Text page 90.

How does Jesus help us from being deceived by the ego?

Jesus shows us the difference between how the ego works and how the Holy Spirit works so that we will not be so easily deceived. “Here again you see the opposite of the ego’s way of looking, for the ego believes the situation brings the experience. The Holy Spirit knows that the situation is as the goal determines it, and is experienced according to the goal.” (5:8-9) When we become upset for any reason, and blame our experience on the situation, we have fallen into the trap of ego thinking. When we first set the goal of truth, we will be able to see past the ego story line and experience the constant wholeness that the Holy Spirit knows. It is only the ego that has faith in separation and not in wholeness.

Any relationship is not peaceful if its underlying goal is separation, the denial of the oneness of Love. Everyone reaches a point where there is a feeling that there must be a better way. At this point we begin a search for that better way. If we choose the ego as our guide in this search, it will advise us to change the relationship to make it more satisfying or to go find another. But ego solutions do not solve the underlying problem of belief that separation is real. In fact, the ego’s goal is always the maintenance of separation. Thus ego based relationships will never bring us the true Love we seek. The ego’s solutions always follow the ego’s motto, “Seek and do not find.”

But if at our point of decision we choose the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit changes the goal from separation to oneness, the goal of truth. The relationship now is set on a new course. This new direction leads directly to the oneness of Love that we are truly seeking.

Why does the Holy Spirit’s goal of truth require faith?

Because we have been so invested in the ego thought system, the Holy Spirit’s thought system seems like a fantasy, even unknown. Thus to choose the Holy Spirit’s goal requires faith. That faith comes from the part of our mind that we have denied but that still remembers our true Reality. Thus when we accept the Holy Spirit’s goal for our relationship, it can seem quite unsettling because in our split mind we still see some value in the ego’s goal. And so we may vacillate between giving attention to the ego thought system and focusing on the Holy Spirit’s thought system. When we align ourselves with the ego, it’s difficult to believe that everyone involved in the relationship will play his part in accomplishing its holy goal. Yet the part of our mind that remembers Reality knows that, “No one will fail in anything.” (6:7)

The Holy Spirit knows the truth in our brother. He knows that everyone is Love and nothing else. That is why He knows that everyone will join in the goal of oneness. At this point in our experience we cannot see this. And so we have to accept on faith what the Holy Spirit knows. We need to be vigilant to recognize when the ego is attempting to resolve uncomfortable situations with its fantasies based on separation. The ego’s “solutions” may seem to temporarily offer the illusion of peace. But because they retain the belief in separation, this illusion of peace is not the condition in which truth can enter.

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Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Holy Relationship

Section V: The Healed Relationship

Read ACIM Chapter 17, Section V (pages 362-65)

How do we know when we have healed our relationships?

In the healed relationship, you see the Son of God where you once saw a body, separate from yourself. “You will behold the beauty the Holy Spirit loves to look upon, and which He thanks the Father for.” (T-17.II.1:7) When our mind is healed by the Holy Spirit we see the truth about our brother instead of illusions of separation. We see God’s extension of Himself instead of the ego’s substitute, which reinforces that the separation really happened. We remember that nothing could happen to change God’s Son from what he eternally is and always will be. This is what we see in the holy instant. That is why Jesus tells us in this section, “The holy relationship is the expression of the holy instant in living in this world.” (1:1)

When we have forgiven the world from all we thought it was, we see past the false world of separate bodies to the real world, where all is one in Love. We remember there is only one relationship, and that is our relationship with God. We remember that Love extends eternally to all of Itself and that is all that can truly be real.

Why does Jesus say that the holy relationshiip is learned?

Jesus reminds us here that the holy relationship is learned. “The holy relationship, a major step toward the perception of the real world, is learned. It is the old, unholy relationship, transformed and seen anew. (2:1-2) This means that the holy relationship is experienced through a change of mind, which comes to us from the part of our mind that remembers the truth. “For here, the goal of the relationship is abruptly shifted to the exact opposite of what it was. This is the first result of offering the relationship to the Holy Spirit, to use for His purposes.” (2:6-7)

What happens when we ask the Holy Spirit to enter our relationships?

When we ask the Holy Spirit to enter our relationships, the goal is changed from one of reinforcing the world of separate bodies to one of reinforcing the real world of our unity in the Mind of Love. Unless we stick with the Holy Spirit’s goal, the old goal can have a way of creeping back. “The temptation of the ego becomes extremely intense with this shift in goals. For the relationship has not as yet been changed sufficiently to make its former goal completely without attraction, and its structure is ‘threatened’ by the recognition of its inappropriateness for meeting its new purpose.” (4:1-2)

Jesus encourages us to stick with the new goal, and to have faith that the Holy Spirit will be there, right in our mind, to purify the thoughts that are not in alignment with our new goal of holiness (wholeness) instead of separation. “As this change develops and is finally accomplished, it grows increasingly beneficent and joyous. But at the beginning, the situation is experienced as very precarious.” (5:3-4)

To this discomfort, uncertainty and doubt, Jesus responds: “If you believed the Holy Spirit was there to accept the relationship, why would you now not still believe that He is there to purify what He as taken under His guidance? Have faith in your brother in what but seems to be a trying time. The goal is set. And your relationship has sanity as its purpose. For now you find yourself in an insane relationship, recognized as such in the light of its goal.” (6:5-9) Once we set the holy relationship as a clear goal, we cannot but help to recognize the old goal when it tries to creep back in. This can be disconcerting, but the good news is that as we build the habit of taking every concern, every apprehension, every care to the Holy Spirit for correction, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit will replace every false idea with the healing touch of Heaven, which brings with it the awareness of the presence of God’s Love.

With relationships, how does the ego respond differently from the Holy Spirit?

In paragraphs seven through eleven Jesus shows us the difference between the way the ego responds to its relationships and the way the Holy Spirit responds so that we will clearly recognize them both for what they are when they show up in our minds. This is very helpful when we are new to this as we can get disoriented or confused while we are still attempting to hold on to the two opposing goals.

Until we are done completely with the ego’s goal, we will be tempted to blame our brother for his mistakes instead of overlook them. Jesus understands this temptation, and so he counsels us: “Have you consistently appreciated the good efforts, and overlooked mistakes? Or has your appreciation flickered and grown dim in what seemed to be the light of the mistakes? Perhaps you are now entering upon a campaign to blame him for the discomfort of the situation in which you find yourself. And by this lack of thanks and gratitude you make yourself unable to express the holy instant, and thus lose sight of it.” (11:7-10)

Why does this new way of thinking take so much faith and consistent practice?

Jesus knows that this thought reversal will take a lot of faith and consistent practice. To encourage us to stick with the purification of our minds, he tell us: “The experience of an instant, however compelling it may be, is easily forgotten if you allow time to close over it. It must be kept shining and gracious in your awareness of time, but not concealed within it. The instant remains. But where are you? To give thanks to your brother is to appreciate the holy instant, and thus enable its results to be accepted and shared. To attack your brother is not to lose the instant, but to make it powerless in its effects.” (12:1-6) In our current state of awareness, it seems so easy to let time close over our awareness of the holy instant. Jesus knows that this will happen so he reminds us that the Holy Spirit is always there to remind us of the truth again when we forget.

The Holy Spirit knows that we will be successful, even though we may stumble and fall at times. He is like our inner Comforter, who picks us up again and again and encourages us to accept His gifts. “As you begin to recognize and accept the gifts you have so freely given to your brother, you will also accept the effects of the holy instant and use them to correct all your mistakes and free you from their results. And learning this, you will have also learned how to release all the Sonship, and offer it in gladness and thanksgiving to Him Who gave you your release, and Who would extend it through you.” (15:1-2)

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Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Holy Relationship

Section IV: The Two Pictures

Read ACIM Chapter 17, Section IV (pages 357-61)

What does Jesus say is the purpose of relationships?

In paragraph one, Jesus explains that our relationship with God is a relationship with our innate, true happiness. He tells us, “Because of His reason for creating His relationship with you [to make you happy], the function of relationships became forever ‘to make happy.’ And nothing else.” (1:3-4) Note: Jesus elaborates on this in depth in Workbook Lessons 100-103. “God, being Love, is also happiness.” (W-pI.103)

Why do happiness and accepting Love’s unity always go together?

Since God (Love) is synonymous with oneness and not separation, God relates to His extensions of Love as one with Him. This is the same as saying Love relates to Its extensions as one, continuous Whole. Our happiness, therefore, lies in accepting Love’s unity. We cannot try to separate from Love’s unity and continue to be happy because God, Love and eternal happiness are synonymous.

This means that to imagine we are separate from Love’s oneness is to imagine that we are separate from happiness. “For nothing God created is apart from happiness, and nothing God created but would extend happiness as its Creator did. Whatever does not fulfill this function cannot be real. (1:6-7) Our lesson in this is to clearly understand that when we are not extending happiness (Love’s oneness) as our Creator does, we are not extending anything that is real.

What is the ego’s replacement for God’s undivided Love?

Because we have chosen to join with the ego’s replacement for God’s undivided Love or happiness, we now think that our happiness lies in the special relationships we have made. Jesus says, “Every special relationship you have made has, as its fundamental purpose, the aim of occupying your mind so completely that you will not hear the call of truth.” (3:3) The call of truth comes from the Holy Spirit, Who is right there in our minds, waiting to return us to the truth.

In paragraph four he gives us a little history within the framework of the ego’s story. “In a sense, the special relationship was the ego’s answer to the creation of the Holy Spirit, Who was God’s Answer to the separation.” (4:1) So here we see that the special relationship is the ego’s chief defense in its battle with God. When our minds are completely occupied with images of special relationships, God’s Answer, the Holy Spirit, is hidden from our awareness. The ego knows that if we quiet our minds and listen to the Holy Spirit, our relationship with God will be restored to us.

Why is Jesus telling us about the true motivation behind our special relationships?

In paragraph five Jesus tells us, “The ego is always alert to threat, and the part of your mind into which the ego was accepted is very anxious to preserve its reason, as it sees it. It does not realize that it is totally insane. And you must realize just what this means if you would be restored to sanity.” (5:1-3) Jesus is telling us the true motivation behind our special realationships, not to make us feel guilty or afraid, but to clearly see the chief replacement for God (special relationships) is not what we want and will not make us happy. As we see this clearly we will become more open minded to receive the mind healing insight that is offered by the Holy Spirit.

Why does Jesus talk about ‘the two pictures’?

In this section Jesus gives us the metaphor of ‘the two pictures’ to show us the difference between the special relationships the ego makes and the experience of the holy relationship, which is brought to us by the Holy Spirit. He describes the ego’s picture of special relationships as a defense mechanism that is offering us its ‘gifts.’ “The frame [around separation through the special relationship] is very elaborate, all set with jewels, and deeply carved and polished. Its purpose is to be of value in itself, and to divert your attention from what it encloses [separation from God’s oneness]. But the frame [the gift of the special relationship] without the picture you cannot have.” (7:5-7)

In this world of specialness and individuality, the special relationship is the ego’s most prized gift. “Into the frame are woven all sorts of fanciful and fragmented illusions of love, set with dreams of sacrifice and self-aggrandizement, and interlaced with gilded threads of self-destruction.” (8:3) Special love, special bodies, special accomplishments, special praise and accolades all look like glittering jewels that have great value and appeal within the framework of the ego thought system. Of this glittering, imposing value system Jesus tells us, “Death lies in this glittering gift. Let not your gaze dwell on the hypnotic gleaming of the frame. Look at the picture, and realize that death is offered you.” (9:9-11)

Jesus compares the ego’s picture, promising us uniqueness through our special relationships, with the Holy Spirit’s picture, which is the holy instant. “The holy instant is a miniature of Heaven, sent to you from Heaven. It is a picture, too, set in a frame. Yet if you accept this gift you will not see the frame at all, because the gift can only be accepted through your willingness to focus all your attention on the picture. The holy instant is a miniature of eternity. It is a picture of timelessness, set in a frame of time.” (11:1-5)

When we accept the Holy Spirit’s gift of the holy instant, special relationships disappear. The face of Christ is recognized in every brother equally. When we accept the ego’s gift of the special relationship, the holy instant disappears. Love’s seamless unity is replaced by seeing differences and special, unique bodies. We can’t have both. We have to choose which has more value to us.

What is one of the chief barriers to being aware of Love’s presence?

In paragraph 13 Jesus emphasizes that one of the barriers to being aware of Love’s presence is to try to bring reality and value to the special relationship instead of seeing it clearly for what it is and letting it go. Jesus tells us, “You who have tried so hard, and are still trying, to fit the better picture into the wrong frame and so combine what cannot be combined, accept this and be glad: These pictures are each framed perfectly for what they represent. One is framed to be out of focus and not seen. The other is framed for perfect clarity” (13:1-3) With the ego’s ornate frame and out of focus picture, it tries to hide the fact that the special relationship is the denial of God’s universal Love. It is the opposite of the truth and an attack upon our true Self. When we expose the ornate and heavy frame to the light of the Holy Spirit, “it becomes dull and lifeless, and ceases to distract you from the picture. And finally you look upon the picture itself, seeing at last that, unprotected by the frame, it has no meaning.” (13:5-6)

By comparing these two pictures, Jesus brings to our awareness what is of true value. He helps us see the difference between truth (wholeness) and illusion (separation) and shows us how much help we have in letting go of the special relationship, ego’s chief defense against the truth of our wholeness. He tells us, “Let us ascend in peace together to the Father, by giving Him ascendance in our minds. ... What He has given is His. It shines in every part of Him, as in the whole. The whole reality of your relationship with Him lies in our relationship to one another. The holy instant shines alike on all relationships, for in it they are one.” (16:2,5-8)

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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

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Chapter 19: The Attainment of Peace

Section I: Healing and Faith

What is ‘faithlessness’ and how does it affect our relationships?

How do we move past faithlessness to healing?

How can we practice this right now?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section IX: The Two Worlds

How does this little thought of separation try to maintain its delusional world?

Why does Jesus go into such detail in describing how empty and meaningless this thought of separation is?

Why does the ego hide ‘the circle of fear’ below the appearances of separate images?

Why are we not aware of the intense guilt that still lies at unconscious levels in our minds?

Why is guilt still in our minds if it shows up in our ‘life’ stories?

How are we shown the real world, where guilt meets with forgiveness?

As we are shown the real world, how does the purpose of our relationships change?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VIII: The Little Garden

What makes love seem limited?

How does belief in limited love show up in our ‘life’ experience?

How does belief in limited love shut God out of our awareness?

How does Jesus describe the arrogance insanity of this belief in littleness?

How does our desert of littleness turn into God’s garden of Love?

As we open to God’s garden of Love, what is our job description?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VII: I Need Do Nothing

What does Jesus mean when he talks about ‘doing nothing’?

Are we responsible for stopping our ‘activity’ of believing in separate bodies?

Does this mean we are to stop making judgments about what is real?

When our mind is quiet, what does the Holy Spirit show us?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section VI: Beyond the Body

What is really going on behind our desire to think that the body is our identity?

How are we still thinking that we could give and get something outside ourselves?

How is the body used as the scapegoat for guilt?

How do we heal these sick beliefs?

How does universal communication work within our mind?

What keeps universal communication from our awareness?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section V: The Happy Dream

What brings the happy dream?

What is our role and what is the Holy Spirit’s function in the happy dream?

To experience the happy dream, what is our constant focus?

Why can’t we ascend to Heaven alone?

How do we bring happiness to every mind?

How do we let the Holy Spirit fulfill His function through us?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section IV: The Little Willingness

What comes with a little willingness to accept the holy instant?

Why is it so important that we learn to overlook error or forgive what never was?

How do we see that nothing has ever happened to change God’s Son?

What holds guilt in place and what releases it?

Why do we believe the holy instant is difficult to receive?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section III: Light in the Dream

How do we join with our brother instead of separating?

Why are we keeping our minds so busy with the things of this world?

Why does Jesus emphasize that guilt is the cause of the world we see?

Who walks with us in bringing Heaven to the Son of God?

As we are willing to see the truth, how does time become readjusted to suit Heaven’s goal?

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Chapter 18: The Passing of the Dream

Section II: The Basis of the Dream

What causes us to dream of separation from Heaven, where we are?

What is happening when we think we are under attack by anything or anyone?