To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple, we recommend that
you read the corresponding chapter and section in the Text of the Second or
Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.
Read ACIM Chapter 12, Section VI (pages 227-229)
The reference to soul in the first paragraph refers to a passage in the Bible. The Clarification of Terms states that, “The term ‘soul’... would be an equivalent of ‘spirit,’ with the understanding that, being of God, it is eternal and was never born.” (C-1.3:2-3)
Believing that the forms of this world are real is an investment in nothing because the forms of the world are illusion. Thus when we believe the world of form is real, we lose awareness of our Self, Which is Christ. Loss of awareness of our Self is an enormous price to pay to “gain” the illusion of specialness in this world. Specialness is the ego’s substitute for God’s Love. Jesus tells us, “You do not want the world.” (3:1) The world is a poor substitute for our one Self, the Christ Mind.
To look upon anything with Love means to look upon it with Christ’s vision. This disregards form and sees only the extension of the Love we are. We know the Love we are by extending Thoughts of Love, which come from our true Self. Since only Love is real, the only reality in the world is the Love we extend and has nothing to do with form. “As self-value comes from self-extension, so does the perception of self-value come from the extension of loving thoughts outward.” (3:5) Because the Self we all are is Love, this could be restated as, “As the value of Love comes from Love’s extension, so does the perception of Love’s value come from the extension of loving thoughts outward.” This is how we make the real world of Love real to ourselves and become aware that It belongs to us.
The real world has nothing to do with the world we see through the body’s eyes. For an explanation of what the Course means by the term “real world,” see Workbook Part II, 8. What is the Real World? on page 443. In this section it tells us, “The real world holds a counterpart for each unhappy thought reflected in your world; a sure correction for the sights of fear and sounds of battle which your world contains. The real world shows a world seen differently, through quiet eyes and with a mind at peace.” (W-pII.8.2:1-2) This is what Christ’s vision shows us. We awaken by accepting and extending Christ’s vision. “Christ’s eyes are open, and He will look upon whatever you see with love if you accept His vision as yours.” (4:4)
We awaken as we truly want to see the real world. (See Lesson 185) This comes by withdrawing our belief in the world of separation and letting the Holy Spirit show us Christ’s vision. Our mind becomes quiet and at peace as we recognize that nothing in the world of form is real; nothing can change the Love we are nor separate us from our Source.
An important part of what the Course is teaching us is to recognize the tremendous cost of believing that we want independence from God and that separation could be real. In this section Jesus reminds us, “... you must learn the cost of sleeping, and refuse to pay it. Only then will you decide to awaken. And then the real world will spring to your sight, for Christ has never slept.” (5:2-4) The Holy Spirit is ever present to help us awaken the moment we are ready and willing.
Awakening means ceasing to defend against the Love that we are and our Father is. The Holy Spirit guides us to recognize that there is either Love or a call for Love in all situations. Whenever we believe we are separate, we will call for Love in some way because we innately want to return to our natural state. The ego thought system of separation has divided and divided, again and again, so that the problems we seem to face appear to be unique and different. The Holy Spirit teaches us the one thing we all have in common — they are all illusion. We learn to generalize and see all problems as the same. As we let all belief in separation go, awareness of Love returns and we awaken. Jesus tells us, “Heaven is your home, and being in God it must also be in you.” (7:7)
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