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 6, Introduction (page 91)
In the Introduction to the Text Jesus says, “The Course does not aim at teaching the meaning of Love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of Love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance.” ( T-Intro.1:6-7) Lessons of Love therefore are really lessons to help us remove the ego’s barriers to Love so we can experience the Love that is ever present. The belief in attack that is part of the thought system of separation stands between us and the experience of Love. When we believe in attack, we will then believe we must defend ourselves against it. Thus Love is unknown to us though it is all around us.
As long as we do not question our allegiance to the ego we will not be able to experience Love. Allegiance to separation is the choice against the unity of Love. Our unquestioning faith in the reality of separation — of separate bodies, individual personalities and private minds — testifies to the power of our faith.
No one in this world lacks faith. But misplaced faith has made a world of conflict and fear. Though we have faith in the ego’s lies, the effect of that belief is that illusions of a world of separation seem very real to us. The aim of the Course is to teach us to redirect our faith to the truth of our oneness instead of lies of individuality. We have taught ourselves that these lies are true so we must be taught to recognize the lies and to recognize what is truth.
No one hangs on to belief in lies when he recognizes them for what they are. We will freely let them go and the awareness of Love will return. We will move from believing in the reality of attack to the recognition that attack is impossible and cannot be justified. This is the core of the Course’s teaching. It is the reason why forgiveness is justified. We can truly forgive when we know that no harm has happened and that we remain whole in the Heart of God.
In this introduction Jesus helps us understand how our anger is always really a projection of separation. When we join with the thought system of separation, we are taught to hurl guilt outside ourselves and see a reason for blame and anger in a world that is different from us.
The guilt that comes with belief in separation from our Source is unbearable. The ego’s answer is to project the guilt that is in our confused mind out onto a projected world that we think is outside of our mind. The ego tells us that this will relieve our guilt, but all it does is reinforce the thought system of separation within our minds.
Jesus wants us to see how insane this process of projection really is. He wants us to see the irrational premises on which this thought system is based. He tells us, “You cannot be attacked, attack has no justification, and you are responsible for what you believe.” (1:7) Jesus wants us to look at the ego thought system and see that it is based totally on lies. He wants to help us redirect our faith in it so that we will be able to see the truth that lies behind it.
The rest of this chapter will go into detail about how the ego thought system works, how projection works and how the Holy Spirit can lead us away from projection and toward remembering the Love that we are. We are on quite an exciting journey as we return Home together. In our return to Love, the Holy Spirit will show us how to experience peace, a deep sense of well being and the recognition that we already have all that is real. As we learn to be vigilant only for God, we will return to remembering that we are still in Heaven and that we are safe, because we are still as God created us. As we learn this from the Holy Spirit, this is what we will teach.
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