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ACIM Text Questions and Answers

Excerpts from Text Made Simple

Below is in reference to Text Chapter 1, Section V on pages 12-13.

In the first paragraph, the miracle and the body are both described as learning aids, which are used only as long as they are needed. As we return to the awareness of our original state as Love, direct communication replaces the miracle and the body. Because we did not create ourselves, we cannot change our innate ability to create (which means extend Love) as our Creator does. We can imagine that we have destroyed our communication with our Source, but we cannot make it true.

In A Course in Miracles, what is the difference between between ‘make’ and ‘create’?

In the first paragraph of section V the Course introduces the distinction between “make” and “create.” Whenever the Course refers to creation, it is referring to God’s extension of Love. It is not referring to creativity as we commonly think of it in reference to artists, writers, inventors, etc. In the Workbook for Students section 11. titled, What is Creation? we are told, “Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts, in number infinite, and everywhere without all limit. Only Love creates, and only like Itself.” (W-pII.11.1:1-2)

The ego, on the other hand makes illusions. When it says, “You can make an empty shell, but you cannot express nothing at all,” (1:4 italics added) it means the ego can make the body, which is an empty shell, but this empty shell can still be used by the Holy Spirit as a medium of communication for teaching.

What does it mean to be miracle-minded and how does it help us in our life?

In the second paragraph of section V, a key idea is that, as we become miracle-minded (or open to the correction of our perception), we shorten the need for time. As we open to miracles, we remember our true Identity as an extension of God’s Love and become aware of the universal abundance of Love in everyone. We remember everyone is the same Love because God gives all Love to all equally.

What does it mean to be dependent on God?

An important concept in the third paragraph of section V is that we must remember our total dependence on God in order to know the power of “the Son in his true relationship with the Father.” (3:4) The truth is we come from God and are just like God. God’s strength is ours. If we try to be independent of God, we lose awareness of our God-given strength. The ego’s highest priority is independence, and the idea of being dependent is repulsive to the ego. Yet this very independence from God is what makes us feel weak and vulnerable because we have lost awareness of God’s strength in us. So, contrary to what the ego teaches, to acknowledge our dependence on God is to accept God’s strength as ours and know our perfect safety and invulnerability.

The truth is we cannot change God and we cannot change God’s eternal extension of Love, Which is called the Son of God or the Sonship. If we do not realize we have been given all of Love (God), our perception is distorted. Because the Sonship is one, if any part of the Sonship is asleep to the truth, it affects the whole. That is why the Course often tells us that we don’t go Home alone.

How does Jesus describe God’s extension?

The central theme in paragraph four of section V is that God’s extension is whole or one or holy. As we accept miracles, we are accepting our state of wholeness or our innate abundance because we recognize that All has All. We are affirming the truth about ourselves.

In paragraph five Jesus returns to what was discussed in paragraph three. We cannot change God’s Creation and we cannot change God. As we learn to accept Creation as It is and not try to change It, we release ourselves from the tyrannous and limiting control of the ego and we place our mind under God, or true Authority.

How do we return to the abundance awareness of the Christ Mind?

As we learn to step back and return to the abundance awareness of the Christ Mind, we let go of the false ideas of the ego, which is trying to replace God’s oneness with the individuality of separation. We let go of the idea that our safety lies in illusions of separate bodies. As we begin to recognize the illusions we have been believing in for what they are, it can seem quite disorienting. It is as though the foundation on which we have based our lives is crumbling.

Some react by defending their illusions more vigorously in an attempt to make them seem more real and thus hold on to them. But being illusions, they can never really provide a solid foundation. Beneath the bravado of defense, there is an underlying awareness that what we are defending is untrue. It is really upside down thinking, confusing illusion with truth. So we are seeing here that the disorientation and instability that seems to come with giving up the illusions that we had thought were true is to be expected. But it does not need to last. In exchange for giving up our belief in false ideas, the Holy Spirit offers us the rock solid, changeless strength of God. Nothing could be more stable.

Read Chapter 1, Section VI. (pages 13-15)

This section has some core ideas that are important for us to learn to apply in our lives. If we really want to awaken to the truth of our oneness in God, we need to fully understand and integrate these key ideas into the way we think and live our lives. An important idea Jesus states in this section is: “A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need correct. This sense of separation would never have arisen if you had not distorted your perception of truth, and had thus perceived yourself as lacking.” (2:1-2)

What does Jesus mean by, “Belief produces the acceptance of existence.”?

It is important to realize that this is why we see the world we see. We see a world of separate bodies because we thought we would “be better off in a state somehow different from the one you are in.” (1:5) We wanted a world that was different from God’s oneness. We wanted to believe we were separate and could have something for ourselves alone. We wanted to experience a world of uniqueness that was separate from the unity of God. We wanted to put ourselves in God’s place and make a world of unique identities that we as individuals could control.

Excerpts from Text Made Simple at www.pathwaysoflight.org/acim_text

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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Miracles News, October-December 2020

 

We open our
hearts and minds
to the
Light and Love
in everyone.
(ACIM W-pI.274.2:2)

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Be In the World, But Not of It

by Rev. Dan Strodl, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

“There is a way of living in the world that is not here, although it seems to be. You do not change appearance, though you smile more frequently. Your forehead is serene; your eyes are quiet. And the ones who walk the world as you do recognize their own. Yet those who have not yet perceived the way will recognize you also, and believe that you are like them, as you were before.” (W-155.1)

The world we live in is an insane ego thought system that thrives on fear, judgments, grievances, conflict, worry and stress. It is all projected from the ego thought system which we inherited at the separation and developed through our lives.

Attack, defense, conflict and fear keep us locked in the ego’s prison. But we can open the prison door with forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of all the illusions that block us from the truth of who we are.

“This is an insane world, and do not underestimate the extent of its insanity. There is no area of your perception that it has not touched, and your dream is sacred to you. That is why God placed the Holy Spirit in you, where you placed the dream.” (T-14.I.2:6-8)

When we notice that insane thoughts are bubbling up in our mind, we can step back, quiet our mind, and ask Holy Spirit for a new way of seeing. Holy Spirit’s job is to heal our minds, and He is with us all through the day holding our hand.

With consistent letting go of insane thoughts, the ego support system will slowly lose its power and the light of our Right Mind will come shining through. We can still live in the world, but experience true Reality, seeing the world through the eyes of Love.

I had an experience this morning which was a good example of being in the world but not of it. I live in an apartment, and one of my neighbors had taken it on herself to make the street in front of our block beautiful.

She has worked on it for the last five years, and planted beautiful shrubs and flowers. A boring gray cement road has been transformed into one of the most stunning roads in London. She was out there almost every day, watering, pruning, and planting.

Then last week, she had a grievance with cyclists. They were riding their bikes on the pavement. So she moved three big plant pots and spaced them out across the pavement, so their bikes couldn’t get through.

Some residents complained about her blocking the pavement to the authorities, and she was told to remove the plant pots.

She took offense at this and sent an email through to all the residents, to let them know that she was withdrawing her efforts to look after the beautiful street garden.

Someone else would have to do it. When I read her email I was upset. I didn’t want her beautiful street garden to die. I feared that no one else would come forward.

“Pause and be still a little while, and see how far you rise above the world, when you release your mind from chains and let it seek the level where it finds itself at home.”  (W-pI:128.1)

So, I stepped back and asked Holy Spirit for a new way of seeing. I sensed that it was a call for love ... and so, I sent her blessings. I blessed her in her love, happiness, peace, and her acceptance. And as I did that, I noticed that my upset had vanished and peace had returned.

Every time I catch a grievance and let it go, I feel real freedom from the ego thought system. I’m still in the world but participating less in the insanity. Thank you neighbors for giving me the opportunity to heal my mind.

P.S. The next day she was outside watering her garden again.

Rev. Dan Strodl is a Pathways of Light minister and publisher of Miracle Worker magazine in London, UK. His email is: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Visit Miracle Network online at http://www.Miracles.org.uk

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood!

by Rev. Myron, Jones, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Everything is my responsibility. I sometimes forget that this is true, and begin to think the world is hurting me and responsible for my misery. I forget that I am only projecting these things on others from my own mind and that the only power to hurt me comes from my own. I can only be hurt if I decide that is to happen. I crucify myself. But eventually, I withdraw the projections that I cast onto others, reclaiming them so that I can allow the Holy Spirit to help me see them differently.
As a result of doing this daily, I notice a difference in my relationships. I feel loving toward other people, and I feel them respond more lovingly toward me. I noticed yesterday that when I called the office for help with a customer, I began by asking how my coworker was doing. This is not unusual, just common courtesy. What was unusual is that it was not just a polite way of beginning a conversation. It was a prayer, a song shared spirit to spirit. My soul sang of love and oneness to her soul. I think this is what communication between the children of God is supposed to be like. It is what it will be like all the time when I have allowed all my projections to be withdrawn and healed.
Holy Spirit, I see how my life is changing as I accept responsibility, but in A Course in Miracles it talks about how we crucify ourselves. Could you please speak to me about how I do that?

Holy Spirit: Last night you were looking at your daughter’s photograph and thinking about your earlier conversation with her. You began to think that the conversation didn’t go as well as you hoped. You thought about how hard it can be to talk to her and how sensitive she is, how hard it is to share on a personal level. You had many thoughts about her and about how she feels about you. Soon, you were feeling very anxious about your relationship.

Before you began thinking, you were very peaceful in your mind. After you had been thinking for a few minutes you were very anxious. What changed, Myron? Your relationship did not change; it was only your thoughts about the relationship that changed.

Here is the way the ego thought system works. You harbor within your mind the belief that you have not been a very good mother to this girl and have made unforgivable mistakes. As you listen to her words you look for proof that this is true. No matter what she says to you, it seems to prove that you have failed and she hates you for it. She told you about a book she read that said the brain can be damaged by pollution. She wonders if living near the plants when she was growing up could have caused her to be depressed and need medication.

Because you began with the underlying belief that you failed her as a mother, you heard her say that you are responsible for her depression. You moved her to a place that put her in danger and you did nothing to get her out of it. Her life is miserable now and it is all your fault.
She hates you for doing this to her.

The ego belief is that doing this kind of thinking protects you. The ego says that if you don’t pick apart the conversations and find the hidden meanings you won’t see the danger coming so how can you protect yourself. The ego then begins its “protection” of you. You start thinking that it was your ex-husband’s fault because he insisted the family live there and you feel hatred for him. He is the one to blame, not you.

Then you remember that you had wanted to leave and Susan had wanted to stay. It is her fault, not yours. You begin to think that she could do something about this in the same way you dealt with your depression, but instead, she wants to blame you. You begin to think what a difficult person she is and how hard it is to talk to her. You have made her the one who is wrong. This is what the ego calls protection.

What actually happened in that phone call, Myron? You had a conversation with your precious daughter. She shared some ideas with you. Then you crucified yourself. You began with your buried belief of unworthiness and proved to yourself you were right. You tried to cover it up by projecting the unworthiness onto others, but you were not able to undo the basic wrong-minded thought because you kept looking out there for salvation as you tried to find someone else to make wrong. The ego thinks that the only way to get you off the cross is to find someone else to take your place. Each time you do this you further convince yourself that the original premise must be right because you see proof of your unworthiness everywhere you look.

The solution is to recognize where the problem lies and then to choose a different teacher. You already know how the ego tries to solve the problem and you know it never works. Would you be willing to let go of the lie that you are unworthy of motherhood? Would you be willing to turn your ear away from the ego nonsense and give Me your attention? You have carried this thought for a long time and you are becoming aware of what an unnecessary burden it is.

P.S. Just recently, I had one of those crucifying thoughts about a child of mine, and asked the Holy Spirit to heal my mind. I was given a series of thoughts that led to a clear understanding of why I continue to do this with my children. I have always been surprised when I see proof that my children love me. I always think, as Holy Spirit just explained, that I made too many mistakes and don’t deserve that love, so it must not be there. But over and over, they just keep loving me.

So when I had this depressing thought about not being worthy of my child’s love, I was given another part of His teaching. Memories of how I treated my mother were brought to my mind. I thought of all the ways I failed her as a daughter and I thought how little respect and concern I had for her. Now, this happened mostly during my teen years and my early adult years. Any grievances I had against mom had all been forgiven a long time ago. I learned to admire her very much.

What the Holy Spirit showed me was that I had failed to forgive myself for my part in that relationship. I still carried the idea that I was guilty of all I did or failed to do, for my harsh judgments of her, for my lack of understanding and compassion. As long as I carried around that guilt, I would keep projecting it onto my relationships with my own children. I would see the guilt I felt for my relationship with my mom being played out by my children onto me. That is how projection works. This was not happening, you understand, except in my own mind. But I felt the pain of it as if it were really happening.

The truth is, I had nothing to be guilty about. Mom and I started with a special relationship, as all relationships here do, and we spent our lives allowing that relationship to be transformed into a holy relationship. This process of transformation is often a messy business with lots of ups and downs, and that too is normal and expected. It was a perfect use of our time together. Allowing my mind to be healed of the belief either of us was guilty of anything that occurred during this healing process was the last step in the transformation. Now that I have forgiven myself, perhaps I can finally get down off the cross and simply enjoy the love of my children.

Rev. Myron Jones, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Westlake, Louisiana. Read her inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways website. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Myron’s website is: http://www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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