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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/6/12

Day 37

3 What is the single requisite for this shift in perception? It is simply this; the recognition that sickness is of the mind, and has nothing to do with the body. What does this recognition “cost”? It costs the whole world you see, for the world will never again appear to rule the mind. For with this recognition is responsibility placed where it belongs; not with the world, but on him who looks on the world and sees it as it is not. He looks on what he chooses to see. No more and no less. The world does nothing to him. He only thought it did. Nor does he do anything to the world, because he was mistaken about what it is. Herein is the release from guilt and sickness both, for they are one. Yet to accept this release, the insignificance of the body must be an acceptable idea.

Healing is a shift in perception. When I chose healing, I changed my mind about what I thought was possible. My perception up to that moment was that my body responded to environmental conditions. Pollen, grass, most trees, molds and a long list of foods would cause my body to have an allergic reaction. I decided that, although I didn’t know how it could happen, I was willing to be free of this belief. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me. And I became willing to let Him.

This was not a total reversal in my thinking. It was like putting my toes in the water to see what happened. But what happened, changed my mind in a way that affected the rest of my life. From that point on I became more willing to realize that my mind is what needs healing, not my body and not my circumstances. It is taking a good deal of time for me to accept the full implication.

I have had many experiences since then that are helping me to accept that the world never rules the mind, and that it is always the other way around. It has taken even more time for me to accept no compromise in the recognition that I am completely responsible for my life. I still resist this at times, but every time I notice I am resisting, I turn my attention to the Holy Spirit for correction. This gentle process of mindfulness combined with willingness is peeling away the layers of illusion that I used to keep the separation idea in place.

Now when I am sick, instead of trying to figure out what is wrong with my body, and what in the world caused it, I remind myself that I am experiencing illness because I have chosen it, and I am keeping this illness because I see some value in having it. This is what’s happening even though I may not understand why I did it, and may not want to believe I did it. Having established the truth in my mind, I ask the Holy Spirit to heal my mind. The body will likely follow.

In this section Jesus reminds us that guilt and sickness are the same thing. I think of sickness as being the outward manifestation of guilt that I am holding in my mind. It doesn’t matter if I think I am guilty or if I think the other person is guilty as it is the same thing and creates the same effects. As I am allowing the Holy Spirit to heal my mind I am becoming more willing to look at the buried guilt because I am not as afraid of God as I used to be. I am learning that I have not actually done anything, but only dreamed I did. I have nothing to feel guilty for.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/5/12

Day 36

2 The acceptance of sickness as a decision of the mind, for a purpose for which it would use the body, is the basis of healing. And this is so for healing in all forms. A patient decides that this is so, and he recovers. If he decides against recovery, he will not be healed. Who is the physician? Only the mind of the patient himself. The outcome is what he decides that it is. Special agents seem to be ministering to him, yet they but give form to his own choice. He chooses them in order to bring tangible form to his desires. And it is this they do, and nothing else. They are not actually needed at all. The patient could merely rise up without their aid and say, “I have no use for this.” There is no form of sickness that would not be cured at once.

Even when it seems that the medicine or the doctor is the healing agent in a sickness, it is really the decision of the patient for recovery that brings healing. When I decided I was ready to be free of allergies, the way to do this was made immediately available to me. I had tried going to an allergy specialist and had taken shots over a period of time, but it had not worked. I was not ready for healing.

Then one day I decided that I had been stuck in a lot of ego stuff for long enough and made a decision to choose differently. There were a number of things that changed for me, and it happened very quickly. It was clear that it was a change of mind that was the catalyst for all this change.

The allergy healing was among them. Shortly after the decision was made, a friend who had allergies worse than mine called me to say she found someone to help her. He was not a medical doctor, but was an alternative healer. I got his name and made an appointment. I don’t remember what the treatment was called, but it was very simple and didn’t involve medicine of any kind. I had so many allergies that he thought it would take several treatments to clear me, but I only had to return once, and have been free of allergies ever since.

Jesus tells me that my helper was not needed at all, that I could have just realized that I had no use for the allergies and they would have been gone, but that was not something I could have done at the time. So I chose special agents, the doctor and his process, to bring tangible form to my desires.

These several sudden changes that occurred at this time were so clearly the result of a decision for change that it impacted me in a permanent way. I never again completely believed in the world as the cause. It has taken several years for this learning to transfer completely, and it is still a work in progress, but, even incomplete, it has changed everything for me.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/4/12

Day 35

II. The Shift in Perception

1 Healing must occur in exact proportion to which the valuelessness of sickness is recognized. One need but say, “There is no gain at all to me in this” and he is healed. But to say this, one first must recognize certain facts. First, it is obvious that decisions are of the mind, not of the body. If sickness is but a faulty problem-solving approach, it is a decision. And if it is a decision, it is the mind and not the body that makes it. The resistance to recognizing this is enormous, because the existence of the world as you perceive it depends on the body being the decision-maker. Terms like “instincts,” “reflexes” and the like represent attempts to endow the body with non-mental motivators. Actually, such terms merely state or describe the problem. They do not answer it. 

Letting go of the body and the world as the cause of sickness seems to be a slow process for me. I think I have this down and then I notice I am backing away from someone who seems sick. Don’t want to catch that.  I work outside and the mosquitoes are really bad right now. I worry about getting West Nile Virus. Even though I am learning differently, I obviously don’t really believe that the mind is the source of all sickness.

I don’t catch diseases, nor are they the result of my DNA, Rather germs, and DNA are the result of a decision made in the mind, not by Myron, but by the mind as a whole. As Myron, I notice the effects of this decision, realize it doesn’t make sense and choose to let go of my belief in it. This is my part in the healing of the mind.

I have begun the process of proving to myself that Jesus is right, and that sickness is a result of decisions in the mind. Most of my life I have suffered from allergies. Here in the south if you have environmental allergies it can be an ongoing problem lasting all year long. I used to take allergy medicine every day of my life.

One day I changed my mind. I decided I wanted this to be healed. I didn’t know how that could happen but it was what I wanted. I had enough faith in what Jesus says to accept that I must be responsible for the problem, and therefore, I could change my mind.  It was a moment of total acceptance. Things began to fall into place to facilitate this healing in a way I could accept. I have not had allergies since, and that was about 12 years ago.

As my desire to awaken grows, I become more and more willing to accept responsibility for everything in my life knowing it is all a decision I have made, either on the level of our combined mind, or at the level of the Myron personality.

I know this is true because I am experiencing the change that occurs in the world (including the body) when I change my mind. And yet, the idea of the body being the cause or the unwilling recipient of sickness, suffering, and death is a stubborn belief. I am willing to change my mind, and I ask that my willingness be supported by the strength of the Holy Spirit.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/3/12

Day 34

5. HOW IS HEALING ACCOMPLISHED?

1 Healing involves an understanding of what the illusion of sickness is for. Healing is impossible without this. 

I. The Perceived Purpose of Sickness
1 Healing is accomplished the instant the sufferer no longer sees any value in pain. Who would choose suffering unless he thought it brought him something, and something of value to him? He must think it is a small price to pay for something of greater worth. For sickness is an election; a decision. It is the choice of weakness, in the mistaken conviction that it is strength. When this occurs, real strength is seen as threat and health as danger. Sickness is a method, conceived in madness, for placing God’s Son on his Father’s throne. God is seen as outside, fierce and powerful, eager to keep all power for Himself. Only by His death can He be conquered by His Son.

2 And what, in this insane conviction, does healing stand for? It symbolizes the defeat of God’s Son and the triumph of his Father over him. It represents the ultimate defiance in a direct form which the Son of God is forced to recognize. It stands for all that he would hide from himself to protect his “life.” If he is healed, he is responsible for his thoughts. And if he is responsible for his thoughts, he will be killed to prove to him how weak and pitiful he is. But if he chooses death himself, his weakness is his strength. Now has he given himself what God would give to him, and thus entirely usurped the throne of his Creator.

This section begins by saying I must understand what sickness is for, and then explains it. I must admit that I dreaded this part of the study because even though I can understand the concept explained here, I have great resistance to accepting it. Evidently I don’t want this to be true.

So let me start by just restating more simply what Jesus says about the purpose of sickness. He seems to be telling me that I choose pain and suffering because I value it. Jesus says sickness is a decision.
(I’m ok with this so far, but here is where it starts getting dicey for me.)

Evidently, I use sickness and suffering and ultimately, death, to prove that I am separate from God, and that I am not to be overcome by God.  If I were to be healed it would prove I am responsible for my own thoughts, and I am sure that this would mean that God would kill me to prove that I am actually weak. Instead, I usurp the throne of my Creator by taking my own life before He can, and so prove I am more powerful than God is.

Really? Could I possibly be that insane? It doesn’t even make sense when spelled out like this. When I first read it, I thought the contraction I felt was fear of what I have done, and there must be some of that in it. But the thing I feel more strongly right now is overwhelmed. How do I undo what I have done?

I still get sick, and maybe I still believe in death, though I’m not sure about that. But certainly, though I don’t get sick often, I do get sick. So this must mean that I still believe that this form of weakness is my strength, which proves that God cannot overcome me. Yikes!

On the positive side, I must be forming some doubts about this because I have had some miraculous physical healings lately that are clearly related to a change in thoughts. I am encouraged to see this because it means I am less afraid of God than I have been if I am daring to see my thoughts as cause. And I suppose that this is how I will undo what I have done. I will continue to be willing to have this crazy thinking corrected by the Truth that is still in my mind.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/2/12

Day 33

2 How do the open-minded forgive? They have let go all things that would prevent forgiveness. They have in truth abandoned the world, and let it be restored to them in newness and in joy so glorious they could never have conceived of such a change. Nothing is now as it was formerly. Nothing but sparkles now which seemed so dull and lifeless before. And above all are all things welcoming, for threat is gone. No clouds remain to hide the face of Christ. Now is the goal achieved. Forgiveness is the final goal of the curriculum. It paves the way for what goes far beyond all learning. The curriculum makes no effort to exceed its legitimate goal. Forgiveness is its single aim, at which all learning ultimately converges. It is indeed enough.

3 You may have noticed that the list of attributes of God’s teachers does not include things that are the Son of God’s inheritance. Terms like love, sinlessness, perfection, knowledge and eternal truth do not appear in this context. They would be most inappropriate here. What God has given is so far beyond our curriculum that learning but disappears in its presence. Yet while its presence is obscured, the focus properly belongs on the curriculum. It is the function of God’s teachers to bring true learning to the world. Properly speaking it is unlearning that they bring, for that is “true learning” in the world. It is given to the teachers of God to bring the glad tidings of complete forgiveness to the world. Blessed indeed are they, for they are the bringers of salvation.

What I understand from reading this is that I don’t have to strive for love, sinlessness, perfection and other attributes of God’s Teachers. These are not things I learn, but things I am. My only goal is to forgive. As I forgive, that is, as I undo what I think I am, these attributes will naturally come into my awareness. They have not gone anyplace, but have only been hidden by what I made to take their place.

What is it that must be undone? What immediately comes to me is that I have been created perfect and whole and that is what I am, but I have made a self that reflects the separation idea. So I see myself as imperfect and splintered into many parts. This is seen on every level, as I appear to take many forms. It also appears with the specific body/personality I claim as myself now, and within its life is contradicting and confusing layers of beliefs that I accept as reality.

Can there ever be peace and happiness in such a life? The mind that believes it can be conflicting things will be confused about its reality. It will believe that something must be chosen and something must be rejected and so it will always feel under attack and in defense, and the mind will be in a constant state of war.

The ego suggests we choose from among an endless array of options until we find the right one, and this is what we have done, but this will not ever bring us to peace. The Holy Spirit offers us a simple solution that undoes our confusion. Forgiveness is the one solution to all errors in the mind, because all errors are one error.

In the world, forgiveness looks like undoing, or unlearning. We did not come here to learn, but to unlearn. There is only one thought to forgive, but in our confused state this is not possible for us to grasp. So we begin the undoing process by noticing thoughts that do not bring us peace and then give our willingness to be corrected.

In this way we unlearn the error we taught ourselves when we chose to experience separation. When we have forgiven what seems like many different errors, transfer of learning will occur which will speed up the process. We are not left to do this alone, but all our efforts on behalf of this forgiving process are heavily reinforced. We can do this, and we will do this. I want to do it now because I am tired of the game. I realize that I am not really choosing between different options, but choosing the same thing over and over in different forms.

It reminds me of shopping for toothpaste at Walmart. There are so many of them you wonder which one to buy, but when you look at the ingredient list you discover that they are all basically the same toothpaste. The only difference is the shape of the tube or the phrasing in the labels.

I can choose to make the form of my life seem different, but in the end, its like the toothpaste options. Only the appearance of what is happening to me changes. And no matter how different the appearances are, I am still confused, fearful, guilty, ashamed, and uncertain. These are the attributes of the separated ones.

In the best of circumstances, these states are waiting on the sidelines and I know it, and dread their certain emergence. I am grateful to know that I have a true option. I can choose to forgive the whole thing, to undo the separation idea completely rather than choosing between flavors of separation, and I am learning to give my willingness to that.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 2/1/12

Day 32

X. Open-Mindedness
1 The centrality of open-mindedness, perhaps the last of the attributes the teacher of God acquires, is easily understood when its relation to forgiveness is recognized. Open-mindedness comes with lack of judgment. As judgment shuts the mind against God’s Teacher, so open-mindedness invites Him to come in. As condemnation judges the Son of God as evil, so open-mindedness permits him to be judged by the Voice for God on His behalf. As the projection of guilt upon him would send him to hell, so open-mindedness lets Christ’s image be extended to him. Only the open-minded can be at peace, for they alone see reason for it. 

Me: Holy Spirit, I still close my mind to your help sometimes, but I have a strong willingness to stay open. What would you have me know?

Holy Spirit: Think for a moment about yesterday.

Me: I began by asking You to help me let go of all that keeps me faithless. As I thought about one area of my life I am afraid to release, I noticed myself contracting around the fear of my request. I could see how silly I was being, and yet the fear felt so real. Even though it made no sense to me, I was afraid to let go.

Holy Spirit: What were the thoughts in your mind?

Me: I have been fully willing to turn over my life to You to use as would be helpful to the awakening. But then I think, “What if I am asked to quit my job and walk away from my family?” And when I think of this, I cry. I think that I committed to let my grandson live with me while he finishes college and I think that he is not emotionally ready to live alone even if he could afford to. He hasn’t yet learned to deal with stress and even small things upset him to the point that it becomes hard for him to function. He needs me right now and I would feel awful to leave him. 

I also feel pretty awful as I write this because I seem to be saying that I don’t trust You to care about my grandson. I don’t trust You to take care of him and love him as much as I do. I feel foolish and guilty.

Holy Spirit: The thoughts you have just written down are the ego thoughts in your mind. When you listen to and believe these thoughts you close your mind to Me. Sweet child, I see your fear, but I know that it is groundless. It is like a wound that you guard against My healing because you are afraid if you let Me touch it, I will hurt you. I assure you that his is not the case.

You want this healing. As much as you want to guard against My help, you also want My help. This is not the only time you have set up blocks to total surrender, and yet you come to Me often, asking Me to help you remove these obstructions. This is your true will, and the voices of confusion, while compelling in their fear mongering, are not what you really want to listen to.

Imagine your mind opening gently, like a rose bud opening to the sun. Imagine the warmth of the sun’s rays healing this sore spot in the center of you. Absorb the healing light. There is nothing to fear from the light.

My Voice is the Voice you want to hear, dear one. When you hear the other voices, the ones that call you to defend yourself from Me, recognize that this is not your voice; it is the ego voice and listening to it is like closing the door on your Self and on the light.

Turn your attention away from the those thoughts, and turn it to Me. You may have to do this often, but it will always be simple. Don’t feed the fearful thoughts by giving them your attention. Don’t judge the sense of them. Don’t try to figure out which may be true. Don’t follow the thoughts while they weave stories of woe. Just recognize they are not the thoughts you think with God. They are not your thoughts. Return your mind to Me. As often as it takes. And I will always be here waiting for your return.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of Manual for Teachers 1/31/12

Day 31
IX. Faithfulness
1 The extent of the teacher of God’s faithfulness is the measure of his advancement in the curriculum. Does he still select some aspects of his life to bring to his learning, while keeping others apart? If so, his advancement is limited, and his trust not yet firmly established. Faithfulness is the teacher of God’s trust in the Word of God to set all things right; not some, but all. Generally, his faithfulness begins by resting on just some problems, remaining carefully limited for a time. To give up all problems to one Answer is to reverse the thinking of the world entirely. And that alone is faithfulness. Nothing but that really deserves the name. Yet each degree, however small, is worth achieving. Readiness, as the text notes, is not mastery. 
2 True faithfulness, however, does not deviate. Being consistent, it is wholly honest. Being unswerving, it is full of trust. Being based on fearlessness, it is gentle. Being certain, it is joyous. And being confident, it is tolerant. Faithfulness, then, combines in itself the other attributes of God’s teachers. It implies acceptance of the Word of God and His definition of His Son. It is to Them that faithfulness in the true sense is always directed. Toward Them it looks, seeking until it finds. And having found, it rests in quiet certainty on that alone to which all faithfulness is due.

It seems impossible not to try to place myself within the characteristics of God’s teachers. How faithful am I? How close am I to giving up all problems to one Answer and thus to reversing the thinking of the world? I’m not sure that exercise is helpful, but I seem unable to resist it.

“Does he still select some aspects of his life to bring to his learning, while keeping others apart?” This question used to haunt me because when I would find an aspect that I was holding separate from healing, I felt terribly guilty and condemned. My mind would tell me that its one thing to leave something out because I don’t recognize what I’m doing, or just don’t see it, but how could I deliberately say, “God, I don’t want you to have this part of my life. I don’t trust you with it.” 

This brought up all the old “fear of God” stuff in my mind. At the least it made me feel selfish. I’m holding back the salvation of the world because I don’t have enough faith to give over some little part of my life. I felt dishonest because I say I want to wake up, that this is my single purpose, but obviously I have another purpose. I want to be in charge of this bit of my life.

I just don’t trust God to do as good a job as I will. Oh my goodness, that is just ridiculous. I suppose that the reluctance is that there is still a deep down, hidden fear of God that has not been healed, and of course this is true. Its not a little fear, but a seemingly bottomless pit of terror that I suspect is there. The fear of God is the last obstacle to peace.

An example of something I have held back from God is my relationship with my children. When my son was sick I told God exactly what needed to be done. It was weeks of agonized begging and awful fear before I realized the faithlessness I was showing.

In a moment of healing I gave Him my son. I gave God my son completely. I didn’t say, just don’t let him suffer, or just don’t let him die. I gave Him my son in absolute trust that whatever happened was perfect even if I didn’t understand.

I trusted that God knows how to love my son even better than I do. I trusted that God knows me and knows my needs and loves me. Whatever happens, it will be for me, not against me. This surrender was not one of ultimate sacrifice, but of complete trust and brought with it peace. Since that experience, it is always easier to let go now.

I still need to be vigilant for those moments when I would hold back some part of my life. I remind myself often during the day that I would only follow. I do this by asking, “What would you have me do now?” When I notice a desire to keep a problem or a decision to myself, I quickly become willing to choose again. If I need help to make my desire complete then I ask for it.

I have one part of my life I have not trusted to God. Looking at it logically, I know I am being foolish, and yet there is still fear of giving it to Him. I no longer feel afraid God is going to punish me for my lack of faith, nor do I feel like a failure. I do feel uncomfortable because I know I am putting my faith in the ego and that’s a big mistake, but I am where I am with this, and while I do not doubt my desire to be of one mind, I also know I cannot make this happen through ego will. So I trust that my true Self will prevail and I practice patience while I wait.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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