Together, We Light the Way

Click link to go to:
Together We Light the Way Index

Lesson 9 2026

I see nothing as it is now.
1. This idea obviously follows from the two preceding ones. ²But while you may be able to accept it intellectually, it is unlikely that it will mean anything to you as yet. ³However, understanding is not necessary at this point. ⁴In fact, the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing your false ideas. ⁵These exercises are concerned with practice, not with understanding. ⁶You do not need to practice what you already understand. ⁷It would indeed be circular to aim at understanding, and assume that you have it already.
2. It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. ²This idea can be quite disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms. ³Yet that does not preclude applying it. ⁴No more than that is required for these or any other exercises. ⁵Each small step will clear a little of the darkness away, and understanding will finally come to lighten every corner of the mind that has been cleared of the debris that darkens it.
3. These exercises, for which three or four practice periods are sufficient, involve looking about you and applying the idea for the day to whatever you see, remembering the need for its indiscriminate application, and the essential rule of excluding nothing. ²For example:
³I do not see this typewriter as it is now.
⁴I do not see this telephone as it is now.
⁵I do not see this arm as it is now.
4. Begin with things that are nearest you, and then extend the range outward:
²I do not see that coat rack as it is now.
³I do not see that door as it is now.
⁴I do not see that face as it is now.
5. It is emphasized again that while complete inclusion should not be attempted, specific exclusion must be avoided. ²Be sure you are honest with yourself in making this distinction. ³You may be tempted to obscure it. (ACIM, W-9.1:1–5:3)
Contemplation for 2025
When I first did these lessons all those years ago, I absolutely did not believe the statement that I see nothing as it is now. I did the lesson anyway. Later, I was confused, but I accepted that I just didn’t understand it. And I did it anyway. Now, I do understand it, and I do the lesson. My mind still wants to object to it, and I will have a moment of confusion, but my desire for the truth clears the confusion quickly. I love the truth even as I sometimes resist it. My desire for truth wins out each time.
Contemplation for 2026
If you don’t understand or believe this lesson, that’s okay. As Jesus told us in the Introduction and again in this lesson, you don’t need to understand or even like these lessons. Just do them, and they will work for you despite any resistance. This has been my experience.
There is no world, only images of our thoughts projected from our minds. This acceptance helps me navigate the illusion without losing sight of the truth. It gives me the space to look at my fear with the Holy Spirit because I know that ultimately, I am safe in God. I don’t deny that I am having an experience of the world, just that it is not real. So when I do get caught up in the story, it is easier to find my way back to the truth.
That happened yesterday. A thought showed up in my mind about the state of affairs in the world. The story my mind was telling me was that there is so much violence right now—people hurting each other, killing, hating, and even showing simple disregard for one another. It appears in homes, schools, cities, and countries. I know this is a projection of conflicted minds, yet in my perception it seems worse than usual. As I followed this story and imagined where it might lead, fear quietly began to grow in my mind.
I’m talking about this now because it relates to the lesson for the day. I see nothing as it is now, and just because I think about an idea and dwell on it until it feels very real and present, this doesn’t make it real. Jesus is so clear about this. In this lesson he says: It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. Even in the trained mind, it can be difficult to remember that while this is a real experience, it is not reality, and who we are, our true self, is perfectly safe even as the experience shows us something different.
I never deny my experience, even as the spiritual ego wants to claim what is not true but ought to be. That kind of thinking doesn’t bring me closer to awakening. So, when I get caught up in a story, I look at that error with the Holy Spirit until my mind clears of the confusion, and peace is restored. That is true forgiveness, and it is an excellent way to move ever closer to the Truth. So that is what I did yesterday.
The story may grab me again. After all, though what we do with the power of God in us is not true creation in this dream world, what we make here feels very real. I used to worry when I felt the relief that comes with forgiveness, only for the error to come back. I took this as proof that either the Course doesn’t work or, more likely, it was just me who couldn’t succeed. I understand now that none of that is true. I am here to forgive untrue beliefs, and so I do. I don’t care how often I need to do it.
I am content today to remind myself of the simple truth: I see nothing as it is now. This no longer confuses me; it comforts me. I trust in the truth to be true even when my mind is lost in a scary story. Illusions can obscure the truth, but they cannot change it. I am safe in the Love of God.
Video: https://youtu.be/znJKbWiJheQ

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this post.

Printable Page

Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 8

My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
1. This idea is, of course, the reason why you see only the past. ²No one really sees anything. ³He sees only his thoughts projected outward. ⁴The mind’s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers. ⁵Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. ⁶It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.
2. The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. ²To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions. ³Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. ⁴The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything.
3. The purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not really thinking at all. ²While thoughtless ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked. ³Recognizing that your mind has been merely blank, rather than believing that it is filled with real ideas, is the first step to opening the way to vision.
4. The exercises for today should be done with eyes closed. ²This is because you actually cannot see anything, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought, you are not seeing anything. ³With as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there. ⁴Name each one by the central figure or theme it contains, and pass on to the next. ⁵Introduce the practice period by saying:
⁶I seem to be thinking about _________.
5. Then name each of your thoughts specifically, for example:
²I seem to be thinking about [name of a person], about [name of an object], about [name of an emotion],
and so on, concluding at the end of the mind-searching period with:
³But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
6. This can be done four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you. ²If you find it trying, three or four times is sufficient. ³You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that the idea for today may induce, in the mind searching itself. (ACIM, W-8.1:1–6:3)

Contemplation from 2025
I seem to be thinking about hearing from a friend this morning, the discomfort of getting out in the freezing weather this morning, and a precious video of my granddaughter I watched last night. Wondering if I will have time to write some more about Chapter 14 today. But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
I notice how much my mind wants to weave a story around these thoughts, but I resist. I am aware of the reason we do this. It keeps us from becoming aware of the real world. What the ego mind doesn’t want to examine too closely is that this preoccupation with the past is meant to protect us from our memory of God. If that happens, we will throw ourselves into Him because we love God so much, and He loves us so much. Then the ego will dissolve. I guess there is still a desire for separation and specialness, and it is this desire that makes defending against God seem sane.
Contemplation for 2026
What stands out to me this morning is that I don’t really see anything—only my thoughts projected outward. I experience these as forms. I think I see a tree in my front yard, but what I am actually seeing is a thought in the form of a tree. This makes me more careful about the thoughts I choose to entertain, remembering Jesus’ reminder that there are no idle thoughts and that every thought produces form at some level.
Yesterday’s Lesson told us that we only see the past because everything we see is a projection of a thought that we once had. Today’s lesson continues this idea as it tells us that our minds are preoccupied with these past thoughts. As I examined my mind this morning, I realized I was preoccupied with thoughts about the future.
These thoughts happened to be disturbing ones, but they could have been happy thoughts, and it would still be true that my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the future. While wondering whether there was a difference between thoughts of the future and those of the past, I realized that everything I was thinking about the future was based on what I knew of the past.
The second thing that stood out to me in the lesson was that this preoccupation with the past prevents me from grasping the present, which is the only time there really is. Which means I don’t understand time. If I cannot grasp the only time that exists, I see why Jesus says I cannot understand anything.
So this morning, when I woke up wondering about a future event in my life, I seemed to be having real thoughts. If this happens, then that will happen, and what will I do about it? What if it all happens in a way that impacts me negatively?
The ego says I need to pursue this further so I can be prepared for whatever outcome occurs. It has no real answers, just pointless speculation. But here’s the thing. I was thinking about a non-existent past and future, so I wasn’t thinking about anything. Jesus says that my mind was actually blank. I see the logic but, gee whiz, it sure feels like I was thinking about things.
And that’s the point. I believe I am having real thoughts, but they are not real. They are producing form, however, and that unreal form is the illusion I call my world and my life in it. Holy, moley! I am not unaware of this, but seeing it all laid out like this, I realize that continuing in the same vein is taking me nowhere. Literally.
What is the point of doing this? From the ego’s point of view, it is salvation. It keeps the illusion going and so keeps the ego relevant. From my point of view, it is keeping me from knowing my Self and my Creator. I am grateful for this information. Now I can learn to recognize when my mind is not actually thinking so that I can stop blocking the truth from my awareness.
Since this has been going on for my entire life, this task feels daunting. Where do I even begin? I think of it as a journey, and a journey, no matter how long, begins where I am. From there, I take the first step and then the next. Jesus has given me the map and is accompanying me so that I will have a ready guide to redirect me if I lose my way.
This morning, all I need to do is the simple practice from this lesson as I have done the previous ones, and to remember that the Holy Spirit will do the actual work of healing my mind. In not looking behind me at what has happened in the past and not looking forward at how the past will affect the future, I can rest easy in this present moment, which is, after all, the only moment I have.
Video: https://youtu.be/vaPDcnK9Txs

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this post.

Printable Page

Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 7 2026

I see only the past.
1. This idea is particularly difficult to believe at first. ²Yet it is the rationale for all of the preceding ones.
³It is the reason why nothing that you see means anything.
⁴It is the reason why you have given everything you see all the meaning that it has for you.
⁵It is the reason why you do not understand anything you see.
⁶It is the reason why your thoughts do not mean anything, and why they are like the things you see.
⁷It is the reason why you are never upset for the reason you think.
⁸It is the reason why you are upset because you see something that is not there.
2. Old ideas about time are very difficult to change, because everything you believe is rooted in time, and depends on your not learning these new ideas about it. ²Yet that is precisely why you need new ideas about time. ³This first time idea is not really so strange as it may sound at first.
3. Look at a cup, for example. ²Do you see a cup, or are you merely reviewing your past experiences of picking up a cup, being thirsty, drinking from a cup, feeling the rim of a cup against your lips, having breakfast and so on? ³Are not your aesthetic reactions to the cup, too, based on past experiences? ⁴How else would you know whether or not this kind of cup will break if you drop it? ⁵What do you know about this cup except what you learned in the past? ⁶You would have no idea what this cup is, except for your past learning. ⁷Do you, then, really see it?
4. Look about you. ²This is equally true of whatever you look at. ³Acknowledge this by applying the idea for today indiscriminately to whatever catches your eye. ⁴For example:
⁵I see only the past in this pencil.
⁶I see only the past in this shoe.
⁷I see only the past in this hand.
⁸I see only the past in that body.
⁹I see only the past in that face.
5. Do not linger over any one thing in particular, but remember to omit nothing specifically. ²Glance briefly at each subject, and then move on to the next. ³Three or four practice periods, each to last a minute or so, will be enough. (ACIM, W-7.1:1–5:3)
Contemplation
2025
This is not my first time through these lessons, yet I am always surprised by how new they feel when I actually do them as directed. So today I went through the simple ritual of noticing how I see only the past in everything, and almost immediately the ego tried to hijack the practice.
I looked at my ruler and had to laugh as I remembered the young clerk at the store staring at me like I was strange. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would need a ruler anymore. I told her it was to draw straight lines on paper, and she still looked flummoxed.
Then I looked at a picture of my son and began to worry about him. I looked at my favorite coffee cup and hoped it would never break. And on it went, as the ego tried to pull me into sad, frightening, or merely distracting stories. Yet this only proved the lesson true. Nothing I see means anything in itself. I have given everything the meaning it has for me, and I have done so entirely on the basis of the past.
I do not understand anything, and I am never upset for the reason I think. Most clearly, I am upset because I am seeing something that is not there. I noticed disaster lurking behind perfectly ordinary objects, where nothing at all was happening. How would I know that something was dangerous or sad or fragile unless fearful or painful things seemed to have happened before?
I am grateful that today I am not asked to fix this. I am only asked to notice it, and that I can do.
2026
Last night I watched a short video about grief, and memories of my brother and then my mother came rushing back. For a few moments I felt that old sense of loss again. Yet I began to realize that I was not grieving now; I was remembering what grief once felt like. The feeling was gentler than it had been years ago because time had softened the memory. Before the Course, I might have felt guilty about that, as if loving them meant I must always feel the same intensity of sorrow.
But nothing was actually happening in the present. I was looking at the past. This world is the past remembered. Jesus tells us that much seems to have occurred, yet nothing has really happened. What appears to be happening now is the endless replaying of old stories in the mind.
I also thought about the passage where he speaks of the tiny tick of time — how the world seemed to arise in a single, ancient instant, and how in every unforgiving thought we call that instant back again. Living in memory alone, we forget where we are.
This is the real problem with seeing only the past. It binds me to what does not exist and blocks my awareness of what is here and what I truly am. It keeps me from remembering my Father and my Self. That state of mind is what hell really is — not pain itself, but mistaking memory for life and images for truth.
While it sounds like a monumental task to release this obsession with the past, it is actually simple. These lessons are gently carrying me toward the awakening I long for. Today I am only asked to practice, even when the practice feels too simple or too strange to be effective. For these few minutes I am resting in trust in my Brother, laying aside all questions and doubts, and letting myself be led Home.
Video: https://youtu.be/omBTQEIWTsE

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this post.

Printable Page

Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 6 2026

I am upset because I see something that is not there.
1. The exercises with this idea are very similar to the preceding ones. ²Again, it is necessary to name both the form of upset (anger, fear, worry, depression and so on) and the perceived source very specifically for any application of the idea. ³For example:
⁴I am angry at _________ because I see something that is not there.
⁵I am worried about _________ because I see something that is not there.
2. Today’s idea is useful for application to anything that seems to upset you, and can profitably be used throughout the day for that purpose. ²However, the three or four practice periods which are required should be preceded by a minute or so of mind searching, as before, and the application of the idea to each upsetting thought uncovered in the search.
3. Again, if you resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others, remind yourself of the two cautions stated in the previous lesson:
²There are no small upsets. ³They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
⁴And:
⁵I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. ⁶For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.
(ACIM, W-6.1:1–3:6)
2025
I had a moment of panic when I started my washing machine and it didn’t seem like water was flowing. I turned it off quickly in case my pipes froze last night. After the house warmed up sufficiently, I cautiously tried again and the water flowed freely. I seemed to have panicked because maybe a line had burst. But I panicked because I saw something that was not there.
I was feeling regret that I may have said something that hurt a friend’s feelings. But I was regretful because I saw something that was not there.
If I chose to see differently in all but these few situations, I would still not be free. To be free of illusions so that we can know Reality, we must let go of them all. Otherwise, we are still lost in our imagination.

2026
Yesterday, we learned that we are never upset for the reason we think, that there are no small upsets, and we cannot keep some and let the others go. Today we are learning that the reason we are never upset for the reason we think is that we see something that is not there.
If I apply today’s idea to my cat, I have been seeing an inconvenient and unwelcome responsibility. Yesterday, I followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance and brushed the excess hair from her. Then, when I settled down to watch TV for a little while, I let her climb up beside me. For a while, we just kept each other company. I began to enjoy the warmth of her body touching mine, and it felt soothing.
After a while, she got bored and started walking on me with her ten-pound body, which suddenly didn’t feel quite so acceptable, so she went back on the floor. There was not the annoyance I would have felt before. Baby steps. Now I simply wait for further instructions from the Holy Spirit.
That I experienced another way to see this relationship is just more proof of what I have come to know to be true: We are not upset by the situations but by our story about them. I changed my story a bit, and my experience changed to match the story. I remind myself of what the Holy Spirit told me yesterday. Love doesn’t make exceptions; it is universal.
I can’t pick and choose where love goes. Love does not demand that I accept everything my cat wants, but if I want love, I must stop trying to limit it. After all, I don’t like everything my children do, but I love them anyway. So, I know how to do this, but I just decided this didn’t apply to cats. I was wrong, and I am willing to see this differently. I wonder what will happen next in this new adventure into loving all?
So today I am practicing a quiet kind of honesty with myself. When I feel the familiar tightening in my chest, or the sudden impulse to defend or withdraw, I pause and remember: I am not seeing what is really there. I am only seeing my own thoughts. And that is good news, because it means I am not trapped by the world I made up. I can step back, ask for another way to see, and let the Holy Spirit show me what has always been here instead — a gentle, steady Love that was never upset with me at all.
Video: https://youtu.be/nboqk-MpGbo

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this post.

Printable Page

Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 5 2026

I am never upset for the reason I think.
1. This idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation or event you think is causing you pain. ²Apply it specifically to whatever you believe is the cause of your upset, using the description of the feeling in whatever term seems accurate to you. ³The upset may seem to be fear, worry, depression, anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy or any number of forms, all of which will be perceived as different. ⁴This is not true. ⁵However, until you learn that form does not matter, each form becomes a proper subject for the exercises for the day. ⁶Applying the same idea to each of them separately is the first step in ultimately recognizing they are all the same.
2. When using the idea for today for a specific perceived cause of an upset in any form, use both the name of the form in which you see the upset, and the cause which you ascribe to it. ²For example:
³I am not angry at _________ for the reason I think.
⁴I am not afraid of _________ for the reason I think.
3. But again, this should not be substituted for practice periods in which you first search your mind for “sources” of upset in which you believe, and forms of upset which you think result.
4. In these exercises, more than in the preceding ones, you may find it hard to be indiscriminate, and to avoid giving greater weight to some subjects than to others. ²It might help to precede the exercises with the statement:
³There are no small upsets. ⁴They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
5. Then examine your mind for whatever is distressing you, regardless of how much or how little you think it is doing so.
6. You may also find yourself less willing to apply today’s idea to some perceived sources of upset than to others. ²If this occurs, think first of this:
³I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. ⁴For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.
7. Then search your mind for no more than a minute or so, and try to identify a number of different forms of upset that are disturbing you, regardless of the relative importance you may give them. ²Apply the idea for today to each of them, using the name of both the source of the upset as you perceive it, and of the feeling as you experience it. ³Further examples are:
⁴I am not worried about _________ for the reason I think.
⁵I am not depressed about _________ for the reason I think.
⁶Three or four times during the day is enough.
(ACIM, W-5.1:1–7:6)

This lesson taught me something that changed everything: there are no small upsets. I am either at peace or I am not, and I cannot keep even one grievance and still know peace. I can let go of a thousand disturbances, but if I cling to a single one, I have not chosen peace at all.
Here is how a seemingly small upset with my cat became a powerful classroom for this lesson. It showed me that I was not annoyed with my cat for the reason I thought, and that I couldn’t ignore the upsets I thought were small if I wanted peace of mind. And in the end, I had to face that I couldn’t keep this form of upset and let the others go. All upset must be forgiven and let go, not just some of them.
Here is what happened.
I woke up very annoyed with my cat. She woke me up at 2:00 AM because she just had to go outside. I let her know how much I didn’t appreciate this as I let her out. When I woke up, the ill feeling toward her was my first thought. For a few minutes, I wallowed in my justification for my anger, but I still value my peace of mind above all things, so I had to let the justification go.
With a clearer mind, I saw that beneath my irritation was a quiet resistance to having chosen this responsibility at all. I take good care of her, but that is just me trying to make up for not loving her, and she just wants the love. So, I am always, on some level, aware of guilt for the lack of love and my projection of that guilt onto the cat. I am at war, not with the cat, but with my feelings vs my desire for peace.
This morning, when I knew I was willing to let go of my anger so that I could be at peace, I recognized the answer I received. It told me the problem was my decision not to love, and so the answer was obvious. The war between the cat and me would end when the war in my mind ended. I already knew this, but I was ignoring it because I felt a stubborn resistance to loving her. I must be ready for a change of mind since I heard the message so clearly.
When I looked more deeply into my resistance with the Holy Spirit, I saw several objections. She takes up too much of my time, for instance. But if I loved her, I would not object to giving her my time. It always goes back to an unwillingness to love. The next thought that came was this: Love doesn’t make exceptions; it is universal. I can’t pick and choose where love goes. And that is the thought that convinced me that I must change my mind. I feel resistance lingering, but I won’t accept that.
I do not know yet how this will look in the world of form. But I know I have made a different choice in my mind. I have chosen not to defend my resistance, not to protect my grievances, and not to make exceptions to love. That is enough for now. I place this moment in the Holy Spirit’s hands and let myself be gently taught what peace feels like today.

Video: https://youtu.be/ivtGP-IjaQA

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

Tell a friend about this post.

Printable Page

Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Page 8 of 389 pages ‹ First  < 6 7 8 9 10 >  Last ›

<< Back to main page of Together, We Light the Way

Featured Store Items

Spiritual Counselor Training — based on principles of A Course in Miracles, including ordination. More….

24 ACIM Practitioner courses including 50-page study guide, CD's or MP3s, with facilitator. More….

Healing Inner Child 8-week program will help you nurture your inner child, connect with your Higher Self and heal relationships.

Listen & Receive 30-Day Home Study Learn to receive insight for your life in a form that is perfect for you …heal fears, find joy & peace. Learn more.

Hey, Holy Spirit, It's Me Again by Rev. Myron Jones. An indispensible guide for anyone on the path of ACIM with insights on the 1st 90 lessons. More…

True Forgiveness by Rev. Jennifer McSween. The Proven Path from Pain to Power and personal happiness in 5 Simple Steps. Learn more.

From the Christ Mind Book II scribed by Darrell Morley Price. A great supporting supplement to A Course in Miracles. We highly recommend it. More….

Forgiving Kevin Audio book by Rev. Larry Glenz. A moving and inspiring true story of a father/son relationship that withstood seven years of addiction, recovery, and relapse. More….

Healing Family Relationships Applying the Principles of A Course in Miracles audio book by Rev. Myron Jones. Learn how family relationships offer fertile grounds for forgiveness and healing your judgments of the world. More.