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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://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
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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://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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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://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 4 2026

These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].
1. Unlike the preceding ones, these exercises do not begin with the idea for the day. ²In these practice periods, begin with noting the thoughts that are crossing your mind for about a minute. ³Then apply the idea to them. ⁴If you are already aware of unhappy thoughts, use them as subjects for the idea. ⁵Do not, however, select only the thoughts you think are “bad.” ⁶You will find, if you train yourself to look at your thoughts, that they represent such a mixture that, in a sense, none of them can be called “good” or “bad.” ⁷This is why they do not mean anything.
2. In selecting the subjects for the application of today’s idea, the usual specificity is required. ²Do not be afraid to use “good” thoughts as well as “bad.” ³None of them represents your real thoughts, which are being covered up by them. ⁴The “good” ones are but shadows of what lies beyond, and shadows make sight difficult. ⁵The “bad” ones are blocks to sight, and make seeing impossible. ⁶You do not want either.
3. This is a major exercise, and will be repeated from time to time in somewhat different form. ²The aim here is to train you in the first steps toward the goal of separating the meaningless from the meaningful. ³It is a first attempt in the long-range purpose of learning to see the meaningless as outside you, and the meaningful within. ⁴It is also the beginning of training your mind to recognize what is the same and what is different.
4. In using your thoughts for application of the idea for today, identify each thought by the central figure or event it contains; for example:
²This thought about _________ does not mean anything.
³It is like the things I see in this room [on this street, and so on].
5. You can also use the idea for a particular thought that you recognize as harmful. ²This practice is useful, but is not a substitute for the more random procedures to be followed for the exercises. ³Do not, however, examine your mind for more than a minute or so. ⁴You are too inexperienced as yet to avoid a tendency to become pointlessly preoccupied.
6. Further, since these exercises are the first of their kind, you may find the suspension of judgment in connection with thoughts particularly difficult. ²Do not repeat these exercises more than three or four times during the day. ³We will return to them later.
(ACIM, W-4.1:1–6:3)

Contemplation
“I love this first cup of coffee. I wish I had gotten up earlier. I hope I have time to do my Text work today. I feel anxious when I get behind.” These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room.
I could have gone all day without these thoughts… literally. I’ve probably had the same thoughts, and many like them, thousands of times. Even more. All they do is hide my real thoughts from my awareness. I think of thoughts as the veil that hides reality, the veil I am learning to lift and will soon recognize as nothing. Just illusion. When that happens, it will disappear completely, and I will see the real world.
So, I continue this lovely practice of lessons and whatever else the Holy Spirit guides me to do. I will continue to watch the veil thin, and the Love that is the stuff of reality is exposed more and more. Even now, I feel such joy and peace, and I feel it for no reason that I can discern. It must be that joy and peace are simply natural when we turn from the illusion and toward God.
That was what I wrote last year, and what once felt like insight has now become lived discovery. This year, I first want to emphasize that Jesus says this lesson is a major exercise. When he says things like this, I pay attention. These seemingly random thoughts that pass through the mind all day serve the ego’s purpose. They keep us from awareness of our real thoughts. That’s why it doesn’t matter if the thoughts are happy or upsetting; both obscure reality.
In this exercise, Jesus isn’t asking us to stop thinking. He is asking us to notice, to realize that these thoughts, like the things in this room, do not mean anything. Yesterday, I visited with my daughter and granddaughter. They were happy to see me, and I got hugs. We played games, and it was fun. More hugs as I left. It was a really pleasant experience.
When I got home, I turned on the TV. When I am not watching a show, the screen savers are pictures from my collection. I saw a sweet picture of my daughter and quickly turned away. I was aware of the reaction but chose not to think about it. Later, I realized that since my brother’s sudden death, I have come to realize just how strongly I resist love. Slowly, over time, I have allowed myself to examine this idea as I saw the effects of the belief in loss.
This was another example. Another time, I would have seen that picture and smiled. This time, it seemed to mock me with the loss of my daughter. Not literally or permanently, but with the possibility. I resist loving too much in case I lose that love. I fear the loss of love, so I tamp down the love I let myself feel. I know. It’s insane, but there it is. Proof that this thought of loss doesn’t mean anything. I would like to stop giving it this insane meaning.
As many times as I have done these lessons, I still find them exceedingly helpful. I have another chance to use these foundational lessons to heal the insanity in my mind. So, today, I will practice recognizing that my thoughts do not mean anything. This will help me to uncover my real thoughts.
It has already helped in this a great deal. Most of my life, I had no idea that I was using thoughts to hide from myself this fearful belief, that love is fragile and its loss inevitable. But slowly this has been revealed to me so that I can forgive it and let it go. Beneath it is the truth about love. I am determined to know the truth rather than my meaningless thoughts.

Video: https://youtu.be/gjzR25OgA9A

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

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 3 2026

I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].
1. Apply this idea in the same way as the previous ones, without making distinctions of any kind. ²Whatever you see becomes a proper subject for applying the idea. ³Be sure that you do not question the suitability of anything for application of the idea. ⁴These are not exercises in judgment. ⁵Anything is suitable if you see it. ⁶Some of the things you see may have emotionally charged meaning for you. ⁷Try to lay such feelings aside, and merely use these things exactly as you would anything else.
2. The point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you really understand about them. ²It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgment, in selecting the things to which the idea for the day is to be applied. ³For this purpose one thing is like another; equally suitable and therefore equally useful.

Contemplation
The point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you really understand about them.
I do not understand this cup of coffee. I find it remarkably difficult to suspend my judgment and to do this simple exercise without thinking about what I understand about the objects around me. The mind really wants to argue the point. And, of course, that is the point. How can I discover the truth when I think I already know it. Dear God, I pray for the humility of an open mind.
That is what I wrote last year, and it seems my prayer has been answered. As I looked at each object, I fully accepted that I didn’t know what it meant. Even the simplest of things, like a paper towel. Ideas came into my mind about the paper towel, but I was willing to suspend them.
What did happen was a vague sense of uneasiness. Perhaps this is what it feels like when the mind loosens its grip on what it thinks it knows. That was a surprise. I am not trying to interpret it. The feeling is simply there, and I let it be.
It feels like I am emptying the cup, so to speak, and making room for what is new. At this point, I am trusting the process and going with the flow, accepting that Jesus knows more than I do.

Video: https://youtu.be/T8ghPr7kosY

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

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

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