Together, We Light the Way

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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://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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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://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 2 2026

I have given everything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] all the meaning that it has for me.
1. The exercises with this idea are the same as those for the first one. ²Begin with the things that are near you, and apply the idea to whatever your glance rests on. ³Then increase the range outward. ⁴Turn your head so that you include whatever is on either side. ⁵If possible, turn around and apply the idea to what was behind you. ⁶Remain as indiscriminate as possible in selecting subjects for its application, do not concentrate on anything in particular, and do not attempt to include everything you see in a given area, or you will introduce strain.
2. Merely glance easily and fairly quickly around you, trying to avoid selection by size, brightness, color, material, or relative importance to you. ²Take the subjects simply as you see them. ³Try to apply the exercise with equal ease to a body or a button, a fly or a floor, an arm or an apple. ⁴The sole criterion for applying the idea to anything is merely that your eyes have lighted on it. ⁵Make no attempt to include anything particular, but be sure that nothing is specifically excluded.

Contemplation
Oh, yes! I see this is true over and over again. Now, I never doubt it. If I am upset or judging in any way, I recognize that I give all things the only meaning they have for me. It is the story I tell myself about it. My car needs some bodywork on the side panel. At first, it was driving me crazy not getting it done. Every time I saw it, I cringed. But it will be a costly job, and so I have put it off.
Remembering that I give this situation all the meaning it has for me, and therefore, I am depriving myself of happiness and peace of mind, not because the panel is damaged, but because I have decided this means I should be upset about it. So, since I am not as insane as I used to be, I changed my mind about this. I decided that it was ok that there was damage and that maybe one day I would have it fixed. And maybe not. Now, I am happy either way.
It is just as easy to give a truer, happier meaning to what I see as it is to give it a negative meaning. The only reason it doesn’t happen is that I have chosen to judge on my own rather than asking the Holy Spirit to judge for me. It is just that simple. And it is equally simple to choose again.

https://youtu.be/6j2jq3QzNik

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Lesson 1 2026

Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.
1. Now look slowly around you, and practice applying this idea very specifically to whatever you see:
²This table does not mean anything.
³This chair does not mean anything.
⁴This hand does not mean anything.
⁵This foot does not mean anything.
⁶This pen does not mean anything.
2. Then look farther away from your immediate area, and apply the idea to a wider range:
²That door does not mean anything.
³That body does not mean anything.
⁴That lamp does not mean anything.
⁵That sign does not mean anything.
⁶That shadow does not mean anything.
3. Notice that these statements are not arranged in any order, and make no allowance for differences in the kinds of things to which they are applied. ²That is the purpose of the exercise. ³The statement should merely be applied to anything you see. ⁴As you practice the idea for the day, use it totally indiscriminately. ⁵Do not attempt to apply it to everything you see, for these exercises should not become ritualistic. ⁶Only be sure that nothing you see is specifically excluded. ⁷One thing is like another as far as the application of the idea is concerned.
4. Each of the first three lessons should not be done more than twice a day each, preferably morning and evening. ²Nor should they be attempted for more than a minute or so, unless that entails a sense of hurry. ³A comfortable sense of leisure is essential.

Contemplation
As I did this morning’s lesson, I noticed at first that “nothing I saw in this room meant anything” didn’t mean much to me. Then, I applied it to computer camera and I had the thought that it meant I would make better videos. Oh, yeah, now I get it. I think I know what it means according to the function and importance I gave it. But I am willing to let that go and accept, instead, that it means nothing. I don’t have to understand these lessons. I only need to do them. I trust my Brother Jesus. So I am willing.

© 2026, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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ACIM Lesson 52 2025

My commentary of Review Lesson 52

1. (6) I am upset because I see what is not there.
What grabbed my attention in this lesson is that I think I am upset by something happening, but that can’t be true because nothing is happening. I am entranced by an illusion, and because I believe in the illusion, from my perspective, it is true. But nothing can change the fact that it is an illusion, regardless. I am literally upset by nothing because I believe it is something.

On my flight from Louisiana to Sedona, I had to change terminals in Dallas. This is a huge airport, and my airline app wasn’t working. So not only did I not know how to get to the right terminal, but I didn’t know which terminal it was. It took a while to find an employee I could ask. Then I had to stand in line. So far, so good. I was not upset even though I was aware that time was passing.

Then the employee got to me, and he was helpful and patient, but said he didn’t think there was any way I would make it. So, I set off on a brisk walk where I had to watch carefully for where to turn and which escalator to take. It really was a long way off, and I realized that he might be right. I probably wasn’t going to make it. For a moment, I felt anxious. But, really, why get upset because the story of Myron went temporarily dramatic?

I decided just to do my best to get there and then see what would happen next. I arrived at the right terminal three minutes before boarding. I’m glad I didn’t give my peace away over this. Most of my life, I have responded to the story as if it were actually real, and that was to my detriment. I lived an anxious life, always hoping things would be alright, but expecting them to go wrong. All I can say about that is I learned what I didn’t want, and then, through contrast, Jesus taught me what I could have. I am grateful.

2. (7) I see only the past.
I have flown a number of times, and most of those flights were very stressful. I started out being afraid the airplane would crash, and eventually got over that. Then there was how to pack for a trip, would the suitcase be too heavy, and would I get to the airport on time and without forgetting something important? After the towers went down and security became increasingly difficult to navigate, more stress was added.

But in 2019, everything changed. I had a flight to Portland, Oregon, and absolutely everything that could go wrong, did so. It was like I was starring in an I Love Lucy show. I won’t detail it here, but I do want to share that everyone around me was stressed and anxious. They were complaining and fretting about connecting flights. I was enjoying the whole thing.

There was a part of my mind that was confused about my happiness in light of what was happening, but even that confusion just made me smile. As it turns out, this was a significant shift that never entirely waned. I discovered that anxiety about my circumstances must have simply been a choice, even though it didn’t feel like it was a choice when it was happening. All that old confusion and anxiety was dropped, and each moment was seen anew. The past was no longer determining the present. I had entered a new phase of my life that some call Fundamental Wellbeing. Again, just grateful.

3. (8) My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

If I look back at the past to determine how to feel about the present, I am not giving the present the opportunity to surprise me. A year after my beloved sister-in-law died, my brother remarried. When I met my new sister in law, my mind was busy comparing his new wife with his former wife. I had no opportunity to know the woman who was before me because my mind was filled with the past, a past that didn’t exist even while it happened, and certainly didn’t in the present.

As I looked at Janet, I saw only my thoughts about her. This is always true when we see anyone or anything. We are only looking at our own thoughts. I’m sitting at a desk typing on my laptop. I’m lucky to have it; otherwise, I would not be able to do this work and post it on the internet. But my primary thought is that this tiny screen is inconvenient. I am imagining how it is with my iMac with its large screen, so much for gratitude for the laptop.

Instead of enjoying what is happening right now, my mind is remembering the past. When that happens, I lose the joy of the present moment. Comparing one to the other prevents me from truly experiencing what is before me. Why do I do that? Jesus says it is more than because I want to whine that the present isn’t what I want it to be. He says it is because when my mind is preoccupied with the past, I am doing it so that the present doesn’t dawn on my mind. I am using time against God. I am holding onto nothing and leaving myself bereft of the Beloved. This is insanity.

4. (9) I see nothing as it is now.

I must choose. I can see or not see. If I choose to see only the past, I cannot see at all because the past does not exist. If I want to see, I must let the past go. I cannot see nothing and see everything at the same time. What is in the past? Only this entire illusion. Jesus tells us that we put an ancient memory before our eyes. And we call that seeing. We pretend the past is the present, but we are only looking at the past.

I want vision. I want to see what is real and what is right now. So, I keep letting go of the beliefs that keep me enthralled to the past. What do I believe that is not true? I will have to give up the need to be right, the justification for grievances, choices, and the belief I am separate and special. I will have to give up believing I am Myron, a participant in a dream. I will, in return, know what I am, know my wholeness, my perfection, my Creator, and my creations. I decide in each moment what I want. I see nothing as it is now, but I want to.

5. (10) My thoughts do not mean anything.

I have no private thoughts. Yet here I am thinking that I am thinking while nothing is actually happening. The chatter in my mind is nothing. If I were thinking that chatter, it would be meaningless, but I am not actually thinking it. Again, nothing is happening. Here is a passage I always return to.

⁶Your starting point is truth, and you must return to your Beginning. ⁷Much has been seen since then, but nothing has really happened. (ACIM, T-3.VII.5:6-7)

In the beginning, there was only God, and we are part of Him. That has not changed just because we dream of something else. In the beginning, there were only the thoughts of God, and we shared them. This is still true. We will remember who we are and where we are. That is inevitable. Let us remember sooner rather than later. Jesus has given us the map and the directions to take us Home. Let us make use of them today, now.

© 2025, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

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