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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 8. 4-24-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 8

8 Peace, then, be unto everyone who becomes a teacher of peace. For peace is the acknowledgment of perfect purity, from which no one is excluded. Within its holy circle is everyone whom God created as His Son. Joy is its unifying attribute, with no one left outside to suffer guilt alone. The power of God draws everyone to its safe embrace of love and union. Stand quietly within this circle, and attract all tortured minds to join with you in the safety of its peace and holiness. Abide with me within it, as teachers of Atonement, not of guilt.

Journal

The Circle of Atonement is one of my favorite sections of the Course. How great must be God’s love for us that He would have no one suffer guilt alone. His power attracts all to this circle of Atonement, to safety, love, and union. I desire to stand in peace within that circle, attracting all tortured minds to join me there.

Of course, in order to be that peaceful presence, I must give up conflict in all its forms. As I release conflict, I become an attractive force for those who would join me in the peace of God. I practice releasing all conflict now and will practice until I have mastered it and my mind is free, free to love and free to save the world.

This practice is going well, by the way. I am at peace more than not. I have used the Rules for Decision (Chapter 30) to release conflict. Sometimes I use the prayer I learned from Nouk Sanchez in her book, The End of Death. When I am conflicted about a situation or a person, I often say, “Holy Spirit, please help me to forgive myself for using this situation or this person to attack myself.” Sometimes I simply ask that He decide for me.

The processes and practices are helpful, but only to the extent that I truly desire peace. The practices are a way for me to express that desire. I want a mind free of attack thoughts because I want to stand in that circle a peaceful presence, and I want this all the time. Sometimes, it takes me awhile to untangle my thoughts, especially if fear is strong in my mind, but I am always willing and ready to do so.

I will to abide with Jesus within it, as a teacher of Atonement, not of guilt.

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 7. 4-20-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 7
7 Join your own efforts to the power that cannot fail and must result in peace. No one can be untouched by teaching such as this. You will not see yourself beyond the power of God if you teach only this. You will not be exempt from the effects of this most holy lesson, which seeks but to restore what is the right of God’s creation. From everyone whom you accord release from guilt you will inevitably learn your innocence. The circle of Atonement has no end. And you will find ever-increasing confidence in your safe inclusion in the circle with everyone you bring within its safety and its perfect peace.

Journal
In this section, Jesus is clear about the Atonement. He wants us to know that the way we join the circle of Atonement is to release guilt. In another section, Jesus tells us that Atonement means to undo. Releasing guilt is how we undo. We release ourselves from guilt, and we release those we have judged guilty. We bring everyone into the circle of Atonement and with each inclusion, our confidence in our own inclusion in the Atonement increases.

I have seen that guilt is deeply rooted in my consciousness. At first, it seemed impossible that I would release all the guilt in my mind. My practice led me to become aware of so many thoughts of guilt that I felt overwhelmed. Then I became aware of how stubbornly I clung to these guilt laden thoughts. I would no more release the belief that I or someone else was guilty than the belief would rise again.

Eventually, though, the thoughts became fewer and the burden lighter. At some point, I realized that the idea of guilt was an error. God did not create guilt; therefore it cannot exist. Rather than asking the Holy Spirit to help me see the situation or the person as innocent, I began to ask Him to help me see that guilt does not exist, and that this was the reason we are all innocent.

I still notice guilt thoughts that cross my mind, but they cannot have an effect unless I believe them and I seldom believe them. When I see these ideas, I release them to the Holy Spirit immediately. I want to keep my Circle of Atonement unbroken. I want to remain in it with those I have included, keeping us all safe and at peace.

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 6. 4-19-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 6

6 Teachers of innocence, each in his own way, have joined together, taking their part in the unified curriculum of the Atonement. There is no unity of learning goals apart from this. There is no conflict in this curriculum, which has one aim however it is taught. Each effort made on its behalf is offered for the single purpose of release from guilt, to the eternal glory of God and His creation. And every teaching that points to this points straight to Heaven, and the peace of God. There is no pain, no trial, no fear that teaching this can fail to overcome. The power of God Himself supports this teaching, and guarantees its limitless results.

Journal

This paragraph is about teaching the Atonement, which is the same thing as teaching innocence. Jesus refers to the Atonement as the unified curriculum and says that there is no unity of learning goals apart from this, and no conflict within it. It seems to me he is making it very clear that this teaching is of the utmost importance when he says that every teaching that points to the release of guilt (the Atonement) points straight to Heaven.

There is nothing teaching guiltlessness cannot overcome. When we teach innocence, we are fully supported. The power of God Himself supports this teaching. Its results are limitless. So how am I a teacher of guiltlessness? What is it I am supposed to do? Am I expected to stand on a street corner and tell each passerby that they are innocent? Ha! I guess I could, but I think there are other ways in which I teach innocence.

I cannot effectively teach what I do not believe in, so the first thing I must do is accept my own guiltlessness. I do this each time I reject the ego thought of guilt. When I accuse myself of something, I stop immediately and ask the Holy Spirit to show me how to see it differently. I ask Him to correct my thinking. In this way, I have changed my mind.

Now when I do see myself as guilty, I readily and more easily let that thought go. I used to try to rid myself of guilt by projecting it onto others. Now that I have this more efficient way of dealing with guilt, I don’t do that nearly so often, though occasionally I do. This past weekend, I was in a painful situation, and I noticed myself projecting guilt.

In projecting guilt, I was teaching guilt. I teach it to the person I am projecting onto, and I teach myself that guilt is real. After all, if it were not real, I would not feel so strongly about the need to rid myself of it. When I saw what I was doing, I stopped. I asked the Holy Spirit to decide for me what all of this meant and what I should do about it. In this way, I returned to teaching innocence and the fear and pain of the situation diminished.

Because of past practice, it was easier than it used to be to do this. Teaching innocence is the easiest of things to do. Only fear blocks this awareness and if I persist, if I refuse to teach fear, I have all the power of Love fortifying my resolve. It is simply a choice. I can teach guilt, fear, and hatred, or I can choose to teach love, innocence, and guiltlessness. The power of God supports the latter choice. How could I fail?

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 5. 4-18-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 5

5 We are all joined in the Atonement here, and nothing else can unite us in this world. So will the world of separation slip away, and full communication be restored between the Father and the Son. The miracle acknowledges the guiltlessness that must have been denied to produce the need of healing. Do not withhold this glad acknowledgement, for hope of happiness and release from suffering of every kind lie in it. Who is there but wishes to be free of pain? He may not yet have learned how to exchange guilt for innocence, nor realize that only in this exchange can freedom from pain be his. Yet those who have failed to learn need teaching, not attack. To attack those who have need of teaching is to fail to learn from them.

Journal

We separated and now we must join. There is only one way that we can join in this world. We must acknowledge our guiltlessness. We do this without exception or it is not done at all. Joining in this way is how separation is undone; it is the Atonement. The Atonement is our purpose while we are here. We can call it forgiveness and it is the same thing.

When we have all joined in acknowledging our innocence, we are restored to our natural state. We remember that we are the Sonship, and full communication is restored between ourselves and God, between the Father and the Son. In this state, there is no pain and no suffering. There is neither guilt nor death. All is one and complete and so there is no sense of lack or loss, nor any memory of these things.

I have had something very upsetting occur in my life. I am using it to undo my belief in guilt. What I see is that fear is an overriding emotion, and that I need help in releasing the fear. So I am pausing frequently to sit, if only for a few moments, in stillness. I simply say, “Here I am, Lord.” Then I rest in God for as long as I can, allowing my mind to be healed.

Two things are obvious to me as I do this practice. First, guilt promotes fear, and it blocks forgiveness. I asked the Holy Spirit to show me how this is happening in this particular case. I became instantly aware that I was projecting guilt on everyone involved in this situation. I followed the guilt all the way to Jesus. I blamed him for making this release sound like it was going to be easy when it really feels nearly impossible.

The other thing I discovered is that I cannot release the fear as long as I believe in the story. The story is going to keep pulling me back into fear and guilt. I understand that everything I see with my eyes is an illusion. It is the thoughts and beliefs in my mind projected outward. It all comes from the split mind, and it is not real. Holding onto that concept in the face of the present experience may be simple, but it is not easy.

My experience of this has been a real roller coaster ride. I realize that I cannot do this by myself. I must have help from the Holy Spirit if I am going to know that the world I see is not real. I can’t do this as an act of will. I cannot think my way into the truth. What I can do is become willing to have my thoughts purified. I can surrender my efforts and allow this to be done for me. It seems that surrendering is the hard part. I keep taking it back, giving it up, taking it back. Jeez.

But I am determined to see. I am determined to see differently. I am determined to see with Christ Vision. I am making strides in this. I am at peace with the situation for longer periods of time. I am often surprised by a surge of joy that occurs, seemingly without cause. An outpouring of love that has no specific target surprises me. I find that I long to connect with my brothers. If there is an opposite to the fear and the guilt that has plagued me, then it is this experience of love moving through me.

As I said, I am riding the roller coaster of my thoughts and my feelings. I know that I will, inevitably, choose innocence and stay with that. Soon, I hope.

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 4. 4-17-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 4
4 The inheritance of the Kingdom is the right of God’s Son, given him in his creation. Do not try to steal it from him, or you will ask for guilt and will experience it. Protect his purity from every thought that would steal it away and keep it from his sight. Bring innocence to light, in answer to the call of the Atonement. Never allow purity to remain hidden, but shine away the heavy veils of guilt within which the Son of God has hidden himself from his own sight.

Journal
Jesus says that the Kingdom is the right of God’s Son and admonishes us not to steal it from him. How could I do that? He gives us the answer to that. It is our thoughts that we must guard. I am careful of my thoughts, and when I notice thoughts of guilt or fear, I ask for the Atonement for them.

I am aware of attack thoughts and judgments very quickly these days, and when I am aware of them, I ask the Holy Spirit to purify my mind. In this way, I protect my purity and my brother’s innocence as well. The Sonship is all of us together, so I want to do my part in God’s plan for salvation that all of us be saved as one.

Protecting our innocence is simple once you get the hang of it. I started off watching my thoughts and releasing the ones I don’t think with God. Then I began to see the beliefs that sourced the thoughts, and I started releasing those beliefs, and soon I understood what it means that there are only one problem and one solution. There is nothing complicated about the process, but it did take time for me to accept that so much of what I valued was valueless.

Now, it seems to have become distilled into the desire to love. I just don’t want to hurt anyone, not myself or any other person. That desire not to harm is what motivates me to remain vigilant. Happiness is another strong motivator. Now that I have become happy more than I am stressed, I don’t have a lot of tolerance for unhappiness. I might express that as being peaceful because the effects are inseparable. I am happy when I am peaceful, and I am peaceful when I am happy. Guilt robs me of my peaceful happiness, so I don’t want it anymore.

This is not to say that I never have thoughts of guilt. I worked with those thoughts this morning as a matter of fact. I had some upsetting news yesterday about a loved one. I spent the rest of the day releasing thoughts and picking them back up. Probably we all do this sometimes. I was on a roller coaster ride of being at peace for awhile, then losing that peace as I returned to being anxious for my loved one.

This morning when I woke up, I awoke to the anxiety. As I lay there allowing the possible outcomes to run through my mind the anxiety increased. I decided to meditate on this and, hopefully, to let these thoughts be undone for me. I began with the simple statement, “Lord, here I am.” Then I told Him all about it.

As I spoke, I realized that there was a lot of guilt involved in this tale. I felt guilty,
and in turn, I had been spreading the guilt around. I had made so many people guilty for what was going on that it was ridiculous. Some of this I had been aware of, but a lot of it was unconscious. I was glad to see it come out into the light so I could choose to heal.

Then I told God that I don’t want to live like this. I don’t want to live in guilt and fear. I want to go back to love because that is where my happiness and my peace of mind are. I just want to love and be love, all the time. I knew that if I stayed in fear that it would appear as anger and I just don’t want to do that. I don’t want to hide our purity from any of us. Then I lay there quietly and allowed my mind to be soothed and restored to peace. I think this is the kind of thing that Jesus is asking us to do.

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 3. 4-13-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 3
3 Blessed Son of a wholly blessing Father, joy was created for you. Who can condemn whom God has blessed? There is nothing in the Mind of God that does not share His shining innocence. Creation is the natural extension of perfect purity. Your only calling here is to devote yourself, with active willingness, to the denial of guilt in all its forms. To accuse is not to understand. The happy learners of the Atonement become the teachers of the innocence that is the right of all that God created. Deny them not what is their due, for you will not withhold it from them alone.

Journal
What a powerful passage this is! This sentence grabbed my attention right away:

There is nothing in the Mind of God that does not share His shining innocence.

Of course! I am in the Mind of God and so I must share His innocence. There can be nothing in God that is different than God. What a relief it is to know that there is no way I could be guilty.

I can completely disregard all my errors as unreal. In the world, there may be corrections to be made and amends to be done, but those errors change nothing. I, not my ego, but I, remain in God and thus innocent. It helps me to remember that the body is ego; the personality is ego. I am not ego. I am spirit, and as spirit, I am invulnerable and I am changeless.

When I accuse myself of being guilty it is only because I do not understand. It is identity confusion that makes me think I could be guilty. My ego is guilty of many things, but I am not my ego. That bears repeating because of this; the more strongly I identify with ego, the harder it is to believe in innocence. And so I remind myself often that I am still as God created me. That has not changed just because I am confused. I also ask often, “Who am I?” Slowly, I have begun to remember.

That is why it is essential that I remember that my only calling here is to devote myself, with active willingness, to the denial of guilt in all its forms. There are few sentences in the Course more helpful than this one. This is my daily practice. I am vigilant for attack thoughts, judgmental thoughts, and the desire to project blame.

It doesn’t matter if this projected inward, or outward, if it is guilt I deny it. I devote myself to this practice. I am completely willing to do this practice. This is an active practice. It is not just something I learned about. It is not a passive idea in my mind. I act on each guilty thought that comes into my awareness. I deny that thought is true. As I allow my mind to be healed of the belief in guilt, I naturally become a teacher of innocence.

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Study of Text, C 14: V. The Circle of Atonement, P 2. 4-12-17

V. The Circle of Atonement, P 2
2 Everyone has a special part to play in the Atonement, but the message given to each one is always the same; God’s Son is guiltless. Each one teaches the message differently, and learns it differently. Yet until he teaches it and learns it, he will suffer the pain of dim awareness that his true function remains unfulfilled in him. The burden of guilt is heavy, but God would not have you bound by it. His plan for your awaking is as perfect as yours is fallible. You know not what you do, but He Who knows is with you. His gentleness is yours, and all the love you share with God He holds in trust for you. He would teach you nothing except how to be happy.

Journal
I have been doing the happiness lessons in which Jesus tells us over and over and over in lesson after lesson that our function is to be happy. He tells us that God has a plan for our salvation and that our part of that plan is to be happy. How appropriate it is that I am reading this paragraph now. The last sentence says that the Holy Spirit would teach me nothing except how to be happy.

The way to be happy is to realize that God’s Son is guiltless. I will play this part out in my own story of Myron. My story will look different from your story, but the purpose is the same. We are going to come to the same conclusion. There is no guilt to be found in the Son of God. This is our salvation and it is our part in the salvation of the Son. We will not fail.

In the meantime, as we continue to watch the story and learn from it that guilt is not real, we will suffer to the extent that we resist that one lesson. We will suffer because, even though we pretend not to know what is happening, there is a dim awareness that we are failing to fulfill our function. God does not want us to suffer and that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us. That is why we have the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us and comfort us and to hold our love in trust for us.

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