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October - December, 2006

Applying True Forgiveness

by Revs. Robert & Mary Stoelting

We would like to start by defining what we mean by the term true forgiveness. We define true forgiveness as letting the light of truth shine through into our awareness. This light of truth comes from the Holy Spirit, Who returns our mind to the sanity of Love’s oneness.

As students of the Course, we are learning that true forgiveness means letting go of the dream of separate bodies and letting it be replaced by the truth of oneness. “A world forgiven cannot last. It was the home of bodies. But forgiveness looks past bodies. This is its holiness; this is how it heals.” (ACIM, C-4.5:1-4)

True forgiveness occurs as we let the Holy Spirit judge what everything means and show us the difference between the real and the unreal. “Have you yet learned to stand aside and hear the Voice of Judgment in yourself? Or do you still attempt to take His role from Him? Learn to be quiet, for His Voice is heard in stillness. And His Judgment comes to all who stand aside in quiet listening, and wait for Him.” (M-15.2:10-13)

Recently we had an opportunity to apply the practice of true forgiveness when we observed that we were not in a place of peace as we read an article that we perceived to be an unkind ‘dialog’ between well-known teachers of the Course. We know that the ego in our minds is drawn to controversy and is quick to take sides and loves to join in the battle. We have been practicing the Course long enough to know that when we are not in a place of peace, it is not because of ‘outer’ circumstances, but because we are usurping Holy Spirit’s role.

We saw that this lack of peace was coming from our own minds because we know that there is no outside world. We know that ideas leave not their source. This means that every experience we have is coming from our own mind, not from anything outside us. Once we recognized that our lack of peace had nothing to do with anything outside us, we knew that we were being given another opportunity to apply true forgiveness instead of judging what anything means on our own.

As we accepted a change in perception from Holy Spirit, we learned, once again, not to take our worldly dreams of separate bodies so seriously because they are all equally unreal. As we willingly opened our minds to peace and looked at our perceptions with Holy Spirit, the dream took on a new purpose. Instead of seeing attack, we were guided to see a call for help. “A shadow figure who attacks becomes a brother giving you a chance to help, if this becomes the function of the dream. And dreams of sadness thus are turned to joy.” (T-29.IV.5:6-7)

With this one purpose of forgiveness — letting the Holy Spirit correct all our false perceptions of separation, we are led to forgive all the figures in our dream of separation from Love. We are led to see all the figures in our dream differently. When we asked for help in seeing this differently, we were led to this paragraph in the Course: “What is your brother for? You do not know, because your function is obscure to you. Do not ascribe a role to him that you imagine would bring happiness to you. And do not try to hurt him when he fails to take the part that you assigned to him, in what you dream your life was meant to be. He asks for help in every dream he has, and you have help to give him if you see the function of the dream as He perceives its function, Who can utilize all dreams as means to serve the function given Him. Because He loves the dreamer, not the dream, each dream becomes an offering of love. For at its center is His Love for you, which lights whatever form it takes with love.” (T-29.IV.6:1-7)

So, guided by the Holy Spirit, we were brought to a place of offering only love, which means seeing past illusions of individuality to the truth that lies beyond dreams of separate identities. “Here is the role the Holy Spirit gives to you who wait upon the Son of God, and would behold him waken and be glad. He is a part of you and you of him, because he is his Father’s Son, and not for any purpose you may see in him. Nothing is asked of you but to accept the changeless and eternal that abide in him, for your Identity is there. The peace in you can but be found in him. And every thought of love you offer him but brings you nearer to your wakening to peace eternal and to endless joy.” (T-29.V.3:1-5)

The Holy Spirit was not ambiguous or vague with us here. It is very clear to us that in this situation as well as in every situation, that true forgiveness is our only function. As we continue to practice true forgiveness whenever we find that we are not in a place of peace, our barriers to seeing Love’s oneness are dissolved because we are willing to let all our grievances be undone. We are seeing more clearly than ever that everything we experience through the body is merely a projection — making it look like there really is a world outside us. When we think there is a world outside, we need healing.

In the Manual for Teachers we are told, “In order to heal, it thus becomes essential for the teacher of God to let all his own mistakes be corrected. If he senses even the faintest hint of irritation in himself as he responds to anyone, let him instantly realize that he has made an interpretation that is not true. Then let him turn within to his Eternal Guide, and let Him judge what the response would be. So is he healed, and in his healing is his pupil healed with him.

The sole responsibility of God’s teacher is to accept the Atonement for himself. Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors. When this has been accomplished, the teacher of God becomes a miracle worker by definition. His sins have been forgiven him, and he no longer condemns himself. How can he then condemn anyone? And who is there whom his forgiveness can fail to heal?” (M-18.4:1-10)

This experience led us to remember again that we awaken from dreams only when we let the light of truth shine them away. When we see our dreams of individuality for what they truly are, they become laughable, silly nonsense. It becomes clear that every dream of separate bodies is not to be taken seriously. “In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the cause, and looks not to effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the cause entirely? He bids you bring each terrible effect to Him that you may look together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him a while. You judge effects, but He has judged their cause. And by His judgment are effects removed. Perhaps you come in tears. But hear Him say, ‘My brother, holy Son of God, behold your idle dream, in which this could occur.’ And you will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brother’s joined with His.” (T-27.VIII.9:1-8)

To summarize our forgiveness process: At first we were distressed at something that appeared to be real. We then recognized that we were deciding what was real on our own. We then handed over all our thoughts about the situation, remembering that we know nothing. We opened our mind in stillness to Holy Spirit’s peace and understanding, and what we asked for, we received.

We were brought to seeing everyone’s innocence. We were brought to the recognition that everyone concerned is still as God created them. Nothing has happened to change God’s one Son. The Holy Spirit once again showed us the difference between the real and the unreal. We do not need to ‘fix’ what is unreal. We simply recognize that what is of the ego has no effects, no matter what appears to be ‘happening’ in the dream.

We don’t have to ‘join the battle’ because in truth there is no battle. There are no differences. There is no division in God’s one Son. What a relief! Everyone is still our dearest friend. Another frightening story was given to the Holy Spirit to be undone. Truth is true and nothing else is true. And we are grateful that this is so.

© 2006, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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