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January-March, 2009

Which One?

Gloria Cabassa

Have you ever seen those drawings often used as perception exercises in some personal growth workshops? They are shown to the participants while being asked: “What do you see here?”

I remember very well one of those drawings with two different images: One was a witch with a very wrinkled face, and the other, the face and low neck of a lovely, young lady. The fun part was when the ones who saw the witch wanted to convince the others of the “truth,” and vice versa.

“But what witch are you talking about? There’s no witch there. Don’t you see it’s a young lady?”

“Young lady? Look at her mouth. You see? Here, here…” (Repeatedly pointing to the image, impatiently) “Look at that wrinkled, sunken mouth! You can tell she has no teeth! See?”

“That’s not a mouth, buddy! That’s her neck. Don’t you see she has a little necklace?”

And so it goes on and on, until gradually the participants realize there are two different images, not only one, in the drawing.

A few weeks ago, during a wonderful telephone conversation with Rev. Mary and Robert Stoelting, Rev. Sharyn Zenz and my dearest friend, Rev. Annie Arbona, with whom I have had the joyous privilege of sharing ACIM for almost 25 years, the drawing with the two faces popped up in my mind.

Why? Maybe because I had been seeing the “witch” for a few days, thinking she was real and suffering because of it. During that holy encounter with these loving friends, the Holy Spirit shifted my mind and the “witch” suddenly disappeared.

In ACIM Jesus repeatedly tells us that this world is not real, but an illusion: “The world is nothing in itself. Your mind must give it meaning. And what you behold upon it are your wishes, acted out so you can look at them and think them real.” (Lesson 132, paragraph 4)

As with the drawing of the witch and the lovely lady, what we think we see is not really there. It’s our own perception. That is why we are always upset, fearful and suffering for nothing. Sounds incredible, right? Yet there is another way of seeing the world, for our perception can be corrected and healed. A distorted perception shows the chaos and scarcity of the ego’s world. A healed perception beholds Heaven here and now, the forgiven world, full of miracles and love.

“How lovely is the world whose purpose is forgiveness of God’s Son! How free from fear, how filled with blessing and with happiness!” (Text, p. 573.)

The good news is that God, our Creator, endowed us with the power to decide. Jesus himself is lightening our way and guiding our steps, and we have the Holy Spirit to heal and correct our minds.

And now that we know it, which one of these worlds will we decide to behold?

© 2009, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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