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Study of the Text, Chapter 9, II. The Answer to Prayer, P 9. 1-7-15

II. The Answer to Prayer, P 9
9 To disbelieve is to side against, or to attack. To believe is to accept, and to side with. To believe is not to be credulous, but to accept and appreciate. What you do not believe you do not appreciate, and you cannot be grateful for what you do not value. There is a price you will pay for judgment, because judgment is the setting of a price. And as you set it you will pay it.

Jesus says that to disbelieve is to side against or to attack. I had never thought of it that way. I also never thought of it as a judgment, but of course it is. I had always thought that simply disbelieving someone was neutral unless I got upset about it or said something to him. Suddenly his words are starting to unfold in my mind and I see how this works.

I have a relative whose political beliefs are opposite of mine. I am not very political, but sometimes the politics of the issues touch on my philosophy of life. He is very vocal and very harsh in his judgments of people who he sees as different from him. I have often thought he was wrong in his opinion, and hurtful in the way he expressed it. However, I keep my opinions to myself, and I even act as mediator when he upsets someone else. His words do not change that he is my nephew and I don’t love him less.

In this particular case, I thought I was on the side of the angels. My opinions were more loving than his. I didn’t hold his errors against him. I even tried to keep the peace in the family by smoothing things over on his behalf. And as I write this, I have to laugh at myself. The spiritual ego was all over this situation.

I disbelieve my nephew, and judge him to be wrong so I have decided he is guilty. In my mind, if nowhere else, (and in my mind is the only place there is, so it definitely counts) I attack him. I have been upset with him for his judgments and his attacks, and as it turns out, I am judging and attacking. Judgment has a price and I pay that price.

If I judge anyone else, I will also judge myself, and so I will have no peace. If I believe in judgment I will teach judgment and so I am no longer a teacher of God, but a teacher of the ego. Judgment is an attack and a foolish one, being based on perception, which is notoriously unsound. And ultimately, I cannot enter God’s presence if I attack his Son.

So what do I do about this? How can I not have an opinion? Can I say I believe in some of his most obnoxious statements? Jesus says that to believe is not to be credulous, but to accept and appreciate. I don’t need to believe the unkind things he claims to believe, bit to accept and appreciate him in spite of his ego ranting. What I believe and accept is what he truly is, and he is not his ego with its fearful attacks on everyone.

As soon as I wrote these words, and knew that I want to see him as the Holy Spirit sees him, all desire to attack and judge fell away. I see the ego as it is expressing through him and I know that this does not change his own perfect self in any way. He is playing the part of the self that he is to play, but it is all play. He is innocent as am I.

The healing of my mind came through my desire to be healed. I did not get there by seeing the logic in this. Those are the words I used to describe the change, but they did not promote the change. The change in mind was done for me by the Holy Spirit. I did my part as I became willing to see differently.

The metamorphosis occurred through he Holy Spirit’s intervention. Then, I was given words that would help to understand and describe the change. It is important that I realize I did not heal my own mind or I will start trying to use the ego to do this. Healing the mind is the function of the Holy Spirit and He will do it to the degree I allow Him to do so.

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Study of the Text, Chapter 9, II. The Answer to Prayer, P 8. 1-6-15

II. The Answer to Prayer, P 8
8 Believe in your brothers because I believe in you, and you will learn that my belief in you is justified. Believe in me by believing in them, for the sake of what God gave them. They will answer you if you learn to ask only truth of them. Do not ask for blessings without blessing them, for only in this way can you learn how blessed you are. By following this way you are seeking the truth in you. This is not going beyond yourself but toward yourself. Hear only God’s Answer in His Sons, and you are answered.

Very simply, we are one Self appearing as many. This is a strange idea to us because we have chosen to experience separation and to do so with complete immersion. In other words, for the sake of the experience, we have chosen to forget the truth.  Luckily, understanding is not needed. However, acceptance is.

For the first time in all the years that I have studied the Course, I can say that I am Christ and that each of you are part of this same Christ Mind without my imagination picturing a whole bunch of us sitting around together in an some immense space. I can say it without automatically, trying to make it fit a definition in line with the separation idea. I can say that we are one and I can accept it fully as a concept. I am still working on making it my experience.

The way I do that is twofold. First I spend a lot of time remembering the truth, thinking about it, sitting in it, letting it flow over and through me. Second, I am vigilant to notice when I obviously don’t accept the truth of our oneness. I have been off work since Christmas Eve and am going back today. I will be with my coworkers all day long, interacting and possibly reacting. I will start the day sitting in a meeting, discussing what has been done while I was gone, and already I notice that I am expecting to discover that some things were not done.

Sitting here writing with Spirit about believing in my brother and asking them for their blessing, and I am preparing myself to doubt them and to attack them. The reality is that the people I am already judging are me. I attack the images I have made of them, and it is an attack on myself. Through this attack on this part of my self, I teach myself that I am untrustworthy. In attacking them, I attack myself and Jesus, too, because Jesus and I are the same mind, as are they.

This doesn’t make sense and I want to stop doing this. I can’t accomplish my goal of blessing rather than attacking by making myself feel guilty that I attack. I can’t change anything by projecting the blame outside myself. I can’t change anything by trying to change my behavior, pretending to love on the outside, while hating on the inside. I can’t change anything by using the ego will to think and act differently.

What I can do is be grateful that my willingness has invited the Holy Spirit to show me the thoughts in my mind that need to be healed. He and I look together at the desire to separate through defense and attack, and I talk to Him about it. I tell Him my feelings and how afraid I am that I will never overcome this, and how overwhelming it all seems to me.

As I give Him all these words, He continues to know me for what I am, as God created me. He never doubts me or judges me. He only knows what must be true forever, for it is the Will of God. The only thing He hears from me is the truth. I must seem like a little child to Him, talking nonsense words, lost in my fantasy play. If a little child told you about being a super hero and flying across the sky; if he expressed to you his fear of the villain who was close to catching him, would you get confused and begin to believe his story?

When you looked across at him would you start to see and believe in the persona of his imagination? Would you try to help him figure out how to get himself out of the imagined problem with the villain? Or would you ease him back into the safety of reality, reminding him of who he is, maybe offering him some cookies and milk, gently bringing him back into himself? It makes me giggle when I think of it this way. “Holy Spirit, do I seem like the little child lost in my fantasy of being separate from my Creator, at war with the aspects of my self that I dream are separate from me?”

The Holy Spirit will gently bring me back to reality as soon as I ask Him to do so. I do this slowly a step at a time until I am fully convinced I can trust the Holy Spirit. I do it a step at a time because I must. But I do it. I do it through the Holy Spirit. I extricate myself from the separation story simply by giving my permission for it to be done.

It is such a miracle, this. I can be completely lost in my fear and guilt, ask the Holy Spirit to remove these thoughts from my mind, and on a dime it all turns around. I don’t accomplish this by thinking it through, or with any form of logic. I don’t let myself be talked out of it. I just desire to be at peace, let go of the thoughts and they are removed for me. I go directly from anxiety to peace, just like that! Each time I am amazed all over again.

“Today, Holy Spirit, sit with me in the meeting. Show me the Christ that sits across the table from me. Help me to hear only the truth of our being no matter what is said. Help me to know myself through knowing my brother.”

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of the Text, Chapter 9, II. The Answer to Prayer, P 7. 1-5-15

II. The Answer to Prayer, P 7
7 I love you for the truth in you, as God does. Your deceptions may deceive you, but they cannot deceive me. Knowing what you are, I cannot doubt you. I hear only the Holy Spirit in you, Who speaks to me through you. If you would hear me, hear my brothers in whom God’s Voice speaks. The answer to all prayers lies in them. You will be answered as you hear the answer in everyone. Do not listen to anything else or you will not hear truly.

Journal

Sometimes I do this; I hear only the truth no matter what my brother’s words seem to be saying. When this happens I feel only love and certainty for him. I also feel the same for me. So I know what Jesus is talking about here. When this happens for me it is not because I am using my ego will to make it happen. It happens because in that moment I am open to the truth. The desire comes directly from my heart, not from my mind.

This is hard to explain or put into words because it is not an ego thing and explanations and words are. But if I were to symbolize it with words it might work something like this.

My friend says, “I’m so confused right now that I don’t even know what to ask you.”
What I hear is, “I love God so much.”

What I say out loud is, “Let’s talk about it.”
My inner response is, “Me, too!”

I imagine that this is the way my innermost conversations with Jesus go, too. He says in this paragraph that he is not deceived by my ego mind. He knows the truth in me and doesn’t get confused by my confusion. I am so grateful for that. And I want to do this for my brothers all the time, not just sometimes. I want to hear only the truth when they speak. I know it is possible because I do it sometimes.

We all do it sometimes. I think about when my kids were young, and would get angry and lash out at me. I would tell my little boy that he couldn’t have something he thought he had to have, and he would yell that he hated me. I would look at that sweet little face all twisted up in frustration and anger and my heart would just melt.

The words were meaningless. I knew that as soon as he got distracted by his next great idea, he would not even remember being angry with me. My child said angry words, but I heard his heart. I heard only the truth. I bet a lot of mom’s have had the same experience. What if I could apply the same degree of loving clarity to everyone? Well, that is what I desire. I want to hear only the truth no matter what my brother says.

So how do I do that? How do I reach that kind of clarity? The only thing I need to do is to allow my own mind to be healed. When my child lashed out in anger he was only doing what a three year old does. He was actually behaving age appropriate. There was nothing wrong with him. If I had taken his words seriously, I would have been the one with the problem.

Getting upset because a three year old expressed his frustration would not be age appropriate behavior for a 35 year old. If I reacted to my child’s anger it would only be because I believed that I was an unworthy mom and my child was right to hate me. It would be my mind that needed to be healed.

It is always the same. If my boss gets frustrated and takes his anger out on me, and if I become afraid that I could lose my job, then I will likely respond according to my fear. So the solution would be to notice my response, realize that my mind is confused if I think the Son of God has anything to fear, and ask that my mind be healed.

Without ego thinking blocking the truth that is in both our minds, I become naturally open and loving. With the channels cleared of my wrong minded thinking, I wait for the words that are needed to come into my mind. I hear the call for love and I answer it with love. I have had both experiences. I have responded to fear with fear, and I have responded to the love behind the fear with love. Experience has shown me that both are possible, and it has taught me which I want.

Here is what comes to me when I think about this paragraph. No matter how a person is behaving or what they are saying, I will look at them and remember who stands before me. This is the Christ. If I hear anything other than love, I must be listening to the ego with the ego. That can only be because I forgot what I am. I allow the Holy Spirit to remind me that I stand as Christ before Christ. I open my heart to Love.

My willingness is all the Holy Spirit needs from me. He will do the rest.

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of the Text, Chapter 9, II. The Answer to Prayer, P 6. 1-2-15

II. The Answer to Prayer, P 5
6 You can no more pray for yourself alone than you can find joy for yourself alone. Prayer is the restatement of inclusion, directed by the Holy Spirit under the laws of God. Salvation is of your brother. The Holy Spirit extends from your mind to his, and answers you. You cannot hear the Voice for God in yourself alone, because you are not alone. And His answer is only for what you are. You will not know the trust I have in you unless you extend it. You will not trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or believe that it is for you unless you hear it in others. It must be for your brother because it is for you. Would God have created a Voice for you alone? Could you hear His answer except as He answers all of God’s Sons? Hear of your brother what you would have me hear of you, for you would not want me to be deceived.

I was trying to untangle this paragraph in my mind when I realized it was really very simple. There is one Son of God and we are It. There can be no difference between us because we are created One. Again, I return to the thought that Christ had a tiny mad idea and remembered not to laugh at it, but to consider it in all its ramifications, to experience it in full color and virtual reality. So the Christ fell asleep and dreamed it was many.

Myron is one of the many being dreamed by the Christ Mind, as are all the others. But in reality, there remains the One. How could there be any difference between us, except in the dream. If we are enjoying the dream and want to remain in it longer, then we can go on pretending that we are separate individuals with different needs and abilities. But if you feel like I do, and I assume you do or you wouldn’t be studying the Course, then you are ready to wake up from the dream and return to Reality.

The first thing we must do to awaken from a dream is to realize we are dreaming. Jesus is helping us to do this. He is pointing out obvious clues to let us know when we are dreaming and when we are not. It reminds me of the movie, Inception. In the movie when the character knew the clues to look for, they could tell it was the dream. But if they got too deep into the dream, they would forget they were dreaming and needed a totem to let them know what was reality and what was illusion.

Jesus is telling us that if we think we can pray for something for ourselves alone, that is a clue that we are still dreaming. How could one being pray for something that is not for all of that being? The very act of doing so indicates we are deep into the dream. If the dream is of experiencing ourselves as many, awakening from the dream will be remembering that we are one. The very fact that we are willing to accept that it might be a dream and to desire, to even a small degree, to be free of the dream sets into motion the plan of Awakening.

So I have asked the Holy Spirit to keep me alert to the clues that I am dreaming, so that I can change my mind about remaining in the illusion. That is my part, and it is absolutely necessary that I do my part. He reminds me that every thought is a prayer, and I see how often I have thought I could ask for something just for me. This is crazy behavior for someone ready to awaken from the dream of separation.

As I think of it I realize it happens so often that for a moment I am stunned into inaction. How on earth am I ever going to wake up? Everything in my life is about being separate and different. I am in constant competition with everyone, even with myself. But that is not my problem. My part is only to notice that it is happening and that I am ready for it to stop.

I notice the old desire for separation and I ask that my mind be healed. I accept the Atonement for this thought, then the next one. I trust that what I have done is being undone. I am the Son of God with all the power that brings with it. I chose to dream and that occurred. I chose to believe the dream and so it happened.

Now I choose to awaken. Nothing can prevent me from doing so. This is the truth. I am not a victim or what I see, but the maker of it, and now I choose to make differently, then to Awaken and return to Creation as is my natural state. I do this with my brother or not at all, and I am beginning to realize how impossible it is to do it any other way.

“Holy Spirit, help me keep my eye on the truth. Help me remain steady in my awakening and to not delay any more than I must. Help me to know that what I want for my brother, I want for myself, for we are one Self. I am still deep enough in the dream to forget this. I need Your help.”

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Study of the Text, Chapter 9, II. The Answer to Prayer, P 5. 1-1-15

II. The Answer to Prayer, P 5
5 The message your brother gives you is up to you. What does he say to you? What would you have him say? Your decision about him determines the message you receive. Remember that the Holy Spirit is in him, and His Voice speaks to you through him. What can so holy a brother tell you except truth? But are you listening to it? Your brother may not know who he is, but there is a light in his mind that does know. This light can shine into yours, giving truth to his words and making you able to hear them. His words are the Holy Spirit’s answer to you. Is your faith in him strong enough to let you hear?

Probably the most powerful example of this I have experienced occurred at work. I may have written about this before in another context, but I am going to tell the story again. I was doing some tests for a customer and we had time to chat while it was going on. We didn’t know each other but as we talked the conversation turned to religion. Now as a sales person I am not supposed to talk religion or politics, pretty much a hard and fast rule, but sometimes I am guided right into a God talk. This was one of those times.

On a personal level I don’t normally talk religion with people because I live in the Bible Belt, deep in the Bible Belt. I am not going to run into a lot of open minded spiritual seekers here, and I am absolutely not going to debate religion with anyone. So what I normally do when I get caught in a situation like this moment with my customer is instead of talking, I listen and make noncommittal responses.

This time, though, Holy Spirit helped me to open my heart as well as my ears and I “heard” what he was saying. All the words were the same old, “he died on the cross for our sins” stuff that normally makes my skin crawl, but what I heard was how much he loves Jesus and how much he loves God.

I felt such a profound kinship with this man who loves my sweet Brother Jesus, and my Father God. We had a deep and binding conversation. I still said little but I heard much. When we finished our work, we hugged each other and said good by. I have not seen him since and may never see him again, but I think of him often.

I think that the miracle of joining that happened between us that day is what Jesus is talking about here. What passed between us was true communication that had nothing to do with the words we said to each other. But to experience that communication, I had to stop listening to the words so I could hear the intent, the love that stood behind the words. My willingness to do so allowed the light in his mind to shine into mine, thus changing me forever.

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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