VIII. From Perception to Knowledge, P 2
2 The very real difference between perception and knowledge becomes quite apparent if you consider this: There is nothing partial about knowledge. Every aspect is whole, and therefore no aspect is separate. You are an aspect of knowledge, being in the Mind of God, Who knows you. All knowledge must be yours, for in you is all knowledge. Perception, at its loftiest, is never complete. Even the perception of the Holy Spirit, as perfect as perception can be, is without meaning in Heaven. Perception can reach everywhere under His guidance, for the vision of Christ beholds everything in light. Yet no perception, however holy, will last forever.
Journal
Here is what I know . . . ok, that was a short list. I don’t know even in the most basic things. I can say that I am here, but then I have to ask, who am I who is here? Where is here? Jesus just told us in the last paragraph that there is no where or when. How about this: I love God and He loves me. At least that is true. But what does it mean? I don’t even know what love is. I know the feelings I have for certain people, but love is universal or it is not love. So clearly, what I feel is not love as love truly exists.
All I have to go on is perception, that is, how I choose to see things. If I allow it, the Holy Spirit will fulfill Its function and correct my perception. Even then, it is still perception and not knowledge. Trying to understand this I thought about how the Holy Spirit has helped me. I have made myself miserable simply by dragging the past around with me. This unfortunate tendency keeps me locked into thinking that is often painful.
So the Holy Spirit has helped me to understand that the past does not exist so there is no reason to feel guilty for it, or to find someone else guilty. He helped me to imagine time rolling up like a carpet behind me, so I look back and there is nothing to see. Where is the reason for guilt now? But if we actually exist in eternity, then there is no timeline at all, so no carpet to roll up. There is nothing happening before or after.
And not only is time an illusion, there is also no one outside my mind to find guilty in the first place, and as the Son of God, how could I be guilty for anything myself? And even this is just a clearer way to see; it is not truth. I accept the limits of perception, but I know that truth or not, there is a way to see that will bring me peace even in this dream state. This is worth pursuing.
I can just forget about knowing anything. That is not going to happen. What I can do is accept correction for my misperceived thoughts. I can bring my thoughts into alignment with something close to truth, if I will allow the Holy Spirit to do that for me. Right now my life is pretty insane. It always has been, but in the past I just didn’t know how insane it was.
Here is an example. This morning I discovered that someone did something for me that was very loving and kind. I felt that love wash over me and it brought tears of happiness to my eyes. Then, in almost the same breath, I remembered that something was occurring with a loved one that I perceive as bad, and the fear covered over the love and I felt discouraged and the tears were sad tears.
I know what happened. I understand that both the loving feeling and the frightened feeling are the result of perception, and perception isn’t the truth. The loving feeling was closer to truth. It more closely reflects what I am as the Son of God, so while it is not truth, it is a true perception. I see the Holy Spirit’s work in this perception. The frightening feeling is further from the truth. It reflects a thought that is based on an illusion.
How could the Son of God have anything to fear? In order to be afraid I would have to believe something that is false. I see the ego’s thinking in this perception.
It is easy now to discern the source of my perceptions. If my thoughts produce happy, peaceful and loving effects, they reflect true perception. If they produce angry, fearful, guilty effects, they reflect untrue perception. Knowing this, I can ask for correction of my thoughts when I see they are clearly false. I must ask for help because I can’t undo them alone, since I did not make them alone.
In the Rules for Decision in Chapter 30, Jesus tells us that all decisions, in order to have power, must be made in union. We either make them with the ego or with Holy Spirit. So if I made a decision to believe something that causes me to suffer then in order to correct that effect, I must make a new decision this time with Holy Spirit. So instead of joining with ego, I join with the Holy Spirit. My part is to desire change, and His part is to facilitate that change. In union He and I change the perception that was false and my thinking once again reflects love and I am happy. And very grateful.
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