VII. The Condition of Reality, P 1
1 The world as you perceive it cannot have been created by the Father, for the world is not as you see it. God created only the eternal, and everything you see is perishable. Therefore, there must be another world that you do not see. The Bible speaks of a new Heaven and a new earth, yet this cannot be literally true, for the eternal are not re-created. To perceive anew is merely to perceive again, implying that before, or in the interval between, you were not perceiving at all. What, then, is the world that awaits your perception when you see it?
Journal
I remain a little confused about the world. As in this paragraph, Jesus talks about a world that is different than the world I see. I can understand that on every level. I have seen instances of a healed world as I allowed my mind to be healed. One moment I would be looking at the ego interpretation of a situation, and the next, I would ask for and receive the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, and what had been awful, was then seen (perceived) as perfect. I am not yet consistent in this practice.
Lesson 132 says that the world is nothing in itself. Your mind must give it meaning. It also says this about the world.
“There is no world apart from what you wish, and herein lies your ultimate release. Change but your mind on what you want to see, and all the world must change accordingly. Ideas leave not their source. This central theme is often stated in the text, and must be borne in mind if you would understand the lesson for today. It is not pride which tells you that you made the world you see, and that it changes as you change your mind.”
So again, the world is seen as being available to us, but seen as we would have it seen. It also says that we made the world we see. That seems to infer there is a world that is different than the world we see. Or maybe not. I could be wrong about my interpretation. Then this same lesson tells us that; “There is no world! This is the central thought the course attempts to teach.”
So is there a world or not? I tend to think that the world is part of my mind. It is what I think it is and as my mind heals the world heals. What happens to the world when our mind, as a whole, has been healed and we have all rejoined our Father? Does it exist still in our mind in its healed state, a reflection of Reality? I don’t know, but only have an opinion and an opinion is not truth no matter how strongly one might believe in it. I am putting away my opinions and am looking forward to being taught as we go through this section.
What I can know right now is that God did not create the world I see, and there is another way to see it whether it is real or not. This new vision is a worthy goal, whatever it means. This goal is attainable, and though it is probably not the end of what is attainable I think it is a step in that direction, and one I must take. I have always seen the world as it is interpreted by ego, but I am beginning to see it as interpreted by the Holy Spirit. The difference is one of peace and joy.
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