III. The Investment in Reality, P 7
7 If only the loving thoughts of God’s Son are the world’s reality, the real world must be in his mind. His insane thoughts, too, must be in his mind, but an internal conflict of this magnitude he cannot tolerate. A split mind is endangered, and the recognition that it encompasses completely opposed thoughts within itself is intolerable. Therefore the mind projects the split, not the reality. Everything you perceive as the outside world is merely your attempt to maintain your ego identification, for everyone believes that identification is salvation. Yet consider what has happened, for thoughts do have consequences to the thinker. You have become at odds with the world as you perceive it, because you think it is antagonistic to you. This is a necessary consequence of what you have done. You have projected outward what is antagonistic to what is inward, and therefore you would have to perceive it this way. That is why you must realize that your hatred is in your mind and not outside it before you can get rid of it; and why you must get rid of it before you can perceive the world as it really is.
Journal
Jesus has done a really good job of explaining how it is we have made this world as it is. To recap this as I understand it, the mind is split because it believes two opposing thought systems. The mind finds this intolerable and so projects the split. We have projected what we hate and what feels hostile to reality, and so the projected world we experience is hostile.
In the meantime, reality remains in the mind, but we are so intent on our projection, so involved with it, that we have become identified as it. We have lost touch with our real mind because all our attention is on maintaining our projection. A Course in Miracles is helping us to remember that the hatred and the danger we perceive is not really out there. It is in our mind and this is where it must be relinquished if we want to see the real world.
Today’s lesson is very helpful for this purpose at it reminds us of our true self. Our mind is part of God. We are very holy. As I remind myself of this today, I am choosing to relinquish attack on an outside force that doesn’t really exist outside the mind. Instead, I am choosing to accept my true nature, the real me.
For instance, there is someone in my life that seems to be hateful to others a lot of the time. Interestingly enough, she thinks I hate her. This makes sense in light of what Jesus is explaining here. She is projecting hatefulness from the mind and seeing it in others, and seeing it projected back onto her.
I told her that I did not hate her, but it felt wrong in my own ears and yet I know I don’t hate her. I actually appreciate her in spite of my frustration with her. What has actually happened is that what I see when I look at her is the split mind, the part of the mind I hate. I don’t hate her or her actions; I hate that part of my mind.
So now I know what to do with this confusion in my mind. Using today’s lesson, I am withdrawing my projections onto her and I am choosing to focus on the truth in us both. I think I hate, but my mind is part of God’s. I am very holy. I don’t feel holy, I feel hateful and guilty for being hateful, but this can only be the split mind and I am tired of defending it. Instead, I am going to let it go.
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