Lesson 34 – I could see peace instead of this.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

It is from our peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.

This is a first taste of true perception–using what the ego made for the Holy Spirit’s purpose of Love.

Lesson 34 works with our fear thoughts, anxiety, depression, “offending” personalities, events, or situations, and has us become more aware of what they are … and then replace them with peace of mind.

Willingness: I could see peace instead of this.

Practice:  I could see peace instead of this.

Results:  A great spreading through the upper-back of my head … a relaxing of my breath, neck and shoulders … a sense of internal spaciousness … a letting go of fixing situations … a giggle of relief, a trusting in God, in the Holy Spirit as Comforter …

I could see peace instead of this … instead of what?  For a moment, nothing but peace, a vast spreading … no words …

LESSON 34

I could see peace instead of this.

The idea for today begins to describe the conditions that prevail in the other way of seeing.  Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter.  It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward.  It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.

Three longer practice periods are required for today’s exercises.  One in the morning and one in the evening are advised, with an additional one to be undertaken at any time in between that seems most conducive to readiness.  All applications should be done with your eyes closed.  It is your inner world to which the applications of today’s idea should be made.

Some five minutes of mind searching are required for each of the longer practice periods.  Search your mind for fear thoughts, anxiety-provoking situations, “offending” personalities or events, or anything else about which you are harboring unloving thoughts.  Note them all casually, repeating the idea for today slowly as you watch them arise in your mind, and let each one go, to be replaced by the next.

If you begin to experience difficulty in thinking of specific subjects, continue to repeat the idea to yourself in an unhurried manner, without applying it to anything in particular.  Be sure, however, not to make any specific exclusions.

The shorter applications are to be frequent, and made whenever you feel your peace of mind is threatened in any way.  The purpose is to protect yourself from temptation throughout the day.  If a specific form of temptation arises in your awareness, the exercise should take this form:

I could see peace in this situation instead of what I now see in it.

If the inroads on your peace of mind take the form of more generalized adverse emotions, such as depression, anxiety or worry, use the idea in its original form.  If you find you need more than one application of today’s idea to help you change your mind in any specific context, try to take several minutes and devote them to repeating the idea until you feel some sense of relief.  It will help you if you tell yourself specifically:

I can replace my feelings of depression, anxiety or worry [or my thoughts about this situation, personality or event] with peace.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to Amy reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, Amy’s online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 33 – There is another way of looking at the world.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

There is another way of looking at the world.  There is another way of looking at my outer world.  There is another way of looking at my inner world.  Inside out.  Upside down.  Reversed.  Unraveled.

What are words?  A bunch of letters woven together into meanings.  What are images?   Pictures of thoughts.  Words and pictures express thoughts.  What are thoughts?  Ideas and interpretations.  Ideas about what?  Life.  Interpretations of what?  No things.

The ego has spun an imaginary web of no things and made them seem like some things.  Allowing another way of looking at the world goes far beyond new ideas about planet earth and the cosmos.  It releases all attachment, completely.  Mind is still.  Peace and freedom abide harmoniously and expansively.  Happy sigh.

LESSON 33

There is another way of looking at the world.

Today’s idea  is an attempt to recognize that you can shift your perception of the world in both its outer and inner aspects.  A full five minutes should be devoted to the morning and evening applications.  In these practice periods, the idea should be repeated as often as you find comfortable, though unhurried applications are essential.  Alternate between surveying your outer and inner perceptions, but without an abrupt sense of shifting.

Merely glance casually around the world you perceive as outside yourself, then close your eyes and survey your inner thoughts with equal casualness.  Try to remain equally uninvolved in both, and to maintain this detachment as you repeat the idea throughout the day.  The shorter exercise periods should be as frequent as possible.  Specific applications of today’s idea should also be made immediately, when any situation arises which tempts you to become disturbed.  For these applications, say:

There is another way of looking at this.

Remember to apply today’s idea the instant you are aware of distress.  It may be necessary to take a minute or so to sit quietly and repeat the idea to yourself several times.  Closing your eyes will probably help in this form of application.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to Amy reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, Amy’s online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 32 – I have invented the world I see.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

Jesus says that I am the inventor of the world I see.  He is not speaking to me, Amy.  Amy is just a fragment of the one ego mind.  Ego does not listen to what Jesus has to say.  Ego sticks its fingers in its ears and says, “I don’t hear you!  I don’t hear you!”

Jesus is addressing all of us as One Brother, that is, Christ-consciousness, the Sonship, God’s Creation.  Jesus is explaining that ego is an image-maker.

The outer world is a visual-figment of “my” imagination.  The inner world is a thought-figment of “my” imagination.  Who does this “my” belong to?  The one ego mind.  Who does the one ego mind belong to?  Christ-consciousness.  Who does Christ-consciousness belong to?  God.

The ego is a mad scientist mixing concoctions of guilt, fear and death; of past and future; of images and form.  Ego causes separation and the effect is separation.  God causes Love and the effect is Love.  Cause and effect are the same, but the ego makes them seem different.

Jesus tells us to apply the idea for today to any situation that may distress, such as, “I have invented this upset stomach as I see it.  I have invented these despotic murders throughout the world as I see them.  I have invented my longing to rescue that stray dog as I see it.”   As I practice, something zooms out and I see that there is no stomach to hurt, there is no political tragedy, and there is no dog to stray.  Light shines forms away …

It becomes clear that there is a sense of “me” drawing pictures that “I” get sucked into and forget were drawn by “me.”  All pain melts away and is replaced by pure faith.

Then come the oscillations between pure faith and the heavy ego-gravity pull of compulsively reviewing the past and projecting into the future … the vise of ego identity insisting on its own existence although there is nothing between its jaws.

This is only to be expected as sleep melts away and the spiritual eye of the Soul blinks open.  Do not be concerned with the final turns of the ceiling fan after the power has been cut off.

LESSON 32

I have invented the world I see.

Today we are continuing to develop the theme of cause and effect.  You are not the victim of the world you see because you invented it.  You can give it up as easily as you made it up.  You will see it or not see it, as you wish.  While you want it you will see it; when you no longer want it, it will not be there for you to see.

The idea for today, like the preceding ones, applies to your inner and outer worlds, which are actually the same.  However, since you see them as different, the practice periods for today will again include two phases, one involving the world you see outside you, and the other the world you see in your mind.  In today’s exercises, try to introduce the thought that both are in your own imagination.

Again we will begin the practice periods for the morning and evening by repeating the idea for today two or three times while looking around at the world you see as outside yourself.  Then close your eyes and look around your inner world.  Try to treat them both as equally as possible.   Repeat the idea for today unhurriedly as often as you wish, as you watch the images your imagination presents to your awareness.

For the two longer practice periods three to five minutes are recommended, with not less than three required.  More than five can be utilized, if you find the exercise restful.  To facilitate this, select a time when few distractions are anticipated, and when you yourself feel reasonably ready.

These exercises are also to be continued during the day, as often as possible.  The shorter applications consist of repeating the idea slowly, as you  survey either your inner or outer world.  It does not matter which you choose.

The idea for today should also be applied immediately to any situation that may distress you.  Apply the idea by telling yourself:

I have invented this situation as I see it.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to Amy reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, Amy’s online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 31 – I am not the victim of the world I see.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

Detachment.  Neutral observation.  These qualities will allow us to separate from the ego thought system rather than separating from God.

We are advised to “let the stream [of thought] move on evenly and calmly, without any special investment on your part.”  This is the mind training: watching our thoughts as if they are figures on a ticker tape; figures in which, contrary to ego thinking, we now have no investment.

We are beginning to recognize that the world we picture is the results of the thoughts we think.  “You will escape from both together, for the inner is the cause of the outer.”  As we learn this we “are making a declaration of independence in the name of your own freedom.  And in your freedom lies the freedom of the world.” 

As we rewind our thoughts and discover everything is really and truly happening in the mind, we become free of feeling that we can be the victim of anything that happens in the world.  Our freedom frees everyone because there is only one mind to change and then the whole illusion unravels.

“The idea for today is also a particularly useful one to use as a response to any form of temptation that may arise.  It is a declaration that you will not yield to it, and put yourself in bondage.”  Hmmmm.  Well, that’s gonna take some more practice. 

LESSON 31

I am not the victim of the world I see.

Today’s idea is the introduction to your declaration of release.  Again, the idea should be applied to both the world you see without and the world you see within.  In applying the idea, we will use a form of practice which will be used more and more, with changes as indicated.  Generally speaking, the form includes two aspects, one in which you apply the idea on a more sustained basis, and the other consisting of frequent applications of the idea throughout the day.

Two longer periods of practice with the idea for today are needed, one in the morning and one at night.  Three to five minutes for each of these are recommended.  During that time, look about you slowly while repeating the idea two or three times.  Then close your eyes, and apply the same idea to your inner world.  You will escape from both together, for the inner is the cause of the outer.

As you survey your inner world, merely let whatever thoughts cross your mind come into your awareness, each to be considered for a moment, and then replaced by the next.  Try not to establish any kind of hierarchy among them.  Watch them come and go as dispassionately as possible.  Do not dwell on any one in particular, but try to let the stream move on evenly and calmly, without any special investment on your part.  As you sit and quietly watch your thoughts, repeat today’s idea to yourself as often as you care to, but with no sense of hurry.

In addition, repeat the idea for today as often as possible during the day.  Remind yourself that you are making a declaration of independence in the name of your own freedom.  And in your freedom lies the freedom of the world.

The idea for today is also a particularly useful one to use as a response to any form of temptation that may arise.  It is a declaration that you will not yield to it, and put yourself in bondage.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to Amy reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, Amy’s online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 30 – God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

Real vision is unlimited by space and time.  Real vision does not depend on the body’s eyes at all.  Real vision comes from “within,” that is, from God’s mind.  Today we use “projection” as a way of seeing the All in all.  

God is in everything I see … because God is in my mind.  God is in my mind, and so everything I see is infused with God.

If God is Light, then Light is shining through my mind, and illuminating all that I see.

Darkness cannot exist in Light.  Who am I?  That Light which is Shining.

LESSON 30

God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

The idea for today is the springboard for vision.   From this idea will the world open up before you, and you will look upon it and see in it what you have never seen before.  Nor will what you saw before be even faintly visible to you.

Today we are trying to use a new kind of “projection.”  We are not attempting to get rid of what we do not like by seeing it outside.  Instead, we are trying to see in the world what is in our minds, and what we want to recognize is there.  Thus, we are trying to join with what we see, rather than keeping it apart from us.  That is the fundamental difference between vision and the way you see.

Today’s idea should be applied as often as possible throughout the day.  Whenever you have a moment or so, repeat it to yourself slowly, looking about you, and trying to realize that the idea applies to everything you do see now, or could see now if it were within the range of your sight.

Real vision is not limited to concepts such as “near” or “far.”  To help you begin to get used to this idea, try to think of things beyond your present range as well as those you can actually see, as you apply today’s idea.

Real vision is not only unlimited by space and distance, but it does not depend on the body’s eyes at all.   The mind is its only source.  To aid in helping you to become more accustomed to this idea as well, devote several practice periods to applying today’s idea with your eyes closed, using whatever subjects come to mind, and looking within rather than without.  Today’s idea applies equally to both.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to Amy reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, her online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 29 – God is in everything I see.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

God is in everything we see because we are within God’s Mind.   Seen correctly, every “thing” is not a thing at all, but an extension of One Formless Source.

Therefore, God is in this…and God is in this…

God is in everything I see … because I am within God’s Mind.

Pantheism regards the universe as a manifestation of God; pantheism is a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe.*  Today’s lesson is not saying that God created the physical universe.  It is saying that what the ego mis-created can be used for God’s Loving Purpose which will help us see differently.  The word “universe” is used to mean different things depending on its context in ACIM.  In W-29, universe is used to mean Oneness.

Lesson 29 could also be titled, “The Whole Basis for Vision.”  The alternate title I proposed for yesterday’s lesson was, “The Purpose of the Universe.”  When we want to see things differently, the purpose of the universe is revealed: to see with God’s Unified Vision, not with the ego’s divisive dream-mind.

Your Inner Teacher, the Holy Spirit, provides a Vision bridge for you to cross.

The manifestation of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, holds out his hand for you to help you cross that golden bridge.

Since we are equals with Jesus, we are also manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Cross the bridge and find out for yourself.

LESSON 29

God is in everything I see.

The idea for today explains why you can see all purpose in everything.  It explains why nothing is separate, by itself or in itself.  And it explains why nothing you see means anything.  In fact, it explains every idea we have used thus far, and all subsequent ones as well.  Today’s idea is the whole basis for vision.

You will probably find this idea very difficult to grasp at this point.  You may find it silly, irreverent, senseless, funny and even objectionable.  Certainly God is not in a table, for example, as you see it.  Yet we emphasized yesterday that a table shares the purpose of the universe.  And what shares the purpose of the universe shares the purpose of its Creator.

Try then, today, to begin to learn how to look on all things with love, appreciation and open-mindedness.  You do not see them now.  Would you know what is in them?  Nothing is as it appears to you.  Its holy purpose stands beyond your little range.  When vision has shown you the holiness that lights up the world, you will understand today’s idea perfectly.  And you will not understand how you could ever have found it difficult.

Our six two-minute practice periods for today should follow a now familiar pattern: Begin with repeating the idea to yourself, and then apply it to randomly chosen subjects about you, naming each one specifically.  Try to avoid the tendency toward self-directed selection, which may be particularly tempting in connection with today’s idea because of its wholly alien nature.  Remember that any order you impose is equally alien to reality.

Your list of subjects should therefore be as free of self-selection as possible.  For example, a suitable list might include:

God is in this coat hanger.
God is in this magazine.
God is in this finger.
God is in this lamp.
God is in that body.
God is in that door.
God is in that waste basket.

In addition to the assigned practice periods, repeat the idea for today at least once an hour, looking slowly about you as you say the words unhurriedly to yourself.  At least once or twice, you should experience a sense of restfulness as you do this.

*  Source of definition:  Merriam-Webster.com/dictionary and Google dictionary

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to me reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.

Lesson 26 – My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

This is one of those lessons that is thunderous.  It reverberates through my mind with powerful claps because my memory of God is sparked by it.  It says, “The idea for today introduces the thought that you always attack yourself first.”

The ego mind scared itself into believing that we had separated from God’s mind and that in order to alleviate that fear we lashed out at God as if He had done something wrong (first projection).  This led to us believing that now we could be attacked in return.

First we believed we could be attacked by God–before we were even in a form.  We believed this while just an ego thought without the coverings and the veils of space and time and worlds and bodies.  Next we believed that our brothers could attack us … we were so delusional we thought our brothers were separate entities.  As if the fingers on our hand were separate entities independent of our hand, arm and body.

Every person we see “out there” is a piece of us.  We are all aspects of the same ego mind.  One aspect may be homeless and in the gutter, another may be English royalty, but both are facets of the same One.

This lesson helps us really comprehend that.  “And what would have effects through you must also have effects on you.  It is this law that will ultimately save you, but you are misusing it now.  You must therefore learn how it can be used for your own best interests, rather than against them.”

The practice today is worth writing out on paper.  Very deep and powerful.  We are asked to be specific in recounting what concerns us, what we fear could happen, and then to tell ourselves, “This thought is an attack on myself.”  What a relief!

If this is not the first time you’ve done the ACIM Workbook, you might want to partner W-26 with W-38 which provides a further antidote.  In 12-step they say the only person you can change is yourself.  ACIM goes beyond the person entirely and shows us that with God’s help, little “me” is naturally absorbed back into my True Self once and for all.

LESSON 26

My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.

It is surely obvious that if you can be attacked you are not invulnerable.  You see attack as a real threat.  That is because you believe that you can really attack.  And what would have effects through you must also have effects on you.  It is this law that will ultimately save you, but you are misusing it now.  You must therefore learn how it can be used for your own best interests, rather than against them.

Because your attack thoughts will be projected, you will fear attack.  And if you fear attack, you must believe that you are not invulnerable.  Attack thoughts therefore make you vulnerable in your own mind, which is where the attack thoughts are.  Attack thoughts and invulnerability cannot be accepted together.  They contradict each other.

The idea for today introduces the thought that you always attack yourself first.  If attack thoughts must entail the belief that you are vulnerable, their effect is to weaken you in your own eyes.  Thus they have attacked your perception of yourself.  And because you believe in them, you can no longer believe in yourself.  A false image of yourself has come to take the place of what you are.

Practice with today’s idea will help you to understand that vulnerability or invulnerability is the result of your own thoughts.  Nothing except your thoughts can attack you.  Nothing except your thoughts can make you think you are vulnerable.  And nothing except your thoughts can prove to you this is not so.

Six practice periods are required in applying today’s idea.  A full two minutes should be attempted for each of them, although the time may be reduced to a minute if the discomfort is too great.  Do not reduce it further.

The practice period should begin with repeating the idea for today, then closing your eyes and reviewing the unresolved questions whose outcomes are causing you concern.  The concern may take the form of depression, worry, anger, a sense of imposition, fear, foreboding or preoccupation.  Any problem as yet unsettled that tends to recur in your thoughts during the day is a suitable subject.  You will not be able to use very many for any one practice period, because a longer time than usual should be spent with each one.  Today’s idea should be applied as follows:

First, name the situation:

I am concerned about _____________.

Then go over every possible outcome that has occurred to you in that connection and which has caused you concern, referring to each one quite specifically, saying:

I am afraid _____________ will happen.

If you are doing the exercises properly, you should have some five or six distressing possibilities available for each situation you use, and quite possibly more.  It is much more helpful to cover a few situations thoroughly than to touch on a larger number.  As the list of anticipated outcomes for each situation continues, you will probably find some of them, especially those that occur to you toward the end, less acceptable to you.  Try, however, to treat them all alike to whatever extent you can.

After you have named each outcome of which you are afraid, tell yourself:

That thought is an attack upon myself.

Conclude each practice period by repeating today’s idea to yourself once more.

Let’s practice together!  Watch and listen to me reading each ACIM Lesson on Youtube.  Also, check out Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.