My experience with the ACIM Workbook Lessons

04 Jan 2022 Comments Off on Lesson 4 – These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see.

Lesson 4 – These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see.

Arrange your body for optimal breathing. Lengthen up so your lungs and heart are free to function. Settle your butt into what you’re sitting on, and if you’re in a chair, meet the ground solidly with the soles of your feet, spreading them like peanut butter on a piece of warm bread. You are plugging yourself into a spiritual socket and tapping into the God-current.

Become aware of your thoughts. Let them roll by and notice what they are without becoming involved in them. Just for a minute or two.

Now — use Lesson 4: These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room, from this window, in this place.

Breathe … allow the meaningless to separate from the meaningful. The Course in Miracles mind training reveals to you, sooner or later, that underneath good thoughts (shadows) and bad thoughts (blockages) is Real Thought.

Some of us are very attuned to our bodies and feel every twitch and flutter. Some of us prefer to disregard bodily gurgles and pains and pressures. In order to become spiritually embodied, which may sound oxymoronic, but is actually crucial to recognizing you are not the body, breathing and muscle relaxation is key. Breathing and relaxing muscles unlock psychological barriers. All humans develop brilliant creative adjustments (defense mechanisms) beginning in early childhood and continue to accrue some more throughout adulthood when jarring and traumatic events occur.

Lesson 4 offers a shift in perception regarding thoughts. We learn that thoughts are internal objects. This can be a powerful, and perhaps disorienting, insight. Jesus tells us, “This is a major exercise…” Even though it is major, that doesn’t mean it has to be deadly serious. In my experience, a playful attitude is the easiest way to navigate our way through A Course in Miracles.

For those of you who are longterm ACIM practitioners: This morning I asked Jesus what a veteran Course in Miracles student, who has done the Workbook more than once, is to make of the following statements in Lesson 4: “When the lesson says it is ‘a first attempt’ and it is ‘…the beginning of training your mind’ and ‘You are too inexperienced…’ and ‘…these exercises are the first of their kind…’

The reply came, “Those statements do not dismiss the work you’ve done before. That past work has, seemingly, led to this moment.* Do not interpret anything I say as criticism or chastisement, but instead, become present to your current experience as if you are a patch of blue sky emerging from clouds.”

* Read Coming Apart at the Seems

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags: , ,

31 Dec 2021 Comments Off on EPILOGUE to Workbook for Students

EPILOGUE to Workbook for Students

This course is a beginning, not an end. Your Friend goes with you. You are not alone. No one who calls on Him can call in vain. Whatever troubles you, be certain that He has the answer, and will gladly give it to you, if you simply turn to Him and ask it of Him. He will not withhold all answers that you need for anything that seems to trouble you. He knows the way to solve all problems, and resolve all doubts. His certainty is yours. You need but ask it of Him, and it will be given you.

You are as certain of arriving home as is the pathway of the sun laid down before it rises, after it has set, and in the half-lit hours in between. Indeed, your pathway is more certain still. For it can not be possible to change the course of those whom God has called to Him. Therefore obey your will, and follow Him Whom you accepted as your voice, to speak of what you really want and really need. His is the Voice for God and also yours. And thus He speaks of freedom and of truth.

No more specific lessons are assigned, for there is no more need of them. Henceforth, hear but the Voice for God and for your Self when you retire from the world, to seek reality instead. He will direct your efforts, telling you exactly what to do, how to direct your mind, and when to come to Him in silence, asking for His sure direction and His certain Word. His is the Word that God has given you. His is the Word you chose to be your own.

And now I place you in His hands, to be His faithful follower, with Him as Guide through every difficulty and all pain that you may think is real. Nor will He give you pleasures that will pass away, for He gives only the eternal and the good. Let Him prepare you further. He has earned your trust by speaking daily to you of your Father and your brother and your Self. He will continue. Now you walk with Him, as certain as is He of where you go; as sure as He of how you should proceed; as confident as He is of the goal, and of your safe arrival in the end.

The end is certain, and the means as well. To this we say “Amen.” You will be told exactly what God wills for you each time there is a choice to make. And He will speak for God and for your Self, thus making sure that hell will claim you not, and that each choice you make brings Heaven nearer to your reach. And so we walk with Him from this time on, and turn to Him for guidance and for peace and sure direction. Joy attends our way. For we go homeward to an open door which God has held unclosed to welcome us.

We trust our ways to Him and say “Amen.” In peace we will continue in His way, and trust all things to Him. In confidence we wait His answers, as we ask His Will in everything we do. He loves God’s Son as we would love him. And He teaches us how to behold him through His eyes, and love him as He does. You do not walk alone. God’s angels hover near and all about. His Love surrounds you, and of this be sure; that I will never leave you comfortless.

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags: ,

31 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 365 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Lesson 365 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

Aummmmmm …

LESSON 365

This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge.  For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me.  If I need a thought, that will He also give.  And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him.  He is in charge by my request.  And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.

 

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

30 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 364 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Lesson 364 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

My heart flutters like a small bird in my chest … hope, anticipation, release!  First, a feeling of being held tenderly in my Father’s Hand.  Then … as I settle and feel safe … His Hand opens and … I am released without being let go … God’s Extension is total freedom and complete unity simultaneously.

LESSON 364

This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge.  For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me.  If I need a thought, that will He also give.  And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him.  He is in charge by my request.  And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.

 

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

29 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 363 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Lesson 363 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

My heart eases reading these words and entering the Stillness by doing nothing.  In my willingness to follow and to receive, comes  a shift from noticing a heartbeat within my own chest to being One with the Cosmic Heart.

LESSON 363

This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge.  For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me.  If I need a thought, that will He also give.  And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him.  He is in charge by my request.  And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.

 

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

28 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 362 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Lesson 362 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

The Holy Spirit is in charge by my request.  From Chapter 16:

I am not alone, and I would not intrude the past upon my Guest.
I have invited Him, and He is here.
I need do nothing except not to interfere.

… Certain that Your direction gives me peace …

LESSON 362

This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge.  For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me.  If I need a thought, that will He also give.  And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him.  He is in charge by my request.  And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.

 

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

27 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 361 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Lesson 361 – This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

This holy instant would I give to You, Holy Spirit.  Be You in charge.  I place myself in Your Hands, certain that following You gives me Peace.

LESSON 361

This holy instant do I give to You.
Be You in charge.  For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me.  If I need a thought, that will He also give.  And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him.  He is in charge by my request.  And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.

 

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

26 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 360 – Peace be to me, the holy Son of God. Peace to my brother, who is one with me. Let all the world be blessed with peace through us.

Lesson 360 – Peace be to me, the holy Son of God. Peace to my brother, who is one with me. Let all the world be blessed with peace through us.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

The Great Rays remain forever still and undisturbed within me.  Reaching inside in silence and in certainty, Peace is right Here … Holy, Holy, Holy Innocent Peace … Amen.

LESSON 360

Peace be to me, the holy Son of God.
Peace to my brother, who is one with me.
Let all the world be blessed with peace through us.

 Father, it is Your peace that I would give, receiving it of You.  I am Your Son, forever just as You created me, for the Great Rays remain forever still and undisturbed within me.  I would reach to them in silence and in certainty, for nowhere else can certainty be found.  Peace be to me, and peace to all the world.  In holiness were we created, and in holiness do we remain.  You Son is like to You in perfect sinlessness.  And with this thought we gladly say “Amen.”

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

25 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 359 – God’s answer is some form of peace. All pain is healed; all misery replaced with joy. All prison doors are opened. And all sin is understood as merely a mistake.

Lesson 359 – God’s answer is some form of peace. All pain is healed; all misery replaced with joy. All prison doors are opened. And all sin is understood as merely a mistake.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

I have imprisoned myself, forgotten that I did so, judged myself a sinner, blamed my Father and my brothers for that, felt guilty, terrified and alone … but, hallelujah!, I was wrong 🙂  And in that error, in that wrongness, all that happened was I hallucinated and believed that what I hallucinated was real; all that happened was I limited my Self and believed I was a personal self — me.  Now I am using “me” to awaken to the Truth: I am the Wholeness and the Oneness of the Living Loving Light which is eternally and infinitely Peaceful.  Forgiveness is the recognition that what I think I think, and what I think I see, is merely illusion.  And so it is.  Happy Unborn Day, Jesus!

LESSON 359

God’s answer is some form of peace.  All pain
Is healed; all misery replaced with joy.
All prison doors are opened.  And all sin
Is understood as merely a mistake.

Father, today we will forgive Your world, and let creation be Your Own.  We have misunderstood all things.  But we have not made sinners of the holy Sons of God.  What You created sinless so abides forever and forever.  Such are we.  And we rejoice to learn that we have made mistakes which have no real effects on us.  Sin is impossible, and on this face forgiveness rests upon a certain base more solid than the shadow world we see.  Help us forgive, for we would be redeemed.  Help us forgive, for we would be at peace.

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

24 Dec 2021 Comments Off on Lesson 358 – No call to God can be unheard nor left unanswered. And of this I can be sure; His answer is the one I really want.

Lesson 358 – No call to God can be unheard nor left unanswered. And of this I can be sure; His answer is the one I really want.

Commentary (full lesson beneath commentary)

Words are not necessary to call to God.  A sincere heart is all that is required.  And even an unsure heart can be willing to be sincere.  Ask to recognize what you already are, ask to use your life to love and be loved, ask to be used as a clear conduit, ask that every aspect of your individual life be a symbol of God’s Love for the highest good of All … ask for this and you can’t go wrong.  Ask and it is given.

LESSON 358

No call to God can be unheard nor left
Unanswered.  And of this I can be sure;
His answer is the one I really want.

 You Who remember what I really am alone remember what I really want.  You speak for God, and so You speak for me.  And what You give me comes from God Himself.  Your Voice, my Father, then is mine as well, and all I want is what You offer me, in just the form You choose that it be mine.  Let me remember all I do not know, and let my voice be still, remembering.  But let me not forget your Love and care, keeping Your promise to Your Son in my awareness always.  Let me not forget myself is nothing, but my Self is all.

Let’s practice together!  Click here for more information and to sign-up for Workin’ the Workbook, my online class which supports the ACIM Workbook practice.  

by Amy Torres in Today's ACIM Lesson Tags:

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