SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF THE PRINCIPLES OF
THE TUTU DOCTRINE – THE NEW WORLD ORDER
(The explanation for the changes in language is found in the first part of this book called the text)
1
A theoretical
foundation such as the text is necessary as a background to make these
exercises meaningful. Yet it is the exercises which will make the goal
possible. An untrained mind can accomplish nothing. It is the purpose of
these
exercises to train the mind to think along the lines which the course
sets
forth.
2
The exercises are
very simple. They do not require more than a few minutes, and it does
not
matter where or when you do them. They need no preparation. They are
numbered,
running from 1 to 365. The training period is one year. Do not undertake
more
than one exercise a day.
3
The purpose of
these exercises is to train the mind to a different perception of
everything in
the world. The workbook is divided into two sections, the first dealing
with the
undoing of what you see now and the second with the restoration of
sight. It is
recommended that each exercise be repeated several times a day,
preferably in a
different place each time and, if possible, in every situation in which
you
spend any long period of time. The purpose is to train the mind to
generalize
the lessons, so that you will understand that each of them is as
applicable to
one situation as it is to another.
4
Unless specified to
the contrary, the exercise should be practiced with the eyes open, since
the
aim is to learn how to see. The only rule that should be followed
throughout is
to practice the exercises with great specificity. Each one applies to
every
situation in which you find yourself and to everything you see in it.
Each day's
exercises are planned around one central idea, the exercises themselves
consisting of applying that idea to as many specifics as possible. Be
sure that
you do not decide that there are some things you see to which the idea
for the
day is inapplicable. The aim of the exercises will always be to increase
the
application of the idea to everything. This will not require effort.
Only be
sure that you make no exceptions in applying the idea.
5
Some of the ideas
you will find hard to believe, and others will seem quite startling. It
does
not matter. You are merely asked to apply them to what you see. You are
not
asked to judge them, nor even to believe them. You are asked only to use
them.
It is their use which will give them meaning to you, and show you they
are true.
Remember only this—you need not believe them, you need not accept them,
and you
need not welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of
this will
matter nor decrease their efficacy. But allow yourself to make no
exceptions in
applying the ideas the exercises contain. Whatever your reactions to the
ideas
may be, use them. Nothing more than this is required.
1
Now look slowly
around you, and practice applying this idea very specifically to
whatever you
see:
3
Then look farther
away from your immediate area, and apply the idea to a wider range:
5
Notice that these
statements are not arranged in any order, and make no allowance for
differences
in the kinds of things to which they are applied. That is the purpose of
the
exercise. The statement is merely applied to anything you see. As you
practice
applying the idea for the day, use it totally indiscriminately. Do not
attempt
to apply it to everything you see, for these exercises should not become
ritualistic. Only be sure that nothing you see is specifically excluded.
One
thing is like another as far as the application of the idea is
concerned.
1
The exercises with
this idea are the same as those for the first one. Begin with the things
that
are near you, and apply the idea to whatever your glance rests on. Then
increase the range outward. Turn your head so that you include whatever
is to
either side. If possible, turn around and apply the idea to what was
behind you.
Remain as indiscriminate as possible in selecting subjects for its
application,
do not concentrate on anything in particular, and do not attempt to
include
everything in an area or you will introduce strain. Merely glance easily
and
fairly quickly around you, trying to avoid selection by size,
brightness,
color, material, or relative importance to you.
2
Take the subjects
simply as you see them. Try to apply the exercise with equal ease to a
body or
a button, a fly or a floor, an arm or an apple. The sole criterion for
applying
the idea to anything is merely that your eyes have lighted on it. Make
no
attempt to include anything particular, but be sure that nothing is
specifically excluded.
1
Apply this idea in
the same way as the previous ones, without making distinctions of any
kind.
Whatever you see becomes a proper subject for applying the idea. Be sure
that
you do not question the suitability of anything for the application of
the
idea. These are not exercises in judgment. Anything is suitable if you
see it.
Some of the things you see may have emotionally-charged meaning for you.
Try to
lay such feelings aside, and merely use these things exactly as you
would
anything else.
2
The point of the
exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to
see
things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you
really
understand about them. It is therefore essential that you keep a
perfectly open
mind, unhampered by judgment, in selecting the things to which the idea
for the
day is to be applied. For this purpose one thing is like another—equally
suitable and therefore equally useful.
1
Unlike the
preceding ones, these exercises do not begin with the idea for the day.
In
these practice periods, begin with noting the thoughts that are crossing
your
mind for about a minute. Then apply the idea to them. If you are already
aware
of unhappy thoughts, use them as subjects for the idea. Do not, however,
select
only the thoughts you think are "bad." You will find, if you train
yourself to look at your thoughts, that they represent such a mixture
that, in
a sense, none of them can be called "good" or "bad." This
is why they do not mean anything.
2
In selecting the
subjects for the application of today's idea, the usual specificity is
required. Do not be afraid to use "good" thoughts as well as
"bad." None of them represents your real thoughts, which are being
covered up by them. The "good" ones of which you are aware are but
shadows of what lies beyond, and shadows make sight difficult. The
"bad" ones are blocks to sight and make seeing impossible. You do not
want either.
3
This is a major
exercise and will be repeated from time to time in somewhat different
form. The
aim here is to train you in the first steps toward the goal of
separating the
meaningless from the meaningful. It is a first attempt in the long-range
purpose of learning to see the meaningless as outside you and the
meaningful
within. It is also the beginning of training your mind to recognize what
is the
same and what is different. In using your thoughts for application of
the idea
for today, identify each thought by the central figure or event it
contains.
For example:
5You
can also use the
idea for a particular thought which you recognize as harmful. This
practice is
useful, but is not a substitute for the more random procedures to be
followed
for the exercises. Do not, however, examine your mind for more than a
minute or
so. You are too inexperienced as yet to avoid a tendency to become
pointlessly
preoccupied. Further, since these exercises are the first of their kind,
you
may find the suspension of judgment in connection with thoughts
particularly
difficult. Do not repeat these exercises more than three or four times
during
the day. We will return to them later.
1
This idea, like the
preceding one, can be used with any person, situation, or event you
think is
causing you pain. Apply it specifically to whatever you believe is the
cause of
your upset, using the description of the feeling in whatever term seems
accurate to you. The upset may seem to be fear, worry, depression,
anxiety,
anger, hatred, jealousy, or any number of forms, all of which will be
perceived
as different. This is not true. However, until you learn that form does
not
matter, each form becomes a proper subject for the exercises for the
day.
Applying the same idea to each of them separately is the first step in
ultimately recognizing they are all the same.
2
When using the idea
for today for a specific perceived cause of an upset in any form, use
both the
name of the form in which you see the upset and the cause which you
ascribe to
it. For example:
4
But again, this
should not be substituted for practice periods in which you first search
your
mind for "sources" of upset in which you believe and forms of upset
which
you think result.
5
In these exercises,
more than in the preceding ones, you may find it hard to be
indiscriminate and
to avoid giving greater weight to some subjects than to others. It might
help
to precede the exercises with the statement:
7
Then examine your
mind for whatever is distressing you, regardless of how much or how
little you
think it is doing so.
8
You may also find
yourself less willing to apply today's idea to some perceived sources of
upset
than to others. If this occurs, think first of this:
10
Then search your
mind for no more than a minute or so, and try to identify a number of
different
forms of upset that are disturbing you, regardless of the relative
importance
you may give them. Apply the idea for today to each of them, using the
name of
both the source of the upset as you perceive it and of the feelings as
you
experience it. Further examples are:
12
Three or four times
during the day are enough.
1
The exercises with
this idea are very similar to the preceding ones. Again, it is necessary
to
name both the form of upset (anger, fear, worry, depression, and so on)
and the
perceived source very specifically for any application of the idea. For
example:
3Today's
idea is
useful for application to anything that seems to upset you and can
profitably
be used throughout the day for that purpose. However, the three or four
practice periods which are required should be preceded by a minute or so
of
mind searching, as before, and the application of the idea to each
upsetting
thought uncovered in the search.
4
Again, if you
resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others,
remind
yourself of the two cautions stated in the previous lesson:
6And:
1
This idea is
particularly difficult to believe at first. Yet it is the rationale for
all of
the preceding ones.
2
It is the reason
why nothing that you see means anything.
3
It is the reason
why you have given everything you see all the meaning that it has for
you.
4
It is the reason
why you do not understand anything you see.
5
It is the reason
why your thoughts do not mean anything and why they are like the things
you
see.
6
It is the reason
why you are never upset for the reason you think.
7
It is the reason
why you are upset because you see something that is not there.
8
Old ideas about
time are very difficult to change because everything you believe is
rooted in
time and depends on your not learning these new ideas about it. Yet that
is
precisely why you need new ideas about time. This first time idea is not
really
so strange as it may sound at first. Look at a cup, for example.
9
Do you see a cup,
or are you merely reviewing your past experiences of picking up a cup,
being
thirsty, drinking from a cup, feeling the rim of a cup against your
lips,
having breakfast, and so on? Are not your aesthetic reactions to the
cup, too,
based on past experiences? How else would you know whether or not this
kind of
cup will break if you drop it? What do you know about this cup except
what you
learned in the past? You would have no idea what this cup is except for
your
past learning. Do you, then, really see it?
10
Look about you.
This is equally true of whatever you look at. Acknowledge this by
applying the
idea for today indiscriminately to whatever catches your eye. For
example:
12
Do not linger over
any one thing in particular, but remember to omit nothing specifically.
Glance
briefly at each subject, and then move on to the next.
1
This idea is, of
course, the reason why you see only the past. No one really sees
anything.
He/she sees only his/her thoughts projected outward. The mind's
preoccupation
with the past is the cause of the total misconception about time from
which
your seeing suffers. Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the
only time
there is. It therefore cannot understand time and cannot, in fact,
understand
anything.
2
The only wholly
true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. To
think about
it at all is therefore to think about illusions. Very few minds have
realized
what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the
future.
The mind is actually blank when it does this because it is not really
thinking
about anything.
3
The purpose of the
exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it
is not
really thinking at all. While thoughtless "ideas" preoccupy your
mind, the truth is blocked. Recognizing that your mind has been merely
blank,
rather than believing that it is filled with real ideas, is the first
step to
opening the way to vision.
4
The exercises for
today should be done with eyes closed. This is because you actually
cannot see
anything, and it is easier to recognize that, no matter how vividly you
may
picture a thought, you are not seeing anything. With as little
investment as
possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the
thoughts you find there. Name each one by the central figure or theme it
contains, and pass on to the next. Introduce the practice period by
saying:
6
Then name each of
your thoughts specifically. For example:
8
and so on,
concluding at the end of the mind-searching period with:
10
This can be done
four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you. If
you
find it trying, three or four times are sufficient. You might find it
helpful,
however, to include your irritation, or any emotion which the idea may
induce,
in the mind searching itself.
1
This idea obviously
follows from the two preceding ones. But while you may be able to accept
it
intellectually, it is unlikely that it will mean anything to you as yet.
However, understanding is not necessary at this point. In fact, the
recognition
that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing your false
ideas.
These exercises are concerned with practice, not with understanding. You
do not
need to practice what you really understand. It would indeed be circular
to aim
at understanding and assume that you have it already.
2
It is difficult for
the untrained mind to believe that what seems to be pictured before it
is not
there. This idea can be quite disturbing and may meet with active
resistance in
any number of forms. Yet that does not preclude applying it. No more
than that
is required for these or any other exercises. Each little step will
clear a
little of the darkness away, and understanding will finally come to
lighten
every corner of the mind which has been cleared of the debris that
darkens it.
3
These exercises,
for which three or four practice periods are sufficient, involve looking
about
you and applying the idea for the day to whatever you see, remembering
the need
for its indiscriminate application and the essential rule of excluding
nothing.
For example:
5
Begin with things
that are nearest you, and then extend the range:
7
It is emphasized
again that while complete inclusion should not be attempted, specific
exclusion
must be avoided. Be sure you are honest in making this distinction. You
may be
tempted to obscure it.
1
This idea applies
to all the thoughts of which you are aware or become aware in the
practice
periods. The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they
are not
your real thoughts. We have made this distinction before and will again.
You
have no basis for comparison as yet. When you do, you will have no doubt
that
what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything.
2
This is the second
time we have used this kind of idea. The form is only slightly
different. This
time the idea is introduced with "My thoughts" instead of "These
thoughts" and no link is made overtly with the things around you. The
emphasis is now on the lack of reality of what you think you think.
3
This aspect of the
correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you
are aware
are meaningless, outside rather than within, and then stressed their
past
rather than their present status. Now we are emphasizing that the
presence of
these "thoughts" means that you are not thinking. This is merely
another way of repeating our earlier statement that your mind is really
a
blank. To recognize this is to recognize nothingness when you think you
see it.
As such, it is the prerequisite for vision.
4
Close your eyes for
these exercises and introduce them by repeating the idea for today quite
slowly
to yourself. Then add:
6
The exercises
consist, as before, in searching your mind for all the thoughts which
are
available to you, without selection or judgment. Try to avoid
classification of
any kind. In fact, if you find it helpful to do so, you might imagine
that you
are watching an oddly assorted procession going by, which has little if
any
personal meaning to you. As each one crosses your mind, say:
8
Today's idea can
obviously serve for any thought that distresses you at any time. In
addition,
five practice periods are recommended, each involving no more than a
minute or
so of mind searching. It is not recommended that this time period be
extended,
and it should be reduced to half a minute or even less if you experience
discomfort. Remember, however, to repeat the idea slowly before applying
it
specifically, and also to add:
1
This is the first
idea we have had which is related to a major phase of the correction
process—the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the
world
determines what you perceive. Today's idea introduces the concept that
your
thoughts determine the world you see. Be glad indeed to practice the
idea in
this initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure. The key
to
forgiveness lies in it.
2
The practice
periods for today's idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from
the
previous ones. Begin with eyes closed, and repeat the idea slowly to
yourself.
Then open your eyes and look about, near or far, up or down—anywhere.
During
the minute or so to be spent in using the idea, merely repeat it to
yourself,
being sure to do so without haste and with no sense of urgency or
effort.
3
To do these
exercises for maximum benefit, the eyes should move from one thing to
another
fairly rapidly since they should not linger on anything in particular.
The
words, however, should be used in an unhurried, even leisurely fashion.
The
introduction to this idea should be practiced as casually as possible.
It
contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation, and freedom from
worry that
we are trying to achieve. On concluding the exercises, close your eyes
and
repeat the idea once more, slowly, to yourself.
4
Three practice
periods today will probably be sufficient. However, if there is little
or no
uneasiness and an inclination to do more, as many as five may be
undertaken.
More than this is not recommended.
1
The importance of
this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major
perceptual
distortion. You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a
sad
world, or a violent world, or an insane world. All these attributes are
given
it by you. The world is meaningless in itself.
2
These exercises are
done with eyes open. Look around you, this time quite slowly. Try to
pace
yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to
another
involves a fairly constant time interval. Do not allow the time of the
shift to
become markedly longer or shorter, but try, instead, to keep a measured,
even
tempo throughout. What you see does not matter. You teach yourself this
as you
give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time. This
is a
beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.
3
As you look about
you, say to yourself:
5
and so on, using
whatever descriptive terms happen to occur to you. If terms which seem
positive
rather than negative occur to you, include them. For example, you might
think
of a "good world," or a "satisfying world." If such terms occur
to you, use them along with the rest. You may not yet understand why
these
"nice" adjectives belong in these exercises, but remember that a
"good world" implies a "bad" one, and a "satisfying
world" implies an "unsatisfying" one. All terms which cross your
mind are suitable subjects for today's exercises. Their seeming quality
does
not matter.
6
Be sure that you do
not alter the time intervals between applying today's idea to what you
think is
pleasant and what you think is unpleasant. For the purposes of these
exercises,
there is no difference between them. At the end of the practice period,
add:
8
What is meaningless
is neither good nor bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset
you? If
you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written
upon it
for you, it would make you indescribably happy. But because it is
meaningless,
you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be. It is this
you see
in it. It is this that is meaningless in truth. Beneath your words is
written
the Word of God. The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been
erased, you will see HisHer. That is the ultimate purpose of these
exercises.
9
Three or four times
are enough for practicing the idea for today. Nor should the practice
periods
exceed a minute. You may find even this too long. Terminate the
exercises
whenever you experience a sense of strain.
1
Today's idea is
really another form of the preceding one, except that it is more
specific as to
the emotion aroused. Actually, a meaningless world is impossible.
Nothing
without meaning exists. However, it does not follow that you will not
think you
perceive something that has no meaning. On the contrary, you will be
particularly likely to think you do perceive it.
2
Recognition of
meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. It
represents a situation in which God and the ego "challenge" each
other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space which
meaninglessness provides. The ego rushes in frantically to establish its
own
"ideas" there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to
demonstrate its own unreality. And on this alone it is correct.
3
It is essential,
therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless and accept it
without
fear. If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world
with
attributes which it does not possess and crowd it with images that do
not
exist. To the ego, illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to
you
who equate yourself with the ego.
4
The exercises for
today, which should be done about three or four times for not more than
a
minute or so at most each time, are to be practiced in a somewhat
different way
from the preceding ones. With eyes closed, repeat today's idea to
yourself.
Then open your eyes and look about you slowly, saying:
6
Repeat this
statement to yourself as you look about. Then close your eyes and
conclude
with:
8
You may find it
difficult to avoid resistance in one form or another to this concluding
statement. Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that
you are
really afraid of such a thought because of the "vengeance" of the
"enemy." You are not expected to believe the statement at this point
and will probably try to dismiss it as preposterous. Note carefully,
however,
any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse. This is our first
attempt at stating an explicit cause and effect relationship of a kind
which
you are very inexperienced in recognizing. Do not dwell on the
concluding
statement, and try not even to think of it except during the exercise
periods.
That will suffice at present.
1
The idea for today
is, of course, the reason why a meaningless world is impossible. What
God did
not createmanifest does not exist. And everything that does exist exists
as
HeShe createdmanifested it. The world you see has nothing to do with
reality. It
is of your own making, and it does not exist.
2
The exercises for
today are to be practiced with eyes closed throughout. The mind
searching
period should be short, a minute at most. Do not have more than three
practice
periods with today's idea unless you find them comfortable. If you do,
it will
be because you really understand what they are for.
3
The idea for today
is another step in learning to let go the thoughts which you have
written on
the world, and see the Word of God in their place. The early steps in
this
exchange, which can truly be called salvation, can be quite difficult
and even
quite painful. Some of them will lead you directly into fear. You will
not be
left there. You will go far beyond it. Our direction is toward perfect
safety
and perfect peace.
4
With eyes closed,
think of all the horrors in the world that cross your mind. Name each
one as it
occurs to you, and then deny its reality. God did not createmanifest it,
and so
it is not real. Say, for example:
6
Suitable subjects
for the application of today's idea also include anything you are afraid
might
happen to you or to anyone about whom you are concerned. In each case,
name the
"disaster" quite specifically. Do not use general terms. For example,
do not say, "God did not createmanifest illness," but, "God did
not createmanifest cancer," or heart attacks, or whatever may arouse
fear
in you.
7
This is your
personal repertory of horrors at which you are looking. These things are
part
of the world you see. Some of them are shared illusions, and others are
part of
your personal hell. It does not matter. What God did not createmanifest
can
only be in your own mind apart from HisHer. Therefore, it has no
meaning. In
recognition of this fact, conclude the practice periods by repeating
today's
idea:
9
The idea for today
can, of course, be applied to anything that disturbs you during the day,
aside
from the practice periods. Be very specific in applying it. Say:
1
It is because the
thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize
them as
nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This
is how
your "seeing" was made. This is the function you have given your
body's eyes. It is not seeing. It is image-making. It takes the place of
seeing, replacing vision with illusions.
2
This introductory
idea to the process of image-making which you call seeing will not have
much
meaning for you. You will begin to understand it when you have seen
little
edges of light around the same familiar objects which you see now. That
is the
beginning of real vision. You can be certain that real vision will come
quickly
when this has occurred.
3
As we go along, you
may have many "light episodes." They may take many different forms,
some of them quite unexpected. Do not be afraid of them. They are signs
that
you are opening your eyes at last. They will not persist, because they
merely
symbolize true perception, and they are not related to knowledge. These
exercises will not reveal knowledge to you. But they will prepare the
way to
it.
4
In practicing the
idea for today, repeat it first to yourself, and then apply it to
whatever you
see around you, using its name and letting your eyes rest on it as you
say:
6
It is not necessary
to include a large number of specific subjects for the application of
today's
idea. It is necessary, however, to continue to look at each subject
while you
repeat the idea to yourself. The idea should be repeated quite slowly
each
time.
7
Although you will
obviously not be able to apply the idea to very many things during the
minute
or so of practice that is recommended, try to make the selection as
random as
possible. Less than a minute will do for the practice periods, if you
begin to
feel uneasy. Do not have more than three application periods for today's
idea
unless you feel completely comfortable with it, and do not exceed four.
1
The idea for today
is a beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no
effect.
Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception
to
this fact. Thoughts are not big or little, powerful or weak. They are
merely
true or false. Those which are true createmanifest their own likeness.
Those which
are false make theirs.
2
There is no more
self-contradictory concept than that of "idle thoughts." What gives
rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle. Every
thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends
the
truth or it multiplies illusions. You can indeed multiply nothing, but
you will
not extend it by doing so.
3
In addition to
never being idle, salvation requires that you recognize that every
thought you
have brings either peace or war, either love or fear. A neutral result
is
impossible because a neutral thought is impossible. There is such a
temptation
to dismiss fear thoughts as unimportant, trivial, and not worth
bothering about
that it is essential you recognize them all as equally destructive but
equally
unreal. We will practice this idea in many forms before you really
understand
it.
4
In applying the
idea for today, search your mind for a minute or so, with eyes closed,
and
actively seek not to overlook any "little" thought which tends to
elude the search. This is quite difficult until you get used to it. You
will
find that it is still hard for you not to make artificial distinctions.
Every
thought that occurs to you, regardless of the quality which you assign
to it,
is a suitable subject for applying today's idea.
5
In the practice
periods, first repeat the idea, and then as each one crosses your mind,
hold it
in awareness while you tell yourself:
7
As usual, use
today's idea whenever you are aware of a particular thought which
arouses
uneasiness. The following form is suggested for this purpose:
9
Four or five
practice periods are recommended if you find them relatively effortless.
If
strain is experienced, three will be enough. The length of the exercise
period
should also be reduced if there is discomfort.
1
This idea is
another step in the direction of identifying cause and effect as it
really
operates. You see no neutral things because you have no neutral
thoughts. It is
always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe
that it
is really the other way around. This is not the way the world thinks,
but you
must learn that it is the way you think. If it were not so, perception
would
have no cause and would itself be the cause of reality. In view of its
highly
variable nature, this is hardly likely.
2
In applying today's
idea, say to yourself, with eyes open:
4
Then look about
you, resting your glance on each thing that catches your eye long enough
to
say:
6
For example, you
might say:
8
As usual, it is
essential to make no distinction between what you believe to be animate
or
inanimate, pleasant or unpleasant. Regardless of what you may believe,
you do
not see anything which is really alive and really joyous. That is
because you
are unaware as yet of any thoughts which are really true and therefore
really
happy.
9
Three or four
specific practice periods are recommended and no less than three are
required
for maximum benefit even if you experience resistance. However, if you
do, the
length of the practice period may be reduced to less than the minute or
so
which is otherwise recommended.
1
The idea for today
is another step in learning that the thoughts which give rise to what
you see
are never neutral or unimportant. It also emphasizes the idea that minds
are
joined, which will be given increasing stress later.
2
Today's idea does
not refer to what you see as much as to how you see it. Therefore, the
exercises for today will emphasize this aspect of your perception. The
three or
four practice periods which are recommended should be done as follows:
3
Selecting subjects
for the application of the idea randomly, look at each one long enough
to say:
5
Conclude the
practice period by repeating the more general statement:
7
A minute or so or
even less will be sufficient.
1
The idea for today
is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone. You
will
notice that at times the ideas related to thinking precede those related
to
perceiving, while at other times the order is reversed. The reason is
that the
order does not actually matter. Thinking and its results are really
simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate.
2
Today we are again
emphasizing the fact that minds are joined. This is rarely a wholly
welcome
idea at first, since it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of
responsibility and may even be regarded as an "invasion of privacy."
Yet it is a fact that there are no private thoughts. Despite your
initial
resistance to this idea, you will yet understand that it must be true if
salvation is possible at all. And salvation must be possible because it
is the
Will of God.
3
The minute or so of
mind searching which today's exercises require are to be undertaken with
eyes
closed. The idea is to be repeated first, and then the mind should be
carefully
searched for the thoughts it contains at that time. As you consider each
one,
name it in terms of the central person or theme it contains and, holding
it in
your mind as you do so, say:
5
The requirement of
as much indiscriminateness as possible in selecting subjects for the
practice
period should be quite familiar to you by now and will no longer be
repeated
each day, although it will occasionally be included as a reminder. Do
not
forget, however, that random selection of subjects for all practice
periods
remains essential throughout. Lack of order in this connection will
ultimately
make the recognition of lack of order in miracles meaningful to you.
6
Apart from the
"as needed" application of today's idea, at least three practice
periods are required, shortening the length of time involved if
necessary. Do
not attempt more than four.
1
We have been quite
casual about our practice periods thus far. There has been virtually no
attempt
to direct the time for undertaking them, minimal effort has been
required, and
not even active cooperation and interest have been asked. This casual
approach
has been intentional and very carefully planned. We have not lost sight
of the
crucial importance of the reversal of your thinking. The salvation of
the world
depends on it. Yet you will not see if you regard yourself as being
coerced and
if you give in to resentment and opposition.
2
This is our first
attempt to introduce structure. Do not misconstrue it as an effort to
exert
force or pressure. You want salvation. You want to be happy. You want
peace.
You do not have them now because your mind is totally undisciplined, and
you
cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and
fear.
You are now learning how to tell them apart. And great indeed will be
your
reward.
3
Your decision to
see is all that vision requires. What you want is yours. Do not mistake
the
little effort that is asked of you for a sign that our goal is of little
worth.
Can the salvation of the world be a trivial purpose? And can the world
be saved
if you are not? God has one SonDaughter, and heshe is the resurrection
and the
life. Hisher will is done because all power is given Himher in the God
Realm
and on earth. In your determination to see is vision given you.
4
The exercises for
today consist in reminding yourselves throughout the day that you want
to see.
Today's idea also tacitly implies the recognition that you do not see
now.
Therefore, as you repeat the idea, you are stating that you are
determined to
change your present state for a better one, and one you really want.
5
Repeat today's idea
slowly and positively at least twice an hour today, attempting to do so
every
half hour. Do not be distressed if you forget to do so, but make a real
effort
to remember. The extra repetitions should be applied to any situation,
person,
or event which upsets you. You can see them differently, and you will.
What you
desire, you will see. Such is the real law of cause and effect as it
operates
in the world.
1
The idea for today
is obviously a continuation and extension of the preceding one. This
time,
however, specific mind searching periods are necessary in addition to
applying
the idea to particular situations as they arise. Five practice periods
are
urged, allowing a full minute for each.
2
In the practice
periods, begin by repeating the idea to yourself. Then close your eyes
and
search your mind carefully for situations past, present or anticipated,
which
arouse anger in you. The anger may take the form of any reaction ranging
from
mild irritation to rage. The degree of the emotion you experience does
not
matter. You will become increasingly aware that a slight twinge of
annoyance is
nothing but a veil drawn over intense fury.
3
Try, therefore, not
to let the "little" thoughts of anger escape you in the practice
periods. Remember that you do not really recognize what arouses anger in
you,
and nothing that you believe in this connection means anything. You will
probably be tempted to dwell more on some situations than on others on
the
fallacious grounds that they are more "obvious." This is not so. It
is merely an example of the belief that some forms of attack are more
justified
than others.
4
As you search your
mind for all the forms in which attack thoughts present themselves, hold
each
one in mind and tell yourself:
6
Try to be as
specific as possible. You may, for example, focus your anger on a
particular
attribute of a particular person, believing that the anger is limited to
this
aspect. If your perception of the person is suffering from this form of
distortion, say:
1
Today's idea
accurately describes the way anyone who holds attack thoughts in his/her
mind
must see the world. Having projected his/her anger onto the world,
he/she sees
vengeance about to strike at him/her. His/her own attack is thus
perceived as
self defense. This becomes an increasingly vicious circle until he/she
is
willing to change how he/she sees. Otherwise, thoughts of attack and
counter-attack will preoccupy him/her and people his/her entire world.
What
peace of mind is possible to him/her then?
2
It is from this
savage fantasy that you want to escape. Is it not joyous news to hear
that it
is not real? Is it not a happy discovery to find that you can escape?
You made
what you would destroy—everything that you hate and would attack and
kill. All
that you fear does not exist.
3
Look at the world
about you at least five times today, for at least a minute each time. As
your
eyes move slowly from one object to another, from one body to another,
say to
yourself:
5
At the end of each
practice period, ask yourself:
7
The answer is
surely obvious.
1
The idea for today
contains the only way out of fear that will ever succeed. Nothing else
will
work; everything else is meaningless. But this way cannot fail. Every
thought
you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your
thoughts,
then, that we must work if your perception of the world is to be
changed.
2
If the cause of the
world you see is attack thoughts, you must learn that it is these
thoughts
which you do not want. There is no point in lamenting the world. There
is no
point in trying to change the world. It is incapable of change because
it is
merely an effect. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts
about
the world. Here you are changing the cause. The effects will change
automatically.
3
The world you see
is a vengeful world, and everything in it is a symbol of vengeance. Each
of
your perceptions of "external reality" is a pictorial representation
of your own attack thoughts. One can well ask if this can be called
seeing. Is
not fantasy a better word for such a process and hallucination a more
appropriate term for the result?
4
You see the world
which you have made, but you do not see yourself as the image-maker. You
cannot
be saved from the world, but you can escape from its cause. This is what
salvation
means, for where is the world you see when its cause is gone? Vision
already
holds a replacement for everything you think you see now. Loveliness can
light
your images and so transform them that you will love them even though
they were
made of hate. For you will not be making them alone.
5
The idea for today
introduces the thought that you are not trapped in the world you see,
because
its cause can be changed. This change requires, first, that the cause be
identified and then let go, so that it can be replaced. The first two
steps in
this process require your cooperation. The final one does not. Your
images have
already been replaced. By taking the first two steps, you will see that
this is
so.
6
Besides using it
throughout the day as the need arises, five practice periods are
required in
applying today's idea. As you look about you, repeat the idea slowly to
yourself and then close your eyes and devote about a minute to searching
your
mind for as many attack thoughts as occur to you. As each one crosses
your mind
say:
8
Hold each attack
thought in mind as you say this, and then dismiss that thought and go on
to the
next.
9
In the practice
periods, be sure to include both your thoughts of attacking and of being
attacked. Their effects are exactly the same because they are exactly
the same.
You do not yet recognize this, and you are asked at this time only to
treat
them as the same in today's practice periods. We are still at the stage
of
identifying the cause of the world you see. When you finally realize
that
thoughts of attack and of being attacked are not different, you will be
ready
to let the cause go.
1
In no situation
which arises do you realize the outcome that would make you happy.
Therefore
you have no guide to appropriate action, and no way of judging the
results.
What you do is determined by your perception of the situation, and that
perception is wrong. It is inevitable, then, that you will not serve
your own
best interests. Yet they are your only goal in any situation which is
correctly
perceived. Otherwise, you will not recognize what they are.
2
If you realized
that you do not perceive your own best interests, you could be taught
what they
are. But in the presence of your conviction that you do know what they
are, you
cannot learn. The idea for today is a step toward opening your mind so
that
learning can begin.
3
The exercises for
today require much more honesty than you are accustomed to using. A few
subjects, honestly and carefully considered in each of the five practice
periods which should be undertaken today, will be more helpful than a
more
cursory examination of a large number. Two minutes are suggested for
each of
the mind searching periods which the exercises involve.
4
The practice
periods begin with repeating today's idea, followed by searching the
mind with
closed eyes for unresolved situations about which you are currently
concerned.
The emphasis should be on uncovering the outcome you want. You will
quickly
realize that you have a number of goals in mind as part of the desired
outcome
and also that these goals are on different levels and often conflict.
5
Name each situation
that occurs to you, and enumerate carefully as many goals as possible
that you
would like to be met in its resolution. The form of each application
should be
roughly as follows:
7
and so on. Try to
cover as many different kinds of outcome as may honestly occur to you,
even if
some of them do not appear to you to be directly related to the
situation or
even to be inherent in it at all.
8
If these exercises
are done properly, you will quickly recognize that you are making a
large
number of demands of the situation which have nothing to do with it. You
will
also recognize that many of your goals are contradictory, that you have
no
unified outcome in mind, and that you must experience disappointment in
connection with some of your goals however the situation turns out.
9
After covering the
list of as many hoped-for goals as possible for each unresolved
situation that
crosses your mind, say to yourself:
11
and go on to the
next.
1
Purpose is meaning.
Today's idea explains why nothing you see means anything. You do not
know what
it is for. Therefore it is meaningless to you. Everything is for your
own best
interests. That is what it is for; that is its purpose; that is what it
means.
It is in recognizing this that your goals become unified. It is in
recognizing
this that what you see is given meaning.
2
You perceive the
world and everything in it as meaningful in terms of ego goals. These
goals
have nothing to do with your own best interests because the ego is not
you.
This false identification makes you incapable of understanding what
anything is
for. As a result, you are bound to misuse it. When you believe this, you
will
try to withdraw the goals you have assigned to the world instead of
attempting
to reinforce them.
3
Another way of
describing the goals you now perceive as valuable is to say that they
are all
concerned with "personal" interests. Since you have no personal
interests, your goals are really concerned with nothing. In cherishing
them,
therefore, you have no goals at all. And thus you do not know what
anything is
for.
4
Before you can make
any sense out of the exercises for today, one more thought is necessary.
At the
most superficial levels, you do recognize purpose. Yet purpose cannot be
understood at these levels. For example, you do understand that a
telephone is
for the purpose of talking to someone who is not physically in your
immediate
vicinity. What you do not understand is what you want to reach him/her
for. And
it is this that makes your contact with him/her meaningful or not.
5
It is crucial to
your learning to be willing to give up the goals you have established
for
everything. The recognition that they are meaningless, rather than
"good" or "bad," is the only way to accomplish this. The
idea for today is a step in this direction.
6
Six practice
periods, each of two minutes duration, are required. Each practice
period
should begin with a slow repetition of the idea for today followed by
looking
about you and letting your glance rest on whatever happens to catch your
eye,
near or far, "important" or "unimportant,"
"human" or "unhuman." With your eyes resting on each
subject you so select, say, for example:
8
Say this quite
slowly, without shifting your eyes until you have completed the
statement. Then
move on to the next subject, and apply today's idea as before.
1
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.
2
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.
3
The idea for today
introduces the thought that you always attack yourself. 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.
4
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.
5
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.
6
The practice period
should begin with repeating the idea for today, then closing your eyes
and
reviewing the unresolved situations 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 which 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:
7
First, name the
situation:
9
Then go over every
possible outcome which has occurred to you in that connection and which
has
caused you concern, referring to each one quite specifically, saying:
11
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.
12
As the list of
anticipated outcomes for each situation continues, you will probably
find some
of them, especially those which occur to you toward the end, less
acceptable to
you. Try, however, to treat them all alike to whatever extent you can.
13
After you have
named each outcome of which you are afraid, tell yourself:
15
Conclude each
practice period by repeating today's idea once more.
1
Today's idea
expresses something stronger than mere determination. It gives vision
priority
among your desires. You may feel hesitant about using the idea on the
ground
that you are not sure you really mean it. This does not matter. The
purpose of
today's exercises is to bring the time when the idea will be wholly true
a
little nearer.
2
There may be a
great temptation to believe that some sort of sacrifice is being asked
of you
when you say you want to see above all else. If you become uneasy about
the
lack of reservation involved, add:
4
If fear of loss still
persists, add further:
6
The idea for today
needs many repetitions for maximum benefit. It should be used at least
every
half hour, and more often if possible. You might try for every 15 or 20
minutes. It is recommended that you set a definite time interval for
using the
idea when you wake or shortly afterwards and attempt to adhere to it
throughout
the day. It will not be difficult to do this, even if you are engaged in
conversation or otherwise occupied at the time. You can still repeat one
short
sentence to yourself without disturbing anything that is going on.
7
The real question
is how often will you remember? How much do you want today's idea to be
true?
Answer one of these questions, and you have answered the other. You will
probably
miss several applications and perhaps quite a number. Do not be
disturbed by
this, but do try to keep on your schedule from then on. If only once
during the
day you feel that you were perfectly sincere while you were repeating
today's
idea, you can be sure that you have saved yourself many years of effort.
1
Today we are really
giving specific application to the idea for yesterday. In these practice
periods, you will be making a series of definite commitments. The
question of
whether you will keep them in the future is not our concern here. If you
are
willing at least to make them now, you have started on the way to
keeping them.
And we are still at the beginning.
2
You may wonder why
it is important to say, for example, "Above all else I want to see this
table differently." In itself it is not important at all. Yet what is by
itself? And what does "in itself" mean? You see a lot of separate
things about you, which really means you are not seeing at all. You
either see
or not. When you have seen one thing differently, you will see all
things
differently. The light you will see in any one of them is the same light
you
will see in them all.
3
When you say,
"Above all else I want to see this table differently," you are making
a commitment to withdraw your preconceived ideas about the table and
open your
mind to what it is and what it is for. You are not defining it in past
terms.
You are asking what it is, rather than telling it what it is. You are
not
binding its meaning to your tiny experience of tables, nor are you
limiting its
purpose to your little personal thoughts.
4
You will not
question what we have already defined. And the purpose of these
exercises is to
ask questions and receive the answers. In saying, "Above all else I want
to see this table differently," you are committing yourself to seeing.
It
is not an exclusive commitment. It is a commitment which applies to the
table
just as much as to anything else, neither more nor less.
5
You could, in fact,
gain vision from just that table if you could withdraw all your own
ideas from
it and look upon it with a completely open mind. It has something to
show
you—something beautiful and clean and of infinite value, full of
happiness and
hope. Hidden under all your ideas about it is its real purpose, the
purpose it
shares with all the universe.
6
In using the table
as a subject for applying the idea for today, you are therefore really
asking
to see the purpose of the universe. You will be making this same request
of
each subject which you use in the practice periods. And you are making a
commitment to each of them to let their purpose be revealed to you
instead of
placing your own judgment upon them.
7
We will have six
two minute practice periods today in which the idea for the day is
stated first
and then applied to whatever you see in looking about you. Not only
should the
subjects be chosen randomly, but each one should be accorded equal
sincerity as
today's idea is applied to it in an attempt to acknowledge the equal
value of
them all in their contribution to your seeing.
8
As usual, the
applications should include the name of the subject which your eyes
happen to
light on, and you should rest your eyes on it while saying:
10
Each application
should be made quite slowly and as thoughtfully as possible. There is no
hurry.
1
The idea for today
explains why you can see all purpose in anything. 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.
2
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 CreatorManifestor.
3
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.
4
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.
5
Your list of
subjects should therefore be as free of self-selection as possible. For
example, a suitable list might include:
7
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.
1
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.
2
Today we are trying
to use the 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.
3
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.
4
Real vision is not
limited to concepts such as "near" and "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.
5
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.
1
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.
2
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 them 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.
3
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 thought 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.
4
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.
5
The idea for today
is a particularly useful one to use as a response to any form of
temptation. It
is a declaration that you will not yield to it and put yourself in
bondage.
1
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.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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 exercises
restful. To facilitate this, select a time when few distractions are
anticipated and when you yourself feel reasonably ready.
5
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.
6
The idea for today
should also be applied immediately to any situation which may distress
you.
Apply the idea by telling yourself:
1
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 application.
2
In these practice
periods, the idea should be repeated as often as you find profitable,
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.
3
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:
5
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.
1
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.
2
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 which 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.
3
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.
4
If you begin to
experience difficulty in thinking of specific subjects, continue to
repeat the
idea to yourself in an unhurried the manner, without applying it to
anything in
particular. Be sure, however, not to make any specific exclusions.
5
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:
7
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:
1
Today's idea does
not describe the way you see yourself now. It does, however, describe
what
vision will show you. It is difficult for anyone who thinks he/she is in
this
world to believe this of himself/herself. Yet the reason he/she thinks
he/she
is in this world is because he/she does not believe it.
2
You will believe
that you are part of where you think you are. That is because you
surround
yourself with the environment you want. And you want it to protect the
image of
yourself that you have made. The image is part of it. What you see while
you
believe you are in it is seen through the eyes of the image. This is not
vision. Images cannot see.
3
The idea for today
presents a very different view of yourself. By establishing your Source,
it establishes
your identity, and it describes you as you must really be in truth. We
will use
a somewhat different kind of application for today's idea, because the
emphasis
for today is on the perceiver rather than on what he/she perceives.
4
For each of the three
five-minute practice periods today, begin by repeating today's idea to
yourself
and then close your eyes and search your mind for the various kinds of
descriptive terms in which you see yourself. Include all of the
ego-based
attributes which you ascribe to yourself, positive or negative,
desirable or
undesirable, grandiose or debased. All of them are equally unreal,
because you
do not look upon yourself through the eyes of holiness.
5
In the earlier part
of the mind searching period, you will probably emphasize what you
consider to
be the more negative aspects of your perception of yourself. Toward the
latter
part of the exercise period, however, more self-inflating descriptive
terms may
well cross your mind. Try to recognize that the direction of your
fantasies
about yourself does not matter. Illusions have no direction in reality.
They
are merely not true.
6
A suitable
unselected list for applying the idea for today might be as follows:
8
You should not
think of these terms in an abstract way. They will occur to you as
various
situations, personalities and events in which you figure cross your
mind. Pick
up any specific situation that occurs to you, identify the descriptive
term or
terms which you feel are applicable to your reactions to that situation,
and use
them in applying today's idea. After you have named each one, add:
10
During the longer
exercise periods, there will probably be intervals in which nothing
specific
occurs to you. Do not strain to think up specific things to fill the
interval,
but merely relax and repeat today's idea slowly until something occurs
to you. Although
nothing that does occur should be omitted from the exercises, nothing
should be
"dug out" with effort. Neither force nor discrimination should be
used.
11
As often as
possible during the day, pick up a specific attribute or attributes you
are
ascribing to yourself at the time and apply the idea for today to them,
adding
the idea to each of them in the form stated above. If nothing particular
occurs
to you, merely repeat the idea to yourself with closed eyes.
1
Today's idea
extends the idea for yesterday from the perceiver to the perceived. You
are
holy because your mind is part of God's. And because you are holy, your
sight
must be holy as well. "Sinless" means without sin. You cannot be
without sin a little. You are sinless or not. If your mind is part of
God's,
you must be sinless or a part of HisHer Mind would be sinful. Your sight
is
related to HisHer holiness, not to your ego and therefore not to your
body.
2
Four three- to
five-minute practice periods are required for today. Try to distribute
them
fairly evenly, and make the shorter applications frequently to protect
your
protection throughout the day. The longer practice periods should take
this
form:
3
First, close your
eyes and repeat the idea for today several times slowly. Then open your
eyes
and look quite slowly about you, applying the idea specifically to
whatever you
note in your casual survey. Say, for example:
5
Several times
during these practice periods, close your eyes and repeat the idea to
yourself.
Then open your eyes and continue as before.
6
For the shorter
exercise periods, close your eyes and repeat the idea; look about you as
you
repeat it again; and conclude with one more repetition with your eyes
closed.
All applications should, of course, be made quite slowly, as
effortlessly and
unhurriedly as possible.
1
This idea contains
the first glimmerings of your true function in the world or why you are
here.
Your purpose is to see the world through your own holiness. Thus are you
and
the world blessed together. No one loses; nothing is taken away from
anyone;
everyone gains through your holy vision. It signifies the end of
sacrifice
because it offers everyone his/her full due. And he/she is entitled to
everything
because it is his/her birthright as a SonDaughter of God.
2
There is no other
way in which the idea of sacrifice can be removed from the world's
thinking.
Any other way of seeing will inevitably demand payment of someone or
something.
As a result, the perceiver will lose. Nor will he/she have any idea why
he/she
is losing. Yet is his/her wholeness restored to his/her awareness
through your
vision. Your holiness blesses him/her by asking nothing of him. Those
who see
themselves as whole make no demands.
3
Your holiness is
the salvation of the world. It lets you teach the world that it is one
with
you, not by preaching to it, not by telling it anything, but merely by
your
quiet recognition that in your holiness are all things blessed, along
with you.
4
Today's four longer
exercise periods, each to involve three to five minutes of practice,
begin with
the repetition of the idea for today followed by a minute or so of
looking
about you as you apply the idea to whatever you see:
6
Then close your
eyes and apply the idea to any person who occurs to you, using his/her
name and
saying:
8
You may continue
the practice period with your eyes closed; you may open your eyes again
and
apply the idea for today to your outer world if you so desire; you may
alternate between applying it to what you see around you and to those
who are
in your thoughts; or you may use any combination of these two phases of
application which you prefer. The practice period should conclude with a
repetition of the idea made with your eyes closed and another following
immediately with your eyes open.
9
The shorter
exercises consist of repeating the idea as often as you can. It is
particularly
helpful to apply it silently to anyone you meet, using his/her name as
you do
so. It is essential to use the idea if anyone seems to cause an adverse
reaction in you. Offer him/her the blessing of your holiness immediately
that you
may learn to keep it in your own awareness.
1
Your holiness
reverses all the laws of the world. It is beyond every restriction of
time,
space, distance, and limits of any kind. Your holiness is totally
unlimited in
its power because it establishes you as a SonDaughter of God, at one
with the
Mind of hisher CreatorManifestor. Through your holiness, the power of
God is
made manifest. Through your holiness the power of God is made available.
And
there is nothing the power of God cannot do.
2
Your holiness,
then, can remove all pain, can end all sorrow, and can solve all
problems. It
can do so in connection with yourself and with anyone else. It is equal
in its
power to help anyone because it is equal in its power to save anyone. If
you
are holy, so is everything God createdmanifested. You are holy because
all
things HeShe createdmanifested are holy. And all things HeShe
createdmanifested
are holy because you are.
3
In today's
exercises, we will apply the power of your holiness to all problems,
difficulties, or suffering in any form that you happen to think of in
yourself
or someone else. We will make no distinctions because there are no
distinctions.
4
In the four longer
practice periods, each preferably to last a full five minutes, repeat
the idea
for today, close your eyes, and then search your mind for any sense of
loss or
unhappiness of any kind as you see it. Try to make as little distinction
as
possible between a situation that is difficult for you and one that is
difficult for someone else. Identify the situation specifically and also
the
name of the person concerned. Use this form in applying the idea for
today:
6
From time to time
you may want to vary this procedure and add some relevant thoughts of
your own.
You might like, for example, to include thoughts such as:
8
Introduce whatever variations
appeal to you, but keep the exercises focused on the theme "There is
nothing my holiness cannot do." The purpose of today's exercises is to
begin to instill in you a sense that you have dominion over all things
because
of what you are.
9
In the frequent
shorter applications, apply the idea in its original form unless a
specific
problem concerning you or someone else arises or comes to mind. In that
event,
use the more specific form of application.
1
If guilt is hell,
what is its opposite? Like the text for which this workbook was written,
the
ideas which are used for the exercises are very simple, very clear, and
totally
unambiguous. We are not concerned with intellectual feats nor logical
toys. We
are dealing only in the very obvious, which has been overlooked in the
clouds
of complexity in which you think you think.
2
If guilt is hell,
what is its opposite? This is not difficult, surely. The hesitation you
may
feel in answering is not due to the ambiguity of the question. But do
you
believe that guilt is hell? If you did, you would see at once how direct
and
simple the text is, and you would not need a workbook at all. No one
needs
practice to gain what is already his/hers.
3
We have already
said that your holiness is the salvation of the world. What about your
own
salvation? You cannot give what you do not have. A savior/savioress must
be
saved. How else can he/she teach salvation? Today's exercises will apply
to you
alone, recognizing that your salvation is crucial to the salvation of
the
world. As you apply the exercises to your own world, the whole world
stands to
benefit.
4
Your holiness is
the answer to every question that was ever asked, is being asked now, or
will
be asked in the future. Your holiness means the end of guilt and
therefore the
end of hell. Your holiness is the salvation of the world and your own.
How
could you to whom your holiness belongs be excluded from it? God does
not know
unholiness. Can it be HeShe does not know HisHer SonDaughter?
5
A full five minutes
are urged for the four longer practice periods for today. Longer and
more
frequent practice sessions are encouraged. If you want to exceed the
minimum
requirements, more rather than longer sessions are recommended, although
both
are encouraged.
6
Begin the practice
periods as usual by repeating today's idea to yourself. Then with closed
eyes
search out your unloving thoughts in whatever form they
appear—uneasiness,
depression, anger, fear, worry, attack, insecurity, and so on. Whatever
form
they take, they are unloving and therefore fearful. And so it is from
them that
you need to be saved.
7
Specific
situations, events, or personalities you associate with unloving
thoughts of
any kind are suitable subjects for today's exercises. It is imperative
for your
own salvation that you see them differently. And it is your blessing on
them
that will save you and give you vision.
8
Slowly, without
conscious selection and without undue emphasis on any one in particular,
search
your mind for every thought that stands between you and your salvation.
Apply
the idea for today to each one of them in this way:
10
You may find these
sessions easier if you intersperse the applications with several short
periods
during which you merely repeat today's idea to yourself slowly a few
times. You
may also find it helpful to include a few short intervals in which you
just
relax and do not seem to be thinking of anything. Sustained
concentration is
very difficult at first. It will become much easier as your mind becomes
more
disciplined and less distractible.
11
Meanwhile, you
should feel free to introduce variety into your practice periods in
whatever
form appeals to you. Do not, however, change the idea itself in varying
the
method of applying it. However you elect to use it, the idea should be
stated
so that its meaning remains that your holiness is your salvation.
12
End each practice
period by repeating the idea in its original form once more, and adding:
14
In the shorter
applications, which should be made some three or four times an hour and
more if
possible, you may ask yourself this question, repeat today's idea, or
preferably both. If temptations arise, a particularly helpful form of
the idea
is:
1
Today we will begin
to assert some of the happy things to which you are entitled, being what
you are.
No long practice periods are required today, but very frequent short
ones are
necessary. Once every ten minutes would be highly desirable, and you are
urged
to attempt this schedule and to adhere to it whenever possible. If you
forget,
try again. If there are long interruptions, try again. Whenever you
remember,
try again.
2
You need not close
your eyes for the exercise periods, although you will probably find it
more
helpful if you do. However, you may be in a number of situations during
the day
when closing your eyes would not be appropriate. Do not miss a practice
period
because of this. You can practice quite well under almost any
circumstance, if
you really want to.
3
Today's exercises
take little time and no effort. Repeat today's idea, and then add
several of
the attributes which you associate with being a SonDaughter of God,
applying
them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consist of the
following:
5
Another might be
something as follows:
7
If only a brief
period is available, merely telling yourself that you are blessed as a
SonDaughter of God will do.
1
Today's idea will
eventually overcome completely the sense of loneliness and abandonment
which
all the separated ones experience. Depression is an inevitable
consequence of
separation. So are anxiety, worry, a deep sense of helplessness, misery,
suffering, and intense fear of loss. The separated ones have invented
many
"cures" for what they believe to be the "ills of the
world." But the one thing they do not do is to question the reality of
the
problem. Yet its effects cannot be cured because the problem is not
real.
2
The idea for today
has the power to end all this foolishness forever. And foolishness it
is,
despite the serious and tragic forms it may take. Deep within you is
everything
that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the whole
world. It
will cure all sorrow and pain and fear and loss because it will heal the
mind
that thought these things were real and suffered out of its allegiance
to them.
3
You can never be
deprived of your perfect holiness, because its Source goes with you
wherever
you go. You can never suffer, because the Source of all joy goes with
you
wherever you go. You can never be alone, because the Source of all life
goes
with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your peace of mind,
because God
goes with you wherever you go.
4
We understand that
you do not believe all this. How could you, when the truth is hidden
deep
within under a heavy cloud of insane thoughts, dense and obscuring, yet
representing all you see? Today we will make our first real attempt to
get past
this dark and heavy cloud and to go through it to the light beyond.
5
There will be only
one long practice period today. In the morning, as soon as you get up if
possible, sit quietly for some three to five minutes with your eyes
closed. At
the beginning of the practice period, repeat today's idea very slowly.
Then
make no effort to think of anything. Try instead to get a sense of
turning
inward, past all the idle thoughts of the world. Try to enter very
deeply into
your own mind, keeping it clear of any thoughts that might divert your
attention.
6
From time to time,
you may repeat today's idea if you find it helpful. But most of all, try
to
sink down and inward, away from the world and all the foolish thoughts
of the
world. You are trying to reach past all these things. You are trying to
leave
appearances and approach reality.
7
It is quite
possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy because it is the most
natural
thing in the world. You might even say it is the only natural thing in
the
world. The way will open if you believe that it is possible. This
exercise can
bring very startling results even the first time it is attempted. And
sooner or
later, it is always successful. We will go into more detail in
connection with
this kind of practice as we go along. But it will never fail completely,
and
instant success is possible.
8
Throughout the day,
use today's idea often, repeating it very slowly and preferably with
eyes
closed. Think of what you are saying; what the words mean. Concentrate
on the
holiness which they imply about you; on the unfailing companionship
which is
yours; on the complete protection that surrounds you.
9
You can indeed
afford to laugh at fear thoughts, remembering that God goes with you
wherever
you go.
1
The idea for today
combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. It also
sets
forth a cause and effect relationship which explains why you cannot fail
in
your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. You will see because it
is the
Will of God. It is HisHer strength, not your own, that gives you power.
And it
is HisHer gift to you, rather than your own, which offers vision to you.
2
God is indeed your
strength. And what HeShe gives is truly given. This means that you can
receive
it any time and anywhere, wherever you are and in whatever circumstances
you
find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not random. You
cannot
but be in the right place at the right time. Such is the strength of
God. Such
are HisHer gifts.
3
We will have two
three- to five-minute longer exercise periods today, one as soon as
possible
after you wake and another as close as possible to the time you go to
sleep. It
is better, however, to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself at a
time
when you feel ready than it is to be concerned with the time as such.
4
Begin the practice
period by repeating the idea for today slowly with eyes open, looking
about
you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again, quite slowly. After
this,
try to think of nothing except thoughts which occur to you in relation
to
today's idea. You might think, for example:
6
Whatever thought
that is clearly related to the idea itself is suitable. You may, in
fact, be
astonished at the amount of course-related understanding some of your
own
thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring unless you realize
your mind
is merely wandering and you have let obviously irrelevant thoughts
intrude. You
may also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come to mind. If
such
interferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought once more
while
looking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, and
then
continue to look for related thoughts in your mind.
7
Remember, though,
that active searching is not appropriate for today's exercises. Try
merely to
step back and let the thoughts come. If you find this difficult, it is
better
to spend the practice period alternating between slow repetitions of the
idea
with eyes open, then closed, then open, and so on, than it is to strain
in
order to find suitable thoughts.
8
There is no limit
on the number of short practice periods which would be most beneficial.
The
idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts together and
teaching
you that what you are studying is a unified thought system in which
nothing is
lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that is contradictory or
irrelevant.
9
The more often you
repeat the idea during the day, the more often you will be reminding
yourself
that the goal of the course is important to you, and that you have not
forgotten it.
1
Perception is not
an attribute of God. HisHer is the realm of knowledge. Yet HeShe has
createdmanifested the Holy Spirit as the Mediator between perception and
knowledge. Without this link with God, perception would have replaced
knowledge
forever in your minds. With this link with God, perception will become
so
changed and purified that it will lead to knowledge. That is its
function as
the Holy Spirit sees it. Therefore, that is its function in truth.
2
In God you cannot
see. Perception has no function in God and does not exist. Yet in
salvation,
which is the undoing of what never was, perception has a mighty purpose.
Made
by the SonDaughter of God for an unholy purpose, it must become the
means for
the restoration of hisher holiness to hisher awareness. Perception has
no
meaning. Yet does the Holy Spirit give it a meaning very close to God's.
Healed
perception becomes the means by which the SonDaughter of God forgives
hisher
brother/sister and thus forgives himherself.
3
You cannot see
apart from God because you cannot be apart from God. Whatever you do,
you do in
HimHer because whatever you think, you think with HisHer Mind. If vision
is
real, and it is real to the extent to which it shares the Holy Spirit's
purpose, then you cannot see apart from God.
4
Three five-minute
practice periods are required today, one as early as possible and
another as
late as possible. The third may be undertaken at the most convenient and
suitable time which circumstances and readiness permit.
5
At the beginning of
these practice periods, repeat the idea to yourself with eyes open. Then
glance
around you for a short time, applying the idea specifically to what you
see.
Four or five subjects for this phase of the exercises are sufficient.
You might
say, for example:
7
Although this part
of the exercise period should be relatively short, be sure that you
select the
subjects for this phase indiscriminately, without self-directed
inclusion or
exclusion.
8
For the second and
longer phase of the exercise period, close your eyes, repeat today's
idea
again, and then let whatever relevant thoughts occur to you add to the
idea in
your own personal way. Thoughts such as:
10
Any thought related
more or less directly to today's idea is suitable. The thoughts need not
bear
an obvious relationship to the idea, but they should not be in
opposition to
it.
11
If you should find
your mind wandering, if you begin to be aware of thoughts which are
clearly out
of accord with today's idea, or if you seem to be unable to think of
anything,
open your eyes, repeat the first phase, and then try the second phase
again. Do
not allow any protracted period to occur in which you become preoccupied
with
irrelevant thoughts. Return to the first phase of the exercises as often
as
necessary to prevent this.
12
In applying today's
idea in the shorter practice periods, the form may vary according to the
circumstances and situations in which you find yourself during the day.
When
you are with someone else, for example, try to remember to tell him/her
silently,
14
This form is
equally applicable to strangers and to those you know well. Try, in
fact, not
to make distinctions of this kind at all.
15
The idea should
also be applied throughout the day to various situations and events
which may
occur, particularly to those which distress you in any way. For this
kind of
application, use this form:
17
If no particular
subject presents itself to your awareness, merely repeat the idea in its
original form.
18
Try today not to
allow long periods of time to slip by without remembering today's idea
and thus
remembering your function.
1
Today we are
continuing with the idea for yesterday, adding another dimension to it.
You
cannot see in darkness, and you cannot make light. You can make darkness
and
then think you see in it, but light reflects life and is therefore an
aspect of
creationmanifestation. Creationmanifestation and darkness cannot
coexist, but
light and life must go together, being but different aspects of
creationmanifestation.
2
In order to see,
one must recognize that light is within, not without. You do not see
outside
yourself, nor is the equipment for seeing outside you. An essential part
of
this equipment is the light that makes seeing possible. It is with you
always,
making vision possible in every circumstance.
3
Today we are going
to attempt to reach that light. For that purpose, we will use a form of
practice which has been suggested once before and which we will utilize
increasingly. It is a particularly difficult form for the undisciplined
mind
because it represents a major goal of mind training. It embodies
precisely what
the untrained mind lacks. Yet the training must be accomplished if you
are to
see.
4
Have at least three
practice periods today, each lasting three to five minutes. A longer
time is
highly recommended, but only if you find the time merely slipping by
with
little or no sense of strain. The form of exercise we will use today is
the
most natural and easy one in the world for the trained mind, just as it
seems
to be the most unnatural and difficult for the untrained mind.
5
Your mind is no
longer wholly untrained. You are quite ready to learn the form of
exercise we
will use today, but you may find that you will encounter strong
resistance. The
reason is very simple. While you practice in this form, you leave behind
everything that you now believe and all the thoughts which you have made
up.
Properly speaking, this is the release from hell. Perceived through the
ego's
eyes, it is loss of identity and a descent into hell.
6
If you can stand
aside from the ego ever so little, you will have no difficulty in
recognizing
that its opposition and fears are meaningless. You might find it helpful
to
remind yourself from time to time that to reach light is to escape from
darkness, whatever you may believe to the contrary. God is the Light in
which
you see. You are attempting to reach HimHer.
7
Begin the practice
period by repeating today's idea with your eyes open and close them
slowly,
repeating the idea several times more. Then try to sink into your mind,
letting
go every kind of interference and intrusion by quietly sinking past
them. Your
mind cannot be stopped in this unless you choose to stop it. It is
merely
taking its natural course. Try to observe your passing thoughts without
involvement and slip quietly by them.
8
While no particular
form of approach is advocated, what is needful is a sense of the
importance of
what you are doing, its inestimable value to you, and an awareness that
you are
attempting something very holy. Salvation is your happiest
accomplishment. It
is also the only one that has any meaning because it is the only one
that has
any use to you at all.
9
If resistance rises
in any form, pause long enough to repeat today's idea, keeping your eyes
closed
unless you are aware of fear. In that case, you will probably find it
more
reassuring to open your eyes briefly. Try, however, to return to the
exercises
as soon as possible.
10
If you are doing
the exercises correctly, you should experience some sense of relaxation
and
even a feeling that you are approaching if not actually entering into
light.
Try to think of light, formless and without limit, as you pass by the
thoughts
of this world. And do not forget that they cannot hold you to the world
unless
you give them the power to do so.
11
Throughout the day,
repeat the idea often with eyes open or closed as seems better to you at
the
time. Do not forget. Above all, be determined not to forget today.
1
Today's idea holds
the key to what your real thoughts are. They are nothing that you think
you
think, just as nothing that you think you see is related to vision in
any way.
There is no relationship between what is real and what you think is
real.
Nothing that you think are your real thoughts resemble your real
thoughts in
any respect. Nothing that you think you see bears any resemblance to
what
vision will show you.
2
You think with the
Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with HimHer, as HeShe
shares
HisHer with you. They are the same thoughts because they are thought by
the
same Mind. To share is to make alike or to make one. Nor do the thoughts
you
think with the Mind of God leave your mind, because thoughts do not
leave their
source. Therefore your thoughts are in the Mind of God, as you are. They
are in
your mind as well, where HeShe is. As you are part of HisHer Mind, so
are your
thoughts part of HisHer Thoughts.
3
Where, then, are
your real thoughts? Today we will attempt to reach them. We will have to
look
for them in your mind because that is where they are. They must still be
there
because they cannot have left. What is thought by the Mind of God is
eternal,
being part of creationmanifestation.
4
Our three
five-minute practice periods for today will take the same general form
that we
used in applying yesterday's idea. We will attempt to leave the unreal
and seek
for the real. We will deny the world in favor of truth. We will not let
the
thoughts of the world hold us back, and we will not let the beliefs of
the
world tell us that what God would have us do is impossible.
5
Instead, we will
try to recognize that only what God would have us do is possible. We
will also
try to understand that only what God would have us do is what we want to
do.
And we will also try to remember that we cannot fail in doing what HeShe
would
have us do. There is every reason to feel confident that you will
succeed
today. It is the Will of God.
6
Begin the exercises
for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closing your eyes as you do
so.
Spend a fairly short period in thinking a few relevant thoughts of your
own,
keeping the idea in mind as you do so. After you have added some four or
five
thoughts of your own, repeat the idea again, and tell yourself gently:
8
Then try to go past
all the unreal thoughts that cover the truth in your mind, and reach to
the
eternal.
9
Under all the
senseless thoughts and mad ideas with which you have cluttered up your
mind are
the thoughts which you thought with God in the beginning. They are there
in
your mind now, completely unchanged. They will always be in your mind,
exactly
as they always were.
10
Everything that you
have thought since then will change, but the foundation on which they
rest is
wholly changeless. It is this foundation toward which the exercises for
today
are directed. Here is your mind joined with the Mind of God. Here are
your
thoughts one with HisHers.
11
For this kind of
practice, only one thing is necessary—approach it as you would an altar
dedicated
in the God Realm itself to God the FatherMother and God the SonDaughter.
For
such is the place you are trying to reach. You will probably be unable
as yet
to realize how high you are trying to go. Yet even with the little
understanding you have already gained, you should be able to remind
yourself
that this is no idle game but an exercise in holiness and an attempt to
reach
the God realm.
12
In using the
shorter form for applying today's idea, try to remember how important it
is to
you to understand the holiness of the mind that thinks with God. Take a
minute
or two as you repeat the idea throughout the day to appreciate your
mind's
holiness. Stand aside, however briefly, from all thoughts that are
unworthy of
HimHer Whose host you are. And thank HimHer for the thoughts HeShe is
thinking
with you.
1
God does not
forgive because HeShe has never condemned. And there must be
condemnation
before forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need of this
world,
but that is because it is a world of illusions. Those who forgive are
thus
releasing themselves from illusions, while those who withhold
forgiveness are
binding themselves to them. As you condemn only yourself, so do you
forgive
only yourself.
2
Although God does
not forgive, HisHer Love is nevertheless the basis of forgiveness. Fear
condemns, and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fear has
produced,
returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason, forgiveness
can
truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusions disappear.
3
Today's exercises
require at least three full five-minute practice periods and as many
shorter
applications as possible. Begin the practice periods by repeating
today's idea
to yourself, as usual. Close your eyes as you do so and spend a minute
or two
in searching your mind for those whom you have not forgiven. It does not
matter
"how much" you have not forgiven. You have forgiven them entirely or
not at all.
4
If you are doing
the exercises well, you should have no difficulty in finding a number of
people
you have not forgiven. It is a safe rule that anyone you do not like is
a
suitable subject. Mention each one by name and say:
6
The purpose of the
first phase of today's practice is to put you in the best position to
forgive
yourself. After you have applied the idea for today to all those who
have come
to mind, tell yourself,
8
Then devote the
remainder of the practice period to offering related ideas such as:
10
The form of the
applications may vary considerably, but the central idea should not be
lost sight
of. You might say, for example:
12
The practice period
should end, however, with a repetition of today's idea as originally
stated.
13
The shorter
applications may consist either of a repetition of the idea for today in
the
original or in a related form, or in more specific applications if
needed. They
will be needed at any time during the day when you become aware of any
kind of
negative reaction to anyone, present or not. In this event, tell him/her
silently,
1
If you are trusting
your own strength, you have every reason to be apprehensive, anxious,
and
fearful. What can you predict or control? What is there in you that can
be
counted on? What would give you the ability to be aware of all the
facets of
any problem and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of
it?
What is there in you that gives you the recognition of the right
solution and
the guarantee that it will be accomplished?
2
Of yourself, you
can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your
trust where
trust is unwarranted and to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger,
and
sorrow. Who can put his/her faith in weakness and feel safe? Yet who can
put
his/her faith in strength and feel weak?
3
God is your safety
in every circumstance. HisHer Voice speaks for HimHer in all situations
and in
every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to do to call
upon
HisHer strength and HisHer protection. There are no exceptions because
God has
no exceptions. And the Voice Which speaks for HimHer thinks as HeShe
does.
4
Today we will try
to reach past your own weakness to the Source of real strength. Four
five-minute practice periods are necessary today, and longer and more
frequent
ones are urged. Close your eyes and begin as usual by repeating today's
idea.
Then spend a minute or two in searching for situations in your life
which you
have invested with fear, dismissing each one by telling yourself,
6
Now try to slip
past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious
that
any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of
inadequacy, since otherwise you would believe that you could deal with
the
situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will
gain
confidence. But the strength of God in you is successful in all things.
7
The recognition of
your own frailty is a necessary step in the correction of your errors,
but it
is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidence which you need
and to
which you are entitled. You must also gain an awareness that your
confidence in
your real strength is fully justified in every respect and in all
circumstances.
8
In the latter phase
of the practice period, try to reach down into your mind to a place of
real
safety. You will recognize that you have reached it if you feel a deep
peace,
however briefly. Let go all the trivial things that churn and bubble on
the
surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to the God realm.
There is
a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you
where
nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God
abides.
9
Repeat the idea for
today often. Use it as your answer to any disturbance. Remember that
peace is
your right because you are giving your trust to the strength of God.
1
The idea for today
simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who believe in
illusions, but
illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It is very
easy to
recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize for those who want
illusions to be true.
2
Today's practice
periods will be very short, very simple, and very frequent. Merely
repeat the
idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes open at any
time and
in any situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you take a
minute
or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea slowly to
yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the
idea
immediately should anything disturb your peace of mind.
3
The presence of
fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength. The
awareness
that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind, not
necessarily in a place which you recognize as yet, you have remembered
God and
let HisHer strength take the place of yours. The instant you are willing
to do
this there is indeed nothing to fear.
1
It is quite
possible to listen to God's Voice all through the day without
interrupting your
regular activities in any way. The part of your mind in which truth
abides is
in constant communication with God, whether you are aware of it or not.
It is
the other part of your mind that functions in the world and obeys the
world's
laws. It is this part which is constantly distracted, disorganized, and
highly
uncertain.
2
The part that is
listening to the Voice of God is calm, always at rest, and wholly
certain. It
is really the only part there is. The other part is a wild illusion,
frantic
and distraught, but without reality of any kind. Try today not to listen
to it.
Try to identify with the part of your mind where stillness and peace
reign
forever. Try to hear God's Voice call to you lovingly, reminding you
that your
CreatorManifestor has not forgotten HisHer SonDaughter.
3
We will need at
least four five-minute practice periods today and more if possible. We
will try
actually to hear the Voice reminding you of God and of your Self. We
will
approach this happiest and holiest of thoughts with confidence, knowing
that in
doing so we are joining our will with the Will of God. HeShe wants you
to hear
HisHer Voice. HeShe gave It to you to be heard.
4
Listen in deep silence.
Be very still, and open your mind. Go past all the raucous shrieks and
sick
imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure your eternal link
with
God. Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond the frantic,
riotous
thoughts and sounds and sights of this insane world. You do not live
there. We
are trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the place
where you
are truly welcome. We are trying to reach God.
5
Do not forget to
repeat today's idea very frequently. Do so with your eyes open when
necessary,
but closed when possible. And be sure that you sit quietly and repeat
the idea
for today slowly whenever you can, closing your eyes on the world and
realizing
that you are inviting God's Voice to speak to you.
1
Here is the answer
to every problem that confronts you today and tomorrow and throughout
time. In
this world, you believe you are sustained by everything but God. Your
faith is
placed in the most trivial and insane symbols—pills, money,
"protective" clothing, "influence," "prestige,"
being liked, knowing the "right" people, and an endless list of forms
of nothingness which you endow with magical powers. All these things are
your
replacements for the Love of God. All these things are cherished to
ensure a
body identification. They are songs of praise to the ego.
2
Do not put your
faith in the worthless. It will not sustain you. Only the Love of God
will
protect you in all circumstances. It will lift you out of every trial
and raise
you high above all the perceived dangers of this world into a climate of
perfect peace and safety. It will transport you into a state of mind
which
nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can intrude
upon
the eternal calm of the SonDaughter of God.
3
Put not your faith
in illusions. They will fail you. Put all your faith in the Love of God
within
you, eternal, changeless and forever unfailing. This is the answer to
whatever
confronts you today. Through the Love of God in you, you can resolve all
seeming
difficulties without effort and in sure confidence. Tell yourself this
often
today. It is a declaration of release from the belief in
idols/idolresses. It
is your acknowledgment of the truth about yourself.
4
For ten minutes
twice today, morning and evening, let the idea for today sink deep into
your
consciousness. Repeat it, think about it, let related thoughts come to
help you
recognize its truth, and allow peace to flow over you like a blanket of
protection and surety. Let no idle and foolish thoughts enter to disturb
the
holy mind of the SonDaughter of God. Such is the God realm. Such is the
resting
place where your FatherMother has placed you forever.
R1:1
Beginning with
today, we will have a series of review periods. Each of them will cover
five of
the ideas already presented, starting with the first and ending with the
fiftieth. There will be a few short comments after each of the ideas
which you
should consider in your review. In the practice periods, the exercises
should
be done as follows:
2
Begin the day by
reading the five ideas, with the comments included. Thereafter, it is
not
necessary to follow any particular order in considering them, though
each one
should be practiced at least once. Devote two minutes or more to each
practice
period, thinking about the idea and the related comments. Do this as
often as
possible during the day. If any one of the five ideas appeals to you
more than
the others, concentrate on that one. At the end of the day, however, be
sure to
review all of them once more.
3
It is not necessary
to cover the comments that follow each idea literally or thoroughly in
the
practice periods. Rather, try merely to emphasize the central point and
think
about it as part of your review of the idea to which it relates.
4
The review
exercises should be done with your eyes closed and when you are alone in
a
quiet place if possible. This is emphasized particularly for reviews at
your
stage of learning. It will be necessary, however, that you learn to
require no
special settings in which to apply what you have learned. You will need
it most
in situations which appear to be upsetting, rather than in those which
already
seem to be calm and quiet.
5
The purpose of your
learning is to enable you to bring the quiet with you and to heal
distress and
turmoil. This is not done by avoiding them and seeking a haven of
isolation for
yourself. You will yet learn that peace is part of you and requires only
that
you be there to embrace any situation in which you are. And finally you
will
learn that there is no limit to where you are, so that your peace is
everywhere, as you are.
6
You will note that
for review purposes the ideas are not always given in quite their
original form
of statement. Use them as they are given here. It is not necessary to
return to
the original statements nor to apply the ideas as was suggested then. We
are
now emphasizing the relationships among the first fifty of the ideas we
have
covered and the cohesiveness of the thought system to which they are
leading
you.
1
The review for
today covers the following ideas:
[1]
Nothing
I see means anything.
2 The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and
nothing
has no meaning. It is necessary that I recognize this, that I may learn
to see.
What I think I see now is taking the place of vision. I must let it go
by
realizing that it has no meaning so that vision may take its place.
[2]
I
have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.
3 I have judged everything I look upon. And it is
this and
only this that I see. This is not vision. It is merely an illusion of
reality,
because my judgments have been made quite apart from reality. I am
willing to
recognize the lack of validity in my judgments because I want to see. My
judgments have hurt me, and I do not want to see according to them.
[3]
I do
not understand anything I see.
4 How could I understand what I see when I have
judged it
amiss? What I see is the projection of my own errors of thought. I do
not
understand what I see because it is not understandable. There is no
sense in
trying to understand it. But there is every reason to let it go and make
room
for what can be seen and understood and loved. I can exchange what I see
now
for this merely by being willing to do so. Is not this a better choice
than the
one I made before?
[4]
These
thoughts do not mean anything.
5 The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean
anything
because I am trying to think without God. What I call "my" thoughts
are not my real thoughts. My real thoughts are the thoughts I think with
God. I
am not aware of them because I have made "my" thoughts to take their
place. I am willing to recognize that "my" thoughts do not mean
anything and to let them go. I choose to have them be replaced by what
they
were intended to replace. "My" thoughts are meaningless, but all
creationmanifestation lies in the thoughts I think with God.
[5]
I am
never upset for the reason I think.
6 I am never upset for the reason I think because I
am
constantly trying to justify "my" thoughts. I am constantly trying to
make them true. I make all things my "enemies" so that my anger is
justified and my attacks are warranted. I have not realized how much I
have
misused everything I see by assigning this role to it. I have done this
to
defend a thought system which has hurt me and which I no longer want. I
am
willing to let it go.
1
Today's review
covers these ideas:
[6]
I am
upset because I see what is not there.
2 Reality is never frightening. It is impossible
that it
could upset me. Reality brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it
is
always because I have replaced reality with illusions which I made up.
The
illusions are upsetting because I have given them reality and thus
regard
reality as an illusion. Nothing in God's creationmanifestation is
affected in
any way by this confusion of mine. I am always upset by nothing.
[7]
I
see only the past.
3 As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon.
I call
this seeing. I hold the past against everyone and everything, making
them my
"enemies." When I have forgiven myself and remembered who I am, I
will bless everyone and everything I see. There will be no past and
therefore
no "enemies." And I will look with love on all that I failed to see
before.
[8]
My
mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
4 I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is
preoccupied
with the past. What, then, can I see as it is? Let me remember that I
look on
the past to prevent the present from dawning on my mind. Let me
understand that
I am trying to use time against God. Let me learn to give the past away,
realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing.
[9]
I
see nothing as it is now.
5 If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be
said that I
see nothing. I can see only what is now. The choice is not whether to
see the
past or the present: it is merely whether to see or not. What I have
chosen to
see has cost me vision. Now I would choose again that I may see.
[10]
My
thoughts do not mean anything.
6 I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only
private
thoughts of which I am aware. What can these thoughts mean? They do not
exist,
and so they mean nothing. Yet my mind is part of creationmanifestation
and part
of its CreatorManifestor. Would I not rather join the thinking of the
universe
than to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful and meaningless
"private" thoughts?
1
Today we will
review the following:
[11]
My
meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.
2 Since the thoughts of which I am aware do not
mean
anything, the world which pictures them can have no meaning. What is
producing
this world is insane, and so is what it produces. Reality is not insane,
and I
have real thoughts as well as insane ones. I can therefore see a real
world if
I look to my real thoughts as my guide for seeing.
[12]
I
am upset because I see a meaningless world.
3 Insane thoughts are upsetting. They produce a
world in
which there is no order anywhere. Only chaos rules a world which
represents
chaotic thinking, and chaos has no laws. I cannot live in peace in such
a
world. I am grateful that this world is not real and that I need not see
it at
all unless I choose to value it. And I do not choose to value what is
totally
insane and has no meaning.
[13]
A
meaningless world engenders fear.
4 The totally insane engenders fear because it is
completely
undependable and offers no grounds for trust. Nothing in madness is
dependable.
It holds out no safety and no hope. But such a world is not real. I have
given
it the illusion of reality, and have suffered from my belief in it. Now
I
choose to withdraw this belief and place my trust in reality. In
choosing this,
I will escape all the effects of the world of fear because I am
acknowledging
that it does not exist.
[14]
God
did not createmanifest a meaningless world.
5 How can a meaningless world exist if God did not
createmanifest it? HeShe is the Source of all meaning, and everything
that is
real is in HisHer Mind. It is in my mind too because HeShe
createdmanifested it
with me. Why should I continue to suffer from the effects of my own
insane
thoughts when the perfection of creationmanifestation is my home? Let me
remember the power of my decision and recognize where I really abide.
[15]
My
thoughts are images which I have made.
6 Whatever I see reflects my thoughts. It is my
thoughts
which tell me where I am and what I am. The fact that I see a world in
which
there is suffering and loss and death shows me that I am seeing only the
representation of my insane thoughts and am not allowing my real
thoughts to
cast their beneficent light on what I see. Yet God's way is sure. The
images I
have made cannot prevail against HimHer because it is not my will that
they do
so. My will is HisHer, and I will place no other gods before HimHer.
1
These are the
review ideas for today:
[16]
I
have no neutral thoughts.
2 Neutral thoughts are impossible because all
thoughts have
power. They will either make a false world or lead me to the real one.
But
thoughts cannot be without effects. As the world I see arises from my
thinking
errors, so will the real world rise before my eyes as I let my errors be
corrected. My thoughts cannot be neither true nor false. They must be
one or
the other. What I see shows me which they are.
[17]
I
see no neutral things.
3 What I see witnesses to what I think. If I did
not think,
I would not exist, because life is thought. Let me look on the world I
see as
the representation of my own state of mind. I know that my state of mind
can
change. And so I also know the world I see can change as well.
[18]
I
am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.
4 If I have no private thoughts, I cannot see a
private
world. Even the mad idea of separation had to be shared before it could
form
the basis of the world I see. Yet that sharing was a sharing of nothing.
I can
also call upon my real thoughts, which share everything with everybody.
As my
thoughts of separation call to the separation thoughts of others, so my
real
thoughts awaken the real thoughts in them. And the world my real
thoughts show
me will dawn on their sight as well as mine.
[19]
I
am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
5 I am alone in nothing. Everything I think or say
or do
touches all the universe. A SonDaughter of God cannot think or speak or
act in
vain. Heshe cannot be alone in anything. It is therefore in my power to
change
every mind along with mine, for mine is the power of God.
[20]
I
am determined to see.
6 Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I
am
determined to see. I would look upon the witnesses that show me the
thinking of
the world has been changed. I would behold the proof that what has been
done
through me has enabled love to replace fear, laughter to replace
weeping, and
abundance to replace loss. I would look upon the real world, and let it
teach
me that my will and the Will of God are one.
1
Today's review
includes the following:
[21]
I
am determined to see things differently.
2 What I see now are but signs of disease,
disaster, and
death. This cannot be what God createdmanifested for HisHer beloved
SonDaughter. The very fact that I see such things is proof that I do not
understand God. Therefore I also do not understand HisHer SonDaughter.
What I
see tells me that I do not know who I am. I am determined to see the
witnesses
to the truth in me, rather than those that show me an illusion of
myself.
[22]
What
I see is a form of vengeance.
3 The world I see is hardly the representation of
loving
thoughts. It is a picture of attack on everything and by everything. It
is
anything but a reflection of the Love of God and the love of HisHer
SonDaughter.
It is my own attack thoughts which give rise to this picture. My loving
thoughts will save me from this perception of the world and give me the
peace
God intended me to have.
[23]
I
can escape from the world by giving up attack thoughts.
4 Herein lies my salvation, and nowhere else.
Without attack
thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love
to
return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy.
And it
is this that I choose to see, in place of what I look on now.
[24]
I
do not perceive my own best interests.
5 How could I recognize my own best interests when
I do not
know who I am? What I think are my best interests would merely bind me
closer
to the world of illusions. I am willing to follow the Guide God has
given me to
find out what my own best interests are, recognizing that I cannot
perceive
them by myself.
[25]
I
do not know what anything is for.
6 To me, the purpose of everything is to prove that
my
illusions about myself are real. It is for that purpose that I attempt
to use
everyone and everything. It is this that I believe the world is for.
Therefore
I do not recognize its real purpose. The purpose I have given the world
has led
to a frightening picture of it. Let me open my mind to its real purpose
by withdrawing
the one I have given it, and learning the truth about it.
1
Our review for
today covers the following:
[26]
My
attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.
2 How can I know who I am when I see myself as
under
constant attack? Pain, illness, loss, age, and death seem to threaten
me. All
my hopes and wishes and plans appear to be at the mercy of a world I
cannot
control. Yet perfect security and complete fulfilment are my
inheritance. I
have tried to give my inheritance away in exchange for the world I see.
But God
has kept my inheritance safe for me. My own real thoughts will teach me
what it
is.
[27]
Above
all else I want to see.
3 Recognizing that what I see reflects what I think
I am, I
realize that vision is my greatest need. The world I see attests to the
fearful
nature of the self-image I have made. If I would remember who I am, it
is
essential that I let this image of myself go. As it is replaced by
truth,
vision will surely be given me. And with this vision, I will look upon
the
world and upon myself with charity and love.
[28]
Above
all else I want to see differently.
4 The world I see holds my fearful self-image in
place, and
guarantees its continuance. While I see the world as I see it now, truth
cannot
enter my awareness. I would let the door behind this world be opened for
me
that I may look past it to the world that reflects the Love of God.
[29]
God
is in everything I see.
5 Behind every image I have made, the truth remains
unchanged. Behind every veil I have drawn across the face of love, its
light
remains undimmed. Beyond all my insane wishes is my will united with the
Will
of my FatherMother. God is still everywhere and in everything forever.
And we
who are part of HimHer will yet look past all appearances and recognize
the
truth beyond them all.
[30]
God
is in everything I see because God is in my mind.
6 In my own mind, behind all my insane thoughts of
separation and attack, is the knowledge that all is one forever. I have
not
lost the knowledge of who I am because I have forgotten it. It has been
kept
for me in the Mind of God, Who has not left HisHer Thoughts. And I, who
am
among them, am one with them and one with HimHer.
1
Today let us review
these ideas:
[31]
I
am not the victim of the world I see.
2 How can I be the victim of a world that can be
completely
undone if I so choose? My chains are loosened. I can drop them off
merely by
desiring to do so. The prison door is open. I can leave it simply by
walking
out. Nothing holds me in this world. Only my wish to stay keeps me a
prisoner.
I would give up my insane wishes and walk into the sunlight at last.
[32]
I
have invented the world I see.
3 I made up the prison in which I see myself. All I
need do
is recognize this, and I am free. I have deluded myself into believing
it is
possible to imprison the SonDaughter of God. I was bitterly mistaken in
this
belief, which I no longer want. The SonDaughter of God must be forever
free.
Heshe is as God createdmanifested himher, and not what I would make of
himher.
Heshe is where God would have himher be, and not where I thought to hold
himher
prisoner.
[33]
There
is another way of looking at the world.
4 Since the purpose of the world is not the one I
ascribed
to it, there must be another way of looking at it. I see everything
upside
down, and my thoughts are the opposite of truth. I see the world as a
prison
for God’s SonDaughter. It must be, then, that the world is really a
place where
heshe can be set free. I would look upon the world as it is, and see it
as a
place where the SonDaughter of God finds hisher freedom.
[34]
I
could see peace instead of this.
5 When I see the world as a place of freedom, I
will realize
that it reflects the laws of God instead of the rules which I made up
for it to
obey. I will understand that peace, not war, abides in it. And I will
perceive
that peace also abides in the hearts of all who share this place with
me.
[35]
My
mind is part of God's. I am very holy.
6 As I share the peace of the world with my
brothers/sisters, I begin to understand that this peace comes from deep
within
myself. The world I look upon has taken on the light of my forgiveness
and
shines forgiveness back at me. In this light, I begin to see what my
illusions
about myself had kept hidden. I begin to understand the holiness of all
living
things including myself, and their oneness with me.
1
These ideas are for
review today:
[36]
My
holiness envelops everything I see.
2 From my holiness does the perception of the real
world
come. Having forgiven, I no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept
the
innocence that is the truth about me. Seen through understanding eyes,
the
holiness of the world is all I see, for I can picture only the thoughts
I hold
about myself.
[37]
My
holiness blesses the world.
3 The perception of my holiness does not bless me
alone.
Everyone and everything I see in its light shares in the joy it brings
to me.
There is nothing that is apart from this joy because there is nothing
that does
not share my holiness. As I recognize my holiness, so does the holiness
of the
world shine forth for everyone to see.
[38]
There
is nothing my holiness cannot do.
4 My holiness is unlimited in its power to heal
because it
is unlimited in its power to save. What is there to be saved from except
illusions? And what are all illusions except false ideas about myself?
My
holiness undoes them all by asserting the truth about me. In the
presence of my
holiness, which I share with God HimHerself, all idols/idolresses
vanish.
[39]
My
holiness is my salvation.
5 Since my holiness saves me from all guilt,
recognizing my
holiness is recognizing my salvation. It is also recognizing the
salvation of
the world. Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid.
And
because I am unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is
the
gift of God to me and to the world.
[40]
I
am blessed as a SonDaughter of God.
6 Herein lies my claim to all good and only good. I
am
blessed as a SonDaughter of God. All good things are mine because God
intended
them for me. I cannot suffer any loss or deprivation or pain because of
who I
am. My FatherMother supports me, protects me, and directs me in all
things.
HisHer care for me is infinite and is with me forever. I am eternally
blessed
as HisHer SonDaughter.
1
The following ideas
are for review today:
[41]
God
goes with me wherever I go.
2 How can I be alone when God always goes with me?
How can I
be doubtful and unsure of myself when perfect certainty abides in
HimHer? How
can I be disturbed by anything when HeShe rests in me in absolute peace?
How
can I suffer when love and joy surround me through HimHer? Let me not
cherish
illusions about myself. I am perfect because God goes with me wherever I
go.
[42]
God
is my strength. Vision is HisHer gift.
3 Let me not look to my own eyes to see today. Let
me be
willing to exchange my pitiful illusion of seeing for the vision that is
given
by God. the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision is
HisHer
gift, and HeShe has given it to me. Let me call upon this gift today, so
that
this day may help me to understand eternity.
[43]
God
is my Source. I cannot see apart from HimHer.
4 I can see what God wants me to see. I cannot see
anything
else. Beyond HisHer Will lie only illusions. It is these I choose when I
think
I can see apart from HimHer. It is these I choose when I try to see
through the
body's eyes. Yet the vision of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness
has been given me to replace them. It is through this vision that I
choose to
see.
[44]
God
is the Light in which I see.
5 I cannot see in darkness. God is the only Light.
Therefore
if I am to see, it must be through HimHer. I have tried to define what
seeing
is, and I have been wrong. Now it is given me to understand that God is
the
Light in which I see. Let me welcome vision and the happy world it will
show
me.
[45]
God
is the Mind with which I think.
6 I have no thoughts I do not share with God. I
have no
thoughts apart from HimHer because I have no mind apart from HisHers. As
part
of HisHer Mind, my thoughts are HisHers and HisHer Thoughts are mine.
1
These ideas are for
today's review:
[46]
God
is the Love in which I forgive.
2 God does not forgive because HeShe has never
condemned.
The blameless cannot blame, and those who have accepted their innocence
see
nothing to forgive. Yet forgiveness is the means by which I will
recognize my
innocence. It is the reflection of God's Love on earth. It will bring me
near
enough to the God Realm that the Love of God can reach down to me and
raise me
to my home.
[47]
God
is the Strength in which I trust.
3 It is not my own strength through which I
forgive. It is
through the strength of God in me, which I am remembering as I forgive.
As I
begin to see, I recognize HisHer reflection on earth. I forgive all
things
because I feel the stirring of HisHer strength in me. And I begin to
remember
the Love I chose to forget, but Which has not forgotten me.
[48]
There
is nothing to fear.
4 How safe the world will look to me when I can see
it! It
will not look anything like what I imagine I see now. Everyone and
everything I
see will lean toward me to bless me. I will recognize in everyone my
dearest
MaleFemalefriend. What could there be to fear in a world which I have
forgiven
and which has forgiven me?
[49]
God's
Voice speaks to me all through the day.
5 There is not a moment in which God's Voice ceases
to call
on my forgiveness to save me. There is not a moment in which HisHer
Voice fails
to direct my thoughts, guide my actions, and lead my feet. I am walking
steadily on toward truth. There is nowhere else I can go because God's
Voice is
the only voice and the only guide that has been given to HisHer
SonDaughter.
[50]
I
am sustained by the Love of God.
6 As I listen to God's Voice, I am sustained by
HisHer Love.
As I open my eyes, HisHer Love lights up the world for me to see. As I
forgive,
HisHer Love reminds me that HisHer SonDaughter is sinless. And as I look
upon
the world with the vision HeShe has given me, I remember that I am
HisHer
SonDaughter.
1
Who is the light of
the world except God’s SonDaughter? This, then, is merely a statement of
the
truth about yourself. It is the opposite of a statement of pride, of
arrogance,
or of self-deception. It does not describe the self-concept you have
made. It does
not refer to any of the characteristics with which you have endowed your
idols/idolresses. It refers to you as you were createdmanifested by God.
It
simply states the truth.
2
To the ego, today's
idea is the epitome of self-glorification. But the ego does not
understand
humility, mistaking it for self-debasement. Humility consists of
accepting your
role in salvation and in taking no other. It is not humility to insist
that you
cannot be the light of the world if that is the function God assigned to
you.
It is only arrogance that would assert this function cannot be for you,
and
arrogance is always of the ego.
3
True humility
requires that you accept today's idea because it is God's Voice Which
tells you
it is true. This is a beginning step in accepting your real function on
earth.
It is a giant stride toward taking your rightful place in salvation. It
is a
positive assertion of your right to be saved and an acknowledgment of
the power
that is given you to save others.
4
You will want to
think about this idea as often as possible today. It is the perfect
answer to
all illusions and therefore to all temptation. It brings all the images
you
have made about yourself to the truth and helps you depart in peace,
unburdened
and certain of your purpose.
5
As many practice
periods as possible should be undertaken today, although each one need
not
exceed a minute or two. They should begin with telling yourself:
7
Then think about
these statements for a short while, preferably with your eyes closed if
the
situation permits. Let a few related thoughts come to you, and repeat
the idea
to yourself if your mind wanders away from the central thought.
8
Be sure both to
begin and end the day with a practice period. Thus you will awaken with
an
acknowledgment of the truth about yourself, reinforce it throughout the
day,
and turn to sleep as you reaffirm your function and your only purpose
here.
These two practice periods may be longer than the rest if you find them
helpful
and want to extend them.
9
Today's idea goes
far beyond the ego's petty views of what you are and what your purpose
is. As a
bringer of salvation, this is obviously necessary. This is the first of
a
number of giant steps we will take in the next few weeks. Try today to
begin to
build a firm foundation for these advances.
10
You are the light
of the world. God has built HisHer plan for the salvation of HisHer
SonDaughter
on you.
1
It is your
forgiveness that will bring the world of darkness to the light. It is
your
forgiveness that lets you recognize the light in which you see.
Forgiveness is
the demonstration that you are the light of the world. Through your
forgiveness
does the truth about yourself return to your memory. Therefore in your
forgiveness lies your salvation.
2
Illusions about
yourself and the world are one. That is why all forgiveness is a gift to
yourself. Your goal is to find out who you are, having denied your
identity by
attacking creationmanifestation and its CreatorManifestor. Now you are
learning
how to remember the truth. For this, attack must be replaced by
forgiveness so
that thoughts of life may replace thoughts of death.
3
Remember that in
every attack you call upon your own weakness, while every time you
forgive you
call upon the strength of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness in
you. Do you not then begin to understand what forgiveness will do for
you? It
will remove all sense of weakness, strain, and fatigue from your mind.
It will
take away all fear and guilt and pain. It will restore the
invulnerability and
power God gave HisHer SonDaughter to your awareness.
4
Let us be glad to
begin and end this day by practicing today's idea and to use it as
frequently
as possible throughout the day. It will help to make the day as happy
for you
as God wants you to be. And it will help those around you as well as
those who
seem to be far away in space and time to share this happiness with you.
5
As often as you
can, closing your eyes if possible, say to yourself:
7
Then devote a
minute or two to considering your function and the happiness and release
it
will bring you.
8
Let related
thoughts come freely, for your heart will recognize these words, and in
your
mind is the awareness that they are true. Should your attention wander,
repeat
the idea and add:
1
How holy are you
who have the power to bring peace to every mind! How blessed are you who
can
learn to recognize the means for letting this be done through you! What
purpose
could you have that would bring you greater happiness?
2
You are indeed the
light of the world with such a function. The SonDaughter of God looks to
you
for hisher redemption. It is yours to give himher, for it belongs to
you.
Accept no trivial purpose or meaningless desire in its place, or you
will
forget your function and leave the SonDaughter of God in hell. This is
no idle
request that is being asked of you. You are asked to accept salvation
that it
may be yours to give.
3
Recognizing the
importance of this function, we will be happy to remember it very often
today.
We will begin the day by acknowledging it and close the day with the
thought of
it in our awareness. And throughout the day, we will repeat this as
often as we
can:
5
You will probably
find it easier to let the related thoughts come to you in the minute or
two
which you should devote to considering this if you can close your eyes.
Do not,
however, wait for such an opportunity. No chance should be lost for
reinforcing
today's idea.
6
Remember that God’s
SonDaughter looks to you for hisher salvation. And who but your Self
must be
HisHer SonDaughter?
1
Today's idea is
merely another way of saying, "Let me not wander into temptation."
The purpose of the world you see is to obscure your function of
forgiveness and
provide you with a justification for forgetting it. It is the temptation
to
abandon God and HisHer SonDaughter, taking on a physical appearance. It
is this
which the body's eyes look upon.
2
Nothing the body's
eyes seem to see can be anything but a form of temptation, since this
was the
purpose of the body itself. Yet we have learned that the Holy Spirit has
another use for all the illusions you have made, and therefore She sees
another
purpose in them. To the Holy Spirit, the world is a place where you
learn to
forgive yourself what you think of as your sins. In this perception, the
physical appearance of temptation becomes the spiritual recognition of
salvation.
3
To review our last
few lessons, your function here is to be the light of the world, a
function
given you by God. It is only the arrogance of the ego that leads you to
question this and only the fear of the ego that induces you to regard
yourself
as unworthy of the task assigned to you by God HimHerself.
4
The world's
salvation awaits your forgiveness, because through it does the
SonDaughter of
God escape from all illusions and thus from all temptation. The
SonDaughter of
God is you. Only by fulfilling the function given you by God will you be
happy.
That is because your function is to be happy by using the means by which
happiness becomes inevitable.
5
There is no other
way. Therefore every time you choose whether or not to fulfill your
function,
you are really choosing whether to be happy or not. Let us remember this
today.
Let us remind ourselves of it in the morning and again at night and all
through
the day as well.
6
Prepare yourself in
advance for all the decisions you will make today by remembering that
they are
all really very simple. Each one will lead to happiness or unhappiness.
Can
such a simple decision really be difficult to make? Let not the form of
the
decision deceive you. Complexity of form does not imply complexity of
content.
It is impossible that any decision on earth can have a content different
from
just this one simple choice. That is the only choice the Holy Spirit
sees.
Therefore it is the only choice there is.
7
Today, then, let us
practice with these thoughts:
9
At least once
devote ten or 15 minutes to reflecting on this with closed eyes. Related
thoughts will come to help you if you remember the crucial importance of
your
function to you and to the world.
10
In the frequent
applications of today's idea to be made throughout the day, devote
several
minutes to reviewing these thoughts and then to thinking about them and
about
nothing else. This will be difficult at first, particularly since you
are not
proficient in the mind discipline which it requires. You may need to
repeat
"Let me not forget my function" quite often, to help you concentrate.
11
Two forms of
shorter practice periods are required. At times, do the exercises with
your
eyes closed, trying to concentrate on the thoughts you are applying. At
other
times keep your eyes open after reviewing the thoughts and look slowly
and
unselectively about you, telling yourself:
1
The idea for today
reaffirms your commitment to salvation. It also reminds you that you
have no
function other than this. Both of these thoughts are obviously necessary
for a
total commitment. Salvation cannot be the only purpose you hold while
you still
cherish others. The full acceptance of salvation as your only function
necessarily entails two phases; the recognition of salvation as your
function,
and the relinquishment of all the other goals you have invented for
yourself.
This is the only way in which you can take your rightful place among the
saviors/savioresses of the world. This is the only way in which you can
say and
mean, "My only function is the one God gave me." This is the only way
in which you can find peace of mind.
2
Today and for a
number of days to follow, set aside ten to 15 minutes for a more
sustained
practice period in which you try to understand and accept what today's
idea
really means. It offers you escape from all your perceived difficulties.
It
places the key to the door of peace, which you have closed upon
yourself, in
your own hands. It gives you the answer to all the searching you have
done
since time began.
3
Try, if possible,
to undertake the daily extended practice periods at approximately the
same time
each day. Try, also, to determine this time today in advance and then
adhere to
it as closely as possible.
4
The purpose of this
is to arrange your day so that you have set apart the time for God, as
well as
for all the trivial purposes and goals you will pursue. This is part of
the
long range disciplinary training which your mind needs, so that the Holy
Spirit
can use it consistently for the purpose She shares with you.
5
For this longer
practice period, begin by reviewing the idea for today. Then close your
eyes,
repeat the idea to yourself once again, and watch your mind carefully to
catch
whatever thoughts cross it.
6
At first, make no
attempt to concentrate only on thoughts related to the idea for today.
Rather,
try to uncover each thought that arises to interfere with it. Note each
one as
it comes to you with as little involvement or concern as possible,
dismissing
each one by telling yourself:
8
After a while,
interfering thoughts will become harder to find. Try, however, to
continue a
minute or so longer, attempting to catch a few of the idle thoughts
which
escaped your attention before, but do not strain or make undue effort in
doing
this. Then tell yourself:
10
You need not use
these exact words, but try to get a sense of being willing to have your
illusions of purpose be replaced by truth.
11
Finally, repeat the
idea for today once more and devote the rest of the practice period to
trying
to focus on its importance to you, the relief its acceptance will bring
you by
resolving your conflicts once and for all, and the extent to which you
really want
salvation in spite of your own foolish ideas to the contrary.
12
In the shorter
practice periods, which should be undertaken at least once an hour, use
this
form in applying today's idea:
14
Sometimes close
your eyes as you practice, and sometimes keep them open and look about
you. It
is what you see now that will be totally changed when you accept today's
idea
completely.
1
You have surely
noticed an emphasis throughout our recent lessons on the connection
between
fulfilling your function and achieving happiness. This is because you do
not
really see the connection. Yet there is more than just a connection
between
them; they are the same. Their forms are different, but their content is
completely one.
2
The ego does
constant battle with the Holy Spirit on the fundamental question of what
your
function is. So does it do constant battle with the Holy Spirit about
what your
happiness is. It is not a two-way battle. The ego attacks and the Holy
Spirit
does not respond. She knows what your function is. She knows that it is
your
happiness.
3
Today we will try
to go past this wholly meaningless battle and arrive at the truth about
your
function. We will not engage in ceaseless arguments about what it is. We
will
not become hopelessly involved in defining happiness and determining the
means
for achieving it. We will not indulge the ego by listening to its
attacks on
truth. We will merely be glad that we can find out what truth is.
4
Our longer practice
period today has as its purpose your acceptance of the fact that not
only is
there a very real connection between the function God gave you and your
happiness, but that they are actually identical. God gives you only
happiness.
Therefore the function HeShe gave you must be happiness, even if it
appears to
be different. Today's exercises are an attempt to go beyond these
differences
in appearance, and recognize a common content where it exists in truth.
5
Begin the ten- to
15-minute practice period by reviewing these thoughts:
7
Try to see the
logic in this sequence, even if you do not yet accept the conclusion. It
is
only if the first two thoughts are wrong that the conclusion could be
false.
Let us, then, think about the premises for a while, as we are
practicing.
8
The first premise
is that God gives you only happiness. This could be false, of course,
but in
order to be false it is necessary to define God as something HeShe is
not. Love
cannot give evil, and what is not happiness is evil. God cannot give
what HeShe
does not have, and HeShe cannot have what HeShe is not. Unless God gives
you
only happiness, HeShe must be evil. And it is this definition of HimHer,
which
you are believing if you do not accept the first premise.
9
The second premise
is that God has given you your function. We have seen that there are
only two
parts of your mind. One is ruled by the ego and is made up of illusions.
The
other is the home of the Holy Spirit, where truth abides. There are no
other
guides but these to choose between and no other outcomes possible as a
result
of your choice but the fear which the ego always engenders and the love
which
the Holy Spirit always offers to replace it.
10
Thus it must be
that your function is established by God through HisHer Voice or is made
by the
ego which you have made to replace HimHer. Which is true? Unless God
gave your
function to you, it must be the gift of the ego. Does the ego really
have gifts
to give, being itself an illusion and offering only the illusion of
gifts?
11
Think about this
during the longer practice period today. Think also about the many forms
which
the illusion of your function has taken in your mind and the many ways
in which
you try to find salvation under the ego's guidance. Did you find it?
Were you
happy? Did they bring you peace?
12
We need great
honesty today. Remember the outcomes fairly, and consider also whether
it was
ever reasonable to expect happiness from anything the ego has ever
proposed.
Yet the ego is the only alternative to the Holy Spirit's Voice. You will
listen
to madness or hear the truth. Try to make this choice as you think about
the
premises on which our conclusion rests. We can share in this conclusion,
but in
no other. For God HimHerself shares it with us.
13
Today's idea is
another giant stride in the perception of the same as the same and the
different as different. On one side stand all illusions. All truth
stands on
the other. Let us try today to realize that only the truth is true.
14
In the shorter
practice periods, which would be most helpful today if undertaken twice
an
hour, this form of the application is suggested:
16
It will not take
more than a minute, and probably less, to repeat these words slowly and
think
about them a little as you say them.
1
Today's idea is a
complete and accurate statement of what you are. This is why you are the
light
of the world. This is why God appointed you as the world's savior. This
is why
the SonDaughter of God looks to you for hisher salvation. Heshe is saved
by
what you are.
2
We will make every
effort today to reach this truth about you and to realize fully, if only
for a
moment, that it is the truth. In the longer practice period, we will
think
about your reality and its wholly unchanged and unchangeable nature. We
will
begin by repeating this truth about you and then spend a few minutes
adding
some relevant thoughts, such as:
4
Any attribute which
is in accord with God as HeShe defines HimHerself is appropriate for
use. We
are trying today to undo your definition of God and replace it with
HisHer own.
We are also trying to emphasize that you are part of HisHer definition
of
HimHerself.
5
After you have gone
over several such related thoughts, try to let all thoughts drop away
for a
brief preparatory interval, and then try to reach past all your images
and
preconceptions about yourself to the truth in you. If Love
createdmanifested
you like Itself, this Self must be in you. And somewhere in your mind,
It is
there for you to find.
6
You may find it
necessary to repeat the idea for today from time to time to replace
distracting
thoughts. You may also find that this is not sufficient and that you
need to
continue adding other thoughts related to the truth about yourself. Yet
perhaps
you will succeed in going past that and through the interval of
thoughtlessness
to the awareness of a blazing light in which you recognize yourself as
Love
createdmanifested you. Be confident that you will do much today to bring
that
awareness nearer, whether you feel you have succeeded or not.
7
It will be
particularly helpful today to practice the idea for today as often as
you can.
You need to hear the truth about yourself as frequently as possible
because
your mind is so preoccupied with false self-images. Four or five times
an hour,
and perhaps even more, it would be most beneficial to remind yourself
that Love
createdmanifested you like Itself. Hear the truth about yourself in
this.
8
Try to realize in
the shorter practice periods that this is not your tiny solitary voice
that
tells you this. This is the Voice for God reminding you of your
FatherMother
and of your Self. This is the Voice of truth replacing everything that
the ego
tells you about yourself with the simple truth about the SonDaughter of
God.
You were createdmanifested by Love like Itself.
1
You who were
createdmanifested by Love like Itself can hold no grievances and know
your
Self. To hold a grievance is to forget who you are. To hold a grievance
is to
see yourself as a body. It is the decision to let the ego rule your mind
and to
condemn the body to death.
2
Perhaps you do not
yet fully realize just what holding grievances does to your awareness.
It seems
to split you off from your source and make you unlike himher. It makes
you
believe that heshe is like what you think you have become, for no one
can
conceive of his/her creatormanifestor as unlike himself/herself.
3
Shut off from your
Self, Who remains aware of his/her likeness to hisher CreatorManifestor,
your
Self seems to sleep, while the part of your mind that weaves illusions
in its
sleep appears to be awake. Can all this arise from holding grievances?
Oh, yes!
For he/she who holds grievances denies he/she was createdmanifested by
Love,
and his/her CreatorManifestor has become fearful to him/her in his/her
dream of
hate. Who can dream of hatred and not fear God?
4
It is as sure that
those who hold grievances will redefine God in their own image as it is
certain
that God createdmanifested them like HimHerself and defined them as part
of
HimHer. It is as sure that those who hold grievances will suffer guilt
as it is
certain that those who forgive will find peace. It is as sure that those
who
hold grievances will forget who they are as it is certain that those who
forgive will remember. Would you not be willing to relinquish your
grievances
if you believed all this were so?
5
Perhaps you do not
think you can let all your grievances go. That, however, is simply a
question
of motivation. Today we will try to find out how you would feel without
them.
If you succeed even by ever so little, there will never be a problem in
motivation ever again.
6
Begin today's
extended practice period by searching your mind for those against whom
you hold
what you regard as major grievances. Some of these will be quite easy to
find.
Then think of the seemingly minor grievances you hold against those you
like
and even think you love. It will quickly become apparent that there is
no one
against whom you do not cherish grievances of some sort. This has left
you
alone in all the universe in your perception of yourself.
7
Determine now to
see all these people as friends. Say to them all collectively, thinking
of each
one in turn as you do so:
9
Spend the remainder
of the practice period trying to think of yourself as completely at
peace with
everyone and everything, safe in a world which protects you and loves
you and
which you love in return. Try to feel safety surrounding you, hovering
over
you, and holding you up. Try to believe, however briefly, that nothing
can harm
you in any way. At the end of the practice period tell yourself:
11
The short practice
periods should include a quick application of today's idea in this form,
whenever any thought of grievance arises against anyone, physically
present or
not:
13
In addition, repeat
the idea several times an hour in this form:
1
No one can look
upon what your grievances conceal. Because your grievances are hiding
the light
of the world in you, everyone stands in darkness, and you beside
him/her. But
as the veil of your grievances is lifted, you are released with him/her.
Share
your salvation now with him/her who stood beside you when you were in
hell.
He/she is your brother/sister in the light of the world which saves you
both.
2
Today let us make
another real attempt to reach the light in you. Before we undertake this
in our
more extended practice period, let us devote several minutes in thinking
about
what we are trying to do. We are literally attempting to get in touch
with the salvation
of the world. We are trying to see past the veil of darkness that keeps
it
concealed. We are trying to let the veil be lifted and see the tears of
God’s
SonDaughter disappear in the sunlight.
3
Let us begin our
longer practice period today with the full realization of all this and
real
determination to reach what is dearer to us than all else. Salvation is
our
only need. There is no other purpose here and no other function to
fulfill.
Learning salvation is our only goal. Let us end the ancient search today
by
finding the light in us and holding it up for everyone who searches with
us to
look upon and rejoice.
4
Very quietly now,
with your eyes closed, try to let go of all the content which generally
occupies your consciousness. Think of your mind as a vast round area,
surrounded by a layer of heavy dark clouds. You can see only the clouds
because
you seem to be standing outside the whole area, and quite apart from it.
5
From where you
stand, you can see no reason to believe there is a brilliant light
hidden by
the clouds. The clouds seem to be the only reality. They seem to be all
there
is to see. Therefore you do not attempt to go through them and past
them, which
is the only way in which you would be really convinced of their lack of
substance. We will make this attempt today.
6
After you have
thought about the importance of what you are trying to do for yourself
and the
world, try to settle down in perfect stillness, remembering only how
much you
want to reach the light in you today—now. Determine to go past the
clouds.
Reach out and touch them in your mind; brush them aside with your hand;
feel
them resting on your cheeks and forehead and eyelids as you go through
them. Go
on; clouds cannot stop you.
7
If you are doing
the exercises properly, you will begin to feel a sense of being lifted
up and
carried ahead. Your little effort and small determination call on the
power of
the universe to help you, and God HimHerself will raise you from
darkness into light.
You are in accord with HisHer Will. You cannot fail because your will is
HisHer.
8
Have confidence in
your FatherMother today. And be certain that HeShe has heard you and has
answered you. You may not recognize HisHer answer yet, but you can
indeed be
sure that it is given you, and you will yet receive it. Try, as you
attempt to
go through the clouds to the light, to hold this confidence in your
mind. Try
to remember that you are at last joining your will to God's. Try to keep
the
thought clearly in mind that what you undertake with God must succeed.
Then let
the power of God work in you and through you, that HisHer Will and yours
may be
done.
9
In the shorter
practice periods, which you will want to do as often as possible in view
of the
importance of today's idea to you and your happiness, remind yourself
that your
grievances are hiding the light of the world from your awareness. Remind
yourself also that you are not searching for it alone and that you do
know
where to look for it. Say, then:
11
Also, be sure to
tell yourself:
13
if you are tempted
to hold anything against anyone today.
1
All temptation is
nothing more than some form of the basic temptation not to believe the
idea for
today. Salvation seems to come from anywhere except from you. So, too,
does the
source of guilt. You see neither guilt nor salvation as in your own mind
and
nowhere else. When you realize that all guilt is solely an invention of
your
mind, you must also realize that guilt and salvation must be in the same
place.
Understanding this, you are saved.
2
The seeming
"cost" of accepting today's idea is this: it means that nothing
outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can give you
peace. But
it also means that nothing outside yourself can hurt you or disturb your
peace
or upset you in any way.
3
Today's idea places
you in charge of the universe, where you belong because of who you are.
This is
not a role which can be partially accepted. And you must surely begin to
see
that accepting it is salvation. It may not, however, be clear to you why
the
recognition that guilt is in your own mind entails the realization that
salvation is there as well.
4
God would not have
put the remedy for sickness where it cannot help. That is the way your
mind has
worked, but hardly HisHer. HeShe wants you to be healed, and so HeShe
has kept
the Source of healing where the need for healing lies. You have tried to
do
just the opposite, making every attempt, however distorted and fantastic
it
might be, to separate healing from the sickness for which it was
intended and
thus keep the sickness.
5
Your purpose was to
ensure that healing did not occur; God's purpose was to ensure that it
did.
Today we practice realizing that God's Will and ours are really the same
in
this.
6
God wants us to be
healed, and we do not really want to be sick because it makes us
unhappy.
Therefore, in accepting the idea for today, we are in agreement with
God. HeShe
does not want us to be sick. Neither do we. HeShe wants us to be healed.
So do
we.
7
We are ready for
two longer practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to
15
minutes. We will, however, still let you decide when to undertake them.
We will
follow this practice for a number of lessons, and it would again be well
to
decide in advance when would be a good time to lay aside for each of
them and adhere
to your own decision as closely as possible.
8
Begin these
practice periods by repeating the idea for today, adding a statement
signifying
your recognition that salvation comes from nothing outside of you. You
might
put it this way:
10
Then devote a few
minutes with your eyes closed to reviewing some of the external places
where
you have looked for salvation in the past—in other people, in
possessions, in
various situations and events, and in self-concepts which you sought to
make
real. Recognize that it was not there. Tell yourself:
12
Now we will try
again to reach the light in you, which is where your salvation is. You
cannot
find it in the clouds that surround the light, and it is in them you
have been
looking for it. It is not there. It is past the clouds and in the light
beyond.
Remember that you will have to go through the clouds before you can
reach the
light. But remember also that you have never found anything in the cloud
patterns you imagined that endured or that you wanted.
13
Since all illusions
of salvation have failed you, surely you do not want to remain in the
clouds
looking vainly for idols/idolresses there when you could so easily walk
on into
the light of real salvation. Try to pass the clouds by whatever means
appeals
to you. If it helps you, think of us holding your hand and leading you.
And I
assure you this will be no idle fantasy.
14
For the short and
frequent practice periods today, remind yourself that your salvation
comes from
you and nothing but your own thoughts can hamper your progress. You are
free
from all external interference. You are in charge of your salvation. You
are in
charge of the salvation of the world. Say, then:
1
You may not realize
that the ego has set up a plan for salvation in opposition to God's. It
is this
plan in which you believe. Since it is the opposite of God's, you also
believe
that to accept God's plan in place of the ego's is to be damned. This
sounds
preposterous, of course. Yet after we have considered just what the
ego's plan
is, perhaps you will realize that, however preposterous it may be, you
do
believe it.
2
The ego's plan for
salvation centers around holding grievances. It maintains that if
someone else
spoke or acted differently, if some external circumstance or event were
changed, you would be saved. Thus the source of salvation is constantly
perceived as outside yourself.
3
Each grievance you
hold is a declaration and an assertion in which you believe that says,
"If
this were different, I would be saved." The change of mind that is
necessary for salvation is thus demanded of everyone and everything
except
yourself.
4
The role assigned
to your own mind in this plan, then, is simply to determine what other
than
itself must change if you are to be saved. According to this insane
plan, any
perceived source of salvation is acceptable, provided that it will not
work.
This ensures that the fruitless search will continue, for the illusion
persists
that, although this hope has always failed, there are still grounds for
hope in
other places and in other things. Another person will yet serve better;
another
situation will yet offer success.
5
Such is the ego's
plan for your salvation. Surely you can see how it is in strict accord
with the
ego's basic doctrine, "Seek but do not find." For what could more
surely guarantee that you will not find salvation than to channelize all
your efforts
in searching for it where it is not?
6
God's plan for
salvation works simply because, by following HisHer direction, you seek
for
salvation where it is. But if you are to succeed, as God promises you
will, you
must be willing to seek there only. Otherwise your purpose is divided,
and you
will attempt to follow two plans for salvation which are diametrically
opposed
in all ways. The result can only bring confusion, misery, and a deep
sense of
failure and despair.
7
How can you escape
all this? Very simply. The idea for today is the answer. Only God's plan
for
salvation will work. There can be no real conflict about this, because
there is
no possible alternative to God's plan that will save you. HisHer is the
only
plan that is certain in its outcome. HisHer is the only plan that must
succeed.
8
Let us practice
recognizing this certainty today. And let us rejoice that there is an
answer to
what seems to be a conflict with no resolution possible. All things are
possible to God. Salvation must be yours because of HisHer plan, which
cannot
fail.
9
Begin the two
longer practice periods for today by thinking about today's idea and
realizing
that it contains two parts, each making equal contribution to the whole.
God's
plan for your salvation will work, and other plans will not. Do not
allow
yourself to become depressed or angry at the second part; it is inherent
in the
first. And in the first is your full release from all your own insane
attempts
and mad proposals to free yourself. They have led to depression and
anger. But
God's plan will succeed. It will lead to release and joy.
10
Remembering this,
let us devote the remainder of the extended practice periods to asking
God to
reveal HisHer plan to us. Ask HimHer very specifically:
12
Give HimHer full
charge of the rest of the practice period, and let HimHer tell you what
needs
to be done by you in HisHer plan for your salvation. HeShe will answer
you in
proportion to your willingness to hear HisHer Voice. Refuse not to hear.
The
very fact that you are doing the exercises proves that you have some
willingness to listen. This is enough to establish your claim to God's
answer.
13
In the shorter
practice periods tell yourself often that God's plan for salvation, and
only
His, will work. Be alert to all temptation to hold grievances today, and
respond to them with this form of today's idea:
15
Try to remember the
idea for today some six or seven times an hour. There could be no better
way to
spend a half-minute or less than to remember the Source of your
salvation, and
to see It where It is.
1
While we have
recognized that the ego's plan for salvation is the opposite of God's,
we have
not yet emphasized that it is an active attack on HisHer plan and a
deliberate
attempt to destroy it. In the attack, God is assigned the attributes
which are
actually associated with the ego, while the ego appears to take on the
attributes of God.
2
The ego's
fundamental wish is to replace God. In fact, the ego is the physical
embodiment
of this wish. For it is this wish which seems to surround the mind with
a body,
keeping it separate and alone and unable to reach other minds except
through
the body which was made to imprison it. The limit on communication
cannot be
the best means to expand communication. Yet the ego would have you
believe that
it is.
3
Although the
attempt to keep the limitations which a body would impose is obvious
here, it
is perhaps not so apparent why holding grievances is an attack on God's
plan
for salvation. But let us consider the kinds of things which you are apt
to
hold grievances for. Are they not always associated with something a
body does?
A person says something we do not like; he/she does something that
displeases
us, he/she "betrays" his/her hostile thoughts in his/her behavior.
4
We are not dealing
here with what the person is. On the contrary, we are exclusively
concerned
with what he/she does in a body. We are doing more than failing to help
in
freeing him/her from its limitations. We are actively trying to hold
him/her to
it by confusing it with him/her and judging them as one. Herein is God
attacked, for if HisHer SonDaughter is only a body, so must HeShe be as
well. A
creatormanifestor wholly unlike his/her creationmanifestation is
inconceivable.
5If
God is a body,
what must HisHer plan for salvation be? What could it be but death? In
trying
to present HimHerself as the Author of life and not of death, HeShe is a
liar
and a deceiver, full of false promises and offering illusions in place
of
truth.
6
The body's apparent
reality makes this view of God quite convincing. In fact, if the body
were
real, it would be difficult indeed to escape this conclusion. And every
grievance that you hold insists that the body is real. It overlooks
entirely
what your brother/sister is. It reinforces your belief that he/she is a
body
and condemns him/her for it. And it asserts that his/her salvation must
be
death, projecting this attack onto God and holding HimHer responsible
for it.
7
To this carefully
prepared arena, where angry animals seek for prey and mercy cannot
enter, the
ego comes to save you. God made you a body. Very well. Let us accept
this and
be glad. As a body, do not let yourself be deprived of what the body
offers.
Take the little you can get. God gave you nothing. The body is your only
savior. It is the death of God and your salvation.
8
This is the
universal belief of the world you see. Some hate the body and try to
hurt and
humiliate it. Others love the body and try to glorify and exalt it. But
while
it stands at the center of your concept of yourself, you are attacking
God's
plan for salvation and holding your grievances against HimHer and HisHer
creationmanifestation that you may not hear the Voice of truth and
welcome it
as Friend. Your chosen savior/savioress takes HisHer place instead. It
is your
friend; HeShe is your enemy.
9
We will try today
to stop these senseless attacks on salvation. We will try to welcome it
instead. Your upside-down perception has been ruinous to your peace of
mind.
You have seen yourself in a body and the truth outside you, locked away
from
your awareness by the body's limitations. Now we are going to try to see
this
differently.
10
The light of truth
is in us, where it was placed by God. It is the body that is outside us
and is
not our concern. To be without a body is to be in our natural state. To
recognize the light of truth in us is to recognize ourselves as we are.
To see
our Self as separate from the body is to end the attack on God's plan
for
salvation and to accept it instead. And wherever HisHer plan is
accepted, it is
accomplished already.
11
Our goal in the
longer practice periods today is to become aware that God's plan for
salvation
has already been accomplished in us. To achieve this goal, we must
replace
attack with acceptance. As long as we attack it, we cannot understand
what
God's plan for us is. We are therefore attacking what we do not
recognize. Now
we are going to try to lay judgment aside and ask what God's plan for us
is:
13
Then we will wait
in quiet for HisHer answer.
14
We have attacked
God's plan for salvation without waiting to hear what it is. We have
shouted
our grievances so loudly that we have not listened to HisHer Voice. We
have
used our grievances to close our eyes and stop our ears. Now we would
see and
hear and learn. "What is salvation, FatherMother?" Ask and you will
be answered. Seek and you will find.
15
We are no longer
asking the ego what salvation is and where to find it. We are asking it
of
truth. Be certain, then, that the answer will be true because of Whom
you ask.
Whenever you feel your confidence wane and your hope of success flicker
and go
out, repeat your question and your request, remembering that you are
asking
them of the infinite CreatorManifestor of infinity, Who
createdmanifested you
like HimHerself:
17
HeShe will answer.
Be determined to hear.
18
One or perhaps two
shorter practice periods an hour will be enough for today since they
will be
somewhat longer than usual. These exercises begin with this:
20
Then wait a minute
or so in silence, preferably with your eyes closed, and listen for
HisHer
answer.
1
Today we are
considering the will you share with God. This is not the same as the
ego's idle
wishes, out of which darkness and nothingness arise. The will you share
with
God has all the power of creationmanifestation in it. The ego's idle
wishes are
unshared and therefore have no power at all. Its wishes are not idle in
the
sense that they cannot make a world of illusions in which your belief
can be
very strong. But they are idle indeed in terms of creationmanifestation.
They
make nothing that is real.
2
Idle wishes and
grievances are partners or co-makers in picturing the world you see. The
wishes
of the ego gave rise to it, and the ego's need for grievances, which are
necessary to maintain it, peoples it with figures that seem to attack
you and
call for "righteous" judgment. They become the middlemen the ego
employs to traffic in grievances and stand between your awareness and
your
brothers’/sisters’ reality. Beholding them, you do not know your
brothers/sisters nor your Self.
3
Your will is lost
to you in this strange bartering, in which guilt is traded back and
forth and
grievances increase with each exchange. Can such a world have been
createdmanifested by the will the SonDaughter of God shares with hisher
FatherMother? Did God createmanifest disaster for HisHer SonDaughter?
CreationManifestation is the Will of Both together. Would God
createmanifest a
world that kills HimHerself?
4
Today we will try
once more to reach the world that is in accordance with your will. The
light is
in it because it does not oppose the Will of God. It is not the God
Realm, but
the light of the God Realm shines on it. Darkness has vanished; the
ego's idle
wishes have been withdrawn.
5
Yet the light which
shines upon this world reflects your will, and so it must be in you that
we
will look for it. Your picture of the world can only mirror what is
within. The
source of neither light nor darkness can be found without. Grievances
darken
your mind, and you look out on a darkened world. Forgiveness lifts the
darkness, reasserts your will, and lets you look upon a world of light.
6
We have repeatedly
emphasized that the barrier of grievances is easily passed and cannot
stand
between you and your salvation. The reason is very simple. Do you really
want
to be in hell? Do you really want to weep and suffer and die? Forget the
ego's
arguments which seek to prove all this is really the God Realm. You know
it is
not so. You cannot want this for yourself. There is a point beyond which
illusions cannot go.
7
Suffering is not
happiness, and it is happiness you really want. Such is your will in
truth. And
so salvation is your will as well. You want to succeed in what we are
trying to
do today. We undertake it with your blessing and your glad accord.
8
We will succeed
today if you remember that you will salvation for yourself. You will to
accept
God's plan because you share in it. You have no will that can really
oppose it,
and you do not want to do so. Salvation is for you. Above all else you
want the
freedom to remember who you really are.
9
Today it is the ego
which stands powerless before your will. Your will is free, and nothing
can
prevail against it. Therefore we undertake the exercises for today in
happy
confidence, certain that we will find what it is your will to find and
remember
what it is your will to remember. No idle wishes can detain us nor
deceive us
with an illusion of strength. Today let your will be done. And end
forever the
insane belief that it is hell in place of the God Realm that you choose.
10
We will begin our
longer practice periods with the recognition that God's plan for
salvation, and
only HisHer, is wholly in accord with your will. It is not the purpose
of an
alien power, thrust upon you unwillingly. It is the one purpose here on
which
you and your FatherMother are in perfect accord.
11
You will succeed
today, the time appointed for the release of the SonDaughter of God from
hell
and from all idle wishes. Hisher will is now restored to hisher
awareness.
Heshe is willing this very day to look upon the light in himselfherself
and be
saved.
12
After reminding
yourself of this and determining to keep your will clearly in mind, tell
yourself with gentle firmness and quiet certainty:
14
Then let your will
assert itself, joined with the power of God and united with your Self.
Put the
rest of the practice period under Their guidance. Join with Them as They
lead
the way.
15
In the shorter
practice periods, again make a declaration of what you really want. Say:
17
This should be
repeated several times an hour. It is most important, however, to apply
today's
idea in this form immediately you are tempted to hold a grievance of any
kind.
This will help you let your grievances go instead of cherishing them and
hiding
them in the darkness.
1
The idea for today
can be regarded as the central thought toward which all our exercises
are
directed. God's is the only will. When you have recognized this, you
have
recognized that your will is HisHer. The belief that conflict is
possible has
gone. Peace has replaced the strange idea that you are torn by
conflicting
goals. As an expression of the Will of God, you have no goal but HisHer.
2
There is great
peace in today's idea. And the exercises for today are directed towards
finding
it. The idea itself is wholly true. Therefore it cannot give rise to
illusions.
Without illusions, conflict is impossible. Let us try to recognize this
today
and experience the peace this recognition brings.
3
Begin the longer
practice periods by repeating these thoughts several times, slowly and
with
firm determination to understand what they mean and to hold them in
mind:
5
Then spend several
minutes in adding some related thoughts, such as:
7
During this
introductory phase, be sure to deal quickly with any conflict thoughts
that may
cross your mind. Tell yourself immediately:
9
If there is one
conflict area which seems particularly difficult to resolve, single it
out for
special consideration. Think about it briefly but very specifically,
identify
the particular person or persons and the situation or situations
involved, and
tell yourself:
11
After you have
cleared your mind in this way, close your eyes and try to experience the
peace
to which your reality entitles you. Sink into it, and feel it closing
around
you. There may be some temptation to mistake these attempts for
withdrawal, but
the difference is easily detected. If you are succeeding, you will feel
a deep
sense of joy and an increased alertness rather than a feeling of
drowsiness and
enervation. Joy characterizes peace. By this experience will you
recognize that
you have reached it.
12
If you feel
yourself slipping off into withdrawal, quickly repeat the idea for today
and
try again. Do this as often as necessary. There is definite gain in
refusing to
allow retreat into withdrawal, even if you do not experience the peace
you
seek.
13
In the shorter
periods, which should be undertaken at regular and predetermined
intervals
today, say to yourself:
15
Then try to find
what you are seeking. A minute or two every half-hour, with eyes closed
if
possible, would be well spent on this today.
1
The light has come.
You are healed and you can heal. The light has come. You are saved, and
you can
save. You are at peace, and you bring peace with you wherever you go.
Darkness
and turmoil and death have disappeared. The light has come.
2
Today we celebrate
the happy ending to your long dream of disaster. There are no dark
dreams now.
The light has come. Today the time of light begins for you and everyone.
It is
a new era in which a new world is born. The old one has left no trace
upon it in
its passing. Today we see a different world because the light has come.
3
Our exercises for
today will be happy ones in which we offer thanks for the passing of the
old
and the beginning of the new. No shadows from the past remain to darken
our
sight and hide the world forgiveness offers us. Today we will accept the
new
world as what we want to see. We will be given what we desire. We will
to see
the light; the light has come.
4
Our longer practice
periods will be devoted to looking at the world which our forgiveness
shows us.
This is what we want to see, and only this. Our single purpose makes our
goal
inevitable. Today the real world rises before us in gladness, to be seen
at
last. Sight is given us, now that the light has come.
5
We do not see the
ego's shadow on the world today. We see the light, and in it we see the
God
Realm's reflection lie across the world. Begin the longer practice
periods by
telling yourself the glad tidings of your release:
7
Dwell not upon the
past today. Keep a completely open mind, washed of all past ideas and
clean of
every concept you have made. You have forgiven the world today. You can
look
upon it now as if you never saw it before. You do not know yet what it
looks
like. You merely wait to have it shown to you. While you wait, repeat
several
times slowly and in complete patience:
9
Realize that your
forgiveness entitles you to vision. Understand that the Holy Spirit
never fails
to give the gift of sight to the forgiving. Believe She will not fail
you now.
You have forgiven the world. She will be with you as you watch and wait.
She
will show you what true vision sees. It is Her Will, and you have joined
with
Her. Wait patiently for Her. She will be there. The light has come. You
have
forgiven the world.
10
Tell Her you know
you cannot fail because you trust in Her. Tell yourself you wait in
certainty
to look upon the world She promised you. From this time forth you will
see
differently. Today the light has come. And you will see the world that
has been
promised you since time began, and in which is the end of time ensured.
11
The shorter
practice periods, too, will be joyful reminders of your release. Remind
yourself every quarter of an hour or so that today is a time for special
celebration. Give thanks for mercy and the Love of God. Rejoice in the
power of
forgiveness to heal your sight completely. Be confident that on this day
there
is a new beginning. Without the darkness of the past upon your eyes, you
cannot
fail to see today. And what you see will be so welcome that you will
gladly
extend today forever. Say, then:
13
Should you be
tempted, say to anyone who seems to pull you back to darkness:
15
We dedicate this
day to the serenity in which God would have you be. Keep it in your
awareness
of yourself and see it everywhere today, as we celebrate the beginning
of your
vision and the sight of the real world which has come to replace the
unforgiven
world you thought was real.
1
We have observed
before how many senseless things have seemed to you to be salvation.
Each has
imprisoned you with laws as senseless as itself. You are not bound by
them. Yet
to understand that this is so, you must first realize salvation lies not
there.
While you would seek for it in things that have no meaning, you bind
yourself
to laws that make no sense. Thus do you seek to prove salvation is where
it is
not.
2
Today we will be
glad you cannot prove it. For if you could, you would forever seek where
it is
not and never find it. The idea for today tells you once again how
simple is
salvation. Look for it where it waits for you, and there it will be
found. Look
nowhere else, for it is nowhere else.
3
Think of the
freedom in the recognition that you are not bound by all the strange and
twisted laws which you have set up to save you. You really think that
you would
starve unless you have stacks of green paper strips and piles of metal
discs.
You really think a small round pellet or some fluid pushed into your
veins
through a sharpened needle will ward off death. You really think you are
alone
unless another body is with you.
4
It is insanity that
thinks these things. You call them laws, and put them under different
names in
a long catalogue of rituals that have no use and serve no purpose. You
think
you must obey the "laws" of medicine, of economics, and of health.
Protect the body, and you will be saved.
5
These are not laws,
but madness. The body is endangered by the mind that hurts itself. The
body
suffers that the mind will fail to see it is the victim of itself. The
body's
suffering is a mask the mind holds up to hide what really suffers. It
would not
understand it is its own enemy, that it attacks itself and wants to die.
It is
from this your "laws" would save the body. It is for this you think
you are a body.
6
There are no laws
except the laws of God. This needs repeating over and over until you
realize
that it applies to everything that you have made in opposition to HisHer
Will.
Your magic has no meaning. What it is meant to save does not exist. Only
what
it is meant to hide will save you.
7
The laws of God can
never be replaced. We will devote today to rejoicing that this is so. It
is no
longer a truth which we would hide. We realize instead it is a truth
which
keeps us free forever. Magic imprisons, but the laws of God set free.
The light
has come because there are no laws but HisHers.
8
We will begin the
longer practice period today with a short review of the different kinds
of
"laws" we have believed we must obey. These would include, for
example, the laws of nutrition, of immunization, of medication, and of
the
body's protection in innumerable ways. Think further—you believe in the
laws of
friendship, of "good" relationships, and reciprocity.
9
Perhaps you even
think that there are laws which set forth what is God's and what is
yours. Many
"religions" have been based on this. They would not save, but damn in
the God Realm's name. Yet they are no more strange than other "laws"
you hold must be obeyed to make you safe.
10
There are no laws
but God's. Dismiss all foolish magical beliefs today, and hold your mind
in
silent readiness to hear the Voice that speaks the truth to you. You
will be
listening to One Who says there is no loss under the laws of God.
Payment is
neither given nor received. Exchange cannot be made, there are no
substitutes,
and nothing is replaced by something else. God's laws forever give and
never
take.
11
Hear Her Who tells
you this, and realize how foolish are the laws you thought upheld the
world you
thought you saw. Then listen further. She will tell you more. About the
Love
your FatherMother has for you. About the endless joy HeShe offers you.
About
HisHer yearning for HisHer only SonDaughter, createdmanifested as HisHer
channel for creationmanifestation; denied to HimHer by his/her belief in
hell.
12
Let us today open
God's channels to HimHer and let HisHer Will extend through us to
HimHer. Thus
is creationmanifestation endlessly increased. Her Voice will speak of
this to
us, as well as of the joys of the God Realm which HisHer laws keep
limitless
forever. We will repeat today's idea until we have listened and
understood
there are no laws but God's. Then we will tell ourselves, as a
dedication with
which the practice period concludes:
14
We will repeat this
dedication as often as possible today—at least four or five times an
hour, as
well as in response to any temptation to experience ourselves as subject
to
other laws throughout the day. It is our statement of freedom from all
danger
and all tyranny. It is our acknowledgment that God is our FatherMother,
and
that HisHer SonDaughter is saved.
1
You are entitled to
miracles because of what you are. You will receive miracles because of
what God
is. And you will offer miracles because you are one with God. Again, how
simple
is salvation! It is merely a statement of your true identity. It is this
that
we will celebrate today.
2
Your claim to
miracles does not lie in your illusions about yourself. It does not
depend on
any magical powers you have ascribed to yourself nor on any of the
rituals you
have devised. It is inherent in the truth of what you are. It is
implicit in
what God your FatherMother is. It was ensured in your
creationmanifestation and
guaranteed by the laws of God.
3
Today we will claim
the miracles which are your right since they belong to you. You have
been
promised full release from the world you made. You have been assured
that the
God Realm is within you and can never be lost. We ask no more than what
belongs
to us in truth. Today, however, we will also make sure that we will not
content
ourselves with less.
4
Begin the longer
practice periods by telling yourself quite confidently that you are
entitled to
miracles. Closing your eyes, remind yourself that you are asking only
for what
is rightfully yours. Remind yourself also that miracles are never taken
from
one and given to another and that in asking for your rights you are
upholding
the rights of everyone. Miracles do not obey the laws of this world.
They
merely follow from the laws of God.
5
After this brief
introductory phase, wait quietly for the assurance that your request is
granted. You have asked for the salvation of the world and for your own.
You
have requested that you be given the means by which this is
accomplished. You
cannot fail to be assured in this. You are but asking that the Will of
God be
done. In doing this, you do not really ask for anything. You state a
fact that
cannot be denied.
6
The Holy Spirit
cannot but assure you that your request is granted. The fact that you
accepted
must be so. There is no room for doubt and uncertainty today. We are
asking a
real question at last. The answer is a simple statement of a simple
fact. You
will receive the assurance that you seek.
7
Our shorter
practice periods will be frequent and will also be devoted to a reminder
of a
simple fact. Tell yourself often today:
9
Ask for them
whenever a situation arises in which they are called for. You will
recognize
these situations; you are not relying on yourself to find them, you are
therefore fully entitled to receive them whenever you ask.
10
Remember, too, not
to be satisfied with less than the perfect answer. Be quick to tell
yourself,
should you be tempted:
1
Perhaps it is not
yet quite clear to you that each decision that you make is one between a
grievance and a miracle. Each grievance stands like a dark shield of
hate
before the miracle it would conceal. And as you raise it up before your
eyes,
you will not see the miracle beyond. Yet all the while it waits for you
in
light, but you behold your grievances instead.
2
Today we go beyond
the grievances to look upon the miracle instead. We will reverse the way
you
see by not allowing sight to stop before it sees. We will not wait
before the
shield of hate, but lay it down and gently lift our eyes in silence to
behold
the SonDaughter of God.
3
Heshe waits for you
behind your grievances, and as you lay them down heshe will appear in
shining
light where each one stood before. For every grievance is a block to
sight, and
as it lifts, you see the SonDaughter of God where heshe has always been.
Heshe
stands in light, but you were in the dark. Each grievance made the
darkness
deeper, and you could not see.
4
Today we will
attempt to see God’s SonDaughter. We will not let ourselves be blind to
himher;
we will not look upon our grievances. So is the seeing of the world
reversed,
as we look out toward truth, away from fear.
5
We will select one
person you have used as target for your grievances and lay the
grievances aside
and look at him/her. Someone perhaps you fear and even hate; someone you
think
you love who angers you; someone you call a friend, but whom you see as
difficult at times or hard to please—demanding, irritating, or untrue to
the
ideal he/she should accept as his/her according to the role you set for
him/her.
6
You know the one to
choose; his/her name has crossed your mind already. He/she will be the
one of
whom we ask God’s SonDaughter be shown to us. Through seeing himher
behind the
grievances that we have held against himher, you will learn that what
lay
hidden while you saw himher not is there in everyone and can be seen.
He/she
who was enemy is more than friend when he/she is freed to take the holy
role the
Holy Spirit has assigned to him/her. Let him/her be savior/savioress
unto you
today. Such is his/her role in God your Father’sMother's plan.
7
Our longer practice
periods today will see him/her in this role. We will attempt to hold
him/her in
our mind, first as you now consider him/her. We will review his/her
faults, the
difficulties you have had with him/her, the pain he/she caused you,
his/her
neglect, and all the little and the larger hurts he/she gave. We will
regard
his/her body with its flaws and better points as well, and we will think
of
his/her mistakes and even of his/her "sins."
8
Then let us ask of
Her Who knows this SonDaughter of God in hisher reality and truth that
we may
look on him/her a different way and see our savior/savioress shining in
the
light of true forgiveness given unto us. We ask Her in the Holy Name of
God and
of HisHer SonDaughter, as holy as HimHerself:
10
The body's eyes are
closed, and as you think of him/her who grieved you, let your mind be
shown the
light in himher beyond your grievances. What you have asked for cannot
be
denied. Your savior/savioress has been waiting long for this. Heshe
would be
free and make hisher freedom yours. The Holy Spirit leans from himher to
you,
seeing no separation in God’s SonDaughter. And what you see through Her
will
free you both.
11
Be very quiet now
and look upon your shining savior. No dark grievances obscure the sight
of
himher. You have allowed the Holy Spirit to express through himher the
role God
gave Her that you might be saved. God thanks you for these quiet times
today in
which you laid your images aside and looked upon the miracle of love the
Holy
Spirit showed you in their place. The world and the God Realm join in
thanking
you, for not one Thought of God but must rejoice as you are saved and
all the
world with you.
12
We will remember
this throughout the day and take the role assigned to us as part of
God's
salvation plan, and not our own. Temptation falls away when we allow
each one
we meet to save us and refuse to hide his/her light behind our
grievances. To
everyone you meet and to the ones you think of or remember from the
past, allow
the role of savior/savioress to be given that you may share it with
them. For
you both, and all the sightless ones as well, we pray:
1
A problem cannot be
solved if you do not know what it is. Even if it is really solved
already, you
will still have the problem because you cannot recognize that it has
been
solved. This is the situation of the world. The problem of separation,
which is
really the only problem, has already been solved. But the solution is
not
recognized because the problem is not recognized.
2
Everyone in this
world seems to have his/her own special problems. Yet they are all the
same and
must be recognized as one if the one solution which solves them all is
to be
accepted. Who can see that a problem has been solved if he/she thinks
the
problem is something else? Even if he/she is given the answer, he/she
cannot
see its relevance.
3
That is the
position in which you find yourself now. You have the answer, but you
are still
uncertain about what the problem is. A long series of different problems
seems
to confront you, and as one is settled the next one and the next arise.
There
seems to be no end to them. There is no time in which you feel
completely free
of problems and at peace.
4
The temptation to
regard problems as many is the temptation to keep the problem of
separation
unsolved. The world seems to present you with a vast number of problems,
each
requiring a different answer. This perception places you in a position
in which
your problem solving must be inadequate and failure must be inevitable.
5
No one could solve
all the problems the world appears to hold. They seem to be on so many
levels,
in such varying forms, and with such varied content that they confront
you with
an impossible situation. Dismay and depression are inevitable as you
regard them.
Some spring up unexpectedly, just as you think you have resolved the
previous
ones. Others remain unsolved under a cloud of denial and rise to haunt
you from
time to time, only to be hidden again but still unsolved.
6
All this complexity
is but a desperate attempt not to recognize the problem and therefore
not to
let it be resolved. If you could recognize that your only problem is
separation, no matter what form it takes, you could accept the answer
because
you would see its relevance. Perceiving the underlying constancy in all
the
problems which confront you, you would understand that you have the
means to
solve them all. And you would use the means because you recognize the
problem.
7
In our longer
practice periods today, we will ask what the problem is and what is the
answer
to it. We will not assume that we already know. We will try to free our
minds
of all the many different kinds of problems that we think we have. We
will try
to realize that we have only one problem, which we have failed to
recognize. We
will ask what it is and wait for the answer. We will be told. Then we
will ask
for the solution to it. And we will be told.
8
Our exercises for
today will be successful to the extent to which we do not insist on
defining
the problem. Perhaps we will not succeed in letting all our preconceived
notions go, but that is not necessary. All that is necessary is to
entertain
some doubt about the reality of our version of what our problems are. We
are
trying to recognize that we have been given the answer by recognizing
the
problem, so that the problem and the answer can be brought together, and
we can
be at peace.
9
The shorter
practice periods for today will not be set by time but by need. You will
see
many problems today, each one calling for an answer. Our efforts will be
directed toward recognizing that there is only one problem and one
answer. In
this recognition are all problems resolved. In this recognition there is
peace.
10
Be not deceived by
the form of problems today. Whenever any difficulty seems to rise, tell
yourself quickly:
12
Then try to suspend
all judgment about what the problem is. If possible, close your eyes for
a moment
and ask what it is. You will be heard and you will be answered.
1
If you are willing
to recognize your problems, you will recognize that you have no
problems. Your
one central problem has been answered, and you have no other. Therefore
you
must be at peace. Salvation does depend on recognizing this one problem
and
understanding that it has been solved. One problem—one solution.
Salvation is
accomplished. Freedom from conflict has been given you. Accept that
fact, and
you are ready to take your rightful place in God's plan for salvation.
2
Your only problem
has been solved! Repeat this over and over to yourself today with
gratitude and
conviction. You have recognized your only problem, opening the way for
the Holy
Spirit to give you God's answer. You have laid deception aside and seen
the
light of truth. You have accepted salvation for yourself by bringing the
problem to the answer. And you can recognize the answer because the
problem has
been identified.
3
You are entitled to
peace today. A problem that has been resolved cannot trouble you. Only
be
certain you do not forget that all problems are the same. Their many
forms will
not deceive you while you remember this. One problem—one solution.
Accept the
peace this simple statement brings.
4
In our longer
practice periods today, we will claim the peace that must be ours when
the
problem and the answer have been brought together. The problem must be
gone
because God's answer cannot fail. Having recognized one, you have
recognized
the other. The solution is inherent in the problem. You are answered and
have
accepted the answer. You are saved.
5
Now let the peace
that your acceptance brings be given you. Close your eyes and receive
your
reward. Recognize that your problems have been solved. Recognize that
you are
out of conflict, free, and at peace. Above all, remember that you have
one
problem and that the problem has one solution. It is in this that the
simplicity of salvation lies. It is because of this that it is
guaranteed to
work.
6
Assure yourself
often today that your problems have been solved. Repeat the idea with
deep
conviction as frequently as possible. And be particularly sure to
remember to
apply the idea for today to any specific problem that may arise. Say
quickly:
8
Let us be
determined not to collect grievances today. Let us be determined to be
free of
problems that do not exist. The means is simple honesty. Do not deceive
yourself about what the problem is, and you must recognize it has been
solved.
R2:1
We are now ready
for another review. We will begin where our last review left off and
cover two
ideas each day. The earlier part of each day will be devoted to one of
these
ideas, and the latter part of the day to the other. We will have one
longer
exercise period and frequent shorter ones in which we practice each of
them.
2
The longer practice
periods will follow this general form: take about 15 minutes for each of
them,
and begin by thinking about the idea and the comments which are included
in the
assignments. Devote about three or four minutes to reading them over
slowly,
several times if you wish, and then close your eyes and listen. Repeat
the
first phase if you find your mind wandering, but try to spend the major
part of
the practice period listening quietly but attentively.
3
There is a message
waiting for you. Be confident that you will receive it. Remember that it
belongs to you and that you want it. Do not allow your intent to waver
in the
face of distracting thoughts. Realize that, whatever form they take,
they have
no meaning and no power. Replace them with your determination to
succeed. Do
not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams. Trust
it to
see you through and carry you beyond them all.
4
Regard these
practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth, and the life.
Refuse to
be side-tracked into detours, illusions, and thoughts of death. You are
dedicated to salvation. Be determined each day not to leave your
function
unfulfilled.
5
Reaffirm your
determination in the shorter practice periods as well, using the
original form
of the idea for general application and a more specific form when
needed. Some
specific forms will be included in the comments. These, however, are
merely
suggestions. It is not the particular words you use that matter.
1
Our ideas for
review today are:
[61]
I
am the light of the world.
2 How holy am I, who have been given the function
of
lighting up the world! Let me be still before my holiness. In its calm
light,
let all my conflicts disappear. In its peace, let me remember who I am.
3 Some specific forms for applying the idea when
specific
difficulties seem to arise might be:
[62]
Forgiveness
is my function as the light of the world.
5 It is through accepting my function that I will
see the
light in me. And in this light will my function stand clear and
perfectly
unambiguous before my sight. My acceptance does not depend on my
recognizing
what my function is, for I do not yet understand forgiveness. Yet I will
trust
that in the light I will see it as it is.
6 Specific forms for using the idea might include:
1
We will review
these ideas today:
[63]
The
light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.
2 My forgiveness is the means by which the light of
the
world finds expression through me. My forgiveness is the means by which
I
become aware of the light of the world in me. My forgiveness is the
means by
which the world is healed, together with myself. Let me, then, forgive
the
world that it may be healed along with me.
3
Suggestions for
specific forms for applying this idea are:
[64]
Let
me not forget my function.
5 I would not forget my function because I would
remember my
Self. I cannot fulfill my function by forgetting. And unless I fulfill
my
function, I will not experience the joy that God intends for me.
6 Suitable specific forms of this idea include:
1
Today let us review
these ideas:
[65]
My
only function is the one God gave me.
2 I have no function but the one God gave me. This
recognition
releases me from all conflict because it means I cannot have conflicting
goals.
With one purpose only, I am always certain what to do, what to say, and
what to
think. All doubt must disappear as I acknowledge that my only function
is the
one God gave me.
3 More specific applications of this idea might
take these
forms:
[66]
My
happiness and my function are one.
5 All things that come from God are one. They come
from
Oneness and must be received as one. Fulfilling my function is my
happiness
because both come from the same Source. And I must learn to recognize
what
makes me happy if I would find happiness.
6 Some useful forms for specific applications of
this idea
are:
1
These are the ideas
for today's review:
[67]
Love
createdmanifested me like Itself.
2 I am in the likeness of my CreatorManifestor. I
cannot
suffer, I cannot experience loss, and I cannot die. I am not a body. I
would recognize
my reality today. I will worship no idols/idolresses nor raise my own
self-concepts to replace my Self. I am in the likeness of my
CreatorManifestor.
Love createdmanifested me like Itself.
3 You might find these specific forms helpful in
applying the
idea:
[68]
Love
holds no grievances.
5 Grievances are completely alien to love.
Grievances attack
love and keep its light obscure. If I hold grievances I am attacking
love and
therefore attacking my Self. My Self thus becomes alien to me. I am
determined
not to attack my Self today, so that I can remember who I am.
6 These specific forms for applying this idea would
be
helpful:
1
Today's review will
cover these ideas:
[69]
My
grievances hide the light of the world in me.
2 My grievances show me what is not there and hide
from me
what I would see. Recognizing this, what do I want my grievances for?
They keep
me in darkness and hide the light. Grievances and light cannot go
together, but
light and vision must be joined for me to see. To see, I must lay
grievances
aside. I want to see, and this will be the means by which I will
succeed.
3 Specific applications of this idea might be made
in these
forms:
[70]
My
salvation comes from me.
5 Today I will recognize where my salvation is. It
is in me
because its Source is there. It has not left its Source, and so it
cannot have
left my mind. I will not look for it outside myself. It is not found
outside
and then brought in. But from within me it will reach beyond, and
everything I
see will but reflect the light that shines in me and in itself.
6 These forms of the idea are suitable for more
specific
application:
1
These ideas are for
review today:
[71]
Only
God's plan for salvation will work.
2 It is senseless for me to search wildly about for
salvation. I have seen it in many people and in many things, but when I
reached
for it, it was not there. I was mistaken about where it is. I was
mistaken about
what it is. I will undertake no more idle seeking. Only God's plan for
salvation will work. And I will rejoice because HisHer plan can never
fail.
3 These are some suggested forms for applying this
idea
specifically:
[72]
Holding
grievances is an attack on God's plan for salvation.
5 Holding grievances is an attempt to prove that
God's plan
for salvation will not work. Yet only HisHer plan will work. By holding
grievances, I am therefore excluding my only hope of salvation from my
awareness. I would no longer defeat my own best interests in this insane
way. I
would accept God's plan for salvation and be happy.
6 Specific applications of this idea might be in
these
forms:
1
Our review today
will cover these ideas:
[73]
I
will there be light.
2 I will use the power of my will today. It is not
my will
to grope about in darkness, fearful of shadows and afraid of things
unseen and
unreal. Light shall be my guide today. I will follow it where it leads
me, and
I will look only on what it shows me. This day I will experience the
peace of
true perception.
3 These forms of this idea would be helpful for
specific
application:
[74]
There
is no will but God's.
5 I am safe today because there is no will but
God's. I can
become afraid only when I believe that there is another will. I try to
attack
only when I am afraid, and only when I try to attack can I believe that
my
eternal safety is threatened. Today I will recognize that all this has
not
occurred. I am safe because there is no will but God's.
6 These are some useful forms of this idea for
specific
applications:
1
Today we will
review these ideas:
[75]
The
light has come.
2 In choosing salvation rather than attack, I
merely choose
to recognize what is already here. Salvation is a decision made already.
Attack
and grievances are not there to choose. That is why I always choose
between
truth and illusion, between what is there and what is not. The light has
come.
I can but choose the light, for it has no alternative. It has replaced
the
darkness, and the dark is gone.
3 These would prove useful forms for specific
applications
of this idea:
[76]
I
am under no laws but God's.
5 Here is the perfect statement of my freedom. I am
under no
laws but God's. I am constantly tempted to make up other laws and give
them
power over me. I suffer only because of my belief in them. They have no
real
effect on me at all. I am perfectly free of the effects of all laws save
God's.
And HisHer are the laws of freedom.
6 For specific forms in applying this idea, these
would be
useful:
1
These are our
review ideas for today:
[77]
I
am entitled to miracles.
2 I am entitled to miracles because I am under no
laws but
God's. HisHer laws release me from all grievances and replace them with
miracles. And I would accept the miracles in place of the grievances,
which are
but illusions that hide the miracles beyond. Now I would accept only
what the
laws of God entitle me to have that I may use it on behalf of the
function
HeShe has given me.
3 You might use these suggestions for specific
applications
of this idea:
[78]
Let
miracles replace all grievances.
5 By this idea do I unite my will with the Holy
Spirit's and
perceive them as one. By this idea do I accept my release from hell. By
this
idea do I express my willingness to have all my illusions be replaced
with
truth according to God's plan for my salvation. I would make no
exceptions and
no substitutes. I want all of the God Realm and only the God Realm, as
God
wills me to have.
6 Useful specific forms for applying this idea
would be:
1 For this review we will use these ideas:
[79]
Let
me recognize the problem so it can be solved.
2 Let me realize today that the problem is always
some form
of grievance which I would cherish. Let me also understand that the
solution is
always a miracle with which I let the grievance be replaced. Today I
would
remember the simplicity of salvation by reinforcing the lesson that
there is
one problem and one solution. The problem is a grievance; the solution
is a
miracle. And I invite the solution to come to me through my forgiveness
of the
grievance and my welcome of the miracle which takes its place.
3 Specific applications of this idea might be in
these
forms:
[80]
Let
me recognize my problems have been solved.
5 I seem to have problems only because I am
misusing time. I
believe that the problem comes first, and time must elapse before it can
be
worked out. I do not see the problem and the answer as simultaneous in
their
occurrence. That is because I do not yet realize that God has placed the
answer
together with the problem, so that they cannot be separated by time. The
Holy
Spirit will teach me this if I will let Her. And I will understand it is
impossible
that I could have a problem which has not been solved already.
6 These forms of the idea will be useful for
specific
applications:
1
It is important to
remember that miracles and vision necessarily go together. This needs
repeating
and frequent repeating. It is a central idea in your new thought system
and the
perception which it produces. The miracle is always there. Its presence
is not
caused by your vision; its absence is not the result of your failure to
see. It
is only your awareness of miracles that is affected. You will see it in
the
light; you will not see it in the dark.
2
To you, then, light
is crucial. While you remain in darkness, the miracle remains unseen.
Thus you
are convinced it is not there. This follows from the premises from which
the
darkness comes. Denial of light leads to failure to perceive it. Failure
to
perceive light is to perceive darkness. The light is useless to you
then, even
though it is there. You cannot use it because its presence is unknown to
you.
And the seeming reality of the darkness makes the idea of light
meaningless.
3
To be told that
what you do not see is there sounds like insanity. It is very difficult
to
become convinced that it is insanity not to see what is there and to see
what
is not there instead. You do not doubt that the body's eyes can see. You
do not
doubt the images they show you are reality. Your faith lies in the
darkness,
not the light.
4
How can this be
reversed? For you it is impossible, but you are not alone in this. Your
efforts, however little they may be, have strong support. Did you but
realize
how great this strength, your doubts would vanish. Today we will devote
ourselves to the attempt to let you feel this strength. When you have
felt the
strength in you which makes all miracles within your easy reach, you
will not
doubt. The miracles your sense of weakness hides will leap into
awareness as
you feel the strength in you.
5
Three times today,
set aside about ten minutes for a quiet time in which you try to leave
your
weakness behind. This is accomplished very simply, as you instruct
yourself
that you are not a body. Faith goes to what you want, and you instruct
your
mind accordingly. Your will remains your teacher/teacheress, and your
will has
all the strength to do what it desires. You can escape the body if you
choose.
You can experience the strength in you.
6
Begin the longer
practice periods with this statement of true cause and effect
relationships:
8
The question with
which this statement ends is needed for our exercises today. What you
think you
are is a belief to be undone. But what you really are must be revealed
to you.
The belief you are a body calls for correction, being a mistake. The
truth of
what you are calls on the strength in you to bring to your awareness
what the
mistake concealed.
9
If you are not a
body, what are you? You need to be aware of what the Holy Spirit uses to
replace the image of a body in your mind. You need to feel something to
put
your faith in, as you lift it from the body. You need a real experience
of
something else, something more solid and more sure, more worthy of your
faith,
and really there.
10
If you are not a
body, what are you? Ask this in honesty, and then devote several minutes
to
allowing your mistaken thoughts about your attributes to be corrected,
and
their opposites to take their place. Say, for example:
12
In the second phase
of the exercise period, try to experience these truths about yourself.
Concentrate particularly on the experience of strength. Remember that
all sense
of weakness is associated with the belief you are a body, a belief that
is
mistaken and deserves no faith. Try to remove your faith from it, if
only for a
moment. You will become accustomed to keeping faith with the more worthy
in you
as we go along.
13
Relax for the rest
of the practice period, confident that your efforts, however meager, are
fully
supported by the strength of God and all HisHer Thoughts. It is from
Them your
strength will come. It is through Their strong support that you will
feel the
strength in you. They are united with you in this practice period in
which you
share a purpose like Their own. Theirs is the light in which you will
see
miracles because Their strength is yours. Their strength becomes your
eyes that
you may see.
14
Five or six times
an hour at reasonably regular intervals remind yourself that miracles
are seen
in light. Also, be sure to meet temptation with today's idea. This form
would
be helpful for this special purpose:
1
The idea for today
is an extension of the previous one. You do not think of light in terms
of
strength and darkness in terms of weakness. That is because your idea of
what
seeing means is tied up with the body and its eyes and brain. This is
why you
believe that you can change what you see by keeping little bits of glass
or
other clear material before your eyes held in a frame or placed against
the
eye.
2
These are among the
many magical beliefs that come from the conviction you are a body and
the
body's eyes can see. You also believe the body's brain can think. If you
but
understood the nature of thought, you could but laugh at this insane
idea. It
is as if you thought you held the match that lights the sun and gives it
all
its warmth or that you had the universe imprisoned in your hand,
securely bound
until you let it go. Yet this is no more foolish than to believe the
body's
eyes can see, the brain can think.
3
It is God's
strength in you that is the light in which you see, as it is HisHer Mind
with
which you think. HisHer strength denies your weakness. It is your
weakness that
sees through the body's eyes, peering about in darkness to behold the
likeness
of itself—the small, the weak, the sickly and the dying, those in need,
the
helpless and afraid, the sad, the poor, the starving, and the joyless.
These
are seen through eyes which cannot see and cannot bless.
4
Strength overlooks
these things by seeing past appearances. It keeps its steady gaze upon
the
light that lies beyond them. It unites with light, of which it is a
part. It
sees itself. It brings the light in which your Self appears. In darkness
you
perceive a self that is not there.
5
Strength is the
truth about you; weakness is an idol/idolress falsely worshipped, and
adored
that strength may be dispelled and darkness rule where God appointed
that there
should be light. Strength comes from truth and shines with light its
Source has
given it; weakness reflects the darkness of its maker. It is sick and
looks on
sickness, which is like itself.
6
Truth is a
savior/savioress and can only will for happiness and peace for everyone.
It
gives its strength to everyone who asks, in limitless supply. It sees
that lack
in anyone would be a lack in all, and so it gives its light that all may
see
and benefit as one. Its strength is shared that it may bring to all the
miracle
in which they will unite in purpose and forgiveness and in love.
7
Weakness, which
looks in darkness, cannot see a purpose in forgiveness and in love. It
sees all
others different from itself and nothing in the world that it would
share. It
judges and condemns but does not love. In darkness it remains to hide
itself
and dreams that it is strong and conquering, a victor over limitations
that but
grow in darkness to enormous size. It fears and it attacks and hates
itself,
and darkness covers everything it sees, leaving its dreams as fearful as
itself. No miracles are here, but only hate. It separates itself from
what it
sees, while light and strength perceive themselves as one.
8
The light of
strength is not the light you see. It does not change and flicker and go
out.
It does not shift from night to day and back to darkness till the
morning comes
again. The light of strength is constant, sure as love, forever glad to
give
itself away because it cannot give but to itself. No one can ask in vain
to
share its sight, and none who enters its abode can leave without a
miracle
before his/her eyes and strength and light abiding in his/her heart.
9
The strength in you
will offer you the light and guide your seeing, so you do not dwell on
idle
shadows that the body's eyes provide for self-deception. Strength and
light
unite in you, and where they meet, your Self stands ready to embrace you
as Its
own. Such is the meeting place we try today to find and rest in, for the
peace
of God is where your Self, HisHer SonDaughter, is waiting now to meet
itself
again and be as one.
10
Let us give 20
minutes twice today to join this meeting. Let yourself be brought unto
your
Self. Its strength will be the light in which the gift of sight is given
you.
Leave, then, the dark a little while today, and we will practice seeing
in the
light, closing the body's eyes and asking truth to show us how to find
the
meeting place of self and Self, where light and strength are one.
11
After the morning
meeting, we will use the day in preparation for the time at night when
we will
meet again in hope and trust. Let us repeat as often as we can the idea
for
today and recognize that we are being introduced to sight and led away
from
darkness to the light, where only miracles can be perceived.
1
You think you are
the home of evil, darkness, and sin. You think if anyone could see the
truth
about you he/she would be repelled, recoiling from you as if from a
poisonous
snake. You think if what is true about you were revealed to you, you
would be
struck with horror so intense that you would rush to death by your own
hand,
living on after seeing this being impossible.
2
These are beliefs
so firmly fixed that it is difficult to help you see that they are based
on
nothing. That you have made mistakes is obvious. That you have sought
salvation
in strange ways—have been deceived, deceiving, and afraid of foolish
fantasies
and savage dreams and have bowed down to idols/idolresses made of
dust—all this
is true by what you now believe.
3
Today we question
this, not from the point of view of what you think, but from a very
different
reference point from which such idle thoughts are meaningless. These
thoughts are
not according to God's Will. These weird beliefs HeShe does not share
with you.
This is enough to prove that they are wrong, but you do not perceive
that this
is so.
4
Why would you not
be overjoyed to be assured that all the evil that you think you did was
never
done, that all your "sins" are nothing, that you are as pure and holy
as you were createdmanifested, and that light and joy and peace abide in
you?
Your image of yourself cannot withstand the Will of God. You think that
this is
death, but it is life. You think you are destroyed, but you are saved.
5
The self you made
is not the SonDaughter of God. Therefore, this self does not exist at
all. And
anything it seems to do and think means nothing. It is neither bad nor
good. It
is unreal and nothing more than that. It does not battle with the
SonDaughter
of God. It does not hurt himher nor attack hisher peace. It has not
changed
creationmanifestation nor reduced eternal sinlessness to sin and love to
hate.
What power can this self you made possess when it would contradict the
Will of
God?
6
Your sinlessness is
guaranteed by God. Over and over this must be repeated until it is
accepted. It
is true. Your sinlessness is guaranteed by God. Nothing can touch it nor
can
change what God createdmanifested as eternal. The self you made, evil
and full
of sin, is meaningless. Your sinlessness is guaranteed by God, and light
and
joy and peace abide in you.
7
Salvation requires
the acceptance of but one thought—you are as God createdmanifested you,
not
what you made of yourself. Whatever evil you may think you did, you are
as God
createdmanifested you. Whatever mistakes you made, the truth about you
is
unchanged. Creationmanifestation is eternal and unalterable. Your
sinlessness
is guaranteed by God. You are and will forever be exactly as you were
createdmanifested. Light and joy and peace abide in you because God put
them
there.
8
In our longer
exercise periods today, which would be most profitable if done for the
first
five minutes of every waking hour, we will begin by stating the truth
about our
creationmanifestation:
10
Then put away your
foolish self-images and spend the rest of the practice period in trying
to
experience what God has given you in place of what you have decreed for
yourself.
11
You are what God
createdmanifested or what you made. One Self is true; the other is not
there.
Try to experience the unity of your One Self. Try to appreciate its
holiness
and the love from which it was createdmanifested. Try not to interfere
with the
Self which God createdmanifested as you by hiding its majesty behind the
tiny
idols/idolresses of evil and sinfulness you have made to replace it. Let
it
come into its own. Here you are. This is you. And light and joy and
peace abide
in you because this is so.
12
You may not be
willing or even able to use the first five minutes of each hour for
these
exercises. Try, however, to do so when you can. At least remember to
repeat
these thoughts each hour:
14
Then try to devote
at least a minute or so to closing your eyes and realizing that this is
a
statement of the truth about you.
15
If a situation
arises that seems to be disturbing, quickly dispel the illusion of fear
by
repeating these thoughts again. Should you be tempted to become angry
with
someone, tell him/her silently:
17
You can do much for
the world's salvation today. You can do much today to bring you closer
to the
part in salvation which God has assigned to you. And you can do much
today to
bring the conviction to your mind that the idea for the day is true
indeed.
1
Today we continue
with the one idea which brings complete salvation; the one statement
which
makes all forms of temptation powerless; the one thought which renders
the ego
silent and entirely undone. You are as God createdmanifested you. The
sounds of
this world are still, the sights of this world disappear, and all the
thoughts
that this world ever held are wiped away forever by this one idea. Here
is
salvation accomplished. Here is sanity restored.
2
True light is
strength, and strength is sinlessness. If you remain as God
createdmanifested
you, you must be strong and light must be in you. HeShe Who ensured your
sinlessness must be the guarantee of strength and light as well. You are
as God
createdmanifested you. Darkness cannot obscure the glory of the
SonDaughter of
God. You stand in light, strong in the sinlessness in which you were
createdmanifested and in which you will remain throughout eternity.
3
Today we will again
devote the first five minutes of each waking hour to the attempt to feel
the
truth in you. Begin these times of searching with these words:
5
Now try to reach
the SonDaughter of God in you. This is the Self that never sinned nor
made an
image to replace reality. This is the Self which never left its home in
God to
walk the world uncertainly. This is the Self which knows no fear nor
could
conceive of loss or suffering or death.
6
Nothing is required
of you to reach this goal except to lay all idols/idolresses and
self-images
aside, go past the long list of attributes, both "good" and
"bad," you have ascribed to yourself and wait in silent expectancy
for the truth. God has HimHerself promised that it will be revealed to
all who
ask for it. You are asking now. You cannot fail because HeShe cannot
fail.
7
If you do not meet
the requirement of practicing for the first five minutes of every hour,
at
least remind yourself hourly:
9
Tell yourself
frequently today that you are as God createdmanifested you. And be sure
to
respond to anyone who seems to irritate you with these words:
11
Make every effort
to do the hourly exercises today. Each one you do will be a giant stride
toward
your release and a milestone in learning the thought system which this
course
sets forth.
1
Today's idea
accurately describes you as God createdmanifested you. You are one
within
yourself and one with HimHer. Yours is the unity of all
creationmanifestation.
Your perfect unity makes change in you impossible. You do not accept
this and
you fail to realize it must be so, only because you believe that you
have
changed yourself already. You see yourself as a ridiculous parody on
God's
creationmanifestation—weak, vicious, ugly and sinful, miserable and
beset with
pain.
2
Such is your
version of yourself—a self divided into many warring parts, separate
from God,
and tenuously held together by its erratic and capricious maker, to
which you
pray. It does not hear your prayers, for it is deaf. It does not see the
oneness
in you, for it is blind. It does not understand you are the SonDaughter
of God,
for it is senseless and understands nothing.
3
We will attempt
today to be aware of only what can hear and see and what makes perfect
sense.
We will again direct our exercises towards reaching your One Self, which
is
united with its CreatorManifestor. In patience and in hope we try again
today.
4
The use of the
first five minutes of every waking hour for practicing the idea for the
day has
special advantages at the stage of learning in which you are at present.
It is
difficult at this point not to allow your mind to wander if it
undertakes
extended attempts. You have surely realized this by now. You have seen
the
extent of your lack of mental discipline and of your need for mind
training. It
is necessary that you be aware of this, for it is indeed a hindrance to
your
advance.
5
Frequent but
shorter practice periods have other advantages for you at this time. In
addition to recognizing your difficulties with sustained attention, you
must
also have noticed that, unless you are reminded of your purpose
frequently, you
tend to forget about it for long periods of time. You often fail to
remember
the short applications of the idea for the day, and you have not yet
formed the
habit of using it as an automatic response to temptation.
6
Structure, then, is
necessary for you at this time, planned to include frequent reminders of
your
goal and regular attempts to reach it. Regularity in terms of time is
not the
ideal requirement for the most beneficial form of practice in salvation.
It is
advantageous, however, for those whose motivation is inconsistent and
who
remain heavily defended against learning.
7
We will therefore
keep to the five minutes an hour practice periods for a while and urge
you to
omit as few as possible. Using the first five minutes of the hour will
be
particularly helpful since it imposes firmer structure. Do not, however,
use
your lapses from this schedule as an excuse not to return to it again as
soon
as you can.
8
There may well be a
temptation to regard the day as lost because you have already failed to
do what
is required. This should, however, merely be recognized as what it is—a
refusal
to let your mistakes be corrected and an unwillingness to try again.
9
The Holy Spirit is
not delayed in Her teaching by your mistakes. She can be held back only
by your
unwillingness to let them go. Let us therefore be determined,
particularly for
the next week or so, to be willing to forgive ourselves for our lapses
in diligence
and our failures to follow the instructions for practicing the day's
idea.
10
This tolerance for
weakness will enable us to overlook it, rather than give it power to
delay our
learning. If we give it power to do this, we are regarding it as
strength and
are confusing strength with weakness. When you fail to comply with the
requirements of this course, you have merely made a mistake. This calls
for
correction and for nothing else.
11
To allow a mistake
to continue is to make additional mistakes based on the first and
reinforcing
it. It is this process that must be laid aside, for it is but another
way in
which you would defend illusions against the truth. Let all these errors
go by
recognizing them for what they are. They are attempts to keep you
unaware you
are One Self, united with your CreatorManifestor, at one with every
aspect of
creationmanifestation, and limitless in power and in peace.
12
This is the truth,
and nothing else is true. Today we will affirm this truth again and try
to
reach the place in you in which there is no doubt that only this is
true. Begin
the practice periods today with this assurance, given to your mind with
all the
certainty that you can give:
14
Then close your
eyes and tell yourself again, slowly and thoughtfully, attempting to
allow the
meaning of the words to sink into your mind, replacing false ideas:
16
Repeat this several
times, and then attempt to feel the meaning which the words convey. You
are One
Self, united and secure in light and joy and peace. You are God’s
SonDaughter,
One Self with one CreatorManifestor and one goal—to bring awareness of
this
oneness to all minds, that true creationmanifestation may extend the
Allness
and the Unity of God.
17
You are One Self,
complete and healed and whole, with power to lift the veil of darkness
from the
world and let the light in you come through to teach the world the truth
about
itself. You are One Self, in perfect harmony with all there is and all
that
there will be. You are One Self, the holy SonDaughter of God, united
with your
brothers/sisters in this Self, united with your FatherMother in HisHer
Will.
18
Feel this One Self
in you, and let it shine away all your illusions and your doubts. This
is your
Self, the SonDaughter of God HimHerself, sinless as its
CreatorManifestor, with
HisHer strength within you and HisHer Love forever yours. You are One
Self, and
it is given you to feel this Self within you and to cast all your
illusions out
of the one Mind which is this Self, the holy truth in you.
19
Do not forget
today. We need your help, your little part in bringing happiness to all
the
world. And the God Realm looks to you in confidence that you will try
today.
Share, then, its surety, for it is yours. Be vigilant. Do not forget
today.
20
Throughout the day
do not forget your goal. Repeat today's idea as frequently as possible
and
understand each time you do so, someone hears the voice of hope, the
stirring
of the truth within his/her mind, the gentle rustling of the wings of
peace.
Your own acknowledgment you are One Self, united with your FatherMother,
is a
call to all the world to be at one with you. To everyone you meet today
be sure
to give the promise of today's idea and tell him/her this:
1
Although you are
One Self, you experience yourself as two—as both good and evil, loving
and
hating, mind and body. This sense of being split into opposites induces
feelings of acute and constant conflict and leads to frantic attempts to
reconcile the contradictory aspects of this self-perception. You have
sought
many such solutions, and none of them has worked. The opposites you see
in you
will never be compatible. But one exists.
2
The fact that truth
and illusion cannot be reconciled, no matter how you try, what means you
use,
and where you see the problem, must be accepted if you would be saved.
Until
you have accepted this, you will attempt endless lists of goals you
cannot
reach; a senseless series of expenditures of time and effort,
hopefulness and
doubt, each one as futile as the one before and failing as the next one
surely
will.
3
Problems that have
no meaning cannot be resolved within the framework they are set. Two
selves in
conflict could not be resolved, and good and evil have no meeting place.
The
self you made can never be your Self, nor can your Self be split in two
and
still be what it is and must forever be.
4
A mind and body
cannot both exist. Make no attempt to reconcile the two, for one denies
the
other can be real. If you are physical, your mind is gone from your
self-concept, for it has no place in which it could be really part of
you. If
you are Spirit, then the body must be meaningless to your reality.
5
Spirit makes use of
mind as means to find its Self-expression. And the mind which serves the
Spirit
is at peace and filled with joy. Its power comes from Spirit, and it is
fulfilling happily its function here. Yet mind can also see itself
divorced
from Spirit and perceive itself within a body it confuses with itself.
Without
its function then, it has no peace, and happiness is alien to its
thoughts.
6
Yet mind apart from
Spirit cannot think. It has denied its Source of strength and sees
itself as
helpless, limited, and weak. Dissociated from its function now, it
thinks it is
alone and separate, attacked by armies massed against itself and hiding
in the
body's frail support. Now must it reconcile unlike with like, for this
is what
it thinks that it is for.
7
Waste no more time
on this. Who can resolve the senseless conflicts which a dream presents?
What
could the resolution mean in truth? What purpose could it serve? What is
it
for? Salvation cannot make illusions real and solve a problem that does
not
exist. Perhaps you hope it can. Yet would you have God's plan for the
release
of HisHer dear SonDaughter bring pain to himher and fail to set himher
free?
8
Your Self retains
its thoughts, and they remain within your mind and in the Mind of God.
The Holy
Spirit holds salvation in your mind and offers it the way to peace.
Salvation
is a thought you share with God, because Her Voice accepted it for you
and
answered in your name that it was done. Thus is salvation kept among the
thoughts your Self holds dear and cherishes for you.
9
We will attempt
today to find this thought, whose presence in your mind is guaranteed by
Her
Who speaks to you from your One Self. Our hourly five minute practicing
will be
a search for Her within your mind. Salvation comes from this One Self
through
Her Who is the bridge between your mind and it.
10
Wait patiently, and
let Her speak to you about your Self, and what your mind can do,
restored to it
and free to serve its will.
11
Begin by saying
this:
13
Then seek its
thoughts, and claim them as your own.
14
These are your own
real thoughts you have denied, and let your mind go wandering in a world
of
dreams, to find illusions in their place. Here are your thoughts, the
only ones
you have. Salvation is among them; find it there.
15
If you succeed, the
thoughts that come to you will tell you you are saved and that your mind
has
found the function that it sought to lose. Your Self will welcome it and
give
it peace. Restored in strength, it will again flow out from Spirit to
the
Spirit in all things createdmanifested by the Spirit as Itself. Your
mind will
bless all things. Confusion done, you are restored, for you have found
your
Self.
16
Your Self knows
that you cannot fail today. Perhaps your mind remains uncertain yet a
little
while. Be not dismayed by this. The joy your Self experiences It will
save for
you, and it will yet be yours in full awareness. Every time you spend
five
minutes of the hour seeking Her Who joins your mind and Self, you offer
Her another
treasure to be kept for you.
17
Each time today you
tell your frantic mind salvation comes from your One Self, you lay
another
treasure in your growing store. And all of it is given everyone who asks
for it
and will accept the gift. Think, then, how much is given unto you to
give this
day, that it be given you!
1
Today's idea
identifies you with your One Self. It accepts no split identity, nor
tries to
weave opposing factors into unity. It simply states the truth. Practice
this truth
today as often as you can, for it will bring your mind from conflict to
the
quiet fields of peace. No chill of fear can enter, for your mind has
been
absolved from madness, letting go illusions of a split identity.
2
We state again the
truth about your Self, the holy SonDaughter of God who rests in you,
whose mind
has been restored to sanity. You are the Spirit lovingly endowed with
all your
Father’sMother’s love and peace and joy. You are the Spirit which
completes
HimHerself and shares HisHer function as CreatorManifestor. HeShe is
with you
always, as you are with HimHer.
3
Today we try to
bring reality still closer to your mind. Each time you practice,
awareness is
brought a little nearer at least; sometimes a thousand years or more are
saved.
The minutes which you give are multiplied over and over, for the miracle
makes
use of time but is not ruled by it. Salvation is a miracle, the first
and last;
the first that is the last, for it is one.
4
You are the Spirit
in whose mind abides the miracle in which all time stands still; the
miracle in
which a minute spent in using these ideas becomes a time which has no
length
and which has no end. Give, then, these minutes willingly, and count on
Her Who
promised to lay timelessness beside them. She will offer all Her
strength to
every little effort which you make.
5
Give Her the
minutes which She needs today to help you understand with Her you are
the
Spirit that abides in Her, and Which calls through Her Voice to every
living
thing; offers Her sight to everyone who asks; replaces error with the
simple
truth.
6The
Holy Spirit will
be glad to take five minutes of each hour from your hands and carry them
around
this aching world, where pain and misery appear to rule. She will not
overlook
one open mind that will accept the healing gift they bring, and She will
lay
them everywhere She knows they will be welcome. And they will increase
in
healing power each time someone accepts them as his/her thoughts and
uses them
to heal.
7
Thus will your gift
to Her be multiplied a thousand-fold and tens of thousands more. And
when it is
returned to you, it will surpass in might the little gift you gave as
much as
does the radiance of the sun outshine the tiny gleam a firefly makes an
uncertain
moment, and goes out. Yet will the steady brilliance of this light
remain and
lead you out of darkness, nor will you be able to forget the way again.
8
Begin these happy
exercises with the words the Holy Spirit speaks to you, and let them
echo round
the world through Her:
10
Expressed through
you, the Holy Spirit will accept this gift which you received of Her,
increase
its power, and give it back to you.
11
Offer each practice
period today gladly to Her. And She will speak to you, reminding you
that you
are Spirit, one with Her and God, your brotherssisters and your Self.
Listen
for Her assurance every time you speak the words She offers you today,
and let
Her tell your mind that they are true.
12
Use them against
temptation, and escape its sorry consequences if you yield to the belief
that
you are something else. The Holy Spirit gives you peace today. Receive
Her
words, and offer them to Her.
1
Today is a day of
special dedication. We take a stand on but one side today. We side with
truth
and let illusions go. We will not vacillate between the two but take a
firm position
with the one. We dedicate ourselves to truth today and to salvation as
God
planned it be. We will not argue it is something else; we will not seek
for it
where it is not. In gladness we accept it as it is and take the part
assigned
to us by God.
2
How happy to be
certain! All our doubts we lay aside today and take our stand with
certainty of
purpose and with thanks that doubt is gone and surety has come. We have
a
mighty purpose to fulfill and have been given everything we need with
which to
reach the goal. Not one mistake stands in our way, for we have been
absolved
from errors. All our sins are washed away by realizing that they were
but
mistakes.
3
The guiltless have
no fear, for they are safe and recognize their safety. They do not
appeal to
magic nor invent escapes from fancied threats without reality. They rest
in
quiet certainty that they will do what it is given them to do. They do
not
doubt their own ability because they know their function will be filled
completely in the perfect time and place. They took the stand which we
will
take today that we may share their certainty and thus increase it by
accepting
it ourselves.
4
They will be with
us—all who took the stand we take today will gladly offer us all that
they
learned and every gain they made. Those still uncertain too will join
with us
and, borrowing our certainty, will make it stronger still. While those
as yet
unborn will hear the call we heard and answer it, when they have come to
make
their choice again. We do not choose but for ourselves today.
5
Is it not worth
five minutes of your time each hour to be able to accept the happiness
that God
has given you? Is it not worth five minutes hourly to recognize your
special
function here? Is not five minutes of the hour but a small request to
make in
terms of a reward so great it has no measure? You have made a thousand
losing
bargains at the least.
6
Here is an offer
guaranteeing you your full release from pain of every kind and joy the
world
does not contain. You can exchange a little of your time for peace of
mind and
certainty of purpose with the promise of complete success. And since
time has
no meaning, you are being asked for nothing in return for everything.
Here is a
bargain that you cannot lose. And what you gain is limitless indeed!
7
Each hour today
give Her your tiny gift of but five minutes. She will give the words you
use in
practicing today's idea the deep conviction and the certainty you lack.
Her
words will join with yours and make each repetition of today's idea a
total
dedication, made in faith as perfect and as sure as Her in you.
8
Her confidence in
you will bring the light to all the words you say, and you will go
beyond their
sound to what they really mean. Today you practice with Her as you say:
10
In each five
minutes that you spend with Her, She will accept your words and give
them back
to you all bright with faith and confidence so strong and steady they
will
light the world with hope and gladness. Do not lose one chance to be the
glad
receiver of Her gifts, that you may give them to the world today.
11
Give Her the words,
and She will do the rest. She will enable you to understand your special
function. She will open up the way to happiness, and peace and trust
will be
Her gifts, Her answer to your words. She will respond with all Her faith
and
joy and certainty that what you say is true. And you will have
conviction then
of Her Who knows the function that you have on earth as well as the God
Realm.
She will be with you each practice period you share with Her, exchanging
every
instant of the time you offer Her for timelessness and peace.
12
Throughout the
hour, let your time be spent in happy preparation for the next five
minutes you
will spend again with Her. Repeat today's idea while you wait for the
glad time
to come to you again. Repeat it often, and do not forget each time you
do so,
you have let your mind be readied for the happy time to come.
13
And when the hour
is gone and She is there once more to spend a little time with you, be
thankful
and lay down all earthly tasks, all little thoughts and limited ideas,
and
spend a happy time again with Her. Tell Her once more that you accept
the part
which She would have you take and help you fill, and She will make you
sure you
want this choice, which She has made with you and you with Her.
1
Salvation and
forgiveness are the same. They both imply that something has gone
wrong—something you need to be saved from or forgiven for, something
amiss that
needs corrective change, something apart or different from the Will of
God.
Thus do both terms imply something impossible but yet which has
occurred,
resulting in a state of conflict between what is and what could never
be.
2
Truth and illusions
both are equal now, for both have happened. The impossible becomes the
thing
you need forgiveness for, salvation from. Salvation is the borderland
between
the truth and illusion. It reflects the truth because it is the means by
which
you can escape illusions. Yet it is not truth because it undoes what was
never
done.
3
How could there be
a meeting place at all where earth and God Realm can be reconciled
within a
mind where both of them exist? The mind that sees illusions thinks them
real.
They have existence in that they are thoughts. And yet they are not real
because the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate from God.
4
What joins the
separated mind and thoughts with Mind and Thought which are forever one?
What
plan could hold the truth inviolate, yet recognize the need illusions
bring and
offer means by which they are undone without attack and with no touch of
pain?
What but a Thought of God could be this plan by which the never done is
overlooked and sins forgotten which were never real?
5
The Holy Spirit
holds this plan of God exactly as it was received of Her within the Mind
of God
and in your own. It is apart from time in that its Source is timeless.
Yet it
operates in time because of your belief that time is real. Unshaken does
the
Holy Spirit look on what you see—on sin and pain and death, on grief and
separation, and on loss. Yet does She know one thing must still be
true—God
still is Love, and this is not HisHer Will.
6
This is the Thought
which brings illusions to the truth, and sees them as appearances behind
which
is the changeless and the sure. This is the Thought which saves and
which
forgives, because it lays no faith in what is not createdmanifested by
the only
Source it knows. This is the Thought whose function is to save by giving
you
its function as your own.
7
Salvation is your
function with the One to Whom the plan was given. Now are you entrusted
with
this plan, along with Her. She has one answer to appearances regardless
of
their form, their size, their depth, or any attribute they seem to have:
9
You who will yet
work miracles, be sure you practice well the idea for today. Try to
perceive
the strength in what you say, for these are words in which your freedom
lies.
Your FatherMother loves you. All the world of pain is not HisHer Will.
Forgive
yourself the thought HeShe wanted this for you. Then let the Thought
with which
HeShe has replaced all your mistakes enter the darkened places of your
mind
which thought the thoughts that never were HisHer Will.
10
This part belongs
to God, as does the rest. It does not think its solitary thoughts and
make them
real by hiding them from HimHer. Let in the light, and you will look
upon no
obstacle to what HeShe wills for you. Open your secrets to HisHer kindly
Light,
and see how bright this Light still shines in you.
11
Practice HisHer
Thought today, and let HisHer Light seek out and lighten up all darkened
spots
and shine through them to join them to the rest. It is God's Will your
mind be
one with HisHer. It is God's Will that HeShe has but one SonDaughter. It
is
God's Will that HisHer one SonDaughter is you.
12
Think of these
things in practicing today, and start your longer practice periods with
this
instruction in the way of truth:
14
Then turn to Her
who shares your function with you, and let Her teach you what you need
to learn
to lay all fear aside and know your Self as Love Which has no opposite
in you.
15
Forgive all
thoughts which would oppose the truth of your completeness, unity, and
peace.
You cannot lose the gifts your FatherMother gave. You do not want to be
another
self. You have no function that is not of God. Forgive yourself the one
you
think you made. Forgiveness and salvation are the same. Forgive what you
have
made, and you are saved.
16
You have a special
message for today which has the power to remove all forms of doubt and
fear
forever from your mind. If you are tempted to believe them true,
remember that
appearances cannot withstand the truth these mighty words contain:
18
Your only function
tells you you are one. Remind yourself of this between the times you
give five
minutes to be shared with Her Who shares God's plan with you. Remind
yourself:
20
Thus do you lay forgiveness
on your mind and let all fear be gently laid aside that Love may find
Its
rightful place in you and show you that you are the SonDaughter of God.
1
Just as God’s
SonDaughter completes hisher FatherMother, so your part in it completes
your
Father’sMother's plan. Salvation must reverse the mad belief in separate
thoughts and separate bodies which lead separate lives and go their
separate
ways. One function shared by separate minds unites them in one purpose,
for
each one is equally essential to them all.
2
God's Will for you
is perfect happiness. Why should you choose to go against HisHer Will?
The part
that HeShe has saved for you to take in working out HisHer plan is given
you
that you might be restored to what HeShe wills. This part is as
essential to
HisHer plan as to your happiness. Your joy must be complete to let
HisHer plan
be understood by those to whom HeShe sends you. They will see their
function in
your shining face and hear God calling to them in your happy laugh.
3
You are indeed
essential to God's plan. Without your joy, HisHer joy is incomplete.
Without
your smile, the world cannot be saved. While you are sad, the light
which God
HimHerself appointed as the means to save the world is dim and
lusterless. And
no one laughs, because all laughter can but echo yours.
4
You are indeed
essential to God's plan. Just as your light increases every light that
shines
in the God Realm, so your joy on earth calls to all minds to let their
sorrows
go and take their place beside you in God's plan. God's messengers are
joyous,
and their joy heals sorrow and despair. They are the proof that God
wills
perfect happiness for all who will accept their Father’sMother’s gifts
as
theirs.
5
We will not let
ourselves be sad today. For if we do, we fail to take the part that is
essential to God's plan as well as to our vision. Sadness is the sign
that you
would play another part instead of what has been assigned to you by God.
Thus
do you fail to show the world how great the happiness HeShe wills for
you. And
so you do not recognize that it is yours.
6
Today we will
attempt to understand joy is our function here. If you are sad, your
part is
unfulfilled and all the world is thus deprived of joy along with you.
God asks
that you be happy so the world can see how much HeShe loves HisHer
SonDaughter
and wills no sorrow rises to abate hisher joy; no fear besets himher to
disturb
hisher peace.
7
You are God's
messenger today. You bring HisHer happiness to all you look upon, HisHer
peace
to everyone who looks on you and sees HisHer message in your happy face.
We
will prepare ourselves for this today in our five minute practice
periods by
feeling happiness arise in us according to our Father'sMother's Will and
ours.
8
Begin the exercises
with the thought today's idea contains. Then realize your part is to be
happy.
Only this is asked of you or anyone who wants to take his/her place
among God's
messengers. Think what this means. You have indeed been wrong in your
belief
that sacrifice is asked. You but receive according to God's plan and
never lose
or sacrifice or die.
9
Now let us try to
find that joy which proves to us and all the world God's Will for us. It
is
your function that you find it here and that you find it now. For this
you
came. Let this one be the day that you succeed! Look deep within you,
undismayed by all the little thoughts and foolish goals you pass as you
ascend
to meet the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness in you.
10
HeShe will be there.
And you can reach HimHer now. What could you rather look upon in place
of
HimHer Who waits that you may look on HimHer? What little thought has
power to
hold you back? What foolish goal can keep you from success when HeShe
Who calls
to you is God HimHerself? HeShe will be there. You are essential to
HisHer
plan. You are HisHer messenger today. And you must find what HeShe would
have
you give.
11
Do not forget the
idea for today between your longer practice periods. It is your Self Who
calls
to you today. And it is himher you answer every time you tell yourself
you are
essential to God's plan for the salvation of the world.
1
Today we will
continue with the theme of happiness. This is a key idea in
understanding what
salvation means. You still believe it asks for suffering as penance for
your
"sins." This is not so. Yet you must think it so while you believe
that sin is real and that God’s SonDaughter can sin. If sin is real,
then
punishment is just and cannot be escaped. Salvation thus cannot be
purchased
but through suffering.
2
If sin is real then
happiness must be illusion, for they cannot both be true. The sinful
warrant
only death and pain, and it is this they ask for, for they know it waits
for
them and it will seek them out and find them somewhere, sometime, in
some form
which evens the account they owe to God. They would escape HimHer in
their
fear. And yet HeShe will pursue, and they cannot escape.
3
If sin is real,
salvation must be pain. Pain is the cost of sin, and suffering can never
be
escaped if sin is real. Salvation must be feared, for it will kill but
slowly,
taking everything away before it grants the welcome boon of death to
victims
who are little more than bones before salvation is appeased. Its wrath
is
boundless, merciless, but wholly just.
4 Who would seek out such savage punishment? Who
would not
flee salvation and attempt in every way he/she can to drown the Voice
Which
offers it to him/her? Why would he/she try to listen and accept Its
offering?
If sin is real, its offering is death and meted out in cruel form to
match the
vicious wishes in which sin is born. If sin is real, salvation has
become your
bitter enemy, the curse of God upon you who have crucified HisHer
SonDaughter.
5
You need the
practice periods today. The exercises teach sin is not real, and all
that you
believe must come from sin will never happen, for it has no cause.
Accept
Atonement with an open mind which cherishes no lingering belief that you
have
made a devil of God’s SonDaughter.
6
There is no sin. We
practice with this thought as often as we can today because it is the
basis for
today's idea. God's Will for you is perfect happiness because there is
no sin,
and suffering is causeless. Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you
have
misunderstood yourself.
7
Fear not the Will
of God. But turn to it in confidence that it will set you free from all
the
consequences sin has wrought in feverish imagination. Say:
9
So should you start
your practice periods, and then attempt again to find the joy these
thoughts
will introduce into your mind. Give these five minutes gladly to remove
the
heavy load you laid upon yourself with the insane belief that sin is
real.
10
Today escape from
madness. You are set on freedom's road, and now today's idea brings
wings to
speed you on and hope to go still faster to the waiting goal of peace.
There is
no sin. Remember this today, and tell yourself as often as you can:
1
You do not want to
suffer. You may think it buys you something and may still believe a
little that
it buys you what you want. Yet this belief is surely shaken now, at
least
enough to let you question it and to suspect it really makes no sense.
It has
not gone as yet but lacks the roots that once secured it tightly to the
dark
and hidden secret places of your mind.
2
Today we try to
loose its weakened hold still further. And to realize that pain is
purposeless,
without a cause, and with no power to accomplish anything. It cannot
purchase
anything at all. It offers nothing and does not exist. And everything
you think
it offers you is lacking in existence like itself. You have been slave
to
nothing. Be you free today to join the happy Will of God.
3
For several days we
will continue to devote our longer practice periods to exercises planned
to
help you reach the happiness God's Will has placed in you. Here is your
home,
and here your safety is. Here is your peace, and here there is no fear.
Here is
salvation. Here is rest at last.
4
Begin the longer
practice periods today with this acceptance of God's Will for you:
6
Then seek this
function deep within your mind, for it is there, awaiting but your
choice. You
cannot fail to find it when you learn it is your choice and that you
share
God's Will.
7
Be happy, for your
only function here is happiness. You have no need to be less loving to
God’s
SonDaughter than HeShe Whose Love createdmanifested him/her as loving as
HimHerself. Besides these hourly five minute rests, pause frequently
today to
tell yourself that you have now accepted happiness as your one function.
And be
sure that you are joining with God's Will in doing this.
1
Happiness is an
attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it, nor can it be experienced
where
love is not. Love has no limits, being everywhere. And therefore joy is
everywhere as well. Yet can the mind deny that this is so, believing
there are
gaps in love where sin can enter, bringing pain instead of joy.
2
This strange belief
would limit happiness by redefining love as limited and introducing
opposition
in what has no limit and no opposite. Fear is associated then with love,
and
its results become the heritage of minds that think what they have made
is
real. These images, with no reality in truth, bear witness to the fear
of God,
forgetting being Love, HeShe must be joy.
3
This basic error we
will try again to bring to truth today and teach ourselves:
5
Begin your longer
practice periods for today with this association, which corrects the
false
belief that God is fear. It also emphasizes happiness belongs to you
because of
what HeShe is.
6
Allow this one
correction to be placed within your mind each waking hour today. Then
welcome
all the happiness it brings, as truth replaces fear, and joy becomes
what you
expect to take the place of pain. God being Love, it will be given you.
Bolster
this expectation frequently throughout the day, and quiet all your fears
with
this assurance, kind and wholly true:
1
Today's idea
continues with the thought that joy and peace are not but idle dreams.
They are
your right because of what you are. They come to you from God, Who
cannot fail
to give you what HeShe wills. Yet must there be a place made ready to
receive
HisHer gifts. They are not welcomed gladly by a mind which has instead
received
the gifts it made where HisHer belong, as substitutes for them.
2
Today we would
remove all meaningless and self-made gifts which we have placed upon the
holy
altar where God's gifts belong. These are the gifts which are our own in
truth.
HisHer are the gifts which we inherited before time was and which will
still be
ours when time has passed into eternity.
3
These are the gifts
which are within us now, for they are timeless. And we need not wait to
have
them. They belong to us today. Therefore we will to have them now and
know in
choosing them in place of what we made we but unite our will with what
God
wills and recognize the same as being one.
4
Our longer practice
periods today, the hourly five minutes given truth for your salvation,
should
begin with this:
6
Then lay aside the
conflicts of the world that offer other gifts and other goals made of
illusions, witnessed to by them, and sought for only in a world of
dreams. All
this we lay aside and seek instead that which is truly ours, as we ask
to
recognize what God has given us.
7
We clear a holy
place within our minds before HisHer altar, where HisHer gifts of peace
and joy
are welcome and to which we come to find what has been given us by
HimHer. We
come in confidence today, aware that what belongs to us in truth is what
HeShe
gives. And we would wish for nothing else, for nothing else belongs to
us in
truth.
8
So do we clear the
way for HimHer today by simply recognizing that HisHer Will is done
already and
that joy and peace belong to us as HisHer eternal gifts. We will not let
ourselves lose sight of them between the times we come to seek for them
where
HeShe has laid them. This reminder will we bring to mind as often as we
can:
1
God's peace and joy
are yours. Today we will accept them, knowing they belong to us. And we
will
try to understand these gifts increase as we receive them. They are not
like to
the gifts the world can give, in which the giver loses as he/she gives
the
gift; the taker is the richer by his/her loss. These are not gifts, but
bargains made with guilt.
2
The truly given
gift entails no loss. It is impossible that one can gain because another
loses.
This implies a limit and an insufficiency. No gift is given thus. Such
"gifts" are but a bid for a more valuable return—a loan with interest
to be paid in full; a temporary lending, meant to be a pledge of debt to
be
repaid with more than was received by him/her who took the gift.
3
This strange
distortion of what giving means pervades all levels of the world you
see. It
strips all meaning from the gifts you give and leaves you nothing in the
ones
you take. A major learning goal this course has set is to reverse your
view of
giving, so you can receive. For giving has become a source of fear, and
so you
would avoid the only means by which you can receive.
4
Accept God's peace
and joy, and you will learn a different way of looking at a gift. God's
gifts
will never lessen when they are given away. They but increase thereby.
As the
God Realm's peace and joy intensify when you accept them as God's gift
to you,
so does the joy of your CreatorManifestor grow when you accept HisHer
joy and
peace as yours.
5
True giving is
creationmanifestation. It extends the limitless to the unlimited,
eternity to
timelessness, and love unto itself. It adds to all that is complete
already,
not in simple terms of adding more, for that implies that it was less
before.
It adds by letting what cannot contain itself fulfill its aim of giving
everything it has away, securing it forever for itself.
6
Today accept God's
peace and joy as yours. Let HimHer complete HimHerself as HeShe defines
completion. You will understand that what completes HimHer must complete
HisHer
SonDaughter as well. HeShe cannot give through loss. No more can you.
Receive
HisHer gift of joy and peace today, and HeShe will thank you for your
gift to
HimHer.
7
Today our practice
periods will start a little differently. Begin today by thinking of
those
brothers/sisters who have been denied by you the peace and joy that are
their
right under the equal laws of God. Here you denied them to yourself. And
here
you must return to claim them as your own. Think of your "enemies" a
little while, and tell each one as he/she occurs to you:
9
Thus you prepare
yourself to recognize God's gifts to you and let your mind be free of
all that
would prevent success today. Now are you ready to accept the gift of
peace and
joy which God has given you. Now are you ready to experience the joy and
peace
you have denied yourself. Now you can say, "God's peace and joy are
mine," for you have given what you would receive.
10
You must succeed
today if you prepare your mind as we suggest, for you have let all bars
to
peace and joy be lifted up, and what is yours can come to you at last.
So tell
yourself "God's peace and joy are mine," and close your eyes a while,
and let Her Voice assure you that the words you speak are true.
11
Spend your five
minutes thus with Her each time you can today, but do not think that
less is
worthless when you cannot give Her more. At least remember hourly to say
the
words which call on Her to give you what She wills to give and wills you
to
receive.
12
Determine not to
interfere today with what She wills. And if a brother/sister seems to
tempt you
to deny God's gift to him/her, see it as but another chance to let
yourself
receive the gifts of God as yours. Then bless your brother/sister
thankfully,
and say:
1
If you will lay
aside the ego's voice, however loudly it may seem to call; if you will
not
accept its petty gifts which give you nothing that you really want; if
you will
listen with an open mind, which has not told you what salvation is; then
you
will hear the mighty Voice of truth, quiet in power, strong in
stillness, and
completely certain in its messages.
2
Listen, and hear
your FatherMother speak to you through HisHer appointed Voice, Which
silences
the thunder of the meaningless and shows the way to peace to those who
cannot
see. Be still today and listen to the truth. Be not deceived by voices
of the
dead which tell you they have found the source of life and offer it to
you for
your belief. Attend them not, but listen to the truth.
3
Be not afraid today
to circumvent the voices of the world; walk lightly past their
meaningless
persuasion. Hear them not. Be still today, and listen to the truth. Go
past all
things which do not speak of Her Who holds your happiness within HisHer
hand,
held out to you in welcome and in love. Hear only Her today, and do not
wait to
reach Her longer. Hear one Voice today.
4
Today the promise
of God's Word is kept. Hear and be silent. She would speak to you. She
comes
with miracles a thousand times as happy and as wonderful as those you
ever
dreamt or wished for in your dreams. Her miracles are true. They will
not fade
when dreaming ends. They end the dream instead and last forever, for
they come
from God to HisHer dear SonDaughter, whose other name is you.
5
Prepare yourself
for miracles today. Today allow your Father’sMother’s ancient pledge to
you and
all your brothers/sisters to be kept. Hear Her today, and listen to the
Word
which lifts the veil which lies upon the earth and wakes all those who
sleep
and cannot see. God calls to them through you. HeShe needs your voice to
speak
to them, for who could reach God’s SonDaughter except hisher
FatherMother
calling through your Self?
6
Hear Her today, and
offer Her your voice to speak to all the multitudes who wait to hear the
Word
that She will speak today. Be ready for salvation. It is here and will
today be
given unto you. And you will learn your function from the One Who chose
it in your
Father’sMother’s Name for you.
7
Listen today, and
you will hear a Voice Which will resound throughout the world through
you. The
Bringer of all miracles has need that you receive them first and thus
become
the joyous giver of what you received. Thus does salvation start and
thus it
ends; when everything is yours, and everything is given away, it will
remain
with you forever. And the lesson has been learned.
8
Today we practice
giving, not the way you understand it now, but as it is. The longer
exercises
should begin with this request for your enlightenment:
10
Ask and expect an
answer. Your request is one whose answer has been waiting long to be
received
by you. It will begin the ministry for which you came and which will
free the
world from thinking giving is a way to lose. And so the world becomes
ready to
understand and to receive.
11
Be still and listen
to the truth today. For each five minutes spent in listening, a thousand
minds
are opened to the truth. And they will hear the holy Word you hear. And
when
the hour is past, you will again release a thousand more who pause to
ask that
truth be given them along with you.
12
Today the holy Word
of God is kept through your receiving it to give away, so you can teach
the
world what giving means by listening and learning it of Her. Do not
forget
today to reinforce your choice to hear and to receive the Word by this
reminder, given to yourself as often as is possible today:
1
What can correct
illusions but the truth? And what are errors but illusions that remain
unrecognized for what they are? Where truth has entered, errors
disappear. They
merely vanish, leaving not a trace by which to be remembered. They are
gone
because without belief they have no life, and so they disappear to
nothingness,
returning whence they came. From dust to dust they come and go, for only
truth
remains.
2
Can you imagine
what a state of mind without illusions is? How it would feel? Try to
remember
when there was a time—perhaps a minute, maybe even less—when nothing
came to
interrupt your peace; when you were certain you were loved and safe.
Then try
to picture what it would be like to have that moment be extended to the
end of
time and to eternity.
3
Then let the sense
of quiet that you felt be multiplied a hundred times and then be
multiplied
another hundred more. And now you have a hint, not more than just the
faintest
intimation of the state your mind will rest in when the truth has come.
4
Without illusions
there could be no fear, no doubt, and no attack. When truth has come,
all pain
is over, for there is no room for transitory thoughts and dead ideas to
linger
in your mind. Truth occupies your mind completely, liberating you from
all
beliefs in the ephemeral. They have no place because the truth has come,
and
they are nowhere. They cannot be found, for truth is everywhere forever
now.
5
When truth has
come, it does not stay a while to disappear or change to something else.
It
does not shift and alter in its form, nor come and go and go and come
again. It
stays exactly as it always was, to be depended on in every need and
trusted
with a perfect trust in all the seeming difficulties and the doubts that
the
appearances the world presents engender. They will merely flow away when
truth
corrects the errors in your mind.
6
When truth has
come, it harbors in its wings the gift of perfect constancy and love
which does
not falter in the face of pain but looks beyond it, steadily and sure.
Here is
the gift of healing, for the truth needs no defense, and therefore no
attack is
possible. Illusions can be brought to truth to be corrected. But the
truth
stands far beyond illusions and cannot be brought to them to turn them
into
truth.
7
Truth does not come
and go nor shift nor change, in this appearance now and then in that,
evading
capture and escaping grasp. It does not hide. It stands in open light,
in
obvious accessibility. It is impossible that anyone could seek it truly
and
would not succeed.
8
Today belongs to
truth. Give truth its due, and it will give you yours. You were not
meant to
suffer and to die. Your FatherMother wills these dreams be gone. Let
truth
correct them all. We do not ask for what we do not have. We merely ask
for what
belongs to us, that we may recognize it as our own.
9
Today we practice
on the happy note of certainty that has been born of truth. The shaky
and
unsteady footsteps of illusion is not our approach today. We are as
certain of
success as we are sure we live and hope and breathe and think. We do not
doubt
we walk with truth today and count on it to enter into all the exercises
that
we do this day.
10
Begin by asking
Her, who goes with you upon this undertaking that She be in your
awareness as
you go with Her. You are not made of flesh and blood and bone but were
createdmanifested by the self-same Thought which gave the gift of life
to Her
as well. She is your Sister and so like to you your FatherMother knows
that you
are both the same. It is your Self you ask to go with you, and how could
heshe
be absent where you are?
11
Truth will correct
all errors in your mind which tell you you could be apart from himher.
You
speak to himher today and make your pledge to let hisher function be
fulfilled
through you. To share hisher function is to share hisher joy. Hisher
confidence
is with you, as you say:
13
Then let himher
lead you gently to the truth which will envelop you and give you peace
so deep
and tranquil that you will return to the familiar world reluctantly.
14
And yet you will be
glad to look again upon this world. For you will bring with you the
promise of
the changes which the truth that goes with you will carry to the world.
They
will increase with every gift you give of five small minutes, and the
errors
that surround the world will be corrected as you let them be corrected
in your
mind.
15
Do not forget your
function for today. Each time you tell yourself with confidence, "Truth
will correct all errors in my mind," you speak for all the world and
HimHer Who would release the world as HeShe would set you free.
1
Vision depends upon
today's idea. The light is in it, for it reconciles all seeming
opposites. And
what is light except the resolution, born of peace, of all your
conflicts and
mistaken thoughts into one concept which is wholly true? Even that one
will
disappear because the Thought behind it will appear instead, to take its
place.
And now we are at peace forever, for the dream is over now.
2
True light which
makes true vision possible is not the light the body's eyes behold. It
is a
state of mind which has become so unified that darkness cannot be
perceived at
all. And thus what is the same is seen as one, while what is not the
same
remains unnoticed, for it is not there.
3
This is the light
which shows no opposites, and vision, being healed, has power to heal.
This is
the light that brings your peace of mind to other minds, to share it and
be
glad that they are one with you and with themselves. This is the light
which
heals because it brings single perception, based upon one frame of
reference
from which one meaning comes.
4
Here are both
giving and receiving seen as different aspects of one Thought Whose
truth does
not depend on which is seen as first, nor which appears to be in second
place.
Here it is understood that both occur together, that the Thought remain
complete. And in this understanding is the base on which all opposites
are
reconciled because they are perceived from the same frame of reference
which
unifies this Thought.
5
One thought,
completely unified, will serve to unify all thought. This is the same as
saying
one correction will suffice for all correction or that to forgive one
brother/sister wholly is enough to bring salvation to all minds. For
these are
but some special cases of one law which holds for every kind of learning
if it
be directed by the One Who knows the truth.
6
To learn that
giving and receiving are the same has special usefulness because it can
be
tried so easily and seen as true. And when this special case has proved
it
always works in every circumstance where it is tried, the thought behind
it can
be generalized to other areas of doubt and double vision. And from there
it
will extend and finally arrive at the one Thought Which underlies them
all.
7
Today we practice
with the special case of giving and receiving. We will use this simple
lesson
in the obvious because it has results we cannot miss. To give is to
receive.
Today we will attempt to offer peace to everyone and see how quickly
peace
returns to us. Light is tranquility, and in that peace is vision given
us and
we can see.
8
So we begin the
practice periods with the instruction for today and say:
10
Then close your
eyes, and for five minutes think of what you would hold out to everyone
to have
it yours. You might, for instance, say:
12
Say each one
slowly, and then pause a while, expecting to receive the gift you gave,
and it
will come to you in the amount in which you gave it. You will find you
have
exact return, for this is what you asked. It might be helpful, too, to
think of
one to whom to give your gifts. He/she represents the others, and
through
him/her you give to all.
13
Our very simple
lesson for today will teach you much. Effect and cause will be far
better
understood from this time on, and we will make much faster progress now.
Think
of the exercises for today as quick advances in your learning, made
still
faster and more sure each time you say:
1
We ask for rest
today and quietness unshaken by the world's appearances. We ask for
peace and
stillness in the midst of all the turmoil born of clashing dreams. We
ask for
safety and for happiness, although we seem to look on danger and on
sorrow. And
we have the thought that will answer our asking with what we request.
2
"I rest in
God." This thought will bring to you the rest and quiet, peace and
stillness, and the safety and the happiness you seek. "I rest in
God." This thought has power to wake the sleeping truth in you, whose
vision sees beyond appearances to that same truth in everyone and
everything
there is. Here is the end of suffering for all the world and everyone
who ever
came and yet will come to linger for a while. Here is the thought in
which the
SonDaughter of God is born again, to recognize himherself.
3
"I rest in
God." Completely undismayed this thought will carry you through storms
and
strife, past misery and pain, past loss and death, and onward to the
certainty
of God. There is no suffering it cannot heal. There is no problem which
it cannot
solve. And no appearance but will turn to truth before the eyes of you
who rest
in God.
4
This is the day of
peace. You rest in God, and while the world is torn by winds of hate,
your rest
remains completely undisturbed. Yours is the rest of truth. Appearances
cannot
intrude on you. You call to all to join you in your rest, and they will
hear
and come to you because you rest in God. They will not hear another
voice but
yours because you gave your voice to God and now you rest in HimHer and
let
HimHer speak through you.
5
In HimHer you have
no cares and no concerns, no burdens, no anxiety, no pain, no fear of
future,
and no past regrets. In timelessness you rest, while time goes by
without its
touch upon you, for your rest can never change in any way at all.
6
You rest today. And
as you close your eyes, sink into stillness. Let these periods of rest
and
respite reassure your mind that all its frantic fantasies were but the
dreams
of fever that has passed away. Let it be still and thankfully accept its
healing. No more fearful dreams will come now that you rest in God. Take
time
today to slip away from dreams and into peace.
7
Each hour that you
take your rest today, a tired mind is suddenly made glad, a bird with
broken
wings begins to sing, a stream long dry begins to flow again. The world
is born
again each time you rest, and hourly remember that you came to bring the
peace
of God into the world that it might take its rest along with you.
8 With
each five
minutes that you rest today the world is nearer waking. And the time
when rest
will be the only thing there is comes closer to all worn and tired
minds, too
weary now to go their way alone. And they will hear the bird begin to
sing and
see the stream begin to flow again, with hope reborn and energy restored
to walk
with lightened steps along the road that suddenly seems easy as they go.
9
You rest within the
peace of God today and call upon your brothers/sisters from your rest,
to draw
them to their rest along with you. You will be faithful to your trust
today, forgetting
no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the
holy
sanctuary where you rest.
10
Open the temple
doors, and let them come from far across the world, and near as
well—your
distant brothers/sisters and your closest friends—bid them all enter
here and
rest with you. You rest within the peace of God today, quiet and
unafraid. Each
brother/sister comes to take his/her rest and offer it to you.
11
We rest together
here, for thus our rest is made complete, and what we give today we have
received already. Time is not the guardian of what we give today. We
give to
those unborn and those passed by, to every Thought of God, and to the
Mind in
Which these Thoughts were born and where they rest. And we remind them
of their
resting place each time we tell ourselves,
1We
will repeat
today's idea from time to time. For this one thought would be enough to
save
you and the world if you believed that it is true. Its truth would mean
that
you have made no changes in yourself which have reality, nor changed the
universe so that what God createdmanifested was replaced by fear and
evil,
misery and death.
2
If you remain as
God createdmanifested you, fear has no meaning, evil is not real, and
misery
and death do not exist. Today's idea is therefore all you need to let
complete
correction heal your mind and give you perfect vision which will heal
all the
mistakes that any mind has made at any time or place. It is enough to
heal the
past and make the future free. It is enough to let the present be
accepted as
it is. It is enough to let time be the means for all the world to learn
escape
from time and every change that time appears to bring in passing by.
3
If you remain as
God createdmanifested you, appearances cannot replace the truth, health
cannot
turn to sickness, nor can death be substitute for life or fear for love.
All
this has not occurred if you remain as God createdmanifested you. You
need no
thought but just this one to let redemption come to light the world and
free it
from the past.
4
In this one thought
is all the past undone; the present saved to quietly extend into a
timeless
future. If you are as God createdmanifested you, then there has been no
separation of your mind from HisHer, no split between your mind and
other
minds, and only unity within your own.
5
The healing power
of today's idea is limitless. It is the birthplace of all miracles, the
great
restorer of the truth to the awareness of the world. Practice today's
idea with
gratitude. This is the truth that comes to set you free. This is the
truth that
God has promised you. This is the Word in which all sorrow ends.
6
For your five
minute practice periods, begin with this quotation from the text:
8
Then, with this
statement firmly in your mind, try to discover in your mind the Self Who
is the
holy SonDaughter of God HimHerself. Seek himher within you Who is the
Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness in you, the SonDaughter of God and
brothersister to the world—the savior/savioress who has been forever
saved,
with power to save whoever touches himher however lightly, asking for
the Word
that tells him/her he/she is brother/sister unto himher.
9
You are as God
createdmanifested you. Today honor your Self. Let graven images you made
to be
the SonDaughter of God instead of what heshe is be worshipped not today.
Deep
in your mind the holy the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness
in you
is waiting your acknowledgment as you. And you are lost and do not know
yourself while heshe is unacknowledged and unknown.
10
Seek himher today,
and find himher. Heshe will be your savior/savioress from all
idols/idolresses
you have made. For when you find himher you will understand how
worthless are
your idols/idolresses and how false the images which you believed were
you.
Today we make a great advance to truth by letting idols/idolresses go
and
opening our hands and hearts and minds to God today.
11
We will remember
HimHer throughout the day with thankful hearts and loving thoughts for
all who
meet with us today, for it is thus that we remember HimHer. And we will
say,
that we may be reminded of HisHer SonDaughter, our holy Self, the Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness in each of us:
13
Let us declare this
truth as often as we can. This is the Word of God that sets you free.
This is
the key that opens up the gate of the God Realm, and which lets you
enter in
the peace of God and HisHer eternity.
R3:1
Our third review
begins today. We will review two of the last 20 ideas each day until we
have
reviewed them all. We will observe a special format for these practice
periods
which you are urged to follow as closely as you can. We understand, of
course,
that it may be impossible for you to undertake what is suggested here as
optimal each day and every hour of the day.
2
Learning will not
be hampered when you miss a practice period because it is impossible at
the
appointed time. Nor is it necessary that you make excessive efforts to
be sure
that you catch up in terms of numbers. Rituals are not our aim and would
defeat
our learning goal.
3
But learning will
be hampered when you skip a practice period because you are unwilling to
devote
the time to it which you are asked to give. Do not deceive yourself in
this.
Unwillingness can be most carefully concealed behind a cloak of
situations you
cannot control. Learn to distinguish situations which are poorly suited
to your
practicing from those which you establish to uphold a camouflage for
your
unwillingness.
4
Those practice
periods which you have lost because you did not want to do them for
whatever
reason should be done as soon as you have changed your mind about your
goal.
You are unwilling to cooperate in practicing salvation only if it
interferes
with goals you hold more dear. When you withdraw the value given them,
allow
your practice periods to be replacements for your litanies to them. They
gave
you nothing. But your practice periods offer you everything. Accept
their
offering and be at peace.
5
The format you
should use for these reviews is this: devote five minutes twice a day or
longer
if you would prefer to contemplating the ideas assigned. Read over the
ideas
and comments which are written first in each day's exercises. Then begin
to
think about them quietly, letting your mind relate them to your needs,
your
seeming problems, and all your concerns.
6
Place the ideas
within your mind, and let it use them as it chooses. Give it faith that
it will
use them wisely, being helped in its decisions by the One Who gave the
thoughts
to you. What can you trust but what is in your mind? Have faith, in
these
reviews, the means the Holy Spirit uses will not fail. The wisdom of
your mind
will come to your assistance. Give it direction at the start, then lean
back in
quiet faith, and let it use the ideas you have given it as they were
given you.
7
You have been given
them in perfect trust, in perfect confidence that you would use them
well, in
perfect faith that you would understand their messages and use them for
yourself.
Offer them to your mind in that same trust and confidence and faith. It
will
not fail. It is the Holy Spirit's chosen means for your salvation. And
with Her
trust merits yours as well.
8
We emphasize the
benefits to you if you devote the first five minutes of the day to your
review
and also give the last five minutes of your waking day to it. If this
cannot be
done, at least try to divide them so you undertake one in the morning,
and the
other in the hour just before you go to sleep.
9
The exercises to be
done throughout the day are equally important and perhaps of even
greater
value. You have been inclined to do the exercises and then go on to
other
things, without applying what you learned to them. As a result, your
learning
has had little reinforcement, and you have not given it the opportunity
to
prove its worth to you.
10
Here is another
chance to use it well. In these reviews we stress the need to let your
learning
not lie idly by between your longer practice periods. Attempt to give
your
daily two ideas a brief but serious review each hour. Use one on the
hour and
the other one a half an hour later. You need not give more than just a
moment
to each one.
11
Repeat it, and
allow your mind to rest a little time in silence and in peace. Then turn
to other
things, but try to keep the thought with you and let it serve to help
you keep
your peace throughout the day. If you are shaken, think of it again.
These
practice periods are planned to help you form the habit of applying what
you
learn each day to everything you do.
12
Do not repeat it
and then lay it down. Its usefulness is limitless to you. And it is
meant to
serve you in all ways, all times and places, and whenever you need help
of any
kind. Try, then, to take it with you in the business of the day and make
it
holy, worthy of God’s SonDaughter, acceptable to God and to your Self.
13
Each day's review
assignment will conclude with a restatement of the thought to use each
hour and
the one to be applied on each half hour as well. Forget them not. This
second
chance with each of these ideas will bring such large advances that we
come
from these reviews with learning gains so great that we begin again on
solid
ground.
14
Do not forget how
little you have learned. Do not forget how much you can learn now. Do
not
forget your Father’sMother's need of you as you review these thoughts
HeShe
gave to you.
1
For morning and
evening review:
[91]
Miracles
are seen in light.
[92]
Miracles
are seen in light, and light and strength are one.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half
hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[93]
Light
and joy and peace abide in me.
[94]
I
am as God createdmanifested me.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1For
morning and
evening review:
[95]
I
am One Self, united with my CreatorManifestor.
[96]
Salvation
comes from my One Self.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half
hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[97]
I
am Spirit.
[98]
I
will accept my part in God's plan for salvation.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[99]
Salvation
is my only function here.
[100]
My
part is essential to God's plan for salvation.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[101]
God's
Will for me is perfect happiness.
[102]
I
share God's Will for happiness for me.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[103]
God,
being Love, is also happiness.
[104]
I
seek but what belongs to me in truth.
4
On the hour: