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:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[105]
God's
peace and joy are mine.
[106]
Let
me be still and listen to the truth.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[107]
Truth
will correct all errors in my mind.
[108]
To
give and to receive are one in truth.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
For morning and
evening review:
[109]
I
rest in God.
[110]
I
am as God createdmanifested me.
4
On the hour:
6
On the half hour:
1
Here is the answer
to your search for peace. Here is the key to meaning in a world which
seems to
make no sense. Here is the way to safety in apparent dangers which
appear to
threaten you at every turn and bring uncertainty to all your hopes of
ever
finding quietness and peace. Here are all questions answered; here the
end of
all uncertainty ensured at last.
2
The unforgiving
mind is full of fear and offers love no room to be itself, no place
where it
can spread its wings in peace and soar above the turmoil of the world.
The
unforgiving mind is sad, without the hope of respite and release from
pain. It
suffers and abides in misery, peering about in darkness, seeing not, yet
certain of the danger lurking there.
3
The unforgiving
mind is torn with doubt, confused about itself and all it sees, afraid
and
angry, weak and blustering, afraid to go ahead, afraid to stay, afraid
to waken
or to go to sleep, afraid of every sound, yet more afraid of stillness;
terrified of darkness, yet more terrified at the approach of light.
4
What can the
unforgiving mind perceive but its damnation? What can it behold except
the
proof that all its sins are real? The unforgiving mind sees no mistakes,
but
only sins. It looks upon the world with sightless eyes and shrieks as it
beholds its own projections rising to attack its miserable parody of
life. It
wants to live, yet wishes it were dead. It wants forgiveness, yet it
sees no
hope. It wants escape, yet can conceive of none because it sees the
sinful
everywhere.
5
The unforgiving
mind is in despair, without the prospect of a future which can offer
anything
but more despair. Yet it regards its judgment of the world as
irreversible and
does not see it has condemned itself to this despair. It thinks it
cannot
change, for what it sees bears witness that its judgment is correct. It
does
not ask because it thinks it knows. It does not question, certain it is
right.
6
Forgiveness is
acquired. It is not inherent in a mind, which cannot sin. As sin was an
idea
you taught yourself, forgiveness must be learned by you as well, but
from a
Teacher other than yourself, who represents the other Self in you.
Through Her
you learn how to forgive the self you think you made and let it
disappear. Thus
you return your mind as one to himher, who is your Self and who can
never sin.
7
Each unforgiving
mind presents you with an opportunity to teach your own how to forgive
itself.
Each one awaits release from hell through you and turns to you
imploringly for
the God Realm here and now. It has no hope, but you become its hope. And
as its
hope, do you become your own. The unforgiving mind must learn through
your
forgiveness that it has been saved from hell. And as you teach
salvation, you
will learn.
8
Yet all your
teaching and your learning will be not of you, but of the Teacher Who
was given
you to show the way to you. Today we practice learning to forgive. If
you are
willing, you can learn today to take the key to happiness and use it on
your
own behalf. We will devote ten minutes in the morning and at night
another ten,
to learning how to give forgiveness and receive forgiveness too.
9
The unforgiving
mind does not believe that giving and receiving are the same. Yet we
will try
to learn today that they are one through practicing forgiving toward one
whom
you think of as an enemy and one whom you consider as a friend. And as
you
learn to see them both as one, we will extend the lesson to ourselves
and see
that their escape included ours.
10
Begin the longer
practice periods by thinking of someone you do not like, who seems to
irritate
you or to cause regret in you if you should meet him/her; one you
actively
despise or merely try to overlook. It does not matter what the form your
anger
takes. You probably have chosen him/her already. He/she will do.
11
Now close your eyes
and see him/her in your mind and look at him/her a while. Try to
perceive some
light in him/her somewhere-a little gleam which you had never noticed.
Try to
find some little spark of brightness shining through the ugly picture
which you
hold of him/her. Look at this picture till you see a light somewhere
within it,
and then try to let this light extend until it covers him/her and makes
the
picture beautiful and good.
12
Look at this changed
perception for a while, and turn your mind to one you call a friend. Try
to
transfer the light you learned to see around your former "enemy" to
him/her. Perceive him/her now as more than friend to you, for in that
light
his/hers holiness shows you your savior, saved and saving, healed and
whole.
Then let him/her offer you the light you see in him/her and let your
"enemy" and friend unite in blessing you with what you gave. Now are
you one with them and they with you. Now have you been forgiven by
yourself.
13
Do not forget
throughout the day the role forgiveness plays in bringing happiness to
every
unforgiving mind, with yours among them. Every hour tell yourself:
1
What could you want
forgiveness cannot give? Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do
you want
happiness, a quiet mind, a certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth
and
beauty that transcends the world? Do you want care and safety and the
warmth of
sure protection always? Do you want a quietness that cannot be
disturbed, a
gentleness that never can be hurt, a deep, abiding comfort, and a rest
so
perfect it can never be upset?
2
All this
forgiveness offers you, and more. It sparkles in your eyes as you awake
and
gives you joy with which to meet the day. It soothes your forehead while
you
sleep and rests upon your eyelids so you see no dreams of fear and evil,
malice, and attack. And when you wake again, it offers you another day
of
happiness and peace. All this forgiveness offers you, and more.
3
Forgiveness lets
the veil be lifted up which hides the face of the Christ
Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness from those who look with unforgiving eyes upon the
world.
It lets you recognize the SonDaughter of God and clears your memory of
all dead
thoughts so that remembrance of your FatherMother can arise across the
threshold of your mind.
4
What would you want
forgiveness cannot give? What gifts but these are worthy to be sought?
What
fancied value, trivial effect, or transient promise never to be kept can
hold
more hope than what forgiveness brings? Why would you seek an answer
other than
the answer that will answer everything? Here is the perfect answer,
given to
imperfect questions, meaningless requests, half-hearted willingness to
hear,
and less than halfway diligence and partial trust.
5
Here is the answer!
Seek for it no more. You will not find another one instead. God's plan
for your
salvation cannot change, nor can it fail. Be thankful it remains exactly
as
HeShe planned it. Changelessly it stands before you like an open door
with
warmth and welcome calling from beyond the doorway, bidding you to enter
in and
make yourself at home where you belong.
6
Here is the answer!
Would you stand outside while all of the God Realm waits for you within?
Forgive and be forgiven. As you give, you will receive. There is no plan
but
this for the salvation of the SonDaughter of God. Let us today rejoice
that
this is so, for here we have an answer, clear and plain, beyond deceit
in its
simplicity. All the complexities the world has spun of fragile cobwebs
disappear before the power and the majesty of this extremely simple
statement
of the truth.
7
Here is the answer!
Do not turn away in aimless wandering again. Accept salvation now. It is
the
gift of God and not the world. The world can give no gifts of any value
to a
mind which has received what God has given as its own. God wills
salvation be
received today and that the intricacies of your dreams no longer hide
their
nothingness from you.
8
Open your eyes
today, and look upon a happy world of safety and of peace. Forgiveness
is the
means by which it comes to take the place of hell. In quietness it rises
up to
greet your open eyes and fill your heart with deep tranquility as
ancient
truths, forever newly born, arise in your awareness. What you will
remember
then can never be described. Yet your forgiveness offers it to you.
9
Remembering the
gifts forgiveness gives, we undertake our practicing today with hope and
faith
that this will be the day salvation will be ours. Earnestly and gladly
will we
seek for it today, aware we hold the key within our hands, accepting the
God
Realm's answer to the hell we made, but where we would remain no more.
10
Morning and evening
do we gladly give a quarter of an hour to the search in which the end of
hell
is guaranteed. Begin in hopefulness, for we have reached the turning
point at
which the road becomes far easier. And now the way is short that yet we
travel.
We are close indeed to the appointed ending of the dream.
11
Sink into happiness
as you begin these practice periods, for they hold out the sure rewards
of
questions answered, and what your acceptance of the answer brings. Today
it
will be given you to feel the peace forgiveness offers and the joy the
lifting
of the veil holds out to you.
12
Before the light
you will receive today the world will fade until it disappears, and you
will
see another world arise you have no words to picture. Now we walk
directly into
light, and we receive the gifts which have been held in store for us
since time
began, kept waiting for today. Forgiveness offers everything you want.
Today all
things you want are given you.
13
Let not your gifts
recede throughout the day, as you return again to meet a world of
shifting
change and bleak appearances. Retain your gifts in clear awareness as
you see
the changeless in the heart of change, the light of truth behind
appearances.
Be tempted not to let your gifts slip by and drift into forgetfulness
but hold
them firmly in your mind by your attempts to think of them at least a
minute as
each quarter of an hour passes by.
14
Remind yourself how
precious are these gifts with this reminder, which has power to hold
your gifts
in your awareness through the day:
1
Today let us be
thankful. We have come to gentler pathways and to smoother roads. There
is no
thought of turning back and no implacable resistance to the truth. A bit
of
wavering remains, some small objections, and a little hesitance, but we
can
well be grateful for our gains, which are far greater than we realize.
2
A day devoted now
to gratitude will add the benefit of some insight into the real extent
of all
the gains which you have made; the gifts you have received. Be glad
today in
loving thankfulness your FatherMother has not left you to yourself, nor
let you
wander in the dark alone. Be grateful HeShe has saved you from the self
you
thought you made to take the place of HimHer and HisHer
creationmanifestation.
Give HimHer thanks today.
3
Give thanks that
HeShe has not abandoned you and that HisHer Love forever will remain
shining on
you, forever without change. Give thanks as well that you are
changeless, for
the SonDaughter HeShe loves is changeless as HimHerself. Be grateful you
are
saved. Be glad you have a function in salvation to fulfill. Be thankful
that
your value far transcends your meager gifts and petty judgments of the
one whom
God established as HisHer SonDaughter.
4
Today in gratitude
we lift our hearts above despair and raise our thankful eyes, no longer
looking
downward to the dust. We sing the song of thankfulness today in honor of
the
Self Which God has willed to be our true identity in HimHer. Today we
smile on
everyone we see and walk with lightened footsteps as we go to do what is
appointed us to do. We do not go alone. And we give thanks that in our
solitude
a Female Friend has come to speak the saving Word of God to us.
5
And thanks to you
for listening to Her. Her Word is soundless if it be not heard. In
thanking Her
the thanks are yours as well. An unheard message will not save the
world,
however mighty be the Voice that speaks, however loving may the message
be.
Thanks be to you who heard, for you become the messenger who brings Her
Voice
with you and let it echo round and round the world.
6
Receive the thanks
of God today, as you give thanks to HimHer. For HeShe would offer you
the
thanks you give, since HeShe receives your gifts in loving gratitude and
gives
them back a thousand and a hundred thousand more than they were given.
HeShe
will bless your gifts by sharing them with you, and so they grow in
power and
in strength until they fill the world with gladness and with gratitude.
7
Receive HisHer
thanks and offer yours to HimHer for 15 minutes twice today. And you
will
realize to Whom you offer thanks, and Whom HeShe thanks as you are
thanking
HimHer. This holy half an hour given HimHer will be returned to you in
terms of
years for every second, power to save the world eons more quickly for
your
thanks to HimHer.
8
Receive HisHer
thanks, and you will understand how lovingly HeShe holds you in HisHer
Mind,
how deep and limitless HisHer care for you, how perfect is HisHer
gratitude to you.
Remember hourly to think of HimHer and give HimHer thanks for everything
HeShe
gave HisHer SonDaughter that he/she might rise above the world
remembering
his/her FatherMother and his/her Self.
1
Today we will again
give thanks for our identity in God. Our home is safe, protection
guaranteed in
all we do, power and strength available to us in all our undertakings.
We can
fail in nothing. Everything we touch takes on a shining light which
blesses and
which heals. At one with God and with the universe, we go our way
rejoicing,
with the thought that God HimHerself goes everywhere with us.
2
How holy are our
minds! And everything we see reflects the holiness within the mind at
one with
God and with itself. How easily do errors disappear, and death give
place to
everlasting life. Our shining footprints point the way to truth, for God
is our
Companion as we walk the world a little while. And those who come to
follow us
will recognize the way because the light we carry stays behind, yet
still
remains with us as we walk on.
3
What we receive is
our eternal gift to those who follow after and to those who went before
or
stayed with us a while. And God, Who loves us with the equal love in
which we
were createdmanifested, smiles on us and offers us the happiness we
gave. Today
we will not doubt HisHer Love for us nor question HisHer protection and
HisHer
care.
4
No meaningless
anxieties can come between our faith and our awareness of HisHer
Presence. We
are one with HimHer today in recognition and remembrance. We feel HimHer
in our
hearts. Our minds contain HisHer Thoughts; our eyes behold HisHer
loveliness in
all we look upon. Today we see only the loving and the lovable.
5
We see it in
appearances of pain, and pain gives way to peace. We see it in the
frantic, in
the sad and the distressed, the lonely and afraid, who are restored to
the
tranquility and peace of mind in which they were createdmanifested. And
we see
it in the dying and the dead as well, restoring them to life. All this
we see
because we saw it first within ourselves.
6
No miracle can ever
be denied to those who know that they are one with God. No thought of
theirs
but has the power to heal all forms of suffering in anyone in times gone
by and
times as yet to come as easily as in the ones who walk beside them now.
Their
thoughts are timeless and apart from distance as apart from time.
7
We join in this
awareness as we say that we are one with God. For in these words we say
as well
that we are saved and healed, that we can save and heal accordingly. We
have
accepted and we now would give, for we would keep the gifts our
FatherMother
gave. Today we would experience ourselves at one with HimHer, so that
the world
may share our recognition of reality. In our experience the world is
freed; as
we deny our separation from our FatherMother, it is healed along with
us.
8
Peace be to you
today. Secure your peace by practicing awareness you are one with your
CreatorManifestor, as HeShe is with you. Sometime today, whenever it
seems
best, devote a half an hour to the thought that you are one with God.
This is
our first attempt at an extended period for which we give no rules nor
special
words to guide your meditation. We will trust God's Voice to speak as
HeShe
sees fit today, certain HeShe will not fail. Abide with HimHer this half
an
hour. HeShe will do the rest.
9
Your benefit will
not be less if you believe that nothing happens. You may not be ready to
accept
the gain today. Yet sometime, somewhere, it will come to you, nor will
you fail
to recognize it when it dawns with certainty upon your mind. This half
an hour
will be framed in gold, with every minute like a diamond set around the
mirror
that this exercise will offer you. And you will see the face of the
Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness upon it, in reflection of your
own.
10
Perhaps today,
perhaps tomorrow, you will see your own transfiguration in the glass
this holy
half an hour will hold out to you to look upon yourself. When you are
ready,
you will find it there within your mind and waiting to be found. You
will
remember then the thought to which you gave this half an hour,
thankfully aware
no time was ever better spent.
11
Perhaps today,
perhaps tomorrow, you will look into this glass and understand the
sinless
light you see belongs to you, the loveliness you look on is your own.
Count
this half hour as your gift to God, in certainty that HisHer return will
be a
sense of love you cannot understand, a joy too deep for you to
comprehend, a
sight too holy for the body's eyes to see, and yet you can be sure
someday,
perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, you will understand and comprehend and
see.
12
Add further jewels
to the golden frame that holds the mirror offered you today by hourly
repeating
to yourself:
1
Let this day be a
day of stillness and of quiet listening. Your FatherMother wills you
hear
HisHer Word today. HeShe calls to you from deep within your mind where
HeShe
abides. Hear HimHer today. No peace is possible until HisHer Word is
heard
around the world; until your mind, in quiet listening, accepts the
message
which the world must hear to usher in the quiet time of peace.
2
This world will
change through you. No other means can save it, for God's plan is simply
this:
the SonDaughter of God is free to save himself/herself, given the Word
of God
to be his/her Guide, forever in hisher mind and at hisher side to lead
himher
surely to his/her Father’sMother's house by his/her own will, forever
free as
God's. Heshe is not led by force, but only love. He/she is not judged,
but only
sanctified.
3
In stillness we
will hear God's Voice today without intrusion of our petty thoughts,
without
our personal desires, and without all judgment of HisHer holy Word. We
will not
judge ourselves today, for what we are cannot be judged. We stand apart
from
all the judgments which the world has laid upon the SonDaughter of God.
It
knows himher not. Today we will not listen to the world, but wait in
silence
for the Word of God.
4
Hear, holy
SonDaughter of God, your FatherMother speak. HisHer Voice would give to
you
HisHer holy Word to spread across the world the tidings of salvation and
the
holy time of peace. We gather at the throne of God today, the quiet
place
within your mind where HeShe abides forever in the holiness which HeShe
createdmanifested and will never leave.
5
HeShe has not
waited until you return your mind to HimHer to give HisHer Word to you.
HeShe
has not hid HimHerself from you while you have wandered off a little
while from
HimHer. HeShe does not cherish the illusions which you hold about
yourself.
HeShe knows HisHer SonDaughter and wills that heshe remain as part of
HimHer
regardless of hisher dreams, regardless of hisher madness that hisher
will is
not his/her own.
6
Today HeShe speaks
to you. HisHer Voice awaits your silence, for HisHer Word cannot be
heard until
your mind is quiet for a while and meaningless desires have been
stilled. Await
HisHer Word in quiet. There is peace within you to be called upon today
to help
make ready your most holy mind to hear the Voice of its
CreatorManifestor speak.
7
Three times today,
at times most suitable for silence, give ten minutes set apart from
listening
to the world and choose instead a gentle listening to the Word of God.
HeShe
speaks from nearer than your heart to you. HisHer Voice is closer than
your hand.
HisHer Love is everything you are and that HeShe is— the same as you,
and you
the same as HeShe.
8
It is your voice to
which you listen as HeShe speaks to you. It is your Word HeShe speaks.
It is
the Word of freedom and of peace, of unity of will and purpose, with no
separation nor division in the single Mind of FatherMother and of
SonDaughter.
In quiet listen to your Self today, and let himher tell you God has
never left
HisHer SonDaughter, and you have never left your Self.
9
Only be quiet. You
will need no rule but this to let your practicing today lift you above
the
thinking of the world and free your vision from the body's eyes. Only be
still
and listen. You will hear the Word in which the Will of God the
SonDaughter
joins in HisHer Father’sMother’s Will, at one with It, with no illusions
interposed between the wholly indivisible and true.
10
As every hour
passes by today, be still a moment and remind yourself you have a
special
purpose for this day—in quiet to receive the Word of God.
1
Today's idea,
completely alien to the ego and the thinking of the world, is crucial to
the
thought reversal which this course will bring about. If you believed
this
statement, there would be no problem in complete forgiveness, certainty
of
goal, and sure direction. You would understand the means by which
salvation
comes to you and would not hesitate to use it now.
2
Let us consider
what you do believe in place of this idea. It seems to you that other
people
are apart from you and able to behave in ways which have no bearing on
your
thoughts, nor theirs on yours. Therefore your attitudes have no effect
on them,
and their appeals for help are not in any way related to your own. You
further
think that they can sin without affecting your perception of yourself,
while
you can judge their sin and yet remain apart from condemnation and at
peace.
3
When you
"forgive" a sin there is no gain to you directly. You give charity to
one unworthy merely to point out that you are better, on a higher plane
than
he/she whom you forgive. He/she has not earned your charitable
tolerance, which
you bestow on one unworthy of the gift because his/her sins have lowered
him/her beneath a true equality with you. He/she has no claim on your
forgiveness.
It holds out a gift to him/her but hardly to yourself.
4
Thus is forgiveness
basically unsound—a charitable whim, benevolent yet undeserved; a gift
bestowed
at times, at other times withheld. Unmerited, withholding it is just,
nor is it
fair that you should suffer when it is withheld. The sin which you
forgive is
not your own. Someone apart from you committed it. And if you then are
gracious
unto him/her by giving him/her what he/she does not deserve, your gift
is no
more yours than was his/her sin.
5
If this be true,
forgiveness has no grounds on which to rest dependably and sure. It is
an
eccentricity in which you sometimes choose to give indulgently an
undeserved
reprieve. Yet it remains your right to let the sinner not escape the
justified
repayment for his/her sin. Think you the LordLady of the God Realm would
allow
the world's salvation to depend on this? Would not HisHer care for you
be small
indeed if your salvation rested on a whim?
6
You do not
understand forgiveness. As you see it, it is but a check upon overt
attack,
without requiring correction in your mind. It cannot give you peace as
you
perceive it. It is not a means for your release from what you see in
someone
other than yourself. It has no power to restore your unity with him/her
to your
awareness. It is not what God intended it to be for you.
7
Not having given
HimHer the gift HeShe asks of you, you cannot recognize HisHer gifts and
think
HeShe has not given them to you. Yet would HeShe ask you for a gift
unless it
was for you? Could HeShe be satisfied with empty gestures and evaluate
such
petty gifts as worthy of HisHer SonDaughter? Salvation is a better gift
than
this, and true forgiveness, as the means by which it is attained, must
heal the
mind that gives, for giving is receiving. What remains as unreceived has
not
been given, but what has been given must have been received.
8
Today we try to
understand the truth that giver and receiver are the same. You will need
help
to make this meaningful because it is so alien to the thoughts to which
you are
accustomed. But the Help you need is there. Give Her your faith today
and ask
Her that She share your practicing in truth today. And if you only catch
a tiny
glimpse of the release which lies in the idea we practice for today,
this is a
day of glory for the world.
9
Give 15 minutes
twice today to the attempt to understand today's idea. It is the thought
by
which forgiveness takes its proper place in your priorities. It is the
thought
that will release your mind from every bar to what forgiveness means and
let
you realize its worth to you.
10
In silence close
your eyes upon the world which does not understand forgiveness and seek
sanctuary in the quiet place where thoughts are changed and false
beliefs laid
by. Repeat today's idea, and ask for help in understanding what it
really
means. Be willing to be taught. Be glad to hear the Voice of truth and
healing
speak to you, and you will understand the words She speaks and recognize
She speaks
your words to you.
11
As often as you
can, remind yourself you have a goal today—an aim which makes this day
of
special value to yourself and all your brothers/sisters . Do not let
your mind
forget this goal for long, but tell yourself:
13
Then spend a quiet
moment, opening your mind to Her correction and Her Love. And what you
hear of
Her you will believe, for what She gives will be received by you.
1
Perhaps you think
that different kinds of love are possible. Perhaps you think there is a
kind of
love for this, a kind for that; a way of loving one, another way of
loving
still another. Love is one. It has no separate parts and no degrees; no
kinds
nor levels, no divergencies and no distinctions. It is like itself,
unchanged
throughout. It never alters with a person or a circumstance. It is the
heart of
God, and also of HisHer SonDaughter.
2
Love's meaning is
obscure to anyone who thinks that love can change. He/she does not see
that
changing love must be impossible. And thus he/she thinks that he/she can
love
at times and hate at other times. He/she also thinks that love can be
bestowed
on one and yet remain itself although it is withheld from others. To
believe
these things of love is not to understand it. If it could make such
distinctions it would have to judge between the righteous and the sinner
and
perceive the SonDaughter of God in separate parts.
3
Love cannot judge.
As it is one itself, it looks on all as one. Its meaning lies in
oneness. And
it must elude the mind that thinks of it as partial or in part. There is
no
love but God's, and all of love is HisHers. There is no principle which
rules
where love is not. Love is a law without an opposite. Its wholeness is
the
power holding everything as one, the link between the FatherMother and
the
SonDaughter which holds them both forever as the same.
4
No course whose
purpose is to teach you what you really are could fail to emphasize
there is no
difference in what you are and what love is. Love's meaning is your own,
and
shared by God HimHerself. For what you are is what HeShe is. There is no
love
but His, and what HeShe is, is everything there is. There is no limit
placed
upon HimHerself, and so are you unlimited as well.
5
No laws the world
obeys can help you grasp love's meaning. What the world believes was
made to
hide love's meaning and to keep it dark and secret. There is not one
principle
the world upholds but violates the truth of what love is and what you
are as
well. Seek not within the world to find your Self. Love is not found in
darkness and in death. Yet it is perfectly apparent to eyes that see and
ears
that hear its Voice.
6
Today we practice
making free our mind of all the laws you think you must obey, of all the
limits
under which you live, and all the changes which you think are part of
human
destiny. Today we take the largest single step this course requests in
your
advance toward its established goal. If you achieve the faintest
glimmering of
what love means today, you have advanced in distance without measure and
in
time beyond the count of years to your release.
7
Let us together,
then, be glad to give some time to God today and understand there is no
better
use for time than this. For 15 minutes twice today escape from every law
in
which you now believe. Open your mind and rest. The world that seems to
hold
you prisoner can be escaped by anyone who does not hold it dear.
Withdraw all
value you have placed upon its meager offerings and senseless gifts, and
let
the Gift of God replace them all.
8
Call to your
FatherMother, certain that HisHer Voice will answer. HeShe HimHerself
has
promised this. And HeShe HimHerself will place a spark of truth within
your
mind wherever you give up a false belief, a dark illusion of your own
reality
and what love means. HeShe will shine through your idle thoughts today
and help
you understand the truth of love. In loving gentleness, HeShe will abide
with
you as you allow HisHer Voice to teach love's meaning to your clean and
open
mind. And HeShe will bless the lesson with HisHer Love.
9
Today the legion of
the future years of waiting for salvation disappears before the
timelessness of
what you learn. Let us give thanks today that we are spared a future
like the
past. Today we leave the past behind us, never more to be remembered.
And we
raise our eyes upon a different present, where a future shines unlike
the past
in every attribute.
10
The world in
infancy is newly born. And we will watch it grow in strength and health
to shed
its blessing upon all who come to learn to cast aside the world they
thought
was made in hate to be love's enemy. Now are they all made free along
with us.
Now are they all our brothers/sisters in God's Love.
11
We will remember
them throughout the day because we cannot leave a part of us outside our
love
if we would know our Self. At least three times an hour think of one who
makes
the journey with you and who came to learn what you must learn. And as
he/she comes
to mind, give him/her this message from your Self:
1
The world you see
has nothing that you need to offer you, nothing that you can use in any
way,
nor anything at all that serves to give you joy. Believe this thought,
and you
are saved from years of misery, from countless disappointments, and from
hopes
that turn to bitter ashes of despair. No one but must accept this
thought as
true, if he/she would leave this world behind and soar beyond its petty
scope
and little ways.
2
Each thing you
value here is but a chain that binds you to the world, and it will serve
no
other end but this. For everything must serve the purpose you have given
it
until you see a different purpose there. The only purpose worthy of your
mind
this world contains is that you pass it by, without delaying to perceive
some
hope where there is none. Be you deceived no more. The world you see has
nothing that you want.
3
Escape today the
chains you place upon your mind when you perceive salvation here. For
what you
value you make part of you as you perceive yourself. All things you seek
to
make your value greater in your sight limit you further, hide your worth
from
you, and add another bar across the door that leads to true awareness of
your
Self.
4
Let nothing which
relates to body thoughts delay your progress to salvation, nor permit
temptation to believe the world has anything you want to hold you back.
Nothing
is here to cherish. Nothing here is worth one instant of delay and pain,
one
moment of uncertainty and doubt. The worthless offer nothing. Certainty
of
worth cannot be found in worthlessness.
5
Today we practice
letting go all thought of values we have given to the world. We leave it
free
of purposes we gave its aspects and its phases and its dreams. We hold
it
purposeless within our minds and loosen it from all we wish it were.
Thus do we
lift the chains which bar the door to freedom from the world and go
beyond all
little values and diminished goals.
6
Peace and be still
a little while, and see how far you rise above the world when you
release your
mind from chains and let it seek the level where it finds itself at
home. It
will be grateful to be free a while. It knows where it belongs. But free
its
wings, and it will fly in sureness and in joy to join its holy purpose.
Let it
rest in its CreatorManifestor, there to be restored to sanity, to
freedom, and
to love.
7
Give it ten minutes
rest three times today. And when your eyes are opened afterwards, you
will not
value anything you see as much as when you looked at it before. Your
whole
perspective on the world will shift by just a little every time you let
your
mind escape its chains. The world is not where it belongs. And you
belong where
it would be and where it goes to rest when you release it from the
world. Your
Guide is sure. Open your mind to Her. Be still and rest.
8
Protect your mind
throughout the day as well. And when you think you see some value in an
aspect
or an image of the world, refuse to lay this chain upon your mind and
tell
yourself with quiet certainty:
1
This is the thought
which follows from the one we practiced yesterday. You cannot stop with
the
idea the world is worthless, for unless you see that there is something
else to
hope for, you will only be depressed. Our emphasis is not on giving up
the
world but on exchanging it for what is far more satisfying, filled with
joy,
and capable of offering you peace. Think you this world can offer that
to you?
2
It might be worth a
little time to think once more about the value of this world. Perhaps
you will
concede there is no loss in letting go all thought of value here. The
world you
see is merciless indeed, unstable, cruel, unconcerned with you, quick to
avenge, and pitiless with hate. It gives but to rescind and takes away
all
things that you have cherished for a while. No lasting love is found,
for none
is here. This is the world of time, where all things end.
3
Is it a loss to
find a world instead where losing is impossible, where love endures
forever,
hate cannot exist, and vengeance has no meaning? Is it loss to find all
things
you really want and know they have no ending, and they will remain
exactly as
you want them throughout time?
4
Yet even they will
be exchanged at last for what we cannot speak of, for you go from there
to
where words fail entirely, into a silence where the language is unspoken
and
yet surely understood. Communication, unambiguous and plain as day,
remains
unlimited for all eternity. And God HimHerself speaks to HisHer
SonDaughter as
HisHer SonDaughter speaks to HimHer. Their language has no words, for
what they
say cannot be symbolized. Their knowledge is direct and wholly shared
and
wholly one.
5
How far away from
this are you who stay bound to this world. And yet how near are you when
you
exchange it for the world you want. Now is the last step certain; now
you stand
an instant's space away from timelessness. Here can you but look
forward, never
back to see again the world you do not want. Here is the world that
comes to
take its place as you unbind your mind from little things the world sets
forth
to keep you prisoner there. Value them not, and they will disappear.
Esteem
them, and they will seem real to you.
6
Such is the choice.
What loss can be for you in choosing not to value nothingness? This
world holds
nothing that you really want, but what you choose instead you want
indeed! Let
it be given you today. It waits but for your choosing it to take the
place of
all the things you seek but do not want.
7
Practice your willingness
to make this change ten minutes in the morning and at night and once
more in
between. Begin with this:
9
Then close your
eyes upon the world you see, and in the silent darkness watch the lights
that
are not of this world light one by one until where one begins, another
ends,
losing all meaning as they blend in one.
10
Today the lights of
the God Realm bend to you, to shine upon your eyelids as you rest beyond
the
world of darkness. Here is light your eyes cannot behold. And yet your
mind can
see it plainly and can understand. A day of grace is given you today,
and we
give thanks. This day we realize that what you feared to lose was only
loss.
11
Now do we
understand there is no loss, for we have seen its opposite at last, and
we are
grateful that the choice is made. Remember your decision hourly, and
take a
moment to confirm your choice by laying by whatever thoughts you have,
and
dwelling briefly only upon this:
1
Perception is
consistent. What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking but
reflects
your choice of what you want to see. Your values are determiners of
this, for
what you value you must want to see, believing what you see is really
there. No
one can see a world his/her mind has not accorded value. And no one can
fail to
look upon what he/she believes he/she wants.
2
Yet who can really
hate and love at once? Who can desire what
he/she does not want to have reality? And who can choose to see a
world
of which he/she is afraid?
Fear must
make blind, for this its weapon is—that which you fear to see you cannot
see.
Love and perception thus go hand in hand, but fear obscures in darkness
what is
there.
3
What, then, can
fear project upon the world? What can be seen in darkness that is real?
Truth
is eclipsed by fear, and what remains is but imagined. Yet what can be
real in
blind imaginings of panic borne? What would you want that this is shown
to you?
What would you wish to keep in such a dream?
4
Fear has made
everything you think you see. All separation, all distinctions, and the
multitude of differences you believe make up the world. They are not
there.
Love's enemy has made them up. Yet love can have no enemy, and so they
have no
cause, no being, and no consequence. They can be valued but remain
unreal. They
can be sought, but they can not be found.
5
Today we will not
seek for them nor waste this day in seeking not what can be found. It is
impossible to see two worlds which have no overlap of any kind. Seek for
the
one; the other disappears. But one remains. They are the range of choice
beyond
which your decision cannot go. The real and the unreal are all there is
to
choose between, and nothing more than these.
6
Today we will
attempt no compromise where none is possible. The world you see is proof
you
have already made a choice as all-embracing as its opposite. What we
would
learn today is more than just the lesson that you cannot see two worlds.
It
also teaches that the one you see is quite consistent from the point of
view
from which you see it. It is all a piece because it stems from one
emotion, and
reflects its source in everything you see.
7
Six times today in
thanks and gratitude we gladly give five minutes to the thought which
ends all
compromise and doubt and go beyond them all as one. We will not make a
thousand
meaningless distinctions, nor attempt to bring with us a little part of
unreality as we devote our minds to finding only what is real.
8
Begin your
searching for the other world by asking for a strength beyond your own,
and
recognize what it is you seek. You do not want illusions. And you come
to these
five minutes emptying your hands of all the petty treasures of this
world. You
wait for God to help you as you say:
10
God will be there.
For you have called upon the great unfailing Power Who will take this
giant
step with you in gratitude. Nor will you fail to see HisHer thanks
expressed in
tangible perception and in truth. You will not doubt what you will look
upon.
For though it is perception, it is not the kind of seeing that your eyes
alone
have ever seen before. And you will know God's strength upheld you as
you made
this choice.
11
Dismiss temptation
easily today whenever it arises merely by remembering the limits on your
choice. The unreal or the real, the false or true is what you see, and
only
what you see. Perception is consistent with your choice, and hell or the
God
Realm comes to you as one.
12
Accept a little
part of hell as real, and you have damned your eyes and cursed your
sight, and
what you will behold is hell indeed. Yet the release of the God Realm
still
remains within your range of choice to take the place of everything that
hell
would show to you. All you need say to any part of hell, whatever form
it
takes, is simply this:
1
Failure is all
about you while you seek for goals that cannot be achieved. You look for
permanence in the impermanent, for love where there is none, for safety
in the
midst of danger, immortality within the darkness of the dream of death.
Who
could succeed where contradiction is the setting of his/her searching
and the
place to which he/she comes to find stability?
2
Goals which are
meaningless are not attained. There is no way to reach them, for the
means by
which you strive for them are meaningless as they are. Who can use such
senseless means and hope through them to gain in anything? Where can
they lead?
And what could they achieve that offers any hope of being real?
3
Pursuit of the
imagined leads to death because it is the search for nothingness, and
while you
seek for life you ask for death. You look for safety and security while
in your
heart you pray for danger and protection for the little dream you made.
4
Yet searching is
inevitable here. For this you came, and you will surely do the thing you
came
for. But the world can not dictate the goal for which you search unless
you
give it power to do so. Otherwise, you still are free to choose a goal
that
lies beyond the world and every worldly thought and one which comes to
you from
an idea relinquished yet remembered, old yet new—an echo of a heritage
forgot,
yet holding everything you really want.
5
Be glad that search
you must. Be glad as well to learn you search for the God Realm and must
find
the goal you really want. No one can fail to want this goal and reach it
in the
end. God’s SonDaughter cannot seek vainly, though heshe try to force
delay,
deceive himherself, and think that it is hell heshe seeks. When heshe is
wrong,
heshe finds correction; when heshe wanders off,
he/she is led back to his/her appointed task.
6
No one remains in
hell, for no one can abandon his/her CreatorManifestor nor affect HisHer
perfect,
timeless, and unchanging Love. You will find the God Realm. Everything
you seek
but this will fall away, yet not because it has been taken from you. It
will go
because you do not want it. You will reach the goal you really want as
certainly as God createdmanifested you in sinlessness.
7
Why wait for the
God Realm? It is here today. Time is the great illusion it is past or in
the
future. Yet this cannot be if it is where God wills HisHer SonDaughter
to be.
How could the Will of God be in the past or yet to happen? What HeShe
wills is
now, without a past and wholly futureless. It is as far removed from
time as is
a tiny candle from a distant star, or what you chose from what you
really want.
8
The God Realm
remains your one alternative to this strange world you made and all its
ways—its shifting patterns and uncertain goals, its painful pleasures,
and its
tragic joys. God made no contradictions. What denies its own existence
and
attacks itself is not of HimHer. HeShe did not make two minds, with the
God Realm
as the glad effect of one and earth the other's sorry outcome that is
the God
Realm's opposite in every way.
9
God does not suffer
conflict. Nor is HisHer creationmanifestation split in two. How could it
be
HisHer SonDaughter could be in hell when God HimHerself established
himher in
the God Realm? Could heshe lose what the Eternal Will has given himher
to be
hisher home forever? Let us not try longer to impose an alien will upon
HisHer
single purpose. HeShe is here because HeShe wills to be, and what HeShe
wills
is present now beyond the reach of time.
10
Today we will not
choose a paradox in place of truth. How could the SonDaughter of God
make time
to take away the Will of God? He/she thus denies himself/herself and
contradicts what has no opposite. He/she thinks he/she made a hell
opposing the
God Realm and believes that he/she abides in what does not exist, while
the God
Realm is the place he/she cannot find. Leave foolish thoughts like these
behind
today, and turn your mind to true ideas instead.
11
No one can fail who
asks to reach the truth, and it is truth we ask to reach today. We will
devote
ten minutes to this goal three times today, and we will ask to see the
rising
of the real world to replace the foolish images that we held dear, with
true ideas
arising in the place of thoughts which have no meaning, no effect, and
neither
source nor substance in the truth.
12
This we acknowledge
as we start upon our practice periods. Begin with this:
14
For several minutes
watch your mind and see, although your eyes are closed, the senseless
world you
think is real. Review the thoughts as well which are compatible with
such a
world and which you think are true. Then let them go, and sink below
them to
the holy place where they can enter not. There is a door beneath them in
your
mind which you could not completely lock to hide what lies beyond.
15
Seek for that door
and find it. But before you try to open it, remind yourself no one can
fail who
asks to reach the truth, and it is this request you make today. Nothing
but
this has any meaning now; no other goal is valued now nor sought;
nothing
before this door you really want, and only what lies past it do you
seek.
16
Put out your hand
and see how easily the door swings open with your one intent to go
beyond it.
Angels light the way, so that all darkness vanishes and you are standing
in a light
so bright and clear that you can understand all things you see. A tiny
moment
of surprise, perhaps, will make you pause before you realize the world
you see
before you in the light reflects the truth you knew and did not quite
forget in
wandering away in dreams.
17
You cannot fail
today. There walks with you the Spirit the God Realm sent you that you
might
approach this door some day and through Her aid slip effortlessly past
it to
the light. Today that day has come. Today God keeps HisHer ancient
promise to
HisHer holy SonDaughter, as does HisHer SonDaughter remember hisher to
HimHer.
This is a day of gladness, for we come to the appointed time and place
where
you will find the goal of all your searching here and all the seeking of
the
world, which ends together as you pass beyond the door.
18
Remember often that
today should be a time of special gladness, and refrain from dismal
thoughts
and meaningless laments. Salvation's time has come. Today is set by the
God
Realm Itself to be a time of grace for you and for the world. If you
forget
this happy fact, remind yourself with this:
1
What keeps the
world in chains but your beliefs? And what can save the world except
your Self?
Belief is powerful indeed. The thoughts you hold are mighty, and
illusions are
as strong in their effects as is the truth. A mad man/woman thinks the
world
he/she sees is real and does not doubt it. Nor can he/she be swayed by
questioning his/she thoughts' effects. It is but when their source is
raised to
question that the hope of freedom comes to him/her at last.
2
Yet is salvation
easily achieved, for anyone is free to change his/her mind, and all
his/her
thoughts change with it. Now the source of thought has shifted, for to
change
your mind means you have changed the source of all ideas you think or
ever
thought or yet will think.
3
You free the past
from what you thought before. You free the future from all ancient
thoughts of
seeking what you do not want to find. The present now remains the only
time.
Here in the present is the world set free. For as you let the past be
lifted
and release the future from your ancient fears, you find escape and give
it to
the world.
4
You have enslaved
the world with all your fears, with doubts and miseries, your pain and
tears,
and all your sorrows press upon it and keep it a prisoner to your
beliefs.
Death strikes it everywhere because you hold the bitter thought of death
within
your mind. The world is nothing in itself. Your mind must give it
meaning. And
what you behold upon it are your wishes, acted out so you can look on
them and
think them real.
5
Perhaps you think
you did not make the world but came unwillingly to what was made
already,
hardly waiting for your thoughts to give it meaning. Yet in truth you
found
exactly what you looked for when you came. There is no world apart from
what
you wish, and herein lies your ultimate release. Change but your mind on
what
you want to see, and all the world must change accordingly.
6
Ideas leave not
their source. This central theme is often stated in the text and must be
borne
in mind if you would understand the lesson for today. It is not pride
which
tells you that you made the world you see and that it changes as you
change
your mind. But it is pride that argues you have come into a world quite
separate from yourself, impervious to what you think, and quite apart
from what
you chance to think it is.
7
There is no world!
This is the central thought the course attempts to teach. Not everyone
is ready
to accept it, and each one must go as far as he/she can let
himself/herself be
led along the road to truth. He/she will return and go still farther, or
perhaps step back a while and then return again.
8
But healing is the
gift of those who are prepared to learn there is no world and can accept
the
lesson now. Their readiness will bring the lesson to them in some form
which
they can understand and recognize. Some see it suddenly on point of
death and
rise to teach it. Others find it in experience that is not of this
world, which
shows them that the world does not exist because what they behold must
be the
truth, and yet it clearly contradicts the world. And some will find it
in this
course and in the exercises that we do today.
9
Today's idea is
true because the world does not exist. And if it is indeed your own
imagining,
then you can loose it from all things you ever thought it was by merely
changing all the thoughts that gave it these appearances. The sick are
healed
as you let go all thoughts of sickness, and the dead arise when you let
thoughts of life replace all thoughts you ever held of death.
10
A lesson earlier
repeated once must now be stressed again, for it contains the firm
foundation
for today's idea. You are as God createdmanifested you. There is no
place where
you can suffer and no time that can bring change to your eternal state.
How can
a world of time and place exist if you remain as God createdmanifested
you?
11
What is the lesson
for today except another way of saying that to know your Self is the
salvation
of the world? To free the world from every kind of pain is but to change
your
mind about yourself. There is no world apart from your ideas because
ideas
leave not their source, and you maintain the world within your mind in
thought.
12
Yet if you are as
God createdmanifested you, you cannot think apart from HimHer nor make
what
does not share HisHer timelessness and love. Are these inherent in the
world
you see? Does it createmanifest like HimHer? Unless it does, it is not
real and
cannot be at all. If you are real, the world you see is false, for God's
creationmanifestation is unlike the world in every way. And as it was
HisHer
Thought by which you were createdmanifested, so it is your thoughts
which made
it and must set it free that you may know the Thoughts you share with
God.
13
Release the world!
Your real creationsmanifestations wait for this release to give you
FatherhoodMotherhood, not of illusions, but as God in truth. God shares
HisHer
FatherhoodMotherhood with you who are HisHer SonDaughter, for HeShe
makes no
distinctions in what is HimHerself and what is still HimHerself. What
HeShe
createsmanifests is not apart from HimHer, and nowhere does the
FatherMother
end, the SonDaughter begin as something separate from HimHer.
14
There is no world
because it is a thought apart from God and made to separate the
FatherMother
and the SonDaughter and break away a part of God HimHerself and thus
destroy
HisHer wholeness. Can a world which comes from this idea be real? Can it
be anywhere?
Deny illusions, but accept the truth. Deny you are a shadow briefly laid
upon a
dying world. Release your mind, and you will look upon a world released.
15
Today our purpose
is to free the world from all the idle thoughts we ever held about it
and about
all living things we see upon it. They can not be there—no more than we.
For we
are in the home our FatherMother set for us along with them. And we who
are as
HeShe createdmanifested us would loose the world this day from every one
of our
illusions that we may be free.
16
Begin the 15 minute
periods in which we practice twice today with this:
18
Then merely rest,
alert but with no strain, and let your mind in quietness be changed so
that the
world is freed along with you.
19
You need not
realize that healing comes to many brothers/sisters far across the world
as
well as to the ones you see near by as you send out these thoughts to
bless the
world. But you will sense your own release, although you may not fully
understand as yet that you could never be released alone.
20
Throughout the day,
increase the freedom sent through your ideas to all the world, and say
whenever
you are tempted to deny the power of your simple change of mind:
1
Sometimes in
teaching there is benefit, particularly after you have gone through what
seems
theoretical and quite remote from what the student has already learned,
to
bring him/her back to practical concerns. This we will do today. We will
not
speak of lofty, world-encompassing ideas but dwell instead on benefits
to you.
2
You do not ask too
much of life, but far too little. When you let your mind be drawn to
bodily
concerns, to things you buy, to eminence as valued by the world, you ask
for
sorrow, not for happiness. This course does not attempt to take from you
the
little that you have. It does not try to substitute utopian ideas for
satisfactions which the world contains.
3
There are no
satisfactions in the world. Today we list the real criteria by which to
test
all things you think you want. Unless they meet these sound
requirements, they
are not worth desiring at all, for they can but replace what offers
more.
4
The laws which
govern choice you cannot make, no more than you can make alternatives
from
which to choose. The choosing you can do; indeed you must. But it is
wise to
learn the laws you set in motion when you choose and what alternatives
you
choose between. We have already stressed there are but two, however many
there
appear to be.
5
The range is set,
and this we cannot change. It would be most ungenerous to you to let
alternatives be limitless and thus delay your final choice until you had
considered all of them in time and not been brought so clearly to the
place
where there is but one choice that must be made.
6
Another kindly and
related law is that there is no compromise in what your choice must
bring. It
cannot give you just a little, for there is no in-between. Each choice
you make
brings everything to you or nothing. Therefore, if you learn the tests
by which
you can distinguish everything from nothing, you will make the better
choice.
7
First, if you
choose a thing that will not last forever, what you chose is valueless.
A
temporary value is without all value. Time can never take away a value
that is
real. What fades and dies was never there and makes no offering to
him/her who
chooses it. He/she is deceived by nothing in a form he/she thinks he/she
likes.
8
Next, if you choose
to take a thing away from someone else, you will have nothing left. This
is
because when you deny his/her right to everything, you have denied your
own.
You therefore will not recognize the things you really have, denying
they are
there. Who seeks to take away has been deceived by the illusion loss can
offer
gain. Yet loss must offer loss and nothing more.
9
Your next
consideration is the one on which the others rest. Why is the choice you
make
of value to you? What attracts your mind to it? What purpose does it
serve?
Here it is easiest of all to be deceived, for what the ego wants it
fails to
recognize. It does not even tell the truth as it perceives it, for it
needs to
keep the halo which it uses to protect its goals from tarnish and from
rust
that you may see how innocent it is.
10
Yet is its
camouflage a thin veneer which could deceive but those who are content
to be
deceived. Its goals are obvious to anyone who cares to look for them.
Here is
deception doubled, for the one who is deceived will not perceive that
he/she
has merely failed to gain. He/she will believe that he/she has served
the ego's
hidden goals. And though he/she tries to keep its halo clear within
his/her
vision, yet must he/she perceive its tarnished edges and its rusted
core.
11
His/her ineffectual
mistakes appear as sins to him/her because he/she looks upon the
tarnished as
his/her own—the rust a sign of deep unworthiness within himself/herself.
He/she
who would still preserve the ego's goals and serve them as his/her own
makes no
mistakes according to the dictates of his/her guide. This guidance
teaches it
is error to believe that sins are but mistakes, for who would suffer for
his/her sins if this were so?
12
And so we come to
the criterion for choice which is the hardest to believe, because its
obviousness is overlaid with many levels of obscurity. If you feel any
guilt
about your choice, you have allowed the ego's goals to come between the
real
alternatives, and thus you do not realize there are but two. And the
alternative
you think you chose seems fearful and too dangerous to be the
nothingness it
actually is.
13All
things are
valuable or valueless, worthy or not of being sought at all, entirely
desirable
or not worth the slightest effort to obtain. Choosing is easy just
because of
this. Complexity is nothing but a screen of smoke which hides the very
simple
fact that no decision can be difficult.
14What
is the gain to
you in learning this? It is far more than merely letting you make
choices
easily and without pain. The God Realm Itself is reached by empty hands
and
open minds, which come with nothing to find everything and claim it as
their
own. We will attempt to reach this state today, with self-deception laid
aside
and with an honest willingness to value but the truly valuable and the
real.
15
Our two extended
practice periods of 15 minutes will begin with this:
17
And then receive
what waits for everyone who reaches unencumbered to the gate of the God
Realm,
which swings open as he/she comes. Should you begin to let yourself
collect
some needless burdens or believe you see some difficult decisions facing
you,
be quick to answer with this simple thought:
1
Let us review the
meaning of "forgive," for it is apt to be distorted and to be
perceived as something which entails an unfair sacrifice of righteous
wrath, a
gift unjustified and undeserved, and a complete denial of the truth. In
such a
view, forgiveness must be seen as mere eccentric folly, and this course
appear
to rest salvation on a whim.
2
This twisted view
of what forgiveness means is easily corrected when you can accept the
fact that
pardon is not asked for what is true. It must be limited to what is
false. It
is irrelevant to everything except illusions. Truth is God's
creationmanifestation, and to pardon this is meaningless. All truth
belongs to
HimHer, reflects HisHer laws and radiates HisHer Love. Does this need
pardon?
How can you forgive the sinless and eternally benign?
3
The major
difficulty that you find in genuine forgiveness on your part is that you
still
believe you must forgive the truth and not illusions. You conceive of
pardon as
a vain attempt to look past what is there; to overlook the truth in an
unfounded effort to deceive yourself by making an illusion true. This
twisted
viewpoint but reflects the hold that the idea of sin retains as yet upon
your
mind as you regard yourself.
4
Because you think
your sins are real, you look on pardon as deception. For it is
impossible to
think of sin as true and not believe forgiveness is a lie. Thus is
forgiveness
really but a sin, like all the rest. It says the truth is false and
smiles on
the corrupt as if they were as blameless as the grass; as white as snow.
It is
delusional in what it thinks it can accomplish. It would see as right
the
plainly wrong, the loathsome as the good.
5
Pardon is no escape
in such a view. It merely is a further sign that sin is unforgivable, at
best
to be concealed, denied, or called another name, for pardon is a
treachery to
truth. Guilt can not be forgiven. If you sin, your guilt is everlasting.
Those
who are forgiven from the view their sins are real are pitifully mocked
and
twice condemned—first by themselves for what they think they did and
once again
by those who pardon them.
6
It is sin's
unreality that makes forgiveness natural and wholly sane, a deep relief
to
those who offer it; a quiet blessing where it is received. It does not
countenance illusions but collects them lightly with a little laugh and
gently
lays them at the feet of truth. And there they disappear entirely.
7
Forgiveness is the
only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It sees
their
nothingness and looks right through the thousand forms in which they may
appear. It looks on lies but it is not deceived. It does not heed the
self-accusing shrieks of sinners mad with guilt. It looks on them with
quiet
eyes and merely says to them, "My brother/sister, what you think is not
the truth."
8
The strength of
pardon is its honesty, which is so uncorrupted that it sees illusions as
illusions, not as truth. It is because of this that it becomes the
undeceiver
in the face of lies, the great restorer of the simple truth. By its
ability to
overlook what is not there, it opens up the way to truth, which had been
blocked by dreams of guilt.
9
Now are you free to
follow in the way your true forgiveness opens up to you. For if one
brother/sister has received this gift of you, the door is open to
yourself.
There is a very simple way to find the door to true forgiveness and
perceive it
open wide in welcome. When you feel that you are tempted to accuse
someone of
sin in any form, do not allow your mind to dwell on what you think
he/she did,
for this is self-deception. Ask instead, "Should I accuse myself of
doing
this?"
10
Thus will you see
alternatives for choice in terms which render choosing meaningful and
keep your
mind as free of guilt and pain as God HimHerself intended it to be and
as it is
in truth. It is but lies which would condemn. In truth is innocence the
only
thing there is. Forgiveness stands between illusions and the truth,
between the
world you see and that which lies beyond, between the hell of guilt and
the God
Realm's gate.
11
Across this bridge,
as powerful as Love Which laid Its blessing on it, are all dreams of
evil and
of hatred and attack brought silently to truth. They are not kept to
swell and
bluster and to terrify the foolish dreamer who believes in them. He/she
has been
gently wakened from his/her dream by understanding what he/she thought
he/she
saw was never there. And now he/she cannot feel that all escape has been
denied
to him/her.
12
He/she does not
have to fight to save himself/herself. He/she does not have to kill the
dragons
which he/she thought pursued him/her. Nor need he/she erect the heavy
walls of
stone and iron doors he/she thought would make him/her safe. He/she can
remove
the ponderous and useless armor made to chain his/her mind to fear and
misery.
His/her step is light, and as he/she lifts his/her foot to stride ahead,
a star
is left behind to point the way to those who follow him/her.
13
Forgiveness must be
practiced, for the world cannot perceive its meaning nor provide a guide
to
teach you its beneficence. There is no thought in all the world which
leads to
any understanding of the laws it follows nor the Thought which it
reflects. It
is as alien to the world as is your own reality. And yet it joins your
mind
with the reality in you.
14Today
we practice
true forgiveness that the time of joining be no more delayed. For we
would meet
with our reality in freedom and in peace. Our practicing becomes the
footsteps
lightening up the way for all our brothers/sisters , who will follow us
to the
reality we share with them.
15
That this may be
accomplished, let us give a quarter of an hour twice today and spend it
with
the Guide Who understands the meaning of forgiveness and was sent to us
to
teach it. Let us ask of Her:
17
Then choose one
brother/sister as She will direct, and catalogue his/her "sins," as
one by one they cross your mind. Be certain not to dwell on any one of
them,
but realize that you are using his/her "offenses" but to save the
world from all ideas of sin. Briefly consider all the evil things you
thought
of him/her, and each time ask yourself "Would I condemn myself for doing
this?".
18
Let him/her be
freed from all the thoughts you had of sin in him/her. And now you are
prepared
for freedom. If you have been practicing thus far in willingness and
honesty,
you will begin to sense a lifting up, a lightening of weight across your
chest,
a deep and certain feeling of relief. The time remaining should be given
to
experiencing the escape from all the heavy chains you sought to lay upon
your
brother/sister which were laid upon yourself.
19
Forgiveness should
be practiced through the day, for there will be so many times when you
forget
its meaning and attack yourself. When this occurs, allow your mind to
see through
this illusion as you tell yourself:
21
In everything you
do, remember this:
1
Who would defend
himself/herself unless he/she thought he/she was attacked, that the
attack is
real, and that his/her own defense can save himself/herself? And herein
lies the
folly of defense—it gives illusions full reality and then attempts to
handle
them as real. It adds illusions to illusions, thus making correction
doubly
difficult.
2
And it is this you
do when you attempt to plan the future, activate the past, or organize
the
present as you wish. You operate from the belief you must protect
yourself from
what is happening because it must contain what threatens you. A sense of
threat
is an acknowledgment of an inherent weakness, a belief that there is
danger
which has power to call on you to make appropriate defense.
3
The world is based
on this insane belief. And all its structures, all its thoughts and
doubts, its
penalties and heavy armaments, its legal definitions and its codes, its
ethics
and its leaders and its gods, all serve but to preserve its sense of
threat.
For no one walks the world in armature but must have terror striking at
his/her
heart.
4
Defense is
frightening. It stems from fear, increasing fear as each defense is
made. You
think it offers safety. Yet it speaks of fear made real and terror
justified.
Is it not strange you do not pause to ask, as you elaborate your plans
and make
your armor thicker and your locks more tight, what you defend, and how,
and
against what?
5
Let us consider
first what you defend. It must be something that is very weak and easily
assaulted. It must be something made easy prey, unable to protect
itself, and
needing your defense. What but the body has such frailty that constant
care and
watchful, deep concern is needful to protect its little life? What but
the body
falters and must fail to serve the SonDaughter of God as worthy host?
6
Yet it is not the
body that can fear, nor be a thing to fear. It has no needs but those
which you
assign to it. It needs no complicated structures of defense, no
health-inducing
medicine, no care, and no concern at all. Defend its life, or give it
gifts to
make it beautiful or walls to make it safe, and you but say your home is
open
to the thief of time, corruptible and crumbling, so unsafe it must be
guarded
with your very life.
7
Is not this picture
fearful? Can you be at peace with such a concept of your home? Yet what
endowed
the body with the right to serve you thus except your own belief? It is
your
mind which gave the body all the functions that you see in it and set
its value
far beyond a little pile of dust and water. Who would make defense of
something
that he/she recognized as this?
8
The body is in need
of no defense. This cannot be too often emphasized. It will be strong
and
healthy if the mind does not abuse it by assigning it to roles it cannot
fill,
to purposes beyond its scope, and to exalted aims which it cannot
accomplish.
Such attempts, ridiculous yet deeply cherished, are the sources for the
many
mad attacks you make upon it. For it seems to fail your hopes, your
needs, your
values, and your dreams.
9
The
"self" that needs protection is not real. The body, valueless and
hardly worth the least defense, need merely be perceived as quite apart
from
you, and it becomes a healthy, serviceable instrument through which the
mind
can operate until its usefulness is over. Who would want to keep it when
its
usefulness is done?
10
Defend the body,
and you have attacked your mind. For you have seen in it the faults, the
weaknesses, the limits, and the lacks from which you think the body must
be
saved. You will not see the mind as separate from bodily conditions. And
you
will impose upon the body all the pain that comes from the conception of
the
mind as limited and fragile, and apart from other minds and separate
from its
Source.
11
These are the
thoughts in need of healing, and the body will respond with health when
they
have been corrected and replaced with truth. This is the body's only
real
defense. Yet is this where you look for its defense? You offer it
protection of
a kind from which it gains no benefit at all but merely adds to your
distress
of mind. You do not heal but merely take away the hope of healing, for
you fail
to see where hope must lie if it be meaningful.
12
A healed mind does
not plan. It carries out the plans which it receives through listening
to
Wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what
should be
done and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for
anything
except its adequacy to fulfill the plans assigned to it. It is secure in
certainty that obstacles cannot impede its progress to accomplishment of
any
goal which serves the greater plan established for the good of everyone.
13
A healed mind is
relieved from the belief that it must plan, although it cannot know the
outcome
which is best, the means by which it is achieved, nor how to recognize
the
problem that the plan is made to solve. It must misuse the body in its
plans
until it recognizes this is so. But when it has accepted this as true,
then is
it healed and lets the body go.
14
Enslavement of the
body to the plans the unhealed mind sets up to save itself must make the
body
sick. It is not free to be a means of helping in a plan which far
exceeds its
own protection and which needs its service for a little while. In this
capacity
is health assured. For everything the mind employs for this will
function
flawlessly and with the strength that has been given it and cannot fail.
15
It is, perhaps, not
easy to perceive that self-initiated plans are but defenses with the
purpose
all of them were made to realize. They are the means by which a
frightened mind
would undertake its own protection at the cost of truth. This is not
difficult
to realize in some forms which these self-deceptions take, for the
denial of
reality is very obvious. Yet planning is not often recognized as a
defense.
16
The mind engaged in
planning for itself is occupied in setting up control of future
happenings. It
does not think that it will be provided for unless it makes its own
provisions.
Time becomes a future emphasis to be controlled by learning and
experience obtained
from past events and previous beliefs. It overlooks the present, for it
rests
on the idea the past has taught enough to let the mind direct its future
course.
17The
mind that plans
is thus refusing to allow for change. What it has learned before becomes
the
basis for its future goals. Its past experience directs its choice of
what will
happen. And it does not see that here and now is everything it needs to
guarantee a future quite unlike the past without a continuity of any old
ideas
and sick beliefs. Anticipation plays no part at all, for present
confidence
directs the way.
18
Defenses are the
plans you undertake to make against the truth. Their aim is to select
what you
approve and disregard what you consider incompatible with your beliefs
of your reality.
Yet what remains is meaningless indeed. For it is your reality which is
the
"threat" that your defenses would attack, obscure, and take apart and
crucify.
19
What could you not
accept if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past,
present,
and to come, are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good?
Perhaps
you have misunderstood HisHer plan, for HeShe would never offer pain to
you.
But your defenses did not let you see HisHer loving blessing shine in
every
step you ever took. While you made plans for death, HeShe led you gently
to
eternal life.
20
Your present trust
in HimHer is the defense which promises a future undisturbed, without a
trace
of sorrow and with joy which constantly increases as this life becomes a
holy instant,
set in time but heeding only immortality. Let no defenses but your
present
trust direct the future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter
with the
truth that only your defenses would conceal.
21
Without defenses,
you become a light which the God Realm gratefully acknowledges to be its
own.
And it will lead you on in ways appointed for your happiness according
to the
ancient plan begun when time was born. Your followers will join their
light
with yours, and it will be increased until the world is lighted up with
joy.
And gladly will our brothers/sisters lay aside their cumbersome defenses
which
availed them nothing and could only terrify.
22
We will anticipate
that time today with present confidence, for this is part of what was
planned
for us. We will be sure that everything we need is given us for our
accomplishment of this today. We make no plans for how it will be done
but
realize that our defenselessness is all that is required for the truth
to dawn
upon our minds with certainty.
23
For 15 minutes
twice today, we rest from senseless planning and from every thought
which
blocks the truth from entering our minds. Today we will receive instead
of
plan, that we may give instead of organize. And we are given truly, as
we say:
25
Nothing but that.
If there are plans to make, you will be told of them. They may not be
the plans
you thought were needed nor indeed the answers to the problems which you
thought confronted you. But they are answers to another kind of question
which
remains unanswered yet in need of answering until the Answer comes to
you at
last.
26
All your defenses
have been aimed at not receiving what you will receive today. And in the
light
and joy of simple truth, you will but wonder why you ever thought that
you must
be defended from release. The God Realm asks nothing. It is hell that
makes
extravagant demands for sacrifice. You give up nothing in these times
today when
undefended you present yourself to your CreatorManifestor as you really
are.
27
HeShe has
remembered you. Today we will remember HimHer. For this is Easter time
in your
salvation. And you rise again from what was seeming death and
hopelessness. Now
is the light of hope reborn in you, for now you come without defense to
learn
the part for you within the plan of God. What little plans or magical
beliefs
can still have value when you have received your function from the Voice
of God
HimHerself?
28
Try not to shape
this day as you believe would benefit you most. For you can not conceive
of all
the happiness that comes to you without your planning. Learn today. And
all the
world will take this giant stride and celebrate your Easter time with
you.
Throughout the day, as foolish little things appear to raise
defensiveness in
you and tempt you to engage in weaving plans, remind yourself this is a
special
day for learning, and acknowledge it with this:
1
No one can heal
unless he/she understands what purpose sickness seems to serve. For then
he/she
understands as well its purpose has no meaning. Being causeless and
without a
meaningful intent of any kind, it cannot be at all. When this is seen,
healing
is automatic. It dispels this meaningless illusion by the same approach
that
carries all of them to truth and merely leaves them there to disappear.
2
Sickness is not an
accident. Like all defenses, it is an insane device for self-deception.
And
like all the rest, its purpose is to hide reality, attack it, change it,
render
it inept, distort it, twist it, or reduce it to a little pile of
unassembled
parts. The aim of all defenses is to keep the truth from being whole.
The parts
are seen as if each one were whole within itself.
3
Defenses are not
unintentional nor are they made without awareness. They are secret magic
wands
you wave when truth appears to threaten what you would believe. They
seem to be
unconscious but because of the rapidity with which you choose to use
them. In
that second, even less, in which the choice is made, you recognize
exactly what
you would attempt to do and then proceed to think that it is done.
4
Who but yourself
evaluates a threat, decides escape is necessary, and sets up a series of
defenses to reduce the threat that has been judged as real? All this
cannot be
done unconsciously. But afterwards your plan requires that you must
forget you
made it, so it seems to be external to your own intent-a happening
beyond your
state of mind, an outcome with a real effect on you instead of one
effected by
your self.
5
It is this quick
forgetting of the part you play in making your "reality" which makes
defenses seem to be beyond your own control. But what you have forgot
can be
remembered, given willingness to reconsider the decision which is doubly
shielded by oblivion. Your not remembering is but the sign that this
decision
still remains in force as far as your desires are concerned.
6
Mistake this not
for fact. Defenses must make facts unrecognizable. They aim at doing
this, and
this they seem to do. Every defense takes fragments of the whole,
assembles
them without regard to all their true relationships, and thus constructs
illusions of a whole which is not there. It is this process which
imposes
threat, and not whatever outcome may result.
7
When parts are
wrested from the whole and seen as separate and wholes within
themselves, they
become symbols standing for attack upon the whole, successful in effect,
and
never to be seen as whole again. And yet you have forgotten that they
stand but
for your own decision of what should be real, to take the place of what
is
real.
8
Sickness is a
decision. It is not a thing that happens to you quite unsought, which
makes you
weak and brings you suffering. It is a choice you make, a plan you lay
when for
an instant truth arises in your own deluded mind and all your world
appears to
totter and prepare to fall. Now are you sick that truth may go away and
threaten your establishments no more.
9
How do you think
that sickness can succeed in shielding you from truth? Because it proves
the
body is not separate from you, and so you must be separate from the
truth. You
suffer pain because the body does, and in this pain are you made one
with it.
Thus is your "true" identity preserved and the strange, haunting
thought that you might be something beyond this little pile of dust
silenced
and stilled. For see, this dust can make you suffer, twist your limbs,
and stop
your heart, commanding you to die and cease to be.
10
Thus is the body
stronger than the truth, which asks you live but cannot overcome your
choice to
die. And so the body is more powerful than everlasting life, the God
Realm more
frail than hell, and God's design for the salvation of HisHer
SonDaughter opposed
by a decision stronger than HisHer Will. HisHer SonDaughter is dust, the
FatherMother incomplete, and chaos sits in triumph on HisHer throne.
11
Such is your
planning for your own defense. And you believe that the God Realm quails
before
such mad attacks as these, with God made blind by your illusions, truth
turned
into lies, and all the universe made slave to laws which your defenses
would
impose on it. Yet who believes illusions but the one who made them up?
Who else
can see them and react to them as if they were the truth?
12
God knows not of
your plans to change HisHer Will. The universe remains unheeding of the
laws by
which you thought to govern it. And the God Realm has not bowed to hell,
nor
life to death. You can but choose to think you die or suffer sickness or
distort the truth in any way. What is createdmanifested is apart from
all of
this. Defenses are plans to defeat what cannot be attacked. What is
unalterable
cannot change. And what is wholly sinless cannot sin.
13Such
is the simple
truth. It does not make appeal to might nor triumph. It does not command
obedience nor seek to prove how pitiful and futile are your attempts to
plan
defenses which would alter it. It merely wants to give you happiness,
for such
its purpose is. Perhaps it sighs a little when you throw away its gifts,
and
yet it knows with perfect certainty that what God wills for you must be
received.
14
It is this fact
which demonstrates that time is an illusion. For it lets you think what
God has
given you is not the truth right now, as it must be. The Thoughts of God
are
quite apart from time. For time is but another meaningless defense you
made
against the truth. Yet what God wills is here, and you remain as HeShe
createdmanifested you.
15
Truth has a power
far beyond defense, for no illusions can remain where it has been
allowed to
enter. And it comes to any mind that would lay down its arms and cease
to play
with folly. It is found at any time-today, if you will choose to
practice
giving welcome to the truth. This is our aim today. And we will give a
quarter
of an hour twice to ask the truth to come to us and set us free.
16
And truth will
come, for it has never been apart from us. It merely waits for just this
invitation which we give today. We introduce it with a healing prayer to
help
us rise above defensiveness and let truth be as it has always been:
18
Healing will flash
across your open mind as peace and truth arise to take the place of war
and
vain imaginings. There will be no dark corners sickness can conceal and
keep
defended from the light of truth. There will be no dim figures from your
dreams
nor their obscure and meaningless pursuits with double purposes insanely
sought, remaining in your mind. It will be healed of all the sickly
wishes that
it tried to authorize the body to obey.
19
Now is the body
healed because the source of sickness has been opened to relief. And you
will
recognize you practiced well by this-the body should not feel at all. If
you
have been successful, there will be no sense of feeling ill or feeling
well, of
pain or pleasure. No response at all is in the mind to what the body
does. Its
usefulness remains and nothing more.
20
Perhaps you do not
realize that this removes the limits you had placed upon the body by the
purposes you gave to it. As these are laid aside, the strength the body
has
will always be enough to serve all truly useful purposes. The body's
health is
fully guaranteed because it is not limited by time, by weather or
fatigue, by
food and drink, or any laws you made it serve before. You need do
nothing now
to make it well, for sickness has become impossible.
21
Yet this protection
needs to be preserved by careful watching. If you let your mind harbor
attack
thoughts, yield to judgment, or make plans against uncertainties to
come, you
have again misplaced yourself, and made a bodily identity which will
attack the
body, for the mind is sick. Give instant remedy should this occur by not
allowing your defensiveness to hurt you longer. Do not be confused about
what
must be healed, but tell yourself:
1
Today's idea
remains the central thought on which salvation rests. For healing is the
opposite of all the world's ideas which dwell on sickness and on
separate
states. Sickness is a retreat from others and a shutting off of joining.
It
becomes a door that closes on a separate self and keeps it isolated and
alone.
2
Sickness is
isolation. For it seems to keep one self apart from all the rest to
suffer what
the others do not feel. It gives the body final power to make the
separation
real and keep the mind in solitary prison, split apart and held in
pieces by a
solid wall of sickened flesh which it can not surmount. The world obeys
the
laws that sickness serves, but healing operates apart from them.
3
It is impossible
that anyone be healed alone. In sickness must he/she be apart and
separate. But
healing is his/her own decision to be one again and to accept his/her
Self with
all its parts intact and unassailed. In sickness does his/her Self
appear to be
dismembered and without the unity that gives it life. But healing is
accomplished as he/she sees the body has no power to attack the
universal
oneness of God’s SonDaughter.
4
Sickness would
prove that lies must be the truth. But healing demonstrates that truth
is true.
The separation sickness would impose has never really happened. To be
healed is
merely to accept what always was the simple truth and always will remain
exactly as it has forever been. Yet eyes accustomed to illusions must be
shown
that what they look upon is false. So healing, never needed by the
truth, must
demonstrate that sickness is not real.
5
Healing might thus
be called a counter-dream which cancels out the dream of sickness in the
name
of truth but not in truth itself. Just as forgiveness overlooks all sins
that
never were accomplished, healing but removes illusions that have not
occurred.
Just as the real world will arise to take the place of what has never
been at
all, healing offers restitution for imagined states and false ideas
which
dreams embroider into pictures of the truth.
6
Yet think not
healing is unworthy of your function here. For anti-Christ becomes more
powerful than the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness to those
who
dream the world is real. The body seems to be more solid and more stable
than
the mind. And love becomes a dream, while fear remains the one reality
that can
be seen and justified and fully understood.
7
Just as forgiveness
shines away all sin and the real world will occupy the place of what you
made,
so healing must replace the fantasies of sickness which you hold before
the
simple truth. When sickness has been seen to disappear in spite of all
the laws
that hold it cannot but be real, then questions have been answered. And
the
laws can be no longer cherished nor obeyed.
8
Healing is freedom.
For it demonstrates that dreams will not prevail against the truth.
Healing is
shared. And by this attribute, it proves that laws unlike the ones which
hold
that sickness is inevitable are more potent than their sickly opposites.
Healing is strength. For by its gentle hand is weakness overcome. And
minds
which were walled off within a body free to join with other minds, to be
forever strong.
9
Healing, forgiveness,
and the glad exchange of all the world of sorrow for a world where
sadness
cannot enter, are the means by which the Holy Spirit urges you to follow
Her.
Her gentle lessons teach how easily salvation can be yours, how little
practice
you need undertake to let Her laws replace the ones you made to hold
yourself a
prisoner to death.
10
Her life becomes
your own as you extend the little help She asks in freeing you from
everything
that ever caused you pain. And as you let yourself be healed, you see
all those
around you or who cross your mind or whom you touch or those who seem to
have no
contact with you healed along with you. Perhaps you will not recognize
them
all, nor realize how great your offering to all the world when you let
healing
come to you. But you are never healed alone. And legions upon legions
will
receive the gift which you receive when you are healed.
11
Those who are
healed become the instruments of healing. Nor does time elapse between
the
instant they are healed and all the grace of healing it is given them to
give.
What is opposed to God does not exist. And who accepts it not within
his/her
mind becomes a haven where the weary can remain to rest. For here is
truth
bestowed, and here are all illusions brought to truth.
12
Would you not offer
shelter to God's Will? You but invite your Self to be at home, and can
this invitation
be refused? Ask the inevitable to occur, and you will never fail. The
other
choice is but to ask what cannot be to be, and this cannot succeed.
Today we
ask that only truth will occupy our minds, that thoughts of healing will
this
day go forth from what is healed to what must yet be healed, aware that
they
will both occur as one.
13
We will remember,
as the hour strikes, our function is to let our minds be healed that we
may
carry healing to the world, exchanging curse for blessing, pain for joy,
and
separation for the peace of God. Is not a minute of the hour worth the
giving
to receive a gift like this? Is not a little time a small expense to
offer for
the gift of everything?
14
Yet must we be
prepared for such a gift. And so we will begin the day with this and
give ten
minutes to these thoughts with which we will conclude today at night as
well:
16
Let healing be
through you this very day. And as you rest in quiet, be prepared to give
as you
receive, to hold but what you give, and to receive the Word of God to
take the
place of all the foolish thoughts that ever were imagined. Now we come
together
to make well all that was sick and offer blessing where there was
attack. Nor
will we let this function be forgot as every hour of the day slips by,
remembering our function with this thought:
1
In this world, the
God Realm is a choice because here we believe there are alternatives to
choose
between. We think that all things have an opposite, and what we want we
choose.
If the God Realm exists, there must be hell as well, for contradiction
is the
way we make what we perceive and what we think is real.
Creationmanifestation
knows no opposite. But here is opposition part of being "real."
2
It is this strange
perception of the truth that makes the choice of the God Realm seem to
be the
same as the relinquishment of hell. It is not really thus. Yet what is
true in
God's creationmanifestation cannot enter here unless it is reflected in
some
form the world can understand. Truth cannot come where it could only be
perceived with fear, for this would be the error truth can be brought to
illusions. Opposition makes the truth unwelcome, and it cannot come.
3
Choice is the
obvious escape from what appears as opposites. Decision lets one of
conflicting
goals become the aim of effort and expenditure of time. Without
decision, time
is but a waste and effort dissipated. It is spent for nothing in return.
And
time goes by without results. There is no sense of gain, for nothing is
accomplished;
nothing learned.
4
You need to be
reminded that you think a thousand choices are confronting you when
there is
really only one to make. And even this but seems to be a choice. Do not
confuse
yourself with all the doubts that myriad decisions would induce. You
make but
one. And when that one is made, you will perceive it was no choice at
all, for
truth is true and nothing else is real. There is no opposite to choose
instead.
There is no contradiction to the truth.
5
Choosing depends on
learning. But the truth cannot be learned but only recognized. In
recognition
its acceptance lies, and as it is accepted, it is known. But knowledge
is
beyond the goals we seek to teach within the framework of this course.
Ours are
teaching goals to be attained through learning how to reach them, what
they
are, and what they offer you. Decisions are the outcome of your
learning, for
they rest on what you have accepted as the truth of what you are and
what your
needs must be.
6
In this insanely
complicated world, the God Realm appears to take the form of choice
rather than
merely being what it is. Of all the choices you have tried to make, this
is the
simplest, most definitive, the prototype of all the rest, the one which
settles
all decisions. If you could decide the rest, this one remains unsolved.
But
when you solve this one, the others are resolved with it, for all
decisions but
conceal this one by taking different forms. Here is the final and the
only
choice in which is truth accepted or denied.
7
So we begin today
considering the choice that time was made to help us make. Such is its
holy
purpose, now transformed from the intent you gave it, that it be a means
for
demonstrating hell is real, hope changes to despair, and life itself
must in
the end be overcome by death. In death alone are opposites resolved, for
ending
opposition is to die. And thus salvation must be seen as death, for life
is
seen as conflict. To resolve the conflict is to end your life as well.
8
These mad beliefs
can gain unconscious hold of great intensity and grip the mind with
terror and
anxiety so strong that it will not relinquish its ideas about its own
protection. It must be saved from salvation, threatened to be safe, and
magically armored against truth. And these decisions are made unaware to
keep
them safely undisturbed, apart from question and from reason and from
doubt.
9
The God Realm is
chosen consciously. The choice cannot be made until alternatives are
accurately
seen and understood. All that is veiled in shadows must be raised to
understanding
to be judged again, this time with the God Realm's help, and all
mistakes in
judgment which the mind had made before are open to correction as the
truth
dismisses them as causeless. Now are they without effects. They cannot
be
concealed because their nothingness is recognized.
10The
conscious choice
of the God Realm is as sure as is the ending of the fear of hell when it
is
raised from its protective shield of unawareness and is brought to
light. Who
can decide between the clearly seen and the unrecognized? Yet who can
fail to
make a choice between alternatives when only one is seen as valuable,
the other
as a wholly worthless thing, a but imagined source of guilt and pain?
Who
hesitates to make a choice like this? And shall we hesitate to choose
today?
11
We make the choice
for the God Realm as we wake and spend five minutes making sure that we
have
made the one decision that is sane. We recognize we make a conscious
choice
between what has existence and what has nothing but an appearance of the
truth.
Its pseudo-being, brought to what is real, is flimsy and transparent in
the
light. It holds no terror now, for what was made enormous, vengeful,
pitiless
with hate demands obscurity for fear to be invested there. Now it is
recognized
as but a foolish, trivial mistake.
12
Before we close our
eyes in sleep tonight, we reaffirm the choice that we have made each
hour in
between. And now we give the last five minutes of our waking day to the
decision with which we awoke. As every hour passed, we have declared our
choice
again in a brief quiet time devoted to maintaining sanity. And finally
we close
the day with this, acknowledging we chose but what we want:
1
Here is the end of
choice. For here we come to a decision to accept ourselves as God
createdmanifested us. And what is choice except uncertainty of what we
are?
There is no doubt that is not rooted here. There is no question but
reflects
this one. There is no conflict that does not entail the single simple
question,
"What am I?"
2
Yet who could ask
this question except one who has refused to recognize himself/herself?
Only
refusal to accept yourself could make the question seem to be sincere.
The only
thing that can be surely known by any living thing is what it is. From
this one
point of certainty it looks on other things as certain as itself.
Uncertainty
about what you must be is self-deception on a scale so vast its
magnitude can
hardly be conceived.
3
To be alive and not
to know yourself is to believe that you are really dead. For what is
life
except to be yourself, and what but you can be alive instead? Who is the
doubter? What is it he/she doubts? Whom does he/she question? Who can
answer
him/her? He/she merely states that he/she is not himself/herself and
therefore,
being something else, becomes a questioner of what that something is.
4
Yet he/she could
never be alive at all unless he/she knew the answer. If he/she asks as
if
he/she did not know, it merely shows he/she does not want to be the
thing
he/she is. He/she has accepted it because he/she lives, has judged
against it
and denied its worth, and has decided that he/she does not know the only
certainty by which he/she lives. Thus he/she becomes uncertain of
his/her life,
for what it is has been denied by him/her.
5
It is for this
denial that you need Atonement. Your denial made no change in what you
are. But
you have split your mind into what knows and does not know the truth.
You are
yourself. There is no doubt of this, and yet you doubt it. But you do
not ask
what part of you can really doubt yourself. It cannot really be a part
of you
that asks this question, for it asks of one who knows the answer. Were
it part
of you, uncertainty would be impossible.
6Atonement
remedies
the strange idea that it is possible to doubt yourself and be unsure of
what
you really are. This is the depth of madness. Yet it is the universal
question
of the world. What does this prove except the world is mad? Why share
its madness
in the sad belief that what is universal here is true? Nothing the world
believes is true. It is a place whose purpose is to be a home where
those who
claim they do not know themselves can come to question what it is they
are.
7
And they will come
again until the time Atonement is accepted, and they learn it is
impossible to
doubt yourself and not to be aware of what you are. Only acceptance can
be
asked of you, for what you are is certain. It is set forever in the holy
Mind
of God and in your own. It is so far beyond all doubt and question that
to ask
what it must be is all the proof you need to show that you believe the
contradiction that you know not what you cannot fail to know.
8
Is this a question
or a statement which denies itself in statement? Let us not allow our
holy
minds to occupy themselves with senseless musings such as this. We have
a
mission here. We did not come to reinforce the madness which we once
believed
in. Let us not forget the goal that we accepted. It is more than just
our
happiness alone we came to gain. What we accept as what we are proclaims
what
everyone must be along with us.
9
Fail not your
brothers/sisters , or you fail yourself. Look lovingly on them that they
may
know that they are part of you and you of them. This does Atonement
teach and
demonstrates the oneness of God’s SonDaughter is unassailed by hisher
belief
heshe knows not what heshe is. Today accept Atonement, not to change
reality,
but merely to accept the truth about yourself and go your way rejoicing
in the
endless Love of God. It is but this that we are asked to do. It is but
this
that we will do today.
10
Five minutes in the
morning and at night we will devote to dedicate our minds to our
assignment for
today. We start with this review of what our mission is:
12
We have not lost
the knowledge that God gave to us when HeShe createdmanifested us like
HimHer.
We can remember it for everyone, for in creationmanifestation are all
minds as
one and in our memory is the recall how dear our brothers/sisters are to
us in
truth, how much a part of us is every mind, how faithful they have
really been
to us, and how our Father’sMother's Love contains us all.
13 In
thanks for all
creationmanifestation, in the name of its CreatorManifestor and HisHer
oneness
with all aspects of creationmanifestation, we repeat our dedication to
our
cause today each hour, as we lay aside all thoughts that would distract
us from
our holy aim. For several minutes let your mind be cleared of all the
foolish
cobwebs which the world would weave around the holy SonDaughter of God.
And
learn the fragile nature of the chains that seem to keep the knowledge
of
yourself apart from your awareness, as you say:
1
Cure is a word that
cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial. What
the world
perceives as therapeutic is but what will make the body "better."
When it tries to heal the mind, it sees no separation from the body,
where it
thinks the mind exists. Its forms of healing thus must substitute
illusion for
illusion. One belief in sickness takes another form, and so the patient
now
perceives himself/herself as well.
2
He/she is not
healed. He/she merely had a dream that he/she was sick, and in the dream
he/she
found a magic formula to make him/her well. Yet he/she has not awakened
from
the dream, and so his/her mind remains exactly as it was before. He/she
has not
seen the light that would awaken him/her and end the dream. What
difference
does the content of a dream make in reality? One either sleeps or
wakens. There
is nothing in between.
3
The happy dreams
the Holy Spirit brings are different from the dreaming of the world,
where one
can merely dream he/she is awake. The dreams forgiveness lets the mind
perceive
do not induce another form of sleep, so that the dreamer dreams another
dream.
His/her happy dreams are heralds of the dawn of truth upon the mind.
They lead
from sleep to gentle waking, so that dreams are gone. And thus they cure
for
all eternity.
4
Atonement heals
with certainty and cures all sickness. For the mind which understands
that
sickness can be nothing but a dream is not deceived by forms the dream
may
take. Sickness where guilt is absent cannot come, for it is but another
form of
guilt. Atonement does not heal the sick, for that is not a cure. It
takes away
the guilt that makes the sickness possible. And that is cure indeed. For
sickness now is gone, with nothing left to which it can return.
5
Peace be to you who
have been cured in God and not in idle dreams. For cure must come from
holiness, and holiness can not be found where sin is cherished. God
abides in
holy temples. HeShe is barred where sin has entered. Yet there is no
place
where HeShe is not. And therefore sin can have no home in which to hide
from
HisHer beneficence. There is no place where holiness is not, and nowhere
sin
and sickness can abide.
6
This is the thought
that cures. It does not make distinctions among unrealities. Nor does it
seek
to heal what is not sick, unmindful where the need for healing is. This
is no
magic. It is merely an appeal to truth which cannot fail to heal and
heal
forever. It is not a thought which judges an illusion by its size, its
seeming
gravity, or anything that is related to the form it takes. It merely
focuses on
what it is and knows that no illusion can be real.
7
Let us not try
today to seek to cure what cannot suffer sickness. Healing must be
sought but
where it is and then applied to what is sick so that it can be cured.
There is
no remedy the world provides that can effect a change in anything. The
mind
that brings illusions to the truth is really changed. There is no change
but
this. For how can one illusion differ from another but in attributes
that have
no substance, no reality, no core, and nothing that is truly different?
8
Today we seek to
change our minds about the source of sickness, for we seek a cure for
all
illusions, not another shift among them. We will try today to find the
source
of healing, which is in our minds because our FatherMother placed it
there for
us. It is not further from us than ourselves. It is as near to us as our
own thoughts—so
close it is impossible to lose. We need but seek it, and it must be
found.
9
We will not be
misled today by what appears to us as sick. We go beyond appearances
today and
reach the source of healing from which nothing is exempt. We will
succeed to
the extent to which we realize that there can never be a meaningful
distinction
made between what is untrue and equally untrue. Here there are no
degrees and
no beliefs that what does not exist is truer in some forms than others.
All of
them are false and can be cured because they are not true.
10
So do we lay aside
our amulets, our charms and medicines, our chants and bits of magic in
whatever
form they took. We will be still and listen for the Voice of healing
which will
cure all ills as one, restoring saneness to the SonDaughter of God. No
voice
but this can cure. Today we hear a single Voice which speaks to us of
truth
where all illusions end, and peace returns to the eternal quiet home of
God.
11
We waken hearing
Her and let Her speak to us five minutes as the day begins and end the
day by
listening again five minutes more before we go to sleep. Our only
preparation
is to let our interfering thoughts be laid aside, not separately, but
all of
them as one. They are the same. We have no need to make them different
and thus
delay the time when we can hear our FatherMother speak to us. We hear
HimHer
now. We come to HimHer today.
12
With nothing in our
hands to which we cling, with lifted hearts and listening minds we pray:
14
And we will feel
salvation cover us with soft protection and with peace so deep that no
illusion
can disturb our minds nor offer proof to us that it is real. This will
we learn
today. And we will say our prayer for healing hourly and take a minute
as the
hour strikes to hear the answer to our prayer be given us as we attend
in
silence and in joy. This is the day when healing comes to us. This is
the day
when separation ends and we remember Who we really are.
R4:1
Now we review
again, this time aware we are preparing for the second part of learning
how the
truth can be applied. Today we will begin to concentrate on readiness
for what
will follow next. Such is our aim for this review and for the lessons
following. Thus we review the recent lessons and their central thoughts
in such
a way as will facilitate the readiness which we would now achieve.
2
There is a central
theme that unifies each step in the review we undertake, which can be
simply
stated in these words:
4
This is a fact and
represents the truth of what you are and what your FatherMother is. It
is this
thought by which the FatherMother gave creationmanifestation to the
SonDaughter, establishing the SonDaughter as co-CreatorManifestor with
HimHerself. It is this thought which fully guarantees salvation to the
SonDaughter. For in hisher mind no thoughts can dwell but those hisher
FatherMother shares. Lack of forgiveness blocks this thought from hisher
awareness. Yet it is forever true.
5
Let us begin our
preparation with some understanding of the many forms in which the lack
of true
forgiveness may be carefully concealed. Because they are illusions, they
are
not perceived to be but what they are—defenses which protect your
unforgiving
thoughts from being seen and recognized. Their purpose is to show you
something
else and hold correction off through self-deceptions made to take its
place.
6
And yet your mind
holds only what you think with God. Your self-deceptions cannot take the
place
of truth. No more than can a child who throws a stick into the ocean
change the
coming and the going of the tides, the warming of the water by the sun,
the
silver of the moon on it by night. So do we start each practice period
in this
review with readying our minds to understand the lessons that we read
and see
the meaning which they offer us.
7
Begin each day with
time devoted to the preparation of your mind to learn what each idea you
will
review that day can offer you in freedom and in peace. Open your mind
and clear
it of all thoughts that would deceive, and let this thought alone engage
it
fully and remove the rest:
9
Five minutes with
this thought will be enough to set the day along the lines which God
appointed
and to place HisHer Mind in charge of all the thoughts you will receive
that
day. They will not come from you alone, for they will all be shared with
HimHer. And so each one will bring the message of HisHer Love to you,
returning
messages of yours to HimHer. So will communion with the Lord of Hosts be
yours,
as HeShe HimHerself has willed it be. And as HisHer own completion joins
with
HimHer, so will HeShe join with you who are complete as you unite with
HimHer
and HeShe with you.
10After
your
preparation, merely read each of the two ideas assigned to you to be
reviewed
that day. Then close your eyes and say them slowly to yourself. There is
no
hurry now, for you are using time for its intended purpose. Let each
word shine
with the meaning God has given it as it was given to you through HisHer
Voice.
Let each idea that you review that day give you the gift which HeShe has
laid
in it for you to have of HimHer. And we will use no format for our
practicing
but this:
11
Each hour of the
day bring to your mind the thought with which the day began and spend a
quiet
moment with it. Then repeat the two ideas you practice for the day
unhurriedly,
with time enough to see the gifts which they contain for you, and let
them be
received where they were meant to be. We add no other thoughts, but let
them be
the messages they are. We need no more than this to give us happiness
and rest and
endless quiet, perfect certainty, and all our Father’sMother’s will that
we
receive as the inheritance we have of HimHer.
12
Each day of
practicing, as we review, we close as we began, repeating first the
thought
that made the day a special time of blessing and of happiness for us and
through our faithfulness restored the world from darkness to the light,
from
grief to joy, from pain to peace, from sin to holiness. God offers
thanks to
you who practice thus the keeping of HisHer Word. And as you give your
mind to
the ideas for the day again before you sleep, HisHer gratitude surrounds
you in
the peace wherein HeShe wills you be forever and are learning now to
claim
again as your inheritance.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[121]
Forgiveness is
the key to happiness.
[122]
Forgiveness
offers everything I want.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[123]
I thank my
FatherMother for HisHer gifts to me.
[124]
Let me
remember I am one with God.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[125]
In quiet I
receive God's Word today.
[126]
All that I
give is given to myself.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[127]
There is no
love but God's.
[128]
The world I
see has nothing that I want.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[129]
Beyond this
world there is a world I want.
[130]
It is
impossible to see two worlds.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[131]
No one can
fail who asks to reach the truth.
[132]
I loose the
world from all I thought it was.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[133]
I will not
value what is valueless.
[134]
Let me
perceive forgiveness as it is.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[135]
If I defend
myself, I am attacked.
[136]
Sickness is a
defense against the truth.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[137]
When I am
healed, I am not healed alone.
[138]
The God Realm
is the decision I must make.
My
mind holds only
what I think with God.
[139]
I will accept
Atonement for myself.
[140]
Only salvation
can be said to cure.
1
No one can judge on
partial evidence. That is not judgment. It is merely an opinion based on
ignorance and doubt. Its seeming certainty is but a cloak for the
uncertainty
it would conceal. It needs irrational defense because it is irrational.
And its
defense seems strong, convincing, and without a doubt because of all the
doubting underneath.
2
You do not seem to
doubt the world you see. You do not really question what is shown you
through
the body's eyes. Nor do you ask why you believe it, even though you
learned a
long while since your senses do deceive. That you believe them to the
last
detail which they report is even stranger when you pause to recollect
how
frequently they have been faulty witnesses indeed! Why would you trust
them so
implicitly? Why but because of underlying doubt which you would hide
with show
of certainty?
3
How can you judge?
Your judgment rests upon the witness that your senses offer you. Yet
witness
never falser was than this. But how else do you judge the world you see?
You
place pathetic faith in what your eyes and ears report. You think your
fingers
touch reality and close upon the truth. This is awareness which you
understand
and think more real than what is witnessed to by the eternal Voice of
God
HimHerself.
4
Can this be judgment?
You have often been urged to refrain from judging, not because it is a
right to
be withheld from you. You cannot judge. You merely can believe the ego's
judgments, all of which are false. It guides your senses carefully, to
prove
how weak you are, how helpless and afraid, how apprehensive of just
punishment,
how black with sin, how wretched in your guilt.
5
This thing it
speaks of and would yet defend it tells you is yourself. And you believe
that
this is so with stubborn certainty. Yet underneath remains the hidden
doubt
that what it shows you as reality with such conviction it does not
believe. It
is itself alone that it condemns. It is within itself it sees the guilt.
It is
its own despair it sees in you.
6
Hear not its voice.
The witnesses it sends to prove to you its evil is your own are false
and speak
with certainty of what they do not know. Your faith in them is blind
because
you would not share the doubts their lord cannot completely vanquish.
You
believe to doubt his/her vassals is to doubt yourself. Yet you must
learn to
doubt their evidence will clear the way to recognize yourself and let
the Voice
for God alone be Judge of what is worthy of your own belief.
7
She will not tell
you that your brother/sister should be judged by what your eyes behold
in
him/her, nor what his/her body's mouth says to your ears, nor what your
fingers' touch reports of him/her. She passes by such idle witnesses,
which
merely bear false witness to God’s SonDaughter. She recognizes only what
God
loves, and in the holy light of what She sees do all the ego's dreams of
what
you are vanish before the splendor She beholds.
8
Let Her be judge of
what you are, for She has certainty in which there is no doubt, because
it
rests on certainty so great that doubt is meaningless before Its face.
the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness cannot doubt itself. The
Voice of
God can only honor HimHer, rejoicing in HisHer perfect, everlasting
sinlessness. Whom She has judged can only laugh at guilt, unwilling now
to play
with toys of sin, unheeding of the body's witnesses before the rapture
of Her
holy face.
9
And thus She judges
you. Accept Her word of what you are, for She bears witness to your
beautiful
creationmanifestation and the Mind Whose Thought createdmanifested your
reality. What can the body mean to Her Who knows the glory of the
FatherMother
and the SonDaughter? What whispers of the ego can HeShe hear? What could
convince Her that your sins are real?
10
Let Her be judge as
well of everything that seems to happen to you in this world. Her
lessons will
enable you to bridge the gap between illusions and the truth. She will
remove
all faith that you have placed in pain, disaster, suffering, and loss.
She
gives you vision which can look beyond these grim appearances and can
behold
the gentle face of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness in
all of
them. You will no longer doubt that only good can come to you who are
beloved
of God, for She will judge all happenings and teach the single lesson
which
they all contain.
11
She will select the
elements in them that represent the truth and disregard those aspects
which
reflect but idle dreams. And She will reinterpret all you see and all
occurrences, each circumstance, and every happening which seems to touch
on you
in any way from Her one frame of reference, wholly unified and sure. And
you
will see the love beyond the hate, the constancy in change, the pure in
sin,
and only the God Realm's blessing on the world.
12
Such is your
resurrection, for your life is not a part of anything you see. It stands
beyond
the body and the world, past every witness for unholiness, within the
Holy,
holy as Itself. In everyone and everything, Her Voice would speak to you
of
nothing but your Self and your CreatorManifestor, Who is one with Her.
So will
you see the holy face of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness in
everything and hear in everything no sound except the echo of God's
Voice.
13
We practice
wordlessly today, except at the beginning of the time you spend with
God. We
introduce these times with but a single, slow repeating of the thought
with
which the day begins. And then we watch our thoughts, appealing silently
to Her
Who sees the elements of truth in them. Let Her evaluate each thought
that
comes to mind, remove the elements of dreams, and give them back to you
as
clean ideas that do not contradict the Will of God.
14
Give Her your
thoughts, and She will give them back as miracles which joyously
proclaim the
wholeness and the happiness God wills HisHer SonDaughter as proof of
HisHer
eternal Love. And as each thought is thus transformed, it takes on
healing
power from the Mind Which saw the truth in it and failed to be deceived
by what
was falsely added. All the threads of fantasy are gone, and what remains
is
unified into a perfect thought that offers its perfection everywhere.
15Spend
15 minutes thus
when you awake and gladly give another 15 more before you go to sleep.
Your
ministry begins as all your thoughts are purified. So are you taught to
teach
the SonDaughter of God the holy lesson of his/her sanctity. No one can
fail to
listen when you hear the Voice for God give honor to God’s SonDaughter.
And
everyone will share the thoughts with you which HeShe has retranslated
in your
mind.
16
Such is your
Eastertide. And so you lay the gift of snow-white lilies on the world,
replacing witnesses to sin and death. Through your transfiguration is
the world
redeemed and joyfully released from guilt. Now do we lift our
resurrected minds
in gladness and in gratitude to HimHer Who has restored our sanity to
us.
17
And we will hourly
remember HimHer Who is salvation and deliverance. As we give thanks the
world
unites with us and happily accepts our holy thoughts which the God Realm
has
corrected and made pure. Now has our ministry begun at last, to carry
round the
world the joyous news that truth has no illusions and the peace of God,
through
us, belongs to everyone.
1
No one can suffer
loss unless it be his/her own decision. No one suffers pain except
his/her
choice elects this state for him. No one can grieve nor fear nor think
him/her
sick unless these are the outcomes that he/she wants. And no one dies
without
his/her own consent. Nothing occurs but represents your wish, and
nothing is
omitted that you choose. Here is your world, complete in all details.
Here is
its whole reality for you. And it is only here salvation is.
2
You may believe
that this position is extreme and too inclusive to be true. Yet can
truth have
exceptions? If you have the gift of everything, can loss be real? Can
pain be
part of peace, or grief of joy? Can fear and sickness enter in a mind
where
love and perfect holiness abide? Truth must be all-inclusive if it be
the truth
at all. Accept no opposite and no exceptions, for to do so is to
contradict the
truth entirely.
3
Salvation is the
recognition that the truth is true and nothing else is true. This you
have
heard before, but may not yet accept both parts of it. Without the
first, the
second has no meaning, but without the second is the first no longer
true.
Truth cannot have an opposite. This can not be too often said and
thought
about. For if what is not true is true as well as what is true, then
part of
truth is false, and truth has lost its meaning. Nothing but the truth is
true,
and what is false is false.
4
This is the
simplest of distinctions, yet the most obscure. But not because it is a
difficult distinction to perceive. It is concealed behind a vast array
of
choices which do not appear to be entirely your own. And thus the truth
appears
to have some aspects that belie consistency but do not seem to be but
contradictions introduced by you.
5
As God
createdmanifested you, you must remain unchangeable with transitory
states by
definition false. And that includes all shifts in feeling, alterations
in
conditions of the body and the mind, in all awareness, and in all
response.
This is the all-inclusiveness which sets the truth apart from falsehood,
and
the false kept separate from the truth as what it is.
6
Is it not strange
that you believe to think you made the world you see is arrogance? God
made it
not. Of this you can be sure. What can HeShe know of the ephemeral, the
sinful
and the guilty, the afraid, the suffering and lonely, and the mind that
lives
within a body that must die? You but accuse HimHer of insanity, to think
HeShe
made a world where such things seem to have reality. HeShe is not mad.
Yet only
madness makes a world like this.
7
To think that God
made chaos, contradicts HisHer Will, invented opposites to truth, and
suffers
death to triumph over life—all this is arrogance. Humility would see at
once
these things are not of HimHer. And can you see what God
createdmanifested not?
To think you can is merely to believe you can perceive what God willed
not to
be. And what could be more arrogant than this?
8
Let us today be
truly humble and accept what we have made as what it is. The power of
decision
is our own. Decide but to accept your rightful place as
cocreatorcomanifestor
of the universe, and all you think you made will disappear. What rises
to
awareness then will be all that there ever was, eternally as it is now.
And it
will take the place of self-deceptions made but to usurp the altar to
the
FatherMother and the SonDaughter.
9
Today we practice
true humility, abandoning the false pretense by which the ego seeks to
prove it
arrogant. Only the ego can be arrogant. But truth is humble in
acknowledging
its mightiness, its changelessness, and its eternal
wholeness—all-encompassing,
God's perfect gift to HisHer beloved SonDaughter.
10
We lay aside the
arrogance which says that we are sinners, guilty and afraid, ashamed of
what we
are. And we lift our hearts in true humility instead to HimHer Who has
createdmanifested us immaculate, like to HimHerself in power and in
love. The
power of decision is our own. And we accept of HimHer that which we are
and
humbly recognize the SonDaughter of God.
11
To recognize God’s
SonDaughter implies as well that all self-concepts have been laid aside
and
recognized as false. Their arrogance has been perceived. And in humility
the
radiance of God’s SonDaughter, hisher gentleness, hisher perfect
sinlessness,
hisher Father’sMother's Love, hisher right to the God Realm and release
from
hell are joyously accepted as our own. Now do we join in glad
acknowledgment
that lies are false and only truth is true.
12
We think of truth
alone as we arise and spend five minutes practicing its ways,
encouraging our
frightened minds with this:
14
Then will we wait
in silence, giving up all self-deceptions as we humbly ask our Self that
hanhun
reveal himherself to us. And heshe, who never left will come again to
our
awareness, grateful to restore hisher home to God as it was meant to be.
15
In patience wait
for himher throughout the day and hourly invite himher with the words
with
which the day began, concluding it with this same invitation to your
Self.
God's Voice will answer, for She speaks for you and for your
FatherMother. She
will substitute the peace of God for all your frantic thoughts, the
truth of
God for self-deceptions, and God’s SonDaughter for your illusions of
yourself.
1
You who feel
threatened by this changing world, its twists of fortune and its bitter
jests,
its brief relationships and all the "gifts" it merely lends to take
away again, attend this lesson well. The world provides no safety. It is
rooted
in attack and all its "gifts" of seeming safety are illusory
deceptions. It attacks and then attacks again. No peace of mind is
possible
where danger threatens thus.
2
The world gives
rise but to defensiveness. For threat brings anger, anger makes attack
seem
reasonable, honestly provoked, and righteous in the name of self
defense. Yet
is defensiveness a double threat. For it attests to weakness and sets up
a
system of defense that cannot work. Now are the weak still further
undermined,
for there is treachery without and still a greater treachery within. The
mind
is now confused and knows not where to turn to find escape from its
imaginings.
3
It is as if a
circle held it fast, wherein another circle bound it, and another in
that one,
until escape no longer can be hoped for nor obtained. Attack, defense;
defense,
attack, become the circles of the hours and the days that bind the mind
in
heavy bands of steel with iron overlaid, returning but to start again.
There
seems to be no break nor ending in the ever-tightening grip of
imprisonment
upon the mind.
4
Defenses are the
costliest of all the prices which the ego would exact. In them lies
madness in
a form so grim that hope of sanity seems but to be an idle dream, beyond
the
possible. The sense of threat the world encourages is so much deeper and
so far
beyond the frenzy and intensity of which you can conceive that you have
no idea
of all the devastation it has wrought. You are its slave. You know not
what you
do in fear of it. You do not understand how much you have been made to
sacrifice who feel its iron grip upon your heart.
5
You do not realize
what you have done to sabotage the holy peace of God by your
defensiveness. For
you behold the SonDaughter of God as but a victim to attack by
fantasies, by
dreams, and by illusions HeShe has made; yet helpless HeShe is in their
presence, needful only of defense by still more fantasies and dreams by
which
illusions of HisHer safety comfort HimHer.
6
Defenselessness is
strength. It testifies to recognition of the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy
Consciousness in you. Perhaps you will recall the course maintains that
choice
is always made between It’s strength and your own weakness seen apart
from It.
Defenselessness can never be attacked because it recognizes strength so
great
attack is folly or a silly game a tired child might play when he/she
becomes
too sleepy to remember what he/she wants.
7
Defensiveness is
weakness. It proclaims you have denied the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy
Consciousness and come to fear It’s Father’sMother’s anger. What can
save you
now from your delusion of an angry god whose fearful image you believe
you see
at work in all the evils of the world? What but illusions could defend
you now,
when it is but illusions which you fight?
8
We will not play
such childish games today. For our true purpose is to save the world,
and we
would not exchange for foolishness the endless joy our function offers
us. We
would not let our happiness slip by because a senseless fragment of a
dream
happened to cross our minds, and we mistook the figures in it for the
Son of
God, its tiny instant for eternity.
9
We look past dreams
today and recognize that we need no defense because we are
createdmanifested
unassailable, without all thought or wish or dream in which attack has
any
meaning. Now we cannot fear, for we have left all fearful thoughts
behind. And
in defenselessness we stand secure, serenely certain of our safety now,
sure of
salvation; sure we will fulfil our chosen purpose as our ministry
extends its
holy blessing through the world.
10
Be still a moment,
and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest,
untouchable
within its light. God's ministers/ministerins have chosen that the truth
be
with them. Who is holier than they? Who could be surer that his/her
happiness
is fully guaranteed? And who could be more mightily protected? What
defense
could possibly be needed now by those who are among the chosen ones of
God by
HisHer election and their own as well?
11
It is the function
of God's ministers/ministerins to help their brothers/sisters choose as
they
have done. God has elected all, but few have come to realize HisHer Will
is but
their own. And while you fail to teach what you have learned, salvation
waits
and darkness holds the world in grim imprisonment. Nor will you learn
that
light has come to you, and your escape has been accomplished. For you
will not
see the light until you offer it to all your brothers/sisters . As they
take it
from your hands, so will you recognize it as your own.
12
Salvation can be thought
of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One Who loves
HisHer
children, and Who would replace their fearful toys with joyous games
which
teach them that the game of fear is gone. HisHer game instructs in
happiness
because there is no loser. Everyone who plays must win, and in his/her
winning
is the gain to everyone ensured. The game of fear is gladly laid aside
when
children come to see the benefits salvation brings.
13
You who have played
that you are lost to hope, abandoned by your FatherMother, left alone in
terror
in a fearful world made mad by sin and guilt, be happy now. That game is
over.
Now a quiet time has come in which we put away the toys of guilt and
lock our
quaint and childish thoughts of sin forever from the pure and holy minds
of the
God Realm's children and the SonDaughter of God. We pause but for a
moment more
to play our final happy game upon this earth. And then we go to take our
rightful place where truth abides and games are meaningless.
14
So is the story
ended. Let this day bring the last chapter closer to the world that
everyone
may learn the tales he/she reads of terrifying destiny, defeat of all
his/her
hopes, his/her pitiful defense against a vengeance he/she can not
escape, are
but his/her own deluded fantasies. God's ministers/ministerins have come
to
waken him/her from the dark dreams this story has evoked in his/her
confused,
bewildered memory of this distorted tale. God’s SonDaughter can smile at
last
on learning that it is not true.
15
Today we practice in
a form we will maintain for quite a while. We will begin each day by
giving our
attention to the daily thought as long as possible. Five minutes now
becomes
the least we give to preparation for a day in which salvation is the
only goal
we have. Ten would be better; 15 better still. And as distraction ceases
to
arise to turn us from our purpose, we will find that half an hour is too
short
a time to spend with God. Nor will we willingly give less at night in
gratitude
and joy.
16
Each hour adds to
our increasing peace, as we remember to be faithful to the Will we share
with
God. At times, perhaps, a minute, even less, will be the most that we
can offer
as the hour strikes. Sometimes we will forget. At other times the
business of
the world will close on us, and we will be unable to withdraw a little
while
and turn our thoughts to God.
17
Yet when we can, we
will observe our trust as ministers/ministerins of God in hourly
remembrance of
our mission and HisHer Love. And we will quietly sit by and wait on
HimHer and
listen to HisHer Voice and learn what HeShe would have us do the hour
that is
yet to come, while thanking HimHer for all the gifts HeShe gave us in
the one
gone by.
18
In time, with
practice, you will never cease to think of HimHer and hear HisHer loving
Voice
guiding your footsteps into quiet ways where you will walk in true
defenselessness, for you will know that the God Realm goes with you. Nor
would
you keep your mind away from HimHer a moment, even though your time is
spent in
offering salvation to the world. Think you HeShe will not make this
possible
for you who chose to carry out HisHer plan for the salvation of the
world and
yours?
19
Today our theme is
our defenselessness. We clothe ourselves in it as we prepare to meet the
day.
We rise up strong in the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness
and let
our weakness disappear as we remember that It’s strength abides in us.
We will
remind ourselves that It remains beside us through the day and never
leaves our
weakness unsupported by Its strength.
20
We call upon It’s
strength each time we feel the threat of our defenses undermine our
certainty
of purpose. We will pause a moment as It tells us, "I am here." Your
practicing will now begin to take the earnestness of love to help you
keep your
mind from wandering from its intent.
21
Be not afraid nor
timid. There can be no doubt that you will reach your final goal. The
ministers/ministerins of God can never fail because the love and
strength and
peace that shine from them to all their brothers/sisters come from It.
These
are It’s gifts to you. Defenselessness is all you need to give It in
return.
You lay aside but what was never real to look on the Christ
Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness and see It’s sinlessness.
1
Let us today be
neither arrogant nor falsely humble. We have gone beyond such
foolishness. We
cannot judge ourselves, nor need we do so. These are but attempts to
hold
decision off, and to delay commitment to our function. It is not our
part to
judge our worth, nor can we know what role is best for us; what we can
do
within a larger plan we cannot see in its entirety. Our part is cast in
the God
Realm, not in hell. And what we think is weakness can be strength; what
we
believe to be our strength is often arrogance.
2
Whatever your
appointed role may be, it was selected by the Voice for God, Whose
function is
to speak for you as well. Seeing your strengths exactly as they are and
equally
aware of where they can be best applied, for what, to whom, and when,
She
chooses and accepts your part for you. She does not work without your
own
consent, but She is not deceived in what you are and listens only to Her
Voice
in you.
3
It is through Her
ability to hear One Voice Which is Her own that you become aware at last
there
is One Voice in you. And that One Voice appoints your function and
relays it to
you, giving you the strength to understand it, do what it entails, and
to
succeed in everything you do that is related to it. God has joined
HisHer
SonDaughter in this, and thus HisHer SonDaughter becomes HisHer
messenger of
unity with HimHer.
4
It is this joining
through the Voice of God of FatherMother and of SonDaughter that sets
apart
salvation from the world. It is this Voice which speaks of laws the
world does
not obey, which promises salvation from all sin, with guilt abolished in
the
mind that God createdmanifested sinless. Now this mind becomes aware
again of
Who createdmanifested it, and of HisHer lasting union with itself. So is
its
Self the one reality in which its will and that of God are joined.
5
A messenger does
not elect to make the message he/she delivers. Nor does he/she question
the
right of him/her who does nor ask why he/she has chosen those who will
receive
the message that he/she brings. It is enough that he/she accept it,
bring it to
the ones for whom it is appointed, and fulfill his/her role in its
delivery. If
he/she determines what the messages should be or what their purpose is
or where
they should be carried, he/she is failing to perform his/her proper part
as
bringer of the Word.
6
There is one major
difference in the role of the God Realm's messengers which sets them off
from
those the world appoints. The messages which they deliver are intended
first
for them. And it is only as they can accept them for themselves that
they
become able to bring them further and to give them everywhere that they
were
meant to be. Like earthly messengers, they did not write the messages
they
bear, but they become their first receivers in the truest sense,
receiving to
prepare themselves to give.
7
An earthly
messenger fulfills his/her role by giving all the messages away. The
messengers
of God perform their part by their acceptance of HisHer messages as for
themselves and show they understand the messages by giving them away.
They
choose no roles that are not given them by HisHer authority. And so they
gain
by every message which they give away.
8
Would you receive
the messages of God? For thus do you become HisHer messengers. You are
appointed now. And yet you wait to give the messages you have received,
and so
you do not know that they are yours and do not recognize them. No one
can
receive and understand he/she has received until he/she gives. For in
the
giving is his/her own acceptance of what he/she received.
9
You who are now the
messengers of God receive HisHer messages, for that is part of your
appointed
role. God has not failed to offer what you need, nor has it been left
unaccepted. Yet another part of your appointed task is yet to be
accomplished.
She Who has received for you the messages of God would have them be
received by
you as well. For thus do you identify with HimHer and claim your own.
10
It is this joining
that we undertake to recognize today. We will not seek to keep our minds
apart
from Her Who speaks for us, for it is but our voice we hear as we attend
Her.
She alone can speak to us and for us, joining in One Voice the getting
and the
giving of God's Word, the giving and receiving of HisHer Will.
11
We practice giving
Her what She would have that we may recognize Her gifts to us. She needs
our
voice that She may speak through us. She needs our hands to hold Her
messages
and carry them to those whom She appoints. She needs our feet to bring
us where
She wills, that those who wait in misery may be at last delivered. And
She
needs our will united with Her own, that we may be the true receivers of
the
gifts She gives.
12
Let us but learn
this lesson for today: we will not recognize what we receive until we
give it.
You have heard this said a hundred times, and yet belief is lacking
still. But
this is sure—until belief is given it, you will receive a thousand
miracles and
then receive a thousand more but will not know that God HimHerself has
left no
gift beyond what you already have nor has denied the tiniest of
blessings to
HisHer SonDaughter. What can this mean to you until you have identified
with
HimHer and with HisHer own?
13
Our lesson for
today is stated thus:
15
The world recedes
as we light up our minds and realize these holy words are true. They are
the message
sent to us today from our CreatorManifestor. Now we demonstrate how they
have
changed our minds about ourselves and what our function is. For as we
prove
that we accept no will we do not share, our many gifts from our
CreatorManifestor will spring to our sight and leap into our hands, and
we will
understand what we received.
1
There is a way of
living in the world that is not here, although it seems to be. You do
not
change appearance, though you smile more frequently. Your forehead is
serene;
your eyes are quiet. And the ones who walk the world as you do recognize
their
own. Yet those who have not yet perceived the way will recognize you
also and
believe that you are like them as you were before.
2
The world is an
illusion. Those who choose to come to it are seeking for a place where
they can
be illusions and avoid their own reality. Yet when they find their own
reality
is even here, then they step back and let it lead the way. What other
choice is
really theirs to make? To let illusion walk ahead of truth is madness,
but to
let illusion sink behind the truth and let the truth stand forth as what
it is,
is simple sanity.
3This
is the simple
choice we make today. The mad illusion will remain awhile in evidence
for those
to look upon who chose to come and have not yet rejoiced to find they
were
mistaken in the choice. They cannot learn directly from the truth,
because they
have denied that it is so. And so they need a teacher/teacheress who
perceives
their madness, but who still can look beyond illusion to the simple
truth in
them.
4
If truth demanded
they give up the world, it would appear to them as if it asked the
sacrifice of
something that is real. Many have chosen to renounce the world while
still
believing its reality, and they have suffered from a sense of loss and
have not
been released accordingly. Others have chosen nothing but the world, and
they
have suffered from a sense of loss still deeper, which they did not
understand.
5
Between these paths
there is another road that leads away from loss of every kind, for
sacrifice
and deprivation both are quickly left behind. This is the way appointed
for you
now. You walk this path as others walk, nor do you seem to be distinct
from
them although you are indeed. Thus can you serve them while you serve
yourself
and set their footsteps on the way which God has opened up to you, and
them
through you.
6
Illusion still
appears to cling to you that you may reach them. Yet it has stepped
back, and
it is not illusion that they hear you speak of nor illusion which you
bring
their eyes to look on and their minds to grasp. Now can the truth, which
walks
ahead of you, speak to them through illusion, for the road leads past
illusion
now, while on the way you call to them that they may follow you.
7All
roads will lead
to this one in the end. For sacrifice and deprivation are paths which
lead
nowhere, choices for defeat, and aims which will remain impossible. All
this
steps back as truth comes forth in you to lead your brothers/sisters
from the
ways of death and set them on the way to happiness. Their suffering is
but
illusion. Yet they need a guide to lead them out of it, for they mistake
illusion for the truth.
8
Such is salvation's
call, and nothing more. It asks that you accept the truth, and let it go
before
you, lighting up the path of ransom from illusion. It is not a ransom
with a
price. There is no cost, but only gain. Illusion can but seem to hold in
chains
the holy SonDaughter of God. It is but from illusions heshe is saved. As
they
step back, heshe finds himherself again.
9Walk
safely now, yet
carefully, because this path is new to you. And you may find that you
are
tempted still to walk ahead of truth and let illusions be your guide.
Your holy
brothers/sisters have been given you to follow in your footsteps as you
walk
with certainty of purpose to the truth. It goes before you now, that
they may
see something with which they can identify, something they understand to
lead
the way.
10
Yet at the
journey's ending there will be no gap, no distance between truth and
you. And
all illusions walking in the way you travelled will be gone from you as
well,
with nothing left to keep the truth apart from God's completion, holy as
HimHerself. Step back in faith, and let truth lead the way. You know not
where
you go, but One Who knows goes with you. Let Her lead you with the rest.
11
When dreams are
over, time has closed the door on all the things that pass, and miracles
are
purposeless, the holy SonDaughter of God will make no journeys. There
will be
no wish to be illusion rather than the truth. And we step forth toward
this as
we progress along the way that truth points out to us. This is our final
journey, which we make for everyone. We must not lose our way. For as
truth
goes before us, so it goes before our brothers/sisters who will follow
us.
12
We walk to God.
Pause and reflect on this. Could any way be holier or more deserving of
your
effort, of your love, and of your full intent? What way could give you
more
than everything or offer less and still content the holy SonDaughter of
God? We
walk to God. The truth that walks before us now is one with HimHer and
leads us
to where HeShe has always been. What way but this could be a path that
you
would choose instead?
13
Your feet are
safely set upon the road which leads the world to God. Look not to ways
that
seem to lead you elsewhere. Dreams are not a worthy guide for you who
are God’s
SonDaughter. Forget not HeShe has placed HisHer hand in yours and given
you
your brothers/sisters in HisHer trust that you are worthy of HisHer
trust in
you. HeShe cannot be deceived. HisHer trust has made your pathway
certain and
your goal secure. You will not fail your brothers/sisters nor your Self.
14
And now HeShe asks
but that you think of HimHer a while each day that HeShe may speak to
you and
tell you of HisHer Love, reminding you how great HisHer trust, how
limitless
HisHer Love. In your name and HisHer own, which are the same, we
practice
gladly with this thought today:
1
Today's idea but
states the simple truth that makes the thought of sin impossible. It
promises
there is no cause for guilt, and being causeless it does not exist. It
follows
surely from the basic thought so often mentioned in the text—ideas leave
not their
source. If this be true, how can you be apart from God? How could you
walk the
world alone and separate from your Source?
2
We are not
inconsistent in the thoughts that we present in our curriculum. Truth
must be
true throughout if it be true. It cannot contradict itself nor be in
parts
uncertain and in others sure. You cannot walk the world apart from God
because
you could not be without HimHer. HeShe is what your life is. Where you
are,
HeShe is. There is one Life. That Life you share with HimHer. Nothing
can be
apart from HimHer and live.
3
Yet where HeShe is
there must be holiness as well as life. No attribute of HisHer remains
unshared
by everything that lives. What lives is holy as HimHerself because what
shares
HisHer life is part of Holiness and could no more be sinful than the sun
could
choose to be of ice, the sea elect to be apart from water, or the grass
to grow
with roots suspended in the air.
4
There is a Light in
you Which cannot die, Whose Presence is so holy that the world is
sanctified
because of you. All things that live bring gifts to you and offer them
in
gratitude and gladness at your feet. The scent of flowers is their gift
to you.
The waves bow down before you, and the trees extend their arms to shield
you
from the heat and lay their leaves before you on the ground that you may
walk
in softness, while the wind sinks to a whisper round your holy head.
5
The Light in you is
what the universe longs to behold. All living things are still before
you, for
they recognize Who walks with you. The light you carry is their own, and
thus
they see in you their holiness, saluting you as savior/savioress and as
God.
Accept their reverence, for it is due to Holiness itself Which walks
with you,
transforming in Its gentle Light all things into Its likeness and Its
purity.
6
This is the way
salvation works. As you step back, the Light in you steps forward and
encompasses the world. It heralds not the end of sin in punishment and
death.
In lightness and in laughter is it gone, because its quaint absurdity is
seen.
It is a foolish thought, a silly dream, not frightening, ridiculous
perhaps,
but who would waste an instant in approach to God HimHerself for such a
senseless whim?
7
Yet you have wasted
many, many years on just this foolish thought. The past is gone with all
its
fantasies. They keep you bound no longer. The approach to God is near.
And in
the little interval of doubt which still remains, you may perhaps lose
sight of
your Companion, and mistake HimHer for the senseless, ancient dream that
now is
past.
8
"
Who walks with me?" This question should be asked a thousand times a
day,
till certainty has ended doubting and established peace. Today let
doubting
cease. God speaks for you in answering your question with these words:
1
This is a day of
silence and of trust. It is a special time of promise in your calendar
of days.
It is a time the God Realm has set apart to shine upon, and cast a
timeless
light upon this day when echoes of eternity are heard. This day is holy,
for it
ushers in a new experience, a different kind of feeling and awareness.
You have
spent long days and nights in celebrating death. Today you learn to feel
the
joy of life.
2
This is another
crucial turning point in the curriculum. We add a new dimension now—a
fresh
experience that sheds a light on all that we have learned already and
prepares
us for what we have yet to learn. It brings us to the door where
learning
ceases, and we catch a glimpse of what lies past the highest reaches it
can
possibly attain. It leaves us there an instant and we go beyond it, sure
of our
direction and our only goal.
3
Today it will be
given you to feel a touch of the God Realm, though you will return to
paths of
learning. Yet you have come far enough along the way to alter time
sufficiently
to rise above its laws and walk into eternity a while. This you will
learn to do
increasingly, as every lesson, faithfully rehearsed, brings you more
swiftly to
this holy place and leaves you for a moment to your Self.
4
HeShe will direct
your practicing today, for what you ask for now is what HeShe wills. And
having
joined your will with HisHer this day, what you are asking must be given
you.
Nothing is needed but today's idea to light your mind and let it rest in
still
anticipation and in quiet joy wherein you quickly leave the world
behind.
5
From this day
forth, your ministry takes on a genuine devotion and a glow that travels
from
your fingertips to those you touch and blesses those you look upon. A
vision
reaches everyone you meet, and everyone you think of, or who thinks of
you. For
your experience today will so transform your mind that it becomes the
touchstone for the holy Thoughts of God.
6
Your body will be
sanctified today, its only purpose being now to bring the vision of what
you
experience this day to light the world. We cannot give experience like
this
directly. Yet it leaves a vision in our eyes which we can offer everyone
that
he/she may come the sooner to the same experience in which the world is
quietly
forgot and the God Realm is remembered for a while.
7
As this experience
increases and all goals but this become of little worth, the world to
which you
will return becomes a little closer to the end of time, a little more
like the
God Realm in its ways, a little nearer its deliverance. And you who
bring it light
will come to see the light more sure, the vision more distinct.
8
The time will come
when you will not return in the same form in which you now appear, for
you will
have no need of it. Yet now it has a purpose and will serve it well.
Today we
will embark upon a course you have not dreamed of. But the Holy One, the
Giver
of the happy dreams of life, Translator of perception into truth, the
holy
Guide to the God Realm given you has dreamed for you this journey which
you
make and start today with the experience this day holds out to you to be
your
own.
9
Into the Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ Presence will we enter now,
serenely
unaware of everything except HisHer shining face and perfect Love. The
vision
of HisHer face will stay with you, but there will be an instant which
transcends all vision, even this, the holiest. This you will never
teach, for
you attained it not through learning. Yet the vision speaks of your
remembrance
of what you knew that instant and will surely know again.
1
What has been given
you? The knowledge that you are a mind, in Mind and purely mind, sinless
forever, wholly unafraid because you were createdmanifested out of Love.
Nor
have you left your Source, remaining as you were createdmanifested. This
was
given you as knowledge which you cannot lose. It was given as well to
every
living thing, for by that knowledge only does it live.
2
You have received
all this. No one who walks the world but has received it. It is not this
knowledge which you give, for that is what creationmanifestation gave.
All this
cannot be learned. What, then, are you to learn to give today? Our
lesson
yesterday evoked a theme found early in the text. Experience cannot be
shared
directly in the way that vision can. The revelation that the
FatherMother and
the SonDaughter are one will come in time to every mind. Yet is that
time
determined by the mind itself, not taught.
3
The time is set
already. It appears to be quite arbitrary. Yet there is no step along
the road
that anyone takes but by chance. It has already been taken by him/her,
although
he/she has not yet embarked on it. For time but seems to go in one
direction.
We but undertake a journey that is over. Yet it seems to have a future
still unknown
to us.
4
Time is a trick-a
sleight of hand, a vast illusion in which figures come and go as if by
magic.
Yet there is a plan behind appearances which does not change. The script
is
written. When experience will come to end your doubting has been set.
For we
but see the journey from the point at which it ended, looking back on
it,
imagining we make it once again; reviewing mentally what has gone by.
5
A
teacher/teacheress does not give experience because he/she did not learn
it. It
revealed itself to him/her at its appointed time. But vision is his/her
gift.
This he/she can give directly, for the knowledge of the Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is not lost because he/she has a
vision
he/she can give to anyone who asks. The Father’sMother's Will and
his/her are
joined in knowledge. Yet there is a vision which the Holy Spirit sees
because
the mind of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness beholds it
too.
6Here
is the joining
of the world of doubt and shadows made with the intangible. Here is a
quiet
place within the world made holy by forgiveness and by love. Here are
all
contradictions reconciled, for here the journey ends. Experience,
unlearned,
untaught, unseen, is merely there. This is beyond our goal, for it
transcends
what needs to be accomplished. Our concern is with the vision of the
Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness . This we can attain.
7
The vision of the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness has one law. It does not
look upon
a body and mistake it for the SonDaughter whom God createdmanifested. It
beholds a light beyond the body, an idea beyond what can be touched, a
purity
undimmed by errors, pitiful mistakes, and fearful thoughts of guilt from
dreams
of sin. It sees no separation. And it looks on everyone, on every
circumstance,
all happenings, and all events without the slightest fading of the light
it
sees.
8
This can be taught
and must be taught by all who would achieve it. It requires but the
recognition
that the world cannot give anything that faintly can compare with this
in
value; nor set up a goal which does not merely disappear when this has
been
perceived. And this you give today-see no one as a body. Greet him/her
as the
SonDaughter of God he/she is, acknowledging that he/she is one with you
in
holiness.
9
Thus are his/her
sins forgiven him/her, for the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness has
vision which has power to overlook them all. In It’s forgiveness, they
are
gone. Unseen by One, they merely disappear because a vision of the
holiness
which lies beyond them comes to take their place. It matters not what
form they
took nor how enormous they appeared to be nor who seemed to be hurt by
them.
They are no more, and all effects they seemed to have are gone with
them,
undone and never to be done.
10Thus
do you learn to
give as you receive. And thus the vision of the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy
Consciousness looks on you as well. This lesson is not difficult to
learn if
you remember in your brother/sister you but see yourself. If he/she be
lost in
sin so must you be; if you see light in him/her your sins have been
forgiven by
yourself. Each brother/sister whom you meet today provides another
chance to
let the vision of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness shine
on you
and offer you the peace of God.
11
It matters not when
revelation comes, for that is not of time. Yet time has still one gift
to give
in which true knowledge is reflected in a way so accurate its image
shares its
unseen holiness; its likeness shines with its immortal love. We practice
seeing
with the eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness today.
And by
the holy gifts we give, the vision of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness looks upon ourselves as well.
1
No one can give
what he/she has not received. To give a thing requires first you have it
in
your own possession. Here the laws of the God Realm and the world agree.
But
here they also separate. The world believes that to possess a thing, it
must be
kept. Salvation teaches otherwise. To give is how to recognize you have
received. It is the proof that what you have is yours.
2
You understand that
you are healed when you give healing. You accept forgiveness as
accomplished in
yourself when you forgive. You recognize your brother/sister as yourself
and
thus do you perceive that you are whole. There is no miracle you cannot
give,
for all are given you. Receive them now by opening the storehouse of
your mind
where they are laid and giving them away.
3
The vision of the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is a miracle. It comes from
far
beyond itself, for it reflects eternal love and the rebirth of love
which never
died but has been kept obscure. The Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’ vision pictures the God Realm, for it sees a world so
like to
the God Realm that what God createdmanifested perfect can be mirrored
there.
The darkened glass the world presents can show but twisted images in
broken
parts. The real world pictures the God Realm's innocence.
4
The vision of the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is the miracle in which all
miracles are born. It is their source, remaining with each miracle you
give and
yet remaining yours. It is the bond by which the giver and receiver are
united
in extension here on earth as they are one in the God Realm. The Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness beholds no sin in anyone, and in
Her
sight the sinless are as one. Their holiness was given by Her
FatherMother and
Herself.
5
The vision of the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is the bridge between the
worlds.
And in its power can you safely trust to carry you from this world into
one
made holy by forgiveness. Things which seem quite solid here are merely
shadows
there, transparent, faintly seen, at times forgot, and never able to
obscure
the light that shines beyond them. Holiness has been restored to vision,
and
the blind can see.
6
This is the Holy
Spirit's single gift—the treasure house to which you can appeal with
perfect
certainty for everything that can contribute to your happiness. All are
laid
here already. All can be received but for the asking. Here the door is
never
locked, and no one is denied his/her least request or his/her most
urgent need.
There is no sickness not already healed, no lack unsatisfied, no need
unmet
within this golden treasury of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness
.
7
Here does the world
remember what was lost when it was made. For here it is repaired, made
new
again but in a different light. What was to be the home of sin becomes
the
center of redemption and the hearth of mercy where the suffering are
healed and
welcome. No one will be turned away from this new home where his/hers
salvation
waits. No one is stranger to him/her. No one asks for anything of
him/her
except the gift of his/her acceptance of his/her welcoming.
8
The Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision is the holy ground in
which the
lilies of forgiveness set their roots. This is their home. They can be
brought
from here back to the world, but they can never grow in its unnourishing
and
shallow soil. They need the light and warmth and kindly care The Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ charity provides. They need the
love
with which She looks on them. And they become Her messengers who give as
they
received.
9
Take from Her
storehouse that its treasures may increase. Her lilies do not leave
their home
when they are carried back into the world. Their roots remain. They do
not
leave their source, but carry its beneficence with them and turn the
world into
a garden like the one they came from and to which they go again with
added
fragrance. Now are they twice blessed. The messages they brought from
the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness have been delivered and
returned
to them. And they return them gladly unto Her.
10
Behold the store of
miracles set out for you to give. Are you not worth the gift when God
appointed
it be given you? Judge not God’s SonDaughter, but follow in the way
heshe has
established. the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness has
dreamed the
dream of a forgiven world. It is Her gift whereby a sweet transition can
be
made from death to life, from hopelessness to hope. Let us an instant
dream
with Her. Her dream awakens us to truth. Her vision gives the means for
a
return to our unlost and everlasting sanctity in God.
1
Fear is a stranger
to the ways of love. Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to
yourself. And thus you are unknown to you. What is your Self remains an
alien
to the part of you which thinks that it is real but different from
yourself.
Who could be sane in such a circumstance? Who but a madman/madwoman
could
believe he/she is what he/she is not and judge against himself/herself?
2
There is a stranger
in our midst who comes from an idea so foreign to the truth he/she
speaks a
different language, looks upon a world truth does not know, and
understands
what truth regards as senseless. Stranger yet, he/she does not recognize
to
whom he/she comes and yet maintains his/her home belongs to him/her,
while
he/she is alien now who is at home.
3And
yet how easy it
would be to say, "This is my home. Here I belong and will not leave
because a madman/madwoman says I must." What reason is there for not
saying this? What could the reason be except that you had asked this
stranger
in to take your place and let you be a stranger to yourself? No one
would let
himself/herself be dispossessed so needlessly unless he/she thought
there was
another home more suited to his/her tastes.
4
Who is the
stranger? Is it fear or you that is unsuited to the home which God
provided for
HisHer SonDaughter? Is fear HisHer own, createdmanifested in HisHer
likeness?
Is it fear that love completes and is completed by? There is no home can
shelter love and fear. They cannot coexist. If you are real, then fear
must be
illusion. And if fear is real, then you do not exist at all.
5
How simply, then,
the question is resolved. Who fears has but denied himself/herself and
said,
"I am the stranger here. And so I leave my home to one more like me than
myself and give him/her all I thought belonged to me." Now is he/she
exiled of necessity, not knowing who he/she is, uncertain of all things
but
this—that he/she is not himself/herself and that his/her home has been
denied
to him/her.
6
What does he/she
search for now? What can he/she find? A stranger to himself/herself can
find no
home wherever he/she may look, for he/she has made return impossible.
His/her
way is lost except a miracle will search him/her out and show him/her
that
he/she is no stranger now. The miracle will come. For in his/her home
his/her
Self remains. It asked no stranger in and took no alien thought to be
Itself.
And It will call its own unto Itself, in recognition of what is Its own.
7
Who is the
stranger? Is he/she not the one your Self calls not? You are unable now
to
recognize this stranger in your midst, for you have given him/her your
rightful
place. Yet is your Self as certain of Its own as God is of HisHer
SonDaughter.
HeShe cannot be confused about creationmanifestation. HeShe is sure of
what
belongs to HimHer. No stranger can be interposed between HisHer
knowledge and
HisHer Son’sDaughter's reality. HeShe does not know of strangers. HeShe
is
certain of HisHer SonDaughter.
8
God's certainty
suffices. Who HeShe knows to be HisHer SonDaughter belongs where HeShe
has set
HisHer SonDaughter forever. HeShe has answered you who ask, "Who is the
stranger?" Hear HisHer Voice assure you, quietly and sure, that you are
not a stranger to your FatherMother, nor is your CreatorManifestor
stranger
made to you. Whom God has joined remains forever one, at home in HimHer,
no
stranger to HimHerself.
9 Today
we offer
thanks that the Christ Consciousness/Mercy Consciousness has come to
search the
world for what belongs to Her. Her vision sees no strangers, but beholds
Her
own and joyously unites with them. They see Her as a stranger, for they
do not
recognize themselves. Yet as they give Her welcome, they remember. And
She
leads them gently home again where they belong.
10Not
one does the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness forget. Not one She fails
to give
you to remember that your home may be complete and perfect as it was
established. She has not forgotten you. But you will not remember Her
until you
look on all as She does. Who denies his/her brother/sister is denying
Her and
thus refusing to accept the gift of sight by which his/her Self is
clearly
recognized, his/her home remembered, and salvation come.
1
Today we practice
differently and take a stand against our anger that our fears may
disappear and
offer room to love. Here is salvation in the simple words in which we
practice
today's idea. Here is the answer to temptation which can never fail to
welcome
in the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness where fear and anger
had
prevailed before. Here is Atonement made complete, the world passed
safely by,
and the God Realm now restored. Here is the answer of the Voice of God.
2
Complete
abstraction is the natural condition of the mind. But part of it is now
unnatural. It does not look on everything as one. It sees instead but
fragments
of the whole, for only thus could it invent the partial world you see.
The
purpose of all seeing is to show you what you wish to see. All hearing
but
brings to your mind the sounds it wants to hear.
3
Thus were specifics
made. And now it is specifics we must use in practicing. We give them to
the
Holy Spirit that She may employ them for a purpose which is different
from the
one we gave to them. Yet She can use but what we made to teach us from a
different point of view, so we can see a different use in everything.
4
One brother/sister
is all brothers/sisters . Every mind contains all minds, for every mind
is one.
Such is the truth. Yet do these thoughts make clear the meaning of
creationmanifestation? Do these words bring perfect clarity with them to
you?
What can they seem to be but empty sounds, pretty, perhaps; correct in
sentiment, yet fundamentally not understood nor understandable. The mind
that
taught itself to think specifically can no longer grasp abstraction in
the
sense that it is all-encompassing. We need to see a little that we learn
a lot.
5
It seems to be the
body that we feel limits our freedom, makes us suffer, and at last puts
out our
life. Yet bodies are but symbols of a concrete form of fear. Fear
without
symbols calls for no response, for symbols can stand for the
meaningless. Love
needs no symbols, being true. But fear attaches to specifics, being
false.
6
Bodies attack but
minds do not. This thought is surely reminiscent of our text, where it
is often
emphasized. This is the reason bodies easily become fear's symbols. You
have
many times been urged to look beyond the body, for its sight presents
the
symbol of love's "enemy" The Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’ vision does not see. The body is the target for attack,
for no
one thinks he/she hates a mind. Yet what but mind directs the body to
attack?
What else could be the seat of fear except what thinks of fear?
7
Hate is specific.
There must be a thing to be attacked. An enemy must be perceived in such
a form
he/she can be touched and seen and heard and ultimately killed. When
hatred
rests upon a thing, it calls for death as surely as God's Voice
proclaims there
is no death. Fear is insatiable, consuming everything its eyes behold,
seeing
itself in everything, compelled to turn upon itself and to destroy.
8
Who sees a
brother/sister as a body sees him/her as fear's symbol. And he/she will
attack
because what he/she beholds is his/her own fear external to
himself/herself,
poised to attack and howling to unite with him/her again. Mistake not
the
intensity of rage projected fear must spawn. It shrieks in wrath and
claws the
air in frantic hope it can reach to its maker and devour him.
9
This do the body's
eyes behold in one whom the God Realm cherishes, the angels love, and
God
createdmanifested perfect. This is his/her reality. And in the Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision is his/her loveliness
reflected
in a form so holy and so beautiful that you could scarce refrain from
kneeling
at his/her feet. Yet you will take his/her hand instead, for you are
like
him/her in the sight that sees him/her thus.
10
Attack on him/her
is enemy to you, for you will not perceive that in his/her hands is your
salvation. Ask him/her but for this, and he/she will give it to you. Ask
him/her not to symbolize your fear. Would you request that love destroy
itself?
Or would you have it be revealed to you and set you free?
11
Today we practice
in a form we have attempted earlier. Your readiness is closer now, and
you will
come today nearer the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’
vision. If
you are intent on reaching it, you will succeed today. And once you have
succeeded, you will not be willing to accept the witnesses your body's
eyes
call forth. What you will see will sing to you of ancient melodies you
will
remember. You are not forgot in the God Realm. Would you not remember
it?
12
Select one
brother/sister, symbol of the rest, and ask salvation of him/her. See
him/her
first as clearly as you can in that same form to which you are
accustomed. See
his/her face, his/her hands and feet, his/her clothing. Watch him/her
smile,
and see familiar gestures which he/she makes so frequently. Then think
of
this—what you are seeing now conceals from you the sight of one who can
forgive
you all your sins, whose sacred hands can take the nails which pierce
your own
away and lift the crown of thorns which you have placed upon your
bleeding
head.
13
Ask this of him/her
that he/she may set you free:
15
And She will answer
Whom you called upon, for She will hear the Voice of God in you and
answer in
your own. Behold him/her now whom you had seen as merely flesh and bone
and
recognize that the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness has come
to
you.
16
Today's idea is
your safe escape from anger and from fear. Be sure you use it instantly,
should
you be tempted to attack a brother/sister and perceive in him/her the
symbol of
your fear. And you will see him/her suddenly transformed from enemy to
savior, from
the devil into the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness.
1
This single
thought, held firmly in the mind, would save the world. From time to
time we
will repeat it, as we reach another stage in learning. It will mean far
more to
you as you advance. These words are sacred, for they are the words God
gave in
answer to the world you made. By them it disappears, and all things seen
within
its misty clouds and vaporous illusions vanish as these words are
spoken. For
they come from God.
2
Here is the Word by
which the SonDaughter became HisHer Father’sMother’s happiness, HisHer
Love,
and HisHer completion. Here creationmanifestation is proclaimed and
honored as
it is. There is no dream these words will not dispel, no thought of sin,
and no
illusion that the dream contains that will not fade away before their
might.
They are the trumpet of awakening that sounds around the world. The dead
awake
in answer to its call. And those who live and hear this sound will never
look
on death.
3
Holy indeed is
he/she who makes these words his/her own—arising with them in his/her
mind,
recalling them throughout the day, at night bringing them with him/her
as
he/she goes to sleep. His/her dreams are happy and his/her rest secure,
his/her
safety certain and his/her body healed because he/she sleeps and wakens
with
the truth before him/her always. He/she will save the world because
he/she
gives the world what he/she receives each time he/she practices the
words of
truth.
4
Today we practice
simply. For the words we use are mighty, and they need no thoughts
beyond
themselves to change the mind of him/her who uses them. So wholly is it
changed
that it is now the treasury in which God places all HisHer gifts and all
HisHer
Love to be distributed to all the world, increased in giving, kept
complete
because its sharing is unlimited. And thus you learn to think with God.
The
Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision has restored your
sight
by salvaging your mind.
5
We honor you today.
Yours is the right to perfect holiness you now accept. With this
acceptance is
salvation brought to everyone, for who could cherish sin when holiness
like
this has blessed the world? Who could despair when perfect joy is yours,
available to all as remedy for grief and misery, all sense of loss, and
for
complete escape from sin and guilt?
6
And who would not
be brother/sister to you now—you, his/her redeemer and his/her savior.
Who
could fail to welcome you into his/her heart with loving invitation,
eager to
unite with one like him/her in holiness? You are as God
createdmanifested you.
These words dispel the night, and darkness is no more. The light is come
today
to bless the world, for you have recognized the SonDaughter of God, and
in your
recognition is the world's.
1
Death is a thought
which takes on many forms, often unrecognized. It may appear as sadness,
fear,
anxiety, or doubt; as anger, faithlessness, and lack of trust; concern
for
bodies, envy, and all forms in which the wish to be as you are not may
come to
tempt you. All such thoughts are but reflections of the worshipping of
death as
savior/savioress and as giver of release.
2
Embodiment of fear,
the host of sin, god of the guilty, and the lord of all illusions and
deceptions, does the thought of death seem mighty. For it seems to hold
all
living things within its withered hand; all hopes and wishes in its
blighting
grasp. All goals perceived but in its sightless eyes. The frail, the
helpless,
and the sick bow down before its image, thinking it alone is real,
inevitable,
worthy of their trust. For it alone will surely come.
3
All things but
death are seen to be unsure, too quickly lost however hard to gain,
uncertain
in their outcome, apt to fail the hopes they once engendered and to
leave the
taste of dust and ashes in their wake in place of aspirations and of
dreams.
But death is counted on. For it will come with certain footsteps when
the time
has come for its arrival. It will never fail to take all life as hostage
to
itself.
4
Would you bow down
to idols/idolresses such as this? Here is the strength and might of God
HimHerself perceived within an idol/idolress made of dust. Here is the
opposite
of God proclaimed as lord of all creationmanifestation, stronger than
God's
Will for life, the endlessness of love and the God Realm's perfect,
changeless
constancy. Here is the Will of FatherMother and of SonDaughter defeated
finally
and laid to rest beneath the headstone death has placed upon the body of
the
holy SonDaughter of God.
5
Unholy in defeat,
he/she has become what death would have him/her be. His/her epitaph,
which
death itself has written, gives no name to him, for he/she has passed to
dust.
It says but this: "Here lies a witness God is dead." And this it
writes again and still again, while all the while its worshippers agree,
and
kneeling down with foreheads to the ground, they whisper fearfully that
it is so.
6
It is impossible to
worship death in any form and still select a few you would not cherish
and
would yet avoid while still believing in the rest. For death is total.
Either
all things die or else they live and cannot die. No compromise is
possible. For
here again we see an obvious position which we must accept if we be
sane; what
contradicts one thought entirely can not be true unless its opposite is
proven
false.
7
The idea of the
death of God is so preposterous that even the insane have difficulty in
believing it. For it implies that God was once alive and somehow
perished,
killed, apparently, by those who did not want HimHer to survive. Their
stronger
will could triumph over HisHers, and so eternal life gave way to death.
And
with the FatherMother died the SonDaughter as well.
8
Death's worshippers
may be afraid. And yet can thoughts like these be fearful? If they saw
that it
is only this which they believed, they would be instantly released. And
you
will show them this today. There is no death, and we renounce it now in
every
form for their salvation and our own as well. God made not death.
Whatever form
it takes must therefore be illusion. This the stand we take today. And
it is
given us to look past death and see the life beyond.
9
Our FatherMother,
bless our eyes today. We are Your messengers, and we would look upon the
glorious reflection of Your Love which shines in everything. We live and
breathe in You alone. We are not separate from Your eternal life. There
is no
death, for death is not Your Will. And we abide where You have placed
us, in
the Life we share with You and with all living things, to be like You
and part
of You forever. We accept Your Thoughts as ours, and our will is one
with Yours
eternally. Amen.
1
What time but now
can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is. And so
today,
this instant, now, we come to look upon what is forever there—not in our
sight,
but in the eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness. She
looks
past time and sees eternity as represented there. She hears the sounds
the
senseless busy world engenders, yet She hears them faintly, for beyond
them all
She hears the Song of the God Realm and the Voice of God more clear,
more meaningful,
more near.
2
The world fades
easily away before Her sight. Its sounds grow dim. A melody from far
beyond the
world increasingly is more and more distinct—an ancient call to which
She gives
an ancient answer. You will recognize them both. For they are but your
answer
to your Father’sMother’s call to you. The Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness answers for you, echoing your Self, using your voice to
give Her
glad consent, accepting your deliverance for you.
3
How holy is your
practicing today, as the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness
gives you
Her sight and hears for you and answers in your name the call She hears.
How
quiet is the time you give to spend with HimHer beyond the world. How
easily
are all your seeming sins forgot and all your sorrows unremembered. On
this day
is grief laid by, for sights and sounds which come from nearer than the
world
are made clear to you who will today accept the gifts She gives.
4
There is a silence
into which the world can not intrude. There is an ancient peace you
carry in
your heart and have not lost. There is a sense of holiness in you the
thought
of sin has never touched. All this today you will remember. Faithfulness
in
practicing today will bring rewards so great and so completely different
from
all things you sought before that you will know that here your treasure
is and
here your rest.
5
This is the day
when vain imaginings part like a curtain to reveal what lies beyond
them. Now
is what is really there made visible, while all the shadows which
appeared to
hide it sink to obscurity. Now is the balance righted and the scales of
judgment left to Her Who judges true. And in Her judgment will a world
unfold
in perfect innocence before your eyes. Now will you see it with the eyes
of the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness. Now is its transformation
clear
to you.
6
Brothers/sisters ,
this day is sacred to the world. Your vision, given you from far beyond
all
things within the world, looks back on them in a new light. And what you
see
becomes the healing and salvation of the world. The valuable and
valueless are
both perceived and recognized for what they are. And what is worthy of
your
love receives your love, while nothing to be feared remains.
7
We will not judge
today. We will receive but what is given us from judgment made beyond
the
world. Our practicing today becomes our gift of thankfulness for our
release
from blindness and from misery. All that we see will but increase our
joy
because its holiness reflects our own. We stand forgiven in the sight of
the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness, with all the world
forgiven in
our own.
8
We bless the world
as we behold it in the light in which our Savior/Savioress looks on us
and
offer it the freedom given us through Her forgiving vision, now our own.
Open
the curtain in your practicing by merely letting go all things you think
you
want. Your trifling treasures put away and leave a clean and open space
within
your mind where the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness can
come and
offer you the treasure of salvation. She has need of your most holy mind
to
save the world.
9
Is not this purpose
worthy to be yours? Is not the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’
vision worthy to be sought above the world's unsatisfying goals? Let not
today
slip by without the gifts it holds for you receiving your consent and
your acceptance.
We can change the world if you acknowledge them. You may not see the
value your
acceptance gives the world. But this you surely want—you can exchange
all
suffering for joy this very day. Practice in earnest, and the gift is
yours.
Would God deceive you? Can HisHer promise fail? Can you withhold so
little when
HisHer Hand holds out complete salvation to HisHer SonDaughter?
1
What makes this
world seem real except your own denial of the truth which lies beyond?
What but
your thoughts of misery and death obscure the perfect happiness and the
Eternal
Life your FatherMother wills for you? And what could hide what cannot be
concealed except illusion? What could keep from you what you already
have except
your choice to see it not, denying it is there?
2
The Thought of God
createdmanifested you. It left you not, nor have you ever been apart
from It an
instant. It belongs to you. By It you live. It is your Source of life,
holding
you one with It, and everything is one with you because It left you not.
The
Thought of God protects you, cares for you, makes soft your resting
place and
smooth your way, lighting your mind with happiness and love. Eternity
and
everlasting life shine in your mind because the Thought of God has left
you not
and still abides with you.
3
Who would deny
his/her safety and his/her peace, his/her joy, his/her healing and
his/her
peace of mind, his/her quiet rest, his/her calm awakening if he/she but
recognized where they abide? Would he/she not instantly prepare to go
where
they are found, abandoning all else as worthless in comparison with
them? And
having found them, would he/she not make sure they stay with him/her and
he/she
remains with them?
4
Deny not the God
Realm. It is yours today but for the asking. Nor need you perceive how
great
the gift, how changed your mind will be before it comes to you. Ask to
receive,
and it is given you. Conviction lies within it. Till you welcome it as
yours,
uncertainty remains. Yet God is fair. Sureness is not required to
receive what
only your acceptance can bestow.
5
Ask with desire.
You need not be sure that you request the only thing you want. But when
you
have received, you will be sure you have the treasure you have always
sought.
What would you then exchange it for? What would induce you now to let it
fade
away from your ecstatic vision? For this sight proves that you have
exchanged
your blindness for the seeing eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness; your mind has come to lay aside denial and accept the
Thought of
God as its inheritance.
6
Now is all doubting
past, the journey's end made certain, and salvation given you. Now is
the
Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ power in your mind to
heal as
you were healed. For now you are among the saviors/savioresses of the
world.
Your destiny lies there and nowhere else. Would God consent to let
HisHer
SonDaughter remain forever starved by hisher denial of the nourishment
heshe
needs to live? Abundance dwells in himher, and deprivation cannot cut
himher
off from God's sustaining Love and from hisher home.
7
Practice today in
hope. For hope indeed is justified. Your doubts are meaningless, for God
is
certain. And the Thought of HimHer is never absent. Sureness must abide
within
you who are host to HimHer. This course removes all doubts which you
have
interposed between HimHer and your certainty of HimHer. We count on God
and not
upon ourselves to give us certainty. And in HisHer Name we practice as
HisHer
Word directs we do. HisHer sureness lies beyond our every doubt. HisHer
Love
remains beyond our every fear. The Thought of HimHer is still beyond all
dreams
and in our minds according to HisHer Will.
1
All things are
given you. God's trust in you is limitless. HeShe knows HisHer
SonDaughter.
HeShe gives without exception, holding nothing back that can contribute
to your
happiness. And yet unless your will is one with HisHer, HisHer gifts are
not
received. But what would make you think there is another will than
HisHer?
2
Here is the paradox
that underlies the making of the world. This world is not the Will of
God, and
so it is not real. Yet those who think it real must still believe there
is
another will, and one that leads to opposite effects from those HeShe
wills.
Impossible indeed, but every mind that looks upon the world and judges
it as
certain, solid, trustworthy, and true believes in two
CreatorsManifestors or in
one, himself/herself alone. But never in one God.
3
The gifts of God
are not acceptable to anyone who holds such strange beliefs. HeShe must
believe
that, to accept God's gifts, however evident they may become, however
urgently
he/she may be called to claim them as his/her own, is being pressed to
treachery against himself. HeShe must deny their presence, contradict
the
truth, and suffer to preserve the world he/she made.
4
Here is the only
home he/she thinks he/she knows. Here is the only safety he/she believes
that
he/she can find. Without the world he/she made is he/she an outcast,
homeless
and afraid. He/she does not realize that it is here he/she is afraid
indeed and
homeless too—an outcast wandering so far from home, so long away, he/she
does
not realize he/she has forgotten where he/she came from, where he/she
goes, and
even who he/she really is.
5
Yet in his/her
lonely, senseless wanderings, God's gifts go with him/her, all unknown
to
him/her. He/she cannot lose them. But he/she will not look at what is
given
him/her. He/she wanders on, aware of the futility he/she sees about
him/her
everywhere, perceiving how his/her little lot but dwindles as he/she
goes ahead
to nowhere. Still he/she wanders on in misery and poverty, alone though
God is
with him/her, and a treasure his/her so great that everything the world
contains
is valueless before its magnitude.
6
He/she seems a
sorry figure—weary, worn, in threadbare clothing, and with feet that
bleed a
little from the rocky road he/she walks. No one but has identified with
him,
for everyone who comes here has pursued the path he/she follows and has
felt
defeat and hopelessness as he/she is feeling them. Yet is he/she really
tragic
when you see that he/she is following the way he/she chose and needs but
realize Who walks with him/her and open up his/her treasures to be free?
7
This is your chosen
self, the one you made as a replacement for reality. This is the self
you
savagely defend against all reason, every evidence, and all the
witnesses with
proof to show this is not you. You heed them not. You go on your
appointed way,
with eyes cast down lest you might catch a glimpse of truth and be
released
from self-deception and set free.
8
You cower fearfully
lest you should feel the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’
touch
upon your shoulder and perceive Her gentle hand directing you to look
upon your
gifts. How could you then proclaim your poverty in exile? She would make
you
laugh at this perception of yourself. Where is self-pity then? And what
becomes
of all the tragedy you sought to make for him/her whom God intended only
joy?
9
Your ancient fear
has come upon you now, and justice has caught up with you at last. The
Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ hand has touched your shoulder,
and you
feel that you are not alone. You even think the miserable self you
thought was
you may not be your identity. Perhaps God's Word is truer than your own.
Perhaps HisHer gifts to you are real. Perhaps HeShe has not wholly been
outwitted by your plan to keep HisHer SonDaughter in deep oblivion and
go the
way you chose without your Self.
10
God's Will does not
oppose. It merely is. It is not God you have imprisoned in your plan to
lose
your Self. HeShe does not know about a plan so alien to HisHer Will.
There was
a need HeShe did not understand, to which HeShe gave an Answer. That is
all.
And you who have this Answer given you have need no more of anything but
this.
11
Now do we live, for
now we cannot die. The wish for death is answered, and the sight that
looked
upon it now has been replaced by vision which perceives that you are not
what
you pretend to be. One walks with you Who gently answers all your fears
with
this one merciful reply: "It is not so." She points to all the gifts
you have each time the thought of poverty oppresses you and speaks of
HisHer
companionship when you perceive yourself as lonely and afraid.
12
Yet She reminds you
still of one thing more you had forgotten. For Her touch on you has made
you
like Herself. The gifts you have are not for you alone. What She has
come to
offer you, you now must learn to give. This is the lesson that Her
giving holds,
for She has saved you from the solitude you sought to make in which to
hide
from God. She has reminded you of all the gifts that God has given you.
She
speaks as well of what becomes your will when you accept these gifts and
recognize they are your own.
13
The gifts are
yours, entrusted to your care to give to all who chose the lonely road
you have
escaped. They do not understand they but pursue their wishes. It is you
who
teach them now. For you have learned of the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness
there is another way for them to walk. Teach them by showing them the
happiness
that comes to those who feel the touch of the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy
Consciousness and recognize God's gifts. Let sorrow not tempt you to be
unfaithful to your trust.
14
Your sighs will now
betray the hopes of those who look to you for their release. Your tears
are
theirs. If you are sick, you but withhold their healing. What you fear
but
teaches them their fears are justified. Your hand becomes the giver of
the
Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ touch; your change of
mind
becomes the proof that who accepts God's gifts can never suffer
anything. You
are entrusted with the world's release from pain.
15
Betray it not.
Become the living proof of what the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’ touch can offer everyone. God has entrusted all HisHer
gifts to
you. Be witness in your happiness to how transformed the mind becomes
which
chooses to accept HisHer gifts and feel the touch of the Christ
Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness. Such is your mission now. For God entrusts the
giving of
HisHer gifts to all who have received them. HeShe has shared HisHer joy
with
you. And now you go to share it with the world.
1
There are not
different kinds of life, for life is like the truth. It does not have
degrees.
It is the one condition in which all that God createdmanifested share.
Like all
HisHer Thoughts, it has no opposite. There is no death because what God
createdmanifested shares HisHer Life. There is no death because an
opposite to
God does not exist. There is no death because the FatherMother and the
SonDaughter are one.
2
In this world there
appears to be a state that is life's opposite. You call it death. Yet we
have
learned that the idea of death takes many forms. It is the one idea
which
underlies all feelings that are not supremely happy. It is the alarm to
which
you give response of any kind that is not perfect joy. All sorrow, loss,
anxiety, and suffering and pain, even a little sigh of weariness, a
slight
discomfort or the merest frown, acknowledge death. And thus deny you
live.
3
You think that
death is of the body. Yet it is but an idea, irrelevant to what is seen
as
physical. A thought is in the mind. It can be then applied as mind
directs it.
But its origin is where it must be changed if change occurs. Ideas leave
not
their source. The emphasis this course has placed on that idea is due to
its
centrality in our attempts to change your mind about yourself. It is the
reason
you can heal. It is the cause of healing. It is why you cannot die. Its
truth
established you as one with God.
4
Death is the
thought that you are separate from your CreatorManifestor. It is the
belief
conditions change, emotions alternate because of causes you cannot
control, you
did not make, and you can never change. It is the fixed belief ideas can
leave
their source and take on qualities the source does not contain, becoming
different from their own origin, apart from it in kind as well as
distance,
time, and form.
5
Death cannot come
from life. Ideas remain united to their source. They can extend all that
their
source contains. In that they can go far beyond themselves. But they
cannot
give birth to what was never given them. As they are made, so will their
making
be. As they were born, so will they then give birth. And where they come
from,
there will they return.
6
The mind can think
it sleeps, but that is all. It cannot change what is its waking state.
It
cannot make a body nor abide within a body. What is alien to the mind
does not
exist because it has no source. For mind createsmanifests all things
that are
and cannot give them attributes it lacks nor change its own eternal,
mindful
state. It cannot make the physical. What seems to die is but the sign of
mind
asleep.
7
The opposite of
life can only be another form of life. As such, it can be reconciled
with what
createdmanifested it because it is not opposite in truth. Its form may
change;
it may appear to be what it is not. Yet mind is mind awake or sleeping.
It is
not its opposite in anything createdmanifested nor in what it seems to
make
when it believes it sleeps.
8
God
createsmanifests only mind awake. HeShe does not sleep, and HisHer
creationsmanifestations cannot share what HeShe gives not nor make
conditions
which HeShe does not share with them. The thought of death is not the
opposite
to thoughts of life. Forever unopposed by opposites of any kind, the
Thoughts
of God remain forever changeless with the power to extend forever
changelessly
but yet within Themselves, for They are everywhere.
9
What seems to be
the opposite of life is merely sleeping. When the mind elects to be what
it is
not and to assume an alien power which it does not have, a foreign state
it
cannot enter or a false condition not within its Source, it merely seems
to go
to sleep a while. It dreams of time—an interval in which what seems to
happen
never has occurred, the changes wrought are substanceless, and all
events are
nowhere. When the mind awakes, it but continues as it always was.
10
Let us today be
children of the truth and not deny our holy heritage. Our life is not as
we
imagine it. Who changes life because he/she shuts his/her eyes or makes
himself/herself what he/she is not because he/she sleeps and sees in
dreams an
opposite to what he/she is? We will not ask for death in any form today.
Nor
will we let imagined opposites to life abide even an instant where the
Thought
of life eternal has been set by God HimHerself.
11
HisHer holy home we
strive to keep today as HeShe established it, and wills it be forever
and
forever. HeShe is LordLady of what we think today. And in HisHer
Thoughts,
which have no opposite, we understand there is one life and that we
share with
HimHer, with all creationmanifestation, with their thoughts as well,
whom HeShe
createdmanifested in a unity of life that cannot separate in death and
leave
the Source of Life from where it came.
12
We share our life
because we have one Source, a Source from Which perfection comes to us,
remaining always in the holy minds which HeShe createdmanifested
perfect. As we
were, so are we now and will forever be. A sleeping mind must waken as
it sees
its own perfection mirroring the Lord of Life so perfectly it fades into
what
is reflected there. And now it is no more a mere reflection. It becomes
the
thing reflected and the light which makes reflection possible. No vision
now is
needed. For the wakened mind is one that knows its Source, its Self, its
holiness.
1
God speaks to us.
Shall we not speak to HimHer? HeShe is not distant. HeShe makes no
attempt to
hide from us. We try to hide from HimHer and suffer from deception.
HeShe
remains entirely accessible. HeShe loves HisHer SonDaughter. There is no
certainty but this, yet this suffices. HeShe will love HisHer
SonDaughter
forever. When hisher mind remains asleep, HeShe loves himher still. And
when
hisher mind awakes, HeShe loves himher with a never-changing Love.
2
If you but knew the
meaning of HisHer Love, hope and despair would be impossible, for hope
would be
forever satisfied; despair of any kind unthinkable. HisHer grace HisHer
answer
is to all despair, for in it lies remembrance of HisHer Love. Would
HeShe not
gladly give the means by which HisHer Will is recognized? HisHer grace
is yours
by your acknowledgment. And memory of HimHer awakens in the mind which
asks the
means of HimHer whereby its sleep is done.
3
Today we ask of God
the gift HeShe has most carefully preserved within our hearts, waiting
to be
acknowledged. This the gift by which God leans to us and lifts us up,
taking
salvation's final step HimHerself. All steps but this we learn,
instructed by
HisHer Voice. But finally HeShe comes HimHerself and takes us in HisHer
arms
and sweeps away the cobwebs of our sleep. HisHer gift of grace is more
than
just an answer. It restores all memories the sleeping mind forgot; all
certainty of what love's meaning is.
4
God loves HisHer
SonDaughter. Request HimHer now to give the means by which this world
will
disappear, and vision first will come with knowledge but an instant
later. For
in grace you see a light that covers all the world in love and watch
fear disappear
from every face as hearts rise up and claim the light as theirs. What
now
remains that the God Realm be delayed an instant longer? What remains
undone
when your forgiveness rests on everything?
5
It is a new and
holy day today, for we receive what has been given us. Our faith lies in
the
Giver, not our own acceptance. We acknowledge our mistakes, but HeShe to
Whom
all error is unknown is yet the One Who answers our mistakes by giving
us the
means to lay them down and rise to HimHer in gratitude and love.
6
And HeShe descends
to meet us as we come to HimHer, for what HeShe has prepared for us
HeShe gives
and we receive. Such is HisHer Will because HeShe loves HisHer
SonDaughter. To
HimHer we pray today, returning but the words HeShe gave to us through
HisHer
own Voice, HisHer Word, HisHer Love:
1
Grace is an aspect
of the Love of God which is most like the state prevailing in the unity
of
truth. It is the world's most lofty aspiration, for it leads beyond the
world
entirely. It is past learning yet the goal of learning, for grace cannot
come
until the mind prepares itself for true acceptance. Grace becomes
inevitable
instantly in those who have prepared a table where it can be gently laid
and
willingly received, an altar clean and holy for the gift.
2
Grace is acceptance
of the Love of God within a world of seeming hate and fear. By grace
alone the
hate and fear are gone, for grace presents a state so opposite to
everything
the world contains that those whose minds are lighted by the gift of
grace can
not believe the world of fear is real.
3
Grace is not
learned. The final step must go beyond all learning. Grace is not the
goal this
course aspires to attain. Yet we prepare for grace in that an open mind
can
hear the call to waken. It is not shut tight against God's Voice. It has
become
aware that there are things it does not know and thus is ready to accept
a
state completely different from experience with which it is familiarly
at home.
4
We have perhaps
appeared to contradict our statement that the revelation of the
FatherMother
and the SonDaughter as one has been already set. But we have also said
the mind
determines when that time will be and has determined it. And yet we urge
you to
bear witness to the Word of God to hasten the experience of truth and
speed its
advent into every mind which recognizes its effects on you.
5
Oneness is simply
the idea God is. And in HisHer Being, HeShe encompasses all things. No
mind
holds anything but HimHer. We say "God is," and then we cease to
speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless. There are no lips to
speak
them and no part of mind sufficiently distinct to feel that it is now
aware of
something not itself. It has united with its Source, and like its Source
Itself, it merely is.
6
We cannot speak nor
write nor even think of this at all. It comes to every mind when total
recognition
that its will is God's has been completely given and received
completely. It
returns the mind into the endless present, where the past and future
cannot be
conceived. It lies beyond salvation—past all thought of time,
forgiveness, and
the holy face of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness. The
SonDaughter of God has merely disappeared into hisher FatherMother, as
hisher
FatherMother has in him. The world has never been at all. Eternity
remains a
constant state.
7
This is beyond
experience we try to hasten. Yet forgiveness, taught and learned, brings
with
it the experiences which bear witness that the time the mind itself
determined
to abandon all but this is now at hand. We do not hasten it, in that
what you
will offer was concealed from Her Who teaches what forgiveness means.
All
learning was already in Her Mind, accomplished and complete. She
recognized all
that time holds and gave it to all minds that each one might determine
from a
point where time has ended when it is released to revelation and
eternity.
8
We have repeated
several times before that you but make a journey that is done. For
oneness must
be here. Whatever time the mind has set for revelation is entirely
irrelevant
to what must be a constant state, forever as it always was; forever to
remain
as it is now. We merely take the part assigned long since and fully
recognized
as perfectly fulfilled by Her Who wrote salvation's script in Her
Creator’sManifestor's name and in the name of Her Creator’sManifestor's
SonDaughter.
9
There is no need to
further clarify what no one in the world can understand. When revelation
of
your oneness comes, it will be known and fully understood. Now we have
work to
do, for those in time can speak of things beyond and listen to words
which
explain what is to come is past already. Yet what meaning can the words
convey
to those who count the hours still and rise and work and go to sleep by
them?
10
Suffice it, then,
that you have work to do to play your part. The ending must remain
obscure to
you until your part is done. It does not matter. For your part is still
what
all the rest depends on. As you take the role assigned to you, salvation
comes
a little nearer each uncertain heart that does not beat as yet in tune
with
God. Forgiveness is the central theme which runs throughout salvation,
holding
all its parts in meaningful relationships, the course it runs directed,
and its
outcome sure.
11
And now we ask for
grace, the final gift salvation can bestow. Experience that grace
provides will
end in time, for grace foreshadows the God Realm yet does not replace
the
thought of time but for a little while. The interval suffices. It is
here that
miracles are laid, to be returned by you from holy instants you receive
through
grace in your experience to all who see the light that lingers on your
face.
12
What is the face of
the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness but his/her who went a
moment
into timelessness and brought a clear reflection of the unity he/she
felt an
instant back to bless the world? How could you finally attain to it
forever
while a part of you remains outside, unknowing, unawakened, and in need
of you
as witness to the truth?
13
Be grateful to
return, as you were glad to go an instant and accept the gifts that
grace
provided you. You carry them back to yourself. And revelation stands not
far
behind. Its coming is ensured. We ask for grace and for experience that
comes
from grace. We welcome the release it offers everyone. We do not ask for
the
unaskable. We do not look beyond what grace can give. For this we can
give in
the grace that has been given us.
14
Our learning goal
today does not exceed this prayer, yet in the world, what could be more
than
what we ask this day of Her Who gives the grace we ask as it was given
Her?
1
No one attacks
without intent to hurt. This can have no exception. When you think that
you
attack in self defense, you mean that to be cruel is protection; you are
safe
because of cruelty. You mean that you believe to hurt another brings you
freedom. And you mean that to attack is to exchange the state in which
you are
for something better, safer, more secure from dangerous invasion and
from fear.
2
How thoroughly
insane is the idea that to defend from fear is to attack! For here is
fear
begot and fed with blood, to make it grow and swell and rage. And thus
is fear
protected, not escaped. Today we learn a lesson which can save you more
delay
and needless misery than you can possibly imagine. It is this:
4
It seems to be the
enemy without that you attack. Yet your defense sets up an enemy
within—an
alien thought at war with you, depriving you of peace, splitting your
mind into
two camps which seem wholly irreconcilable. For love now has an "enemy,"
an opposite; and fear, the alien, now needs your defense against the
threat of
what you really are.
5
If you consider
carefully the means by which your fancied self-defense proceeds on its
imagined
way, you will perceive the premises on which the idea stands. First, it
is
obvious ideas must leave their source. For it is you who make attack and
must
have first conceived of it. Yet you attack outside yourself and separate
your
mind from him/her who is to be attacked with perfect faith the split you
made
is real.
6
Next are the
attributes of love bestowed upon its "enemy." For fear becomes your
safety and protector of your peace, to which you turn for solace and
escape
from doubts about your strength and hope of rest in dreamless quiet. And
as
love is shorn of what belongs to it and it alone, love is endowed with
attributes of fear. For love would ask you lay down all defense as
merely
foolish. And your arms indeed would crumble into dust. For such they
are.
7
With love as enemy
must cruelty become a god, and gods demand that those who worship them
obey
their dictates and refuse to question them. Harsh punishment is meted
out
relentlessly to those who ask if the demands are sensible or even sane.
It is
their enemies who are unreasonable and insane, while they are always
merciful
and just.
8
Today we look upon
this cruel god dispassionately. And we note that though his/her lips are
smeared with blood and fire seems to flame from him, he/she is but made
of
stone. He/she can do nothing. We need not defy his/her power. He/she has
none.
And those who see in him/her their safety have no guardian, no strength
to call
upon in danger, and no mighty warrior to fight for them.
9
This moment can be
terrible. But it can also be the time of your release from abject
slavery. You
make a choice, standing before this idol/idolress, seeing him/her
exactly as
he/she is. Will you restore to love what you have sought to wrest from
it and
lay before this mindless piece of stone? Or will you make another
idol/idolress
to replace it? For the god of cruelty takes many forms. Another can be
found.
10
Yet do not think
that fear is the escape from fear. Let us remember what the course has
stressed
about the obstacles to peace. The final one, the hardest to believe, is
nothing, and a seeming obstacle with the appearance of a solid block,
impenetrable, fearful and beyond surmounting, is the fear of God
HimHerself.
Here is the basic premise which enthrones the thought of fear as god.
For fear
is loved by those who worship it, and love appears to be invested now
with
cruelty.
11
Where does the
totally insane belief in gods of vengeance come from? Love has not
confused its
attributes with those of fear. Yet must the worshippers of fear perceive
their
own confusion in fear's "enemy," its cruelty as now a part of love.
And what becomes more fearful than the heart of Love Itself? The blood
appears
to be upon HisHer Lips; the fire comes from HimHer. And HeShe is
terrible above
all else, cruel beyond conception, striking down all who acknowledge
HimHer to
be their God.
12
The choice you make
today is certain. For you look for the last time upon this bit of carven
stone
you made and call it god no longer. You have reached this place before,
but you
have chosen that this cruel god remain with you in still another form,
and so
the fear of God returned with you. This time you leave it here. And you
return
to a new world unburdened by its weight; beheld not in its sightless
eyes but
in the vision that your choice restored to you.
13
Now do your eyes
belong to the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness, and She
looks
through them. Now your voice belongs to God and echoes HisHers. And now
your
heart remains at peace forever. You have chosen HimHer in place of
idols/idolresses, and your attributes, given by your CreatorManifestor,
are
restored to you at last. The Call of God is heard and answered. Now has
fear made
way for love, as God HimHerself replaces cruelty.
R5:1
We now review
again. This time we are ready to give more effort and more time to what
we
undertake. We recognize we are preparing for another phase of
understanding. We
would take this step completely, that we may go on again more certain,
more
sincere, with faith upheld more surely. Our footsteps have not been
unwavering,
and doubts have made us walk uncertainly and slowly on the road this
course
sets forth. But now we hasten on, for we approach a greater certainty, a
firmer
purpose and a surer goal.
4
This is the thought
which should precede the thoughts that we review. Each one but clarifies
some
aspect of this thought or helps it be more meaningful, more personal and
true,
and more descriptive of the holy Self we share and now prepare to know
again:
6
This Self alone
knows love. This Self alone is perfectly consistent in Its thoughts,
knows Its
CreatorManifestor, understands Itself, is perfect in Its knowledge and
Its
love, and never changes from Its constant state of union with Its
FatherMother
and Itself.
7
And it is This that
waits to meet us at the journey's ending. Every step we take brings us a
little
nearer. This review will shorten time immeasurably if we keep in mind
that This
remains our goal, and as we practice, it is This to which we are
approaching.
Let us raise our hearts from dust to life as we remember This is
promised us,
and that this course was sent to open up the path of light to us, and
teach us,
step by step, how to return to the eternal Self we thought we lost.
8
I take the journey
with you. For I share your doubts and fears a little while, that you may
come
to me who recognize the road by which all fears and doubts are overcome.
We
walk together. I must understand uncertainty and pain, although I know
they
have no meaning. Yet a savior/saviores must remain with those he/she
teaches,
seeing what they see, but still retaining in his/her mind the way that
led
him/her out and now will lead you out with him/her. God’s SonDaughter is
crucified until you walk along the road with me.
9
My resurrection
comes again each time I lead a brother/sister safely to the place at
which the
journey ends and is forgot. I am renewed each time a brother/sister
learns
there is a way from misery and pain. I am reborn each time a
brother’s/sister’s
mind turns to the light in him/her and looks for me. I have forgotten no
one.
Help me now to lead you back to where the journey was begun, to make
another
choice with me.
10
Release me as you
practice once again the thoughts I brought to you from Her Who sees your
bitter
need and knows the answer God has given Her. Together we review these
thoughts.
Together we devote our time and effort to them. And together we will
teach them
to our brothers/sisters . God would not have the God Realm incomplete.
It waits
for you as I do. I am incomplete without your part in me. And as I am
made
whole, we go together to our ancient home, prepared for us before time
was and
kept unchanged by time, immaculate and safe, as it will be at last, when
time
is done.
11
Let this review be
then your gift to me. For this alone I need—that you will hear the words
I
speak and give them to the world. You are my voice, my eyes, my feet, my
hands,
through which I save the world. The Self from Which I call to you is but
your
own. To HimHer we go together. Take your brother’s/sister’s hand, for
this is
not a way we walk alone. In him/her I walk with you and you with me. Our
FatherMother wills HisHer SonDaughter be one with HimHer. What lives but
must
not then be one with you?
12
Let this review
become a time in which we share a new experience for you, yet one as old
as
time, and older still. Hallowed your name. Your glory undefiled forever.
And
your wholeness now complete, as God established it. You are HisHer
SonDaughter,
completing HisHer extension in your own. We practice but an ancient
truth we
knew before illusion seemed to claim the world. And we remind the world
that it
is free of all illusions every time we say,
14
With this we start
each day of our review. With this we start and end each period of
practice
time. And with this thought we sleep, to waken once again with these
same words
upon our lips to greet another day. No thought that we review but we
surround
with it and use the thoughts to hold it up before our minds and keep it
clear
in our remembrance throughout the day. And thus when we have finished
this
review, we will have recognized the words we speak are true.
15
Yet are the words but
aids and to be used, except at the beginning and the end of practice
periods,
but to recall the mind as needed to its purpose. We place faith in the
experience that comes from practice, not the means we use. We wait for
the
experience and recognize that it is only here conviction lies. We use
the
words, and try and try again to go beyond them to their meaning, which
is far
beyond their sound. The sound grows dim and disappears as we approach
the
Source of meaning. It is here that we find rest.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[151]
All
things are echoes of the Voice of God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[152]
The
power of decision is my own.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[153]
In
my defenselessness my safety lies.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[154]
I
am among the ministers/ministerins of God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[155]
I
will step back and let HimHer lead the way.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[156]
I
walk with God in perfect holiness.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[157]
Into
HisHer Presence would I enter now.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[158]
Today
I learn to give as I receive.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[159]
I
give the miracles I have received.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[160]
I
am at home. Fear is the stranger here.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[161]
Give
me your blessing, holy SonDaughter of God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[162]
I
am as God createdmanifested me.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[163]
There
is no death. The SonDaughter of God is free.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[164]
Now
are we one with HimHer Who is our Source.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[165]
Let
not my mind deny the Thought of God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[166]
I
am entrusted with the gifts of God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[167]
There
is one life, and that I share with God.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[168]
Your
grace is given me. I claim it now.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[169]
By
grace I live. By grace I am released.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
[170]
There
is no cruelty in God and none in me.
God
is
but Love, and therefore so am I.
I181:1
Our
next few lessons make a special point of firming up your willingness to
make
your weak commitment strong, your scattered goals blend into one intent.
You
are not asked for total dedication all the time, as yet. But you are
asked to
practice now in order to attain the sense of peace such unified
commitment will
bestow, if only intermittently. It is experiencing this which makes it
sure
that you will give your total willingness to following the way the
course sets
forth.
2
Our lessons now are
geared specifically to widening horizons and direct approaches to the
special
blocks which keep your vision narrow and too limited to let you see the
value
of our goal. We are attempting now to lift these blocks, however
briefly. Words
alone can not convey the sense of liberation which their lifting brings.
But
the experience of freedom and of peace that comes as you give up your
tight
control of what you see speaks for itself. Your motivation will be so
intensified that words become of little consequence. You will be sure of
what
you want and what is valueless.
3
And so we start our
journey beyond words by concentrating first on what impedes our progress
still.
Experience of what exists beyond defensiveness remains beyond
achievement while
it is denied. It may be there, but you cannot accept its presence. So we
now
attempt to go past all defenses for a little while each day. No more
than this
is asked because no more than this is needed. It will be enough to
guarantee
the rest will come.
1
Trusting your
brothers/sisters is essential to establishing and holding up your faith
in your
ability to transcend doubt and lack of sure conviction in yourself. When
you
attack a brother/sister, you proclaim that he/she is limited by what you
have
perceived in him/her. You do not look beyond his/her errors. Rather,
they are
magnified, becoming blocks to your awareness of the Self that lies
beyond your
own mistakes and past his/her seeming sins as well as yours.
2
Perception has a
focus. It is this which gives consistency to what you see. Change but
this
focus, and what you behold will change accordingly. Your vision now will
shift
to give support to the intent which has replaced the one you held
before.
Remove your focus on your brother’s/sister’s sins, and you experience
the peace
that comes from faith in sinlessness. This faith receives its only sure
support
from what you see in others past their sins. For their mistakes, if
focused on,
are witnesses to sins in you. And you will not transcend their sight and
see
the sinlessness that lies beyond.
3
Therefore, in
practicing today, we first let all such little focuses give way to our
great
need to let our sinlessness become apparent. We instruct our minds that
it is
this we seek and only this, for just a little while. We do not care
about our
future goals, and what we saw an instant previous has no concern for us
within
this interval of time wherein we practice changing our intent. We seek
for
innocence and nothing else. We seek for it with no concern but now.
4
A major hazard to
success has been involvement with your past and future goals. You have
been
quite preoccupied with how extremely different the goals this course is
advocating are from those you held before. And you have also been
dismayed by
the depressing and restricting thought that, even if you should succeed,
you
will inevitably lose your way again. How could this matter? For the past
is
gone, the future but imagined. These concerns are but defenses against
present
change of focus in perception. Nothing more.
5
We lay these
pointless limitations by a little while. We do not look to past beliefs,
and
what we will believe will not intrude upon us now. We enter in the time
of
practicing with one intent—to look upon the sinlessness within. We
recognize
that we have lost this goal if anger blocks our way in any form. And if
a
brother’s/sister’s sins occur to us, our narrowed focus will restrict
our sight
and turn our eyes upon our own mistakes, which we will magnify and call
our
"sins."
6
So, for a little
while, without regard to past or future, should such blocks arise, we
will
transcend them with instructions to our minds to change their focus, as
we say:
8
And we will also
use these thoughts to keep us safe throughout the day. We do not seek
for long
range goals. As each obstruction seems to block the vision of our
sinlessness,
we seek but for surcease an instant from the misery the focus upon sin
will bring,
and uncorrected will remain.
9
Nor do we ask for
fantasies. For what we seek to look upon is really there. And as our
focus goes
beyond mistakes, we will behold a wholly sinless world. When seeing this
is all
we want to see, when this is all we seek for in the name of true
perception,
are the eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness
inevitably
ours. And the love She feels for us becomes our own as well. This will
become
the only thing we see reflected in the world and in ourselves.
10
The world which
once proclaimed our sins becomes the proof that we are sinless. And our
love
for everyone we look upon attests to our remembrance of the holy Self
Which
knows no sin and never could conceive of anything without Its
sinlessness. We
seek for this remembrance as we turn our minds to practicing today. We
look
neither ahead nor backwards. We look straight into the present. And we
give our
trust to the experience we ask for now. Our sinlessness is but the Will
of God.
This instant is our willing one with HisHers.
1
This world you seem
to live in is not home to you. And somewhere in your mind you know that
this is
true. A memory of home keeps haunting you, as if there were a place that
called
you to return, although you do not recognize the Voice nor what it is
the Voice
reminds you of. Yet still you feel an alien here, from somewhere all
unknown.
Nothing so definite that you could say with certainty you are an exile
here.
Just a persistent feeling, sometimes not more than a tiny throb, at
other times
hardly remembered, actively dismissed, but surely to return to mind
again.
2
No one but knows
whereof we speak. Yet some try to put by their suffering in games they
play to
occupy their time and keep their sadness from them. Others will deny
that they
are sad and do not recognize their tears at all. Still others will
maintain
that what we speak of is illusion, not to be considered more than but a
dream.
Yet who in simple honesty, without defensiveness and self-deception,
would deny
he/she understands the words we speak?
3
We speak today for
everyone who walks this world, for he/she is not at home. He/she goes
uncertainly about in endless search, seeking in darkness what he/she
cannot
find, not recognizing what it is he/she seeks. A thousand homes he/she
makes,
yet none contents his/her restless mind. He/she does not understand
he/she
builds in vain. The home he/she seeks can not be made by him/her. There
is no
substitute for the God Realm. All he/she ever made was hell.
4
Perhaps you think
it is your childhood home that you would find again. The childhood of
your body
and its place of shelter are a memory now so distorted that you merely
hold a
picture of a past that never happened. Yet there is a Child in you who
seeks
hisher Father’sMother's house and knows that heshe is alien here. This
Childhood is eternal, with an innocence that will endure forever. Where
this
Child shall go is holy ground. It is hisher holiness that lights up the
God
Realm and that brings to earth the pure reflection of the light above,
wherein
are earth and the God Realm joined as one.
5
It is this Child in
you your FatherMother knows as HisHer own SonDaughter. It is this Child
who
knows hisher FatherMother. Heshe desires to go home so deeply, so
unceasingly,
hisher voice cries unto you to let himher rest a while. Heshe does not
ask for
more than just a few instants of respite—just an interval in which heshe
can
return to breathe again the holy air that fills hisher Father’sMother's
house.
You are hisher home as well. Heshe will return. But give himher just a
little
time to be himselfherself within the peace that is hisher home, resting
in
silence and in peace and love.
6
This Child needs
your protection. Heshe is far from home. Heshe is so little that heshe
seems so
easily shut out, hisher tiny Voice so readily obscured, hisher calls for
help
almost unheard amid the grating sounds and harsh and rasping noises of
the
world. Yet does heshe know that in you still abides hisher sure
protection. You
will fail himher not. Heshe will go home, and you along with himher.
7
This Child is your
defenselessness, your strength. Heshe trusts in you. Heshe came because
heshe
knew you would not fail. Heshe whispers of hisher home unceasingly to
you. For
heshe would bring you back with himher, that heshe himselfherself might
stay
and not return again where heshe does not belong and where heshe lives
an
outcast in a world of alien thoughts. Hisher patience has no limits.
Heshe will
wait until you hear hisher gentle Voice within you, calling you to let
himher
go in peace along with you to where heshe is at home and you with
himher.
8
When you are still
an instant, when the world recedes from you, when valueless ideas cease
to have
value in your restless mind, then will you hear hisher Voice. So
poignantly
heshe calls to you that you will not resist himher longer. In that
instant,
heshe will take you to hisher home, and you will stay with himher in
perfect
stillness, silent and at peace, beyond all words, untouched by fear and
doubt,
that you are at home.
9
Rest with himher
frequently today. For heshe was willing to become a little child that
you might
learn of himher how strong is heshe who comes without defenses, offering
only
love's messages to those who think heshe is their enemy. Heshe holds the
might
of the God Realm in hisher hand and calls them friend, and gives hisher
strength to them that they may see heshe would be friend to them. Heshe
asks
but they protect himher, for hisher home is far away, and heshe will not
return
to it alone.
10
The Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is reborn as but a little Child
each time
a wanderer would leave his/her home. For heshe must learn that what
heshe would
protect is but this Child, who comes defenseless and who is protected by
defenselessness. Go home with himher from time to time today. You are as
much
an alien here as heshe.
11
Take time today to
lay aside your shield which profits nothing and lay down the spear and
sword
you raised against an enemy without existence. The Christ
Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness has called you friend and brother/sister. She has
even come
to you to ask your help in letting Her go home completed and completely.
She
has come as does a little child who must beseech his/her fathermother
for
protection and for love. She rules the universe, and yet She asks
unceasingly
that you return with Her and take illusions as your gods no more.
12
You have not lost
your innocence. It is for this you yearn. This is your heart's desire.
This is
the Voice you hear, and this the call which cannot be denied. The holy
Child
remains with you. Hisher home is yours. Today heshe gives you hisher
defenselessness, and you accept it in exchange for all the toys of
battle you
have made. And now the way is open, and the journey has an end in sight
at
last. Be still a moment and go home with himher, and be at peace a
while.
1
God's Name is holy,
but no holier than yours. To call upon HisHer Name is but to call upon
your
own. A father/mother gives his/her son/daughter his/her name, and thus
identifies the son/daughter with him/her. His/her brothers/sisters share
his/her name, and thus are they united in a bond to which they turn for
their
identity. Your Father’sMother's Name reminds you who you are, even
within a
world that does not know; even though you have not remembered it.
2
God's Name cannot
be heard without response, nor said without an echo in the mind which
calls you
to remember. Say HisHer Name, and you invite the angels to surround the
ground
on which you stand and sing to you as they spread out their wings to
keep you safe
and shelter you from every worldly thought that would intrude upon your
holiness.
3
Repeat God's Name
and all the world responds by laying down illusions. Every dream the
world
holds dear has suddenly gone by, and where it seemed to stand you find a
star;
a miracle of grace. The sick arise, healed of their sickly thoughts. The
blind
can see; the deaf can hear; the sorrowful cast off their mourning, and
the
tears of pain are dried as happy laughter comes to bless the world.
4
Repeat the Name of
God and little names have lost their meaning. No temptation but becomes
a
nameless and unwanted thing before God's Name. Repeat HisHer Name and
see how
easily you will forget the names of all the gods you value. They have
lost the
name of god you gave them. They become anonymous and valueless to you,
although
before you let the Name of God replace their little names, you stood
before
them worshipfully, naming them as gods.
5
Repeat the Name of
God and call upon your Self, Whose Name is HisHers. Repeat HisHer Name
and all
the tiny, nameless things on earth slip into right perspective. Those
who call
upon the Name of God cannot mistake the nameless for the Name, nor sin
for
grace, nor bodies for the holy SonDaughter of God.
6
And should you join
a brother/sister as you sit with him/her in silence and repeat God's
Name along
with him/her within your quiet minds, you have established there an
altar which
reaches to God HimHerself and to HisHer SonDaughter. Practice but this
today;
repeat God's Name slowly again and still again. Become oblivious to
every name
but His.
7
Hear nothing else.
Let all your thoughts become anchored on this. No other words we use
except at
the beginning, when we say today's idea but once. And then God's Name
becomes
our only thought, our only word, the only thing that occupies our minds,
the
only wish we have, the only sound with any meaning, and the only name of
everything that we desire to see; of everything that we would call our
own.
8
Thus do we give an
invitation which can never be refused. And God will come and answer it
HimHerself. Think not HeShe hears the little prayers of those who call
on
HimHer with names of idols/idolresses cherished by the world. They
cannot reach
HimHer thus. HeShe cannot hear requests that HeShe be not HimHerself or
that
HisHer SonDaughter receive another name than HisHers.
9
Repeat HisHer Name,
and you acknowledge HimHer as sole CreatorManifestor of reality. And you
acknowledge also that HisHer SonDaughter is part of HimHer,
creatingmanifesting
in HisHer Name. Sit silently, and let HisHer Name become the
all-encompassing
idea which holds your mind completely. Let all thoughts be still except
this
one. And to all other thoughts respond with this, and see God's Name
replace
the thousand little names you gave your thoughts, not realizing that
there is
One Name for all there is and all that there will be.
10
Today you can
achieve a state in which you will experience the gifts of grace. You can
escape
all bondage of the world and give the world the same release you found.
You can
remember what the world forgot and offer it your own remembering. You
can
accept today the part you play in its salvation and your own as well,
and both
can be accomplished perfectly.
11
Turn to the Name of
God for your release, and it is given you. No prayer but this is
necessary, for
it holds them all within it. Words are insignificant and all requests
unneeded
when God’s SonDaughter calls on hisher Father’sMother's Name. Hisher
Father’sMother's Thoughts become hisher own. Heshe makes hisher claim to
all
hisher FatherMother gave, is giving still, and will forever give. Heshe
calls
on HimHer to let all things heshe thought heshe made be nameless now,
and in
their place the holy Name of God becomes hisher judgment of their
worthlessness.
12
All little things
are silent. Little sounds are soundless now. The little things of earth
have
disappeared. The universe consists of nothing but the SonDaughter of God
who
calls upon hisher FatherMother. And hisher Father’sMother’s Voice gives
answer
in hisher Father’sMother's holy Name. In this eternal, still
relationship, in
which communication far transcends all words and yet exceeds in depth
and
height whatever words could possibly convey, is peace eternal. In our
Father’sMother's Name, we would experience this peace today. And in
HisHer Name
it shall be given us.
1
You live by
symbols. You have made up names for everything you see. Each one becomes
a
separate entity, identified by its own name. By this you carve it out of
unity.
By this you designate its special attributes and set it off from other
things
by emphasizing space surrounding it. This space you lay between all
things to
which you give a different name—all happenings in terms of place and
time, all
bodies which are greeted by a name.
2
This space you see
as setting off all things from one another is the means by which the
world's
perception is achieved. You see something where nothing is and see as
well
nothing where there is unity—a space between all things, between all
things and
you. Thus do you think that you have given life in separation. By this
split
you think you are established as a unity which functions with an
independent
will.
3
What are these
names by which the world becomes a series of discrete events, of things
un-unified, of bodies kept apart and holding bits of mind as separate
awarenesses? You gave these names to them, establishing perception as
you
wished to have perception be. The nameless things were given names and
thus
reality was given them as well. For what is named is given meaning and
will
then be seen as meaningful, a cause of true effects with consequence
inherent
in itself.
4
This is the way
reality is made by partial vision, purposefully set against the given
truth.
Its enemy is wholeness. It conceives of little things and looks upon
them. And
a lack of space, a sense of unity or vision which sees differently
become the
threats which it must overcome, conflict with, and deny.
5
Yet does this other
vision still remain a natural direction for the mind to channel its
perception.
It is hard to teach the mind a thousand alien names and thousands more.
Yet you
believe this is what learning means—its one essential goal by which
communication is achieved and concepts can be meaningfully shared.
6
This is the sum of
the inheritance the world bestows. And everyone who learns to think that
it is
so accepts the signs and symbols which assert the world is real. It is
for this
they stand. They leave no doubt that what is named is there. It can be
seen, as
is anticipated. What denies that it is true is but illusion, for it is
the
ultimate reality. To question it is madness; to accept its presence is
the
proof of sanity.
7
Such is the
teaching of the world. It is a phase of learning everyone who comes must
go
through. But the sooner he/she perceives on what it rests, how
questionable are
its premises, how doubtful its results, the sooner does he/she question
its
effects. Learning which stops with what the world would teach stops
short of
meaning. In its proper place, it serves but as a starting point from
which
another kind of learning can begin, a new perception can be gained, and
all the
arbitrary names the world bestows can be withdrawn as they are raised to
doubt.
8
Think not you made
the world. Illusions, yes! But what is true in earth and the God Realm
is
beyond your naming. When you call upon a brother/sister, it is to
his/her body
that you make appeal. His/her true identity is hidden from you by what
you
believe he/she really is. His/her body makes response to what you call
him/her,
for his/her mind consents to take the name you give him/her as his/her
own. And
thus his/her unity is twice denied, for you perceive him/her separate
from you,
and he/she accepts this separate name as his/hers.
9
It would indeed be
strange if you were asked to go beyond all symbols of the world,
forgetting
them forever; yet were asked to take a teaching function. You have need
to use
the symbols of the world a while. But be you not deceived by them as
well. They
do not stand for anything at all, and in your practicing, it is this
thought
that will release you from them. They become but means by which you can
communicate in ways the world can understand, but which you recognize is
not the
unity where true communication can be found.
10
Thus what you need
are intervals each day in which the learning of the world becomes a
transitory
phase—a prison house from which you go into the sunlight and forget the
darkness. Here you understand the Word, the Name Which God has given
you; the
One Identity Which all things share; the one acknowledgment of what is
true.
And then step back to darkness, not because you think it real, but only
to
proclaim its unreality in terms which still have meaning in the world
which
darkness rules.
11
Use all the little
names and symbols which delineate the world of darkness. Yet accept them
not as
your reality. The Holy Spirit uses all of them, but She does not forget
creationmanifestation has One Name, One Meaning, and a single Source
Which
unifies all things within Itself. Use all the names the world bestows on
them
but for convenience, yet do not forget they share the Name of God along
with
you.
12
God has no name.
And yet HisHer Name becomes the final lesson that all things are one,
and at
this lesson does all learning end. All names are unified; all space is
filled
with truth's reflection. Every gap is closed and separation healed. The
Name of
God is the inheritance HeShe gave to those who chose the teaching of the
world
to take the place of the God Realm. In our practicing, our purpose is to
let
our minds accept what HeShe has given as the answer to the pitiful
inheritance
you made as fitting tribute to the SonDaughter HeShe loves.
13
No one can fail who
seeks the meaning of the Name of God. Experience must come to supplement
the
Word. But first you must accept One Name for all reality, and realize
the many
names you gave its aspects have distorted what you see but have not
interfered
with truth at all. One Name we bring into our practicing. One Name we
use to
unify our sight.
14
And though we use a
different name for each awareness of an aspect of God’s SonDaughter, we
understand that they have but One Name, Which HeShe has given them. It
is this
Name we use in practicing. And through Its use, all foolish separations
disappear which kept us blind. And we are given strength to see beyond
them.
Now our sight is blessed with blessings we can give as we receive.
1
To say these words
is nothing. But to mean these words is everything. If you could but mean
them
for just an instant, there would be no further sorrow possible for you
in any
form, in any place or time. The God Realm would be completely given back
to
full awareness, memory of God entirely restored, the resurrection of all
creationmanifestation fully recognized.
2
No one can mean
these words and not be healed. He/she cannot play with dreams nor think
he/she
is himself/herself a dream. He/she cannot make a hell and think it real.
HeShe
wants the peace of God, and it is given him. For that is all he/she
wants, and
that is all he/she will receive. Many have said these words. But few
indeed
have meant them. You have but to look upon the world you see around you
to be
sure how very few they are. The world would be completely changed should
any
two agree these words express the only thing they want.
3
Two minds with one
intent become so strong that what they will becomes the Will of God. For
minds
can only join in truth. In dreams no two can share the same intent. To
each the
hero of the dream is different—the outcome wanted not the same for both.
Loser
and gainer merely shift about in changing patterns, as the ratio of gain
to loss
and loss to gain takes on a different aspect of another form.
4
Yet compromise
alone a dream can bring. Sometimes it takes the form of union, but only
the
form. The meaning must escape the dream, for compromising is the goal of
dreaming. Minds cannot unite in dreams. They merely bargain. And what
bargain
can give them the peace of God? Illusions come to take HisHer place. And
what
HeShe means is lost to sleeping minds intent on compromise, each to
his/her
gain and to another's loss.
5
To mean you want the
peace of God is to renounce all dreams. For no one means these words who
wants
illusions and who therefore seeks the means which bring illusions.
He/she has
looked on them and found them wanting. Now he/she seeks to go beyond
them,
recognizing that another dream would offer nothing more than all the
others.
Dreams are one to him/her. And he/she has learned their only difference
is one
of form, for one will bring the same despair and misery as do the rest.
6
The mind which
means that all it wants is peace must join with other minds, for that is
how
peace is obtained. And when the wish for peace is genuine, the means for
finding it are given in a form each mind which seeks for it in honesty
can
understand. Whatever form the lesson takes is planned for him/her in
such a way
that he/she can not mistake it if his/her asking is sincere. And if
he/she asks
without sincerity, there is no form in which the lesson will meet with
acceptance and be truly learned.
7
Let us today devote
our practicing to recognizing that we really mean the words we say. We
want the
peace of God. This is no idle wish. These words do not request another
dream be
given us. They do not ask for compromise nor try to make another bargain
in the
hope that there may yet be one which can succeed where all the rest have
failed. To mean these words acknowledges illusions are in vain,
requesting the
eternal in the place of shifting dreams which seem to change in what
they
offer, but are one in nothingness.
8
Today devote your
practice periods to careful searching of your mind to find the dreams
you
cherish still. What do you ask for in your heart? Forget the words you
use in
making your requests. Consider but what you believe will comfort you and
bring
you happiness. But be you not dismayed by lingering illusions, for their
form
is not what matters now. Let not some dreams be more acceptable,
reserving
shame and secrecy for others. They are one.
9
And being one, one
question should be asked of all of them: "Is this what I would have, in
place of the God Realm and the peace of God?" This is the choice you
make.
Be not deceived that it is otherwise. No compromise is possible in this.
You
choose God's peace, or you have asked for dreams. And dreams will come
as you
requested them. Yet will God's peace come just as certainly and to
remain with
you forever. It will not be gone with every twist and turning of the
road to
reappear unrecognized in forms which shift and change with every step
you take.
10
You want the peace
of God. And so do all who seem to seek for dreams. For them as well as
for
yourself you ask but this when you make this request with deep
sincerity. For
thus you reach to what they really want and join your own intent with
what they
seek above all things, perhaps unknown to them, but sure to you. You
have been
weak at times, uncertain in your purpose and unsure of what you wanted,
where
to look for it, and where to turn for help in the attempt. Help has been
given
you. And would you not avail yourself of it by sharing it?
11
No one who truly seeks
the peace of God can fail to find it. For he/she merely asks that he/she
deceive himself/herself no longer by denying to himself/herself what is
God's
Will. Who can remain unsatisfied who asks for what he/she has already?
Who
could be unanswered who requests an answer which is his/her to give? The
peace
of God is yours.
12
For you it was
createdmanifested, given you by its CreatorManifestor and established as
HisHer
own eternal gift. How can you fail when you but ask for what HeShe wills
for
you? And how could your request be limited to you alone? No gift of God
can be
unshared. It is this attribute that sets the gifts of God apart from
every
dream that ever seemed to take the place of truth.
13
No one can lose and
everyone must gain whenever any gift of God has been requested and
received by
anyone. God gives but to unite. To take away is meaningless to HimHer.
And when
it is as meaningless to you, you can be sure you share one Will with
HimHer,
and HeShe with you. And you will also know you share one Will with all
your
brothers/sisters, whose intent is yours.
14
It is this one
intent we seek today, uniting our desires with the need of every heart,
the
call of every mind, the hope that lies beyond despair, the love attack
would
hide, the brotherhood/sisterhood that hate has sought to sever, but
which still
remains as God createdmanifested it. With help like this beside us, can
we fail
today as we request the peace of God be given us?
1
Here is the
statement that will one day take all arrogance away from every mind.
Here is
the thought of true humility which holds no function as your own but
that which
has been given you. It offers your acceptance of a part assigned to you,
without insisting on another role. It does not judge your proper role.
It but
acknowledges the Will of God is done on earth as well as the God Realm.
It
unites all wills on earth in the God Realm's plan to save the world,
restoring
it to the God Realm's peace.
2
Let us not fight
our function. We did not establish it. It is not our idea. The means are
given
us by which it will be perfectly accomplished. All that we are asked to
do is
to accept our part in genuine humility and not deny with self-deceiving
arrogance that we are worthy. What is given us to do we have the
strength to
do. Our minds are suited perfectly to take the part assigned to us by
One Who
knows us well.
3
Today's idea may
seem quite sobering until you see its meaning. All it says is that your
FatherMother still remembers you and offers you the perfect trust HeShe
holds
in you who are HisHer SonDaughter. It does not ask that you be different
in any
way from what you are. What could humility request but this? And what
could
arrogance deny but this? Today we will not shrink from our assignment on
the
specious grounds that modesty is outraged. It is pride that would deny
the call
of God HimHerself.
4
All false humility
we lay aside today that we may listen to God's Voice reveal to us what
HeShe
would have us do. We do not doubt our adequacy for the function HeShe
will
offer us. We will be certain only that HeShe knows our strengths, our
wisdom,
and our holiness. And if HeShe deems us worthy, so we are. It is but
arrogance
that judges otherwise.
5
There is one way
and only one to be released from the imprisonment your plan to prove the
false
is true has brought to you. Accept the plan you did not make instead.
Judge not
your value to it. If God's Voice assures you that salvation needs your
part and
that the whole depends on you, be sure that it is so. The arrogant must
cling
to words, afraid to go beyond them to experience which might affront
their
stance. Yet are the humble free to hear the Voice which tells them what
they
are and what to do.
6
Arrogance makes an
image of yourself that is not real. It is this image which quails and
retreats
in terror as the Voice for God assures you that you have the strength,
the
wisdom, and the holiness to go beyond all images. You are not weak, as
is the
image of yourself. You are not ignorant and helpless. Sin can not
tarnish the
truth in you, and misery can come not near the holy home of God.
7
All this the Voice
for God relates to you. And as She speaks, the image trembles and seeks
to
attack the threat it does not know, sensing its basis crumble. Let it
go.
Salvation of the world depends on you and not upon this little pile of
dust.
What can it tell the holy SonDaughter of God? Why need heshe be
concerned with
it at all?
8
And so we find our
peace. We will accept the function God has given us, for all illusions
rest
upon the weird belief that we can make another for ourselves. Our
self-made
roles are shifting, and they seem to change from mourner to ecstatic
bliss of
loved and loving. We can laugh or weep and greet the day with welcome or
with
tears. Our very being seems to change as we experience a thousand shifts
in
mood, and our emotions raise us high indeed or dash us to the ground in
hopelessness.
9
Is this the
SonDaughter of God? Could heshe createmanifest such instability and call
it
SonDaughter? HeShe Who is changeless shares HisHer attributes with
HisHer
creationmanifestation. All the images HisHer SonDaughter appears to make
have
no effect on what HeShe is. They blow across HisHer mind like windswept
leaves
that form a patterning an instant, break apart to group again, and
scamper off.
Or like mirages seen above a desert, rising from the dust.
10
These unsubstantial
images will go and leave your mind unclouded and serene when you accept
the
function given you. The images you make give rise to but conflicting
goals,
impermanent and vague, uncertain and ambiguous. Who could be constant in
his/her efforts or direct his/her energies and concentrated drive toward
goals
like these? The functions which the world esteems are so uncertain that
they
change ten times an hour at their most secure. What hope of gain can
rest on
goals like this?
11
In lovely contrast,
certain as the sun's return each morning to dispel the night, your truly
given
function stands out clear and wholly unambiguous. There is no doubt of
its
validity. It comes from One Who knows no error. And HisHer Voice is
certain of
its messages. They will not change nor be in conflict. All of them point
to one
goal, and one you can attain. Your plan may be impossible, but God's can
never
fail because HeShe is its Source.
12
Do as HisHer Voice
directs. And if it asks a thing of you that seems impossible, remember
Who it
is that asks and who would make denial. Then consider this—which is more
likely
to be right? The Voice that speaks for the CreatorManifestor of all
things Who
knows all things exactly as they are, or a distorted image of yourself,
confused, bewildered, inconsistent and unsure of everything? Let not its
voice
direct you. Hear instead a certain Voice Which tells you of a function
given
you by your CreatorManifestor, Who remembers you and urges that you now
remember HimHer.
13
HisHer gentle Voice
is calling from the known to the unknowing. HeShe would comfort you,
although
HeShe knows no sorrow. HeShe would make a restitution, though HeShe is
complete; a gift to you, although HeShe knows that you have everything
already.
HeShe has Thoughts which answer every need HisHer SonDaughter perceives,
although HeShe sees them not. For Love must give, and what is given in
HisHer
Name takes on the form most useful in a world of form.
14
These are the forms
which never can deceive, although they come from Formlessness Itself.
Forgiveness is an earthly form of love which as it is in the God Realm
has no
form. Yet what is needed here is given here as it is needed. In this
form, you
can fulfil your function even here, although what love will mean to you
when
formlessness has been restored to you is greater still. Salvation of the
world
depends on you who can forgive. Such is your function here.
1
No one can give
unless he/she has. In fact, giving is proof of having. We have made this
point
before. What seems to make it hard to credit is not this. No one can
doubt that
you must first possess what you would give. It is the second phase on
which the
world and true perception differ. Having had and given, then the world
asserts
that you have lost what you possessed. The truth maintains that giving
will
increase what you possess.
2
How is this
possible? For it is sure that if you give a finite thing away, your
body's eyes
will not perceive it yours. Yet we have learned that things but
represent the
thoughts that make them. And you do not lack for proof that when you
give ideas
away, you strengthen them in your own mind. Perhaps the form in which
the
thought seems to appear is changed in giving. Yet it must return to
him/her who
gives. Nor can the form it takes be less acceptable. It must be more.
3
Ideas must first
belong to you before you give them. If you are to save the world, you
first
accept salvation for yourself. But you will not believe that this is
done until
you see the miracles it brings to everyone you look upon. Herein is the
idea of
giving clarified and given meaning. Now you can perceive that by your
giving is
your store increased.
4
Protect all things
you value by the act of giving them away, and you are sure that you will
never
lose them. What you thought you did not have is thereby proven yours.
Yet value
not its form. For this will change and grow unrecognizable in time,
however
much you try to keep it safe. No form endures. It is the thought behind
the
form of things that lives unchangeable.
5
Give gladly. You
can only gain thereby. The thought remains and grows in strength as it
is
reinforced by giving. Thoughts extend as they are shared, for they
cannot be
lost. There is no giver and receiver in the sense the world conceives of
them.
There is a giver who retains, another who will give as well. And both
must gain
in this exchange, for each will have the thought in form most helpful to
him/her. What he/she seems to lose is always something he/she will value
less
than what will surely be returned to him/her.
6
Never forget you
give but to yourself. Who understands what giving means must laugh at
the idea
of sacrifice. Nor can he/she fail to recognize the many forms which
sacrifice
may take. He/she laughs as well at pain and loss, at sickness and at
grief, at
poverty, starvation and at death. He/she recognizes sacrifice remains
the one
idea that stands behind them all, and in his/her gentle laughter are
they
healed.
7
Illusions
recognized must disappear. Accept not suffering, and you remove the
thought of
suffering. Your blessing lies on everyone who suffers when you choose to
see
all suffering as what it is. The thought of sacrifice gives rise to all
the
forms that suffering appears to take. And sacrifice is an idea so mad
that
sanity dismisses it at once.
8
Never believe that
you can sacrifice. There is no place for sacrifice in what has any
value. If
the thought occurs, its very presence proves that error has arisen and
correction must be made. Your blessing will correct it. Given first to
you, it
now is yours to give as well. No form of sacrifice and suffering can
long
endure before the face of one who has forgiven and has blessed
himself/herself.
9
The lilies that
your brother/sister offers you are laid upon your altar, with the ones
you
offer him/her beside them. Who could fear to look upon such lovely
holiness?
The great illusion of the fear of God diminishes to nothingness before
the
purity that you will look on here. Be not afraid to look. The
blessedness you
will behold will take away all thought of form, and leave instead the
perfect
gift forever there, forever to increase, forever yours, forever given
away.
10
Now are we one in
thought, for fear has gone. And here, before the altar to one God, one
FatherMother, one CreatorManifestor and one Thought, we stand together
as one
SonDaughter of God. Not separate from HimHer Who is our Source; not
distant
from one brother/sister who is part of our One Self Whose innocence has
joined
us all as one, we stand in blessedness and give as we receive. The Name
of God
is on our lips. And as we look within, we see the purity of the God
Realm shine
in our reflection of our Father’sMother’s Love.
11
Now are we blessed,
and now we bless the world. What we have looked upon we would extend,
for we
would see it everywhere. We would behold it shining with the grace of
God in
everyone. We would not have it be withheld from anything we look upon.
And to
ensure this holy sight is ours, we offer it to everything we see. For
where we
see it, it will be returned to us in form of lilies we can lay upon our
altar,
making it a home for Innocence Itself, Who dwells in us and offers us
HisHer
Holiness as ours.
1
Why wait for the
God Realm? Those who seek the light are merely covering their eyes. The
light
is in them now. Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.
Light
is not of the world, yet you who bear the light in you are alien here as
well.
The light came with you from your native home and stayed with you
because it is
your own. It is the only thing you bring with you from HimHer Who is
your
Source. It shines in you because it lights your home and leads you back
to
where it came from and you are at home.
2
This light cannot
be lost. Why wait to find it in the future or believe it has been lost
already
or was never there? It can so easily be looked upon that arguments which
prove
it is not there become ridiculous. Who can deny the presence of what
he/she
beholds in him/her? It is not difficult to look within, for there all
vision
starts. There is no sight, be it of dreams or from a truer source, that
is not
but the shadow of the seen through inward vision. There perception
starts, and
there it ends. It has no source but this.
3
The peace of God is
shining in you now and from your heart extends around the world. It
pauses to
caress each living thing and leave a blessing with it which remains
forever and
forever. What it gives must be eternal. It removes all thoughts of the
ephemeral and valueless. It brings renewal to all tired hearts and
lights all
vision as it passes by. All of its gifts are given everyone, and
everyone
unites in giving thanks to you who give and you who have received.
4
The shining in your
mind reminds the world of what it has forgotten, and the world restores
the
memory to you as well. From you salvation radiates with gifts beyond all
measure, given and returned. To you, the giver of the gift, does God
HimHerself
give thanks. And in HisHer blessing does the light in you shine
brighter,
adding to the gifts you have to offer to the world.
5
The peace of God
can never be contained. Who recognizes it within himself/herself must
give it.
And the means for giving it are in his/her understanding. He/she
forgives
because he/she recognized the truth in him/her. The peace of God is
shining in
you now and in all living things. In quietness is it acknowledged
universally.
For what your inward vision looks upon is your perception of the
universe.
6
Sit quietly and
close your eyes. The light within you is sufficient. It alone has power
to give
the gift of sight to you. Exclude the outer world and let your thoughts
fly to
the peace within. They know the way. For honest thoughts, untainted by
the
dream of worldly things outside yourself, become the holy messengers of
God HimHerself.
These thoughts you think with HimHer. They recognize their home. And
they point
surely to their Source where God the FatherMother and the SonDaughter
are one.
7
God's peace is
shining on them, but they must remain with you as well, for they were
born
within your mind as yours was born in God's. They lead you back to peace
from
where they came but to remind you how you must return. They heed your
Father’sMother’s Voice when you refuse to listen. And they urge you
gently to
accept Her Word for what you are instead of fantasies and shadows. They
remind
you that you are the cocreatorcomanifestor of all things that live. For
as the
peace of God is shining in you, it must shine on them.
8
We practice coming
nearer to the light in us today. We take our wandering thoughts and
gently
bring them back to where they fall in line with all the thoughts we
share with
God. We will not let them stray. We let the light within our minds
direct them
to come home. We have betrayed them, ordering that they depart from us.
But now
we call them back and wash them clean of strange desires and disordered
wishes.
We restore to them the holiness of their inheritance.
9
Thus are our minds
restored with them, and we acknowledge that the peace of God still
shines in us
and from us to all living things that share our life. We will forgive
them all,
absolving all the world of what we thought it did to us. For it is we
who make
the world as we would have it. Now we choose that it be innocent, devoid
of
sin, and open to salvation. And we lay our saving blessing on it as we
say:
1
There is a light in
you the world can not perceive. And with its eyes you will not see this
light,
for you are blinded by the world. Yet you have eyes to see it. It is
there for
you to look upon. It was not placed in you to be kept hidden from your
sight.
This light is a reflection of the thought we practice now. To feel the
Love of
God within you is to see the world anew, shining in innocence, alive
with hope,
and blessed with perfect charity and love.
2
Who could feel fear
in such a world as this? It welcomes you, rejoices that you came, and
sings
your praises as it keeps you safe from every form of danger and of pain.
It
offers you a warm and gentle home in which to stay a while. It blesses
you
throughout the day and watches through the night as silent guardian of
your
holy sleep. It sees salvation in you and protects the light in you in
which it
sees its own. It offers you its flowers and its snow in thankfulness for
your benevolence.
3
This is the world
the Love of God reveals. It is so different from the world you see
through
darkened eyes of malice and of fear that one belies the other. Only one
can be
perceived at all. The other one is wholly meaningless. A world in which
forgiveness shines on everything and peace offers its gentle light to
everyone
is inconceivable to those who see a world of hatred, rising from attack,
poised
to avenge, to murder and destroy.
4
Yet is the world of
hatred equally unseen and inconceivable to those who feel God's Love in
them.
Their world reflects the quietness and peace that shines in them, the
gentleness and innocence they see surrounding them, the joy with which
they
look out from the endless wells of joy within. What they have felt in
them they
look upon and see its sure reflection everywhere.
5
What would you see?
The choice is given you. But learn and do not let your mind forget this
law of
seeing: you will look upon that which you feel within. If hatred finds a
place
within your heart, you will perceive a fearful world, held cruelly in
death's
sharp-pointed, bony fingers. If you feel the Love of God within you, you
look
out upon a world of mercy and of love.
6
Today we pass
illusions as we seek to reach to what is true in us and feel Its
all-embracing
tenderness, Its Love Which knows us perfect as Itself, Its sight which
is the
gift Its Love bestows on us. We learn the way today. It is as sure as
Love
Itself, to Which it carries us. For its simplicity avoids the snares the
foolish convolutions of the world's apparent reasoning but serve to
hide.
7
Simply do this: be
still and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is, all
concepts
you have learned about the world, all images you hold about yourself.
Empty
your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false or good or
bad, of
every thought it judges worthy and all the ideas of which it is ashamed.
Hold
onto nothing. Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught nor
one
belief you ever learned before from anything. Forget this world, forget
this
course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.
8
Is it not HeShe Who
knows the way to you? You need not know the way to HimHer. Your part is
simply
to allow all obstacles that you have interposed between the SonDaughter
and God
the FatherMother to be quietly removed forever. God will do HisHer part
in
joyful and immediate response. Ask and receive. But do not make demands
nor
point the road to God by which HeShe should appear to you. The way to
reach
HimHer is merely to let HimHer be. For in that way is your reality
acclaimed as
well.
9
And so today we do
not choose the way in which we go to HimHer. But we do choose to let
HimHer
come. And with this choice we rest. And in our quiet hearts and open
minds
HisHer Love will blaze its pathway of itself. What has not been denied
is
surely there if it be true, and can be surely reached. God knows HisHer
SonDaughter and knows the way to himher. HeShe does not need HisHer
SonDaughter
to show HimHer how to find HisHer way. Through every opened door HisHer
Love
shines outward from its home within and lightens up the world in
innocence.
1
Pain is a wrong
perspective. When it is experienced in any form, it is a proof of
self-deception. It is not a fact at all. There is no form it takes which
will
not disappear if seen aright. For pain proclaims God cruel. How could it
be
real in any form? It witnesses to God the Father’sMother’s hatred of
HisHer
SonDaughter, the sinfulness HeShe sees in him/her, and HisHer insane
desire for
revenge and death. Can such projections be attested to? Can they be
anything
but wholly false?
2
Pain is but witness
to the Son’sDaughter’s mistakes in what heshe thinks heshe is. It is a
dream of
fierce retaliation for a crime that could not be committed, for attack
on what
is wholly unassailable. It is a nightmare of abandonment by an eternal
Love
which could not leave the SonDaughter whom it createdmanifested out of
love.
3
Pain is a sign
illusions reign in place of truth. It demonstrates God is denied,
confused with
fear, perceived as mad, and seen as traitor to HimHerself. If God is
real,
there is no pain. If pain is real, there is no God. For vengeance is not
part
of love. And fear, denying love and using pain to prove that God is
dead, has
shown that death is victor over life. The body is the SonDaughter of
God,
corruptible in death, as mortal as the FatherMother heshe has slain.
4
Peace to such
foolishness! The time has come to laugh at such insane ideas. There is
no need
to think of them as savage crimes or secret sins with weighty
consequence. Who
but a madman/madwoman could conceive of them as cause of anything? Their
witness, pain, is mad as they and no more to be feared than the insane
illusions which it shields and tries to demonstrate must still be true.
5
It is your thoughts
alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or
injure you
in any way. There is no cause beyond yourself that can reach down and
bring
oppression. No one but yourself affects you. There is nothing in the
world
which has the power to make you ill or sad or weak or frail. But it is
you who
have the power to dominate all things you see by merely recognizing what
you
are. As you perceive the harmlessness in them, they will accept your
holy will
as theirs. And what was seen as fearful now becomes a source of
innocence and
holiness.
6
My holy
brothers/sisters, think of this awhile—the world you see does nothing.
It has
no effects at all. It merely represents your thoughts. And it will
change
entirely as you elect to change your mind and choose the joy of God as
what you
really want. Your Self is radiant in this holy joy, unchanged,
unchanging, and
unchangeable forever and forever. And would you deny a little corner of
your
mind its own inheritance and keep it as a hospital for pain, a sickly
place
where living things must come at last to die?
7
The world may seem
to cause you pain. And yet the world, as causeless, has no power to
cause. As
an effect, it cannot make effects. As an illusion it is what you will.
Your
idle wishes represent its pains. Your strange desires bring it evil
dreams.
Your thoughts of death envelop it in fear, while in your kind
forgiveness does
it live.
8
Pain is the thought
of evil taking form and working havoc in your holy mind. Pain is the
ransom you
have gladly paid not to be free. In pain is God denied the SonDaughter
HeShe
loves. In pain does fear appear to triumph over love and time replace
eternity
and the God Realm. And the world becomes a cruel and a bitter place,
where
sorrow rules and little joys give way before the onslaught of the savage
pain
that waits to end all joy in misery.
9
Lay down your arms
and come without defense into the quiet place where the God Realm's
peace holds
all things still at last. Lay down all thoughts of danger and of fear.
Let no
attack enter with you. Lay down the cruel sword of judgment that you
hold
against your throat, and put aside the withering assaults with which you
seek
to hide your holiness. Here will you understand there is no pain. Here
does the
joy of God belong to you.
10
This is the day
when it is given you to realize the lesson which contains all of
salvation's
power. It is this: pain is illusion; joy reality. Pain is but sleep; joy
is
awakening. Pain is deception; joy alone is truth.
11
And so again we
make the only choice that ever can be made—we choose between illusions
and the
truth, or pain and joy, or hell and God Realm. Let our gratitude unto
our
Teacheress fill our hearts as we are free to choose our joy instead of
pain,
our holiness in place of sin, the peace of God instead of conflict, and
the
light of the God Realm for the darkness of the world.
1
Here is your
declaration of release from bondage of the world. And here as well is
all the
world released. You do not see what you have done by giving to the world
the
role of jailer to the SonDaughter of God. What could it be but vicious
and
afraid, fearful of shadows, punitive and wild, lacking all reason,
blind,
insane, and sad?
2
What have you done
that this should be your world? What have you done that this is what you
see?
Deny your own identity, and this is what remains. You look on chaos and
proclaim
it as yourself. There is no sight that fails to witness this to you.
There is
no sound that does not speak of frailty within you and without, no
breath you
draw that does not seem to bring you nearer death, no hope you hold but
will
dissolve in tears.
3
Deny your own
identity, and you will not escape the madness which induced this weird,
unnatural, and ghostly thought which mocks creationmanifestation and
which
laughs at God. Deny your own identity, and you assail the universe
alone,
without a friend, a tiny particle of dust against the legions of your
enemies.
Deny your own identity and look on evil, sin, and death. And watch
despair
snatch from your fingers every scrap of hope, leaving you nothing but
the wish
to die.
4
Yet what is it
except a game you play in which identity can be denied? You are as God
createdmanifested you. All else but this one thing is folly to believe.
In this
one thought is everything set free. In this one truth are all illusions
gone.
In this one fact is sinlessness proclaimed to be forever part of
everything,
the central core of its existence, and its guarantee of immortality.
5
But let today's
idea find a place among your thoughts, and you have risen far above the
world
and all the worldly thoughts that hold it prisoner. And from this place
of
safety and escape, you will return and set it free. For he/she who can
accept
his/her true identity is truly saved. And his/her salvation is the gift
he/she
gives to everyone in gratitude to Her Who pointed out the way to
happiness that
changed his/her whole perception of the world.
6
One holy thought
like this, and you are free; you are the holy SonDaughter of God
HimHerself.
And with this holy thought, you learn as well that you have freed the
world.
You have no need to use it cruelly and then perceive this savage need in
it.
You set it free of your imprisonment. You will not see a devastating
image of
yourself walking the world in terror with the world twisting in agony
because
your fears have laid the mark of death upon its heart.
7
Be glad today how
very easily is hell undone. You need but tell yourself:
9
And in that thought
is everything you look on wholly changed.
10
A miracle has
lighted up all dark and ancient caverns where the rites of death echoed
since
time began. For time has lost its hold upon the world. The SonDaughter
of God
has come in glory to redeem the lost, to save the helpless, and to give
the
world the gift of hisher forgiveness. Who could see the world as dark
and
sinful when God’s SonDaughter has come again at last to set it free?
11
You who perceive
yourself as weak and frail, with futile hopes and devastated dreams,
born but to
die, to weep, and suffer pain, hear this: all power is given unto you in
earth
and the God Realm. There is nothing that you cannot do. You play the
game of
death, of being helpless, pitifully tied to dissolution in a world which
shows
no mercy to you. Yet when you accord it mercy will its mercy shine on
you.
12
Then let the
SonDaughter of God awaken from hisher sleep, and opening hisher holy
eyes
return again to bless the world heshe made. In error it began. But it
will end
in the reflection of hisher holiness. And heshe will sleep no more and
dream of
death. Then join with me today. Your glory is the light that saves the
world.
Do not withhold salvation longer. Look about the world, and see the
suffering
there. Is not your heart willing to bring your weary brothers/sisters
rest?
13
They must await
your own release. They stay in chains till you are free. They cannot see
the
mercy of the world until you find it for yourself. They suffer pain
until you
have denied its hold on you. They die till you accept your own eternal
life.
You are the holy SonDaughter of God HimHerself. Remember this, and all
the
world is free. Remember this, and earth and the God Realm are one.
1
It is your
Father’sMother’s holy Will that you complete HimHerself and that your
Self
shall be HisHer sacred SonDaughter, forever pure as HeShe, of love
createdmanifested and in love preserved, extending love,
creatingmanifesting in
its name, forever one with God and with your Self. Yet what can such a
function
mean within a world of envy, hatred, and attack? Therefore you have a
function
in the world in its own terms. For who can understand a language far
beyond
his/her simple grasp?
2
Forgiveness
represents your function here. It is not God's creationmanifestation,
for it is
the means by which untruth can be undone. And who would pardon the God
Realm?
Yet on earth you need the means to let illusion go.
Creationmanifestation
merely waits for your return to be acknowledged, not to be complete.
3
Creationmanifestation
cannot even be conceived of in the world. It has no meaning here.
Forgiveness
is the closest it can come to earth. For being God Realm-borne, it has
no form
at all. Yet God createdmanifested One Who has the power to translate
into form
the wholly formless. What She makes are dreams, but of a kind so close
to
waking that the light of day already shines in them. And eyes already
opening
behold the joyful sights their offerings contain.
4
Forgiveness gently
looks upon all things unknown in the God Realm, sees them disappear, and
leaves
the world a clean and unmarked slate on which the Word of God can now
replace
the senseless symbols written there before. Forgiveness is the means by
which
the fear of death is overcome because it holds no fierce attraction now,
and
guilt is gone.
5
Forgiveness lets
the body be perceived as what it is—a simple teaching aid to be laid by
when
learning is complete, but hardly changing him/her who learns at all. The
mind
without the body cannot make mistakes. It cannot think that it will die
nor be
the prey of merciless attack. Anger becomes impossible, and where is
terror
then? What fears could still assail those who have lost the source of
all
attack, the core of anguish, and the seat of fear?
6
Only forgiveness
can relieve the mind of thinking that the body is its home. Only
forgiveness
can restore the peace that God intended for HisHer holy SonDaughter.
Only
forgiveness can persuade the SonDaughter to look again upon hisher
holiness.
With anger gone, you will indeed perceive that for the vision of the
Christ
Consciousness/Mercy Consciousness and the gift of sight no sacrifice was
asked,
and only pain was lifted from a sick and tortured mind.
7
Is this unwelcome?
Is it to be feared? Or is it to be hoped for, met with thanks, and
joyously
accepted? We are one and therefore give up nothing. But we have indeed
been
given everything by God. Yet do we need forgiveness to perceive that
this is
so. Without its kindly light we grope in darkness, using reason but to
justify
our rage and our attack. Our understanding is so limited that what we
think we
understand is but confusion born of error. We are lost in mists of
shifting
dreams and fearful thoughts, our eyes shut tight against the light, our
minds
engaged in worshipping what is not there.
8
Who can be born
again in the Christ Consciousness/Mercy Consciousness but him/her who
has
forgiven everyone he/she sees or thinks of or imagines? Who could be set
free
while he/she imprisons anyone? A jailer is not free, for he/she is bound
together with his/her prisoner. He/she must be sure that he/she does not
escape, and so he/she spends his/her time in keeping watch on him/her.
The bars
which limit him/her become the world in which the jailer lives, along
with
him/her. And it is on his/her freedom that the way to liberty depends
for both
of them.
9
Therefore hold no
one prisoner. Release instead of bind, for thus are you made free. The
way is
simple. Every time you feel a stab of anger, realize you hold a sword
above
your head. And it will fall or be averted as you choose to be condemned
or
free. Thus does each one who seems to tempt you to be angry represent
your
savior/savioress from the prison-house of death. And so you owe him/her
thanks
instead of pain.
10
Be merciful today.
The SonDaughter of God deserves your mercy. It is heshe who asks that
you
accept the way to freedom now. Deny himher not. Hisher Father’sMother’s
Love
for himher belongs to you. Your function here on earth is only to
forgive
himher, that you may accept himher back as your identity. Heshe is as
God
created himher. And you are what heshe is. Forgive himher now hisher
sins, and
you will see that you are one with himher.
1
God does not know
of learning. Yet HisHer Will extends to what HeShe does not understand
in that
HeShe wills the happiness HisHer SonDaughter inherited of HimHer be
undisturbed, eternal and forever gaining scope, eternally expanding in
the joy
of full creationmanifestation, and eternally open and wholly limitless
in
HimHer. This is HisHer Will. And thus HisHer Will provides the means to
guarantee that it is done.
2
God sees no
contradictions. Yet HisHer SonDaughter believes heshe sees them. Thus
heshe has
a need for One Who can correct hisher erring sight and give himher
vision that
will lead himher back to where perception ceases. God does not perceive
at all.
Yet it is HeShe Who gives the means by which perception is made true and
beautiful enough to let the light of the God Realm shine upon it. It is
HeShe
Who answers what HisHer SonDaughter would contradict and keeps hisher
sinlessness forever safe.
3 God
offers no
forgiveness, for HeShe knows no sin is possible. And yet HeShe let
HisHer holy
law of Love be given form in which it could be offered to the world. And
HeShe
createdmanifested One Who could perceive what form this law should take,
to be
received by every mind which had forgotten it as it exists in the God
Realm and
in God. Thus HeShe encompassed what HeShe could not see nor understand
by
giving of HisHer Love and making Answer to a question which, though
meaningless, HisHer SonDaughter had asked of HimHer.
4
The One Whom God
createdmanifested to replace the foolish thoughts which crept into the
mind of
HisHer most holy SonDaughter with peace and joy fulfills Her function
now. She
redirects each lesson you would teach in hate to one in which
forgiveness
enters, and returns the hate to love, so that the fear is gone. And now
guilt
cannot enter, for its source has been excluded as the purpose of the
lesson has
been changed to guiltlessness; the hatred has been rooted out by love.
5
These are the
lessons God would have you learn. HisHer Will reflects them all, and
they
reflect HisHer loving kindness to the SonDaughter HeShe loves. Each
lesson has
a central thought, the same in all of them. The form alone is changed,
with
different circumstances and events, with different characters and
different
themes apparent but not real. They are the same in fundamental content.
It is
this:
7
Certain it is that
all distress does not appear to be but unforgiveness. Yet that is the
content
underneath the form. It is this sameness which makes learning sure
because the
lesson is so simple that it cannot be rejected in the end. No one can
hide
forever from a truth so very obvious that it appears in countless forms
and yet
is recognized as easily in all of them if one but wants to see the
simple
lesson there.
9
These are the words
the Holy Spirit speaks in all your tribulations, all your pain, all
suffering
regardless of its forms. These are the words with which temptation ends
and
guilt, abandoned, is revered no more. These are the words which end the
dream
of sin and rid the mind of fear. These are the words by which salvation
comes
to all the world.
10
Shall we not learn
to say these words when we are tempted to believe that pain is real and
death
becomes our choice instead of life? Shall we not learn to say these
words when
we have understood their power to release all minds from bondage? These
are
words which give you power over all events which seem to have been given
power
over you. You see them rightly when you hold these words in full
awareness, and
do not forget these words apply to everything you see or any
brother/sister
looks upon amiss.
11
How can you tell
when you are seeing wrong or someone else is failing to perceive the
lesson
he/she should learn? Does pain seem real in the perception? If it does,
be sure
the lesson is not learned. And there remains an unforgiveness hiding in
the
mind which sees the pain through eyes the mind directs.
12
God would not have
you suffer thus. HeShe would help you forgive yourself. HisHer
SonDaughter does
not remember who heshe is. And God would have himher not forget HisHer
Love and
all the gifts HisHer Love brings with it. Would you now renounce your
own
salvation? Would you fail to learn the simple lessons the God Realm's
Teacheress sets before you that all pain may disappear and God may be
remembered by HisHer SonDaughter?
13
All things are
lessons God would have you learn. HeShe would not leave an unforgiving
thought
without correction nor one thorn or nail to hurt HisHer sacred
SonDaughter in
any way. HeShe would ensure hisher holy rest remain untroubled and
serene,
without a care in an eternal home which cares for himher. And heshe
would have
all tears be wiped away with none remaining yet unshed and none but
waiting
their appointed time to fall. For God has willed that laughter should
replace
each one and that HisHer SonDaughter be free again.
14
We will attempt
today to overcome a thousand seeming obstacles to peace in just one day.
Let
mercy come to you more quickly. Do not try to hold it off another day,
another
minute, or another instant. Time was made for this. Use it today for
what its
purpose is. Morning and night, devote what time you can to serve its
proper
aim, and do not let the time be less than meets your deepest need.
15
Give all you can
and give a little more, for now we would arise in haste and go unto our
Father’sMother’s house. We have been gone too long, and we would linger
here no
more. And as we practice, let us think about all things we saved to
settle by
ourselves and kept apart from healing. Let us give them all to Her Who
knows
the way to look upon them so that they will disappear. Truth is Her
message;
truth Her teaching is. Her are the lessons God would have us learn.
16
Each hour spend a
little time today, and in the days to come, in practicing the lesson in
forgiveness in the form established for the day. And try to give it
application
to the happenings the hour brought, so that the next one is free of the
one
before. The chains of time are easily unloosened in this way.
17
Let no one hour
cast its shadow on the one that follows, and when that one goes, let
everything
that happens in its course go with it. Thus will you remain unbound, in
peace
eternal in the world of time. This is the lesson God would have you
learn:
there is a way to look on everything that lets it be to you another step
to
HimHer and to salvation of the world.
18
To all that speaks
of terror, answer thus:
20
To every
apprehension, every care, and every form of suffering, repeat these
selfsame
words. In them you hold the key that opens the God Realm's gate and
brings the
Love of God the FatherMother down to earth at last, to raise it up to
the God
Realm. God will take this final step HimHerself. Do not deny the little
steps
HeShe asks you take to HimHer.
1
Today's idea takes
another step toward quick salvation, and a giant stride it is indeed! So
great
the distance is that it encompasses, it sets you down just short of the
God
Realm, with the goal in sight and obstacles behind. Your foot has
reached the
lawns that welcome you to the God Realm's gate, the quiet place of peace
where
you await with certainty the final step of God. How far are we
progressing now
from earth! How close are we approaching to our goal! How short the
journey
still to be pursued!
2
Accept today's
idea, and you have passed all anxiety, all pits of hell, all blackness
of
depression, thoughts of sin, and devastation brought about by guilt.
Accept
today's idea, and you have released the world from all imprisonment by
loosening the heavy chains that locked the door to freedom on it. You
are
saved, and your salvation thus becomes the gift you give the world
because you
have received.
3
In no one instant
is depression felt or pain experienced or loss perceived. In no one
instant
sorrow can be set upon a throne and worshipped faithfully. In no one
instant
can one even die. And so each instant given unto God in passing, with
the next
one given HimHer already, is a time of your release from sadness, pain
and even
death itself.
4
God holds your
future as HeShe holds your past and present. They are one to HimHer, and
so
they should be one to you. Yet in this world the temporal progression
still
seems real. And so you are not asked to understand the lack of sequence
really
found in time. You are but asked to let the future go and place it in
God's
hands. And you will see by your experience that you have laid the past
and
present in HisHer hands as well because the past will punish you no more
and
future dread will now be meaningless.
5
Release the future.
For the past is gone, and what is present, freed from its bequest of
grief and
misery, of pain and loss, becomes the instant in which time escapes the
bondage
of illusions where it runs its pitiless, inevitable course. Then is each
instant, which was slave to time, transformed into a holy instant when
the
light that was kept hidden in God’s SonDaughter is freed to bless the
world.
Now is heshe free, and all hisher glory shines upon a world made free
with
himher to share hisher holiness.
6
If you can see the
lesson for today as the deliverance it really is, you will not hesitate
to give
as much consistent effort as you can to make it be a part of you. As it
becomes
a thought which rules your mind, a habit in your problem-solving
repertoire, a
way of quick reaction to temptation, you extend your learning to the
world. And
as you learn to see salvation in all things, so will the world perceive
that it
is saved.
7
What worry can
beset the one who gives his/her future to the loving hands of God? What
can
he/she suffer? What can cause him/her pain or bring experience of loss
to
him/her? What can he/she fear? And what can he/she regard except with
love? For
he/she who has escaped all fear of future pain has found his/her way to
present
peace and certainty of care the world can never threaten. He/she is sure
that
his/her perception may be faulty but will never lack correction. He/she
is free
to choose again when he/she has been deceived, to change his/her mind
when
he/she has made mistakes.
8
Place, then, your
future in the hands of God. For thus you call the memory of HimHer to
come
again, replacing all your thoughts of sin and evil with the truth of
love.
Think you the world could fail to gain thereby and every living
creaturemanifestation not respond with healed perception? Who entrusts
himself/herself to God has also placed the world within the hands to
which
he/she has himself/herself appealed for comfort and security. He/she
lays aside
the sick illusions of the world along with his/her and offers peace to
both.
9
Now are we saved
indeed. For in God's hands we rest untroubled, sure that only good can
come to
us. If we forget, we will be gently reassured. If we accept an
unforgiving
thought, it will be soon replaced by love's reflection. And if we are
tempted
to attack, we will appeal to HimHer Who guards our rest to make the
choice for
us that leaves temptation far behind. No longer is the world our enemy,
for we
have chosen that we be its friends.
1
Gratitude is a
lesson hard to learn for those who look upon the world amiss. The most
that
they can do is see themselves as better off than others. And they try to
be
content because another seems to suffer more than they. How pitiful and
deprecating are such thoughts! For who has cause for thanks while others
have
less cause, and who could suffer less because he/she sees another suffer
more?
Your gratitude is due to Her alone Who made all cause of sorrow
disappear
throughout the world.
2
It is insane to
offer thanks because of suffering. But it is equally insane to fail in
gratitude to One Who offers you the certain means whereby all pain is
healed
and suffering replaced with laughter and with happiness. Nor could the
even
partly sane refuse to take the steps which She directs and follow in the
way
She sets before them to escape a prison that they thought contained no
door to
the deliverance they now perceive.
3
Your brother/sister
is your "enemy" because you see in him/her the rival for your peace,
a plunderer who takes his/her joy from you and leaves you nothing but a
black
despair so bitter and relentless that there is no hope remaining. Now is
vengeance all there is to wish for. Now can you but try to bring him/her
down
to lie in death with you, as useless as yourself, as little left within
his/her
grasping fingers as in yours.
4
You do not offer
God your gratitude because your brother/sister is more slave than you,
nor
could you sanely be enraged if he/she seems freer. Love makes no
comparisons.
And gratitude can only be sincere if it is joined to love. We offer
thanks to
God our FatherMother that in us all things will find their freedom. It
will
never be that some are loosed while others still are bound, for who can
bargain
in the name of love?
5
Therefore give
thanks, but in sincerity. And let your gratitude make room for all who
will
escape with you—the sick, the weak, the needy and afraid, and those who
mourn a
seeming loss or feel apparent pain, who suffer cold or hunger, or who
walk the
way of hatred and the path of death. All these go with you. Let us not
compare
ourselves with them, for thus we split them off in our awareness from
the unity
we share with them, as they must share with us.
6
We thank our
FatherMother for one thing alone—that we are separate from no living
thing and
therefore one with him/her. And we rejoice that no exceptions ever can
be made
which would reduce our wholeness nor impair or change our function to
complete
the One Who is HimHerself completion. We give thanks for every living
thing,
for otherwise we offer thanks for nothing and we fail to recognize the
gifts of
God to us.
7
Then let our
brothers/sisters lean their tired heads against our shoulders as they
rest a
while. We offer thanks for them. For if we can direct them to the peace
that we
would find, the way is opening at last to us. An ancient door is
swinging free
again; a long forgotten Word re-echoes in our memory and gathers clarity
as we are
willing once again to hear.
8
Walk then in
gratitude, the way of love. For hatred is forgotten when we lay
comparisons
aside. What more remains as obstacles to peace? The fear of God is now
undone
at last, and we forgive without comparing. Thus we cannot choose to
overlook
some things and yet retain some other things still locked away as sins.
When
your forgiveness is complete, you will have total gratitude, for you
will see
that everything has earned the right to love by being loving, even as
your Self.
9
Today we learn to
think of gratitude in place of anger, malice, and revenge. We have been
given
everything. If we refuse to recognize it, we are not entitled therefore
to our
bitterness and to a self-perception which regards us in a place of
merciless pursuit
where we are badgered ceaselessly and pushed about without a thought or
care
for us or for our future. Gratitude becomes the single thought we
substitute
for these insane perceptions. God has cared for us and calls us
SonDaughter.
Can there be more than this?
10
Our gratitude will
pave the way to HimHer and shorten our learning time by more than you
could
ever dream of. Gratitude goes hand in hand with love, and where one is,
the
other must be found. For gratitude is but an aspect of the love which is
the
Source of all creationmanifestation. God gives thanks to you, HisHer
SonDaughter, for being what you are—HisHer own completion and the source
of
love, along with HimHer. Your gratitude to HimHer is one with HisHer to
you.
For love can walk no road except the way of gratitude, and thus we go
who walk
the way to God.
1
When this is firmly
understood and kept in full awareness, you will not attempt to harm
yourself
nor make your body slave to vengeance. You will not attack yourself, and
you
will realize that to attack another is but to attack yourself. You will
be free
of the insane belief that to attack a brother/sister saves yourself. And
you
will understand his/her safety is your own, and in his/her healing you
are
healed.
2
Perhaps at first
you will not understand how mercy, limitless and with all things held in
its
sure protection, can be found in the idea we practice for today. It may
in fact
appear to be a sign that punishment can never be escaped because the
ego, under
what it sees as threat, is quick to cite the truth to save its lies. Yet
must
it fail to understand the truth it uses thus. But you can learn to see
these
foolish applications and deny the meaning they appear to have.
3
Thus do you also
teach your mind that you are not an ego. For the ways in which the ego
would
distort the truth will not deceive you longer. You will not believe you
are a
body to be crucified. And you will see within today's idea the light of
resurrection, looking past all thoughts of crucifixion and of death to
thoughts
of liberation and of life.
4
Today's idea is one
step we take in leading us from bondage to the state of perfect freedom.
Let us
take this step today that we may quickly go the way salvation shows us,
taking
every step in its appointed sequence as the mind relinquishes its
burdens one
by one. It is not time we need for this. It is but willingness. For what
would
seem to need a thousand years can easily be done in just one instant by
the
grace of God.
5
The dreary,
hopeless thought that you can make attacks on others and escape yourself
has
nailed you to the cross. Perhaps it seemed to be salvation. Yet it
merely stood
for the belief the fear of God is real. And what is that but hell? Who
could
believe his/her FatherMother is his/her deadly enemy, separate from
him/her and
waiting to destroy his/her life and blot him/her from the universe,
without the
fear of hell upon his/her heart?
6
Such is the form of
madness you believe if you accept the fearful thought you can attack
another
and be free yourself. Until this form is changed, there is no hope.
Until you
see that this, at least, must be entirely impossible, how could there be
escape? The fear of God is real to anyone who thinks this thought is
true. And
he/she will not perceive its foolishness nor even see that it is there
so that
it would be possible to question it.
7
To question it at
all, its form must first be changed at least as much as will permit fear
of
retaliation to abate and the responsibility returned to some extent to
you.
From there you can at least consider if you want to go along this
painful path.
Until this shift has been accomplished, you cannot perceive that it is
but your
thoughts that bring you fear and your deliverance depends on you.
8
Our next steps will
be easy if you take this one today. From there we go ahead quite
rapidly. For
once you understand it is impossible that you be hurt except by your own
thoughts, the fear of God must disappear. You do not now believe that
fear is
caused without. And God, Whom you had thought to banish, can be welcomed
back
within the holy mind HeShe never left.
9
Salvation's Song
can certainly be heard in the idea we practice for today. If it can but
be you
you crucify, you did not hurt the world and need not fear its vengeance
and
pursuit. Nor need you hide in terror from the deadly fear of God
projection
hides behind. The thing you dread the most is your salvation. You are
strong,
and it is strength you want. And you are free and glad of freedom. You
have sought
to be both weak and bound because you feared your strength and freedom.
Yet
salvation lies in them.
10
There is an instant
in which terror seems to grip your mind so wholly that escape appears
quite
hopeless. When you realize once and for all that it is you you fear, the
mind
perceives itself as split. And this had been concealed while you
believed
attack could be directed outward and returned from outside to within. It
seemed
to be an enemy outside you had to fear. And thus a god outside yourself
became
your mortal enemy—the source of fear.
11
Now for an instant
is a murderer perceived within you, eager for your death, intent on
plotting
punishment for you until the time when it can kill at last. Yet in this
instant
is the time as well in which salvation comes. For fear of God has
disappeared.
And you can call on HimHer to save you from illusions in HisHer Love,
calling
HimHer FatherMother and yourself HisHer SonDaughter. Pray that the
instant may
be soon—today. Step back from fear and make advance to love.
12
There is no Thought
of God that does not go with you to help you reach that instant and to
go
beyond it quickly, surely, and forever. When the fear of God is gone,
there are
no obstacles that still remain between you and the holy peace of God.
How kind and
merciful is the idea we practice! Give it welcome, as you should, for it
is
your release. It is indeed but you your mind can try to crucify. Yet
your
redemption, too, will come from you.
1
Here is the second step
we take to free your mind from the belief in outside force pitted
against your
own. You make attempts at kindness and forgiveness. Yet you turn them to
attack
again unless you find external gratitude and lavish thanks. Your gifts
must be
received with honor, lest they be withdrawn. And so you think God's
gifts are
loans at best; at worst, deceptions which would cheat you of defenses to
ensure
that when HeShe strikes HeShe will not fail to kill.
2
How easily are God
and guilt confused by those who know not what their thoughts can do.
Deny your
strength, and weakness must become salvation to you. See yourself as
bound, and
bars become your home. Nor will you leave the prison house or claim your
strength until guilt and salvation are not seen as one and freedom and
salvation are perceived as joined, with strength beside them, to be
sought and
claimed and found and fully recognized.
3
The world must
thank you when you offer it release from your illusions. Yet your thanks
belong
to you as well, for its release can only mirror yours. Your gratitude is
all
your gifts require that they be a lasting offering of a thankful heart
released
from hell forever. Is it this you would undo by taking back your gifts
because
they were not honored? It is you who honor them and give them fitting
thanks,
for it is you who have received the gifts.
4
It does not matter
if another thinks your gifts unworthy. In his/her mind there is a part
that
joins with yours in thanking you. It does not matter if your gifts seem
lost
and ineffectual. They are received where they are given. In your
gratitude are
they accepted universally and thankfully acknowledged by the Heart of
God
HimHerself. And would you take them back when HeShe has gratefully
accepted
them?
5
God blesses every
gift you give to HimHer and every gift is given HimHer because it can be
given
only to yourself, and what belongs to God must be HisHer own. Yet you
will
never realize HisHer gifts are sure, eternal, changeless, limitless,
forever
giving out, extending love, and adding to your never-ending joy, while
you
forgive but to attack again.
6
Withdraw the gifts
you give, and you will think that what is given you has been withdrawn.
But
learn to let forgkiveness take away the sins you think you see outside
yourself, and you can never think the gifts of God are lent but for a
little
while before HeShe snatches them away again in death. For death will
have no
meaning for you then.
7
And with the end of
this belief is fear forever over. Thank your Self for this, for heshe is
grateful only unto God, and heshe gives thanks for you unto himherself.
To
everyone who lives will the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness
yet
come, for everyone must live and breathe in Her. Her Being in Her
FatherMother
is secure because Their Will is one. Their gratitude to all They have
createdmanifested has no end, for gratitude remains a part of love.
8
Thanks be to you,
the holy SonDaughter of God, for as you were createdmanifested you
contain all
things within your Self. And you are still as God createdmanifested you.
Nor
can you dim the light of your perfection. In your heart, the Heart of
God is
laid. HeShe holds you dear because you are HimHerself. All gratitude
belongs to
you because of what you are.
9
Give thanks as you
receive it. Be you free of all ingratitude to anyone who makes your Self
complete. And from this Self is no one left outside. Give thanks for all
the countless
channels which extend this Self. All that you do is given unto himher.
All that
you think can only be Her thoughts, sharing with himher the holy
Thoughts of
God. Earn now the gratitude you have denied yourself when you forgot the
function God has given you. But never think that HeShe has ever ceased
to offer
thanks to you.
1
Injury is
impossible. And yet illusion makes illusion. If you can condemn, you can
be
injured. For you have believed that you can injure, and the right you
have
established for yourself can be now used against you till you lay it
down as
valueless, unwanted, and unreal. Then does illusion cease to have
effects, and
all it seemed to have will be undone. Then are you free, for freedom is
your
gift, and you can now receive the gift you gave.
2
Condemn and you are
made a prisoner. Forgive and you are freed. Such is the law that rules
perception. It is not a law that knowledge understands, for freedom is a
part
of knowledge. To condemn is thus impossible in truth. What seems to be
its
influence and its effects have not occurred at all. Yet must we deal
with them
a while as if they had. Illusion makes illusion. Except one. Forgiveness
is
illusion that is answer to the rest.
3
Forgiveness sweeps
all other dreams away, and though it is itself a dream, it breeds no
others.
All illusions save this one must multiply a thousand fold. But this is
where
illusions end. Forgiveness is the end of dreams because it is a dream of
waking. It is not itself the truth. Yet does it point to where the truth
must
be and gives direction with the certainty of God HimHerself. It is a
dream in
which the SonDaughter of God awakens to hisher Self and to hisher
FatherMother,
knowing They are one.
4
Forgiveness is the
only road that leads out of disaster, past all suffering, and finally
away from
death. How could there be another way, when this one is the plan of God
HimHerself? And why would you oppose it, quarrel with it, seek to find a
thousand ways in which it must be wrong, a thousand other possibilities?
5
Is it not wiser to
be glad you hold the answer to your problems in your hand? Is it not
more
intelligent to thank the One Who gives salvation, and accept Her gift
with
gratitude? And is it not a kindness to yourself to hear Her Voice and
learn the
simple lessons She would teach, instead of trying to dismiss Her words
and
substitute your own in place of Her?
6
Her words will
work. Her words will save. Her words contain all hope, all blessing and
all joy
that ever can be found upon this earth. Her words are born in God, and
come to
you with the God Realm's love upon them. Those who hear Her words have
heard
the Song of the God Realm, for these are the words which all will merge
as one
at last. And as this one will fade away, the Word of God will come to
take its
place, for it will be remembered then and loved.
7
This world has many
seeming separate haunts where mercy has no meaning and attack appears as
justified. Yet all are one-a place where death is offered to God’s
SonDaughter
and to hisher FatherMother. You may think They have accepted, but if you
will
look again upon the place where you beheld Their blood, you will
perceive a
miracle instead.
8
How foolish to
believe that They could die! How foolish to believe you can attack! How
mad to
think that you could be condemned and that the holy SonDaughter of God
can die!
The stillness of your Self remains unmoved, untouched by thoughts like
these,
and unaware of any condemnation which could need forgiveness. Dreams of
any kind
are strange and alien to the truth. Yet what but Truth could have a
Thought
which builds a bridge to truth which brings illusions to the other side?
9
Today we practice
letting freedom come to make its home with you. The truth bestows these
words
upon your mind that you may find the key to light and let the darkness
end:
11
Do not forget today
that there can be no form of suffering that fails to hide an unforgiving
thought. Nor can there be a form of pain forgiveness cannot heal.
12
Accept the one
illusion which proclaims there is no condemnation in God’s SonDaughter,
and the
God Realm is remembered instantly; the world forgotten, all its weird
beliefs
forgotten with it, as the face of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness appears unveiled at last in this one dream. This is the
gift the
Holy Spirit holds for you from God your FatherMother. Let today be
celebrated
both on earth and in your holy home as well. Be kind to both, as you
forgive
the trespasses you thought them guilty of, and see your innocence
shining upon
you from the face of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness.
13
Now is there
silence all around the world. Now is there stillness where before there
was a
frantic rush of thoughts that made no sense. Now is there tranquil light
across
the face of earth, made quiet in a dreamless sleep. And now the Word of
God
alone remains upon it. Only that can be perceived an instant longer.
Then are
symbols done and everything you ever thought you made completely
vanished from
the mind which God forever knows to be HisHer only SonDaughter.
14
There is no
condemnation in himher. Heshe is perfect in hisher holiness. Heshe needs
no
thoughts of mercy. Who could give himher gifts when everything is
hisher? And
who could dream of offering forgiveness to the SonDaughter of
Sinlessness
Itself, so like to HimHer Whose SonDaughter heshe is, that to behold the
SonDaughter is to perceive no more and only know the FatherMother? In
this
vision of the SonDaughter, so brief that not an instant stands between
this
single sight and timelessness itself, you see the vision of yourself and
then
you disappear forever into God.
15
Today we come still
nearer to the end of everything that yet would stand between this vision
and
our sight. And we are glad that we have come this far and recognize that
She
Who brought us here will not forsake us now. For She would give to us
the gift
that God has given us through Her today. Now is the time of your
deliverance.
The time has come. The time has come today.
1
Freedom must be
impossible as long as you perceive a body as yourself. The body is a
limit. Who
would seek for freedom in a body looks for it where it can not be found.
The
mind can be made free when it no longer sees itself as in a body, firmly
tied
to it and sheltered by its presence. If this were the truth, the mind
were
vulnerable indeed!
2
The mind that
serves the Holy Spirit is unlimited forever, in all ways, beyond the
laws of
time and space, unbound by any preconceptions, and with strength and
power to
do whatever it is asked. Attack thoughts cannot enter such a mind
because it
has been given to the Source of Love. And fear can never enter in a mind
that
has attached itself to Love. It rests in God, and who can be afraid who
lives
in Innocence and only loves?
3
It is essential for
your progress in this course that you accept today's idea and hold it
very
dear. Be not concerned that to the ego it is quite insane. The ego holds
the
body dear because it dwells in it and lives united with the home that it
has
made. It is a part of the illusion that has sheltered it from being
found
illusory itself.
4
Here does it hide,
and here it will be seen as what it is. Declare your innocence, and you
are
free. The body disappears because you have no need of it except the need
the
Holy Spirit sees. For this, the body will appear as useful form for what
the
mind must do. It thus becomes a vehicle which helps forgiveness be
extended to
the all-inclusive goal that it must reach according to God's plan.
5
Cherish today's
idea, and practice it today and every day. Make it a part of every
practice
period you take. There is no thought that will not gain thereby in power
to
help the world, and none which will not gain in added gifts to you as
well. We
sound the call of freedom round the world with this idea. And would you
be
exempt from the acceptance of the gifts you give?
6
The Holy Spirit is
the home of mind that seeks for freedom. In Her it has found what it has
sought. The body's purpose now is unambiguous. And it becomes perfect in
the
ability to serve an undivided goal. In conflict-free and unequivocal
response
to mind with but the thought of freedom as its goal, the body serves,
and
serves its purpose well. Without the power to enslave, it is a worthy
servant/maid servant of the freedom which the mind within the Holy
Spirit
seeks.
7
Be free today, and
carry freedom as your gift to those who still believe they are enslaved
within
a body. Be you free, so that the Holy Spirit can make use of your escape
from
bondage to set free the many who perceive themselves as bound and
helpless and
afraid. Let love replace their fears through you. Accept salvation now,
and
give your mind to Her Who calls to you to make this gift to Her. For She
would
give you perfect freedom, perfect joy, and hope that finds its full
accomplishment in God.
8
You are God’s
SonDaughter. In immortality you live forever. Would you not return your
mind to
this? Then practice well the thought the Holy Spirit gives you for
today. Your
brothers/sisters stand released with you in it; the world is blessed
along with
you; God’s SonDaughter will weep no more, and the God Realm offers
thanks for
the increase of joy your practice brings even to it. And God HimHerself
extends
HisHer Love and happiness each time you say:
1
Seek you no
further. You will not find peace except the peace of God. Accept this
fact, and
save yourself the agony of yet more bitter disappointments, bleak
despair, and
sense of icy hopelessness and doubt. Seek you no further. There is
nothing else
for you to find except the peace of God, unless you seek for misery and
pain.
2
This is the final
point to which each one must come at last, to lay aside all hope of
finding
happiness where there is none, of being saved by what can only hurt, of
making
peace of chaos, joy of pain and the God Realm out of hell. Attempt no
more to
win through losing nor to die to live. You cannot but be asking for
defeat.
3
Yet you can ask as
easily for love, for happiness, and for eternal life in peace that has
no
ending. Ask for this, and you can only win. To ask for what you have
already
must succeed. To ask that what is false be true can only fail. Forgive
yourself
for vain imaginings, and seek no longer what you cannot find. For what
could be
more foolish than to seek and seek and seek again for hell, when you
have but
to look with open eyes to find that the God Realm lies before you,
through a
door that opens easily to welcome you?
4
Come home. You have
not found your happiness in foreign places and in alien forms which have
no
meaning to you, though you sought to make them meaningful. This world is
not
where you belong. You are a stranger here. But it is given you to find
the
means whereby the world no longer seems to be a prison house for you or
anyone.
5
Freedom is given
you where you beheld but chains and iron doors. For you must change your
mind
about the purpose of the world if you would find escape. You will be
bound till
all the world is seen by you as blessed and everyone made free of your
mistakes
and honored as he/she is. You made him/her not; no more yourself. And as
you
free the one, the other is accepted as he/she is.
6
What does
forgiveness do? In truth it has no function and does nothing, for it is
unknown
in the God Realm. It is only hell where it is needed and where it must
serve a
mighty function. Is not the escape of God's beloved SonDaughter from
evil
dreams that heshe imagines, yet believes are true, a worthy purpose? Who
could
hope for more while there appears to be a choice to make between success
and
failure, love and fear?
7
There is no peace
except the peace of God because HeShe has one SonDaughter, who cannot
make a
world in opposition to God's Will and to hisher own, which is the same
as
HisHers. What could heshe hope to find in such a world? It cannot have
reality
because it never was createdmanifested. Is it here that heshe would seek
for
peace? Or must heshe see that, as heshe looks on it, the world can but
deceive?
Yet can heshe learn to look on it another way and find the peace of God.
8
Peace is the bridge
that everyone will cross to leave this world behind. But peace begins
within
the world perceived as different and leading from this fresh perception
to the
gate of the God Realm and the way beyond. Peace is the answer to
conflicting
goals, to senseless journeys, frantic, vain pursuits, and meaningless
endeavors. Now the way is easy, sloping gently toward the bridge where
freedom
lies within the peace of God.
9
Let us not lose our
way again today. We go to the God Realm, and the path is straight. Only
if we
attempt to wander can there be delay and needless wasted time on thorny
byways.
God alone is sure, and HeShe will guide our footsteps. HeShe will not
desert
HisHer SonDaughter in need, nor let him/her stray forever from his/her
home.
The FatherMother calls; the SonDaughter will hear. And that is all there
is to
what appears to be a world apart from God where bodies have reality.
10
Now is there
silence. Seek no further. You have come to where the road is carpeted
with
leaves of false desires, fallen from the trees of hopelessness you
sought
before. Now are they underfoot. And you look up and on toward the God
Realm,
with the body's eyes but serving for an instant longer now. Peace is
already
recognized at last, and you can feel its soft embrace surround your
heart and
mind with comfort and with love.
11
Today we seek no
idols/idolresses. Peace can not be found in them. The peace of God is
ours, and
only this will we accept and want. Peace be to us today. For we have
found a
simple, happy way to leave the world of ambiguity and to replace our
shifting
goals and solitary dreams with single purpose and companionship. For
peace is
union if it be of God. We seek no further. We are close to home and draw
still
nearer every time we say:
R6:1
For this review, we
take but one idea each day and practice it as often as is possible.
Besides the
time you give morning and evening, which should not be less than 15
minutes,
and the hourly remembrances you make throughout the day, use the idea as
often
as you can between them. Each of these ideas alone would be sufficient
for
salvation, if it were learned truly. Each would be enough to give
release to
you and to the world from every form of bondage and invite the memory of
God to
come again.
2
With this in mind,
we start our practicing in which we carefully review the thoughts the
Holy
Spirit has bestowed on us in our last 20 lessons. Each contains the
whole
curriculum if understood, practiced, accepted, and applied to all the
seeming
happenings throughout the day. One is enough. But for that one, there
must be
no exceptions made. And so we need to use them all and let them blend as
one,
as each contributes to the whole we learn.
3
These practice
sessions, like our last review, are centered round a central theme with
which
we start and end each lesson. It is this:
5
The day begins and
ends with this. And we repeat it every time the hour strikes or we
remember in
between we have a function that transcends the world we see. Beyond this
and a
repetition of the special thought we practice for the day, no form of
exercise
is urged except a deep relinquishment of everything that clutters up the
mind
and makes it deaf to reason, sanity, and simple truth.
6
We will attempt to
get beyond all words and special forms of practicing for this review.
For we
attempt this time to reach a quickened pace along a shorter path to the
serenity and peace of God. We merely close our eyes and then forget all
that we
thought we knew and understood. For thus is freedom given us from all we
did
not know and failed to understand.
7
There is but one
exception to this lack of structuring. Permit no idle thought to go
unchallenged. If you notice one, deny its hold and hasten to assure your
mind
that this is not what it would have. Then gently let the thought which
you
denied be given up in sure and quick exchange for the idea you practice
for the
day.
8
When you are
tempted, e from temptation as you say:
10
And then repeat the
idea for the day, and let it take the place of what you thought. Beyond
such special
applications of each day's idea, we will add but a few formal
expressions or
specific thoughts to aid your practicing. Instead we give these times of
quiet
to the Teacheress Who instructs in quiet, speaks of peace, and gives our
thoughts whatever meaning they may have.
11
To Her I offer this
review for you. I place you in Her charge and let Her teach you what to
do and
say and think each time you turn to Her. She will not fail to be
available to
you each time you call to Her to help you. Let us offer Her the whole
review we
now begin, and let us also not forget to Whom it has been given as we
practice
day by day, advancing toward the goal She set for us, allowing Her to
teach us
how to go, and trusting Her completely for the way each practice period
can
best become a loving gift of freedom to the world.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[181]
I trust my
brothers/sisters, who are one with me.
1 No one but is my brother/sister. I am blessed
with oneness
with the universe, and God, my FatherMother, One CreatorManifestor of
the whole
that is my Self, forever one with me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[182]
I will be
still a moment and go home.
1 Why would I choose to stay an instant more where
I do not
belong, when God HimHerself has given me HisHer Voice to call me home?
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[183]
I call upon
God's Name and on my own.
1 The name of God is my deliverance from every
thought of
evil and of sin, because it is my own as well HisHers.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[184]
The Name of
God is my inheritance.
1 God's Name reminds me that I am HisHer
SonDaughter, not
slave to time, unbound by laws which rule the world of sick illusions,
free in
God, forever and forever one with HimHer.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[185]
I want the
peace of God.
1 The peace of God is everything I want. The peace
of God is
my one goal; the aim of all my living here, the end I seek my purpose
and my
function and my life while I abide where I am not at home.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[186]
Salvation of
the world depends on me.
1 I am entrusted with the gifts of God because I am
HisHer
SonDaughter. and I would give HisHer gifts where HeShe intended them to
be.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[187]
I bless the
world because I bless myself.
1 God's blessing shines upon me from within my
heart where
HeShe abides. I need but turn to HimHer, and every sorrow melts away as
I
accept HisHer boundless Love for me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I am not a body.
I am
free. For I am still as God created me.
[188] The peace of
God is
shining in me now.
1 I will
be
still and let the earth be still along with me. And in that stillness, we
will
find the peace of God. It is within my heart, which witnesses to God
HimHerself.
I am not a body.
I am
free. For I am still as God created me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[189]
I feel the
Love of God within me now.
1 The Love of God is what createdmanifested me. The
Love of
God is everything I am. The Love of God proclaimed me as HisHer
SonDaughter.
The Love of God within me sets me free.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[190]
I choose the
joy of God instead of pain.
1 Pain is my own idea. It is not a thought of God,
but one I
thought apart from HimHer and from HisHer Will. HisHer Will is joy and
only joy
for HisHer beloved SonDaughter. And that I choose instead of what I
made.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[191]
I am the holy
SonDaughter of God HimHerself.
1 In silence and in true humility I seek God's
glory to
behold it in the SonDaughter whom HeShe createdmanifested as my Self.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[192]
I have a
function God would have me fill.
1 I seek the function that would set me free from
all the
vain illusions of the world. Only the function God has given me can
offer
freedom. Only this I seek, and only this will I accept as mine.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[193]
All things are
lessons God would have me learn.
1 A lesson is a miracle which God offers to me in
place of
thoughts I made that hurt me. What I learn of HimHer becomes the way I
am set
free. And so I choose to learn HisHer lessons and forget my own.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[194]
I place the
future in the hands of God.
1 The past is gone; the future is not yet. Now am I
freed
from both. For what God gives can only be for good. And I accept the way
I am
set free. And so I choose but what HeShe gives as what belongs to me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[195]
Love is the
way I walk in gratitude.
1 The Holy Spirit is my only Guide. She walks with
me in
love and I give thanks to Her for showing me the way to go.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[196]
It can be but
myself I crucify.
1 All that I do, I do unto myself. If I attack, I
suffer.
But if I forgive, salvation will be given me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[197]
It can be but
my gratitude I earn.
1 Who should give thanks for my salvation but
myself? And
how but through salvation can I find the Self to Whom my thanks are due?
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[198]
Only my
condemnation injures me.
1 My condemnation keeps my vision dark, and through
my
sightless eyes I cannot see the vision of my glory. Yet today I can
behold this
glory and be glad.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[199]
I am not a
body. I am free.
1 I am God’s SonDaughter. Be still, my mind, and
think a
moment upon this. And then return to earth without confusion as to what
my
FatherMother loves forever as HisHer SonDaughter.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
[200]
There is no
peace except the peace of God.
1 Let me not wander from the way of peace, for I am
lost on
other roads than this. But let me follow Her Who leads me home, and
peace is
certain as the Love of God.
I
am not
a body. I am free. For I am still as God createdmanifested me.
Introduction
IP2:1
Words will mean
little now. We use them but as guides on which we do not now depend. For
now we
seek direct experience of truth alone. The lessons which remain are
merely
introductions to the times in which we leave the world of pain and go to
enter
peace. Now we begin to reach the goal this course has set and find the
end
toward which our practicing was geared.
2
Now we attempt to
let the exercise be merely a beginning. For we wait in quiet expectation
for
our God and FatherMother. HeShe has promised HeShe will take the final
step
HimHerself. And we are sure HisHer promises are kept. We have come far
along
the road, and now we wait for HimHer. We will continue spending time
with
HimHer each morning and at night, as long as makes us happy. We will not
consider time a matter of duration now. We use as much as we will need
for the
result that we desire. Nor will we forget our hourly remembrance in
between,
calling to God when we have need of HimHer as we are tempted to forget
our
goal.
3
We will continue
with a central thought for all the days to come. And we will use that
thought
to introduce our times of rest and calm our minds at need. Yet we will
not
content ourselves with simple practicing in the remaining holy instants
which
conclude the year that we have given God. We say some simple words of
welcome
and expect our FatherMother to reveal HimHerself as HeShe has promised.
We have
called on HimHer, and HeShe has promised that HisHer SonDaughter will
not
remain unanswered when heshe calls HisHer Name.
4
Now do we come to
HimHer with but HisHer Word upon our minds and hearts. And wait for
HimHer to
take the step to us that HeShe has told us, through HisHer Voice, HeShe
would
not fail to take when we invited HimHer. HeShe has not left HisHer
SonDaughter
in all hisher madness nor betrayed HisHer trust in himher. Has not
HisHer
faithfulness earned HimHer the invitation that HeShe seeks to make us
happy? We
will offer it, and it will be accepted. So our times with HimHer will
now be
spent. We say the words of invitation that HisHer Voice suggests, and
then we
wait for HimHer to come to us.
5
Now is the time of
prophecy fulfilled. Now are all ancient promises upheld and fully kept.
No step
remains for time to separate from its accomplishment. For now we cannot
fail.
Sit silently and wait upon your FatherMother. HeShe has willed to come
to you
when you have recognized it is your will HeShe do so. And you could have
never
come this far unless you saw, however dimly, that it is your will.
6
I am so close to
you we cannot fail. FatherMother, we give these holy times to You in
gratitude
to Her Who taught us how to leave the world of sorrow in exchange for
its
replacement given us by You. We look not backward now. We look ahead and
fix
our eyes upon the journey's end. Accept these little gifts of thanks
from us,
as through The Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision we
behold a
world beyond the one we made and take that world to be the full
replacement of
our own.
7
And now we wait in
silence, unafraid and certain of Your coming. We have sought to find our
way by
following the Guide You sent to us. We did not know the way, but You did
not
forget us. And we know that You will not forget us now. We ask but that
Your
ancient promises be kept which are Your Will to keep. We will with You
in
asking this. The FatherMother and the SonDaughter, Whose holy Will
createdmanifested all that is, can fail in nothing. In this certainty,
we
undertake these last few steps to You and rest in confidence upon Your
Love,
Which will not fail the SonDaughter who calls to You.
8
And so we start
upon the final part of this one holy year which we have spent together
in the
search for truth and God, Who is its one CreatorManifestor. We have
found the
way HeShe chose for us and made the choice to follow it as HeShe would
have us
go. HisHer hand has held us up. HisHer Thoughts have lit the darkness of
our minds.
HisHer Love has called to us unceasingly since time began.
9
We had a wish that
God would fail to have the SonDaughter whom HeShe createdmanifested for
HimHerself. We wanted God to change HimHerself and be what we would make
of
HimHer. And we believed that our insane desires were the truth. Now we
are glad
that this is all undone, and we no longer think illusions true. The
memory of
God is shimmering across the wide horizons of our minds. A moment more,
and it
will rise again. A moment more, and we who are God’s SonsDaughters are
safely
home, where HeShe would have us be.
10
Now is the need for
practice almost done. For in this final section we will come to
understand that
we need only call to God and all temptations disappear. Instead of
words, we
need but feel HisHer Love. Instead of prayer, we need but call HisHer
Name.
Instead of judging, we need but be still and let all things be healed.
We will
accept the way God's plan will end, as we received the way it started.
Now it
is complete. This year has brought us to eternity.
11
One further use for
words we still retain. From time to time, instructions on a theme of
special
relevance will intersperse our daily lessons and the periods of
wordless, deep
experience which should come afterwards. These special thoughts should
be
reviewed each day, each one of them to be continued till the next is
given you.
They should be slowly read and thought about a little while, preceding
one of
the holy and blessed instants in the day. We give the first of these
instructions now.
1
Forgiveness
recognizes what you thought your brother/sister did to you has not
occurred. It
does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And
in this
view are all your sins forgiven. What is sin except a false idea about
God’s
SonDaughter? Forgiveness merely sees its falsity and therefore lets it
go. What
then is free to take its place is now the Will of God.
2
An unforgiving
thought is one which makes a judgment that it will not raise to doubt,
although
it is not true. The mind is closed and will not be released. The thought
protects projection, tightening its chains so that distortions are more
veiled
and more obscure, less easily accessible to doubt, and further kept from
reason. What can come between a fixed projection and the aim that it has
chosen
as its needed goal?
3
An unforgiving
thought does many things. In frantic action, it pursues its goal,
twisting and
overturning what it sees as interfering with its chosen path. Distortion
is its
purpose and the means by which it would accomplish it as well. It sets
about
its furious attempts to smash reality, without concern for anything that
would
appear to pose a contradiction to its point of view.
4
Forgiveness, on the
other hand, is still and quietly does nothing. It offends no aspect of
reality
nor seeks to twist it to appearance that it likes. It merely looks and
waits
and judges not. He/she who would not forgive must judge, for he/she must
justify his/her failure to forgive. But he/she who would forgive
himself/herself must learn to welcome truth exactly as it is.
5
Do nothing, then,
and let forgiveness show you what to do through Her Who is your Guide,
your
Savioress and Defenderess, strong in hope, and certain of your ultimate
success. She has forgiven you already, for such is Her function given
Her by
God. Now must you share Her function and forgive whom She has saved,
whose
sinlessness She sees, and whom She honors as the SonDaughter of God.
2
Now do we wait in
quiet. God is here because we wait together. I am sure that HeShe will
speak to
you, and you will hear. Accept my confidence, for it is yours. Our minds
are
joined. We wait with one intent—to hear our Father’sMother’s answer to
our
call, to let our thoughts be still and find HisHer peace, to hear HimHer
speak
to us of what we are, and to reveal Themselves unto Their SonDaughter.
1
God is with me.
HeShe is my Source of life, the life within, the air I breathe, the food
by
which I am sustained, the water which renews and cleanses me. HeShe is
my home,
wherein I live and move, the Spirit Which directs my actions, offers me
Its
Thoughts, and guarantees my safety from all pain. HeShe covers me with
kindness
and with care and holds in love the SonDaughter HeShe shines upon, who
also
shines on HimHer. How still is he/she who knows the truth of what She
speaks
today!
1
I was mistaken when
I thought I lived apart from God, a separate entity which moved in
isolation,
unattached, and housed within a body. Now I know my life is God's. I
have no
other home, and I do not exist apart from HimHer. HeShe has no Thoughts
that
are not part of me, and I have none but those which are of HimHer.
1
My true identity is
so secure, so lofty, sinless, glorious and great, wholly beneficent and
free
from guilt that the God Realm looks to it to give it light. It lights
the world
as well. It is the gift my FatherMother gave me, and the one as well I
give the
world. There is no gift but this that can be either given or received.
This is
reality, and only this. This is illusion's end. It is the Truth.
2
Brother/sister, we
find that stillness now. The way is open. Now we follow it in peace
together.
You have reached your hand to me, and I will never leave you. We are
one, and
it is but this oneness that we seek as we accomplish these few final
steps
which end a journey that was not begun.
1
If I so choose, I
can depart this world entirely. It is not death which makes this
possible, but
it is change of mind about the purpose of the world. If I believe it has
a
value as I see it now, so will it still remain for me. But if I see no
value in
the world as I behold it, nothing that I want to keep as mine or search
for as
a goal, it will depart from me. For I have not sought for illusions to
replace
the truth.
1
FatherMother, it is today that I am free because my will is Yours. I
thought to
make another will. Yet nothing that I thought apart from You exists. And I
am
free because I was mistaken and did not affect my own reality at all by my
illusions. Now I give them up and lay them down before the feet of truth,
to be
removed forever from my mind. This is my holy instant of release.
FatherMother,
I know my will is one with Yours.
2 And so
today
we find our glad return to the God Realm, which we never really left. The
SonDaughter of God this day lays down his/her dreams. The SonDaughter of
God
this day comes home again, released from sin and clad in holiness, with
his/her
right mind restored to himher at last.
1
My FatherMother
knows my holiness. Shall I deny HisHer knowledge and believe in what
HisHer
knowledge makes impossible? Shall I accept as true what HeShe proclaims
as
false? Or shall I take HisHer Word for what I am since HeShe is my
CreatorManifestor and the Ones Who know the true condition of HisHer
SonDaughter?
1
I seek my own
identity and find it in these words: "Love, Which createdmanifested me,
is
what I am." Now need I seek no more. Love has prevailed. So still it
waited for my coming home that I will turn away no longer from the holy
face of
the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness. And what I look upon
attests
the truth of the identity I sought to lose, but which my FatherMother
has kept
safe for me.
1
In peace I was
createdmanifested. And in peace do I remain. It is not given me to
change my
Self. How merciful is God my FatherMother, that when HeShe
createdmanifested me
HeShe gave me peace forever. Now I ask but to be what I am. And can this
be
denied me, when it is forever so?
1Salvation
is a promise
made by God that you would find your way to HimHer at last. It cannot
not be
kept. It guarantees that time will have an end, and all the thoughts
that have
been born in time will end as well. God's Word is given every mind which
thinks
that it has separate thoughts and will replace these thoughts of
conflict with
the Thought of peace.
2
The Thought of
peace was given to God’s SonDaughter the instant that hisher mind had
thought
of war. There was no need for such a Thought before, for peace was given
without opposite and merely was. But when the mind is split, there is a
need of
healing. So the Thought which has the power to heal the split became a
part of
every fragment of the mind that still was one but failed to recognize
its
oneness. Now it did not know itself and thought its own identity was
lost.
3
Salvation is
undoing in the sense that it does nothing, failing to support the world
of
dreams and malice. Thus it lets illusions go. By not supporting them, it
merely
lets them quietly go down to dust. And what they hid is now revealed—an
altar
to the holy Name of God whereon HisHer Word is written, with the gifts
of your
forgiveness laid before it and the memory of God not far behind.
4
Let us come daily
to this holy place and spend a while together. Here we share our final
dream.
It is a dream in which there is no sorrow, for it holds a hint of all
the glory
given us by God. The grass is pushing through the soil, the trees are
budding
now, and birds have come to live within their branches. Earth is being
born
again in new perception. Night has gone, and we have come together in
the
light.
5
From here we give
salvation to the world, for it is here salvation was received. The Song
of our
rejoicing is the call to all the world that freedom is returned, that
time is
almost over, and God’s SonDaughter has but an instant more to wait until
his/her FatherMother is remembered, dreams are done, eternity has shined
away
the world, and only the God Realm now exists at all.
2
This is your will,
my brother/sister. And you share this will with me, and with the Ones as
well
Who is our FatherMother. To remember HimHer is the God Realm. This we
seek. And
only this is what it will be given us to find.
2
This is as every
day should be. Today practice the end of fear. Have faith in HimHer Who
is your
FatherMother. Trust all things to HimHer. Let HimHer reveal all things
to you,
and be you undismayed because you are HisHer SonDaughter.
2
Today we have one
Guide to lead us on. And as we walk together, we will give this day to
HimHer
with no reserve at all. This is HisHer day. And so it is a day of
countless
gifts and mercies unto us.
1
Today we will
anticipate the time when dreams of sin and guilt are gone and we have
reached
again the holy peace we never left. Merely a tiny instant has elapsed
between
eternity and timelessness. So brief the interval, there was no lapse in
continuity nor break in thoughts which are forever unified as one.
Nothing has
ever happened to disturb the peace of God the FatherMother and the
SonDaughter.
This we accept as wholly true today.
1
I need but look
upon all things that seem to hurt me and with perfect certainty assure
myself,
"God wills that I be saved from this," and merely watch them
disappear. I need but keep in mind my Father’sMother’s Will for me is
only
happiness to find that only happiness has come to me. And I need but
remember
that HisHer Love surrounds HisHer SonDaughter and keeps hisher
sinlessness
forever perfect to be sure that I am saved and safe forever in HisHer
arms. I
am the SonDaughter HeShe loves. And I am saved because God in HisHer
mercy
wills it so.
1
I have a Realm I
must rule. At times, it does not seem I am its king/queen at all. It
seems to
triumph over me and tell me what to think and what to do and feel. And
yet it
has been given me to serve whatever purpose I perceive in it. My mind
can only
serve. Today I give its service to the Holy Spirit to employ as She sees
fit. I
thus direct my mind, which I alone can rule. And thus I set it free to
do the
Will of God.
1
Today I will accept
the truth about myself. I will arise in glory and allow the light in me
to
shine upon the world throughout the day. I bring the world the tidings
of
salvation that I hear as God my FatherMother speaks to me. And I behold
the
world that the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness would have
me see,
aware it ends the bitter dream of death, aware it is my Father’sMother’s
call
to me.
2
And so again today
we pause to think how much our FatherMother loves us. And how dear
HisHer
SonDaughter, createdmanifested by HisHer Love, remains to HimHer Whose
Love is
made complete in himher.
1
Let not the truth
about ourselves today be hidden by a false humility. Let us instead be
thankful
for the gifts our FatherMother gave us. Can we see in those with whom
HeShe
shares HisHer glory any trace of sin and guilt? And can it be that we
are not
among them when HeShe loves HisHer SonDaughter forever and with perfect
constancy, knowing heshe is as HeShe createdmanifested himher?
1
Fear is deception.
It attests that you have seen yourself as you could never be and
therefore look
upon a world which is impossible. Not one thing in this world is true.
It does
not matter what the form in which it may appear. It witnesses but to
your own
illusions of yourself. Let us not be deceived today. We are the
SonDaughter of
God. There is no fear in us, for we are each a part of Love Itself.
ST241:1The
world
is false perception. It is born of error, and it has not left its
source.
It will remain no longer than the thought which gave it birth is
cherished.
When the thought of separation has been changed to one of true
forgiveness will
the world be seen in quite another light, and one which leads to truth,
where all
the world must disappear and all its errors vanish. Now its source has
gone,
and its effects are gone as well.
2
The world was made
as an attack on God. It symbolizes fear. And what is fear except love's
absence? Thus the world was meant to be a place where God could enter
not and
where HisHer SonDaughter could be apart from HimHer. Here was perception
born,
for knowledge could not cause such insane thoughts. But eyes deceive,
and ears
hear falsely. Now mistakes become quite possible, for certainty has
gone.
3
The mechanisms of
illusion have been born instead. And now they go to find what has been
given
them to seek. Their aim is to fulfil the purpose which the world was
made to
witness and make real. They see in its illusions but a solid base where
truth exists,
upheld apart from lies. Yet everything that they report is but illusion,
which
is kept apart from truth.
4
As sight was made
to lead away from truth, it can be redirected. Sounds become the call of
God.
And all perception can be given a new purpose by the one Whom God
appointed
Savioress to the world. Follow Her light and see the world as She
beholds it.
Hear Her Voice alone in all that speaks to you. And let Her give you
peace and
certainty, which you have thrown away but the God Realm has preserved
for you
in Her.
5
Let us not rest
content until the world has joined our changed perception. Let us not be
satisfied until forgiveness has been made complete. And let us not
attempt to
change our function. We must save the world. For we who made it must
behold it
through the eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness,
that what
was made to die can be restored to Everlasting Life.
1
What joy there is
today! It is a time of special celebration. For today holds out the
instant to
the darkened world where its release is set. The day has come when
sorrows pass
away and pain is gone. The glory of salvation dawns today upon a world
set
free. This is the time of hope for countless millions. They will be
united now
as you forgive them all. For I will be forgiven by you today.
1
I will not lead my
life alone today. I do not understand the world. And so to try to lead
my life
alone must be but foolishness. For there is One Who knows all that is
best for
me. And She is glad to make no choices for me but the ones that lead to
God.
This day I give to Her, for I would not delay my coming home, and it is
She Who
knows the way to HimHer.
1
I will be honest
with myself today. I will not think that I already know what must remain
beyond
my present grasp. I will not think I understand the whole from bits of
my
perception, which are all that I can see. Today I recognize that this is
so.
And so I am relieved of judgment which I cannot make. Thus do I free
myself and
what I look upon, to be in peace as God createdmanifested us.
2
And there we are in
truth. No storms can come into the hallowed haven of our home. In God
are we
secure. For what can come to threaten God HimHerself or make afraid what
will forever
be a part of HimHer?
2
And so we go in
peace. To all the world we give the message that we have received. And
thus we
come to hear the Voice of God, Who speaks to us as we relate Her Word,
Whose
Love we recognize because we share the Word that She has given unto us.
1
Let me not think
that I can find the way to God if I have hatred in my heart. Let me not
try to
hurt God’s SonDaughter and think that I can know his/her FatherMother or
my
Self. Let me not fail to recognize myself and still believe that my
awareness
can contain my FatherMother, or my mind conceive of all the love my
FatherMother has for me and all the love which I return to HimHer.
1
Sin is the symbol
of attack. Behold it anywhere, and I will suffer. For forgiveness is the
only
means whereby The Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision
comes
to me. Let me accept what Her sight shows me as the simple truth and I
am
healed completely. Brother/sister, come and let me look on you. Your
loveliness
reflects my own. Your sinlessness is mine. You stand forgiven, and I
stand with
you.
1
I have disowned the
truth. Now let me be as faithful in disowning falsity. Whatever suffers
is not
part of me. What grieves is not myself. What is in pain is but illusion
in my
mind. What dies was never living in reality and did but mock the truth
about myself.
Now I disown self-concepts and deceits and lies about the holy
SonDaughter of
God. Now am I ready to accept himher back as God createdmanifested
himher and
as heshe is.
1
Forgiveness paints
a picture of a world where suffering is over, loss becomes impossible,
and
anger makes no sense. Attack is gone, and madness has an end. What
suffering is
now conceivable? What loss can be sustained? The world becomes a place
of joy,
abundance, charity, and endless giving. It is now so like to the God
Realm that
it quickly is transformed into the Light that it reflects. And so the
journey
which the SonDaughter of God began has ended in the Light from Which
he/she
came.
1
Let me behold the
SonDaughter of God today and witness to hisher glory. Let me not try to
obscure
the holy light in himher and see hisher strength diminished and reduced
to
frailty nor perceive the lacks in himher with which I would attack
hisher
sovereignty.
ST251:1Sin
is
insanity. It is the means by which the mind is driven mad and seeks to
let
illusions take the place of truth. And being mad, it sees illusions
where the
truth should be and where it really is. Sin gave the body eyes, for what
is
there the sinless would behold? What need have they of sights or sounds
or
touch? What would they hear or reach to grasp? What would they sense at
all? To
sense is not to know. And truth can be but filled with knowledge and
with
nothing else.
2
The body is the
instrument the mind made in its striving to deceive itself. Its purpose
is to
strive. Yet can the goal of striving change. And now the body serves a
different aim for striving. What it seeks for now is chosen by the aim
the mind
has taken as replacement for the goal of self-deception. Truth can be
its aim
as well as lies. The senses then will seek instead for witnesses to what
is
true.
3
Sin is the home of
all illusions, which but stand for things imagined, issuing from
thoughts which
are untrue. They are the "proof" that what has no reality is real.
Sin "proves" God’s SonDaughter is evil; timelessness must have an
end; eternal life must die. And God HimHerself has lost the SonDaughter
HeShe
loves, with but corruption to complete HimHerself, HisHer Will forever
overcome
by death, love slain by hate, and peace to be no more.
4
A
madman's/madwoman’s dreams are frightening, and sin appears indeed to
terrify.
And yet what sin perceives is but a childish game. The SonDaughter of
God may
play heshe has become a body, prey to evil and to guilt, with but a
little life
that ends in death. But all the while hisher FatherMother shines on
himher and
loves himher with an everlasting Love which hisher pretenses cannot
change at
all.
5
How long, oh
SonDaughter of God, will you maintain the game of sin? Shall we not put
away
these sharp-edged children's toys? How soon will you be ready to come
home?
Perhaps today? There is no sin. Creationmanifestation is unchanged.
Would you
still hold return to the God Realm back? How long, oh holy SonDaughter
of God,
how long?
1
I sought for many
things and found despair. Now do I seek but one, for in that one is all
I need
and only what I need. All that I sought before I needed not and did not
even
want. My only need I did not recognize. But now I see that I need only
truth.
In that, all needs are satisfied, all cravings end, all hopes are
finally
fulfilled, and dreams are gone. Now have I everything that I could need.
Now
have I everything that I could want. And now at last I find myself at
peace.
1
My Self is holy
beyond all the thoughts of holiness of which I now conceive. Its
shimmering and
perfect purity is far more brilliant than is any light that I have ever
looked
upon. Its love is limitless, with an intensity that holds all things
within it
in the calm of quiet certainty. Its strength comes not from burning
impulses
which move the world but from the boundless Love of God HimHerself. How
far
beyond this world my Self must be, and yet how near to me and close to
God!
1
It is impossible
that anything should come to me unbidden by myself. Even in this world,
it is I
who rule my destiny. What happens is what I desire. What does not occur
is what
I do not want to happen. This must I accept. For thus am I led past this
world
to myr creationsmanifestations, children of my Will, in the God Realm
where my
holy Self abides with them and HimHer Who has createdmanifested me.
2
Today we let no
evil thoughts direct our words or actions. When such thoughts occur, we
quietly
step back and look at them, and then we let them go. We do not want what
they
would bring with them. And so we do not choose to keep them. They are
silent
now. And in the stillness, hallowed by HisHer Love, God speaks to us and
tells
us of our will, as we have chosen to remember HimHer.
1
It does not seem to
me that I can choose to have but peace today. And yet my God assures me
that
HisHer SonDaughter is like HimHerself. Let me this day have faith in Her
Who
says I am God’s SonDaughter. And let the peace I choose be mine today
bear
witness to the truth of what She says. God’s SonDaughter can have no
cares and
must remain forever in the peace of the God Realm. In Her name I give
today to
finding what my FatherMother wills for me, accepting it as mine and
giving it
to all my Father’sMother’s SonDaughters, along with me.
1
The way to God is
through forgiveness here. There is no other way. If sin had not been
cherished
by the mind, what need would there have been to find a way to where you
are?
Who would still be uncertain? Who could be unsure of who he/she is? And
who
would yet remain asleep in heavy clouds of doubt about the holiness of
him/her
who God createdmanifested sinless? Here we can but dream. But we can
dream we
have forgiven himher in whom all sin remains impossible, and it is this
we
choose to dream today. God is our goal; forgiveness is the means by
which our
minds return to HimHer at last.
1
If I forget my
goal, I can be but confused, unsure of what I am and thus conflicted in
my
actions. No one can serve contradicting goals and serve them well. Nor
can
he/she function without deep distress and great depression. Let us
therefore be
determined to remember what we want today that we may unify our thoughts
and
actions meaningfully and achieve only what God would have us do today.
1
All that is needful
is to train our minds to overlook all little, senseless aims and to
remember
that our goal is God. HisHer memory is hidden in our minds, obscured but
by our
pointless little goals which offer nothing and do not exist. Shall we
continue
to allow God's grace to shine in unawareness while the toys and trinkets
of the
world are sought instead? God is our only goal, our only Love. We have
no aim
but to remember HimHer.
1
Sin is the only
thought that makes the goal of God seem unobtainable. What else could
blind us
to the obvious and make the strange and the distorted seem more clear?
What
else but sin engenders our attacks? What else but sin could be the
source of
guilt, demanding punishment and suffering? And what but this could be
the
source of fear, obscuring God's creationmanifestation, giving love the
attributes of fear and of attack?
2
Now is our Source
remembered, and therein we find our true Identity at last. Holy indeed
are we
because our Source can know no sin. And we who are HisHer SonDaughters
are like
each other and alike to HimHer.
1
The body is a fence
the SonDaughter of God imagines heshe has built to separate parts of
hisher
Self from other parts. It is within this fence, heshe thinks heshe
lives, to
die as it decays and crumbles. For within this fence heshe thinks that
heshe is
safe from love. Identifying with hisher safety, heshe regards
himselfherself as
what hi/her safety is. How else could heshe be certain heshe remains
within the
body, keeping love outside?
2
The body will not
stay. Yet this heshe sees as double safety. For the SonDaughter of God's
impermanence is "proof" hisher fences work and do the task hisher
mind assigns to them. For if hisher oneness still remained untouched,
who could
attack and who could be attacked? Who could be victor? Who could be
hisher prey?
Who could be victim? Who the murderer? And if heshe did not die, what
"proof" is there that God's eternal SonDaughter can be destroyed?
3
The body is a
dream. Like other dreams, it sometimes seems to picture happiness but
can quite
suddenly revert to fear, where every dream is born. For only love
createsmanifests in truth, and truth can never fear. Made to be fearful,
must
the body serve the purpose given it. But we can change the purpose which
the
body will obey by changing what we think that it is for.
4
The body is the
means by which God’s SonDaughter returns to sanity. Though it was made
to fence
himher into hell without escape, yet has the goal of the God Realm been
exchanged for the pursuit of hell. The SonDaughter of God extends hisher
hand
to reach hisher brother/sister and to help him/her walk along the road
with
him. Now is the body holy. Now it serves to heal the mind that it was
made to
kill.
5
You will identify
with what you think will make you safe. Whatever it may be, you will
believe
that it is one with you. Your safety lies in truth and not in lies. Love
is
your safety. Fear does not exist. Identify with love, and you are safe.
Identify with love, and you are home. Identify with love, and find your
Self.
1
I will identify
with what I think is refuge and security. I will behold myself where I
perceive
my strength and think I live within the citadel where I am safe and
cannot be
attacked. Let me today seek not security in danger, nor attempt to find
my
peace in murderous attack. I live in God. In HimHer I find my refuge and
my
strength. In HimHer is my Identity. In HimHer is everlasting peace. And
only
there will I remember who I really am.
2
We who are one
would recognize this day the truth about ourselves. We would come home
and rest
in unity. For there is peace, and nowhere else can peace be sought and
found.
2
And while we still
remain outside the gate of the God Realm, let us look on all we see
through
holy vision and the eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness.
Let all appearances seem pure to us that we may pass them by in
innocence and
walk together to our Father’sMother’s house as brothers/sisters and the
holy
SonsDaughters of God.
2
My
brothers/sisters, join with me in this today. This is salvation's
prayer. Must
we not join in what will save the world along with us?
1
I have indeed
misunderstood the world because I laid my "sins" on it and saw them
looking back at me. How fierce they seemed! And how deceived was I to
think
that what I feared was in the world instead of in my mind alone. Today I
see
the world in the celestial gentleness with which creationmanifestation
shines.
There is no fear in it. Let no appearance of my "sins" obscure the
light of the God Realm, shining on the world. What is reflected here is
in
God's Mind. The images I see reflect my thoughts. Yet is my mind at one
with
God's. And so I can perceive creation'smanifestation’s gentleness.
2
This day we enter
into paradise, calling upon God's Name and on our own, acknowledging our
Self
in each of us, united in the holy Love of God. How many
saviors/savioresses God
has given us! How can we lose the way to HimHer, when HeShe has filled
the
world with those who point to HimHer and given us the sight to look on
them?
1
Surrounding me is
all the life that God createdmanifested in HisHer Love. It calls to me
in every
heartbeat and in every breath, in every action and in every thought.
Peace
fills my heart and floods my body with the purpose of forgiveness. Now
my mind
is healed, and all I need to save the world is given me. Each heartbeat
brings
me peace; each breath infuses me with strength. I am a messenger of God,
directed by HisHer Voice, sustained by HimHer in love, and held forever
quiet
and at peace within HisHer loving arms. Each heartbeat calls HisHer
Name, and
every one is answered by HisHer Voice, assuring me I am at home in
HimHer.
2
Let not our sight
be blasphemous today nor let our ears attend to lying tongues. Only
reality is
free of pain. Only reality is free of loss. Only reality is wholly safe.
And it
is only this we seek today.
2
Today our sight is
blessed indeed. We share one vision as we look upon the face of himher
whose
Self is ours. We are one because of himher who is the SonDaughter of
God, of
himher who is our own Identity.
2
The quiet of today
will bless our hearts, and through them peace will come to everyone. The
Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is our eyes today. And through Her
sight,
we offer healing to the world through Her, the holy SonDaughter whom God
createdmanifested whole, the holy SonDaughter whom God createdmanifested
one.
1 The Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness is God’s Daughter as HeShe createdmanifested Her. She is the
Self
we share, uniting us with one another and with God as well. She is the
Thought
Which still abides within the Mind That is Her Source. She has not left
Her
holy home nor lost the innocence in which She was createdmanifested. She
abides
unchanged forever in the Mind of God.
2 The Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness is the link that keeps you one with God and guarantees that
separation is no more than an illusion of despair. For hope forever will
abide
in Her. Your mind is part of Hers and Hers of yours. She is the part in
which
God's Answer lies, where all decisions are already made and dreams are
over.
She remains untouched by anything the body's eyes perceive. For though in
Her,
Her FatherMother placed the means for your salvation, yet does She remain
the
Self Who, like Her FatherMother, knows no sin.
3 Home of the Holy Spirit and at home in God
alone, does the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness remain at
peace
within the God Realm of your holy mind. This is the only part of you that
has
reality in truth. The rest is dreams. Yet will these dreams be given unto
the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness to fade before Her glory and
reveal your holy Self, the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness,
to you
at last.
4 The Holy Spirit reaches from the Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness in you to all your dreams and bids
them
come to Her to be translated into truth. She will exchange them for the
final
dream which God appointed as the end of dreams. For when forgiveness rests
upon
the world and peace has come to every SonDaughter of God, what could
remain to
keep things separate, for what remains to see except The Face of Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness face?
5 And how long will this holy face be seen,
when
it is but the symbol that the time for learning now is over and the goal
of the
Atonement has been reached at last? So therefore let us seek to find the
face
of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness and look on nothing
else.
As we behold Her glory will we know we have no need of learning or
perception
or of time, or anything except the holy Self, the Christ Consciousness/the
Mercy Consciousness Whom God createdmanifested as HisHer Daughter.
1 Each day, each hour, every instant, I am
choosing what I want to look upon, the sounds I want to hear, the
witnesses to
what I want to be the truth for me. Today I choose to look upon what the
Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness would have me see, to listen to
God's
Voice, and seek the witnesses to what is true in God's
creationmanifestation.
In the sight of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness, the
world and
God's creationmanifestation meet, and as they come together, all
perception
disappears. Her kindly sight redeems the world from death. For nothing
that She
looks on but must live, remembering the FatherMother and the SonDaughter;
CreatorManifestor and creationmanifestation unified.
2 FatherMother, the Christ
Consciousness’/the
Mercy Consciousness's vision is the way to You. What She beholds invites
Your
memory to be restored to me. And this I choose to be what I would look
upon
today.
2
Today we pass
illusions by. And if we hear temptation call to us to stay and linger in
a
dream, we turn aside and ask ourselves if we, the SonDaughters of God,
could be
content with dreams when the God Realm can be chosen just as easily as
hell and
love will happily replace all fear.
1
Perhaps we are now
ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. If this is not yet feasible,
we are
content and even more than satisfied to learn how such a day can be
achieved.
If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and
return to
peace. We need but tell our minds with certainty, "The stillness of the
peace of God is mine," and nothing can intrude upon the peace that God
HimHerself has given to HisHer SonDaughter.
2
A special blessing
comes to us today from HimHer Who is our FatherMother. Give this day to
HimHer
and there will be no fear today because the day is given unto Love.
1
Let us today attend
the Voice of God, Which speaks an ancient lesson, no more true today
than any
other day. Yet has this day been chosen as the time when we will seek
and hear
and learn and understand. Join me in hearing. For the Voice of God tells
us of
things we cannot understand alone, nor learn apart. It is in this that
all things
are protected. And in this the healing of the Voice of God is found.
1
What is the Word of
God? "Our SonDaughter is pure and holy as Ourself." And thus did God
become the FatherMother of the SonDaughter HeShe loves, for thus was
heshe
createdmanifested. This the Word HisHer SonDaughter did not
createmanifest with
HimHer because in this HisHer SonDaughter was born. Let us accept HisHer
FatherhoodMotherhood and all is given us. Deny we were createdmanifested
in
HisHer Love, and we deny our Self, to be unsure of who we are, of who
our
FatherMother is, and for what purpose we have come. And yet we need but
to
acknowledge HimHer Who gave HisHer Word to us in our
creationmanifestation, to
remember HimHer and so recall our Self.
2
Let us not worship
idols/idolresses, nor believe in any laws idolatry would make to hide
the
freedom of the SonDaughter of God. He/she is not bound except by his/her
beliefs. Yet what he/she is is far beyond his/her faith in slavery or
freedom.
HeShe is free because he/she is his/her Father’sMother’s SonDaughter.
And
he/she can not be bound unless God's Truth can lie and God can will that
he/she
deceive himself/herself.
1
If I accept that I
am prisoner within a body in a world in which all things that seem to
live
appear to die, then is my FatherMother prisoner with me. And this do I
believe
when I maintain the laws the world obeys must I obey—the frailties and
the sins
which I perceive are real and cannot be escaped. If I am bound in any
way, I do
not know my FatherMother or my Self. And I am lost to all reality. For
truth is
free, and what is bound is not a part of truth.
1
The end of dreams
is promised me because God’s SonDaughter is not abandoned by hisher
Love. Only
in dreams is there a time when heshe appears to be in prison and awaits
a
future freedom if it be at all. Yet in reality hisher dreams are gone,
with
truth established in their place. And now is freedom hisher already.
Should I
wait in chains which have been severed for release, when God is offering
me
freedom now?
1
Whom God
createdmanifested limitless is free. I can invent imprisonment for
himher, but
only in illusions, not in truth. No Thought of God has left its
Father’sMother’s Mind. No Thought of God is limited at all. No Thought
of God
but is forever pure. Can I lay limits on the SonDaughter of God, whose
FatherMother willed that heshe be limitless and like HimHerself in
freedom and
in love?
1The
Holy Spirit
mediates between illusions and the truth. As She must bridge the gap
between
reality and dreams, perception leads to knowledge through the grace that
God
has given Her, to be HisHer gift to everyone who turns to HimHer for
truth.
Across the bridge that She provides are dreams all carried to the truth,
to be
dispelled before the light of knowledge. There are sights and sounds
forever
laid aside. And where they were perceived before, forgiveness has made
possible
perception's tranquil end.
2
The goal the Holy
Spirit's teaching sets is just this end of dreams. For sights and sounds
must
be translated from the witnesses of fear to those of love. And when this
is
entirely accomplished, learning has achieved the only goal it has in
truth. For
learning, as the Holy Spirit guides it to the outcome She perceives for
it,
becomes the means to go beyond itself, to be replaced by the Eternal
Truth.
3
If you but knew how
much your FatherMother yearns to have you recognize your sinlessness,
you would
not let HisHer Voice appeal in vain nor turn away from HisHer
replacement for
the fearful images and dreams you made. The Holy Spirit understands the
means
you made, by which you would attain what is forever unattainable. And if
you
offer them to Her, She will employ the means you made for exile to
restore your
mind to where it truly is at home.
4
From knowledge,
where She has been placed by God, the Holy Spirit calls to you to let
forgiveness rest upon your dreams and be restored to sanity and peace of
mind.
Without forgiveness will your dreams remain to terrify you. And the
memory of
all your Father’sMother’s Love will not return to signify the end of
dreams has
come.
5
Accept your
Father’sMother’s gift. It is a call from Love to Love that it be but
itself.
The Holy Spirit is HisHer gift by Which the quietness of the God Realm
is
restored to God's beloved SonDaughter. Would you refuse to take the
function of
completing God when all HeShe wills is that you be complete?
2
I will not hurt
myself today. For I am far beyond all pain. My FatherMother placed me
safe in
the God Realm, watching over me. And I would not attack the SonDaughter
HeShe
loves, for what HeShe loves is mine to love as well.
1
If I could realize
but this today, salvation would be reached for all the world. This the
decision
not to be insane and to accept myself as God HimHerself, my FatherMother
and my
Source, createdmanifested me. This the determination not to be asleep in
dreams
of death while truth remains forever living in the joy of life. And this
the
choice to recognize the Self Whom God createdmanifested as the
SonDaughter
HeShe loves and Who remains my one Reality.
2
Now are we one in
shared identity, with God our FatherMother as our only Source and
everything
createdmanifested part of us. And so we offer blessing to all things,
uniting
lovingly with all the world, which our forgiveness has made one with us.
1
Loss is not loss
when properly perceived. Pain is impossible. There is no grief with any
cause
at all. And suffering of any kind is nothing but a dream. Such is the
truth—at
first to be but said and then repeated many times and next to be
accepted as
but partly true with many reservations. Then to be considered seriously
more
and more, and finally accepted as the truth. I can elect to change all
thoughts
that hurt. And I would go beyond these words today, go past all
reservations,
and arrive at full acceptance of the truth in them.
1
Today I wake with
joy, expecting but the happy things of God to come to me. I ask but them
to
come and realize my invitation will be answered by the thoughts to which
it has
been sent by me. And I will ask for only joyous things the instant I
accept my
holiness. For what would be the use of pain to me, what purpose would my
suffering fulfill, and how would grief and loss avail me, if insanity
departs
from me today and I accept my holiness instead?
2
The stillness of
today will give us hope that we have found the way and travelled far
along it
to a wholly certain goal. Today we will not doubt the end which God
HimHerself
has promised us. We trust in HimHer and in our Self, Who still is one
with
HimHer.
1
Where would I go
but the God Realm? What could be a substitute for happiness? What gift
could I
prefer before the peace of God? What treasure would I seek and find and
keep
that can compare with my identity? And would I rather live with fear
than love?
2
Forgive me, then,
today. And you will know you have forgiven me if you behold your
brother/sister
in the light of holiness. He/she cannot be less holy than can I, and you
cannot
be holier than he/she.
1
Unless the past is
over in my mind, the real world must escape my sight. For I am really
looking
nowhere, seeing but what is not there. How can I then perceive the world
forgiveness offers? This the past was made to hide, for this the world
that can
be looked on only now. It has no past. For what can be forgiven but the
past,
and if it is forgiven, it is gone.
1
Unless I look upon
what is not there, my present happiness is all I see. Eyes that begin to
open
see at last. And I would have the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’
vision come to me this very day. What I perceive without God's own
correction
for the sight I made is frightening and painful to behold. Yet I would
not
allow my mind to be deceived by the belief the dream I made is real an
instant
longer. This the day I seek my present happiness and look on nothing
else
except the thing I seek.
1
The real world is a
symbol like the rest of what perception offers. Yet it stands for what
is
opposite to what you made. Your world is seen through eyes of fear and
brings the
witnesses of terror to your mind. The real world cannot be perceived
except
through eyes forgiveness blesses, so they see a world where terror is
impossible and witnesses to fear can not be found.
2
The real world
holds a counterpart for each unhappy thought reflected in your world, a
sure
correction for the sights of fear and sounds of battle which your world
contains. The real world shows a world seen differently, through quiet
eyes and
with a mind at peace. Nothing but rest is there. There are no cries of
pain and
sorrow heard, for nothing here remains outside forgiveness. And the
sights are
gentle. Only happy sights and sounds can reach the mind that has
forgiven
itself.
3
What need has such
a mind for thoughts of death, attack, and murder? What can it perceive
surrounding it but safety, love, and joy? What is there it would choose
to be
condemned, and what is there that it would judge against? The world it
sees
arises from a mind at peace within itself. No danger lurks in anything
it sees,
for it is kind and only kindness does it look upon.
4
The real world is
the symbol that the dream of sin and guilt is over and God’s SonDaughter
no
longer sleeps. HisHer waking eyes perceive the sure reflection of hisher
Father’sMother’s Love, the certain promise that heshe is redeemed. The
real
world signifies the end of time, for its perception makes time
purposeless.
5
The Holy Spirit has
no need of time when it has served Her purpose. Now She waits but that
one
instant more for God to take HisHer final step, and time has
disappeared,
taking perception with it as it goes and leaving but the Truth to be
Itself.
That instant is our goal, for it contains the memory of God. And as we
look
upon a world forgiven, it is She Who calls to us and comes to take us
home,
reminding us of our Identity which our forgiveness has restored to us.
1
The Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision looks through me today.
Her
sight shows me all things forgiven and at peace and offers this same
vision to
the world. And I accept this vision in its name, both for myself and for
the world
as well. What loveliness we look upon today! What holiness we see
surrounding
us! And it is given us to recognize it is a holiness in which we share;
it is
the Holiness of God HimHerself.
1
God's promises make
no exceptions. And HeShe guarantees that only joy can be the final
outcome
found for everything. Yet it is up to us when this is reached—how long
we let
an alien will appear to be opposing HisHers. And while we think this
will is
real, we will not find the end HeShe has appointed as the outcome of all
problems we perceive, all trials we see, and every situation that we
meet. Yet
is the ending certain. For God's Will is done in earth and the God
Realm. We
will seek and we will find according to HisHer Will, which guarantees
that our
will is done.
1
All fear is past
because its source is gone and all its thoughts gone with it. Love
remains the
only present state, whose Source is here forever and forever. Can the
world
seem bright and clear and safe and welcoming with all my past mistakes
oppressing it and showing me distorted forms of pain? Yet in the
present, love
is obvious and its effects apparent. All the world shines in reflection
of its
holy light, and I perceive a world forgiven at last.
1
I am a SonDaughter
of God. And can I be another thing as well? Did God createmanifest the
mortal
and corruptible? What use has God's beloved SonDaughter for what must
die? And
yet a neutral thing does not see death, for thoughts of fear are not
invested
there, nor is a mockery of love bestowed upon it. Its neutrality
protects it
while it has a use. And afterwards, without a purpose, it is laid aside.
It is
not sick or old or hurt. It is but functionless, unneeded and cast off.
Let me
not see it more than this today—of service for a while and fit to serve,
to
keep its usefulness while it can serve, and then to be replaced for
greater
good.
1
The Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness asks that She may use my eyes
today and
thus redeem the world. She asks this gift that She may offer peace of
mind to
me and take away all terror and all pain. And as they are removed from
me, the
dreams that seemed to settle on the world are gone. Redemption must be
one. As
I am saved, the world is saved with me. For all of us must be redeemed
together. Fear appears in many different forms, but love is one.
2
We teach today what
we would learn and that alone. And so our learning goal becomes an
unconflicted
one and possible of easy reach and quick accomplishment. How gladly does
the
Holy Spirit come to rescue us from hell when we allow Her teaching to
persuade
the world through us to seek and find the easy path to God!
1
Forgiveness is the
only gift I give because it is the only gift I want, and everything I
give I
give myself. This is salvation's simple formula. And I, who would be
saved,
would make it mine to be the way I live within a world that needs
salvation and
that will be saved as I accept Atonement for myself.
1
My gratitude
permits my love to be accepted without fear. And thus am I restored to
my
Reality at last. All that intruded on my holy sight forgiveness takes
away. And
I draw near the end of senseless journeys, mad careers, and artificial
values.
I accept instead what God establishes as mine, sure that in that alone I
will
be saved, sure that I go through fear to meet my Love.
1
My holiness is far
beyond my own ability to understand or know. Yet God my FatherMother,
Who
createdmanifested it, acknowledges my holiness as HisHers. Our Will
together
understands it. And our Will together knows that it is so.
1
This is the thought
that can be used to say that death and sorrow are the certain lot of all
who
come here. For their joys are gone before they are possessed, or even
grasped.
Yet this is also the idea that lets no false perception keep us in its
hold nor
represent more than a passing cloud upon a sky eternally serene. And it
is this
serenity we seek, unclouded, obvious, and sure today.
1
The Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ Second Coming, which is sure as
God, is
merely the correction of mistakes and the return of sanity. It is a part
of the
condition which restores the never lost and re-establishes what is
forever and
forever true. It is the invitation to God's Word to take illusion's
place, the
willingness to let forgiveness rest upon all things without exception
and
without reserve.
2
It is the
all-inclusive nature of the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy
Consciousness’ Second
Coming that permits it to embrace the world and hold you safe within its
gentle
advent, which encompasses all living things with you. There is no end to
the
release the Second Coming brings, as God's creationmanifestation must be
limitless. Forgiveness lights the Second Coming's way because it shines
on
everyone as one.
3
The Second Coming
ends the lessons which the Holy Spirit teaches, making way for the Last
Judgment, in which learning ends in one last summary that will extend
beyond
itself and reaches up to God. The Second Coming is the time in which all
minds
are given to the hands of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness, to
be returned to Spirit in the name of true creationmanifestation and the
Will of
God.
4
The Second Coming
is the one event in time which time itself cannot affect. For everyone
who ever
came to die or yet will come or who is present now is equally released
from
what he/she made. In this equality is the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness restored as one identity, in which all SonDaughters of God
acknowledge that they all are one. And God the FatherMother smiles upon
HisHer
SonDaughter, HisHer one creationmanifestation and HisHer only joy.
5
Pray that this
Second Coming will be soon, but do not rest with that. It needs your
eyes and
ears and hands and feet. It needs your voice. And most of all it needs
your
willingness. Let us rejoice that we can do God's Will and join together
in its
holy light. Behold, the SonDaughter of God is one in us, and we can
reach our Father’sMother’s
Love through him/her.
2
God's world is
happy. Those who look on it can only add their joy to it and bless it as
a
cause of further joy in them. We wept because we did not understand. But
we
have learned the world we saw was false, and we will look upon God's
world
today.
2
Our Love awaits us
as we go to HimHer and walks beside us, showing us the way. HeShe fails
in
nothing. HeShe the end we seek, and HeShe the means by which we come to
HimHer.
1
Watch with me,
angels; watch with me today. Let all God's holy Thoughts surround me and
be
still with me while the God Realm's SonDaughter is born. Let earthly
sounds be
quiet and the sights to which I am accustomed disappear. Let the Christ
Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness be welcomed where She is at home,
and let
Her hear the sounds She understands and see but sights which show Her
Father’sMother’s Love. Let Her no longer be a stranger here, for She is
born
again in me today.
1
I can obscure my
holy sight if I intrude my world upon it. Nor can I behold the holy
sights the
Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness looks upon unless it is Her
vision
that I use. Perception is a mirror, not a fact. And what I look on is my
state
of mind reflected outward. I would bless the world by looking on it
through the
eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness. And I will
look upon
the certain signs that all my sins have been forgiven me.
1
Who uses but the
Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision finds a peace so
deep and
quiet, undisturbable and wholly changeless that the world contains no
counterpart. Comparisons are still before this peace. And all the world
departs
in silence as this peace envelops it and gently carries it to truth, no
more to
be the home of fear. For Love has come and healed the world by giving it
the
Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ peace.
1
What but the Christ
Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision would I use today when it
can
offer me a day in which I see a world so like to the God Realm that an
ancient
memory returns to me? Today I can forget the world I made. Today I can
go past
all fear and be restored to love and holiness and peace. Today I am
redeemed
and born anew into a world of mercy and of care; of loving kindness and
the
peace of God.
2
And with this prayer,
we enter silently into a state where conflict cannot come because we
join our
holy will with God's in recognition that they are but one.
1
I have conceived of
time in such a way that I defeat my aim. If I elect to reach past time
to
timelessness, I must change my perception of what time is for. Time's
purpose
cannot be to keep the past and future one. The only interval in which I
can be
saved from time is now. For in this instant has forgiveness come to set
me
free. The birth of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness is
now,
without a past or future. She has come to give Her present blessing to
the
world, restoring it to timelessness and love. And love is ever-present,
here
and now.
1
Within me is
eternal innocence because it is God's Will that it be there forever and
forever. I, HisHer SonDaughter, whose will is limitless as is HisHer
own, can
will no change in this. For to deny my Father’sMother’s Will is to deny
my own.
To look within is but to find my will as God createdmanifested it and as
it is.
I fear to look within because I think I made another will which is not
true and
made it real. Yet it has no effects. Within me is the holiness of God.
Within
me is the memory of HimHer.
2
We spend this day
together, You and I. And all the world joins with us in our Song of
thankfulness and joy to HimHer Who gave salvation to us, and Who set us
free.
We are restored to peace and holiness. There is no room in us for fear
today,
for we have welcomed love into our hearts.
1
The Christ Consciousness’/the
Mercy Consciousness’ Second Coming gives the SonDaughter of God the gift
to
hear the Voice for God proclaim that what is false is false and what is
true
has never changed. And this the judgment is in which perception ends. At
first
you see a world which has accepted this as true, projected from a now
corrected
mind. And with this holy sight, perception gives a silent blessing and
then
disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.
2
The final judgment
on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally
forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless. Without a cause and now
without a
function in the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ sight, it
merely
slips away to nothingness. There it was born, and there it ends as well.
And
all the figures in the dream in which the world began go with it. Bodies
now
are useless and will therefore fade away because the SonDaughter of God
is
limitless.
3
You who believed
that God's Last Judgment would condemn the world to hell along with you,
accept
this holy truth: God's Judgment is the gift of the correction HeShe
bestowed on
all your errors, freeing you from them and all effects they ever seemed
to
have. To fear God's saving grace is but to fear complete release from
suffering,
return to peace, security and happiness, and union with your own
Identity.
4
God's Final
Judgment is as merciful as every step in HisHer appointed plan to bless
HisHer
SonDaughter and call him/her to return to the eternal peace HeShe shares
with
him. Be not afraid of love. For it alone can heal all sorrow, wipe away
all
tears, and gently waken from hisher dream of pain the SonDaughter whom
God
acknowledges as His. Be not afraid of this. Salvation asks you give it
welcome.
And the world awaits your glad acceptance, which will set it free.
5
This is God's Final
Judgment: "You are still Our
holy SonDaughter,
forever innocent, forever loving and forever loved, as limitless as your
CreatorManifestor and completely changeless and forever pure. Therefore
awaken and
return to Us. We
are
your FatherMother
and you are Our SonDaughter."
1
Judgment was made
to be a weapon used against the truth. It separates what it is being
used
against and sets it off as if it were a thing apart. And then it makes
of it
what you would have it be. It judges what it cannot understand because
it
cannot see totality and therefore judges falsely. Let us not use it
today but
make a gift of it to Her Who has a different use for it. She will
relieve you
of the agony of all the judgments you have made against yourself and
re-establish peace of mind by giving you God's Judgment of HisHer
SonDaughter.
1
Perception follows
judgment. Having judged, you therefore see what you would look upon. For
sight
can merely serve to offer you what you would have. It is impossible to
overlook
what you would see and fail to see what you have chosen to behold. How
surely,
therefore, must the real world come to greet the holy sight of anyone
who takes
the Holy Spirit's purpose as his/her goal for seeing. And he/she cannot
fail to
look upon what the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy Consciousness would
have
him/her see and share the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’
love
for what he/she looks upon.
2
Let us today behold
each other in the sight of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness.
How beautiful we are! How holy and how loving! Brother/sister, come and
join
with me today. We save the world when we are joined. For in our vision
it becomes
as holy as the light in us.
1
From new perception
of the world there comes a future very different from the past. The
future now
is recognized as but extension of the present. Past mistakes can cast no
shadows
on it, so that fear has lost its idols/idolresses and its images, and
being
formless, it has no effects. Death will not claim the future now, for
life is
now its goal, and all the needed means are happily provided. Who can
grieve or
suffer when the present has been freed, extending its security and peace
into a
quiet future filled with hope?
1
Each day a thousand
treasures come to me with every passing moment. I am blessed with gifts
throughout
the day, in value far beyond all things of which I can conceive. A
brother/sister smiles upon another, and my heart is gladdened. Someone
speaks a
word of gratitude or mercy, and my mind perceives this gift and takes it
as its
own. And everyone who finds the way to God becomes my savior, pointing
out the
way to me and giving me his/her certainty that what he/she learned is
surely
mine as well.
1
As every gift my
brothers/sisters give is mine, so every gift I give belongs to me. Each
one
allows a past mistake to go and leave no shadow on the holy mind my
FatherMother loves. HisHer grace is given me in every gift a
brother/sister has
received throughout all time and past all time as well. My treasure
house is
full, and angels watch its open doors that not one gift is lost and only
more
are added. Let me come to where my treasures are and enter in where I am
truly
welcome and at home among the gifts that God has given me.
1
I have a special
place to fill—a role for me alone. Salvation waits until I take this
part as
what I choose to do. Until I make this choice, I am the slave of time
and human
destiny. But when I willingly and gladly go the way my Father’sMother’s
plan
appointed me to go, then will I recognize salvation is already here,
already
given all my brothers/sisters and already mine as well.
1
In me, God's holy
SonDaughter, are reconciled all parts of the God Realm's plan to save
the
world. What could conflict when all the parts have but one purpose and
one aim?
How could there be a single part that stands aside or one of more or
less
importance than the rest? I am the means by which God’s SonDaughter is
saved
because salvation's purpose is to find the sinlessness which God has
placed in
me. I was createdmanifested as the thing I seek. I am the goal the world
is
searching for. I am God’s SonDaughter, HisHer one Eternal Love. I am
salvation's means and end as well.
1
Here is a thought
from which all arrogance has been removed, and only truth is left. For
arrogance opposes truth. But where there is no arrogance, the truth will
come
immediately and fill up the space the ego left unoccupied by lies. Only
the ego
can be limited, and therefore it must seek for aims which are curtailed
and
limiting. The ego thinks that what one gains totality must lose. And yet
it is
the Will of God I learn that what one gains is given unto all.
1
The SonDaughter of
God is limitless. There are no limits on hisher strength, hisher peace,
hisher
joy, or any attributes hisher FatherMother gave in hisher
creationmanifestation. What heshe wills with hisher CreatorManifestor
and
Redeemer must be done. Hisher holy will can never be denied because
hisher
FatherMother shines upon hisher mind and lays before it all the strength
and
love in earth and the God Realm. I am heshe to whom all this is given. I
am
heshe in whom the power of my Father’sMother’s Will abides.
1
Creationmanifestation is the sum of all God's Thoughts, in number
infinite and
everywhere without all limit. Only Love createsmanifests and only like
Itself.
There was no time when all that It createdmanifested was not there. Nor
will
there be a time when anything that It createdmanifested suffers any
change.
Forever and forever are God's Thoughts exactly as they were and as they
are,
unchanged through time and after time is done.
2
God's Thoughts are
given all the power that Their own CreatorManifestor has. For HeShe
would add
to Love by its extension. Thus HisHer SonDaughter shares in
creationmanifestation, and must therefore share in power to
createmanifest.
What God has willed to be forever one will still be one when time is
over and
will not be changed throughout the course of time, remaining as it was
before
the thought of time began.
3
Creationmanifestation is the opposite of all illusions, for
creationmanifestation is the truth. CreationManifestation is the holy
SonDaughter of God, for in creationmanifestation is HisHer Will complete
in
every aspect, making every part container of the whole. Its oneness is
forever
guaranteed inviolate, forever held within HisHer holy Will beyond all
possibility of harm, of separation, imperfection, and of any spot upon
its
sinlessness.
4
We are
creationmanifestation---we the SonsDaughters of God. We seem to be
discrete and
unaware of our eternal unity with HimHer. Yet back of all our doubts,
past all
our fears, there still is certainty. For Love remains with all Its
Thoughts,
Its sureness being theirs. God's memory is in our holy minds, which know
their
oneness and their unity with their CreatorManifestor. Let our function
be only
to let this memory return, only to let God's Will be done on earth, only
to be
restored to sanity, and to be but as God createdmanifested us.
5
Our FatherMother
calls to us. We hear HisHer Voice, and we forgive creationmanifestation
in the
name of its CreatorManifestor, Holiness Itself, Whose holiness HisHer
own
creationmanifestation shares; Whose holiness is still a part of us.
2
Today we answer for
the world, which will be freed along with us. How glad are we to find
our
freedom through the certain way our FatherMother has established. And
how sure
is all the world's salvation when we learn our freedom can be found in
God
alone.
EDITED TO
HERE
1
I sacrifice
illusions, nothing more. And as illusions go, I find the gifts illusions
tried
to hide, awaiting me in shining welcome and in readiness to give God's
ancient
messages to me. HisHer memory abides in every gift that I receive of
HimHer.
And every dream serves only to conceal the Self which is God's only
SonDaughter, the likeness of HimHerself, the Holy One who still abides
in
himher forever, as HeShe still abides in me.
2
And as we pay the
debt we owe to truth—a debt which merely is the letting-go of
self-deceptions
and of images we worshipped falsely—truth returns to us in wholeness and
in
joy. We are deceived no longer. Love has now returned to our awareness.
And we
are at peace again, for fear has gone and only love remains.
2
So let us follow
One Who knows the way. We need not tarry, and we cannot stray except an
instant
from Her loving hand. We walk together, for we follow Her. And it is She
Who
makes the ending sure and guarantees a safe returning home.
1
This is salvation's
keynote: What I see reflects a process in my mind which starts with my
idea of
what I want. From there, the mind makes up an image of the thing the
mind
desires, judges valuable, and therefore seeks to find. These images are
then
projected outward, looked upon, esteemed as real, and guarded as one's
own.
From insane wishes comes an insane world. From judgment comes a world
condemned. And from forgiving thoughts a gentle world comes forth, with
mercy
for the holy SonDaughter of God, to offer him/her a kindly home where
he/she
can rest a while before he/she journeys on and help his/her
brothers/sisters
walk ahead with him/her and find the way to the God Realm and to God.
2
Let us today behold
earth disappear, at first transformed, and then, forgiven, fade entirely
into
God's holy Will.
1
I am not asked to
take salvation on the basis of an unsupported faith. For God has
promised HeShe
will hear my call and answer me HimHerself. Let me but learn from my
experience
that this is true, and faith in HimHer must surely come to me. This is
the
faith that will endure and take me farther and still farther on the road
that
leads to HimHer. For thus I will be sure that HeShe has not abandoned me
and
loves me still, awaiting but my call to give me all the help I need to
come to
HimHer.
1
What seems to be
the second place is first, for all things we perceive are upside down
until we
listen to the Voice of God. It seems that we will gain autonomy but by
our
striving to be separate and that our independence from the rest of God's
creationmanifestation is the way in which salvation is obtained. Yet all
we
find is sickness, suffering and loss, and death. This is not what our
FatherMother wills for us, nor is there any second to HisHer Will. To
join with
HisHer is but to find our own. And since our will is HisHer, it is to
HimHer
that we must go to recognize our will.
2
Today we will
accept our union with each other and our Source. We have no will apart
from
HisHers, and all of us are one because HisHer Will is shared by all of
us.
Through it we recognize that we are one. Through it we find our way at
last to
God.
1
Let us this day
accept forgiveness as our only function. Why should we attack our minds
and
give them images of pain? Why should we teach them they are powerless
when God
holds out HisHer power and HisHer Love and bids them take what is
already
theirs? The mind that is made willing to accept God's gifts has been
restored
to Spirit and extends its freedom and its joy, as is the Will of God
united
with its own. The Self which God createdmanifested cannot sin and
therefore
cannot suffer. Let us choose today that heshe be our identity and thus
escape
forever from all things the dream of fear appears to offer us.
1
The ego is
idolatry—the sign of limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed
to
suffer and to end its life in death. It is the will that sees the Will
of God
as enemy and takes a form in which It is denied. The ego is the
"proof" that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really
death, and what opposes God alone is true.
2
The ego is insane.
In fear it stands beyond the Everywhere, apart from All, in separation
from the
Infinite. In its insanity it thinks it has become a victor over God
HimHerself,
and in its terrible autonomy, it "sees" the Will of God has been
destroyed. It dreams of punishment and trembles at the figures in its
dreams,
its enemies who seek to murder it before it can ensure its safety by
attacking
them.
3
The SonDaughter of
God is egoless. What can heshe know of madness and the death of God when
heshe
abides in HimHer? What can heshe know of sorrow and of suffering when
heshe
lives in eternal joy? What can heshe know of fear and punishment, of sin
and
guilt, of hatred and attack when all there is surrounding himher is
everlasting
peace, forever conflict-free and undisturbed in deepest silence and
tranquility?
4
To know Reality is
not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and
its
beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the
cost
belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so
immense
that crucifixion of the SonDaughter of God is offered daily at its
darkened
shrine and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers
prepare
for death.
5
Yet will one lily
of forgiveness change the darkness into light, the altar to illusions to
the
shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy
minds
which God createdmanifested as HisHer SonDaughter, HisHer
dwelling-place,
HisHer joy, HisHer love, completely His, completely one with HimHer.
2
Forgiveness shows
us that God's Will is one and that we share it. Let us look upon the
holy
sights forgiveness shows today that we may find the peace of God. Amen.
1
The ego makes
illusions. Truth undoes its evil dreams by shining them away. Truth
never makes
attack. It merely is. And by its presence is the mind recalled from
fantasies,
awaking to the Real. Forgiveness bids this presence enter in and take
its
rightful place within the mind. Without forgiveness is the mind in
chains,
believing in its own futility. Yet with forgiveness does the light shine
through the dream of darkness, offering it hope and giving it the means
to
realize the freedom that is its inheritance.
1
Conflict must be
resolved. It cannot be evaded, set aside, denied, disguised, seen
somewhere
else, called by another name, nor hidden by deceit of any kind if it
would be
escaped. It must be seen exactly as it is, where it is thought to be, in
the
reality which has been given it, and with the purpose that the mind
accorded
it. For only then are its defenses lifted and the truth can shine upon
it as it
disappears.
1
I will not wait
another day to find the treasures which my FatherMother offers me.
Illusions
must be vain and dreams are gone, even while they are woven out of
thoughts
that rest on false perception. Let me not accept such meager gifts again
today.
God's Voice is offering the peace of God to all who hear and choose to
follow
Her. This is my choice today. And so I go to find the treasures God has
given
me.
1
Forgiveness is a
choice. I never see my brother/sister as he/she is, for that is far
beyond
perception. What I see in him/her is merely what I wish to see because
it
stands for what I want to be the truth. It is to this alone that I
respond,
however much I seem to be impelled by outside happenings. I choose to
see what
I would look upon, and this I see and only this. My brother’s/sister’s
sinlessness shows me that I would look upon my own. And I will see it,
having
chosen to behold my brother/sister in its holy light.
1
Forgiveness is the
means appointed for perception's ending. Knowledge is restored after
perception
first is changed and then gives way entirely to what remains forever
past its
highest reach. For sights and sounds at best can serve but to recall the
memory
that lies beyond them all. Forgiveness sweeps away distortions and opens
the
hidden altar to the truth. Its lilies shine into the mind and call it to
return
and look within, to find what it has vainly sought without. For here and
only
here is peace of mind restored, for this the dwelling-place of God
HimHerself.
1
My sinlessness
ensures me perfect peace, eternal safety, everlasting love, freedom
forever
from all thought of loss, complete deliverance from suffering. And only
happiness can be my state, for only happiness is given me. What must I
do to
know all this is mine? I must accept Atonement for myself and nothing
more. God
has already done all things that need be done. And I must learn I need
do
nothing of myself, for I need but accept my Self, my sinlessness,
createdmanifested for me, now already mine, to feel God's Love
protecting me
from harm, to understand my FatherMother loves HisHer SonDaughter, to
know I am
the SonDaughter my FatherMother loves.
1
It needs but this
to let salvation come to all the world. For in this single thought is
everyone
released at last from fear. Now heshe has learned that no one frightens
himher
and nothing can endanger him. Heshe has no enemies, and heshe is safe
from all
external things. Hisher thoughts can frighten himher, but since these
thoughts
belong to himher alone, heshe has the power to change them and exchange
each
fear thought for a happy thought of love. Heshe crucified
himselfherself. Yet
God has planned that HisHer beloved SonDaughter will be redeemed.
1
No one desires
pain. But he/she can think that pain is pleasure. No one would avoid
his/her
happiness. But he/she can think that joy is painful, threatening, and
dangerous. Everyone will receive what he/she requests. But he/she can be
confused indeed about the things he/she wants, the state he/she would
attain.
What can he/she then request that he/she would want when he/she receives
it?
He/she has asked for what will frighten him/her and bring him/her
suffering.
Let us resolve today to ask for what we really want, and only this, that
we may
spend this day in fearlessness, without confusing pain with joy or fear
with
love.
2
Be glad today! Be
glad! There is no room for anything but joy and thanks today. Our
FatherMother
has redeemed HisHer SonDaughter this day! Not one of us but will be
saved
today. Not one who will remain in fear, and none the FatherMother will
not
gather to HimHerself, awake in the God Realm in the Heart of Love.
1
A miracle is a
correction. It does not createmanifest nor really change at all. It
merely
looks on devastation, and reminds the mind that what it sees is false.
It
undoes error, but does not attempt to go beyond perception nor exceed
the
function of forgiveness. Thus it stays within time's limits. Yet it
paves the
way for the return of timelessness and love's awakening, for fear must
slip
away under the gentle remedy it gives.
2
A miracle contains
the gift of grace, for it is given and received as one. And thus it
illustrates
the law of truth the world does not obey because it fails entirely to
understand its ways. A miracle inverts perception which was upside-down
before,
and thus it ends the strange distortions that were manifest. Now is
perception
open to the truth. Now is forgiveness seen as justified.
3
Forgiveness is the
home of miracles. The eyes of the Christ Consciousness/the Mercy
Consciousness
deliver them to all they look upon in mercy and in love. Perception
stands
corrected in Her sight, and what was meant to curse has come to bless.
Each
lily of forgiveness offers all the world the silent miracle of love. And
each
is laid before the Word of God upon the universal altar to
CreatorManifestor and
creationmanifestation, in the light of perfect purity and endless joy.
4
The miracle is
taken first on faith because to ask for it implies the mind has been
made ready
to conceive of what it cannot see and does not understand. Yet faith
will bring
its witnesses to show that what it rested on is really there. And thus
the
miracle will justify your faith in it and show it rested on a world more
real
than what you saw before—a world redeemed from what you thought you saw.
5
Miracles fall like
drops of healing rain from the God Realm on a dry and dusty world, where
starved and thirsty creaturesmanifestations came to die. Now they have
water.
Now the world is green. And everywhere the signs of life spring up to
show that
what is born can never die, for what has life has immortality.
2
Let us not then
attack our sinlessness, for it contains the Word of God to us, and in
its kind
reflection we are saved.
2
Brother/sister,
forgive me now. I come to you to take you home with me. And as we go,
the world
goes with us on the way to God.
2
The mercy and the
peace of God are free. Salvation has no cost. It is a gift that must be
freely
given and received, and it is this that we would learn today.
2
How near we are to
one another, as we go to God. How near is HeShe to us. How close the
ending of
the dream of sin and the redemption of the SonDaughter of God.
2
Peace to all
seeking hearts today. The light has come to offer miracles to bless the
tired
world. It will find rest today, for we will offer what we have received.
2
And when the
evening comes today, we will remember nothing but the peace of God. For
we will
learn today what peace is ours when we forget all things except God's
Love.
2
Listen today. Be
very still and hear the gentle Voice for God assuring you that She has
judged
you as the SonDaughter She loves.
2
God's grace
suffices us in everything that HeShe would have us do. And only that we
choose
to be our will as well as HisHer.
2
Our FatherMother
knows our needs. HeShe gives us grace to meet them all. And so we trust
in
HimHer to send us miracles to bless the world and heal our minds as we
return
to HimHer.
2
And as we gather
miracles from HimHer, we will indeed be grateful. For as we remember
HimHer,
HisHer SonDaughter will be restored to us in the Reality of Love.
2
Our use for words
is almost over now. Yet in the final days of this one year we gave to
God
together, you and I, we found a single purpose that we shared. And thus
you
joined with me. So what I am are you as well. The truth of what we are
is not
for words to speak of nor describe. Yet we can realize our function
here, and
words can speak of this and teach it, too, if we exemplify the words in
us.
3
We are the bringers
of salvation. We accept our part as saviors/savioresses of the world,
which
through our joint forgiveness is redeemed. And this, our gift, is
therefore
given us. We look on everyone as brothers/sisters and perceive all
things as
kindly and as good. We do not seek a function that is past the gates of
the God
Realm. Knowledge will return when we have done our part. We are
concerned only
with giving welcome to the truth.
4
Ours are the eyes
through which the Christ Consciousness’/the Mercy Consciousness’ vision
sees a
world redeemed from every thought of sin. Ours are the ears that hear
the Voice
of God proclaim the world as sinless. Ours the minds which join together
as we
bless the world. And from the oneness that we have attained we call to
all our
brothers/sisters, asking them to share our peace and consummate our joy.
5
We are the holy
messengers of God who speak for HimHer, and carrying HisHer Word to
everyone
whom HeShe has sent to us, we learn that it is written on our hearts.
And thus
our minds are changed about the aim for which we came and which we seek
to
serve. We bring glad tidings to the SonDaughter of God, who thought
he/she
suffered. Now is he/she redeemed. And as he/she sees the gate of the God
Realm
stand open before him/her, he/she will enter in and disappear into the
Heart of
God.
IF:1Our
final lessons
will be left as free of words as possible. We use them but at the
beginning of
our practicing and only to remind us that we seek to go beyond them. Let
us
turn to Her Who leads the way and makes our footsteps sure. To Her we
leave
these lessons, as to Her we give our lives henceforth. For we would not
return
again to the belief in sin, which made the world seem ugly and unsafe,
attacking and destroying, dangerous in all its ways, and treacherous
beyond the
hope of trust and the escape from pain.
2
Her is the only way
to find the peace that God has given us. It is Her way that everyone
must
travel in the end, because it is this ending God HimHerself appointed.
In the
dream of time, it seems to be far off. And yet in truth, it is already
here,
already serving us as gracious guidance in the way to go. Let us
together
follow in this way that truth points out to us. And let us be the
leaders of
our many brothers/sisters who are seeking for the way but find it not.
3
And to this purpose
let us dedicate our minds, directing all our thoughts to serve the
function of
salvation. Unto us the aim is given to forgive the world. It is the goal
that
God has given us. It is HisHer ending to the dream we seek, and not our
own.
For all that we forgive we will not fail to recognize as part of God
HimHerself. And thus HisHer memory is given back completely and
complete.
4
It is our function
to remember HimHer on earth, as it is given us to be HisHer own
completion in
reality. So let us not forget our goal is shared. For it is that
remembrance
which contains the memory of God and points the way to HimHer and to the
God
Realm of HisHer peace. And shall we not forgive our brother/sister who
can
offer this to us? He/she is the way, the truth, and life that show the
way to
us. In him/her resides salvation, offered us through our forgiveness
given unto
him.
5
We will not end
this year without the gift our FatherMother promised to HisHer holy
SonDaughter. We are forgiven now. And we are saved from all the wrath we
thought belonged to God and found it was a dream. We are restored to
sanity in
which we understand that anger is insane, attack is mad, and vengeance
merely
foolish fantasy. We have been saved from wrath because we learned we
were
mistaken. Nothing more than that. And is a FatherMother angry at HisHer
SonDaughter because heshe failed to understand the truth?
6
We come in honesty
to HimHer and say we did not understand and ask HimHer to help us to
learn
HisHer lessons through the Voice of HisHer own Teacheress. Would HeShe
hurt
HisHer SonDaughter? Or would HeShe rush to answer him/her and say, "This
is My SonDaughter, and all I have is hisher"? Be certain HeShe will
answer
thus, for these are HisHer own Words to you. And more than that can no
one ever
have, for in these Words is all there is and all that there will be
throughout
all time and in eternity.
1
And if I need a
word to help me, She will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will
She
also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these
are the
gifts I will receive of Her. She is in charge by my request. And She
will hear
and answer me because She speaks for God, my FatherMother, and HisHer
holy
SonDaughter.
1
And if I need a
word to help me, She will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will
She
also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these
are the
gifts I will receive of Her. She is in charge by my request. And She
will hear
and answer me because She speaks for God, my FatherMother, and HisHer
holy
SonDaughter.
1
And if I need a
word to help me, She will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will
She
also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these
are the
gifts I will receive of Her. She is in charge by my request. And She
will hear
and answer me because She speaks for God, my FatherMother, and HisHer
holy
SonDaughter.
1
And if I need a
word to help me, She will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will
She
also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these
are the
gifts I will receive of Her. She is in charge by my request. And She
will hear
and answer me because She speaks for God, my FatherMother, and HisHer
holy
SonDaughter.
1
And if I need a
word to help me, She will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will
She
also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these
are the
gifts I will receive of Her. She is in charge by my request. And She
will hear
and answer me because She speaks for God, my FatherMother, and HisHer
holy
SonDaughter.
1
This course is a
beginning, not an end. Your Lady Friend goes with you. You are not
alone. No
one who calls on Her can call in vain. Whatever troubles you, be certain
that
She has the answer and will gladly give it to you if you simply turn to
Her and
ask it of Her. She will not withhold all answers that you need for
anything
that seems to trouble you. She knows the way to solve all problems and
resolve
all doubts. Her certainty is yours. You need but ask it of Her, and it
will be
given you.
2
You are as certain
of arriving home as is the pathway of the sun laid down before it rises,
after
it has set, and in the half-lit hours in between. Indeed, your pathway
is more
certain still, for it cannot be possible to change the course of those
whom God
has called to HimHer. Therefore, obey your will and follow Her Whom you
accepted as your Voice, to speak of what you really want and really
need. Hers
is the Voice for God, and also yours. And thus She speaks of freedom and
of
truth.
3
No more specific
lessons are assigned, for there is no more need of them. Henceforth,
hear but
the Voice for God and for your Self when you retire from the world, to
seek
Reality instead. She will direct your efforts, telling you exactly what
to do,
how to direct your mind, and when to come to Her in silence, asking for
Her
sure direction and Her certain Word. Her is the Word that God has given
you.
Her is the Word you chose to be your own.
4
And now I place you
in Her hands, to be Her faithful followers, with Her as Guide through
every
difficulty and all pain that you may think is real. Nor will She give
you
pleasures that will pass away, for She gives only the eternal and the
good. Let
Her prepare you further. She has earned your trust by speaking daily to
you of
your FatherMother and your brother/sister and your Self. She will
continue; now
you walk with Her as certain as is She of where you go; as sure as She
of how
you should proceed, as confident as She is of the goal and of your safe
arrival
in the end.
5
The end is certain
and the means as well. To this we say "Amen." We will be told exactly
what God wills for us each time there is a choice to make. And She will
speak
for God and for your Self, thus making sure that hell will claim you not
and
that each choice you make brings the God Realm nearer to your reach. And
so we
walk with Her from this time on and turn to Her for guidance and for
peace and
right direction. Joy attends our way. For we go homeward to an open door
which
God has held unclosed to welcome us.
6
We trust our ways
to Her and say "Amen." In peace we will continue in Her way and trust
all things to Her. In confidence we wait Her answers, as we ask Her will
in
everything we do. She loves God’s SonDaughter as we would love himher,
and She teaches
us how to behold himher through Her eyes and love himher as She does.
You do
not walk alone. God's angels hover close and all about. Her Love
surrounds you,
and of this be sure: that I will never leave you comfortless.