[acimlessons_list] Lesson 330 - November 26

[Sue Carrier]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ COMMENTARIES ON LESSONS FROM THE WORKBOOK OF A COURSE IN +MIRACLES
+ by Allen Watson, with Practice Summaries by Robert Perry, 
+ of The Circle of Atonement
+ Visit our website at <http://www.circleofa.com <http://www.circleofa.com/> >
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Lesson 330 - November 26


"I will not hurt myself again today."

PRACTICE SUMMARY 

(See Part II Practice Summary, and also Part II Introduction)

COMMENTARY

Whenever I think I am less than what God created, I hurt myself. And
only myself. I do no real damage, but I have the perfectly realistic
illusion of pain, sacrifice and suffering. All my physical and
emotional senses confirm its reality; only the vision of Christ sees
its illusory nature.

There is a strong passage in the Text that tells how important it is
to understand that what our eyes and ears are telling us is not
dependable, that it is only illusion, only the projection of my own
thoughts.

"The secret of salvation is but this: That you are doing this unto
yourself. No matter what the form of the attack, this still is true.
Whoever takes the role of enemy and of attacker, still is this the
truth. Whatever seems to be the cause of any pain and suffering you
feel, this is still true. For you could not react at all to figures in
a dream you knew that you were dreaming. Let them be as hateful and as
vicious as they may, they could have no effect on you unless you
failed to recognize it is your dream" (T-27.VIII.10:1-6).

The evil dream results from a false picture of myself as something
less than the Self which God created, a Self that cannot sin and
cannot suffer. I still believe myself to be capable of sin and capable
of suffering. Because I believe that of myself, I believe it of
others, and I project my belief onto them. I project my sin and my
guilt onto them. Every time I see sin or weakness in a brother, it is
only a reflection of my own thoughts about myself. "It is your dream"
that you are seeing. You are not seeing something real but a masterful
illusion, a near-perfect illusion, projected from your incredibly
powerful mind. It is the projected image of your own thoughts about
yourself that is "hurting" you.

If I think I am weak, if I think my life is in a mess, I am not seeing
my true Identity. None of this is really happening. I am living a
dream, a bad dream, a dream about myself. From a metaphysical
standpoint, nothing that is happening in my life really matters at
all. It is just a bad dream. (It <does> matter as a reflection of my
state of mind, however--see T-2.In.1:1-5.)

We are being "saved from what we thought we were" (2:3), and the way
toward that deliverance is to understand that "life is but a dream,"
as the old song says. The way of deliverance is to forgive. To
understand when I think I see something worthy of my judgment and
condemnation that somehow, in some twisted way, all I am seeing is my
own thoughts projected outward. And to choose, in that moment, to
think differently. To see the situation which I thought justified my
anger turned into a situation that justifies my love. "Here is a poor,
confused brother, just like me, who has lost track of his true
Identity with God. I am seeing him as guilty only because I am
projecting my own guilt. I choose not to add to his illusion by
broadcasting guilt onto him. I choose instead to direct my love to him
that he may begin to awaken, as I have begun." And I know, in so
doing, that I am giving that love to myself, I am contributing to my
own awakening.

More to the point for me personally is the phrase, "Why should we
attack our minds, and give them images of pain? Why should we teach
them they are powerless...?" (1:2-3) What am I teaching my mind by the
thoughts I am thinking? What am I teaching my mind by feeling guilty?
I'm a man under reconstruction, I'm not finished yet. If I didn't need
rehabilitation I wouldn't be here! Let me observe my thoughts today
and see how they would attack me if I choose to listen to ego, and how
they build me up when I listen to the Holy Spirit.

WHAT IS CREATION? (Part 10)

W-pII.11.5:2

"We hear His Voice, and we forgive creation in the Name of its
Creator, Holiness Itself, Whose holiness His Own creation shares;
Whose holiness is still a part of us."

His Voice is calling us to "forgive creation." We have looked on God's
creation--ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and all the rest that
makes up creation--and we have pronounced judgment on it. We have seen
guilt and ugliness where God created only beauty and holiness. In this
world, we cannot truly create nor extend love in the purity that
belongs only to Heaven, but we can forgive. We can end our
fault-finding, and lift our judgment and condemnation from everything
we see. Every moment offers us an opportunity to do this; every
encounter is a chance to practice forgiveness.

Whatever we look upon without seeing the holiness of God in it, we
need to forgive. To see anything other than God's holiness reflected
everywhere is an act of unforgiveness, a condemnation of God's
creation. When we do see something that appears unholy, we need to ask
the help of the Holy Spirit to see past appearances to the truth of
God's holiness those appearances are hiding. Sin is an illusion, and
only holiness is true.

In a sense, then, all that the Course is teaching us is to acknowledge
God's creation everywhere, in everything, and above all, in ourselves.
Our Creator's "holiness is still a part of us." Let us say to everyone
we meet (in our thoughts, our words, and our actions), "I would behold
you with the eyes of Christ, and see my perfect sinlessness in you"
(W-pI.161.11:8).
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Commentary by Allen Watson
+ Practice Summary: Robert Perry
+ Available in book format from The Circle
+ of Atonement (Vol. 1 reprint due by end of 2004, write us for info)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ The Workbook Commentaries are Copyright 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003 by The 
+ Circle of Atonement, P.O. Box 4238,
+ W. Sedona, AZ 86340.
+ All rights reserved.
+
+ Please notify us of any intent to use them beyond the scope of this 
+ e-mail list; write to info at circleofa.com.
+
+ WWW: <http://www.circleofa.com/>
+ Email: <info at circleofa.com>
+ Back Issues Lesson Archive: <http://www.circleofa.com/curwkbk.html>
+ or <http://five.pairlist.net/pipermail/acimlessons_list/>, click "Date"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To unsubscribe from ACIMLESSONS_LIST send email to
acimlessons_list-request at circleofa.com with "unsubscribe" as the
subject

To unsubscribe from ACIMWKBK_LIST send email to
acimwkbk_list-request at circleofa.com with "unsubscribe" as the subject

For more information about unsubscribing, subscribing, and changing
settings for your subscription, send an e-mail message to the same
address with the word "help" as the subject. You can also change your
subscription options by visiting the list website:
<http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/acimlessons_list> OR
<http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/acimwkbk_list>
Scroll to the bottom to change your personal options. 
____________________________________________

Tell your friends to subscribe. They can simply send an e-mail message
to <acimwkbk_list-request at circleofa.com> with the word "subscribe" in
the subject, changing "acimwkbk" to "acimlessons" if they want only
the commentaries, without member discussion.
_______________________________________________

Please support the Workbook commentaries! Make a donation to the
Circle: <https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=info%40circleofa.com&item_name=donation+to+support+Workbook+commentaries&image_url=http%3A//www.circleofa.coion+to+support+Workbook+m/images/main_title.gif&return=http%3A//www.circleofa.com&cancel_return=http%3A//www.circleofa.com&cn=Note+to+the+Circle&tax=0&currency_code=USD>
(If clicking the above link does not work, try copying it and pasting
it into the address field of your web browser, and clicking on "Go".)
_______________________________________________

Portions from Clarification of Terms, Copyright 1975, Psychotherapy:
Purpose, Process and Practice, (c) 1976, The Song of Prayer, (c) 1978,
are copyrighted by The Foundation for "A Course in Miracles," 41397
Buecking Drive, Temecula, CA 92590.