IA´s Journal

[IA56]

HOW WILL THE WORLD END?

Can what has no beginning really end? The world will end in an illusion, as it began.
Yet will its ending be an illusion of mercy. The illusion of forgiveness, complete,
exluding no one, limitless in gentleness, will cover it, hiding all evil, concealing all
sin and ending guilt forever. So ends the world that guilt had made, for now it has
no purpose and is gone. The father of illusions is the belief that they have a purpose;
that they serve a need or gratify a want. Perceived as purposeless, they are no longer
seen. Their uselessness is recognized, and they are gone. How but in this way are
all illusions ended? They have been brought to truth, and truth saw them not.
It merely overlooked the meaningless.
Until forgiveness is complete, the world does have a purpose. it becomes the home in
which forgiveness is born, and where it grows and becomes stronger and more all-
embracing. Here is it nourished, for here it is needed. A gentle Savior, born where sin
was made and guilt seemed real. Here is His home, for here there is need of Him indeed.
He brings the ending of the world with Him. It is His Call God´s teachers answer, turning
to Him in silence to recieve His Word. The world will end when all things in it have been
rightly judged by His judgment. The world will end with the benediction of holiness upon it.
When not one thought of sin remains, the world is over. It will not be destroyed nor attacked
nor even touched. It will merely cease to seem to be.
Certainly this seems to be a long, long while away. "When not one thought of sin remains"
appears to be along-range goal indeed. But time stands still, and Waits on the goal of God´s
teachers. Not one thought of sin will remain the instant any one of them accepts Atonement
for himself. It is not easier to forgive one sin than to forgive all of them. The illusion of orders
of difficiulty is an obstacle the teacher of God must learn to pass by and leave behind.
One sin perfectly forgiven by one teacher of God can make salvation complete. Can you
understand this? No; it is meaningless to anyone here. Ye it is the final lesson in which
unity is restored. It goes against all the thinking of the world, but so does Heaven.
The world will end when its thought system has been completely reversed. Until then,
bits and pieces of its thinking will still seem sensible. The final lesson, which brings the
ending of the world, cannot be grasped by those not yet prepared to leave the world,
go beyond its tiny reach. What, then, is the function of the teacher of God in this
concluding lesson? He need merely learn how to approach it; to be willing to go in its
direction. He need merely trust that, if God´s Voice tells him it is a lesson he can learn,
he can learn it. He does not judge it either as hard or easy. His Teacher points to it,
and he trusts that He will show him how to learn it.
The world will end in joy, because it is a place of sorrow. When joy has come, the
purpose of the world has gone. The world will end in peace, because it is a place of war.
When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world? The world will end laughter,
because it is a place of tears. When there is laughter, who can longer weep?
And only complete forgiveness brings all this to bless the world. In blessing it departs,
for it will not end as it began. To turn hell into Heaven is the function of God´s teachers,
for what they teach are lessons in which Heaven is reflected. And now sit down in true
humility, and realize that all God would have you do you can do. Do not be arrogant
and say you cannot learn His Own curriculum. His Word says otherwise. His Will be done.
It cannot be otherwise. And be you thankful it is so.

Love

[IA56]

IS EACH ONE TO BE JUDGED IN THE END?

Indeed, yes! No one can escape God´s final judgment. Who could flee forever from the truth?
But the final judgment will not come until it is no longer associated with fear. One day each
one will welcome it, and on that very day it will be given him. He will hear his sinlessness
proclaimed around and around the world, setting it free as God´s final judgment on him is
recieved. This is the judgment in which salvation lies. This is the judgment that will set him
free. This is the judgment in which all things are feed with him. Time pauses as eternity
comes near, and silence lies across the world that everyone may hear this judgment of the
Son of God:

"Holy are you, eternal, free and whole.
At peace forever in the Heart of God.
Where is the world, and where is sorrow now?

Is this your judgment on yourself, teacher of God? Do you believe that this is wholly true?
No; not yet. But this is still your goal; why you are here. It is your function to prepare
yourself to hear this judgment and to recognize that it is true. One instant of complete
belief in this, and you will go beyond belief to Certainty.
One instant out of time can bring time´s end. Judge not, for you but judge yourself, and
thus delay this final judgment. What is your judgment of the world, teacher of God? Have
you yet learned to stand aside and hear the Voice of Judgment in yourself? Or do you
still attempt to take His role from Him? Learn to be quiet, for His Voice is heard in stillness.
And His Judgment comes to all who stand aside in quiet listening, and wait for Him.
You who are sometimes sad and sometimes angry; who sometimes feel your just due is
not given you, and your best efforts meet with lack of appreciation and even contempt; give
up these foolish thoughts! They are too small and meaningless to occupy your holy free.
What can the world hold out to you, regardless of your judgments on its gifts, that you would
rather have? You will be judged, and judged in fariness and in honesty. There is no deceit in
God. His promises are sure. Only remember that. His promises have guaranteed His Judgment,
and His alone, will be accepted in the end. It is your function to make that end be soon. It is
your function to hold it to your heart, and offer it to all the world to keep it safe.

Love

[IA56]

HOW SHOULD THE TEACHER OF GOD SPEND HIS DAY?

To the advanced teacher of God this question is meaningless. There is no program,
for the lessons change each day. Yet the teacher of God is sure of but one thing;
they do not change at random. Seeing this and understanding that it is true, he rests
content. He will be told all that his role should be, this day and every day. And those
who share that role with him will find him, so they can learn the lessons for the day
together. No one is absent whom he needs; not one is sent without a learning goal
already set, and one which can be learned that very day. For the advanced teacher
of God, then, this question is superfluous. It has been asked and answered, and he
keeps in constant contact with the Answer. He is set, and sees the road on which he
walks stretch surely and smoothly before him.
But what about those who have not reached his certainty? They are not yet ready for
such lack of structuring on their own part. What must they do to learn to give the day
to God? There are some general rules which do apply, although each one must use
them as best he can in his own way. Routines as such are dangerous, because they
easily becomes gods in their own right, threatening the very goals for which they were
set up. Broadly speaking, then, it can be said that it is well to start the day right. It is
always possible to begin again, should the day begin with error. Yet there are obvious
advantage in terms of saving time.
At the beginning, it is wise to think in terms of time. This is by no means the ultimate
criterion, but at the outset in is probably the simplest to observe. The saving of time is
an essential early emphasis which, although it remains important throughout the learning
process, becomes less and less emphasized. At the outset, we can safely say that time
devoted to starting the day right does indeed save time. How much time should be to
spent? This must depend on the teacher of God himself. He cannot claim that title until
he has gone through the workbook, since we are learning within the framwork of our course.
After completion of the more structured practice periods, which the workbook contains,
individual need becomes the chief consideration.
This course is always practical. It may be that the teacher of God is not in a situation that
fosters quiet thought as he awakes. If this is so, let him but remember that he chooses to
spend time with God as soon as possible, and let him do so. Duration is not the major
concern. one can easily sit still an hour with closed eyes and accomplish nothing. One
can as easily give God only an instant, and in this instant join with Him completely. Perhaps
the one generalization that can be made in this; as soon as possible after waking take your
quiet time, continuing a minute or two after you begin to find it difficult. You may find that
the difficulty will diminish and drop away. If not, that is the time to stop.
The same procedures should be followed at night. Perhaps your quiet time should be fairly
early in the evening, if it is not feasible for you to take in just before going to sleep. It is not
wise to lie down for it. It is better to sit up, in whatever position you prefer. Having gone
through the workbook, you must have come to some conclusion in this respect. If possible,
however, just before going to sleep is a desirable time to devote to God. It sets your mind
into a pattern of rest, and orients you away from fear. If it is expedient to spend this time
earlier, at least be sure that you do not forget a brief period, - not more than a moment
will do, - in which you close your eyes and think of God.
There is one thought in particular that should be remembered throughout the day. It is a
thought of pure joy; a thought of peace, a thought of limitless release, limitless because
all things are freed within it. You think you made a place of safety for yourself. You think
you made a power that can save you from all the fearful things you see in dreams. It is
not so. Your safety lies not there. What you give up is merely the illusion of protecting
illusions. And it is this you fear, and only this. How foolish to be so afraid of nothing!
Nothing at all! Your defenses will not work, but you are not in danger. You have no need
of them. Recognize this, and they will disappear. And only then will you accept your real
protection. How simply and how easily does time slip by for the teacher of God who has
accepted His protection! All that he did before in the name of safety no longer interests
him. For he is safe, and knows it distinctions among the problem he Perceives, for He
to Whom he turns with all off them recognizes no order of difficulty in resolving them.
He is as safe in the present as he was Before illusions were accepted into his mind,
and as he will bewhen he has let them go. There is no difference in his state at different
time and different places, because they are all one to God. This is his safety. And he
has no need for more than this.
Yet there will be temptations along the way the teacher of God has yet to travel, and
he has need of reminding himself throughoutthe day of his protection. How can he do
this, particularly during the time when his mind is occupied with esternal things? He
can but try, and his success depends on his conviction that he will succeed. He must
be sure success is not of him, but wil be given him at any time, in any Place and
circumstance he calls for it. There are times his certainty will waver, and the instant
this occurs he wil return to earlier attempts to place reliance on himself alone. Forget
not this is magic, enough for God´s teacher, because it is not enough for God´s Son.
The avoidance of magic is the avoicance of temptation. For all temptation is nothing
more that the attempt to substitute another will for God´s. These attempts may indeed
seem frightening, but they are merely pathetic. They can have no effects; neither good
nor bad, neither rewarding nor demanding sacrifice, healing nor destructive, quieting
nor fearful. When all magic is recongnized as merely nothing, the teacher of God has
reached the most advanced state. All intermediate lessons will but lead to this, and bring
this goal nearer to recognition. For magic of any kind, in all its forms, simply does nothing.
Its powerlessness is the reason it can be so easily escaped. What hs no effects can hardly
terrify. There is no substitue for the Will of God. In simple statement, it is to this fact that
the teacher of God devotes his day. Each substitute he may accept as real can but deceive
him. But he is safe from all deception if he so decides. Perhaps he needs to remember,
"God is with me. I cannot be decieved." Perhaps he prefers other words, or only one, or
none at all. Yet each temptation to accept magic as true must be abandoned through his
recognition, not that it is fearful, not that it is sinful, not that it is dangerous, but merely that
it is meaningless. Rooted in sacrifice and separation, two aspects of one errror and no more,
he merely chooses to give up all that he never had. And for this "sacrifice" is Heaven restored
to his awareness.
It is not this an exchange that you would want? The world would gladly make it, if it knew it
could be made. It is god´s teachers who must teach it that it can. And so it is their function
to make sure that they have learned it. No risk is possible throughout the day except to
put your trust in magic, for it is only this that leads to pain. "There is no will but God´s."
His teachers know that this is so, and have learned that everything but this is magic.
All belief in magic is maintained by just one simple-minded illusion; - that it works.
All through his training, every day and every hour, and even every minut and second,
must God´s teachers learn to recognize the forms of magic and perceive their
meaninglessness. Fear is withdrawn form them, and so they go. And thus the gate
to Heaven is reopened, and its light can shine again on an untroubled mind.

Love

[IA56]

HOW DO GOD`S TEACHERS DEAL WITH MAGIC THOUGHTS?

This is crucial question both for teacher and pupil. If this issue is mishandled,
the teacher of God has hurt himself and has also attacked his pupil. This
strenghterns fear, and makes the magic seem quite real to both of them. How
to deal with magic thus becomes a major lesson for the teacher of God to
master. His first responsibility in this is not to attack it. If a magic thought
arouses anger in any form, God´s teacher can be sure that he is strengthening
his own belief in sin and has condemned himself. He can be sure as well that
he has asked for depression, pain, fear and disaster to come to him. Let him
remember, then, it is not this that he would teach, because it is not this that
he would learn.
There is, however, a temptation to respond to magic in a way that reinforces it.
Nor is this always obvious. It can, in fact, be easily concealed a wish to help.
It is this double wish that makes the help of little value, and must lead to
undesired outcomes. Nor should it be forgotten that the outcome that results
will always come to teacher and to pupil alike. How many times has it been
emhasized that you give but to yourself? And where could this be better shown
than in the kinds of help the teacher of God gives to those who need his aid?
Here is his gift most clearly given him. For he will give only what he has chosen
for himself. And in this gift is his judgment upon the holy Son of God.
It is easiest to let terror be corrected where it is most apparent, and errors can
be recognized by their results. A lesson truly taught can lead to nothing but
release for teacher and pupil, who have shared in one intent. Attack can enter
only if perception of separate goals has entered. And this must indeed have
been the case if the result is anything but joy. The single aim of the teacher
turns the divided goal of the pupil into one direction, with the call for help
becoming his one appeal. This then is easily responded, to with just one answer,
and this answer will enter the teacher´s mind unfailingly. From there it shines
into his pupil´s mind, making it one with his.
Perhaps it will be helpful to remember that no one can be angry at a fact. It is
always an interpretation that gives rise to negative emotions, regardless of their
seeming justification by what appears as facts. Regardless, too, of the intensity
of the anger that is aroused. It may be merely slight irritation, perhaps too mild
to be even clearly recognized. Or it may also take the form of intense rage,
accompanied by thoughs of violence, fantaisied or apparently acted out. It does
not matter. All of these reactions are the same. They obscure the truth, and this
can never be a matter of degree. Either truth is apparent, or it is not. It cannot be
partially recognized. Who is unaware of truth must look upon illusions.
Anger is response to perceivd magic thoughts is a basic cause of fear. Consider
what this reaction means, and its centrality in the world´s thought system becomes
apparent. A magic thought, by its mere presence, acknowledges a separation from
God. It states, in the clearest form possible, that the mind which believes it can succeed.
That this can hardly be a fact is obvious. Yet that it can be believed as fact is equally
obvious. And herein lies the birthplace of guilt. Who usurps the place of God and takes
if for himself now has a deadly "enemy." And he must stand alone in his protection, and
make himself a shield to keep him safe from fury that can never be abated, and vengeance
that can never be satisfied.
How can this unfair battle be resolved? Its ending is inevitable, for its outcome must be death.
How, then, can one belive in one´s defenses? Magic again must help. Forget the battle. Accept
it as a fact, and then forget it. Do not remember the impossible odds against you. Do not
remember the immensity of the "enemy," and do not think about your fraity in comparison.
Accept your separation, but do not remeber how it came about. Believe that you have won it,
but do not reatin the slightest memory of Who your great "opponent" really is. Projecting your
"forgetting" onto Him, it seems to you He has forgotten, too.
But what will now be your reaction to all magic thoughts? They can but reawaken sleeping
guilt, which you have hidden but have not let go. Each one says clearly to your frightened
mind. "You have usurped the place of God. Think not He has forgotten." Here we have
the fear of God most starkly represented. For in that thought has guilt already raised madness
to the throne of God Himself. And now there is no hope. Exept to kill. Here is salvation now.
An angry father pursues his guilty son. Kill or to be killed, for here alone is choice. Beyond this
there is none, for what was done cannot be doen without. The stain of blood can never be
removed, and anyone who bears this stain on him must meet with death.
Into this hopless situation God sends His teachers. They bring the light of hope from God Himself.
There is a way in which escape is possible. It can be learned and taught, but it requires patience
and abudant willingness. Given that, the lesson´s manifest simplicity stands out like an intense
white light against black horizon, for such it is. If anger comes from an interpretation and not a
fact, it is never justified. Once this is even dimly grasped, the way is open.
Now it is possible to take the next step. The intepretation can be changed at last. Magic thoughts
need not lead to condemnation, for they can not really have the power to give rise to guilt. And
so they can be overlooked, and thus forgotten in the truest sense.
Madness but seems terrible. In truth it has no power to make anything. Like the magic which
becomes its servant, it neither attacks nor protects. To see it and to recognize its thought
system is to look on nothing. Can nothing give rise to anger? Hardly so.
Remember, then, teacher of God, that anger recognizes a reality that is not there; yet is the
anger certain witness that you do believe in it as fact. Now is escape impossible, until you
see you have responded to your own interpretation, which you have projected on an outside
world. Let this grim sword be taken from you now. There is no death. This sword does not exist.
The fear of God is causeless. But His Love is Cause of Everything beyond all fear, and thus
forever real and aways true.

Love

[IA56]

HOW IS CORRECTION MADE?

Correction of a lasting nature, - and only this is true correction, - cannot be made
until the teacher of God has ceased to confuse interpretation with fact, or illusion
with truth. If he argues with his pupil about a magic thought, attacks it, tries to
eastablish its error or demonstrate its falsity, he is but witnessing to its reality.
Depression is then inevitable, for he has "proved," both to his pupil and himself,
that it is their task to escape form what is real. And this can only be impossible.
Reality is changeless. Magic thoughts are but illusions. Otherwise salvation would
be only the same age-old impossible dream in but another form. Yet the dream of
salvation has new content. It is not the form alone in which the difference lies. God´s
teacher´s major lesson is to learn how to react to magic thoughts wholly without anger.
Only in this way can they proclaim the truth about themsleves. Through them, the Holy
Spirit can now speak of the reality of the Son of God. Now He can remain the world of
sinlessness, the one unchanged, unchangeable condition of all that God created. Now
He can speak the Word of God to listening ears, and bring Christ´s vision to eyes that see.
Now is He free to teach all minds the truth of what they are, so they will gladly be returned
to Him. And now is guilt forgiven, overlooked completely in His sight and in God´s Word.
Anger but screehes, "Guilt is real"! Reality is blotted out as this insane belief is taken as
replacement for God´s Word. The body´s eyes now "see"; its ears alone can "hear." Its
little space and tiny breath become the measure of reality. And truth becomes diminutive
and meaningless. Correction has one answer to all this, and to the world that rests on this:

"You but mistake interpretation for the truth. And you
are wrong. But a mistake is not a sin, nor has reality
been taken from its throne by your mistakes. God
regins forever, and His laws alone prevail upon you
and upon the world. His Love remains the only thing
there is. Fear is illusion, for you are like Him."

In order to heal, it thus becomes essential for the teacher of God to let all his
own mistakes be corrected. If he senses even the faintest hint of irritation in
himself as he responds to anyone, let him instantly realize that he has made
and interpretation that is not true.
Then let him turn within to his Eternal Guide, and let Him judge what the
response shuld be. So is he healed, and in his healing is his pupil healed
with him. The sole responsibility of God´s teachers is to accept the Atonement
for himself. Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors. When this
has been accomplished, the teacher of God becomes a miracle worker by
definition. His sins have been forgiven him, and he no longer condemns himself.
How can he then condemn anyone? And who is there whom his forgiveness can
fail to heal?

Love

[IA56]

WHAT IS JUSTICE?

Justice is the divine correction for injustice. Injustice is the basis for all the judgments
of the world. Justice corrects the interpretations to which injustice give rise, and cancels
them out. Neither justice nor injustice exists in Heaven, for error is impossible and correction
meaningless. In this world, however, forgiveness depends on justice, since all attack can
only be unjust. Justice is the Holy Spirit´s verdict upon the world. Except in His judgment
justice is impossible, for no one in the world is capable of making only just interpretations
and laying all injusstice aside. If God´s Son were fairly judged, there would be no need for
salvation. The thought of separation would have been forever inconceivable.
Justice, like its opposite, is an interpretation. It is, however, the one interpretation that leads
to truth. This become possible because, while it is not true in itself, justice includes nothing
that opposes truth. There is no inherent conflict between justice and truth; one is but the first
small step in the direction of the other. The path becomes quite different as one goes along.
Nor could all the magnificence, the grandeur of the scene and the enormous opening vistas
that rise to meet one as the journey continues, be foretold from the outset. Yet even these,
whose splendor reaches indescribable heights as one proceeds, fall short indeed of all that
wait when the pathway ceases and time ends with it. But somewhere one must start.
Justice is the beginning.
All concepts of your brothers and yourself; all fears of future states and all concerns about
the past, stem from injustice. Here is the lens which, held before the body´s eyes, distorts
perception and brings withness of the distorted world back to the mind that made the lens
and holds it very dear. Selectively and arbitrarily is every concept of the world built up in just
this way. "Sins" are perceived and justified by careful selectivity in which all thought of wholeness
must be lost. Forgiveness has no place in such a scheme, for not one "sin" but seems forever true.
Salvation is God´s justice. It restores to your awareness the wholeness of the fragments you perceive
as broken off and separate. And it is this that overcomes the fear of death. For separate. And it is this
overcomes the fear of death. For separate fragments must decay and die, but wholeness is immortal.
it remains forever and forever like it s Creator, being one with Him.
God´s Judgment is His justice. Onto this, - a Jugment wholly lacking in condemnation; an evalution based
entirely on love, - you have projected your injustice, giving God the lens of warped perception through
which you look. Now it belongs to Him and not to you. You are afraid of Him, and do not see you hate
and fear your Self as enemy.
Pray for God´s justice and do not confuse His mercy with your own insanity. Perception can make whatever
picture the mind desires to see. Remember this. In this lies either Heaven or hell, as you elect.
God´s justice points to heaven just because it is entirely impartial. It accepts all evidence that is brought
before it, omitting nothing and assessing nothing as separate and apart from all the rest. From this one
standpoint does it judge, and this alone. Here all attack and condemnation becomes meaningless and
indefinsible. Perception rests, the mind is still, and light returns again. Vision is now restored. What had been
lost has now been found. The peace of God descends on all the world, and we can see. And we can see!

Love

[IA56]

WHAT IS THE PEACE OF GOD?

It has been said that there is a kind of peace that is not of this world. How is it recognized?
And being found, how can it be retained? Let us consider each of these questions separately,
for each reflects a different step along the way.
First, how can the peace of God be recognized? God´s peace is recognized at first by one thing;
in every way it is totally unlike all previous experinces. It calls to mind nothing that went before.
It brings with it no past associations. It is a new thing entirely. There is a contrast, yet, between
this thing and all the past. But strangely, it is not a contrast of true differences. The past just slips
away, and it is its place is everlasting quiet. Only that. The contrast first percieved has merely gone.
Quiet has reached to cover everything. How is this quiet found? No one can fail to find it who but
seeks out its conditions. God´s peace can never come where anger is, for anger must deny the
peace exists. Who sees anger as justified in any way or any circumstance proclaims that peace is
meaningless, and must believe that it cannot exist. In this condition, peace cannot be found. Therefore,
forgiveness is the necessary condition for finding the peace of God. More than this, given forgiveness
there must be peace. For what except attack will lead to war? And what but peace is opposite to war?
Here the initial contrast stands out clear and apparent. Yet when peace is found, the war is meaningless.
And it is conflict now that is perceived as nonexistent and unreal.
How is the peace of God retained, once it is found? Returning anger, is whatever form, will drop the heavy
curtain once again, and the belief that peace cannot exist will certainly return. War is again accepted as the
one reality. Now must you once again lay down your sword, although you do not recognize that you have
picked it up again. But you will learn, as you remember even faintly now that happiness was yours without it,
that you must have taken it again as your defense. Stop for a moment now and think of this: It conflict what
you want, or is God´s peace the better choice? Which gives you more? And tranquil mind is not a little gift
Would you not rather live than choose to die?
Living is joy, but death can only weep.
You see in death escape from what you made. But this you do not see; that you made death, and it is but
illusion of and end. Death cannot be escape, because it is not life in which the problem lies. Life has no opposite,
for it is God. Life and death seem to be opposites because you have decided death ends life.
Forgive the world, and you will understand that every thing that God created cannot have an end, and nothing He
did not create is real. In this one sentence is our course explained. In this one sentence is our practicing giving its
one direction. And in this one sentence is the Holy Spirit´s whole curriculum specified exactly as it is.
What is the peace of God? No more than this; the simple understanding that His Will is wholly without opposite. There
is no thought that contradicts His Will, yet can be true. The contrast between His Will and yours but seemed to be reality.
In truth there was no conflict, for His Will is yours. Now is the mighty Will of God Himself His gift to you. He does not seek
to keep it for Himself. Why would you seek to keep your tiny frail imaginings apart from Him? The Will of God is one and
all there is. This is your heritage. The universe beyond the sun and stars, and all the thoughts of which you can conceive,
belong to you. God´s peace is the condition for His Will. Attain His peace, and you remember Him.

Love




It

[IA56]

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WORDS IN HEALING?

Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer,
or asking. What you ask for you recieve. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not
to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradicotry;
sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were
made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful,
particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration adn facilitating the exclusion, or at
least the Control, of extraneous thoughts Let us not forget, however, the words are but
symbol of symbols. They are thus twice removed from reality?
As symbols, words have quite specific references. Even when they seem most abstract,
the Picture that comes to mind is apt to be very concrete. Unless a specific referent does
occur to the mind in conjunction, with the word, the word has little or no practical meaning,
and thus cannot help the healing process. The prayer of the heart does not really ask for
concrete things. It Always requests some kind of expereince, the specific things asked
for being the bringers of the desired experience in the opinion of the asker. The words, then,
are symbols for the things asked for, but the things themselves but stand for the experiences
that are hoped for. The prayer for things of this world will bring experiences of this world. If
the prayer or the heart asks for this, this will be given becuase this will be recieved. It is
impossible that the prayer of the heart remains unanswered in the perception of the one who
asks. If he asks for the impossible, if he wants what does not exist or seeks for illusions in his
heart, all this becomes his own. The power of his decision offers it to him as he requests. Herein
lie hell and Heaven. The sleeping Son of God has but this power left to him. It is enough.
His words do not matter. Only the Word of God has any meaning, because it symbolizes that which
has no human symbols at all. The Holy Spirit alone understands what this Word stands for.
And this, too, is enough.
Is the teacher of God, then, to avoid the use of words in his teaching? No, indeed! There are many
who must be reached through words, being as yet unable to hear in silence. The teacher of God must,
however, learn to use words in a new way. Gradually, he learns how to let his words be chosen for him
by ceasing to decide for himself what he will say. This process is merely a special case of the lesson in
the workbook that says, "I will step back and let Him lead the way." The teacher of God accepts the words
which are offered him, and gives as he recieves. He does not control the direction of his speaking. He
listens and hears and speaks. A major hindrance in this aspect of his Learning is the teacher of God´s fear
about the validity of what he hears. And what he hears may indeed be quite startling. It may also seem to
be quite irrelevant to the presented problem as he perceives it, and may, in fact, confront the teacher with
a situation that appears to be very embarresing to him. All these are jugments, that have no value.
They are his own, coming from shabby self-preception which he would leave behind. Judge not the words
that come to you, but offer them is confidence. They are far wiser than your own. God´s teachers have God´s
Word behind their symbols. And He Himself gives to the words they use the Power of His Spirit, raising them
from menaningless symbols to the Call of Heaven itself.

Love

[IA56]

HOW ARE HEALING AND ATONEMENT RELATED?

Healing and Atonement are not related; they are identical. There is no order of
difficulty in miracles because there are no degrees of Atonement. It is the one
complete concept possible in this world, because it is the source of a wholly
unified perception. Partial Atonement is a meaningless idea, just as special
areas of hell in Heaven are inconceivable. Accept Atonement and you are
healed. Atonement is the Word of God. Accept His Word and what remains
to make sickness possible? Accept His Word and every miracle has been
accomplished. To forgive is to heal. The teacher of God has taken accpting
the Atonement for himself as his only function. What is there, then, he cannot
heal? What miracle can be withheld from him?
The progress of the teacher of God may be slow or rapid, depending on whether
he recongizes the Atonement´s inclusiveness, or for a time excludes some problem
areas from it. In some cases, there is a sudden and complete awareness of the
perfect applicability of the lesson of the Atonement to all situations, but this is
comparatively rare. The teacher of God may have accepted the function God has
given him long Before he has learned all that his accetance holds out to him. It is
only the end that is certain. Anywhere along the way, the necessary realization of
inclusiveness may reach him. If the way seems long, let him be content. He has
decided on the direction he wants to take. What more was asked of him? And having
done what was required, would God withhold the rest?
That forgiveness is healing needs to be understood, if the teacher of God is to make
progress. The idea that a body can be sick is a central concept in the ego´s thought
system. This thought gives the body autonomy, separates it from mind, and keeps the
idea of attack inviolate. If the body could be sick Atonement would be impossible. A body
that can order a mind to do as it sees fit could merely take the Place of God and prove
salvation is impossible.What, then, is left to heal?The body has become lord of the mind.
How could the mind be returned to the Holy Spirit unless the body is killed? And who would
want salvation at such a price?
Certainly sickness does not appear to be a decision. Nor would anyone actually Believes he
wants to be sick. Perhaps he can accept the idea in theory, but it is rarely if ever consistently
appliedto all specific forms of sickness, both in the individual´s perception of himself and of all
others as well. Nor is it at this level that the teacher of God calls forth the miracle of healing. He
overlooks the mind and body, seeing only the face of Christ shining in front of him, correcting
all mistakes and healing all perception. Healing is the result of the recognition, by God´s teacher,
of who it is that is in need of healing. This recognition has no special reference. It is true of all
things that God created. In it are all illusions healed.
What a teacher of God fails to heal, it is because he has forgotten Who he is. Another´s sickness
thus becomes his own. In allowing this to happen, he has identified with another´s ego, and has
thus confused him with a body. In so doing, he has refused to accept the Atonement for himself,
and can hardly offer it to his brother in Christ´s Name. He will, in fact, be unable to recognize his
brother at all, for his Father did not create bodies, and so he is seeing in his brother only the unreal.
Mistakes do not correct mistakes, and distorted perception does not heal. Step back now, teacher of
God. You have been wrong. Lead not the way, for you have lost it. Turn quickly to your Teacher, and
let yourself be healed.
The offer of Atonement is universal. It is equally applicable to all individuals in all circumstances. And
in it is the power to heal all individuals of all forms of sickness. Not to Believe this is to be unfair to God,
and thus unfaithful to Him. A sick person Perceives himself as separate from God. Would you see him
as separate from you? It is your task to heal the sense of separation that has made him sick. It is your
function to recognize for him that what he Believes about himself is not the truth. It is your forgiveness
that must show him this. Healing is very simple. Atonement is received and offered. Having been received,
it must be accepted. It is in the receiving, then, that healing lies. All else must follow from this single purpose.
Who can limit the power of God Himself? Who, then, can say which one can be healed of what, and what
must remain beyond God´s Power to forgive? this is insanity indeed. It is not up to God´s teachers to set
limit upon Him, because it is not up to them to judge His Son. And to judge His Son is to limit his Father.
Both are equally meaningless. Yet this will not be understood until God´s teacher recognizes that they are the
same mistake. Herein does he recieve Atonement, for he withdraws his judgment from the Son of God,
accepting him as God created him. No longer does he stand apart from God, determining where healing
should be given and where it should be withheld. Now can he say with God, "This is my beloved Son,
created perfect and forever so."

Love

[IA56]

DOES JESUS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN HEALING?

God´s gifts can rarely be received directly. Even the most advanced of God´s
teachers will give way to temptation in this world. Would it be fair if their pupils
were denied healing because of this? The Bible says. "Ask in the Name of Jesus
Christ." Is this merely an appeal to magic? A name does not heal, nor does an
invocation call forth any special power. What does it mean to call on Jesus Christ?
What does calling on his Name confer? Why is the appeal to him part of healing?
We have repreatedly said that one who has perfectly accepted the Atonement for
himself can heal the world. Indeed, he has already done so. Temptation may recur
to others, but never to this One. He has become the risen Son of God. He has overcome
death because he has accepted Life. He has recognized himself as God created him,
and in so doing he has recognized all living things as part of him. There is now no limit
on his power, because it is the Power of God. So has his name become the Name of
God, for he no longer sees himself as separate from Him.
What does this mean for you? It means that in remembering Jesus you are remembering
God. The whole relationship of the Son to the Father lies in him. His part in the Sonship
is also yours, and his completed learning guarantees your own success. Is he still available
for help? What did he say about this? Remember his promises, and ask yourself honestly
whether it is likely that he will fail to keep them. Can God fail His Son? And can one who is
one with God be unlike Him? Who transcends the body has transcended limitation. Would
the greatest teacher be unavailable to those who follow him?
The Name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol. But it stands for love that is not of this
world. It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods
to which you pray. It becomes the shining symbor for the Word of God, so close to what it
stands for that the little space between the two is lost, the moment that the Name is called
to mind. Remembering the Name of Jesus Christ is to give thanks for all the gifts that God
has given you. And gratitude to God becomes the way in which He is remembered, for love
cannot be far behind a gratetful heart and thankful mind. God enters easily, for these are the
true conditions for your homecoming.
Jesus has led the way, Why would you not be grateful to him? He has asked for love, but only
that he might give it to you. You do not love yourself. But in his eyes your loveliness is so complete
and flawless that he sees in it an image of his Father. You become the symbol of his Father here
on earth. To you he looks for hope, because in you he sees no limit and no stain to mar your
beautiful perfection. In his eyes Christ´s vision shines in perfect constancy. He has remained with
you. Would you not learn the lesson of salvation through his learning? Why would you choose to
start again, when he has made the journey for you?
No one on earth can grasp what Heaven is, or what its one Creator really means. Yet he have
witnesses. It is to them that wisdom should appeal. There have been those whose learning far
exceeds what we can learn. Nor would we teach the limitations we have laid on us. No one who
has become a true and dedicated teacher of God forgets his brothers. Yet what he can offer
them is limited by what he learns himself. Then turn to one who laid all limits by, and went beyond
the farthest reach of learning. He will take you with him, for he did not go alone. And you were with
him then, as you are now.
This course has come from him because his words have reached you in a language you can love
and understand. Are other teachers possible, to lead the way to those who speak in different tongues
and appeal to different symbols? Certainly there are. Would God leave anyone without a very present
help in time of trouble; a savior who can symbolize Himself? Yet do we need a many-faceted curriculum,
not because of content differences, but because symbols must shift and change to suit the need.
Jesus has come to answer yours. In him you find God´s Answer. Do you, then, teach with him, for he is
with you; he is always here.

Love