IA´s Journal

Lesson 16

”I have no neutral thoughts.”

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 that are true create their own likeness. Those that are false make theirs. 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 that truth or it multiplies illusions. You can indeed multiply nothing, but you will not extend it by doing so. Besides your recognizing that thoughts are never idle, salvation requires that you also recognize that everythought 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. In applying the idea for today, search your mind for a minut or so with eyes closed, and actively seek not to overlook any ”little” thought that may tend 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 qualities that you assign to it, is a suitable subject for applying today´s idea. In the practice periods, first repeat the idea to yourself, and then a seach crosses your mind hold it in awareness while you tell yourself:

”This thought about……….is not a neutral thought.”
”This thought about……….is not a neutral thought.”

As usual, use today´s idea whenever you are aware of a particular thought that arouses uneasiness. The following form is suggested for this purpose:

”This thought about……….is not a neutral thought, because I have no neutral thoughts.”

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.

Love

LESSON 17

”I see no neutral things.”

This idea is another step in the direction of identifying cause and effect as it really operates in the world.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 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. In applying today´s idea, say to yourself, with Eyes open:

”I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.”

Then look around you, resting your glance on each thing you note long enough to say:

”I do not see a neutral……….because my thoughts about……….are not neutral.”

For example, you might say:

”I do not see a neutral wall, because my thoughts about walls are not neutral.”
”I do not see a neutral body, because my thoughts about bodies are not neutral.”

As usual it is essential to make no distinctions between what you believe to be animate or inanimate; pleasant or unpleasant. Regardless of what you may believe, you do not see anything that is really alive or really joyous. That is because you are unaware as yet of any thought that is really true, and therefore really happy. Three of 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 that is otherwise recommended.

Love

LESSON 18

”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”

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 on. Today´s idea does not refer to what you see as much as to how you see it. Therefore, the exercises for today emphasize this aspect of your perception. The three or four practice periods which are recommended should be done as follows: Look about you, selecting subjects for the application of the idea for today as randomly as possible, and keeping your eyes on each one long enough to say:

”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see……….”

Conclude each practice period by repeting the more general statement.

”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”

A minut or so, or even less,will be sufficient for each practice period.

Love

LESSON 19

”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.”

The idea for today is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone. You will notice that at times the idea related to thinking precede those related to perceiving, while at other times the order is reversed. The reason is that the order does not matter. Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate. Today we are again emphasisinzing 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 privat 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. The minute or so of mind searching which today´s exercises require is to be undertaken with eyes closed. The idea for today is to be repeated first, and then the mind should be carefully searched for the thoughts it contains at the 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:

”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of this thought about……….”

The requirement of as much indiscriminateness as possible in selecting subjects for the practice periods 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 reandom 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. 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.

Love

LESSON 20

”I am determined to see.”

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 approach has been intentional, and very carefully planned. We have not last 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 a being coerced, and if you give in to resentment and oppostion. 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 distinguise 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. 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 an indication 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 Son, and he is the resurrection and the life. His will is done because all power is given him in Heaven and on earth. In your determination to see is vision given you. The exercises for today consist in reminding yourself 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 present state for a better one, and one you really want. Repeat today´s idea slowly and positively at least twice an hour today, attempting to do so every half hour. Do not distress if you forget to do so, but make a real effort to remember. The extrea repetiotions should be applied to any situation,person or event that 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.

Love

LESSON 21

”I am determined to see things differently.”

The idea for today is obviously a continuation and extention of the preceding one. This time, however, specific mind searching periods are necessary, in addition to applying the idea to particular situation as they may arise. Five practice periods are urged,allowing a full minute for each. 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 that 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. 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 or persons 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. As you search your mind for all the forms in which attack thoughts present themselves, hold each one in mind while you tell yourself:

”I am determined to see……….(name of person) differently.”
”I am determined to see……….(Specify the situation) differently.”

Try to be as specific as possible. You may, for example, focus your anger on a paricular attribute of aparticular person, believing that the anger is limited to this aspect. If your perception is suffering from this form of distortion say:

”I am determined to see……….(specify the attribute) in ……….(name of person) differently.”

Love

LESSON 22

”What I see is a form of vengeance.”

Today´s idea accurately describes the way anyone who holds attack thoughts in his mind must see the world. Having projected his anger onto the world, he sees vengeance about to strike at him. His own attack is thus perceived as self defence. This becomes an increasingly vicious circle until he is willing to change how he sees.Otherwise, thoughts of attack and counter-attack will preoccypy him and people his entire world. What peace of mind is possible to him then? It is from this savage fantasy that you want to escape. It is not joyous news to hear that this is not real? It is 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. Look at the world about you at least five times today, for at least a minut each time. As your eyes move slowly from one object to another, from one body to another, say to yourself:

”I see only the persihable.
I see nothing that will last.
What I see is not real.
What I see is a form of vengeance.”

At the end of each practice period, as yourself:

”Is this the world I really want to see?”

The answer is surely obvious.

Love

LESSON 23

”I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.”

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 will 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. 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 changeing your thoughts about the world. Here you are changing the cause. The effect will change automatically. The world you see is a vengeful world, and everything in it is asymbol 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? You see the world that you have made, but you do not see yourself as the image-maker. You cannot besaved 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. 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. 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 first, and then close your eyes and devote about a minute to searching your mind for as many attacks thoughts as occur to you. A seach one crosses your mind, say:

”I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts about……….”

Hold each attack thought in mind as you say this, and then dismiss that thought and go on to the next. 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 recognize this as yet, 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 learn that thoughts of attack and of being attacked are not different, you will be ready to let the cause go.

Love

LESSON 24

”I do not perceive my own best interests.”

In no situation that 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 result. 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. 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. 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.The practice periods should begin with repeating today´s idea, fullowed 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. In applying the idea for today, name each situation that occurs to you, and then 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:

”In the situation involving……….I would like……….to happen, and………to happen.”

and so on. Try to cover as many different kinds of outcomes as may honestly, occur to you, even if some of them do not appear to be directly related to the situation, or even to be inherent in it at all. 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. After covering the list of as many hoped-for-goals as possible for each unresolved situation that crosses your mind, say to yourself:

”I do not perceive my own best interests in this situation,”

and so on to the next one.

Love

LESSON 25

”I do not know what anything is for.”

Purpose is meaning. Today´s idea explains why nothing you see means anything. You do not know what it is for.Therefore, it is meanigless 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 what you see is given meaning. 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 intersts, 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. Another way of describing the goals you now perceive 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. Before you can make any sense out of the exercises for today,one more thought is necessary. At the most superficial levels, you do recoginze 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 for. And it is this that makes your contact with him meaningful or not. It is crusial 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. 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:

”I do not know what this chair is for.”
”I do not know what this pencil is for.”
”I do not know what this hand is for.”

Say this quite slowly, without shifting your eyes from the subject until you have completed the statement about it. Then move on to the next subject, and apply today´s idea as before.

Love

LESSON 26

”My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.”

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. 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 invulnerablility cannot be accepted together. They contradict eachother. The idea for today introduces the thought that you always attack yourself first. 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 cannot longer believe in yourself. A false image of yourself has come to take the place of what you are. 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. Six practice periods are required in applying today´sidea. A full two minutes should be attempted for each of them, although the time may be reduced to a minut if discomfort is too great. Do not reduce it further.The practice period should begin with repeating the idea for today, then closing you eyes and reviewing the unresolved question 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 that tends to recur in your thoughts during the day is a sutiable 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:

First, name the situation:

”I am concerned about……….”

Then go over every possible outcome that has occured to you in that connection and which has caused you concern, referring to each one quite specifically, saying:

”I am afraid……..will happen.”

If you are doing the exercises properly,you should have some five or six distressing possibilities available for each situation you use, and quite possible more. It is much more helpful to cover a few situations thoroughly than to touch on a larger number. As the list of anticipated outcomes for each situation continues, you will probably find some of them, especially those that occur to you towards the end, less acceptable to you. Try, however, to treat them all alike to whatever extent you can. After you have named each outcome of which you are afraid, tell yourself:

”That thought is an attack upon myself.”

Conclude each practice period by repating today´s idea to yourself once more.

Love

LESSON 27

”Above all else I want to see.”

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 grounds 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. The remay 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:

”Vision has no cost at anyone.”

If fear of loss still persists,add further:

”It can only bless.”

The idea for today needs many repetiotions for maximum benefit. It should be used at least every half hour,and more 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 coversation, or otherwise occupied at the time. You can still repeat one short sentence to yourself without disturbing anything. The real question is, how often will you remember?How much do you want today´s idea 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.

Love

LESSON 28

”Above all else I want to see things differently.”

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 then now, you have started on the way to keeping them. And we are still at the beginning. You may wonder why it is important to say, for example,”Above all else I want to see table differently.” In it self 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. 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. You will not question what you 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 that applies to the table just as much as to anything else, neither more nor less. You could,in fact, gain vision from just that table, if you would 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. 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 that you use in the practice periods. And you are making a commitment to each of them to let its purpose be revealed to you, instead of placing your own judgment upon it. 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 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.As usual, the applications should include the name of the subject your eyes happen to light on, and you should rest your eyes on in while saying:

”Above all else I want to see the……….differently.”

Each application should be made quite slowly, and as thoughtfully as possible. There is no hurry.

Love

LESSON 29

”God is in everything I see.”

The idea for today explains why you can see all purpose in everything. It explanis why nothing is separate, byitself or in itself. And it explains why nothing you see means anything. Infact, it explains every idea we have used thus far, and all subsequent ones as well. Today´s idea is the whole basis for vision. You will probably find this idea very difficult to grasp at this point. You may find it silly, irreverent,senseless, funny and even objectionable. Certaily 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 Creator. 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. 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. Your list of subjects should therefore be as free of self-selection as possible. For example, a suitable list might include:

”God is in this coat hanger.”
God is in this magazine.”
”God is in this finger.”
”God is in this lamp.”
”God is in that body.”
”God is in that door.”
”God is in that waste basket.”

In addition to the assigned practice periods, repeat the idea for today at least once an hour, looking slowly about you as you sayt the words unhurriedly to yourself. At least once or twice, you should experience a sense of restfulness as you do this.

Love

LESSON 30

”God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”

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. Today we are trying to usea 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. Today´s idea should be applied as often as possible throughout the day. Whenever you have a momentor so, repeat it to youself 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. 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. 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 come to mind, and looking within rather than without. Today´s idea applies equally to both.

Love

LESSON 31

”I am not the victim of the world I see.”

Today´s idea is the introduction to your declaratio of release. Again, the idea should be applied to both the world you see without and the world 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 of the idea throughout the day. 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 these are recommended. During the time, look about you slowly while repeating the idea two or three times, 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. 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 text. Try not to establish any kind 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 strem 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 sens of hurry. 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. The idea for today is also a particularly useful one to use as a response to any form of temptation that may arise. It is a declaration that you will not yield to it, and put yourself in bondage.

Love

LESSON 32

"I have invented the World I see."

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. The idea for today, like the preceding ones, applied 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. 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. 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 exercise restful. To facilitate this, select a time when few distractions are anticipated, and when you yourself feel reasonably ready. 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. The idea for today should also be applied immediately to any situation that may distress you. Apply the idea by telling yourself:

”I have invented this situation as I see it.”

Love

LESSON 33

”There is another way of looking at the world.”

Todays idea is an atetmpt 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 applications. In these practice periods, though unhurried applications aree ssential. Alternate between surveying your outer and inner perceptions, but without an aprupt 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. 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:

”There is another way of looking at this.”

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 applications.

Love

LESSON 34

”I could see peace instead of this.”

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 the nextend outward. It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises. 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 that seems most conductive 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. Some five minutes of mind searching are required for each of the longer practice periods.Search you 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. If you begin to experience difficulty in thinking of specific subjects, continue to repeat the idea to yourself in an unhurried manner,without applying it to anything in paricular. Be sure, however, not to make any specific exclusions. 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 from to temptation arises in your awareness, the exercise should take this form:

”I could see peace in thissituation instead of what I now see in it.”

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:

”I can replace my feelings of depression, anxiety or worry (for my thoughts about this situation, personalityor event) with peace.”

Love

LESSON 35

”My mind is part of God´s. I am very holy.”

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 is in this world to believe this of himself. Yet the reason he thinks you are. That is because you surround yourself with the enviroment you want. And you want it to protect the image of yourself that you have made. The image is part of this enviroment. 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. The idea for today presents a very different view of yourself. By establishing your. Source it establishes your Identitiy,and it describes you as you 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 perceives. 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 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. 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. A suitable unselected list for applying the idea for today might be as follows:

”I see myself as imposed on.”
”I see myself as depressed.”
”I see myself as failing.”
”I see myself as and angered.”
”I see myself as helpless.”
”I see myself as victorious.”
”I see myself as losing out.”
”I see myself as charitable.”
”I see myself as virtuous.”

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. Pich up any specific situation that occurs to you, identify the descriotive term or terms 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:

”But my mind is part of God´s. I am very holy.”

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. 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 in the form stated above to each of them. If nothing particular occurs to you, merely repeat the idea to yourself, with closed eyes.

Love

LESSON 36

”My holiness envelops Everything I see.”

Today´s idea extends the idea for yesterday from the perceiver to the percieved. 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 part of His Mind would be sinful. Your sight is related to His holiness, not to your ego, and therefore not to your body. 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:
First, close your eyes and repeat the idea for today several times, slowly. Then open eyes and look quite slowly about you, applying the idea specifically to whatever you note in your casual survey. Say, for example:

”My holiness envelops that rug.”
”My holiness envelops that wall.”
”My holiness envelops these fingers.”
”My holiness envelops that chair.”
”My holiness envelops that body.”
”My holiness envelops this pen.”

Several times during these practice periods, close your eyes and repeat the idea to yourself. Then open your eyes,and continue as before. 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.

Love

LESSON 37

”My holiness blesses the world.”

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 full due. 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 have any idea why he is losing. Yet is his wholeness restored to his awareness through your vision. Your holiness blesses him by asking nothing of him. Those who see them selves as whole make no demands.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. Today´s four longer exercise periods each to involve three to five minutes of practice, begin with the repetiotion of the idea for today,followed by a minute or so of looking about you as you apply the idea to whatever you see:

”My holiness blesses this chair.”
”My holiness blesses that window.”
”My holiness blesses this body.”

Then close your eyes and apply the idea to any person who occurs to you, using his name and saying:

My holiness blesses you, (name).”

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 the idea to what you see around you and to those who are in yourt houghts; or you may use any combination of these two phases of application that you prefer. The practice period should conclude with a repetition of the idea with your eyes closed, and another, following immediately, with your Eyes open. The shorter exercises consist of repeting the idea as often as you can.It is particularly helpful to apply it silently to anyone you meet, using his name as you do so. It is essential to use the idea if anyone seems to cause an adverse reaction in you. Offer him the blessing of your holiness immediately,that you may learn to keep it in your own awareness.

Love

LESSON 38

”There is nothing my holiness cannot do.”

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 Son of God, at one with the Mind of his Creator. Through you holiness the power of God is made manifest. Through you holiness the powerof God is made available. And there is nothing the power of God cannot do. 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 created. You are holy because all things He created are holy. And all things He created are holy because you are.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 yoursel for in someone else. We will make no distinctions because there are no distinctions. In the four longer practice periods, each preferably to last a full five minutes, repeat the idea for today, close you 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 distianction 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:

”In the situation involving……….in which I see myself, there is nothing that my holiness cannot do.”
”In the situation involving……….in which……….sees himself, there is nothing my holiness cannot do.”

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:

”There is nothing my holiness cannot do because the power of God lies in it.”

Introduce whatever variations appeal to you, but keep the exercise 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 the things because of what you are. In the frequent shorter application, apply the idea in its original form unless as pecific problem concerning you or someone else arises, or comes to mind. In that event, use the more specific form in applying the idea to it.

Love

LESSON 39

”My holiness is my salvation.”

If guilt is hell, what is its opposite? Like the text for which this workbook was written, the idea 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. 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 test is, and you would not need a workbook at all. No one needs practice to gain what is already his. 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 must be saved.How else can he teach salvation? Today´s exercises will apply to you,recognizing that your salvation is crucial to the salvation of the world. As you apply the exercises to your world, the whole world stands to benefit. 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 He does not know His Son? A full five minutes are urged for the four longer practice periods for today, and 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 suggested. Begin the practice periods as usual, by repeating today´s idea to yourself. Then, with closed eyes, search out your unloving thoughs in whatever form they appear; uneasiness, depression, anger, fear,worry, attack, insecurity and so on. Whatever form they take, they are unlovingand therefore fearful. And so it is from them that you need to be saved.Specific situations, events or personalities you associate with unloving thoughts of any kind are suitable subjects for today´s exercies. It is imperative for your salvation that you see them differently. And it is your blessing on them that will save you and give you vision. Slowly, withou tconscious selection and without undue emphasis on any one is particular, search your mind for every thought that stands between you and your salvation. Apply the idea for today to each of them in this way:

”My unloving thoughts about……….are keeping me in hell. My holiness is my salvation.”

You may find these practice periods easier if you intersperse them 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 distractable. Meanwhile, you should feel free to introduce variety into the exercise periods in whatever form appeals to you. Do not, however, change the idea itself as you vary the method of applying it. However you elect to use it, the idea should be stated so that its meaning is the fact that your holiness is your salvation. End each practice period by repeating the idea in its original form once more, and adding:

”If guilt is hell, what is its opposite?”

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, and perferably both. If temptations arise, a particularly helpful form of the idea is:

”My holiness is my salvation from this.”

Love

LESSON 40

”I am blessed as a Son of God.”

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 highlly 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. 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 feasible. Do not miss a practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under any circumstances, if you really want to. Today´s exercises take little time and no effort. Repeat the idea for today, and then add several of the attributes you associate with being a son of God, applying them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consist of the following:

”I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.”

Another might take this form:

”I am blessed as a Son of God. I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.”

If only a brief period is available, merely telling yourself that you are blessed as a Son of God will do.

Love

LESSON 41

”God goes with me wherever I go.”

Today´s idea will eventually overcome completely the sense of loneliness and abandonment 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 love. The separated ones have invented many ”cures” for what they belive 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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 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 deeplyt into your own mind, keeping it clear of any thoughts that might divert your attention. From time to time, you may repeat the 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. 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 evven the first time it is attempted, and sooner or later it is always successful. We will go into more detail about this kind of practice as we go along. But it will never fail completely, and instant success is possible. Throughout the day use today´s idea often, repeating it very slowly, preferably with eyes closed. Think of what you are saying; what the words mean.Concentrate on the holiness that they imply about you; on the unfailing companionship that is yours; on the complete protection that surrounds you. You can indeed afford to laugh at fear thoughts, remembering that God goes with you wherever you go.

Love

LESSON 42

”God is my Strength. Vision is His gift.”

The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. It also stes forth a cause and effect relationship that 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 His strength, not your own, that gives you power. And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you. God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. This means that you can receive it any time andd anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatever circumstance you find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. Such is the strength of God. Such are His gifts. We will have two three-to-five minutes practice 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. Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today slowly, with your eyes open, looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again, even slower then before. After this, try to think of nothing except thoughts that occur to you in relation to the idea for the day. You might think, for example:

”Vision must be possible, God gives truly.”
Or:
”God´s gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me.”

Any thought that is clearly related to the idea for today is suitable. You may, in fact, be astonished at the amount of course-related understanding some of your thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring unless you find 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 interference 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. Remember, however, that active searching for relevant thoughs 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 with eyes closed, than it is to strain to find suitable thoughts. There is no limit on the number of short practice periods that would be beneficial today. The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughs together, and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system in which nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that is contradictory or irrelevant. 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.

Love

LESSON 43

”God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.”

Perception is not an attribute of God. His is the realm of knowledge. Yet He has created the Holy Spirit as the Mediator between perception and knowledge. Without this link with God,perception would have replaced knowledge forever in your mind. 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. 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 Son of God for an unholy purpose, it must become the means for the restoration of his holiness to his awareness. Perception has no meaning. Yet does the Holy Spirit give it an meaning very close to God´s. Healed perception becomes the means by which the Son of God forgives his brother, and thus forgives himself. You cannot see apart from God because you cannot be apart from God. Whatever you do you do in Him, because whatever you think, you think with His 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. Three five-minute practice periods are required today, one as early and one as late as possible in the day. The third may be undertaken at the most convenient and suitable time that circumstances the readiness permit. At the beginninghttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items...rrow-10x10.png of these practice periods, repeat the ideafor today 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 practice period are sufficient. You might say, for example:

”God is my Source. I cannot see this desk apart from Him.”
”God is my Source. I cannot see this picture apart from Him.”

Although this part of the exercise period should be relatively short, be sure that you select the subjects for this phase of practice indiscriminately, without self-directed inclusion or exclusion. For the second and longer phase, clolse 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:

”I see through the eyes of forgiveness.”
”I see the world as blessed.”
”The world can show me myself.”
”I see my own thoughts, which are like God´s.”

Any thought related more or less directly to today´s idea is suitable. The thoughts need not bear any obvious relationship to the idea, but they should not be in opposition to it. If youfind your mind wandering; if you begin to be aware of thoughts which areclearly 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 of the exercise period, andthen attempt the second phase again. Do not allow any protraced period to occurin which you become preoccupied with irrelevant thoughts. Return to the firstphase of the exercises as often as necessary to prevent this. In applying today´s idea in the shorter practice periods, the formhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items...rrow-10x10.png 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 silently:

”God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.”

This form is equally applicable to strangers as it is to those you think are closer to you. In fact, try not to make distinctions of this kind at all. Today´s idea should also be applied throughout the day to various situations and events that may occur,particularly to those which seem to distress you in any way. For this purpose,applyhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items...rrow-10x10.png the idea in this form:

”God is my Source. I cannot see this apart from Him.”

If no particular subject presents itself to your awareness at the time, merely repeat the idea in its original form. Try today not to allow any long periods of time to slip by without remembering today´s idea, and thus remembering your function.

Love

LESSON 44

”God is the Light in which I see.”

Today we are continuing 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 creation. Creation and darkness cannot coexist, but light and life must go together, being but different aspects of creation. In order to see, you must recognize the 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. Today we are going to attempt to reach that light. For this purpose, we will use a form of exercise which has been suggested before, and which we will utilize increasingly. It is a particularly diffcult form for the undisciplined mind, and represents a major goal of mind training. It requires precisely what the untrained mind lacks. Yet this training must be accomplished if you are to see. Have at least three practice periods today, each lasting threee to five minutes. A longer time is highly recommended, but only if you find the time slipping by with little or no sense of strain. The form of practice 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. 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 resitance. The reason is very simple. While you practice is this way, you leave behind everything that you now believe and all the thoughts that you have made up. Properly speaking, this is the release from hell. Yet perceived through the ego´s eyes, it is loss of identity and adescent into hell. If you can stand aside from the ego by ever so little, you will have no difficulty in recognizing that its opposition and its 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 Him.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 interferece 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. While no particular approach is advocated for this form of exercise, what is needful is a sense of the importance of what you are doing; its in estimable value to you, and anawareness that you are attempting something very holy. Salvation is your happiest accomplishment. It is also the only one that has nany meaning, because it is the only one that has any real use to you at all. 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 with eyes closed as soon as possible. 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 givet hem the power to do so. Throughout the day repeat the idea often, with eyes open or closed as seems better to you at the time. But do not forget. Above all, be determined not to forget today.

Love

LESSON 45

”God is the Mind with which I think.”

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 real thoughts resemble your real thoughts in any respect. Nothing that you think you see bears any resemblance to what vision will show you. You think with the Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with Him, as He shares His 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 He is. As you are part of His Mind, so are your thoughts part of His Mind. When, 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 havve left their source. What is thought by the Mind of God is eternal, being part of creation. Our three five-minute practice periods for today will take the same general form that we used in applying yesterday´s idea. We will attmept 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. We will not let the beliefs of the world hold us back. We will not let the beliefs of the world tell us that what God would have us do is impossible. 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 He would have us do. There is every reason to feel confident that we will succeed today. It is the Will of God. Begin to exercises for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closing your eyes as you do so. Then spend a fairly short period in thinking a few relevant thoughts of your own, keeping the idea in mind. After you have added some four to five thoughts of your own to the idea, repeat it again and tell your self gently:

”My real thoughts are in my mind. I would like to find them.”

Then try to go past all the unreal thoughts that cover the truth in your mind, and reach to eht eternal. Under all the senseless thoughts and mad idea with which you have cluttered up your mind are the thoughts that 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. Everything you have thought since then will change, but the foundation on which it rests is wholly changeless. It is this foundation toward which the exercise for today are directed. Here is your mind joined with the Mind of God. Here are your thoughts one with His. For this kind of practice only one thing is necessary; approach it as you would an alter dedicated in Heaven to God the Father and to God the Son. 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 Kingdom of Heaven. In the shorter exercise periods for today, try to remember how improtant 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 the thoughts that are unworthy of Him Whose host you are. Andd thank Him for the thoughts He is thinking with you.

Love

LESSON 46

”God is the Love in which I forgive.”

God does not forgive because He 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. Yet although God does not forgive, His Love is nevetheless the basis of forgiveness. Fear condemn 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.Today´s exercises require at least three full five-minute practice periods, and as many shorter ones as possible. Begin the longer 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 them. You have forgiven them entirely or not at all. 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:

”God is the Love in which I forgive you, (name).”

The purpose of the first phase of today´s practice periods is to put you in a position to forgive yourself.After you have applied the idea to all those who have come to mind, tell yourself:

”God is the Love in which I forgive myself.”

Then devote the remainder of the practice period to adding related ideas such as:

”God is the Love with which I love myself.”
”God is the Love in which I am blessed.”

The form of the application may vary considerably, but the central idea should not be lost sight of. You might say, for example:

”I cannot be guilty because I am a Son of God.”
”I have already been forgiven.”
”No fear is possible in a mind be loved of God.”
”There is no need to attack because love has forgiven me.”

The practice period should end,however, with a repetition of today´s idea as originally started. The shorter practice periods may consist either of a repetition of the idea for today in the original or in a related form, as you prefer. Be sure, however, to make more specific applications if they are 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 that event, tell him silently:

”God is the Love in which I forgive you.”

Love

LESSON 47

”God is the Strength in which I trust.”

If you are trusting in 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 gurantee that it will be accomplished? Of yourself yolu can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your trust where trust is unwarrented, and to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak? God is your safety in every circujmstance. His Voice speaks for Him in all situations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to do to call upon His strength and His proctection. There are no exceptions because God has no execptions. And the Voice Which speaks for Him thinks as He does. 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 the idea for the day. 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:

”God is the Strength in which I trust.”

Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequancy. It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequancy, for 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. 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 entiteled. You must also gain an awareness that confidence in your real strength is fully justified in every respect and in all circumstances. 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 sense of 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 Kingdom of Heaven. 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. During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to andu disturbance. Remember that peace is your right, because you are giving your trust to the strength of God.

Love

LESSON 48

”There is nothing to fear.”

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 it for those who want illusions to be true. 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. 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, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The instant you are willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear.

Love

LESSON 49

”Gods Voice speaks to me all through the day.”

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 that is constantly distracted, disorganized and highly uncertain. The part that is listening to the Voice for 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 Creator has not forgotten His Son. We will need at least four five-minute practice periods today, and more if possible. We wil ltry actually to hear God´s Voice reminding you of Him and of your Self. We will approach this happiest and holiest off thoughts with confidence, knowing that in doing so we are joining our will with the Will of God. He wants you to hear His Voice. He gave It to you to be heard. Listen in deep silence. Be vary 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 sights and sounds of this insane world. You do not live here. 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. Do not forget to repeat the idea for today whenever you can, closing your eyes on the world, and realizing that you are inviting God´s Voice to speak to you.

Love

LESSON 50

”I am sustained by the Love of God.”

Here is the answer to every problem that will comfort 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 that you endow with magical powers. All these things are your replacement for the Love of God. All these things are cherished to ensure a body identification. They are songs of praise to the ego.Do not put you 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 danger of this world into a climat of perfect peace and safety. It will transport you into a state of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can intrude upon the eternal calm of the Son of God. 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 within 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. It is your acknowledgment of the truth about yourself. For ten minutes, twice today,morning and evening, let the idea for today sink deep into your consiousness.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 Son of God. Such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is the resting place where your Father has placed you forever.

Love

REVIEW 1

Beginning with today we will have a serie of rewiew periods. Each of them will cover live of the ideaal ready 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 conside rin your rewiew. In the practice periods, the exercises should be done as follows: 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. Devolte two minutes or more to each pracitce period, thinking about the idea and the related comment safter reading them over. Do this as often as possible during the day. If anyone 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.It is not necessary to cover the comments that follow each idea either literally or thoroughly in the practice periods. Try, rather, to emhasize the central point, and think about it as part of your review of the idea to which it relates. After you have read the idea and the related comments, the exercises should be done with your eyes closed and when you are alone in aquiet place, if possible. This is emphasized for practice periods 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 your learning most in situations that appear to be upsetting, rather than in those that already seem to be calm and quiet. The purpose of your learning is to enable you to bring the quiet. 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 finallly you will learn that there is no limit to where you are, so that your peace is everywhere, as you are. You will note that, for review puropose, some of the ideas are not given in quite their original form. 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, emhasizing 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.

Love

LESSON 51

The review for today covers the following ideas:


1 ”Nothing I see means anything.”

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 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.”
I have judged everything I lookupon, and it is this and only this I see. This is not vision. It is merely anillusion of reality, because my judgments have been made quite apart fromreality. 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 seeaccording to them.

3”I do not understand anything Isee.”

How could I understand what Isee when I have judged it amiss? What I see is the projection of my own errorsof 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 letit go, and make room for what can be seen and understood and loved. I canexchange what I see now for this merely by being willing to do so. Is not this abetter choice than the one I made before?

4 ”These thoughts do not meananything.”

The thoughts fo which I am awaredo 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 thinkwith God. I am not of aware of them because I have made my thoughts to taketheir place. I am willing to recognize that my thoughts do not mean anything,and to lett hem go. I choose to havet hem be replaced by what they wereintended to replace. My thoughts are meaningless, but all creation lies in thethoughs I think with God.

5 ”I am never upset fot thereason I think.”

I am never upset for the reasonI think because I am constantly trying to justify my thoughts. I am constantlytrying to make them true. I make all things my enemies, so that my anger isjustified and my attacks are warranted. I have not realized how much I havemisued everything I see by assigning this role to it. I have done this todefend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no longer want. I amwilling to let it go.

Love

LESSON 52

Today´s review covers theseideas:

6 ”I am upset because I see whatis not there.”

Reality is never frightening. Itis impossible that it could upset me. Reality brings only perfect peace. When Iam upset, it is always because I have replaced reality with illusions I madeup. The illusions are upsetting because I have given them reality, and thusregard reality as an illusion. Nothing in God´s creation is affected in any wayby this confusion of mine. I am always upset by nothing.

7 ”I see only the past.”

As I look about, I condemn theworld I look upon. I call this seeing. I hold the past against everyone andeverything, making them my enemies. When I have forgiven myself and rememberedwho 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 seebefore.

8 ”My mind is preoccupied withpast thoughts.”

I see only my own thoughts , andmy mind is preoccupied with the past. What, then, can I see as it is? Let meremeber that I look on the past to prevent from dawning on my mind. Let meunderstand that I am trying to use time against God. Let me learn to give thepast away, realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing.

9 ”I see nothing as it is now.”

If I see nothing as it is now,it can truly be said that I see nothing. I can see only what isnow. The choiceis not whether to see the past or the present; the choice is merely whather tosee or not. What I have chosen to see has cost me vision. Now I would chooseagain, that I may see.

10 ”My thoughts do not meananything.”

I have no private thoughts. Yetit 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 creationand part of its Creator. Would I not rather join the thinking of the universethan to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful and meangliess ”private”thoughts?

Love

LESSON 53

Today we will review the following:

11 ”My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”

Since the thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything, the world that 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 thoughs as my guide for seeing.

12 ”I am upset because I see a meaningless world.”

Insane thoughts are upsetting.They produce a world in which there is no order anywhere. Only chaos rules aworld that represents chatoic thinking, and chaos has no laws. I cannot live inpeace in such a world. I am greatful that this world is not real, and that Ineed not see it at all unless I choose to value it. And I do not choose tovalue what is totally insane and has no meaning.

13 ”A meaningless worldengenders fear.”

The totally insane engendersfear 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 sucha world is not real. I have given it the illusion of reality, and have sufferedfrom my belief in it. Now I choose to withdraw this belief, and place my trustin reality. In choosing this, I will escape all the effects of the world offear, because I am acknowledging that it does not exist.

14 ”God did not create ameaningless world.”

How can a meaningless worldexist if God did not create it? He is the Source of all meaning, and everythingthat is real is in His Mind. It is in my mind too, because He created it withme. Why should I continue to suffer from the effects of my own insane thoughts,when the perfection of creation is my home? Let me remember the power of mydecision, and recognize where I really abide.

15 ”My thoughts are images thatI have made.”

Whatever I see reflects mythoughts. It is my thoughts that tell me where I am and what I am. The factthat I see a world in which there is suffering and loss and death shows me thatI am seeing only the representation of my insane thoughts, and am not allowingmy real thoughts to cast their beneficent light on what I see. Yet God´s way issure. The images I have made cannot prevail against Him because it is not mywill that they do so. My will is His, and I will place no other gods beforeHim.

Love

LESSON 54

These are the review idea for today:

16 ”I have no neutral thoughts.”

Neutral thoughts are impossible because all thoughts have power. They will either make a false world or lead me to 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 beone or the other. What I see shows me which they are.

17 ”I see no neutral things.”

What I see witnesses to what Ithink. 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 mine. I know that my state of mind can change. And so I also know the world I see can changeas well.

18 ”I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”

If I have no privat thoughts, I cannot see privat world. Even the mad idea of separation had to be share dbefore 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 everyone. 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.”

I am alone in nothing.Everything I think or say or do teaches all the universe. A Son of God cannot think or speak or act in vain. He 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 an determined to see.”

Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I am determined to see. I would look upon the withnesses that show me the thinking of the world has been changed. I would behold the proof that what has been done though me has enabled love to replace fear, laughter to replace tears, and abudance 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.

Love

LESSON 55

Today´s review includes thefollowing:

21 ”I am determined to seethings differently.”

What I see now are but signs ofdisease, disaster and death. This cannot be what God created for His belovedSon. The very fact that I see such things is proof that I do not understandGod. Therefore I also do not understand His Son. What I see tells me that I donot know who I am. I am determined to see the witnesses to the truth in me,rather than those which show me an illusion of myself.

22 ”What I see is a form ofvengeance.”

The world I see is hardly therepresentation of loving thoughts. It is a picture of attack on everything byeverything. It is anything but a reflection of Love of God and the love of Hisson. It is my own attack thoughts that give rise to this picture. My lovingthoughts will save me from this perception of world, and give me the peace Godintentded me to have.

23 ”I can escape from this worldby giving up attack thoughts.”

Herein lies salvation, andnowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgivenessallows love to return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safetyand joy. And it is this I choose to see, in place of what I look on now.

24 ”I do not perceive my ownbest interests.”

How could I recognize my ownbest interests when I do not know who I am? What I think are my best interestswould merely bindme closer to the world of illusions. I am willing to followthe 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 anythingis for.”

To me, the purpose of everythingis to prove that my illusions about myself are real. It is for this purposethat I attempt to use everyone and everything. It is for this that I believethe world is for. Therefore I do not recognize its real purpose. The purpose Ihave given the world has led to frightening picture of it. Let me open my mindto the world´s real purpose by withdrawing the one I have given it, andlearning the truth about it.

Love

LESSON 56

26 ”My attack thoughts areattacking my invulnerablility.”

How can I know who I am when Isee myself as under constant attack? Pain, illness, loss, age and death seem tothreaten me. All my hopes and wishes and plans appear to be at the mercy of aworld I cannot control. Yet perfect security and complete fulfillment are myinheritance. I have tried to give my inheritance away in exxchange for theworld I see. But God has kept my inheritance safe for me. My own real thoughtswill teach me what it is.

27 ”Above all else I want tosee.”

Recognizing that what I seereflects what I think I am. I realize that vision is my greatest need. Theworld I see attests to the fearful nature of the self-image I have made. If Iwould remember who I am, it is essential that I let this image of myself go. Asit is replaced by truth, vision will surely be given me. And with this vision,I will look upon the world and on myself with charity and love.

28 ”Above all else I want to seedifferently.”

The world I see holds my fearfulself-image in place, and guarantees its continuance. While I see the world as Isee it now, truth cannot enter my awareness. I would let the door behind thisworld be opened for me, that I may look past it to the world that reflects theLove of God.

29 ”God is in everyting I see.”

Behind every image I have made,the truth remains unchanged. Behind every veil I have drawn across the face oflove, its light remains undimmed. Beyond all my insane wishes is my will,united with the Will of my Father. God is still everywhere and in everythingforever. And we who are part of Him will yet look past all appearances, andrecognize the truth beyond them all.

30 ”God is in everything I seebecause God is in my mind.”

In my own mind, behind all myinsane thoughts of separation and attack, is the knowledge that all is oneforever. 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 His Thoughts. AndI, who am among them, am one with them and one with Him.

Love

LESSON 57

Today let us review these ideas:

31 ”I am not the victim of theworld I see.”

How can I be the victim of aworld that can be completely undone if I so choose? My chains are loosened. Ican drop them off merely by desiring to do so. The prison door is open. I canleave simply by walking out. Nothing holds me in this world. Only my wish tostay keeps me a prisoner. I would give up my insane wishes and walk into thesunlight at last.

32 ”I have invented the world Isee.”

I made up the prison in which Isee myself. All I need do is recognize this and I am free. I have deludedmyself into believing it is possible to imprison the Son of God. I was bitterlymistaken in the belief, which I no longer want. The Son of God must be foreverfree. He is as God created him , and not what I would make of him. He is whereGod would have him be, and not where I thought to hold him prisoner.

33 ”There is another way oflooking at the world.”

Since the purpose of the worldis not the one I ascribe to it, there must be another way of looking at it. Isee everything upside down, and my thoughts are the opposite of truth. I seethe world as a prison for God´s Son. I must be, then, that the world is reallya place where he can be set free. I would look upon the world as it is, and seeit as a place where the Son of God finds his freedom.

34 ”I could see peace instead ofthis.”

When I see the world as a placeof freedom, I realize that it reflects the laws of God instead of the rules Imade 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 thisplace with me.

35 ”My mind is part of God´s. Iam very holy.”

As I share the peace of theworld with my brothers, I begin to understand that this peace comes from deep withinmyself. The world I look upon has taken on the light of my forgiveness, andshines forgiveness back at me. In this light I begin to see what my illlusionsabout myself kept hidden. I begin to understand the holiness of all livingthings, including myself, and their oneness with me.

Love

LESSON 58

The ideas are for review today:

36 ”My holiness envelopseverything I see.”

From my holiness does theperception of the real world come. Having forgiven, I no longer see myself asguilty. I can accept the innocence that is the truth about me. Seen throughunderstanding eyes, the holiness of the world is all I see, for I can pictureonly the thoughts I hold about myself.

37 ”My holiness blesses theworld.”

The perception of my holinessdoes not bless me alone. Everyone and everything I see in its light shares inthe joy it brings to me. There is nothing that is apart from this joy, becausethere is nothing that does not share my holiness. As I recogninze my holiness,so does the holiness of the world shine forth for everyone to see.

38 ”There is nothing my holinesscannot do.”

My holiness is unlimited in itspower to heal, because it is unlimited in its power to save. What is there tobe saved from enxept illusions? And what are all illusions except false ideasabout myself? My holiness undoes them all by asserting the truth about me. Inthe presence of my holiness, which I share with God Himself, all idols vanish.

39 ”My holiness is my salvation.”

Since my holiness saves me fromall guilt, recognizing my holiness is recognizing my salvation. It is alsorecognizing the salvation of the world. Once I have accepted my holiness,nothing can make me afraid. And because I am unafraid, everyone must share inmy understanding, which is the gift of God to me and to the world.

40 ”I am blessed as a Son of God.”

Herein lies my claim to all goodand only good. I am blessed as a Son of God. All good things are mine, becauseGod intended them for me. I cannot suffer any loss or deprivation or painbecause of who I am. My Father supports me, protects me, and directs me in allthings. His care for me is infinite, and is with me forever. I am eternallyblessed as His Son.

Love

LESSON 59

The following ideas are for review today:

41 ”God goes with me wherever I go.”

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 Him? How can I be disturbed by anything when He rests in me in absolute peace? How can I suffer when love and joy surrounds me through Him? 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 His gift.”

Let me not look to my own eyes to see today. Let me be willing to exchange my pitiful illusions of seeing for the vision that is given by God. Christ´s vision is His gift, and He 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 Him.”

I can see what God wants me to see. I cannot see anything else. Beyond His Will lie only illusions. It is these I choose when I think I can see apart from Him. It is these I choose when I try to see through the body´s eyes. Yet the vision of Christ 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.”

I cannot see in darkness. God is the only light. Therefore, if I am to see, it must be through Him. 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.”

I have no thoughts I do not share with God. I have no thoughts apart from Him, because I have no mind apart from His. As part of His Mind, my thoughts are His and His Thoughts are mine.

Love

LESSON 60

These ideas are for today´sreview:

46 ”God is the Love in which Iforgive.”

God does not forgive becasue Hehas never condemned. The blameless cannot blame, and those who have acceptedtheir innocence see nothing to forgive. Yet forgiveness is the means by which Iwill recognize my innocence. It is the reflection of God´s Love on earth. Itwill bring me near enough to Heaven that the Love of God can reach down to meand raise me up to Him.

47 ”God is the Strength in whichI trust.”

It is not my own strengththrough which I forgive. It is through the strength of God in me, which I amremembering as I forgive. As I begin to see, I recognize His reflection onearth. I forgive all things because I feel the stirring of His strength in me.And I begin to remember the Love I chose to forget, but Which has not forgottenme.

48 ”There is nothing to fear.”

How safe the world will look tome 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 recognizein everyone my dearest Friend. What could there be to fear in a world that Ihave forgiven, and that has forgiven me?

49 ”God´s Voice speaks to me allthrough the day.”

There is not a moment in whichGod´s Voice ceases to call on my forgiveness to save me. There is not a momentin which His Voice fails to direct my thoughts, guide my actions and lead myfeet. I am walking steadily on toward truth. There is nowhere else I can go, becauseGod´s Voice is the only voice and the only guide that has been given to HisSon.

50 ”I am sustained by the Loveof God.”

As I listen to God´s Voice, I amsustained by His Love. As I open my eyes, His Love lights up the world for meto see. As I forgive, His Love reminds me that his Son is sinless. And as ilook upon the world with the vision He has given me, I remember that I am HisSon.

Love

LESSON 61

”I am the light of the world.”

Who is the light of the world except God´s Son? 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. It refers to you as you were created by God. It simply states the truth. 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 insalvation and in taking no other. It is not humility to insist you cannot be light of the world if that is the function God assigned to you. It is only arrogance that would assert this functiuon cannot be for you, and arrogance is always of the ego. 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. 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. As many practice periods as possible should be undertaken today, although each one need no exceed a minute or two. They should begin with telling yourself:

”I am the light of the world.
That is my only function.
That is why I am here.”

Then think about these statements for a short while, preferably with your eyes closed if the situations permits. Let a few related thoughts come to you, and repeat the idea to yourself if your mind wanders away from the central thought. 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. 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. You are the light of the world. God has built His plan for the salvation of His Son on you.

Love

LESSON 62

”Forgiveness is my function asthe light of the world.”

It is your forgiveness that willbring the world of darkness to the light. It is your forgiveness that lets yourecognize the light in which you see. Forgiveness is the demonstration that youare the light of the world. Through your forgiveness does the truth aboutyourself return to your memory. Therefore, in your forgivness lies yoursalvation. Illusions about yourself and the world are one. That is why allforgiveness is a gift to yourself. Your goal is to find out who you are, havingdenied your Identity by attacking creation and its Creator. Now you arelearning how to remember the truth. For this attack must be replaced byforgiveness, so that thoughts of life may replace thoughts of death. Rememberthat in every attack you call upon your own weakness, while each time youforgive you call upon the trength of Christ in you. Do you not then begin tounderstand what forgiveness will do for you? It will remove all sense ofweakness, strain and fatigue from your mind. It will take away all fear andguilt and pain. It will restore the invulnerablility and power God gave His Sonto your awareness. Let us be glad to begin and end this day by practicingtoday´s idea, and to use it as freqently as possible throughout the day. Itwill help to make the day as happy for you as God wants you to be. And it willhelp those around you, as well as those who seem to be far away in space andtime, to share this happiness with you. As often as you can, closing your eyesif possible, say to yourself today:

”Forgiveness is my function asthe light of the world.
I would fulfill my function thatI may be happy.”

Then devote a minute or two toconsidering your function and the happiness and release it will bring you. Letrelated thoughts come freely, for your heart will recongize these words, and inyour mind is the awareness they are true. Should your attention wander, repeatthe idea and add:

”I would remember this because Iwant to be happy.”

Love

LESSON 63

”The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.”

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? You are indeed the light of the world with such a function. The Son of God looks to you for his redemption. It is yours to give him, for it belongs to you. Accept no trivial purpose or meaningless desire in its place, or you will forget your function and leave the Son of God in hell. This is no idle request that is being asked of you. You are being asked to accept salvation that it may be yours to give. 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:

”The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.
I am the means God has appointed for the salvation of the world.”

If you close your eyes, you will probably find it easier to let the related thoughts come to you in the minute or two that you should devote to considering this. Do not, however, wait for such an opportunity. No chance should be lost for reinforcing today´s idea. Remember that God´s Son looks to you for his salvation. And who but your Self must be His son?

Love

LESSON 64

”Let me not forget my function.”

Today´s idea is merely anotherway of saying ”Let me not wander into temptation.” The purpose of the world yousee is to obscure your function of forgivneness, and provide you with ajustification for forgetting it.It is the temptation to abandon God and His Sonby talking on a physical appearance. It is this the body´s eyes look upon.Nothing is body´s eye´s 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 theHoly Spirit has another use for all the illusions you have made, and thereforeHe sees another purpose in them. To the Holy Spirit, the world is a place whereyou learn to forgive yourself what you think of as your sins. In thisperception, the physical appearance of temptation becomes the spiritualrecognition of salvation. To review our last few lessons, your function here isto be the light of the world, a function given you by God. It is only thearrogance of the ego that leads you to question this, and only the fear of theego that induces you to regard yourself as unworthy of the task assigned to youby God Himself. The world´s salvation awaits your forgiveness, because throughit does the Son of God escape from all illusions, and thus from all temptation.The Son of God is you. Only by fulfilling the function given you by God willyou be happy. That is because your function is to be happy by using the meansby which happiness becomes inevitable. There is no other way. Therefore, everytime you choose whether or not to be happy. Let us remember this today. Let usremind ourselves of it in the morning and again at night, and all through the dayas well. Prepare yourself in advance for all the decisions you will make todayby remembering they are all really very simple. Each one will lead to happinessor unhappiness. Can such a simple decision really be difficult to make? Let notthe form of the decision deceive you. Complexity of form does not implycompexity of content. It is impossible that any decision on earth can have acontent different from just this one simple choice. That is the only choice theHoly Spirit sees. Therefore it is the only choice there is. Today, then, let uspractice with these thoughts:

”Let me not forget my function.
Let me not try to substitutemine for God´s .
Le me forgive and be happy.”

At least once devote ten orfifteen minutes today to reflecting on this with closed eyes. Related thoughtswill come to help you, if you remember the crucial importance of your functionto you and to the world. In the frequent applications of today´s ideathroughout the day, devote several minutes to reviewing these thoughts, andthen thinking about them and about nothing else. This wil be difficult, atfirst particularly, since you are not proficient in the mind discipline that itrequires. You may need to repeat ”Let me not forget my function” quite often tohelp you concentrate. Two forms of shorter practice periods are required. Attimes, do the exercises with your eyes closed, trying to concentrate on thethoughts you are using. At other times, keep your eyes open after reviewing thethoughts, and then look slowly and unselectively around you, telling yourself:

”This is the world it is myfunction to save.”

Love