Text – Chapter 6
The Lessons of Love
“To Have Peace,Teach Peace to Learn It”
All the separated ones have a basic fear of retaliation and abandonment.This is because they BELIEVE in attack and rejection, so this is what they perceive and teach and LEARN. These insane concepts are clearly the result of their own dissociation and projection.What you teach you are, but it is quite apparent that you can teach wrongly, and therefore TEACH YOURSELVES WRONG. Many thought that I was attacking them, even though it was quite apparent that I was not.An insane learner learns strange lessons.
What you must understand is that, when you do not SHARE a thought system, you ARE weakening it. Those who BELIEVE in it therefore perceive this as an attack ON THEM. This is because everyone identifies HIMSELF with his thought system, and EVERY thought system centers on WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE. If the center of the thought system is true, only truth extends from it. But if a lie is at its center, only DECEPTION proceeds from it. All good teachers realize that only fundamental change will last, but they do not BEGIN at that level. Strengthening MOTIVATION for change is their first and foremost goal. It is also their last and final one.
Increasing motivation for change IN THE LEARNER is all that a teacher NEED do to guarantee change.This is because a change in motivation IS a change of mind, and this will inevitably produce fundamental change because the mind IS fundamental.The first step in the reversal or undoing process, then, is the undoing of the GETTING concept. Accordingly, the Holy Spirit’s first lesson was “To HAVE, GIVE all TO all.” We said that this is apt to increase conflict temporarily, and we can clarify this still further now.
At this point, the equality of “having” and “being” is not yet perceived. Until it IS, “having” appears to be the OPPOSITE of “being.”Therefore, the first lesson SEEMS to contain a contradiction, since it is being learned BY A CONFLICTED MIND. This MEANS conflicting motivation, and so the lesson CANNOT be learned consistently as yet. Further, the mind of the learner projects its own split, and thus does NOT perceive consistent minds in others, making him suspicious of THEIR motivation.This is the real reason why, in many respects, the first lesson is the hardest to learn. Still strongly aware of the ego in himself, and responding primarily to the ego in others, he is being taught to react to both as if what he DOES believe is NOT true.
Upside-down as always, the ego perceives the first lesson as insane. In fact, this is its only alternative here, since the other one, which would be much LESS acceptable to it, would obviously be that IT is insane. The ego’s judgement, then, is predetermined by what it IS, though no more so than is any other product of thought. The fundamental change will still occur with the change of mind IN THE THINKER. Meanwhile, the increasing clarity of the Holy Spirit’sVoice makes it impossible for the learner NOT to listen.For a time, then, he IS receiving conflicting messages, AND ACCEPTING BOTH.
This is the classic “double bind” in communication.
The way OUT of conflict between two opposing thought systems is clearly TO CHOOSE ONE and RELINQUISH THE OTHER. If you IDENTIFY with your thought system, and you cannot escape this, and if you accept two thought systems which are in COMPLETE disagreement, peace of mind IS impossible. If you TEACH both, which you will surely do as long as you ACCEPT both, you are teaching conflict and LEARNING it.Yet you DO want peace, or you would not have called upon the Voice for peace to help you. His LESSON is not insane; the CONFLICT is.
There can BE no conflict between sanity and insanity. Only one is true, and therefore only one is REAL. The ego tries to persuade you that it is up to YOU to decide which voice is true, but the Holy Spirit teaches you that truth was created by God, and YOUR decision CANNOT change it. As you begin to realize the quiet power of the Holy Spirit’s Voice AND ITS PERFECT CONSISTENCY, it MUST dawn on your minds that you are trying to undo a decision which was made irrevocably FOR you.That is why we suggested before that there was help in reminding yourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to decide for God for YOU.
You are NOT asked to make insane decisions, although you are free to THINK you are. It MUST, however, be insane to believe that IT IS UP TO YOU to decide what God’s creations ARE. The Holy Spirit perceives the conflict exactly as it is. Therefore, His second lesson is:
“To HAVE peace,TEACH peace to LEARN it”
This is still a preliminary step, since “having” and “being” are still not equated. It is, however, more advanced than the first step, which is really only a thought REVERSAL. The second step is a positive affirmation of WHAT YOU WANT. This, then, is a step in the direction OUT of conflict, since it means that alternatives have been considered, and ONE has been chosen as MORE DESIRABLE.
Nevertheless, the evaluation “more desirable” still implies that the desirable has DEGREES.Therefore, although this step is essential for the ultimate decision, it is clearly NOT the final one. It is clear, at this point, that the lack of order of difficulty in miracles has not yet been accepted, because nothing is difficult that is WHOLLY DESIRED. To desire wholly is to CREATE, and creating CANNOT be difficult if God Himself created you AS a creator.The second step, then, is still perceptual, although it is a giant step toward the unified perception which parallels God’s knowing.
As you take this step and HOLD THIS DIRECTION, you will be pushing toward the center of your thought system, where the FUNDAMENTAL change will occur.You are only beginning this step now, but you have started on this way by realizing that ONLY ONE WAY IS POSSIBLE.You do not yet realize this consistently and so your progress is intermittent, but the second step is easier than the first because it FOLLOWS. The very fact that you have accepted THAT is a demonstration of your growing awareness that the Holy Spirit WILL lead you on.
A Course in Miracles
Workbook Lesson 42
God is my strength. Vision is His gift.
God is my strength. Vision is His gift
The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. It also sets 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 and 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-minute 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 than 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 interferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought once more while looking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, and then continue to look for related thoughts in your mind.
Remember, however, that active searching for relevant thoughts 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 thoughts 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.
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