Facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert & Connie Poole
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Nov. 28 ~ Daily Contemplation ~ Lesson 312
I see all things as I would have them be.
Perception follows judgment. Having judged, we therefore see what we would look upon. For sight can merely serve to offer us what we would have. It is impossible to overlook what we would see, and fail to see what we have chosen to behold. How surely, therefore, must the real world come to greet the holy sight of anyone who takes the Holy Spirit’s purpose as his goal for seeing. And he cannot fail to look upon what Christ would have him see, and share Christ’s Love for what he looks upon.
I have no purpose for today except to look upon a liberated world, set free from all the judgments I have made. Father, this is Your Will for me today, and therefore it must be my goal as well.
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 312
What is the Last Judgment?
Our special theme says, “The final judgment on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless. Without a cause, and now without a function in Christ’s sight, it merely slips away to nothingness.”
Terms can be very confusing, so I will do my best to simplify the meaning that lies beyond any and all terms regarding awakening. Of course, to do this I will need to select and use some terms.
Ego – Ego is sometimes used to refer to the wrong mind. When “ego” refers to the wrong mind alone, it is completely transcended when the mind becomes purified and merged. However, “ego” can also be used as a more general term that means “sense of self.” When ego refers to a sense of self, even the ‘I am’ presence could be called ‘ego,’ although few people use that term in this way. The ‘I am’ presence is a divine sense of self rather than a personal sense of self. It is the sense of a subject, even if the only thing this subject is aware of is itself, (ie., consciousness aware of consciousness.)
Christ-consciousness – At the point where the sense of self is non-dual—that is, it is consciousness aware of consciousness—the sense of self remains, but it is seldom referred to as ego anymore. The divine sense of self is what A Course in Miracles calls “Christ.” Christ literally means “anointed one.” To be anointed is to be chosen by divine selection. It is fair to say that the sense of self as consciousness is by divine selection since it is created from source. It is the first sense of self. However, it is not awakening to the state that is prior to sense of self.
Nirvana or Manonasa – “Nirvana” means “blown out.” That means the sense of self is blown out like a candle is blown out. Manonasa means “mind annihilation,” which is the total annihilation of the sense of self. Both Nirvana and Manonasa are referred to as the final death of the ego. The Biblical term for this awakening is “the second death.” This awakening is beyond any sense of self, even a divine sense of self. It is also beyond perception entirely, since there is no longer a self to perceive. The mind, or sense of self, cannot imagine this awakening.
The last judgment is awakening from Christ-consciousness into Nirvana.
Here is another symbolic way of looking at this:
- Duality consciousness, commonly referred to as ego, is like a caterpillar. This state is prior to any awakening.
- The spiritual path is like the cocoon. The caterpillar enters the cocoon in order to transform, although it doesn’t know what it will transform into.
- When it emerges from the cocoon, it is a butterfly. This is like the divine sense of self. Whereas the caterpillar saw the world from the ground, the butterfly has a completely different point-of-view. Yet, there is still a self with a point-of-view.
- Nirvana is awakening beyond the butterfly and world perception entirely. Even the butterfly is seen to be a temporary phenomenon.
I see all things as I would have them be.
Today’s lesson begins with, “Perception follows judgment.”
As we saw yesterday, the ego’s purpose for judgment is to create the appearance of “me” and “not me.” Therefore, if we believe judgment, we perceive “me” and “not me.”
Let’s continue the practice that we used yesterday to surrender our judgments. By doing this, we surrender the mechanism of separation:
- Look when judgment occurs.
- Notice the perception of separation that is caused by judgment.
- Remember your desire to see without separation.
- Let go of your judgment simply because it conflicts with what you truly want.
Meditation Options
11-27-17 ~ Regina & ‘I Am That’ – The Real & The Restless Mind
Regina Dawn Akers read and shared from her contemplation of Conversation #3, The Living Presence from I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Nov. 27 ~ Daily Contemplation ~ Lesson 311
Section 10. What is the Last Judgment?
Christ’s Second Coming gives the Son of God this gift: to hear the Voice for God proclaim that what is false is false, and what is true has never changed. And this the judgment is in which perception ends. At first you see a world that has accepted this as true, projected from a now corrected mind. And with this holy sight, perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.
The final judgment on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless. Without a cause, and now without a function in Christ’s sight, it merely slips away to nothingness. There it was born, and there it ends as well. And all the figures in the dream in which the world began go with it. Bodies now are useless, and will therefore fade away, because the Son of God is limitless.
You who believed that God’s Last Judgment would condemn the world to hell along with you, accept this holy truth: God’s Judgment is the gift of the Correction He bestowed on all your errors, freeing you from them, and all effects they ever seemed to have. To fear God’s saving grace is but to fear complete release from suffering, return to peace, security and happiness, and union with your own Identity.
God’s Final Judgment is as merciful as every step in His appointed plan to bless His Son, and call him to return to the eternal peace He shares with him. Be not afraid of love. For it alone can heal all sorrow, wipe away all tears, and gently waken from his dream of pain the Son whom God acknowledges as His. Be not afraid of this. Salvation asks you give it welcome. And the world awaits your glad acceptance, which will set it free.
This is God’s Final Judgment: “You are still My holy Son, forever innocent, forever loving and forever loved, as limitless as your Creator, and completely changeless and forever pure. Therefore awaken and return to Me. I am your Father and you are My Son.”
Lesson 311
I judge all things as I would have them be.
Judgment was made to be a weapon used against the truth. It separates what it is being used against, and sets it off as if it were a thing apart. And then it makes of it what you would have it be. It judges what it cannot understand, because it cannot see totality and therefore judges falsely. Let us not use it today, but make a gift of it to Him Who has a different use for it. He will relieve us of the agony of all the judgments we have made against ourselves, and re-establish peace of mind by giving us God’s Judgment of His Son.
Father, we wait with open mind today, to hear Your Judgment of the Son You love. We do not know him, and we cannot judge. And so we let Your Love decide what he whom You created as Your Son must be.
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 311
What is the Last Judgment?
The first paragraph of our new special theme says:
Christ’s Second Coming gives the Son of God this gift: to hear the Voice for God proclaim that what is false is false, and what is true has never changed. And this the judgment is in which perception ends. At first you see a world that has accepted this as true, projected from a now corrected mind. And with this holy sight, perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.
A Course in Miracles and NTI tell the story of two awakenings. The first is the awakening from a deluded state of mind, also known as duality, to a pure state of mind, known as non-duality. It is awakening from the belief in manifestation as truth to realization of everything as consciousness. In my map, which is called The Four Principles of God, this is awakening from the Fourth Principle of God to the Second Principle of God.
However, another awakening remains. That is awakening from the Second Principle of God to the First Principle of God. That is the awakening that our current special theme points to. Notice it says, “And this the judgment in which perception ends. … perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.”
Or as NTI puts it, “…you pass from a final illusion of beauty to Beauty that cannot be contained in illusion. You pass from form, which reflects Light, to Light, which shines into form.”
In other words, there is one awakening, which is awakening to Christ. And then there is a second awakening, which is awakening into the Father. This could also be called awakening to the ‘I Am’ presence, and then awakening into its source.
As we continue to walk the spiritual path individually by being fully in the phase of awakening that we are currently in, which for most of us is either purification or merging, we will also look ahead of us in order to become clear on the destination and the landmarks along the way. This will help eliminate the ego’s ability to confuse us into thinking we have arrived at the destination when we have not.
I judge all things as I would have them be.
Today’s lesson speaks of judgment as “a weapon used against the truth.” It says that judgment “separates what it is being used against, and sets it off as if it were a thing apart.”
This is something you can see today. Judgment, as it is used by the ego, reconfirms over and over that there is a ‘me’ and ‘not me.’ It does not matter what you judge against. With each judgment the ego whispers its judgment into your mind—”me and not me.”
Notice this today. Look whenever you judge anyone or anything. If it is as simple as judging the weather, notice there is a ‘me’ and the weather, which is ‘not me.’ If it seems like a righteous judgment, notice there is a ‘me’ that is right and others—’not me’—who are wrong. Every time the ego uses judgment, judgment is used to separate.
After noticing the separation that comes from judgment, “make a gift of it to Him Who has a different use for it.” In other words, surrender your judgment because you don’t want to perceive separation anymore. No more thought is required than this. If you think too much about it, thinking may lead you right back into ego and the belief in separation. Do not think. Simply:
- Look.
- Notice the perception of separation that is caused by judgment.
- Remember your desire to see without separation.
- Let go of your judgment simply because it conflicts with what you truly want.
Meditation Options
11-26-17 ~ Craig Holliday ~ “The Ethics of Enlightenment”
More Information about Craig:
11/26/17 – Experience Your Perfect Soul ~ pages 148 – 154
Kathy Smith explores the quotes from Experience Your Perfect Soul and shares from her contemplation of them.
11-26-17 Weekly Gathering: Letting Go of the ‘I’ by Letting Go of the World
Topic: Letting Go of the ‘I’ by Letting Go of the World
Description: Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert reflected on how believing circumstances in the world is also believing one’s self to be the false self. Therefore, letting go of believing circumstances in the world is letting go of one’s false self image.
Reading: Lyn Johnson read an excerpt from NTI 1 Peter
Nov. 26 ~ Daily Contemplation ~ Lesson 310
In fearlessness and love I spend today.
This day, my Father, would I spend with You, as You have chosen all my days should be. And what I will experience is not of time at all. The joy that comes to me is not of days nor hours, for it comes from Heaven to Your Son. This day will be Your sweet reminder to remember You, Your gracious calling to Your holy Son, the sign Your grace has come to me, and that it is Your Will I be set free today.
We spend this day together, you and I. And all the world joins with us in our song of thankfulness and joy to Him Who gave salvation to us, and Who set us free. We are restored to peace and holiness. There is no room in us for fear today, for we have welcomed love into our hearts.
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