What is the Real World?

Our new special theme begins by saying, “The real world is a symbol, like the rest of what perception offers.”

What is a symbol?

According to my dictionary, it is “a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.”

The world you see is a symbol. It is a thing that represents something abstract. It is a representation of what you believe is true. As NTI says, the world, as you see it, is a reflection of your mind.

Let’s begin our contemplation of the real world by looking at the world as we see and experience it right now.

How do you describe the world as you see and experience it?

Spend today with this question. Write down answers as they come to you. Tomorrow we will take the next step in this contemplation.

This is a day of stillness and of peace.

Today’s lesson speaks of the mind that sees the real world. A mind at peace experiences a holy world. It reminds me of a song by Peter Mayer, “Holy Now.”

The lesson confirms what we are contemplating today—the world we see is a reflection of our mind. When our mind is at peace, we offer “the same vision to the world.” However, if our mind is not at peace, that is the vision we offer to the world.

You’ve already been asked to describe the world as you see it today. When you do that, please describe the people in the world as you see them. Describe yourself as you see yourself. Describe your financial situation as you see it, your pets as you see them, etcetera. Really look around today, and describe what you see as you see it.

Each time you write down a description, follow it up by remembering today’s workbook lesson, “This is a day of stillness and peace.” Let today’s lesson remind you that a still mind sees the world through peace. Accept in your heart that if you see anything that is upsetting, stressful, fearful or agitating to you, it is because of something you believe in the mind. If you are upset in that moment, take a deep breath and repeat these lines from the prayer in today’s lesson:

Father, guide [me] along the quiet path that leads to You. Let my forgiveness be complete, and let the memory of You return to me.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation today, I recommend this meditation:

Loving Consciousness Description U

You might also enjoy listening to this song: Holy Now, by Peter Mayer

What is the Holy Spirit?

Spiritual intuition mediates between illusions and truth. It bridges the gap between reality and dreams by reinterpreting perception, so that even dreams point toward truth. Everything in time has a different purpose under the guidance of spiritual intuition than it does with the chattering thoughts of the ego.

The goal of spiritual intuition is awakening to truth. To meet this goal, spiritual intuition acts as the inner teacher for anyone who will listen. Sometimes subtle and sometimes bold, spiritual intuition will guide you using any means that you will pay attention to.

In reality, you are awake consciousness, which is the source of spiritual intuition. Therefore, when spiritual intuition has accomplished its goal, you will have awakened to your Self, which is beyond spiritual intuition. In this way, spiritual intuition is a bridge from what you think you are—your false self—to what you truly are.

Those who recognize the calling to awaken to the true Self realize that spiritual intuition is the means they must surrender to until the goal is accomplished. Those who remain interested in the ego thought system perceive spiritual intuition as a threat. Because they are afraid of it, they repress its guiding intuition. Those who are transitioning from interest in the world to the call to awaken must bring intuition out of repression by following it whenever they recognize its guidance.

Spiritual intuition reinterprets every tool the ego thought system uses for its purpose in order to awaken you to truth. Spiritual intuition uses doubt, desire, attention, thought and judgment as well as time, relationships, contrast, comparison, and even separation (solitude) for its purpose of bringing you back to your truth.

Spiritual intuition leads you to let go of dreams by letting go of the ego thought system, which is the creator and interpreter of dreams. It provides you with another choice, another way to be within dreams—a way that provides the security you think you need without teaching you that you are one who needs protection. In this way, spiritual intuition does not teach fear. It teaches unaffectedness, which is truth.

Accept spiritual intuition as your guide now. Realize that the ego thought system has nothing to offer you. It isn’t needed for anything. Spiritual intuition can and will guide you through every situation you face. It will not leave you comfortless. It will teach you about your truth.

My present happiness is all I see.

When we look at the world through the ego thought system, we see what isn’t there. Here is a story to illustrate that point:

Sally and Moose were high school sweethearts who married and had three children together. Sally was a homemaker. Moose was an athlete who was away from home much of the year.

Sally perceived herself as plain and boring. She knew Moose had many attractive female fans, many of whom had lives that she thought were much more exciting than hers.

Moose worried that Sally was unhappy, because he was away from home so much of the time. He saw himself as an absent husband and father, and he felt guilty for it. He longed to spend more time with his family, but he felt inadequate, like a big, dumb athlete. He didn’t think he had the intelligence to find another way to support his family.

One evening, while Moose was on the road, he and Sally talked on the phone. Moose commented about a friend of his, who had recently married a fan and was planning a honeymoon trip to Hawaii as soon as the current sport’s season ended.

Sally glanced at the family room where she was sitting. Toys were strewn about. It crossed her mind that Moose was envious of his friend, because she and Moose did not take exotic vacations together.

Sally became defensive. She said, “We have a pretty good life right here at home, but you wouldn’t know that, because you are never around.”

Her words cut through Moose like a knife. She had touched on what he feared the most, that he was an absent husband and father. Feeling guilty, he shot back, “I have to support you, you know. I’m not free to do whatever I want to do.”

Sally thought Moose saw her as a burden, something he wished he could be free of. Her voice was clearly agitated. “We don’t need you. Don’t you think we can get by without you? We do it all of the time!”

And the fight continued.

Sally felt unworthy of her famous husband. Moose felt unworthy of his loving wife. Neither saw the misperceptions caused by their thoughts. Six months later, Sally filed for divorce.

This story is fictional, but it is based on misunderstandings that I witness all of the time. These misunderstandings happen, because people see through the filter of their thoughts, and they are blind to what is really there.

Today we commit to slowing down. Whenever you notice that you want to react to something that someone else says or does, pause and look at your thoughts. What thoughts are coloring your perception? Why are you upset?

When you see without the distortion that is caused by the ego thought system, seeing is clear; you feel happiness and love, because happiness and love are what you are. If you are upset, it is a sure sign that ego thinking misleads your perception. Inquiry is needed.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Abandon Release Description A

What is the Holy Spirit?

Our special theme says, “The Holy Spirit understands the means you made, by which you would attain what is forever unattainable. And if you offer them to Him, He will employ the means you made for exile to restore your mind to where it truly is at home.”

The ego is thought and judgment, so many spiritual teachings encourage the spiritual aspirant to let go of thought and judgment. Yet, spiritual intuition uses both thought and judgment to lead us toward awakening.

Let’s look at thought first. Most thought is clearly ego. Ego is best recognized by its ‘chatter’ quality. However, not all thought is chatter. There are two additional types of thought.

• Practical thought, such as the thought I am using now to select words that best communicate what I want to say. I will also use practical thought to proofread this after I finish typing it.
• Inspired thought, which comes from intuition. Inspired thought can come from everyday intuition or from spiritual intuition.

Spiritual aspirants do well to discern between the three types of thought, and then to let go of chatter and follow both practical and inspired thought. Interestingly, discerning between the three types of thought and then deciding to let go of a thought or to follow a thought is judgment. According to my dictionary, judgment is “the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.”

Just as spiritual aspirants are encouraged to let go of thought, spiritual aspirants are encouraged to let go of judgment. However, just as there are three types of thought, there are three types of judgment: judgments that come from ego chatter, practical judgment and inspired judgment.

• An example of judgment that comes from chatter is, “She’s stupid,” or “I’m smarter than her.”
• An example of a practical judgment is, “It will make things a lot easier if I take the time to learn how to use this App.”
• An example of inspired judgment is, “I’m becoming attached to an outcome. I need to step back and trust whatever unfolds.”

Humans have brains, and brains are made for thinking. However, listening to, believing and blindly following ego chatter is not thinking. Real thinking is using the brain’s judgment or discernment capability to decide when to listen to and follow a thought and when not to. Real thinking is the hallmark of wisdom.

The past is over. It can touch me not.

Today’s lesson talks about the past. It says, “Unless the past is over in my mind, the real world must escape my sight. For I am really looking nowhere; seeing but what is not there.”

What is the past?

According to my dictionary, it is “gone by in time and no longer existing.”

If one looks clearly for a moment, one can see that the past is not here now. It is impossible for the past to be here now. The past has already “gone by in time” and it is “no longer existing.”

The past that humans hold onto is in thought only.

The past is thought. It might have been actually experienced once, but now it is only thought.

Since the past is thought, let’s look at it as thought.

Which category of thought does the past fit into? Is it ego chatter, practical thought or inspired thought?

If you look carefully, you will see that the past can fit into all three of these categories.

• An example of the past as ego chatter is, “I’m not looking forward to seeing mom today. All she does is judge me.”
• An example of the past as a practical thought is, “Sometimes there is traffic on the highway this time of day. It might be good to leave a little early.” Another example of the past as practical thought is knowing to stop when you come to a stop sign.
• An example of the past as inspired thought is, “Last time I felt nervous like this, it turned into full blown fear. It’s a good idea for me to take a break now and inquire into these thoughts before they get worse.”

Which type of past thought is today’s lesson talking about when it says, “Father, let me not look upon a past that is not there”?

It is the past as ego chatter that is a block to clarity. Practical thought and inspired thought are not obstacles to clear seeing, even if the past is a component of those types of thoughts.

I would like to point out that there is a difference between the past as ego chatter and memory. A smell can invoke a memory. A sight or a sound can invoke a memory. Memories arise. As long as a memory does not become ego chatter, memories are simply passing phenomena that are witnessed by awareness.

Notice your thinking today. If your thinking is ego chatter, choose to let it go. Ego chatter is not at all beneficial. It is thought that you can live without. Interestingly, most thought is ego chatter, which means that you can live without the vast majority of your thoughts.

If your thinking is genuinely practical or inspired, listen to it. These thoughts either make your life easier or guide you toward awakening. Both are beneficial.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Loving Consciousness Description T