Please take time this morning to read, “What is Salvation,” to contemplate Lesson 236, and to spend time in meditation. If you have 30-minutes for meditation and would like a gentle audio to guide you, I recommend this meditation by Michael Langford and Karen Worth:

AWA Description N

I rule my mind, which I alone must rule.

The Teachings of Inner Ramana says, “Mind is like a tool that must be used if one is to experience this world in any way. Mind is the tool of perception. Perception can only be experienced through mind. But this is not the same as saying that mind controls perception or that one must listen to the chattering or problems and solutions of mind.”

The human mind is an incredible thing. It is also an integral part of the experience of human. This really stood out to me when I saw the movie, Jungle Book. The boy, Mowgli, thought differently than his animal friends did. His mind thought of tools that would help solve everyday challenges, like getting honey from a beehive without being stung. Some of his animal caretakers thought his human contraptions were foolish, until he was able to devise a way to rescue a baby elephant from a large hole that it had fallen into. That’s when the other animals accepted the usefulness of the human mind.

The human mind has value. The problem isn’t the human mind. It’s a neutral tool. The problem is that we’ve forgotten what we are. We aren’t the mind, and we certainly aren’t slaves to the mind’s chatter. We are awareness-life-presence.

It’s just as Michael Langford has written in The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss:

“As an example for clarification, you could view thinking and memory as something like a computer program. Within that computer program is a virus. The virus is called the ‘I thought’. The virus controls the program. The I thought controls all thinking. The virus pretends to be your self. The I thought pretends to be your self. The virus creates tremendous sorrow and suffering. The I thought creates tremendous sorrow and suffering. None of the sorrow or suffering is needed. What is needed is to delete the virus that pretends to be ‘I’. What is needed is to delete the imposter self. “

In other words, we need to remember what we are and what the mind is. It is a tool available for our use, but it is not our ruler.

Reflect frequently today on what you are and what the mind is. Notice when you are using the mind (just like you use a computer), and when you are allowing the mind to use you.

When you notice that you are allowing the mind to use you, step back into your Self. Remember your Self. You are primary to the mind. Abide as your Self.

If you need help shifting from identification with the mind to Self-realization, rest the mind and let help come to you. Help will come from the “Thought of peace” which “was given to God’s Son the instant that his mind had thought of war. There was no need for such a Thought before, … But when the mind is split there is a need of healing. So the Thought that has the power to heal the split became a part of every fragment of the mind that still was one, …”

If you have time for a second meditation today, you might enjoy this meditation:

Respecting Humanness

Please take time this morning to read, “What is Salvation,” to contemplate Lesson 235, and to spend time in meditation. If you have 30-minutes for meditation and would like a gentle audio to guide you, I recommend this meditation by Michael Langford and Karen Worth

AWA Description M

God in His mercy wills that I be saved.

God wills that I be saved.  Today’s lesson says, “I need but look upon all things that seem to hurt me, and with perfect certainty assure myself, “God wills that I be saved from this …” Saved from what; and, what are those things that seem to hurt me?  Simply said “those things” are a belief in a separate identity with separate thoughts that cause doubt as to my true identity, and cause me doubt on my chosen path to discover my true identity.

According to ACIM, “The belief in ego autonomy is costing you the knowledge of your dependence on God in which your freedom lies.  The ego sees all dependency as threatening, and has twisted even your longing for God [Truth] into a means of establishing itself.  But do not be deceived by its interpretation…” because the ego’s goal is autonomy—to establish a separate self.

My goal and my true identity, however, is my Self, which is one with Truth.  Because what I am is inseparable from all that is, the separate self can never actually be established, no matter how determined the ego is to do so.  ACIM explains it in this way, “God is as dependent on you as you are on Him because His autonomy encompasses yours, and is therefore incomplete without it.  You can only establish your autonomy by identifying with Him, and fulfilling your function as it exists in Truth.”

The ego would have us doubt this interdependency or inseparability because doubt is an ego preservation strategy.  If we believe doubt we will believe we are who we are not. Worse, we won’t fully dedicate ourselves to spiritual practice. This is the goal of ego–to thwart our awakening to the truth of ourselves and thereby maintain its own existence.

Doubt seems strongest when the ego is loudest in our mind.  ACIM speaks of the tenacity of the ego and its attempts to turn us from the knowledge of our truth. “The ego can and does allow you to regard yourself as supercilious, unbelieving, ‘light-hearted’, distant, emotionally shallow, callous, uninvolved, and even desperate…”   In other words, ego is eager to tell us that we are spiritual failures.

Interestingly, when the ego is loudest is also when the ego is most vulnerable. That is when we have the best opportunity for healing the mind and transcending the ego. In other words, the ego attacks loudest when it feels itself losing control of our attention. It is fighting to “regain command and control.” (NTI Acts 14)

If despite the ego’s accusations, we can stick with our spiritual aspiration and our spiritual practices we can achieve breakthroughs.  We don’t need to succumb  to the ego’s doubts.  If we don’t let doubt get the best of us, we will realize we aren’t alone. Rather, we are the one Self and thus our will is joined with with the One Will.

Today’s lesson says, “I need but look upon all things that seem to hurt me, and with perfect certainty assure myself, ‘God wills that I be saved from this,’ …”

That faith can be very important when the ego gets loud. Remember, the Self, with all of its knowledge, wisdom and love, is right here supporting us in our efforts to awaken to our Self.