Lesson 43. God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.
A Course in Miracles is an interesting mix of psychological and Christian terms. What we want to do in reading the Course is not to allow the words to get in the way of understanding. Let’s look at some of the words in this lesson.
Perception is the process of recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli. (www.simplypsychology.org). This very simple definition of perception makes it clear that perception would have no function in the Absolute or God. The realm of the Absolute is the “realm of knowledge” and is beyond interpretation. The definition of perception is also helpful in seeing how this lesson fits with what we have been learning about our purpose in this world of sensory stimuli (a thing or event that evokes a reaction).
As the lesson tells us, “in salvation, which is the undoing of what never was, perception has a mighty purpose.” Again, depending on your religious background or other experiences the word “salvation” might seem heavy or daunting or confusing. It need not been seen that way. Salvation is defined by Google Dictionary as “the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.” Indeed, the lesson itself tells us that salvation “is the undoing of what never was.” As we saw in our Tip for lesson 36, “It is essential that error be not confused with ‘sin,’ and it is this distinction which makes salvation possible.” Thus, we are merely being taught that it is our interpretation of what we experience that corrects the error (or misperception) of separation.
This is the “Good News.” This is our purpose. The lesson continues:
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 a meaning very close to God’s. Healed perception becomes the means by which the Son of God forgives his brother, and thus forgives himself.
Again, the word “forgiveness” carries different connotations and overtones depending on one’s life experiences. Lesson 134, “Let me perceive what forgiveness is,” makes it abundantly clear that forgiveness is releasing error/misperception/belief in separation and, instead, recognizing our holiness/wholeness/Oneness.
It is sin’s unreality that makes forgiveness natural and wholly sane, a deep relief to those who offer it; a quiet blessing where it is received. It does not countenance illusions, but collects them lightly, with a little laugh, and gently lays them at the feet of truth. And there they disappear entirely. Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It sees their nothingness, and looks straight through the thousand forms in which they may appear. It looks on lies, but it is not deceived. It does not heed the self-accusing shrieks of sinners mad with guilt. It looks on them with quiet eyes, and merely says to them, “My brother, what you think is not the truth.”
As our lesson for today tells us:
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.
What we are consistently being asked to do is to look upon the world and see that the separation it would show us is not the truth. We are asked to recognize our holiness and the power that lies within our creative attention.
During this lesson’s practice sessions, we are asked to allow related thoughts to come to us. The lesson says, “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.”
We have seen this practice of ‘allowing related thoughts’ a few times now. This is a very helpful practice in remembering the Truth.
We all have the ability to listen to thoughts that reflect truth and point toward truth. When we allow thoughts into our mind that are related to the workbook lesson, we are tuning into that ability. The more we tune into that ability, the easier it is to access those thoughts.
Imagine it this way: You know from NTI Ephesians that we receive thoughts rather than think thoughts. Imagine thoughts flying through the air with darker (more untrue) thoughts being at a lower, heavier vibration level and with true thoughts being at a higher, lighter vibration level. Both types of thoughts are flying by, but your receiver (the mind) is tuned at a level that picks up on the heavy, more dense thoughts. Because it is so used to the density of these thoughts, it doesn’t even notice the lighter ones.
During these practices, you are learning to retrain or retune your receiver so that it notices and becomes accustomed to the lighter thoughts. Your mind is becoming sharper/more sensitive (more discerning) so that it notices the difference between the lower vibration and higher vibration thoughts, and then tunes itself to pick up the higher vibration thoughts and pull them in so you can cast attention on them.
In the Course, listening to the higher vibration thoughts is commonly called listening to the Holy Spirit or the right mind. This is the training we go through as we allow related thoughts into our mind during these practices.
