In ACIM, Chapter 29, entitled “The Awakening,” we are told…”dreams are dreams; and that escape depends, not on the dream, but only on awaking.” Last week we had a tip that pointed out some of the horrendous events going on in our world. Escape as pointed out in this passage depends on our ability to wake up.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that circumstances will change in the world because we’ve awakened, but we no longer have to suffer the guilt and the blame and the unworthiness for the perceived split, for the perceived injustices. There will be a physcological release or relief from knowing that this isn’t our true reality; it is not our brother’s reality either.
While circumstances may not change, it is quite possible that some of the horrible circumstances will change. In Regina’s “Awakening at Home” audio she related some stories from Peace Pilgrim’s book about events where circumstances did change as a result of Peace Pilgrim’s awakened mind. In one event, a man offered her a place to sleep with the intention of raping her and in another, a man’s intention was to beat a little girl. In both of these events, the men had a change of mind because of their interactions with the awakened Peace Pilgrim.
Though circumstances may or may not appear to change as we awaken, what they mean has changed. Again from ACIM Chapter 29, “Perceptions are determined by their purpose, in that they seem to BE what they are FOR. A shadow figure who attacks becomes a brother giving you a chance to help if this becomes a function of the dream. And dreams of sadness thus are turned to joy… He [who] perceives its function, [] can utilize all dreams as means to serve the function given Him. Because He loves the dreamer, not the dream, each dream becomes an offering of love.”
Awakening brings such possibilities.
