Feb  23rd 2016  Review II 

Lesson 88
Review of Lessons 75 - 76

• Intention:  We are now ready for another review.  We will begin where our last review left off, and cover two ideas each day.  The earlier part of each day will be devoted to one of these ideas, and the latter part of the day to the other.  For each idea, we will have one longer exercise period, and frequent shorter ones in which we practice each of them.

• Long Practice:  Spend a total of about fifteen minutes thinking about each each idea and  its associated comments.  Devote some three or four minutes to reading them over slowly, several times if you wish, then close your eyes and spend the rest of the time listening attentively.
  
  Repeat the first phase of the exercise (reading slowly) if you find your mind wandering, but try to spend the major part of the time listening quietly but attentively.  There is a message waiting for you.  Be confident that you will receive it.  Remember that it belongs to you, and that you want it.
  
  Do not allow your intent to waver in the face of distracting thoughts.  Realize that, whatever form such thoughts may take, they have no meaning and no power.  Replace them with your determination to succeed.  Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams.  Trust it to see you through, and carry you beyond them all.
  
  Regard these practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth and the life.  Refuse to be sidetracked into detours, illusions and thoughts of death.  You are dedicated to salvation.  Be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
     
• Short Practice:  Repeat the original form of the idea often, and apply it for general situations.  When appropriate, use the specific forms included in the comments which follow the statements of the ideas.  These, however, are merely suggestions.  It is not the particular words you use that matter.  
    

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(75)  The light has come.

In choosing salvation rather than attack, I merely choose to recognize what is already there.  salvation is a decision made already.  Attack and grievances are not there to choose.  That is why I always choose between truth and illusion; between what is there and what is not.  The light has come.  I can but choose the light, for it has no alternative.  It has replaced the darkness, and the darkness has gone.

   

These would prove useful forms for specific applications of this idea:
   

This cannot show me darkness, for the light has come.

The light in you is all that I would see, [name].

I would see in this only what is there.

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(76)  I am under no laws but God's.

Here is the perfect statement of my freedom. I am under no laws but God's.  I am constantly tempted to make up other laws and give them power over me.  I suffer only because of my belief in them.  They have no real effect on me at all.  I am perfectly free of the effects of all laws save God's.  And His are the laws of freedom.

   

For specific forms in applying this idea these would be useful:
   

My perception of this shows me I believe in laws that do not exist.
I see only the laws of God at work in this.

Let me allow God's laws to work in this, and not my own.  
  

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Insights/Comments:

• God is our source and the sustenance on Whom we rely for everything.  It is in God that we find our strength and it only seems lost to us when we look instead to the world for support and sustenance.  We exist in God, and fortunately, cannot exist apart from the One Who is All-That-Is.  Yet while we exist in God we are free to imagine, and in that imagination we can make-believe (make ourselves believe) that we are supported by a world apart from God.  This is not inherently problematic, and in fact it can be a source of great joy, as when we experience a movie, knowing that it is only a movie.  What is problematic is our forgetting that it is a movie and becoming so caught up or attached to the experience that we confuse what is real and what is illusion.  In the light we can perceive clearly that a rope is a rope.  It is only in dimness or darkness that we mistake the rope to be a snake and so become afraid.  Our fear seems real, but its cause is an illusion, but that illusion vanishes immediately in the light.  The light of truth, then is our salvation for it alone removes the darkness of ignorance, i.e., all our imagined fears, worries, or concerns about anyone or anything by reminding us of who we really are as the holy children of God and the light of the world, subject only to the laws of God, which are wholly benevolent.
   
  In the light of truth, which is the knowledge that we are the holy children of God, the illusions of ignorance cannot arise, so there is no need to defend against that which cannot be.  In the darkness of ignorance, however, where we depend on perception, as a substitute for knowing and believe that we are subject to the laws of the world, we can only choose among various illusions.  Only when we realize that we no longer want illusions will we seek the path that leads to the light of truth.
             
  We come to the light of truth by stepping away from ALL illusions; by withdrawing our belief in our perceptions; by allowing them to be as they are, but remembering that they hide a deeper truth, which we are now willing to open our awareness to.  When we step aside from all illusions, what revels itself to our awareness is the one eternal silent source from which everything comes.  Here we find the only real alternative to illusions.  In this light of truth illusions vanish, freedom reigns, and the memory of our divine identity returns.  Our challenge now is only to become so familiar with this light of truth that we always remember it.  We are subject to no laws but God's, even in the dark mists of illusions, as stated in Palms 23:4:
    
  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.   

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I and my Creator are One.  

Forgiveness Prayer

Forgive yourself;

for all the things you did or didn’t do; that you thought you should or shouldn’t do

give yourself a break; let yourself off the hook;

give yourself the chance to make corrections,

and allow that higher power (Creator) within you

to guide you in this ongoing process of recreating yourself.

And forgive another.

Let them off the hook, give them the chance to make corrections.

Know that everyone without exception is doing the best they can, and

know that everyone without exception is suffering in some way.

And Forgive everyone everything!

Let go of the need to blame or to punish,

Let go of the need to be right and for another to be wrong.

Let go of guilt and shame.

Let go of all of that, and rejoice in your uniqueness.

In all of creation, there’s only one of you.

This means that you are special and valuable beyond measure,

but it also means that everyone else is special and valuable too.

Though we come from and share the same Source,

we are all special and valuable in our own ways.

Remember that you are loved and cared for —

Life loves you; Life cares for you; Life values you, always!

All of life benefits from your presence, from your experience!

Remember that everyday is another opportunity to

express the Divinity within you.

Be kind to yourself and good; be kind and good to others as well.

Edmond

Feb  22nd 2016  Review II 

Lesson 87 
Review of Lessons 73 - 74 

• Intention:  We are now ready for another review.  We will begin where our last review left off, and cover two ideas each day.  The earlier part of each day will be devoted to one of these ideas, and the latter part of the day to the other.  For each idea, we will have one longer exercise period, and frequent shorter ones in which we practice each of them.

• Long Practice:  Spend a total of about fifteen minutes thinking about each each idea and  its associated comments.  Devote some three or four minutes to reading them over slowly, several times if you wish, then close your eyes and spend the rest of the time listening attentively.
  
  Repeat the first phase of the exercise (reading slowly) if you find your mind wandering, but try to spend the major part of the time listening quietly but attentively.  There is a message waiting for you.  Be confident that you will receive it.  Remember that it belongs to you, and that you want it.
  
  Do not allow your intent to waver in the face of distracting thoughts.  Realize that, whatever form such thoughts may take, they have no meaning and no power.  Replace them with your determination to succeed.  Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams.  Trust it to see you through, and carry you beyond them all.
  
  Regard these practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth and the life.  Refuse to be sidetracked into detours, illusions and thoughts of death.  You are dedicated to salvation.  Be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
     
• Short Practice:  Repeat the original form of the idea often, and apply it for general situations.  When appropriate, use the specific forms included in the comments which follow the statements of the ideas.  These, however, are merely suggestions.  It is not the particular words you use that matter.  
    

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(73)  I will there be light.

I will use the power of my will today.  It is not my will to grope about in darkness, fearful of shadows and afraid of things unseen and unreal.  Light shall be my guide today.  I will follow it where it leads me, and I will look only on what it shows me. This day I will experience the peace of true perception.

   

These forms of this idea would be helpful for specific applications:
   

This cannot hide the light I will to see.

You stand with me in light [name].

In the light this will look different.

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(74)  There is no will but God's.

I am safe today because there is no will but God's.  I can become afraid only when I believe there is another will.  I try to attack only when I am afraid, and only when I try to attack can I believe that my eternal safety is threatened.  Today I will recognize that all this has not occurred.  I am safe because there is no will but God's.

   

These are some useful forms of this idea for specific applications:
   

Let me perceive this in accordance with the Will of God.
It is God's Will you are His Son, [name], and mine as well.

This is part of God's Will for me, however I may see it.  
  

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Insights/Comments:

• My will and God's must be one for there can be no will other than God's.  His will created everything and everyone from itself and therefore is everything and everyone.  There is no other will because there is no other.  This is the understanding of oneness or unity.  All is one even though they appear to be different.  Gold, for example, remains gold regardless of its shape as a coin, ring, bracelet, chain, etc.  Certainly the form of a gold coin and a gold chain appear different, but it is also clear that they are made of the same material and are therefore essentially the same thing. 
      
  Let us use our common will today to remember the oneness we share with God.  Let it be our will to shine the light of truth on every situation and on everyone we encounter today, reminding ourselves of our oneness with each other and with God.  Let our will be to shine away all falsehoods in the form of pain and suffering, worry and fear, for these are not worthy of the the holy children of God.  We are the light we have been waiting for, so let our common light shine on each other and on the world.  Remember today that our will is strong because it is one with the all-might Will of God.

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I and my Creator are One.  

Feb  17th 2016  Review II 

Lesson 86
Review of Lessons 71 - 72 

• Intention:  We are now ready for another review.  We will begin where our last review left off, and cover two ideas each day.  The earlier part of each day will be devoted to one of these ideas, and the latter part of the day to the other.  For each idea, we will have one longer exercise period, and frequent shorter ones in which we practice each of them.

• Long Practice:  Spend a total of about fifteen minutes thinking about each each idea and its associated comments.  Devote some three or four minutes to reading them over slowly, several times if you wish, then close your eyes and spend the rest of the time listening attentively.
  
  Repeat the first phase of the exercise (reading slowly) if you find your mind wandering, but try to spend the major part of the time listening quietly but attentively.  There is a message waiting for you.  Be confident that you will receive it.  Remember that it belongs to you, and that you want it.
  
  Do not allow your intent to waver in the face of distracting thoughts.  Realize that, whatever form such thoughts may take, they have no meaning and no power.  Replace them with your determination to succeed.  Do not forget that your will has power over all fantasies and dreams.  Trust it to see you through, and carry you beyond them all.
  
  Regard these practice periods as dedications to the way, the truth and the life.  Refuse to be sidetracked into detours, illusions and thoughts of death.  You are dedicated to salvation.  Be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
     
• Short Practice:  Repeat the original form of the idea often, and apply it for general situations.  When appropriate, use the specific forms included in the comments which follow the statements of the ideas.  These, however, are merely suggestions.  It is not the particular words you use that matter.  
    

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(71)  Only God's plan for salvation will work.

It is senseless for me to search wildly about for salvation.  I have seen it in many people and in many things, but when I reached for it, it was not there.  I was mistaken about where it is.  I was mistaken about what it is.  I will undertake no more idle seeking.  Only God's plan for salvation will work.  And I will rejoice because His plan can never fail.

   

These are some suggested forms for applying this idea specifically:

God's plan for salvation will save me from my perception of this.

This is no exception in God's plan for my salvation.

Let me perceive this only in the light of God's plan for salvation.

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(72)  Holding grievances is an attack on God's plan for salvation.

Holding grievances is an attempt to prove that God's plan for salvation will not work. Yet only His plan will work.  By holding grievances, I am therefore excluding my only hope of salvation from my awareness.  I would no longer defeat my own best interests in this insane way.  I would accept God's plan for salvation and be happy.

   

Specific applications for this idea might be in these forms:

I am choosing between misperception and salvation as I look on this.
If I see grounds for grievances in this, I will not see the grounds for my salvation.

This calls for salvation, not attack.  
  

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Insights/Comments:

• What is our motive for seeking salvation?  Our motivation springs from the realization that we are not experiencing the fullness of our potential, that we are are not always happy and are usually experiencing some level of suffering.  This realization motivates us to find a solution, and of all the solutions the world has offered us none has worked, for we still find that suffering remains in our experience.  There is another plan, one offered by God which is simply to let go of our grievances:  our feeling that we are justified in blaming others for our circumstances; our desire to have things be other than the way they are; our childish insistence that the world conform to our idea of what is good and right!  God's simple plan is for us to let go of all such ideas and trust in the infallible wisdom of our Creator Who created us as we are and Who alone knows what is in our best interest.
   
  No other plan for our salvation will work because this plan takes into consideration the complete understanding of our nature, desires and intentions; it is a plan tailored for our level of understanding, and present ability.  A plan to save a frightened animal can only succeed if it include an understanding about its nature and ability, otherwise the animal will resist such a plan simply because it goes against its nature and instincts. Who knows us better than our Creator, and Who loves us more than we could ever understand, and in love, offers us the best solution to our suffering.  This is why God's plan will work, and why if we truly seek salvation we should follow it.  Granted that the ways of the world have engendered in us fearfulness with respect to our surroundings so that it is now "normal" for us to be afraid, instead of our natural instinct to trust, which we had as babies.  But this lack of trust need not continue, for it is easy to see that there are infinitely more things designed for our happiness in the world than not:  the air we breath, the sunlight and rain, the blue sky, the flowers, fruits, trees, the birds and the bees, and the love (limited as it is) we have for each other, etc.  Without these, life would indeed be difficult for us.  So let us learn to trust more in our Creator's plan for our salvation, and less in our own mis-understandings.  Let us today practice letting go of our grievances and trusting that all is well and wisely set and working out in the most harmonious way for all of us, without exception, for now and for all time.  Amen!

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I and my Creator are One.