May 13th 2014  Lesson 14

God did not create a meaningless world.

Today's idea is, of course, the reason why a meaningless world is impossible.  What God did not create does not exist, and everything that does exist exists as He created it.  The world we see has nothing to do with reality.  It is of our own making, and it does not exist.
  
Today's idea is another step in learning to let go of the thoughts that we have written on the world, and see the World of God in their place.  The ideas of these early lessons are the steps to our salvation and can be quite difficult and painful because they completely contradict our current beliefs about reality.  But stay the course, for our direction is towards perfect safety and perfect peace.

• Intention:  Three practice periods are recommended, but feel free to do more if you find them comfortable.  Each practice period should lasting a minute at most,
     
• Practice:  With eyes closed, think of all the horrors in the world that cross your mind.  Name each one as it occurs to you, then deny its reality.  God did not create it, and so it is not real.  Say for example:
    
  God did not create that war, and so it is not real.
  God did not create that airplane crash, and so it is not real.
  God did not create that disaster [specify], and so it is not real.   
    
  These things are part of the world you see.  Some of them are shared illusions, and others are part of your personal hell.  It does not matter.  What God did not create can only be a meaningless fantasy in your own mind apart from His.  In recognition of this fact, conclude the practice periods by repeating today's idea
  
  God did not create a meaningless world.   
    
• Application:    Suitable subjects for the application of today's idea also include anything you are afraid might happen to you, or to anyone about whom you are concerned.  In each case, name the "disaster" quite specifically.  Do not use general terms.  For example do not say " God did not create illness," but, "God did not create cancer," or heart attacks, or whatever may arouse fear in you.  Today's idea can, of course, be applied to anything that disturbs you during the day.  Be very specific in applying it.  Say:
    
  God did not create a meaningless world. 
  He did not create [specify the disturbance], and so it is not real.
  
  

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Insights/comments:

• A meaningless world is a world of randomness or chance; a world of duality, a world of uncertainty, of pain and suffering.  God did not create a meaningless world, and only what God created exists; all else is illusion, fantasy and dreams.  Therefore if we see a meaningless world, (or meaninglessness in anything for that matter) we are seeing illusion, we are quite literally seeing what is not there. This is not an easy concept for us to accept, but it is one that we must begin to approach if we are to experience the world as God created it, as opposed to what we made of it. 
    
  To recognize something as meaningless is to recognize that it is not real; that it is an illusion.  Illusions are neither good or bad, they are simply unreal, so we have no reason to be upset by them or afraid of them, so long as we recognize them as illusions.  If we do not recognize an illusion as an illusion, it can indeed make us upset and fearful.  A nightmare, for example, is an illusion that we believe is real while we are dreaming, and so we are afraid of it.  But the basis for this fear is entirely removed when we awake and realize that we were only dreaming.  The solution for the fear we feel with respect to illusions then, is simply to recognize them as illusions and not as reality. 
    
  The world we made by giving our meaning to God's creation is the basis for our most fundamental fear, the fear of "death."  The guilt we feel for having superimposed our meaning onto God's creation literally engenders in us the fear of death, for God is our creator, and He alone can, if He want to, "uncreate" us as punishment for us having made His creation a "living hell" for ourselves.  This fear (often subconscious) is based on our belief in a vengeful and punishing God.  Remove this basis and we remove the basis for all fear.  In truth, we are one with God so it is inconceivable that God who is all-mighty, all-knowing, and all-present need seek vengeance at all.  And it is even less conceivable that He seek vengeance on His own creation who is a part of Himself.  Furthermore, it is impossible to conceive that God would seek vengeance on us by punishing his own Self.  The belief in a vengeful God is just a story we made up and made ourselves believe, it is the meaning we made up about who/what we think God is.  This is make-believe; illusion; fantasy! 
    
  What God did not create does not exist and is therefore an illusion!  Realize (make real) this one idea and all fear is removed.

I and my Creator are One.  

May 10th 2014  Lesson 13

A meaningless world engenders fear.

Today's idea like yesterday's highlights the truth that a meaningless world is impossible.  Nothing without meaning exists, so we should not be upset or fearful about what does not exist.  God create a meaningful world, but we having made our own meaning to cover His are upset and fearful due to the guilt we feel about overwriting our meaning unto the world.

      

Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones.  It represents a situation in which God and the ego "challenge" each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that meaninglessness provides.  The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own impotence and unreality.  And on this alone it is correct.

   

It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize what is meaningless, and accept it without fear.  If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with images that do not exist.  To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself with the ego.

• Intention:  Three or four practice periods are recommended, with each lasting about a minute or so.  This is our first attempt at stating an explicit cause and effect relationship of a kind which you are very inexperienced in recognizing.  

• Practice:  With eyes closed, repeat today's idea to yourself.  Then open your eyes, and look around you slowly, saying to yourself:

I am looking at a meaningless world.  

Repeat this statement to yourself as you look about.  Then close your eyes and continue with:

A meaningless world engenders fear
because I think I am in competition with God.    

• Application:  You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement.  Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the "vengeance" of the "enemy."  You are not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous.  Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse.  Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not even to think of it except during the practice periods.  That will suffice at present. 

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Insights/comments:

• A meaningless world is a world of randomness or chance; a world of duality, a world of uncertainty.  God did not create a meaningless world, and only what God created exists; all else is illusion, fantasy and dreams.  Therefore if we see a meaningless world, (or meaninglessness in anything for that matter) we are seeing illusion, we are quite literally seeing what is not there. This is not an easy concept for us to accept, but it is one that we must begin to approach if we are to experience the world as God created it, as opposed to what we made of it.
  
  To recognize something as meaningless is to recognize that it is not real; that it is an illusion.  Illusions are neither good or bad, they are simply unreal, so we have no reason to be upset by them or afraid of them, so long as we recognize them as illusions.  If we do not recognize an illusion as an illusion, it can indeed make us upset and fearful.  A nightmare, for example, is an illusion that we believe is real while we are dreaming, and so we are afraid.  But the basis for this fear is entirely removed when we awake and realize that we were only dreaming.  The solution for the fear we feel with respect to illusions then, is simply to recognize them as illusions and not reality. 
  
  The world we made by giving our meaning to God's creation is the basis for our most fundamental fear, the fear of "death."  The guilt we feel for having superimposed our meaning onto God's creation literally engenders in us the fear of death, for God is our creator, and He alone can "uncreate" us as punishment for us having made His creation a "living hell" for ourselves.  This fear is based on our belief in a vengeful and punishing God.  Remove this basis and we remove the basis for all fear.  In truth, we are one with God so it is inconceivable that God who is all-mighty, all-knowing, and all-present need seek vengeance at all.  And it is even less conceivable that he seek vengeance on His own creation who is a part of Himself.  Furthermore, it is infinitely far less conceivable that He seek vengeance by punishing his own Self.   This is just the story we made ourselves believe, the meaning we gave ourselves about what God is and about what we are.  This is make-believe; illusions; fantasy! 
  
  What God did not create does not exist and is therefore an illusion!  Realize (make real) this one idea and all fear is removed.

I and my Creator are One.  

May 9th 2014  Lesson 12

I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

The importance of today's idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion.  You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world.  All these attributes are given it by you.  The world is meaningless in itself.
  
What is meaningless is neither good nor bad, so a meaningless world should not upset you?  In fact, if you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy.  But because it is meaningless, you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be.  It is this you see in the world.  It is this that is meaningless in truth.  Beneath the words you write upon the world, are written the Word of God, and when your worlds have been erased, you will see His.  That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

• Intention:  Three or four practice periods are recommended, with each lasting about a minute or so.  Whenever you experience a sense of strain, terminate the exercise. 
     
• Practice:  Today's exercises are to be done with the eyes open.  Look around you slowly.  Pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval.  Do not linger on or hurry past anything, keep a measured, even tempo throughout.   
    
  As you look about you, repeat the following phrase, filling in the blank spaces with whatever descriptive terms, positive or negative, that happen to occur to you, like "good", "bad", "crazy", "satisfying", "fearful", "dangerous" etc.  All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for today's exercise.
      
  I think I see a _______ world,
  a ________ world, a _______ world, ... etc.

At the end of the practice period, add:

But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

• Application:  Remember that you see does not matter.  You teach yourself this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time. This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.  Be sure not to spend more time on terms that you think are pleasant, as opposed to unpleasant; treat them equally.
    

  ---

Insights/comments:

• The need for meaning in life is the bane of our existence.  And not just any old meaning, but the specific meaning we like.  The one that we feel comfortable with and which we think everyone else should agree with.  It polarizes us, engendering conflict and confusion because we cannot agree on a common meaning.  Would it make a different if we understood and accepted  the inherent meaninglessness of the world, like we understand and accept the inherent meaninglessness of the different colors of M&M chocolate candies?  No one cares if another likes only the blue M&M, because everyone gets to choose whatever color or combination of colors they like, and no one is upset by it.  It might lead to a happier more peaceful world.

I and my Creator are One.  

May 8th 2014  Lesson 11

My meaningless thoughts are showing me
a meaningless world.

This is the first idea we have had that is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world.  It seems as if the world determines what you perceive.  Today's idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see.  Be glad indeed to practice today's idea for in it is your release made sure.  The key to forgiveness lies in it.

• Intention:  A minimum of three but no more than five practice periods are recommended, with each lasting about a minute or so.   
     
• Practice:  Begin with your eyes open and say today's idea slowly to yourself.  Then open your eyes and continue repeating the idea, without haste, urgency or effort; looking about you, near and far, up and down, anywhere.  On concluding the exercise, close your eyes and repeat today's idea once more slowly to yourself.
      
• Application:  For maximum benefit, the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly, without lingering on anything in particular, and the words should be said in an unhurried, even leisurely fashion.  Remember to practice today's idea as casually as possible.  It contains the foundation of the peace, relaxation and freedom for worry that we are trying to achieve.

Insights/comments:

• This is the first steps of awakening, where everything we thought we knew, and believed is about to change.  Just like waking up from a dream, where we begin to recognize that something fundamental is changing; the world is not what it seemed to be a minute ago, and is morphing into something other.  Is it the world, or is it me that is changing?  If it is the world that is changing, then it means that I really did not understand it at all.  And if it is me that is changing, then the world must be like a mirror that I am looking into and seeing it change according to the changes in my thinking.  This is literally a world changing concept:  The world is my mirror; it is as I am.  Ponder that for a while.

I and my Creator are One.  

May 7th 2014  Lesson 10

My thoughts do not mean anything.

Today's idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware, or become aware in the practice periods.  The reason today's idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts.  You have no basis for this comparison as yet, but when you do, it will be clear that the thoughts you once believed were yours did not mean anything.

This aspect of the correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you are aware are meaningless, outside rather than within; and then stressed their past rather than their present status.  Now we are emphasizing that the presence of these "thoughts" means that you are not thinking.  This is merely another way of repeating our earlier statement that your mind is really a blank.  To recognize this is to recognize nothingness when you think you see it.  As such, it is the prerequisite for vision.

• Intention:  Five practice periods are recommended, each involving no more than a minute or so of mind searching.  Do not extend this time period, and if you experience discomfort, reduce it to half a minute or less. 
     
• Practice:  Close your eyes for these exercises, and introduce them by repeating today's idea quite slowly to yourself.  Then add the supporting thought:
    
  This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.

     

  The exercises consist, as before, in searching your mind for all the thoughts that are available to you, without selection or judgment.  Try to avoid classification of any kind.  In fact, if you find it helpful to do so, you might imagine that you are watching an oddly assorted procession going by, which has little if any personal meaning to you.  As each one crosses your mind, say: 
      

  My thought about _________does not mean anything.
  My thought about _________does not mean anything.
    
• Application:  Remember that today's idea can obviously serve for any thought that distresses you at any time.  Remember to repeat today's idea slowly, followed by the supporting thought, before applying it specifically to the thoughts that arise during each exercise.

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Insights/comments:

• In preparation for building the foundation for a new thought system, the foundation for the old thought system must be removed.  Our current thought system is based on the idea that our thoughts and perceptions are real, and since we have nothing to compare it with, we assume that this is so.  Just as while we are dreaming, we believe the perceptions and events of the dream are real.  It is only upon awakening, when we can compare the dream reality to our waking reality, that we realize the illusory nature of the dream.  Similarly, it is currently difficult for us to believe that our thoughts do not mean anything because they are the foundation of what we believe we are, and it is exactly this that our lessons are going to change.  So, as in the immortal words of Cypher in the first of The Matrix trilogy when Neo asked "What does that mean?"  Cypher intuitively answered "It means fasten your seat belt Dorothy cause Kansas is going bye-bye"   : )

  I and my Creator are One.  

May 6th 2014  Lesson 9

I see nothing as it is now.

Today's idea obviously follows from the two preceding ones.  While you may be able to accept it intellectually, it may still be meaningless as yet.  However, understanding is not necessary at this point, only the practice.  In fact the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing the false notions we have about perception.

Even though our untrained minds may find it difficult or even disturbing to believe that what it seems to picture is not there, we are asked only to apply the lessons as given.  Each small step will clear a little of the darkness away, and understanding will finally come to lighten every corner of the mind.

• Intention:  Four practice periods will be sufficient.    .
     
• Practice:  Look about you and apply today's idea to whatever you see, remembering the need for its indiscriminate application, and the essential rule of excluding nothing. For example:
    
  I do not see this typewriter as it is now.
  I do not see this telephone as it is now.
  I do not see this arm as it is now.  ... etc.

     

  Begin with things that are nearest you, then extend the range outward:
      

  I do not see that coat rack as it i now.
  I do not see that door as it is now.
  I do not see that face as it is now..
    
• Application:  It is emphasized again that while complete inclusion should not be attempted, specific exclusion must be avoided.  Be sure you are honest with yourself in making this distinction.  You may be tempted to obscure it.  

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Insights/comments:

• The idea that I see nothing as it is now is difficult to believe simply because it has become normal for us to believe unquestioningly what our mind and senses tell us.  But now, through these lessons, as we begin to notice and pay more attention to our perceptions, we realize increasingly that all of them are based on past experiences.  While we do recognize the practical benefit of recognizing a cup as a cup and how we can use it to fulfill a function, we are beginning to also recognize that our past experience can limit and hamper our relationships to things and people.  If we see a cup only as a cup, we greatly diminish our ability to creatively apply it to other uses.  Similarly, if we keep thinking of someone as a thief because of their past actions, it makes it extremely difficult to see their inherent divinity.  This does not mean that we should ignore their past completely, but we do not want to be blinded into thinking that they are only what they were in their past.  We are all holy children of God with limitless potential, even though we don’t always express our divinity.      

I and my Creator are One.  

May 5th 2014  Lesson 8

My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

Today's idea, is the reason why we see only the past.  No one really sees anything.  He sees only his thoughts projected outward.  The mind's preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers.  Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is.  It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.

The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here.  To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions.  Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future.  The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it s not really thinking about anything.

• Intention:  The purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not really thinking at all.  While thoughtless ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked.  Recognizing that your mind has been merely blank, rather than believing that it is filled with real ideas, is the first step to opening the way to vision.
     
• Practice:  Practice today's idea with the eyes closed.  This is because you actually cannot see anything, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought you are not seeing anything.  With as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there.  Name each one by the central figure or theme it contains and pass on to the next.  For example:
    
  I seem to be thinking about [name of a person, object, theme, or emotion]

    But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
    
• Application:  This can be done four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you.  If you find it trying, three or four times is sufficient.  You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that today's idea may induce.  

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Insights/comments:

• It is a somewhat rude awakening to realize that we don't really understand anything at all, because our preoccupation with past thoughts means that we are really not perceiving or thinking about anything at all, and therefore cannot understand anything at all.  The present moment is the only moment in which we can act, and if we are not seeing, thinking and interacting with what is in this present moment, how can our actions be fruitful?  Knowing this, however, allows us to increasingly bring our attention to the present moment, examining and interacting with it as it is now, while being conscious of the illusions of past experiences.   

I and my Creator are One.