Oct 22nd 2015  Review II 

Lesson 81
Review of Lessons 61 - 62  

• 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 (slow reading) 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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(61)  I am the light of the world.

How holy am I, who have been give the function of lighting up the world!  Let me be still before my holiness.  In its calm light let all my conflicts disappear.  In its peace let me remember Who I am.

   

Some specific forms for applying this idea when special difficulties seem to arise might be:

Let me not obscure the light of the world in me.

Let the light of the world shine through this appearance.

This shadow will vanish before the light.

  

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(62)  Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.

It is through accepting my function that I will see the light in me.  And in this light will my function stand clear and perfectly unambiguous before my sight.  My acceptance does not depend on my recognizing what my function is, for I do not yet understand forgiveness.  Yet I will trust that, in the light, I will see it as it is.

   

Specific forms for applying this idea might include:

Let this help me learn what forgiveness means.

Let me not separate my function from my will.

I will not use this for an alien purpose. 
  

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Insights/Comments:

• Our practice is only to find the quiet within us that rests on the convictions that:  we are the holy children of God; that the apparent problem of separation is only an illusion; and that in God's reality, which is the only reality there is, no problem exists.  Our only function then, is to forgive the apparent illusions to the contrary.  With these convictions firmly grounded in our awareness and memory, we deal with every situation that arises in whatever way we think is appropriate, but with a calm and peaceful resolve, because we know that it is an illusion--granted, a convincing illusion, but still only an illusion.
    
  What does it mean to deal with every situation with a calm and peaceful resolve?  It means to have no judgment about the situation or the people involved.  It means to have no preferences about the outcome.  It means that we let our actions flow naturally according to what the particular situation requires of us or inspires in us, without judgment and without attachment.  And it means that we do this as best we can, from where we are in each present moment with whatever resources, knowledge, and wisdom we have available to us.  And to that extent will we be at peace, remembering that God created us perfect, Spirit, and free.
  

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I and my Creator are One. 

October 19th 2015  Lesson 80(b)

Let me recognize my problems have been solved. 

If you are willing to recognize your problems, you will recognize that you have no problems.  Your one central problem (separation) has been answered, and you have no other.  Therefore, you must be at peace.  Salvation thus depends on recognizing this one problem, and understanding that it has been solved.  One problem, one solution.  Salvation is accomplished.  Freedom from conflict has been given you.  Accept that fact, and you are ready to take your rightful place in God's plan for salvation.
   
Your only problem has been solved!  Repeat this over and over to yourself today, with gratitude and conviction.  You have recognized your only problem, opening the way for the Holy Spirit to give you God's answer.  You have laid deception aside, and seen the light of truth. . You have accepted salvation for yourself by bringing the problem to the answer.  And you can recognize the answer, because the problem has been identified.
   
You are entitled to peace today.  A problem that has been resolved cannot trouble you.  Only be certain you do not forget that all problems are the same.  Their many forms will not deceive you while you remember this.  One problem, one solution.  Accept the peace this simple statement brings.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will repeat today's idea frequently, at least four or five times an hour.
     
• Practice:  In our longer practice periods today, we will claim the peace that must be ours when the problem and the answer have been brought together.  The problem must be gone, because God's answer cannot fail.  Having recognized one, you have recognized the other.  The solution is inherent in the problem.  You are answered, and have accepted the answer.  You are saved.  
    
  Now let the peace that your acceptance brings be given you.  Close your eyes, and receive your reward.  Recognize that your problems have been solved.  Recognize that you are out of conflict; free and at peace.  Above all, remember that you have one problem (separation,) and that the problem has one solution (unity with God.)  It is in this that the simplicity of salvation lies.  It is because of this that it is guaranteed to work.
     
  Assure yourself often today that your problems have bee solved.  Repeat the idea with deep conviction, as frequently as possible.  And be particularly sure to apply the idea for today to any specific problem that may arise.  Say quickly: 
    
  
  Let me recognize this problem has been solved.

• Application:    Let us be determined not to collect grievances today.  Let us be determined to be free of problems that do not exist.  The means is simple honesty.  Do not deceive yourself about what the problem is, and you must recognize it has been solved.
  
      

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Insights/comments:

• The realization that separation is the only problem we have greatly simplifies our life and naturally leads to the greater realization that separation is really an illusion, for we cannot exist apart from our Creator, who is omnipresent.  This leads to the obvious conclusion that our only problem has already been solved.  From this perspective we can now address the events in our lives more calmly and peacefully, for we now recognize that they serve the higher function of providing the means for us to remember our true identity as the holy children of God and perform our holy function of forgiving the world.
    
  Let us then go calmly amid the noise and haste of the world, always doing without attachment, whatever action Life requires of us that is worthy of performance, with the full recognition that there are no problems, only opportunities to perform our holy function.  Let us follow the inner guidance that comes to us at every moment as best we can, knowing that whatever choice we make will always be the "right" one, because we are always guided, and because all our problems have been solved.  The Holy Spirit guides us at ever turn, all we need do is willingly let miracles replace any grievance we may have about the future outcome of our actions--thus will we remain free as God created us.
    

I and my Creator are One.  

October 3rd 2015  Lesson 79(b)

Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved. 

A problem cannot be solved if you do not know what it is.  Even if it is really solved already you will still have the problem, because you will not recognized that it has been solved.  This is the situation of the world.  The problem of separation, which is really the only problem, has already been solved.  Yet the solution is not recognized because the problem is not recognized.
   
Everyone in this world seems to have his own special problems.  Yet they are all the same, and must be recognized as one if the one solution that solves them all is to be accepted.  Who can see that a problem has been solved if he thinks the problem is something else?  Even if he is given the answer, he cannot see its relevance.
   
That is the position in which you find yourself now.  You have the answer, but you are still uncertain about what the problem is.  A long series of different problems seems to confront you, and as one is settled the next one and the next arise.  There seems to be no end to them.  There is no time in which you feel completely free of problems and at peace.
   
The temptation to regard problems as many is the temptation to keep the problem of separation unsolved.  The world seems to present you with a vast number of problems, each requiring a different answer.  This perception places you in a position in which your problem solving must be inadequate, and failure is inevitable.
   
No one could solve all the problems the world appears to hold.  They seem to be on so many levels, in such varying forms and with such varied content, that they confront you with an impossible situation.  Dismay and depression are inevitable as you regard them.  Some spring up unexpectedly, just as you think you have resolved the previous ones.  Others remain unsolved under a cloud of denial, and rise to haunt you from time to time, only to be hidden again but still unsolved.
   
All this complexity is but a desperate attempt not to recognize the problem, and therefore not to let it be resolved.  If you could recognize that your only problem is separation, no matter what form it takes, you could accept the answer because you would see its relevance.  Perceiving the underlying constancy in all the problems that seem to confront you, you would understand that you have the means to solve them all.  And you would use the means, because you recognize the problem.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will repeat today's idea frequently, at least four or five times an hour.
     
• Practice:  In our longer practice periods today we will ask what the problem is, and what is the answer to it.  We will not assume that we already know.  We will try to free our minds of all the many different kinds of problems we think we have.  We will try to realize that we have only one problem, which we have failed to recognize.  We will ask what it is, and wait for the answer.  We will be told.  Then we will ask for the solution to it.  And we will be told.
    
  The exercises for today will be successful to the extent to which you do not insist on defining the problem.  Perhaps you will not succeed in letting all your preconceived notions go, but that is not necessary.  All that is necessary is to entertain some doubt about the reality of your version of what your problems are.  You are trying to recognize that you have been given the answer by recognizing the problem, so that the problem and the answer can be brought together and you can be at peace. 

• Application:    The shorter practice periods for today will not be set by time, but by need.  You will see many problems today, each one calling for an answer.  Our efforts will be directed toward recognizing that there is only one problem and one answer.  In this recognition are all problems resolved.  In this recognition there is peace.   
  Be not deceived by the form of problems today.  Whenever any difficulty seems to rise, tell yourself quickly:
     
  
  Let me recognize this problem so it can be solved.
     
  Then try to suspend all judgment about what the problem is.  If possible, close your eyes for a moment and ask what it is.  You will be heard and you will be answered.
  
      

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Insights/comments:

• Today's lesson encourages us to reevaluate our perception and understanding about life.  Our current experience is that our lives are filled with various problems, each of which require our attention and effort to resolve.  But today's lesson brings this experience into question by suggesting that we really do not recognized our problems.  Generally we define a problem as anything that does not seem to work the way we expect it to, for example, we expect our car to start when we turn the key in the ignition but if it does not, then this is seen as a problem to us.  Yet this is only a superficial understanding of what a problem is because it is based on the belief that the apparent world we live in is real and therefore what we do or do not do here has real effects and consequences with respect to our true function and purpose.
    
  The deeper definition of a problem is anything that distracts us from achieving our highest goal, which is forgiveness.  Forgiveness is our God-given function; it is why we exist in this relative world, and it is the means for our salvation from it.  The only thing that can distract and therefore delay the moment of our awakening to this function is our belief in separation.  Separation is based on the beliefs that our apparent world is real; that we are separate individuals frail and limited; and that we must strive for survival in this harsh and dangerous world.  Separation seems real because we do not realize our true identity as children of God, as the maker of our apparent world.  We fail to acknowledge that the world we experience is an illusion, full of imagined self-made-up functions that hide our God-given function.  In truth separation is an illusion for we cannot exist apart from our Creator, Who is All-That-Is, and because we were created in Her image and likeness, our survival is guaranteed; we need not strive for it, so forgiveness is our only function here. 
    
  If we recognize that all apparent problems result from the illusion of separation, and we acknowledge the truth that separation cannot be real, then we have found the solution to all problems, and can now give full attention to our true function of forgiveness.  The questions that will help solve our apparent problems are:  Am I willing to forgive the ups and downs of this relative world?  Am I willing to let all my grievances be replaced by miracles?  Can I view everything that comes to me, without exception, as the means to my salvation and calmly, even joyfully, deal with it as best as I can, with whatever resources and intelligence I can bring to it?   It might just be a dead battery--no problemo! 
    

I and my Creator are One.  

October 2nd 2015  Lesson 78(b)

Let miracles replace all grievances. 

Perhaps it is not yet quite clear to you that each decision that you make is one between a grievance and a miracle.  Each grievance stands like a dark shield of hate before the miracle it would conceal.  And as you raise it up before your eyes, you will not see the miracle beyond.  Yet all the while it waits for you in light, but you behold your grievances instead.
   
Today we will go beyond the grievances, to look upon the miracle instead.  We will reverse the way you see by not allowing sight to stop before it sees.  We will not wait before the shield of hate, but lay it down and gently lift our eyes in silence to behold the Son of God.
   
He waits for you beyond your grievances, and as you lay them down he will appear in shining light where each one stood before.  Fore every grievance is a block to sight, and as it lifts you see the Son of God where he has always been.  He stands in light, but you were in the dark.  Each grievance made the darkness deeper and you could not see.
   
Today we will attempt to see God's Son.  We will not let our selves be blind to him; we will not look upon our grievance.  So is the seeing of the world reversed, as we look out toward truth, away from fear.  We will select one person you have used as target for your grievances, and lay the grievances aside and look at him.  Someone, perhaps, you fear and even hate; someone you think you love who angered you; someone you call a friend, but whom you see as difficult at times or hard to please, demanding irritating or untrue to the ideal he should accept as his, according to the role you set for him.
   
You know the one to choose; his name has crossed your mind already.  He will be the one of whom we ask God's Son be shown to you.  Through seeing him behind the grievances that you have held against him, you will learn that what lay hidden while you saw him not is there in everyone, and can be seen.  He who was enemy is more than friend when he is freed to take the holy role the Holy Spirit has assigned to him.  Let him be savior unto you today.  Such is his role in God your Father's plan.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will repeat today's idea frequently, at least four or five times an hour.
    
  Today we will go beyond the grievances, to look upon the miracle instead.  We will reverse the way you see by not allowing sight to stop before it sees.  We will not wait before the shield of hate, but lay it down and gently lift our eyes in silence to behold the Son of God.

• Practice:  Begin the longer practice periods today by trying to see the one you choose who you hold a grievance against in the role of your brother, a son of God.  Hold him in your mind, first as you now consider him.  Review his faults, the difficulties you have had with him, the pain he caused you, his neglect, and all the little and the larger hurts he gave.  Regard his body with its flaws and better points as well, and think of his mistakes and even of his "sins."
    
  Then let us ask of Him Who know this Son of God in his reality and truth, that we may look on him a different way, and see our savior shining in the light of true forgiveness, given unto us.  We ask Him in the holy Name of God and of His Son, as holy as Himself:
    
  
  Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him.   
  
  

  The body's eyes are closed, and as you think of him who grieved you, let your mind be shown the light in him beyond your grievances.
  
  What you have asked for cannot be denied.  Your savior has been waiting long for this.  He would be free, and make his freedom yours.  The Holy Spirit leans from him to you, seeing no separation in God's Son.  And what you see through Him will free you both.  Be very quiet now, and look upon your shining savior.  No dark grievances obscure the sight of him.  You have allowed the Holy Spirit to express through him the role God gave Him that you might be saved.   
    
  God thanks you for these quiet times today in which you laid your images aside, and looked upon the miracle of love the Holy Spirit showed you in their place.  The world and Heavens join in thanking you, for not one Thought of God but must rejoice as you are saved, and all the world with you.  

• Application:    For our shorter practice periods, we will remember this throughout the day, and take the role assigned to us as part of God's salvation plan, and not our own.  Temptation falls away when we allow each one we meet to save us, and refuse to hide his light behind our grievances.  To everyone you meet, and to the ones you think of or remember from the past, allow the role of savior to be given, that you may share it with him.  For you both, and all the sightless ones as well, we pray:
   
  Let miracles replace all grievances.
      

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Insights/comments:

• Today's lesson is the actual practice of how to let miracles replace all grievances.  It is not an easy process for it requires great courage to be able to look past our grievances to see others as they truly are--as holy children of God.  If we cannot do this to another, then we condemn ourselves along with that one, for the children of God are one unified whole, which means that what is true for one part of the Sonship is true for the entire Sonship.
    
  The first step is our willingness.  Are we willing to let miracles replace all our grievances?  Answering in the affirmative means that we are willing to lay down our grievances and let the Holy Spirit help us see the truth we know to be there in our brothers, but which is veiled by our grievances.   This is a significant step towards applying this perspective to everyone we meet, regardless of what they appear to be or say or do.
   
  The second step after being willing to let go of our grievances is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the one we have a problem with in a different light, i.e. in the light of our savior who has come disguised to bless us and help us learn to expand our love so that it is more inclusive.  Are we willing to see this problematic one as our friend, teacher, and savior?  If we are, we will notice a change in how we feel towards this person.  We will notice that we no longer find them problematic, but rather as someone needing our compassion and our blessing, and perhaps we may even feel tremendous gratitude to them for reminding us that  our love is incomplete when it excludes anyone of our holy siblings.
   
  The third and final step is fairly automatic, for now that we see them in the light of love, we can more easily send blessings to them and to everyone we encounter now, encountered in the past and will encounter in the future, the blessings and forgiveness they deserve from us, not for what they say or do, but for who they are as holy children of God.
    

I and my Creator are One.  

September 27th 2015  Lesson 77(b)

I am entitled to miracles. 

You are entitled to miracles because of what you are.  You will receive miracles because of what God is.  And you will offer miracles because you are one with God.  Again, how simple is salvation.  It is merely a statement of your true Identity.  It is this that we will celebrate today.
   
Your claim to miracles does not lie in your illusions about yourself.  It does not depend on any magical powers you have ascribed to yourself, nor on any of the rituals you have devised.  It is inherent in the truth of what you are.  It is implicit in what God your Father is.  It was ensured in your creation, and guaranteed by the laws of God.  
  
Today we will claim the miracles which are your right, since they belong to you.  You have been promised full release form the world you made.  You have been assured that the Kingdom of God is within you, and can never be lost.  We ask no more than what belongs to us in truth.  Today, however, we will also make sure that we will not content ourselves with less.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will repeat today's idea frequently, at least four or five times an hour.

• Practice:  Begin the longer practice periods today by telling yourself quite confidently that you are entitled to miracles.  Closing your eyes, remind yourself that you are asking only for what is rightfully yours.  Remind yourself also that miracles are never taken from one and given to another and that in asking for your rights, you are upholding the rights of everyone.  Miracles do not obey the laws of this world.  They merely follow from the laws of God.
    
  After this brief introductory phase, wait quietly for the assurance that your request is granted.  You have asked for the salvation of the world, and for your own.  You have requested that you be given the means by which this is accomplished.  You cannot fail to be assured in this.  You are but asking that the Will of God be done.
    
  In doing this, you do not really ask for anything.  You state a fact that cannot be denied.  The Holy Spirit cannot but assure you that your request is granted.  The fact that you accepted must be so.  There is no room for doubt and uncertainty today.  We are asking a real question at last.  The answer is a simple statement of a simple fact.  You will receive the assurance that you see.
    
  Our shorter practice periods will be frequent, and will also be devoted to a reminder of a simple fact.  Tell yourself often today:  
      
  I am entitled to miracles.   

• Application:    Ask for them whenever a situation arises in which they are called for.  You will recognize these situations.  And since you are not relying on yourself to find the miracle, you are fully entitled to receive it whenever you ask.  Remember, too, not to be satisfied with less than the perfect answer.  Be quick to tell yourself, should you be tempted:
   
  I will not trade miracles for grievances.  I want only what belongs to me. 
  God has established miracles as my right.
      

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Insights/comments:

• Today's lesson reminds us of who we really are--the holy children of the omnipotent Creator of the universe, Who is our source, the source of all miracles, and the source of all that is.  Miracles are our God-given inheritance, a natural result of our lineage.  It is not granted to us based on merit, on what we did or failed to do, nor on what knowledge, status, or influence we may have, but only on the irrefutable fact of who we are as holy children of the Lord of creation.  This is the only criteria for us to receive and grant miracles.
    
  It is wisely written* that when we receive a gift we should give our attention not to the gift, but to the giver.  The miracle is the gift freely given us by God Who is its source so we therefore look with gratitude and reverence to Him.  Whenever we recognize the need for a miracle, as in any situation where there is something which we cannot find the solution to, or which seems too overwhelming or impossible for us to handle, given our limited understanding of our insane world, in all these  instances, we simple ask God for the perfect solution, a miracle.  And it is in the knowing that our request is answered that we are returned to peace, which is the immediate result of the miracle.  
    
  Because we do not know what the perfect solution to a particular situation is, and because the results of the miracle may not always be visible to us, and if visible may not appear as we think it should, we must therefore remember it is not up to us to "verify" that the miracle occurred as we "expected it to," but that it is verified in our knowing that when we ask, our Father always gives what will serve us best. Furthermore, we should also remember that asking for a miracle comes from recognizing the lack of love in a particular situation and asking for love to replace the lack.  This is the scope of the miracle, as expressed in the text (T1.1.3):  Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle. 
  
  
  

* When someone is counting out gold for you, don't look at your hands, or the gold. Look at the giver.”

      --Rumi

I and my Creator are One.  

August 29th 2015  Lesson 76(b)

I am under no laws but God's. 

We have observed before how many senseless things have seemed to you to be salvation.  Each has imprisoned you with laws as senseless as itself.  You are not bound by them.  Yet to understand that this is so, you must first realize salvation lines not there.  While you would seek for it in things that have no meaning, you bind yourself to laws that make no sense.  Thus do you seek to prove salvation is where it is not.
   
Today we will be glad you cannot prove it.  For if you could, you would forever seek salvation where it is not, and never find it.  The idea for today tells you once again how simple is salvation.  Look for it where it waits for you, and there it will be found.  Look nowhere else, for it is nowhere else.
   
Think of the freedom in the recognition that you are not bound by all the strange and twisted laws you have set up to save you.  You really think that you would starve unless you have stacks of green paper strips and piles of metal discs.  You really think a small round pellet or some fluid pushed into your veins through a sharpened needle will ward off disease and death.  You really think you are alone unless another body is with you.
   
It is insanity that thinks these things.  You call them laws, and put them under different names in a long catalogue of rituals that have no use and serve no purpose.  You think you must obey the "laws" of medicine, of economics and of health.  Protect the body, and you will be saved.
   
These are not laws, but madness.  The body is endangered by the mind that hurts itself.  The body suffers just in order that the mind will fail to see it is the victim of itself.  The body's suffering is a mask the mind holds up to hide what really suffers.  It would not understand it is its own enemy; that it attacks itself and wants to die.  It is from this your "laws" would save the body.  It is for this you think you are a body.
    
There are no laws except the laws of God.  This needs repeating, over and over, until you realize it applies to everything that you have made in opposition to God's Will.  Your magic has no meaning.  What it is meant to save does not exist.  Only what it is meant to hide will save you.
   
The laws of God can never be replaced.  We will devote today to rejoicing that this is so.  It is no longer a truth that we would hide.  We realize instead it is a truth that keeps us free forever.  Magic imprisons, but the laws of God make free.  The light has come because there are no laws but His.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will repeat today's idea at least four or five times an hour.

• Practice:  We will begin the longer practice periods today with a short review of the different kinds of "laws" we have believed we must obey.  These would include, for example, the "laws" of nutrition, or immunization, of medication, and of the body's protection in innumerable ways.  Think further; you believe in the "laws" of friendship, of "good" relationships and reciprocity.  Perhaps you even think that there are laws which set forth what is God's and what is yours.  Many "religions" have been based on this.  They would to save but damn in Heaven's name.  Yet they are no more strange than other "laws" you hold must be obeyed to make you safe.
    
  There are no laws but God's.  Dismiss all foolish magical beliefs today, and hold your mind in silent readiness to hear the Voice that speaks the truth to you.  You will be listening to One Who says there is no loss under the laws of God.  Payment is neither given nor received.  Exchange cannot be made; there are no substitutes; and nothing is replaced by something else.  God's laws forever give and never take.
    
  Hear Him Who tells you this, and realize how foolish are the "laws" you thought upheld the world you thought you saw.  Then listen further.  He will tell you more.  About the Love your Father has for you.  About the endless joy He offers you.  About His yearning for His only Son, created as His channel for creation; denied to Him by his belief in hell.
    
  Let us today open God's channels to Him, and let His Will extend through us to Him.  Thus is creation endlessly increased.  His Voice will speak of this to us, as well as of the joys of Heaven which His laws keep limitless forever.  We will repeat today's idea until we have listened and understood there are no laws but God's.  Then we will tell ourselves, as a dedication with which each long practice period concludes:  
      
  I am under no laws but God's.  
  

• Application:    We will repeat the above dedication as often as possible today; at least four or five times an hour, as well as in response to any temptation to experience ourselves as subject to other laws throughout the day.  It is our statement of freedom from all danger and all tyranny.  It is our acknowledgment that God is our Father, and that His son is saved.
  
  

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Insights/comments:

• Today's lesson reminds us of how far away we have strayed and continue to stray, form God's laws.  We continue to believe in our made up laws of science and technology, of health, wealth, economics and of morals and conduct.  We made all of these up, according to our experience and national geography, and the proof that it is all make-believe is the fact that every nation has a different set of "laws" for governing these aspects of our lives.
  So let us pause and consider what we have sacrificed in making ourselves believe in our man-made "laws".  We gave up our immortality in exchange for the belief in pain, suffering, death, and the "laws" we made to manage them.  We gave up our perfect freedom in exchange for limits, slavery and subjugation to these "laws".  We gave up our trust in God, peace, perfection, and abundance for the belief in easily broken "laws" and institutions that blatantly undermine our safety, engender war, hamper perfection and increase our sense of lack.
  
  Is it not time we reconsider this insane bargain and  instead renegotiate in our favor for the laws of God that guarantee safety, freedom, abundance, peace, and happiness.  It would be madness not to!

I and my Creator are One.  

August 12th 2015  Lesson 75(b)

The Light has come. 

The light has come.  You are healed and you can heal.  The light has come.  You are saved and you can save.  You are at peace, and you bring peace with you wherever you go.  Darkness and turmoil and death have disappeared.  The light has come.
   
Today we celebrate the happy ending to your long dream of disaster.  There are no dark dreams now.  The light has come.  Today the time of light begins for you and everyone.  It is a new era, in which a new world is born.  The old one has left no trace upon it in its passing.  Today we see a different world because the light has come.
   
Our exercises for today will be happy ones, in which we offer thanks for the passing of the old and the beginning of the new.  No shadows from the past remain to darken our sight and hide the world forgiveness offers us.  Today we will accept the new world as what we want to see.  We will be given what we desire.  We will to see the light; the light has come.

• Intention:  We will do two long practice periods today, each of which should last some ten to fifteen minutes.  In addition we will do two shorter practice periods for a minute or two every fifteen minutes, with eyes closed if possible.
    
  Our two longer practice periods will be devoted to looking at the world that our forgiveness shows us.  This is what we want to see, and only this.  Our single purpose makes our goal inevitable. Today the real world rises before us in gladness, to be seen at last.  Sight is given us, now that the light has come.
    
  We do not want to see the ego's shadow on the world today.  We see the light, and in it we see Heaven's reflection lie across the world. 

• Practice:  Begin the longer practice periods by telling yourself the glad tidings of your release:
      
  The light has come.  I have forgiven the world.
    
  

  Dwell not upon the past today.  Keep a completely open mind, washed of all past ideas and clean of every concept you have made.  You have forgiven the world today.  You can look upon it now as if you never saw it before.  You do not know yet what it looks like.  You merely wait to have it shown to you.  While you wait, repeat several times, slowly and in complete patience:
    
  

  The light has come.  I have forgiven the world.

    
  Realize that your forgiveness entitles you to vision.  Understand that the Holy Spirit never fails to give the gift of sight to the forgiving.  Believe He will not fail you now.  You have forgiven the world.  He will be with you as you watch and wait.  He will show you what true vision sees.  It is His Will, and you have joined with Him.  Wait patiently for Him.  He will be there.  The light has come.  You have forgiven the world.
    
  Tell hm you know you cannot fail because you trust in Him.  And tell yourself you wait in certainty to look upon the world He promised you.  From this time forth you will see differently.  Today the light has come.  And you will see the world that has been promised you since time began, and in which is the end of time ensured.

• Application:    The shorter practice periods, too, will be joyful reminders of your release.  Remind yourself every quarter of an hour or so that today is a time for special celebration.  Give thanks for mercy and the Love of God.  Rejoice in the power of forgiveness to heal your sight completely.  Be confident that on this day there is a new beginning.  Without the darkness of the past upon your eyes, you cannot fail to see today.  And what you see will be so welcome that you will gladly extend today forever.  Say then: 
    
  The light has come.  I have forgiven the world.
    
  

  Should you be tempted, say to anyone who seems to pull you back into darkness:
   
  The light has come.  I have forgiven you.
  

    
  We dedicate this day to the serenity in which God would have you be.  Keep it in your awareness of yourself and see it everywhere today, as we celebrate the beginning of your vision and the sight of the real world, which has come to replace the unforgiven world you thought was real.

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Insights/comments:

• Today we celebrate.  We have turned the page on the illusion of conflict, strife, and suffering.  Today we forgive their unreality and remember that the light of truth has come to reveal to our eyes the vision of a forgiven world.  Given who we really are; given our remembrance of our true lineage and identity; given our forgiveness of the world we thought was real, we rest in peace and patiently await the revelation of the world as God created it.  

I and my Creator are One.