CIM LESSONS 5-11 January, 2012
Remember, do NOT over-intellectualize these lessons. “Some ideas the workbook presents you will find hard to believe, and others may seem to be quite startling. This does not matter. You are merely asked to apply the ideas as you are directed. It is their use that will give them meaning and will show you that they are true.”
Miracles Principle #2: Miracles as such do not matter. The only thing that matters is their Source, which is far beyond evaluation. A miracle is a shift in perception, from fear to love. Miracles are not needed in God’s Reality. Miracles are needed only in the world of illusion, where there is belief in sin, suffering, sacrifice and separation. The only thing that matters in Reality is God, which is the Spirit of Love. In this world, however, miracles are important because Love is the correction that enables us to eventually remember Who we really are.
Lesson 5—“I am never upset for the reason I think.” The cause of our upset is never external (ex. The slowpoke driver, even the robber with a gun) because our Higher Self knows that our Reality is invulnerable, eternal. Note: The lesson doesn’t say what we are upset about. That comes later.
Lesson 6—“I am upset because I see something that is not there.” Only what God created is real and nothing that God created is upsetting. What we think are objective facts can be seen differently through our Christ vision. “Facts” can be changed by a shift in perception—from the ego’s distortions to the Holy Spirit’s Truth. Our peace, our “solution” always comes from within us. There is only one problem—belief in separation, and only one solution—At-one-ment (Atonement).
Lesson 7—“I see only the past.” This lesson begins to challenge our ideas about time, which is the foundation of all we see and believe. Our minds resist this change in order to maintain the stability of the physical world, yet it is this world that keeps us from remembering our true Reality. We look at the present through the filter of past learning, therefore never seeing the present Reality. This is the reason nothing we see has any meaning. Time has no meaning to the eternal. Because we are eternal, a two-year old and a 92-year old are all the same.
Lesson 8—“My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.” Our minds spend their time focused on what is not Real because they are obsessed with contemplating the past. The only thing we “see” with the bodies’ eyes are our thoughts projected outward. Believing is seeing, not the reverse. This idea is central to CIM. The first step towards Vision is becoming aware of what Vision is not. It has nothing to do with the thoughts that normally fill our minds. Don’t, however, try to force yourself not to think. That will only prompt frustration. Just observe your thoughts and apply the lesson. Note: Remember that God, being Love, is not trying to take anything of value away from you. This whole mind re-training process is rather like taking a sharp object from an infant and giving him a cool toy instead.
Lesson 9—“I see nothing as it is now.” While we may accept this thought intellectually, it will have no immediate meaning, and Spirit understands and accepts that. We wouldn’t expect someone to understand calculus without first having taken algebra. Our understanding, at this stage, is not necessary. In fact, what is necessary is the recognition that we don’t understand. We will quite naturally feel it doesn’t make sense to try to work with an idea we don’t understand or believe. But remember: if we already understood, we wouldn’t need to enroll in the class! CIM tells us that even if our minds resist the entire idea, the practice will still have the desired effect.
Lesson 10—“My thoughts do not mean anything.” Our current thoughts are not our Real thoughts and are, therefore, meaningless. The lesson implies that once we begin to quiet our “monkey minds,” we will begin to experience our Real thoughts. It’s like we’ve been eating carob all our lives, thinking it was chocolate. Once we taste real chocolate, we know that carob was not chocolate. Until we have a basis for comparison, we can only take the teacher’s word for it. Remembering that Jesus is the teacher may bolster confidence in this bizarre sounding claim.
What is being cultivated here is detachment from our thoughts, becoming the witness or observer of our thoughts. It may help to think of your thoughts as clouds, or leaves on a stream, or a train passing by—“Oh, there’s a carload of anger.” “There’s one filled with guilt.” As you practice this, you become aware of your mind as something independent of the ego thoughts that cross it. They lose their emotional charge and become less of a big deal to you.
The closing thought extends hope and comfort because our Teacher knows it can be very uncomfortable, even demeaning, to be told our thoughts are meaningless: “This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.”
Lesson 11—“My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.” The purpose of this lesson is to help us reverse how we see cause and effect. We think that the outside world imprints itself on our minds, causing our perceptions, yet causation travels the other way: from the inside out. What you see outside you is the projection of your thoughts. This is quantum physics and a major CIM theme. This idea contains the foundation for the peace we are striving to achieve. The key for forgiveness lies in it. If what I see is being caused by my own thoughts, then there is nothing or no one “out there” to blame. The Text says, “I am responsible for what I see.” (T-21.II.2-3)At first, this idea is very disturbing. Eventually, we realize it’s the key to freedom.
Lesson 9 talks about “each small step” (2.5) clearing away a little of the darkness. For the vast majority, enlightenment does not come quickly but rather in small steps. So don’t feel restless or like you’re working against some deadline. All roads lead to God. It’s a “journey without distance.” So relax and enjoy the experience!
Assignment: Miracles Principle #3 and one Workbook lesson per day. In the Manual for Teachers, read pp. 3-4, “Who Are God’s Teachers?” If you wish, you may also read the next section, “Who Are Their Pupils?”
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