Miracles Principle
#28: “Miracles are a way of earning
release from fear. Revelation induces a state in which fear has already been abolished.
Miracles are thus a means and revelation is an end.” Obviously, this
doesn’t mean “earning.” It’s really a way of achieving release from fear. A distinction is made here between
revelation and miracle. A miracle is a shift in perception. In the miracle, we
briefly see “beyond” the human illusion to the Truth. Miracles are usually,
though not always, precursors to revelation, thus they are a means. When we have a revelation, we are
for a time consciously and directly connected with God, as in our natural
state. Thus, revelation is an end.
It’s a brief encounter with our true Self. Being part of the illusion/time, both
miracles and revelations are temporary.
Lesson 187—“I bless
the world because I bless myself.” To give a thing, we must first have it.
That’s obvious. The “new” thought in CIM is that giving actually protects and increases what we have. The
key to understanding this lies in the fact that ”things” but represent the
thoughts that make them. To understand how giving away what we have increases
it, we have to begin to recognize that “things” are not real. What is real are
the thoughts behind them. This is not necessarily saying that if I give a
brother $100 I’ll immediately receive $150. However, it is saying that when I give $100 away, knowing it’s just an idea, I will increase the thought that
brought the money to me in the first place and that will ultimately result in
more “abundance” in some form. The form may be the same, but more often it’s
not.
Further, CIM says that what’s returned is always greater than what is given. When we “get” this concept, it
will become no big deal to give up the idea of ownership altogether and to
share everything we have with whoever needs it. Accordingly, to give salvation,
I must first accept it for myself. Every gift I give is always a gift to
myself. The lesson applies to all forms
of giving and all forms of “sacrifice.” When I “give up” a relationship in the
form I thought I wanted, I receive something I will value more. Perhaps, for
instance, I may learn to accept the gift of self-sufficiency. Mistakenly, I
fear the “loss” of “things,” but in reality, there is no loss. What I gain in
giving always far exceeds any apparent loss.
Lesson 188—“The peace
of God is shining in me now.” Whatever storms seems to be brewing in or
around me, there is within me a constant beacon of peace, forever uninterrupted
and uninterruptible. It calls me to stop for a moment, withdraw my attention
from the turmoil, and reconnect to that peace. CIM is consistent in its vision:
Nothing separates us from the Love of God—ever. Perfect peace and joy are
available right now. “Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.”
What we call enlightenment is simply recognizing the presence of the Light
within us. That’s why we “need do nothing.” We don’t have to do but simply undo—to stop blocking the Light, which is always there.
Lesson 189—“I feel
the Love of God within me now.” The word “feel” is significant, directing
our attention to the realm of experience as opposed to conceptual
understanding. What we “see” or feel within ourselves determines how we see the
world. This lesson asks that we set aside every conclusion we’ve ever drawn, to
allow—for a moment at least—that all of them may be misguided and misinformed.
We can’t force ourselves to see the world differently. But if we can, just for
a moment, see ourselves differently
and feel the love of God within us, the way we see the world will change of itself because the way we see the
world is the way we see ourselves.
Lesson 190—“I choose
the joy of God instead of pain.” This is a tough lesson. It confronts us
with one of those blocks we’ve been talking about: the apparent reality of
pain. If this lesson is true, that must mean part of me believes there’s no
God, that the impossible has happened, and Eternal Love has abandoned me.
Basically, we have two choices with regard to how we view pain. Either it’s
caused by something outside us, which means ultimately that we’re suffering at
the hands of an angry God (or that there is no God, and we’re subject to blind
fate), or it’s caused by our own thoughts. If the former is true I have no hope
of escape. If the latter is true, I can escape by changing my thoughts. I am
responsible but not guilty. CIM is
very clear on this.
It takes practice to apply these very “foreign” thoughts,
especially when we, or someone we love, is in pain. Let me then learn to
increasingly apply this lesson in ways my level of fear can tolerate. Let me
realize, for instance, that the person who cuts me off in traffic has not hurt
me. Only my thoughts about it cause me discomfort. Let me practice with
physical pain as well as I can. If I have a headache, let me realize my
thoughts are the source. Let me realize that if I take medication I’m only masking
the symptom, not curing the problem, and let me give equal attention to the
healing of my mind. If I experience more severe or chronic pain, let me deny
the erroneous thought it seems to witness to—that God is punishing me or has
abandoned me. Lastly, let me realize that using magic (physical means) to
alleviate pain while I devote myself to retraining my mind simply makes sense.
It frees my mind to do what it needs to do.
Lesson 191—“I am the
holy Son of God Himself.” Once again CIM sounds its keynote: You are as God
created you. Anything God creates is like Himself—holy, guiltless, an endless
spring of love, immortal. To put a different spin on a familiar quote: We are
not human beings seeking a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings who think we’re having a human
experience. We didn’t suddenly
spring into existence at birth, and we don’t pass out of existence when the
body stops functioning. We are aspects of an immortal Being, existing entirely
outside of time. If we see ourselves as other than the holy Son of God, we’re
“giving the world the role of jailer to the Son of God.” The world then takes
on an appearance that reflects this mistaken identity and seems to witness to
our frailty. That’s what projection does. Rectify this one mistake, and we
change the world we see. When we get straight on our Identity, “all the world
is free.” This is yet another startling, seemingly blasphemous idea—one we need
to ease into through practice. We can begin by giving Spirit each
self-condemning thought, as it arises, for healing.
Lesson 192—“I have a
function God would have me fill.” In Heaven/Reality, we have a high and
holy function: creation. On earth our function is forgiveness. CIM says,
“Forgiveness is the closest it (creation) can come to earth.” Creation is formless; forgiveness is
creation translated into form, a kindly dream so close to Heaven that, when we
fully enter into it, our eyes are “already opening [to] behold the joyful
sights” the happy dreams are offering us. In CIM, forgiveness is much more than
just letting go of specific grievances. It’s a radical shift in our perception
of the entire world. The stance of the ego is to see the world as the cause of
our unhappiness. Forgiveness is setting aside such a view and allowing Spirit
to replace it with a new perception. This is the goal to which the Course is
leading us. Our unforgiveness holds a sword over our own heads. The way out of
prison is to release all prisoners.
We can learn this by recognizing that each time we’re tempted to be angry—or
even annoyed—we are being offered an opportunity
to release ourselves.
Lesson 193: “All
things are lessons God would have me learn.” Many people believe that every
event carries some meaning. “What’s the lesson in this for me?” If we follow
this line of thinking, we spend a lot of time trying to figure out the answer
to that question, over and over, and we can become quite frustrated in our
efforts. This lesson is telling us flat out that the lesson is always the same in content, no matter what the form. There’s
only one lesson: Forgive and you will see
things differently.
When CIM tells us that forgiveness offers everything we
want, that forgiveness is the key to happiness, we cannot at first understand.
We’re confused by the message because we don’t see unforgiveness as a major
problem in our lives. Gradually, as we study CIM, we begin to recognize that
there is only one problem, fear (aka separation), and only one solution, love
(aka forgiveness). Forgiveness is the “hidden” lesson in every distressing
event of our lives. This is not to say that you had a flat tire because you got
angry with your spouse or that you suffer a lack of success because you haven’t
forgiven your mother or father. Though such things may be true, what CIM is
trying to teach us is more far-reaching. What ultimately must be corrected is
our unforgiveness of everyone and everything in the world, of everything that
seems to be outside our minds. How can we tell when we are seeing wrongly or
harboring unforgiveness? If pain or discomfort of any kind seems real in the
perception, that is a sure indicator of unforgiveness. What is forgiven no
longer hurts. As egos, we don’t know how
to forgive. We only frustrate ourselves by trying. But Spirit does know. Thus
CIM advises us to give all grievances to Spirit for healing.
Assignment: Miracles
Principle #29. Lessons 194-200. Text, Chapter 21—Reason and
Perception—Introduction and The Forgotten Song, pp. 445-447. (The section
beings with the words: “Projection makes perception.”)
Practical
Application: Let’s play with Lesson 190. This week, when you have an ache
or a pain or things just don’t seem to go your way—when you’re angry, or just
annoyed—ask Spirit to heal the thought that is producing your distress. “Try
on” accepting responsibility for your
experience without feeling guilty. If
you’re in physical pain, by all means take your Ibuprofen or aspirin first—then turn your focus toward
healing your mind.
