Miracles Principle # 26 and Lessons 173-179

Miracles Principle #26: “Miracles represent freedom from fear. “Atoning” means “undoing.” The undoing of fear is an essential part of the Atonement value of miracles.” To look with the ego’s eyes is to look through the eyes of fear. We would never attack others if we were not afraid of them. Atoning is another word for correction. When we atone for “sin,” we undo the belief in it. We don’t make it real then try to undo it, which is the way the world (theological, psychological, etc.) generally reacts. CIM teaches that sins are punished; errors are corrected. This doesn’t mean we deny what we perceive as “wrong” or “unjust.” We don’t deny what we read in the newspapers or what people have done. Rather, we allow Spirit to shift our interpretation of people or events. Sins are punished by the ego. Mistakes are corrected by Spirit and thus undone.

Lessons 173-179 are all review lessons.

The purpose of these lessons is to prepare for Part II of the Workbook, which encourages us to give more time and effort to practicing in order to pick up our pace on our “journey without distance” to God.

You may choose to use the prayer in par. 2 and 3 to dedicate this review to God.

The central thought in this review is: “God is but Love, and therefore so am I.” The purpose of this review is to bring us to a place where we truly accept and experience the truth of this idea. I am simply an extension of God. He is Love. So am I. As you meditate on this idea, your whole focus is to wait in “silent expectancy” (W-pI.94.4:1). Your whole awareness is waiting for the dawn of realization. Hold this focus wordlessly as often as you can. When your mind wanders, as it will, gently keep bringing it back and repeating the central idea. There is a difference in simply reading the lesson and in affirming these ideas in faith—that even if we forget, stumble, or wander off, God will remember for us, raise us up, and call us back.

Assignment: Read Miracles Principle #27 and practice Workbook Lessons 180-186. Teacher’s Manual (last section of book), pages 38-39, “Is Each One To Be Judged in the End?”

Practical Application: Let’s make yet another attempt to release ourselves from guilt. Pick a time you feel you won’t be interrupted. Turn off your TV, your radio, your phone.

As a rule, we don’t encourage trips down memory lane, trips to the past. The only reason to revisit the past is to release it. That’s what we’ll attempt to do today.

Relax. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself in the sacred altar within you. Sit quietly and first repeat several times the central thought for this review section: “God is but love and therefore so am I.”

Recognize that, to date, you have been unable to see yourself as pure love, unable to release yourself from the guilt of your past “sins.” Acknowledge that, as a human ego, you will never be able to do so. With a genuine sense of releasing and turning this burden over to Spirit, bring to mind your first remembrance of “committing a sin.” You may have perceived your action or thought as a “sin” before you did it—or you may not have perceived it as a “sin” until someone chastised you. Now, ask Spirit to help you see this occurrence in a different way. Try to be open and willing to receive Spirit’s vision of the occurrence. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back. Briefly review the “sin” in your mind and ask Spirit to help you see it in a different way. The ego will fight you on this, heckle and attempt to distract you. With gentle equanimity, thank the ego for its input and tell it firmly that you’d like to see this in a different way. Stay with it until you feel a sense of peace bloom deep inside. When you feel that peace, bring to mind another dark “sin” that you continue to hold yourself accountable for and repeat the process. Continue this pattern of going through your list of “sins,” requesting to see them in a different way and waiting for a sense of peace.

CIM tells us that it’s keeping things in the dark that prevents our healing. Does this mean we need to confess our “sins” to our priest or our counselor or our spouse? Not necessarily. In fact, “confessions” to other “egos” may more often than not exacerbate guilt and turmoil. Meaningful and restorative “confessions” need only be made to Spirit because Spirit is the only One capable of true “judgment.” This is the judgment that will set us free. This is the judgment that we are the unalterable innocence and love of God.