Miracles Principle #30 and CIM Lessons 201-207

Miracles Principle #30—“By recognizing spirit, miracles adjust the levels of perception and show them in proper alignment. This places spirit at the center, where it can communicate directly.” The miracle shows us that the “problem” is not in the body; it’s in the mind. CIM teaches that perception is an interpretation, not a fact. We see what we choose to see—like seeing water in a desert. We can change the world we experience by changing the vantage point from which we view it: from the eyes of the ego to our Christ eyes. In so doing, we replace the guilt and projection of our egos with Reality, with our Innocence as spirit. From that vantage point, Spirit can communicate with us directly.

Lessons 201-207 (actually through 220) are all review lessons. This is the final review of the Workbook and the end of Part I. The Introduction to the Workbook tells us that “the workbook is divided into two main sections, the first dealing with the undoing of the way you see now, and the second with the acquisition of true perception.” We’re now coming to the end of the first phase of our training. If we’ve been practicing the exercises, we’re ready to enter a new phase of our practicing.

Two things are different about the second part of the Workbook. First, the written lessons are much shorter, none more than a half page. The emphasis in the second part is much less on learning new ideas (or the unlearning of old ones), and much more on having new experiences and reinforcing the habits we’ve formed during Part I. The second difference is that the lessons no longer give practice instructions. The assumption is that the pattern of practice has now been established.

The four elements of practice we are to carry forward through the remaining lessons is as follows:

1.     Morning and evening quiet time of not less than 15 minutes each;

2.     Hourly remembrances of a few minutes, in which we recall the idea for the day and apply it to the hour past and the hour to come;

3.     Frequent reminders in between the hours, when we call the idea to mind;

4.     Response to temptation, in which we deliberately replace our ego thoughts with the thought for the day.

This is a rigorous practice routine. At the same time, we can’t expect to free our minds of the ego’s mis-creations if we let those thoughts go unchallenged. Jesus tells us in CIM we are “much too tolerant of mind wandering.” He tells us to “Be vigilant only for God and for His Kingdom.” It is this vigilance of mind that will eventually lead us to an experience CIM calls “The Happy Dream.” In the Happy Dream, CIM says we are literally on the lawn of the Kingdom. Here is where Heaven “unfolds” on earth.

The unifying theme of these 20 review lessons is; “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” We are created in God’s image—which is spirit. And nothing the ego believes it has done has changed or ever could change that fact. Do we then deny our human bodies and existence? The Course says not. As long as we are in the dream, we‘re to behave with appropriate prudence to the needs of the body.

We’re told that any one of these ideas is “sufficient for salvation, if it were learned truly.” If any single idea would do the trick, why are there 365 ideas/lessons? Because Spirit knows we won’t apply any single idea without exception to everything happening throughout every day. “And so we need to use them all and let them blend as one, as each one contributes to the whole we learn.”

Special Relationships: This past Tues. night, we ventured into an extremely critical area of Course principles—special relationships. This understanding represents one of the most threatening of all issues to the ego because it is also one of the most freeing. CIM contends that the reason our special relationships so often go wrong is that they’re based on a false premise—the premise that we are not complete in and of ourselves. It’s also laced with the belief that we have but a short time on earth to fulfill our needs and dreams, to correct our inborn inadequacies. Given such a deep- rooted feeling of incompleteness, we turn to other people—parents, siblings, friends, and especially lovers and mates—to supply what seems to be missing in ourselves. When they fail to do that, our ego goes nuts. In Reality, we are not alone, nor embodied, nor destined to die. There is nothing we lack. The key to achieving this recognition is forgiveness, first extended to those we believe have harmed or disappointed us, but ultimately leading to the realization that we have been using them to deal with our own insecurities and self-loathing. All relationships, no matter how difficult, can become “holy relationships” when given to Spirit to heal. The ego balks at this idea, of course, with ideas like, “Yeah, they’re gonna take your ‘hot’ relationship and turn it into monk’s-ville.” Speaking from personal experience, ;--D, I can assure you this isn’t true, so please try to keep an open mind as we embark on this particular study.

Though special relationships are addressed, at least obliquely, throughout CIM, they are most specifically addressed in Chapters 15—17.

Assignment: Study review Lessons 210-207 and Miracles Principle #30. In the Text, start reading on page 312, “The Holy Instant and Special Relationships.” (the first words are “The holy instant is the Holy Spirit’s most useful learning device, etc.”) Read as far as you are comfortable with or have time for through the end of the chapter. Bring to class any particular questions or “resistance” to your reading.

Practical Application: Pick one of your special relationships, past or present, to reflect upon (spouse, parent, child, etc.). Make 2 columns. In the left-hand column, list your expectations of the other person in the relationship (ex. obedience, monogamy, assistance with financial concerns, support my positions/beliefs, extend the occasional compliment etc.) Be honest! In the right-hand column, list what you feel are your obligations to the other person. Again, be honest.

Which list is longer? How do you feel about that? What do you think would happen to the relationship if there were NO expectations on either side? Why?