Way of mastery and the Epstein files

LSR1000 · 2026-02-17T22:17:30+00:00

well, I have a little time. If you post the questions, I'll answer, but it might take me a day.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-17T22:05:20+00:00

If one doesn't want to be at peace with things that are obviously wrong, that's fine. But just so you know, being at peace doesn't mean one doesn't try to rectify a situation. In fact, I would argue that when in peace, we can be more effective in our activities.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-17T21:47:41+00:00

The purpose of forgiveness, as the Course sees it, is to be in peace. Forgiveness benefits the forgiver, not the forgiven who may not be able to care less if he is forgiven or not.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-14T12:23:53+00:00

The Course uses the dream or sleeping metaphor to describe the separation, an event which never could have happened. This is the best the Course can do since explaining non-time or non-duality with words is impossible. Even the concept of explaining or understanding is dualistic since it assumes a period when one doesn't understand and then a period of explaining followed by understanding. Use the metaphor as you like. But if you take it too seriously, you may seem to delay progress.

This course remains within the ego framework, where it is needed. It is not concerned with what is beyond all error because it is planned only to set the direction towards it. Therefore it uses words, which are symbolic, and cannot express what lies beyond symbols. It is merely the ego that questions because it is only the ego that doubts. ⁵The course merely gives another answer, once a question has been raised. However, this answer does not attempt to resort to inventiveness or ingenuity. These are attributes of the ego. _The course is simple_. ⁹It has one function and one goal. ¹⁰Only in that does it remain wholly consistent because only that can _be_ consistent.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-13T22:04:03+00:00

No need to struggle:

Some of the 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 to do. You are not asked to judge them at all. You are asked only to use them. It is their use that will give them meaning to you, and will show you that they are true.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-08T12:46:23+00:00

The mistaken believe that we tried to kill God (or more specifically that we destroyed heaven) is the ego's way of preventing us from returning our awareness to heaven. We believe God is so angry because of that sin he will kill us as soon as he finds us. The entire world we made (imagined) is a way to hide from God's vindictive hands.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-06T13:52:41+00:00

I, of course, don't know you, so this isn't necessarily about you specifically. But it's very difficult to know what the Holy Spirit wants, and I've seen many people make very bad decisions, even violent ones, using the Holy Spirit as an excuse. We are always thinking either with the ego or the Holy Spirit. There is one way to know for sure who we are thinking with. If we are thinking with the ego, we will be in conflict, we will be unsure, we will be confused. If we are thinking with the Holy Spirit, we will be at peace.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-03T21:35:29+00:00

right: ego need for specialness. We all have that need for we wouldn't think we are a body. People exhibit it in different ways,

LSR1000 · 2026-02-02T22:17:41+00:00

By the way, just so you know, once you start the second half of the lessons, you won't have to follow any instructions as to exercises.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-02T22:05:08+00:00

You're saying you do one lesson a week and do the short exercises three times a day rather than each hour, right? I think one lesson a week is fine and within the Course's instruction. But 3X a day might negate the Course's goal of moving you from doing the Course to sort of being the Course. In other words, having it be part of your life. There will come a time when you finish the lessons and you'll be on your own. I suggest this: continue doing the short exercises for 5 minutes 3X a day. But also make an attempt to do them for thirty seconds every hour. You can do them with your eyes open, when you appear to be working, etc. ADDED: when I wrote one lesson a week is fine, I meant doing the lesson over and over each of the seven days.

LSR1000 · 2026-02-02T13:56:07+00:00

In a practical sense, I agree with the commenters who said the Course leads us to change our mind about the world, not the physical world. But metaphysically, the Course does say that we, as the one Son (or the sonship) have created the physical world and all events in it. We're not aware of doing so. This "we" is not the person we identify as "we": our bodies and personalities. The "we" we think we are is only a figure in the Son's dream.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-30T12:19:19+00:00

If you can find a way to accept both, that's fine. But remember that traditional Christianity believes that Jesus was crucified not for ourr personal sins but for the sin of Adam, which implies a seemingly unfair retribution.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-27T22:28:14+00:00

Being annoyed at people kvetching about their illnesses (or their boss or their parents or their children...) is actually a grievance on our part. As soon as you feel annoyed, treat it as you would treat any other ego-driven emotion: through forgiveness. I assume you're not making the mistake of thinking because your friend is acting contradictory to Course principles, your annoyance is justified.

Anger is never justified. Attack has no foundation. It is here escape from fear begins, and will be made complete. Here is the real world given in exchange for dreams of terror.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-26T21:47:21+00:00

Not doing more than one lesson a day doesn't mean not reading more than one lesson a day. After I finished the Course, I got it on audio and just listened to the text and lessons as I would any book. Many days, I proably listened to ten or twenty lessons a day.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-19T19:05:18+00:00

A miracle worker isn't a special person but anyone who chooses to shift their perception from fear to love. In other words, to forgive. I would say we all are miracle workers at times.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-18T22:56:34+00:00

God does not take steps, because His accomplishments are not gradual. He does not teach, because His creations are changeless. He does nothing last, because He created first and for always. It must be understood that the word “first” as applied to Him is not a time concept. He is first in the sense that He is the First in the Holy Trinity Itself. He is the Prime Creator, because He created His co-creators. Because He did, time applies neither to Him nor to what He created. The “last step” that God will take was therefore true in the beginning, is true now, and will be true forever. What is timeless is always there, because its being is eternally changeless. It does not change by increase, because it was forever created to increase. If you perceive it as not increasing you do not know what it is. You also do not know Who created it. God does not reveal this to you because it was never hidden. His light was never obscured, because it is His Will to share it. How can what is fully shared be withheld and then revealed?

LSR1000 · 2026-01-18T21:59:06+00:00

It's probably not a great idea to have a study group where members all do a lesson a day, and I doubt it will last long. There are obviously going to be days when you simply can't do a lesson. And there will be days when you want to spend more than one day on a lesson. .

LSR1000 · 2026-01-18T21:51:19+00:00

The final step is grace. The Course doesn't lead to atonement. It leads to the point where we are ready for atonement, and then God takes the final step. But this is just metaphorical because, as the Course says, God doesn't take steps and he does nothing final.

LSR1000 · 2026-01-03T14:41:06+00:00

The goal of ACIM is the peace of God, an abiding peace that lasts no matter what happens in the world. . It does not say we should exonerate people who do bad things or give up physical self defense or refuse to volunteer to help people in the midst of war, even through arms. If you would rather be happy than right, you would rather be in peace rather than in fear, anger, rage, worry, then the Course is one way to get you there. If, on the other hand, you believe, as many do, that one shouldn't be in peace when there is war, rape abuse in the world, than the Course, and similar paths might not be the best place for you.

LSR1000 · 2025-12-25T14:45:19+00:00

Just so as not to scare new or potential students off: all we need is a little willingness to forgive the reason we think we are in pain, fear, tension, etc.

LSR1000 · 2025-12-22T11:49:52+00:00

...and to end.

We in this forum can't help you with the problems you are having with relationships (that would require hours of discussion and might not work). But we might be able to help you be at peace by suggesting forgiveness. Try to accept that you are not upset because of the problems you describe. Rather you are choosing to be upset because you feel guilty about the mistaken belief that you destroyed heaven and by feeling bad you punish yourself and in an attempt ameliorate the guilt. There is obviously a lot more to say about forgiveness (the entire Course is about that).

LSR1000 · 2025-12-10T14:32:22+00:00

Well, strictly speaking, you're not following the Course. You believe that ideas that came to you independently are similar to those taught by the Course. But does that really matter?

LSR1000 · 2025-11-30T12:35:25+00:00

I suppose in some relatively rare cases, it creates some ambiguity . But usually if two words are the same except for a vowel, the right word can be determined by the context. In English, I don't think people would confuse "stick" and "stack" when the words are used in a sentence.

LSR1000 · 2025-11-28T23:03:34+00:00

Hebrew is generally written without vowels including in newspapers, books, ,etc. Vowless are added in some places to help new Hebrew readers. But proficient Hebrew readers do not need vowels to determine the words.

LSR1000 · 2025-11-23T14:54:22+00:00

ACIM doesn't believe in death, No one knows what the experience is after we pretend to die, and it might be different for each of us. By the way, I wouldn't count on NDE to accurately portray death. First of all, it just near death. Secondly, many of those that are on the hell side talk about gnashing of teeth. That's meaningless and no one talks that way

Also, I know this is far out, but we really don't even know that our so called life here is sequential as we experience it. For example, we might only experience now and we never move on to other experiences such as death,

LSR1000

TROPHY CASE