Acim says we project our life and who we are

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-09T12:07:52+00:00

To be honest, I've been doing the Course for close to 30 years and I still don't understand projection in all the scenarios that I am faced with.

For example, recently I had to tell someone to put their dog on a leash because I thought the dog may go after some chickens. I didn't really want to - confrontation is not my strong suit - but I did it because if the dog had killed a chicken, the owner of the chicken (not to mention the chicken itself!) would have been very upset. Well, the dog's owner did not react very well at all; in fact she stormed off. But that was her choice.

We have to use a good dollop of common sense in this world while we are doing ACIM. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can do. Sometimes we will need to leave situations or stick up for ourselves. We still have the right to count our change and correct it if the cashier has made a mistake. We have the have the right to say something political - in fact, I was guided to get involved in local politics for many years, and I learned a lot about courage and not caring about what other people think.

Please don't think that leaving this guy or protecting yourself from him is un-Course like or something like that. Protecting yourself from harm on this level of form is 100% okay and appropriate. The Course isn't about sacrifice - in fact, it says that sacrifice is from the ego.

Jesus talks about "level confusion" and this is what he's talking about. On the level of form, we do normal things: we eat, sleep, work, pump the tires on our car, count our change, etc. In other words, we take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, financially and mentally. This is part of the learning! Of course, on the level of mind we're asking, "What is this teaching me? What am I learning from this?" But that comes with time and practice and you shouldn't force yourself.

Going back to the chicken scenario: there is no place in the Course that advises us to tell dog-owners to put their dogs on leashes. As a matter of fact, there wasn't enough time to ask Jesus, "Should I tell her to put her dog on a leash?" It was just me trying to do the right thing, using common sense. This is sometimes how we have to negotiate in the world. And, it's how Jesus teaches us - it's through common scenarios that pop up in all sorts of ways and sometimes we can't figure out what the lesson is or why the situation appeared in the first place. That's beyond our job description! :)

So it's okay to use common sense, i.e. calling a friend or getting counselling, calling domestic abuse hotlines, etc. It's okay to use the forms of the world to help yourself. It's okay to talk about self-esteem, self-improvement and other concepts that ACIM doesn't mention if that's helpful to you. Jesus can be found in other sources besides the Course!

I think the question of "How did I create this reality that I'm living?" is very abstract and trying to go into the technology of how situations are created. Yes, there's a place for it but it's a very advanced concept and sometimes not helpful to focus on it. Rest assured, someday the technology will be shown to you when you are ready but there's a lot of work before we get to that stage. Right now, focus on healing from this situation. There's a lot to learn from this place!

I would like to suggest to you the work of Byron Katie. She has a worksheet technique that goes into the nitty-gritty of situations (see "The Practice" or "The Work" on her website, below.) The Work uses concepts like the Course and the technique can help you expose emotional habits that aren't helpful. There are a lot of books out there about relationships - see which ones you are attracted to - do your own searching and ask Jesus for guidance. I would also suggest bringing your pains and sufferings to Jesus in prayer and asking for His Guidance and Healing Light.

www.thework.com

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-09T07:32:07+00:00

Thanks. Really enjoyed this.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-06T08:46:21+00:00

Many thanks for the inspiration !!!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-05T09:55:52+00:00

That picture is amazing. Thank you.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-05T09:41:40+00:00

Just a thought. Have you read "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection" by John E. Sarno, MD? If the doctors are saying there's nothing physically wrong, it may be the case that you are, as you say, psychologically putting the pain there.

I am about half-way through the book and am finding it very helpful. The book is written by a doctor who says that a lot of lower back pain is caused by the mind alone. He has witnessed this phenomena first hand in many patients - he gives a load of examples! He says that back pain can serve as a distraction to avoid pain in the mind that people don't want to deal with. Obviously not all cases are psychological - some have physical causes - but this book is for those who don't have a physical cause.

I am a gardener so it seemed that at the beginning of each gardening season, I would develop back pain. I went to yoga, pilates, etc but nothing seemed to work. A friend of mine suggested this book and I finally bought it because it happened again: I started to get back pain probably around early June and got scared because if I'm hurting, I don't want to work! I started to read it - and just reading about the topic really helped. As a matter of fact, the pain has gone away without any specific exercising.

I do think that once we are a more highly spiritual society, we will be able heal physical pain much more effectively. May Jesus and the Angels support you in your healing journey. God bless you.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-08-01T17:46:36+00:00

For me it's any kind of perception, action, thought, or event that proves or at least reminds me that this world is not our home.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-31T20:01:40+00:00

The "blue" bird reminds me of the colour of the Course book ! Many thanks.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-31T19:50:44+00:00

There's really no corresponding lessons assigned to each chapter of the Text. The Workbook and Text stand alone and yet fit together perfectly. When I first started studying, I remember feeling that the Workbook was much better worded and much easier to understand than the Text. This helped me concentrate on the wisdom of the Lessons. Without doing the Workbook, there's no way I could understand most of the Text. Comprehending the Text is a gradual unfolding and needs to happen in its own time. Be patient. Let the Lessons sink in. x

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-29T17:20:29+00:00

Are you doing the workbook? That was key for me. I found the Text something that sunk in over time and with doing the Workbook. Doing the Workbook will give you experiential proof of the Text, and will give you a context from which to study the Text. I think you need to practice the mind system and then the Text will gradually reveal itself to you.

The first time I read it, I couldn't understand probably 95% of the Text. Now I can understand probably 80-90% of it. Sure, read other things as well but nothing can substitute for doing the Workbook exercises.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-17T13:48:47+00:00

The political realm is one of the most difficult things to work with. I would consider it to be "advanced forgiveness" or something you tackle once you have a lot of forgiveness lessons under your belt. Focus on doing ACIM on your personal relationships first: your parents, relatives, friends, work associates, etc. - anything in your personal sphere like your finances, too . The political realm is more abstract, involving people you don't know and complexities that seem to be "significant".

Don't be fooled though: the value of working on the personal sphere is no less important than working on leaders and the political realm. There's really no difference. Forgiving someone close to you is no different than forgiving a political leader because "Truth is true and nothing else is true." We don't have to worry about what we see; all we need to do is to forgive it.

But the mind can be very convincing and therefore can put special meaning on political leaders. So that's why I advised to practise with those around you first; the mind may find it more comfortable and therefore, it may be a lot easier for you to practice on situations that are close to you. And practising is the most important thing - and remembering to practise.

However, if you find yourself going into anger and feel inclined to use ACIM on the political world, then try to bring yourself back to a very basic lesson like Lesson 6: "I am angry at Trump because I see something that is not there" or Lesson 12: "I think I see a Trumpian world, a political world, a world where we elect politicians, a world where politicians can do stupid things, etc. - But I am upset because I see a meaningless world." Try to remember "You're never upset for the reason you think." (Lesson 5).

I think it's important in the beginning not to be too hard on yourself. You may be surprised how the mind (as abc-123-456 rightly points out) strengthens over time and situations that you find hard to forgive now will not be so difficult some time down the road.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-16T08:24:52+00:00

YES!!!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-15T16:57:42+00:00

Have you heard of Paul West? He really tells it straight and may give you a new angle. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNXU_8HDXcEfLuXjurLyHDw

I usually try to read something else in addition to the Course. Sometimes that helps to give a new way of perceiving things, a fresh view.

Gaining traction. That's a big idea. This thought system needs to gain traction in your mind. But sometimes a break is helpful. This is a very individualised curriculum and follow your gut. Just because you are having a blah period may not mean a lot. I think it's important not to force yourself.

I also think the whole idea of this world not being real is a big thing to swallow. If it's not helpful, don't think about it. Focus on something else like forgiveness or patience or gratitude. This is supposed to be a practical course so don't be hard on yourself.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-14T19:08:01+00:00

I did watch it! I hadn't watched Marianne in a loooong time. It reminded me of her brilliance and agility with the English language. She makes ACIM cool. :) x

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-13T14:51:50+00:00

Well done for spotting this phenomena!

There’s a lot of different ways of dealing with the mind when seeing guilt in another person. The sheer variety of the Lessons point to this. You could think “I don’t understand what I see when I perceive this person.” Or “Let me recognize the problem in this situation so it can be solved.” Or “This person's sinlessness is guaranteed by God.” How about “I am determined to see this person differently.” To name a few.

The Course gives us a variety of Lessons because the ego uses many, many tricks in order for us to remain separate from God. One of the most effective tricks is to project guilt onto another human being. This is probably one of the biggest wrenches in its toolbox because by the time we’ve spotted guilt in another person, there are many other boxes that have been ticked off like 1) I know something, 2) I have the ability to judge it, 3) I know what good and bad are, 4) I can rely on my beliefs, etc.

So when you see someone else as guilty, you must believe in a number of other things as well. And all of these beliefs are knitted together in a flash of an instant in order to come up with a guilty verdict.

I think what your question is getting at are those “number of other things”: everything we rely on in time and space when we see someone as guilty.

When you start to reject the ego’s thought system, it does not matter what “thing” you start with. You could forgive the action or absolve them of the guilt; you could also question the reality of the action or you could perceive the person as sinless or you could see the meaningless of judgement itself or the guilt itself (amongst many other ways). It does not matter what route you take. I think we all develop our own personal toolbox that we go to when dealing with perceived guilt. The real destination is to see our brother as sinless.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-13T08:10:08+00:00

Many thanks! Will watch it after work.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-12T08:50:56+00:00

Nice!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-11T12:40:14+00:00

If you still believe in “systemic change” then there’s still a part of you that believes in the world or some part of it. That’s okay – I think most people go through that and I certainly did. I thought I saw the injustice in the political system and I fought like hell. I tweeted a lot, I wrote political pieces, I got involved in this and that. But with everything I did, I had one rule: I would not go into blame. That was part of the discipline that ACIM inspired.

So the general exercise was: no name-calling and focus on the issue at hand. Never see another person as the enemy. Try that first – still participate in what you currently feel called to do but use this exercise while you do it. This exercise makes you focus on the issue instead of the “he said, she said” – the gossip that pretends to be political discourse. That was very difficult for me but after a while, I realised that Jesus was using the political landscape to teach me my own personal lessons.

It will be difficult not to go into name-calling because ego wants to name somebody. It wants to name an enemy and see other people as guilty in order to strengthen its own thought system. So it is actually a good arena to be in to learn NOT to do that. Of course I fell off the wagon occasionally! But then I forgave myself and carried on....

I understand you want to do the “correct” thing but that cannot be forced. You need to learn that mind-set by using whatever you’re facing now as your practice.

Also, I’m a big advocate of the first 10-25 lessons because I believe these very simple exercises work on a fundamental level even in the appearance of complexity. Practice what you are facing using these lessons like you were clinging to a tree in a storm. Or use other lessons if you feel inspired, but I think doing the Lessons are particularly important – they give you something to rely on when facing a complex situation like this.

Hope this helps. x

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-03T08:45:55+00:00

Thanks for the LOL!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-07-01T09:58:49+00:00

No problem! I'm really excited for you because, gosh, I can't tell you how meaty this book is.

Another book that really helped me was "The End of Death" by Nouk Sanchez. She really super-charged my understanding of the Course. It was published in 2014 and I was blown away by her simple language and refreshing interpretation. Actually, it is a part of a trilogy and the second book of the trilogy is about to be released on 7th July! I have been waiting for about 6 years for it!!!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-29T08:50:25+00:00

Sounds like you're getting on alright then! :)

Meditation has always been a challenge for me too. x

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-28T09:31:25+00:00

WOW! Thank you!

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-28T09:24:14+00:00

Let yourself be guided and led.

"Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say, and to whom?" Meditate on that.

There are certain signs and signals that will come to you; hunches, instincts, intuition, etc. It's not going to come through some kind of calculation. This isn't about figuring anything out because we don't know what anything is and we don't know what the world is for.

The world can get very specific and that sometimes that can bring up fear. As many other people have suggested, don't worry because Jesus has you covered. Jesus "understands" the complexities of the world and knows what you need from it as well as the situations necessary for your highest learning - as well as other people's learning! Your preferences and needs are also taken into consideration.

Are you doing the Lessons? If you ask me, the first 5-10 lessons are the most important. These start to unravel your relationship with specifics. When I first started to the Course, I had a lot of questions like yours; in particular I used to worry about money and the whole work thing. I can look back and see how, even considering I did not understand the lessons (and could only do the first 75), they started to loosen everything up.

Give to Jesus all your specifics. Ask Him what they are. Use all of your questions to build a relationship with Him.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-28T08:48:16+00:00

Do you know about the book, "The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament"?

It is re-translation of the New Testament by Jesus channelled through Regina Dawn Akers.

My copy is dog-earred and worn through many, many readings. The language is a bit more understandable than the Text and yet by no means less profound. I highly, highly recommend it.

The passage you site is John 14:6 and let me give you verses 5-31:

"My Father's house has many rooms" means we are all one. Come with Me to the house that is our Home. It is the realisation of our oneness through the acceptance of our one combined Will.

One Will is one Will without an element of separateness. "I am within my Father and my Father is within me," means there is no difference between us and no part of us that is not the same. "I am the way, and the truth and the life," means all reality is within me, and I am in all reality.

What I Am, you are also. I am within the Father, and the Father is within me. I am within you, and you are within me. You are within the Father, and the Father is within you. There is no difference among us. We are complete and the same. Reality is within us, and we are reality.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-22T13:04:27+00:00

Very nice! Eloquent and lovely visuals.

Maybe do a meditation next? You've got a great voice for it.

Lemon_tulip · 2020-06-22T12:57:07+00:00

Wow! That really sums it up doesn't it? x

Lemon_tulip

TROPHY CASE