ACIM Chapter 13. V. The Two Emotions, P 3, 4

ACIM Chapter 13. V. The Two Emotions, P 3, 4

V. The Two Emotions, P 3

3 It is through these strange and shadowy figures that the insane relate to their insane world. For they see only those who remind them of these images, and it is to them that they relate. Thus do they communicate with those who are not there, and it is they who answer them. And no one hears their answer save him who called upon them, and he alone believes they answered him. Projection makes perception, and you cannot see beyond it. Again and again have you attacked your brother, because you saw in him a shadow figure in your private world. And thus it is you must attack yourself first, for what you attack is not in others. Its only reality is in your own mind, and by attacking others you are literally attacking what is not there.

In the first paragraph, we saw clearly that we don’t really know anyone, only our thoughts about that one, a projection of what we believe. Jesus is now calling this a shadow figure. I think I know my daughter, my friend, my enemy, but I know only the shadow figure that I see as the thoughts and beliefs in my mind. In other words, I know only myself projected onto the world, so the daughter I know is a projection from my mind, as are all the other people who populate my story.

As much as I love my daughter, I still attack her, though not like I used to.

I used to think that she was difficult to talk to, easily offended, and defensive of her beliefs, and those thoughts were an attack. But whom was I attacking, really? That daughter I saw was a shadow figure created in my mind, and so if I attack it, I am really attacking myself. Recognizing this, I looked at those beliefs about myself and allowed them to be healed. Now, I no longer have a daughter who is difficult. I have a lovely daughter who is sweet and loving. Did my daughter change? Of course not. It was all in my mind, and a healed mind showed me something different.

I think about a woman I used to work with, and I see that my attacks were more overt. I saw her as arrogant and pushy, and that was an attack. But who is arrogant and pushy, this shadow figure from my mind? These thoughts attacked me because the woman I knew was in my mind only. I used to believe in the shadow figure in my mind utterly.

Her face used to irritate me, and then I saw something else.

I saw a face that expressed fear of not being enough and the driving need to prove itself worthy. I felt compassion, and I felt bad that I didn’t see that before. And is this the real Donna I see now? No. It is just another shadow figure that I have projected from the mind that I call my own. She now represents my belief that I am arrogant and pushy and that it is just a cover for my fear that I am not enough. No wonder I didn’t like her. She was an unconscious but constant reminder of what I didn’t want to see in myself. Seeing this clearly, I can now ask for healing of my mind. Then, I will see both of us more clearly.

It’s funny that as I accept that everyone I know is a projection from my mind, I can see those traits in myself. I couldn’t see them before. We project onto others because we don’t want to accept responsibility for the things we find in ourselves. So, we throw them out and see them as belonging to someone else. But pretending they don’t belong to us doesn’t get rid of them, and we just continue to attack others and hurt ourselves. Recognizing what is really going on allows us to withdraw our projections and bring them back to ourselves. We can now ask for healing and truly be done with those errors in our minds.

V. The Two Emotions, P 4

4 The delusional can be very destructive, for they do not recognize they have condemned themselves. They do not wish to die, yet they will not let condemnation go. And so they separate into their private worlds, where everything is disordered, and where what is within appears to be without. Yet what is within they do not see, for the reality of their brothers they cannot recognize.

This sentence stands out to me: They do not wish to die, yet they will not let condemnation go. We are literally condemning ourselves to death with our grievances. I seem to live a life of confusion and condemnation, and then I seem to die. All of this I do to myself because I will not let the condemnation go. I separate from all else and live in my private world, where I imagine all is outside me. I imagine I am not responsible for anything because I have projected it outward and see it as belonging to others.

 This disordered and deeply disturbing world seems to be caused by unkind and cruel people, the fault of greedy capitalists, corrupt politicians, drug lords, and the list goes on. I used to think that my boss was my problem, a co-worker, a competitor. I thought that if only this person loved me better or that person was not in my life, I could be happy. And all along, there is nothing outside me. There is only my mind that I alone rule. But in my confusion, I lashed out, and I fought the shadow figures and brought more destruction into my private world.

But each of these “enemies” I created in my imagination could be seen differently.

As I forgive what I have done, they will be seen as holy and brilliant, so beautiful and perfect that I will want to fall to my knees before them. As I let go of the destructive thinking and let my mind be healed of its fearful defenses, I stop attacking the Son of God and remember what they are and what I am.

 I look at my son and believe in his sickness, and this is an attack on his holiness. In truth, I cannot affect his holiness, but in the attack of it, I obliterate it from my mind. I believe the insane picture of a sick child of God, and my heart breaks, and I move deeper into the lower mind and further from the memory of God. If I remain unaware, I also do this with people I hardly know.

 I condemn myself to misery and suffering with the most casual thoughts.

I treat my thoughts as if they had no power. All along, I have been making an insane world and pretending it just happened to me and I have no way out. Then, a ray of light enters my mind, and I see clearly for a bit. I recognize that I have done this to myself, and I turn to that light for more clarity.

 That person that I thought of as my bitter enemy is suddenly seen as a reflection of my thoughts about myself. It is so clear that I am amazed I could have been so blind before. Just the day before, I had trouble being in the same room with her. She seemed so sly and manipulative, so bossy and like my mortal enemy. Now, from this more enlightened place in my mind, I look at the same face, and I don’t see any of that. I am grateful to have let go of some of the death and destruction thoughts in my mind. Today, I am not so separated and alone in the private world of my imagination as I was.

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