ACIM T. 3. VII. Creating versus the Self Image, P 1, 2. Every system of thought must have a starting point.
ACIM T. 3. VII. Creating versus the Self Image, P 1, 2
VII. Creating versus the Self-Image, P 1
1 Every system of thought must have a starting point. It begins with either a making or a creating, a difference we have already discussed. Their resemblance lies in their power as foundations. Their difference lies in what rests upon them. Both are cornerstones for systems of belief by which one lives. It is a mistake to believe that a thought system based on lies is weak. Nothing made by a child of God is without power. It is essential to realize this, because otherwise you will be unable to escape from the prison you have made.
We have two thought systems in our minds. The foundation for them both is the same; it is the power of God. This power is ours because it is God’s; as His children, we inherited His power. From this power, we create or make depending on the thought system we are using. If we use the ego or separation thought system, everything that appears was made rather than created, but because of the power of our mind, what we made is very realistic indeed.
From the separation thought system, nothing done is real or affects reality, but from within that thought system, it appears real and has effects. Our mind, however we might choose to use it, is very powerful because God created our minds to be powerful. (Note: In my writing, I refer to our mind, and I also refer to the ego-thinking mind. My definition of the ego-thinking mind is that part of the mind that is engaged in the separation story. It is the part of the mind that is filled with constant chatter and keeps us engrossed in the story so that we won’t notice the truth, which is also in our mind.)
The Power of Belief
Jesus wants us to be aware of the power of the mind and not to marginalize it just because we use it to make something that is not real. It is not real, but it appears real, and our belief in it makes it real to us, so the effects seem real to us. And that is a fact I probably don’t have to convince anyone of. If you have ever been in severe physical pain, you know how real the world feels. If you have ever lost someone you love very much, you know how real the world feels. Our mind is an awesome power.
Because of this power of belief, we have a hard time accepting the truth instead of the illusion, even as we are ready to do so, as certainly, we are. Everyone will be ready to do so at some point, but this is our time. That is why we picked up the Course and why we didn’t put it down. The ego says we made a decision to keep reading it, but we kept reading it because this is our time to wake up. And even so, it feels very hard to let go of parts of the illusion. This is because of the power of our belief.
What I believe in is true for me. Since an idea is true, how do I stop believing it? A belief we all share is that the sky is blue. How do we stop believing the sky is blue? We look at the sky, and it seems blue. We ask around, and yes, everyone else sees the same blue sky. But if we try to stop believing in blue skies, we can’t.
The Correction
This is the same problem we have when Jesus tells us that pain is not real or that guilt is not real. We may want to believe this, and we may think that we should believe it because we trust the integrity of the source. But still, we wake up with a headache or burn our hands, which hurts. We think about something we did which seemed to have caused harm, and we feel guilty. We watch someone do something wrong, and we judge him as guilty.
This is why we have the Holy Spirit in our minds. The Holy Spirit will correct our thinking for us. Think of the mind that believes the impossible, that pain and guilt and fear are real, as a sick mind, and the Holy Spirit as the Healer of the mind. This is Its function and the reason It was placed in our minds.
The only thing needed to receive this essential help in returning our minds to Reality is to desire it. The Holy Spirit would never, and could never, override the choice we make. But once we begin to desire the truth more than we desire our illusion, He heals our minds of our mistaken beliefs, and the truth becomes clear to us.
Our Fail-Safe
The Holy Spirit is our fail-safe, the assurance we will not be forever lost in our own dreams. Reading, studying, and practicing A Course in Miracles helps us to see that we want to make a new decision, and the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to do so. What I have learned from doing the Course is that I can watch my mind for thoughts that indicate I believe something that is not true. I can see the effect of these beliefs in my life and realize that I don’t want to believe them anymore. Then I can ask the Holy Spirit to correct my thinking and heal my mind.
As my beliefs change, the effects change, and the world I seem to live in, the life I seem to be living, is one of the effects that change. Peace, love, and joy are powerful motivators, and I become eager for the Holy Spirit’s help and come with less reluctance to Him for healing. This is how I do my part to wake us up from our dream of separation. It is the answer to the conundrum of overriding a belief. This is the solution to undoing the ego.
VII. Creating versus the Self-Image, P 2
2 You cannot resolve the authority problem by depreciating the power of your mind. To do so is to deceive yourself, and this will hurt you because you really understand the strength of the mind. You also realize that you cannot weaken it, any more than you can weaken God. The “devil” is a frightening concept because he seems to be extremely powerful and extremely active. He is perceived as a force in combat with God, battling Him for possession of His creations. The devil deceives by lies, and builds kingdoms in which everything is in direct opposition to God. Yet he attracts men rather than repels them, and they are willing to “sell” him their souls in return for gifts of no real worth. This makes absolutely no sense.
Rather than acting as if my mind is weak, I am learning to use the power of my mind to undo what I have done. I watch for thoughts that indicate I am still trying to depreciate that power. For instance, recently, I gained five pounds. Usually, when this happens, I go on a diet and lose it. No big deal. But this time, I realized that I was tired of the merry-go-round and that I wanted off once and for all. Since I know that my body is in my mind, the solution is also in my mind. So I asked the Holy Spirit to heal my mind from my false beliefs about food and body image.
Deep Rooted Beliefs
As I have been doing this, I realize that I have many deep-rooted ideas about food and the body. This is harder than I would ever have believed possible. I also noticed that I tend to get discouraged, and I feel like I can’t do this. I notice that when this happens, I feel fear. When I asked the Holy Spirit about the source of the fear, I realized it was fear that the truth is not true, and I really am only this fragile and weak body.
My ego looks at those five pounds and my failure to see it differently. It sees it as a symbol of all my separation thinking. And it sees it as proof positive that I am in competition with God. And that I am winning, though it is a pitiful prize indeed. This increases the fear and the desire to hide. My first reaction is to push these thoughts away with an admonition to myself that this can’t be true and I shouldn’t be thinking it.
Of course, thinking I am wrong for the beliefs in my mind piles on more guilt and more fear of failure. But while this visceral reaction to guilt and fear, this desire to run from my thoughts, is still there, I don’t listen to it anymore. What I do now is to ask the Holy Spirit to heal this belief, too.
As I accept the Holy Spirit’s healing, I notice that the conflict eases, and I become more comfortable with the process. I feel patient and certain that the ego beliefs about food and the body will be healed. They must be healed because they are not true, and the mind that was powerful enough to create this illusion is powerful enough to let it go.
The Devil
The devil Jesus speaks of sounds suspiciously like the ego. The difference between the devil I learned of from religion and the ego I learned of from Jesus is that the devil was something outside of me. It was the place I projected my more aggressive thoughts of being in competition with God. It was not my fault, “The devil made me do it.” The devil was a way to hide from the really scary thought that I was fighting God for my authorship.
The ego is the “devil” in my mind. It is the desire to be something I am not, to experience something God did not create. For a long time, it scared me that I turned from God to the ego, but the fear was of my own doing. God is not the cause of my fear; my thoughts about God are what scare me. I sold my soul to the ego, and the ego remade me in its own image, then remade God in its image as well. The ego mind gave me an illusion of a weak and powerless victim against an angry and vengeful God. How did I imagine this was a bargain I wanted?
I have a sense of being separate. And all I had to give up was peace, love, joy, freedom, and complete safety. And, oh yeah, the love of God. Because I cannot see myself as loved by God if I think I am at war with Him. It is all a lie, an incredible deceit, and no one is responsible except myself. I willingly and happily admit I have done this and ask that it be undone.
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