ACIM IV. The Only Answer, P 3. You cannot understand the conflict until you fully understand the basic fact that the ego cannot know anything.
ACIM Chapter 6. IV. The Only Answer, P 3
IV. The Only Answer, P 3
3 You cannot understand the conflict until you fully understand the basic fact that the ego cannot know anything. The Holy Spirit does not speak first, but He always answers. Everyone has called upon Him for help at one time or another and in one way or another, and has been answered. Since the Holy Spirit answers truly He answers for all time, which means that everyone has the answer now.
Everyone has the answer now. This understanding changed everything for me. I don’t have to strive for the answer because I have it. I don’t have to hope for or long for the answer. Nor do I have to worry that I will never have the answer. I have it now. I have it now because the answer is in my mind. There is really only one question and one answer, and the answer is available to me.
I know who I am because the answer is in my mind. “I know who I am” reminds me that I really do know. Though I have this self-imposed amnesia thing going on, nothing is lost. As I let go of the many ego definitions of “me” that the ego has provided, the only thing left is my Self, the answer to the question, “Who am I?”
I have asked another question. What is guilt?
I have been told that guilt is nothing. It is a mental construct designed by the ego mind to keep me away from the previous answer. Jesus tells us this in Chapter 14, Section IV. “Unless you are guiltless, you cannot know God, Whose Will is that you know Him. Therefore, you must be guiltless.” Guilt is not God’s Will, so it cannot exist.
The logic in that is so flawless that I am amazed I have continued to hold onto the idea of guilt for as long as I have. Jesus offered me the opportunity to let go of the idea of guilt once and for all, and I accepted. I asked about guilt and was answered that guilt is nothing, and now I am withdrawing my belief in guilt as it comes into my mind.
At first, it gave me a headache as a war was being waged in my mind. The part of my mind the ego inhabits wants to keep guilt because it finds it valuable at times and because guilt keeps me fully engaged in the ego. The part of my mind that the Holy Spirit inhabits doesn’t believe in guilt, and so does not see it. There was conflict, a war of sorts, as I looked back and forth, first to one teacher and then to the Teacher. Ouch.
The ego tried everything in its bag of tricks to keep my attention.
It pointed out that I have never completely given up anything I have made. I gave up the belief in pain… sometimes. I gave up grievances … sometimes. The ego said I could not ever give up guilt altogether. I wasn’t ready. I needed to practice more, to keep working on little guilty thoughts, giving them up one at a time. It asked me who I thought I was to make such a sweeping declaration and reminded me how foolish I would look when I failed and that failure was inevitable.
But I asked the question, and I received the answer. Guilt is not God’s Will, so it cannot exist. Every time I had a thought pointing to guilt in any small or large way, I remembered the answer. For instance, I texted my grandson and asked him for directions to the party we were both attending. He texted back the name of the park. Well, I already knew that. I was annoyed that he wasn’t more helpful. Because I decided to let go of my belief in guilt, I recognized this thought for what it was. Could my grandson be guilty? How could he? Guilt is not the Will of God.
One time, when I was first practicing this, I began the morning worrying about my son’s upcoming surgery. He was getting a disc fusion. This one was very helpful because of the way I used it. In the past, I tended to dismiss ego thinking as just not true because I didn’t want to look that closely. I was learning not to do that. I still have to watch for this.
But that morning I realized that I didn’t want another headache.
So, I let the thought complete itself. I felt fearful, and I followed the fear. The fear led to anger, which inevitably led to guilt. The answer to this is simple. My son is not guilty of hurting his back, even after I warned him to be careful. How could he be guilty? There is no guilt. If there is no guilt in God, there is no guilt.
I am not guilty of failing to heal him. I was surprised to find that one still hanging around. The ego says that if my mind were really healed, I could perform this miracle, and my son would be healed. The inference is that I am guilty he must undergo this surgery because I have failed to heal him. I notice that this ego strategy pulls me back into believing in guilt. I feel the deep emotion that this thought triggers.
But this cannot be true.
If it is not God’s Will that I be guilty, then I cannot be guilty. I cannot undo God with my guilt. I can only pretend to be guilty. Why do I want to pretend to be guilty? It is very painful. It is hard to let it go, but I only need to do my part. I give all the willingness I have toward letting it go. I do not want to pick up guilt for this one thing, because the truth is true all the time or it is not true at all. So, I give my willingness and ask the Holy Spirit to heal my mind.
I know the answer to my question about guilt is in my mind. As I notice these beliefs in guilt and let them go, I uncover that answer. There is only God in my mind, and God is Love, not guilt.
The Holy Spirit speaks to you all through the day. If you would like to more clearly access this Inner Wisdom, Pathways of Light offers a free downloadable course as well as a free weekly teleconference group. To learn more CLICK HERE.