ACIM Chapter 7. II. The Law of the Kingdom, P 1, 2

ACIM Chapter 7. II. The Law of the Kingdom, P 1, 2. To heal is the only kind of thinking in this world that resembles the Thought of God, and because of the elements they share, can transfer easily to it.

II. The Law of the Kingdom, P 1

1. To heal is the only kind of thinking in this world that resembles the Thought of God, and because of the elements they share, can transfer easily to it. ²When a brother perceives himself as sick, he is perceiving himself as not whole, and therefore in need. ³If you, too, see him this way, you are seeing him as if he were absent from the Kingdom or separated from it, thus making the Kingdom itself obscure to both of you. ⁴Sickness and separation are not of God, but the Kingdom is. ⁵If you obscure the Kingdom, you are perceiving what is not of God. (ACIM, T-7.II.1:1-5)

I used to become discouraged that I would never find the thoughts I think with God in my mind. But really, I do see them even though I do not always acknowledge them as such. I don’t see them all the time, but more than I give myself credit. Right here, Jesus is saying that healing thoughts are the only thoughts that resemble the Thought of God. I have healing thoughts.

There are moments when I see someone’s ego behavior and look right through it to the light beyond. I see who they really are and am in no way fooled by the ego personification that temporarily falsely defines them. This is a healing thought, a thought I think with God. I may or may not see the healing occurring, but that part is not my concern. I know the healing is happening for that person and for all of us. We share one ego and so when any aspect of it is healed, all aspects share in that healing.

Conversely, there are times when I cannot see past the behavior to the truth that never changes.

I see the ego behavior and think I am looking at a guilty brother. If this happens, it is probably because the behavior triggers me. For instance, if I see someone behaving in a way I used to, and if I have not forgiven myself, I might react to that behavior as if it is an accusatory finger pointing to my sin.

Even then, I have an opportunity to see differently. If I am being vigilant for God, I will notice what is happening. Realizing my reaction is not really toward the other person but is caused by thoughts in my mind, I will ask that my mind be healed. This would be a healing thought, and so one I think with God.

There are other ways I heal through seeing only the truth. My eyes show me a sick body, but I know that sickness is not of God, and so cannot be real. I see poverty but am not fooled. God is abundant, so poverty is a mistaken belief that can be undone. These healing thoughts are the counterpart to my creative thoughts in the Kingdom.

II. The Law of the Kingdom, P 2

2 To heal, then, is to correct perception in your brother and yourself by sharing the Holy Spirit with him. This places you both within the Kingdom, and restores its wholeness in your mind. This reflects creation, because it unifies by increasing and integrates by extending. What you project or extend is real for you. This is an immutable law of the mind in this world as well as in the Kingdom. However, the content is different in this world, because the thoughts it governs are very different from the Thoughts in the Kingdom. Laws must be adapted to circumstances if they are to maintain order. The outstanding characteristic of the laws of mind as they operate in this world is that by obeying them, and I assure you that you must obey them, you can arrive at diametrically opposed results. This is because the laws have been adapted to the circumstances of this world, in which diametrically opposed outcomes seem possible because you can respond to two conflicting voices.

We live by the same laws in this world as in the Kingdom.

However, those laws have been adapted to the circumstances of this world. The law I am most interested in now is the one that says what we project or extend is real for us. In the Kingdom, we extend Love because that is all there is to extend. In the world, we project from the voice we listen to and believe. So, we can extend from love or project from fear.

My goal is to hear only the Voice of Love and extend only that. In this way, I can reflect the truth and come as close as possible while here to restore wholeness to my mind and, thus, to my brother’s mind as well. This is a simple process if I desire it above all other things. If the voice I hear does not reflect love, then it is the voice for fear and is not real or meaningful. I can ignore it and ask for the Voice for Love instead.

If this is what I truly want, then this is what I will have. Since having and being is the same thing, listening only to the Holy Spirit, I will be love and that is what I will give because I will have nothing else to give. If I value some form of fear, then I will be inconsistent in what I believe, and sometimes I will project love and sometimes fear. What I project, I believe, and so I remain unhealed, and I experience separation even within myself. 

This is why I am vigilant for the thoughts in my mind that indicate I am listening to the voice of ego.

I have learned to pay attention to my thoughts and to discern their source. I have seen that the outcome of listening to the ego’s voice will always lead to suffering. Listening to the Voice for God will always bring peace to my mind. In this way, I am motivated to choose God more often than ego.

Obviously, as I make the choice for peace more often, I will cease to find value in choosing fear and so will eventually stop listening to ego altogether. This is all that is required of me. I pay attention to my thoughts and notice when they do not align with love. Then I ask for and accept the Atonement (healing). To the degree I am ready to be healed, it is done.

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