ACIM Chapter 8. I. The Direction of the Curriculum, P 5, 6

ACIM Chapter 8. I. The Direction of the Curriculum, P 5, 6. The curriculum of the Atonement is the opposite of the curriculum you have established for yourself, but so is its outcome.

I. The Direction of the Curriculum, P 5

5 The curriculum of the Atonement is the opposite of the curriculum you have established for yourself, but so is its outcome. If the outcome of yours has made you unhappy, and if you want a different one, a change in the curriculum is obviously necessary. The first change to be introduced is a change in direction. A meaningful curriculum cannot be inconsistent. If it is planned by two teachers, each believing in diametrically opposed ideas, it cannot be integrated. If it is carried out by these two teachers simultaneously, each one merely interferes with the other. This leads to fluctuation, but not to change. The volatile have no direction. They cannot choose one because they cannot relinquish the other, even if it does not exist. Their conflicted curriculum teaches them that all directions exist, and gives them no rationale for choice.

I have established that my previous curriculum (the ego’s curriculum) has made me unhappy.

Even what I perceived as happiness, I now see, was just a temporary absence of unhappiness. The moments I thought of as my most precious were tainted by the fear of loss because that was the pattern established by ego.

Now I am ready to establish my new curriculum permanently. I have already chosen a new direction and have experienced true happiness and peace, but it has been tainted by moments of returns to the old curriculum. I see the reason as I read this paragraph. My curriculum is not certain yet, because I still have two teachers with diametrically opposed systems. They interfere with each other.

My mind becomes muddled as I try to listen to both, choosing to follow one and then the other. I laugh to myself as I imagine my GPS running two programs at once. One program takes me on an easterly path, and the other chooses one that goes west. One turns me left, and the other turns me right. My GPS would be, in effect, saying that all directions will take me to where I want to go, and that could not be true. I would experience frustration and unhappiness, and I would take a very long time to get to my destination if I ever got there at all.

Fortunately, my GPS has only one voice and only one director.

It takes me surely and quickly to my destination as long as I follow its directions. This is as it can be for my path through life. I have a choice between two voices, and I can follow either. It seems that I can also choose to follow both, but with the same dissatisfying results I would have if my GPS had two voices. I have already proven to myself that the Voice for God is consistent and that it takes me where I truly want to go.

I have been listening to the ego voice for a long time, and sometimes, out of habit, I still choose that voice now. But when I do, I not only become confused, but I wind up where I don’t want to be. The ego voice has not gone away for me yet, but the Voice of God is strong in my mind, and I hear it even as I hear the ego. I am learning to tune out the ego more often than not as practice brings mastery. My path is straighter, and my journey is more peaceful.

I. The Direction of the Curriculum, P 6

6 The total senselessness of such a curriculum must be fully recognized before a real change in direction becomes possible. You cannot learn simultaneously from two teachers who are in total disagreement about everything. Their joint curriculum presents an impossible learning task. They are teaching you entirely different things in entirely different ways, which might be possible except that both are teaching you about yourself. Your reality is unaffected by both, but if you listen to both, your mind will be split about what your reality is.

I am clear that I am not this body, and this story of Myron is not my life. I know that I am here to heal the mind and save the world. When I think of this, it doesn’t give my ego a thrill of specialness. Actually, it is very humbling to realize that I am waking up and learning to allow myself to be lived by my Self rather than my ego. As I listened to my teacher, I realized that for the first time in my present memory, I was free. I became free through my full surrender to the Holy Spirit.

It is rare that I get embroiled in the story so that my mind clouds over in confusion.

But when it happens, I know it is at these times that I am listening to ego instead of Spirit. Ego has an entirely different curriculum. Spirit leads me to joy, peace, and fulfillment. Ego, on the other hand, leads me to drama, strong emotion, willfulness, and loss. Ego teaches me that guilt and fear are my saviors. The outcome when learning from the ego will be pain and suffering. Its final destination will always be death.

In any day, I will be led by Spirit to overlook the ego actions and words of others and to overlook my own as well. Spirit leads me to see only the truth in every circumstance and every person. This is very peaceful, and the effect is a happy life. In contrast, ego says that everyone is an enemy at times, even the ones I love the most. Ego says that I must defend myself, and when not defending, I must prepare for defense. It says I must listen closely to what others say, carefully looking in case offense is offered. It is a harsh and exhausting job following ego.

The Holy Spirit has been very patient with me, allowing me to see the contrast between curriculums. No matter how many times I choose ego, the Holy Spirit remains steadfastly certain of me, and so I am learning to trust myself, too. As I use the Holy Spirit as my model, I am learning to extend this trust to my brothers, and in doing so, my lesson in self-trust is reinforced. Most importantly, I am beginning to remember who I am, and that is what I came here to do.