ACIM Lesson 244. I am in danger nowhere in the world.
Lesson 244
I am in danger nowhere in the world.
1. Your Son is safe wherever he may be, for You are there with him. ²He need but call upon Your Name, and he will recollect his safety and Your Love, for they are one. ³How can he fear or doubt or fail to know he cannot suffer, be endangered, or experience unhappiness, when he belongs to You, beloved and loving, in the safety of Your Fatherly embrace?
2. And there we are in truth. ²No storms can come into the hallowed haven of our home. ³In God we are secure. ⁴For what can come to threaten God Himself, or make afraid what will forever be a part of Him?
We are thought in the Mind of God.
Of course, I cannot be harmed or suffer. I am pure spirit, and what could hurt spirit? Jesus says that we are a Thought in the Mind of God. How could I ever be in danger? I do feel like I am endangered when I identify with this character, Myron. But when I identify with my true Self, I know this is nonsense. Whatever happens to the character does not affect me. I stand outside the character watching her experience, noticing the effects of the beliefs being played out in her life. I decide which beliefs to release to the Holy Spirit, but always from outside the character herself.
Here is what is happening because of this practice.
No matter what thoughts show up in the mind, I either don’t believe them, or I release them quickly and easily. Some thoughts no longer show up. When I see or hear someone acting out of their ego, I usually don’t react other than to notice that this one needs love. I feel the love infusing the relationship. All along, I am moving away from the belief in separation. I know that every other person must awaken and until they do, I am not done, just as Jesus is not done because we have not all awakened.
It’s all about what we identify as.
The part that has most of my attention now is this identification as a separate individual. I am moving further and further away from identifying with the little self. I am letting go of the desire for personhood. Or at least, this is the goal now. I am beginning to notice when I refer things back to a personal self. For instance, when I heard that the hurricane was hitting New Orleans, I noticed that my first thought was that my son is in its path.
Noticing this reference to a personal self, I realize that this kind of thinking keeps me tied to the idea of being the character, and this realization helps me let go of the self and thus know my Self. That is all I do with it. I don’t try to think differently. I just let my mind shift at the rate that is right for me at this time. Then I stand back and let the Holy Spirit heal me. There is no “personal,” so I am only always instructing my mind to accept the truth of Self.
The ego strongly denies this lesson.
It offers proof that this cannot be true. But the ego’s proof is that the illusion is unsafe, and I am not an illusion. I am not a frail and fragile illusory body. Nor am I of this illusory world. I can be afraid for this body and this story if I want to and if I don’t care how much I suffer. Or, I can accept what occurs in the story while I rest in God. If I know my Self, the script will continue to unfold, and my ego may not like it, but I will not suffer.
Regina’s Tips for “What is the World?”
The primary definition of perception is “the ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses.” A secondary definition is, “a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.”
In other words, perception is an outward focused way of acquiring information. When combined with personal thought, which interprets the information received from the senses, perception is also a way of conditioning the mental organism, the brain.
This is very important to see!
Simply put, perception is a means of creating and securing ignorance. In other words, as we remain focused on the world and thought, we are completely ignorant of truth. It is also fair to say we are completely deluded.
Or, as our special theme says, “The mechanisms of illusion have been born instead. And now they go to find what has been given them to seek. Their aim is to fulfill the purpose which the world was made to witness and make real. They see in its illusions but a solid base where truth exists, upheld apart from lies. Yet everything that they report is but illusion which is kept apart from truth.”
Regina’s tips for “I am in danger nowhere in the world.”
When we look deeply at the fact that everything we think is true is not true, we can feel very disoriented. We can even feel afraid. However, there is nothing to fear. There is nothing to fear because thought, the body, and the world are not real; therefore, we are not at all vulnerable.
As The Teachings of Inner Ramana says, “Fear comes simply from not knowing reality. Therefore, the only answer to fear is to let go of what is false and to remember reality as true.”
That is our focus today. In addition to practicing awareness-watching-awareness, take short breaks today to notice awareness as what you are. Notice that as awareness, you observe thought. Notice that you observe the body. However, you are prior to both of them. Notice yourself as that which is completely unaffected by anything in the realm of perception.
My Thoughts
For today’s lesson to make sense and for Regina’s Tips to be helpful, we need the experience. We cannot get to that place of safety that Jesus promises by thinking about what is said here. What is said is helpful in that it offers us a sure way out of our suffering and assures us that what we are experiencing now is not normal for us. But to feel safe we must put the lessons into practice, and we must open our minds and heart in faith and trust to receive what is being offered.
My ego hates it when I don’t give it anything to do. It hates the feeling of not being in control. But the ego will never bring me peace of mind and will not bring me a feeling of safety. That is not its function. So, I meditate. I remind myself frequently that I am not this body and this script is not my life. I take time out of my day as often as I remember to become open and receptive to the spiritual help that is available to me. And I wait in the certainty that I will remember.
I know that it is only the belief that I am the body and separate from my Father.
This is what makes me think I am not safe. The body was made to be the opposite of what I am, and so it is fragile and vulnerable, and if I believe I am that, of course, I will be afraid. If I think I am separate from my Father, I will imagine myself vulnerable. But I can change my mind.
I do this every time I watch my mind and forgive what I find there. Each time I do this, my memory returns a bit more, and I start to relate more to my true self than my illusory body self. Sometimes I feel in danger, and knowing that it is only the body in danger doesn’t help. Calling upon the Name of God does help.
Here is a story of letting go of fear from a past journal entry.
I was doing a lot of work with fear then, giving my full willingness to look and let go. All that work makes this go around with fear so much easier. Here is what I said.
For this lesson to be meaningful to me, I must understand where I am. Sometimes I know that I am not really a body on a planet spinning through space. Sometimes I understand that I am the mind that contains these thoughts that I see as if they were real. It is something I understand but don’t really know. As I practice this understanding by unraveling the ego thinking with the help of the Holy Spirit within my mind, I come closer and closer to knowing it to be true. It seems to be a step-by-step process for me.
The closer I come to knowing, the more meaningful this lesson becomes to me.
One thing I am doing right now is asking to see the fear within myself. I want to feel the fear and understand that fear does not hurt me. I want to look at the thoughts that cause the fear reaction and allow the Holy Spirit to correct those thoughts. Because I set that intention, I notice these thoughts coming up. Because I don’t want to run from the emotional response, I feel the fear very strongly. This seems to help me because before, I would bury the thoughts that were causing the fear, and I never get rid of them.
I have had some interesting things happen since I made that decision.
There was the ferry incident that I talked about in another lesson. There have been fearful reactions within relationships. It doesn’t matter if it seems to be happening in the world or within my mind. I can still feel the fear, look at the thoughts with the Holy Spirit and ask for healing. One thing I notice is that I am surprised at the intensity when I allow myself to really feel my reaction to these fearful thoughts. Evidently, I have spent a lot of time telling myself that I wasn’t really afraid of these things anymore and so didn’t need to look at them. And evidently, that was not true.
My work is nearly all outdoors.
It is often in rural areas, and I am usually alone when I do it. Yesterday while I was returning to my car, I noticed a large white dog coming toward me. I used to be very afraid of dogs, and over time I lost that fear…I thought. Suddenly I became terrified of the dog. Thoughts of being attacked, such as I had read about in the paper, flashed through my mind. It overwhelmed any sensible thoughts I was having. My fearful thoughts consumed me. I dashed to the car and barely beat the dog to my front seat. As I quickly closed the door, I nearly hit the poor thing. He scurried off, probably wondering what got into the crazy lady or why it was some people just didn’t want to say hi.
I sat there and noticed my reaction.
My heart was pounding, and my breath was quick. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body. I was so surprised by my reaction, and I felt silly as well. When I faced the ferry fear, I had been building toward looking at the fear, so I was somewhat prepared, but this incident was sudden and unexpected. After it was all over, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me see these fear thoughts differently. Holy Spirit, what am I supposed to do with this, and how am I supposed to see it?
Holy Spirit
Dear one, could you be willing to forgive yourself for your fear? Could you be willing to forgive yourself for looking foolish in front of people? Could you forgive yourself for falling short of your own expectations and for not living up to what you thought you believed? And could you understand that this energy of fear is just something you hold in your mind temporarily? It is not who you are.
Do not forget that your part is to look at the fear and to be willing to see differently. You did that. There is nothing more for you to do. Are you really asking me how to not react in that way again? Are you really afraid of the feeling of being so vulnerable? Forgive yourself, and then forgive others for temporarily holding the same energy of fear in their minds.
Me
Holy Spirit, I think you are referring to the other question I had in mind. I have been puzzled about why I am upset with a friend who seems to have a sudden lapse in the understanding of a primary Course principle. I seem to be taking it personally as if it is an affront to me that she would do this. So you are saying that she is dealing with her fear and that my fear is just as illogical as hers?
Holy Spirit
I am saying to you that it does not make sense to protect the body when you know the body is not real. When you think it is real, you feel compelled to protect it. Our friend is only protecting something she has temporarily forgotten is not real. It makes perfect sense that you are both protecting the unreal if you consider that you don’t know it is unreal. When you see her do it, you feel uneasy because a part of you recognizes that you are doing the same thing, and not just with a dog. That incident was just a symbol of what is happening in your mind every time you defend an ego thought.
It will be easier to understand if you look at the dog as representing an ego thought. You saw the dog, had a fearful reaction, and ran from it. Is this not what you often do with the ego thoughts you encounter in your mind? What if you had stopped within the fenced yard and asked Me to correct your thoughts? The result would have been different, just as it often is during your day when you take those steps.
Holy Spirit
When you simply react, you give power to ego thinking that it does not really have, just as you gave power to the dog it did not have. Your mind turned a friendly dog looking for an affectionate pat on the head into a rabid animal out to tear you limb from limb. Your other thoughts are much the same. They are simply thoughts with no particular meaning, and you decide what that meaning is depending on which teacher you are listening to. When you experience a fearful reaction in the world or within your own mind, stop for a moment and ask for my interpretation.
Then when your friend is experiencing resistance, you will not project your own fear onto her because you have forgiven it. You will then be able to feel compassion rather than judgment. Never forget that you cannot see anything that is apparently without unless you have first seen it within. The place to work is never at the level of effect but always at the level of cause. Look with Me at what needs healing within your mind. That is always the answer.
Me
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for untangling these thoughts for me. Sometimes I get caught up in ego thinking and have trouble stepping back from it and seeing clearly. It really is quite simple, and it is always the same answer, just a different form.
Contemplation 2026
To enjoy the Pathways of Light Insights on ACIM Lesson 244 click here.
If you found this content helpful, please share on social media so more people can read and learn.
One thought on “ACIM Workbook Daily Lesson 244, year 2022”