ACIM Lesson 18 I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

Lesson 18

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

1. The idea for today is another step in learning that the thoughts which give rise to what you see are never neutral or unimportant. ²It also emphasizes the idea that minds are joined, which will be given increasing stress later on.

2. Today’s idea does not refer to what you see as much as to how you see it. ²Therefore, the exercises for today emphasize this aspect of your perception. ³The three or four practice periods which are recommended should be done as follows:

3. Look about you, selecting subjects for the application of the idea for today as randomly as possible, and keeping your eyes on each one long enough to say:

²I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see _____.

³Conclude each practice period by repeating the more general statement:

⁴I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

⁵A minute or so, or even less, will be sufficient for each practice period.

We Are Not Alone

There are two ideas we are to practice in this lesson. The first is that we are not alone, that our minds are joined. Though Jesus is not talking about it right now, the implication is that we affect others with our thoughts. I think of it like this. My thoughts are either awakening the mind we all share, or they are taking us deeper into the illusion. Either way, they affect us all. Sometimes I think of it as light and darkness. The sleeping mind is dark and when someone remembers the truth, a little light comes on and so the mind is not as dark. Each true thought I embrace lightens the entire mind.

Fact or Perception?

The second idea being practiced is about perception. Seeing can refer to image making, that is, what we think we see when looking with our eyes. Or it can refer to how we are seeing and that is perception. In Lesson 15, I mentioned the plumbing incident in which my perceptions took me down a rabbit hole.

Here is what actually happened. I asked a plumber to fix the faucet in my tub. He did that and the process took longer and cost more than I expected. My perception of it was different than that. Much different.

Here is what I perceived that happened. In my mind, the incident was a problem and the plumber was incompetent. It seemed to me I was unfairly treated and a victim. I felt put upon and resentful. It seemed obvious to me that the company should do something about it. I was projecting my feelings (my fears) onto the plumber. And so rather than turning within to heal my mind, I was trying to fix the problem in the world. This went on until I came to my senses and turned it around.

Enlightened Perception

The way this applies to this lesson is that the effects of my seeing, that is, the effects of my perception are felt within the mind that we all share. My perception was dark and so I added darkness to the mind. I recognized my error and asked for another way to see it and accepted the Holy Spirit’s perception. Then, I was enlightening the mind because this perception was light.

The work we do as we watch our mind and allow the dark thoughts to be replaced with an enlightened perception is sacred work. We are not just removing blocks from our mind. Much more is happening. We are providing the light that helps the next person to remove blocks to the awareness of Love’s presence. In this way, the light spreads and the Sonship begins to awaken. Is there anything we could possibly do that matters more? I think not.

To enjoy the Pathways of Light Insights on ACIM Lesson 18 click here.

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