V. Healing and the Changelessness of Mind, P 1
1 The body is nothing more than a framework for developing abilities, which is quite apart from what they are used for. That is a decision. The effects of the ego’s decision in this matter are so apparent that they need no elaboration, but the Holy Spirit’s decision to use the body only for communication has such a direct connection with healing that it does need clarification. The unhealed healer obviously does not understand his own vocation.
Journal
The body and all the body says and does, and all the thinking ego mind chatters on about, can be used to take us deeper into the illusion or it can be used to return us to the Kingdom. We, the “ego we”, make a decision about this. We do this, not once, but in each moment. I see this clearly as do we all once we have come this far in the Course. If ever you have noticed an ego thought such as judgment, and then realized that this thought is not true and you are not interested in it, then you have made a choice to use the ego thinking as a path home instead of a path further into the illusion.
Most of us begin our path by becoming aware of the ego thoughts and behaviors, and understanding that they are not making us happy. Then we learn that there is an option and we spend some time making a decision to allow that option. Typically, we will choose God sometimes, and at other times we will defend our illusions because we are not ready to give them up. We can spend a lot of time going back and forth on this.
What must happen eventually, is that we embrace the Holy Spirit’s use of the body as a true communication device at all times. When we realize that we have one function, that our life has one purpose, and that is to wake up, we begin to make the one choice in every situation. We choose to bring every dark thought to the Light, defending none of them.
Until we fully embrace this choice, we remain an unhealed healer, at times being effective and then falling back into darkness again. My daughter is an English teacher. Imagine how confusing it would be for her students if today, she taught you had to put a period at the end of each statement, and then tomorrow she taught that you could ignore that rule when you wanted to. She would not be a very successful teacher and her students would leave her class confused. Eventually, she would be confused herself because, teaching confusion, she would learn confusion.
In the same way, we will awaken more quickly if we teach a consistent lesson. Our minds will be healed if we unfailingly choose to use the body as a healing opportunity rather than a separation device. It is a choice and the more consistent we are in our choosing; the more effective we will be as both learner and teacher.