Chapter 14. V. The Circle of Atonement P 1, 2
V. The Circle of Atonement
1. The only part of your mind that has reality is the part that links you still with God. ²Would you have all of it transformed into a radiant message of God’s Love, to share with all the lonely ones who have denied Him? ³God makes this possible. ⁴Would you deny His yearning to be known? ⁵You yearn for Him, as He for you. ⁶This is forever changeless. ⁷Accept, then, the immutable. ⁸Leave the world of death behind, and return quietly to Heaven. ⁹There is nothing of value here, and everything of value there. ¹⁰Listen to the Holy Spirit, and to God through Him. ¹¹He speaks of you to you. ¹²There is no guilt in you, for God is blessed in His Son as the Son is blessed in Him.
2. Everyone has a special part to play in the Atonement, but the message given to each one is always the same; God’s Son is guiltless. ²Each one teaches the message differently, and learns it differently. ³Yet until he teaches it and learns it, he will suffer the pain of dim awareness that his true function remains unfulfilled in him. ⁴The burden of guilt is heavy, but God would not have you bound by it. ⁵His plan for your awaking is as perfect as yours is fallible. ⁶You know not what you do, but He Who knows is with you. ⁷His gentleness is yours, and all the love you share with God He holds in trust for you. ⁸He would teach you nothing except how to be happy. (ACIM, T-14.V.1:1–2:8)
I was working with Lesson 30 this morning.
God is in everything I see because God is in my mind. I meditated on this, moving through all the thoughts to a place of silence and peace to be with God more directly than I can when distracted by the world. I want the message of God’s Love, and He wants me to have it. This is why He makes it possible to become aware of Him in our minds. After this radiant experience this morning, I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone, and I did so in my contemplation of that lesson.
That was how I shared it in the spoken word, but if I never said anything about it, I am still sharing it because our minds are not separate. Maybe someone else was wondering how to become aware of God in their mind, and suddenly they felt Him there. Perhaps it was my experience shared with them that inspired their experience, which in turn was the inspiration for someone else.
We all have a special part to play in the Atonement.
That part will be to teach guiltlessness. We don’t all do this the same way, but it is what we are to do. For myself, I am aware of any thoughts, words, or actions within myself that betray my part in the Atonement, and I quickly turn to the Holy Spirit, to God in my mind, for correction. When someone seems to attack me, I don’t show them pain. Instead, I show them they cannot hurt me so that they know they are innocent.
I do my best to teach innocence by believing in my own guiltlessness, though I am not as adept at holding myself innocent as I am at seeing innocence elsewhere. And I know that this is just the ego in my mind dangling old bait in front of me to see if I am still interested. Sometimes I am, but that is just another opportunity to reinforce the truth rather than fall for the old lies. We are all innocent because we were created innocent, and Creation does not change.
⁴The burden of guilt is heavy, but God would not have you bound by it.
Right now, right here, we are given the task of carrying God’s Word into what appears as the present day chaos. I feel like that is the reason I came at this time. It was to clear my mind of the debilitating belief in guilt so that I could teach guiltlessness amidst all the blame being slung around so carelessly. I cannot do this effectively without accepting my own innocence. I am ready to lay down the heavy burden of my guilt and, in doing so, to see innocence, no matter what the illusion is showing me. Of course, I do better some days than others, but I am always moving in that direction as I follow God’s perfect plan.
I am discovering that when I look outward, I am seeing only what is in my mind. So if I am seeing insurmountable odds, then I know I am looking with the ego. If I look outward and see love, I am looking with God. Both are in my mind, and I am the one making the choice. If I choose poorly, I can always change the mind I am using. God is in my mind, and He wants only my happiness. So do I; we are in agreement. I choose to see the world through God.
Maybe, like me, you could not at first see how this could be true. Especially now with all the civil unrest, the divide between political parties, and the violence. But if we are willing to turn from the ego’s unhelpful counsel to God Who is in our mind, we will find His way. Here is what I am discovering thus far. In following God’s plan, I am happier, more peaceful, and a better teacher for God. So far, so good.