Lesson 11

Lesson 11

My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

This is the first idea we have had that is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive. Today’s idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see. Be glad indeed to practice the idea in its initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure. The key to forgiveness lies in it.

The practice periods for today’s idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from the previous ones. Begin with your eyes closed, and repeat the idea slowly to yourself. Then open your eyes and look about, near and far, up and down, —anywhere. During the minute or so to be spent in using the idea merely repeat it to yourself, being sure to do so without haste, and with no sense of urgency or effort.

To do these exercises for maximum benefit, the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly, since they should not linger on anything in particular. The words, however, should be used in an unhurried, even leisurely fashion. The introduction to this idea, in particular, should be practiced as casually as possible. It contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation and freedom from worry that we are trying to achieve. On concluding the exercises, close your eyes and repeat the idea once more slowly to yourself.

Three practice periods today will probably be sufficient. However, if there is little or no uneasiness and an inclination to do more, as many as five may be undertaken. More than this is not recommended.

 

Journal

It seems like I see something in the world and what I see is what there is to see. But actually, it is my thoughts that determine the world I see. And I have already determined that my thoughts don’t mean anything because they are not my real thoughts. This week, I have seen the ego in action, filling my mind with its interpretation of the world.

I have a brother who is doing time in Angola. I speak to him on the phone once a week and I email him, too. Sometimes I buy things for him and send money to make his time a little easier. What he really wants is for me to visit him and I did do that once when he was at a smaller facility. It was perfectly awful.

The only thing that kept my younger days from being any wilder was the fear of going to jail. I have a sickening dread of prisons. When I was working, I could have made a lot of money selling to the prison system. I made one visit to a prison to talk to the purchasing agent and when I heard that door clang shut behind me, I knew I would never be back. Maybe I was incarcerated in another life, but something, some long past memory is influencing me in this lifetime.

James really wants me to visit again. He made arrangements through another inmate’s family to pick me up and bring me to the prison when next they came to see their loved one. I agreed because I just couldn’t say no. Friday is the day. I have been watching the thoughts in my mind about this visit. Well, part of me is watching, the other part is involved with those thoughts. I have been using the lessons to help with my distress.

My thoughts go like this:

It is a three-hour drive there and three hours back. That’s a lot even with someone else driving. I know I used to drive all the time, an average of 50,000 miles a year, actually. But it was beginning to take a toll on me before I retired and now it is a lot harder for me.

We are leaving at 4 AM. Seriously?

I don’t know these people at all and I am truly uncomfortable with small talk especially when we have nothing in common other than family in prison. The only thing I know about her is that she is very religious. That is not reassuring.

I am going to have to go into a major prison and one with a harsh reputation. This fear won’t make sense to anyone else, but it is real to me.

They plan to stay all day long. I love my brother but sometimes we run out of things to talk about in our 15 minute calls.

I know prison has changed him and I dread to see the outward signs.

After what could be a long day and an emotional strain, I am going to ride back for those 3 hours with people I still don’t know.

All of the above thoughts are meaningless and they are showing me a meaningless world. Other than I will be riding for three hours with people I don’t yet know to see my brother in prison, there is nothing that I have thought about the trip that is necessarily true. Every other thought is the result of using the ego-thinking mind to decide what this situation means.

These ego thoughts don’t mean anything because they are not my real thoughts. They will, however, determine my day if I don’t release them. I don’t want these thoughts to determine the world I see when Friday rolls around. I don’t know what anything means and I will not use what I have learned in the past to teach myself what it means now. My only real problem is my thoughts, and I don’t have to keep thoughts I don’t want.

At least I can decide I do not like what I feel now. And so I hope I have been wrong. I want another way to look at this. Perhaps there is another way to look at this. What can I lose by asking?

I am willing to see this differently. These ego thoughts are not making me happy and on that basis alone it is insane to keep them. I give them to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to correct my thinking and heal my mind. Show me another way to see this.

NTI Romans 3

How is it that we got so lost in our “what if it could be true” story? We used judgment. We judged that the story was real and that we were guilty.

“Every option and every judgment that came from this was an option or judgment based on fantasy, and so it resulted in additional layers of fantasy.”

I imagine how deep these layers might be and I realize why it is that we take some time to undo this illusion in our mind. And it is an illusion, pure fantasy. The judgment did not make the fantasy real; it just enlivened it. Every judgment we make adds more layers of fantasy and takes us deeper into the illusion and the resulting guilt.

Since none of this is true and since truth has not left our mind, we can extricate ourselves from this web of deceit. We do this by no longer practicing judgment and guilt. It is really so simple to do, and the only reason that it takes time is that we can hardly believe the whole world we see does not exist outside our mind, and we cannot believe that judgment is the problem, nor do we find it reasonable to believe that we are not guilty.

Regina’s Tips

When we cast attention on thoughts about the world as if it is real and about ‘me’ as if I am this person, we give attention to a past desire to experience ourselves as something other than our truth. More than that, we give attention to a past desire to believe ourselves to be something other than our truth.

That is a past desire, not our current desire. Our current desire is to realize truth.

When we look at the world, we look through the filter of our mind. (NTI Luke)

Our mind is preoccupied with the past. (ACIM Workbook)

The past is meaningless to us now, because it isn’t our current desire or purpose. It has no value for us. Yet, we continue to give those thoughts value. Therefore, our meaningless thoughts are showing us a meaningless world, a world of untruth when we seek truth.

NTI Romans 6 says, “You may let the past go. You need not keep anything you do not want. Focus your eyes on Jesus (your true desire) and know the love in your own Heart.

In order to let go of the meaningless thoughts that show us a meaningless world, we need to remember what we want now. That is the key. Remembering what we want now will help us transcend the habit (reprogram the brain) of casting attention on stories that represent a past desire, a desire that is meaningless to us now.

Past Entries

Jesus is really calling our attention to this lesson. He says it is related to the correction process that is the reversal of the thinking of the world. This lesson introduces the idea that our thoughts determine the world we see. He also says that the key to forgiveness lies in it. Of course, it is. What is there to forgive if the only thing that is happening is that my meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world? Why, only my thoughts!

The practice itself is very simple and easy so the ego mind tends to dismiss it as unimportant. That is probably part of the plan. If you are doing these lessons for the first time it might be good to slip them by the ego, allowing the mind to gradually change without the ego throwing up too many obstacles.

How is it that my meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world? As Jesus points out, our thoughts determine the world we see, and so if our thoughts are meaningless, then what we see must also be meaningless. Our thoughts determine the world we see. This is not at all what we have allowed ourselves to believe. Just the opposite, actually.

We see something in the world and then decide what it means and how we feel about it. At least that seems to be the order of it. And yet, we are told that this is not true, that our thoughts come first, and then we see something. Later in the lessons we are going to gain further understanding of how this works. We will be told that it all begins with a desire. We want something, we make an image of a situation that represents that desire. Then we project it outward and it appears as part of our world.

I talk about this a lot because it is the foundation of what I call my life. I am not victim of the world but maker of the world, and I do this through what I think and what I believe. That is why these first lessons are so important. I am learning that my thoughts are not real and have no meaning. I am learning that they are filled with the past, which doesn’t exist.

I am also learning that everything I see is associated with the unreal thoughts in my mind, and so what I see must be unreal as well. These lessons are undoing what I think I know so that I can be open to what is actually true and real. I will not be open to learning something new if I think I already have the answer. Since everything I think and everything I see is unreal, I have lots to look forward to as I make room for something else.

An excerpt from “Hey, Holy Spirit, It’s Me Again.”

My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

We are about to turn the world on its head with this one! I have spent most of my life believing that I react to situations that occur in the world, and now Jesus tells me that I am completely wrong about that. I was planning to walk at the park today, and when I went outside it was raining and muggy. I felt disappointed. Sound familiar?

In the past, I used to think that I was disappointed because it was raining and I couldn’t go for my walk. Rather than saying I was upset that it was raining, it would make more sense to say that that I was upset because of my thoughts about rain. Even more to the point, now that I understand that the world is not the cause of my thoughts, but that my thoughts are the cause of the world, it makes even less sense to blame the world.

The import of this lesson begins to dawn on my mind, and my efforts become a very holy endeavor. I approach this day with a sense of awe. I give it my full willingness, as I allow this idea to take root in my mind.

Holy Spirit: Yes indeed, Myron, we are pulling weeds and planting seeds. Notice how your willingness has made this job far easier this time than it was before. The work you have been doing has prepared the soil, making it loose so that pulling out the weeds (the meaningless thoughts) is easier now. The soil is now richer and the seeds we plant will take root and grow more quickly. Watch how your resistance is beginning to fall away.