Lesson 137

Sickness is isolation. For it seems to keep one self apart from all the rest, to suffer what the others do not feel. It gives the body final power to make the separation real, and keep the mind in solitary prison, split apart and held in pieces by a solid wall of sickened flesh, which it can not surmount.

The world obeys the laws that sickness serves, but healing operates apart from them. It is impossible that anyone be healed alone. In sickness must he be apart and separate. But healing is his own decision to be one again, and to accept his Self with all Its parts intact and unassailed. In sickness does his Self appear to be dismembered, and without the unity that gives It life. But healing is accomplished as he sees the body has no power to attack the universal Oneness of God’s Son.

Sickness would prove that lies must be the truth. But healing demonstrates that truth is true. The separation sickness would impose has never really happened. To be healed is merely to accept what always was the simple truth, and always will remain exactly as it has forever been. Yet eyes accustomed to illusions must be shown that what they look upon is false. So healing, never needed by the truth, must demonstrate that sickness is not real.

Healing might thus be called a counter-dream, which cancels out the dream of sickness in the name of truth, but not in truth itself. Just as forgiveness overlooks all sins that never were accomplished, healing but removes illusions that have not occurred. Just as the real world will arise to take the place of what has never been at all, healing but offers restitution for imagined states and false ideas which dreams embroider into pictures of the truth.

Yet think not healing is unworthy of your function here. For anti-Christ becomes more powerful than Christ to those who dream the world is real. The body seems to be more solid and more stable than the mind. And love becomes a dream, while fear remains the one reality that can be seen and justified and fully understood.

Just as forgiveness shines away all sin and the real world will occupy the place of what you made, so healing must replace the fantasies of sickness which you hold before the simple truth. When sickness has been seen to disappear in spite of all the laws that hold it cannot but be real, then questions have been answered. And the laws can be no longer cherished nor obeyed.

Healing is freedom. For it demonstrates that dreams will not prevail against the truth. Healing is shared. And by this attribute it proves that laws unlike the ones which hold that sickness is inevitable are more potent than their sickly opposites. Healing is strength. For by its gentle hand is weakness overcome, and minds that were walled off within a body free to join with other minds, to be forever strong.

Healing, forgiveness, and the glad exchange of all the world of sorrow for a world where sadness cannot enter, are the means by which the Holy Spirit urges you to follow Him. His gentle lessons teach how easily salvation can be yours; how little practice you need undertake to let His laws replace the ones you made to hold yourself a prisoner to death. His life becomes your own, as you extend the little help He asks in freeing you from everything that ever caused you pain.

And as you let yourself be healed, you see all those around you, or who cross your mind, or whom you touch or those who seem to have no contact with you, healed along with you. Perhaps you will not recognize them all, nor realize how great your offering to all the world, when you let healing come to you. But you are never healed alone. And legions upon legions will receive the gift that you receive when you are healed.

Those who are healed become the instruments of healing. Nor does time elapse between the instant they are healed, and all the grace of healing it is given them to give. What is opposed to God does not exist, and who accepts it not within his mind becomes a haven where the weary can remain to rest. For here is truth bestowed, and here are all illusions brought to truth.

Would you not offer shelter to God’s Will? You but invite your Self to be at home. And can this invitation be refused? Ask the inevitable to occur, and you will never fail. The other choice is but to ask what cannot be to be, and this can not succeed. Today we ask that only truth will occupy our minds; that thoughts of healing will this day go forth from what is healed to what must yet be healed, aware that they will both occur as one.

We will remember, as the hour strikes, our function is to let our minds be healed, that we may carry healing to the world, exchanging curse for blessing, pain for joy, and separation for the peace of God. Is not a minute of the hour worth the giving to receive a gift like this? Is not a little time a small expense to offer for the gift of everything?

Yet must we be prepared for such a gift. And so we will begin the day with this, and give ten minutes to these thoughts with which we will conclude today at night as well:

When I am healed I am not healed alone.
And I would share my healing with the world,
that sickness may be banished from the mind of
God’s one Son, Who is my only Self.

Let healing be through you this very day. And as you rest in quiet, be prepared to give as you receive, to hold but what you give, and to receive the Word of God to take the place of all the foolish thoughts that ever were imagined. Now we come together to make well all that was sick, and offer blessing where there was attack. Nor will we let this function be forgot as every hour of the day slips by, remembering our purpose with this thought:

When I am healed I am not healed alone.
And I would bless my brothers, for I would
be healed with them, as they are healed with me.

INITIAL INSIGHT: Here are the thoughts that stood out to me.

Sickness is a retreat into separation. Healing is the decision to be one again.
The world obeys the laws of separation. Healing operates apart from those laws.
Sickness seems to place within the body the power to make separation real while healing sees this cannot be true. The body has no power to undo truth. Sickness seems to prove separation is the truth, but healing undoes this lie in the mind and shows that nothing has really happened.

Healing is simply undoing what never happened. It merely undoes an illusion in the same way forgiveness overlooks sins that were never real, to begin with. But even though Jesus is helping me to see that sickness could only be an illusion, healing is important. While I believe in sickness, I believe the body is truth and governs the Son of God. In healing, I put an end to this lie. I prove it is not true and that I live outside the laws of illusion. Healing frees my mind from the illusions of bondage.

And now comes the part that brings me to tears. I am not healed alone. Legions are healed with me. People I don’t even know are healed. I cry because as I read this, I feel a memory opening in me. It is a memory of oneness. I cannot find any words to describe this, nor is it clear and strong within me, but it is there and it is the source of the joy I have begun to feel.

 When I am healed I am not healed alone. And I would share my healing with the world, that sickness may be banished from the mind of God’s one Son, Who is my only Self.

DAILY APPLICATION: It seems to me that since we use sickness to separate and defend against God, the remedy is to join with the Holy Spirit to heal the mind of the belief in separation. I ask Him to correct my perception of the body and to correct my perception of the bodies of others. I remind myself often that I am not in this body and that this body is in the mind as is the rest of the illusory world. No matter how sick my body appears, it is only my mind that is sick. I also watch my mind for thoughts of guilt and for attack thoughts and if I find them, I release these thoughts to the Holy Spirit as quickly as possible.

The Kidney Stone Story

I have talked, about having a kidney stone. I had never had one before but have known many people who did, and the one thing they all agreed on was how painful it was to pass one. I didn’t want to experience that pain and spent a few days obsessing about it. The doctor prescribed a large bottle of Vicodin and I never let it out of my sight. I dreaded the moment it would pass. I truly used this situation to isolate, not even going to work. This was all about me, the little ego self, different and separate from everyone else.

Then one day I noticed what I was doing. I was judging the situation, planning for the future, deciding what it meant, how it should be handled. I remembered my purpose and I surrendered the situation to the Holy Spirit. I realized I don’t know what anything is for, but He does. My surrender was true and complete. I was perfectly willing for whatever would be helpful to my awakening. How would You have me see this? What would You have me do? This became my prayer.

The thought then occurred to me that I would also be willing to experience this without pain. Hmm, that had never occurred to me and the ego-mind objected. How could this happen? Well, that was not my business. In fact, the whole body thing was not my business. I gave my willingness even for painlessness, without questioning it or needing to understand it. I gave equal willingness for any other solution. That was my healing. The passing of the stone was just a formality.

The stone did not pass for a couple of weeks and the doctor scheduled me for a procedure to have it removed. A couple of days before the procedure they did a series of x-rays to see the stone and to see if it was moving. No movement, so the following Friday I showed up for the surgery. When I came out of the anesthesia, I was told the stone was not there. It had passed painlessly through me without notice!

Always the sickness is in the mind and the healing is in the mind. The mind is healed and the healing is reflected onto the body. The sickness provides an opportunity to look at the error and to choose truth instead, and in the healing of the body, we see that sickness was never real and that the laws of the illusion are meaningless. In sickness, I express the belief that I am separate and unworthy, deserving of pain and punishment. Through the healing of the mind, the body proves the truth that I am not subject to the laws of the world, and that I am whole, and that the Son of God is meant to live in joy, not in pain.

INSIGHTS FROM HOLY SPIRIT: Precious child, you are indeed right that your need for healing is in your thoughts. That you believe the body could be sick without the mind’s command indicates an erroneous thought system. The ego would have you heal a malady so that another can take its place. Has this not always been the way?

Remember the ego is the idea of separation and sickness is the projection of that idea. The only reasonable response is to change your mind about separation. You are doing this each time you choose Me as your teacher rather than ego. I know it is easy to be distracted from your purpose when you experience yourself in pain. This is one purpose of pain. It is the ego strategy to keep your undivided attention. Allow pain to become your reminder to bring your attention back to Me.

My message to Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, what do You want me to do with this body? Does it matter what I do with it?

Holy Spirit: It is just part of your classroom, Myron, as are the other bodies in your life. It is no different from them and appears to be “yours” only because that is where your attention is centered. While your attention is centered on the idea of this body, allow yourself to notice how it is being used to teach separation and specialness and ask Me to show you another way to experience it. Your experience will be shared by the Sonship.

The ego would like you to hear Me say that what “you” do and say in the body is vital to everyone’s well-being. What is vital to the awakening is the healing of your mind, not the actions of the body. By all means, share your words and your experiences, but do not think this is why you are here. Your purpose is to heal your mind and so to awaken yourself to the truth of who you are. This is a shared experience, with or without words, but if it is helpful to you to share words, so do that.

GRATITUDE: Thank you, Holy Spirit.

REGINA’S TIPS

I have experienced miraculous physical healing. The first time it happened, it was a broken toe. I broke my pinkie toe around 5pm one evening. I was guided to put a tight sock on the foot and to ice it, but not to go to the doctor. The next morning the entire top half of my foot was black and blue and in a lot of pain. I could not touch the foot to the floor at all, so I walked on my heel. I was again guided to wear a tight sock, ice the toe, and not go to the doctor.

About 5pm that evening, 24 hours after the toe was broken, I received guidance to be healed. I sat on the sofa. I began to feel a flow of love. The love came in through the top of my head and traveled through my body to my toe. After a few minutes it stopped.

I stood up. I could stand on the foot with no pain. I jumped on the foot. No pain. It was definitely healed in only a few minutes.

I’ve always felt the reason I lived with the broken toe for 24 hours is so I was sure it was broken. If it had been healed too quickly, my mind would have discounted the healing by saying, “It must not have been as bad as I thought it was.” But since I lived with it for 24 hours, I know how bad it was, and I cannot discount the miracle that occurred in that few minutes.

Today’s lesson says, “Healing is freedom. For it demonstrates that dreams will not prevail against the truth.” That was an important lesson for me. I did not fully believe in the truth. Although I pursued the truth, I believed the world was real. That belief was seriously shaken by the experience of the toe.

I have never felt the healing itself was particularly important. I have always felt that the lesson that came from the healing is what was important.

Today’s lesson refers to healing as a “counter-dream.” I think it is important to realize that both sickness and health are illusions. Some people make the mistake of putting health above sickness spiritually. They feel sickness is a sign of spiritual weakness or failure, and health is the badge of spiritual success. That is not at all true. There are some very healthy people who have not even started to move towards spiritual awakening, and there are enlightened people who have had sick bodies.

Sickness does not indicate that you are spiritually weak or failing. If you are one who feels burdened by this idea, please realize that it is an untrue thought.

Also, the spiritual path isn’t about replacing bad dreams with good dreams. It is about awakening from dreams entirely.

With that said, we will each learn lessons as we awaken, and for some of us, physical healing will be a part of that experience. As today’s lesson says, “Yet think not healing is unworthy of your function here. For anti-Christ becomes more powerful than Christ to those who dream the world is real.”

This is my humble advice regarding physical healing:

~ Remember that physical healing is not the goal. It may occur along the way if it is helpful to you, but the goal is spiritual awakening.

~ Watch the mind for ideas that may create sickness or block the opportunity for healing. There are many types of ideas that fall into that category including ‘miraculous healing isn’t possible,’ ‘I am not worthy of miraculous healing,’ and ‘I am guilty,’ especially if one sees a relationship between one’s guilt and the sickness. Also, most people get a subtle pleasure from sickness. It is a pleasure that is often fleeting and can easily be denied, especially as one tires of the suffering, but if one looks you can find it. You may like the break from work. You may like the special attention from others. Sickness can even make us feel special. Etc.

~ Notice that awareness is constant and unchanging. Awareness is the same in health and sickness. Pay close attention to notice that awareness is more intimately you than the body. Notice that the body has no affect on you whatsoever.

~ Let go of all ‘rules’ and ‘judgments’ about sickness and health. The path of awakening happens differently for different people. Some awaken through allowing sickness and noticing they aren’t the body. Some receive a boost in faith through miraculous healing. There is no rule about how this has to look.

~ Remember that what is most important is what is always most important: Inquire into false beliefs; let go of ego thinking; practice awareness-watching-awareness; be tuned in for your personal intuitive guidance and follow it.

The spiritual path requires more honesty than the mind is capable of. That means that in order to know what is best for you on this path, you have to let go of your individual thinking.

MY THOUGHTS

I think that sickness is a choice and noticing that choice we can ask for healing of the beliefs that led to that choice but it is counterproductive to think it means anything about us.  Ultimately, it will always be a desire for separation, a desire to identify with the body, a desire to be unconscious of our true Self. It is not special; we all have these beliefs that show up one way or another.

It is just another signpost leading us to what needs to be healed in the mind. The important thing is choosing to use the sickness as an opportunity to heal the mind. Feeling guilty for sickness is no different than feeling guilty for anything else. It is just an ego response that can be released to the Holy Spirit. The entire lesson seems to be saying that sickness is a form of separation and that healing is a form of union and that our healing impacts the Sonship.