Lesson 208

I am not a body. I am free. 
For I am still as God created me.

(188) The peace of God is shining in me now.

I will be still, and let the earth be still along with me. And in that stillness we will find the peace of God. It is within 
my heart, which witnesses to God Himself.

I am not a body. I am free.

For I am still as God created me.

Review

I began my day with meditation and in that meditation, I let my mind rest as much as I could. I turned my attention from the body, from thoughts and simply let it rest. I saw how much the mind wants to think and that I have a persistent habit of listening to those thoughts as if they were important but they are not. They are not even interesting.

The ego thinks this is the most boring and frustrating thing in the world and that nothing is happening. I think that it is important and that because my deepest desire is to live free, and that I cannot be free if my mind is enslaved to ego thoughts, then something is happening in this practice, imperfect that it is. I trust that my desire is being made manifest even when it is not apparent.

I look forward to a day of stillness, a day of peace. I have learned that I can be at peace no matter what is happening. I have also learned that I can still my mind for moments at a time even while I am busy with the happenings of the day and that those moments lead me to a deeper peace. I had a dental appointment the other day and I was not looking forward to it because I suspected I was going to need a root canal.

Thinking about it made me anxious and so I wasn’t at peace. I asked for correction and I had the thought that I wanted to rise above this. Those words were a gift, an answer to my desire for peace and though I did nothing to make it possible, this is exactly what happened. It was a miracle as Jesus describes miracles in the Course. I desired to rise above the fear thoughts in my mind and so it happened. The power of decision is my own. When I was having trouble this morning keeping my attention on God rather than thought, I remembered the miracle from the other day and I said that I will to rise above this.

This morning reminded me of a past truly helpful message I received from Jesus.

For the last few days, I have been allowing some ego thoughts to surface in my awareness so that they can be healed. I went through the anxiety, guilt, and fear that they were causing. I was able at last to laugh, and then this morning I awoke to peace. Just as the wrong minded thinking of the ego created disharmony in my mind and my world, peace creates in its own image as well. My prayer this morning is that I may use this tool, this body of Myron, as a way to communicate the peace and love that I feel within my mind. I look forward to each moment of today.

Me: Holy Spirit, would you speak to me about this joy I feel welling up in me?

Jesus: Precious one, go in peace today. The ego would have you believe you earned it and therefore can lose it if you make a misstep. Peace is not earned, it simply is. It was always within you, but today you have chosen to accept it. The work you did the last few days has opened your mind to what is always there because it is what you are. Peace, love, and joy are all words symbolizing your true nature because they are words that symbolize your Father in Whose image you were created.

Today be vigilant for the ego thoughts that would arise in your holy mind. If you feel yourself slipping into the ego remember that I am only a thought away. Bring your attention back to the Heart of Christ. Even while speaking to others or driving and keeping your attention on the traffic, you can still settle your mind into the Heart and allow your mind to rest in me. Nothing can disturb your perfect peace without your consent.

When you do not notice where your thoughts are going you are giving your consent to the ego to become your teacher. When you do not deny the ego thoughts and do not choose the truth, you are giving your consent. Be aware that in so doing you are also giving your consent to fear, guilt, and anger. You are giving your consent to unhappiness. It is always your choice.

You have said to me that it seems so hard sometimes to release these ego thoughts and although you recognize that this is what you should do, you cannot. What you really mean is that you do not wholly want to give them up, for if you did you would. It truly is that simple. Remember that when you argue for the ego you argue for your unhappiness. It is as if you are saying no, insisting that you be allowed to cherish your pain. And you are so allowed, for what you want you may have.

Today if you are tempted to hold tight to an ego thought, notice the temptation to think you cannot let it go, and then gently remind yourself that you no longer want the effects of this thought. Open your mind as a fist unclenching, and watch that thought vanish before your holy Will, for in that moment you have brought your will into alignment with God’s Will.

Regina’s Tips

When we are not in meditation, we contemplate awareness-life-presence in ourselves, in others and in nature. We let awareness-life-presence become the focus of our perception. We also live as awareness-life-presence instead of living from attachment to thought. Instead of going to our mind’s thoughts about how to perceive, think, speak and act, we quietly ask spiritual intuition for guidance, and we joyously follow the guidance we receive.

My Thoughts

I am really good at following guidance from Spirit, and yet, I still become careless and fall into the old habit of listening to the ego mind instead. I have learned to self-correct very quickly, though, so that’s good. I continue my practice because experience has taught me that it is just this that is required to establish a new way of being. We get lots of help if we ask for it, but that does not mean we have nothing to do. There is no magic wand that saves us from our own choices. Jesus says that we did this and we must undo it.