Lesson 51
W-pI.51.1. (1) Nothing I see means anything.
2 The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and nothing has no meaning. 3 It is necessary that I recognize this, that I may learn to see. 4 What I think I see now is taking the place of vision. 5 I must let it go by realizing it has no meaning, so that vision may take its place.
As began this mind healing program, I learned to ask the Holy Spirit to show me another way to see. At first, I meant that I wanted to understand the situation in such a way that I could release my grievances and feel love. And that is wonderful, a worthy goal. But eventually, I began to see in an entirely different way that had nothing to do with the image-making of my eyes. This is vision and that is the real purpose of the desire to see differently. Vision has nothing to do with the eyes and it must be experienced to know what it means. I look forward to receiving the gift of vision more often.
W-pI.51.2. (2) I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.
2 I have judged everything I look upon, and it is this and only this I see. 3 This is not vision. 4 It is merely an illusion of reality, because my judgments have been made quite apart from reality. 5 I am willing to recognize the lack of validity in my judgments, because I want to see. 6 My judgments have hurt me, and I do not want to see according to them.
What I see with my eyes and how I interpret what I see is the result of my judgments. I cannot experience vision if I am determined to value my judgments because I can have either judgments and their effects or I can have vision. I cannot have both. If what I see and how I see it is not making me happy, I reconsider and choose vision instead.
W-pI.51.3. (3) I do not understand anything I see.
2 How could I understand what I see when I have judged it amiss? 3 What I see is the projection of my own errors of thought. 4 I do not understand what I see because it is not understandable. 5 There is no sense in trying to understand it. 6 But there is every reason to let it go, and make room for what can be seen and understood and loved. 7 I can exchange what I see now for this merely by being willing to do so. 8 Is not this a better choice than the one I made before?
When I judge a person or situation, I am only seeing my thought errors projected and why would I want to try to make sense of an error. It is so much better if I look at it with the Holy Spirit and let the error be undone. I won’t be willing to do this if I am attached to my judgments or if I value the dubious desire to judge.
W-pI.51.4. (4) These thoughts do not mean anything.
2 The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying to think without God. 3 What I call “my” thoughts are not my real thoughts. 4 My real thoughts are the thoughts I think with God. 5 I am not aware of them because I have made my thoughts to take their place. 6 I am willing to recognize that my thoughts do not mean anything, and to let them go. 7 I choose to have them be replaced by what they were intended to replace. 8 My thoughts are meaningless, but all creation lies in the thoughts I think with God.
I am now aware that the things I see and the meaning they have for me are all based on the meaningless. They come from judgment and my judgmental thoughts are in error. There is nothing I can do to make sense of them so clearly, my thoughts do not mean anything. The good news is that these are not my real thoughts and my real thoughts are available to me. These are the thoughts I think with God. They have all meaning and they make me happy.
W-pI.51.5. (5) I am never upset for the reason I think.
2 I am never upset for the reason I think because I am constantly trying to justify my thoughts. 3 I am constantly trying to make them true. 4 I make all things my enemies, so that my anger is justified and my attacks are warranted. 5 I have not realized how much I have misused everything I see by assigning this role to it. 6 I have done this to defend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no longer want. 7 I am willing to let it go.
Oh, my, what a mess I have made of things! My judgmental and meaningless thoughts are hurting me, but I keep trying to justify them and thus make them true. I have learned to watch for that tendency and if it shows up in my mind, I immediately make a different choice. I don’t want to attack and I don’t want to defend. This state of war that I have been in for eons has got to go. Nothing is worth this kind of self-imposed suffering.