Lesson 52

Today's review covers these ideas:

1. I am upset because I see what is not there.

Reality is never frightening. It is impossible that it could upset me. Reality brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it is always because I have replaced reality with illusions I made up. The illusions are upsetting because I have given them reality, and thus regard reality as an illusion. Nothing in God's creation is affected in any way by this confusion of mine. I am always upset by nothing.

2. I see only the past.

As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon. I call this seeing. I hold the past against everyone and everything, making them my enemies. When I have forgiven myself and remembered Who I am, I will bless everyone and everything I see. There will be no past, and therefore no enemies. And I will look with love on all that I failed to see before.

3. My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is preoccupied with the past. What, then, can I see as it is? Let me remember that I look on the past to prevent the present from dawning on my mind. Let me understand that I am trying to use time against God. Let me learn to give the past away, realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing.

4. I see nothing as it is now.

If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be said that I see nothing. I can see only what is now. The choice is not whether to see the past or the present; the choice is merely whether to see or not. What I have chosen to see has cost me vision. Now I would choose again, that I may see.

5. My thoughts do not mean anything.

I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only private thoughts of which I am aware. What can these thoughts mean? They do not exist, and so they mean nothing. Yet my mind is part of creation and part of its Creator. Would I not rather join the thinking of the universe than to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful and meaningless "private" thoughts?

My comments... Why do all things "spiritual" have to be so . . . so aloof? To be sure, the ideas presented in A Course In Miracles are radically different than those taught in most "conventional" religions. And all religions require a leap of "faith" in that there is no scientific proof that these ideas (or theirs) are "real". . . just take our word for it ;-)

In that regard, ACIM is no different than any other belief - its just newer. Does new mean better or more up to date? I guess where I'm going with this is that I don't seem to be any more aware or a better person today than I was 50 lessons ago. I have the same confusion and am fighting the same self-talk and lac of total faith. I'm still very confused and I wonder why all this has to be so sloof... Yeah, I know... I made it this way and I must change things... sorry, I'm still very confused by all this.