 
**B OOKS BY AUTHOR**

_Clarifying Christ Consciousness: Volume I & II_

_Applied Practical Spirituality: Volume I, II & III_

_Christ Illuminates The Bible: Volume I & II_

_53 Miracle Principles_

_Metaphors With Vision_

_Egoic Traps To Be Avoided_

_The Alchemical Power Of Light_

**C OPYRIGHT**

Copyright (C) 2018 C. Know Be-Create

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**Published by:** C. Know Be-Create

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**Interior Design by:** Boris Stromar, Nadia Abaneeva

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**Editing by:** Michael Ireland

Be-Create, C. Know, 2018 - _Christ Illuminates The Bible: Volume I_

**ISBN:** 978-1-68454-211-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1. A Course in Miracles 2. Non-dual Thought 3. Spirituality

**First Edition**

Printed in the United States of America

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**M ANY BLESSINGS!**

**T ABLE OF CONTENTS**

INTRODUCTION

THE FALL

IN HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS

LET THERE BE LIGHT

AND PRONOUNCED IT GOOD

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

THE FORBIDDEN TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

A DEEP SLEEP FELL UPON ADAM

LIES OF THE SERPENT

NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS

THINE IS THE KINGDOM

THE RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE

PREPARE A TABLE

THE WICKED SHALL PERISH

NAME OF GOD

PRAISE GOD

KNOW THYSELF

THERE IS NO DEATH

FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS

GOD WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE

REST IN PEACE

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

AS YE SOW, SHALL YE REAP

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

TURN THE OTHER CHEEK

HEAL ALL ERRORS

GO WITH A BROTHER TWICE AS FAR

THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES

BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM

JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT BE JUDGED

SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND

I COME NOT TO BRING PEACE BUT A SWORD

ALL PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED

MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN LIGHT

MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

WHEN TWO OR MORE JOIN TOGETHER

BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN

MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN

HEAVEN AND EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY

HIM WHO HATH SHALL BE GIVEN

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS

I WAS A STRANGER

WHAT PROFITETH A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WORLD

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

AGONY IN THE GARDEN

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

THE PRODIGAL SON

SELL ALL YOU HAVE

BETRAYEST THOU THE SON OF MAN WITH A KISS

FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH

LAMB OF GOD

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

OF YOURSELF YOU CAN DO NOTHING

THE TRUTH SHAL MAKE YOU FREE

BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS I AM

THE BLIND CAN SEE

I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE

RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

I COME AS A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD

YE BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME

MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU

I WILL SEND YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER

NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER

ASK IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST

THE BRANCH THAT BEARS NO FRUIT

BLESSED ARE YE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN

THE WRATH OF GOD

VENGEANCE IS MINE, SAYETH THE LORD

MOVE MOUNTAINS

CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS

BE OF ONE MIND

IMMEASURABLE GIFTS

GOD IS NOT MOCKED

MAY THE MIND BE IN YOU

THE PEACE OF GOD

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

TO PROFESS

WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM

THE DEVIL

THE BIBLE IS A FEARFUL THING TO THE EGO

AFTERWORD

WORKS CITED

BIOGRAPHY

**I NTRODUCTION**

The Bible is a collection of teachings written over a span of 1,500 years. It contains sixty-six books written by about forty different writers--all with varying degrees of spiritual awareness. Because the biblical authors bring such diverse levels of consciousness and erudition and such disparate worldviews to this collection of Divine Knowledge, the Bible has been interpreted by myriad thinkers throughout modern history (spawning between 25,000-40,000 denominations worldwide) and is now read and shared by countless seekers throughout the world.

It is the purpose of this book to convey Jesus' understanding and clarity in reference to the Bible citations he chose when bringing forth _A Course in Miracles_ (or the _Course_ ). We are certain that the supra-conscious mind which shared the profound words of the _Course_ with scribe Helen Schucman--and so with us--springs from a Divine Source. No suppositions are found in the _Course_ --the book offers only definitions, instructions, and prayers. The _Course_ uses Christian terminology and includes over one hundred citations from the Bible along with their optimal, plainly-worded interpretations. We have coupled King James Bible quotations with references found in the _Course_ pertaining to these quotations, and added our paraphrases in an attempt to simplify the language so the true meaning of the message is understood. Also included are the remarkable illustrations of celebrated French artist, Gustave Dore, as published in _La Gran Bible de Tours_ and other selected works.

In writing this book, it is our intent to assist readers to reach a clearer understanding, both about the most influential book of our Common Era, the Bible, and about select biblical ideas touched upon in the _Course_. We hope that Jesus' words, however they may be written or interpreted, will induce a heavenly state of being, unveiling the peace of God "...which passeth (human) understanding." _T-2.II.18.6_
**T HE FALL**

_" The Fall" is a technical term in Christian theology that refers to the sin of Adam and Eve that marks the transition in humanity between the idyllic age portrayed in Genesis 1-3 of communion, fellowship, and relationship between humanity and God, and the subsequent age, which encompasses all of recorded human history, where humanity is separated from God._

_Until the "separation," which is a better term than the "fall," nothing was lacking. This meant that man had no needs at all. If he had not deprived himself, he would never have experienced them. After the separation, needs became the most powerful source of motivation for human action. All behavior is essentially motivated by needs, but behavior itself is not a divine attribute. The body is the mechanism for behavior. The belief that he **could** be better off is the reason why man has this mechanism at his disposal. T-1.I.90.1:7_

The Love of God is eternally present in all of Creation. This is the paradox: our one and only need, the need for God's Love, is already met.

The ego came into existence during a misperception concerning the original purpose of form. Instead of seeing Itself mirrored externally, the Self fell into a state of amnesia in which the outer world appeared fragmented. Though the Love of God was forever conjoined with all, the self did not recognize it. A sentiment of emptiness arose within the self and its insatiable needs reflect its longing for the love that is, in fact, ever-present.

Since then, man has attempted to appease this sensation by using the body to accumulate physical objects and engage in meaningless endeavors and loveless deeds. "Seek and do not find" _T-11.V.36.4_ is the unconscious directive of everyone who believes they are incomplete or separate.

Miracles are the means by which God's Children return to right-mindedness and experience completion, within which the body will be free to manifest its True Expression.
**I N HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS**

**_" And God said, Let us make man in our image,_**

**_after our likeness. "_**

_Genesis 1:26_

_" God created man in His own image and likeness" is correct in meaning, but the words are open to considerable misinterpretation. This is avoided, however, if "image" is understood to mean "thought" and "likeness" is taken as "of a like quality." God **did** create the Soul in His own Thought and of a quality like to His own. There **is** nothing else. Perception, on the other hand, is impossible **without** a belief in "more" and "less." Perception at every level involves selectivity and is incapable of organization without it. In all types of perception, there is a continual process of accepting and rejecting or organizing and reorganizing, of shifting and changing focus. Evaluation is an essential part of perception, because judgments **must** be made for selection. T-3.VII.57.1:8_

The ability to direct our thinking is proof of our mind's power. Images (thoughts) differ in likeness (quality) depending on whether the ego or Spirit is the thinker. For this reason, Christ reinterprets "images" as "thoughts" because this emphasizes the importance of their source, which can be egoic or Divine.

When God's Thoughts extend, the Divine Attributes of thought also extend, even unto form. Because our egoic thoughts judge constantly, and because they hold a strong belief in lack, they block Divine Thought. So, the forms they project will--in one way or another--manifest scarcity. By relinquishing judgment, we can remove this obstacle, and thereby welcome God's Thoughts (which are inherently changeless, limitless, and pure) back into our awareness.
**L ET THERE BE LIGHT**

**_" And God said, Let there be light:_**

**_and there was light. "_**

_Genesis 1:3_

_**Because** his ego is involved, it always attempts to gain some support from the situation. Seeking to get something for **himself** , the unhealed healer does not know how to **give** and consequently cannot share. He cannot correct because he is not working **correctively**. He believes that it is up to him to teach the patient what is **real** , but he does not know it himself. What, then, **should** happen? When God said, "Let there be light," there **was** light. Can you find light by analyzing darkness as the psychotherapist does or like the theologian, by acknowledging darkness in yourself and looking for a distant light to remove it while **emphasizing** the distance? T-9.IV.25.1:7_

Although healing takes place of its own accord, miracle-mindedness first provides the space for healing to occur.

Analyzing a problem succeeds only in distorting perception, which results in confusion. This mental activity perpetuates the very darkness that brought about the problem to begin with.

When you shift your focus from the outer world and turn within, you allow the conditions which eliminate illusions to unfold. Light, which is God's means for salvation, enters. By allowing and not interfering with the healing process, your problem is eradicated, immediately and effortlessly.
**A ND PRONOUNCED IT GOOD**

**_" And God saw every thing that he had made,_**

**_and, behold, it was very good. "_**

_Genesis 1:31_

_God is said to have looked on all He created and pronounced it good. No, He declared it perfect, and so it was. And since His creations do not change and last forever, so it is now. Yet neither a perfect therapist nor a perfect patient can possibly exist. Both must have denied their perfection, for their very need for each other implies a sense of lack. A one-to-one relationship is not one Relationship. Yet it is the means of return; the way God chose for the return of His Son. In that strange dream a strange correction must enter, for only that is the call to awake. And what else should therapy be? Awake and be glad, for all your sins have been forgiven you. This is the only message that any two should ever give each other. P-3.III.5.1:12_

In Reality, all of Creation is perfect. This truth includes those with divided minds who temporarily believe themselves to be autonomous. God pronounced Her Creations perfect and this is Her final, unalterable judgment. Because in truth only perfection exists, restoring perfection is not necessary, per se. If imperfection is only illusion, why does the impossible seem to be happening? In short, it is because we have free will. The Children of God are able to miscreate if they so choose but the effects of their miscreations are nullified--they do not resonate in Eternity.

If we believe ourselves to be physical beings, there is a greater truth we need to embrace: we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Even the concepts of space and time are meaningless in Heaven because distance and duration directly oppose the boundless nature of oneness. This physical plane is a "training ground" in which those with divided minds make mistakes and come to the conclusion, of their own accord, that obedience to God's Laws is in their own best interest. The curriculum of the Great Plan is simple and will expand our limited awareness. Until Unity dawns upon our minds, we are called to forgive all of our relations as well as to fully appreciate everyone and everything that enters our experience.

The idea that "sins" are mistakes and mistakes are meaningless is justified on the premise that what "happens" on this "training ground" doesn't happen in Reality. A lifetime in the world becomes a means to practice love and forgiveness, and in doing so, we will rejoice as we witness God's Perfection in all things.
**T HE GARDEN OF EDEN**

**_" And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."_**

_Genesis 2:15_

_The Garden of Eden, which is described as a literal garden in the Bible, was not an actual garden at all. It was merely a mental state of complete need-lack. Even in the literal account, it is noteworthy that the pre-separation state was essentially one in which man needed nothing. T-2.I.4.1:3_

The Garden of Eden is a place of fullness, wholeness, and wonder which God created by extending Her Thoughts into form. The Thoughts of God reflect only completion, but in this dream of incarnation, we have not yet experienced this complete garden. Our garden is instead incomplete, filled with needs. However, every enlightened Self can recreate the Garden of Completion here and now. When we are willing to forgive ourselves for having strayed from God's Love, we receive Her Gift of a tranquil and loving mind.

As the mind thinks, so shall it manifest. Our realities are an extension of our thoughts. Thus, we must accept the truth: what we see around us--a world of lack and need rather than "a garden" of need-lack--is a product of our own minds.
**T HE FORBIDDEN TREE OF KNOWLEDGE**

**_" And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof_**

**_thou shalt surely die. "_**

_Genesis 2:16-17_

_The "tree of knowledge" is also an overly literal figure. These concepts need to be clarified before the real meaning of the separation, or the "detour into fear," can be fully understood. T-2.I.4.4:5_

Symbols _" must stand for something other than themselves. Their meaning cannot lie in them but must be sought in what they represent."_ T-19.V.88.2:3 It is important to remember that all the symbols of the world are neutral, and possess only the meaning we ascribe to them.

_The fruit of only **one** tree was "forbidden" to man in his symbolic garden. But **God** could not have forbidden it or it could not have **been** eaten. If God knows His Children, and I assure you that He does, would He have put them in a position where their own destruction was possible? The "tree" which was forbidden was named the "tree of knowledge." Yet God created knowledge and gave it freely to His creations. The symbolism here has been given many interpretations, but you may be sure that **any** interpretation which sees either God **or** His creations as capable of destroying their own purpose is in error. T-3.III.75.1:6_

God is synonymous with freedom. Thus, She forbids nothing, including our illusory choices. Furthermore, God's Freedom involves unlimited giving. Thus, Her Knowledge is freely accessible to all. Only the ego would interpret "freedom" as including the possibility of self-destruction. We must vanquish this false belief.

_Eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge is a symbolic expression for incorporating into the self the ability for self-creating. This is the **only** sense in which God and His Souls are **not** co-creators. The belief that they **are** is implicit in the "self concept," a concept now made acceptable by its **weakness** and explained by a tendency of the self to create an **image** of itself. Its fear aspect is often ascribed to fear of retaliation by a "father figure," a particularly curious idea in view of the fact that no one uses the term to refer to the physical father. It refers to an **image** of a father in relation to an **image** of the self. T-3.III.76.1:5_

The "tree of knowledge" should be reinterpreted as the "tree of miscreation." Having been created by God and being one with God, we have the power to Create. But we perceive the universe as loveless so we create a place as harsh as our own small minds--minds which project fear, guilt, and deprivation upon ourselves and our environment. Our minds then project this self-concept back onto God, expecting punishment for such rebellion. We thus become not co-Creators with God, but miscreators, separated from Her Kingdom.
**A D EEP SLEEP FELL UPON ADAM**

**_" And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon  
Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs,_**

**_and closed up the flesh instead thereof; "_**

_Genesis 2:21_

_Man 's Spiritual eye can sleep, but a sleeping eye can still see. What is seen in dreams seems to be very real. The Bible mentions that "a deep sleep fell upon Adam," and nowhere is there any reference to his waking up. T-2.I.13.5:7_

Adam is simply a metaphor for the sleeping mind of the Child of God. The mind became fragmented, resulting in forgetfulness, which can be likened to a deep sleep. Dreams only occur in a sleeping state and the dreamer most times does not realize that the dream is merely their own imagination. No matter how real it may seem, the temporal, imperfect, and fearful nature of dreams merely portrays the opposite of Reality. These aspects of dreams are illusory because God, in Her infinite wisdom, did not create them.

_When the "deep sleep" fell upon Adam, he was in a condition to experience nightmares **because** he was asleep. If a light is suddenly turned on while someone is dreaming a fearful dream, he may initially interpret the light itself as a part of his own dream and be afraid of it. However, when he awakens the light is correctly perceived as the **release** from the dream, which is no longer accorded reality. T-2.I.15.5:7_

When sleep is upon you, your individual mind is not aware that it forms a part of a collective mind, and it dreams that it is separate. As a result, the nightmare of separation prevails. There is ambivalence as to the nature of Reality. Thus, sleep is a state of enduring solitude, vulnerability, and abandonment because in sleep, your true identity is obscured.

In order for a nightmare--and the fear it has engendered--to dissipate, waking must be a gentle process. If the process is too abrupt, your nightmare may vanish but the fear will remain. Lingering fear provides the building blocks for another nightmare to arise, thus perpetuating a troublesome cycle. Gentle awakening into a comforting state of love allows trust to build while easing the fear-ridden mind.
**L IES OF THE SERPENT**

**_" And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."_**

_Genesis 3:4-5_

_When the "lies of the serpent" were introduced, they were specifically called "lies" because they are not true. When man listened, all he heard was untruth. He does not have to continue to believe what is not true unless he chooses to do so. All of his miscreation can literally disappear in "the twinkling of an eye" because they are merely visual misperceptions. T-2.I.13.1:4_

Our decision to perceive separation brings about a world of separation, where everything opposes Reality. When our mind is aware only of the world of separation, Reality seems counter-intuitive.

No matter how familiar our world may be to us, our heart yearns for Reality. It has never forgotten its home, in spite of the fact that the mind has done so.

A decision to perceive unity brings about the Real World. Such is the Law of Cause and Effect. The instant our minds make this internal shift, the external shift follows. All effects of separation subside when the mind elects to love. This is the path we must pave for ourselves in order to return to our real home.
**N O OTHER GODS BEFORE ME**

**_" Thou shalt have no other gods before me."_**

_Exodus 20:3_

_No force except your own will is strong enough or worthy enough to guide you. In this you are as free as God and must remain so forever. You can never be bound except in honor, and that is always voluntary. Let us ask the Father in my name to keep you mindful of His love for you and yours for Him. He has never failed to answer this request because it asks only for what He has already willed. Those who call truly are **always** answered. Thou shalt have no other gods before Him because there **are** none. T-4.V.51.1:7_

Because we are extensions of the Creator of freedom, we are not only capable of creating our own experience, but we are ceaselessly doing so and will do so for Eternity. However, our freedom allows us to direct our minds as we choose, and we are free to construct a prison instead of Reality. In truth, this prison is an illusion and the Child of God is limitless, bound only by the thoughts it protects. The Holy Spirit is our guide out of bondage and Jesus is the example we can follow to freedom.

Through prayer we realign with the Path that restores our mind to the Kingdom. It is God's Will that we treasure the freedom that we would willingly discard...and if we desire to regain the freedom we have rejected, God will always answer the prayer of our heart. Holding God at the center of our being is the prayer which ensures a return to our true nature.

_I do not bring God 's message with deception, and you will learn this as you learn that you always receive as much as you **accept**. You could accept peace **now** for everyone you meet and offer them perfect freedom from **all** illusions because **you** heard. But have no other gods before Him, or you will **not** hear. God is not jealous of the gods you make, but **you** are. You would save them and serve them, because you believe that they made **you**. You think they are your father, because you are projecting onto them the fearful fact that **you** made them to **replace** God. Yet when they seem to speak to you, remember that nothing **can** replace God, and whatever replacements you have attempted **are** nothing. T-9.X.81.1:7_

The ego wants us to give our power away by placing our devotion on distinctive aspects of our mundane-world experience. These temporary idols--these graven images of God--cannot provide the love and guidance that our Creator bestows.

When we truly grasp the concept of God, we understand that God is not an individual entity but is instead all-encompassing. When we surrender to our true God-nature, not only do we recognize that it is impossible to worship an exclusive deity or other gods, we have no desire to do so.
**T HE SINS OF THE FATHERS**

**_" Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."_**

_Exodus 34:7_

_" I will visit the sins of the fathers unto the third and fourth generation," as interpreted by the ego, is particularly vicious. It is used, in fact, as an attempt to guarantee its survival beyond itself. Actually, all the quotation means is that the Holy Spirit in later generations retains the power to interpret **correctly** what former generations have thought and thus release **their** thoughts from the ability to produce fear anywhere in the Sonship. T-5.VIII.77.1-6_

The ego's main objective is that you perpetuate a cycle of sin, guilt, and punishment--for yourself and others.

The past does not exist, but there is a belief that it does. Therefore, we are assured that the "past" is healed as easily as the present. This guarantee liberates us from the belief that something other than ourselves holds power over us, and in this way, it enables us to assume full responsibility for the present moment.
**T HINE IS THE KINGDOM**

**_" Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all."_**

_1 Chronicles 29:11_

_Appeal everything you believe gladly to God 's own Higher Court, because it speaks for Him and therefore speaks truly. It will dismiss the case against you, however carefully **you** have built it. The case may be foolproof, but it is **not** God-proof. The Voice for God will not hear it at all because He can only witness truly. His verdict will always be "Thine is the Kingdom" because He was **given** you to remind you of what you are. T-5.VIII.80.1:5_

At the moment of your creation, you were given the power to extend Heaven onto earth. Reality is meant to be joyous, peaceful, and loving. Anything that is not so has no real substance, as it is a result of false imagining. When correctly applied, the seemingly paradoxical idea of "innocent power" demonstrates how easily you can create Heaven on earth.

The instant that Divinity is remembered and accepted, anything not derived from Source will disappear. A pure reflection of Heaven will reveal itself and it will remain your eternal Kingdom. This is God's Will. Thus, you have at your disposal all the help you need.

_When I said, "All power and glory are yours because the Kingdom is His," this is what I meant. T-8.III.13.7_

_The Will of God is without limit, and all power and glory lie within it. It is boundless in strength and in love and in peace. It has no boundaries because its extension is unlimited, and it encompasses all things because it created all things. By creating all things, it made them part of itself. **You** are the Will of God because that is how you were created. Because your Creator creates **only** like Himself, you **are** like Him. You are part of Him Who **is** all power and glory, and are therefore as unlimited as He is. T-8.III.13.1:7_

God's Power is inconceivable to those who are not active miracle-workers. To them, the world has immutable laws. In the world, "power" has degrees, and collusion between those "in power" renders "the weak" incapable of counteracting the effects of the "mighty." Too many obstacles are heavily reinforced for there to be any meaningful change toward equality and harmony.

Miracle-workers have trained their minds to identify and relinquish illusions and have seen their experience change for the better. They repeat this method until they achieve a tranquil mind and are certain that only the mind is causal--only the mind can make or create. They recognize that nothing more is asked of them, and so they lovingly reinterpret what comes into their awareness, letting go of superfluous delusions of changing the world at large.

Miracle-workers are comforted knowing that light will always overcome darkness. Therefore, it can (and will) ultimately vanquish all miscreation. If the ego had its way, the experience of fear, separation, and death would last forever. However, when Jesus or any one of us becomes the Christ, we are given lordship over space and time. We become omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, holding dominion over all things (including the minds of the separated). This means that no chance exists for human or artificial intelligence to derail God's Great Plan to gently reawaken our sleepy, fragmented minds to the Reality of Unity-consciousness.

In order to be of true usefulness to the Great Plan, we must accept fully the idea that there is "no order of difficulty." As a Spirit-identified Mind, all power and glory are yours. You return to the heavenly symphony of Creation, rejoicing in and with It for Eternity. Simultaneously, you strengthen the Voice for God in all those who still perceive themselves as separate. This strengthening speeds up your learning process within time...you realize that Totality is all you desire...and time becomes unnecessary.
**T HE RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE**

**_" Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead."_**

_2 Chronicles 24:27_

_For perfect effectiveness, the Atonement belongs at the center of the inner altar, where it undoes the separation and restores the wholeness of the mind. Before the separation, the mind was invulnerable to fear because fear did not exist. Both the separation **and** the fear are miscreations of the mind which must be undone. This is what is meant by "the restoration of the temple." It does not mean the restoration of the building but the opening of the altar to receive the Atonement. This heals the separation and places **within** man the one defense against **all** separation mind-errors which can make him perfectly invulnerable. T-2.II.46.1:6_

The inner altar is a symbol representing devotion, which is determined by a decision to swear allegiance to idols or to God. When we place our desire to unite with God above all our other desires, we allow for the healing that will reestablish oneness in our Mind.

Fear is a post-separation idea and is unnatural. If the illusion of fear is present in our minds, we must correct it. Once we identify that fearful thoughts in our minds are illusory, we can transmute and forget them. By abolishing fear and restoring True Power in the mind, we are restoring the Temple.
**P REPARE A TABLE**

**_" Thou preparest a table before me in the presence_**

**_of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;_**

**_my cup runneth over. "_**

_Psalm 23:5_

_Grace is an aspect of the Love of God which is most like the state prevailing in the unity of truth. It is the world 's most lofty aspiration, for it leads beyond the world entirely. It is past learning yet the goal of learning, for grace cannot come until the mind prepares itself for true acceptance. Grace becomes inevitable instantly in those who have prepared a table where it can be gently laid and willingly received, an altar clean and holy for the gift. W-169.p1.1.1:4_

In order to embody perfection we must acknowledge God's Perfection. With a graceful mind, we can overlook all errors and act lovingly. As we maintain the idea of love in our minds, all of our actions will naturally be graceful.

To effortlessly extend the grace of God should be our goal in this world. We must open our minds so we may receive grace in order that we may be purified and live in grace. Our pure mind, free of lovelessness, is the table we have prepared, to which we welcome God through our holiness.
**T HE WICKED SHALL PERISH**

**_" But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume;_** **_into smoke shall they consume away. "_**

_Psalm 37:20_

_ "The wicked shall perish" is merely a statement of fact if the word "perish" is properly understood. Every loveless thought must be undone. Even the word "undone" is fearful to the ego, which interprets "I am undone" as "I am destroyed." T-5.VIII.77.1:6_

This is a kind reassurance, not a fearful warning. Every part of God's Creation is pure holiness, and holiness reveals unholiness as illusory. Here, we are meant to feel relieved and assured. Illusion holds no power and evil is sure to be vanquished because it is God's Will, and God's Will never fails.
**N AME OF GOD**

**_" I will praise the name of God with a song..."_**

_Psalm 69:30_

_Repeat the name of God and call upon your Self, Whose name is His. Repeat His name and all the tiny, nameless things on earth slip into right perspective. Those who call upon the name of God cannot mistake the nameless for the name, nor sin for grace, nor bodies for the holy Son of God. W.p1.183.5.1:3_

God is all-encompassing. Repeating Her Name is a symbolic gesture, a stepping-stone to an all-encompassing idea. As we repeat this call, our minds open and we accept the idea of God. We subsequently recognize that all worldly ideas are insignificant and that all fragments are parts of one, interrelated whole. This realization is the rebirth of the Self, Who is like Her Creator.

_Turn to the name of God for your release, and it is given you. No prayer but this is necessary, for it holds them all within it. Words are insignificant and all requests unneeded when God 's Son calls on his Father's Name. His Father's thoughts become his own. He makes his claim to all his Father gave, is giving still, and will forever give. He calls on Him to let all things he thought he made be nameless now, and in their place the holy name of God becomes his judgment of their worthlessness. W-p1.183.11.1:6_

God is beyond this world...She abides in us. Yet we have chosen to break our communication with Her by entertaining the worthless, fearful, limiting, and hostile ideas of the ego. We can transcend this secular world of lack and ambivalence by remaining steadfast in our desire to reunite with Her above all else. There is no set process required, we need simply to call Her Name. What we ask wholeheartedly of Her, She gives. The condition for receiving Her is a statement of Truth: There is nothing in this world I desire, only God fulfills me.

_God has no name. And yet His name becomes the final lesson that all things are one, and at this single lesson learning ends. All names are unified; all space is filled with truth 's reflection. Every gap is closed and separation healed. The name of God is the inheritance He gave to those who chose the teaching of the world to take the place of Heaven. In our practicing, our purpose is to let our minds accept what He has given as the answer to the pitiful inheritance you made as fitting tribute to the Son He loves. W.p1.184.12.1:6_

By naming people or things, we define, judge, and limit them. We were created without limits; any word we use to define ourselves falls short and ultimately is inaccurate. We should not qualify the Creator of limitlessness by naming Her and the same applies to what we are in Truth. When we cease to think of particulars and focus instead on the abstract reality that is God, we rekindle the experience of oneness, or Heaven. Thus, we reclaim the inheritance we put aside when we chose to separate things instead of seeing them as individual aspects of the Whole--it calmly awaits our re-acceptance.
**P RAISE GOD**

**_" Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary:_** **_praise him in the firmament of his power. "_**

_Psalm 150:1_

_The Bible repeatedly states that you should praise God. This hardly means that you should tell Him how wonderful He is. He has no ego with which to accept such thanks and no perception with which to judge such offerings. But unless you take your part in the creation, His joy is not complete because **yours** is incomplete. And **this** He does know. He knows it in His own Being and its experience of His Son's experience. T-4.VIII.100.1:7_

We do not praise God through compliments or adoration but instead by becoming co-Creators with Her.

By performing miracles, we recollect how great the Creator is. This is a service to ourselves and others that forges Divine Purpose, the extension of unconditional love, in our hearts. As God's Successors, this is our only creative function in time and Eternity.

_God is praised whenever any mind learns to be wholly helpful. This is impossible without being wholly harmless because the two beliefs coexist. The truly helpful are invulnerable because they are **not** protecting their egos, so that nothing **can** hurt them. Their helpfulness **is** their praise of God, and He will return their praise of Him because they are like Him, and they can rejoice together. God goes out to them and through them, and there is great joy throughout the Kingdom. Every mind that is changed adds to this joy with its own individual willingness to share in it. The truly helpful are God's miracle workers whom I direct until we are all united in the joy of the Kingdom. I will direct you to wherever you can be truly helpful and to whoever can follow my guidance through you. T-4.VIII.102.1:8_

A mind that opposes or vacillates is inconsistent and cannot experience the consistency found in God's Kingdom. The remedy for the idea of separation (grandiosity) is the acknowledgment of Creation's inherent oneness (grandeur). Prayer re-establishes the mind's forgotten sacred foundation and stabilizes our capacity to think with God. The more this capacity increases, the more our minds heal. Consequently, we express loving thoughts, which increases our happiness and our ability to help others. Those we are capable of helping will come to us and will share in the joy of increasing the Kingdom.
**K NOW THYSELF**

**_" That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth_** **_to them that send unto thee? "_**

_Proverbs 22:21_

_The Bible instructs you to " **know** yourself" or be **certain**. Certainty is **always** of God. When you love someone, you have perceived him as he is, and this makes it possible for you to **know** him. However, it is not until you **recognize** him that you **can** know him. While you ask questions about God, you are clearly implying that you do **not** know Him. Certainty does not require action. When you say that you are **acting** on the basis of knowledge, you are really confusing perception and cognition. Knowledge brings the mental strength for creative **thinking** but **not** for right **doing**. Perception, miracles, and doing are closely related. Knowledge is the result of revelation and induces only thought. Perception involves the body, even in its most spiritualized form. Knowledge comes from the altar within and is timeless because it is certain. To perceive the truth is **not** the same as knowing it. T-3.V.35.1:12_

Knowledge is quiet, still. It is an outcome of revelatory experience. Although understanding that perfection already exists is different from witnessing this perfection, it is a step in the right direction. "I need do nothing" is an expression that results from Revelation. It describes and confirms that actions and specific outcomes of form are not necessary.

Holding inner certainty in spite of external projections is what will ultimately be of service during the transformation of illusion into Truth. Certainty is an inner state that transcends perception. Its presence indicates the end of learning, which is the embodiment and extension of unconditional love.

_The goal of the curriculum, regardless of the teacher you choose, is **know thyself**. There is nothing else to learn. Everyone is looking for himself and for the power and glory he thinks he has lost. Whenever you are with anyone, you have another opportunity to find them. Your power and glory are in him, **because** they are yours. The ego tries to find them in **yourself** , because it does not know where to look. The Holy Spirit teaches you that if you look **only** at yourself, you **cannot** find yourself because that is not what you **are**. T-8.IV.20.1:7_

The only purpose of the world is to remember our power and glory. The ego attempts to reach this goal by refining its self-concept. It adds things to itself in an attempt to increase its value, however, it perpetually feels insufficient because worldly things are not where value can be found.

Bodily identification is characterized by emptiness and discomfort, just as Spirit identification is characterized by fullness and glory. The contrasting effects of these opposing identities are overwhelmingly obvious. Teach glory to learn it.

Those who embody the True Self have let go of worldly pursuits in order to advance in the direction of knowledge. They recognize that the more they let go of externally-focused desires and beliefs, the more they are able to tap into knowledge. Knowledge is found in unity with God and Her Children, and so the means for remembering the complete abstraction of God is through Her Children.

Each miracle of forgiveness removes obstacles which impede our Holy Relationship(s)...benefiting the entire world. When even for a moment we forget any separate interests, the memory of universal perfection will return to us and to our relations.
**T HERE IS NO DEATH**

**_" In the way of righteousness there is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death."_**

_Proverbs 12:28_

_Death is a human affirmation of a belief in "[hate]," or level confusion. That is why the Bible says, "There **is** no death" and why I demonstrated that death does not exist. I came to fulfill the law by **reinterpreting** it. The law itself, if properly understood, offers only protection to man. It is those who have not yet "changed their minds" who entered the "hellfire" concept into it. T-1.I.65.3:7_

Only those who value the idea of punishment accept the possibility of eternal damnation after death. Hell is not a place. It is a temporary self-inflicted state induced by a guilt-stricken mind.

Because the Child of God sought something other than Eternity and love, a world of hate and death arose. This dream is the antithesis of Reality. The original purpose of form was merely a means by which to observe different expressions of the Divine.

When humankind began to regard the unique expressions of the Divine as separate from one another, we began to instill level confusion--the concept of unity versus duality--into our minds. This dream is the experience of the impossible, for everything in space-time reproduces separation and death. If we hold a belief in duality, we err. In truth, there are no separate parts or levels in or of Reality.

In Reality, life is a continuum. Death is a choice and the mind can be trained to abolish this belief. There can be no greater accomplishment than to realize this truth. As we make a mental shift and "change our minds," a new world arises. And in our experience of this new world, we confirm that we are conjoined with eternal life, and so it is.

Jesus Christ reinterpreted the dream and remembered to love and join with all of God's Creation. This is how he embodied God's Laws and resurrected as the perfect example. Christ's Vision is also in you, readily accessible, to guide you toward your Divine Inheritance of immortality.
**F EAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS**

**_" Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:_** **_Fear God, and keep his commandments:_** **_for this is the whole duty of man. "_**

_Ecclesiastes 12:13_

_" Fear God and keep His commandments" should read " **Know** God and accept His certainty." There are no strangers in His creation. To create as He created, you can create only what you **know** and accept as yours. God knows His Children with perfect certainty. He created them **by** knowing them. He recognized them perfectly. When they do not recognize each other, they do not recognize Him. T-3.V.37.6:12_

Sooner or later, everybody will recognize that in order to become co-Creators, we must abide by God's Laws. Only then is access to True Power possible. Achieving equality and inner peace--and resolving to hold these as our only true purpose--will hasten this outcome. When the Self is aligned with God's Attributes, God's Laws come into effect naturally. The Divine Order allows us extension without limits, and when we move in tandem with Divine Power, we walk in certainty.
**G OD WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE**

**_" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind_** **_is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. "_**

_Isaiah 26:3_

_The idea of "set" is among the better psychological concepts. Actually, it is used quite frequently in the Bible and also in this course under many different terms. For example, "God will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed (or set) on Him," a statement which means that God's peace is set in the Holy Spirit because it is fixed on God. It is also fixed in you. You, then, **are** fixed in the peace of God. The concept of "fixation" is also a very helpful one which Freud understood perfectly. Unfortunately, he lost his understanding because he was afraid and, as you know all too well, fear is incompatible with good judgment. Fear distorts thinking and therefore **dis** orders thought. T-5.IX.83.1:8_

There is a positive connotation to the word "fixation" that is worth clarifying. God's pull on our minds is fixated; it can be no other way because our minds are attached to Her. The mind has fallen asleep and it is therefore given the symbol of the Holy Spirit as the call to return to wakefulness. The Holy Spirit is our Inner Voice and the messages it relays to us are consistent and oriented exclusively toward encouraging the experience of Unity. It will answer all of our questions in a gentle and certain tone, helping us to reinterpret the fears that block our awareness of peace.

Clarity of thought cannot occur while the mind vacillates in dreams. We feel pulled from outside instead of being motivated from within ourselves. This sense of external influence causes us to make outward forces responsible for our peace and happiness. This relinquishment of personal power brings forth in us further sensations of lack, ambivalence, and weakness.

When we identify and obey the Holy Spirit, we ensure that we are on the direct route to fulfillment. Our peaceful mind is able to follow the optimal path that leads to joyous outcomes.
**R EST IN PEACE**

**_" He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds,_** **_each one walking in his uprightness. "_**

_Isaiah 57:2_

_" Rest in peace" is a blessing for the living, not the dead, because rest comes from **waking** , not from sleeping. Sleep is withdrawing; waking is joining. Dreams are **illusions** of joining, taking on the ego's distortions about what joining means if you are sleeping under its guidance. Yet the Holy Spirit, too, has use for sleep and can use dreams on behalf of **waking** if you will let Him. T-8.IX.82.5:8_

The opposite of life is sleep, not death. Rest is the experience of the comforting, loving, and peaceful embrace of the Divine.

Therefore, if you desire rest, do not yearn for death to sweep you into an oblivion that you assume will bring bliss. If you are fatigued or disinterested, do not long for sleep or dream up fantasies to divert you from your tiresome reality.

Recognize these feeling as indicators that the Truth is inhibited in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to remove the illusions that are blocking the inspiration of Divinity from your experience. Upon shifting from ego to Spirit consciousness, effort automatically ceases, rest is restored, and all that you encounter is the equanimity of God's uplifting Peace.
**A N EW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH**

**_" For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD,_** **_so shall your seed and your name remain. "_**

_Isaiah 66:22_

_The world as **you** perceive it cannot have been created by the Father, for the world is **not** as you see it. God created **only** the eternal, and everything you see is perishable. Therefore, there must be another world which you do **not** see. The Bible speaks of a **new** Heaven and a **new** earth, yet this cannot be literally true, for the eternal are not **re** -created. To perceive **anew** is merely to perceive **again** , implying that before, or in the interval, you were not perceiving **at all**. What, then, is the world that awaits your perception when you **see** it? T-10.VIII.69.1:6_

God creates only the eternal, the perfect, and the loving. Our illusory world is a facade that obstructs this truth from our awareness. We are told that beyond this barrier lies the Real World: the translation of separation into Unity. Yet, this does not imply that the Real World will be newly created. The Real World has always existed and will return to our awareness when we meet its conditions.

"A new Heaven and a new earth" means that Heaven and earth will not continue to be barred by division. They will gently merge into one, dissolving the world of separation. Earth will take on Heaven's attributes and all of us will reclaim our Divine Inheritance.
**A S YE SOW, SHALL YE REAP**

**_" They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns:_** **_they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit:_** **_and they shall be ashamed of your revenues_** **_because of the fierce anger of the LORD. "_**

_Jeremiah 12:13_

_" As ye sow, so shall ye reap" merely means that what you believe to be worth cultivating you will cultivate in yourself. Your judgment of what is worthy **makes** it worthy for you. T-5.VIII.76.1:2_

God sees only perfection in Her Children and their creations. Her Children extend Her Kingdom in image and likeness.

Everything that lacks perfection is neutral. The world of separation is neutral, although its value is debated by those with vested interests. Their needs and wants establish a hierarchy based on their judgment of what is more or less valuable to them.

Belief in something implies acceptance of and allegiance to that thing. What you hold in high regard is what you focus your attention on. The Law of Projection establishes, then, that what you cherish or give power to will manifest in your experience. Whether the seeds you sow (cherished beliefs) are worldly or Divine, you will reap (manifest) their effects.

If you side with love consistently and see only perfection, you will feel a strong, profound, and meaningful sense of direction and completion that will engender lasting effects.
**L IGHT OF THE WORLD**

**_" Ye are the light of the world."_**

_Matthew 5:14_

_You are indeed the light of the world with such a function. The Son of God looks to you for his redemption. It is yours to give him, for it belongs to you. Accept no trivial purpose or meaningless desire in its place or you will forget your function and leave the Son of God in hell. This is no idle request that is being asked of you. You are asked to accept salvation that it may be yours to give. W-p1.63.2.1:6_

Do your worldly endeavors feel empty and unsatisfying? The Holy Spirit guides each of us to a special role in the salvation of the world, and when we do not assume our part, even "spectacular accomplishments" become unfulfilling. But when we emanate the light of the world, our mundane and previously disheartening endeavors are lit up and become beautiful and enriching. No matter where we go or what we do, the light dwells within us and brightens our world and all those who share it with us.

_The great peace of the Kingdom shines in your mind forever, but it must shine **outward** to make **you** aware of it. The Holy Spirit was given you with perfect impartiality and only by perceiving Him impartially can you perceive Him at all. The ego is legion, but the Holy Spirit is One. No darkness abides anywhere in the Kingdom, but your part is only to allow no darkness to abide in your **own** mind. This alignment with light is unlimited, because it is in alignment with the light of the world. Each of us **is** the light of the world, and by joining our minds **in** this light, we proclaim the Kingdom of God together and **as one**. T-6.III.38.1:6_

Holding grievances, attacking others, and being judgmental...all hide the light of the world from our awareness. Forgiveness and acceptance are loving gestures that we can offer in all situations. As we forgive and accept, all of our grievances, attack thoughts, and judgmental tendencies are washed away, and the memory and meaning of love are restored. When we become aware of and embrace our role in God's Plan, we confirm that we have immeasurable quantities of love to give.

_I promised you that the mind that made the decision for me is also in **you** and that you can let it change you just as it changed me. This mind is unequivocal, because it hears only **one** voice and answers in only **one** way. You are the light of the world with me. Rest does not come from sleeping but from waking. The Holy Spirit is the call to awake and be glad. The world is very tired, because it **is** the idea of weariness. Our task is the joyous one of waking it to the Call for God. Everyone will answer the Call of the Holy Spirit, or the Sonship cannot be as one. What better vocation could there be for any part of the Kingdom than to restore it to the perfect integration that can make it whole? T-5.IV.28.1:9_

"I am the light of the world" is a statement of truth, not a statement meant to foster pride or arrogance. Lightworkers know that true service entails humility and obedience to a higher order. This is not subservience, however, it arises from accepting our honorable role as bringers of light. Thus, light is not a reward for any given worldly accomplishment, but is instead intrinsic to our nature. As we light up the world, sickness and fatigue are replaced with genuine and lasting inspiration, vitality, and grace.
**T URN THE OTHER CHEEK**

**_" But I say unto you,_** **_That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee_** **_on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. "_**

_Matthew 5:39_

_Turning the other cheek does **not** mean that you should submit to violence without protest. It means that you cannot **be** hurt and do not want to show your brother anything **except** your wholeness. Show him that he **cannot** hurt you and hold nothing against him, or you hold it against yourself. Teaching is done in many ways: by formal means, by guidance, and above all **by example**. Teaching is therapy, because it means the **sharing** of ideas and the awareness that to share them is to **strengthen** them. The union of the Sonship **is** its protection. The ego cannot prevail against the Kingdom **because** it is united, and the ego fades away and is undone in the presence of the attraction of the parts of the Sonship, which hear the call of the Holy Spirit to be as One. T-5.VI.53.1:7_

When we put scripture into practice, it becomes true for us. Scripture tells us that when we attack, we give rise to illusions which become clouds that conceal the Christ in us. When we relinquish the desire to defend or attack, our inner Christ is revealed and we become invincible. But if we do not apply these principles, these and any other teachings become lofty, unattainable goals.

When we come to know God, we also come to know that nothing real can be threatened. We exemplify this truth through being tolerant and gentle. We demonstrate to ourselves and others that when we embody love, it is impossible for any part of our Self to be harmed, be it our spirit, mind, or body. Through letting go of our need for retribution, we reinforce the adage of "turning the other cheek" in the minds of those deluded by antagonism and we awaken them to new behavioral possibilities.

Forgiveness topples fearful thought systems at their foundation, leading to the strengthening of an individual's resolve to side with true strength. When we are peaceful, we demonstrate our peace through our compelling, joyful approach to life.
**H EAL ALL ERRORS**

**_" Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father_** **_which is in heaven is perfect. "_**

_Matthew 5:48_

_The Bible enjoins you to be perfect, to heal **all** errors, to take no thought of the body **as separate** , and to accomplish all things in my name. This is not my name alone, for ours is a shared identification. The name of God's Son is one, and you are enjoined to do the works of love, because we **share** this oneness. Our minds are whole **because** they are one. If you are sick you are withdrawing from me. Yet you cannot withdraw from me alone. You can only withdraw from yourself **and** me. T-8.IX.87.1:7_

Health and bliss are the only Reality because we are one mind and heart, united with our perfect Creator. This notion assumes that everyone experiences such a state, yet this is apparently not so. Thus, there is a need for healing.

Each one of us is responsible for our contribution to Reality. Accepting this responsibility entails that we ask for the healing of any error in our awareness before we attempt to be of service to others. Our willingness is demonstrated when we ask for healing, and is all that is needed for healing to take place.

Anyone who chooses to make their fearful thoughts conscious and allow them to be exchanged for loving thoughts is a miracle-worker. The statement "this too and more ye shall do" confirms that everyone can and will accept Christ-guided healing and attain perfection.

_You have surely begun to realize that this is a very practical course which means **exactly** what it says. So does the Bible, if it is properly understood. There has been a marked tendency on the part of many of the Bible's followers and also its translators to be entirely literal about fear and **its** effects but **not** about love and **its** results. Thus, "hellfire" means "burning," but raising the dead becomes allegorical. Actually, it is **particularly** the references to the outcomes of love which **should** be taken literally because the Bible is **about** love, being about God. T-8.IX.86.1:5_

The ego's foundation is in direct opposition to God's. That is why the ego emphasizes remembering offenses and minimizes remembering graces. Forgiveness, the central teaching of the Bible and the Course, is the means for perceiving only Truth. Forgiveness undoes guilt and restores innocence in the mind of the beholder. Such accurate valuation is the recognition of God's Judgment: all Her Children are innocent, loving, lovable, and perfect just as She created them.
**G O WITH A BROTHER TWICE AS FAR**

**_" And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile,_** **_go with him twain. "_**

_Matthew 5:41_

_The Bible says that you should go with a brother twice as far as he asks. It certainly does not suggest that you set him back on his journey. Devotion to a brother cannot set **you** back either. It can lead **only** to mutual progress. The result of genuine devotion is inspiration, a word which properly understood is the opposite of fatigue. To be fatigued is to be **dis** -spirited, but to be inspired is to be in the spirit. To be egocentric **is** to be dispirited, but to be Self-centered in the right sense is to be inspired, or in the Soul. The truly inspired are enlightened and cannot abide in darkness. T-4.I.1.1:8_

A peaceful Self holds no desire to join in others' illusions, as this would merely interfere with the Self's state of peace, which came to be precisely through relinquishing illusions.

To be of true support to our brother, we must not breathe life into his illusions. This includes condoning them as well as opposing them. If anybody asks you to join them in an illusory belief, go "twice as far" by perceiving beyond the miscreation. Beckon to him from the light of Truth. Frequently, doing this may entail bypassing the physical realm and joining with our brother strictly within the mental realm. By not participating in the furtherance of illusion, instead of adding to a fearful dream, we withdraw its charge. This "passive" form of reparation is possible on the grounds that ideas are strengthened when they are shared.
**T HE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH**

**_" Blessed are the meek:_** **_for they shall inherit the earth. "_**

_Matthew 5:5_

_The Atonement is a **total** commitment. You still think this is associated with loss. This is the same mistake **all** the separated ones make in one way or another. They cannot believe that a defense which cannot attack **is** the best defense. This is what is meant by "the meek shall inherit the earth." They will literally take it over because of their strength. A two-way defense is inherently weak precisely **because** it has two edges and can turn against the self very unexpectedly. This tendency cannot be controlled **except** by miracles. T-2.II.42.1:8_

By living with gentleness and love, the defenseless are perfectly safe and can conquer any threat that appears on their path. The ego, however, considers defenselessness to be a threat. All separated minds are in need of healing--and this entails being mindful that we are capable only of attacking ourselves. If we believe ourselves to be bodies, we will believe that attack and defense are valuable tools necessary for survival. The opposite is actually true; these postures consistently engender dramatic, unfavorable results. But when this seemingly eternal cycle of suffering is halted, Divine Order is re-established.

_Of your egos you can do nothing to save yourselves or others, but of your Souls you can do everything for the salvation of both. Humility is a lesson for the ego, **not** for the Soul. The Soul is beyond humility because it recognizes its radiance and gladly sheds its light everywhere. The meek shall inherit the earth because their egos are humble, and this gives them better perception. The Kingdom of Heaven is the **right** of the Soul, whose beauty and dignity are far beyond doubt, beyond perception, and stand forever as the mark of the Love of God for His creations, who are wholly worthy of Him and **only** of Him. Nothing else is sufficiently worthy to be a gift for a creation of God Himself. T-4.II.19.1:6_

Complete dependence on God opens the way for us to embody all Power and Glory. When you trust wholly in God, your mind merges with the Divine Mind, the prideful ego-nature falls away, separation gives way to unity, and your mind is healed. An unhealed mind can accomplish nothing, but a healed mind is humbled and thereby naturally manifests a Whole, redeemed world. When perceived correctly, humility is strength; it does not oppose or hide in shame. It holds the certainty that all of Creation is the Will of God and recognizes that each fragment of Creation is perfectly equal and contains the Whole within it. This, in turn, allows for perfection to be manifested and perceived at all times.
**F ORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES**

**_" For if ye forgive men their trespasses,_** **_your heavenly Father will also forgive you: "_**

_Matthew 6:14_

_Accept the one illusion which proclaims there is no condemnation in God 's Son, and Heaven is remembered instantly; the world forgotten, all its weird beliefs forgotten with it, as the face of Christ appears unveiled at last in this one dream. This is the gift the Holy Spirit holds for you from God your Father. Let today be celebrated both on earth and in your holy home as well. Be kind to both, as you forgive the trespasses you thought them guilty of, and see your innocence shining upon you from the face of Christ. W.p1.198.12.1:4_

We adopt certain postures in order to defend our varying beliefs. The resulting trials and tribulations exhaust us because they create an unnatural condition for us. Our natural condition is free of personas, and therefore free from illusion. Forgiveness is the illusion that ends all illusions because it mirrors the oneness of Heaven. The moment we forgive, God's Peace is bestowed upon us. When our minds adopt an attitude of forgiveness, Heaven is restored to our awareness. We forget the sorrows of the illusory world, find peace and balance, and return to innocence.

_You who believe that you can choose to see the Son of God as you would have him be, forget not that no concept of yourself will stand against the truth of what you are. Undoing truth would be impossible. But concepts are not difficult to change. **One** vision, clearly seen, that does not fit the picture as it was perceived before will change the world for eyes that learn to see, because the concept of the **self** has changed. Are **you** invulnerable? Then the world is harmless in your sight. Do **you** forgive? Then is the world forgiving, for you have forgiven it its trespasses and so it looks on you with eyes that see as yours. Are **you** a body? So is all the world perceived as treacherous and out to kill. T-31.VI.66.1:10_

Love has always been the only truth. Its opposite, fear, has existed only as illusion. Our simple, easy acceptance of this truth leads to enlightenment. Since we reflect our thoughts outward, we are able to see clearly the seeds we have sown. We can recognize that we ourselves are the source of all the attack and sorrow we see around us. Then, we can make a conscious choice to eradicate these and instead sow seeds of love. Once we make the direct correlation between our thoughts and the world and assume responsibility for our experience, we can willingly correct all of our erroneous projections through forgiving ourselves and extending that forgiveness to others. This is why the Lord's Prayer includes the idea of forgiving ourselves as well as all others--adherence to this maxim is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven.
**B Y THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM**

**_" Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."_**

_Matthew 7:20_

_You have taught freedom, but you have not learned how to be free. We once said, "By their fruits ye shall know them, and they shall know themselves." For it is certain that you judge yourself according to your teaching. The ego's teaching produces immediate results because its decisions are immediately accepted as **your** choice. And this acceptance means that you are willing to judge yourself accordingly. Cause and effect are very clear in the ego's thought system because all your learning has been directed towards **establishing** the relationship between them. And would you not have faith in what you have so diligently taught yourself to believe? Yet remember how much care you have exerted in choosing its witnesses and in avoiding those which spoke for the cause of truth and **its** effects. T-16.IV.22.1:8_

We all seek certainty by attempting to correlate cause and effect. Both ego and the Holy Spirit use this strategy to influence and guide our minds. The difference between their approaches lies in that the ego is selective in how it manages the mind--it chooses to magnify certain things, minimize others, and present witnesses who reinforce its cherished beliefs.

The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, gives equal importance to the whole picture. It regards all witnesses as indicators of the content of the mind, and as such it is able to point out the error that needs to be corrected, as well as to assert the Truth.

Healing and learning come to an end, whereupon both our inner and outer worlds resonate with peace and love.

_As you awaken other minds to the Holy Spirit through Him and **not** yourself, you will understand that you are not obeying the laws of this world, but that the laws you are obeying **work**. "The good is what works" is a sound, though insufficient, statement. **Only** the good **can** work. Nothing else works at all. This course is a guide to behavior. Being a very direct and very simple learning situation, it provides the Guide who **tells** you what to do. If you do it, you will **see** that it works. Its **results** are more convincing than its words. They will convince you that the words are true. By following the right Guide you will learn the simplest of all lessons-- **by their fruits ye shall know them, and they shall know themselves.** T-9.IV.29.1:10_

In ego-driven relationships, when an unfolding situation does not meet our expectations, we often turn from expressing ourselves lovingly to expressing emotions based in fear. Anger, blame, and self-pity are just some of the emotions we use to elicit a hoped-for result. If we are satisfied with the inconsistent results this tactic brings, we will never find lasting happiness or cultivate authentic, loving relationships.

When we become fed-up with vacillating between behavioral tactics, realizing that they repeatedly fail, we relinquish our old ways and thereafter live a gentle and honest life. We have learned that love is the appropriate expression in all situations and we exemplify only love because something in our hearts simply _knows_ that "love is the answer."

Our loving expressions are God-like expressions. They communicate that we are love, only love is necessary, and love is all we really have to give.
**J UDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT BE JUDGED**

**_" Judge not, that ye be not judged."_**

_Matthew 7:1_

_We have already discussed the Last Judgment in some though insufficient detail. After the Last Judgment there will be no more. This is symbolic only in the sense that everyone is much better off **without** judgment. When the Bible says, "Judge not that ye be not judged" it merely means that if you judge the reality of others at all, you will be unable to avoid judging your own. The choice to judge rather than to know was the cause of the loss of peace. Judgment is the process on which perception, but **not** cognition, rests. We have discussed this before in terms of the selectivity of perception, pointing out that evaluation is its obvious prerequisite. T-3.VIII.61.1:6_

The Last Judgment is the moment when the Child of God judges for the last time. Judgment always involves dissociation. Figuratively speaking, pointing a finger always leaves three pointing back. We are one; and that which is rejected intrinsically induces an inner sentiment of self-rejection. Therefore, wisdom is the relinquishment of judgment.
**S EEK AND YE SHALL FIND**

**_" Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"_**

_Matthew 7:7_

_When the Bible says, "Seek and ye shall find," it does not mean that you should seek blindly and desperately for something you would not recognize. Meaningful seeking is consciously undertaken, consciously organized, and consciously directed. The goal must be formulated clearly **and kept in mind**. As a teacher with some experience, let me remind you that learning and **wanting** to learn are inseparable. All learners learn best when they believe that what they are trying to learn is of **value** to them. However, values in this world are hierarchical, and not everything you may want to learn has lasting value. T-4.VI.73.1:6_

Trust, patience, honesty, tolerance, gentleness, joy, defenselessness, generosity, faithfulness, and open-mindedness are the outcome of learning through Christ. The curriculum is unambiguous because the goal is not divided. Thus, means and end are congruent. Allow this truth to influence your will and your Divine Characteristics will swiftly develop.

The purpose of mind training is to experience first-hand the relationship between cause and effect. Once this correlation is witnessed, it becomes nearly impossible to entertain a victim mentality. Keep this in mind. Become enthusiastic about being guided. Do as you are told. Relinquish any propensity to go along with only what you deem convenient. This is the way of Christ; the way which offers an eternal, joyous present instead of thousands of years of needless misery.

_Now we would see and hear and learn. "What is salvation, Father?" Ask and you will be answered. Seek and you will find. We are no longer asking the ego what salvation is and where to find it. We are asking it of truth. Be certain, then, that the answer will be true because of Whom you ask. W.p1.72.14.1:7_

You must have faith in what the Holy Spirit tells us, even if you have not yet experienced it for yourself. This stage will be short-lived if your will is focused. There is a stark contrast between deciding with the ego and deciding with the Holy Spirit--your choice will produce diametrically opposed results. After having tested both, you will no doubt prefer the consistent, loving outcomes of the Holy Spirit, and so rely upon Her as the basis for all your decisions.

_Do you realize that the ego must set you on a journey which cannot **but** lead to a sense of futility and depression? To seek and **not** to find is hardly joyous. Is this the promise **you** would keep? The Holy Spirit offers you another promise, and one that will lead to joy. For **His** promise is always, "Seek and you will **find** ," and under His guidance you cannot **be** defeated. His is the journey to **accomplishment** , and the goal He sets before you He will **give** you. For He will never deceive God's Son whom He loves with the Love of the Father. T-11.V.39.1:7_

Your best interest is always the primary concern of the Holy Spirit. He considers all variables that are far beyond your capacity to compute and gives you a simple answer. Upon relinquishing the stress of deciding for yourself, you will develop unwavering trust of the One Whose decisions are always in your best interest. They are perfect because they come from God.

_Seek and **find** His message in the holy instant, where all illusions are forgiven. From there the miracle extends to bless everyone and to resolve all problems, be they perceived as great or small, possible or impossible. There is nothing that will not give place to Him and to His majesty. To join in close relationship with Him is to accept relationships as **real** , and through their reality to give over all illusions for the reality of your relationship with God. Praise be to your relationship with Him and to no other. The truth lies there and nowhere else. You choose this or **nothing**. T-16.VIII.80.1:7_

The present moment is the closest experience to Eternity that time permits. In the present, the mind is neither wrestling with the past nor with the future. Now is a moment of still certainty. From a point of unwavering peace, the heart sings in gratitude and in awe of God and extends blessings to all Creation. Of all the multitude of experiences the world has to offer, none come close to the joy of sharing in true, Divine Relationships.
**I C OME NOT TO BRING PEACE BUT A SWORD**

**_" Think not that I am come to send peace on earth:_**

**_I came not to send peace, but a sword. "_**

_Matthew 10:34_

_There are two glaring examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament, whose whole gospel is **only** the message of love. These are not like the several slips into impatience which I made. I had learned the Atonement prayer, which I also came to teach, too well to engage in upside-down thinking myself. If the Apostles had not felt guilty, they never could have quoted me as saying, "I come not to bring peace but a sword." This is clearly the exact opposite of everything I taught. T-6.II.20.1:5_

Jesus fulfilled his function perfectly during his time in the world. Despite his intolerance on a few occasions, his teachings remained untainted by the ego. No matter what erroneous interpretations may have arisen, his central teaching was, and is, unconditional love.
**A LL PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED**

**_" Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,_** **_and ye shall have them. "_**

_Mark 11:24_

_The Bible emphasizes that **all** prayers are answered, and this must be true if no effort is wasted. The very fact that one has asked the Holy Spirit for **anything** will ensure a response. Yet it is equally certain that **no** response given by the Holy Spirit will **ever** be one which would increase fear. It is possible that His answer will not be heard at all. It is **impossible** , however, that it will be lost. There are many answers which you have already received but have not yet **heard**. I assure you that they are waiting for you. It is indeed true that no effort is wasted. T-8.XI.109.1:8_

We have only one need and God has already bestowed it upon all of us: Her Love. The attributes Love possesses cover all aspects of our existence, ensuring peace, health, and abundance. Although we do not have to ask for that which is continually and freely given to all, our heart and mind must be aligned with truth in order to experience it.

Until we are aligned, we will have a tendency to manifest illusions, thus it will appear as if God has not answered our prayer.

When experiencing lack, it would be sensible to ask for an inner shift that will provide the state of completion and safety we seek, instead of asking for a particular outcome. This practice will allow our mind to align with Source, and recognize and experience Its responses. Our inner state of completion carries God's Power, and permits effortless movements in form to take place.
**M Y YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN LIGHT**

**_" For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."_**

_Matthew 11:30_

_Hear only this through the Holy Spirit within you, and teach your brothers to listen as I am teaching you. When you are tempted by the wrong voice, call on me to remind you how to heal by sharing my decision **and making it stronger**. As we share this goal we increase its power to attract the whole Sonship and to bring it back into the Oneness in which it was created. Remember that "yoke" means "join together" and "burden" means "message." Let us reconsider the Biblical statement, "My yoke is easy and my burden light" in this way: "Let us join together, for my message is light." T-5.IV.29.1:5_

That which is Divine, your Being, can fully identify with perfect thoughts. Whenever you are uncertain, notice the egoic thoughts of fear and judgment arising within you. Cultivate the discipline to pause and turn within. Ask Christ-guidance to govern your mind when you experience any form of fear.

Everyone plays a part in bringing forth the realization that Salvation has come. The objective is already known: accepting the Christ within and uniting with others in this awareness.

Joining with others in the light of Truth causes a magnetic effect, attracting those still stumbling in darkness. As we conjoin in Truth, our collective ego weakens further and further...until it dissolves forever.
**M Y BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED**

**_" While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."_**

_Matthew 17:5_

_Thus is the body made a theory of yourself with no provisions made for evidence beyond itself and no escape within its sight. Its course is sure when seen through its own eyes. It grows and withers, flourishes and dies. And you cannot conceive of you apart from it. You brand it sinful, and you hate its acts, judging it evil. Yet your specialness whispers, "Here is my own beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Thus does the "son" become the means to serve his "father's" purpose. Not identical, not even like, but still a means to offer to the "father" what he **wants**. Such is the travesty on God's creation. For as His Son's creation gave Him joy and witness to His love and shared His purpose, so does the body testify to the idea that made it and speak for its reality and truth. T-24.VIII.71.1:10_

The body is "real" to the mind. The only fact that verifies this is that we experience ourselves as bodies. We accept its limitations and changes, concluding that a living body is a living self, and that the self dies when the body dies.

The body is a creation of the mind. Like all our creations in Heaven and on earth, we should appreciate and nurture our body because we created it. As creators, our purpose is to love and cherish our creations but this is not always the case. Since the body is only expressing the content of the mind of the self which created it, it can express itself as sick or healthy, weak or strong, hateful or loving. Its undesirable expressions cause us to attack the body, to be spiteful, to condemn it, or to use it in a destructive manner. But when we realize that we are not our body--for our body is a beautiful creation of our mind--we can love it unconditionally as a father loves his son.

God has infinite wisdom that we cannot grasp in our human condition. She created all of us through Her unconditional love and in likeness to Her eternal and perfect nature. No matter how "grotesquely" an ego might behave, it is equally deserving of full appreciation, love, and support. When this idea is firmly established in our minds and put into practice, God's Vision is restored to our awareness and our body becomes spirited and radiant.
**W HEN TWO OR MORE JOIN TOGETHER**

**_" For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."_**

_Matthew 18:20_

_This is characteristic of the ego 's judgments. Separately, they seem to hold, but put them together and the system of thought which arises from joining them is incoherent and utterly chaotic. For form is not enough for meaning, and the underlying lack of content makes a cohesive system impossible. Separation therefore remains the ego's chosen condition. For no one alone can judge the ego truly. Yet when two or more **join together** in searching for truth, the ego can no longer defend its lack of content. The fact of union **tells** them it is not true. T-7.VIII.54.1:7_

Truth can only be accessed in Unity. The concept of sharing is implicit in Unity and therefore, by joining our minds, we bring about the conditions necessary for Truth to be revealed.

From this standpoint, any insane, incoherent thought system will rightfully appear absurd and as utter nonsense.

The ego encourages individuality and separation in order to block the potential for the sharing that will enable the shift back into Divine Thought. Since Unity is our natural state, it is irresistible and cannot be suppressed for very long.

_It is impossible to remember God in secret and alone. For remembering Him means you are **not** alone and willing to remember it. Take no thought for yourself, for no thought you hold **is** for yourself. If you would remember your Father, let the Holy Spirit order your thoughts and give only the answer with which He answers you. Everyone seeks for love as you do and knows it not unless he joins with you in seeking it. If you undertake the search together, you bring with you a light so powerful that what you see is **given** meaning. The lonely journey fails because it has excluded what it would **find**. T-14.VI.55.1:7_

We awaken to God by restoring our collective identity. When we reinterpret all relationships as holy, we recognize our oneness. In order to arrive at this perception, we must see through and abandon the separate interests of our ego. Then, we become the Christ Who knows what it means to be a Child of God.

We are not alone in this shift. Our Inner Voice guides us because we called upon It. It is always there and always answers. With every person who enters our experience, we are given an opportunity to join with them and enter into Light's presence. A force of attraction increases our union and together we experience the power of the Way, Truth, and Life. When two of us become One, the Universe rejoices.
**B ECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN**

**_" And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."_**

_Matthew 18:2-3_

_Equality does not imply homogeneity now. When everyone recognizes that he has everything, individual contributions to the Sonship will no longer be necessary. When the Atonement has been completed, **all** talents will be shared by **all** the Sons of God. God is **not** partial. All His Children have His total love, and **all** His gifts are freely given to everyone alike. "Except ye become as little children" means that, unless you fully recognize your complete dependence on God, you cannot know the real power of the Son in his true relationship with the Father. T-1.I.88.1:6_

Presently, each of us must play a part in Salvation by developing abilities in service of the Whole. We are all parts of the Divine One--yet because every fragment believes itself to be separate, each has an individual path and will recognize Heaven at a different moment in time. When this is accomplished by all, service will be rendered unnecessary and individual skills will become attributes of the Collective.

To those who believe in time, completion can seem to be far in the future. In Reality, completion is the present state. Whenever any member of the Collective recognizes their dependence on God, they "become as little children" and are led into the state of wholeness that has access to real creative power.

_And then everything you made will be forgotten, the good and the bad, the false and the true. For as Heaven and earth become one, even the real world will vanish from your sight. The end of the world is not its destruction, but its **translation** into Heaven. The re-interpretation of the world is the transfer of **all** perception to knowledge. The Bible tells you to become as little children. Little children recognize that they do not understand what they perceive, and so they **ask** what it means. Do not make the mistake of believing that **you** understand what you perceive, for its meaning is lost to you. Yet the Holy Spirit has saved its meaning **for** you, and if you will **let** Him interpret it for you, He will restore what you have thrown away. As long as you think **you** know its meaning, you will see no need to ask it of Him. T-10.VIII.75.1:9_

Form is neutral, having no meaning in and of itself. This is exemplified by observing little children who question everything. They do this in order to understand what they see, feel, do, etc. When you re-adopt this posture--that is, when you surrender your preconceived notions about everything in the world--the Holy Spirit will reinterpret all of your egoic beliefs and restore your natural, holy state.

To re-frame your reality in this way requires that you relinquish your ideas of what the world is, because a divided will impedes this process of renewal. Your new understanding, a new meaning, must come strictly from the Holy Spirit's interpretation, for it alone is perfect. This interpretation leads out of perception and into Knowledge, wherein everything that is not real disappears. We cannot be a little bit in Heaven. For us to experience the everlasting nature of the Kingdom, no shred of egoic meaning can remain in our minds.
**M ANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN**

**_" For many are called, but few are chosen."_**

_Matthew 22:14_

_I cannot unite your will with God 's **for** you, but I **can** erase all misperceptions from your mind if you will bring it under my guidance. **Only** your misperceptions stand in your own way. Without them your choice is certain. Sane perception **induces** sane choosing. The Atonement was an act based on true perception. I cannot choose for you, but I **can** help you make your own right choice. "Many are called, but few are chosen" should read, " **All** are called, but few choose to listen. Therefore, they do not choose **right**." T-3.VI.49.1:8_

You are eternal, perfect, and loving, just as God created you. Requiring someone to save you would imply weakness, a quality that is not an attribute of the Child of God. Christ lives as a Voice within you and that Voice possesses all of the answers you need in order to align your mind with God. All that is required to return your mind to Heaven is a willingness to pay attention and then to carry out His instructions. Free will requires you to take this step voluntarily. Time waits on the separated, for they have not yet chosen constancy. However, ultimately they will choose, as constancy is the condition of the Kingdom.

_The "chosen ones" are merely those who choose right **sooner**. This is the real meaning of the celestial speed-up. Strong wills can do this **now** , and you **will** find rest for your Souls. God knows you only in peace, and this **is** your reality. T-3.VI.50.1:4_

Many enlightened beings have put their bodies aside to increase their usefulness and to reclaim their place in Heaven. Collectively, their reunited minds expand and enrich the Whole Mind, and the resultant energetic amplification attracts the separated and draws them into oneness.

There is nothing any enlightened being has achieved that you cannot match in this lifetime. With sustained willingness, consistent attention, and targeted intention, you can anchor your objectives, reach your goals, and thereby embody the peace of God. Your example will inspire others to do the same.
**H EAVEN AND EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY**

**_" Heaven and Earth shall pass away,_**  
 ** _but my words shall not pass away. "_**

_Matthew 24:35_

_The disciples were specifically told to be physicians of the Lord and to heal others. They were also told to **heal themselves** and were promised that I would never leave them or forsake them. Atonement is the natural profession of the Children of God, because they have professed me. "Heaven and earth shall pass away" simply means that they will not continue to exist as separate states. My word, which is the resurrection and the light, shall not pass away because light is eternal. **You** are the work of God, and His work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how a man **must** think of himself in his heart, because this is what he **is**. T-1.Int.34.1:7_

The disciples of Jesus Christ were the first to witness and acknowledge an example of peace that was not of this world. They did the best they could to teach peace and, therefore, to learn it. They walked with Jesus Christ and spread his gospel, and through witnessing miracles and blessings, they were reminded that Christ will not abandon a Child of God. Like the disciples, anyone who has been touched by a miracle recognizes the Risen Christ within themselves.

There is a connection between unity and duality that can be perceived in quiet reflection, upon gently calling God's Name. When you call, love will surely answer because love is what you are, and love naturally extends itself unto itself. Heaven and earth will become one reality: Heaven's attributes will be witnessed in form as well as formlessness.

Purification, or miracles, are the means by which Heaven and earth are reconciled. As the darkness (fear) is brought to the light (love), it vanishes; dreams of fear become dreams of love. Dreams of love are the transition between darkness and light. The mind, once chained with limitation, relaxes and new dimensions of Heaven are revealed.
**H IM WHO HATH SHALL BE GIVEN**

**_" For unto every one that hath shall be given,_** **_and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. "_**

_Matthew 25:29_

_It has well been said that to him who hath shall be given. Because he has, he can give. And because he gives, he shall be given. This is the law of God, and not of the world. So it is with God 's healers. They give because they have heard His Word and understood it. All that they need will thus be given them. But they will lose this understanding unless they remember that all they have comes only from God. If they believe they need anything from a brother, they will recognize him as a brother no longer. And if they do this, a light goes out even in Heaven. Where God's Son turns against himself, he can look only upon darkness. He has himself denied the light, and cannot see. P-3.II.4.1:11_

You cannot give what you do not have. However, it is counter-intuitive to recognize that giving is the means of getting. God's Laws of abundance are in direct opposition to the world's laws of scarcity. Fortunately, we can prove God's Laws in the world. Experiencing the effects of God's Laws is how a major thought reversal takes place in our minds, leading us to a new way of perceiving. This perception is the Christ, who already abides in each of us, calmly waiting for our acknowledgement and acceptance.

If we attempt to acquire things through external means, we enter into a dynamic of attack and defense. We look to external factors for what we can get from them or ward them off by protecting what is ours. This tumultuous means of getting and keeping does not follow God's Laws because it does not recognize the inherent oneness of all Creation. Lack is the prevailing belief in a mind that exemplifies this behavior and so lack pervades its experience.

Although the ego loves to receive material and emotional sustenance, it dislikes extending it, as it considers that anything it gives away results in personal loss. We must disprove this hypothesis in order to obtain joy and abundance. We do so by giving unconditionally whenever a situation calls for it. True giving is always loving and may take material form...or we may extend compassion, kindness, or forgiveness, among other things. We cannot really give anything but love to anyone or anything, nor can we really receive anything else from them. By bringing forth the love that is intrinsic to us all, we fulfill Divine Purpose, and effortlessly manifest abundance.
**L EAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION**

**_" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:_** **_the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. "_**

_Matthew 26:41_

_" Let me not forget my function."_

_Today 's idea is merely another way of saying, "Let me not wander into temptation." The purpose of the world you see is to obscure your function of forgiveness and provide you with a justification for forgetting it. It is the temptation to abandon God and His Son, taking on a physical appearance. It is this which the body's eyes look upon. W-p1.64.1.1:4_

Holy Spirit or ego? When we engage in egoic thinking, our mind wanders from its authentic state of love and unity. The world offers "important" distractions that obscure our sole purpose, deeming them to be far more necessary than love. We believe that we must meet the hierarchy of needs before we entertain spiritual advancement. Hence, our central lesson--that leads to health, happiness, and abundance--remains unlearned.

To the ego there are countless temptations that lead to "gratification." The irreconcilable nature of two opposing thought systems (spiritual versus egoic) tilts most of us in the direction of worldly pursuits. The vast majority of our relations are seeking similar goals, which validate and justify ours. When everyone we know is constantly building and fortifying their identity, it simply "does not make sense" to relinquish our own.

We cannot master God's Curriculum if we do not put it into practice. Those of us who have recognized the fleeting happiness of worldly accomplishments cease the pursuit of ego gratification. When we endeavor to follow the Divine Path, we may believe we are just trying yet another approach to happiness. However, as we abandon our worldly values and place them in the Divine, we find stability that we never imagined we could possess. We reconcile the differences in our minds and realize boundless freedom and happiness.

_Christ-controlled miracles are part of the Atonement, but Christ-guidance is personal (and leads to **personal** salvation). The impersonal nature of miracles is an essential ingredient, because this enables **me** to control their distribution. Christ-guidance leads to the highly **personal** experience of revelation. This is why it involves **personal** choice. A guide does **not** control, but he **does** direct, leaving the following up to you. "Lead us not into temptation" means "guide us out of our own errors." "Take up thy cross and follow me" means, "Recognize your errors and choose to abandon them by following my guidance". T-1.I.50.1:7_

Countless times we have been prideful, seeking pleasure or fulfillment with no success. Although we find ourselves with an empty feeling inside, we continue, striving to obtain different results. Yet, we will always be unsuccessful because the world of form will never offer us the satiation or the relief we seek. In order to find completion within, we need a Guide to help us abandon the temptation to search externally.

Identifying our self-defeating habits is the first step in relinquishing them. This step requires honesty. Honest learning is the willful action of opening up the mind to another way of perceiving. Jesus' exemplary life is our benchmark, it shows us right perception and action.
**I A M WITH YOU ALWAYS**

**_" Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have_** **_commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always,_** **_even unto the end of the world. Amen. "_**

_Matthew 28:20_

_When I said, "I am with you always," I meant it literally. I am not absent to **anyone** in **any** situation. **Because** I am always with you, **you** are the way and the truth and the light. You did not make this power, any more than I did. It was created to **be** shared and therefore cannot be meaningfully perceived as belonging to anyone **at the expense** of another. Such a perception makes it meaningless by eliminating or overlooking its **real** and **only** meaning. T-7.IV.25.1:6_

The power that Jesus Christ embodies is the same power that is in all of us. This power is unlimited and is found in equal measure throughout Creation. If we do not recognize this, it does not mean that such power is absent in us. We simply have not yet realized that we are all capable of successfully doing the same things in this lifetime that any enlightened being has done.
**I W AS A STRANGER**

**_" For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat:_**  
 ** _I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:_**  
 ** _I was a stranger, and ye took me in: "_**

_Matthew 25:35_

_[Easter is not the celebration of the **cost** of sin but of its **end**.] If you see glimpses of the face of Christ behind the veil looking between the snow white petals of the lilies you have received and given as your gift, you will behold each other's face and **recognize** it. I was a stranger and you took me in, not knowing who I was. Yet for your gift of lilies you **will** know. In your forgiveness of this stranger, alien to you and yet your ancient Friend, lie his release and your redemption with him. The time of Easter is a time of joy and not of mourning. Look on your risen Friend and celebrate his holiness along with me. For Easter is the time of **your** salvation, along with mine. T-20.11.4.1:8_

The Miracle of Easter heals our minds so that we see through fear and differences; it restores to our mind the certainty that all of God's Children are worthy of our trust. When we are untrusting to those we perceive as strangers, or we see others as different and unfamiliar, we tend to be cautious and fearful of them. But when we draw together in communion and recognize our inherent oneness with all of Creation, we discover that our true home is in the state of Unity--and in the Unified Mind. We make holy the things of the world, and understand the symbols meant to guide us to spiritual union and everlasting life.

Easter is a time for peace and joy, not a time of mourning. The symbol of Easter should gladden us because its message brings the good news that the Christ-Self cannot die. The resurrected mind rejoices in this truth. When we no longer see sin in the face of God's Children, our act of forgiveness draws strangers to us in celebration...we become companions united in God. And now we can live forever!
**W HAT PROFITETH A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WORLD**

**_" For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain_** **_the whole world, and lose his own soul? "_**

_Mark 8:36_

_" What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own Soul?" That means that if he listens to the wrong voice, he has **lost sight** of his Soul. He **cannot** lose it, but he **can** not know it. It is therefore **lost to him** until he chooses right. The Holy Spirit is your Guide in choosing. He is the part of your mind which **always** speaks for the right choice because He speaks for God. He is your remaining communication with God, which you can interrupt but cannot destroy. T-5.IV.25.1:7_

We ascend together or not at all. True strength comes from joining, it is not brought about through individuality. When minds unite, God's Power is with them.

Accomplishing worldly goals is a misrepresentation of success. To attain worldly success requires constant effort, as we are relying upon our own strength rather than accessing true spiritual power. This limited practice results only in exhaustion--and no matter what success we achieve, our feelings of lack persist. This is because by relying upon the worldly, false self, our True Self remains concealed.

The Holy Spirit provides specific direction for a certain, peaceful outcome for all our dreams. He imparts His guidance through an inner voice, and if we listen to and obey that voice, we will meet with constant success. More importantly, listening to our Inner Voice allows our True Self to emerge. Only then, we can attain a state of inner and outer completion.
**L OVE THY NEIGHBOR**

**_" Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater..."_**

_Mark 12:31_

_A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service one individual can render another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. The doer recognizes his own and his neighbor 's inestimable worth simultaneously. T-1.I.18.1:4_

The greatest contribution you can make to the world is to perform miracles. Perceive the Divine Light in everyone, everything, and every situation.

_The Golden Rule asks you to behave toward others as you would have them behave toward you. This means that the perception of **both** must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive accurately, because appropriate behavior **depends** on lack of level confusion. The presence of level confusion **always** results in variable reality testing and therefore in variability in behavioral appropriateness. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of the same family, as you perceive both, so you will behave toward both. The way to perceive for Golden Rule behavior is to look out from the perception of your **own** holiness and perceive the holiness of others. T-1.I.64.1:7_

Your behavior mirrors the content of your mind. Therefore, to behave in an appropriate manner, keep the quality of your thoughts pure and loving. It is impossible to love unless you love yourself and others unconditionally. You will be able to do so only when you relinquish all judgment. Observe your thoughts. Practice acceptance and forgiveness in all circumstances. If you are honest and diligent, this practice will reveal the most precious gift...awareness of the light within you and within your reality.

_**You** are being blessed by every beneficent thought of any of your brothers anywhere. You should want to bless them in return out of gratitude. You do not have to know them individually or they you. The light is so strong that it radiates throughout the Sonship and returns thanks to the Father for radiating His joy upon it. Only God's holy Children are worthy to be channels of His beautiful joy, because only they are beautiful enough to hold it by sharing it. It is impossible for a Child of God to love his neighbor **except** as himself. That is why the healer's prayer is: **Let me know this brother as I know myself**. T-5.I.3.1:7_

Every blessing gifted to one Child of God is in turn received by all of Creation. The highest form of prayer is gratitude. It is a prayer that blesses the entire universe, augmenting love in Heaven and on earth. As well as blessing others, recognize and appreciate that there is a river of blessings continually flowing through you. As you experience the current and the power it generates, gratitude will emanate from your mind and heart.
**A GONY IN THE GARDEN**

**_" And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful_** **_unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. "_**

_Mark 14:34_

_My brothers slept during the so-called "agony in the garden," but I could not be angry with them because I had learned I could not **be** abandoned. Peter swore he would never deny me, but he did so three times. He did offer to defend me with the sword, which I naturally refused, not being at all in need of bodily protection. I **am** sorry when my brothers do not share my decision to hear only one voice, because it weakens them as teachers **and** as learners. Yet I know that they cannot really betray themselves **or** me and that it is still on them that I must build my church. T-6.II.11.1:5_

Having fully embodied the peace of God, peace was Jesus' constant state, even in the garden. He held the certainty that he could not be deserted and the knowledge that Creation does not need to be protected. This is why he felt no indignation and why he declined the disciples' attempts to defend him.

A peaceful Self exemplifies forgiveness and love, which Jesus accomplished perfectly by not condemning the disciples in spite of their shortcomings.

To preserve God's Power, Jesus holds perfect faith in himself and in his brothers. He extends God's Power to us all.
**G LORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST**

**_" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,_** **_good will toward men. "_**

_Luke 2:14_

_Glory be to God in the highest and to **you** , because He has so willed it. Ask and it shall be given you, because it has already **been** given. Ask for light and learn that you **are** light. If you want understanding and enlightenment you **will** learn it, because your decision to learn it is the decision to listen to the Teacher Who **knows** of light, and can therefore **teach** it to you. There is no limit on your learning because there is no limit on your **minds**. There is no limit on His teaching because He was created **to** teach. **Knowing** His function perfectly He fulfils it perfectly, because that is His joy and **yours**. T-8.IV.16.1:7_

God wills each one of us to rekindle our little spark, to nurture it until it bursts into a radiant flame. We have an Inner Teacher who will teach us about our perfection until we remember it and are able to see the Great Rays with the Eye of the Heart.

As our learning consolidates, we shift from merely perceiving with our body's eyes to seeing with our inner Vision. Worldly experience is meant to be a Divine Experience. It is said that what is in the higher is also in the lower, or "As above, so below." In the Lord's Prayer, we read "...on earth as it is in Heaven." This idea expresses the fact that heavenly attributes can appear in worldly form. They will appear in this world effortlessly as the entire mind returns to its natural, undistorted state. Directly proportionate to our ability to remember who we are, we will no longer perceive lack. We will thereby unfold an experience of limitless joy and abundance.

We cannot be totally committed part of the time. Our human tendency to be inconsistent inhibits us from acquiring a Divine State because Divinity is consistent. Thus, in order for Heaven to be made manifest on earth, our will must be undivided. As we let go of more and more fears, all that does not reflect the heavenly realm decreases exponentially and then vanishes. Our Guide is infinitely patient; He knows that we, God's Children, ultimately will become undivided in our willingness and reacquire our inherent glory.
**T HE PRODIGAL SON**

**_" Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine._** **_It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad:_** **_for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again;_** **_and was lost, and is found. "_**

_Luke 15:31-32_

_Listen to the story of the prodigal son, and learn what God 's treasure is and **yours** : This son of a loving father left his home and thought he squandered everything for nothing of any value, although he did not know its worthlessness at the time. He was ashamed to return to his father because he thought he had hurt him. Yet when he came home, the father welcomed him with joy, because only the son himself **was** his father's treasure. He **wanted** nothing else. T-8.VI.44.1:4_

Separated souls have chosen to obstruct their awareness of the Creator's embrace and all that it encompasses. This decision has not turned out to be rewarding for them. Although their hearts long for the loving state of Heaven, they fear punishment for their rebellion.

The story of the prodigal son serves to clarify beyond any doubt that punishment is a self-constructed, faulty belief. God is benevolent, and upon re-acknowledging Him as our Father, we will find ourselves restored to glory, abiding in a loving universe of unlimited joy and peace.
**S ELL ALL YOU HAVE**

**_" Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him,_** **_Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast,_** **_and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have_** **_treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. "_**

_Luke 18:22_

_I once asked if you were willing to sell all you have and give to the poor and follow me. This is what I meant: If you had no investment in anything in this world, you could teach the poor where their treasure **is**. The poor are merely those who have invested wrongly, and they are poor indeed! Because they are in need, it is given you to help them since **you** are among them. Consider how perfectly your lesson would be learned if you were unwilling to **share** their poverty. For poverty is lack, and there is but **one** lack since there is but **one** need. T-2.IV.24.1:6_

Divine Abstraction is the condition of the Kingdom which means that no difference exists between "having" and "being." The miracle-minded know that in order to have, they must give all to all; they know that real value lies within oneself, not outside oneself.

Egoic thoughts entertain ideas of poverty, and impel us to hoard what we acquire. They deem external value important, and such thoughts obscure Heaven.

A teacher of God teaches by demonstrating where real value lies--and how to perpetuate abundance. This teaching provides a new outlook for those who experience lack and, if they so choose, they can make the internal shift and thereby become aware of the complete abundance existing in every moment.

_Protect all things you value by the act of giving them away, and you are sure that you will never lose them. What you thought you did not have is thereby proven yours. Yet value not its form. For this will change and grow unrecognizable in time, however much you try to keep it safe. No form endures. It is the thought behind the form of things that lives unchangeable. W-p1.187.4.1:5_

Giving is a source of fear to the ego: "How is it possible to keep what has been given away?" Furthermore, the concept that giving is receiving directly threatens egoic perceptions because it violates worldly logic. Regardless, this idea holds true from a material, mental, and emotional perspective.

Just as wisdom is the relinquishment of judgment, so too the relinquishment of material needs is a means to attain freedom...not because less things in your possession require less responsibility to maintain, but because the mind rests when it realizes that external dependencies are unnecessary.

Happiness does not result from obtaining things; it lies in being an example of the Truth. Giving something to a person who perceives themselves as in need of it helps them on the path to realizing that "things" do not complete them and helps you trust that all that is necessary will arise effortlessly, in due time. The desire to reacquire what you have already had rarely returns because you have proven to yourself that it did not add to your happiness.

Happiness is a state of mind, not a physical condition. The more you realize this, the less you want distractions and temptations that will convince you otherwise. More importantly, the focus turns to what can be shared in truth: Divine Ideas. As these are shared they strengthen, and a series of encounters filled with real sharing will give rise to ever-increasing happiness. This practice demonstrates that God's Laws are achievable in the world.
**B ETRAYEST THOU THE SON OF MAN WITH A KISS**

**_" But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou_**  
 ** _the Son of man with a kiss? "_**

_Luke 22:48_

_[The apostles could not] have described my reactions to Judas as they did if they had really understood me. They would have realized I **could** not have said, "Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?" unless I **believed** in betrayal. The whole message of the crucifixion was simply that I did **not**. The "punishment" which I am said to have called forth upon Judas was a similar reversal. Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself. Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible? T-6.II.21.1:6_

The examples in this discussion are helpful in understanding how the ego's agenda is to mislead. A guilt-ridden self will filter all messages through its guilty conscience and will expect the condemnation they think they themselves deserve. Therefore, these are portrayals of how feelings of remorse engender other regretful feelings. The apostles, not Jesus, derived such feelings from this situation.

_I am very grateful to the Apostles for their teaching and fully aware of the extent of their devotion to me. Nevertheless, as you read their teachings, remember that I told them myself that there was much they would understand later because they were **not** wholly ready to follow me at the time. I emphasize this only because I do not want you to allow **any** fear to enter into the thought system toward which I am guiding you. I do **not** call for martyrs but for **teachers**. No one is "punished" for sins, and the Sons of God are not sinners. T-6.II.22.1:5_

The only lesson to learn from this world is that we must relinquish sacrifice. Martyrs, of course, act in contradiction to this objective. Following the teachings of Jesus, and embodying the Christ as he has done, entails recognizing that sin is an illusion. We are reminded that because we have all power and are only love, once we choose to play our part in the Atonement, our experience will be a gentle one.
**F ORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO**

**_" Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;_**

**_for they know not what they do. "_**

_Luke 23:34_

_Miraculous forgiveness is **only** correction. It has **no** element of judgment at all. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" in no way evaluates **what** they do. It is strictly limited to an appeal to God to heal their minds. There is no reference to the outcome of their mis-thought. **That** does not matter. T-3.II.6.1:6_

If we have condemned another, regardless of whether or not we "forgive" them later, we have not understood the inherent innocence of all Creation...there is nothing to forgive in a Child of God. In truth, forgiveness is akin to charity--when we are charitable, we perceive perfection in others, in spite of their erroneous words or deeds. Forgiveness is an illusion that leads out of illusions, for it eradicates from the forgiver's mind the perception of evil.

_You are involved in unconscious distortions which are producing a dense cover over miracle impulses and which make it hard for them to reach consciousness. The nature of any interpersonal relationship is limited or defined by what you want it to **do**. Relating is a way of achieving an outcome. The danger of defenses lies in their propensity for holding misperceptions rigidly in place. All actions which stem from reverse thinking are literally the behavioral expressions of those who know not what they do. A rigid orientation can be extremely reliable, even if it is upside-down. In fact, the more consistently upside-down it is, the **more** reliable it is. T-1.II.102.1:7_

In every human interaction, we hold the idea that retribution for misdeeds is necessary and justified. The allied egos of lawmakers and authority figures, for example, have taken these beliefs and fabricated widely-accepted laws, the violation of which deserve punishment. The formation and supremacy of the judiciary system in the world, no matter how well-intentioned, further anchors guilt and punishment as the status quo.

Whereas our human shortcomings cause us to judge and punish, we also have the deep capacity for forgiveness. But how can we forgive aright? Holy Spirit guides us to forgive in a way that allows us to transcend our ego. We must always remember that there is nothing ever to forgive--all is always as it should be and no one has in truth harmed us--our true essence is always intact. Thus, if we forgive under worldly terms, our forgiveness is an empty gesture, a judgment: we are seeing the other as guilty, less worthy, inadequate. When we use this form of forgiveness, we make inequitable what God created equal. Forgiveness thus becomes an expression of arrogance that results in barter (conditional forgiveness) or martyrdom ("poor me").

_Each one of you has a special part to play in the Atonement, but the message given to each to share is always the same -- **God 's Son is guiltless**. Each one teaches the message differently and learns it differently. Yet until he teaches it and learns it, he will suffer the pain of dim awareness that his true function remains unfulfilled in him. The burden of guilt is heavy, but God would not have you bound by it. His plan for your awakening is as perfect as yours is fallible. You know not what you do, but He Who knows is with you. His gentleness is yours, and all the love you share with God He holds in trust for you. He would teach you nothing except how to be happy. T-14.II.6.1:8_

As Children of God, we are guiltless. By recognizing this truth, we learn to embrace true forgiveness, noticing the happy effects which manifest when we apply it. Becoming consistent at overlooking others' errors is the means by which happiness becomes for us a constant state. Condemning others is as conducive to hell as forgiving them is conducive to Heaven.

Jesus practiced true forgiveness: by overlooking all that was false, He saw only Truth. Like Jesus, we should make no attempt to understand what is false. When we notice errors we should disregard them instantly. By seeing only the Truth in those "committing errors," our miraculous mind extends to their mind, allowing the Truth to come forth through them, and prompting them to choose and behave rightly.

_Defenses are the costliest of all the prices which the ego would exact. In them lies madness in a form so grim that hope of sanity seems but to be an idle dream, beyond the possible. The sense of threat the world encourages is so much deeper and so far beyond the frenzy and intensity of which you can conceive that you have no idea of all the devastation it has wrought. You are its slave. You know not what you do in fear of it. You do not understand how much you have been made to sacrifice who feel its iron grip upon your heart. W-p1.153.4.1:6_

It seems to us that our lives are filled with trials and troubles and that the world may attack us in one way or another at any time. The reason we as individuals--and as a collective--have gone through so much needless tribulation is because we are hostile and unforgiving. We harbor guilt about past experiences...we are always on guard, expecting future assault. A choice in favor of forgiveness opens a door to a world beyond our imagining.
**T HE WORD WAS MADE FLESH**

**_" And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,_** **_(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only_** **_begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. "_**

_John 1:14_

_Remember that the Bible says, "The Word (or thought) was made flesh." Strictly speaking this is impossible, since it seems to involve the translation of one order of reality into another. Different orders of reality merely **appear** to exist, just as different orders of miracles do. Thought cannot be made into flesh except by belief, since thought is **not** physical. Yet thought **is** communication, for which the body **can** be used. This is the only **natural** use to which it **can** be put. To use the body unnaturally is to lose sight of the Holy Spirit's purpose and thus to confuse the goal of His curriculum. T-8.VII.59.1:7_

God is all-powerful and the unlimited nature of Divinity makes it possible for Her to extend into physicality. Form itself is neutral and can serve as a means for either true or false expression.

An egoic mind will build its self-concept around the body, using it for pride, pleasure, and attack. Spirit, on the other hand, recognizes that the body is a unique expression of Itself, which reflects the Divine Characteristics of extension, communication, and joining.

Aligning with love's purpose is how Heaven's full potential can be experienced, both in form and in formlessness.
**L AMB OF GOD**

**_" The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,_**

**_and saith, Behold the Lamb of God,_**

**_which taketh away the sin of the world. "_**

_John 1:29_

_Innocence is **incapable** of sacrificing anything, because the innocent mind **has** everything and strives only to **protect** its wholeness. This is why it **cannot** misproject. It can only honor man, because honor is the natural greeting of the truly loved to others who are like them. The lamb taketh away the sins of the world only in the sense that the state of innocence, or grace, is one in which the meaning of the Atonement is perfectly apparent. The innocence of God is the true state of mind of His Son. In this state, man's mind **does** see God [and because] he sees Him as he is[, he knows] that the Atonement, **not** sacrifice, is the **only** appropriate gift to His own altar, where nothing except true perfection belongs. The understanding of the innocent is **truth**. That is why their altars are truly radiant. T-3.III.24.1:8_

The guiltless know that God has already given them everything. They have no wants because they are certain that having "something else" would only subtract from their completion. They are vigilant only in maintaining this certainty--in all other things they live freely and without care. Fearless, they share God's Love with those who have forgotten their way, knowing that this gesture brings expansion. Paradoxically, the gentle souls in this world are truly the strong ones because gentleness permits access to the unlimited power derived from Unity.

Usurping power from others is unwarranted as it leads to loveless action. Loveless action separates, it never brings about true gain. Applying this knowledge anchors the experience of peace and abundance.

_I have been correctly referred to as "the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." Those who represent the lamb as blood-stained, an all too-widespread error, do **not** understand the meaning of the symbol. Correctly understood, it is a very simple parable which merely speaks of my innocence. The lion and the lamb lying down together refers to the fact that strength and innocence are **not** in conflict but naturally live in peace. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" is another way of saying the same thing. T-3.IV.22.1:5_

The ego perceives a lamb as a vulnerable victim because of its association with its effortless slaughter. Its death represents the sustenance of the body through nourishment and thus it is seen as symbolic of the body's need for preservation. This erroneous belief indicates that we balance the life of one body against the death of another.

When the lamb (a mind steadfast in unity-consciousness) lies with the lion (a mind that believes attack is real and justified), it will remain unharmed. The lion, in the presence of the lamb, will remember its true identity (as love) and act accordingly. This is because the power of innocence can only be met with innocence, in accordance with the Law of Cause and Effect. The purpose of the world is to become lambs and lie with lions, demonstrating the invulnerability of love.

This figurative description for Jesus Christ symbolizes the strength forged by his determination to remain innocent. He demonstrated, through his defenselessness, that even the most atrocious attack did not, in truth, harm him. Siding with God's Laws inhibits loss of any kind and restores the heavenly condition of gentleness and purity.
**G OD SO LOVED THE WORLD**

**_" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,_** **_but have everlasting life. "_**

_John 3:16_

_It should be emphasized, however, that ultimately there **is** no compromise possible between everything and nothing. Time is essentially a device by which all compromise in this respect can be given up. It seems to be abolished by degrees because time itself involves a concept of intervals which do not really exist. The faulty use of creation made this necessary as a corrective device. "And God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" needs only one slight correction to be entirely meaningful in this context. It should read, "He gave it **to** His only begotten Son." T-2.V.100.1:6_

Eternity and temporality are mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, time can be of service if it is used to remember and embody the eternal Truth of our being.

The incorrect use of the mind in projecting (rather than its correct use in extending) brought about the need for correction. Correction seems like a gradual, never-ending process. However, it will culminate in freedom from a belief in time. Any advancement made toward Truth will shorten the perceived interval between the illusion of now and the advent of Eternity.

The world will ultimately evolve into a reflection of Heaven, a state that has no length and knows no end.

_The best defense, as always, is not to attack another 's position but rather to protect the truth. It is unwise to accept **any** concept if you have to turn a whole frame of reference around in order to justify it. This procedure is painful in its minor applications and genuinely tragic on a mass basis. Persecution is a frequent result, undertaken to justify the terrible misperception that God Himself persecuted His own Son on behalf of salvation. The very words are meaningless. T-3.III.13.1:5_

It is important to remember that nobody can learn lessons they are not ready to learn. In fact, ideas that oppose a fearful belief system cannot only be disregarded but can be specifically guarded against. This defense mechanism can drastically hamper learning, confusing both the teacher and student. Engaging in debate only encourages contention.

A teacher of God must recognize who is ready to change their mind and that those who are not ready cannot be convinced. When faced with a mind that steadfastly believes in illusion, the only useful path is to embody the Truth. When we do not share an erroneous belief, we weaken it.

Minds identified with the ego understand sin and sacrifice all too well. Thus, they project it onto God and explain the Crucifixion in terms they can identify with: that God allowed a perfect example of love to be killed for the world's sins. In truth, redemption came to Jesus long before the Crucifixion because he had relinquished the idea of sin and sacrifice. Even while he was being persecuted, he sided consistently with love, and forgave his brothers and sisters.

_We once said that God so loved the world that He gave it to His only-begotten Son. God **does** love the real world, and those who perceive **its** reality cannot **see** the world of death. For death is **not** of the real world, in which everything is eternal. God gave you the real world in exchange for the one you made out of your split mind, and which **is** the symbol of death. For if you could **really** separate yourselves from the Mind of God, you **would** die, and the world you perceive **is** a world of separation. T-11.IV.32.1:5_

Two worlds (two different expressions in form) are possible in duality: the world of death and the Real World. Both worlds are symbolic. The world of death is only entertained in isolation, apart from the mind of God, while the Real World is a world shared between God and Her Creation. The Real World arises during the transition between littleness (nothing) and magnitude (everything).
**O F YOURSELF YOU CAN DO NOTHING**

**_" Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily,_** **_I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. "_**

_John 5:19_

_When your will is **not** mine, it is not our Father's. This means that you have imprisoned **yours** and have not **let** it be free. Of yourselves you can do nothing, because of yourselves you **are** nothing. I am nothing without the Father, and **you** are nothing without **me** , because by denying the Father you deny **yourself**. I will **always** remember you, and in **my** remembrance of you lies your remembrance of **yourself**. In our remembrance of **each other** lies our remembrance of God, and in this remembrance lies your freedom, because your freedom **is** in Him. Join then with me in praise of Him **and** you whom He created. This is our gift of gratitude to Him, which He will share with **all** His creations, to whom He gives equally whatever is acceptable to Him. **Because** it is acceptable to Him, it is the gift of freedom, which **is** His Will for all His Sons. By **offering** freedom, **you** will be free. T-8.V.33.1:10_

To the ego, total allegiance to, reliance upon, and union with the Creator is equivalent to annihilation. Yet those of us who awaken to God as a result of obedience to the Laws of Truth and Love know that these are the ways to limitless life, freedom, and power. We recognize that it is impossible for us to attain power independently, because we know that God is the only source of power. God's Laws are not only real, but everlasting, freely accessible for all who desire a peaceful existence.

Upon relinquishing authority over ourselves, we rely totally on God. Believing that we are autonomous beings has led us to experience bondage in our temporal body. The highest and best human qualities shared in love and grace strengthen our memory of the Christ that abides within us. We offer love, which is freedom and life, in order to receive it. By giving what we thought we lacked, we recognize its plentiful source and know that we have always carried the Source within us. Remembering that we were created in the likeness of our Creator, we align with our Source, and thereby exhibit Her Divine Characteristics.
**T HE TRUTH SHAL MAKE YOU FREE**

**_" And ye shall know the truth,_**  
 ** _and the truth shall make you free. "_**

_John 8:32_

_Methodologically, man 's mind has been very creative but, as always occurs when method and content are separated, it has not been utilized for anything but an attempt to escape a fundamental and entirely inescapable impasse. This kind of thinking cannot result in a creative outcome, although it has resulted in considerable ingenuity. It is noteworthy, however, that this ingenuity has almost totally divorced him from knowledge. Knowledge does not **require** ingenuity. When we say "the truth shall set you free," we mean that all this kind of thinking is a waste of time, but that you **are** free of the need to engage in it if you are willing to let it go. T-3.VII.55.1:4_

The true expression of man reflects God. But the moment our minds choose to dissociate form from content, our endeavors are fruitless. That is because fruits can only be harvested when we recognize that God is the Prime Mover and the fundamental component in all of our expressions. When we choose to express ourselves in endeavors without Her meaning and guidance, we are choosing to express nothing at all.

Our egos have substituted creativity for ingenuity. Ingenuity implies lack, and it compels us to be innovative when we address a situation. However, in truth, everything already exists...the maximal state has always been and forever will be. How, then, in a world of lack, where everyone "adds value" in order to fill apparent needs, can we access creativity?

Knowledge is not acquired, but revealed. It proceeds from God to man when man is open-minded. Open-mindedness is a sign that our mind has assumed its natural state as an extension of God. We therefore trust the timely guidance offered to us, certain that the direction will lead us to fulfilment. We desire freedom because freedom instills happiness. Only when we are united with our God, are we capable of this accomplishment.
**B EFORE ABRAHAM WAS I AM**

**_" Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,_**

**_Before Abraham was, I am. "_**

_John 8:58_

_God is not a stranger to His Sons, and His Sons are not strangers to each other. Knowledge preceded both perception and time and will ultimately replace them. That is the real meaning of the Biblical description of God as "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End." It also explains the quotation, "Before Abraham was **I am**." Perception can and must be stabilized, but knowledge **is** stable. T-3.V.37.1:5_

The One Mind perceives nothing as separate from Itself; It is not conscious of individual things. Everything is recognized as being conjoined in the wholeness that is love and, at the same time, as being a unique component of the expression of love. Thus, everyone and everything is equally acceptable to the mind that has knowledge of God.

Knowledge is born of the eternal state of Unity. Knowledge existed before perception and will endure beyond perception.

The cycle of projection, which involves a cause and an effect, must shift to adopt the continual and immutable nature of Knowledge.
**T HE BLIND CAN SEE**

**_" He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no,_**

**_I know not: one thing I know, that,_**

**_whereas I was blind, now I see. "_**

_John 9:25_

_Christ 's vision is the bridge between the worlds. And in its power can you safely trust to carry you from this world into one made holy by forgiveness. Things which seem quite solid here are merely shadows there, transparent, faintly seen, at times forgot, and never able to obscure the light that shines beyond them. Holiness has been restored to vision, and the blind can see. W-p1.159.5.1:4_

Love is the means by which we abolish hellish experiences. In order to love unconditionally, we must practice forgiveness. Through forgiving all the "evil" in the world, we dissolve it, thereby revealing the Real World. While the new world may physically resemble the world of illusions, it does not contain that former world's negative aspects. Beholding perfection is a sign that we have made a conscious choice to forgive the hellish world, and so have risen above it to embrace the Real World. This is an achievement that can we can accomplish swiftly through practicing the correct use of forgiveness.

_Pray for God 's justice, and do not confuse His mercy with your own insanity. Perception can make whatever picture the mind desires to see. Remember this. In this lies either Heaven or hell, as you elect. God's justice points to Heaven just because it is entirely impartial. It accepts all evidence that is brought before it, omitting nothing and assessing nothing as separate and apart from all the rest. From this one standpoint does it judge, and this alone. Here all attack and condemnation becomes meaningless and indefensible. Perception rests, the mind is still, and light returns again. Vision is now restored.What had been lost has now been found. The peace of God descends on all the world and we can see. And we can see! M-19.V.1:13_

God's Justice is an idea foreign to the world of illusion, in which, from the day we are born to the day we die, imbalance is inherent. Justice, under worldy terms, deems that we should not be merciful; that the guilty must always pay for their wrongdoings.

The ego mind is vengeful, opportunistic, and indiscriminate. It justifies its actions on the premise of self-preservation and believes that "might is right." The child who learns this dynamic is confronted in adulthood with the choice of marginalization or allegiance.

Fortunately, any of us can transcend the world of illusion without displacing our bodies. A simple choice can guide us to embrace true justice, which is not begotten by retribution, but by restoring our Vision. What are you waiting for?

_And now the blind can see, for that same song they sing in honor of their Creator gives praise to them as well. The blindness which they made will not withstand the memory of this song. And they will look upon the vision of the Son of God, remembering who he is they sing of. What is a miracle but this remembering? And who is there in whom this memory lies not? The light in one awakens it in all. And when you see it in each other, you **are** remembering for everyone. T.21.II.12.1:7_

Hallelujah, cause and effect are the same! If we think fearful thoughts, we will be burdened by their chains, living a fearful and illusory experience. However, if we think loving thoughts, we are released from fear and illusion and see Heaven all around us. When our inner light glows, it lights up the whole world. How simple, effortless, and rewarding love is when we put it into conscious practice and allow it to illuminate our lives!
**I A ND MY FATHER ARE ONE**

**_" I and my Father are one."_**

_John 10:30_

_I bridge the distance as an elder brother to man on the one hand and as a Son of God on the other. My devotion to my brothers has placed me in charge of the Sonship, which I can render complete only to the extent to which I can **share** it. This may appear to contradict the statement, "I and my Father are one," but there are still separate parts in the statement in recognition that the Father is greater. (The original statement was "are of one kind"). The Holy Spirit is the bringer of revelations. Revelations are **indirectly** inspired by me because I am close to the Holy Spirit and alert to the revelation-readiness of my brothers. I can thus **bring** down to them more than they can **draw** down to themselves. T-5.VIII.80.1:5_

The power of God that is in Jesus Christ is the same power that is in you. It must be shared in order for it to become accessible.

Your Brother knows this and has accepted his role of accompanying you on your journey home. He has the responsibility of deeming the appropriate moment for each individual's awareness of such power. This revelation should not be thrust upon a sleeping mind suddenly, as this could increase fear, which ultimately would be counterproductive to an individual's awakening. The Way to reclaim True Power is kind and gentle. In due time, all will enter the Way.

_To be alone is to be separated from infinity, but how can this be if infinity has no end? No one can be **beyond** the limitless because what has no limits must be everywhere. There are no beginnings and no endings in God, Whose universe is Himself. Can you exclude yourself from the universe or from God, Who **is** the universe? I and my Father are one with **you** , for you are part of **us**. Do you really believe that part of God can be missing or lost to Him? T-10.II.6.1:6_

Although the idea that the infinite contains everything is comprehensible to us, it is impossible for us to visualize infinity from the limited frame of reference known as "human perception." So, if God is fullness, perfection, and immortality, how is it possible that we experience lack, imperfection, and death? The answer is simple: God did not create what She does not identify with. We live in illusion. In illusion, the impossible only seems to be. Jesus knew that we are all One with our Creator and that nothing else exists. Stated in a different way: the Truth is true and only the Truth is true.

We come to the recognition that "I and my Father are One" through Holy Relationships. When we unite with our brothers and sisters, we recognize that they too are Divine and we remember God through them. We cannot experience any greater joy than being in oneness. In the "Holy Instant" we set all illusions aside and become truly present. We forget the past and rekindle our intimate memory of God.
**R ESURRECTION AND THE LIFE**

**_" Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"_**

_John 11:25_

_Your decision to see is all that vision requires. What you want is yours. Do not mistake the little effort that is asked of you for a sign that our goal is of little worth. Can the salvation of the world be a trivial purpose? And can the world be saved if you are not? God has one Son, and he is the resurrection and the life. His Will is done because all power is given him in Heaven and on earth. In your determination to see is vision given you. W-p1.20.3.1:8_

When we desire to see things differently, we need only to apply a mere trace of will. Even the slightest will, focused on perceiving things anew, brings remarkable benefits. We can direct our will to serve Spirit or the ego. If we direct our will toward Spirit, we are guided to realize a new, heavenly world. If we surrender our will to the ego, on the other hand, we feel disoriented and find ourselves shackled to the mundane world. When our learning culminates in Vision, our mind will be aligned with Spirit and our thoughts will be stable and clear. Those who attain this mindset and goal are the resurrection and the life. When we see the body for what it is and understand its true purpose, it may still remain as a communication vehicle to serve other minds and help them to release their fears, their erroneous perception of their bodies, and so their ego-identity.

_I am **your** resurrection and **your** life. You live in me because you live in God. And everyone lives in **you** , as **you** live in everyone. Can you, then, perceive unworthiness in a brother and **not** perceive it in yourself? And can you perceive it in yourself and **not** perceive it in God? Believe in the resurrection because it has **been** accomplished, and it has been accomplished **in you**. This is as true now as it will ever be, for the resurrection is the Will of God, which knows no time and no exceptions. But make no exceptions yourself, or you will not perceive what has been accomplished **for** you. For we ascend unto the Father together, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, for such is the nature of God's Son as His Father created him. T-10.VII.62.1:0_

Because we are all one and Jesus Christ is risen, the resurrection is already accomplished in us--our ascension into Heaven is realized. Accepting all aspects of others as well as all facets of ourselves will reveal to us our own resurrection. When we are willing to overlook imperfections, we are truly of service, because we inspire others to become aware of their own perfection and resurrection as well.

_As has so often been said, healing is both an art and a science. It is an art, because it depends on inspiration in the sense that we have already used the term. Inspiration is the opposite of dispiriting and therefore means to make joyous. The dispirited are depressed, because they believe that they are literally "without the Spirit," which is an illusion. You do not **put** the Spirit in them by inspiring them, because that would be magic and therefore would not be real healing. You **do** , however, recognize the Spirit that is **already** there and thereby **reawaken** it. This is why the healer is part of the resurrection and the **life**. The Spirit is not asleep in the minds of the sick, but the part of the mind that can perceive it and be glad **is**. T-7.V.31.1:8_

Healing is a science, a methodical process that entails specific steps in order to reach a goal. To heal, we must be willing to consciously illuminate all the dark crevices of our minds. We must step back from the ego and allow our minds to be corrected for us.

Healing is also an art. The Holy Spirit, although capable of communicating with us through our thoughts, uses our emotions to guide us in recognizing the peace of God within us. Getting in touch with our emotions, and dissolving our emotional blockages quickly restores the emotion of love, which we then experience as joy. It is only from a point of love that we can attain knowledge. This is why the heart is such a powerful symbol of awakening and why we sometimes depict Jesus through the symbol of a heart.
**I C OME AS A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD**

**_" I am come a light into the world, that whosoever_** **_believeth in me should not abide in darkness. "_**

_John 12:46_

_When I said, "I am come as a light into the world," I surely came to share the light with you. Remember the symbolic reference we made before to the ego's dark glass, and remember also that we said, "Do not look there." It is still true that "where you look to find yourself is up to you." The Higher Court will **not** condemn you. It will merely dismiss the case against you. There can **be** no case against a Child of God, and every witness to guilt in God's creations is bearing false witness to God Himself. T-5.VIII.79.1:6_

If you want to find the Truth, it would be wise to look for it where you have been told it can be found: in the light.

Attempting to look for the Truth in darkness has no dire consequences but it is sure to be an exhausting, unsuccessful endeavor.

A mistake cannot and does not affect Reality in any way--mistakes are illusory. When any Child of God makes a mistake, the Holy Spirit retracts its potential outcome, thus making the mistake inconsequential. Any perception of guilt is a distortion of the world and of God, and renders error real to any perceiver of guilt. You are asked to accept and love yourself and others. Be mindful only of your task and trust that the Holy Spirit will be mindful of His.
**Y E BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME**

**_" Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,_**  
 ** _believe also in me. "_**

_J OHN 14:1_

_Belief is an ego function, and as long as your origin is open to belief at all, you **are** regarding it from an ego viewpoint. [That is why the Bible quotes me as saying "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." Belief **does** apply to me, because I am the teacher of the ego.] When teaching is no longer necessary, you will merely **know** God. Belief that there **is** another way is the loftiest idea of which ego thinking is capable. That is because it contains a hint of recognition that the ego is **not** the self. Undermining the ego's thought system **must** be perceived as painful, even though this is anything but true. Babies scream in rage if you take away a knife or scissors, even though they may well harm themselves if you do not. The speed-up has placed you in the same position. T-4.III.28.1:9_

God is total. We can know Her completely or not at all. Ego-identified individuals do not know God. They would be wise to consider adopting a new path, thereby allowing Christ to introduce the idea of learning/healing.

Belief is not synonymous with certainty, because to believe in something implies that disbelief is possible. This is quite common during the learning phase, as illusory beliefs are replaced by rediscovered Truth. Remember, by placing a strong emphasis on willingness and faith, you will counter disbelief and in turn produce conviction, the precursor to certainty.
**M Y PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU**

**_" Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:_**

**_not as the world giveth, give I unto you._**

**_Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. "_**

_John 14:27_

_There are no idolaters in the Kingdom, but there is great appreciation for every Soul which God created because of the calm knowledge that each one is part of Him. God 's Son knows no idols, but he **does** know his Father. Health in this world is the counterpart of value in Heaven. It is not my merit that I contribute to you but my love, for you do not value yourselves. When you do not value yourself, you become sick, but **my** value of you can heal you because the value of God's Son is one. When I said, "My peace I give unto you," I meant it. Peace came from God through me to **you**. It was for you, although you did not ask. T-9.IX.79.1:8_

There is no admiration in Heaven; every being reveres every other being due to the common understanding of their Divine correlation. Your experiences reveal where you have placed value. If you place value in the temporal, fear and sickness result, but when you deem that only the eternal has value, vibrant health is sure to manifest. Do not feel discouraged if you do not as yet feel proficient in overcoming worldly conditions. Jesus values you. This truth is enough to supersede all the false notions you hold about yourself.

_In me you have already overcome **every** temptation that would hold you back. We walk together on the way to quietness that is the gift of God. Hold me dear, for what except your brothers **can** you need? We will restore to you the peace of mind that we must find **together**. The Holy Spirit will teach you to awaken unto us and to yourself. This is the only **real** need to be fulfilled in time. Salvation **from** the world lies only here. My peace I **give** you. **Take** it of me in glad exchange for all the world has offered but to take away. And we will spread it like a veil of light across the world's sad face, in which we hide our brothers **from** the world, and it from them. T-12.VII.75.1:10_

The Christ Mind, which has the capacity to overcome all magnitude of illusion, resides within you. Jesus will assist you in removing the obstacles that block your awareness of your Christ Mind. Focus solely on your unity with all beings, because the source of your Salvation lies in unity. Jesus bestows upon you a peace that, once accepted, will allow you to shift your focus from the temporal to the eternal. No other accomplishment compares to that of obtaining the limitless creative power of a tranquil mind. Once inner peace is sustained, you will be a light unto the world.
**I W ILL SEND YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER**

**_" And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"_**

_John 14:16_

_The Holy Spirit is the only part of the Holy Trinity which is symbolic. He is referred to in the Bible as the Healer, the Comforter, and the Guide. He is also described as something "separate," apart from the Father and from the Son. I myself said, "If I go I will send you another comforter, and He will abide with you." The Holy Spirit is a difficult concept to grasp precisely because it **is** symbolic and therefore open to many different interpretations. As a man and as one of God's creations, my right thinking, which came from the Universal Inspiration which **is** the Holy Spirit, taught me first and foremost that this Inspiration is for all. I could not have It myself **without** knowing this. T-5.II.10.1:6_

The Holy Spirit is an appeal to our Higher Self. He is the bridge between unity and duality, Heaven and dreams. For those of us who have ears to hear Him, He offers guidance, inviting us to unity.

Being the communication link, the Holy Spirit sees all symbols within the dream with true Vision and, if asked, will reinterpret them for us. His interpretation transforms perception, endowing this world with meaning, leading us out of nightmares to happy dreams, and finally, into Reality.

When orientation stabilizes and unity-consciousness prevails, the need for this Holy "advisor" ceases.
**N O MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER**

**_" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:_**

**_no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "_**

_John 14:6_

_" No man cometh unto the Father but by me" is among the most mis-understood statements in the Bible. It does **not** mean that I am in any way separate or different from you **except in time** , which does not really exist at all. Actually, the quotation is more meaningful if it is considered on a vertical rather than a horizontal axis. Regarded along the vertical, man stands below me and I stand below God. In the process of "rising up," I **am** higher. This is because, without me, the distance between God and man would be too great for you to encompass. T-1.I.79.1:5_

Throughout history, there has been confusion regarding this statement. It is saying merely that we are all hosts to Christ in equal measure. The single difference between Jesus Christ and us is that he recognizes and accepts only the presence of Christ within. As yet, we do not.
**A SK IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST**

**_" Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."_**

_John 15:16_

_God 's gifts can rarely be received directly. Even the most advanced of God's teachers will give way to temptation in this world. Would it be fair if their pupils were denied healing because of this? The Bible says, "Ask in the name of Jesus Christ." Is this merely an appeal to magic? A name does not heal, nor does an invocation call forth any special power. What does it mean to call on Jesus Christ? What does calling on his name confer? Why is the appeal to him part of healing? M-23.1.1:9_

Having traversed it Himself, Jesus Christ understands perfectly the path to enlightenment. We are not required to figure anything out but instead to invite the One who knows the way to operate as our Guide.

It would be an arrogant mistake to want to resurrect and not be willing to listen to his instructions on the grounds that our way is better for us, when we are uncertain as to how to arrive at our destination. He lives within us in a literal sense and is ready, willing, and able to guide us when asked. Needless trial-and-error can be spared by following his example: He is the resurrection and the life.

By allowing him to lead us, we are sure to advance swiftly on a gentle journey and avoid all setbacks. Willingness and acceptance are the only requirements.
**T HE BRANCH THAT BEARS NO FRUIT**

**_" Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,_** **_that it may bring forth more fruit. "_**

_John 15:2_

_The Bible says that the branch that bears no fruit will be cut off and will wither away. Be glad! The light **will** shine from the true Foundation of Life, and your own thought system **will** stand corrected. It **cannot** stand otherwise. You who fear salvation are **willing** death. Life and death, light and darkness, knowledge and perception are irreconcilable. To believe that they can be reconciled is to believe that God and man can **not**. Only the oneness of knowledge is conflictless. Your Kingdom is not of this world because it was given you from **beyond** this world. Only **in** this world is the idea of an authority problem meaningful. The world is not left by death but by truth, and truth **can** be known by all those for whom the Kingdom was created and for whom it waits. T-3.IX.80.1:11_

The idea of death attempts to resolve the idea of temporality by offering a promise that eternal life awaits us on the other side. Passively awaiting "the end" in doubt does not resolve the dilemma of our existence as a body. To the ego, the demise of our body is the death of our self; the final "proof " of our pitiful weakness.

The only death that we should welcome is the death of our self-concept. Let us be relieved to let go of this tiny mad idea (self-concept) and little pile of dust (body). They fall short of who we are in truth. Let us be willing to die to grandiosity and be reborn to grandeur. The only identity worth assuming is our authentic one--it replaces our current mistaken identity.

Our eternal Reality must not only be remembered but must be personified while we abide in a body. By embodying Divine Characteristics, we remember the Christ Self and are able to resurrect--this is our Salvation. It is impossible for Salvation to come through death because this would imply that Salvation is not possible in the present moment. We are all-powerful beings, and our power lies in the _now_. We can make a conscious decision to overcome death and embrace eternal life. For this, God has provided us a Guide to walk with us every step of the Way.
**B LESSED ARE YE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN**

**_" Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen,_** **_and yet have believed. "_**

_John 20:29_

_It is impossible not to believe what you see, but it is equally impossible to see what you do **not** believe. Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience, and experience leads to beliefs. It is not until beliefs are fixed that perceptions stabilize. In effect, then, what you believe, you **do** see. That is what I meant when I said, "Blessed are ye who have not seen and still believe," for those who believe in the resurrection **will** see it. The resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ over the ego, not by attack but by transcendence. For Christ **does** rise above the ego and all its works and ascends to the Father and **His** Kingdom. T-10.VII.59.1:6_

Beliefs power our experience; they order the way in which it manifests. Once we accept this, we will likely want to remove beliefs we hold which generate adverse outcomes and to maintain those beliefs that are beneficial to us. Accepting responsibility for everything that enters into our experience focuses our attention on our thoughts, which are the source of all our problems.

During this phase of sorting out, we need to have trust and patience. We should not be concerned with witnessing immediate results. Rather, regardless of whether or not we see external confirmation that our desired results are coming, we should be vigilant and trust in Spirit.

Through the practice of belief evaluation and relinquishment, you become witness to the correlation between you "inner" and "outer" worlds. By directing your attention inward, you release your focus on the outer world--you will be pleasantly surprised when you notice that the outer world begins to reflect your changed worldview. This is the point of no return, because you will no longer deem a victim mentality to be valid, and your spiritual ascension will accelerate.
**T HE WRATH OF GOD**

**_" For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against_**

**_all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,_**

**_who hold the truth in unrighteousness; "_**

_Romans 1:18_

_If you interpret the crucifixion in any other way, you are using it as a weapon for assault rather than as the call for peace for which it was intended. The Apostles often misunderstood it, and for the same reason that makes anyone misunderstand anything. Their own imperfect love made them vulnerable to projection, and out of their own fear they spoke of the "wrath of God" as His retaliatory weapon. Nor could they speak of the crucifixion entirely without anger because their own sense of guilt had **made** them angry. T-6.II.19.1:4_

When we feel guilty it is because we have passed judgment. In order to judge ourselves, we look upon the self from a standpoint of "knowledge" of right and wrong. We project this judgment onto God, and say it is God judging us, when really it is self-judgment. We not only judge ourselves, we abandon our very essence, viewing ourselves not as spiritual beings, but as mere bodies at the mercy of a violent world.

If we identify with the body, we will believe that we and others are vulnerable: After all, if Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, and he was the perfect child of God, what hope is there for us "sinners?" This perception of the crucifixion is ideal for the masochistic ego, which causes us to dwell and "thrive" on a fatalistic mindset. It is convenient for us to place blame on everyone and everything and assume a victim mentality instead of taking responsibility. Our idea of a vengeful God is born from our own guilt, anger, and desolation, all of which stem from fear.

_They **must** believe He shares their own confusion and cannot avoid the vengeance that their own belief in justice must entail. And so they fear the Holy Spirit and perceive the "wrath" of God in Him. [They are unjust indeed to Him.] Nor can they trust Him not to strike them dead with lightning bolts torn from the "fires" of Heaven by God's own angry hand. They **do** believe that Heaven is hell and **are** afraid of love. And deep suspicion and the chill of fear comes over them when they are told that they have never sinned.Their world depends on sin's stability. And they perceive the "threat" of what God knows as justice to be more destructive to themselves and to their world than vengeance, which they understand and love. T-25.IX.68.1:8_

If we play a game of pointing fingers and establishing degrees of guilt in others, we deem ourselves entitled to judge others. Who is and who is not innocent and worthy of mercy? We believe that to some degree everyone is a sinner and that God shares our judgment and concept of justice. So, we see God's wrath around us (and attribute calamity to God). Yet in truth, our idea of justice contradicts all that She Is.

_We will not end this year without the gift our Father promised to His holy Son. We are forgiven now. And we are saved from all the wrath we thought belonged to God and found it was a dream. We are restored to sanity in which we understand that anger is insane, attack is mad, and vengeance merely foolish fantasy. We have been saved from wrath because we learned we were mistaken. Nothing more than that. And is a father angry at his son because he failed to understand the truth? W-p2.FL.3.1:7_

If in truth, God is loving and never angry with us, why then would She place Her Children in a situation where disobedience is punished? She has given us free will, and we can choose to be defiant or unloving. Yet it does not follow that our loveless actions are punished, only that they will project a loveless world to us, in which we must abide and in which our own, self-imposed punishments seem real. We can choose instead to conform to God's Divine Order and thereby transition smoothly into living in tandem with the Celestial Order.
**V ENGEANCE IS MINE, SAYETH THE LORD**

**_" Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves,_**

**_but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,_**

**_Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. "_**

_Romans 12:19_

_" Vengeance is Mine sayeth the Lord," is a strictly karmic viewpoint. It is a real misperception of truth by which man assigns his own "evil" past to God. The "evil conscience" from the past has nothing to do with God. He did not create it, and He does not maintain it. God does **not** believe in karmic retribution. His Divine Mind does not create that way. **He** does not hold the evil deeds of a man even against himself. Is it likely, then, that He would hold against anyone the evil that **another** did? T-3.III.15.1:8_

Some people use the concept of "negative karma" to perpetuate the idea that error is immortal; that past mistakes hold power over the present and the future.

This biblical statement does not suggest that God is vengeful. Rather, it encourages us to hand the idea of vengeance over to Her so it can be eradicated from our mind.

_" Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord" is easily explained if you remember that ideas increase only by being shared. This quotation therefore emphasizes the fact that vengeance **cannot** be shared. Give it therefore to the Holy Spirit, who will undo it in you because it does not belong in your mind, which is part of God. T-5.VIII.76.3:5_

The concept of retribution--as well as any other concept that merely clutters the mind--can and should be rescinded. Neither judgment nor retaliation are functions of the Unified Mind.

The correct steps to take are: When you perceive any sort of attack, look within yourself. Ask for guidance in recognizing which belief generated the occurrence, and ask that the belief be removed.

You are only responsible for initiating the process; the rest is done for you, upon request.
**M OVE MOUNTAINS**

**_" And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand_**

**_all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have_**

**_all faith, so that I could remove mountains,_**

**_and have not charity, I am nothing. "_**

_1 Corinthians 13:2_

_It is hard to recognize that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains. It appears at first glance that to believe such power about yourself is merely arrogant, but that is not the real reason why you do not believe it. People **prefer** to believe that their thoughts cannot exert real control, because they are literally **afraid** of them. Many psychotherapists attempt to help people who are afraid, say, of their death wishes by depreciating the power of the wish. They even try to "free" the patient by persuading him that he can think whatever he wants without any **real** effect at all. T-2.V.90.1:5_

Since our minds and hearts are not in accord, we allow physical laws to govern us and it seems impossible to move mountains. The part of our mind that doubts--the ego--does not want us to recognize that we have limitless power because tapping into this power would signify its demise.

The ego has us believe that our attack thoughts are passive and inconsequential. But in truth, our creative and mis-creative thoughts alike produce form. When we minimize the significance of our own thoughts, we are attempting to convince ourselves that they have no repercussions. Imagine what we will manifest when we keep our thoughts on all that is good and remember that our thoughts create our reality and that their power literally can move mountains!

_Why is it strange to you that faith can move mountains? This is indeed a little feat for such a power. For faith can keep the Son of God in chains as long as he believes he **is** in chains. And when he is released from them, it will be simply because he no longer believes in them, withdrawing faith that they can hold him and placing it in his freedom instead. It is impossible to place equal faith in opposite directions.What faith you give to sin you **take away** from holiness. And what you offer holiness has been **removed** from sin. T-21.IV.31.1:7_

Our physical world seems to be constant, stable, solid...yet this is only because we persist in believing that we exist in a world with specific laws, in which predictable rhythms and cycles occur. If we do not question this belief, the world will continue to run its course, reinforcing in us the idea that we are a part of it instead of the inverse being true: the world is part of our mind and we create our world. Everything we see as the world is a result of the power of our minds. Thus, we are already moving more than mountains.

_If you but recognized how little stands between you and your awareness of your union! Be not deceived by the illusions it presents of size and thickness, weight, solidity, and firmness of foundation. Yes, to the body 's eyes it looks like an enormous solid body, immovable as is a mountain. Yet within you there is a Force which no illusions can resist. This body only seems to be immovable; this Force is irresistible in truth. What, then, must happen when they come together? Can the illusion of immovability be long defended from what is quietly passed through and gone beyond? T-22.VI.49.1:7_

Two colliding objects of equal force cancel out each other's impact in the physical world. There can be no collisions of force in the mind, however, as there can be only one force exerting total influence at a time. The first force is the ego, which is insecure and feels the need to prove itself. Any expression of the ego will always be limited or hold some sort of limitation. The second force is the will of the True Self, which desires to prove nothing because it is everything already; it overcomes all illusion effortlessly no matter the density. As we begin the awakening process, the mind fluctuates between these two forces, finally surrendering to the force of the True Self. Humble believers perform miracles. They are not a product of might or of arrogance, but of gentleness; of a mind united with God.
**C HRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS**

**_" For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins_** **_according to the scriptures; "_**

_1 Corinthians 15:3_

_I am made welcome in the state of grace, which means you have at last forgiven me. For I became the symbol of your sin, and so I had to die instead of you. To the ego sin **means** death, and so Atonement is achieved through murder. Salvation is looked upon as a way by which the Son of God was killed instead of **you**. T-19.V.56.1:4_

Understanding the true reason behind Jesus' crucifixion allows us to relinquish the guilt we hold. We believe Jesus died for our sins because we believe in death. All those who condoned Jesus' execution projected their fears onto Jesus and were thus compelled to physically or mentally attack him. Jesus threatened the prevailing thought system, which of course, was ego-based. When we feel that our belief system defines who we are, and this belief system is threatened, we proceed to defend ourselves by attempting to eradicate opposing mindsets. Jesus' desire for us is that we embrace sinlessness as he did. He bids us to join him in reclaiming eternal life.

_Yet would I offer you my body, you whom I love, **knowing** its littleness? Or would I teach that bodies cannot keep us apart? Mine was no greater value than yours; no better means for communication of salvation, but **not** its Source. No one can die for anyone, and death does not atone for sin. Yet you can **live** to show it is not real. The body **does** appear to be the symbol of sin while you believe that it can get you what you want. While you believe that it can give you pleasure, you will also believe that it can bring you pain. T-19.V.57.1:7_

Why would the enactment of an animate to an inanimate body, which is neither alive nor dead, serve as a means for expunging sin? Only a mind which believes that sacrifice is valuable would entertain such an idea.

The crucifixion was a part of Jesus' experience. He did not fear it because his mind was capable of transcending it. Since his mind had stabilized and become identified solely with Spirit, his experience of the crucifixion did not involve pain. Only egoic thoughts of sin can result in pain.

Jesus represents eternal life. He came to teach that sins, bodies, sacrifice, and death are illusions of an ambivalent mind. He overcame death precisely because he was certain that these are not attributes inherent in a Child of God, but are instead simply ideas we should reinterpret and relinquish.

Without having transcended this-worldly experience, we remain attracted to physical pleasure. When we choose to identify with our true Identity, our experience shifts from physical to spiritual. Bodily pleasures are physical and therefore inconsistent and fleeting. They cannot match the ultimate bliss of constant and boundless experience.
**B E OF ONE MIND**

**_" Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love_** **_and peace shall be with you. "_**

_2 Corinthians 13:11_

_The biblical injunction, "Be of one mind" is the statement for revelation-readiness. My **own** injunction, "Do this in remembrance of me" is the request for cooperation from miracle workers. It should be noted that the two statements are not in the same order of reality. The latter involves a time awareness, since to remember implies recalling the past in the present. Time is under **my** direction, but Timelessness belongs to God alone. In time we exist for and with each other. In Timelessness we coexist with God. T-3.II.10.1:7_

Revelation connects our mind with God and we experience our coexistence with Her without the Holy Spirit as a conduit. The mind that demonstrates its preparedness for Revelation is wholly undivided. Jesus embraced wholeness and holiness and this is why he has the authority to ask us to do the same in remembrance of him.

Jesus makes this injunction because he has full control over space and time. He is also in full awareness of the state of your mind. When you elect to will for alignment with Unity, he will temporarily release you from space and time so that you can experience infinity on your own accord.

While we perceive ourselves in space and time, our purpose is to prepare our mind for Revelation. We do so through training our mind to side consistently with love and to recognize our inherent unity with all things. The posture we adopt is full appreciation of and unconditional support for anyone who enters our experience.
**I MMEASURABLE GIFTS**

**_" Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."_**

_2 Corinthians 9:15_

_Love will enter immediately into **any** mind which truly wants it, but it **must** want it truly. This means that it wants it **without** ambivalence, and this kind of wanting is wholly without the ego's "drive to get." There is a kind of experience which is so different from anything the ego can offer that you will never recover. The word "recover" is used quite literally here--you will never be able to cover or hide again. It is necessary to repeat here that your belief in darkness and in hiding **is** why the light cannot enter. The Bible gives many references to the immeasurable gifts which are **for** you but for which **you** must ask. This is not a condition as the ego sets conditions. It is the glorious condition of what you **are**. T-4.IV.50.1:8_

God's Gifts are your Divine Inheritance. With these gifts comes the end of sacrifice; the return to Wholeness. All gratification lies in God's Gifts--and they will arrive in proportion to the wholehearted willingness with which you desire them. The next step is to recognize them and, finally, to become host to them.

Your gifts from God are already within you. Yet as your belief in darkness conceals them, you are unaware of them and unable to perceive them.

A glimpse of truth--a single instant of light--is enough to reveal the treasures that lie within you. They are treasures that are not attained through force or strategy, but only through graceful certainty and allowance.
**G OD IS NOT MOCKED**

**_" Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever_**

**_a man soweth, that shall he also reap. "_**

_Galatians 6:7_

_" God is not mocked" is not a warning but a reassurance on this point. God **would** be mocked if any of His creations lacked holiness. The creation **is** whole, and the mark of wholeness is holiness. T-1.Int.60.1:3_

We may take comfort in knowing that God can never be ridiculed. If any part of Creation were less than perfect, then caution might be called for. But Creation is complete and holy. To believe the contrary is to believe the impossible, which gives rise to a self-defeating delusion.

_The power that you have over the Son of God is not a threat to his reality. It but **attests** to it. Where could his freedom lie but in himself if he be free already? And who could bind him but himself if he deny his freedom? God is not mocked; no more His Son can be imprisoned save by his own desire. And it is by his own desire that he is freed. Such is his strength and not his weakness. He **is** at his own mercy. And where he chooses to be merciful, there is he free. But where he chooses to condemn instead, there is he held a prisoner, waiting in chains his pardon on himself to set him free. T-21.VII.69.10_

Our desire is powerful...we can either create a prison of discord, or channel desire rightly and reach freedom. We believe that the full range of our possible expressions encompasses destruction. But in truth, this is not a choice. God cannot be mocked or wrong...She is forever increasing and creates only what is real and eternal.

Because there is no blame, remorse, or guilt in God, forgiveness is an illusion. Illusions will persist in our awareness until we notice that if we attack another, we are only attacking ourselves. The only reason this truth is not obvious to us is because of projection--we believe that there is a "true" distinction between our minds and bodies and others' minds and bodies. Actually, anybody "outside" of ourselves in our worldly experience represents our unconscious beliefs. How "they" act is completely in accord with our belief system.

Guilt placed on another does not eradicate guilt in the mind of the judge, it reinforces it. And so the guilt lingers, ready to be placed on the next victim "worthy" of punishment.

Understanding projection is how a victim mentality is replaced with a responsible, powerful, and mature mentality, known as the Christ. Only by putting this idea into practice will we find that Jesus is correct: forgiveness leads us to the inclusion of everybody and the rediscovery of God.
**M AY THE MIND BE IN YOU**

**_" Let this mind be in you, which was_**

**_also in Christ Jesus: "_**

_Philippians 2:5_

_This is the invitation to the Holy Spirit. I told you that I could reach up and bring the Holy Spirit down to you, but I can bring Him to you **only** at your own invitation. The Holy Spirit is nothing more than your own right mind. He was also mine. The Bible says, "May the mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus," and uses this as a **blessing**. It is the blessing of miracle-mindedness. It asks that you may think as I thought, joining with me in Christ-thinking. T-5.II.9.1:7_

Free will is a Divine Attribute, yet we can apply it only to ourselves. We cannot impose free will upon another individual or thrust the responsibility of exercising free will upon others.

The miracle-minded know that they have tapped into True Power. It is natural for them to wish that everybody could become cognizant of Christ-consciousness and the unlimited potential it holds.

Remember, your brothers and sisters have the same Guide you do. It is your responsibility to be an example for them, so they can see the benefits of following their Inner Guide. Resist the egoic urge to correct others by practicing infinite patience, as this is what produces immediate results. Wish them well. On their behalf, hold certainty that in the end, everyone will return to their Divine State.
**T HE PEACE OF GOD**

**_" And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."_**

_Philippians 4:7_

_Human understanding will inevitably value wrongly and, by endowing all human thoughts with equal power, will inevitably **destroy** peace. That is why the Bible speaks of "the peace of God which **passeth** (human) understanding." **This** peace is totally incapable of being shaken by human errors of **any** kind. It denies the ability of **anything** which is not of God to affect you in **any** way. T-2.II.48.4:7_

The peace of God is exempt from error of any kind and it will prevail over any antithetical illusions. Yet the false beliefs of a separated mind render it unable to recognize this. Because the peace of God is the one goal in this world, it is necessary to heal the mind. Upon restoring the peace of God in our minds, we remember Divinity.

_The peace of God passeth your understanding **only** in the past. Yet here it **is** , and you can understand it **now**. God loves His Son forever, and His Son **returns** his Father's love forever. The real world is the way that leads you to remembrance of this one thing that is wholly true and wholly **yours**. For all else you have lent yourself in time, and it will fade. But this one thing is **always** yours, being the gift of God unto His Son. Your **one** reality was given you, and by it God created you as one with Him. T-12.VII.66.1:7_

True understanding--or Knowledge--can only be found in the present. It is lost to us when our minds wander into the unreal: the past and future. When our aimless searching ceases, ambivalence and fear will vanish. Our egoic desires will subside because we will find them lacking, ever unfulfilling and unfulfilled. We will find ourselves in the present, peaceful and complete, and all of our problems will have disappeared.
**T HE ROOT OF ALL EVIL**

**_" For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,_** **_and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. "_**

_1 Timothy 6:10_

_We have spoken of many different human symptoms, and at this level there is almost endless variation. There is, however, only **one** cause of all of them. The authority problem **is** "the root of all evil." Money is but one of its many reflections and is a reasonably representative example of the kind of thinking which stems from it. The idea of buying and selling implies precisely the kind of exchange that the Soul cannot understand at all because its supply is always abundant and all its demands are fully met. T-4.II.5.1:5_

The ego manifests countless misleading hallucinations which stem from the "authority problem," which is a delusion wherein men believe their creation was anonymous and, as a consequence, they feel compelled to fight for their identity and to establish their worth.

Money, like all other forms in this world, is neutral. Yet the belief that value lies in matter and that value can be disproportionate causes matter to become unstable, and this instability is detrimental to our peace of mind. When thoughts of individual supremacy or inferiority govern the mind, society cannot but experience inequality. For example, the extreme global economic imbalance in our modern world, as well as the continual currency fluctuation in global financial markets, reflect the power of such faulty collective beliefs.

Looking within ourselves and aligning with Spirit--Who knows only uniform grandeur and abundance--will generate change worldwide, stimulate stable growth, and enable the equitable distribution of wealth.

_When you are weary, remember you have hurt yourself. Your Comforter will rest you, but you cannot. You do not know how, for if you did you could never have grown weary. Unless you have hurt yourselves, you could never suffer in any way, for that is not God 's Will for His Son. Pain is not of Him, for He knows no attack and His peace surrounds you silently. God is very quiet, for there is no conflict in Him. Conflict is the root of all evil, for being blind, it does not see whom it attacks. Yet it always attacks the Son of God, and the Son of God is you. T-10.IV.23.1:8_

If you are not at peace, you have identified with an illusion and must recognize that you cannot restore your peace without the assistance of your Inner Guide. Being honest and tolerant regarding your inability to heal on your own accord is the first step in healing. Fortunately, God loves us very much and has sent us a Comforter, an Answer, a Voice in us (but not _of_ us) that knows. It waits in silent certainty until we are ready to listen. We demonstrate our readiness by our willingness to perceive predicaments in another way. Behind the loud, questioning, volatile, and antagonistic voice of the ego is the quiet Voice of Spirit. He uses symbols we understand to teach one idea: that conflict in our experience is a result of our conflicting beliefs. The moment we take responsibility for our erroneous perceptions by siding with similarities instead of differences, our perception is corrected and our mental shift is mirrored in the world around us.
**T O PROFESS**

**_" Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"_**

_Hebrews 10:23_

_The term "profess" is used quite frequently in the Bible. To profess is to identify with an idea and offer the idea to others to be their own. The idea does not lessen; it becomes **stronger**. T-4.II.6.4:6_

Learning and teaching are synonymous. We teach in order to better learn the ideas we are teaching. Once we assimilate the Truth and share it with others, it will reinforce itself, and become integrated with our Christ-imparted belief system.

_A good teacher clarifies his own ideas and strengthens them by teaching them. Teacher and pupil are alike in the learning process. They are in the same order of learning, and unless they **share** their lessons, they will lack conviction. A good teacher must believe in the ideas which he professes, but he must meet another condition; he must also believe in the students to whom he offers his ideas. Many stand guard over their ideas because they want to protect their thought systems as they are, and learning means change. Change is always fearful to the separated ones because they cannot conceive of it as a change towards **healing** the separation. They **always** perceive it as a change towards further separation because the separation was their first experience of change. T-4.II.7.1:7_

Applying Truth must become our entire approach to life. The most effective way to consolidate what we have learned is by teaching it and all situations we encounter may be practice periods in which we are actively teaching, and in turn actively learning. Will you teach fear or love?

When we teach, we are convincing ourselves. It is futile to teach others. Attempting to convince another is proof that we ourselves are not convinced. Since everyone filters their experience through their current belief system, it is impossible to know how the ideas we are expressing will be received. Instead, when engaged in dialogue, we must respond to others by considering the response that is best suited for us.

Embodiment of an idea results in mastery. Mastery cannot be attained by understanding Truth alone. Truth must be extended for it to settle in the mind because extension characterizes Truth. Since the effects of love are consistent, reliance on love becomes the means for us to obtain consistent results. These achievements will end our teaching and learning phase.

Be an example of your immaculate belief system and trust that others are equally capable of embodying what you have. Your trust in them is a reflection of the trust in yourself. Miracle-workers know that the less they concern themselves with how their teaching is perceived, the more naturally it is expressed. Authenticity and grace are attributes worthy of cultivating.
**W E SHALL BE LIKE HIM**

**_" Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."_**

_1 John 3:2_

_Because their hearts are pure, the innocent defend true perception instead of defending themselves **against** it. Understanding the lesson of the Atonement, they are without the will to attack, and therefore they see truly. This is what the Bible means when it says, "When He shall appear (or be perceived) we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He **is**." T-2.III.20.1:3_

When we defend or attack an ideal we are establishing its reality and strengthening it in ourselves and those we are defending or attacking. Strength resides in Unity where only love and innocence exist. It can be said that we have a pure heart when we perceives this as the only reality.

The impulse to defend is an indicator of false perception because when we abide in love, we feel no sense of threat anywhere. To have true perception is to have the Vision of Christ--or to "see like Him." It is a state of mind that promotes healing because it weakens false perception in the mind of the beholder by quietly reinforcing correct perception.
**T HE DEVIL**

**_" He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."_**

_1 John 3:8_

_The mind can make the belief in separation **very** real and **very** fearful, and this belief **is** the "devil." It is powerful, active, destructive, and clearly in opposition to God because it literally denies His Fatherhood. Never underestimate the power of this denial. Look at your lives and see what the devil has made. But **know** that this making will surely dissolve in the light of truth, because its **foundation** is a lie. T-3.IX.78.1:4_

The devil is only a symbol for the self-generated fear of the separated mind and is in complete variance with the Truth. The "devil's" demise lies in deciding to recognize it for what it is and choosing to renounce the state of separation.

Persuading you that Unity cannot be restored because darkness is stronger than light is the "devil's" pathetic attempt to convince you of its supremacy.

In Reality, only light has power. Its presence instantly and effortlessly overcomes darkness, invalidating the existence of darkness altogether.

_You cannot resolve the authority problem by depreciating the power of your minds. To do so is to deceive yourself, and this will hurt you because you **know** the strength of the mind. You also know that you **cannot** weaken it, any more than you can weaken God. The "devil" is a frightening concept, because he is thought of as extremely powerful and extremely active. He is perceived as a force in combat with God, battling Him for possession of the Souls He created. He deceives by lies and builds kingdoms of his own in which everything is in direct opposition to God. Yet he **attracts** men rather than repels them, and they are seen as willing to "sell" him their Souls in return for gifts they **recognize** are of no real worth. T-3.IX.73.1:7_

Our thoughts produce the outcome of situations, no matter how much we want to blame external factors.

When outcomes do not take the course we devise, we should not draw the conclusion that we are weak. Playing the victim is also a useless tactic; it does not prove that we or God are weak.

Appealing to magic or blaming the devil only holds our interest because we believe that these symbols have more power than we do and we believe that their power will increase if we place our faith in them. We hope that by siding with magic or with the devil, our vengeful desires will be granted.

_Any ability that anyone develops has the potentiality for good. To this there is no exception. And the more unusual and unexpected the power, the greater its potential usefulness. Salvation has need of all abilities, for what the world would destroy, the Holy Spirit would restore. "Psychic" abilities have been used to call upon the devil, which merely means to strengthen the ego. Yet here is also a great channel of hope and healing in the Holy Spirit's service. Those who have developed "psychic" powers have simply let some of the limitations they laid upon their minds be lifted. It can be but greater limitations they lay upon themselves if they utilize their increased freedom for greater imprisonment. The Holy Spirit needs these gifts, and those who offer them to Him and Him alone go with Christ's gratitude upon their hearts, and His holy sight not far behind. M.25.6.1:9_

Psychic abilities have often been associated with the devil because their workings are not understood--so some deem them to be occult powers. In truth, psychic abilities are just like all other abilities, we all have the potential to develop them. If they are given to us, we must humbly accept the associated responsibility and use them in service of the Collective. If they are attained and applied toward self-aggrandizement, they will set the mind back on its path toward absolute power.
**T HE BIBLE IS A FEARFUL THING TO THE EGO**

**_" But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:_** **_which is the second death. "_**

_Revelation 21:8_

_The ego speaks in judgment and the Holy Spirit reverses its decisions, much as the Supreme Court has the power to reverse the lower courts ' decisions about the laws of this world. The ego's decisions are **always** wrong, because they are based on a complete fallacy which they were made to uphold. **Nothing** the ego perceives is interpreted correctly. Not only does it cite Scripture for its purpose, but it even interprets Scripture as a witness for itself. The Bible is a fearful thing to the ego because of its prejudiced judgment. Perceiving it as fearful, it interprets it fearfully. Having made **you** afraid, you do not appeal to the Higher Court, because you believe its judgment would be **against** you. T-5.VIII.74.1:7_

When individuals whose minds identify with the ego read the Bible, they interpret its meaning and symbols in a distorted, fearful manner (as within, so without). The Holy Spirit is the Voice for God that separates what is true from what is false. He correctly interprets all the symbols of this world--including the Bible--so that we may see peace instead of fear.

_We need cite only a few examples to see how the ego 's interpretations have misled you. A favorite ego quotation is "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Another is "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord." Still another is "I will visit the sins of the father unto the third and fourth generation," and also "The wicked shall perish." There are many others, but if you will let the Holy Spirit reinterpret these in His own light, they will suffice. T-5.VIII.75.1:5_

God's Word is written in your heart. The ego interprets the Word in a misleading fashion, it can use Scripture to justify its beliefs, attempting to convince you of the logic, merit, and inevitability of punishment and suffering. This validates the fact that the ego's only purpose is the demise of your Self. There has been much misinterpretation of the Word and it is only by fully relinquishing these misconceptions that we can establish a new, cohesive thought system.

May you now deeply understand, and in turn embody the miraculous wisdom of the Bible. The Truth applies to everyone, always; that is why it is the Truth. You are capable of True perception when you confide in and confer with your Inner Guide. Because God so Wills it, Heaven is returned to our awareness, and we rejoice in the Kingdom forever and ever. Amen!
**A FTERWORD**

Thank you for reading this book. If your heart guides you to share it or our other books with your relations and/or to leave feedback on Amazon, we would be deeply grateful. Also, your comments and suggestions will help us to improve the clarity of our publications and will thus be gifts to us and all our readers. Circulating your loving thoughts throughout the world will uplift and empower many.

All digital versions of our books are free on Amazon's Kindle and on Smashwords and Lulu. We invest all of the revenue generated from the sale of printed versions into translating our books into multiple languages.

As long as you keep an open mind, this book will help you sort out what is true from what is false. We hope you generalize these ideas and integrate them into the present moment--you are entitled to experience a state of unlimited inner radiance in a joyous, heart-centered life.

**W ORKS CITED**

Alighieri, Dante. _The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise_. The Union Library Association. New York, N.Y. 1935. Digital.

Medhurst, Phillip. _The Four Evangelists_. Grangerised copy of the Macklin's Bible. Bolton Museum and Archives. Bolton, England. 1795. Digital.

Michaud, Joseph Francois. _History of the Crusades_. Kessinger Publishing. Whitefish, Montana. 2001. Print.

Milton, John, 1608-1674. _Paradise Lost; and, Paradise Regained_. New York, N.Y. Signet Classic. 2001. Digital.

Schucman, Helen. _A Course in Miracles Original Edition_. Omaha, Nebraska.Course in Miracles Society. 2011. eBook.

_The Holy Bible: King James Version_. Iowa Falls, Iowa. World Bible Publishers. 2001. Digital.

_The Holy Bible: La Grande Bible de Tours_. Chez Jean De Bonnoti. Paris, France. 1866. Print.

_The Holy Bible_. New International Version. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1984. Print.

**B IOGRAPHY**

The details of our lives are quite inconsequential.  
All that need be known is that a tranquil mind has been achieved.

# Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Copyright
  3. Title Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. The Fall
  7. In His Own Image And Likeness
  8. Let There Be Light
  9. And Pronounced It Good
  10. The Garden Of Eden
  11. The Forbidden Tree Of Knowledge
  12. A Deep Sleep Fell Upon Adam
  13. Lies Of The Serpent
  14. No Other Gods Before Me
  15. The Sins Of The Fathers
  16. Thine Is The Kingdom
  17. The Restoration Of The Temple
  18. Prepare A Table
  19. The Wicked Shall Perish
  20. Name Of God
  21. Praise God
  22. Know Thyself
  23. There Is No Death
  24. Fear God And Keep His Commandments
  25. God Will Keep Him In Perfect Peace
  26. Rest In Peace
  27. A New Heaven And A New Earth
  28. As Ye Sow, Shall Ye Reap
  29. Light Of The World
  30. Turn The Other Cheek
  31. Heal All Errors
  32. Go With A Brother Twice As Far
  33. The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth
  34. Forgive Us Our Trespasses
  35. By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
  36. Judge Not That Ye Be Not Be Judged
  37. Seek And Ye Shall Find
  38. I Come Not To Bring Peace But A Sword
  39. All Prayers Are Answered
  40. My Yoke Is Easy And My Burden Light
  41. My Beloved Son In Whom I Am Well Pleased
  42. When Two Or More Join Together
  43. Become As Little Children
  44. Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen
  45. Heaven And Earth Shall Pass Away
  46. Him Who Hath Shall Be Given
  47. Lead Us Not Into Temptation
  48. I Am With You Always
  49. I Was A Stranger
  50. What Profiteth A Man If He Gain The World
  51. Love Thy Neighbor
  52. Agony In The Garden
  53. Glory To God In The Highest
  54. The Prodigal Son
  55. Sell All You Have
  56. Betrayest Thou The Son Of Man With A Kiss
  57. Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do
  58. The Word Was Made Flesh
  59. Lamb Of God
  60. God so Loved The World
  61. Of Yourself You Can Do Nothing
  62. The Truth Shal Make You Free
  63. Before Abraham Was I Am
  64. The Blind Can See
  65. I And My Father Are One
  66. Resurrection And The Life
  67. I Come As A Light Into The World
  68. Ye Believe In God, Believe Also In Me
  69. My Peace I Give Unto You
  70. I Will Send You Another Comforter
  71. No Man Cometh Unto The Father
  72. Ask In The Name Of Jesus Christ
  73. The Branch That Bears No Fruit
  74. Blessed Are Ye Who Have Not Seen
  75. The Wrath Of God
  76. Vengeance Is Mine, Sayeth The Lord
  77. Move Mountains
  78. Christ Died For Our Sins
  79. Be Of One Mind
  80. Immeasurable Gifts
  81. God Is Not Mocked
  82. May The Mind Be In You
  83. The Peace Of God
  84. The Root Of All Evil
  85. To Profess
  86. We Shall Be Like Him
  87. The Devil
  88. The Bible Is A Fearful Thing To The Ego
  89. Afterword
  90. Works Cited
  91. Biography

## Guide

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Text Beginning

