Salvation comes from my one Self.
Although you are one Self, you experience yourself as two; as both good and evil, loving and hating, mind and body. This sense of being split into opposites induces feelings of acute and constant conflict, and leads to frantic attempts to reconcile the contradictory aspects of this self-perception. You have sought many such solutions, and none of them has worked. The opposites you see in you will never be compatible. But one exists.
The fact that truth and illusion cannot be reconciled, no matter how you try, what means you use and where you see the problem, must be accepted if you would be saved. Until you have accepted this, you will attempt an endless list of goals you cannot reach; a senseless series of expenditures of time and effort, hopefulness and doubt, each one as futile as the one before, and failing as the next one surely will.
Problems that have no meaning cannot be resolved within the framework they are set. Two selves in conflict could not be resolved, and good and evil have no meeting place. The self you made can never be your Self, nor can your Self be split in two, and still be what It is and must forever be. A mind and body cannot both exist. Make no attempt to reconcile the two, for one denies the other can be real. If you are physical, your mind is gone from your self-concept, for it has no place in which it could be really part of you. If you are spirit, then the body must be meaningless to your reality.
Spirit makes use of mind as means to find its Self expression. And the mind which serves the spirit is at peace and filled with joy. Its power comes from spirit, and it is fulfilling happily its function here. Yet mind can also see itself divorced from spirit, and perceive itself within a body it confuses with itself. Without its function then it has no peace, and happiness is alien to its thoughts.
Yet mind apart from spirit cannot think. It has denied its Source of strength, and sees itself as helpless, limited and weak. Dissociated from its function now, it thinks it is alone and separate, attacked by armies massed against itself and hiding in the body's frail support. Now must it reconcile unlike with like, for this is what it thinks that it is for.
Waste no more time on this. Who can resolve the senseless conflicts which a dream presents? What could the resolution mean in truth? What purpose could it serve? What is it for? Salvation cannot make illusions real, nor solve a problem that does not exist. Perhaps you hope it can. Yet would you have God's plan for the release of His dear Son bring pain to him, and fail to set him free?
Your Self retains Its Thoughts, and they remain within your mind and in the Mind of God. The Holy Spirit holds salvation in your mind, and offers it the way to peace. Salvation is a thought you share with God, because His Voice accepted it for you and answered in your name that it was done. Thus is salvation kept among the Thoughts your Self holds dear and cherishes for you.
We will attempt today to find this thought, whose presence in your mind is guaranteed by Him Who speaks to you from your one Self. Our hourly five-minute practicing will be a search for Him within your mind. Salvation comes from this one Self through Him Who is the Bridge between your mind and It. Wait patiently, and let Him speak to you about your Self, and what your mind can do, restored to It and free to serve Its Will.
Begin with saying this:
Salvation comes from my one Self. Its Thoughts are mine to use.
Then seek Its Thoughts, and claim them as your own. These are your own real thoughts you have denied, and let your mind go wandering in a world of dreams, to find illusions in their place. Here are your thoughts, the only ones you have. Salvation is among them; find it there.
If you succeed, the thoughts that come to you will tell you you are saved, and that your mind has found the function that it sought to lose. Your Self will welcome it and give it peace. Restored in strength, it will again flow out from spirit to the spirit in all things created by the Spirit as Itself. Your mind will bless all things. Confusion done, you are restored, for you have found your Self.
Your Self knows that you cannot fail today. Perhaps your mind remains uncertain yet a little while. Be not dismayed by this. The joy your Self experiences It will save for you, and it will yet be yours in full awareness. Every time you spend five minutes of the hour seeking Him Who joins your mind and Self, you offer Him another treasure to be kept for you.
Each time today you tell your frantic mind salvation comes from your one Self, you lay another treasure in your growing store. And all of it is given everyone who asks for it, and will accept the gift. Think, then, how much is given unto you to give this day, that it be given you!
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The Following is Forwarded from Pathwaysoflight.org
Lesson 96
“Salvation comes from my one Self.”
While I was quieting my mind as I worked with today’s exercise, I observed the thoughts that wandered through. I observed that all these thoughts were in some way tied with the image I hold of myself as a body: memories of things the body did, things I plan to do with the body, things people said to me as a body identity. I realize all these thoughts come from a mind perceived split apart from other minds and from God.
While focused on these thoughts I cannot experience or be aware of the thoughts of the mind of my one Self which are shared with God. It is impossible to experience the unity of the one Mind I share with God while my thoughts are focused on a separate identity with private thoughts. With this focus I am not aware of my true Mind that is unified with the Mind of God. These thoughts so fill my awareness that it is only in fleeting moments that I experience a glimpse of the brilliant Light of the Mind of my one Self, which I share with God.
I am grateful to this Course and the exercises of the Workbook, for they have helped open the door to these glimpses. With continued practice, I experience these holy instants more often.
It is important to realize that I cannot reach God through little-self analysis. I reach God by resigning as my own guide and letting the Holy Spirit in my mind guide my thoughts and perceptions. The Holy Spirit will help me recognize the meaninglessness of an image set apart from all and guide me to the recognition of the Light I share with all Creation. Here there can be no conflict, for there is no opposite to conflict with the one Reality of Light. That one Reality is my one Self. Here, in this unity is perfect peace and perfect joy. This is why salvation comes from my one Self. Salvation is perfect happiness and perfect peace.
Holy Spirit lead me to the place in my mind where my one Self resides. Lead me to the Thoughts I share with God. Lead me to the peace of God. You know they are there and how to find them.
It is only my unwillingness that delays the process. Right now I focus on opening my mind to be led to the truth. I open my mind to receive God’s comfort and peace. I open my mind to the certainty of God’s eternal Love, Which is my true Identity. God’s certainty is mine. I only experience conflict when I wander in dreams. These dreams seem so enticing at times, so important to focus on. I am now getting an inkling of how meaningless these dreams are.
As I open to my one Self, I feel a little stream of peace that gradually grows larger. As I follow the stream of peace, it gradually feels fuller and fuller. I keep moving forward into this ever-widening flow of peace. I feel strengthened and encouraged by it. I keep moving forward. I see that my little self identity must fall away as I continue forward. I let it fall away, first a little and then a little more.
The peace of God feels so strong now in my awareness. Nothing else matters. This is my one Self’s gift to all who are willing to be led here. Here and only here is safety. God’s ocean of Love is the one Identity. I am willing to return often today to this ocean of Love That resides in my mind. It is all I want. It is all I need. Here is my happiness and my joy. I am determined to let this be my practice today. “My salvation comes from my one Self.”
I didn't get much sleep last night and my mind was not working very well, so when I tried to do my lesson, I found my mind wandering a lot. I decided to walk along the boardwalk. Water always calms and the wind is blowing some of the heat and humidity away.
I've often found that walking with no distractions seems to help me focus my thinking. I act as if I am talking to someone and so my mind doesn't wander so much. Immediately my mind settled on a problem that has been ongoing for sometime now, a relationship that needs healing but that I have been unwilling to release.
I went over it in my mind and thought about how it all began and what fuels the problem. I thought about why I am so unwilling to allow healing and wondered what to do about it.
Toward the end of the walk, I stated my intention to allow healing and realized that "allow" was the operative word here. Always before I was saying I wanted healing but I was placing my solution in the hands of ego. This is tantamount to saying I want to pretend to do something about it to assuage my guilt and then go on with everything exactly the same only not so obvious. How can I expect my ego to change something it doesn't understand? Anyway, my ego likes things just the way they are. It is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house and then feeling surprised at the result.
I am so grateful for today's lesson. Maybe my self doesn't have a clue, but my one Self holds the thought of salvation for me and wants me to use it. No longer is salvation just a word, an abstract concept. Salvation is possible. Today I practice reaching thoughts of salvation in my mind. I have a clear goal and my intention is strong. I am surrounded by help. How can I fail?
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