Monday, August 25, 2008

Lesson 144 & 146 (129 - 132)

LESSON 145


My mind holds only what I think with God.


(129) Beyond this world there is a world I want.
(130) It is impossible to see two worlds.



LESSON 146


My mind holds only what I think with God.


(131) No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.
(132) I loose the world from all I thought it was.





The Following is Forwarded from Pathwaysoflight.org


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Lesson 145
Review: "My mind holds only what I think with God." and
"Beyond this world there is a world I want.
It is impossible to see two worlds."

Remembering all through the day that my mind holds only what I think with God helps me see the mindless thoughts of the ego for what they are. It helps me place less importance on the images found in this world. It reminds me to look beyond the images of separation to the world I really want. It reminds me that I need to let go of the world's images and be open to the thoughts of universal oneness, of God.

I need this reminding all through the day. Otherwise I make big deals and think that what I am experiencing as this world is real. When this happens, I have returned to wandering in the wilderness and this does not create happiness.

I need the hourly reminders that my mind holds only what I think with God. This helps to clear the slate of my mind. This helps me loosen my grip on all the false ideas found in this world. This lesson reminds me that it is impossible to see two worlds. I cannot continue to make this world of separation real and still be aware of the thoughts I think with God. I forget that I am in Heaven now when I get caught up in all the turmoil and conflict found in this world.

This lesson is like the lifeline reminding me of the truth as I go through my day. I am so thankful for these lessons. They are truly helping me awaken to the truth.


Before I started working with the Course, I thought this world was real. I also felt that there was something beyond this world, though it was not something I could describe or define. There was always part of me that was looking for something more satisfying, more fulfilling. This lesson puts into words that feeling: Beyond this world there is a world I want. As I worked with the Course, I realized that though I was searching for something more, there was another part of my mind that thought the things of this world were more important.

I am grateful for the Course that is helping me to recognize what is truly valuable and what is valueless, what is real and what is unreal. The seeming conflict between seeking for a world beyond this one that I truly want, while at the same time thinking I want things of this world is diminishing. I find greater peace. My happiness is sustained more consistently. The value I place on anything in this world interferes with seeing the world I really want because it is impossible to see two worlds. Gradually, as I work with the lessons and read the Text and Manual for Teachers, I am letting go of the value I have placed on this world.

At first it seemed the Course was asking me to sacrifice, to give up something valuable. But now, more and more, I am recognizing that I am giving up nothing to gain everything. The conflicting goals I have tried to hold in my mind are steadily falling away. And in their place rises the peace and Love of God, my true treasure, my lasting happiness. I am deeply grateful for this Course, for I am blessed indeed.

©2003, Pathways of Light, Inc. http://pathwaysoflight.org You may freely share copies of this page with your friends, provided all copies include this notice.


Lesson 146
Review: "My mind holds only what I think with God." and
"No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.
I loose the world from all I thought it was."

Today's lesson is an interesting triad of thoughts that reinforce each other. In my experience it doesn't seem that I have reached the truth, though I think I seek it every day. But the reason I don't seem to reach the truth, is that I have conflicting goals. And the goals that are not the truth have priority. That is because I still carry beliefs that there is something in the world that I want more than God's Love and peace. I still have a mistaken idea of what the world is and has to offer. Thus I still need to loose the world from all I think it is. As I let go of values I have given the images of this world, I clear the way to the recognition that my mind holds only what I think with God. And that is the truth.

As I go through my day, it helps me to remember that I do not know what anything is for. I give things meaning and believe in them, which gives me a false sense of knowing what is true. Yet underneath this is an awareness that this "truth" is unstable and vulnerable. Anything that occurs which seems to threaten the meaning I have given, to raise it to question or uncertainty, is to be defended against. I want to be right because my identity of what I think I am is tied with what I believe. Anything that brings what I believe into question is perceived as a threat to my identity. As long as I hang on to these beliefs, I cannot be at peace.

That is why I must constantly remind myself that I do not know what anything means to help me loose the world from what I think it is. But this is not enough.

I must also open my mind to my inner Teacher to show me the real meaning, to show me the truth. The first step is to question everything I think I know. The second step is to be willing to receive the Holy Spirit's teaching. With that I will find the truth and I will experience the thoughts I share with Love, with God. Today I will practice opening myself to the Holy Spirit's vision so that I will find the truth.


Today's lesson tells me the truth and how to reach the truth in my experience. The truth is my mind holds only what I think with God. And because I experience what I want to experience in my heart of hearts, the second sentence encourages me to seek the truth and reminds me that if I seek the truth, I will find it. What happens when I seek the truth is I let go of the all the meaning I have given to the world. I let go of all the false ideas of separation that I thought were real. I loose the world from all I thought it was.
All the mindless ideas gently fall away as I am willing to seek only for the truth. As I seek only for the truth, I am shown that image making is composed of mindless ideas of nothing. Images that are separate from each other are not true. Only God's oneness is real. Only our all-inclusive communion in God is real. The Mind of God is eternal. What changes in a world of time and space is not real.

Thank goodness my mind holds only what I think with God. I am grateful that this is so. All is eternally safe in the mind of God. In Heaven there is no loss, there is no division or differences of any kind. Everything remains as God created It -- an extension of God in God's oneness.

Today I am willing to open to the truth. I am willing to loose the world from all I thought it was. I am willing to practice remembering that my mind holds only what I think with God.


I have been working very hard on these review lessons and Holy Spirit has been showing me those places where I am holding onto false ideas. I am grateful for this but it is discouraging at times. I am astounded at how hard I do hold on. I felt a sense of relief flood me this morning as I was reminded that no one fails who seeks to reach the truth.

I appreciate the staff comments on this lesson. It helped me to clarify what has been going on in my mind the last couple of days. I knew I needed to see something differently, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. It was like having a persistent headache, but not knowing what caused it. After reading the staff comments I understand that I have given priority to a goal that is not true. I also understand that I have been asking for relief from the discomfort this causes me instead of asking to be shown the truth. It is like I have a headache because I am banging my head against a brick wall and I have asked that I be relieved of the headache so that I can continue to bang my head without all that pain.

When I think about it, I wouldn't want that to happen even if it were possible. It is the pain that motivates the change. If it didn't hurt to bang my head against a brick wall, I wouldn't quit. I am so attached to my image of myself, bad as well as good that I would be unwilling to let it go if I couldn't see that it is hurting me. So today I loose myself of the image of what I think I am and I open my mind to Holy Spirit so I can learn the truth.

©2003, Pathways of Light, Inc. http://pathwaysoflight.org You may freely share copies of this page with your friends, provided all copies include this notice.