[acimlessons_list] Lesson 219--August 7

Sat Aug 6 11:39:44 EDT 2005

Lesson 219 * August 7

Central theme:

"I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me."

Review of:

(199) "I am not a body. I am free."

Practice instructions

See instructions in separate document.

Commentary

Well, we don't get much choice today. We've got to take another look
at the fact that we are not bodies.

The belief that I am a body, I think, is what put us here in this
world, wearing a body. I may say I believe I am not a body, and that
I understand what I am saying, but I'm still wearing a body. That
shows that my words and the deep belief of my mind are not entirely
in synch. The reason the Course has had us repeating this idea for
the last twenty days (it started with Lesson 199) is certainly not
because we already believe it and don't need it; obviously, the
Course is recognizing that our belief that we are bodies is deeply
imbedded in us, and the repetition is necessary to begin
counteracting that belief. Remember that in Lesson 199, it suggested
we make this idea a part of our practice <every day>. Our
identification with our bodies is not an idea that will be easily
dislodged.

The juxtaposition of the words "I am not a body" with the words "I am
free" is interesting. If I had written the Course I would probably
have said, "I am not a body. I am a spirit," or something like that.
Why do you suppose Jesus put these two thoughts together?

The body is an enslaving thing. All of us are slaves to our bodies.
Think how much time and energy of our so-called life in this world is
devoted to caring for the body. We feed it, we work to house it and
cloth it, we wash it, we devote entire rooms in our house to taking
care of the needs for elimination and cleansing, we buy all sorts of
gadgets to groom it. Every week or so we clip our nails. We make
appointments for haircuts. Look at the cookbook section in a
bookstore some time to get a feel for the thought and care that goes
into just the feeding aspect. Look at our supermarkets, our clothing
stores, shoe stores. Most stores in a mall have to do with caring for
the body. Look at the expense we devote to health care and hospitals.

What if I am not a body? What if this great focus of effort and
attention is all misdirected? What if we are majoring in minors? What
if the center of gravity in our lives began to shift from caring for
the body to caring for the spirit? What would my life and your life
be like if that happened? What if I were as consistent in seeking
holy instants as I am in feeding my face? What if I began stopping
several times a day to feed my spirit as regularly as I do to eat, or
go to the bathroom? We find it so easy to say to a friend, "Care for a
cup of coffee?" What if it were just as easy to say, "Care to spend a
few minutes in meditation with me?"

Just thinking about this makes it evident how unbalanced our lives
are and how centered on our bodies. It makes me realize how far we
have yet to go. And since change begins in the mind, just reminding
myself as often as I can remember to do so, "I am not a body," is a
good way to begin the great shift. Perhaps something as simple as
letting my meals be a reminder to say a prayer can help, not because
praying over food makes it any better, but because it helps me
remember that I need my spiritual nourishment as much, or more, than
I need physical food. Each time I become aware that I am taking time
and effort to care for my body, let it remind me also to care for my
spirit.

Think, too, of the freedom that will come to us when we realize that
our body is no big deal. What I am is not something that wears out,
grows old, and dies. What I am is not something that is a "brief
candle," as Shakespeare called it, but an eternal star shining
forever in the heavens. The body is deserving of care because it is a
useful tool for the situation in which we find ourselves, but no more
than that. Like a car it is good for the purpose it serves. But the
body is not "me" any more than my car is "me" (auto ads to the
contrary). Think of all the anxiety and constant concern that would
be lifted from our shoulders if we can think of our bodies in this
way. Changing our mind in this respect is worth all the effort it
will take.

    COMMENTARIES ON LESSONS FROM THE WORKBOOK OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES
    by Allen Watson, with Practice Summaries by Robert Perry
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