[acimlessons_list] Lesson 141--May 21

Allen Watson allen at circleofa.com
Fri May 20 06:12:05 EDT 2005 

Lesson 141 (rIV)

REVIEW IV COMMENTS

If you will recall, back in the Workbook Introduction we were told that
"The workbook is divided into two main sections, the first dealing with
the undoing of the way you see now, and the second with the acquisition
of true perception" (W-IN.3:1). Although Part II does not begin for
another 80 lessons, Review IV announces that we are entering a
transition stage of the Workbook, "preparing for the second part of
learning how the truth can be applied." Part II of the Workbook, if you
will look at it, consists of lessons that are a half page long, or less.
They give very few specific practice instructions, and offer us a great
deal more latitude in exactly how we practice. They are geared to
students who have begun to make the truths of the Course their own, and
who are ready to apply them independently. This review gives us some
preliminary exercises in that kind of independent practice. In Lesson
153, shortly after we complete this review, there will be a major shift
in practice, as we shall see, which will set the pattern for the
practice during the rest of Part I of the Workbook.

Therefore, following the practice instructions for this review is quite
important, if we want to be prepared for what is to come. You'll notice
that the reviews give us nothing but the theme thought for the review
and the two theme ideas being reviewed; there is no additional
commentary. In a sense, we are meant to supply that commentary for
ourselves. We are meant to take the ideas and let the Holy Spirit open
their meaning in our own minds, without the prop of printed words to
help us. "Let each word shine with the meaning God has given it, as it
was given to you through His Voice" (7:4).

Perhaps you do not feel ready for this. I confess that when I first did
the Workbook I pretty much lost interest after Part I; I did the lessons
but really all I did was read them, think about them for a minute or
two, and then forget them. The reviews such as this one seemed
particularly pointless to me. Two or three sentences wasn't enough to
stimulate my mind, and I was not ready, apparently, to allow the Holy
Spirit to "let each word shine" in my mind. You may find yourself in the
same boat. Still, I would say, try to follow the instructions. Take the
few lines given for each day, and ruminate on them. Chew them over.
Think about what you know of their meaning, and ask to be shown more. If
it works for you, try to initiate a dialogue with the Holy Spirit about
the ideas. You may want to <write down> whatever thoughts come to you,
or turn them into prayers. Think how they can apply to your life. Be
still before God and let the <feeling> of the ideas wash over you. Do
whatever seems to work for you.

Maybe you won't feel like you're doing very well, but what is the
purpose of practice, if not to learn to do something you don't know how
to do well?

Notice the theme thought for the review: My mind holds only what I think
with God. The instructions tell us to spend five minutes letting this
one thought, and this alone, engage our minds, and remove all other
thoughts. What we are doing is clearing the stage, making way for the
Holy Spirit to teach us. The five minutes spent with this idea each day
is our warm-up period. We are making ourselves ready to receive the
thoughts of God, through His Holy Spirit. We are preparing ourselves to
hold communion with God.

Only <after> this five-minute warm-up are we instructed to take the two
thoughts for review, and let their meaning illuminate our minds. There
is no time limit given here; we are to review them "slowly" and with "no
hurry." Surely this will be more than a few seconds! More like several
minutes, at the least. The best way is to be able to do this review
without concern about time; if we take five minutes or twenty-five, it
does not matter. The important thing is that we commune with God, and
let His thoughts fill our minds. As the review says of our hourly review
sessions, we should take "time enough to see the gifts that they [the
two ideas] contain for you, and let them be received where they were
meant to be" (8:2). The exact amount of time you spend is left to you.

PRACTICE SUMMARY

REVIEW IV

PURPOSE: To prepare for part II of the Workbook, by concentrating on
readiness for it and by reviewing the last 20 lessons in a way that will
facilitate that readiness.

LONGER: 2--beginning and ending of the day 5 minutes +

* Open your mind, clear it of all distracting thoughts. For five minutes
let this thought alone occupy it, displacing all others: "My mind holds
only what I think with God."

* Read the day's two ideas. Close eyes and repeat ideas slowly, without
hurry, for this is what time was made for. Let each word shine with the
meaning God gave it. Receive from each idea the gift God placed in it.

"Forgiveness is the key to happiness."

"Forgiveness offers everything I want."

REMARKS: Phase 1 will be enough to set your day along the lines God
planned, making it a special time of blessing for you and for the world.
It will be enough to place Him in charge of all your thoughts. Your
thoughts will come from more than you. They will also come from Him and
tell you of His Love. Thus will you, His completion, join with Him. And
He, your completion, will join with you. He thanks you for your
practicing. And as your day ends, His gratitude will surround you.

SHORTER: hourly a quiet moment

* Say: "My mind holds only what I think with God." Spend a quiet moment
with it.

* Then repeat the day's two ideas, slowly enough to see their gifts and
receive their gifts.

COMMENTARY (Lesson 141)

"My mind holds only what I think with God."

"Forgiveness is the key to happiness."

"Forgiveness offers everything I want."

Forgiveness really does offer us everything we want, and without true
forgiveness, happiness just isn't possible. We may not consciously and
completely believe this as yet, but our right mind believes it, and
always has. Forgiveness operates not just on what I think the world did
to me (in reality it did nothing to me), but also on what it <did not>
do that I wanted it to. The older one gets, the more disillusioned one
becomes about the world. We speak of people becoming "world-weary" and
cynical as they age, because despite the high hopes we had when younger,
despite the brilliant promises the world seemed to make to us, it
disappointed us. It did not make us happy. We discover that the world
isn't fair, that good people don't always succeed, that we don't always
get what we want. And even when we do, it isn't as good as we had hoped.

Forgiveness involves recognizing that we are the ones who laid these
expectations on the world, and we are the ones who made it to disappoint
us. We asked the impossible; nothing in this world will ever satisfy us
or make us happy. Happiness is in our native state and there alone,
union with God and with the Sonship. To forgive the world means to stop
begrudging its imperfections. We cannot blame the world for our pain,
nor can we blame it for its failure to make us happy. We cannot blame it
at all. When at last our teeth unclench, our fists relax, and our breath
eases as we release these deep-seated grievances, what we discover is
our own inherent happiness, there all along, but masked by our
unforgiveness.

    COMMENTARIES ON LESSONS FROM THE WORKBOOK OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES
    by Allen Watson, with Practice Summaries by Robert Perry
    The Circle of Atonement--Visit our website at <http://www.circleofa.com>

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Portions from Clarification of Terms (c) Copyright 1975, Psychotherapy:
Purpose, Process and Practice, (c) 1976, The Song of Prayer, (c) 1978, are
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