In this final part of the A Course in Miracles (ACIM) series, I want to explain in more detail, what „the other option“ of our choice to see the world is - in a more funny and lighthearted way.
As with all other parts, this article can be read without having read the previous ones - although it does help (to know about the backgrounds).
Just as a quick remark: Even saying that this is the last part in the series is actually wrong, because I will continue to write about ACIM inspired topics - but since at this moment everything I write, think and do in my life is inspired by the course, this is inevitable anyway. I will just focus on stand alone topics and stop calling it a series, to make the material more accessible for you.
What the world is
Very early in the course and also in the workbook lessons, it is made clear, that the world is nothing by itself. This is not a metaphor, but is meant literally. It’s a dream - that’s it.
The world we perceive has no meaning on its own - no-thing and no-body have an intrinsic meaning. In Buddhism this teaching is called emptiness.
Now, ACIM does not recommend to live your daily life as if nothing has any meaning or trying to „forget“ the meaning we have already given things, through some sort of meditation or mind control.
Jesus (as the teacher and symbol of Truth in the course) knows very well, that everything is already very meaningful to us.
So there is no reason to deny this fact or convince ourselves otherwise!
He knows, that although nothing has any meaning by itself, we are automatically projecting the content of our mind on outside objects anyway. Perception is projection.
In other words: We are seeing the world through a filter or let’s say 3D glasses with special filters, we put on - these are mandatory.
This is no new idea on its own, since psychotherapy (or endless self-help methods) teach, that we can change the perception of the world, in exchanging the filter we are looking through.
Here ACIM teaches something completely different…
Is there another way to view the world?
Jesus does not recommend to change the filters, because even the choice for a different filter, would be inside the same eyeglasses frame. We can not trust our choice of filters, as long as we are wearing the eyeglasses with the frame called „Ego“. Only „Ego-Filters“ will fit inside the „Ego-Frame“.
The ego-frame is built by the belief, that we (or others) have done something wrong in the past, and therefore lets us feel guilty at the present. This guilt is projected out onto others (space), in an insane attempt to get rid of it.
Also there is a projection in time, that we (or others) will do something wrong in the future, which leads to an emotion called „fear“.
This also includes the fear, that others may disappoint us in the future or the prime ego fact, that everything and everyone has to die someday.
When you realize, that everything you perceive through these glasses has the bitter taste of guilt (or fear) attached to it, you come to the question, if there is not another option to view the world?
Just accepting the „Ego-Glasses“ means, that you are basically trapped inside a prison of suffering and death. So if you never had this question appear before, you haven’t started your spiritual journey yet…
The good news: Get yourself new glasses!
ACIM suggests to not change the filters, but to change the glasses themselves. There is another pair of glasses right next to you. Everyone has this option.
With these new pairs of glasses, come also new filters: Love, Peace and Happiness! How’s that as the good news?
With these new glasses on, you will perceive a totally new world!
They are made out of a new cutting edge material called „Forgiveness®“ (a registered trademark by Heaven Inc.)
The world is still nothing afterwards, but with these glasses on, you will experience it with a totally different meaning.
[Disclaimer: This advertisement for „the other option“ has been sponsored by Heaven Inc., but does in every detail reflect the viewpoint of the author]
The truth about Ego Inc.
Now you may ask, if everyone has these other pair of glasses and if the results of putting them on is so sensational, why don’t we use them more often? I’m glad, that you ask!
The reason for that simply is, that our ego-glasses have become an identity and after looking through it for such a long time, it will feel like death to put them off.
The producers of the ego-glasses have also a way better marketing department by the way. The shittier the product is, the better the marketing has to be, right?
Ego Inc. has spent billions of $ in their marketing. They even invented belief systems like „religions“, to keep us distracted from the fact, that we are wearing their glasses. Forgetfulness is the primary defense.
To make things worse, Ego Inc. has developed an ingenious plan, to keep us from changing their product - ever!
They made them all shiny and sparkly and at the same time told us, that if we ever dared to take them off, we would suffer endless pain and death!
Ego Inc. then told us, that all this was not their decision, but that our parents, our genes, God or „THEY“ (=the others) did this to us.
So you have no other option and even if you had, you would suffer endless punishment, because of a wrathful „God“.
This is the short version, of why we still keep looking through the same pair of glasses.
Then came a book like ACIM and it told us exactly, how Ego Inc. works from the inside, and that we all got a free pair of Heaven Inc. glasses.
The good thing is, that none of Ego Inc. marketing is true, but you have to remind yourself, that you have an option.
As said in the last article, only if you are aware of the option, you can make a decision and reclaim your power!
You are in every moment free to choose your pair of glasses. So even if you put the Heaven Inc ones on and for some reason didn’t like them, you can always use the Ego Inc versions again. [Disclaimer: There is no money back guarantee, because the glasses are FREE anyway!]
What it’s like to view the world through Forgiveness®
Forgiveness as explained in Part 1 of this series, is not some kind of positive thinking, that makes horrible things look good. When you look with forgiveness at the world, you see all the terrible things inside the dream movie world, but as they never really happened.
You perceive the illusionary world as a projection of your Mind and there is no other (or outer) source.
There is one line in ACIM that appears often and it’s one of the most important concepts: Ideas leave not their source.
This means, that cause and effect are the same. On the level of the world, this means, that the cause of the world is the (universal) Mind and so is it’s effect.
In other words: We have never left our source (God) and even if we experience a difference between cause and effect trough the primary illusion of time, this is only experienced this way through our egos filter.
In reality - and viewed through forgiveness - this separation and with it, the guilt of having done something wrong (like separating from God), disappears. Even more though, it doesn’t „disappear“, because it never was real anyway. Ideas leave not their source - never!
I could write many articles about this topic alone, but I will leave you for now… (of course I don’ really leave you, since there is no way, we could ever separate…)
I hope you enjoyed these introductory articles about ACIM. We only scratched the surface with them and there is much more to come…
Much Love and blessings,