ACIM Conversations, Part 10

ACIM Conversations, Part 10
The Meaning Behind the Son

Student: I am interested in your thoughts concerning the seemingly contrary statements in the Course talking about how the separation is over, and then sounding as if it is not over. I haven’t heard anyone come close to explaining that to my satisfaction.

Teacher: I have some thoughts on this that may shed some light. Allow me to ask a few questions. They may not seem related at first but hopefully we’ll tie them together.

Student: I’m game.

Teacher: How many Sons are there according to the Course?

Student: The Course tells us there is only one Son.

Teacher: And how many parts are there participating in this one Son?

Student: Billions here on earth alone. If we count all of them in the universe it would be beyond that which we can count.

Teacher: Did all the parts of the Son separate or just part of them?

Student: We learned earlier that part of them separated and part stayed home as related in the parable of the Prodigal Son and Helen’s writings. (See Part 8)

Teacher: And when the Course is talking about things that apply to the Sonship, or the Son, is it talking about an individual part or the whole Sonship?

Student: I would say it would be the whole Sonship unless indicated to be otherwise.

Teacher: And would the decisions of the Sonship be governed by the whole Sonship or just those who are awake and not separated in dreams?

Student: That is a very interesting question I have not seen asked before. That is a difficult one.

Teacher: Tell me this. If you have a business partner and he is asleep and you cannot wake him, can he participate in the enterprise?

Student: I suppose not.

Teacher: Then how about the Sonship which is asleep – like you are me? Are we even aware of what the Sonship is doing?

Student: I’d like to be, but I have no awareness of it.

Teacher: So, when the Course speaks to those who are asleep (you and me) about the Sonship which is fully awake and in heaven what must it really be saying?

Student: You’ve guided me to something which should have been obvious, but I had never before considered. There has always been a large number of the Sonship who have either returned to heaven or never left. These would be fully awake.

Teacher: And for these parts of the Sonship who are as one and fully awake, would it be as if the separation never happened?

Student: I suppose it would. That would explain the “never happened” comments of the Course which seem to disagree with others indicating something did happen.

Teacher: The Course speaks of those who have maintained the unity of the Son:

“The Son of God, who sleepeth not, has kept faith with his Father for you.” T-13.I.7

This tells us that there has always been united Sons who did, not or are not sleeping, supporting the Oneness.

Then there is this:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is the dwelling place of the Son of God, who left not his Father and dwells not apart from Him.” T-18.VI.1

What does this tell us?

Student: Here it seems to be talking about the whole and not the part. It seems to be saying that the Son as a whole has always had many parts that are awake and thus the Son has never left the Father.

Teacher: Would that be true even if parts did fall sleep and not participate?

Student: I’ve never thought of it that way before, but it would seem so.

Teacher: We use this same type of wording for things we do on earth. Let us suppose you placed an order for 1000 widgets from the AAA Manufacturing company with two shifts – one in the day and the other at night. In reality your order was put together by the day shift while the night shift was inactive and slept. When someone asks you who made the widgets do you explain that it was the day shift or just say it was AAA Manufacturing?

Student: It would be silly to break it down. I’d just say AAA Manufacturing.

Teacher: Would it be correct to say that AAA Manufacturing never sleeps or never ceases to do their job even though half of the are not at the job at any given moment?

Student: I think I see where you are going with this. Even though part of the Sonship is “traveling in dreams” part is still awake fulfilling the function of the united Son.

Teacher: Does this then solve your dilemma over the seeming contradiction in the Course at one time talking as if nothing has happened to the Sonship, but other times as if something did happen?

Student: I suppose it is like AAA Manufacturing. Nothing happened to interfere with their life and purpose, but at the same time there were those were asleep who would soon need to wake up and do their job.

Teacher: Yes. Each person in the company has a part, and is needed, and the time will come that those who are sleeping in this world will need to wake up as indicated here.

“God’s extending outward, though not His completeness, is blocked when the Sonship does not communicate with Him as one. So He thought, ‘My children sleep and must be awakened.’” T-6.V.1

Student: Interesting. I guess God needs us back at our posts and we are approaching the time we must wake up.

Teacher: Indeed. We cannot play around in dreamland forever.

Links to The Mysteries of A Course in Miracles:

Read the Introduction HERE, Read Chapter One HERE. Chapter Two HERE, Chapter Three HERE, Chapter Four HERE, Chapter Five HERE Chapter Six HERE, Chapter Seven HERE, Chapter Eight HERE, Chapter Nine HERE, Chapter Ten HERE, Chapter Eleven HERE, Chapter Twelve HERE, Chapter Thirteen HERE, Chapter Fourteen HERE, Fifteen HERE, Sixteen HERE, Seventeen HERE, Eighteen HERE, Nineteen HERE, Twenty HERE, Twenty-One HERE, Twenty-Two HERE, Twenty-Three HERE, Twenty-Four HERE, Twenty-Five HERE, Twenty-Six HERE, Twenty-Seven HERE, Twenty-Eight HERE, Twenty-Nine HERE, Thirty HERE