Category: A Course in Miracles

Where is Heaven?

Some Course students believe that heaven can be fully experienced here on earth while others do not. This latter group believe we have to first fully awaken from the dream. Then this universe will disappear and we will enter heaven. They cite numerous passages such as:

 “For you realize that if you look on this and let the veil be lifted, they will be gone forever. All of your “friends,” your “protectors” and your “home” will vanish. Nothing that you remember now will you remember…. all that will occur is you will leave the world forever.” T-19.IV.D.6 &7

“God cannot come into a body, nor can you join Him there.” T-18.VIII.3

“The body is the symbol of the world. Leave it behind. It cannot enter Heaven. But I can take you there anytime you choose. Together we can watch the world disappear and its symbol vanish as it does so.” UR F-35

On the other hand, those who believe we can enter heaven while still in the world have plenty of ammunition such as:

“Atonement might be equated with total escape from the past and total lack of interest in the future. Heaven is here. There is nowhere else. Heaven is now. There is no other time.” M-24.6

“Heaven has come to earth at last, from which the ego’s rule has kept it out so long. Heaven has come because it found a home in your relationship on earth. And earth can hold no longer what has been given Heaven as its own.” T-21.IV.7

Do we have conflicting teachings here or do we just need to see these statements in a correct light?

I maintain the answer is the latter. Allow me to explain.

The Course definitely teaches that our perception of this world of good and evil is caused by a dream state in which we find ourselves. It says “The world you see does not exist, because the place where you perceive it is not real.” T-28.V.7 “It is impossible to see two worlds which have no overlap of any kind. Seek for the one; the other disappears. But one remains.” W-pI.130.5

Heaven, we are told, is only related to the eternal state and this dream state is only a temporary residence until we awaken. We must awaken to fully enter heaven.

But then the Course throws in another odd teaching that we must enter into the equation of truth.

“There is no need for help to enter Heaven for you have never left. But there is need for help beyond yourself as you are circumscribed by false beliefs of your Identity, which God alone established in reality.” C-5.1

Then it speaks of “The Holy Spirit, seeing where you are but knowing you are elsewhere” (heaven) T-14.II.2

Many Course students take the unusual view that they are already in heaven because they never left, even though they see themselves in the mirror every day, earn a living and take care of their bodies.

This quote sheds some more understanding:

“So is all reality, being of Him. The instant the idea of separation entered the mind of God’s Son, in that same instant was God’s Answer given. In time this happened very long ago. In reality it never happened at all.” M-2.2

So then, there are two places where events occur. One is in “reality” where heaven is, and the other is in “time” where the dream is taking place. Several times the Course makes it sound as if the separation never occurred at all when it is really saying it did not happen in the reality which it calls heaven. It does, however, say that the separation became “a serious idea, and possible of both accomplishment and real effects.” T-27.VIII.6

The real effect was the creation of a universe in time and space where that which is perceived seems to be very real. Because everything in this world has a beginning and an end, events here are not considered real happenings from the celestial point of view. Even the birth and death of a star, lasting billions of years, is not considered real because, after it is gone, it is as if it had never been. In the eternal world, creations never come and go but always remain, says the Course.

Understanding this is a key to shedding light on the supposed contradictions that cause students to come up with widely different interpretations. Here is what the Course seems to be saying:

In the overall picture, heaven only consists of that which is eternal. Everything that is not eternal is not real or a part of heaven. Therefore, nothing in the illusion (or our created universe) has any connection with heaven.

How then do we explain the passages that tell us that heaven is available now in this world of dualities? To answer that question, we must look to see where heaven can be found within this realm of time and space.

Where is this illusive place?

Answer: It is within you. Even though you are trapped in the world of illusions, within yourself in the eternal present is heaven which has never not been there.

This was taught by Jesus 2000 years ago:

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21

Indeed. “Heaven is not a place nor a condition. It is merely an awareness of perfect Oneness, and the knowledge that there is nothing else; nothing outside this Oneness, and nothing else within.” T-18.VI.1

And where do we find this Oneness while we are still here in the world?

“In you is all of Heaven.” T-25.IV.5

“What is within your brother still contains all of creation, everything created and creating, born and unborn as yet, still in the future or apparently gone by. What is in him is changeless, and your changelessness is recognized in its acknowledgment.” T-24.VII.2

So, within ourselves, as well as our brothers and sisters, is a place beyond physical dimensions where our true Source resides that has never left heaven. Even while we are in this deep sleep and dreaming, we can stop, pay attention to the life within and get a taste of heaven. There we will find “a sense of peace so deep that no dream in this world has ever brought even a dim imagining of what it is.” T-13.XI.3

“You will awaken to your own call, for the Call to awake is within you.” T-11.VI.9

So, the power to awaken enough to become aware of heaven is within us, but must be activated by our own consciousness and will.

“For what you chose to ‘sell’ had to be kept for you, since you could not ‘buy’ it back. Yet you must invest in it, not with money but with spirit. For spirit is will, and will is the “price” of the Kingdom. Your inheritance awaits only the recognition that you have been redeemed.” T-12.IV.7

“The changelessness of Heaven is in you, so deep within that nothing in this world but passes by, unnoticed and unseen. The still infinity of endless peace surrounds you gently in its soft embrace, so strong and quiet, tranquil in the might of its Creator, nothing can intrude upon the sacred Son of God within.” T-29.V.1

And how do we find this heaven within? That is what the Course is all about, especially the lessons in the Workbook. But catching a glimpse through inner contact is merely the first step. Eventually,  our consciousness must shift to the Real World, a way of seeing things as they are. Then when we are ready God Himself will take the final step:

“The final step is God’s, because it is but God Who could create a perfect Son and share His Fatherhood with him. No one outside of Heaven knows how this can be, for understanding this is Heaven itself.” T-30.V.4

“When you perceive yourself without deceit, you will accept the real world in place of the false one you have made. And then your Father will lean down to you and take the last step for you, by raising you unto Himself.” T-11.VIII.15

Some students get caught up in the idea that we are not here, but are 100% in heaven now since the Course indicates the body and the world are not real, but consider this:

“The body is merely part of your experience in the physical world. Its abilities can be and frequently are overevaluated. However, it is almost impossible to deny its existence in this world. Those who do so are engaging in a particularly unworthy form of denial.” T-2.IV.3

Denying this physical reality including the body and insisting you are in heaven is not helpful. You will not be fully in heaven until you first see the real world followed by the Father taking you there. What is fully here is the heaven within the core of your being that must be realized.

When the Course tells us that the Son is in heaven, we must remember that the Son is composed of billions of units here on this planet and trillions from other planets. As explained earlier, not all the Sons experienced the separation; so many units of the One Son never entered the dream. We are told that God is lonely until all the Sons return, so, from the world of time, the separation did happen and our awareness is not completely in heaven. If it were, our very bodies would disappear as the Course says happened to Jesus after the crucifixion according to this account:

“My body disappeared because I had no illusion about it. The last one had gone. It was laid in the tomb, but there was nothing left to bury. It did not disintegrate because the unreal cannot die. It merely became what it always was. And that is what “rolling the stone away” means. The body disappears, and no longer hides what lies beyond. It merely ceases to interfere with vision. To roll the stone away is to see beyond the tomb, beyond death, and to understand the body’s nothingness. What is understood as nothing must disappear.

“I did assume a human form with human attributes afterwards, to speak to those who were to prove the body’s worthlessness to the world. This has been much misunderstood. I came to tell them that death is illusion, and the mind that made the body can make another since form itself is an illusion. They did not understand. But now I talk to you and give you the same message. The death of an illusion means nothing. It disappears when you awaken and decide to dream no more. And you still do have the power to make this decision as I did.

“God holds out His hand to His Son to help him rise and return to Him. I can help because the world is illusion, and I have overcome the world. Look past the tomb, the body, the illusion. Have faith in nothing but the spirit and the guidance God gives you. He could not have created the body because it is a limit. He must have created the spirit because it is immortal. Can those who are created like Him be limited? The body is the symbol of the world. Leave it behind. It cannot enter Heaven. But I can take you there anytime you choose. Together we can watch the world disappear and its symbol vanish as it does so. An then, and then… I cannot speak of that.

“A body cannot stay without illusions, and the last one to be overcome is death. This is the message of the crucifixion; there is no order of difficulty in miracles. This is the message of the resurrection: Illusions are illusions. Truth is true. Illusions vanish. Only truth remains.

“These lessons needed to be taught but once, for when the stone of death is rolled away, what can be seen except an empty tomb? And that is what you see who follow me into the sunlight and away from death, past all illusions, on to Heaven’s gate, where God will come Himself to take you home.” From “Special Messages”, by Jesus…Additional material through Helen Schuchman. Also quoted in Absence From Felicity by Ken Wapnick

So, we can get a glimpse of heaven while still here on earth where form is perceived, but as long as we still perceive form (which all reading this do) then our awareness is not completely in heaven. Concerning entrance, an important point overlooked is “no one can enter Heaven by himself.” W-pI.134.17

“Together is your joint inheritance remembered and accepted by you both. Alone it is denied to both of you. … you may not fully understand as yet that you could never be released alone.” T-31.II.11

Yet how many ACIM students have gone it alone thinking they have fully entered heaven? The Course says this cannot be done. Furthermore, to enjoy the complete fruits of heaven, all the Sons must return:

“It should especially be noted that God has only one Son. If all His creations are His Sons, every one must be an integral part of the whole Sonship. The Sonship in its Oneness transcends the sum of its parts. However, this is obscured as long as any of its parts is missing. That is why the conflict cannot ultimately be resolved until ALL THE PARTS OF THE SONSHIP HAVE RETURNED. Only then can the meaning of wholeness in the true sense be understood.” T-2.VII.6

All the parts have to awaken before there is a fullness to be had. Perhaps this is the reason that even Jesus, according to the Course, is not fully there. One thing we know for sure is that he is still involved enough in the dream to be aware of what is happening here and to construct an entire Course related to it and transmit it to Helen Schucman, a person who was still perceiving in the dream.

Jesus himself tells us that, “Because my feet are on the ground and my hands are in Heaven, I can bring down the glories of Heaven to my brothers on earth.” UR T 1 B 40ab

So even of him it is written that only part of his Being (hands) is in heaven while another part (feet) are anchored on the earth, else he could not be a part of the great work to bring all the Sons of God home.

We are not there yet but through applying the principles of the Course such as love, forgiveness and letting go of guilt we can get a taste of heaven here, and this will give us impetus to move forward no matter what our belief system on other matters.

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

ACIM Conversations, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part  16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25

Copyright by J J Dewey

Index for Original Archives

Index for Recent Posts

Easy Access to All the Writings

For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE

JJ’s Amazon page HERE

Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE

Chapter Eleven
What Heaven Is

Now that we have covered what is not in heaven, we are left with the question of what is there and why we would want to leave this world behind to make it our final destination.

We are told that heaven is not a place, and that within it is no space, form, distance, time or differences. All is one.

It sounds as though, by our definitions of existence, that heaven is composed of nothing and does not exist.

The Course (and many other traditions) insist that a non-dualistic heaven or celestial realm does exist and has certain qualities and aspects that can be seen as supplying the seeds of dualism.

As we noted earlier, the Course itself tells us that we cannot comprehend heaven, and thus it gives us little to go on. Nevertheless, it does give us a few things.

First, let us look at how A Course in Miracles defines heaven:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is the dwelling place of the Son of God, who left not his Father and dwells not apart from Him. Heaven is not a place nor a condition. It is merely an awareness of perfect Oneness, and the knowledge that there is nothing else; nothing outside this Oneness, and nothing else within.” T-18.VI.1

“Heaven is everything God values, and nothing else. Heaven is perfectly unambiguous. Everything is clear and bright, and calls forth one response. There is no darkness and there is no contrast. There is no variation. There is no interruption. There is a sense of peace so deep that no dream in this world has ever brought even a dim imagining of what it is.” T-13.XI.3

“Heaven is the home of perfect purity, and God created it for you.” T-22.II.13

As noted previously, even though all life is linked through the One Mind, there are many parts. The four main divisions in heaven are the Father, the Son (includes billions of us), the Holy Spirit and angels.

What they do in heaven is pretty sketchy, but it does clearly tell us that there is great love, joy and peace there. There is no change, so these three states are consistent. And something important that does not exist there is fear, which allows love, joy and peace to be undisturbed.

Let us look at a few references concerning these three blissful states:

LOVE

First, we have brief explanations of what love is:

“In Heaven, where the meaning of love is known, love is the same as union.” T-16.V.3

“Love is extension. To withhold the smallest gift is not to know love’s purpose. Love offers everything forever. Hold back but one belief, one offering, and love is gone, because you asked a substitute to take its place.” T-24.I.1

“Love is freedom.” T-16.VI.1

Here are some quotes that give us an idea of how love may play out in heaven:

“For it is the function of love to unite all things unto itself, and to hold all things together by extending its wholeness.” T-12.VIII.7

“it increases as it is given.” T-13.V.1

Love “holds the universe together in its meaning.” T-15.XI.6

“For love asks only that you be happy, and will give you everything that makes for happiness.” T-16.I.6

“For love is wholly without illusion, and therefore wholly without fear.” T-16.IV.11

“You have gone past fear, for no two minds can join in the desire for love without love’s joining them.” T-18.III.7

“Love wishes to be known, completely understood and shared. It has no secrets; nothing that it would keep apart and hide.” T-20.VI.2

“His (God’s) Love remains the only thing there is” M-18.3

“Love is not learned. Its meaning lies within itself. … Love is not learned, because there never was a time in which you knew it not.” T-18.IX.12

JOY

The next prominent quality found in heaven is joy, concerning which is written:

 “There is no difference between love and joy. Therefore, the only possible whole state is the wholly joyous” T-5.in.2

“Joy is unlimited, because each shining thought of love extends its being and creates more of itself.” T-22.VI.14

So, joy is very closely linked to love, for it is indeed one of its qualities. You can’t have joy without feeling love also.

And what increases joy?

“To give without limit is God’s Will for you, because only this can bring you the joy that is His and that He wills to share with you” T-11.I.6

Then we have this:

“Joy is the inevitable result of gentleness. Gentleness means that fear is now impossible, and what could come to interfere with joy? The open hands of gentleness are always filled. The gentle have no pain. They cannot suffer.” M-4.V.1

It is interesting that ACIM associates joy with gentleness. The Course uses a variation of this word 117 times indicating its importance on earth and heaven. Very few spiritual traditions place emphasis on gentleness – a very significant word.

PEACE

One of the most quoted statements of the apostle Paul is about “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” Phil 4:7

This is the peace which A Course in Miracles speaks in association with God and heaven. It is a much different and deeper peace than a mere tranquility here in the world when there is no apparent conflict.

The Course gives us a reasonable description of this peace:

“peace is the condition of knowledge because it is the condition of the Kingdom.” T-8.I.1 “Peace is a natural heritage of spirit.” T-3.VI.10 “Peace is the state where love abides, and seeks to share itself.” T-23.I.12

Peace is the natural condition of our heavenly home:

“You are at home there, too, because it is a place of peace, and peace is of God. You who are part of God are not at home except in His peace. If peace is eternal, you are at home only in eternity.” T-5.III.10 “For peace is of God, and no one beside Him.” T-15.IV.2

There is a higher part of our self still experiencing this peace:

“Your Self is still in peace (in heaven), even though your mind (on earth) is in conflict. You have not yet gone back far enough (to the memory of heaven), and that is why you become so fearful. As you approach the Beginning, you feel the fear of the destruction of your thought system upon you as if it were the fear of death. There is no death, but there is a belief in death.” T-3.VII.5

Peace is such an important heavenly quality that it supplied the “motivation” for A Course in Miracles.

“Forget not that the motivation for this course is the attainment and the keeping of the state of peace. Given this state the mind is quiet, and the condition in which God is remembered is attained.” T-24.in.1

Then we are told peace is linked to understanding:

“Think not you understand anything until you pass the test of perfect peace, for peace and understanding go together and never can be found alone. Each brings the other with it, for it is the law of God they be not separate. They are cause and effect, each to the other, so where one is absent the other cannot be.” T-14.XI.12

Finally, the importance of peace is stressed as a key to finding heaven:

“I want the peace of God. To say these words is nothing. But to mean these words is everything. If you could but mean them for just an instant, there would be no further sorrow possible for you in any form; in any place or time. Heaven would be completely given back to full awareness, memory of God entirely restored, the resurrection of all creation fully recognized.” W-pI.185.1

“Those who offer peace to everyone have found a home in Heaven the world cannot destroy” T-25.IV.4

In addition to these three qualities contributing to blissful feeling, ACIM tells us of other things we can expect to find in heaven.

TRUTH

One of the ingredients of heaven is truth which it describes as follows:

“truth is real in its own right, and to believe in truth you do not have to do anything.” T-12.I.1 “Truth can only be recognized and need only be recognized.” T-7.IV.1

“The truth is simple; it is one, without an opposite.” T-26.III.1

It places a lot of emphasis on the idea that real truth comes from God and nowhere else.

“All truth is here” (with God) T-15.IX.7 “truth is God” T-10.II.4

“Truth is God’s Will. Share His Will and you share what He knows.” T-7.X.2

The reasoning behind this is that only in heaven will we find eternal things, whereas in our world of illusion all things will pass away. The Course does not consider anything that is not eternal as being real. All illusion is seen as something temporary, so when it is gone it is as if it has never been.

“Truth is the opposite of illusions because it offers joy.” T-22.II.2

“No illusion has any truth in it. … any wish that seems to go against His Will has no foundation in the truth.” T-26.VII.6

“Truth is without illusions and therefore within the Kingdom. Everything outside the Kingdom is illusion.” T-6.V.C.9

Love is closely associated with real truth:

“It is the nature of love to look upon only the truth, for there it sees itself, with which it would unite in holy union and completion.” T-19.IV.A.10

And peace…

“truth stands radiant, apart from conflict, untouched and quiet in the peace of God.” T-23.I.7

and heaven…

“Yet Heaven is sure. This is no dream. Its coming means that you have chosen truth” T-18.II.9

And where do we find the truth?

“But it is given you to know the truth, and not to seek for it outside yourself.” T-29.VII.1

“Truth is. It can neither be lost nor sought nor found. It is there, wherever you are, being within you.” T-14.VII.2

“truth lies only in the present, and you will find it if you seek it there” T-13.VI.5

CREATION

The next question that is likely to arise in the mind of the seeker is what do we do in heaven wherein we use truth that brings love, joy and peace?

The Course makes it clear that our prime function is creation.

“your function in Heaven is creation” T-12.VII.4

 “You were created only to create” T-14.I.4

“everything He creates has the function of creating” T-11.I.6

And why is creation so important?

“Unless you create you are unfulfilled, but God does not know unfulfillment and therefore you must create.” T-7.IX.3.

Now the question is – what do we create?

“Remember Him Who has created you, and THROUGH YOUR WILL created everything. Not one created thing but gives you thanks, for it is by your will that it was born. No light of Heaven shines except for you, for it was set in Heaven by your will.” T-30.II.3

Very interesting statement. The answer is we create “everything,” which would be the universe itself, which is verified in this quote:

“Without you … there could be no universe and no reality.” T-24.VI.2

So then “God Himself did not will to be alone.” T-11.I.1 and created the Son and used the “will” of the Son to create all there is.

It is interesting that this is in harmony with this famous verse from the Gospel of John:

“All things were made by him (the Son); and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3

So, we are left with this: God creates the Son and used the power of the Son’s will to create the universe. The problem related to our understanding from our reality is this: In heaven there is no time, space, form, stars, planets or bodies, so what do we create there?

We are told that we create the universe, but what is that in the plane of Spirit?

“The universe consists of nothing but the Son of God,” W-pI.183.10

“God created nothing beside you and nothing beside you exists.” T-10.in.2

God thus creates the Son and the Son creates the universe, but the universe consists of only the Son of God. How does this make sense? What in the universe are we creating as Sons?

The answer is more Sons. “Know, then, the Sons of God, and you will know all creation.” T-7.XI.7

“your creations, who are son to you, that you might share the Fatherhood of God,” T-24.VII.1

The son remembers his own creations, as like to him as he is to his father.” T-24.II.6

“A co-creator with the Father MUST HAVE A SON. Yet must this Son have been created like Himself. “ T-24.III.6

We are now left with this interesting conclusion: “The universe consists of nothing but the Son of God (us),” and each son “must have a son.”

The Course makes clear that creations in time, space and form which have a beginning and end are not real and do not fall under its definition of creation. A creation in terms of reality has to be eternal. Things that are not eternal are considered “made,” not created.

Thus, in heaven we, the Sons of God, will not be making stars, galaxies and bodies housing life forms. Instead, according to the Course, we will be creating just one thing: more Sons of God who are eternal.

Since the real universe, or all there is in reality, only consists of the Sons of God, then our only creation will be more Sons.

The Course tells us that this creation of Sons “extends” God, as extension of His being is an eternal process. “There is no end to God and His Son, for WE ARE THE UNIVERSE” T-11.I.5.

Exactly how we will go about creating new Sons is not clear, but it would probably follow the same process used in our own creation. The Course gives a hint here:

“God created every mind by communicating His Mind to it, thus establishing it forever as a channel for the reception of His Mind and Will.” T-4.VII.3

This seems to tell us that we will create Sons by communicating our minds to Potential Mind creating a link from God to us to the newly created Sons.

As we extend creation through creating more Sons, sharing and pure communication are said to enhance our joy.

“Communication, unambiguous and plain as day, remains unlimited for all eternity.” W-pI.129.3 “all talents will be shared by all the Sons of God.” T-1.V.3

The closest we find in the Course to anything related to what can be perceived in found in this description:

“Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be outside, for there is nowhere that this light is not.” T-21.I.8

So then, the joy and fulfillment that the Sons receive in heaven are not related to things that seem to fulfill us here. There will be no pleasure that we associate with the body, no forms to perceive or create, no special relationships… not much of anything that our physical brains can understand. All the Course says for sure is that there will be many Sons linked together within a golden circle sharing as one, creating more Sons, and that will be a blissful situation beyond our wildest dreams.

Is it possible that many thought heaven was too much of a good thing and wanted more variety and challenges?

Obviously, there was a compelling reason that caused billions of Sons to rebel and create a universe of their own design. Of all the eternities that have passed in heaven it seems that the rebellion was the only happening that made for an interesting story.

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

ACIM Conversations, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part  16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25

Copyright by J J Dewey

Index for Original Archives

Index for Recent Posts

Easy Access to All the Writings

For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE

JJ’s Amazon page HERE

Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE

 

Chapter Seven
Mind, Spirit, Thought and Ideas

Mind, Spirit, Thought and Ideas

We have covered Course teachings on the celestial lives of the Trinity and angels, but what are the principles behind the great mystery of such lives and creation itself? This quote from the course certainly gives pause for reflection:

“God is an idea, and so your faith in Him is strengthened by sharing. What you find difficult to accept is the fact that, like your Father, you are an idea.” T-15.VI.4

Not only is God and us (the Son) ideas, but so is the Holy Spirit:

“The Holy Spirit is the idea of healing. Being thought, the idea gains as it is shared. Being the Call for God, it is also the idea of God. Since you are part of God it is also the idea of yourself, as well as of all His creations.” T-5.III.1

So the Holy Spirit and the Son (you and me) are ideas from God? What then would be the source of the idea of God and what exactly would that be?

First, we must become clear what an idea is and where it originates. The Course rings true when it says “Ideas are of the mind.” T-26.VII.4 “every idea begins in the mind of the thinker. Therefore, what extends from the mind is still in it, and from what it extends it knows itself.” T-6.III.1

It even goes so far to say that “Everything is an idea.” T-5.I.2

“Every idea has a purpose, and its purpose is always the natural outcome of what it is.” T-11.V.5.

The course repeatedly makes the statement that “ideas leave not their source.” This seems kind of odd reasoning since it certainly appears in this world that ideas do leave their source. For instance, the car you drive is the manifestation of many ideas from diverse individuals, and there it sits in your garage separated from the source of those who came up with the ideas that created it.

And how about you? You are currently in a body, maybe sitting in a chair, and separated from any intelligence that came up with the idea that is you.

This is incorrect thinking says the Course:

“Ideas leave not their source, and their effects but seem to be apart from them. Ideas are of the mind. What is projected out, and seems to be external to the mind, is not outside at all, but an effect of what is in, and has not left its source. … God wills you learn what always has been true: that He created you as part of Him, and this must still be true because ideas leave not their source.” T-26.VII.4

So, your car which “seems to be external to the mind, is not outside at all” according to the Course. It tells us that everything in creation is composed of ideas sent forth by the mind. Many of these ideas seem to be external because we see them as such. This is an illusion because everything you see is projected by the mind.

So what mind is projecting your car?

This would be the collective mind of the Son of God, which includes all of us as a united life. The car is our idea. It is not there in the true reality, but seems to be there because we project it through the unlimited power of the mind.

And not only is your car an illusion projected by our group mind but so also is our whole world and everything in it. It tells us that our “world … is not here, although it seems to be.” W-pI.155.1

“You dwell not here, but in eternity. You travel but in dreams, while safe at home.” T-13.VII.17

So, if you dream of a car in the garage, the car is not really there, but merely a projection of the mind. This is the case with what we think is our waking state, but instead of experiencing a dream by yourself alone, you are experiencing a group dream of collective minds united with the idea of the creator Son.

The strongest emphasis around this idea is centered on us as creations or ideas in the mind of God. If we only appear to be here and have not left our Source, then where are we?

We are told that we dwell in “eternity… safe at home” even as we appear to be here. This is because “God has given you a place in His Mind that is yours forever.” T-11.I.6

So then, the real part of ourselves has not left our Source, God, but the dreaming part of ourselves thinks we are here in this world. Everything in this world is an idea from our collective mind that exists within, but is projected without.

To awaken and see the true reality, you need “to return your whole mind to God, because it has never left Him. If it has never left Him, you need only perceive it as it is to be returned.” T-6.II.10

All ideas then come from mind, and all mind is linked to God. From what we are told, all ideas from mind in the state of wholeness were perfect and good except for one. In this state of wholeness the mind of the Second Aspect of the Trinity, the Son, came up with a bad idea. In fact, it was such a bad idea it was called a “mad idea.” How a mad idea could have even originated in a creation from a perfect being is not explained by the Course, but merely lets us know that it happened and resulted in the making of this imperfect universe with its pains sorrows and death that runs contrary to the will of heaven.

This mad idea caused the mind to split into what some call the higher and lower mind. The higher mind is still linked to God and is in oneness with Him. This mind only comes up with good ideas in harmony with Higher Will. The lower mind is linked to this world, is cut off from God, and comes up with all kinds of bad ideas not in harmony with heaven.

We are told that “You have made many ideas that you have placed between yourself and your Creator, and these beliefs are the world as you perceive it.” 11.VII.4

There are many bad ideas that we have in this world, but there are three particularly egregious ones according to the Course.

The first is our creation of the ego which supports the idea of separation from God. It says, “All that the ego is, is an idea that it is possible that things could happen to the Son of God without his will; and thus without the Will of his Creator.” T-21.II.6

The second is the creation of our bodies with the idea of restricting our consciousness to such a limited and separative condition.

“The ego regards the body as its home, and tries to satisfy itself through the body. But the idea that this is possible is a decision of the mind, which has become completely confused about what is really possible. “T-4.II.7

The third particularly bad and false idea is the ego’s version of God as an angry, punishing revengeful being “having made him out of your insanity, he is an insane idea. He has many forms, but although he may seem to be many different things he is but one idea;–the denial of God.” T-10.V.3

Ideas, then are created by thought, and thought comes from mind. Since God is an idea, we can conclude that the life of God and all extensions, such as you and I, came from the thought of one great universal mind. We could say that the idea of God is a thought that correlates to the Universal Mind from whence all thought and ideas originate.

Indeed, mind and thought are linked to life itself: “If I did not think I would not exist, because life is thought, “says the Course. W-pI.54.2.

Thought is behind all existence, even that of God, and may be one reason even He is called an idea.

So then, behind all existence we have ideas, for “Everything is an idea.” Ideas come from thought, and thought comes from mind. The fourth ingredient in the scheme of things is Spirit. Where does it enter in and does it proceed mind?

It appears that mind and Spirit are closely related, are interdependent, and are both essential elements behind the creation of all things. They are not exactly the same, however. The biggest difference is that Spirit is perfect and unchangeable, whereas mind is capable of error since it is active in generating thought.

This quote reveals the difference between the two:

“Spirit is therefore unalterable because it is already perfect, but the mind can elect what it chooses to serve. The only limit put on its choice is that it cannot serve two masters. If it elects to do so, the mind can become the medium by which spirit creates along the line of its own creation. If it does not freely elect to do so, it retains its creative potential but places itself under tyrannous rather than Authoritative control. As a result it imprisons, because such are the dictates of tyrants.” T-1.V.5

Consequently, the mind can choose between two masters and can even come up with a mad and crazy idea, whereas Spirit is static and perfect and never deviates from its high state. “The mind is capable of illumination. Spirit is already illuminated,” T-2.V.6 says the Course.

We are told that “Spirit is the Thought of God which He created like Himself.” C-1.1

The difference between Mind and Spirit is that “Only the mind can create because spirit has already been created.” T-2.IV.3

Even though mind is the creative and thinking force, it is dependent on Spirit for its power.

“Yet mind apart from spirit cannot think. It has denied its Source of strength, and sees itself as helpless, limited and weak.” W-pI.96.5

So, Mind introduced the “mad idea” to make a universe out of reach from Spirit, and then lost its ability to think accurately, thus becoming “limited.”

It comes down to this:

“Only the mind is capable of error.” T-2.IV.2 “It is essential to remember that only the mind can create, and that correction belongs at the thought level. To amplify an earlier statement, spirit is already perfect and therefore does not require correction.” T-2.V.1

So then, it boils down to this. The prime stabilizing force in the universe is pure spirit which is perfect and never deviates from this perfection. On the other hand, the mind is the creative force and creativity demands choice, which makes duality possible along with the possibility of good and bad choices.

The interdependence of the mind and Spirit is interesting:

“The term mind is used to represent the activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy.” C-1.1

“Spirit makes use of mind as means to find its Self expression. And the mind which serves the spirit is at peace and filled with joy. Its power comes from spirit, and it is fulfilling happily its function here.” W-pI.96.3.

An important realization concerning the universal mind which we all share is that it is a source of unlimited power of creation, for we “are of one mind and spirit with Him. (God)” T-5.VII.3 and “The mind that serves the spirit is invulnerable.” T 1 B 28c

This great power is used for extending God’s creation when in harmony with Spirit, but when out of sync it can lose contact with Spirit and “you have used your own mind, which He created in the likeness of His Own, to miscreate.” T-3.II.4 The problem is that mind still has this unlimited power even when going in the wrong direction.

For instance, when the Son made his greatest mistake and got his “mad idea” we are told that: “In his forgetting did the thought become a serious idea, and possible of both accomplishment and real effects.” T-27.VIII.6

The creation of illusion is no small matter, as noted here: “The thoughts you hold are mighty, and illusions are as strong in their effects as is the truth.” W-pI.132.1

One of the effects was the creation of the Ego, the self that has no contact with Spirit, but still uses Mind. Concerning this ego Helen’s original transcription reveals this:

“It may surprise you to learn that had the ego willed to do so, it COULD have made the eternal, because, as a product of the mind, it IS endowed with the power of its own creator. But the DECISION to do this, rather than the ABILITY to do it is what the ego cannot tolerate. That is because the decision, from which the ability would naturally develop, would necessarily involve true perception, a state of clarity which the ego, fearful of being judged truly, MUST avoid.” UR T 4 F 13

So even the ego, the false self, because it is “a product of the mind,” has great power to create and is only limited by its own self-deception.

We as Sons of God who have fallen asleep to higher reality are also asleep to the power of mind within us. We are told:

“The mind is very powerful, and never loses its creative force. It never sleeps. Every instant it is creating. It is hard to recognize that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains.” T-2.VI.9

However, the real power is manifest when we link up with other minds in harmony with Higher Will:

“Alone we can do nothing, but together our minds fuse into something whose power is far beyond the power of its separate parts. By not being separate, the Mind of God is established in ours and as ours. This Mind is invincible because it is undivided.” T-8.V.1

In conclusion, we have Mind and Spirit producing thought and ideas by which all things are created. We wake up to their correct use when we realize that ideas in the mind of God, such as you and me, do not leave their source.

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

ACIM Conversations, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part  16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25

Copyright by J J Dewey

Index for Original Archives

Index for Recent Posts

Easy Access to All the Writings

For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE

JJ’s Amazon page HERE

Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE

 

Chapter Three
The Message of the Course

Back around 1980, when I first studied the Course, a lot of the profound material in it went over my head. I recognized that it was a revelation of a high order, but at first I saw it as teaching the same thing as many other teachings I had studied, but just using a different terminology.

And what was that?

Well, I went through everything the Christian religion had to teach, then on to all kinds of teachings in New Age philosophy and on to Theosophy, Eastern religions and the Ancient Wisdom of the east.

They all teach some version of salvation. For Christians it is an after-death movement to heaven where you live with God and Jesus. For New Agers it is all kinds of things from being picked up by flying saucers to moving to a new dimension. For the esoteric thinkers it is freeing ourselves from the wheel of rebirth and going back to our formless Source. We then rest there until we are ready to incarnate into a new universe based on the principles of illusion but of a somewhat higher order than before.

When I first studied ACIM I figured it was in harmony with the eastern teachings of liberation, that we were living in a world of illusion and needed to see the true reality so we could finish the schooling here as soon as possible.

Then, when I studied the course for a second and third time, I began to see differences that set it apart from anything else that is in the spiritual mainstream.

The reason many casual students do not see the main purpose of the book is that the key ingredient of the whole presentation is not given until near the end of the main text. When I first read it I found it to be in contradiction to everything I had accepted so far, and it caused me to do much additional reflection on the course. And what is this mysterious teaching?

ACIM teaches that the whole creation of the perceived universe including all form, time and space was a big mistake, and the purpose of the Course is to correct the mistake and take us home to a mysterious heaven where there is no form, no time and no differences but merely oneness, peace and bliss.

The only teaching I know of that comes close to this is in some gnostic writings that teach that the universe was not made by the Most High but a lower being called a Demiurge. Some Gnostics considered this being evil while others see it as simply misled.

Here is the main quote from the Course that caused me to do some rethinking:

“Let us return the dream he gave away unto the dreamer, who perceives the dream as separate from himself and done to him. Into eternity, where all is one, there crept a tiny, mad idea, at which the Son of God remembered not to laugh. In his forgetting did the thought become a serious idea, and possible of both accomplishment and real effects. Together, we can laugh them both away, and understand that time cannot intrude upon eternity. It is a joke to think that time can come to circumvent eternity, which means there is no time.” T-27.VIII.6

So then, according to ACIM, the creator of the visible universe was a holy being, called the Son of God, with all the attributes and creative powers of God. This Son is composed of all the lives in the universe, including you and me. Together, in an ancient time, we conceived this “mad idea” and created a universe based on principles of illusion that wound up placing us within it in a dreamlike state. We thus became trapped here thinking the dream is real when it is not. The purpose of the Course is to wake us up to our error as soon as possible.

A huge obstacle to us waking up is guilt and fear. This resides in us as a residual effect of attempting a creation that was contrary to the will of God. This produced an inner fear that we offended God and he may be angry with us. This has created a natural inner reluctance to approach God and return to His presence.

The solution presented is A Course in Miracles. If we follow the teachings, we are told we can save thousands, perhaps millions of years in this dismal existence and return to the awakened state, which, we are told, is so much better than this reality. The Course calls it heaven, our eternal home.

The Course tells us that we are the Prodigal Son who left his home and squandered his inheritance. Like the son in the parable, we feel unworthy to return home for fear our Father will not accept us. Instead, the Course tells us that God is waiting with open arms for our return. The only obstacle in the way is our thinking.

The purpose then of the Course is to correct our thinking so we can escape this inferior world of illusion and death and move back home where we enjoy eternal life and joyousness. Therefore, unlike numerous other spiritual philosophies that deal with many aspects of life and cosmology, the Course focuses on overcoming those obstacles in thinking that stand in the way of our restoration to the presence of God.

Fortunately, in the process of guiding us in this direction, the Course does make comments now and then giving hints and details that touches on other mysteries of existence, and we shall be exploring some of these.

The basic obstacles the Course attempts to assist us with to make a return home possible are:

(1) Overcoming Fear. Of all the obstacles in our way, this is the biggest one, and, according to the Course, our greatest fear is the fear of God. Because of our apparent rebellion and attempt to make a world that is separate from God’s real creation, we have a natural fear that we are an offense to God and would be rejected by him.

One of the main teachings of the Course is that this is self-deception that needs to be realized and transcended. The key to accomplishing this is through the understanding of and sharing of love. Along this vein the Course says this:

“Perfect love casts out fear.

If fear exists,

Then there is not perfect love.

But:

Only perfect love exists.

If there is fear,

It produces a state that does not exist.” T-1.VI.5

The Course makes a number of clever paradoxical statements like this. Most believing students love them, whereas others find them frustrating or inconclusive circular reasoning.

For instance, the orthodox left brain mind would reason that if there is fear, which is a state of mind, then that state of mind would exist or we wouldn’t even be talking about it.

On the other hand, the right brain merely accepts such words as true like a beautiful piece of poetry.

(2) Forgiveness. The Course powerfully teaches that we cannot wake up to our true reality without forgiveness. Seeing our brothers and sisters as guilty of sin of any kind keeps us trapped in the dream.

It has an interesting take on forgiveness that I haven’t seen presented anywhere else before.

It tells us that the orthodox idea of forgiveness is to see the other guy as committing a sin or offense of some kind, and to forgive in the regular sense means that you place yourself in the superior position of being big hearted enough to overlook the guy’s error.

It tells us that this is not forgiveness at all, for we still see our brother as a sinner and guilty. Instead, we just see ourselves as being in a superior position.

On the contrary, it tells us that true forgiveness involves the person seeing the offense as something that never even happened. If the offense did not happen there is nothing to forgive and your brother is sinless.

If there is nothing to forgive, then forgiveness is instant and effortless.

This seems to be a strange doctrine unless one soaks in its reasoning, which goes something like this:

Suppose you have a dream that your best friend and business partner withdrew all the money from your joint account and ran off to Rio with your wife.

In the dream you were so furious that you wanted to kill the guy, not to mention your wife.

Then you wake up to the real world and discover that the offenses did not happen at all, but it was just a dream. Your best friend is still your best friend and your wife is still faithful.

You wipe the sweat off your brow and think to yourself, “A few minutes ago, I wanted to kill them both and now I love them as much as ever because nothing really happened.”

“There is nothing to forgive. It was just a dream.”

Like it or not, that is the reasoning ACIM presents as the attitude we must have toward forgiveness in this physical life, which it says is a dream.

I must say that this attitude is helpful in my life and I already used it to a degree before I read ACIM. It indeed helps to tune out offenses if they are seen as never existing.

(3) Grievances. A grievance is closely related to forgiveness, and the student must let it go before complete forgiveness is possible.

(4) Guilt. Guilt is closely related to fear, and creates an illusionary feeling of unworthiness. If the prodigal son feels unworthy, he will not attempt the journey home and risk being rejected by his parents.

The Course tells us that guilt is caused by allowing the ego to supplant the true God. When this happens, we are under the power of the illusion. This problem must be seen in the correct light before the pilgrim can take solid steps toward liberation.

(5) The Special Relationship. The tendency is to show love and acceptance to those special people we care for and not to others, but the Course tells us that we must see Christ in all people, even the irritating ones. Our love for all must have no barriers.

(6) Overcome the Ego. Students must see themselves as united with the One Great Life which is God rather than as separate individuals identified with a body. One must identify with the spirit rather than the form, with the eternal rather than the temporary.

(7) Acceptance. To awaken from the dream, one must accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit, often called the Inner Voice. For many lifetimes the student has followed the outer voice of the ego and this must cease. The direction must be changed from the lower temporary voice to the Spiritual Eternal Voice. This spiritual guidance must be followed if we wish to see beyond the illusion and awaken.

This is easier said than done because of the great investment each of us has in the world of form. Attachments are strong and students have great difficulty in letting them go… until they do.

The Course covers numerous other topics to aid students on the path to liberation, but these seven are the main roadblocks wherein the emphasis lies.

Some complain that the half million words in the Course have a lot of repetition saying the same thing. Yes, it does repeat itself at times but never exactly and always supplying new insights that need to be absorbed. And in the seeming repetition are many side comments and hints into mysteries that go beyond salvation. We shall explore some of these.

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

ACIM Conversations, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part  16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25

Copyright by J J Dewey

Index for Original Archives

Index for Recent Posts

Easy Access to All the Writings

For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE

JJ’s Amazon page HERE

Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE