“Here [God’s justice, pointing to Heaven] all attack and condemnation become meaningless and indefensible. Perception rests, the mind is still, and light returns again. Vision is now restored. What had been lost has now been found. The peace of God descends on all the world, and we can see. And we can see! (M-19.5)”
Affirmation: “May my vision be restored today.”
Reflections:
1 – Light Returns
This passage reflects what we are trying to reach–our way home to God, with separation (as we perceive it) healed. We do not feel the stress that leads to attack and condemnation. We do not fret about what our perception shows us. Our minds are still. We are quiet. “Light” returns. And what is light? The cleansed perception that we all want. Until knowledge comes to replace perception, we aim for cleansed perception. And with cleansed perception comes vision, but not with the body’s eyes. The type of vision meant is the vision that the Holy Spirit gives, which allows us to “see” accurately and without judgment (only His judgment is relevant). God’s peace returns to all the world. And this includes all of our brothers and sisters, a description of what will happen when all have made their way back to God.
2 – Eons, but Take Heart
This is the ideal, and A Course in Miracles talks about this ideal quite a bit. We should not be disappointed if we do not reach this ideal soon. It may be eons away, “millions” of years, as Jesus says. But as long as we are on the right pathway, the Holy Spirit will bring to us “happy dreams.” These happy dreams presage the coming of Awakening, and the happy dreams must come if we are to awaken quietly, without fear. Otherwise, we would be terrified by the light.
3 – Happy Dreams
There is a particularly apt passage in the Text in which Jesus says that when the light is turned on in a room where we have been asleep, we may at first fear, be afraid. We think that the light is something to fear, that it is part of our dream. But when we fully awaken, we soon realize that the dream we dreamed in our sleep was only an illusion, and we have nothing to fear. The “happy dreams” of the Holy Spirit are akin to this. We would be too terrified to welcome Awakening if we were still perceiving attack and condemnation.
4 – Awakening / Enlightenment
Be with us today as we seek Awakening. We do not prepare the way; that is up to the Holy Spirit. But we can be attentive to what we say and do, and then we will be more ready than not ready. But we need to be humble about our part in what we do, because we have very little asked of us. The vast majority of the work is done effortlessly by the Holy Spirit. And we can be glad that our part is so small, for we would be sure to mess something up. The Holy Spirit does not make mistakes, and certainly we do.
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
May I convey to myself and others that it is not a bad thing for each of us, individually, if we, in trying to effect salvation for all, find that eons may pass before all are awakened. In the meantime, we will either have the happy dreams the Holy Spirit brings, or we will have Awakening (i.e., Enlightenment). We are meant to lead the way, though we must be careful of this statement, for surely the ego is pleased when we let unselfish motives be attributed to our doing. We are led by You and the Holy Spirit (or Christ-consciousness) every step of the way. We would know not what to do unless You were in the background, directing every step. May we always attribute a good deed to the motivation that You have given to us. And may we not take credit for what You through us. By ourselves we could do nothing. We would mess things up.
Be with me today as I seek to live these words. May others take nothing unto themselves unless it finds a place in their hearts.
Thank You for this excellent day. We are at the beginning of the rest of our eternity, and indeed, we know, somehow, because of You, that we will live in eternity. Eternity is the Now. And there is no time that is not Now. May I remember this definition of Now throughout this glorious day. Thank You for granting me happiness and peace and serenity today.
Amen.
MIRACLES EACH DAY 