Consciousness

“Consciousness has levels and awareness can shift quite dramatically, but it cannot transcend the perceptual realm.  At its highest it becomes aware of the real world, and can be trained to do increasingly.  Yet the very fact that it has levels and can be trained demonstrates that it cannot reach knowledge.  (M80)”

Affirmation:  “May I become ever more aware of the real world.”

Reflections:

These are the theoretical underpinnings of the Course.  This passage indicates that achieving the real world, a world of love devoid of the ego, is a gradual process.  Moreover, perception can be cleansed, and we seek to train our minds to increase our perception in order to get us out of the ego-oriented world that we see.  But knowledge is of God, in revelation, and this cannot be taught.  It is a gift of God, when we have removed the barriers to the presence of knowledge.

Our consciousness is important to us, and we have learned falsely, through psychology, that a strong ego is necessary to live in this world.  We do not need ego in the sense that the Course refers to the “ego.”  But this word is slippery, and it is does not mean the same to all people, even psychologists.  In the Course, the word “ego” is a false perception of ourselves, a false image that leads us into pain and suffering.  It is not a thing that we would want, and we are bade to leave it behind.

In this world, the ego is constantly being undone.  We are pricked at the point of our greatest pride, an egoistic trait.  We are constantly brought low when the ego has been in ascendancy.  This is no accident.  It is the way of salvation for us, according to the Course.

We may not realize it, but the real world is what we want while on this earth.  The real world will sparkle with joy, and our eyes will light up at the thought of another day.  Let us not be discouraged if we don’t achieve this boon on a constant basis.  Elsewhere Jesus says that here we will not be without limitations, but that our task is to escape from them.  This we will do increasingly as we study the Course and make its tenets our own.

Prayer:

Dear Father/Mother,

May I be increasingly conscious of the real world of joy and love.  I realize that this is still a perception, and so it is not the knowledge that only You can give.  I hope to walk further along the pathway, so that I am ready for the knowledge that only You can impart.

Thank you for being there for me.  As I pray so often, help me to follow in Your way and by Your guidance.

Amen.

Workbook Lesson for Day 84:

These are the ideas for today’s review:

Love created me like Itself.

Love holds no grievances.