Correcting Thoughts

The way that I learned A Course in Miracles was to take my questions to the Holy Spirit and let them go. I was always answered, if not immediately, then within a day or two. Eventually, I extended this practice to everything else in my life. I also eventually heard the Holy Spirit faster and more clearly to the point that I can have discussions with It. But the one thing that never worked for me was asking the Holy Spirit to change a particular Peace-robbing thought about me, another, or a situation. Eventually I learned to affirm the Truth in place of the negative thought and this invited the Holy Spirit into my awareness. It finally occurred to me that doing these affirmations was the Holy Spirit’s means of correcting my thoughts! I had been too passive, expecting the Holy Spirit to come into my mind like something separate from it.

You are constantly engaged in self-talk. The source of your experience is these thoughts that you are hearing, consciously or unconsciously, and believing. If you are experiencing Peace then you know that your thoughts, and the beliefs that they engender, reflect the Truth. If you are not experiencing Peace then you know that your thoughts are erroneous and that they are engendering beliefs that you need to correct. But recognizing that your thoughts are mistaken is only the first step. The next step is the actual correction that allows Peace to return to your awareness. This correcting step is countering the erroneous thoughts with Truth. This is not the same thing as fighting or arguing with the personal mind, which would only make it real to you. It’s simply stating the Truth to replace the error. For example: “I am unworthy of God. I am too lowly for God to care about me or my little problems” is corrected to “I am One with God. What is One with God cannot be unworthy of God! How silly is that? Of course God is here to guide me. God cannot abandon Its Self and God Wills I be happy again.” You have to consciously change your self-talk to reflect the Truth. When you do this, really think about what you are saying so that it sinks in and eventually becomes your belief.


Correct an erroneous thought as specifically as possible because the personal mind’s thoughts are very specific and this is how it gets to you. Sometimes you will have to go deeper to find out what the personal mind is really saying to you. It may not, for example, say outright that you are unworthy of God. You may simply find yourself resistant to asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But if you look into your thoughts you will find that the reason you aren’t turning to the Holy Spirit for guidance is that you don’t believe It is really here or you believe that It will reject you. So you have to get down to and correct the underlying thought that is robbing you of your awareness of Peace. (For example, revisiting the experiences you have had of the Holy Spirit to reaffirm its Presence, or reminding yourself that the Holy Spirit is the True you and therefore cannot reject you). Some thoughts will dissipate as soon as you look at them because you will immediately see that they are absurd; other thoughts you will have to correct again and again because they are deeply ingrained. But you don’t want the personal mind to have the last word. Even if you cannot yet trust the Truth and accept Peace right now, you want to build the habit of affirming Truth to change the way that you think. Your willingness to affirm Truth is the way that you invite Truth into your experience.

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Read The Message of A Course in Miracles: A translation of the Text in plain language at www.themessageofacim.com.

Comments

will said…
Liz,
I have been having a rash of these thoughts, most as the result of some event that has happened. I had thought they were from the sub-conscious, things to be forgiven. So I would stand back and look at them, listen to them as 'the ego' and say to the Holy Spirit "I know these are of the ego and I ask your help in forgiveness." I thought that was the way you emptied the sub conscious of negativity, of the egos negativity. If the thoughts continue you continue to forgive in the same way. Continue to look at them. I have been telling myself that this can be a good thing when these thoughts come up. The Holy Spirit can't forgive unless you have access to the thoughts or actions and ask for his help. Am I off track here?
ACIM Mentor said…
No, Will, you're not off-track at all. You just need to continue down the same track. Yes, absolutely you have to bring up the subconscious thoughts so you can look at them. This is the first step. But you can't have a void in your mind; you have to fill in the place you leave empty of the thought or it will just return. The Holy Spirit is not something apart from you. Turn your mind in Its direction by affirming the Truth in place of the thought (as specifically as possible). You will find the Holy Spirit will supply you with more thoughts and words and It will fill your experience.
Deb said…
Thank you Liz, that was just the wisdom I needed to hear today... That happens alot with your blog, I do so appreciate you!!
Anonymous said…
I too understood it the way will did. Like with my food addiction. One of the things I say is...I forgive myself for thinking I have to starve myselt to be small. Then I say Join with me Jesus. Then I grab a phrase from the workbook like I rest in God and repeat it a few times.

Kind of like a Oreo LOL the top is the forgive me, then the filling is the join with me Jesus and the bottom is a new connecting phrase to say. I'm I on the right track.
Paula said…
Hi Liz,
I'm learning to correct my thoughts and I'm just wondering if you could help me out with a particular situation that seems to be continuing. It's a very small matter that seems to be robbing me of my Peace.

I keep getting mail sent to me from an organisation and I have asked them in the past by phone, mail and in person to stop sending me mail because I'm not interested in their products. I have moved house several times over the last 20 years and you wouldn't believe it but somehow they keep catching up with me at all of my new addresses without my consent. As you can imagine, I am feeling very hunted and harassed after 20 years! They just refuse to let up and every time I get one of their mailings in my letterbox (which is weekly) I start fuming and go into an angry frenzy!

I have tried to let this go to the Holy Spirit and I just got another one of their letters in the post today! I am so fed up with this! I'm at my wits end.

Can you please give me some specific examples on how I can correct my thoughts so that this situation will cease? What exactly should I be thinking instead? I have tried patience, kindness, politeness and all sorts of things with this and I'm all out of ideas. Should I just look at it as though it isn't real, even when it feels very real? Should I ignore it all? I'm spent trying to sort out the truth about this. Thanks for any help that you can offer me about this, Liz.
ACIM Mentor said…
Paula, how about getting some perspective on this: It's not personal. It's just impersonal marketing. It's just unwanted paper in the mail. Recycle it.

Remember, you're not bothered by the situation; you're bothered by your thoughts about the situation. If you cannot stop taking it personally then you want to look at why you feel like such a victim here. It probably represents something else - another story you have of being a victim.

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