Ask: We made the universe of form...should I use meditation as prayer now?


My question is about prayer…The idea of Oneness is beginning to feel more natural as is accepting that we, not God, made the universe of form.  I’ve been used to saying traditional prayers as well as praying for special intentions for myself and others.  Given my emerging new thought system, that kind of prayer just doesn’t feel right anymore.  I still feel the need to pray, however.  Should I use meditation as a form of prayer now?... LD

            Before I answer your question about prayer I want to address your statement that “we, not God, made the universe of form” because I hear this often from students of A Course in Miracles and there is great confusion about this idea.
The maker of the universe of form is what the Course calls the “son of God” in the original and what I called the “split mind” in The Plain Language ACIM. The split mind is the part of God’s Mind that contains the idea of the opposite-of-God. So it is split between What is (God) and the idea of not-God. To fill the emptiness of the idea of not-God it projects a universe of form to make another “reality”. Into this universe of form it projects billions of versions of its split mind in individual forms (bodies). This is what you think of as your individual mind, which is split between God and not-God (ego/personal mind).
So in your experience as an individual split mind you are not responsible for the making of the universe of form. You simply find yourself in it. But you are responsible for your projections of meaning onto form from not-God in your mind. These thoughts, or perceptions, make up the “world” that the Course teaches you must forgive (release) to be at peace. Each individual must forgive their own “world” (perceptions) because it is made up of projections from their own personal story.
 I clarify this so that you do not struggle to understand how you make form. If you want inner peace all you need to attend to are your thoughts about form.
On to prayer: Prayer is traditionally a petitioning you make toward a power over you to fill the sense of lack inherent to identifying with a limited personal self. But there is no power over you. God is your Being, so It is your Power, and It is within you always. Your only lack is a lack of awareness that you already have everything within you in God.  So instead of prayer what you need to fill any sense of lack is to become aware again of God within you. To do this, yes, you want to use formal meditation as a means to open yourself to and commune with God every day. You also want to take moments throughout the day to come into the present and turn your mind inward to feel God, to call on the Holy Spirit for guidance in everything, and to remember you are Love by extending Love in your awareness in place of personal projections. These will fill up any sense of lack you have and you will find that you do not need to “pray” for anything.

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Learn about the books The ACIM Mentor Articles, The Plain Language A Course in Miracles, and 4 Habits for Inner Peace at www.acimmentor.com.
If you have a question the answer to which  you think may help others send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and indicate that you want it answered in the ACIM Mentor Newsletter/Blog.

Comments

Anonymous said…
So... What you are saying is that we project or superimpose a fiction onto truth/reality and we are in no way responsible for the truth/reality...where does unconscious guilt come into this?
3:47 AM
ACIM Mentor said…
Truth (God) is formless Being. The split mind projects a universe of form to fill in the emptiness of not-Truth. Form is not a truth or reality, but a replacement for Truth/Reality. On an individual level you make form real to you by projecting meaning onto it. Because not-Truth is not your reality you are uncomfortable in your belief that it is real. The not-Truth (ego) part of your mind teaches you that this discomfort is a consciousness of guilt for separating from an authoritarian "god". This is not-Truth's way of preserving itself by making you afraid to look inward where you will find Truth and undo not-Truth.
This is why you cannot undo guilt within the ego. Guilt is its fabric. It is the "proof" that separation from God has occurred. To let go of guilt you have to let go of the ego.
7:24 AM
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