Ask: Can you explain the "fear of release"?


In the process of reading the ACIM Text a second time, the following stumps me a second time: 
Chapter 2.V.1 "Before miracle workers are ready to undertake their function in this world, it is essential that they fully understand the fear of release. Otherwise they may unwittingly foster the belief that release is imprisonment, a belief that is already very prevalent."… - MS

            The passage you quoted is where A Course in Miracles first discusses physical healing specifically, though what is teaches can be generalized to all forms of healing. Here is roughly the same passage from my book The Message of A Course in Miracles: A Translation of the Text in Plain Language:

“Before you can accept physical healing as an extension of God’s Love it is important that you understand your fear of release from your identification with a personal self. If you do not understand this fear you will teach yourself that release from the personal self is loss…”

You can only be truly free in God (your True Being). But the ego (personal thought system in your mind) has projected its own attributes of arbitrariness, untrustworthiness, judgment, viciousness, etc. onto God. To understand your obstacle to accepting God you must understand that you fear God because you believe what the ego says about God. So you feel that letting go of the ego and accepting God is a “sacrifice” too great to make. 

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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 will help others send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and indicate that you want it answered in the ACIM Mentor Newsletter/Blog.

Comments

Frank C said…
I have a little different perspective on this: as I've internalized the message of ACIM, I've gotten in touch with this tremendous fear.. it is the fear of death, of not existing anymore. Yes, this is the fear of the the loss of the ego's personal false identity I've come to associate with within the illusion of separation, but it feels like death, nontheless...

Certainly, I "know", at an intellectual level, that the Peace and Joy I can feel when when I experience myself as my True Self, totally connected with my Source (God, Truth), will far out-shine this unfounded fear, but I have to say that it can be very overwhelming and intimidating when I get glimpse of this fear.

I also feel that becoming fully conscious of this fear, and the impact it has on my "world view", is the only way to heal it... I just turn it over to the HS and let it go.
6:50 AM
ACIM Mentor said…
Yes, the fear of release is the ego's fear of death. When you feel it, just observe it. The fear of death is the ego's fear, not yours.
12:53 PM
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