Ask: Does the ego always respond emotionally and the Holy Spirit rationally?


Is it safe to say that the ego always responds emotionally and the Holy Spirit always responds rationally?
           
            The Holy Spirit (Teacher of Truth in your mind) does always respond rationally. But the ego (personal thought system in your mind) can be either emotional or rational. Its initial response to anything is emotional. This is how you can recognize it. But it may revert to rational thought quickly to repress or deny. When you are rational you can tell which thought system you are using by the results. The Holy Spirit uses rational thought to set you free from limitations, guilt, and/or fear. You feel love and liberation when you come from the Holy Spirit in your mind. The personal thought system uses rational thought to deny or to repress guilt and fear. You continue to feel bound and fearful when you come from the ego.
            For example, a new student of A Course in Miracles reads in it that the personal experience is not real. The ego in their mind tells them that this means that they do not have to deal with their personal issues. This is rational on the surface but not realistic so it is not loving and it is not going to set them free. For the new student who has not yet experienced God (Truth) to the extent that they know that only God is real it is only an idea that the personal experience is not real. It is not something that they know to be true. So this use of rationality does not lead to them releasing themselves from the personal experience. It leads to them denying their belief in and feelings about the personal experience. This reinforces their unconscious guilt and fear. This prevents the student from inviting the Holy Spirit into the experience. The student is not set free.
            The Holy Spirit, however, would rationally, realistically, and lovingly point out to the student that the awareness that only God is real will come in time. They have only just embarked on the process that will lead them to this awareness. Hearing this would release the student from the pressure of feeling that they have to accept and understand what they do not yet have reason to accept and understand. It would set them free from guilt in this area.
            The Holy Spirit is rational but also realistic, gentle, kind, and patient. It always meets you where you are to lead you to Truth. It does not demand that you understand what you do not yet have reason to understand. You know when you have been learning from the Holy Spirit when you find that you, too, have become rational, realistic, gentle, kind, and patient with yourself and with others.

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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.

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