Without Form There Is Wholeness

The experience of Truth is Wholeness. Lack does not exist in Truth even as an idea. But when you are used to identifying with an ego (personal thought system) and you come out of the experience of Truth, Truth strikes you as alarmingly empty because there is no form There. You know you felt whole in Truth but you are frightened because you cannot understand this with the thought system (ego) with which you are used to thinking. How can a thought system that is a form itself and is all about forms understand that Formlessness is an experience of Abundance?

If without form there is Wholeness then the reverse of this must be that with form there is lack. When you see this it is so obvious! Of course when Limitless Mind is reduced to limited forms (thoughts, ideas, feelings, actions, material forms) the experience is lack. No wonder that the pursuit of forms to fill a sense of lack only increase one’s sense of lack.

If you just stop and be, what is lacking? You may feel an emotional emptiness that prods you to seek forms (thoughts, ideas, other feelings, actions, material forms) to fill the emptiness. But what experiences that emptiness but a form (self)? And that feeling of emotional emptiness is a form, too. To feel emotionally empty is a form that is the experience of form. The resolution to that feeling is not more forms but the dropping of forms.

Sit and just “be”. If the experience of emptiness (or other forms) comes over you, tell yourself, “This is just the limited experience of form.” and see if you can let it pass. Open your mind to the experience of Abundant Nothingness even if you cannot understand It. The experience will not come from or to a form. It is what Limitless Mind is.

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Comments

will said…
I am studying “A Translation of the Workbook in Plain Language, with mentor’s notes,” part of the “Practicing A Course in Miracles” series by Liz Cronkhite.

I’m not “doing” the lessons again but using it as a meditation. The idea is to move from what is written as “more than simply a nice idea…” For instance in the first ten lessons there might be a few lines that are the lesson followed by how to practice it for the day and then the mentor notes. Since I am not doing the lessons, the focus is only on the lesson, further explanation of the lesson and the mentor notes. The meditation comes from not reading something like 'My personal thoughts have no meaning' from Lesson 10, and letting those words just pass through the personal mind and are then forgotten but to stop and sit with it. I may not be able to understand it or only understand it on an intellectual level but I can sit with it. Using the book like this is a very intense experience and has been tremendously helpful in focusing on the blogs of the past months.
will said…
I think you have to move from it being a book by Liz to seeing the translation for what it really is. For me this is written from a mystic level, that is, the level of experience and knowledge. That is about as far as you can get from just another book about the Course.
will said…
Sorry for all these posts…

What I’m finding is if you read something by say the Buddha (a book about him is sitting on my desk so I use it as an example) when you talk about it or think about it the personal mind frames it as “Buddha says.” It keeps you at a surface level. It makes it hard to dive deep with the content.
Christine said…
Thanks, Will, for your posts here.
will said…
Your welcome Christine. Some of it is just thoughts. It may look very different in the morning:)
SKR said…
Very helpful Liz. In my experience I know this to be true. Thanks
Anonymous said…
Liz,

Clarification please: When it turns 9 AM and the thought arises to go to the gym and exercise the body, I stay put in my chair, realizing exercise is just a limited experience of form, the body is a limited experience of form, demanded by the ego form, again keeping this body/mind form in the illusion. Allow Being(formlessness) to replace doing (form)?
ACIM Mentor said…
No, Anonymous. Go to the gym and meditate before or after, whichever works better for you. (I find the endorphins after a workout make relaxing for meditation easier). You are confusing levels.
Anonymous said…
Liz,
I find I exercise from a place of fear and lack, not peace like you do. I don't understand what you mean by confusing levels.

Let me use a different example: I feel "bored" and uncomfortable in that feeling. I look for something to DO: pick up a magazine, watch TV, turn on the computer, eat a cookie. Is what you are suggesting in this blog is to replace the "doing" with "being"?

Thanking you in advance for your consideration.
will said…
Liz,
Sometimes I get tangled up. The mind of the Son of God is projecting the world that we see around us, people, trees etc. It is neutral. The mind of the Son of God has a choice to see the world that it is projecting from the ego's point of view or from Truth. Right?
ACIM Mentor said…
Anonymous, what in ACIM is called "confusion of levels" is what is more commonly called "spiritualizing the ego". It's when you try to apply what is true for Truth to not-Truth or you try to make not-Truth more Truth-like. The source of this is guilt: "Not-Truth is wrong/bad/imperfect and I need to make it right/good/perfect so that I will not be punished by God."

I do not exercise from a place of peace. I exercise from a place of taking responsibility for the body's health and well-being. It also feels good and I enjoy it. Confusing levels would be me thinking I didn't have to do anything for the body (or anything else in the world) because in Truth there is no doing. Not-Truth and Truth never intersect. Not-Truth is the opposite of Truth so what is true for Truth is never true for not-Truth. At the level of form (not-Truth) you will always act from lack and a fear of the consequences of not acting. This is not wrong or bad. Doing is required at the level of form. It simply has nothing to do with Truth.

I did not suggest in this article that you stop all doing. I merely suggested you occasionally take the time to open yourself to the experience of pure Being. If you are bored and feel like doing something then do something. If you feel guided to meditate and get in touch with Truth instead then do that.
ACIM Mentor said…
Will, yes the mind of the Son of God (the split-mind) projected the universe of form and it is neutral (has no meaning in itself). Part of its projection is all of the seemingly-individual split-minds in the world. And your individual split-mind has the choice of whether to look at it through one of the two thought systems in it, the ego or the Holy Spirit
Anonymous said…
Thanks Liz for your comments.
will said…
Liz, So the Course is directed at the individual split-mind which is taking place in the brain?
ACIM Mentor said…
Yes, Will, ACIM is directed to the seemingly-individual mind. But it is not taking place in the brain. The brain is an idea in mind with which mind identifies. The seemingly-individual mind is in the one split-mind, thus the "seemingly".
will said…
Poor brain. It just can't get a break in the Course
will said…
Liz, Your piece reminds me of times that I needed to lose weight and was able to do so. There is a mental clarity that is unmistakable. Being overweight, using food to deal with 'emotional emptiness' has been an off and on struggle for years. Having experienced that clarity from losing weight it is something I need to do again. Just the overall self care of the body.
ACIM Mentor said…
Yes, Will, there is no value in denying that you experience a body. Instead, use the body to join with the Holy Spirit. (For example, in your case calling on the Holy Spirit to guide you in the care of the body and in dealing with emotional needs).
Deb Baczewski said…
Joining with the Holy Spirit helped release self judgment and the "need to feed" has fallen away.
Deb Baczewski said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
When in FORM one has the choice of DOING...something or DOING nothing...either way or choice is not bad good or ugly... Its a matter of how much pain and suffering do you need or want... while in FORM... if you are done being FAT then lose the weight... what is important to remember is that anything done in FORM does not bring the solution to any perceived problem/obstacle/unhappiness.. Form is not the answer to PEACE... not the PEACE our spirit is seeking... OUR TRUE Self is seeking to be ONE with God.. and not the split mind we chose but can UN chose again... We can always choose again. DOING is of the ego... which is all about "form"... and guess what even as I write I am in "FORM"... I am DOING... and what's more insane is that I'm doing this so I can find an excuse not to Do something that I find boring, such as house keeping... the results or outcome of writing instead of getting up out of bed keeps me hungry, keeps me from cleaning and organizing the environment I have Mis created... and keeps me in the loop of "guilt"... and tied into the ego thought system.. Salvation is to not judge it and to forgive myself... for believing in the separation... which is my "form" my seemingly ME.
Anonymous said…
then of course we can choose the Holy Spirit much more difficult due to our addicted dependence on the ego to direct us... and just look for the state of "BEING"...sit and be quiet to thyself... oh boy what a feat to accomplish... my seemingly ME just doesn't like that too much...but my true self keeps emerging because I'm getting tired of the pain and suffering... the judging, the guilt, the sense of emptiness...LOL

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