Ask: Am I upset because the world is meaningless or because of my projections on it?
“I'm a bit
confused. In Lesson 12 it states the world is meaningless in itself and what is
meaningless is neither good nor bad, but then it says I am upset because I see
a meaningless world. I thought that I was upset because I projected meaning
onto the world…”
- AS
The
answer you seek is in Lesson 12 itself (the underlines are mine):
“I think
I see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world, a sad world, a
wicked world, a crazy world,” (W-12.3)
“But I am
upset because I see a meaningless world.” (W-12.4)
This
lesson is pointing out that beneath the upset that you feel for the meaning
that you project onto the world, the deeper source of your upset is that the
world is meaningless. This is elaborated on in the next lesson, #13:
“A meaningless
world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God.” (W-13.5)
Here
A Course in Miracles is introducing
the true source of guilt and the fear it engenders in your mind, even if you
are not ready to see it yet:
“You are not
expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it
as preposterous. Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear
which it may arouse.”
(W-13.5)
>>>>>
With some clients I study weekly or
bi-weekly A Course in Miracles or one
of my books. Studying one-on-one with a teacher allows the student to address
their specific confusion and obstacles to understanding. Email me at Liz@acimmentor.com
to set up an appointment. Learn more at www.acimmentor.com.
If you have a question the answer to
which you think will help others, email it to me at Liz@acimmentor.com
and indicate that you want it answered in the newsletter/blog.
Comments
liz, im experiencing uncomfortable times with all this. the last few days ive been experiencing the kind of depression and discomfort that would have led me to self harm in the past. ive been focusing on what you have written about above, basically. focusing on recalling that the micro picture is just a reflection of the macro picture, and focusing on being where i am with the feelings, but holding an awareness of 'WHY' i feel this way. (by that i mean remembering the purpose ego assigned to not-truth, and the purpose the right mind re-assigns). recalling that none of it matter one iota. its led to a deeper understanding of the higher miracle dream, but this has in turn deepened the current feeling of fear. when i went through the door with no reason, i was back in the carpark, but i had no thoughts about it needing anything. all of my thinking, my ideas, my focus, were meaningless, and had zero effect on the truth at all. all my ideas about being a helpful person.. all the things i assigned and believed as valuable to the world, and important to me and my self identity, are MEANINGLESS! this is bringing moments of calm, not joy, but v]calm. but im also experiencing panic ans floating dread. but.. i THINK im responding in the most helpful to my personal inner peace way i can, right?? theres nothing more to do with this dread of the death of 'all ideas of me', of my very thought as something of value, but that? i am of course meditating on the stillness when i can, but when i cant i am holding the awareness of it as best i can, present with bringing an impartial view to the whole story.
The ego continues to tighten it's grip in digital America. When I was younger my family knelt at the alter of intelligence. I was so wormy that I was passed on to the next grade not on merit, but as an act of mercy on the teachers. True. The point is we have no skills, no understanding of a life as ACIM describes it. Learning without the personal mind is very difficult to wrap your head around.
If by "personal mind" you mean the ego, it is not what learns. The micro split-mind learns. It can learn neutral things, like how the world works, history, math, etc. That has its uses as long as one is identified with a self. It learns from the ego that it is a self, that it is guilty, should define itself by the self, should defend the self, etc. That is the erroneous learning. And it learns of the Truth from the Holy Spirit (Awareness of Truth in the split-mind.
What life is it that ACIM describes? First you invite the HS into your day-to-day life. Your life in the world is not taken away from you. It simply becomes a classroom in which you learn that the HS is real, that It can be trusted, and, ultimately, that It is you. Life in the world does not change. The self goes on as always. Only the mind's approach to it changes. And that happens so gradually that you don't even recognize it has happened until something brings it to your attention - like an event that used to upset you no longer upsets you.
And this coming to terms with this and living it is what I meant by the life that ACIM describes.
OK enough of that. A week or so ago you took another stab at explaining the levels. I don't know if I was alone in trying to put the pieces together. The levels are an on going challenge. I could go into a long rant about the way the text is written but I will spare us all the enjoyment of that experience. Your ACIM writings are unmatched and I am continually amazed at what you write. Bed time...