Finally, A Real Choice

A Course in Miracles teaches that we always look inward before we look outward. And it has always been easy for me to see True Perception (the Real World, Christ’s Vision, Holy Spirit’s Vision, etc. in ACIM) as a wholly inward Vision. When I experience It I also see the universe of form is meaningless. It is a blank canvas. The Vision may extend to form but I know the source is me, not the forms the body’s eyes report. In a way, I see a world overlaid over the world of form and I know that “real world” is in me. This overlaid world actually overlooks form because it is meaningless.

But the ego’s (personal thought system’s) perceptions are harder for me to see as only an inward perception. And that is because it always projects its perceptions away. Even though I have learned to take back my perceptions by practicing sorting out facts in form from my projection of meaning onto them, still there has always been an attachment between my perceptions and the universe of form. This is what made them seem to me to be reality not a blank canvas and a projected perception.

A few weeks ago I finally saw the ego’s perception as a perception. I realized I choose its perception (always some form of lack/guilt/fear) and then I see “proof” of this perception in the arbitrarily chosen forms the body’s eyes report to me. Because the universe of form is limited it is easy for the ego to point to specifics and say, “See, lack is real.” Of course I could also see in arbitrarily chosen forms “proof” that lack is not real. Form has no meaning in itself and it is so diverse I could find anything I wanted in it! But the ego is only going to point to lack, guilt, and fear because that is what it is.

What this has done for me is freed me to make a choice where before I could not see a real choice. It seemed my choice was between a perception – Real Perception – and a “reality” that was fixed in form. Yes, I knew I was projecting meaning. But I didn’t really see this as a perception because of the “proof” in form. I did not see that I first chose a perception and then saw proof for that perception. I was deceived by the specifics and did not see that I first made a choice for a general perception.

I used to say, “Turn inward and choose Truth despite what is appearing in form.” But now I see there is no relationship between my perception and form. It is not “despite what is appearing in form”. It is choose Truth’s perceptions over the ego’s perceptions.

Form, the ego’s perceptions, and True Perception are all not real. But the perception I experience is automatically determined by how I see myself. I am never bothered by what is in form. I can only be bothered by my perceptions. And when I am bothered I can now truly make the choice for True Perception because I see my choice is between two equivalent things – perceptions – rather than between a perception and reality. I can say, “This is just a perception. It does not represent the Truth in me”, and it will fall away.

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Do you need help sorting out perception from fact so you can release painful perceptions? This is something I help my clients do. Email me at Liz@acimmentor.com to set up an appointment. Learn more at www.acimmentor.com.

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