Transcendent Consciousness is Not God, Part 3

           Two weeks ago, I began a discussion about why it is important that students of A Course in Miracles, or any other form of nonduality, do not confuse transcendent (pure) consciousness with God. I shared Suzanne Segal’s (Collision With the Infinite) story the first week, and last week explained consciousness and the difference between oneness experiences of pure consciousness and the Oneness of God. Now I will explain why it is crucial to not confuse them.

The Course calls the fundamental issue blocking one’s awareness of God the authority problem, or the belief that you are what you have made of yourself. This “you” refers to the Son of God in its split-mind, the maker of consciousness, and shows up in your individual mind as your identification with a person in a body in a world. (This identification is ego.) Oh, certainly you do not consciously think you made yourself. You may profess belief in a creator (author), but if you are not in touch with Christ in you, you are not in touch with God. You are not in touch with your Reality.

Remember, consciousness is not God’s Creation. Christ is God’s Creation, or Extension, and It is never apart from God, any more than sunlight can be apart from the sun. Consciousness is the expression of the idea of not-God. Its seeming reality is denial of God. So, if you believe consciousness is real, you believe God is not real. And to believe that pure consciousness is God is the ultimate expression of the authority problem. So, to pursue pure consciousness as anything other than what it is—simply pure consciousness—but instead as God, Truth, or Ultimate Reality, is to pursue an idol.

The effect of the authority problem is the belief in sin (separation from God) and resultant guilt, the fundamental core of the ego experience, which serves to both “prove” its existence and defend its perpetuation in your mind. (For a detailed explanation of this, see my book, Releasing Guilt for Inner Peace. Learn more here.) So, if you attain pure consciousness, even with an awareness of the Divine (Spirit) in consciousness, and confuse It with God, you do not find God beyond consciousness, you do not undo illusion, and you do not undo the authority problem which holds it in place. The belief in guilt, and therefore conflict, remains in your mind.

Clearly, those leaders infighting in the Transcendental Meditation organization that Suzanne found dismaying were still manifesting the authority problem. They were defensive, a clear sign of the belief in guilt. And Suzanne’s own fears manifested a belief in guilt. She also came to see that she used her awareness of the vastness to deny her personal feelings and memories of trauma, meaning she still had at least traces of a personal identity. (Interestingly, as a therapist she was somewhat puzzled that her patients were negative and self-loathing. She did not seem to understand guilt as ego’s fundamental expression and defense.)  

I contend the reason Bernadette Roberts did not find much written about God beyond consciousness is because many who attain pure consciousness are still in the authority problem. Just as she did, they confuse an experience in consciousness with God. They may have released identification with a person, but they did not undo its source, the authority problem. If ego’s source is not undone, is it wholly undone?

It always confused me that in the Clarification of Terms in the Course, the opposite of ego is not Spirit, but is the miracle. Now I understand it was saying that, just like a miracle, the ego, too, is an effect. A miracle is Spirit’s effect; ego is an effect of the authority problem.

I do think, however, that it is easy for experiences of pure consciousness and Spirit to blur, and perhaps many have “slipped” into an awareness of God beyond consciousness without recognizing it or recording it if they did recognize it. (Bernadette Roberts considered these possibilities, too.)

Recently, I have had experiences that have shown me that only Christ can undo ego. I do not mean the idea of Christ or even an awareness of Christ. I mean Christ Itself. As my God-given Identity, It is the only thing that could possibly undo the authority problem.

So, it turns out, the authority problem blocks God, but not pure consciousness. A mind remains split when ego has been repressed or transcended (same thing?) but the authority problem has not been wholly undone. Forgiveness—as the Course teaches forgiveness—has not occurred. Only Christ forgives from outside of consciousness, as Christ bridges consciousness and God.

I wrote these articles because I’ve seen in the Course community in the last years many students moving toward teachings and practices that emphasize manifesting a certain type of consciousness rather than growing their awareness of Spirit and letting It lead the way. In some cases, they do not see the difference. In others, they are seeking relief from a recalcitrant ego. But if you want true forgiveness and liberation, you have only to let in Spirit. It is that simple. And frankly, there is no other way. 

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