“There is another Maker of the world, the simultaneous Corrector of the mad belief that ANYTHING could be established and maintained without some link that kept it still within the Laws of God. [...] There IS another purpose in the world that error made because it has another Maker, Who CAN reconcile its goal with His Creator’s Purpose." ~ from the Urtext of A Course In Miracles
Greetings dearly beloved. Peace to you.
I come to you today to clarify the
fundamental nature of the world; a problem many of you grapple with. Now,
really this is no problem at all, but since you have made of it one let us
together look upon it and allow God's Answer to enlighten us with Truth.
The world is at once both unreal and real; under the lawlessness of the ego and also under God's protecting Laws. How could this be, you very well may ask? How can conflicting concepts coexist? The paradox arises on account of different orders of reality, a thought you shouldn't have much trouble with. To you who made it, it is very real. An internal consistency prevails in the realm it appears to occupy. The physical progression of life leads inexorably from the cradle to the grave, with change the only constant here. What goes up must needs come back down again. Yet if this world were absolutely real, belief in miracles would merely be but fantasies of the deluded ones who can’t accept the harsh realities confronting them. This problem has perplexed philosophers for so long, no one knows exactly when the thought of it occurred. Truly, it can’t be answered, or better, is solved only by an Experience that comes from somewhere outside of the dream of separate bodies, and of separate worlds. This experience is Revelation.
The world is at once both unreal and real; under the lawlessness of the ego and also under God's protecting Laws. How could this be, you very well may ask? How can conflicting concepts coexist? The paradox arises on account of different orders of reality, a thought you shouldn't have much trouble with. To you who made it, it is very real. An internal consistency prevails in the realm it appears to occupy. The physical progression of life leads inexorably from the cradle to the grave, with change the only constant here. What goes up must needs come back down again. Yet if this world were absolutely real, belief in miracles would merely be but fantasies of the deluded ones who can’t accept the harsh realities confronting them. This problem has perplexed philosophers for so long, no one knows exactly when the thought of it occurred. Truly, it can’t be answered, or better, is solved only by an Experience that comes from somewhere outside of the dream of separate bodies, and of separate worlds. This experience is Revelation.
It may occur at any time or place,
in any circumstance or condition. It can't be forced upon oneself by Me or
anyone. Nor can any concept—however lofty—induce It, which is the proper purpose of the miracle. Your mind chose, in a dim and ancient past, just when that sacred time would come to pass. Each miracle you will perform through Me was
previously written in the stars. Some will experience Revelation multiple times
and others only once. It matters not, for in the instant that the old belief in
space-time melts away, the fact that separateness has never been, nor yet will be is then
made clear to you. One can indeed believe what is not true, but he can do
no more than put his faith unworthily in it. Man’s investment of faith in the
world is the unbelief the Holy Spirit has been sent to heal.
The teaching that the world is illusion but points to an Experience which is beyond all words, concepts, bodies, and worlds. Heaven knows not of the
phenomenal world that you think is real, but God does not.
Now let us look a bit deeper into
the illusory nature of the world. Life here provides abundant evidence that the
body's senses do oft deceive, to which we learn to constantly adjust.
Adjusting to illusions is a sign of tact and competency in the world. From this
alone, we see how mad it is, and how unlike to Him who changes not! God neither knows nor adjusts to our own illusions. Yet He understands our need; if He
did not we would be lost indeed.
From the perspective of someone on earth, an airplane seems no bigger than an ant; the sun but quarter-sized, although we know a million earths could fit within its sphere. No one can claim with full assurance that this solid-seeming world—and the senses that report of it—are not themselves based upon deception. What produces lies must be itself founded upon a lie. The ego is the father of all lies, and the world a fitting symbol of it. There is no world as such, but there indeed are many worldly thoughts, and it is true that every thought inevitably spawns form at some level. This is why I said you made the world. This making wasn't some bygone event, so much as it is an ongoing process. Do you not see that the world exists within your consciousness, not “out there” as you are wont to believe. You literally wished it into being.
The “idle thought” concept is meaningless. You must respect the power of your mind, for from it all the things you see have sprung. False concepts are “the lies of the serpent”. However, God is not angry at you for falling for them, but in His great Love provided means to rise above them all. Take heart, for I have overcome the world, and if I did, you too shall overcome. Because time and space are but one belief, and an illusory belief at that, you have already done so. I am here with you always, unto the ends of earth and ages. Hear my promises to you: I’ll never leave nor ever forsake you.
From the perspective of someone on earth, an airplane seems no bigger than an ant; the sun but quarter-sized, although we know a million earths could fit within its sphere. No one can claim with full assurance that this solid-seeming world—and the senses that report of it—are not themselves based upon deception. What produces lies must be itself founded upon a lie. The ego is the father of all lies, and the world a fitting symbol of it. There is no world as such, but there indeed are many worldly thoughts, and it is true that every thought inevitably spawns form at some level. This is why I said you made the world. This making wasn't some bygone event, so much as it is an ongoing process. Do you not see that the world exists within your consciousness, not “out there” as you are wont to believe. You literally wished it into being.
The “idle thought” concept is meaningless. You must respect the power of your mind, for from it all the things you see have sprung. False concepts are “the lies of the serpent”. However, God is not angry at you for falling for them, but in His great Love provided means to rise above them all. Take heart, for I have overcome the world, and if I did, you too shall overcome. Because time and space are but one belief, and an illusory belief at that, you have already done so. I am here with you always, unto the ends of earth and ages. Hear my promises to you: I’ll never leave nor ever forsake you.
It’s infinitely easier to say
there is no ego than to let it go. For the ego to let go of itself is as
impossible as for a snake to eat itself, or for a fish to flee the water. It is God who helps the soul relinquish its tight grip on the ego when the appointed
time has come, and this relinquishment is the precursor to the Universal
Miracle which is the felt experience of intense Love. It is the Meaning of
God’s Divine Grace. As thorns and nails, ego and the world, are suddenly withdrawn the pain may seem to be excruciating. However, it stems not from the
cruelty that drove them in, but from the Mercy and the Grace of God. Surrender
is the Answer here, when world and bodies and one’s own ego appear to spin away
to nothingness. This moment may be one of stark terror, until you take Holy Spirit's advice, and Surrender becomes the lifeboat that will bring you Home, in
safety and in peace.
The Message, when it comes, is
understood and trusted as the way to free yourself from fear and doubt and all
that seems to hold you back. But those who have not yet arrived, through
revelation, at the Place of Peace by the transcendence of the universe,
and gained first hand the knowledge that this world and all things in it, are
but artifacts of that one great Mistake that seemed to split you off from
Source but never could occur, may easily misunderstand the words, "there
is no world", for they are hard indeed. The misconceptions range from unworthy
denial of the world, to mistaking the false world for the Real Alternative. The
teaching that there is no world is meant suggestively. That is, it is not meant
to be a dogma, or more knowledge for your head, already overstuffed. Rather, it
is an invitation to loosen one’s hold upon the world as the be-all and end-all
of experience; a call to question everything you value here.
Although you tried, you could not leave your Source. This much is true, you did make this world as a hiding place from God, because you feared what you perceived to be His wrath that would not even let you rest in peace upon your death, but would pursue you still beyond the grave in hell. This world you made can be interpreted as an attack on Him. If this were possible, it would be sin. We understand, however, sin is but a lack of love and God, who knows no sin, cannot be sinned against. And that is why there is no world, merely because there is nowhere to hide from Love, which totally surrounds you. In the garden, Adam hid but God knew where He was, and came to meet Him there among the trees. Hiding from God is an inverted expression of the desire to be Known and Loved by Him. The Holy Spirit knows this, and therefore Her only purpose is to bring to light--to those shrouded in darkness--the hidden motive in your making of the world. In this, as in all things, she interprets your defenses, removing elements that keep you hiding still from Love's embrace. And thus does She remake the world you made, in the Thought and likeness of the Father. The World She sees is God’s Gift to you. Say “Hear I am, Lord. No longer shall I hide from you who art always the All in all.”
Although you tried, you could not leave your Source. This much is true, you did make this world as a hiding place from God, because you feared what you perceived to be His wrath that would not even let you rest in peace upon your death, but would pursue you still beyond the grave in hell. This world you made can be interpreted as an attack on Him. If this were possible, it would be sin. We understand, however, sin is but a lack of love and God, who knows no sin, cannot be sinned against. And that is why there is no world, merely because there is nowhere to hide from Love, which totally surrounds you. In the garden, Adam hid but God knew where He was, and came to meet Him there among the trees. Hiding from God is an inverted expression of the desire to be Known and Loved by Him. The Holy Spirit knows this, and therefore Her only purpose is to bring to light--to those shrouded in darkness--the hidden motive in your making of the world. In this, as in all things, she interprets your defenses, removing elements that keep you hiding still from Love's embrace. And thus does She remake the world you made, in the Thought and likeness of the Father. The World She sees is God’s Gift to you. Say “Hear I am, Lord. No longer shall I hide from you who art always the All in all.”
When clear perception
finally arrives, you’ll see reflected Heaven’s Glory here on earth. This
is the real world that God loves so much. And you will too, when Vision dawns.
And as the Real World suddenly appears before you, shimmering with loveliness
and bathed as in a stream of golden light, God quickly and quietly will
translate the world back into Heaven, Whence you came. The question of the
world’s reality will then be put to rest, for God’s Answer will be the only
thing that ever was, or is, or yet shall be, World without end. That is the
Final Step. It is not yours, but God’s. All steps but this are guided by His
Voice that accompanied you into the dream. And From the very moment that the mad
idea crept in, he ceaselessly has worked behind the scenes to heal your mind of
worldly thoughts and mistaken beliefs. The time of revelation is at hand. We
journey not without, but go within, and press onwards unto the Kingdom’s gates.
