I Am: A Course In Miracles (acim)

lesson 21 �¢??I am determined to see things differently.�¢?? The idea for today is obviously a continuation and extension of the preceding one. This time, however, specific mind searching periods are necessary in addition to applying the idea to particular situations as they arise. Five practice periods are urged, allowing a full minute for each. In the practice periods, begin by repeating the idea to yourself. Then close your eyes and search your mind carefully for situations past, present or anticipated, which arouse anger in you. The anger may take the form of any reaction ranging from mild irritation to rage.The degree of the emotion you experience does not matter.You will become increasingly aware that a slight twinge of annoyance is nothing but a veil drawn over intense fury. Try, therefore, not to let the �¢??little�¢?? thoughts of anger escape you in the practice periods. Remember that you do not really recognize what arouses anger in you, and nothing that you believe in this connection me

lesson 20 â??I am determined to see.â?? We have been quite casual about our practice periods thus far.There has been virtually no attempt to direct the time for undertaking them, minimal effort has been required, and not even active cooperation and interest have been asked.This casual approach has been intentional, and very carefully planned.We have not lost sight of the crucial importance of the reversal of your thinking.The salvation of the world depends on it.Yet you will not see if you regard yourself as being coerced, and if you give in to resentment and opposition. This is our first attempt to introduce structure. Do not misconstrue it as an effort to exert force or pressure. You want salvation.You want to be happy.You want peace.You do not have them now because your minds are totally undisciplined, and you cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and fear.You are now learning how to tell them apart.And great indeed will be your reward. Your decision to see is all that vi

lesson 19 â??I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.â?? The idea for today is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone.You will notice that at times the ideas related to thinking precede those related to perceiving, while at other times the order is reversed. The reason is that the order does not actually matter.Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate. Today we are again emphasizing the fact that minds are joined. This is rarely a wholly welcome idea at first, since it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of responsibility, and may even be regarded as an â??invasion of privacy.â??Yet it is a fact that there are no private thoughts. Despite your initial resistance to this idea, you will yet understand that it must be true if salvation is possible at all.And salvation must be possible because it is the Will of God. The minute or so of mind searching which todayâ??s exercises require are to be undertaken with

lesson 18 â??I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.â?? The idea for today is another step in learning that the thoughts which give rise to what you see are never neutral or unimportant. It also emphasizes the idea that minds are joined, which will be given increasing stress later. Todayâ??s idea does not refer to what you see as much as to how you see it. Therefore, the exercises for today will emphasize this aspect of your perception.The three or four practice periods which are recommended should be done as follows: Selecting subjects for the application of the idea randomly, look at each one long enough to say: â??I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see _____.â?? Conclude the practice period by repeating the more general statement: â??I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.â?? A minute or so or even less will be sufficient.

lesson 17 â??I see no neutral things.â?? This idea is another step in the direction of identifying cause and effect as it really operates.You see no neutral things because you have no neutral thoughts. It is always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe that it is really the other way around.This is not the way the world thinks, but you must learn that it is the way you think. If it were not so, perception would have no cause, and would itself be the cause of reality. In view of its highly variable nature, this is hardly likely. In applying todayâ??s idea, say to yourself, with eyes open: â??I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.â?? Then look about you, resting your glance on each thing that catches your eye long enough to say: â??I do not see a neutral _____, because my thoughts about _____ are not neutral.â?? For example, you might say: â??I do not see a neutral wall, because my thoughts about walls are not neutral.â?? â??I do not see a neutra

lesson 16 â??I have no neutral thoughts.â?? The idea for today is a beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no effect.Everything you see is the result of your thoughts.There is no exception to this fact.Thoughts are not big or little;powerful or weak.They are merely true or false.Those which are true create their own likeness.Those which are false make theirs. There is no more self-contradictory concept than that of â??idle thoughts.â??What gives rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle.Every thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends the truth or it multiplies illusions.You can indeed multiply nothing,but you will not extend it by doing so. In addition to never being idle, salvation requires that you recognize that every thought you have brings either peace or war; either love or fear.A neutral result is impossible because a neutral thought is impossible.There is such a temptation to dismiss fear

lesson 15 â??My thoughts are images which I have made.â?? It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing.You think you think them, and so you think you see them.This is how your â??seeingâ??was made. This is the function you have given your bodyâ??s eyes.It is not seeing. It is image-making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision withillusions. This introductory idea to the process of image-making which you call seeing will not have much meaning for you.You will begin to understand it when you have seen little edges of light around the same familiar objects which you see now.That is the beginning of real vision.You can be certain that real vision will come quickly when this has occurred. As we go along,you may have many â??light episodes.â??They may take many different forms,some of them quite unexpected.Do not be afraid of them.They are signs that you are opening your eyes at last. They will not persis

lesson 14 â??God did not create ameaningless worldâ?? The idea for today is,of course,the reason why a meaningless world is impossible. What God did not create does not exist. And everything that does exist exists as He created it.The world you see has nothing to do with reality.It is of your own making,and it does not exist. The exercises for today are to be practiced with eyes closed throughout.The mind searching period should be short,a minute at most.Do not have more than three practice periods with todayâ??s idea unless you ï¬?nd them comfortable.If you do,it will be because you really understand what they are for. The idea for today is another step in learning to let go the thoughts which you have written on the world,and see the Word of God in their place.The early steps in this exchange,which can truly be called salvation, can be quite difï¬?cult and even quite painful. Some of them will lead you directly into fear.You will not be left there.You will go far beyond it.

lesson 13 â??A meaningless world engenders fear.â?? Todayâ??s idea is really another form of the preceding one,except that it is more speciï¬?c as to the emotion aroused.Actually, a meaningless world is impossible.Nothing without meaning exists.However,it does not follow that you will not perceive something that has no meaning. On the contrary, you will be particularly likely to think you do perceive it. Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. It represents a situation in which God and the ego â??challengeâ??each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space which meaninglessness provides.The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own â??ideasâ??there,fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own unreality. And on this alone it is correct. It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless,and accept it without fear.If you are fearful,it is certain that you will endow the w

lesson 12 â??I am upset because I see a meaningless world.â?? The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion.You think that what upsets you is a frightening world,or a sad world,or a violent world, or an insane world.All these attributes are given it by you.The world is meaningless in itself. These exercises are done with eyes open.Look around you,this time quite slowly.Try to pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. Do not allow the time of the shift to become markedly longer or shorter, but try, instead, to keep a measured, even tempo throughout.What you see does not matter.You teach yourself this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time.This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value. As you look about you,say to yourself: â??I think I see a fearful world,a dangerous world,a hostile w

lesson 11 â??My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.â?? This is the ï¬?rst idea we have had which is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive.Todayâ??s idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see.Be glad indeed to practice it in this initial form,for in this idea is your release made sure.The key to forgiveness lies in it. The practice periods for todayâ??s idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from the previous ones. Begin with eyes closed,and repeat the idea slowly to yourself.Then open your eyes and look about, near or far, up or down, - anywhere. During the minute or so to be spent in using the idea merely repeat it to yourself, being sure to do so without haste and with no sense of urgency or effort. To do these exercises for maximum beneï¬?t, the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly,sin

lesson 11 â??My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.â?? This is the ï¬?rst idea we have had which is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive.Todayâ??s idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see.Be glad indeed to practice it in this initial form,for in this idea is your release made sure.The key to forgiveness lies in it. The practice periods for todayâ??s idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from the previous ones. Begin with eyes closed,and repeat the idea slowly to yourself.Then open your eyes and look about, near or far, up or down, - anywhere. During the minute or so to be spent in using the idea merely repeat it to yourself, being sure to do so without haste and with no sense of urgency or effort. To do these exercises for maximum beneï¬?t, the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly,sin

lesson 10 â??My thoughts do not mean anything.â?? This idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware, or become aware in the practice periods. The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts.We have made this distinction before,and will again.You have no basis for comparison as yet.When you do,you will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything. This is the second time we have used this kind of idea.The form is only slightly different.This time the idea is introduced with â??My thoughtsâ??instead of â??These thoughts,â??and no link is made overtly with the things around you.The emphasis is now on the lack of reality of what you think you think. This aspect of the correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you are aware are meaningless,outside rather than within; and then stressed their past rather than their present status. Now we are emphasizing that the presence o

lesson 9 â??I see nothing as it is now.â?? This idea obviously follows from the two preceding ones.But while you may be able to accept it intellectually, it is unlikely that it will mean anything to you as yet.However,understanding is not necessary at this point.In fact,the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing your false ideas. These exercises are concerned with practice,not with understanding.You do not need to practice what you really understand. It would indeed be circular to aim at understanding,and assume that you have it already. It is difï¬?cult for the untrained mind to believe that what seems to be pictured before it is not there.This idea can be quite disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms.Yet that does not preclude applying it.No more than that is required for these or any other exercises.Each little step will clear a little of the darkness away,and understanding will ï¬?nally come to lighten every corner

lesson 8 â??My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.â?? This idea is,of course,the reason why you see only the past.No-one really sees anything.He sees only his thoughts projected outward.The mindâ??s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the total misconception about time from which your seeing suffers.Your mind cannot grasp the present,which is the only time there is.It therefore cannot understand time,and cannot,in fact,understand anything. The only wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here.To think about it at all is therefore to think about delusions.Very few minds have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future.The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything. The purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not really thinking at all. While thoughtless â??ideasâ??preoccupy your mind, the truth is block

lesson 7 â??I see only the past.â?? This idea is particularly difï¬?cult to believe at ï¬?rst.Yet it is the rationale for all of the preceding ones. It is the reason why nothing that you see means anything. It is the reason why you have given everything you see all the meaning that it has for you. It is the reason why you do not understand anything you see. It is the reason why your thoughts do not mean anything,and why they are like the things you see. It is the reason why you are never upset for the reason you think. It is the reason why you are upset because you see something that is not there. Old ideas about time are very difï¬?cult to change, because everything you believe is rooted in time,and depends on your not learning these new ideas about it.Yet that is precisely why you need new ideas about time.This ï¬?rst time idea is not really so strange as it may sound at ï¬?rst.Look at a cup,for example. Do you see a cup, or are you merely reviewing your past experience

lesson 6 â??I am upset because I see something that is not there.â?? The exercises with this idea are very similar to the preceding ones. Again, it is necessary to name both the form of upset (anger, fear, worry, depression, and so on) and the perceived source very speciï¬?cally for any application of the idea.For example: â??I am angry at ____ because I see something that is not there.â?? â??I am worried about ____ because I see something that is not there.â?? Todayâ??s idea is useful for application to anything that seems to upset you, and can proï¬?tably be used throughout the day for that purpose. However, the three or four practice periods which are required should be preceded by a minute or so of mind searching,as before, and the application of the idea to each upsetting thought uncovered in the search. Again,if you resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others, remind yourself of the two cautions stated in the previous lesson: â??There are n

lesson 5 â??I am never upset for the reason I think.â?? This idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation or event you think is causing you pain.Apply it speciï¬?cally to whatever you believe is the cause of your upset,using the description of the feeling in whatever term seems accurate to you.The upset may seem to be fear, worry, depression, anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy, or any number of forms,all of which will be perceived as different.This is not true. However, until you learn that form does not matter, each form becomes a proper subject for the exercises for the day.Applying the same idea to each of them separately is the ï¬?rst step in ultimately recognizing they are all the same. When using the idea for today for a speciï¬?c perceived cause of an upset in any form,use both the name of the form in which you see the upset,and the cause which you ascribe to it.For example: â??I am not angry at ____ for the reason I think.â?? â??I am not afraid of

lesson 4 â??These thoughts do not mean anything.They are like the things I see in this room [on this street,from this window,in this place].â?? Unlike the preceding ones, these exercises do not begin with the idea for the day. In these practice periods, begin with noting the thoughts that are crossing your mind for about a minute.Then apply the idea to them.If you are already aware of unhappy thoughts use them as subjects for the idea. Do not, however, select only the thoughts you think are â??bad.â??You will ï¬?nd,if you train yourself to look at your thoughts,that they represent such a mixture that,in a sense,none of them can be called â??goodâ??or â??bad.â??This is why they do not mean anything. In selecting the subjects for the application of todayâ??s idea, the usual speciï¬?city is required.Do not be afraid to use â??goodâ??thoughts as well as â??bad.â??None of them represents your real thoughts,which are being covered up by them.The â??goodâ??ones of which you are awar

lesson 3 â??I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street,from this window,in this place].â?? Apply this idea in the same way as the previous ones, without making distinctions of any kind.Whatever you see becomes a proper subject for applying the idea.Be sure that you do not question the suitability of anything for the application of the idea.These are not exercises in judgement.Anything is suitable if you see it.Some of the things you see may have emotionally charged meaning for you.Try to lay such feelings aside,and merely use these things exactly as you would anything else. The point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations,to see things exactly as they appear to you now,and to realize how little you really understand about them.It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgement,in selecting the things to which the idea for the day is to be applied.For this purpose one thing is like anoth