SectionVII chapter 1 Distortions of Miracle Impulses

Child of God, you were created to create the good, the beautiful, and the holy. Do not forget this.

What a beautiful thought, and so it is, with all of us, though we know it not.

In this section we discuss fantasy and pleasure, and what they mean. If we did not experience separation in thought from our source, we wouldn't confuse reality with fantasy, and there would be no need of fantasy to create a false pleasure, for to realize our oneness with all that is, is the ultimate pleasure, and anyone who has, even for a moment experienced a touch of the Divine knows this.

There is a sublime aspect to life, and many people touch on it every day and don't think that what they are having is an experience of a divine nature. Standing and watching a silver moon dip behind clouds at night with a feeling of wonder is but one small example.

The love of God, for a little while, must still be expressed through one body to another, because vision is still so dim. You can use your body best to help you enlarge your perception so you can achiieve real vision, of which the physcial eye is incapable.


True enough that we see only dimly, we are not fully awake as yet. and knowing how limited are our senses we can begin to strive for a higher vision a higher way of seeing. This is why it is silly to bring a mystical insight down to the level of science. For science is man's method of reasoning and exploring, and though the "natural man recieveth not the things of God" the spiritual man does. Mystic insight is completely experiential, it is the miracle we seek and when we find it, it becomes the pearl of great price for which we would give all that we own to posess it.
Science is a helpful and necessary tool for man to use but with all tools it can only do that which it was designed for. and so at some point we move beyond the empirical and find the miracle. Here is an irony, that once rightly understood, we have proven for ourselves the efficacy of the miracle, and, it can be repeated only within us. For now we understand that believing is seeing.

this ends the first chapter, and if you are reading along in your books, please read, and contemplate the words carefully, for as we go along a strong foundation in the fundamentals is critical for success.

Peace

Mark

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An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, and the whole world will be blind and toothless-M.K. Ghandi

Further......

Not sure if i should post in here....
but anyway, i'm currently at Chapter 4 - "The illusions of the ego", it's certainly a thought-provoking read. Some of the concepts outlined in the Course make Gnostic Texts seem almost lucid in comparison.

Rather than buy the book (i squeak when i walk ) i downloaded the Public Domain version from the ACIM site, with assistance from WebCopier - a program i wouldn't wish to be without.


It contains all the 1975 text, with the workbook and manual, and i am highly impressed, and that is the truth, and i'm thinking that haps i'll try to work through the Lessons in the Coursebook starting in about 10 days time....


My ongoing search for the meaning behind religious symbolism and mythology will (hopefully) wait.

Incidentally, joshuway - Thank You for mentioning the book, and Thank You, Paladin for this Thread, i am deeply indebted to you both.



Warmest Regards,

malcolm

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The Peaceful Place: http://www.agedhippy.plus.com/

"An object is perceived, or not perceived, according as the mind is, or is not, tinged with the colour of the object. "
Patanjali - Sutra 4:17

Hey all,

I volunteered to revive this workshop and wish to thank Mark for his postings here. It certainly helps in that I feel the introduction to ACIM is available on this thread already, and I am desiring to go in the direction that I generally do when I "teach" from this text. So, what I'll likely be doing here in the next few weeks is starting with the last book (Manual For Teachers) and am likely to start with the "Clarification of Terms" chapter of the book.

A few things that stand out for me with regards to ACIM are:

1 - The message within the book that converys the idea that this spiritual text is not necessary to one's foundation of faith. There are very few spiritual books that I am aware of that make this claim, and this is one of many things that highly resonate with me about this spiritual text. ACIM suggests that one's Internal Teacher is the ultimate determiner in each individual's "search for Truth."

2 - The workbook is also an item that I find rather unique among spiritual texts. 365 lessons that are intended to change one's perception and align one with Miracle mindedness, while striving for the natural connection to one's Internal Teacher.

and

3 - The comprehensive teaching of what Christ Consciousness is. While I can read the ancient texts and have a decent idea of who Jesus WAS, I find that the older Christian texts tend to express very little awareness of who and what Christ is.

And on that note I'll finish this post with a quote that still fascinates me to this day. (Btw, I'm quoting this one without referencing the book.)

An universal theology is not possible.
An universal experience is not only possible, but necessary.

Namaste,

J

I orderd the book several months ago and recieve the newsletter. The Course sits on my night stand actually.

I look forward to your points here...

Perhaps this will allow me to pick the book up on a regular basis.

I read from various texts, including what we have as the "Holy Bible" of the Christian world. Yeah, I was trained on conservative Theology, and have several copies well marked from my learning and teaching. I have gone far from the place I had been several years ago, but I do find even the versions we have today to be of help. Do I believe it (the Bible) to be coompletely inspired and without error? NO! Not any longer.

I am not so sure that ACIM is meant to be viewed as a divine book, but I think there is much to gain from each person's message.

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There is no greater ignorance than that of deliberate ignorance.

Hi

All I can say is I expereinced the forgotten Song in 2003 as written exactly in ACIM

We are indeed LOVED and kept in perfect safety for eternity by our Father

Love

Tony

Good for you Tony! Do you care to share with us a little more about your expereince?

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May your awareness be perfection

Hi all

Of course I am happy to share

I will try and keep it to the point but it is difficult because all events in my life led to my remembering and therefore I will try an list the parts that seem significant

Ok

I remember seeing David Icke on TV when he pronounced he was the son of God and while some laughed at him I remember thinking if this was the same way Jesus was laughed at
Maybe he was Jesus ?

I didnt read the Bible nor did I do anything at all Spiritual in my life

I left my wife for another woman and had a wonderfull 4 years with her
During this time I spent 4 months or so with the JWs who visited weekly to teach me about the Bible - I had a feeling I wanted to learn about God but some of what they said didnt make sense - on one hand a God of Love and on another a God that made impossible demands that I as a father would not request from my children in the name of Love

So I made quite a profound statement
"If there is a Loving God he will show me and if God isnt Loving - I dont want to know him"

I left it like that

We married and shortly after this and she had a huge mental breakdown - self harming

Over this period I had to learn that Love does not control - love allows freedom and self choice - with loving guidance yes - but not with iron will
I suppose i also learnt about being openminded ?

Our relationship was very much based on Love and this pulled us through the next few years

During 2001/2 I found myself watching films like Jesus of Nazereth - what he said made sense and at the same time i felt the irrelevence of what i was doing in my own life - the nothingness of it
Now what Jesus was teaching/doing was a real purpose
Lots of different thinking followed - new ideas
The World could be a place of Love
We could unite if we just let the past go
Love very much the key
I also remember the Russian kids killed by the terrorist - yet instead of condemnation of the terrorist i found myself asking what had gone wrong in there minds to have done this

In Oct 2003 my Nan died - I wasnt there and I felt this huge hole - she had represented unconditional love in my life and at 94 it seemed she would always be there

In Dec 2003 I was absolutely led to get the film called Bruce Almighty and sat down with my wife to watch it

There is a part where he says a prayer and God asks him to say a real prayer
I cant tell you how this film touched my heart but i was on an emotional high - yet this one got to the place I knew and then continued to grow
I was being lifted in Love - Or in the emotion of Love it was growing past my understanding of it - as far as i am aware my eyes were still open - yet there was no longer anything in form about me
Then to my left - I being now formless was two forms of light - not shapes just concentrations of light - white yet not dazzling
They guided me in thought to look to the right - like we were one mind and i did so
As I looked i was aware of this Golden light - nearly orange not dim and not bright - translucent
Then already in this ocean of Love I joined with LOVE (Now reffered to as God)
I expereinced infinity, eternity, all knowing, peace , grace worships true meaning and indeed AWE
Yet this wanst unfamiliar - it was a remembering of Self
In the expereince it is not I but WE
There is nothing outside of this - Indeed we are everything
God gives us ALL and indeed AWE is the only way of expereincing all that he gives
Worship is soley because of his Love for us - that our creator gives us everything

The remembering of our innocence - forever
Explaining this in more depth - Gods message is not in time - It is ALL eternity - so the message of innocence is utterly complete and covers all time past present and future

Everything is in thought
There is no form
No sexes
No bodys
Just a superconciousness that we are an essential part of

Then the idea "the others"
and a gentle return to the dream sitting on the sofa sobbing with absolute joy

My wife asking me if i was ok

All i could say was "I know I know"
"what?" she asked

I know I know

We are all ONE
There is only LOVE

All else is irrelevant


A year after this I was given A course in miracle - I had been offered it directly after this expereince but had turned it down as i was looking for LOVE not miracles hehee

I read the first 400 pages in a few evenings - This was what I was shown !
It then took me another year until i read page 415 in my book - The forgotten song and from where it says "Listen,"
This was the unexplainable explained - The expereince


I hope this is helpfull

As you can see from my story - I did not study ACIM although i was led in thought to it

All paths lead to God

Thanks for sharing Tony. That was an amazing experience, you are very blessed : )

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May your awareness be perfection

In expereincing it I know that all experience it

So we are all blessed hehe

You will all see - and its all (good) GOD