This information begins a set about what A Course in Miracles (ACIM) means when it speaks of the “miracle” and the “mind.” While most students can cite definitions from the Course, understanding the non-dualistic meaning within the knowledge of dualism takes time to understand and apply. It is only with the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit that individuals can make this happen unlearning-learning process. Correction is just in the mind of the perceiver and not through forms as true choice is between listening two voices: God or the ego. Claims to be of a “miracle mind” is really the ego, forgiveness-to-destroy and spiritual specialness. The ego speaks first and the loudest. Love is quiet; and love is expressed in this world through right-minded forgiveness.
Spiritual specialness is from the unconscious arrogance of the ego wrong mind which believes it is in competition with God. Since we’re the same, we’re actually competing with everyone all the time until we learn this lesson. All conflict arises from the thought of competition acim. Spiritual specialness makes some relationships holy and others not since the ego’s agenda is that individuals don’t remember that the purpose given anything is in the mind from choosing with God or the ego. To restore our decision making ability is the idea of the Course.
The ego’s voice, which we mistakenly believe may be the Holy Spirit, contains no humility nor dependence on God. Rather, it is the voice to be self-created, i.e., the authority problem. All of us have confusion regarding the writer of our existence (ego or God) and the difference between form (illusion) and content (mind where correction take place). To be miracle-minded, we cannot be in conflict on any level for the right-mind itself is conflict-free. There’s a difference between right-miracle-minded and the miracle mind of the ego.
We have no honesty once we use spiritual specialness once we are saying we’re more holy, more chosen by God than another. This can be a defense against the contrary and we are discussing this subject in greater depth in subsequent article. Being more chosen may be the antithesis of the Course’s message.
To keep this discussion, let’s start with some word symbol definitions. We shall look at both ego definition and the Course’s definition. Only the ego is fully definable because it is limitation itself. Perceived lack through projected forms (illusions) leads straight to spiritual specialness.
The Ego’s Miracle:
In the dictionary, the word symbol definition for “miracle” is: “An astonishing or welcome event that’s not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore regarded as the job of a divine agency.” This is for “agency” is, “An organization with two or more parties.”
This can be a perfect example wherein two separate parties, the ego god and its version of the vengeful God, compete for forms within the dualistic illusion because the “divine agency.” This is why forms don’t need correction but instead the mind that perceives this silliness is needing correction. Asking the ego god for magic event (to replace a form with a form) distorts prayer and the Son forgets who He is. The ego becomes the writer of the Son’s existence and spiritual specialness takes root wherein the Son who is choosing the ego, competes with God to create himself special to get noticed by God. Provided that we don’t look at this, we remain a prisoner of this world.
A common mistake for getting noticed here by God is to think that changing our mind will change our life (forms, bodies, behaviors, relationships, etc.). Based on the ego, if we’ve a great life, we avoid punishment but there are many versions (forms) of a great life so that’s full of judgment. Again, changing forms make error real since it applies judgment that certain form is better while condemning another.
There’s no life outside of Heaven. Purpose is in the mind; and our life’s purpose is to understand and practice forgiveness if we should be miracle-minded. Peace, or inner peace, is approximately content and not form. It is from choosing what’s not of this world (the right-minded content of the Holy Sprit) which is the actual miracle-mind within the illusory world. The miracle is just a shift in perception and not really a shift in form (illusion).
The Course’s Miracle:
In the Course, the word symbol definition for “miracle” is fairly long due to what all magic accomplishes. We’ve referenced some aspects but to totally understand the miracle, spend time and willingness to unlearn the ego version and learn the ACIM version by starting with Chapter 1: The Meaning of Miracles. Additionally, Kenneth Wapnick has written a book called, “The 50 Miracle Principles of A Course in Miracles.” For the objective of this brief article, it is sufficient for us to add the following to the discussion:
“The miracle forgives; the ego damns (C-2.10). Miracle-minded forgiveness is the only real correction since it doesn’t have component of judgment at all (T-2.V.A). Wholeness may be the perception content of miracles. Thus they correct, or atone for, the faulty perception of lack (T-1.I.41). Miracles arise from the miraculous state of mind, or state of miracle readiness (T-1.I.43). Miracles are an expression of inner awareness of Christ and acceptance of His Atonement (T-1.I.44).”
The Ego’s Mind:
In the dictionary, the word symbol definition for “mind” is: “The component of an individual that enables them to keep yourself informed of their world and their experiences, to believe and to feel, the intelligence and brains, reasoning and judgment.” Intelligence is just a key point which reveals the decision being made out of the ego wrong mind.
Intelligence is defined as, “The capacity to acquire knowledge and skills, intellect, judgment and reasoning.” Intelligence makes the world real (error real) by applying judgment that certain form is better than another. If we look back at the Course’s definition for the miracle, “Miracle-minded forgiveness is the only real correction since it doesn’t have component of judgment at all (T-2.V.A).
How quickly intelligence gets used as a weapon through spiritual specialness to contend with God is astounding. We believe we’re following Holy Spirit’s guidance when it is really the ego god. For instance, everywhere we use intelligence to control other people’s issues which really is a blame projection. You will find no “other people’s issues” unless we first rely on separation and differences and desire to see our repressed guilt in another. Everyone and everything is part of our mind. Further, to claim it is our job to control or correct other’s issues take specialness to an even more arrogant level of being chosen by God. We’re literally saying with your ego that individuals may do the Holy Spirit’s job much better than Him which removes a billboard sign announcing our direct competition with God. It uses, “I’m much better than you” forgiveness-to-destroy, probably the most massive in separation between God and our brothers.
The intellect is also to blame behind our need to produce a curriculum of teaching the Course through retreats and workshops for money. Put simply, we are now saying the Course’s curriculum by Jesus is insufficient and we could do better. We do this because we do not understand the Course’s point that individuals are unhealed healers attempting to do what we cannot do for ourselves and thus why we need the Voice for God. That is another point to be discussed in the next article. Very, very few are right-minded enough to allow the Holy Spirit lead the way because most believe they’re in competition with God and others.
Nowhere does any one of this imply that we might not require boundaries with ego’s crossing the line with spiritual specialness. In fact, it is unkind not to own boundaries when spiritual specialness gets control of since it contains such massive arrogance of someone believing they’re much better than another. Competition makes egos act incredibly vengeful because of the total belief in lack.
The Course’s Mind:
In the Course, the word symbol definition for “mind” is, “The activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy (C-1.1).” That is broken into, “Right-mindedness which describes the Holy Spirit, forgives the world, and through Christ’s vision sees the real world in its place (C-1.5); and wrong-mindedness which listens to the ego and makes illusions (C-1.6). These days, the only real remaining freedom may be the freedom of preference; always between two choices or two voices (C-1.7).”
As Kenneth Wapnick once said, “Love is quiet and will not need to make assertions.” The miracle-minded realize that prayer would be to ask to learn to forgive first to ensure that true prayer is released back in song. Our goal is to be miracle-minded with the actual miracle mind of the Holy Spirit right-mind and that’s only through choice. The energy of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world You can choose to see right (T-12.VII.9).