This article begins a string about what A Course in Miracles (ACIM) means when it speaks of the “miracle” and the “mind.” Some students can cite definitions from the Course, understanding the non-dualistic meaning within the ability of dualism takes time to learn and apply. It’s only with the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit that individuals can accomplish this unlearning-learning process. Correction is only in your head 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 actually the ego, forgiveness-to-destroy and spiritual specialness. The ego speaks first and the loudest. Love is quiet; and love is expressed nowadays through right-minded forgiveness.
Spiritual specialness is from the unconscious arrogance of the ego wrong mind which believes it’s in competition with God. Since we’re the same, we’re actually competing with everyone constantly until we learn this lesson. All conflict arises from the notion of competition. Spiritual specialness makes some relationships holy and others not as the ego’s agenda is that individuals don’t remember that the purpose given anything is in your head from choosing with God or the ego. To get back our decision making ability is the point 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’s the voice for being self-created, i.e., the authority problem living miracles store. Many of us have confusion regarding the author of our existence (ego or God) and the difference between form (illusion) and content (mind where correction take place). To be miracle-minded, we can’t 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’ve no honesty when we use spiritual specialness once we assert we’re more holy, more chosen by God than another. This is a defense against the opposite and we will be discussing this subject in greater depth in subsequent article. Being more chosen may be the antithesis of the Course’s message.
To continue this discussion, let’s start out with some word symbol definitions. We will look at both the ego definition and the Course’s definition. Only the ego is fully definable because it’s limitation itself. Perceived lack through projected forms (illusions) leads straight to spiritual specialness.
The Ego’s Miracle:
In the dictionary, the phrase symbol definition for “miracle” is: “A surprising or welcome event that’s not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore regarded as being the work of a divine agency.” The definition for “agency” is, “An organization with several parties.”
This is a perfect example wherein two separate parties, the ego god and its version of the vengeful God, compete for forms within the dualistic illusion while the “divine agency.” This is why forms don’t need correction but rather your head that perceives this silliness is in need of correction. Asking the ego god for magic event (to replace an application with a form) distorts prayer and the Son forgets who He is. The ego becomes the author of the Son’s existence and spiritual specialness takes root wherein the Son who is choosing the ego, competes with God to make himself special to obtain noticed by God. As long as we don’t understand this, we remain a prisoner of the world.
A standard mistake for getting noticed here by God is to trust that changing our mind will change our life (forms, bodies, behaviors, relationships, etc.). According to the ego, if we’ve an excellent life, we avoid punishment but there are numerous versions (forms) of an excellent life so that’s packed with judgment. Again, changing forms make error real because it applies judgment that certain form is way better while condemning another.
There’s no life outside of Heaven. Purpose is in your head; and our life’s purpose is to learn and practice forgiveness if we can be miracle-minded. Peace, or inner peace, is approximately content and not form. It’s from choosing what is not of the world (the right-minded content of the Holy Sprit) that will be the true miracle-mind within the illusory world. The miracle is a shift in perception and not really a shift in form (illusion).
The Course’s Miracle:
In the Course, the phrase symbol definition for “miracle” is very long because of what all magic accomplishes. We’ve referenced some aspects but to completely understand the miracle, spend some time and willingness to unlearn the ego version and learn the ACIM version by beginning 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 purpose of this brief article, it’s sufficient for us to add the next into the discussion:
“The miracle forgives; the ego damns (C-2.10). Miracle-minded forgiveness is the sole correction because it doesn’t have part 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 phrase symbol definition for “mind” is: “The part of a person that allows them to keep yourself informed of the world and their experiences, to think and to feel, the intelligence and brains, reasoning and judgment.” Intelligence is a key point which reveals the decision being created using the ego wrong mind.
Intelligence is defined as, “The capability to acquire knowledge and skills, intellect, judgment and reasoning.” Intelligence makes the planet real (error real) by applying judgment that certain form is preferable to another. If we look back at the Course’s definition for the miracle, “Miracle-minded forgiveness is the sole correction because it doesn’t have part of judgment at all (T-2.V.A).
How fast intelligence gets used as a tool through spiritual specialness to compete with God is astounding. We believe we’re following Holy Spirit’s guidance when it’s actually the ego god. For example, 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 an integral part of our mind. Further, to claim it’s our job to control or correct other’s issues take specialness to an even more arrogant level to be chosen by God. We are literally saying with this ego that individuals may do the Holy Spirit’s job a lot better than Him which removes a billboard sign announcing our direct competition with God. It uses, “I’m a lot better than you” forgiveness-to-destroy, the absolute 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. In other words, we’re now saying the Course’s curriculum by Jesus is insufficient and we can do better. We try this because we don’t understand the Course’s point that individuals are unhealed healers attempting to complete what we cannot do for ourselves and thus why we need the Voice for God. This really is another indicate be discussed in a future article. Very, hardly any are right-minded enough to allow Holy Spirit lead the way because most believe they are in competition with God and others.
Nowhere does any of this imply that we would not want boundaries with ego’s crossing the line with spiritual specialness. In fact, it’s unkind not to possess boundaries when spiritual specialness takes over since it includes such massive arrogance of someone believing they are a lot better than another. Competition makes egos act incredibly vengeful because of the total belief in lack.
The Course’s Mind:
In the Course, the phrase symbol definition for “mind” is, “The activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy (C-1.1).” This really is broken into, “Right-mindedness which refers to the Holy Spirit, forgives the planet, 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). In this world, the sole remaining freedom may be the freedom of choice; always between two choices or two voices (C-1.7).”
As Kenneth Wapnick once said, “Love is quiet and need not make assertions.” The miracle-minded realize that prayer is always to ask to learn how to forgive first so that true prayer is released back to song. Our goal is to be miracle-minded with the true miracle mind of the Holy Spirit right-mind and that’s only through choice. The ability of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of the world You can choose to see right (T-12.VII.9).