Lesson 132: I loose the world from all I thought it was
Here’s the part where I throw this book across the room.
I have struggled for the past two days to write something about this lesson that doesn’t make me sound like a woo-woo, new age freak. I may, indeed, fail at that task, but hear me out. I think if I could actually internalize this lesson, I would instantly become enlightened. Sadly, I am still too wrapped up in my belief in this world to do that, in this moment.
The Course, of course, understands. It even says so in this lesson. Some of us are not ready to accept that this world is an illusion … that we truly are in a dream world of our own making. We weren’t plopped down into this world as it was going on. We created it from the moment we believed it was real. That’s what this lesson says, anyway.
I’m not sure I’m on board – but that’s why I’m still here, dreaming the dream, playing my role in the world I’ve created. You’d think I would have chosen a better role, but here we are, dreaming together a crazy, mixed-up, mean, cruel and often beautiful and generous world.
I do, however, get the idea about changing our mind – especially the source of our thoughts. My ego appears to be the source of the majority of my thoughts, which means I am relying on the most fearful, anxious, angry and ridiculous part of myself to shape my ideas, opinions and beliefs about what it is I think I see, feel, hear, touch and taste around me.
The Course‘s entire purpose is to help you realize that allowing the fearful ego mind to control you in this way is madness. If you want proof, just look at the world we’ve created. It’s pretty insane, right?
So, change your mind, this lesson says, hand your thoughts over to the only Source that can provide an exit from the madness – the Holy Divine Self that IS the Love we are here seeking to remember that we are. We are as God created us. We are Divine Love. We just love this world of fear more because we think it gives us what we want. We think it gives our lives meaning and purpose.
We are wrong. It gives us nothing and the more we insist on being here, the more suffering we will create for ourselves and others. Should we off ourselves then? Of course not. But, we should seek to learn the lessons the Holy Spirit seeks to teach us through our thoughts and experiences. Even when they seem like bullshit to the ego.
When we stop insisting that this world be meaningful, or give us a sense of meaning, we will have taken that first step in loosing the world. The very first lesson in the Course invites us to reorient ourselves in this world and begin admitting that we don’t know what anything means because our ego insists on giving the world its meaning and we blindly assent, not knowing that a better way is possible.
Author and teacher Michael Singer, when asked recently how he sees the coronavirus pandemic and how he copes with it said this: “It is not my place to understand. It is my place to serve, to honor, to respect. We can all put it together different ways because it will all make us feel better … but my mind doesn’t know anything. It tries to put patterns together so it feels more comfortable. I can rest on that. I don’t do that. I look at the reality, let it touch whatever it needs to touch inside. It’s not going to change things because I think it’s one way or another. It doesn’t matter if I do or I don’t (understand). The only thing it’s going to change is how I behave. If I think I understand it can affect my behavior. I would rather let honesty, truth, reality, God be what affects my behavior than some thought pattern I’ve glued together and say now this is what’s going on.”
“It is not my place to understand.”
I think that can sum up today’s lesson. We don’t need to understand this world. We need to let it pass through us – teach us what we need to learn – and look on this world with Love and compassion. Our calling is to bless, to be the channel for Love, to let it rule our thoughts, hearts and minds.
These are the words I will take with me today: “It is not my place to understand. It is my place to serve, to honor, to respect.”
When we do that we do as this lesson instructs: “You free the past from what you thought before. You free the future from all ancient thoughts of seeking what you do not want to find.”
Photo by Soulful Pizza from Pexels