The beauty and simplicity of A TRAINING COURSE in Miracles (ACIM) really shines through one of its major principles: REGULATIONS of Cause and Effect. This is different from regulations of Attraction, a topic on which so much has been written about these last couple of years. ACIM answers not merely why things are the way they are with the mind, but additionally how exactly to implement these mind corrections had a need to change your daily life. What it ultimately boils down to is the choice to change beliefs while residing in this world, or the decision to correct the mind and return home.
Affirmations are not part of A Course in Miracles as they are not necessary and here’s why: There is a “wrong” ego mind, and a “right” ego mind, both of which are still area of the same ego side of the split mind. Within the ego mind (error), the incorrect side is all of the negative judgments; and the proper side is all the negative judgments attempting to convince you how wonderful it really is to live here in this negative world. Neither is the truth of one’s nature nor where you are trying to return your brain, according to ACIM.
The Law of Cause and Effect is this: Based on the actually use as cause, you will notice the corresponding effect. Ideas usually do not leave their source: You.
Let’s use this example:
Someone is feeling the consequences of being “poor,” or lack, in this world and wants to change their beliefs to now have “rich” (abundance, prosperity, money) show up. Both “poor” and “rich” are judgments of the ego using it as cause that may only produce ego effect. Ego as an unstable thought system, everything you choose as “rich” will eventually go and you also end up back with “poor.” It’s only a question of “when.”
The ego’s choice system is: (1) one or the other: (2) poor or rich; and, (3) ego or God. a course in miracles It asks you to choose between two things within the ego illusion rather than to choose from the illusion.
This is in contrast to choosing correction of your brain (forgiveness) where both “poor” and “rich” do not exist. A selection for correction of the mind allows the Holy Spirit Right Mind to be your cause which affects the you in this world; however, it does not have the consequences you imagine because the ego cannot relate. It returns some of the mind to peace and ends senseless worry over rich and poor. It also produces effects in your life here but you will have to choose correction to experience them.
Let’s look at how ACIM breaks this all into a simple group of principles predicated on Cause and Effect. It only includes a few components so when understood and used, they may be “mind” correcting!
The Metaphysics:
Remember, according to ACIM, the mind is split by the ego’s judgment that people could be separate, also called the “tiny mad idea,” or the error that never occurred. This part of the mind is simply hidden in darkness since it banished itself from Knowledge (Heaven and Oneness) when we forgot to laugh off what could not be true. It did not, however, separate.
So in ACIM it is not about affirmations or changing beliefs, because the mind never left God but still resides aware of Him. You can find no “belief” judgments in Love, Oneness, Heaven and Knowledge as everything may be the same, all one, and nothing to trust or judge between.
Instead, it is all about changing your internal Teacher or rather, who you’re listening to for interpretation of events in this world. The only real change is in the choice between the split mind (error) of the ego or the Holy Spirit Right Mind (correction) as that internal Teacher.
That’s where the ease of use is evident in ACIM because there’s no convincing the ego wrong and right mind of another thought process. You simply quit what you no more want. We do it all the time with ego stuff; and today we just take action with the ego beliefs themselves.
Forgiveness:
This says everything: Forgiveness is correction of your brain. In ACIM, you’ll find nothing to forgive because no error has happened, i.e., no separation happened. What you are doing is simply returning your brain to God, where it never left, and to its natural state of peace. To do that is simply a choice of which side of the split mind to listen to for interpretation of events and turning over the judgments you no longer want to the Holy Spirit Right Mind for correction (forgiveness).
The Holy Spirit may be the solution to the separation put into the mind by God and every answer is there waiting for you. Atonement, forgiveness, salvation and True Perception are other words which are synonymous. You have to be willing to utilize the Holy Spirit Right Mind for interpretation of events and do the actual work of giving judgments (beliefs) to the side of your brain, via your choice maker, because you no more want them.
It really is that simple and only confusing due to the belief that the only real choice is between ego judgments of “poor” and “rich,” to utilize the earlier example, rather than understanding relating to this third option being available. The decision for True Perception is to choose neither ego judgment and relinquish both for correction of your brain. This is exactly what is takes to return the mind to God.
Decision Maker:
ACIM is targeted at the decision maker in the mind. The whole point is that you have a selection of which side of the mind to listen to and use for interpretation. That is all that ever happened in the first place. It was a choice to listen, believe and choose judgments of the ego that separation happened and the ensuing sin, guilt and fear. Judgments could be dismissed as easily as you dismiss other things you do not want because they’re not real.
A couple of things stop you from relinquishing judgments: (1) your attachment in their mind as being true and real; and, (2) not acknowledging the method that you feel keeps them hidden which means you don’t realize they are judgments.
You don’t “feel” in Heaven, Knowledge and Oneness. It is an event shared by One.
The decision maker is the mechanism between the two sides of the split mind. It really is neutral, an observer and is something you have to employ to watch the mind and the judgments being created by the ego. Once you realize you purchased something from the ego error of the wrong or right mind, you need to be willing to hand them to the answer, or the correction, of the Holy Spirit Right Mind. It requires care of the rest because the Atonement or solution is already there. No affirmations are necessary. You are simply giving up that which you no longer want. It is, and certainly can, be that simple.
Form and Content:
The last component to know from A Course in Miracles is form and content. Form is this world and everything inside it. In ACIM, form does not matter and is section of the “beliefs” to be turned over. However, you utilize everything in form, combined with the judgments in your thoughts, as the curriculum of what to start for correction (forgiveness).
What does matter is content and in ACIM, content may be the mind. The mind you’re using for interpretation (perception) of people, places, and things, etc., counts for everything. It is possible to only have one master: (1) the Holy Spirit Right Mind (correction); or, (2) the ego wrong mind (error) and which includes both interpretations of the ego mind.
In conclusion, consider the simplicity of ACIM which is a Course in training your mind how to perceive properly. You need to return your brain to peace as the Kingdom of God is peace and you also cannot see the doorway from judgment. You only see peace in peace and while sharing peace with everyone.
All ACIM says is you have the willingness to understand how to do this, study the ideas and put it into practice. The assist you to need will arrive; but you, my pal, must do the task of this inward journey back to the mind.
REGULATIONS of Cause and Effect may be the form, or mind, you are using for interpretation will be your effect nowadays. It’ll affect you in other ways by returning your brain back to back to peace where you eventually start to see the illusion of choice, because no separation occurred, and elect to give it up once and for all.
