The beauty and simplicity of A TRAINING COURSE in Miracles (ACIM) really shines through one of its major principles: The Law of Cause and Effect. This is different from regulations of Attraction, a subject which so much has been discussed these last couple of years. ACIM answers not merely why things will be the way they’re with the mind, but also how to implement these mind corrections needed to change your daily life. What it ultimately comes down to is the choice to improve beliefs while residing in this world, or the decision to correct the mind and return home.
Affirmations are not section of A TRAINING COURSE in Miracles because they are not necessary and here’s why: There is a “wrong” ego mind, and a “right” ego mind, both which are still area of the same ego side of the split mind. Within the ego mind (error), the incorrect side is all the negative judgments; and the right side is all of the negative judgments trying to convince you how wonderful it really is to live here in this negative world. Neither is the truth of one’s nature nor what your location is trying to return your brain, according to ACIM.
The Law of Cause and Effect is this: According to the mind you use as cause, you will see the corresponding effect. Ideas usually do not leave their source: You.
Let’s use this example:
Someone is feeling the effects of being “poor,” or lack, in this world and wants to change their beliefs to will have “rich” (abundance, prosperity, money) arrive. 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, what you choose as “rich” will eventually go and you 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. It asks you to choose between a couple of things within the ego illusion and not to choose from the illusion.
This is in contrast to choosing correction of the mind (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 since the ego cannot relate. It returns a portion of the mind to peace and ends senseless worry over rich and poor. In addition, it produces effects in your life here but you will need to choose correction to experience them.
Let’s look at how ACIM breaks this all down into a simple set of principles predicated on Cause and Effect. It only includes a few components and when understood and used, they could be “mind” correcting!
The Metaphysics:
Remember, in accordance with ACIM, the mind is split by the ego’s judgment that we could be separate, also known as the “tiny mad idea,” or the error that never occurred. This portion of the mind is merely hidden in darkness because it banished itself from Knowledge (Heaven and Oneness) when we forgot to laugh off what cannot be true. It did not, however, separate.
So in ACIM it is not about affirmations or changing beliefs, because the mind never left God and still resides at home with Him. course in miracles There are no “belief” judgments in Love, Oneness, Heaven and Knowledge as everything may be the same, all one, and nothing to believe 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 change is in the decision between the split mind (error) of the ego or the Holy Spirit Right Mind (correction) as that internal Teacher.
This is where the simplicity is evident in ACIM because there’s no convincing the ego wrong and right mind of another way of thinking. You simply give up what you no longer want. We take action on a regular basis with ego stuff; and today we just do it 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 really doing is simply returning your mind 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 your brain by God and every answer is there waiting for you. Atonement, forgiveness, salvation and True Perception are other words that are synonymous. You have to be willing to use the Holy Spirit Right Mind for interpretation of events and do the actual work of giving judgments (beliefs) to the side of the mind, via your decision maker, because you no more want them.
It really is that easy and only confusing due to the belief that the only real choice is between ego judgments of “poor” and “rich,” to use the earlier example, rather than understanding relating to this third option being available. The choice for True Perception would be to choose neither ego judgment and relinquish both for correction of your brain. This is what is takes to return the mind to God.
Decision Maker:
ACIM is aimed at your choice maker in the mind. The complete point is that you have a choice of which side of your brain to listen to and use for interpretation. That is all that ever happened in the first place. It was a choice to pay attention, 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 anything else 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 how you feel keeps them hidden so you don’t realize they’re judgments.
You don’t “feel” in Heaven, Knowledge and Oneness. It really is an experience shared by One.
The decision maker is the mechanism between your two sides of the split mind. It is neutral, an observer and is something you will need to employ to watch the mind and the judgments being made by the ego. When you realize you purchased something from the ego error of the wrong or right mind, just be willing to hand them to the perfect solution is, or the correction, of the Holy Spirit Right Mind. It takes care of the rest as the Atonement or solution is already there. No affirmations are necessary. You are simply quitting that which you no more want. It is, and certainly can, be so easy.
Form and Content:
The last component to know from the Course in Miracles is form and content. Form is this world and everything in it. In ACIM, form will not matter and is area of the “beliefs” to be turned over. However, you use everything in form, together with the judgments in your mind, because the curriculum of what to start for correction (forgiveness).
What does matter is content and in ACIM, content is the mind. The mind you are using for interpretation (perception) of people, places, and things, etc., counts for everything. You can 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 exactly to perceive properly. You need to return your brain to peace as the Kingdom of God is peace and you cannot see the doorway from judgment. You merely see peace in peace and while sharing peace with everyone.
All ACIM says is you have the willingness to learn how to do this, study the ideas and put it into practice. The help you need will arrive; but you, my friend, must do the task of this inward journey back into the mind.
REGULATIONS of Cause and Effect is the form, or mind, you’re using for interpretation will be your effect in this world. It’ll affect you in other ways by returning your brain back to back again to peace where you eventually see the illusion of preference, because no separation occurred, and choose to give it up forever.
