Saturday, September 19, 2015
Lesson 262: “What is the body?” “Let me perceive no differences today.”
The Course teaches us to be watching our minds around separating ourselves from our brothers and sisters both in a practical way of exclusion and also in exclusion in our minds. Our ego tries to make everyone separate. The Course says that our egos do this to try to see themselves as the most important and thus be assured of our own salvation. I think this is the underlying reason we have resistance to joining with our beloved companions. Our egos think God makes the rules and God says when we have been good enough to gain what God calls heaven. However what the ego does is tries to make itself so important that no one else is important in comparison so we will end up with no one vying for our spot in heaven.
The ego is afraid of everything, and most certainly frightened that we won’t make the mark in God’s perception. The ego has baseless fears, just fear in general because the ego doesn’t know what to do with it. Therefore, our ego projects that fear outward and literally creates something of which to be afraid. It wants to believe the fear has a purpose and has a place on which to land and stay. The ego gets waylaid by its fear because it has no loving outlet for it (such as forgiving through releasing fears.)
The way our egos try to exclude other people is that the ego thinks with just the slightest hint of acknowledging their greatness (all people have because they all have light in the inner mind), then that person will somehow be elevated higher than we are. Then God will give the best of what is received to them instead of us. When our egos hold other people at arm’s length, and we we deny their greatness in some profound way, then we will end up actually not remembering God.
We are asked to not separate ourselves from other people, even energetically. Sometimes we hold people at a distance- like we plan for them to sit at a far away table at dinner. This may feel important to do in the moment, and this that we are asked to do is occasionally necessary because there are times we need some distance. But what we want to make sure we don’t do is withdrawal from them energetically. Someone may be having a moment when they would benefit from being alone in their personal space until they reach a greater peace in their mood. This can be a blessing to that person for getting needed space. But what the Course and God ask us to never leave people energetically. Even if they are across the room still hold them in our minds and don’t try to erase them from our hearts.
The Course says our brothers and sisters are our key to our own salvation. We must understand that the relationship of love and forgiveness exchanged is the backbone of what we need in this lifetime to live in peace as well as stay connected to God in our minds. When we have the energy of joining within us we meld with God energy. When the force of joining is propelling itself through us then the energy of God is stirred within.
All we have to do is let go of our resistance to joining. Lots of us may feel overwhelmed in the world- that there is so much stimuli or so many people- we may long to be alone. We want to not balk at this idea and we want to just hold it in our minds. We must know that when we make the effort to join with others, this may be simply energetically because we may not in the moment feel called to actually physically be with someone. Just know that this energy and the intention of joining is what is going to bring us to the ultimate sense of salvation and also great joy. Let’s be sure to allow our minds to be open to connecting with our brothers and sisters always energetically and whenever we feel called, practically as well.