There are No Victims in this World!

You are responsible for the world you see and not a victim of it.
~ The Disappearance of the Universe

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lessons:

Lesson 31 I am not the victim of the world I see.

Lesson 32 I have invented the world I see.

Lesson 33 There is another way of looking at the world.

Lesson 34 I could see peace instead of this.

A Course in Miracles: The secret of salvation is but this: that you are doing this unto yourself. No matter what the form of the attack, this still is true. Whoever takes the role of enemy and of attacker, still is this the truth. Whatever seems to be the cause of any pain and suffering you feel, this is still true. For you would not react at all to figures in a dream you knew that you were dreaming. Let them be as hateful and as vicious as they may, they could have no effect on you unless you failed to recognize it is your dream.

Mikey's Note: So, it doesn't matter if someone cuts you off in traffic, says something unkind to you, or some nut job burns down your house or murders your family, or if you feel like the government and the billion dollar corporations are screwing you - you made it up! As the Course says, "Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated."

Now, I'm not suggesting that it's easy to take full responsibility for our experiences, and I'm certainly not suggesting that this is the way for everyone - it's not everyone's time to be doing this. Even amongst students of the Course very few are ready to rise to that challenge that they invented the world they see, that the world is coming from them and not at them, and that they are fully responsible for their experiences. As Pursah rhetorically asks in Disappearance, "J chooses everyone, all the time. But how many are ready to listen?"

And yes action on the level of form is sometimes appropriate, and doesn’t mean we abandon common sense and common courtesy while we appear to be here. But the Course is about addressing the cause of all this psychosis, which is in the mind, instead of messing around with the effects seen out in the world. Anyway, just reminders for those who are ready to rise to the challenge.

I certainly need the reminders myself as I still got a few buttons left that can be pushed and several "slow burns" to get through, but I recognize that it's my own crap being shown symbolically outside myself, and that the only meaningful way of dealing with it is to own it, then undo it via the true forgiveness process instead of being in denial and projecting it, which is what most of the world does because they don’t know any better, and they just think they're right. Damn, that was a long-ass sentence.

The Disappearance of the Universe: With salvation there is no one out there to blame for your one real problem, of which all the others are symbolic. The cause, which is the decision to believe in the separation from God, and the solution, which is the principle of the Atonement, are both in your mind - where you now have the power to choose the Holy Spirit's Answer.

The Disappearance of the Universe: Remember this: Since it was your decision to side with the ego and make the separation real it means, once again, that this script is an example of self predetermination that was agreed to by you on a different level, not a case of you being a victim. Now you have the Course to teach you how to change your mind about the whole thing.

Mikey's Note: So occupy forgiveness, real forgiveness, because it's the only thing that works in a permanent way, the only way to really be free. As the Course puts it, "The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world. You can decide to see it right." And, "Therefore, seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world." So remember when someone “poops in your Fruit Loops” that you have the choice to take responsibility for your dream and remove another layer of your own ego, or make it psychologically real in your mind, be a victim, and remain a captive on “psycho planet.” Giddy up!

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Explaining the True Forgiveness Process of ACIM to a non-ACIMer

So what we refer to as life here on earth is really like a dream. And not only is it a dream, but it is ultimately an insignificant dream. The metaphor that Gary uses quite a bit is that when we go to bed at night, we have these dreams; some dreams are pleasant, and others not so pleasant. But neither one is true because it's only a dream. Then when we wake up in the morning, we realize that we never left the bed, and that what we were seeing during the night was not true. And that's what our everyday life is really like. We are all really home with God, dreaming that we are separate from God, but it's not true. Yes, our experience is that we are here, but it's a false experience. (Gary's teachers give a great metaphorical story of how we appeared to arrive here in the dream in the first place, but it's too lengthy to get into here. You can find it in chapter 4 of The Disappearance of the Universe.)

Part of the introduction to A Course in Miracles it says, "The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance." So, we all have these blocks (aka unconscious guilt) otherwise we wouldn't appear to be here, and experiencing separation from God. But these blocks to the awareness of Love's presence, or God, are unconscious, so we are not consciously aware of them. However, these blocks show up to us symbolically in the form of anything that triggers fear or some sort of negative emotion within us. Doesn’t matter what it is, all negative emotions are rooted in fear which is the effect of the unconscious guilt buried in the mind over the seeming separation from God: anger, hatred, annoyance, depression, jealousy, feelings of inferiority or superiority, arrogance, guilt, anxiety, feeling scared, needing to be right, lack of self-confidence, or even just feeling bored or unfulfilled, and what have you are all symbols of these blocks to the awareness of Love’s presence. And the acting out of these blocks is what’s responsible for the all craziness that takes place here on “psycho planet!”

So, as a student of the Course, your job is to become more observant of, and identify these negative emotions instead of continuing to gloss them over and be in denial of them which is what most of the people of the world do; I know, I used to be one of them. As the Course teaches, "No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected." And I should also note that it doesn’t matter if the negative emotion is the result of being right about something on the level of form and being accurate about the details of your grievances; being right does not bring anybody any lasting peace, only instant gratification at best, while keeping the conflict in the mind unresolved. As the Course says, “Do you prefer you be right or happy?”

The Course also teaches that there are no victims in this world! So once you really understand that the world is coming from you and not at you and that you made up what you are perceiving - albeit on an unconscious level - and that God has nothing to do with this world whatsoever, then you realize that anger is never justified. Doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s someone cutting you off in traffic or you feel that the government is screwing you in some way, or even if we are talking about the murder of a loved one - you made them up! Now I’m certainly not suggesting that this is always easy to accept, and that appropriate action isn’t sometimes necessary, but it is definitely the truth!

So, when you experience a negative emotion, the first step is to remember that you are dreaming, and that you are really home safe with God. What you are seeing is not true! So for example, say someone is saying something unkind to you and it triggers a negative feeling within you, instead of reacting, your job is to remember that the person being unkind to you is just representing a symbolic aspect of your own unconscious mind that needs healing. At that point, your next step is to change your mind about it. Instead of seeing the other person as an insensitive jerk, we see them as they really are: innocent. They're innocent because they haven't really done anything; it's just a dream. As the Course teaches, "Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And in that view are all your sins forgiven." So that's the attitude you want to have when presented with a forgiveness opportunity. If you see the other as innocent, then that's how it will register in your unconscious mind about yourself. As the Course teaches, "As you see him, you will see yourself."

Once you take responsibility for your dream instead of being a victim of it, then you have to trust J or the Holy Spirit (whatever you think of it as) to do His job of removing more unconscious guilt (blocks) from the mind as you continue to practice this form of forgiveness. I say you have to trust because the inner peace that is a result of practicing this form of forgiveness doesn't always show up right away. From my experience, sometimes it shows up right away, but sometimes it doesn’t, particular with "slow burn" forgiveness lessons (people or situations that you have to forgive over and over again.) Sometimes this inner peace will just show up from out of nowhere it seems, where I feel totally peaceful for no apparent reason. Another sign that one is making progress with this forgiveness process is that you'll find yourself being able to shrug or laugh at things that in the past would have pissed you off or upset you in some way.

As a fringe benefit of practicing this form of forgiveness, we may sometimes receive inspired guidance as to what to say or do about a particular situation. For me personally, most of the time there is nothing to say or do on the level of the world in association with my forgiveness opportunities, but there have been other times when I felt guided to speak up about something or even make a major life change. The great thing about the Course is that it isn’t about how you behave or what you do in the world (that’s for religions;) it’s about how you look at the world and the people in the world. So you still live a relatively normal, earthly life. Although as Gary points out, some people get into all this and forget how to carry on a normal conversation. Gary says, “Don’t be weird!”

The ironic thing about this spiritual path is that even though it is geared toward returning our awareness to Oneness and the end of separation, on the level of the world, however, we may be guided to separate from certain people or circumstances because the particular forgiveness lessons associated with them have been learned, and then it's time to move on to our next opportunities and adventures. So, sometimes the guidance we receive can show up in the form of life changing events such as feeling inspired to leave your job, move to another town, separate from your spouse, etc. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to hang out with those you are forgiving.

Another thing I should add too is that we can still enjoy the things of this world that we enjoy even though it's just a dream. It's just a matter of not making a false idol out of these things; not looking for our peace and happiness outside ourselves from material things and other people. Otherwise, we are psychological attached to it, and losing it will eventually play itself out. So, this forgiveness work is geared toward being able to be happy and at peace regardless of what happens in the world and in our own personal life's circumstances. A simple path yes, but certainly not an easy one. Most of the time J says in the Course that it takes a little willingness, but in the Manual for Teachers section of the Course he says that it takes abundant willingness. So, it's got to be something that you really want, which is why it’s not for everyone, or at least not for everyone all at once. It's not something we can do haphazardly and expect to achieve the goal of the Course.

So, at this point I would refer people to The Disappearance of the Universe and Your Immortal Reality by Gary Renard, and from there they can decide if they want to do the Workbook of the Course to further reinforce the way we need to look at this world in order to attain the lofty goal the Course has to offer. The short term goal is inner peace, but the ultimate goal of the Course is to have the permanent experience of what we really are and where really are; the equivalent of being free and going Home, which has been described as a perfect, indescribable ecstasy that never ceases. Until then, one will remain stuck in the cycle of birth and death. Giddy up!

Healing the Sick: It's not about the Patient

Excerpt from The Disappearance of the Universe, Healing the Sick chapter

- Sickness is of the mind and has nothing to do with the body.

- Sickness has nothing to do with God.

- Only true forgiveness can remove unconscious guilt from the mind.

Pursah: ...Your life is self-determined. Sickness isn't personal. You may find that hard to believe, but sickness is not made by you at this level. That's just another reason why no one should feel bad about it if they get sick. You don't choose cancer on this level any more than a baby chose to be deformed on this level. Illness was made by your mind at a larger level, and is being acted out here in a predetermined way. You can get in touch with your power to choose and thus have an enormous influence on whether or not you feel pain, and sometimes lessen or eliminate your physical symptoms.

I say sometimes because unless you're a master then you won't always be successful, and if you are successful it doesn't necessarily make you a master. Besides, it's the changing of your mind and its result on the way you feel that's the most important thing.

Arten: Remember, we're talking about levels here. We're not saying you're not responsible for your experience or that you didn't choose the script on another level. We're saying you've got to get in touch with your power to choose from where you presently think you are. That's also true when you're healing "others." You never join with their bodies, and you never ask the Holy Spirit to heal the body. The body, sick or well, is just a dream. As the Course teaches you in regards to all aspects of joining with the dreamer of that dream:

...Choose once again what you would have him be, remembering that every choice you make establishes your own identity as you will see it and believe it is.

Now I'm going to give you the number one rule of all time when it comes to spiritual healing:

It's not about the patient.

All healing is a result of some kind of forgiveness, and all forgiveness leads to self-healing.

Gary: ****So even when it comes to healing the sick it's really about forgiving my own dream, and forgiving myself for dreaming it.*****

Arten: Yes. As the Psychotherapy pamphlet puts it while talking about how the Course looks at healing in psychotherapy:

...The process that takes place in this relationship is actually one in which the therapist in his heart tells the patient that all his sins have been forgiven him, along with his own. What could be the difference between healing and forgiveness?

Gary: Okay. So when J told that paralyzed man in the Book of Mark, "Your sins are forgiven you," and the guy got up and walked, J was demonstrating that healing and forgiveness are the same. Of course people freaked out and took it to be J doing something that only God was supposed to be able to do, namely forgiving someone his sins. They missed the point.

Arten: Very good.

Gary: So I should see another person's illness as my own call for help?

Arten: Yes. You have a chance to be healed in your mind by forgiving that person.

Gary: It seems a little selfish to use another person's difficulties as my way to get home.

Arten: It may seem selfish, but it's actually selfless.

Gary: How do you mean that?

Arten: Ultimately, forgiveness is saying that neither you nor the person who appears to be sick really exists separately from God. Thus are you both free. Furthermore, it's the only way for you to be free! It's all right to want freedom, and the way out is to see both of you as guiltless.

Gary: You could say that a great spiritual healer, like Joel Goldsmith for example, must have gotten in touch with the idea that people think they're guilty or unworthy in some way, and that the way to healing is through forgiveness.

Arten: Yes. All spiritual healers may not articulate it the same way, but the holiness that comes from unconditional love and forgiveness is essential. In some cases it triggers something in the unconscious mind of the patient - a recognition that they're really innocent and forgiven by God. Of course the mind of the healer is being healed simultaneously because there is really only one mind. There is no patient. Not really. The dream is not being dreamed by someone else, remember?

Gary: Oh, yeah.

Arten: By the way, J really did heal that man as described in Mark. After he said, "Your sins are forgiven," he also said, "that you may know the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He didn't just mean that he had that authority, he meant that you also have that authority. Do you not appear to be a Son of man on this level? Yet you are really Christ.

Of course there really isn't any such thing as sin, and J did not pardon sins to make them real. His attitude was that everyone in the dream is equally innocent because it's just a dream.

Sooner or later, it always comes down to some kind of forgiveness and how willing you are to do it. How willing are you to accept that it's all your dream? How willing are you to release your dream and choose God? You know J plays a little trick on you in the Course. Most of the time he says it takes a little willingness. But that's not for advanced students. In the Manual for Teachers, he says it takes abundant willingness.

Gary: The old bait and switch, huh?

Arten: Whatever it takes to get a lazy guy like you moving. Just kidding.

- You are Christ. Pure and Innocent. We are forgiven now.

What is True Forgiveness? (Article Version)

What is True Forgiveness? (You Tube version)

Mikey's website: www.giddyupmikey.com

Gary's website: www.garyrenard.com

Gary Renard podcast with Gene Bogart: www.forgiveness.tv

God does not forgive because He has never condemned.

God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must be condemnation before forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need of this world, but that is because it is a world of illusions. Those who forgive are thus releasing themselves from illusions, while those who withhold forgiveness are binding themselves to them. As you condemn only yourself, so do you forgive only yourself.

Yet although God does not forgive, His Love is nevertheless the basis of forgiveness. Fear condemns and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fear has produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason, forgiveness can truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusions disappear.

~ A Course in Miracles

What is True Forgiveness?

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What is True Forgiveness?

So, I was recently asked to contribute an article to the local newspaper here in Southern Oregon - The Ashland Daily Tidings - for a weekly column on the topic of Inner Peace. I actually contributed an article about 2.5 years ago to this same column. Anyway, here's what I wrote, and also here's the link in case you'd like to read it from the paper's website instead: What is True Forgiveness by Mike Lemieux: Link to Article

What is True Forgiveness? by Mike Lemieux

A Course in Miracles, a spiritual teaching that stresses the importance of forgiveness, defines forgiveness in this way: Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And in that view are all your sins forgiven.

So, true forgiveness is about taking full responsibility for your experiences. The people that push our buttons or disturb our peace of mind in any way, whether it be a slight annoyance or downright hatred and anger, are really just symbolic aspects of what needs to be forgiven and healed within. Most will not likely recognize this because what needs forgiveness within is usually unconscious, so it has been denied and projected outward. But the only way to be free of it is to forgive your own dark side as seen in others instead of continuing to project it. You do this by changing your mind about your projected images, recognizing that anyone that triggers upset within you is just a figure in a dream, an illusion, then seeing them as innocent because it’s only a dream. Thus, it will register in your unconscious mind as you being innocent. As the Course teaches, “As you see him, you will see yourself.”

This forgiveness process translates to the fact that no one can take your inner peace away from you except by your own decision. Simple? Yes. Easy? No way José, because the ego part of us loves to be right, and would much rather have us be right than be at peace. However, the ego part of us can be undone through this forgiveness process, thus making true forgiveness eventually easier to apply as we go along. In the meantime, this is a practice that takes time, discipline, and willingness to develop.

Now, some folks may think this true forgiveness stuff is a form of denial. Well, it is, but not in the conventional sense. As it was put in the best selling book The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard, “The thought system of love and the thought system of fear are both forms of denial. One of them, the Holy Spirit's teaching, leads to Heaven by uncovering and reversing the ego's denial of the truth.” And as the Course puts it about the inner peace that is a result of this forgiveness process, “It denies the ability of anything not of God to affect you. This is the proper use of denial.”

So, what is the motivation for doing this forgiveness work? Well, from my experience, one has to come to a place in his or her life where they realize that nothing outside themselves is going to satisfy them in a permanent way. No matter what we accomplish here, no matter how many special relationships we maintain, no matter how much money, sex, or any other stimulants that provide instant gratification that we acquire, it will always feel like that something is missing. That’s because in this world of illusions, something is missing. What’s missing is our experience of what we really are, the experience of our true Identity as immortal spirit; some may call it Oneness, God, or Heaven, which is described in Disappearance as being “a perfect indescribable ecstasy that never ceases.” But all un-forgiveness must be removed from the mind in order to experience this “ecstasy” in a permanent way.

As it was put in the Disappearance book, “When you are ready to accept that the only thing that really matters in your illusory lifetime is the successful completion of your lessons of true forgiveness, then you will be truly wise indeed.” For me, personally, I have nothing else better to do so my number one goal is to forgive the hell out of everyone (for what they haven’t really done) while remembering to laugh in the process. Giddy up!

Mike Lemieux is the author of Dude, Where’s My Jesus Fish?, a book based on the books of best selling author Gary Renard, who also wrote the Foreword for Mike’s book. For more information, you can visit Mike’s website: www.giddyupmikey.com

If you so desire, please feel free to join my Dude, Where's My Jesus Fish? fan page - where I post daily quotes from Gary Renard's two books - The Disappearance of the Universe and Your Immortal Reality, as well as from A Course in Miracles. www.facebook.com/DWMJF

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