Be of good cheer!!! The peace and happiness we have been waiting for is not in our “future,” it is awaiting our acceptance now. —However, there is a problem. —Within our current perspective our so called future is merely a continuation of past experiences. Sure it is the ego does not want you to experience the present. The ego does not exist in the present, its whole seeming existence stems from the belief we separated from God: a past illusion; —confirmed by our psychological experience of guilt: remembering this past illusion;— and fearful of future punishment for this past “sin.” We but relive an ancient memory that was over long ago.— ²The ego invests heavily in the past, and in the end believes that the past is the only aspect of time that is meaningful.³Remember that its emphasis on guilt enables it to ensure its continuity by making the future like the past, and thus avoiding the present. (ACIM, T-13.IV.4:2-3)

Only the past is held in memory as you make use of it, and so it is a way to hold the past against the now. (ACIM, T-28.I.6:1-7) —-  In our dissociated state of mind our now moment is when we (observer/dreamer) make the choice to listen to the ego’s script or Spirits correction. —see model of mind chart—- We think of memory as a past occurrence but it is a skill that can remember now. ——³You are so long accustomed to believe that memory holds only what is past, that it is hard for you to realize it is a skill that can remember now. ⁴The limitations on remembering the world imposes on it are as vast as those you let the world impose on you. ⁵There is no link of memory to the past. ⁶If you would have it there, then there it is. ⁷But only your desire made the link, and only you have held it to a part of time where guilt appears to linger still. (ACIM, T-28.I.4:3-7)

If the idea of remembering the present sounds counter intuitive it is only because you have chosen the wrong voice to listen to. To the ego the present, where truth abides, is dangerous. But to Spirit the present is all there is. That is why I speak so often about the structure of our dissociated mind. A split mind means that you have two fundamentally different ways of perceiving every experience you have: Spirit or the ego.  -— you cannot make decisions by yourself. ⁴The only question really is with what you choose to make them (ACIM, T-30.I.14:1-4)—-Without this understanding, the powerful experience of remembering the present will not be understood.

We remember what we dissociated to, a body, but not what we dissociated from, Spirit. —- At no single instant does the body exist at all. ²It is always remembered or anticipated, but never experienced just now.³Only its past and future make it seem real. ⁴Time controls it entirely, for sin is never wholly in the present. ⁵In any single instant the attraction of guilt would be experienced as pain and nothing else, and would be avoided. ⁶It has no attraction now. ⁷Its whole attraction is imaginary, and therefore must be thought of in the past or in the future. (ACIM, T-18.VII.3:1-7)

All teaching in the world reflects the ego purpose of keeping truth from our awareness.—-The ego “protects” us from the truth! —Yes you read correctly.— The ego thought system is based on perception, belief and faith, not truth. And so all learning in the world teaches that absolute truth, at best, cannot be attained, and at worst is dangerous and to be feared. Therefore, Spirit must introduce the simple truth into a thought system which has become so twisted and so complex you cannot see that it means nothing. ³He merely looks at its foundation and dismisses it. (ACIM, T-14.I.5:2-3) —-⁴The truth is simple. ⁵Yet it must be taught to those who think it will endanger them.  (ACIM, P-2.V.2:4-6)

The world we believe in was made by the ego, our substitute reality. It is the result of our desire to have an individual existence, separate from our Self and God. This is our secret dream that led to the space-time world dream, a place we could project our guilt onto in the belief someone or something else would suffer and not ourselves.  With this as the ego’s purpose for the world, peace is impossible.— ⁵Seek not escape from problems here. ⁶The world was made that problems could not be escaped. (ACIM, T-31.IV.2:5-6)

You do not realize the whole extent to which the idea of separation has interfered with reason. ²Reason lies in the other self you have cut off from your awareness. ³And nothing you have allowed to stay in your awareness is capable of reason.⁴How can the segment of the mind devoid of reason understand what reason is, or grasp the information it would give?⁵All sorts of questions may arise in it, but if the basic question stems from reason, it will not ask it. (ACIM, T-21.V.4:1-5 —-Reason will tell you that denial of truth must lead to illusions and that is exactly why the ego is “protecting” us from the truth.   Most people, including scientists and theologians, believe the world is real, while  paradoxically acknowledging that Truth cannot be attained. When they speak of “our” survival, they mean survival of the body and its environment, which really means survival of the ego. Look carefully at the ego’s “logic” which they espouse, and you will notice the lack of reason and disregard of truth:

—Natural selection drives truth to extinction. First recognized through evolutionary game theory and later affirmed through rigorous mathematical proof. It is therefore, assumed that both God and Nature want to “protect” us from truth.

—“Cognitive biases exist because they have been shaped by evolutionary forces to optimize (ego) survival and reproductive success over the truth. —-In other words, according to this view, organisms may develop perceptual or cognitive biases that are more useful for navigating their environment and ensuring survival and reproduction, even if these biases distort their understanding of reality.”

—“Entropy, the natural state of the universe to dissolve into disorder, decay, and death, appears to be the dominant force in our reality. Life is fleeting and often a struggle for most animals and other life forms. Survival means struggling, competition can be brutal, we all grow older, weaker, and more fragile over time, and death is inevitable. Nobody actually knows why life is like this; it just is. We may ask God to come down here and explain the mess He has created, or point fingers at fate, karma, a cosmic governance, absurdism, aliens, or any other idea or concept you can come up with to explain how life works, yet the fundamental truth remains: life just is. Until it isn't.” (thephilosophyforum.com Martijn 27)

When superficially looked at the ego’s space-time universe is quite impressive: believed to have existed for billions of years, with billions or trillions of stars and galaxies evolving, somewhat inexplicably, from inanimate to animate living organism such a ourselves. Yet for all of its wonders, it is lacking in an important detail: namely its inability to discern its origin, much less our’s. Nor, as noted above, can it explain why the creator designed a destructive world with so much suffering. — Let not the dream take hold to close your eyes. ²It is not strange that dreams can make a world that is unreal. ³It is the wish to make it that is incredible. (ACIM, T-18.II.8:1-3)

All of our strategic plans for attaining sustained peace and happiness have never been successful throughout history! These strategic plans are based on our fundamental assumptions about the nature of the world. Since, after thousands of years of trying, none of our strategies have been successful, is it not reasonable to assume that the problem lies not in our strategic plans but in our fundamental assumptions upon which our strategies are based? I have stated many times the importance of our desire to “see things differently.” If we want to be deceived, the ego is happy to accommodate us; that is why we made it. No evidence will convince us of a truth we do not want.”

Consider what the ego wants defenses for. ²Always to justify what goes against the truth, flies in the face of reason and makes no sense. ³Can this be justified? (ACIM, T-22.V.2:1-3)  —-Many years ago I realized this world made no sense and could never reflect the Truth. I was determined to see things differently, even my long held beliefs about the world and myself. Years later, as the world judges time,  the Course literally turned my world upside down. I went from being the effect of the world to being cause. I realized that in my dissociated state I only remembered what I separated to, a body, and forgot what I separated from, Spirit. By forgiving my past mistaken beliefs, I literally experienced a whole new perspective about everything. This shift in perspective occurs when we (observer/dreamer) make the decision to listen to Spirit’s Voice. —-⁶Two ways of looking at the world are in your mind, and your perception will reflect the guidance you have chosen.(ACIM, T-12.VII.5:6). ³Whose manifestations would you see?  If you choose Spirit you will experience a shift in perspective, a miracle, which undoes the past, in the present,— now—- and thus releases the future.

The miracle is taken first on faith, because to ask for it implies the mind has been made ready to conceive of what it cannot see and does not understand. ²Yet faith will bring its witnesses to show that what it rested on is really there. ³And thus the miracle will justify your faith in it, and show it rested on a world more real than what you saw before; a world redeemed from what you thought was there. (ACIM, W-pII.13.4:1-3)

In Gratitude and Love, Caryl

As always, please reach out to me directly with any questions or comments related to this essay or any of my essays at: carylbrowne@gmail.com