When you are caught in the world of perception you are caught in a dream. And that realization changes everything! All perceptions involve form at some level. It is the perception of form that blinds us to the Truth. It is the perception of form that makes the world seem real. To further strengthen our belief in the perceptual world, the ego, who we made to replace our reality, established laws explaining the behavior of phenomena in the universe such as “human” behavior. —-²These would include, for example, the “laws” of nutrition, of immunization, of medication, and of the body’s protection in innumerable ways. ³Think further; you believe in the “laws” of friendship, of “good” relationships and reciprocity. ⁴Perhaps you even think that there are laws which set forth what is God’s and what is yours. ⁵Many “religions” have been based on this. ⁶They would not save but damn in Heaven’s name. ⁷Yet they are no more strange than other “laws” you hold must be obeyed to make you safe. (ACIM, W-76.8:1-7)

The Course points out a very interesting fact about laws:—laws are set up to protect the continuity of the system in which the lawmaker believes. ⁵It is natural for the ego to try to protect itself once you have made it, but it is not natural for you to want to obey its laws unless you believe them. ⁶The ego cannot make this choice because of the nature of its origin. ⁷You can, because of the nature of yours. (ACIM, T-4.I.5:4-7.)—-It’s time we brought these laws into question for what they govern is not our reality. The ego does not know what reality is, but it does know that the mind that made it can choose to let it go.  A fact that makes the ego very fearful. Withdraw our belief in the ego and its cause is gone along with its effects.  Therefore, the ego’s thought system is designed to make sure we will never make that choice. The impact this has on our daily experience is shocking!

Until our mind is healed and we no longer identify with our dream figure, the space-time-dream-world will continue to be our experience. Therefore, at this stage of our learning it would not be helpful to simply deny the worlds seeming reality, indeed it would only result in increasing our fear. This must be understood. The ego would love if we did not take medication that we believe we need, or stop eating etc..   As long as we identify with the figure in our dream and not the dreamer, we will be subject to the effects of the ego’s laws.  As we work with the Course and begin to perceive the world from a different perspective our experience will change along with our beliefs.  —-  ²Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience, and experience leads to beliefs. (ACIM, T-11.VI.1:1-2) —- Since perception is interpreted based on our beliefs, we must have new experiences.——  ⁵For perceptions are learned with beliefs, and experience does teach. ⁶I (Jesus) am leading you to a new kind of experience that you will become less and less willing to deny. (ACIM, T-11.VI.3:5-6).

Eventually we will experience what the Course refers to as the real world, not Reality, but this world forgiven. Until such time, however, we must be vigilant to give all negative fearful thoughts to Spirt for reinterpretation. The only way we can be certain we have done this is if we are peaceful. If we experience any uncertainty we can be sure we are listening to the wrong-minded ego. As we apply the Course to our daily experiences, our understanding will increase. Jesus completely overcame his ego and therefore understands the truth behind all of our fears. His Course is designed to guide us while we are still dreaming.— We are therefore embarking on an organized, well-structured and carefully planned program aimed at learning how to offer to the Holy Spirit everything you do not want. ²He knows what to do with it (ACIM, T-12.II.10:1-2)-

As mentioned above, the ego dream-world follows certain physical laws, many of which have been discovered by scientists. In fact some scientists think of the universe as a mathematical universe because it obeys precise mathematical laws. Since we all believe in this world these laws are very important and should not be ignored. They have allowed scientists to understand the behavior of the universe which evolved over “billions” of years. They are called the physical laws of nature because only the physical can be measured, ergo reality must be physical.  That perceived assumption has blinded them and ourselves to Reality.  Despite the amazing technological advances over the past 100 years, science can only reveal knowledge about the behavior of the universe not its origin or reality. In fact as mentioned in previous essays, nature obscures truth and reality from our awareness.—see: (An opposite to truth does not exist & How could science be different?)

Under close examination and from a much larger perspective, the Course takes us beyond the behavior or effects of the phenomena we perceive, to the underlying cause of our perceptions. With this shift in perspective our story is quite different. —-What I see reflects a process in my mind, which starts with my idea of what I want. ²From there, the mind makes up an image of the thing the mind desires, judges valuable, and therefore seeks to find. ³These images are then projected outward, looked upon, esteemed as real and guarded as one’s own. ⁴From insane wishes comes an insane world. (ACIM, W-325.1:1-4) —-Christopher Isham, a distinguished theoretical physicist at Imperial College London once commented that— “science is a self-consistent cult: we first assume the world/reality is physical and everything must be consistent with this belief.”

We must go through the darkness that we made before we can return our mind to the light of Truth. Although the darkness is only a dream, to the believer illusions are as strong in their effects as is the truth. Every negative emotion, without exception, has its origin in our belief in the ego’s dream of separation. As mentioned above, the ego’s thought system is designed to assure we never stop believing in or even doubt the ego’s illusory world. How is this accomplished? Since our reality is one of ideas which can never be threatened; the world the ego made up is one of form or images which are in constant conflict. Belief in a  fragmented world of form relies on everything we fear, everything we hate, and everything we think of as evil, to be believed.  It requires the sacrifice of Love, Peace, Joy and Happiness for pain, suffering, loss and death. Please consider the following question to discover why this is so. What are the experiences you would not be willing, or at least would strongly resist, taking responsibility for?  Are they not experiences of fear, pain, suffering, loss and death. Is it not these experiences that must be caused by something other than yourself? Without experiences of pain, suffering, loss and death, the ego-body-world illusion could never be believed. Without seeing ourselves at the effect of the world, which symbolizes and validates our belief in separation, all fearful negative experiences would disappear. —-²Forget not that the witness to the world of evil cannot speak except for what has seen a need for evil in the world. ³And this is where your guilt was first beheld. ⁴In separation from your brother was the first attack upon yourself begun.(ACIM, T-27.VII.6:2-4)

A loving, omnipotent God would not and did not create a perceptual world of form.—-The world of perception, is made by the belief in opposites and separate wills, in perpetual conflict with each other and with God. What perception sees and hears appears to be real because it permits into awareness only what conforms to the wishes of the perceiver. This leads to a world of illusions, a world which needs constant defense precisely because it is not real. (ACIM, Preface.4:3-5)  —-All who follow this website and are students of the Course, have in one way or another, expressed the now familiar thought: “There must be a better way.” An inevitable thought that must occur to every mind that experiences the world. Philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, leading scientists who gave us quantum mechanics, such as Planck, Heisenberg, Schrodinger and Einstein and countless other curious, albeit, not necessarily famous people, such as ourselves, entertained such a thought. —- ¹Belief that there is another way of perceiving is the loftiest idea of which ego thinking is capable. ¹¹That is because it contains a hint of recognition that the ego is not the Self. (ACIM, T-4.II.4:10-11)

If you experience strong resistance to questioning the validity of the ego thought system, Spirit will wait till you are ready. Truth can not be forced upon us, it must be freely chosen by us.  Both the Course and this website are for those willing to question the reality of the dualistic perceptual world of form, and to support one another in overcoming the range of emotions that will arise as we do so. Alone we can do nothing, but if you are willing to envision that we are in truth joined as one mind, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. By doing so we are merely acknowledging the true state of our being. When Jesus said that we were with him when he overcame the world, he meant it literally. ——Minds are joined; bodies are not. ²Only by assigning to the mind the properties of the body does separation seem to be possible. ³And it is mind that seems to be fragmented and private and alone. ⁴Its guilt, which keeps it separate, is projected to the body, which suffers and dies because it is attacked to hold the separation in the mind, and let it not know its Identity. ⁵Mind cannot attack, but it can make fantasies and direct the body to act them out. (ACIM, T-18.VI.3:1-5)

Dreams are projections of denied thoughts. They were made in the hope of escaping the guilt caused by our belief in the separation. By projecting these guilty thoughts onto a dream-world the guilt appears to be outside and not within our mind. In the world of form or perception seeing is believing. It is impossible not to believe what you see. But as the Course correctly points out, it is equally impossible to see what you do not believe!  That is why we must seek another way of perceiving the world and ourselves. Our attempt to get rid of guilt through projection does not work, we still feel guilty but don’t know why. —-Any attempt to deny what is must be fearful, and if the attempt is strong it will induce panic. (ACIM, T-9.I.12:1)——

You might well ask how the voice of something that does not exist can be so insistent. ²Have you thought about the distorting power of something you want, even if it is not real? ³There are many instances of how what you want distorts perception. ⁴No one can doubt the ego’s skill in building up false cases. ⁵Nor can anyone doubt your willingness to listen until you choose not to accept anything except truth. (ACIM, T-8.VIII.8:1-5)——Perception is the perfect mode of thinking for deception.  The truth cannot be perceived but only known. Before accepting illusions instead of truth remember King Lear’s advice: “That way madness goes.” The dream-world we experience is a reflection of the guilt in our mind and if we let Sprit or our right-mind use it on behalf of healing we will be free of guilt. There is only one problem and it has but one solution.—- Problem: the denial of the truth of our reality and belief in the separation; Solution: deny the denial of truth: the separation never occurred! —-The ego brought truth to illusions; are you willing to bring your illusions to the Truth?  When brought to the light of truth a shadow world disappears. Be joyful that we are not a shadow briefly laid upon a dying world! Grant your willingness and the process of dislodging your ego from its fixed position has begun.

By realizing we all share one purpose: healing of the mind of Gods Son, Spirit will enter all of our relationships and Guide our experience. —-What has been given you? ²The knowledge that you are a mind, in Mind and purely mind, sinless forever, wholly unafraid, because you were created out of love. ³Nor have you left your Source, remaining as you were created. ⁴This was given you as knowledge which you cannot lose. ⁵It was given as well to every living thing, for by that knowledge only does it live.

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