Setting The Goal

(T-34O/365)

Before anything at all can be realized, a decision must be made and a goal set. That is the purpose of prayer and of affirmation. A journey without a planned end is just wandering in circles.

The first question to be asked is, “What do I want to come of this? What is it for?” Ego loves to wander aimlessly, confuse the situation, and analyze it later. The Holy Spirit’s plan is to determine the purpose, set the goal and then take the necessary steps to accomplish it. There is no magic solution, and He will not do it for you. But He will provide the guidance if you allow Him to. This means giving up all judgment of what your ego perception is of what to do or what anything means. Remember that the ego’s view of life is as “a sexually transmitted, terminal disease.”

There is more than that! You are more than that! Has your judgment always been better than the Holy Spirit’s? If so, how come you’re in the mess you’re in? If you made such great decisions before, how come you think you can make better ones now? If you think the way you are living now is not bringing you happiness, why do you go on thinking more of it will bring you happiness yet?

Even to employ a little of that very rare sense called “common”, will tell you that something is just not working. So maybe your goal has been for money, power, special relationships, self-gratification. Have any of these transformed temporary happiness into eternal joy? Have you been able to overcome suffering, pain, and death?

So what is your goal? ACIM© says, “Above all else, I want the Peace of God.” In the final analysis, that is all there IS because in that Peace is Truth itself and You as You really exist. So all other goals are at the expense of your Self, that greater part of You that still is happily in Heaven as your Christ Consciousness. However, Holy Spirit and Jesus realize that even being conscious of that pure state of Being is much too abstract for our minds here, so Holy Spirit has provided a place in mind called the Real World. It is still a dream, as is the rest of our illusion, but it is “the happiest of all dreams” and entirely within our grasp and ability to obtain. But to be realized, it has to be the only goal as no other goal is compatible with it.

IF the goal selected is one for Truth, its outcome must be peace. “If you experience peace, it is because the truth has come to you, and you will see the outcome truly - “ You will recognize Truth because you are at peace.

Fantasy solutions to any problem do not allow Truth to enter, because they have brought only the illusion of peace, and not True Peace at all.

So, the goal must be selected with care and pursued with determination, as directed by our Holy Spirit, in whatever “form” that guidance takes for us personally. If the guidance is as sure as the goal, the outcome will be true.

Thoughts On Mind

In considering our process through the “Journey’ of our dream, I am reminded of all our various “minds”.

First of all, there is us as ONE MIND where we truly exist in reality as
ONE, all together, and with God and within God as our created SELF, THE CHRIST. This is Reality, this its Truth, and this is All-That-Is.

LINE OF ------------------------------------- ETERNITY

But in thinking we could be something else, more than everything, we remember all the “other parts” of our MIND.

We began the dream of our separation as that part of ONE MIND that decided to experience the dream. Soon after we “separated” and started on our “journey of curiosity” we found the greater part of our separated mind just too heavy to carry along, so we left it behind, just below the line of Heaven, the “Line of Eternity.” At that level, mind is still One. So there it is, and can be described as our Universal Conscious Mind. In it is stored all memory of everything that ever was, is, or will be. It is a memory of the whole hologram of all our existences outside of Heaven. If we ever want to know anything about anything, all we have to do is ask this Universal Mind of ours. Many persons down through time have gotten in touch with, accessed, this source. Some have called it a giant “library” (as did Edgar Cayce), or a giant “computer,” or God, or “divine” guidance, higher self, or “intuition.”

Many wise men, sages, prophets, clairvoyants, channellers and “holy” men have found the way to access this source. It is outside of time and space, judgment or worldly restriction. But it IS within our ego framework since once we have left ONE MIND at all; we are in some part of our ego dream.

The next mind we “descended to,” is our SUPER-CONSCIOUS (or spirit) MIND, the next is our SUB-CONSCIOUS (or soul) MIND. Then finally we enter our CONSCIOUS MIND, which we normally use everyday while we are awake. When we go to sleep, meditate or are hypnotized, we enter our sub-conscious or super-conscious minds. Various kinds of activities are carried out there and may bring a variety of information to our conscious mind upon its re-awakening. Some very powerful and well-directed minds are even able to access their fourth mind, the Universal Conscious Mind. When this is done, infinite information can be “brought back” to the sleeping Conscious Mind and handed over to it upon awakening as well.

Most of us have had the experience of going to sleep with a very perplexing problem or question on our conscious mind. It is the last thing we remember thinking as we drop off to sleep. First thing in the morning, when we are just beginning to wake up (coming back through that “twilight zone” of LUCID DREAMING, we are suddenly wide awake, alert, and HAVE THE ANSWER! We haven’t even had time to think of the question, and there is the answer, right in our mind! During our sleep, our subconscious has gone away to our Universal Mind, obtained the answer and brought it back where it waits to hand it over to our Conscious Mind upon its awakening.

These are “psychic” experiences and not necessarily “spiritual” at all.

So mind is a very busy and active place. Mind will tell brain what to do. Brain will tell body and action may follow. Mind is everywhere inside us - outside us - to infinity - all the time. Most of the time, we think mind is in our head, but it is not so. It is more like a radio frequency that is everywhere, and can be received and experienced whenever we choose.

As wonderful, illuminating and informative as all these levels of mind are, it must be remembered they are all still within the ego system. Everything outside of Heaven is within that system, including all our levels of mind, Our Universal Consciousness and the Real World of the Holy Spirit as well. They are all illusions within the dream. The Real World is the best of all illusions, to be sure, but it is still an illusion. We can not get back to Heaven directly from our ego state, but we can choose to “go to” the Real World (not a place but a state of mind) and there wait upon the “Lawns of Heaven” for God’s last step. So, all our levels of mind are contained within our ego mind. It is a system of thought WE designed and live within.

Considering this, we will see that there is a far greater and far-reaching aspect of Mind.

Just as the Holy Spirit is the Voice for God, the Memory of God, within our minds, so is our Observer Mind the memory of Us as The Christ Mind. Since God and The Christ are ONE, it might then be considered that our Observer Mind and the Holy Spirit are one, in our experience of viewing our split mind. However, the Holy Spirit is more encompassing than that, because He is present everywhere, all the time. He is always present in our ego world as well as our Spirit, just a breath away, quietly and gently waiting for us to turn to Him for our guidance.

Just as the Holy Spirit is the Representative of God within our mind, our Observer Mind is the representative of our true SELF, The Christ in Heaven. It is to this neutral place of our Observer that we step back, look, and decide which part of our split mind we will be in at any given time. The choice is ours but can be guided by Holy Spirit, when we choose to ask and listen.

The total experience of all the levels of our mind, as described above are within our ego mind. The purpose that we use them for can be changed from one of separation to one of joining with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through our new purpose of joining with our brother and the experience of the holy instant, we can decide to be in our ego mind less and our spirit mind more and more until that is total, the transition has been made and we are back to our SELF in the continuous holy instant, forever.

One common experience we have at recognizing what it is like to be in our Observer Mind, is that of an Out-of-body or Near-Death experience. In meditation we can also have much the same sensation of “floating” above our body, often in the room we are in, and “looking down” at the room and ourselves. Many have had this experience while undergoing an operation in a hospital or during physical trauma to the body. We may view the scene in an odd, detached way without any stress or investment, completely without judgment. It seems to be outside of body, world, time, space, and judgment. It is a very “peaceful” experience, but quite startling the first time it happens. In nighttime dreams we often experience the same sensation, often accompanied by a sense of “floating” or flying. The flying is usually not very high, but allows us to view the whole scene we are observing. The Observer Mind works much the same way in that there is almost the same sense of detachment as we decide which of our ego or spirit minds we are going to be in.

So we can see that from our Observer Mind, the “Home of Reason” of the memory of our Christ Mind, we make the choice of where we will be in mind. This process goes on continuously while we are “out of our Mind.” In every instance and every situation, we have to step back to the quiet of our Observer and “choose once again” with the guidance of Holy Spirit for love not fear, joining not separation but heaven, not hell. Like any process, it is difficult at first (because it is “new”), gradually gets easier to use over time, and finally is a continuous experience when we are in the holy instant, Spirit’s state of grace, forever. We must employ great patience and gentleness with ourselves, as this whole experience and the memory of what and where we truly are forever, is quite “new” to our conditioned way of thinking. And in the experience is the proof of its truth.

For a diagram of the process of the DEVELOPMENT OF MIND, see “A Personal View of Process” given earlier in Paper #0491-6.

THE REAL WORLD

I think of the “Real World” as a very busy department store. It has many floors, all-intent on various activities of the mind. One floor is the home of our Universal Conscious Mind. At this level of mind, we are all joined together, all one. The Universal Consciousness is totally aware of everything that ever was, is, or will be. It is a giant memory. An infinite “library”: A huge computer. It is this place of information that all mystics, clairvoyants, psychics, prophets, and sages have accessed for their information and awarenesses down through time. For example, Edgar Cayce was able to “go to sleep” and access information about other people, their conditions and events. Part of the qualification for his “entry code” was to have made the commitment to use the information only for “good,” not greed or gain. His exemplary but simple life as a photographer, Sunday school teacher, and Bible scholar attested to that condition of intention. Having put his conscious mind “to sleep,” out of the way of interference, he could access the data. A sincere admirer said, “Oh, Mr. Casey, you’re so wonderful, how can you do that?” He replied, “I don’t do anything you won’t also do, in time.” He was a man (in that incarnation) “ahead of his time.” We will all be there (shortly?) and do the same as a matter of common communication. So that Universal Consciousness, where all things are known and “stored,” is part of the Real World.

The “penthouse floor” of the department store is inhabited by those souls who have entirely transcended their egos and who have, for the time being, decided not to re-enter earth’s heavier density to guide others to that light. It is where they wait for all their “brothers” to arrive and for God’s last step. It is called the “lawns of heaven,” and is just below the “line of eternity.” It is not Heaven, but is a reflection of Heaven. It is really not a “place” at all, but a state of being, which is possible to reach at any time and in any place we are. The Holy Instant is a window that gives us a glimpse of this heavenly state of being. We absolutely know it when we experience it because we remember it as our ancient Home.

Just inside the main door of the “department store” is the “Room of The Light.” It is here the new ones come in from the tunnel, attracted to The Light. It is here that the sorting-out process takes place. Opening from it are the “remember rooms,” where each goes to consider what is best to do for his own spiritual evolvement and best higher good. Guidance is available, if desired. Self-assessment takes place (a rapid review of the life just experienced) and a self-decision made if more “experience” is needed to be aware of, and understand, the total Self. Some will decide for rest and reflection before proceeding. Others will choose another incarnation in earth’s sphere or for further development of awareness in some other energy sphere. At this point, all will know what they are, but may choose to re-affirm this awareness with another experience. Still others will “return” to teach and help others out of the extension of their own love. The reincarnations are directed by a much higher level of mind than we can presently be aware, and often their manifestation is not able to be understood at all by our earthly minds.

If another earthly incarnation is chosen, the place, circumstances, identity, and sequential experiences are selected to accomplish the desired experiences. The final outcome of that incarnation will be directed by the individual choices made during the period of that incarnation. The message always is that “Trials are but lessons presented once again, so that where a faulty choice was made before, another may now be made.” - “My brother, choose once again.” The end goal is to awaken to the truth of what and where you are forever, and always have been, without interruption.

MY PATH

The experience of God’s Love is not so much a “feeling” or a “seeing” as it is an awareness. We wake up to it and become aware of it. It is as though I am walking through a wispy fog surrounding the road I am on. Sometimes this fog drifts in thicker, sometimes thinner. When it is thick, it is almost impossible to see the road ahead, although I still know its’ direction. Then the wisps thin a little and I can see the way ahead. Then I am aware of a loving presence as a shadowy figure of a tall, powerful, and absolutely loving figure in a long gown with His right arm extended outward toward me. He doesn’t move or speak, but I know He is there waiting for me to come to Him. The only desire I have is to continue on and be with Him. Nothing else matters or exists. And I walk onwards.

“If you knew who walks beside you on the way you have chosen, fear would be impossible.” (T-353/379)

- And the way I walk back to God is the way I pray.

- And the beautiful sadness in my heart makes me weep in the certain knowing of what I Am.

Several years ago, a small grandson of mine was playing with an antique “do-nothing” machine I happened to have. The machine is basically a block of wood with two crossing grooves in which two smaller pieces of wood are drawn back and forth as the handle is turned. Each time, they almost hit, but always miss. The fascination of the child was held by the repeated near-miss as he earnestly kept turning the handle and saying, “Maybe this time! - Maybe this time!”

Well, that is the way it is with us in our ego world. Each time we try something we say, “Maybe this time!” even though we have already tried it over and over before and it never worked. “Why do you think that when something has always brought you pain, having more of it will be better?” Our ego tells us that something is missing, so we had better go look for it outside of ourself and take it, to “be complete.” Not only that, but as it appears our brother has it, he must have originally stolen it from us. Thus is attack justified and seen as our salvation. The ego’s diabolical plan operates within its dictum of “seek but do not find.”

But God has another plan for our salvation. That is to accept the Atonement for ourself, which is simply to let go of all our needs and attachments to our ego world and awaken to who and where we are always.

“I AM ABOUT MY FATHER’S BUSINESS.”

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