 We continue today with the Course in Miracles manual for teachers. 21. What is the role of words in healing? Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. The motivating factor is prayer or asking. What you ask for you receive. But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory. Sometimes they agree. It does not matter. God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control of extraneous thoughts. Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols. They are thus twice removed from reality. As symbols, words have quite specific references. Even when they seem most abstract, the picture that comes to mind is apt to be very concrete. Unless a specific referent does occur to the mind in conjunction with the word, the word has little or no practical meaning, and thus cannot help the healing process. The prayer of the heart does not really ask for concrete things. It always requests some kind of experience, the specific things asked for being the bringers of the desired experience, in the opinion of the asker. The words then are symbols for the things asked for, but the things themselves but stand for the experiences that are hoped for. The prayer for things of this world will bring experiences of this world. If the prayer of the heart asks for this, this will be given, because this will be received. It is impossible that the prayer of the heart remain unanswered in the perception of the one who asks. If he asks for the impossible, if he wants what does not exist or seeks for illusions in his heart, all this becomes his own. The power of his decision offers it to him as he requests. Herein lie hell and heaven. The sleeping son of God has but this power left to him. It is enough. His words do not matter. Only the word of God has any meaning, because it symbolizes that which has no human symbols at all. The Holy Spirit alone understands what this word stands for, and this too is enough. Is the Teacher of God then to avoid the use of words in his teaching? No, indeed. There are many who must be reached through words, being as yet unable to hear in silence. The Teacher of God must, however, learn to use words in a new way. Gradually he learns how to let his words be chosen for him by ceasing to decide for himself what he will say. This process is merely a special case of the lesson in the workbook that says, I will step back and let him lead the way. The Teacher of God accepts the words which are offered him and gives as he receives. He does not control the direction of his speaking. He listens and hears and speaks. A major hindrance in this aspect of his learning is the Teacher of God's fear about the validity of what he hears and what he hears may indeed be quite startling. It may also seem to be quite irrelevant to the presented problem as he perceives it, and may, in fact, confront the Teacher of God with a situation that appears to be very embarrassing to him. All these are judgments that have no value. They are his own coming from a shabby self-perception which he would leave behind. Judge not the words that come to you, but offer them in confidence. They are far wiser than your own. God's teachers have God's word behind their symbols, and he himself gives to the words they use, the power of his spirit, raising them from meaningless symbols to the call of heaven itself. How are healing and atonement related? Healing and atonement are not related. They are identical. There is no order of difficulty in miracles because there are no degrees of atonement. It is the one complete concept possible in this world because it is the source of a wholly unified perception. Partial atonement is a meaningless idea just as special areas of hell in heaven are inconceivable. Accept atonement and you are healed. Atonement is the word of God. Accept his word and what remains to make sickness possible. Accept his word and every miracle has been accomplished. To forgive is to heal. The Teacher of God has taken accepting the atonement for himself as his only function. What is there then? He cannot heal. What miracle can be withheld from him? The progress of the Teacher of God may be slow or rapid depending on whether he recognizes the atonement's inclusiveness or for a time excludes some problem areas from it. In some cases there is a sudden and complete awareness of the perfect applicability of the lesson of the atonement to all situations, but this is comparatively rare. The Teacher of God may have accepted the function God has given him long before he has learned all that his acceptance holds out to him. It is only the end that is certain. Anywhere along the way, the necessary realization of inclusiveness may reach him. If the way seems long, let him be content. He has decided on the direction he wants to take. What more was asked of him and having done what was required would God withhold the rest? That forgiveness is healing needs to be understood if the Teacher of God is to make progress. The idea that a body can be sick is a central concept in the ego's thought system. This thought gives the body autonomy, separates it from the mind, and keeps the idea of attack in violet. If the body could be sick, atonement would be impossible. A body that can order a mind to do as it sees fit could merely take the place of God and prove salvation is impossible. What then is left to heal? The body has become Lord of the mind. How could the mind be returned to the Holy Spirit unless the body is killed? And who would want salvation at such a price? Certainly sickness does not appear to be a decision, nor would anyone actually believe he wants to be sick. Perhaps he can accept the idea in theory, but it is rarely, if ever, consistently applied to all specific forms of sickness, both in the individual's perception of himself and of all others as well. Nor is it at this level that the Teacher of God calls forth the miracle of healing. He overlooks the mind and body, seeing only the face of Christ shining in front of him, correcting all mistakes and healing all perception. Healing is the result of the recognition by God's Teacher of who it is that is in need of healing. This recognition has no special reference. It is true of all things that God created. In it are all illusions healed. When a Teacher of God fails to heal, it is because he has forgotten who he is. Another sickness thus becomes his own. In allowing this to happen, he has identified with another's ego and has thus confused him with a body. In so doing, he has refused to accept the Atonement for himself and can hardly offer it to his brother in Christ's name. He will, in fact, be unable to recognize his brother at all for his father did not create bodies and so he is seeing in his brother only the unreal. Mistakes do not correct mistakes and distorted perception does not heal. Step back now Teacher of God, you have been wrong. Lead not the way for you have lost it. Turn quickly to your teacher and let yourself be healed. The offer of Atonement is universal. It is equally applicable to all individuals in all circumstances and it is the power to heal all individuals of all forms of sickness. Not to believe this is to be unfair to God and thus unfaithful to him. A sick person perceives himself as separate from God. Would you see him as separate from you? It is your task to heal the sense of separation that has made him sick. It is your function to recognize for him that what he believes about himself is not the truth. It is your forgiveness that must show him this. Healing is very simple. Atonement is received and offered. Having been received it must be accepted. It is in the receiving then that healing lies. All else must follow from this single purpose. Who can limit the power of God himself? Who then can say which one will be healed of what and what must remain beyond God's power to forgive? This is insanity indeed. It is not up to God's teachers to set limits upon him because it is not up to them to judge his son. And to judge his son is to limit his father. Both are equally meaningless. Yet this will not be understood until God's teacher recognizes that they are the same mistake. Herein does he receive atonement for he withdraws his judgment from the Son of God accepting him as God created him. No longer does he stand apart from God determining where healing should be given and where it should be withheld. Now can he say with God, this is my beloved Son created perfect and forever so. Does Jesus have a special role in healing? God's gifts can rarely be received directly. Even the most advanced of God's teachers will give way to temptation in this world. Would it be fair if their pupils were denied healing because of this? The Bible asks and says, ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Is this merely an appeal to magic? A name does not heal nor does an invocation call forth any special power. What does it mean to call on Jesus Christ? What does calling on his name confer? Why is the appeal to him part of healing? We have repeatedly said that one who has perfectly accepted the atonement for himself can heal the world. Indeed he has already done so. Temptation may recur to others but never to this one. He has become the risen Son of God. He has overcome death because he has accepted life. He has recognized himself as God created him and in so doing he has recognized all living things as part of him. There is now no limit on his power because it is the power of God. So has his name become the name of God for he no longer sees himself as separate from him. What does this mean for you? It means that in remembering Jesus you are remembering God. The whole relationship of the Son to the Father lies in him. His part in the sonship is also yours and his completed learning guarantees your own success. Is he still available for help? What did he say about this? Remember his promises and ask yourself honestly whether it is likely that he will fail to keep them. Can God fail his Son and can one who is one with God be unlike him? Who transcends the body has transcended limitations. Would the greatest teacher be unavailable to those who follow him? The name of Jesus Christ is such as but a symbol but it stands for love that is not of this world. It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray. It becomes the shining symbol for the word of God so close to what it stands for that the little space between the two is lost. The moment that the name is called to mind. Remembering the name of Jesus Christ is to give thanks for all the gifts that God has given you and gratitude to God becomes the way in which he is remembered for love cannot be far behind a grateful heart and thankful mind. God enters easily for these are the true conditions for your homecoming. Jesus has led the way. Why would you not be grateful to him? He has asked for love but only that he might give it to you. You do not love yourself but in his eyes your loveliness is so complete and flawless that he sees in it an image of his father. You become the symbol of his father here on earth. To you he looks for hope because in you he sees no limit and no strain to mar your beautiful perfection. In his eyes Christ's vision shines in perfect constancy. He has remained with you. Would you not learn the lesson of salvation through his learning? Why would you choose to start again when he has made the journey for you? No one on earth can grasp what heaven is or what its one creator really means yet we have witnesses. It is to them that wisdom should appeal. There have been those whose learning far exceeds what we can learn nor would we teach the limitations we have laid on us. No one who has become a true and dedicated teacher of God forgets his brothers yet what he can offer them is limited by what he learns himself. Then turn to one who laid all limits by and went beyond the farthest reach of learning. He will take you with him for he did not go alone and you were with him then as you are now. This course has come from him because his words have reached you in a language you can love and understand. Are other teachers possible to lead the way to those who speak in different tongues and appeal to different symbols? Certainly there are. Would God lead anyone without a very present help in time of trouble? A savior who can symbolize himself. Yet do we need a many faceted curriculum not because of content differences but because symbols must shift and change to suit the need. Jesus has come to answer yours. In him you find God's answer. Do you then teach with him for he is with you. He is always here.