 Hi, everyone. Welcome again to our live broadcast of the Course in Miracles Workbook Lessons of the Day. And today we are jumping into Workbook Lesson number four from A Course in Miracles. So if you can join along with us anytime we come live, we're so grateful to practice with you. I will oftentimes bring maybe a reading from the course in that's pertinent to the Workbook Lesson and then also field some questions and issues that that people have written in as well to to our platform. ACIM Lessons form, which is part of our mailing list. So if you want to actually join our Living Miracles mailing list and just look for signing up for the ACIM Lessons form, you can send in your issues and things that you would like to really find out how you can apply the lessons in a very practical way to what's going on in your in your world. Okay, so today we start with ACIM Lesson number four. These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room on this street from this window in this place. Unlike the preceding ones, these ideas, these exercises do not begin with the idea for the day. In these practice periods begin with noting the thoughts that cross, you're crossing your mind for about a minute. Then apply the idea to them. If you are already aware of unhappy thoughts, use them as subjects for the idea. Do not however select only the thoughts you think are quote bad. You will find if you train yourself to look at your thoughts that they represent such a mixture that in a sense, none of them can be called quote good or bad. This is why they do not mean anything. In selecting the subjects for the application of today's idea, the usual specificity is required. Do not be afraid to use good thoughts as well as bad. None of them represents your real thoughts, which are being covered up by them. The quote good ones are but shadows of what lies beyond. And shadows make sight difficult. The quote bad ones are blocks to site and make seeing impossible. You do not want either. This is a major exercise and will be repeated from time to time in somewhat different form. The aim here is to train you in the first steps toward the goal of separating the meaningless from the meaningful. It is a first attempt in the long range purpose of learning to see the meaninglessness as outside you and the meaningful within. It is also the beginning of training your mind to recognize what is the same. And what is different. In using your thoughts for the application of the idea for today, identify each thought by the central figure or event it contains. For example, this thought about bill in the blank does not mean anything. It is like the things I see in this room on this street and so on. You can also use the idea for a particular thought that you recognize as harmful. This practice is useful, but is not a substitute for the more random procedures to be followed for the exercises. Do not however examine your mind for more than a minute or so. You are too inexperienced as yet to avoid a tendency to become pointlessly preoccupied. However, since these exercises are the first of their kind, you may find the suspension of judgment in connection with thoughts particularly difficult. Do not repeat these exercises more than three or four times during the day. We will return to them later. For those of you doing workbook lesson for today from a course in miracles. We can see that that the first, the first three exercises that we practice here were basically about perception. And the first one was nothing I see means anything second one was I've given everything I see all the meaning it has to me. And then the third one was was helping us start to understand that we don't understand anything that we see at all. And so the first three lessons of the workbook have been focused on perception. It's meaninglessness. Also that it's coming about from projection, I have given everything I see all the meaning so the ego is writing all the meanings onto this world. And when we keep thinking with the ego and believing in the ego then we keep interpreting and reacting to the perceptions of the world and we may judge some of things some things as happy events happy situations, and we may judge other ones is as upsetting. And, and what we're learning today in this lesson is that the, what we would consider the good thoughts aren't really the good thoughts they're just shadows of, of unreal thoughts, and then the dark thoughts the good thoughts we might call them or the seemingly judgmental thoughts, those are are just dark thoughts that are just blocks to seeing. And when Jesus uses the term seeing he's not really talking about seeing with the body's eyes or seeing through the five senses and experiencing the world through the five senses he's actually pointing towards a deeper what we'll call Christ vision. It's a spiritual vision. It's a way of seeing with light. And that is what true seeing is so these first lessons are just opportunities for us to start to clear away the debris that's blocking the true seeing. So again, the good ones, the good thoughts that that cross your mind when you pay attention to the thoughts that cross your mind today the good ones are but shadows of what lies beyond and shadows make site difficult. The bad ones are blocks to site and make seeing impossible. And he reminds us you do not want either. And he also mentions that this is the beginning of training our mind to discern between what is the same and what is different. I touched on that during the very first workbook lesson commentary we did here in this new year of 2023, where I was basically reading from this section on the border land, the border land of thought. Between the world and waking up from this world. There's a border land of thought where there still seems to be things happening, but your mind is becoming very much aware that what you're perceiving is is not reality. You're opening towards the gates of heaven towards the gates of eternal life towards abstract love and light, and that's also opening towards Christ vision, which is really the goal of the workbook is to train your mind to see with Christ vision, not with the body's eyes, and not with the five senses. So, what is the same and what is different we touched on that a little bit before but all of the things that are in perception are actually the same. So, when you look as a human being you think, what, how can all the images and the things of this world how can all the bodies be the same. All the images the trees, the clouds, the mountains, the stars, the moon, the sun, we have different names for all of these different things but what Jesus will show us as we go through this awakening is, is that all of the images that we perceive are actually because they're equally illusory. They're idle images and they're all equally false. And we may give different names to them and we may try to with the egos advice try to rank order them into the high priorities and the low priorities and the middle priorities. To the things we're attracted to to the things we're repulsed by to the things that we're indifferent to. We, this is all egoic hierarchy and trying to make hierarchies of illusion and that's what blocks true vision Christ vision from from awareness. So, as Jesus goes on. He basically is telling us, just practice this lesson and pay attention to your, your thoughts and and really don't try to do this in an obsessive way. He wants us to just ease in almost like if you're going into a swimming pool he's taking us. He's taking us into the shallow end, so to speak. He doesn't want us flipping out or freaking out with the lessons he wants us to gradually practice and practice and practice and transfer the training that he's offering us. And so, we get happier and happier and happier as we come more in alignment with the Holy Spirit's way of thinking and with Christ vision. So, we can see that he's asking us not to repeat these exercises more than three or four times during the day. Remember he's taking us into the shallow end of the pool he's just starting us off we're just on the fourth day of the year, and he's easing us in. A lot of times when when people start to do these lessons. They, they will do the lesson and then the ego will come in for its own commentary, like it will say things like that's ridiculous. What are you doing. Why are you doing these lessons it's a waste of time the ego will try to dismiss the mind training opportunity that the workbook lessons offer. So, that's really beautiful and, and I thought to, I would just read a little bit from the text of a course of miracles with something that's relevant to the workbook lesson that we're working on today. Now, some of you know that with our community we practice no private thoughts and no people pleasing and as we move along here in the workbook here pretty early on Jesus is going to tell us that you have no private thoughts and yet that's all you're aware of. So already in lesson number four Jesus is saying that the thoughts that we think are passing through our consciousness and our awareness. The good ones and the bad ones are all part of a stream of, of thoughts that are egoic that are made by the ego to block us from our real thoughts which are buried even deeper. So, our unreal thoughts, which are egoic by nature because the ego is not real, God didn't create the ego, the ego's make believe and all the thoughts that typically go through the stream of thoughts, as you're watching your, your mind, those are not the real thoughts, the real thoughts are the thoughts you think with God, and the private thoughts, the illusory stream of thoughts, the past and future thoughts are the thoughts that you think with the ego. And the whole thing is, you can, you may go, wow, what a mess, my mind is preoccupied with these thoughts. My mind is addicted to these stream of false thoughts in 12 step programs they call it the stinking thinking. And Jesus doesn't use those words, but that's from 12 steps, the big book. And basically, what we're realizing is the thoughts that cross our mind, everyday awareness as you're beginning the mind training are all part of a system of denial of the love of God. And, and what Jesus is going to show us progressively is when, when we're thinking with the ego we're not really thinking at all, our mind is literally blank when we're thinking with the ego, because the ego isn't real. So, what does it mean to constantly be preoccupied and addicted with unreal thoughts. Insanity actually, the psychologist would call that insanity. But what Jesus is saying is, these unreal thoughts are not real and you're actually not the thinker of these thoughts that can be a big stretch but, but who you really are, never could think these erroneous thoughts these past future thoughts. We really are is Christ and we have real thoughts that we think with God and their thoughts of pure love, pure happiness and pure joy. So this is great this is laying the framework for making things very very meaningful. And when you do this lesson today, basically saying, the thoughts I'm thinking don't really mean anything, it can, it can feel a little bit absurd, but you also might think, oh my gosh, my mind is so identified with these thoughts and so preoccupied it's going to take, it's going to take a miracle for me to let them go. And Jesus is saying, yeah, that's, that's exactly right. That's why it's a course in miracles. That's why we're doing the, the mind training of the workbook of a course in miracles because it will take a miracle to let them go. But you will also learn as you go deeper in your practice of the course to give these thoughts over to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus and it's kind of like saying wow I've got a whole stream of unreal thoughts going here Jesus about the past and the future. Here, let me give them to you. And why don't you select from them and bring them back to me in a way that will help my mind unwind from this unreal stream of thoughts. And Jesus is like, great, yeah, that's what that's what guidance is all about how I'll take your make believe thoughts and I'll give you make believe guidance, but the benefit of make believe guidance is that it's coming from Jesus and the Holy Spirit and it will unwind you and it will unwind you from your connection to these thoughts, it will unwind you from, from the your obsession with these thoughts, and more and more you start to feel like wow, I feel peaceful, and if there's something I need if there's a word I need or some guidance I need it will be and that's Jesus using these thoughts and orchestrating them and putting the thoughts together in a way, packaging them as your guidance, your little prompts your nudges. Now that's a good use of judgment. That's the Holy Spirit's use of judgment guidance. So, let's, let's actually go to chapter 15. And the section is, is, it's chapter 15 the Holy Instant and section four is practicing the Holy Instant. And if some of you want to read along with me you can just go down to paragraphs. Six, we'll start right there. Jesus has to say for us. The reason this course is simple is that truth is simple complexity is of the ego, and is nothing more than the ego's attempt to obscure the obvious. You could live forever in the Holy Instant beginning now and reaching to eternity, but for a very simple reason. Do not obscure the simplicity of this reason, for if you do it will be only because you prefer not to recognize it. And not to let it go. A simple reason, simply stated, is this, the Holy Instant is a time in which you receive and give perfect communication. This means however that it is a time in which your mind is open, both to receive and give. It is the recognition that all minds are in communication. It therefore seeks to change nothing but merely to accept everything. Yeah, there's that one distinction that needs to be made in awakening. It therefore seeks to change nothing but merely to accept everything. And you will see that as you go along in the practice that the Holy Spirit's teaching of forgiveness is very simple. If I change my mind about this world, and I give it the Holy Spirit's purpose, then I will be healed. And the ego's purpose is if something in the world would change other than my own mind, then I would be healed. These, these two plans for salvation, the egos and the Holy Spirit are directly in opposition. So one is to accept all things exactly as they are, which would mean to change your mind to the Holy Spirit's perspective of the world and see that all things work together for good and there's no exceptions. Or the ego will say, touch that, just tweak, this could change, this circumstance, this person, this situation. If they would just get better, then I would be happy. I would be saved if something in the world was different. There's the ego's plan. So again, it is therefore seeks to change nothing but merely to accept everything. How can you do this when you would prefer to have private thoughts and keep them? The only way you could do that would be to deny the perfect communication that makes the Holy Instant what it is. If you believe you can harbor thoughts you would not share and that salvation lies in keeping thoughts to yourself alone. For in private thoughts known only to yourself, you think you find a way to keep what you would have alone and share what you would share. I wonder why it is that you are not in full communication with those around you and with God who surrounds all of you together. Every thought you would keep hidden shuts communication off because you would have it so. It is impossible to recognize perfect communication while breaking communication holds value to you. Ask yourself honestly what I want to have perfect communication and am I wholly willing to let everything that interferes with it go forever. If the answer is no, then the Holy Spirit readiness to give it to you is not enough to make it yours for you are not ready to share it with him. And it cannot come into a mind that has decided to oppose it. For the Holy Instant is given and received with equal willingness. Being the acceptance of the single will that governs all thought. The necessary condition for the Holy Instant does not require that you have no thoughts that are not pure. But it does require that you have none that you would keep. Innocence is not of your making. It has given you the instant you would have it. Atonement would not be if there were no need for it. You will not be able to accept perfect communication as long as you would hide it from yourself. Or what you would hide is hidden from you. So if we take what we've just read from chapter 15, we can see that Jesus is starting off today here in workbook lesson number four, and he's saying these thoughts do not mean anything. These thoughts that seem to be crossing my mind do not mean anything. Why don't they mean anything? Again, these are private thoughts. These are thoughts about the past and the future. And what he's encouraging us to do is to be aware that they're all the same. All of the thoughts that you think about the past and all of the thoughts you think about the future are defenses against the present moment, against this Holy Instant. And when you begin to watch your mind, train your mind with these workbook lessons, and then you also become very willing to give the thoughts over to the Holy Spirit. Say, here's my stream of thoughts. This is what I'm dealing with today. This is what I'm believing in and what I'm attempting to think with these false thoughts. I give them to you, and I want you to give them back to me in a purified form of the past. What's that? But that's his guidance. And then that's going to be the Holy Spirit's and Jesus's use of these private thoughts. So we've learned this, and this is a theme of the course. You have to bring the illusions to the light of the truth. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to use time to teach you that there is no time. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to use the forms to bring your mind into a pristine, still, quiet state that is in alignment with God and in alignment with your true identity as the Christ. Those real thoughts are there, but they're just covered over by a lot of other make believe thoughts. And when the mind is asleep and dreaming, it seems to be very identified with this stream of false thoughts. That's the definition of deception. If you're, if you're thinking thoughts that aren't your real thoughts, if you're thinking the imposter's thoughts, then you feel guilt because the imposter is the ego. It's the devil. And, and that stream of thoughts were generated to keep you from knowing who you really are as a perfect child of God to keep you from remembering the divine innocence. So I had said that we would use these live sessions to to take things that you write in the issues that you're dealing with. And we will try to take the idea for the day, which today is workbook lesson number four these thoughts do not mean anything and apply them to what seems to be going on in the world as it's perceived. And to make this as practical as possible. So actually today we did receive a question via our ACM lessons form from our mailing list. And this is from Diana from Mexico City. Diana writes, Dear David, I find myself going deeper into the lessons, practicing them with more awareness, and asking to understand more and more of them and of course of miracles. And this lesson, and the first three have been on my mind with great vehemence, yet I am seeing and experiencing pain, seeing in my partner violence, a lot of anger and sickness. We have three male dogs for a couple years they were fighting very badly and we had to separate them. And then another big dog also came in from the street and we left to who seemed to get along better together. But these days they have started to fight and bite each other. Yesterday, one of them was badly injured, and everything in the house became tense. The male was very angry, resentful, had resentment, anger, lack of empathy, loneliness, sadness, and said that he felt everything very heavy, including the dogs. So his response was to give away one or two dogs or just leave them on the street, which I and our daughters have accepted. That atmosphere became tense and said, I have not been able to stop giving meaning to the animals, and to the members of this family. I keep interpreting and I feel that painful things keep happening. So, if we take those stream of thoughts that Diana is sharing with us. Maybe we can, we can see that that the purpose for these stream of thoughts is to keep the mind from being at peace. The dogs seem to focus on the dogs, on the fighting and the violence when the dogs, the biting and on the family members, Miguel and the daughters and Diana and, and Miguel, all of them are thoughts. And the ego made this world to bring a reflection of conflict to bring a witness for conflict to the thoughts. So it's a sneaky plan to, first of all, believe in the ego seem to have attack thoughts will call them ego thoughts, a stream of ego thoughts past and future. And then a projection of those thoughts where the thoughts are actually seemingly acted out right in front of you. And you lose your peace. The purpose of this world is to reinforce the thoughts of the ego to reinforce them to make them seem real to make your mind seem to be unable to change the thoughts to change the way that you're thinking. And so this reinforcement is, is part of a sneaky trick to hold on to ego thoughts rather than letting them go. And so our first three workbook lessons were basically all about perception about what I'm seeing not mean anything about, about me giving everything I see all the meaning that it has and not understanding anything I see. And when there's a feeling of meaninglessness or feeling of anger or hurt or sadness, and it seems to be because of the things that are being perceived, then there's not really awareness of the thoughts that are underneath. And as I said, in workbook lesson number one, the purpose of these lessons is to show you that there is no world apart from your mind, there is no world apart from what you are thinking. So if you are thinking ego thoughts and perceiving an ego world, then you have to begin to start to question those thoughts. Do you really want to, to feed the ego, do you really want to, to try to think with the ego and think against God, or would you rather think with Scott. And that's where the guidance of the Holy Spirit comes in, because you're basically handing over those stream of thoughts and you're saying here, take my thoughts and now give me some thoughts as guidance that I can follow that will help me loosen my attraction to this distorted way of thinking that will actually take me toward the light within. So, if we did, there used to be a Jell-O, a dessert mix called Jell-O 123 and there was, you mix the Jell-O and the water and then it formed in the cup, you let it chill in the refrigerator and it had three different layers. We could say the top layer represents the perceptual world, and then the layer below it maybe represents the thoughts that you think are your good thoughts about the world and then the layer below that are the negative or upsetting thoughts that you think about the world. And then below all of that are the real thoughts, which is the light of truth, which the purpose is to reach the real thoughts, to think only the thoughts that I join, I think with God. And that will be a later workbook lesson my mind holds only what I think with God will be to go down beneath layer one, two, three down to the light of heaven and remember the truth of our being. So, that is a practical lesson for the day and thank you Diana for writing that in and giving us a context or a situation to work with with these things. And I know for all of you watching, whatever you seem to be going through today, that's what you want to do. You want to apply this lesson. And again, we're just at the beginning of these workbook lessons so you know if you have three or four practice periods, just today just pay attention and be aware of the thoughts that you're thinking. And many times, the mind is so caught up into actions and reactions and to do list and running around busy trying to achieve and accomplish that that there's not really an awareness of the thoughts but that's what today's workbook lesson is about it's just saying, be aware that the thoughts that are crossing your mind don't mean anything. Don't take them personally don't identify with them. And as you move forward in the mind training, it will be an opportunity, more and more and more to release those thoughts to Jesus and the Holy Spirit and say here you take them and give them back to me in a way that can be helpful in a way that I can use to bring a blessing instead of a grievance to bring happy lighthearted laughter instead of anger and jealousy and upset help me move in the direction of coming to you God, let me move toward the light. So thank you. Thank you so much for joining today. I love you I'm so grateful that you're practicing this course in miracles and get the picture of Jesus right behind me here. It's just a beautiful reminder for me as he's looking, looking toward the light and his, his arms are open looks like he's waving, waving to somebody and waving his home. That's what he's doing. Okay. Love you. God bless you.