Lesson 29: God is in everything I see.

The idea for today explains why you can see all purpose in everything. It explains why nothing you see means anything. In fact, it explains every idea used thus far, and all subsequent ones as well. Today’s idea is the whole basis for vision.

Without the benefit of vision, nothing is as it appears to you. The way you see now, God does not appear to be in everything. In fact, He appears to be in nothing! The way you see with your eyes draws a veil across the truth and appears to obscure the light. Yet vision will penetrate that veil if you allow it, and you will begin to see God’s holy purpose in everything.

Today’s idea is pivotal in the course’s thought system. The purpose of this lesson is to learn how to look on all things with love, appreciation and open-mindedness. “When vision has shown you the holiness that lights up the world, you will understand today’s idea perfectly. And you will not understand how you could ever have found it difficult.” (W-29.23:6-7)

Sight refers to your current mode of seeing with the body’s eyes and your belief that what your physical eyes now show you is real. Instead, what you are seeing is the result of a thought within the mind, projected onto the world you “see,” and then presumed or judged as “real.” Thus your thoughts, and your perception resulting from those thoughts, are superimposed upon what is really there. What your body’s eyes show you is form, differences, separation.

Vision is unlimited by space and distance and does not depend on the body’s eyes at all. The mind is its only source. It shows you a world of light that joins with what you see, instead of keeping it apart.

Sit quietly and look upon the world you see, and tell yourself: “The real world is not like this. It has no buildings and there are no streets where people walk alone and separate, no stores where people buy an endless list of things they do not need. It is not lit with artificial light and there is no night. There is no loss. Nothing is there but shines forever.” The world you see, therefore, must be denied because you cannot see both worlds. Each of them involves a different kind of seeing, and depends on what you cherish. Christ lives within you waiting for you to leave the past behind and enter into the world He holds out to you in love. Love waits on welcome, not on time, and the real world is but your welcome of what always was. Therefore the call of joy is in it, and your glad response is your awakening. (T-13.VII)

Lesson 30: God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

This idea is “the springboard for vision.” The world will open up before you, and you will see in it what you have never seen before. What you saw before will not even be faintly visible to you. It will release you from the idea of outer causation, and return cause to the mind. It will free you from the idea that you are a victim of the world you see, simultaneously free you from the idea of blame, and concurrently effect the release of your brothers from being blamed.

With this idea, you will try to see in the world what you want to recognize in your mind, what is really there. Instead of attempting to get rid of what you do not like in your mind by projecting it outside yourself and seeing it “out there,” the veil that clouds your seeing will be lifted and you will see what is really in your mind. You will then happily join with what you see, rather than keeping it separate as you used to do. This applies to everything and everyone you see. Real vision is not limited to concepts such as “near” and “far.” It is unlimited by space and distance and actually does not depend on the body’s eyes at all. The mind is its only source.

Lesson 31: I am not the victim of the world I see.

Today’s lesson is a powerful statement of release. It is the introduction to your declaration that you will not yield to temptation, nor will you put yourself in bondage. Many people go through life feeling like helpless victims of the strong, the powerful and the rich, the “system,” the weather, illnesses and diseases, terrorists, and even the “eventuality” of death. They forget that they are Sons of God, they are strong and powerful, they are abundant and they cannot “die.” (Death is the opposite of Life; since Life is the truth, then death must be an illusion, as opposites cannot both be true.)

With today's idea you are released from all false ideas projected outward, and from all their seeming effects. You are not the victim of your inner world of fear thoughts, nor of the outer world of fear’s effects, nor of any perceived enemies seen or unseen. With this idea you will escape from both the inner and the outer together, for the inner is the cause of the outer. Remind yourself that you are making a declaration of independence in the name of your own freedom. Since the world you see is projected from your own mind, in your freedom from false projections lies the freedom of the world.

Lesson 32: I have invented the world I see.

Aha! You are not the victim of the world you see because you invented it. And you can give it up as easily as you made it up. You will see it or not see it, as you wish. While you want the world you invented, you will see it. When you decide that you no longer want it, it will not be there for you to see. It is that simple, that easy.

To put this idea into practice, simply apply the idea immediately to any situation that may distress you. Simply tell yourself “I have invented this situation as I see it.” This will place you back in charge -- and you are!

“What if you recognized this world is an hallucination?

What if you really understood you made it up?”

(T-20.VIII.7:3-4)

There are really only two options. Either you made up the world you see, or you are its victim. Either way, you are either the dreamer, or you are the victim of another’s dream. Think of it this way: if you are the cause, if you did make up this dream, then there is hope -- it means you can change the dream, simply by changing your mind about what you want to see. At some point, you will choose to stop dreaming altogether – and AWAKEN IN GOD.

Lesson 33: There is another way of looking at the world.

As you begin to examine your thoughts, you will be amazed at the number of situations in which the idea of “another way” of looking at them has simply never occurred to you. As in “my mind is made up; do not confuse me with the facts” – or “I prefer my own version of the truth.” You may even think you prefer to see your version of situations. Yet today’s idea is an attempt to recognize that what you really want is the truth. What you really want is peace. You can shift your perception (way of seeing and interpreting) of both your inner and outer worlds in order to see the truth, thus reasserting the power of your mind. Remember to apply this idea the instant you become disturbed, even if ever so slightly. If it will help, try to remain equally uninvolved in both the inner and the outer, and to maintain this detachment as you repeat the idea throughout the day. Remember, the inner and the outer that you see are the same; both are perception, and both are equally unreal.

Lesson 34: I could see peace instead of this.

Since you invent the world you see, you may thus choose to see a world of peace, or see its opposite: turmoil.

The idea for the day begins to describe the conditions that prevail in the other way of seeing. It is possible to be peaceful even when there appears to be turmoil all about you. Therefore, peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. Peace must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward to your perception. The emphasis is on the mind. It is from your internal peace of mind, then, that a peaceful perception of the “outer world” arises. Yet the world thinks if change is made in the outer world, you will then have peace in your mind. It is the other way around. You must first have peace in your mind, and then the outer world’s conditions will reflect that peace.

It is comforting to know that if you really can see peace instead of what you see now, then what you are “seeing” is not as “rock solid” or as immutable (unchangeable) as you had at first thought. And as such, you are not trapped in the world you see. You can be released from it by simply changing your mind to wanting to see peace (abundance, healing, happiness, purpose, truth, etc.) in the world instead of what you now perceive in it. You must first want it, to have it, to see it. Ask the Holy Spirit for help in changing your mind about what you want.

“It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.”

(W-34.1:4)

Whenever you feel your peace of mind is threatened in any way, protect yourself from the temptation to slip into anger, depression, anxiety or worry by using the lesson. Tell yourself this, specifically:

“I can replace my feelings of depression, anxiety or worry

[or my thoughts about this situation, personality or event]

with peace.”

(W-34.6:4)