A Course In Miracles - Chapter 11, Section VI

Hi,

I'm Teresa Hubbard.

Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.

We continue today in Chapter 11,

God or the Ego?

Section 6,

Waking to Redemption.

To summarize my takeaways,

In Section 6 of Chapter 11,

We learn that it is impossible not to believe what we see,

But it is equally impossible for us to see what we do not believe.

Perceptions are built up on the basis of our experiences,

And our experiences lead to our beliefs.

In effect then,

What we believe,

We see.

Jesus our brother and guide tells us here that this is what he meant when he told us,

Blessed are ye who have not seen and still believe.

We are invited to let the Christ in us interpret for us,

And to not limit what we see by narrow little beliefs that are unworthy of us as God's Son.

Jesus reminds us here that he lives in us,

Because we live in God,

Which is true for each of us.

How then can we perceive unworthiness in a brother,

Without perceiving it in ourself?

And how can we perceive unworthiness in ourself,

Without perceiving it in God?

Jesus asks us not to teach that he died in vain,

But rather teach that he did not die,

By demonstrating that he lives in us.

We must not underestimate the power that the God we worship has over us.

The God of crucifixion,

Whom we made,

Demands that we crucify and we obey.

Yet we are crucifying ourselves,

Believing that our power is born of sacrifice and pain.

In contrast,

The God of resurrection,

Our creator,

Demands nothing,

For he wills not to take away.

Our Father and Creator does not require obedience,

For obedience implies submission.

Our Creator would only have us learn of our will and follow it,

Not in the spirit of sacrifice and submission,

But in the gladness of freedom.

Our allegiance is compelled gladly,

Because it is joyous.

The compelling power of our Creator lies in the fact that it represents what we want to be.

The freedom to leave behind everything that hurts us,

Humbles us and frightens us,

Cannot be thrust upon us,

But it can be offered us through the grace of our Creator.

Our Creator is gracious to us,

Accepting us without question as his own.

Who then is our own?

To the God of creation,

All things are possible,

And to the Christ within us,

It is given us to be creators,

Creating in the likeness of our Creator.

I invite you to keep a few things in mind as you listen to the reading.

The course uses male pronouns,

Yet this is simply a way of pointing to the spiritual being,

Having no gender.

The course is written in first person,

And although not introduced directly to the reader,

It becomes clear that the words are from Jesus,

Often quoting from the Bible.

The course uses traditional Christian terms in a non-traditional manner.

These words are simply pointers to truth,

Nothing more.

A few terms you will hear within this reading.

God,

The Creator,

The source of all being or life.

God's essence is Spirit,

Which is shared with all creation.

Yet the word God can be limiting,

Since universal energy and life are infinitely vast and cannot be contained in a word.

Christ,

The self that God created by extension of his Spirit,

The potential within each of us.

Salvation.

We are saved from our belief in sin and guilt through the change of mind that forgiveness and the miracle bring about.

Projection is a law of mind.

What we see inwardly determines what we see outside ourselves.

This then is our perception,

Which we project onto the world around us.

And now,

On to the reading.

A Course in Miracles Chapter 11,

God or the Ego.

Section 6,

Waking to Redemption.

It is impossible not to believe what you see,

But it is equally impossible to see what you do not believe.

Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience,

And experience leads to beliefs.

It is not until beliefs are fixed that perceptions stabilize.

In effect,

Then,

What you believe,

You do see.

That is what I meant when I said,

Quote,

Blessed are ye who have not seen and still believe,

End quote,

For those who believe in the resurrection will see it.

The resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ over the ego,

Not by attack,

But by transcendence.

For Christ does rise above the ego and all its works and ascends to the Father in His kingdom.

Would you join in the resurrection or the crucifixion?

Would you condemn your brothers or free them?

Would you transcend your prison and ascend to the Father?

These questions are all the same and are answered together.

There has been much confusion about what perception means,

Because the word is used both for awareness and for the interpretation of awareness.

Yet you cannot be aware without interpretation,

For what you perceive is your interpretation.

This course is perfectly clear.

If you do not see it clearly,

It is because you are interpreting against it,

And therefore do not believe it.

And since belief determines perception,

You do not perceive what it means,

And therefore do not accept it.

Yet different experiences lead to different beliefs,

And with them,

Different perceptions.

For perceptions are learned with beliefs,

And experience does teach.

I am leading you to a new kind of experience that you will become less and less willing to deny.

Learning of Christ is easy,

For to perceive with Christ involves no strain at all.

Christ's perceptions are your natural awareness,

And it is only the distortions you introduce that tire you.

Let the Christ in you interpret for you,

And do not try to limit what you see by narrow little beliefs that are unworthy of God's Son.

For until Christ comes into His own,

The Son of God will see Himself as fatherless.

I am your resurrection and your life.

You live in me,

Because you live in God.

And everyone lives in you,

As you live in everyone.

Can you then perceive unworthiness in a brother,

And not perceive it in yourself?

And can you perceive it in yourself,

And not perceive it in God?

Believe in the resurrection,

Because it has been accomplished,

And it has been accomplished in you.

This is as true now as it ever will be,

For the resurrection is the will of God,

Which knows no time and no exceptions.

But make no exceptions yourself,

Or you will not perceive what has been accomplished for you.

For we ascend unto the Father together,

As it was in the beginning,

Is now,

And ever shall be.

For such is the nature of God's Son as His Father created Him.

Do not underestimate the power of the devotion of God's Son,

Nor the power the God He worships has over Him.

For He places Himself at the altar of His God,

Whether it be the God He made,

Or the God who created Him.

This is why His slavery is as complete as His freedom,

For He will obey only the God He accepts.

The God of crucifixion demands that He crucify,

And His worshipers obey.

In His name,

They crucify themselves,

Believing that the power of the Son of God is born of sacrifice and pain.

The God of resurrection demands nothing,

For He does not will to take away.

He does not require obedience,

For obedience implies submission.

He would only have you learn your will and follow it,

Not in the spirit of sacrifice and submission,

But in the gladness of freedom.

The Son of God is the symbol of joy,

And must compel your allegiance gladly,

Because it is the symbol of joy.

Its whole compelling power lies in the fact that it represents what you want to be.

The freedom to leave behind everything that hurts you,

And humbles you,

And frightens you,

Cannot be thrust upon you,

But it can be offered you through the grace of God.

And you can accept it by His grace,

For God is gracious to His Son,

Accepting Him without question as His own.

Who then is your own?

The Father has given you all that is His,

And He Himself is yours with them.

Guard them in their resurrection,

For otherwise you will not awaken God,

Safely surrounded by what is yours forever.

You will not find peace until you have removed the nails from the hands of God's Son,

And taken the last thorn from His forehead.

The love of God surrounds His Son,

Whom the God of crucifixion condemns.

Teach not that I died in vain.

Teach rather that I did not die,

By demonstrating that I live in you.

For the undoing of the crucifixion of God's Son is the work of the redemption,

In which everyone has a part of equal value.

God does not judge His guiltless Son.

Having given Himself to Him,

How could it be otherwise?

You have nailed yourself to a cross,

And placed a crown of thorns upon your own head.

Yet you cannot crucify God's Son,

For the will of God cannot die.

God's Son has been redeemed from His own crucifixion,

And you cannot assign to death whom God has given eternal life.

The dream of crucifixion still lies heavy on your eyes,

But what you see in dreams is not reality.

While you perceive the Son of God as crucified,

You are asleep.

And as long as you believe that you can crucify Him,

You are only having nightmares.

You who are beginning to wake are still aware of dreams,

And have not yet forgotten them.

The forgetting of dreams and the awareness of Christ come with the awakening of others to share your redemption.

You will awaken to your own call,

For the call to awake is within you.

If I live in you,

You are awake.

Yet you must see the works I do through you,

Or you will not perceive that I have done them unto you.

Do not set limits on what you believe I can do through you,

Or you will not accept what I can do for you.

Yet it is done already,

And unless you give all that you have received,

You will not know that your Redeemer liveth,

And that you have awakened with Him.

Redemption is recognized only by sharing it.

God's Son is saved.

Bring only this awareness to the Sonship,

And you will have a part in the redemption as valuable as mine.

For your part must be like mine,

If you learn it of me.

If you believe that yours is limited,

You are limiting mine.

There is no order of difficulty in miracles,

Because all of God's sons are of equal value,

And their equality is their oneness.

The whole power of God is in every part of Him,

And nothing contradictory to His will is either great or small.

What does not exist has no size and no measure.

To God all things are possible,

And to Christ it is given to be like the Father.