Hi,
I'm Teresa Hubbard.
Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.
We continue today in chapter 3,
The Innocent Perception.
Section 2,
Miracles as True Perception.
To summarize my takeaways,
In section 2 of chapter 3,
We are reminded that innocence is not a partial attribute.
Just like we cannot simultaneously have darkness and light,
Or everything and nothing,
Innocence is not real for us until it is total.
The partly innocent can be quite foolish at times,
And because of this,
Our thinking will be erratic until we make a firm commitment to innocence.
We are reminded that nothing can prevail against us when we commend our spirit into the hands of our Creator.
In so doing,
We awaken from our sleep.
All sense of separation disappears.
We are then able to understand the lesson of the atonement and see truly.
When we perceive truly,
We cancel out misperceptions of ourselves and others simultaneously.
Because we now see others for who they are,
We offer them our acceptance of their truth so that they can accept it for themselves.
This is the healing that the miracle induces.
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 definitions of terms you will hear within the reading.
Perception What we see inwardly determines what we see outside ourselves.
Spirit The nature of our true reality,
Which being of God,
Is changeless and eternal,
Contrasted with the body which changes and dies.
Miracle The change in mind that shifts our perception,
Ascending the laws of this world to reflect the laws of God.
The miracle provides the means to heal our own minds and the minds of others.
Heaven Also referred to as the real world,
It's where God and His creations dwell in perfect unity.
Atonement The Holy Spirit's plan of correction,
Healing our minds from the earthly world of illusion to God's world of truth.
Holy Spirit The communication link between God and us,
Bridging the gap between the mind of Christ and our human minds.
Christ The self that God created by extension of His Spirit.
It represents the potential within each of us.
And now,
On to the reading.
A Course in Miracles Chapter 3 The Innocent Perception Section 2 Miracles as True Perception I have stated that the basic concepts referred to in this course are not matters of degree.
Certain fundamental concepts cannot be understood in terms of opposites.
It is impossible to conceive of light and darkness or everything and nothing as joint possibilities.
They are all true or all false.
It is essential that you realize your thinking will be erratic until a firm commitment to one or the other is made.
A firm commitment to darkness or nothingness,
However,
Is impossible.
No one has ever lived who has not experienced some light or some thing.
No one,
Therefore,
Is able to deny truth totally,
Even if he thinks he can.
Innocence is not a partial attribute.
It is not real until it is total.
The partly innocent are apt to be quite foolish at times.
It is not until their innocence becomes a viewpoint with universal application that it becomes wisdom.
Infinite or true perception means that you never misperceive and always see truly.
More simply,
It means that you never see what does not exist and always see what does.
When you lack confidence in what someone else will do,
You are attesting to your belief that he is not in his right mind.
This is hardly a miracle-based frame of reference.
It also has the disastrous effect of denying the power of the miracle.
The miracle perceives everything as it is.
If nothing but the truth exists,
Right-minded seeing cannot see anything but perfection.
I have said that only what God creates,
Or what you create with the same will,
Has any real existence.
This then is all the innocent can see.
They do not suffer from distorted perception.
You are afraid of God's will because you have used your own mind,
Which he created and the likeness of his own,
To miscreate.
The mind can miscreate only when it believes it is not free.
An imprisoned mind is not free because it is possessed or held back by itself.
It is therefore limited,
And the will is not free to assert itself.
To be one is to be of one mind or will.
When the will of the Sonship and the Father are one,
Their perfect accord is heaven.
Nothing can prevail against a Son of God who commends his Spirit into the hands of his Father.
By doing this,
The mind awakens from its sleep and remembers its Creator.
All sense of separation disappears.
The Son of God is part of the Holy Trinity,
But the Trinity itself is one.
There is no confusion within its levels because they are of one mind and one will.
This single purpose creates perfect integration and establishes the peace of God.
Yet this vision can be perceived only by the truly innocent.
Because their hearts are pure,
The innocent defend true perception instead of defending themselves against it.
Following the lesson of the atonement,
They are without the wish to attack,
And therefore they see truly.
This is what the Bible means when it says,
Quote,
When He shall appear or be perceived,
We shall be like Him,
For we shall see Him as He is,
End quote.
The way to correct distortions is to withdraw your faith in them and invest it only in what is true.
You cannot make untruth true.
If you are willing to accept what is true in everything you perceive,
You let it be true for you.
Truth overcomes all error,
And those who live in error and emptiness can never find lasting solace.
If you perceive truly,
You are canceling out misperceptions in yourself and in others simultaneously.
Because you see them as they are,
You offer them your acceptance of their truth so they can accept it for themselves.
This is the healing that the miracle induces.
