“The mind that serves the Holy Spirit is unlimited forever, in all ways, beyond the laws of time and space, unbound by any preconceptions, and with strength and power to do whatever it is asked.”   …ACIM

The dictionary provides at least eight definitions for the word, freedom. From those eight I have chosen the following one as the most appropriate for this post: “the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.”

I must begin this post with a repetition because if we really desire to be free we must make that choice that’s so prevalent throughout these posts. But first I’m obligated to point out that what you are has absolutely nothing to do with what you believe about yourself. You are as God created you, and you’ll be so forever without change or differences of any kind. But that being said, you still must decide as to whether you’re going to see the flesh or recognize the Spirit. In this choice lies your decision as to whether to begin the waking process, or remain asleep – it’s entirely up to you.

The Course points out those pesky ideas that irritate some of us so much. For example, it says: “Who would seek for freedom in a body looks for it where it can not be found.”  Wow! That’s not good news at all for those who are determined to see themselves as only that which is reflected in a mirror.

The body’s eyes can see nothing but walls and limitations; they see illusions and that’s all. The Course continues with more enlightening information concerning this decision: “There is no choice in vision but this one. What you decide in this determines all you see and think is real and hold as true.”

It just keeps piling bad news upon those who decide to see only the physical. Why does it do this; why does it keep bearing tidings of unhappiness for some. Well because it’s goal is to lead us out of the hell we’ve made for ourselves. To do this it must help us see misery for what it is, and teach us where we can find its opposite, which is joy. In this endeavor it suggests using our Power of Reason: “Reason will tell you that the only way to escape from misery is to recognize it and go the other way.“

“The power of decision is all that is yours.”   …ACIM

The above quote from the Course seems to imply that the freedom to choose is the only power we have left. But the thing is, this power is the precursor of all other Powers except one, which is the power of wanting, or desire. For it’s the power of our wants and desires which causes us to make conscious decisions.

Not all decisions are consciously made. Most of them are made without us even being aware of it. Every minute, even every second, we spend in time we’re making decisions. And even though it seems there are nearly an unlimited number we’re choosing among, the Course says: “What you can decide between is fixed because there are no alternatives except truth and illusion. And there is no overlap between them because they are opposites which cannot be reconciled and cannot both be true. You are guilty or guiltless, bound or free, happy or unhappy.”

“How wonderful it is to do your will! For that is freedom. There is nothing else that ever should be called by freedom‘s name.”   …ACIM

In my opening paragraph I included a dictionary definition for the word freedom. Part of that definition reads: The power of self-determination attributed to the will. And the above quote from the Course tells us that doing our will is freedom; and there is nothing else that ever should be called by freedom‘s name.

But in order to do our will we must first learn what it is. What is your will? God gave it to you when He created you, and it’s so far beyond the pettiness of this physical world you have lost sight of it. In the confusion of this physical dream we no longer know what our will is. Which is why, whether we realize it, or not, we have enslaved ourselves to the aspects of physicality. For no one who sees the flesh only can escape the ego’s sentence of old age, sickness and death – the only gifts the ego holds for its followers.

“Completion is the function of God’s Son. He has no need to seek for it at all. Beyond all idols stands his holy will to be but what he is.”    …ACIM

There you have it; your will laid out for you to see. It’s pretty plain, and would be difficult to misread or misunderstand. Your will is to be what you are as God created you. Nowadays there’s a lot of emphasis placed upon the teaching that we create our own reality. But it’s not true. Only God can create reality, and our reality, which has already been created by Him, is eternal.

But that’s not to say we don’t make that which we believe to be our reality. As the Course says: “Thoughts can represent lower–order or higher-order reality…. One makes the physical and the other creates the spiritual, and we believe in what we make or create.”

Most of us have been conditioned from physical birth to believe that what we see around us with the body’s eyes is reality. Again, it’s not true. Everything in this physical world is an illusion because it’s made from thoughts which have no foundation, and therefore, all things physical are temporary. That’s why in a few short years everything we see now will have changed form, or dissolved back into the nothingness from which it came.

“The power of decision is our own. Decide but to accept your rightful place as co-creator of the universe, and all you think you made will disappear.”    …ACIM

The power of decision is our own. Herein lies the only freedom we have left as inhabitants of this world. God has assured that we will always be free to choose to change our minds. And here we are urged to make a decision; a very important one: Decide but to accept your rightful place as co-creator of the universe. Wow, that’s setting the bar a lot higher. Who believes they’re rightful place is to be a co-creator of the universe? Probably not many, but the thing is, we’re not asked to believe it; we’re simply asked to accept it. Our beliefs have no affect on what we are, except in illusions.

In illusions we believe we’re something other than we are, and most of us accept this  “something other” as our reality. But the Course tells us, “God created you as part of Him.” That’s our reality, and it’s the only reality we’ll ever have; and who would want another? The Course continues: “That is both where you are and what you are. It is completely unalterable. It is total inclusion. You cannot change it now or ever. It is forever true. It is not a belief but a fact.”

“Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life”   …Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

The above quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer is universal in its coverage and therefore, seems to assume that we all want, or need, to change our lives. But there may be some who are living such fabulous lives that they wouldn’t even consider changing them. But even so, eventually even those living fabulous lives realize that old age, sickness and death diminish the fabulousness to nothing.

And what could be more fabulous than realizing and then accepting the truth that we are co-creators of the universe? Those who see only the flesh, and even some of those who are beginning to recognize the Spirit, will laugh at the suggestion that we humans are co-creators of the universe. And there’s some legitimacy to their laughter, because in this world creation is impossible. This world and everything in it is made – not created – from the egos thought system of fear.

But even so, once we can accept even the possibility that we are creators, we’re ready to accept the idea we are making our own experiences from our prevailing thoughts. Once this is accepted, then we will automatically begin to direct our thinking toward the Holy Spirit’s higher-order thought system of love. This is so because, as the Course reminds us: we “were created to create the good, the beautiful, and the holy.” 

“Without your special function has this world no meaning for you.”

We learned earlier that our special function is Completion, which means, to be what we are. This function is accomplished through forgiveness, which has its beginning in our recognition of the Spirit. Once we’re able to recognize Spirit as our reality then we’re able to forgive ourselves and all other dreamers for dreaming dreams of fear. And then, as the Course reminds us, this world “can become a treasure house as rich and limitless as Heaven itself.”

I’m going to close this post with a quote attributed to the Buddha: “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.”

 

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