“Knowledge is not the motivation for learning this course. Peace is.”   –ACIM

Separation runs contrary to every part of God’s Glorious Creation. God’s Creation is an ever expanding Circle of Unity. Within this Circle abides everything that is real. Anything that is perceived to be outside this Circle of Unity is not of God’s Creation and as such it is not real. Whatever you perceive to be outside of unity is an illusion. God’s Creation is represented here as a Circle because it has no beginning nor will it ever have an ending. It’s a Circular Extension of God Himself, circular only in the metaphorical sense that it is without beginning or ending.

Most humans perceive themselves to be outside this Circle of Unity and therefore separate from God. And except for a few close friends and family members, they see themselves as separate from everything else in the Universe. This perception is the maker of the ego, which, in turn, is the maker of the body. For both the ego and the body, which is the ego’s chosen home, are outside this Circle of Unity. As Jesus tells us in The Course: “The body is outside you, and but seems to surround you, shutting you off from others and keeping you apart from them and them from you.” 

“Salvation must reverse the mad belief in separate thoughts and separate bodies which lead separate lives and go their separate ways.”   –ACIM

The term, “Salvation,” may hold different meanings for different people but we can probably agree that it usually means to be saved. In The Course Jesus defines it thus: “For salvation is the end of dreams and with the closing of the dream will have no meaning.”  It’s my understanding that Salvation, in the context of The Course, means to accept Atonement and by doing so let go of the illusion of being separated from God. In other words, to recognize that everything real is included in the ever expanding Circle of Unity. As the above quote implies, Salvation reverses the mad belief in separate thoughts and separate bodies which lead separate lives and go their separate ways.

“Seek you no further. You will not find peace except the peace of God.”   –ACIM (Lesson 200)

To seek no further implies that I have been seeking for something and am told to stop doing so. The above quote leads me to believe that my seeking has been for peace and has been happening where peace does not exist. It seems that I have been seeking it outside the Circle of Unity. In other words, I have been seeking it in this world of separate thoughts and separate bodies, where it will never be found.

There is no peace to be found anywhere except within myself. I can search this world over and over and over again but I will not find peace in it, for it contains no peace to be found. The “peace” I’m talking about here is not the physical type that follows the laying down of arms when a war ends. No, this peace I’m talking about is a condition of pure happiness and contentment. It could be referred to as resting in God, and I can rest in God only where God is. God and His peace will never be found outside myself, for He dwells within me as I dwell within him. 

Therefore, the very peace I’m seeking I already have. Within me exists everything that has ever been created. All the Love, Peace, Well-Being, Health, Happiness, Joy, Contentment and Safety that exists in the Entire Universe are within me. But as long as I believe I’m separate from my Creator I will perceive myself as outside the Circle of Unity. I will not experience the joy and security of any of the wonderful conditions mentioned above.

“Choose once again if you would take your place among the saviors of the world, or would remain in hell and hold your brothers there.”   –ACIM

Those who see themselves outside of God’s Circle of Unity are those who believe this world of separate thoughts and separate bodies which lead separate lives and go their separate ways is real. This world and everything in it, as we perceive it, is an illusion, or if you prefer a dream; it is not real.

The Course tells us that, “The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world.”  It seems to me that this is an awesome and mighty power. The above header quote implies that this power will allow me to take my place as a savior of the world or to simply remain in hell. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like some awesome and mighty power.

“The real world is all that the Holy Spirit has saved for you out of what you have made, and to perceive only this is salvation because it is the recognition that reality is only what is true.”    –ACIM 

Every loving thought that I have ever had the Holy Spirit has saved for me. Thoughts of love, compassion, joy, health, happiness, peace and all other aspects of innocence are eternal and they never leave the mind that thought them. With the Holy Spirit’s help these thoughts are separated from their opposites, such as thoughts of fear, sadness, sickness, depression, conflict and all other thoughts of the ego. 

The thoughts that originate with the ego are those that make up this world of birth, growing up, growing old, getting sick and dying in the end. The Course refers to it as hell. The ego is not real, as The Course reminds us: “The ego is nothing more than a part of your belief about yourselves.” And neither is the world of birth, aging, sickness and death it has made. This world is as unreal as its maker, therefore, like its maker it’s all an illusion.

It’s the Thoughts that come from Love that I have experienced that the Holy Spirit has saved for me. Thoughts of Love are eternal and it’s these that create the real world. A world where there is no birth, aging, sickness or death. An eternal world of abundance in all things where every living thing shares in it equally. There is nothing there that even faintly resembles this tired world of sickness and death. There’s nothing there but happiness, joy, peace, abundance in all things and life eternal. 

“To perceive only this is salvation because it is the recognition that reality is only what is true.”

Perception is a powerful tool that has taken the place of vision in this world of separation. It allows us to go beyond that which the body’s eyes are designed to see. The body’s eyes can only see that which stops light. In other words, they can see only the surface of anything. They will never see the real world.  

The “only this” that we’re urged to “perceive” is that which “the Holy Spirit has saved for us out of what we have made.” From every thought we have ever had since the separation from our Creator, which was eons ago in time, the Holy Spirit has picked out and kept those that originated in love and discarded the rest. These loving thoughts have been saved and have created the “Real World.”  

I’m going to close this post with a quote from Lesson 185 in The Course: “No one who truly seeks the peace of God can fail to find it. For he merely asks that he deceive himself no longer by denying to himself what is God’s Will.”

Thank You for visiting this site. I am truly grateful. May God Bless you with His Perfect Peace. 

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“Love is your safety. Fear does not exist. Identify with love, and you are safe. Identify with love, and you are home. Identify with love, and find your Self.” –ACIM

“Veganism is believing that an animal’s life is worth more than a sandwich. That’s it! That’s how simple it is.” –The Spiritual Vegan