Lesson 236
I rule my mind, which I alone must rule.
“Father, my mind is open to Your Thoughts, and closed today to every thought but Yours. I rule my mind, and offer it to You. Accept my gift, for it is Yours to me.”
(ACIM Lesson 236 2:1-3).
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Only you have the power to give your power away. Have you ever thought about that? You are so powerful that you can just give it away….like that, with the snap of your fingers. I would say that is not a sign of weakness at all, but rather that it shows how powerful we truly are, that we can do with it what we will. Thus, why not use the same energy that it takes to give it away, to harness it more wisely instead? How is that for a focal point for looking within?
No one else can rule your mind unless you say so. It is a stark truth that needs our awareness. When it comes to salvation, we are not waiting for a savior outside ourselves; we are waiting for ourselves. Lesson 236 states, “I have a kingdom I must rule” (ACIM Lesson 236 1:1). This queendom is not without. It is not the world around us. It is not our job, family, or home. The queendom is the root of our garden. It is our mind. For far too long, we have made the mind our master when in Reality, we are the Masters of our mind. It was created to be our servant, not us, its slaves.
“My mind can only serve” (ACIM Lesson 236 1:5).
As we have come to know on an experiential level, the mind is a capricious entity. It changes, it doubts, it questions, it assumes, it judges, it wears masks, it loves you one moment and leaves you the next, and it can be down right scary. A world lived in the mind, is a lost world, indeed. However, a mind given over to God is a pure holy force, with the potential to be a valued servant.
And here is the crux, reclaiming our entire mind from all the subtle ways in which we have given it away. It is almost like retracing the lent you have dropped from your shirt all day. It can be that minute and micro, making it a hard trail to find left by Hansel and Gretel. If we are lucky, it can sometimes be like finding the pieces of tissues you accidentally washed in the washer, tedious but obvious at the same time. However, the point is not to engage in a game of retracing your steps but of becoming more present with the thoughts leading and leaving your mind. Today, we want to reclaim all areas, big and small: pieces of lent and pieces of balled up tissue.
As we approach a day like today, I ask that you become especially aware of who controls your mind in what seems to be the “dark moments.” We all have them. It is part of the human experience. But once we get over that judgment, we can equanimously witness the mind. Even in the dark, can you experience, not just remember and know, but feel, that you are the Light? Can you let God even hold your mind while you sense fear is present? Can you see how Love can hold all sorts of experiences and not give your power away to any of them? Here we have another opportunity to practice non-attachment.
The mind cannot take over without your consent and neither can the Holy Spirit. Let the words of Eleanor Roosevelt light your awareness today to your Divine Mastery. Allow God to use your mind for the holiest of purposes, your salvation. Reclaim the queendom (kingdom) that only you can rule. Namaste.
I determine my situation and my circumstances.
I am the director of my play.
I am the lead actor in my movie.
I am the writer of the script.
I call all the shots in the ball game of life.
I am the perceiver of my perception.
I am the determining factor in the puzzle that is the world.
I am the fulcrum that balances All.
And because of this,
I, and I alone, am the source of my experience.
