Lesson 62
Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
Today we meet another valuable lesson on forgiveness and take our walk much deeper into this concept. Previously in Lesson 46, “God is the Love in which I forgive,” we were given the opportunity to experience how God’s Love embraces those who we have not yet forgiven, including ourselves. We took time during that lesson to understand that no one has done anything wrong and we practiced the art of forgiving another to ultimately work on forgiving ourselves.
The Course continues to remind us of our choices: love or fear, forgiveness or judgement. The Course is beautiful in how it allows us to explore our options and choose for ourselves, knowing full and well that we will discover the benefits of choosing a life of love and forgiveness and ultimately never choose anything else. That is the goal, right? Today we explore just this, we move past the experience we had in Lesson 46 from the act of forgiving to, today, experiencing the benefits of it, discovering for yourself why it is that you may want to choose this loving option.
Yesterday, we were introduced in Lesson 61 “I am the light of the world.” Let us take the word light from the point of view of “weight or density.” Let us also take into account a little metaphysics as well when we discuss the vibrations of certain emotions and feelings. Anger, guilt, hurt, judgement, and fear all carry a much lower vibration, thus making the emotions more “weighty, dense, and heavy.” Where as love, joy, and peace all carry a much higher vibration making the energetic body feel less dense and more buoyant and light. Thus, does it not make sense that by embracing forgiveness we do become much lighter energetically, corresponding physically? And by becoming lighter in the “weight” sense we naturally remember we are the Light of the World. It is no coincidence that the word light can be used for both instances.
“It is your forgiveness that will bring the world of darkness to the light (ACIM Lesson 62 1:1).”
I physically experienced this as I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2014. My pack weighed around 17 pounds including 2L of water for the day. My pack never varied in weight unless I had to layer my clothes which meant 
my pack would be lighter. I recall days when my pack felt so heavy. There would no reason at all but as I would walk and become aware of my thoughts, I made the connection that the days in which my thoughts were more dense, full of anger, guilt, sadness, etc, my pack was way heavier. On the other hand, there were days where my pack felt light as air. It felt such a part of me that I often didn’t remember I even had a pack on. On those days, my thoughts were so light and happy and full of love. There was no rhyme or reason for my thoughts on any particular day. I was in Spain doing a beautiful walking meditation, what is there to be upset about? Yet my mind somehow could always find things to obsess over, worry about, and feel hurt or angry over. I called them the “weighty ghosts” I was around carrying with me. With today’s lesson, like the weight of my pack (ghosts), we begin to experimentally understand more clearly about the benefits of the choosing again. Choosing light over dense. Choosing love over fear. Choosing forgiveness over judgement.
How much easier is life when we forgive? When we let go of our weighty ghosts? How less heavy our minds? Our hearts? Even our bodies? How much more pleasant our experience in form on this planet? These are the benefits we will find out for ourselves today during our practice periods. We will start to understand the benefits of forgiveness for ourselves and discover how it is our means of salvation. It is our means of remembering Who and What We Truly Are.
“It will remove all sense of weakness, strain and fatigue from your mind. It will take away all fear and guilt and pain. It will restore the invulnerability and power God gave His Son to your awareness (ACIM Lesson 62 3:3-5).”
Forgiveness is recalling that we cannot be harmed as Children of God. Forgiveness is the reckoning of our attack thoughts. Forgiveness brings to our attention that someone or something is asking to be loved more, including ourselves. Forgiveness is our means of understanding the circle of oneness that we are part of, as forgiving another is also forgiving ourselves and vise versa. That we all benefit from forgiveness, as who doesn’t benefit when you remember you are the Light of the World?
Forgiveness is understanding that there is truly nothing to forgive at all. Forgiveness is the remembrance that we never left Home except only in our minds to play various roles of student and teacher masked as slave, victim, attacker, fighter, lover, and pleaser, yet still abiding safely in the arms of our Creator. Forgiveness is the reminder that we are free to put down the game of student and teacher and claim our Mastery. Forgiveness is letting go of our victimhood and claiming said Victory!
When we abide in a state of forgiveness and love, do we not travel this earth much lighter? Do we not effortlessly let the Light shine through us, as us? Is this life not a much happier experience when we do forgive? The Course reminds us that forgiveness brings happiness and that is truly the experience God wants for us. Once more we are gently asked to review our personal relationship with our Creator. Do we think the Creator condemns us for what have or haven’t done? This may signal that there is a little forgiveness and love to be given to the one who believes this. God only truly wants the best for us. That is Her gift. Not in an earthly sense but in the heavenly, eternal, and unconditional sense. We were meant to thrive not just survive. We were not meant to suffer. We are Children of God and have a glorious inheritance waiting upon our remembrance.
“It will help to make the day as happy for you as God wants you to be (ACIM Lesson 62 4:2).”
We are starting to understand that forgiveness doesn’t mean to “let someone off the hook.” We are becoming aware of the experience we are having in certain roles as student and teacher and recognize that others are doing the same. What seems like a case to be forgiven is really something to be grateful for as it is a call to love more and to fully remember. Those that appear to hurt or harm you are only those that wish you to AWAKEN! They wish you to awaken and claim your Victory! Claim your Light!
Sit with this today. Sit with the benefits of forgiveness. You will begin to see for yourself the glorious means of salvation by which forgiveness gives us. I think of the Buddhist goddess Quan Yin. She is thought of as the goddess of compassion and forgiveness. Many pray to her to help them let go of transgressions. Let the characteristics of Quan Yin remind you of the art of letting go of the weighty ghosts that you carry around with you. Let today be the day that you fully feel the benefits of forgiveness. So much so that it becomes a choiceless choice for you. Let it show you your Light. Your happiness.
I leave you today with the song, Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep. This song came into my awareness right before I walked the Camino and I played it many times on my journey as I let go of my “weighty ghosts.” And as I continue to do so. Listen to the words and watch the video. Let the video be a reminder that we are all Children of God here at play. Playing together in all different costumes with all sorts of toys. And let it remind you that we are indeed the “Sparklers of the Universe.”
Namaste.