Lesson 66
My happiness and my function are one.
The Course is famous for its beautiful, poetic language while at the same time it provokes one to throw it across the room with its confronting truth often put in a rather confusing manner. As I write this, I think of a friend of mine who actually did throw her book across the room one day in a fit of its language and maybe a little because of the truth mentioned. It did make her feel better. And she did eventually pick it up and returned to her reading. Sometimes the moment calls for such…
Even in the confusing verbiage there is still an underlying simplicity. For example, today’s lesson tells us that “My happiness and my function are one.” How could this be, I thought forgiveness was my function? How is happiness now my function? Yes, I know the ego wants to find the loophole in A Course in Miracles. Is this it? Unfortunately, no, both are indeed true because they are both connected. Forgiveness and happiness are actually one and the same. As we have experienced in the last few lessons we have made the connection that by forgiving another, namely ourselves, for what did not occur, because we are all innocent, we are left with a feeling of peace. By forgiving we invite the end of suffering, replacing it with peace. And when you feel peaceful, are you not happy? Thus, one must lead to the other. One must build upon another.
“…not only is there a very real connection between the function God gave you and your happiness,…they are actually identical” (ACIM Lesson 66 4:1).
Today goes even deeper in your choice for the one true function given to you by God. We are becoming aware of the sequence from forgiveness to happiness, while at the same noticing that the chain of events is instantaneous. We are asked to observe the connection but then realize there is no need for the connection at all. It is like passing “Go” and collecting $200 each time we live our function.
I enjoy this lesson because it states explicitly why happiness is given to you by God. We understand that our Creator is only love. She can be nothing else. To give you anything but happiness would be something that She is not. To give you suffering would be to give you something She could not. It is in Her Nature to give you only happiness.
Then comes Her function which is typically hidden by hindrances known as the voice for ego. Once more on our journey we are asked to get more intimate with the ego. Sometimes the spiritual ego gets very evolved as we pursue our journey Home in where what seems like the peaceful choice turns out to be another trap of the ego. As we get more intimate with the ego we can begin to decipher between the voice of ego and Voice of the Holy Spirit.
“There are no other guides but these to choose between, and no other outcomes possible as a result of your choice but the fear that the ego always engenders, and the love that the Holy Spirit always offers to replace it” (ACIM Lesson 66 7:5).
If you think of the voice of ego and Voice of the Holy Spirit like ice cream flavors you will find that the Voice for the Holy Spirit is like your traditional vanilla. The voice for ego is all the other flavors, inventive and tempting to try. The voice for ego takes the ingredients of vanilla and adds whatever it feels like in that moment: strawberries, chocolate, cookie dough, peaches, sprinkles, etc. The other flavors can look enticing but nothing holds up like true traditional vanilla. The other flavors are like adding illusions to vanilla. Eventually, when you take away all the added extras and get back to the basics, you find the purity of vanilla. Thus, exploring the voice for ego is like taste testing to see what flavor will show up in this moment.
Vanilla ice cream has nothing to prove. It is the base ingredient for all ice creams. Vanilla was probably the first ever flavor of ice cream and then came the “one mad idea” to add chocolate, pecans, cookie dough, etc (Fun fact, vanilla ice cream was actually brought to America from France via Thomas Jefferson). Vanilla knows who and what it is. Vanilla knows that it will always be in the repertoire. Vanilla knows that it is still present in all other choices of ice cream. Vanilla does not have to battle other ice creams. Vanilla just is, as is the Voice for the Holy Spirit.
“The ego attacks and the Holy Spirit does not respond. He knows what your function is. He knows that is your happiness” (ACIM Lesson 66 2:4-6).
Ice cream may not be your thing. Vanilla may not be your choice of flavors, but you get where I am going with this. Feel free to put in any favorite flavor instead of vanilla or maybe you can use the analogy of a cheese pizza where the toppings are like the voice of ego. You choose. The fundamentals are the same, are you with vanilla or with another flavor? Are you in Spirit or in ego? Are you experiencing God’s gift of happiness or are you suffering? All of these are questions aimed at testing your readiness of letting go of all the substitutes in order to choose real peace.
As the candy Skittles used to say in their marketing slogans, “taste the rainbow.” Taste the rainbow of your experience and see for yourself where the voice of ego lies and where the voice of the Holy Spirit’s lies. Get to know the feeling, the vision, the smell, and the other ways in which peace is shown to you. The Holy Spirit is limitless in its communication. See how She speaks specifically with you. Also, witness all the ways in which the ego will masquerade as peace. Get to know how the Eternal shows up for you.
No doubt the Course is a wordy text. All aimed at using words and experience to get us to understand that the choices are really simple: love or fear, forgiveness or judgement, madness or truth.
“You will listen to madness or hear the truth” (ACIM Lesson 66 10:1).
Welcome to your awakening. It is an awakening that happens in every moment. It is the eternal remembrance. It is an ever flowing energy waiting to be recognized. How will this awakening show up to you? How do you recognize the Holy Spirit’s Voice? In what ways is She asking you to claim your gift of happiness?
Enjoy the taste test today. Taste it all so that your holy palate will come to choose only ONE.
Namaste.