Lesson 70
My salvation comes from me.
So it is. I Am the Source I have been looking for. I Am the remedy I have been seeking. I Am the cure for my suffering. I Am the Love I have longed for. I Am the Light from which I have always wanted to see. I Am the happiness I have been waiting to feel. I Am That I Am. Salvation is part of me.
If we have not heard it fully yet, here it is again, we need not seek any longer. It all comes from within. What you desire, salvation, you already have. And what you do not want more of, you create….guilt. Both are as close to you as your breath. Both abide in the same place, in you. Neither is hidden from you or is hard find.
“When you realize that all guilt is solely an invention of your mind, you also realize that guilt and salvation must be in the same place. In understanding this are you saved” (ACIM Lesson 70 1:5-6).
“He wants you to be healed, so He has kept the Source of healing where the need for healing lies” (ACIM Lesson 70 3:4).
If this is so simple and the answer so known, why does it feel so hard? Why haven’t we figured it out before? On some level we have always known this. That is why coming to the Course often feels so familiar. Something in the words and the lessons resonate with such a deep part of you that you know you are hearing Truth you have somehow always known, a Truth that does make sense. Yet the small mind may still linger in wondering why this feels so familiar and tries to figure “something out” instead of standing in Truth. Remember that it is the voice for ego that makes you feel this is hard and out of reach and questionable. The ego is fearful of what would happen to itself if you no longer strived for anything or searched for anything. What would it do with itself? With its time? This is why I advised yesterday, and continue to do so today, to be very gentle with yourself as you further your commitment to living life as an awakened being.
Thank the ego for its purpose and kindly let it know that it will not be going anywhere, it will just no longer be driving the car or riding shotgun. You value the ego’s thoughts yet you now notice them as the clouds that you swiftly make your way through to get to the Light. Try not to go into battle with the ego or try to force it into your will, as that is another trick of the ego as well. In your own way, kindly and graciously integrate the ego into your journey and give the rest to God.
The ego would also still have us believe that we need another teacher, guru, master, or book. True, they are lovely reminders but in the end it comes down to you (and me). We each have lovely guides and entities (seen and unseen) that guide us and protect us on our journey. Their job is truly needed and we are not replacing them or telling them to go away. We are merely becoming aware of our power of choice. Living as our Divinity is up to you and you alone, no one can do it for you.
Think of the example of weight loss. A personal trainer, family, and friends support your goal because they see how much you desire it and how much it would make you happy. They see how you have treated your mind and body poorly and are excited that you are taking the initiative to make a change for the betterment of you. Yet, it requires more than going to the gym and just looking at the weights. It takes more than just stocking your fridge with healthy food. It takes more than just hiring a personal trainer. It takes more than just looking in the mirror and saying “Okay, 5 pounds, be gone!” All of those are good supportive steps, but the real work of weight loss comes down to you.
It is a choice you must make, the rest is just living out that revelation, that commitment. You must know that you can do it. You must know that it is a possibility and one you are more than worthy of. You must see beyond the unhealthy illusion or cloud that has been created. You must be the believer and the lifter of weights. You must be the trailblazer in your life and the healthy eater. In the end, you are the choice maker. And in the choices you make, you are the way show-er, to yourself and others.
You see, you are unstoppable. As we were told yesterday, the clouds of illusion cannot even stop you. I use the example of weight loss but please put in your own example: saving money, new job, more supportive friends, quitting a habit that no longer serves you. It is all a metaphor for the one choice you have to make, the choice for the ULTIMATE AWAKENING!
“You cannot find [salvation] in the clouds that surround the light, and it is in them you have been looking for it. It is not there. It is past the clouds and in the light beyond” (ACIM Lesson 70 8:2-4).
Today’s focus is to take a few moments to look at those places outside ourselves where we have tried to find the end of our suffering. To look at those places and/or people where we have given our power of salvation away only to come up empty handed. This gift of review is priceless as it starts to unfold our habitual search that can sneakily creep up on us. Remember this too is part of retraining the mind.
Where do we find that we are looking for gratification only to be left wanting more? Is it sex, food, relationships, shopping, working, money, or even in other spiritual teachers and texts? I say the last one as it is okay to have a mentor or teacher or spiritual figure you enjoy listening to, reading, or being around. It is important to keep ourselves surrounded by those who are also on a journey similar to ours and being in a forum like that is very helpful and supportive. Yet, I feel it is important to keep a keen eye, even in a spiritual community as you would anywhere else, noticing if you start to put ownership of your salvation on something outside of you, such as on a ritual, teacher, or even a text like A Course in Miracles. Begin to ask yourself, what is my intention behind partaking in this spiritual item or person? Do you feel it is something you have to have to be close to Source? Do you feel you have to do it to feel a certain way? This attachment can be called spiritual superstition and can be so subtle on our journey, once more making us aware that we are placing our salvation outside ourselves on something that looks all spiritual and shiny.
“God wants us to be healed, and we do not really want to be sick, because it makes us unhappy. Therefore in accepting the idea for today, we are really in agreement with God. He does not want us to be sick. Neither do we. He wants us to be healed. So do we” (ACIM Lesson 70 5:2-7).
This is a joyful process, truly, should you choose for it to be. God only wants your happiness so why would She make the journey Home so laborious and ridden with negative emotions. Thus, always let joy guide you. Begin to know the subtle difference between seeking for something outside of yourself and just flat out enjoying something that is outside of you in the world because you are here to be human and have a human experience. Yes, you have made a serious commitment to awaken but don’t take it so seriously. Do you see the difference?
You are what you have been searching for. This is truly a day to celebrate. You need not go anywhere to go Home. Just walk within. So it is. I Am That I Am.
Namaste.