Lesson 96
Salvation comes from my one Self.
In the musical, Sound of Music, there is a song entitled Maria where the chorus leads with the phrase, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” A catchy tune sung by the nuns at the abbey as they lament on how Maria, played by Julie Andrews, unfortunately does not fit in. Maria, with a hopeful heart, tries to find purpose in life as a nun at the abbey but that is just not where her soul is meant to be. The conundrum (pun intended) is that her character thinks that she must find God in a church or abbey. It is church or bust! She has split herself between what she thinks she should be from what she truly is. And in doing so, she causes more problems than good for herself and the sisters of the abbey. Does Maria’s journey sound familiar to you, splitting yourself between being something you think you should be, looking for solace in the wrong places, even in Godly things outside yourself?
How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you solves the problem of separate selves? How do you solve a problem that has “technically” already been solved? We can never find a satisfactory solution, peace, or a reprieve for the self we created, just as Maria could not. There are no resolutions in illusions.
“Problems that have no meaning cannot be resolved within the framework they are set. Two selves in conflict could not be resolved, and good and evil have no meeting place. The self you made can never be you Self, nor can your Self be split in two, and still be what It is and must forever be” (ACIM Lesson 96 3:1-3).
The Course tells us that we cannot solve separation in manner in which it was made. You can’t go back to the source of crazy to solve crazy. You will only get more crazy which is a waste of time. However, we can go back to the one Self to reconcile the mind and separation. Today, that is the journey that we undertake.
“Salvation cannot make illusions real, nor solve a problem that does not exist” (ACIM Lesson 95 6:6).
We once more go within to the Source that lies in each of us. With help from the words of today’s lesson, we touch on the Guidance that abides within, reconciling the mind. We go back to a place that have never left us or forsaken us. In the text of A Course in Miracle, it is stated,
“The principle of Atonement and the separation began at the same time. When the ego was made, God placed in the mind the call to joy. This call is so strong that the ego always dissolves at its sound. That is why you must choose to hear one of two voices within you. One that you made yourself, and on that one is not of God. But the other is given you by God, Who asks you only to listen to it. The Holy Spirit is in you in a very literal sense. His is the Voice That calls you back to where you were before and will again. It is possible even in this world to hear only that Voice and no other” (ACIM Text Chapter 5 II, 3:1-9).
For too long, we have wasted our time listening to the voice for crazy, following its endless treasure map to nothing. This voice has always promised glory but have still yet to find it. It has only left us chasing our own tails. Luckily, our thoughts for God have never left our mind, regardless of the masks we have decided to wear and the misguided journeys we have taken. Those thoughts have rightfully still been ours, waiting to be used for Truth, not separation. One cannot trick the thoughts of God. The ego may try to hijack them but in the end, only Love Wins, because Love does not engage in battle nor cannot be changed or altered as the ego would have them be. Today, we welcome the call to joy that overpowers our misguided thoughts. We listen for the presence of joyful Truth as the Holy Spirit shows us the bridge to peace.
“Your Self retains Its thoughts, and they remain within your mind and in the Mind of God. The Holy Spirit holds salvation in your mind, and offered it the way to peace” (ACIM Lesson 96 7:1-2).
“Salvation comes from the one Self through Him Who is the bridge between your mind and It. Wait patiently, and let Him speak to you about you Self, and what you mind can do, restored to It and free to serve Its Will” (ACIM Lesson 96 8:3-4).
Listen to this Voice today that speaks such loving Truth. This is You. This is You. This is You. Your one Self. Each hour today, you will be shown that this is so. Your one Self has been waiting for your unified presence. Shall you join Her in the place where there are no solutions needed, only Remembrance given?
Today is a day of musical miracles! The practical application of the lesson is to listen to the Voice within, thus it is no coincidence that there happens to be two songs fitting for the message of Lesson 96. As we listen to the Voice within, we find that soft Voice can also integrate the message our journey through other songs, movies, conversations, etc. For today’s purpose, one is listed above, Maria, and the other is a country classic, known from the John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy, Looking for Love, by Johnny Lee. You may not be a country fan but, at most, listen to these wonderful lyrics as we can all share in the journey of “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Today we find it in the right and only one. The Voice for Love that lies within.
Let us heed the call to joy and sing and dance our way Home! Namaste.