As the scribe of NTI, I became afraid when I wrote NTI 2 Corinthians 12. I was afraid to see that I was beyond the body-mind-personality. Beyond the mind meant “God” to me, and attempting to see that I am “God” felt like blasphemy. Therefore, I was not ready to discover that I am beyond the mind.

Some of that fear lingered the following day when I sat down to scribe NTI 2 Corinthians 13, so inner wisdom met me where I was and brought me forward from there. It’s as if I was standing in a realm surrounded by the unknown (beyond mind), and I was clinging to a pole that represented the known (concepts). Inner wisdom was able to get me to let go of that pole with one hand and show some willingness to move away from the pole.

When today’s reading starts, the scribing is more closely related to the fear I experienced the day before. However, the scribing begins to move away from the pole with this phrase:

I have told you that your mind is tricky, …

Upon hearing that, I opened up again. I loosened my grip on familiar concepts, I became willing to listen to inner wisdom, and I became willing to follow it again.

The scribing in NTI 2 Corinthians 12 and 13 do not go where inner wisdom wanted to take me at the time. I was not ready for beyond mind. If I had followed inner wisdom and went where it wanted to take me, I would have had a direct experience of the non-affected Self. I would have realized I am not in the world; the world is in me. I would have seen everything that NTI 2 Corinthians attempted to teach.

I did not become willing to look in that direction until The Teachings of Inner Ramana  were scribed three years later. However, inner wisdom did not abandon me just because I was not ready. It did not scold me. It continued to work with me by leading me toward truth in a way I was willing for. It gave me whatever wisdom I would accept, and it continued walking with me in the direction of truth.

Inner wisdom will do the same with you. You can trust it to walk with you towards truth at a pace that you will accept. It will not go faster or slower. You are the pacesetter.

Today’s reading represents inner spiritual wisdom’s first attempt at leading me through Self-inquiry. When I scribed NTI 2 Corinthians 12, I had never heard of Self-inquiry or asking the question, “Who am I?” This is the first time that arose for me, and to be honest, I wasn’t an open student. I let inner wisdom guide me through the first few questions, but when I hit the threshold of the unknown, I became afraid. I quit looking. I ran to my mind and concepts I had learned through A Course in Miracles. I abandoned genuine scribing and wrote down words that made me feel comfortable. Those words are still a part of NTI.

When you read NTI 2 Corinthians 12 today, you will come to this sentence:

You are an aspect of thought within the Mind of God.

That sentence and everything that follows for the remainder of the chapter was written out of fear. You can tell that’s true if you look carefully. It defines “you” as an “aspect of thought.” NTI has never defined you as an “aspect of thought” before. That would equate you to the body-mind-personality as if that is what you are. That is not what you are. That was written because I was too afraid to look beyond my identification with the body-mind-personality.

Feel free to skip today’s reading. Instead, let me lead you through Self-inquiry as it could have happened if I wasn’t afraid that day.

16-minute audio

Yesterday’s reading began:

The question that you always ask is: How are you to live in the world without being a part of the world?

Today’s reading continues to answer that question. Today’s reading emphasizes that the way we are to live in the world without being a part of it is to live with a rested mind. It says:

Resting is the realization that confusion rules the world. And it is also the decision not to be ruled by confusion anymore.

One who lives with a rested mind is also the empty shell. They are synonymous.

How do you rest the mind?

You rest the mind by:

• Letting your spiritual aspiration be the guiding principle in your life.
• Staying focused within; instead of relying on thinking, let inner wisdom be the author and director of your role in the world.

As we learned on Day 122, the mind will try to regain command and control. Thinking will become loud. You will feel the emotional energy associated with the points of experience in thought. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply means that the mind doesn’t want to be dethroned. When the mind acts up, rest as deeply as you can. Rest-accept-trust is  healing. You set yourself free and serve the greater good by choosing to live with a rested mind.