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

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.

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.

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.

Today’s reading begins by saying:

The question that you always ask is: How are you to live in the world without being a part of the world? … When you are thinking this way, you are listening to the voice of confusion. … You are looking at the world as if it is real, and you are looking at actions as if they are actions.

If awakening to truth is our goal, it is important that we remember truth and live by truth to the best of our ability. If we continue to live by falsehood, falsehood is strengthened in us. When we live by truth, falsehood weakens until it passes away.

Truth is represented by the four principles of God. Everything in the fourth principle is illusion; it is consciousness appearing as something other than consciousness. The appearances are created by declaration. When we declare something meaningful by believing it and giving it attention, that value is reprocessed by the creative principle, and the energy from the appearance creates more appearances with the same energy.

The energy that I am speaking of is also called “thought.” As mentioned on Day 183, “thought” is broadly defined to include general attitudes and ways of being. Action is an expression of thought. That means that every part of how we be  in the world is fed into the creative principle and creates the world, including its characters and their thoughts.

Most people are completely unaware of the four principles of God. They do not know truth, and they do not know that we are all a part of the creative process. They live from ignorance. That’s why Jesus said:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.
(Luke 23:34)

Most people are completely unaware of truth, but we are not completely unaware. That’s why yesterday’s reading said:

This service that you perform of not believing the world and of not acting as if the word is real, is a service you provide for yourself and for the entirety of the one mind that you are.

Those of us who are not entirely ignorant serve everyone by living from the wisdom we’ve realized.

How do we do that?

• Actively remember your spiritual aspiration.
• Actively remember the wisdom you’ve realized.
• Act based on your spiritual aspiration and the wisdom you’ve realized instead of acting from ignorance.

The best way to act based on wisdom is to stay focused within. Ask inner wisdom, “What am I to do now?” and let it guide your perception and your actions.

Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.