Today’s reading says:

The world is an image in the mind, or better said, a picture-thought within the thought of spirit.

Let’s review the Four Principles of God and see how it compares to this excerpt from today’s reading:

First Principle of God– Pure, unmanifest, life-awareness; abstract, unlimited potentiality.

Second Principle of God– Consciousness, also known as I Am or Spirit. It can be called “the thought of spirit” since it is a thought born out of the unlimited potentiality of the First Principle.

Third Principle of God– The ongoing activity of creation, which occurs naturally through the declarative  interaction of consciousness with that which is witnessed.

Fourth Principle of God– Manifestation, which is the realm of appearance (experience and images). In other words, “a picture-thought within the thought of spirit.”

Today’s reading points out that although the Fourth Principle isn’t real, it is experienced. It doesn’t take much self-honesty at all to notice that you experience the world. If you don’t believe me, pinch yourself. You will experience the pinch.

One reason the world seems real is because we confuse experience with reality. We think that if we experience it, that means it is real. However, you have experienced many nighttime dreams. Were they real?

No, your nighttime dreams were not real.

Therefore, it is easy to see that experience is not the criterion for determining reality.

As we saw on Day 134, the criterion for determining reality is unchanging existence. The world does not meet that criterion, nor does experience, because experience is always changing. (For example, you no longer feel your pinch, do you? That experience has already disappeared.)

Since experience does not meet the criterion for reality, experience is not real. Clearly, the unreal is not a criterion for reality. Therefore, we cannot determine reality by experience.

But, with all of that said, we still experience experience, which is why you felt your pinch.

Because we confuse experience with reality, when experience isn’t reality, we need another way to perceive or interpret our experience. Today’s reading provides that new interpretation.

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

Let’s review what we have learned through NTI Romans for a second time:

• Consciousness made a wish to experience itself as different. You are consciousness. This wish is in you and can only be healed in you.

 

• The creative principle was made through this wish. It creates temporary manifestation through divine declaration, also known as judgment or decision. Each time we judge something, we subconsciously declare it to be real.

 

• The way to realize everything as consciousness again is to stop declaring manifestation to be real. This is accomplished by realizing you know nothing and by surrendering unconditionally to intuition.

 

• The creative principal and manifestation are not mistakes. Awakened consciousness loves and enjoys manifestation.

 

• One obstacle to realizing consciousness as what you are and what everything is, is thinking you are something different. To realize you are consciousness, practice awareness-watching-awareness.

 

• Enlightenment, or awake consciousness, exists in you now. You are not aware of it because of the attention you place on manifestation.

 

• Both external symbols and internal spiritual wisdom are provided by your awake consciousness to help turn attention back toward it.

 

• Another obstacle to realizing consciousness as what you are and what everything is, is thinking the world is real. When you think the world is real, you keep attention with the world.

 

• The purpose of the world during the awakening phase is to reverse the declaration that made it seem real. Instead of declaring manifestation real, you declare it unreal as it happens. You also declare consciousness as its only reality.

NTI Romans 9 shared tips about how to declare the world unreal. It may be helpful to review the notes you took that day.

Today’s reading shares tips about how to declare consciousness as the only reality. I recommend taking notes as you read today’s reading. Taking notes will help you remember what you read so you can practice it. Your notes will also be available for easy future reference.

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