What is the Real World?
Our special theme says, “The real world cannot be perceived except through eyes forgiveness blesses …”
What does that mean?
To me, “eyes” implies looking, seeing and perceiving.
We learned from our first special theme that “forgiveness” is recognizing yourself as the unaffected Self.
So, that sentence means that the real world is perceived when we know ourselves as the unaffected Self, and we look out on the world from that knowledge.
With the help of spiritual intuition, we have each selected a perception in which we do not see our self as unaffected. It isn’t helpful to start telling ourselves, “I am unaffected,” when there is probably a deep-seated belief that we are affected. Instead, it is more helpful to look carefully at the belief that we are affected.
It is time for inquiry.
Through Gentle Healing, we have learned about several types of inquiry including root cause inquiry, Byron Katie’s “The Work”, Diederik Wolsak’s “Choose Again” inquiry, and Inner Ramana’s self-inquiry. Use any of these methods, a combination of methods or your own inquiry process in order to learn what you fear regarding the selected perception. Set a goal of being able to honestly explain your fear to another person in a dispassionate way by tomorrow.
Note: According to my dictionary, dispassionate means “not influenced by strong emotion, and so able to be rational and impartial.” That doesn’t mean that you will repress any emotion. Emotion might be present, but your description will not go off into stories that are influenced by that emotion. Your description of the fear will be “rational and impartial.”
All fear is past and only love is here.
We learned previously that the past is only thought. Today’s workbook lesson says, “All fear is past,” which means all fear is only thought.
Today you will look to discover thoughts you believe that also cause you to believe you are a vulnerable affected self. These thoughts are obstacles to the vision of the real world. As today’s lesson says, “Can the world seem bright and clear and safe and welcoming, with all my past mistakes oppressing it, and showing me distorted forms of fear?”
We celebrate the opportunity to be free of an obstacle as we go in search of our mistaken beliefs today.
If you have 30 minutes for meditation today, I recommend this meditation:
Loving Consciousness Description V
Helpful Resources for Today’s Practice:
Guidelines for Root Cause Inquiry
Instructions for Doing The Work
