There's been a lot of thinking going on tonight. My mind is spinning.
First, I was at one of my meetings/groups tonight. I go there every 2 weeks or so. I try to get there every 2 weeks. I missed some because I was struggling with emotional issues... But that's another post...
We only read 2 sections tonight. Each 2 pages long... But they were packed with things to think about. PACKED.
The first section is about Separation and how we see ourselves as separate from God or 'source'.
The second was about atonement. Which is basically the opposite of separation. Or 'unity'.
At-'one'-ment.
People tend to think that atonement is like paying for your sins, but it's not like that. That's what I thought it was, too, at first. Until it was described as At-'one'-ment. Then it started making sense.
So there were parts that really resonated with me and I'll try to briefly recap it to explain how it resonated with me. Also there was a lot discussed with these topics tonight. And I'll make some notes on that, too.
So in the first section... On Separation... It talked about how we see ourselves as separate from our 'source'. (It has a lot of religious context in it, but you can still get the same messages taking the religion out of the equation).
How (God or your creator) created you as 'himself' so therefore we are creative because 'he' is creative. But we can use our creativity to our disadvantage by projecting. Projection comes from believing that you are lacking and that there's an emptiness within you. And that you can fill that void with your own ideas instead of the truth. There are 4 steps in this process:
1) Thinking that what was created by (God) can be changed by your own mind.
2) Thinking that what is perfect, can be rendered imperfect or lacking.
3) Believing that you can distort (God's) creation, including yourself.
4) Believing that you can create yourself, and the direction of your creation is up to you.
Separation is also referred as the 'detour into fear'. Caused by distorted thinking.
Then it goes on to say that you do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so. Misperceptions can disappear in the blink of an eye when the perception changes to believe what is true, and not what is not true.
It starts talking about 'comprehensive reawakening' or 'rebirth'. I call it 'realization' and 'change'... It says that this rebirth is impossible as long as we continue to project and miscreate. The longer we tell ourselves lies and believe the lies of the world, and perceive it to be true, the longer we will stay unaware and will not realize or change.
All fear is reduced to the misconception that we are able to control our own destinies. How kids are fearless because they don't need or feel the need to have control over anything. They relinquish their control to their parents. But they don't even grasp the concept of 'control'. It's not even a thing to them. It's a misconception that we have control because we never did. We seem to have control over ourselves, but we can't control what will happen. Not even if we knew what was going to happen.
It says that the only way to escape fear is to accept atonement. To connect to that 'higher power' and relinquish your 'control' to 'him' or 'it'. Whatever the case may be. Whatever you believe in. (More on this in a bit). Like the very things that we are afraid of, if we change our perceptions of them, they become our release from fear. The release is not an illusion, but it's the knowledge that illuminates to show us that we are free and always have been. All along. Because we were made that way. It is only when our thoughts and perceptions became distorted by fear that we became trapped. And separated.
In all reality, we are perfectly unaffected by all expressions of lack of love. Because it will not harm us in any way. It's how we perceive this 'lack' that affects us.
Because it says that peace is an attribute in us. It cannot be found externally. Illness is a form of external searching. Probably because we search so long and hard that it literally makes us sick. Health is inner peace. Inner peace is what enables us to remain unaffected by the lack of love from and in others. Which is perception based. Both inner peace and the lack of love.
So that was the section on Separation. And the Section on Atonement was similar except it is called The Atonement as Defense.
It talks about how miracles cannot occur in the spirit of fear and doubt. I take this to mean that we cannot be afraid of it not working out or doubt that it will work. Because when we are afraid and doubtful, it doesn't happen. Doubt and fear are the barriers to change. Change is often the miracle. Also the miracle can be the relinquishment of fear and doubt. When we are afraid, we are acknowledging its power to harm us. We aren't afraid of the thing itself, we are afraid of the harm we believe will be its result. We are afraid of vulnerability. Because we believe that when we are vulnerable, it leaves us more open to being hurt.
Your beliefs are based on your values. When we are afraid, we are valuing wrongly. Then our beliefs affect our understandings. Then our thoughts will have equally destructive power. Destroying our inner peace and therefore destroying our health. Inner peace is what denies anything false to have any affect on you. And the true purpose of denial is to correct error, not to hide anything or to restrict access. Denying the truth results in the projections of the ego.
The means of defending truth and error are easier to understand when we establish the reason for the defense. Everyone believes in what they value and what they value becomes treasured. Everyone defends their treasure. But the questions one must ask themselves are: 1) What do you treasure? And 2) How much do you treasure it? To clarify the means of defense, one should be asking these questions and basing their actions on these.
Other defenses are like weapons of attack, but atonement cannot be a weapon because it can only heal. It was built to set a limit on the need for belief itself and to make learning complete because it is the final lesson. Learning is temporary because when change is no longer necessary, the ability to learn to change has no value. But changing one's perceptions increases one's ability to learn. Learning is meaningful as long as there is a belief in differences.
Evolution is the process of proceeding from one degree to another. The process in which you progress. But in this progression you're constantly returning to where you started from by making the same errors we made by being attached to the past. We are attached to the past because we have yet to accept atonement. The need for time corresponds with the need for atonement. And atonement as a completed plan has a special relationship with time.
Atonement is often associated with loss, because it means relinquishing control and fear, and because it is a defense that does not attack. But the defense that does not attack is the best defense. (The meek shall inherit the earth). A two-way defense is weak. A double edged sword can be turned against you. The more security established, the more protection is available.
First, I was at one of my meetings/groups tonight. I go there every 2 weeks or so. I try to get there every 2 weeks. I missed some because I was struggling with emotional issues... But that's another post...
We only read 2 sections tonight. Each 2 pages long... But they were packed with things to think about. PACKED.
The first section is about Separation and how we see ourselves as separate from God or 'source'.
The second was about atonement. Which is basically the opposite of separation. Or 'unity'.
At-'one'-ment.
People tend to think that atonement is like paying for your sins, but it's not like that. That's what I thought it was, too, at first. Until it was described as At-'one'-ment. Then it started making sense.
So there were parts that really resonated with me and I'll try to briefly recap it to explain how it resonated with me. Also there was a lot discussed with these topics tonight. And I'll make some notes on that, too.
So in the first section... On Separation... It talked about how we see ourselves as separate from our 'source'. (It has a lot of religious context in it, but you can still get the same messages taking the religion out of the equation).
How (God or your creator) created you as 'himself' so therefore we are creative because 'he' is creative. But we can use our creativity to our disadvantage by projecting. Projection comes from believing that you are lacking and that there's an emptiness within you. And that you can fill that void with your own ideas instead of the truth. There are 4 steps in this process:
1) Thinking that what was created by (God) can be changed by your own mind.
2) Thinking that what is perfect, can be rendered imperfect or lacking.
3) Believing that you can distort (God's) creation, including yourself.
4) Believing that you can create yourself, and the direction of your creation is up to you.
Separation is also referred as the 'detour into fear'. Caused by distorted thinking.
Then it goes on to say that you do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so. Misperceptions can disappear in the blink of an eye when the perception changes to believe what is true, and not what is not true.
It starts talking about 'comprehensive reawakening' or 'rebirth'. I call it 'realization' and 'change'... It says that this rebirth is impossible as long as we continue to project and miscreate. The longer we tell ourselves lies and believe the lies of the world, and perceive it to be true, the longer we will stay unaware and will not realize or change.
All fear is reduced to the misconception that we are able to control our own destinies. How kids are fearless because they don't need or feel the need to have control over anything. They relinquish their control to their parents. But they don't even grasp the concept of 'control'. It's not even a thing to them. It's a misconception that we have control because we never did. We seem to have control over ourselves, but we can't control what will happen. Not even if we knew what was going to happen.
It says that the only way to escape fear is to accept atonement. To connect to that 'higher power' and relinquish your 'control' to 'him' or 'it'. Whatever the case may be. Whatever you believe in. (More on this in a bit). Like the very things that we are afraid of, if we change our perceptions of them, they become our release from fear. The release is not an illusion, but it's the knowledge that illuminates to show us that we are free and always have been. All along. Because we were made that way. It is only when our thoughts and perceptions became distorted by fear that we became trapped. And separated.
In all reality, we are perfectly unaffected by all expressions of lack of love. Because it will not harm us in any way. It's how we perceive this 'lack' that affects us.
Because it says that peace is an attribute in us. It cannot be found externally. Illness is a form of external searching. Probably because we search so long and hard that it literally makes us sick. Health is inner peace. Inner peace is what enables us to remain unaffected by the lack of love from and in others. Which is perception based. Both inner peace and the lack of love.
So that was the section on Separation. And the Section on Atonement was similar except it is called The Atonement as Defense.
It talks about how miracles cannot occur in the spirit of fear and doubt. I take this to mean that we cannot be afraid of it not working out or doubt that it will work. Because when we are afraid and doubtful, it doesn't happen. Doubt and fear are the barriers to change. Change is often the miracle. Also the miracle can be the relinquishment of fear and doubt. When we are afraid, we are acknowledging its power to harm us. We aren't afraid of the thing itself, we are afraid of the harm we believe will be its result. We are afraid of vulnerability. Because we believe that when we are vulnerable, it leaves us more open to being hurt.
Your beliefs are based on your values. When we are afraid, we are valuing wrongly. Then our beliefs affect our understandings. Then our thoughts will have equally destructive power. Destroying our inner peace and therefore destroying our health. Inner peace is what denies anything false to have any affect on you. And the true purpose of denial is to correct error, not to hide anything or to restrict access. Denying the truth results in the projections of the ego.
The means of defending truth and error are easier to understand when we establish the reason for the defense. Everyone believes in what they value and what they value becomes treasured. Everyone defends their treasure. But the questions one must ask themselves are: 1) What do you treasure? And 2) How much do you treasure it? To clarify the means of defense, one should be asking these questions and basing their actions on these.
Other defenses are like weapons of attack, but atonement cannot be a weapon because it can only heal. It was built to set a limit on the need for belief itself and to make learning complete because it is the final lesson. Learning is temporary because when change is no longer necessary, the ability to learn to change has no value. But changing one's perceptions increases one's ability to learn. Learning is meaningful as long as there is a belief in differences.
Evolution is the process of proceeding from one degree to another. The process in which you progress. But in this progression you're constantly returning to where you started from by making the same errors we made by being attached to the past. We are attached to the past because we have yet to accept atonement. The need for time corresponds with the need for atonement. And atonement as a completed plan has a special relationship with time.
Atonement is often associated with loss, because it means relinquishing control and fear, and because it is a defense that does not attack. But the defense that does not attack is the best defense. (The meek shall inherit the earth). A two-way defense is weak. A double edged sword can be turned against you. The more security established, the more protection is available.
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