There is a course in miracles which teaches that we are never upset for the reason we think, but rather because we are seeing something that is not there. In other words, our perception gives rise to our upsets, but our perception is never clear, always distorted by past learning.
More specifically, this particular course in miracles teaches that our thoughts (including subconscious thoughts) determine everything we see, that the world literally rearranges itself to show us what we expect to see ... something like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Whether I would go that far or not, I have to agree that my state of mind based on past learning affects my seeing. So the question is: what if there was a way to see clearly without distortion?
That's a little like asking: "What if I could live in heaven while still on earth?"
An impossible goal? As impossible as it might seem, enlightened spiritual teachers tell us that clear seeing is not only possible but inevitable. Because seeing with the distortion of past learning is not our natural state and our natural state is always craving to be reestablished.
This week I take a giant step toward eliminating upsets in my life by training my mind to always see things differently than I might at first be tempted to see things.
An old spiritual teaching story tells of a man who always saw things differently than his neighbors. When apparently disastrous things were happening and his neighbors were sad and anguished, his attitude could almost be heard saying: "Yes, but if not for this ... sprouts of future good would not be germinating." When apparently wonderful things were happening and his neighbors were rejoicing with excitement, his calm attitude would seem to say: "Yes, but if not for this ... seeds of future trouble would not be planted."
The man in this story did not get upset because he knew there are always an infinite number of energies working invisibly. He kept in mind that situations we are tempted to call "good" always contain the seeds of what we would be tempted to call "bad," and vice versa. He remembered constantly that things are never what they appear to be.
What state of mind would have me reacting to situations with no upset at all, maybe even clearer than the man in the spiritual story?
I would have to have know that whatever is happening, it cannot hurt who I really am or reach to where I really live. After all, I am a spiritual being.
My goal this week is to train my mind to think not as my human nature thinks but as my spiritual nature thinks. To this end I start each day this week by decreeing for a minimum of 15 minutes:
"Nothing affects who I REALLY am and where I REALLY live, so no upset gains a foothold in my mind."
If I have time to decree this for more than 15 minutes each morning, so much the better. I want to say this so many times that it becomes "etched into" the nervous pathways of my brain.
During the day this week I use this statement like a mantra, saying it in my mind while I'm driving, while I'm showering, while I'm gardening ... every moment when I don't need the full attention of my mind to focus on other things.
"Nothing affects who I REALLY am and where I REALLY live, so no upset gains a foothold in my mind."
At the end of the day I review my progress. Were there times when I was tempted to be upset, but I remembered who I really am? How did that feel and what were the results?
I let my subconscious mind give me a number from 1 to 100 representing the percentage of how far I still have to go to become clear in my seeing. I dedicate myself to decreeing this statement for the same number of minutes the next morning. If I'm still 30% unclear, I decree the next day for 30 minutes. If I'm still 20% unclear, I decree the next day for 20 minutes.
Before falling to sleep I say to myself one last statement for the day, reaching deep inside to where I really mean it:
"I'm glad I'm choosing to see clearly! For me upset is set down!"
Also available free of charge online:
Course in Political Miracles
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