Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles read aloud and reflected on A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 189 in this YouTube video. Here are the first three paragraphs of that vitalizing and inspiring workbook lesson:
“1. There is a light in you the world can not perceive. ²And with its eyes you will not see this light, for you are blinded by the world. ³Yet you have eyes to see it. ⁴It is there for you to look upon. ⁵It was not placed in you to be kept hidden from your sight. ⁶This light is a reflection of the thought we practice now. ⁷To feel the Love of God within you is to see the world anew, shining in innocence, alive with hope, and blessed with perfect charity and love.
2. Who could feel fear in such a world as this? ²It welcomes you, rejoices that you came, and sings your praises as it keeps you safe from every form of danger and of pain. ³It offers you a warm and gentle home in which to stay a while. ⁴It blesses you throughout the day, and watches through the night as silent guardian of your holy sleep. ⁵It sees salvation in you, and protects the light in you, in which it sees its own. ⁶It offers you its flowers and its snow, in thankfulness for your benevolence.
3. This is the world the Love of God reveals. ²It is so different from the world you see through darkened eyes of malice and of fear, that one belies the other. ³Only one can be perceived at all. ⁴The other one is wholly meaningless. ⁵A world in which forgiveness shines on everything, and peace offers its gentle light to everyone, is inconceivable to those who see a world of hatred rising from attack, poised to avenge, to murder and destroy.”
Paragraph #7 is well-known to long-time Course students; it suggests that we will all ultimately drop all of our worldly concerns, issues, grievances, and special attachments and aversions – “forget this world” – and even everything that led us up to the “top of the ladder” (such as ACIM) – “forget this course.” Meanwhile, our everyday curriculum consists of using all of these means in accord with the Holy Spirit’s consistent forgiveness practice until the need for them to undo our belief in separation is over. We are encouraged to make time for these glimpses of the “light at the end of the tunnel” to keep the inspiration in mind; in Truth, we’ve never left our Source, our real Identity, which we all share equally and completely.
“Simply do this: Be still, and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself.²Empty your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, or good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashamed.³Hold onto nothing.⁴Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught, nor one belief you ever learned before from anything.⁵Forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.” (ACIM, W-189.7:1-5)
This world can’t possibly provide us with the peace we really want. However, that “not of this world” peace is always available when we change our internal teacher from ego to Holy Spirit. In each and every sane moment, we reject the ego’s guilty verdict levied on ourselves (and projected onto everyone and everything else), and doing this ever more consistently brings us farther from the darkness of the sin-guilt-fear paradigm that denies our True nature.
An essential point in paragraph 9 reminds us that Perfect Oneness doesn’t require our assistance, but we need the Holy Spirit’s help to undo our erroneous belief in separate interests and identities:
“He does not need His Son to show Him how to find His way.” (ACIM, W-189.9:7)
We need the help; we’re the ones who dreamt we abandoned perfect peace, forgetting that this was – thankfully! – impossible.
(This video was recorded on March 23, 2025.)
If you have questions or comments about this video, previous videos in this ACIM-related video series, or other Course-related topics, please email them to us via the ACIMblog.com contact form. Susan and Bruce will review and try to respond to questions and suggestions for future conversations. We look forward to extending the conversation with you!
If you are interested in Susan’s excellent weekly Tuesday evening classes based on Kenneth Wapnick’s teachings, you can contact her here.
Here are some prior ACIM-related conversations with Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles.
If you have enjoyed these conversations, check out the latest releases from FACIM and support the work of Susan (ForaysInForgiveness.com) and Bruce (via donation links at the bottom of the sidebars on their respective websites) if you feel so inspired. THANKS!
