In this School For A Course In Miracles (SFACIM) video conversation, Lesson 10 of the Workbook was our opening meditation:
“This aspect of the correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you are aware are meaningless, outside rather than within; and then stressed their past rather than their present status. ²Now we are emphasizing that the presence of these “thoughts” means that you are not thinking. ³This is merely another way of repeating our earlier statement that your mind is really a blank. ⁴To recognize this is to recognize nothingness when you think you see it. ⁵As such, it is the prerequisite for vision.
Close your eyes for these exercises, and introduce them by repeating the idea for today quite slowly to yourself. ²Then add:
³This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.
The exercises consist, as before, in searching your mind for all the thoughts that are available to you, without selection or judgment. ⁵Try to avoid classification of any kind. ⁶In fact, if you find it helpful to do so, you might imagine that you are watching an oddly assorted procession going by, which has little if any personal meaning to you. ⁷As each one crosses your mind, say:
⁸My thought about _________ does not mean anything.
⁹My thought about _________ does not mean anything.”
As we train our minds to gently, patiently, lucidly, vividly watch for any discomfort, any insanity, any annoyance or distress, it becomes more of a happy habit. We’re learning, slowly but surely, to give time and space to our Inner Kindness Teacher (the Holy Spirit) to restore our sanity, instead of giving these dimensions of our dream to the ego to erode our sanity.
We read primarily from two places, the first (page 79 in the Manual For Teachers) being Mind – Spirit (ACIM, C-1). Here are the first three paragraphs of that essay:
“The term mind is used to represent the activating agent of spirit, supplying its creative energy. ²When the term is capitalized it refers to God or Christ (i.e., the Mind of God or the Mind of Christ). ³Spirit is the Thought of God which He created like Himself. ⁴The unified spirit is God’s one Son, or Christ.
2. In this world, because the mind is split, the Sons of God appear to be separate. ²Nor do their minds seem to be joined. ³In this illusory state, the concept of an “individual mind” seems to be meaningful. ⁴It is therefore described in the course as if it has two parts; spirit and ego.
3. Spirit is the part that is still in contact with God through the Holy Spirit, Who abides in this part but sees the other part as well. ²The term “soul” is not used except in direct biblical quotations because of its highly controversial nature. ³It would, however, be an equivalent of “spirit,” with the understanding that, being of God, it is eternal and was never born.”
We also read from Ken Wapnick’s (always profound, prolific, and prodigious) commentary on this section in Journey Through the Manual (for Teachers) of A Course In Miracles (JTTM), beginning on page 207. Here’s a portion of what we read, reminding us that ACIM’s inspiration is from the highest (pure non-dual) level of awareness, but since we (who mostly identify ourselves as individuals with human bodies and a material existence, a.k.a. egos) are metaphorically sleeping, we need a gentle voice that meets us where we think we are on the level we think we exist so we can work our way back to reality from the “bottom up”:
“We appear to be different and separate, which is what our bodies were designed to demonstrate. Therefore, because we think we are individuals, Jesus addresses us as if we have individual minds. This is not the truth, he is telling us, but he will use words that are appropriate for our experience.” – Ken Wapnick, JTTM, page 207
It’s important to remember (as we discussed in the video) that ACIM’s content is consistent, even if the form (the language) is not, so it’s best not to get hung up on the words or technical details, losing sight of the forest for the trees. This practice aligns with the Course’s emphasis on learning to generalize, so that we can apply the message (content) of non-duality (the separation never happened) to everything and everyone that appears to be separate in our seemingly split minds.
“The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world.” (ACIM, T-12.VII.9:1)
“Heaven is the decision I must make. ⁶I make it now, and will not change my mind, because it is the only thing I want.” (ACIM, W-138.12:5-6)
The next section we read and discussed was from ACIM’s text: The Ego and False Autonomy (ACIM, T-4.II). Here are its first three paragraphs:
“It is reasonable to ask how the mind could ever have made the ego. ²In fact, it is the best question you could ask. ³There is, however, no point in giving an answer in terms of the past because the past does not matter, and history would not exist if the same errors were not being repeated in the present. ⁴Abstract thought applies to knowledge because knowledge is completely impersonal, and examples are irrelevant to its understanding. ⁵Perception, however, is always specific, and therefore quite concrete.
2. Everyone makes an ego or a self for himself, which is subject to enormous variation because of its instability.²He also makes an ego for everyone else he perceives, which is equally variable.³Their interaction is a process that alters both, because they were not made by or with the Unalterable.⁴It is important to realize that this alteration can and does occur as readily when the interaction takes place in the mind as when it involves physical proximity.⁵Thinking about another ego is as effective in changing relative perception as is physical interaction.⁶There could be no better example that the ego is only an idea and not a fact.
3. Your own state of mind is a good example of how the ego was made.²When you threw knowledge away it is as if you never had it.³This is so apparent that one need only recognize it to see that it does happen.⁴If this occurs in the present, why is it surprising that it occurred in the past?⁵Surprise is a reasonable response to the unfamiliar, though hardly to something that occurs with such persistence.⁶But do not forget that the mind need not work that way, even though it does work that way now.”
Spoiler alert: We briefly discussed a theme in season 1 of the Apple TV series “Pluribus,” where the main character wreaked havoc when she held onto angry thoughts. We often forget that our grievances are devastating to our peace of mind, and since minds are joined, every ego mind partakes of the same insanity. Seeing that the outer and inner are never apart, our state of mind is mirrored in everyone we interact with or bring to awareness. Fortunately, our “universal” (temporary) insanity is limited to our duality-quarantined mind, and has not damaged the reality of our eternal peace and infinitely innocent identity in any way. “… not one note in Heaven’s song was missed.” (ACIM, T-26.V.5:4) When we change our mind and truly forgive, we see that the correction was always in effect; the insanity “… will merely cease to seem to be.” (ACIM, M-14.2:12)
We just need to “hang in there” and learn to trust our Inner Kindness Teacher (Holy Spirit) more and more consistently. We learn that the innocence we thought we lost never existed in form, but always in the Spirit we share, which is forever our real, shared Identity.
“The habit of engaging with God and His creations is easily made if you actively refuse to let your mind slip away. ²The problem is not one of concentration; it is the belief that no one, including yourself, is worth consistent effort. ³Side with me consistently against this deception, and do not permit this shabby belief to pull you back. ⁴The disheartened are useless to themselves and to me, but only the ego can be disheartened.” (ACIM, T-4.IV.7:1-4)
Fortunately, the Truth (Perfect Oneness) is completely invulnerable to the lie of duality (ego), and Truth never changes, thankfully!
We’ve become normalized to the “neuralizer” effect (ego’s mindless magical madness of obliviating our awareness of the decision maker in our mind that can (and will!) choose against ego, but fortunately, ego’s mind-numbing propaganda “…may be fool-proof, but it is not God-proof.” (ACIM, T-5.VI.10:6)
“Spirit is in a state of grace forever.
⁵Your reality is only spirit.
⁶Therefore you are in a state of grace forever.” (ACIM, T-1.III.5:4-6)
(This conversation was facilitated by Bruce Rawles as part of the School For A Course In Miracles (SFACIM) curriculum hosted by Lyn Corona and Tim Wise. This YouTube video recording was made on Saturday, January 10, 2026.)
