we continue on with Chapter three
miracles is true perception I have
stated that the basic concepts refer to
in this course are not matters of degree
certain fundamental concepts cannot be
understood in terms of opposites it is
impossible to conceive of light and
darkness or everything and nothing as
joint possibilities they are all true or
all false it is essential that you
realize your thinking will be erratic
until a firm commitment to one or the
other side is made a firm commitment to
darkness or nothingness however is
impossible no one has ever lived who has
not experienced some light and some
thing no one therefore is able to deny
truth totally even if he thinks again
innocence is not a partial attribute it
is not real until it is total the partly
innocent are apt to be quite foolish at
times it is not until their innocence
becomes a viewpoint with universal
application that it becomes wisdom
innocent or true perception means that
you never miss perceive and always see
truly more simply it means that you
never see what does not exist and always
see what does when you lack confidence
in what someone will do you are testing
- your belief that he is not in his
right mind this is hardly a miracle
based frame of reference
it also has the disastrous effect of
denying the power of the miracle the
miracle perceives everything as it is if
nothing but truth exists right-minded
seeing cannot see anything but
perfection I have said that only what
God creates or what you create with the
same will has any real existence this
then is all the innocent can see they do
not suffer from distorted perception you
are afraid of God's will because you
have used your own mind which he created
in the likeness of his own to miscreate
the mind can this create only when it
believes it is not free and imprisoned
mind is not free because it is possessed
or held back by itself it is therefore
limited and the will is not free to
assert itself to be one is to be of one
mind or will when the will of the
sonship and the father are one
their perfect accord is heaven nothing
can prevail against the Son of God who
commends his spirit into the hands of
his father by doing this the mind
awakens from its sleep and remembers his
Creator all sense of separation
disappears the son of God is part of the
Holy Trinity
but the Trinity itself is one there is
no confusion within its levels because
they are of one mind and of one will
this single purpose creates perfect
integration
it establishes the peace of God yet this
vision can be perceived only by the
truly innocent because their hearts are
pure the innocent defend true perception
instead of defending themselves against
it understanding the lesson of the
atonement they are without the wish to
attack and therefore they see truly this
is what the Bible means when it says
when he shall appear or be perceived we
shall be like him for we shall see him
as he is the way to correct distortions
is to withdraw your faith in them
invested only in what is true you cannot
make untruth true if you are willing to
accept what is true in everything you
perceive you let it be true for you
truth overcomes all error and those who
live in error and emptiness can never
find lasting solace if you perceive
truly you are cancelling out
misperceptions in yourself and in others
simultaneously because you see them as
they are you offer them your acceptance
of their truth so they can accept it for
themselves this is the healing of the
miracle induces
and from the workbook lesson number 17 I
see no neutral things this idea is
another step in the direction of
identifying cause and effect as it
really operates in the world you see no
neutral things because you have no
neutral thoughts it is always the
thought that comes first despite the
temptation to believe that it is the
other way around this is not the way the
world thinks but you must learn that it
is the way you think if it were not so
perception would have no cause and would
itself be the cause of reality in view
of its highly variable nature this is
hardly likely in applying today's idea
say to yourself with open eyes I see no
neutral things because I have no neutral
thoughts then look about you resting
your glance on each thing you note long
enough to say I do not see a neutral
blank because my thoughts about like are
not neutral
for example you might say I do not see a
neutral wall because my thoughts about
walls are not neutral I do not see a
neutral body because my thoughts about
bodies are not neutral as usual it is
essential to make no distinctions
between what you believe to be animate
or inanimate pleasant or unpleasant
regardless of what you may believe you
do not see anything that is really alive
or really joyous that is because you are
unaware as yet of any thought that is
really true and therefore really happy
three or four specific practice periods
are recommended and no less than three
are required for maximum benefit even if
you experience resistance however if you
do the length of the practice period may
be reduced to less than the minute or so
that is otherwise recommended I see no
neutral things
so as we gaze around we are allowing the
idea that we do not see anything as
completely neutral we are praying and
calling upon the holy spirit to bring us
a different way of seeing with the
admission that everything that we are
perceiving is being given a meaning of
false meaning
and this false meaning is one of
judgment if I have judgment in my mind I
must see a judgment world
I must see in fragmentation and so this
idea is another way of opening to the
meaninglessness of everything that is
perceived
I cannot see anything
perceive anything clearly if I continue
to make distinctions if I continue to
make categories levels degrees
gradations it is important that I use
the lesson of today to admit that I see
no neutral things if the thoughts that I
think I think in the images I think I
see are the same and if my thoughts that
I think I think are not neutral not
neutral at all then the images I see are
not neutral at all
this idea today follows from the
previous idea that I have no neutral
thoughts I have no idle thoughts they
are merely true or false and these
images are merely true or false but
these thoughts and these images are not
neutral
they either extend the truth or they
multiply illusions and so I can't begin
to talk about neutrality in perceiving
if the thoughts that are underneath my
perceptions are not real
I have to be open to be shown a new way
of proceeding first and then beyond that
vision the vision of Christ pure light
and so in faith I practice the lesson of
today I see no neutral things