ACIM Glossary C-D
C
call for love/help
The real nature of attack. Attack seems to be a sin but is really a call for love or help. Our minds, being part of God, desire only love. Thus, the ego tries to convince us to attack by promising that this attack will bring us love in some form. Instead of love, however, we find pain. Attack, then, is a mistaken way of seeking love. And mistakes by nature call for correction. They are implicit calls for help, help to find the love we were seeking and help to let go of our ineffective way of seeking it. This overall concept takes many forms: 1. Attack is a call for love (see T-14.X.7:1-2). 2. Attack is a call for help or correction or healing (see T-12.I). 3. What we call sin is merely a mistake or an error (see T-19.II-III). 4. Early in the Text, sin is spoken of as a lack of love as opposed to a positive act of evil or assault (see T-1.IV.3:1-3, T-5.V.4:10). See "mind cannot attack."
cause and effect
The basic law of mind, the law of extension, in which a cause extends itself outward in the form of effects that are in its likeness. By causing effects the cause is proven real and is expanded. Change can only be introduced at the level of cause, not effect. Effects cannot turn around and create their cause, as the ego maintains. 1. God is the Cause and His Son is His Effect (see T-2.VII.3:11). 2. The ego, however, has tried to reverse effect and Cause, claiming that you, the effect, are your own cause, and that God is actually your effect (see authority problem). 3. The outer world is merely an effect of your mind. The only meaningful healing, then, is to heal the cause, to change your mind. 4. The ego again tries to reverse effect and cause, telling you that the world and the body are your cause and you are their effect (see projection). It thus counsels you to solve your problems by changing outer situations, circumstances and other people (see magic). 5. Because the ego has had no real effect, it cannot be a cause. This is why the ego has no real "dynamics"—it is not dynamic, causative (see T-11.V.3). 6. You prove your brother's ego is not real when you show it has had no effect on you (see invulnerability). 7. When a miracle is caused through you, healing another, this effect becomes a witness to the fact that the Cause of healing lies within you. See "ideas leave not their source."
charity
Root meaning: Generous, liberal giving; giving others more than their seeming due. Conventional: Generous physical giving or service. ACIM: Generous perception. Perceiving others in a far more positive light than seems to be their due. Seeing the perfection in others. Charitable or right-minded perception is the source of miracles, but does not pertain to knowledge. See T-2.V.9-10.
choice
The mind's ability to decide between different alternatives. Choice is truly free. It is caused in each moment purely by the mind itself rather than by the past or anything external. Not even the Holy Spirit knows what we will choose from moment to moment, and He cannot override our choices. Choice is meaningless in Heaven, where only will exists; "the concept of choice...is not of God" (T-10.V.14:2). It only makes sense within the split mind, which has invented an alternative to oneness and so must now choose between its two allegiances. Choice is not between outer alternatives (e.g. what to eat, what to wear, whom to marry, etc.), as the ego maintains. Such "choices" are merely smoke screens for the only meaningful choice: the choice of whether to think with the ego or the Holy Spirit. And even this choice is an illusion, for only one alternative is real. Yet by using the illusion of choice to choose only truth we eventually remember that only truth is possible and that no choice exists. See (T-6.V(C).4:8-10, T-24.VI.7:1-2).
Christ
Christian: Jesus, who was the Christ, the Son of God. ACIM: God's extension, His one Son and one creation. Our true Identity; the single Self that is shared by all the members or parts of the Sonship (see T-15.V.10:10). The second Member of the Trinity; The Holy Spirit abides within Christ as Christ abides within God. Does not refer to Jesus, who is simply one of these members who has remembered our shared Identity. Christ is fully at one with God, indistinguishable from God, and eternally awake in God. He cannot sleep (see T-12.VI.5:4). See Son of God. See T-11.IV.7.
Christ's vision
See true perception.
clouds
A metaphor for the dense, chaotic mass of insane thoughts, largely unconscious, which block our awareness from the light of our true nature, yet which have no real substance. These are often spoken of as "dark clouds" or "the clouds of guilt," for they are made of guilt. Also refers to the objects and events of this world, which are literally nothing more than this same mass of thoughts in our minds. See T-18.IX.6-8, W-pI.41.5, W-pI.69.4-8.
communication
Conventional: The exchange of information between minds through a system of outer symbols such as words. ACIM: The direct joining of minds, through the extension of one mind to another. "Communication ends separation" T-8.VII.4:1. Conventional communication is actually pseudo-communication designed to disrupt communication. 1. In Heaven, communication is the direct, unmediated and non-specific sharing of knowledge between all minds. It is also the means by which creation occurs (see extension). 2. The separation was a disruption in communication. This is the ego's sole purpose for all that it does. The ego invented bodies and human language in order to not communicate while appearing to communicate. 3. The Holy Spirit is "the remaining communication link between God and His separated Sons" (C-6.3:1). There is no communication at all between the ego and the Holy Spirit. 4. The Holy Spirit guides us to re-establish communication with our brothers through letting go the blocks to joining (see forgiveness) and so experiencing our oneness. 5. The Holy Spirit sees the body solely as an instrument of communication. It is a temporary communication device, needed because our vision is still dim (see M-12.3:3-8). It becomes unnecessary when our minds learn that they can communicate directly without it (see T-15.IX.7:2). 6. The holy instant is a time in which we give and receive communication. 7. Revelation is direct communication from God, which we can experience in this world. See communion. See T-4.VII.3-4, T-15.IV.8, T-15.XI.7, T-18.VI.83-8.
communion
Christian: A sacrament in which bread and wine are partaken as symbols of Jesus' body and blood, in commemoration of Jesus dying for our sins on the cross. ACIM: Communication, the joining or sharing of minds. Jesus states that he would not share his body with us, because it was meaningless; and that his death was not a payment for sin (see crucifixion and Atonement). He says, however, that he will share his mind with us, in the holy instant and in the holy relationship. See T-7.V.10:7-12, T-19.IV(A).16-17.
consciousness
The conscious part of the mind, which perceives, experiences, chooses (thus, in the Course this term does not denote a general principle or substance that pervades all levels of mind). "Consciousness is...the domain of the ego" (T-3.IV.2:2). Consciousness can receive messages from the ego, which is buried in the unconscious, or from the Holy Spirit, Who is also outside the conscious mind. It must choose between these two voices. It can be trained to experience miracles and see the real world. But it is inherently perceptual (subject-object oriented) and cannot reach knowledge. See C-1.7.
content
See form/content.
course, the
A three-volume book which constitutes a spiritual path. Its title, A Course in Miracles, could be rephrased as: an educational program in awakening to God through accepting and extending the healing of perception (see miracles). The Course's many references to itself contain the following main themes: 1. The purpose of the Course is to teach us to remember who we are, to escape fear and attain complete peace of mind, to bring us to the state of perfect healing immediately preceding the reawakening to knowledge and Heaven (see final step). It does this not by changing our outer lives or by indulging us in the play of ideas and philosophical speculation, but by training our minds, by leading us to the complete reversal of our thinking (see M-24.4:1). 2. The Course is workable and effective. It is simple, direct, perfectly clear, easy and consistent (see T-20.VII.1:3). It asks almost nothing and offers everything. It can be learned, can be learned immediately and cannot fail. 3. We think it does not work, is not specific enough (see T-11.VIII.5:1-4), asks the sacrifice of all we hold dear and is too difficult to learn. This appears to be true only because our egos are fighting the Course, interpreting against it, trying to discredit it, not doing what it says. We are afraid of the Course because it will work, because it offers happiness, guiltlessness, love, God. These things are our deepest fears, yet they are also our deepest desires. If we will just do what the Course says, we will see that it works and become motivated to follow it all the way. See cirriculum, "God's Son is guiltless," thought system. See T-In, C-In.
creation
Root meaning: The act of bringing something real into being. What is thus brought into being. Conventional: The act of making or inventing new things in this world: forms, systems, ideas or works of art. God's creation of the world. The world that He created. ACIM: The act of bringing into being "new" parts or aspects of transcendental reality. God's creation of reality, of the Kingdom. The sum total of all that God created. Produces only the eternal (see T-8.VI.3:3). Occurs only in Heaven (T-17.IV.2:1); in this world we can only engage in making. In creation, part of Heaven uses its will to extend its being, its love, "outward" to produce "new" parts of Heaven. These new parts are pure spirit: formless, timeless, perfect, infinite and whole. They are also completely united with and the same as their creator. Through this process the creator extends itself, increasing in fullness and completion. 1. God created His Son, the Christ, thus extending and increasing Himself. The Son, then, is creation—the sum total of what God created. 2. God gave us the function of creating, and so we extend His creation outward by creating in His Name. This is our true function, to which forgiveness returns us. See extension, function and creations.
creations
1. God's creations, which are completely non-physical. The Sonship, which is one but is composed of an infinite number of parts or Sons (see W-pII.11.1:1). 2. Our own creations in Heaven, which we create in unison with God and all our brothers and which complete us and establish our own fatherhood. Creating them is how we increase the Kingdom and give thanks to God for our own creation. In fact, our song of love to God is simultaneously our song of creating in His Name. These creations in turn, pour out their eternal gratitude to us for giving them the gift of life. They call to us from Heaven to return to them. They, like everything in Heaven, are pure spirit, formless, timeless and perfect (for the one direct description of what our creations are, see T-24.VII.7:1-3). Note: They are not our extensions or thoughts of love in this world. See creation. See T-8.VI.5.
crucifixion
The symbol of the ego (T-13.II.6:1). What the ego does to every Son of God who believes in it. 1. The ego devises a world which constantly crucifies us in little ways and finally kills us (see T-13.In.2-4). We assume God is using the world to crucify us for our sins. Yet we dream the world and use it to crucify ourselves for our sins. 2. The real crucifixion is inner, not outer (T-13.III.6:4-6). It is the condition of anguish which results from our guilt, and from the ego trying to crucify our true Self, the Son of God within us. 3. We try to crucify others, yet this is precisely what leads to #1 and #2 above. 4. The crucifixion of Jesus. Christian: A ritualistic transaction with God in which Jesus made himself the sacrifice for our sins and thus paid the debt of our sins. ACIM: An extreme teaching example of true forgiveness, in which Jesus underwent an extreme version of the crucifixion we all experience, yet did not perceive it as real. The events of the crucifixion themselves had no redemptive value (see T-3.I.1:2, T-14.V.10:1); it was how he perceived and responded to them that led to the resurrection. His response demonstrated that no attack—no matter how extreme (see no order of difficulty in miracles)—can truly hurt or kill us, the Son of God. He demonstrated that instead of responding with anger and retaliation we should teach only love (see T-6.I). See Atonement.
curriculum
A series of lessons planned to help you achieve a learning goal. The ego has a curriculum and so does the Holy Spirit. For both curricula the learning goal is to teach you who you are. Yet they are complete opposites, based on opposing notions of who you are. Following the ego's conflicting, impossible curriculum has made you such a depressed, handicapped learner that you need a special curriculum with a special Teacher (the Holy Spirit). The learning goal of His curriculum is forgiveness. This will lead to the final step which is beyond the scope of the curriculum. He will gear the curriculum to your very individual needs. Yet it is not up to you to establish the curriculum nor even your particular form of it (your particular spiritual path). A Course in Miracles portrays itself as one form of the Holy Spirit's universal curriculum. See course, the. See T-8.I.5-6, T-12.V.5-9.
D
death
The central illusion, the idea that eternal life can be lessened, compromised, can lose vitality and be extinguished. The single idea behind all forms of pain, lack or limitation. The most stark example of this idea is death of the body. Death seems to be the final power in this world, for it overpowers all things in the end (see W-pI.163.2). 1. The ego tells us that if death is god in this world, then death must issue from God. It must be His punishment for our sins. Therefore, says the ego, we should fear Him. 2. Yet physical death is our punishment of ourselves. We made it ourselves (T-1.I.24:1) and are attracted to it. 3. We made it to give ourselves justification for the fear of God. For the ego wants us to fear Him and stay away from Him, since it fears disappearing in God's unlimited Life. 4. This fear of God's Life makes the ego want to conquer His threat. It does this by apparently killing His Son, which "proves" that it has defeated, even killed, the God of Life (see W-pI.163.5,7). 5. Death, however, is a complete illusion, for life, spirit, cannot be lessened, killed or changed in any way. Bodies do cease to function, but do not die since they were not alive in the first place. 6. Since death is not real, physical death does not accomplish anything. It is not a way to escape the pain of life nor a way to get to Heaven (see T-6.V(A).1). 7. When we realize that death does not exist, we will be able to lay our bodies down voluntarily when our job here is done (see W-pII.294.1:5-10). Or, as with Jesus, our bodies will simply vanish. See T-19.IV(C), M-27).
defense
1. Our physical defense against outer attacks. This backfires, for it affirms that the attacks are real and that we can be injured (see W-pI.153.1-5). Further, the idea of self-defense is simply an excuse to attack and so leads to guilt (see attack). 2. Closely related to this outer defense is the ego's system of psychological defense (the primary one being projection), which also backfires, for it too affirms that what it defends against—internal guilt—is real. 3. The ego's true purpose behind these defenses is to do precisely what they do: reinforce the reality of outer attack and inner guilt. Reinforcing our fear and guilt is how the ego defends its "reality" and so defends itself against God. 4. Yet to keep our allegiance—to defend itself from being relinquished—it must also offer us "gifts." Its chief defense in this sense (its most boasted gift) is the special relationship (see T-17.IV.5). 5. The Atonement is a defense, which does not attack and does not make real what it defends against (see T-2.II.4). For it protects us from illusions by showing us their unreality. See denial.
defenselessness
Conventional: Being without a means of protecting yourself from attack, and so being completely vulnerable to harm. ACIM: The attitude and response that stems from realizing that you cannot be attacked or harmed, that you are invulnerable. It thus comes from strength and leads to safety. Ironically, defensiveness is what lays you open to attack by affirming that attack is real and you are vulnerable. See defense and invulnerability. See W-pI.153, M-4.VI.
denial
A refusal to admit the truth of something. The psychological defense of putting something unwanted out of one's mind. The "decision not to know" (T-14.I.2:2). 1. The ego's thought system is a denial of reality, a refusal to admit the truth. This submerges our awareness of reality deep in the unconscious mind (see T-11.I.8:1-4). 2. We then deny the raw hatred, guilt and fear we feel inside (which comes from our denial of truth). This very concealment affirms that we still believe in these emotions. This more common use of the word is found only rarely in the Course. 3. The proper use of denial is not to conceal illusions, but to calmly refuse to admit that they are true, to correct our belief in their reality (see T-2.II.1:11-2:6). 4. And since illusions are denials of truth, "The task of the miracle worker thus becomes to deny the denial of truth" (T-12.II.1:5). See dissociation. See T-7.VII.1.
devil
Conventional: a supernatural being that opposes God and is the cause of all that is wrong in the world. ACIM: the ego, the self we made (and think we have become) that opposes God and is the sole cause of all suffering and "evil." See T-3.VII.2:4-8, 5:1-4.
dissociation
To separate something from awareness as a mechanism of ego defense. A "decision to forget" (T-10.II.1:2). 1. The mechanism by which the separation occurred (see T-6.II.1:4-5). The separation was not a physical parting, but a mental decision to forget. 2. The ego then dissociated from God's Answer: the Holy Spirit and His thought system (see T-14.VII.4). "Dissociation is a distorted process of thinking whereby two systems of belief [the ego's and the Holy Spirit's] which cannot coexist are both maintained" (T-14.VII.4:3). They are maintained by keeping them in different compartments of the mind. When they are brought together, one must dispel the other (see bringing darkness to light). 3. The ego even uses dissociation to keep contradictory goals in its own thought system from coming into contact with each other (see T-15.I.4:12). See denial. See T-10.II.1.
dream
Conventional: An imaginary experience the mind has when it loses consciousness of "reality" (as in sleep), or when it hopes for something better than "reality" (as in "hopes and dreams"). ACIM: All experiences the mind has within the world of time and space, including the world itself, which are simply imaginary experiences your mind has while asleep (see sleep) in Heaven and unaware of true reality. Just like nighttime dreams, this world seems to be reality, seems to exist outside your mind and independent of it, seems filled with things and people that are not part of you, and seems to cause you to feel things. Yet, also like dreams, it is an escape from reality, a fantasy, which exists within your mind and was caused by you. Just as nighttime dreams are your protest against the insults of daytime "reality" (see T-18.II), so daytime dreaming is your protest against true reality. 1. Conventional experience and states of mind in this world are described as nightmares. These are painful because you seem to be attacked from outside and because you do bad things that seem to warrant punishment. Release comes from realizing that they are only dreams, that you are the dreamer who made them up. 2. You can choose that your nightmares be changed into happy dreams, forgiving dreams. From these you can awaken to reality. See T-27.VII-VIII.
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