ACIM Glossary L-O
L
lack
The faulty belief that we are incomplete, inadequate, less than or empty. We blame our supposed lack on what the world has done to us and try to fill it by gaining the world's idols (see T-29.VII.4) and its acknowledgement of our specialness. Yet lack is caused by our own belief in separation, which causes us to feel lonely and cut off. Lack is solved by realizing that we are not separate and are already complete. See having/being. See T-21.I.1:6.
Last (or Final) Judgment
Christian: a final judgment by God of all souls in which He judges which souls are worthy for Heaven and which get condemned eternally to hell. ACIM: a final healing (rather than a final punishment), in which we judge all of our thoughts, deciding which are false and which are true, rejecting the false and retaining only the true. This judgment is done through us by God's Voice based on His proclamation that "what is false is false and what is true has never changed" (W-pII.10.1:1) and based on God's Final Judgment that we are still His holy Son, forever sinless, changeless and pure. The Last Judgment is a collective process (yet individuals can apparently pass through it before the Sonship as a whole enters it; see T-2.VIII.2:8), immediately following the Second Coming and immediately preceding the end of the world and the final step. See T-2.VIII, T-26.III.4, W-pII.10, M-15.
last step
See final step.
laws
Conventional: A rule which governs the way things work. A standard which one must obey or suffer painful consequences. ACIM: 1. God's laws are the laws of love. They do not demand; they give, guaranteeing freedom, happiness, safety. They give everything to everyone. It is not a sin to disobey them; they cannot be disobeyed. The law mentioned most often is the law of extension, or cause and effect, in which thoughts extend outward, creating after their own nature. 2. This law of creation becomes translated in the dream (by the Holy Spirit) into the basic law of mind or perception: Our thoughts extend outward and determine how we perceive and what we experience (see "projection makes perception"). 3. The laws or premises by which ego thinking operates. The ego's laws are laws of sin, which, if obeyed, result in imprisonment, punishment and death. The ego demands obedience to them, but can only punish those who obey its laws. These are not real laws but laws of chaos (see T-23.II), of lawlessness. 4. The laws of this world—physical, social and religious—are projections of the ego's laws. They are laws that limit, imprison and kill us. Yet they are fictional (see W-pI.76). They only have power over us because of our belief in them. 5. Extending healing to the minds of others is a reflection in this world of God's laws, translated by the Holy Spirit into a form we can understand. These miracles transcend the laws of this world, overturning all the physical laws of space, time, distance, mass and magnitude (see T-12.VII.3:2-3). 6. In the holy instant, the ego's laws are suspended and we experience God's laws of love and freedom. See justice.
learning
Conventional: The acquiring of facts and information. The Course criticizes this definition: "It is hard to teach the mind a thousand alien names, and thousands more. Yet you believe this is what learning means..." (W-pI.184.5:2-3). ACIM: The acquiring of the fundamental thought systems that guide our thought, perception, feeling and behavior. An ability developed by the ego which is used by the Holy Spirit to free us from the ego. Primarily refers to the learning of the Holy Spirit's thought system of miracle-mindedness, which is the learning goal of this course in miracles. Toward this goal the Holy Spirit uses the world, time, the body, the miracle, the holy instant and the example of Jesus as learning aids or devices. To achieve this learning goal requires the unlearning of everything we now believe. "Properly speaking it is unlearning...that is 'true learning' in the world" (M-4.X.3:7). See cirriculum and teaching.
level confusion
Confusing the three levels of spirit, mind and body by thinking that correction applies to a level other than mind. Spirit needs no correction, for it cannot be in error and cannot be tainted by the errors of the mind. The body cannot make errors (since it has no volition of its own) and has no power to hurt the mind or make it happy. The mind is the only level that needs correction—the correction of its faulty thinking. Magic represents level confusion and the miracle is the means of undoing it (see T-2.IV.2). This term only occurs in the first two chapters of the Text. See T-2.V.1.
life
Conventional: A principle or force that characterizes a functioning, animated body; biological vitality. ACIM: A principle or force of spiritual vitality, existence, reality, which is imparted by God, is infinite and eternal, is all one with no separate parts, has no opposite or degrees, and cannot be extinguished or lessened in any way (see death). "...an eternal attribute of everything that the living God created" (T-4.IV.11:7); "the one condition in which all that God created share" (W-pI.167.1:3). Life is of the mind and spirit. It has nothing to do with the body. "There is no life outside of Heaven" (T-23.II.19:1). The body does not live; it has only an illusion of life (see T-6.V(A).1:3-4). Life is: "eternal" (T-1.III.2:2), "creation" (T-11.In.1:6), "God" (T-14.IX.4:4), "peace" (T-27.VII.10:5), "thought" (W-pI.54.2:3), "communication with God" (T-14.IV.10:6).
lilies
Symbols of forgiveness, symbols of the resurrection that forgiveness brings; "the white and holy sign the Son of God is innocent" (T-20.I.2:1). When you forgive your brother you are giving him lilies rather than thorns (which symbolize the crucifixion that comes from guilt), placing them on his inner altar and thereby placing them on your own as well. See T-20.I,II.
little willingness, a
All we need to have in order to receive the miracle and the holy instant from the Holy Spirit. If we give Him a little willingness, as well as recognize our unwillingness, the Holy Spirit will add to our gift His perfect willingness and God will add His unlimited Will. How much is a little willingness? A little willingness to receive the holy instant means "recognizing that you want it above all else" (T-18.IV.1:4). A little willingness to have the Holy Spirit remove our wrong thinking means that we want Him to take it more than we want to keep it (see T-25.VIII.1:6). Thus, having a little willingness seems to mean tipping the scales—wanting what is of God more than we want other things. See T-16.VI.12, T-18.IV.
living things
Denotes all living things on earth, which seem to be physical or biological entities, but which are really parts of God's one Son and are still as God created them. In other words, their true nature is the same as ours. Despite their physical appearances, they are infinite, eternal spirit, part of God and one with us. They are blessed by our forgiving thoughts and in turn recognize the Christ in us (see W-pI.156.4-5). Since the word "living" here does not fundamentally refer to biological life (see life), "living things" seems to include not only animals and plants but waves, wind (see W-pI.156.4), streams (see W-pI.109.6-7) and grains of sand see T-28.IV.9.
love
The single emotion of Heaven, which contains within it the emotions of peace and joy. The opposite of fear (though in truth love has no opposite). The single dynamic of Heaven: "Love is extension" (T-24.I.1:1); "To create is to love" (T-7.I.3:3); "love is sharing" (T-12.VIII.1:5). In love we view something as so attractive, so compatible with us, that we go out to it, give ourselves to it and join with it (see T-18.VI.12:4-5). Primarily refers to Heaven, though occasionally refers to the right minded state on earth. We can love only like God, for only His Love is real. This means that real love is total, always maximal, without degrees, distinctions or selectivity (see W-pI.127.1). Special love, which is doled out differently to different people at different times, is not love. Love cannot be learned, it need only be welcomed. This is done through forgiveness, which is an earthly form of love (see W-pI.186.14:2). See creation, extension, and special relationships.
M
magic
Conventional: Supernaturally exercised power over something, whether actual (as in sorcery) or illusory (as in stage magic). In sorcery, the words of a spell can exercise power over a person, even though under natural law these words would have no such power. In stage magic, an illusionist can seem to produce a supernatural effect (e.g. causing someone to disappear), when actually he has produced only an illusion of that effect. ACIM: The ego's alternative to the miracle. Any unnatural (or "super-natural") power, which means any power apart from the Will of God, for His Will is the only power. Specifically, the power to save (or heal) that we ascribe to our own separate self, to certain special people (see T-7.V.3-4), or to various external things (see the list in W-pI.50.1:3). These powers have no real power to save us, for they have no power at all. Like the stage magician, all they can do is rearrange illusions and thus produce an illusion of salvation. Somewhere inside we know this, and so we only turn to magic when we believe that healing is impossible. From the Course's standpoint, a doctor using medicine to cure the body is a magician using magical powers and potions to produce an illusion of healing—an illusion because what has been healed (the body) is illusory and what is real (the mind) remains unhealed. However, turning to such magic can sometimes be the best approach due to our high level of fear of true healing (see T-2.IV.4, T-2.V.2:5-6). The Course mentions two types of magic (see T-2.V.2:1): 1. Mindless magic, which means using external agents (such as physical medicine) to rearrange external conditions (such as the condition of the body). 2. Miscreative magic, which means using the mind itself to directly rearrange external conditions.
magic thoughts
Thoughts which claim that we can be saved by our own separate will, by certain special people, by various external things—by anything other than the miracle, the Will of God healing our minds. The teacher of God will encounter magic thoughts in his pupils and must learn how to react to them without anger. Found only in sections 17 and 18 in the Manual. See magic.
making
The unreal counterpart of creating, the process by which we produce illusions. Whereas creation uses an undivided will to produce eternal reality, making employs a divided or split mind and produces uncertain, ambivalent illusions. Everything produced outside of Heaven—thoughts, perceptions, forms and events—is made. It is thus unreal and impermanent. See creation.
making error real
Believing in the reality of error or illusion, which makes it real in your own mind, though not in reality. More specifically, believing in the reality of other people's mistakes, which makes those mistakes seem like sins. The ego's plan of forgiveness (followed by the unhealed healer) is to then try to forgive or dispel these "real" errors, but this is impossible, for reality cannot be dispelled. "To perceive errors in anyone, and to react to them as if they were real, is to make them real to you" (T-9.III.6:7). The ego also tries to make real the separation, sickness, nothing, guilt, the past, the unholy relationship, the ego's goals, the body, dreams.
memory of God
Our memory of the heavenly state of oneness with God; our awakening to that state. Not a memory of past events, but of a present state which is still within us but is denied (see T-28.I.4:1-2). This memory can be experienced in holy instants of revelation (see T-28.I.11:4-12:2), and begins to rise in our minds as we near the end of the journey (see T-19.IV(D).1:3-5). But it fully and permanently comes only in the final step (see W-pI.168.3), after we have looked on the face of Christ.
mind
The aspect of the self that includes the faculties of awareness, volition, thought and emotion. Mind is completely non-physical; it should not be confused with the physical brain. Mind's true nature is one with spirit. Yet, unlike spirit, mind can temporarily fall into error, sleep or illusion (see level confusion). 1. When capitalized, refers to the Mind of God, of Christ or of the Holy Spirit. 2. In lower case, refers to the separated mind, or split mind, the mind we currently use. This is the part of our total mind that has fallen asleep and dreams of separate existence. As such, it is in substance part of reality, part of God (see W-pI.35). It will awaken in God when it is fully healed and continue in creation. Yet its form — its appearance of being a separate mind with a separate will, private thoughts and changing emotions — is the ego, an illusion that will disappear when we awaken. 3. In lower case occasionally refers to the heavenly mind of a Son of God. See C-1.
"mind cannot attack"
A basic principle concerning the nature of mind. Minds may seem able to attack each other, yet they cannot. For they are all united and attack assumes the collision of separate objects. Minds also cannot truly be attacked, for this assumes injury and minds cannot be injured, being changeless. Bodies, however, are both separate and changeable. They can attack and be attacked. Identifying with the body, then, makes the mind seem capable of attack. When the mind wants to attack, it directs the body to act out the attack. This produces guilt, which the mind then projects upon the body, blaming the body for its actions. And this causes physical sickness. Despite this illusion, mind still cannot attack. This means attack is not real, which means sin does not exist (see T-19.II.1:4-5). See T-18.VI.3-6, W-pI.161.6.
miracle
Conventional: A divine healing of the physical world or body, in which the normal earthly laws of sickness and death are momentarily suspended, the Spirit enters and brings instantaneous healing in ways considered impossible. ACIM: A divine healing of human perception, in which the normal "laws" of egoic thinking (based on guilt, fear, sickness and death) are momentarily suspended. In this holy instant, the Holy Spirit enters and shifts perception from fear to love, healing all problems with equal ease regardless of their seeming size or gravity (see no order of difficulty in miracles). Contrary to our thinking, miracles are truly natural (see T-1.I.6). They are the opposite of magic, where we try to use an unnatural power (something apart from God's Will) to save us by rearranging illusions (rather than awakening the mind to truth). Miracles are the means for achieving the goal of the Course. They bring us to the remembrance of Heaven, where they become functionless. 1. The Holy Spirit will heal our own perception whenever we give Him permission, which we do by suspending our wrong thinking and desiring right thinking (see little willingness, a). 2. The primary usage is the act of the Holy Spirit extending through our mind to heal the mind of another. This occurs when we are at least momentarily in a state of right-mindedness, when we see a brother free of the past, guiltless (see accepting the Atonement for oneself). This can result in the healing of his body, and the transcending of all physical laws (see T-12.VII.3:3)—though this is a symptom of the miracle, rather than its goal. This will also heal our own mind. Miracles can have unrecognized effects, and in fact affect the entire Sonship. However, we should actively give them only where guided to by the Holy Spirit. Ideally, they should be involuntary—activated through us by the Spirit. 3. A minor usage is God's creation of His Son (see T-13.VIII.6:5). See extension, forgiveness, function, and healing. See T-1.I.
miracle worker
One whose function is to allow the Holy Spirit to heal the minds of others through him. One who gives miracles to miracle receivers (see T-2.V.3:2). His task is to deny the denial of truth in the receiver (see T-12.II.1:5). To do this, he must first accept the Atonement for himself; he must be in his own right mind, however briefly (see accepting the Atonement for oneself). He must also ask which miracles he should perform and must trust that once a miracle has been given it has been received, whether it has been consciously accepted or not. He must understand the fear of release (see T-2.V.1:1) and cooperate with Jesus (see T-2.V(A).17:2).
N
natural
Root meaning: What is in harmony with the nature of a thing or of reality. Conventional: What we find easy, effortless. What is in accord with the world of (physical) nature. ACIM: What is of God, since the true nature of everything is God's nature. Heaven, formless abstraction, is our natural state (see W-pI.161.2:1). On earth, what is truly natural are miracles. The ego, the body and the "natural" world are extremely unnatural. They are habits we taught ourselves with great difficulty over millions of years. As a result, they now seem natural, while what is truly natural seems alien and difficult. See T-16.II.3, W-pI.41.8:1-3.
"no order of difficulty in miracles"
The first principle of miracles (T-1.I.1) and of A Course in Miracles (see T-2.I.5:5), a central part of what miracles mean, "a real foundation stone" of the Course (T-6.V(A).3:5). Though the world is made of problems ( sicknesses, pains, fears, etc.) of different shapes and sizes, the miracle can heal all of them with equal ease. This stamps the miracle as being from beyond this world. The Course gives three rationales for why there is no order of difficulty in miracles: 1. The power of God, the power of love, is always maximal (see T-14.X.6:12-15). 2. All sons of God are equally worthy of the gift of healing (T-5.VII.2:5). 3. All illusions are equally unreal; all are different sizes of zero (see M-8.5). The illusion that one problem is harder to heal than others is produced purely by our preference for that problem (see T-26.VII.6), our valuing of it (see M-8.3:7), which leads us to withhold it from the Holy Spirit's healing (see T-17.I.3:1). This idea that some illusions are more valuable than others is the basis for the first law of chaos (T-23.II.2).
O
One-mindedness
The heavenly state of knowledge. The word "One" implies that there is no split mind and no separation, no distinction between subject and object (see perception), and no opposite. One-mindedness is reached through right-mindedness, yet is also beyond it. For right-mindedness corrects or overlooks wrong-mindedness, which never happened. This makes it both inherently dual (not one) and ultimately illusory. See C-1.6.
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