Welcome to Active Meditation.
A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 17.
I see no neutral things.
As we prepare for this exercise,
We place our body in a comfortable position and close our eyes.
We will be opening up our eyes again for this exercise.
We relax by noting where the tension is in our body.
And to increase the relaxation,
We remove all expression from our face.
Do all this now.
I will wait.
This is a Course in Miracles.
It is a required course.
Only the time you take it is voluntary.
Some of the ideas the exercises present,
You will find hard to believe,
And others may seem to be quite startling.
This does not matter.
You are merely asked to apply the ideas as you are directed.
You are not asked to judge them at all.
You are asked only to use them.
It is their use that will give them meaning to you and will show you that they are true.
The purpose of the workbook is to train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world.
This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.
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.
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,
You will open your eyes and say to yourself,
I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.
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.
Let's practice.
Open your eyes.
Look about you,
Resting your glance on each thing you know,
Long enough to say,
I do not see a neutral,
Name what you see,
Because my thoughts about it are not neutral.
I'll be quiet while you do this.
Close your eyes.
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.
Let's keep practicing.
Open your eyes.
Say to yourself,
Repeat in your mind,
I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.
Look about you,
Resting your glance again on each thing you know,
Long enough to say,
I do not see a neutral,
Name what you see,
Because my thoughts about it are not neutral.
Do this again now.
Close your eyes.
Remember,
It is always the thought that comes first,
Despite the temptation to believe that it is the other way around.
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 because I have no neutral thoughts.
Let's return to our regular levels of thought and feeling,
And as we do this,
We know that our personality has made significant progress to becoming a true reflection of our Higher Self.
Take a few deep breaths,
And return to the real.
I AM.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
