Welcome to Active Meditation.
A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 19.
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
As we prepare for this exercise,
We place our body in a comfortable position and close our eyes.
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.
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.
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
The idea for today is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone.
You will notice that at times the ideas related to thinking precede those related to perceiving,
While at other times the order is reversed.
The reason is that the order does not matter.
Thinking and its results are really simultaneous,
Or cause and effect are never separate.
Today we are again emphasizing the fact that minds are joined.
This is rarely a wholly welcome idea at first,
Since it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of responsibility and may even be regarded as an invasion of privacy.
Yet it is a fact that there are no private thoughts.
Despite your initial resistance to this idea,
You will yet understand that it must be true if salvation is possible at all,
And salvation must be possible,
Because it is the will of God.
The minute or so of mind searching which today's exercise is required,
Is to be undertaken with eyes closed.
Let's practice.
The idea for today is to be repeated first.
Say to yourself,
Say to your mind,
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
Now carefully search your mind for the thoughts it contains.
As you consider each one,
Name it,
In terms of the central person or theme it contains.
Hold it in your mind as you say to yourself,
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of this thought about,
And name the thought.
Do this now.
The requirement of as much indiscriminateness as possible in selecting the subjects or the practice periods should be quite familiar to you by now,
And will no longer be repeated each time,
Although it will occasionally be included as a reminder.
Let's practice again.
Repeat the idea for today.
Say to yourself,
Say to your mind,
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
Carefully search your mind for the thoughts it contains.
Locate a thought,
Name it,
In terms of the central person or theme it contains.
Hold it in your mind as you say to yourself,
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of this thought about,
And name the thought.
All be quiet while you do this.
Do not forget,
However,
That random selection of subjects for all practice periods remains essential throughout.
Lack of order in this connection will ultimately make the recognition of lack of order in miracles meaningful to you.
Apart from the as-needed application of today's idea,
At least three practice periods are required,
Shortening the length of time involved if necessary.
Do not attempt more than four.
Remember only this.
You need not believe the ideas,
You need not accept them,
And you need not even welcome them.
Some of them you may actively resist.
None of this will matter or decrease their efficacy.
But do not allow yourself to make exceptions in applying the ideas the workbook contains.
And whatever your reactions to the ideas may be,
Use them.
Nothing more than that is required.
I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
Let's return to our regular level of thought and feeling.
Take a few deep breaths.
Return to the waking state,
To time and space.
I now know.
I am aware.
I am.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
