There is No Separation Anywhere

. . . praying through the mind/body dualism dream

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There are only two prayers. The first one is: help me.

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What happened was I pulled the thread marked "mind/body dualism" and A Course in Miracles just . . . melted. It fell away as if it had never existed. Jesus was still there, clear and companionate; God was still there, vast, beautiful and mysterious.

But the scaffolding of ACIM was gone.

Mind/body dualism is the idea that mind and body are separate - they're made of different substances, obey different laws and produce different outcomes. Most folks who invest in this kind of dualism do so in order to elevate the mind (or soul or spirit or consciousness) over and against the body.

You see the flesh or recognize the spirit. There is no compromise between the two. If one is real the other must be false, for what is real denies its opposite (T-31.VI.1:1-3).

Sorry but no.

Somewhat more carefully and respectfully: that is a fear-based, dualistic position whose only fruits are suffering. There is - thank Christ there is - another way. There is no separation anywhere, including between flesh and spirit.

It is hard to overstate the clarity and simplicity this release includes. The heart opens in a new way; it empties in a new way. The stillness and quiet are communal, not private, and bring forth a happiness that defies easy description because it doesn't need to justify itself to anyone.

Who knew?

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This happened as a function of attention. To what are you giving attention? To what - or to whom - are you in attendance?

The God that we seek does not exist and therefore cannot be found. God is present now; God is active now. Therefore, we seek instead to undo the blocks to our awareness of God's presence and healing activity.

No one who learns to forgive can fail to remember God . . . All blocks to the remembrance of God are forms of unforgiveness, and nothing else (P-2.II.3:1-3).

ACIM reframes the meaning of forgiveness in order to distinguish between perception (which is information the body generates through its senses, e.g., sights and sounds) and knowledge (which is "the affirmation of truth and beyond all perceptions" (T-3.III.1:10)).

When we forgive we see beyond the perceived world of the body in order to "know" the pure truth of mind. Illusion is undone and reality revealed. The suggestion is, when we "learn to forgive" we naturally recognize what we already have (T-3.V.6:5-8).

In electing perception instead of knowledge, you placed yourself in a position where you could resemble your Father only by perceiving miraculously. You have lost the knowledge that you yourself are a miracle of God. Creation is your Source and your only real function (T-3.V.6:6-8).

Which, fine.

But also, what are we supposed to do with this? It only makes sense if we accept the underlying premise that mind and body are separate. Otherwise, it's just one more artificial distinction drawn by ego to divide the world into those who get it and those who don't.

So: do you accept the underlying premise? Are mind and body separate?

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In early February that was the question with which I was wrestling. Somewhere shy of Saint Valentine’s day, two a.m. and snow falling, I was shivering on my knees in the hayloft, trying to pray. But that stupid question wouldn't go away. It was a block to everything, including prayer.

When I pray in the hayloft I face three enormous windows that open to the north. Even in darkness, the crowns of half a dozen hemlocks were faintly visible. Fainter yet, I could see snow falling on their limbs.

It was all so beautiful and briefly, suddenly, all I wanted was to share it with you.

And then the spell broke and I started laughing. My half-assed prayer perfected itself in laughter.

It was clear: the mind/body split - cherished by A Course in Miracles and fundamental to so much human tragedy - wasn't necessary. You could - you could literally - just let it go.

Letting it go was easy because the question only exists downstream of whatever the self is, which itself only exists downstream of whatever Creation is, which Itself only exists downstream of . . .

When we see the stream, we no longer need the crutch of separation. We can rise and walk.

Look again at the previous ACIM quote, giving particular attention to the first sentence. To what does the pronoun "you" refer?

Find that. It's easy once you realize and accept that it wants to be found.

When you do find it, you will see how "there is no separation anywhere." Not between body and mind, not between you and me, and not between us and Creation.

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The other prayer is: thank you.

~ Sean