"Let all things be exactly as they are"... how do I do THAT??

The lesson I am on in ACIM states, "Let all things be exactly as they are."


When I first started this blog in 2013, I titled it "what do I know" because I was realizing at that time how very little I know. Moreover, I was recognizing the importance of having this open mind to allow for truth to be realized, to have an awakening to Self, reach enlightenment, call it what you well.  As Jesus instructed us, we are to be like children (which I believe points to not having all of these fixed ideas in our minds and to be open to learning), or in Zen, the same is referred to as the "beginner's mind."

My spirituality has shifted and changed over the years, and while I have at times judged myself for this, I see this now as having had a willingness to explore, to have this open-mindedness and childlike wonder; it has added to my ability to understand other people's faith and philosophies, and has ultimately deepened my own spirituality. The one thing that I continually fall back on, however, is that there is a primal source to everything, that this source is pure love (i.e. "God is love") and that given that I have come from this source, I too (along with everyone else who is also an extension of source/love/God) am love. This is why when I act or think in a loving way, I feel aligned somehow, it feels good and right, and everything flows more smoothly.

Many religions or spiritual traditions talk of this life being a dream (or like one), an illusion, or "maya." The bible talks about Adam falling asleep and never does it mention him waking. Scientists, writers and artists have expressed the same sentiments: Albert Einstein stated, "reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one," and from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "dream delivers us to dream and there is no end to illusion." We even have the childhood song: row row row your boat gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream."  From this perspective or awareness then, we believe that we are having this human experience, while the ultimate truth is that we are "dreaming" up this life.

The depths of our minds are, to most humans, unfathomable; there have however been saints, sages and mystics as well as psychologists, scientists, artists, etc. who have recognized that our minds extend beyond this small existence that we believe we are/are in. Many of these individuals have talked about collective consciousness, have had realizations of our expansiveness and unity with all that is. In spiritual talk this has been referred to as samadhi, revelation, divine ecstasy, etc. Artists, musicians, and scientists have through the ages talked about feeling they are channeling a source greater than themselves; how does one channel an idea or information unless there is a connection?This all points to our minds being infinitely connected to our Source/God.

In the book The Way Of Mastery, this is stated beautifully; "You have not come forth from some mechanical unthinking force. You have come forth from Pure Intelligence. You have come forth from Pure Love. You have come forth from a Source beyond all comprehension. You have come forth from the Radiance of Light so bright that the world cannot see it nor contain it. You have come forth from That which alone is eternally real. And because you have come forth from it, you are ONE with it, always. This means that you abide in relationship -created to Creator, offspring or child to parent-that is so intimate, a bond so deep, that it cannot be broken at any time. As a wave that arises from an ocean cannot be separated from the ocean itself, so too, in each and every moment in your experience, do you abide in a union so powerful, so mysterious, so intimate and immediate that the mind cannot comprehend it. This union, then, connects you, as the created, with the Mystery beyond comprehension that contains every drop of wisdom and intelligence necessary to create consciousness itself. And consciousness, awareness, the power to be aware, the power to choose-this is what you truly are."

To say that our lives are illusionary or dreamlike does not in any way suggest that it does not feel absolutely real or that we should not be involved to the extent that we are guided by LOVE to be involved. I would suggest rather that we remember that this apparent life is not the ultimate reality and that we are truly safe in Love, in God/Source/Pure Consciousness. To recognize this truth opens my heart and brings me to tears. To fully grasp that this finite "self" that I have believed to be Kelly, is not actually who I am, but that I am still one with God as I am spirit/consciousness, absolutely rings true within the depth of my being.

Turning now to the ACIM lesson for today, "Let all things be exactly as they are." It is with this knowledge, that I am still connected to Source/God, that this "life" I perceive is not the ultimate truth, and that I am pure love and consciousness, that I can allow things to be exactly as they are. What this means is that I do not have to try to control things, I do not have to have attachments to the outcomes, I can be in peace. This lesson reminds me of two other ACIM lessons, specifically Lessons  24, "I do not perceive my own best interests,"  and Lesson 243, "Today I will judge nothing that occurs" which further states, "I will not think I understand the whole from bits of my perception, which are all that I can see."   The ego part of my mind does not know the extent of the past or the future, or the "big picture," therefore it is not that I should not judge, but that I literally CANNOT  judge. In letting go of my judgement, I am capable of allowing things to be exactly as they are, meaning my peace does not need to be disturbed, and that I will act as guided by my higher self/love.