It’s been a challenging (though great) year. I know that A Course in Miracles teaches that the world is a projection of our mind and many interpret that as the brain/thoughts that we are experiencing in this body. So, there have been some people who have made comments to me that I should get my thinking cleaned up or questioned what I was thinking that created these experiences. Yet, I don’t believe that the Course is saying that what we understand as our human minds/brains alone are creating the entire world around us based on the following:
“89 …you say, "Just an idle thought," and mean that the thought has no effect…
96 …It is time, however, to consider the whole world of the unconscious or "unwatched" mind. This may well frighten you because it is the source of fear. The unwatched mind is responsible for the whole content of the unconscious… You cannot understand unconscious activity in these terms because "content" is applicable only to the more superficial unconscious levels, to which the individual himself contributes.” (OrEd.Tx.2.)
I believe that in this section, the Course is describing three levels of consciousness, all of which can at times be described as mind.
The first being the “thinking” level of consciousness - that which we are aware of seemingly as a function of our brains and which we tend to be dismissive of. The thinking mind is the one that is “easiest” for us to work with, though we are often lazy and let it roam at will.
The second being the “unconscious mind” of the individual - the superficial level to which the individual contributes. The unconscious (or subconscious) mind is the home of the beliefs that we hold which we may not give voice to yet have a significant affect on our choices, actions and words and is "fed" by the conscious mind (or what the conscious mind lets through).
The third is shown through comparison/omission in this passage - if the individual is only contributing to the more superficial unconscious level, then the implication is that there is another level which the thinking mind does not contribute and is a deeper unconscious level. This is the Universal conscious/God-mind/Spirit.
So, when the Course says that the world is a projection of our mind/thoughts, which mind is it referencing? I would say all three somehow are coordinated by Holy Spirit to create the experience which is best for us. The conscious mind is the gatekeeper for our subconscious mind and these two minds are God manifested in individual form on this planet. So did I consciously create the break in my foot? Could I have “thought differently” and healed the bone? Probably not wholly at just the conscious level currently but I do have the choice of how to consciously respond to the circumstances - in fear and anger or trust and acceptance.
I know. It’s all a bit confusing and I don’t think it really matters all that much if we fully understand it. What I do know is that I’m called to bring all of my mind into alignment with spiritual principles. Most readily, I can work with the conscious mind by questioning my thoughts. These then affect and heal my subconscious mind and in doing so, I grow closer to the Universal consciousness/God-mind. I trust it is so because I have experienced the peace of that. Thus, I choose to be diligent in what I can affect and to work with the experiences that I have.
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