ACIM ~ Lesson 216 I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.

Lesson 216

I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

1. (196) It can be but myself I crucify.

All that I do I do unto myself. If I attack, I suffer. But if
I forgive, salvation will be given me.

I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below, is from Kenneth Wapnick's book set called: "Journey Through the Workbook
of A Course in Miracles," 
http://www.facim.org/ ~ M. Street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lesson 216. "It can be but myself I crucify."

"All that I do I do unto myself. If I attack, I suffer. But if I forgive,
salvation will be given me."

*This a key theme throughout A Course in Miracles: everything comes from me, for
I am the dreamer of my dream. Others cannot affect me in any way unless I give
them that power, making them victimizing figures in order to justify my face of
innocence. Thus they are responsible for my pain, until the holy instant of
sanity comes when I forgive them for what they have never done.*


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Review VI. Introduction.

(1) For this review we take but one idea each day, and practice it as often as
is possible. Besides the time you give morning and evening, which should not be
less than fifteen minutes, and the hourly remembrances you make throughout the
day, use the idea as often as you can between them. Each of these ideas alone
would be sufficient for salvation, if it were learned truly. Each would be
enough to give release to you and to the world from every form of bondage, and
invite the memory of God to come again.

(2) With this in mind we start our practising, in which we carefully review the
thoughts the Holy Spirit has bestowed on us in our last twenty lessons. Each
contains the whole curriculum if understood, practised, accepted, and applied to
all the seeming happenings throughout the day. One is enough. But from that one,
there must be no exceptions made. And so we need to use them all and let them
blend as one, as each contributes to the whole we learn.

(3) These practise sessions, like our last review, are centred round a central
theme with which we start and end each lesson. It is this:

I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

The day begins and ends with this. And we repeat it every time the hour strikes,
or we remember, in between, we have a function that transcends the world we see.
Beyond this, and a repetition of the special thought we practise for the day, no
form of exercise is urged, except a deep relinquishment of everything that
clutters up the mind, and makes it deaf to reason, sanity and simple truth.

(4) We will attempt to get beyond all words and special forms of practising for
this review. For we attempt, this time, to reach a quickened pace along a
shorter path to the serenity and peace of God. We merely close our eyes, and
then forget all that we thought we knew and understood. For thus is freedom
given us from all we did not know and failed to understand.

(5) There is but one exception to this lack of structuring. Permit no idle
thought to go unchallenged. If you notice one, deny its hold and hasten to
assure your mind that this is not what it would have. Then gently let the
thought which you denied be given up, in sure and quick exchange for the idea we
practise for the day.

(6) When you are tempted, hasten to proclaim your freedom from temptation, as
you say:

This thought I do not want. I choose instead ________.

And then repeat the idea for the day, and let it take the place of what you
thought. Beyond such special applications of each day's idea, we will add but a
few formal expressions or specific thoughts to aid in practising. Instead, we
give these times of quiet to the Teacher Who instructs in quiet, speaks of
peace, and gives our thoughts whatever meaning they may have.

(7) To Him I offer this review for you. I place you in His charge, and let Him
teach you what to do and say and think, each time you turn to Him. He will not
fail to be available to you, each time you call to Him to help you. Let us offer
Him the whole review we now begin, and let us also not forget to Whom it has
been given, as we practise day by day, advancing toward the goal He set for us;
allowing Him to teach us how to go, and trusting Him completely for the way each
practise period can best become a loving gift of freedom to the world.