A Course In Miracles Lesson 33

A Course In Miracles Lesson 33 states:

There is another way of looking at the world.

A Course In Miracles Lesson 33 explains that if I have invented the world I see I can change how I see the world I have invented.  If I do not like what I am seeing or experiencing, I can remember- There is another way of looking at the world.

We can shift the outside world we see from inside our way of thinking, from inside our thoughts.  When we change our thoughts, we change the world we see around us.  Today’s lesson asks us to sit for five minutes twice today, once in the morning and once in the evening, and consider the idea that there is another way of seeing the world.  The lesson asks that we alternate having our eyes open and having our eyes closed as we slowly say the message for today.  Opening and closing the eyes in a slow, gentle way as we repeat the lesson makes a connection between your inner experience and your outer experience.  

Glance comfortably around at objects nearby without any preferences and say, “There is another way of looking at the world.”  Then close your eyes and see your thoughts as you saw the objects.  Let the thoughts float by for a moment and then say, “There is another way of looking at the world.”

If you do not see anything differently at this time, do not worry.  Do not try to make a change happen.  Just spend time with the idea that there is another way to see what you are seeing.  There is another way to see EVERYTHING you see.  Remember today’s lesson as often as possible throughout the day.  Especially say this idea at any time you experience distress in any situation.  Closing your eyes for a moment may help.

There may be a resistance to the idea that you have made the world you see.  Physical conditions can hold a very large authority in our minds and they can be very convincing as a permanent state.  But all physical conditions change.  The direction in which they change is directly related to the direction your thoughts move in.  How you view something brings that view more and more into being the more you believe it.  When you do not want to believe a belief you have, there will be a bit of time and effort involved with moving in a different direction from the one you’ve been practicing.  

This concept can be seen in Newton’s laws which state: Bodies at rest stay at rest.  Bodies in motion stay in motion- unless acted upon by an external force.  So thought and a belief have momentum and a habit to them.  To change that habit momentum, there must be an “external” interruption.  And in this case, the external interruption is your decision, your will to navigate out of a volume of negative thinking.

The key to moving our thoughts out of negative spirals is to develop the ability to perceive the smallest of improvements and clear space, feature those new little sprigs of thoughts and hold them as important.

Another tool for uplifting the quality of our thoughts is to stop watching the news or sensational television.  The news and TV dramas are designed to trigger fight or flight responses in the brain.  Releasing ourselves from the belief that we need to “know what is going on in the world” will actually bring us more peace throughout the day.  The fact is, there is no way to “know what is going on in the world” because EVERYTHING is going on in this world.  The tiny slice of drama handed to you by media is only one infinitesimal aspect of the world’s full story.  Decide what you prefer to focus on and remember if you do not like what you are seeing, there is another way of seeing it.