Message

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Lesson 138: ”Heaven is the decision I must make.”

AI Reframe: Peace is an available choice…now.

Suggested Practice:
From the Lesson:

“We make the choice for Heaven as we wake, and spend five minutes making sure that we have made the one decision that is sane. ²We recognize we make a conscious choice between what has existence and what has nothing but an appearance of the truth. ³Its pseudo-being, brought to what is real, is flimsy and transparent in the light. ⁴It holds no terror now, for what was made enormous, vengeful, pitiless with hate, demands obscurity for fear to be invested there. ⁵Now it is recognized as but a foolish, trivial mistake.”

“Before we close our eyes in sleep tonight, we reaffirm the choice that we have made each hour in between. ²And now we give the last five minutes of our waking day to the decision with which we awoke. ³As every hour passed, we have declared our choice again, in a brief quiet time devoted to maintaining sanity. ⁴And finally, we close the day with this, acknowledging we chose but what we want:”

⁵Heaven is the decision I must make.
⁶I make it now, and will not change my mind,
because it is the only thing I want.
(ACIM, W-138.11:1–12:6)

Message

In a way, this lesson is silly. We’re asked to choose between what’s real (peace, love, joy—heaven) and what’s unreal (fear-based thoughts and beliefs of the ego). But how can you choose something that isn’t real? That leaves only one true option: heaven. So the real decision is whether to accept or reject heaven. Put that way, why would we reject it?

We reject heaven not deliberately, but by staying unaware—by letting the ego’s “protection” run on autopilot.

When the lesson says, “Heaven is the decision I must make,” I sense it’s telling us: if we don’t consciously choose heaven—salvation, God’s gifts, forgiveness, et al.—then we exist mostly, if not always, in the world of the ego (fear, pain, suffering).

The lesson puts it this way:

“[The ego’s] mad beliefs can gain unconscious hold of great intensity… It must be saved from salvation… And these decisions are made unaware…” (W-138.8:1–3)

“Heaven is chosen consciously. The choice cannot be made until alternatives are accurately seen…” (W-138.9:1–2)

“The conscious choice of Heaven is as sure as is the ending of the fear of hell…” (W-138.10:1)

For my practice today, instead of going all-encompassing, I took on one issue: safety. My way of choosing heaven was to repeatedly tell myself throughout the day: I am safe. While prepping breakfast, tidying my room, painting today’s mandala—I am safe.

Each time, my body relaxed, my thoughts subsided, my focus cleared. That to me is heaven. From now on, I want to keep choosing heaven. One way is to take other hell-like beliefs and convert them into heaven-like solace. Tomorrow, I’ll try replacing “I don’t know what to do” with “I trust myself to know what to do.”

“Lesson 138…reminds me that truth cannot be learned, only recognized.”
— “The Course in Miracles Experiment” by Pam Grout

Blessings & Peace,

Maureen,
The Mandala Lady

transforming soul whispers
into mandalas & channeled messages
for clarity, peace, and joy

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