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Lesson 178: Review of Lessons 165 and 166

Reframe:  Love is all that is; therefore, I remain open to higher guidance.

Suggested Practice:
From Review V Introduction:

”Let this review become a time in which we share a new experience for you, yet one as old as time and older still.²Hallowed your Name. ³Your glory undefiled forever. ⁴And your wholeness now complete, as God established it. ⁵You are His Son, completing His extension in your own. ⁶We practice but an ancient truth we knew before illusion seemed to claim the world. ⁷And we remind the world that it is free of all illusions every time we say:”

⁸God is but Love, and therefore so am I.

“With this we start each day of our review. ²With this we start and end each period of practice time. ³And with this thought we sleep, to waken once again with these same words upon our lips, to greet another day. ⁴No thought that we review but we surround with it, and use the thoughts to hold it up before our minds, and keep it clear in our remembrance throughout the day. ⁵And thus, when we have finished this review, we will have recognized the words we speak are true.” (ACIM, W-rV.in.10:1–11:5)

With these reviews from 171-180, we’re encouraged to “place faith in the experience that comes from practice, not the means we use. … We use the words, and try and try agin to go beyond them to their meaning, which is far beyond their sound. The sound grows dim and disappears, as we approach the Source of meaning. It is Here we find rest.”

In other words, the “words” are the doorway to experiencing the essence of what the words mean.

Today we take this approach with these two review lessons:

165 Let not my mind deny the Thought of God. God is but Love, and therefore so am I.
166 I am entrusted with the gifts of God. God is but Love, and therefore so am I.

Message

In sitting with the meaning beyond the words of today’s review ideas, I felt my consciousness expand into deep space. Looking back, I could see the “pale blue dot” Carl Sagan wrote about—and his words align remarkably well with ACIM principles:

“To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another‘ and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” — Carl Sagan

Today I’m reminded, yet again, that we are so much more than our ego limitations—so much more than that pale blue dot. Yes, while in these bodies, the ego’s projections can seem more real than the Divine ideas this Course presents. I can even imagine you saying, “Yes, but what about this atrocity, that horror, all this suffering—how can those be looked upon with peace, love, and joy?” That question arises for me too.

First, we can observe atrocity, horror, and suffering as the ego mind in action. It’s not that these things aren’t happening; it’s about seeing them from the Divine mind’s perspective—from a state of peace, love, and joy. From there, we can ask the Divine, “What would love do about this?”

At this stage of our learning, it may be more challenging if we’re directly experiencing these things versus witnessing them happen to others. But the same principle applies.

When we realign with the Thought of God (Lesson 165), we return to our natural state of peace, love, and joy—God’s gifts to us (Lesson 166). And in that state, we can better discern what our next Divinely inspired action needs to be.

Remembering that I’m floating in space on a pale blue dot makes it easier for me to step back and gain a more Divinely inspired perspective. I am more than this body in which I temporarily reside, and with God’s gifts I can better navigate “the folly of human conceits.”

“This lesson says love is the big cheese. It’s who we are. It’s why we’re here.”
— “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

 About the 2026 Mandalas of the Day — ▶️ A Note About A Course in Miracles