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Lesson 236: ”I rule my mind, which I alone must rule.”

Reframe: I am responsible for guiding my thoughts toward clarity and peace.

Suggested Practice: 

From now on: 
One in the morning and one in the evening for however many minutes feels sufficient. Then every hour remember/recite the idea for the day. 

Prayer For today: 
(feel free to swap out the wording to whatever resonates with you best)

“Father, my mind is open to Your Thoughts, and closed today to every thought but Yours. ²I rule my mind, and offer it to You. ³Accept my gift, for it is Yours to me.” (ACIM, W-236.2:1-3)

For Lessons 231-240: Salvation is the theme. Read the whole article here.
“The Thought of peace was given to God’s Son the instant that his mind had thought of war. ²There was no need for such a Thought before, for peace was given without opposite, and merely was. ³But when the mind is split there is a need of healing. ⁴So the Thought that has the power to heal the split became a part of every fragment of the mind that still was one, but failed to recognize its oneness. ⁵Now it did not know itself, and thought its own Identity was lost.”

“Salvation is undoing in the sense that it does nothing, failing to support the world of dreams and malice. ²Thus it lets illusions go.” (ACIM, W-pII.2.2:1–3:2)

From the PART II Introduction: Read the whole introduction here.

“Words will mean little now. ²We use them but as guides on which we do not now depend. ³For now we seek direct experience of truth alone. ⁴The lessons that remain are merely introductions to the times in which we leave the world of pain, and go to enter peace. ⁵Now we begin to reach the goal this course has set, and find the end toward which our practicing was always geared.” (ACIM, W-pII.in.1:1-5)

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View timelapse of the coloring of today’s mandala
on My YouTube Channel:

https://youtu.be/Y_2YuwRxODc?is=JfXadq9GgCr7OOGx

Message

At first glance, today’s Lesson title felt confusing. For the past several Lessons, I was guided to ask God to be in my mind and guide me. Now I’m told that I rule my mind. Who’s in charge here? God? My ego mind? Me? To quote the grandfather at the end of “Moonstruck”: “I’m so confused.”

Then I sat with it and reviewed what I’ve learned so far. It dawned on me: because I am as God created me—a Child of God, whole and complete, with all the superpowers of peace, love, and joy—it stands to reason that as my True Self, God and I are one. So it’s between Me and my ego mind as to who rules my mind. And actually, it’s always Me who rules my mind—until I take the bait from the ego’s thoughts and step into a role outside my Divine mind.

It’s like acting in a play. Every so often I’m blessed with a role at our local community theater. Backstage, it’s just me. But on stage, I play someone else. I get to try on a different personality, quirks, and foibles. I allow myself to be that character until I walk off stage and I’m me again. Some actors stay in character even backstage. For me, I imagine an invisible line between backstage and front stage. When I cross to the front, I imagine walking into another dimension. When I cross back, I’m in this one again. In either case, I’m still ruling my mind—I’m just choosing to forget it while on stage.

If you can stretch your mind a bit more… technically, the Course teaches that this world we call reality is an illusion. Nothing about it is real; it’s a dream. Using my acting example, I’m now two dimensions away from reality when I walk on stage. [cue mind being blown]

To sum up: I am whole and complete all the time—even when I temporarily slip into one of the ego’s roles. Here’s the takeaway: It is my responsibility who rules my mind. Not ego. Not God. I decide. My challenge is remembering to choose wisely—or better yet, to reach the point where there’s no need to choose. I am where I always am.

“Listening for the beat of love beneath the dominant melody enables me to rule the precious kingdom of my mind.”
— “The Course in Miracles Experiment” by Pam Grout

Blessings & Peace,

Maureen, The Mandala Lady