Articles in this series offer practical insights into how to apply the ACIM workbook lessons in your daily life. The contributions of Pathways staff are combined with additions from Course students to provide you with a resource that you can access each day.
The exercises in this section are designed to train your mind to a different perception of everyone and everything you see. These lessons are very straightforward statements of logic, and you will likely have varying degrees of acceptance or resistance to the content. The important thing is that you attempt to engage in the meditative activity regardless of your reaction.
The first lesson asks you to consider that a window, a pencil or a book all have the same meaning, and that this is not inherent in the object itself but rather in the complex network of thoughts you associate with it. It is helpful to begin this practice by applying the idea to the things that are near you, and then gradually increase the range of your glance. If possible, avoid straining to include everything that is around you. Try to remain as indiscriminate as possible in your selection, and do not select objects by size, brightness, color or relative importance to you.
The first eleven lessons of a course in miracles are very straightforward statements of logic. This is the kind of material that you will either accept easily or find very difficult. However, how you feel about the lesson does not matter so much as what you do with it. In fact, the book suggests that you can even disagree with it and still gain something from it. You should try to give it some consideration, though.
Apply this idea to everything you see around you. Start with the things close by and gradually increase your range, being careful not to strain to include anything. Do not select objects for examination A course in miracles lesson 1 indiscriminately, but rather look at them as being equal in their lack of real meaning. If it helps, you can begin with the things that are in front of you and then turn your head to include what is beside you or behind you. Do not select anything by size, brightness, color or material, but try to glance at items quickly and without strain.
This article and the entire series on a course in miracles lessons is excerpted from the ACIM workbook, Lesson Insights published by Pathways of Light. It is available to read for free online. A donation is encouraged to support the creation and distribution of this and other ACIM materials.