The Certain Way of Forgiveness

In A Course in Miracles (ACIM), forgiveness is correcting the mind because only the mind needs correction since it is the cause of everything. The effects are irrelevant except as forgiveness opportunities which are used to their best advantage when you recognize them as such. Since forgiveness is the main principle for correcting the mind, we're going to discuss how the two sides of the split mind use forgiveness. The decision maker chooses which type of forgiveness and like all aspects of the mind, forgiveness has both cause and effect. One side corrects the mind and the other reinforces the illusion.

Choosing is agreeing with something and we do it all the time. Normally, we choose between chaotic effects of the illusion which is forgiveness to destroy or seeing error and using error to correct error. The ego survives by these continued error judgments.

ACIM is a course in mind training for the certain way of forgiveness that leads directly to the undoing of the ego. The choice is really between illusion and Truth and giving up the illusion (error) instead of making more. It's the power of choice in the reverse, i.e., choosing to remember the Truth instead of denying it. Withdrawing judgment is the ego's undoing.

When the mind was made into a perceiver instead of a creator, perception of differences makes an illusion of choice and the necessity for choosing between things. Deciding in this more certain way is how you choose your way out of the illusion because it corrects the mind. Choosing is another word for this decision making ability and the Course is aimed directly at the decision maker.

There are two roles for the decision maker. One uses the mind passively by continuing to avoid looking at what is being chosen thus resulting in more ego judgments and forgiveness to destroy. The other is an active role in which we observe what has been chosen and give it up. Such forgiveness is corrective in the mind and the outcome of returning to Love is certain.

Chaotic Forgiveness: Forgiveness to Destroy

This sees any and all error and chooses with the ego to continue the denial of Love by not looking within. There are four (4) aspects: (a) better than you; (b) same as you; (c) the martyr; and (d) bargaining and compromise. Your job is to learn to recognize them and how you've been passively using the decision maker to mindlessly agree with error.

Until you do, you'll never be certain you chose correctly because there's so many decisions between ego things to remedy the situation. Therefore, you will always be in fear and keep changing your mind. All of this stems from wanting (choosing) to be on your own and be right (thinking you know best for everyone).

Agreement: The ego is reinforced when you agree with error.

If you see (perceive) anyone as less than pure spirit, you have judged them. You saw error (judgment) and that is only possible because you agreed with error being there and thus chose to see it. Agreeing is choosing.

Protection: The ego uses defense and attack.

Denial is a key defense so ignoring how you feel represses the underlying guilt which must then get projected outward onto another and always results in an attack of some sort. The whole point is to keep you looking "out there" instead of looking inward to the mind. That's how the ego protects itself.

Someone Else: The ego is all about division and separation.

If you are perceiving another person as separate, different, your own interests are not the same, etc., you just decided to agree with error. You need to project the guilt onto them so it's their fault to protect the ego error.

Relief: The ego gets relief through attacking another.

Having agreed with error, repressed and projected your guilt onto someone else, the only way to protect that error and get relief is to attack with an aspect of forgiveness to destroy so another is to blame. You might be better and justify the attack. In the same miserable boat, yet another (division) is to blame. Martyrs love to judge your sins with their thoughts and use false empathy to sway people to their side (more division). Bargaining and compromise are the effort to make the illusion work by being willing to forgive others who meet our needs. Everyone is a slave to error.

We all agreed with the ego that we could do "better than" God and chose to be right and on our own. That's better than you forgiveness to destroy, the most arrogant and massive in separation. We blame God for our problems and then plead for His help.

Forgiveness: The Certain Way

Forgiveness as correcting the mind reveals the one single choice (giving up judgments) for everything. The outcome is certain, dependable and follows a very simple rule: Correcting the mind is practiced in the order projected which is from outward on another and back into your mind.

Here, the decision maker is actively used to observe what is currently being chosen versus mindlessly agreeing. It gives up those error judgments in favor of remembering the Truth which is safe and needs no defense. This different choice undoes error choice (judgments) until the mind is corrected and no longer agrees with the idea of separation.

Projections are a trick of the ego.

What you see in another, is what you believe about yourself. Therefore, the first teaching is to take back projections and own them as coming from you (your mind). Hire the active decision maker to observe that you are saying another is to blame. Take each and every judgment you've placed on another and actively decide to give them up. You have to try it to see they are untrue.

It's all about you.

When how you feel isn't on anyone else, your self-condemnation becomes apparent. In an active role, the decision maker is most helpful at this stage of the correction process. As an observer, it can see (perceive) that the pain and suffering (effects) from these judgment causes has not been worth it. Error is not such a good idea. Actively and purposefully decide to give them up for correction because you would prefer to remember the Truth.

Further inward in the mind, past the initial self-judgments, fear and guilt will present themselves as choices in need of correction. The active decision maker has the power to choose to give them up since they're only beliefs within the ego thought system. Again, you have to try it to know it works.

Fear, guilt and sin are judgments.

Fear is an emotion made in the mind (collectively) and the first one faced on the journey inward. If it has worn out its welcome, you actively decide to give it up the judgments of fear (thoughts) in the mind. Sensations in the body, like adrenaline, eventually pass because the body is in the mind.

Guilt is next in the correction process being the first collective choice after agreeing with the idea of sin. If it has worn out its welcome, you actively decide to give it up the shame and embarrassment in the mind. Sure, you may turn red with humiliation; but like fear, the body is in the mind and eventually it passes.

Sin is an idea. Fear and guilt are the judgments on the idea in need of correction. Look within the mind ucdm the active decision maker past fear and guilt and you end up seeing sin isn't really there.

Correction is certain.

Right Mindedness is salvation and it comes from looking within and correcting the mind. Forgiveness this way is how you can be certain of the outcome since there's only one choice and one solution. Now you are denying errors (judgments) instead of Truth. That's the correct use of denial.

There will be a learning curve in teaching yourself to observe the mind and find out what part is the ego so you can give up the judgments. It's called A Course in Miracles (ACIM). You spend time learning the principles and then putting them into practice. The experience of peace comes from doing this work.

All of us made the same original mistake and all subsequent mistakes are fragments of the one problem corrected by this one solution. By definition, a mistake is a "correctable error." You cannot correct error (judgment) with more error (judgment). Choose the right type of forgiveness that will actually correct the mind of judgment and the need for choice. There's no guessing game with true forgiveness. The outcome of this way is certain.