IT WAS (IS) ONLY A DREAM!

Control means to not be carried away from oneself by unexpected events or by one's own rising thoughts. Vernon Linwood Howard

“The Garden of Eden

, or the pre-separation condition, was a state of mind in which nothing was needed. When Adam listened to the "lies of the serpent," all he heard was untruth. You do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so. All that can literally disappear in the twinkling of an eye because it is merely a misperception. What is seen in dreams seems to be very real. Yet the Bible says that a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and nowhere is there reference to his waking up. The world has not yet experienced any comprehensive reawakening or rebirth. Such a rebirth is impossible as long as you continue to project or miscreate. It still remains within you, however, to extend as God extended His Spirit to you. In reality this is your only choice, because your free will was given you for your joy in creating the perfect.” ACIM Ch.2.I.3

“All fear is ultimately reducible to the basic misperception that you have the ability to usurp the power of God. Of course, you neither can nor have been able to do this. Here is the real basis for your escape from fear. The escape is brought about by your acceptance of the Atonement, which enables you to realize that your errors never really occurred. Only after the deep sleep fell upon Adam could he experience nightmares. If a light is suddenly turned on while someone is dreaming a fearful dream, he may initially interpret the light itself as part of his dream and be afraid of it. However, when he awakens, the light is correctly perceived as the release from the dream, which is then no longer accorded reality. This release does not depend on illusions. The knowledge that illuminates not only sets you free, but also shows you clearly that you are free.”

ACIM Ch.2.I.4.3-9

“I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt. Loss is not loss when properly perceived. Pain is impossible. There is no grief with any cause at all. And suffering of any kind is nothing but a dream. This is the truth, at first to be but said and then repeated many times; and next to be accepted as but partly true, with many reservations. Then to be considered seriously more and more, and finally accepted as the truth. I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt. And I would go beyond these words today, and past all reservations, and arrive at full Acceptance of the truth in them. Father, what You have given cannot hurt, so grief and pain must be impossible. Let me not fail to trust in You today, accepting but the joyous as Your gifts; accepting but the joyous as the truth.” ACIM Lesson 284

‘The statement "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord" is a misperception by which one assigns his own "evil" past to God. The "evil" past has nothing to do with God. He did not create it and He does not maintain it. God does not believe in retribution. His Mind does not create that way. He does not hold your "evil" deeds against you. Is it likely that He would hold them against me? Be very sure that you recognize how utterly impossible this assumption is, and how entirely it arises from projection. This kind of error is responsible for a host of related errors, including the belief that God rejected Adam and forced him out of the Garden of Eden. It is also why you may believe from time to time that I am misdirecting you. I have made every effort to use words that are almost impossible to distort, but it is always possible to twist symbols around if you wish. ‘ ACiM Text - Chapter 3 - The Innocent Perception - Atonement without Sacrifice

‘Adam's "sin" could have touched no one, had he not believed it was the Father Who drove him out of Paradise. For in that belief the knowledge of the Father was lost, since only those who do not understand him could believe it. ‘ ACiM Text - Chapter 13 - The Guiltless World - Section 1 Introduction

 “How can you wake children in a more kindly way than by a gentle Voice that will not frighten them, but will merely remind them that the night is over and the light has come? You do not inform them that the nightmares that frightened them so badly are not real, because children believe in magic. You merely reassure them that they are safe now. Then you train them to recognize the difference between sleeping and waking, so they will understand they need not be afraid of dreams. And so when bad dreams come, they will themselves call on the light to dispel them.” ACIM Ch.6.V.2

"We are all so very much involved in life, running around, running into things, running away from people, running away from our own thoughts, enormously involved with life, with telephones, with financial matters. The world seems to scream out at us to give it its attention and we respond, and very badly, I’m afraid.

It seems as if our involvement with the world is an attack by the world upon us, upon our happiness, upon our pocketbook, upon our security. And we have a certain constant awareness of our involvement with life, including the madness of it, the nervousness of it, hoping that we can get through one day without getting hurt too badly. And so our thoughts go to all the involvements out there.

Now, I want you to start making a change in using the word 'involvement' which will change things in a way which you can’t see yet but which one day you will be able to experience in your personal life. And that change will be your realization of how little you were aware of your own involvement with yourself. You look up there and you see the enemy or the friend, you look out there and you see something to avoid or something to chase.

Our vision is always external and we’ve been so accustomed to avoiding seeing self-involvement, that it never occurs to us to do that instead of the other, which is why nothing changes." Vernon Linwood Howard

You do not mind opposition, no matter who opposes you, if you make this text your rule of life: “I do not believe in failure; I believe only in prosperity.” Emma Curtis Hopkins

"It seems to you that the Holy Spirit does not
produce joy consistently in you
only because you do not consistently
arouse joy in others.

Their reactions to you are
your evaluations of His consistency.

When you are inconsistent
you will not always give rise to joy, and so you
will not always recognize His consistency.

What you offer to your brother
you offer to Him,
because He cannot go beyond
your offering in His giving.

This is not because He limits His giving,
but simply because you have
limited your receiving.

The decision to receive
 is the decision to accept."

ACIM Ch.9.VI Excerpts