Notes on the Text of A Course in - Stephen Wingate

Main Theme: The original "beginning" of the ego is
the instant we believe in the original separation from
God. The "new beginning" is the holy instant in
which we realize our mistake and choose to identify
with the Holy Spirit instead of the ego. An important
theme in this chapter and throughout the Course is
the power of our mind to choose.
Introduction: We begin again by looking at the
Atonement. The Atonement principle is the Holy
Spirit's Answer to the ego's separation principle.
•
When we choose to identify with our special egoself,
we are choosing against our true Self.
•
Choosing to identify with the ego has no affect on
reality, but does affect our experience of ourselves as
we lose awareness of God's love.
•
Nothing exists separate from God. God knows
nothing of an ego separate from Him because
nothing separate from Him exists. God is perfect,
eternal oneness.
•
Our Identity as Christ is eternally unchanged,
regardless of our experience of ourselves as separate
egos.
•
Idols are anything we use to attempt to take the place
of God's love and wholeness, and reinforce our
separate special existence. In the original separation
we chose to be a tiny little fragment of the infinite
wholeness of God's Kingdom.
•
Our temptation is to identify with the special
separate ego rather than the Holy Spirit. As we turn
to the Holy Spirit, the purpose of the world shifts
from specialness to forgiveness which facilitates the
Atonement.
•
Forgiveness and Atonement are the symbols we each
can understand. We can only get home together.
Forgiveness and Atonement are in the mind, and
have nothing to do with behavior or communication
between people in the world.
•
The ego's purpose of the world is to form special
relationships with people who can meet our needs,
fulfill our desires and keep us identified with and
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE NEW BEGINNING
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attached to the body. The Holy Spirit's purpose of the
world is to use our special relationships as a
classroom to learn forgiveness and to facilitate the
acceptance of the Atonement for ourselves so we
will remember our true Identity as Christ in Spirit,
the one Son of God.
•
The section in this chapter entitled "Rules for
Decision" is a practical guide that is given to
facilitate our choice for the Holy Spirit rather than
the ego in our daily lives. Once we realize our
mistake of choosing to identify with the ego, we
have made the "new beginning" in our lives, and the
rules for decision help us continue on the path back
Home with the Holy Spirit as our teacher.
•
There are seven rules for decision that are all really
only one; throughout the day we actively choose to
be guided by the Holy Spirit rather than the ego.
•
Our first mistake is that generally we determine what
our problem is and then ask God for help in
resolving it. "Please help me get a job; cure my
cancer; or find a partner."
•
Once we choose for the Holy Spirit, the purpose of
our special relationships shifts to forgiveness and
Atonement; from blame, conflict, specialness and
separation.
•
As we see our brothers with the vision of the Holy
Spirit's forgiveness, we begin to see ourselves with
the vision of the Holy Spirit's forgiveness. As our
brother's are forgiven we realize the reality of our
oneness through forgiveness of the illusion of
separation.
•
The ego tells us we can be complete by joining with
other egos outside of ourselves. The Holy Spirit tells
us we can be complete by remembering our oneness
with God within ourselves (in our mind).
•
With the help of the Holy Spirit we observe the ego
in action, and learn to choose forgiveness instead of
blame and guilt.
•
True forgiveness sees no sin and no separation at all.