Notes on the Text of A Course in - Stephen Wingate

Main Themes: True perception or vision; and
perception versus Knowledge. The power of the
mind is one of the main themes through the whole
Course and is addressed in this chapter.
Introduction: Innocent perception is a synonym for
true perception or vision. True perception is the
correction of the ego's misperception. Chapter Three
addresses the nature and structure of the split mind.
It is important to know what the mind is to realize
and understand its power.
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The terms "right mind" and "wrong mind" are
illustrated in the Heaven-Knowledge Chart. The
Holy Spirit is in the right mind and represents the
memory of God's oneness. The ego is in the wrong
mind and represents the perceived separation from
God's oneness. Heaven-Knowledge is the One Mind
or one-mindedness. Consciousness refers to
perception and the world of duality. Non-duality is
Heaven-Knowledge, Truth. Forgiveness is the
reflection of the oneness of Heaven within the
illusory world. In the holy relationship we do not
perceive another person's interests as separate from
our own — there is no winner or loser, victim or
victimizer. Forgiveness is part of the illusion of
duality, consciousness or perception, but it undoes
the ego's assertion of separate interests; you or me,
winner or loser, victim or victimizer, one or the
other. When there is the perception of a winner and a
loser, everyone loses. In the ego's perception of
separation, the ego was the winner and God the loser.
One-mindedness or the One Mind is the nondualistic
world of Heaven's Love. In Heaven, God is
not separate from Christ. There is no Creator and
created — there is only Love. There is only the Will
of God which is Love. Once we are in the split mind
there is the duality of the wrong mind and the right
mind — both are illusory. Wrong minded thinking
roots us deeper into the illusion of separation. Right
minded thinking helps us to awaken from the dream
of separation from God's love. Forgiveness is the
final illusion; it does not lead us to further illusions,
but ends all illusions.
Consciousness was the first split introduced into the
mind after the separation. Consciousness implies a
subject and an object. I am conscious of some thing
CHAPTER THREE
THE INNOCENT PERCEPTION
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— a person, a body, a behavior, an idea. In
consciousness there is a perceiver and the object of
perception. Subject/object duality is in consciousness
and is illusory.
Once the split mind arises (right mind - wrong mind)
there is a third part of the mind called the decision
maker or the Son of God who now must choose
between the right mind (the Holy Spirit), and the
wrong mind (the ego). These "parts" of the mind are
not parts, but functions of the mind. The thought
system we choose, either the ego's wrong mind, or
the Holy Spirit's right mind, becomes real to us
because we believe in what we have made and
chosen, not because it is real in itself. Belief is in the
power of the mind as the decision maker or Son of
God. The Son as the decision maker or the dreamer
has all power over the dream world.
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Faith means trust or belief. Faith in the ego is
faithlessness because it is faith in nothing. Faith in
the Holy Spirit is faithfulness because the Holy Spirit
is the reflection of the real. The power of the mind as
the decision maker is to choose the thought system
with which to identify. Once we make the choice it
becomes reality for us. The experience of separation
of the ego remains with us until we realize there
must be a better way, and we withdraw our faith in
the ego and put it in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
represents the principle of the Atonement that says
the separation from God never happened.
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The ego makes or projects. The Holy Spirit reflects
God's creation. In Heaven as Christ, creation is the
extension of God's love. In our right mind we extend
the forgiveness of the Holy Spirit. On the Chart, the
black dot represents the decision maker or the Son of
God which is the starting point of the split mind's
thought system — also it is the ending point at the
end of our journey. The journey began when the Son
chose the ego, and ends when he realizes his mistake
and returns to God.
The ego's thought system is of separation, sin, guilt,
fear and the body. The Holy Spirit's thought system
is of Atonement, forgiveness, innocence, love and
spirit. Both thought systems begin with the decision
maker's choice, and both are consistent, logical
thought systems. Once believed they each follow