Notes on the Text of A Course in - Stephen Wingate

Main Theme: This chapter and the next contain
some of the most pointed, hard hitting sections in the
Text that address the ego's specialness. This chapter
focuses on the goal of specialness which is to kill. In
murder, somebody loses and somebody gains which
is the sum and substance of specialness and the ego.
Introduction: We start with what specialness and
the ego defend against: the Atonement.
•
The ego's world is temporal. The Kingdom of God is
eternal.
•
Specialness is the ego's response to the function God
gave us which is to create which means to extend His
love. Specialness is an expression of the ego's
function of miscreation. The origin of our
specialness is in our belief that we can be separate
from God, and have a special and separate identity
apart from Him.
•
We made and see our brothers as bodies so we can
project our sin and guilt onto them. When we are free
of the illusion of sin and separation we see our
brother's holiness, and the ego dissolves. Judging
against the Christ in our brother establishes the need
of our purpose of forgiveness and acceptance of the
Atonement. By identifying with the ego's specialness
we have substituted our true Identity as Christ, which
is the attempt to substitute specialness for true love.
•
Looking within and watching the dynamics of the
ego as reflected in our belief in specialness is crucial
to be free of the self imposed limitations of egoic
identity.
•
Our experience in the world of special relationships
is a reflection of our belief in who we are. Are you a
separate ego in a body, or are you the Son of God in
spirit? Your belief (conscious or unconscious) in
who you are determines your experience in the
world. The world is your projection. This is the
importance of looking within.
•
Specialness can be equated with selfishness and the
guilt of separation; the selfish desire for specialness
is the ruler of our lives as separate egos.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE GOAL OF SPECIALNESS
83
•
If we are like our sinful, guilty brothers, then we too
are sinful and guilty.
•
Sin is separation. Specialness means sin is real.
Specialness is the son of the ego. The ego is the miscreator
of all its sons of specialness with whom it
forms special relationships — special love and
special hate.
•
The vision of Christ sees everyone as the same. We
all share the same insanity of the illusory ego, and
we share the same perfect love in our Identity with
God. The ego's specialness dissolves in the presence
of God's all inclusive love — this is the ego's fear.
•
By looking within and watching the dynamics of the
ego, we realize how much our specialness has
imprisoned us, and we are able to choose again for
the freedom and unity of the Holy Spirit.
•
Anything that I see as separate from me that does not
support my special separate existence is seen as a
threat, and I will seek to kill it; either physically or
psychologically.
•
The guilt of separation and selfishness is so
overwhelmingly painful, we deny it in ourselves,
project it out onto everyone else and blame them for
their sin and selfishness instead of facing it within.
Disputes, conflict and wars are fought in the world in
an attempt to kill the sin and guilt we feel within our
mind.
•
Fear of death is the fear of death of the special
separate ego-self. Our true Self is God's one life and
cannot die.
•
Sin says separation from God is real. And the special
separate ego-body you now identify as yourself is
proof that separation from God is real. To question
the reality of the special separate ego-body is to face
your own "death." You are completely vulnerable as
a separate ego; and absolutely invulnerable as the
Son of God.
•
Our secret vow is our commitment to remain
separate from God and eternally loyal to the special
separate ego-self. The war between us is a reflection