A Tiny Mad Idea

By Steve Priester

“Into eternity, where all is one, there crept a tiny, mad idea, at which the Son of God remembered not to laugh.”
(A Course In Miracles, Chapter 27: Section VIII. Paragraph 6: Sentence 2)

Oh, had we only remembered to laugh. Everything we experience in “life” was made by us in that one brief moment. The idea of separation, the ensuing unbearable loss and guilt, the ego and its world, all made when the folly of such an idea was not dismissed. How foolish we were.

I imagine the conversation between God and the Sonship went like this:

Sonship: I would like to experience being on my own.
God: You have freewill, do so as you choose.
Sonship: Will the experience be different?
God: Oh yes. You will suffer, experience loss and eventually die. But remember my Son, while your suffering and fear will seem real, I will always love you and will never leave your side. Your whole experience, all of your many lifetimes, all of your good times and bad times, all of the lessons you will learn, everything, will be but a dream from which you will one day awaken. The experience you are embarking on will never be real – for it will be made by you and is not of Me. Unfortunately, you will not remember this. Bless you my Son, and be on your way…BIG BANG!

And here we are, in the grand illusion of our own making.

In a body that seems separate from others. In a world that appears to be full of fear, judgment and violence. A world where our senses tell us it is “real,” but our intuition is not so sure.

The loss we experienced at that brief moment of separation is of a magnitude that cannot be experienced while in body. The deepest loss we have ever experienced here on Earth would pale in comparison to that unimaginable moment, and the guilt that followed was truly unbearable. Just as the mystical experience cannot be described with words, so too cannot the loss. Is it any wonder then that this guilt was either denied or projected?

Is it not surprising that ego’s explanation was accepted? After the moment of separation we were willing to do anything to avoid feeling that loss again. To store the guilt in our unconscious mind or project it outward seemed like reasonable options. However, keeping the guilt inside manifested in the lack of self-esteem and sickness; projecting the guilt outside manifested in judgment and attack.

To overcome this feeling of loss and allay our guilt, we need to practice forgiveness.

Starting with a willingness to forgive ourselves, we then move on to a willingness to forgive others, and finally, we learn to forgive it all—ultimately because we made it all up. But how the ego will fight us here, demanding that the world is real and we have been wronged. However, intuitively we know differently.

When we quiet the mind and go within to experience the inner peace of who we truly are, the ego chatter starts to diminish, “life” slows down, and we are forever changed. We start to see the world differently and begin to challenge ego’s role. Only then do we realize that the whole experience of what we call “life” is the result of our thoughts, that we see “life” with our mind and not our eyes. Then, very subtlety at first, a new, forgotten thought begins to surface in the mind – what if I was wrong? Wrong about the world, wrong about who I am, and most importantly, wrong about the separation. What if there really was no separation? What if “life” is truly a dream?

Such questions can result in a brief moment of remembrance, an awakening, and the resulting inner peace will forever be our companion. The experience we call “life” is guaranteed a happy ending. While we may have entered the world crying, we will leave it smiling. Why not start smiling now? At the only real moment of separation—when Spirit leaves the body—all is remembered: “life” is but a dream, the separation never really happened and we are already home.

We never left because there was no place to go.

Steve Priester grew up in Minnesota and followed the sun to Florida after retiring. He has been a student of A Course In Miracles for the past five years and presently facilitates a weekly discussion group in The Villages, FL. Steve is a past president of the Metaphysical Group at Del Webb’s Spruce Creek in Summerfield, FL, and is now attending mediumship classes—the next step on his way home. Contact Steve at stvpriester@yahoo.com.

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