My Vision Quest cont'd. Peace=Withdrawing Projection

[Note: The same preface precedes all the blogs on my vision quest and the ones on giving up grievances. It provides the personal context regarding the relationship of each piece to my quest to restore my eyesight since I've exhausted all that Western medicine can do to repair the damage done by my advanced case of glaucoma. Therefore, if you've read it before, you may want to refresh your memory or skip to the new excerpt from A Course in Miracles below.]

My Vision Quest
On New Year's Day 2011, I began the 365-day journey through the dailly lessons in the workbook section of A Course in Miracles. Given all the amazing synchronicities (meaningful coincidences) I've had since completing The Space Between Stars, I am certain that the course holds the key to restoring my impaired vision, which currently fits the definition of being legally blind both in terms of severely restricted visual angles and visual acuity. The last line before the epilogue of the The Space Between Stars(see www.drsrj.com) ends with the words of the man born blind who is healed by Jesus, ". . . I was blind but now I see." This is the title of the book I am currently writing. The subtitle is: "A Miracle of Restored Vision Redefines Reality." The book chronicles my quest for rstoring my vision that began with events leading up to my first and second trips to see the healer/medium John of God in Abadiania, Brazil. What I been led to considier is quite remarkable. I have always seen the healing of my vision as a twofold process. First, I have done what medical science can do for glaucoma, namely, the reduction of the elevated intraocular pressures which have damaged the optic nerves in both of my eyes. Until encountering the redefining of reality in A Course in Miracles, The Disappearance of the Universe, a spin off of the course,, as well as on my trips to Brazil, I have always seen the second phase for healing my vision as regenerating my optic nerves. I have used the following metaphor to describe the damage: If a healthy optic nerve could be seen as a tree in summer with all its green leaves, my optic nerves are like a tree in late November with a few brown leaves left on their branches.

John of God speaks Brazilian Portuguese. So before going before him, you have to tell a translator 3 things you would like to have healed. Your requests are written on a small piece of paper which is read to John of God. I asked my guide if I should ask for the regeneration of my optic nerves. He instructed me not to ask for that but for restored vision. He recommended this because a woman who had "severed optic nerves" had her vision restored, and when doctors examined her optic nerve, they expected to see her nerve reconnected. But, to their astonishment, it was still severed.

Later, as the plane took off from Brasilia, my friend Rod was reading a book containing case studies of individuals healed by John of 'God. With a trace of excitement in his voice, he read aloud to me the case of another woman with completely "nonfunctional optic nerves." Her vision was restored, and guess what?

When doctors examined her, her optic nerves were still nonfunctional. Both of these individuals had several trips to Brazil to see John of God before their sight returned. This got my attention. A Course in Miracles and The Disappearance of the Universe, as well as some sacred spiritual traditions claim vision involves more than the "body's eyes." It is in this spirit that I offer one of the daily lesson from the workbook section of A Course in Miracles for your consideration and for your spiritual growth and "restored vision" back to what it was before you emerged from the womb.

[Note: The words in brackets as well as the female-gender based words are my additions.]

Excerpts from Lesson 108:
[The first part of lesson 22 is presented to provide you with a background for lesson 23's practice exercises. This is because the psychological process of projection is key to understanding how true vision involves wihdrawing the projection of our anger and grievances. We can then apply the way to inner peace and freedom from fear suggested by lesson 23.]

Lesson 22: "What I see is a form of vengeance."
[This] idea accurately describes the way ;anyone who holds attack thoughts in his [her] mind must see the world. Having projected his [her] anger onto the world, he sees vengeance abou to strike at him [her]. His own attack is thus perceived as self defense. This becomes an increasingly vicious cycle until he [she] is willing to change how he [she] sees. Otherwise thought of attack and counterattack will preoccupy him [her] and people his [her] entire world. What peace of mind is possible to him [her] then?

It is from this savage fantasy you want to escape. Is it not joyous news tohear that it is not real? Is it not a happy discovery to find you can escape? You made what you would destroy. Everything you hate and would attack and kill. All that you fear does not exist.

Lesson 23: I can escape the world I SEE by giving up my attack thoughts."

This is the only way out of fear. Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. The cause of the world you see is attack thoughts There is no point in lamenting the world. It is incapable of change because it is an effect. There is no point in trying to change the world. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts about the world. Here you are changing the cause. The effect will change automatically. The world you see is a vengeful world and everything in it is a symbol of vengeance. Each of your perceptions of external reality is a pictorial represnentation of your own attack thoughts. One can well ask if this can be called seeing. Is not fantasy a beter word for such a process and hallucination a more appropriate term for the result?

You see the world that you have made but you do not see yourself as the image maker. You cannot be saved from the world but yu can escape from its cause. This is what salvation means. For where is the world you see when its cause is gone?

[True] VISION already holds a replacement for everything you think you see now. Loveliness can light your images and so transform them that you will love them even though they were made of hate. For you will not be making them alone. The idea for today introduces the thought that you are not trapped in the world you see because its cause can be changed. This changerequrires first that the cause be identified then let go so that it can be replaced. The first two steps in this process requie your cooperation. The final one [step] does not. Your images have already been replaced [by your Creator and you are discovering it as you do today's practice]. By taking the first two steps you will see that this is so.

• Besides using the idea throughout the day as the need arises, five practice perriods are required in applying today's idea. As look about you repeat the idea slowly to yourself first. And then close your eyes and devote about a minute to searching your mind for as many attack thoughts as occur to you. As each one crosses your mind, say, "I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts about ————." [fill in the blank].

Hold each attack thought in mind as you say this and dismiss that thought.and go on to the next. In the practice periods be sure to include both your thoughts of attacking and being attacked. Their effects are exactly the same because they are exactly the same. You do not recognize this as yet and you are asked at this time only to treat them as the same in today's practice periods. for we are still at the stage of identifying the cause of the world you see. When you finally learn that thoughts of attack and being attacked are not different, you will be ready to let the cause go.