TO WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION (as narrated by Beth): CLICK HERE

THIS WORK IS FUNDED BY DONATIONS ALONE. THOUGH NOT EXPECTED, IF YOU FEEL GUIDED TO, PLEASE DONATE BY CLICKING HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

OR BUY THE BOOK: THE LIGHT HAS COME! divinely guided chapter summaries from a course in miracles

A Course In Miracles

CHAPTER 22: SALVATION AND THE HOLY RELATIONSHIP

Introduction

“Take pity on yourself, so long enslaved. Rejoice whom God hath joined have come together and need no longer look on sin apart.” (1:1-2)

“Sin is a strictly individual perception, seen in the other yet believed by each to be within himself. And each one seems to make a different error, and one the other cannot understand. Brother, it is the same, made by the same, and forgiven for its maker in the same way. The holiness of your relationship forgives you and your brother, undoing the effects of what you both believed and saw. And with their going is the need for sin gone with them.” (1:4-8)

“For an unholy relationship is based on differences, where each one thinks the other has what he has not.” (2:5)

“And so they wander through a world of strangers, unlike themselves, living with their bodies perhaps under a common roof that shelters neither; in the same room and yet a world apart.” (2:8)

“A holy relationship starts from a different premise. Each one has looked within and seen no lack. Accepting completion, he would extend it by joining with another, whole as himself. He sees no difference between these selves, for differences are only of the body.” (3:1-4)

“Think what a holy relationship can teach! Here is belief in differences undone.” (4:1-2)

“Reason now can lead you and your brother to the logical conclusion of your union.” (4:5)

“Here is the golden circle where you recognize the Son of God.” (4:9)

In summary, the: “Introduction” is saying:

We find our salvation through our holy relationships. And yet, what is a holy relationship? It is a relationship where you see no difference between yourself and another. And what does this mean? It means that we believe in a power beneath or within our form that is greater than anything we can see with our bodily eyes. A power that supersedes what the ego is showing us. The ego is showing us separate bodies, but the power within those bodies is completely the opposite of separation. It is union through God and with God. Salvation then, is achieved through our relationships we make holy by recognizing this power, and only this power. It is the golden circle where we recognize our Oneself.

I. The Message of the Holy Relationship

“Let reason take another step. If you attack whom God would heal and hate the one He loves, then you and your Creator have a different will.” (1:1-2)

“It is as though you wandered in without a plan of any kind except to wander off, for only that seems certain.” (1:7)

“Reason would tell you that the world you see through eyes that are not yours must make no sense to you.” (2:3)

“If this is not your vision, what can it show to you?” (2:6)

“You have received no messages at all you understand. For you have listened to what can never communicate at all.” (3:2-3)

“Yet it must be the “something else” that sees, and as not you, explains its sight to you.” (3:6)

“Your sight was given you, along with everything that you can understand. You will perceive no difficulty in understanding what this vision tells you, for everyone sees only what he thinks he is.” (5:1-2)

“Only your vision can convey to you what you can see. It reaches you directly, without a need to be interpreted by you.” (5:4-5)

“So in each holy relationship is the ability to communicate instead of separate reborn.” (7:1)

“Where Christ has entered no one is alone, for never could He find a home in separate ones. Yet must He be reborn into His ancient home, so seeming new and yet as old as He, a tiny newcomer, dependent on the holiness of your relationship to let Him live.” (8:6-7)

“Be certain God did not entrust His Son to the unworthy. Nothing but what is part of Him is worthy of being joined.” (9:1-2)

“Here is the first direct perception that you can make.” (10:1)

“It is denial of illusions that calls on truth, for to deny illusions is to recognize that fear is meaningless. Into the holy home where fear is powerless love enters thankfully, grateful that it is one with you who joined to let it enter.” (10:6-7)

“Christ comes to what is like Himself; the same, not different.” (11:1)

“What is as like Him as a holy relationship?” (11:3)

“You are indeed correct in looking on your brother as His chosen home, for here you will with Him and with His Father. This is your Father’s Will for you, and yours with His. And who is drawn to Christ is drawn to God as surely as Both are drawn to every holy relationship, the home prepared for Them as earth is turned to Heaven.” (11:7-9)

In summary, section 1: “The Message of the Holy Relationship” is saying:

Here we are called to see the Christ in one another as replacement for the bodies our ego shows us. This vision is what makes our relationships holy. Seeing in this way may be understood in theory, but more difficult to do in practice. What does it mean to see the Christ in one another? What we see through the eyes of our ego, must first be interpreted by our minds – this means we must first judge what we see and the ego judges that we see a body. However, when we use Christ’s Vision, no interpretation is necessary. This must mean that Christ vision is not “seeing” as we understand it at all. Rather, it is an experience, or feeling, which conveys knowing directly, without any need for visual interpretation. We do not need our bodily eyes to feel something. And so, once we are able to feelGod within all living things, we will understand the message of the holy relationship; our relationship with All That Is.

II. Your Brother’s Sinlessness

“The opposite of illusions is not disillusionment but truth.” (1:1)

“Every illusion carries pain and suffering in the dark folds of the heavy garments in which it hides its nothingness.” (1:5)

“Truth is the opposite of illusions because it offers joy.” (2:1)

“To change illusions is to make no change.” (2:4)

“All that is possible in the dark world of misery is to select some aspects out of it, see them as different, and define the difference as joy.” (2:6)

“Illusions carry only guilt and suffering, sickness and death, to their believers. The form in which they are accepted is irrelevant. No form of misery in reason’s eyes can be confused with joy. Joy is eternal. You can be sure indeed that any seeming happiness that does not last is really fear. Joy does not turn to sorrow, for the eternal cannot change.” (3:1-6)

“Reason will tell you that the only way to escape from misery is to recognize it and go the other way.” (4:1)

“Both reason and the ego will tell you this, but what they make of it is not the same. The ego will assure you now that it is impossible for you to see no guilt in anyone.” (5:1-2)

“Yet reason looks on this another way, for reason sees the source of an idea as what will make it either true or false. This must be so, if the idea is like its source.” (5:4-5)

“This is a crucial period in this course, for here the separation of you and the ego must be made complete.” (6:1)

“You know what your Creator wills is possible, but what you made believes it is not so. Now you must choose between yourself and an illusion of yourself.” (6:5-6)

“Forsake not now your brother. For you who are the same will not decide alone nor differently. Either you give each other life or death; either you are each other’s savior or his judge, offering him sanctuary or condemnation. This course will be believed entirely or not at all.” (7:1-4)

“Behold the great projection, but look on it with the decision that it must be healed, and not with fear.” (10:1)

“Are you not glad to learn it is not true? Is it not welcome news to hear not one of the illusions that you made replaced the truth?” (10:6-7)

“What God has given to your holy relationship is there.” (11:5)

“Beyond the body that you interposed between you and your brother, and shining in the golden light that reaches it from the bright, endless circle that extends forever, is your holy relationship, beloved of God Himself. How still it rests, in time and yet beyond, immortal yet on earth.” (12:1-2)

“All you need do to dwell in quiet here with Christ is share His vision. Quickly and gladly is His vision given anyone who is but willing to see his brother sinless.” (13:1-2)

“Heaven is the home of perfect purity, and God created it for you. Look on your holy brother, sinless as yourself, and let him lead you there.” (13:6-7)

In summary, section 2: “Your Brother’s Sinlessness” is saying:

Remember that the word “sin” is interchangeable with the word “body.” Therefore, our sinless brother is our bodiless brother. Reason tells us that when we feel suffering, we must learn to go the other way. The ego tells us to look upon the body and all its mistakes and continue towards it; continue to think about it, and do not let it go, thus projecting more of the same into our reality. Reason tells us to cease to look at the body; it only causes us suffering and see instead the Love of God within. The ego has interposed a bodily projection between what is the truth of Who We Are and what our eyes can see. Our holy relationship rests in the Light of God. How do we see this? Through stillness of thought – stillness of our ego-minded thinking. And there we will rest our weary mind in eternity, though we may remain a body in time. Simply allow your thoughts to be quiet and you will welcome the Christ within both yourself and all others. This is how you see one another as sinless – as bodiless.

III. Reason and the Forms of Error

“The introduction of reason into the ego’s thought system is the beginning of its undoing, for reason and the ego are contradictory.” (1:1)

“For reason’s goal is to make plain, and therefore obvious. You can see reason. This is not a play on words, for here is the beginning of a vision that has meaning. Vision is sense, quite literally.” (1:3-6)

“The ego’s whole continuance depends on its belief you cannot learn this course. Share this belief, and reason will be unable to see your errors and make way for their correction. For reason sees through errors, telling you what you thought was real is not.” (2:1-3)

“Reason is not salvation in itself, but it makes way for peace and brings you to a state of mind in which salvation can be given you. Sin is a block, set like a heavy gate, locked and without a key, across the road to peace.” (3:1-2)

“Yet reason sees through it easily, because it is an error. The form it takes cannot conceal its emptiness from reason’s eyes.” (3:5-6)

“Only the form of error attracts the ego.” (4:1)

“Everything the body’s eyes can see is a mistake, an error in perception, a distorted fragment of the whole without the meaning that the whole would give.” (4:3)

“Reason will tell you that the form of error is not what makes it a mistake.” (5:1)

“The body’s eyes see only form. They cannot see beyond what they were made to see. And they were made to look on error and not see past it.” (5:3-5)

“Only mistakes have different forms, and so they can deceive.” (7:1)

“Let not the form of his mistakes keep you from him whose holiness is yours. Let not the vision of his holiness, the sight of which would show you your forgiveness, be kept from you by what the body’s eyes can see. Let your awareness of your brother not be blocked by your perception of his sins and of his body.” (8:1-3)

“Yet reason sees a holy relationship as what it is; a common state of mind, where both give errors gladly to correction, that both may happily be healed as one.” (9:7)

In summary, section 3: “Reason and the Forms of Error” is saying:

Reason can also be defined as truth. And truth can be defined as what has and always will be true: we are as God created us. Despite what our bodily eyes can see, we remain one with God, all creation, and each other. Only the ego will see otherwise, and the ego can only look through our bodily eyes, because the body is the physical expression of the ego. Therefore, guilt can be defined as the body, and sin can be defined as separation. Reason, being the truth, can be applied through seeing only through the eyes of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a sight used by the eyes, but rather, it is an inner experience. It is the awareness of our shared Inner Stillness; the stillness of all ego thoughts, which are all thoughts of the world and bodies. A holy relationship comes forward when forgiveness, or stillness is applied to all those your ego-vision mistake for bodies. See them instead as forgiven, through a mind that is still. Still all your thoughts about the world of form and reason will tell you nothing but your Oneness is true. Reason will then correct all forms of error.

IV. The Branching of the Road

“When you come to the place where the branch in the road is quite apparent, you cannot go ahead. You must go either one way or the other.” (1:1-2)

“The way you came no longer matters. It can no longer serve. No one who reaches this far can make the wrong decision, although he can delay.” (1:5-7)

“It is but the first few steps along the right way that seem hard, for you have chosen, although you still may think you can go back and make the other choice. This is not so. A choice made with the power of Heaven to uphold it cannot be undone.” (2:1-3)

“And so you and your brother stand, here in this holy place, before the veil of sin that hangs between you and the face of Christ. Let it be lifted!” (3:1-2)

“Yet it is almost over in your awareness, and peace has reached you even here, before the veil. Think what will happen after.” (3:5-6)

“Think of the loveliness that you will see, who walk with Him! And think how beautiful will you and your brother look to the other! How happy you will be together, after such a long and lonely journey where you walked alone.” (4:1-3)

“For in his sight your loveliness is his salvation, which he would protect from harm.” (5:2)

“So shall you walk the world with me, whose message has not yet been given everyone. For you are here to let it be received.” (5:4-5)

“To all who share the Love of God the grace is given to the givers of what they have received.” (6:1)

“Those who would let illusions be lifted from their minds are this world’s saviors, walking the world with their Redeemer, and carrying His message of hope and freedom and release from suffering to everyone who needs a miracle to save him.” (6:5)

“Such is the function of a holy relationship; to receive together and give as you received. Standing before the veil, it still seems difficult.” (7:1-2)

“It is no solid wall. And only an illusion stands between you and your brother, and the holy Self you share together.” (7:7-8)

In summary, section 4: “The Branching of the Road” is saying:

We come to the branching of the road once we become aware that we have an ego and that we have a choice in whether or not we can listen to it, or the Holy Spirit. The branching of the road is but this choice. It is the choice between love and fear. It is the choice between Reality and illusion. We are assured we cannot choose wrong, though we can delay ourselves at this crossroad. And we cannot go back, because once we learn we have a choice, it cannot be removed from our mind. How then, do we choose only love, so that we can move on from this branching in the road? Choose to see your brothers and sisters differently. That is all. Desire that the veil, the body that appears to stand between us, be lifted. It stands in front our awareness of the truth. We need not cease to see bodies, but merely choose to let our awareness of the truth be brought forth. Become aware of our Collective Stillness, instead of the body. This may seem difficult, for the body does indeed appear solid, but it is merely an illusion hiding the truth of your holy relationship. Your relationship becomes holy once you recognize that you share in the power of the Stillness within your brother. Now you would both be as you were created. God created you still; without ego-thoughts; thoughts of form, the world, and bodies. He created you as part of His Stillness. And here the road branches, as you choose only Love as your Guide in seeing.

V. Weakness and Defensiveness

“How does one overcome illusions? Surely not by force or anger, nor by opposing them in any way. Merely by letting reason tell you that they contradict reality. They go against what must be true.” (1:1-4)

“You are the strong one in this seeming conflict. And you need no defense.” (1:10-11)

“Consider what the ego wants defenses for. Always to justify what goes against the truth, flies in the face of reason and makes no sense. Can this be justified?” (2:1-3)

“In truth you and your brother stand together, with nothing in between.” (3:4)

“God rests with you in quiet, undefended and wholly undefending, for in this quiet state alone is strength and power. Here can no weakness enter, for here is no attack and therefore no illusions. Love rests in certainty.” (3:8-10)

“If you but recognized how little stands between you and your awareness of your union with your brother! Be not deceived by the illusions it presents of size and thickness, weight, solidity and firmness of foundation. Yes, to the body’s eyes it looks like an enormous solid body, immovable as is a mountain. Yet within you is a Force that no illusions can resist.” (5:1-4)

“Forget not, when you feel the need arise to be defensive about anything, you have identified yourself with an illusion.” (6:1)

“Not one but rests on the belief that you are separate.” (6:4)

“And not one that truth cannot pass over lightly, and so easily that you must be convinced, in spite of what you thought it was, that it is nothing. If you forgive your brother, this must happen. For it is your unwillingness to overlook what seems to stand between you and your brother that makes it look impenetrable, and defends the illusion of its immovability.” (6:6-8)

In summary, section 5: “Weakness and Defensiveness” is saying:

Only what is weak is in need of being defended. Only what is weak, is false, for truth is strong. Only the ego is weak, because it is attempting to contradict the truth. The truth is, we stand together as One, with nothing separating us, though the ego shows us bodies all around. Yet God rests with us in the quiet of our mind, the place where no thoughts about bodies or the world reside. There are no thoughts of illusions here, and here it is we are strong and untouchable by anything that is not Love. See how little stands between us? The strength of our Oneness is just a mere shift in thought and focus in perception away. Focus on the body, and you defend your weakness; you defend illusions. Focus your attention on the Collective Stillness within the body, and you join with the strength of what is true; the strength of Union. There is no illusion you cannot overcome by focusing on this truth. When you focus only on our joined Stillness, you have truly forgiven all that the ego’s weakness and defensiveness has shown you.

VI. The Light of the Holy Relationship

“Do you want freedom of the body or of the mind? For both you cannot have. Which do you value?” (1:1-3)

“Where freedom of the body has been chosen, the mind is used as means whose value lies in its ability to contrive ways to achieve the body’s freedom. Yet freedom of the body has no meaning, and so the mind is dedicated to serve illusions.” (2:1-2)

“Yet even in this confusion, so profound it cannot be described, the Holy Spirit waits in gentle patience, as certain of the outcome as He is sure of His Creator’s Love.” (2:4)

“Be not disturbed at all to think how He can change the role of means and end so easily in what God loves, and would have free forever. But be you grateful that you can be the means to serve His end. This is the only service that leads to freedom. To serve this end the body must be perceived as sinless, because the goal is sinlessness.” (3:1-4)

“And it will be impossible for you to hate what serves whom you would heal.” (3:7)

“This holy relationship, lovely in its innocence, mighty in strength, and blazing with a light far brighter than the sun that lights the sky you see, is chosen of your Father as a means for His Own plan.” (4:1)

“This holy relationship has the power to heal all pain, regardless of its form.” (4:4)

“For here your healing is, and here will you accept Atonement.” (4:7)

“Before a holy relationship there is no sin. The form of error is no longer seen, and reason, joined with love, looks quietly on all confusion, observing merely, “This was a mistake.” And then the same Atonement you accepted in your relationship corrects the error, and lays a part of Heaven in its place.” (5:1-3)

“When you have looked upon your brother with complete forgiveness, from which no error is excluded and nothing kept hidden, what mistake can there be anywhere you cannot overlook?” (7:1)

“What can it be but universal blessing to look on what your Father loves with charity? Extension of forgiveness is the Holy Spirit’s function. Leave this to Him. Let your concern be only that you give to Him that which can be extended.” (9:1-4)

“On your learning depends the welfare of the world. And it is only arrogance that would deny the power of your will. Think you the Will of God is powerless?” (10:1-3)

“Let us look straight at how this error came about, for here lies buried the heavy anchor that seems to keep the fear of God in place, immovable and solid as a rock.” (10:7)

“You do not see that every sin and every condemnation that you perceive and justify is an attack upon your Father.” (11:3)

“If you were one with God and recognized this oneness, you would know His power is yours. But you will not remember this while you believe attack of any kind means anything.” (12:1-2)

“Only the different can attack. So you conclude because you can attack, you and your brother must be different. Yet does the Holy Spirit explain this differently. Because you and your brother are not different, you cannot attack.” (13:1-4)

“The only question to be answered in order to decide which must be true is whether you and your brother are different.” (13:7)

“From loving minds there is no separation.” (14:6)

“The light that joins you and your brother shines throughout the universe, and because it joins you and him, so it makes you and him one with your Creator.” (15:1)

“What teaches you that you cannot separate denies the ego. Let truth decide if you and your brother be different or the same, and teach you which is true.” (15:6-7)

In summary, section 6: “The Light of the Holy Relationship” is saying:

Holiness is wholeness or the oneness of creation. To be holy, is merely to understand your unique place within the Whole of God. To be unholy, is impossible, but the word can be used to describe a state of mind in which you are unaware of your holiness. Wholeness can only be known by the mind and experienced as the feeling of wholeness or total Union. It cannot be seen with bodily eyes, for bodies cannot truly join as the mind can. Therefore, an unholy relationship is one in which you see only the body and are ignorant of your deeper union through the mind. You must allow God’s Light to come into your mind and illuminate your joint holiness or Wholeness with all whom He created as One with you. You do this, through deciding to look beyond the sin or separation that appears as the body, and reach for the stillness within it; the stillness of thought that excludes the body and the world outside us. There you will feel the truth; you will experience your oneness with all whom you thought were separate from you and you will love them as part of yourself. Attack will become impossible. Attack is merely to see another as a body. To give up attack is to give up the belief in the body as our reality. We are not different. We are not separate. Let the Light of our holy relationships teach us this is the truth. Then will salvation, or the experience of our Oneness, come to us through our holy relationships.

This concludes CHAPTER 22: SALVATION AND THE HOLY RELATIONSHIP

TO WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION (as narrated by Beth): CLICK HERE

THIS WORK IS FUNDED BY DONATIONS ALONE. THOUGH NOT EXPECTED, IF YOU FEEL GUIDED TO, PLEASE DONATE BY CLICKING HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

THESE CHAPTER SUMMARIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE AS A BOOK: THE LIGHT HAS COME! Divinely Guided Chapter Summaries From A COURSE IN MIRACLES

Are you ready to embrace the light and transform your life? Look no further! Introducing The Light Has Come! Divinely Guided Chapter Summaries From A Course In Miracles. If you have ever found yourself intrigued by A Course In Miracles but were hesitant to dive into its extensive teachings, this book is your ultimate gateway to profound spiritual understanding.

What is A Course In Miracles?
A Course In Miracles is a renowned spiritual masterpiece that offers a transformative path to inner peace, forgiveness, and love. Written in the 1970s, it has touched the lives of millions, providing them with a practical methodology to awaken their minds and shift their perception of the world. However, for many, digesting its extensive content can be overwhelming.

Your Map to Enlightenment
The Light Has Come! eliminates the guesswork. Crafted with love, care, and divine guidance, it offers concise and enlightening chapter summaries that distill the essence of each teaching, making it accessible and applicable for everyone. Whether you are completely new to A Course In Miracles or have been practicing its principles for years, this book will be your constant companion on your spiritual journey, shedding light on even the most complex concepts.

Why Choose The Light Has Come!?
1. Ease of Understanding: Through following the inner guidance from the Holy Spirit, Beth has meticulously condensed the core teachings of A Course In Miracles into concise, user-friendly summaries. Each chapter summary captures the essence of the original text while providing clarity and practical guidance.

2. Time-Saving Efficiency: With this book, you no longer have to navigate the vastness of A Course In Miracles. The Holy Spirit has done the heavy lifting for you, distilling the teachings into bite-sized nuggets of wisdom that you can easily integrate into your daily life.

3. Divinely Guided Wisdom: As stated above, these summaries have been divinely guided, ensuring that you receive the most profound and transformative insights that will unlock your spiritual potential. Each word has been carefully chosen to uplift, inspire, and awaken the light within you.

4. A Comprehensive Companion: The Light Has Come! not only summarizes the chapters but also serves as a comprehensive companion that will enhance your spiritual practice and support you on your journey to lasting peace and joy.

The Choice is Yours: Answer the Call of Light
If you are seeking true inner peace and a deeper connection with yourself and the world, The Light Has Come! is your answer. Embrace this opportunity to immerse yourself in the transformative teachings of A Course In Miracles, allowing them to illuminate your path and guide you towards a more fulfilling life.

JUST CLICK THE PICTURE TO ORDER your copy of The Light Has Come! TODAY and let the journey to enlightenment begin. Remember, the light is within you, waiting to be revealed! THE LIGHT HAS COME! Divinely Guided Chapter Summaries From A COURSE IN MIRACLES.

A Course In Miracles: CHAPTER 22: SALVATION AND THE HOLY RELATIONSHIP (SUMMARY)