I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.
1. Today’s idea is another step in learning that the thoughts which give rise to what you see are never neutral or irrelevant.
²It also underscores the idea that minds are joined, which will be emphasized further on.I
2. Today’s idea does not concern what you see so much as how you see it.II
²Therefore, today’s exercises highlight this aspect of your perception.
³Three or four practice periods should be done as follows:
3. Choose different objects at random to apply today’s idea, and look at each one long enough to say:
²I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see this ____.
³Conclude the practice by repeating this more general statement:
⁴I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see.
⁵One minute, or even less, will suffice.
I Separation not only shapes what you believe you see, but also conditions the shared “field of interpretation” in which all minds operate. If “minds are joined,” then your way of seeing does not remain confined to your private bubble: it radiates into that common field and, by resonance, invites others to adopt kindred interpretive frameworks. You do not “force” anyone—no one loses their freedom—but you do offer a reading pattern that others may accept or reject. To see is to teach, because all perception communicates the thought system that sustains it.
When you separate, name, and assign functions, you are not merely telling yourself a story: you are proposing it. Your gaze assigns roles (“this is for…,” “you are…”), and those roles tend to be accepted by those who, feeling seen in that way, seek to fit into the script they perceive. That is why your forgiveness is not an irrelevant inner act; it silently rewrites the scripts available to all. Mental union makes your choice of teacher—the ego or the Holy Spirit—have shared effects: if you choose to see with the ego, you reinforce defensive and blaming interpretations; if you choose the Vision of Christ, you expand the availability of innocent meanings. In a united mental field, offering innocence increases the probability that innocence will be seen.
This is where the so-called “miracles” operate: they do not first change forms, but the framework of meaning you offer to the common field. Your decision not to separate—not to fix identities or functions out of fear—reduces interpretive noise and makes it easier for others to access a simpler, truer reading. Giving is receiving because, in union, what you offer as interpretation returns to you as experience.
Practical implications for today’s lesson:
Remember that each time you apply “I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing”, you are acknowledging the teaching character of your perception. Ask yourself: “What am I teaching now with my way of seeing: fear or peace?”
In the presence of a specific person, silently add: “My way of seeing you affects you because our minds are joined. I choose to see you as God created you.” Do not force anything; limit your contribution to withdrawing judgments and offering the availability of innocent meaning.
When you notice yourself assigning a role (“this one is guilty,” “this is dangerous,” “this is worthless”), stop and say: “I am proposing a script to the field we share. I would rather offer one that liberates.” This rectification is enough to clarify the interpretive field.
If conflict arises, do not seek to change another’s behavior first. Change the framework: “I choose the Holy Spirit as my interpreter.” In union, that choice opens an alternative reading for both, where peace becomes coherent.
Thus, the lesson ceases to be an isolated affirmation and becomes a relational practice: your perception is a continual invitation. Each time you choose to see without separating, you lighten the interpretive burden of the world for everyone. That is the real efficacy of your learning: it turns your way of seeing into a shared gift.
II How do you see the world? What are you really doing when you say you see something?
Pay close attention to what happens when you look at a thing and say you see it. In truth, what you do is separate it from the totality of what you perceive, assign it a specific content, tell yourself a story about what you have separated, give it a proper name, and assign it a particular function. For you, seeing is separating; that is the way you see: by separating.
The idea of separation is omnipresent in your particular universe. It applies not only to everything you see, but also to the idea you have of yourself and of others. That way of seeing affects others, for you have turned them into entities as separate from everything as yourself.
In any case, the central point of today’s idea is that everything you call “the other” or “others” is nothing but “contents of your consciousness,” shaped according to your own will. Perception is a function of the mind that is entirely volitional and imaginary.
Do not be alarmed if you are told that to perceive is to fantasize. On the contrary, rejoice, because that means you are not a “victim” of what you perceive, but the “creator” of your perception. And you must also know that you are free and able to change your entire perceptual process at will; that is the foundation of miracles.