Love created me like Itself.

1. Today’s idea is a complete and accurate statement of what you are.

²That is why you are the light of the world.

³That is why God has appointed you the savior of the world.

⁴That is why the Son of God depends on you for his salvation.

⁵He is saved because of what you are.

⁶Today we will strive to reach this truth about you, and to recognize fully—even if only for an instant—that it is indeed true.

2. In the longer practice session, we will reflect on your reality, and on its completely unaltered and unalterable nature. ^I

²We will begin by repeating this truth about you, and then spend a few minutes adding some related thoughts, such as:

³Holiness created me holy.

⁴Kindness created me kind.

⁵Service created me helpful.

⁶Perfection created me perfect.

⁷Any attribute that aligns with God’s definition of Himself is appropriate to you.

⁸Today we are attempting to undo your definition of God and replace it with His Own.

⁹We are also emphasizing that you are included in His definition of Himself.

3. After reviewing several related thoughts, try to let all of them fall away for a moment, and attempt to go beyond every concept and image you have ever held of yourself, to reach the truth within you. ^II

²If Love created you like Its Own Being, then that Being must be within you.

³And that Being is somewhere in your mind, waiting to be found. ^III

4. You may need to repeat today’s idea from time to time to replace distracting thoughts.

²It may also be necessary to continue adding more attributes that reflect the truth about you.

³But perhaps you will succeed in going beyond all of this, and in a moment when your mind is empty of thought, you will become aware of a radiant light in which you recognize yourself as Love created you.

⁴Trust that you are doing much today to bring that awareness nearer, whether you feel you succeeded or not. ^IV

5. It will be especially helpful today to practice the idea as often as possible.

²You need to hear the truth about yourself as frequently as you can, because your mind is deeply absorbed in false images of yourself.

³It would be very beneficial to repeat to yourself four or five times an hour—perhaps even more often—that “Love created me like Itself”.

⁴Understand that this is where the truth about you truly lies.

6. In the shorter practice periods, try to realize that it is not your small and solitary voice that speaks these words.

²It is the Voice of God, reminding you of your Father and your Self.

³It is the Voice of Truth, replacing everything the ego tells you about yourself with the simple truth about the Son of God.

⁴Love created you like Itself.

^I Today’s Lesson employs the technique of evocation, which consists of invoking an idea and focusing the mind upon it.

In the Glossary, the mind is described as the “active principle or agent of spirit,” that is, the potential of spirit to manifest ideas. Put simply, we could say that the mind is an “instrument” that generates reality, operating by becoming that which it evokes through invocation. The mind “produces” reality through will, and it does so by itself and for itself, for nothing else exists.

This Lesson invites you to evoke an idea that reflects various attributes of God, since these coincide perfectly with those of your Self, because your Father created you in His image and likeness. This process allows your individual mind to become familiar with the qualities of your true Self, facilitating remembrance of Him and, ultimately, the direct experience of Him.

^II In the first part of the exercise, we have defined ourselves through qualities that reflect the reality of God and of our true Self. To do so, we may recall memories or imagine situations in which we see ourselves manifesting those exalted qualities, allowing ourselves to visualize our holiness as we help others, or in whatever form may arise in our minds.

Now, in the second part of the exercise, we set aside those concrete images that have enabled us to experience beneficial emotional states and turn our attention, not to the effects of holiness, but to its Source: your Self.

The purpose of this mental exercise is to recognize that those sublime qualities do not originate from your personal mind, but from your true essence. In other words, you are using the “acts” of kindness performed by your character as a bridge to connect with the origin of all goodness.

^III It is impossible to express in words the crucial importance of the experience described in these lines, which has been mentioned in passing before. This entire Course, all its teachings and practices, have but one purpose—to lead to this experience. Once you have reached it, you will no longer need to study this Course at all, nor to submit to any rule of behavior. Your time in this world will be almost over. You will have seen what you truly are; you will know God. This is the ultimate mystical experience; the ego will no longer even be a memory. You will now know with certainty—you will know—that you are not a human being, that you never were; you are the Love of God.

As stated in G-1.2:5–6: “A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible, it is necessary. The goal of this Course is to attain this experience.”

This experience is not something you can attain through mental effort or accumulation of knowledge. It is a gift granted when your mind is quiet and open enough to receive the truth. It is not a personal achievement, but a surrender to what has always been true.

^IV Do not worry if you do not succeed today. You have all the time in the world—literally. The only meaning of all the countless “lives,” of all consciousness, is to reach this. It is the end of dreams, of time, of space, and of all experience. It is the end of perception and the return to knowledge. It is the return Home.

Remember that this process is not linear, nor does it depend on time. Each moment of practice, each instant in which you choose to remember the truth, brings you closer to this experience. It does not matter how many times you become distracted or feel distant from truth; what matters is that you keep returning to it.

In today’s practice, it is essential to remember that you are not seeking something outside yourself. The truth already resides in your mind, and your function is simply to clear away the obstacles that prevent you from recognizing it. Each time you repeat today’s idea—Love created me like Itself—you are remembering your true nature and undoing the false images the ego has constructed about you.

Do not be discouraged if, at first, it seems difficult or if you do not feel an immediate connection with the truth. Steady practice and the willingness to release your preconceived concepts are key. Trust that, in time, your mind will become more receptive to the light of truth, and that transformative experience will come.