Beyond this world there is a world I want.
1. This is the thought that follows the one we practiced yesterday.
²You cannot hold to the idea that the world is worthless unless you also see that there is something else in which to place your hope, or you will only become depressed.
³We are not emphasizing the idea of giving up the world, but of exchanging it for something far more satisfying, filled with joy, and capable of offering you peace. I
⁴Do you really believe this world can give you that?
2. Perhaps it is worth reflecting once again on the value of this world.
²You may be willing to admit that you lose nothing by giving up all thoughts of value here.
³The world you see is surely merciless, unstable, and cruel; indifferent toward you, quick to take revenge, and relentless in its hatred.
⁴It gives, only to take away again, for it takes from you all the things you thought were precious for a time.
⁵You will not find lasting love in it, for none is here.
⁶This is the world of time, where all things come to an end.
3. How then can it be a loss to replace it with a world where loss is impossible, where love endures forever, where hatred cannot exist, and vengeance has no meaning?
²How can it be a loss to find all things that you really want, and know they have no end, and will remain exactly as you want them throughout time?
³Even so, these too will finally be exchanged for that of which we cannot speak, for from there you go where words no longer serve, and you enter the silence of a language not spoken, yet perfectly understood. II
4. Communication, clear and certain as the light of day, continues without limit and without pause for all eternity.
²And God Himself speaks to His Son, just as His Son speaks to Him.
³Their language has no words, for what They share cannot be symbolized.
⁴Their Knowledge is direct, completely shared, and wholly One.
5. How far from this are those who are still bound to this world!
²Yet how near you are when you exchange it for the world you truly want!
³Now the final step is certain.
⁴Now you are but an instant from timelessness.
⁵From here, you can only look ahead.
⁶For you will not look back to see a world you do not want.
⁷This is the other world that comes to take its place when you release your mind from the trifles the old one offers to trap you.
⁸Give them no value and they will disappear.
⁹But if you value them, they will seem real to you.
6. This is the choice you have before you.
²What can you lose by choosing not to value what is nothing?
³This world holds nothing that you truly want.
⁴But the one you choose in its place is the one you truly do.
⁵Let it be given you today.
⁶That world is merely waiting for your choice, to take the place of all the things you sought before, but never really wanted.
7. Practice your willingness to make this exchange for ten minutes in the morning, ten at night, and once again at midday.
²Begin with this:
³Beyond this world there is a world I want.
⁴I choose to see that world instead of this,
⁵For here there is nothing that I really want.
⁶Then close your eyes to the world you see, and in the quiet darkness of your mind, watch as lights begin to appear, one by one, that are not of this world, until there comes a moment when you can no longer tell where one ends and another begins, for they all merge into one. III
8. Today the stars of Heaven bend to you to cast their light upon your closed eyes, while you rest beyond the world of darkness.
²This is a light your eyes cannot perceive.
³But your mind can clearly see it and understand it.
⁴Today a day of grace is given you, and for this we give thanks to God. IV
9. Today you understand that the only loss there ever was, was your own fear of losing.
²But now you see that loss is impossible. V
³For at last we have seen its opposite, and we are thankful for the choice we made.
⁴Each hour remember the decision you have made, and take a moment to confirm your choice, laying aside all thought and focusing briefly only on this:
⁵The world I see holds nothing that I want.
⁶But beyond this world there is a world I want.
I Today’s Lesson serves to reconcile your mind with yesterday’s idea and to give meaning and purpose to your renunciation of a world of forms. Now it is explained that it is not a matter of renouncing, but of exchanging what is worthless for what has true value—and, moreover, is exactly what you have been seeking. You are not being asked to make sacrifices—quite the opposite. You are being lovingly advised not to sacrifice your happiness in exchange for disappointment. You renounce only the illusion of value, not true worth.
II These lines describe the three symbols through which salvation unfolds. The first is the illusory world of sin, guilt, and suffering, which, when reinterpreted correctly by a trained mind, becomes the real world—still an illusion, but one that reflects only the Love of God. And finally, there is Heaven, the symbol of Reality, where Love is no longer reflected in anything, for it is the very substance of all that Exists.
Notice that you do not exchange the illusory world for Heaven, but for the real world. Heaven is not the result of your efforts but something into which you are gently drawn once you reach the real world. Atonement is a process that takes place within the world of suffering, according to God’s Plan for salvation, which leads you to the real world—where awakening occurs.
In this Lesson, Jesus offers a fundamental alternative: where to focus the mind. He invites you to direct your attention toward a real world, beyond the world the senses perceive. Yet when He speaks of real concepts, the content can seem difficult to grasp from the usual, worldly perspective.
An important question arises from this reflection: why does the Mind of the Son of God pass through a human experience? According to A Course in Miracles, the world is a voluntary dream. So what purpose does existence in this dream serve?
To understand this, it is essential to grasp the difference between states of consciousness. The state of true Reality—where Christ abides—is a timeless state, outside of time and change. In that state there is no movement or transformation; everything is fullness and eternity. Therefore, there it is not possible to learn or change, since learning implies modification—an evolution of the mind.
The “mad idea” of separation, arising in the Mind of the Son, needs to be corrected. And for correction to be possible, a context must exist in which change can occur—that context is time. Time, though illusory, becomes the setting in which learning can take place, where the mind can shift its perception and heal.
Thus, time has a redemptive function. It is used by the Holy Spirit to facilitate Atonement. Without temporal experience, there would be no opportunity to correct the belief in separation, for outside of time there is no possibility of changing one’s mind.
That is why human experience makes sense within the plan of salvation. It is not a purposeless mistake, but a precious opportunity. Here, within time, one can unlearn separation, recognize true identity, and rediscover the meaning of love and being.
The world, therefore, should neither be idolized nor feared, but understood as a temporary means that serves the recovery of the remembrance of God. Beyond this world of change lies another—the real world—which truly deserves your heart’s desire and attention.
III This is a visualization exercise that requires a clear mind combined with your willingness to see. You will see what you want to see. Here Jesus makes you a proposal: simply empty your mind and very gently invoke the vision of the lights He mentions. Do not strain. Just relax, and ask.
IV The lights you see in this visualization are symbols of the love that is reflected in the things of the real world—and that love is the only real component of what you perceive there. Then you begin to become aware that those tiny lights merge into one, expressing the all-encompassing and total nature of Love—the only thing that exists. It is all an allegory of the Atonement.
V Yesterday your heart tightened a little, for you thought you were going to lose something by having to renounce the things of the world. Now you realize that is impossible. You cannot lose anything of value, for the simple reason that you are the source of all value. And although you do not yet understand this well—since the idea you have of yourself is rather pitiful—you will soon begin to grasp it.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, outside you has value, because in truth there is nothing outside you. The very idea of value is something you tear out of yourself and project “outward” to see it as something external and then go searching for it there. It is a trick of illusion you play on yourself. You delude yourself by projecting your own worth onto a nonexistent “outer space,” as if that were possible. Then, deceived and enchanted—which are the same—you rush to seize it, only to find it slips through your fingers. There was nothing there—only a belief.
Now you are beginning to realize that, in truth, you cannot lose anything. Well… except perhaps your sanity—but even of that, you too will eventually grow weary.