Miracle Principles 28-34
January 20, 2021
28. Miracles are a means of organizing different levels of awareness. This is an easy one to miss the point of because, not only is it difficult to follow but we may get bogged down by our fears that Jesus is intruding into our private and nontrivial sexual lives. It is important not to allow our protective mode to interfere with the teaching in this principle.
It may help to think of our mind as if it is in three parts. The part we are aware of is what Jesus calls our conscious. He says that this part is reactive or responsive in that it does not act on its own impulses. Our conscious acts on impulses from either our superconscious, above the conscious, or our subconscious, below the conscious. The superconscious level generates impulses of revelation, which is experience of God revealing Himself to us. The subconscious level generates impulses to express miracles.
We get into trouble because the conscious can be very wrong about these impulses. Because our “identification is with the body, consciousness may distort the revelatory impulses.” (28.3:1) When the source of these impulses is denied, i.e. we believe they come from the body, then the conscious acts out the impulse in a physical way “seeking their impact in the orgasm.” (28.3:1)
Revelation is the original and natural form of communication between God and His creations, which “involve an extremely personal sense of closeness to creation.” (28.4:3) The problem is that in our identification as bodies we distort this and try to find this extremely personal sense of closeness in the body level. We have confused the levels and are seeking communion in bread, or we are trying to meet our spirit level needs in the physical level.
In Principle 18 Jesus used homosexuality as an example of how sexual desires “deny the beauty of some souls because of body structures of which we are afraid.” (18.3) In principle 28, he says “sex frequently involves lack of love. But revelation is purely a love experience.” (28.5:1-2) This spirit level experience is not possible at the physical level.
The same thing happens with the impulses from the subconscious level. The miracle impulses from the subconscious level are interpersonal, which means they are meant to be interactive and “result in closeness with others.” (28.5:4) However, when our identification is in the physical level, or the body, this impulse for closeness can be distorted into the active pursuit of sexual gratification.
This does not mean that we can never have physical pleasure. It just means that our impulses are often distorted, and we are being asked to understand the mechanics of our confusion of levels and their needs in order to become more accepting of the source of these impulses. We might need to ask if our response to our impulses is correct. When we understand that revelation unites us directly with God and miracles unite us directly with others and that our conscious is the part of our mind which generates our action based upon these impulses, we can use miracles to become aware of the level, physical or spiritual, our identification is with.
29. Miracles are a way of earning release from fear. If miracles are a way of releasing one from fear and revelation is an experience of a state in which fear is abolished, then miracles must come first. If we go directly to the state of absence of fear without first abolishing fear, it stands to reason that this is backwards. Therefore, miracles are the means to gain freedom from fear so we can be in the end state of revelation. “In this phase of learning, working miracles is more valuable, because freedom from fear cannot be thrust upon you.” (29.4:4)
30. Miracles praise God through you. This is a great principle that attests to the level correction function of miracles. They honour God’s creations by denying our judgment of them as sinful bodies and affirming their perfection and spirit-identification.
31. Miracles should inspire gratitude, not awe. Human beings should thank God for what they really are. The children of God are very holy. The miracle honours their holiness. The miracle does not accept that God’s creations have lost their holiness. It “uncovers [their holiness] and brings it to the light where it belongs” (31.2:2) This corrects the confusion of thinking one is a physical being and lights up the fact that the truth is one is a holy spiritual being, dispelling the illusions held about oneself. We need only be grateful for this not awed.
32. Christ inspires all miracles, which are essentially intersessions. They intercede for a person’s holiness and make him holy. They place him beyond the physical laws and raise him into the sphere of celestial order. In this order he is perfect. This is again about correcting our level confusion. Through miracles we join in the Atonement of Christ, the correction of level confusion. Miracles are how Christ intervenes by shining the truth of our holy and spiritual nature, which is beyond physical laws. Our minds then function properly without error or distortion.
33. Miracles honour a person because he is lovable. Most of us do not think of ourselves as wholly lovable, nor do we see ourselves as beings of light. Miracles dispel these illusions of ourselves and this way they correct the errors in our thinking. This frees our minds from illusions and our minds are in the right level again. We are in the proper place in the spirit and therefore, invulnerable.
34. The miracle restores the mind to the fullness of spirit. By atoning for lack, it establishes perfect protection. The strength of the spirit leaves no room for intrusions. When we can fully accept the fact that we have been completely forgiven, the miracle of this restores our mind to the understanding that it is of spirit not of physical origins. By correcting lack through receiving God’s love we are perfectly protected in our identity. This can not be interfered with or changed because of the strength of our identity with spirit. Filled with spirit we forgive others as a natural expression of our forgiven state.
Reflection:
Pay attention to your impulses today. When you feel urged to do something ask yourself if you may have distorted that impulse due to improper identification in the physical level.
Suggested practice:
I accept that I am forgiven and from the fullness of my spirit I release my brothers by honouring them as creations of God.
Response to temptation:
[Name] I thank God for what you really are.