T-3.VI – The Divided Mind (paragraphs 10-18)

March 19, 2021

The Course’s definition of the ego is that of a perspective within our conscious mind.  It is not real in the true sense, and only represents a divided mind in pain, not from a place of wholeness. The Course has a pessimistic view of the ego.  It is not something to be placated or perfected or nurtured.  This idea sets the Course apart from other teachings which suggest that we come to terms with the ego in a way that is accepting of it, rather than disavowing it.  Therefore, we should let the Course guide our attitude toward the ego, as Jesus does here when he repeats earlier teaching, “the thing to do with a desert is to leave” (10:).  

Perception and knowledge are different realms altogether.  The means for achieving knowledge is to use correct perception (or true perception, or the spiritual eye).  This correction is the same as “willing to know” and places your mind “in the spirit’s service, where perception is meaningless” (11:2).  Strengthening our will to know is how we develop certainty and unify our divided mind.    

Perception is what made the body (13:1), and from there we “interpret[ed] the body as yourself.”  People who have experienced out-of-body experiences often relate how unreal and dreamlike it is to look down on their body from outside of it.  The body seems so insignificant and small compared to their awareness of themselves. This is another attitude the Course is asking us to adopt – the belief that we are not the body; that the body is small and insignificant when compared to our larger identity that exists within the superconscious.   

The superconscious is the realm of knowledge and certainty, outside of perception.  This is ultimately where union with God is manifested.  The superconscious is sending us impulses that will always deny body-identification.  Our task then is to learn to recognize those impulses and to let the barrier between superconscious and conscious become more permeable.   

As you may recall from Chapter 2, the unconscious mind has an upper and lower level. The lower level is the center of the miracle drive.  But to reach consciousness it must penetrate that upper unconscious, which has “been reduced to a ‘container’ for the waste products of conflict” (15:1).  This was not necessary that even the divided mind have sectioned off this corner for waste products of conflict.  The healed mind is one that allows that permeability from both the superconscious above (revelations) and the unconscious from below (miracle drive). We push away the revelations and refuse to recognize the pull of God from above.  More actively, however, we take all our guilt and fear from our conscious behavior and push it down to the unconscious.  This is our misuse of defenses like repression, dissociation, withdrawal.  Those fears and guilt feelings for past behaviors or traumas do not actually leave our mind, they get shoved down into the unconscious, creating a cesspool of rot and decay that bubbles up to the conscious surface.    

Therefore, we are being taught to reinterpret the defenses that push this stuff down. By doing so, we clear a space in our unconscious mind for the miracle drive to shoot upward and lead to healing actions and miracle-inspired behavior at the conscious level.  The Course will ultimately lead us in a process of forgiveness where we “blot out” these errors in thinking and behavior rather than shoving downward.    

The “Bottom Up” Approach  

Paragraph 16 and 17 are so important in explaining the process in the Course for unifying our mind and awakening to God.  We should pay close attention because what is described here is foundational, it is how Jesus woke up and the core of how we are being taught to awaken unto God:  

“I was a man who remembered the spirit and its knowledge. And as a man, I did not attempt to counteract error with knowledge so much as to correct error from the bottom up. Thus, whenever you refuse to misperceive you are indeed behaving as I behaved. I demonstrated both the powerlessness of the body and the power of the mind. By uniting my will with that of my Creator, I brought His light back into my mind, which naturally remembered the spirit and its own real purpose.  

I cannot unite your will with God’s for you. But I can erase all misperceptions from your mind if you will bring it under my guidance. I am in a position to correct perception from the bottom up” (16:3-17:3).  

The importance of this passage lies in the fact that Jesus is describing the road he was on as one where revelation took a backseat to miracles.  So many spiritual teachers rest their teaching credentials on their heightened states (revelation is another term for heightened states, of union with God, or experiencing non ordinary reality where we are beyond body-identification). If you have hung out in alternative spirituality, you have no doubt heard stories about the “enlightened” teacher who had an abusive streak or had temper tantrums.  This was often acceptable to the followers because of the “top down” approach of the teacher’s revelations.  That revelation was perceived to be a gift that made tolerance of the teacher’s behavior acceptable.    

A few examples of this backward approach that come to mind for me are teachers like Chogyam Trungpa, the founder of Naropa University, and the contemporary American spiritual teacher, Andrew Cohen.  The latter was thought to have laid claim to an esoteric “crazy” wisdom, whereas the former seemed to have, by all accounts, a genuine revelatory experience at an early age.  In both examples, the “top down” approach ended very badly for community members, with abuse and corruption.  In the Course community, we have seen similar examples of abuse, such as the cult that formed around the retired realtor, Chuck Anderson who claimed to be a master teacher.  

Contrasted with the top down approach where a teacher’s credentials are based solely on achieving revelation, is the bottom up approach, which is formed on character traits.  For example, the Manual for Teachers outlines characteristics of the teacher of God as an uncommonly good human being, with exemplary traits of honesty, gentleness, generosity, tolerance, faithfulness and patience.  These characteristics are called “special gifts” given the teacher’s “special role.” Other people, including peers and pupils of the teacher are fundamentally changed by witnessing the behavior.   

One psychology study I am fond of citing found that “exposure to stories of acts of uncommon moral goodness [by another person] elevates one’s sense of morality.”  This experience is exactly what Jesus offered to the witnesses of his crucifixion and resurrection. He taught through the example of the bottom up approach, and revelation of oneness was his reward. 

Yes, the Course is teaching us to experience revelation.  Jesus no doubt experienced revelations along his awakening journey.  Helen clearly did, on more than one occasion, most famously her subway experience that is described in Ken Wapnick’s book, Absence From Felicity.    

In the recent section, Mastery of Love, it discusses our ultimately mastery of revelation in our apprenticeship as miracle workers (T-2.XII.10:3).  In the Workbook we will have specific lessons that are guiding us toward revelation (such as W-157).    

Yet here Jesus is telling us that he did not focus on “counteracting error [conscious thought/behavior] with knowledge [superconscious/revelation], so much as to correct error from the bottom up [miracle drive from unconscious].”   The “bottom up” approach” is to learn healing habits of mind to behave miracle-mindedly.    

As an example of what this means to take the bottom up approach, consider our recent discussion of material in Cameo 14 (The Chain of Miscreation).  It includes the following teaching:  

• “You should never join with one at the expense of another”  
• “There are ways of treating others in which only consistent courtesy, even in very little things, is offered. It is a very healing habit to acquire.”   
• An example is used where “it is much wiser to build up [another’s] confidence instead of associating with her stupidity.”   
• An example is used where a courtesy is offered to another even if it is likely they will not want it.  We do so beccause the person “would be able to use the thought well.”  In other words, the content (generosity) was of greater value than the form.    

In Chapter 1, we were told to have “Golden Rule behavior” which was defined as having “a way to perceive [where one looks out] from the perception of your own holiness and perceive the holiness of others” (T-1.42.4:4).   We were told to “live and let live,” an instruction not to objectify others, especially sexually (T-1.48.7:5). 

These are all examples of the bottom-up approach where our thoughts are under Christ-guidance and our behavior is under Christ-control.  We become kind and gracious and offer healing to others through our miracle-minded behavior that is generated from a joined will.  As we were taught in section III, our behavior “epitomizes harmlessness” and “sheds only blessing.” We have the strength of a lion and the gentleness of a lamb.   

Jesus established this template for awakening during his first century ministry.  It is a ministry he continues today with ‘A Course in Miracles,’ only now he is providing us a carefully articulated and unambiguous instruction for how we carry this out.  Moreover, we have his strength to support us. We are offered the opportunity to have our misperceptions erased by bringing our minds under his guidance because “he is in a position to correct perception from the bottom up.”    

Therefore, we should hold revelation and miracle together in our understanding moving forward.  Jesus is able to guide us with the bottom up approach, and he encourages us in our learning to master revelation.  The resurrection was an act based on the bottom up approach of only perceiving his situation (attack, betrayal, crucifixion) from a place of miracle-mindedness. He did not attack back.  His mind was able to deduce (likely as he hung there from the cross) that nothing could destroy his innocence (III.8:1), no condemnation was warranted, or attack justified toward those who harmed his body.  This awareness awakened his mind.  And now as a gift freely given, he is offering to help us do the same.    

Suggested Practice
          “God is calling me, and I choose to listen.  Jesus, help me find rest for my soul.”