Words, like the body, and everything here in the illusory world, are neutral. They can be used to anchor me more deeply in the ego’s illusion or by reflecting spirit, remind me I too, am spirit. Words in and of themselves are meaningless. They only represent what s meaningful, and are intended to teach we have two minds – wrong and right – and a decision maker that can choose between them.
Am I to avoid the use of words, then? No, but I can learn to use words in a new way. Gradually, I can learn to let my words be chosen for me by ceasing to decide for myself what I will say. Thru this process, I learn to accept the words offered me by spirit and give as I receive. I listen, hear and speak.
My faith is not in the words – they are only symbols – but in the experience of peace, happiness and joy and the absence of pain, conflict and fear that comes when the words are used to remind me of my mistaken choice. It is the experience I learn to trust, not the words. That is why the Course emphasizes content, over form. It is the experience we want, not the words.
“We wait for the experience,” the Course says, “and recognize that it is only here conviction lies. We use the words, and try and try again to go beyond them to their meaning, which is far beyond their sound.” The crucial difference between words and meaning is that neither sign nor symbol should be confused with source, and we will know source by our experience.
The only issue is not whether we hear an inner voice, but which inner voice we pay attention to - spirit’s voice of peace, or the ego’s voice of hate and fear. Simply going within and listening, is no guarantee we are hearing the right voice. We also need our experience to guide us.
No comments:
Post a Comment