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SearchWhat practical things can I do when I get stuck in the ego?
Question:
When we are absolutely in the ego and we are doing the Course and the lessons, what do we do? Because the theory is fine, but give us something practical we can do when we get stuck.
Answer:
You have to feel out what works for you. What I did was to use a tape I had of sayings from the Course combined with gentle music, and I would just relax and listen to this tape, and the ego would always melt away. One time when I was in the situation you describe, I went to a chair in my living room and sat down and said to the ego: “I'm not leaving the chair until you leave my mind! I have nowhere to go and nothing to do.” So there were no distractions.
Often the ego wants you to get busy and distracted. "A Course In Miracles" is a quick way to undo the ego, and the ego resistance to it is enormous. If you reach a point where it seems too extreme, it is okay to set the book down for a time. The Holy Spirit and Jesus will never get mad. There are stories of people using the Course as a doorstop or a plant stand. But when the time is right, they pick it back up. There are other stories of people reading the Course and having great difficulty understanding the meaning. Then through a moment of insight and readiness, they can read the Course and understand more deeply. It is really a matter of willingness in the mind, and not a matter of how much you read or how fast you go. Always be gentle with yourself. If you miss a practice period or two, just notice the mistake, give it to the Holy Spirit, and begin to practice again. Don't compound the error by beating yourself up for missing a practice period.
Love,
David
Did Jesus have a private mind?
Question:
I would like to know more about private minds, for Jesus was one with the Father but did he not have His own thoughts and feelings, or are you saying that Jesus did not feel the thoughts of this world that he was walking in? If he did not have the thoughts of people in this world, how could he know what Peter was thinking when he said, "Get thee behind me Satan"?
Answer:
The belief in private minds assigns the attributes of the body (separation) to the mind, and thus the mind seems fragmented, isolated, and alone in distorted perception. Private minds with private thoughts assume that the mind can pull itself apart from the Mind of God and be fragmented into separate pieces, each one different from the rest. The assumption is that "individual" minds have their own unique set of thoughts and also that each "mind" has the ability to make its own decisions. The Christ Mind, however, reveals that divine Mind is one, a unified whole which cannot be divided. What is one with God cannot be divided or become unlike the Mind of God Which created it whole. The reality of one Mind transcends the illusion of "parts,” for what could separate what God created one forever. Only the Thought of God remains eternal. And this is why there can be no private thoughts.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit are synonymous as symbols of Awakened Mind, which sees the error but knows it is unreal. This is why Jesus Christ knew that the thoughts of man were but temptations to believe that the impossible had happened. Jesus was an example of the purity and innocence that transcends the belief in private minds. For seeing no one as separate from God, Christ recognizes the Self as whole. "Get thee behind me Satan," is the declaration that what is created as one cannot become something else, giving no credibility to the "something else." It is a statement that love and truth can have no opposition, since Oneness knows nothing "other" than Self in God. Jesus demonstrated the Christ Mind, which entered not a body and shines endlessly in eternity. The Mind of Christ simply is, and in being can be but remembered or recognized. The Mind of Christ is beyond perception, and Jesus teaches that forgiveness (or overlooking error) is how perception gives way to the light of God. Error is the belief in private minds and thoughts, yet forgiveness sees that mind is whole and that nothing exists "in and of itself" apart from the whole. Nothing is private in the light of Divine Love. This means that "human" thoughts and emotions and beliefs have no meaning, for they were based on nothing at all. Identity in God is all meaning, and the world dissolves away in God's Holy Presence.
Peace & Blessings,
David
Is the goal to increase the number of us who are awake, so that those who are asleep can no longer be a threat to our own progress?
Question:
There is something extremely wrong with every single person in this world. They seem to be part of a pointless simulation. It is as though this planet is populated only by mindless fakes—people that provide the appearance of intellect on the surface, but are based on mechanical reflexes and primitive thought patterns. The people on this planet are all fakes because the societies have made them this way. If this world continues to exist the way it is then nothing in it will ever have a point.
Answer:
Yes, the world and the people that seem to inhabit it are a simulation, yet Atonement or complete forgiveness is the Point of release. Peace of mind is the Point that simply sees the false as false. This forgiven world Perspective is the goal, far beyond the busyness and striving for bodily survival that the ego sponsors. The goal of forgiveness is a “state of mind” goal, and is actually beyond being quantified or measured. What is the same cannot be different, and what is one cannot have separate parts. The sameness beneath the artificial appearances is the Perspective of release.
We are joined in forgiveness and have no enemy in Reality. It is not so much that only the people are fake, for the time-space cosmos was the veil made to hide the Eternal Love of God. Illusions cannot seem to veil the Truth unless that be the wish. Since Love is All, a wish for an opposite to Love must vanish in Love's Presence. Such is healing, for darkness brought to Light and error brought to Truth must disappear. Therefore be not discouraged by the appearance of error, for if the error is meaningless then the appearances of error are meaningless as well. The multiplication of illusions was the multiplication of nothing. Rest in the Love of the Living God, and see that there are no cares or worries in this Instant. In this Holy Instant are illusory cares of past and future completely forgotten. First illusion is exposed and released, and remembrance of God remains when illusion has gone from awareness.
Love is our Guide in Awakening from the dream of fear, guilt, and punishment. Reality has no limits of any kind. Look lovingly on the world made clean of judgment, and see that there is nothing "outside" of mind. They gap cannot exist in wholeness, and what is the same cannot appear as different. Love can only look upon ItSelf. All Glory to God for creating All as One!
Love and Blessings forever,
David
David, if you overlook all error, what would the experience be like for you if you saw two people arguing in front of you?
This question is asked at 40 minutes and 22 seconds into the following audio, which is part of an interview by David Hoffmeister, Paul & Candace Doyle.
Listen to the audio here: http://www.livingmiraclescenter.org/MP3/QandA_audios/DC11.mp3
How can I transition out of using lots of medication/magic? Also, what is the definition of the term "level confusion" in ACIM?
Question:
The course teaches that believing in medicine is like believing in magic, and I can see that. Over the last several years I have used vitamins and minerals, etc. to try to improve my health. I have also been practicing recognizing my beliefs and their effect on my health, and releasing the need for them. How do I begin making the transition to living without “magic”? My health is less than perfect, but not crippling. Also, can you give me an understandable definition of "level confusion," as is mentioned often in ACIM?
Answer:
Thanks for writing. The saying goes: "Mind over matter." Illness and health are solely mental, and the belief in the physical or the manifest is the basis of all conflict, disease, stress, and upset. The mind is causative, yet the sleeping mind remembers not the making of the world. The sleeping mind believes that the world the ego made has turned around and made the body self. This is the belief in physical "birth." Thus it appears that events and circumstances happen to the body apart from its asking or control. The first step in healing this cause-effect split and reversal is opening to the realization that everything which seems to happen is the result of belief. The mind perceives what the mind believes. Questioning what is believed is therefore a way of raising the ego belief system to the Light.
Level confusion is the belief that time-space-matter is causative instead of an unreal effect of an unreal "cause." There is nothing causative in the material universe, and the sleeping mind is imprisoned by its own beliefs. Once the ego belief system is exposed as having no foundation, the effects it seemed to produce are seen as causeless. Appearances and images are seen for what they are, illusion, and no longer are they endowed with "life" and "meaning." Right-mindedness or miracle-mindedness is the end of level confusion, for the miracle simply sees the false as false. The miracle does not judge the contents of consciousness, for it sees their unreality. The Holy Spirit looks not to effects, having judged their "cause" as unreal. The ego is the unreal "cause."
Trust the Holy Spirit in the transition or transformation of mind. The Holy Spirit will reinterpret everything perceived with a new Perspective. If you do the workbook lessons of ACIM and read the text, with openness and willingness, you will see that the Holy Spirit orchestrates everything of time-space for your benefit. Time is actually under the direction of the miracle-worker, for the miracle-worker is aligned with the Holy Spirit's use of time. The Holy Spirit will instruct you on what is most helpful in terms of using time and the symbols of time. The body, diet, medicine, exercise, and activity in general are best given over to the Holy Spirit. The specifics are used by the Holy Spirit in the workbook practice until the Divine Principle is transferred and applied so consistently that the belief in specifics is completely undone. In accepting Atonement, the mind is thus prepared for the remembrance of Light or Divine Abstraction in God.
Blessings of Love,
David
How does the Holy Spirit respond to the ego?
Description:
This question is asked at 35 minutes and 28 seconds into the following audio, which is part of an interview of David by DavidPaul & Candace Doyle.
Listen to the audio here: http://www.livingmiraclescenter.org/MP3/QandA_audios/DC11.mp3
I lost my son years ago but wonder how I would have handled it today.
Question:
I lost my son eight years ago. I didn't ask God to take myself instead of him, but just let things happen. Then when I started studying the Course, I questioned myself as to what I would have done if it happened today, how I would have acted differently.
Answer:
It is a common mechanism of the ego to ask ourselves how me might have done something differently. This goes at the basic premise of the hypothetical; as if things could be different than they are. As you begin to see that cause and effect are together, you see that everything that seemed to happen was part of a prearranged script.
When the mind seemed to separate from God, it projected out a giant cosmos with many, many scripts, many scenarios, many stories, and the Holy Spirit was given in a single, simultaneous instant that solved the whole problem. All of the scripts and stories of the world are all the past. This is unlike the linear version that the ego teaches, which is divided into past, present and future, where it seems that some scripts and stories are past and some are yet to come. So the mind that is seeing it this way is still trying to pull the past into the present, reliving memories and stories over and over as if they are still going on. But the Holy Spirit sees that they've all been solved.
There is always anxiety and worry when we deny that it is all past. Then you get into the realm of the hypothetical: What if I could have... Perhaps if I hadn't... on and on, the mind goes around and around. The ego has a lot of hypothetical scripts, a fearful imagination, but once you begin to see that everything that seems to happen in the world is just a reflection of your thoughts, you find that when you are without fear, there is no threat or danger that is possible.
The ego believes in the hypothetical. Your insurance agents believe in hypotheticals! Your doctors believe in hypotheticals, so you find doctors telling patients how long they have to live. You find insurance agents saying how many policies you must have to be secure, and you find that all of the world of busy-ness is based on hypothetical thinking.
The miracle is not hypothetical. It lets you see the false as false. It's really that simple. When you get into the miracle, it is as if you were watching a play in which you see that all the actors play their parts perfectly. It is only the ego that divides the story up and says it does not like this part or that part. It decides which ones are the victims and which ones are the victimizers, but God has nothing to do with a script where there can be victims or victimizers. The Bible teaches that all things work together for those that love the Lord. In A Course In Miracles Jesus says all things work together for good and there are no exceptions, except in the ego's judgment. So all hypothetical scenarios are just fearful imaginations. We could never have done anything different than what seemed to happen. And with this there is peace.
Love,
David
Can you offer your wisdom on the ACIM copyright trial?
Question:
Here is a letter I came across posted on the Internet. Would you please offer your wisdom on the ideas expressed.
Publicly Posted Letter:
On the eve of the long-awaited ACIM copyright trial, I hope that all who care about the outcome of this litigation are in a place of at least intellectually understanding that Judge Sweet does not have the power to affect their peace of mind by his decision. Surely, whatever our opinions about the legal and political matters attendant to publication of the Course, we all share the same goal:
The peace of God is everything I want. The peace of God is my one goal; the aim of all my living here, the end I seek, my purpose and my function and my life, while I abide where I am not at home" (W-pI.rVI.205.1:2-3)
It has been almost seven years since the initial copyright suit was filed by Penguin, Inc. against the New Christian Church of Full Endeavor. During the intervening years some folks have worked very hard to disparage and discredit the very people to whom I think they ought to offer appreciation and gratitude, not only as brothers in Christ, but as those who have so lovingly dedicated themselves to making this wonderful Course available to us.
No doubt most students of ACIM recognize that what Jesus asks of us in the Course is that we undertake only ONE responsibility, which is to accept the truth of the Atonement in our own mind and heart. And we are only asked to fulfill in our lives the ONE function of forgiveness. In my opinion, those who stir up political turmoil about the copyright litigation have simply found yet one more way to allow the ego to distract them from that one responsibility and one function which have nothing to do with changing how other people go about their lives or whether the Course is copyrighted. Students have not been asked to distribute the Course to others; to make it the foundation for another formal religion, church or any kind of social organization; or to proselytize others to study it.
It's not hard to discern which thought system in our mind it is that seeks to make of the Course a platform for debate and political conflict. That thought system thrives on controversy, believes that it can be cheated and deprived, and sees victimization everywhere.
In the Text Preface it is written: "...the Course can and should stand on its own. It is not intended to become the basis for another cult [defined in dictionaries as, among other things,”a religious system"]. Its only purpose is to provide a way in which some people will be able to find their own Internal Teacher."
We have the book in our hands thanks to the loving dedication of those entrusted with its publication. Now the question is whether we will study the message of that book, form a relationship with the voice that speaks from its pages, and do what it asks.
For those who are not clear on the facts, I want to point out that the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) is now, and has always been, responsible for publishing and distributing the Course. The Foundation for A Course in Miracles (FACIM) is a sister organization which has been primarily responsible for educational activities and publications related to the Course. In 1999 copyright in the Course was transferred from FIP to FACIM, but responsibility to publication remained with FIP.
I know the members of both foundations well enough to be certain that they are not people who have been motivated by greed and personal gain. Perhaps a few facts will be of help to those who might be inclined to think otherwise.
1.) In the 27 years since it was first published, the Course has sold somewhat more than 1.5 million copies. That's hardly a best seller and hardly a sales figure that would generate personal fortunes.
2.) During those 27 years, the Foundation for Inner Peace has always had a program which provided that people who had an interest in the Course, and could not afford to buy it, could receive a scholarship copy. Over 20, 000 copies have been given away as a result.
3.) During that period of time, FIP has accomplished the remarkable feat (a publishing industry "miracle") of keeping the retail price of the Course at the same affordable level while prices of other books of similar quality have risen dramatically.
4.) Both FIP and FACIM are non-profit corporations which could not have achieved the outreach that has been accomplished were it not for the generous donations of others, as well as the personal contributions of the principles themselves.
5.) The Course has now been translated into ten languages other than English thanks to the generous contributions of supporters as well as the selfless efforts of the translators who have been carefully trained and lovingly supported for their work. More translations are on the way.
6.) FACIM receives no money from sale of the Course itself. What FIP receives is reinvested in the Course after expenses are paid. It is my personal experience and observation that what motivates members of both organizations is love, not greed and self-interest.
7.) Everyone associated with FIP and FACIM most certainly believes that the Course is the product of divine inspiration which, for Helen, took the form of Jesus. Kenneth Wapnick has always taught, and continues to teach, the importance of forming a relationship with Jesus as a part of ACIM study for those who are willing to accept that relationship, recognizing that the Course itself says that such a relationship is not necessary and that the Holy Spirit has manifested in the form of other teachers. Nothing in Kenneth's court testimony differs from what he has taught for 25 years, one example of which can be found in "Absence from Felicity,” which was published in 1991, eight years before his deposition related to the copyright litigation.
8.) To date, more than twelve hundred permissions to quote from the Course have been granted. Most recently three books have appeared after the authors consulted with FACIM and received copyright permission to quote beyond the boundaries of what could reasonably be called "fair use." These are,”The Disappearance of the Universe" by Gary Renard;" "God, Self, and Evil: A Miracle Theodicy,” by Robert J. Hellmann; and Greg Mackie's new book,”How Can We Forgive Murderers? And Other Answers to Questions about A Course in Miracles."
In light of what I know, I am quite convinced that if those involved with the lawsuits had approached those entrusted with publication of the Course in the spirit of appreciation, respect and cooperation which is consistent with the teachings of the Course itself, then none of the lawsuits would have been necessary. Furthermore, a large amount of money could then have been available to support the loving extension of the Course into the world. I think it is remarkable that FIP and FACIM have been able to carry out their functions as well as they have in spite of the unwarranted opposition they have faced, and the money it must have cost them.
I sincerely hope that Course students will avoid imposing upon themselves the burden that this "useless journey" of the copyright fuss can become. We have no responsibilities in this matter except to study and practice the Course which has been lovingly made available to us. That means that we would see the political controversies around the Course as offering yet one more classroom in forgiveness. "All things are lessons God would have me learn" (Workbook lesson 193).
In the sphere of our own lives and relationships, if we practice what the Course teaches, we can become instruments of the Holy Spirit's peace and His love. In doing so, we can fulfill the invitation of that lovely prayer from the second chapter of the Text:
"I am here only to be truly helpful. I am here to represent Him Who sent me. I do not have to worry about what to say or what to do, because He Who sent me will direct me. I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing He goes there with me. I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal" (T-2.V(A).18:2-6)
Answer:
Thanks for writing and for your willingness to Awaken. The only trial is the attempt to see the seeming split mind of ego belief as if it is "happening" in the world. In Atonement there are no "sides" to see and there is no "controversy" to behold. All things work together for good and the script is written. It is the decision to align with the Holy Spirit that brings peace. In the letter above the goal is stately clearly:
The peace of God is everything I want. The peace of God is my one goal; the aim of all my living here, the end I seek, my purpose and my function and my life, while I abide where I am not at home" (W-pI.rVI.205.1:2-3)
To say these words is nothing, but to mean these words is everything. To the mind which accepts Atonement there is nothing to defend, no position to take, and no opinion to value. There are no facts in form, for form was made by the ego to deny and cover up Content, Which is All Meaning. Christ is a Fact. God is a Fact. Nothing about the cosmos is factual. It was an image that was forgiven and Now holds no value or meaning. The Holy Spirit used the symbols of the cosmos to teach that Love is real and nothing "else" exists. The Holy Spirit used time to teach that there is no time. Truth is wordless. In Divine Silence our Being resides forever and ever, held Immaculate in God's Grace.
"A Course In Miracles" is a symbol among symbols that was used in My Awakening. You will find in it what you are looking for. There is nothing to protect or defend in Christ Identity, and the mind which seems to engage in trials is the ego. The ego is not real. Identify with Christ and You are Safe. Identify with Christ and You are Home. If the mind seems to identify with a self concept that has no existence, the mind will seem to experience the illusion of fear. Once afraid, the mind can seem to either follow the ego's tactics of attack and defense or it can heed the suggestions of the Holy Spirit and forgive. Forgiveness recognizes that what you thought your brother did has not happened. There is only one mind and therefore there are not "parts" to attack or to be attacked by. Only Oneness exists, and forgiveness shows that attack is impossible because only What God Creates is real. Forgiveness is Still and quietly does nothing. It looks and watches and judges not. Healing was Given the instant the separation seemed to happen, and Now only Healing remains. Accept but this and You are Home at Peace.
In Awakening you remember that nothing can come between your mind and the Holy Spirit, and you are never limited by words. Words cannot be owned or possessed, and neither can they be defended or attacked or confined or freed. Free your mind by accepting Atonement by first seeing that only the sleeping mind needs freeing. A Course In Miracles is not and never was imprisoned, for the book and words are simply neutral images that have no meaning in and of themselves. No thing exists "in and of itself" because Divine Mind is Pure Oneness and duality and multiplicity have no reality. Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. This is the Peace that passeth the understanding of the world. Nothing of the world is true. Accept but this and see that there are no trials or tribulations to perceive at all. You are free Now.
True religion is the experience of Peace. This cannot be organized and involves no sense of structure or ritual. Peace is not conceptual or political or legal in any sense. Peace is the experience of holding only one Purpose in mind. It is really this simple. If a brother seems to behave insanely you can extend healing by seeing that there is no such thing as insane behavior to the Holy Spirit. All behavior is neutral in the healed Perspective. What could Wholeness look upon except a whole cosmos, unbroken and blessed through forgiveness? All My seeming brothers and sisters are Perfect in Spirit, and the Spirit is real and true. Misperceptions cannot veil the Truth of Spirit if you want only Peace. That is the only question: Do you want only Peace? God is not hiding and Peace is not lost. Truth will be returned to your awareness by your desire, as it was lost to awareness by the desire for "something else." There is only Love. Do not see error means do not make it real in your awareness. Release all judgments and opinions and false "knowings" and humbly accept the Truth.
I am grateful for every Loving thought extending God's Love. I appreciate every seeming effort to shine the Light of Truth. For many the seeming "court case" will have an unexpected "outcome." I say this to you: there is never any outcome in form because this world was over long ago. The past does not have variable "outcomes" for it is gone. Peace is the only "outcome" Now, and if you share the Holy Spirit's Purpose you are experiencing this outcome at this very Moment. Ahhhhhhh I feel your smile as you are reading this, for deep within you know it is true. You are Awakening and I rejoice for the Awake State of Mind is ever Present and cannot be denied! Give thanks for all the ones which seemed to people the illusion for they have never failed to serve the One Who offers healing. Give thanks to the Gentle Presence that has abided within your heart and could never leave you comfortless.
All Glory to God for creating All as One in Spirit. Amen.
Love always,
David
If I do my part in forgiving the illusion, does it transfer to others who are suffering?
Question:
If I am part of the Sonship, and do my part by accepting forgiveness of all the illusions I am immersed in, is pain and suffering alleviated from that part of the Sonship who is experiencing tormented experiences? And conversely, is my joy in experiencing the Universal Christ Consciousness transferred to him as well, in spite of his apparent suffering? Can I accept the Holy Spirit's call on his behalf?
Answer:
Your question is the same as: "How many teachers of God will it take to save the world?" Remember the Answer given in ACIM Manual for Teachers: One.
"When I am healed I am not healed alone."
Acceptance of the Atonement (or the forgiveness of illusion), which is the sole responsibility of a teacher of God, heals the misperception of "pain and suffering" entirely. The Joy of Christ is ALL that is ever extended, and what seemed to be projected from error was but a dream that never happened. Revelation is an experience of direct Union with God, of Divine Mind Being Singular, and this transcends all personal or interpersonal concepts, including transfer. In the Holy Instant it is apparent that Oneness is the Fact and there is literally no "other" or "part" to transfer Joy to. Happily and Absolutely in Oneness there is no illusion of apparent suffering. God's Will is Perfect Happiness.
You asked if you can answer the Holy Spirit's call on another’s behalf. In recognition of the Self as the One, there is literally nothing for either of you to do. Atonement can be summed up like this: The truth is true and only the truth is true. Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.
Forgiveness is a done deal. The past is gone and the Light has come. What seemed to be the future was the past as well, and thus the future is gone and the Light has come. Heaven is Now as the I Am Presence. Happily there is nowhere else and nothing else.
Love,
David
How, and how many times, should one do the Workbook?
Question:
How many times should one do the workbook of "A Course in Miracles" to get the internal practice going?
Answer:
There is no set answer for that question. The Holy Spirit's guidance is highly individualized. The end of the Workbook says that this Course is a beginning and not an end. Practicing the workbook lessons is just a way to learn to hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit. After you have practiced with the Course, this will seem very natural. It is mostly a matter of willingness and readiness, and not so much a matter of time. "A Course In Miracles" does say, "The ego enjoys studying itself." So if you have studied it for 25 years and done the workbook many times, you want to be aware of this trap! It is kind of like the scribes and Pharisees in the times of Jesus. They got so involved in the letter of the law that they missed the spirit of the law. You do not want to make a ritual of "A Course In Miracles." The Course aims at the experience of forgiveness, and the structure is designed to fall away.
Question:
How do we realize that we're not in an ego trap?
Answer:
Jesus does say there is one right use of judgment: How do you feel? Your feelings are your barometers, like a touchstone. This is a way of moment by moment learning to be honest about your feelings. That is why at the beginning it takes a lot of persistence. When the mind is untrained, it is often upset. The mirror is very dark and needs to be cleared.
Question:
What is the importance of meditation?
Answer:
"A Course In Miracles" Workbook is a designed technique for guiding the mind into meditation. Jesus does not assume the mind is already trained, so he has designed a system to take you slowly, step by step, and the further you go into the workbook, the more exercises you will find guiding you into the silence. It does not emphasize body postures or breathing techniques or chants, but it rapidly clears away the debris and the clutter and the chatter.
Question:
When we are absolutely in the ego and we are doing the Course and the lessons, what do we do? Because theory is fine, but give us something practical we can do when we get stuck.
Answer:
You have to feel out what works for you. What I did was to use a tape I had of sayings from the Course combined with gentle music, and I would just relax and listen to this tape, and the ego would always melt away. One time when I was in the situation you describe, I went to a chair in my living room and sat down and said to the ego: “I'm not leaving the chair until you leave my mind! I have nowhere to go and nothing to do.” So there were no distractions.
Often the ego wants you to get busy and distracted. "A Course In Miracles" is a quick way to undo the ego, and the ego resistance to it is enormous. If you reach a point where it seems too extreme, it is okay to set the book down for a time. The Holy Spirit and Jesus will never get mad. There are stories of people using the Course as a doorstop or a plant stand. But when the time is right, they pick it back up. There are other stories of people reading the Course and having great difficulty understanding the meaning. Then through a moment of insight and readiness, they can read the Course and understand more deeply. It is really a matter of willingness in the mind, and not a matter of how much you read or how fast you go. Always be gentle with yourself. If you miss a practice period or two, just notice the mistake, give it to the Holy Spirit, and begin to practice again. Don't compound the error by beating yourself up for missing a practice period.
Love,
David