Content vs. Form: A Course in Miracles Primary Teaching
BEGINNING TO SEE DIFFERENTLY
When your mind begins to open, and your perception of life changes, it can be difficult to relate to others, especially if they don’t see things the way you do. You might have a tendency to want to change other people along with you, you might want to attack and make other people feel wrong, or to the contrary, you may want to distance yourself from those that think and believe differently than you do. If you are looking at your ego and wanting to connect more deeply with your spiritual self, then you will recognize that all three of the above behaviors represent the ego’s desire to be right and make the other person wrong. A Course in Miracles teaches us that the ego is merely attempting to keep the dream of separation alive and well.
Seeking a deeper spiritual connection to your loving divine self, wanting everyone else to experience this too, and using divisive tactics to accomplish this demonstrates the ego side of your mind. The split mind within you, the ego’s side, and your spiritual side, or what A Course in Miracles refers to as your wrong-minded ego self, and your right-minded side of the Holy Spirit are the two symbols which represent completely different things. The ego represents the world of separation, which is the world of form we are living in. The Holy Spirit symbolizes our real home in God, which according to the Course, is not part of the world of form, or duality.
When you start tapping into the Holy Spirit’s version of life, everything changes. Your entire world will flip upside down. However, before you are completely committed to joining with this aspect of your mind, it is quite common to slip into the ego’s seductive trap. After all, the ego’s conditioning runs incredibly deep. Defining the form versus the content, one of the fundamental teachings within A Course in Miracles, can make all the difference when you are applying these practices to your actual life. It’s one thing to think about your spirituality, what you believe to be true, yet it’s quite another to practice it in your interactions with everyone around you.
CONTENT VS. FORM
First, let’s define the difference between form and content from A Course in Miracles point of view. Form is the material world. It is the body we live in, our behaviors and actions. The Course explains that the ego is responsible for the world of form, which is the world of separation. All you have to do is look with your eyes and you will see separate bodies everywhere, separate countries, separate races and ethnicities, separate religions, separate governments and politics, separate ideas and beliefs.
This world of form, known as the dual world, does an excellent job of distracting us. It keeps us rooted in the material plane, giving everything around us meaning, and suppresses our ability to rise above the battleground of good and evil. When we notice that nothing here truly changes, that the world is in a repetitive state of constant chaos, the doorway into our spiritual mind opens for us to choose again.
Rising above the level of form into the content of the mind is where A Course in Miracles is speaking to us. Content refers to the ability to choose between the ego or the Holy Spirit. This can also be referred to as the decision maker in your mind. The Course is guiding you away from the ego and the level of form, into the Holy Spirit’s spiritual mind. It is here a symbol or memory of your divinity resides. Choosing the Holy Spirit’s perception will bring you closer to compassion and understanding of all people, even when things on the level of form still look insane.
If you find yourself wanting everything to be a certain way in form, expecting others to behave how you want them too, and this expectation is not met, you may find yourself getting upset, angry, or emotionally distraught. This is a reminder that you are siding with the ego’s interpretation of the world around you. It also gives you an opportunity to rise above the chaos you see in the world and choose the Holy Spirit as your guide and discover inner peace. A Course in Miracles repeatedly states our spirit reminds us that the world of bodies is not our real home, that our essence as a spirit is who we are, not a body.
“You see the flesh or recognize the spirit. There is no compromise between the two. If one is real the other must be false, for what is real denies its opposite. There is no choice in vision but this one.”
(ACIM Text - Ch. 31, VI. 1:1-4) )
This passage from the Course is very clear. Either bodies are real or spirit is real, there is no in between. There is a clear choice residing within the mind and it is up to you to decide how you wish to see life.
MEANING IS A CHOICE
How does any of this apply to your practical life? Is it possible to shift how you see and live more peacefully and compassionately toward others? YES! It is possible, it’s simply a matter of doing it, which is where the challenge lies. Programming and conditioning runs deep with everyone, and working to decondition yourself is not an easy task, however it is incredibly beneficial. You’ll begin to feel much lighter. You’ll become less agitated by things around you. What used to drive you crazy might be met with a smile and an inner laugh because you now see the absurdity in it. The inner state of contentment that will come over you will bring you true joy and lasting peace.
When you are in a difficult moment, if you are struggling with others in your life, when you are angry at the world and wish it would behave differently, this is a sign that the ego is at work, that’s all. The ego is giving everything meaning and you find yourself taking the bait. But, if you stop for a moment and look around you, does anything you see have actual meaning? Or is it your mind that is giving it meaning? Depending on the state of mind you are in, the meaning changes, doesn’t it? If you shift away from the ego’s strong hold, and step into the larger field of awareness within you, you realize that you can change the meaning behind anything you see. It’s only a matter of willingness to do so.
As you get better at recognizing this in your mind, then you can choose again. You can choose to see with spirit. Your spiritual self will remind you that you know not what you see in front of you. You will become open to what’s possible. You will feel closer to the larger self within you rather than anything in the world of form. You will be okay with what happens in life because nothing can take this internal union.
ACT LOVINGLY TO EXPRESS UNION
A final thought if you are applying A Course in Miracles’ teaching to your life. There is no need to convince others of what you are doing. You don’t have to say anything about it. Sure it’s nice to have others that you can discuss the Course with, however if your loved ones are not into it, that’s okay! You can still practice everything on the level of CONTENT, which is exactly what the Course is teaching you to do.
You do not need the form of life to change. You do not need others to believe in what you are doing. All you need to do is BE the light the Course speaks about. Treat everyone with love and compassion, and by acting in this way, you don’t need to say anything. Your love and compassion, your kindness and respect for others no matter what they think or believe, is expressing the unity that we are all a part of. This is what the Course is teaching. Extend divine love, the truth of who you are, to everyone equally.
Doing this not only touches others, but it reminds you that you are not a body, that the people around you are not bodies either, but we are all unified in the mind, the spiritual mind, the symbol of our real home in God. This is the depth each person is seeking. Getting caught up in the pettiness of the world, losing your mind over the form, is nothing more than the ego’s trap. When you get caught in the trap, you know there is ALWAYS a way out. Rise up into the decision maker in your mind and choose again.