Atonement

"There is but One Life, and that Life is infinite and eternal. There is only One Soul, your Soul, which is 'closer than breathing, nearer than hands or feet.' You are that place where God shines. You are infinite. In realizing your true identity, you have no longer a selfish motive. You have nothing to get. Your purpose is simply to Be the Light." -- Joel Goldsmith

"The Atonement can only be accepted within you by releasing the inner light." -- A Course in Miracles

The concept of atonement has been misused in the world, like everything else the separated mind imagines. It has become a symbol of sacrifice and suffering. No wonder so many of us fear both the word and the concept behind it.

As ACIM explains it, the Atonement is the return of our right mind, the mind that lives and moves and has its Being only in God, and has never been anywhere else. The Atonement principle is the returning of our attention and devotion and will and imagination to their true Source within, so that whatever extends or projects from our Being reflects and radiates only the Truth, even in the midst of illusions. Our purpose is to BE this Light. Not to have it or become it... we already are it. Our purpose is to remember and BE as God created us.

To simplify this even more, ACIM says, "The miracle is the means, the Atonement is the principle, and healing is the result." The miracle is accomplished always and only by the forgiving of all illusions, good, bad, beautiful, ugly... all. This is done through the principle of the Atonement, which is that we have always been and always will be One with God, All-in-All. The remembering of this Truth and the letting go of everything else is the healing, and will always reflect within the illusion of life as what ACIM calls the Happy Dream of the Holy Spirit. Which has nothing to do with who, what, or where.

The Happy Dream is the state of Oneness that is our true Home... and whatever seems to appear is gravy. As Jeshua ben Joseph puts it, "Seek first the Kingdom, and all else will be added unto you." I love the humor in this. And what else would there be?

"The sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself. This means you recognize that mind is the only creative level, and that its errors are healed by the Atonement. Once you accept this, your mind can only heal." -- A Course in Miracles