You are Both Cause and Effect

The universe is a product of your mind and nothing can occur "out there" that has not been determined "within." This is the definition of "love" because it embraces everything as Truth and therefore, nothing is apart from you when you SEE it as One.

M: How can you prove you are who you say you are?

J: How can you prove the same?

M: You answer my question with a question?

J: Only to "prove" that neither I, nor you, can answer the question based on what you accept as “proof.” Although you cannot prove that you exist, you can prove that you have an experience that you then define as "existing." Yet, proving this to yourself has not appeared to be helpful.

You are intoxicated with your “experience” of life and completely preoccupied with defining the meaning of that experience. Meaning determines purpose and you need only look to your current purpose to determine the meaning you have applied. What is your purpose?

Clearly, through such an examination, you will discern chaos as the meaning of your life, since all your insane purposes seem to reflect that you have no idea how to define "life" with any degree of clarity or consistency.

M: I can see that I exist in a world.

J: You CAN only prove that you believe in a “self” that requires an experience of "reality." But, although you have resigned yourself to calling it "life," you really have no certainty of what that experience actually defines? For example, when awaking from sleep what does being "awake" mean and what do you "awaken" to?

Your eyes and ears tell you nothing without the mind’s interceding and even your psychology is beginning to inform you of this, although it cannot prove it as Truth. You believe the body's eyes provide truth and, hence, you adjust the mind to what the body teaches. I teach that the inverse of this backwards learning, since it is the mind that instructs the body where to look for truth.

This conveniently allows the mind to indict the body for teaching the suffering that the mind demands must be learned. You are both cause and effect and this is why you must teach, so that you can finally learn.

If you continue to look in the same direction you will see no change and learn nothing. Therefore, you will continue to suffer through what you SEE and teach it. I now point you in a different direction and all you need do is look there and you will SEE.

What the world has taught that you must see, maintains your blindness, since you look on nothing that has ever served to end your expectation of suffering.

However, the problem has never been what you see, but how you see it.

This is why you do NOT see me, since that would only further confirm your worship of the body's sight, rather than the miraculous vision that I teach. The eyes see what the body teaches based on what the mind demands be learned. However, the mind is capable of seeing much more then your body could ever confirm as real.

M: But how do I project a physical world outside of the mind?

J: The mind does no such thing.

M: But I thought you said that I project reality outside my mind.

J: The "world" IS your mind, only you interpret this "world" as apart from you. This seemingly minor alteration in thought has made all the difference between an experience of suffering and an experience of indescribable joy.

The fact is that your mind is everything and everywhere. There is nowhere and nothing YOU are NOT. There is NO point of demarcation and there are NO distinctions or differences between you and the "universe" you believe contains you. Make NO mistake, YOU are the container and the universe is a tiny thought contained in the infinite expanse of mind.

The concept of “projection” merely defines the fact that you refuse ownership of your mind and have split off parts that you fear by merely informing your “self” that there is an “outside” from which to hide from what is within. This is why you experience such impotence and inadequacy because what you allow to remain in the mind, pales in comparison to the "universe" you believe is "outside" your mind. When you allow the outside to be known within, the universe will be your kingdom and you will marvel at what you contain. Therefore, why would you NOT dwell there? I teach that you do.

Your imagination can dream up all manner of "fantasy," yet, you allow belief to infuse none of it simply because you have interpreted and pronounced it nothing but “fantasy.” The fact that you volitionally pick and choose, that which you believe true, is undeniable. Nevertheless, the operative word is ‘believe.’ Without belief, your eyes would SEE nothing. That's because if nothing is there, seeing is unnecessary and thus, vision would be certain.

When you choose to restrict your belief from what is NOT true, you will SEE differently and you will literally be astounded by what you will SEE, when you choose to SEE what I SEE.

M: What do you see?

J: Nothing that your mind can currently comprehend, simply because for so very long you have been preoccupied by the fantasies you proclaim as "real." In fact, your "fantasies" are so "real" to you, that your mind has pronounced that what I teach cannot possibly be true.

But you are getting closer to believing otherwise and you will SEE according to that change in belief. In fact, what you will SEE has nothing to do with perception, but perception will be undeniably altered beyond current comprehension and you will know with certainty that it has occurred.

M: Why should it be so difficult to comprehend?

J: Think carefully on your term, “difficult.” When you state that you experience something as "difficult" does that mean that you cannot, or that you WILL NOT, choose to understand? As I have stated previously, there is no "difficulty" in understanding what I teach unless you choose that it be so. Therefore, you must ask why you would make such a choice.

M: You continue to tell me that it is all my choice, but this hasn’t helped me much.

J: Why do you fear choosing? Does not your “self” demand choice? You have determined that only through “choice” can freedom be experienced and therefore, since you have no real sense of what you ARE, you have provided your "self" a multitude of choices.

You have literally manufactured your NEED to choose and insist that choosing is necessary to finally be free. I teach that the objects of choice are your invention as well and, based on what you provide your “self,” it seems you continue to suffer. You are both cause and effect and I ask that you teach this so you can learn it and finally know that suffering has always been your choice. Therefore, freedom requires that you choose differently and nothing more than that.

Essentially, there are only two choices. Therefore, you should always be asking yourself in every moment what choice you have made. This is not difficult but pure simplicity, since you can only love or fear what you SEE.

Accept No Substitutions

The fearless mind can accept only peace and will not substitute delusions for Truth. Your "spectrum of fear" has many levels and degrees, but only one experience and that is absence. Whenever you are absent of deep and abiding peace, know that you have accepted fear and seek to change your mind by thinking with me.

M: I can’t seem to incorporate this into my life.

J: Nothing need be incorporated, just believed as True. Only delusions need be integrated, simply because obsessing on parts obstructs understanding the whole. If you do NOT believe this then it is understandable that you are deluded into making something a part of you that you have never been without.

M: Then how come I don’t know it as me?

J: There is nothing to “know.”

M: Is this a riddle?

J: Paradox is your invention and it exists only in your mind. Dissolving paradox is your choice as well and all that you need do is make the choice to SEE it differently.

M: It seems clear that you know God. But I do not have such a personal relationship.

J: There is only one very simple criterion to such knowledge and without it, such knowledge is inaccessible. The only criterion is that you MUST want it.

M: That’s it? I just need to want it? I think I have demonstrated that I want this knowledge. What more am I expected to do?

J: This may seem rather elementary to you, but if you look closely you will understand that of all the things you do want, Truth is usually not desired. When you want this knowledge, you will have it and it will be as if it were never lost to you. However, since you seem to experience being without it, you must ask yourself if you are certain that you want it?

Demonstrations are unnecessary to Truth, however, you have found it very important to demonstrate your need for sacrifice. Notice how you struggle to rely on sacrifice even though I teach that it is unnecessary and was never needed, since I proved it is unnecessary.

Everyday you look outside your mind and speculate on what might provide you "happiness" and everyday you find what requires sacrifice and greater suffering. There is beauty and goodness to SEE, but never for long since permanence is not a category of your thinking and therefore, it is not a factor of your "world." But, no matter what you believe you see, it is always an absence that you experience. Make no mistake you are absent of nothing, but you need seek WITHIN to learn that Truth.

Therefore, in answer to your question, what you are expected to do is simply remember your completion and believe it as fact. At present, this is believed as an expectation, since I teach that you could never be anything but complete. Your amnesia is a state of mind that does not affect the Truth in any way. The Truth is that you could NOT forget your Being even for one single solitary moment.

M: You seem to be constantly taking me in circles. I am absent of nothing but forgot that I am absent of nothing, although you state I have never forgotten.

J: You have asked of me what is expected of you. I answer that nothing is expected of you, but that which you expect from yourself. You have not forgotten simply because to forget is to be absent of memory and, as I state, you are absent of nothing. Therefore, as I teach now, and have taught throughout "time," what is of you by nature of your Being, can never be lost to you.

If you substitute your "expectations" for Truth, then you have convinced yourself that remembering Truth has no value and what has no value you easily forget. In the exact split second that you choose to remember, that memory will extend beyond time. But know this, to forget is your choice as well and from this choice alone, "time" emerged and became "real" for you.

M: So although I am not absent of the memory of Truth, I choose to absent myself from it. In other words, I do know what I seek, but am afraid to be aware of what I know, which you are saying, is what I seek. This doesn't make sense!

J: To "make sense" of the world demands the body teach you what it could never understand. I can teach you Truth, since, unlike you, I do NOT fear nonsense.

M: There is absolutely no way to be without fear.

J: BE in absolute peace.

M: You speak of it as if I could magically conjure it up from nothing and, abracadabra! The world is at peace. All I need do is think peaceful thoughts and the world will magically conform to my thinking. This is just so completely opposite of what I experience.

J: Nevertheless, this is exactly what I teach!

"World peace" IS your highest thinking and to demand it NOW, particularly while you think so little of yourself, has only served to further confuse you since you are so utterly fixated on "time" and have no understanding of NOW. However, rest assured there will come a "time" when you will think of yourself completely without fear and peace will fill your mind as an "experience" never before known.

You should still continue to look for world peace and the more you believe you will find it, the more it will be SEEN. Currently, however, you believe you must think of fear and thus, you have accepted fear rather then peace, and this is what you find. Therefore, since fear occupies your mind, it would be beneficial to understand why.

M: So why do I think of fear?

J: Because you do not think with ME.

I informed you previously that fear permeates your mind so deeply that you are never entirely without it. Because of this, you actually have come to rate the quality of your life by the varying degrees of fear you experience from moment to moment. There is never complete joy, but only fluctuating levels of fear. In fact, your "happiest" moments are when you are less fearful, rather than more "happy." It is important that you understand that your "pursuit of happiness" is nothing more then seeking to reduce fear.

Of course, this way of life is absurd and has never been effective in ending your suffering, yet you choose to live by such insane contrasts. To truly learn and experience what I teach, your mind must be fearless, otherwise, you will only distort the message through the self-protection that fear requires.

Recall how even today you struggled hopelessly with your abstract fears. Although you frequently fail to adequately identify the sources of your fear, you do define the struggle as one of LESS “happiness,” rather than MORE fear and you ask, "why am I NOT happy" rather than "why do I fear."

Be certain that with any minimized experience of "happiness," there is always a maximized acceptance of fear in your mind. Do not seek out what can make you happy, but what it is that demands you fear. When you learn what that is, extinguish it through my guidance and allow peace be restored WITHIN.

You must learn to more accurately define yourself by what you have ACCEPTED rather then by what you DENY. When you deny Joy, then clearly you have accepted fear instead. You may feel this distinction is superficial, but I assure you it will result in greater clarity and understanding. This is because fear clouds your mind and makes Truth increasingly more inaccessible. Essentially, it is the end of fear that will bring you "happiness," rather then your current futile attempts to "pursue" it.

Do NOT negate peace through an acceptance of fear on any level. Your mind must accept either peace or fear. If you accept fear, you will experience that acceptance by degrees and often you will be unclear as to what degree and to what purpose you have hinged your acceptance. Fear is always abstract and based on uncertainty. Peace is concrete and based on the certainty of what is REAL.

I can inform you of what is REAL, since your life is testament to your consistent uncertainty as to what is REAL. From this uncertainty and incompletion, "reality" unfolded within you and, in fear, you made parts of your mind external to your own thinking and you call that your "world."

M: All this seems to make sense, but I need more concrete approaches to reduce fear and experience greater peace.

J: Know without doubt that any moment you are NOT experiencing joy it is because conflict has been erroneously accepted as a substitute to peace. Conflict is indicative that you have decided what you NEED in order to experience “happiness.” Know also that in determining that you KNOW what you need you have denied the peace I provide. In these moments you have allowed your “self” to be your counsel and advise you in the choices you believe must be made. If you rely on that which does NOT know who or what you are, you will NOT learn what you need. I know who and what you are and therefore, I will teach you what you need.

M: I’m not experiencing joy in this very moment right now. But then, I’m not necessarily experiencing happiness, joy or peace either.

J: This evaluation is incorrect and that can only mean that you are learning from a poor teacher. If you do not experience peace then it is fear that you choose to learn. Even the slightest anxiety, the mildest annoyance or agitation, can withhold from you an entire universe of Truth and an experience of indescribable joy.

M: So what would you advise I think in this very moment?

J: That there is nothing you need in this or any other moment. However, you have yet to fully accept this advice and thus you remain deeply obsessed with substituting "happiness" for peace. This only results in unnecessary suffering in your stubborn refusal to understand that YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF.

In any moment that you do not experience peace, recognize that you are choosing fear. Fear is always experienced as a mood that is based on your projection of past learning into an expected future. You believe that if you could only correct the "sins" of the past, you would experience a future more to your liking. I teach that there are no sins of the past simply because you are forgiven and this is inherent in your Being.

NOW is the only Truth and when you accept fear, you replace peace with conflict and NOW is lost to you. From this point forward, allow no substitutions and accept ONLY peace.

There is No Happiness, Only Peace

Your seeking "happiness" has no other purpose then to conceal Truth. Peace is all you require and it is what you seek to HAVE. Fortunately, it is available to the mind that no longer seeks happiness in a world where happiness cannot be found. Perfect Peace is your destination and it is also the way home.

M: So you’re actually saying that I should not trust in myself for anything?

J: Why would you?

M: I agree that I often do not know what is in my best interests. But, I do not have 24 hr access to this type of guidance you seem to ask that I rely on. I must rely on myself for some things.

J: This will only prolong your disappointment and delay learning Truth. In this way you can only HOPE to succeed in your endeavors, but you can never be CERTAIN of success. I offer certainty and my offer is NOT in anyway based on your belief in “time.” I do not follow your schedule, but ask that you follow mine, since I am not victim to your beliefs.

M: So you can inform me on the correct lottery number so that I can win the million dollar jackpot?

J: ALL of what you have determined as advancing your “happiness,” only succeeds in advancing your fear and subsequent discouragement. As I have stated previously, it is not "happiness" you seek, but Perfect Peace. What you now seek can only result in continued conflict, which, you will admit, is what you never seem to be permanently without. You may now wish to seek within because there is where permanent peace resides.

M: I should just stop trying to be happy?

J: The "self" you idolize would certainly NOT approve of an end to your search, since it is predicated on your seeking, but not finding. This is because the “self” is idolized purely for its ability to provide this abstract and obscure experience IN your future. It seems evident that this function has not served you effectively and a change in purpose would be beneficial. Seeking peace is that change in purpose and relies on fact, not fiction. This is because "happiness" is fictional and derives its allure from your belief in future nonsense.

If nothing is outside your mind, then your seeking happiness in an outside "world" is destined to fail because it is a fantasy within the context of a dream. There is nothing external to your mind that will bring you what you seek. Fortunately, when you end the search, peace will be the natural result, but it does require that you CHOOSE to end the search.

Contrary to “happiness,” peace need not be sought simply because it is not concealed from you, but is naturally revealed the moment you desire it. Are you NOT weary of seeking for what cannot be found? Do you not yet realize that what you continue to seek does not exist and never has?

Your world is a reflection of the conflicting purposes of your mind. Do not seek happiness through conflict any longer. Let peace overwhelm your sensation and fill your mind with the Truth of what you ARE. This is contrary to the “happiness” you demand to HAVE and, therefore, must always expect to experience, but never NOW.

Through peace, opposites do not conflict, but converge and trouble you NO longer. Allow a new purpose to your “seeking” in the confidence you will find it the very moment you choose it.

M: Then why I am not at peace all the time?

J: Simply because peace cannot be known by the mind which chooses to be preoccupied with “happiness” and therefore, you must choose differently. The longing for happiness has so occupied your thinking, that you fail to adequately define what it is and thus, you have no idea what you seek. Nevertheless, this minor detail does not impede your “pursuit of happiness.”

Make no mistake, the Truth does NOT require your experience of Truth for it to be True. It only requires experience to be True for YOU.

To SEEK happiness simply confirms that it IS absent, whereas HAVING peace is confirmed BY absence. In an absence of conflict with the world there is an absence of FEAR through which you can HAVE only peace. Happiness demands you seek that which you FEAR you may never find. Yet, once the seeking is over, peace easily and effortlessly returns to that which seeks for nothing, since peace was never lost nor need it be found. Peace is the freedom from ALL conflict that MUST result in profound joy.

M: Unfortunately, although much of this makes sense, it does not resonate with me as I believe it should. It still seems too obscure and distant to be experienced. Isn’t it true that for me to believe it as truth, I must experience it?

J: Why would you resist experiencing what makes sense?

M: Because it makes sense on a deeper level then sensory perception. However, it is sensory perception that continues to determine my choices.

J: Then you must ask why would sensory perception determine your choices if what makes sense is on a “deeper level”? If you resist what makes sense, you will determine your choices based on nonsense. This can only result in fear and conflict.

M: Many would say that what you teach is nonsense.

J: This would be true if there were “many.” It is not true, precisely because there is only ONE. An embodied 'self' must see the “many” in order to confirm it is only one of billions all seeking "happiness." This is your "crush of humanity" and it symbolizes a world obsessed with seeking for what cannot be found.

M: I don’t feel as though I am resisting and I want to learn what you teach, but I don't feel moved or profoundly shaken by these concepts.

J: Then clearly, you DO resist and so you should, only because you still require “time” through which to learn what I teach. Actually, although you wish to “awaken,” you deeply fear that what I teach might actually BE true and if what I teach IS true, then there is no “you” for which to be “moved or profoundly shaken.” Soon this idea will liberate you beyond anything you have ever experienced.

It is your desperation that obstructs learning, since you are very desperate to know the Truth, yet, you are just as desperate to avoid. Desperation will only confirm what is NOT true, only because desperation is a belief that allows only FEAR be true.

Do not learn from fear, but learn to see fear for what it is; nothing at all. As fear recedes Truth must be immediately available to your mind because your mind was made to hold ONLY Truth. Do not be afraid of what you really want since this will confuse you and keep from you that which is really yours and awaits acceptance from a liberated mind.

You could HAVE complete, permanent joy and peace in this very moment, but you do not want it for fear “you” would be harmed and make no mistake you do believe such profound joy would harm the mind that believes it MUST “suffer” and this is really the only definition of 'self.'

This is how YOU see it and therefore, this is why you resist. It is NOT my purpose to aid you in attaining what you believe would cause harm. It IS my purpose to aid you in learning that harm is impossible to anything Created from the Mind that knows NO fear, but is aware of permanent Peace. This is what you came from and this is what you are and this is what you seek. Let nothing come between that.