Recently, when I awoke from a deep sleep, I was aware that I had been learning something during the night. As my conscious awareness rose from its sleeping state, I heard a voice. It said, “You have asked how to revoke your belief in the body and its five senses; how to reverse its seeming authority over your mind.” There was a pause as I recognized this voice to be the voice of Jesus in my mind. He then uttered a single statement, “Awareness of dreaming is your healing.” As I began to ponder this, I soon recalled more of what had been revealed to me during the night.

“Awareness of dreaming is the real function of God’s teachers.” M-12.6:6 “Illusion recognized must disappear.” W-187.7:1

While dreaming that night, I saw and experienced that “I” was not in the body, but was the conscious awareness behind it. I was able to recognize that the body was actually a moment-to-moment image that was flashing in and out of “my” awareness in slow motion. Looking with a sense of wonder, I also saw quite clearly that this body was completely unbounded and therefore unaffected by time and space. I saw that the body responded to only one authority, just one single cause – my thoughts.

I recall glancing around to see if there were any other influences present that could alter or affect the body, but there were none. All other influences that the ego’s laws insist upon (such as time, disease, nutrition, medicine, nature, economics, etc.) were clearly recognized as thought-images apart from the body. These beliefs arising from my own mind were actually impersonal and only carried as much influence as I chose to give them. Of themselves they were all inanimate. They had no substance, reality or cause of their own, and I could either choose to consider them or overlook them.

I also saw that all these different projected phenomena that appeared so convincing really had zero meaning or relationship to each other, and no power to influence (to harm or heal) unless I “believed” they did. In other words, the body along with all seemingly related phenomena was entirely neutral. The body was not under the laws of time and therefore it only sickens, ages or alters in appearance because the mind consents to this belief. Our beliefs literally construct and govern the body at all times.

Individual Dreams Must Collide and Conflict

As I dropped in deeper to remember what had been revealed in that nighttime dream, I was amazed to witness a particular dynamic in the dream of separation that I’d not really seen before. In the ego dream I had learned that each dreaming mind fabricates, believes, values and projects its own, private, exclusive version of a personal identity apart from God. But what I had not really recognized so clearly until now was that this dreamer, the “I” apart from its brothers and sisters, also projects its very own personal dream. Hence we have billions of people who each appear to live out from their own unique dream, fabricated by the ego.

These illusory, independent dream figures seem to be dreaming their very own separate body-dreams. The dreamer also believes that the truth is different for each dreamer.  As a consequence, no one dreaming through the ego filter can see anyone or anything as they really are, as wholly innocent. Instead, they see everyone and everything through their own, deluded filter of fear (separation). In effect, each dreamer along with his personal dream and self-serving agenda cannot help but collide and conflict with other dreamers and their dreams. They each learn to idolize their own body and dream (either positive or negative), defending their idols to the death.

The ego covets being unfairly treated. This underlying and secret wish fuels the ego’s obsession with its own self-interests (pride, pleasure and attack), based upon the mistaken belief we are a body. This is the need to be set apart from others as special, good or bad, healthy or sick, victim or perpetrator, etc.

In order to reinforce the dream of a privatized body and its distinctly personal human identity, these dreamers join with other dreamers for the common purpose of defending each other’s false identity and its individual dreams of specialness. This is the goal of every special relationship.

When these dream figures join in special relationship, they do so to “get” from one another, to enhance or complete their own mistaken identity and dream. They may say they share a common purpose in a committed relationship. However, their fundamental investment as a body identity with a private mind always propels them toward self-gratification which culminates in guilt.

Those in special relationships join others only for what each one can get separately, to satiate their exclusive, yet false, identity and dream. But once their own self-serving agendas are threatened in any way, they withdraw their love. Two people in special relationship, each with self-serving agendas, cannot truly join because the necessary prerequisite – the desire to transcend their self-interests and separate dreams – is missing.

“Egos do join together in temporary allegiance, but always for what each one can get [separately.] The Holy Spirit communicates only what each one can give to all.” T-6.V.A 5:9-10

“Only one thing; the same requirement salvation asks of everyone. Each one must share one goal with someone else, and in so doing, LOSE ALL SENSE OF SEPARATE SELF INTERESTS. Only by doing this is it possible to transcend the narrow boundaries the ego would impose upon the self.” P-2.II.8:3-5

When I am upset with someone it means that my personal, independent dream with its self-seeking agendas has clashed with another’s ego dream. Through the ego we each attempt to quench the lust for pride, pleasure and attack as guilt, at the expense of our brother.

“In your waking dreams, the special relationship has a special place. It is the means by which you try to make your sleeping dreams come true. From this, you do not waken. The special relationship is your determination to keep your hold on unreality, and to prevent yourself from waking.” T-18.II.5:16-19

In contrast, when two or more decide to join in one truly common purpose of forgiveness… the dreamer and the dream become unified on behalf of awakening. A choice has been made by both to not use the body as a means of separation, and they share the mutual desire to see their companion as their self.

As one awakens through Holy Relationship with one or more people, they begin to transcend the ego’s self-interests by joining in a mutual agreement to forgive. This is how the separate dreamer and its conflicting body-dreams become unified and are replaced by one, shared dream of healing. This divine communion begins to reveal not two exclusive identities living different dreams, but just one unified Identity with the one unified purpose of extending their shared Identity and purpose inclusively with everyone.

“You cannot wake yourself. Yet you can let yourself be wakened. You can overlook your brother’s dreams. So perfectly can you forgive him his illusions he becomes your savior from your dreams.” T-29.III.3:2-5

“The ark of peace is entered two by two, yet the beginning of another world goes with them. Each holy relationship must enter here, to learn its special function in the Holy Spirit’s plan, now that it shares His purpose.” T-20.IV.6:5-6

The Holy Relationship, as a shared dream of healing, is the light that pierces the darkness for all minds. Because these companions have abdicated their investment in identifying as separate dreamers with conflicting dreams, they join in the one shared Holy Self and its one Will with God.

“Think what a holy relationship can teach! Here is belief in differences undone. Here is the faith in differences shifted to sameness. And here is sight of differences transformed to vision. Reason now can lead you and your brother to the logical conclusion of your union. [Your union] must extend, as you extended when you and he joined. It must reach out beyond itself, as
you reached out beyond the body, to let you and your brother be joined. And now the sameness that you saw extends and finally removes all sense of differences, so that the sameness that lies beneath them all becomes apparent. Here is the golden circle where you recognize the Son of God. For what is born into a holy relationship can never end.” T-22.in.2:5;3:1-4;4

Awakening from the dream involves awakening from our separate dreams – the ones that collide with other’s separate dreams. To truly transcend self-interests is to forgive and release the separate dreamer together with his dream which is always experienced apart from his brothers and God.

We cannot awaken from the separation dream of bodies, death, time and space alone, while still believing we are “within” our separate dreams. Only by joining with another and transcending our separate dreams do we awaken to the unified dream of the Real World, or true perception as Jesus calls it.

“This holy relationship has the power to heal all pain, regardless of its form. Neither you nor your brother alone can serve at all. Only in your joint will does healing lie. For here your healing is, and here will you accept Atonement. And in your healing is the Sonship healed BECAUSE your will and your brother’s are joined.” T-22.VI.4

Here we recognize there is no separate dreamer and no separate dream. Once this seeming wall of separation between brothers has been healed through forgiveness, we experience a divine Love that only continues to strengthen as it is shared. This combined light is so powerful that it literally dispels the darkness of the ego thought system, restoring divine communication to all minds still dreaming their separate dreams. The dreamer and the dream are healed.

As I reflect on what Jesus spoke of in my nighttime dream, “Awareness of dreaming is your healing,” it is so clear to me now that, in isolation, we cannot become aware that we’re dreaming. It takes “two or more” who are willing, through forgiveness, to forego their separate identities and dreams. Only in our direct experience of this powerful Love will we willingly consent to awaken and overcome our deepest fear, our fear of union, as the fear of God (Love). Until then, we will still want to keep our separate dreams (specialness) as a defense against awakening, union and God.

Likewise, because the body is so convincing as our central idol within the dream of separation, it also cannot be overcome on our own. The level of divine detachment necessary to undo our addiction to the body and its physical sense testimony requires a quantum healing of the choice for guilt in our mind. This level of healing requires the joining of two or more minds that are unequivocal in their desire to awaken from the dream of guilt entirely. This is the truly common, shared goal of every devoted Holy Relationship.

“Healing is the effect of minds that join, as sickness comes from minds that separate.” T-28.III.2:6

As we join with another in forgiving and seeing the innocent face of Christ, the guilt which had upheld the body through attack, is withdrawn. The body, as the ego’s number one guilt-magnet, is then released. As its neutrality is recognized and accepted, it is then free to be healed and divinely repurposed by Holy Spirit as it is lovingly placed in service to the Will of God.

“Healing is the way in which the separation is overcome. Separation is overcome by union. It cannot be overcome by separating. The decision to unite must be unequivocal, or the mind itself is divided and not whole.” T-8.IV.5:3-6

A Manual for Holy Relationship

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