If you ever feel confused or "double minded," there is a good reason for experiencing emotional tugs of war. Judgmental thoughts, fear and anxiety are all a part of the ego mind—the part of your mind that perceives your surroundings and relationships without love. Those thoughts cause you to live in fear. They are not your deepest reality. Loving thoughts that lead to loving action are the deeper reality of your spirit.

Train your mind to understand the deeper difference between meaningful thoughts of love and meaningless thoughts of fear, as you do Lesson 11.

My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

This is the first idea we have had which is related to a major phase of the correction process—the reversal of the thinking of the world. It seems as if the world determines what you perceive. Today's idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see. Be glad indeed to practice the idea in this initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure. The key to forgiveness lies in it.

The practice periods for today's idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from the previous ones. Begin with eyes closed, and repeat the idea slowly to yourself. Then open your eyes and look about, near or far, up or down—anywhere. During the minute or so to be spent in using the idea, merely repeat it to yourself, being sure to do so without haste and with no sense of urgency or effort.

To do these exercises for maximum benefit, the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly since they should not linger on anything in particular. The words, however, should be used in an unhurried, even leisurely fashion. The introduction to this idea should be practiced as casually as possible. It contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation, and freedom from worry that we are trying to achieve. On concluding the exercises, close your eyes and repeat the idea once more, slowly, to yourself.

Three practice periods today will probably be sufficient. However, if there is little or no uneasiness and an inclination to do more, as many as five may be undertaken. More than this is not recommended.

Quote of the Day
"What we give to others, we give to ourselves. What we withhold from others, we withhold from ourselves. In any moment when we choose fear instead of love, we deny ourselves the experience of Paradise. To the extent that we abandon love, to that extent we will feel it has abandoned us."

— Excerpted from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles