The “Hero” of the Dream

Chapter 27 – 8. The “Hero” of the Dream

The body is the central figure in the dreaming of the world. There is no
dream without it, nor does it exist without the dream in which it acts as if it
were a person to be seen and be believed. It takes the central place in every
dream, which tells the story of how it was made by other bodies, born into
the world outside the body, lives a little while and dies, to be united in the
dust with other bodies dying like itself. In the brief time allotted it to live, it
seeks for other bodies as its friends and enemies. Its safety is its main
concern. Its comfort is its guiding rule. It tries to look for pleasure, and
avoid the things that would be hurtful. Above all, it tries to teach itself its
pains and joys are different and can be told apart.
 
The dreaming of the world takes many forms, because the body seeks in
many ways to prove it is autonomous and real. It puts things on itself that it
has bought with little metal discs or paper strips the world proclaims as
valuable and real. It works to get them, doing senseless things, and tosses
them away for senseless things it does not need and does not even want. It
hires other bodies, that they may protect it and collect more senseless things
that it can call its own. It looks about for special bodies that can share its
dream. Sometimes it dreams it is a conqueror of bodies weaker than itself.
But in some phases of the dream, it is the slave of bodies that would hurt
and torture it.
 
The body’s serial adventures, from the time of birth to dying are the theme
of every dream the world has ever had. The “hero” of this dream will never
change, nor will its purpose. Though the dream itself takes many forms, and
seems to show a great variety of places and events wherein its “hero” finds
itself, the dream has but one purpose, taught in many ways. This single
lesson does it try to teach again, and still again, and yet once more; that it is
cause and not effect. And you are its effect, and cannot be its cause.
 
Thus are you not the dreamer, but the dream. And so you wander idly in and
out of places and events that it contrives. That this is all the body does is
true, for it is but a figure in a dream. But who reacts to figures in a dream
unless he sees them as if they were real? The instant that he sees them as
they are they have no more effects on him, because he understands he gave
them their effects by causing them and making them seem real.
 
How willing are you to escape effects of all the dreams the world has ever
had? Is it your wish to let no dream appear to be the cause of what it is you
do? Then let us merely look upon the dream’s beginning, for the part you
see is but the second part, whose cause lies in the first. No one asleep and
dreaming in the world remembers his attack upon himself. No one believes
there really was a time when he knew nothing of a body, and could never
have conceived this world as real. He would have seen at once that these
ideas are one illusion, too ridiculous for anything but to be laughed away.
How serious they now appear to be! And no one can remember when they
would have met with laughter and with disbelief. We can remember this, if
we but look directly at their cause. And we will see the grounds for
laughter, not a cause for fear.
 
Let us return the dream he gave away unto the dreamer, who perceives the
dream as separate from himself and done to him. Into eternity, where all is
one, there crept a tiny, mad idea, at which the Son of God remembered not
to laugh. In his forgetting did the thought become a serious idea, and
possible of both accomplishment and real effects. Together, we can laugh
them both away, and understand that time cannot intrude upon eternity. It is
a joke to think that time can come to circumvent eternity, which means
there is no time.
 
A timelessness in which is time made real; a part of God that can attack
itself; a separate brother as an enemy; a mind within a body all are forms of
circularity whose ending starts at its beginning, ending at its cause. The
world you see depicts exactly what you thought you did. Except that now
you think that what you did is being done to you. The guilt for what you
thought is being placed outside yourself, and on a guilty world that dreams
your dreams and thinks your thoughts instead of you. It brings its
vengeance, not your own. It keeps you narrowly confined within a body,
which it punishes because of all the sinful things the body does within its
dream. You have no power to make the body stop its evil deeds because you
did not make it, and cannot control its actions nor its purpose nor its fate.
 
The world but demonstrates an ancient truth; you will believe that others do
to you exactly what you think you did to them. But once deluded into
blaming them you will not see the cause of what they do, because you want
the guilt to rest on them. How childish is the petulant device to keep your
innocence by pushing guilt outside yourself, but never letting go! It is not
easy to perceive the jest when all around you do your eyes behold its heavy
consequences, but without their trifling cause. Without the cause do its
effects seem serious and sad indeed. Yet they but follow. And it is their
cause that follows nothing and is but a jest.
 
In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the cause, and looks not to
effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the
cause entirely? He bids you bring each terrible effect to Him that you may
look together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him a while. You judge
effects, but He has judged their cause. And by His judgment are effects
removed. Perhaps you come in tears. But hear Him say, “My brother, holy
Son of God, behold your idle dream, in which this could occur. “And you
will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brother’s joined with
His.
 
The secret of salvation is but this: that you are doing this unto yourself. No
matter what the form of the attack, this still is true. Whoever takes the role
of enemy and of attacker, still is this the truth. Whatever seems to be the
cause of any pain and suffering you feel, this is still true. For you would not
react at all to figures in a dream you knew that you were dreaming. Let
them be as hateful and as vicious as they may, they could have no effect on
you unless you failed to recognize it is your dream.
 
This single lesson learned will set you free from suffering, whatever form it
takes. The Holy Spirit will repeat this one inclusive lesson of deliverance
until it has been learned, regardless of the form of suffering that brings you
pain. Whatever hurt you bring to Him He will make answer with this very
simple truth. For this one answer takes away the cause of every form of
sorrow and of pain. The form affects His answer not at all, for He would
teach you but the single cause of all of them, no matter what their form.
And you will understand that miracles reflect the simple statement, ” I have
done this thing, and it is this I would undo. “
 
Bring, then, all forms of suffering to Him Who knows that every one is like
the rest. He sees no differences where none exists, and He will teach you
how each one is caused. None has a different cause from all the rest, and all
of them are easily undone by but a single lesson truly learned. Salvation is a
secret you have kept but from yourself. The universe proclaims it so. Yet to
its witnesses you pay no heed at all. For they attest the thing you do not
want to know. They seem to keep it secret from you. Yet you need but learn
you chose but not to listen, not to see.
 
How differently will you perceive the world when this is recognized! When
you forgive the world your guilt, you will be free of it. Its innocence does
not demand your guilt, nor does your guiltlessness rest on its sins. This is
the obvious; a secret kept from no one but yourself. And it is this that has
maintained you separate from the world, and kept your brother separate
from you. Now need you but to learn that both of you are innocent or guilty.
The one thing that is impossible is that you be unlike each other; that they
both be true. This is the only secret yet to learn. And it will be no secret you
are healed.