Can one categorize ones various relationships according to the levels discussed in the Course? Q #1084: In the manual for teachers of A Course in Miracles , Jesus talks about the three levels of relationships that are used by the Holy Spirit for teaching and learning purposes (“What Are the Levels of Teaching?” [M.3]). I have found myself lately trying to figure out where my different relationships fit into the three levels described in that section. Is it possible that our relationships may not fit neatly into any of the three levels and can be a combination of two possibly? I am so interested in this because a part of me loves the fact that everything is systematic and planned and I feel a need to try to figure this all out. A: Yes, some relationships can span two levels. That would not be uncommon. But in the end this does not matter, because “each teaching-learning situation is maximal in the sense that each person involved will learn the most that he can from the other person at that time” (M.3.4:1) . As in other parts of the Course, Jesus here is teaching us to avoid thinking with the ego that there is a hierarchy of illusions, in this context that some relationships are more important than others. The mind is outside time and space where there is no gradation or ranking. This means that at any given moment the entirety of the egos thought system can be activated, as can the entirety of the Holy Spirits -- whether on the freeway, at the supermarket checkout counter, or with a person you live or work with. The lack of difference is what is important. There is only one content: either the egos separate interests, or the Holy Spirits shared interests that reflect the One Level of Gods Will. There is nothing else. Your attraction to figuring everything out and fitting relationships into neat compartments could very well be a means your ego is using to keep you focused on form instead content. Jesus wants us to learn and practice that the content is always the same, regardless of the form. facimoutreach.org/qa/questions/questions224.htm#Q1084
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 13:29:26 +0000