Category: Daily Lessons (Page 6 of 7)

Lesson 16 - I have no neutral thoughts.

July 31, 2025 /

1. The idea for today is a beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no effect. ²Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. ³There is no exception to this fact. ⁴Thoughts are not big or little; powerful or weak. ⁵They are merely true or false. ⁶Those that are true create their own likeness. ⁷Those that are false make theirs.

2. There is no more self-contradictory concept than that of “idle thoughts.” ²What gives rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle. ³Every thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends the truth or it multiplies illusions. ⁴You can indeed multiply nothing, but you will not extend it by doing so.

3. Besides your recognizing that thoughts are never idle, salvation requires that you also recognize that every thought you have brings either peace or war; either love or fear. ²A neutral result is impossible because a neutral thought is impossible. ³There is such a temptation to dismiss fear thoughts as unimportant, trivial and not worth bothering about that it is essential you recognize them all as equally destructive, but equally unreal. ⁴We will practice this idea in many forms before you really understand it.

4. In applying the idea for today, search your mind for a minute or so with eyes closed, and actively seek not to overlook any “little” thought that may tend to elude the search. ²This is quite difficult until you get used to it. ³You will find that it is still hard for you not to make artificial distinctions. ⁴Every thought that occurs to you, regardless of the qualities that you assign to it, is a suitable subject for applying today’s idea.

5. In the practice periods, first repeat the idea to yourself, and then as each one crosses your mind hold it in awareness while you tell yourself:

              2This thought about _________ is not a neutral thought.

              3That thought about _________ is not a neutral thought.

⁴As usual, use today’s idea whenever you are aware of a particular thought that arouses uneasiness. ⁵The following form is suggested for this purpose:

            6Hierdie gedagte oor __________ is nie ’n neutrale gedagte nie, want ek het nie             neutrale gedagtes nie.

6. Four or five practice periods are recommended, if you find them relatively effortless. ²If strain is experienced, three will be enough. ³The length of the exercise period should also be reduced if there is discomfort.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 16: I have no neutral thoughts. (ACIM, W-16)

Lesson 15 - My thoughts are images that I have made.

July 30, 2025 /

1. It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. ²You think you think them, and so you think you see them. ³This is how your “seeing” was made. ⁴This is the function you have given your body’s eyes. ⁵It is not seeing. ⁶It is image making. ⁷It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions.

2. This introductory idea to the process of image making that you call seeing will not have much meaning for you. ²You will begin to understand it when you have seen little edges of light around the same familiar objects which you see now. ³That is the beginning of real vision. ⁴You can be certain that real vision will come quickly when this has occurred.

3. As we go along, you may have many “light episodes.” ²They may take many different forms, some of them quite unexpected. ³Do not be afraid of them. ⁴They are signs that you are opening your eyes at last. ⁵They will not persist, because they merely symbolize true perception, and they are not related to knowledge. ⁶These exercises will not reveal knowledge to you. ⁷But they will prepare the way to it.

4. In practicing the idea for today, repeat it first to yourself, and then apply it to whatever you see around you, using its name and letting your eyes rest on it as you say:

              2This _________ is an image that I have made.

              3That _________ is an image that I have made.

⁴It is not necessary to include a large number of specific subjects for the application of today’s idea. ⁵It is necessary, however, to continue to look at each subject while you repeat the idea to yourself. ⁶The idea should be repeated quite slowly each time.

5. Although you will obviously not be able to apply the idea to very many things during the minute or so of practice that is recommended, try to make the selection as random as possible. ²Less than a minute will do for the practice periods, if you begin to feel uneasy. ³Do not have more than three application periods for today’s idea unless you feel completely comfortable with it, and do not exceed four. ⁴However, the idea can be applied as needed throughout the day.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 15: My thoughts are images that I have made. (ACIM, W-15)

Lesson 14 - God did not create a meaningless world.

July 29, 2025 /

1. The idea for today is, of course, the reason why a meaningless world is impossible. ²What God did not create does not exist. ³And everything that does exist exists as He created it. ⁴The world you see has nothing to do with reality. ⁵It is of your own making, and it does not exist.

2. The exercises for today are to be practiced with eyes closed throughout. ²The mind-searching period should be short, a minute at most. ³Do not have more than three practice periods with today’s idea unless you find them comfortable. ⁴If you do, it will be because you really understand what they are for.

3. The idea for today is another step in learning to let go the thoughts that you have written on the world, and see the Word of God in their place. ²The early steps in this exchange, which can truly be called salvation, can be quite difficult and even quite painful. ³Some of them will lead you directly into fear. ⁴You will not be left there. ⁵You will go far beyond it. ⁶Our direction is toward perfect safety and perfect peace.

4. With eyes closed, think of all the horrors in the world that cross your mind. ²Name each one as it occurs to you, and then deny its reality. ³God did not create it, and so it is not real. ⁴Say, for example:

              5God did not create that war, and so it is not real.

              6God did not create that airplane crash, and so it is not real.

            7God did not create that disaster [specify], and so it is not real.

5. Suitable subjects for the application of today’s idea also include anything you are afraid might happen to you, or to anyone about whom you are concerned. ²In each case, name the “disaster” quite specifically. ³Do not use general terms. ⁴For example, do not say, “God did not create illness,” but, “God did not create cancer,” or heart attacks, or whatever may arouse fear in you.

6. This is your personal repertory of horrors at which you are looking. ²These things are part of the world you see. ³Some of them are shared illusions, and others are part of your personal hell. ⁴It does not matter. ⁵What God did not create can only be in your own mind apart from His. ⁶Therefore, it has no meaning. ⁷In recognition of this fact, conclude the practice periods by repeating today’s idea:

              8God did not create a meaningless world.

7. The idea for today can, of course, be applied to anything that disturbs you during the day, aside from the practice periods. ²Be very specific in applying it. ³Say:

4God did not create a meaningless world. 5He did not create [specify the situation which is disturbing you], and so it is not real.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 14: God did not create a meaningless world. (ACIM, W-14)

Lesson 13 - A meaningless world engenders fear.

July 28, 2025 /

1. Today’s idea is really another form of the preceding one, except that it is more specific as to the emotion aroused. 2Actually, a meaningless world is impossible. 3Nothing without meaning exists. 4However, it does not follow that you will not think you perceive something that has no meaning. 5On the contrary, you will be particularly likely to think you do perceive it.

2. Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. 2It represents a situation in which God and the ego “challenge” each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that meaninglessness provides. 3The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own impotence and unreality. 4And on this alone it is correct.

3. It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless, and accept it without fear. 2If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with images that do not exist. 3To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself with the ego.

4. The exercises for today, which should be done about three or four times for not more than a minute or so at most each time, are to be practiced in a somewhat different way from the preceding ones. 2With eyes closed, repeat today’s idea to yourself. 3Then open your eyes, and look about you slowly, saying:

              4I am looking at a meaningless world.

5Repeat this statement to yourself as you look about. 6Then close your eyes, and conclude with:

              7A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition             with God.          

5. You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement. 2Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the “vengeance” of the “enemy.” 3You are not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous. 4Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse.

6. This is our first attempt at stating an explicit cause and effect relationship of a kind which you are very inexperienced in recognizing. 2Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not even to think of it except during the practice periods. 3That will suffice at present.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 13: A meaningless world engenders fear. (ACIM, W-13)

Lesson 12 - I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

July 27, 2025 /

1. The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion. 2You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. 3All these attributes are given it by you. 4The world is meaningless in itself.

2. These exercises are done with eyes open. 2Look around you, this time quite slowly. 3Try to pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. 4Do not allow the time of the shift to become markedly longer or shorter, but try, instead, to keep a measured, even tempo throughout. 5What you see does not matter. 6You teach yourself this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time. 7This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.

3. As you look about you, say to yourself:

            2Ek dink ek sien ’n angswekkende wêreld, ’n gevaarlike wêreld, ’n vyandige wêreld,             ’n treurige wêreld, ’n bose wêreld, ’n mal wêreld,

and so on, using whatever descriptive terms happen to occur to you. 3If terms which seem positive rather than negative occur to you, include them. 4For example, you might think of “a good world,” or “a satisfying world.” 5If such terms occur to you, use them along with the rest. 6You may not yet understand why these “nice” adjectives belong in these exercises but remember that a “good world” implies a “bad” one, and a “satisfying world” implies an “unsatisfying” one. 7All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for today’s exercises. 8Their seeming quality does not matter.

4. Be sure that you do not alter the time intervals between applying today’s idea to what you think is pleasant and what you think is unpleasant. 2For the purposes of these exercises, there is no difference between them. 3At the end of the practice period, add:

              4But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

5. What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. 2Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? 3If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy. 4But because it is meaningless, you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be. 5It is this you see in it. 6It is this that is meaningless in truth. 7Beneath your words is written the Word of God. 8The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been erased, you will see His. 9That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

6. Three or four times is enough for practicing the idea for today. 2Nor should the practice periods exceed a minute. 3You may find even this too long. 4Terminate the exercises whenever you experience a sense of strain.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 12: I am upset because I see a meaningless world. (ACIM, W-12)

Lesson 11 - My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

July 26, 2025 /

1. This is the first idea we have had that is related to a major phase of the correction process; the reversal of the thinking of the world. 2It seems as if the world determines what you perceive. 3Today’s idea introduces the concept that your thoughts determine the world you see. 4Be glad indeed to practice the idea in its initial form, for in this idea is your release made sure. 5The key to forgiveness lies in it.

2. The practice periods for today’s idea are to be undertaken somewhat differently from the previous ones. 2Begin with your eyes closed, and repeat the idea slowly to yourself. 3Then open your eyes and look about, near and far, up and down,—anywhere. 4During 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.

3. 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. 2The words, however, should be used in an unhurried, even leisurely fashion. 3The introduction to this idea, in particular, should be practiced as casually as possible. 4It contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation and freedom from worry that we are trying to achieve. 5On concluding the exercises, close your eyes and repeat the idea once more slowly to yourself.

4. Three practice periods today will probably be sufficient. 2However, if there is little or no uneasiness and an inclination to do more, as many as five may be undertaken. 3More than this is not recommended.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 11: My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world. (ACIM, W-11)

Lesson 10 - My thoughts do not mean anything.

July 25, 2025 /

1. This idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware, or become aware in the practice periods. 2The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts. 3We have made this distinction before, and will do so again. 4You have no basis for comparison as yet. 5When you do, you will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything.

2. This is the second time we have used this kind of idea. 2The form is only slightly different. 3This time the idea is introduced with “My thoughts” instead of “These thoughts,” and no link is made overtly with the things around you. 4The emphasis is now on the lack of reality of what you think you think.

3. Hierdie aspek van die korreksieproses het begin met die idee dat die gedagtes waarvan jy bewus is, betekenisloos is, en eerder buite jou as binne jou was; en daarna is beklemtoon dat hulle status in die verlede gelê het eerder as in die hede. 2Now we are emphasizing that the presence of these “thoughts” means that you are not thinking. 3This is merely another way of repeating our earlier statement that your mind is really a blank. 4To recognize this is to recognize nothingness when you think you see it. 5As such, it is the prerequisite for vision.

4. Close your eyes for these exercises, and introduce them by repeating the idea for today quite slowly to yourself. 2Then add:

              3This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.

4The exercises consist, as before, in searching your mind for all the thoughts that are available to you, without selection or judgment. 5Try to avoid classification of any kind. 6As dit jou sou help, kon jy jou trouens voorstel dat jy ’n eienaardig saamgestelde optog sien verbybeweeg wat vir jou min of geen persoonlike betekenis het nie. 7As each one crosses your mind, say:

              8My thought about _________ does not mean anything.

              9My thought about _________ does not mean anything.

5. Today’s thought can obviously serve for any thought that distresses you at any time. 2In addition, five practice periods are recommended, each involving no more than a minute or so of mind searching. 3It is not recommended that this time period be extended, and it should be reduced to half a minute or less if you experience discomfort. 4Remember, however, to repeat the idea slowly before applying it specifically, and also to add:

            5This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 10: My thoughts do not mean anything. (ACIM, W-10)

Lesson 9 - I see nothing as it is now.

July 24, 2025 /

1. This idea obviously follows from the two preceding ones. 2But while you may be able to accept it intellectually, it is unlikely that it will mean anything to you as yet. 3However, understanding is not necessary at this point. 4In fact, the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing your false ideas. 5These exercises are concerned with practice, not with understanding. 6You do not need to practice what you already understand. 7It would indeed be circular to aim at understanding, and assume that you have it already.

2. It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. 2This idea can be quite disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms. 3et that does not preclude applying it. 4No more than that is required for these or any other exercises. 5Each small step will clear a little of the darkness away, and understanding will finally come to lighten every corner of the mind that has been cleared of the debris that darkens it.

3. These exercises, for which three or four practice periods are sufficient, involve looking about you and applying the idea for the day to whatever you see, remembering the need for its indiscriminate application, and the essential rule of excluding nothing. 2For example:

              3I do not see this typewriter as it is now

              4I do not see this telephone as it is now

              5I do not see this arm as it is now.

4. Begin with things that are nearest you, and then extend the range outward:

            2I do not see that coat rack as it is now.

              3I do not see that door as it is now.

              4I do not see that face as it is now.

5. It is emphasized again that while complete inclusion should not be attempted, specific exclusion must be avoided. 2Be sure you are honest with yourself in making this distinction. 3You may be tempted to obscure it.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 9: I see nothing as it is now. (ACIM, W-9)

Lesson 8 - My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

July 23, 2025 /

1. This idea is, of course, the reason why you see only the past. 2No one really sees anything. 3He sees only his thoughts projected outward. 4The mind’s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers. 5Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. 6It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.

2. The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. 2To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions. 3Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. 4The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything.

3. The purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not really thinking at all. 2While thoughtless ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked. 3Recognizing that your mind has been merely blank, rather than believing that it is filled with real ideas, is the first step to opening the way to vision.

4. The exercises for today should be done with eyes closed. 2This is because you actually cannot see anything, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought, you are not seeing anything. 3With as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there. 4Name each one by the central figure or theme it contains, and pass on to the next. 5Introduce the practice period by saying:

              6I seem to be thinking about _________.

5. Then name each of your thoughts specifically, for example:

2I seem to be thinking about [name of a person], about [name of an object], about [name of an emotion],

and so on, concluding at the end of the mind-searching period with:

            3But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

6. This can be done four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you. 2If you find it trying, three or four times is sufficient. 3You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that the idea for today may induce, in the mind searching itself.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Read more about the Course: www.acim.org

Lesson 8: My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts. (ACIM, W-8)

Lesson 7 - I see only the past.

July 22, 2025 /

1. This idea is particularly difficult to believe at first. 2Yet it is the rationale for all of the preceding ones.

3It is the reason why nothing that you see means anything.

4It is the reason why you have given everything you see all the meaning that it has for you.

                              5It is the reason why you do not understand anything you see.

6It is the reason why your thoughts do not mean anything, and why they are like the things you see.

7It is the reason why you are never upset for the reason you think.

8It is the reason why you are upset because you see something that is not there.

2. Old ideas about time are very difficult to change, because everything you believe is rooted in time, and depends on your not learning these new ideas about it. 2Yet that is precisely why you need new ideas about time. 3This first time idea is not really so strange as it may sound at first.

3. Look at a cup, for example. 2Do you see a cup, or are you merely reviewing your past experiences of picking up a cup, being thirsty, drinking from a cup, feeling the rim of a cup against your lips, having breakfast and so on? 3Are not your aesthetic reactions to the cup, too, based on past experiences? 4How else would you know whether or not this kind of cup will break if you drop it? 5What do you know about this cup except what you learned in the past? 6You would have no idea what this cup is, except for your past learning. 7Do you, then, really see it?

4. Look about you. 2This is equally true of whatever you look at. 3Acknowledge this by applying the idea for today indiscriminately to whatever catches your eye. 4For example:

            5I see only the past in this pencil.

              6I see only the past in this shoe.

              7I see only the past in this hand.

              8I see only the past in that body.

              9I see only the past in that face.

5. Do not linger over any one thing in particular, but remember to omit nothing specifically. 2Glance briefly at each subject, and then move on to the next. 3Three or four practice periods, each to last a minute or so, will be enough.

✨ Inspired by the core message of the Course:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness. The translation was done with great care and dedication over several years by Henri Theron, and brings the deep spiritual teachings of the Course to Afrikaans-speaking readers.

📚 Lees meer oor die Kursus: www.acim.org

Lesson 7: I see only the past. (ACIM, W-7)

« Older posts Newer posts »

Vrywaring / Disclaimer: This Afrikaans version is my interpretation of A Course in Miracles, which deeply inspired me. I studied the Course in English and longed to share my experience and insights in my native language, Afrikaans. The workbook lessons and terms on this website have been translated by Henri Theron. For the full translated Afrikaans version of A Course in Miracles, you are welcome to contact Henri at: (www.nkiw.org).

Originally published by the Foundation for Inner Peace in 1975, as directed by Dr. Helen Schucman and co-author Dr. William Thetford.
With their approval, the Foundation for A Course in Miracles became the teaching branch of the Course. Both organizations faithfully followed over the years how Helen wanted her manuscript to be handled.
As a universal, self-study spiritual path, the Course teaches a unique form of forgiveness—removing the obstacles in the mind and discovering the abiding presence of love.

This website is not offered for monetary gain or donations. I do this purely out of love and conviction, because I believe that this Course contains a powerful truth that needs to be shared with everyone. It is my heart's desire to introduce this Course to anyone who wants to work with it. Say hello, send me an email at: (marnus@hemelbewus.org).

Join our email list

All quotes are from A Course in Miracles, Third Edition.
Copyright © 2007 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, copyright holder and publisher.
448 Ignacio Blvd., #306, Novato, CA 94949, acim.org, used with permission.

© 2026 Hemelbewus

Patternstorm Designs