{"id":242,"date":"2025-07-23T07:27:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.co.za\/?p=242"},"modified":"2025-08-10T08:56:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T08:56:53","slug":"les-8-my-verstand-is-besig-met-gedagtes-van-die-verlede","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/les-8-my-verstand-is-besig-met-gedagtes-van-die-verlede\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson 8 - My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1. This idea is, of course, the reason why you see only the past. <sup>2<\/sup>No one really sees anything. <sup>3<\/sup>He sees only his thoughts projected outward. <sup>4<\/sup>The mind\u2019s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers. <sup>5<\/sup>Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. <sup>6<\/sup>It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2. The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. <sup>2<\/sup>To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions. <sup>3<\/sup>Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. <sup>4<\/sup>The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it is not really thinking about anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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. <sup>2<\/sup>While thoughtless ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked. <sup>3<\/sup>Recognizing 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">4. The exercises for today should be done with eyes closed. <sup>2<\/sup>This 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. <sup>3<\/sup>With as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there. <sup>4<\/sup>Name each one by the central figure or theme it contains, and pass on to the next. <sup>5<\/sup>Introduce the practice period by saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<sup>6<\/sup>I seem to be thinking about _________.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">5. Then name each of your thoughts specifically, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><sup>2<\/sup>I seem to be thinking about [name of a person], about [name of an object], about [name of an emotion],<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and so on, concluding at the end of the mind-searching period with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<sup>3<\/sup>But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">6. This can be done four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you. <sup>2<\/sup>If you find it trying, three or four times is sufficient. <sup>3<\/sup>You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that the idea for today may induce, in the mind searching itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 100%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n\n  <!-- YouTube video embed -->\n  <div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; width: 100%;\">\n    <iframe \n      src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WHTnd0WUUAA?rel=0\"\n      title=\"YouTube video player\"\n      frameborder=\"0\"\n      allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\"\n      allowfullscreen\n style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\">\n    <\/iframe>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Like & comment button -->\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WHTnd0WUUAA\" \n     target=\"_blank\" \n     style=\"       display: inline-block;        margin-top: 15px;        background-color: #1eabe4;        color: #fff;        padding: 12px 20px;        text-decoration: none;        font-weight: bold;        border-radius: 6px;        transition: background-color 0.3s ease;       width: 100%;       box-sizing: border-box;     \"\n     onmouseover=\"this.style.backgroundColor='#1594c6'\"\n     onmouseout=\"this.style.backgroundColor='#1eabe4'\">\n    \ud83d\udc4d Like &#038; Comment on YouTube\n  <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2728 Inspired by the core message of the Course:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This lesson comes from (A Course in Miracles). Hemelbewus presents it in Afrikaans as part of a path of inner healing and forgiveness.<\/em> <em>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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcda <strong>Read more about the Course:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acim.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.acim.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lesson 8: My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts. (<a href=\"https:\/\/acim.org\/acim\/lesson-8\/my-mind-is-preoccupied-with-past-thoughts\/en\/s\/410\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ACIM, W-8<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"A Course In Miracles Lesson 8 with David Hoffmeister, Living Miracles Ministries\" width=\"676\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VOzymYrmfSc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"A Course In Miracles- Lesson 8\" width=\"676\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x6aAMS1q6j4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Les 8 van &#8216;n Kursus in Wonderwerke: \u201cMy verstand is besig met gedagtes uit die verlede.\u201d Ontdek hoe ou denke jou persepsie be\u00efnvloed, en hoe genesing begin deur bewustheid.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[6,28,53,27,51,18,23,21,52],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daaglike-lesse","tag-acim-afrikaans","tag-afrikaanse-spiritualiteit","tag-bewustheid","tag-dagstukkies","tag-gedagtes-uit-die-verlede","tag-hemelbewus","tag-innerlike-genesing","tag-kursus-in-wonderwerke","tag-les-8","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":525,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hemelbewus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}