Corresponding Text Section

Chapter 9: The Plan of Atonement

4. The Appropriate Correction of Errors

The alertness of the ego to the errors that other egos make is not the kind of vigilance the Holy Spirit would have you maintain. That kind of vigilance is, in fact, a time-wasting strategy that is one of the ego’s favorite pastimes. Egos are critical in terms of the kind of sense they stand for. They understand the kind of sense that is vigilant to find errors in others, because it is sensible to them. To the Holy Spirit, it makes no sense at all. To the ego, it is kind and right and good to point out errors, and “correct” them. This makes perfect sense to the ego, which is totally unaware of what errors actually are, and therefore what true Correction is.

Errors arise only from the ego, and so it can rightly be said that errors are the ego, and correction of errors of any kind rests solely in the relinquishment of the ego.

When you correct a brother or sister, you are telling them that they are wrong. They may be making no sense at the time, and it is certain that if they are expressing their ego, they will be making no sense. But your task is still to convey to them that they are not in error, because in reality they are not their ego. It would of course not be meaningful to convey to them verbally your trust in the truth in them if they are speaking or acting foolishly in the moment, because in that moment they do need correction, but at another level rather than verbally since their error is actually at another level. Their wrong words or actions are simply a symptom of their error at another level, which is always their identification with the ego.

Because they are Children of the Divine, the reality of your sisters and brothers, as of yourself, is unshakably right. Their ego is always wrong, no matter what it says or does. If you point out the errors of their ego, you must be seeing them through your ego, because the Holy Spirit does not perceive their errors or yours. This must be true if there is no communication at all between the ego and the Holy Spirit. The ego literally makes no sense, and the Holy Spirit does not attempt to understand anything that arises from it. Since Spirit does not understand the ego, It does not judge it, knowing that nothing it engenders means anything.

Therefore when you react at all to errors, you are not listening to the Holy Spirit. It has merely disregarded errors of any kind, and if you attend to them, you are not hearing It. If you do not hear Spirit it means that you are listening to your ego, and making as little sense as the brother or sister whose errors you perceive. This cannot result in any meaningful correction. But it is more than merely lack of meaningful correction for your brother or sister. It is the giving up of meaningful correction in yourself.

When a brother or sister behaves nonsensically or insanely, you can heal them only by perceiving the Sanity in them, not the senselessness or insanity. If you perceive their errors and accept them as real, you are accepting your own. If you want to give your errors over to the Holy Spirit, you must do this with all errors you perceive, including those of your sisters and brothers. Unless this becomes the one way you handle all errors, you cannot understand how any error is undone. This is the same as reminding you that what you teach you learn. The reality of your sisters and brothers is always as right as yours is. And if you think they are wrong, you are merely judging yourself.

You have experienced how difficult it is to correct yourself. In fact it is impossible, and whenever meaningful correction happens it is because you have received and accepted it, not generated it. Is it possible, then, for you to correct another? But you are perfectly capable of perceiving others truly, because it is possible for you to perceive yourself truly. It is not up to you to change others, but merely to accept them as they truly are. Their errors do not come from the Truth that is in them, and only this Truth belongs to both of you. No errors can change this or have any effect at all on the Truth in you or them.

To perceive errors in anyone, and to react to them as if they were real, is to make them real to you. The price for such a misperception cannot be escaped, not because anyone is punished for it, but because the wrong guide is being followed, and you will lose your way. The errors of your sisters and brothers are not of them any more than yours are of you. Accept their errors as real, and you have attacked yourself. If you would find your way and keep it, see only Truth beside you in your sisters and brothers, for you walk together.

To forgive is to release everything that is unreal. The Spirit in you forgives all things in you and in your sisters and brothers. Their errors are forgiven with yours. Atonement is no more separate than Love. It cannot be separate, because It comes from Love. Any attempt you make to correct a brother or sister means that you believe correction by you is possible, and this can only be the arrogance of the ego. Correction is of the Divine, Who does not know of arrogance. The Holy Spirit forgives everything because the Divine created Everything.

Accept only the function of forgiveness, healing and awakening in time, because that is what time is for. The Divine gave you the Function to create in Eternity. You do not need to learn this. But you do need to learn to want this wholly, and for this all learning was brought about. This is the Holy Spirit’s good Use of an ability – the ability to learn – that you do not need in Reality, but that you have made. Give it to Spirit because you do not know how to use it harmlessly.

Do not attempt to take on Spirit’s Function, or you will forget yours. Spirit will teach you how to see yourself, which means to perceive yourself without judgment or condemnation, by learning how to perceive everything and everyone without judgment. Judgment and condemnation will then not be real to you, and you will know that all your errors are forgiven.