Be(A)ware
“Beware!” We might as well tattoo this warning across our consciousness. It perfectly captures our default posture toward existence—vigilant guardians of a vulnerable self navigating a threatening world.
Watch what happens throughout the day. The mind constantly scans for danger and opportunity. What might harm this body? Who could threaten this ego? Where’s the next source of pleasure or pain? We’ve become professional beware-ers, endlessly alert to anything that might disturb our precarious sense of well-being.
The Course uses “beware” exactly once, and the warning is startling: “Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated.” In other words, beware the very stance we’ve adopted as our survival strategy. Beware the belief that we’re innocent victims requiring constant protection from a hostile world.
That passage might as well read: “Beware the temptation to beware.”
Because here’s what we’ve missed: the exhausting hypervigilance we call living is itself the source of suffering. The me-centered alertness—that ceaseless mental patrol cataloging threats and opportunities—creates the very distress we’re trying to avoid.
But notice something remarkable about the word itself. Hidden within “beware” lies another possibility entirely. Be aware. Not aware of potential peril. Not aware of bodily needs. Simply... aware.
This shift from beware to be aware transforms everything. Instead of consciousness vigilantly monitoring a separate self, attention rests in the spacious presence that observes all experience without being touched by it.
As the Course reveals: “To perceive truly is to be aware of all reality through the awareness of your own.” From this perspective, there’s nothing to beware—only the boundless peace of pure awareness itself.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore this radical shift from defending the self to discovering the Self. I look forward to seeing you then.