Out of mind, out of sight

We’ve all heard the phrase “out of sight, out of mind.” We withdraw our discernment, ideally leading to blissful ignorance. From a worldly perspective, this may ring reassuringly true. We repress, deny, or ignore aspects of life too painful to acknowledge, hoping they’ll soon disappear.

But I’d like to consider a literary chiasmus of this proverb as a key to understanding spiritual vision: Out of mind, out of sight.

In A Course in Miracles we learn that the belief in separation has left us with a deep sense of guilt. A culpability so extreme we can’t possibly accept. Thus we do anything and everything possible to push the idea out of mind, causing us to lose what every great tradition refers to as spiritual sight.

Spiritual sight is the ability to see beyond the physical world and into the ethereal realm of the infinite. Perceiving the interconnectedness of all beings and the unassailable truth of oneness. But this profound understanding remains elusive to those trapped in the shackles of mindlessness.

Yet, there is an escape, and paradoxically, the first step is looking.

While the guilt may be far too subjugated to see, we can detect its shadow in each of our grievances. Affronts to our sense of judgment boldly claim, “I’ve been wronged.” Which posits an inescapable victim/victimizer confrontation within our thoughts. That is what we look at, but with a special type of observation.

By looking with kindness and light-heartedness on the self that believes in conflict, we allow the buried guilt to dissipate into “the nothingness from which it came when there is no more use for it.” (M-13.1)

To do this requires a willingness to compassionately peer deeply into our thoughts and beliefs. Otherwise, as we read in the Course:

The end of guilt will never come as long as you believe there is a reason for it. (T-13.X.6)

And each moment we choose against unconditional joy, we proclaim “I am not responsible for this. There is a reason for it!”

Thankfully we can “see peace instead of this.” We can transcend the world of illusion where separation and fear reign supreme, with guilt tyrannizing all. We do this through tender, non-judgmental observation of each thought - leading to an experience of a deep, blissful peace.

We need no longer lack spiritual sight. By practicing this attentively gentle looking, we return awareness to the mind and regain divine vision. We see the oneness that unites everything.

Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore the nature of concealed guilt and how we can expose it to the light of felicity. I look forward to seeing you then.