Lesson 18 I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

This lesson really started shifting my understanding of how connected we all are. The idea of not being alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing might sound simple, but as I’m learning, it’s not about the surface-level meaning. The Course is inviting us to look deeper into how our thoughts and perceptions are actually shared by all of us.

What struck me is how this lesson talks about our minds being joined. This was a bit hard to understand at first, I usually think of my thoughts as private. I think them and no one elese has access. But what I’m learning through this process is that our thoughts, perceptions, and even our ways of seeing the world aren’t isolated. Everything we think impacts not just ourselves but the world around us—whether we realise it or not.

The lesson focuses on how we see things rather than what we see, which is another mind-fu@k. We tend to believe that what’s in front of us is what’s real, but it’s more about how we perceive it. Our thoughts shape our perception, and since our minds are connected, this creates a ripple effect that touches others too.

I had an experience recently that really brought this home. As described in previous blogs my husband and I got into one of those frustrating cycles of arguing where you feel like you’re just going in circles. At first, it was the usual—defensiveness, feeling wronged, and pointing out each other’s faults. Then I took a step back and thought, “Where is this really coming from?” It wasn’t just about what we were arguing about; it was how I was seeing the situation and how my thoughts were feeding into it.

In that moment, we were both reacting based on how we were seeing each other, and it was only making things worse. My defensive thoughts were influencing the way I saw him, which in turn shaped his reactions to me. It was a cycle of negative thoughts creating more negativity. But when I softened my approach, recognising that my perception was shared in that moment, I shifted the energy. We were able to come back to a place of communication, which was a huge relief and calmer.

This lesson really makes me see that we’re not just living in our own little bubbles. Our thoughts, even the ones we don’t give much attention to, affect how we experience the world and the people in it. As I practice this lesson, I’m starting to notice that how I choose to see things matters, not just for me, but for everyone around me too. Basically if my husbands having a shit day, so am I, It’s a gradual process of realising that I’m not as separate as I once thought.

I’m still working on fully understanding this, but I like how the Course slowly guides you to think differently. It’s a bit like peeling back layers of the way we usually see the world and letting in a new way of thinking. For now, I’m trying to be more mindful of how I see things, knowing that my perceptions are shared, and that this realisation can change how I move through the world.

Bibliography:

• A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume, 3rd Edition. Foundation for Inner Peace, 2007. URL: https://acim.org.