Question: What's Enlightenment?

Thanks for asking the questions that come to the mind, even if they seem "rather peculiar" to you. In Enlightenment all perceived pain has vanished, for what but wrong-mindedness seemed to produce the misperception called pain.

Pain was the illusion that Christ could leave a Loving Creator's Mind. "If pain is real there is no God. If God is real there is no pain."(W-190.3) The latter does work because God doesn't have opposite. Enlightenment entails no pain or displeasure about ANYTHING, for Enlightenment is Pure, Constant Happiness, Peace, Freedom, and Joy. Being Constant, Enlightenment knows not of change. acim  The illusion of vulnerability and fluctuating emotions has gone as well. There's no ego to fall "back into." Spirit Abides in gentle Love. All pain has ended Now and nothing remains but a blessing of Stillness.

The Holy Spirit is the reminder that Life is Eternal. The Present Moment is the gateway to Eternity. The world of images was an environment of illusion. Images are therefore neutral to the Holy Spirit. They certainly were "neutralized" the instant they did actually arise.

What does this mean in relation to your second question? You can't kill what's never lived, and in the Holy Spirit's Perspective of forgiveness harm is impossible. Bodies were never born and never die because the world of images is the past. It is impossible to get beginnings and endings in a script that's already written and over long ago. There's no life in images. This is actually the meaning of "Hold no graven images prior to the Lord Thy God." All images were designed to obscure the Truth from awareness, and they could only be forgiven as one illusion. If illusions might be divided up into living and dead, organic and inorganic, animate and inanimate Enlightenment could be impossible.

For what is Enlightenment but Pure Oneness, far beyond the likelihood of division of any kind? The split mind was the illusion. Seek not to project the split mind to forms and call some forms alive and some forms dead. God knows not form. The split mind seemed to be the "killer" illusion, the Holy Spirit reminds the sleeping mind that what is whole and unified can never BE split. In Heaven Mind is One Spirit, and even with regard to this world forgiveness reflects this Oneness. The forgiven world recognizes the unity of the healed mind and sees that there is nothing "outside" of this single mind which dreams softly a pleased, gentle dream. The target of ACIM is always to dream softly of a sinless world. This goal is significantly more than possible, it is inevitable!

In terms of my seeming diet, "eat what is served" is the Guidance I was presented with from the Holy Spirit many years ago. Join with your brother and let no concept come involving the Love you share. This Guidance has not changed. "Dinner" is obviously a backdrop for sharing the Joy of the Living Moment. What the world calls "breathing" and "eating" and "drinking" and "sleeping" are very yet in the Enlightened State. The Healed Perspective sees the sameness of everything because they all share the exact same Purpose: forgiveness. This Perspective isn't "personal," for in unified perception nothing is personal. God is not any respecter of persons. I literally cannot "take" an animal's "life" because Life is Spirit and can only be extended or Given as God Gives. "Take" doesn't have meaning in my own mind and since animals have not "lived" it is impossible that they could "die." The belief expressed in the idea "personally take an animal's life" has many underlying assumptions which can be false. In right-mindedness it is obvious that ideas are strengthened because they are given away or shared, and "taking" a "life" or some thing doesn't have meaning.

All that I give is fond of mySelf, and in giving there is no loss, no sacrifice, and nothing is ever removed from wholeness and unity. The teacher of God does not need something that can't be given away. Such is the Joy of miracles! The thought seeds seem to be flung everywhere, yet there is never a good glance back to see where in fact the seeds land. The seeds are never for an "other," and since giving and receiving are the exact same the mind receives the gifts it gives. This really is truly the feast you seek for beneath the ego's questions.

The sole question that require be asked is really a question that's certainly not silly at all: Am I ready to learn that God's Will and My Own would be the Same? God's Will for Me is for Perfect Happiness. And what but this Will is the Will of Christ? Happily, nothing may change Eternal Love. Thank You God!