Please invite the Holy Spirit for interpretation, thank you. Text in bold. Comments *.

This begins a rather lengthy discussion about possession. I will do my best to break it up into parts that are contained and yet lead to understanding individually.

Possession is a concept which has been subject to numerous distortions, some of which we will list below:

1.It (possession) can be associated with the body only.

The attraction of God, which we will all accept eventually and is what is behind the “threat” or fear of possession, is what brought this conversation on. (Minus the fact that it was a test for Helen, posed by Jesus to see if she would be willing to be a scribe in bringing forth this Course.)

This is the distortion and not the truth, that possession can be associated with the body only.

If this occurs, sex is particularly likely to be contaminated.

This is suggesting that the whole person is not recognized in the relationship. And it could mean a lot more. I just hesitate to state anything specific, let’s continue.

Possession versus being possessed is apt to be seen as the male and female role.

That may have shifted some in these fifty years since, but men probably still weigh in heavier as the possessor.

Since neither will be conceived of as satisfying alone, and both will
be associated with fear, this interpretation is particularly vulnerable to psychosexual confusion.

A confusion in how we think about sex.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were to think about ourselves as being satisfied being alone?

2.From a rather similar misperceptual reference point, possession can also be associated with things.

Here again the misconception is (1) that things are real and (2) that they can be owned by our non-real bodies.

This is essentially a shift from 1), and is usually due to an underlying fear of associating possession with people.

A shift away from the reality that possession has to do only with the body, to protect it.

In this sense, it is an attempt to PROTECT people, like the superstition about “protecting the name”, we mentioned before.

It sounds like he is saying that it feels like a more reasonable thing for humanity to have possessions than to possess a person. That sounds right.

This is what we look at as slavery, otherwise.

Both 1) and 2) are likely to become compulsive for several reasons, including

(1 and 2 are (1) believing in possessing a body, specifically someone else’s. (2) Possessing things.)

a.They represent an attempt to escape from the real possession-drive, which cannot be satisfied this way.

Our possession-drive in this context is positive because it relates to being in possession of God and being possessed by Him. This we fear, so we choose the possession of bodies (people) and things, as a substitute.

They set up substitute goals, which are usually reasonably easy to attain.

It is interesting, how everything that I can think of that people usually want to use the Law of Attraction for, falls in this sentence. In other words, it is a good statement for (or definition of) Law of Attraction.

c.They APPEAR to be relatively harmless, and thus SEEM to allay fear.

You notice how both are false. Meaning they are not harmless and do not rid one of fear.

The fact that they usually interfere with good interpersonal relationships can be interpreted, in this culture, as a lack of sophistication on the part of the OTHER (not the self), and this induces a false feeling of confidence in the solution, based on reliability NOT validity.

Marriage, or partnership, is such a common mentality in our society, along with the idea that we need to socialize.

Making it easy to see the other person as not cooperating, rather than the whole idea out of sync with who we truly are.

I do not get the feeling from Jesus that partnering and birthing are really as important as we make it out to be.

I never did get along with therapists over the years because I was supposed to yield to the other, period. It was a consensus. Be it parent, child, or partner; living or dead.

I felt that I was ignored or told to ignore my own gut instincts so that they could feel comfortable.

I am feeling that there was more at fault with the system than there was with me.

It is also fairly easy to find a partner who SHARES the illusion.

In those dating programs that figure out who you are compatible with, I am in the 10-15% that has no fit, because I will not compromise my integrity to have a partner.

While I was naive enough to think that I would be an equal part of a partnership, I found plenty of people who would “hook-up”. The chasing of the illusion, with the ultimate domination or subjugation is part of the thrill of the chase in romance, don’t you think?

Thus, we have any number of relationships which are actually ESTABLISHED on the basis of 1),

One person will possess the other.

and others which HOLD TOGETHER primarily because of the joint interests in 2).

Joint property.

d.The manifestly external emphasis which both entail seems to be a safety device,

No wonder I could not relate! Neither goal was reasonable or even contemplated by me. Not that I did not live and try to do my best with all resources within my reach.

and thus permits a false escape from much more basic inhibitions.

Inhibition: a feeling that makes one self-conscious and unable to act in a relaxed and natural way.

This suggests the basic inhibition of shying away from a real relationship with God.

As a compromise solution, the illusion of interpersonal relating is preserved, along with the retention of the lack of love component.

So, love does not make this world go round after all. No kidding!

How many relationships can you see this happening in?

Better yet, have you found relationships where this is not happening?

And at the very best, they maintain throughout life faith that “in heaven”, they will receive all these blessings that they have done without and earned while here on earth.

This kind of psychic juggling leaves the person (or juggler?) with a feeling of emptiness, which in fact is perfectly justified, because he IS acting from scarcity.

And if they understand that before they die they divorce, leaving a trail of heartache behind them.

This, just, so they can get a sense of “person-hood” in life.

He then becomes more and more driven in his behavior, to fill the emptiness.

“Driven in his behavior”, this lock-down that we currently are in must be messing with some people pretty strong. Work, hobbies, sports, addictions of all sorts, like shopping, it all can be used to fill what cannot be filled.

When these solutions have been invested with extreme belief, 1) leads to sex crimes, and 2) to stealing. The kleptomaniac is a good example of the latter.

Generally, two types of emotional disturbances result:

a.The tendency to maintain the illusion that only the physical is real. This produces depression.

b.The tendency to invest the physical with non-physical properties.

This is essentially magic, and tends more toward anxiety-proneness.

Is this where the world of hype and propaganda come in that send us on an endless cycle of fear and accusation come from?

c.The tendency to vacillate from one to the other, which produces a corresponding vacillation between depression AND anxiety.

Both result in self imposed starvation.

Starvation from what? From the presence of God and the witness of our true selves.

We can get ourselves out of this mess. Jesus will guide us. We need to trust him with our lives. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but Jesus cannot be left out of it or we will just keep spinning confusion.

Till next time, God bless, Namaste~