“We all know that things are not what they seem. For instance, the earth and the sky do not meet; the horizon is simply the limitation of our vision but not a thing of itself; and the rails of a railroad do not come together as they appear to.”

As a youngster growing up in South Florida I was facinated by what appeared to be waves of water as I walked home from school in the sweltering heat. Instead of water, it was simply heat waves, which looked like water. This was nothing more than an appearance, which looked real. Recently, while walking with a friend, my friend notices what looked like a lake of water; it was a beautiful and inviting sight to see! In actuality, however, it was a white colored, metal top, of a parking garage! From our slightly elevated position it looked real, but was really nothing more than an appearance ­­it was NOT a lake; it was not even wet!

Holmes says, that appearance/illusion is “never in the thing, but in the way we look at it.” He says, “It depends upon our perception of the thing/situation.” Are we seeing limitation, while living in, and surrounded by, abundance? Are we seeing ourselves less than whole, while Wholeness is who and what we are? Sometimes it becomes necessary to jolt ourselves into remembering that the appearance is NEVER in the the thing, but is in the way we look at it! How else (in what other way)might we see this situation, we ask?

The Science of Mind sets a clear line of delineation of the word appearance, indicating what it is and what it is not, by describing it as “that which seems to be true, and that which actually is.” In other words, lack seems and frequently feels real/true, but acutally is not. This is an abundant Universe. We are surrounded by plenty; and this would be true, not matter the “limiting”situation or thing we are facing! Another indicator of appearance comes from The Course In Miracles workbook. It says that the thoughts we think appear as images, which is the function we have given our body’s eyes. So, instead of seeing, we are actually image­making, thereby replacing Truth with illusion, i.e. appearance! It’s not real!

Considering the various points of view, it becomes crystal clear that thoughts we allow to persist, accompanied by our visual images, and supported by our belief, which dwells in a creative and fertile mind, becomes our experience; “and the word (thought) becomes flesh.” The Law knows no difference between our thoughts of appearance/illusions/image­making and what is actually Real. It (Law) accepts and simply produces what we introduce to It! The Law can only DO, it has not ability to reject or analyze what we think into It! The key, then, is obviously our level of discernment­­­the recognition of what is Real (that we are One of God), and what could never be real­­anything unlike Perfect Goodness! Each of us is a part of our Creator in likeness and image. We possess Its nature in microcosom! We are Joy, Fulfillment, Happiness, Perfect health, Peaceful, Loved and Bountifully Blessed. Anything that appears to be less than the perfect nature of God, expressing itself in our life experiences, is nothing more than illusion! It is NOT real. Recognize it for what it is; AN APPEARANCE!

AFFIRMATION: I am a discerner of that which is Real. As I change my consciousness to see only what is God inspired, the images that I make are in alignment with Joy, Fulfillment, Happiness, Wholeness, Peacefulness, Love and
Bountiful Abundance.

And so it is! Amen!

Lovater H Jones is a Practitioner at the Rio Grande Center For Spiritual Living, Albuquerque, NM 87107