LESSON 9: I don't see anything as it is now.
Lesson 9 of the ACIM Workbook
The first time someone hears "I don't see anything as it is now," something crackles inside, a dull, almost animalistic resistance. A vertigo appears, as when, as children, we were told that what we perceived in the dark was not real and yet the fear was so vivid, so authentic.
Thus, the Lesson 9 of A Course in Miracles it invites a kind of inner revolution: that of letting go of blind trust in the eyes and daring to look, perhaps for the first time, beyond what is presented in front of the face.
This lesson takes over from the previous ones without interruption: if until now we have accepted that we only see the past, and learned that our thoughts had no meaning, now we have to strip ourselves of the most intimate of certainties: that here and now, with this body and in this world, things are as they seem.
Sure? Do we dare to check it out?
Dismantling perception: Why what we "see" is neither real nor present
This issue is not new, but now it touches its hardest bone. Is what you see really what you get? Could it not be, perhaps, that what you see – your daughter's face, your watch, the unpaid bills, your own tiredness – is just the projection of an internal world, a network of judgments and prejudices venerated for years?
Could it be that you have never seen anything as it is now, and yet you live as if what your senses capture is the last word?
Accepting something like this will never be a mere "getting it." It is a matter of recognizing oneself as ignorant of everything, of opening the door to radical humility. We must let go of intellectual pride and the comfortably installed defense of the "I know" to dare to practice daily, honestly, without demanding immediate understanding, only willingness.
Hence, asking ten uncomfortable questions, without answering them from the head, is the only dignified path for those who intend not to deceive themselves.
1. What does "I don't see anything as it is now" really mean?
Answer
It's a humble, almost brutal statement about our perception. What you see—things, people, yourself—is shrouded in the haze of the past, prejudice, and fear. To see in this sense is to judge, to interpret, to remember, never to experience the present naked. Everything you look at is filtered by thoughts you don't even know you have.
Why this question is key
Because discovering that you never see anything in its purity implies that every judgment, every reaction, every pain born of the gaze is provisional and, above all, reviewable. Certainties crumble, and with them the arrogance of believing that you control or understand.
How it should affect your practice
- Apply the phrase to anything or person; yes, also to yourself.
- Heed the temptation to "understand" before really looking.
- Practice as if looking for the first time is possible.
2. Why does the Course insist that understanding is not necessary to practice the lesson?
Answer
Because intellectual understanding belongs to the ego. It is about living an experience in the mind, not about building new theories. Everything that truly liberates will come by practice, by letting go, not by accumulating conceptual explanations. Here, "not knowing" is the starting point, not a defeat.
Why this question is key
The ego demands understanding before trusting or practicing. If you freeze yourself waiting to understand, you will never take the step of experience. At ACIM, wisdom springs from making space, not from throwing concepts around.
How it should affect your practice
- Practice the lesson even if you disagree, even if it seems absurd.
- Letting go of the obsessive search for intellectual meaning is already a crucial advance.
- Accept that doubting and not understanding are prerequisites for real vision.
3. What does this lesson reveal about the body, perception, and its function as a defense?
Answer
The body and everything you perceive through it are mechanisms designed – even if you are not aware of it – to avoid the experience of the present moment, of the "holy instant", where there is no fear, guilt or separation. The body is a defensive curtain: the perfect refuge for the ego and the place from which union is denied.
Why this question is key
Without unmasking the function of the body and perception, you end up believing that pain is inevitable and suffering is "human." The true use of the body only appears when you stop blindly identifying with it.
How it should affect your practice
- Notice what prevents you from living in the present fully (tiredness, desire, fear?).
- Question: What am I using my body experience for here and now?
- Dare to look at the body as a symbol, not as an identity.
4. Why is the idea that "what you see is not there" scary?
Answer
Because it confronts the root of the ego's identity: if what I see and believe to be (a separate body, a personal history) is not there, then who am I? Vertigo is real; The unknown looms and with it it seems to endanger existence as you have lived it.
Why this question is key
Fear is an unmistakable sign of progress. If this idea doesn't bother you, you probably haven't understood it. Looking closely at resistance allows us to go through it: the price of freedom.
How it should affect your practice
- An honest fear is worth a thousand false explanations. Allow yourself to feel it.
- Don't run away: discomfort is the threshold of the miracle.
- Recognize the temptation to take refuge in comfortable ideas; practice equally.
5. Should I apply the lesson "indiscriminately"? Why does it matter?
Answer
It means that you should not select what to apply the phrase to and what not to. Do not exclude what you are afraid of or what you consider "important" or "sacred". If you leave only one thing out, you perpetuate the separation; The habit of seeing differences remains intact.
Why this question is key
The ego looks for exceptions to survive. Being honest, honest, and applying the lesson to everything that touches your attention is the main weapon to dismantle the collective charade of personal meanings.
How it should affect your practice
- It includes everything, without hierarchizing: hunger and anxiety, love and annoyance, the beloved painting and the stain on the floor.
- Don't fool yourself: if you exclude something, admit the fear and keep trying.
- The mind is trained wherever it rebels.
6. Why is the practical instruction so short and specific in number of repetitions?
Answer
To prevent the mind from turning exercise into ritual, duty, burden or exhaustion. Three or four short sessions are enough. The real breakthrough lies in the honesty with which the idea is applied, not in the amount of time invested or the perfection with which the phrase is recited.
Why this question is key
The ego's habit is to transform everything into rigid discipline or to abandon it altogether. Here, consistency and softness outweigh intensity. The miracle enters through the crack of the simple instant.
How it should affect your practice
- Don't tense or obsess: several brief and sincere moments are better than a long and mechanical one.
- Celebrate each attempt as sufficient, even if it lasts three seconds.
- If you fail one day, go back the next day through no fault of your own.
7. What happens if I recognize that I understand absolutely nothing about what I see or what I am?
Answer
The inner space opens up so that the truth—the voice of the Spirit, of Jesus, of the Wisdom that goes beyond the ego—can teach you. The genuine "I don't know" is an act of humility and radical honesty. It is in that recognized ignorance that inspiration fits.
Why this question is key
As long as you think you know, the Master within you has no space to speak. The miracle always occurs in the mind empty of certainty.
How it should affect your practice
8. Where does the practice of this lesson really point? What release does it offer?
Answer
Liberation consists in undoing, layer by layer, the tangle of thoughts that hinder the memory of what you really are: the vision of Christ. Where illusions and judgment dissipate, unconditional love can appear—peace that does not depend on interpretations or external events.
Why this question is key
Without purpose, practice degenerates into boring repetition. The vision of Christ is not conceptualized or understood, it is experienced when the mind is sufficiently clean.
How it should affect your practice
- Trust that removing just a little fear or judgment is enough for today.
- Don't seek mystical experiences: just allow the mind to clear, without drama.
- Every step—small, clumsy, honest—adds up, even if you don't realize it.
9. What do I do when resistance seems insurmountable and restlessness becomes unbearable?
Answer
Acknowledge it and welcome that resistance. It is a sign that the ego is losing ground. Do not try to force the practice or run away from it: if fear burns today, if the mind rejects the idea, observe, breathe, and allow yourself to stop. Honesty with yourself is the most spiritual response of all.
Why this question is key
The ego attacks advancement with fear, guilt, or blockage. Welcoming your humanity, without disguising or interpreting, is the door to real forgiveness.
How it should affect your practice
- If you can't today, stop the practice. Tomorrow is another opportunity.
- Use resistance as a sign: here's something valuable to look at.
- Be grateful for the appearance of emotions, even if they are uncomfortable.
If I don't understand, if I resist, if I doubt, can I move forward anyway? Can the miracle happen to me even if I seem incapable?
Answer
Yes. No one advances from perfection, pure enthusiasm, or total understanding. The miracle occurs precisely when honesty about your limits will exceed the demand for success. Every little token of goodwill can be tapped, and it's only a matter of time and consistency before you see – truly – what you've never seen before.
Why this question is key
If you expect to be "ready, ready" to transform your mind, you'll never get started. ACIM teaches that genuine openness to seeing differently is all that is required.
How it should affect your practice
- It celebrates every doubt, every apparent failure, as opportunities for surrender.
- Keep the practice without expectations of perfection.
- Remember that true transformation is silent, imperceptible and takes place in its time.
Looking without seeing: the courage to start living
There is no other way to put it: Lesson 9 is a walking contradiction, an invitation to stop trusting what you thought was untouchable.
Do not shy away from uneasiness, nor seek premature comfort in hollow explanations. Dare to look at the ordinary with the loving suspicion of the woman or man who intuits that beneath the usual and the known hides another possibility of existence.
This is the highest art of ACIM: to dismantle false evidence and make room for something that is yet to be born. If you can't handle the discomfort, trust that every act of honesty—every doubt, every resistance, every moment of lucidity—are really important steps in undoing perception.
When your eyes become soft, less condemnatory, when you are moved, moved to look at a cup without burdening it with the story, you will know that the practice is doing its job.
There, on that vulnerable edge, bringing us a little closer to the mystery of Christ's vision, miracles cease to be theory to become the only reality that remains.
Advances. You've already opened the door. The next lesson awaits you right where you dare to stop today; He knows how to find you —always— when will and humility go hand in hand. Do not be afraid, "I do not see anything as it is now," but love is with you. Keep going.
Self-inquiry test
INSTRUCTIONS
This test is designed as a self-inquiry tool to accompany the practice of the lessons. It's not about passing or failing, or demonstrating knowledge, but about looking at yourself honestly and recognizing where you are in your process.
The test contains 20 questions, each with three possible answers: A, B, or C. Choose the option that most closely matches what you really feel or think, not the one you think you "should" answer. There are no right or wrong answers here; The important thing is to be honest with yourself.
At the end, you will be able to assess where you are and what aspects you can continue working on to advance in your spiritual path. Take it as an opportunity to reflect and deepen your practice, not as an exam.
QUESTIONS (Mark A, B or C on each)
