I've never really thought about it in exactly this way, but at this moment I am seeing very clearly into the nature of projection. I see now that it could be seen as having two layers.
First, my belief in separation projected out a tapestry of separate images that it called "the cosmos". As it teaches in the Course, the entire cosmos was projected out by the ego (the belief in separation) in order for it to have an almost endless number of scapegoats to blame for my sense of lack that the separation caused. The purpose for this was so that it (the belief in separation) would NOT be seen as the only cause of my sense of lack, which it is. For if I saw that this belief that was the sole problem, I might choose to withdraw my belief from it. And yet, so long as I cherish the possibility of experiencing specialness - which depends on separation, and which was the underlying motivation for attempting to separate from God in the first place - I will not want to withdraw my belief in separation as real.
The entire script of time and space seemed to spin out in that one, insane instant, and in that same instant, the second layer of projection occurred. This was the projection of separate meanings which were given to every aspect of the cosmos in order to create the illusion of separation within it. In other words, the cosmos and all of time and space is really only ONE thing - a meaningless dream. But it seems to be broken up and divided and sub-divided into MANY things - many galaxies, each containing many planets and suns, each containing many objects, some animate and others inanimate, etc.. It also seems to broken up into many segments of time - many eons, each containing many years, many lifetimes, many situations, many relationships, all of which are marked by arbitrary "beginnings" and "endings".
What we don't typically see is that ALL the boundaries that we ascribe to things are completely made-up by the mind. This is true whether they be physical boundaries (the lines that seem to define an object), time-based boundaries (when an event, situation, circumstance or relationship begins and ends), and of course the psychological/emotional boundaries we set up (i.e. "Okay, that's it - you've crossed the line now buddy!") .
Imagine a piece of blank white paper on which a little child just randomly scribbles with a black pen feriouciously for a while until the page looks like a complete mess. Then imagine that the child starts using an entire box of crayons to color within all the tiny little spaces, each with their own color, so that in the end there is no white spaces left. This is the universe in a nutshell, as perceived through our ego lenses. The color represents the sense of separateness each image has, even though underneath the color, it's all really the same white sheet of paper.
Then, as we go through life, the ego starts assigning meaning to everything- varying degrees of "good" meaning and "bad" meaning - onto every image and happening it perceives. And this is where the correction must first take place. Nothing has any intrinsic meaning. The universe and everything in it is meaningless. Underneath all the meaning we've colored onto everything, there is just a blank white sheet of paper, and when the white sheet of paper disappears, what's left is God and His Universe of Pure, Abstract Spirit, which we never left.
Everything else is mere illusion. And all illusion is vanity.
How is all of this practical to me? Well, if I no longer want to experience the pain that comes from seeing through the lense of separation, then I need to question and dispel all the thoughts I have that seem to project separate meanings onto everything. Toward this end, it's very helpful as I go about my day to watch my mind automatically projecting meaning onto whatever is happening. If someone serves me a meal, I project positive meaning onto that circumstance and call it "good". Yet if I start to feel an ache in my body, I project negative meaning onto that circumstance and call it "bad". Yet both are neutral events, meaning nothing in and of themselves.
All of the projection of meaning, both the "good" and the "bad", are defense mechanisms of my ego. The projection of good and bad meaning in varying degrees is like the coloring of the scribbled paper. My ego does it in order to prevent me from seeing the sameness (i.e. whiteness) of the paper it's all scribbled on. For if everything is "colored" differently, then it sure LOOKS like everything is separate from everything else. And then I can blame my sense of lack and separation on what seems to be a so-called "obvious fact", rather than taking responsibility for the fact that I've merely taken seriously my erroneous thoughts about what things supposedly mean.
And each time that I recognize that I'm upset because I've taken seriously a thought about what something means, then it's like mentally erasing the color from that particular segment of the scribbled paper. Suddenly, the whiteness underneath is seen and for a moment, I remember that there's whiteness underneath it all! In that instant, the sameness of everything springs to memory, the entire paper is seen as white, separation is seen as the lie, and God's Love engulfs me in it's Warmth.
This. This is the practical value of understanding these things. The reward comes in the every day application to what seem like real problems. And as I clarify these things for myself, again and again, I am liberated from the mental prison of false belief. Ahhh, such Gratitude I feel. Thank You, Holy Spirit of Truth within me... Thank You, Thank You, Thank You times infinity!
Love,
Erik
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