SECRETS OF LIFE
11-3-23
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"Here is what to do: instead of unconsciously accepting fantasy as a place
of safety, you will become conscious that it is a place of isolation.
Remember the word isolation; it is a key word in our task of exposing
fantasy as a trap. In other words, when you drift into dreamland, you cut
yourself off from all that is really good and necessary and healthy for
you. You are not shutting yourself off from a vicious world, but are
shutting yourself within an attacking world. The invented self does not
want to see this because it feeds on fantasies; it cannot live without
them. So each time you refuse a fantasy you will hear it yelp in pain and
protest, which in turn means you are doing the right thing. Whatever you do
against the false self you do for your real and eternal nature. So
deliberately place yourself in any position where you hear the howls of
your usual habits, then let them howl as much as they want. You owe them
nothing at all, they will use every trick to try to make you feel guilty,
such as accusing you of disloyalty. Stand silently there and let them howl
and accuse all they want.
When they finally see they cannot intimidate you anymore in the usual ways,
they will try unusual ways - such as offering you a tempting reward for
keeping them around. But stay alert to every trick and refuse to be
tricked. After they get exhausted by your conscious refusal, they will
start to slink away, growing weaker and weaker in their attacks until they
have no strength left at all. This is an interesting experience for you,
and you can watch every step as it takes place. You will see how Light and
darkness contend for possession of your life, and you will see that all you
need to do is give your consent to the Light, after which it does for you
what you could not do for yourself, that is, it will win for you."
The Answer, Letter 3, p. 18
