“These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].”
The term “these thoughts” refers to the thoughts that are crossing your mind at any given time. The term “the ego’s thought system” refers to the jumble of thoughts that jump back and forth all the time, feeding on each other – a condition that seems to be very common with much of humanity.
How do you distinguish between a random thought like that and a thought inspired by your higher self (your inner being, or to use ACIM’s term: the Holy Spirit), inspirations? Very simply by asking your higher self to inspire you. The thought you then receive will definitely be very different in quality compared to an ego thought, and it will definitely not be meaningless but will mean something to you and will move you. The difference will be apparent.
How can you be so certain that you will know the difference? The reason is the source of the thought.
You could think of all the thoughts that humankind has thought up and is in the process of regurgitating as a large cloud of vibrational frequencies. Your mind is picking up on various signals simply because it is a receiving and processing mechanism. It will chew on anything it is given. Any thought that you pick up and focus on will attract other thoughts like it. Why? Because of your focus on it, your attunement to that type of signal. If you am not aware of the various directions your mind is focused on, you end up thinking with the ego’s thought system: thoughts from all over the place, flitting and darting and reinforcing each other.
However, when you consciously focus your attention on your higher self’s communication, you attune your receiving and processing mechanism to the signal offered by your higher self. The higher self is always communicating, announcing itself, declaring what it is and what it stands for. As soon as your dial is in the neighborhood of its signal, you have reception.
You recognize its communications by their nature: calm and centered, transparent and to the point, clarifying and loving. And they always make you feel lighter. Compare that to the thoughts of the ego’s thought system!
“These thoughts do not mean anything” is the case simply because they are random and because they dissolve as soon as you strip them of the meaning you have given them.
On the other hand, communications from your higher self – inspirations – relate to the core of your identity, which is Love in extension, and therefore they are naturally and almost indescribably moving and meaningful.
Full text of Workbook Lesson 4 in ACIM
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