Spontaneous structure  I would like to take this opportunity to give you my spontaneous view and understanding of how Jesus structured the workbook lessons of A Course In Miracles. I hope to transmit to you the personal and unmistakable manner in which these exercises embody the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is entirely present in the training of your most precious and all powerful mind. He is the most free, experienced and spontaneous mind available in your own personal awakening. He is fully aware of the need for a structured and organized approach which appears to the human mind to be anything but spontaneous and free.
You need a mind-training that is structured and follows a clear direction in order to cut through the layers and layers of denial your human mind has imposed upon its own perfection. In other words structure is needed to learn and discover the wholly spontaneous nature of your mind once it is sufficiently trained to be undone from all the guilt, fear and attack thoughts that obscure it.
To write this essay I studied the manner in which the lesson sequence 73 up to lesson 78 is structured. I will give you a brief description of each element that I discovered to be instrumental within each lesson. I belief and trust these mind-training aspects to be the operational ingredients of the way each lesson in the whole workbook is designed to bring about a revolutionary change of mind.
 Total picture
Within the starting paragraph(s) of a lesson or leading up to the actual exercises you sometimes find a reminder of the relationship to and relevance of the previous lesson(s) to the lesson of this day.
At some phase within each sequence of lessons you are made aware of the relationship of today's lesson to the lessons that went before or the ones that are to come. This connection is made especially regarding the form of practice that is premeditated for a certain cluster of lessons. esus will do everything to join together relevant themes from earlier lessons (or relevant sections from the text) to accentuate the significance of the stage of practice that you presently find yourself. Anything irrelevant to the focus of the mind for the practice at hand is wisely left out.
The human mind is prevented from unnecessary distractions and attempts at understanding what it is incapable to grasp. A theoretical foundation such as the text provides is necessary to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful. It is in doing these lessons however in which the goal of this course is accomplished. The exercises are the means to accomplish the goal of this course. This workbook has only one concern, the proper direction of your thinking and the truthful application of the active aspects of your mind.
Setting the goal.
 In every lesson, usually in one of the first paragraphs you will find a simple one-liner stating the exact aim of the lesson that you are about to practice.
To get the most out of the lesson the goal is pointed out in the beginning. You are made aware of the purpose for doing the exercises and are asked implicit - or explicitly to agree upon this purpose.
In the knowledge that without setting the goal at the beginning, stuff just seems to happen without any apparent reason, direction or any coordination of events.
Because your mind is very active it needs to be placed under clear guidance and direction provided in these mind-training lessons.
You are learning how to operate within a field of energy where everything is black and white, no neutral ground, no grey areas. Nothing is undertaken without a clear purpose and direction. Nothing is done without your consent and awareness of the goal of the exercises.
This is a training in mindfulness and a practice to put an end to our self-assigned roles as mere actors in, or re-actors to; an apparent external scheme of things, situations and events that appear to be outside of our control. Where you previously wasted your efforts and energies in the attempt to deny your identity you now learn how to set the goal in advance and avail yourself of space and time in the loosening and undoing of all purposeless goals and aims that you set yourself before.
~Setting the Goal Ch.17 VI~
Who you are and what you are doing hereDuring the introduction of the lesson you will often be reminded of your true identity and the function you are here to fulfill. In accord with the goal of the lesson and its exercises you are furthermore reminded of who you are and what it is you are here to do. 
Allowing positive statements about yourself and your function to be imbedded into your mind, you will engage yourself on a deeper level in the practice of these lessons now that you recognize and remember who you are. You are making real attempts at salvation and therefore need to be brought in with your hands and feet, your heart and your soul. Motivation Throughout the whole lesson and often during the actual longer practice period Jesus will make you look closely and clearly at what it is you really want. He frees up your mind from all the obscurity in which you cloud it. Through the use of a reasoning process and the introduction of self-reflective questions he will quickly lead you to the singular direction of your mind. You are inspired and cleared of all the false options that made its appeal to you before. Now all false wishes are removed and you are reminded of and restored to your will.
~The Function of Reason Ch. 21 V~
Acceptance of Responsibility Every lesson contains an aspect in which you are presented with your responsibility for every situation, emotion and experience that you encounter. In a gentle, yet unceasing manner you are reminded of your part in the outcome of every situation and the way you see yourself, everyone else and the world around you. In this mind-training you will become conscious of the fact that nothing takes place outside your mind. You come to realize that while you practice your dedication is to an altar that exists within you. An altar so holy it needs to be approached and treated with the uttermost respect and care. This will lead us to a description of the a proper attitude for doing the exercises.
~Reversal of Effect and Cause Ch. 28 II~
Proper attitude.During the description of the exercise you are informed about the proper attitude for doing the exercises.
 You will be told to take on a relaxed or a vigilant attitude, to practice with your eyes open or with your eyes closed and so on. You will always be surprised at how little is required of you.
Through an honest and sincere attitude towards the practice of these lessons you will discover that always more is added unto you.
Open-mindedness, willingness, determination and your ability to follow instructions will take you a long way along the path towards the accomplishment of the projected goal of mind-training.
Specific InstructionsFor the longer practice period you will find nothing short of a script that will lead you through the actual practice of the exercise, here you are told exactly what to do during the time that you set aside for practice.
The exercises are done through repetition of the central idea in several related forms to ensure the total transfer of today's idea to transform your perception of yourself, 'others' and the world. During these exercises all means are geared towards the accomplishment of the goal as stated earlier in each lesson.Sometimes you are asked to take a certain inventory concerning grievances or laws that you have set up for yourself. Other times you are asked to visualize your enemy and to see him transformed before your spiritual eye. At still other times you will be asked to freely associate and add ideas of your own to strengthen your involvement and belief in the idea for that particular day. Whatever it is you are asked to do, you are led step by step to the exact universal experience that is aimed for.
Right Decisions
After setting the goal, remembering who you are and what it is you are doing here; now that you are learning to listen to the voice of reason and become aware of your personal responsibility; now that you are demonstrating the proper attitude and placed yourself under direct and specific instructions we are led to make life-determining decisions.
 At this point you are urged to realize that everything concerning the universe and all its affairs is dependent upon your personal determination to make utterly simple but vital decisions. Your mind is brought into alignment with God's will. Never ever does Jesus skip over the step of showing you that what God wills for you is in complete concordance with what you want for yourself. Earlier on in the lesson we agreed upon the goal of the lesson. At that point you recognized that the thing that the exercises aimed for was exactly what you wanted in all honesty and with sincerity. Now you are prepared and ready to make the apparent and obvious decisions without hesitation or doubt. You always choose for God, to be who you are and to do what you are designed to do in your creative function.
Divine assistance  To ensure the desired outcome that is aimed for during these exercises your mind has to be placed (even if only momentary) under the divine guidance and direction of your Source. You are gently motivated to invite a power greater than your self to come to your aid. You are instructed to welcome this divine assistance and to let it enter exactly at the place and time you set aside for these exercises.
The practice is in full swing now and you are actively involved in the first phase of the exercise and currently discover within yourself a readiness to bring in the power of God, Jesus and/or the always supporting helping hand of the Holy Spirit. You unite your desire with the power of the universe to accomplish the anticipated goal of that day’s lesson and the purpose of the mind-training in general. The purpose of the workbook is to train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world. And for that you might want to ask for a little help.
Maintenance and Vigilance  At the end of each longer practice period you will be asked to continue your practice through predetermined intervals during the rest of the day. This is the maintenance phase of your practice. What use would it be to set aside 1 up to 30 minutes a day for one or two longer practice periods when the rest of the day you will be lost in worldly and bodily affairs. In these shorter periods of your practice you are asked to repeat the ideas for that day in a structured and consistent manner. You are enlightened with the actuality that these repetitions will help you stay clear of situations that you are likely to react to in certain habitual manners.
To complete the disciplinary practice of your lesson and to utilize the idea to its fullest extent, vigilance is now required of you. In maintenance of a spiritual condition in which the peace of God is manifest you are asked to think and act differently in the face your perceptions of those situations that used to call forth in you; grievances, guilt-ridden emotions or fearful avoidance. The idea of the day will take the place of your conditioned behaviors and habitual thought-patterns. You will learn how to make positive all-encompassing statements about your reality that you share with God and everything that is part of what He created.
You are literally saved through the repetition of the most simple and clear-cut one-liners in the face of the most baffling, head-crunching and heart breaking situations. You now continue to make personal declarations to yourself, God and to others. You speak the words of truth concerning your true identity and thereby assert your true will and activate all forces of the universe to work together towards the good of everyone and everything during the rest of your day. These declarations are all-powerful and Jesus knows it. He asks for your active cooperation in governing God's universe.
Conclusion
You will be amazed at the results that honest and sincere practice of these lessons will bring. Practice them exactly as they are laid out and structured for you and be guided along the way in which to enter a new experience, an all-encompassing vision and the recognition of your Self through the works of forgiveness, decision-making, declarations, vigilance and repetition of these ideas. You will become a convinced advocate of the fact that these ideas are vital for a genuine change to take place in your mind and for an effective change of the world.
~ With love and dedication Bastiaan ~
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Spontaneous Structure