This idea is, of course, why the only thing you can actually look upon is the past. No one really looks upon anything. Those who perceive a world outside themselves really only look upon their own thoughts projected outward. The mind’s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the total misconception about time from which your perceiving suffers. In this state your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, truly understand anything.

The only entirely true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not present, and therefore is not here. To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions, which very easily become personalized into delusions. Very few minds have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. The mind is actually blank when it engages in either of these activities, because it is not really thinking about anything real, but only what is imaginary, at such times.

The purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not really thinking at all. Every instant that thoughtless “ideas” occupy your mind, the Truth is blocked from it. Recognizing that your mind is merely blank when engaged in past thoughts, rather than believing that it is filled with real Ideas, is the first step to opening the way to true vision.

The exercises for today should be done with eyes closed. This is because you cannot actually look upon anything real, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture or make an image of a thought, even apparently looked upon with the body’s eyes as a perception outside yourself, you are not actually perceiving anything when perceiving in this way.

With eyes closed, and with as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there. Introduce the practice period after the minute of mind searching by saying:

“I seem to be thinking about . . .”

and then name each thought you are aware of by the central figure or theme it contains, and move on to the next thought. For example:

“I seem to be thinking about (name of person), about (name of object), about (name of emotion),” and so on.

Conclude each practice period with:

“But my mind has become preoccupied with past thoughts, blocking true Thoughts from my awareness.”

Today’s idea can be practiced four or five times during the day, unless you find that it irritates you. If you find it trying, three or four times will be sufficient. You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that the idea for today may induce, in the mind-searching itself.