In this second YouTube video conversation about the profound, prodigious, and prolific work of Dr. Kenneth Wapnick, Dr. Jeffrey Seibert of the Foundation for A Course In Miracles (FACIM.org) shares insightful observations of one of the metaphysics charts used extensively in Dr. Wapnick’s work over several decades which continues to help students of A Course In Miracles put the universal teachings in context with their specific personal experiences; enabling us to have a map of our mental state at any given moment depending on what we’re focusing on and which teacher (duality or non-duality) we’re using to attempt to understand everything and everyone.
Jeff provides an abundantly clear “high altitude view” of Ken’s invaluable visual aid to understanding our split mind and how we can apply the correction for that split (a.k.a. Holy Spirit) to our lives every moment. The “blue dot” in the “decision maker” circle toward the top of the chart can be seen simply to represent both our identification and our focus of attention – whether we choose ego’s belief in duality or Holy Spirit’s correction for that “tiny mad idea” dream of separation.
Jeff mentioned this passage in ACIM’s Manual for Teachers about the decision maker (bold-face type added by me):
“First, it is obvious that decisions are of the mind, not of the body. If sickness is but a faulty problem-solving approach, it is a decision. And if it is a decision, it is the mind and not the body that makes it. The resistance to recognizing this is enormous, because the existence of the world as you perceive it depends on the body being the decision maker.” (ACIM, M-5.II.1:4-7)
Initially, in Ken and Gloria’s classes, the decision maker was given the placeholder phrase “Charlie the Chooser” until Gloria Wapnick suggested to Ken Wapnick that due to its vital importance to our identity, well-being, and perspective on everything, this faculty merited a more dignified name and prominent place in the Course curriculum.
The graphic below designed by Kenneth Wapnick (FACIM simple metaphysics of separation and forgiveness reference chart) is available on the FACIM.org Learning Aids page entitled “Metaphysics of Separation and Forgiveness Reference Charts” here in both “expanded” and “simple” versions with pdf downloads available; Jeff worked with the “simple” version in this conversation.
The famous (to those familiar with Ken’s teachings) “blue dot” appears as a magnetic blue sphere that sticks to the chart on the location in mind where we decide to identify ourselves and focus our attention. The “tiny, mad idea” (dream of separation) seems to suggest we have pulled off the impossible (dream) crime of separation from our Creator and everyone else. Our identification with the ego part of that split mind is our single problem; however, we need the correction of the Holy Spirit (right mind) to heal that imagined split.
The ego (wrong-minded) choice: our ONLY problem (represented by the red arrow) symbolizes our erroneous, misguided belief in separation – the “ideas leave their source” belief of sin, guilt, and fear – is the mental battleground of “one or the other.” The “veil of forgetfulness” (denial) shows how this entire thought system is unconscious most of the time because of the horrific nature of the bizarre (yet almost universally accepted) belief that we could be separated from our Source (Perfect Oneness) and from each other. Because of this intolerable thought, we mindlessly repress, deny, and project (represented by the downward-pointing curved arrow) our unconscious (yet unfounded) guilt (ego’s use of cause) onto the material world of form (including all bodies, brains, behaviors, and personalities): everything related to space, time, matter, energy, and individuality. This world – merely a shadow mirroring the insane, unforgiving ego mind – becomes a self-imposed prison under the ego’s cruel and tyrannical dictates, under which we suffer needlessly when we listen to its misleading propaganda. The ego is unimaginably complex, so this graphic shows how every ego tactic to keep us mindless resolves to the same core insane belief in separation.
Contrasting with the ego thoughts and projections depicted in red text in the chart, the Holy Spirit’s correction to the ego’s lies is shown in green text. This correction uses the same world of separation (which ego uses to imprison) as a classroom; it utilizes every specific (special relationship) person, thing, situation, or experience in our space-time dreams to undo the belief in separation through the miracle of forgiveness (represented by the upward-pointing curved arrow), reminding us that ideas do NOT leave their source. This correction (claiming responsibility for our choice of thought system and what we believe we’ve done with it) works to undo guilt both externally – “I am never upset for the reason I think.” (ACIM, W-5) by withdrawing our misplaced guilt projections of grievances, blames, victimhood, martyrdom, and sacrifices from the world (including our own bodies) and internally – “I could see peace instead of this.” (ACIM, W-34) because the guilt for a dream of separation that never happened is unfounded inside as well as outside. The ego’s entire thought system is undone by trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal that its foundational premise (cause) was a forgivable, correctable mistake (not a sin), so it has never had any effect on our true eternal nature, represented by the words “HEAVEN, MIND, ONENESS, GOD, CHRIST, and LOVE, pure non-dual symbols of our real, unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable nature beyond space and time.
Some of the many helpful insights that Jeff shared in this video:
“The mind IS the decision-maker (not the body or brain).”
“The power to choose is fundamental.”
“The ego veils the simplicity of the choice.” (between ego and the Holy Spirit)
“The Course speaks about magic being mindless. We attempt to deal with our anxiety, our fear, our guilt by manipulating things of the world as if those were the causes of our problems and that somehow manipulating those things in a way to get an outcome at the level of the world and the body is really going to make us feel better… Temporarily (this might seem to work) but this is mindless magic because we’re denying the power of the mind and we’re giving all of our power to the world and the body… requiring that the body be the decision maker.”
“The power to choose (either the Holy Spirit or the ego) … is the only power that matters.”
“The problem isn’t the conflict at the level of form … Whose ‘video’ (ego or Holy Spirit’s interpretation of anything) do I want to view?”
“We don’t really escape from anything (that the ego insists is real but represses), we just live in the shadows (ego’s projection).”
“It’s one thing to master the metaphysics. … but if you don’t put it into practice, it’s worthless. This (chart) has to be a tool for our practice.”
“The ego is all about form (of our projections instead of the content of the mind). .. When we get caught up in the form (world of separation) and we’re worried about whether we’re getting the form right, we’re down in mindlessness (represented by the bottom of the chart) and we’ve completely forgotten where the real power is (in our decision maker).”
“There really are only two interpretations. The miracle reminds us that we’re not a body, we’re a mind. … The miracle just reminds us that we have a choice.”
“Just like when we’re dreaming at night, all the figures in our dream are coming from our mind.”
(Ego insists that sin) “can’t be undone. How do you get back when you clearly are separate? The body is a brilliant part of the (ego’s) strategy. The mind that experiences itself and others as bodies is really riveting our attention in the world with an experience of a self that is clearly apart from everything else. But it is only convincing because we want to be convinced. We want this (dream of separation) to be our reality. We’re willing to deny our own power to choose.”
“The course only uses the word “classroom” once, but the world becomes our classroom instead of a prison; this becomes the means by which we realize which teacher we’re listening to.”
– Jeff Seibert
For those interested in hearing more about Ken and his chart, you are invited to check out the weekly Encounters with Ken classes drawing from Ken’s video programs. The classes are moderated by Jeff Seibert with a question-and-answer format between Ken’s video segments, all occurring with the simple Chart as the background and a major reference point for discussion.
“All your time is spent in dreaming. Your sleeping and your waking dreams have different forms, and that is all.” (ACIM, T-18.II.5:12-13)
This video was recorded on Thursday, April 10, 2025. It follows an initial related conversation detailed in this post: Foundation for A Course In Miracles: A conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Seibert, recorded earlier this year which has many more details from Jeff about the history, background and context of the Foundation for A Course In Miracles (FACIM) and those who have contributed to it and continue to do so.
Dr. Seibert helps to manage orders for the Foundation’s extensive collection – all HIGHLY recommended – of existing DVD video, MP4 HD (1080p) video downloads, audio CDs, mp3 audio downloads, English (print) books, Kindle eBook downloads, eBook (ePub) digital book downloads, eBook (pdf) digital book downloads, ongoing new titles (still being added to regularly from the extensive unpublished archives) in the printed (English) book Transcript Series, ongoing new titles in the digital (English) ePub Transcript Series, books in Spanish, streaming content, and other items in the online FACIM store, all drawing from the profoundly inspiring, truly beneficial and eloquently revelatory work of Ken Wapnick.
Check out the FACIM YouTube channel for outstanding excerpts from Ken and Gloria Wapnick’s videos. There is also a FACIM Facebook page. To learn when new titles are added to the FACIM store, visit the “Current Information” (New Releases) page and/or subscribe to get FACIM updates by email here. Donate to further the ongoing work of FACIM here.
Jeff (along with other FACIM staff) has contributed to this work on many levels and in many capacities for decades. He continues facilitating excellent live weekly interactive classes in the “Encounters with Ken” series where he plays excerpts of recordings of Ken’s work interspersed with insightful helpful commentary including responses to submitted questions from online participants; these classes complement Ken’s wisdom well and carry on the tradition and dedication to the truth of our pure non-dual reality that is the fundamental premise of A Course In Miracles (ACIM).
The topic of the current (EWK) “Encounters with Ken” series is “On Death and Dying,” which started earlier this year; the entire series is scheduled to last through July 2025. The most recent program, “Peace to Such Foolishness,” set the stage for this current offering; both related titles are available on the FACIM store here.
Jeff also wanted students to be aware of FACIM’s Transcript Series, which publishes transcriptions of previously released audio programs as printed books, plus new audio programs of Ken’s previously unpublished teachings. New books or audio are released every other month, which are eagerly anticipated by dedicated Course students!
Related content:
Susan Dugan‘s website, ForaysInForgiveness.com, has many superb in-depth interviews with Jeff Seibert and other FACIM staff, including Rosemarie LoSasso, Loral Reeves, Ken’s wife, Gloria Wapnick, and Kenneth Wapnick – of course! I recommend them all!
I consider Foundation for A Course In Miracles (FACIM) and Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) the two leading “sister organizations” websites for the Course; their website URLs are easy to remember: FACIM.org and ACIM.org respectively, both worthy of every ACIM student’s study, exploration, and support; both complementing each other’s offerings and providing tremendous content for our awakening from the dream of separation. There is abundant information about Ken Wapnick and his integral importance in ACIM’s history on the FIP website archives. including a detailed Editing History of ACIM written by Dr. Wapnick.