It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your seeing was made. This is the function you have given your body's eyes. It is not seeing. It is image-making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions.
This introductory idea to the process of image-making which you call seeing will not have much meaning for you. You will begin to understand it when you have seen little edges of light around the same familiar objects which you see now. That is the beginning of real vision. You can be certain that real vision will come quickly when this has occurred.
As we go along, you may have many light episodes. They may take many different forms, some of them quite unexpected. Do not be afraid of them. They are signs that you are opening your eyes at last. They will not persist, because they merely symbolize true perception, and they are not related to knowledge. These exercises will not reveal knowledge to you. But they will prepare the way to it.
In practicing the idea for today, repeat it first to yourself, and then apply it to whatever you see around you, using its name and letting your eyes rest on it as you say:
This _ is an image which I have made.
That _is an image which I have made.
It is not necessary to include a large number of specific subjects for the application of today's idea. It is necessary, however, to continue to look at each subject while you repeat the idea to yourself. The idea should be repeated quite slowly each time.
Although you will obviously not be able to apply the idea to very many things during the minute or so of practice that is recommended, try to make the selection as random as possible. Less than a minute will do for the practice periods, if you begin to feel uneasy. Do not have more than three application periods for today's idea unless you feel completely comfortable with it, and do not exceed four.
✨ Summary & practice
The world is a canvas you have painted.
Lesson 15 initiates you into a fascinating process: the making of images. The Course tells you that the thoughts you think you are thinking appear to you as images, and that’s why you don’t recognize them as nothing. You believe you are thinking them, so you believe you are seeing them. This is how your 'sight' was made. But this is not seeing. It is making images. It takes the place of vision by replacing vision with illusions. Your eyes do not see, they fabricate images based on your thoughts.
The exercise consists of repeating the idea, then applying it to what you see around you, naming each thing and letting your gaze rest upon it. Say: 'This wall is an image I have made. This hand is an image I have made.' The Course tells you this idea may not yet have much meaning for you, but you will begin to understand it when you start to see small fringes of light around familiar objects. This is the beginning of true vision. These luminous episodes may take different forms. Do not fear them, they are signs that you are finally opening your eyes.
This lesson is part of the group that deconstructs the perceived world (lessons 11–15). After establishing that your thoughts create the world (11), that you project your attributes (12), that meaninglessness frightens the ego (13), and that God did not create this world (14), the Course concludes that everything you see is an image made by you (15). This is the culmination of this first major phase of deconstruction. The following lessons (16–20) will address the power of thoughts and the absence of neutral thoughts.
For today, several times during the day, repeat the idea and apply it to what you see. Name each thing, saying: 'This is an image I have made.' Do not try to do too much. Let your gaze rest gently on each object. And patiently wait for the fringes of light that announce true vision.
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