Day 9: This morning I woke up from a dream and said, “tabula rasa,” out loud. As I went to brush my teeth, I wondered why I suddenly had foreign words coming out of my mouth. I amused myself repeating the phrase in different accents. It turns out, I liked my Latin gangster version best.
Since I had no idea what tabula rasa meant, I went to ChatGPT for an explanation.
Tabula rasa is Latin for blank slate.
ChatGPT: “It refers to the idea that the mind begins without built-in content. Knowledge, beliefs, and identity are shaped by experience, learning, and environment. Nothing is prewritten. Therefore, life does the writing.
The phrase is most often associated with philosopher John Locke, who argued that we are not born with innate ideas. Instead, sensation and reflection slowly inscribe meaning onto the slate.
You’ll see tabula rasa used in a few common ways:
- Philosophy / psychology: the mind starts empty and is formed by experience
- Everyday language: a fresh start, free from past assumptions or mistakes
- Creative or spiritual contexts: letting go of prior narratives so something new can emerge
It carries a quiet optimism. If the slate is blank, then change is possible. The past is not destiny.”
Erase the board. With a blank slate, you can learn something new. And maybe, see into your blind spot.
Even with the help of ACIM Teachers Nouk Sanchez and Coreen Walson, the lessons are difficult to understand. Generally, I complete the practice exercises and move on with my day believing that clarity comes gradually.
In the ACIM Lesson 9 video, Nouk and Coreen mention two ideas that seem to help. First, Coreen discusses the way that you’re seeing things now, may be different from how they actually are because we see the past in everything.
And this line from the Workbook sounds like something Yoda would say. “You do not need to practice what you already understand.” ACIM Lesson 9: Paragraph 1, Line 6.
Okay, good. That should save me some time today. Because I have no idea how to practice what I don’t understand.
My slate is definitely blank today. However, I am open to changing my point of view because I cannot see into my blind spot.
A Course in Miracles: Lesson 9 (video)
I see nothing as it is now. ACIM Lesson 9
A Course In Miracles: Lesson 9 (read the lesson here).
Disclaimer for quotes: I use an AI tool to capture quotes. It corrects grammar as people are speaking. Why? It’s very annoying. However, it is quick. And the relevance of the quote isn’t changed. So, what do you think? Are these robots a help or a hindrance? Only time will tell.
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