A Course in Miracles (ACIM) tells us that when we have completed all our forgiveness lessons we will reach the “real world”. This is the place, where we will realise that the world we thought was real,(the world of the ego) was not. The real world, we are told is one step away from Heaven. When we reach it, God will step down Himself and place us back in Heaven.

“The real world is the symbol that the dream of sin and guilt is over, and God’s Son no longer sleeps. His waking eyes perceive the sure reflection of his Father’s Love; the certain promise that he is redeemed…” ACIM, Workbook, page 443.

When I was walking in a beautiful nature reserve a couple of months ago, I thought about the real world. I was surrounded by the peaceful energy of a multitude of trees, flowers, butterflies and bees. I thought how nice it was to be in a place where trees vastly outnumber humans and cars, as I wandered through the woods with hardly another person in sight. It was a mystical moment for me, when I felt at one with all of creation.

It occurred to me that just as the real world is one step away from Heaven, maybe the natural world is one step away from the real world.  Immersed in the harmony and seclusion of the trees, I felt peaceful and uplifted. This world felt so far removed from the troubles of daily living in the world of the ego, especially as these have escalated dramatically in the past couple of years.

Well, that was just a thought. But anywhere that can engender feelings of peace and joy in this world, has to be a special place.