Lesson 8 Response
Denise L. Graves
1.       What is my understanding of choosing between serving two masters; Truth or illusions?
I understand that the manifestations I witness in my life are directly related to what I accept in my mind as true.  The content of my thought is informed by tyrannous or true Authority.  When my mind chooses to serve illusions or wrong-minded thinking, it places itself under tyrannous control.  As a result it imprisons, because such are the dictates of tyrants.  When my mind chooses right- mindedness I am listening to the Holy Spirit, I forgive the world and overlook what has happened.

I understand that through the power of prayer that every though has alchemical power because every thought is joined to the Thought of God.  I now realize that every thought that keeps me separate from God takes away my knowledge of my own power. This places me, the created, in the position of producing manifestations that are limited, assaultive, incomplete and deadly.  Any attempt to live in wrong-mindedness robs me of the abundant life that is mine already by the Thought of God.
The Course reminds me that all thinking produces form at some level.  There are no idle thoughts.  The mind cannot be impotent. What is a stake is what are we thinking about that produces what we want and do not want.  The alchemical power of thought works like an antenna.  It picks up creative frequencies and magnetizes them into the world of form where they take shape.  The mind can choose to listen to the voice of right-mindedness or wrong mindedness.  The brain needs direction.  It will respond the strongest thought and belief of the mind.    Whatever I spend time giving thought to, will manifest.  The manifestation is the effect of my thinking cause. This manifest is present in my bodily functions and earthly tangible illusions.  I can choose the wrong-mindedness or illusions or I can choose the right-mindedness or truth. 
I am challenged to explore my thoughts and their source.  I am also challenged to take responsibility for my thought impact in my life and the universe.  I am overwhelmed with the historic right thinking arguments of my cumulative faith journey.  I am comforted that this work is the work of the Holy Spirit.  I am informed and affirmed that taking the course was the perfect answer to a thought to know God through prayer.
  1.  How does perception and projection work to dilute the power of prayer?
  Projection and perception work together to keep me separate from God. As they work in concert, they keep me from seeking the healing of my mind, asking for God to show me how move through the circumstances of the world and asking God to remove obstacles the keep me from knowing Gods’ truth.
Projection uses perception to recoil from what it fears.  Once projection occurs, what we see outside ourselves appears to be independent of us.  It seems to be happening to us rather than made by us.  This is how projection allays our guilt but at the cost of making us impotent.
Partial awareness is perception. Knowledge knows the Thought of God’s All Encompassing Love and extends that Love.  Perception no longer knows Love. In the realm of perception, the power of thought works opposite.  This occurs when I accept wrong-mindedness as the truth.  In this separated state my thoughts appear to have diluted power because I do not guard my thoughts carefully. In the world of dreams and beliefs, perception employs the senses to gather information. Since senses can only recognize concrete things or things that have dimension, they cannot transcend the concrete, three dimensional realm.  Perceptions scope is limited to what the eyes and ears can verify and to the choices the mind has already made.  Separated from all Knowledge, perception can now merely analyze parts of the whole and make judgment and comparisons about it.  Its level of thinking can only operate in a world of multiplicity were eternity appears to be divided into past, present and future, where oneness seems to be comprised into separate, spatial compartments consisting of here and   there.  The mind that perceives does not solve problems; it blames and puts responsibility on others and things. Perception attacks.