Form versus Content: Sex and Money

by Kenneth Wapnick

The near-universal preoccupation with the issues of sex and money can be traced to the ego's agenda concealed in our minds—specifically its plan to keep us rooted in the body and the world so we will never get to the real source of pain and conflict, which is the mind's decision to sustain the separation from God but not be held responsible for it. In the context of the ego's principles and its doctrine of specialness and separate interests, both sex and money can be seen as behavioral forms that give expression to the contents of our minds. The focus in this book, therefore, is on identifying the content that gives rise to the guilt, conflict, myths, and obsession associated with sex and money. Forgiveness enables us to shift our attention from the complexity of behavior to the simplicity of purpose. Thus are sex and money, which have come to express the ego's guilt-inducing thought system of one or the other, transformed in purpose to reflect the Holy Spirit's healing principle of together, or not at all. "Nothing so blinding as perception of formFor sight of form means understanding has been obscured"

116 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2012

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are just notes to myself from memory. Some of the ideas from A Course in Miracles that this book rests on and further explains include:

The ego creates and operates in the world of form.
Spirit is concerned only with content.

The ego creates the body as an expression of form; our minds can become preoccupied with the incessant and ultimately unmeetable needs of the body. The ego uses such preoccupations to make us "mindless." Money was invented as one way to meet "needs." But money is part of a zero-sum game. This is the ego's way. One or other gets. What one gets, the other does not.

Spirit says all together or none at all.

I understand this zero-sum game better in terms of money. Though I realize you can't have sex with everyone, I don't quite grasp what he's saying about the using aspect of sex. Does it make more sense to men? Or will I have a burst of insight about this at some point? I did understand the point about believing bodies create other bodies so they can blame it on someone else...

Anyway, basically the body is nothing. That was actually the point of the crucifixion: it was not a sacrifice but a demonstration that the body does not determine suffering or anything like that. Only the mind does. What you do with your body does not matter on a spirit level, but the content with which you do it, does matter. Be normal; be kind; act without guilt. Even though there is no biological law, still refrain anything you *believe* is harmful because your guilt will be harmful.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a useful book, there is really nothing new here as the author warned us in the introduction. There could have been more practical advice for a book that belongs to the series of "The Practice of A Course In Miracles".

Of particular interest is the mythology and psychology on how society make sex & money out to be a big deal when it really isn't. There is no hierarchy of illusions just as Course says.

[Rick Bechard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book clearly explains how we get into trouble when we let our perception of form tell us what is true.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but with a lot to think about...
To be re-read several times...