something that is believed to be real but is not; the ultimate illusion is the separation from God, upon which rest all the manifestations of the separated world which may be understood as distortions in perception; i.e., seeing attack instead of a call for love, sin instead of error; the illusions of the world reinforce the belief that the body has a value in and of itself, a source of either pleasure or pain; forgiveness is the final illusion as it forgives what never was, and leads beyond all illusion to the truth of God.
Glossary