A Course in Miracles

May 28, 2023 0 Comments

A Course in Miracles (abbreviated ACIM) is a self-study curriculum that teaches an alternative spiritual way of life. Its 650-page Text, 466-page Workbook of daily transformative meditations and 92-page Manual for Teachers offer a unified and integrated thought system combining Christian terminology with Eastern mysticism, perennial philosophy and modern psychological insights. It has been embraced by the New Age movement and is taught in a few thousand study groups worldwide, with a broad influence on the growing number of people who think of themselves as spiritual but not religious.

Helen Schucman, a Columbia University research psychologist and a highly respected and admired member of her department's faculty, began a series of inner visions, heightened dreams and psychic experiences in 1965. She then claimed that an inner voice instructed her to compose A Course in Miracles word for word via a process of "inner dictation."

The Course is Acim pdf presented as a practical teaching designed to assist the student in returning to God, and it views reality as a state of unity, love and sinlessness. It emphasizes forgiveness as the key to freedom from suffering and egoic control. It defines "love" as being the universal force that is all-powerful and all-encompassing, unconditioned and always available, regardless of circumstance or personal choice. It identifies itself as one of many versions of a universal curriculum and offers the premise that serious students may progress faster through its use than by any other spiritual method.

While the Course employs some Christian vocabulary, its metaphysics is more aligned with Eastern mysticism. It also directly challenges some elements of contemporary Christianity, most notably its doctrines of sin and crucifixion. The teachings of the Course are both intellectually sophisticated and spiritually inspirational, and its language is poetic and written in blank verse.

Despite its often challenging and sometimes archaic religious language, the Course is widely regarded as one of the most accessible ancient spiritual texts in the world. This is partly due to the fact that many of its statements can be verified by consulting the dictionary definitions of words and phrases, as well as examining how those words were used in previous eras. This approach makes it possible to bridge the gap between the old world view and the new, transforming the language into that which is most familiar and resonant to today's reader.

Nevertheless, the Course's sometimes confusing and cryptic use of religious language can make it difficult for even advanced readers to grasp its teachings. To help facilitate a deeper understanding of the work, this site offers a collection of frequently-requested questions and answers concerning various aspects of the Course's Text and Workbook Lessons. The site also provides links to a selection of articles and other resources that can be helpful in learning more about the Course. In addition, it is planned to publish a series of "Miracles of the Day" that will provide short expositions on selected lessons from both the Text and the Workbook.