A Course in Miracles, or ACIM as it is commonly known, is a self-study program that has helped thousands of people around the world experience spiritual transformation. It is a universal curriculum for spiritual seekers, and offers both profound teachings and practical guidance on achieving genuine happiness and fulfillment.
ACIM teaches that the ego thought system and our limiting beliefs are not the truth, but that they are a reflection of an illusion of separation. It is this illusion that the Course seeks to undo, and it does so by teaching a profoundly different way of forgiving.
The Text
A Course in Miracles is a powerful, modern path of spiritual awakening and healing. The book is comprised of a textbook, a workbook, and a manual for teachers, and is credited with helping millions of people around the world become better versions of themselves.
Despite the popularity of ACM, most students are still unfamiliar with the basics of the material and haven’t the foggiest idea what the author is talking about. This introductory text is the best way to get started. Its small size and low price point make it a must have in every serious student’s library.
Its one-sided cover makes it easy to slide under the bed or the office desk. It’s also a breeze to carry around on your person or strap to your bag, and it’s not too difficult to tuck in your pocket.
The best part is you can start using it right away! It’s a joy to see your eyes light up as you read the page. The book is a must have in any student’s arsenal of self-improvement tools.
The Workbook
Designed for beginners to the Course in Miracles, the workbook is a practical guide to mind healing. It bypasses the mind of your ego and opens your heart, enabling you to see with new eyes and live life in a more loving way.
Its thought system is intellectually sophisticated, combining spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such phenomena as belief and defense systems, perception and identity. It is written in a beautiful and profound language that has been compared to some of the great literature.
The workbook contains 365 daily lessons, which are designed to train the mind to think along the lines set forth by the Text. Each day's exercises are planned around one central idea, and follow a detailed description of how that idea is to be applied in specific procedures. The overall aim of these exercises is to generalize the ideas presented so that they can be transferred to all aspects of the world, and to all people.
As a result, even though the workbook is written on a high intellectual level and incorporates sophisticated metaphysical, theological, and psychological concepts, it can be understood by anyone at all. It can be read and studied by people with a wide range of backgrounds, from scientists to artists to teachers and parents.
However, if you have no previous background in such fields, it is not unlikely that you will find some of the ideas challenging, and may even resist them at times. These resistances are a natural part of the learning process, and do not diminish the power or efficacy of the material.
In fact, Jesus clearly expects you to study the text and use it as a basis for applying the exercises in this workbook. In the introduction to the workbook, he states: "A theoretical foundation is necessary as a framework to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful" (W.in.1:1).
The workbook has a clear orientation for students, stating that they must "do not undertake to do more than one set of exercises a day" (W.in.2:6), and that "the exercises are for you to train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything" (W.in.2:6). It is this kind of training, which the workbook teaches, that will enable you to achieve the Course's stated goal: "to become free from all suffering by opening your hearts and minds to divine love" (W.in.2:6).
The Manual for Teachers
A Course in Miracles is a modern spiritual teaching, self-described as a "mind training," that leads its students toward a radical view of reality based on an intense discipline of profound forgiveness. First published as a three-volume set in the mid-1970s, it has sold millions of copies worldwide and is widely considered one of the most important spiritual teachings of our time.
ACIM is a unique spiritual path that offers its readers a revolutionary shift in perception, bringing a sense of freedom and peace. It is a powerful spiritual tool, requiring commitment and dedication to study and practice. It can be a challenging experience, especially for those who are new to the practice of spirituality.
The Course teaches that learning takes place through study, practice and extension to others. Through these practices, students of the Course are led to experience a gradual and lasting change in their minds that brings them a greater awareness of God's love for them.
In the process, the ego becomes less powerful and is overcome by a newer, higher and more powerful thought-system, that of forgiveness. This process of transformation is called the Course's "miracles."
This book, designed to be a companion to the Course's Workbook, is the third volume in the series and was written by Helen Schucman, a teacher of A Course in Miracles. It is designed to shorten the time it takes to understand the Course by taking a selected group of basic terms and concepts from the original Text and re-arranging them in a more simplified step-by-step progression that helps students more quickly grasp the meanings of those words and phrases.
Besides helping you get a better understanding of the basic concepts of A Course in Miracles, this book will also serve as a manual for your own personal spiritual growth. It will help you see your thoughts and actions from a different perspective, so that you can live more fully and consciously in the world, as God intends us to.
The Course teaches that, like Christ, we have been chosen to be teachers of God's love to our fellow human beings. And it teaches that, as such, we have a responsibility to be exemplary models of the Course's principles.
Supplements
A Course in Miracles is a complete self-study spiritual thought system designed to help you achieve inner peace and unconditional love. Its thought system is intellectually sophisticated, and it combines spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such phenomena as belief and defense systems, perception and identity.
Originally written and received as an inner dictation by Helen Schucman, a psychologist at Columbia University, the three-volume set of books began to appear in her mind as a series of dreams and visions, which she began to interpret as signs from God. As the years passed, these experiences increased in intensity and complexity until she felt a strong urge to take them down, and to share them with others.
The course is written in an extremely poetic style, and many people have compared the language to the great literature of the world. Moreover, the Text and Workbook are full of symbols that are familiar in western culture but evoke universal, non-dual spiritual themes.
ACIM teaches that the way to universal peace and love is through undoing guilt by forgiving others, healing relationships, and making them holy. It also stresses that it is only one of thousands of spiritual paths that lead to God in the end.
Like many spiritual programs, ACIM requires a commitment from the student to make changes in his or her life at a personal pace. However, the program is very effective for those who wish to heal abandonment, victimhood and other seemingly lifelong issues.
When beginning to study the Course, students often find that the text is difficult and mystifying. For this reason, many teachers and students lose their interest in studying the Course.
Fortunately, the Decoding & Living a Course in Miracles class decodes the esoteric text of A Course in Miracles and makes it more comprehensible to the ordinary reader. The resulting clarity allows readers to more easily understand Jesus’ message of freedom and joy, which awaits them in their lives today.
While ACIM is primarily a self-study curriculum, hundreds of study groups have been formed worldwide. These study groups, led by ACIM teachers, use the Course as a basis for teaching it to others. Supplemental material, such as Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice and The Song of Prayer, is available to strengthen this commitment and help students further apply their new understandings.
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