David Hoffmeister reads from the beginning of A Course in Miracles to guide new and advanced students alike into a conversation with the author of this spiritual classic. He offers deep teachings of clarity and presence in every lesson.
un curso de milagros
uses Christian symbols, but it is not a religious text. It is a combined spiritual AND psychological path. What Is ACIM?
A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a self-study spiritual thought system that combines profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching and practical psychological insights. It is not a religion but a new perception of God and the world, resulting in deep healing and transformation of the mind. The Course is divided into three books: the Text, which lays out its concepts; the Workbook for Students, comprised of 365 daily lessons that emphasize experience over belief in a theology; and the Manual for Teachers, containing questions and answers that help deepen students’ understanding of the Text.
The Course begins with two Columbia University clinical psychologists, Bill Thetford and Helen Schucman, who were tired of the angry, ego-centered attitudes they perceived in their colleagues and in themselves. They made a decision to find “a better way” and joined together in their search. The Course itself came to them through a process of inner dictation, beginning with a voice that said, “This is a course in miracles, please take notes.” Scribing the book took seven years, and no author’s name appears; instead, the voice that gave the dictations identified itself as Jesus Christ.
Although the Course uses Christian symbols, it is almost the opposite of Christianity as commonly practiced, and it also gives a different meaning to common Christian terms. The Son of God, for example, is all of us, not just Jesus; and it is a spiritual and psychological path, not a religious one.
Throughout ACIM, the remembrance of love is central. The Course teaches forgiveness as the means of undoing the illusion of separation, and it offers a different approach to healing that emphasizes releasing resistance to love. It teaches that fear and anger are the result of a mistaken identification with a separate self, and that the correct identification is with the eternal, unchanging Love of God.
The conversational tone of the Original Edition invites the novice student into conversation with the Course’s Author, and even advanced students have found new clarity and a deeper understanding by studying this version. In addition, the restoration of lost material and the presentation of the Text in its original sequence make this Edition a valuable resource for researchers and historians.
ACIM Text
The Course is a text that describes a profound change in perception and belief, a shift from the ego’s story of reality to God’s. It is a transformation of the mind, and is what ACIM calls a miracle.
It is also a system of forgiveness that teaches us to change our beliefs and perceptions in order to experience the loving presence of God. Its teachings are both spiritual and psychological, combining a deep understanding of such concepts as the nature of love and fear, beliefs and defense systems. Its language is poetic, written in blank verse and has led some people to compare it to other of the world’s great literature.
Although the Course uses Christian terms, it is not a religion. It is ecumenical in nature and states that "a universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary." It does not tell anyone what to believe but rather how to find their own Internal Teacher.
A key concept in the Course is that time and space are illusions. The real world is the one that extends beyond the physical universe, and is the eternal, unbounded presence of Love, which is God. This eternal reality is the only truth, and everything that we see in this world is a reflection of our beliefs and perceptions about it.
In the Course, we learn that the ego’s story of the world is the basis for all fear, attack, and suffering. It tells us that we are guilty of being separate from Love, and that the only way to escape this guilt is to change our beliefs and perceptions about what the world really is. It teaches that this is what miracles are all about.
The Course consists of three books: the 669-page ACIM Text, the 488-page ACIM Workbook for Students, and the 92-page Manual for Teachers. The order in which students choose to use these books is entirely up to them, and the way they study is unique to each person. While the names of those who worked on the Course are not listed, they are all credited as having contributed to its overall content and message.
ACIM Workbook
The Workbook of A Course in Miracles is a practical application of the teachings of ACIM. It provides a daily practice framework for transforming your thoughts and relationships with an emphasis on forgiveness. The ACIM Workbook is designed to be used with the Text of A Course in Miracles and its 365 lessons. Each lesson of the ACIM Workbook is planned around a central idea, with a specific procedure for applying it. The exercises are simple and do not require a great deal of time or long practice periods. A major principle in the Introduction to the ACIM Workbook is that "an untrained mind can accomplish nothing." Some of the ideas presented in the workbook may be difficult to accept, and some you will actively resist. However, this does not diminish their value. In fact, it is only by using them that you will begin to learn their true meaning.
The workbook exercises are also designed to help you generalize the ideas of the lessons. In this way, you will be able to apply them to everyone and everything you see. The goal is that, by the time you complete all 365 lessons, the transfer of training in true perception will have occurred.
Although the language of A Course in Miracles is poetic, written in blank verse and reminiscent of some of the world’s great literature, it is also intellectually sophisticated. Its thought system combines spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such concepts as belief and defense systems, perception and identity.
The ACIM for Dummies format cuts through the mystery of this esoteric text and makes Jesus’ message alive and accessible to you. It is a guide to learning the principles of ACIM’s mind healing curriculum, and is designed to be used as an adjunct to studying the Course with a teacher or in small group study. It includes helpful charts, tables and graphs to aid in your understanding of ACIM’s principles, along with explanatory notes to clarify the meaning of the original workbook lessons. It will help you to remove obstacles that stand between you and the realization of God’s love in your life.
ACIM Audio
When you want to go beyond just an intellectual understanding of ACIM to a truly transformational experience, you need to hear the teachings as they are written and applied. Fortunately, ACIM audio is available in a wide variety of formats. Whether you prefer to listen in your car, while exercising, or just on your mobile phone, there is a format that suits you. You can even download an entire course for free!
A Course in Miracles is the product of a collaboration between Columbia University psychologist Dr. William T. Thetford and his colleague, Helen Schucman. In 1965, Helen experienced a voice that spoke clearly in her mind and told her to take notes. Over the next seven years, she transcribed 1,500 typewritten pages. She and Thetford then edited the material into three books: the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers.
During this editing process, about a quarter of the Hugh Lynn Cayce version of the Course's TEXT was deleted and reordered to create the Derivative Edition published in Feb 2000. This original dictation was not included in later editions of the Course, so we now offer it here, in its entirety, as an ACIM audio book.
The Spiritual Ear Audio production of A Course in Miracles features a professional voice and the Listener Clarity Version, which replaces many pronouns (such as it, he, you) with their proper names to enhance clarity while listening. This edition also includes two supplements, Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice and The Song of Prayer, that were not included in the Original Editing of A Course in Miracles.
The ACIM audiobook, Mystical Mind Training Program is a comprehensive mind training course that teaches the principles and concepts of A Course in Miracles. It includes an extensive online library of videos, music, and audios that are woven together into a platform designed to heighten your understanding of the metaphysics in the Course's teachings, and transfer them to your life. The program provides a complete and thorough support for entering into the experience that ACIM is pointing to, namely that God's Will for you is perfect happiness!
You need to be a member of On Feet Nation to add comments!
Join On Feet Nation