A Course in Miracles

 

When a Course in Miracles (ACIM) was first published in 1976, it immediately became a modern spiritual classic. Its three-volume set of books combines profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching psychological insights. It has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. The language of the Text and Workbook lessons is rich and poetic, and there are sections of the book that have been likened to some of the world's great literature. The thought system that it lays out is intellectually sophisticated, with a deep understanding of such phenomena as belief systems and defenses, perception and identity.

The book has no human author in the usual sense; it was received word for word as a series of inner dictations to Helen Schucman, a Columbia University psychologist. At the time of the dictations, she was involved in intense conflict with her colleagues in her department and had come to the conclusion that there had to be a better way to get along with others. The Course's message arose out of that search for a more cooperative and peaceful way to live.

While the Course uses Christian terminology and evokes universal, non-dual spiritual themes, it is not a religion. It describes itself as a "self-study curriculum," with the Text laying out its thought system, the Workbook providing practice of its principles, and the Manual guiding students in extending the Course's ideas to others.

As a spiritual path, Acim encourages the use and practice of forgiveness on a moment-by-moment basis. It also urges a reversal of ordinary perception, with the physical world being viewed as a mass illusion, rather than as a divinely created reality. In this respect, it is similar to Buddhist and Hindu notions of samsara and maya, respectively.

It is hard to determine how many people worldwide are influenced by ACIM; it is certainly a major influence on the growing number of people who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." Most of its students either read the texts on their own or join one of the hundreds of study groups or the small number of accredited churches inspired by the Course. It is not practical to try to track "membership" in this loose affiliation of students, but it is safe to say that it is in the millions.

While some people who read the Course find it helpful to have a tutor, most do not. In a rare interview with this writer, a teacher of the Course, James Bolen, explained why the text and Workbook were written to be self-taught. He has also maintained a regular column here called miracles of the course that offers brief expositions of various Workbook Lessons. The article may be reproduced as long as the authorship is credited and this copyright notice appears with the article. The column also is available in PDF format. Click here to download. The PDF version is free to view, but not for printing or reproducing. This article is also available in our online archive.