A Course in Miracles (ACIM)

In 1965 Helen Schucman, a clinical psychologist and tenured professor at Columbia University, experienced inner dictation which she identified as coming from Jesus. The result of this process was A Course in Miracles, a universal spiritual thought system consisting of three volumes: Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers.

What is A Course in Miracles?

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) began with two Columbia University psychologists who were tired of the anger and division that was pervasive in their lives. They decided to turn their grievances into love and join together to find a better way. During the next seven years, Helen Schucman experienced a series of inner visions and heightened dreams that culminated in a voice dictating to her, word-for-word, through a process called "inner dictation." This voice identified itself as Jesus. The Course was first published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace and has since been translated into many languages. It has become a modern spiritual classic with a following that easily exceeds three million individuals worldwide.

While it uses Christian symbols, A Course in Miracles is not a religion. It does not have any churches or priests and states that it only teaches one of thousands of spiritual paths to God. It is, however, a self-study spiritual thought system that has a curriculum organized into three books: the Text which lays out the fundamentals of its teaching; the Workbook for Students that focuses on experience rather than belief; and the Manual for Teachers that outlines its teachings in more detail.

Although A Course in Miracles can be read for its spiritual insights alone, it is practiced primarily through the daily lessons in the Workbook. These require a commitment to question every value you hold and a willingness to be open to a different way of seeing the world. Those who take the Course seriously and commit to its principles and practices can experience the peace, love and happiness the Course speaks of in their lives.

Who authored A Course in Miracles?

Since the release of A Course in Miracles in 1975, it has been one of the most successful channeled works to come out of the English speaking world. It has been read and practiced by millions of people from every walk of life and all major faiths. It is considered to be the most practical spiritual thought system ever developed. It teaches that the way to universal love and peace is by undoing guilt through forgiveness. The Course was spelled out to Helen Schucman by an inner voice which she identified as Jesus over the period of eight years starting in 1965. She worked in collaboration with a psychotherapist William Thetford who helped her to transcribe and edit the material. They were both very familiar with the psychology of Freud and other psychoanalytically oriented psychologists like Jung and Rank.

The text of the Course was first transcribed in shorthand on a daily basis by Schucman and then typed out by Thetford over a seven year period. In the end the Course consisted of a bulky Text, a Workbook (365 daily lessons) and a Manual for Teachers. All the original shorthand transcripts and initial edits are still in existence.

In his book Absence from Felicity Kenneth Wapnick describes how the inner "voice" that dictated the Course to Helen was a combination of her spiritual nature and her ego. He also describes how she was able to separate these two aspects of herself while working on the transcription and editing process.

Wapnick also describes how the spiritually oriented material in A Course in Miracles was influenced by other channels like those of Madam Blavatsky and Rudolf Steiner and how acim can be linked to Gnostic beliefs. Olav Hammer has written a similar essay describing the Course as neo-Gnostic scripture.

What is the Text?

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a three-volume spiritual curriculum consisting of a Text, a Workbook for Students, and a Manual for Teachers. It teaches that the way to universal love and peace is through undoing guilt by forgiving others. ACIM is non-sectarian and ecumenical, and it emphasizes that a change in perception is the only true path to salvation. It uses Christian terminology and mystical references, but it also echoes themes from Eastern mysticism. In the words of Bill Thetford, ACIM is "the Christian Vedanta."

Helen Schucman, who began to have inner experiences in the fall of 1965, listened to an inner voice that told her to record these teachings on a tape recorder. She did so, and the Course was completed in 1976. It has since been published, without paid advertising, and more than three million copies have been distributed. It is used by people from all walks of life and every major faith.

The Course focuses on learning to forgive and to recognize that God is all there is. Its metaphysics is not traditional Christianity, but rather, it is closer to the Hindu idea of moksha or liberation from reincarnation. It also criticizes certain aspects of the traditional religion, such as its belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

Because of its lack of any central church, it is difficult to determine how many people have been influenced by A Course in Miracles. However, it is often cited as the Bible of the “spiritual but not religious” movement. It has been influential in changing the perspective of many Westerners and is one of the most prominent pillars of what has come to be known as alternative spirituality.

What is the Workbook?

The workbook consists of 365 daily lessons designed to help the student train his or her mind to change its perception of reality. The ideas presented in the lessons are not necessarily easy to believe, and some may seem startling. It does not matter whether one accepts them or not; what is important is that they are practiced.

The language used in the Text and the Workbook of A Course in Miracles is very poetic, often using blank verse, and has led many to compare it with some of the world’s great literature. The thought system is intellectually sophisticated, combining spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such issues as belief systems and defense mechanisms.

It is this theoretical foundation that makes the application of the lessons possible. It is important to remember, however, that enlightenment will likely not be reached with any individual lesson. Rather, it is a process that is intended to be undertaken over the entire training period of one year, although some students have taken more than a year to complete it.

Each day’s lesson is accompanied by a "Lesson Insight" that provides practical insights into how to apply the lesson to your everyday life. A free subscription to the Lesson Insights can be received via email, and you can synchronize your subscription with the daily lesson to receive it at the exact moment the Course is taught.

What is the Manual for Teachers?

All students of A Course in Miracles are familiar with the three-volume set comprising the Text, Workbook and Manual for Teachers. The Text is intended to be read and studied; the Workbook is to be practiced and its lessons done; and the Manual for Teachers is to serve as a guide for those who wish to extend the Course’s thought system to others. This extension takes two forms, both of which the Manual for Teachers discusses.

The first form takes the teacher of God as a spiritual shepherd, mentor or guide for his pupils. In this role he guides them along the path of A Course in Miracles, helping them to deal with their egoic thoughts, assisting them with ideas they picked up outside of the Course and providing clarification of Course terms within the theoretical framework of Book 1.

A second way that a teacher of God can help his pupils is by extending forgiveness to them. In this role he is the healer of the mind, bringing healing power to those who have projected their own mind’s illness onto their bodies in the form of physical disease. The Manual for Teachers discusses this aspect of teaching the Course in seven of its sections.

The Manual for Teachers is written for those who have become mature enough in their learning that they are ready to teach it to others. It is not, as some have mistakenly interpreted it to be, a summary of the Course’s principles in question and answer format. Rather, it is a guide for those who have made the choice to extend the Course’s thought system to other people, teaching it as they go.