Making A Case for A Course in Miracles
Not being affiliated with any religion myself, how could a text like ACIM have become interesting to me?
I do have a bit of a story to tell myself by now. I viewed myself as an "atheist". Then came my "awakening" two years ago...
As it seems to have been the case for many who have also experienced some kind of awakening over these past few years, I checked out scriptures, started to look into history, including philosophical texts (many of which today would go under "religion") and more.
Most religions seem to have been based off of philosophical concepts, then misunderstandings, misinterpretations and distortions become part of these religions; or the original teachings fell prey to manipulation, as it seems to have happened with most or all of the major religions. -- Do consider however to look into a relatively young one, the BahΓ‘'Γ Faith and you might be surprised by how positive it sounds overall, without any (or almost any) of the heavy baggage.
Why is philosophy not taken as seriously as religion?
"πβππππ ππβπ¦" ππ ππππ πΊππππ, πππππππΞ―πΌ, "πβπππ-Sππβππ", πππππππ "πΏππ£π ππ πΉπππππ (ππ) πππ πππ."
The name Sophia does seem to come up quite a lot if you start to dig a bit.
"The concept of religion was formed in the 16th and 17th centuries, despite the fact that ancient sacred texts like the Bible, the Quran, and others did not have a word or even a concept of religion in the original languages and neither did the people or the cultures in which these sacred texts were written. For example, there is no precise equivalent of religion in Hebrew, and Judaism does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. One of its central concepts is halakha, meaning the walk or path sometimes translated as law, which guides religious practice and belief and many aspects of daily life.
[You will at times hear a reference to The Way, as Jesus' teachings seem to have been referred to at the time. But also in context with Lao Tzu and Sophia one might be able to come across the same reference, telling from the top of my head.]
The Greek word threskeia, which was used by Greek writers such as Herodotus and Josephus, is found in the New Testament. Threskeia is sometimes translated as religion in today's translations, however, the term was understood as worship well into the medieval period. In the Quran, the Arabic word din is often translated as religion in modern translations, but up to the mid-1600s translators expressed din as law.
The Sanskrit word dharma, sometimes translated as religion, also means law. Throughout classical South Asia, the study of law consisted of concepts such as penance through piety and ceremonial as well as practical traditions. Medieval Japan at first had a similar union between imperial law and universal or Buddha law, but these later became independent sources of power.
Though traditions, sacred texts, and practices have existed throughout time, most cultures did not align with Western conceptions of religion since they did not separate everyday life from the sacred. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the terms Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and world religions first entered the English language.
No one self-identified as a Hindu or Buddhist or other similar terms before the 1800s. "Hindu" has historically been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Throughout its long history, Japan had no concept of religion since there was no corresponding Japanese word, nor anything close to its meaning, but when American warships appeared off the coast of Japan in 1853 and forced the Japanese government to sign treaties demanding, among other things, freedom of religion, the country had to contend with this idea.
According to the philologist Max MΓΌller in the 19th century, the root of the English word religion, the Latin religio, was originally used to mean only reverence for God or the gods, careful pondering of divine things, piety (which Cicero further derived to mean diligence). Max MΓΌller characterized many other cultures around the world, including Egypt, Persia, and India, as having a similar power structure at this point in history. What is called ancient religion today, they would have only called law."
I had to bring up some of the above because...
"A Course in Miracles" does have this religious "tone" and might falsely be interpreted as though it is affiliated with Christianity or has a Christian structure at its basis, due to the mention of "Jesus" and "The Father" and other terminology. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Try and hand the book to a Christian and see what happens.
"A Course in Miracles (often called just "the Course") is a self-study course for retraining the mind that is spiritual, rather than religious, in its perspective.
Although it uses Christian terminology, it is ecumenical in its approach, and its underlying ontology is reminiscent of ancient refrains, echoing the world's most hallowed traditions.
The Course is pragmatic in its method, and its aim is a peaceful mind: "Knowledge is not the motivation for learning this course. Peace is." Nevertheless, the Course frequently emphasizes its simplicity."
In preparation for this post, I asked in a ACIM-related Facebook group for some pointers...
My main idea for this post here had revolved around the notion that Tina Louise Spalding's channelings, incl. her last year's publication "A Year of Forgiveness", which has commentary for every lesson in ACIM, seem very much in alignment with Helen Schucman's writings in A Course in Miracles, who had passed away 40 years ago.
Here two of the replies on FB:
"No regular human of this day and age could've written it. Not to mention the insight he has about things not of this world."
"That was my first step, was it possible for a Jewish atheist to write something like this. Then, could something so profound, without contradiction be written by anyone. Then there is the iambic pentameter. Then, testing it out was profound. And nothing else I ever read comes close."
He also referred to Absence of Felicity by Kenneth Wapnick, which is about the life of Helen Schucman. "The Story seemed authentic", he added and mentioned, "I also heard the voice once but this was years after I was convinced."
"This biography of Helen Schucman focuses on the lifetime conflict between her spiritual nature and her ego, and includes excerpts from her recollections, dreams, letters, and personal messages from Jesus -- all never before in print."
How it all started...
In 1965, Helen Schucman started to perceive "inner experiences that were understood by her as visions, dreams, and heightened imagery, along with an "inner voice" which she identified as Jesus.
She said that on October 21, 1965, an "inner voice" told her: "This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes."
Schucman said that the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop. The next day, she explained the events of her "note-taking" to Thetford. To her surprise, Thetford encouraged her to continue the process. He also offered to assist her in typing out her notes as she read them to him. The transcription the next day repeated itself regularly for many years. In 1972, the dictation of the three main sections of the Course was completed, with some additional minor dictation coming after that point." [Wikipedia]
"A Course in Miracles has become a contemporary spiritual classic. Since it was originally published in 1976, readers have recognized in its words truths that they had never heard before, yet somewhere inside seemed to have always known.
However, in the process of editing for publication, roughly forty-five thousand words were edited out, mostly from the first seven chapters of the Text, and the wording of the first four chapters was edited to the point where only about a fifth of their sentences retained their original wording." ("The Complete and Annotated Edition aims to restore the material that was lost." Note: This special edition is probably not quite necessary for the beginner.)
Who is speaking in ACIM? Is it really Jesus?
I certainly perceive the manner in which the information is brought forth as more of a masculine energy. Whereas, behind the answers given for example in the "Conversations with God" trilogy, or by Krishna in the "Bhagavad Gita", or as given by Spinoza's God (see below), I would interpret more of a feminine energy or "voice" behind it. Like that of the Divine Mother and/or the Holy Spirit. Which probably would be a bit difficult to handle for the egos of many ACIM readers though, where there is no mention of a Mother..........
There's also Shaktism, which centers around the notion of God being female: Shaktism ("lit. doctrine of energy, power, the eternal goddess") "is one of major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti is regarded as the supreme godhead."
Would you be able to distinguish the following text of Spinoza, from the "God" speaking in Neale Donald Walsh's books?
And by the way, π° πππππ πππππππππ ππππππππ ππππ ππ πππππ ππππππ πππ ππ π πππππππ ππ πππ π π ππ, πππ ππ βπππ ππππ ππβ π π ππ...
Plus, prayer isn't usually being practiced the way it should. But Gregg Braden can explain this better...
When Albert Einstein was asked if he believed in God, he answered, "I believe in the god of Spinoza".
According to Spinoza, God would say:
"Stop praying.
What I want you to do is go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to sing, have fun and enjoy everything I've made for you.
Stop going into those dark, cold temples that you built yourself and saying they are my house. My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches. That's where I live and there I express my love for you.
Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy. So don't blame me for everything they made you believe.
Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. If you can't read me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son's eyes ... you will find me in no book!
Stop asking me "will you tell me how to do my job?" Stop being so scared of me. I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry, or bothered. I am pure love.
Stop asking for forgiveness, there's nothing to forgive. If I made you... I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies... free will. How can I blame you if you respond to something I put in you? How can I punish you for being the way you are, if I'm the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who behave badly for the rest of eternity? What kind of god would do that
Respect your peers and don't do what you don't want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life, that alertness is your guide.
My beloved, this life is not a test, not a step on the way, not a rehearsal, nor a prelude to paradise. This life is the only thing here and now and it is all you need.
I have set you absolutely free, no prizes or punishments, no sins or virtues, no one carries a marker, no one keeps a record.
You are absolutely free to create in your life. Heaven or hell.
I can't tell you if there's anything after this life but I can give you a tip. Live as if there is not. As if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist.
So, if there's nothing after, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is, rest assured that I won't ask if you behaved right or wrong, I'll ask. Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?
Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don't want you to believe in me. I want you to believe in you. I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved, when you tuck in your little girl, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.
Stop praising me. What kind of egomaniac God do you think I am?
I'm bored being praised. I'm tired of being thanked. Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world. Express your joy! That's the way to praise me.
Stop complicating things and repeating as a parakeet what you've been taught about me.
What do you need more miracles for? So many explanations?
The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is full of wonders."
Some random quotes from ACIM:
When I recently got the book, I started out reading at Chapter 10 (and from ch. 10 are all the quotes below), since I had already listened to parts of the audiobook version. But really, with such dense material, you just need the written pages in front of you (plus, doing so may have other positive side-effects..). Mainly, so far, I've tried to focus on doing a lesson per day. Which is also what I would recommend those getting the book doing (notice that you can get the book and the lessons both separately and in a combined edition that has both). Most lessons will be easy - especially at the beginning, I guess - but some will be strange. Just to give you a heads up. For those with an awareness or background of certain concepts, it might feel a little less strange.
Then at the same time, one way could be to either go through the book chronologically, or open pages randomly whenever you feel like it, in order to get a feel for it.
"What is healing but the removal of all that stands in the way of knowledge?"
"Only the ego blames at all. Self-blame is therefore ego identification and as strong an ego defense as blaming others."
"Clarity undoes confusion by definition, and to look upon darkness through light must dispel it."
"The resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ [you] over the ego, not by attack but by transcendence."
"There has been much confusion about what perception means because the same word is used both for awareness and for the interpretation of awareness. Yet you cannot be aware without interpretation, and what you perceive is your interpretation...".
"Miracles are Changes of perception." - Stewart Pearce
"The god of the crucifixion demands that he crucify, and his worshippers obey. In his name they crucify themselves, believing that the power of the Son of God is born of sacrifice and pain.
The God of the resurrection demands nothing, for he does not will to take away. He does not require obedience, for obedience implies submission. He would only have you learn your own will and follow it, not in the spirit of sacrifice and submission, but in the gladness of freedom." (p. 208)
"The resurrection is the complete triumph over the ego, not by attack but by transcendence."
Jesus via the commentary of Lesson 11 in "A Year of Forgiveness":
"I did not go to the cross as a sacrifice, and I did not martyr myself. I demonstrated the ability to overcome death, incorrectly called the resurrection. The body did not get resurrected as such. I created a new body because my mind had reached a point of love where it mastered the low frequencies of this material plane.
Miracles
ensue when you align with love to such a degree. You lose your fear, and you do
not act as a victim of this world."
ACIM continued...
"The ego sees some good but never only good. That is why its perceptions are so variable. It does not reject goodness entirely, for that you could not accept, but it always adds something that is not real to the real, thus confusing illusion and reality."
"The perception of goodness is not knowledge, but the denial of the opposite of goodness enables you to perceive a condition in which opposites do not exist. And this is the condition of knowledge."
"Nothing of God will enslave his Son, whom he created free and whose freedom is protected by his Being."
"Fear lies not in reality, but in the minds of children who do not understand reality."
"To love yourself is to heal yourself."
