A Course in Miracles

[Faheemkhatri4]

A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system that combines profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching and practical psychological insights. It consists of a three volume curriculum: the Text, acim store the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers. It is non-sectarian and non-denominational. It was "scribed" by Helen Schucman, a clinical and research psychologist, under inner dictation.
The Text

A Course in Miracles is a complete self-study spiritual thought system that includes a Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers. It combines profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching psychological insights into such topics as belief systems and defense mechanisms. The Course emphasizes forgiveness as the key to healing and reveals that true love is all-encompassing. It also shows that what we call evil is simply misperceptions and that God’s law of love can replace the laws of fear.

The Course was "scribed" by Helen Schucman through a process she called inner dictation, and was later edited by William Thetford, her academic advisor at the Medical Psychology Department where they both worked. It is written in Christian language, but makes clear that it is a universal spiritual teaching and not a religion. It is also ecumenical in that it refers to many different versions of the universal curriculum.

Since the beginning, this site has offered a version of ACIM that is based on the original content as published by the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP). This version provides an opportunity to compare the original material with the common FIP edition. It also allows for the easy use of the original numbered chapters in conjunction with the FIP editions.
The Workbook

A Course in Miracles is a self-study system of "spiritual psychology" that teaches the forgiveness of sin (or remembering God). Its 1250-page curriculum consists of three volumes: the Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers. It has reached about one and a half million people around the world.

There are many different versions of A Course in Miracles, and most ACIM followers don't know about the editing process or which edition to use. However, there are versions that contain more of the original material than others. For example, the first chapter of the workbook contains 53 principles of miracles, whereas other editions only have 50.

The question-and-answer format of the Workbook makes it easy to use in conjunction with the Text, and its clarifications are very helpful.
The Manual for Teachers

The Manual for Teachers is Book 3 of the four-volume A Course in Miracles, also known as ACIM. It is a self-study spiritual thought system that teaches that the way to universal love and peace (or remembering God) is through undoing guilt through forgiving others. The Course also teaches that there is no one way to forgiveness, and it emphasizes the need to recognize that what you are looking for is already within you.

The text of A Course in Miracles is largely theoretical and sets forth the concepts on which its teachings are based. But it cannot be understood without the practical application provided by the Workbook for Students. The 365 daily lessons in the Workbook provide the means for transforming your life by practicing forgiveness. The Manual for Teachers provides answers to questions that may arise in your study of the Course, and it clarifies a number of terms used in the Text and the Workbook.

Many people struggle to read the massive volume of A Course in Miracles, and often give up after a few chapters. It's important to find a way to read the Book at a pace that works for you, and you can choose to focus on reading just one chapter or section a week, or even a few pages each day.

Dr Schucman received the materials that make up A Course in Miracles by a process called "inner dictation" from a voice she believed to be that of Jesus Christ. She and her partner Dr William Thetford worked together on the Course for seven and a half years.

Although the Course is Christian in statement, it does not promote any religion and explains that it is just one version of a universal curriculum that is available to all. It also makes clear that there is no one "correct" version of the Course, and that all versions lead to the same place in the end.

A Course in Miracles is published by the Foundation for Inner Peace, and has been translated into twelve languages. It is a worldwide phenomenon, and it has transformed the lives of millions of people. Its influence is felt in fields as diverse as business, psychology, medicine, education, the arts, and religion.
The Teaching Manual

The Teaching Manual of A Course in Miracles, also known as the Text and Workbook, contains a complete self-study spiritual thought system. Its poetic language and blank verse have led some to compare it to the world’s great literature, while its intellectually sophisticated thought system blends spiritual inspiration with far-reaching and practical psychological understanding of such phenomena as belief and defense systems, forgiveness and identity. The Course has already touched the lives of more than one million people worldwide.

The Course consists of three volumes: the 669-page Text, which provides the theoretical foundation for its thought system; the 488-page Workbook for Students, which includes 365 daily lessons for practicing the teachings of the Text; and the 92-page Manual for Teachers, which answers questions that may arise while studying the Course. Two supplements, the Song of Prayer and the Psychotherapy Booklet, are also included. The Course uses Christian terminology, but it is ecumenical and does not promote any religion.

As a whole, the Teaching Manual is not a difficult read, although it requires some commitment and willingness to question all your current values and beliefs. Reading it a little bit at a time is helpful. Some people choose to read a chapter a week, a section each day, or even the entire book at once! Regardless of how you approach it, however, the most important thing is to actually read the material. You can do this by buying a copy of the book or accessing it online, but many find it much more useful to have an actual physical copy in hand.