A Course in Miracles, or ACIM, is a self-study spiritual thought system. It consists of three books and one supplement.
The Text presents the theoretical foundation on which the Workbook builds. The 365 daily lessons of the Workbook apply the ideas of the Text to your life. The Manual answers questions most likely to course in miracles arise, and clarifies terms used in the two other books.
What is A Course in Miracles?
A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system that was received as an inner dictation by Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford. First published in 1976, it is now considered a modern spiritual classic, with a scriptural status in the eyes of many readers. It is a curriculum made up of three books: the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers.
The Course uses Christian terminology, but is ecumenical in its approach. It is not a religion, and emphasizes that experience is more important than belief in a particular theology. The Course teaches that forgiveness is the way to peace, and that love is the only reality.
As with any major text, there are differences between the various editions of A Course in Miracles. The versions on this website, and the ones that are available in print, are edited to remove the material that relates to Helen and Bill, so that the focus remains on the teachings themselves. This allows users to see the core teachings of the Course without distraction.
The Text
A Course in Miracles, also known as ACIM or “the Course,” is a self-study spiritual thought system. It consists of three books: the Text, which lays out the concepts that make up the Course’s thought system; the Workbook for Students, which presents practical applications of its teachings; and the Manual for Teachers, which answers questions that arise during the study of the Course.
The Course teaches that the world of the body and its problems is not real, and that true happiness lies within each individual’s own mind. Its purpose is to help its students recognize their own divine essence and realize that they are God’s children, united in love and eternally indivisible. In the physical world, we experience suffering and loss of peace due to our attachment to our false self — the ego. In contrast, the spiritual world is one of unity, love, sinlessness and abundance.
Although the Course uses Christian terminology, it is not a religion; it teaches that all paths lead to God. Its ecumenical approach is reinforced by its statement that it is but one of many thousands of different forms of the universal Course.
A key to understanding the Course is its unique annotation system, which includes superscript numbers that identify passages throughout both the Text and the Workbook. This allows readers to easily reference a particular passage, regardless of which edition or translation they are using. The numbering system is especially helpful for students who are studying both the HLC and FIP versions of the Course.
Allen Watson and Robert Perry’s beloved Commentaries on the Workbook lessons combine insightful teachings, practice summaries and personal anecdotes. They are a perfect companion to the 365 daily lessons in the Workbook for Students and help us to apply the spiritual principles contained in the Text to our everyday lives. Designed to aid in the understanding of the Workbook’s daily lessons, the Commentaries are a profound and enduring resource that can be used by newcomers as well as those already familiar with the material.
The Workbook for Students
Book two in the Course series, The Workbook for Students contains 365 lessons to train your mind according to the principles set forth in the Text. Each lesson presents an idea that is designed to reverse your current perceptions of the world and your place in it. The ideas are often quite different from your own, and some of them may be hard to believe. However, that does not matter; what matters is that you apply the ideas, and it is in the application that they will prove themselves to you.
The lessons are arranged to cover a complete year, although it is not necessary or even desirable to do the lessons at this pace. You can proceed at your own pace, staying with a lesson as long as you wish, or moving on to the next. The lessons are practical in nature, and emphasize experience over theory. They are designed to lead you into the experience of God that is your goal in life.
Although the Course uses Christian terminology, it does not promote a particular religion. It is a non-dual spiritual thought system, and its lessons are intended to be helpful for all people regardless of their religious beliefs. It does not teach a specific method for finding God, and it encourages the practice of forgiveness, which is universal in its appeal.
The contents of the Course are presented in three books and one supplement. The first volume, the Text, consists of six chapters. In the first five of these chapters, there are differences in the principles presented between the HLC version and the FIP version of the Course. With the permission of the editors, I have provided the HLC version here, within the framework of the FIP chapters, titles, and divisions. This makes it easier for those who study the HLC version to compare and work with those who use the FIP version. It also allows me to include the HLC text for the first 5 chapters of the Text, where some of the material that was removed from the FIP version does not seem to be personal or otherwise need to be removed.
The Manual for Teachers
In the Manual for Teachers, students who have gone through both the Text and the Workbook are instructed in how to extend the Course's thought system to others. This extension is meant to be a real demonstration of the principles of the Course, rather than merely verbal reporting. The Course emphasizes that teaching is a form of thought-reinforcement that helps to diminish self-doubt.
Although the Course uses Christian terminology, it does not teach a religion. It states that it is but one version of a universal spiritual curriculum and that there are thousands of paths, which all lead to God in the end. It describes itself as nonsectarian, although it does use many theological and metaphysical concepts.
The Course is written on a high intellectual level and includes sophisticated metaphysical, theological and psychological ideas. This makes it difficult for the uninitiated to understand much of its content. This does not mean that someone cannot benefit from it, but it does require a commitment on the part of the student.
To help with this, the Course provides a set of tools to use in understanding its ideas. The most important of these is the concept of a miracle, which it defines as a shift in perception from fear to love. This change is the basis for the healing and sanctification of relationships. Another tool is the concept of forgiveness, which is the key to transforming one's own beliefs and thus changing the world.
Finally, the Course also discusses a number of special cases and exceptions that may arise in daily living. These include the experience of a sudden loss of memory, dreams and other unusual phenomena.
While the original version of the Course was published in 1976, it did not achieve the wide popularity that it has today until 1992, when author Marianne Williamson shared her own experience with the curriculum on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since then, ACIM has been embraced by people from all walks of life and around the world. It has now been translated into more than 22 languages.
