A Course in Miracles has had a profound impact on readers from many different faiths and religious backgrounds. It is a self-study spiritual thought a course in miracles bookstore system that teaches overcoming fear through forgiveness and the healing and sanctification of relationships.
This edition restores to its original form much of the material removed for publication by the scribes Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford. In addition, it includes in Appendices thirty-three Cameo Essays that offer guidance for scribes and students of the Course.
Text
A Course in Miracles is an acclaimed spiritual guide that has had a profound effect on people of many different religions. It is a self-study curriculum consisting of a Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers, which teaches that the way to universal love and peace is by undoing guilt through forgiveness. It also teaches the healing and sanctification of relationships. Although the book is written in the language of traditional Christianity, it is non-denominational and aspires to be a universal spiritual teaching.
It was “scribed” by Helen Schucman through a process of inner dictation that she identified as coming from Jesus Christ. She was a clinical and research psychologist who taught at the medical school where she worked. She devoted her life to the study and teaching of the Course, which she considered to be God’s message to humanity.
The Complete and Annotated Edition of A Course in Miracles (ACIM CE) is a restored version of the original Course manuscript. It is based on URTEXT, which is an actual reproduction of the scribes’ notes before further editing took place. Compared to the final HLC manuscript, there are a few missing paragraphs, and the number of miracle principles in the first chapter is reduced from 53 to 50.
This Combined Volume contains the Text and the Workbook for Students, as well as the Supplements to A Course in Miracles, "Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice" and "The Song of Prayer." It is the only edition that Helen Schucman, the Scribe of A Course in Miracles, authorized to be printed. It is published by the Foundation for Inner Peace, the not-for-profit organization that she designated to publish and distribute it.
In addition to restoring the missing material, this edition also provides a more direct experience of the original words of the Course. The first four chapters of the Text have been restored to the original order as much as possible, while keeping the FIP chapter titles and sections intact. This allows you to easily compare and interact with the FIP version as you read.
Workbook
When A Course in Miracles was first published in 1976, it had a profound impact on readers. It became a modern spiritual classic, and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Although it carries the language of traditional Christianity, the course is non-sectarian and non-denominational. Its message is that the way to universal love and peace, or “remembering God,” is through undoing guilt by forgiving others.
The Workbook for Students includes 365 daily exercises, each designed to help you practice forgiveness. The book also explains the principles of the course in simple terms. Some of these ideas may be difficult to accept, and some might seem startling. However, the workbook insists that these ideas are not to be judged, but used. The workbook also outlines specific ways you can use the ideas in your daily life to make them practical.
Anyone can benefit from the lessons of A Course in Miracles, but it is important to understand that it is written on an intellectual level. Many of its concepts are sophisticated, and there are a lot of theological and metaphysical ideas integrated throughout its three books. Consequently, an individual who is not highly educated might have difficulty understanding much of the material.
This Combined Volume, which is the only one authorized to be printed by Helen Schucman, the Course’s Scribe, contains the Text and the Workbook for Students as well as the Supplements to A Course in Miracles, Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice and The Song of Prayer. It is published by the Foundation for Inner Peace, which is a not-for-profit organization chosen by Schucman to publish the Course.
This Sparkle Edition of A Course in Miracles is based on the URTEXT, which is the actual reproduction of the shorthand notes that were typed by the scribes before they underwent editing. It does not contain the additional material included in the original “Complete and Annotated Edition” (see below). The Sparkle Edition is also the only edition to include a Foreword by Ken Wapnick, the editor of A Course in Miracles. This is a must-have for any student of the Course.
Manual
A Course in Miracles is an incredibly deep self-study curriculum for spiritual transformation. It offers both profound teachings and practical, step-by-step guidance. Often called ACIM or the Course, it is widely considered to be the most significant work on forgiveness ever published. Developed by psychologist Helen Schucman, it is a non-dualistic metaphysics that includes forgiveness at its core. It has been embraced by people from all walks of life, including celebrities and world leaders.
This Combined Volume contains the Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers of A Course in Miracles. It also includes two Supplements: Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice and The Song of Prayer. These Supplements contain additional teachings that expand upon Course principles. It is important to note that this Combined Volume does not include the Preface or Introduction to the Text, which were added in the second edition of A Course in Miracles.
In the first several weeks of dictation (roughly Chapters 4 and 5 in the Text), the dictation was much more personal, as though Helen and Jesus were sitting on her living room couch discussing the material. During this time, there were many questions asked and answered by Jesus, as well as corrections to her mishearings that Bill Thetford and I later referred to as “scribal errors”.
As the dictation progressed, however, Helen’s focus turned more toward teaching, as she realized that the purpose of the Course was to teach us how to heal our relationships. In the Manual, she describes this shift in emphasis clearly:
Initially, your learning of the Course took place mostly through study. As it progresses, however, your learning will become largely through extension to others, as you share the ideas of the Course with them. This extension is a thought-reinforcement mechanism that will help the ideas of the Course establish themselves as your dominant thought system. As this occurs, the need for study will diminish. This, in turn, will open your mind to the awareness of love’s presence in your daily life. This is the ultimate goal of the Course.
Supplements
A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a modern spiritual classic. It describes a way of transforming the world by healing relationships and changing perception. Its teachings are profound, and its concepts challenge traditional views of reality. While the book is primarily Christian in statement, it deals with universal spiritual themes. Those who want to deepen their understanding of ACIM can find helpful supplements in the form of books that complement and clarify its ideas.
A few of the more popular ACIM supplements include "Journey Without Distance" by Robert Skutch and "A Course in Miracles: The Complete and Annotated Edition" by Kenneth Wapnick. These books provide background and interpretation for the major themes in the course. They also explain how to apply its teachings in the everyday world. In addition, they are excellent resources for studying ACIM in groups.
The original author of A Course in Miracles was Helen Schucman, a self-professed "militant atheist." However, she began having a series of inner visions, heightened dreams, and psychic experiences that culminated in the fall of 1965, when an inner voice asked her to take down a course in miracles. She did so, and the work was completed in seven years. She worked in a collaborative venture with William Thetford, and together they edited the text for publication.
The Course teaches that it is God's purpose to heal the world, and that miracles are one of the ways He accomplishes this. But, if He wishes to do miracles in the world, He needs our help. This is because this world is not a physical place, but rather a psychological "space." In order for miracles to occur here they must be requested by humans who are open to receiving them.
For this reason, the course explains that miracles can be either physical or psychosomatic. It also teaches that there is no hierarchy of difficulty for miracles, and that our belief that cancer is more serious than a cold is what makes it seem harder to heal. Lastly, the Course emphasizes that miracles require the miracle worker's loving perception of the receiver in order to occur.