A Course in Miracles...

[Nay]

Hey Alpha I moved your topic to Book recommendations & Reviews

I have never heard of it, what is it about?

Nay

[The AlphaOmega]

Basically it's a book inspired by a woman in the 70's.  She heard a continuous voice speaking to her that she tried to ignore for a while, and eventually just gave into it and wrote down everything that the voice spoke to her.  Her writings turned into "A Course in Miracle's".  It's basically a book on life, healing, overcoming the pain and illusions of this world and discovering our true spiritual nature.  That's just a piece.  The book itself is pretty huge so I can't get into detailes.  There are probably close to 100 chapters and each is on something different.

[aissy]

Hello The AlphaOmega,

Who's the author of "A Course In Miracles?"

Cheers........aissy[]

[The AlphaOmega]

No author given.  It was published by The Foundation for Inner Peace.  There is a much smaller book you can buy that explains how the book came about.  It tells the tale of the woman who experienced the voice and her co-worker who convinced her to turn it into a book.  I guess she figured just because she wrote the message doesn't mean she was the author of it, if that makes any sense.  Though no author is given it's a book I'm sure you'd be able to locate at your local book store if interested.

[aissy]

Thanks, The AlphaOmega.....found the book on amazon.ca.......can't wait!

Sincerely..............aissy[]

[The AlphaOmega]

I truly hope you enjoy it.  In my opinion it's difficult not to.  Good luck reading it... the answers DO lie within!

[The AlphaOmega]

AISSY, have you began reading yet?  If so what are your impressions so far?

[Lighthouse]

The following is from this website, http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/course.html

Helen Schucman was an associate professor of medical psychology at Columbia University in New York 3. She had an interesting relationship with her colleague, Bill Thetford. When Schucman first saw Thetford she said to herself, "And there he is. He's the one I'm supposed to help" 4. Schuchman did not yet know what this help would be. "Helen and Bill were obviously drawn together, as if they both recognized on another level a purpose to their association greater than simply a professional one" 5. They became very close friends, but also had a very strained relationship. As Schucman recalled, "The relationship between Bill and myself deteriorated steadily. We had come quite interdependent, but we had also developed considerable anger towards each other" 6. As their relationship worsened, Schuchman and Thetford desperately sought solutions to fix their problems. One day Thetford came to Schuchman and said, "There must be another way" 7.
Schuchman then began having strange visions and dreams. In the autumn of 1965, Schuchman told Thetford she felt she was "about to do something very unexpected" 8. Thetford advised her to write down everything that was happening to her. In her first attempts, not much transpired. But then on October 21, 1965, a voice said to her, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes" 9.

This voice, claimed Schuchman, was the voice of Jesus. Schuchman recalled, "The voice made no sound, but seemed to be giving me a kind of rapid inner diction which I took down in a shorthand notebook" 10. Schuchman began writing down everything the voice had to say. At first, the teachings were mixed in with material geared towards helping Schuchman and Thetford with their own relationships and lives. Jesus instructed that these passages be removed, "as they were not meant for the general readership" 11.

It took seven years, but finally A Course in Miracles was complete. In the winter of 1972, Schuchman and Thetford met Dr. Kenneth Wapnick through a mutual friend. He helped them edit the text and got it published through the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP.) In June of 1975, Schuchman turned over the copyrights to FIP, and in June of 1976, the three-volume work, including the text, a workbook for students and a teacher's manual, was published 12. Schuchman and Thetford wanted to remain anonymous in their association with The Course because they feared they would lose their jobs, and they did not want to be made into gurus or cult figures 13. Ironically, neither Schuchman nor Thetford ever identified with the teachings of The Course. For Schuchman, ACIM "aroused tremendous anxiety" 14. Shcuchman openly admitted that she was unable to, "integrate the teachings into her own life" 15. Her own failure with The Course has led many people to doubt its relevance.


They don't state this in the above text but the reason Schuchman had problems integrating this into her own philosophy was because she was a Jew by birth and an Atheist in practice.  These teachings were in harsh contrast to her definition of self so she hid the involvement with the course and the manuscripts from her family until her death.

I have read the text all the way through twice.  For some reason, I haven't had the motivation to stick with the year long program in part II of the course.  

It has inspired some of my own work and takes a long time to read... I find that I can read a passage over and over and sometimes it takes 2 or 3 reads before digesting it... Mainly because it is very deep spiritually and like a baby who needs to sleep after too much stimulation, the Course is chock full of so much insight and revelation, it is sometimes difficult for the mind to absorb more than about 20 pages or so at a time.  

It is a truly wonderful manuscript...  and it is a lifelong course, don't rush it.

Kerri

[The AlphaOmega]

Anyone ever read this... all the way through?  I'd like to hear some input on what is in my opinion one of the most profound works to date.  This book has some real answers!