What is ACIM?

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is an Inspired self study course designed to lead the student into an experience of hearing internal Guidance from the Voice for God, the Holy Spirit. It is a non dualistic course which aims at harnessing the readers inherent desire for Truth and the ego’s desire for learning and knowledge. It speaks at once to the person who believes themself to be a body in the world reading a book and also to a non personal, non located experience of being the “dreamer of the dream.”

As the perspective of the one studying the course shifts, the deeper meaning and significance is revealed. The principle used in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is the Atonement, forgiveness of what never happened. The course aims at undoing the blocks to the awareness of Loves presence, as only Love is real.

On completing the workbook, most students are dismayed because they thought they would know something. The guilt that perhaps they have done it wrong seeps in and many are discouraged. They are not aware that the goal of the Course (ACIM) is unlearning and unknowing everything. Perhaps they thought they would become a more loving person, instead they are more keenly aware of the ego’s judgement, hatred and attack thoughts. They must now relinquish the positive goals of persons and choose instead, the Peace of God as their one goal.

Instead of gaining an improved personal perspective and being prepared to handle all hypothetical circumstances of the world, they are asked to acknowledge that they can’t know anything, but that there is One Who can be relied on in all circumstances, Who Knows what is best for all. They are asked to resign as their own teacher and ask in every situation, what it is they want, “Heaven or hell?” in order to hear the Given Answer, which always leads to an experience of relief, now.

The Vision of Christ does not attempt to plan, or improve anything in form, it is a total acceptance of Reality, Now. We are called to live in the Miracle, this is the next step where the transfer of mind training that the Course teaches is applied in every moment, without exception. Here the path becomes a Joyful living demonstration of the Truth, to be counted on in all circumstances.

“You have learning handicaps in a very literal sense. There are areas in your learning skills that are so impaired that you can progress only under constant, clear-cut direction, provided by a Teacher Who can transcend your limited resources. He becomes your Resource because of yourself you cannot learn. The learning situation in which you placed yourself is impossible, and in this situation you clearly require a special Teacher and a special curriculum. Poor learners are not good choices as teachers, either for themselves or for anyone else. You would hardly turn to them to establish the curriculum by which they can escape from their limitations. If they understood what is beyond them, they would not be handicapped.

You do not know the meaning of love, and that is your handicap. Do not attempt to teach yourself what you do not understand, and do not try to set up curriculum goals where yours have clearly failed. Your learning goal has been not to learn, and this cannot lead to successful learning. You cannot transfer what you have not learned, and the impairment of the ability to generalize is a crucial learning failure. Would you ask those who have failed to learn what learning aids are for? They do not know. If they could interpret the aids correctly, they would have learned from them.

I have said that the ego’s rule is, “Seek and do not find.” Translated into curricular terms this means, “Try to learn but do not succeed.”  The result of this curriculum goal is obvious. Every legitimate teaching aid, every real instruction, and every sensible guide to learning will be misinterpreted, since they are all for facilitating the learning this strange curriculum is against. If you are trying to learn how not to learn, and the aim of your teaching is to defeat itself, what can you expect but confusion? Such a curriculum does not make sense. This attempt at “learning” has so weakened your mind that you cannot love, for the curriculum you have chosen is against love, and amounts to a course in how to attack yourself. A supplementary goal in this curriculum is learning how not to overcome the split that makes its primary aim believable. And you will not overcome the split in this curriculum, for all your learning will be on its behalf. Yet your mind speaks against your learning as your learning speaks against your mind, and so you fight against all learning and succeed, for that is what you want. But perhaps you do not realize, even yet, that there is something you want to learn, and that you can learn it because it is your choice to do so.

You who have tried to learn what you do not want should take heart, for although the curriculum you set yourself is depressing indeed, it is merely ridiculous if you look at it. Is it possible that the way to achieve a goal is not to attain it? Resign now as your own teacher. This resignation will not lead to depression. It is merely the result of an honest appraisal of what you have taught yourself, and of the learning outcomes that have resulted. Under the proper learning conditions, which you can neither provide nor understand, you will become an excellent learner and an excellent teacher. But it is not so yet, and will not be so until the whole learning situation as you have set it up is reversed.” —ACIM (T-12.V.5)

The above about ACIM article, “A Course in Miracles” was first shared on this site ThisMysticLife.org on 12th December 2010  here is the original web archive LINK it has been reposted here now March 7, 2021 to that same date.

Purchase of ACIM, A Course in Miracles is not required, there is a free annotated copy of the 2nd edition of the Course available here: ACourseinMiraclesnow.com

Purchase of A Coursein Miracles (ACIM ) or additional books on Course instruction is not required. The book is all you need and to actually follow what it says to get in touch with your internal teacher. ACIM Study Guides can be helpful, let the Holy Spirit Guide this as awakening is highly individualized.

The real ACIM study guide is prayer, be Guided by your internal teacher!

Citing ACIM, A Course in Miracles
A Course in Miracles copyright. Originally permissions were needed for every ACIM quote, today the publisher’s of A Course in Miracles have designated that so long as an ACIM quote is no more than 30% of the total text of the article or book and the Course is cited correctly, no extra permissions are now required to publish.

“Right teaching and right learning.”
“The first four” Jesus’ team for extending the teaching of Forgiveness
Scribe: Helen Schuckman
Editor: Bill Tedford
Editor: Kenneth Wapnick
Publisher: Judith Skutch Whitson

The Foundation for Inner Peace publishes the only complete version of ACIM A Course in Miracles, complete with it’s pamphlets; Psychotherapy and Song of Prayer, the clarification of terms and Helen Schuckman’s poetry. as the original publisher’s of the Course and the only ones to ever hold copyright it is all you need to get in touch with your internal teacher. Other versions of the Course and comparative study is not needed as “knowledge” is not the aim of the Course, Peace is.

Here are the instructions from the publisher of A Course in Miracles The Foundation for Inner Peace website LINK:

The line numbers are a method of reference. Paragraphs and sentences within paragraphs are numbered with superscripts to help students reference specific sections or passages quickly and easily, no matter which edition or format of A Course in Miracles they happen to be using. This same numbering system also holds true for the many translations of the Course, allowing for cross-referencing of passages between different languages. The first edition of ACIM did not contain the line number referencing system. It was included for the printing of the Second Edition.

The ACIM Annotation System of A Course in Miracles provides a method for students of the Course to reference a specific passage within the Course and its Supplements.

Here is an example:

“You will first dream of peace, and then awaken to it.” (T-13.VII.9:1)

T = Text
13 = Chapter 13
VII = Section VII (of Chapter 13)
9 = Paragraph 9 (in Section VII)
1 = Line 1 (of Paragraph 9)
Another example:

“We say ‘God is,’ and then we cease to speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless.” (W-pI.169.5:4)

W = Workbook
pI = part I (of the Workbook)
169 = Lesson 169
5 = Paragraph 5
4 = Line 4 (of Paragraph 5)
Another example:

“Forgiveness is the final goal of the curriculum.” (M-4.X.2:9)

M = Manual for Teachers
4 = Section 4
X = Part X (of Section 4)
2 = Paragraph 2 (of Part X)
9 = Line 9 (of Paragraph 2)
Additional abbreviations:

in = introduction(s)
r = Review (workbook)
FL = Final Lessons (workbook)
C = Clarification of Terms (in the Manual for Teachers)
ep = Epilogues (end of Workbok and Clarification of Terms)
P = Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice
S = The Song of Prayer

 

Who’s is Helen Schuckman, Bill Tedford, and  Kenneth Wapnick ACIM? A course in miracles copyright and course in miracles, ACIM text, ACIM manual for Teachers ACIM manual for Teachers, ACIM workbook ACIM workbook, were all originally copyrighted by FIP publisher of the Course. FIP publisher of the Course, was the first publisher of the Course. ACIM.org is the publisher of the Course. FIP, Foundation for Inner Peace as the Foundation for Inner Peace is known, allows for Course Quotes and ACIM Quotes.

What is A Course in Miracles and who wrote it? What does A Course in Miracles teach? What does the Course teach? What does the Course teach?, What is ACIM? What is ACIM? This mystic life is the practical application of a Spirit led life as shared by Sarah St. Claire in her blogs on ThisMysticlife.org and Sarah St. Claire articles on Medium.

The ACIM new third edition ACIM is focused on Right Teaching and Right Learning and not controversy or comparison. The Right Teaching and Right Learning of A Course in Miracles is essential. The workbook for students is where most people begin. Citation of A Course in Miracles is needed for clarity and context. With citation, A Course in Miracles notation is essential as this allows anyone to access the deeper teachings. A Course in Miracles notation is included in the official FIPedition when you purchase the Course. To purchase the Course got to ACIM.org. Purchase of ACIM A Course in Miracles is not required, there is a free edition of the Course available here: ACourseinMiraclesnow.com Purchase of ACIM A Coursein Miracles additional books course or instruction is not required. The book is all you need and to actually follow what it says to get in touch with your internal teacher. ACIM Study Guides can be helpful, let the Holy Spirit guide this as awakening is highly individualized. The real ACIM Study Guide is prayer, be Guided by your internal teacher!