ACIM Talk: Chapter 1 - The Meaning of Miracles

There is no order of difficulty in miracles... All expressions of love are maximal.




Welcome and thank you for visiting Spiritual Apostle where we will be looking at a Chapter from the Text of A Course in Miracles together.

The PREFACE is a helpful place to begin if you are new to A Course in Miracles, consider yourself a beginner, or even if you've been studying the course for 20 years. The Preface is a complete overview of "How It Came," "What It Is" and "What It Says" and both of the following websites offer services (many free ones!) to aid you in your practice online and in person:

FOUNDATION FOR A COURSE IN MIRACLES
FOUNDATION FOR INNER PEACE


This course is a beginning, not an end. Your Friend goes with you. You are not alone. No one who calls to Him can call in vain. Whatever troubles you, be certain that He has the answer, and will gladly give it to you, if you simply turn to Him and ask it of Him. He will not withhold all answers that you need for anything that seems to trouble you. He knows the way to solve all problems, and resolve all doubts. His certainty is yours. You need but ask it of Him, and it will be given you.


The only purpose of the course is to help us find our own Internal Teacher. It can be shared but is also meant to stand completely on its own.

Here is a very helpful book to consider reading if you have questions about how to practice the course:

THE MESSAGE OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES

There is a lot to take in here but I wanted to give you a bunch of resources to begin with so you can refer back to the beginning of these articles from time to time for a refresher if need be.


Chapter 1 begins with 50 Principles of Miracles.

In the context of the course these principles give us one of our first looks at what a miracle is and also hints as to what a miracle is not. There really are 50 of them (no joke! lol) so in order to move through the Chapter with ease I will be providing a link (the first one below) to a more in-depth look and powerful line by line analysis of each miracle principle individually:

*!* Important Chapter 1 Links to Visit *!*

50 Miracle Principles line by line analysis and list of the Principles

Helen Schuman Bio

Most Commonly Asked Questions About A Course in Miracles

What is Forgiveness?

Miracle Studies Links

The seventh miracle principle states that: " Miracles are everyone's right, but purification is necessary first."

Undoing is one of the ways of describing the process we go through as we learn to apply forgiveness in our daily lives. The course meets us where we believe we are and helps guide us gently out of pain, uncertainty, and fear by teaching us the practical application of FORGIVENESS. If you are beginning with the course, and the message resonates with you, there is a good possibility that this will become a lifetime path for you? It has become a lifetime path for me personally and reflecting on the Text has become a helpful way for me to more consistently understand the process of healing. During the process there are times of "unsettling" in which our experiences with the course may range from discomfort to misery. At these times (usually the miserable ones) we may feel like giving up and so we should find ways to stay with the course if possible and offer us a fresh PERCEPTION of our purpose and goal.

It seems we all have our own way of studying and living the course.

If you'd like to share a particular way you have found to be meaningful please be sure to join our Yahoo! Discussion Group where you can connect with other Spiritual Apostle readers. Because there are nearly limitless options for how to go about studying A Course in Miracles it is important to remember the significance of application. A key part in this process is "bringing the darkness to the light" which you will become more familiar with as you practice and we go through the Text with one another. Course study groups are normally a great way to meet those in your area (and/or the web) who will most likely be experiencing the same things and who can greatly accelerate our understanding of healing! Also the Workbook for Students is what allows us to apply the lessons to our daily lives. You may begin the lessons at any time and there are many resources available to fit your life-style.

Workbook for Students List:

Marianne Williamson

Kenneth Wapnick Ph.D.

Foundation for ACIM

NOTE: The articles posted here on Spiritual Apostle are not meant to substitute the study and application of The Course but should offer some supportive ideas and help us stay connected. I'd like to stay in touch and hope you will find many friends and points of interest (like I have) in Awakening to Truth! There is an abundance of like-minded souls who enjoy sharing the course and who gracefully offer support while integrating these teachings into our lives. And remember, all of those who do not follow The Course are equally important to our journey of inclusion!

For 24/7 "customer service" *LOL* Visit QUESTION/ANSWER SERVICE ...a free service provided through The Foundation for A Course in Miracles.


AND NOW HERE ARE SOME GLINTS OF WISDOM FROM CHAPTER 1:

~This is a course in mind training. All learning involves attention and study at some level. Some of the later parts of the course rest too heavily on these earlier sections not to require their careful study.

I began reading and applying the course about 4 years ago when I read the Text from beginning to end. This was also around the same time our twin-infant sons decided to sleep through the night (well almost through the night) Thankfully now all of our children sleep til 6am (usually) and so I've decided that returning to the beginning of the Text again for a closer look would be a good way to refresh my memory and also help to reinforce what the course refers to as right-mindedness. Can you tell I am not a morning person! (There is just something about "waking up" that I am resistant towards!) I try to listen to Workshops from the Foundation for A Course in Miracles, read different course related teachings when possible connect through Meetup: ACIM in the 505 Meetup.


~You will also need the earlier sections for preparation. Without this, you may become much too fearful of what is to come to make constructive use of it. However, as you study these earlier sections, you will begin to see some of the implications that will be amplified later on.

A Course in Miracles teaches us the meaning of the miracle by helping us return to a state of mind that is beyond description but that can be experienced through practicing forgiveness.


~The miracle is a learning device that lessens the need for time. It establishes an out-of-pattern time interal not under the usual laws of time. In this sense it is timeless.


~The forgiven are the means of the Atonement. You have a role in the Atonement which I will dictate to you. Ask me which miracles you should perform. This spares you needless effrot, because you will be acting under direct communication..."No man cometh unto the Father but by me" does not mean that I am in any way separate or different from you except in time, and time does not really exist. The statement is more meaningful in terms of a vertical rather than a horizontal axis.


~The impersonal nature of the miracle is an essential ingredient, because it enables me to direct its application, and under my guidance miracles lead to the highly personal experience of revelation. A guide does not control but he does direct, leaving it up to you to follow. "Lead us not into temptation" means "Recognize your errors and choose to abandon them by following my guidance.

Throughout the course we are given the consistent message that we bring our illusions to Truth. That we bring the darkness to the light (of the Holy Spirit or Jesus). It is a process... process.... process! And one we need not suffer tremendously through and over and around! We don't have to understand everything immediately and most likely will experience a "re-turning" or rhythmically speaking a "fine-tuning."


*!* The key to A Course in Miracles is that we practice forgiveness. This means we try as much as possible to not exclude ourselves from the process which may seem painful at times.


~The escape from darkness involves two stages: First, the recognition that darkness cannot hide. This step usually entails fear. Second, the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. This step brings escape from fear. When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.

This can be challenging because it is not always easy to tell the difference between "the light" and "darkness." If we keep in mind that Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the memory of God) symbolize the part of our mind that is yearning for us to return to It's Source, and if by looking with Jesus at the darkness all illusions will be gently shined away, we cannot help but have a sense of hope even if for an instant that all is well or not far from being so?


~The miracle dissolves error because the Holy Spirit identifies error as false or unreal. This is the same as saying that by perceiving light, darkness automatically disappears.

The beauty is that with practice this one instant of hope begins to "stretch out" like a good morning stretch maybe... and encompasses everything, even areas of our lives that we believed would forever be enshrouded in darkness.


~I inspire all miracles, which are really intercessions. They intercede for your holiness and make your perceptions holy By placing you beyond the physical laws they raise you into the sphere of celestial order. in this order you are perfect.

Also, while I have your attention, here is a slideshow from Amazon with ACIM related books and media that I recommend:

Thank you for reading and also for visiting this blog. I hope that you'll return soon or subscribe for more insight from the Text, plus our reflections and resources.

Sweet Dreams and Gentle Awakening Everyone *!*

About the Author:

Renee' G. is a mother of 3 who spends her time healing through friendships while residing in New Mexico. You can find out more about her and view her photos by visiting her page on MySpace.