A Course in Miracles - Combined Volumes

A Course in Miracles is a universal spiritual curriculum. Its underlying premise is that the greatest "miracle" is simply gaining a full awareness of love's presence in your life. This edition of the Course includes the Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers, and Supplements (Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, Practice and The Song of Prayer). Jim Stewart and Brad Cahill narrate.

Text

A Course in Miracles teaches that the path to universal love and peace is through forgiveness of self and others. Its central idea is that "God is love" and the world's greatest "miracle" is the awareness of this truth in your life.

This Combined Edition of A Course in Miracles includes the Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers, along with two valuable Supplements to the a course in miracles  Text, Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, Practice and Song of Prayer. The Scriptural texts were "scribed" (written word-for-word) by Helen Schucman through a process of inner dictation which she identified as coming from Jesus Christ. This is the only edition sanctioned for publication by the Foundation for Inner Peace, which has published and disseminated the Course since its inception, as well as maintaining copyright and trademarks.

Narrated by Jim Stewart, this four-volume set of A Course in Miracles will help you discover the philosophies and teachings that can inspire your spiritual transformation. The underlying principles behind this life-changing curriculum are profound, and the philosophies and practices themselves can be implemented at your own pace.

Workbook for Students

A 365-day self-study curriculum, the workbook offers practical applications of the Course's teachings, including daily practice of forgiveness and healing relationships. The book's unique theory focuses on the elimination of fear in order to experience love, which is your natural inheritance. It includes a number of lessons, each with a focus on a different aspect of the mind and perception, as well as a detailed review of the Course's terminology. The workbook also contains a manual for teachers, written in question-and-answer form, and two valuable supplements: Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice and the Song of Prayer.

A Course in Miracles teaches that the way to universal love and peace—or remembering God—is through undoing guilt by forgiving others and healing relationships. While the text uses the language of traditional Christianity, it expresses a non-sectarian spirituality. Originally published in 1976, the book rose to popularity after Marianne Williamson discussed its teachings on The Oprah Winfrey Show and encouraged listeners to find fulfillment by applying the curriculum to their lives.

This Combined Volume contains the three volumes that Course Scribe Helen Schucman authorized to be printed, along with the Preface and two Supplements. It is the only edition that contains all of these materials in one volume, along with the Course's Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers. It is published solely by the Foundation for Inner Peace, the not-for-profit organization selected by Schucman to publish and distribute the Course.

Manual for Teachers

All students of A Course in Miracles know that the three volumes of the curriculum—the Text, Workbook and Manual for Teachers—have different purposes. The Text is meant to be read and studied, the Workbook is meant to be practiced and its lessons performed, and the Manual for Teachers is meant to teach the lessons of the Workbook and lead those who wish to become teachers of the Course.

There are several major themes that run throughout the teachings of the Manual for Teachers. One is the concept of separate interests versus shared ones. This relates to the larger theme of forgiveness as the means through which we can transcend our self-centered perception and find God’s love in us and in the world. Another is the concept of asking for help from the Holy Spirit, which is a key component to practicing A Course in Miracles. Without this, we remain stuck in the illusion of separation.

Finally, there is a section that discusses the role of the teacher of God as a healer. Here the emphasis is on healing of the mind, but also, at times, healing of the body (Manual, pp. 57-59; M-24.3). In five of these seven sections the teacher of God is depicted as essentially a faith healer, or, as I prefer to think of it, a forgiveness healer.

As such, the Manual for Teachers is a very important book, as it provides a clear definition of what it is to be a teacher of A Course in Miracles. It also offers a variety of teachings that serve to prepare those who wish to be teachers of the Course in the most effective manner possible. In addition, the Manual for Teachers contains many enlightening discussions of specific themes related to forgiveness and healing. For this reason, it is a book that all students of A Course in Miracles will want to have close at hand.

Supplements

A Course in Miracles, also called ACIM, is a self-study spiritual thought system that offers forgiveness as the path to inner peace and remembrance of God. This Combined Volume includes the Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers, as well as two valuable Supplements: Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice and The Song of Prayer. These sections are extensions of the Course principles, and were dictated by Helen Schucman shortly after she completed A Course in Miracles.

The Course's concept of the miracle differs from popular images in several ways. It focuses the miracle away from the physical, teaching that true healing comes not through medicine or therapy but through giving a receiver a new perception of themselves. It also extends the miracle beyond healing relationships to include dramatic psychological healings and, more generally, a spiritual awakening. It is also grounded in a depth psychology that is considerably Freudian, with an emphasis on the unconscious contents of the mind that are repressed or kept from consciousness by defense mechanisms.

Unlike many modern spiritual teachings, which emphasize application and experience over theology and doctrine, A Course in Miracles states that a universal theology is impossible, but that "a universal experiential teaching can be." It also stresses that it is not the only version of the curriculum.

In the Course's view, miracles are "engineered" by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of assisting a receiver in finding his or her freedom. The miracle worker is only responsible for his own willingness to allow the Holy Spirit into his mind. If he does that, then miracles follow naturally. This understanding is central to one of the Course's basic dictums: "There is no order of difficulty in miracles" (Text, p. 2). This means that cancer, for example, can be healed as easily as a cold or a psychosomatic illness.

The language used in the Course is rich and poetic, and its ideas are profound. These characteristics have tempted some readers to compare it to the world's great literature. The Course is also intellectually sophisticated, combining spiritual inspiration with a thorough understanding of such topics as belief systems and defense systems, and perception and identity.