Share your experience with the Course

[angeleyes]

Tonyamendola inspired me to start a thread where some of us can share our experience with A Course in Miracles. This might include things like:

When and how did you come across the Course?

Have you do the Course all the way through?

Have you ever been in a ACIM group?

.....and anything else you might like to share about your personnal history with ACIM.

[angeleyes]

I'll start off....

I feel that I didn't find A Course in Miracles - it found me. Back in the mid-1980's there weren't many people who knew about it so it was even more unknown than it is today. I'll never forget the first encounter I had with it. I was at home with a couple of toddlers while my husband was at work. For some reason, an old friend of his from high school had given him a copy of ACIM. He read the introduction and liked it well enough to call me on his lunch hour and read it to me. It blew me away. I immediately felt the truth in its words without having to give them a second thought - it was if I already knew what it was saying was true and finally (FINALLY!) someone had put it into words for me. I had a wonderful positive feeling as he read those few pages - or rather, I was SO excited I made him promise to bring the book home with him.

I took to the text right away, reading it many, many times over. It began to dawn on my how radical the teaching is - it basically challenges everything I'd been taught about religion and about life. It was a very welcome change.
Later, as I continue to study it and attempt to do the workbook,things got a little tougher for me. If I try to imagine what giving up the ego completely is truly like, it gets a little unsettling, to say the least. I made a few starts at doing the workbook, only to run into alot of resistance and give it up. So technically, I haven't "completed" the Course.

I started a spirituality group, hoping to share with others who weren't into mainstream religion. I introduced the Course to the members and was all excited about making it a part of our study. But I found that some people just don't relate to it the same way I do. I still occassionally discuss it with people who seem interested, but for the most part have little contact with anyone who knows what it is. Since I'm in Southern Baptist country, there are very few who know about it (or who would even consider reading it). I know one priest and a few psychologists who acknowledge its wisdom, and that's about it.

I still feel like it's the most profound thing I've ever read and couldn't possibly be of this world. But as the Course itself says, this path is one of many. There are other books that say alot of the same things. I always felt, however, that if anyone could/would tell us what Christianity is suppposed to be like, it would be Jesus. I think he spoke at this time because we're now ready to hear what he has to say.

[vivamis123]

Whenever I gave a class, someone would say afterwards that what I teach is according to "the course". It got to the point that I wanted to read it, only because everyone was comparing what I shared with the course. Then about 2 years ago one of my students gifted me with the book. I read through it once. Even though I saw many simularities between my understanding and the course, I also saw some minor differences like forgiveness: As far as I remember the course teaches the we are to forgive ourselves, where as I believe that there is no such thing as forgiveness, there was never anything "wrong".

I enjoyed reading it and value how ACIM breaks down the illusion into such subtle elements that one is not even aware of the change accuring unconsciously. My approach is more harsh and can be compared to a cold shower. The course takes 1 year, whereas mine a few weeks.

I have been to two different ACIM group meetings. I was not fond of either. One group left it up to the guide leader to interpret the book and the other was letting each person their own interpretation. I would have preferred to have seen answers to be found in the book itself.

I do believe that this is a great book/course and can lead to whatever goal one seeks to experience.

[angeleyes]

Originally Posted by vivamis123

Even though I saw many simularities between my understanding and the course, I also saw some minor differences like forgiveness: As far as I remember the course teaches the we are to forgive ourselves, where as I believe that there is no such thing as forgiveness, there was never anything "wrong".

....which is SO right! ACIM actually teaches that nothing really happened - we are "still in heaven dreaming of exile." Nothing happened in reality except in our own fantasy/dream. How could God be separate from Himself and what He created and still holds in His mind? We only seem to think that we are separate from God. We are defending ourselves against nothing more than our own bad dream.

So, you're right that there is no need for forgiveness or for salvation. And that IS forgiveness/salvation - the realization that we dont' need it, that we are doing this to ourselves, and can change our minds any time we want to. You are fortunate to KNOW this in your heart and to know that you know!

Conclusion: We only need to excercise forgiveness when we seem to forget our perfection and the perfection of each moment.

[Tonyamendola]

Hey all

Firstly to Vivamis
I wonder what the sections were that didnt "fit"
The reason I say this is that the book was heavily edited over the first 25% which nearly made me give it up

To cut a long story short

I wasnt Religious or Spiritual but had seen Love as "everything" , I asked to be shown, I expereinced GOD although my initial word was LOVE beyond all LOVE
I could not put into words the expereince but it was utterly life changing

I was then a year later given a course in miracles which i knew was what i was meant to have before i read it - i just knew

Over 3 evenings i read the text to page 400 and nodded and smiled and cried

There were a few sections that i struggled with - my expereince was written within many of the pages but a few lines just went off track a little

The forgotton song chapter describes my Awakening perfectly

I was then introduced to the less edited HLC version which is "bang on" and it isnt that the editor has done anything wrong in editing the later edition - its simply by putting or moving some lines to where they appear to fit - they actually dont in truth !

So the less edited version is actually more accurate imho

That said the edited version still has the message because its cyclical

That said it seems you are teaching the same thing and it was my absolute expereince that nothing is happening and ALL are perfect NOW - better said as WE
So in truth I agree there is nothing to forgive



Angel eyes

My wife grew up in Lubbock - Often at 4 years old telling the preacher he was lying when he told the congregation they would burn in hell - she knew
It seems you are well situated to teach only Love eh

Does your hubby still study it ?
My wife doesnt but that seems to be because she has her way of teaching / learning

As its a many faceted dream I am sure there will be many different teachings to ensure ALL minds find the truth the easiest and gentlest way

My way may bring fear to one mind whereas yours or Vivamis`s wont
There are many places in mind in many stages which will require different ways I am sure

As far as teaching ACIM goes I dont think that is possible and the people attempting it imho are misled

ACIM to me says that we should read it and form a direct link with HS Jesus higher self Love etc

I have attended some groups and have expereinced the "intepretations" which i left behind

I attend two ACIM groups now
Both work based on the following

We give the time to HS

We then have 10 mins silence - then 10 mins each to speak uniterupted then another 10 mins silence and then again 10 mins to speak and then 5 mins silence and 5 mins to speak - always uninterupted

What always happens is we end up with one common thread which seems to heal us all in small and sometimes big ways

The theme is always around ACIM or God

What is also happening is we are speaking our fears and again finding a common thread - often finding there was nothing to fear and hence nothing to hide in darkness

Its very freeing but not in anyway intended to teach what ACIM means

I believe ACIM asks us to teach only Love

[angeleyes]

Thanks, Tony - it's so fun to hear other's stories. How long ago was it that you were given the Course? It's interesting to hear that you prefer the first edition. Is that the one you were given? I was given the second, and find it to be much clearer than the first. Funny how these things work!

Another "interesting" thing is that my husband never did much of anything with the Course other than to call me that one afternoon. I guess he was just the message bearer. He was always more interested in the positive-thinking/success stuff, which I think he's still into. (We're not married currently, but we still consider ourselves "family." )

I would enjoy hearing more about your awakening experience or spiritual transformation (or whatever you call it). It's so cool that the word LOVE was what immediately came into your mind.

Have you done the workbook? I think your group sounds great, alot like spiritual group therapy. I think you're right about not being able to teach it (although I get alot out of Ken Wapnick's teaching). I think people either resonnate with it or not. I've wondered many times if it came to me mainly because I need extra help because I analyze and think too much, haha!

Viv- I think your teachings are like a condensed version of the Course (you say cold shower, but I don't see anything unpleasant about what you say ).
I think some people need your voice and would find the Course tedious and unessary, while others (like myself) know it's true but have to have every thought addressed and every "i" dotted, so to speak. Don't know if that's a good analogy, but that's kinda the way I see it. I also like the beauty of its words which, again, might really irritate someone else.

As far as contradictions and paradoxes in the Course, there's bunches, though most, in not all, of that comes because the Course speaks on two levels: the level we think is real, and the level that Jesus is speaking from. It goes back and forth, too, so that if one just opens the book randomly they'd be totally confused. It also has a totally different definition of forgiveness than what we usually think of. Regardless, it's easy to feel like your mind is playing Twister, even after reading it a dozen times or more.

[Tonyamendola]

I had my awakening in Dec 2003
The lead up to it was exactly as the course describes
There was a voice in my mind that wasnt mine
It pointed things out that I hadnt considered before and "changed my mind"
in many many way - Of course my only "job" was toi be willing to consider another way which for some reason I had been.
Certainly I had been led to the importance of Love and would often think how Love was everything.
This had actually come about from my wifes illness which was caused in the Wolrds eyes by Parental abuse
Cutting it short I wanted to hang her Father for ruining my and my wifes life
My wife asked me to forgive him and i suppose I chose to honour my wifes wishes over my vengeance - putting Love before all else
Other things changed and i began to look at "stuff" like bikes etc as irrelevant
I just lost interest in things and saw Love and everything

Anyway and please dont laugh

I saw an advert for Bruce Almighty the film and something told me i must get it

I sat down with my wife and watched it
I do remember this inner voice showing I was just like this character - thinking i had nothing when i had everything - it wasnt judgmental and very very gentle with a sense of humour
The film gets to the part where God asks him to say a prayer and his second attempt he says "I want to see her forever as I see her now, Through Your eyes" !

Well it touched me and in a very normal way I reached that point of tears in eyes and the lovely sensation fo seeing something really loving - its a normal expereince for me watching Lovey films and I am assuming here that you have all expereinced that as well - lump in throat type thing

This was different though - I reached the level where i normally get to - you might call it expereincing intense Love BUT it didnt stay at that level
The intese Love continued to grow and there was a sensation of going higher and higher - The Love growing and growing beyond anything of this World
Then everything was in thought - I was no longer in a room in this World but looking through thought at two light beings which were communicating with me through thoughts of Love - They did not make a big deal of it and nor did I
When I say there were two - they were as one - hard to explain if not impossibel
They then again in thought indicated for me to look to the left and I did

AND I REMEMEBERED

Now I wont type what i expereinced from there because it is written in ACIM as follows and is far more accurate than I could write it
It is EXACT
The only thing it doesnt detail is what God speaks of which cannot be put into words - It is Love beyond Love - Innocence beyond innocence and Eternity beyond eternity and you know it ius real because it makes the World before Irrelevant - utterly without one wisp of it being left

There are many other times in ACIM that this expereince is written - all in slightly different way - all speaking the exact same experience

so copied and pasted ........................


T-21.I.6. Listen,-perhaps you catch a hint of an ancient state not quite forgotten; dim, perhaps, and yet not altogether unfamiliar, like a song whose name is long forgotten, and the circumstances in which you heard completely unremembered. 2 Not the whole song has stayed with you, but just a little wisp of melody, attached not to a person or a place or anything particular. p446 3 But you remember, from just this little part, how lovely was the song, how wonderful the setting where you heard it, and how you loved those who were there and listened with you.

T-21.I.7. The notes are nothing. 2 Yet you have kept them with you, not for themselves, but as a soft reminder of what would make you weep if you remembered how dear it was to you. 3 You could remember, yet you are afraid, believing you would lose the world you learned since then. 4 And yet you know that nothing in the world you learned is half so dear as this. 5 Listen, and see if you remember an ancient song you knew so long ago and held more dear than any melody you taught yourself to cherish since.

T-21.I.8. Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. 2 And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. 3 The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. 4 The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. 5 Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. 6 Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be outside, for there is nowhere that this light is not.

T-21.I.9. This is the vision of the Son of God, whom you know well. 2 Here is the sight of him who knows his Father. 3 Here is the memory of what you are; a part of this, with all of it within, and joined to all as surely as all is joined in you. 4 Accept the vision that can show you this, and not the body. 5 You know the ancient song, and know it well. 6 Nothing will ever be as dear to you as is this ancient hymn of love the Son of God sings to his Father still.

T-21.I.10. And now the blind can see, for that same song they sing in honor of their Creator gives praise to them as well. 2 The blindness that they made will not withstand the memory of this song. 3 And they will look upon the vision of the Son of God, remembering who he is they sing of. 4 What is a miracle but this remembering? 5 And who is there in whom this memory lies not? 6 The light in one awakens it in all. 7 And when you see it in your brother, you <are> remembering for everyone. p447


So there you have it

Indeed God IS LOVE

Love to LOVE

My wife has had her own expereince in the same format as mine as follows

Written by her ...........

Jesus took my hand and led me forward to an image of the world. With one movement he brought his cloak over the image as if “wiping it out” not as in destroying the world, just as in, it doesn’t exist. In its place was white, sparkling energy.

He told me that there was no guilt, no pain and to set myself free from these things. That he could help me, but I had to ask. And it was up to me to set myself free. He said, to build my life with love as my foundation and that I would find truth, enlightenment and peace. He said that soon I would be released from my pain and sufferiug and that God was there, waiting. I have to reach out to him. Whatever I did I was free of guilt.

I walked with him in a peaceful place, but there was nothing. I felt warm, safe, content. There was no fear, no pain, no anything, just this peace, warmth and a sense of being loved and safe. As a baby may feel in his mothers arms. He did not speak with his mouth, it was like telepathy, he was there, but he and I were together, but separate (hard to describe). The thoughts just entered my thoughts as if we were thinking in unison. My questions were answered before I even asked them.

Before I knew it I was back in my bed, with that sense of peace, warmth and love still lingering. Until I realised where I was. <sigh>


hehe

Anyway

I am up to about lesson 137 - taken me about 2 years now but i plod on and each one is a reminder of my SELF


I havent seen any contradiction in ACIM

That said i think as I was led to awakening by Bruce Almighty I cant tell anyone what to read or listen to eh !

What works will work

If anyone asks me the best way home - I think Jesus said it best to my wife - who is btw in truth my brother


Sorry this is so long - I have cut it very short and missed out what i have manifested afterwards and much of before hand including seeing the future and so much that i now realise led me to awakening - however all of that is just the story and in truth - irrelevant

As Viv said - There is nothing to Forgive, Nothing has happened

[angeleyes]

Thanks for that Tony! I was a blessing to me this evening!!

[Robin]

I wrote it down here: My Story

Cheers

Robin

[vivamis123]

Nice website Robin...and welcome to the forum : )