Purpose of "A Course In Miracles"
A Celestial Realm Commentary...

The Course has but one purpose and that is the salvation of the Sons and Daughters of God. In essence, this means your returning to Realizing the fullness of Your Birthright as a Holy Child of God. In this realization you awaken to your Oneness with God, where you will again see your prayer answered, "Thy Will Be Done, on Earth as it is In Heaven."

As you learn more of its contents, you will see clearly that Christ Jesus brought forth the Course in the only way it could be brought into the world. Had it come any other way, such as through a religious organization, its message would surely have been suppressed just as many gospels were edited out of the bible by well meaning, but nonetheless men who believed they knew what was best to us. This was particularly evidenced as related to women who were trained as were the apostles, but sadly their stories were never included in the bible.

Even to this day, The Course is condemned "into questioning by most all religious organizations. Could it be because of the mere fact it was given through a woman? Could it be that to endorse it would be contrary to man's controlling traditional ways? 

Yet today all this doesn't matter as millions are now being prepared to lead in the ways of Christ' Perfect Love, where salvation will be seen in ways never witnessed.  The Great Awakening is upon us and the waves of God's Love are now coming in tidal wave proportions...as evidence by this site.

The Christ returns now in perfectly planned clarity, through the internet clouds in ways where His "full message" can be fully embodied. The fog of man's  consciousness is lifting, giving sight to that which once he could not see.  In this way, Christ brings forth the deeper truths of Love’s Meaning that heretofore were held back by the evil minds of a few. Soon, most shortly, the ways of these evil few shall be exposed and in great joy, the Holy Sons and Daughters of God will have found their new freedom, born of the Highest Meanings of Love!

The stage is set in the year of 2012, Spiritual Rebirth is taking place in our brothers and sisters... where the past is no more and only 'this moment remains'. Darkness is now in process of being 'chained'.  The dragon’s power will soon no longer have its sway in the minds of humankind.  Revelation is now playing out in the final battle of Armageddon in the minds of man... the final battle, where once and for all, humankind will clearly see that God's Love is the only choice where all are set free.

Soon, as the world awakens, one by one, all becomes One with God, and the Love of Christ within will be welcomed by all... not as Christians, not as a religion, simply living in the moment, from moment to moment, guided by the Love of God… In Perfect Fellowship, All Will Live In Freedom.  Here is the end found to be the beginning. Here the Life and Love of God is found to be within. Here is Christ Jesus welcomed to be our friend, our Elder Brother, in the family of God, forever and forever.  Here, we can all say, I God You, I Raj You, and all will know what we mean.

Thus, A Course In Miracles speaks plainly of the Way, the Truth and the Light. To many, however, it comes across as hard to conceive at first, as it speaks of letting everything we have ever learned be released and let go of... so that the Holy Spirit within is freed to show us a new ways of perceiving it through the Eyes of God's Love.  In this way, we begin to see the world from which Jesus is from, the Heaven on Earth World, where God’s Will is done; where He said as recorded in John 8:23, "I am not from this world"[the world from which only Perfect Love is Lived.]

As taught in the Course, His world is the world without fear, shame, and guilt, constantly being laid upon the sons of mans' feet.  It is the world in which only Perfect Love has expression, the same Perfect Love of God that heals all dysfunction.  It is the same Love that ends hunger, starvation and even the dreams of death.  It is the same world that brings forth Heaven on Earth as an Expression, an Experience, a Rejoining of God with each and every Son and Daughter!

So, in The Course, through the plain, crystal clear language of the text and its personal lesson plan of 365 days, you will find your path to true spiritual freedom and awaken to a new world within the Christ Love in God.  In Perfect Clarity, it guides “everyone willing” to their personal connection to their Loving Father, Loving Mother, Loving God within.

It is called "A" Course because there are others; recognizing God is Infinite and so is His ways Home. Each course, regardless of its name, will change your life to the better, for all such Courses have the purpose of teaching The Meaning of Love.  Herein lies discernment, for Love heals and miracles come as a natural extension of God's Love moving, expressing, being experienced, through your awareness. As such, another such Course in evidence is the 12 Step fellowship programs... Being Another Course In Miracles given by God...

Thus, all Courses in Miracles delivers Promises given by God to its students.  All that is needed comes from a simple willingness to forgive and surrender the limited mind of man, where the cunning and baffling ego consciousness lays way to darkness. And as testified to by millions the world over, these Promises all come from learning the meaning of Love. After these, there is always more, for Love’s meaning goes far beyond the limited words to describe it.

We end here with an excerpt from ACIM, in Answer to “How Will The World End”, for in it is a call to the teachers of God, whom all have come to read these words.  Your purpose is our purpose, for in God’s Will is only Our Will, for Oneness ends all separation, thus United We Stand and Walk As Christ Love, Embodying the Master and Becoming One Mind In Love. Through our Love the World is Healed… and All Ends… as shared by Christ Jesus here:

"The world will end in joy because it is a place of sorrow.  When joy has come, the purpose of the world has gone.  The world will end in peace because it is a place of war. When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world?  The world will end in laughter because it is a place of tears. Where there is laughter, who can longer weep?  And only complete forgiveness brings all this to bless the world. In blessing it departs, for it will not end as it began.  To turn hell into Heaven is the function of God’s teachers, for what they teach are lessons in which Heaven is reflected. And now sit down in true humility and realize that all God would have you do you can do. Do not be arrogant and say you cannot learn His own curriculum. His Word says otherwise. His Will be done. It cannot be otherwise. And be you thankful it is so." 
"A Course In Miracles... From Who It Came

The Course In Miracles was authored by Christ Jesus the celestial realms and then dictated through a scribe on earth by the name of Dr. Helen Schucman. It is the fulfillment of a promise Christ Jesus made, and noted in bible stripture, "that while I teach you now in proverbs,[parables], one day He would speak plainly of the Father" (John 8:23)

Foreword From "A Course In Miracles"
From the original edited version, referred to as "The Orginal Edition Text", Scribed, Edited by Dr. Helen Schucman and Dr. William Thetford.

This course is a beginning, not an end. Your Friend goes with you. You are not alone. No one who calls on 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. 

You are as certain of arriving home as is the pathway of the sun laid down before it rises, after it has set, and in the half-lit hours in between.  Indeed, your pathway is more certain still, for it cannot be possible to change the course of those whom God has called to Him.  Therefore obey your will, and follow Him Whom you accepted as your Voice, to speak of what you really want and really need. His is the Voice for God, and also yours. And thus He speaks of freedom and of truth.[W36:2-3.]

With these words, A Course in Miracles concludes its prescribed curriculum of 365 daily lessons, and it is with these words, too, that we begin our study.

A Course in Miracles (often called just “the Course”) is a self-study course for retraining the mind that is spiritual, rather than religious, in its perspective.

Although it uses Christian terminology, it is ecumenical in its approach, and its underlying ontology is reminiscent of ancient refrains, echoing the world’s most hallowed traditions.

The Course is pragmatic in its method, and its aim is a peaceful mind: “Knowledge is not the motivation for learning this course. Peace is.” [T8:1.] Nevertheless, the Course frequently emphasizes its simplicity. [For example see T9:29, 10:74, and 15:39]

The story of the Course began when, in the midst of an environment of intense competition and negative attitudes, Columbia University clinical psychologist Dr. William T. Thetford decided he had had enough and declared to his colleague, Dr. Helen Schucman, “There must be another way, and I’m determined to find it.” Dr. Schucman vowed to help him.

What ensued was a dramatic progression of waking dreams for Schucman, which culminated in October 1965 with her experience of a voice which spoke clearly in her mind, saying “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.”

With Thetford’s support and assistance in transcribing her shorthand notes, Schucman took down some fifteen hundred typewritten pages of A Course in Miracles over a period of seven years.

Schucman did not claim to be the author of the material herself. As she often explained, she heard a kind of inner dictation and she felt compelled to write it down, even though at times she disagreed with the content and resisted the process.

The voice which spoke through Helen clearly identifies himself as Jesus. Nonetheless, one need not be Christian nor accept Christianity’s traditional doctrines to benefit from the teachings of the Course. Indeed, traditional Christians will at first find many of the pronouncements contained in this work to be startling and perhaps unbelievable. Persistence and open-mindedness will nevertheless be rewarded.

The dictation of A Course in Miracles was completed in September 1972 and resulted in three volumes—the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers.

As the development of the material progressed, Schucman and Thetford faced the formidable task of organizing the original typescript (often called the “Urtext”) into what would become A Course in Miracles. They divided the Text
into chapters and sections and gave titles to each, and they removed a great deal of material from the early chapters, material they believed was meant for them personally, not for the Course. The edition that resulted from those efforts is the book you hold in your hands.

The edition of A Course in Miracles that is reproduced in this volume is sometimes referred to as the Hugh Lynn Cayce version because, upon completion, it had been delivered to Hugh Lynn Cayce, son of the renowned psychic Edgar Cayce, in 1972, before the manuscript was subjected to the substantial editing process that is described below.

This Original Edition faithfully reproduces the original transcript of the book that was produced as a result of the collaboration between Schucman and Thetford, whom many believe were involved with each other in the “holy relationship” described in Chapters 17 through 22 of the Text. This edition preserves the original language of the dictation of those chapters, which were addressed to the two collaborators as they worked together to produce the manuscript. Later editing of the manuscript changed the focus of these important chapters and addresses them to a solitary reader, removing the mutuality that is explicit in the original dictation.

It seems clear that this Original Edition is what Schucman and Thetford originally intended to be A Course in Miracles. However, in 1973 Ken Wapnick, who had joined their small circle and received a copy of the 1972 manuscript, expressed his belief that further editing was needed. Thetford withdrew from further detailed editing work, and Schucman and Wapnick resumed the editing process.

Along with changes in paragraphing, punctuation, capitalization, and section titles, there was a great deal of line-by-line editing. In addition, about one-fifth of the material in the first five chapters was removed. Finally, a new section, the Clarification of Terms, was added. The resulting edition, published in 1975 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, became the Course with which the world would become familiar.

While we honor that edition of the Course, we believe that the additional editing resulted both in shifts of meaning and a change in the over-all tone of the work. When encountering Schucman and Thetford’s Original Edition, students often find fresh clarity as they read its wording or new understanding as they encounter passages that were not included in the later 1975 edition. In the case of editing, it seems to us that the “less-is-best” rule applies—the less tampering with the eloquent and carefully worded dictation that Schucman received, the better.

In this Original Edition, we have taken great care in dealing with the editorial issues presented by the original typed manuscript. Our focus has been upon reproducing as nearly as possible the content as it was originally given to Schucman and Thetford. It is to be noted, however, that there are a few occasions where we encountered material from the original dictation that appears to have been inadvertently or mistakenly dropped in the early retyping.

In those instances, we have re-inserted the missing lines, noting our addition by placing the inserted material in square brackets. Otherwise, the only changes that have been made to the original manuscript of the Course as completed by Schucman and Thetford have been to correct obvious typographic errors and misspellings, to standardize punctuation and capitalization, and to format the material for print publication.

Apart from the simple section and paragraph numbering which we include for ease of reference and navigation, nothing has been added to or omitted from the work.

We would be remiss were we to fail to acknowledge the selfless support provided to the Course in Miracles Society by its members and others. From its earliest days, the work of the Society has been enabled by tireless contributions of labor and generous financial support provided by many individuals whose only compensation has been the satisfaction of fostering the circulation of this sacred writing in the world. Publication of this edition, in particular, has been underwritten by a substantial grant from a member who wishes to remain anonymous. To those supporters and all of our members, we extend a sincere “thank you.” We are most grateful.

Course in Miracles Society