Hell is not a place but a condition; it is a state of mind characteristic of separation. Relentless focus on personal interests and the vulnerability of the body results in a state of near constant fear and struggle. When we are in hell, we are lonely, sad, frightened, angry, guilty, confused, all of which is compounded by the sense there is no way out. In simplest form, Hell is a trap from which there is no escape. Hell’s opposite is Heaven, which is a metaphor for oneness in A Course in Miracles. When we are in hell, we are alienated from our true self and home. But since hell is the effect of an error which never happened, when we see it clearly, we no longer suffer. Thus, hell is an illusion, albeit an especially painful one.