Miracles are Effects, Not Causes

A miracle, as that word is brought to application by A Course in Miracles, is not a cause of anything but rather an effect. It is an effect of a decision to give attention to the present moment without bringing either the past or the future into it. The miracle denies nothing and accepts theContinue reading “Miracles are Effects, Not Causes”

Forgiveness is Healed Perception

It is important to see the simplicity of forgiveness in A Course in Miracles: it is “the healing of the perception of separation (T-3.V.9:1).” It is not an action, not an accumulation of information and rules. It is a right or coherent way of seeing, a healed way of seeing. “Seeing” in this case refersContinue reading “Forgiveness is Healed Perception”

On Special Relationships in A Course in Miracles

In terms of A Course in Miracles, a special relationship is any relationship (with anything though we tend to think of it as between people) that we use as a substitute for Oneness with God. It might be a special hate relationship, in which we feel justified in projecting hate and anger onto someone, orContinue reading “On Special Relationships in A Course in Miracles”

Choosing Between Belief Systems

The problem is never the specific feeling I am having – I am angry, say. Rather, it is the belief system from which the specific feeling reflexively arises. Ultimately, that is where the problem is solved. That is where we will find Saint Paul’s “peace that surpasseth understanding.” In A Course in Miracles, this meansContinue reading “Choosing Between Belief Systems”

Meaning and Inherency: The First Lesson of A Course in Miracles

The first lesson of A Course in Miracles teaches us that meaning is not inherent: it does not reside “in” the dog, or the table, or the stack of books, or the picture of our children laughing at the beach. Nothing that we see – ever – means anything (W-pI.1). And of course we couldContinue reading “Meaning and Inherency: The First Lesson of A Course in Miracles”

Following Jesus in A Course in Miracles

It is a mistake, I think, to approach A Course in Miracles as if it were merely a light-hearted picnic en route to the Gates to Heaven. It is not that an emphasis on inner peace and joy is wrong per se, but that it can distract one from the actual forgiveness inherent in theContinue reading “Following Jesus in A Course in Miracles”