The Seventeenth Principle of A Course in Miracles

Miracles transcend the body. They are sudden shifts into invisibility, away from the bodily level. That is why they heal (T-1.I.17:1-3).

Miracles are shifts in thought away from fear and towards love. They reinterpret perception in order to reveal the oneness that is our inheritance in and as God’s Creation. Where once we perceived pain and suffering, now we perceive shared innocence and joy. This is the peace and happiness to which our study and practice of A Course in Miracles directs us. We remember who and what we are in truth. This is what healing is.

Another way to understand the miracle is that it is an invitation to give attention to the level of the mind rather than the body. In doing so, we learn that it is only at the level of mind that we are actually creative and capable of healing ourselves and others.

It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way. There is no cause beyond yourself that can reach down and bring oppression (W-pI.190.5:1-3).

These are liberating words but we don’t believe them. Hence the role of the miracle, in preparing our mind for radical acceptance of the causelessness of guilt.

Miracles are shifts of awareness that occur when we align ourselves with the power of Love, which is God, and let go of the limiting beliefs and judgments that keep us beholden to the ego’s perception of the world, which is limiting. There is – thank Christ there is – another way.

The body is a symbol of separation and limitation. When we confuse the body with our own self, then it becomes a source of suffering. Its physical and emotional pain become our pain. However, when we shift our perception to the level of the mind, then we see beyond the limitations of the body and remember the truth of our divine nature which is fundamentally happy and creative. The body becomes a means of communication, a site of learning that we are not bodies, in order that suffering might come to an end.

Thus, miracles are a means of healing because they help us transcend the limitations of the body and connect with our true spiritual identity. We remember ourselves as God created us. By shifting our awareness to the level of the mind, we experience a sense of inner peace, joy, and fulfillment that easily transcends anything we could achieve through physical means alone.

“Invisibility” here simply refers to our willingness to no longer be “blinded” by the world (e.g., W-pI.189.1:2), and instead to rely on our natural Christ vision.

This shift into invisibility means that we see beyond the physical appearances of things and recognize the spiritual essence that underlies them. We see beyond the surface level of the world and perceive the deeper truth of our interconnectedness, our unity with all Creation.

In this way, our new vision allows us to no longer be bound by the limitations of the body and the ego’s arguments about what we are. We remember our Creator, and naturally reclaim the peace, joy and love that are our true nature.