Miracles are thoughts. Thoughts can represent the lower or bodily level of experience, or the higher or spiritual level of experience. One makes the physical, and the other creates thes spiritual (T-1.I.12:1-3).
The twelfth miracle principle emphasizes that miracles are not external events that “get” us something, but rather shifts in perception that bring our will into alignment with God’s. On this view, miracles are corrections in our thinking that enable us to know our brothers and sisters as we know our own self. They are ways of relating to life that are not predicated on the illusions of ego.
The ego promotes separation; the Holy Spirit gently observes that all is one, and that therefore nothing real can be threatened. Ego begets sorrow; the Holy Spirit, joy and peace.
The fundamental premise of A Course in Miracles it that when we shift our thoughts from fear and judgment to love – through the practice of forgiveness – we create a space in which miracles naturally occur. This change in our thoughts is what allows us to see the world and ourselves in a new light, and it is this shift that brings about the experience of the miracle.
This principle also speaks to the idea that thoughts can represent either the lower or bodily level of experience or the higher or spiritual level of experience. The lower level of experience refers to the physical world and the experiences that we have through our bodies, such as pleasure, pain, and other sensory perceptions. This level of experience is rooted in the ego and is focused on the material world.
This level of experience depends on interpretation. We do not know what any of it means, and we have to be taught. The Course invites us to see that one teacher – the ego – is not effective because it teaches a fundamentally false view of the world of perception.
The Holy Spirit teaches us that the outside world is the picture of an inside condition, and that this allows us to realize our own need for healing, and to open to that healing.
When we heal in this way, we begin to understand the “higher or spiritual level of experience” (T-1.I.12:2).
This higher level of experience refers to the spiritual world and the experiences that we have that cannot be contained by – and do not depend on – the physical realm. This level of experience is rooted in Love and naturally focuses on the interconnectedness of all things. It is at this level that we recognize our oneness with God and with all of Creation.
The twelfth principle also suggests that one level of thought makes the physical world while the other creates the spiritual world. The distinction between “making” and “creating” is important in A Course in Miracles. To “make” is to attempt to do something productive without acknowledging our reliance on God. Anything made is shallow and ineffectual because it is set against God. It is basically unreal.
On the other hand, to “create” is to recognize with all our heart and mind our dependence on God. We are not involved in what is brought forth, other than in our willingness to allow it to be brought forth in us by God.
On the lower level of experience, our thoughts are largely focused on the physical world and the material things that we desire. This can lead to two effects of varying degree – we might get more of what we are focused on and we might get less. But the more or less is the problem! It symbolizes our belief that what is external is what is real and that it is there that our happiness or lack thereof is established.
This is a clear error.
On the higher level of experience, our thoughts are focused on God’s Will and Love, and the Teacher who speaks for God and teaches us that Love holds everything. When we give attention to this Love, this Love is brought forth in our living and extends to all Creation through us. This Love heals us as it heals our brothers and sisters, and it makes us happy in ways that are not conditional or contingent, and which do not come and go.
By shifting our focus away from the external – without denying or denigrating it – In summary, the twelfth miracle principle of A Course in Miracles emphasizes that miracles are not external events or actions, but rather the result of a change in our thinking. It suggests that our thoughts can represent either the lower or bodily level of experience or the higher or spiritual level of experience. It also speaks to the power of our thoughts to shape our experience of the world and emphasizes the importance of focusing our thoughts on love and forgiveness to create the conditions for miracles to occur.
