ONE MORE PATH TO GOD

Even though most people do not know it, the search for freedom from the trials and tribulations of human experience is in the end, a search for God. For most of the history of this world human beings have been looking for God in some vague place called Heaven. They believe that He is in a distant unattainable location, and they will have to suffer and die before they can know Him. Most religions are organized in such a way that they support this point of view. There is a priest or minister who can better relate to God than you can. Even Buddhists, who focus on training the mind, teach that we cannot overcome our self-grasping ignorance without receiving powerful transmissions from enlightened beings. What if someone finally told you that knowing God was the most natural thing in this world, maybe the only natural thing in this world? We have projected God outside of ourselves and dissociated from our own awareness the best part of what we are.

In this world there are thousands of paths to knowing God. We have been taught to believe that knowing God is a lofty and impossible goal. A Course in Miracles teaches that it is natural and inevitable. All religions were founded by someone who discovered a path to God and wanted to teach it to others. Each version of the path was taught in the form appropriate for the historical time and population in which it was founded. Unfortunately most followers were unable to grasp the essence of the message, because knowing God seemed so remote a goal. This has led to endless misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the message. Hence we have literally thousands of different religions. The Course in Miracles says; "A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary." (Int. 4:4) In other words; everyone who finally knows God has a similar experience.

In the Course, Jesus says; "As a man and also one of God's creations, my right thinking, which came from the Holy Spirit or the Universal Inspiration, taught me first and foremost that this Inspiration is for all. I could not have It myself without knowing this." (T5 I 4:6-7) In the Manual for Teachers he explains; "This is a manual for a special curriculum, intended for teachers of a special form of the universal course. There are many thousands of other forms, all with the same outcome. They (all) merely save time." (M1 4:13) This means that being shown the way back to God is faster than trying to find it on your own.

The Course in Miracles is one more path to knowing God. This one is designed for the modern man in Western Civilization who is familiar with the concepts of Christianity and Psychology. It explains the inner journey in terms of Psychology, referring to the unconscious mind, ego defenses and the mind's proclivity for projection. It designates the Universal Spiritual force that performs miracles in Christian terms, Jesus, Christ and Holy Spirit. But this miraculous force is not exclusively Christian. It is universal and equally accessible to everyone regardless of their religious beliefs.

LOOKING BEYOND FORM

At the same time it teaches us about miracles, the Course attempts to teach us to look past form to content. Content refers to its essential message, to the idea inherent in or beyond the form. Ken Wapnick, one of the foremost teachers of The Course often used to quote, "There is nothing so blinding as perception of form." (T22 III 6:7) One way to understand what "look beyond form" means is to think of the word idea. An idea is a thought or image that lights up in your mind. It has no form until you create one for it. You must find the words or images with which to express that idea. Otherwise, it cannot be born into form in this world.

In order to train the mind to look past form to the essence or idea behind the form, the Course uses many synonyms, words that appear to be different but whose meanings are so closely related they can be substituted one for the other. This is one reason The Course can be very difficult to understand because the human mind under control of the ego is captured by form. Although The Course relies heavily on the words Holy Spirit, it uses many synonyms for it. Some common and well-known ones are, Friend, Counselor, Guide, Comforter and He. In the text of the Course, Teacher, Universal Inspiration and Universal Giver are additional synonyms. In order to understand what A Course in Miracles teaches, the student must know and recognize many synonyms. Later in this book, we will draw your attention to some of them. It is hoped that the reader spends time teaching his mind to grasp the single abstract idea contained in a given set of synonyms.

In addition to its heavy reliance upon synonyms, another cause of difficulty in understanding the message of A Course in Miracles is that it is written in very abstract language. It expresses thoughts and ideas in abstract form, and provides few if any concrete examples of what these abstractions refer to. Again, because the human mind is captured by form, this makes it difficult for students to clearly understand its basic ideas. This abstract style of teaching is not uncommon among spiritually advanced teachers. It is natural for them and illustrates the gap between their and the student's level of consciousness. I have come to realize that presenting ideas abstractly is a way to teach that accommodates different levels of understanding and interpretation.

In The Course in Miracles we are taught that God respects the thoughts and beliefs we have made, even if what we have made is erroneous in terms of His plan for us. We believe that what we think is correct in terms of our beliefs and goals, but His beliefs and goals are not the same as ours. However, He will not interfere with our thoughts or try to change them; unless He is invited to do so. The same is true for this book. If what I have written here enriches your understanding of A Course in Miracles and the Universal Path, I am glad. Better, if it convinces you to make the Holy Spirit and eventually God your daily companion; that's the best. A Course in Miracles is a course in mind training. (T1 VII 4:1) We are designed by our Creator so that we are free to decide what to think and how to use our minds. It is your own decision. The Course attempts to teach you how to use your mind as God designed it to be used.

UNDERSTANDING

The dictionary defines understanding as comprehension. As a person matures, his understanding grows. It is a cumulative function of the mind. That means there are levels of understanding. A gross way to understand this is to compare a six-year-old understanding of sex to that of a sixteen-year-old, or a sixty-year-old. Real understanding is hard won. No one can hand it to you on a platter. It is a product you create in your own mind by your own efforts, out of your own thoughts and life experience.

The Course in Miracles teaches us that our experience in this world is our classroom and the purpose of our being here is to learn. Time and miracles provide us the opportunities for learning. It follows logically to ask, "What is it we are here to learn?" The answer is, "A whole new way of thinking and understanding!" Like all the questions asked in the world, this response does not really answer the question. It merely raises more questions. What is taught in A Course in Miracles cannot be understood by the mind that has not been transformed, any more than a six-year-old can understand sex in the same way a sixty-year-old understands it.

I have a doctorate in Psychology and long life experience. That is what I brought to my study of the Course. As my thinking was transformed by the Holy Spirit, I realized that all my past learning was a screen and barrier that distorted my understanding of what was written there. Why was it a barrier? Understanding is a projective function of the mind. Letters and words are only stimuli for the mind to recall what it already knows. If A Course in Miracles was presented to you written in Aramaic, Jesus' native language, even though you know what Jesus taught, you would not understand a word of it. All the little markings on the sheepskin or papyrus, or the sounds of someone reading them to you would have no meaning. There would be no familiar stimulus in it for upon which to project what you already know. We take our ability to understand our language for granted because we have relied upon it our entire lives without a second thought. We believe we understand what we hear and read. But in truth, what we understand is only what we already think we know.

That does not mean you cannot learn anything new from reading or listening to a teacher. But the mind can expand or change what it already knows, step by step in little by little increments and only if it is open to learn. A closed mind cannot learn anything. (These are laws of how the mind works.) To be confronted with a whole new way of understanding such as given in The Course in Miracles is disorienting and anxiety provoking for the mind. And so it is protected by projecting what it already knows onto what is written there. It is protected from becoming anxious, confused and disoriented; but at the same time it is distorting and misunderstanding what it reads and hears. The fact that the Course is written in such abstract language accommodates many different projected meanings. Now you know why there are several different editions of the Course, why Course students and teachers often disagree about what The Course is teaching, or get so frustrated while reading it they throw it against the wall.

Jesus says; "All terms are potentially controversial, and those who seek controversy will find it. Yet those who seek clarification will find it as well. They must, however, be willing to overlook controversy, recognizing that it is a defense against truth in the form of a delaying maneuver. Theological considerations as such are necessarily controversial, since they depend on belief and can therefore be accepted or rejected. A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary. It is this (universal) experience toward which The Course is directed. Here alone consistency becomes possible because here alone (in the universal experience) uncertainty ends." (Clarification of Terms 2:1-7)

Changing your understanding so radically as is necessary to truly understand what The Course teaches can only be done in little steps. What A Course in Miracles teaches is opposite of what most people in this world think and believe. Having our thoughts and beliefs so radically changed is a long and sometimes painful journey. The radical change of a way of thinking cannot be done by merely reading and hearing discussions of The Course contents. Reading and hearing can prepare the mind for change, but the radical transformation of thought taught in A Course in Miracles must be done by an Intelligence that is separate from the ego's thought system; an Intelligence that is familiar with both thought systems, thoughts of this world and a transcendent thought system – the Thoughts of God.

In The Course the words Jesus and the Holy Spirit are conceptual symbols that represent that Intelligence. They are not the Intelligence itself. The Intelligence of God cannot be contained in any form or symbol whatsoever. However, they both understand the thought system of this world and the Thoughts of God. It is their dual understanding that gives them the ability to bridge the gap between our minds and the Mind of God.

THE UNIQUE MEANING OF THE WORD MIRACLE

The word miracle in A Course in Miracles is not defined according to the common definition of the word. The common definition is derived from a Greek word meaning "powers, an event beyond the power of any known physical law; a spiritual occurrence produced by the power of God." In the Old Testament the word miracle is translated as "a wonder, mighty work or sign." The miracles performed by Jesus and the apostles were wonders and signs that authenticated their power and claim of authority as teachers of a transcendent message. A miracle in A Course In Miracles is not so dramatic. Although they do authenticate the message of The Course they are very subtle in their effects, and are not designed for demonstration. They are designed to transform the thinking of the mind of man from human to divine.

Miracles do result in healing of disharmony and physical illness, but that is not their purpose. Their primary purpose is the Atonement, gradually transforming the thoughts of man until they are in alignment with the Thoughts of God. The secondary effect of the process of Atonement is the healing of physical, relational and environmental problems. Another unique quality of miracles as taught in A Course in Miracles is that their benefit is not confined to the recipient of the miracle alone. The effects of miracles in A Course in Miracles extend to many others outside of the awareness of the recipient.

"Miracles mirror God's eternal Love. To offer them is to remember Him and through His memory to save the world. What we forgive becomes a part of us as we perceive ourselves. The Son of God incorporates all things within himself as God created him. His memory (of how he was created) depends on his (ability for) forgiveness. What he (as The Son of God) is, is unaffected by Your thoughts; but what he (as the Son of God) looks upon is their direct result. Therefore, my Father, I would turn to You. Only Your Memory will set me free; and only Your forgiveness (of my erroneous thoughts) teaches me to let Your Memory return to me, and give it to the world in thankfulness." (L350 1)

Jesus expects its students to become miracle workers. He says, "You can do anything I ask. I have asked you to perform miracles, and have made it clear that miracles are natural, corrective, healing and universal." (T2 II 1:12) The Text of the Course in Miracles begins with Fifty Principles of Miracles. In spite of this, most teachers and students of the Course do not focus on miracle working. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the Fifty Principles of Miracles are difficult to understand. The text of the Course creates the context out of which they derive their meaning therefore it takes great familiarity with the text to understand them. Second, the language in which many of the Principles are written is obtuse. This makes them very difficult to understand even for those familiar with the text. Third, the idea of being able to do miracles is alien to most people's idea of who and what they are. These factors combine to create a barrier to understanding, accepting and doing miracles. Teachers and students just skip over the Principles of Miracles and dive into to text.

THE UNIQUE MEANING OF THE WORD FORGIVENESS

When most teachers and students begin their study of A Course in Miracles they do not focus on miracles. Instead they focus on forgiveness because that is a concept they believe is easier to understand than miracles. Often they teach forgiveness without stressing the fact that in the Course, it has a unique spiritual function and meaning. This oversight is understandable because The Course itself often uses the word forgiveness in a way that it can easily be misinterpreted in terms of the thinking of this world. Students of the Course have to learn to understand the word forgiveness as a symbol for a different meaning, a unique kind of forgiveness that forms the foundation of miracles and what is taught in A Course in Miracles.

The common understanding of the word forgiveness in this world is to pardon, absolve, exonerate or remit a perceived error. All these forms of forgiveness are based on the belief that error is real and negative judgment justified. The ego's hidden purpose in this kind of forgiveness is to confirm its superiority to the other, believing that he is being magnanimous or patient and long suffering. Or perhaps he makes the offender his slave by requiring him to do penance by saying, "If you do such-and-such, I will forgive you." In A Course in Miracles all forms of forgiveness that do not lead away from judgment, anger, retaliation and condemnation are perceived as a disguised form of murder. They are called "forgiveness to kill." Therefore, to teach that A Course in Miracles is about forgiveness, without being very clear what the word means, is to tread a slippery slope toward self-defeating error.