A Beginner's Overview of A Course in Miracles
by Allen Watson
A Course in Miracles is a set of three books, sold only as a set. The volumes may be separate but are usually bound into a single book. The Course was first published in 1976. The three volumes are titled Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers.
The Course as a whole sets forth a curriculum for mind training. It emphasizes application rather than theory. Its preface states, "Although Christian in statement, the Course deals with universal spiritual themes." It presents a carefully planned spiritual training program, intended to help us remember our true Identity as God's perfect creation, through the means of forgiveness practiced in our daily relationships. Some have called it a course in spiritual psychology, since the Course makes free use of many psychological concepts and terms such as denial, projection, and dissociation.
Volume I: Text (669 pages)
The Text is largely theoretical, and presents the thought system on which the Course is based. It is meant to be read in the order given, as it presents a reasoned argument for the thoughts it sets forth.
Volume II: Workbook for Students (488 pages)
The Workbook includes 365 lessons, one for each day of the year, which are meant to be done no more than one per day, although you may want to spend more than just one day on some of the lessons. It provides the practical basis of the Course. The theoretical material of the Text is essential to make the Workbook lessons meaningful; but without the practice of the Workbook lessons, it is not possible to achieve the goals the Course sets forth.
Volume III: Manual For Teachers (92 pages)
This is the smallest volume. The Manual's main purpose is to provide help to those who, having completed the Text and the Workbook, wish to fulfill their function as teachers of God (miracle workers) by sharing the Course's thought system of love with others. The Manual also provides answers to several questions likely to arise to students of the Course, and clarifies and defines some of the terms used in the Course.
Not an Exclusive Path
The Course makes no claim to uniqueness; it refers to itself as one form of the universal course, and states, "There are many thousands of other forms, all with the same outcome" (Manual, 1.4:2). It does imply, however, that its serious students will concentrate on the Course, rather than mixing it with other paths.
A Course in Mind Training
The Course calls itself a course in mind training. It is indeed that. One of its primary emphases is training you to think in an entirely different way. It teaches that we make our experience, even our world, by our thoughts, and that by changing our way of thinking we can change the world.
As the Course states in the introduction to the Text,
The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance.
Authorship
The Course is one example of what has been called channelled material. Helen Schucman, who wrote down the Course, did not claim to be the author herself. She heard what she called a kind of inner dictation, and she felt impelled to write it down, even though at times she disagreed with it and resisted the process. The voice speaking through Helen Schucman clearly identifies himself as Jesus, and says he is speaking again to correct some misconceptions we have had about what he taught and what he did on earth. The Course itself states, however, that it is not necessary to accept Jesus as your teacher: "It is possible to read his words and benefit from them without accepting him into your life" (Manual, Clarification of Terms, 5.6:6).
If you want to learn more about A Course in Miracles (ACIM), read Robert Perry's The ACIM Thought System and Allen Watson's The Story of the Course. See also Robert Perry's article What is A Course in Miracles?
Reader Feedback
Just needed to send a quick note regarding a section in this Beginner Overview. In reviewing some of your other works, it was lovely to see you all kept very open in regards to not leaning things in directions based on speculation. However, it was slightly moving to read you state that the course was meant to be read in the order given Text, Workbook, manual for teachers, as there is nowhere in the text it states an order as such, and it even eludes to the fact that the order would be based upon each person, as a "teacher" is a student, and a student a teacher...etc. I have read the course in its entirety, and am working through my second run of it as well as practice daily lessons with great heart. Thank you for your articles and your clarification on items. It's wonderful to have beings such as yourself.
With love—
Angela
Dear Angela,
Thanks for your feedback. You say "it was slightly moving to read you state that the course was meant to be read in the order given Text, Workbook manual for teachers." I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "slightly moving," but you seem to be asking for clarification.
The article does not actually say that the three volumes are meant to be read in order; it says that the _Text_ is meant to be "read in the order given." I state that the reason for my belief is that "it presents a reasoned argument for the thoughts it sets forth."
There are grounds in the Course for that belief, and, in fact, grounds to say that the usual and expected order for going through the volumes is also in the order given, Text, Workbook, and then Manual for Teachers, although that can differ with some individuals.
The Text itself implies that its readers are expected to read it straight through in the fairly frequent self-referencing Jesus does when he says things like, "I said before" (e.g. T-2.V.7:3; T-3.VII.4:8; T-18.II.6:3) or "you have come too far" (T-16.VI.10:2), or "For even though you do not yet perceive that this is what you think, you surely learned by now that you behave as if it were" (T-31.V.9:3). This kind of backwards reference would not be meaningful to a random reader; the references only make sense if you read straight through. That doesn't mean that no one should ever read randomly, or that reading straight through is somehow better or holier than random reading, but I think there is something more to be gained, and a little help at understanding, if you read the Text from front to back.
As for the order in which the volumes should be read, the Workbook's Introduction states quite strongly that, "A theoretical foundation such as the text provides is necessary as a framework to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful" (W-Int.1:1). Clearly, to gain maximum benefit from the Workbook, you should read the Text first. There are internal references also that assume the reader has already read the Text, such as, "Perhaps you will recall the text maintains that choice is always made between Christ's strength and your own weakness" (W-pI.153.6:3) and "This thought is surely reminiscent of our text" (W-pI.161.6:2). And the Manual obviously comes last, normally. It, too, has backwards references to the Text and Workbook, such as, "This has been emphasized throughout the text and the workbook (M-4.VII.1:6). It says that no one can claim to be a teacher of God (in the Course's sense) "until he has gone through the workbook" (M-16.3:7). So this is a manual for people who have completed both Text and Workbook.
Nonetheless, as the passage you refer to (M-29.1-2) makes clear, this order is not etched in stone; it is flexible. Sometimes people may do best to begin with the Workbook or Manual. But notice that this discussion is addressed to the teacher, and seems to presume that a pupil is seeking guidance from the teacher as to how to proceed with his or her reading. The section advises the teacher that he should not make any presuppositions in this regard, but rather should ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in each individual case.
I hope this clears things up a bit.
Your companion on the journey,
Allen
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