Past issues of A Better Way

Issues are offered as PDF files. PDF stands for "Portable Document Format." PDF files are readable on any computer using the free program, Adobe Reader. PDF files cannot be edited. You may download Adobe Reader here, and use the program to view or print PDF files.

Past Issues

A Better Way #80 by Robert Perry. As Course in Miracles students, we have an ambivalent relationship with words. This is a truly unfortunate state of affairs, for repeating words is the Course's main practice, a practice on which it is resting the achievement of its goals for us. In this article, Robert explores the "why," "how," and "when" of the Course's practice of repeating words, drawing extensively from the Workbook's voluminous instructions on this practice. He hopes this will be the beginning of an ongoing discussion on this crucial topic. The goal the Course has set for us depends on it.
A Better Way #79 by Greg Mackie. The "Correction of Error" section in the Text (T-9.III) is a section that confounds many Course students. It is often taken to say that you should never correct a brother's error at any time for any reason. But does this section really say that? Greg examines the section carefully and draws from other Course material—especially the sections immediately following—to come up with an answer that may surprise you.
A Better Way #78 by Robert Perry. "Interpretation and the Future of the Course" Course students tend to have an uneasy relationship with the whole idea of interpreting the Course, yet the issue of interpretation is crucial, for how we interpret the Course determines our whole relationship with it. There are many perspectives on how to interpret the Course but the key question is "What did Jesus think about interpretation?" Robert offers an answer to that question based on the Course material itself, an answer that provides a whole new vision of Course interpretation.
A Better Way #77 by Greg Mackie. "I Follow in the Way Appointed Me: Reflections on Workbook Lesson 317." Lesson 317 is a powerful and beautiful lesson. It says that each of us has a specific part to play in God's plan for salvation, and completing that part is essential for the world's salvation and our own. In this article, Greg shares his personal reflections on this lesson and invites you to explore its implications for your life as well.
A Better Way #76 by Robert Perry. "A Conversation with Readers about >Miracles Boomeritis" In this issue, we have "A Conversation with Readers on Miracles Boomeritis." We've collected the feedback to Robert's article "Miracles Boomeritis" (A Better Way #75), an article which suggests that the Course community has been infected by an intellectual virus that is pervasive in modern culture: the idea that there are no absolute truths, and therefore "no one tells me what to do!" Read Robert's responses to the feedback, and his overall comments on what that feedback suggests about the presence of boomeritis in the Course community. We'll be publishing more correspondence on this topic in the next issue of A Better Way, so there's still time to join the discussion.
A Better Way #75 by Robert Perry. "Miracles Boomeritis" "Boomeritis" is a term coined by transpersonal philosopher Ken Wilber to describe the pervasive cultural mindset of our time. This mindset, which Wilber believes began with the "baby boomer" generation, says that there is no absolute truth, there is only my truth and your truth, and therefore "Nobody tells me what to do!" In this article, Robert asks: Do we Course students have boomeritis? Are boomeritis and the Course compatible? What do we do about this issue?
A Better Way #74 by Greg Mackie. "The Urgency of Doing Our Part in Salvation," Most students of A Course in Miracles know that the Course tells us to be patient regarding the ultimate outcome of salvation. But it may come as a surprise to learn that the Course also tells us it is urgent that we start doing our part to bring about salvation. To awaken this sense of urgency in us, Greg draws out this theme in the Course material, with a particular emphasis on the "celestial speed-up" — the Holy Spirit's response to the "acute emergency" of our current condition, a speed-up that Jesus told Helen the Course was intended to help facilitate.
A Better Way #73 by Robert Perry. "Anchoring a Tradition: Why We Are Launching the Circle Course Community" How can the Course accomplish the purpose for which it came? If the Course really is Jesus' second appearance, how can we ensure that things don't go awry like they did the first time? In this article, Robert expresses his and the Circle's conviction that the Course needs to eventually be embedded in a tradition, a global support network of students and teachers seeking to walk the Course's path the way that Jesus intended. This, he says, is why we decided to form the Circle Course Community.
A Better Way #72 by Robert Perry. "Realizing the Promises of the Course Why We Are Launching the Circle Course Community" This month's article is Realizing the Promises of the Course: Why We Are Launching the Circle Course Community, by Robert Perry. We are all on the spiritual path for the sake of the benefits promised, and the Course promises us the biggest benefits imaginable. Yet it also ties those benefits to doing what it asks, something we seem to find nearly impossible. How can we raise ourselves up to follow the Course's instructions and realize its promises?
A Better Way #71 by Robert Perry. "The Practice of Being Present to God" We tend to think of meditation as turning inward, clearing away the distractions, and being fully present to something within our own mind. In a sense, then, we view meditation as an act of being present to ourselves. But many of the Course's meditations offer another perspective: They frame meditation as an act of being present to Someone Else, namely God. In this article, Robert explores the idea of meditation as the practice of being totally present to God.
A Better Way #70 by Greg Mackie. "The Joy of Realizing That This Place Is Hell." We have a hard time admitting just what a nightmare life on earth really is, because we think such an admission would inevitably sink us into the depths of despair. Greg shows how realizing that this place is hell, while sobering, can actually be a gateway to great joy.
A Better Way #69 by Greg Mackie. "Questioning Every Value That You Hold" At the Circle, we've had many Course students who have been drawn to our teaching approach and have benefited from it. Yet at times, we've also gotten the impression that at least for some, our teaching can be a bit of a downer. While I don't regard our teaching as a downer myself, I can understand where that perception comes from. It's really true that we don't use the kind of "feel good" approach so prevalent in the self-help and alternative spirituality markets today. Given that our teaching style can be challenging and contrarian at times, it's reasonable to ask: Why do we teach the way we do? This article answers that question.
A Better Way #68 by Robert Perry. "What is God like?" Is He angry, indifferent, or loving? This is a hugely important question, for how we see God colors how we see everything. In this article, Robert takes a look at our attitude toward God and at how A Course in Miracles portrays God. We will find that the Course's view is so extreme, so different from conventional assumptions, that we may find ourselves quite surprised.
A Better Way #67 by Robert Perry. "How Do We Spend Our Days After the Workbook?" If you are a student of A Course in Miracles and have completed the Workbook, what do you do afterward? The epilogue to the Workbook gives the impression that you just sail along under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. However, we receive a much more specific picture of what to do after the Workbook in Section 24 of the Manual for Teachers, "How Should the Teacher of God Spend His Day?" The general rules laid out in this section provide a great snapshot of how Jesus sees more mature students living his course.
A Better Way #66 by Robert Perry. "The Importance of Relationships in A Course in Miracles " Interpersonal relationships in this world are "the means of return" according to the Course, but Course students often have difficulty reconciling this with the Course's metaphysics. If the world is an illusion, why would relationships in this world matter? Robert shows that the Course's emphasis on relationships is actually an expression of its metaphysics: Relationships are part of the very fabric of Heaven, so our earthly relationships are meant to be a reflection of Heaven's perfect relationships.
A Better Way #65 by Greg Mackie. "Seek Not to Change the World?" The Course famously says, "Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world" (T-21.In.1:7). Course students generally take this to mean that changing things in the external world, including behaviorally extending help to others, is not part of the Course's path. But is that really what this line means?
A Better Way #64 by Robert Perry. "Why I Am a Course Purist." The term "Course purist" may sound like rigid fundamentalism, but for Robert being a Course purist is reasonable, healthy, freeing, and life-giving. In this article, Robert explains why he is a Course purist and describes the many benefits this approach to the Course has given him.
A Better Way #63 by Robert Perry. "What If Jesus Really Did Write This?" This is a lightly edited version of a talk Robert gave at the 2007 ACIM Conference in San Francisco. Robert presents his reasons for believing that Jesus really did write A Course in Miracles, and explores the huge implications of that amazing claim.
A Better Way #62 by Greg Mackie.
A Course in Miracles and The Secret Greg answers the question—Are the teachings of the popular video The Secret compatible with those of the Course?
A Better Way #61 by Greg Mackie. The Rules That Promise You a Happy Day: My Practice of the Rules for Decision. Greg briefly examines the "Rules for Decision" (T-30.I), describes his experience of practicing them, and shares the benefits this practice has brought to his life.
A Better Way #60 by Robert Perry. How Is Our Brother Our Savior In Course circles, it is often said that our brother is our savior because he pushes our buttons and thus gives us an opportunity to look at our egos. But is this what the Course means when it says our brother is our savior? Or does it have a more exalted view of our brother in mind?
A Better Way #59 by Greg Mackie. The Course's Nondualism: Love is a Law Without an Opposite
A Better Way #57 by Robert Perry. The lead article in this issue is entitled "Open Mind Meditation: The Practice of the Final Step." It is both a theoretical and practical guide to the Course's crowning form of meditation, the form that we practice throughout Part II of the Workbook.
A Better Way #58 by Robert Perry.
A Better Way #56 by Circle Staff. The lead article in this issue is a powerful piece by Nicolas "Mezz" Mezzanatto, a 21-year-old infantryman serving in Iraq. He attends an ACIM group run by Army Reserve Lt. Col. Elizabeth Bowler, a psychiatrist working with the Army's Combat Stress Control Company in the most dangerous area of Iraq. Mezz's piece, entitled "Invincible," teaches us that the Course can truly be applied anywhere and everywhere—even in a war zone.
A Better Way #55 by Circle Staff. The lead article in this issue is "This is a Course for Miracle Workers: Please Clock In." For a long time, we at the Circle have believed that Jesus' central purpose for the Course is right there in the title "A Course in Miracles." It is essentially a vocational training manual for the job of miracle worker: a person who extends miracles of true perception to others in thought, word, and deed.
In this article, I share some highlights from the first two chapters of the Course (including additional material from the Urtext) on the job of miracle worker. This material has had a major impact on how I see the Course and my own life's purpose. I hope you will find it as thought-provoking as I have.
A Better Way #54 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #53 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #52 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #51 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #50 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #49 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #48 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #47 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #46 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #45 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #44 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #43 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #42 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #41 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #40 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #39 by Circle Staff.
A Better Way #38 by Circle Staff.

Return to top

Printer friendly version

Please report problems to the webmaster.