A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a course in miracles a spiritual thought system, written in three volumes. It was received as inner dictation by two Columbia University psychologists who were tired of the negativity and division that permeated their lives.

ACIM combines profound spiritual teachings with practical psychological insights. It helps you experience a deeper connection to God and learn how to love yourself, others and the world.
The Text

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is an esoteric text that has become the bible of the spiritual but not religious movement, a rapidly growing sub-culture that seeks to challenge conventional religion and embrace new ways of looking at reality. Identified by the New York Times in 2019 as an "esoteric bible that has gone mainstream," it has been a major influence on people who think of themselves as "spiritual but not religious."

ACIM is a thought system that combines spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such phenomena as belief and defense systems, perception and identity. It is very intellectually sophisticated and incorporates profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching and practical psychological insights.

The Course's thought system is a non-dual synthesis of Eastern and Christian spiritual themes that emphasizes the idea that there is no difference between the world of knowledge and the world of illusion. It views reality as a unity of love, sinlessness and abundance, and views evil, sin and guilt as misperceptions that call for correction and forgiveness.

Although ACIM uses many Christian symbols, it is much more aligned with Eastern mysticism than traditional Western religion. For example, the Course directly challenges the Christian doctrine of sin and crucifixion by arguing that Jesus did not suffer or die on the cross but, instead, ascended to higher consciousness.

Helen Schucman, a psychologist at Columbia University in New York City, had several inner visions and heightened dreams that led her to create the Course. In 1965, she heard an inner voice say: “This is a course in miracles, please take notes.”

After several years of preparation, the Course was first published in 1976 by the nonprofit Foundation for Inner Peace. It consists of three books: The Text, which lays out the thought system; the Workbook, which prescribes a daily transformational discipline; and the Manual for Teachers, which addresses some questions most frequently asked by students.

The Course's teachings are designed to be used by students in a self-study curriculum, but hundreds of study groups worldwide have been founded using the texts and practices. Some are organized in a religious framework, but others operate more like a social group or a support network.
The Workbook

A course in miracles is the name of the game, but a workbook containing 365 lessons in no time is a bit of a stretch. Despite its limitations, the aforementioned gimmick has remained a popular choice among Course participants for some time. The best part is that you get to show off your new found knowledge to all. As a bonus, your shiny new ACIM creds are the talk of the town! You may even get to take home the top notch prize.
The Manual

The Course consists of three volumes, a Text, a Workbook for Students and a Manual for Teachers. Each of these volumes serves a specific purpose. The Text is a theoretical book, its lessons providing the foundation of the Course's thought system; the Workbook helps students understand the text's teachings, and the Manual instructs teachers on how to teach the Course.

The first two volumes of A Course in Miracles are written on a high intellectual level and incorporate sophisticated metaphysical, theological and psychological concepts. While this does not exclude anyone from learning the Course, a reader/student who is unfamiliar with these terms may find it difficult to comprehend the material.

However, the Course teaches that everyone can benefit from its principles and practices, regardless of one's background or previous experience in spirituality. It is not a religion but a teaching that aims to transform the mind and the body through the undoing of guilt by forgiving others.

As a result, the Course is nonsectarian and ecumenical in its approach to spirituality. It does not claim to be the only way, but rather emphasizes that there are many thousands of ways to attain universal peace and love.

This is evident from its opening question, Who Are God s Teachers? The answer, Jesus says, reveals that the teacher of God has made a single deliberate choice in which he has seen the interests of another person as identical to his own. This is a crucial decision for him to make, for it means that he has changed his direction away from the world's curriculum and has entered into a new learning situation.

Once he has made this decision, it is his function to teach another way of being, a Holy Spirit curriculum. He becomes a "spiritual shepherd," mentor or guide for those who have made the same decision to change their direction, and his job is to assist them in learning the Course.

The Course is organized around a series of themes, and the two most important are separate versus shared interests and extension to others. The first theme unifies the seemingly disparate questions posed throughout the text and makes the Course's teachings of forgiveness possible.
The Foundation

The Foundation for A Course in Miracles is a non-profit corporation, established in 1982 to facilitate the work of its co-founders, Kenneth and Gloria Wapnick. Their mission is to foster spiritual development by providing a variety of teaching and healing services, including courses, workshops, retreats, and classes, under the name of the Institute for Teaching Inner Peace through A Course in Miracles (ITIP-ACIM).

The foundation is comprised of three major components: a Website, a Blog, and a Bookstore. The Website is the most popular of the three, with hundreds of thousands of unique visitors per month.

It offers a glimpse into the extraordinary story of A Course in Miracles, and provides basic information about this remarkable text and the people who have written it. It also contains a list of links to many other resources related to the text and its many applications.

Unlike most linearly structured texts, A Course in Miracles is symphonically presented, with prominent themes and principles woven into the text throughout. It is similar to how leitmotivs are woven into a musical composition.

Aside from being a fascinating and enlightening text, A Course in Miracles is also an important and innovative contribution to the study of the human mind and spirit. It provides an incredibly simple but effective method of self-discovery, one that has helped thousands of people find new capacities in their relationships, work, and self-expression to achieve a meaningful and loving life.

While this is a very impressive text and the shortest course you’ll ever take, the real innovation lies in the application of the principles that it presents. These can be applied to your daily life in a gentle and consistent manner.

The most significant of the many miracles that A Course in Miracles has to offer is the ability to help you remember that your true nature is love. This is the ultimate truth, and it can have no opposite. This can be the first step to a truly happy, meaningful and fulfilling life.