A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system. It consists of the Text, a Workbook with 365 daily lessons, and a Manual. It uses Christian terminology but is ecumenical and clearly states that it is one of many thousands of spiritual paths that lead to God. It is not a religion but an approach to peace of mind.
The Text
The Course’s Text presents the concepts that form its thought system and forms a foundation for the lessons in Book 2. However, the principles and themes of the Text are more than theoretical. They are symphonically presented, like leitmotivs that are woven into the fabric of a musical composition.
The Text uses Christian terminology, but the thoughts and concepts that it teaches are universal and non-dual. It combines spiritual inspiration with deep psychological understanding of such phenomena as beliefs, defense systems and perception.
The goal of the Course is to remove blocks to your awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. When you are fully aware of love’s presence, happiness is the result. This is the miracle that A Course in Miracles aims to bring about. Happiness is the freedom from conflict, of all kinds. This freedom comes from forgiveness, of all guilt. This is the meaning of “happiness.” This happiness can only be achieved by the experience of peace, which results from forgiveness.
The Workbook
A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system that consists of three books: the Text, the Workbook for Students and the Manual for Teachers. It uses Christian terminology and reflects a non-sectarian spirituality, emphasizing experience rather than belief in a theology. It teaches that the way to universal love and peace, or “remembering God,” is undoing guilt through forgiveness.
Its purpose is to train the mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything it encounters. Some of the A course in miracles ideas presented in the workbook may be difficult to believe and some appear quite startling, but it is your application of them that will give them meaning.
The goal is to make them your own, and a part of your life’s foundation. Like all habits, this requires consistency over time. The more consistently you practice the lessons, the more the habits will become a natural part of your thinking. Then they will carry you through the rest of your life, and into the next.
The Manual
Described by The New York Times as “an esoteric bible that has gone mainstream,” A Course in Miracles is the modern spiritual classic that inspires people to live happy, fulfilling lives. Originally published in 1976, the curriculum became a phenomenon after Marianne Williamson shared her experience with it on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
The manual is designed to guide students of the course who have become mature enough to extend its teachings to others. The teachings of the course are reinforced through extension to others, and in this way they are enthroned as your dominant thought system.
While the course uses language of Christianity, it is ecumenical and states that it is but one version of a universal spiritual curriculum of which there are "many thousands." It is a teaching about undoing guilt through forgiving others and healing relationships. It is about remembering God. The course is not about salvation, but it is a path that leads to it.
The Course’s Goal
Course goals express the instructor’s hopes and ideals for what students should learn in a course. They are distinct from learning objectives, which describe what students will be able to do at the end of the course.
Having clear goals for a course can help an instructor determine the best way to teach it. They can also provide a framework for assessing student learning. The following article and video illustrate how one KU faculty member has used course goals to develop her class.
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