“The miracle is the means, the Atonement is the principle, and healing is the result”
I understand that, for many people, the religious language of A Course in Miracles can be off-putting; words like ‘the Atonement’ conjure up images of a vengeful God, ruling by fear rather than a higher power leading through love. While I consider myself to be a spiritual person – whatever that really means – I do not consider myself religious. Despite being raised a Catholic, the teachings never resonated with me. I do believe in a higher power and I generally refer to that as the Universe.
All that being said, I do recommend readers of the text stick with it. Try to negate the contentious language while taking in the central message of A Course in Miracles, that is, Love.
If you believe that we are created ‘perfect’ then you will accept that there is no real emptiness inside. In reality, we are unaffected by all expressions of lack of love. Read that sentence again, it’s an important one.
“Peace is an attribute in you, you cannot find it outside”.
I love that, because I genuinely believe that miracles are natural, corrective, healing and universal.
“True denial is a powerful protective device”.
When it comes to the correction of errors, understand that this is part of evolution. Evolution is a process, by which we move from one level to the next. The very act of moving forward corrects any previous missteps. The Atonement is simply the device by which you can free yourself from the past as you move yourself forward. It undoes any past errors.
“It is hard to believe that a defense that cannot attack is the best defense…A two-way defense is inherently weak precisely because it has two edged and can be turned against you very unexpectedly.”
“Tolerance for pain may be high but it is not without limit. Eventually everybody begins to recognise, however dimly, that there must be a better way.”
This recognition is essentially a turning point; it ultimately reawakens spiritual vision, simultaneously weakening our reliance on physical sight. Corrective learning always begins with the awakening of spirit.