the course in miracles study group.

HOLMES

hail guys,
this study group is on the book that was channeled by inner dictation by helen schucman. it all started out by someone suggesting that "there must be another way" and her agreement to help him find it.
apparently this course is the other way she said.

this is a study on the course itself, and we are not looking at if she was really channeling the source or not. what we will look at is how the message of love is in this course or not.
this course has been described as a mental training course by some, and as a brain washing course by others.
therefore i suggest that the lessons for the days should not be repeated at interveals as described in the book, but considered as the thought of the day to consider.

i am not the leader, in fact my subscription ends in june, yet that gives us close to two months together and so i am going to set this up so the group can continue without me :)
-------------------------------
there will be primary kinds of groups studying this course. the posts under each heading from each chapter,
example in chapter one there is the first heading the principles of the miracles.
i won't be quoting from the book directly but paraphrasing and describing what it means to me and so you are encouraged to do so.
currently there is an interest by two people and so those who wish to join simply have to have the three in one edition,
or get the editions as you feel the need.
(get the textbook and study that or get the workbook and study that ).

the manual for teachers will come after the 365 day workbook is done, (which may take up to two years for sometimes the one who takes the initiation will go away for vacation and such.)

the what it is section of the book says that it focuses on expereince and not theology with the emphasis on universality.
so although christian in terms, it deals with spiritual themes and it is but one form of the course of which there are many forms.
and at the end of the course , you will be left with your inner spirit to guide you and so the course in miracles is just the beginning.

it focus is to change your perceptions to seek deeper truths in order to awaken from the dreams,

alternativley as you study the course you can exchange god , and father to goddes and mother,
to the source and creator
and the son to being the created ?

therefore let us get ready to start,
the book says that this is a required course,, and the time we take it is voluntary which means we elect what we take at a given time.

this means to me that in this life or the next i will take this course and attempt to understand its principles.
and recall that this course is true and is only in christian terms in this form,
it can be in buddha terms in other forms in other lives.
the time we take it therefore means when we are ready for while we feel we are running out of time,
time in fact doesnt exist and so we have all the time we desire to take it.

the book at the introduction says we can not establish it curriculm , which means we can change the universal laws, for they are there for us to learn.

it main focus is not to teach love but to remove the blocks to awareness of love. which is the source.

therefore
"nothing real can be threatened
nothing unreal exists
herein lies the peace of the god", (or the creator )
it will take the whole course to fully understand what that means, both the workbook and the textbook
yet if i can attempt to explain it,,
nothing real of the creator can be destroyed, nothing that can be destroyed exists,
there is the creator in all that brings us peace of mind.

as for the workbook the truth behind it is the application of what it teaches is to everything and nothing excluded.
 

HOLMES

hello

here the index of the threads so far

chapter one
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40236
chapter two
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40902

the workbook series.
they are split up according to reviews and so shall be bigger threads.
here is the first series
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40246

when we are done the textbook and the 365 lessons
we will begin studying the manuals for teachers.

lists from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...KIR4GARLO9C2/ref=cm_bg_lm/002-1294886-1798400
so you like to study the course in miracles

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...VGHKWYQ7/ref=cm_bg_guides/002-1294886-1798400
know about god and pure love

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...ORQ0H09V/ref=cm_bg_guides/002-1294886-1798400
study the works of kenneth wapnick

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...7RSNQNKX/ref=cm_bg_guides/002-1294886-1798400
mindmeld with mariane williamson

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...AR1RUZK5TE18/ref=cm_lm_bg/002-1294886-1798400
a course in miracles resources and studies aids

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...HTQYFWGKL/ref=cm_lm_lists/002-1294886-1798400
essential acim and then some

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...X1JCCOJAL/ref=cm_lm_lists/002-1294886-1798400
exploring spirituality.
there is a book here that says paul suppressed jesus actual teachings and this where they were most likely changed.

the gospels of thomas series
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...0T4CCX2W/ref=cm_lm_dp_m_1/002-1294886-1798400
the gospel of thoams books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...KF6L30SO/ref=cm_lm_dp_m_2/002-1294886-1798400
the gnostic thomas

the gospel of mary
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1294886-1798400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...294886-1798400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846&st=*

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...5148056/sr=5-3/ref=sr_5_3/002-1294886-1798400

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1294886-1798400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

it should be noted the gospel of mary reflects many of the course in miracles principles.
and the last link examined the comparisions to the bible.

the gospel of philip
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1294886-1798400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1294886-1798400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

in this gospel , sex is explained as natural by the master. which was suppressed by the church.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1563380390/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/002-1294886-1798400
1992 on gnostic paul

and from here
let us get back to the course of miracles.

first some postive links
http://www.acim.org/

http://a-course-in-miracles.org/

http://www.miraclestudies.net/

http://pathwaysoflight.org/?source=google

http://www.circleofa.com/
which tries to make a ministry of it, which was never the course purpose and that could risk in turning the course into a religion.
yet there isa detailed corrspondance course by the looks of it.

I havent' included links that says that the course is brainwashing for it is voluntary if you take it or not.
also there are links that claims this course produced by the foundation for inner peace is not a true course because it was edited.

the unedited course has many personal references to helen which were taken out to make the course more universal.
it was originaly typed and edited to make up for the references taken out by redictation of the creator.
an example of that doreen mentioned in her book angel medicine is holy spirit references orginally were spirit vision.

also consider that she was a psychologist and in her editing she would of changed some layman terms into psychologist terms which i try in my paraphrasing to change back..
that was done with the blessin of the creator of course,
for the work as it stood when editing woudl serve its purpose , to awaken the inner teacher of those who took it and bring their minds back to love.
 

Imagemaker

What amazing and thorough work you're doing here, Holmes! Thank you!

Could you say as a student of the Course what it has brought you? (Could be a separate thread if you like.)

I first read some of the Course 10 years ago while waiting in the hospital for my mother to die. I brought me great understanding and comfort then--a new way to look at Life and Spirit. It helped me help her make the transition. There were indeed miracles that whole week :)
 

HOLMES

as a student of the course

first let me share that i have not completed the course..
the highest lessons of the workbook i got to was
130
"it is impossible to see two worlds"
and that caused such a conflict in me that I said I can't listen to this no more.
however as that happend I realized that I was just robotically reading the textbook and the workbook.
and as I did that , i trusted that some of the information would take hold in my subsconscious.

I was on lesson 21 when I restarted this course and I was trying to read a chapter a day in hopes of finishing the course..
but as i did so it made me feel tired, and try to delay in completing my work in trying to understand the course.

finally I realized that only in exploring it by writing can I understand the course. then a mention of studying the conversations with god came up and I said "now is the time" to myself.
in truth i been wanting to do this for a year and half here, however I felt it would get judge inappriotate for spirituality ..
and in truth i was judging it myself and judging others in the sense seeing that they would judge me as i shared it

but I am glad to see that hasn't been the case.
and I am making my first understandings of the course where my previous studies have failed.

yet even with the studies that came previoulsy
I realized that these principles was why i turned away from christianity, the church, and the bible.
and in studying this course,, i am beginning to understand the words of the reported to be jesus in new ways for example.
understanding the systems in more details.
and i am seeing a true universality where seperations between religions existed for me before.
 

Imagemaker

finally I realized that only in exploring it by writing can I understand the course

This is a powerful realization in figuring out how to process what comes to you (via channeling or through books and life experiences). Great discovery!

i am seeing a true universality where seperations between religions existed for me before

Finding that core, and seeing Jesus' words (and other Masters) as they are instead of surrounded by institutional manipulation, is the key for me too. The Course has a mind-flow that is alien to me, but I can dip into it as guided and find things that help me on my path.

To do the lessons sequentially is not necessarily the best way when you've already experienced channeling and hearing from your guides. You might jump to lesson 250 and try again :)

For me, the path of expanded learning is meditation and reading, and then observing how each alert me to new awarenesses as I go through my days.

Processing it all through writing and meditation makes spirituality real to me, instead of just instruction.
 

Nina*

I haven't read all of these posts... and don't know if this has been discussed before (sorry if it has); but could any of you tell me how (if) 'The course in miracles' 'differ' from the writings in 'Conversations with God'?

xxx
Nina
 

Imagemaker

Wow, Nina, big question!

I've read much of the Course and 4 of Walsch's books--am halfway through the last one, Tomorrow's God, which is the best.

I'd say the Course is an attempt to help you see beyond what your mind previously thought was all there is. It's main teaching is "only the love is real"--meaning that at the level of the highest consciousness (if you want to call it God)--our human dramas are like a video game where we choose a character to be and go through trials and lessons, and come out at the end, hopefully having learned something.

It's other main teaching (as I took it) is that a miracle is a shift in perception--meaning that when we suddenly see and/or feel this higher consciousness, this Being, the loving energy that is everywhere, we experience a peep outside the video game.

So in a Holy Instant, as the course says, we can see that Truth and it changes how we proceed in the video game (our life).

Walsch's books are different in that God is in a dialogue with him, trying to break him away from any teaching that is un-Loving (which repeats the Course's teaching--only Love is real--not in a human video-game reality, but Real in that God reality that is outside the video game).

So Walsch learns, through successive books, that God says we need to expand our understanding of him beyond the human manipulation ways that are unLoving.

Whew! Hope I said it in a way that grabs the essence of each without distorting it TOO much (but all language distorts these "realizations"--which only come to me through deep meditation as "sensing"--without words).

The other spiritual teacher who says it well is Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now. His live talks on tape/CD are outstanding too. They blow your (little video-game) mind (without drugs) and show you a glimpse beyond . . .
 

Nina*

Thank you, Imagemaker.... :)

I THINK I understand.
The reason for me asking this is that I read some of HOLMES posts and found they triggered something in me. For some reason it also made me think about 'Conversations with God' which a friend of mine mentioned some years ago. I am reading it now; and I really like it - made me wonder if these two were equal in their approach...

I have 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle and plan to read it in the future too.

xxx
Nina
 

Imagemaker

All good stuff! I've just started reading Sri Aurobindo, which has some of this same approach, but it was written decades ago.

And sometimes I have to switch away from *thinking* (reasoning) about the statements on the page and just let them soak in--there's an awareness that grows, and more and more opportunities along the same line arise.

It's so cool!
 

Nina*

Imagemaker said:
to switch away from *thinking* (reasoning) about the statements on the page and just let them soak in
Oh yes... this is something I am really trying to learn (through meditating). It is difficult for me though - switching off reasoning...