A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume
by Dr. Helen Schucman
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Book Reviews of A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume
Book Review: Extraordinary Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Anything I can say about this book is a vast understatement. I found myself cheering its clarity and insight on every page. Brace yourself though because it doesn't fit comfortably into any of the popular social realms. Christians will probably appreciate the style, images, phrasing and overall message, but may disagree with certain claims. Atheists and agnostics will probably be put off by the style, images and phrasing, but will be more accepting, or perhaps unaware, of its differences with conventional Christian doctrine. I'll also add that this book is not by any means an attempt to find a compromise between extremes, and although the message is purely positive, it is not a "feel good" book. It exhaustively explores and gently deconstructs the ego nature of man and you can be sure that the ego doesn't like that :)
Another warning is that this book consistently uses male pronouns, which could offend some. This may have been done for the sake of maintaining "flow" in the content. In any case, this is a small issue compared with what this book has to offer.
Regardless of where you're coming from, you will probably have to drop your defenses as you approach this material. If you can do this, then in return you'll be rewarded with an extraordinary experience. This book very gently explains a system of thought which, although having a typically Christian style, resonates with the highest principles of all of the great religions.
Some of the concepts presented in this book do ask for a "leap of faith", but not in the sense that you may be familiar with that phrase. Rather, it asks you to look at reality in a new way; i.e. in a way that doesn't necessarily agree with Newtonian physics. What else would you expect from a book entitled "A Course in Miracles"? Those who are comfortable with quantum physics may be more able to make this leap.
To appreciate this book, one must at least temporarily accept this new framing of reality. Within this context, the content of this book is staggeringly, if not strangely, coherent. It's also entirely consistent from beginning to end, an amazing feat considering the shear size and breadth of the material. This aspect of the book is something that anyone can appreciate, irrespective of the validity of the content itself. This is similar to the way in which people appreciate art, i.e. as in a beautiful picture of a place which may or may not actually exist. That said, it may still be difficult for some to enjoy this even at the artistic level because the book does not present itself as fiction, and I am not proposing that it should.
This is an incredibly compelling and thought provoking book and highly recommended for anyone who is willing to break away from the crowd.
Book Review: A GOOD BOOK, BUT YOU SHOULD BE WARNED!
Summary: 3 Stars
I am now a young adult and while growing up in my latter teens, I studied the book for about 5 years. the intentions of the book are good and it is inherently a positive spiritual path and though its diffidently not for everyone, there's a select few who are meant for this book. BUT in my experience, I saw conflicts between the psychology of the text and my mental experiences in apply it to the world.
the Course In Miracles demonizes the objective world. its slams the external world as a nightmarish dream of suffering and death. the nightmare is created by the ego which is a part of ourselves that we must overcome. the only good is whats invisible, heaven, good and internal reality (the mind). the psychological effects the "mind training program" had on my mind was that I became fearful of the objective world, preoccupied with a feeling of dreaming and using my consciousness to escape the physical, and always focusing my mind on an invisible vision of the world as a peaceful and heavenly place.
while studying other books, I began to realize that i don't want to be at odds with the objective world. I try to embrace teachings that find good in the objective and try to find good in everyday life. I don't want to be fearful of the physical life I cant avoid while daydreaming and escaping to my own visions of heaven.
I want to make it clear that this is a book written by psychologist who had an inspiration from a spiritual source ( which they claim as JESUS), and that means that if you truly study this, it will play with the psychology of your brain. everyone will respond differently to book, which itself claims to be a "mind training program" and most people have a positive experience from following it! I however did not :-(
my best advice is to get a cheap copy and follow it for a year. if you find conflicts in your mind or your going a little crazy, its okay to put the book down and move on. but there is so much inspiration and spiritual ideas in it, that's its worth the read, even if you choose not to follow its as a path. there are still passages from this book that remains in my heart but the over all book was not for me.
Book Review: Not for the light hearted!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a long time Course student (couple of decades). This IS NOT "new age" stuff people. This is also not something you "read" through once like a novel and then that's it. This is about applying practical psychological theories to your thought system, your mind. It's NOT an easy concept to uphold, even for those of us who are long time students and dedicated to the Course concepts. It IS simple when you stop trying to "understand" it, but rather just let it be what it is. It IS easy if we are willing and aware. That's pretty much it. It takes a long time to penetrate because it does request that we give up old archaic ideas about religion, God, love, hate, equality, etc. That stuff is HARD to let go of. But once you begin the journey and stay on the journey, then this begins to heal your mind and a peace enters your psyche unlike any type of peace you've ever experienced before in your life.
There is a lot of confusion as to what the Course is and what it isn't. Even amongst long time Course students and teachers. This is NOT a cult, but there are a lot of fluffy cloud huggers who believe that to have a human emotion/experience would render them useless and therefore NOT a GOOD course student, because nothing is real anyway and the world does not exist. I think that's where a lot of Course students AND teachers go wrong. We do study this stuff IN THE WORLD! And we experience it as a body! If we didn't, then we wouldn't be here anyway and therefore we wouldn't need the Course, now would we?
Don't take any of this too seriously and maintain a sense of humor AND openness. If you can do that, then you have much to gain from A Course In Miracles. I also agree that the edition published by the Foundation for Inner Peace is the authentic version. You should also Google the "Urtex" and download it free from the internet. That IS the real deal, what Helen scribed with a lot of notes and personal messages to she and Bill that was never published. I highly recommend the Urtex version. It just takes some internet digging to unearth it. And forever to print it out. About 600+ pages.
Peace!
Book Review: Peace in my lifetime
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't review books, but for this I'm making an exception due to the profound positive effect it has had on my life. I discovered ACIM through Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard. I found DU so profound that I immediately bought copies for every member of my immediate family. None have read DU, but I now realize that the path back to spirit is personal and in each persons time. I have been reading and practicing ACIM for 5 years but am yet to complete the text or workbook. I have however found peace in my lifetime through practicing forgiveness and the principles in ACIM. For me ACIM is intensely private and no one in my family knows much about it despite me having the book next to my bed and on my iPad. For me the greatest change has been in my approach to my relationships with loved ones which I feel have gone from good to great. I still get stressed out by work and a normal busy life (who doesn't) from time to time, but I I feel peace enveloping my life experience almost all the time now.
If this book is right for you, you will know. For others a different path to spirit / peace will be better suited. Those that leave negative reviews about ACIM are on a different spiritual path, and require nothing, from us that practise ACIM, but forgiveness, as they too will find peace but by another route. We are all spirit pure and innocent.
Book Review: Surely the greatest book ever written.
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot of people say this is not understandable, but in fact it requires a complete re-evaluation by the reader of their ideas to understand it, so what they say may be, for them, an expression of truth.
This IS a highly complex book...until you see its simplicity.
I personally have been a "text" man. For me, the text speaks louder than the Workbook or Manual. I like the abstract ideas contained within.
Major themes.
1. God's Thoughts, which we share with Him, are not our ego thoughts. We must deny the latter to receive the former.
2. Self-responsibility. We cannot blame others. We are doing this to ourselves, and to the world.
3. Our experiences that we have in this world are what our minds want, and are projecting. Nothing ever happens by chance or accident.
4. God's Voice, the Holy Spirit, will lead us in all things if we let Him.
Happy reading. I think this is the best book on truth by miles, and I HAVE looked. Learn this one before you start looking for others.