Library of Christ Mind Teachings
ACIM Original Edition
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A Course in Miracles-Original Edition (often called just “the
Course”) is a self-study course for retraining the mind that is
spiritual rather than religious in its perspective. Although it uses
Christian terminology, it is ecumenical in its approach, and its
underlying ontology is reminiscent of ancient refrains, echoing the
world’s most hallowed traditions.
These three volumes, Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers were
scribed by Helen Schucman, a self-described militant atheist and
psychologist, who had basically given up on God.
The story of the Course began when, in the midst of an environment
of intense competition and negative attitudes, Columbia University
clinical psychologist Dr. William Thetford decided he had had enough
and declared to his colleague, Dr. Helen Schucman, “There must be
another way, and I’m determined to find it.” Dr. Schucman vowed to
help him and what ensued was a dramatic progression of waking dreams
for Helen, which culminated in October 1965 with her experience of a
Voice which spoke clearly in her mind, saying, “This is a course in
miracles. Please take notes.”
With Thetford’s support and assistance in transcribing her shorthand
notes, Helen Schucman took down some fifteen hundred typewritten
pages of A Course in Miracles over a period of seven years.
Schucman did not claim to be the author of the material herself. As
she often explained, she heard a kind of inner dictation and felt
compelled to write it down, even though at times she disagreed with
the content and resisted the process. The Voice that spoke through
Helen clearly identifies himself as Jesus. Nonetheless, one need not
be Christian nor accept Christianity’s traditional doctrines to
benefit from the teachings of the Course. Indeed, traditional
Christians will at first find many of the pronouncements contained
in this work to be startling and perhaps unbelievable. Persistence
and open-mindedness will nevertheless be rewarded.
As the development of the material progressed, Schucman and Thetford
faced the formidable task of organizing the original typescript
(often called the “Urtext”) into what would become A Course in
Miracles. They divided the Text into Chapters and Sections and gave
Titles to each, and they removed a great deal of material from the
early chapters—material they believed was meant for them
personally and not for the Course. The dictation and retyping of
A Course in Miracles was completed in September 1972 and resulted
in three volumes - Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for
Teachers. The edition that resulted from those efforts is the book
you are reading and/or listening to on this site.
