When trying to explain what ACIM is, I often feel like a fish trying to explain to land-dwelling creatures what water is. I've been immersed in it long enough that I find it hard to think (and therefore talk) about it from an outside perspective. Hopefully the questions of outsiders will help me fill this page out a bit.
How I got into the Course
One day in Aberystwyth I was in the Laundrette and I saw a flier advertising the local Quaker Meeting, which I hadn't been to in a long time. I had this sense that I needed to go there this sunday, to help, somehow. So I did. I sneakily fascilitated deeksha for the whole meeting, thinking that was my purpose. At the end, someone came up to talk to me (because I was new) and we had quite an interesting conversation. Towards the end she hinted at having some big and difficult stuff going on for her at home, and I was like, well do you want to tell me about it. So instead of going to our respective homes, we got some food and sat on the beach to talk for 5 hours. Jules' (that's her name) husband was sleeping with another woman, with permission. She wasn't happy about it, but felt that saying 'no' wasn't the answer. All her family and friends lept straight to righteous indignation. As a nonmonogamous person I wasn't phased at all, and Jules found this very helpful. Among the various threads, she mentioned that "A Course In Miracles" was "her thing". She didn't try to explain it to me, or get me into it. I found the name quite off-putting. It sounded like some Christian bollocks.
I allowed Jules to hug me, before we parted ways. But we kept in touch (sporadically) by email.
I was doing, uh, let's call it 'energy work' with a group in the middle of Stonehenge, at a 'special time'.
At lunch time I overheard a conversation. Someone was sharing the story of some experiences they'd had in india. She went to see some kind of church of St Thomas or something. And she felt some kind of interesting connection with St. Thomas and was curious about it. At that point she heard a voice (in her mind, I assume) which said "there will be a book" and she was like "how will I know which book" and the voice said "you will know". Then a few months later she sees a book called The Disappearance of the Universe, and somehow knows that this is the one that was meant. And so she read it, and it turned out to be all about St. Thomas, and explained much.
This story intrigued me, so noted the name of the book on my phone and ordered it when I got home, but learned nothing more about it at that point.
As I started reading I was immediately captivated. It was almost certainly the most interesting thing I'd ever read.
Early on, Gary's 'teachers' hint at a "spiritual document" but without naming it. And then in later chapters they start talking about it as "A Course In Miracles".
At this point I was like OMG! THAT'S THAT THING JULES WAS TALKING ABOUT! I emailed her and was like Jules! Jules! [keysmash] etc.
I encountered resistance about half way through Disappearance (hereafter, DU). I could tell that rationally there was nothing harmful in the ideas I was reading, but I just didn't want to receive them. But by this time, Jules had bought a copy and finished it, and was strongly encouraging me to continue, so I set myself the challenge of reading a page a day, and eventually got through it.
As I finished, Jules gave me a copy of ACIM which she'd found in a charity shop, years previous. It felt like a natural transition.
I think ACIM probably doesn't make much sense out of context. DU provides that context (and a lot more), in the form of an easy to read, engaging and entertaining story.
I allowed Jules to hug me, before we parted ways. But we kept in touch (sporadically) by email.
I was doing, uh, let's call it 'energy work' with a group in the middle of Stonehenge, at a 'special time'.
At lunch time I overheard a conversation. Someone was sharing the story of some experiences they'd had in india. She went to see some kind of church of St Thomas or something. And she felt some kind of interesting connection with St. Thomas and was curious about it. At that point she heard a voice (in her mind, I assume) which said "there will be a book" and she was like "how will I know which book" and the voice said "you will know". Then a few months later she sees a book called The Disappearance of the Universe, and somehow knows that this is the one that was meant. And so she read it, and it turned out to be all about St. Thomas, and explained much.
This story intrigued me, so noted the name of the book on my phone and ordered it when I got home, but learned nothing more about it at that point.
As I started reading I was immediately captivated. It was almost certainly the most interesting thing I'd ever read.
Early on, Gary's 'teachers' hint at a "spiritual document" but without naming it. And then in later chapters they start talking about it as "A Course In Miracles".
At this point I was like OMG! THAT'S THAT THING JULES WAS TALKING ABOUT! I emailed her and was like Jules! Jules! [keysmash] etc.
I encountered resistance about half way through Disappearance (hereafter, DU). I could tell that rationally there was nothing harmful in the ideas I was reading, but I just didn't want to receive them. But by this time, Jules had bought a copy and finished it, and was strongly encouraging me to continue, so I set myself the challenge of reading a page a day, and eventually got through it.
As I finished, Jules gave me a copy of ACIM which she'd found in a charity shop, years previous. It felt like a natural transition.
I think ACIM probably doesn't make much sense out of context. DU provides that context (and a lot more), in the form of an easy to read, engaging and entertaining story.