Day 9
Reading the Text of A Course in Miracles
So far in this series we have explored what the Course says, so now let’s look at how it is a course. This means looking specifically at its three volumes.
What is the Text?
The Text is the first volume of A Course in Miracles and also the longest, containing nearly two thirds of the Course’s total word count. Just as a conventional textbook sets forth the principles taught by that course, so the Text provides the “theoretical foundation” (W-In.1:1) of this course.
Why is the Text so important?
The fundamental ideas we believe in determine how we see the world and how we feel. Those ideas boil down to “what you think you are and what you believe the relationship of others is to you" (M-In.3:1). These beliefs guide our perceptions of the world. They also guide our actions, which means we are subtly teaching them to others in every situation.
The purpose of the Text is to lead us into a new set of fundamental ideas. To do this, it lays bare our current beliefs and shows us how they hurt us. It then teaches us a thought system that in many ways is the reverse of everything we have believed, yet that is both compelling and practical.
The Text’s ideas, then, are far from merely theoretical. They are the basis for a radically new way of seeing, feeling, and behaving. We will still need to apply these ideas to ourselves and our lives—that’s what the Workbook is for—but to do that we must first understand them, at least intellectually.
The language of the Text
The Text is known for its beautiful language. Indeed, its final seven chapters are written in iambic pentameter, Shakespearean blank verse. Its language is also unique, for the Course has a habit of taking familiar terms and filling them with new meaning. While initially confounding, this practice is ultimately transformative, for it makes each word into a potent microcosm of the Course’s goal of mind change.
Read it slowly; engage with it
To reap the Text’s rewards, we have to engage with it. We need to take in its words slowly and see them as speaking to us personally, rather than treating them as a mere intellectual game. If we do that, the Text will engage our minds like nothing we have read.
Read it in order
It is conventional wisdom that the Course repeats itself on every page, but this is not so. Each section of the Text builds on what has gone before. It introduces something new, while relating it back to previous teachings. If you read the Text out of order, you will miss a great deal, for you will not have that prior context and will not understand all the references to it.
You don’t have to start with it
While we very much encourage students to begin with the Text, the Course does clarify that this is not required: “In some cases, it may be helpful for the pupil to read the manual first. Others might do better to begin with the workbook" (M-29.1:5-6). It is really a matter of what is best for you. Just be aware that, given how foundational the Text is, if you start somewhere else, you’ll have to circle back at some point and carefully digest it.
The Text is a masterpiece of spiritual thought. If you are about to begin it, then you are fortunate indeed. You will be embarking on perhaps the most important intellectual journey of your life.
Tomorrow we will look at the Course’s second volume: the Workbook.
See you then,
Robert Perry
Founder
Circle of Atonement
Reminder:
This content is for registered participants of Getting to Know A Course in Miracles, a free 14-day guided journey from The Circle of Atonement. You are welcome to invite any friends to register for the series at no charge by sharing the following link: circleofa.org/events.
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