A COURSE IN MIRACLES

1. Revelation induces complete but temporary suspension of doubt and fear. ²It [revelation] reflects the original form of communication between God and His [God’s] creations, involving the extremely personal sense of creation sometimes sought in physical relationships. ³Physical closeness cannot achieve it [revelation]. ⁴Miracles, however, are genuinely interpersonal, and result in true closeness to others. ⁵Revelation unites you directly with God. ⁶Miracles unite you directly with your brother. ⁷Neither [revelation nor miracles] emanates from consciousness, but both [revelation and miracles] are experienced there [in consciousness]. ⁸Consciousness is the state that induces action, though it [consciousness] does not inspire it [action]. ⁹You are free to believe what you choose, and what you do attests to what you believe.

In your original state with God there is no doubt or fear. Miracles unite you with your brother, until you can all be united with God in revelation. You can be conscious of your beliefs, and it is your beliefs that inspire action.

2. Revelation is intensely personal and cannot be meaningfully translated. ²That [not being meaningfully translated] is why any attempt to describe it [revelation] in words is impossible. ³Revelation induces only experience. ⁴Miracles, on the other hand, induce action. ⁵They [miracles] are more useful now because of their [miracles’] interpersonal nature. ⁶In this phase of learning, working miracles is important because freedom from fear cannot be thrust upon you. ⁷Revelation is literally unspeakable because it [revelation] is an experience of unspeakable love.

Revelation is an experience beyond words, a pure experience of unspeakable love. We aren’t delivered directly into pure experience of God. At this stage, we use our time learning and working miracles. Miracles are useful because they are action-oriented and interpersonal.

This originally appeared after miracle principle 29.

3. Awe should be reserved for revelation, to which it is perfectly and correctly applicable [awe applies to revelation]. ²It [awe] is not appropriate for miracles because a state of awe is worshipful, implying that one of a lesser order stands before his [one-of-a-lesser-order’s] Creator. ³You are a perfect creation, and should experience awe only in the Presence of the Creator of perfection. ⁴The miracle is therefore a sign of love among equals. ⁵Equals should not be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. ⁶It [awe] is therefore an inappropriate reaction to me. ⁷An elder brother is entitled to respect for his [elder-brother’s] greater experience, and obedience for his greater wisdom. ⁸He [an elder brother] is also entitled to love because he [elder brother] is a brother, and [entitled to] to devotion if he [elder brother] is devoted. ⁹It is only my devotion that entitles me to yours [your devotion]. ¹⁰There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. ¹¹I have nothing that does not come from God. ¹²The difference between us now is that I have nothing else. ¹³This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you.

Awe is for revelation. Love, respect, obedience and devotion are due an elder brother. I have only what is from God. You have the potential to be like me. Miracles occur between you and your brothers. Do not be in awe of miracles. Let go of everything that does not come from God.

This originally appeared after miracle principle 45.

4. “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” does not mean that I am in any way separate or different from you except in time, and time does not really exist. ²The statement is more meaningful in terms of a vertical rather than a horizontal axis. ³You stand below me and I stand below God. ⁴In the process of “rising up”, I am higher because without me the distance between God and man would be too great for you to encompass. ⁵I bridge the distance as an elder brother to you on the one hand, and as a Son of God on the other [hand]. ⁶My devotion to my brothers has placed me in charge of the Sonship, which I render complete because I share it [the Sonship]. ⁷This may appear to contradict the statement “I and my Father are one”, but there are two parts to the statement in recognition that the Father is greater.

(1) Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6–7)

(7) Jesus replied, “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

This originally appeared after miracle principle 45.

5. Revelations are indirectly inspired by me because I am close to the Holy Spirit, and alert to the revelation-readiness of my brothers. ²I can thus bring down to them [my brothers] more than they [my brothers] can draw down to themselves [my-brothers’-selves]. ³The Holy Spirit mediates higher to lower communication, keeping the direct channel from God to you open for revelation. ⁴Revelation is not reciprocal. ⁵It [revelation] proceeds from God to you, but not from you to God.

God reveals Himself to us. Jesus inspires us to receive revelation. The Holy Spirit mediates communication between us and God.

Miracle principle 46 was originally in the middle of this paragraph.

6. The miracle minimizes the need for time. ²In the longitudinal or horizontal plane the recognition of the equality of the members of the Sonship appears to involve almost endless time. ³However, the miracle entails a sudden shift from horizontal to vertical perception. ⁴This [shifting perception from horizontal to vertical] introduces an interval from which the giver and receiver both emerge farther along in time than they [giver and receiver] would otherwise have been. ⁵The miracle thus has the unique property of abolishing time to the extent that it [the miracle] renders the interval of time it [the miracle] spans unnecessary. ⁶There is no relationship between the time a miracle takes and the time it [a miracle] covers. ⁷The miracle substitutes for learning that might have taken thousands of years. ⁸It [the miracle] does so [substitutes for learning] by the underlying recognition of perfect equality of giver and receiver on which [perfect equality] the miracle rests. ⁹The miracle shortens time by collapsing it [time], thus eliminating certain intervals within it [time]. ¹⁰It [the miracle] does this [collapses time], however, within the larger temporal sequence.

The Sonship moves towards recognition of equality within itself. This happens in time, imagined as if proceeding on a horizontal line. A miracle shifts perception “upwards” towards God. Time shifting upward shortens the perception of horizontal time.