A COURSE IN MIRACLES

T-1.IV The Escape from Darkness

1. The escape from darkness involves two stages: First, the recognition that darkness cannot hide. ²This step usually entails fear. ³Second, the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. ⁴This step brings escape from fear. ⁵When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.

Expanded
The escape from darkness involves two stages: First [stage], the recognition that darkness cannot hide [anything]. ²This step [recognizing that darkness cannot hide anything] usually entails fear. ³Second [stage], the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could [hide something]. ⁴This [recognizing you have nothing to hide] step brings escape from fear. ⁵When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.
Substituted
The escape from darkness involves two stages — First stage: the recognition that darkness cannot hide anything. ²Recognizing that darkness cannot hide anything usually entails fear. ³Second stage: the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could hide something. ⁴Recognizing you have nothing to hide step brings escape from fear. ⁵When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.
Simplified
1. Darkness cannot hide anything. 2. You have nothing to hide. Recognizing this is escape from fear. You will understand peace and joy.

2. Holiness can never be really hidden in darkness, but you can deceive yourself about it. ²This deception makes you fearful because you realize in your heart it is a deception, and you exert enormous efforts to establish its reality. ³The miracle sets reality where it belongs. ⁴Reality belongs only to spirit, and the miracle acknowledges only truth. ⁵It thus dispels illusions about yourself, and puts you in communion with yourself and God. ⁶The miracle joins in the Atonement by placing the mind in the service of the Holy Spirit. ⁷This establishes the proper function of the mind and corrects its errors, which are merely lacks of love. ⁸Your mind can be possessed by illusions, but spirit is eternally free. ⁹If a mind perceives without love, it perceives an empty shell and is unaware of the spirit within. ¹⁰But the Atonement restores spirit to its proper place. ¹¹The mind that serves spirit is invulnerable.

Expanded
Holiness can never be really hidden in darkness, but you can deceive yourself about it [holiness]. ²This deception [deception-about-holiness] makes you fearful because you realize in your heart it [deception-about-holiness] is a deception, and you exert enormous efforts to establish its [deception-about-holiness’s] reality. ³The miracle sets reality where it [reality] belongs. ⁴Reality belongs only to spirit, and the miracle acknowledges only truth. ⁵It [the miracle] thus dispels illusions about yourself, and puts you in communion with yourself and God. ⁶The miracle joins in the Atonement by placing the mind in the service of the Holy Spirit. ⁷This [placing the mind in the service of the Holy Spirit] establishes the proper function of the mind and corrects its [the-mind’s] errors, which [the-mind’s-errors] are merely lacks of love. ⁸Your mind can be possessed by illusions, but spirit is eternally free. ⁹If a mind perceives without love, it [the mind perceiving without love] perceives an empty shell and is unaware of the spirit within. ¹⁰But the Atonement restores spirit to its [spirit’s] proper place. ¹¹The mind that serves spirit is invulnerable.
Substituted
Holiness can never be really hidden in darkness, but you can deceive yourself about holiness. ²Deception-about-holiness makes you fearful because you realize in your heart deception-about-holiness is a deception, and you exert enormous efforts to establish deception-about-holiness’s reality. ³The miracle sets reality where reality belongs. ⁴Reality belongs only to spirit, and the miracle acknowledges only truth. ⁵The miracle thus dispels illusions about yourself, and puts you in communion with yourself and God. ⁶The miracle joins in the Atonement by placing the mind in the service of the Holy Spirit. ⁷Placing the mind in the service of the Holy Spirit establishes the proper function of the mind and corrects the-mind’s errors — the-mind’s-errors are merely lacks of love. ⁸Your mind can be possessed by illusions, but spirit is eternally free. ⁹If a mind perceives without love, the mind perceiving without love perceives an empty shell and is unaware of the spirit within. ¹⁰But the Atonement restores spirit to spirit’s proper place. ¹¹The mind that serves spirit is invulnerable.
Simplified
Don’t try to hide holiness in darkness. A miracle brings correction to errors. A miracle brings reality, truth and love to the mind. The mind becomes invulnerable.

3. Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love. ²It has no unique properties of its own. ³It is an example of the ‘scarcity’ belief, from which only error can proceed. ⁴Truth is always abundant. ⁵Those who perceive and acknowledge that they have everything have no needs of any kind. ⁶The purpose of the Atonement is to restore everything to you; or rather, to restore it to your awareness. ⁷You were given everything when you were created, just as everyone was.

Expanded
Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love. ²It [darkness/sin] has no unique properties of its [darkness’s/sin’s] own. ³It [darkness/sin] is an example of the ‘scarcity’ belief, from which [scarcity-belief] only error can proceed. ⁴Truth is always abundant. ⁵Those who perceive and acknowledge that they [the-perceivers/acknowledgers] have everything have no needs of any kind. ⁶The purpose of the Atonement is to restore everything to you; or rather, to restore it [everything] to your awareness. ⁷You were given everything when you were created, just as everyone was [given everything when everyone was created].
Substituted
Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love. ²Darkness/sin has no unique properties of darkness’s/sin’s own. ³Darkness/sin is an example of the ‘scarcity’ belief — from scarcity-belief only error can proceed. ⁴Truth is always abundant. ⁵Those who perceive and acknowledge that the-perceivers/acknowledgers have everything, have no needs of any kind. ⁶The purpose of the Atonement is to restore everything to you; or rather, to restore everything to your awareness. ⁷You were given everything when you were created, just as everyone was given everything when everyone was created.
Simplified
You have everything. The Atonement makes you aware you always have had everthing. You don’t need anything else.

4. The emptiness engendered by fear must be replaced by forgiveness. ²That is what the Bible means by “There is no death”, and why I could demonstrate that death does not exist. ³I came to fulfill the law by reinterpreting it. ⁴The law itself, if properly understood, offers only protection. ⁵It is those who have not yet changed their minds who brought the ‘hell-fire’ concept into it. ⁶I assure you that I will witness for anyone who lets me, and to whatever extent he permits it. ⁷Your witnessing demonstrates your belief, and thus strengthens it. ⁸Those who witness for me are expressing, through their miracles, that they have abandoned the belief in deprivation in favor of the abundance they have learned belongs to them.

Expanded
The emptiness engendered by fear must be replaced by forgiveness. ²That [replacing fear with forgiveness] is what the Bible means by “There is no death”, and why I could demonstrate that death does not exist. ³I came to fulfill the law by reinterpreting it [the law]. ⁴The law itself [law’s-own-self], if properly understood, offers only protection. ⁵It is those who have not yet changed their minds who brought the ‘hell-fire’ concept into it [the law]. ⁶I assure you that I will witness for anyone who lets me [witness for them], and to whatever extent he [the-permitter-of-my-witness] permits it [me-to-witness]. ⁷Your witnessing demonstrates your belief, and thus strengthens it [your belief]. ⁸Those who witness for me are expressing, through their [the-witnesser’s] miracles, that they [the-witnessers] have abandoned the belief in deprivation in favor of the abundance they [the-witnessers] have learned belongs to them [the-witnessers].
Substituted
The emptiness engendered by fear must be replaced by forgiveness. ²Replacing fear with forgiveness is what the Bible means by “There is no death”, and why I could demonstrate that death does not exist. ³I came to fulfill the law by reinterpreting the law. ⁴The law’s-own-self, if properly understood, offers only protection. ⁵It is those who have not yet changed their minds who brought the ‘hell-fire’ concept into the law. ⁶I assure you that I will witness for anyone who lets me witness for them, and to whatever extent the-permitter-of-my-witness permits me-to-witness. ⁷Your witnessing demonstrates your belief, and thus strengthens your belief. ⁸Those who witness for me are expressing, through the-witnesser’s miracles, that the-witnessers have abandoned the belief in deprivation in favor of the abundance the-witnessers have learned belongs to the-witnessers.
Simplified
Forgiveness replaces fear. There is no death. The law was for protection. There was no hell-fire in the law. Allow me to witness for you. Abandon belief in deprivation. Witnessing for me strengthens your belief. Witnesses for me have abundance.

T-1.III Atonement and MiraclesT-1.V Wholeness and Spirit