Interested in Learning about A Course in Miracles?

Rediscovering Your Authentic Self examines intriguing questions such as the dynamics of attraction, finding your inner power, and understanding the mind’s role in illness. It also explains the principles of karma and grace and discusses how we can surrender feelings of guilt, transcend fear, and create abundance in our lives.

Whether you are already a student of A Course in Miracles or have always wanted to learn about it but felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material it offers—this inspiring book is your key to discovering and applying its life-changing teachings.

Visit the Rediscovering Your Authentic Self Website to download Chapters 1 & 2 absolutely free!

A Course in Miracles: Forgiveness

A few days ago, I spent the evening with my colleague, who, like me, is a student of A Course in Miracles, Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love. Marianne spoke after Immaculée Ilibagiza, who wrote about her true life story of surviving the Rwanda genocide; her book is titled Left to Tell.

The overall message presented by these two incredible women was about having faith in the power of God (love), and in ourselves, as children, or expressions of God (love). Both Marianne and Immaculée spoke of the absolute need to practice a life of forgiveness if we want peace and joy.

Forgiveness is an action we take before we understand what caused the unkindness we have experienced. In fact, the only way we can come to a deeper understanding of the whole situation and of the people involved in the event is through forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the reclaiming of the awareness that, in reality, we are love, and so love is not missing ever! When fear has hijacked us, it is because we have forgotten who we are. Forgiveness is based on the truth that love has within it the power to heal us from all acts of “lovelessness” we may be experiencing, but when we are assailed by judgment or anger (the derivative of fear), the love that is there (because you are there), will not be in our awareness.

Love is the answer and, in truth, it is the only authentic way to transform any un-loving act or relationship that we experience in life. Love cannot heal us or the despairing situation we are facing when we are filled with hurt, anger, and hate. To activate more love in our life, we must forgive anyone and any transgression that has stemmed from fear, and all its derivatives: anger, hate, dishonesty, judgment, unkindness, defensiveness, and the list goes on and on.

So, what is the deepest meaning of forgiveness? Well, in A Course in Miracles forgiveness is understood as the transformative “agent” that allows love to trump fear, truth to rise above illusion, peace to triumph over conflict, and joy to prevail over depression.

Personally, forgiveness has been the most powerful “salve” that I have used to reclaim my power and engage my ability to move on from “tragedies.” When forgiveness of self and other is offered, it acts as a “divine physician” upon my heart. When I “apply” forgiveness, it sets me free, and it miraculously restores the integrity of my heart’s power to set all things right, as it will for everyone!

Responding to a client’s Questions about the Secret

Dear Moreah,

Thank you for your recent article on The Secret. I am somewhat new to the Course in Miracles and have a question: From what I’ve read and from what I’ve listened to on a few of Ken Wapnick’s CDs, God really has nothing to do with this life of ours (Ken says, “He doesn’t know we exist”). Ken also said of Jesus that we shouldn’t ask him to come help us improve this or that material thing in our life because Jesus is not here to help us make this existence seem even more real. This being said, I am really interested to understand the following: When I use the law of attraction, and I get what I was intending to create, who answered my “request”? Is the God that most people pray to and send their “law of attraction” visualizations to really just the Ego, who is more than happy to give us lots of “stuff” so as to keep us believing in this world, keeping us distracted from that which truly has meaning? I understand that when we connect more and more with the Holy Spirit and God, more and more good comes to us, but for those who simply go straight to the law of attraction with the purpose of getting material “goods,” who is “the Universe” that is orchestrating the realization of people’s “dreams”? I’d appreciate your view on this. Thanks!

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the questions. I am replying to you, personally. I am also posting this dialogue on my blog so others can benefit as well. I will keep you anonymous. Let’s begin with your comment, “God really has nothing to do with this life of ours.” Try to remember that God is not outside of you; God dwells in the part of your mind that is called “Christ.” The lower level of the mind or human consciousness is “asleep” and “dreaming up” the experience of limitation and separation. God knows you are within Him, and the Holy Spirit knows that you are dreaming of exile, but despite this dream, you are in fact home in the Mind of God.

Next we will explore the statement, “Ken also said of Jesus that we shouldn’t ask him to come help us improve this or that material thing in our life because Jesus is not here to help us make this existence seem even more real.” The Course in Miracles is primarily a course in teaching cause and effect, and making clear that they happen simultaneously. God is Cause and we, the Sonship, are His Effect. In a sense, you could say that we prove God exists by our own existence.

Therefore, we have an interdependent relationship because we are each wholly dependent on the other.Jesus is teaching us that there is no lack within us, and when we ask for material things, it is generally because we feel in need and think that having something (or more of something we already have) “out there” will fill our internal feelings of emptiness and make us happy inside. Please note, that to have material wealth does not necessarily mean that we will become more “sleepy” by nature. Some truly wise and awakened souls have wealth attracted into their life as an outer expression or “proof” of their authentic sense of being unlimited and abundant. Here, the awakened soul is the cause, and wealth is the effect.

Now on to your other questions: “When I use the law of attraction, and I get what I was intending to create, who answered my ‘request’?” All authentic desires that come from our heart and not our ego are actually a part of our destiny, so you co-created them with God. Desires that stem from a perceived lack will not manifest. “Is the God that most people pray to and send their ‘law of attraction’ visualizations to really just the Ego, who is more than happy to give us lots of ‘stuff’ so as to keep us believing in this world, keeping us distracted from that which truly has meaning?” The ego is not real; it is our idea of a separated self. Again, anything that comes into our life is a part of our destiny, and the things we consciously co-create, through a spirit identity, bring joy. However, anything that comes through the ego or the belief in lack will bring only temporary happiness. “I understand that when we connect more and more with the Holy Spirit and God, more and more good comes to us.”

As we become aware of our true identity, whatever is ours by inheritance is attracted into our life.“[B]ut for those who simply go straight to the law of attraction with the purpose of getting material ‘goods,’ who is ‘the Universe’ that is orchestrating the realization of people’s ‘dreams’?” No one can attract things into his or her life through magical means (i.e., through the ego identification) anything that is not part of that individual’s destiny to have. Let me give you an example.Let’s say that John Smith has watched The Secret and now he thinks he can own a Ferrari. John has always wanted a Ferrari, but he never believed it was possible because his income is only $60,000 a year. So, John does what he learned from The Secret—he visualizes the Ferrari and “feels” what it is like to own the car. He does this faithfully for a full year, but nothing happens. The reality is the Ferrari is not a part of his destiny; something better is, but John is still too fixated on the car to be open to anything else. Besides, he wants the Ferrari because he has low self-esteem and he thinks the car will help to attract a wife. If he received the car, any sense of self he gained would be illusory. This would be counterproductive to his soul’s deepest desire.

The goal of the Holy Spirit within him is to awaken him to his Authentic Self, which, of course, needs nothing to be whole.John’s sense of abundance needs improvement, so he continues his journey into the world of personal growth. He begins feeling more powerful and worthy to let greatness in many forms enter his life. He begins to meditate daily. In time, he finds the rewards of self-discovery sufficient to minimize his car craving. Another year passes and he now has given up the desire for a car, because he is discovering his real self and joy is bubbling from within. Then he meets a wonderful woman; in a few months they get married, and he changes jobs. His income triples and he can actually buy a Ferrari. However, something has changed—the authentic desire for a sports car produces a desire for a top-of-the-line BMW instead of a Ferrari. Now, it is important to recognize that this is his destiny, but the sense of self experiencing this journey is different. If we asked John what happened to his desire for a Ferrari, he would say something like, “As soon as I could have it, I realized that I no longer needed what it was offering.” In some respect he has the Ferrari, but in another form. He has a wife, he has self-esteem, and he has a sports car. However, he has the “Ferrari” in the form authentically best for him and his ongoing awakening.For many individuals, the biggest insult they (their ego) must face is the truth that they are not really free to make or have whatever they want, when they want it. This is actually a blessing.

A Course in Miracles teaches us that there is a fundamental difference between creating and making: Creating comes from what we are (spirit), whereas making comes from our belief in being a body, which itself manifests from a perceived sense of lack. We will ultimately both make and create, because our ego identification is so strong. As we awaken to our divinity and unlimited potential, we begin to create from this fullness. If John were to look back on his life, he would say he now realizes how the desire for a Ferrari began a deeper journey of self realization that was perfect by “design.”So, two universes producing things do not exist. Instead, there is a field of pure potentiality, which reflects our beliefs, which in turn give us two different experiences of our life’s destiny.I hope this helps.

Moreah