A Course In Miracles is a spiritual self-help classic with an origin steeped in mystical ambiguity.
There is no ‘author’ of A Course In Miracles in the traditional sense, rather it was scribed by Helen Schucman in collaboration with Bill Thetford. However, according to Schucman, the words were dictated to her word for word by Jesus Christ.
Whilst working as a medical research associate for Thetford, Schucman started to experience a series of visions and dreams culminating in hearing a voice she identified as Jesus Christ which told her “This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes.”
Commencing in 1965 the dictation process was lengthy and laborious, taking seven years to complete. Editing A Course In Miracles took another three years before the Course was finally published in 1976.
The resulting book is written in an almost biblical style, which pays off with life-changing lessons for the persistent and patient student.
A lengthy tome consisting of 1333 pages, A Course in Miracles is presented in three parts:
- Part 1: The Text which presents the Course’s theory
- Part 2: The Workbook for Students which is 365 daily lessons
- Part 3: The Manual for Teachers which is a Q&A on the Course topics
The Course purports that happiness, peace, joy, and love are the natural outcomes of its teaching by undoing the illusion that you, God or your fellow humans are separate in any way.
Up until 1992 readers (students) of the Course mainly fell within the new-age demographic, however it quickly become well known in the mainstream and sold two million copies after Marianne Williamson discussed it on The Oprah Winfrey Show.