The Way: the Course & Curriculum

“It would be very intelligent of you to set yourself the goal of really studying for this course. There can be no doubt of the wisdom of this decision, for any student who wants to pass it."  - [CE T-4.VII.10:1-2]

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite. This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way: Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.

• A Course in Miracles

You have perhaps begun to realize that this is a very practical course, because it means exactly what it says. [CE T-8.VIII.8:1]

Early Jewish Christians (i.e., the Jewish followers of Jesus) referred to themselves as followers of "The Way" (ἡ ὁδός: hė hodós)

The program:

• The Text = study
• The Workbook = practice
• The Manual for Teachers = extension

A theoretical foundation such as the text is necessary as a background to make the exercises in this workbook meaningful. Yet it is the exercises that will make the goal of the course possible. [CE W-In.1:1-2]

Supplemental Materials:

• Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice
• Clarification of Terms
• The Song of Prayer
• The Gifts of God

A Course in Miracles as a curriculum

 the Course’s own contention that it is “very simple, very clear and totally unambiguous” (W-pI.39.1:2) and “a very practical course…that means exactly what it says” (T-8.IX.8:1). 

“If you do it, you will see that it works. Its results are more convincing than its words” (T-9.V.9:2-3)

“You may complain that this course is not sufficiently specific for you to understand and use. Yet perhaps you have not done what it specifically advocates” (T-11.VIII.5:1-2). 

Different versions of the teachings

“If it were not necessary to present the universal curriculum in a multitude of forms, there would have only been one text ever written, and it would have occurred several thousands and thousands of years ago, and no other form of teaching would have ever arisen. But in the fragmentation of the One into the many, levels of consciousness are created. Each mind can be reached through certain vibrations which are words which represent ideas, and each mind has a certain language which is all its own. Therefore, the wise teacher learns to speak the language of the student, in order to convey or to communicate the Truth. When A Course in Miracles was given, it was given in the context of the students. Therefore, the universal curriculum and its content were structured into a form that could best serve the needs of the students. And those that have resonated deeply with A Course in Miracles and gained great insight and healing from it, are merely those who are in close resonance with the minds of the students who first received it. Likewise, I do not choose my channels wrongly, nor do I err at the structure of language that is used through them. And why? Because although I participated in the creation of A Course in Miracles as a teaching device, I’m well aware that not everyone will receive that form, and because my desire is to join with my brothers and sisters, I seek out modalities of communication that allow me to reach out to more minds.”

• Way of Mastery, The Early Years - https://www.christmind.info/t/wom/early/lht/q1/

Sacred Scripture

The course is Sacred Scripture Every sentence, every paragraph is in and of itself teaching direct from the Christ Mind

 a scripture is simply “a body of writings considered sacred or authoritative” (Merriam-Webster). And it too is considered to in some sense come from God. It doesn’t call itself the Word of God, but it does claim to be authored by Jesus, who, according to the Course, received its teachings from the Holy Spirit and ultimately from God (see W-Re.5.In.8:1). - Robert Perry