Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Introduction To ACIM
Written by Nicole Reith
A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is a step‐by‐step system of spiritual thought that consists of a three‐volume
set of channeled literature. It includes a 622‐page Text, a 478‐page Workbook For Students, and an 88‐page
Manual For Teachers. Students may decide themselves how they choose to read and study these texts. The
workbook is comprised of 365 lessons, one for each day of the year. Students may complete the lessons at their
own pace, sometimes staying with one lesson for more than just one day. It is recommended not to attempt more
than one lesson a day in order to fully be present with it. The Teacher’s Manual is written in question and answer
form and includes a Clarification of Terms for specific terms used in the Text.
Even though ACIM uses Christian terms and language, it is focused more on universal spiritual themes.
It is a teaching device at both the theoretical and practical levels. It emphasizes experience instead of theology and
application instead of theory. ACIM expresses a non‐sectarian, non‐denominational spirituality. ACIM teaches
surrender to God, finding God within the self, owning our feelings and thoughts and releasing others from
blame. ACIM teaches us to take control of our perspective and outlook and change it, no matter what is
happening, since our inner landscape is the only thing we have control over.
The names of the collaborators who channeled and recorded ACIM do not appear on the covers of any of
the books because it was their intention for this work to stand on its own and not to become the foundation for
another cult. The purpose of this work was to provide a way for people to explore and find their inner‐self and
the teacher within, in other words, their personal ʺSpirit Guide.ʺ
Three months before any of the actual writing of ACIM commenced, Helen Schuckman (1909‐1981), a
Jewish, atheistic professor of medical psychology at Columbia University, started to experience highly symbolic
dreams. She began to document them with the encouragement of one of her colleagues, William Thetford (1923‐
1983). These professors were anything but spiritual and shared a difficult and strained relationship. Their lives were
highly invested in the values of the world and were far from mirroring anything that the Course imparts. As their
relationship worsened they sought solutions to mend their differences and agreed, “There must be another way.”
In 1965, Helen began hearing an inner voice, which would later identify itself as Jesus, and decided to
start taking notes. With the support and encouragement of William Thetford, they continued over a period of
seven years to document and assemble the information that came to Helen. It is called “A Course In Miracles”
because the voice first started by saying, “This is a course in miracles, please take notes.”
Schuckman and Thetford met Dr. Kenneth Wapnick who helped them edit and publish the three‐volume
set through the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) in 1975. The copyrights to the material were turned over to FIP
and it was published in 1976. The original collaborators wanted to remain anonymous because they did not want
to be made into gurus or cult figures. They also feared losing their jobs. They never truly identified with the
message of this work and Helen openly claimed she was unable to “integrate the teachings into her own life.” Her
own failure with The Course has led many people to doubt its relevance. However, over one and a half million
copies have been sold and over 2,200 study groups now meet worldwide on a regular basis. The Course has been
translated into several languages. The first two translations were Spanish and Portuguese, followed by German
and Hebrew. In 1999 the Russian, Chinese, Dutch and Italian translations were released and there are many other
translations in progress.
From the FIP the Foundation For A Course In Miracles (FACIM) was formed by Kenneth Wapnick in
1983. FACIM focused on teaching the material while FIP published it. FACIM founded the Institute For Teaching
Inner Peace Through A Course In Miracles (ITIP‐ACIM), which is an accredited teaching institution chartered by
the New York State Department of Education. It focuses on the study and application of the teachings to reach a
deeper understanding of The Course.
Recently there have been court cases over who owns the rights to ACIM. Since the authors claimed that
the writer was divine and that they did not write it, it has been decided in a court of law that no one has the rights
to this material and people are free now to quote it just like other religious texts such as the Bible.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 1
“ACIM teaches that the way to universal Love and peace is by undoing guilt through forgiving others.
The Course focuses on the healing of relationships and making them holy. It also emphasizes that it is but one
version of the universal curriculum, of which there are ‘many thousands.’”
(http://64.77.6.149/about_acim_section/intro_to_acim.html)
“Essentially, in ACIM, the term ‘miracle’ refers to that change of mind that makes it possible for the Love
of God to be somehow expressed in the world. This expression of Love is referred to as forgiveness in The Course
and it is reasonably accurate to say that the miracle spoken of in The Course (and indicated in its title) is
forgiveness.” (www.skepdic.com/cim.html)
There was a revival of interest in ACIM in the 1990’s when Marianne Williamson, one of America’s most
popular New Age authors and inspirational speakers, published her book, A Return To Love: Reflections On The
Principles Of A Course In Miracles (1992). This book was number one on the Publishers Weekly non‐fiction best‐
sellers list for eleven weeks. She appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and was interviewed by Barbara Walters
on the ABC television news show 20/20. She promoted her book and ACIM explaining the message that Love and
prayer heals all pain. She also tells her followers, ʺAlign your mind with God and watch the miracles happen.ʺ
Williamson believes the core teaching of ACIM, ʺis simply that God is love.ʺ
(http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/course.html)
Another high profile individual, well known in New Age circles, is Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. He is a
psychiatrist, formerly on the faculty of the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco and founder
of the Center For Attitudinal Healing in 1975. He has written several books based on what he has gathered from
The Course. In his influential book, Good‐Bye To Guilt, Jampolsky describes his conversion to The Course. “I began
to change my way of looking at the world in 1975. Until then I had considered myself a militant atheist, and the
last thing I was consciously interested in was being on a spiritual pathway that would lead to God. In that year I
was introduced to...A Course In Miracles... My resistance was immediate... Nevertheless, after reading just one
page, I had a sudden and dramatic experience. There was an instantaneous memory of God, a feeling of oneness
with everyone in the world, and the belief that my only function on earth was to serve God.”
Over the decades, The Course has attracted both positive and negative commentary from different
religious groups and individuals. There are several Christian groups who oppose the teachings of A Course In
Miracles and believe it is not in alignment with pure Christianity. Russ Wise who wrote, A Course In Miracles: A
Biblical Evaluation states, “As a result of the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of our society, namely the baby
boomer generation, there is a ready‐made market for the ‘feel good’ spirituality of The Course. Through the
influence of Williamson, Jampolsky, and others, a growing number of Christians are being sucked into this
whirlpool of spiritual confusion in which they exchange the truth for a lie.”
(http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/thcourse.html)
The content is well written in a contemporary esoteric style and can be interpreted by its readers of
different faiths in several ways. It embodies noble ideals and even though it uses Christian terminology, it
contradicts some fundamental historical Christian beliefs. ACIM’s view of Jesus greatly contradicts the Christian
view of Jesus’ role as God’s one and only son and sacrifice, and therefore gave our salvation by his name above
all names. The Course states, “The name of Jesus is but a symbol. It stands for the Love that is not of this world.
It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for all of the gods to which you pray.”
There is also the issue of reincarnation. The bible does not support the concept of reincarnation. Hebrews
9:27 states that, “It is appointed unto men to die once, and after that, the judgment.” ACIM does not take an official
stand about the subject. ACIM brings all subjects into the present moment and since there is nothing else but here
and now, no past or future, this makes reincarnation impossible. However, ACIM does not deny the concept to
those who already believe it because “All beliefs that lead to progress should be honored.”(See Manual For Teachers,
pg. 57, 58.) Helen and Bill did believe they had several past lives together. The course does teach that birth is not the
beginning and death is not the end. ACIM also stresses that Heaven is now and that there is no other time.
The subject of atonement is another controversial subject between ACIM and traditional Christian ideals.
ACIM clearly states repeatedly that our Self is truly God. This is the most prominent core belief of the text. It
refers to everyone’s complete perpetual innocence with the statement, “God is no more holy than your Self.”
Atonement according to the text means that we are truly as perfect as God. It may be challenging for the Christian
mind to accept that he himself may be as pure and holy as the Creator. ACIM insists that our failure to recognize
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 2
our own Identity as God is the source of all errors. According to the Bible we can have a spiritual union with God
and can be recognized by Him but we can never be identified as God.
Christian skeptics claim that the voice Helen heard must have been that of Satan’s posing as Jesus. They
urge people not to become involved with these occult spiritual studies. There exist however some Christian
churches that actually do use ACIM to compliment their Bible‐study curriculum.
All of this said, many people have had profound spiritual experiences of peace and acceptance around
their studies of ACIM. The proof that ACIM has helped people make sense of life and has brought balance to
their lives is what gives ACIM its true validity. It is widely studied and has earned its place in the field of
metaphysics and mystical Christianity.
How To Facilitate A Course In Miracles Study Group
There are several ways to conduct ACIM study groups. One way uses the Workbook as a guide and
another way is to focus by using the Textbook. You can offer tea and snacks to help make people feel more
comfortable and cozy. It is common to open the circle by chanting “AUM” together. Each group can use the same
opening and closing statements as follows.
The opening statement reads:
“I am here only to be helpful,
Make no judgment, and listen with an open heart.
In essence we are all the same, and we are each the Love and light of God.”
The closing statement reads: (from the Text, Chapter 21 section 2)
“I am responsible for what I see.
I choose the feelings I experience, and I decide upon the goal I would achieve.
And everything that seems to happen to me I ask for, and receive as I have asked.”
It is good to do a brief recap on the previous lesson and to ask if anyone wishes to share relevant
experiences they may have had regarding that lesson during the past week.
In the Text group, each person reads a paragraph from the Lesson in rotations. There is a discussion of
the Lesson after it has been read, or perhaps a discussion after each paragraph or section. Common questions
asked are:
“What does this mean to you?”
“How does this message show up in your life?”
“Any stories, experiences, or insights about the various topics?”
In the Workbook group, students might decide to go through one consecutive lesson each week. Some
groups have chosen to focus on one lesson and skip (or self study at home during the week) the next 6 lessons to
stay in accordance with the idea of one lesson for each day of the year. Study groups usually meet for 60‐90
minutes on a weekly basis. Sometimes donations or a fixed price are asked perhaps to cover possible costs of
renting a meeting space.
Conclusion
I could say a lot more about ACIM, but nothing will describe ACIM better than letting it speak for itself. In
the following pages you will find that each lesson is briefly described as to its content. This will give you an idea as
to whether ACIM is right for you, or for your clients or students. If you plan on teaching A Course In Miracles study
group, you need to purchase the actual Text, Workbook and Teacher’s Manual. This UMS course is not meant to
replace them. Rather, this course is an introduction to ACIM and gives you an idea of its essence, since it is so
widely studied in metaphysical circles. It is important for any metaphysician to be familiar with ACIM and its
contents. You can use this outline to take a crash course in ACIM for yourself. Please use the daily lesson guides as
“thoughts for the day” throughout your education at UMS, and revisit this reference guide every day. Enjoy reading
the outlines of the 365 lesson plans and see if there are some new thoughts that stand out to you!
(Exam is at the end of the reference section, pgs. 101‐102)
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 3
Links to A Course In Miracles Web Sites
A Course In Miracles Homepage
The official homepage for A Course In Miracles, including news, information about ACIM, catalog, and mailing
list. http://www.acim.org
Miracle Distribution Center
The Miracle Distribution Center is a learning center for students of The Course. Information on ACIM, including
study groups, can be found here. http://www.miraclecenter.org
Foundation for A Course in Miracles
Foundation For A Course In Miracles is an institute and retreat center located in Roscoe, NY that helps students
with the teachings of A Course In Miracles. It also offers information on ACIM and links to other sites.
http://www.facim.org
Community Miracles Center
The Community Miracles Center provides links to articles, book products, and group events.
http://www.miracles‐course.org
Circle Of Atonement
These web pages provide information about the Teaching and Healing Center, the resources the center provides,
and about A Course In Miracles. You will also find links to other ACIM sites around the world.
http://nen.sedona.net/circleofa
A Course In Miracles, Miracle Studies
This site provides information and articles on A Course In Miracles. http://www.thecourse.org.uk
Watchman Fellowship
An anti‐cult sight that provides a Christian response to cults and new religious movements. This is not
necessarily in support of ACIM or other metaphysical systems, but it is interesting to see what the naysayers say.
http://www.watchman.org
INTERNET RESOURCES
A Course In Miracles: A Biblical Evaluation, Russ Wise. www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/thcourse.html
A Course In Miracles, Holly Whittaker. www.religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/course.html
A Course in Miracles: Spirituality or Spiritism? www.neirr.org/MIRACLES.htm
Miracle Network, A.K. Zwart. www.miracles.org.uk/acim‐faq.html
Marianne Williamson. www.marianne.com/book/index.htm5
A Course In Miracles. www.apologeticsindex.org/c08.html
The Door Opener, Resources & Support Groups around Connecticut. www.anopendoor.com/TDO/ressupt.htm
A Course in Miracles (ACIM), Gardner, Martin. “Marianne Williamson and ‘A Course In Miracles,’” The
Skeptical Inquirer, Fall 1992. www.skepdic.com/cim.html
The Miracle Distribution Center in Fullerton, CA maintains a list of A Course In Miracles groups throughout the
world. They will send you a free list of active groups for your area based on telephone area code. Their phone
number is (714) 441‐0618. The list can also be obtained online at their website. If you have an existing group, be
sure you are on their list.
www.miraclecenter.org
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 4
A Course In Miracles
Reference Guide For Each Lesson
Lesson 1
“Nothing I see in this room [on the street, from this window, in this place] means anything.”
The lesson suggests that you as an observer look around the room at specific things close to you and
repeat, “This object does not mean anything.” Then look farther away from your immediate area to a wider range
and say that each object does not mean anything. Thereʹs no order in these statements. Repeat this at different
times until youʹre comfortable and understand.
Lesson 2
“I have given everything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] all the meaning
that it has for me.”
This exercise is an expansion of the first one, to increase your range outward, turn your head. Remain as
indiscriminate as possible in selecting objects to concentrate on anything. The only criterion for applying the idea
to anything is whatever your eyes have lighted upon. Make no attempt to exclude anything.
Lesson 3
“I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].”
Apply this idea without making distinction of any kind. Whatever you see becomes a subject for applying
the idea. Do not question the suitability of anything, these are not exercises in judgment. Lay your feelings aside,
clear your mind of all past associations to see things exactly as they appear to you now. Keep an open mind
unhampered by judgment in selecting the things to which the idea is applied. For this purpose one thing is like
another, equally suitable, equally useful.
Lesson 4
“These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room [on this street, from this
window, in this place].”
Begin by noting the thoughts that are crossing your mind for about a minute. Then apply a third in the
idea to them. If youʹre already aware of unhappy thoughts, use them as subjects for the idea. In selecting the
subjects for the idea, do not be afraid to use “good” thoughts as well as “bad.” None of them represents your real
thoughts, which are being covered up by them. The aim is to train you in the first steps towards the goal of
separating the meaningless from the meaningful. The long‐range purpose of learning is to see the
meaninglessness as outside you, and the meaningful within. It is the beginning of training your mind to recognize
what is the same and what is different. Use your thoughts for application of the idea for today, identifying each
thought by the central figure or event it contains:
“This thought about does not mean anything. It is like the things I see in this room, [on this
street, and so on].”
Do not examine your mind for an extended time in order to avoid a tendency to become pointlessly
preoccupied. You may find the suspension of judgment in connection with your thoughts.
Lesson 5
“I am never upset for the reason I think.”
This idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation or event you think is causing
your pain. Applied specifically to whatever you believe is the cause of your upset, using the description of the
feeling in whatever term seems accurate to you.
Use both the name of the form in which you see the upset, and the cause that you ascribe to it:
“I am not angry at for the reason I think.”
“I am not afraid of for the reason I think.”
Try to be indiscriminate and avoid giving greater weight to some subjects than others.
“There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 5
Examine your mind for whatever it is distressing you, regardless of how much or how little you think it is doing
so. If you find yourself less willing to apply this idea to some perceived sources of upset than to others, think of
this first:
“I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them
all as the same.”
Search your mind and identify a number of different forms of upset that are disturbing you, regardless of their
relative importance.
“I am not worried about for the reason I think.”
“I am not depressed about for the reason I think.”
Three or four times during the day today is enough.
Lesson 6
“I am upset because I see something that is not there.”
It is necessary to name both the form of the upset (anger, fear, worry, depression and so on) and
perceived source very specifically for any application of the idea.
“I am angry at the because I see something that is not there.”
“I am worried about because I see something that is not there.”
If you resist applying the idea to some upsetting thoughts more than to others remind yourself of the two
cautions stated in the previous lesson:
“There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.”
and:
“I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purpose of these exercises, then, I will regard them all
as the same.”
Lesson 7
“I see only the past.”
This idea is particularly difficult to believe at first. Yet it is the rationale for all of the preceding ones. It is
the reason why nothing that you see means anything. It is the reason why you have given everything you see all
the meaning that it has for you.
It is the reason why you do not understand anything you see. It is the reason why your thoughts do not
mean anything, and why they are like the things you see. It is the reason why you’re never upset for the reasons
you think. It is the reason why you are upset, because you see something that is not there.
Old ideas about time are very difficult to change, because everything you believe is rooted in time. You
would have no idea what an object is except for your past learning. Do you, then, really see it? Look about you.
This is equally true of whatever you look at. Glance briefly at each subject and then move onto the next. Do not
linger on any one thing in particular, but remember to omit nothing specifically.
Lesson 8
“My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.”
This idea is the reason why you see only the past. No one really sees anything. One only sees their own
thoughts projected outward. The mind’s preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time
from which youʹre seeing suffers. Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is.
The one true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. To think about it at all is therefore
to think about illusions. The purpose of this exercise is to begin to train your mind to recognize when it is not
really thinking at all. While thoughtless ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked. The first steps to
opening the way to vision is to recognize when your mind has been merely blank, rather than believing it is filled
with real ideas.
This exercise should be done with eyes closed because you actually cannot see anything. It is easier to
recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought, you are not seeing anything. With as little
investment is possible, search your mind merely noting the thoughts you find there.
“I seem to be thinking about .”
Then name each of your thoughts specifically:
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 6
“I seem to be thinking about [name of a person], about [name of an object], about [name of an emotion]”
Include any emotion that the idea for today may induce, in this mind searching itself.
Lesson 9
“I see nothing as it is now.”
This idea follows from the preceding ones. While you may be able to accept it intellectually, it is unlikely
that it will mean anything to you as yet. However the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for
undoing your false ideas. These exercises are concerned with practice, not with understanding. It would indeed
be circular to assume that you have it already.
It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. This idea can be
disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms. Yet that does not preclude applying it.
No more than that is required for these or any other exercises.
Look about you and apply this idea to whatever you see and exclude nothing:
“I do not see this telephone as it is now.”
“I do not see this arm as it is now.”
You should be honest with yourself in the inclusion. Specific exclusion must be avoided.
Lesson 10
“My thoughts do not mean anything.”
This idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware in the practice periods. The reason the idea is
applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts. You have no basis for comparison yet. When you
do, you will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything.
This idea is now introduced with “My thoughts” instead of “These thoughts” and no link is made overtly
with the things around you. The emphasis is now on the lack of reality of what you think you think.
This aspect of the correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you are aware are
meaningless, outside rather than within; and then stress to their past rather than their present status. Now we are
emphasizing that the presence of these “thoughts” means that you are not thinking.
This is merely another way of repeating that your mind is really blank. To recognize this is to recognize
nothingness when you think you see it. As such, it is a prerequisite for vision.
“This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.”
As before, search your mind for all of thoughts that are available to you, without selection or judgment. You
might imagine that you are watching an oddly assorted procession going by, which has little if any personal
meaning to you.
“My thought about _____________ does not mean anything.”
“My thought about _____________ does not mean anything.”
“This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.”
Lesson 11
“My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”
This idea relates to a major phase of the correction process, the reversal of the thinking of the world. It
seems as if the world determines what you perceive. Todayʹs idea introduces the concept that your thoughts
determine the world you see. Be glad to practice this idea in its initial form, for in this idea is your release made
sure. The key to forgiveness lies in it.
Begin with your eyes closed, and repeat the idea slowly to yourself. Then open your eyes and look about,
near and far, up and down, anywhere. Repeat to yourself, with no sense of urgency or effort. For maximum
benefit the eyes should move from one thing to another fairly rapidly, since they should not linger on anything in
particular. The words should be unhurried, even leisurely. The introduction to this idea should be practiced as
casually as possible. It contains the foundation for the peace, relaxation and freedom from worry we are trying to
achieve. On concluding the exercises, close your eyes and repeat the idea once more slowly to yourself.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 7
Lesson 12
“I am upset because I see a meaningless world.”
The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion.
You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. All
these attributes are given it by you. The world is meaningless in itself.
These exercises are done with eyes open. Look around you slowly. The slow shifting of your glance from
one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. Try a measured, even tempo throughout. What you
see does not matter. Teachers solve this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time.
This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.
“I think I see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world, a sad world, a wicked world, a crazy world.”
Using whatever descriptive term happens to occur to you. If terms that include positive rather than
negative occur to you, include them. You may not yet understand why these “nice” adjectives belong in these
exercises but remember that a “good world” implies an “unsatisfying” one. All terms which cross your mind are
suitable subjects for todayʹs exercises. Their seeming quality does not matter.
Do not alter the time intervals between applying todayʹs idea to what you think is pleasant and what you
think is unpleasant. For the purposes of these exercises there is no difference between them.
“But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.”
What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? If you
could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you
indescribably happy. But because it is meaningless, you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be.
Beneath your words is written the Word of God. The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been
erased, you will see His. That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.
Terminate the exercises when you experience a sense of strain.
Lesson 13
“A meaningless world engenders fear.”
This idea is more specific as to the emotion aroused. Actually a meaningless world is impossible. Nothing
without meaning exists. However, you may think you perceive something that has no meaning.
Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. It represents a situation
in which God and the ego “challenge” each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that
meaninglessness provides. The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may
otherwise be used to demonstrate its own importance and untreated unreality. And on this alone it is correct.
It is essential that you learn to recognize the meaninglessness, and accept it without fear. If you are
fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with
images that do not exist. To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself
with the ego.
“I am looking at a meaningless world.”
Repeat the statement to yourself as you look about. Then close your eyes, and conclude with:
“A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God.”
You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement. And you may
remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the “vengeance” of the “enemy.” You are
not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous. Note carefully,
however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse.
This is our first attempt at stating an explicit positive effect relationship of the kind that you are very
inexperienced in recognizing. Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not to even think of it except
during the practice periods. That will suffice at present.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 8
Lesson 14
“God did not create a meaningless world.”
This idea is the reason why a meaningless world is impossible. What God did not create does not exist.
And everything that does exist exists as He created it. The world you see has nothing to do with reality. It is your
own making and it does not exist.
The idea for today is another step in learning to let go of thoughts that you have written on the world,
and see the Word of God in their place. The early steps in this exchange, which can truly be called salvation, can
be quite difficult and even painful. Some of them will lead you directly into fear. You will not be left there. Youʹll
go far beyond it. Our direction is toward perfect safety and perfect peace.
With eyes closed, think of all the horrors of the world across your mind. Name each one as it occurs to
you, and then deny its reality. God did not create it, so it is not real. Say, for example:
“God did not create that war, and so it is not real.”
“God did not create that disaster [specify], and so it is not real.”
Suitable subjects also include anything you are afraid might happen to you, or to anyone about whom
you are concerned. In each case, name the “disaster” quite specifically. Do not use general terms. For example,
say what ever may arouse fear in you.
This is your personal repertory of horrors at which you are looking. These themes are part of the world
you see. Some of them are shared illusions, and others are part of your personal hell. It does not matter. What
God did not create can only be in your own mind apart from His. Therefore, it has no meaning.
In recognition of this fact, conclude the practice periods by repeating of todayʹs idea:
“God did not create a meaningless world.”
“God did not create a meaningless world. He did not create [specify the situation which is disturbing you], and so it
is not real.”
Lesson 15
“My thoughts are images that I have made.”
It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images, that you do not recognize them as
nothing. And you think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your “seeing” was made.
This is the function you have given your body’s eyes. It is not seeing. It is image‐making. It takes the place of
seeing, replacing vision with illusions.
This introductory idea to the process of image making that you call seeing will not have much meaning
for you. You will begin to understand it when you have seen little edges of light around the same familiar objects
which you are seeing now. This is the beginning of real vision. You can be certain that real vision will come
quickly when this has occurred.
As we go along, you may have many “light episodes.” They may have many different forms, some of
them quite unexpected. Do not be afraid of them. They are signs that you are opening your eyes at last.
They will not persist, because they merely symbolize true perception, and they are not related to
knowledge. These exercises will not reveal knowledge to you. But they will prepare the way to it.
“This ________________ is an image that I have made.”
“That ________________ is an image that I have made.”
Continue to look at each subject while you repeat the idea to yourself. The idea should be repeated quite
slowly each time.
Try to make the selection as random as possible. Do not continue the application periods unless you feel
completely comfortable with it. This idea can be applied as data throughout the day.
Lesson 16
“I have no neutral thoughts.”
This idea is the beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no effect. Everything you
see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception to this fact. Thoughts are not big or little; powerful or
weak. They are merely true or false. Those that are true create their own likeness. Those that are false make theirs.
There is no more self‐contradictory concept than that of “idle thoughts.” What gives rise to the perception of a
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 9
whole world can hardly be called idle. Every thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends
the truth or it multiplies illusions. You can indeed multiply nothing, but you will not extend it by doing so.
Besides you recognizing that thoughts are never idle, salvation requires that you also recognize that
every thought you have brings either peace or a war; either Love or fear. The neutral result is impossible because
the neutral thought is impossible. There is such a temptation to dismiss fear thoughts as unimportant, trivial and
not worth bothering about that it is essential you recognize them all as equally destructive, but equally unreal.
“This thought about ____________ is not a neutral thought.”
“That thought about ____________ is not a neutral thought, because I have no neutral thoughts.”
Youʹll practice this idea in many forms before you really understand it. Use todayʹs idea whenever you
are aware of a particular thought that arouses uneasiness. The length of the exercised period should be reduced if
there is discomfort.
Lesson 17
“I see no neutral things.”
This idea is another step in the direction of identifying cause and effect as it really operates in the world.
You see no neutral things because you have no neutral thoughts. It is always the thought that comes first, despite
the temptation to believe that it is the other way around. If it were not so, perception would have no cause, and
would itself be the cause of reality.
“I see no neutral things because I have no neutral thoughts.”
Look about you, resting your glance on each thing that you note long enough to say:
“I do not see a neutral ___________ because my thoughts about ___________ are not neutral.”
“I do not see a neutral wall, because my thoughts about walls are not neutral.”
“I do not see a neutral body, because my thoughts about bodies are not neutral.”
It is essential to make no distinction between what you believe to be animate or inanimate; pleasant or unpleasant.
Lesson 18
“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”
This idea is another step in learning that the thoughts which gives rise to what you see are never neutral
or unimportant. It also emphasizes the idea that minds are joined, which will be given increasing stress later on.
Todayʹs idea does not refer to what you see as much as how you see it. Therefore, the exercises for today
emphasize this aspect of your perception.
Look about you, selecting subjects for the application of the idea for today as randomly as possible, and
keeping your eyes on each one long enough to say:
“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see ________________.”
“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”
A minute or so, or even less, will be sufficient for each practice period.
Lesson 19
“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.”
The idea for today is obviously the reason why your seeing does not affect you alone. You will notice that
at times the ideas related to thinking precedes those related to perceiving, while at other times the order is
reversed. The reason is that the order does not matter. Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause
and effect are never separate.
We are again emphasizing the fact that minds are joined. This is rarely a wholly welcome idea at first,
since it seems to carry with it an enormous sense of responsibility, and may even be regarded as an “invasion of
privacy.” There are no private thoughts.
The minute or so of mind searching which todayʹs exercise requires is to be undertaken with eyes closed.
The idea for today is to be repeated first, and then the mind should be carefully searched for the thoughts it
contains at the time. As you consider each one, name it in terms of the central person or theme it contains, and
holding it in your mind, say:
“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of this thought about _______________.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 10
The requirement of as much indiscriminateness as possible in selecting subjects for the practice period
should be quite familiar by now, and will no longer be repeated each day. Do not forget, that random selection of
subjects for all practice periods remains essential throughout. Lack of order in this connection will ultimately
make the recognition of lack of order in miracles meaningful to you.
Lesson 20
“I am determined to see.”
Thus far there has been virtually no attempt to direct the time for undertaking these practice periods.
Minimal effort has been required, and not even active cooperation and interests have been asked. This approach
has been intentional, and carefully planned. We have not lost sight of the crucial importance of the reversal of
your thinking. The salvation of the world depends on it. If you regard yourself as being forced, or if you give in to
resentment and opposition, you will not see.
We now attempt to introduce structure. Do not misconstrue it as an effort to exert force or pressure. You
want to be happy. You want peace. You do not have them now, because your mind is totally undisciplined, and
you cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, Love and fear. You are now learning to tell
them apart. And great indeed will be your reward.
Your decision to see is all that vision requires. What you want is yours. Do not mistake the little effort that is
asked of you for an indication that our goal is of little worth. In your determination to see is vision given you.
Remind yourself throughout the day that you want to see. Todayʹs idea implies the recognition that you
do not see now. As you repeat the idea, youʹre stating that you’re determined to change our present state for a
better one, and one you really want.
Repeat todayʹs idea slowly and positively at intervals throughout the day. The repetition should be
applied to any situation, person or event that upsets you. You can see them differently, and you will. What you
desire, you will see. Such is the real law of cause and effect as it operates in the world.
Lesson 21
“I am determined to see things differently.”
The idea for today is a continuation and extension of the preceding one. This time specific mind searching
periods are necessary, in addition to applying the idea to particular situations as they may arise. In the practice
periods, begin by repeating the idea to yourself. Then close your eyes and search your mind carefully for
situations past, present or anticipated to arouse anger in you. The degree of the emotion you experienced does
not matter. You will become increasingly aware that a slight twinge of annoyance is nothing but a veil drawn
over intense fury.
Try not to let the “little” thoughts of anger escape you in the practice periods. You will probably be tempted to
dwell more on some situations or persons than on others, or on the fallacious grounds that they are more “obvious.”
This is not so. It is merely an example of the belief that some forms of attack are more justified than others.
“I am determined to see _______________ [name of person] differently.”
“I am determined to see _______________ [specify the situation] differently.”
Try to be as specific as possible. You may focus your anger on a particular attribute of the particular
person, believing that the anger is limited to this aspect. If your perception is suffering from this form of
distortion, say:
“I am determined to see _________________ [specify the attribute] in ________________ [name of person] differently.”
Lesson 22
“What I see is a form of vengeance.”
Todayʹs idea accurately describes the way anyone who holds attack thoughts in his mind must see the
world. Having projected his anger into the world, he sees vengeance about to strike at him. His own attack is thus
perceived as self‐defense. This becomes an increasingly vicious circle until he is willing to change how he sees.
Otherwise, thoughts of attack and counter‐attack will preoccupy him and people his entire world. What peace of
mind is possible to him then?
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 11
It is from this savage fantasy that you want to escape. Is it not joyousness to hear that it is not real? Is it
not a happy discovery to find that you can escape? You made what you would destroy; everything that you hate
and would attack and kill. All that you fear does not exist.
“I see only the perishable. I see nothing that will last. What I see is not real. What I see is a form of vengeance.”
“Is this the world I really want to see?”
The answer is surely obvious.
Lesson 23
“I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.”
The idea for today contains the only way out of fear that will ever succeed. Nothing else will work;
everything else is meaningless. But this way cannot fail. Every thought you have makes up some segment of the
world you see. It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.
If the cause of the world you see is attack thoughts, you must learn that it is these thoughts which you do
not want. There is no point in lamenting the world. There is no point in trying to change the world. It is incapable
of change because it is merely an effect. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts about the world.
Here you are changing the cost. The effect will change automatically.
Each of your perceptions of “external reality” is a pictorial representation of your own attack thoughts.
One can well ask if this can be called seeing. You see the world that you have made, but you do not see yourself
as the image‐maker. You cannot be saved from the world, but you can escape from its cause. This is what
salvation means, for where is the world you see when its cause is gone? Vision already holds a replacement for
everything you think you see now. Loveliness can light your images, and so transform them that you will Love
them, even though they were made of hate. For you will not be making them alone.
The idea for today introduces the thought that you are not trapped in the world you see, because its cause
can be changed. This change requires, first, that the cause be identified and then let go, so that it can be replaced.
The first two steps in this process require your cooperation. The final one does not. Your images have already
been replaced. You will see that this is so.
Use this idea throughout the day as the need arises. As you look about you, repeat the idea slowly to
yourself first, and then close your eyes and devote about a minute searching your mind for as many attack
thoughts as occurred to you. As each one crosses your mind, say:
“I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts about __________________.”
Be sure to include both your thoughts of attacking and of being attacked. Their effects are exactly the same
because they are exactly the same. We are still at this stage of identifying the cause of the world you see. When you
have finally learned that thoughts of attack and being attacked are not different, youʹll be ready to let the cause go.
Lesson 24
“I do not perceive my own best interests.”
In no situation that arises do you realize the outcome that would make you happy. Therefore, you have
no guide to appropriate action, and no way of judging the result. What you do is determined by your perception
of the situation, and that perception is wrong. It is inevitable, then, that you will not serve your own best
interests. Yet they are your only goal in any situation that is correctly perceived.
If you realize that you do not perceive your own best interests, you could be taught what they are. But in
the presence of your conviction that you do not know what they are, you cannot learn. The idea for today is a step
toward opening your mind so that learning can begin.
The exercises for today require much more honesty than you’re accustomed to using. A few subjects,
honestly and carefully considered in each of the practice periods which should be undertaken today, will be more
helpful than a more cursory examination of a larger number. Begin with repeating todayʹs idea followed by
searching the mind, with closed eyes, for unresolved situations about which you are currently concerned. The
emphasis should be on uncovering the outcome you want. You will quickly realize that you have a number of
goals in mind as part of the desired outcome, and also that the schools are on different levels and often conflict.
“In the situation involving ___________________, I would like _____________ and ____________ to happen.”
Try to cover as many different kinds of outcomes as they honestly may occur to you, even if some of them
do not appear to be directly related to the situation, or even to be inherent in it at all. Done properly, youʹll recognize
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 12
that youʹre making a large number of demands of the situation that have nothing to do with it. You will also
recognize that many of your goals are contradictory, but you have no unified outcome in mind, and that you must
experience disappointment in connection with some of your goals, however the situation turns out. After covering
the list of as many hoped‐for goals as possible for each unresolved situation that crosses your mind, say to yourself:
“I do not perceive my own best interests in the situation.”
and go onto the next one.
Lesson 25
“I do not know what anything is for.”
Purpose is meaning. Todayʹs idea explains why nothing you see means anything. You do not know what
it is for. Therefore, it is meaningless to you. Everything is for your own best interests. That is what it is for; that is
its purpose; that is what it means. It is in recognizing this that your goals become unified. It is in recognizing this
that what you see is given meaning.
You perceive the world and everything in it as meaningful in terms of ego goals. The ego is not you.
Another way of describing the goals you now perceive is to say that they are all concerned with “personal” interests.
Since you have no personal interests, your goals are really concerned with nothing. In cherishing them, therefore,
you have no goals at all. And you do not know what anything is for. Before you can make any sense out of the
exercise for today, one more thought is necessary. At the most superficial levels, you do not recognize purpose. For
example, you do understand that a telephone is for the purpose of talking to someone who is not physically in your
immediate vicinity. But what you do not understand is what you want to reach them for. And it is this that makes
your contact with him meaningful or not.
It is crucial for your learning to be willing to give up the goals you have established for everything. The
recognition that they are meaningless, rather than “good” or “bad,” is the only way to accomplish this. The idea
of today is a step in this direction.
Begin with a slow repetition of the idea, followed by looking about you and letting your glance rest on
whatever happens to capture it, near or far, important or unimportant human or non‐human.
“I do not know what this chair is for.”
“I do not know what this council is for.”
“I do not know what this hand is for.”
Say these slowly, without shifting the eyes from the subject until you have completed the statement about
it. Then move onto the next subject, and apply todayʹs idea as before.
Lesson 26
“My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.”
It is surely obvious that if you can be attacked you are not invulnerable. Use the attack as a real threat.
That is because one believes that you can really attack. And what would have effects through you must also have
effects on you. It is this law that will ultimately save you, but you are misusing it now. You must therefore learn
how it can be used for your own best interests, rather than against them.
Because your attack thoughts will be projected, you will fear attack. And if you fear attack, you must believe
that you are not invulnerable. Attack thoughts therefore make you vulnerable in your own mind, which is where the
attack thoughts are. Attack thoughts and invulnerability cannot be accepted together. They contradict each other.
The idea for today introduces the thought that you always attack yourself first. If attack thoughts must
entail the belief that you are vulnerable, their effect is to weaken you in your own eyes. Thus they have attacked
your perception of yourself. And because you believe in them, you can no longer believe in yourself. A false
image of yourself has come to take the place of what you are.
Understand that vulnerability or invulnerability is the result of your own thoughts. Nothing except your
thoughts can attack you. Nothing except your thoughts can make you think you are vulnerable. And nothing
except your thoughts can prove to you this is not so. The practice should begin with repeating the idea for today,
then closing your eyes and reviewing the unresolved questions whose outcomes are causing you concern. The
concern may take the form of depression, worry, anger, a sense of imposition, fear, foreboding or preoccupation.
Any problem as yet unsettled that tends to recur in your thoughts during the day is a suitable subject.
“I am concerned about ________________.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 13
Then go over every possible outcome that has occurred to you in that connection and which has caused
you concern, referring to each one specifically, saying:
“I am afraid ________________ will happen.”
It is much more helpful to cover a few situations thoroughly than to touch on a large number. As the list of
anticipated outcomes for each situation continues, youʹll probably find some of them, especially those that occurred
to you toward the end, less acceptable to you. However, try to treat them all alike to whatever extent you can.
“That thought is an attack thought upon myself.”
Conclude each practice by repeating todayʹs idea to yourself once more.
Lesson 27
“Above all else I want to see.”
Todayʹs idea expresses something stronger than mere determination. It gives vision priority among your
desires. You may feel hesitant about using the idea, on the grounds that you are not sure you really mean it. This
does not matter. The purpose of todayʹs exercise is to bring the time when the idea will be wholly true a little nearer.
There may be a great temptation to believe that some sort of sacrifice is being asked of you when you say
you want to see above all else. If you become uneasy about the lack of reservation involved, add:
“Vision has no cost to anyone. It can only bless.”
The idea for today needs many repetitions for maximum benefit. It should be used at least every half‐
hour, and more, if possible. It is recommended that you set a definite time interval for using the idea when you
wake or shortly afterward, and attempts to adhere to it throughout the day. It will not be difficult to do this, even
if youʹre engaged in conversation, or otherwise occupied at the time. You can still repeat one short sentence to
yourself without disturbing anything.
The real question is, how often will you remember? How much do you want todayʹs idea to be true? If
only once during the day you feel that you were perfectly sincere while you were repeating todayʹs idea, you can
be sure that you have saved yourself many years of effort.
Lesson 28
“Above all else I want to see things differently.”
Today we are really giving specific application to the idea for yesterday. Youʹll be making a series of definite
commitments. The question of whether you will keep them in the future is not our concern here. If youʹre willing at
least to keep them now, you have started on the way to keeping them. And we are still at the beginning.
You may wonder why it is important to say, for example, “Above all else I want to see this table
differently.” In and of itself it is not important at all, yet what is by itself? And what does “in and of itself” really
mean? You see a lot of separate things about you, which really means you are not seeing at all. You either see or
not. When you have seen one thing differently, you will see all things differently. The light you will see in any
one of them is the same light youʹll see in them all.
You are making a commitment to withdraw your preconceived ideas about the table, and open your
mind to what it is, and what it is for. Youʹre not binding its meaning to your tiny experience with tables, nor are
you limiting its purpose to your own little personal thoughts. You could, in fact, gain vision from just that table, if
you would withdraw all your own ideas from it, and look upon it with a completely open mind. It has something
to show you; something beautiful and clean and of infinite value, full of happiness and hope. Hidden under all
your ideas about it is its real purpose, the purpose it shares with all the universe.
In using the table as the subject for applying the idea for today, you are there for really asking to see the
purpose of the universe. You will be making the same request of each subject that you used in the practice
periods. And you are making a commitment to each of them to let its purpose be revealed to you, instead of
placing your own judgment upon it.
Apply the practice to whatever you see about you. Not only should the subjects be chosen randomly, but
each one should be accorded equal sincerity as todayʹs idea is applied to it, in an attempt to acknowledge the
equal value of them all in their contribution to your seeing.
“Above all else I want to see this_____________________ differently.”
Each application should be made quite slowly, and as thoughtfully as possible. There is no hurry.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 14
Lesson 29
“God is in everything I see.”
The idea for today explains why you can see all purposes in everything. It explains why nothing is
separate, by itself or in itself. And it explains why nothing you see means anything. In fact, it explains every idea
we have used thus far, and all subsequent ones as well. Todayʹs idea is the whole basis for vision.
We emphasized yesterday that a table shares the purpose of the universe. And what shares the purpose of the
universe shares the purpose of its creator.
Try then, today, to begin to learn how to look on all things with love, appreciation and open‐mindedness.
You do not see them now. Would you know what is in them? Nothing is as it appears to you. Its holy purpose
stands beyond your little range. When vision has shown you the holiness that lights up the world, youʹll
understand todayʹs idea perfectly. And you will not understand how you could ever have found it difficult.
Begin with repeating the idea to yourself, and then apply it to randomly chosen subjects about you, naming
each one specifically. Try to avoid the tendency towards self‐directed selection, which may be particularly tempting
in connection with todayʹs idea. Remember that any order you impose is equally alien to reality.
“God is in this finger.”
“God is in this lamp.”
“God is in that body.”
“God is in that door.”
Look slowly about you as you say the words unhurriedly to yourself. You should experience a sense of
restfulness as you do this.
Lesson 30
“God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”
The idea for today is the springboard for vision. From this idea will the world open up before you, and
you will look upon it and see in it what you have never seen before. Nor will what you saw before be even faintly
visible to you.
We are trying to join with what we see, rather than keeping it apart from us. That is the fundamental
difference between vision and the way you see. Todayʹs idea should be applied as often as possible throughout
the day, trying to realize that the idea applies to everything you do see now, or could see now, if it were within
the range of your sight.
Real vision is not limited to concepts such as “near” and “far.” Try to think of things beyond your present
range as well as those you can actually see, as you apply todayʹs idea. Real vision is not only unlimited by space and
distance, it does not depend on the body size at all. The mind is its only source. To aid in helping you to become more
accustomed to this idea as well, decode several practice periods to applying todayʹs idea with your eyes closed, using
whatever subjects come to mind, and looking within rather than without. Todayʹs idea applies equally to both.
Lesson 31
“I am not the victim of the world I see.”
Todayʹs idea is the introduction of your declaration of release. Again, the idea should be applied to both
the world you see with out to the world you see within. We will use a form of practice that will be used more and
more, with changes as indicated. The form includes two aspects, one in which you apply the idea on a more
sustained basis, and the other consisting of frequent applications of the idea throughout the day.
Two longer periods of practice with the idea for today are needed, one in the morning and one at night.
During that time, look about you slowly while repeating the idea two or three times. Then close your eyes, and
apply the same idea to your inner world.
You will escape from both together, for the inner is the cause of the outer. This is also particularly useful
to use as a response to any form of temptation that may arise. It is a declaration that you will not yield to it, and
put yourself in bondage.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 15
Lesson 32
“I have invented the world I see.”
We are continuing to develop the theme of cause and effect. You are not the victim of the world you see
because you invented it. You can give it up as easily as you made it up. You will see it or not see it, as you wish.
While you want it you will see it; when you no longer want it, it will not be there for you to see.
The idea applies to your inner and outer worlds, which are actually the same. However, since you see
them as different, the practice periods will include involving the world you see outside you, and it. Involving the
world you see in your mind. Try to introduce the thought that both are in your own imagination.
We will begin the practice periods for the morning and evening by repeating the idea for today while
looking around at the world you see as outside yourself. Then close your eyes and look around your inner world.
Try to treat them both us equally as possible. Repeat the idea for today unhurriedly as often as you wish, as you
watch the images your imagination presents to your awareness. Select a time when few distractions are
anticipated, and when you feel reasonably ready. Continue these exercises during the day, as often as possible.
The idea for today should also be applied immediately to any situation that may be stressful to you.
“I have invented the situation as I see it.”
Lesson 33
“There is another way of looking at the world.”
Todayʹs idea is an attempt to recognize that you can shift your perception of the world in both its inner
and outer aspects. Devote some time to this in a morning and evening application. The idea should be repeated as
often as you find comfortable, though unhurried applications are essential. Alternate between surveying your
outer and inner perceptions, but without an abrupt sense of shifting. Merely glance casually around the world
you perceive as outside yourself, then close your eyes and survey your inner thoughts with equal casualness.
Remain equally uninvolved in both, to maintain this detachment as you repeat the idea throughout the day.
Specific applications of todayʹs idea should also be made immediately, when any situation arises which
tempts you to become disturbed.
“There is another way of looking at this.”
Remember to apply todayʹs idea the instant you are aware of distress. It may be necessary to take a
minute or so to sit quietly and repeat the idea to yourself several times. Closing your eyes will probably help in
this form of application.
Lesson 34
“I could see peace instead of this.”
This idea begins to describe conditions that prevail in the other way of seeing. Peace of mind is clearly an
internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. It is from your peace of mind
that a peaceful perception of the world arises. Three practice periods are advised: one in the morning and one in
the evening with an additional one at any time that seems most conducive to readiness. All applications should
be done with your eyes closed. It is your inner world to which the applications of todayʹs idea should be made.
Search your mind for fear thoughts, anxiety‐provoking situations, “offending” personalities or defense,
or anything else about which you are harboring unloving thoughts. Note them all casually, repeating the idea
slowly as you watch them arise in your mind, and let each one go, to be replaced by the next. Continue to repeat
the idea in an unhurried manner, without applying it to anything in particular. Be sure not to make any specific
exclusions. The purpose is to protect yourself from temptations throughout the day. If a specific form of
temptation arises in your awareness, the exercise should take this form:
“I could see peace in the situation instead of what I now see in it.”
If the inroads on your peace of mind take the form of more generalized adverse emotions, such as
depression, anxiety or worry, use the idea in its original form. If you find you need more to change your mind in
a specific context, take time to repeat the idea until you feel some sense of relief. Tell yourself specifically:
“I can replace my feelings of depression, anxiety or worry [or my thoughts about the situation, personality or event]
with peace.”
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Lesson 35
“My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy.”
Todayʹs idea describes what vision will show you. It is difficult for anyone who thinks he is in this world
to believe this of himself. Yet the reason he thinks he is in this world is because he does not believe it. You will
believe that you are part of where you think you are. That is because you surround yourself with the environment
you want. And you want it to protect the image of yourself that you have made. The image is part of this
environment. What you see while you believe you are in it is seen through the eyes of the image. This is not
vision. Images cannot see.
The idea for today presents a very different view of yourself. By establishing your Source it establishes
your identity, and it describes you as you must really be in truth. We will use a somewhat different kind of
application for todayʹs idea because the emphasis for today is on the perceiver, rather than on what he perceives.
Begin by repeating todayʹs idea to yourself, and then close your eyes and search your mind for the various kinds
of descriptive terms in which you see yourself. Include all the ego‐based attributes that you ascribe to yourself,
positive and or negative, desirable or undesirable, grandiose or debased. All of them are equally unreal, because
you do not look upon yourself through the eyes of holiness.
In the earlier part of the mind searching, you will probably emphasize what you considered to be the
more negative aspects of your perception of yourself. Toward the latter part of the exercise, however, more self‐
inflating descriptive terms may well cross your mind. Try to recognize that illusions have no direction in reality.
They are merely not true.
A suitable selected list for applying the idea for today might be:
“I see myself as imposed on.”
“I see myself has depressed.”
“I see myself as failing.”
“I see myself as endangered.”
“I see myself as helpless.”
“I see myself as victorious.”
“I see myself as charitable.”
“I see myself as virtuous.”
These terms will occur to you as various situations, personalities and events in which you figure cross
your mind. Pick up any specific situation that occurs to you, identify the descriptive term or terms you feel are
applicable to your reaction to the situation, and use them:
“But my mind is part of Godʹs. I am very holy.”
There will probably be intervals in which nothing specific occurs to you. Do not strain to pick up specific
things to fill the interval, but merely relax and repeat todayʹs idea slowly until something occurs to you. Although
nothing that does occur should be omitted from the exercises, nothing should be “dug out” with effort. Neither
force nor discrimination should be used. As often as possible during the day apply the idea. If nothing particular
occurs to you, merely repeat the idea to yourself, with closed eyes.
Lesson 36
“My holiness envelops everything I see.”
Today’s idea extends from the perceiver to the perceived. You are holy because your mind is part of
God’s. And because you are holy, your sight must be holy as well. “Sinless” means without sin. If your mind is
part of God’s you must be sinless, or a part of his mind would be sinful. Your sight is related to his holiness, not
to your ego, and therefore not to your body.
A few practice periods are required for today. If made short, make the shorter applications frequently, to
protect your protection throughout the day. The longer practice periods should take this form:
Close your eyes and repeat the idea several times, slowly. Then open your eyes and look quite slowly about you,
applying the idea specifically to whatever you know in your casual survey. Say, for example:
“My holiness envelops that rug.”
“My holiness envelops the wall.”
“My holiness envelops these fingers.”
“My holiness envelops that chair.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 17
“My holiness envelops that body.”
“My holiness envelops this pan.”
Close your eyes and repeat the idea; look about you as you repeat it again; and conclude with one more
repetition with your eyes closed. All applications should, of course, be made quite slowly, as effortlessly and
unhurriedly as possible.
Lesson 37
“My holiness blesses the world.”
This idea contains the first glimmerings of your true function in the world, or why you’re here. Your
purpose is to see the world through your own holiness. Thus are you and the world blessed together. Nothing is
taken away from anyone; everyone gains through your holy vision. It signifies the end of sacrifice because it
offers everyone his full due.
There is no other way in which the idea of sacrifice can be removed from the world’s thinking. Any other
way of seeing will inevitably demand payment of someone or something. As a result, the perceiver will lose. Nor
will he have any idea why he is losing. Yet is his wholeness restored to his awareness through your vision. Your
holiness blesses him by asking nothing of him. Those who see themselves as a whole make no demands. Your
holiness is the salvation of the world. It lets you teach the world that it is one with you, by not preaching to it, by
not telling it anything, but merely by your quiet recognition that in your holiness are all things blessed along with
you. Begin with the repetition of the idea for today followed by a minute or so of looking about you as you apply
the idea to whatever you see:
“My holiness blesses this chair.”
“My holiness blesses that window.”
“My holiness blesses this body.”
Then close your eyes and apply the idea to any person who occurs to you, using the person’s name and saying:
“My holiness blesses you, [name].”
Continue to practice with your eyes closed; you may also alternate between applying the idea to what
you see around you and those who are in your thoughts. The practice should conclude with a repetition of the
idea with your eyes closed, and another with your eyes open. It is particularly helpful to apply it silently to
anyone you meet, using the person’s name as you do so. It is essential to use the idea if anyone seems to cause an
adverse reaction in you. Offer him or her the blessings of your holiness immediately, that you may learn to keep
it in your own awareness.
Lesson 38
“There is nothing my holiness cannot do.”
Your holiness reverses all the laws of the world. It is beyond every restriction of time, space, distance and
limits of any kind. Your holiness is totally unlimited in its power because it establishes you as a son or daughter
of God, at one with the mind of the Creator. Through your holiness the power of God is made manifest. Through
your holiness the power of God is made available. There is nothing the power of God cannot do. Your holiness,
then, can remove all pain, can end all sorrow, and consult all problems. It can do so in connection with yourself
and with anyone else. It is equal in its power to help anyone because it is equal in its power to save anyone.
If you are holy, so is everything God created. You are holy because all things he created are holy. And all
things he created are holy because you are. We will apply the power of your holiness to all problems, difficulties
or suffering in any form that you happen to think of common in yourself or in someone else. We will make no
distinctions because there are no distinctions. Repeat the idea and search your mind for any sense of loss or
unhappiness of any kind as you see it. Try to make as little distinction as possible between the situation that is
difficult for you, and one that is difficult for someone else. Identify the situation specifically, and also the name of
the person concerned.
“In the situation involving ________________ in which I see myself, there is nothing that my holiness cannot do.”
“In the situation involving _________________ in which ________________ sees himself, there is nothing my
holiness cannot do.”
To vary this procedure you might like to include some relative thoughts of your own such as:
“There is nothing my holiness cannot do because the power of God lives in it.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 18
The purpose of today’s exercise is to begin to instill in you a sense that you have dominion over all things
because of what you are.
Lesson 39
“My holiness is my salvation.”
If guilt is hell, what is its opposite? The ideas used for the exercises are very simple, very clear and totally
unambiguous. We are not concerned with intellectual feats with logical toys. We are dealing only in the very
obvious, which has been overlooked in the clouds of complexity in which you think you think. If guilt is hell,
what is its opposite, to question this is not difficult, surely. The hesitation you may feel in answering is not due to
the ambiguity of the question. We have already said that your holiness is the salvation of the world. What about
your own salvation? In recognizing that your salvation is crucial to the salvation of the world, the whole world
stands to benefit. Your holiness is the answer to every question that was ever asked, is being asked now, or will
be asked in the future. Your holiness means the end of guilt, and therefore hell. Your holiness is the salvation of
the world, and your own. How could you to whom your holiness belongs be excluded from it? God does not
know unholiness. Can it be he does not know His Creation?
Longer practice periods are urged for today, and longer and more frequent practice sessions are
encouraged. Begin by repeating today’s ideas to yourself. Then, with closed eyes, search out your unloving
thoughts in whatever form they may appear; uneasiness, depression, anger, fear, worry, attack, insecurity and so
on. Whatever form they take, they are unloving and therefore fearful. And so it is from them that you need to be
saved. Specific situations, events or personalities you associate with unloving thoughts of any kind are suitable
subjects for today’s exercise. It is imperative for your salvation that you see them differently. It is your blessing on
them that will save you and give you vision.
“My unloving thoughts about ________________ are keeping me in hell. My holiness is my salvation.”
You may find it helpful to include a few short intervals in which you just relax and do not seem to be
thinking of anything. Sustained concentration is very difficult at first. It will become easier as your mind becomes
more disciplined and less distractible. Feel free to introduce variety into the exercises in whatever form appeals to
you. The idea should be stated so that its meaning is the fact that your holiness is your salvation.
“If guilt is hell, what is its opposite?”
If temptations arise, a particularly helpful form of the idea is:
“My holiness is my salvation from this.”
Lesson 40
“I am blessed as a son of God.”
Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you are entitled to, being what you are.
No long practice periods are required today, but very frequent short ones are necessary. You are urged to attempt
to adhere to this whenever possible. If you forget, try again. Whenever you remember, try again. You need not
close your eyes for the exercise periods, although you will probably find it more helpful if you do. However, you
may be in a number of situations during the day when closing your eyes would not be feasible. Do not miss a
practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under any circumstances, if you really want to.
Today’s exercise takes little time and no effort. Repeat the idea for today, and then add several of the
attributes you associate with being a son or daughter of God, applying them to yourself.
“I am blessed as a son/ daughter of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.”
“I am blessed as a son/ daughter of God. I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.”
Merely telling yourself that you are blessed as a son or daughter of God will do, if only a brief period is available.
Lesson 41
“God goes with me wherever I go.”
Today’s idea will eventually overcome the complete sense of loneliness and abandonment all the
separated ones experience. Depression is an inevitable consequence of separation. So are anxiety, worry, a deep
sense of helplessness, misery, suffering and intense fear of loss. The separated ones have invented many “cures”
for what they do believe to be the “ills of the world.” But the one thing they do not do is to question the reality of
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 19
the problem. Yet its effects cannot be cured because the problem is not real. The idea for today has the power to
end all this foolishness forever. And foolishness it is, despite the serious and tragic forms it may take.
Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the world. It will
cure all sorrow and pain and fear and loss because it will heal the mind that thought these things were real, and
suffered out of its allegiance to them. You can never be deprived of your perfect holiness because its Source goes
with you wherever you go. You can never suffer because the Source of all joy goes with you wherever you go.
You can never be alone because the source of all life goes with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your
peace of mind because God goes with you wherever you go. We understand that you do not believe all this. How
could you, when the truth is hidden deep within, under a heavy cloud of thoughts, dense and obscuring, yet
representing all you see? Today we will make our first real attempt to get past this dark and heavy cloud, and to
go through it to the light beyond.
There will be only one long practice period today. In the morning, as soon as you get up if possible, sit
quietly, with your eyes closed. Repeat today’s idea very slowly, then make no effort to say anything. Try, instead,
to get a sense of turning inward, past all the idle thoughts of the world. Try to enter very deeply into your own
mind, keeping clear of any thoughts that might divert your attention. You are trying to leave appearances and
approach reality.
It is quite possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy, because it is the most natural thing in the world.
You might even say it is the only natural thing in the world. The way will open, if you believe that it is possible.
This exercise can bring very startling results even the first time is attempted, and sooner or later it is always
successful. Think of what you’re saying; what the words mean. Concentrate on the holiness that they imply about
you; on the unfailing companionship that is yours; on the complete protection that surrounds you. You can
indeed afford to laugh at fearful thoughts, remembering that God goes with you wherever you go.
Lesson 42
“God is my strength. Vision is His gift.”
The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. It also sets forth a
cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course.
You’ll see because it is the Will of God. It is His strength, not your own, that gives you power. And it is His gift,
rather than your own, that offers vision to you. God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given.
This means that you can receive it anytime and anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatever circumstance you
find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the
right time. Such is the strength of God. Such are His gifts.
You will have a practice as soon as possible after you wake, and another as close to possible to the time
you go to sleep. It is better to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself, at a time when you feel ready, than it is to
be concerned with the time. Begin this practice. Start by repeating the idea for today slowly, with your eyes open,
looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again, even slower than before. After this, try to
think of nothing except thoughts that occur to you in relation to the idea for the day.
“Vision must be possible. God gives truly.”
“Godʹs gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me.”
Any thoughts that are clearly related to the idea for today are suitable. Let your thoughts come without
censoring them unless you find your mind is merely wandering, and irrelevant thoughts seem to be intruding.
You may also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come to mind. If this occurs, open your eyes and
repeat the thought once looking slowly about.
Lesson 43
“God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.”
In God’s realm there is only knowledge, perception is not involved. He created the Holy Spirit as the
Mediator between these two. This link is essential in keeping perception from replacing knowledge in your mind.
It will lead you to change perception into something more pure. This is the function of the Holy Spirit and,
therefore, of truth. You cannot see anything that God does not see, because you are a part of Him. Anything you
do, is in Him, your thoughts are in His mind. Do three practice periods today, one very early and one very late in
the day. Do the third whenever is most convenient. Look around and say:
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 20
“God is my source. I cannot see this task apart from Him.”
“God is my source. I cannot see that picture apart from Him.”
Although this part of the exercise should be relatively short, be sure that you select the subjects for this
phase of practice indiscriminately, without self‐directed involution or exclamation. For the second and longer
phase close your eyes, repeat todayʹs idea again, and let whatever relevant thoughts occur to you add to the idea
in your own personal way.
“I see through the eyes of forgiveness.”
“I see the world as blessed.”
“The world can show me myself.”
“I see my own thoughts, which are like Godʹs.”
Return to the first phase of the exercises as often as necessary to prevent your mind from wandering over
any protracted period. In applying todayʹs idea into shorter practice periods, the form may vary according to the
circumstances and its situations in which you find yourself during the day. When you are with someone else for
example, try to remember to tell him silently:
“God is my source. I cannot see you apart from Him.”
This form is equally applicable to strangers as it is to those you think are closer to you. In fact, try not to
make distinctions of this kind at all. Apply todayʹs idea to any situations and events that may occur, particularly
those which seem to distress you in any way.
“God is my Source. I cannot see this apart from Him.”
If no particular subject presents itself to your awareness, merely repeat the idea in its original form. Try
not to allow any long period of time to slip by without remembering your function.
Lesson 44
“God is the light in which I see.”
Today we continue the idea, adding another dimension to it. You cannot see in darkness, and you cannot
make light. You can make darkness and then think you see in it, but light reflects life, and is therefore an aspect of
creation. Creation and darkness cannot coexist, but light and life must go together, being but different aspects of
creation. In order to see, you must recognize that light is within, not without. You do not see outside yourself.
Nor is the equipment for seeing outside you. And an essential part of this equipment is the light that makes
seeing possible. It is with you always, making vision possible in every circumstance.
Today we are going to attempt to reach that light. For this purpose we will use a form of the exercise
which has been suggested before, and which we will utilize increasingly. It is a particularly difficult form for the
undisciplined mind, and represents a major goal of mind training. It requires precisely what the untrained mind
lacks. Yet this training must be accomplished if you are to see. Have at least three practice periods today. A longer
time is highly recommended, and only if you find the time slipping by with little or no sense of strain.
The form of practice we will use today is the most natural and easy one in the world for the trained mind,
just as it seems to be the most unnatural and difficult for the untrained mind. Your mind is no longer wholly
untrained. You are quite ready to learn the form of exercise we will use today, but you may find that you will
encounter strong resistance. The reason is very simple, while you practice in this way, you leave behind everything
that you now believe, and all the thoughts that you have made up. Properly speaking, this is the release from hell.
Yet received through the ego’s eyes, it is loss of identity and a descent into hell. If you can stand aside from the ego
by ever so little, youʹll have no difficulty in recognizing that its opposition and its fears are meaningless. You might
find it helpful to remind yourself, from time to time, that to reach light is to escape from darkness, whatever you
may believe to the contrary. God is the light in which you see. You are attempting to reach Him.
Begin the practice by repeating todayʹs idea with your eyes open, then close them slowly, repeating the
idea several times more. Then try to sink into your mind, letting go every kind of interference and intrusion by
quietly sinking past them. Your mind cannot be stopped in this unless you choose to stop it. It is merely taking its
natural course. Try to observe your passing thoughts without involvement, and slip quietly by them.
While no particular approach is advocated for this form of exercise, what is needful is a sense of the
importance of what you are doing; itʹs in inestimable value to you, and an awareness that you are attempting
something very holy. Salvation is your happiest accomplishment. It is also the only one that has any meaning,
because it is the only one that has any real use to you at all. If resistance rises in any form, pause long enough to
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 21
repeat todayʹs idea, keeping your eyes closed until youʹre aware of fear. In that case, youʹll probably find it more
reassuring to open your eyes briefly. You should experience some sense of relaxation, and even a feeling that you
are approaching, if not actually entering into the light. Try to think of light, formless and without limit. And do
not forget that thoughts cannot hold you to the world unless you give them the power to do so.
Lesson 45
“God is the mind with which I think.”
Todayʹs idea holds the key to what your real thoughts are. Today you are nothing that you think you
think, just as nothing that you think you see is related to vision in any way. There is no relationship between what
is real and what you think is real. Nothing that you think are real thoughts resemble your real thoughts in any
respect. Nothing that you think you see has any resemblance to what vision will show you.
You think with the Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with Him, and he shares His with
you. They are the same thoughts, they are thoughts by the same mind. To share is to make alike, or to make one.
Nor do the thoughts you think with the mind of God leave your mind, because thoughts do not leave their
source. Therefore, if your thoughts are in the mind of God, as you are, they are in your mind as well, where He is.
As you are a part of His Mind, so are your thoughts part of His Mind. Where, then, are your real thoughts?
Today we will attempt to reach them. We will have to look for them in your mind, because that is where they are.
They must still be there, because they cannot have left their source. What is thought by the mind of God is eternal,
being part of creation.
The practice periods for today will take the same general form. We will attempt to leave the unreal and
seek further the real. We will deny the world in favor of truths. We will not let the thoughts of the world hold us
back. We will not let the world tell us that what God would have us do is impossible. Instead, we will try to
recognize that only what God would have us do is possible. We will also try to understand that only what God
would have us do is what we want to do. And we will also try to remember that we cannot fail in doing what He
would have us do. There is every reason to feel confident that we will succeed today. It is the will of God.
Begin the exercises for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closing your eyes as you do so. Then
spend a fairly short time thinking a few relevant thoughts of your own, keeping the idea in mind.
“My real thoughts are in my mind. I would like to find them.”
Then try to go past all the unreal thoughts that cover the truths in your mind, and reach to the eternal.
Under all those senseless plots and bad ideas with which you have cluttered up your mind are the thoughts that
you thought with God in the beginning. They are in your mind right now, completely unchanged. They will
always be in your mind, exactly as they always were. Everything you have thought since then will change. But
the foundation on which it rests is wholly changeless.
It is this foundation toward which the exercises for today are directed. Here is your mind joined with the
mind of God. Here are your thoughts one with His. For this kind of practice only one thing is necessary; approach
it as you would an altar dedicated to God the Father and to God the Son [God the Mother and God the Daughter],
for such is the place you are trying to reach. Youʹll probably be unable as yet, to realize how high youʹre trying to
go. Yet even with the little understanding you have already gained, you should be able to remind yourself that
this is no idle game, but an exercise in holiness and an attempt to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
Try to remember how important it is to you to understand the holiness of the mind that thinks with God.
Take a minute or two, as you repeat the idea throughout the day, to appreciate your mindʹs holiness. Stand aside,
however briefly, from all the thoughts that are unworthy of Him whose host you are. And thank Him for the
thoughts He is thinking with you.
Lesson 46
“God is the Love in which I forgive.”
God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must be condemnation before
forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need of this world, but that is because it is a world of illusions.
Those who forgive are those releasing themselves from illusions, while those who withhold forgiveness are
binding themselves to them. As you condemned only yourself, so do you forgive only yourself. Yet although God
does not forgive, His Love is nevertheless the basis of forgiveness. Fear condemns and Love forgives. Forgiveness
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 22
thus undoes what fear has produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason, forgiveness
can truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusions disappear.
Todayʹs exercises require at least three full practice periods, and as many shorter ones as possible. Begin
the longer practice periods by repeating todayʹs idea to yourself. Close your eyes as you do so, and spend a
minute or two in searching your mind for those whom you have not forgiven. It does not matter “how much”
you have not forgiven them. You have forgiven them entirely or not at all. If youʹre doing the exercises well you
should have no difficulty in finding a number of people who you have not forgiven. It is a safe rule that anyone
you do not like is a suitable subject.
“God is the Love in which I forgive you, [name].”
The purpose of the first phase of todayʹs practice periods is to put you in a position to forgive yourself.
“God is the Love in which I forgive myself.”
Then devote the remainder of the practice periods having related ideas such as:
“God is Love with which I Love myself.”
“God is the Love in which I am blessed.”
The form of the application may vary considerably, but the central idea should not be lost sight of. You
might say, for example:
“I cannot be guilty because I am a son of God.”
The practice period should end, however, with a repetition of todayʹs idea as originally stated. The
shorter practice periods may consist either of a repetition of the idea for today in the original or in a related form,
as you prefer. Be sure, however, to make more specific applications if they are needed. They will be needed at
anytime during the day when you become aware of any kind of negative reaction to anyone, present or not. In
that event, tell him silently:
“God is the Love in which I forgive you.”
Lesson 47
“God is the strength in which I trust.”
If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be apprehensive, anxious and fearful.
What can you predict or control? What is there in you that can be counted on? What would give you the ability to
be aware of all the facets of any problem, and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of it? What
is there in you that gives the recognition of the right solution, or the guarantee that it will be accomplished?
Of yourself you can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your trust where trust is
unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and
feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak? God is your safety in every circumstance. His voice
speaks for Him in all situations and every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to do to call upon His
strength and His protection. There are no exceptions because God has no exceptions, and the voice that speaks for
Him thinks as He does. Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the source of real strength. Four
practice periods are necessary today, and longer and more frequent ones are urged. Close your eyes and begin by
repeating the idea for today. Then spend a minute or two in searching for situations in your life that you have
invested with fear, dismissing each one by telling yourself:
“God is the strength in which I trust.”
Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious that any situation
that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could
deal with the situations successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will gain confidence. But the strength of
God in you is successful in all things. The recognition of your own frailty is a necessary step in the correction of your
errors, but it is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidence that you need, and to which youʹre entitled. You
must also gain awareness that confidence in your real strength is fully justified in every respect in all circumstances.
In the latter phase of the practice period, try to reach down into your mind to a place of real safety. You
will recognize that you have reached it if you feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go all the trivial
things that churn and bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to the Kingdom of
Heaven. There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place where nothing is impossible. There
is a place in you where the strength of God abides. During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to
any disturbance. Remember that peace is your right, because you are giving your trust to the strength of God.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 23
Lesson 48
“There is nothing to fear.”
The idea for today simply states the fact. It is not a fact to those who believe in illusions, but the illusions
are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize it
for those who want illusions to be true. Todayʹs practice periods will be very short, very simple and very
frequent. Nearly repeat the idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes opened at any time and in any
situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you take a minute or so whenever possible to close your
eyes and repeat the ideas slowly to yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the idea
immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind.
The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength. The awareness that there is
nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you
have remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The instant youʹre willing to do this
there is indeed nothing to fear.
Lesson 49
“Godʹs Voice speaks to me all through the day.”
It is quite possible to listen to Godʹs Voice all through the day without interrupting your regular activities
in any way. The part of your mind in which truth abides is in constant communication with God, whether you are
aware of it or not. It is the other part of your mind that functions in the world and obeys the worldʹs laws. It is
this part that is constantly distracted, disorganized and highly uncertain. The part that is listening to the Voice of
God is calm, always at rest and wholly certain, it is really the only part there is. The other part is a wild illusion,
frantic and distraught, but without reality of any kind. Try today not to listen to it. Try to identify with the part of
your mind where stillness and peace reign forever. Try to hear Godʹs voice call to you lovingly, reminding you
that your Creator has not forgotten His son. We will need at least four short practice periods today, and more if
possible. You will try actually to hear Godʹs voice reminding you of Him and of yourself. We will approach this
happiest and holiest of thoughts with confidence, knowing that in doing so we are joining our will with the Will
of God. He wants you to hear His voice. He gave it to you to be heard.
Listen in the silence. Be very still and open your mind. Go past all the raucous shrieks and sick
imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure your eternal link with God. Sink deep into the peace that
awaits you beyond the riotous thoughts and sites and sounds of the insane world. You do not live here. We are
trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the place where you are truly welcome. We are trying to
reach God.
Do not forget to repeat todayʹs idea very frequently. Do so with your eyes open when necessary, but
closed when possible. And be sure to sit quietly and repeat the idea for today whenever you can, closing your
eyes on the world, and realizing that you are inviting Godʹs voice to speak to you.
Lesson 50
“I am sustained by the Love of God.”
Here is the answer to every problem that will confront you, today and tomorrow and throughout time. In
this world, you believe you are sustained by everything but God. Your faith is placed in the most trivial and
insane symbols; pills, money, protective clothing, influence, prestige, being liked, knowing the “right” people,
and an endless list of forms of nothingness that you endow with magical powers.
All these things are your replacements for the Love of God. All these things are cherished to ensure a
body identification. They are songs of praise to the ego. Do not put your faith in the worthless. It will not sustain
you. Only the Love of God will protect you in all circumstances. It will lift you out of every trial, and raise you
high above all the perceived dangers of this world into a climate of perfect peace and safety. It will transport you
into a state of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can intrude upon the
eternal calm of the Son of God. Put not your faith in illusions. They will fail you. Put all your faith in the Love of
God within you; eternal, changeless and forever unfeeling. This is the answer to whatever confronts you today.
Through the Love of God within you, you can resolve all seeming difficulties without effort and insure
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 24
confidence. Tell yourself this often today. It is a declaration of release from the belief in idols. It is your
acknowledgment of the truth about yourself.
Morning and evening, let the idea for today sink deep into your consciousness. Repeat it, think about it,
let related thoughts come to help you recognize its truth, and the Love and peace to flow over you like a blanket
of protection and surety. Let no idle and foolish thoughts of injury disturb the holy mind of the Son of God. Such
is the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is the resting place where your Father has placed you forever.
Review I
Beginning with today we will have a series of review periods. Each of them will cover five of the ideas already
presented, starting with the first and ending with the fiftieth. There will be a few short comments after each of the
ideas, which you should consider in your review. In the practice periods, the exercises should be done as follows:
Begin the day by reading the five ideas, with the comments included. Thereafter, it is not necessary to
follow any particular order in considering them, though each one should be practiced at least once. Devote two
minutes or more to each practice period, thinking about the idea and the related comments after reading them
over. Do this as often as possible during the day. If any one of the five ideas appeals to you more than the others,
concentrate on that one. At the end of the day, however, be sure to review all of them once more.
It is not necessary to cover the comments that follow each idea either literally or thoroughly in the
practice periods. Try, rather, to emphasize the central point, and think about it as part of your review of the idea
to which it relates. After you have read the idea and the related comments, the exercises should be done with
your eyes closed and when you are alone in a quiet place, if possible.
This is emphasized for practice periods at your stage of learning. It will be necessary, however, that you
learn to require no special settings in which to apply what you have learned. You will need your learning most in
situations that appear to be upsetting, rather than in those that already seem to be calm and quiet. The purpose of
your learning is to enable you to bring quiet with you, and to heal distress and turmoil. This is not done by
avoiding them and seeking a haven of isolation for yourself.
You will yet learn that peace is part of you, and requires only that you be there to embrace any situation
in which you are. And finally you will learn that there is no limit to where you are, so that your peace is
everywhere, as you are.
You will note that, for review purposes, some of the ideas are not given in quite their original form. Use
them as they are given here. It is not necessary to return to the original statements, nor to apply the ideas as was
suggested then. We are now emphasizing the relationships among the first fifty of the ideas we have covered, and
the cohesiveness of the thought system to which they are leading you.
Lesson 51
The review for today covers the following ideas:
Review: 1) “Nothing I see means anything.”
2) “I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.”
3) “I do not understand anything I see.”
4) “These thoughts do not mean anything.”
5) “I am never upset for the reason I think.”
The course reemphasizes learning to see what one has to put aside and what one thinks one sees. It is a
prerequisite to realize that applying meaning obstructs vision. The text explains that what you think you see is
taking the place of vision. You must let it go by realizing that it has no essential meaning, so that vision may take
its place. What you see is the projection of your own errors of thought. It is enough to recognize that most of what
we believe is consensual and arbitrary. There is every reason to let it go, and make room for what can be seen and
understood and loved.
The text reminds us that our own thinking that is not dependent on the divine whole, is to not recognize
that we are an integral part of a sacred connectedness. Be willing to recognize that your thoughts do not mean
anything and let them go and choose to have them replaced by what they are intended to replace. All creation lies
in the thoughts I think with God.
I am constantly trying to justify my thoughts, and constantly trying to make them true. By justifying my
anger I make all things my enemies. Iʹve not realized how much I’ve misused everything I see by assigning this
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 25
role to it. Iʹve done this to defend the thought system that does not further me and that I no longer want. Iʹm
willing to let it go.
Lesson 52
Review: 6) ”I am upset because I see what is not there.”
7) ”My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.”
8) ”I see only the past.”
9) ”I see nothing as it is now.”
10) ”My thoughts do not mean anything.”
Our subjective mind creates a disparity between objective reality and our reaction to it. When we allow
our biased reactions to events to cause us to feel stress we deny ourselves the refuge of God. Our lives are chaotic
and crazy when experienced through the filter of our fears and past disappointments. It is only when we allow
ourselves to experience the truth of seeing with both eyes open, the truth of God and the intrinsic goodness and
underlying order that permeates all being, do we live life as our highest selves in our true potential. To dissolve
illusion, forgive ourselves and others, let go of the past and let go of meaningless private thoughts is to allow
ourselves the full range of a wondrous free life.
Lesson 53
Review: 11) “My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”
12) “I am upset because I see a meaningless world.”
13) “A meaningless world engenders fear.”
14) “God did not create a meaningless world.”
15) ”My thoughts are images that I have made.”
When we allow insane chaotic pictures to take over our minds they erase the calm reality that exists in
our unity with God. When we allow the unruly chaos of our meaningless thoughts to undo the natural peace and
clarity that comes with knowing the true nature of reality we fall into the abyss of chaos and despair unable to
grab the life preserver at the end of the rope of reality. Conversely, if we withdraw the veil of illusion that
obscures our true vision we emerge once again into the light of truth. Knowing God and all creation is good,
meaningful and orderly.
Lesson 54
Review: 16) “I have no neutral thoughts.”
17) “I see no neutral things.”
18) “I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”
19) “I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.”
20) “I am determined to see.”
Thoughts can create our reality if we give them that power. We cannot allow the luxury of a negative
thought to wreak havoc on our carefully designed world. Positive thought aligned with the goodness and
orderliness of creation will free our minds of unhealthy chatter and unruly chaos, which, unchecked, can
sabotage our best laid plans. When we change our state of mind to move with the positive flow we can undo the
effects of flawed seeing and thinking.
Lesson 55
Review: 21) “I am determined to see things differently now.”
22) “What I see is a form of vengeance.”
23) “I can escape from this world by giving up attack thoughts.”
24) “I do not perceive my own best interests.”
25) “I do not know what anything is for.”
When we open our mind to real purpose by dissolving frightening pictures that exist only in our heads,
we are able to view the truth that in turn will set us free. Our illusions of chaos and disaster liquidate and allow
the return of God’s Love and order to fill us with peace, not chaos and insanity. We choose to escape these
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 26
patterns when we let go of self‐limiting thought and behavior. Love replaces fear, laughter replaces tears and
abundance replaces loss.
Lesson 56
Review: 26) “My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.”
27) “Above all else I want to see.”
28) “Above all else, I want to see differently.”
29) “God is in everything I see.”
30) “God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.”
God is truth, truth is beauty and God is in everything including our souls and hearts. Control of events
outside ourselves is impossible; when we try to play God we are constantly reminded of our own fragile place in
the swiftly moving river of life. When we let go and let God we assume our natural place in the scheme of life.
Humility in the face of grand truth rather than arrogance in the face of illusion is our natural birthright. When we
allow ourselves to be free of the illusions that hinder our progress we naturally move forward in God’s light.
Lesson 57
Review: 31) “I am not a victim of the world I see.”
32) “I have invented the world I see.”
33) “There is another way of looking at the world.”
34) “I could see peace instead of this.”
35) “My mind is a part of God’s. I am very holy.”
When we begin to view our lives in the context of service to a higher power, the power that exists in God
as love, we come to know our true inner selves in the context of the living breathing entity that transforms fear
into opportunity. Uniting ourselves with Source, we find strength, courage and peace in the presence of a totally
pervading force that lives in truth and beauty.
Lesson 58
Review: 36) “My holiness envelops everything I see.”
37) “My holiness blesses the world.”
38) “There is nothing my holiness cannot do.”
39) “My holiness is my salvation.”
40) “I am blessed as a child of God.”
Once we accept ourselves as living, breathing lights of joy in unity with God’s eternal plan, we are free to
move our attention to moving into the stream of service in God’s love.
Lesson 59
Review: 41) “God goes with me everywhere I go.”
42) “God is my strength. Vision is His gift.”
43) “God is my source. I cannot see apart from Him.”
44) “God is the light in which I see.”
45) “God is the mind with which I think.”
God is our strength, our vision and our mind. We cannot separate ourselves from source without
disrupting the whole natural order of events. Beauty, truth, joy and Love are our natural birthrights if only we
will claim them. We exist as our higher selves solely within the framework of God as love, light and truth.
Lesson 60
Review: 46) “God is the Love in which I forgive.”
47) “God is the strength in which I trust.”
48) “There is nothing to fear.”
49) “God’s voice speaks to me all through the day.”
50) “I am sustained by the Love of God.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 27
We are children of God, free from sin, free to forgive and most importantly, free to live our lives away
from the shadow of fear. When we allow ourselves to trust in God’s love, and accept our humanity we are able to
allow our need to share our divine Love whose only origin is Source. It guides our thoughts, actions and paths
towards the truth.
Lesson 61
“I am the light of the world.”
This statement of truth is a self‐empowering concept that allows us humility and grace in our soulful
acceptance of the truth of our Creator and the sanctity of life in all forms including our own. A prayer follows. It
should be repeated as many times a day as possible. We tell ourselves:
“I am the light of the world.
That is my only function.
That is why I am here.”
The suggestion is to begin and end the day with these thoughts in mind, closing the eyes if possible while
repeating the idea silently or aloud to oneself.
Lesson 62
“Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.”
In true forgiveness lies salvation. Forgiveness allows us to remember the truth of who we really are. It removes
weakness and disharmony. As frequently as possible during the day we can recite this prayer aloud or silently:
Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
I would fulfill my function that I may be happy.
If the attention should wander for any reason, one can repeat the original message adding,
I would remember this because I want to be happy.
Related thoughts that come from the heart will also stimulate the awareness of the righteousness of allowing
ourselves and our fellow creatures the right to make and learn from our mistakes.
Lesson 63
“The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.”
The prayer:
”The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.”
“I am the means God has appointed for the salvation of the world.”
Once again, if we spend our first and last waking moments focusing on these words of truth, we reinforce
the blessings we received the day we were born. We reclaim our spot in divine order and ascertain earthly
transcendence.
Lesson 64
“Let me not forget my function.”
Every day we must program ourselves to make the right decisions. We face countless decisions during
the day, which affect our current and future happiness. Decisions based on Love and forgiveness put us in the
light, the stream of divine consciousness. Happiness is intrinsic in learning to flow with our higher power, which
loves us unconditionally. When we love and forgive ourselves we can transfer that same acceptance to others,
creating a ripple effect of Love and light throughout the world.
The prayer:
“Let me not forget my function.”
“Let me not try to substitute mine for God’s.”
“Let me forgive and be happy.”
Ten or fifteen minutes daily concentrating on these words of truth will help you remember your higher
purpose. Another prayer which should be repeated twice daily or as often as needed, is:
“This is the world, it is my function to save.”
This one can be repeated with the eyes open, taking in all your surroundings.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 28
Lesson 65
“My only function is the one God gave me.”
In our daily practice, ten or fifteen minutes scheduled at approximately the same time over the course of
a week, spent in contemplation of these words of truth enable us to escape the traps our self‐defeating negative
thoughts can generate. It’s part and parcel of devoting our lives to service that we make time for practicing that
which will make us whole functioning humans. If interfering thoughts arise as you do this prayer:
“This thought reflects a goal that is preventing me from accepting my only function.”
That should temporarily reduce or stop the flow of unwanted thoughts, should they continue, repeat
silently or aloud:
“On this clean slate let my true function be written for me.”
If these particular words do not seem to work for you, get the sense of losing your illusions to the bright
light of truth.
Once an hour, apply today’s idea in this form:
“My only function is the one God gave me. I have no other.”
With eyes closed sometimes and open sometimes, look about while practicing the prayer. When you are
able to embrace this idea totally your vision will be transformed.
Lesson 66
“My happiness and my function are one.”
In recent lessons there has been a connection drawn between fulfilling your function and achieving
happiness. They are one and the same. In our daily practice, we begin the first ten to fifteen minutes by repeating
this prayer:
“God gives me only happiness.
He has given my function to me.
Therefore my function must be happiness.”
Allow the truth of these words to permeate your mind where the ego resides. The truth is that God gives
you only happiness, therefore the function He gave is also happiness even if it appears different. God gives you
only happiness. This is the truth, for if it is false it is necessary to define God as something He is not. Love cannot
give evil, and what is not happiness is evil. God also has given us our function. Thus, it must be that your
function is established by God through His Voice, or it is made by the ego which you have made to replace Him.
Which is true? Think about this during the longer practice period today. Ask yourself about the times that you
have tried to find salvation. Did you find it? Were you happy? Did you find peace? Today’s idea is another giant
stride in understanding the truth. On one side stands illusions and all truth stands on the other. Let us try today
to realize that only the truth is true.
In shorter practice periods, which would be most helpful today if undertaken twice an hour, repeat the
following affirmation: “My happiness and function are one, because God has given me both.”
Lesson 67
“Love created me like Itself.”
Today’s insight is about who and what you are; that you are the world savior, appointed by God, and this
is the truth about you.
“Holiness created me holy.
Kindness created me kind.
Helpfulness created me helpful.
Perfection created me perfect.”
Let all thoughts drop away. Reach past all of your ideas about yourself to the truth that resides in you.
Love created you and is in you, therefore it is there for you to find inside. Use this realization in place of
distracting thoughts. Practice the idea as many times as you can today, for frequency of repetition will help you
live the truth in you. Replace your tiny human voice with the voice of God, truth, and realize you were created by
Love in its own image.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 29
Lesson 68
“Love holds no grievances.”
Because you were created by Love it is impossible to hold grievances and know yourself. Grievances
separate you from the Source and make you believe the lie that you are separate from Him, and being human,
you naturally identify the Creator with yourself, mistaking your grievances and hatred as His. This negativity
leads to fear of the Creator, which in turn leads to redefining the Creator in a human image. A sign of this malaise
is guilt and forgetting your Divine nature. Accepting these premises, some people wonder if it is possible to let
their grievances go. Motivation is the issue and once any success is accomplished the peace and your ability to
remember your connection to the Creator will remove any obstacles in your path. Begin your meditation practice
today reviewing your relationships in which you hold major grievances. From there let yourself find the minor
grievances you hold to those friends and relationships around you. This undertaking will help you see there are
few people you do not lavish resentments towards, therefore you now perceive yourself as alone and
disconnected in the universe. Decide now to see all of these relationships as friends, thinking:
“I would see you as my friend,
That I may remember you are part of me
And come to know myself.”
Think of yourself as at peace with each person and with everything, where safety and nurturance holds you up,
and harm does not exist for you. End your practice with:
“Love holds no grievances.
When I let all my grievances go
I will know I am perfectly safe.”
It is important to have a quick useful application of this idea if any resentments and grievances come up for
anyone in your presence or elsewhere:
“Love holds no grievances.
Let me not betray my Self.”
Also, you can repeat this idea as many times as you need as follows:
“Love holds no grievances.
I would wake to my Self
By laying all my grievances aside
And wakening in Him.”
Lesson 69
“My grievances hide the light of the world in me.”
The grievances you hold onto keep you in darkness to yourself and others who are standing next to you
in darkness as well. As you release your grievances you help the one standing next to you to shed their darkness
and share in salvation too. Salvation is the heart of our need. Today’s lesson is about God’s Son’s goal: the
salvation of the world. For today’s exercise see your mind as a large circle covered by thick dark clouds. You
stand separate observing this image as if apart from it all. The heaviness of the clouds present the illusion of
hiding the brilliant light within and therefore you make no effort to dive through the clouds to find this light.
Today’s goal is to open to the light and the salvation of the world. Settle into stillness for you and the world’s
sake knowing the light is within your reach. In your mind scoop the clouds away. Feel them move away from
your fingertips and brush across your cheeks, forehead, and eyelids as you move through them. You will feel
yourself carried forward and uplifted from darkness into the light because your will is aligned with God’s Will.
As you go beyond the clouds and find the light remember that what is God’s Will brings only success. The fruit of
your needs will be answered because you have allowed God’s Will to work through you. During your short
practice periods remind yourself that your grievances are in the way of accessing the world’s light in your
consciousness and that your search is a collective search with a path to follow. Say:
“My grievances hide the light of the world in me.
I cannot see what I have hidden.
Yet I want to let it be revealed to me.
For my salvation and the salvation of the world.”
Then tell yourself:
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 30
“If I hold this grievance the light of the world will be
Hidden from me.”
if today you hold resentments against others.
Lesson 70
“My salvation comes from me.”
Salvation and its opposite, like guilt, come from the same internal place, Source. They exist only in our
minds and only by permission and invitation. When we realize that only we are solely responsible for our inner
landscape and can be disrupted by outside forces only by choice, we can make the choice to be saved. For your
practice today use the following prayer:
“My salvation comes from me.
It cannot come from anywhere else.”
Meditate, eyes closed on this truth. Perhaps you will see where you have given your power away in the
past, looking for salvation outside yourself. Call back the power you have given away by saying:
“My salvation cannot come from any of these things.”
“My salvation comes from me and only me.”
Now we will travel to our own source of inner light. Go past the clouds that diminish its shining. Perhaps
imagine your guide taking you by the hand to lead you past any obstacles in your path. Then you will be able to say:
“My salvation comes from me.”
“Nothing outside of me can hold me back.”
“Within me is the world’s salvation and my own.”
Lesson 71
“Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”
In this lesson we see the illusions the ego transmits by not allowing us to access our inner salvation. Ego
gives us grief against others, against ourselves and ultimately against God. God wants us to succeed in our
salvation. Ego can only get in our way. The ego tricks us into believing that we are dependent upon outside
sources for salvation, which could not be further from the truth. With God and the experience of truth our unity
with divinity becomes the only real, reliable source for being saved from the quagmire of lies created by the ego
that only obstructs our vision and God’s will. In order to get closer to God we must ask specifically:
“What would you have me do?”
“Where would you have me go?”
“What would you have me say, and to whom?”
Now listen closely with your whole soul. He will answer if you let Him. Do not allow yourself to harbor
any grief today. If any grievances should arise you can hold them at bay with this:
“Holding grievances is the opposite of God’s plan for Salvation.
And only His plan will work.”
Six or seven times an hour repeat these words of wisdom aloud or silently. It will connect you to Source, your
higher power.
Lesson 72
“Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.”
The ego wishes to take the place of God. It wants us to believe we are nothing but the body, and our
brothers and sisters are only a body. It does not recognize the eternal soul. The ego wills us to use our grievances
as a wall against God. He cannot break it down by Himself but we can smash it with the sledgehammer of truth.
God wants us to win our salvation. When we allow the light of God to shine through the clouds of illusion and
fear generated by the power hungry ego, we are already well on our way to success in salvation. The ego would
have you believe it is a friend but it is our most vile enemy. Grief generated by the ego has all but drowned out
the still quiet internal voice of God. Only when we can recognize our eternal soul as a separate sacred entity
housed temporarily in this human body, forsaking the troublesome ego, do we set in motion the wheels of
salvation. We can ask God personally:
“What is Salvation, Father?
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 31
I do not know. Tell me that I may understand.”
Ask and you will be answered. One or two short practice periods an hour should suffice, they will be
longer than usual. In silence, eyes closed, begin with:
“Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for Salvation.
Let me accept it instead.
What is Salvation, Father?”
Be prepared to hear your answer.
Lesson 73
“I will there be light.”
Our picture of the world is a mirror of our inner landscape.
“I will there be light.”
“Let me behold the light.
That reflects God’s Will and mine.”
Let the power of God and your higher self take over your practice sessions. Your declaration:
“I will there be light.
Darkness is not my will.”
Several times an hour, repeating these words to yourself will dispel the darkness of your personal grievances.
Lesson 74
“There is no will but God’s.”
Peace replaces the conflicting goals the ego has temporarily blinded us with, when we allow ourselves to
surrender fully to our higher power. Beyond the veil of illusion, there is only tranquility. There can be no inner
conflict once the ego has been held at bay. Hold these thoughts in mind in your practice period:
“There is no will but God’s.
I cannot be in conflict.”
Some similar thoughts to add to your practice today:
“I am at peace
Nothing can disturb me. My will is God’s.
My will and God’s are one.
God wills peace for me, His child.”
Should any conflicting thoughts arise during your practice or your day these words will be helpful:
“There is no will but God’s.
These conflict thoughts are meaningless.”
If there is a special situation requiring more energy to resolve, think of the parties involved clearly and fill
yourself with these thoughts about it:
“There is no will but God’s.
I share it with Him.
My conflicts about____________ must be false.”
Imagine the deepest peace you know once you have cleared your mind of these thoughts. You will feel
joyful and alert. That is how you will know you are doing this exercise correctly. Do this as often as necessary to
avoid emotional withdrawal. In your shorter meditation periods, at regular pre‐arranged intervals you will
meditate on:
“There is no will but God’s.
I seek His peace today.”
At half hour intervals with your eyes closed meditate on these truths.
Lesson 75
“The light has come.”
Today you are born again in the light of God. Through your work with forgiveness you have gained vision.
The future is bright and shiny, free from the conflicting thoughts the ego held captive previously. The shadows have
been brought into the light. The longer practice periods are devoted to feeling the freedom of forgiveness. Our total
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 32
acceptance of all that is, free from ego judgment and former delusions is what liberates us. No longer do we allow
ourselves the darkness of the ego’s suffering. Start the longer practice period with this new freedom:
“The light has come.
I have forgiven the world.”
Let go of your past today. Let your whole idea of your world come to you now. In your waiting, repeat:
“The light has come.
I have forgiven the world.”
Understand that your release allows you a new vision. You have joined your understanding with God
and your trust will bring the promised results of beauty. You will gladly live in this day as forever. Then say:
“The light has come.
I have forgiven the world.”
If anyone tempts you from your vision say:
“The light has come.
I have forgiven you.”
Dedicate this day to the peacefulness of God as it replaces the profane world you thought was true.
Lesson 76
“I am under no laws but God’s.”
You have been caught in the web of laws purporting to be salvation. Many of these laws concern the
material world and all the ideas we hold like the necessity of money, medicine, and human companionship to be
safe, healthy, and sane. The only true laws are the laws of God and these laws are not mental ideas that hide the
truth. Listen to the inner Voice that comes through you and receive the light of the message that always creates
for you what you need and doesn’t diminish you in any way. It is your belief in hell that gets in the way of the
gift His Son brings you of continuous joy. Today we open the pathways to Him, understanding that there is only
God’s Will. Dedicate your practice period:
“I am under no laws but God’s.”
Say this as many times as necessary today, especially when confronted with false assumptions about your
world that roam in your mind. Four or five times in an hour is particularly helpful as your assertion of change
and freedom in our world, and your alignment with God as Father and the light of His Son.
Lesson 77
“I am entitled to miracles.”
Miracles are your right because of who you are created to be and God’s laws. Begin your practice today
with assurance that trusting in miracles will bring them to you. In the quiet of your question ask for confirmation
of your miracle and wait calmly for a response. The Holy Spirit cannot deny your request because it is your right.
Repeat to yourself throughout the day:
I am entitled to miracles.
Ask for them in any situation where you are in need of Divine Guidance. Because you are not seeking this
question from within your own source you are worthy of this Divine Guidance and can expect to receive it. You
are seeking the perfect miracle only. If you doubt you can receive such perfection say:
“I will not trade miracles for grievances.
I want only what belongs to me.
God has established miracles as my right.”
Lesson 78
“Let miracles replace all grievances.”
It is important to realize that in every moment we choose between grievance or the shining light of the
miracles of God’s Son. Grievances are shadows that stand in front of the light of God and the perfect miracles in
which every situation arises. Today is a good day to let go of our many grievances that makes for a thick
darkness, obscuring God’s plan for our lives. Examine a person in your life who is particularly challenging for
you, who upsets your ideas of the role they should be playing in your life, who you have considerable irritability
towards. Today we will see beyond this mask of confused darkness and see how this person is your teacher and
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 33
Savior as well because of God’s plan. You are encouraged to look at every flaw and virtue you can about this
person; mentally, physically, and spiritually. Then ask the One who knows this person in their full aspect of God:
“Let me behold my Savior in this one
You have appointed as the one for me
To ask to lead me to the holy light
In which He stands, that I may join with Him.”
Close your eyes as you see and think of these things. As you see this person who has caused you pain and
suffering in his or her fullness in light you will immediately release yourself and the other from the pain of
suffering you have shared with each other as God has been waiting for such loving understanding. God and Life
rejoices in the great Love generated by such willingness to see the light. Continue to remember the holiness of our
interactions with others throughout the day and allow all of our interactions with others to shine in the full light
of the role of savior. For everyone we pray:
“Let miracles replace all grievances.”
Lesson 79
“Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.”
It is important to recognize that separation is the universal problem so that it can be solved. Separation is
a root problem in which all of the myriad problems arise from. The world seems to throw many confusing
problems out to be fixed and dealt with, obscuring separation as the basic focal energy of the problem. Failure is
the result of not understanding the true problem. The complexity of problems that the world presents is only a
front to avoid our ability to address them all through understanding that the root problem is separation. Today in
our meditations we will ask what our one problem is and wait for the answer, realizing that the practice will keep
us open and curious to discover what our problem truly is. Today’s success will come through you being
undefined about what your problems are and letting your asking bring you another perspective and allowing
more peace to enter your life. Today you are governed by the need to find one primary source for your problems.
Whatever problems come to you today:
“Let me recognize this problem so it can be solved.”
Do not judge whatever it is and know your question will be answered.
Lesson 80
“Let me recognize my problems have been solved.”
In solving your central problem all of your problems have been solved. There is no room for deception in
your life because the root problem takes care of all of the presenting problems and you are not blinded by
appearances any longer. Be peaceful and remember that all problems are similar. Your salvation exists now
because you are out of conflict and in peace. If you fall back to any fear of a particular problem Say:
“Let me recognize this problem has been solved.”
Do not deceive yourself into thinking any problem is more complicated than this one solution will fix.
REVIEW II
We continue from where our last review finished. In this review process we will work with an
affirmation in the beginning of the day and another one at the end of the day. In each affirmation and meditation
period it is important to patiently listen for the message that is coming through just for you to receive. Use your
will to slice through any distracting thoughts, dreams, fantasies, death thoughts, etc. You are committing yourself
to finding your salvation through your use of will.
Lesson 81
Our ideas for review today are:
61) “I am the light of the world.”
May I remember my holy function to light up the world:
“Let me not obscure the light of the world in me.”
“Let the light of the world shine through this appearance.”
“This shadow will vanish before the light.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 34
62) “Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.”
I accept my function that I may see the light in me. I am ever learning about forgiveness that the light will
show me what my function is.
“Let this help me learn what forgiveness means.”
“Let me not separate my function from my will.”
“I will not use this for an alien purpose.”
Lesson 82
We will review these ideas today:
63) “The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.”
May I forgive the world that the light of the world will guide me in the ways of its purpose through me to
better all of creation and heal all difficulties that get in the way of the Beauty of Creation:
“Let peace extend from my mind to yours, [name].”
“I share the light of the world with you, [name].”
“Through my forgiveness I can see this as it is.”
64) “Let me not forget my function.”
I will remember my Self and my function that I may experience my birthright, God’s joy.
“Let me not use this to hide my function from me.”
“I would use this as an opportunity to fulfill my function.”
“This may threaten my ego, but cannot change my function in any way.”
Lesson 83
Today let us review these ideas:
65) “My only function is the one God gave me.”
I understand that I have only one God given function. I am at peace knowing what to do in all situations
because I understand my function:
“My perception of this does not change my function.”
“This does not give me a function other than the one God gave me.”
“Let me not use this to justify a function God did not give me.”
66) “My happiness and my function are one.”
I learn to recognize what makes me happy because this is the key to my function. Everything in God is
One, therefore there is no separation between my happiness and my function:
“This cannot separate my happiness from my function.”
“The oneness of my happiness and my function remains wholly unaffected by this.”
“Nothing, including this, can justify the illusion of happiness apart from my function.”
Lesson 84
These are the ideas for today’s review:
67) “Love created me like Itself.”
I recognize that my likeness is in the form of the creator and that any other attachment to my body, idols,
and my ego understanding of myself, is an illusion. I am created in the likeness of Love and cannot die:
“Let me not see an illusion of myself in this.”
“As I look on this, let me remember my Creator.”
“My Creator did not create this as I see it.”
68) “Love holds no grievances.”
Love and grievances cannot coexist together. I love my Self by refusing to hold grievances today and
open myself to the light of Love. I remember myself through this light of Love:
“This is no justification for denying my Self.”
“I will not use this to attack Love.”
“Let this not tempt me to attack myself.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 35
Lesson 85
Today’s review will cover these ideas:
69) “My grievances hide the light of the world in me.”
Because I want to see I will not entertain grievances, which remove my ability to see the light of reality. I
desire for vision to be returned to me and I turn away from grievances for my success in these endeavors.
“Let me not use this as a block to sight.”
“The light of the world will shine all this away.”
“I have no need for this. I want to see.”
70) “My salvation comes from me.”
My salvation is within myself as is my Source. These do not reside in the external world but shine in the
light of my mind and continue outwards to shine fully to the world beyond:
“Let this not tempt me to look away from me for my salvation.”
“I will not let this interfere with my awareness of the Source of my salvation.”
“This has no power to remove salvation from me.”
Lesson 86
These ideas are for review today:
71) “Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”
I cease searching for salvation in people and things. I trust that salvation is the home of God and only His
plan will work to bring me salvation:
“God’s plan for salvation will save me from my perception of this.”
“This is no exception in God’s plan for my salvation.”
“Let me perceive this only in the light of God’s plan for salvation.”
72) “Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.”
I release grievances because I now understand that any grievances I hold are a direct attack on the
salvation of God’s plan unfolding. I choose happiness through aligning myself with what is best for myself and
God and let go of grievances:
“I am choosing between misperception and salvation as I look on this.”
“If I see grounds for grievances in this, I will not see the grounds for my salvation.”
“This calls for salvation, not attack.”
Lesson 87
Our review today will cover these ideas:
73) “I will there be light.”
I use my will to follow the guide that is light, letting go of the misperception that any kind of fear,
darkness, or shadows are attributes of my will. I open to peace through the truth of light and perception:
“This cannot hide the light I will to see.”
“You stand with me in light, [name].”
“In the light this will look different.”
74) “There is no will but God’s.”
I accept that the only will that exists is God’s. I let go of any desire to attack because I have come to know
that I am safe in God’s will:
“Let me perceive this in accordance with the Will of God.”
“It is God’s Will you are His Son, [name], and mine as well.”
“This is part of God’s Will for me, however I may see it.”
Lesson 88
Today we will review these ideas:
75) “The light has come.”
I choose reality when salvation is my choice rather than attack. Salvation is what is real. Grievances are an
illusion. I choose the light and choose what is real in my life:
“This cannot show me darkness, for the light has come.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 36
“The light in you is all that I would see, [name].”
“I would see in this only what is there.”
76) “I am under no laws but God’s.”
I remember my freedom when I accept the truth that God’s laws are the only laws governing my life.
While I may be tempted to confuse myself by accepting other laws in my life I let go of this misunderstanding
and return to my God given free state:
“My perception of this shows me I believe in laws that do not exist.”
“I see only the laws of God at work in this.”
“Let me allow God’s laws to work in this, and not my own.”
Lesson 89
These are our review ideas for today:
77) “I am entitled to miracles.”
I know myself to be a child of God and accept his laws, including the blessing and necessity of miracles.
Grievances are the only hindrance to my path of receiving miracles. I accept that grievances are a false state of
perception and allow my God given right of miracles to allow me to function in the way God has intended:
“Behind this is a miracle to which I am entitled.”
“Let me not hold a grievance against you, [name], but offer you the miracle that belongs to you instead.”
“Seen truly, this offers me a miracle.”
78) “Let miracles replace all grievances.”
I unite my will with God’s Will for my salvation. I accept Heaven as my way in accordance with God’s
Will for me and release my bondage to hell. The Holy Spirit’s will and my will are one, releasing me from
illusion:
“I would not hold this grievance apart from my salvation.”
“Let our grievances be replaced by miracles, [name].”
“Beyond this is the miracle by which all my grievances are replaced.”
Lesson 90
For this review we will use these ideas:
79) “Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.”
Any problem I am having at its source is a grievance. The solution comes in letting my grievance go and
accepting the miracle that comes from forgiveness:
“This presents a problem to me which I would have resolved.”
“The miracle behind this grievance will resolve it for me”.
“The answer to this problem is the miracle that it conceals.”
80) “Let me recognize my problems have been solved.”
I recognize that my time could be spent more wisely through understanding that problems and solutions
come together as a pair. In the past I believed that a certain amount of time must pass for a solution to resolve a
problem. I now allow the Holy Spirit to teach me that any problem in my life can have a simultaneous answer:
“I need not wait for this to be resolved.”
“The answer to this problem is already given me, if I will accept it.”
“Time cannot separate this problem from its solution.”
Lesson 91
“Miracles are seen in light.”
Miracles can only be seen in light. Darkness reinforces a state of continuing darkness and does not allow
the presence of miracles, which dwell in the light, to be seen and understood. To be told you must trust in
something you cannot see can seem daunting and difficult to believe. There is much support available to
understanding the process of miracles. Today’s meditation is on helping you tune into the strength of your will
and escape the weakness of the body. A proper understanding of cause and effect relationships begins with:
“Miracles are seen in light.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 37
“The body’s eyes do not perceive the light.”
“But I am not a body. What am I?”
It is important to have an image to believe and put your faith in to embrace miracles and the unseen. The
belief in your body being your essential self is a mistake. In your meditations ask yourself the questions of who
and what you are and listen to the contradictory response:
“I am not weak, but strong.”
“I am not helpless, but all powerful.”
“I am not limited, but unlimited.”
“I am not doubtful, but certain.”
“I am not an illusion, but a reality.”
“I cannot see in darkness, but in light.”
Continue your meditations with feeling these truths in yourself. The important focus is strength because
weakness is your understanding of your body experience. If for even a moment you can feel the strength of these
spiritual assertions the strength of God and all of His Thoughts will flood and support you. It is His strength that
will hold the living presence of the light and miracles for you so that you may see miracles. Several times a day
remind yourself that it is in the light that miracles are seen and repeat:
“Miracles are seen in light.
Let me not close my eyes because of this.”
Lesson 92
“Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one.”
It is a human mistake to think of darkness as strength and light as weakness because our physical
capacities tend to support this idea. The capacity of Strength is the quality that looks beyond these confusing
differences. Darkness can only recreate itself whereas light and strength give from the place of infinite supply that
everyone will prosper and improve according to their great desire. The nature of darkness is to separate itself
from everything it comes into contact with allowing the state of sickness, brokenness, and conquering to be the
ways of recreating itself. Strength is a constant source of light and giving that is aligned to the Self and always
waiting to give anyone and everyone who is called to the light of God and His Son. It would be good to spend
twenty minutes in the morning and again in the evening asking for the strength of the Self to help us look beyond
the eyes of the body and darkness to perceive the light where miracles and truth are seen.
Lesson 93
“Light and joy and peace abide in me.”
You have many mistaken beliefs about yourself that are not God’s beliefs about you. You are afraid that if
you were revealed to yourself in your essential reality you would find yourself horrible. It is the opposite that is
true. You are perfection in the Will of God. However, for many this is a frightening experience rather than a joy.
Anything damaging about yourself is self created and not of God or of your Self and so it can all blow away just like
dust. To accept salvation all you need to do is realize that God put light, joy, and peace in you through stating:
“Light and joy and peace abide in me.”
“My sinlessness is guaranteed by God.”
Anything that does not bring these qualities into your consciousness are not the true qualities of your Self
but your manmade qualities full of darkness and pitfalls. In your meditation do your best to open to your
perfection. Again say each hour:
“Light and joy and peace abide in me.”
“My sinlessness is guaranteed by God.”
Anytime your own fear or the fear of another directed at you comes to you, repeat:
“Light and joy and peace abide in you.”
“Your sinlessness is guaranteed by God.”
By extending yourself in this way you can aid your own, the world’s, and the collective thought forms
about Salvation.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 38
Lesson 94
“I am as God created me.”
You are created perfect and sinless as God created you. It is important to remember that darkness cannot
obscure the light of God’s Son in you unless you let it. Begin your morning meditation with:
“I am as God created me.
I am His Son eternally.”
Do your best to reach the Son of God in you because from that place of perfection there is no suffering,
death, or anything that would take away from your peace in creation. All you have to do is ask for this
understanding and it is promised by God that you will receive it. If you have difficulty in your earlier meditation
coming to an understanding of your sinlessness remind yourself every hour:
“I am as God created me.
I am His Son eternally.”
Remind yourself on this day that you are perfect as God created you and if anyone irritates you say:
“You are as God created you.
You are His Son eternally.”
Do your best to do the hourly meditations and you will feel the accelerated learning that will be yours.
Lesson 95
“I am one Self, united with my Creator.”
Today we are working on understanding our perfection in the oneness with God’s creation. We do not
see ourselves as changeless and perfect because we identify ourselves with the ways of our created world; full of
brokenness, anger, sloth, envy, despair, and on and on. These incoherent creations are not the perfect unity of
God. We must tune into our timeless free spotless self to remember our perfection.
We are seeking after our personal salvation in understanding our perfection and letting go of the
weakness of our previous beliefs. It is beneficial to use these affirmations in your meditations on an hourly basis
to help retrain your mind to let go of negative thinking. Negative thinking keeps you in bondage to your false
understanding of yourself. The first five minutes of every hour are particularly good at helping you hold these
new intentions of seeing your perfection in your Self united with the Creator. If you are not able to meditate every
hour for five minutes do not be discouraged but gently keep yourself focused on your goal for the next week.
Judging yourself as inadequate because you are not holding the practice in a certain way is allowing weakness to
be seen as strength. The meditations are what will help you let go of negative belief patterns that keep you from
the perfection of your Self. The goal is to let go of any beliefs that see you as separate from your Creator and the
infinite power and peace which is the single basic Truth.
Begin your meditation today believing these truths and say:
“I am one Self, united with my Creator,
At one with every aspect of creation,
And limitless in power and in peace.”
Feel this soak into your mind, changing your perspective into wholesomeness. Then say:
“I am one Self.”
Continue with this affirmation several times until you feel the meaning permeate you.
Let the strength of your One Self shine through you today. You are One with all Creation, with God, with
your fellow humans. Your voice and your consciousness are necessary to shift the whole fabric of this created
world to the perfection of unified Creation. Heaven looks down upon you and smiles, knowing another day has
dawned and you will be hard at the work of being conscious. Know that your alignment with your Self opens up
that bliss and peace to others who are searching for perfection today as well.
Give to others your path with the Self and Creation today, trusting in your Father, by sending them this love:
“You are one Self with me,
United with our Creator in this Self.
I honor you because of what I am,
And what He is, Who loves us both as one.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 39
Lesson 96
“Salvation comes from my one Self.”
Even though we are only one Self we experience ourselves in the framework of duality, as two. This has
led to the erroneous condition of trying to reconcile these opposites, such as righteousness and sinfulness, as one
being in a way that keeps you senselessly trapped in a puzzle with no solution. Opposites cannot be reconciled as
one. The mind takes the position that it is separate from the body, and that it is separated from spirit. The truth
lies in the salvation of Unity in God’s Creation. It lies in the One Thought given to you by God at the beginning of
Creation that is in no way separate from Itself. In today’s meditation we will attempt to connect with this true
Source patiently waiting for your questing mind to find It. Say:
“Salvation comes from my one Self.
Its thoughts are mine to use.”
Open yourself to these thoughts from your Self and trust that they are yours to use as you see fit. You will
know the state of the perfection of these thoughts flowing from your Self because they will bring you peace, tell you
that you are saved, help you feel oneness with all Creation, and help you to bless all things. You cannot fail today in
your meditations because your Self is patiently waiting for you to come join the river of oneness that is your
birthright. Every time you remind your stressful mind that perfection in salvation is entrusted to your Self you
build another pathway to the limitless treasures Creation and your Self assure you. What a gift has been given you!
Lesson 97
“I am Spirit.”
Today’s message brings you to a place of peace and alignment with Him and your Self, an expression of
God and oneness. You are restored to serenity in accepting your Father’s Love. Any time you give to this practice
will be taken up by Him and multiplied in your life. There is no division between the past, present, and the future
as they are all affected by your salvation in this moment.
Your offering will be gladly taken by Him to all the suffering of the world. He will use your sincerity to
heal you and every searching heart who is seeking Truth as well. Your ability to heal yourself and help to heal
others will multiply as well. The light in you will multiply and you will never get stuck in darkness again.
Begin these exercises and these words with a smile of gratefulness for what the Holy Spirit gives you:
“Spirit am I, a holy Son of God,
Free of all limits, safe and healed and whole,
Free to forgive, and free to save the world.”
The Holy Spirit will give your individual offering in this endeavor and multiply it for you.
Trust the rest and peace these words bring you and know that using these words wards off any negative
understandings of yourself and your world you may have. You will only help you and your brothers and sisters
in this endeavor.
Lesson 98
“I will accept my part in God’s plan for Salvation.”
Today is a day to know you are on the side with truth and the One. We are certain in our function and
accept our place in God’s plan. This allows us to understand how necessary and mighty our function is in God’s
plan. We are able to gratefully align ourselves with our purpose in God’s plan, trusting our place in the scheme of
things. If we have made mistakes in the past we let them go and know we are blameless in God’s sight as
accepting our function in God’s Love is all that really matters anyway.
In choosing to recognize our function and choosing to stand by God’s side we make strong all of those
who have similarly made this choice, strengthen those who are close to accepting their place by God, and
influence those who are unborn and have not come into the body yet will also face the choice of standing by
God’s side.
The five minutes that is asked for you to give every hour in your meditations is well spent time that will
liberate you, the world, and all of your brothers and sisters by bringing more joy and peace to the world. As you
meditate, these words will gain a strength and clarity that comes from your sincere heart and His words joined
with yours. Say:
“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 40
You will come ever stronger into God’s function for you as you repeat these words. These words will be
your gifts and treasure and will multiply your ability to live in the Beauty of who you are and to accelerate the
Beauty of your brothers and sisters in this world.
Remember, these hourly intervals of five minutes come to you from a great place of sharing with Him. He
will gladden and sweeten your world and help you gratefully align with your function. Love will open you to the
Truth of your choice and gladden your ability to fulfill your function, an agreement you came to with Him.
Lesson 99
“Salvation is my only function here.”
We see today that there is no difference between salvation and forgiveness. Both terms speak to
something broken or gone awry that needs fixing. Both terms require an understanding of the Will of God, which
does not see this earthly created world as separate from Creation. The mystery here is that earth and heaven are
in accord with one another. Only God’s Will could allow for harmony in such concepts as the Truth of all time
and dualistic thinking with its necessary delusions. Only God’s Will provides no judgment in the face of our pain,
allowing us to make human mistakes, and granting us complete release from our hurting ways.
The Holy Spirit is aligned with God in understanding these seemingly wide differences. The Holy Spirit’s
function is to hold the plan of God in the Divine Mind and to hold that plan for your mind as well. God’s plan
operates in time because we humans believe in time. The Holy Spirit sees all of the pain, confusion, and insanity
of our temporal world and knows that God’s Will is Love and that brokenness is not the manifestation of that
Truth. The Holy Spirit’s thought brings salvation to any situation because it sees to the heart of Oneness and
Truth that is God’s function in all of our lives.
You are now an agent of the Holy Spirit and its Function has now become your function in charging you
with the understanding that behind all appearances there is only the Truth of Love Eternal. In your meditations say:
“Salvation is my only function here.
God still is Love, and this is not His Will.”
Your freedom resides in these words. Miracles are accomplished through understanding that your Father
gives out only Love. Any dark places in your psyche where you are holding onto resentments, judgments, fears
about yourself please let the light of your Father in and you will be Forgiven because such suffering was never
His Will for you to begin with. He will gladly shine your burdens with His light and lift you to your birthright,
which is as His Son, for you are as His Son to Him.
Meditate on this lesson today and say:
“Salvation is my only function here.
Salvation and forgiveness are the same.”
Now turn to trusting Him whose function is your function. He will teach you to let go of any fears which
keep you locked in darkness. Forgive any thoughts that come to you contradicting this message. Understand that
forgiveness and salvation are one. You are now free and aligned with God’s Will for you. If you are tempted to
forget this Truth say:
“Salvation is my only function here.
God still is Love, and this is not His Will.”
Remind yourself throughout the day your function and God’s function, are one and the same. Say:
“Salvation is my only function here.”
Through forgiveness you are now aligning your life with love, letting go of fear, and remembering that
you too are the Son of God.
Lesson 100
“My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”
God reminds us that we are not separate from His Plan nor from each other in any real way. Each one of
us is necessary for His Plan. He only desires happiness and Joy for us. It is our ability to shine the great light of
His Love that will encourage all those we share it with to join in the unfolding salvation of the World.
Today we let go of all sadness because sadness is separate from what God wills for us. Our happiness
aligns us with His Son and shows everyone the joy and peace of mind that is God’s gift to all of us who have
accepted our place as His Son despite appearances.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 41
Dwell on happiness in today’s meditations. Look upon your ideas that sacrifice has been a part required
of you by God. Realize God has always and only been gifting you with your ability to receive His plan. Find the
joy in yourself that leads you to your function in God’s plan. That is our meditation for today, and because you
desire to find this Truth, you will succeed.
Remember, you are answering the Call to your Self. Your response guides you to God when you remind
yourself that you are necessary for the world’s salvation.
Lesson 101
“God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”
Happiness is the theme of today and necessary to understanding salvation. Salvation has been associated
with the erroneous concept of sin. Sin has required that we all suffer to redeem ourselves. All manner of fear,
pain, avoidance, viciousness, and wrath have been justified behind our concept of sin as real. We have removed
ourselves from the grace of God’s Love by believing He would torture us for our “sins.” Who would choose
salvation if it meant infinite suffering from our curse of being human?
We open today’s meditation releasing our ideas of sin because there is no sin. We choose to see the light
and Beauty of God’s Son rather than turn Him into a devil to be feared. We accept Atonement in this process.
We must turn to God and accept His Will for us to have perfect happiness. We can discern our state of
faith and belief by our ability to be joyful. Living in a state of pain lets us know that we are not being true to
ourselves and God’s intentions for us. The key is to trust in God’s Will and let go of any paranoid fantasies
generated by our ideas of sin by saying:
“God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.
There is no sin; it has no consequence.”
Begin your meditation in this manner and feel the joy that permeates your mind. Give yourself these five
minutes every hour magnanimously that you may release the burden you have been carrying behind the concept
of sin. Peace awaits you and freedom is your guide. Tell yourself often today:
“God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.
This is the truth, because there is no sin.”
Lesson 102
“I share God’s Will for happiness for me.”
It is time to let go of your attachment to suffering and what you think you gain from it. The grip of this
erroneous belief is lessening. You will discover today that you have been held in bondage to a phantom. Your
freedom is in the Will of God. You will discover salvation in entering the home of God’s Will. Begin your
meditations today with:
“I share God’s Will for happiness for me,
And I accept it as my function now.”
These words will help you find God’s function in your mind. When you recognize God’s function as your
function you choose to be aligned with God’s Will. Use your hourly five minute meditations to affirm that your
function is only to be the happiness God’s Son was created to be.
Lesson 103
“God, being Love, is also happiness.”
Love is not separate from joy or happiness. The mind will see all of these as distinct categories where sin
can enter into and cause pain and separation. This erroneous belief has allowed fear to be the understanding of
God rather than love. God is Love and therefore he cannot be fear, pain, and suffering. To help us understand this
mistake in thinking, say:
“God, being Love, is also happiness.”
“To fear Him is to be afraid of joy.”
See joy, happiness, and Love interconnected today in your meditations and set this imbalance right today.
Feel the joy and peace that comes from your welcome understanding of God being love. Strengthen your
understanding of this principle throughout the day and let go of any fears by saying:
“God, being Love, is also happiness.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 42
“And it is happiness I seek today.”
“I cannot fail, because I seek the truth.”
Lesson 104
“I seek but what belongs to me in truth.”
Today we remember that peace and joy are our rightful place within our God’s Creation. We may not be
able to open to these ideas if we have left no room for this homecoming because false ideas are residing in us
instead. Our meditations today help us to realize that anything we have self‐created as an understanding of
ourselves can be released. We can turn to the present and eternal understanding that joy and peace belong to us
right now. We can return our will to God’s Will in our hourly five minute meditations by saying:
“I seek but what belongs to me in truth,
And joy and peace are my inheritance.”
Let go of any illusions of the world that would trick us from our more complete understanding of God.
We want to know what is actually ours and come to understand that the gifts God gives to us is peace and joy.
Accepting our real gifts from God allows us to let go of ever attaching to anything that causes us pain and
suffering as real and reminds us to come back always to the peace and joy that is always present in our lives. We
remind ourselves of this by saying:
“I seek but what belongs to me in truth.”
“God’s gifts of joy and peace are all I want.”
Lesson 105
“God’s peace and joy are mine.”
God has given us the gifts of peace and joy. These are true gifts to us because they only increase our ability
to open to these qualities in our lives. We do not have to trade or bargain away part of our personal happiness to
accept God’s gifts of peace and joy. The created world does not see giving as open ended and creative, but rather as
a bargaining tool or an interest raising account to be paid in full when the returns on the gift are completed. This
erroneous understanding of giving has left many people unable to receive God’s gifts of peace and joy.
When we receive God’s gifts into our lives we bring Him immeasurable happiness. His gifts exponentially
manifest in us for His way of giving is really about Creation. We release our condition of separation that teaches us
we lose when we accept a gift from another. We can test our own relationship to these principles by thinking of the
brothers and sisters we blocked from receiving the joy and happiness that are their gifts and birthright from
Creation. Make this your personal responsibility and think of those who have displeased you, saying:
“My brother, peace and joy I offer you.”
“That I may have God’s peace and joy as mine.”
You eliminate any blocks in your own life to receiving God’s gifts by offering the gift of peace and
happiness back to others. Do your best today to let God act in the way that He wills. If someone causes you
frustration today and imbalances you remember to accept God’s gifts of peace and joy as yours. Give thanks for
your brother and sister and say:
“My brother, peace and joy I offer you,
That I may have God’s peace and joy as mine.”
Lesson 106
“Let me be still and listen to the truth.”
Lay aside the small voice of the ego that you may hear the large Voice of Truth. You will recognize your
connection to the Son of God, who is but another aspect of yourself, when you trust the inner Voice of God and
the miracles that transform your life by following His advice. You will help your brothers and your sisters reclaim
their connection to the Son of God and look behind the veil of ignorance that has caused much suffering.
You are manifesting salvation in your own life by recognizing your function as an aspect of God’s Son.
Miracles and joy will be yours. You will give away everything and receive everything. Begin your five minute
hourly meditations today with:
“I will be still and listen to the truth.”
“What does it mean to give and to receive?”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 43
Your asking will bring the answer to you. The world is ready to receive the understanding that giving
and losing are not connected. Your meditations help thousands of others to find the Truth. Today you receive
Truth from Him and pass it back to the world, showing the truth of the nature of giving to the world. Remind
yourself to receive the information the Word would give you by saying:
“Let me be still and listen to the truth.”
“I am the messenger of God today,
My voice is His, to give what I receive.”
Lesson 107
“Truth will correct all errors in my mind.”
Truth is correcting all the illusions in your life. When truth appears all errors disappear like dust. There is
a state of consciousness where only peace, love, and safety extend into eternity. Truth slays all that would take
peace from you in any way. Truth is big and does not allow anything debilitating in its path. It is also constant
and can be relied upon to be there whenever you need it. Pain is not seen by truth as something to fear. Truth
looks beyond it, making healing possible. There is no need to defend or attack.
We let go of illusions on this day. We know that we are certain to succeed because we walk with Him
who is the Son of God and very like ourselves. We walk with our Self when we walk with Him. His function and
joy are with us today as ours. We say:
“Truth will correct all errors in my mind,
And I will rest in Him Who is my Self.”
He will help you enter the realm of Truth where peace and tranquility will free you. You affect the world
around you by practicing your meditations and correcting imbalances continually as you put your efforts into
your communions with Truth. The world will be happier for it. Remember your function today and release all
error in your mind. You are speaking for Him and helping to release the errors of the world as you do this.
Lesson 108
“To give and to receive are one in truth.”
The resolution of all your conflicts and mistaken thoughts is light. Darkness cannot be perceived at all
when true light that makes true vision has become a unified state of mind. Vision coming from this light has the
power to heal because this light shows no opposites. This light brings your peace of mind to others. Giving and
receiving are seen as different aspects of one thought whose truth does not depend on which is seen as first or
second. All opposites are reconciled and unified with the understanding of this thought. We will see that
everything we offer to humanity is quickly returned to us once we learn that giving and receiving are the same
and works in every circumstance.
“To give and to receive are one in truth.
I will receive what I am giving now.”
Close your eyes and think of what you would give to everyone and have it be yours.
For example:
“To everyone I offer quietness.”
“To everyone I offer peace of mind.”
“To everyone I offer gentleness.”
Say these slowly and consciously and expect to receive the gift you gave. It will come to you in the
amount in which you gave it. You may focus your gifts upon ‘One’ to whom you offer your gifts as a
representative of all others to receive it. Cause and effect will now be far better understood and these exercises are
quick advances in your learning.
Lesson 109
“I rest in God.”
This thought will bring to you the rest and peace, quiet, and stillness, for the safety and the happiness
you seek. It has the power to awaken the vision and truth within you to see beyond appearances. Here is the end
of suffering for all the world. There is no problem it cannot solve or suffering it cannot heal. This is the day of
peace. Now that you rest in God, no more fearful dreams will come. Take time today and be still, thankfully
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 44
accept this rest and healing. Call upon your brothers to join you and take refuge in this temple of peace, resting
quietly and unafraid, together with God.
Lesson 110
“I am as God created me.”
Let the present be accepted as it is with only this thought. It gives you perfect vision that will heal all the
mistakes that any mind has made at any time or place. Appearances cannot replace the truth if you remain as
God created you. There is no split between your mind and others as there has been no separation of your mind
from the mind of God. This allows unity within your own mind. This is the birthplace of all miracles and gives
limitless healing power. It restores truth to the awareness of the world and sets you free. This is the truth that
God has promised you in a world in which all sorrow ends.
“I am as God created me. His Son can suffer nothing. And I am His Son.”
Seek Him within you who is Christ in you, the Son of God and brother to the world. God created you just as
you are. Honor yourself today. The holy Christ in you, deep in your mind is waiting for your acknowledgment as
you. Seek Him today and find Him. We will remember Him throughout the day with thankful hearts and loving
thoughts for all who met with us today. Let us declare this truth as often as we can. This is the word of God that sets
you free. The gate of Heaven opens with this key, and lets you enter in the peace of God and His eternity.
REVIEW III
Devote at least 5 minutes twice per day, and consider the thoughts you are assigned. Read over the ideas
and concepts, then begin to think about them. Let your mind relate them to your needs, problems and all your
concerns. Give the mind faith to use them wisely, being helped in its decisions by the One who gave the thoughts
to you. The wisdom of your mind will come to your assistance.
Lesson 111
For morning and evening review:
91) “Miracles are seen in light.”
“I cannot see in darkness. Let the light
Of Holiness and truth light up my mind,
And let me see the innocence within.”
92) “Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one.”
“I see through strength, the gift of God to me.
My weakness is the dark His gift dispels,
By giving me His strength to take its place.”
On the hour: “Miracles are seen in light.”
On the half hour: “Miracles are seen in light, and light and strength are one.”
Lesson 112
For morning and evening review:
93) “Light and joy and peace abide in me.”
“I am the home of light and joy and peace.
I welcome them into the home I share
With God, because I am a part of Him.”
94) “I am as God created me.”
“I will remain forever as I was,
Created by the Changeless like Himself.
And I am one with Him, and He with me.”
On the hour: “Light and joy and peace abide in me.”
On the half hour: “I am as God created me.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 45
Lesson 113
For morning and evening review:
95) “I am one Self, united with my Creator.”
“Serenity and perfect peace are mine,
Because I am one Self, complete whole,
At one with all creation and with God.”
96) “Salvation comes from my one Self.”
“From my one Self, Whose knowledge still remains
Within my mind, I see God’s perfect plan
For my salvation perfectly fulfilled.”
On the hour: “I am one Self, united with my Creator.”
On the half hour: “Salvation comes from my one Self.”
Lesson 114
For morning and evening review:
97) “I am Spirit.”
“I am the Son of God. No body can
Contain my spirit, nor impose on me
A limitation God created not.”
98) “I will accept my part in God’s plan for Salvation.”
“What can my function be but to accept
The Word of God, Who has created me
For what I am and will forever be?”
On the hour: “I am Spirit.”
On the half hour: “I will accept my part in God’s plan for Salvation.”
Lesson 115
For morning and evening review:
99) “Salvation is my only function here.”
“My function here is to forgive the world
For all the errors I have made. For thus
Am I released from them with all the world.”
100) “My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”
“I am essential to the plan of God
For the salvation of the world. For He
Gave me His plan that I might save the world.”
On the hour: “Salvation is my only function here.”
On the half hour: “My part is essential to God’s plan for Salvation.”
Lesson 116
For morning and evening review:
101) “God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”
“God’s Will is perfect happiness for me.
And I can suffer but from the belief
There is another will apart from His.”
102) “I share God’s Will for happiness for me.”
“I share my Father’s Will for me, His Son.
What He has given me is all I want.
What He has given me is all there is.”
On the hour:
“God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”
On the half hour:
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 46
“I share God’s Will for happiness for me.”
Lesson 117
For morning and evening review:
103) “God, being Love, is also happiness.”
“Let me remember Love is happiness,
And nothing else brings joy. And so I choose
To entertain no substitute for Love.”
104) “I seek but what belongs to me in truth.”
“Love is my heritage, and with it joy.
These are the gifts my Father gave to me.
I would accept all that is mine in truth.”
On the hour:
“God, being Love is also happiness.”
On the half hour:
“I seek but what belongs to me in Truth.”
Lesson 118
For morning and evening review:
105) “God’s peace and joy are mine.”
“Today I will accept God’s peace and joy,
In glad exchange for all the substitutes
That I have made for happiness and peace.”
106) “Let me be still and listen to the Truth.”
“Let my own feeble voice be still, and let
Me hear the mighty Voice for Truth Itself
Assure me that I am God’s perfect Son.”
On the hour:
“God’s peace and joy are mine.”
On the half hour:
“Let me be still and listen to the truth.”
Lesson 119
For morning and evening review:
107) “Truth will correct all errors in my mind.”
“I am mistaken when I think I can
Be hurt in any way. I am God’s Son,
Whose Self rests safely in the mind of God.”
108) “To give and to receive are one in truth.”
“I will forgive all things today, that I
May learn how to accept the Truth in me,
And come to recognize my sinlessness.”
On the hour:
“Truth will correct all errors in my mind.”
On the half hour:
“To give and to receive are one in Truth.”
Lesson 120
For morning and evening review:
109) “I rest in God.”
“I rest in God today, and let Him work
In me and through me, while I rest in Him
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 47
In quiet and in perfect certainty.”
110) “I am as God created me.”
“I am God’s Son. Today I lay aside
All sick illusions of myself, and let
My Father tell me Who I really am.”
On the hour:
“I rest in God.”
On the half hour:
“I am as God created me.”
Lesson 121
“Forgiveness is the key to happiness.”
Here is the answer to your search for peace. This is the key to meaning in a world that makes no sense.
Here is an end to all uncertainty and all questions are answered. The unforgiving mind is full of sadness and fear
without hope of respite and release from pain. It suffers and abides in misery. It wants to live, yet wishes it were
dead. There is only despair in the unforgiving mind, with only more despair in its future. Its judgment of the
world is irreversible. It does not ask or question because it thinks it knows. Forgiveness is not inherent in the
mind and is acquired. Each unforgiving mind presents you with an opportunity to teach your own mind how to
forgive itself. The unforgiving mind must learn through your forgiveness that it has been saved from hell. You
will learn as you teach the salvation of forgiveness. Today we practice learning to forgive. This is the key to
happiness, use it on your own behalf. Practice this towards one whom you think of as an enemy and one you
consider a friend and learn to see them both as one. Close your eyes and see your enemy, perceive some light in
him somewhere, a spark of brightness shining through the ugly picture you hold of him. Expand this light all
around him until the picture looks good and beautiful. Perceive him now as more than friend to you, for in that
light his holiness shows you your Savior, saved and saving, healed and whole. Then let him offer you the light
you see in him, and let your “enemy” and friend unite in blessing you with what you gave. Now you are one.
You have been forgiven by your own self. Throughout the day, remember the role forgiveness plays in bringing
happiness to every unforgiving mind.
Lesson 122
“Forgiveness offers everything I want.”
Forgiveness lets the veil be lifted up that hides the face of Christ from those who look with unforgiving
eyes upon the world. It lets you recognize the Son of God, and clears your memory of all dead thoughts so
remembrance of your Father can arise across the threshold of your mind. Forgiveness stands before you like an
open door calling you to enter in and make yourself at home. All the complexities of the world disappear.
Remember the gifts forgiveness gives and accept salvation now as the gift of God. With the light of truth behind
appearances retain your gifts in clear awareness. Hold them firmly in your mind. Remind yourself in your
awareness how precious and powerful they are.
“Forgiveness offers everything I want.
Today I have accepted this as true.
Today I have received the gifts of God.”
Lesson 123
“I thank my Father for His gifts to me.”
Today let us be thankful. Be grateful for your gains, which are greater than you realize. Give thanks that
He has not abandoned you. Be glad you have a function in salvation to fulfill. Be thankful your value is greater
than your gifts and judgments. Lift your heart above despair and be grateful. As we go through our day today we
smile upon everyone and walk light footed. God offers you the thanks you give. Your gifts will grow strong and
powerfully until the world is filled with gladness and gratitude. As you receive His thanks know how limitless
His care is for you.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 48
Lesson 124
“Let me remember I am one with God.”
Give thanks for our identity in God. We can fail at nothing. No miracle can ever be denied to those who
know they are one with God. Everything we see reflects the holiness within the mind at one with God and with
itself. How easily errors disappear, exchanging death for everlasting life. God is our companion as we walk the
world. No meaningless anxieties can come between our faith and awareness of His presence. We feel Him in our
hearts. Secure your peace by practicing awareness you are one with your Creator. Be with Him for half an hour
and He will do the rest. If you are not ready to accept the benefit today, you will recognize it with certainty when
it does come to you. This half hour is your gift to God and His return is a deep sense of Love and joy for you. The
sinless light belongs to you as a reflection of your own self.
Lesson 125
“In quiet I receive God’s Word today.”
Quietly listen and hear His Word today making peace possible around the world. This world will change
through you as you hear and accept the message. He is only led by love, not force. He does not cherish the
illusions which you hold about yourself. He has not hid Himself while you have wandered off from Him. Today
He speaks to you. His voice awaits your silence. His Word can be heard by a quiet mind, it is your voice to which
you listen as He speaks to you. It is your word He speaks. Quietly listen to your Self today. Receive the Word of
God today. Every hour be still for a moment and remind yourself you have a special purpose for this day.
Lesson 126
“All that I give is given to myself.”
If you believed this statement, there would be no problem in complete forgiveness. You would
understand the means by which salvation comes to you, and you would not hesitate to use it now. Do not make
forgiveness an eccentricity, in which you sometimes choose to give indulgently an undeserved reprieve. It
remains your right to let the sinner not escape the justified repayment for his sin. The world’s salvation cannot
depend on this. God is not satisfied with empty gestures. True forgiveness must heal the mind which gives, for
giving is receiving. What remains unreceived has not been given. Make forgiveness meaningful and a proper
priority. Share your practice of truth today. Even if you catch only a glimpse of the release of this concept, it is a
day to rejoice. This thought will release your mind and let you realize its worth to you.
“All that I give is given to myself.
The Help I need to learn that this is true
Is with me now. And I will trust in Him.”
Lesson 127
“There is no Love but God’s.”
There are no separate or different kinds of love. Love is one. It never changes with a person or
circumstance. It is the Heart of God and His Son. Love’s meaning is obscure to anyone who thinks that it can
change, given to one and withheld from others. The true meaning of Love cannot understand this way. Love
looks on all as one, it does not judge. Love is a law without an opposite. There is no difference between what is
Love and who you really are. Love’s meaning is your own and shared by God. You and God are the same. You
are as unlimited as God Himself. The world was made to hide love’s meaning, and to keep it dark and secret. For
15 minutes per day, escape every law in which you now believe. Let the gift of God replace them all. Open your
mind and rest. Today we leave the past behind us giving thanks that we are spared a future like the past. At least
three times an hour think of someone close to you to share this message:
“I bless you, brother, with the Love of God,
Which I would share with you. For I would learn
The joyous lesson that there is no love
But God’s and yours and mine and everyone’s.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 49
Lesson 128
“The world I see holds nothing that I want.”
Today we practice letting go all thought of values we have given to the world. The world has nothing you
can use or anything that will serve you or give you joy. Letting go of the value of the world will save you from
countless disappointments. We hold it purposeless within our minds, and loosen it from all we wish it were. We
lift the chains that bar the door to freedom from the world, and go beyond all little values and diminished goals.
Be still and feel peace for awhile and see how far you can rise above the world. Release your mind from
chains and seek the level where you feel free and at home. Let it rest in its Creator and join its holy purpose.
Every time you let your mind escape its chains your perspective on the world will change. You belong where the
world is meant to be. Protect your mind throughout the day by refusing to lay upon your mind any chain caused
by a false image or value of the world.
“This will not tempt me to delay myself.
The world I see holds nothing that I want.”
Lesson 129
“Beyond this world there is a world I want.”
Let’s move forward from the last thought and exchange any idea of a worthless world for one that is
satisfying, filled with joy and capable of offering you peace.
“Beyond this world there is a world I want.
I choose to see that world instead of this,
For here is nothing I really want.”
Close your eyes upon the world you see, and in the silent darkness watch the lights that are not of this world light
one by one. Today the lights of Heaven shine on you as you rest beyond the world of darkness. We give thanks
for this day of grace given today with the understanding there is no loss. We make the choice never to look back
upon the world you do not want, unbinding your mind from the little things the world presents to imprison you.
“The world I see holds nothing that I want.
Beyond this world there is a world I want.”
Lesson 130
“It is impossible to see two worlds.”
What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking reflects your choice of what you want to see. This
is determined by your values. Can one Love and hate simultaneously? Can one desire what one does not have as
reality? Love and perception go together and fear is obscured by darkness. Truth is eclipsed by fear and what
remains is only imagined. Fear has made only appearances and differences in the world. Love has no enemy, no
cause, no being and no consequence. These two worlds do not overlap. While seeking one, the other disappears.
The world you see proves the choice you have made. It is consistent from your point of view. It stems from one
emotion and reflects its source in everything you see. Give five minutes six times a day in thanks and gratitude to
the thought that ends all compromise and doubts and go beyond them all. Devote your mind to finding only
what is real. Begin searching for the other world by asking for a strength beyond your own, recognize what it is
you seek. Empty your hands of all illusions and petty treasures of this world. Wait for God’s help and say:
“It is impossible to see two worlds.
Let me accept the strength God offers me
And see no value in this world, that I
May find my freedom and deliverance.”
The unfailing Power of God will be there when you take this giant step in gratitude. Whenever the
temptation arises remember the limitations of your choice. Perception is consistent with your choice. Heaven or
hell comes to you as one. If you accept a piece of hell as real it will curse your sight and damn you. Heaven is still
a choice to take the place of everything. To whatever form your hell is seen simply say:
“It is impossible to see two worlds.
I seek my freedom and deliverance,
And this is not a part of what I want.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 50
Lesson 131
“No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.”
There is no way to attain goals by means that are meaningless. Do not look for permanence in the
impermanent, for Love where there is none, for safety in the midst of danger, immortality in the darkness of death.
Who can succeed where contradiction is where he finds stability? Who can use such means to gain anything? You
will find Heaven, for no one can abandon his Creator, this perfect, timeless and unchanging Love. You will reach
your true goal as God created you in purity. Heaven is here today beyond the illusion of past or future. God does
not suffer conflict and His creation is not divided in two. Today we will not choose a paradox to replace truth. Lets
ask to see the real world instead of foolish images and true ideas arising in place of meaningless thoughts with no
source or substance in truth. Everything but Heaven will fall away because you do not want the rest.
“I ask to see a different world, and think
A different kind of thought from those I made.
The world I seek I did not make alone,
The thoughts I want to think are not my own.”
Remember that no one can fail who seeks the truth. Close your eyes and review your thoughts which are
compatible with a senseless world and let them go. Reach beyond them and open a door with your intention. All
darkness vanishes as angels light the way and you understand everything you see. Refrain from dismal thoughts
because Salvation’s time has come as grace for you and the world.
“Today I seek and find all that I want.
My single purpose offers it to me.
No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.”
Lesson 132
“I loosen the world from all I thought it was.”
Belief is powerful. Your thoughts and illusions are what keep the world in chains. Salvation is easily
achieved because anyone is free to change his thoughts and mind. Changing your mind means you have changed
the source of all ideas freeing the past and future. In the present the world is set free. The world is nothing in
itself, only your mind gives it meaning. You have enslaved it with your fears, doubts and pain. You think you
have not made the world, yet gave it meaning with your thoughts. Surprisingly however, you have found exactly
what you looked for when you arrived. Change your mind to what you want to see and the world will change
accordingly. Those who are now prepared to learn that there is no world can accept the gift of healing. Some will
learn this upon their death and others in the exercises of this course. The sick are healed as you let go all thoughts
of sickness. Know yourself as the salvation of the world. Change your mind about yourself and free the world of
every kind of pain. Release the world, your real creations await.
“I who remain as God created me
Would loosen the world from all I thought it was.
For I am real because the world is not,
And I would know my own reality.”
As you send out these thoughts, brothers around the world are healed and blessed. You will feel your own
release along with them. Increase your freedom throughout the day by your ideas of the world. Whenever you
are tempted to deny the power of your change of mind, say:
“I loosen the world from all I thought it was,
And choose my own reality instead.”
Lesson 133
”I will not value what is valueless.”
You do not ask too much from life, but far too little. Today we list the real criteria by which to test all
things you think you want. Unless your desires meet these requirements, they are not worth desiring. There is no
compromise in what your choice might bring. Each choice you make brings everything or nothing to you. If you
learn the tests by which you can distinguish everything from nothing you will make the better choice. If you
choose something that is not everlasting, it is valueless. A temporary value lacks any value. Deny illusions and
accept the truth.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 51
“I will not value what is valueless,
And only what has value do I seek,
For only that do I desire to find.”
You receive at the gate of Heaven, which swings open, what waits for everyone who reaches it.
A simple thought to help you face any difficult decisions or burdens:
“I will not value what is valueless,
For what is valuable belongs to me.”
Lesson 134
“Let me perceive forgiveness as it is.”
If you find it difficult still to forgive, it is because you believe you must forgive the truth and not the
illusions. Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It looks straight through
them and sees their nothingness. It looks on lies, and is not deceived. The strength of pardon is its honesty. It is
able to overlook what is not there and it opens the way to truth. When you feel you want to accuse someone of
sin, do not allow your mind to dwell upon such a thought. Seek alternative meaningful choices and keep your
mind free of guilt and pain. Forgiveness stands between illusions and the truth. By our practicing of forgiveness
we light up the way for all our brothers to follow us in sharing this reality. Choose one brother and catalogue his
‘sins’ and consider all the evil things you thought of him. Ask yourself if you would condemn yourself for doing
such things. Allow him to be free from all your thoughts of him. Practice this willingly and honestly and feel the
weight be lifted off your chest. You are relieved.
“Let me perceive forgiveness as it is.
Would I accuse myself of doing this?
I will not lay this chain upon myself.”
In everything you do remember this:
“No one is crucified alone, and yet
No one can enter Heaven by himself.”
Lesson 135
“If I defend myself I am attacked.”
Who would defend himself unless he thought he was attacked, that the attack was real, and that his own
defense could save himself? This can only give illusions full reality. It is twice as difficult to correct illusions based
upon illusions. You may believe you must protect yourself from what is happening because it may contain
something threatening. Defense comes from fear and justifies terror. Something that you defend must be weak and
easily assaulted, unable to protect itself. The body does not need defense. It is strong and healthy if the mind does
not abuse it with roles it cannot fulfill and aims it cannot accomplish. It seems to fail your hopes, needs, values and
dreams. The ‘self’ that needs protection is not real. Your body will respond with health when you heal your
thoughts that the mind and body are separate. A healed mind does not plan. It goes by the Wisdom it receives that
is not its own. It is secure in its adequate knowing that obstacles cannot impede its progress to accomplish any goal
that serves the highest good of all. The unhealed mind enslaves the body to set up plans and makes it sick.
Self‐initiated plans are only defenses of the mind to protect itself, at the expense of the truth. The mind
engaged in planning for itself is occupied in setting up control of future events. It does not believe it will be
provided for unless it makes its own provisions. This mind refuses to allow change. Its past experience directs its
choice for what will happen in the future. It cannot see that everything it needs to guarantee a different future is
right here and now without any old ideas or sick beliefs. Confidence in the present directs the way. If you knew
that everything and all events are planned by One whose only purpose is your highest good what could you not
accept? Your defenses obscure His loving blessing that shines on every step you took. Your present trust in Him
is the defense that promises and directs a bright immortal future. Without defenses, Heaven gratefully
acknowledges your light and will lead you according to plan. As brothers let go their defenses and join their light
with yours, the world will light up in Joy. We are sure that everything we need is given to us for our
accomplishment of this lesson today. We realize that our defensivelessness is all that is required for truth to dawn
upon our minds with certainty. Today we receive instead of plan.
“If I defend myself I am attacked.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 52
But in defensivelessness I will be strong,
And I will learn what my defenses hide.”
All your defenses have been aimed at not receiving what you will receive today. Heaven asks nothing, it
is hell that makes extravagant demands for sacrifice. You give up nothing when you present yourself without
defense as who you really are to your Creator. You are now reborn in the light and hope without defense ready to
learn your part within God’s plan. Your planning and beliefs hold now value when you have heard the voice of
God. Your happiness is much greater now that you no longer plan. Throughout the day as foolish little things
attempt to make you defensive remember this:
“This is my Eastertime. And I would keep
It holy. I will not defend myself,
Because the Son of God needs no defense
Against the truth of His reality.”
Lesson 136
“Sickness is a defense against the truth.”
Sickness serves a purpose and we learn our healing by our understanding of it. We then realize that
purpose no longer has meaning and without meaningful intent it can no longer be. This is how healing becomes
automatic. These meaningless illusions are dispelled when they are carried to truth and there they disappear.
Sickness is a defense and is an insane device for self‐deception. Its purpose is to hide reality and to keep the truth
from being whole. It is easy to forget the role you play in creating your reality and it makes defenses appear to be
beyond your control. Defenses make facts unrecognizable, taking fragments of the whole and reassembling them
in skewed relationships, creating illusions. Sickness is a decision and a choice you make. Truth is more powerful
than defense, allowing no illusions. Practice welcoming in the truth, setting us free. Truth is waiting for this
invitation. Here is a prayer to help us rise above defensiveness:
“Sickness is a defense against the truth.
I will accept the truth of what I am,
And let my mind be wholly healed today.”
Healing will flash across your open mind, as peace and truth arise and take the place of illusions. When
you suffer pain, your body suffers, making you one with your body. Now with the body healed, the body will no
longer feel. This removes the limits you placed on the body by the purposes you gave it. Set these aside and the
strength of the body will be plenty to serve all true purposes. The body’s health is fully guaranteed, not limited
by time or any laws you made it serve previously. Sickness is made impossible. Be careful and continue to watch
your mind and protect it from attacking thoughts, judgments or making plans against uncertainty. Do not let
your defensiveness hurt you or be confused about what must be healed.
“I have forgotten what I really am.
For I mistook my body for myself.
Sickness is a defense against the truth.
But I am not a body. And my mind
Cannot attack. So I can not be sick.”
Lesson 137
“When I am healed I am not healed alone.”
Sickness is a retreat from others, keeping one separate, isolated and alone. It gives the body final power to
make separation real. The world obeys the laws sickness serves. It is impossible for anyone to be healed alone.
Healing is one’s decision to be one again and to accept his Self as whole. Healing is accomplished as the body has
no power to attack the universal Oneness of God’s Son. Sickness proves that lies must be truth, and healing
shows that truth is true. Eyes accustomed to illusions must be shown that what they look upon is false. Healing
never needed by the truth must demonstrate that sickness is not real. Healing might be called a counter dream
which cancels out the dream of sickness in the name of truth. Just as forgiveness overlooks all sins that never
were committed, healing removes illusions that have not occurred. Healing replaces the fantasies of sickness.
Healing is freedom. Dreams will not prevail against the truth. As you allow yourself to be healed, you see all
those around you healed with you. Those who are healed become the instruments of healing. Ask the inevitable
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 53
to occur, and you will never fail. Only truth will occupy our minds. Our function is to allow our minds to be
healed so that we may carry healing to the world. We exchange curse for blessing, pain for joy, and separation for
God’s peace.
“When I am healed I am not healed alone.
And I would share my healing with the world,
That sickness may be banished from the mind
Of God’s one Son, who is my only Self.”
Allow healing be through you today. Resting in quiet, be prepared to give as you receive and to receive the word
of God to replace all foolish thoughts ever imagined. We now come together to make well all that was sick and
we offer blessing where there was attack. Remember our purpose with this thought:
“When I am healed I am not healed alone.
And I would bless my brothers, for I would
Be healed with them, as they are healed with me.”
Lesson 138
“Heaven is the decision I must make.”
In this world Heaven is a choice. We think all things have an opposite. Creation knows no opposite.
Truth cannot come from where it could only be perceived with fear. Choice is an obvious escape from what
appears as opposites. Do not confuse yourself with all the doubts that myriad decisions would induce. Make only
one and when it is made you will perceive there was no choice at all. There is no contradiction to the truth.
Choosing depends on learning. Truth cannot be learned, only recognized. It is accepted by recognizing it.
Decisions are outcomes of your learning, they rest on what you’ve accepted as truth according to who you are
and your needs. In a complicated world Heaven appears to take the form of choice. Of all the choices this one is
the simplest, it is the prototype for all others and with this one all others are resolved with it. Heaven is a
conscious choice. Alternatives must be accurately seen and understood. All that is veiled in shadows must be
raised to understanding, to be judged only with Heaven’s help. Reaffirm your choice before you sleep tonight.
“Heaven is the decision I must make.
I make it now, and will not change my mind,
Because it is the only thing I want.”
Lesson 139
“I will accept Atonement for myself.”
This is the end of choice. Now we come to a decision to accept ourselves as God created us. Choice is the
uncertainty of what we are. Life is to be yourself. Only one who has not recognized himself could ask, “Who am
I?” To be alive and not know yourself is to believe that you are really dead. Atonement remedies any idea that it
is possible to doubt yourself and doubt what you really are. Do not accept the madness of the world by sharing
this universal question of what you really are. With the acceptance of Atonement, what you are is certain and is
so far beyond all doubt and question. We did not come here to reinforce the madness of the world. We have a
mission here, a goal that we have accepted. We have not lost the knowledge that God gave us when He created us
like Him. Clear your mind of the world and learn the fragile nature of the chains that seem to keep knowledge of
yourself apart from your awareness.
“I will accept Atonement for myself,
For I remain as God created me.”
Lesson 140
“Only salvation can be said to cure.”
A cure can only come from holiness and is not found where sin is cherished. Holiness is everywhere and
there is no place where sin and sickness can abide. Do not be misled by what appears to us as sickness. We go
beyond appearances and reach the source of healing. Atonement cures all sickness and heals with certainty. The
mind which understands that sickness is only a dream, cannot be deceived by the illusions.
“Only salvation can be said to cure.
Speak to us, Father, that we may be healed.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 54
Salvation protects us bringing us a peace so deep that no illusion can disturb our minds. This is the day when
separation ends and we remember who we really are.
REVIEW IV
We are now preparing for the second part of learning how the truth can be applied. We review the recent
lessons so that we may achieve this readiness. The central theme that unifies each step in the review can be
simply stated as: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”
This is the thought that the Father gave creation to the Son, making the Son co‐creator with Himself. In
this thought, the Son is fully guaranteed salvation. Lack of forgiveness blocks this thought from our awareness.
There are many forms in which the lack of true forgiveness may be concealed. Your self‐deceptions cannot take
the place of truth. Close your eyes and slowly say these two ideas assigned to review each day. God offers thanks
to you who practices and keeps His Word. Appoint God’s mind in charge of all the thoughts you will receive that
day. Each one will bring the message of His Love to you, returning messages of yours to Him. We need only this
to give us happiness, rest and perfect certainty. All our Father wills is that we receive the inheritance we have of
Him. Through our faithfulness we restore the world from darkness to light, grief to joy, pain to peace, and sin to
holiness. God offers thanks to you who practices keeping His Word. God’s gratitude surrounds you in peace. You
are now learning to claim your inheritance.
Lesson 141
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
121) “Forgiveness is the key to happiness.”
122) “Forgiveness offers everything I want.”
Lesson 142
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
123) “I thank my Father for His gifts to me.”
124) “Let me remember I am one with God.”
Lesson 143
”My mind holds only what I think with God.”
125) “In quiet I receive God’s Word today.”
126) “All that I give is given to myself.”
Lesson 144
“My mind holds only what I think of God.”
126) “There is no Love but God’s.”
127) “The world I see holds nothing that I want.”
Lesson 145
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
129) “Beyond this world there is a world I want.”
130) “It is impossible to see two worlds.”
Lesson 146
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
131) “No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.”
132) “I loose the world from all I thought it was.”
Lesson 147
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
133) “I will not value what is valueless.”
134) “Let me perceive forgiveness as it is.”
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Lesson 148
“My mind holds only what I think with God.”
135) “If I defend myself I am attacked.”
136) “Sickness is a defense against the truth.”
Lesson 149
“My mind holds only what I think of God.”
137) “When I am healed I am not healed alone.”
138) “Heaven is the decision I must make.”
Lesson 150
“My mind holds only what I think of God.”
139) “I will accept Atonement for myself.”
140) “Only salvation can be said to cure.”
Lesson 151
“All thoughts are echoes of the Voice for God.”
Judgment cannot be based upon partial evidence. That is only but an opinion based on ignorance and
doubt. You do not seem to doubt or question the world you see. Why would you trust your senses of faulty
witness that deceive? Your judgment rests upon the faith your senses offer you. You can only believe the ego’s
judgment that carefully guides your senses to prove how weak you are. Judgment is not a right that has been
withheld from you. You must learn to doubt their evidence and clear the way to recognize yourself. Let only the
voice of God be Judge of what is worthy of your own belief. He will not tell you to judge others by what you see.
All the ego’s dreams vanish before the splendor and holy light of God and His love. Accept His word for what
you are. He is witness to your beautiful creation and Mind Whose Thought created your reality. He will remove
all faith that you have placed in pain, disaster, suffering and loss. He gives you vision to look beyond
appearances. He will reinterpret from his frame of reference all occurrences and circumstance and you will see
Love beyond hate, constancy in change, the pure in sin, and only Heaven’s blessing on the world. This is your
resurrection, for your life is not a part of anything you see.
You will see the holy face of Christ in everything and hear the echo of God’s voice in every sound. Let
Him evaluate each thought, and give them back as clear ideas that do not contradict the Will of God. They will
come back to you as miracles which joyously show the wholeness and happiness God wills His Son as proof of
His eternal Love. All threads of fantasy are gone and what remains is unified into a perfect Thought that offers
perfection everywhere. Through your transformation the world is redeemed and joyfully released from guilt. Our
ministry has begun to carry the joyous news around the world that truth has no illusions and the peace of God,
through us, belongs to everyone.
Lesson 152
“The power of decision is my own.”
It is only one’s own decision and choice to suffer loss or pain. No one dies without his own consent.
Salvation is the recognition that only the truth is true and there is no opposite. To think that God made chaos
contradicts His Will. Let us be humble and accept what we have made as co‐creator of the universe. All you think
you made will disappear. Only the ego can be arrogant. Truth is humble in acknowledging its mightiness and
eternal wholeness.
“The power of decision is my own.
This day I will accept myself as what
My Father’s Will created me to be.”
Wait in silence and give up all self‐deceptions, and humbly ask our Self that He reveal Himself to us. Patiently
await and invite Him. God’s voice will answer.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 56
Lesson 153
“In my defenselessness my safety lies.”
The world seems threatening and provides no safety. No peace of mind is possible where a dangerous
world, rooted in attack threatens us. Threat brings anger, making attack seem reasonable, honestly provoked and
righteous in the name of self‐defense. Defensiveness further undermines the weak because it sets up a system of
defense that only attests to weakness. The mind becomes confused and imprisoned by altering between attack
and defense. The ego pays a costly price for this madness, making sanity an impossible idle dream. You do not
understand how much you have been made to sacrifice. You do not realize what you have done to sabotage the
holy peace of God by your defensiveness. Defenselessness is strength and it can never be attacked. Defensiveness
is weakness and proclaims you have denied the Christ and come to fear His Father’s anger.
Be still for a moment, and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest, untouchable
within its light. Salvation can be thought of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One who
loves His children. And Who would replace their fearful toys with joyful games. Everyone who plays must win.
We put away our toys of guilt and the childish thoughts of sin forever. Rise up strong in Christ, and let our
weaknesses disappear. God’s ministers have chosen the truth to be with them and it is their function to offer this
light to their brothers. God as elected all to realize His will. Rise up strong in Christ and let your weaknesses
disappear. Remember his strength abides in us.
Lesson 154
“I am among the ministers of God.”
It is not our part to judge our worth. We cannot know what role is best for us in the larger plan when we
cannot see the whole picture. What we think is weakness can be strength, and often what we believe is strength is
arrogance. According to your strengths, He chooses and accepts a part for you, with your consent. You who are
now messengers of God, receive His message. It is part of your appointed role. Do not wait to give the messages
you have received. No one can receive and understand until he gives. He needs our will united with His Own, so
we may be the true receivers of His gifts.
“I am among the ministers of God.
And I am grateful that I have the means
By which to recognize that I am free.”
As we light up our minds and realize these holy words the world recedes. Our Creator will come to us and we
will recognize what we received.
Lesson 155
“I will step back and let Him lead the way.
There is a way of living in the world that makes you smile more frequently and quiets your eyes. Allow truth to
walk before illusions. When the journey is finished there will be no distance between truth and you. We walk to God.
Your feet are safely on the road that leads the world to God. Look not to ways that lead you elsewhere. Each day He asks
you to think of Him. He may speak to you and tell you of His limitless Love and remind you of how great His Trust.
“I will step back and let Him lead the way.
For I would walk along the road to Him.”
Lesson 156
“I walk with God in perfect holiness.”
This thought states the simple truth that the idea of sin is impossible. It is a promise that there is no cause
for guilt. Truth must not contradict itself or be at all uncertain. Nothing can be apart from God and still live.
Within this life there must also be holiness. God’s attributes are shared by everything that lives. There is a light in
you that cannot die. All things that live bring gifts to you. The scent of flowers is their gift to you. In lightness and
in laughter sin is gone. The past and all its fantasies are gone. They no longer bind you. Let doubting cease with
you. God speaks for you in answering your questions to these words:
“I walk with God in perfect holiness.
I light the world, I light my mind and all
The minds which God created one with me.”
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Lesson 157
“Into His Presence would I enter now.”
Today is a day of silence and trust. It is a special time of promise. Today is holy, ushering in a new
experience. You learn now to feel the joy of life, no longer celebrating the long days of death. A vision reaches
everyone you meet and think of, or who thinks of you. A time will come when you will not return in the same
form in which you now appear. It will no longer be necessary. We now enter Christ’s Presence and are fully
aware of His shining face and perfect love. The vision of His face will stay with you which speaks of your
remembrance of what you knew that instance.
Lesson 158
“Today I learn to give as I receive.”
You were created out of love. You are sinless forever with a pure mind, wholly unafraid. You remain as
you were created, never having left your source. You have received all of this, just as everyone else. There is no
step along the road that anyone takes by chance. There is a plan behind appearances that does not change. The
script is written. Experience will come to end your doubting. We see the journey at its end looking back on it,
reviewing mentally what has passed. There is a vision which the Holy Spirit sees because the mind of Christ
beholds it too. Here is a quiet place within the world made holy by forgiveness and love. All contradictions are
reconciled at the end of this journey. We can attain Christ’s vision. It looks upon everyone, all thoughts, events
and situations without the slightest fading of the light it sees. See no one as a body. Greet him as the Son of God
he is and acknowledge that he is one with you in holiness. Christ’s vision has the power to overlook all sins and
by forgiving they are gone, replaced by the vision of holiness. Do you learn to give as you receive? If you
remember your brother you but see yourself. Each brother you meet today provides another chance to let Christ’s
vision to shine on you. We practice seeing with the eyes of Christ and by the holy gifts we give, Christ’s vision
looks upon ourselves.
Lesson 159
“I give the miracles I have received.”
No one can give what he has not received. You are healed when you give healing. You accept forgiveness
in yourself when you forgive. When you perceive yourself as whole, you recognize your brother as yourself.
There is no miracle you cannot give. Receive these now by opening the storehouse of your mind and give them
away. Christ’s vision is a miracle where all miracles are born. This vision is the bridge between worlds. This
power can safely carry you from this world to one made holy by forgiveness. Holiness has been restored to vision
and the blind can see. His dream awakens us to truth.
Lesson 160
“I am at home. Fear is the stranger here.”
If you identify with fear, you will be a stranger to yourself. Fear speaks a different language. If you are
real, then fear must be an illusion. The miracle will come and search fear out showing him that he is no stranger
now. Christ’s vision sees no strangers. We offer thanks that Christ has come to search the world for what belongs
to Him. They see Him as a stranger because they do not recognize themselves. As they welcome Him they
remember and are led home again. No one forgets Christ. Accept the gift of sight and clearly recognize your Self.
His home is remembered and salvation comes.
Lesson 161
“Give me your blessing, holy Son of God.”
Take a stand against your anger and let your fears disappear, making room for love. This is the answer to
temptation. Salvation is here in simple words, where Christ takes the place of fear and anger. Heaven is now
restored and Atonement made complete. The mind invents the partial world you see because it sees only
abstractions and fractions of the whole. The purpose of all seeing and all hearing is to show you what you want to
see and hear. Specifics were made by this and we use them in practicing. We give these to the Holy Spirit so He
may use them for a different purpose from the one we gave to them. He teaches us from a different viewpoint so
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 58
we may see a different use in everything. Since every mind is one, every mind contains all minds. Select one
brother who symbolizes all brothers as ask salvation of him so that he may set you free.
“Give me your blessing, holy Son of God,
I would behold you with the eyes of Christ,
And see my perfect sinlessness in you.”
This thought is a safe place away from anger and fear. Use it when you may be tempted to attack a
brother and see him as a symbol of your fear. Suddenly your perception of him will be transformed from evil to
good, enemy to savior.
Lesson 162
“I am as God created me.”
This thought, when held firmly in the mind, could save the world. The further you advance and reach
another stage in your learning, the more it will mean to you. These sacred words are the answer God gave to you
for the world you made. All vaporous illusions disappear and vanish as these words are spoken. In these words
the Son becomes His Father’s happiness, His love, and His completion. These words are the trumpet of
awakening that sounds around the world. He who makes these words of truth his own, recalling them
throughout the day, will save the world because he gives the world what he receives by this practice. The words
we use are mighty and by sharing them, His Love and gifts are kept complete and made unlimited. By salvaging
your mind, your capacity to see Christ’s vision has been restored. You are honored today as you now accept your
right to perfect holiness. Salvation is brought to everyone as you accept this. Perfect joy is yours, available to all as
a remedy for grief, misery, and all sense of loss or despair. These words dispel all darkness. The light comes today
and blesses all the world with this recognition of the Son of God.
Lesson 163
“There is no death. The Son of God is free.”
We often do not recognize the many forms in which the thought of death may appear. The thoughts of
sadness, fear, anxiety, doubt, anger, faithlessness, lack of trust, bodily concerns, and envy are all reflections of the
worshipping of death as a Savior and a venue for release. All things but death are seen to be uncertain in their
outcome. Would you bow down to idols like these? No compromise is possible while choosing between life and
death. Either all things die or else they live and cannot die. To be sane we must choose an obvious position. The
idea of the death of God implies that God was once alive and somehow perished by those who did not want Him
to survive. How could their will be stronger and prevail over His? How could eternal life give way to death?
There is no death when we renounce it in every form. Whatever form death may take there must be illusion. We
take this stand today to look past death and to see the life beyond.
“Our Father, bless our eyes today. We are Your messengers, and we would look upon the glorious reflection of Your
Love which shines in everything. We live and move in You alone. We are not separate from Your eternal life. There is no
death, for death is not Your Will. And we abide where You have placed us, in the life we share with You and with all living
things to be like You and a part of You forever. We accept Your Thoughts as ours, and our will is one with Yours eternally.
Amen.”
Lesson 164
“Now are we one with Him Who is our Source?”
How holy is your practice today as Christ hears for you and has given you His sight? How quiet is the
time that you give to Him, as you spend time with Him beyond this world. How easily are your illusions of sin
forgiven and all your sorrows forgotten? There is a silence into which the world cannot intrude. There is an
ancient peace in your heart that you continue to carry which has not been lost. There is a sense of holiness in you
that the thought of sin has never touched. Faithfulness in your practice today will bring great rewards unlike
those you sought before. Here is a place to rest and where your treasure is found. Today is when any vain
imagination parts like a curtain and reveals what lies beyond. We now come into balance and the scale of
judgment is left to Him. In His judgment the world unfolds in perfect innocence and you will now see it with the
eyes if Christ. Its transformation is clear to you.
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What you see becomes the healing and salvation of the world. The valuable and valueless are perceived
and recognized for their true meanings. Nothing to be feared remains and only what is worthy of your Love may
receive your love. All that we see today increases our joy because its holiness reflects our own. We and the world
stand forgiven in Christ’s sight. We bless the world as we behold it in the light which is the same light our Savior
looks on us. Let go of all the things you think you want. Put away all those trifling treasures and leave a clean
open space within your mind where Christ can come and offer you the treasure of salvation. Your most holy
mind is needed to save the world. Is Christ’s vision worthy to be sought above the world’s unsatisfying goals?
You can exchange all suffering for joy today.
Lesson 165
“Let not my mind deny the Thought of God.”
Only your own thoughts of misery and death obscure the perfect happiness and the eternal life that your
Father wills for you. Only illusions can hide that which cannot be concealed. The only thing that could keep you
from what you already have is your choice not to see it and to deny it is there. It belongs to you and is your
source of life. The thought of God created you and protects you. It cares for you and smoothes your way. The
thought of God lights your mind with love, happiness and everlasting life. Heaven is yours when you ask to
receive it and welcome it as it is yours. Christ’s power is on your mind, to heal as you were healed. Abundance
dwells in you, the Son of God, and you cannot be deprived from God’s sustaining Love. Practice today with hope
knowing your doubts are meaningless. God is certain. His sureness lies beyond any doubt. His Love remains
beyond every fear. The Thought of God is beyond all dreams in our minds.
Lesson 166
“I am entrusted with the gifts of God.”
When your will is one with God’s Will all things are given to you without exception. His trust in you is
limitless and He holds back nothing that can contribute to your happiness. The gifts of God are not acceptable to
those who believe this world is real with all its illusions. Claim the gifts of God as your own. The gifts for you are
not just for you alone. What He has offered you, you must learn how to give. Now it is your turn to teach others
by showing the happiness that comes to those who feel the touch of Christ. Do not let sorrow tempt you to be
unfaithful to your trust. Your change of mind becomes the proof that who accepts God’s gifts can never suffer
again. You become the living proof that Christ’s touch can offer transformation of the mind to those who accept
His gifts. This is your mission now. God entrusts these gifts to all who have received them. He shares His joy with
you and now you go share it with the world.
Lesson 167
“There is one life, and that I share with God.”
Just as there is one truth, there is but one life. These do not come in degrees, and like all His Thoughts,
they have no opposites. There is no death because an opposite of God does not exist and the Father and Son are
one. The idea of death has many forms. Death is an idea that underlies all feelings that are not happy. A thought
in the mind can be applied as the mind directs it. This course emphasizes the idea to change your mind about
yourself. This is the reason you can heal. This is why you cannot die. It is the truth that establishes you as one
with God. Death is the thought that you are separate from your Creator. Forever unopposed by opposites, the
Thoughts of God remain changeless. Sleeping is what seems to be the opposite of life. This is when the mind
elects to be what it is not. Today we are the children of truth. Do not deny our holy heritage. We will not ask for
death in any of its forms today. God has established the Thought of eternal life and we strive to keep this holy
home as His Will forever. He created a unity of life that cannot separate in death or leave the Source of life. We
share one life because we have one Source where perfection comes to us, remaining always in the holy minds that
He perfectly created. A sleeping mind must awaken as it sees its own perfect reflection of the Lord of Life. It is
light that makes this reflection possible. The awakened mind knows its Source, its Self, its Holiness.
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Lesson 168
“Your grace is given me. I claim it now.”
God speaks to us and is not distant. He makes no attempt to hide from us. Hiding from Him makes us
only suffer from deception. He is entirely accessible. He loves His Son and will forever, even when His mind
remains asleep. And when His mind awakens, His Love is never‐changing. Hope and despair is impossible when
you know the meaning of His Love. His gift of grace is yours by your acknowledgement. It restores all memories
that the sleeping mind forgot and all certainty of the meaning of His Love. Grace allows you to see a light that
covers all the world in love. Fear disappears from every face as hearts rise up and claim the light as their own.
Forgiveness rests upon everything this new holy day for we have received what has been given to us. We
acknowledge our mistakes and our faith lies in the Giver in gratitude and love.
“Your grace is given me. I claim it now.
Father, I come to You. And You will come
To me who ask. I am the Son You Love.”
Lesson 169
“By grace I live. By grace I am released.”
Grace is the world’s loftiest aspiration, an aspect of God’s Love which prevails in the unity of truth. Grace
only comes when the mind has prepared itself for true acceptance. For those who have prepared a table where it
can be gently laid and willingly received, grace becomes inevitable, a holy gift upon this clean altar. For those
minds who are lighted by the gift of grace, the world of fear cannot be real. As an open mind prepares for grace
we can hear the call to awaken. The being of God encompasses all things. When the revelation of your oneness
comes, it will be fully known and understood. Grace is the final gift that salvation bestows. Miracles are laid in
the holy instances that you receive through experiencing grace. Those timeless moments bring back a clear
reflection of unity to bless the world. Be grateful and accept the gifts that grace provides for you. We welcome the
experience and release that grace offers everyone for the asking.
“By grace I live. By grace I am released.
By grace I give. By grace I will release.”
Lesson 170
“There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”
The thought to defend from fear by attacking is thoroughly insane. Any attack has the intent to hurt
someone. Even attacking in self‐defense does not bring you freedom.
“You make what you defend against, and by
Your own defense against it, is it real
And inescapable. Lay down your arms,
And only then do you perceive it false.”
It may appear that you attack an enemy, however, your defense sets up an enemy within. It deprives you
of peace. Fear cannot be your safety and protector of peace. Love asks you to lay down your defenses. If Love is
an enemy, cruelty must become a god. We need not defy this power because it has none. Do not think that fear is
the escape from fear. You make a choice today to leave behind all forms of any false cruel idols that block you
from restoring your love. Now your eyes belong to Christ as He looks through them, and your voice echoes His.
Your heart forever remains at peace. You have chosen God in place of idols, and your attributes that your Creator
gives to you are restored at last. Fear has made way for Love as God replaces cruelty.
“Father, we are like you. No cruelty abides in us, for there is none in You. Your peace is ours. And we bless the
world with what we have received from You alone. We choose again, and make our choice for all our brothers, knowing they
are one with us. We bring them Your salvation as we have received it now. And we give thanks for them who render us
complete. In them we see Your glory, and in them we find our peace. Holy are we, because Your holiness has set us free. And
we give thanks. Amen.”
Review V
We recognize that we are preparing for another phase of understanding, and we are ready to give more
time and effort for this undertaking. We may now move on with more certainty, sincerity and faith. Doubts have
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made us walk slowly before, but we now hasten forward as we approach greater certainty, a firmer purpose and
a surer goal.
“Steady our feet, our Father. Let our doubts be quiet and our holy minds be still, and speak to us. We have no words
to give to You. We would but listen to Your Word, and make it ours. Lead our practicing as does a father lead a little child
along a way he does not understand. Yet does he follow sure that he is safe because his father leads the way for him.
So do we bring our practicing to You. And if we stumble, You will raise us up. If we forget the way, we count upon
Your sure remembering. We wander off, but You will not forget to call us back. Quicken our footsteps now, that we may walk
more certainly and quickly unto You. And we accept the Word You offer us to unify our practicing, as we review the
thoughts that You have given us.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
This is the thought that should precede the thoughts we review. Each thought clarifies some aspect of this
thought. It brings more meaning and makes it more personal and true. It describes the holy Self that we share and
prepare to know again. This Self alone knows Love and is perfectly consistent in Its thoughts. It knows Its Creator
and understands Itself. It is perfect in Its knowledge and Its Love. This Self never changes from Its Father and Itself.
At the journey’s end, This is That which waits to meet us. Every step brings us nearer. As we practice this review, it
will shorten time immeasurably. Let us raise our hearts from dust to life. This course was sent to open up the path of
light to us and teach us, step by step, how to return to the eternal Self we thought we lost. We walk together, as a
Savior must remain with those he teaches, to see what they see, to understand uncertainty and pain, although they
have no meaning. God’s son is crucified until you walk along the road with me. My resurrection comes again each
time I lead a brother safely to the place the journey ends and is forgotten. I am renewed each time a brother learns
there is a way from misery and pain. I have forgotten no one. Help me now to lead you back to where the journey
began to make another choice with me. Together we review these thoughts, devoting our time and effort to them.
God waits for you to make Heaven complete. Hear the word I speak and give them to the world. You are my voice,
my eyes, my feet, my hands, through which I save the world. The Self from which I call to you is but your own.
Take your brother’s hand, Our Father wills His Son be one with Him. We practice an ancient truth we knew before
illusion seemed to claim the world. We remind the world that it is free from all illusions by saying:
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
With this we start and end each practice period. We sleep with this thought and awaken with these words to
greet another day. When we have finished this review, we will have recognized the words we speak are true. We
place faith in the experience that comes from practice. We use the words and try to go beyond the meaning to the
Source and here we find rest.
Lesson 171
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
151) “All things are echoes of the Voice for God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
152) “The power of decision is my own.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 172
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
153) “In my defenselessness my safety lies.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
154) “I am among the ministers of God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 173
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
155) “I will step back and let Him lead the way.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
156) “I walk with God in perfect holiness.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 62
Lesson 174
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
157) “Into His Presence would I enter now.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
158) “Today I learn to give as I receive.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 175
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
159) “I give the miracles I have received.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
160) “I am at home. Fear is the stranger here.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 176
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
161) “Give me your blessing, holy Son of God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
162) “I am as God created me.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 177
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
163) “There is no death. The son of God is free.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
164) “Now are we one with Him Who is our Source.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 178
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
165) “Let not my mind deny the Thought of God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
166) “I am entrusted with the gifts of God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 179
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
167) “There is one life, and that I share with God.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
168) “Your grace is given me. I claim it now.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
Lesson 180
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
169) “By grace I live. By grace I am released.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
170) “There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”
“God is but Love, and therefore so am I.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 63
Introduction
Lessons 181‐200
These next lessons make a point to strengthen your willingness to blend your scattered goals into one
intention. Such a unified intention will bestow a sense of peace. Experiencing this will make sure you will give
your total willingness to the way of the course. These lessons widen horizons and offer direct approaches to the
blocks that keep your vision narrow and limited. The experience of peace and freedom that comes as you give up
your tight control of what you see speaks for itself. Your motivation will be intensified, you will be sure of what
you want and what is valueless. We now attempt to go past all defenses for a little time everyday.
Lesson 181
“I trust my brothers, who are one with me.”
Trusting your brothers is essential to establishing and holding up your faith in your ability to transcend
doubt and lack of sure conviction in yourself. When you attack a brother, you proclaim he is limited by what you
have perceived in him. His errors are magnified rather than looking beyond them. They become blocks to your own
Self‐awareness that lies beyond your own mistakes. Perception has a focus and when you change it, your vision will
shift accordingly. It will give support to the intent that has replaced the one you previously held. When you remove
your focus on your brother’s sins, you experience the peace that comes from faith in sinlessness.
One major block to your success is your involvement with your past and future goals. The goals in this
course are extremely different from those you held before. Even if you succeed, you will lose your way again. The
concerns of past and future are only defenses against the present change of focus in perception. We have lost our
goal if anger in any form blocks our way. If a brother’s sins occur to us, our narrow focus restricts our sight and
turns our eyes upon our own mistakes. Should such blocks arise we will transcend them by saying:
“It is not this that I would look upon.
I trust my brothers, who are one with me.”
We do not ask for fantasies. What we seek is really there. As our focus goes beyond mistakes, we will
behold a wholly sinless world. When we see what we want to see, when we seek this in the name of true
perception, the eyes of Christ are ours. His Love that He feels for us becomes our own. The world that once
proclaimed our sins becomes the proof that we are sinless. Look straight into the present and give your trust to
the experience we ask now. Our sinlessness is the Will of God.
Lesson 182
“I will be still an instant and go home.”
Somewhere in your mind you know that this world you live in is not home to you. You feel alien in this
world, you know there is a place that is truly your home. Others may deny their longing and try to cover their
sadness by occupying themselves with games. Everyone on earth is searching, making many homes and not
knowing what it is he is seeking, yet nothing can content his restlessness. But there is no way to make Heaven on
earth. Some may think it is their childhood, but this is only imaginings of a past that never was. It is a Child within
you that is seeking to go home to His Father’s house. He is recognized by God as His Son within you. This Child is
desperately crying to you to go home so He can rest a while. He comes to you for protection. You can shut Him out
and let His voice be obscured by the outside world. But you will protect Him and you will both go home.
If you let go of valueless ideas and let the world die away you will hear His voice, you will no longer
resist and in that instant you will both go home. You yearn for innocence and you will find it in Heaven. Be still
today and go Home with Him for a while.
Lesson 183
“I call upon God’s Name and on my own.”
When you call upon God’s Name you are calling your own name and they are both holy. You have the
same name as your Father, which bonds you, just as you are bonded with your brothers in your name. When you
call God’s Name you hear an echo that reminds you. It invites angels to be with you and protect you and keep
you holy. The world’s illusions are let down and you find in their place a star that is a miracle of grace.
Temptations are no longer an issue and are unwanted when His Name is said. You see things in the right
perspective; you do not mistake sins for grace, or bodies for the holy Son of God.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 64
Practice repeating God’s Name slowly today. Be still and become oblivious to any other name. Focus all
your thoughts on this. Let it be the only word you hear or know. Repeating His Name is an acknowledgment that
He is the sole Creator of reality and His Son is part of Him. You will achieve a state of grace in doing this and
escape all ties holding you down, releasing the world. His Name holds all prayers within it and no other words
are necessary or significant.
Lesson 184
“The Name of God is my inheritance.”
The symbols you have for everything separates you and only allows you see parts of reality. Everyone
must go through this part of learning. Then you can question what this idea rests on and the effects of it. Raising
to doubt all these names, you can begin a new education and gain a new perception of what truly is. God has no
name, yet His Name becomes the final lesson that all things are one. Here is when all learning ends and all names
are unified. All space is filled with truth’s reflection. God’s Name is the inheritance He gave to those who chose
the teaching of the world to take the place of Heaven. You must first accept the Name for all reality and realize
that the many names you have given its aspects distort what you see. As we bring the One Name into our
practice, it unifies our sight.
“Father, our Name is Yours. In It we are united with all living things, and You Who are their one Creator. What we
made and call by many different names is but a shadow we have tried to cast across Your Own Reality. And we are glad and
thankful we were wrong. All our mistakes we give to You, that we may be absolved from all effects our errors seemed to have.
And we accept the truth You give, in place of every one of them. Your Name is our salvation and escape from what we made.
Your Name unites us in the oneness which is our inheritance and peace. Amen.”
Lesson 185
“I want the peace of God.”
Saying these words means nothing but to mean them is everything. When you mean these words for an
instant, sorrow is no longer possible in any form, place or time. Heaven is completely given back to full
awareness and the memory of God is entirely restored. Creation is totally resurrected and recognized. When you
mean these words, you are healed. When you want the peace of God with sincerity, you are given it in the form of
a lesson personalized for your very own growth and understanding. There is no compromise between God’s
peace and vain illusions. This means you must renounce all dreams and illusions. The mind that wants peace
must join with other minds. No one can lose and everyone gains the gift of God that has been requested. The
intention we seek today is to unite our desires with the need of every heart and call of every mind. There is hope
beyond despair and Love beyond attack. There is help when we request the peace of God be given us.
Lesson 186
“Salvation of the world depends on me.”
This statement can take all arrogance away from each mind. This is the thought of true humility. It unites
all wills on earth in Heaven’s plan to save the world and restore Heaven’s peace. Do not fight your function, the
perfect means to accomplish your goal are given. Our minds are suited perfectly to take the part assigned to us by
the One Who knows us well. Accept the plan that you did not make yourself. Forgiveness is an earthly form of
Love which in Heaven has no form. Salvation of the world depends on who you can forgive and is your function
here.
Lesson 187
“I bless the world because I bless myself.”
Giving is proof of having. No one can give unless he has. Giving will increase what you possess. Things
are a representation of the thoughts that create them. When you give ideas away, you strengthen them. To save
the world you must first accept salvation for yourself. You will not believe this until you see the miracles it brings
to you and everyone. Give gladly. Giving and receiving is a form of exchange where both sides gain. Giving must
laugh at the idea of sacrifice. Recognize the illusion of suffering by sacrifice. Now we are blessed and we bless the
world. We offer our holy sight upon everything we see, for where we see it, it will be returned to us.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 65
Lesson 188
“The peace of God is shining in me now.”
Why wait for Heaven. The light is in you now. Enlightenment is merely recognition. The light came with
you from your native home, it is your own and cannot be lost. The peace of God is shining in you now. It extends
from your heart and goes around the world. It pauses to caress each living thing and leaves a blessing with it that
remains forever. It brings renewal to all tired hearts and lights all vision. The shining light in your mind reminds
the world of what it has forgotten. From you salvation radiates with gifts beyond all measure. The peace of God
cannot be contained. He who recognizes it within himself must give it. He forgives because he recognizes the
truth in him. Your inward vision is a reflection of your perception of the universe.
“The peace of God is shining in me now.
Let all things shine upon me in that place,
And let me bless them, light the light in me.”
Lesson 189
“I feel the Love of God within me now.”
There is a light in you the world cannot perceive. This light is a reflection of the thought we practice now.
When you feel the Love of God within you, you can see the world anew, alive with hope, shining in innocence
and blessed with perfect charity and love. Who could feel fear in a world like this? This is a world in which
forgiveness shines on everything. Today we pass illusions. Forget this world and come with wholly empty hands
before God. Your part is to allow all obstacles that you have placed between the Son of God and the Father to be
quietly removed forever. Ask and receive. God knows His Son and the way to Him. Through every opened door
His Love shines outward and lightens up the world in innocence.
“Father, we do not know the way to You. But we have called, and You have answered us. We will not interfere.
Salvation’s ways are not our own, for they belong to You. And it is unto You we look for them. Our hands are open to receive
Your gifts. We have no thoughts we think apart from You, and cherish no beliefs of what we are, or Who created us. Yours is
the way that we would find and follow. And we ask but that Your Will, which is our own as well, be done in us and in the
world, that it becomes a part of Heaven now. Amen.”
Lesson 190
“I choose the joy of God instead of pain.”
There is no such thing as pain, when you really look at it. We deceive ourselves if we believe otherwise. It
would mean that God is cruel and so is not real in any form. Pain is only illusion of which there is many, even in a
place of truth. We should laugh at the crazy idea that God is anything but love.
The only thing that seems to cause you pain is your own thoughts. Nothing outside your own mind can
hurt you at all. You are your only oppressor. If you recognize what you are, then you have the power to dominate
your reality. Once you see everything as harmless instead of fearing it, then you can bend things to your Holy
Will. Find solace and holiness in things you used to perceive as harmful.
The world is merely a product of your own thoughts and has no control over you. Change your mind and
choose the joy of God as your truth. In this holy joy you are radiant and unchanged forever. If you realize that
pain is evil from your thoughts taking form and that the world is an illusion, then you can be free. Pain is false
and joy is the true reality, you can awake from the sleep of pain into joy.
Lesson 191
“I am the holy Son of God Himself.”
If you deny that you are the holy Son of God then you cannot be free. You see the world as chaos and
despair. When you can accept your true identity you are truly saved. You will not see the world as fearful, but as
light and love. With this new realization you bring salvation to the world and the gift of forgiveness. When you
remember that you are the holy Son of God Himself then you can begin to liberate your brothers and Heaven and
earth are one. Let the Son of God wake up and open his holy eyes and return to bless the world still living in fear,
death and pain.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 66
Lesson 192
“I have a function God would have me fill.”
You are called upon to fulfill your function of forgiveness. It is the closest thing on earth to what creation
is. Since it is of Heaven it has no form and cannot be conceived of on earth. We can overcome the fear of death by
forgiveness. Forgiveness shows us that the body is simply a teaching aid that we only need for a short time and
then we can let it go when our learning is complete. The mind alone, without the body, cannot fall prey to things
like making mistakes, belief in death, anger, or terror. God is asking you to accept the way to freedom now.
Forgive the Son of God and show Him mercy, His Father’s Love for Him belongs to you, you are both as God
created you. You will see that you are one with Him when you forgive Him his sins.
Lesson 193
“All things are lessons God would have me learn.”
God’s Will extends to what He does not understand even though He does not know of learning. He wills
that the happiness that His Son inherited of Him be undisturbed. That it is eternal and ever growing in the joy of
full creation, open and limitless to Him. God does not perceive or see contradictions, but His Son believes that He
does, so He needs Him to show Him the error in that and give Him vision that will lead Him back on path, the
path of ceasing to perceive. This is how God keeps His Son’s sinlessness forever safe.
These are the lessons that He wishes you to learn, they reflect His Will and loving Kindness to His Son.
The fundamental content of them is: forgive, and you will see this differently. The Holy Spirit tells you this
during all your hard times, when you are in pain and suffering. They end your temptation, guilt, sin and rid your
mind of fear. These are the words that bring salvation to the whole world.
Lesson 194
“I place the future in the Hands of God.”
This idea will bring you very close to Heaven, any obstacles will be behind you. It will release you from
all anxiety, depression, thoughts of doing wrong, and the pain of guilt. This is a gift you can give the world once
it has saved you. Letting this moment and the next be in God’s hands, leaves this time for you to release suffering
and death itself. There will be nothing to fear or worry about, nothing can cause you pain because you see
salvation in all things and in sharing that with the world it can see that it is saved along with you.
Lesson 195
“Love is the way I walk in gratitude.”
If you see the world as amiss, then gratitude can be a hard lesson. It is not good enough just to try to be
contented because you are doing better than another. That is like being thankful because of suffering and a pitiful
attempt at gratitude. Your gratitude should be only of God and how He made sorrow disappear all over the world.
Hatred is forgotten and we do not separate ourselves from others who are less fortunate. We realize that
we are all one with God. Replace your thoughts of anger with gratitude and recognize that you have been given
everything. Being grateful will shorten the path to God. Going hand in hand with love, gratitude is a small part of
the Love that is the Source of all. Walk the road of gratitude and it will only bring you to Love and then to God.
Lesson 196
“It can be but myself I crucify.”
Do not attack a brother to save yourself, for in his safety is your own, and in his healing you are healed.
When you realize this you will not harm yourself or hold yourself prisoner to vengeance. You will teach yourself
to deny your ego and that you are not an ego. You will know that you are not a body. You cannot be crucified, see
the light of resurrection and think not of death, but of liberation and life.
Once you realize that it is only you who crucifies you, then there is no one to fear. God is not the one
punishing you, it is only yourself. You will free yourself, and break this bondage. When you do not fear God, the
path is open to His holy peace. This is a kind and merciful lesson that you should welcome as a release. Your
mind may try to crucify you, but redemption can also come from you as well.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 67
Lesson 197
“It can be but my gratitude I earn.”
This lesson is the next step to freedom from the belief that outside forces are against you. You must show
gratitude and lavish thanks or your attempts at kindness and forgiveness will turn into attack. Receive your gifts
with honor or they may be withdrawn. You end up thinking these gifts from God are merely on loan, or even
deceptions making you defenseless. You may think that this will ensure God will strike you down and kill you.
Those who do not know what their thoughts can do, sometimes easily confuse God and guilt. If you deny
your true strength then weakness will become your salvation. If you see yourself as a prisoner then you will be
behind bars. Once you see that freedom and salvation go hand in hand and guilt has no part in it, you will be
liberated. The world will reflect this, and thank you for releasing it from your illusions. Give thanks and earn the
gratitude you may have denied yourself by forgetting the function God has given you.
Lesson 198
“Only my condemnation injures me.”
Injury is impossible unless you believe the illusion that you can condemn. In believing that you can injure, it
can be used against you, until you see that it has no value and is not true. Then the illusion will have no effect on
you, and the seeming effects from before will be undone. In forgiving, you are freed from the prison of condemning.
This is the law of perception. Forgiveness is the one illusion that is the answer to all the rest. Forgiveness wipes
away all falsities. It does not create other illusions. It is the illusion that points to where truth is.
You would be wise to treasure the fact that you have the answer to your problems in your hands.
Forgiveness will lead you out of disaster, away from death. Do not fight it. Practice allowing freedom to be within
you today. These words are from a deep truth, find in them the key to light and an end to the darkness:
“Only my condemnation injures me.
Only my own forgiveness sets me free.”
Unforgiving thoughts are hidden within all forms of suffering, but any form of pain can be healed by
forgiveness. There is no condemnation in God, He is holy and perfect, He will not forsake us. Be glad of how far
we have come today and recognize that He brought us here. The time for your deliverance has come today.
Lesson 199
“I am not a body. I am free.”
When you think you are your body then freedom is impossible. The body limits you. When you see that
you are not your body then your mind can be free. If your mind serves the Holy Spirit, then it is unlimited forever
and in every way. You are beyond the laws of time and space, with no preconceptions to bind you. Thoughts of
attack and fear cannot enter after you give your mind to the Source of Love. You have attached your mind to love,
resting in God. Only loving and innocent, you cannot be afraid.
This is an essential idea that you should hold very dear. Your ego may think it is insane, because the body
is its home. The body is part of the illusion that keeps the illusion of the ego from deteriorating. Bring the gift of
freedom that you have found to others who still believe they are imprisoned within their bodies. God shares His
Love and joy every time you say:
“I am not a body. I am free.
I hear the Voice That God has given me,
And it is only This my mind obeys.”
Lesson 200
“There is no peace except the peace of God.”
You will find peace in God alone. You do not need to search for anything else. If you look elsewhere, you
will not find anything but disappointment. When you see all the world as blessed then you will be free. Everyone
will cross the bridge of peace to leave this world behind. Peace is the answer to problems like conflicting goals
and vain pursuits. God will guide us on this steady path to Heaven. He will not desert His Son, He calls and the
Son will hear. That’s all there is to this world that appears to be apart from God.
Look no further— leave behind false desires and the hopelessness that you once sought. We draw nearer
to our home in Heaven each time we say:
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 68
“There is no peace except the peace of God,
And I am glad and thankful it is so.”
Review VI
Practice only one idea each day as often as possible. Devote at least fifteen minutes in the morning and
evening. Truly learning each idea will be enough for salvation and release. These invite the memory of God to
come again and free the world from every form of bondage. Within just one of these lessons the rest are also
reflected if you follow that one with no exceptions. Use them all and see them blending as one, each contributing
to the whole. These practice sessions are focused on a central theme:
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Do not allow any idle thought to go unchallenged. Gently let the thought which you denied be given up
and quickly exchange it for the new idea you are practicing today. When you are tempted, proclaim your
freedom and say:
“This thought I do not want. I choose instead .”
Repeat the idea for the day and let it take the place of what you thought. Give these quiet moments to the
Teacher Who instructs in quiet, speaks of peace, and gives our thoughts whatever meaning they have. He will not
fail to be available to you. Trust Him completely, for that way, each practice period can become a loving gift of
freedom to the world.
Lesson 201
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
181) “I trust my brothers, who are one with me.”
“No one is but my brother, I am blessed
With oneness with the universe and God,
My Father, one Creator of the whole
That is my Self, forever one with me.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 202
182) “I will be still an instant and go home.”
“Why would I choose to stay an instant more
Where I do not belong, when God Himself
Has given me His Voice to call me home?”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 203
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
183) “I call upon God’s Name and on my own.”
“The Name of God is my deliverance
From every thought of evil and of sin,
Because it is my own as well as His.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 204
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
184) “The name of God is my inheritance.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 69
“God’s Name reminds me that I am His Son,
Not slave to time, unbound by laws which rule
The world of sick illusions, free in God,
Forever and forever one with Him.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 205
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
185) “I want the peace of God.”
“The peace of God is everything I want.
The peace of God is my one goal; the aim
Of all my living here, the end I seek,
My purpose and my function and my life,
While I abide where I am not at home.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 206
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
186) “Salvation of the world depends on me.”
“I am entrusted with the gifts of God,
Because I am His Son. And I would give
His gifts where He intended them to be.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 207
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
187) “I bless the world because I bless myself.”
“God’s blessing shines upon me from within
My heart, where He abides. I need but turn
To Him, and every sorrow melts away,
As I accept His boundless Love for me.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 208
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
188) The peace of God is shining in me now.”
“I will be still, and let the earth be still
Along with me. And in that stillness we
Will find the peace of God. It is within
My heart, which witnesses to God himself.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 70
Lesson 209
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
189) “I feel the Love of God within me now.”
“The Love of God is what created me.
The Love of God is everything I am.
The Love of God proclaimed me as His Son.
The Love of God within me sets me free.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 210
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
190) “I choose the joy of God instead of pain.”
“Pain is my own idea. It is not
A Thought of God, but one I thought apart
From Him and from His Will. His Will is joy,
And only joy for His beloved Son.
And that I choose, instead of what I made.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 211
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
191) “I am the holy Son of God Himself.”
“In silence and in true humility
I seek God’s glory, to behold it in
The Son whom He created as my Self.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 212
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
192) “I have a function God would have me fill.”
“I seek the function that would set me free
From all the vain illusions of the world.
Only the function God has given me
Can offer freedom. Only this I seek.
And only this will I accept as mine.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 213
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
193) “All things are lessons God would have me learn.”
“A lesson is a miracle which God
Offers to me, in place of thoughts I made
That hurt me. What I learn of Him becomes
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 71
The way I am set free. And so I choose
To learn His lessons and forget my own.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 214
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
194) “I place the future in the Hands of God.”
“The past is gone; the future is not yet.
Now I am freed from both. For what God gives
Can only be for good. And I accept
But what He gives as what belongs to me.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 215
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
195) “Love is the way I walk in gratitude.”
“The Holy Spirit is my only Guide.
He walks with me in love. And I give thanks
To Him for showing me the way to go.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 216
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
196) “It can be but myself I crucify.”
“All that I do unto myself.
If I attack, I suffer. But if I
Forgive, salvation will be given me.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 217
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
197) “It can be but my gratitude I earn.”
“Who should give thanks for my salvation but
Myself? And how but through salvation can
I find the Self to Whom my thanks are due?
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 218
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
198) “Only my condemnation injures me.”
“My condemnation keeps my vision dark,
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 72
And through my sightless eyes I cannot see
The vision of my glory. Yet today
I can behold this glory and be glad.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 219
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
199) “I am not a body. I am free.”
“I am God’s Son. Be still, my mind, and think
A moment upon this. And then return
To earth, without confusion as to what
My Father loves forever as His Son.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
Lesson 220
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
200) “There is no peace except the peace of God.”
“Let me not wander from the way of peace,
For I am lost on other roads than this.
But let me follow Him Who leads me home,
And peace is certain as the Love of God.”
“I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.”
PART II
What is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness sees no sin, and allows God’s Will to enter. However, if you have unforgiving thoughts your
mind will become closed and confused. Unforgiving thoughts distort reality, while forgiving thoughts make
things clear and still. Forgiveness enables you to be receptive to the truth of God, who is your guide. God has
forgiven you and so now you must do the same. In this way you will be full of hope and certain of success.
Lesson 221
“Peace to my mind. Let all my thoughts be still.”
“Father I come to You today to seek the peace that You alone can give. I come in silence. In the quiet of my heart, the
deep recesses of my mind, I wait and listen for Your Voice. My Father, speak to me today. I come to hear Your Voice in
silence and in certainty and love, sure You will hear my call and answer me.”
Wait in the silence and be confident that God will speak to you. Your sole intent should be to hear our
Father’s answer.
Lesson 222
“God is with me. I live and move in Him.”
God is everywhere. He is my true home, and directs my actions through His thoughts. He takes care of
me and keeps me from pain. Together we shine upon each other in love.
“Father, we have no words except Your name upon our lips and in our minds, as we come quietly into Your
Presence now, and ask to rest with You in peace a while.”
Lesson 223
“God is my life. I have no life but His.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 73
I was wrong to think I lived in isolation from God. Now I know I live in Him. All of my thoughts are part of God.
“Our Father, let us see the face of Christ instead of our mistakes. For we who are Your holy Son and sinless. We
would look upon our sinlessness, for guilt proclaims that we are not Your Son. And we would not forget You longer. We are
lonely here, and long for Heaven, where we are at home. Today we would return. Our Name is Yours, and we acknowledge
that we are Your Son.”
Lesson 224
“God is my Father, and He loves His Son.”
My true identity is pure and sinless. This identity, which lights the world, is a gift from my Father. It is
the only gift I can give to the world. This is reality and truth.
“My Name, O Father, still is known to You. I have forgotten it, and do not know where I am going, who I am, or
what it is I do. Remind me, Father, now, for I am weary of the world I see. Reveal what You would have me see instead.”
Lesson 225
“God is my Father, and His Son loves Him.”
“Father, I must return Your Love for me, for giving and receiving are the same, and You have given all Your Love
to me. I must return it, for I want it as mine in full awareness, blazing in my mind and keeping it within its kindly light,
inviolate, beloved, with fear behind and only peace ahead. How still the way Your loving Son is led along to You!”
Through stillness the way has opened up for us. Together we travel these final steps into oneness, the end
of the journey home.
Lesson 226
“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”
If I believe the world has value for me it will stay with me. But if I see no value in the world for myself
then it will leave. I can then depart this world entirely. It is a shift in mind that allows this to occur, not death.
“Father my home awaits my glad return. Your Arms are open and I hear Your Voice. What need have I to linger in
a place of vain desires and of shattered dreams, when Heaven can so easily be mine?”
Lesson 227
“This is my holy instant of release.”
“Father, it is today that I am free, because my will is Yours. I thought to make another will. Yet nothing that I
thought apart from You exists. And I am free because I was mistaken, and did not affect my own reality at all by my
illusions. Now I give them up, and lay them down before the feet of truth, to be removed forever from my mind. This is my
holy instant of release. Father, I know my will is one with Yours.”
Today we return to Heaven, which we never actually left. We are released from sin and are holy now.
Our right mind is restored.
Lesson 228
“God has condemned me not. No more do I.”
My Father knows my holiness. I will not deny his knowledge.
“Father, I was mistaken in myself, because I failed to realize the Source from Which I came. I have not left that
Source to enter in a body and to die. My holiness remains a part of me, as I am part of You. And my mistakes about myself
are dreams. I let them go today. And I stand ready to receive Your Word alone for what I really am.”
Lesson 229
“Love, Which created me, is what I am.”
Now I no longer need to seek my identity. Love prevails and I will always look to the holy face of Christ
who has kept this safe for me.
“Father, my thanks to You for what I am; for keeping my Identity untouched and sinless, in the midst of all the
thoughts of sin my foolish mind made up. And thanks to You for saving me from them. Amen.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 74
Lesson 230
“Now will I seek and find the peace of God.”
I remain in the peace in which I was created.
What is Salvation?
God makes the promise of Salvation. Do not support illusions and allow what they hide to now be
revealed. Let the gifts of your forgiveness be laid upon an altar to the Holy Name of God. Come every day to this
holy place. Earth is being born new again and we come together in the light. Freedom is returned and we give
salvation to the world. The Thought of peace was given without an opposite.
Lesson 231
“Father, I will but to remember you.”
“What can I seek for, Father, but Your Love? Perhaps I think I seek for something else; a something I have called by
many names. Yet is Your Love the only thing I seek, or ever sought. For there is nothing else that I could ever really want to
find. Let me remember You. What else could I desire but the truth about myself?”
This is your will that you share with God’s Will. Remembering Him is Heaven itself. We seek this and it
will be given us to find.
Lesson 232
“Be in my mind, my Father, through the day.”
“Be in my mind, my Father when I wake, and shine in me throughout the day today. Let every minute be a time in
which I dwell with You. And let me not forget my hourly thanksgiving that You have remained with me, and always will be
there to hear my call to You and answer me. As evening comes, let all my thoughts be still of You and Your Love. And let me
sleep sure of my safety, certain of Your care, and happily aware I am Your Son.”
Everyday should be like this. Have faith in your Father and practice the end of fear.
Lesson 233
“I give my life to God to guide today.”
“Father, I give You all my thoughts today. I would have none of mine. In place of them, give me Your Own. I give
You all my acts as well, that I may do Your Will instead of seeking goals which cannot be obtained, and wasting time in vain
imaginings. Today I come to You. I will step back and merely follow You. Be You the Guide, and I the follower who questions
not the wisdom of the infinite, nor Love whose tenderness I cannot comprehend, but which is yet Your perfect gift to me.”
We walk together with our Guide. It is His day, a day without reserve and of countless gifts and mercies.
Lesson 234
“Father, today I am Your Son again.”
Nothing has ever happened to disturb the peace of God. We have reached the peace we never left.
“We thank you, Father, that we cannot lose the memory of You and Your Love. We recognize our safety, and give
thanks for all the gifts You have bestowed on us, for all the loving help we have received, for Your eternal patience, and the
Word which You have given us that we are saved.”
Lesson 235
“God in His mercy wills that I be saved.”
With perfect certainty I assure myself that I do not look upon things that seem to hurt me. I keep my
mind with my Father’s Will of happiness for me. God’s Love surrounds His Son and keeps Him sinless forever.
“Father, Your holiness is mine. Your Love created me, and made my sinlessness forever part of You. I have no guilt
nor sin in me, for there is none in You.”
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Lesson 236
“I rule my mind, which I alone must rule.”
I have a kingdom to rule which has been given to me to serve whatever purpose I perceive in it. Today I
give the service of my mind to the Holy Spirit to use it as it sees necessary. I set my mind free to do the Will of God.
“Father, my mind is open to Your Thoughts, and closed today to every thought but Yours, I rule my mind, and offer
it to You. Accept my gift, for it is Yours to me.”
Lesson 237
“Now would I be as God created me.”
I accept the truth about myself today. I allow the light to shine upon the world as I rise up in glory. I bring
the world the gifts of salvation as I hear God speak to me. With this awareness the bitter dream of death ends.
“Christ is my eyes today, and He the ears that listen to the Voice for God today. Father, I come to You through Him
Who is Your Son, and my true Self as well. Amen.”
Lesson 238
“On my decision all salvation rests.”
“Father, Your trust in me has been so great, I must be worthy. You created me, and know me as I am. And yet You
placed Your Son’s salvation in my hands, and let it rest on my decision, I must be beloved of You indeed. And I must be
steadfast in holiness as well, that You would give Your Son to me in certainty that hH is safe Who still is part of You, and
yet is mine, because He is my Self.”
Take a moment to reflect how much our Father loves us, and how dear His Son, created by His Love,
remains to Him. God’s Love is made complete in him.
Lesson 239
“The glory of my Father is my own.”
Do not let the truth about ourselves be hidden by a false humility. Be thankful for the gifts our Father has
given us. He loves His Son forever with a perfect constancy.
“We thank you, Father, for the light that shines forever in us. And we honor it, because You share it with us. We are
one, united in this light and one with You, at peace with all creation and ourselves.”
Lesson 240
“Fear is not justified in any form.”
Fear is deception. No matter what form anything appears in this world it is not true. It only reflects your
own illusions of yourself. There is no fear in us as we are the Sons of God, each a part of Love itself.
“How foolish are our fears! Would You allow Your Son to suffer? Give us faith today to recognize Your Son, and set
Him free. Let us forgive Him in Your Name, that we may understand His holiness, and feel the Love for Him which is Your
Own as well.”
What is the world?
The world is born of error and is of false perception. When we change the thought of separation for one of true
forgiveness, the world is seen in another light. This way leads to truth and all errors vanish. Fear is only the absence of
Love. Mistakes are only possible in illusions. Redirect your sight and hear the voice of God and let Him give you peace
and certainty. Give your perceptions a new purpose. Do not rest until the world changes its perception and forgiveness
has been made complete. We must save the world by beholding it through the eyes of Christ.
Lesson 241
“This holy instant is salvation come.”
Today is a time of joyous celebration. Sorrows pass away and pain is gone. The world is set free and the
glory of salvation dawns today. Countless millions are united now as You forgive them all. This is the time of hope.
“We have forgiven one another now, and so we come at last to You again. Father, Your Son who never left, returns
to Heaven and His home. How glad are we to have our sanity restored to us, and to remember that we all are one.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 76
Lesson 242
“This day is God’s. It is my gift to Him.”
I will not lead my life alone today. There is One Who Knows all that is best for me and is glad to make the
choices that lead to God. I give this day to Him.
“And so we give today to You. We come with wholly open minds. We do not ask for anything that we may think we
want. Give us what You would have received by us, You know all our desires and our wants, And You will give us
everything we need in helping us to find the way to You.”
Lesson 243
“Today I will judge nothing that occurs.”
I am honest with myself today. I am relieved of judgments that I cannot make by my small fraction of
perception. I free my sight and myself. I am in the peace as God created us.
”Father, today I leave creation free to be itself. I honor all its parts, in which I’m included. We are one because each
part contains Your memory, and truth must shine in all of us as one.”
Lesson 244
“I am in danger nowhere in the World.”
”Your Son is safe wherever He may be, for You are there with Him. He need but call upon Your Name, and he will
recollect His safety and Your Love, for they are one. How can He fear or doubt or fail to know he cannot suffer, be
endangered, or experience unhappiness, when He belongs to You, beloved and loving, in the safety of Your Fatherly
embrace?”
In God we are secure and no storms can come into the hallowed haven of our home. We are in truth and
nothing can threaten God Himself or any part of Him.
Lesson 245
“Your peace is with me, Father. I am safe.”
“Your peace surrounds me, Father. Where I go, Your peace goes there with me. It sheds its light on everyone I meet.
I bring it to the desolate and lonely and afraid. I give Your peace to those who suffer pain, or grieve for loss, or think they are
bereft of hope and happiness. Send them to me, my Father. Let me bring Your peace with me. For I would save Your Son, as
is Your Will, that I may come to recognize my Self.”
God has given us a message that we must share with the world. By doing this, the Voice of God will be
with us and will guide us along our way.
Lesson 246
“To love my Father is to love His Son.”
Hatred will never lead me to God. By loving God’s Son I will come to know His Father and my Self. My
Self is within the Father who loves me.
“I will accept the way You choose for me to come to You, my Father. For in that will I succeed, because it is Your Will.
And I would recognize that what You will is what I will as well, and only that. And so I choose to love Your Son. Amen.”
Lesson 247
“Without forgiveness I will still be blind.”
If I behold sin, I will suffer. If I forgive, Christ’s vision will come to me. His sight is the truth and is healing.
“So would I look on everyone today. My brothers are Your Sons. Your Fatherhood created them all to me as part of
You, and my own Self as well. Today I honor You through them, and thus I hope this day to recognize my Self.”
Lesson 248
“Whatever suffers is not part of me.”
Pain and suffering are but illusions in my mind. I renounce my ignorant self‐concepts about reality and
the Son of God. I am ready to accept the Son of God as He really is.
“Father, my ancient Love for You returns, and lets me Love Your Son again as well. Father, I am as You created me.
Now is Your Love remembered, and my own. Now do I understand that they are one.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 77
Lesson 249
“Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss.”
The suffering and loss in the world will be over when forgiveness rules. Anger will make no sense. Chaos and
attacks will come to an end and the world will be full of joy, generosity and great abundance. The world is now so
close to Heaven that soon it will transform completely and the journey that the Son of God started will come to an end.
“Father, we would return our minds to You. We have betrayed them, held them in a vise of bitterness, and
frightened them with thoughts of violence and death. Now would we rest again in You, as You created us.”
Lesson 250
“Let me not see myself as limited.”
I wish to behold the Son of God this day and witness His glory. I want to let His holy light shine and see
His strength continue. I do not want to perceive any weakness in Him that I might use to attack His sovereignty.
“He is Your Son, my Father. And today I would behold His gentleness instead of my illusions. He is what I am, and
as I see him so I see myself. Today I would see truly, that this day I may at last identify with Him.”
What is Sin? This is a section about a page long that expresses ideas of the destructiveness of sin and the
insanity that it really is. A short synopsis is as follows. Sin will drive your mind mad, and bring illusions to
replace truth. Sin tries to make you see unreal things as reality like the idea that time must have an end, or that
eternal life must die. Though the Son of God may forget for awhile that He is only a body and prey to evil and
guilt, His Father still shines on Him with everlasting Love that does not change. Remember what you truly are
and give up this game and come home.
Lesson 251
“I am in need of nothing but the truth.”
I have searched for other things and only found despair. Now I am looking for only one thing and it is all
I need or want. The things that I was searching for before, I did not need or want. I didn’t recognize what my real
need was. Now I see that I need truth alone. In truth all my needs are satisfied, my cravings end. I have
everything I need and want. I am finally at peace.
“And for that peace, our Father, we give thanks. What we denied ourselves You have restored, and only that is what
we really want.”
Lesson 252
“The Son of God is my identity.”
I am a holy being beyond what I have thought of before. My light is so pure and brighter than anything
my eyes have seen before. My Self is full of Love with no limits. It is the boundless Love of God. My Self is so far
beyond this world, but so near to God and I, at the same time.
“Father, You know my true Identity. Reveal It now to me who am Your Son, that I may waken to the truth in You,
and know that Heaven is restored to me.”
Lesson 253
“My Self is ruler of the universe.”
Everything that happens to me I have brought upon myself. I rule my destiny even in this world.
Whatever I desire I bring to myself. If I do not want something to happen, it does not occur. I must accept this.
Then I can go beyond this world to Heaven where my holy Self is.
“You are the Self Whom You created Son, creating like Yourself and one with You. My Self, Which rules the universe,
is but Your Will in perfect union with my own, which can but offer glad assent to Yours, that it may be extended to Itself.”
Lesson 254
“Let every voice but God’s be still in me.”
Father, today I would but hear Your Voice. In deepest silence I would come to You, to hear Your Voice and to receive
Your Word. I have no prayer but this: I come to You to ask You for the truth. And truth is but Your Will, which I would
share with You today.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 78
Today, we will not let our ego control how we speak or act. When thoughts of doing so occur we examine
them and let them go. We have no use for what they bring. We choose to release them. They are silent and still,
hallowed by His Love and He speaks to us about our will, now that we choose to remember Him.
Lesson 255
“This day I choose to spend in perfect peace.”
It is hard to see how my only choice is to be in peace today. But my God tells me that His Son is like
Himself. Let me have faith in Him today. Let the peace I choose to have today be a witness to the truth of what
He says. I have no cares and remain in the peace of Heaven forever because I am God’s Son.
“And so, my Father, would I pass this day with You. Your Son has not forgotten You. The peace You gave Him still
is in His mind, and it is there I choose to spend today.”
Lesson 256
“God is the only goal I have today.”
Forgiving here is the only way to God. If it were not for sin, we would not need to find the way to where
You are. No one would be uncertain or unsure of who he is. We forgive him today in whom all sin is impossible.
Our minds return to Him at last by way of forgiveness.
“And so, our Father, would we come to You in Your appointed way. We have no goal except to hear Your Voice, and
find the way Your sacred Word has pointed out to us.”
Lesson 257
“Let me remember what my purpose is.”
I am only confused when I forget my goal. If I am unsure of what I am I will feel conflicted with my
actions. You cannot serve two goals very well that contradict each other. This will cause distress and depression.
We must be focused on our goal today and unify our thoughts and actions in a meaningful way. Let us
accomplish what God wants us to do today.
“Father, forgiveness is Your chosen means for our salvation. Let us not forget today that we can have no will but
Yours. And thus our purpose must be Yours as well, if we would reach the peace You will for us.”
Lesson 258
“Let me remember that my goal is God.”
Our one need is to teach our minds to go past all the small petty aims so that we can remember that our
goal is God. We have His memory in our minds, hidden by these empty little goals that don’t even really exist.
“Our goal is but to follow in the way that leads to You. We have no goal but this. What could we want but to
remember You? What could we seek but our Identity?”
Lesson 259
“Let me remember that there is no sin.”
If we believe that sin is real then the goal of God seems unattainable. It is the only thing that can blind us
to the obvious. Sin is the only source of guilt and suffering, demanding that we are punished. Sin is the source of
fear, hiding the fact of God’s creation. It mingles Love with fear and attack.
“Father, I would not be insane today. I would not be afraid of love, nor seek for refuge in its opposite. For Love can
have no opposite. You are the Source of everything there is. And everything that is remains with You, and You with it.”
Lesson 260
“Let me remember God created me.”
“Father, I did not make myself, although in my insanity I thought I did. Yet, as Your Thought, I have not left my
Source, remaining part of Who created me. Your Son, my Father, calls on You today. Let me remember You created me. Let
me remember my Identity. And let sinlessness arise again before Christ’s vision, through which I would look upon my
brothers and myself today.”
When we remember our Source, we at last find our real Identity. We are holy because our Source does
not know any sin. We are His Sons and are all alike, and alike to Him as well.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 79
What is the Body? The body is a fence that the Son of God imagines He built to divide parts of Himself
from other parts. He thinks He lives within this fence and dies as it ages and falls. He thinks He is safe from Love
and identifies Himself with the safety it brings. The body is just a dream among many that sometimes seem to
feel happiness, but then become fearful. That is where dreams come from. Only Love creates truth, and fear
cannot be any part of that. We must change what we think the body is for, it is used to return to sanity. It has the
goal of Heaven instead of fencing us into hell. Identifying with Love will keep us safe and we will find ourselves.
Lesson 261
“God is my refuge and security.”
I choose to see myself as safe and secure, strong and shielded from attack. Today I will not look for
security in danger or peacefulness in attack. In God I find safety and strength and my identity. He is everlasting
peace and the only place that I remember Who I really am.
“Let me not seek for idols. I would come, my Father, home to You today. I choose to be as You created me, and find
the Son whom You created as my Self.”
Lesson 262
“Let me perceive no differences today.”
“Father, You have one Son. And it is He that I would look upon today. He is Your one creation. Why should I
perceive a thousand forms in what remains as one? Why should I give this one a thousand names, when only one suffices?
For Your Son must bear Your Name, for You created Him. Let me not see Him as a stranger to His Father, nor as stranger to
myself. For He is part of me and I of Him, and we are part of You Who are our Source, eternally united in Your Love;
eternally the holy Son of God.”
We are all one and we recognize this truth about ourselves today. We come home and rest together. Peace
is there and can be found nowhere else.
Lesson 263
“My holy vision sees all things as pure.”
Father, Your Mind created all that is, Your Spirit entered into it, Your Love gave life to it. And would I look upon what
You created as if it could be made sinful? I would not perceive such dark and fearful images. A madman’s dream is hardly fit to be
my choice, instead of all the loveliness with which You bless creation; all its purity, its joy and its eternal, quiet home in You.”
Though we are outside of Heaven, we should try to see all through holy vision. All appearances look pure
to us, passing them by in innocence and walking to our Father’s house together as family and the holy Sons of God.
Lesson 264
“I am surrounded by the Love of God.”
“Father, You stand before me and behind, beside me, in the place I see myself, and everywhere I go. You are in all the
things I look upon, the sounds I hear, and every hand that reaches for my own. In You time disappears, and place becomes a
meaningless belief. For what surrounds Your Son and keeps Him safe is Love Itself. There is no Source but This, and nothing is
that does not share Its holiness; that stands beyond Your one creation, or without the Love Which holds all things within Itself.
Father, Your Son is like Yourself. We come to You in Your Own Name today, to be at peace within Your everlasting Love.”
Let’s join together as brothers to accomplish this today. This prayer is of salvation. We will join in to save
the world along with ourselves.
Lesson 265
“Creation’s gentleness is all I see.”
I was deceived to think that what I feared was in the world instead of in my mind alone. There is no fear in
the world I see today. There is no appearance of my sins that obscure the light of Heaven that shines on the world.
The images I see reflect my thoughts. When my mind is one with God’s, I can perceive creation’s gentleness.
“In quiet would I look upon the world, which but reflects Your Thoughts, and mine as well. Let me remember that
they are the same, and I will see creation’s gentleness.”
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Lesson 266
“My holy Self abides in You, God’s Son.”
“Father, You gave me all Your sons, to be my saviors and my counselors in sight; the bearers of Your holy Voice to
me. In them are You reflected, and in them does Christ look back upon me from my Self. Let not Your Son forget His holy
Name. Let not Your Son forget His holy Source. Let not Your Son forget His name is Yours.”
United in the holy Love of God we acknowledge our Self in each of us. We call upon God’s name and
enter into paradise. We cannot lose the way to God when He has filled the world with those who point to Him.
Lesson 267
“My heart is beating in the peace of God.”
I am surrounded by all the life that God created in His Love. With the purpose of forgiveness, each
heartbeat fills my heart and floods my body with peace and infuses me with strength. My mind is healed. I am a
messenger of God and I am at home with Him.
“Let me attend Your answer, not my own. Father, my heart is beating in the peace the Heart of Love created. It is
there and only there that I can be at home.”
Lesson 268
“Let all things be exactly as they are.”
“Let me not be your critic, Lord, today, and judge against You. Let me not attempt to interfere with Your creation,
and distort it into sickly forms. Let me be willing to withdraw my wishes from its unity, and thus to let it be as You created
it. For thus will I be able, too, to recognize my Self as You created me. In Love was I created, and in Love will I remain
forever. What can frighten me, when I let all things be exactly as they are?”
Only reality is free of pain and loss. Do not let your sight be blasphemous today and do not let your ears
pay attention to lies. We only seek a completely safe reality today.
Lesson 269
“My sight goes forth to look upon Christ’s face.”
“I ask Your blessing on my sight today. It is the means which You have chosen to become the way to show me my
mistakes, and look beyond them. It is given me to find a new perception through the Guide You gave to me, and through His
lessons to surpass perception and return to truth. I ask for the illusion which transcends all those I made. Today I choose to
see a world forgiven, in which everyone shows me the face of Christ, and teaches me that what I look upon belongs to me; that
nothing is except Your holy Son.”
Our sight is blessed today. We share one vision as we look upon His face Whose Self is ours. We are one
because of Him Who is the Son of God and is our own Identity.
Lesson 270
“I will not use the body’s eyes today.”
“Father, Christ’s vision is Your gift to me, and it has the power to translate all that the body’s eyes behold into the
sight of a forgiven world. How glorious and gracious in His world! Yet how much more will I perceive in it than sight can
give. The world forgiven signifies Your Son acknowledges His Father (let His dreams be brought to truth) and waits
expectantly the one remaining instant more of time which ends forever, as Your memory returns to him. And now His Will
is one with Yours. His function now is but Your Own, and every thought except Your Own is gone.”
Peace will come to everyone today through the quiet that blesses our hearts. Through Christ’s sight we
offer healing to the world.
What is the Christ? Christ is God’s Son as He created Him. He is the Self we share and that unites us
together. Christ is the link that connects you with God and guarantees that hope forever abides in Him. Through
Him His Father grants salvation. Like His Father He knows no sin. Christ remains at peace within the heaven of
your holy mind. The Holy Spirit reaches from the Christ within you to all your dreams, and asks them to come to
Him, to be translated into truth.
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Lesson 271
“Christ’s is the vision I will use today.”
“Father, Christ’s vision is the way to You. What He beholds invites Your memory to be restored to me. And this I
choose to be what I would look upon today.”
In every moment I choose what I want to look upon, the sounds I want to hear and the witnesses that I
want to be the truth for me. Today I look upon what Christ would have me see. Christ’s sight redeems the world
from death.
Lesson 272
“How can illusions satisfy God’s Son?”
“Father, the truth belongs to me. My home is set in Heaven by Your Will and mine. Can dreams content me? Can
illusions bring me happiness? What but Your memory can satisfy Your Son? I will accept no less than You haven given me.
I am surrounded by Your Love, forever still, forever gentle and forever safe. God’s Son must be as You created him.”
Illusions are passed by today. Any temptation to linger in a dream is put aside. We are not content
choosing dreams when Heaven and Love happily replaces all fear.
Lesson 273
“The stillness of the peace of God is mine.”
We are ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. Such a day can be achieved when we tell our minds
the above statement. Nothing can intrude upon the peace that God has given His Son.
“Father, Your peace is mine. What need have I to fear that anything can rob me of what You would have me keep? I cannot
lose Your gifts to me. And so the peace You gave Your Son is with me still, in quietness and in my own eternal Love for You.”
Lesson 274
“Today belongs to Love. Let me not fear.”
”Father, today I would let all things be as You created them, and give Your Son the honor due his sinlessness; the
Love of brother to His brother and His friend. Through this I am redeemed. Through this as well the truth will enter where
illusions were, light will replace all darkness, and Your Son will know He is as You created Him.”
Our Father blesses us as we give this day to Him. There is no fear because the day is given unto Love.
Lesson 275
“God’s healing Voice protects all things today.”
God’s voice speaks an ancient lesson, just as true today as any other. Together we learn all things are
protected. In this healing we find the Voice of God.
“Your healing Voice protects all things today, and so I leave all things to You. I need be anxious over nothing. For
Your Voice will tell me what to do and where to go; to whom to speak and what to say to him, what thoughts to think, what
words to give the world. The safety that I bring is given me. Father, Your Voice protects all things through me.”
Lesson 276
“The Word of God is given me to speak.”
The Word of God states, “My Son is pure and holy as Myself.” Let us accept His Fatherhood, and all is
given to us. Just acknowledge Him Who gave us His Word in our creation.
“Father, Your Word is mine. And it is this that I would speak to all my brothers, who are given me to cherish as my
own, as I am loved and blessed and saved by You.”
Lesson 277
“Let me not bind Your Son with laws I made.”
“Your Son is free, my Father. Let me not imagine I have bound Him with the laws I made to rule the body. He is not
subject to any laws I made by which I try to make the body more secure. He is not changed by what is changeable. He is not
slave to any laws of time. He is as You created Him, because He knows no law except the law of love.”
Do not worship idols. The Son of God is only bound by His beliefs. He is free because He is His Father’s
Son.
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Lesson 278
“If I am bound, my Father is not free.”
If I accept that I am a prisoner within a body, then my Father is a prisoner with me. If I perceive sins are
real, I do not know my Father or my Self. This way I am lost to all reality. What is bound is not part of truth.
“Father I ask for nothing but the truth. I have had many foolish thoughts about myself and about creation, and have
brought a dream of fear into my mind. Today, I would not dream. I choose the way to You instead of madness and instead of
fear. For truth is safe, and only Love is sure.”
Lesson 279
“Creation’s freedom promises my own.”
I should not wait in chains when God is offering me freedom now. God’s Son is not abandoned by His
Love. He promised me the reality of the end of dreams with the truth in place.
“I will accept Your promises today, and give my faith to them. My Father loves the Son Whom He created as His
Own. Would You withhold the gifts You gave to me?”
Lesson 280
“What limits can I lay upon God’s Son?”
Whom God created limitless is free. No thought of God has left His Father’s mind. Thought of God is
forever pure and has no limits.
”Today let me give honor to Your Son, for thus alone I find the way to You. Father, I lay no limits on the Son You
Love and You created limitless. The honor that I give Him is Yours, and what is Yours belongs to me as well.”
What is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is a mediator between illusions and truth. It is His duty to bridge the gap between reality
and dreams. Across this bridge all dreams are carried to truth. The Holy Spirit is a guide for us to go beyond
ourselves to the realm of Eternal Truth. If you offer the means to Him, He will restore your mind to where it is
truly at home. The Holy Spirit is your Father’s gift of Love and Heaven restored to His Son. Accept His Will that
you be complete.
Lesson 281
“I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts.”
“Father, Your Son is perfect. When I think that I am hurt in any way, it is because I have forgotten who I am, and that
I am as You created me. Your Thoughts can only bring me happiness. If ever I am sad or hurt or ill, I have forgotten what You
think, and put my little meaningless ideas in place of where Your Thoughts belong, and where they are. I can be hurt by nothing
but my thoughts. The Thoughts I think with You can only bless. The Thoughts I think with You alone are true.
I am placed safely in Heaven with my Father watching over me. I would not attack the Son He loves. I
will not hurt myself today. I am far beyond all pain.
Lesson 282
“I will not be afraid of Love today.”
Realizing this today, salvation is reached for all the world. We decide not to be insane. Accept yourself as
God Himself. Be determined not to be asleep in dreams. Truth remains living in the joy of Love. Recognize this
choice in your Self Whom God created as the Son He loves.
“Father, Your Name is Love and so is mine. Such is the truth. And can the truth be changed by merely giving it
another name? The name of fear is simply a mistake. Let me not be afraid of truth today.”
Lesson 283
“My true Identity abides in You.”
“Father, I made an image of myself, and it is this I call the Son of God. Yet is creation as it always was, for Your
creation is unchangeable. Let me not worship idols. I am he who my Father loves. My holiness remains the light of Heaven
and the Love of God. Is not what is beloved of You secure? Is not the light of Heaven infinite? Is not Your Son my true
identity, when You created everything that is?”
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We are now one in shared identity. God, our Father is our only Source. We offer blessings to all things,
uniting lovingly with all the world, which our forgiveness has made one with us.
Lesson 284
“I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt.”
When properly perceived there is no loss and pain is impossible. I can elect to change all thoughts that
hurt. I go beyond these words and past all reservations and arrive at full acceptance to the truth in them.
“Father, what You have given cannot hurt, so grief and pain must be impossible. Let me not fail to trust in You
today, accepting but the joyous as Your gifts; accepting but the joyous as the truth.”
Lesson 285
“My holiness shines bright and clear today.”
I wake with joy today, expecting the happy things from God to come to me. I will only ask for joyous
things the instant I accept my holiness. There is no use my suffering, grief or loss would fulfill.
“Father, my holiness is Yours. Let me rejoice in it, and through forgiveness be restored to sanity. Your Son is still as
You created him. My holiness is part of me, and also part of You. And what can alter Holiness Itself?”
Lesson 286
“The hush of Heaven holds my heart today.”
“Father, how still today! How quietly do all things fall in place! This is the day that has been chosen as the time in
which I come to understand the lesson that there is no need that I do anything. In You is every choice already made. In You
has every conflict been resolved. In You is everything I hope to find already given me. Your peace is mine. My heart is quiet,
and my mind at rest. Your Love is Heaven, and Your Love is mine.”
The stillness of today gives us hope that we have found the way. We do not doubt the end which God
promised. We trust in Him and our Self.
Lesson 287
“You are my goal, my Father. Only You.”
Why would you rather live with fear than love? There is no better gift than the peace of God. Why
substitute happiness? Where would you go besides Heaven?
“You are my goal, my Father. What but You could I desire to have? What way but that which leads to You could I
desire to walk? And what except the memory of You could signify to me the end of dreams and futile substitutions for the
truth? You are my only goal. Your Son would be as You created him. What way but this could I expect to recognize my Self,
and be at one with my Identity.
Lesson 288
“Let me forget my brother’s past today.”
“This is the thought that leads the way to You, and brings me to my goal. I cannot come to You without my brother.
And to know my Source, I first must recognize what You created one with me. My brother’s is the hand that leads me on the
way to You. His sins are in the past along with mine, and I am saved because the past is gone. Let me not cherish it within
my heart, or I will lose the way to walk to You. My brother is my savior. Let me not attack the Savior You have given me.
But let me honor him who bears Your Name, and so remember that It is my own.”
Forgive today and behold your brother in the light of holiness. You are equal.
Lesson 289
“The past is over. It can touch me not.”
When you forgive the past, it is gone. Let the past be over in your mind.
“Father, let me not look upon a past that is not there. For You have offered me Your Own replacement, in a present
world the past has left untouched and free of sin. Here is the end of guilt. And here am I made ready for Your final step. Shall I
demand that You wait longer for Your Son to find the loveliness You planned to be the end of all His dreams and all His pain?”
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Lesson 290
“My present happiness is all I see.”
What I perceive without God’s Own Correction for the sight I made is frightening and painful. I do not
allow my mind to be deceived by believing the dream I made as real. My eyes begin to see Christ’s vision.
“With this resolve I come to You, and ask Your strength to hold me up today, while I but seek to do Your Will. You
cannot fail to hear me, Father. What I ask You have already given me. And I am sure that I will see my happiness today.”
What is the Real World? The real world stands for what is opposite to what you made your perception of
it. The real world can only be perceived through the eyes of forgiveness, where terror is impossible and there are
no witnesses to fear. The real world shows a world seen through quiet eyes and a peaceful mind. Only happy
sights and sounds can reach the mind that has forgiven itself. The real world symbolizes that the dream of sin and
guilt is over. God’s Son is awake and His eyes see the pure reflection of His Father’s Love. Time has no purpose
in the real world and disappears. It leaves the truth to be itself.
Lesson 291
“This is a day of stillness and of peace.”
Christ’s vision looks through me today. Through His sight I see all things forgiven and at peace. We see
and recognize the Holiness of God surrounding us.
“This day my mind is quiet, to receive the Thoughts You offer me. And I accept what comes from You, instead of
from myself. I do not know the way to You. But You are wholly certain. Father, guide Your Son along the quiet path that
leads to You. Let my forgiveness be complete, and let the memory of You return to me.”
Lesson 292
“A happy outcome to all things is sure.”
God’s promises make no exceptions. He also guarantees that only joy can be the final outcome for all
existence. It is up to us when this is reached.
“We thank you, Father, for Your guarantee of only happy outcomes in the end. Help us not interfere, and so delay
the happy endings You have promised us for every problem that we can perceive; for every trial we think we still must meet.”
Lesson 293
“All fear is past and only Love is here.”
The source of fear is gone, meaning all fear is past, along with all its thoughts. Love’s source is here
forever in the present. I perceive a world forgiven, shining in the reflection of Love’s holy light.
“Father, let not Your Holy world escape my sight today. Nor let my ears be deaf to all the hymns of gratitude the
world is singing underneath the sounds of fear. There is a real world which the present holds safe from all past mistakes. And
I would see only this world before my eyes today.”
Lesson 294
“My body is a wholly neutral thing.”
I am a son of God. A neutral thing does not see death. Thoughts of fear are not invested here.
“My body, Father, cannot be Your Son. And what is not created cannot be sinful nor sinless; neither good nor bad.
Let me, then, use this dream to help Your plan that we awaken from all dreams we made.”
Lesson 295
“The Holy Spirit looks through me today.”
As I am saved, the world is saved with me. Fear appears in different forms, but Love is one.
“My Father, Christ has asked a gift of me, and one I give that it be given me. Help me to use the eyes of Christ today,
and thus allow the Holy Spirit’s Love to bless all things which I may look upon, that His forgiving Love may rest on me.”
Lesson 296
“The Holy Spirit speaks through me today.”
“The Holy Spirit needs my voice today, that all the world may listen to Your Voice, and hear Your Word through
me. I am resolved to let You speak through me, for I would use no words but Yours, and have no thoughts which are apart
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from Yours, for only Yours are true. I would be Savior to the world I made. For having damned it I would set it free, that I
may find escape, and hear the Word Your holy Voice will speak to me today.”
Today we will only teach what we can also learn from. There will be no conflict in our goal of learning. It
is in easy reach and will be accomplished speedily. The Holy Spirit gladly saves us from this world when we use
ourselves as a tool for His teachings to come to the world so we may all find the simple path to God.
Lesson 297
“Forgiveness is the only gift I give.”
Forgiveness is the only gift I wish to receive, and therefore give. When I give something, I also give it to
myself. This is the simple formula of salvation. The world is saved with me when I accept Atonement for myself.
“Father, how certain are Your ways; how sure their final outcome, and how faithfully is every step in my salvation
set already, and accomplished by Your grace. Thanks be to You for Your eternal gifts, and thanks to You for my Identity.”
Lesson 298
“I love you, Father, and I love Your Son.”
My Love is accepted without fear because of my gratitude. This is what finally restores me to my Reality.
Forgiveness removes all intrusions from my holy sight. I am near the end of fruitless searches, longings and
artificial things. I will be saved by what God establishes as mine. I go through fear to meet my Love.
“Father, I come to You today, because I would not follow any way but Yours. You are beside me. Certain is Your
way. And I am grateful for Your holy gifts of certain sanctuary, and escape from everything that would obscure my Love for
God my Father and His holy Son.”
Lesson 299
“Eternal holiness abides in me.”
It is beyond my understanding to comprehend my holiness. God acknowledges it as His holiness. We
understand it together and with our Will we know that it is so.
“Father, my holiness is not of me. It is not mine to be destroyed by sin. It is not mine to suffer from attack. Illusions
can obscure it, but cannot put out its radiance, nor dim its light. It stands forever perfect and untouched. In it are all things
healed, for they remain as You created them. And I can know my holiness. For Holiness Itself created me, and I can know my
Source because it is Your Will that You be known.”
Lesson 300
“Only an instant does this world endure.”
No false perception can keep us in its hold, it is less than a passing storm on an eternally serene blue sky.
Today, we seek this calm and peace, in its certainty.
“We seek Your holy world today. For we, Your loving Sons, have lost our way a while. But we have listened to Your
Voice, and learned exactly what to do to be restored to Heaven and our true Identity. And we give thanks today the
world endures but for an instant. We would go beyond that tiny instant to eternity.”
What is the Second Coming?
This section explains how it is certain that Christ will come again to correct mistakes and return sanity to
the world. It will be the opportunity to hear God’s Word instead of illusion and forgive all things. Let forgiveness
lead the way, blanketing everything. The Second Coming ends the lessons from the Holy Spirit, making way for
the Last Judgment. All minds will be given to the hands of Christ and returned to Spirit.
Lesson 301
“And God Himself shall wipe away all tears.”
“Father, unless I judge I cannot weep. Nor can I suffer pain, or feel I am abandoned or unneeded in the world. This
is my home because I judge it not, and therefore is it only what You will. Let me today behold it uncondemned, through
happy eyes forgiveness has released from all distortion. Let me see Your world instead of mine. And all tears I shed will be
forgotten, for their source is gone. Father, I will not judge Your world today.”
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When one looks on God’s happy world their joy is added to it and it is a cause of further joy in them.
When we did not understand we cried in sadness, but we now know what we saw was illusion and we look on
God’s world today.
Lesson 302
“Where darkness was I look upon the light.”
“Father, our eyes are opening at last. Your holy world awaits us, as our sight is finally restored and we can see. We
thought we suffered. But we had forgot the Son whom You created. Now we see that darkness is our own imagining, and
light is there for us to look upon. Christ’s vision changes darkness into light, for fear must disappear when Love has come. Let
me forgive Your holy world today, that I may look upon its holiness and understand it but reflects my own.”
His Love is awaiting us as we go to Him and it shows us the way. He does not ever fail, He is the end we
are working toward, and He is the tool we use to get to Him.
Lesson 303
“The holy Christ is born in me today.”
Angels will come to me to see God’s holy Thoughts surround me. They will be still with me as Heaven’s
Son is born. This world’s noises and sights will disappear and Christ is welcomed where He is at home. He is not
a stranger here today as He is born again in me now.
“Your Son is welcome, Father. He has come to save me from the evil self I made. He is the Self That You have given
me. He is but what I really am in truth. He is the Son You love above all things. He is my Self as You created me. It is not
Christ That can be crucified. Safe in Your Arms let me receive Your Son.”
Lesson 304
“Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.”
If I let my world intrude upon me then my holy sight will be obscured. I must use Christ’s holy vision to see
what He looks upon. What I am looking at is only my state of mind reflected outward. If I look upon the world
through the eyes of Christ then I am blessing it. All my sins will be forgiven as I look upon the certain signs.
“You lead me from the darkness to the light; from sin to holiness. Let me forgive, and thus receive salvation for the
world. It is Your gift, my Father, given me to offer to Your holy Son, that He may find again the memory of You, and of Your
Son as You created Him.”
Lesson 305
“There is a peace that Christ bestows on us.”
If one uses Christ’s vision they will find a peace that cannot be disturbed or found anywhere in this
world. The world fades away as this peace envelops it and brings it to truth, no longer in fear. The world is
healed with Love because it is given Christ’s peace.
“Father, the peace of Christ is given us, because it is Your Will that we be saved. Help us today but to accept Your gift. And
judge it not. For it has come to us to save us from our judgment on ourselves.”
Lesson 306
“The gift of Christ is all I seek today.”
I will use Christ’s vision today because it offers me a day that I see like Heaven. It evokes an ancient
memory in me. I will forget the world I made and today I can go past fear and return to Love, holiness and peace.
I am redeemed and reborn into a world of mercy, Love and the peace of God.
“And so, our Father, we return to You, remembering we never went away; remembering Your holy gifts to us. In
gratitude and thankfulness we come, with empty hands and open hearts and minds, asking but what You give. We cannot
make an offering sufficient for Your Son. But in Your Love the gift of Christ is His.”
Lesson 307
“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.”
“Father, Your Will is mine, and only that. There is no other will for me to have. Let me not try to make another will,
for it is senseless and will cause me pain. Your Will alone can bring me happiness, and only Yours exists. If I would have
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what only You can give, I must accept Your Will for me, and enter into peace where conflict is impossible, Your Son is one
with You in being and in will, and nothing contradicts the holy truth that remains as You created me.”
With this prayer we enter the state where conflict cannot come. As we join our holy will with God’s, we
recognize that they are the same will.
Lesson 308
“This instant is the only time there is.”
I think of time in a way that defeats my aim. I must change my perception of what time is if I want to
reach past it into timelessness. Its purpose is not to keep past and future one. This is the interval where I can be
saved from time. Forgiveness has come to set me free. The birth of Christ is right now, without any past or future.
He is giving His blessing to the world to restore it to timelessness and Love. Love is ever‐present in this instant.
“Thanks for this instant, Father. It is now I am redeemed. This instant is the time You have appointed for Your
Son’s release, and for salvation of the world in Him.”
Lesson 309
“I will not fear to look within today.”
It is God’s Will that Eternal Innocence is within me and it will be there forever. My will is limitless like
God’s and cannot will any change in this. Denying my Father’s Will is to deny my own. When I look within I find
my will, as it is and how God created it. If I fear to look, it is because I think I have made another will that is false
and made it real. It has no effects because within me is the holiness of God. The memory of Him is inside me.
“The step I take today, my Father, is my sure release from idle dreams of sin. Your altar stands serene and undefiled.
It is the holy altar to my Self, and there I find my true Identity.”
Lesson 310
“In fearlessness and Love I spend today.”
“This day, my Father, would I spend with You, as You have chosen all my days should be. And what I will
experience is not of time at all. The joy that comes to me is not of days nor hours, for it comes from Heaven to Your Son. This
day will be Your sweet reminder to remember You, Your gracious calling to Your holy Son, the sign Your grace has come to
me, and that it is Your Will I be set free today.”
You and I spend today together and the world joins in song with us about our gratitude and joy to Him
because He saved us and set us free. We are at peace and restored in our holiness. Fear has no place here
today, we have now welcomed Love into our hearts.
What is the Last Judgment?
The Final Judgment on the world will not have any condemning because it sees the world as forgiven. It
has no cause and no function in Christ’s sight, so it slips away into nothingness, ending where it began. Our
bodies will fade away. God’s Judgment is only a correction that He bestows on all your errors, freeing you from
them and all the effect they seemed to have. You do not need to fear this, it is only God’s saving grace come to
release you from suffering. It returns you to peace, safety and happiness. It connects you to your own Identity.
Love is the one thing that can heal pain and sadness and dry tears, gently awakening you from this
dream. Welcome salvation to set the world free. God’s final judgment is: “You are still My holy Son, forever
innocent, forever loving and forever loved, as limitless as your Creator, and completely changeless and forever
pure. Therefore awaken and return to Me. I am Your Father and you are My Son.”
Lesson 311
“I judge all things as I would have them be.”
Judgment is used as a weapon against truth and separates what it is being used against, as if it is apart
from it. Then it makes it what you want. Judging what it cannot understand, because it doesn’t see the whole
picture. We will not use it and instead give it to Him. He has a different use for it, relieving us of the weight of all
the judgments we have made on ourselves. This will bring back peace of mind.
“Father, we wait with an open mind today, to hear Your Judgment of the Son You love. We do not know Him, and
we cannot judge. And so we let Your Love decide what He whom You created as Your Son must be.”
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Lesson 312
“I see all things as I would have them be.”
We see things in a certain way because we have judged them. We see what we want to see. The world
will see that a person has taken on the purpose to see the Holy Spirit. He can only see what Christ wants him to
see and he will share the Love with Christ of what he sees.
“I have no purpose for today except to look upon a liberated world, set free from all the judgments I have made.
Father, this is Your Will for me today, and therefore it must be my goal as well.”
Lesson 313
“Now let a new perception come to me.”
“Father, there is a vision which beholds all things as sinless, so that fear has gone, and where it was is Love invited
in. And Love will come wherever it is asked. This vision is Your gift. The eyes of Christ look on a world forgiven. In His sight
are all its sins forgiven, for He sees no sin in anything He looks upon. Now let His true perception come to me, that I may
waken from the dream of sin and look within upon my sinlessness, which You have kept completely undefiled upon the altar
to Your holy Son, the Self with Which I would identify.”
Today we look at each other through the eyes of Christ. We see our beauty and how holy and loving we
are. Join in today and save the world together. The world is as holy as the light within us and when we look at it
together it becomes so.
Lesson 314
“I seek a future different from the past.”
If you see the world in a new way the future becomes something very different from the past. It reflects
only the present and past mistakes do not have any bearing on it. Fear has no effect and death does not have a
place in the future either. The present has been freed and there is no suffering because it is secure and filled with
joy, its goal is life now.
“Father, we were mistaken in the past, and choose to use the present to be free. Now do we leave the future in Your Hands,
leaving behind our past mistakes, and sure that You will keep Your present promises, and guide the future in their holy light.”
Lesson 315
“All gifts my brothers give belong to me.”
Each moment brings a treasure. These gifts are a blessing with greater value than anything else. When I
see others exchanging smiles my heart feels happy. When someone says a kind word or shows mercy, it is a gift
that my mind can also receive and take as its own. Every person who finds God is saving me and helping me find
my way, showing me that what he knows is mine to know as well.
“I thank You, Father, for the many gifts that come to me today and every day from every Son of God. My brothers
are unlimited in all their gifts to me. Now may I offer them my thankfulness, that gratitude to them may lead me on to my
Creator and His memory.”
Lesson 316
“All gifts I give my brothers are my own.”
Just like the gift others give is mine, every gift I give belongs to me. Each time I give, a past mistake is let
go and leaves the holy mind my Father loves. Every gift my brother has given throughout time is given to me as
well as His grace. I am at home among these gifts and treasures that God has given me.
“Father, I would accept Your gifts today. I do not recognize them. Yet I trust that You Who gave them will provide
the means by which I can behold them, see their worth, and cherish only them as what I want.”
Lesson 317
“I follow in the way appointed me.”
There is a special role only I must fill. When I choose to take this part then salvation will come. If I do not
take this on then I remain trapped within time and human destiny. When I go along with my Father’s plan I will
see that salvation is already here, for my brothers and myself.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 89
“Father, Your way is what I choose today. Where it would lead me do I choose to go; what it would have me do I choose to
do. Your way is certain, and the end secure. The memory of You awaits me there. And all my sorrows end in Your embrace, which
You have promised to Your Son, who thought mistakenly that He had wandered from the sure protection of Your loving Arms.”
Lesson 318
“In me salvation’s means and end are one.”
I am the fulfiller of God’s plan to save the world. I have only one aim. I am the means of salvation and
sinlessness because God has placed that in me. I am the goal that we search for. I am God’s Son and eternal Love.
“Let me today, my Father, take the role You offer me in Your request that I accept Atonement for myself. For thus
does what is thereby reconciled in me become as surely reconciled to You.”
Lesson 319
“I came for the salvation of the world.”
This thought is filled only with truth and void of arrogance. Arrogance can only be against truth. The
moment arrogance is gone the truth will come and take its place in the ego where the lies used to be. The ego is so
limited and can only seek things that are also limited. The ego assumes that when it gains something, it was taken
from all, but it is God’s Will that when one gains something, it is given to everyone.
“Father, Your Will is total. And the goal which stems from it shares its totality. What aim but the salvation of the
World could You have given me? And what but this could be the Will my Self has shared with You?”
Lesson 320
“My Father gives all power unto me.”
Being limitless the Son of God has no end of strength, peace, joy, and all the things that His Father gave
him when He created Him. What they will, must be done. Christ’s Holy Will cannot be denied, this is because His
Father lights up his mind, and offers all the strength and Love in earth and Heaven. It is to me that all this is
given, the power of my Father’s will is inside me.
“Your Will can do all things in me, and then extend to all the world as well through me. There is no limit on Your
Will. And so all power has been given to Your Son.”
What is Creation? Creation is from the infinite number of God’s Thoughts and is everywhere, without
limit. Love is the only thing that creates, only creating that which is like itself. There is no time that creation was
not here. There will never be a time when creation suffers any loss. God’s Thoughts are exactly as they were and
always will be forever. Creation is only truth and therefore the opposite of any illusion. It is complete oneness
and is forever safe within His holy Will, with no possibility of harm or imperfection.
We are the Sons of God, we are creation and for this time we are unaware of our eternal Self. God’s
memory is still in the back of our minds and it is there that we know our oneness and unity with our Creator. We
need to return to this memory and let God’s Will be done, returning the world to sanity. Hear the call of our
Father, forgiving creation in the Name of its Creator.
Lesson 321
“Father, my freedom is in You alone.”
“I did not understand what made me free, nor what my freedom is, nor where to look to find it. Father, I have
searched in vain until I heard Your Voice directing me. Now I would guide myself no more. For I have neither made nor
understood the way to find my freedom. But I trust in You. You Who endowed me with my freedom as Your holy Son will
not be lost to me. Your Voice directs me, and the way to You is opening and clear to me at last. Father, my freedom is in You
alone. Father, it is my will that I return.”
Today we answer for the world, which will be freed along with us. How glad are we to find our freedom
through the certain way our Father has established. And how sure is all the world’s salvation, when we learn our
freedom can be found in God alone.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 90
Lesson 322
“I can give up but what was never real.”
I only give up illusions, and as they go the gifts they had hidden are revealed and welcoming me with
God’s ancient messages. His memory is within each gift that He gives me. The dreams only hide the Self Which is
God’s only Son. God is within us.
“Father, to You all sacrifice remains forever inconceivable. And so I cannot sacrifice except in dreams. As You
created me, I can give up nothing You gave me. What You did not give has no reality. What loss can I anticipate except the
loss of fear, and the return of Love into my mind?”
Lesson 323
“I gladly make the ‘sacrifice’ of fear.”
“Here is the only ‘sacrifice’ You ask of Your beloved Son; You ask Him to give up all suffering, all sense of loss and
sadness, all anxiety and doubt, and freely let Your Love come streaming in to His awareness, healing Him of pain, and
giving him Your Own eternal joy. Such is the ‘sacrifice’ You ask of me, and one I gladly make; the only ‘cost’ of restoration of
Your memory to me, for the salvation of the world.”
This debt that we pay to truth is just letting go of deception within ourselves as well as illusions that we
wrongly worshipped. This truth is brought to us in wholeness and joy. There are no more lies and Love returns to
our reality along with great peace. Fear is no longer here and only Love remains.
Lesson 324
“I merely follow, for I would not lead.”
“Father, You are the One Who gave the plan for my salvation to me. You have set the way I am to go, the role to
take, and every step in my appointed path. I cannot lose the way. I can but choose to wander off a while, and then return.
Your loving Voice will always call me back, and guide my feet aright. My brothers all can follow in the way I lead them. Yet I
merely follow in the way to You, as You direct me and would have me go.”
We will follow the One Who knows the way. We do not wait or stray from His guidance unless it is for only
an instant. We are following Him together and He makes the end goal sure, guaranteeing our safe return home.
Lesson 325
“All things I think I see reflect ideas.”
The keynote of salvation is what you see mirrors a process in your mind, starting with the idea of what
you want. The mind then makes up an image of what it wants and seeks it out. These things become projected
outward and seen as real, guarded as though they belong to you. If you have insane wishes, you create an insane
world and if you judge, you create a condemned world. From forgiving thoughts there comes a gentle world
filled with mercy for the holy Son of God. This offers Him a safe home where He can be replenished before He
continues on to help His brothers go ahead of Him, finding the way to Heaven and God.
“Our Father, Your ideas reflect the truth, and mine apart from Yours but make up dreams. Let me behold what only
Yours reflect, for Yours and Yours alone establish truth.”
Lesson 326
“I am forever an Effect of God.”
“Father, I was created in Your Mind, a holy Thought that never left Its home. I am forever Your Effect, and You
forever and forever are my Cause. As You created me I have remained. Where You established me I still abide. And all Your
attributes abide in me, because it is Your Will to have a Son so like his Cause that Cause and Its Effect are indistinguishable.
Let me know that I am an Effect of God, and so I have the power to create like You. And as it is in Heaven, so on earth. Your
plan I follow here, and at the end I know that You will gather Your effects into the tranquil Heaven of Your Love, where earth
will vanish, and all separate thoughts unite in glory as the Son of God.”
Today, we see earth fall away, transformed and then fully forgiven, it fades entirely into God’s holy Will.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 91
Lesson 327
“I need but call and You will answer me.”
We take salvation only on supported faith. God has promised to answer our calls Himself. Look to your
experiences that this has been true and know that faith in Him will come. This faith will be solid and enduring,
taking me farther and farther down my path to Him. Know that He will not abandon you and loves you always.
He is only waiting for your call and He will help you as much as you need to bring you to Him.
“Father, I thank You that Your promises will never fail in my experience, if I but test them out. Let me attempt
therefore to try them, and to judge them not. Your Word is one with You. You give the means whereby conviction comes, and
surety of Your abiding Love is gained at last.”
Lesson 328
“I choose the second place to gain the first.”
What we perceived second is actually first, because we don’t see things clearly until we hear the Voice of
God. Our striving to be separate has led us into sickness and suffering. We must return to our Father’s Will and
let that become our will.
“There is no will but Yours. And I am glad that nothing I imagine contradicts what You would have me be. It is
Your Will that I be wholly safe, eternally at peace. And happily I share that Will which You, my Father, gave as part of me.”
Lesson 329
“I have already chosen what You will.”
“Father, I thought I wandered from Your Will, defied it, broke its laws, and interposed a second will more powerful
than Yours. Yet what I am in truth is but Your Will, extended and extending. This am I, and this will never change. As You
are One, so am I one with You. And this I chose in my creation, where my will became forever one with Yours. That choice
was made for all eternity. It cannot change, and be in opposition to itself. Father, my will is Yours. And I am safe, untroubled
and serene, in endless joy, because it is Your Will that it be so.”
We are all one because God’s Will is within all of us. Let us accept our union with this Will and through it
find our way back home in God.
Lesson 330
“I will not hurt myself again today.”
Today let us focus on forgiveness. Why should we tell ourselves we are powerless? We are connected to
the power of God, if we would be but willing to receive His gifts. By accepting these gifts we become free and full
of joy. If we identify with Him, Who is within Us as the Self, we cannot suffer or sin. Thus, we will escape all the
things the dream of fear has to offer.
“Father, Your Son can not be hurt. And if we think we suffer, we but fail to know our one Identity we share with You.
We would return to It today, to be made free forever from all our mistakes, and to be saved from what we thought we were.”
What is the ego?
The ego is the sign of the separated self, which is destined to end in death. It sees its will as higher than
that of God, which can only led to fear and insanity. The ego thinks it is victor over God, and believes the Will of
God no longer applies. Yet, it is full of terrible dreams and fear of being attacked. To become a true Son of God we
must become egoless. When we are egoless we abide in God’s presence, and no longer experience madness,
suffering, and death. Instead we are surrounded in everlasting peace, deep silence, and tranquility. To know
reality we must let go of all the patterns the ego has created. These patterns lead to darkness. Yet, through
forgiveness the darkness will be changed into light, and peace will be restored within us.
Lesson 331
“There is no conflict, for my will is Yours.”
“How foolish, Father, to believe Your Son could cause Himself to suffer! Could He make a plan for His damnation,
and be left without a certain way to His release? You love me, Father. You could never leave me desolate, to die within a
world of pain and cruelty. How could I think that Love has left Itself? There is no will except the Will of Love. Fear is a
dream, and has no will that can conflict with Yours. Conflict is sleep, and peace awakening. Death is illusion: life, eternal
truth. There is no opposition to Your Will. There is no conflict, for my will is Yours.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 92
God’s Will is one, and shared by all of us. We can realize this through forgiveness. Let us embrace this
forgiveness that we find the peace of God. Amen.
Lesson 332
“Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free.”
The ego creates darkness and illusion. Truth shines its light and transforms the ego, awakening it to the
real. Forgiveness invites truth in that it may take its rightful place in the mind. The mind is in chains until it is
released through forgiveness. Forgiveness also brings hope and the means of realizing freedom.
“We would not bind the world again today. Fear holds it prisoner. And yet Your Love has given us the means to set
it free. Father, we would release it now. For as we offer freedom, it is given us. And we would not remain as prisoners, while
You are holding freedom out to us.”
Lesson 333
“Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here.”
Conflict must be dealt with. We cannot hide from it and hope to escape it. It must be resolved by seeing it
for what it truly is. Only then will the light of truth shine through it and transform it.
“Father, forgiveness is the light You chose to shine away all conflict and all doubt, and light the way for our return
to You. No light but this can end our evil dream. No light but this can save the world. For this alone will never fail in
anything, being Your gift to Your beloved Son.”
Lesson 334
“Today I claim the gifts forgiveness gives.”
Today I will claim the gifts my Father offers me. Let me no longer accept the meager gifts of illusion.
Today I choose to follow God’s voice, which offers peace to all.
“I seek but the eternal. For Your Son can be content with nothing less than this. What, then, can be his solace but
what You are offering to his bewildered mind and frightened heart, to give Him certainty and bring Him peace? Today I
would behold my brother sinless. This Your Will for me, for so will I behold my sinlessness.”
Lesson 335
“I choose to see my brother’s sinlessness.”
By seeing my brother’s sinlessness I witness Him in His holy light. I choose to only see this, for this is the
truth, which is within me as well.
“What could restore Your memory to me, except to see my brother’s sinlessness? His holiness reminds me that He
was created one with me, and like myself. In Him I find my Self, and in Your Son I find the memory of You as well.”
Lesson 336
“Forgiveness lets me know that minds are joined.”
Forgiveness cleanses away distortions in the mind and reveals the altar of truth. It beckons us to look
within and search there for what we had previously sought without. Within us is the dwelling place of God, and
it is here and only here that we can find true peace of mind.
“In quiet may forgiveness wipe away my dreams of separation and of sin. Then let me, Father, look within, and find Your
promise of my sinlessness is kept: Your Word remains unchanged within my mind, Your Love is still abiding in my heart.”
Lesson 337
“My sinlessness protects me from all harm.”
My sinlessness ensures deliverance from suffering and that only happiness can remain. I must accept
God’s Love and know that He is taking care of me. He loves me because I am His Son.
“You Who created me in sinlessness are not mistaken about what I am. I was mistaken when I thought I sinned, but
I accept Atonement for myself. Father, my dream is ended now. Amen.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 93
Lesson 338
“I am affected only by my thoughts.”
No one can harm or endanger me. Only my thoughts can cause me harm or frighten me. I am the one
who crucified myself. But I have the power to change my thoughts of fear and replace them with thoughts of
happiness. God has planned that I will be redeemed.
Your plan is sure, my Father—only Yours. All other plans will fail. And I will have thoughts that will frighten me,
until I learn that You have given me the only Thought that leads me to salvation. Mine alone will fail, and lead me nowhere.
But the Thought You gave me promises to lead me home, because it holds Your promise to Your Son.”
Lesson 339
“I will receive whatever I request.”
Everyone desires happiness. Yet, some believe happiness to be pain or pain to be happiness. In this way
we become confused about what we truly want. Let us no longer confuse the true meaning of happiness and
resolve to ask for it in our lives.
“Father, this is Your day. It is a day in which I would do nothing by myself, but hear Your Voice in everything I do;
requesting only what You offer me, accepting only Thoughts You share with me.”
Lesson 340
“I can be free of suffering today.”
“Father, I thank You for today, and for the freedom I am certain it will bring. This day is holy, for today Your Son
will be redeemed. His suffering is done. For He will hear Your voice directing Him to find Christ’s vision through
forgiveness, and be free forever from all suffering. Thanks for today, my Father. I was born into this world but to achieve this
day, and what it holds in joy and freedom for Your holy Son and for the world He made, which is released along with Him
today.”
Today be full of joy, for Our Father has redeemed His Son. There will be none left in fear, for the Father
will gather them all unto Himself and awaken them in the Heart of Love.
What is a Miracle? A miracle is a new point of view that allows for correction. It paves the way for the
release of fear and the returning of Love’s awakening. A miracle is the receiving of grace. It reveals the truth and
allows perception to be restored to wholeness. Forgiveness opens us to miracles. Christ freely gives forgiveness to
all He looks upon, and through it our perception is corrected. To ask for a miracle is to rely on faith. A miracle
will justify one’s faith, and show that faith rests on a world more real than what was previously known. Miracles
bring healing water to a thirsty world. Now the world is alive and is shown that what has life has immortality.
Lesson 341
“I can attack but my own sinlessness, and it is only that which keeps me safe.”
“Father, Your Son is holy. I am He on whom You smile in Love and tenderness so dear and deep and still the
universe smiles back on You, and shares Your Holiness. How pure, how safe, how holy, then, are we, abiding in Your Smile,
with all Your Love bestowed upon us, living one with You, in brotherhood and Fatherhood complete; in sinlessness so perfect
that the Lord of Sinlessness conceives us as His Son, a universe of Thought completing Him.”
Sinlessness contains the Word of God. Therefore, let us not attack it. In it we are saved.
Lesson 342
“I let forgiveness rest upon all things, for thus forgiveness will be given me.”
“I thank You, Father, for Your plan to save me from the hell I made. It is not real. And You have given me the
means to prove its unreality to me. The key is in my hand, and I have reached the door beyond which lies the end of dreams. I
stand before the gate of Heaven, wondering if I should enter in and be at home. Let me not wait again today. Let me forgive
all things, and let creation be as You would have it be and as it is. Let me remember that I am Your Son, and opening the
door at last, forget illusions in the blazing light of truth, as memory of You returns to me.”
Brother, let us forgive each other and go to our home in God together. As we go, the world shall come as well.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 94
Lesson 343
“I am not asked to make a sacrifice to find the mercy and the peace of God.”
“The end of suffering can not be loss. The gift of everything can be but gain. You only give. You never take away.
And You created me to be like You, so sacrifice becomes impossible for me as well as You. I, too, must give. And so all things
are given unto me forever and forever. As I was created I remain. Your Son can make no sacrifice, for he must be complete,
having the function of completing You. I am complete because I am Your Son. I cannot lose, for I can only give, and
everything is mine eternally.”
Salvation, mercy, and peace all have no cost. It is a gift that has been freely received and so must be freely given.
Lesson 344
“Today I learn the law of love; that what I give my brother is my gift to me.”
“This is Your Law, my Father, not my own. I have not understood what giving means, and thought to save what I
desired for myself alone. And as I looked upon the treasure that I thought I had, I found an empty place where nothing ever
was or will be. Who can share a dream? And what can an illusion offer me? Yet he whom I forgive will give me gifts beyond
the worth of anything on earth. Let my forgiven brothers fill my store with Heaven’s treasures, which alone are real. Thus is
the Law of Love fulfilled. And thus Your Son arises and returns to You.”
We are so near to one another as we move closer to God. God is so close to us. The ending of the dream of
sin and the redemption of the Son of God is so near.
Lesson 345
“I offer only miracles today, for I would have them be returned to me.”
“Father, a miracle reflects Your gifts to me, Your Son. And every one I give returns to me, reminding me the law of
Love is universal. Even here, it takes a form which can be recognized and seen to work. The miracles I give are given back in
just the form I need to help me with the problems I perceive. Father, in Heaven it is different, for there, there are no needs.
But here on Earth, the miracle is closer to Your gifts than any other gift that I can give. Then let me give this gift alone today,
which, born of true forgiveness, lights the way that I must travel to remember You.”
Peace to all beings today. The light is here to bless this world. It will find expression for we will share
what we have received.
Lesson 346
“Today the peace of God envelops me, and I forget all things except His Love.”
“Father, I wake today with miracles correcting my perception of all things. And so begins the day I share with You
as I will share eternity, for time has stepped aside today. I do not seek the things of time, and so I will not look upon them.
What I seek today transcends all laws of time and things perceived in time. I would forget all things except Your Love. I
would abide in You, and know no laws except Your Law of Love. And I would find the peace which You created for Your
Son, forgetting all the foolish toys I made as I behold Your glory and my own.”
When evening comes we will remember only the peace of God. Let us forget all things except God’s Love.
Lesson 347
“Anger must come from judgment. Judgment is the weapon I would use against myself, to keep the miracle
away from me.”
“Father, I want what goes against my will, and do not want what is my will to have. Straighten my mind, my Father.
It is sick. But You have offered freedom, and I choose to claim Your gift today. And so I give all judgment to the One You gave
to me to judge for me. He sees what I behold, and yet He knows the truth. He looks on pain, and yet He understands it is not
real, and in His understanding it is healed. He gives the miracles my dreams would hide from my awareness. Let Him judge
today. I do not know my will, but He is sure it is Your Own. And He will speak for me, and call Your miracles to come to me.”
Be very still and listen to the gentle Voice of God. Today you have been judged as the Son He Loves.
Lesson 348
“I have no cause for anger or for fear, for You surround me. And in every need that I perceive, Your grace
suffices me.”
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 95
“Father, let me remember You are here, and I am not alone. Surrounding me is everlasting Love. I have no cause for
anything except the perfect peace and joy I share with You. What need have I for anger or for fear? Surrounding me is perfect
safety. Can I be afraid, when Your eternal promise goes with me? Surrounding me is perfect sinlessness. What can I fear,
when You created me in holiness as perfect as Your Own?”
In everything that God would have us do, His grace is with us. And in everything we chose as our will as
well as His.
Lesson 349
“Today I let Christ’s vision look upon all things for me and judge them not, but give each one a miracle of
Love instead.”
“So would I liberate all things I see, and give to them the freedom that I seek. For thus do I obey the Law of Love, and give
what I would find and make my own. It will be given me, because I have chosen it as the gift I want to give. Father, Your gifts are
mine. Each one that I accept gives me a miracle to give. And giving as I would receive, I learn Your healing miracles belong to me.”
God knows all our needs and gives us grace to meet them. Let us trust in Him to send miracles to bless
the world and heal our minds.
Lesson 350
”Miracles mirror God’s eternal Love. To offer them is to remember Him, and through His memory to save the
world.”
“What we forgive becomes a part of us, as we perceive ourselves. The Son of God incorporates all things within
Himself as You created Him. Your memory depends on His forgiveness. What He is, is unaffected by His thoughts. But what
He looks upon is their direct result. Therefore, my Father, I would turn to You. Only Your memory will set me free. And
only my forgiveness teaches me to let Your memory return to me, and give it to the world in thankfulness.”
Let us be grateful for the miracles we have received from Him. As we remember Him, His Son will be
restored in the reality of Love.
What am I?
“I am God’s Son, complete and healed and whole, shining in the reflection of His Love. In me is His Creation
sanctified and guaranteed eternal life. In me is Love perfected, fear impossible, and joy established without opposite. I am the
holy home of God Himself. I am the Heaven where His Love resides. I am His holy Sinlessness Itself, for in my purity abides
His Own.”
Words can help us realize our function here. But they can only take us so far. The use for words is almost
finished now. Together we are the bringers of salvation. Through our forgiveness we become saviors of the world, and
it is redeemed. Through our whole being we share the oneness we have attained with all our brothers, asking them to
join and consummate our joy. We are the holy messengers of God, here to help the Son of God who thought He
suffered. We have shown Him the open door to Heaven where He will enter in and disappear into the Heart of God.
Lesson 351
“My sinless brother is my guide to peace. My sinful brother is my guide to pain. And which I choose to see I
will behold.”
“Who is my brother but Your holy Son? And if I see Him sinful I proclaim myself a sinner, not a Son of God; alone
and friendless in a fearful world. Yet this perception is a choice I make, and can relinquish. I can see my brother sinless, as
Your holy Son. And with this choice I see my sinlessness, my everlasting Comforter and Friend beside me, and my way
secure and clear. Choose, then, for me, my Father, through Your Voice. For He alone gives judgment in Your Name.”
Lesson 352
“Judgment and Love are opposites. From one come all the sorrows of the world. But from the other comes the
peace of God Himself.”
“Forgiveness looks on sinlessness alone, and judges not. Through this I come to You. Judgment will bind my eyes
and make me blind. Yet love, reflected in forgiveness here, reminds me You have given me a way to find Your peace again. I
am redeemed when I elect to follow in this way. You have not left me comfortless. I have within me both the memory of You,
and One Who leads me to it. Father, I would hear Your Voice and find Your peace today. For I would Love my own Identity,
and find in It the memory of You.”
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Lesson 353
“Me eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today have but one purpose; to be given to Christ to use to bless the
world with miracles.”
“Father, I give al that is mine today to Christ, to use in any way that best will serve the purpose that I share with
Him. Nothing is mine alone, for He and I have joined in purpose. Thus has learning come almost to its appointed end. A
while I work with Him to serve His purpose. Then I lose myself in my Identity, and recognize that Christ is but my Self.”
Lesson 354
“We stand together, Christ and I, in peace and certainty of purpose. And in Him Is His Creator, as He is in me.”
“My oneness with the Christ establishes me as Your Son, beyond the reach of time, and wholly free of every law but
Yours. I have no self except the Christ in me. I have no purpose but His Own. And He is like His Father. Thus must I be one
with You as well as Him. For who is Christ except Your Son as You created Him? And what am I except the Christ in me?”
Lesson 355
“There is no end to all the peace and joy, and all the miracles that I will give, when I accept God’s Word. Why
not today?”
“Why should I wait, my Father, for the joy You promised me? For You will keep Your Word You gave Your Son in
exile. I am sure my treasure waits for me, and I need but reach out my hand to find it. Even now my fingers touch it. It is
very close. I need not wait an instant more to be at peace forever. It is You I choose, and my Identity along with You. Your
Son would be Himself, and know You as His Father and Creator, and His Love.”
Lesson 356
“Sickness is but another name for sin. Healing is but another name for God. The miracle is thus a call to Him.”
“Father, You promised You would never fail to answer any call Your Son might make to You. It does not matter
where He is, what seems to be the problem, nor what he believes He has become. He is Your Son, and You will answer Him.
The miracle reflects Your Love, and thus it answers Him. Your Name replaces every thought of sin, and who is sinless
cannot suffer pain. Your Name gives answer to Your Son, because to call Your Name is but to call His own.”
Lesson 357
“Truth answers every call we make to God, responding first with miracles, and then returning unto us to be Itself.”
“Forgiveness, truth’s reflection, tells me how to offer miracles, and thus escape the prison house in which I think I
live. Your holy Son is pointed out to me, first in my brother; then in me. Your Voice instructs me patiently to hear Your
Word, and give as I receive. And as I look upon Your Son today, I hear Your Voice instructing me to find the way to You, as
You appointed that the way shall be:
‘Behold his sinlessness, and be you healed.’”
Lesson 358
“No call to God can be unheard nor left unanswered. And of this I can be sure; His answer is the one I really want.”
“You Who remember what I really am alone remember what I really want. You speak for God, and so You speak for
me. And what You give me comes from God Himself. Your Voice, my Father, then is mine as well, and all I want is what You
offer me, in just the form You choose that it be mine. Let me remember all I do not know, and let my voice be still,
remembering. But let me not forget Your Love and care, keeping Your promise to Your Son in my awareness always. Let me
not forget myself is nothing, but my Self is all.”
Lesson 359
“God’s answer is some form of peace. All pain is healed; all misery replaced with joy. All prison doors are
opened. And all sin is understood as merely a mistake.”
“Father, today we will forgive Your world, and let creation be Your Own. We have misunderstood all things. But
we have not made sinners of the holy Sons of God. What You created sinless so abides forever and forever. Such are we. And
we rejoice to learn that we have made mistakes which have no real effects on us. Sin is impossible, and on this fact forgiveness
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 97
rests upon a certain base more solid than the shadow world we see. Help us forgive, for we would be redeemed. Help us
forgive, for we should be at peace.”
Lesson 360
“Peace be to me, the holy Son of God. Peace to my brother, who is one with me. Let all the world be blessed
with peace through us.”
“Father, it is Your peace that I would give, receiving it of You. I am Your Son, forever just as You created me, for
the Great Rays remain forever still and undisturbed within me. I would reach to them in silence and in certainty, for nowhere
else can certainty be found. Peace be to me, and peace to all the world. In holiness were we created, and in holiness do we
remain. Your Son is likened to You in perfect sinlessness. And with this thought we gladly say ‘Amen’.”
Final Lessons
Let us turn to Him Who leads the way and give Him our lives. Never will we return to the belief in sin
that made the world seem dangerous and painful. We know that His Way is the only way to find peace. Let us
together follow in this way that leads to truth. Then let us share this understanding with our brothers who are
seeking the way but cannot find it. To this purpose should we dedicate our minds. This is the goal that will end
the dream of separation and fulfill God’s wish for us. We must remember Him always. Through remembrance of
Him we remember the way to Him and to the Heaven of His peace.
We forgive our brother because he is offering this peace to us. In forgiving him we are saved. This year will
not end without the gift our Father promised to His holy Son. We have been forgiven and saved from all the wrath
we mistakenly thought came from God. We realized it was a dream. We are wise to the fact that anger, attack and
revenge are insane. We ask God to forgive us because we did not understand and He will help us learn His lessons.
Lesson 361‐365
“This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction
gives me peace.”
If I need help with a word, He will suggest it to me. He will supply a thought if I need it. If all I need is
stillness, peace an open mind and tranquility, He will provide these gifts to me. I put Him in charge and He hears
me and responds, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.
Epilogue
This course is the beginning with your Friend always beside you. When someone calls to Him they are
never disappointed. He has the answer to any troubles you may have and is happily willing to tell them to you if
you only ask. You are on a sure path to the heavenly home that you have set out for. Those who have been called
to God cannot go off course. Obey your will and follow Him, you have accepted Him as your voice, speaking of
the things that you really want and need. He speaks of truth and freedom.
There is no need for any more lessons to be assigned. You only need to keep listening to the Voice of God
and seek reality for your Self. God will be directing you telling you what to do, helping you directing your mind,
showing you when to come to Him in silence and asking Him for His sure direction and Word.
Now you are placed in His hands, you are His faithful follower. He is your Guide in all difficulty and
pain you are seeing as real. He gives you joys that are everlasting and will not fade away, giving only the eternal
and the good. We must let Him prepare us further. He has earned our trust in these daily lessons. Walk with
Him, He is certain of where you are headed, how you should go forward and that you will safely arrive in the
end.
We say “Amen” to the truth and certainty that we will end up with Him. When you are making a choice
about something, you will be told exactly what God’s Will is. He will speak for you and keep you from hell. He
makes sure that each choice you make ensures your path to Heaven. From now on we walk with Him, turning to
Him for guidance, peace and direction. We go homeward with joy. God holds the door unclosed to welcome us.
We trust all things to Him and say “Amen.” We confidently await His answers and ask His Will to be in
everything we do.
God’s angels are near and all around. His Love surrounds you. Be sure that He will never leave you
comfortless.
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 98
Suggested writing exercise for yourself: Which lesson (#1‐365) stands out to you? Why? What was your
experience when you implemented it as an exercise for a day?
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 99
Course In Miracles Exam Questions
Name ___________________________________________________ Phone # ___________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________
(Please supply name, phone #, and address as identifying factors for giving credit properly)
1. What is the Acronym for A Course In Miracles?
A. AMCI B. ACIM C. MACI D. CAMI
2. A Course In Miracles is channeled material. T F
3. The workbook for A Course In Miracles is comprised of 365 lessons, one for each day of the year. T F
4. The names of the people who put A Course In Miracles together appear on the covers of the books. T F
5. The two people who collaborated and recorded A Course In Miracles are named:
A. Thetford Williams & Denise Schuckman C. Helen Schuckman & William Thetford
B. William Shuckman & Helen Schuckman D. William Schuckman & Helen Thetford
6. The inner voice that Helen heard identifies itself as:
A. Archangel Gabriel B. St. Germain C. Moses D. Jesus
7. Helen Schuckman benefited greatly from A Course In Miracles by following all of its principles and lesson plans on a
daily basis. She was able to fully integrate the teachings into her own life. T F
8. Over 2,200 A Course In Miracles study groups presently meet worldwide on a regular basis. T F
9. The Foundation For A Course In Miracles focuses on teaching the material and from there founded the Institute For
Teaching Inner Peace Through A Course In Miracles. T F
10. Name two high profile authors who have written books based on teachings in A Course In Miracles.
A. Marianne Williamson, Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. C. Wayne Dyer, M.D., James Redfield
B. Deepak Chopra, Shakti Gawain D. Silvia Browne, Jane Roberts
11. Several Christian groups oppose the teachings in A Course In Miracles because they believe it is not in alignment with
pure Christianity. T F
12. A Course In Miracles takes an official stand on reincarnation, insisting that it is real and true. T F
13. Lesson 7 in A Course In Miracles explains that the past is the reason why you have given everything the meaning that it
has for you. T F
A Course In Miracles ©2005 University Of Metaphysical Sciences 100