Morality and A Course In Miracles

Morality and A Course In Miracles

Questions

1. Although Jesus in the Gospels speaks of self-righteousness and Jesus in A Course In Miracles speaks of fear, none of the theories or traditions of morality seem to address these issues. Modern social science has suggested, with some degree of validity, that fear in combination with self-righteousness is a predictor of violent aggressive behavior. Those who view themselves as holy are more likely to do unholy deeds simply because they consider themselves to be holy. As an extreme example, Christopher Scarver beat Jeffrey Dahlmer and another inmate to death with a metal bar while the three were on a prison work detail together. Scarver said that God told him to do it. How do fear and self-righteousness fit into a comprehensive framework of morality?

2. The morality of morality (meta morality) - How do issues of authority and control (authorship?) relate to moral traditions and systems? How are moral systems used to maintain or reform the status quo when one level of moral development conflicts with another? For example, when the post-conventional morality of social justice and civil disobedience clashes with the conventional morality of law and order? Or when cultural worlds collide?

3. Sex is only briefly discussed in A Course In Miracles (urtext). Marriage and gender roles are not discussed at all, as such. Both sex and marriage are a large part of human life and they play a prominent part in many moral systems (both conventional secular and religious). Can ACIM’s stance on “special relationships” be viewed as an attack on the religious or secular institution of marriage?

Preface

I began the week with the belief that A Course In Miracles (ACIM) lacked any substantial discussion of morality or right conduct in the world. This, it seems, has been the consensus of opinion among both students and teachers of ACIM for the last forty-five years.

After researching the question of moral philosophy and ethics in general, I soon realized that A Course In Miracles is packed full of morality and ethics, from beginning to end, but that I had been blind to it . . . until I looked. When I focused on the issue, I discovered I had only a child's understanding of what morality and ethical persuasion looked like.

The morality of ACIM is a bigger project than I first imagined it would be. These notes are from a few days of effort.

Introduction

The idea of morality relates to the principles that distinguish between good and bad behavior [appropriate and inappropriate behavior]. A moral system is  a particular collection of values, a set of rules or a way of thinking in relation to right conduct. Different forms of morality focus upon different aspects. The most basic type of morality involves controlling behavior, without regard for consequences or reasons motivating the behavior. Some forms of morality emphasize motivation rather than outcomes, and others look only to consequences.

Theory of Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg's  theory of moral development holds that the nature of moral reasoning that forms the basis for ethical behavior, has six developmental stages. His research method used storytelling techniques to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas.  In each case, he presented a choice to be considered, for example, between the rights of some authority and the needs of some deserving individual who is being unfairly treated.

By studying the answers from children of different ages to these questions, Kohlberg hoped to discover how moral reasoning changed as people grew older. The sample comprised 72 Chicago boys aged 10–16 years, 58 of whom were followed up at three-yearly intervals for 20 years. His methodology is generally seen today as being flawed by limiting his study to boys.

Kohlberg identified six levels of moral development divided into three basic categories: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. The youngest children had not yet developed any internal moral compass and they simply behaved as they were instructed by the adults in their lives. As the children matured they tended to become familiar with the social and legal norms of their place in society, and their behavior was conforming to what those around them expected. At the level of conventional morality, authority is internalized but not questioned, and reasoning is based on the norms of the group to which the person belongs.

According to Kohlberg, only a small percentage of people progress to post-conventional morality. Individual judgment is derived from self-chosen principles, and moral decisions are based on individual rights, justice, and rationality.

Kohlberg believed that conventional moral thinking is as far as most people get. That is to say, most people take their moral views from those around them and only a minority think through ethical principles for themselves.

Theories of morality

1. What religion or tradition tells you (Authoritarian)

2. What an individual feels is right or wrong in any situation. (Moral Subjectivism)

3. What society generally agrees is right or wrong. (Cultural Relativism or Legalism)

4. What results in the most benefit to the individual. (Ethical Egoism or Hedonism)

5. What result benefits society as a whole the most (Altruistic Utilitarianism)

6. Rational virtuous character (Phronesis - Classic Greek Idealism)

7. Emotions like love and sympathy lead to relationships of caring (Feminist Ethical Morality)

8. Theory of Compassionate Action (Zen master Thich Nhat Ha)

[9. Morality constitutes “the right thing to do” depending on our circumstances, not some code of conduct, a set of rules that must be upheld. (Vajrayana Buddhism] 

10. Morality of voluntary agreements and obligations. Promise Keepers. Conventional / secular

11. Arete (Greek: ἀρετή), in its basic sense, means "excellence of any kind". The term may also mean "moral virtue". In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one's full potential.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arete

The Golden Rule

This is one of the more famous quotes from ACIM:

“You must change your mind, not your behavior.” ACIM Text T-2.VI.3.4

But, the Course also states:

"The Golden Rule asks you to behave toward others as you would have them behave toward you. This means that the perception of both must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly."  ACIM Text TT-1.III.6.2

The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as you want to be treated. It is a maxim that is found in most religions and cultures. It can be considered an ethic of reciprocity in some religions, although other religions treat it differently. The maxim may appear as a positive or negative injunction governing conduct:

a. Treat others as you would like others to treat you (positive or directive form)

b. Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated (negative or prohibitive form)

c. What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself (empathic or responsive form)

In the Far East the idea dates at least to the early Confucian times (551–479 BC). This concept appears prominently in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and the rest of the world's major religions. The Golden Rule was first documented in the Code of Hummurabi in ancient Babylon (1770 BC).

 A Course In Miracles clearly endorses a basic and nearly universal moral guidance. ACIM is in line with every mainstream religious tradition.

The Morality of Love, Forgiveness, Miracles, and Being Helpful

One main focus of A Course In Miracles are the instructions for Miracle Workers. A miracle, according to the Course, is any interpersonal expression of love. There are no big or small miracles, and a miraculous expression of love could be nothing more than a smile.

"Perhaps the seeming strangers in the elevator will smile to one another, perhaps the adult will not scold the child for bumping into him; perhaps the students will become friends. Even at the level of the most casual encounter, it is possible for two people to lose sight of separate interests, if only for a moment. That moment will be enough. Salvation has come."

ACIM Manual for Teachers M-3.2.5

A few of the many principles relating to miracles in ACIM:

"Miracles are healing because they supply a lack; they are performed by those who temporarily have more for those who temporarily have less."

"Through prayer love is received, and through miracles love is expressed."

"Miracles are teaching devices for demonstrating it is more blessed to give than to receive. They simultaneously increase the strength of the giver and supply strength to the receiver."

"A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously.'

"Miracles are a kind of exchange. Like all expressions of love, which are always miraculous in the true sense, the exchange reverses the physical laws. They bring more love both to the giver <and> the receiver."

"Miracles reawaken the awareness that the spirit, not the body, is the altar of truth. 2 This is the recognition that leads to the healing power of the miracle."

"Miracles are natural signs of forgiveness. Through miracles you accept God's forgiveness by extending it to others."

Miracle Workers Prayer

I am here only to be truly helpful.

I am here to represent Him Who sent me.

I do not have to worry about what to say or what to do, because He Who sent me will direct me.

I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing He goes there with me.

I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal.

"The truly helpful are God's miracle workers, whom I [Jesus] direct until we are all united in the joy of the Kingdom." ACIM Text T-4.VII.8.7

The Morality of Jesus and Christianity

“I [Jesus] am your model for decision. By deciding for God I showed you that this decision can be made, and that you can make it.” ACIM Text T-5.II.9.6-7

“For this alone I need; that you will hear the words I speak, and give them to the world.  You are my voice, my eyes, my feet, my hands through which I save the world” (W-pI.rV.in.9:2-3).

The Seven Cardinal Sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices, or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings, although it does not appear explicitly in the Bible. Behaviors or habits are classified under this category if they directly give birth to other immoralities. According to the standard list, they are:

1. Pride

2. Greed

3. Lust

4. Envy

5. Gluttony

6. Wrath (Anger)

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21

“Anger is never justified.” ACIM Text T-30.VI.1.1

“If you respond with anger, you must be equating yourself with the destructible, and are therefore regarding yourself insanely.” ACIM Text T-6.I.4.7

7. Sloth

The Seven Cardinal Virtues

1. Prudence

2. Justice

3. Temperance

4. Courage (or fortitude)

5. Faith

6. Hope

7. Charity

The Ten Commandments

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

In this world you can become a spotless mirror, in which the Holiness of your Creator shines forth from you to all around you. You can reflect Heaven here. Yet no reflections of the images of other gods must dim the mirror that would hold God's reflection in it. Earth can reflect Heaven or hell; God or the ego.

ACIM Text T-14.IX.5. 1

2. No graven images or likenesses.

God is no image, and His creations, as part of Him, hold Him in them in truth. They do not merely reflect truth, for they are truth. T-14.IX.8.6

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain .

Many are afraid of blasphemy, but they do not understand what it means. They do not realize that to deny God is to deny their own Identity, and in this sense the wages of sin is death.  ACIM Text T-10.V.1.4

4. Remember the sabbath day.

This day is God's. It is my gift to Him.

I will not lead my life alone today. I do not understand the world, and so to try to lead my life alone must be but foolishness. But there is One Who knows all that is best for me. And He is glad to make no choices for me but the ones that lead to God. I give this day to Him, for I would not delay my coming home, and it is He Who knows the way to God.

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.

ACIM Workbook Lesson 242

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

honor is the natural greeting of the truly loved to others who are like

them. T-3.I.6.3

6. Thou shalt not kill.

M-27.7. Teacher of God, your one assignment could be stated thus: Accept no compromise

in which death plays a part. 2 Do not believe in cruelty, nor let attack conceal the

truth from you.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

The body does appear to be the symbol of sin while you believe that it can get you what you want. While you believe that it can give you pleasure, you will also believe that it can bring you pain. To think you could be satisfied and happy with so little is to hurt yourself, T-19.IV.A.17.10

8. Thou shalt not steal

"It [the ego] literally believes that every time it deprives someone of something, it has increased." ACIM Text T-7.V.9.8

“The inheritance of the Kingdom is the right of God's Son, given him in his creation. Do not try to steal it from him, or you will ask for guilt and will experience it. Protect his purity from every thought that would steal it away and keep it from his sight.”  ACIM Text T-14.V.4.1

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

T-5.VI.10. You need not fear the Higher Court will condemn you. 2 It will merely

dismiss the case against you. 3 There can be no case against a child of God, and every witness

to guilt in God's creations is bearing false witness to God Himself. 4

10. Thou shalt not covet

“ . . . . reviewing some of the external places where you have looked for salvation in the past;--in other people, in possessions, in various situations and events, and in self-concepts that you sought to make real. Recognize that it is not there, and tell yourself:  My salvation cannot come from any of these things.” W-pI.70.7.5

Morality of Teachers of God

Classic Greek Idealism

The thinking about morality and ethics which originated with Plato and Aristotle focused upon excellence of character. This is to say that morality is fundamentally related to what kind of persons we are. Thus, virtuous behavior is what a virtuous person does. It may seem circular to express it this way, but the various specific virtues are identified in order to establish the identity of the character In the abstract, an honest man tends to consistently speak honestly, and  by so doing in actual practice is what establishes an identity as an honest man., for whom honest speech is a character habit.

In the ancient world, courage, moderation, and justice were prime species of moral virtue.

A virtue is a settled disposition to act in a certain way.  Gentleness, for instance, is the settled disposition to act so that physical affront is out of the question and psychological shock or insult is minimized. Gentleness includes both  words and deeds. This settled disposition includes a practical knowledge about how to be gentle in every situation, and that each is treated according to their individual sensitivity. It also includes a strong positive attitude toward learning how each individual is likely to respond to any apparent lack of civility. Gentle people, then, are not ones who occasionally act gently, or even who regularly act gently but who do so out of some other motive; rather they are people who reliably act that way because they place a high intrinsic value on manifesting gentleness, and they are good at it. Mr. Rogers is prime example of a genuinely gentle character.

ACIM - Characteristics of God's Teachers

1. Trust

2. Honesty

3. Tolerance

4. Gentleness

Harm is impossible for God's teachers. They can neither harm nor be harmed. Harm is the outcome of judgment. It is the dishonest act that follows a dishonest thought. It is a verdict of guilt upon a brother, and therefore on oneself. It is the end of peace and the denial of learning. It demonstrates the absence of God's curriculum, and its replacement by insanity. No teacher of God but must learn,--and fairly early in his training,--that harmfulness completely obliterates his function from his awareness. It will make him confused, fearful, angry and suspicious. It will make the Holy Spirit's lessons impossible to learn. Nor can God's Teacher be heard at all, except by those who realize that harm can actually achieve nothing. 12 No gain can come of it.

Therefore, God's teachers are wholly gentle. They need the strength of gentleness, for it is in this that the function of salvation becomes easy. To those who would do harm, it is impossible. To those to whom harm has no meaning, it is merely natural. What choice but this has meaning to the sane? Who chooses hell when he perceives a way to Heaven? And who would choose the weakness that must come from harm in place of the unfailing, all-encompassing and limitless strength of gentleness? The might of God's teachers lies in their gentleness, for they have understood their evil thoughts came neither from God's Son nor his Creator. Thus did they join their thoughts with Him Who is their Source. And so their will, which always was His Own, is free to be itself. M-4.IV.1.

5. Joy

6. Defenselessness

7. Generosity

8. Patience

9. Faithfulness

10. Open-Mindedness

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Random ACIM references and comments

Fear is always a sign of strain, arising whenever what you want conflicts with what you do. This situation arises in two ways: First, you can choose to do conflicting things, either simultaneously or successively. This produces conflicted behavior, which is intolerable to you because the part of the mind that wants to do something else is outraged. Second, you can behave as you think you should, but without entirely wanting to do so. This produces consistent behavior, but entails great strain. In both cases, the mind and the behavior are out of accord, resulting in a situation in which you are doing what you do not wholly want to do. This arouses a sense of coercion that usually produces rage, and projection is likely to follow. Whenever there is fear, it is because you have not made up your mind. Your mind is therefore split, and your behavior inevitably becomes erratic. Correcting at the behavioral level can shift the error from the first to the second type, but will not obliterate the fear. T-2.VI.5.1

 It is possible to reach a state in which you bring your mind under my guidance without conscious effort, but this implies a willingness that you have not developed as yet. T-2.VI.6.1

Yet we have learned that behavior is not the level for either teaching or learning, since you can act in accordance with what you do not believe. To do this, however, will weaken you as a teacher and a learner because, as has been repeatedly emphasized, you teach what you <do> believe. An inconsistent lesson will be poorly taught and poorly learned. T-7.V.2.4 .4-6

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. W-pI.24.1.1-2

As the teacher of God advances in his training, he learns one lesson with increasing thoroughness. He does not make his own decisions; he asks his Teacher for His answer, and it is this he follows as his guide for action. This becomes easier and easier, as the teacher of God learns to give up his own judgment. M-9.2.1-3

Judgment, like other devices by which the world of illusions is maintained, is totally misunderstood by the world. It is actually confused with wisdom, and substitutes for truth. As the world uses the term, an individual is capable of "good" and "bad" judgment, and his education aims at strengthening the former and minimizing the latter. There is, however, considerable confusion about what these categories mean. What is "good" judgment to one is "bad" judgment to another. Further, even the same person classifies the same action as showing "good" judgment at one time and "bad" judgment at another time.  Nor can any consistent criteria for determining what these categories are be really taught. M-10.1.1-7

RE: Marriage and special relationships - Weber-Caspers Martin Not in my opinion, Tom Fox. Early in the text we are told "planning ahead is good advice" in areas in which 'we have taken responsibility'. A marriage is constituted by the commitment of two or more people taking responsibility, as in taking care of each other. I also think that mentioning parents and their responsibilities for children as well as the teaching on a special savior for everyone hint in that direction. I do recall that nowhere is a special relationship of any kind just brushed off as merely inappropriate. In the end, it is the raw material for the holy relationship under the workings of the atonement. ...."The Love of God must for a while be communicated from one body to another" (paraphr? Txt). Possessivenes and jealousy are traits of the ego's version of love and partnership, which is mostly to barter, idolize and exclude, IMO.

[some more relevant quotations:

Behavior is response, so that the question “response to what?”

becomes crucial. Since stimuli are identified through perception,

you first perceive the stimulus and then behave accordingly. It

follows, then, that:

63 As ye perceive,

So shall ye behave.

64 The Golden Rule asks you to behave toward others as you

would have them behave toward you. This means that the perception

of both must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for

appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you

perceive accurately, because appropriate behavior depends on lack

of level confusion. The presence of level confusion always results

in variable reality testing and therefore in variability in behavioral

appropriateness. Since you and your neighbor are equal members

of the same family, as you perceive both, so you will behave toward

both. The way to perceive for Golden Rule behavior is to look out

from the perception of your own holiness and perceive the holiness

of others.

1.70 All shallow roots must be uprooted

because they are not deep enough to sustain you. The illusion that

shallow roots can be deepened and thus made to hold is one of the

distortions on which the reversal of the Golden Rule rests. As these

false underpinnings are given up, the equilibrium is temporarily experienced

as unstable. However, the fact is that nothing is less stable

than an orientation that is upside down. Nor can anything which

holds it that way be really conducive to greater stability.

2.25 Denial should be directed only to error, and projection should

be reserved only for truth. You should truly give as you have truly

received. The Golden Rule can work effectively only on this basis.

T 1 B 36f. Consider the Golden Rule again. You are asked to behave

toward others as you would have them behave toward you.57 This

means that the perception of both must be accurate, since the Golden

Rule is the Order for appropriate behavior. You can’t behave appropriately

unless you perceive accurately, because appropriate behavior

DEPENDS on lack of level confusion. The presence of level confusion

ALWAYS results in variable reality testing, and hence variability in

behavioral appropriateness.

T 1 B 36h. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of the

same family, as you perceive both, so will you behave toward both.

The way to perceive for Golden Rule behavior is to look out from the

perception of your own holiness and perceive the holiness of others.

GOLDEN RULE in 14 Traditions of the world (scripture)

0. The Global Course (ACIM)

When you meet anyone,

remember it is a holy encounter.

As you see him, you will see yourself.

Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself

or lose sight of yourself.

The Course, urtext, par 1376.

1. Zoroastrianism

Do not do unto others whatever

is injurious to yourself.

Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29

2. Jainism

One should treat all creatures in the world

as one would like to be treated.

Mahavira, Sutrakritanga

3. Buddhism

Treat not others in ways

that you yourself would find hurtful.

Udana-Varga 5:18

4. Judaism

What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.

This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.

Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a

5. Christianity

In everything, do to others

as you would have them do to you;

for this is the law and the prophets.

Jesus, Matthew 7:12

6. Sikhism

I am a stranger to no one;

and no one is a stranger to me.

Indeed, I am a friend to all.

Guru Grant Sahib, pg.1299

7. Confucianism

One word which sums up the

basis of all good conduct...

loving kindness.

Do not do to others

what you do not want

done to yourself.

Confucius, Analects 15.23

8. Baha'i Faith

Lay not on any soul a load that you

would not wish to be laid upon you,

and desire not for anyone the things

you would not desire for yourself.

Balra 'u' llah, Gleanings

9. Unitarianism

We affirm and promote respect

for the interdependent web of all existence

of which we are a part.

Unitarian principle

10. Hinduism

This is the sum of duty:

do not do to others what would cause

pain if done to you.

Mahabharata 5:1517

11. Islam

Not one of you truly believes

until you wish for others

what you wish for yourself.

The Prophet Mohammed, Hadith

12. Taoism

Regard your neighbor's gain

as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss

as your own loss.

Tái Shang Kan Ying Píen, 213-218

13. Native Spirituality

We are as much alive

as we keep the earth alive.

Chief Dan George

-  oOo   -

Tom Fox
Somerset, Kentucky

ACIM - False projection and true projection - editing changes

False projection and true projection - editing changes

In the Original Edition of A Course In Miracles Chapter 2, Jesus makes a clear distinction between false projection and true projection.

"My use of projection, which can also be yours, is not based on faulty denial. It does involve, however, the very powerful use of the denial of errors. The miracle worker is one who accepts my kind of denial and projection, unites his own inherent abilities to deny and project with mine, and imposes them back on himself and others. This establishes the total lack of threat anywhere. Together we can then work for the real time of peace, which is eternal."

This passage, along with the entire concept of true and false projection, was edited out of the FIP edition.

It was re-introduced and preserved, however, in Lesson 30.

"Today we are trying to use a new kind of “projection.” We are not attempting to get rid of what we do not like by seeing it outside. ³Instead, we are trying to see in the world what is in our minds, and what we want to recognize is there. ⁴Thus, 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."

-  oOo   -

Tom Fox
Somerset, Kentucky

ACIM - Orders of Reality

Orders of Reality

Summary:

• Orders of reality are not symbolic.
• An order of reality is a system of thought
• The two basic orders of reality are (1) In time, and (2) In eternity
• Orders of reality intersect where time and eternity meet in the present instant.
• Healing the mind and physical healing are two different orders of reality.
• Thought alone cannot make physical reality, but thought combined with belief can.
• Opposing orders of reality make reality meaningless.
• Different orders of reality is a perspective without understanding.
• Reserving one idea apart from truth is to establish an order of reality which must imprison you.
• There are no orders of reality. There is no order of difficulty of miracles.
• Time awareness is an order of reality.

The Gentle Dissolution of Illusion: Understanding Orders of Reality in A Course in Miracles

Have you ever wondered why spiritual truth sometimes feels so elusive in our daily lives? Why moments of profound peace and understanding seem to slip away when we return to the pressing concerns of work, relationships, and worldly responsibilities? A Course in Miracles offers a fascinating perspective on this universal human experience through its teaching on what it calls "orders of reality."

At first glance, this concept might seem abstract or philosophical, but it actually addresses something deeply practical: how we can navigate the apparent gap between our spiritual aspirations and our lived experience. The Course suggests that much of our spiritual confusion stems from mixing up different levels of reality—trying to force eternal truths into temporal forms, or expecting the world of time and space to deliver what only timeless love can provide.

The Singular Truth Beneath All Appearances

The Course begins with a radical proposition: there is actually only one true reality. In the realm of eternity—where God dwells—there exists only perfect love, complete oneness, and unchanging truth. Everything else we experience, no matter how compelling or urgent it may seem, falls into the category of illusion.

This isn't meant to dismiss or minimize our human experience, but rather to provide a framework for understanding it. When the Course states, "There is no order in reality because everything there is true," it's pointing to something profound: in God's reality, there are no hierarchies, no conflicts, no competing truths. Everything simply is, in perfect harmony.

But here's where it gets interesting—and where the concept of "orders of reality" becomes essential to understand. While there is only one ultimate reality, we don't experience ourselves as living in that reality most of the time. Instead, we find ourselves navigating what appears to be a complex world of multiple levels, competing priorities, and endless distinctions.

The Dreamer's Dilemma

Within our earthly experience, we constantly encounter what seem to be different orders of reality. We distinguish between the physical and the spiritual, between body and mind, between past and present, between our personal concerns and universal love. These distinctions feel absolutely real to us—because, as the Course notes, "All beliefs are real to the believer."

This insight is crucial. The Course isn't suggesting that our experience of separation and conflict is merely imaginary in a dismissive sense. Rather, it's acknowledging that our beliefs have tremendous power to shape our experience. When we believe in separation, we experience separation. When we believe in conflict, we experience conflict. These beliefs create what the Course calls "orders of reality"—systems of thought that seem to organize our experience into meaningful categories.

The separation we experience from God, from others, and even from ourselves isn't just a symbol or metaphor. It's a complete system of thought that we've invested with so much belief that it creates what feels like an entire reality. Yet this system exists only in what the Course calls "the dream"—not in God's eternal truth.

The Confusion of Mixed Levels

One of the most common spiritual mistakes, according to the Course, is trying to merge these different orders of reality. We might attempt to bring spiritual truth into physical form, or expect material circumstances to carry ultimate spiritual meaning. This mixing of levels creates confusion and often leads to disappointment.

Consider the Course's perspective on the statement "The Word was made flesh." Rather than accepting this as literal truth, the Course suggests this represents a confusion of levels: "Thought cannot be made into flesh except by belief." Thought and flesh exist on different orders of reality, and trying to make them the same leads to misunderstanding.

This principle applies to many areas of spiritual life. For instance, when we call a physical healing a "miracle," we might be mixing levels. The healing itself is a result—something that happens in the world of form. The true miracle, according to the Course, is the correction that happens in the mind, the shift from fear to love that the Course calls the Atonement. This inner correction might lead to physical healing, but the healing itself isn't the miracle.

This doesn't diminish the value of physical healing or other positive changes in our lives. Rather, it helps us understand where the real power lies—not in manipulating external circumstances, but in correcting our fundamental way of seeing.

The Trap of Judgment

Our habit of creating distinctions—good versus bad, right versus wrong, mine versus yours—reflects our investment in what the Course calls "false orders of reality." Every judgment we make reinforces the illusion of separation and keeps us trapped in the dream.

"Difference of any kind imposes orders of reality and a need to judge," the Course observes. But if everything in God's creation is fundamentally one and unchanged, then all these differences are ultimately illusory. This doesn't mean we can't make practical distinctions in our daily lives, but it suggests we can hold these distinctions lightly, without investing them with ultimate significance.

The problem with judgment isn't just that it creates conflict—though it certainly does that. The deeper issue is that judgment keeps us locked into the very system of thought that creates our sense of separation from peace, love, and truth.

The Direction of True Healing

This understanding points toward a different approach to spiritual growth. Rather than trying to bring truth into illusion—which often leads to frustration and confusion—we can learn to bring illusions to truth. As the Course puts it: "When you try to bring truth to illusions, you are trying to make illusions real. To give illusions to truth is to enable truth to teach that the illusions are unreal."

This shift in approach can be profoundly liberating. Instead of trying to make our human experience perfectly reflect spiritual truth, we can bring our human experience to spiritual truth and allow that truth to gently dissolve whatever is not real. This doesn't require us to deny our experience or pretend everything is perfect. Instead, it invites us to hold our experience in a larger context of love.

Releasing Hidden Hierarchies

Even our subtlest beliefs about being special, better, or separate from others represent ways of assigning "orders of reality." These hidden hierarchies—the secret thoughts that we're more spiritual, more deserving, or more advanced than others—create barriers to the peace we seek.

"Reserve not one idea aside from truth, or you establish orders of reality which must imprison you," the Course warns. This is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of its teaching. It's asking us to release not just our obvious judgments and grievances, but also our most cherished beliefs about ourselves and our spiritual journey.

This doesn't mean we become passive or lose our sense of purpose. Rather, it means we begin to find our purpose in something larger than our individual story—in the shared truth that connects us all.

Time and Timelessness

Even our spiritual practices exist within what the Course calls "orders of reality." When we engage in practices that involve remembering, waiting, or measuring progress, we're operating within the realm of time. These practices can be valuable within the dream, but they're not ultimate reality.

"In time we exist for and with each other. In Timelessness we coexist with God," the Course explains. This suggests that our earthly relationships and spiritual practices have their place, but they're stepping stones toward something that transcends all categories and distinctions.

The Gentle Path Home

Understanding orders of reality in A Course in Miracles isn't about creating a new spiritual hierarchy or becoming more sophisticated in our thinking. It's about recognizing the simplicity that lies beneath all complexity. There is only one true reality: God's eternal love. Everything else belongs to the false orders of reality we've constructed in our attempt to understand ourselves as separate from that love.

When we believe in these orders, they seem real and important. But healing comes not from changing the forms of our experience, but from undoing our belief in the illusion itself. We awaken not by perfecting our understanding of different levels, but by bringing everything—our fears, our hopes, our confusion, our clarity—to the truth that gently dissolves whatever is not real.

This is perhaps the most congenial aspect of the Course's teaching on orders of reality. It doesn't ask us to judge our experience or dismiss it as unimportant. Instead, it invites us to hold everything in love, trusting that love itself will sort out what is real from what is not. In this gentle dissolution, we discover that what seemed like multiple realities was always just one truth, temporarily obscured by our beliefs but never actually threatened by them.

The invitation is simple: stop trying to judge or mix levels, and instead bring everything to truth. In that spacious embrace, all false orders of reality dissolve, and we remember the singular, eternal reality we never actually left.

 - - -  oOo - - -

Tom Fox
Somerset, Kentucky

The Question of Karma - from Helen Schucman's unpublished notes - ACIM

A Course In Miracles (ACIM)

Helen Schucman's unpublished notes

The Question of Karma

About the question of karma: Most theories of reincarnation are essentially magical, and the whole question is not really necessary to religion at all. The chief value of the concept lies in its helpfulness in counteracting the idea of hell, a belief that is hard for the ego to relinquish. As the symbol of separation, the ego cannot escape guilt feelings, and fear of punishment is inevitable. Do not dwell on these fearful thoughts. 

 One of the main dangers of karmic theories is the tendency they induce to engage in the genetic fallacy, overlooking the truly religious fact that now is the only time. They look to the past for an explanation of the present, but do not succeed in separating the past from the present. They recognize that mind is the builder, but do not realize that it is only what it is building now that really generates the future. The past, in itself, does not have the ability to do this. Whenever we move from one instant to the next, the previous one no longer exists.

This course will lead to something quite different than past-life readings, because it points only to the future. It leads to a future that you will know. There was a past, but it does not matter. It does not explain the present or account for the future. Patients in psychotherapy frequently go over their childhoods in some detail and at considerable expense, and it merely encourages their egos to become more tolerable to them. I would hardly want you to repeat that same error.

You may be curious to know about your past. Knowledge is not won through curiosity, which is an ego attribute. Knowledge can be found only if it is sought to give it to someone else. This means that you are ready to appreciate its real value and have already accepted its worth for yourself. Even when you cannot go to God with someone, you can go for him and bring knowledge back to him.

If this is in the future, why would you care at all about the past, except to the extent that your ego objects to your rightful destiny? Are you interested in healing insanity or in studying its past? That is of concern only if you believe that something that could remedy it happened in the past. Even my personal history is of no value to you except as it teaches you that I can help you now. But no history of irreconcilable viewpoints is helpful in establishing truth. The soul has no history, being the same yesterday, today, and always. The history of a split mind is not a constructive focus for those who are being trained in an integrated and true concept of themselves.

I am quite willing to tell you about your past when it no longer is of any interest to your ego, and if it is of help to someone else. Otherwise, it would be much better to devote yourself to knowing God. I once told you that the Atonement will not be complete until all the children of God have come home. We do not care about where they have been or what they have done. We would not want to evaluate their past any more than we want to evaluate them.

It is almost impossible for the mind to look at some past-life readings totally without judgment of any kind. For instance, they often relate a bodily condition to the past even when they affirm that mind is the builder. Their emphasis on gains and losses is not to be yours. These terms are evaluative, and are therefore in variance with the goals of your course.

We have discussed the separation in some detail, as we have also done with its healing. The interim is of no importance. Your judgment is a real defense, without any attack on truth, only when it evaluates the separation and its symbols as what they are, and enjoins the withdrawal of your belief in them. I would indeed be a poor teacher if I allowed any interference in the development of a skill which you have by no means mastered.

ACIM Rules for Decision

 "Prove your thoughts have creative power by consciously imaging constantly, and walk on the water. No matter what happens in the course of a day, revise it. Make the day conform to what you want it to be, and you are walking on the water." Neville Goddar

Rules for Decision

Decisions are continuous. You do not always know when you are making them. But with a little practice with the ones you recognize, a set begins to form which sees you through the rest.

 

It is not wise to let yourself become preoccupied with every step you take.

 

The proper set, adopted consciously each time you wake, will put you well ahead. And if you find resistance strong and dedication weak, you are not ready. DO NOT FIGHT YOURSELF.

Begin your day by thinking about the kind of day you want.

Tell yourself there IS a way in which this very day can happen just the way you want it to.

Try to have the day you want.

The process starts with this.

First: Say to yourself:

“Today I will make no decisions by myself.”

This means that you are choosing not to be the judge of what to do. But it must also mean you will not judge the situations where you will be called upon to make response. For if you judge them, you have set the rules for how you should react to them. And then another answer cannot but produce confusion and uncertainty and fear.

This is your major problem now. You still make up your mind, and THEN decide to ask what you should do. And what you hear may not resolve the problem as YOU saw it first. This leads to fear because it contradicts what you perceive, and so you feel attacked. And therefore angry. There are rules by which this will not happen. But it does occur at first, while you are learning how to hear.

Next: Throughout the day, at any time you think of it, and have a quiet moment for reflection:

Tell yourself again the kind of day you want;
the feelings you would have,
the things you want to happen to you,
and the things you would experience

Say to yourself:

“If I make no decisions by myself,
This is the day that will be GIVEN me.”

These two procedures, practiced well, will serve to let you be directed without fear, for opposition will not first arise and then become a problem in itself.

But there will still be times when you have judged already. Now the answer will provoke attack, unless you quickly straighten out your mind to want an answer that will work. Be certain this has happened if you feel yourself unwilling to sit by, and ask to have the answer given you. This means you HAVE decided by yourself, and cannot see the QUESTION. Now you need a quick restorative before you ask.

Third: Remember once again the day you want, and recognize that something has occurred which is not part of it. Then realize that you have asked a question by yourself, and must have set an answer in your terms. Then say,

“I have no question. I forgot what to decide.”

This cancels out the terms which you have set, and lets the ANSWER show you what the question must have really been. Try to observe this rule without delay, despite your opposition. For you have ALREADY gotten angry, and your fear of being answered in a different way from what your version of the question259 asks will gain momentum, until you believe the day you want is one in which you get YOUR answer to YOUR question. And you will not get it, for it would destroy the day by robbing you of what you REALLY want. This can be very hard to realize, when once you have decided by yourself the rules which promise you a happy day. Yet this decision still can be undone, by simple methods which you can accept.

Fourth: If you are so unwilling to receive you cannot even let your question go, you can begin to change your mind with this:

“At least I can decide I do not LIKE what I feel now.”

This much is obvious, and paves the way for the next easy step.

Fifth: Having decided that you do not like the way you feel, what could be easier than to continue with,

“And so I HOPE I have been wrong.”

This works against the sense of opposition, and reminds you that help is not being thrust upon you, but is something that you want and that you need, because you do not like the way you feel. This tiny opening will be enough to let you go ahead with just a few more steps you need to let yourself be helped. Now you have reached the turning-point, because it has occurred to you that YOU will gain if what you have decided is not so. Until this point is reached, you will believe your happiness depends on being RIGHT. But this much reason have you now attained; you would be better off if you were WRONG.

Sixth: This tiny grain of wisdom will suffice to take you further. You are not coerced, but merely hope to get a thing you want. And you can say in perfect honesty,

“I WANT another way to look at this.”

Now you have changed your mind about the day, and have remembered what you REALLY want. Its purpose has no longer been obscured by the insane belief you want it for the goal of being right when you are wrong. Thus is the readiness for asking brought to your awareness, for you cannot be in conflict when you ask for what you want, and see that it IS this for which you ask.

Seventh: This final step is but acknowledgment of lack of opposition to be helped. It is a statement of an open mind, not certain yet, but willing to be shown:

“Perhaps there IS another way to look at this.
What can I LOSE by asking?”

Thus you now can ask a question that makes sense, and so the answer will make sense as well. Nor will you fight against it, for you see that it is YOU who will be helped by it. It must be clear that it is easier to have a happy day if you prevent unhappiness from entering at all. But this takes practice in the rules which will protect you from the ravages of fear. When this has been achieved, the sorry dream of judgment has forever been undone. But meanwhile, you have need for practicing the rules for its undoing. Let us, then, consider once again the very first of the decisions which are offered here.

We said you can begin a happy day with the determination not to make decisions by yourself. This seems to be a real decision in itself. And yet, you CANNOT make decisions by yourself. The only question really is with WHAT you choose to make them. That is really all. The first rule, then, is not coercion, but a simple statement of a simple fact. You will not make decisions by yourself WHATEVER you decide. For they are made with idols or with God. And you ask help of Christ or anti-Christ, and which you choose will join with you, and tell you what to do.

Your day is not at random. It is set by what you choose to live it with, and how the friend whose counsel you have sought perceives your happiness. You always ask advice before you can decide on anything. Let THIS be understood, and you can see there cannot be coercion here, nor grounds for opposition that you may be free. There IS no freedom from what must occur. And if you think there is, you must be wrong.

The second rule as well is but a fact. For you and your adviser must agree on what you want before it can occur. It is but this AGREEMENT which permits all things to happen. Nothing can be caused without some form of union, be it with a dream of judgment or the Voice for God. Decisions causeresults BECAUSE they are not made in isolation. They are made by you and your adviser, for yourself, and for the world as well. The day you want you offer to the world, for it will be what you have asked for, and will reinforce the rule of your adviser in the world. Whose kingdom is the world for you today? What kind of day will you decide to have?

It needs but two who would have happiness this day to promise it to all the world. It needs but two to understand that they cannot decide alone, to guarantee the joy they asked for will be wholly shared. For they have understood the basic law that makes decision powerful, and gives it all effects that it will ever have. It needs but two. These two are joined before there CAN be a decision. Let this be the one reminder that you keep in mind, and you will have the day you want, and give it to the world by having it yourself. Your judgment has been lifted from the world by your decision for a happy day.

And as you have received, so must you give.

Do you not understand that to oppose the Holy Spirit is to fight YOURSELF?

He tells you but YOUR will; He speaks for YOU. In His Divinity is but your own. And all He knows is but your knowledge, saved for you that you may do your will through Him. God ASKS you do your will. He joins with YOU. He did not set His kingdom up alone. And Heaven itself but represents your will, where everything created is for you. No spark of life but was created with your glad consent, as you would have it be. And not one Thought that God has ever had but waited for your blessing to be born. God is no enemy to you. He asks no more than that He hear you call Him “Friend.”

How wonderful it is to do your will! For that is freedom. There is nothing else that ever should be called by freedom's name. Unless you do your will you are not free. And would God leave His Son without what he has chosen for himself? God but ensured that you would never lose your will when He gave you His perfect answer. Hear it now, that you may be reminded of His love, and learn your will. God would not have His Son made prisoner to what he does not want. He JOINS with you in willing you be free. And to oppose Him is to make a choice against YOURSELF, and choose that YOU be bound.

-  oOo   -

Tom Fox
Somerset, Kentucky

A Course In Miracles and Self Awareness

You’d think that being aware of what we think would be easy, but it isn’t. Modern life is noisy, busy and distracting. A deliberate method must be intentionally adopted to silence all the outer distractions and to focus upon what is happening within.

Although many prefer to focus upon the theoretical metaphysics of A Course In Miracles, and the nature of reality, or imagining what God thinks, the more practical minded seekers tend to focus upon the day to day practices that lead to the ultimate goal . . . accepting the Atonement and a realization, “I and the Father are one.”

“Knowing thyself,” or remembering one’s true self, and becoming aware of Love’s presence, is the same. “Teach only love, for that is what you are,” the Course enjoins. If you remember who you are, you remember love. If you become aware of love, then you know who you are.

Every thought that is not love acts as a barrier to the awareness of Love. Every idea of who I am that is not true acts to hide me from myself. Removing the barriers to awareness of Love is a process of becoming aware of who I am.

“Consider how much vigilance you have been willing to exert to protect your ego, and how little to protect your right mind.”

It begins and ends with what we think. What we think leads us toward sanity and truth, or it leads us away. Our thoughts are what either hide our true self, or which reveal it. Becoming aware of what we think is a necessary part of any process of sorting out the true from the false

You’d think that being aware of what we think would be easy, but it isn’t. Modern life is noisy, busy and distracting. A deliberate method must be intentionally adopted to silence all the outer distractions and to focus upon what is happening within.

"The goal of the curriculum, regardless of the teacher you choose, is "Know thyself." There is nothing else to seek." ACIM Text (FIP) T-8.III.5.1 - 2

"Truth cannot deal with errors that you want. I was a man who remembered spirit and its knowledge. As a man I did not attempt to counteract error with knowledge, but to correct error from the bottom up. I demonstrated both the powerlessness of the body and the power of the mind. By uniting my will with that of my Creator, I naturally remembered spirit and its real purpose. I cannot unite your will with God's for you, but I can erase all misperceptions from your mind if you will bring it under my guidance. Only your misperceptions stand in your way." ACIM Text (FIP) T-3.IV.7.2 - 8

 

-  oOo   -

Tom Fox
Somerset, Kentucky