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PRINCIPLES OF MIRACLES - Unravelling Their Meaning: From Chapter 1, "A COURSE IN MIRACLES" - COMPLETE & ANNOTATED EDITION
I suspect, for most of us reading Chapter 1, “Principles of Miracles” of “A Course in Miracles” for the first time, can be a bewildering and frustrating experience. It's no surprise many people give up there and then, and leave the book virtually untouched, or even discard it. That was my experience when I first made its acquaintance several decades ago.
Even after the Circle of Atonement published the “Complete and Annotated Edition” in 2017, which included over 40,000 words omitted from the early editions by the scribe, Helen Schucman, much of Chapter 1 still seemed beyond my capabilities to understand. Regardless, I ploughed on, studying the rest of the Text, doing the Workbook daily lessons, and eagerly absorbing the Manual for Teachers.
After that, I was drawn back to Chapter 1. And at last, my understanding of the “Principles of Miracles” began to unfold. It seemed to me that I needed to first immerse myself in the Course’s overall teachings to fully appreciate this challenging chapter.
Chapter 1 unpacks the nature of miracles as not being random acts of fate, but result from giving “expressions of love”, which lead to profound shifts in perception, consciousness, and circumstance of both the giver and receiver. Of course, most of the miracle principles revolve around this understanding. However, there is so much more, with the author drawing our attention to a range of important topics. Controversially, among other things, much attention is given to “sex”, a subject that Helen Schucman edited out of the early publications of the Course.
I hope my understanding and explanations will give existing students of the Course the incentive to revisit Chapter 1 of “A Course in Miracles – Complete & Annotated Edition”, if they have previously been discouraged. And to also assist newcomers to the Course find their way through this challenging chapter, which is a veritable treasure of spiritual wisdom.
Even after the Circle of Atonement published the “Complete and Annotated Edition” in 2017, which included over 40,000 words omitted from the early editions by the scribe, Helen Schucman, much of Chapter 1 still seemed beyond my capabilities to understand. Regardless, I ploughed on, studying the rest of the Text, doing the Workbook daily lessons, and eagerly absorbing the Manual for Teachers.
After that, I was drawn back to Chapter 1. And at last, my understanding of the “Principles of Miracles” began to unfold. It seemed to me that I needed to first immerse myself in the Course’s overall teachings to fully appreciate this challenging chapter.
Chapter 1 unpacks the nature of miracles as not being random acts of fate, but result from giving “expressions of love”, which lead to profound shifts in perception, consciousness, and circumstance of both the giver and receiver. Of course, most of the miracle principles revolve around this understanding. However, there is so much more, with the author drawing our attention to a range of important topics. Controversially, among other things, much attention is given to “sex”, a subject that Helen Schucman edited out of the early publications of the Course.
I hope my understanding and explanations will give existing students of the Course the incentive to revisit Chapter 1 of “A Course in Miracles – Complete & Annotated Edition”, if they have previously been discouraged. And to also assist newcomers to the Course find their way through this challenging chapter, which is a veritable treasure of spiritual wisdom.
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2025
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