Monday, 7/2/18

I’ve now slogged through 240 pages of “A Course in Miracles,” and I’m afraid I just can’t take any more. The 6-page Preface was all about immanent Divinity (“Thou Art God”), the interconnectedness of everything, the underlying core essentiality of Love, and the “One Mind” of Universal Consciousness (the quantum field?). Things I’ve believed and striven to live in accordance with most of my life. So I thought, “this is cool,” and eagerly plunged on to see what other grand revelations awaited in the following 1,327 pages.

Unfortunately, I found nothing else to add to those excellent basic premises. Rather, the book went on and on making 2nd person (“you”) accusations, condemnations, and sanctimonious admonitions that I just didn’t get it; that my ego prevented me from seeing the truth; that I was too pig-headed, arrogant, egotistical and ignorant to understand, etc. And all this in the constantly reiterated context that I must accept unquestioningly the authority of the Word of God–Father, Son, and Holy Spook–as presented herein.

Despite the book having been supposedly “channeled” (by Jesus Christ, no less!) through a woman (Helen Schucman), in the first 240 pages at least, there is no hint of anything feminine. No mention of Mothers, Sisters, Lovers, Wives, Daughters–let alone Goddess. Only Father, Son, Brothers, and other masculine references. All “He” and no “She.”

And despite the frequent references to Love as the core essence of everything (which I wholeheartedly believe!), there is nothing about love of people for each other–nothing about romance, affection, sex, soulmates, courtship, marriage, children, family, community, friendship, or any other form of human love for one another. It’s all a pedantic lecture by Jesus Christ to the solitary male reader (presumably an orphan bachelor), and all the Love is just Father-to-Son-to-Man.

The Introduction says, “The underlying premise of the work is the teaching that the greatest ‘miracle’ that one may achieve in one’s life is the act of simply gaining a full ‘awareness of love’s presence’ in one’s own life.” I do agree with that. But I think we have different understandings of what that means…

Moreover (and this is inexcusable!), the book is stultifyingly boring–a real put-you-to-sleep no-page-turner. It’s redundant AND repetitive (try that!), endlessly rehashing the same tired admonitions over and over. And over. I just had to give it up, lest I throw it out the window (and it’s not my copy).

Of course, your mileage may vary. The book has been enormously popular for over 40 years, so many people must find that it works for them. But not for me.