There is only one message in ACIM, and it is very simple to understand. This is so because there is only one reality, only one seeming departure from it in denial, and only one restoration of that illusion via the one miracle. Although I say one, one, one, one...here in the temporal realm, we experience everything in multiples or dividedness. There is one reality, but we think of reality as diverse. There is one departure (which unfortunately gets referenced as "sin"), but we think of this as the symptoms we see regarding that departure...and so it seems to us there are many "sins". There is only one illusion, and yet of course, we see our world populated with body-bearing people as many and as diverse. There is only one restoration because there is only one departure illusion* to remedy...and there is only one miracle because there is only one illusion (and a miracle is an illusion). But again, to us there seems to be many paths leading toward variations on restoration, and many steps to arrive, depending on which path taken, etc.

This could easily be summed up in this way: There is...

• One Reality (called God)
• One Denial of the whole vision of that reality. Such denial...
  • Causes illusion to appear as multiple illusions. As these seemingly many illusions continue to divide, they...
  • Create conflict because of the nature of their creation.
• In order to remedy the problems caused by increasing appearances of illusion, it is required to relinquish the pride of our denial and willingly accept the whole vision of our reality once again.
• The seeming departure was effected in mind by the mental vexation in the attempt to see "more" than what is real, resulting in imagery that seems convincing and suggests that we succeeded.
• One could characterize this "departure" as "turning away" from whole vision in favor of the "partial vision" of mental dividedness (thought of as multiplication or as more), a deception of great magnitude in thought, but in reality as nothing at all.
• So restoration of that which seems lost by virtue of this "departure" is through willingly looking upon the truth presented in, by and as whole vision once again.
• NOTHING ELSE WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS.
  • JESUS CANNOT ACCOMPLISH IT FOR YOU.
  • GOD CANNOT ACCOMPLISH IT FOR YOU (as separate from you).
  • YOU CANNOT ACCOMPLISH THIS BY PURIFICATION OR WORKS.
• It requires the humility of relaxing one's grip on the insistence that the reports of evidence in the illusion are true, (thereby forgiving yourself for the illusion you created).

This is summarized even further by this simple phrase: "I need do nothing."

That is the single message of ACIM in a nutshell. Countless hours are spent by people studying ACIM in the attempt to intellectually understand the nuances of its meaning involving the behavior of practice, practice, practice lesson after lesson. And after there are no more lessons to practice, perceiving that they aren't perfect (in their opinion), they set out on another round of reading and practicing, making it a lifelong struggle and seeming progression. "If I could just do the lessons one more time, I think I'd be in the happy dream zone." Then another set and another set.

A favorite phrase from ACIM is "choose again". ACIM speaks of choosing the holy spirit, and thinking with the holy spirit, etc., characterizing what is needed as choosing again, or choosing rightly. This is odd talk since ACIM tells us straight out that choice is not real. Choosing again may seem to be a key which leads us toward atonement, but actually choosing is the crux of the matter. Choosing is the single mechanism of denial. By choosing, judgment arises, symbolic representation arises, dividing arises, conflict arises and spawns violence...on and on we go...choosing. So let's just choose again...and again...and again.

When I was 6 or 7 years old, I joined the local Cub Scouts group. It seemed like a fun thing to do. At my first meeting, they had several new recruits, and held an initiation ceremony for them. I was one of them. We were all asked to get down on our knees and repetitively raise our hands up and say the sacred words: "Owa Tagu Siam". After awhile, it sunk in and I got up and left the kneeling group. Over the years, I looked back at that as a minor form of hazing, and it was a slightly negative memory. But today, I realize they had taught me a fundamental truth. Each of us has a mind...with whatever capacity it has. It is up to us to use it and not simply accept whatever is handed out and told to us that we should do. It took me another 23-24 years to realize that the same thing held true for Christianity and all religion or philosophy. I needed to think for myself, and also to open up to the nudging of an inner presence that made itself known at a desperately negative time in my life. As it turned out, it knew more than I did, and more than anyone or any group of people I'd ever known. — Thanks, Cub Scouts!

I probably am not telling it right, but years ago, I read a parable about a young student who was eager to be enlightened and to become a master. So as was the custom, he sought out a master who was well spoken of, and asked to become his student. The master accepted his request, and told the new student they were to leave on a teaching trip that very afternoon. Excited, the student smiled and prepared for tests and trials. They walked for a long while and arrived at the sea shore. After being there quite some time, the student asked when they were going to start his training. The master replied, "We can start now. Walk out into the water until I tell you to stop." The student walked out until he was waist deep and turned to see if the master thought that was far enough. The master waved him to continue. So he walked farther from shore to where he was shoulder deep and again, turned to see the master waving him to walk on. So the student continued until he was under water and had to bounce gently off the bottom to see the master...who again waved him to continue away from shore. The student dutifully continued until he feared he would not be able to hold his breath long enough to surface if he went any farther. When he bobbed up to the surface to see what the master's instruction was, the master was gone. Decisions, decisions...what's a student gonna do?

In the distant past, the cultures which developed as religions within ancient populations were inspired and/or given as information which reflected truth in a conflicted manner, as this was the level of acceptance (or lack thereof) of those people at that time. In the somewhat less distant past, Judaism arose alongside other religions, to a large extent drawing from the writings of these more ancient peoples. In Judaism, the story of the creation and a cryptic metaphor about a "fall" of mankind into dire straights were presented briefly. Although some of the phrases used suggest considering the truth, in large part, the truth was skipped over, moving on to record the history of that people. More to the point, these ancient beliefs continued to be put forward in various forms, among which was writings that included the "Law of Moses", and an abridged guide called the Ten Commandments. At a later time, writings arising from within that same religion presented a simpler understanding which embraced a broader, more universally available path toward truth. This narrowed the behavioral aspect of that path down to two commandments; which if properly understood, are but one instruction in wisdom expressed in two ways. (Mark 12:30-31)

This shift in availability of an intellectual representation of truth was slow in coming, taking thousands of years. Unfortunately, even with this simplification and making writings widely available to all in the world, people still clung to the ways of the past, interpreting this simplified understanding to be a nice sentiment, but preferring the old ways nonetheless. The book called "A Course In Miracles" (ACIM) was given and began to spread. Although much of this book is plain, it is fraught with tons of intellectual detail and nuances, and from time to time tends to contradict itself in ways that seem very intentional. Because people have the tendency on board to stick to the old ways, for many ACIM became a newer interpretation of the old ways, once again burdened with complexity and statements which tend to lead people down the longer path it describes rather than the shorter path it proclaims itself to be promoting.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of accuracy in the book, despite its often use of what I call the two-edged sword teaching method just as the Bible does, but in less harsh ways (see further information...opens in new tab or window). The truth is very simple, and yet in our conditioned state seems difficult and distant...until we begin to embrace it willingly. To the extent that we can relax our belief systems and stop trying to interpret everything according to their fit in those systems, truth can be realized and rediscovered. We are what we seek, and no particular change is either required of us or even possible. We simply must relax and open up...to our own reality and its whole vision. That is not a choice, but is the relinquishing of a choice. It is simple and does not require any time...and yet because of our beliefs and conditioning, it can seem to require a long time. That time becomes exponentially longer if we cling to standardized belief systems...INCLUDING THOSE ESPOUSED BY FOLLOWERS OF ACIM. The truth is not found in a belief system...any belief system.

It is spoken of in ACIM as learning to remove the blocks to love. Although that is somewhat accurate, by itself it really isn't the key. Love is the temporal expression here in the world of our illusion...of the influence of our reality as peace. Peace is not in time and cannot be seen or experienced within the confines of the illusion, for it has no imagery and cannot be confined to the false boundaries of that paradigm. Love, the reflection of our ever-present and whole remembrance of our whole reality and its vision, becomes available as and ONLY as a function of our willingness to pause our energetic inner and outer doing, and to look at that which to perception seems as something we cannot see. But when we set our intention to willingly look, we DO see, whether our senses report to us that we see or not. Love is as close to whole vision as one's conditioned mind can perceive, being thus limited by using perception in lieu of seeing. Love grows up into and as the happy dream. Peace is not in the happy dream, and yet peacefulness akin to love is there, and the level of denial is so slight that it does not represent any active resistance to reality or whole vision (which are the same) beyond the tiny amount needed to produce the creation.

ACIM focuses heavily on the idea of returning entirely to whole vision. This sounds good, and I won't pose an argument to it here. I will however say that a happy dream is not called happy for no reason. Largely because of the heavy conditioning of many people involved in ACIM to look forward toward a tomorrow in which things will be better and heaven will be present, not only is such a grand return prevented, but the preliminary happy dream is prevented as well. No happy dream?...No grand reentry either? There is more to that subject...about the ongoing cycles of creation of worlds, and how they actually are the purpose of reality, despite the denial aspect of their being created. The best advice I can offer in a short talk is to lay the book aside after having read it once, and to look within and wait upon the influence of peace to cause love to arise (which is beyond what people usually think of as love). When looking within, do not look at your history or how you might improve yourself, for simply noticing the influence of peace will handle that for you rather automatically. It isn't about "choosing again", and it isn't about God taking a step for you, and it isn't about you being created (past tense) by God as someone above you. ACIM speaks of thinking with the holy spirit, and yet it can be misleading. You ARE the only spirit, and are whole right now. Thus YOU are the only one doing the thinking, and you are the only one who can allow that thinking and all your experience to be influenced and guided by your reality (which you can call holy spirit if it suits you, but it is still YOU and only YOU). Relax, look, relax, notice, relax, go on about your day...relax, look, relax, notice, relax, go on about your day... — Develop this attentional rhythm, for while here in the illusory world and temporal realm, it is your forgotten natural breath of remembrance of spirit (the reality and whole vision of the truth which you are and which you share with all in oneness). Eventually, it will be a natural way of life that isn't so much a rhythm as it is a confidence and ongoing noticing of the fount of life (love) as it arises into this world. We need not leave this realm, but simply need to remember that the reality of eternity is our own reality...bringing its appearance into our vision. It is here right now, this very instant...the one holy instant, available to all who notice its presence.

A Course In Miracles, presenting the literal course in miracles (the illusion itself), is a wonderful opportunity. However, much of that opportunity is lost for any who do not look beyond ACIM and let it go. ACIM or whatever authorship it has in time are of no importance of themselves. Only in stepping beyond its covers does the true value arise. To an extent, the book "is" a guide as people believe. But it is not a manual and code for living life...only the reality within provides that, and does so on a moment-to-moment basis. Lay it on the table and pretty much leave it there, and launch out.

Beyond being a guide of sorts, ACIM is a test to see if one is really listening to its message. You need do nothing...you are as you were (are) created...YOU are the only begotten, EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS THAT ONE WHO IS SO OFTEN CALLED THIS. (He is not your elder brother for time does not exist. He is not in any way higher than you for such disparity is impossible, and "God" cannot make disparity possible within its changelessness. Disparity is only possible through denial arising as the basis of creation, and as such is false.) You are and have always been perfect in eternity.

Although the so-called error of denial is referred to as a tiny mad idea and an error, it is not an accident that the world of duality is created on an ongoing basis, from moment-to-moment, founded upon that very non-reality. Creation requires denial of wholeness in order to spawn the imagery called diversity; which is why it is evidenced in energy, change and motion in time.

Even though denial is so often viewed as the bad guy and the foundation of evil, it is actually necessary that it arises. Similarly, because denial arises, so also conflict arises with it. and because conflict arises in a paradigm in which it can become exacerbated and exaggerated, the evil of violence and disparity are found. However, these exaggerations need not be so.

It is inevitable that denial will arise because of the necessity of this, and be followed by these, its children...and the potential for violence and great disparity are the avoidable level of woe which can come from denial. If denial were not present, we would not be sitting in heaven somewhere, singing praises about it. We wouldn't be doing, thinking or feeling anything at all. Reality is ever-present and has always existed. Within the freedom that reality forever is, is also the freedom to deny. So although denial is futile and its fruits unreal, the freedom to deny is very real.

All that is real is whole and singular, and all that is real has a single purpose within a single intention or will (expressed as though it were many purposes within a diverse intention). Only in denial of that which is changeless do we find beauty, color, exploration of diversity, and every thing that is pleasant and good for us as a garden of delight, cyclic appearances of world without end. Reality is the only true (changeless) good (having no opposite in it), and yet the false knowledge of opposites (i.e.-"good and evil") allows us pleasures and innumerable worlds or mansions.

The false good in that realm or paradigm ALWAYS has an opposite of false evil (for in reality no such evil exists...and in fact, it does not heavily exist in this temporal realm either unless exacerbated conflict brings it into appearance). Evil need not be harsh and filled with woe. False evil is kept in its place (in which it complements and supports false good) when we keep true good (reality) freshly present in awareness, disallowing exacerbation of the conflict between false good and false evil. There has never been a time when denial and its children did not exist, expressing as the very purpose of reality's existence. Without denial (thus rendering a non-judged, non-abridged freedom as reality's presence), reality would have no purpose at all...and that is not possible. Without reality, denial of reality could not create the creation we perceive, making the only begotten to appear and become manifest as expression of the only whole reality itself.