In 1965 Helen Schucman began to receive dictation from an inner voice that identified itself as Jesus. She and her scribe William Thetford took down the words she heard each day for 7 years. un curso de milagros

In 1999 a version of ACIM was found in the ARE library and combined with the untouched manual and workbook of the UR Text to create the Sparkly/Spar kle/Thetford Edition of A Course in Miracles.
What is A Course in Miracles?

A Course in Miracles is a self-study system of spiritual psychology contained in three books: the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers. It combines profound spiritual teachings with far-reaching and practical psychological insights. First published in 1976, it has touched the lives of millions worldwide.

The book teaches that the world we experience is a dream and that healing comes by changing our perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. It focuses on forgiveness as the key to opening the door to truth and happiness. It is not a religion; it offers a different way of looking at God, the universe, and ourselves. Its teachings are based on a deep understanding of love that goes beyond the human ego.

The Course's origin and alleged authorship are controversial. Its challenge to traditional Western religious thought has made it popular with people seeking alternative spiritual guidance, but also troubling to some Christians. Nonetheless, the three-volume Course has sold over three million copies without any paid advertising and is considered a modern spiritual classic.

It uses Christian terminology, but is ecumenical in nature and emphasizes experiential rather than theological belief. It also evokes universal spiritual themes, and is particularly influenced by Eastern philosophy. Its stated goal is to lead to the experience of love, peace, and oneness with God. The Course is not a substitute for any religion; it claims that it is only one of many thousands of ways to reach the same goal.

The Course is taught through the use of dialogue between teacher and student. It does not identify itself as the voice of God or Jesus, but calls Helen Schubert-Hayworth its scribe and Bill Haynes its tutor. It states that the teacher is not the same as the student, and that it is the student's job to listen to the voice of God within, which is heard as the voice of the Course. The students are encouraged to practice the principles of forgiveness and love in their daily lives. The lessons of the Workbook help them to apply these principles in their relationships with family, friends, and strangers.
What is the Original Edition?

The original edition of A Course in Miracles consists of the Text, Workbook and Manual. It was scribed and typed up by Helen Schucman (a professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University) and Bill Thetford between 1965 and 1972, before being edited for formal publication. This manuscript has come to be known as the UR-text, or the Original Text of ACIM.

During this time of scribing, Schucman experienced what she called a “pure stream of love” that was guiding her through the writing of the Course. She believed that the words were being dictated to her word for word by a voice that identified itself as Jesus Christ. This is the voice that is heard in many of the dialogues in the Course, and also in its commentary on sex, politics, religion, world peace, healing and forgiveness.

Though the Course uses Christian terminology, it is not a religious book. It is ecumenical in its approach, and its underlying ontology is based on universal spiritual principles. The Course teaches that the real world, which we see through our bodies, is a manifestation of God’s thoughts and that it is unified, peaceful, loving and abundant. It teaches that the cause of all problems is misperception, and that these misperceptions can be corrected through forgiveness.

It was not until 1999 that people began to realize how much of the original Course was removed from the final 1976 version published by FIP, and it was around this time that people started to look for the earliest possible manuscripts of the Course. Eventually it was found at the Association for Research and Enlightenment library in Roscoe, NY, where it had been kept hidden for many years.

It was at this time that the ARE decided to make this version of the Course available on the internet. It was digitized and put up on the internet in June of 2000, and it has since become the most widely used version of the Course. It is this version that is the source of all subsequent printed versions of the Course, including the presently published FIP Text and Workbook.
What is the Sparkly/Spar kle/Thetford Edition?

When Helen Schucman began the process of inner dictation that would lead to A Course in Miracles, she heard a voice inside her that identified itself as Jesus. He instructed her to take notes, and over the next seven years she received material that would become a 622-page Text, a 478-page Workbook for Students, and an 88-page Manual for Teachers. This course in thought reversal and mind training was designed to help establish one’s identity outside the ego’s control.

During the time that she was receiving and scribing Jesus’ messages, Helen had personal information, guidance and instruction for herself, Bill Thetford and others communicated to her through this medium. This was not to be published in the three volumes of the Original Edition, and it is what became the Sparkly/Sparkle/Thetford Edition.

It was edited by a group of ACIM students, who felt a great need to share this material with the world. They felt a deep desire to bring forth an accurate, reliable and accessible version of the Course. They also received inner guidance that they could do this without requiring anyone to pay for it. A foundation was established, and funds were raised to digitize the manuscript. Then they made it available, free of charge!

This was the first time that this original edit of the Course had ever been published and distributed. This was done in spite of the fact that Ken Wapnick had sued several people for using the Course without his permission. People around the world began to wonder where this original ACIM had ended up, and when it was found at the Association for Research and Enlightenment library in Virginia Beach, it was digitized and put on the internet!

The Sparkly/Sparkle/Thetford edition is based on the URTEXT, which contains the original, unabridged, three-volume manuscript that was completed in September of 1972. The earliest version of this manuscript had been edited by the scribes, Helen and Bill, who removed a lot of personal material that was not included in the final published work, the Original Edition. This edition includes the original FOREWORD as well as the Text, Workbook and Manual for Teachers. Paragraphs and sentences in this edition are numbered, which makes it easier to reference and quote from the work.
What is the Living Miracles Community?

The Living Miracles Community of ACIM is a global network of devoted students, hosting retreats, events, and daily devotional lives. They share a simple way of life, based on the mystical teachings of A Course in Miracles (ACIM). Living Miracles also includes a non-profit ministry and a Monastery for those who feel called to live the spiritual practice of the Course as a committed community of brothers and sisters.

The first of its kind, the Living Miracles Monastery offers a place for people to come together as a community, unplug from the hectic world outside, and reconnect with what truly matters. The monastery is located in the beautiful Strawberry River Canyon of Eastern Utah, two hours from Salt Lake City. Designed for comfort, mindfulness, and silence, the buildings and grounds offer a variety of spaces to find quiet contemplation or social connection.

In 1965, Dr. Helen Schucman, a medical psychologist at Columbia University, began to have visionary experiences and hear an inner voice speak to her. This inner voice identified itself as Jesus, and asked her to take notes. Helen complied with this instruction and over the next seven years received the material that eventually became the three-volume set of A Course in Miracles: the Text, Workbook, and Manual.

Bill Thetford, a colleague of Helen's and her boss at the time, heard the same voice and agreed to type up the daily messages she dictated to him. The result was the Original Edition of A Course in Miracles, published in 1976. It was the only version of the book available until the HLC/FIP version was discovered in the ARE Library in 1999 and the UR Text was found in 2000.

The UR Text is a more raw and unedited version of the course than the FIP. It is a valuable resource because it contains many of the original messages and teachings that were deleted from the FIP. The UR Text is still under copyright protection, so please be respectful of the owners and use only with their permission. To obtain permission to publish and distribute the UR Text, please contact us.