I selected this course because I was intrigued by the idea of manifesting miracles at will.
Part I, Preparing for Miracles, quickly set the stage for what was to come, exploring and uncovering how the 3 minds work. Once I had a firm grasp on this, it seemed easy to accept, and I was eager to begin to apply the strategies taught in Parts II and III, the Keys to Miraculous Living and the Applied Principles of Metaphysics, to my daily life.
As I worked through the course material, I was reminded of people I have encountered and observed throughout my adult years, people who repeatedly were blessed with good fortune, seemingly always coming out on top, no matter the obstacles or circumstances placed before them, while others struggled to maintain their footing, being caught up in perpetual “victim-hood”, despite opportunities within their reach. This course laid out in simple, progressive terms, the how and why of my thinking, the impact my thoughts, desires, and attitudes have on my life, as well as the the application of purpose, intention, and prayer to attract abundance and joy. The course introduction stated that it was necessary to suspend any previous belief system I had in this area, and I willingly was prepared to do just that.
“Thinking from the Ego” covered in lesson 2, was of special interest to me because being born and raised in New York City, and being a woman determined to succeed in a man's world, the development of ego was the foundation for survival in the business world. As I studied the lesson, I tried to dismiss the notion that the over-inflated ego was a negative trait. I scrutinized each word of this portion of the course material for several weeks, and looked to other materials outside of the course as well, looking for a loophole , highlighting those sentences that I identified with, so that I could gather arguments to counter them. Forty of the forty three sentences in the descriptive paragraph of the over-inflated ego described me. While I gained a complete understanding of the written lesson, it was difficult for me to actually apply my learnings to my daily actions. The in-depth search for arguments to counter-balance the existence of the over-inflated ego proved instead to be an exercise that would cement the concept of the balanced ego for me. A new internal mantra was born. Daily, I remind myself, “Get over yourself. Focus on something bigger than you”.
Learning that I can choose to act either from my ego or from my higher mind opened up new challenges for me. The concept of “What can I give to life?” instead of “What can I get from life?” interested me and became the starting point of my new path. Focusing on this idea, and applying it to my daily life in small ways, required me to align myself with my higher mind, where I began to see my connectedness to the universe instead of my separateness from it.
This course helped me to uncover any flaws that might exist in my view of reality. Additionally it helped me to accept that every entity of the physical world that I live in has a specific nature and when different entities interact, they do so according to the nature of both. This realization of cause and effect encourages and inspires me to find my purpose and set my intentions with the understanding that I am a part of a universal consciousness.
In this vein, I strive everyday, in all my actions, to be harmless in all encounters with those whom the universe places before me. I strive to cause no person to alter his course of actions negatively because of a chance or planned meeting with me.
Both the Bible and “A Course in Miracles” were my companions as I worked through the course. These books supported the course materials and were invaluable to me, helping to clarify, or re-state some of those points that I initially found difficult to accept.
During the 20 weeks of my studies I kept my course notes on small index cards with me, as a reminder to take each day's journey in baby steps to minimize stumbling and discouragement. The learned principles, which seemed to be simple when on paper, proved to be challenging in application, as old thoughts and habits overshadowed my efforts. But with confidence in the course materials, I continued to persevere, with the anticipation of replacing old habits with new.
The course had a profound effect on me, and with the knowledge gained, brought up more questions about life that I am eager to have answered. There is no doubt that whether I take a little or much from the lessons, I have emerged more “centered” in my life, and am inspired to seek yet more growth from additional studies.
Previous to taking this course, my definition of “miracle” was: The occurrence of something impossible. Now, I understand that a miracle occurs when I experience something that I previously believed was impossible for me.
by Rev. Cathi Tessier
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