In 2017 the Complete and Annotated (CE) Edition of the Course was published by the Circle of Atonement. The Circle’s founder Robert Perry had worked on this edition for ten years, alongside Greg Mackie, using Helen Schucman’s original notes and a significant amount of material that had been progressively edited out and was not included in the Course when it was originally published, was included in this comprehensive edition of the Course. A brief description of how the CE edition came to be can be found on the Circle’s website: https://circleofa.org/the-course/
The Course, as with any course of learning, comprises three parts: the Text, Workbook and Manual for Teachers. It was only weeks or maybe a few months after I began studying the Course, starting with the Text, that I recognised it was my spiritual path. I did not doubt that the author was Jesus and I felt heartened to have him reframe many widely held beliefs about his life and teachings, often answering questions about Christianity that had troubled me from as far back as I can remember. A lifetime of beliefs started to unravel. For example, while I learned that I am not special, which was a shock, it was also a relief. The ego-driven need for ‘specialness’ is what led to us separating from God in the first place. I tried to understand and embrace the Course’s view of forgiveness. I ruminated on what Jesus meant by accepting the Atonement for oneself. I was thankful to hear that God didn’t make this world and does not orchestrate all of how humans are in disharmony with each other. I learned how destructive yet subtle the ego is and how I made it my god.
The Course is not something you read once and put down. It needs to be studied carefully and diligently and many students spend the rest of their life as students of the Course once they have found it. I fall into this category. The more I delve into the Course the less real this ‘real world’ seems and the more I long for my true home. Course students often feel like a fish out of water when they are expected to respond in certain ways to certain events in the world or situations such as sickness being experienced by their loved ones. It is a fine balance to be empathetic and provide support to people while knowing that what we see is all illusion.
As a diligent student of the Course, I felt that my experiences might benefit others. I sought guidance from the Holy Spirit Who seemed to be telling me I should write. From there I progressed to teaching myself to build a website and then started blogging. My writing included reminiscences, stories about my life experiences and comments on life or world events, as well as detailing my journey with the Course. Eventually, I sought guidance again, as I felt I was not doing justice to my writing by trying to include the Course amongst other topics. Which is how this website came about. Here I intend to write only about my journey with the Course. I hope you find something that will lead to you being curious to find out more.