Category ACIM [Original-Edition]

Articles regarding specifically the ‘Original Edition’ as published by Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

Note of Gratitude by Karen Bentley

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

On Tues, Mar 6, 2012 at 1:13 PM, Karen Bentley, Author of  “THE POWER TO STOP”, wrote:

All versions of the Course work to change your mind and enable you to experience yourself as Love. That said, the ACIM original edition is the message Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford intended to put out into the world, and it speaks to me deeply. Just like less food processing makes for healthier food, less word tinkering makes for a more wholesome and less engineered reading experience. I also very much like that the hard cover edition of this book is built to last. As all Course people know, once you start reading the Course, you never stop. That’s why these seemingly inconsequential hardy physical features are important. Many thanks to the ACIM Original Edition publishers for making such a high quality book available to the world and to the Community Miracles Center for distributing and selling it at a discounted, affordable price. With gratitude. Karen Bentley

——————————————–
Karen Bentley is the author of 17 books including The Power to Stop, an ACIM-based program that teaches stopping as the path to self-love, personal power and enlightenment. http://www.powertostop.com/

How CIMS and the Original Edition Came to Be

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] 1 Comment

 

You actually may find the story of how an ‘early version’ of this course [ACIM] was discovered in 1999 quite interesting as it blew the Course Community wide open! For years students believed they were studying what the scribe, Helen Schucman and her co-scribe William Thetford, had written but not so.

The story of how the scribing came about is in itself quite amazing. Story of the scribing Helen was a militant atheist. She had investigated religion and finally settled on science, believing there was no God. “Helen was a clinical and research psychologist, who held the tenured position of Associate Professor of Medical Psychology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City.” About the Scribes And then she began to have psychic occurrences culminating in hearing, “This is A Course in Miracles. Please take notes.”

For 7 years she and her boss, William Thetford, took down what she was hearing from an internal VOICE which described itself as JESUS. This was embarrassing and disconcerting to Helen but on some level she knew she would take this material down. She said she wouldn’t do what it said and if it made any errors she was done!

Once it was finished Helen and Bill didn’t know quite what to do with it. They gave a copy to Hugh Lynn Cayce, son of Edgar Cayce, thinking perhaps they would publish it.

Shortly after this Helen and Bill met Ken Wapnick who thought that the manuscript should be edited further which they did. In 1975 the Course was published and copyrighted, with the acknowledgment that it had been edited by only minor changes in titles, subtitles and punctuation; in other words nothing major.

In 1992 the copyright holder started to enforce the copyright stringently and a few years later entered into a multimillion dollar law suit against a spiritual community which was ‘quoting’ the Course out of context. The spiritual community had only the lawyers who lived in the community and who offered their services Pro Bono. It was truly a David & Goliath scenario.

The spiritual community LIVED the theories of ACIM and came from unconditional love for ALL involved -> Judge, Plaintiffs, Defendants. ALL. I don’t think the Judge or anyone in the courtroom knew what hit them. It was LOVE. The copyright was overturned in 2003!!! Copyright Timeline

The most amazing part of this whole story was that during the ‘discovery’ phase of the trial, the early version manuscript given to Hugh Lynn Cayce was located, digitized and put up on the INTERNET!!

Realizing the beauty of this material and wanting to get it out into the world, a few of us formed a non-profit organization, Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] and published this manuscript under the name, “Jesus’ Course in Miracles” in 2000. Of course we were immediately presented with a restraining order and were sued as well. How Jesus Got His Copyright Back <- This link tells the story of what happened next.

We are the Course in Miracles referred to in the WIKIPEDIA article about ACIM. WIKI – ACIM Article And we are truly Non-Profit. No one at CIMS receives salaries or bonuses for what we contribute.

If the Course has crossed your Path, it’s not an accident. It’s your REALITY telling you it’s time. Check our blog out. CIMS BLOG Check out our website: CIMS Website.

There is something incredibly REAL behind the facade if you just take the time to peek in. 😉 Well….why am I not surprised the Huffington Post had this article. http://huff.to/LetLoveHostYourParty

Take care and thanks for taking the time to read this.
~ Reja
http://www.facebook.com/rejajoy
http://facebook.com/ACIM.original

What Exactly IS the ‘Original Edition’?

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]
We were asked recently to clearly explain what exactly is the ‘Original Edition’ and how does it compare to the early xeroxed copies of the manuscript made before formal publication.
 LISTEN to 23 min MP3        WATCH Video
 In 1969 the scribing of the Text and Workbook was finished by Helen Schucman and co-scribe Bill Thetford. This resulted in what is referred to as the ‘Urtext’. The pages stand about 2 feet high when placed in a stack. At this time a lengthy process of retyping the Course began. Bill Thetford was adamant that no changes be made other than correcting the typing errors and removing specifically personal material. Jesus designated Bill to be the one in charge of all changes.

In the Spring of 1972 the dictation of the third volume, Manual for Teachers, began. In September 1972 the retyping of the text was completed. The transcribing of the third and final volume, the Manual for Teachers, was completed.

When Helen and Bill finished the manuscript in 1972, they made about 12 copies and put them in their closet. [Bill Thetford mentions this in one of the Course videos]. The movie implies, however, that these copies were the copies created when all of the edits were finished in 1975, but they are not, as you will see in this discussion.

The copies in their closet were actually of the ‘original edition’ which has now been published by Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]. Helen Schucman and Bill allegedly gave unrestricted copies of their finished work to a few people. The ones we know of are: Cal Thatcher, a close friend of Helen’s; Fr. Benedict Groeshel, CFR, student of Helen’s; Hugh Lynn Cayce, son of psychic Edgar Cayce and Kenneth Wapnick, a clinical psychologist, who had recently converted to Catholicism and is informed of Bill and Helen through Father Groeshel. [It should be noted that it had been sent to Hugh Lynn Cayce in the hopes that his association might publish it, according to letters between Hugh Lynn Cayce and the scribes.]

As noted, Ken Wapnick was included in the group of six people receiving one of the 12 copies of the 1972 manuscript. We know from his statements on various Course videos that he was thoroughly intrigued by this manuscript when he had heard about it from his friend Father Groeshel. When Ken returned from Israel in the early part of 1973 he came to see Helen and asked to see the manuscript. In approximately six months, after becoming a close friend of Helen’s, at the end of 1973, Ken encouraged her to work with him to edit the document in order to make it more ‘printer ready’. Ken describes, in his own words what transpired at this time:

“I commented to Helen and Bill that I thought the manuscript needed some additional editing. Some of the personal and professional material still remained, and seemed inappropriate for a published edition.” Absence From Felicity” CH 12 “The Editing”.

This was the editing project which Ken and Helen finished in a little over a year, i.e. in the spring of 1975. Full copyright timeline is here: Copyright TimeLine

Therefore, the xerox copies that Judith Skutch Whitson made and distributed were not the ‘original edition’. Judith Skutch met Helen, Bill and Ken in 1975, after the editing project had been completed. The manuscript was typed one final time by an elderly Maryknoll Sister and was ready for its journey into the public arena as a trimmed down and publication ready A COURSE IN MIRACLES.

However, the 1972 manuscript was only ever seen by those few people mentioned earlier. As many of you may know, eventually in 1996 there was a law suit brought against Endeavor Academy by the copyright holders of ACIM. The Endeavor Academy lawyers needed to prove pre-copyright distribution. No one knew that the ‘original edition’ existed until it was located at the Association for Research and Enlightenment [A.R.E.] Library during the ‘discovery phase’ of the litigation, in 1999. As we mentioned previously, by some miracle, Helen and Bill had sent Hugh Lynn Cayce a copy of the manuscript when it was finished in 1972, before meeting Ken Wapnick. Some say the manuscript was stolen from the A.R.E. Library and some say they were given permission to make a copy. [This copy of the early 1972 manuscript has been named the Hugh Lynn Cayce or HLC manuscript.]

In any case, after the HLC manuscript was discovered it essentially blew everyone’s mind! That was in 1999. The Course community was previously told for 24 years that only minor changes in punctuation and title headings had been made during the editing project in 1975. They had no idea, until this discovery, that 25% of the first 5 chapters were removed when Helen and Ken edited the manuscript in 1973; most of all the capitalized words were changed to lower case, and replaced  with italicized in only a few cases; 53 principles went to 50; sections were rearranged and major portions were deleted. 127 references to “Soul” were changed to 12. The word “Soul” was either deleted or changed to another word such as: creations, you, spirit. Here is a side by side comparison of the changes: http://bit.ly/n0gNgh

It should also be noted that the Urtext [rough, original typing from shorthand notes] was obtained legally from the Library of Congress by the parties being sued: Endeavor Academy and CIMS. A copy was illegally leaked from Endeavor Academy.

COPYRIGHT LITIGATION OUTCOME http://www.enotes.com/topic/A_Course_in_Miracles

“Beginning in June, 1996, and ending in April, 2003, a copyright lawsuit initiated by Penguin Books and FIP* was brought against the New Christian Church of Full Endeavor for their unlimited independent publication of substantial portions of A Course in Miracles. It was found that the contents of the FIP first edition, published from 1976 through 1992, are in the public domain. However, copyright in all of the changes introduced in the Second Edition remains intact, as does the copyright for the Text Preface and the two supplementary pamphlets, Psychotherapy and Song of Prayer, as well as Schucman’s poetry, The Gifts of God.” [end of excerpt]

We are just happy that we have the freedom NOW to read any version that we choose. When “Absence from Felicity” was published by Kenneth Wapnick we longed to read the special messages and the original manuscript and the Urtext [very first typing before HLC] and now we can!

We hope that this answers a lot of your questions and if you have any further questions, please post them here. ♥

~ Course in Miracles Society

*FIP – Foundation for Inner Peace

COMPARISON of Various Versions of the Course: https://www.jcim.net/acim-comparison-of-versions/ 

 

  LISTEN to 23 min MP3        WATCH Video

 

ACIM ~ Comparison of Versions

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] 4 Comments

ACIM ~ Comparison of Versions

 
A Course of Love A Course in Miracles Complete and Annotated Edition
sparklebook urtext-7vols

The following are various ‘editions’ of A COURSE IN MIRACLES from which students may choose.

The “A Course in Miracles-Original Edition” published by the Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

A Course in Miracles – The Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP] edition

A Course of Love [ACOL] – Continuation of ACIM, scribed by Mari Perron

A Course in Miracles, Complete and Annotated Edition [ACIM CE], published by the Circle of Atonement

A Course in Miracles: “SPARKLE Edition”

URTEXT [original transcription of shorthand notes & additions, before editing for publication] [MiraclesInActionPress]

In this Article, Community Miracles Center [CMC] provides the background for the specific differences between the various editions although it has not been updated to include the ACIM CE.

CONTENT

A Course in Miracles-Original Edition is the manuscript of the dictation of A Course in Miracles which had been completed in September 1972 and had resulted in three volumes—the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers. The scribes Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford had divided the Text into chapters and sections and had given titles to each, and they removed a great deal of material from the early chapters, the material they believed was meant for them personally, not for the Course. The edition that resulted from those efforts is the “Original Edition” as published by the Course in Miracles Society [CIMS].

The “Original Edition” manuscript was discovered in 1999 as a result of the ‘discovery phase’ of a lawsuit brought by the copyright holders at that time upon a spiritual community for copyright infringement. It is sometimes referred to as the HLC edition or the “Jesus’ Course in Miracles’ edition. The copyright on the 1975 edition [described below] was overturned in 2003 due to pre-copyright distribution which placed the manuscript in the public domain. There is current copyright on the “Original Edition” as published in 2006 by CIMS. This is the copyright statement on ACIM OE:

Copyright (c) 2011 Course In Miracles Society. Reproduction, sharing and quoting from this material is encouraged. Where such reproduction involves commercial sale of more than ten percent of the total content of the Book in any media, written permission of the copyright holder is required. The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies of substantial portions of the Book.

FIP retains a copyright on the post-1975 edition as described below.

A Course in Miracles, published by the Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP], is the Course as it resulted from an editing project begun by Ken Wapnick upon meeting Helen and Bill and learning of the scribed manuscript. Regarding the changes made to the manuscript in the FIP Edition, this is an excerpt from CIMS “Foreword”:

“In 1973 Ken Wapnick, who had joined their small circle and received a copy of the 1972 manuscript, expressed his belief that further editing was needed. Thetford withdrew from further detailed editing work, and Schucman and Wapnick resumed the editing process. Along with changes in paragraphing, punctuation, capitalization, and section titles, there was a great deal of line-by-line editing. In addition, about one-fifth of the material in the first five chapters was removed. Finally, a new section, the Clarification of Terms, was added. The resulting edition, published in 1975 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, became the Course with which the world would become familiar.”

“In the FIP Edition, the 53 miracle principles are changed to 50. Descriptions of the miracle principles are re-arranged and in some cases obtained from other areas of the text. 127 references to “Soul” are changed to 12. The word “Soul” is either deleted or changed to another word such as creations, you, spirit.” This excerpt is from the following: Copyright TimeLine

The following link is to a side-by-side comparison between the Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP] 2nd Edition and the HLC/Jesus’ Course in Miracles/Original Edition/Sparkle Editions: ComparisonOEv2nd.pdf

The Course of Love [ACOL] is a continuation of A Course in Miracles scribed by Mari Perron. “Gently guides the reader from the experience of separation to the experience of union, which is also to experience the power of God and the force of love.” There are three BOOKS. Book One is A Course of Love, Book Two is four Treatises, and Book Three is The Dialogues and The Forty Days and Forty Nights.

A Course in Miracles Complete and Annotated Edition [ACIM CE] is published by Circle of Atonement. “Course scholar Robert Perry and his colleagues at the Circle of Atonement have worked to carefully transcribe these notes and the result is a new version of A Course in Miracles that – for the first time – contains the source material in its entirety.”

A Course in Miracles Sparkle Edition is essentially the original 1972 manuscript with the changes in preface, punctuation, and numbering as noted below. The content has not been changed. There may however be additions from the URTEXT [first typing of shorthand notes] appearing in brackets in the “Original Edition” that do not appear in the Sparkle Edition.

The URTEXT is the reproduction of the entire handwritten notes of the scribes before there was editing by the scribes, later by Helen Schucman and Ken Wapnick, and subsequently by Robert Perry.

FOREWORD ~ PREFACE

The “Original Edition” contains a FOREWORD written by Course in Miracles Society that does not appear in the “Sparkle Edition”. The Foreword briefly explains how A Course in Miracles came about and how this edition differs from subsequent editions.

The FIP 1st Edition, printed in three separate hardback volumes in 1975, does not contain a PREFACE. It does contain however the CLARIFICATION OF TERMS which appears at the end of the third volume: “The Manual for Teachers”. A subsequent FIP Edition, which would have been the 13th printing of the original volumes, combines all three volumes into a single book and has the addition of second copyright date, 1985. This edition contains, for the first time, a PREFACE which has two sections: “How it Came” and “What it Says”.

THE USE OF TERMS is not located in the “Original Edition” as it was not part of the original manuscript completed by Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford in 1972. The USE OF TERMS was subsequently scribed in 1975 by Helen when the “Original Edition manuscript” was further edited by Helen and Ken Wapnick for a more general publication.

The Course as presented by A Course in Miracles Complete and Annotated Edition [ACIM CE] is a combination of the URTEXT, which is the earliest version, and an early typing of the notes by the scribes to form early renditions of the HLC. [Refer to URTEXT to view actual reproduction of the scribal notes before further editing.] In the HLC manuscript, which is the final typing of the material by the scribes, there are 53 Miracles Principles, but inexplicably, there are only 50 Miracle Principles in this “Complete and Annotated” Edition. Therefore, it seems to be based on a rendition of the scribe’s notes containing what appears to be some editing of the final HLC Edition. It contains the CLARIFICATION OF TERMS as well as APPENDICES, consisting of Cameo Essays, which are special messages given to the scribe.

The first printing of the “Sparkle Edition” contains THE USE OF TERMS as a ‘preface’. The PREFACE in the second printing of the “Sparkle Edition” includes an explanation for the formatting style and a “Publisher’s Note” regarding THE USE OF TERMS as well as THE USE OF TERMS itself. The “Publisher’s Note explains that in the Use of Terms, scribed by Helen, it was explained that the term SOUL was excluded due to its controversial nature. The “Publisher’s Note” indicates that the term SOUL has been restored in the Sparkle Edition to its original position.

NUMBERING

In the CIMS “Original Edition” the paragraphs are numbered to make referencing easier. Since page numbers change as typographical corrections are made and additions are entered in brackets from the URTEXT [i.e. the first typing from the shorthand notes], one would need the Chapter and Paragraph numbers to reference a quote with ease.

The 1st FIP edition [3 volume hardback] has no numbering at all. Where the 3 volumes are first combined into a single volume, there is no numbering. In a subsequent 2nd edition of the combined volume, the paragraphs and the sentences within the paragraphs are all numbered.

A Course of Love has numbered the paragraphs.

The ACIM CE has paragraph and sentences numbered.

The Sparkle edition has no numbering at all.

STYLE/PUNCTUATION

Style and punctuation are also slightly different in all of these editions. Words were emphasized in the shorthand notes by being underlined. When the initial manuscript was typed from the shorthand notes and also verbal information added by Helen Schucman [the scribe], it was done on a TYPEWRITER. Typewriters at that time did not italicize and therefore Bill Thetford, who was co-scribe and the person who typed it, added those words in ALL CAPS for emphasis.

A Course in Miracles-Original Edition italicizes all CAPITALIZATION.

In all editions from the Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP] the CAPITALIZATIONS in the original manuscript were changed to lower case in almost all instances, with a few of the words changed to italics.

A Course in Miracles Complete and Annotated edition has used their own discretion in deciding which words should be emphasized, believing that Helen was “emphasis crazy” and therefore there were far too many words emphasized. Some of these emphasized words are placed in a “soft gray underline” and some are italicized.

The “Sparkle Edition” has kept those words CAPITALIZED.

As far as punctuation goes, the “A Course in Miracles-Original Edition” follows the practices and conventions of the Chicago Manual of Style, and both the Sparkle, FIP, and COA follow Helen’s idiosyncratic use of punctuation.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, this document will aid students in answering the many questions they may have regarding the various editions of A Course in Miracles. Although a lot of Course students feel as though they want to read the Course as it was compiled by Helen and Bill, there are many who also want to read the URTEXT [the manuscript typed from the shorthand notes with verbal additions by Helen]. This material was obtained legally from the Library of Congress by the parties in the copyright litigation who had legal access to the material being litigated. It was then obtained by other parties who subsequently illegally shared it on the internet. Presently, the URTEXT is available online here: Urtext At Miracles Action Press

There is a history of the copyright litigation in a Timeline for those who are still interested, although the past is truly gone. It can hurt us not. If you are interested, then there is information on the Trademark ACIM and there is some background information on how the copyright was actually overturned. A copy of the final judgment is here: RULING

On FIP’s website, there is an explanation of the ‘Editing process,’ which explains how the material was edited. FIP Editing History Article

If any questions remain, please feel free to contact CIMS. [The email address is below.]

Humanity is incredibly blessed to have the A COURSE IN MIRACLES no matter which edition we use. Whatever our preference, HIS GUIDANCE is there for us if we open our hearts and let it in! It is truly our way Home.

An On-Line searchable edition of the “Original Edition” is here:

ONLINE ORIGINAL EDITION

There is also a new CO-RELATIONAL Search between A Course in Miracles-Original Edition and A Course of Love [ACOL]:

CO-RELATE ACIM OE and ACOL

An On-line searchable edition of the FIP Edition can be obtained here:

ONLINE FIP:  TEXTWORKBOOKMANUAL

An On-Line searchable edition of the “Sparkly” Edition is here:

ONLINE SPARKLE EDITION

An On-line searchable edition of URTEXT:

ONLINE URTEXT:
TEXTWORKBOOKMANUAL

An On-line PDF of URTEXT:

PDF of URTEXT

THE SCHOLAR’S TOOLBOX:

INDEX of HTML Version and Volume Files

EMAIL CIMS: reja-joy@jcim.net

 

View on web:    ACIM Comparisons

ACIM in Iambic Pentameter

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] 1 Comment
 
 

In Lesson 100, the full transition to blank verse in the Transmission from Whole Mind to human mind has been accomplished. From here on, the entire workbook has been dictated in fluent iambic pentameter.

The following article is an adaptation from the MIRACLES HEALING CENTER FULL Article “The Rhythm & Reason of Reality ~ Prose and Poetry in A Course in Miracles

THE RHYTHM AND REASON OF REALITY

Those of you who have discovered the unearthly masterpiece,
A Course in Miracles, will no doubt be aware of, and grateful
for, its divine message of the remembrance of God and reality
through love and forgiveness, that are only made possible in
the realization that this world is a dream of your own making.
You may remember reading, amongst the literature concerning the
scribing of the Course, references to the use of a poetic form
called iambic pentameter.

The purpose of this volume is to present the poetry of the
Course in a totally accessible manner. You need know nothing
about poetic forms and meters to begin enjoying immediately.
You may, however, wish to read this introduction, as a search
to ascertain the extent of the poetic form within the Course
reveals another astounding dimension in its structural
integrity.

Iambic pentameter is usually described as “lines consisting of
five iambs”, which in turn are described as “metric feet of two
syllables each, the second syllable being the stronger”. Put
simply, a line of iambic pentameter sounds like this:

|Da-DUM |Da-DUM |Da-DUM |Da-DUM| Da-DUM | — |

This form is also called “blank verse”, a more general term
denoting even rhythm without rhyming. Because the Course is
presented entirely as prose the extent to which this form is
used is a surprising and exciting discovery.

The Text of A Course In Miracles can be seen as three distinct
parts, two of twelve chapters each, and the last of seven
chapters, each differentiated from the other by the use of
meter. Within this structure, a gradual transition is made
from prose to blank verse.

The first twelve chapters of the Course are written in a
rhythmic prose, and the portrait of the human condition given
is prosaic indeed. The very last sentence of Chapter 12 is the
first glimpse of what, metrically speaking, is to come: “Your
Father could not cease to love His Son. (a line of iambic
pentameter)

The second part begins with the first seven sections of Chapter
13 becoming increasingly iambic, until in section seven, “The
Attainment of the Real World”, each paragraph contains on
average only three of four arhythmic lines, non-iambic lines.
This is the metric characteristic of the second twelve chapters.
Occasionally, paragraphs begin with emphatic statements of
light reality, given in iambic pentameter: “There is a light
that this world cannot give;” is the first such occurrence. “You
do not really want the world you see;” “We cannot sing
redemption’s hymn alone;” “Your faith in nothing is deceiving
you.” These glorious statements are each elucidated
conceptually in the paragraphs that follow from them, but each
also offers an opportunity to enter into real communication….
You are being prepared for a new mode of data
transmission.

Deeper into the second part, increasingly strong “insertions”
of iambic pentameter occur; longer passages that persist
further into the paragraphs. For instance, in Chapter 21:

Thus they define their life and where they live,
adjusting to it as they think they must,
afraid to lose the little that they have.
And so it is with all who see the body
as all they have and all their brothers have.
and fail again.

Coincident with the approach of total iambic pentameter, (the
last seven chapters), Jesus makes this statement (in Chapter
22): “This is a crucial period in this course, for here the
separation of you and the ego must be made complete.”
And this:

This course will be believed entirely
or not at all.
For it is wholly true or wholly false,
and cannot be but partially believed.

Chapter 25 is the beginning of the final part. In Chapters 25
and 26 the final transition is made into perfect iambic
pentameter, making feasible the presentation as poetry in the
two same manner as the works of Shakespeare are presented,
with columns of the short blank verse lines to a page. It is at
this final part that this volume of transformative rhythm and
poetry takes up the Text. Encoded into the ongoing
presentation of conceptual ideas is the true communication the
Course aims to teach. Each line is a perfectly whole package
of information.

Some parts of these two chapters are still not regular enough
to allow breakdown into lines of iambic pentameter and so are
presented (in Russell’s book) as prose. Also, the regular
iambic pentameter in these two chapters and early in Chapter
27, often contains idiosyncrasies, such as lines that contain
one extra syllable, or short lines of only four or six
syllables. These discrepancies are used to emphasize ideas in
the same manner that the iambic pentameter was used in the
middle chapters of the text, only rather than lifting you into
communication, they drop you out momentarily, the aim being
to teach you to recognize the difference.

In the last five chapters of the text the iambic pentameter is
perfect. Jesus never abbreviates words to achieve this, but it
does account for what seemed to be occasionally unusual syntax
– but which now makes perfect sense, read as poetry.

A transition from prose to poetry also occurs in the Workbook,
but it is much simpler, and quicker. The first ninety lessons
are plain prose, with the exception of Lesson 78, which is
totally poetic (iambic pentameter). The transition occurs
entirely with ten lessons. Lesson 91 is prose. The following
lessons have increasing percentages of verse, but the
distinction is kept very clear. Any paragraph will either be
entirely prose, or entirely poetry. It is astonishing to
discover that everything in the Workbook from lesson 100 on is
in iambic pentameter ~ the introductions to Reviews, the
“instructions on themes of special relevance,” such as ‘What is
Forgiveness’, the prayers and the Epilogue.

Attempts to read the poetic form directly from the original
prose layout often result in diminished comprehension.
Conversely, the presentation as blank verse guarantees placing
correct emphasis for understanding, (though not understanding
itself), and the elegance and eloquence of Jesus’ poetry and
the regular rhythmic lope offer an expanded experience of the
Course to the musical mind.

The magnitude and beauty of the Course, simply as a work of
literature and without regard to its miraculous content,
adequately belie any notion of its human authorship. The
divinity of the ideas expressed is beyond question. Certainly
the poetic and prosaic forms contained in A Course in Miracles
are there because that was necessary for the healing of God’s
Son, since this is the Holy Spirit’s only purpose.

 

Note of Gratitude

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

On Sat, Mar 5, 2011 at 9:16 AM, Corinne Zupko wrote:

Dear CIMS,

Hello! I have been happy to connect with you all through Twitter (@ecoursemiracles and @CorinneZupko) and through Facebook as well.

I absolutely LOVE the Original Edition.  I’m a long time student of the Course, and the Original edition has added so much to my understanding and practice of the Course.  So I thank you so much for the work that you do!

I am currently adding a “Course in Miracles” tab to my website (From Anxiety to Love) and am writing a description of it to appear there.  I would love to include a picture of the Course cover, and I was wondering if I could use the image of it that you have on your website?  I would link that image to your site, and could also write a caption indicating that it is the CIMS Original Edition.  Please let me know your thoughts either way.

Thank you!

Warm regards,

Corinne

—
Corinne Zupko, Ed.S., M.A., C.P.C.
Inner Balance Life Coaching
Helping you find more peace in your life.

Comparison of Course Teachings

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] 5 Comments

The Relationship Between the Circle’s Teachings and the Teachings Of Ken Wapnick

by Robert Perry & Greg Mackie

We at the Circle, particularly those of us who write for the Circle (Robert Perry, Allen Watson, and Greg Mackie), have for years been regularly asked by students to clarify the relationship between our teachings and those of Ken Wapnick. These students know that both Ken Wapnick and the Circle of Atonement seek to accurately represent the Course, yet they are also aware that we see the Course differently. This presents a confusing situation for students, many of whom regard both the Circle and Ken Wapnick as authoritative sources of teaching.

We have finally decided to address this issue, briefly in this newsletter and more fully in an upcoming book. What follows in this article will be a list of similarities and a list of differences between our teaching and Wapnick’s. This list will not be exhaustive, but we have tried to make it as accurate as possible. It is difficult to summarize someone’s views as briefly as we have here. To be as faithful as possible in representing Wapnick, we have frequently quoted his own words. Further, in areas where he teaches different (and seemingly incompatible) things, we have tried to capture his main emphasis. Introducing the list of similarities and the list of differences will be a brief account of where, in our view, those similarities or differences come from.

One more point: the purpose of this article is not to present reasoning and evidence in support of our views (which is why there are no Course references attached to our views below). In our book, One Course, Two Visions we explain and support our views more fully, but this article merely aims to present our views and Wapnick’s views as objectively and neutrally as possible.

My ACIM Story

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

To Whom It May Concern*:
 
I am writing this email hoping that it finds…well…whoever it needs to find.  I felt, for some odd reason, the need to share my story as to what A Course In Miracles has done for me.
 
Years ago (20 years ago) a friend recommended the book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.  She quotes The Course in her book, “You who desire peace can find it only by complete forgiveness”.  I figured I would research this mysterious book and give it a shot.  I found the book hiding in a very cluttered bookstore in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990.  I began to read it but never fully understood it.  To me, it was just a series of words jumbled together.  It may as well have been in cuneiform.  Nonetheless, through ‘strange coincidences’, I kept meeting people who had read The Course.  The oddest encounter was on a subway platform in Boston where an artist designed quotes from The Course in calligraphy on paper.  Still…I didn’t understand any of it.  I simply could not comprehend the words. 
 
After many trials in my life, around the same time, I went to a fairly well renowned Native American Seer in Salem.  She told me to focus on what I wanted to know about.  I just kept thinking on how I wanted peace in my life.  She then told me that the answer to what I was thinking was in a “Black book with gold lettering”.  I thought of The Course but ruled it out because the one I had was blue with gold lettering.  So, dismayed, I pushed on in life.
 
Many (and I do mean many) trials later, only a month ago in fact, I stumbled across the documentary The Story of A Course In Miracles.  I watched it intently.  I was floored when it spoke of Helen Schucman’s dream or vision of a “black book with gold lettering”.  Then I looked on Amazon.com and saw the new Original Edition.  Mind you, during these past twenty years, I repeatedly picked up, and subsequently put down, The Course whereas, again, it consistently made no sense to me whatsoever.  I met people who met Marianne Williamson personally, I met people whose lives were saved by The Course, all through the oddest of ‘coincidences’.  Still…I could not relate to this Spirit of Peace.
 
I purchased the Original Edition, following through with the prophesy of this seer.  Well…my eyes were opened.  It finally made sense.  I do not know how on earth this additional material was omitted, but it never should have been.  Then, whether it be through human intuition or Divine Inspiration, I had the following insight and wanted to share.
 
This Kenneth Wapnick was and is completely ego driven (in the every-day use of the word ‘ego’, as in prideful and selfish).  He never should have had his hand in the editing process.  I will not buy his books nor listen to a word he has to say.  I know The Course does not advocate a devil, per say, but there are clearly forces working against The Course that would see the message distorted.  I know that his word manipulation was a disservice to me, and cost me 20 years of understanding.  Nonetheless, all happens for a reason.  Yet, Kenneth Wapnick is the “unhealed healer” The Course speaks of.
 
That having been said, now that I actually understand what I am reading, and am obtaining peace from it, I will continuously purchase copies of the Original Edition and give them out as gifts to thus spread the message of The Course.  Further, I dedicate myself to making certain people know which copy of The Course they are reading.  One is correct.  The other is not.  Simple as that.

Well…I don’t even know if anyone will ever read this email, but…that’s my experience and opinion.
 
Kind Regards,
Eric F.

* Course in Miracles Society [CIMS] wants to mention that the A Course in Miracles as edited by Ken Wapnick and Helen Schucman has brought much Peace to many, many people. In fact, some people prefer the Wapnick Foundation for Inner Peace version over the original edition. We are not ones to ever say what form a message will need to take to be helpful. We are grateful for any and all versions of A Course in Miracles. We thank Eric for his comments and wish him well on his journey without distance.

Kindle Edition of original edition

Course in Miracles Society [CIMS]

ACIM eBook Editions


A COURSE IN MIRACLES ORIGINAL EDITION®
E-Books
CIMS STORE

===============================

UN CURSO SOBRE MILAGROS
E-Libros
CIMS STORE

===============================


EIN KURS IN WUNDERN
E-Book
CIMS STORE

 

This Kindle Edition of THE COURSE IN MIRACLES [original edition], is the kindle edition of the book published by “The Course in Miracles Society – CIMS” a non-profit organization. The first printing was in 2006. There have now been four printings.

This ‘original edition’ is the previously unpublished manuscript completed in 1972 by Helen Schucman and William Thetford. The manuscript contains approximately 6000 words which do not appear in the 1975 edition of The Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace [FIP]. The original manuscript was revealed during the discovery phase of the copyright litigation. Once the copyright was overturned, and the document found to be in the public domain, CIMS was permitted to publish it. It does not contain the PREFACE since the PREFACE was added in the 1975 FIP edition. It does contain a FORWARD written by CIMS.

The Course in Miracles is the result of the collaboration between two Columbia University psychologists: Dr. William T. Thetford and his colleague, Dr. Helen Schucman. In 1965, Helen experienced what she described as a Voice which spoke clearly in her mind, saying “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.” Helen took down over a period of seven years some 1,500 type written pages which became A Course in Miracles.

The ‘original edition’ is the unabridged volume of the Course as it was completed by Schucman and Thetford in 1972. The TEXT was initially published as “Jesus’ Course in Miracles” in 2000. Marianne Williamson was a recipient of one of the first books printed. Once the litigation was final, all three volumes [TEXT, WORKBOOK, and MANUAL for TEACHERS] were published by CIMS in 2006. There are also two appendices: Glossary of Course Terms and The Early Editions and Editing by Robert Perry.

What is wonderful is that there are EDITIONS of the Course in Miracles the suit different learning modes. Some people like the personal approach of the ‘original edition’ which mentions Freud and Jung and some people prefer the FIP edition which is the edited manuscript for more public readability.

It’s a blessing that KINDLE has now been created to allow those who prefer the electronic version to now have access.

For more information and links to further products, please visit: http://www.jcim.net
To purchase this manuscript in hard copy please visit: A Course in Miracles-Original Edition STORE

Sincerely,
COURSE IN MIRACLES SOCIETY [CIMS]