Redefining Spiritual Awakening in “A Course in Miracles”

No, we do not have to deny our humanity to realize our divinity

If you search for A Course in Miracles on Google, visit various websites, and follow up on comments and discussion boards, every now and then, you’ll see someone post about how the point of the Course is to “wake up.”

Such folks argue that given that the entire premise of the Course is that the physical universe and everything in it (including us) are illusions, our ultimate objective is to realize the illusory nature of the cosmos and become free of it.

For such individuals, the argument is that in the process of “waking up,” we transcend the body. We will move away from an experience of space and time and exit the awareness of this terrestrial world for our actual existence, that of being at one with God in heaven.

This perspective is often met with the following responses or follow-up questions:

“Having studied A Course in Miracles, has anyone actually ‘woken up’ in this way?”

“Has anyone transcended the body and the experience of being in the world?”

“If I don’t transcend my body, is the Course not working, or am I doing it wrong?”

While at a base and fundamental level, I agree that the Course is situating all worldly experiences and awareness of such as an illusion, the emphasis on escaping or transcending the body and awareness of our sensory input and life experiences is given too much credence.

I argue that while yes, the Course wants us to “wake up,” it does not mean that the body will instantaneously disappear, nor does it suggest that we magically become ignorant of the human experience as a trade for oneness with God.

The introduction to the Course states plainly and directly that its purpose, or aim, is

...at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance.

This is not saying the body will disappear. This is not to say that studying the Course will lead to an escape from the terrestrial. This is not advocating a denial of what we see or hear, of what we taste, touch, or smell.

This is stating that the study of the Course will help us recognize what we think and how we react to our life circumstances in ways that occult an awareness of love and our relationship/oneness with God. The Course is not calling on us to deny human experience.

Instead, the Course calls on us to rethink, reanalyze, and reexamine our life experiences through the lens of love and oneness with God and each other. Doing so is the process of becoming aware of that which is loving, that which stirs our hearts and spirits, and that which leads us to our unhappiness or unrest.

Workbook lesson #182 calls our attention to a perspective on how we can understand and make sense of ourselves in this world. The lesson states,

I will be still an instant and go home.

Home is heaven. Home is the experience of being one with God and with one another. This is heaven. This is what the Course encourages and calls for us to develop within ourselves.

We can be still and listen to the voice of God within. We can choose to recognize that all the swirling events in the world and our lives are illusory. We can take a deep breath and acknowledge that we are not at the effects of what is occurring outside ourselves. We can choose to let go of the investing in trying to change the external at the expense of trying to change ourselves.

When we lean into the quiet within, we tap into the Holy Instant (see this post for more on the Holy Instant). We can deny the power of the madness and uncertainty of the world in favor of the security and surety of heaven. It only takes an instant. It takes just a second to change our minds about the stuff of this life.

We can recognize our divine selves and the power within when we adopt a value and affirmation of serenity and seek to obtain and possess serenity in the here and now.

The part of us that knows our truth, that is at home in heaven is always there. That part is ever-present and basking in the light of the universe, God, and the eternal. When we stop our egoic thinking, we become still and go home to this sanctuary of stillness and holiness.

When we do this, we spiritually attune ourselves to God. We effectively and emotionally become non-reactive. When we do this, we do in fact “wake up.” We do not deny or forsake our embodied experiences and existence. We do not curse or damn ourselves or cast hate upon this world. Instead, we greet the body and the world with love.

We recognize things for what they are and we seek to utilize our bodily experiences as opportunities to give and receive love, to forgive ourselves and each other, to remember that we are all one, and we are one with God.

Dear God,

In this moment I recognize my eternal and everlasting connection to You. I acknowledge that heaven is my home and the heart of my truth is always and forever in oneness and at peace there with You. I choose to make my day and relationships an opportunity to see You in everyone I meet and in all I do. Help me not to get weighed down and swallowed in the loneliness of this world. Help me recognize the power of decision, reminding me that being able to choose You and return to You is always available to me, even in challenging times. May I find strength in the stillness and clarity of purpose that comes when I align my thoughts and actions with love. Let my journey be one of grace, acceptance, and the unwavering knowledge of our sacred connection.

Prior Posts of Interest:

Reasons to Forgive Yourself and Others

5 Great Books and Other Resources to Explore “A Course in Miracles”!

Working through the Workbook of “A Course in Miracles”

Are You Blaming Others for Your Unhappiness and Misery?

"Only What You Have Not Given Can Be Lacking"

Light and Love,

A. Writer