A Course in Miracles support groups are great until
the dreaded conflicts in understand of wording and concept rile up a group
meeting. So, to help just a little bit this resource,
“The Nutshell Dictionary” covers 80+ words and phrases
that are easily misunderstood and can lead to confusion over what in the world
this Course is really saying. Created for my students over 40 years of teaching the Course, you will find them consistent with any offered by the excellent and experienced teachers running groups today.
Easy to read, easy to find on my site, easy to
pull up in the middle of a group brouhaha.
THE NUTSHELL DICTIONARY
A Course in Miracles”- a definition in ten words:
A meditative discipline
for releasing guilt, fear, anger through
forgiveness
This limited dictionary is intended to clarity the use of some of the words used in “A course in Miracles” (published by the Foundation for Inner Peace). These words and phrases usually have a very different meaning from common use. Without understanding how the “Course” uses these words, an incorrect interpretation of concept can occur.
A
ALTER That “point’ in mind where we do our devotions. (The questions is: To what are we devoted?)
ANGER A form of projection of self-guilt intended to re-direct God’s punishment onto another. Used unconsciously as motional “proof” of our innocence.
ATONEMENT The process of correction which includes: 1-recognizing the problem
2-asking for help 3- listening to the Holy Spirit 4- accepting and then acting on the Answer. Also the principle of love.
ATTACK The idea of separation held in the mind which then blocks full expression of love. Therefore, any unloving, non-peaceful thought is an attack.
AUTHORITY PROBLEM
The fundamental problem. The belief we can have a will other than God’s with places God in the seeming position of our enemy fighting us for power.
B
BELIEF A thought which we want and choose. This thought can represent truth or non-truth and can be changed.
BODY The illusion of form that represents separation. Used by ego to reinforce its belief in guilt. Used by the Holy spirit for communication. Ego teaches the body is “real”. The Holy Spirit teaches that the body is unreal.
BROTHER Since there is only One Son of god and we all are Him, we are, therefore, all brothers in the Sonship. The use of brother and Son of God is a continuing reminder of our equal divinity and has nothing to do with body and gender.
BRIDGE A transition point in mind between dream/illusion and the return of the knowledge of God.
C
CAUSE Cause with a capital “C” refers to God the Creator; with a lower case “c” refers to that which makes ego related thoughts, or in other words “sin”.
CHARITY Seeing your brother through forgiving eyes when he is unable to do so for himself.
CHRIST The One Son of God, created in Heaven, unchanged and unaffected by our dreams. The collective Thoughts of Love from the Mind of God. Our shared Identity.
CREATE What God’s Mind-think One Thought of Love. A pure extension of sharing in the absolute abstraction of Heaven and does not occur in the dream/illusion.
CREATIONS The loving thoughts of the Son of God extends in Heaven following the example of the Father/Creator/God. Thus continuing co-creation. Note: Creations are not a part of the dream, but are reflected in forgiveness.
CONSCIOUSNESS
The limited, distorted thinking process of mind directed by ego whereby awareness/perception/projection occur. Also, where God placed the Guide to corrected thinking, called the Holy Spirit.
CURRICULUM
All life’s situation wherein we can choose to learn either from ego or the Holy Spirit, each having diametrically opposed goals and methods.
D
DEATH Any emotional state in which there is not peace nor joy and,
therefore,represents separation from Life/God.
DREAM The hallucinatory state in part of the mind of the son of God through which we are now focused. All perception and the experiences in the world whether seen from ego’s or the Holy spirit’s perspective, thus a nightmare or a happy dream.
E
EFFECT The result of God’s thinking, which is His Creation, thus spelled with a capital “E”. Or the result of ego thinking, which brings pain and is spelled with a lower case “e”.
EGO The mind when it thinks in a limited and thus distorted fashion. From this comes a mistaken belief system that uses projection to make or miscreate a seeming world. From this distorted thinking comes all the world’s pain and fear of God. Ego is not to be fought against or ignored, but instead turned over to the Holy Spirit Who will show the world as unreal and unnecessary.
EXTENSION The process by which God creates and “sends forth” His Thoughts of Love, creating Reality. Also, the process of “sending forth” forgiving thoughts here in the illusion/world/dream.
F
FAITH To assume something will work for you even though you do not yet have “proof”. We can have faith in what will not work (ego/anger/attack), or we can have faith in the Holy Spirit and His Answer of forgiveness, which does work.
FATHER Another word for God/Creator. Tis word does not suggest gender, and should not be seen as duality, as in Father/Mother.
FEAR The emotion which logically follows a belief in sin and guilt bringing a belief in a vengeful God to be feared and avoided at all costs, i.e. fear of God.
FORGIVENESS The shift in mind that occurs when choosing to listen to the Holy Spirit, changing our perception of attack to either a call for love or an extension of love, thus bringing peace of mind.
FREE WILL God’s Will which is freely given to us and shared with His Son (all of us). Free Will is expressed in Heaven/Reality and is only reflected in the illusion/dream/world through forgiveness. Free Will should NOT be mistaken for choice which is an ego process. (In Reality there is no choice since there is only God/Love and Creation/the Son).
FUNCTION The “work” are we to do in the illusion/dream/world to help our brothers and ourselves experience innocence. Thus our function is forgiveness, also known as “accepting the atonement”.
G
GAP The false sense of separation we mistakenly feel between ourselves and others. Into this”space” we will mistaken ideas of who and what are brothers are and choose to see this instead of the truth.
GOD A world used for Creator/Father/First Cause, Who “resides” in Heaven/Reality. Who extends Creation and Loves His Son, the Christ.
GRACE The gift of love and protection given us by God, and the final “state of mind” reached in the illusion before knowledge is returned.
GREAT RAYS The Power and Love of God extended to and through His Creation. A “portion” of these Rays remain always in each of us as sparks.
GRIEVANCES Those judgments we hold against others to prove their guilt and thus redirect God’s punishment away from us. Used as blocks to the awareness of God’s Love and the innocence of ourselves and our brothers.
GUILT Emotional ‘proof’ that we are sinners and have attacked God. Once accepted, the need to project (get rid of) this guilt onto another becomes paramount, so that God’s retaliation can be redirected.
H
HEALING The result of experiencing the wholeness/union of ourselves with our brothers, which releases guilt/suffering and replaces it with innocence/joy/peace.
HEAVEN The only Reality. A formless, state of MInd “where” God and His Creation extends knowledge and God’s Will.
HOLY INSTANT A moment in time/illusion/dream/world when forgiveness of everyone and everything is expressed, innocence remembered and peace experienced.
HOLY RELATIONSHIP
Each relationship that we turn over to the Holy Spirit for His purpose. It is both a process of growth as well as the end product.
HOLY SPIRIT (H. S.) The Answer God has placed in our mind so that we can remember Him and our innocence. The Voice for God Who will guide us specifically, when invited to do so, that we may generalize the lessons of forgiveness throughout our experiences. All thought, judgment decision, perception must be given over to him for His correction. Not a person but simply the corrected thought in our mind.
J
JESUS Son of God, joined in the Sonship with all of us, who learned to listen only to the Holy Spirit and thus fully released ego. He is the author of ‘A Course in Miracles’, and in it states he stands as an elder brother, role model and should not be seen with awe.
JUDGEMENT Those opinions we have chosen from either ego’s limited and distorted perception which therefore are attacks on truth, or the Holy Spirit’s judgement which see only our innocence.
K
KINGDOM Another word for Heaven/Reality where the Son of God continues to co-create the though of Love with god/Father.
KNOWLEDGE The total understanding and wisdom of God which we can remembered only in Reality/Heaven/the Kingdom. Not to be confused the worldly idea of collected information.
L
LEVELS Refers to the two states of mind, or ‘worlds’ ---one true, (Heaven/Reality); the other being false, (illusion/dream/the world of bodies and form)
LISTEN The process of opening our minds in meditation, of only for an instant. Giving up our stubbornly held onto judgement with a willingess to be given another perspective. Note: the answer may be ‘heard’ in any number of ways including and ‘inner voice’, by noticing something written, or by hearing in the world around you. True listening can be recognized by the peace the answer brings.
M
MAGIC Anything we believe has power or control over us. Anything we use other than forgiveness, to attempt healing/cure/removal of symptoms. Magic never truly works.
MAKE The thought process used to project the idea of separation onto the world which then seems real and is believed, though still only an illusion. Note: The words create and make are often interchanged incorrectly. Create should only be used to refer to the level of Heaven. Make always refers to illusions.
MIGHTY COMPANIONS
Powerful and loving thoughts of love from God which always surround and support us and can be considered “angels”. this love is within each and every brother and so each person can be a Mighty Companion to us also.
MIRACLE This shift in perception given to us by the Holy Spirit by our invitation wherein we offer forgiveness instead of attack to our brother, the world and God. This shift in mind leads to a “natural” bur usually surprising interaction with others which leads to a healing/release of guilt, fear, anger.
MIND with a capital “M” : The thinking aspect of God and His So Whose only Thought extended is the abstract and total ideal of love.
MIND with a lower case “m”: Used in a limited and distorted way by ego to project illusions based on guilt, f ear and anger, thus making a perceived world. Right mindedness is our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking thus extending forgiving illusions. All thinking within the world (wrong or right mindedness) is still limited, but the later is corrected thinking.
P
PEACE An experience of “mellow stability” which includes a sense of security, power, joy and love. Peace is a pre-requisite for the return of God’s knowledge and Reality. Peace can only be attained through the extension of forgiveness in the world thus leading to remembrance of the eternal peace of God and Reality.
PERCEPTION How we experience life here in the world/illusion/dream and caused by the projection of distorted and limited thoughts of guilt, fear, anger. “Projection makes perception.... and is an illusion, not a fact.” (Text) The Holy Spirit can use this process of perception so that we perceive reflections of Gods’ love through experiences of a forgiven world.
PRAYER The process of: a) quieting the mind and asking for the Holy Spirit’s help and then (b) listening for His Answer. Prayer can be either a superficial asking for “things” or even a disguised attack; or prayer can be sublime expression of willingness, acceptance and gratitude.
PROJECTION How we experience life here in the world/illusion/dream and caused by the projection of distorted and limited thoughts of guilt, fear, anger by placing them outside of you. An attempt to redirect guilt onto someone or something else; the logical result of making a perceived world based on attack and defense.
R
REALITY Another word for Heaven where God and His Son extend creation. Reality is not a part of the illusion and can only reflected through forgiveness and miracles.
REAL WORLD The illusion/dream/world seen through the corrected perception of forgiveness given to us by the Holy Spirit. A world without fear, guilt and anger.
REVELATION An experience given by God to you and cannot be learned. An experience without form and beyond perception sometimes referred to as “nirvana”. This is not the goal of the Course! Peace form forgiving perceptions in the world is the goal.
S
SACRIFICE The belief you must lose in order to gain, and is the basis for the belief in scarcity. The “price” ego asks for all its “products and services”.
SALVATION The final experience of release from all pain, fear, gult and anger in the illusion/dream/ world.
SANITY The state of mind we gave up when we accepted ego/limited thinking and the experience of separation. It can be returned to us when we listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
SCARCITY The refusal to accept our full inheritance of Totality as a Son of God and leads to a sense of loss and the attempt to find completion in the illusion.
SELF Spelled with a capital “S” refers to our identity as a son of God. Spelled with a lower case “s” refers to our limited and guilt ridden experience in the illusion.
SEPARATION The belief that you are separate from God and can think, will and create without Him. This mistaken belief lead to the insane dream of a world run by guilt, fear and attack.
SHADOW FIGURES
Projections of your guilt placed onto the people around you, so that you attempt to relate to your illusions rather than to an actual brother.
SICKNESS The state of mind in which the idea of separation/guilt/fear/anger is stubbornly held onto and cherished, no matter the form in which it manifests.
SIGHT The process of perceiving when it is given over to the Holy Spirit for correction. Thus we see truly.
SIN The erroneous idea that we have actually attacked God and/or our brothers. The leads to guilt and the need to project, beginning and perpetuating the cycle of pain in the world.
SON OF GOD (SONSHIP)
The one creation of God, the Father. Also called the Christ. The plural is Sonship.
SPARK The Light of God’s Love within us all that comes from the Great Rays and can still be recognized through the process of forgiveness.
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Special hate relationships: Any person or thing that seems to cause your unhappiness, thus a projection of guilt onto another. Special love relationships: Any person or thing that seems to cause your happiness, thus bringing you a sense of false completion. Both types of relationships are based on separation/guilt/fear/anger and are not holy.
SPIRIT The truth of your Identity; Who and What you are. Also a name for God.
T
TEACHER OF GOD
Anyone who chooses of help his brother from innocence through forgiveness and union. Also, but no limited to, one who completes the study of “A Course in Miracles”. (teacher is spelled with a lower case 't')
TEACHER OF TEACHERS
Those who have completed the Atonement process perfectly and who no longer use, or need, their bodies to help. They use only their thoughts of love to support, guide and help. Jesus is one of untold many who are “transcended masters”, each of whom is a Teacher of teachers. (These Teachers are spelled with a capital 'T')
TIME The fragmenting of experiences caused by the belief in past guilt leading to a belief in future punishment that blocks the experience of love in the present. Can be used by the Holy Spirit to teach selective remembering of only the love in the past that leads to expectations of love in the future, unifying past, present and future into “now”. thus time can be used to end the belief in time.
TRUTH A universal experience of love, innocence, peace and joy. Truth can be reflected in the world/illusion/dream through the corrected perception of forgiveness.
V
VISION Insight, perspective and shifted perception given to us by the hOly spirit which reflects the truth.
VOICE FOR GOD How the Holy Spirit will give you HIs guidance-- can be an inner knowing, an inspiration , or can be “seen” as well as heard through the mundane of newspapers, TVs or the actions of those around you, that leads to a sense of alrightness.
W
WILL God Will which is freely given and shared with His Son (all of us). Free Will is shared in Heaven/Reality and is only reflected in the illusion/dream/world through forgiveness. Free Will should NOT be mistaken for choice, which is an ego
function.
WILLINGNESS The desire to allow another judgement, other than the one you are jealously guarding, to be given to you by the Holy Spirit. Only “a little willingness” is needed to open a wedge into your closed min for the power of the Answer to be heard.
WITNESS The “proof” we choose to see mirrored on the world around us, and on our brothers, that reinforces our stubborn belief in self-guilt, which we have projected out in a self-protective but sabotaging process.
World The projections of our belief in sin and self-guilt reflected around us forming an insane dream/hallucination/illusion. Though seeming concrete, its “laws” can transcended through forgiveness and see anew, reflecting innocence, peace and joy.
Y
YOU Used in the “Course” when referring to the part of your mind that can choose to listen to ego or choose to listen to the Holy Spirit. Thus, you are the decision maker.
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