A Course in Miracles was originally published in 1976 as a three volume set: a workbook of lessons for students, a manual for teachers, and the main text itself. Today, there are study groups all over the world and you can find many books, audio tapes, CDs, video tapes and DVDs that expound on the texts. The book is thought to be a spiritual path by many who have read and studied its material and is well respected and practiced by many Unitarian churches and new age leaders, such as Marianne Williamson. The main theme throughout A Course in Miracles is a focus on forgiveness.

A Course in Miracles, or ACIM, was penned and published in a partnership between Helen Schucman and William Thetford, who met while working at Columbia University. It is said that in 1965, Helen began recording her impressions and symbols from a series of vivid dreams. Soon after, she started hearing a voice that she recognized as the voice of Jesus Christ. This voice told her she should take notes and call the material A Course in Miracles.

Over the next several years, until 1972, Helen filled tens of notebooks with notes from this ‘inner voice’. After receiving the information and taking rapid shorthand notes, she would then read the material aloud to William, who transcribed it. In the following years, the texts went through several editing processes with Doctor Schucman and Dr. Thetford, as well as editing by Hugh Lynn Cayce and Dr. Kenneth Wapnick. Today, A Course in Miracles is renowned worldwide.

Foundation for A Course in Miracles (FACIM)

In 1983, Ken and Gloria Wapnick founded The Foundation for A Course in Miracles (FACIM), an Institute and Teaching Center, to help facilitate learning about A Course in Miracles. As stated on their website:“… the Foundation's principal purpose as being to help students of A Course in Miracles deepen their understanding of its thought system, conceptually and experientially, so that they may be more effective instruments of Jesus' teaching in their own particular lives.” The Foundation for A Course in Miracles can be found online at: http://www.facim.org.

The Foundation for Inner Peace

Founded by Judith and Robert Skutch, The Foundation for Inner Peace published the first edition of A Course in Miracles in 1975. By 1982, The Course had gained international interest and the foundation developed a translation program. As stated on their website: “…for those interested in A Course in Miracles who seek a first-hand, authentic account of what the Course is and the extraordinary story behind it, including its scribes, its purpose, what it offers, and the activities that have evolved and are evolving around it. Our Web site, therefore, has been designed to offer you a unique and wide variety of original and archival information about A Course in Miracles, as well as interactive activities you are invited to participate in, such as "Lesson of the Day" and our "Adopt-A-Language Program." The foundation offers free online lessons for A Course in Miracles, as well as translations, a catalog of products and any excerpts from The Course. The Foundation for Inner Peace can be found online at: http://www.acim.org.

More than simply a book, A Course in Miracles has helped many find peace, joy, and happiness. Search online to find comprehensive lessons and study groups in your area.