ARCIM

Daily Lesson 1 ~
January 1

Introduction to the Workbook for Students

Workbook Lesson 1

Introduction to the Text

Corresponding Text Section 1

 

Introduction to the Workbook for Students

(Lesson 1 follows this Introduction)

A thought foundation for understanding how the world came to be as it appears to be and the way to overcome it, such as the Text presents, is necessary as a context to make exercises to integrate and direct the mind to allow miracles to be performed meaningful. Yet it is doing these exercises that will make the goal of awakening achievable. An untrained mind cannot be relied upon to accomplish goals. It is the purpose of the exercises in this Workbook to train the mind to naturally think along the lines this Course sets forth, so that you will be able to accomplish the goals of this Course:

  • to heal the mind from its split state and thus free the will from its imprisoned status;
  • to perceive the world clearly and truly, i.e., without distortion or separation; and,
  • to awaken from the dream of this world.

These goals are actually the same. To accomplish one is to accomplish the others.

The exercises are very simple. They require a relatively small time commitment each day, and it does not matter where you do them. Suggestions will be made each day as to what part of the day would be best to do a given exercise. No preparation is required to begin doing them. They are numbered from 1 to 365 and should be done in the order presented. Only one exercise a day should be done no matter how much interest or enthusiasm there is to begin the next one. Therefore the minimum training period for completing the Workbook is one year, although as many days as needed may be taken to complete any given exercise and therefore more than one year may be taken to complete the entire Workbook.

The Workbook is divided into two sections. The first section, lessons 1 through 220, addresses undoing the “normal” perception of the world, which senses only the surface level and outward form of everything, and therefore fosters illusions. The second section, lessons 221 through 365, addresses establishing true perception, which sees Divine Meaning as this extends into the real world. The Course does not aim beyond the establishing of true perception, because what is beyond that can’t be taught. When true perception, or seeing, is achieved and realized, one is at the Gate of Heaven, one’s split mind has been healed and one’s true will has been freed, and the ending of the dream of this world accomplished. At this Instant the Divine Itself will take the Final Step of translating Its Child into the Realm of Heaven within.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of the exercises it is recommended that each one be repeated, as time and opportunity permit, more than one time during the day(s) you are practicing it, as indicated specifically in each lesson, preferably practiced in a different place each time, and, if possible, in every different setting during the day in which you regularly spend any sustained period of time. This will serve to train the mind to generalize the lessons even in quite varied situations, so that you will understand that each lesson is as applicable to one situation as it is to another. Each exercise should be practiced with eyes open unless the directions of a given exercise specify otherwise, to provide as much opportunity as possible to learn to perceive in a new way.

Each exercise is planned around one central theme or idea unique for that day, which will be stated immediately below each lesson number. Each theme or idea should be practiced with great specificity as indicated in the exercise commentary. Each one applies to every situation in which you find yourself, and to everything you perceive in it. Be sure that you do not decide that there are some things you perceive in some settings to which the theme or idea for the day is inapplicable. The overall aim of the exercises will always be to expand the application of the idea each day to include everything in each situation. This will not require additional effort on your part. Just be sure that you make no exceptions in applying each day’s theme or idea as suggested.

You will probably find some of the ideas of the Workbook exercises hard to believe or to accept, and others may seem quite startling or unwelcome. Some of them you may actively resist. These kinds of reactions won’t matter. You are merely asked to apply the ideas without discrimination to everything you perceive in the settings you practice them, including your reactions to the ideas, as each exercise indicates, while suspending your immediate personal belief and judgment. Nothing more than this is required. It is doing the exercises and using the ideas that are their focus that will give the ideas meaning to you, and allow you to experience their truth, and their power to produce their intended results.

 

Lesson 1

Nothing I look upon [perceive with the body’s eyes alone] means anything in Reality.

Nothing I look upon in this place (specifically wherever you are: in this room, from this window, in this yard or park, etc.) means anything in Reality (because I have given everything I look upon all the meaning that it has for me).

Now look slowly around you, and practice applying this idea very specifically to whatever you perceive. For instance,

“This table does not mean anything in Reality.”

“This lamp does not mean anything in Reality.”

“This hand does not mean anything in Reality.”

“This keyboard does not mean anything in Reality.”

Then look farther away from your immediate area, and apply the idea to a wider range of perception. For instance,

“That door does not mean anything in Reality.”

“That body does not mean anything in Reality.”

“That tree does not mean anything in Reality.”

“That cloud does not mean anything in Reality.”

“That shadow does not mean anything in Reality.”

Notice that these statements are not arranged in any order, and they make no allowance for differences in the kinds of things to which they are applied. That is the purpose of the exercise. The statement is merely applied to anything you perceive. As you practice applying the idea for the day, use it totally indiscriminately. Do not attempt to apply it to everything you look upon, for these exercises should not become ritualistic. Only be sure that nothing you perceive is specifically excluded. One thing is like another as far as the application of the idea is concerned.

Each of the first three lessons should be done with a comfortable sense of leisure for a minute or so twice a day, preferably sometime in the morning and evening.

 

Introduction to the Text

(First corresponding Text section follows this Introduction)

This is a training in integrating and directing your mind so you will be able to work miracles, that is, to allow miracles to be performed through you. It can therefore be called a course in miracles. What miracles are in the context of this course is presented in the principles of miracles following this introduction, and throughout the entire course.

Mastering some version of this training is required to be able to awaken from the dream of this world in which you seem to be a victim of circumstances beyond your control. In academic language this is therefore a “required course,” required, that is, in the school of life rather than in an institution of learning. Free will doesn’t mean that human beings get to determine the courses they must master in the school of life. Free will means that human beings get to choose what they want to focus on at any given time.

The goal of this course isn’t to teach the Meaning of Love, because Love’s Meaning is beyond what can be taught. Its goal is rather to remove the obstructions in the mind, heart and will to the awareness of Love’s Presence. The eternal Presence of Love is our natural Divine Inheritance.

The opposite of fear is Love, but Love has no opposite, being all-encompassing. Given this, this course can be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.

(Everything real is eternally perfect.)

Nothing unreal exists.

(What is untrue has no being.)

Herein lies the Peace of the Divine

(Which is also ours).

 

Corresponding Text Section

 

Chapter 1: Principles of Miracles 1 

(see Note 1 in “The Contents of A Renewed Course in Miracles”)

 

In the context of this Course, a miracle is a temporary rearrangement of the components of time and space so that these can clearly reflect what is beyond them. The Purpose of this reconfiguration is that ultimately the belief in time and space can be released, and what is beyond them – Reality – can be fully embraced again. In that Instant, Life in Eternity will resume in Its Totality at the point It appeared to be paused when the fractured dream of time and space began.

 

Principle of Miracles 1

In order to temporarily rearrange the components of time and space, the miracle transcends every law associated with them and is therefore free of all levels and orders of magnitude of difficulty. While each miracle is unique, with regard to this quality of transcendence miracles are all the same.