ACIM Principles of Miracles 44 The miracle is an expression of an inner awareness of Christ and acceptance of His Atonement. Principle 45 A miracle is never lost. Principle 46 The Holy Spirit is the highest communication medium.
ACIM Principles 44, 45, 46
Principles of Miracles 44, 45, 46
44 The miracle is an expression of an inner awareness of Christ and acceptance of His Atonement.
I used to be very confused about what this meant. I knew that Christ was my true identity, but mostly that was a learned response. But I was not actually aware of it. I didn’t feel like Christ. And certainly, if I saw accepting his Atonement as having undone the ego, I didn’t qualify for that either. And yet, sometimes, and more and more often, I experienced the miracle of a healed mind and, slowly and then more frequently, the effects of a healed mind.
So, I gathered from this that when I was aware of Christ within and when I accepted His Atonement, I experienced miracles. Over a period of time, I began to realize that although I would slide back into forgetfulness, the miracle was not lost. Once my mind was healed, it stayed healed. I never lost anything. It only seemed I had lost it because my attention was sidetracked from the truth to the ego. If I lost what I had gained each time, I would never wake up. One day, I asked for clarity, and this is what I received from Brother.
Jesus, what do you want me to know about this principle?
A Message
There is no moment when Christ is not your Self. There are only moments when you choose to be unaware of your Self. Don’t be concerned about this. It is unimportant and changes nothing. Your practice is enlightening your mind, and it will unfold perfectly. Allow yourself to be in each moment and to feel what comes up to be felt. Trust the process. Trust Me.
The ego mind tries to reassert itself, but this can never happen. You do not walk backward on this path. What is happening is that unhealed thoughts are coming to your awareness, and sometimes you experience moments of confusion. The ego tendency to guilt and fear arises, and you momentarily turn toward that.
Look at this with Me when it happens so that I can teach you it is meaningless. Fear is a response you taught yourself; in God’s Kingdom, it does not exist, so it does not exist. This is what you will learn as you continue to bring your thoughts to me for purification.
Confusion
Jesus, I notice that even when I am in this uncomfortable state of confusion, I don’t believe in my awakening. Behind the confusion is the certainty that it is not real and it will pass, that You will heal this, too. But I still have all the feelings of being lost, of being afraid or angry, or whatever the situation brings up.
Yes, this is what happens when you believe the fear thoughts. Just as the miracle is an expression of an inner awareness of Christ and the acceptance of His Atonement, fear is an expression of identifying with ego and accepting its thought system of separation. You feel battered by these expressions of fear, anger, anxiety, frustration, and all the others.
You feel this way because you have told yourself that you should not feel them, and yet they are inevitable when you experience yourself as separate. Your upset is the result of believing you have sinned. You have not, but because you believe you have and because you are afraid of seeing yourself this way, the ego mind creates a fog of confusion and you feel like you don’t know what is happening.
The way to break this cycle is to realize that anything you feel is acceptable. You cannot be guilty because you were not created guilty. You cannot be guilty any more than God could be guilty because you are His Extension. Feel whatever you feel, and without guilt confusing the issue, you will quickly recognize it for what it is and move through it. You already have learned to laugh at your false beliefs once you remember your Self. I am only telling you how to do it faster and with less discomfort.
Understanding
Yes, I can see what you mean, Jesus. I love you and appreciate you so much. I love my life now that I understand what it is for. And I invite your help the next time I do this. What you said makes perfect sense. It is not the negative emotions and the false beliefs that make me suffer, but rather the belief they should not be happening and the belief that having them means I am a sinner. I didn’t realize that this was the belief I was holding. I am happy to have that belief healed for me and for all of us.
Principle 45
45 A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and produce undreamed of changes in situations of which you are not even aware.
I write a lot, and it is posted and reposted, and published in more than one place. Most of my writing teaches through describing my experiences. Sometimes I hear about a miracle that was triggered by my story, but most of the time, I don’t know who is touched by something I wrote. The same is true of anything I might say. How do I know who might be affected or how?
One time, I was caught in the trap of thinking someone’s thought error was the cause of my discomfort. A friend made a gentle but true statement, and though it took me a few minutes, it started the healing process in my mind. Unless I told him about it, he would not be aware of the miracle his words made.
Proof
I don’t judge the effectiveness of the miracle. I trust Jesus, who is in charge of the Atonement and trusting him, I don’t look for proof. In fact, there may not be any proof for me to find. Not all miracles manifest in form. I remind myself that miracles occur because the mind is healed. The healing of the mind is the miracle, and the appearance of a miraculous change in the world is a side effect and not necessary to the miracle.
Principle 46
46 The Holy Spirit is the highest communication medium. Miracles do not involve this type of communication, because they are temporary communication devices. When you return to your original form of communication with God by direct revelation, the need for miracles is over.
I decided to start by looking up what is meant by communication medium. Here is what I found. “A medium in communication is a system or channel through which a speaker or writer addresses their audience. It’s an outlet that a sender uses to express meaning to their audience, and it can include written verbal or nonverbal elements.”
So, conversation would be one type of communication medium, as would writing. Television would be a communication medium, I suppose, and movies as well. All of those types of communication mediums require the use of words which limits understanding because they must be interpreted by the receiver. Thus, the meaning may not be what was intended by the sender.
Use of Words
My experience with the Holy Spirit is that I often do use words when I communicate with Him, but that is for my benefit. Using words helps clarify the question in my own mind. The Holy Spirit does not need words from me or to me. He can use them or not, whichever is most helpful to me. When I ask for healing, I may use words, but most often, no words are involved when I receive that healing. I may put words to it later in order to share the experience, but the healing itself simply occurs. My mind becomes clear, and I am returned to peace.
Perhaps this helps explain why the Holy Spirit is the highest communication medium. ⁹Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols. ¹⁰They are thus twice removed from reality. (ACIM, M-21.1:9-10) Any communication that involves words is going to be limited. Since the Holy Spirit doesn’t need words, the message is clear. Also, He knows exactly how to get an answer to me in a way I understand and accept. And, His message is the message God would have us receive. I see why He is the highest communication medium.
Some Uncertainty
I’ve noticed that I am perceiving things differently than I have before. It felt absolutely right, but because it was so different, and also because it is perhaps not typical, I was concerned. I asked the Holy Spirit to let me know if I am on my path or if I had veered off. He brought me all the way to Colorado for my answer and gave it to me in words from a teacher. Other times the answer comes as I write. Sometimes I don’t realize the question was there until it was answered.
Miracles, on the other hand, are temporary communication devices. They are needed only in the illusion and until we are awakened. Thus, they are not the high communication medium the Holy Spirit is, as He is eternal. I think of miracles and true perception as being similar in that way. Neither one is real, but both are necessary until they aren’t.
There is another form of communication, and this is communication with God through direct revelation. I have had only one experience of communicating with God through direct revelation. However, this principle says that I will return to it and that it is my original form of communication. When I do return to direct revelation, it will be because the need for miracles is over.
Every quarter, Pathways of Light sends out a magazine in which their ministers share their stories of using A Course in Miracles in their daily lives. Click here to request our free catalog and sample Miracles News magazine.