ACIM Text Chapter 1: I. Principles of Miracles P 14,15, Year 2023

ACIM Text Chapter 1: I. Principles of Miracles. Principle 14 Miracles bear witness to truth. Principle 15 Each day should be devoted to miracles.

Miracles Principles 14 and 15

Principle 14

Miracles bear witness to truth. They are convincing because they arise from conviction. Without conviction they deteriorate into magic, which is mindless and therefore destructive; or rather, the uncreative use of mind.

I understand that Miracles bear witness to the truth. They prove the truth to me and remove all doubt and uncertainty. They shut down my ego thoughts and establish the truth in my mind. I love the sentence that says they are convincing because they arise from conviction. I looked up the word conviction in a thesaurus, and these are the words they gave me: confidence, certainty, assurance, sincerity, passion, and faith.

Confidence and Faith

Miracles are convincing because I am confident and certain in them. I have faith in them even when I don’t see (with the ego mind) how they could unfold. Without conviction, confidence, certainty, or faith, they deteriorate into magic. Magic is the uncreative use of the mind. The mind is still very powerful and does amazing things even when it is uncreative. Just look around at the world, look at your life, look at all we have done. 

This world is an awesome work of magic, unbelievable in its complexity and its ability to absorb our attention so completely that we forget where it came from. But no matter how real the world we see seems it is not a creation. It is not eternal, thank God, because while it is interesting and exciting, it is also scary and tragic. One day, when we lose interest in it, it will end. It does not have the attributes of God, so it cannot be real. It is simply a wish fulfilled.

Asking for Correction

My purpose now is to reclaim my truth and remember who I am. I am doing that from within the world I made as I bring my uncreative thoughts to the Holy Spirit, ask Him to correct them, and put me back on the right track. It is done within the world because as I do this process with my uncreative thoughts, I undo what I have done.

As I do this and experience success more and more often, I become more confident and certain. I am regaining my memory of being a creator. I am still working in the world and from a belief in separation. But because I am receiving guidance from outside of this closed thought system, I am able to use my present circumstances to recognize their unreality. This allows me to return my mind to God and true creativity.

Principle 15

¹⁵ Each day should be devoted to miracles. The purpose of time is to enable you to learn how to use time constructively. It is thus a teaching device and a means to an end. Time will cease when it is no longer useful in facilitating learning. 

I admit that for a long time, A Course in Miracles was a part-time pursuit for me. I studied it for years, but the study was inconsistent, and the practice even more so. It took a very long time for me to realize its value to me to the degree that I wanted daily study. It all began to change at the same time I discovered Pathways of Light and began their courses to be a minister.

I Begin to Awaken

Looking back on it, it was like a switch had been thrown when I turned fifty. It was like I had been sleepwalking, and someone suddenly woke me up, and I began to walk with purpose. I don’t for a moment think this just happened or that anything in my life caused it to happen. It was simply time for me to accelerate my spiritual journey, and so I did. I made up stories to explain each step of the way, but that was after the fact and is just what the ego does. The stories were meaningless.

Now every day is devoted to miracles. This is a constructive use of my time, the only constructive use of my time. It doesn’t matter what I seem to be doing, miracles are the purpose. When I was selling chemicals to my customers, it was my purpose. When I am chatting with my daughter, I am devoted to miracles. I am always vigilant about my thoughts, so I quickly notice if I have fallen back into ego or am entertaining myself with ego chatter.

And Now

I am always aware of myself as existing outside time and space even though I feel like a body and feel what bodies feel. And I am cognizant of my actions and reactions and always willing for the healing of my mind. Gratitude fills my day, and when I am not in gratitude, I am asking for gratitude to return to my mind. I start every single day with the Holy Spirit. I call on His help all day long.

Because I can’t remember the last time I was depressed, happiness is my most consistent state. This is true even though I spent most of my life in a depressed state. I sometimes still see others as separate from me, but only temporarily. And I am glad to notice that error so it can be corrected. I forgive myself; I forgive others. I forgive whatever is in front of me, whether it seems to be mine or not. My life is a miracle.

It Was Not Always Like This

To understand just how much of a miracle it is, you would have had to have known me before I found A Course in Miracles. I can’t tell you much about that person because I hardly remember her, but I remember she was selfish and thoughtless, and unhappy. She thought of others only as how they impacted her. She felt no unity with anyone else, and love was just a way to gain what she seemed not to have. And she didn’t consider what the other lost to provide her gain. I don’t miss her at all.

She no longer exists because I give my time to miracles. I am aware now that this is the proper use of time, and I have seen why this is true. My life bears witness to this truth. Using time constructively will continue my progress, and time will cease to exist when it is no longer needed to help us wake up.

Time is just another of those made-up things we did when we decided to fool around with the separation idea. What the ego makes, the Holy Spirit uses for our good if that is our desire. So time, which we made to help make the illusion of separation, is used by Holy Spirit for miracles. You go, Holy Spirit!

Click here for more insights on the Miracles Principles from Pathways of Light.