By Alwyn Whitehead
My mother was a southern lady who made sure we were in church every Sunday. I clearly remember the day my Methodist Sunday school teacher informed me that only Christians would “go to Heaven,” all others were doomed to hell. Even at that age, I could not accept that God would create us and then abandon us. I continued to go to church, but that is where my curiosity to know the truth started.
College provided a fertile ground for the seeds of my curiosity. I was a seeker, looking for salvation from a world where the forces of good and evil battled for my soul. My search led me to attend many different Christian denominations besides Methodist: Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, Church of Christ, and Unity. I was baptized, sprinkled, dunked, and submerged in tubs and in a river. I dabbled in the Eastern spiritual disciplines of Hinduism and Buddhism. I practiced meditation and read extensively. However, I always found flaws in the different theologies or the way they were lived. Something was missing.
Through the Unity Church, I was introduced to a metaphysical thought system which led me to a School of Metaphysics that I studied for three years. I learned many metaphysical truths and techniques for expanding the mind. But I still did not reach enlightenment, nor did I feel I was on a path that offered salvation. Questions built up in my mind: What are God’s qualities? What is Heaven really like and, if I get there, will I be reunited with my loved ones? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is there a hell? How do I avoid sin? What happens on “Judgment Day” and is it possible that a loving God would allow the devil to steal away His children and burn them eternally? Why do I feel compelled to search and not find? Why do bad things happen to good people? How can I make sense of this confusing world?
One spring afternoon, while meeting with Jackie, one of my teachers at the School of Metaphysics, she turned to me and said, “I just received a book called A Course in Miracles (the Course). It doesn’t speak to me. I think you are the one to teach it.” I took a look at it. The Course consists of three parts: the Text, the Workbook, and a Manual for Teachers (the Manual). I remember thinking, “I’ll just look at the table of contents of one of the parts and base my opinion on what I find there.”
I chose the Manual – the shortest of the three – that includes 28 chapters with titles such as:
- How is peace possible in this world?
- Is each one to be judged in the end?
- Can God be reached directly?
- What is death?
- What is justice?
- What are the characteristics of God’s teachers?
My first thought was disbelief, but then, “If this book answers these questions satisfactorily, I’m in.” I dug a little deeper and read a few of the chapters. The words were the most beautiful, logical, and poetic I had ever encountered. They made complete sense with impeccable logic and simplicity. Right then and there, I was sold. I took my teacher’s advice and started a group at the local Unity Church. It was a huge success! My quest was over, my adventure had begun.
Nine months after I started teaching the course, I came to a section of the Text entitled, “The Branch in the Road”:
When you come to the place where the branch in the road is quite apparent, you… must go one way or the other…. No one who reaches this far can make the wrong decision, but he can delay…. Your way is decided. There will be nothing you will not be told, if you acknowledge this. (Text 17-IX)
The truth of this section led to my spiritual surrender which took away my 24-year addiction to alcohol and drugs. I went to my first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) the next week. Forty-two years of sobriety later, I continue to attend AA and follow their discipline of “Unity, Service, and Recovery.” And I continue to be a dedicated student of A Course in Miracles.
My pattern over the years has been to read the Text and practice the Workbook simultaneously. The process takes me about two years to complete. Sometimes I have done it in conjunction with a study group, sometimes on my own. I have done this seven times. Each time I have become more awakened to my spiritual Self and feel more connected to God. I find that my questions have been replaced by an unshakeable faith born of knowledge, that is not just education and belief, but a reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance and faithfulness. My life is one miracle after another.
Last year, I discovered a new edition of the Course that contains 45,000 additional words that had not been included in the original edition. It’s called the Complete & Annotated Edition (CE) of A Course in Miracles published by the Circle of Atonement (the Circle). It is fully annotated with explanatory footnotes including those that reference and clarify biblical passages. The words “new and improved” and “enthralling” best describe this new addition. I began studying the Text and practicing the Workbook lessons again immediately. The Circle’s website offered membership in the Course Companions community and articles and classes and study groups and fellowship times and workshops. Of course, I joined and have taken advantage of many of the opportunities to learn and grow with others within the Course community. My involvement with the Circle has inspired me to start leading a study group again, teach workshops on forgiveness, and renew my writing. My meditations connect me with “all that is.” The Course has set me free from my spiritual search. Now, when I have a question, I pause and ask my Guide. He always answers.
I end with a sample of the poetic beauty with which God’s Voice frames His guidance:
God turns to you for help to save the world.
Teacher of God, His thanks He offers you,
and all the world stands silent in the grace
you bring from Him. You are the Son He loves,
and it is given you to be the means
through which His Voice is heard around the world,
to close all things of time, to end the sight
of all things visible, and to undo
all things that change. Through you is ushered in
a world unseen, unheard, yet truly there.
Holy are you, and in your light the world
reflects your holiness… [CE M-29.8:2-6]
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Or you may be interested in delving deeper into A Course in Miracles.
