Key terms from A Course in Miracles defined in plain language. The Course uses many familiar words in unfamiliar ways — this glossary helps bridge the gap.
In ACIM, the Atonement is the correction of the belief in separation from God. It is not about sacrifice or suffering, but about the undoing of error — the recognition that the separation never actually occurred.
Any thought or action that sees another as separate and seeks to harm. ACIM teaches that attack and defense are the same — both reinforce the ego and the illusion of separation.
The process of remembering our true identity as God's Son. ACIM's entire purpose is to facilitate this awakening — from the dream of separation to the knowledge of our eternal oneness with God.
The Course teaches that the body is a neutral learning device. The ego uses it to reinforce separation; the Holy Spirit uses it as a communication device for extending love and forgiveness.
Christ in ACIM is not a specific historical person but the shared identity of all of God's creations. Christ is the Self we share, the extension of God's Love that remains unchanged by the dream of separation.
ACIM uses the metaphor of dreaming to describe our experience in the world of separation. We are asleep in Heaven, dreaming of exile. The Course helps us have a happy dream before we fully awaken.
The ego in ACIM is the false self — the belief system built on the idea that you are separate from God and from your brothers. It is not a thing but a thought system that maintains the illusion of separation through fear, guilt, and attack.
Fear is the emotion of the ego, as love is the emotion of God. ACIM teaches that fear arises when the will of the separated mind conflicts with the Will of God.
ACIM forgiveness is not the traditional kind where you pardon someone for a real offense. Instead, it is the recognition that what you thought happened — the attack, the injury — never occurred in reality. True forgiveness sees past the illusion to the Christ in everyone.
In ACIM, God is perfect, infinite Love — the Creator of everything real. God did not create the physical world or suffering. God only creates by extending Himself.
The natural state of every Son of God. Grace is God's gift, always present, always available. It is what you are, waiting only for your acceptance.
Holding grievances is the ego's way of maintaining the illusion of separation. Each grievance is a veil across the face of Christ. Releasing grievances through forgiveness is a primary practice in the workbook.
The ego uses guilt as its primary tool to keep the separation seeming real. ACIM teaches that guilt is never justified because sin (separation from God) never actually occurred.
In ACIM, healing is the undoing of the belief in separation. All healing is ultimately of the mind, and physical healing follows from the release of guilt and fear.
In ACIM, Heaven is not a place but a state of awareness — the awareness of perfect Oneness with God. It is our natural state, which we never truly left.
A relationship that has been given to the Holy Spirit for transformation. It is the special relationship with a new purpose — instead of reinforcing separation, it becomes a vehicle for forgiveness and awakening.
The Voice for God within your mind. The Holy Spirit is the Communication Link between God and His separated Sons. It is the bridge between the ego thought system and the truth, guiding you gently toward awakening.
Anything that is not of God. The entire physical universe, according to ACIM, is an illusion — a dream of separation. Illusions have no reality because only what God creates is real.
Knowledge in ACIM refers to the direct, unmediated awareness of God — the state of Heaven. Unlike perception, knowledge does not involve interpretation or choice.
Love in ACIM is not a feeling in the worldly sense but the nature of God Himself. It is what we are in truth. The Course says love cannot be taught, but its conditions — forgiveness — can be.
A miracle in ACIM is a shift in perception from fear to love. It is not a physical event but a change of mind — seeing a situation through the eyes of the Holy Spirit rather than the ego.
The fundamental truth that there is only God and His creation, which are one. Separation is impossible in reality. The experience of oneness is the goal of the Course.
In ACIM, perception is the way the separated mind interprets experience. It is always selective and reflects the thought system (ego or Holy Spirit) through which you choose to see.
The Real World in ACIM is not heaven or the physical world, but the world seen through forgiven eyes — the state of perception where all grievances have been released and only love is seen.
Salvation in ACIM is the recognition that you are already as God created you. It is not something you earn but something you remember.
In ACIM, sin is defined as the belief that the separation from God actually happened. The Course teaches that sin is an illusion — an error to be corrected, not a crime to be punished.
In ACIM, the Son of God refers to God's one creation — Christ — which includes all of us as one. The separation made us believe we are individual, separate beings, but in truth we are all the one Son of God.
Relationships formed by the ego to reinforce separation. They are based on the belief that another person can complete you or give you what you lack. The Course teaches that all special relationships can be transformed into holy relationships through forgiveness.
Anyone who chooses to be a teacher of God. A teacher of God is simply someone who has made a deliberate choice to see things differently and to teach love instead of fear.
Spiritual sight — the Holy Spirit's way of seeing. Unlike physical sight, vision sees the Christ in everyone and recognizes our shared innocence.