What Are Miracles in A Course in Miracles?

The Course is named for miracles — but what it means by "miracle" may surprise you. It's not about supernatural events or physical healing. It's about how you see.

The Definition

A miracle in ACIM is a shift in perception from fear to love. That's it. It's not turning water into wine or healing the sick with a touch. It's a change of mind — seeing a situation through the eyes of the Holy Spirit rather than the ego.

The first principle of miracles states: "There is no order of difficulty in miracles." This means it's no harder to shift your perception about a major crisis than a minor annoyance. From the Holy Spirit's perspective, all illusions are equally unreal.

How Miracles Work

When you choose to see someone differently — when you let go of a grievance, release a judgment, or choose love where you previously chose fear — that is a miracle. And according to the Course, miracles have effects that ripple far beyond what you can see.

The Course says miracles are natural. When they don't occur, something has gone wrong. The ego is what blocks miracles. Forgiveness is what releases them.

Experiencing Miracles

You don't need to do anything special to experience miracles. You just need to be willing to see differently. Here are some ways miracles show up:

• A sudden release of anger you've been carrying
• Seeing a difficult person with compassion instead of judgment
• A moment of unexpected peace in a stressful situation
• The realization that a problem you feared isn't actually a problem
• An experience of connection where you previously felt separate

For more on this, see Lesson 77: I am entitled to miracles and Lesson 78: Let miracles replace all grievances.

*For the complete Course text, visit acim.org. This is original commentary and does not reproduce copyrighted Course material.*