Good Books: A COURSE IN MIRACLES & A NEW EARTH

If you check out my personal blog, studio635, you’ll see that I’m on a quest towards better living. This includes doing things that facilitate my health and general well-being, while specifically cultivating my higher self. And how can anyone’s higher self be cultivated without some serious reading and study?

Accompanying me on my spiritual journey over the years have been many books (some of which I'll discuss in subsequent posts), which have all led me closer to understanding what makes things tick inside me, and in the universe as a whole. My latest acquisitions include A Course In Miracles, and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is designed for self-study although there are many study groups all over the world. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart or the spiritually inexperienced. I say this primarily because of the terminology used throughout this substantive text. I grew up going to church and church school, so although not a religious scholar by any means, I have a basic knowledge of the Bible, on which ACIM is loosely based (very loosely), and other books of this ilk. So although not a breeze for me, I understand the concepts enough to get through it.

Although there are many study aids available online and elsewhere, what’s been helping me are the online lessons given by author/spiritual teacher, Marianne Williamson, who’s got her own slot on Oprah Winfrey’s XM radio network, Oprah & Friends. Perhaps ACIM’s best known guru, Marianne’s decided to focus on one lesson from the text each day throughout this entire year. If you go on Oprah’s website, you’ll be able to find all lessons listed individually. Although the course started on January 1st, you can start anytime. I’m only on Lesson 3 myself, so I still have quite a ways to go.

To learn more about A Course In Miracles, check out the website for its publisher, the Foundation for Inner Peace.

A New Earth is the latest book by Eckhart Tolle, the author of the popular spiritual book, The Power of Now (which I have yet to read). It’s also the latest selection for Oprah’s Book Club, which is the reason I got it. Furthermore, there’s an online class with Oprah and Eckhart starting on March 3rd, and I wanted to get in on it. Ever since Oprah started her book club I wanted to participate, but never did. Now I’ll get my chance.

I started reading A New Earth yesterday and got through the first two chapters, which I love, love, love. Now I really can’t wait for that class to start! I'd like to finish the book first, although I don’t have to, since they’ll only be covering a chapter at a time, but I like getting a head start.