School for A Course In Miracles

"The universe of learning will open up before you."

School for A Course In Miracles

“The universe of learning will open up before you in all its gracious simplicity.” T-14. II. 6:4
You are here: Home / Archives for Helen Schucman

The Two “ACIM” Pamphlets: Psychotherapy and Song of Prayer… plus ‘The Gifts of God’ Prose Poem

 

 

The Two Pamphlets & The Prose Poem:

 

There were three other works from Jesus that Helen Schucman “scribed” after she finished taking down A Course in Miracles itself which was completed in 1972. They were called Psychotherapy Pamphlet, the Song of Prayer Pamphlet, and the Gifts of God Prose Poem.

 

Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice [PAMPHLET]

(1) Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice

The first supplement called the Psychotherapy Pamphlet  was finished in 1975 . Most Course students, whether you are a psychotherapist or not, have found the insights and the continued explanation of the Course’s healing process in this pamphlet incredibly valuable to their understanding of the entire Course.

Taken down by Helen Schucman in the same manner as A Course in Miracles this twenty-three page booklet discusses the Course’s principles of healing and forgiveness in the context of psychotherapy.

Written originally for professional therapists, the booklet nonetheless will be of help to anyone interested in how the Course’s theoretical principle of healing—joining with another through the Holy Spirit—can be applied to everyone, not just those in the field of psychotherapy.

 

(2) The Song of Prayer:

The second pamphlet, The Song of Prayer, was written in 1977 in response to much of the level confusion (mind vs body) that many Course students and teachers, still have issues with both then and even now. It specifically points out not only what prayer and forgiveness and healing are from a Course point of view… it also spells out what they are not.

The Song of Prayer: Prayer, Forgiveness and Healing

Taken down by Helen Schucman in the same manner as A Course in Miracles, this twenty-two page booklet discusses forgiveness and healing in the context of prayer, contrasting the meaning of true prayer, forgiveness, and healing with their opposites. The process of prayer is described in the booklet as “growth thru forgiveness,” with healing seen as the result of the mind’s undoing of the belief in separation.

Ken Wapnick’s Discussion of Psychotherapy Pamphlet: click here

Ken Wapnick’s Discussion of Song of Prayer: click here

The Gifts of God [BOOK]

(3) The Gifts of God Prose Poem

The Gifts of God Prose Poem contains the last dictated messages to Helen from Jesus. It is included at the end of a collection of poetry by Helen Schucman, also by the same title:

The Gifts of God    (click here).

The year was 1978. The Course had already been taken down by Helen Schucman and was published. The two Course pamphlets (Psychotherapy & Song of Prayer) were also already scribed, between 1975 and 1977.

It was a cold, snowy February weekend  in New York City… and Ken Wapnick was scheduled to head out of the Big Apple on a train for a couple days, to a Catholic center  (about 30 miles north) to do some counseling work. Helen was terrified that Ken would be hurt, or worse, in an impending snowstorm. She had already talked him out of going the previous weekend for the same reason, and Ken dutifully said that this time he had to go. She had herself so worked-up that her conscious fear was totally over-the-top and out of control. Later, by 3am in the morning of that night after he left, she finally decided to talk to Jesus about it.

What then developed over a three month period thru April of ’78… were Jesus messages to help her walk thru, not the distracting conscious fear about Ken’s safety, but the real  underlying fear (hers and ours) of simply letting go of separation and being with Jesus. These messages were collectively put together in what today is known as the Gifts of God Prose Poem. The best description of this process, and a great discussion by Ken Wapnick on the contents of this piece, is Ken’s ten CD set/MP3 download (click here):

The Gift of The Ego: Fear The Gift of God: Love [MP3]

The poem contains five sections (on 14 pages):

  1. The Dream of Fear
  2. The Two Gifts
  3. The Ending of The Dream
  4. Our Gift to God
  5. The Father’s Love

 

This Prose Poem is a beautifully written synopsis of the entire Course,  with all its paragraphs in Shakespearean iambic pentameter. For best understanding, it is recommended and helpful to have some previous study of the Course’s basic metaphysics of healing and forgiveness, prior to reading and applying the poem’s teachings to our lives.

However The Gifts of God Prose Poem is an insightful capstone to the Course itself, and will resonate with all Course students as an incredible addendum that beautifully crowns A Course in Miracles.

 

Helen Schucman & Bill Thetford Speak… hear the recorded voices of the two scribes of “A Course in Miracles!”

 

 

Helen Schucman

 

Only known public recording of…

Helen Schucman speaking

(in a 15 min. radio interview)

 

 

Helen Schucman’s Autobiography on ACIM.org:

(click here)

Although the scribing itself was relatively effortless, it did engender tremendous anxiety in Helen, though less in Bill. As Helen wrote:

“It made me very uncomfortable, but it never seriously occurred to me to stop. It seemed to be a special assignment I had somehow, somewhere agreed to complete. It represented a truly collaborative venture between Bill and myself, and much of its significance, I am sure, lies in that. I could neither account for nor reconcile my obviously inconsistent attitudes. On the one hand I still regarded myself as officially an agnostic, resented the material I was taking down, and was strongly impelled to attack it and prove it wrong. On the other hand I spent considerable time in taking it down and later in dictating it to Bill, so it was apparent that I took it quite seriously. I actually came to refer to it as my life’s work. As Bill pointed out, I must believe in it if only because I argued with it so much. While this was true, it did not help me. I was in the impossible position of not believing my own life’s work. The situation was clearly ridiculous as well as painful.”

 

 

Bill Thetford

 

 

 

 

 Bill Thetford Talks About…

His Life & A Course in Miracles:

Part One:

Part Three

Bill Thetford’s Autobiography on ACIM.org:

(click here)

As to the impact of A Course in Miracles on Bill, he said:

“It changed my life totally. I recall typing the first fifty principles on miracles that came through Helen in the Fall of 1965, and realized that if this material was true then absolutely everything I believed would have to be challenged—that I would have to reconstruct my whole belief system. At the time, however, I thought that would be impossible; I didn’t know how I could do it. Yet I felt that was a requirement, since the material that came through Helen in the beginning phase seemed so authentic and genuine. I went into shock for a brief period, wondering how it would be possible to make such an abrupt change in my perception of life and the world. Later I realized that God is merciful, and does not ask us to make changes so abruptly, that there would be adequate time to gradually begin to shift my perception. I think what was important was my willingness to change, not mastery of the material.”

 

 

 

 

Ken Wapnick talks about Helen’s own Course process on Youtube

(click here)

(10 min.)

 

PBS “Visionaries” Documentary:

  (with Sam Waterston) 

Helen and the Course:

(click here)

 

Ken & Gloria Early Days

@ Roscoe, N.Y.

(click here)

 

One Hour Video Introduction to…

“A Course in Miracles”

by the School for A Course in Miracles

with a little history and a brief explanation of the Course’s metaphysics and its unique version of forgiveness …

(click here)

 

Six Month Online Course Immersion Program,

January- June 2022

(click here)

(Please, never let lack of funds be a deterrent in taking any of the SFACIM classes or events listed… give Tim a call @ 720-391-9294, leave a voicemail, and he will get back to you ASAP. We always try to work something out. We want you to be there!)

The Gifts of God Prose Poem

The Gifts of God Prose Poem was the last of dictated messages to Helen Schucman from Jesus. It is contained at the end of a collection of poetry by Helen, also called by the same title,

The Gifts of God.

(click here to purchase)

The year was 1978. The Course had already been taken down by Helen Schucman and was published. The two Course pamphlets (Psychotherapy & Song of Prayer) were also already scribed, between 1975 and 1977.

It was a cold, snowy February weekend  in New York City… and Ken Wapnick was scheduled to head out of the Big Apple on a train for a couple days, to a Catholic center (about 30 miles north) to do some counseling work. Helen was terrified that Ken would be hurt, or worse, in an impending snowstorm. She had already talked him out of going the previous weekend for the same reason, and Ken dutifully said that this time he had to go, and he did. Helen had herself so worked-up about it, that her conscious fear became over-the-top and out of control. Later, by 3am in the middle of the night, she decided to finally talk to Jesus about it.

What then developed, over a three month period thru April of ’78, were Jesus messages to help her walk thru…  not the distracting conscious fear about Ken’s safety, but the real underlying fear (hers and ours) of simply letting go of separation and being with Jesus. These messages were collectively put together in what today is known as the Gifts of God Prose Poem.

The best description of this process, and a great discussion by Ken Wapnick on the contents of this piece, is Ken’s ten CD set/MP3 download:

“The Gift of the Ego (Fear) vs The Gift of God (Love)”  

Click here for info.

The Gifts of God Prose Poem contains five sections (on 14 pages):

  1. The Dream of Fear
  2. The Two Gifts
  3. The Ending of The Dream
  4. Our Gift to God
  5. The Father’s Love

 

The Prose Poem is a beautifully written synopsis of the entire Course,  with all its verses in Shakespearean iambic pentameter. For best understanding, it is recommended and helpful to have some clear previous study of the Course’s basic metaphysics, prior to reading and applying the poem’s teachings to our lives.

However The Gifts of God Prose Poem is an insightful capstone to the Course itself, and resonates with all Course students as an incredible addendum that wonderfully crowns A Course in Miracles.

 

 

Also, for a complete discussion of the entire Prose Poem by the School for ACIM, visit the SFACIM’s replay series on this amazing literary work of art…

and the expression of Jesus’ love for us in it:

click here