A Course in Miracles Journal (Day 23)

Background: Welcome to my year-long exploration of "A Course in Miracles," where each day unfolds a new layer of understanding and healing using this unique and vibrant text. This blog chronicles my personal exploration through daily text readings and workbook exercises, offering insights into the profound teachings of forgiveness, love, and perception shifts. The day’s text reading and exercise numbers are in the title of the entry. Join me as we uncover the miracles behind healing and transformation into the spiritually powerful beings we were created to be. 

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Today’s ACIM Journal Entry:

A Course in Miracles Day 23

Updates: Wow, it’s 2025! Going to let that settle in for a moment. How much life has grown all around me, and the energies for this upcoming season.

In truth, I don’t want to do A Course in Miracles today. Today was an amazing day. I got done everything I wanted to, everything I hoped to do, and more - it was incredible!

Yet, some of that “and more” was that I am caught up publishing all the ACIM journal entries. I began the A Course in Miracles journal entries on my laptop in Pages (Apple's version of Word).

I began batching them for publishing on the website. I was in a great flow, and today, the remainder was to be done.

But in staying true to it all, I realize some side entries needed to be made. Most were already drafted on my laptop as journal entries that just didn’t have any book materials like text or workbook to them, but there was one entry that was never drafted but would leave a gap in the timeline if it wasn’t, so I wrote it.

It was written in flow state but also heavy in nature. That heaviness poked at the next layer of truth - there was another relationship that required healing that was related to that event.

Between the extra tasks, the heavy entry, and the energy realization of the next layer needed, not to mention how much yesterday’s ACIM reading brought up, I wonder if I even have the strength.

This level of shifting, healing, and detoxing can be exhausting. I feel I may need to take more frequent breaks to maximize my mental well-being and clean out the gunk before continuing on.

But here I am, dedicated. Also, I am a little confused about how a month and a half in, I have less than a month’s number of entries. That’s the equivalent of reading the text every other day - which has not been the case.

I’m also detoxing physically from something. I have food sensitivities, so it is difficult for me to assess if the detox is dietary, emotional, or due to a supplement I have returned to.

It's not overwhelming, just present, and it likes to be in my throat chakra, phasing my voice in and out, as well as getting in my eyes.

A Course in Miracles Day 23

Text: VII: Creating vs. Self-Image

I followed the logic and structure of today’s reading well, but not entirely.

“Death is not real, but the belief in death is.” Was one that was clear as day and highlighted the text’s point well.

The forbidden tree was called The Tree of Knowledge - ouch! The reversal of knowledge (truth) contrasted by the desire for knowledge.

“Knowledge cannot decide, but perception can.”

These verses all highlight some items: 1. The idea of how easy it is to heal from a traumatic event. There is no death but a perception of it. There was no suffering, only a perception, a belief of it and, therefore, in it.

The suffering is created in the mind by perception, not truth. It is as easy (and as challenging) to reverse it.

I also liken some of the text to my entrepreneurial journey. The long quest to know what to do, know the formula, and know how to succeed as if that knowledge was more powerful, or a replacement for, creating in God’s image.

Paragraph 5: “The mind can make the belief in separation very real and very fearful, and this belief is ‘the Devil.’” I love the juxtaposition of the Devil, as often taught from the Bible, to this statement.

I am more on board with this definition.

Workbook. Lesson 23: I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.

Finally, a kind and loving word! Yesterday and the word “vengeance” from recent lessons was harsh. Necessarily so, as the word was triggering, but the word was triggering and not loving.

I understand the book cannot be directly loving as the mind would reject its pure nature as spiritual, "whoohooery," and not real. The book must break down the aggression with equal measure.

In yesterday’s lesson, a being in my mind became visible. A black being, like a smaller brain at the front of my mind. It was cowering on the ground against the wall. It was asking me not to destroy it.

I think the vision represents that the book is pushing together the dark corners of my mind, and they are now looking to defend themselves from destruction. What is interesting is that it's my mind’s workings fearful of my mind’s power.

I can still sense that energetic being in my brain today, and reading only the lesson line, no text, I feel it reappearing.

As I meditate more, images of times I had at the roller skating rink appeared for me. Some were moments I mentally was quite harsh to myself, another was waiting to meet people at the food court and realizing I had an odd sense of time in those formidable years, and lastly, the joy my father had as he would drop me off sometimes.

That man hated driving me anywhere - even to school, so to remember the smile on his face dropping me off was an odd sensation of peace I did not recall experiencing as a child.

I repeated the line throughout the meditation. Now, onto the explanatory text…

The idea of cause and effect is interesting. I had a similar highlight with my recent guest about perceived future loss if he heals, but I point out that the loss is not a loss if the reason you are free from wanting the thing is because you are healed.

You do not miss what you no longer desire.

“You cannot be saved from the world, but you can escape its cause.”

As I carried on towards the more detailed version where we fill in the blanks, I began applying it to ex-boyfriends, my political opinions, my money challenges, and more. I chose to take on my perceived challenges and areas of tension.

Then, in the final paragraph, the idea of others attacking me - something I did not think was a challenge based on so much of my healing - led to the highlight that was not accurate.

As beneficial and enjoyable as the workbook lesson is, I am tired and ready for bed.

Love, Acacia

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“All quotes are from A Course in Miracles, copyright ©1992, 1999, 2007 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, 448 Ignacio Blvd., #306, Novato, CA 94949, www.acim.org, used with permission.”