The beauty and simplicity of A Course in Miracles (ACIM) really shines through one of its major principles: The Law of Cause and Effect. This is different from the Law of Attraction, a subject on which so much has been written about these last few years. ACIM answers not only why things are the way they are with the mind, but also how to implement these mind corrections needed to change your life. What it ultimately comes down to is the choice to change beliefs while staying in this world, or the choice to correct the mind and return home.
Affirmations are not part of A Course in Miracles as they are not necessary and here's why: There is a "wrong" ego mind, and a "right" ego mind, both of which are still part of the same ego side of the split mind. Within the ego mind (error), the wrong side is all the negative judgments; and the right side is all the negative judgments trying to convince you how wonderful it is to live here in this negative world. Neither is the truth of your nature nor where you are trying to return your mind, according to ACIM.
The Law of Cause and Effect is this: According to the mind you use as cause, you will see the corresponding effect. Ideas do not leave their source: You.
Let's use this example:
Someone is feeling the effects of being "poor," or lack, in this world and wants to change their beliefs to now have "rich" (abundance, prosperity, money) show up. Both "poor" and "rich" are judgments of the ego using it as cause which can only produce ego effect. Ego being an unstable thought system, what you choose as "rich" will eventually go and you end up back with "poor." It's only a question of "when."
The ego's choice system is: (1) one or the other: (2) poor or rich; and, (3) ego or God. It asks you to choose between two things within the ego illusion and not to choose out of the illusion.
This is in contrast to choosing correction of the mind (forgiveness) where both "poor" and "rich" do not exist. A choice for correction of the mind allows the Holy Spirit Right Mind to be your cause which affects the you in this world; however, it does not have the effects you imagine since the ego cannot relate. It returns a portion of the mind to peace and ends senseless worry over rich and poor. It also produces effects in your life here but you will have to choose correction to experience them.
Let's look at how ACIM breaks this all down into a simple set of principles based on Cause and Effect. It only has a few components and when understood and used, they can be "mind" correcting!
The Metaphysics:
Remember, according to ACIM, the mind is split by the ego's judgment that we could be separate, also known as the "tiny mad idea," or the error that never occurred. This portion of the mind is simply hidden in darkness because it banished itself from Knowledge (Heaven and Oneness) when we forgot to laugh off what could not be true. It did not, however, separate.
So in ACIM it is not about affirmations or changing beliefs, because the mind never left God and still resides at home with Him. There are no "belief" judgments in Love, Oneness, Heaven and Knowledge as everything is the same, all one, and nothing to believe or judge between.
Instead, it is all about changing your internal Teacher or rather, who you are listening to for interpretation of events in this world. The only change is in the choice between the split mind (error) of the ego or the Holy Spirit Right Mind (correction) as that internal Teacher.
This is where the ease of use is evident in ACIM because there's no convincing the ego wrong and right mind of another way of thinking. You simply give up what you no longer want. We do it all the time with ego stuff; and now we just do it with the ego beliefs themselves.
Forgiveness:
This says it all: Forgiveness is correction of the mind. In ACIM, there is nothing to forgive because no error has happened, i.e., no separation happened. What you are doing is simply returning your mind to God, where it never left, and to its natural state of peace. To do that is simply a choice of which side of the split mind to listen to for interpretation of events and turning over the judgments you no longer want to the Holy Spirit Right Mind for correction (forgiveness).
The Holy Spirit is the solution to the separation placed in the mind by God and every answer is there waiting for you. Atonement, forgiveness, salvation and True Perception are other words that are synonymous. You have to be willing to use the Holy Spirit Right Mind for interpretation of events and do the actual work of giving judgments (beliefs) to this side of the mind, via your decision maker, because you no longer want them.
It really is that simple and only confusing because of the belief that the only choice is between ego judgments of "poor" and "rich," to use the earlier example, and not understanding about this third option being available. The choice for True Perception is to choose neither ego judgment and relinquish both for correction of the mind. This is what is takes to return the mind to God.
Decision Maker:
ACIM is aimed at the decision maker in the mind. The whole point is that you have a choice of which side of the mind to listen to and use for interpretation. That is all that ever happened to begin with. It was a choice to listen, believe and choose judgments of the ego that separation happened and the ensuing sin, guilt and fear. Judgments can be dismissed as easily as you dismiss anything else you do not want because they are not real.
Two things stop you from relinquishing judgments: (1) your attachment to them as being true and real; and, (2) not acknowledging how you feel keeps them hidden so you don't realize they are judgments.
You don't "feel" in Heaven, Knowledge and Oneness. It is an experience shared by One.
The decision maker is the mechanism between the two sides of the split mind. It is neutral, an observer and is something you have to employ to watch the mind and the judgments being made by the ego. When you realize you have used something from the ego error of the wrong or right mind, just be willing to hand them to the solution, or the correction, of the Holy Spirit Right Mind. It takes care of the rest as the Atonement or solution is already there. No affirmations are necessary. You are simply giving up that which you no longer want. It is, and certainly can, be that easy.
Form and Content:
The last component to know from a course in miracles is form and content. Form is this world and everything in it. In ACIM, form does not matter and is part of the "beliefs" to be turned over. However, you use everything in form, along with the judgments in your mind, as the curriculum of what to turn over for correction (forgiveness).
