Vision is one of the great unheralded themes of A Course in Miracles. As a major theme, it serves to integrate all other themes, allowing us to step back and view the Course's teaching as a unified whole. Yet vision in the Course has rarely been the subject of extensive study. This book will help the Course student to better understand the Course as a whole by understanding the nature of vision, the benefits it brings, and how it is acquired. Vision is said to lead to an experience of Oneness and the certainty of spiritual knowledge. Vision is the way to happiness, according to the Course. It is the source of every miracle. And it leads us through happy dreams and the real world all the way to a present experience of Heaven. It is said to resolve every problem. Yet it is easy to acquire. It comes to us through our desire for it. As we learn about vision, our desire for it grows, and our eyes open to a new world full of beauty, joy, and miracles.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Vision and Freedom
Chapter 1: The First Glimmerings
The Promise of Vision
Other Benefits of Vision
Chapter 2: The World in General
The World We See
The Hidden Reality
The Emotional Undercurrents of the World
Chapter 3: Perception in General
The Mechanics of Perception
The Fundamental Law of Perception
Image-Making
Chapter 4: The Holy Spirit as Facilitator of Vision
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Instant, Time and Vision
Chapter 5: Vision in The Workbook
The Hidden Spark of Beauty
Forgiveness and Vision
Chapter 6: Vision, Reason and Judgment
The Appeal to Reason
How Vision Surpasses Judgment
Chapter 7: Vision, Relationship and Identity
The Reality of our Brother
Vision and the Self
Chapter 8: A World Full of Miracles
Vision and Miracles
The Breadth of Vision
Chapter 9: Vision and Oneness
The Experience of Oneness
Healing and Happiness
Chapter 10: The Happy Dream
The Reality of the Dreamer
The Happy Dream
Chapter 11: From Vision to Truth
The Real World
The Vision of Christ
God and Vision
Chapter 12: The Practice of Vision
The Practice of Vision
Bringing the Darkness to Light
The Quiet Moment
Conclusion: Vision and Freedom
Michael Roden is the author of several books of Christian theology and several volumes of spiritual poetry. He has degrees in psychology, counseling, and theology, and works as a therapist in Columbus, Ohio. He has been a Course student since 1981.
In his most recent book, A World Full of Miracles: A Study of Vision in A Course in Miracles, Michael turns his attention to the modern spiritual classic, A Course in Miracles. In the introduction to that book, he writes that the Course has helped him to integrate all he has learned regarding theology, philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. He writes of the great authority of the Course, and about where it fits in the annals of human knowledge.
Yet A World Full of Miracles is not only well-researched, it is also inspirational. As he explains in the introduction, Mr. Roden sees the knowledge which is the ultimate goal of the Course to be an experiential knowledge--meant to be experienced rather than merely learned by rote. It is meant to become part of our lives.
Michael's interpretation of the Course is one that emphasizes the experience of the love, joy, and beauty that is found therein. It focuses on seeing our fellow human beings differently--with dignity, respect, and appreciation. It is this that will allow us to see (and know) ourselves differently.
Michael Roden's previous books include:
The Enlightened Christian: A Psychological Interpretation of the Bible
A Church Not Made with Hands: Christianity as Spiritual Experience
Jesus and Ourselves: An Alternative Understanding of Christianity
Songs of the Morning: Meditations for Healing and Self-Knowledge
Paradise Re-Envisioned
Love is the Reason: 100 Spiritual Poems
