In this second article in the series on the “miracle” and the “mind, ” we’re going to continue our discussion of spiritual specialness as someone being a course in miracles chosen by God to do His work without recognizing it is really the ego. In a Course in Miracles (ACIM), many link being a Course teacher of God with being miracle-minded just as we see in many religions with chosen spiritual leaders such as a pastors, ministers and priests, etc. In the first article on spiritual specialness, we incorporated a quote by Kenneth Wapnick that, “Love is quiet and need not make assertions. ” Being someone chosen by God to do “god’s work” is an assertion of the ego; and it makes the error real. It is a defense against God’s Love wherein we don’t recognize that we’re actually competing with God (and thus everyone).

Mr. Wapnick also has some wonderful passages that get straight to the point on this matter. These are taken from his two-book set on, “The Message Of a Course In Miracles” which is filled with what the Course does and does not say. These quotes speak for themselves and do not need reinterpretation:

Spiritual specialness refers to people acting out their egos’ specialness, but disguising it as spiritual dress. This frequently comes in the form of believing that they have received “special” instructions, “special” favors, or “special” commissions from “special” divine persons such as Jesus or the Holy Spirit, all of which serves to make these people spiritually different from others and therefore more “special” (Few Choose to Listen, p. 141).

What we are calling “spiritual specialness” appears in the members of almost all spiritual or religious movements. This usually comes in the form of believing that the group or members have been singled out by God or the Holy Spirit to perform some holy function that will benefit humanity and contribute towards the saving of the world. However, such intrinsic specialness is clearly not the case with the teachings of a Course in Miracles (Few Choose to Listen, p. 144).

Specialness is also seen in a variety of other forms beyond the labels just mentioned. For example, claiming who we “share the stage” with, i. e., other Course teachers is the same limelight error. We do all of this because of our enormous repressed fear and guilt; and we do it instead of learning and practicing the Course. This is a course on sameness and one that exemplifies kindness:

This inability to truly practice A course in Miracles’ kind principles of forgiveness that they study, and sometimes even teach, has perhaps been the most serious failing among its students. This book’s sequel, “Few Choose to Listen, ” discusses how students often conceal their thought system of specialness under the guise of spiritual counseling or friendship. The absence of simple kindness is, unfortunately, unmistakable to all except the Course student making the spiritual pronouncements (All Are Called, p. 306). This article begins a series on what A course in Miracles (ACIM) means when it speaks of the “miracle” and the “mind. ” While most students can cite definitions from the Course, understanding the non-dualistic meaning within the experience of dualism takes time to learn and apply. It is only with the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can accomplish this unlearning-learning process. Correction is only in the mind of the perceiver and not through forms as true choice is between listening two voices: God or the ego. Claims to be of a “miracle mind” is really the ego, forgiveness-to-destroy and spiritual specialness. The ego speaks first and the loudest. Love is quiet; and love is expressed in this world through right-minded forgiveness.

Spiritual specialness is from the unconscious arrogance of the ego wrong mind which believes it is in competition with God. Since we’re all the same, we’re actually competing with everyone all the time until we learn this lesson. All conflict arises from the idea of competition. Spiritual specialness makes some relationships holy and others not because the ego’s agenda is that we don’t remember that the purpose given anything is in the mind from choosing with God or the ego. To take back our decision making ability is the point of the Course.

The ego’s voice, which we mistakenly believe is the Holy Spirit, contains no humility nor dependence on God. Rather, it is the voice for being self-created, i. e., the authority problem. All of us have confusion regarding the author of our existence (ego or God) and the difference between form (illusion) and content (mind where correction take place). To be miracle-minded, we cannot be in conflict on any level for the right-mind itself is conflict-free. There is a difference between right-miracle-minded and the miracle mind of the ego.

We have no honesty when we use spiritual specialness as we are saying we’re more holy, more chosen by God than another. This is a defense against the opposite and we will be discussing this subject in greater depth in subsequent article. Being more chosen is the antithesis of the Course’s message.

This is a perfect example wherein two separate parties, the ego god and its version of the vengeful God, compete for forms within the dualistic illusion as the “divine agency. ” This is why forms don’t need correction but rather the mind that perceives this silliness is in need of correction. Asking the ego god for a miracle event (to replace a form with a form) distorts prayer and the Son forgets who He is. The ego becomes the author of the Son’s existence and spiritual specialness takes root wherein the Son who is choosing the ego, competes with God to make himself special to get noticed by God. So long as we don’t look at this, we remain a prisoner of this world.