Most people embark on a spiritual path expecting it to provide inner peace. It can be startling, therefore, when for a time our pains, relationships, and anxieties seem to become worse. This podcast addresses two main sources of this experience according to A Course in Miracles.
We begin with a reading of ‘Before the Dawn’ — an essay from Reflections on A Course in Miracles: Volume One — and conclude with a look at ‘The Branching of the Road’ section of the Course. We also refer to the work of psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, known for his theory of psycho-social development across the lifespan.
Erikson suggested that the final stage of development, beginning beyond midlife, involves navigating two opposing psychological tendencies — integrity and despair. As people reflect on their life, they either feel a sense of fulfillment (‘integrity’), or experience disappointment and regret (‘despair’). While wisdom is the gift of integrity, disdain toward others is the outcome of despair and is the result, said Erikson, of self-contempt projected outward.
We relate Erikson’s thoughts to what a ‘life well-lived’ means in terms of A Course in Miracles, and show how approaching the past from this perspective is critical to moving beyond the pain associated with spiritual growth.
Reflections on A Course in Miracles 