Reviews/Ratings

Being Who You Are: Pondering A Course of Love is written by the author of this blog, Celia Hales, and is available on Amazon.

Andrew B

5.0 out of 5 stars

Wow!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2021.

I can’t thank Celia enough for writing such a wonderful book. It totally introduced me to “A Course in Love”, after I have been a ” A Course in Miracles” student for 15 years. It is just so lovely, gentle and life affirming. I loved it!

Margaret Deeb – Note:  This is Mari Perron, who received A Course of Love.  Margaret Deeb is her legal, married name, and the way in which she has her account on Amazon.

5.0 out of 5 stars

The warmth and experience of the author make this an intimate read

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2021

Celia Hales has the wonderful combination of a confident voice and a gentle manner. I am happy to be able to complement her ponderings on being you are through the experience of A Course of Love. I am in complete agreement that being who we truly are is the promise of this work. Hales begins and ends with sharing herself, which fits totally with that premise. Chapter 1 starts with a favorite passage of mine. It is imbued with a depth of feeling that invites the reader to be embraced by love. Celia describes it as emblematic of the warm, heartfelt tone throughout. She speaks of friendship as getting to know the essence of a person. Hales assures new and expectant readers that ceasing to let our minds rule our hearts and realizing that love is our nature, will guide us to the new and unprecedented experience of the elevated self of form. Celia Hales concludes by speaking of how people like genuineness and that this is what being who you are actually accomplishes. That was my favorite part. Being genuine. Who doesn’t want to be that? She also said, “We become inspired.” Being genuine and inspired, wholehearted and intuitive, can lead to the sense, she says, that “we are free.” These are words that I delight in as the “receiver” of A Course of Love. Those considering reading A Course of Love may find this a pleasing invitation, and those who have already read ACOL may enjoy the ten themes she draws upon, as well as her frequent reflections on A Course in Miracles.

Bonnie Crawford

5.0 out of 5 stars

 A Special Book that Speaks to the Heart

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2021

Celia Hales’ book is packed with wisdom and made sense not only to my mind, but especially spoke to my heart. The contemplations are uplifting to the spirit, and I appreciate what she said about dropping the false self, the ego, and coming to the place of the heart – our TRUE selves that are naturally free and happy. The joining of heart and mind – whole heartedness – that brings us the freedom to live in peace and joy, as we were intended to. I also found her discussion helpful of living in the present moment and the letting go of fear and judgement. Her book is beautifully written and makes me look forward to reading “A Course of Love.”

Acolover

5.0 out of 5 stars

 Perfect title

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021

The title of this book goes right to the heart of it: being who you are—who you REALLY are. The author is thoroughly grounded in A Course in Miracles, since 1981. A Course of Love, coming from the same Source, expands upon the earlier Course, and she deftly integrates the two. A key understanding is that we cannot think our way to Heaven, we only experience that awareness by being who we (really) are. And when we are being who we are, we naturally know how to act.

New Book Published on A Course of Love by This Blogger

To my viewers on this blog:  Over six years in the making, this book has been carefully written and revised many times.   It focuses on A Course of Love, but also includes A Course in Miracles.  Thank you for considering reading.  Love, Celia

Available from Amazon.  Read free with Kindle Unlimited membership; or $5.99 to buy e-book; or $8.95 for paperback.  Previously unpublished material.  265 pages.

DESCRIPTION from the Amazon web site:

Being Who You Are: Pondering A Course of Love

by Celia Hales

Being Who You Are offers contemplative reflections on A Course of Love that are meant for readers of A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love as well as newcomers to the material.

A Course of Love answers questions that spiritual seekers may still have despite earnest study of A Course in Miracles. Being Who You Are highlights these answers in words carefully chosen for clarity and understanding.

Being Who You Are presents A Course of Love as a heartfelt continuation of the coursework provided in the more mind-focused A Course in Miracles. Chapters concentrate on the following themes: love; fear; holy vs. special relationships; the nature of true reality; mind, heart, and wholeheartedness; unity and relationship; Christ-consciousness/Awakening; separation from God healed; Jesus and Mary; and the elevated Self of form. Tender human interest stories round out the ten comprehensive chapters.

This book, by the long-time blogger at “Miracles Each Day,” has been designed with care to introduce A Course of Love into the spiritual mainstream.

—

INTRODUCTION from Being Who You Are

A Course in Love answers questions that earnest seekers still have despite careful study of A Course in Miracles.  A Course of Love (ACOL) is thus a stated “continuation” (A.4) of the earlier work, though ACOL can be read independently. Most dedicated students of A Course in Miracles (ACIM) recognize that our egos have been weakened by our carrying out the dictates of what we have read.  But with what do we replace the ego?  There is a void, and this is a dangerous condition in which to live.  We intuitively know this, and so we keep seeking.  “Is there no end to seeking?” we ask, somewhat plaintively.  There is an end to seeking, and A Course of Love takes us to that end.  As an aid to understanding this new end, Being Who You Are reflects upon ten themes from A Course of Love, drawing on the whole of ACOL, and also comparing aspects of A Course in Miracles.

With weakened egos after studying A Course in Miracles, but with nothing to replace the ego, in the words of A Course of Love we have “rejected” ourselves.  We think that to claim our rightful place of identity with the Christ within lacks humility.  A Course of Love says that such an attitude is actually borne of fear: We are afraid we will not please God if we take on a more exalted notion of ourselves. 

You prefer selflessness to self because this is your chosen way to abolish ego and to please God.”  (ACOL, P.20)

But now we approach final learning, and we learn what “pleasing” God is all about—

We take a step away from the intellect, the pride of the ego, and approach final learning through the realm of the heart.  This is why, to end confusion, we call this course A Course of Love. (ACOL, P.44)

There is a single significant difference between A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love.  A Course in Miracles, through the Holy Spirit, brings comfort to the mind.  A Course of Love brings comfort to a troubled heart.  This comfort to the heart is by identity with the Christ within.  It is not a comfort for pride but solace brought to us by Jesus himself.  He embraces us with love.

The thesis of A Course of Love can perhaps be summed up in the following sequence of ideas:  We abandon all attempts to glorify the separated self, the self who does not know God but thinks it is lost to Him because of our sin.  When we wholeheartedly abandon any attempt to glorify this self, we are launched on the way to Christ-consciousness, a transformation that will let us know that our previous faults were mistakes only, not sins, and thus entirely correctable and forgivable.  We merge ACIM and ACOL, in that we merge mind and heart, and we recognize that we are actually in union with God, never separated from Him.  He lives through us.

Note these words from the conclusion of A Course of Love:

“You will realize that you know what to do. . . . Expect heaven on earth, you were told.  This is what it is.  There will be no doubt, no indecision.  Your path will be so clear to you it will be as if it is the only path in the world and you will wonder why you didn’t see it all along.  Expect this.  And it will be. (E5-6)

May this pondering speak loudly and powerfully to your heart and mind–“wholeheartedly.”  Let us claim the heritage that is ours, no longer fearful that we are acting out of ego.  Jesus asks us to leave our fears behind and claim our power with new identity.  Then the more widespread Awakening of our world surely will begin.

                                                            —

The framework of A Course of Love, in that it is a “course,” is the same as A Course in Miracles; the channeling author, Jesus, the same.  The first receiver (scribe) of A Course of Love is Mari Perron, and she received for three years around the year 2000.

In these contemplative reflections on A Course of Love, let us see how we are to come to the end of seeking.