In their series of ongoing conversations about A Course in Miracles, Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles discuss what the Holy Spirit is and – perhaps more importantly – what it isn’t in this YouTube video.
Given our (ego) resistance to the ideas in the Course, it’s not surprising that many (if not most) students want to use Holy Spirit (or Jesus or any ego-free symbol for the part of our mind we took with us into the dream to correct our correctable error, a.k.a. the tiny, mad, idea) for us as our dream repair magician (or technician). We tend to see the Holy Spirit as a sort of superhero avatar, sent to relieve our misery and pain by dissolving our dreams, fixing our fantasies, and healing our hallucinations. We still have to do the work, but it’s so much easier when we let our Inner Kindness Teacher guide our efforts. The process efficiency is optimized, and the efficacy of the outcome is already guaranteed. The Holy Spirit’s purpose is merely to direct us back to our decision-making mind (the famous “blue dot” in Ken Wapnick’s metaphysical chart) – to remind us of our one responsibility: learning to consistently choose sameness over differences, forgiveness over grievances, and sanity over insanity.
Ultimately, we must accept the corrective Atonement for ourselves. This choice rests in every seemingly separate mind: our freedom from tyranny, oppression, abuse, and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune rests solely on our selection of teacher each moment: ego’s insanity or the Holy Spirit’s gentle, unceasing, consistent sanity. When we ask the Holy Spirit for help in vaporizing our victimhood and managing our martyrdom, that sane part of our mind just points to the metaphoric switch hidden (by ego) as far away from our notice as possible, which diverts our mind’s attention from sin, guilt, and fear to unconditional forgiveness and the resulting peace. The Holy Spirit merely shows us who the dreamer is.
“Nothing at all has happened but that you have put yourself to sleep, and dreamed a dream in which you were an alien to yourself, and but a part of someone else’s dream. The miracle does not awaken you, but merely shows you who the dreamer is. It teaches you there is a choice of dreams while you are still asleep, depending on the purpose of your dreaming. Do you wish for dreams of healing, or for dreams of death?A dream is like a memory in that it pictures what you wanted shown to you.”(ACIM, T-28.II.4:1-5)
We touched on the two Workbook Lesson titles that Ken Wapnick suggested memorizing. These two lessons – Lesson 5: I am never upset for the reason I think (ACIM, W-5) and Lesson 34: I could see peace instead of this (ACIM, W-34) – help us transcend the double shield of oblivion that the Course’s forgiveness practice achieves.
“The Holy Spirit needs a happy learner, in whom His mission can be happily accomplished. You who are steadfastly devoted to misery must first recognize that you are miserable and not happy. The Holy Spirit cannot teach without this contrast, for you believe that misery is happiness. This has so confused you that you have undertaken to learn to do what you can never do, believing that unless you learn it, you will not be happy.” (ACIM, T-14.II.1:1-4)
Here is the first paragraph of the related clarifying workbook “What is the Holy Spirit?” essay:
“The Holy Spirit mediates between illusions and the truth. Since He must bridge the gap between reality and dreams, perception leads to knowledge through the grace that God has given Him, to be His gift to everyone who turns to Him for truth. Across the bridge that He provides are dreams all carried to the truth, to be dispelled before the light of knowledge. There are sights and sounds forever laid aside. And where they were perceived before, forgiveness has made possible perception’s tranquil end.” (ACIM, W-pII.7.1:1-5)
The Holy Spirit is both the “goal” for our mind training and the practical method by which we transform our self-concept to the corrected, inclusive, eternal Self that is the purpose of our mindfulness training.
“Our Love awaits us as we go to Him, and walks beside us showing us the way. He fails in nothing. He the End we seek, and He the Means by which we go to Him.” (ACIM, W-302.2:1-3)
Here is the glossary entry for Holy Spirit from the newly released ACIM Online Glossary:
The Holy Spirit (HS) is the thought system in our mind that corrects the ego thought system, replacing every thought of duality with thoughts of sameness and forgiveness. There are only two thought systems, and only one (HS) is real. While we believe we are separate from Perfect Oneness, this memory of our Real (undifferentiated, undivided) Identity remains in our mind, awaiting our invitation to awaken us from our dreams of specialness, differences, sin, guilt, and fear – and guide us home to where we never left – through forgiveness back to unchanging peace. See also Jesus, Appointed Friend, bridge, and Universal Giver.
“The Holy Spirit is the mechanism of miracles. He recognizes both God’s creations and your illusions. He separates the true from the false by His ability to perceive totally rather than selectively.” (ACIM, T-1.I.38:1-3)
“The Holy Spirit is the Christ Mind which is aware of the knowledge that lies beyond perception. He came into being with the separation as a protection, inspiring the Atonement principle at the same time. Before that there was no need for healing, for no one was comfortless. The Voice of the Holy Spirit is the Call to Atonement, or the restoration of the integrity of the mind.” (ACIM, T-5.I.5:1-4)
“The Holy Spirit is the motivation for miracle-mindedness; the decision to heal the separation by letting it go.” (ACIM, T-5.II.1:4)
“The Voice of the Holy Spirit does not command, because It is incapable of arrogance. It does not demand, because It does not seek control. It does not overcome, because It does not attack. It merely reminds. It is compelling only because of what It reminds you of. It brings to your mind the other way, remaining quiet even in the midst of the turmoil you may make. The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace.” (ACIM, T-5.II.7:1-7)
“The Holy Spirit is in you in a very literal sense.” (ACIM, T-5.II.3:7)
There are 895 instances of “Holy Spirit“ in ACIM.
Here are more details about the new glossary, its inspiration, collaborative orientation, and dynamic intent.
Here is a pertinent sample image from the glossary – a portion of the entry for “Holy Spirit”:
(This video was recorded on June 8, 2025.)
If you have questions or comments about this video, previous videos in this ACIM-related video series, or other Course-related topics, please email them to us via the ACIMblog.com contact form. Susan and Bruce will review and try to respond to questions and suggestions for future conversations. We look forward to extending the conversation with you!
If you are interested in Susan’s excellent weekly Tuesday evening classes based on Kenneth Wapnick’s teachings, you can contact her here.
Here are some prior ACIM-related conversations with Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles.
If you have enjoyed these conversations, check out the latest releases from FACIM and support the work of Susan (ForaysInForgiveness.com) and Bruce (via donation links at the bottom of the sidebars on their respective websites) if you feel so inspired. THANKS!
