Listening to the Holy Spirit: Q&A With Karen Casey

Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club
52 Ways to Live the Course in Miracles: Cultivate a Simpler, Slower, More Love-Filled Life
by Karen Casey 

Why did you decide to write this book, at this time?

I have been a long time student of the course and find I “talk the course” in nearly all of the writing I do these days. My first book that dealt directly with the course was published in 1995. It was Daily Meditations for Practicing the Course. Nearly every book I have written since then has “a touch” of the course wisdom in them because that wisdom has been infused in my life. Writing a book of practical course essays is one way of making the course accessible to others, and that is near and dear to my heart.

What is it about the course that has captured your attention?

Immediately upon reading the first few pages of A Course in Miracles. More than thirty years ago, I knew my life was going to change. Even though I didn’t fully grasp all that I was reading at that time, I knew the time would come. I firmly believe that what we have been readied for calls to us. That’s how I felt about the course. I simply knew I was ready for a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit.

Why do you want to introduce others to the spiritual pathway?

I have never experienced so many moments of true peace and joy before I became a devoted student of the course. I simply want others to know peace too. There are far too many distractions in this chaotic world and I want to help others be able to see past the distractions and see the peace that I have discovered.

What areas of your life have been most affected by becoming a student of A Course in Miracles?

My relationships have improved significantly, and my recovery in the Twelve Step fellowship has been positively affected too. Each and every day feels more joyful and hopeful because I know I have a choice regarding which “voice” I will listen to. That choice has changed everything.

Can you give the newcomer to the course a short overview of what he or she is about to experience? 

One of the first tenets of the course is that every expression voiced or action taken in any encounter is coming from a place of love or a place of fear. That bit of short hand helps me to meet whatever I experience with a willingness to accept and be loving. Another beautifully simple tenet is this: every loving thought is true, everything else is an appeal for healing and help, regardless of the form it takes. And finally, a miracle, according to the course, is simply a shift in perception. All three of these ideas, when embraced, can change the trajectory of one’s life.

How will your book positively change the lives of readers?

I honestly believe that living less chaotic lives is possible and that making the choice to see our experiences differently is possible. Choosing to listen to the quieter voice of the Holy Spirit in our minds will become habit with practice, and when that has happened, nothing about our lives will be the same, ever again. 52 Way to Live the Course in Miracles can ensure all of this is possible.