Chapter 1 IV. The Escape from Darkness
In this section of A Course in Miracles, we learn that escaping from darkness involves two key steps: first, recognising that darkness cannot hide, and second, understanding that there is nothing we want to hide. This process brings us freedom from fear and leads us into peace and joy. Let’s explore how this escape from darkness unfolds.
The Two Stages of Escaping Darkness
The first step in escaping darkness is realising that darkness cannot actually hide. This can be unsettling, as we often convince ourselves that our fears, guilt, and hidden thoughts are safe in the shadows. But the truth is, these shadows don’t protect us—they only keep us trapped in fear, likely building anxiety.
The second step is the recognition that there’s nothing we need or want to hide. Once we understand this, we experience true freedom. As the lesson states, "When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy." In other words, when we stop trying to conceal our darkness, we open ourselves up to a much deeper sense of peace.
Bringing Darkness to the Light
In my own thoughts, darkness can sometimes be the things I think but don’t say, the thoughts I’m embarrassed to admit. For example, I might say out loud, "I did terribly at a job interview," but deep down, I’m still hopeful that they’ll give me the job. It’s all the fearful and guilty thoughts that run through my head.
I’ve also written in a previous blog about the feeling that we need to scrape away the personality we’ve built up through all our past experiences to reveal who we truly are. For me, I often visualise this as pink clouds that represent everything. When I’m the pink clouds that are everything, I’ve released all the fears and am just love. I think about this whenever I’m feeling fear or anxiety—it reminds me that these fears aren’t real, and the truth is that I am love.
When I reflect on these thoughts, I try to give them over to the light, which, in my case, means offering them to Jesus. I let Him handle it, and it relieves me of the burden. It’s exhausting to carry these hidden fears, and by letting them go, I feel a sense of release. I think that’s my way of bringing all my darkness to the light—acknowledging the fear, and then handing it over so I don’t have to carry it alone.
The Role of Holiness and the Miracle
The next part of the lesson reminds us that holiness can never really be hidden by darkness, though we often deceive ourselves into believing it can. This deception leads to fear because, deep down, we know we’re hiding from the truth. We might go to great lengths to maintain this false reality, but it only reinforces our fear.
The miracle, as described in A Course in Miracles, is a tool for restoring reality to its proper place. Miracles acknowledge only the truth of spirit, dispelling illusions and false beliefs about ourselves. The miracle brings us back into communion with ourselves and with God, reminding us that truth belongs only to the spirit, not to the fearful thoughts we try to hide.
Darkness, Sin, and the Scarcity Belief
In this lesson, we also learn that darkness is simply the absence of light, just as sin is the absence of love. Neither darkness nor sin has any real substance—they exist only because of our belief in lack. This belief in scarcity leads to fear, while truth is always abundant.
The Atonement helps us realise that we have always had everything we need. When we accept this, we no longer feel the emptiness that fear creates. Instead, we understand that we are whole and complete, lacking nothing, because we were given everything when we were created.
Forgiveness Replaces Fear
Fear creates emptiness, and forgiveness is the only way to fill that void. This is what the Bible means when it says, "There is no death." Just like darkness or sin, the idea of death is an illusion based on fear. Jesus came to reinterpret the law, showing that it offers protection, not punishment.
Those who believe in ideas like “hell-fire” have misunderstood the law, using it to justify fear and guilt. However, Jesus assures us that He will support anyone who is willing to change their mind and accept the Atonement. When we witness to this truth by practicing forgiveness, we express that we have let go of the belief in lack and embraced the abundance that has always been ours.
The Path to Freedom
The Escape from Darkness teaches us that darkness cannot hide the truth of who we are. By bringing our hidden fears and thoughts into the light, we free ourselves from fear. The miracle restores our mind to its proper place, serving the spirit rather than illusions. Through forgiveness, we fill the emptiness created by fear and step into the abundance that has always been ours.
What hidden thoughts or fears have you tried to keep in the dark? How does it feel to bring them into the light and let them go?
Bibliography
A Course in Miracles.
Foundation for Inner Peace.
A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume, 3rd Edition. Foundation for Inner Peace, 2007.
URL: https://acim.org.
