Unpacking the Introduction to A Course in Miracles: The Foundation of Love and Fear

What if you were told that only one thing in this world is real—and it’s love?

The introduction to A Course in Miracles lays the foundation for a radical shift in perception. It teaches that while fear and other illusions may seem powerful, they are not real. The only truth is love, and our journey is about uncovering it by removing the blocks we’ve placed in its way. I want to explore this concept and how it can transform the way we see the world.

The Essence of ACIM: A Required Course

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course.

The Course opens with this bold statement, and it’s easy to wonder—why is it "required"? ACIM clarifies that while we all have free will, we are all on the same path back to the only truth: love. Our timing might differ, but eventually, we all come to realise that love is the only reality. Everything else—fear, doubt, suffering—is temporary, fleeting, and ultimately unreal.

What’s beautiful about this is that the Course doesn’t force us to see love immediately. It gently guides us toward recognising that love has always been there. It’s a shift in perception that happens over time, allowing us to slowly awaken to what is already real.

The path ACIM offers isn’t about fixing anything outside of us—it’s about waking up to the reality that love is the only truth, and everything else is an illusion.

Free Will and the Curriculum of Life: Choosing Love

Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time.

The core message here is that while we can’t change the fact that love is the only truth, we can choose how long we take to realise it. This is where free will comes into play. We have the freedom to resist or delay this realisation, but love—being the only reality—remains unchanged and patiently waits for us.

This is not about defining love or intellectualising it. Love, as ACIM teaches, cannot be taught because it is beyond words and definitions. What we can do, however, is remove the blocks we’ve built against it—fear, guilt, anger—so that we can experience love.

Shifting My Perception Toward Love

A while ago, I found myself caught in a familiar loop of overthinking and fear. I was afraid of making the wrong decision, and my mind spiraled into all the possible outcomes that could go wrong. It felt real—fear always does in the moment.

But as I turned to A Course in Miracles, I read the line: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists." That’s when it clicked. I began to see that the fear I was experiencing wasn’t real at all. It was just a story my mind was telling me—a block preventing me from seeing the truth. And what is the truth? Only love is real. Everything else—fear, doubt, uncertainty—doesn’t actually exist.

This realisation didn’t immediately erase the fear, but it started to shift how I saw it. The fear was just a temporary illusion, and love was the constant underneath it. The more I came back to this understanding, the lighter I felt. I’m still learning to live with this shift in perception, but ACIM has helped me see that the fear I feel is simply not real—only love is.

The journey isn’t about eliminating fear overnight, but slowly shifting your perception to recognise that love is the only reality. The more we return to this truth, the more peace we experience.

Love vs. Fear: The Only Two Emotions

The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.

This line from ACIM is pivotal in understanding the course’s core teaching. While fear might feel real, it is ultimately an illusion. Love, being all-encompassing, cannot truly have an opposite. Fear only exists when we block ourselves from the awareness of love.

This concept can be a bit challenging at first. How can something like fear, which feels so strong, not be real? ACIM teaches that fear is a product of the mind’s misperception—it’s what happens when we forget that love is the only truth. By shifting our perception back toward love, fear begins to lose its grip.

Every time fear shows up, it’s an invitation to remember that love is the only thing that truly exists. Fear is simply a block we’ve created, and it can dissolve when we remember the reality of love.

The Simple Truth: "Nothing Real Can Be Threatened"

Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.

These lines summarise the entire course in just a few words. The peace of God lies in the simple truth that love is the only thing that is real, and everything else—fear, doubt, suffering—is unreal. What ACIM is asking us to do is trust in this reality, even when the world seems to suggest otherwise.

When we grasp this truth, we begin to understand that nothing real—nothing based in love—can ever be threatened. Our fears and worries, on the other hand, are not real. They exist only as illusions, and when we recognise that, they lose their power over us.

The next time you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself: Is this fear based in reality, or is it just a block? If it’s not based in love, then it’s not real. By remembering this truth, we open ourselves up to peace.

Embracing the Reality of Love

The introduction to A Course in Miracles teaches us one simple but profound lesson: only love is real. Fear and all other negative emotions are merely blocks we create that prevent us from experiencing this truth. Our journey isn’t about finding love—it’s about remembering that it has always been there, and allowing our perception to shift so that we can see it.

When fear arises, gently remind yourself of ACIM’s introduction: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists." In that reminder, you can find peace by returning to the truth that only love is real.