Perth, Washington: The Record –Feb. 2, 1989
By Colleen McGiness-Howard
In brief, it’s a set of three books in hardback or one in paperback.
It represents inspired text given (she believes) by Jesus, to a Jewish atheist Professor, Helen Schucman, in 1965.
She and her colleague, Professor Bill Thetford, were experiencing frustrating difficulties with their work and colleagues. They were convinced there had to be a better way of dealing with their problems.
From that time on, Dr. Schucman had a series of strange psychic experiences, a voice in her head stating: “This is a Course in Miracles. Please take notes.”
In concert with Bill Thetford, who became her co-scribe, she took down shorthand notes from inspired words given her, and he typed them out.
For two atheists they had come a long way and this discovery changed their life direction.
Helen Schucman died several years ago and Bill Thetford died last year having finally gone to live with Jack and Eulalia Luckett of California
Now there’s an interesting couple! In fact, meeting them is quite some experience.
And I guess they, and other Course of Miracles (CM) people they’ve closely associated with over here, are in themselves somewhat set apart from general folk.
Eulalia Luckett is a college professor MBA and one of the first group of females to graduate from the previously all-male Harvard University in America. She, along with husband Jack, are students and teachers of the Course.
Jack is a former Marine Colonel, a trial lawyer, member of the bar in the State of California, a teacher, and a former director of the Centre of Attitudinal Healing in Tiburon.
This Centre set up by Dr. Jerry Jampolsky was the forerunner of many others now in various parts of the world, and the Australian Attitudinal Healing Centre, based at the Catherine McAuley Centre in Station Street, Wembley, was opened in March last year under the co-directorship of Don and Patricia Michalka and Dr. Margaret Smith.
Now getting back to the Lucketts, the CM, and people involved with CM. It’s an interesting trio.
Eulalia and Jack were running intensive two-week courses in Hawaii when they felt drawn to Australia to run intensives over here.
This they did in Toowoomba, Nambour, and ran a two-week course in Kings Park 5:30 to 7:30 each weekday morning. A huge success, it was attended by up to 130 people daily.
In two circles, with a background of green grass, tall gum trees, and blue skies, side by side with one of the most beautiful cities in the world, these people ranged from grandparents right through to littlies and even a couple of kittens and the cutest puppy.
This adorable canine with his innocent loveliness rather typified the guileless people who were there.
They came to soak in more lessons from the CM readings, to articulate them, to feel the love and peace which emanated from the verses and the companionship of others with like minds.
They were circles of love, with Jack and Eulalia guiding them through.
Included among the gathered were lay people from Catholic and other denominations, sisters, and priests.
Something powerful must have drawn them there because some traveled from Mandurah daily.
But experiencing the Lucketts, the delightful hosting couple Iris and Ed Rodoreda, the Michalkas from the Attitudinal Healing Centre and many other good people who facilitated arrangements, plus the large and warm assembly, it was a reminder that the world’s resources of good people haven’t dried up as much as one can tend to think in daily living.
While some people spend their time plotting assassinations of character or otherwise or “how they can get at the other fellow,” these people plot love courses and how they can create peace zones instead of war zones.
And how does it work? I saw it in action.
Planning to have an interview at the Rodoreda home after the assembly, my car broke down.
So while waiting for the RAC we opted for having it right there.
We sat on a pathway (and not the grass because the gardener was running a mowing machine right next to us), which seemed to stretch for kilometers. Perfect peace and nary a soul (we thought) apart from the gardener.
Next thing, still very early in the morning, the ranger drives up. I couldn’t believe it. A solitary cyclist had apparently ridden past and told the ranger we were blocking his path!
My first reaction registered was that Australia must have changed a great deal for someone to have complained about such a ridiculous thing, and I immediately had a mental image (a bad one!) of the petty-minded cyclist.
But Iris, Eulalia, and Jack’s reactions were entirely different… they blessed the cyclist for bringing the ranger to them!
The lucky man received a love heart stuck on his shirt, hugs, affirmations, and without a doubt, they made his day.
Guess it’s how you look at things…
We moved on with a battery start to a service station. With the car still running, I ran into the proprietor, quickly registering a sign which said “No cheques.” (I only had cheques!)
He looked surly and miserable as though the previous customer had just pistol-whipped him and grabbed his cash.
Not a good one to work on I thought but nevertheless proceeded to promptly talk him into accepting my cheque for a new battery.
Suspicion all over his face, he semi-reluctantly agreed to make the switch, for the cheque.
But having completely disabled the car, he then announced he had to do a little business at the local bank – nothing to do with me.
Would we mind? What can one say with a disabled car?
(ran off bottom of scanned page)…but I really think it was Eulalia’s charm.
She was wearing a purple singlet, short purple pants, purple sox in sneakers and purple glitter on her cheekbones.
In case he thought we were a little weird (or at least Eulalia), I explained she was a professor from the USA.
“That doesn’t make me any different,” she said. But it quieted the proprietor’s suspect feelings I believe.
With that dramatic change, he even volunteered to drive the car onto the Rodoreda’s home when Ed came to rescue us.
He accordingly turned up and then shyly mentioned it was his birthday… Yes. He too was given hugs, love, and affirmation and went off a completely different person.
It works, I tell you. Because I saw it in the space of one action-packed morning.
Students of CM have said it brings tears to their eyes and intensity of feeling when reading the beautiful prose which is in iambic pentameter.
AIDS sufferers using the CM have in some instances gone into remission, and undoubtedly many more miracles have been achieved in (ran off the bottom of scanned page) …their families; during his Australian tour last year he was instrumental in getting the books into some Australian prisons with whom CM students had already been associated.
No one makes a profit out of CM or the Healing Centres.
The books of which half a million have already been sold and translated into 14 languages are produced as cheaply as possible and no charge is made for meetings or any aspect of the CM except book purchase.
Jack and Eulalia pay for all their own fares and expenses, with the exception of being hosted by local families during their stay, and they accept no fees or donations.
The Healing Centres operate, too, without charge and the Australian Attitudinal Healing Centre in Wembley is partially funded by earnings from the private practices of the Michalkas and Dr. Margaret Smith.
For six years, the Lucketts kept their home and garden in La Jolla, California open and available to anyone who wanted to attend their daily (365 days of the year) lunchtime meetings, or came merely to meditate, counsel or whatever.
They decided upon (ran off the bottom of scanned page) …saying: “The CM is a Christian psychology that provides healing through peace of mind and leads to non-judgment, acceptance, and forgiveness of ourselves and others.”
Their discovery of the CM came through searching when Jack was given six months to live, several years ago.
He and Eulalia then strived to find a deeper meaning in life and changed from being traditional professionals (and very successful) to spiritually motivated students and teachers of the CM.
Their discovery and commitment is so profound, they want to share it with others – to catalyze other groups and individual students so that they too can find that pathway back to God and inner peace.
Jenny Flatow, who is overjoyed at her discovery of the CM a few years ago, said she also uses it in her husband’s business.
“It’s a mind training course which deals with forgiveness. Trust is the linchpin of the book; it’s about the development of trust and establishing our relationships with each other and our Creator.
“People have often kept their spirituality and business separate, but the CM is a means whereby you can integrate the two.”
It works! she says, “and there’s nowhere you can’t use it.”
