Why I teach from both the Bible and A Course in Miracles (ACIM) — and why that’s not double-minded.
The Bible (Scripture) vs ACIM (A Conversation): Here is the short answer as to why the Bible is foundational and remains the highest authority. Scripture is used in prayer to fight back against principalities, plus demons, witchcraft and other elements of darkness.
Fact: No one ever used a passage from ACIM to scare off a demon.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
Principalities: high-ranking demonic entities in Satan’s hierarchy that influence governments, cultures, and regions.
Common Ground: People have, however, used both books to practice forgiveness, and to express the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience (forbearance), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Demon Spotting vs ACIM
What Google Chrome says about Demon Spotting vs ACIM
- In essence, Demonspotting is a practical, tailored application of ACIM principles used as a tool to navigate and dismantle the ego’s distractions (demons) in real-time situations.
- Direct Application: Demonspotting brings the sometimes abstract principles of ACIM down to earth by putting them into a practical,“fist-fight” format for navigating everyday life.
Seriously, Google Chrome! How about instead of fist-fight, we say “stare-down”? There will be no fist-fighting outside of the octagon.
ACIM Bottom Line: Dr. Helen graciously wrote down her conversation with Jesus and shared it with the world.
I get lost when ACIM talks about non-duality, etc. which sounds airy-fairy to me. I looked it up twice and I still don’t get it.
Often, I respectfully agree to disagree, and continue on with the next lesson.
Actually, that’s a match for Dr. Helen who wrote down every word and famously said she didn’t believe a single line of it.
And that’s okay. This is, after all, Dr. Helen Schucman’s recorded conversation with Jesus, not mine.
Origin of ACIM: The primary scribe of “A Course in Miracles (ACIM)” was Dr. Helen Schucman, a clinical and research psychologist at Columbia University. She recorded the material between 1965 and 1972 through a process of “inner dictation”, which she described as a voice identifying itself as Jesus. Her colleague, Dr. William Thetford, assisted her.
On my journey of exploration, I run into Christians who are fearful of engaging with anything related to ACIM. Listening to them explain why they don’t want to hear about anything other than the Bible, makes me think that they are afraid they’ll get pulled into New Age thinking.
Permission to be scared, granted.
Keep being compassionate to those who still have doubts, and snatch others out of the fire to save them. Be merciful over and over to them, but always couple your mercy with the fear of God. Be extremely careful to keep yourselves free from the pollutions of the flesh [false teaching].
Jude 1:22-23
As a result, the conversation expands from the Christian thinking that ACIM is competing with scripture to the Christian worrying that they might get tainted by engaging in the conversation. That sounds like the difference between a newbie and a Warrior in the Spirit.
Having said that, it is vitally important that you know where you are on the continuum. Still early in your walk with Jesus? Then, keep your nose pointed in his direction.
But what if Jesus uses this ACIM conversation to approach people who will never read the bible or attend a church or listen to anything that sounds like spiritual food?
Something needs to happen to break up the hard ground and allow Holy Spirit to enter.
And how will you snatch them from the fire (away from demons) if you don’t speak their language?
The fear isn’t really about ACIM being a threat to Scripture. The fear is that the Christians themselves might get pulled back into the fire.
Some of them project that same fear onto Demon Spotting.
When he talks to me, Jesus uses the language of combat sports.
Jesus spoke to Helen where she was. On the other hand, Jesus speaks to me about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
So now, when I make this next bible reference, Google Chrome (as mentioned above) will confirm the “fist-fighting” reference. Ah well, c’est la guerre (that’s war.)
So, there ‘s the story of Jesus converting a very powerful person with a terrible reputation for killing Christians. As Saul walked along on the road to Damascus with intentions of doing further damage to Christians, he got knocked out by a punch he didn’t see coming delivered by Jesus Christ himself.
Satan influenced Saul to passionately despise Christians. When Jesus was ready, he flipped the script, changed Saul’s name to Paul, and made him use that same zeal to fight FOR Christians instead of against them. That’s good jiu-jitsu.
Saul got swept, flipped and submitted by Jesus. He was blinded, and spent three days without food, until Ananias reluctantly came to deliver Paul from his plight by order of the Lord.
And yes, I agree that Saul looks like a bad choice since he killed lots of Christians before he received his assignment from the Lord to write half of the New Testament.
But look what happened as far as fight strategy goes.
The Lord controls the timeline. Whenever he feels like it, he steps in and removes Satan’s key human-players at will. Then, he gives Paul an assignment he can’t refuse. And to make sure Paul remembers who’s in charge, he gives him a “thorn in his side” that won’t ever be removed.
Paul remains obedient and humble to the end of his days.
In the same vein, Demon Spotting is my recorded conversation with Jesus.
Helen Schucman was a skeptical psychologist at Columbia who didn’t want to write down any of her conversations. She had a career, colleagues, a reputation to protect. And remember at that time, men disrespected women who worked.
But she just couldn’t stop hearing that voice. The conversations were so compelling she had to write them down.
So as far as Helen’s conversation with Jesus in “A Course in Miracles” goes, if you think that’s odd, here’s a question for you.
What if Demon Spotting came to life in a series of conversations with Jesus?
Because that’s how it happened.
Helen didn’t want to write anything down. Saul was a mess. And then there’s me.
Demon Spotting is a diary of my conversations with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
You don’t have to agree with me.
But don’t let your certainty, based on traditional thinking, become a ceiling on your own curiosity.
Hey! The only reason you don’t hear from Jesus is because your mind is filled with distractions and conversations with demons about the things that are going sideways.
Holy Spirit stands by, waiting for your invitation to start a conversation with him.
Permission granted to be uncertain and still show up.
Basically, Demon Spotting uses scripture (The Bible) to guide behavior towards self-discovery and self-control.
More often than not, when I read the Bible, the scripture needs clarification because I really don’t understand it. Luckily for me, my game encourages me to seek understanding by googling what isn’t automatically apparent.
A key difference between my game and ACIM is that emotions are stripped from the situation.
The Demon Spotting code words serve to put distance between the situation and your reaction. That’s the job of a good cornerman between rounds.
From my point of view, ACIM teaches students to side-step the situation by jumping to love and forgiveness.
To be honest, I need help processing that gap in the middle. So, I designed Demon Spotting to bridge the gap. You don’t have to follow my design. Do what works for you.
I’m doing what is working for me which is:
- Focusing on managing myself to avoid stepping into emotional traps.
- Managing my emotions once I realize I’m trapped.
- Asking Holy Spirit to help me get out of the mess I created.
And speaking of tangled messes, as I was turning 50, I quit yoga after one year, and started doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) instead.
My journey from yoga to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
My yoga teacher — a man I considered a friend, someone I’d met through leadership courses we both attended — was appalled. He told me point blank that I was too old.
Then he told me he’d consulted a group of 50 yoga teachers (on a conference call), and they all agreed that I would end up damaged if I continued. Hmmph!
I recognized that knock-out move a few years later once I formulated the code words for a series of stories I called DramaGuru Revelation.
In Demon Spotting, it’s called the Grandiose Attack — I know better than you, and so does everyone I consulted.
He appointed himself the authority on my body, my limits, and my future.
He took Peacock position parading around as the expert spouting words to keep me small. Letting me know that everyone looked to him for authority and permission.
And the 50 teachers who weighed in without ever meeting me?
That’s Ostrich energy — a group consensus that refused to look at the actual evidence. Their casual agreement interfered with a friendship.
Not once did I ask him for his opinion.
I left yoga and never looked back.
I suffered through those yoga classes. I’m not bendy! And am I the only one who thinks that yoga people are competitive with their serene stretching?
Then, I spent the next four years studying jiu-jitsu, kick-boxing, boxing and wrestling. When you combine all of those disciplines, it’s called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Consequently, I didn’t end up damaged. I got stronger. More flexible. I earned my blue belt with three stripes.
The thing they said would break me turned out to develop me. Those combat skills and the development of my fight IQ led to the creation of my Demon Spotting game.
Not double-minded. Not looking back with regret over what turned out to be the wrong direction. Instead, I was absolutely certain! So glad I didn’t listen to my well-meaning friend.
Doubt: Here we go again.
I’m telling you this story because I’m in a similar moment now. Who knows? Maybe you’re facing something similar.
Holy Spirit gave me an assignment to write a reflection on each of the 365 ACIM lessons and publish them on this blog. Like Helen, I did not want to do that. Unlike Saul, I did not have to be knocked down and blinded to comply.
So, I agreed and I am plowing my way through the lessons. Starting from January 1st, I’m current with reading the lessons. My ACIM reflections are added at the rate of two or three a week.
In addition, I’m also teaching Demon Spotting, a framework rooted firmly in the Bible, and in the reality of spiritual warfare.
With scripture, you receive protection from the Holy Trinity: Jesus, Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit. It’s unwise to stare down demons without back-up.
But some people — good people, friends even — go quiet when they hear this. They don’t argue. They just… look away.
I know what they’re thinking.
She’s wandered off. Lost the plot. Mixing things that shouldn’t be mixed. She always was a bit strange.
I understand the concern. I want to answer it directly.
ACIM is a conversation Jesus had with Dr. Helen. Why did he choose her? Because she agreed to listen and write it down.
If you’re still wondering about where I stand, let me speak plainly. The Bible is my home base, the authority, my anchor. A foundational history and a guide to life.
Did you know that the Bible was written by the Holy Spirit through men?
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21
A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a language I learned in a conversation spanning 365 days.
Because I had class with other students and a teacher, I can help reach people who are still inside that world. The ones asking the same questions I once asked.
I spent a year studying the course in 2009. I came back to it in 2026 because Holy Spirit asked me to. Not to replace Scripture, but to understand the lessons he wants me to teach.
That’s not double-mindedness, meaning having one foot in each camp.
That’s bridge building.
When Paul stood in Athens (Acts 17), he didn’t open with a sermon. He walked their streets, studied their altars and quoted their own poets back to them saying, “In him we live and move and have our being.”
Paul found a way to relate to the Greeks before he targeted the gap in their framework (the hole in their game). The altar to the Unknown God gave him the opening he needed. Seizing the opportunity he said, “Let me tell you who that is.”
Paul didn’t endorse their worldview. Instead, he used their language to point them towards a truth they sensed but couldn’t name.
I’m not sure there’s a perfect word for what I’m doing. I just know I’m guided by Holy Spirit. And bridge builder is close enough for now.
Again, not double-minded. Absolutely certain.
Are you happily walking down the New Age garden path?
I want to tell you something about the New Age world, because it matters to this conversation.
What I loved about New Age books and bookstores was the gentleness of it all.
The sweet smell of the store. The quiet understanding and acceptance. Imagining peaceful, serene encounters with angels. The opportunity to escape the turmoil of my personal life. The soft promise that everything was connected and everything was going to be fine. Everyone was welcome.
And then there were the practices themselves. Astral projection. Astrology. Channeling spirits. Tarot readings. Psychic readings…
Wait — what?
The garden path looks like peace and acceptance and light. But those practices led me straight into contact with something dark and sinister — the exact opposite of what I thought I was walking towards.
The sweetness was real. Demons use it to lure unsuspecting humans into making agreements — especially when we’re at our weakest point emotionally.
Oh, you don’t believe me? Who do you think provides access to witchcraft?
But woe is me when the demons I innocently made deals with, returned to collect what I didn’t realize I promised them.
The dark world has a smell that puts me on full alert. I recognize the hunger, the emptiness that drives people towards it. I’ve felt that specific loneliness that makes gentle acceptance feel like coming home.
That’s not something I read about. That’s testimony. And it’s exactly why I can speak that language without getting lost in it.
The people I’m asked to teach need forgiveness, for themselves and for others.
So, I don’t have the full picture of where this is all going. All I know is the next step. And that looks like continuing to write every day.
I write for people standing at a crossroads — curious about spiritual things, maybe coming out of practices that didn’t lead where they hoped, asking questions their current community can’t quite answer.
Questions like, “What does it mean to be spiritual but not religious? Is it okay to study ACIM and the Bible?”
My game is for people who are like me. Former tarot readers who left New Age for Christianity. Or the ones who left New Age but haven’t found a safe place to land yet.
When I think about who might read my work, I consider people who’ve done inner work but still feel like something is missing. And especially the ones who were hurt by someone in their church. If you feel hesitant about ever walking back through a church door, then I analyze code words for you.
ACIM students who, like me the first time around, kept wanting something more concrete — the lessons felt ethereal, beautiful in places, but hard to hold onto in real life.
Demon Spotting is my answer to that. It’s concrete and specific.
Naming the patterns gives you something to work with on a Tuesday afternoon when someone is coming at you sideways, and you don’t know why you feel so unsettled.
To be honest, I don’t know exactly who I’m looking for as Demon Spotting students. The audience is still forming.
But 365 posts about ACIM on this blog suggests that Holy Spirit has a plan in that direction — and his project management hasn’t let me down yet.
Because, of course, there’s always a plot twist.
What the code words actually do…
Here’s what I want you to understand about the Demon Spotting framework — especially if you’re new to the game: The code words aren’t a theology lesson. They’re a tool.
When my yoga teacher told me I was too old and that 50 experts agreed with him, I had two options: get angry, or go quiet. I probably did some of both. What I didn’t have was a way to name what was happening — to step out of the emotion long enough to see the pattern clearly.
That’s exactly what the code words do.
Grandiose. Peacock. Ostrich. Three words, and suddenly the fog lifts. You’re not confused anymore. You’re not second-guessing yourself. You can see the move for what it is — and you can choose your response instead of just reacting.
You move to neutral space. And in that neutral space, Holy Spirit only needs a small crack — and your permission — to get in and do the work.
Here’s the quiet truth about learning the code words.
You’re not primarily learning them to reach other people. You’re learning them to manage your own emotions, to identify your own patterns, to get free from your own traps.
It doesn’t require a pulpit or a platform. It works in a kitchen conversation. In a text message. In the way you respond when someone comes at you sideways and you don’t react the way you used to.
And a person who escapes their own trap, stops pulling others into it. That’s the reach. It’s indirect, but it’s real — and it changes everyone around you. The healed person in the room changes the atmosphere without saying a word. This is how Christianity is supposed to work — you change first, and that change becomes the witness.
A word for the quietly skeptical
If you’re someone who cares about me, and you’re reading this with concern (like my yoga-teacher friend) — I see you. I appreciate that you’re paying attention.
I’m not lost. I know exactly where I stand and why.
I stand on the Bible. And I speak the languages needed to reach people where they are. ACIM. New Age. Martial Arts. Forgiveness. Healing. Progressing. Transforming.
I watch the process of healing happen in real time — the questions people ask, the traps they step into, the moment something finally clicks. It’s not abstract. It’s the most concrete work I’ve ever done.
The yoga teachers were wrong about jiu-jitsu. I’m asking you to consider the possibility that the same pattern might be showing up here.
The short answer (in case you need It)
If someone asks you why you’re exploring Demon Spotting — or questions whether you’re mixing things that shouldn’t be mixed — here’s what you can say: “I’m learning to see patterns clearly so I can forgive and move forward. The Bible is the foundation. The code words are the tool. The goal is always the same. I ask Holy Spirit for help to escape the trap. And winning looks like forgiveness.”
That’s it. You don’t owe anyone a longer explanation than that. And neither do I.
Although this blog post answer is quite long.
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Recently, I created an app to support the Demon Spotting conversation. It encourages you to solve the puzzles in your relationships, like your own personal mystery to solve. Spin the Randomizer to find your 3 code words!
Demon Spotting is an emotional healing game. Winning looks like forgiveness.
Ready to learn the code words? [Start here.]
“The code words are waiting. Are you ready to learn something new?”
By the way, I’ve chosen substack as the place to gather and chat. Instead of striving alone, come and join my community! Especially if you’re wrestling with questions or searching for clarity. Together, we can discover, uncover, and reclaim lost emotional territory.
Please subscribe (free or paid) to get full access to chat with me and ask questions about living life from the River of Grace. Learn how to connect directly with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Gwyneth Ragsdale is the creator of Demon Spotting™ and founder of DramaGuru Academy. She is a former tarot card reader. She is also a Blue Belt 3-stripes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu plus a student of MMA, self-awareness training and theology. Demon Spotting is designed to help people discern whose voice they are following. When you follow God’s voice, you can forgive and be forgiven.
Tweet me! @thatgirlisfunny or @DemonSpotting
