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FAQ

1) How does this book relate to Tom Whitmore’s “Original Edition?”

2) What IS the “Original Dictation?”

1. How does this book relate to Tom Whitmore’s “Original Edition?”

The single most frequently asked question I’m asked is why this document is so different from Tom Whitmore’s “Original Edition” which many misconstrue to be the “original version” and the “original Course.” Given that Tom claims it is, this misunderstanding is quite inevitable.

From the point of view of clarity of communication, honesty, and avoiding the propagation of confusion, Tom’s choice of the name “Original Edition” for his original eclectic version is most regrettable since of course many simply assume it is what it claims to be. Unfortunately, it most certainly is not.

Tom’s “Original Edition” is his own very original redaction of a later scribal manuscript, most commonly known as the Hugh Lynn Cayce Version (or HLC for short). The HLC is some forty thousand words shorter than the Urtext and is heavily edited. Tom’s “Original” edition of the HLC introduces some seven thousand variations on the HLC, draws also from the Urtext and FIP versions somewhat randomly, making it a truly “original” eclectic version, but in no way shape or form does it bear any significant relationship to the “original dictation” or the “original Course,” most notably in the early chapters.

For more information on the various versions along with on-line copies of most see Versions And Editions and the ACIM Family Tree.

2. What IS the “Original Dictation?”

The dictation of ACIM was originally taken down by Helen in two ways. She wrote most of it in her Shorthand Notebooks but sometimes took dictation straight to the typewriter with no intervening handwritten copy. In the Urtext Manuscripts we find most of the Shorthand Notes copied plus additional “dictated without notes” segments. In this version what I’ve done is add to the Urtext those portions of the Notes which were not included in it plus, where the Notes rendition of a passage is significantly different from the Urtext, that difference is noted and the Notes reading is either used in preference to the Urtext reading, with the Urtext reading being footnoted or the Notes reading is footnoted where the Urtext reading is deemed preferable.

As of this moment (Feb 8 2010) only the first 8 chapters of the Text volume have been completed. You probably got to this page from that page but if not click here: Original Dictation.