Mighty Companions

A Course in Miracles is highly metaphoric. Our self-identity, and therefore, thinking, is highly specific, so we often mistakenly read the Course that way.

One well-known phrase that is often misinterpreted is the term 'mighty companions', found in the fourth stage of 'The Development of Trust' in the Manual for Teachers:

"The teacher of God needs this period of respite. He has not yet come as far as he thinks. Yet when he is ready to go on, he goes with mighty companions beside him. Now he rests a while, and gathers them before going on. He will not go on from here alone." (M-4.I.A6:9-13, italics mine)

Jesus is not talking about specific people here in the world, nor is he talking about specific unseen entities such as angels. As a decision making mind, we have one mighty companion and that is the Holy Spirit. The memory of God's love.

To make an even clearer distinction, our mighty companions are our accumulated experiences of peace and happiness through having chosen the Holy Spirit and forgiveness. We have reached the point in our progress where we have learned that holding grievances and attack thoughts brings pain, and forgiving them brings a quiet mind. We know from these experiences of working with the Course that its principles work. We gather and take these memories of achievement with us as we continue forward on our path.

In stark contrast to our mighty companions, are the "friends of the ego", namely, sin, guilt, and fear. When we choose these "friends", and retreat into despair and seeming hopelessness, we will now have our mighty companions to call upon. These memories of love's presence provide a beacon of light in the darkness to remind us that we always have a loving helper beside us... to remind us that we have a right mind, and the power to choose it, and that this choice brings a relief, hope, comfort, and peace that is available in every moment.