Jampolsky - Love Is Letting Go of Fear, Third Edition

To the children of the universe
Who by the essence
of their being, Love,
Bring light into a darkened world.

This book is dedicated to Helen and Bill, who have been both teachers and friends. It was because of their joint willingness that A Course in Miracles came into being, a work that provides the foundation for this book.
G.G.J.

I would like to express my deep and loving gratitude to Dr. William Thetford for his continued support and encouragement, and the many hours he contributed to modifying and adding content to this book.

In addition, I wish to give my warm, heartfelt thanks to Jules Finegold, Hugh Prather, Mary Abney, and Diane Cirincione, PhD.

The twelve lesson titles in this book are quotations from A Course in Miracles.

A Course in Miracles, published by the Foundation for Inner Peace, P.O. Box 598, Mill Valley, CA 94942-0598.

When I was fifty-four years old, I embarked on a miraculous journey that began with the publication of my first book, Love Is Letting Go of Fear. In fact, in many respects, it was a miracle the book was ever written at all. Dyslexic since childhood, I entered the University of California at Berkeley in 1943 knowing that a dumbbell English course was in my future. I struggled through it and received a D, and on the final day of class my professor said to me, Jampolsky, I dont know what youre going to do in life, but for Gods sake, dont ever try to write a book.

I was fifty years old before I decided to no longer give my power away to other peoples judgments about my limitations and do what I had been told was impossibleand write a book. I am still in awe that this little book has sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. Miraculous? Absolutely! Whats more, at age eighty-five, the journey and the miracles continue for me.

Since 1979, the book has grown wings of love that have taken it to just the right people at precisely the right time in their lives. It seems as though the angels have been hovering from above, guiding it to those in need of its simple message. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to hear from readers who have opened their hearts and changed their lives. Their stories are, to me, miraculous, and I would like to share a few with you that have come my way.

The first edition of Love Is Letting Go of Fear had been out for several months and was selling steadily, but modestly, when I received a telegram from a person I had never met. His name was Orson Bean, a talented actor and television personality. The telegram simply said, Watch Johnny Carson tonight. Although I rarely stay up late, I did that night. At one point during the interview, Mr. Bean pulled a copy of the book from his pocket saying that it had changed his life. From the next day onward, Love Is Letting Go of Fear began its climb up the bestseller list.

Since then, whenever people ask me who my public relations person is, I always answer, God.

A number of years ago at an event hosted by the Center for Attitudinal Healing, I was approached by a woman who shared the following story. Many years earlier, my son Lee and her son had been close friends in high school. Lee threw a party one night at my office when I was out of town. There was music and alcohol, and the party got a little wild. At one point, her son became a little unsteady on his feet and crashed into some bookshelves, whereupon a book toppled from the shelf and hit him in the head. The book was Love Is Letting Go of Fear. He was attracted to the illustrations and decided to take it home.

When his mother found the book in his room a month or so later, she decided to read it. At that time she was going through some major life challenges, and she said the book changed her life and she wanted to thank me for writing it all these years later.

A book will come to a person when he or she is ready for its message, and often it will come in an amazing way. The truth also comes to peopleready or notin some pretty amazing ways. I decided to phone my son Lee just to remind him that the truth will always come out eventually, even if its years and years after the fact!

It has also been gratifying to learn that Loves influence has traveled the globe.

When teaching in Iran several years ago, we were surprised and delighted to learn that Love Is Letting Go of Fear and five of our other books had been translated and published in Farsi and were circulating throughout the country. Although these were clearly bootlegged editions, we decided not to make an issue of that fact. It is more important to us that Loves message reaches those who need it.

Following a lecture at the University of Tehran, an Iranian professor shared his personal story with us. He and his wife had had a most difficult marriage, marred by constant arguing. At wits end, he was seriously considering divorce. Although he loved his wife deeply, he yearned for a more peaceful existence and simply couldnt envision a calm relationship with her. One day while browsing in a bookstore, he came across a pirated copy of Love Is Letting Go of Fear. As he spoke to us, he spread his arms wide and, smiling, said that simply reading the book was the first step toward saving his marriage.

Diane and I made many trips to Russia when it was still the former Soviet Union. During one of our visits to Moscow, as was typical at that time, we were assigned a translator and a guide from the Soviet Tourist Bureau. What we didnt know then was that they actually were KGB agents!