By Gonny 
The word Heaven sounds familiar to almost everyone. Even people who say they are “not religious” use it without hesitation.
“This chocolate cake is heaven.”
“That holiday was heavenly.”
Apparently, Heaven is very popular.
But what do we actually mean when we say it?
The English word Heaven comes from Old English heofon, related to the idea of something that is raised, lifted up, or above. In many ancient languages, Heaven pointed to the sky, the realm above the earth, the place of light, order and the gods. Not surprisingly, when humans looked up, they imagined perfection living somewhere over there.
And so Heaven slowly became a location.
Far away…..After death….Earned by good behavior.
Sometimes guarded by gates, keys, angels with serious faces, and unfortunately, quite a lot of conditions.
When we say “this feels like heaven,” we are not pointing to a place, we are describing a state of mind.
This is where A Course in Miracles gently but firmly enters the conversation and says something quite radical:
Heaven is not a reward….or a destination.
Heaven is awareness of what is already true.
In the Course, Heaven is described as perfect Oneness, total Love, complete Knowledge, without opposite. No fear, no lack, no bargaining. Heaven is not something God created after the world. Heaven is what never stopped being.
The shock comes when the Course adds: You did not leave Heaven.
From the ego’s point of view, this sounds almost offensive.
“Excuse me? Look around! Wars, grief, taxes, bad Wi-Fi… this is Heaven?”
But ofcourse the Course is not talking about what the eyes see.
Heaven, in this light, is not elsewhere.
It is else-when… or better: else-thinking.
So what is Heaven, practically speaking?
Heaven is the absence of conflict in the mind.
Heaven is the memory of Love without opposite.
Heaven is the quiet certainty: nothing needs to be fixed for me to be whole.
And yes, sometimes Heaven sneaks through in small moments. A shared laugh. Silence without tension. Forgiveness that suddenly feels natural.
Just peace….simple peace..
So the good news is: you don’t have to die to reach Heaven.
The slightly annoying news is: you do have to let go of being right.
But even that, the Course assures us, is not a sacrifice. It is a relief.
Heaven is not the end of your story.
It is the truth underneath every story.
And the moment you stop arguing with what is, even briefly, Heaven quietly says:
“Ah… there you are.”
With love and light,
G.