Combined with the low cost of living, open-mindedness, welcoming environment and large population of English speakers, it’s no wonder that many practitioners of the spiritual path, A Course in Miracles, are choosing Lakeside as their new home.
One of these practitioners is David Hoffmeister, international speaker, author and teacher of A Course in Miracles (ACIM). 
Several years ago, Hoffmeister was part of a group that bought a large home in Chapala and turned it into a major ACIM center for gatherings, workshops and events. Joining with the many other ACIM students already at Lakeside, he envisions hundreds of students living here and coming together for celebrations, study groups, movies and concerts, all with the same purpose of forgiveness and extending love.
This summer, more than 30 ACIM students have been relocating to the area, with the last group arriving in September. Homes are being bought up, including a co-housing-like community of homes atop a hill in Riberas del Pilar, to house 34 practitioners.
“Our ACIM community has been scattered throughout the world,” says Hoffmeister. “For all of us to be neighbors and to be able to drop in on each other is a rare thing.” With an openness to experience an alternative place to live while enhancing their ACIM practice, most practitioners are coming from the United States; with the remainder hailing from Europe and Canada.
Published in 1976, A Course in Miracles is a book scribed and edited by Helen Schucman, who believed that the “inner dictation” came from Jesus. The book contains a curriculum to bring about what it calls a “spiritual transformation.”
With ten years in academia, Hoffmeister says that he didn’t go through the ACIM book in the same way that he plowed through his academic books. Instead, he used the book as an oracle, often spending eight hours a day reading through the dense language. “Reading it was like praying or meditating on a type of theme, and amazing answers would come to me.”
Hoffmeister was a shy child who was voted “most quiet” in his senior class.
“As a youngster, I was somewhat confused and depressed, but once I got involved in ‘the Course,’ I went from being ‘most quiet’ and hating to travel to being called to numerous speaking functions and traveling the world. I’ve always felt inspired to speak to groups when I was invited to do so. The Course has helped bring me a sense of joy. It’s been a heart-opening experience and has turned my life around.”
Hoffmeister discovered ACIM in 1986 while attending a humanistic psychology conference in La Jolla, California. Almost immediately, he had a strong feeling that this spiritual path was his life’s calling. As a young man in his late 20s, he knew that his life was going to change from that moment on.
He spent 26 years traveling to over 40 countries as a “peace troubadour.” In 2002, he visited Argentina, where 14 translators accompanied him. Visiting different areas of the country, he spoke at 19 gatherings in 19 days.
In 2013, he was invited by a friend living at Lakeside to give some talks and workshops at Guadalajara’s Attitudinal Healing Center for their 20th anniversary. While there, the friend suggested that he check out Ajijic.
“While perusing a real estate book where I was staying, what grabbed my attention was a piece of property for sale in Chapala.” That property eventually became their new ACIM center.
“I had been making frequent visits to Lakeside and with each visit I felt more drawn to the area, sensing its open, warm and welcoming environment.”
Four years ago, Hoffmeister made Lakeside his permanent home. Going through the permanent residency process feels to him like a clear symbol of his commitment to live in Mexico and work closely with the Lakeside ACIM community.
James Twyman, another dedicated teacher of the Course, was equally instrumental in creating the ACIM center. Next month, he will be moving to Lakeside to join the others.
Says Hoffmeister: “As James and I spread the course of peace and forgiveness throughout the world, we both had a strong sense of Lakeside’s natural beauty and open-minded attitude. We were surprised to discover that many residents were studying the Course, and figured that the large expat community had something to do with it. Lakeside seemed like an ideal place to invite students and teachers to come together to study the Course and partake in ACIM events.”
Expats aren’t the only ones embracing this spiritual path.
“Many Spanish-speakers are studying the Course, open to learning about new ideas outside of their traditional beliefs,” says Hoffmeister. “Although the original ACIM book is in English, Spanish book sales now outnumber the English ones.
“Living a peaceful, harmonious life is inspiring to me. So is the notion that the Course is able to turn people’s lives around toward a gentler way of being. Now that I’m pushing 60, I want to smell the roses and enjoy each day. This is very different from traveling the world and living out of suitcases. Being at Lakeside, I feel like I’m finally settling down.”
For more information, see acim-mexico.info.