Generic Man

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

A friend on the west coast wrote a note in return, shortly after reading last night’s daily message on connectivity. She is glad to have been introduced to the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, but wondered why her sentence structure couldn’t be more inclusive. The quote which caused her to comment was this: “Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.” I fully understand her chagrin, as certain words and terms have “set my teeth on edge” from numerous spiritual writings. After pondering alternative wording the past few hours, I honestly cannot think of anything that sounds as beautifully inclusive. If we are truly all One, (as we are trying to understand)any different wording would cause even more division among humankind. Perhaps it’s the years of studying to give up belief, but I truly think of “mankind” as a generic term, along with the word “man”. In order to include all so-called races and genders, some changes in thinking are needed. And let it begin with me …

“Here are we one, looking with perfect gentleness upon each other and on ourselves. Here all thoughts of any separation between us become impossible. You who were a prisoner in separation are now made free in Paradise. And here would I unite with you, my friend, my brother and my Self.”
—A Course in Miracles T-20.III.10:4-7

“Masculine, feminine, and neuter genders are human concepts. In one of the ancient languages the word for man is used also as the synonym of mind. This definition has been weakened by anthropomorphism, or a humanization of Deity. The word anthropomorphic, in such a phrase as ‘an anthropomorphic God,’ is derived from two Greek words, signifying man and form, and may be defined as a mortally mental attempt to reduce Deity to corporeality. The life-giving quality of Mind is Spirit, not matter. The ideal man corresponds to creation, to intelligence, and to Truth. The ideal woman corresponds to Life and to Love. In divine Science, we have not as much authority for considering God masculine, as we have for considering Him feminine, for Love imparts the clearest idea of Deity.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 516:29-14

Connectivity

Would it bother you to think that there are no private thoughts? Many things we think of as coincidence are leading us to the truth of our connectivity, but we insist on finding reasons it can't be true. We are also seeing ways in which our thoughts pass to others with no spoken words. Think of the times someone comes to mind just before the telephone rings and it's them calling you. Animals are a proving ground for telepathic communication, showing us they receive well-known commands mentally rather than verbally. For example, next time you walk your dog, experiment by thinking which direction you want to go without tugging on the leash. On a personal level, if we say we want world peace, yet fill our thoughts with violent movies and dooms-day conjectures, are we truly choosing peace? Every thought is important. A peaceful tipping point is getting closer all the time. I feel that's why such violence and craziness is happening everywhere: fear of losing control, fear of change, fear of a new world. Let's live as though every thought DOES make a difference and choose Love over fear!

“You believe you can harbor thoughts you would not share, and that salvation lies in keeping thoughts to yourself alone. For in private thoughts, known only to yourself, you think you find a way to keep what you would have alone, and share what you would share. And then you wonder why it is that you are not in full communication with those around you, and with God Who surrounds all of you together.”
—A Course in Miracles T-15.IV.7:3-5

“It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.”
—Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 467:9-13

Independence Day

A beautiful friend visited recently and I was struck by her certainty that the shift is upon us. For years, I’ve felt it coming; at times I’ve been sure it was upon us. But today Ramona feels it in every fiber of her Being that our true connection is being realized, and we will understand what that means. Heather Cox Richardson tells me that America has always done great things; and America has always done horrible things. She describes it as “people people-ing”. It’s just the way it is. BUT the important aspect is to have leaders who bring out the great things inherent in each and every one of us. When the most powerful man in the world celebrates dishonesty, being proud of stealing and cheating the people he supposedly represents, this is giving permission to people “on the edge” to fall into the ditch and revel in their baser instincts. But that does not have to be! Talk to your neighbors. Don’t be afraid to talk to that relative who believes good women are killing babies. Stand firm and proud of your integrity and empathy for humankind! You are not alone …

“Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:21-24

“There is no relationship between the time a miracle takes and the time it covers. The miracle substitutes for learning that might have taken thousands of years. It does so by the underlying recognition of perfect equality of giver and receiver on which the miracle rests. The miracle shortens time by collapsing it, thus eliminating certain intervals within it. It does this, however, within the larger temporal sequence.”

—A Course in Miracles T-1.II.6:6-10

Life Stories

I’ve developed an obsession with learning about people and the towns — or areas of the country — where they live. A man named Peter Santenello travels all around the world and interviews people — no, he talks to people, listening and asking questions, while they describe their surroundings and the people who live there. Due to the nature of YouTube, this video watching has led me to many other interesting programs along the same line of thought. Currently, a documentary called Our Towns is playing on my television. I’m learning how towns are built, how they progress, or how they fade away. And sometimes the ghost towns come back. This is truly a fascinating progression, with various reasons, but one thing seems to be constant: one person, or a group of people, are determined to rebuild. People who are willing to participate are essential. Isn’t this true in every phase of life? Perhaps that is why we gather together in tribes of various sorts. Maybe it’s necessary to move forward. Where two or more are gathered …


“Motives and acts are not rightly valued before they are understood. It is well to wait till those whom you would benefit are ready for the blessing, for Science is working changes in personal character as well as in the material universe.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 238:1-5

“Complexity is not of God. How could it be, when all He knows is one? He knows of one creation, one reality, one truth and but one Son. Nothing conflicts with oneness. How, then, could there be complexity in Him? What is there to decide? For it is conflict that makes choice possible. The truth is simple; it is one, without an opposite. And how could strife enter in its simple presence, and bring complexity where oneness is? The truth makes no decisions, for there is nothing to decide between. And only if there were could choosing be a necessary step in the advance toward oneness. What is everything leaves room for nothing else. Yet is this magnitude beyond the scope of this curriculum. Nor is it necessary we dwell on anything that cannot be immediately grasped.”
—A Course in Miracles T-26.III.1:1-14

Is Empathy A Learned Behavior?

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

I’ve been thinking: If someone has never loved a cat, or a dog, or a horse, or a pig; if someone has never seen the Grand Canyon, or the great sequoias, or stood beside the Niagara Falls; if someone has never been excited by a soccer game. or moved by a work of art, or transported by a Symphony Orchestra – is that person capable of loving and empathizing? What if a person spends their childhood in a vacuum, created by an excess of money and riches? Maybe they view animals, and perhaps people, as playthings for their amusement. Rather than seeing the beauty of a lion or a tiger, they see it as something to be hunted, killed, with its head mounted on their wall, or its body stuffed and placed in their library, a place where they never read. If a person lives this way, do they ever learn to love? Or do they simply lust, and desire, and envy? Can someone learn to enjoy the softer pleasures of this life? Is empathy a learned behavior? More importantly, can self-importance be unlearned! This is one of the reasons I love A Course in Miracles: it’s a process of unlearning the foolishness we’ve thought to be the only way. Happy Independence to Everyone!

“Each worshipper of idols harbors hope his special deities will give him more than other men possess. It must be more. It does not really matter more of what; more beauty, more intelligence, more wealth, or even more affliction and more pain. But more of something is an idol for. And when one fails another takes its place, with hope of finding more of something else. Be not deceived by forms the ‘something’ takes. An idol is a means for getting more. And it is this that is against God’s Will.
—A Course in Miracles T-29.VIII.8:6-13

“Beauty, wealth, or fame is incompetent to meet the demands of the affections, and should never weigh against the better claims of intellect, goodness, and virtue. Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.
—MaryBaker Eddy - Science & Health Page 51:15-21

I Am Determined to See

Creation of Sandy Wythawai Starbird

Looking back on the past five or six decades, it’s hard to understand the extremes I have gone to in order to NOT see the truth of my being. We, as humans, clutter ourselves with any number of trivial pursuits in order to keep from acknowledging and seeing this Truth. We may occupy our time with busy-ness in order to keep it from sneaking in. There was a time in my life when I was a semi-hermit. I read five or six books a week, but nothing of import; lots of horror stories and historical romances. Time spent with others was in a bar, talking about politics, gossip, and other mind-numbing topics. I went to extremes to keep from thinking about the reality of my being. We may use television, the internet, anything that will totally occupy our minds to keep from seeing past the illusions. What is it which we refuse to see? I think it’s the essence of what I Am, the meaning of Life, and our function as the expression of divine Love. There are many ways to define this sight, but only one way to see. We must have the desire to want sight and the willingness to let illusions disappear. "I am determined to see!" (ACIM)

“The question, 'What is Truth', convulses the world. Many are ready to meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding; but more are blinded by their old illusions, and try to 'give it pause'. The efforts of error to answer this question by some ology are vain. Spiritual rationality and free thought accompany approaching Science, and cannot be put down. They will emancipate humanity, and supplant unscientific means and so-called laws.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 223:14-24

“It is surely clear that you can both accept into your mind what is not there, and deny what is. Yet the function God Himself gave your mind through His you may deny, but you cannot prevent. It is the logical outcome of what you are. The ability to see a logical outcome depends on the willingness to see it, but its truth has nothing to do with your willingness. Truth is God’s Will. Share His Will and you share what He knows. Deny His Will as yours, and you are denying His Kingdom and yours.”
—A Course in Miracles T-7.X.2:1-7

A Different Kind of Vision

Art by Catrin Welz-Stein

“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take "everyone on Earth" to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.”
~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

“The world you see must be denied, for sight of it is costing you a different kind of vision. You cannot see both worlds, for each of them involves a different kind of seeing, and depends on what you cherish. The sight of one is possible because you have denied the other. Both are not true, yet either one will seem as real to you as the amount to which you hold it dear. And yet their power is not the same, because their real attraction to you is unequal.”
—A Course in Miracles T-13.VII.2:1-5

"Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal. We may well be astonished at sin, sickness, death. We may well be perplexed at human fear; and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions of evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 563:1-7