Were “The Good Old Days” Good?

Kings River Bridge in Berryville, AR

Built in 1931

After my monthly book club meeting at the end of each month, I’m often inspired to write about what we talked about around the subject of our book. The book this month, Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, was a novel about emotional pain due to lack of communication, love with various human interpretations, and forgiveness. The time period was World War II and the following years. We saw the shame and denial of a woman whose mother abandoned her to an orphanage. When she was grown, she was so embarrassed she never told anyone. This affected her life in terrible ways, along with those who loved her. Then there was the man who married, and finally admitted, during his years in the Navy, that he was attracted to men. There were other people affected by a lack of communications, the foolish morés of the times, and misplaced importance which was placed on the actions of others and/or themselves. Honesty, integrity, open-mindedness: these are some of the characteristics which have brought humankind to a higher understanding of people and life. Support groups, mental health care, loving families, these things and more have helped us move into the new world in which we find ourselves. Let’s continue to look up to higher realms of being, even though there are many who believe the good old days really were good.

“Forgiveness turns the world of sin into a world of glory, wonderful to see. ²Each flower shines in light, and every bird sings of the joy of Heaven. ³There is no sadness and there is no parting here, for everything is totally forgiven. ⁴And what has been forgiven must join, for nothing stands between to keep them separate and apart. ⁵The sinless must perceive that they are one, for nothing stands between to push the other off. ⁶And in the space that sin left vacant do they join as one, in gladness recognizing what is part of them has not been kept apart and separate.”
—A Course in Moravia T-26.IV.2:1-6

“Fear of punishment never made man truly honest. Moral courage is requisite to meet the wrong and to proclaim the right. But how shall we reform the man who has more animal than moral courage, and who has not the true idea of good? Through human consciousness, convince the mortal of his mistake in seeking material means for gaining happiness. Reason is the most active human faculty. Let that inform the sentiments and awaken the man’s dormant sense of moral obligation, and by degrees he will learn the nothingness of the pleasures of human sense and the grandeur and bliss of a spiritual sense, which silences the material or corporeal. Then he not only will be saved, but is saved.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 327:22-3

Opening Hearts

Photo credit: ugurekenoglu

Having recently experienced an uplifting video of Sufi music, I’ve been thinking about books I’ve read which gave me insights into this spiritual discipline. The Forty Rules of Love, by Elia Shafak, is described as “a novel of Rumi". It’s an enjoyable read with many pearls of wisdom, such as this: “You say you are ready to deliver all your knowledge to another person. You want to hold the Truth in your palm as if it were a precious pear and offer it to someone special. But opening up someone’s heart to spiritual light is no small task for a human being. You’re stealing God’s thunder.” This comes to me at the perfect time, as I’m itching to open up everyone’s heart to spiritual light — as you probably are, too! I sat on the front porch this evening pondering the quote from this book and rejoicing in its truth. Since we are each the reflection, the image and likeness of divine Love, only we, individually, can recognize that spiritual light, that God-ness within, and allow it to flow out. What blesses one blesses all. I truly believe that. I can only have this recognition within myself, but that’s all it takes in order to share it! Shine on, dear Friends …

“You are a mirror of truth, in which God Himself shines in perfect light. To the ego’s dark glass you need but say, ‘I will not look there because I know these images are not true.’ Then let the Holy One shine on you in peace, knowing that this and only this must be. His Mind shone on you in your creation and brought your mind into being. His Mind still shines on you and must shine through you. Your ego cannot prevent Him from shining on you, but it can prevent you from letting Him shine through you.”
—A Course in Miracles T-4.IV.9:1-6

“In the Science of Mind, you will soon ascertain that error cannot destroy error. You will also learn that in Science there is no transfer of evil suggestions from one mortal to another, for there is but one Mind, and this ever-present omnipotent Mind is reflected by man and governs the entire universe. You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 495:31-8

Anger and Fire Must Be Fed

  

Photo courtesy of Susan Luddy

Anger must be fed, much in the same way as a fire will go out without fuel. I heard this statement in an interview with Yuval Noah Harari, in an Ezra Klein podcast. As an Israeli, Mr. Harari has particularly insightful interpretations of what is happening with Israel and Palestine. The fire has been fed for years. He also speaks to the Germany/Jewish ancient hatred. This is in the past. Things are not like that now. Many people whose parents left the country are returning and seeking citizenship. Not only has this fire not been fed, but peace has been nurtured. In order to do that, we must look directly at the conflict with compassion, not fear. Reparations are more than handing out money; they are opening our hearts and welcoming someone who may have been ousted from our lives. There is much to be learned from history, and it is our duty to help ensure that we do not fear the past. I am extremely grateful to the historians who tell stories, from which we can see our present situations and know how to handle them. As Rachel Maddox shows us in her book, Prequel, we do not need to reinvent the wheel!

“An ancient hate is passing from the world. And with it goes all hatred and all fear. Look back no longer, for what lies ahead is all you ever wanted in your heart. Give up the world! But not to sacrifice. You never wanted it. What happiness have you sought here that did not bring you pain? What moment of content has not been bought at fearful price in coins of suffering? Joy has no cost. It is your sacred right, and what you pay for is not happiness. Be speeded on your way by honesty, and let not your experiences here deceive in retrospect. ¹²hey were not free from bitter cost and joyless consequence.”
—A Course in Miracles T-30.V.9:1-12

“The aggravation of error foretells its doom, and confirms the ancient axiom: ‘Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”’
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 105:27-29

Prayer

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

When people ask me to pray for them, they most often think that I'm asking God to help them. The prayer which I utilize affirms the truth of our Being, combined with a listening to hear what should be affirmed. It's not an asking for a condition to be changed, but a knowing that there is no inharmonious condition in God's reflection. We are created by divine Mind and reflect all that implies. This has nothing to do with matter. Our mortal mind often insists that this material existence is the reality of our being, and any glimpse we may have of our spiritual perfection is but a mirage. But the opposite of this is reality and our realization is what brings harmony. Jesus’s revolutionary teachings were telling us we are not material, we are spiritual. Some may think we cannot demonstrate this in our material form. And so that is true. But what is also true is that we are not really matter. This illusion can be dropped here and now, as we ascend past mortal belief into spiritual Truth. God has made us capable of this!

“‘The prayer of faith shall save the sick,’ says the Scripture. What is this healing prayer? A mere request that God will heal the sick has no power to gain more of the divine presence than is always at hand. The beneficial effect of such prayer for the sick is on the human mind, making it act more powerfully on the body through a blind faith in God. This, however, is one belief casting out another, — a belief in the unknown casting out a belief in sickness. It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth, — of man’s likeness to God and of man’s unity with Truth and Love.”
—Mary BakerEddy - Science & Health Page 1-15

“God is the goal of every prayer, giving it timelessness instead of end. Nor has it a beginning, because the goal has never changed. Prayer in its earlier forms is an illusion, because there is no need for a ladder to reach what one has never left. Yet prayer is part of forgiveness as long as forgiveness, itself an illusion, remains unattained. Prayer is tied up with learning until the goal of learning has been reached. And then all things will be transformed together, and returned unblemished into the Mind of God. Being beyond learning, this state cannot be described. The stages necessary to its attainment, however, need to be understood, if peace is to be restored to God’s Son, who lives now with the illusion of death and the fear of God.”
—A Course in Miracles S-1.II.8:1-8)

Pray Without Ceasing?

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

The first time I heard the phrase “pray without ceasing”, I didn’t understand how that could be possible. When I learned that prayer was listening, not asking or telling, it started to seem more feasible to be in continual prayer. As I’ve discovered ways to recognize when my mortal mind is overruling the divine Mind, it’s become even more imperative to listen to intuition rather than my own often-misplaced logic. We get caught up in day-to-day activity, but a desire to fall into the space between the thoughts facilitates the ability to do so. A short moment while waiting for a stoplight to change can be a few seconds of deep meditation. A walk with the dogs is a perfect opportunity to stop extraneous thoughts and savor quiet peace. Any activity which allows our mind to stop its repetitive race — gardening, sewing, piano playing — is a moment of communion with All that Is. Let’s not wait for that perfect, quiet time to meditate and pray, when every moment affords an opportunity!

“Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence as they assuredly call down infinite blessings. Trustworthiness is the foundation of enlightened faith. Without a fitness for holiness, we cannot receive holiness” 
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 15:25

“These forms of prayer, or asking-out-of-need, always involve feelings of weakness and inadequacy, and could never be made by a Son of God who knows Who he is. No one, then, who is sure of his Identity could pray in these forms. Yet it is also true that no one who is uncertain of his Identity can avoid praying in this way. And prayer is as continual as life. Everyone prays without ceasing. Ask and you have received, for you have established what it is you want.”
—A Course in Miracles S-1.II.2:1-6

Local Farmers

During troubling times, we may not be sure who or what to trust. I am choosing to trust in our local farmers. We have been building relationships with them for years. We've watched their families grow, their farms expand, their vegetables become more abundant with the increases in winter growing capabilities, along with changing planting and harvest techniques. Frequenting farmers markets has opened up a new food source for many, helping us turn away from pesticide-ridden crops and the fossil-fuel-guzzling shipments from thousands of miles away. They help us understand how to prepare nourishing food, how to plant our own small patches to supply our needs, allowing us to eat what is clean and has been produced with loving care. Small-scale food production is what most of us grew up with, and today it seems more important than any other time in our lives. I am grateful for each and every person who brings food to our tables and nourishes our spirit through the farmer's markets! Thank you greatly …

“God is with me. He is my Source of life, the life within, the air I breathe, the food by which I am sustained, the water which renews and cleanses me. He is my home, wherein I live and move; the Spirit which directs my actions, offers me Its Thoughts, and guarantees my safety from all pain. He covers me with kindness and with care, and holds in love the Son He shines upon, who also shines on Him. How still is he who knows the truth of what He speaks today!”
—A Course in Miracles W-222.1:1-5

“In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine Principle of being. The earth, at God’s command, brings forth food for man’s use.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 530:5-7

My Unrighteous Judgment

Although I think of myself as being mostly free of judgment and beliefs, I sometimes am blindsided by incredibly judgmental thoughts! Recently, I voiced the opinion that someone I play a word game with is cheating. When the words came out of my mouth, they felt ugly, and they have come back in memory numerous times. And then, a friend and I were discussing books for our book club in 2024. When she mentioned Virginia Wolfe, I reacted negatively. When she asked why I felt that way, I didn’t know. I told her it must be from my college years, but I did’t know why! As she told me of the reasons she loved this author, including how she had become a feminist partly because of her writing, I realized I was basing a present judgment on a past belief. Good grief! Today I am grateful that my erroneous thoughts were noticed and questioned. I pray that these incidents help me to see any future intrusions in my thoughts before they come out of my mouth!

“The choice to judge rather than to know is the cause of the loss of peace. Judgment is the process on which perception but not knowledge rests. I have discussed this before in terms of the selectivity of perception, pointing out that evaluation is its obvious prerequisite. Judgment always involves rejection. It never emphasizes only the positive aspects of what is judged, whether in you or in others. What has been perceived and rejected, or judged and found wanting, remains in your mind because it has been perceived. One of the illusions from which you suffer is the belief that what you judged against has no effect. This cannot be true unless you also believe that what you judged against does not exist. You evidently do not believe this, or you would not have judged against it. In the end it does not matter whether your judgment is right or wrong. Either way you are placing your belief in the unreal. This cannot be avoided in any type of judgment, because it implies the belief that reality is yours to select from.”
—A Course in Miracles T-3.VI.2:1-12

“Who, that has felt the perilous beliefs in life, substance, and intelligence separated from God, can say that there is no error of belief? Knowing the claim of animal magnetism, that all evil combines in the belief of life, substance, and intelligence in matter, electricity, animal nature, and organic life, who will deny that these are the errors which Truth must and will annihilate? Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate. They must renounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power. Christianity, with the crown of Love upon her brow, must be their queen of life.”
—Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 450:25-7