Vapor Melting Before the Sun

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

Childhood memories: We all have them. But I've begun to question how many of mine actually happened! Perhaps the memories are stories parents or siblings told over and over, or maybe they come from photographs that you've looked at repeatedly. Don't get me wrong here, because I don't think that's a bad thing. Stories teach us and stories lead us to places we need to be. But sometimes those stories can mislead us, too. Recently an aged-aunt called me wanting confirmation about a family rumor. I had never heard about this occurrence and told her so. While she was questioning me, she said she was calling me rather than writing on Messenger (our usual mode of communication) because another relative had told her that I was getting off of Facebook. I have never considered doing such a thing, because I keep up with friends and family through that medium. But this has caused me to think on many things! What we believe to be true may be nothing more than words we want to believe. So let's keep an open mind and heart, whether we are remembering our past or listening to someone else's ideas which they want us to believe are true. We live in an age of rampant propaganda, whether it be from commercials bombarding us or bots inundating our social media feed, we must be aware that many people have an agenda which they are doing their best to propel into being. Our brains are pretty good at picking out illusions, and I'm going to practice ascertaining truth by looking back through those childhood moments which seem so real.

"As vapor melts before the sun, so evil would vanish before the reality of good. One must hide the other. How important, then, to choose good as the reality!" 
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:31

“And when the memory of God has come to you in the holy place of forgiveness you will remember nothing else, and memory will be as useless as learning, for your only purpose will be creating. Yet this you cannot know until every perception has been cleansed and purified, and finally removed forever. Forgiveness removes only the untrue, lifting the shadows from the world and carrying it, safe and sure within its gentleness, to the bright world of new and clean perception. There is your purpose now. And it is there that peace awaits you.”
—A Course in Miracles T-18.IX.14:1-5

Listen Without Judgment

Food insecurity is the nice term we have coined to describe people who are hungry or in need of nutritious food. I have a friend who severely budgets her food dollars, yet she won’t take advantage of the wonderful programs we have in our area which would help her survive. I often send her photos of the food deliveries Answering the Call supplies every other Wednesday, trying to tempt her. I tell her, “You don’t even have to sign up; just drive through and pick up.” This morning, I found myself mentally berating her for her choice. Then I remembered that making assumptions is a death knell for true communication. I was self-righteously accusing her with the assumptions I was making. And so my morning meditation was then prefaced with a desire to listen without judgment, while extending a compassionate hand with no expectation of the result. It’s easy to think we know what is best for someone, or to decide our intentions are pure and their reactions are based in false pride. May this realization allow me to extend Love purely, expecting no specific result.

“Where concepts of the self have been laid by is truth revealed exactly as it is. When every concept has been raised to doubt and question, and been recognized as made on no assumptions that would stand the light, then is the truth left free to enter in its sanctuary, clean and free of guilt. There is no statement that the world is more afraid to hear than this: I do not know the thing I am, and therefore do not know what I am doing, where I am, or how to look upon the world or on myself. Yet in this learning is salvation born. And What you are will tell you of Itself.”
—A Course in Miracles T-31.V.17:4-9

“The wrong done another reacts most heavily against one’s self. Right adjusts the balance sooner or later.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 449:7

Never Surrender!

Photo courtesy of Susan Luddy

Every day more truth comes to light in our world. Every day another person is shown to be a ravenous, money-hungry wolf pretending to be a helpful Saint Bernard. Preachers and politicians are the expected charlatans, as they are so publicly blatant in their use of words to manipulate their flocks. But occasionally we see someone whom we think of as the finest representation of goodness in our community, or a sweet little old lady, showing their true colors. I heard about a white supremacist group, a statewide organization, which features a local deputy as one of its prominent members and organizers. In the same organization was a woman from the big city who is a nurse. She has since retracted her affiliation with this militant, bigoted group of people. This is the sort of uncovering which assures me that everything is going to be all right. Whatever horrors people are perpetrating on others, they will eventually become known. While we must witness the nasty workings of these vicious minds, we can also see those who rise up to meet the hatred with love. We are finding out how adamantly we must love in order to overturn the ingrained attitudes of centuries. And we know we can do it, because we've been practicing for a long time. I have a vision of Sean Connery as King Arthur rising up shouting, “Never surrender”! Let us go forward with joy and wisdom, facing whatever challenges are in our path!

“Whatever lies you may believe are of no concern to the miracle, which can heal any of them with equal ease. It makes no distinctions among misperceptions. Its sole concern is to distinguish between truth on the one hand, and error on the other. Some miracles may seem to be of greater magnitude than others. But remember the first principle in this course; there is no order of difficulty in miracles. In reality you are perfectly unaffected by all expressions of lack of love. These can be from yourself and others, from yourself to others, or from others to you. Peace is an attribute in you. You cannot find it outside.”
—A Course in Miracles T-2.I.5:1-9

"Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity."
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 571:18

Seeing the Path

Seeing the path is not the same as walking it. This is a statement from a video entitled “When the Veil Becomes Thinner”. Interesting ideas, such as this, have been presenting themselves to me today! Another topic was The Gospel of Thomas, the gnostic view of Jesus versus the church view, and the examination of how these views are presented in ACIM and CS. The new world we are glimpsing, experiencing, appreciating, is opening our vision to seeing the higher path. Things such as synchronicities and insights are showing the way through the veil into the light; but often we think the path would be too difficult to walk, so we are happy with the knowledge it is there. My thoughts return to our group, the Arkansas Metaphysical Society (metafizzies). There were dozens of people who discussed various experiences in discovering the higher path. I learned many of these ways lead us in circles, while others are simply impassable. But all share common characteristics, which include being at peace with the realization they are not seeing something new, but remembering everything that ever was or ever will be.  —“Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.” ACIM in.2:2-4

“Forgive yourself your madness, and forget all senseless journeys and all goal-less aims. They have no meaning. You cannot escape from what you are. For God is merciful, and did not let His Son abandon Him. For what He is be thankful, for in that is your escape from madness and from death. Nowhere but where He is can you be found. There is no path that does not lead to Him.”
—A Course in Miracles T-31.IV.11:1-7

“When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path. Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being, is doing much.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 254:10-15

Human Dignity + Compassion = Peace

I had a sleeping dream wherein the president of our country was playing volleyball. We were on a beach and everyone was laughing and having a good time. Then we went into a house and The Donald was extremely kind to the host, praising the home and furnishings and the modest food placed before us. It felt really good. Of course, it only took one press conference for me to remember that he is the scourge of the earth, with his life-sucking policies and selfish rhetoric. Of course, this is only my interpretation and others will see him as saving the world and making their lives better. But by selling our waterways to copper miners, raping our national forests in the name of more supplies for our gluttonous desires, ruining programs which bring us art and beauty — well, listing all the questionable actions by him and his regime would take a book. But I’m going to hold on to the feeling I had about him in that dream last night: compassion and love. We change the world with our own thoughts, one at a time, exponentially growing to critical mass when we all realize that human dignity + compassion = peace. (I heard this sweet formula in a movie called “That’s What I Am”, which I highly recommend.)

“The way to correct distortions is to withdraw your faith in them and invest it only in what is true. You cannot make untruth true. If you are willing to accept what is true in everything you perceive, you let it be true for you. Truth overcomes all error, and those who live in error and emptiness can never find lasting solace. If you perceive truly you are cancelling out misperceptions in yourself and in others simultaneously. Because you see them as they are, you offer them your acceptance of their truth so they can accept it for themselves. This is the healing that the miracle induces.”
—A Course in Miracles T-3.II.6:1-7

“How little light or heat reach our earth when clouds cover the sun’s face! So Christian Science can be seen only as the clouds of corporeal sense roll away. Earth has little light or joy for mortals before Life is spiritually learned. Every agony of mortal error helps error to destroy error, and so aids the apprehension of immortal Truth. This is the new birth going on hourly, by which men may entertain angels, the true ideas of God, the spiritual sense of being.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 548:9-17

Is Artificial Intelligence Working For You?

Artificial intelligence is everywhere! When we try to type an email, it wants to give us suggestions – even being very insistent about doing so! I recently read an article by a woman who decided to let ChatGPT plan her every move throughout the day, simply to see what it would do. She discovered it thought it knew what she wanted, even when it did not. She also found out that she spent more money than she would have without its suggestions. For instance, when she would ask how to relax in her spare time, it never suggested she walk in the woods, but gave her options such as enjoy a specialty coffee drink. At the end of the week’s experiment, she discovered her life was more solitary when using A.I.’s suggestions for spending her free time. I’m not sure how I feel about computer-generated songs and stories, but I do know it’s not going to plan my activities!

“Controlled by the divine intelligence, man is harmonious and eternal. Whatever is governed by a false belief is discordant and mortal.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 184:15-18

“In the service of the right mind the denial of error frees the mind, and re-establishes the freedom of the will. When the will is really free it cannot miscreate, because it recognizes only truth.”
—A Course in Miracles T-2.II.2:6-7

Kinder Communication

We’re all trying to be kinder in our communications. We’re all learning how to listen and ask questions without being confrontational. To me, these have been some of the most difficult life lessons. Listening without reaction, questioning without self-righteousness, learning from everyone — even those with opinions diametrically opposed to mine — maybe especially from them! One thing I’ve discovered is that it doesn’t matter what I say out loud, if my thoughts are confrontational. We can’t hide our true feelings behind the facade of kind words: we must be kind. Those of you who have pets know how true this is. You can’t hide your real feelings from an animal — or an aware human. Go forth with joy, because it shines through in your actions!

“A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive. The new idea, conceived and born of Truth and Love, is clad in white garments.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 463:12

“Every loving thought is true. Everything else is an appeal for healing and help, regardless of the form it takes. Can anyone be justified in responding with anger to a brother’s plea for help? No response can be appropriate except the willingness to give it to him, for this and only this is what he is asking for. Offer him anything else, and you are assuming the right to attack his reality by interpreting it as you see fit. Perhaps the danger of this to your own mind is not yet fully apparent. If you believe that an appeal for help is something else you will react to something else. Your response will therefore be inappropriate to reality as it is, but not to your perception of it.” 

A Course in Miracles T-12.I.3:3-10