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

A Lost Friendship

Photo courtesy of Don Matt

Have you ever thought you should feel guilty about something, then felt guilty because you didn’t feel guilty? It sounds ridiculous, and I’m sure it is. A decade or so ago, I became friends with someone. She was not an easy friend, and one of my good friends did not want to be around her. I found a lot to like about her, and insisted on being honest with her when my other friend refused to play in a monthly card game with her. My so-called difficult friend was happy to know why this was happening, and she changed some behaviors which made it difficult to be in her company. She honestly wanted to improve herself, and through the years she stopped a number of habits which were questionable. Last year, I continued my honesty when she frightened me with her driving. I felt she was an aggressive driver, and told her so. She did not want to know this. Then a couple of other situations came up and our friendship ended. She tells me life is too short to be around people that bring her down. This situation has caused me to examine what is meant by people pleasing, and also to think deeply about special relationships. It’s a subject I have never wanted to examine, and that causes me to think I need to do it. And so I will!

“Guilt feelings are the preservers of time. They induce fears of retaliation or abandonment, and thus ensure that the future will be like the past. This is the ego’s continuity. It gives the ego a false sense of security by believing that you cannot escape from it. But you can and must. God offers you the continuity of eternity in exchange. When you choose to make this exchange, you will simultaneously exchange guilt for joy, viciousness for love, and pain for peace.”

—A Course in Miracles T-5.VI.2:1-7

“We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are ‘not as other men’? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke.”

—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 8:28-3

More Than Meets the Eye

Art by Jeff Stanford 

Eureka Springs has been described as a town having “all gurus and no students”. For the past three decades I’ve been witnessing people deepening their spiritual understanding through a variety of modalities. Anyone who has been paying attention has noticed there is more going on around us than meets the physical eye. During the years we hosted metaphysical meetings in the basement of the Christian Science edifice, we witnessed scores of people awakening what could be thought of as psychic abilities. There were lessons in remote viewing, and metaphysical studies to see past disease and realize the true state of what appears to be a material body. We were exposed to reiki and other life-force energy works, and some told us of communications with all things living, while others taught the healing power of plants. There are more energies flowing around and through us than can be delineated in a brief writing. In the movie “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, we meet a group of people who call themselves the New Earth Army. That's how I see us all! It's time to wear our skills and talents proudly and be willing to help the world in any way we can. I've seen what we can do, and once the floodgates are opened, our talents will multiply. Let's shine those lights!!

"In order to apprehend more, we must put into practice what we already know. We must recollect that Truth is demonstrable when understood, and that good is not understood until demonstrated. If 'faithful over a few things,' we shall be made rulers over many, but the one unused talent decays and is lost."
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:13

“Leave, then, the dark a little while today, and we will practice seeing in the light, closing the body’s eyes and asking truth to show us how to find the meeting place of self and Self, where light and strength are one.”
—A Course in Miracles W-92.10:4

Listening to Inner Prompts

Laura Daub - Secrets on the Terrace 

Synchronicity, intuition, following your heart — We have many words to describe what may simply be listening for the voice of the Divine. A small event happened which reminded me of the necessity of listening to that “still, small voice” in daily life. A friend was helping me with some home repairs. He mentioned his mother and suddenly I thought of a clock which I had taken off the wall the day before, placing it in my thrift store donation bag. I showed it to him, asking if he had a use for it. He exclaimed that his mom loved things with apples depicted on them, and since this clock showed a rustic apple scene in its middle, he wanted to give it to her when he next traveled to see her St. Louis. He began to tell me about her house and her love of cardinals (the bird). Hanging in my “plant room” was a Wilderness Society cardinal ornament, which was a perfect addition to his gift for his mom. What a joy it is to watch Life flow through us!

“A day devoted now to gratitude will add the benefit of some insight into the real extent of all the gains which you have made; the gifts you have received. Be glad today, in loving thankfulness, your Father has not left you to yourself, nor let you wander in the dark alone. Be grateful He has saved you from the self you thought you made to take the place of Him and His creation. Give thanks today.”
—A Course in Miracles W-123.2:1-4

“The Science of God and man is no more supernatural than is the science of numbers, though departing from the realm of the physical, as the Science of God, Spirit, must, some may deny its right to the name of Science. The Principle of divine metaphysics is God; the practice of divine metaphysics is the utilization of the power of Truth over error; its rules demonstrate its Science. Divine metaphysics reverses perverted and physical hypotheses as to Deity, even as the explanation of optics rejects the incidental or inverted image and shows what this inverted image is meant to represent.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 111:6-16