March 1, 2013 - Material/Spiritual Meaning

"Clorado Sunset"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #60

Today we review Lessons 46-50

Love, forgiveness, salvation -- these and many other words have taken on interesting connotations through our material interpretations and beliefs. How often does our version of love include jealousy, attachment, and various demands we insist upon for someone to be a worthy recipient of our matter-based love? And forgiveness seldom is an acknowledgement that there is truly nothing to forgive, but carries with it superior thoughts and magnanimous gestures. Salvation has an odd interpretation which includes a paying of penance to someone or something. As we turn away from the material conceptions of these and other words, we are allowed to glimpse Love, wherein there is no forgiveness nor salvation as we think of them. We are told in the first lesson review today that "God does not forgive because He has never condemned." And we are told that the forgiveness we are learning of as human beings is "the reflection of God's Love on earth." How beautiful is that!!  When looked at from this angle, it seems senseless to say that we can forgive but not forget. If we truly are, in reality, the perfect reflection of divine Love, if this is the spiritual reality (hence, the Only reality), how easy it becomes to lay down the sword and go forward living from the heart rather than the brain. We can let go all thoughts of retaliation or revenge and live by the law of grace. How I long to forget everything and begin again from Love!

Mary Baker Eddy correlative quote:

"Progress takes off human shackles. The finite must yield to the infinite. Advancing to a higher plane of action, thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal. Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man."

Science & Health Page 256:1-8

February 28, 2013 - Walking the Talk

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #59:

Today we review Lessons 41-45. 

As a child, I had a recurring dream of walking on the edge of a razor blade, with deepest outer space surrounding me. It wasn't painful, nor frightening, it just was. It seemed I could fall off at any moment, but there was no fear of that either. Sometimes it feels as though we're walking a tightrope in this life, with erroneous thought everywhere other than the straight and narrow way. Throughout the first forty years of my life, I indulged what is often termed an addictive personality. I really liked alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, men -- well, you get the idea. Those indulgences fell by the wayside when I embarked on a deep spiritual study and quest for change. But in the last few years, I've found myself allowing food to become somewhat of an idol to me. In an effort to break this illusion, I decided to go on a five-day green juice fast. While this has facilitated a letting go of caffeine and a break in the compulsion to eat whatever is in sight, it has also brought to my attention what I've been doing. That is, falling into old habits of material pleasure, rather than seeking first the kingdom of heaven within. In that resting place, everything falls into place and is witnessed by balance. Now I step back and ask myself what I'm really hungry for. Interestingly, the documentary which broke the miasma of materiality for me is appropriately entitled "Hungry For Change". I am grateful for having been drawn into a structured fasting situation, wherein I have experienced more than a physical change. I have seen a shift which has always been there, waiting for me to change gears and catch up, showing me Life through true Vision rather than personal sense. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace."

Science & Health Page 265:10-15

February 27, 2013 - Holiness For All!

Park City, Utah Sunset
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #58:

Today we review Lessons 36-40 

This review speaks of "my holiness" in four of the five summarized lessons. What does that mean? Is my holiness different from your holiness, perhaps based on  actions or thoughts? We are learning that this holiness is our true state of being as reflections of Love, realized through forgiveness in its purest sense. When I assert this Truth about myself, I affirm it for everyone. The urge to micro-manage things is strong in most of us, because we've been taught to make plans, to set goals, to nail down all the details. Recently the building in which I have my gallery was sold. The new owners have undertaken repairs which include replacing an old wooden awning on the front. While I had accepted that this was going to be done to the benefit of all, numerous people questioned if they were doing this in the proper way. And I had fallen into this questioning thought myself. While in the market, someone asked me how long it was going to take to get the new awning up and wondered about the appropriateness of the material to be used. When I told her that I didn't know when it would be done or how it would be done, but that I was trusting that everything would turn out best for everyone involved, she told me that rarely happened, particularly with people our age. Wow! Could this be true? We can't trust in goodness and our ability to allow it to be? And what did age have to do with it? This was enough to wake me up to what I'd been doing. I've learned to listen for inner guidance when making decisions of any kind. Most things in this life are beyond our control, aren't they? How many times do we make intricate plans only to have to change them when circumstances change?  I could write a book! Wayne Dyer tells us that worry is counterproductive. Why worry, he says? If we can do something about it, we will. If we can't do anything about it, what's the use in worrying? Living by this precept has brought a freedom I wouldn't have known had I held on to my old drama queen ways. My mantra is, Only Good can come of this. For this realization, I am most grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man walks in the direction towards which he looks, and where his treasure is, there will his heart be also. If our hopes and affections are spiritual, they came from above, not from below, and they bear as of old the fruits of the Spirit." Science & Health Page 451:14-18

February 26, 2013 - Radical Reliance on Truth

"Altai Mountains"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #57:

Today we review Lessons 31-35 

I have often been asked if (or perhaps told that) Christian Science is a cult. Having been affiliated with this way of life since childhood, it assuredly is not. I've never been controlled by anyone, or asked to worship anyone, or any of the other criteria necessary to qualify for this category of action. And I'm sure that Course in Miracles students often get the same thing, judging from what a quick search of YouTube videos reveal! What we do ask of ourselves is a radical reliance on God, a wholehearted acceptance of God as the only power, to recognize that Love leads every action. This is the goal I set for myself at every moment. And this is why I see such a strong interaction with these two disciplines: they both ask us to give up material beliefs and rely on Truth. And this may not be as hard as we'd like to make it out to be! Think back on the so-called laws of life you have adopted in the past. Shouldn't it be as easy to allow spiritual principles to guide your actions as it is to accept material rules which make no sense? For example, why should being cold and wet give you a cold? What silly admonitions we have heard about things that will cause us to "catch cold". This is only one example, but I'm sure you can think of many you have heard and lived by in your life. This quote from Lesson 34 says it all: "When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects the laws of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey." And the rules of God are simple to hear when we have cleared out the cacophony which hides them from our thought. To live from the Truth within rather than the made-up rules of material existence, this is the freedom which will lead into harmonious peace for all. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The conceptions of mortal, erring thought must give way to the ideal of all that is perfect and eternal. Through many generations human beliefs will be attaining diviner conceptions, and the immortal and perfect model of God's creation will finally be seen as the only true conception of being."

Science & Health Page 260:7-12

February 25, 2013 - See It and Live It

"Utah Morning"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #56:

Today we review Lessons 26-30

Once we develop the habit of seeing everything in Love, it is jolting to hear someone speaking from a space of fear and attack. One of my neighbors has become so sure that everything is attacking him, that everything is attacking him! For almost 20 years, I've watched him as he goes from one drama to the next, including divorces, lost jobs, personal attacks of various types. All of his thoughts seem magnetized to attract more of the same. Many of us have been there to some extent, and most of us reading these words have made a conscious choice to see Love, to see the Reality of our being rather than the attacks often envisioned in uneducated thought. Wanting to see differently more than anything else is the key to finding this open secret. The acknowledgement that God is everything, including my true self, is the first step in demonstrating Truth. Closing the door on the illusionary images we have become accustomed to thinking of as reality allows us to see true Reality. And when we see it, we can live it.  As soon as we allow ourselves to not only observe this truth, but to actualize it in daily practice, we start to notice synchronicities in various surprising ways. It may be that we're in the right place at the right time in order to meet people we need to meet to facilitate projects and other related things. Or maybe we notice we are where we need to be in order to help someone else by the utilization of a particular skill or resource that we have. The only thing more satisfying than noticing these parting-of-the-veil experiences in ourselves is watching this light come on within others. It's with childlike wonder that we relate these events to each other, until they become such a part of our lives we expect nothing else but good, God, to be manifest in our experience. There is nothing to fear in this change of thought. Embrace it and feel joy!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Here let a word be noticed which will be better understood hereafter,--chemicalization. By chemicalization I mean the process which mortal mind and body undergo in the change of belief from a material to a spiritual basis.”

Science & Health Page 168:30-2

February 24, 2013 - Aghast at Nothingness?

"Skiing in Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #55:

Today we review Lessons 21-25

This review is so exciting that I want to write about each and every one -- but I've already done that! So I'll just go with the first part of the review from lesson #21: "What I see now are but signs of disease, disaster and death. This cannot be what God created for His beloved Son." Christian Scientists are often criticized for using Spirit to heal disease. Obviously, this would be impossible. Alternatively, we are chastised for doing nothing when faced with this thing called disease. If you have a so-called disease, it does no good to pretend it's not there. While affirmations, visualizations, different psychological techniques are often effective at changing matter, that is not what spiritual healing is all about. Some people think that the metaphysical treatment of disease is trying to affect a change in your experience. It is not. And some think that spiritual healing through prayer is asking God to heal disease. It is not. Yet others feel that prayer is doing nothing. It is not. Seeing past the material illusion to a single moment of spiritual Truth, that is what spiritual healing is about. This knowledge and demonstration thereof is available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. This Principle is changeless and eternal. All we need do is awaken to it. Today I am determined to see!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"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?”

Science & Health Page 563:1-7

February 23, 2013 - First Thought of the Day

"Principia Group in China"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #54

Today's review is of Lessons 16-20.

Upon awakening today, I had about 20 inane and/or insane thoughts before I realized what I was doing! "What day is this and where am I supposed to be?" was quickly followed by a chain of remembrances which took me from a lovely cooking store to my childhood home, then zoomed over to a friend's house and a remembered conversation, before zipping back to a neglected household chore. This illustrates why it is so important to guide my first thoughts of the day to paths of Spirit. Without this discipline, I could spend all my time with meaningless thoughts which create turmoil rather than peace within.  I have found that leading first thoughts to Truth helps to keep my mind in tune for the rest of the day, rather than thinking of all the material insanity which comes at me from every direction once I leave the sequestered world of my home. We so often feel bombarded by thoughts of fear and hostility, lack and disease, error and disharmony. What if our thoughts of peace and harmony could still the seeming turmoil of the world? Then would it be worth the effort to pull our thought away from error and hold steadfastly to Truth? Everything true we think or speak or do is shared with all. How important then to see Reality rather than the beliefs we are taught by the repetition of them. What I see is what I think; what I think is what I see. Every thought is important. Join me in taking a stand for Truth today and every day and experience the transformational power!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Through discernment of the spiritual opposite of materiality, even the way through Christ, Truth, man will reopen with the key of divine Science the gates of Paradise which human beliefs have closed, and will find himself unfallen, upright, pure, and free, not needing to consult almanacs for the probabilities either of his life or of the weather, not needing to study brainology to learn how much of a man he is."

Science & Health Page 171:4-11

February 22, 2013 - Open Wide the Door

"China Through the Great Wall"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #53

Today is the third of a ten-day review of the first lessons

In this five-lesson review, there is much talk of a "meaningless world". One of the top ten frequently asked questions I hear is, Why would you want to see a meaningless world? I'm not sure we would want to see a meaningless world, but that's certainly what we're doing! By the realization that the only reality is the world God created, we come to see that everything we are seeing through mortal sense is unreal, hence meaningless. God did not create a meaningless world, and so to see the world as God did create it, we must give up the belief and illusion we have created. And why should we do that? To give ourselves a chance to experience Reality. It seems like we've been reaching for that as long as I can remember. The Age of Aquarius. Harmonic Convergence. The Shift. Ascension. Activating DNA Strands. We have been seeking and hoping that a way will open for us to understand, to experience the meaning of Life, and to demonstrate this Reality.  These exercises we're doing are designed to prepare us to accept the knowledge which wakes up this Vision. We're tempted to be afraid because this is an unknown. But a single glimpse of the Light is sufficient to make me want to thrown open wide the door! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote: "Mortals will some day assert their freedom in the name of Almighty God. Then they will control their own bodies through the understanding of divine Science. Dropping their present beliefs, they will recognize harmony as the spiritual reality and discord as the material unreality." Science & Health Page 228:14-19

February 21, 2013 - To See or Not To See

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #52

Today is the second in a ten-day review of the first lessons. 

We who are practicing metaphysicians often hear words like these: "Get real! Face facts! Pull your head out of the sand!" I usually just smile and say, "You may be right", and politely wander away. Trying to explain my actions to the spiritually-deaf ear would be akin to explaining purple to a blind child. But if I were asked to do that, it would have to be through feeling the color and allowing that sight to pass to the sightless. And so rather than explaining -- or worse, arguing! -- I will feel Love, the spiritual reality, while allowing the material argument to pass through and be gone. I have not always been so easy to get along with! Recently I've had a chance to spend time with an old friend who will be moving far, far away. A number of years ago, she and I had an altercation which was deeply interconnected to lots of areas in our friendship. If either she or I had held onto the past, we wouldn't share the palpable Oneness we feel today. As this lesson tells us, it's not a choice of seeing past or present, but a choice to see or not to see. Where I've chosen to shade my thoughts with unreality, I will choose again and flow in Oneness with God.

 Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Spiritual causation is the one question to be considered, for more than all others spiritual causation relates to human progress. The age seems ready to approach this subject, to ponder somewhat the supremacy of Spirit, and at least to touch the hem of Truth's garment."

 Science & Health Page 270:22-27

February 20, 2013 - Illusion to Truth

"Bonfire in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #51:

Today we begin a ten-day review of the first lessons. For a guide to this review, and a short description, please go to 

www. acim.org

In the first 50 lessons, we have begun to make the distinction between reality and illusion. We are learning that what we think we see is actually taking the place of true vision. By realizing that nothing means anything, we are giving ourselves permission to drop beliefs and accept spiritual facts. Everything I think I see is colored with judgment, both my own and that of others. This judgment has given me whatever meaning I've placed on anything. These meanings make no sense and cannot be understood because they have been interpreted through erroneous thought and belief. By looking through the illusions we've made, we free ourselves to see Truth. When we accept that these thoughts mean nothing, we can let go the self-importance we've attached to everything. Then we are able to release these thoughts and replace them with the inner knowing which is God. We also have been asked to see that when we become upset, it is never for the reason we think. In order to justify these incomprehensible beliefs we have set up, we make up a complex defense system of attacks and retreats, which only serve to leave us in a state of disharmony. I don't want this crazy fantasy to be my life! I want to follow the leadings of Love, to hear through Spirit, to see with Soul, to live Life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual perception brings out the possibilities of being, destroys reliance on aught but God, and so makes man the image of his Maker in deed and in truth.” 

Science & Health Page 203:13-16

February 19, 2013 - Pure Love

"Andy Bickerton with Kapoochie and Harry"

ACIM Workbook Lesson #50:

“I am sustained by the Love of God.”

When an animal looks at us lovingly, do we ever wonder if we need to comb our hair or if we have spinach in between our teeth? Their loving glance is pure in many ways which our human love seems to lack. I look to my dog(s) to show me the way to express and  feel the Love that is God. In order to recognize that "I am sustained by the Love of God", I must give up all previous notions of what love is. I once heard a mother say of her child that she had to love him, but she didn't have to like him. I think we often have this idea about God's Love, too. Yes, we'll tell ourselves, God loves me -- but there's a nagging suspicion that it's only because He has to. But this idea never existed in divine Love. Can we even begin to imagine a Love that just is? I certainly want to. I want to know this Love that is God and allow it to sustain me constantly, not just when I don't know what to do and reach out in desperation. Today I'm feeling out of sorts for no particular reason. So I think I'll take a walking meditation, stilling my mind and feeling nothing but the air around me. And pretty soon I know there will be a hint of Love coloring my mood. A taste is all it takes for me to want to throw off the shackles of ennui and swim in a sea of all-sustaining Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Psalm XXIII 

[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want. [LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters. [LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [LOVE] leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE'S] rod and [LOVE'S] staff they comfort me. [LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] for ever.

Science & Health" Page 578: 3-18

February 18, 2013 - I Will Listen

"Aaron in Mongolia"
unknown photographer

ACIM Workbook Lesson #49:

"God's Voice speaks to me all through this day."

When someone says that God is speaking to them, it is commonly thought that they are schizophrenic or unbalanced in some way. This is because we have come to believe that our material brains are the center for ideas and thoughts, and that anything else is some form of supernatural brouhaha.  With the understanding that divine Mind is the creator of all things spiritual, and that ideas are a product of this Mind, then it is easier to understand that it's natural; that we can and do hear God's voice all the time. The cacophony in our mind often drowns out the voice of the divine Mind. By training ourselves to quiet this constant chatter -- which we have become accustomed to accepting as a normal aspect of our material existence -- we allow peaceful inner knowing to be heard. This Voice of God is always present for anyone to hear. But so often we are afraid to listen. Do you remember the last time you "just knew" something, but didn't follow through with it, pushing your intuition aside in favor of what we call common sense? These instances might be something minor in nature, or they may be something which would have resulted in a major shift in events. To know our spiritual nature as an idea of divine Mind is to know that the intelligence of the universe is ours for the listening. To allow ourselves to listen through spiritual sense is to hear God's Voice all through the day!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. This divine Principle of all expresses Science and art throughout [Its] creation, and the immortality of man and the universe. Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source. Mortal sense inverts this appearing and calls ideas material. Thus misinterpreted, the divine idea seems to fall to the level of a human or material belief, called mortal man. But the seed is in itself, only as the divine Mind is All and reproduces all--as Mind is the multiplier, and Mind's infinite idea, man and the universe, is the product." Science & Health Page 507:24-4

February 17, 2013 - Separation Anxiety?

"Aaron in South Africa"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #48:

"There is nothing to fear."

In thinking about the things that we fear, it seems they all have to do with lack and separation. Fear stems from the idea that we can be separated from joy and love, from peace and security. I remember when my son left home for a boarding school at the tender age of fourteen. I was so sad that I felt I'd never laugh again. I literally couldn't imagine happiness, as everything I looked at reminded me he was gone. After a week or so of living in this maudlin state, I realized I was thinking of him as though he were dead. This led me to examine that avenue. What if he was dead? Wouldn't the love we felt still be alive? Of course, I would miss being around him, enjoying his company -- just as I was missing him with 300 miles of physical separation. A Rumi quote helped break this illusion: "Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. For those who love with heart and soul there is no separation." What is it which allows us to be together no matter where we seem to be?  Love. The Love that we are as the reflection of the one God is a connection which cannot be broken by any set of material circumstance. When I'm really feeling the security of divine Love, I'm reminded of the way a baby is swaddled in a blanket. Divine Love swaddles us in its ever-present protection. While we may seem to face uncertainties and losses, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." (ACIM text)

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The Apostle John says: 'There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made perfect in Love.' Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science."

Science & Health Page 410:17-21

February 16, 2013 - Strength Unveiled

"Naadam Festival in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #47:

"God is the strength in which I trust."

I am reminded of the strength two women utilized in order to commit to paper these teachings we study. To preserve the words for posterity, Mary Baker Eddy spent years writing, revising, editing Science & Health. While Helen Schucman wasn't asking for the revelation presented in A Course in Miracles text, she allowed it to fill her and flow onto paper for the benefit of all. Where does this strength come from which enables people to facilitate such world-wide changes in thought? I know that Mrs. Eddy ascribed full credit to God. She understood that no matter how erudite and learned she had become, (despite no formal education), that there was no way mortal mind could know the divine realities of which she wrote. At least once she stated that she had no idea what Science & Health said, and that's why she read it daily. She said her writing was divinely inspired. Today's vernacular would refer to this experience as being "channeled". I think there's much to be said for the notion that everything is channeled! Loosing the bonds of materialism lets us see in ways we didn't know existed. This freedom allows us to be a perpetual channel for Truth. What a great side effect!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The revelation of Truth in the understanding came to me gradually and apparently through divine power. When a new spiritual idea is borne to earth, the prophetic Scripture of Isaiah is renewedly fulfilled: 'Unto us a child is born, . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful.'"

Science & Health Page 109:22-27

February 15 2013 - No Condemnation

"Ozark Snow Shower"
photo by Chip Ford

ACIM Workbook Lesson #46:

“God is the Love in which I forgive.”

We are told in today's workbook lesson that God does not forgive, because there is no condemnation. Oneness and separation: these are two words often used to describe how we are experiencing our daily life. Living in acknowledgement of our unity with All That Is shows us a new paradigm, a different perception of what we call reality. Separation can be described as anything which separates us from the Love which is God. An instance of this type of chasm comes to mind. A number of years ago, two of my closest friends became embroiled in a difference of perception which escalated to the point of one of them leaving our spiritual community. Some time ago, this friend showed up in my gallery and it was as though we'd never experienced the separation we imagined. Although I haven't heard from him since that time, when he comes to thought, I feel nothing but fondness toward him. Seeing myself as a reflection of God allows me to see things with eyes void of condemnation; hence, no need to forgive! The freedom given to myself is given to him. What a wonderful flow of Love is this thing we call forgiveness!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

 "'God is Love.' More than this we cannot ask, higher we cannot look, farther we cannot go. To suppose that God forgives or punishes sin according as His mercy is sought or unsought, is to misunderstand Love ..."

Science & Health Page 6:17-21

February 14, 2013 - God is Infinite Mind

"Morning Study in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #45:

“God is the Mind with which I think.”

The idea that God is Mind has been one of my favorite topics to explore in Christian Science. Mind is one of the weekly lessons studied by students of Mary Baker Eddy's discovery. This exploration is facilitated by her textbook, Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures. The knowledge that there are countless people studying the same topic and reading the same citations is unifying in its practice. Also, a consistent unity is shown through the study of A Course in Miracles workbook lessons, which also brings us together in thought. We are learning to listen for divine Mind's guidance, to listen for the still, small voice of God, to know and to express that knowledge through our actions and words. Divine Mind is ever-present. I tend to remember this fact when I'm in need of help, such as when I've misplaced something. Rather than rushing about looking for it, I find it more productive to sit down and clear my mind of everything. On the occasions this clearing happens, when I remember to do this and can get out of my way, what fun it is to "just know" where to look! I love this new/old thought which is showing us Soul where we've only known material sense, with Mind as our omniscient guide.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Every concept which seems to begin with the brain begins falsely. Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence. Cause does not exist in matter, in mortal mind, or in physical forms.” 

Science & Health Page 262:28-32

February 13, 2013 - Seeing Truth

"Zion National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #44

"God is the Light in which I see."

Seeing everything in Light, in God, brings us happiness and peace. Reflecting that Light to others shows them that they are also this harmony. When viewed as the image and likeness of God, this light is easily seen as the essence of everyone. A few simple words, expressing what we are seeing, brings joy to those we come into contact with every day. A compliment shared with someone in the grocery store or library may be just the encouragement they need at that moment. Shining the light of Oneness from within brings with it big blessing! I think we all know at least one someone whose expression of love seems to be a bit contrived. It's been my observation (both in others and within myself!) that these loving expressions must be sincere, not simply something we decide to say to make someone feel good. So today I will be feeling the joy which comes from seeing everything through Light, and giving heart-felt expression to that joy, blessing the world.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: "Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the material senses, [divine] Science, still enthroned, is unfolding to mortals the immutable, harmonious, divine Principle -- is unfolding Life and the universe, ever present and eternal."

Science & Health Page 306:25-29

February 12, 2013 - Ego or ego?

"Colorado View"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #43:

"God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him."

A recurring point of semantic difference between A Course in Miracles writings and the works of Mary Baker Eddy is the use of the word ego. In A Course in Miracles, "ego" is synonymous with Mrs. Eddy's "mortal mind". When the word is used in Science & Health, it generally has a capital "E", signifying the Only. For example, "When will the ages understand the Ego, and realize only one God, one Mind or intelligence?" (S&H204:19-21) It seems to me that the realization of this idea, -- that there is one source, one vision, one Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, one Life, Truth, one Love -- with that single realization lies infinite peace and harmony. And this from today's A Course in Miracles lesson, "You cannot see apart from God because you cannot be apart from God." This statement solidifies our understanding of Oneness and allows us to assert these facts fearlessly as a reflection of God. When I'm tempted to find fault, I will ask myself how God sees what I am judging. Do I truly think that God sees one person as holier than another? Does God see one bird as more beautiful or one tree more magnificent? I think not. So neither will I!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“In viewing the sunrise, one finds that it contradicts the evidence before the senses to believe that the earth is in motion and the sun at rest. As astronomy reverses the human perception of the movement of the solar system, so Christian Science reverses the seeming relation of Soul and body and makes body tributary to Mind. Thus it is with man, who is but the humble servant of the restful Mind, though it seems otherwise to finite sense. But we shall never understand this while we admit that soul is in body or mind in matter, and that man is included in non-intelligence.  Soul, or Spirit, is God, unchangeable and eternal; and man coexists with and reflects Soul, God, for man is God's image.”

Science & Health Page 119: 25-6

February 11, 2013 - Here's to you, Betty Lou!

"Mongolia Mountaintop"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #42:

“God is my strength. Vision is His gift.”

Often I've felt as though it's impossible to go on, as you perhaps have, too. A child's illness, divorces and other endings, the impending loss of a business which is more than just a way to make money, parents' passing, lies uncovered, truths found out -- the situations which seem insurmountable, but never are. No, that's not right. If we really have no idea that God is our life, many things are too large to move past. I had a good friend whose daughters both died in tragic ways. Dear Betty just wanted to quit living, and so she did. First of all she stayed incredibly busy, so she wouldn't have time to think. Then she died of multiple cancers. During this time I would have given anything to impart to her today's lesson; to have the ability to show her this "Vision which is His gift". But only she could have done that. What I did was to offer her a cup of cold water in the form of God's Love. I showed it to her, I gave it to her, I let her know it was hers.  So today, dear friend, I think of you while I go about the day's activities, remembering that I have the strength of eternity and the infinite vision which I share with you and everyone in the Oneness of God. This cup I raise to you, Betty Lou!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.” 

Science & Health Page 393:12-15

February 10, 2013 - Never Alone

"Principia Group in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #41 

“God goes with me wherever I go.”

The acceptance of today's lesson opens our existence to a world of joy and peace, even if situations seem less than loving. A Bible verse tells us: "If I make my bed in hell, Thou art there." In many belief systems, this would be impossible because heaven is God's place and hell is the devil's, both entities battling for our attention. In the teachings we are studying, as in Jesus' words, we learn that the kingdom of heaven is within. In our reality as children of God, there is nothing other than heaven, harmony. Heaven on earth is our natural state. The hell we so often find ourselves experiencing, although unnatural, seems to be a part of this material existence. These are the situations we are learning to see as unreal, and through this we know that we are the reflection of the One good, God. By this understanding, we are always with God, and God with us, because we are One.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Existence, separate from divinity, [divine] Science explains as impossible.” 

Science & Health Page 522:10-11

February 9, 2013 - The Truth

"Loveland Pass in Colorado"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #40:

“I am blessed as a Son of God."

It may seem difficult to think of ourselves as a blessed child of God. There are as many reasons for this as there are individualized thoughts concerning it. So I choose to not look at it from why I am not this Idea of God, but from why I Am. For me, it's easiest to see myself as Love. Love is a synonym for God, so when I see myself as Love, I am seeing myself as I was created spiritually. One of my friends finds it difficult to envision Love, so he uses Mind. Of course, we are using human concepts here, even if we put a capital letter on them! We intellectually know what we mean, but sometimes it's hard to feel the meaning. I trust that through continued meditation, prayer, and quiet contemplation I will feel more and more this Truth of All that Is. Seeing myself in this divine way opens doors to peace and joy. Anyone who has visited the depths of depression knows what a relief it is to regain peace, and how ecstatic to feel joy. And while we're remembering this to be true of ourselves, we will know it is true for everyone. Namaste' ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man is, and always has been, God's reflection."

Science & Health Page 471:17-18

February 8, 2013 - Accept What Is Yours

"Mark in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #39:

"My holiness is my salvation."

As stated in today's lesson, "No one needs practice to gain what is already his." It seems difficult to forget the materialism that is so engrained in our daily lives.My impetus comes from remembering that those illusionary teachings are the only thing hiding my True Self. Let's not concentrate on forgetting these beliefs, but on remembering our wholeness! An instance came up today where I had a chance to see something differently. One of the Catch-22s of life in our tourist town is that many businesses are not open in the winter. We don't get enough tourists to stay open, is what logic dictates. But perhaps we don't get enough tourists because not enough of us are open. My associate in the gallery tells me that a woman called to ask if we'd be open on a certain day in March. When she was told that we would, she said that we were the first affirmative response she'd gotten from the few businesses she had called. My by-rote response would have been a complaint against others. But I stopped and thought about how I could respond from my holiness. What I saw was a vision of the entire town as vibrant and joyful, whole and free. Seeing everything as complete leaves no room for missing pieces or lack of any kind. Where there is no blame, there is no guilt. No guilt equals salvation!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Who would stand before a blackboard, and pray the principle of mathematics to solve the problem? The rule is already established, and it is our task to work out the solution. Shall we ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do His own work? His work is done, and we have only to avail ourselves of God's rule in order to receive His blessing, which enables us to work out our own salvation.”

Science & Health Page 3:4-11

February 7, 2013 - No Material Restrictions

"Aaron at Butterfly World - St. Louis"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #38:

"There is nothing my holiness cannot do"

I love the first two sentences of today's lesson! "Your holiness reverses all the laws of the world. It is beyond every restriction of time, space, distance and limits of any kind." Haven't you always felt this to be true? Isn't that why Harry Potter plays in our head for hours via books and movies? We know -- we just know! -- that there is more to all this than meets the mortal eye.  I get very excited when pondering these concepts! How grand it is that we have so many writings from people who know A Course in Miracles, and that we have more than a hundred years' worth of detailed writing from the Christian Science movement. Through these tomes we find encouragement and support when it seems the material world's pull is easier to bow down to than it is to walk through, to the Truth it is masking. And what a fine tool the internet is for this study! A simple search on either discipline puts information at your fingertips in an instant. Tapping into our inner knowing has much the same result. There are lots of ways to practice recognizing intuition. And that's all it is: recognition. No one is without this ability. I play a word game online, Hanging With Friends. This is a great way to test your openness to the field of possibilities, as there are lots of choices and few chances. As with many decisions in life, if we choose based on material evidence, everything may seem to be a matter of luck. When we allow our holiness to guide us, there is only the peaceful certainty of Good.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Lulled by stupefying illusions, the world is asleep in the cradle of infancy, dreaming away the hours. Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth." 

Science & Health Page 95:28-32

February 6, 2013 - Love Yourself More

"Cooperation in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #37

"My holiness blesses the world."

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love your neighbor as yourself. What a lovely world it is when we love ourselves more, and then let that love flow out to our neighbors. And when we honor ourselves as reflections of God, we are able to do no harm to others, because we wouldn't do it unto ourselves. That is what this day's lesson asks us to accept. We are whole, because we are all reflections of Love. Our purpose is to see this ever-present Truth in everything. When I am interacting with someone who is living in fear, someone who turns every situation into a threat, I will turn it around in my thought by seeing the situation through holiness. This allows me to release any desire to change someone's attitude. I can thereby suspend words of correction, allowing attack thoughts to disappaite.  I will live with Love and express holiness in words and actions as I move through this day, knowing that is my only purpose.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The sculptor turns from the marble to his model in order to perfect his conception. We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling thought. What is the model before mortal mind? Is it imperfection, joy, sorrow, sin, suffering? Have you accepted the mortal model?" "We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives." 

Science & Health Page 248:12-17 and 26-29

February 5, 2013 - Defining Holiness

"Glacier National Park Goat"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #36

"My holiness envelopes everything I see."

What does holiness mean to you? That's the question I will ponder today as I go about my activities. And I will think about another question: Who Am I? Moses tells us that I Am is the answer: I Am that I Am. I take those words to mean that when admitting my true self, my spiritually-revealed Self, I am able to see and express innate holiness. It envelops everything, including me and my thoughts. Everything I see through a spiritual sense is seeing as I Am. This sight shows me the presence of divine Love, God, and Its never-ending principle. To see as Love sees, to be as Love is, to relax into our True Self -- these things, and more, are both the principle and the practice of today's lesson.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character." 

Science & Health Page 492:7-11

February 4, 2013 - Let This Mind Be You

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #35

"My mind is part of God. I am very holy."

A good friend has struggled with depression all her life. She feels her existence has been a series of horrible events, occasionally interrupted by happy times which inevitably end in pain. In an attempt to escape this existence, she has turned to alcohol, drugs, and God. But the judgmental God she sees makes deals with her, and never sees her as worthy of favor. The repetition of her life story seems to be in her thought constantly, affecting her every action. By accepting today's lesson which tells us that we are actually holy as a reflection of God, the feelings of hopelessness and sadness can disappear in the twinkling of an eye. By releasing our material history, we are free to learn the reality of our spiritual Self, which is unending, uninterrupted good. It's a beautiful thing to see someone realize the nothingness of the thoughts they've been replaying in their mind, and to realize the wondrous peace which is their only true story. I think of God as defined by Mary Baker Eddy: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Divine Mind is a palpable presence, realized when we release false belief. To misquote a well-known Bible verse: Let this Mind be you, which was also Christ Jesus. This Mind is you, and me, and everyone, because it is God, which is omnipresent, omniscient, always.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Mortal thought transmits its own images, and forms its offspring after human illusions. God, Spirit, works spiritually, not materially. Brain or matter never formed a human concept. Vibration is not intelligence, hence it is not a creator. Immortal ideas, pure, perfect, and enduring, are transmitted by the divine Mind through divine Science, which corrects error with truth and demands spiritual thoughts, divine concepts, to the end that they may produce harmonious results."

Science & Health Page 259:22-31

February 3, 2013 - Growing peace

"Aaron at Glacier National Park"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #34:

"I could see peace instead of this."

Family disputes, contentious work situations, city council meetings in Eureka Springs -- every day we find ourselves involved in situations which give us the opportunity to see peace instead of the dissension which is taking form before us. Even if we're not directly involved in these scenarios, we are given the opportunity to "see peace instead of this". We are learning to sit quietly, with Love, and watch how that spiritual truth brings healing. Peace is inherent in every volatile situation. What a calm glow is brought forth when Love is felt within! By practicing peace we are allowed to witness its inevitable spread to everything it touches. I have numerous opportunities to practice this precept with my dog. He exhibits aberrant, aggressive behavior towards people and other dogs. It's difficult for me to not become aggressive myself! Even though I've witnessed the effect of calm, assertive behavior on this little bundle of nervousness, bringing him to a relaxed state, all too often I simply join with him in his tense communication. So today I scatter Love everywhere, with particular attention to myself, as I watch Its manifestation grow.  

   

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained stronger desires for spiritual joy? The aspiration after heavenly good comes even before we discover what belongs to wisdom and Love. The loss of earthly hopes and pleasures brightens the ascending path of many a heart. The pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual. The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, 'rejoicing the heart.' Such is the sword of Science, with which Truth decapitates error, materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and destiny.”

Science & Health Page 265:23-5

February 2, 2013 - Adventures in Seeing

"Forbidden City Acrobats:
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #33:

"There is another way of looking at the world."

     

This lesson asks us to recognize that we can shift our perception of the world in both its outer and inner aspects. We are asked to look at things around us, and then to look at our thoughts. This is to be done casually, with no judgment, only noticing. Okay. I'm looking around the room. The first thing I see is a lamp which was bought at a Clear Spring School auction. Interestingly, it was donated by Victorian Reflections, a shop which occupied the space Eureka Thyme Gallery now has. This lamp has a story. It brings back lots of memories and feelings within me, all lovely to remember. Now when I close my eyes and follow my thoughts, a long trail has opened up with memory links galore! I could follow them and spend a great deal of time living in the past. Or I can simply see it for what it is and ask myself why that lamp makes me smile. It represents to me light, beauty, happy times with children and friends. Whether this exercise brought me lovely thoughts or caused distress makes no difference, because they both need to be released. This doesn't mean that I must never feel the Love reflected by this lamp and its connections. That feeling is mine all the time. This release lightens the barriers I've built against Spirit. It helps me become more transparent and allows good, God, to be my only Sight. What an adventure this is!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Dear reader, which mind-picture or externalized thought shall be real to you,--the material or the spiritual? Both you cannot have. You are bringing out your own ideal. This ideal is either temporal or eternal. Either Spirit or matter is your model. If you try to have two models, then you practically have none. Like a pendulum in a clock, you will be thrown back and forth, striking the ribs of matter and swinging between the real and the unreal."

Science & Health Page 360:13-21