May 31, 2013 - Sawtelle dogs

"Happy Dog in Colorado"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIIM Workbook Lesson #151

“All things are echoes of the Voice for God.”

I love the affirmative nature of our metaphysical studies! It is not necessary to deconstruct ourselves in order to figure out what is wrong so we can fix it. That belief doesn't even exist in the vastness of spiritual sense we are building. By acknowledgement that all true seeing, hearing, and feeling, is spiritual -- or "echoes of the Voice for God", as today's lesson expresses it -- all we need do is practice this truth and the error falls away. Tonight was another great book club night for me. We discussed "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle". It could be described as a book about dogs-- and it is that, and more. But it left me hanging -- on so many levels! Materially, it left unanswered questions. Metaphysically, it could have gone all the way, but it stopped short of everything at which it hinted. Perhaps that's why I loved the book! It showed me what could be, and described why it isn't. That's what we see every day, and that's what we aspire to surpass -- the beliefs that we've accepted this as the way it has to be. This story asks us to take a journey which, in many ways, is not plausible to our belief system.. I don't know where those what-ifs will take me, but I do know it'll be a fun story. Just like this book! Namaste', one and All!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Your mirrored reflection is your own image or likeness. If you lift a weight, your reflection does this also. If you speak, the lips of this likeness move in accord with yours. Now compare man before the mirror to his divine Principle, God. Call the mirror divine Science, and call man the reflection. Then note how true, according to Christian Science, is the reflection to its original. As the reflection of yourself appears in the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God. The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere.”

Science & Health Page 515:25-6

May 30, 2013 - Opening to Reality

ACIM Workbook Lesson #150

Review of:

#139 "I will accept Atonement for myself." #140 "Only salvation can be said to cure."

The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God."

Remember the hit movie, "The Matrix"? There were some profound metaphysical principles addressed! I particularly liked when Neo is in what appears to be a center for extraordinary behavior. He goes up to a person bending a spoon without touching it. Neo tries to bend the spoon with his mind, but cannot. He is told that the way to do this is through knowing the truth: The spoon is not there. And this is what metaphysical healing is all about. Today's workbook lesson review makes plain that the only cure is the understanding that there is no place where sickness can abide. In other words, the spoon is not there. Awakening to this knowledge brings with it the revelation that all which seems to be unlike good, God, has no reality. If we are attempting to change a material condition, it's just like trying to bend the spoon by the power of your mind. Only by the knowledge of its unreality is it seen for what it actually is: an idea. We are all ideas of divine Mind. We are all One in this reality. What will this realization unfold in experience today? I am open with no expectations!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The Science of Mind denies the error of sensation in matter, and heals with Truth. Medical science treats disease as though disease were real, therefore right, and attempts to heal it with matter. If disease is right it is wrong to heal it. Material methods are temporary, and are not adapted to elevate mankind."

Science & Health: Page 381:22-27

May 29, 2013 - Learning a new Language, of Spirit

"June and June"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #149

Review of:

#137 "When I am healed I am not healed alone." #138 "Heaven is the decision I must make."

The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Through the practice of releasing any meaning I've placed things, I'm learning a new language. This is the language of Spirit, which we're discovering in our study of divine metaphysics. For instance, the word "Spirit" as I used it in the last sentence has an entirely different meaning from its use on the Ghost Tours at the Crescent Hotel! The capitalization of "Spirit" not only creates a synonym for God, but incorporates all the other nuances which are a part of its spiritual interpretation. For instance: Spirit is tangible; Spirit is substance. It "blesses the multiplication of its own pure ideas". (MBE) As with the learning of anything new, it requires practice for it to become second-nature to us; to be able to incorporate these ideas into our lives without specific thought of doing so. As we bring this Truth to our illusionary beliefs, we understand that healing is universal, we see there is no choice between heaven and anything else. It's what we know when allowing "what we think with God" to be heard. Have a joyous day everyone!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness."

Science & Health Page 264:15-19

May 28, 2013 - Defenses and Yielding

"Bonfire in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #148

Review of: #135 "If I defend myself I am attacked." #136 "Sickness is a defense against the truth."

The main idea to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

These two review topics take us all the way down the rabbit hole! If you simply want feel-good, improve-your-relationships, make-more-money types of reading material, I suggest you stay away from this. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I've found that a momentary recognition of the Truth of Being leads me to want more. But I've known many people who don't want to go there. And that's cool, too. The present material beliefs we espouse and demonstrate in daily life are comfortable to us, and it can be hard to let them go. Sometimes we have held on to stubborn memories of the past for so long that we can't seem to dig our way out and up. These things can be frightening, especially if we've convinced ourselves we don't like change. So if you start to become afraid while trying on the new thoughts you are now having, realize that Love is all there is. Sing a Beatles song or two! Do anything you can to cultivate joy. Live Life fully in the whirlpool of divine Love! Go all the way down the rabbit hole, knowing every step is sure when you walk with Love. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “Mind, supreme over all its formations and governing them all, is the central sun of its own systems of ideas, the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 209:5-8

May 27, 2013 - Reality

ACIM Workbook Lesson #147

Review of: #133 "I will not value what is valueless." #134 "Let me perceive forgiveness as it is."

The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

God is All. I am a reflection of that all-ness: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love and everything which that implies. Namaste' ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, -- hence its unreality. "

Science & Health Page 525: 20:22

May 26, 2013 - Live Love Out Loud

"Black Snake in Ozark Woods"
photo by Chris Fischer

A Course in Miracles Lesson #146

Review of:

#131 "No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth." #132 "I loose the world from all I thought it was."

The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

When I read today's review and saw the words, "I loose the world from all I thought it was", my mind immediately went to something I've decided to believe about spiders. I never watch doom-and-gloom television shows, and steadfastly refuse to listen to people's stories of their fear of nature and its consequences. But recently I saw a short snippet of a video about brown recluse spiders, which are prevalent in our area. The narrator of this video was telling us how spiders don't attack unless they're surprised or bothered in some way, and they showed a clip of a spider resting on a stack of wash cloths with a person's hand going toward them. Yikes!! Well, that image has stuck in my mind to the extent that I look for spiders on every towel or washcloth I touch. And the odd thing is, I try to pretend I'm not doing this! Who do I think I'm fooling? Myself? God? This is the type of fearful living which I refuse to acknowledge, but yet I'm doing it. Now, I can choose to analyze this behavior and rationalize that I don't worry about spiders in other places so why here. But that's all it would be: a material rationalization, trying to convince myself there's nothing to fear. So in following today's teachings, when this thought comes to my mind, I'll ask myself what God thinks about spiders. And that's how I'll think of them, too, because "my mind holds only what I think with God". If I'm to "loose the world from all I thought it was", doesn't this include fears and worries about what-if situations? Our review tells us we cannot fail when seeking to reach the truth of Being. I rejoice as these pure spiritual ideas replace any fearful thoughts which may intrude. Harmonious actions are assured in this space where I realize the nothingness of material beliefs and the Truth of spiritual reality, leaving me free to live Love right out loud!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony. This Mind forms ideas, its own images, subdivides and radiates their borrowed light, intelligence, and so explains the Scripture phrase, 'whose seed is in itself.' Thus God's ideas 'multiply and replenish the earth.' The divine Mind supports the sublimity, magnitude, and infinitude of spiritual creation.”

Science & Health Page 510:28-6

May 25, 2013 - Freedom of Thought

"Ancient Enigma"
clay sculpture by Ken Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #145

Review of:

#129 "Beyond this world there is a world I want."

#130 "It is impossible to see two worlds."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

This is a time of rapid change in thought. Most everyone I meet senses that something important is in the air. I notice myself doing things differently without planning a change. Think about it! Aren't you evolving into more You? As we are becoming aware of unseen realities, we're also becoming more of ourSelves. We're doing things we never considered possible in the past. A good friend, who is a veterinarian, is allowing herself to communicate with animals on an entirely different level than when she started her career.  I know a woman who gardens and is experimenting with talking to the deer and other animals who want to eat her vegetables. We are all waking up to new ways of living -- or is it  old ways of Being?! When my mind 'holds only what I think with God', the world I see and experience is one of common ground amongst everyone and everything. We are not different, you and I. We may have convinced ourselves that the material differences we see in each other make us separate, as well they may. But look past all of that to your heritage as a child of God. Let go of preconceived notions about how things are or should be. Let's allow ourselves this freedom of thought -- and see where it takes us!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When will the ages understand the Ego [note capitalization], and realize only one God, one Mind or intelligence?”

Science & Health Page 204:19-20

May 24, 2013 - What Do I Want?

"Yellowstone Park Moon"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #144

Review of: #127 "There is no love but God's."

#128 "The world I see holds nothing that I want.”

And the main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

One of our review topics opens the door to passionate discussion: 'The world I see holds nothing that I want'. That sentence can be interpreted as saying I shouldn't enjoy the beautiful life which unfolds every day. For instance, today was the most glorious day, with perfect temperatures and mild breezes energizing me as I played in the flower garden. Everything from cooking and cleaning to playing Scrabble with an old friend was blissfully full of joy and love. How could that not be something that I want? The other part of our review tells us, 'There is no love but God's'. Everything I experienced today demonstrated the spiritual reality of my existence. Not everyone would enjoy digging in the dirt, and scrubbing the floor, and chopping vegetables, and being outscored in a game of Scrabble! But it was my experience unfolding in an individual way which reflected this Love that is God, which allowed "my mind [to] hold(s) only what I think with God". It's this living Love which brings the experience. The great thing about this is that we won't ever be at the end of these experiences! It's an eternal unfolding of Love, God. This unfoldment brings unpredictable adventures in harmony when we listen and follow the still, small voice within. Although it's all a joy to experience, it's not the activity which I desire, it's the Love being expressed by it. So I can truthfully say, 'The world holds nothing that I want', because what I want is to know Love, allowing experience to unfold. I can hardly wait to start another day, fresh with the full breath of Life creating my every moment.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with the Scriptural command: 'Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.' Man and his Maker are correlated in divine Science, and real consciousness is cognizant only of the things of God.”

Science & Health Page 276:4-11

May 23, 2013 - Impeccable in My Word

"Yellowstone National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #143:

Review of: #125 "In quiet I receive God's Word today." #126  "All that I give is given to myself."

And the main thought to hold to in these review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Once again, I am reminded of the Toltec wisdom as translated by Don Miguel Ruiz in "The Four Agreements". The first agreement is, "Be impeccable in your word." It has been a number of years since I've read this book and am not sure where he takes us with this agreement, but in reading today's review those words came to mind. Being impeccable in our word usually means to do what we say we're going to do, to be honest, to speak truth. The latter definition, to speak truth, is so often qualified by words such as "whatever is true for you". This is one of those new-age axioms which is a combination of a qualifier and a cop-out. People say things such as, "My truth may not be your truth." In the material world, this is very much so. But in the world we're learning of, the spiritual reality of our Being, there is only one Truth. Mortal mind, ego, fights against this and tells us that if there is only one truth, then we won't have individuality, we will be giving up free will, and we will all be the same. Looked at from another perspective, perhaps that's what happens to us when we steadfastly believe the material concepts which have been fed to us every day of our life. What if  freedom comes from being open to the reality of Spirit? On the chance that this could be true freedom, it certainly seems worth a try, doesn't it? To quietly "receive God's Word" seems to me to be the ultimate in being "impeccable in my word". I won't have to rely on deciphering what's right and wrong, truth and lie, or any other gauge I've set up for determining what to do. I need only be aware of what "my mind holds" with God. By this awareness and the expression thereof, I allow myself to give and receive with every thought and action. There is no room for anything else when I fill my thought with Truth.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“There is but one I, or Us, but one divine Principle, or Mind, governing all existence; man and woman unchanged forever in their individual characters, even as numbers which never blend with each other, though they are governed by one Principle. All the objects of God's creation reflect one Mind, and whatever reflects not this one Mind, is false and erroneous, even the belief that life, substance, and intelligence are both mental and material.”

Science & Health Page 511:11-19

May 22, 2013

ACIM Workbook Lesson #142:

Review of:

#123 "I thank my Father for His gifts to me."

#124 "Let me remember I am one with God."

And our main thought to hold in these review lessons:

"My mind holds only what I think with God."

Many of us feel unworthy of the Love which is God, making it difficult to feel Its presence. We think we've transgressed a divine law which keeps us from feeling the ever-presence which never fails or fades. We may have done things which we can't seem to forgive ourselves for, and we feel certain God doesn't either. Rest assured God knows nothing of these transgressions of material life. The steadfast Love which is God is always there for us. By letting go of our own guilt and blame, we open the door to the infinity of Truth: the Oneness which is God, and which is you and me, too. It's impossible to feel abandoned or unloved when we admit our real identity as the reflection of God. This Love which is God is so thorough that we need never doubt our worthiness again. To walk with God becomes something entirely different than the comforting, yet disconcerting, picture of a person with footsteps from an invisible being next to it. God is not a person. God is everything. Thus there is nothing that I can ever need or desire when resting in this gentle Presence. I am One, I am grateful, I am Love, I am content. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Before human knowledge dipped to its depths into a false sense of things,--into belief in material origins which discard the one Mind and true source of being,-- it is possible that the impressions from Truth were as distinct as sound, and that they came as sound to the primitive prophets.” 

Science & Health Page 213:30-3

May 21, 2013 - "The Holy Man"

"South Africa - 2010"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #141:

Today begins a review of the last 20 lessons. Our main theme is:

“My mind holds only what I think with God" Review of:

#121 “Forgiveness is the key to happiness”

#122 “Forgiveness offers everything I want.”

I am reminded of a delightful little book called, "The Holy Man" by Susan Trott. It is comprised of numerous scenarios recounted by and through a group of people who are waiting in line to see The Holy Man. They feel all their questions will be answered, all their problems solved, if only they can meet and speak with him. The irony is that when they are finally admitted to his home, he simply leads them through the house and out the back door. The beauty of the book is that everyone sees what they need to see from their interactions with others while waiting in the long line. We, too, have these ah-hah moments while going about our day-to-day activities. The realization that our true thoughts are those we think with God brings a newness to everyday life. By releasing our by-rote reactions today, we are free to practice forgiveness with every blameless thought we have. When we're thinking purely with God, we needn't place meaning on anything we experience today. With this clean slate, who knows what insights will be ours? As with those who were waiting to speak to The Holy Man, whom they believed had all the answers, we will be finding insight in every moment, simply by allowing ourselves to accept that we are One with God. As such, all answers are ours, even without asking questions!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God creates all forms of reality. His thoughts are spiritual realities. So-called mortal mind--being nonexistent and consequently not within the range of immortal existence--could not by simulating deific power invert the divine creation, and afterwards recreate persons or things upon its own plane, since nothing exists beyond the range of all-inclusive infinity, in which and of which God is the sole creator. Mind, joyous in strength, dwells in the realm of Mind. Mind's infinite ideas run and disport themselves. In humility they climb the heights of holiness.”

Science & Health Page 513:26-9

May 20, 2013 - Healing Thought

"Bryce Canyon Rocks & Sun"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook lesson #140:

“Only salvation can be said to cure.”

Today's lesson is a culmination of what we've been studying for the last few days. No matter what "ills" appear to be in our lives, there is no law which says we are condemned to suffer. There is no reason for us to pick ourselves apart and try to figure out what's wrong in our thought. We needn't place blame for having transgressed some material law; we only need realize Truth. This truth is that we're one with God. We are spiritual and reflect only Spirit. It's a mistaken belief that we are victims of heredity, or subject to communicable disease, or any of the myriad problems which seem to be so real in our collective and individual thought. It can be very difficult to take ourselves out of the perpetual loop of dis-ease. We have commercials in the media telling what's wrong with us, friends and strangers alike love to relate their maladies, and we're taught through our educational system that we must beware almost everything we encounter. So it can seem impossible to realize this Truth in our life, while living amongst the constant flow of erroneous thought.Every time we turn away from material illusion into the shining perfection of ourselves, as seen through the spiritual sense we're developing, we should celebrate! Each revelation is a step toward salvation from this trap of victimhood. Only the understanding of what is truth and what is illusion can lift us past the thoughts which hold us trapped in sickness and disharmony. It's not by trying to rid ourselves of illusion that we are freed; it's by knowing what Truth is. Allowing it to be the only reality in our thought, filling ourselves with Truth, error has no room in thought and disappears into the nothingness which is its only reality. Now that's something to celebrate!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation. Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural."

Science & Health Page xi:9-15

May 19, 2013 - At One With God

"World Cup - South Africa"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #139:

"I will accept Atonement for myself."

Atonement is another one of those words which often trigger uncomfortable feelings. Visions of atoning for sins can be pretty creepy, especially when it's possible we may have committed said sins without even knowing it! That's the way the concept of atonement has come to be interpreted by many theologians. It has been decided that we're all born sinners and we must spend our life finding ways to atone for that. It seems to me that this way of interpreting atonement is yet another material illusion. We are learning that sin is anything which separates us from the Love which is God. Simple, huh? Atonement is accepting our Oneness as the image and likeness of God. Some may say this is a form of sacrilege to say you're one with God. I say it's a sacrilege not to! To acknowledge God as the only Cause, and to see ourselves as the effect of that Cause, is to accept our at-one-ment with All that Is. What could be more humble? I will accept this reality today, and see everyone I meet in this light.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The atonement of Christ reconciles man to God, not God to man; for the divine Principle of Christ is God, and how can God propitiate Himself? Christ is Truth, which reaches no higher than itself. The fountain can rise no higher than its source.

Science & Health Page 18:13-19

May 18, 2013 - Heaven is the Only Choice

"South Africa Happiness"

ACIM Workbook Lesson #138

“Heaven is the decision I must make.”

Many of us think we are either going to heaven or hell, according to our actions in this lifetime on earth. In many ways of thought, we have a choice of living in heaven or hell while we're here on this earth, with a continuation of that choice after death (probably/maybe). Since none of us seem to know what happens after the change we call death, we think it's all speculation and the most we can do is to be happy and good here on earth, hence experiencing a heavenly existence. Jesus told us knowing the Truth would set us free. He also mentioned that the kingdom of heaven is within. With these ideas in mind, it seems possible to know that the Truth he's speaking of is the inner knowing we all hold inside of us -- the knowledge that we are holy. We are truly the image and likeness of divine Mind, with all the perks that implies. Sometimes we may have the notion that we know what's going on, and that it's our function in this world to make sure everyone else knows what we know, too! The more experiences I have of feeling the presence of God, the more it becomes clear that's the most I can do. There is no other function on my plate other than to live every moment with the acceptance of my holiness. In this way, the kingdom of heaven opens my eyes and heart to its existence as the Only -- I want to say the only choice, but that is not possible in reality, only in the duality of separation. So I will just say, Namaste'.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Heaven represents harmony, and divine Science interprets the Principle of heavenly harmony. The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man.” Science & Health Page 560:10-15

“HEAVEN: Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul." Science & Health Page 587:25-27

May 17, 2013 - What is Spiritual Healing?

"Ozark Rainbow"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #137

“When I am healed I am not healed alone.”

These teachings we're studying are so pure that we tend to think we'll never be sick again, we'll never be unhappy again, we'll never have a need which is not immediately met. It's easy to feel this way when our first exposure to divine metaphysics is accompanied by immediate release from a physical malady. Certainly when this happens, we are very grateful for the relief it brings. Christian Science has been propounded as a healing Science since its discovery in 1865. That is because knowledge of the Truth of our Being replaces erroneous thought and allows harmony to prevail. The discovery of this healing Principle was hailed by many to be the great turning point in the evolution of thought for mankind. So what happened to stall this rise to freedom? While we could speculate for pages, I'll posit that it is, purely and simply, fear. Christian Science is the demonstration of divine Love.  It is the realization that nothing else truly exists, which allows all erroneous thought to disappear into its "native nothingness".  It is not physical healing we're looking for, but a greater understanding of Truth, of God. As this understanding is attained through the opening of our thought to it, many adjustments take place simultaneously. I urge you to be truly open to the guidance which is always there. I can't tell you how this unfoldment will bring freedom. I don't know what it will bring to enrich your life from moment to moment. But I do know it's a "bow of promise on the cloud"!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"To-day the healing power of Truth is widely demonstrated as an immanent, eternal Science, instead of a phenomenal exhibition. Its appearing is the coming anew of the gospel of 'on earth peace, good-will toward men.'"

Science & Health Page 150:4-8

May 16, 2013 - What is Sickness?

"Illinois Peace"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #136:

“Sickness is a defense against the truth.”

Yesterday we thought about the defenses we set up to supposititious attacks. "If I defend myself I am attacked." This is the statement we endeavored to understand. Basically, if anything is a perceived danger and we make plans to counter-attack, we have set ourselves up for a continuous battle: my will against the world. When we let all that go and are led by Truth, there is no need for defense. When looked at with our new knowledge of the defense/attack relationship, today's lesson that sickness is a defense against the truth holds some very interesting aspects for us to examine! First of all, let's be aware of something: We tend to take these statements personally, getting upset at the idea that we are "causing" our own illnesses. Please put that thought aside and try to see this without any kind of judgment. This is what we practiced for the first 50 lessons this year: looking at things as meaningless, not placing our preconceived notions on anything, being free to be led by spiritual sense. The topics we're studying are very important to our overall understanding of our relationship with All That Is. I urge you to read the Course in Miracles Workbook Lessons for yourself. They are readily available online or at your library. I strongly encourage you to read any of the Christian Science publications, particularly Science & Health, with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. Let me tease you with this first paragraph of today's A Course in Miracles lesson: “No one can heal unless he understands what purpose sickness seems to serve. For then he understands as well its purpose has no meaning. Being causeless and without a meaningful intent of any kind, it cannot be at all. When this is seen, healing is automatic. It dispels this meaningless illusion by the same approach that carries all of them in truth, and merely leaves them there to disappear.” With this and the below Mary Baker Eddy quote to hold in thought, what an adventure we have in store today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“That mortal mind claims to govern every organ of the mortal body, we have overwhelming proof. But this so-called mind is a myth, and must by its own consent yield to Truth. It would wield the scepter of a monarch, but it is powerless. The immortal divine Mind takes away all its supposed sovereignty, and saves mortal mind from itself. The author has endeavored to make this book the Aesculapius of mind as well as of body, that it may give hope to the sick and heal them, although they know not how the work is done. Truth has a healing effect, even when not fully understood.”

Science & Health Page 151:31-8

May 15, 2013 - What Are We Defending?

"South African Sunset"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #135

"If I defend myself I am attacked."

I love this lesson, as it pertains to absolutely everything. (But I guess they all do!) Let's think of the more obvious ways we defend ourselves. Perhaps we are watchful of what we say and do, planning responses and activity based upon accepted behavior. Maybe we use hand sanitizer and take vitamin-c pills during so-called cold and flu season. I often wonder why we focus so intently on that which is not reality, rather than developing and demonstrating spiritual sense. In this life, we tend to feel attacked by everything from ice cream to nuclear weapons, and we defend ourselves in various ways, insuring the attack our thought insists upon. As an example, let's take ice cream. Most everyone enjoys ice cream, but lots of us think of it as attacking us with fat and cholesterol and sugar, things which we must defend ourselves against if we are to be healthy. We are told in both A Course in Miracles and Christian Science that the body performs best when given the least thought. 'The body ... need merely be perceived as quite apart from you, and it becomes a healthy, serviceable instrument through which the mind can operate until its usefulness is over.' (ACIM) Another point I love in this lesson is: 'A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through listening to wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it.' (ACIM) What a freedom it is to realize we needn't be in charge of everything! To wake up in the morning, open to Spirit, God, we are led in ways that wouldn't be obvious if we weren't listening. Of course, there are often parameters involved in our day, but that doesn't preclude our being open to thought about ways to "think outside the box". Life is an adventure, and a harmonious one when we leave behind the desire to plan every moment of it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"One says: 'I take good care of my body.' To do this, the pure and exalting influence of the divine Mind on the body is requisite, and the Christian Scientist takes the best care of his body when he leaves it most out of his thought ..."

Science & Health Page 383:5-9

May 14, 2013 - What is forgiveness?

"Beaver Bridge"
photo by Steve Shogren

ACIM Workbook Lesson #134

"Let me perceive forgiveness as it is.

In our material world, forgiveness has many faces. Perhaps someone tells us they're sorry and we say, That's all right. Or maybe someone has done something which stays on our mind as a transgression until we finally decide to forgive them, while thinking that we won't or can't forget. This is not what we're talking about today. Our topic involves the release of illusions, the acknowledgement that there is no reality in sin. I think of sin as anything which separates us from the love which is God. I often think of the ancient Toltec wisdom as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, The Four Agreements. One of these agreements asks us not to take anything personally. This request speaks to "forgiveness as it is". He goes so far as to state that even if someone shoots you in the head, it's not your problem, it's theirs! What an interesting thought! This forgiveness acknowledges no blame in the first place, holds no grudge as there is no blame, and requires no forgiveness because there was no blame or grudge. As we learn to see life through spiritual sense, forgiveness takes on a different meaning for us. It becomes a peaceful acknowledgement of reality, and facilitates a letting go of the belief in separation. No blame, no guilt, all is forgiveness.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being.”

Science & Health Page 63:5-1

May 13, 2013 - What is of Value?

"South Africa - 2010"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #133

"I will not value what is valueless."

One of the "tests" given in today's lesson for recognizing if something is valuable is to ask yourself if what you're valuing is changeable. What does not change? Certainly everything physical does, often quite rapidly. Love, with a capital "L" doesn't change, although many of the fleeting things we call love do tend to change, grow, lessen, and even turn into other not-so-nice emotions. You will meet people who think that jealousy is part of love. Some believe that overprotective, controlling behavior symbolizes their love. Strangely, people even kill in the name of love. So the second part of our litmus test comes into play. This thing that we value, do we feel guilt in association with it? So now we have two tests to check for the reality of what we value: does it last and do we feel guilty in any way. I'm looking around the room right now and asking myself what do I value. Many things bring a smile to my heart, many things I enjoy looking at and remembering emotions I associate with them -- but value? No, I don't think I value anything in here as much as I value the love of my dog, and mine for him. The more I understand the Love that is mine through the inheritance I share with everything as a reflection of God, the more there is to value as I recognize its existence everywhere. And the less I have to worry about losing things to change. After all, how can I lose that which is not real?

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make,--hence its unreality. In the Science of Genesis we read that He saw everything which He had made, "and, behold, it was very good." The corporeal senses declare otherwise; and if we give the same heed to the history of error as to the records of truth, the Scriptural record of sin and death favors the false conclusion of the material senses. Sin, sickness, and death must be deemed as devoid of reality as they are of good, God.”

Science & Health Page 525:20-27

May 12, 2013 - There is No World

"Sculpture at Crystal Bridges"

ACIM Workbook Lesson #132

"I loose the world from all I thought it was."

Often we feel there isn't enough time to study the spiritual Principle we long to embrace. We tell ourselves that we must live in the "real world" and that leaves little time for esoteric quests. With a slight shift in thought, it becomes apparent that reality isn't what we've always believed it to be. When this happens, we don't need to set aside specific time in order to practice a spiritual discipline. Without the downer of constantly repeating what we don't want in our lives, by refusing to dwell in fear and dread, we have a lot more time to hold thought to "the enduring, the good, and the true" (S&H Page 261:4) By allowing this "new world" of thought to become a present reality, I am coming a step closer to knowing where Mrs. Eddy was standing when she said, "The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." Every glimpse I have of this divine reality is a moment of loosing the world from the bondage of my thought. What a gift!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness."

Science & Health Page 536:1-9

May 11, 2013 - Ever-present Truth

"Super Moon at Boardman Pass"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #131

"No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth."

Truth is always there, waiting for us to acknowledge it. No one is ever turned away. As I think of the things we do in life, the food we eat and how we obtain it, the modes of transportation we utilize, the lies we tell ourselves every day, the realization surfaces that we are craving simpler ways of doing everything. We want to eat fresh food in season. We want to heat our homes and travel without sucking the life out of the earth. What does this have to do with "seeking the truth"? In opening ourselves to the Truth that is waiting for us to remember it, solutions to unsolvable situations appear. Different ways of approaching things in our lives, from healthcare to relationships, are illuminated in thought and we wonder why we never saw it that way before. This is the secret -- (if there is one!) If I am seeking to receive something, be it material or spiritual, I am closing the door to truth. But if I am seeking in the humble single-mindedness of Love, as Mary Magdalene did, then Truth becomes visible. How will you see it? That, I do not know. This adventure is quite an individual trip! However truth is seen in your world gives you glimpses of this Oneness of which we speak. This pearl of great price, recognized and known, is the Truth I accept today.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"This is what is meant by seeking Truth, Christ, not 'for the loaves and fishes,' nor, like the Pharisee, with the arrogance of rank and display of scholarship, but like Mary Magdalene, from the summit of devout consecration, with the oil of gladness and the perfume of gratitude, with tears of repentance and with those hairs all numbered by the Father.”

Science & Health Page 367:10-16

May 10, 2013 - Which World Do I Choose?

"Bryce Canyon"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #130

"It is impossible to see two worlds."

Today we are reminded that we cannot see a world of love and and a world of fear at the same time. We cannot know the world of Spirit when we are thinking from the standpoint of mortal sense. We cannot love our neighbors when we are judging them. These dualities represent the two worlds we wish to embrace simultaneously. But this can't be. Everything we do, say, think, places us firmly in one world or the other. Moment by moment, we choose what we accept as truth. We are learning how to allow our true Self to come forth. One of those ways is remaining receptive in order to experience the guidance which is always available to us. By consistently turning thought away from mortal concepts and utilizing spiritual interpretations, we are choosing the world we want to see. A dear friend once wrote an essay called, "Upper Case Living" in which everyday words are elevated to a holy level when experienced as Spirit. I will think of it as I choose my world today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.”

Science & Health Page 573:29-2

May 9, 2013 - Truth

"Buffalo Blues"
painting by Carol Dickie

ACIM Workbook Lesson #129

"Beyond this world there is a world I want."

The uninitiated in this way of thought may surmise the above sentence refers to a world which appears at the change we call death. The "beyond" spoken of here is made manifest through the death of old beliefs and a rebirth in new thought. As we struggle to lose habitual, erroneous thought, it is inspiring to notice the ease with which trees, plants, animals, insects perform their function. Looking beyond the limited world we have made for ourselves, we see reality. We discover long-buried instincts, which have been hidden behind learned behaviors and age-old beliefs. By this listening, we are led to do whatever needs to be done, without angst or excessive planning. I recall being taught in grade school that humans were the only living beings that did not have instincts. The teacher said that we only have learned behaviors. What appears when we peal back the façade of materiality? Truth.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“How true it is that whatever is learned through material sense must be lost because such so-called knowledge is reversed by the spiritual facts of being in Science. That which material sense calls intangible, is found to be substance. What to material sense seems substance, becomes nothingness, as the sense-dream vanishes and reality appears."

Science & Health Page 312:1-6

May 8, 2013 - No fear of New Ideas

"Aaron at Arches National Park"
photo by Becca Babicz

ACIM Workbook Lesson #128

"The world I see holds nothing that I want."

Let's not be frightened when facing new ideas. If we've been taught to think that new thought is subversive and dangerous, let's wonder why we were taught that! Time-honored concepts are engrained in our thought, and this lesson is asking us to realize that these concepts are not valid in the development of spiritual sense. By asking ourselves to set aside accepted ways of seeing the world, we are breaking the same thought barriers which once held us in fear of falling off the edge of the world. During this time of shifting views of reality -- and a deepening sense of our capabilities -- many long-held beliefs are being challenged. We face opposition within ourselves to our own acceptance of this new-old thought. When I question if this is what I should be doing, I remember the obstacles Jesus faced when he brought us these ideas over 2000 years ago. And I thank Mary Baker Eddy who planted the seeds of quantum thought more than 150 years ago. By reiterating the "primitive Christianity" which was taught by Jesus, she has ushered in a new age, which has been ripening steadily and is now ready to be joyfully demonstrated.  As the Beatles lyrically told us: "Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about."

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders. With like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect." 

Science & Health Page 268:1-9

May 7, 2013 - One Love

"Mt. Timpanongos Goat"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #127

“There is no love but God's”

Self-help books talk of the many faces of love. In divine metaphysics, there is no division in Love. This Love does not judge. No one is more worthy than another. No one is more able than another in expressing this Love. Living Love may not appear to be happening in the world we witness daily. We see love that's variable and hate that is solid. We are learning the unreality of changing love and abiding hate. The reality is the Love which is God. The workbook lesson asks us to affirm this often today: "I bless you, brother, with the Love of God, which I would share with you. For I would learn the joyous lesson that there is no love but God's and yours and mine and everyone's." Every instant when I catch a glimpse of this true Love is a moment to treasure.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love is infinite. Therefore all that really exists is in and of God, and manifests His love.”

Science & Health Page 340:12-14

May 6, 2013 - Giving is Receiving

ACIM Workbook Lesson #126

"All that I give is given to myself."

What do we think we are giving? Here are a few examples of what we often give: good advice, scornful judgment of another's actions, support for loved ones, opinions which we hope will change the world. This list could go on and on. In examining what I'd like to give today, I see that the only true thing which can be given is Love. Anything else is but a material opinion in some form. Even what we think of as forgiveness is a mortal concept which generally includes stipulations. There may be an implication that I'm forgiving you because I'm a better person than you are. Oh my! But we know that forgiveness is the key to the door of truth, so how do we forgive without material trappings? Love! When we give and live Love, there is nothing else to think about. Before I give anything today, I will ask myself, Is this what I want to receive? If it's not, then I'd best not give it. But my realization that God is Love, that Love is all there is, allows me to slip into that sweet space of living from Truth, which is expressing the Love which is our essence.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We must reverse our feeble flutterings--our efforts to find life and truth in matter--and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God-like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being.” Science & Health Page 262:9-16

May 5, 2013 - Quiet

Alta
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #125

"In quiet I receive God's Word today."

Here is a quote from today's ACIM workbook lesson: "Today He speaks to you. His Voice awaits your silence, for His Word can not be heard until your mind is quiet for a while, and meaningless desires have been stilled. Await His Word in quiet. There is peace within you to be called upon today, to help make ready your most holy mind to hear the Voice for its Creator speak."

In quiet contemplation, I say nothing else concerning today's topic. If you want to read this lesson in its entirety, here's the link:

http://acim.org/Lessons/lesson.html?lesson=125

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The ‘still, small voice’ of scientific thought reaches over continent and ocean to the globe's remotest bound. The inaudible voice of Truth is, to the human mind, ‘as when a lion roareth’. … Then is the power of Truth demonstrated,--made manifest in the destruction of error.”

Science & Health Page 559:8-16

May 4, 2013 - Realizing Oneness

Mugs Poster
by John Rankine

ACIM Workbook Lesson #124

"Let me remember I am one with God."

The recognition that we are one with God has a calming effect. It seems that those of us who think we are in charge of everything around us tend to be excited and often angry. Currently, I'm observing reactions to an art installation in Eureka Springs. There are three-by-four-foot posters plastered on blank walls around town .These posters depict 130 of our local artists making silly faces. The point of the project is to let people know they aren't stuffy, boring people and that we are a fun town. Midway through the month, the general public will be given markers to draw on the posters, further bringing frivolity to these black and white posters. I have no strong opinions about this art installation. I think the artist who thought up and enacted this idea is a wonderfully creative man whom I admire. Not everyone in town feels this way! Once again, we come back to individual perceptions and interpretations from belief and past experiences. Art and the creation and enjoyment of it is a wonderful litmus test of our ability to realize our Oneness with God and, hence, everyone and everything. I love observing people's reactions to various forms of art in our gallery. Now I'm enjoying watching the emotions these large mug shots are bringing to the surface in friends and loved ones. As the ACIM lesson tells us: "Today we see only the loving and the lovable. We see it in appearances of pain, and pain gives way to peace. We see it in the frantic, in the sad and the distressed, the lonely and afraid, who are restored to the tranquility and peace of mind in which they were created." And I will remember my Oneness with God and everyone as a reflection of that divine Mind which created us.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The eternal Elohim includes the forever universe. The name Elohim is in the plural, but this plurality of Spirit does not imply more than one God, nor does it imply three persons in one. It relates to the oneness, the tri-unity of Life, Truth, and Love. Man is the family name for all ideas,--the sons and daughters of God. All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting goodness and power.”

Science & Health Page 515:16:24

May 3, 2013 - New Beginnings

"Lilies and Bee"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #123

"I thank my Father for His gifts to me."

Don't we all love new beginnings? Every symbolic new beginning we experience gives hope that it truly will be this time; that the great shift in thought, in consciousness, has reached its tipping point, allowing the Utopia we so crave. We yearn for peace and plenty, purity of heart and environment, joy, satisfaction. But we keep forgetting the spiritual Principle which guarantees this reality, simply for our perception of it. Sometimes we catch glimpses of what it could be like. For instance, I witnessed a man and woman in their 70s cavorting like teenagers in giddy expectation of exchanging marriage vows.Their happiness in this new beginning was infectious! Also, a friend in The Netherlands has been sharing videos of their celebrations centered around the investiture of a new king. What a wonderful symbolic new beginning for the world, feeling a bit like Camelot with its reign of peace and beauty. My friend's joy in this event is palpable through the internet connection we share. The endlessly flowing giving-and-receiving action which divine Mind supplies is ours, right here and now. A true new beginning is at hand -- your hand and mine, today, now.  I will not be distracted by ego-based taunting to play the game being enacted all around us. I will look through the temptation to stay stuck in the muddle of material belief by giving energy to the lower propensities. Raising thought above what cries out so loud for attention, I'll see the beginning in every situation. But if there is no end, can there be a beginning? Ah -- ever-flowing forever. Now!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.

Science & Health Page 3:25-26

May 2, 2013 - Holding Grudges?

"Washington, D.C."
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #122

"Forgiveness offers everything I want."

The forgiveness we speak of today is all-encompassing. This is more than just saying we don't hold a grudge against someone for something. The "forgiveness [which] offers everything I want" is born from the practice of realizing our unity with God, hence our Oneness with each other. By this understanding we can look past the multitude of forms which present themselves to us in the guise of reality, and, in looking through this veil, realize and demonstrate Truth. What more could we want other than peace, joy, love, contentment, bliss, appreciation, and satisfaction? And this larger, all-encompassing forgiveness reconciles any so-called differences we may have with each other, and also with anything we are holding against ourselves. Allowing divine Love to guide our every action and thought would free us to live differently from when our lives are dictated by material beliefs and habits. It's always amazing to me that some people choose to not speak to one another simply because they disagree about certain things. I like oranges, you like apples. So what? Our commonality rests in the Oneness of our true being. That's a constant reality!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.”

Science & Health Page 494:10-11