Living Love

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #274 

“Today belongs to love. Let me not fear.”

I saw a movie in which a businessman was hit in the head, developed a blood clot, and became happy all the time. Since happiness cannot be contained and overflows with no expectations, wonderful things began to happen! He ran a very large, money-making-oriented company, which had always catered to the prospering of the business not the contentment of the employees. After he became happy, he built a daycare center, gave everyone raises in salary, and began to see money as a tool rather than a goal. Then his children were angry because the company wasn't making as much money and they were afraid. While he recognized what was important in life, his children wanted him to go back to his money-based way of living, fearing they wouldn't have enough. He was living Love; they were living fear. We see it every day, don't we? I vow today to support every act of Love-based living I see. While we can't set out to eradicate fear, we can scatter joy and happiness, and watch Love blossom.

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 577:4-18

Disturbed or At Peace?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #273

“The stillness of the peace of God is mine.”

“If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and return to peace.” [ACIM] This evening at a monthly gathering of friends, I was talking to someone about how to leave behind disturbing events and hold to the peace of which we speak today. It seems that when this woman wakes up in the night, her thoughts turn to troublesome things which seem to have no solution. Another friend spoke up and said that when this happens to her, she takes deep breaths and repeats the word, “thankful”. As she loses herself in her breath and gratitude, she peacefully returns to sleep. I like that a lot. We all have our ways of turning off this voice which is based in mortal mind, not divine Mind. I love hearing how others tune into the channel of peace, so let me know what you do! I love the realization that if we get lost in the insanity we have the choice of returning to tranquility!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace.Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 506:11-14

The Cravings of Immortal Man

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #272

“How can illusions satisfy God's Son?”

Today's topic causes me to pause and ask myself if any illusions in the past few decades have been satisfying. During the "years that the locust ate" (as I tend to think of a particular 20-year period), I generally felt happy, but never complete or fulfilled. Years of substance abuse, flitting from man to man, and activities which kept me busy but never satisfied are what I refer to as the lost years. Looking back, I hardly recognize that person. It's not that I was mean or horrible or anything like that, but I was living a drama-filled life, going from one disaster to another, and finding solace by hiding in hedonistic pleasures. The peace which I've found from wanting nothing other than to know divine Love is astounding in its magnitude. When did I recognize the emptiness and want to fill in the blanks with true substance? Ultimately, it doesn't matter because now is all we have! Let's go forward with joy into what awaits us this day!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Higher enjoyments alone can satisfy the cravings of immortal man.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 60:31-32

We're Ready!

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #271

“Christ's is the vision I will use today."

Are we finally ready for the truth? I've heard it said that we, as a human race, can’t stand to hear Truth. I’m told this about everything from extraterrestrial life to religious doctrine, but I think we are ready for it! People say if the truth was told about everything, society would break down. It seems to me that might be a good thing, because our current belief systems don't appear to be be functioning too well! Perhaps everyone's dissatisfaction stems from the feeling that we’re being lied to everywhere we turn. A few centuries ago, a total eclipse of the full moon would cause many fear-based reactions when the orb turned red, disappeared, then reappeared. As the the truth has set us free from that irrational fear, so it can in other ways, allowing us to joyfully look up and say “Wow"! I think we're ready, don't you?!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.” Science & Health Page vii:13-15

Spiritual Vision or ---?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #270

“I will not use the body's eyes today.”

I find it’s more important than ever to see with the eye of divine Love. While I’ve become fairly good at saying, “You may be right about that”, and not replaying in thought things I find disagreeable, sometimes I get caught up in feelings from mass consciousness — at least that’s how I define an event which happened today. After a lovely afternoon of bridge, I came home and was doing chores. First I noticed my thoughts straying into a deluge of dread concerning environmental issues. Before I understood what was happening, I found myself loudly singing a song from the 70s by Country Joe and the Fish, having to do with being the “first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box”! I’m very grateful to be developing the tools required to turn away from error toward Truth — and this is what I did by reading a Bicknell Young article, listening to George Winston piano, and watching the birds! What brought on such concentrated disharmony in my thought? I could come up with lots of excuses, but I don’t feel the need to dissect unreality, only to affirm Love!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual vision is not subordinate to geometric altitudes. Whatever is governed by God, is never for an instant deprived of the light and might of intelligence and Life.”

Science & Health Page 215:11-13

The Face of Divine Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #269

“My sight goes forth to look upon Christ's face.”

Acknowledging that everything and everyone we look upon is the face of divine Love takes our perception to another level! With this sight, we do not need to see race or nationalities nor gender, there are no political parties for which to wave flags, and no enemies to fight against  nor allies to side with. I see beautiful things happening in our world. Long-held beliefs are being released in favor of an open-hearted acceptance of everyone as they are, not as we want them to be. Change can seem difficult, but our new perceptions of Life are a conscious choice by which we break free of habits and old thought patterns which have held us in bondage for far too long. Let’s celebrate our new-found sight today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The eternal Truth destroys what mortals seem to have learned from error, and man's real existence as a child of God comes to light.” Science and Health Page 288:31–1

Let It Be

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #268

“Let all things be exactly as they are.”

“In love was I created, and in love will I remain forever.” [ACIM Lesson #268] One of my friends has a particularly hard time letting “all things be exactly as they are”. She plays events over and over in her mind, making suppositions about why things were said or done, and trying to find solutions to fix everyone involved. Recently, she received a phone call from a lifelong friend whom she hadn’t heard from in the past few years. She didn’t answer the call and was full of worries as to what she may have done wrong which caused her friend to break off contact with her. While I try not to laugh in the face of others’ distress, I couldn’t help myself this time! I quickly reminded her of The Four Agreements, specially “don’t make assumptions” and “don’t take anything personally”. After a brief conversation, she returned to her home and called her old friend. And sure enough, she had done nothing wrong, but her friend had been going through a rough time and needed a friendly shoulder to lean on. I think I’ll look on youTube for a recording of Let It Be, basking in its wisdom!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page: 563: 1-3

The Heartbeat of Peace

"First Snow, Utah"
photo credit, Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #267

“My heart is beating in the peace of God"

Living the "peace of God" may seem like a fantasy to those who abide by the laws of materiality. Some think that in order to live this way they would have to be delusional, or stick their heads in the sand, or deny reality in favor of wishful thinking. But many of us see this state of mind in another way! As we learn about the peace which is the Truth of being, we are able to live it in all of daily life, and thereby we see that our ”heart is beating in the peace of God". That state of mind does more for the world than all the preaching we may be tempted to do!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.” Science & Health With Key to the Scriptures Page 264:24-27

The Epitome of Peace

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #266

“My holy Self abides in you, God's Son.”

Peace is a state of mind. We can feel the epitome of peace in the midst of turmoil, or we may be in an outer oasis of stillness but, due to our tumultuous state of mind, be anxious and upset. It helps me to know that we are all the reflection of Spirit. With this realization, I am able to see everything through the eye of divine Love. This is not to say that I'm always calm. Sometimes I forget I am the idea of God, and that everyone else is, too. At those times, who knows how I may be interpreting events! In a state of forgetfulness, I am at the mercy of material belief, being swayed by thought systems which were put in place long before my appearance in this world. But when I remember the spiritual Truth of creation, things appear differently to me -- and there is peace.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.”

Science & Health Page 506: 11-14

Gentleness is All I See

Dylan , Harry, Kapoochie

ACIM Workbook Lesson #265

"Creation's gentleness is all I see."

Creation's gentleness is all around us, but often it's not noticed because of the universal belief in harshness. More and more we're seeing animals showing us the way of gentleness in their interactions with each other. With our realizations of Oneness, we're starting to see that if violence is done to or by one, it's done to or by All. We're allowing our thought to change from fear and anger to Love and gentleness. Many people are holding with the old paradigm, and some say it's necessary for heinous acts to be committed, and also retaliation in kind. On the other hand, more people are realizing the error of this way, and know that it is possible for the lion to lay down with the lamb.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “The fowls, which fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven, correspond to aspirations soaring beyond and above corporeality to the understanding of the incorporeal and divine Principle, Love.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 511:28-3

Surrounded by Love

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #264

“I am surrounded by the Love of God.”

I don’t usually listen to mainstream radio, but there was an occasion where I was bombarded by it for a couple of hours. This forced exposure graphically brought into focus how insane the content was! The songs were totally inane and yet mesmerizing, the commercials were mostly for drugs and disease, the news -- yikes!! It may seem that we are being brainwashed from every direction, including collective consciousness, but this is the illusion. This illusion is not the consciousness of Love which is God. Love permeates everything, leaving no room for anything else to intrude. Nothing but this Love truly has power.  "Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach me." (MBE) "I am surrounded by the Love of God." (ACIM) When I am tempted to be mesmerized by material sense, I will remember what is True: I am surrounded by the Love that is God, which is my essence, my essential Being. So I needn't try to see or feel this Love, because it is what I Am!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.”

Science & Health Page 574: 27-30

Pure Perceptions

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #263

“My holy vision sees all things as pure.”

I recently discovered that one of my best bridge partners holds radically different political views from mine. I vowed to keep my mouth closed on such issues, but then saw a post to social media in which she was bashing one of my favorite presidents. It took about a day to stop mentally hearing the remarks when I thought of her, accepting that I do not need to agree nor disagree, I do not need to correct anything other than my perception. If someone appears to be angry, I needn’t attempt to change that or to love that, but I do need to change my thought and remember that they are, in truth, only Love and Its reflection. “I do not need to love the appearance, I need to love the reality beyond the appearance.” (ACIM) There is a lovely innocence involved in seeing through the eyes of Spirit!

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “The divine Principle, or Spirit, comprehends and expresses all, and all must therefore be as perfect as the divine Principle is perfect.” Science & Health Page 492:2-8

Mutual in Divine Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #262 “Let me perceive no differences today.”

William Blake says it well: "I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine Love". I understand this to mean that the perfection we are learning to see as ourselves also is everyone else. I often tell people “We’re all in this together”, but I think I’ll change it to “We are all this – together!” I love the study of the Science of Being! Every day, every moment, revelations of thought bring me to a deeper understanding of how this Truth sets us free. I am learning more of what it means that God is Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. It's joyous to expand understanding to include myself in that definition, as a reflection of All that Is!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.”

Science and Health Page 469:30–5

What is Body?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #261 “God is my refuge and security." 

This lesson begins a series of topics addressing the question, “What is the Body?” Metaphysically, this is an intriguing question and many of my favorite authors have written articles which examine it. A favorite, of course, is from Mary Baker Eddy, written in 1886 — although it is found in no book, it is filed in the Library of Congress and may be read in its entirety at this site: http://www.christianscience.org/index.php/unpublished-items/103-body This is the first sentence of the treatise: “The term Mind and body literally means God and man, for man is the expression of Mind and the manifestation of Mind is the embodiment of Mind.” I’m looking forward to an informative few days of delving into this rich subject by way of the ACIM Workbook topics, examining how they come into play in our daily life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Mortal body and mind are one, and that one is called man; but a mortal is not man, for man is immortal.” Science & Health Page 250:14-15

Ever Appearing Creation

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #260

“Let me remember God created me.”

The correlative Mary Baker Eddy passage for today says it all for me: “Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. This divine Principle of all expresses Science and art throughout His creation, and the immortality of man and the universe.” What do you think of when you read the statement, “Let me remember God created me”? Perhaps Adam and Eve stories come to mind. Maybe something more ethereal floats into thought. Whatever we may think about this statement is a material belief-based idea — don’t you think? “Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source.” (MBE) Whatever I think I am, whatever you think you are, is ever-changing, appearing and unfolding, from “its inexhaustible source”. This idea makes me feel wrapped in a cocoon of eternity, open, free — One in a way I can’t even comprehend. And I am happy, complete, needing nothing else. Namastè ~~~

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 His 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.” Science & Health Page 507:24-28

Seeing Through the Mirage

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #259

“Let me remember that there is no sin.”

It certainly seems as though sin is tangible in our world. We look at the news and see things which seem too horrible to be anything other than evil and sinful. But, once again, this is the material illusion. The reality is God and reflective creation. This creation is spiritual, everlasting substance, unchanging goodness. That is why there is no sin, because it is unreal! This same revealing of reality exposes other material discord as nothing more than mist to be seen through and dispelled. There is no magic potion which allows us to look past the mirage of sin, and many reports of our senses seem real until we look through them to the other side -- and then what a treat we have in store for us! There, waiting to be recognized, is the reality of our Being, just waiting for us to discover it.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Question: Is there no sin?

Answer: All reality is in God and His creation, harmonious and eternal. That which He creates is good, and He makes all that is made. Therefore the only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief, until God strips off their disguise. They are not true, because they are not of God.” Science & Health Page 472:23-30

Remembering to Remember

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #258

“Let me remember that my goal is God.”

I had a friend who died from cancer. She was very active and always busy doing things. I once asked her if she ever had any quiet time and she told me that she didn't want any because then she would have to think. Many traumatic events had happened in her life, including the violent deaths of her parents and tragic passing of her children. Our thoughts can be occupied by many temporal things, such as collecting material possessions, or perhaps we simply need the busyness of daily life to keep us from thinking about painful memories -- whatever the case, we rarely allow ourselves the quiet we need to hear Spirit. We may fear the unknown and think that the activities we busy ourselves with are necessary, rather than looking beyond them to the Truth which heals our fear. We may use alcohol and drugs to cover up the turmoil for a little while, but lasting peace only comes through knowledge of Love. Sometimes love is used as a soporific, placating our desire for an all-encompassing Love with no beginning nor end. Today I will remember to remember what I have forgotten, which is only found within.

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

Remembered Purpose

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #257

“Let me remember what my purpose is.”

I love the first sentence in today’s lesson commentary: "If I forget my goal, I can be but confused ..."! Looking back over the last half-century, I see many times of major confusion, and lots of minor confusions which flutter around constantly, asking for more room to spread their wings. I like seeing them from this standpoint, that these confusions are nothing more than times when I've forgotten that my Life is Spirit. So then I wonder, What is this purpose I am to remember? It's unfolding every moment, and all I need do is show up and be willing -- willing to be open-hearted, open-minded -- just open! -- with no expectations and no plans of how things should be. It's tempting to think of this as undisciplined, and others may be critical of this attitude, but I can attest to the fact that wandering around in college for five years perfectly prepared me for freelance court reporting. And thirty years of taking down and transcribing depositions was an incredible education which paved the way for running an art gallery for ten years. All those things brought me to where I am today, and none of it could have been planned. Today, I think of this as listening and following. Back then, I didn't think of it at all …

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.”

Science & Health Page 506:18-21

Stay The Course of Love

Belladonna Cottage
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #256

“God is the only goal I have today.”

My goal today is to return to Love. (Of course, we have never left this Source and, hence, there is nowhere to go!) It seems difficult to see the world without judgment, and I am reminded of this when finding fault with people or events. With Love as my only goal, I needn’t blame myself or anyone, as there is no fault to find. This doesn’t mean a denial of what I see manifested in thought and deed, but rather an inner examination and release of mindless choices based on illusion and lies. We have a choice with the words we use, and we’re learning that we have a choice in the thoughts we think, too. Let’s stay the course on Love today — and tomorrow, too!

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “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 560:11-16

Absolute Peace

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #255

“This day I choose to spend in perfect peace."

If you could do anything at all today, what would it be? To choose perfect peace as our reality is to reject fear and worry. To reject fear and worry is to have an absolute trust in the presence of divine Love. The word "absolute" has been showing up from many avenues, so I decided to see if I know what it means. According to Mr. Webster it is: complete, unadulterated, perfect, not mixed, free from restriction, unlimited. As I move through activities today, I will remember to live absolutely in the present, enjoying each perfect moment absolutely, with absolute trust that I am reflecting the One absolute Truth, knowing that peace is the only reality! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. These disturbances will continue until the end of error, when all discord will be swallowed up in spiritual Truth.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 92:12-20

Time to Listen

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #254

“Let every voice but God's be still in me.”

I met a young woman who told me that God was talking to all of us -- and it was time to listen! As we chatted briefly, she told a story of finding out her husband had a girlfriend, getting divorced, feeling hopeless. Then she left a job she didn't enjoy and followed her dream of starting a little antique store where she has lots of cool things, like freshly ground coffee and books she wants to share with others: a place where everyone feels welcome. She told me this happened because she listened to God. Now, this guidance may be called many things -- following your heart, listening for the still small voice, living your dream -- but whatever it's called, it can only be heard by shutting out ego thoughts, the material-based fears telling us we're not good enough. I was buoyed by her joy and new-found confidence, and happy that she started the conversation by telling me it was time to listen to God! She made me want to shout Hallelujah!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens,--all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light.” Science & Health Page 240:1-9

Yielding to Love

photo credit: Heather Peters

ACIM Workbook Lesson #253

“My Self is ruler of the universe.

For today’s topic to make sense, we must differentiate between self and Self. The self perceives things in an illusory way, colored by beliefs and propaganda left over from our education and mass media. It may be difficult for us to believe that we want the drama we sometimes seem to experience, but it’s part of the ego’s dream of specialness, and it’s something we don’t even realize we’re doing. The Self, with a capital S, is the One Self, of which we are an inseparable, even integral, reflection. I’m not sure the change from self to Self realization can be made by a simple decision. To live as a creation of divine Mind requires an overwhelming desire to do so, along with yielding to Love at every moment. I had a dear friend who insisted on believing that vehemently declaring spiritual truths, closing her eyes and almost yelling, was the way to change thought and live as the experience of God. Watching her was a wake-up call to me (one of many!) and this journey of realization is unfolding even as I write these words. What a trip!

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." Science & Health Page 588:11-15

True Identity

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252

“The Son of God is my Identity."

A well-known quote tells us we are not afraid of our inadequacies but, on the contrary, of our greatness. Looking at ourselves as a creation of divine Love may be frightening at first, but once our belief systems and histories -- which we have accepted as truth -- begin to fall away, our true identity as Spirit, as Love, as Mind, becomes more easily seen and accepted. Today, in my waking dream, I will nurture glimpses of this real identity, as it appears from within mySelf. I will listen with the calm of quiet certainty, allowing exalted thought to lead me in each loving action, from which I will catch sight of my true Identity and joyfully expect to see more!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love." Science & Health Page 472:20-22

Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.”

Infinite Possibilities!

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIs Workbook Lesson #251

“I am in need of nothing but the truth."

Ask a group of people “What is truth?” and you will receive as many answers as there are people asked, don’t you think? You’ll hear talk of “my truth” and “your truth”, but hardly ever does Truth with a capital “T” come into the conversation. I’m beginning to understand that Truth is always unfolding as individual intuition and inspiration. This Truth doesn’t stand still in one spot and ask to be defined. It’s not opinion or belief, but rather the ideas heard within ourselves when listening for divine Mind which is the source of all. Leaving behind mortal mind’s ego definitions of the truth of our being opens the door to infinite possibilities! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 453:12-13

Adventures Unlimited

"Mongolia" photo credit, Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #250

“Let me not see myself as limited." 

Thinking of ourselves as unlimited contradicts everything we've been taught. From our first steps, we're told to be careful or else something dire will happen. Quantum physics is helping us to understand that form isn't as solid as we've always believed. With that understanding, it becomes clear that many limitations we've placed upon ourselves are nothing more than beliefs in material laws. Limitations are set aside when an athlete breaks a record in the Olympics, or if someone performs a seemingly-impossible feat like lifting a car off of a trapped loved one. We've all heard people tell tales we think of as supernatural, such as falling great distances and feeling as though they landed on a cushion, or so-called incurable diseases disappearing. I'm not suggesting we exchange one human belief for yet another, but that we look to divine Mind to tell us the truth of our being and that we allow ourselves to be led in paths we wouldn't have considered otherwise. Thought is shifting so rapidly at this time! Let's not be afraid to listen.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “A mortal, corporeal, or finite conception of God cannot embrace the glories of limitless, incorporeal Life and Love. Hence the unsatisfied human craving for something better, higher, holier, than is afforded by a material belief in a physical God and man.” Science & Health Page 258: 1-6

Bathed in Beauty and Light

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249

“Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

I remember a time when so-called new age thought was not often spoken of in the media or anywhere other than the privacy of our homes. Now these new-old ideas are seen and heard everywhere. Every day we are witness to more proof that this shift in consciousness is happening now -- and we're talking about it! Thanks, Oprah! Even when these ideas are fictionalized, as in best-selling novels such as "The Lost Symbol", the possibilities presented are easily translated into plausible realities. This shift in consciousness allows us to naturally embrace peace and harmony, and we each support this realization in our own individual way. Every instance of pure peace we feel, each yielding of our personal sense to spiritual sense, brings us closer to living Love, which is where we always have been, but we've forgotten. We are all needed at this time, to calm the tumultuous collective thought which fights the idea of such freedom!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light."

Science & Health Page 516:9-13

Freedom Through Truth

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

"Whatever suffers is not part of me" could possibly be taken as an unfeeling, heartless statement. I see it as an expression of pure Love which allows us to pass through illusions into the reality of good, God. The death of a loved one is difficult in many ways, but I think the myths we have concocted surrounding this passage may do more harm than good. We tell children they'll see grandma in heaven. We say things like, God took her to be with him because she was so good. These words are spoken in the name of kindness. As we begin to understand divine reality, we are released from the stories we tell ourselves in favor of the Truth which sets us free! I'll always remember reading the book, "Beloved Prophet", which is the story of Kahlil Gibran and the woman who loved him. She sat at his funeral with a peaceful smile on her face, and when asked asked why she wasn't upset, she responded that she had never felt closer to him. What a lovely realization of Oneness and eternity!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"It was the divine law of Life and Love, unfolding to me the demonstrable fact that matter possesses neither sensation nor life; that human experiences show the falsity of all material things; and that immortal cravings, “the price of learning love,” establish the truism that the only sufferer is mortal mind, for the divine Mind cannot suffer."

Science & Health Page 108:5-11

Forgive and Live!

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #247

“Without forgiveness I will still be blind."

Do you have an incident from childhood which has stayed with you, perhaps even affecting the way you live today? I know someone who, as a young child, caught her mother in a compromising position with a man other than her father. She refuses to marry. I know a man who found his father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. His whole life is a series of dramatic events which he blames on that incident. I'm sure you know many stories, too. The Disappearance of the Universe, a book by Gary Renard, speaks to these events such as these, and more. When we let go of beliefs, we can turn loose our history, too. I love hearing stories of people who live through horrendous-seeming events and remain not only happy but proactive. This thing we call forgiveness isn't some sort of divine pardon, but a yielding within ourselves to purity of thought, without the impediments of holding on to memories of wrongdoing, resentment, and pain of all sorts. This yielding includes the release of things which we think have been done to us and things we think we have done to others. So let's choose again, rest in Love, and go forward, with joy!

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “As the crude footprints of the past disappear from the dissolving paths of the present, we shall better understand the Science which governs these changes, and shall plant our feet on firmer ground.”  Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 223:4-7

Protected by Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #246

“To love my Father is to love His Son."

"Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you." This Mary Baker Eddy quote is one of my favorites, which I've always thought of as meaning that the human hatred others feel cannot reach me when I'm wearing the armor of divine Love. I now see that it includes the hatred I may feel toward others, also. It's very easy for me to think that I don't hate anyone or anything. Actually, it's a word I have pruned from my vocabulary and simply do not use. BUT if I am irritated by another's actions or words, or if I replay a past situation in my mind which caused anger in the past, or if I allow criticism to gnaw at me and I think of retaliatory statements which could have been said -- isn't that human hatred? Wearing this cloak of Love calms these nagging feelings and thoughts. I know that if I'm wearing the protection of Love, hatred cannot enter from inside or out!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As a drop of water is one with the ocean, a ray of light one with the sun, even so God and man, Father and son, are one in being.”  Science & Health Page 361:16-18

A Peaceful Mind

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #245

“Your peace is with me, Father.  I am safe."

Although I know that peace is a choice within my own self, I want to share it with everyone, everywhere. It has taken quite a while to grasp the concept that the only thought I can change is my own! After years of trying to change loved ones, I think it was my children who finally taught me the meaning of Oneness. They showed me this as I watched the household mood change its tone along with my emotions. Holding to peace within myself is all I can do — and that’s a lot! Jumping on the bandwagon of resentment or other negative emotions can seem impossible to avoid, but it’s possible to simply witness these things without becoming a part of them. While I can't change what anyone else is thinking or feeling or experiencing, I can adjust my vision of reality. Every thought is important! We’re all in this together, in every way, at every moment. And so today I will make an effort to see through the eyes of Love, excluding nothing, no matter what!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 264:24-27