Unified Handholding

PC: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #274 “Today belongs to love. Let me not fear.”

A friend has come up with a wonderful idea by which our country can show unity. He says we all share the same feelings, hopes, and dreams. We decided the biggest protest in the world can be love, and the biggest show of love is affection, and the biggest show of affection is holding each others hands. So we have decided to start a movement — a hand-holding movement by which to express our unity and show our common goal of good for all. We hope to spread this idea from coast to coast, holding my hand, your hand, everyone’s hands. On October 21, 2017, this demonstration will take place. If you can’t get out and hold hands, do it mentally and/or by social media. More information may be found on my Facebook page!

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

Peaceful Exalted Thought

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #273

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

We have many experiences which bring tastew of the stillness of the peace of God. I love the quiet moments watching a sunset, or sitting in the woods listening to its sounds, or that sublime moment when slipping quietly to sleep. Recently a friend asked me to listen to and give an opinion on a CD having to do with alien beings controlling our actions on the planet Earth. Although much of what was said could be considered rhetoric of the conspiracy-theory crowd, the main theme was the Principle we are studying and hearing from various avenues. This Truth involves turning away from the illusion and seeing reality. While the woman on this recording was telling us that lizard people were controlling our actions, she also advised to not be frightened or give it too much importance, but to focus on Love and see through any supposed power these creatures may have. What a wonderful metaphor! It certainly is no more outlandish than the Adam and Eve story or any other legend meant to show us the difference between the illusion and the Truth. And so as I go through this day hearing all the insanity, I know it can only disturb my tranquility if I give it more power in thought than I give the stillness of 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 with Key to the Scriptures Page 506:11-14

Higher Enjoyments

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Miracles Lesson #272

“How can illusions satisfy God's Son?”

Often we think something is bringing us satisfaction. It's the stuff of classic songs and movies. From prospective soul mates to the dreamed-of perfect surroundings, we're compelled to keep searching for the completeness we feel we do not have. And there are moments we think we've found it, but a circumstance can change and we're back where we started. I have a friend who refers to this as "filling up the God hole". He says that's why he drinks and smokes and flits from woman to woman, trying to fill that emptiness. And even though it's recognized for what it is, he finds it too hard to turn within for the fulfillment he so relentlessly seeks. I see this in myself, too: the unwillingness to let go of illusions and dreams which block the entry of higher ideals. To paraphrase a Bible verse, That which I don't want, I do; that which I do want, I don't. Today I'm forgetting what I don't want and holding thought to what I do!

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

Knocking at the Portal of Humanity

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #271

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

Are we finally ready for truth? I've heard it said that we, as a human race, can’t stand to hear Truth. This is said about everything from extraterrestrial life to religious doctrine, but I think we are ready to hear it! People say if truth were known about everything, society would break down. It seems to me this 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 feeling we’re being lied to on many levels. 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 may 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

Vision and Insight

created by Sandy Wythawai Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #270

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

During these times of shifting thought, many of us are frightened by the feelings and insights we are having. I love my interactions with artists, and one of the reasons is because they fearlessly allow multi-dimensional energy into their experience. By the act of looking upon their palpably loving works of Art, I am guided to other ways of seeing. Their artistic expressions take me past the obvious into the ethereal. Every instance of this "seeing through the veil" brings us closer to our goal of seeing this way all the time. Slipping into the silence between thoughts, seeing past the obvious, listening within -- all this and more seeks our awareness. Listen, See, Be.

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

One Sight

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #269 “My sight goes forth to look upon Christ's face.”

As we begin to understand our Oneness as the expression and experience of God, we realize that every time we look in the mirror, or greet a friend or stranger, we're seeing the face of Christ. Jesus was here to teach us many things, but it all boils down to Oneness. We are all the children of God. What a beautiful day it is, seeing everyone in this light! Everywhere we are witnessing people being inclusive, rather than focusing on their differences while watching them multiply. I'm very happy for this lesson today, at a time when so many seem to want things from life which have nothing to do with peace. I vow to see the face of Oneness in everyone 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.”

What if everything which bothered us didn’t? What would life be like if we “let things be exactly as they are”, in Truth, without the interpretations we have given them? This thought shift may seem impossible at times, but we are learning it is an easy transition when we decide to release our specialness. By forgetting all beliefs of creation, whatever they may be, we can let all things be exactly as they are. When we give up our specialness and return to Love, we can see how things are, rather than how we think they are. Each one of these workbook lessons is a step toward freedom! 

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 Page: 563: 1-3

The Peace of Divine Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #267 “My heart is beating in the peace of God"

My son and I were watching the finals of America’s Got Talent. At one point he said, “This has been a tough year”. I immediately agreed and began listing why I thought it had been difficult. After three or four reasons, I burst into tears and left the room to blow my nose. When I returned, he apologized and told me he had been referring to the television program having tough competition this year. This broke the spell of my tangled thoughts and we both laughed. As I read the current Course in Miracles lesson, I am grateful for the ability to feel the peace of divine Love. 

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 Dawn of Ideas

ACIM Workbook Lesson #266 “My holy Self abides in you, God's Son.”

Today’s ACIM workbook lesson ends by saying — and I paraphrase — that we have been given a world full of saviors, and we have been given the sight to understand what that means. When someone misinterprets our motives, or our acts, it seems natural to try to set them straight. I just finished doing something like this. I wasn’t trying to change his mind, only attempting to correct what I saw as his misinterpretation. This was a perfect example of what I do not want to do. Rather than hearing the words as a cry for love, I saw them as an attack and attempted to turn the situation into what I wanted it to be. The result was not harmonious! But after reading today’s lesson, along with the following Mary Baker Eddy words, I am at peace. “Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Namastè…

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

Gentle Interactions

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

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 which 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

Need Not Love Appearance

ACIM Workbook Lesson #263

“My holy vision sees all things as pure.”

In the past, I would try to avoid those who have a tendency to rant and rave about the behavior of others. Now, although I do not seek out their company, I can listen to them and see beyond the appearance to the Truth. They may be berating their neighbor for some action or another, but I can see the call for Love and allow myself to say, “You may be right about that”, or something similar. I don’t need to agree or disagree, I do not need to correct their actions, but I do need to correct my perception. If they appear to be angry, I needn’t attempt to change that nor to love it, but I do need to change my thought and remember 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: “When we learn that error is not real, we shall be ready for progress, forgetting those things which are behind.” Science & Health Page 353:22-24

Mutual in Divine Love

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

Glorious Liberty

photo credit: Aaron Springston

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

Most people I know are getting rid of things they don’t need. We’re letting go of items which are cluttering up our house and material surroundings. More importantly, we're clearing out thoughts and beliefs which no longer are needed in our newfound perception of reality. As in our surroundings, we look through the accumulation of years and decide what to release and what to keep. Sometimes we keep more than we had planned, but with our mental clutter, there is very little which needs to stay. Just as we accumulate more and more books and music and all sorts of things, so we also accumulate erroneous thought. Isn't it just as easy to hold on to Truth as it is error? Now is the time to do just that!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs, crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and defaced the tablet of your being.” Science & Health Page 227:24-29

Ever-Appearing Creation

ACIM Workbook Lesson #260 “Let me remember God created me.”

I Am the experience and expression of God. We are learning what this means and it's a wonderful adventure! For too many years, high officials of churches have tried to tell us we are mortal sinners and the only way we can gain favor with God is to go through them, performing odd penances and other rituals which I feel certain have nothing to do with the Oneness we are embracing. God Is; I Am. There really isn't anything else to say, but yet there is so much! We have questions which seem unanswerable, but perhaps that's because we have been told there are many things we must simply accept because we can't understand. Through the study of divine metaphysics, we find there are no unanswerable questions. In this remembering, I see there are no dead ends where I must simply "believe", relying on blind faith alone. God is as close as I am to myself, and all answers lie within, available for the asking -- and, most importantly, for the listening! Remembering what is true leaves me with a wonderful peace. I am most grateful.

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

Forgiving Myself

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #259 “Let me remember that there is no sin.”

In these "remember" lessons, I have been making an effort to forgive myself the things I continue to feel guilty for and about. There are only a few, but they recur in thought like the moon making an orbit. Today while talking to a friend, she told me how it took her a long, long time to forgive someone who accused her of terrible things years ago. After we finished talking I wondered if we ever truly forgive as long as we remember the occurrence. I have a feeling that some day I won't remember these things I hold onto today, they will simply be gone from thought because God is "of purer eyes than to behold iniquity", and I'm a reflection of that perfection. 

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

Enlarged Individuality

ACIM Workbook Lesson #258 “Let me remember that my goal is God.”

Many of us have gone through life feeling that something is missing; that there's an empty place which can never be filled. When we discover that it's not something lacking in us, we get very excited! The mind training, which is spoken of in today's lesson, is not a system of mind control, it's not hypnotism or cult-like obedience -- on the contrary! We train our mind to recognize and release all the "senseless aims ... and pointless little goals" which have become life practices and learned behaviors. The insights and answers which appear in our lives through spiritual awareness are often thought of as serendipitous, which implies an element of luck. This is yet again something we have made up to explain the inexplicable. But spiritual sense needs no explanation! A mere glimpse through the eye of Spirit is enough to convince us of our true Identity.

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

Let Me Remember...

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, understanding these confusions as 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

A Return (?) to Love

photo credit: Chris Fischer

A Course in Miracles 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 of 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

Breaking Up Of Belief

St. Liz, Eureka Springs, AR
PC: Richard Quick

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #255

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

Having chosen to spend every day in perfect peace, it always surprises me when I don't! Those first thoughts in the morning are so important, and recently it seemed they had a mind of their own and I couldn't change what was going through my head. From planning busywork for the day, to judgmental nitpicking, to total inanities, that was all I could think. I would affirm what is true of spiritual man and then end up thinking what seems true of mortal man. It was exhausting! Midday a friend came over to visit and immediately said she'd never seen me look so bad and asked what was wrong. Apparently more was wrong than I'd been willing to admit, as it all poured out in response to her. And that broke the spell. The act of speaking what frightened me took the fear and confusion away. As I read the below quoted material, I wonder how many of us are feeling the same thing. Fear not! It is the breaking up of error!

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

Divine Mind's Voice

ACIM Workbook Lesson #254 “Let every voice but God's be still in me.”

"Let's set our intention for a good result!" These were the unexpected words I heard over the telephone while working with a tech person in a far-away country. At their best, these types of phone calls can be stressful, so I was particularly delighted to hear this! And it has stuck with me. I find this thought helpful while assimilating today's topic. Telling ourselves we want to still all voices other than divine Mind, but not really knowing what that is, can be confusing and perhaps frightening. So I choose to set the intention for a good result, without dictating what said result might be. This eternal, all-knowing Mind which I will listen for will show forth in Life, Truth, Love. I neither know how this will happen, nor do I want to. Trusting as the plants trust the sun to shine on them is my goal. I know nothing and everything. As nature flows, so may I!

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

One Self

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

Dream, Dream, Dream

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252 “The Son of God is my Identity."

Our true identity is so much more than we have imagined. In this time of shifting perception and actualized reality, we humbly and happily accept our identity as the child of God! To illustrate this awakening, let's take as a metaphor the act of falling asleep in our favorite chair. The coziness of it is hard to resist, and even though we may be engaged in something enjoyable, such as reading or writing, the lure of oblivion is strong. We may succumb to blissful sleep, which includes both sweet dreams and nightmares. Anything is possible in our dreams, so maybe this falling into sleep isn't only oblivion. Perhaps there's more to our dream state than we realize. Maybe it allows us to experience what seems impossible in daily living, and by it we realize the limitlessness of our true Selves. And so today I'm not going to worry if my waking dream of material existence seems fraught with limitations and unwanted beliefs, because I know these can be transformed in the "twinkling of an eye". My true Self with its shimmering, brilliant purity and limitless Love may seem like a dream, but I will look past mere belief to the depth of spiritual reality. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys." Science & Health Page 299: 7-12

Truth

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM 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 463:12-13

Rapidly Shifting Thought

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #250 “Let me not see myself as limited."

Thinking of ourselves as unlimited contradicts everything we've been taught. Many of our first memories are of being told to be careful or else something dire will happen. Quantum physics is helping us to understand form isn't as solid as we've been told. With that understanding, it becomes clear that many limitations we've placed upon ourselves are nothing more than beliefs in material laws. Limitations are discarded when an athlete breaks a record in the Olympics, or if someone performs a seemingly-impossible feat like lifting a car off of trapped loved ones. 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.  Now, 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 Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249 “Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

One reason I loved working with the public was the stories I would hear every day. There was a 68-year-old woman celebrating a first marriage to a man she had been friends with for 15 years. I once talked with a woman who was dying of cancer. She came in showing me her beautiful red shoes which she planned to wear to her impending chemotherapy (which she described as throwing a bucket of water at a forest fire). I remember a child-like middle-aged man who spent quite some time telling me about Sheldon on a TV show called The Big Bang Theory. I’ll never forget the woman who gave away her home and all her belongings to her children and moved to a remote area in the woods, riding and tending to horses and building a rustic cabin while living in a small make-shift abode. Her friends all thought she had lost her mind; I thought she had found it! People share the most astonishing things when we’re open to hearing them! It’s beautiful to laugh with those who do not fear death, to cry happy tears with a giddy newly-wed couple, to giggle at a man’s happy childish tales, and cheer on a woman brave enough to follow her dream!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light." Science & Health Page 516:9-13

The Reality of Love

photo credit: Chris Fischer

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

I am reminded of a family friend from long ago. She was a wonderful, spiritually-aware person who showed me the Truth of today's topic. Over the course of a year, her husband passed on, her daughter was in a car accident which left her in a coma for months before she died, and her house burned down. While I know she felt grief, I'm not sure there was despair. She always had a twinkle in her eye and a generous heart. When she herself passed on some 20 years later, I am told she went with a smile on her face. I often think of her. "Whatever suffers is not a part of me". This is not a heartless statement. It doesn't deny the feelings we have in favor of a hardness which excludes emotion. On the contrary! It's a pure Love which allows us to face hard times with a firm understanding of the beauty of Truth. After walking through the grief, we're free to see that nothing can touch our true Self or change the reality of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“A blundering dispatch, mistakenly announcing the death of a friend, occasions the same grief that the friend's real death would bring. You think that your anguish is occasioned by your loss. Another dispatch, correcting the mistake, heals your grief, and you learn that your suffering was merely the result of your belief. Thus it is with all sorrow, sickness, and death. You will learn at length that there is no cause for grief, and divine wisdom will then be understood. Error, not Truth, produces all the suffering on earth.”

 Science & Health Page 386:16-25

Sight Through Forgiveness

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #247 “Without forgiveness I will still be blind."

The sight which appears with forgiveness is our topic today. What we call forgiveness isn't some sort of divine pardon, but a yielding within ourselves to the purity of divine Mind, without the impediments of holding on to personal memories of wrongdoing, resentment, and pain which seems engrained within.  This yielding includes the release of things which we think have been done to us, and things we think we have done to others, along with things going on everywhere else. So let's choose again, rest in Love, and let it Be!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible.”

Science & Health Page 264:13-15

Love's Protection

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 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 also includes the hatred I may feel toward others. 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

Peace Within

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #245 “Your peace is with me, Father.  I am safe."

Although I know 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 difficult 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