Redefining Times

Thailand
photo credit: Aaron Springston

The same internet which spreads misinformation and fear is a wonderful place to find peace, joy, and spiritual guidance in these days of uncertainty. After my morning meditation and reading, I like to be reassured by my favorite seers that there are others holding the light and encouraging us all to do the same. Today I spent some time with Jack Kornfield and his two-part talk entitled "A Steady Heart in Time of Coronavirus". He tells stories to reinforce his point and I found them stirring, yet profoundly peaceful. One statement he made is that the solidarity the world is exhibiting at this time is like nothing we have ever seen before. Thanks once again to the internet and mass communication we know what others are doing in every part of the world. I appreciate everyone who is giving us daily spiritual direction, including all the local ministers who are speaking directly to us from their homes and empty churches. Blake Lasater alway moves me with his pointed honesty, and Father Joseph Archibong retains his humor on his Facebook Live Feeds, giving his parishioners a buoy to grab onto when they are frightened. This week I begin playing for a recorded message from Presbyterian Pastor John Gibson and am looking forward to hearing his perspective. From late night TV hosts to Sunday morning preachers in small towns, everyone is doing their best to translate this new experience into words which will lift us above the lies and confusion. Thank you each and every one. Namaste...

"Men and women of all climes and races are still in bondage to material sense, ignorant how to obtain their freedom. The rights of man were vindicated in a single section and on the lowest plane of human life, when African slavery was abolished in our land. That was only prophetic of further steps towards the banishment of a world-wide slavery, found on higher planes of existence and under more subtle and depraving forms." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:29

Wandering Thoughts

[images from hippie peace freaks
facebook page]

It's almost May Day. I love all the romantic and pagan lore associated with this day, and have fond memories of celebrations in grade school. But somewhere in the back of my mind it's all mixed up with "ashes, ashes, all fall down", and then my thoughts go to pandemics. Holy cow, is no thought safe from this?? When I stop and ponder it, I suppose it's similar to seeing pregnant women everywhere when you're pregnant, or everyone has a white Honda Odyssey when you first buy one, or ... Well, you get the point. In writing that, I'm reminded of going into a local graphics place years ago. The woman working there told me that her twin sister was going into surgery that day and she always felt what her sister felt, so she was worried about feeling bad. I suggested to her that perhaps she could share feel-good feelings with her sister, rather than the other way around. She liked that very much, and we talked about ways to make that happen. So as my mind wanders thither and yon, I'm going to try to contain it and keep on the sunny side, the sunny side of life. Grab your coat and get your hat --- oops, wandering mind again! Have a beautiful day, friends...

"We weep because others weep, we yawn because they yawn, and we have smallpox because others have it; but mortal mind, not matter, contains and carries the infection. When this mental contagion is understood, we shall be more careful of our mental conditions, and we shall avoid loquacious tattling about disease, as we would avoid advocating crime." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 153:25

This Wild and Precious Life

The gratitude I've felt today has been overwhelming. Every flower, cloud, and bird is exquisite. And then I opened up a magazine and saw this poem, which I share with you...

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

I don't know exactly what a

     prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention,

     how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down

     in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to

     stroll through

the fields,

which is what I've been doing all

     day.

Tell me, what else should I have

     done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and

     too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious

     life?

Social Distancing?

"Answering the Call"
group of Eureka folk supplying food

Today, we may tend to think of self-isolation as a new invention for these trying times. The word quarantine comes from the Latin word for 40, quadraginta. There are many references to 40-day periods in the Bible and other sacred texts, Jesus and Moses being the examples we are most familiar with. These times of isolation may be to protect ourselves and others, such as quarantining ships in harbors, but they can also be times in which moral and spiritual growth are experienced. In reading an article about these things, I discovered something I'd never heard about. There were people called anchorites who would be bricked up in a tiny room, with small windows to receive food and view the altar of the church. They would never go outside again, but they were not lonely because they were the spiritual centers of their communities. People would seek them out for advice and prayer. Our current phrase "social distancing" has an echo of those medieval times, with the term implying that even though we are distant, we are social. Even though we keep a distance from each other, it suggests that we are socially working together for the good of our communities and family. I'm glad to see more people helping those in need from their self-isolated position, acting like anchorites, rather than being on a quarantined plague ship. Thank you each and every one for bringing goodness to so many!

"It were better to be exposed to every plague on earth than to endure the cumulative effects of a guilty conscience. The abiding consciousness of wrongdoing tends to destroy the ability to do right." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 405:22

Embracing Anger

Bryce Canyon
photo credit: Aaron Springston

Recognizing anger in my heart, irritation in my mind, often brings shame. I have been listening to many of my favorite seers in my passage through these feelings. Thich Nhat Hanh tells me to embrace that anger. He relates a story of a woman in the kitchen, busily cooking dinner, when she hears her baby crying. She rushes to the infant, embraces it, and discovers why it is crying, transforming its anguish by finding out what is wrong, changing its diapers, calming its fears, meeting its needs. So, he tells us, by embracing our anger, we are able to look deeply at it, get insights into its cause, by which we are able to liberate our feelings and transform them into freedom. Once I am free, I no longer see myself as a victim and I am in a position to be a catalyst for positive change. What gratitude I feel towards this gentle man, leading me into paths of peace, reminding me to breathe consciously, integrating what I before thought of as separate. Namaste...

"The 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." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:12

Molly Ivins

I'm so pumped about a documentary we watched this evening, that it's all I can think of at the moment! Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins. I have always known her name, but never given her much thought. I wish I had paid attention all my life and maybe I'd be more like her. What a great thinker and truth-teller she was! The reviewer describes her as having "an anti-authoritarian sensibility trapped in an industry that usually strives to avoid offending or challenging anyone." A self-proclaimed liberal, she would go to the bars and drink with the conservatives, gaining insight for herself and respect from them when she could drink them under the table. Politicians were often flattered to be mentioned in a column of hers, even though she may be saying something similar to this: "Next time I tell you somebody from Texas should not be president of the United States, please listen." Part of her obituary read: "Ivins cultivated the voice of a folksy populist who derided those who she thought acted too big for their britches. She was rowdy and profane, but she could filet her opponents with droll precision." We need more people like her, straight talkers who are not afraid to speak truth. Recently I wished for another Mr. Rogers. Today I want Molly back!

"The question, 'What is Truth,' convulses the world. Many are ready to meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding, but more are blinded by their old illusions..." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 223:14

Calm and Exciting...

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Today has been achingly beautiful. The flowers, the rain, the earthy smells from the freshly-turned dirt, the birds singing, the cats playing hide and seek, the dogs smiling after walks, Kevin devising ways to keep the snow pea shoots reaching for the sun -- it's all just exquisite. Everything seems both calm and exciting, vibrating with the expectation of change, calm with gratitude. There is much to embrace during this time: some of it we're telling goodbye, other things are being integrated as a new part of us we seem to have forgotten. What's next? Let's stay calm and aware and see what happens!

"Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause, -- wait on God. Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and conception unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:9

Good People Trapped By Bad Ideas

photo credit: Richard Quick

Most of us have probably heard of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. It made headlines with its over-the-top condemnation of many groups of people. I won’t go into all that now, as you can do a search and find instances of their vitriol. I read an interview with one of its former members, Megan Phelps-Roper. She ran the church’s Twitter account until she broke from the church in 2012. One of the questions in the interview was: “How do you reconcile your love for family members still in the church while you no longer accept their beliefs?” She responded: “I believe that they are good people who have been trapped by bad ideas.” Wow. This is simply stated with the least condemnation possible, don’t you think? She goes on to say that it’s important to see these people as capable of change, because then there is hope. “We should be willing to reach out. Imagine what could happen if we kept reaching out to people like Westboro members? There’s so much power in seeing the possibility of change.” I said to someone today that we need to find ways to allow others to change their mind. It’s been thought of by many as a bad thing to change your way of thinking. But as this dear woman tells us: “If you look at who you were a year ago and aren’t somewhat embarrassed, you’re not growing as a person.” Happy expansion everyone!

"Here let a word be noticed which will be better understood hereafter -- chemicalization. By chemicalization I mean the process which mortal mind and body undergo in the change of belief from a material to a spiritual basis." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 168:30

Time Slows Down

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I’ve been sending a card or two every day to people I think would enjoy receiving them. This is not only to help the post office (which numerous folks tell me can’t be done), but to reach out to someone who may be in need of a smile. Today, I was getting ready to play bridge online with a group of people when I realized I had not written my daily card. I almost rushed to do so before the mail person came, but then I realized the error of my ways. If I’m going to mindlessly do it, just to be doing it, then I shouldn’t be doing it! With that perspective, I plan on writing a few tomorrow, mindfully. Following along in that vein, I read an article this evening about a mom who was concerned because her daughter was always checking to see what time it was. She seemed worried that she wouldn’t get enough sleep, that she didn’t have time to do everything she needed to do, and she was becoming more and more anxious. The mother suggested (during this time of isolation) that they give up clocks and sleep when they were sleepy, eat when they were hungry, and enjoy every moment of it. To their delight, they found that their days seem longer and they are enjoying everything more! Yet another grand truth discovered while slowing down...

“The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 584:4

We Need Mr. Rogers

Perhaps our moral compass in the United States went haywire when Mr. Rogers' soothing show was no longer on television. He taught us all how to just be nice, but it was more than that, don’t you think? I read an article about him which said his goal was to promote “self-esteem, self-control, imagination, creativity, curiosity, appreciation of diversity, cooperation, patience and persistence.” He taught us how to perform necessary tasks, such as tying our shoelaces; he informed us about things which enrich our lives, such as planting a garden. He never told children they were just as good as anyone else, or that they were infallible, but rather he taught us that we each have value, and that value isn’t tied to particular successes or failures. He encouraged children to go to school and listen to their teachers, humanizing educators by telling the young viewers that the teachers were once children, too. Mr. Rogers taught us to be mindfully aware, to enjoy the process, and to love our neighbors. What more do we need? I think we need another Mr. Rogers...

"Incorrect reasoning leads to practical error. The wrong thought should be arrested before it has a chance to manifest itself." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452:4

Noticing Solutions

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Too many things are jumping around in my brain this evening. It's time to sleep now and these thoughts could cause tossing and turning, so I'm going to think of the beautiful happenings I've seen today. A group of women I've been associated with for years have a group email going almost daily, telling each other of the events in our lives, sharing what we do to stay active and calm, and supporting each other when needed. A group of people in town provided almost 900 meals for local people this week, and my heart sings when I think of what they have done. I read a blog post from a local woman who now has two restaurants in Fayetteville, and it fills me with hope to hear her tell details of her days. The artists in town who are helping to support our animal shelter during this time when their thrift shops are not open and supplying funds, they bring a smile every time I see one of their renditions of someone's pet. People are giving of themselves and their talents everywhere, we need only notice to see the good. But as one of my favorite spiritual gurus tells us, we must Wake Up, Stand up, Rise Up, and SHOW UP! So don't be afraid of those worries buzzing around you, but rather know there are solutions and it's our job to notice what they are and help them to be implemented. As I've said before: We can do this!

"Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessing. Truthworthiness is the foundation of enlightened faith." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 15:26

Undeniable Awakening Occurring

Marianne Williamson said exactly what I'd like to say. So here it is, my Friends!

"My friend Susan sent me this picture today. She said that in the midst of all the sadness her new granddaughter was born, and her peonies began to bloom a few days before Easter. I almost cried at the reminder. Children continue to be born, people continue to love each other, and flowers continue to bloom. In the midst of the pandemic, with all its grief and horror, it seems to me there’s an undeniable awakening occurring. In the silence, in the realizations, even in the tears, there are gifts of knowledge and wisdom and depth and understanding. When this ends, whenever it ends, the sky is going to be bluer and the light is going to sparkle more and we will emerge as a more grateful and more humble people. Some will be grieving for years to come and it will be our task to comfort them. But our greatest task will be to make sure that those who died did not die in vain; that what we learned from this pandemic was to do life differently, for our country and for the world." Marianne Williamson

We Can Do This

The documentary, A Simpler Way — Crisis as Opportunity, was made in 2016 and takes us through the simple ways people have made tiny homes, shared gardens, and are finding innovative ways to live happily in a world which often seems to be hurtling towards disaster. They said this lifestyle is not about being self-sufficient but, rather, community-sufficient. You may live on a city lot and are able to grow all the vegetables you need by turning your yard into a garden (explained in detail by Joan Dye Gussow in This Organic Life - Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader), and your friend may have enough land to raise goats, another friend has a flock of chickens — well, you get the picture. We’re all in this together. It’s way past time to utilize our talents to supply our families and friends with what they need, and in return receive what we need. As we have learned in these studies: to give is to receive; to receive is to give. Perhaps when we can’t go to the big box stores an hour away, we’ll turn to our neighborhood stores to purchase what we need. Rather than get our salad fixings washed in bleach and sold in plastic containers, we’ll look to our local farmers who have built wind tunnels to grow these tender greens all year long. A friend tells me that Home Depot in Rogers had people lined up around the building, because they were only allowing 75 people in at a time. My goodness. Let’s ask ourselves if we really need to do things the way we’ve been doing them. It’s difficult to make shifts and release old habits, but it’s time for a new normal, don’t you think? We can do this.

"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..." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 276

Flying Low

A Better Tomorrow

Thailand - Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

People are starting to think this isolation thing may be more than temporary, and it's a difficult possibility to face. I've heard from a number of friends who are feeling sad, lonely, depressed -- they are mourning the loss of their beloved way of life. As am I. But I keep hearing about people being beautifully honest about happenings, and it lifts my spirits thinking that this phase is simply a necessary step in our universal awakening. One local minister is openly defying pastors who are telling their flock to come to church, no matter what. He tells them the purpose of the church is to serve the community, and they can do that in ways which do not involve congregating together for reasons which may well be self-serving. Numerous businesses are finding ways to keep their employees and customers safe, while supplying our needs. Our local "health food store" has developed a comprehensive online shopping cart which allows us to order and pay online, and schedule a curbside pickup time. This market, and our other two food outlets, are being innovative in ways which would never have happened without this crisis. I love how we are all contacting people we haven't heard from in years, reconnecting and checking to see if they're all right. I'm still feeling warm and fuzzy after hearing from an old friend from my Fayetteville days, more than 40 years ago. Yes, this time is tough to bear in many ways, but as with everything else in life, we can look at it as scary and stressful, or full of expectations for a better tomorrow!

"When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress. The struggle for Truth makes one strong instead of weak, resting instead of wearying one." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 426:8

Unfolding Unity and Reality of Good

Metaphorically, it seems the chaff is being separated from the wheat in many ways. This photo shows the old-fashioned way of throwing wheat up into the air to get the chaff to fly away into its useless state. It has served its purpose, protecting the wheat berry, and now it's time to leave. In this time of isolation from the activities we are accustomed to participating in, we are finding out what is truly necessary and what was only filling our time with busy-ness. I have some friends who are noticing butterflies for the first time! Stop and smell the roses, right? How many of us didn't slow down and notice our surroundings before we were forced into it? In the political world (and what isn't political??), we are seeing lying and cheating being separated from facts and ethical actions. It's painful to recognize that our long-held beliefs may not only be erroneous, but that this recognition is going to rock our world, changing everything we held as gospel and throwing the chaff to the wind. I could go on and on thinking up examples of this, but I'd rather you tell me. What have you noticed in the world around you? Happy threshing!

"From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind and matter and the mingling of good and evil have resulted from the philosophy of the serpent. Jesus' demonstrations sift the chaff from the wheat, and unfold the unity and the reality of good, the unreality, the nothingness, of evil." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 269:9

Universal Understanding

Gates and Buffet playing duplicate bridge

I’ve been thinking about things we do which are universally understood. Music: no matter what language you speak, people who read music can sit down and play together in perfect harmony. Mathematics: I’m not much of an expert at this science, but math is the same no matter where you are. The extent I understand it has to do with 52 cards, dealt out in the form of bridge hands. Having never played bridge online with actual people, a whole new world has opened to me with this forced isolation we are experiencing. As long as we had ten duplicate bridge games a month at local clubs, it was never brought to my attention that the world of online bridge was vibrant, thriving, and free! At any hour of the day or night, I can log on and play a single hand or more, enjoying the universal language of bridge bidding as we try to get to the best contract. Or as defenders, it does not matter if my partner is from Armenia or Argentina, there are universal laws which pertain to this fascinating game. I would encourage all parents to teach their children things which can never be fully conquered. My love of bridge, the study and practice of spirituality, along with the desire to become a more proficient pianist, these things are a never ending source of enjoyment during these interesting times. I am grateful to have activities which will always keep me striving to grow in understanding. These things I mention can be enjoyed at any level, so it's never too late to start!

"Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 13:2

Being True to Ourselves

photo credit: Aaron Springston

This season of renewal seems so pertinent to our daily life in this age of pandemic. A change of thought is looming and is also being resisted. The words our friend, Jim Young, sent out on Easter, bear repeating, whether you've already read them or if they're new to you here. 

"Easter as a metaphor:

As a metaphor, Easter can be thought of as nailing our hidden guilt and shame, outmoded beliefs and opinions, regrets and fanciful desires on the cross of self-forgiveness—rising to begin life anew. Especially in these times of the coronavirus—but always—each new day can begin this way, freeing us from a mental, emotional and physical load that traps us in ego consciousness, manifesting as a world of seeming difference and separation.

Life is not about seeking to gain something we feel we’re not or have not. Life is about peeling away what we’ve taken on as the truth about life and our part in it, so we can instead reveal and express our innate essence Being—living true to our Self—united as one. This is where inner peace and the expression of authentic love begin and end.

NAMASTE!

Jim"

"The necessity for uplifting the race is father to the fact that Mind can do it; for Mind can impart purity instead of impurity, strength instead of weakness, and health instead of disease. Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it 'every whit whole.'" Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 371

Peace, Be Still...

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Just when I think anger will never flare within me again, it does! My first reaction is always self-righteous: I'm right; you're not. And examining the seeming motive for my anger usually brings about more self-righteous thought. So I've found the only escape is by replacing the anger with the Love which is our only true nature as the image and likeness of God. If self-justifying thoughts persist, they are replaced again with the Truth of our being. This process may take a while because mortal mind, ego, insists that it is justified in this action. But when we know it is not, the process becomes more natural to us. And if anger is not replaced, it can mutate into many forms, all erroneous.  In thinking about a number of acquaintances who have committed suicide in the last few years, it seems we become stuck in feelings, thinking there is no way out. Mrs. Eddy posits that we will be surprised when we die and find out we're not dead. Salvation must be worked out here or hereafter. I remember this in times of sadness or turmoil. There is no escape other than through an understanding that we are a reflection of God, good, and that everything else is unreal. By bringing thought back to this truth time and again, we begin to see the veracity of it and the falsity of any other way of seeing this experience. Our inner peace cannot be taken away, even if joy seems to have disappeared!

“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 Page 264:24-27

Happy Easter!

Easter Message, 1902, from Mary Baker Eddy.

"May this glad Easter morn find the members of this dear church having a pure peace, a fresh joy, a clear vision of heaven here -- heaven within us -- and an awakened sense of the risen Christ. May long lines of light span the horizon of their hope and brighten their faith with a dawn that known no  twilight and no night." 

"Through all the disciples experienced, they became more spiritual and understood better what the Master had taught. His resurrection was also their resurrection. It helped them to raise themselves and others from spiritual dullness and blind belief in God into the perception of infinite possibilities." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 34:18

Cleaning Up Our Heart and Earth

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Does anyone else feel as though they're in a sort of limbo? On the one hand, we are finding out how little we actually need and what is truly important to us. On the other hand, many are suffering because of lack of income to handle the necessities of life. I'd love for the outcome of our quarantine to be a universal acceptance of free power from the sun and wind, more entertainment supplied by nature her-own-self,  and happy connections with our family and neighbors. I'd like to see people playing bridge and pinochle at the kitchen table after dinner together, going for long walks with their dogs, reading to each other, relaxing into being rather than always doing. Wouldn't it be perfect to barter our services within communities? Wouldn't it be great to have neighborhood markets and bakeries and shoe stores like in the olden days? I want our kids to be safe walking to school, where learning is a joy and they wake up every morning excited about going. What if we all worked at something we enjoyed, something which benefited our communities, things which brought satisfaction to our soul? What kind of world could we have if everyone was present in the moment, noticing the needs of others and our planet? We wouldn't need to eat animals at every meal, and could raise them in such a way as to not pollute our hearts and earth. We've strayed from what is important, but we can find it again. We must help each other or we'll never make it back to the garden. Nothing is more outlandish than the way we, as a society, are living right now. There are models of sustainable living all around us. Let's bring it into existence for us all!

"RESURRECTION: Spiritualization of thought, a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence, material belief yielding to spiritual understanding." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 593:9

A Quotation

This quote has haunted me all day. I leave it here.

photo credit: Aaron Springston

“There is no question Baghdad is a remarkable city, but no beauty on earth lasts forever. Cities are erected on spiritual columns. Like giant mirrors, they reflect the hearts of their residents. If those hearts darken and lose faith, cities will lose their glamour. It happens, and it happens all the time.” The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak 

Helping Each Other

United Methodists of Eureka Springs
photo credit: Richard Quick

According to Gallup polls, almost 20% of Americans say their faith or spirituality has gotten "better" as a result of our current pandemic. Apparently this is occurring worldwide, as witnessed by people in England putting signs outside their homes asking prayers for Boris Johnson. This hints at a spiritual revival, as it shows concern for the weakest during this health crisis, no matter what their station in life. It is a common religious cause to look after the desolate, the poor, the weak. Wealthy countries are showing this desire by helping poor countries fight this virus, if for no reason other than to stop a global economic collapse. Here in Eureka Springs, we have our wonderful Methodists rising to help the "least, the last, and the lost", as they word it on their website. During this time of quarantine, they have been delivering meals to people in need. They have partnered with Ben E. Keith and local restaurants to make up frozen dinners (that look pretty darned good!) for people, so they do not have to go to the grocery store and possibly expose themselves to something their bodies could not bear. Their service started out delivering 7 frozen meals to 60 people, once a week, made possible by a $10,000 grant. With the help of local donations, including the Rotary Club, this number has increased to 120! I am so happy to know the people who make this possible. In a day and age when churches get a bad rap for so many legitimate reasons, it's inspiring to see church members walking the talk, opening their hearts to everyone, and putting their efforts toward this most worthy cause. Thank you, Blake Lasater and the United Methodist Church of Eureka Springs! 

"Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. " Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 454:18

Inspired Thought

photo credit: Aaron Springston

The sunshine today was nice. I took a walk in the cemetery and spent some time just breathing and thinking loving thoughts about everyone I know. It's easy to fall into a blame game with everything as topsy-turvy as it is. But, actually, the fault has been happening for a long, long time. We've been thinking if we're financially stable, everything is alright. Someone said that to me today, that the tragedy of this situation is that people will have no money. Well, I must agree -- as long as our world is set up the way it is. When I ended up in the hospital a few years ago, I discovered that if you were poor enough, everything was covered by what is known as Obamacare. I was grateful, and still am. But it showed me that it doesn't pay to work hard at minimum wage because you might make too much money and have to pay exorbitant amounts to the medical machine we call health care. I have gone on this rant for a reason: the world must change. We're doing too many things the wrong way. There are alternatives and it's time we shout from the rooftops that we want these changes! Progressive thinking encompasses everything, not just politics and religion. But that's a darned good place to start!

"The true history of the universe, including man is not in material history but in spiritual development. Inspired thought relinquishes a material, sensual, and mortal theory of the universe, and adopts the spiritual and immortal." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 547

A Novel of Rumi

[image taken from internet; no photo credit available]

I’m reading The Forty Rules of Love by Elia Shafak, which is described as “a novel of Rumi". It’s a very enjoyable read with many pearls of wisdom, such as this: “You say you are ready to deliver all your knowledge to another person. You want to hold the Truth in your palm as if it were a precious pear and offer it to someone special. But opening up someone’s heart to spiritual light is no small task for a human being. You’re stealing God’s thunder.” This comes to me at the perfect time, as I’m itching to open up everyone’s heart to spiritual light — as you probably are, too! I sat on the front porch this evening, giving myself over to the moon and its light. This quote from the book kept returning to my mind, and I fully understood how true it is. Since we are each the reflection, the image and likeness of God, only we, individually, can recognize that spiritual light, that God-ness within, and allow it to flow out. What blesses one blesses all. I truly believe that. I can only have this recognition within, but that’s all it takes! Namaste, dear Friends...

“In the Science of Mind, you will soon ascertain that error cannot destroy error. You will also learn that in Science there is no transfer of evil suggestions from one mortal to another, for there is but one Mind, and this ever-present omnipotent Mind is reflected by man and governs the entire universe. You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 495:31-8

Activity in Solitude

photo credit: Jim Young

Music to calm anxiety, videos on making a victory garden, demonstrations on how to make face masks, children's games, spiritual talks and meditations, movies from the olden days, "specials" from the early days of television, music concerts of all kinds  -- For those of us fortunate enough to have a high speed internet connection, the world is our oyster! I spoke with a 94-year-old woman today, whom I know from duplicate bridge and she also sings with the Catholic choir. She doesn't "do" computers and so there she sits. Usually she plays bridge three times a week and goes to church and choir practice, rounding out her social life and keeping her active and her mind young. I love her! What I would give to take her an iPad and be able to sit with her and teach her to use it, then she could play bridge with her friends. She would be enthralled with the world she could see. She has a son in Rogers, so he will be bringing Easter dinner to her house next Sunday. There is so much activity for those of us who are sedentary, and computer fans. I've thought all day about something to bring mental stimulus to my friend. I wonder what she would think of Sudoku? Next time I go out for supplies, think I'll look for a book of them! 

“We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.” ― Hermann Hesse

The Salvation of Love

judyclementwall.com 

Our world is grieving. We all are, don't you think? There's the regular kind of grief, such as sadness brought on by being separated from loved ones and being isolated from activities. Then there's the existential grief. One of its definitions states: "despair felt in response to intangible losses, such as the loss of connection with a sense of place, or community." There is so much angst we take on from the state of our world.  The political, environmental, economic, contagion-related state of affairs is frightening. When this is combined with the anxiety we feel because we don't know what tomorrow will bring, then we have a soup ready-made to bring on withdrawals in the control freaks (who are beginning to understand they never really had this thing called control), and an overdose in those who have never slowed down enough to know what they really need. I surprised myself the other day when I said to someone, Buckle up, Buttercup; it's gonna be a wild ride! I don't mean to make light of this. It's a very serious situation, in which people are dying -- either directly from the virus or as collateral damage from the circumstance. I see my friends who have been living in a zen-like manner for decades, and no matter what discipline they are practicing, this is not much of a change for them. They're used to living in the moment, dealing with changes as they come up, shifting perspectives as needed, and listening for inner guidance to maneuver the obstacles which inevitably show up. But even the most calm of us are having to look at the inner turmoil which bubbles up from time to time. When we become frightened, let's be willing to ask for help. We're in this together, friends. We can help each other in ways we never dreamed we'd be doing. Let's not be afraid to accept assistance when it's offered in its many forms. To give is to receive, and to receive is to give. Oh yes -- and don't be afraid to grieve.

"The miracle of grace is no miracle to Love. Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 494:15

Love, Actually...

My niece in Michigan works at a hospital and is getting ready to be "deployed". She will be put up in a hotel while she will be working or on call constantly. Hearing her talk about being away from her babies and home, perhaps for weeks, has caused me to consider the large groups of workers who are undergoing the same heartbreak. Separation from loved ones is the most difficult part of this pandemic, and to be away from your children, working past the point of exhaustion -- well, my prayers and loving energy goes out to you all. I sat in the kitchen tonight and felt an all-encompassing Love moving through me and out again. I saw it going to wherever it is needed. God IS Love, and that Love is eternally omnipresent. We don't need to manufacture it, but simply feel it and let it take root and grow. This light work is important. I know you know that... 

"It is proverbial that Florence Nightingale, and other philanthropists engaged in humane labors, have been able to undergo without sinking fatigues and exposures that which ordinary people could not endure. The explanation lies in the support which they derived from the divine law, rising above the human. The spiritual demand, quelling the material, supplies energy and endurance surpassing all other aids, and forestalls the penalty which our beliefs would attach to our best deeds." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 385

Curiouser and Curiouser

Things just get "curiouser and curiouser", said Lewis Carroll, through his most adventurous character, Alice. I'm sure everyone feels this to some degree, because every day brings more confused thought, deep sadness, pity, unabashed joy, clarity of purpose. This is some ride we're on, don't you think? The rollercoaster of emotions mentioned come from many sources. I'm confused because some people think it's fine to go out to dinner in the nearby city, to do shopping, and have a day out. I am deeply sad because one of our artists, one who is a big player in the heart and soul of Eureka Springs, decided it was time to fly away. And so she did. The pity I've felt today is toward an old friend who has no one closeby, yet wants companionship desperately. I am joyful because I love my family and home. This gratitude runs through me like a favorite song replaying in my head. It seems we are all either embracing or running away from our purpose. These things I ponder, while questioning my own motives and trying not to judge others. Whew! Sending you a moment of peace, wishing you a night of deep sleep, and the humor and strength to carry on tomorrow. 

"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." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:18

Good Things

Yellowstone National Park
Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

My favorite weekly news magazine has a section entitled "Points of Progress", in which we are told of good things happening all over the world. Here are a few: Colombia is granting work permits to migrants. They have almost 2 million Venezuelans seeking refuge there and this is a big deal for them. Britain's carbon tax, which is a levy on carbon dioxide emissions, has helped the country to lower its reliance on coal-generated electricity from 40% to 3%, since its introduction in 2013. France will ban controversial practices in its poultry and hog raising sectors. I won't go into details on these practices, as I'm bringing good news today! So let's just say that Switzerland and Germany plan to follow France's lead. South Africa has overturned a law which gives black women's husbands total control over matrimonial assets. This law will benefit almost half-a-million women. And here in the United States, 25 years after 14 gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park, there is solid proof that restoring the balance which was missing in their ecosystem is allowing many good things to happen. These changes are milestones on the road to compassion for humanity and environmental stability. Let's notice points of progress in our own communities and give shout-outs when we see them!

"Spiritual causation is the one question to be considered, for more than all others spiritual causation relates to human progress. The age seems ready to approach this subject, to ponder somewhat the supremacy of Spirit, and at least to touch the hem of Truth's garment." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 170