Undoing Blame

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Upon hearing from an old acquaintance, my thought​s​ turned to a conflict of opinion we had years ago. All the grudges I had held, the blame apportioned, came flooding ​back. Then I stopped and wondered why it had ever mattered so much in the first place. My conclusion was that I had felt self-righteous in the situation. I had taken actions and words personally AND made assumptions about the reasons for her behavior. Now I look back and see that it just doesn't matter. Any hurt that I thought had been inflicted on me was nothing but my self-important response. Almost immediately I began to wonder if she thought badly of me. Then I realized that didn't really matter either. I'm not responsible for what anyone else thinks, only myself. As a good friend tells me time and again, it’s none of my business what anyone thinks about me! I'm happy to have released yet another perceived pain in favor of remembering the goodness of our true Selves!

"If your brothers are part of you and you blame them for your deprivation, you are blaming yourself. And you cannot blame yourself without blaming them. That is why blame must be undone, not seen elsewhere. Lay it to yourself and you cannot know yourself, for only the ego blames at all." A Course in Miracles, Chapter 11:IV-5

Breaking Thought Barriers

 

photo credit: Richard Quick

One of the Course in Miracles lessons states that the world I see holds nothing that I want.  This could be interpreted as meaning we must give up all enjoyment from this delightful form we’re holding. On the contrary! It's asking us to look past the world which is the creation of mortal mind, to the world of divine Mind. By setting aside the unrealities of belief, we are breaking the same kind of thought barriers which had to be set aside for humanity to realize the world was round. When asked to see everything with new eyes, to dare to stretch past belief and learned behavior, we may be frightened or confused. In this state of mind, our "ego" can tell us that it's all just nonsense and it's better to stay with what is well-known. But is it? If you feel -- really feel, deep inside — that there must be more to this existence than meets the human eye, then you will want to know what that is. We are capable of so much more than we realize. The veil is getting thinner!

"In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders. With like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 268:1-9

The Journey by Mary Oliver

 

The Journey - By Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice --

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do --

determined to save

the only life you could save.”

― Mary Oliver

Choose Again?

 

Why do human beings find it so difficult to do the right thing? Let’s assume some things are right to one person and not so much to another. Setting that aside, yet aware it’s there, ponder on these thoughts with me. If we experience certain physical maladies (which are rampant), we know we could eat the right things and probably get better. But we’d rather take a pill and hope for the best, not wanting to abandon old habits. We improve our world by picking up litter, and we could facilitate change by not making litter! Yet we continue to use oil-based plastics which are as bad for our earth as that fried Twinkie is for that guy. Are there alternatives we could use? Yes, but it would take active participation on our part. Yours and mine. Maybe we would endure a few soggy straws before new technology evolves for the use of bamboo and hemp, for example. When the year of our isolation began, everyone was conserving their paper products to counteract all those who were hoarding theirs. That conservation caused us to examine how many wasteful habits could be replaced by copasetic-with-the planet alternatives. Word has it that an electric Ford pickup truck is making a big stir around the oil company break rooms nowadays. Thank goodness! We resist until a tipping point occurs, then we acquiesce and begin pulling weeds from cracks in sidewalks rather than getting out the herbicide. These are the types of “right things” I’m talking about. If your choices don’t feel right — choose again?

“Consciousness of right-doing brings its own reward, but not amid the smoke of battle is merit seen and appreciated by lookers-on.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 37:13

Discovering Better Ways

photo credit: Richard Quick

 ​What gratitude I feel in my heart for this past year! I’ve loved watching the changes we have undergone during what can only be described as challenging times. The extremes in behavioral tendencies have been remarkable, and my admiration and, alternatively, repugnance for people’s actions has been manic/depressive in scope! Schools, restaurants, medical facilities, churches, retail stores, bridge clubs, music festivals — everything! — has changed and evolved, mostly in positive, more efficient ways. While we look forward to getting back together in groups to celebrate holidays and enjoy events, many of us have become more sedate in our enjoyment of life. I remember one man posting on Facebook what a relief it was to not have to attend every event in Eureka Springs, as he had always felt he would miss something if he was not there. Eureka parades are legendary, and not having them has taken some of the exuberance from us — particularly Valerie Damon, who is in this wonderful photograph — but by not being obliged to attend gallery openings and fundraisers, many have relaxed into the silence between thoughts, and discovered they are happy there. Hopefully we don’t rush back into the old ways too quickly, missing the chance to find better ways of living. Namaste...

“The true theory 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 547:25

It Is Impossible to See Two Worlds

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

It is impossible to see two worlds. This is another lesson topic in A Course in Miracles. There is a world of Love, and there is a world of fear. I cannot see them both at the same time. This seems like an easy choice, but fear is often insidious and I may not realize which viewpoint is driving my actions. I can't know the world of Spirit when I'm thinking from the standpoint of mortal sense. I can't love my neighbors when I'm judging them. I can't hear the guidance of intuition when my thought is full of chaotic chatter. These dualities represent the two worlds we wish to embrace simultaneously. Everything I do, or say, or think, places me firmly in one world or the other. Moment by moment, I choose what to accept as truth. By consistently turning away from mortal concepts and looking to spiritual interpretations, I am choosing the world I want to see. And if I'm not comfortable with what I'm seeing, guess what? I can choose again!

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 573:29-2

What I Think I Know

 ​

photo credit: Nick Franchi

Many of us resort to chants and/or affirmations when seeking a specific outcome in life. ​Some people see nothing wrong with this approach -- and perhaps even a lot of right in it! I've come to think of this as mental manipulation, or a form of hypnotism, which may create a temporary change, but is not a lasting solution to anything. So then, if I'm not going to try to talk life into doing what I want it to, what am I going to do? I'm going to work to get out of my own way, to quiet my mind, to forget everything I’ve ever thought I knew about spirit. It's not my job to delineate what that is. Releasing what I think I know, surrendering projected outcomes, and totally relying on Love, I trust that everything I need will be added unto me. I needn’t think about what these things are,  because whatever the outcome is, it will be far better than anything I could have planned. Truth is waiting for me to clear the mist which is hiding it. For this, I am most grateful.

"This is what is meant by seeking Truth, Christ, not 'for the loaves and fishes,' nor, like the Pharisee, with the arrogance of rank and display of scholarship, but like Mary Magdalene, from the summit of devout consecration, with the oil of gladness and the perfume of gratitude, with tears of repentance and with those hairs all numbered by the Father.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 367:10-16

Of Eclipses and Such...

 

Total Eclipse of the Sun - Photo Credit: Blake Lasater

In mid-March, a group of 15 people, 7 men and 8 women between the ages of 27 and 50, went into the Lombrives Cave in France. Their intent was to spend 40 days without any outside stimulation. They had no watches and no schedules. They created their own electricity from stationary bikes and brought up water from an underground source. They were supplied with food and the temperature was a constant 54 degrees, with humidity of 95%. The purpose of this experiment was to see how people adapt to isolation. You and I have learned quite a bit about this topic in the last year, don’t you think? When this group of people came back into the “real” world, 2/3 of them said they would have liked to continue their underground experiment longer! They enjoyed being task-oriented rather than time-constrained. They fell into their natural sleep patterns and ate when they were hungry. We have learned a lot in the past 14 months. I’m hearing fabulous stories about the changing norms of education, ways of dispersing food to those in need, improved healthy living habits, and creativity in all areas of living. What an exciting time to be alive!

“Man is not absorbed in Deity, and man cannot lose his individuality, for he reflects eternal Life; nor is he an isolated, solitary idea, for he represents infinite Mind, the sum of all substance.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 259:3

A Higher and More Permanent Peace

 

photo credit: Kevin Wright

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 vow to remember to remember what I have forgotten, which is only known by quietly listening for the still, small voice within. Namaste, dear friends...

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

The Heights of Holiness

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

There is a delightful little book called, The Holy Man, ​written ​by Susan Trott. ​There are numerous ​stories recounted through a group of people who are waiting in line to see The Holy Man​, whose little house is at the top of a tall mountain​. They feel all their questions will be answered, all their problems solved, if only they can meet and speak with him. The irony is that when they are finally admitted to his home, he simply leads them through the house and out the back door. The beauty of the book is that everyone sees what they need to see from their interactions with others while waiting in the long line. We, too, have these ah-hah moments while going about our day-to-day activities. By releasing our by-rote reactions, we are free to practice forgiveness with every blameless thought we have. With this clean slate, who knows what insights will be ours? Like those people waiting to speak to The Holy Man, whom they believed had all the answers, we will be finding insight in every moment, simply by allowing ourselves to accept that we are One with God. As such, all answers are ours, even without asking questions!

“Mind, joyous in strength, dwells in the realm of Mind. Mind's infinite ideas run and disport themselves. In humility they climb the heights of holiness.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 513:26-9

Heaven Within

 

Why would we fear to look within our own hearts? Why would we fear seeing our true self? I think it's because we believe all the little horrible things we've done in our lives are what we'll be looking at. Perhaps we feel that to look within would involve some sort of life review which would require us to answer for every supposed sin we've committed. But what if we're looking within at our pure and perfect Self, as we are created by divine Love? And what if, after we find what we've forgotten, we allow it to come forth and live with us? In the process, we truly forgive ourselves for all of it, allowing thought to stay on the good and the true, releasing guilt and fear, living only in Love. What if ...

“When speaking of God's children, not the children of men, Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of God is within you;’ that is, Truth and Love reign in the real man, showing that man in God's image is unfallen and eternal." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 476:28-32

No Conflict in Truth

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

In this material world, we often have conflicting wishes about events and outcomes. When someone in our immediate family has a problem, we tend to think of it as our own. We have been conditioned to think we can fix others, and if we don't try, we fear that people will think we don't care. Then we're thrown into a quandary of feelings: love for our family, perhaps embarrassment over their actions, worry about what will happen to them, concern over what others will think -- the list can be endless! When we are able to release these feelings and see everyone as the spiritual creation they truly are, we begin to release this sense of personal responsibility, while affirming their goodness -- and ours! -- as a reflection of divine Love. Before we know it, we're thinking something wonderful about them when they come to mind, and we're free from the conflicting wishes born of material sense, revealing spiritual reality.

“We cannot serve two masters nor perceive divine Science with the material senses.” Mary Baker Eddy quote: Science and Health Page 167:11-12

Unrealized Possibilities

 

photo credit: Richard Quick

Throughout the ages, we've been given hints ​about unrealized possibilities​ in our world​. As attested by powerful mythological and fictional characters, we have longed for the ability to change what seems to be the reality of situations in and around our personal existence. The world tells us that we are victims of circumstance, with ​our ​life experiences being changed by the whim of happenstance. Every time we hear a story telling of something we think is impossible, but which contains an outcome so beautiful we wish and hope it could be true, let's contemplate the fact that there are no limits. Who knows what we're capable of doing? We seem to exceed expected outcomes in every avenue of existence. Wasn't it said that running a mile in less than four minutes was impossible? Today I set free any thought of limitation, any assumptions I may have as to what's what, and by doing so open the door to ​a ​new ​understanding.

“Truth never destroys God's idea. Truth is spiritual, eternal substance, which cannot destroy the right reflection. Corporeal sense, or error, may seem to hide Truth, health, harmony, and Science, as the mist obscures the sun or the mountain; but Science, the sunshine of Truth, will melt away the shadow and reveal the celestial peaks.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 299:24-30

Do I Really Want To Go Outside?

my 90-year-old bridge partner

As mentioned before in these writings, I have truly enjoyed this year of semi-isolation and lack of activities. Admittedly, there was a bit of angst when I heard the news that our duplicate bridge clubs were starting up again, our book club meetings are happening, and other face-to-face gatherings are looming on the horizon. But after a lunch out with a friend, two book club meetings, and enjoying another monthly gathering which has resumed, a few realizations have come to my mind. There is a special type of mental stimulation which has been missing from my days. Talking to women about our book club read, The Book of Longings, caused me to realize there is no substitute for conversation with intelligent, caring people. And although I love online bridge and have become a more skilled player through the extra time spent playing from the coziness of my home, I am now remembering a bridge pro telling us that you could be on a desert island and become a chess expert, alone, by yourself — but not so with bridge. In bridge, you have the nuances of people’s demeanor to take into consideration when planning play and defense. Also, there is a certain diversity of thought which will not happen in my world without sitting at a table with conservative thinkers for a few hours a couple of times a week. So with these realizations, I’m looking forward to seeing how my perceptions and understanding has changed since we were last together. I am, indeed, looking forward to these new-old adventures!

"Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57:18-21

Love-Based Business

 [

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I wrote this a few years back and do not remember the name of the movie. If anyone knows, please tell me!]

I saw a movie in which a character was hit in the head, had 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, profit-oriented company which had always catered to the prospering of the business, not the contentment of the employees. 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 became 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 encounter. While we can't set out to eradicate fear, we can scatter joy and happiness, and watch Love blossom.

"As human thought changes from one stage to another of conscious pain and painlessness, sorrow and joy, — from fear to hope and from faith to understanding, — the visible manifestation will at last be man governed by Soul, not by material sense." Mary Baker Eddy quote - Science & Health Page 125:12-16

Things Which Unite

 From a series about what paintings in museums are doing during the pandemic :)

While flipping through a magazine this lazy Sunday afternoon, I saw an article entitled, Five Ways To Feel Closer To Others. They are: (1) Read to a loved one. (2) Be a good neighbor. (3) Shower friends with small presents. (4) Start a gratitude chain. (5) Hang on to what you’ve learned. It seems our awareness of these things has intensified during the pandemic isolation of the past year. More time at home has, hopefully, increased reading to our loved ones. I live in a neighborhood where we often ask each other if anything is needed when going to the market. I hope more people are communicating with their neighbors to this extent! My way of showering friends with small presents has been to send, by snail mail, cards, short notes, and articles from my favorite news magazine. It’s nice to receive “real” mail, don’t you think? The magazine's idea of a gratitude chain is interesting. By this, they mean for family and friends to start a group email with gratitude expressed and shared regularly. Then we have, “hang on to what you’ve learned” — hum, what does that mean? They are saying we must be attuned to each others’ nonverbal cues. It’s easy to be distracted during conversations, not realizing what a person actually means. In this day and age of instant communications and misinterpreted conversations, I want to be more aware of reading the messages from people's eyes, their tone of voice, or posture — the things we must notice in order to see what’s behind the mask. Thanks for listening while I talk these things out and think of ways I can be more effective in daily interactions. We all want to be closer to others, even when we’re far away!

“Revelation unites you directly with God. Miracles unite you directly with your brother. Neither emanates from consciousness, but both are experienced there. Consciousness is the state that induces action, though it does not inspire it. You are free to believe what you choose, and what you do attests to what you believe.” A Course in Miracles Text - Revelation, Time, and Miracles

Words From Thich Nhat Hanh

 

art from Raphael Lopez - copyright 2016

"When it is raining, we think there is no sunshine. But if we fly high in an airplane and go through the clouds, we rediscover the sunshine again. We see that the sunshine is always there. In a time of anger or despair, our love is also still there. Our capacity to communicate, to forgive, to be compassionate is still there.

You have to believe this. We are more than our anger; we are more than our suffering. We must recognize that we do have within us the capacity to love, to understand, to be compassionate. If you know this, then when it rains you won’t be desperate. You know that the rain is there, but the sunshine is still there somewhere. Soon the rain will stop, and the sun will shine again. Have hope. If you can remind yourself that the positive elements are still present within you and the other person, you will know that it is possible to break through, so that the best things in both of you can come up and manifest again."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Your True Home, Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh

Whatever Suffers Is Not A Part Of Me

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Every Friday, I post one of Kevin's writings on Facebook. People enjoy them and I think of it as a memorial to him. A woman asked me today why I did it, suggesting I was holding on to grief and suffering. I assured her I was not suffering. The exchange caused me to look back on my writings concerning this topic. I like this one from 2013:

"Whatever suffers is not a part of me -- A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #248." 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 pass through the hard times with a firm understanding of the beauty of Truth. Losing a loved one is difficult in many ways, but I really think the myths we have concocted surrounding death do more harm than good. We say things like, "God took her to be with him because she was so good." What lies we tell ourselves in the name of kindness! As we begin to understand divine reality, we are able to release the stories we tell ourselves in favor of the Truth which sets us free. I'll always remember reading in "Beloved Prophet" the story of the woman who loved Kahlil Gibran. She sat at his funeral with a smile on her face. When asked how she could do such a thing she replied that she had never felt closer to him. Never born, never dying -- Life eternal. Hallelujah!

“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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 386:16-25

Marsha Havens

Veritable Ideas or Illusion?

 

photo credit: Richard Quick A friend made a passing comment about the erroneous thoughts we glom onto in daily life. He said that once you hear something, it's a part of you -- a part of your consciousness, if you will. I certainly know how difficult it can be to release any thought -- whether I have decided to think of it as truth or rumor. He is so right that once it's in you, it's difficult to let out -- but not impossible! The key to this release is realizing what you are. As long as I see myself as a material human, a victim of life's circumstances and cable news, then yes, it is difficult, even impossible, to release the hold of falsehood. When I start to glimpse that I am not this body, that I am Idea -- an Idea of God! -- then, and only then, am I freed from the bombardment of daily illusions and the lies of material sense. Looked at from this perspective, my goal is not to release anything, it is to understand my Being as an expression of divine Mind, an emanation of divine Love, the experience of divine Life! I will not think of this as an impossible task, but as a reachable Truth.

“How are veritable ideas to be distinguished from illusions? By learning the origin of each. Ideas are emanations from the divine Mind. Thoughts, proceeding from the brain or from matter, are offshoots of mortal mind; they are mortal material beliefs. Ideas are spiritual, harmonious, and eternal. Beliefs proceed from the so-called material senses, which at one time are supposed to be substance-matter and at another are called spirits.” 
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 88:9-16

Is The Past Over In My Mind?

 ​

Toni, Brud, Marsha - circa 1985

Someone posted photos on Facebook of our 10th class reunion in 1980. I was reminded of this statement from A Course in Miracles: “The past is over. It can touch me not." In my observations of these get-togethers, everyone seems to be pretty much the same as they always have been. The mean girls are still that way, the flirty girls are still flipping their skirts, and the cool kids are still hiding their feelings. While I've always enjoyed these gatherings, I tend to either wander away with an old friend or, perhaps, drink a bit too much and ask the cowboys to dance. I love this ACIM quote: “Unless the past is over in my mind, the world must escape my sight." I want to live in the present, in a world full of divine Love and Truth. Reliving illusions can be fun, much like watching a movie. But I'd rather wake up in a new world everyday, excited about the adventures it holds!

“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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 224: 4-7  

Quantum Entanglement

 

photo credit: Arthur Bruno

​Physicists tell us of a perspective called quantum entanglement, in which particles separate yet remain connected, reacting to stimuli in the same way even though they no longer occupy the same space. In a book by Dan Cowan, Mind Underlies Spacetime, he explains, "...this direct connectedness occurs because each real entity is already everywhere." How perfectly this explains Oneness! What we think and do affects everyone and everything. Remember the butterfly effect? Our thoughts and actions act in this way, also: radiating into the universe, changing things without our knowledge. Every thought is important, adding to the cosmic soup which we only recognize through our rare glimpses of this omnipotent, invisible substance. So when we feel overwhelmed and think there is nothing we can do to change the world, remember, we are doing it now!

“As vapor melts before the sun, so evil would vanish before the reality of good. One must hide the other. How important, then, to choose good as the reality!” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:31

The Joys of Solitude

 ​

Salt Flats - Utah - PC: Aaron Springston

Silence. First thing in the morning, I’ve always tried to have a happy thought, followed by a bit of concentrated study. Perhaps it’s the workbook lesson from A Course in Miracles, maybe it’s reading a page or two from another writing which will center me to begin the day, but it’s definitely not the news of world horrors. Last thing at night, I shut my brain down with a crossword puzzle or Words With Friends. But an important part of my day has always been silence. Listening. During the whirlwind romance I embarked on for the last four years, my silent time was diminished and at times non-existent. Now that Kevin has passed on, I am grateful for the moments I gave him, but I’m realizing how much I lost in not allowing myself more communion with All that Is. I Am. Falling back into the quiet rhythms which I love is a joy. I feel an urgency not before known, and it’s difficult to impart this to friends. The contentment brought from simple household chores, the happiness which rises when I wake up and realize I have nowhere to be, the pleasure derived from watching the flowers grow, doing chair exercises with a calm couple on youTube, playing the piano — I’m happier every day. So if I turn down an invitation to do something fun, please forgive me. I’ll be ready soon...

“The 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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 265:10

Peace, a State of Mind

 ​

photo credit: Arthur Bruno

I've heard it said that the older we get, the less things bother us. In earlier years, when I was bothered by everything, it was impossible to imagine that this was so. While it seems to be true now, I see plenty of people riper in years who are much-bothered all the time! My conclusion is that peace is a state of mind. As we cultivate an awareness of the presence of Love within ourselves, it becomes natural to turn to that gentleness in times of seeming turmoil. This peace is always there, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Today I look forward to relishing its gentle presence every moment.

“Mind demonstrates omnipresence and omnipotence, but Mind revolves on a spiritual axis, and its power is displayed and its presence felt in eternal stillness and immovable Love.” Mary Baker Eddy - From Retrospection and Introspection Page 88-89

Disappearance of the Universe

 ​

Utah Salt Flats - photo credit: Aaron springston

Do you have an incident from childhood which has stayed with you, perhaps 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 types of events and much, much more. When we release our beliefs, we can turn loose our history, also. 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!

“The more material a belief, the more obstinately tenacious its error; the stronger are the manifestations of the corporeal senses, the weaker the indications of Soul.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 144:10-13

The Holiest Spot

 

my front yard

"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 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!

“The holiest of all the spots on earth is where an ancient hatred has become a present love.” A Course in Miracles

How Solid Is Matter?

 

photo credit: Christopher Fischer

​Quantum physics is helping us to understand that 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 have landed on a cushion, or so-called incurable diseases disappearing. The first Wayne Dyer book I read was "When You Believe It, You'll See It!" I was so excited to see that mainstream thought was shifting! Now, I'm not suggesting we exchange one human belief for yet another, but rather let's look to​ward​ divine Mind to show us the truth of our being, allowing ourselves to be led in paths we wouldn't have considered otherwise. Thought is rapidly shifting at this time. Let's not be afraid!

“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. ” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 258: 2-6

May Peace Be With Me

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photo credit: Arthur Bruno

Although I know I can't force my way of thinking onto others, I would love to share peace with everyone, everywhere. It has taken quite a while to grasp the concept that the only thought I can change is my own. After spending years trying to change thoughts and actions of husbands and friends, I think it was my children who finally taught me the meaning of Oneness, as I would watch the mood of the household change with my emotions. This caused me to understand that holding onto peace within myself is the least and most I can do. Jumping on the bandwagon of resentment and other negative emotions always seemed impossible to avoid, but I don’t find it as difficult nowadays to simply witness 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 own vision of reality. Every thought is important! We are all in this together, in every way, at every moment. Today I will make an effort to see everything through the eyes of Love!

“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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:24-27

The Worst Thing We Ever Did

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A Poem by Chelan Harkin from 'Susceptible to Light'

"The worst thing we ever did

was put God in the sky

out of reach

pulling the divinity

from the leaf,

sifting out the holy from our bones,

insisting God isn’t bursting dazzlement

through everything we’ve made

a hard commitment to see as ordinary,

stripping the sacred from everywhere

to put in a cloud man elsewhere,

prying closeness from your heart.

The worst thing we ever did

was take the dance and the song

out of prayer

made it sit up straight

and cross its legs

removed it of rejoicing

wiped clean its hip sway,

its questions,

its ecstatic yowl,

its tears.

The worst thing we ever did is pretend

God isn’t the easiest thing

in this Universe

available to every soul

in every breath."

~ Chelan Harkin from 'Susceptible to Light'

What Facilitates Change?

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"No Looking Back" - art of Sandy Starbird

I’m tempted to tell you about all the attack thoughts I've been having lately toward corporate polluters and political liars -- but I won't. I won't do that because feeding your attack thoughts does nothing to take mine away. This fertilizing of attack thoughts can be found everywhere, from coffee shops to churches, and it doesn't do a single thing to change the world. If the world we see is an effect, the only way to change this hallucination is to alter the cause: our thought. Some may ridicule this idea. But I ask: Have any of the material manipulations in all of history affected a change? Did our civil war free the slaves? It was a beginning, of course, but many people stayed in bondage long past when laws were enacted. It takes a change of thought. Let's free ourselves today -- and forever!

"Legally to abolish unpaid servitude in the United States was hard; but the abolition of mental slavery is a more difficult task. The despotic tendencies, inherent in mortal mind and always germinating in new forms of tyranny, must be rooted out through the action of the divine Mind." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:22-28

“There is no point in trying to change the world. It is incapable of change because it is merely an effect. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts about the world. Here you are changing the cause. The effect will change automatically.” A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #23

An Angel Entertained Unawares

 

Pueblo Angel - artist, Judy Griffith

Some painful memories want to stay with us. Throughout the years, certain events have re-played regularly in my mind. Although these reruns are mostly gone now, there are current events which seem to beg me to take offense. They jump up and down asking to be retold, wanting to hold me to them with emotions. To hold a grievance, you must live in the past. I remember a line from a little book by Alan Lightman called "Einstein's Dreams". He tells us that those who live in grievances past are condemned to live there alone. Habitually recounting what used to be, or wishing for what never was, or wanting what could have been, these thought processes are symptoms of holding on to the past. So today I will hold thought to a return to Love -- a figurative return, as I remember that I never left, and neither has anyone else. This Love replaces all grievances in my thought, and by this process I am safely and peacefully at One with God and all.

“The circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 574:27-30

“’Now’ has no meaning to the ego. The present merely reminds it of past hurts, and it reacts to the present as if it were the past. The ego cannot tolerate release from the past, and although the past is over, the ego tries to preserve its image by responding as if it were present. It dictates your reactions to those you meet in the present from a past reference point, obscuring their present reality.” ACIM Chapter 13:IV:5

The Powers of Nature

 

Aaron Hunting Deer

"When the powers of nature are the focus of your awareness and your thoughts, you come near to spirit, near to the source of all life. This is why most people love to walk in the woods or by the sea: they come close to the original source, and it is healing just to be in its presence. It cleanses you, brings peace of mind, touches your heart and brings you home to your soul." ~ Chris Luttichau