Have a Dream

 

art by Jesse Stone

I read the below-cited quote on a social media site called Cosmic Dancer. When seeing it was from The Alchemist, a flood of memories rushed at me. When I first read this book, my gallery was on the verge of closing down due to lack of business. This book caused me to open myself to the field of infinite possibilities, and we ended up staying open five more years, in a different and exciting location. The gist of the quote which changed my life is this: “Most people don’t realize they have a dream. Of those who know they have a dream, most fear to follow it. Of those who follow it, most stop one step short of realizing it.” Wow. I knew I had a dream and I was following it. After reading this book, I knew I couldn’t stop short! Authors such as Paulo Coelho have helped me to see the advantages of concentrating our intentions on what we DO want, rather than passionately worrying about the down side. And I am grateful…

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Feast on Your Life

 

Good Friend on Ozark Farm

photo credit: Donna Doss

Love After Love -- by Derek Walcott

The time will come

when, with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror

and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott

No Condemnation = Forgiveness

 

Love, forgiveness, salvation -- these and many other words have taken on interesting connotations through our material interpretations and beliefs. How often does our version of love include jealousy, attachment, and various demands we insist upon for someone to be a worthy recipient of our matter-based love? And forgiveness seldom is an acknowledgement that there is truly nothing to forgive, but carries with it superior thoughts and magnanimous gestures. Salvation has an odd interpretation which includes a paying of penance to someone or something. As we turn away from the material conceptions of these and other words, we are allowed to glimpse Love, wherein there is no forgiveness nor salvation as we think of them. A Course in Miracles assures us that "God does not forgive because He has never condemned." Also, the forgiveness we humans are learning about is "the reflection of God's Love on earth." How beautiful is that!!  When looked at from this perspective, it seems senseless to say that we can forgive but not forget. We can release all thoughts of retaliation or revenge and live by the law of grace. How I long to forget everything and begin again from Love!

"Progress takes off human shackles. The finite must yield to the infinite. Advancing to a higher plane of action, thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal. Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 256:1-8

The Invincible

my grand baby, Torin ...

 “He said, 'In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger -- something better, pushing right back." Albert Camus 

"If I am not feeling peaceful, it is important for me to remember that I have made a judgment on my own. If I am not peaceful, I have not listened to the Holy Spirit. The way I return to peace is to once again open my mind to the healing perceptions of my inner Comforter, the One Who straightens my mind. My one vocation now becomes that of stepping back and following the lead of my inner Teacher, the One Who can return me to my true Identity." A Course in Miracles - Workbook Lesson #352

Music of the Spheres

 

photo of Miten, from Deva Primal

Science fiction, the speculation of how life will be in the future, has always fascinated me. The serene surroundings of those who neither want nor need is very appealing. A place where there is no room for anger or warlike behavior because all actions are filled with Love, where the rare disagreement is settled through the decision of a "fair witness", the utopia which ensues in this atmosphere seems so simple. It feels as though these dreams of future perfection are here with us now. They are being realized in a myriad of ways. Do an internet search on good deeds, or Age of Aquarius, or peaceful living, if you feel the need for affirmation that this reality is with us here and now. I recently saw a movie in which a 102-year-old woman said these words: "We ain't what we should be, we ain't what we gonna be, but at least we ain't what we were." The major shifts in thought that we're experiencing is making many people uncomfortable. Some tell me that they feel restless and discontented. I think this is a symptom of the shift we're experiencing. It is tempting for many to cover these feelings of distress with alcohol and drugs, perhaps even with extreme physical activity. I urge you to fear not, but to hold thought steadily to the good and true. Follow your intuition to find ways to assuage this discontent. I see now that nothing can keep the miracle away, no matter how hard we try.

"Eternal Truth is changing the universe. As mortals drop off their mental swaddling clothes, thought expands into expression. 'Let there be light,' is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 255:1

Sweeping Away Distortion

 

Newton County, Arkansas

unknown photographer (probably Tim Ernst)

"Forgiveness sweeps away distortion, and opens the hidden altar to the truth." Looking at this sentence from A Course in Miracles -- even through the limited eyes of our mortal mind -- it seems so beautifully true! I was chatting with a friend who tells me that her neighbor is convinced there is a mountain lion in their country neighborhood. He's going through all sorts of interesting practices in an attempt to "insure his family's safety". I live in town and my next door neighbor has strobe lights going all night long off of his back porch, attempting to deter turkey vultures from bedding down in the trees surrounding his house. Both of these people are afraid for reasons only they know. I can join them, either by fearing along with them or thinking about how silly I believe their actions to be. Either way would exacerbate their fears. So knowing that our minds are joined by virtue of our parent Mind, I choose forgiveness and allow love to replace any feelings of ridicule which may tempt me. Now that I've said it, let's see if I can do it!

"The nearer a false belief approaches truth without passing the boundary where, having been destroyed by divine Love, it ceases to be even an illusion, the riper it becomes for destruction. The more material the belief, the more obvious its error, until divine Spirit, supreme in its domain, dominates all matter, and man is found in the likeness of Spirit, his original being."Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 97:14-20

Lest We All Fall Into the Pit ...

 

Most of us know someone who lives with debilitating depression. Something I did not realize is that many family members feel guilty being happy around their depressed loved one. So oftentimes, the whole family ends up depressed on some level because of the one who is at the depths. Hum. While listening to BK Shivani talk about this phenomenon, I suddenly realized how much I have witnessed this happening amongst people I know. She gives an example of how a family may be walking in the woods and one member falls into a pit. Right away, one by one, the others jump in to be with the trapped member. They’re family after all, and they stick together. But wait! At least one must stay out of the pit if they are to survive. And so it is with depression and grief: one person must be willing to keep their vibrations high and joyous in order to bring the others up to that level, raising them out of the pit. And so, instead of guilt over feeling happy in the face of someone who is chronically depressed, we need to be proud that we have the courage to stay out of the pit and be happy, raising the vibration of everyone around us. An example came to mind of a dark closet. When you open the door, the dark doesn’t escape into the light room; the light chases away the darkness. Keep on keeping on everyone!

"Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man. Man's happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense. Truth is not contaminated by error. Harmony in man is as beautiful as in  music, and discord is unnatural, unreal." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 304:17-21

Soul

 

Anna Pavlova with her pet swan, Jack, 1905.

“How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.” Frances Hodgson Burnett – A Little Princess, 1905.

Finding Joy Within Sorrow

photo credit: Blake Lasater

 In yesterday’s blog, I hailed the wonder of joyful living. A few people tell me I was wrong. I fully understand that sometimes things happen in our lives, and we are overcome with grief. I know this is true, and I think grief should be honored. Cry when you feel like it, and ask for help if you can’t stand the pain alone. These are parts of active grieving and I think they are necessary. One person told me it was impossible to be joyous when so many people in this world are starving, homeless, seemingly without hope. I remember one of my favorite wise men saying that no matter how bad we feel, it won’t change what someone is experiencing. And writing this reminds me of another author who said that what we do in the present changes the future and redeems the past. This stream-of-consciousness post is to clear my thoughts. What has come from it, for me, is the knowledge that joy is still there within the grief. At some point, we begin to see glimmers of that light. My hope is that we’re not afraid to accept our feelings of joy and sadness, even when they occur simultaneously. When we witness children in need, we can hold them high in our thoughts, leading humankind to acknowledge their need and seeing how, individually and collectively, to supply it. There is a solution to every problem, and joy, love, and compassion lead the way to answers. 

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulcher, 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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health P 299:11

Happiness is Unselfish

 A Little Night Magic - by J. Clement Wall -- judyclementwall.com

Waking up joyfully, full of expectations for good, anticipating hot coffee, study, and meditation — life is good! I love days with nowhere to be and no one to see. When I got around to checking Facebook, many friends were talking about the same thing: how happy they felt, for no particular reason. Then Judy Wall posted this drawing she calls “A Little Night Magic” and I realized exactly how thoughts spread through us all. I feel like everyone I know is happily following their dreams and enjoying their family and friends. We are all anticipating spring and planting flowers and walking in the woods. Babies are being born and plans are being made for lives to be flexible and family-oriented. I know families who have shown how it is possible to work together productively and create nests of loving support for each other. Strangers are meeting up and sharing homes and working for the common good. For instance, my neighbor needed help with home repairs and met an aging drag queen who is a master carpenter and needed a place to stay temporarily. Let’s never forget we’re all in this together! Namaste…

"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

A Freedom Before Unknown

 

photo credit: Sandy Starbird

Be with those who help your being. I've always loved that thought, haven't you? More and more, I find myself reveling in the company of friends, and being even more content in solitude. This seeming conundrum feels similar to the realization that I'm not a body: It's both exhilarating and calming! I'm excited that I needn't be a victim of the false beliefs of material life. I'm content in knowing there is so much to realize in this unfolding Life. Thinking back through the years and recognizing momentous friendships which have helped change my perspective from life to Life, I am grateful beyond words. The Love I feel for these precious people is eternal, and with this knowledge comes a freedom before unknown. 

"Mind has set me free from every error. Divine Love fills every avenue, flows through every channel and removes every obstruction."
[This is an excerpt from an article entitled "Body" by Mary Baker Eddy, filed in the Congressional Library, January 19, 1886]

Holiest of All Spots

 

An unexpected phone call today caused me to think of the above Course in Miracles quote.​ While I never thought of a particular friend as an enemy, things had come between us years ago and we had drifted apart. I continued sending her a birthday card over the years, and this year sent one for Christmas, also. And this morning I received a phone call from her. It was wonderful to hear the voice of this woman who had been my best friend for years. She was like a second mother to my children when they were infants and toddlers, and I have missed her friendship. We probably won't see much of each other, and we most likely won't talk on the phone very often, but it feels as though an empty space has been sewn together, and I am grateful. 

"Forget not that a shadow held between your brother and yourself obscures the face of Christ and memory of God. And would you trade Them for an ancient hate? The ground whereon you stand is holy ground because of Them Who, standing there with you, have blessed it with Their innocence and peace." A Course In Miracles T26-IX-2

"Holy inspiration has created states of mind which have been able to nullify the action of the flames, as in the Bible case of the three young Hebrew captives, cast into the Babylonian furnace, while an opposite mental state might produce spontaneous combustion." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 161:5

Life Master

I became a life master today. As I write those words, I realize they sound a lot cooler than the actuality is. It is a designation by the American Contract Bridge League to show that you know what you’re doing. I took up this game in the early 80s, and quit when other obligations took me away from it. I didn’t think I’d ever play again, but when I retired I discovered there are three duplicate bridge groups in our area, and I’ve been active in them up until the pandemic changed the way we sit together at tables. Also, in order to become a life master, you must have gold and silver points, which are usually attained only at larger tournaments. But when walk-in club play was limited, things heated up online — and I found out how much I truly love that form of competition! Today, I earned the last 1.5 silver points needed to attain this ranking. I never thought it would happen, and I’m over-the-moon thrilled!

“A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128:13-19

Expressions of Joy

 

Twenty years ago, it seems I spent much more time every day in prayerful study and contemplation than I do now. Or maybe that’s not so. When I stop to think about it, nowadays every interaction is an expression of Love, with a fearlessness which grows daily. These seeds were planted and are still being nurtured by moment-to-moment expressions of joy. No matter what we do on a daily basis, this Love can be expressed in many ways – actually, in every way! And by loving yourself, you’re loving everyone. By living fearlessly, you’re spreading this confidence to all. I will go forth with loving gratitude today and expect only Good.

“If we look to the body for pleasure, we find pain; for Life, we find death; for Truth, we find error; for Spirit, we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action. Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality. Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health  Page 260

Good Friends

I got a phone call this evening from a couple of old friends who had spent the day together, hiking in the snowy woods and enjoying each others’ company. We got to know each other 30 years ago when our children became friends. There is nothing like sharing laughs with people you really, truly like; women with whom you’ve shared years of memories and good times. We can tell each other anything, including the good, bad, and even ugly. I feel so fortunate to know women like these two, and particularly fortunate because the years have brought close connections from many directions. The gratitude I feel for all of you is boundless! Thank you for Being …

 "You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest, along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well; your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you." A Course in Miracles W-pI.109.8.

 

On Joy and Sorrow

Kahlil Gibran - 1883-1931

     Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
     And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
     And how else can it be?

     The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
     Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
     And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

     When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

     When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
    
     Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
     But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

     Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

     Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
     Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
     When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall." 

Kahlil Gibran

Bring in a New World With Joy!

Our friend, Shanna, often posts thoughts which come through John Smallman. I particularly liked every word she put on Facebook today. In it, he speaks of 2021 being a time of “stuff” coming up, and 2022 is the year of it falling away. What does that mean to you? To me it means the reality of our existence will be emerging without all the disguises we have given ourselves. We can live joyously as expressions of Love, leaving behind false idols. While reading the words of “Saul through John Smallman”, I kept imagining the people who use software to make themselves look better in photographs they post online. Most of us have been taught to pretend in order to get along in the world. We don’t speak plainly, because we may be ostracized from polite society. On the flip side, we think we should be offended if someone doesn't agree with us. These reactions are learned behaviors; not honest feelings and thoughts. Joy is the key to facilitating the new world we all long for! As Shanna’s post ends: “Be You! There is no one else you can be, and give thanks for your magnificent and divine purpose as a human on Earth now, brilliantly and beautifully assisting in the collective awakening process. That is why you are precisely where you are…” Every thought is important. Be happy!

“Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.” Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 571:18-21

Ordinary Things ...

 

Having spent the day doing ordinary things with my good friend, Richard, the first thing I saw online upon getting back home was this wonderful sentiment. It says it all ...

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:3

Meaning of Life?

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

We hear many statements regarding our right to privacy. This privacy which people value is more than giving out email addresses or putting photos on social media. People seem to value keeping their thoughts and beliefs private, their emotions secret, their inner-most desires to themselves. For the past decade or so I have bared my soul through this daily writing, not to mention the sharing I do on Facebook. I openly tell of my love as candidly as regurgitating my shame, probably eliciting comments from others of "too much information"! But that's okay, because by talking through times of turmoil, I heal my mind and heart -- hopefully giving someone else permission to do the same for themselves. A couple of days ago, I mentioned inexplicable events with inanimate objects and how I've wondered about the metaphorical meaning. I've begun to question my sanity in the ongoing series of happenings, but I don't think I'm "losing it", although something is happening. Am I being contacted by aliens or loved ones who have passed? Am I being directed to do something? I'm not sure what it's about, but it has crossed my mind that I may be close to passing on from this plane. If that happens, it's okay with me. If I'm hanging around here a while, that's okay, too. But please know my life is an open book and I'm happy when/if you talk about me! Love to all...

"Life is deathless. Life is the origin and ultimate of man, never attainable through death, but gained by walking in the pathway of Truth, both before and after that which is called death." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 487:3

Wildness is a Necessity

 

John Muir Trail - photo credit: Aaron Springston

​“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” John Muir - Our National Parks, 1909.

"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." Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 240

Spinning Your Wheels?

Almost two decades ago our friend, Jim Young, was spinning his wheels. His little black Volvo would spin out at the slightest provocation. He changed tires and did all the things a person would do to alleviate this problem, but nothing worked. Being a deep thinker, Jim asked his Self if there was something he needed to know; something this situation was attempting to show him. He soon realized he was spinning his metaphorical wheels and there was indeed something he needed to be doing. To date, he has been the conduit for 30-some-odd books, he has numerous youtube videos, and recently launched a podcast. I thought of this today when my car and my heater suddenly quit working, then suddenly started again. A month or more ago, my vehicle failed to react when I turned the key. Just nothing. Then after a minute or two, it started and I didn’t think much more about it. A couple of weeks ago, a similar thing happened with the heat in my home. I called to get a repairman, but before he arrived it spontaneously began fulfilling its purpose. And now this morning, both of these events happened again! I think I’ll pay attention this time. I’ll let you know later what insights I learn from this! 

"Learning is joyful if it leads you along your natural path, and facilitates the development of what you have."  --  A Course in Miracles - T-8.II 

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace.Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:12-14

Harmony or Discord?

Rotterdam Symphony

One of us may think something is beautiful, and another may not. It's my understanding that some people do not enjoy music, and may even find it off-putting. How can this be? It seems so odd, as I sit here listening to the Rotterdam Symphony performing Tchaikovsky ‘s Nutcracker. But I listened to a book by Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia, which documents many instances of people's ability to hear and/or play music changing after traumatic physical events. I thought it was pretty cool when someone woke up from a coma and wanted to do nothing but play the piano, even though they had never played before. On the other end of the spectrum, it was horrid for the man who heard dissonance when playing the violin he had dearly loved before a car accident. This has caused me to wonder about what I think I see and hear, and the possibility that others don't see or hear the same thing. I've written before about everyone seeing a rainbow differently, depending on where they are in respect to it. I know that someone may tell me something and I can take it totally opposite of how it was meant. But to hear music differently? We are, indeed, an interesting species! 

"Material beliefs and spiritual understanding never mingle. The latter destroys the former. Discord is the nothingness named error. Harmony is the somethingness named Truth." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 176

I Am That

 

I Am That 

There is only one mistake you are making:


you take the inner for the outer and outer for the inner.


What is in you, you take to be outside you


and what is outside, you take to be in you.


The mind and feelings are external,


but you take them to be intimate.


You believe the world to be objective,


while it is entirely a projection of your psyche.


That is the basic confusion . . .

By: Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Mary Baker Eddy quote:
"The inharmonious belief does not create an inharmonious condition. The belief of lack is the lack. The belief of disease is the disease. That is why the body seems to change as man's thinking changes. It is simply as beliefs of disease and imperfections fall away, and our thinking is corrected and held true to Truth, so that mental chaos and confusion no longer cloud our vision, we see the body as God sees it, as it eternally is. Then it stands revealed to us in its beauty and its glory, the temple, not made with hands. All that our ignorance does is to affect our vision, or view of things. It does not change anything that God has made.

'We do not handle substance through our personal thought to change it. We only see according to our thought, our degree of enlightenment. Walt Whitman said, "The world is jagged and broken,  to him who is jagged and broken," to him whose mental realm is dark. If one's thought is ignorant and unenlightened, it changes his vision as a cloud of mist. As he looks through the cloud he sees this world, the body, all things, distorted, abnormal and wrong.

'If the mental atmosphere is dark and dense, we see but dimly and are not able to perceive the perfection that is. Man does not by mental effort bring God into manifestation, neither does he through wrong thinking prevent God's manifestation. God IS and God is manifest, and it is not in the power of unenlightened personal thought or mental effort to obstruct or hinder the activity of God, or to mar or to deface the perfection of God's creation."
From a statement copyrighted by Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy at the Congressional Library in Washington, D.C. January 19, 1886

Loss is Gain

 

photo credit: Blake Lasater

My son and his wife recently had a baby. Little Torin decided to make an appearance a couple of weeks before his due date, so mom and dad weren’t quite organized for the event. Actually, when Kailey went into labor, they were moving furniture into the house and everything was topsy turvy. When they came home, someone mentioned that their life was “in shambles”. My son found this to be humorous because their life has never been better!! This serves as a perfect reminder to us all: no matter what is happening around us, it’s our perceptions which create our reality. Aaron only saw the beauty of his wife and child, not the mess surrounding them physically. We can all relate this truth to events in our own lives, can we not? A debilitating health situation can help us to look for new avenues to travel. When I lost my leg a few years back, there was a newspaper article written entitled “Havens’ New Walk”. I love this new way of walking as much as the last one! If not for this “loss”, I wouldn’t have the joys I’m now experiencing. And I am grateful…

“O make me glad for every scalding tear,

         For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!

Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear

         No ill, — since God is good, and loss is gain.”

From the poem, Oh, Gentle Presence — by Mary Baker Eddy 

A Clean Slate

 

No matter what you believe in, you can find a group of people who think the way you do. I recently heard a man explaining that more harm can be done by the truth than by out-and-out lies. WHAT?? The example he gave is a web page devoted to instances of black people physically attacking white people. Every day they post more instances of this violent behavior, along with rhetoric warning us of the consequences of “us” allowing “them” to “get by” with it. While these things actually happened, they are being presented in a way which may cause fear and suggest retaliation. Our learned behavior of tribalism is not conducive to peaceful living. The myriad of activities which pit us against each other, or set up sides for us to group together with like-minded people —- years of these practices have made us an adversarial society, and it feels wrong. So I’m going to visualize a world where we all trade our beliefs for a blank slate on which to see what is actually happening, without our biased perceptions interpreting everything. Let me know how a clean heart and head show you the world!

“Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.” Mary Baker Eddy- Science and Health Page 96:21

To Change or Not to Change

 

Time has always seemed elastic, but nowadays it’s pliable beyond past experience. To some of us, these days creep by in a fog of repetition; for others, they zip along, full of excitement and expectation. Looking at the few people on my street, it’s possible to imagine the world from our microcosm. One woman who was extremely social, living to dress up for parades, while participating in activities of three churches, seems depressed and lost without these events. One man fell deeper into drugs and alcohol and is now in rehabilitation, trying to save his life. Two neighbors have a thriving business, selling plants and doing landscaping. They are busier and seem happier than ever. Perhaps we’re all learning things about ourselves during these times of change, as we either acclimate to the "new normal", or try to stay with the ways of the past. Personally, I feel I’ve been practicing all my life for this seclusion. It’s nice, and when I must be active in the “outside” world, I need solitude to rejuvenate. We all have a role in the revolution of thought which we see unfolding. Much needs to be done, and we who are not afraid of change are leading the way. Exciting times, indeed!

“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

Living Arrows Sent Forth

 Henri Cartier Bresson - Rue Mouffetard, 1954, ©MoMa.

My oldest son turned 35 today; two days ago he became a parent for the first time. I’m in love with a baby I’ve never met, and it’s a wonder-filled experience! Often, when I have too many things running around in my head, I turn to Kahlil Gibran. And he has guided me to peace today with this beautiful writing. I am grateful. Namaste…

“Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. 
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth...."

by Khalil Gibran

“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

Seeing Two Worlds?

 

Crystal Bridges exhibit - photo by Aaron Springston

The changes we have witnessed in our lifetime have been exciting and (to take a phrase from the ‘70s) mind blowing! Decades ago, when we were told about the Age of Aquarius and more recently when 2012 was explained as a shift in consciousness, I'm not sure we thought there would be any real change in our lives. People who are looking for purely material reasons to explain the huge changes in everything from politics to weather are feeling helpless and overwhelmed. When looked at from a different perspective, we see that changes are necessary in order to facilitate the realization of this new earth we are more-than-ready to embrace. As with any shift in thought, some are afraid and working to hold on to old ways. But it is impossible to "see two worlds". I choose Love!

“During this final conflict, wicked minds will endeavor to find means by which to accomplish more evil; but those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:31-4

We Are All Meant to Shine

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

The much-quoted "Our Deepest Fear" from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love tells us that what we fear most isn't our inadequacies but our power. Here is the paragraph from the book: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Shine on, dear Friends!

[This is from a dialogue between matter and Spirit]

“I am Spirit. Man, whose senses are spiritual, is my likeness. He reflects the infinite understanding, for I am Infinity. The beauty of holiness, the perfection of being, imperishable glory,--all are Mine, for I am God. I give immortality to man, for I am Truth. I include and impart all bliss, for I am Love. I give life, without beginning and without end, for I am Life. I am supreme and give all, for I am Mind. I am the substance of all, because I AM THAT I AM.” Mary Baker Eddy-Science and Health page 252:32

Do Not Be Dismayed ...

 

art by Tijana Lukovic

With the new year comes hope -- hope for something better. But remember each one of us has the power to change our thoughts about the world, and therein we hold the key...

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world.

All things break. And all things can be mended.

Not with time, as they say, but with intention. 

So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.

The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”

L.R. Knost