The Sight is Costing You Vision

Crescent Hotel - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Photo credit: Stephen Shogren

Expect the best of people and that's what you'll get. I've always felt this to be true, and I've never been disappointed. Perhaps that's because I've realized everyone is doing the best they can, even if it doesn't seem very good to me -- ha! A friend said yesterday that she had, once again, been disappointed when someone didn't keep their word to her. She stated that it "always happened to her". Which reminded me of the old story of a woman out for a walk and meeting a man who had recently moved to town. She was asked what the people were like in his new community. She turned the question around and asked what the people were like where the newly-arrived man was from. He responded that they were wonderful. "Well, that's what they're like here, too!", responded the woman. Another day the same situation happened with someone else, but when she asked what people were like where the man came from, the response was that they were rude and mean. "Well, that's what you'll find here, too." Perceptions are everything, don't you think? I can look at a situation and see joy, but someone else may find problems and sadness. Perhaps it goes back to my favorite one of Ruiz's Four Agreements: Don't take anything personally! 

“The world you see must be denied, for sight of it is costing you a different kind of vision. You cannot see both worlds, for each of them involves a different kind of seeing, and depends on what you cherish. The sight of one is possible because you have denied the other. Both are not true, yet either one will seem as real to you as the amount to which you hold it dear. And yet their power is not the same, because their real attraction to you is unequal.”

A Course in Miracles T-13.VII.2:1-5

“Spiritual perception brings out the possibilities of being, destroys reliance on aught but God, and so makes man the image of his Maker in deed and in truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 203:13-16

We’re Here to Help Each Other

 

When politicians and leaders are heartless, it may seem okay for individuals to be the same, or for churches to say they must take care of themselves, or communities to build fences and declare themselves safe. It's way past time for us to look at what really matters. We are here to help each other. Yet many people and institutions seem to have a self-centered, me-first attitude. A wise man once said the measure of a country is in how it treats its animals. It's also in how it treats the hopeless, the homeless, the hungry, the children, and others in need. I will vote for candidates who care about human growth, about our planet, our rivers, our food supplies. Corporations are not people. They don't cry or care. Look your neighbor in the eye, listen to a friend in need, say a kind word to the serviceperson helping you, vote for people who do the same. We can make a difference!

“To my sense, the most imminent dangers confronting the coming century are: the robbing of people of life and liberty under the warrant of the Scriptures; the claims of politics and of human power, industrial slavery, and insufficient freedom of honest competition; and ritual, creed, and trusts in place of the Golden Rule, ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.’”

Mary Baker Eddy - from The New York World, December, 1900 (An article entitled Insufficient Freedom)

“The Golden Rule asks you to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This means that the perception of both must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of one family, as you perceive both so you will do to both.⁷You should look out from the perception of your own holiness to the holiness of others.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.III.6:2-7

Creatures Great and Small

 

I was reminded, once again, of what animals have to teach us. Today I reached into a small, dark lift (elevator, of sorts) in a 150-year-old church where I play organ. I heard a buzz go by my ear and then a trapped buzzing sound coming from my back. After shaking my shirt shoulder a couple of times, I realized a wasp was trapped in between my diaphanous overblouse and my linen shirt. I took off the sheer outer garment and by looking over my shoulder, I saw the buzzer sitting quietly on my back shoulder. I walked outside and requested it leave, and he/she did so. This brief episode brought into focus how our attitudes affect everything around us. The wasp and I had direct contact on my hand, my ear, and my back. Never at any time did I feel anxious or afraid. And neither did it. When I think back on the times my pets have been anxious or calm, depending upon my feelings — well, our thoughts are mobile and emotions fly fast! Let’s stay calm and positively directed today. Who knows who may benefit from it? Namaste …

“Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions’ den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless. All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 514:26-30

“Are you invulnerable? Then the world is harmless in your sight. Do you forgive? Then is the world forgiving, for you have forgiven it its trespasses, and so it looks on you with eyes that see as yours. Are you a body? So is all the world perceived as treacherous, and out to kill. Are you a spirit, deathless, and without the promise of corruption and the stain of sin upon you? So the world is seen as stable, fully worthy of your trust; a happy place to rest in for a while, where nothing need be feared, but only loved. Who is unwelcome to the kind in heart? And what could hurt the truly innocent?” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.VI.6:1-10

A Sweet Story

 

Sunday Flight by Christian Schloe

I love this story from Kurt Vonnegut. Happy Sunday everyone!

“When I was 15, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists one day during our lunch break and he asked those kinds of ‘getting to know you’ questions you ask young people: Do you play sports? What’s your favorite subject? And I told him, no I don’t play any sports. I do theater, I’m in choir, I play the violin and piano, I used to take art classes.

“And he went wow. That’s amazing! And I said, ‘Oh no, but I’m not any good at any of them.’

“And he said something then that I will never forget and which absolutely blew my mind because no one had ever said anything like it to me before: ‘I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.’

“And that honestly changed my life. Because I went from a failure, someone who hadn’t been talented enough at anything to excel, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them. I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could ‘win’ at them.”

Kurt Vonnegut

The Good That Is Unfolding

Afternoon Tea

By Catrin Welz-Stein

I heard a term which sent me directly to a search engine: Adulting. Its definition is: “the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks”. I have found it difficult to “adult” at times when I let myself become overwhelmed by too many activities. If my mind is racing in circles with a multitude of duties whirling around in it, I may flit from one to another with no focus anywhere. At those times, it’s easy to think there is too much on my plate and I’d rather retreat into a good book. Through the years, I’ve learned to sit quietly, listening for the rhythms of divine order to lead the way, and then to be present in the Now. Some people like to make lists and prioritize, others want someone to tell them what to do first, but few of us believe there is an omnipresence which can help us navigate life’s activities. It can be difficult to override our ego’s dictates, admitting that we may not know what is best, releasing control and flowing with the good which is unfolding right in front of us. But I’m going to keep trying, because I’ve seen how much easier it is than thinking I know it all!

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

“Do you really believe you can make a voice that can drown out God’s? Do you really believe you can devise a thought system that can separate you from Him? Do you really believe you can plan for your safety and joy better than He can? You need be neither careful nor careless; you need merely cast your cares upon Him because He careth for you. You are His care because He loves you. His Voice reminds you always that all hope is yours because of His care. You cannot choose to escape His care because that is not His Will, but you can choose to accept His care and use the infinite power of His care for all those He created by it.” 

A Course in Miracles T-5.VII.1:1-7

Frugal Repast

When I was a very young child, my parents had a slaughterhouse. It was a small operation in a small town and people would bring in the steer they raised, or the chickens they kept in the yard, to have them killed and dressed to put in their freezer. I wasn’t particularly traumatized by any of this, but I did hold the false notion that this humane treatment was the standard practice in our country. Then I started paying attention. After that, I began to restrict my animal intake and now call myself a wanna-be vegetarian (because I do on occasion eat meat). Apparently those occasions are rare enough that an indulgence in a big burger and fried side dishes has made me feel groggy and sluggish for more than a day! I’m not writing this to promote any particular way of eating, but I am hoping that everyone in the world will pay attention to what exactly it is we’re putting in our mouths. Our vegetables are poisoned on a regular basis, the corn syrup situation is frightening, and animals are living a nightmare to supply the outlandish amount of meat which is eaten. I know I eat too much and often am uncaring of what that intake is. While I’m not going to beat myself up over that burger and fries, I am going to try to eat a diet suitable for a small planet! 

"When error confronts you, withhold not the rebuke or the explanation which destroys error. Never breathe an immoral atmosphere, unless in the attempt to purify it. Better is the frugal intellectual repast with contentment and virtue, than the luxury of learning with egotism and vice." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452

Society is a Foolish Juror

 

New Friends

Continuing the theme of communication with the incomprehensible, I am remembering a woman at choir rehearsal. I don't know her well. She began to complain that she hadn't been able to watch her "programs" because of those "horrid people lying about the president". Rather than chastise her or ignore her, I listened to her. She rambled on about tuning in to TCM and watching an old movie called The Red Shoes. She is an Englishwoman and she mentioned it was the first movie her mother took her to see when she was 8 years old. I began asking her questions and it turns out she wanted to become a ballerina and had been told she couldn't marry because she must devote all her time to dance. Well, when she was 18, she met and married a man from Oklahoma, who was in the military stationed in England. He didn't know what ballet was and didn't want to, but she loved him and he loved her, and so she gave up her studies, married, and moved to the United States. That was more than 60 years ago. In talking to her, I found she was a lovely woman, if not an educated one. And I liked her. 

"Society is a foolish juror, listening only to one side of the case. Justice often comes too late to secure a verdict. People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony. To reconstruct timid justice and place the fact above the falsehood, is the work of time. " Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 238:25-28

“Yet you must learn to doubt their evidence will clear the way to recognize yourself, and let the Voice for God alone be Judge of what is worthy of your own belief. He will not tell you that your brother should be judged by what your eyes behold in him, nor what his body’s mouth says to your ears, nor what your fingers’ touch reports of him. He passes by such idle witnesses, which merely bear false witness to God’s Son. He recognizes only what God loves, and in the holy light of what He sees do all the ego’s dreams of what you are vanish before the splendor He beholds.” A Course in Miracles  W-151.7:1-4

Reactions Against Oneness

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

During a conversation with a friend about political separation, she said that it was all a "reaction against Oneness". I love that statement! I'd much rather think of my desire to argue with people about their beliefs as a "reaction against Oneness", wouldn't you? That makes it much easier to hold a conversation which is not adversarial, even if I'm tempted to tell someone they're wrong. I thank you, dear Friend, for helping me to see every situation as either one of unity or one of separation. My son and his baby son will be visiting me soon. He also will be spending time with his dad who lives in a neighboring town. That side of his family are full of conservative views on life, and I’m about as liberal as they come. There is an event planned where we will all be together and I had not been looking forward to it — until I remembered the words of a fellow ACIM student: it’s just a reaction against Oneness. I promise myself to steadfastly look for the ideas which prove our unity. We all love our families and friends. We want to be comfortable in our homes and are grateful for the abundance which surrounds us. We love my son and his new baby more than we want to voice differences of opinion. I am especially grateful today for the words of my dear friend, Anne, which remind me to recognize unity rather than separation. Namaste…

"Oneness is simply the idea God is. And in His Being, He encompasses all things. No mind holds anything but Him. We say 'God is', and then we cease to speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless. There are no lips to speak them, and no part of mind sufficiently distinct to feel that it is now aware of something not itself. It has united with its Source. And like its Source itself, it merely is." 

A Course in Miracles W-pl.169.5

“Atonement is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man’s oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. His mission was both individual and collective. He did life’s work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 18:1-9

Light Where Darkness Was Before

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

I read a letter Sigmund Freud wrote to Albert Einstein, who had written him asking if there was a way to free humankind from the threat of war. Mr. Freud has quite a bit to say on this subject. One phrase which brought pause was, “…the lust for aggression and destruction”. I had never thought of it that way, and it caused me to stop and think. Part of his conclusion is as follows: “The upshot of these observations, as bearing on the subject in hand, is that there is no likelihood of our being able to suppress humanity's aggressive tendencies. In some happy corners of the earth, they say, where nature brings forth abundantly whatever man desires, there flourish races whose lives go gently by, unknowing of aggression or constraint. This I can hardly credit; I would like further details about these happy folk.” In our world, we see famine and harsh conditions in many places. I question whether this is the way creation is supposed to evolve. I’m pretty sure when we follow the laws of nature, life as we know it would become Life as we wish it were! As light bearers, we lead the way with every thought and action. Nothing is more powerful than the divine Love which moves through us into the world.

"Heaven: Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality, bliss, the atmosphere of Soul." 

Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health, Page 587

“Behold your role within the universe! To every part of true creation has the Lord of Love and life entrusted all salvation from the misery of hell. And to each one has He allowed the grace to be a savior to the holy ones especially entrusted to his care. And this he learns when first he looks upon one brother as he looks upon himself, and sees the mirror of himself in him. Thus is the concept of himself laid by, for nothing stands between his sight and what he looks upon, to judge what he beholds. And in this single vision does he see the face of Christ, and understands he looks on everyone as he beholds this one. For there is light where darkness was before, and now the veil is lifted from his sight.” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.VII.8:1-7

A Problem Set in Conflict Has No Answer

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

In a world where we are being fed lies, it’s extremely difficult to figure out what is truth. Media spreads deception and distrust, dividing people in ways which seem irreparable. Bias doesn’t frighten me, but intentional lies do. Many of us remember the early days of television, a time when advertising really revved up and consumerism became flagrant. It has reached an apex now at which almost everything we hear and see is designed to sell us something. We must continue to be vigilant in what we allow into our thought, not only for our own good, but for the collective. Repeating stories which create divisions through feelings of superiority or inferiority, that’s playing the game which has been created for us. It’s important to use our education, our intuition, our spiritual knowledge, every bit of common sense we still have, to discern truth. A Christian Science treatment is often referred to as “knowing the Truth”. It is in reference to knowing the Truth of our being, not the beliefs we’ve come to think of as facts. We don’t need to be the victim of propaganda or other forms of hypnosis. “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach me”. This statement from Mary Baker Eddy is all we need to keep in mind. When we are filled with Love, there is no room for anything else. 

"The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. ... It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128

“In quietness are all things answered, and is every problem quietly resolved. In conflict there can be no answer and no resolution, for its purpose is to make no resolution possible, and to ensure no answer will be plain. A problem set in conflict has no answer, for it is seen in different ways. And what would be an answer from one point of view is not an answer in another light. You are in conflict. Thus it must be clear you cannot answer anything at all, for conflict has no limited effects. Yet if God gave an answer there must be a way in which your problems are resolved, for what He wills already has been done.” 

A Course in Miracles T-27.IV.1:1-7

To Laugh Often and Much

To Laugh Often and Much - a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of the intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others; 

to leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch,

or a redeemed social condition;

to know that one life has breathed easier 

because you lived here.

This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Prepare you now for the undoing of what never was. If you already understood the difference between truth and illusion, the Atonement would have no meaning. The holy instant, the holy relationship, the Holy Spirit’s teaching, and all the means by which salvation is accomplished, would have no purpose. For they are all but aspects of the plan to change your dreams of fear to happy dreams, from which you waken easily to knowledge. Put yourself not in charge of this, for you cannot distinguish between advance and retreat. Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success.” 

A Course in Miracles T-18.V.1:1-6

“To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page239:16-22

Life Affirming Books

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

“She realized that you could be as honest as possible in life, but people only see the truth if it is close enough to their reality. As Thoreau wrote, ‘It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.’” This is a quote from the novel, The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. This book explores the possibilities of what might be, had we chosen a different path in our lives. Not just major decisions, but small ones. There are billions of possibilities in these lateral lives which could be occurring right now, along with the reality we think we are experiencing. Fascinating stuff!! I know most of us have wondered what our lives would have been if we’d accepted that job in New York, or taken a plunge into whatever it was that scared us, or any number of decisions which could have taken us in another direction. The revelations of quantum physics have opened our minds to possibilities we may not be willing to accept. And that’s okay! We humans have spent our entire existence dumbing down the world because we can’t accept what we don’t understand. Our minds don’t see what they can’t handle. And that’s okay, too, because we don’t have to understand this life, we only must live it. I love life-affirming books such as this one! Let me know what you’re reading which has rocked your world!

“Metaphysics is above physics, and matter does not enter into metaphysical premises or conclusions. The categories of metaphysics rest on one basis, the divine Mind. Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 269:11

“You are free to establish your kingdom where you see fit, but the right choice is inevitable if you remember this:

Spirit is in a state of grace forever.

Your reality is only spirit.

Therefore you are in a state of grace forever.” A Course in Miracles T-1.III.5:3-6

Here and Now

 

Fabric Creation from Sandy Wythawai Starbird

Lateral lives, past lives, future lives — we love speculating about possibilities of “other” life experiences. We think about reincarnation and wonder about the possibilities, both past and future. If someone tells us they remember a past life, we may find that fascinating; but if they tell us they come from the future, perhaps we’d think they are a bit off the beam, to say the least. The wonderful sci-fi stories about time travel hold a certain allure for us, a fascination with the possibilities. There are many things we cannot fathom in the here and now, yet we still wonder about events which have not happened and may never occur. While I try to keep thoughts stayed on the now, dealing with events as they occur and not wondering what might be coming, it is a constant discipline, remembering to do so. Be Here Now. The Power of Now. I’m grateful we have so many aides to help us remain focused!

"In the ultimate sense, reincarnation is impossible. There is no past or future, and the idea of birth into a body has no meaning either once or many times. Reincarnation cannot, then, be true in any real sense. Our only question should be, 'Is the concept helpful?' And that depends, of course, on what it is used for. If it is used to strengthen the recognition of the eternal nature of life, it is helpful indeed. Is any other question about it really useful in lighting up the way? Like many other beliefs, it can be bitterly misused. At least, such misuse offers preoccupation and perhaps pride in the past. At worst, it induces inertia in the present. In between, many kinds of folly are possible." 

A Course in Miracles M-24.1 

"Man's individuality is not material. This Science of being obtains not alone hereafter in what men call Paradise, but here and now; it is the great fact of being for time and eternity."  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 285

Up Close and Personal

Stock photo of dandelion

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Although she writes novels, she takes pertinent subjects, thoroughly researches them, and writes fiction in a way which mirrors fact in a personalized way. She is not afraid of tough subjects. I have read numerous books of hers including ones centered around autism, marital abuse, racism, and most recently abortion. Most of us know there are more than two sides to any story, and this author helps us see around the edges and into the nooks and crannies of a person’s experiences. There are no easy answers to questions of morality, but it is always possible to meet situations with loving care. As living beings, we are in this together. As spiritual beings, we are connected by something far deeper than our words and the tribes we choose. For her book, Small Great Things, she spent more than ten years delving into racism. The story starts when a black nurse is involved in the birth of a baby to a white supremacist couple. Picoult’s expert writing causes me to examine my own hidden prejudices as I am drawn into a world which is foreign to me. I am grateful for the insights into places I’ve never been. Thank you to everyone who is not afraid to speak truth, and to those who have a mind open to understanding.

“Millions of unprejudiced minds — simple seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert — are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ’s name, and never fear the consequences.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 570:14-16

“As specialness cares not who pays the cost of sin, so it be paid, the Holy Spirit heeds not who looks on innocence at last, provided it is seen and recognized. For just _one_ witness is enough, if he sees truly. Simple justice asks no more. Of each one does the Holy Spirit ask if he will be that one, so justice may return to love and there be satisfied. Each special function He allots is but for this; that each one learn that love and justice are not separate. And both are strengthened by their union with each other. Without love is justice prejudiced and weak. And love without justice is impossible. For love is fair, and cannot chasten without cause. What cause can be to warrant an attack upon the innocent? In justice, then, does love correct mistakes, but not in vengeance. For that would be unjust to innocence.” A Course in Miracles T-25.VIII.11:1-12

Noticing Our Judgments

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

What does it mean to be awakened? I’m sure it means many things, but I’ve been watching people who are “awoke” and noticing a few traits. They don’t talk about others negatively. Awakening makes life simple because we needn’t try to figure out what people’s motivations are: they do what they do. Our happiness doesn’t rely on what others are doing, or not doing. When we put a label on someone, such as thief, then we’ve fixed that person in our mind with a conceptual identity. The mind does this, often focusing on a person’s shortcomings, and then we are trapped. What we must realize is the more we trap others, the more we trap ourselves. As Jesus said years ago, “Judge not, lest ye be judged”. The world cannot change without a change in thought, our own thought, and it requires vigilance for us to realize what we’re doing and stop it! It’s a matter of noticing our judgments and labeling practices. It’s not a failure when you notice yourself doing these things, it’s a great success to catch a thought and realize you’re doing it again. When you see it, it loses its power over you. Whew! What a relief!

"A dream of judgment came into the mind that God created perfect as Himself. And in that dream was Heaven changed to hell, and God made enemy unto His Son. How can God's Son awaken from the dream? It is a dream of judgment. So must he judge not, and he will waken. For the dream will seem to last while he is part of it. Judge not, for he who judges will have need of idols, which will hold the judgment off from resting on himself. Nor can he know the Self he has condemned. Judge not, because you make yourself a part of evil dreams, where idols are your ‘true identity’, and your salvation from the judgment laid in terror and in guilt upon yourself.” A Course in Miracles T-29.IX.2

“The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 326:16-21

The Brain’s Illusions

 

“Choose Your Bliss”

Created by John Rankine for the upcoming show:

“Finding Solace in This @#$%&! Up World”

“The brain creates false memories based on assumptions.” Whoa! This is a conclusion reached in a psychological study which I read about today. I know people can be involved in the same event and have entirely different memories of what happened. As a court reporter for three decades, I saw how wildly varied were memories of car accidents and other things. So it’s not surprising to me that we see things through different lens and interpret causes from all angles. But this study which shocked me was about showing a person a photograph of themselves, in which they were photoshopped into a particular situation. After being asked a few questions, then the person’s brain created a scenario in which they were convinced they were some place they were not! A quick internet search on how to convince people of things was horridly enlightening. Although it’s never been my goal to change people’s minds, apparently there are many who study these tactics and use them quite effectively. In order to counter these nefarious folks, let’s continue to hone our critical thinking skills, teach ourselves to listen deeply, and do our best to stay away from strong opinions. They do, after all, close our minds to others ways of thinking. Namaste, my dear friends …

“Fantasy is a distorted form of vision. Fantasies of any kind are distortions, because they always involve twisting perception into unreality. Actions that stem from distortions are literally the reactions of those who know not what they do. Fantasy is an attempt to control reality according to false needs. Twist reality in any way and you are perceiving destructively. Fantasies are a means of making false associations and attempting to obtain pleasure from them. But although you can perceive false associations, you can never make them real except to yourself. You believe in what you make.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.VII.3:1-8

“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 88:9-17

Just Breathe

 

What a difference a day makes! I've been encouraging a dear friend who has been going through tough times, feeling suicidal, hopeless, deeply sad. Something shifted in her attitude yesterday, and today she's almost happy again! I encourage everyone who is feeling depressed, or desperate, to know there is an end to it. Plant some flowers, even if you have no energy. Take a walk, even if you want to stay in bed. Get some sunshine, even if you'd rather stay in a deeply-curtained room. Talk to friends, when you're rather be alone. Watch a funny movie, even if you want to cry. But don't be afraid to cry, and savor every moment of the grief. It, too, is life. Feel everything to its ultimate end. Be grateful for all these things, and remember to breathe.

"Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love." Mary Baker Eddy 

“The opposite of joy is depression. When your learning promotes depression instead of joy, you cannot be listening to God’s joyous Teacher and learning His lessons. To see a body as anything except a means of communication is to limit your mind and to hurt yourself. Health is therefore nothing more than united purpose. If the body is brought under the purpose of the mind, it becomes whole because the mind’s purpose is one. Attack can only be an assumed purpose of the body, because apart from the mind the body has no purpose at all.” A Course in Miracles T-8.VII.13:1-6

Seeking Successive Autumns

 

Félix Vallotton 

The Bridge Over Béal (Le Pont sur le Béal), 1922.

“Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

George Eliot - Letter to Miss Lewis, 1841.

Give A Good Day

A dear friend gave some fine advice: Instead of worrying about having a good day, put your attention on GIVING a good day. What a wonderful perspective this gives to life! It also reminded me of something which happened when my gallery was open. People would ask how my day had been and I’d say, Great! Almost always they were referring to whether I’d made a lot of sales, which never factored into my answer. One day, a lady brought a stained glass ornament up and showed me that it was broken. I thanked her and she said, I’m so sorry to ruin your day. Of course, I laughed. If the requirement for having a good day was to make money, or if a broken item could ruin my day — well, most days would have been so-so at best! Thank you, dear heart-centered friend, for the reminder to “give a good day”! It’s a wonderful saying, which I will now use: Are you giving a great day today?

“Protect all things you value by the act of giving them away, and you are sure that you will never lose them. What you thought you did not have is thereby proven yours. Yet value not its form. For this will change and grow unrecognizable in time, however much you try to keep it safe. No form endures. It is the thought behind the form of things that lives unchangeable.” A Course in Miracles  W-187.4:1-6

“Mind-science teaches that mortals need ‘not be weary in well doing.’ It dissipates fatigue in doing good. Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 79:29-32

Kindness Matters

 

Why are we so afraid of each other? Could it be all the crime television shows, or maybe we have been physically attacked in the past? We all have our reasons for turning away from our fellow humans. We probably say it’s wise to be cautious. I know that’s what everyone feels on a much-viewed county social media page. Someone who delivers for “door dash” related a tale of woe in which she delivered food to a man and he “grabbed her” and said “I’m glad it’s you”. As I looked through the responses telling her to carry a gun, or never go there again, or call the police, I saw where she said she HAD called the police because he had fallen off his porch and she wanted to make sure he was okay. In trying to imagine this scenario, I saw something quite different from the defensive responders interpretations. I visualized an old man who was unable to leave his home and had ordered food, as he had done many times in the past. When he saw it was someone who had delivered to him before, he reached out and said he was glad to see her again. Or maybe he was reaching toward her because he was about to fall over — which he did! I don’t know the details, but I do know our perceptions can be askew. Perhaps we’ve bypassed our intuitions which tell us about others’ true intentions. When you get a bad vibe from someone, listen. If you’re afraid of everything, question yourself as to why that is. Kindness matters. It may be the only way to heal humanity…

“Dream softly of your sinless brother, who unites with you in holy innocence. And from this dream the Lord of Heaven will Himself awaken His beloved Son. Dream of your brother’s kindnesses instead of dwelling in your dreams on his mistakes. Select his thoughtfulness to dream about instead of counting up the hurts he gave. Forgive him his illusions, and give thanks to him for all the helpfulness he gave. And do not brush aside his many gifts because he is not perfect in your dreams. He represents his Father, Whom you see as offering both life and death to you.” A Course in Miracles 

“Love will finally mark the hour of harmony, and spiritualization will follow, for Love is Spirit. Before error is wholly destroyed, there will be interruptions of the general material routine. Earth will become dreary and desolate, but summer and winter, seedtime and harvest (though in changed forms), will continue unto the end, — until the final spiritualization of all things. ‘The darkest hour precedes the dawn.’” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 95:4-11

Sowing Joy

 

The Dalai Lama has profound and beautiful messages for us. He speaks of peace and love, reminding us of our true identity in an unassuming and pure manner. His gleeful words never leave me where they found me, and for this I am most grateful. I remember a DVD of his entitled “Compassion in Emptiness”.  He talks about the importance of relationships based on honesty and trust. The joyfulness born of these interactions is essential to our liberation from fearful illusions. The trust and honesty he speaks of isn't limited to those who have "earned" it. It isn't limited in any way. As we go through our daily activities, let's remember to treat everyone with the loving respect and courtesy with which we would afford a dearly beloved parent or child. May kindness and joy spread to every person you come into contact with today, and everyday. And if you happen to forget what that feels like, look up a video of the Dalai Lama and let him remind you!

“If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 9:11-14

“How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God creates is eternal.” A Course in Miracles T-5.IV.8:1-6

An Informed Citizenry

 

Extra, extra, read all about it! Spread the good news! These sayings bring certain things to mind; things we may not think of nowadays when we pick up our phones and see the Apple News headlines. I used to get morning news from the radio. When my boys were small, I'd listen to the radio while we ate breakfast, but then I realized how horridly sensational most of it was, so I stopped listening. The Today Show was my mother's favorite, but most television news has gone the way of gossip magazines and such. More and more, we depend upon each other for news. I know I can trust certain sources, and I count on them to inform me. In the past few years, I've realized how important it is for each of us to educate ourselves and, also, to pass it on. So let's read, listen, learn, and then write! Write letters to the editor, or post your take on things to social media -- heck, pass out leaflets if you must!  From my favorite news magazine: "Good government flourishes in the sunshine, and our nation's founders knew that. 'A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry.' Thomas Jefferson" 

“As we give thanks, the world unites with us and happily accepts our holy thoughts, which Heaven has corrected and made pure. Now has our ministry begun at last, to carry round the world the joyous news that truth has no illusions, and the peace of God, through us, belongs to everyone.” A Course in Miracles W-151.17:2-3

“Pantheism may be defined as a belief in the intelligence of matter, — a belief which Science overthrows. In those days there will be ‘great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world;’ and earth will echo the cry, ‘Art thou [Truth] come hither to torment us before the time?’ Animal magnetism, hypnotism, spiritualism, theosophy, agnosticism, pantheism, and infidelity are antagonistic to true being and fatal to its demonstration; and so are some other systems.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 127:11-20

Helping Others, Helping Yourself

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

I know someone who is being asked to move from her current apartment. She has been quite upset over this major life change and every day I hear a different problem and the improbability of its resolution. She is stuck in a helpless, hopeless mode and it’s become quite the drama for her. Today’s worry was how much work it would be to move and she didn’t know if she could face it. Now, this woman is extremely involved in helping at her church and projects with other friends and acquaintances. She has the energy and drive which marks a true go-getter. It suddenly came to me that she should treat herself as well as she does everyone else. If she was helping someone else move, she’d have the joy and energy which could transform a chore into a happening! I made her promise to imagine a friend in need, and see herself helping. When she crosses my mind, I’ll see her as happily expectant!

“A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously.” A Course in Miracles

“It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established. Having no other gods turning to no other but the one perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that Mind which was also in Christ.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health page 467: 6-8