Bathed in Beauty and Light

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

You have probably heard of, or witnessed, people facing dire situations calmly, with an other-worldly peace. I experienced one of these times when visiting with a couple who were learning how to cope with the change we call death. When I walked into their home, the first thing I felt was an all-encompassing peace. My dear friend related how inspired she was by the leaves falling from the trees in their regular autumnal cycle. She told me how they take care of themselves. She never rakes them up into piles, but allows them to go where they need to be, and there they change to whatever form is required of them -- soil, protection for seedlings, shelter for insects and small animals. She sees perfection in this plan and knows that the same perfection is taking place in all existence. I am grateful to have experienced this deep and quiet peace with them. The peace of God is there for all, no matter what the material circumstance. The gift of Love satisfies the hungering senses, it calms fear, it allows us to release the ties which bind us to material existence, giving us more than we knew was possible. This understanding is priceless …

“Life is reflected in existence, Truth in truthfulness, God in goodness, which impart their own peace and permanence. Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 516:9-13

“There is a peace that Christ bestows on us. Who uses but Christ’s vision finds a peace so deep and quiet, undisturbable and wholly changeless, that the world contains no counterpart. Comparisons are still before this peace. And all the world departs in silence as this peace envelops it, and gently carries it to truth, no more to be the home of fear. For love has come, and healed the world by giving it Christ’s peace.

“Father, the peace of Christ is given us, because it is Your Will that we be saved. Help us today but to accept Your gift, and judge it not. For it has come to us to save us from our judgment on ourselves.”

A Course in Miracles W-305.1:1–2:3 

Revealing Celestial Peaks

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

Throughout the ages, we've been given hints about the unrealized possibilities in our world.  We have longed for the ability to change what seems to be the reality of situations in and around our personal existence, and we enjoy stories of powerful mythological and fictional characters who do so. The world tells us that we are victims of circumstance, with our life experiences being changed at 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 possibility 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 let’s surrender any thoughts of limitation, thereby opening 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

“Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ. I can obscure my holy sight, if I intrude my world upon it. Nor can I behold the holy sights Christ looks upon, unless it is His vision that I use. Perception is a mirror, not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward. I would bless the world by looking on it through the eyes of Christ. And I will look upon the certain signs that all my sins have been forgiven me.

“You lead me from the darkness to the light; from sin to holiness. Let me forgive, and thus receive salvation for the world. It is Your gift, my Father, given me to offer to Your holy Son, that he may find again the memory of You, and of Your Son as You created him.” 

A Course in Miracles W-304.1:1–2:3

Surrounded by Holy Thoughts

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

If someone told you that “the holy Christ is born in you today”, you would probably interpret the statement by way of your past or present belief system. Some will wonder if this means they’re passing from this realm. Some may think this is a blasphemous statement. Others will feel a sense of relief, knowing that they have permission for Love to rule their thoughts and actions, without concern for material circumstances. You may be relieved, knowing the second coming is being born right now, just as soon as you can get out of Its way! A dear friend made a profound statement, which seems appropriate in connection with this lesson: Resurrect Gratitude Daily!! Is this not the second coming? The moment-by-moment rebirth of Love, gratitude, joy, beauty, harmony, and all that The Christ embodies, opens us to the unity of Life. Sharing this gift is as individual as we are, and as timely as our interactions. Freely I have received, freely I give!

“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 & Health Page 467:13-16

“The holy Christ is born in me today. Watch with me, angels, watch with me today. Let all God’s holy Thoughts surround me, and be still with me while Heaven’s Son is born. Let earthly sounds be quiet, and the sights to which I am accustomed disappear. Let Christ be welcomed where He is at home. And let Him hear the sounds He understands, and see but sights that show His Father’s Love. Let Him no longer be a stranger here, for He is born again in me today.

“Your Son is welcome, Father. He has come to save me from the evil self I made. He is the Self that You have given me. He is but what I really am in truth. He is the Son You love above all things. He is my Self as You created me. It is not Christ that can be crucified. Safe in Your Arms let me receive Your Son.”

A Course in Miracles W-303.1:1–2:8

Reinterpretation Shows Me Light

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

In the past 13 years, I’ve written many of these “dailies” based on events which transpire with my next door neighbor. He has been vehement in his condemnation of me for many reasons, all of which I have viewed as fiction. Yesterday he came to my house and asked for advice; today it seems we are friends and he called on the phone with many things to tell me. Oh my. Now, I see this Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson: “Where darkness was, I look upon the light.” At one point in our conversation today, he told me of his church ostracizing him, and he was sad that people see him as a troublemaker. He kept insisting he was a good person, and I was honestly able to tell him that was how I saw him. I told him that no matter the circumstances, I saw him as a reflection of divine Love. By a reinterpretation of events, I found in my memory scenarios in which he was kind and caring. I assured him he was loved by God. I take these events of the past two days to mean that anything is possible, and I will go forward with an expectation of the best possible results. Namaste… 

“Where darkness was I look upon the light. Father, our eyes are opening at last. Your holy world awaits us, as our sight is finally restored and we can see. We thought we suffered. But we had forgot the Son whom You created. Now we see that darkness is our own imagining, and light is there for us to look upon. Christ’s vision changes darkness into light, for fear must disappear when love has come. Let me forgive Your holy world today, that I may look upon its holiness and understand it but reflects my own.

“Our Love awaits us as we go to Him, and walks beside us showing us the way. He fails in nothing. He the End we seek, and He the Means by which we go to Him.”

A Course in Miracles W-302.1:1–2:3

“Light is a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love, and not a vitalizing property of matter. Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 520:27-1

United by Empathy

Dan Rather’s book, What Unites Us, is one which I highly recommend. He is old enough to remember what life was like in the aftermath of the great depression, times before we had government programs to help people in need, along with the suffering which was thought of as normal. When someone lost their job, it felt like death, because there was not another job to be found. Neighbors would do what they could for each other, and when little Dan asked his mother why they were helping the people across the street (thinking perhaps it was pity which inspired his folks to give) he was told it wasn’t because they felt sorry for them, but because they understood the feeling of being in need. He writes of empathy building community. In the last three decades, I’ve watched our little town band together to help people in every kind of need that you can imagine. I have been the recipient of that kindness more than once, and it has built empathy within me, too. When we don’t blame people for their misfortune, we don’t judge their circumstances, but simply meet their need, whatever it may be. It seems so simple, and it is a beautiful thing to watch in action. I wish everyone in our country could read or listen to this book by Mr. Rather. Good will multiplies exponentially, don’t you think? Let’s go forth and multiply!

"Do we love our neighbor better because of this asking? Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied with having prayed for something better, though we give no evidence of the sincerity of our requests by living consistently with our prayer? 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. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith."  

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 9:6

“And God Himself shall wipe away all tears. Father, unless I judge I cannot weep. Nor can I suffer pain, or feel I am abandoned or unneeded in the world. This is my home because I judge it not, and therefore is it only what You will. Let me today behold it uncondemned, through happy eyes forgiveness has released from all distortion. Let me see Your world instead of mine. And all the tears I shed will be forgotten, for their source is gone. ⁷Father, I will not judge Your world today.

“God’s world is happy. Those who look on it can only add their joy to it, and bless it as a cause of further joy in them. We wept because we did not understand. But we have learned the world we saw was false, and we will look upon God’s world today.”

A Course in Miracles W-301.1:1–2:4

False Perceptions Cannot Hold Us

Photo courtesy of Gerry Toler

Is reality what we are told by the daily news? We know there are conflicting reports of current events, and it can be difficult to discern reality within human perspectives. Is it what we learn in school? I remember how surprising (and  embarrassing) it was to learn that most of the American history I had learned in school was no more than a myth, perpetuated by men who wanted it to be that way. We are beginning to understand that spiritual truth is not to be found within the religious institutions of our world. Everywhere we turn, there is a story which we have been told that has affected the way we view life. It is such a relief to know we can happily leave behind our stories of duality and erroneous thought, which frees us to listen for the “still, small voice” of truth. 

“Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 454:21-23

“Only an instant does this world endure. This is a thought which can be used to say that death and sorrow are the certain lot of all who come here, for their joys are gone before they are possessed, or even grasped. Yet this is also the idea that lets no false perception keep us in its hold, nor represent more than a passing cloud upon a sky eternally serene. And it is this serenity we seek, unclouded, obvious and sure, today.

“We seek Your holy world today. For we, Your loving Sons, have lost our way a while. But we have listened to Your Voice, and learned exactly what to do to be restored to Heaven and our true Identity. And we give thanks today the world endures but for an instant. We would go beyond that tiny instant to eternity.

A Course in Miracles W-300.1:1–2:5

Ideas or Thoughts?

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

A friend said to me that once you hear something, it’s a part of you. When we hear something, even when we know it’s not true, it can be difficult to get it out of our mind. While I admit that it can be difficult to forget something, I do not think it’s impossible. The key to this letting-go is realizing what you are. As long as I see myself as a material human, a victim of life’s circumstances, then, yes, it is difficult, even impossible, to release erroneous thought. When I start to glimpse that I am not this body, that I am an idea of divine Mind, 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.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 88:9-14

“Eternal holiness abides in me. My holiness is far beyond my own ability to understand or know. Yet God, my Father, Who created it, acknowledges my holiness as His. Our Will, together, understands it. And Our Will, together, knows that it is so.

“Father, my holiness is not of me. It is not mine to be destroyed by sin. It is not mine to suffer from attack. Illusions can obscure it, but can not put out its radiance, nor dim its light. It stands forever perfect and untouched. In it are all things healed, for they remain as You created them. And I can know my holiness. For Holiness Itself created me, and I can know my Source because it is Your Will that You be known.”

A Course in Miracles W-299.1:1–2:8

Grateful For Abiding Friendships

(Other friends I’ve loved for decades)

Three women and I have been friends for decades. Today we created a party for ourselves centered around voting! We met to cast our votes, then came to my house for lunch and an afternoon of good-humored card play. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company on this exceptionally warm autumn day. It’s easy to fall into a habit of expressing fear over world events, or individual grief and illness can be the main topic of conversation. But don’t do it! Make a point of enjoying the beauty of life, revel in the coziness of a good book, cuddle up with your pets and loved ones. Invite someone for tea whom you haven’t seen in a long while. Write a letter to a friend who lives far away. Ask your neighbor if you can help them with anything. It’s the little things which bring joy, don’t you think? And we have a never-ending supply…

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful. Men and women of riper years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness or gloom.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 249:3-7

“I love You, Father, and I love Your Son. My gratitude permits my love to be accepted without fear. And thus am I restored to my reality at last. All that intruded on my holy sight forgiveness takes away. And I draw near the end of senseless journeys, mad careers and artificial values. I accept instead what God establishes as mine, sure that in that alone I will be saved; sure that I go through fear to meet my Love.

“Father, I come to You today, because I would not follow any way but Yours. You are beside me. Certain is Your way. And I am grateful for Your holy gifts of certain sanctuary, and escape from everything that would obscure my love for God my Father and His holy Son.”

A Course in Miracles W-298.1:1–2:4

The Gift of Forgiveness

A friend has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, which carries a prognosis of a few months to live. As usual, when these things happen to our friends, I am remembering the good times we’ve had, recalling all the lovely memories we have made. Unfortunately, this dear woman was never happy. She found it impossible to let go of old hurts and resentments, making it impossible for her to move forward and carve out the life for herself which she wanted so badly. My hope for today is that anyone who is feeling angry or hopeless can see their way past whatever is holding them in pain. Forgiveness is my wish for you today. May you have peace…

“Forgiveness is the only gift I give. Forgiveness is the only gift I give, because it is the only gift I want. And everything I give I give myself. This is salvation’s simple formula. And I, who would be saved, would make it mine, to be the way I live within a world that needs salvation, and that will be saved as I accept Atonement for myself.

“Father, how certain are Your ways; how sure their final outcome, and how faithfully is every step in my salvation set already, and accomplished by Your grace. Thanks be to You for Your eternal gifts, and thanks to You for my Identity.

A Course in Miracles W-297.1:1–2:2

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9

Two Ways to Be Fooled

This quote comes to mind often: “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true." Soren Kierkegaard. To me, social media is a way to keep up with loved ones who are far away, people close by, and cool happenings in town or otherwise. Of course, it is also the avenue for conspiracy theories and purveyors of horrid happenings. I truly believe most folks think they are helping others by warning them about trouble. The same holds true on the national level, when people warn us that Tom Hanks is a pedophile or that Hillary Clinton drinks baby’s blood. Hence, I come back to the sentiment in the Kierkegaard quote often: Am I being fooled by believing or not believing?? It has always seemed to me that truth just feels true. But with so much misinformation going around in everyone's heads, I think it's easier to be pulled into swirling, chaotic thought now than it used to be. It's rather like an approaching storm with its electric, exciting expectancy: will it be beautiful and cleansing or are we going to Oz? Hum...

"Science only can explain the incredible good and evil elements now coming to the surface. Mortals must find refuge in Truth in order to escape the error of these latter days. Nothing is more antagonistic to Christian Science than a blind belief without understanding, for such a belief hides Truth and builds on error." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 83:6

“The Holy Spirit needs my voice today, that all the world may listen to Your Voice, and hear Your Word through me. I am resolved to let You speak through me, for I would use no words but Yours, and have no thoughts which are apart from Yours, for only Yours are true. I would be savior to the world I made. For having damned it I would set it free, that I may find escape, and hear the Word Your holy Voice will speak to me today.

“We teach today what we would learn, and that alone. And so our learning goal becomes an unconflicted one, and possible of easy reach and quick accomplishment. How gladly does the Holy Spirit come to rescue us from hell, when we allow His teaching to persuade the world, through us, to seek and find the easy path to God.”

A Course in Miracles W-296.1:1–2:3

Redeem the Past, Change the Future

Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite authors. In his book, "Aleph”, and others, he takes us on a spiritual journey which shows that we are indeed not alone, in either our fears or our realizations of Truth. Mr. Coelho said this novel was his most personal, and the main character seems to have many common characteristics with his creator. When he writes of spiritual progress feeling stagnant, I ache for him. These  sentences stayed in my thoughts: "It isn't what you did in the past that will affect the present. It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future." What a vibrant, hopeful statement! What you do right now is the pivotal point in your life. Let go of any and all grievances of any kind. Notice your thoughts as they peek out at you during the day. Are they reinforcing old, often-painful beliefs, or are they leading you out of them?  Let’s redeem the past and change the future!

“It requires courage to utter truth; for the higher Truth lifts her voice, the louder will error scream, until its in‐articulate sound is forever silenced in oblivion.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 278:1-11

“The Holy Spirit looks through me today. Christ asks that He may use my eyes today, and thus redeem the world. He asks this gift that He may offer peace of mind to me, and take away all terror and all pain. And as they are removed from me, the dreams that seemed to settle on the world are gone. Redemption must be one. As I am saved, the world is saved with me. For all of us must be redeemed together. ⁷Fear appears in many different forms, but love is one.”

A Course in Miracles W-295.1:1-7

Multifarious Forms of Love

Bird at Heart

Creation from Sandy Wythawai Starbird

A Course in Miracles tells us that the body is a communication device; that it is a tool to be used and then laid aside when its use is over. In this world, we have mistaken the body for our true identity. If we no longer see our body as either good or bad, but rather as a totally neutral thing, it can be realized as what it is in truth: an extension of Love. A dear friend reminded me of something a mutual friend said about Love: there is no unconditional love, only Love. If there are conditions, it’s not really Love! Today I shall think of my body in this way, too, without conditions and limitation, but only as the Idea it is!

“My body is a wholly neutral thing. I am a Son of God. And can I be another thing as well? Did God create the mortal and corruptible? What use has God’s beloved Son for what must die? And yet a neutral thing does not see death, for thoughts of fear are not invested there, nor is a mockery of love bestowed upon it. Its neutrality protects it while it has a use. And afterwards, without a purpose, it is laid aside. It is not sick nor old nor hurt. It is but functionless, unneeded and cast off. Let me not see it more than this today; of service for a while and fit to serve, to keep its usefulness while it can serve, and then to be replaced for greater good.”

A Course in Miracles W-294.1:1-10

“Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 477:20-2

Fear Is Past, Only Love is Here

While visiting with an old friend, I found out things I never knew about her. This kind, gentle woman feels the need to have a gun in her house, a sign on her front door stating that fact, and a sophisticated security system which gives her the ability to shout warnings at people walking onto “her property”. I put this in quotations because she used the phrase numerous times. Of course, the logic cannot be refuted when analyzed from a material standpoint. Statistics show senseless shootings, robberies, and other heinous crimes are happening all the time. Other than a few questions asked of her for my own clarification, I remained silent during her recounting of strangers coming to her door and her subsequent actions. Perhaps the years I’ve spent in a peaceful neighborhood have narrowed my field of vision, keeping me from understanding this fear. I was raised by parents who had lived through two world wars and a devastating economic depression. They had many reasons to live in fear, and were extremely cautious and conservative in their thinking. Because of this, I understand people’s concerns about violence and lack. This is something I’m going to seriously ponder, because I don’t even know where my house key is. Am I sticking my head in the sand,  or does my safety lie in my defenselessness? Hum….

“The Apostle John says: 'There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made perfect in Love.' Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 410:17-21

“All fear is past and only love is here. All fear is past, because its source is gone, and all its thoughts gone with it. Love remains the only present state, whose Source is here forever and forever. Can the world seem bright and clear and safe and welcoming, with all my past mistakes oppressing it, and showing me distorted forms of fear? Yet in the present love is obvious, and its effects apparent. All the world shines in reflection of its holy light, and I perceive a world forgiven at last.

“Father, let not Your holy world escape my sight today. Nor let my ears be deaf to all the hymns of gratitude the world is singing underneath the sounds of fear. There is a real world which the present holds safe from all past mistakes. And I would see only this world before my eyes today.”

A Course in Miracles W-293.1:1–2:4

Happy Outcomes

At the Celestial Seasonings Factory

In 1999, I took my young boys on a 3,000-mile road trip. We made no reservations at hotels and had no definite plans -- other than to attend women's World Cup soccer games and look for miniature golf courses. In preparation for this trip, I spent a great deal of time studying the science of Mind and bringing my thoughts into alignment with the metaphysical Principle. On this trip, we witnessed many happy outcomes, but the most dramatic was on the first day. I had worn glasses to see at a distance for more than 30 years and suddenly found I could see without them. I enjoyed this freedom until a number of years later. When renewing my driver's license, I found that glasses were needed again. Although I complied with the law and obtained glasses, I steadfastly refused to accept this prognosis as reality. The next time I applied for renewal, there were no restrictions as to sight. Instances such as this affirm my conviction to live single-mindedly, with God as my only goal, expecting happy outcomes!

“Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 495:15-2

“A happy outcome to all things is sure. God’s promises make no exceptions. And He guarantees that only joy can be the final outcome found for everything. Yet it is up to us when this is reached; how long we let an alien will appear to be opposing His. And while we think this will is real, we will not find the end He has appointed as the outcome of all problems we perceive, all trials we see, and every situation that we meet. Yet is the ending certain. For God’s Will is done in earth and Heaven. We will seek and we will find according to His Will, which guarantees that our will is done.

“We thank You, Father, for Your guarantee of only happy outcomes in the end. Help us not interfere, and so delay the happy endings You have promised us for every problem that we can perceive; for every trial we think we still must meet.”

A Course in Miracles W-292.1:1–2:2

A Day of Stillness and Peace

Félix Vallotton 

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

It's a beautiful day in the Ozarks. Peace is easily felt in the splendor of a fall day. I am grateful for the words in A Course in Miracles. I am grateful for the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and her determination to demonstrate the Science of The Christ. The words contained in these lessons point toward the Truth of our Being. We are assured Truth is eternally discoverable by anyone willing to see. We are shown how to move away from the learned behaviors of a lifetime. The stillness and peace of nature aids in leading me to the door of Truth, and I am grateful.

“This is a day of stillness and of peace. Christ’s vision looks through me today. His sight shows me all things forgiven and at peace, and offers this same vision to the world.³And I accept this vision in its name, both for myself and for the world as well. What loveliness we look upon today! What holiness we see surrounding us! And it is given us to recognize it is a holiness in which we share; it is the Holiness of God Himself.

“This day my mind is quiet, to receive the Thoughts You offer me. And I accept what comes from You, instead of from myself. I do not know the way to You. But You are wholly certain. Father, guide Your Son along the quiet path that leads to You. Let my forgiveness be complete, and let the memory of You return to me.

A Course in Miracles W-291.1:1–2:6

"Certain moods of mind find an indefinable pleasure in stillness, soft, silent as the storm's sudden hush; for nature's stillness is voiced with a hum of harmony, the gentle murmur of early morn, the evening's closing vespers, and lyre of bird and brooklet."  

Mary Baker Eddy - Christian Science versus Pantheism Page 3:8-13