June 10, 2014 - No More Thorns

Photo courtesy of Creation Spirit

ACIM Workbook Lesson #161

“Give me your blessing, holy Son of God.”

Have you ever heard these statements? "It's my cross to bear." "He/She's a thorn in my side." These are ways of saying that some things and/or people seem to be a problem in our life, and we're carrying them around as though they're a part of us and we have no choice but to bear it. There's a particular topic of contention in our town that never fails to get me riled. I like to think nothing bothers me, but this seems to be my "cross to bear." Motorcycles. Big, loud, revving motorcycles. Obviously I can change the way I think about them. It should be easy to see the drivers as reflections of God, unified by our humanity, not separated by our mode of transportation. Today I choose to look at this differently. Another saying comes to mind: God, give me strength! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"’Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ 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." Science & Health Page 467:16-20

June 9, 2014 - At Home in Love

photo courtesy of Jim Young

ACIM Workbook Lesson #160

“I am at home. Fear is the stranger here.”

At times my identity with fear is so great that I think it can never be exchanged for my identity with Love. Everywhere I look, it seems someone is running around like Chicken Little declaring "the sky is falling!"  The act of realizing my true heritage as the child of divine Mind is the beginning of freedom from the bondage of mortal mind's beliefs. My home is Love. Fear is a stranger in that home. I want to relax into the comfort of my true home, turning away from every fearful thought. This acronym for fear will help me do this: False Evidence Appearing Real. Years of identification with duality have made me believe it's necessary to have fear and love, good and bad, health and illness. I'm beginning to see the fallacy of this story!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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.”

Science & Health Page 410:17-21

June 8, 2014 - Healing

ACIM Workbook Lesson #159

“I give the miracles I have received.”

When someone asks for help with healing, I am not trying to change a physical condition, but rather to change thought from a material viewpoint to one of spiritual reality. Although we tend to think there are certain laws of living which cannot be usurped, most of us have witnessed numerous examples of how this is not so. We have seen what appears to be a physical law set aside, and society generally thinks of this as supernatural intervention. In Christian Science, we call these events the demonstration of Truth. Receiving understanding of our relationship to God is gained by letting ourselves slip into a space which releases all mortal thought, allowing that "Mind to be us, which was also Christ Jesus". Through this simple yet not always easy process, we give all we have accepted. This is healing. I look forward to giving everything I have received, and by that giving, I will come to understand what it truly is.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Implicit faith in the Teacher and all the emotional love we can bestow on him, will never alone make us imitators of him. We must go and do likewise, else we are not improving the great blessings which our Master worked and suffered to bestow upon us. The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus." Science & Health Page 25:27-33   

June 7, 2014 - The Flow of Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #158

“Today I learn to give as I receive.”

Before we learn to give as we receive, we must realize what we are receiving! It could be said we're receiving the gifts of God. But what is that? We are learning it is the knowledge that our true state is Spirit; that we are one with All That Is. We needn't worry that we're not good enough, or that we don't know enough, or that we've made too many mistakes to qualify as the reflection of God. Thoughts of that ilk have been propagated as fact, but they are only material belief. What we are receiving is Truth, and that is what we give with every breath, with every inspiration.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Mind creates [Its] own likeness in ideas, and the substance of an idea is very far from being the supposed substance of non-intelligent matter. Hence the Father Mind is not the father of matter. The material senses and human conceptions would translate spiritual ideas into material beliefs, and would say that an anthropomorphic God, instead of infinite Principle,--in other words, divine Love,--is the father of the rain, ‘who hath begotten the drops of dew,’ who bringeth ‘forth Mazzaroth in his season,’ and guideth ‘Arcturus with his sons.’” 

Science & Health Page 257:12-21

June 6, 2014 - No Choice

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #157

“Into His Presence would I enter now.”

Entering into divine Presence is a choice. It is always there welcoming me, but I can easily block that reality with what I have chosen to see. I attended a luau this evening, set in a beautiful garden with perfect weather conditions. Everything was delightful, from the surroundings to the food. I first sat at a table with two women who bombarded me with multiple questions about trivialities and proceeded to find negative things to say about every topic they brought up. As I watched them with amusement, I noticed that the choices they made all involved fear. dread. and defense. As I looked around the crowd, it became obvious that joyful people were glowing, while fearful people's eyes seemed blank and dull. What's the difference? If we all share the same essence, why do some people shine and some shrink away? It's a matter of choice, don't you think? Loving every moment, or fearing everything; embracing the Presence, or turning away with disdain; seeing everything as a difficult choice, or recognizing  Truth. Hum -- maybe there is no choice!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“One moment of divine consciousness, or the spiritual understanding of Life and Love, is a foretaste of eternity. Time is a mortal thought, the divisor of which is the solar year. Eternity is God's measurement of Soul-filled years.”

June 5, 2014 - I Walk With Love

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #156

“I walk with God in perfect holiness.”

I've always had a resistance to yielding. Walking with God in perfect holiness implies a yielding, don't you think? How else could you walk this walk without giving up what you think of as yourself? You can't. What finally got through to me was the realization that what I was giving up was NOT myself, but a mishmash of everything I had ever been told was true, combined with an erratic belief system I had decided was me. Add to that the hypnotism of media and the pull of mass consciousness and we're left with a pretty convoluted idea of what we are. Little by little, I'm letting go of beliefs and learned behaviors. Being present in the moment, giving my full attention to whatever may be in front of me, loving myself and all in Its oneness -- this is what I see as walking with God. Accepting myself and everything as holy becomes easier when viewed without judgment. Simply witnessing events, perhaps with amusement, is certainly more fun! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being.”

Science & Health Page 264:10-12

June 4, 2014 - I Am All Right

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #155

“I will step back and let Him lead the way.”

I really try to let Truth lead the way in everything I do. For instance, today I was driving to the country to visit with friends. Before I left the house, I sat and quieted my thoughts and reminded myself to be open to guidance in all ways. By this, I mean everything, including slight variations in driving which would put my tires where they need to be, safe from any sharp rocks or nails. Now, I don't think about these details in particular, or that would be counter productive. I simply say something like, Let me be open to your thought. By silencing my plans and controlling tendencies, there is a protection at work because I'm listening. Today my dog took a tumble down a steep staircase. As he was rolling down, I began affirming to myself his safety -- and knowing the reason why. It's a simple shift from saying, Are you all right? to knowing, You ARE all right! I am very grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality." Science & Health Page 298:13-15

"When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!' Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real. Now reverse the process. Declare that you are not hurt and understand the reason why, and you will find the ensuing good effects to be in exact proportion to your disbelief in physics, and your fidelity to divine metaphysics, confidence in God as All…" Science & Health Page 397:12-21

June 3, 2014 - Common Ground

ACIM Workbook Lesson #154

“I am among the ministers of God.”

It's been a very interesting day in the gallery! Most people who came in seemed to have an "agenda". The first one I noticed was a man and his wife who were wearing guns on their belts. They both were very excited about their visit to Eureka and they hope to move here. As our small tourist town exhibits a lot of diversity in people and thought systems, it gives me great opportunities to witness the unity we all share. It doesn't matter that someone may be a right-wing republican gunslinger, he should be able to live amongst the liberal hippies and vice versa, because we truly are all One. Although I had difficulty finding common ground with this man, the next surprise comment was easier. Later in the day a nice man came in and said that this town seemed like a very spiritual place. I wholeheartedly agreed with him, whereupon he took my hands in his and asked me if I'd taken Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I was able to honestly answer that my main focus in life is to live as Jesus taught. A few years ago (or maybe less than that), I would have probably been polite to these people, but my demeanor would have shown that I didn't approve. I was happy to see that I simply witnessed these events and responded in a mellow way to them. All this practice of living Love seems to be working!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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.”

Science & Health Page 570:14-17

June 2, 2014 - Truting in Good

ACIM Workbook Lesson #153

“In my defenselessness my safety lies.”

The world we live in teaches us we should try to defend against any contingency which may come up -- i.e., get inoculations, take out insurance for every possible disaster, check your blood pressure, teach your children not to talk to strangers -- the list goes on and on. Acceptance of good as the only reality is where our safety lies. Is it even possible to protect our mortal selves from every material malady which may befall us? Of course not. But we can be aware of the still, small voice which is always guiding us in our every action. Trust yourself! Listen to your instinctual prompts. This is where safety lies. I now see that defensive behavior is nothing more than trusting in suppositional evil more than the good which is God. Trusting Mind, Soul, Spirit, Principle, Truth, Life, Love, God, is how safety is experienced. Then a peace we've always dreamed of is actualized, and we find ourselves imparting that peace to others, through our living of it.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Instead of tenaciously defending the supposed rights of disease, while complaining of the suffering disease brings, would it not be well to abandon the defense, especially when by so doing our own condition can be improved and that of other persons as well?”

Science & Health Page 348:21-25

June 1, 2014 - Be Still and Go

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #182

“I will be still an instant and go home.”

This lesson is asking us to quiet all the hubbub in our existence for just an instance, in order to feel the peace of God which is ours. And so today I will pause for many instants. I will sink deeper into the wonder of Truth, knowing all else is but a made-up dream of existence. When I hear anything which might cause me to think in a defensive way, I'll remember what is true and what is imagined. If the world has decided to live in an attack mode, defending against everything which it deems to be harmful, I will do my part in bringing in the dawn of Truth by accepting spiritual reality and rejecting material myth. An instant is all it takes to feel the presence of God!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As mortals begin to understand Spirit, they give up the belief that there is any true existence apart from God.”

Science & Health Page 282:30-32

May 31, 2014 - Inspired to Aspire

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #151

“All things are echoes of the Voice for God.”

I thought of Eckhart Tolle often today. I've been listening to many of his youtube videos where he speaks to quieting the mind. He goes so far as to say that thinking is an addiction which we can release. I've witnessed excessive thinking in customers who have come into the gallery today. There was the woman who would ask a question and not allow me to answer it before she asked another. Then there was the man who asked things and answered them before I could. Eckhart teaches us how to quiet our busy minds and listen to the silence, being totally present in the moment, enjoying every bit to its fullest. He inspires me to aspire!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As the reflection of yourself appears in the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God. The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere.”

Science & Health Page 516:2-8

May 30, 2014 - There is no Spoon

Ceramic Sculpture by Ken Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #150

Review of: #139 "I will accept Atonement for myself." #140 "Only salvation can be said to cure." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God."

In the movie, "The Matrix", there were some profound metaphysical principles addressed! I particularly liked when Neo is in what appears to be some sort of center for extraordinary behavior. He goes up to a person bending a spoon without touching it. Neo tries to bend the spoon with his mind, but cannot. He is told that the way to do this is through knowing the truth: The spoon is not there. This is what metaphysical healing is all about. Today's ACIM review tells us that the only cure is the understanding that there is no place where sickness can abide. In other words, the spoon is not there. If we are attempting to change a material condition through metaphysical practice, it's just like trying to bend the spoon with the power of your mind. Only by the knowledge of its unreality is it seen for what it actually is: an idea. We are all ideas of divine Mind. We are all One in this reality. What will this realization unfold in experience today? I am open with no expectations!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The Science of Mind denies the error of sensation in matter, and heals with Truth. Medical science treats disease as though disease were real, therefore right, and attempts to heal it with matter. If disease is right it is wrong to heal it. Material methods are temporary, and are not adapted to elevate mankind."

Science & Health 318:22-27

May 29, 2014 - Translating Matter

ACIM Workbook Lesson #149

Review of: #137 "When I am healed I am not healed alone." #138 "Heaven is the decision I must make." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.” 

A dear friend of mine has been told he has cancer. It is in the form of a brain tumor which they have given the beautiful name of astrocytoma. I accompanied he and his wife to the radiologist's office to discuss treatment. All the people working there were positive and caring. Having not been in a doctor's office for more than 20 years, I was a bit out of my element, but happily went along with my dear friends on this adventure. As we waited for our turn with the doctor, there were two people who asked questions concerning how anxious the patient was and other things which could affect treatment. Although I don't know what people's demeanor typically is when they are in this situation, I would guess that the three of us were as cheerful and calm as anyone has ever been in their offices. We calmly talked and laughed while appreciating the beauty of the art on the walls and the kindness of the people. At one point it was requested that we watch a 20-minute video on radiation treatment. During most of this, I read a little booklet entitled "Spiritualizing Thought". Often during the doctor's quiet, knowledgeable prognosis, my mind would go into translation mode. While all these effects may be a given for the medical profession, due to what they have witnessed, my reality is something entirely different, due to what I have witnessed. We are not limited humans, we are evidence of divine being. We are not material, we are spiritual!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:    

"God never ordained a material law to annul the spiritual law. If there were such a material law, it would oppose the supremacy of Spirit, God, and impugn the wisdom of the creator. Jesus walked on the waves, fed the multitude, healed the sick, and raised the dead in direct opposition to material laws. His acts were the demonstration of Science, overcoming the false claims of material sense or law."

Science & Health Page 273:21-29

May 28, 2014 - Down the Rabbit Hole

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #148 Review of:

#135 "If I defend myself I am attacked." #136 "Sickness is a defense against the truth." The main idea to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

These two review topics take us all the way down the rabbit hole! If you want feel-good, improve-your-relationships, make-more-money types of reading material, I suggest you stay away from this. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I've found a momentary recognition of the Truth of Being tends to make me want more, but I've known many people who don't want to go there at all, and that's cool, too. The present beliefs perpetuated in daily life are comfortable to us, and it can be hard to let them go. Even if thought systems aren't working very well, we hold onto them for fear things might be worse. I know how hard it can be to buck the system. Years ago, I took my child out of the medical miasma when they told me there was no cure for his situation. They didn't want to let us go and checked up on us for years. This new way of looking at everything can be frightening, especially if you've convinced yourself you don't like change. So if you start to become afraid while trying on the new thoughts you are having, realize that Love is all there is. Sing a Beatles song or two! Do anything you can to cultivate joy. Live fully in the whirlpool of divine Love! Go all the way down the rabbit hole, knowing every step is sure when you walk with Love. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Mind, supreme over all its formations and governing them all, is the central sun of its own systems of ideas, the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 209:5-8

May 27, 2014 - Forgiving and Valuing

ACIM Workbook Lesson #147

Review of:

#133 "I will not value what is valueless."

#134 "Let me perceive forgiveness as it is."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

"I can forgive but I'll never forget." How often have we heard those words? If true forgiveness means realizing that the "offense" never happened, then how wonderful it is when we don't even remember the event! Very few things can I dredge up which I thought were so terrible that they would be painful memories forever. But they're not. I honestly can say that nothing stands out in my mind which seems horrible. I think the realization that we're all doing the best that we can in any given situation was the freeing element for me. Now, that may not be what I would deem best, but I really feel that even the most heinous of crimes are perpetrated because the person believes he is serving a higher good of some sort. Perhaps recognizing what is of value and what is valueless is a factor in forgiveness, also. Nothing is of value if it's changeable and transient. So the only things of value are, for example, Life, Truth, and Love. Nothing else really matters. I'm reminded of George Carlin's comedy routine about our "stuff". It puts our so-called valuables in proper perspective! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, -- hence its unreality."

Science & Health Page 525:20-22

May 26, 2014 - What Drives Your Action?

"Afternoon Moon"
painting by Carol Dickie

A Course in Miracles Lesson #146

Review of:

#131 "No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth."

#132 "I loose the world from all I thought it was."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

How do we know if our actions express divine consciousness or if we're simply doing things because we think we should? I recently read about a good test to help us know the difference. Doing involves planning and following steps to get us from here to there. Being, on the other hand, doesn't mean that we just sit around and do nothing, but that we follow our feelings while staying in the present moment. The author, Anita Moorjani, says that she can tell the difference by looking at the emotions behind her everyday decisions. If her actions are the result of fear, she is in the doing mode But if everything she does is driven by passion and a zest for living, then she is Being. As an example, she gives the process of buying a house. There are many steps and plans you might make when deciding between two places, but the ultimate decision would be how you feel about one of them. As I tell people when they're deciding to purchase a piece of art: If it makes you smile, if it brings grace to your life, it's for you!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony. This Mind forms ideas, its own images, subdivides and radiates their borrowed light, intelligence, and so explains the Scripture phrase, 'whose seed is in itself.' Thus God's ideas 'multiply and replenish the earth.' The divine Mind supports the sublimity, magnitude, and infinitude of spiritual creation.”

Science & Health Page 510:28-6

May 25, 2014 - Stretching

Water Lily by Arthur Lau-Sed

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #145

Review of:

#129 "Beyond this world there is a world I want."

#130 "It is impossible to see two worlds."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

We are so much more powerful than we know! Have you begun to realize this and started to stretch what you've thought of as limitations? Maybe it's in small ways, such as telling gnats and other pesky bugs that they have no place on or around you. You may be seeing that it's possible to tell them to go away and they do! This, as with any other form of animal communication, has nothing to do with the words that come out of your mouth. It's what you're thinking that makes the difference. Another way to practice this is with your dog. Rather than giving verbal commands, think them. Your success in these endeavors has to do with body language, demeanor,  attitude, and your thought. We think we're limited mortals, victims of circumstance, with no choice but to accept whatever comes our way. What if we're actually powerful, immortal creations of divine Mind, reflecting all that implies? Every day my function becomes more clear, and I am grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When will the ages understand the Ego [note capitalization], and realize only one God, one Mind or intelligence?”

Science & Health Page 204:19-20

May 24, 2014 - Seeing Through the Eyes of Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #144

Review of: #127 "There is no love but God's." #128 "The world I see holds nothing that I want.” And the main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Thinking about love and perceptions brings to mind the story a friend once told about a relative who had been married seven times. Perhaps this dear man felt he was a  failure at love for having been divorced so many times. So he was very much surprised when an uncle told him it was a wonderful thing! Why would you say that?, everyone wanted to know. The uncle said, How wonderful that seven women have loved you enough to marry you! This is an example of a slight shift in perception making a huge difference to everyone involved, don't you think? Seeing the world through the love of God shows us reality which looks nothing like what we've become accustomed to seeing. A world of judgment and fear is not one which holds an interest for me.  If "my mind holds only what I think with God", that world doesn't exist. And I see a world of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with the Scriptural command: 'Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.' Man and his Maker are correlated in divine Science, and real consciousness is cognizant only of the things of God.”

Science & Health Page 276:4-11

May 23, 2014 - Free Will

ACIM Workbook Lesson #143:

Review of:

#125 "In quiet I receive God's Word today."

#126  "All that I give is given to myself."

And the main thought to hold to in these review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Are you afraid that the realization of Oneness would take away your individuality? Two things which, in reality, do not exist -- mortal mind, as termed by Mary Baker Eddy, and ego as it's called in ACIM -- want you to think you would no longer be you if you admit that you are One with God and all that Is. What if free will does not exist unless you DO give up what you think of as individuality and embrace Oneness? I'm beginning to see that I have no will of my own if I'm simply regurgitating well-rehearsed lines from the history of my life. I'm starting to glimpse the freedom which comes from throwing off the chains I have bound myself with through a lifetime of fears and learned behavior. A dear friend related a story about thinking his stepmother had never liked him. Recently he found out she was practically deaf, and actions he had interpreted as slights to him were actually moments of confusion on her part. He now sees their relationship with the freedom of understanding. As we separate illusion from Truth, which is done by thinking with God, we are freed. I give thanks and look inward to heaven!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“There is but one I, or Us, but one divine Principle, or Mind, governing all existence; man and woman unchanged forever in their individual characters, even as numbers which never blend with each other, though they are governed by one Principle. All the objects of God's creation reflect one Mind, and whatever reflects not this one Mind, is false and erroneous, even the belief that life, substance, and intelligence are both mental and material.”

Science & Health Page 511:11-19

May 22, 2014 - Spiritualization of Thought

A Course in Miracles Workbook lesson #142:

Review of: #123 "I thank my Father for His gifts to me." #124 "Let me remember I am one with God." And our main thought to hold in these review lessons: "My mind holds only what I think with God."

Spiritualization of thought is said to be a slow process, and many people think they don't have "time", hence it's not worth the effort to try. To remember that I am One with God is a giant step toward this spiritualization. This puts our goal right where we are, here and now, rather than somewhere far off which we may or may not reach at some point in the future. I am One with God right now! To know this intellectually and to understand it from the core of your being are not the same thing. The hunger to think God's thoughts, the longing to know what my relationship is to divine Mind, these desires cannot be satisfied with words. Glimpses of Truth cause me to crave more. The rising above human belief may seem like the work of a lifetime, but the realization that you want to know God happens in a heartbeat. Listen ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Before human knowledge dipped to its depths into a false sense of things,--into belief in material origins which discard the one Mind and true source of being,-- it is possible that the impressions from Truth were as distinct as sound, and that they came as sound to the primitive prophets.” 

Science & Health Page 213:30-3