September 12, 2014 - Perfect Peace

"Melonlight Dance sStudio"

ACiM Workbook Lesson #255

“This day I choose to spend in perfect peace."

There's a delightful new business in our little town: Melonlight Dance Studio. These talented people have moved here from Colorado and chose our town after driving through it in the middle of the night. They say they felt such peace and love in that first drive-through that they immediately began to look for a way to move here with their fun enterprise. Tonight, they showed us just how much fun they're bringing to us! We experienced Dancing With the Eureka Stars. Wow!! They found ten well-known residents with little to no dance experience and put on a show with them that will go down in history as one of our most fun events ever!! Seeing an auditorium full of people who are in love with our town and each other was so inspiring. Everyone who witnessed this "happening" will be going to sleep with a smile on their face. When I open my eyes in the morning, I look forward to spending a few moments dwelling in perfect peace. Choosing to keep that feeling -- priceless!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Japhet (Noah’s son). A type of spiritual peace, flowing from the understanding that God is the divine Principle of all existence, and that man is His idea, the child of His care.”

Science & Health Page 589:8-11

September 11, 2014 - A Sure Result

"Moon Over Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #254

“Let every voice but God's be still in me.”

"Let's set our intention for a good result!" These were the unexpected words I heard over the telephone while working with a tech person in a far-away country. At their best, these encounters can be stressful, so I was particularly delighted to hear this! And it has stuck with me.  I find this thought helpful in assimilating today's topic. . Telling ourselves that we want to still all voices other than divine Mind, but not really knowing what that is, can be confusing and perhaps frightening. So I choose to set the intention for a good result, without dictating what that result might be. This eternal, all-knowing Mind which I will listen for will show forth in Life, Truth, Love. Neither do I know how this will happen, nor do I want to. Trusting as the plants trust the sun to shine on them is my goal. I know nothing and everything. As nature flows, so may I.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens,--all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light.”

Science & Health Page 240:1-9

September 10, 2014 - Reflecting Good

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #253

“My Self is ruler of the universe.

Every day's lesson is leading us to the same end. We are learning that we have a choice. We can accept ourselves as limited humans, or we can learn to recognize ourselves as spiritual beings. How does this recognition come about? By continually turning away from the material picture and knowing spiritual truth. It's easy to fall into the ego's trap of looking at the mortal situation and trying to turn it into something spiritual. And we, with our material thinking, cannot do anything but that. So let's stop analyzing and simply know a truth -- any truth which allows our mind to be cleared of the temptation to analyze and fix. Two times two equals four might work for you, but I prefer something like this: "I Am the infinite reflection of divine Mind". Whatever truth comes to you, clear your thought and then give it to God, if you will. Sit quietly and listen if you have a moment, or go about your business with an open heart. Let's live every moment in the conscious awareness of good!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, "rejoicing the heart." Such is the sword of Science, with which Truth decapitates error, materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and destiny."

 Science & Health Page 265:31-5

September 9, 2014 - Our Identity

"Eureka Thyme"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252

“The Son of God is my Identity."

The gallery I choreograph has been open for ten years, and we're looking forward to celebrating all its splendor next month. The entity called Eureka Thyme is a product of every artist whose work has been represented by us, along with every appreciator who has walked through our doors, and anyone who loves local art in our quirky tourist town. Its identify is a clear reflection of the Love which comprises it. This is a good definition for our identity, too!  So when I think of "my identity", I won't think of my name or all the other indicators. I'll ask to know my true identity as a reflection of God.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

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

Science & Health Page 472:20-22

September 8, 2014 - One Thing

"Utah Early Fall"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #251

“I am in need of nothing but the truth."

How reassuring it is to know I need nothing but the Truth! All worry and anxiety disappear when I'm not chasing something illusive which I can't quite name. Oh, sure, we may put lots of names on these things we seek in good faith, totally believing they will bring us the happiness we crave -- names like success, fame, marriage. The list of personal fulfillments desired can be quite long. We are even encouraged to make lists of these goals, to create affirmations surrounding them, to hold them in thought until they become realities in our existence. At this point, I must quote a Bible verse: "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you." And this kingdom is found within, in the understanding and acceptance of our Source.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Dost thou ‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind’? This command includes much, even the surrender of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity. It involves the Science of Life, and recognizes only the divine control of Spirit, in which Soul is our master, and material sense and human will have no place.”

Science & Health Page 9:17-24

September 7, 2014 - Supernatural or Supremely Natural?

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #250

“Let me not see myself as limited."

Thinking of ourselves as unlimited contradicts everything we've been taught. Many of our first memories are of being told to be careful or else something dire will happen. Quantum physics is helping us to understand that form isn't as solid as we've been told. With that understanding, it becomes clear that many limitations we've placed upon ourselves are nothing more than beliefs in material laws. Limitations are discarded when an athlete breaks a record in the Olympics, or if someone performs a seemingly-impossible feat like lifting a car off of trapped loved ones. We've all heard people tell tales we think of as supernatural, such as falling great distances and feeling as though they landed on a cushion, or so-called incurable diseases disappearing. The first Wayne Dyer book I read was "When You Believe It, You'll See It!" I was so excited to see that mainstream thought was shifting! Now, I'm not suggesting we exchange one human belief for yet another, but that we look to divine Mind to tell us the truth of our being and that we allow ourselves to be led in paths we wouldn't have considered otherwise. Thought is shifting so rapidly at this time! Let's not be afraid to listen.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“It would require an infinite form to contain infinite Mind. Indeed, the phrase infinite form involves a contradiction of terms. Finite man cannot be the image and likeness of the infinite God. A mortal, corporeal, or finite conception of God cannot embrace the glories of limitless, incorporeal Life and Love. Hence the unsatisfied human craving for something better, higher, holier, than is afforded by a material belief in a physical God and man. ” Science & Health Page 257: 30-6

September 6, 2014 - Love Stories

:Moab, Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249

“Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

I love the stories I hear every day in the gallery: A 68-year-old woman celebrating a first marriage to a man she's been friends with for 15 years. A woman who is dying of cancer and just bought beautiful red shoes to wear to her impending chemotherapy (which she described as throwing a bucket of water at a forest fire). A child-like middle-aged man who spent quite some time telling me about Sheldon on a TV show called The Big Bang Theory. A woman who gave away her home and all her belongings to her children and moved to a remote area in the woods, riding and tending to horses and building a rustic cabin while living in a small make-shift abode. Her friends all think she's lost her mind; I think she's found it! People share the most astonishing things with me! I'm so happy to not be afraid to laugh in the face of death, cry happy tears with stories of romantic weddings, giggle along with childish tales, and cheer on a woman brave enough to follow her dream!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God fashions all things after His own likeness. 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."

Science & Health Page 516:9-13

September 5, 2014 - Eternity

"Utah Salt Flats"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

The words, "Whatever suffers is not a part of me" could be taken as an unfeeling, heartless statement.  I don't see it as  denying the feelings we have in favor of a hardness which excludes emotion. On the contrary! I see it as an expression of pure Love which allows us to pass through illusions into the reality of good, God. The passing of a loved one may be difficult in many ways, but I really think the myths we have concocted surrounding death do more harm than good. We tell children they'll see grandma in heaven. We say things like, God took her to be with him because she was so good. What lies we tell ourselves in the name of kindness! As we begin to understand divine reality, we are able to let loose the stories we tell ourselves in favor of the Truth which sets us free. I'll always remember reading "Beloved Prophet", the story of Kahlil Gibran and the woman who loved him. She sat at his funeral with a peaceful smile on her face. When asked why she wasn't upset, she responded that she had never felt closer to him. What a lovely realization of Oneness and eternity!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“A blundering dispatch, mistakenly announcing the death of a friend, occasions the same grief that the friend's real death would bring. You think that your anguish is occasioned by your loss. Another dispatch, correcting the mistake, heals your grief, and you learn that your suffering was merely the result of your belief. Thus it is with all sorrow, sickness, and death. You will learn at length that there is no cause for grief, and divine wisdom will then be understood. Error, not Truth, produces all the suffering on earth.”

Science & Health Page 386:16-25

September 4, 2014 - Forgive and See

"Utah Fall"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #247

“Without forgiveness I will still be blind."

Do you have an incident from childhood which has stayed with you, perhaps even affecting the way you live today? I know someone who, as a young child, caught her mother in a compromising position with a man other than her father. She refuses to marry. I know a man who found his father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. His whole life is a series of dramatic events which he blames on that incident. I'm sure you know many stories, too. This Disappearance of the Universe, a book by Gary Renard speaks to these events and more. When we let go of beliefs, we can turn loose our history, also. I love hearing stories of people who live through horrendous-seeming events and remain not only happy but proactive. This thing we call forgiveness isn't some sort of divine pardon, but a yielding within ourselves to purity of thought, without the impediments of holding on to memories of wrongdoing, resentment, and pain of all sorts. This yielding includes the release of things which we think have been done to us and things we think we have done to others. So let's choose again, rest in Love, and go forward, with joy!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Sin was, and is, the lying supposition that life, substance, and intelligence are both material and spiritual, and yet are separate from God,”

Retrospection and Introspection (p. 67).

September 3, 2014 - Chainmail of Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #246

“To love my Father is to love His Son."

"Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you." This Mary Baker Eddy quote is one of my favorites, which I've always thought of as meaning that the human hatred others feel cannot reach me when I'm wearing the armor of divine Love. I now see that it includes the hatred I may feel toward others, also. It's very easy for me to think that I don't hate anyone or anything. Actually, it's a word I have pruned from my vocabulary and simply do not use. BUT if I am irritated by another's actions or words, or if I replay a past situation in my mind which caused anger in the past, or if I allow criticism to gnaw at me and I think of retaliatory statements which could have been said -- isn't that human hatred? Wearing this cloak of Love calms these nagging feelings and thoughts. I know that if I'm wearing the protection of Love, hatred cannot enter from inside or out!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"God is universal; confined to no spot, defined by no dogma, appropriated by no sect. Not more to one than to all, is God demonstrable as divine Life, Truth, and Love; and His people are they that reflect Him -- that reflect Love."

Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896 Page 150

September 2, 2014 - Unspeakable Peace

ACIM Workbook Lesson #245

“Your peace is with me, Father.  I am safe."

Although I know that peace is a choice within my own self, I really want to share it with everyone, everywhere. It has taken quite a while to grasp the concept that the only thought I can change is my own. After spending years trying to change thoughts and actions of  husbands and friends, I think it was my children who finally taught me the meaning of Oneness. I could watch the mood of the household change with my emotions. Holding to peace within myself is all I can do. Jumping on the bandwagon of resentment and other negative emotions can seem impossible to avoid, but it doesn't seem as difficult now to simply witness these things without becoming a part of them.  While I can't change what anyone else is thinking or feeling or experiencing, I can adjust my vision of reality. Every thought is important! We are all in this together, in every way, at every moment. Today I will make an effort to see everything through the eyes of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.”

Science & Health Page 264:24-27

September 1, 2014 - Heavenly Rest

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #244

“I am in danger nowhere in the world."

Generally when I read the topic for today's lesson, I think of my world-traveling son, Aaron, who supplies many of the photographs I use in these writings. But today when I read last year's entry with the accompanying Mary Baker Eddy poem, which is set to music and is one of my favorites, I was reminded of something which happened on the last day of August in 1998. On that day, I purchased the Honda Odyssey which I still drive and we were on our way home when we saw a car which had run off the road. We stopped to help and it turned out there were two women and three children in the vehicle. One of the children was bleeding from a wound in her side and they were all crying hysterically. I got a blanket out of my car and wrapped the injured child in it, pulling her to my lap. As we sat on the ground, I started singing this peaceful song to her. Soon everyone quieted down and the authorities arrived. We quickly were on our way home, feeling we had christened our car with peace!

Mary Baker Eddy poem:

Mother's Evening Prayer

O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;

         O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,

Thou Love that guards the nestling's faltering flight!

         Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.

Love is our refuge; only with mine eye

         Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:

His habitation high is here, and nigh,

         His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.

O make me glad for every scalding tear,

         For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!

Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear

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

Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;

         In that sweet secret of the narrow way,

Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:

         "Lo, I am with you alway," — watch and pray.

No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;

         No night drops down upon the troubled breast,

When heaven's aftersmile earth's tear-drops gain,

         And mother finds her home and heav'nly rest.

(Poems by Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 4, 5)

August 31, 2014 - Celebrate!

[Two days ago, I skipped this lesson, so it is out of order.]

ACIM Workbook Lesson #241

“This holy instant is salvation come."

Let's celebrate today by remembering seers whose words have awakened the knowledge of salvation within us. These are people whose words are so familiar they have become a natural part of our conversations and thoughts. I want to commemorate today the wisdom passed to us by John Lennon, Emerson, Shakespeare, Rumi, and others. Today I remember those whose words have encouraged me to live Truth, by helping me to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. And while visiting these words I love, I will know that salvation is not only something to be desired, but that it is here, now, for the remembering.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When sufficiently advanced in Science to be in harmony with the truth of being, men become seers and prophets involuntarily, controlled not by demons, spirits, or demigods, but by the one Spirit. It is the prerogative of the ever-present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future.

Acquaintance with the Science of being enables us to commune more largely with the divine Mind, to foresee and foretell events which concern the universal welfare, to be divinely inspired,--yea, to reach the range of fetter-less Mind.”

Science & Health Page 84:7-18

August 30, 2014 - Quiet Beginnings

ACIM Workbook Lesson #242

“This day is God's. It is my gift to Him."

Starting my day with consecrated, spiritual thought allows intuition to be heard. I think of this as the beginning of "giving this day to God". Without that back-and-forth volley which is so easy to fall into when weighing the possibilities of my actions, I have silent communion with divine Mind. Quietness in the morning is the most important time for me. I'm not sure how people manage who must begin to speak to others when they first wake up. I feel the need for this centering before facing the cacophony of daily life. I have no ritual to these moments of quietude; no set prayers or by-rote actions, but simply a clearing of thought and acceptance of what comes. The practice of turning every thought away from worrying and wondering "what-if" is sufficient to supply me with everything I need to walk this path. And it's exciting to see what will unfold!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Emerge gently from matter into Spirit. Think not to thwart the spiritual ultimate of all things, but come naturally into Spirit through better health and morals and as the result of spiritual growth.”

Science & Health Page 485:13-16

August 29, 2014 - No Assumptions

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #243

“Today I will judge nothing that occurs."

This topic comes at a perfect time for me. I just read a Facebook private message sent  by an old man-friend and I'm extremely tempted to judge what he has said. While I moved past what we had 30 years ago, he continues to bring up things in detail that I would rather not contemplate. I tell myself that I have better things to think about. This implies that he does not. That is a judgment. Every thought I have had about this communication feels unnecessary. As I sit and contemplate his words and my reactions, I realize that it simply is what it is. There is no reason for me to think about it as good or bad; it just is. Once again, I turn to the ancient Toltec wisdom as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz in "The Four Agreements": I will not make assumptions, and I will not take anything personally. I'm so grateful to be learning to rely on divine Mind and release the circular thoughts of mortal mind!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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 and Health Page 467:9-13

August 28, 2014 - Fear or Excitement?

ACIM Workbook Lesson #240

“Fear is not justified in any form."

Our lives tend to fall into familiar patterns as we move through our days. We may find ourselves going to the same places, saying the same things, thinking the same thoughts -- and all of  these habits become comfortable. Even if we're experiencing disharmony, we often fear change. We may say, "Something told me I should do so-and-so". We often hear this calling, this inner voice leading us toward a different path than we're on, but we feel it takes courage to walk a road less or never traveled, and so we settle. To settle for anything which brings us less than joyful existence is to dishonor ourselves, which is to dishonor God. The next time I think I'm feeling this thing we call fear, I'll choose to interpret the emotion as excitement about what will come next!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Walking in the light, we are accustomed to the light and require it; we cannot see in darkness. But eyes accustomed to darkness are pained by the light. When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new. Your advancing course may provoke envy, but it will also attract respect.”

Science & Health Page 452:7-12

August 27, 2014 - Am I Worthy?

ACIM Workbook Lesson #239

“The glory of my Father is my own"

Often we believe that we are not worthy to accept our divine nature as the image and likeness of God. This false humility is only mortal mind, or ego, trying to keep us from shining. I'm-not-worthy feelings from my past tend to recur in thought, provoked by the most tenuous connection. A teacher's scorn, a friend's put-down, my own disappointment in myself -- these things seem to linger, arguing that I couldn't possibly be good enough to accept myself as a joint heir with Jesus.  But with every affirmation of Truth, with every revelation of divine Mind, I reaffirm  that I Am That I Am, and come a step closer to understanding.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The Divine Being must be reflected by man,--else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One 'altogether lovely;' but to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire.”

Science & Health Page 3:12-15

August 26, 2014 - Life

created by Sandy Wythawai Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #238

“On my decision all salvation rests."

It seems we have too many decisions in daily life. Even the tea section in the grocery store has so many choices it can be daunting! And so when we are told that "On my decision all salvation rests", it's tempting to say "No thanks!" But this salvation spoken of here is received by one decision: to wake up and accept our own divinity. There are no considerations to mull over in this decision, there are no choices which are better than others, nor is there any reason for fear of failure. All duality, all choice, vanishes when we realize there is only one thing to desire: to know that God is Life: not my life, or your life, but Life! From this understanding, everything is manifested in our experience, all from the freedom of knowing that the Love which is God is the only Principle of our existence.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“By interpreting God as a corporeal Savior but not as the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue to seek salvation through pardon and not through reform…" Science & Health Page 285:23-26

August 25, 2014 - As I Am Created

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #237

“Now would I be as God created me."

How did God create me? If I think of creation from a standpoint of human, mortal mind, I may think of things like the Adam and Eve story. To look past material illusory opinions to pure spiritual ideas is to begin to understand how "God created me". We tell ourselves: I'm only human. I cannot be created in the image and likeness of God. If we accept the Adam and Eve story -- or any other material creation myth -- as the truth of our being, we live the dream of life in and of matter with all the limitations implied. The realization that we are an idea of God takes us to the threshold of  understanding Life. Today I will see all as this spiritual truth, omitting no one nor thing!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The mythical human theories of creation, anciently classified as the higher criticism, sprang from cultured scholars in Rome and in Greece, but they afforded no foundation for accurate views of creation by the divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 255: 5-10

August 24, 2014 - Stop Thinking

ACIM Workbook Lesson #236

“I rule my mind, which I alone must rule."

Reading today's topic brought a remembrance of a school trip where I had five students in my car. During the six-hour drive, one of the boys kept up an almost non-stop stream-of-consciousness babble. I finally told him that everything that went through his head didn't need to come out of his mouth! That's sort of what we're learning today, too. We don't have to allow every thought that pops into our head to rule us. I don't freak out when I do have thoughts I'm not interested in having, but I do turn them away. We have that power!  We're not victims of random thoughts flying around like pollen. We are created by divine Mind and have that heritage to call upon. Mortal mind, ego, is not our ruler, and we can just say no when fearful thinking wants our attention.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God's thoughts are perfect and eternal, are substance and Life. Material and temporal thoughts are human, involving error, and since God, Spirit, is the only cause, they lack a divine cause. The temporal and material are not then creations of Spirit. They are but counterfeits of the spiritual and eternal.”

Science & Health Page 286:21-27