November 18, 2014 - Givin' It Up For Reality

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #322

“I can give up but what was never real.”

When you think of giving things up, what comes to mind? Perhaps it's giving up certain habits, or maybe foods that we deem to be bad for us, or perhaps things which are cluttering our life. Whatever comes to thought, rest assured it's not real! I often think of this statement: It's not what enters the mouth which defiles us, but what comes out. But giving up negative chatter and gossipy talk is also not real, given the definition we're working with today! Only that which is a manifestation of divine Mind, God, is real. So these things we give up are simply clearing the way for reality! This reality becomes apparent, but we know it's always been there, waiting to be revealed in the "twinkling of an eye" if we're truly willing to release what binds us. Let there be light!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Man is the idea of Spirit; he reflects the beatific presence, illuming the universe with light.”

Science and Health Page 266:27–29

November 17, 2014 - Betrayal? A Matter of Perception

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #321

“Father, my freedom is in You alone.”

Someone very close to me has been going through an experience which would traditionally be thought of as betrayal and a cause for great emotional pain. As we spoke over the phone, he mentioned more than once that it was odd that he was feeling all right about the situation. He is seeing the relationship as one which has brought great joy to his life experience. As we grow in our understanding of Creation, we begin to see that we actually are the expression of divine Love, God. In this realization, we begin to utilize spiritual sense, which opens a whole new view of life. Releasing thoughts of how we should react to situations as dictated by material senses, we free ourselves to be expressions of Creation, without the belief systems we've always relied upon.  And in this freedom, there is joy!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Mortals must emerge from this notion of material life as all-in-all. They must peck open their shells with Christian Science and look outward and upward."

Science & Health 552:19-21

November 16, 2014 - True Power

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #320

“My Father gives all power unto me.”

"We must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being." (MBE) This quote and today's lesson topic bring to mind the self-help axiom, "fake it 'til you make it". Often we feel incapable of believing -- much less understanding -- that the reality of our being is limitless. We are capable of so much more than we realize! The word "power" has gotten a bad reputation because of various abuses of so-called power. But let's shed those notions and see the word as a wonderful, beautiful idea! If we must pretend that we are Love and nothing else, if we must fake it, let’s be certain that we will make it! It is something I will continue to do when I feel fear, or lack, or irritation with someone. My will and God's will are one and the same. I acknowledge that at every opportunity!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things. Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm of Mind? 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 264:7-12

November 15, 2014 - Arrogance or Humility?

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #319

“I came for the salvation of the world.”

I love that this lesson tells us there is no arrogance in the realization that we are here for the salvation of the world! Maybe we have it backwards. Perhaps to think we can do everything through our own mortal thought is the height of arrogance. Perhaps true humility comes from the realization that we can do nothing on our own, but that we are capable of anything when allowing our true self to shine by the demonstration of what it means to be a child of God. By this humble yielding to our divine nature, we are admitting that what/who we are is indeed spiritual not material. From this point, there are no limits and we are free to live Truth.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Millions of unprejudiced minds--simple seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert--are waiting and watching for rest and drink.”

Science & Health Page 570:14-17

November 14, 2014 - We're All This Together

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #318

“In me salvation's means and end are one.”

We're all in this together. I've said this so many times in so many situations. It appears as though we all see things through different eyes. We seem to be satellites, rotating around something unseen, sometimes floating in unison, often bumping into each other and throwing our orbit out of sync! But we're all in this together. Let's leave out the "in": We're all this together. This togetherness sometimes manifests itself as groups of people who commingle for the joy of being with each other. We may have book clubs, and study groups, and sewing circles, and various groups of people who come together in communion. This fellowship has been sought-after since the beginning of time. Personally, I have no interest in being a part of any group simply to be with others. There must be a communication which surpasses the ordinary. I want stunning honesty, inspiring exchanges, Love shared. From this demonstrated Oneness with each other as reflections of God, salvation is realized as the means, the end, the Only.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

 "Knowing the Science of creation, in which all is Mind and its ideas, Jesus rebuked the material thought of his fellow-countrymen: 'Ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?' How much more should we seek to apprehend the spiritual ideas of God, than to dwell on the objects of sense! To discern the rhythm of Spirit and to be holy, thought must be purely spiritual."

.Science & Health Page 509:28-5

November 13, 2014 - Listening and Following

Zion National Park
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #317

“I follow in the way appointed me.”

Often we think the "still, small voice" will come to us through loud speakers. Only once have I heard an actual voice telling me what to do. Usually it's in the form of avenues opening up in unexpected ways, sometimes over and over until I notice. Through the years, I've learned to recognize the difference in material desire and spiritual guidance. The time I heard a voice, it said: Take the job! It was such a surprise that I looked over my should and said, What? Usually these guiding lights are more subtle, perhaps presenting something again and again until I pay attention.  We are learning, aren't we? Whether it feels too right to ignore, or it's something we wish we could ignore, I think we're finally waking up, don't you?

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“All the evidence of physical sense and all the knowledge obtained from physical sense must yield to Science, to the immortal truth of all things.”

Science & Health 493:6-8

November 12, 2014 - Gifts

Photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #316

“All gifts I give my brothers are my own.”

Sometimes these concepts are not only difficult to comprehend but they may, at first, sound downright silly! Yesterday we pondered that everything anyone gives is mine; now we are told that everything we give is ours, too. How can that be? Ideas like this cause our mortal mind, ego, to jump up and say that if this is true, evil can be spread to everyone, also. And if that is so, how can we keep from feeling doomed? But it's not true because the only thing that is One is what God created. God did not create anything unlike itSelf, so what we term "evil" is actually unreal, as it is only found in the mortal mind, never in divine Mind. And so there is a choice! I can live as though one or the other is true. As Einstein said, You can live as though everything is a miracle or as if nothing is. My choice is easy on this one!

“… that joy which finds one’s own in another’s good”

Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 127

November 11, 2014 - Scatter Joy!

"Fun in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #315

“All gifts my brothers give belong to me.”

Every kind word spoken, every heart overflowing with Love, every freeing thought of forgiveness, enriches me and everyone in the world, whether we acknowledge it or not. There are many movements based on spreading love and kindness. One of my favorites was started by Charley Johnson in Utah. It's based on the book and movie, Pay it Forward. As part of his vision, there are bracelets which read Pay it Forward. When someone thanks you for a kindness you've done, you take off your bracelet and give it to them, asking them to do the same for someone else. Let me know about instances you've witnessed which scatter joy!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes,--Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply."

Science & Health Page 206:15-17

November 10, 2014 - No Looking Back

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #314

“I seek a future different from the past.”

History was my least favorite subject in school. I always questioned why I needed to know these things. Of course, people told me I must know this in order to benefit from the good things and not to repeat the bad. This never felt right and it still doesn't! Now that we're realizing the possibility of living in an entirely new way through other-dimensional thought, my reluctance to read and study past events makes more sense to me than ever before. Understanding the nature of our Being negates the need to educate ourselves by way of past mistakes. Understanding of spiritual Truth, allows us to surpass what has been thought of as human limits. In giving up strong opinions, I am more able to ascertain spiritual perfection. I see a future of happiness and love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity.”

Science & Health Page 128:11-19

November 9, 2014 - In the Twinkling of an Eye

"Colorado Sunset"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #313

“Now let a new perception come to me.”

A  dear friend told a group of us about being terribly afraid of the dark. She said she had always been this way, to the point she had asked her husband to never leave her alone if it wasn't light. She told us that three days after he died, the fear she had always lived with left her. It was just gone! This story has stayed with me and come to mind often. What a beautiful demonstration of letting go! Just like that, in the blink of an eye, we can be past anything, no matter how long we have claimed it as a part of us. What gratitude I feel to this woman for sharing her story of shifting perception making a huge difference in experience! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The human mind will sometime rise above all material and physical sense, exchanging it for spiritual perception, and exchanging human concepts for the divine consciousness. Then man will recognize his God-given dominion and being."

Science & Health Page 531:10-14

November 8, 2014 - Practice

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #312

“I see all things as I would have them be.”

I have the chance today to "look upon a liberated world, set free from all the judgments I have made." Thank goodness, because I've been blaming the world for lots of stuff! I've recently pontificated on the fact that the world is selling us diseases. Everywhere we look there are certain well-publicized maladies blossoming. I've also been blaming the world for the proliferation of bigotry and closed-mindedness. I've been blaming the world for being willing to spend money on clothing and recreation, but not on art. I could probably find a few other things I've been blathering about, but that's enough for now.  It's difficult to get past ego's need to know everything and be special. It seems difficult to let go of beliefs and trust the divine Mind which flows through all that Is. But that's what I want to do, and so I'll continue to catch myself in judgmental thought, and ask holy Spirit what divine thought is on the subject. Spiritual sense awakens with practice!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The supposed existence of more than one mind was the basic error of idolatry. This error assumed the loss of spiritual power, the loss of the spiritual presence of Life as infinite Truth without an unlikeness, and the loss of Love as ever present and universal."

Science & Health Page 479:5-10

November 7, 2014 - Of Elections and Such ...

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #311

“I judge all things as I would have them be.”

Recently, in the USA, we've had some major elections. I've always thought our political system was just another way of dividing us. I don't watch network television, news in traditional forms, nor political debates and such. I glance through our local newspaper and occasionally watch Colbert and/or the Daily Show (comedy based on the news) to "keep up" with what's going on out there. I did vote a few days ago, but haven't made the effort to find out who won or lost. These results are seeping in to me by various means, but I have no strong opinions on the outcome. I am in total agreement with Mary Baker Eddy in today's  quote concerning politics. I haven't always been this way. I used to campaign, and get involved, and even cry when "my" candidate lost. I like the way I feel now so much more!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

 "I am asked, 'What are your politics?' I have none, in reality, other than to help support a righteous government;  to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself."

Miscellaneous Writing Page 276:23-25

November 6, 2014 - Letting Go

Structure of Truth and Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #310

“In fearlessness and love I spend today.”

I spent today in fearlessness and love, loosing some of the past I've been holding tightly. Our hundred-year-old edifice of the Christian Science church here in Eureka Springs has been a part of my life for more than 50 years. I've played the organ for services more times than I can count. I've sat in its sanctuary and soaked in the years of Love this structure has witnessed. It's a part of me. I've been trying to release it from the emotional bonds I've put on it. It's taken a number of years, but I believe it's done. Today I met with a newspaper writer who will be doing a story about its history and its possible future. I felt like it was more than a goodbye I said today. One of Mary Baker Eddy's definitions of church is, "The structure of Truth and Love." As I sat in its walls today, I felt that I Am that, too. We all are! The place you stand is holy ground. Makes me feel like dancing!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.”

Science & Health  Page 261:4-7

November 5, 2014 - What if ...

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #309

“I will not fear to look within today.”

Why would we fear to look within? Why would we fear seeing our true self? I think it's because we believe all the little horrible things we've done in our lives are what we'll be looking at. Perhaps we feel that to look within would involve some sort of life review which would require us to answer for every supposed sin we've committed. But what if we're looking within at our pure and perfect Self, as we are created by divine Mind? And what if, after we find what we've forgotten, we allow it to come forth and live with us? In the process, we truly forgive ourselves for all of it, allowing thought to stay on the good and the true, releasing guilt and fear, living only in Love. What if ...

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When speaking of God's children, not the children of men, Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you;" that is, Truth and Love reign in the real man, showing that man in God's image is unfallen and eternal."

 Science & Health Page 476:28-32

November 4, 2014 - It's a Present!

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #308

"This instant is the only time there is."

A quote from "Kung Fu Panda" came to mind when I saw today's lesson subject: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” And I'm also reminded of something Deepak Chopra said: "Time is something we have made up so everything doesn't happen all at once." Albert Einstein showed us that time is relative. Time spent in a dentist chair passes differently from time spent visiting with a dear friend. Later in life, Mr. Einstein came to believe that time was not just relative, but unreal! Here is a quote from him, written in a letter to a friend: "To those of us who believe in physics, this separation between past, present, and future, is only an illusion, if a stubborn one." So why do we limit ourselves with time? We always think we're too young or too old, or this physical malady will pass with time, or that we simply don't have time to do the things we want to do. When I realize that I'm not a mortal living in what seems to be now, but an immortal living in eternity, then some major shifts in perception can take place. Only "time will tell" what happens with that realization!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for tomorrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment. What a glorious inheritance is given to us through the understanding of omnipresent Love! More we cannot ask: more we do not want: more we cannot have. This sweet assurance is the ‘Peace, be still’ to all human fears, to suffering of every sort”

Miscellaneous Writings Page 307

November 3, 2014 - A Single Eye

"Fall in Eureka"
photo by Dale Johnson

ACIM Workbook Lesson #307

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.”

In the realm of the material world, we often have conflicting wishes concerning events. One area of conflict occurs within what we think of as family problems. When someone in our immediate family has a problem, we tend to think of it as our own. We have been conditioned to think we can fix others, and if we don't try, we fear people will think we don't care. Then we're thrown into a quandary of feelings: love for our family, perhaps embarrassment over their actions, worry about what will happen to them, concern over what others will think -- the list can be endless! When we are able to release these feelings and see everyone as the spiritual creation they truly are, we begin to let go our sense of personal responsibility, while affirming their goodness as a reflection of divine Love. Before we know it, we're thinking something wonderful about them when they come to mind, and we're free from the conflicting wishes born of material sense.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We cannot serve two masters nor perceive divine Science with the material senses.”

Science and Health Page 167:11-12

November 2, 2014 - Going Home

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #306

“The gift of Christ is all I seek today.”

What do you think of when you hear the word "repent? Many definitions come to my mind, but my most favored definition is "return home". This meaning has nothing to do with confessing sins in order to receive absolution, nothing to do with being sorry for actions, nothing to do with guilt, nothing to do with begging forgiveness. Returning home allows us to see, hear, and feel with the sense of God. We are returning to our original state of being and remembering we never went away. So this idea of repenting, or returning home, is only a matter of letting loose anything which is unlike Love. We are the image and likeness of God. God is Love. We are Love. This is a state we cannot leave, but we can lose sight of this perfect peace. Today I will see the Love that is God, the Love that I am, in everything and everyone.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal, because sin is not there and man is found having no righteousness of his own, but in possession of ‘the mind of the Lord,’ as the Scripture says.”

Science & Health Page 291:13-18

November 1, 2014 - Pure Peace

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #305

“There is a peace that Christ bestows on us.”

What is the second coming? This is the question we've been exploring in these past few days. We are learning that it is an internal awakening. It involves seeing and feeling the never-beginning, never-ending Truth of our being. This burgeoning understanding has brought me the peace which intellectual reasoning never did. I see the world as a loving place, filled with people who care about each other and their environment. In the past, almost every day numerous people would tell me why they felt the world was a hate-filled place. Now it's a rarity. Have they changed or have I? Is there a difference if we're all One? Love = Peace = Harmony. Feel the Love!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:[This is from the Glossary, where she gives us the spiritual significance of terms.]

"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

October 31, 2014 - Clear Sight

Park City, Utah
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #304

“Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.”

Throughout the ages, we've been given hints as to unrealized possibilities. As attested by powerful mythological and fictional characters, we have longed for the ability to change what seems to be the reality of situations in and around our personal existence. The world tells us that we are victims of circumstance, with life experiences being changed by 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 fact 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 I set free any thought of limitation, any assumptions I may have as to what's what, and by doing so open the inner door to new sight.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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.”

Science & Health Page 299:24-30

October 30, 2014 - Leaving Dogma Behind

Utah Fall
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #303

“The holy Christ is born in me today.”

These writings often contain words which elicit negative reactions in many of us. Within myself, I have watched negative  reactions dissipate by letting go of preconceived meanings and learned dogma. There is only One God and we have no need to think in terms of your god or my god. Only our interpretation of what that means allows for a belief in many ruling principles. Let's release these thoughts and see where that takes us! "The Christ is born in me today" is the acknowledgement that the presence of God is within. Please, please, change these words into whatever feels right to you. And please, please don't allow these words' connotations to turn you away from the Love which you are. If you feel disoriented and sort of happily confused, don't fear that either! This giddiness is part of the shift to the beautiful realization of God within! Embrace it and be free!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“CHRIST: The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error.”

Science & Health Page 583:10-11