Signs and Symbols

"Salt Flats in Utah"
photo from Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249 “Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

I remember a time when so-called new age thought was not often spoken of in the media or anywhere other than the privacy of our homes. Now these new-old ideas are seen and heard everywhere. Every day we are witness to more proof that this shift in consciousness is happening now -- and we're talking about it! Thanks, Oprah! Even when these ideas are fictionalized, as in best-selling novels such as "The Lost Symbol", the possibilities presented are easily translated into plausible realities. This shift in consciousness allows us to naturally embrace peace and harmony. Through this change in perception, we are understanding Truth and learning to live It.  We each support this realization in our own individual way. Every instance of pure peace we feel, each yielding of our personal sense to spiritual sense, brings us closer to living Love, which is where we always have been, but we've forgotten. We are all needed at this time, to calm the tumultuous collective thought which fights the idea of such freedom!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light."

Science & Health Page 516:9-13

What, Me Worry?

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

I am reminded of a family friend from long ago. She was a wonderful, spiritually-aware person who showed me the Truth of today's topic. Over the course of a year, her husband passed on, her daughter was in a car wreck which left her in a coma for months before she died, and her house burned down. While I know she felt grief, I'm not sure there was despair. She always had a twinkle in her eye and a generous heart. When she herself passed on some 20 years later, I am told she went with a smile on her face. I often think of her. "Whatever suffers is not a part of me". This is not a heartless statement. It doesn't deny the feelings we have in favor of a hardness which excludes emotion. On the contrary! It's a pure Love which allows us to face hard times with a firm understanding of the beauty of Truth. After walking through the grief, we're free to see that nothing can touch our true Self or change the reality of Love.

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

I Was Blind, But Now I See!

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #247

“Without forgiveness I will still be blind."

The sight which appears with forgiveness is our topic today. In this lesson, we are told that sin is the symbol of attack. The words sin and forgiveness, have always been difficult for me to understand. I feel this is because they are not a part of our real Being, and so I recoil at the words as they have been presented in their many forms.  Today's workbook lesson is telling us of the nothingness of sin and the meaning of forgiveness. I think of sin as being anything -- anything at all  -- which separates us from the Love which is God., and this separation can only occur in belief, as it never really happened. What we call forgiveness isn't some sort of divine pardon, but a yielding within ourselves to the purity of our thought, without the impediments of holding on to memories of wrongdoing, resentment, and pains 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, and things going on everywhere else. So let's choose again, rest in Love, and go and sin no more!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible.”

Science & Health Page 264:13-15

Panoply of Love

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM 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:

"We acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God’s image and likeness."

Science & Health Page 497:5-8

Is It Silly to Be Safely at Peace?

"Great Wall of China"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #245

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

Today's statement of peace and safety may seem downright silly to some people. While we know that peace is a choice within our own selves, we really want that peace to spread to every corner of the world. And while we can affirm our safety, it seems heartless to see war-torn countries as a place of peaceful safety. So we set up a guilt trip for ourselves and won't allow ourselves to feel peace and safety because we think that would be selfish. But wait a minute! There is no separation in the essence of our Being.  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 divine Love, recognizing the Principle of peace at work in every situation.

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

Safety Assured - September 1, 2015

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #244

“I am in danger nowhere in the world."

Reading the above affirmation of our safety in any situation reminds me of many personal examples of this Truth. Often when we hear of material so-called laws being usurped, we think of this as divine intervention.  Let's not think of this as God setting aside material law in favor of spiritual principle, but as the demonstration of how Principle operates. By surrendering my separate identify, I feel the Oneness that is perfect peace. Holding on to my own knowledge and beliefs, I am afraid of many things, seeing possible dangers around every corner.  Returning to Love releases illusions which we have made, enabling us to see Truth, to live Love, in safety. I know many of you are thinking of the horrible things you know about which make this seem like a frivolous statement. In the mortal world we witness, this certainly is true. But is it the Truth? That is the question!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.” Science & Health Page 571:18-21

Namastè, Wayne Dyer

ACIM Workbook Lesson #243

“Today I will judge nothing that occurs."

I just heard about Wayne Dyer’s death. With someone as loving and pure of motive as this man, it’s easy to feel he’s your friend. The first book of his I ever read was, “When You Believe It, You’ll See It”. I even remember the yard sale I was at on Vaughn Street. I recall the feeling that went through me when I looked down at a box of books and saw it there, shining at me and asking to be taken home. I became a large fan of his, thrilled by how accessible he made this way of thought. He appealed to a wide variety of people with his non-judgmental way of speaking and his willingness to show us his weaknesses and to make fun of his ego. He was a delightful man who reached many otherwise uninterested people through his PBS talks, which were often run during their fundraising campaigns. Thank you, Wayne, for advising us not to “die with our music still inside us”. You certainly played your own loud and clear for all of us! Namastè, dear Friend.

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

What a Gift!

"Thorncrown Chapel"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #242

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

Last year, after sending out this daily workbook topic, someone wrote me asking if giving a gift to God meant going to church. After I stated my thoughts about “This day is God’s. It is my gift to Him.”, she told me she had little enough time to herself and didn’t want to give up a day to anyone. I guess we can have the idea that if we live our life for divine Love, we’re not living it for ourself. Recently I spoke with her and she tells me she now sees that giving is receiving. She also mentioned that she understood how giving up all the beliefs she had and listening for divine Mind was living in a dimension she hadn’t thought was possible. Her new way of living and listening was such a source of happiness for her! She’s happier than she remembers ever being before, and that’s a gift!

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

The Holy Instant, Celebrated!

"Mongolian Shaman"
creation by Sandy Wythawai Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #241

“This holy instant is salvation come."Today let's celebrate words which have awakened us to the knowledge of salvation within! We all have our favorites -- people whose words are so familiar they have become a natural part of our conversations and thoughts. Today I commemorate the wisdom passed to us by John Lennon, William Blake, Shakespeare, Rumi, and others. I will remember those whose words have encouraged me to live Truth, by way of their living of It. While visiting these well-loved words, I know that salvation is not only something to be desired, but that it is here, right now, for the remembering.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"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 84:14-18

No Fear, Omni-Action!

"Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

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:

“Had Blondin believed it impossible to walk the rope over Niagara's abyss of waters, he could never have done it. His belief that he could do it gave his thought-forces, called muscles, their flexibility and power which the unscientific might attribute to a lubricating oil. His fear must have disappeared before his power of putting resolve into action could appear.”

Science & Health Page 199:25-31

I Celebrate MySelf!

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #239

“The glory of my Father is my own"

“Let not the truth about ourselves today be hidden by a false humility.” (ACIM) This "false humility" we use to hide the Truth about ourselves can take many forms. It's usually easy to catch ourselves in self-deprecating actions, which we deem to be humility, but which actually are expressing our inability to accept the glory of our true selves, but there are lots of insidious forms that are not as easily noticed. Do we take things personally and feel attacked when we hear news of governmental actions, friends’ words, co-workers' rivalry, or the thousands of other things that go on around us? These are all forms of accepting something other than the glory of ourselves. Every time I hear or see something today which seems to cause me chagrin, I will smile with the assurance that no one, including my own self, can change the Truth of Being.

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Walt Whitman

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Unfathomable Mind is expressed. The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space.” 

Science & Health Page 520:3-5

Too Many Decisions!

photo courtesy of Alden Stallings

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

Releasing Myths

"Beaver Bridge"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #237

“Now would I be as God created me."

Seeing past our thoughts about words to the true meaning behind them is part of letting go of the beliefs and dogma with which we have been indoctrinated. There are so many words I’ve had “problems” with, but those illusions are fading away as I learn that the words in these workbook lessons are leading me to peace and love, and the forgiveness of my belief is part of that journey. Letting go of the myths of creation, dramas which attempt to bring us guilt and limitation, is all a part of the changing thought we are experiencing as we allow the light of Mind to shine away the illusions of mortality. Today I will see myself and everyone as extensions of divine Love, allowing nothing to convince me otherwise.

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

Stop the Babble!

"Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #236

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

Today's topic brings 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. What a relief!

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

I Am

"Bryce Canyon"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #235

“God in His mercy wills that I be saved."

Do you ever feel punished and try to make deals with God? The mass consciousness we swim in keeps telling us we've done something wrong and can't be saved until we do a whole bunch of things right. Let's allow all of those beliefs to go away today and concentrate on what feels like Truth, right now, in this moment. Toward this end, I will, at every possible moment, quiet my thoughts and allow Truth to permeate my being. It's there all the time, this Love which is God, this divine Love which supports us more surely than the waters of mass consciousness. Our true consciousness is expressed most perfectly in two words: I Am. I'm going to keep it simple today. Join me!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done. If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense they would not go on from bad to worse …”

Science & Health Page 202:3-9

Reflecting Love

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #234

“Father, today I am Your Son again.”

Once again, I read this topic differently than it is written: Love, today I Am your reflection again. Seeing ourselves as we really are reminds me of a sweet little old lady who used to live up the street. Margaret had lived alone for more than a decade and had taken all the mirrors out of her house. When some other neighbors and I began to help her with housekeeping chores and other things, someone put a mirror on the wall in her bathroom. When she first saw it, she got very upset and began trying to pull it off the wall and, when that didn’t work, tried to break it. She had not seen herself in so many years that she couldn’t face what she saw. Many of us feel the same way about seeing ourselves in a spiritual light. We have become so accustomed to thinking of ourselves as less than, as separate from the beauty of Love, that it’s difficult to accept our spiritual Self. We may have a tough time releasing our beliefs and simply Being. Let’s be gentle with ourselves and see what we find when we release what we think we are! Namasté ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Matter is a human concept. Life is divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 569:3-4

Living Life to the Fullest!

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #233

“I give my life to God to guide today."

Live life to the fullest! What exactly does that mean? I was watching a cooking show where the host, a well-known hedonist, was in Greece. As he is over-drinking and eating he declares that he’s living life to the fullest. It made me start thinking about what a full life is, and then when seeing this topic requesting us to allow divine Mind, God, to guide me today — well, you can imagine how I laughed when I thought of the idea of gluttony being an indication of a full life! I suppose we can ask ourselves what it is we value. Do we value things we have, things we do? Or is valuable substance made up of ideas and the purity of our actions when they are led by divine Love? Giving ourselves to the Unity of All that Is does not limit our actions and enjoyment of the moment. I feel that it intensifies the joy and excitement of living. Being led by Spirit allows me to stop worrying about what my next steps will be and relax into a surety that I’ll be in the right place at the right time. What an adventure life is!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, we can have no other Mind but His,--no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no consciousness of the existence of matter or error. The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man.”

Science & Health Page 205:32-7

Be My Mind

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #232

“Be in my mind, my Father, through the day."

Certain words cause me to cringe and so (at this point in my releasing of belief and learned behavior) I simply leave them out or change them. For instance, in today’s topic I prefer to leave out the words ”in" and “my Father”. With the word “in”, I immediately think there is something missing that I need to bring into me, so I prefer to say “be my mind”. Changing the wording allows me to feel more at One with this ever presence I am acknowledging. I’ve also left out the word "Father" for much the same reason. The human connotations which have been given to this term overwhelm some people, perhaps even me, although I've worked hard to give up any idea of a man in the clouds giving out favors or throwing lightning bolts! I urge you to not worry about semantics and other word games we tend to play with ourselves. But when something causes me discomfort in the wording of these spiritual exercises, I have no problem with thinking of it in another way, until my thinking about the words has changed. After all, this is what it's all about: changing our thought!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“IN:  A term obsolete in Science if used with reference to Spirit, or Deity.”

Science & Health Page 588:22-23

Remembering Love

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #231

“Father, I will but to remember You."

God is Love. Today as I remember Love, I also remember a lovely documentary entitled, "Wings of Life". At one point, it's described as a love story from flowers to pollinators. Adding to my love affair with this movie is its narration by Meryl Streep. The flowers multiply in beauty, with gratitude to the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. I pause to think of what spurs me to express more goodness and Love. There are so many things which fill my heart: people, music, nature -- movies like this one! In line with my quest to be with those who help my being, I will stay with entertainment which brings beauty and grace to life, turning away from inanities and programing designed to disturb the senses. Following the law of divine Love satisfies -- and I am grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus' teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit,--the law of divine Love.”

Science & Health Page 18:6-11

Peace, Joy, Happiness

"Aaron in Utah"
photo by Kailey Jones

ACIM Workbook Lesson #230

“Now will I seek and find the peace of God."

I read about an interesting experiment. Two people were placed face to face. One was instructed to smile as happily as possible, and the other was asked to retain a neutral look. In most of the cases, the person who was supposed to stay neutral couldn't keep from smiling, too. Happiness, joy, and peace are all spiritual attributes which shine forth through us as the experience of divine Love. They are infectious, don't you think? Let's broadcast this seed far and wide today and watch it grow!

 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