Nothing But Peace

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #48:

"There is nothing to fear."

Fear stems from the idea that we can be separated from joy and love, from peace and security. Imagine telling someone in the middle of a war zone that there is nothings to fear. Or perhaps you've known someone who has just been attacked in some violent way and you tell them that there is nothing to fear. This would seem to be a case of sticking your head in the sand and denying reality. At this stage of our evolution, perhaps it's best to think this truth silently, affirming within that illusions are not facts and there is, in reality, nothing to fear. Let's take a case which could be thought of as minor, one where a friend has been in a car accident and is now afraid to drive outside of her small hometown. While I did not make light of her fear, I also steadfastly refused to reinforce her fears by agreeing with them. I can no longer pretend compassion by agreeing with error, but must insist on dispelling erroneous thought by asserting the truth of our being as an expression of  God. I pray  for the grace which will guide me to silence or action!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Science & Health Page 506:11-14

Unchanging Spirit

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #47:

"God is the strength in which I trust."

We are told by almost every avenue in this material life that we are weak mortals who are victimized by everything from germs to sunshine and food. I have an acquaintance who spends most days in a state of near-panic as she hears tales of incurable air-borne disease and other horror stories which keep her on the edge of her sanity. She feels uncertain about everything due to the changing nature of the world around us, and this frightens her. I urged her to find something which is unchanging and to hold to that thought. She told me she didn’t know anything which was unchanging. I assured her that I couldn’t think of a single material thing which did not change either, and suggested some YouTube videos for her to watch with some of my favorite spiritual seers. I, personally, would prefer to trust intuition brought to me from divine Mind rather than the so-called facts fed to me by the nightly news! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.” Science & Health Page 393:12-15

Love is the Answer

photo credit: Stephen Shogren

ACIM Workbook Lesson #46:

“God is the Love in which I forgive.”

We are asked to close our eyes and search our mind for things which we have not forgiven. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small unforgiven experience or a great, big unforgivable event — we are asked to examine ourselves and identify these instances. We are preparing to forgive ourselves! Divine Love is the love which we are giving and getting in this forgiveness, not the human love which puts parameters on its flow. What we extend, we are. When I see the people I am withholding forgiveness from, I don’t want to think of their actions which I feel justify my feelings. I find I still blame someone from 50 years ago, a sweet woman who gave my pet turtle a bath and it died. I don’t want to think of that incident every time I see her or hear her name! I want to release my mind from these illusions, extending Love because I am Love!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

 "'God is Love.' More than this we cannot ask, higher we cannot look, farther we cannot go." Science & Health Page 6:17-18

Celebrate Love!

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #45:

“God is the Mind with which I think.”

On this day when we celebrate love, I am reminded of the amazing ways people are expressing Love all over the world. It's wonderful to hear stories of individuals who see a need and find a way to meet it! I read a story of a man who started a website to track refugees, in order to let those who want to help know what needs to be done and where to find people in need. Another man has dedicated his life to saving dogs by transporting them to areas of the country where they can find homes. I have vowed to find at least one incidence of good every day -- and good news is everywhere! I'm going to take time today to think of all the people I know personally who are expressing divine Mind, reflecting Love and living a life of grace. This grace doesn't have to be expressed in large ways, it only needs to be heartfelt and sincere. Happy Valentine's Day to us all!!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“No wisdom is wise but His wisdom; no truth is true, no love is lovely, no life is Life but the divine…”  Science & Health Page 275:17-19

A Clearer Transparency

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #44

"God is the Light in which I see."

At a recent function, someone leaned in close to me and said, sotto voce, something derogatory about another person. I was reminded of Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias when she said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about anybody, come and sit by me”.  I wanted to say just the opposite and ask this person to go away! But I also wanted to see her comments with the light of Love and interpret them through Mind rather than my judgment of the words. So I just smiled at her. I was standing there asking Holy Spirit what to say, and nothing came, so I didn’t nervously babble something meaningless, nor did I condemn her as I am wont to do. I hope to remember on a daily basis that light is within, not without. My work is to become a clearer transparency from which this light may glow!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The manifestation of God through mortals is as light passing through the windowpane. The light and the glass never mingle, but as matter, the glass is less opaque than the walls. The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality — much error — in order to become a better transparency for Truth. Then, like a cloud melting into thin vapor, it no longer hides the sun.” Science & Health Page 295:16-24

Perception or Knowledge

Eureka Gras Parade - PC Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #43:

"God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him."

Today we are pondering the differences in our personal perception and universal knowledge. Our perception, as we well know, is colored by belief and what we think of as knowledge, but knowledge is Truth. This Truth, with a capital T, is God. From today's Course in Miracles lesson: "You cannot see apart from God because you cannot be apart from God." This reminds me of a couple I met in the laundromat today. They were so joyously happy that I felt compelled to start a conversation with them.  They told me their house had burned to the ground last month, that they hadn't had insurance on it, but they were happy to have gotten out alive and were extremely grateful that their five cats had escaped, too. As I talked with them, I realized that awakening to life as consciousness is spreading far and wide. Join me in noticing how Truth is self-revealed as individual conscious experience in your daily walk. The proof is everywhere!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man is more than a material form with a mind inside, which must escape from its environments in order to be immortal. Man reflects infinity, and this reflection is the true idea of God."

Science & Health Page 258:9-12

The Gift of Sight

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #42:

“God is my strength. Vision is His gift.”

I had a good friend whose two daughters died in tragic ways. After that, dear Betty wanted to quit living, and so she did. First of all she stayed incredibly busy, so she wouldn't have time to think. Then she died of multiple cancers. During this time I would have given anything to impart to her today's lesson; to have the ability to show her this "Vision [which] is His gift". But only she could have done that. What I did do was to offer her a cup of cold water in the form of divine Love: I showed it to her, I gave it to her, I let her know it was hers. So today, dear friend, I will think of you while I go about the day's activities, remembering that I have the strength of eternity and the infinite vision which I share with you and everyone in the Oneness of divine Mind. This cup I raise to you, Betty Lou!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.” 

Science & Health Page 393:12-15

No Division Possible

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #41 

“God goes with me wherever I go.”

Contemplating today's topic brings many platitudes to my mind. I smile at them and reach deeper within for silence. Many great teachers, including Jesus, tell us the same thing: The kingdom of heaven is within. For years I've known this, but it's taking a while to understand, and without understanding, it’s nothing but blind belief. For years, I suffered all the symptoms of separation from God: depression, anxiety, worry, a sense of helplessness and loneliness. I also went through the typical material means to quiet these feelings, but none of them worked for long. It took a major wake-up call to break the spell, and I am so grateful to have answered it! When we're thinking "God goes with me wherever I go", it's very easy to visualize a little angel on our shoulder, or someone walking beside us. Hence the importance of going deep within and silencing the multitudinous beliefs we have acquired in this existence. Knowing ourselves as consciousness, melded like a drop of water with the ocean, or a ray of sunshine with its source -- that's the feeling we're hoping to remember. I say remember because it's something we've always known, but perhaps have forgotten. Peace, joy, happiness: these are ours in the kingdom of heaven within, no matter what the outward circumstances may appear to be. Take a deep breath and feel the Oneness!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Existence, separate from divinity, [divine] Science explains as impossible.” 

Science & Health Page 522:10-11

Happiness Actually

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #40:

“I am blessed as a Son of God."

I’ve noticed that some people are always happy, no matter that circumstances seem to dictate the opposite. One such person stands out in memory. When I was a teenager, a woman who was a friend of my parents had a series of things happen which we would think of as bringing sadness. In a three-year period, her husband passed on, their house burned down, and then her daughter was in a car accident which left her in a coma for over a year before she died. Oh — she had also lost an infant daughter years before. This woman lived joyously into her 80s, always helping others, and died with a smile on her face (so I'm told). I often wondered how she did it. I see now that she knew the open secret of Life. With each loved one who passes on, with each beloved animal I’ve known through the years, something is growing more certain within me: They haven’t gone anywhere. Never born, never dying. If there’s a beginning, then there must be an end. That thought brings a certain smile to my heart!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man is, and always has been, God's reflection."

Science & Health Page 471:17-18

Points of View

photo credit: Alden Stallings

ACIM Workbook Lesson #39:

"My holiness is my salvation."

My iPad died this morning. This may not be more than an inconvenience for many people, but I felt like I’d lost a friend. Every task I attempted today seemed stymied in one way or another. Finally, I realized that my off-centered-ness probably stemmed from the fact that I had neglected to set my intention first thing in the morning as I usually do. This activity could be called prayer, or meditation, or study — I think it encompasses all these things, and I had done none of them. Now, I am not trying to imply that if I had started my day recognizing my holiness, that my iPad wouldn’t have died. BUT I certainly would have looked at the situation differently from the grief which I felt! So I started my day over, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. Suddenly I remembered that a year or so ago a friend on the west coast had told me he never used his iPad and if I ever needed it, I could have it. And so I called him and it will be in the mail tomorrow. This feels like salvation to me! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The periods of spiritual ascension are the days and seasons of Mind’s creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness — yea, the divine nature — appear in man and the universe never to disappear.”

Science & Health Page 509:24-28

Expanding Thought

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #38:

"There is nothing my holiness cannot do"

I love the first two sentences of today's ACIM lesson: "Your holiness reverses all the laws of the world. It is beyond every restriction of time, space, distance and limits of any kind." Haven't you always felt this to be true? Isn't that the appeal of Harry Potter books and movies? We know -- we just know! -- that there is more to all this than meets the mortal eye.  I get very excited when pondering these concepts! I'm so grateful to live in an age when we can write and talk about such topics. It hasn't been that long ago that people were thought subversive and perhaps crazy to speak of these concepts. I will spend today celebrating no limits to thought and dedicating myself to expansion!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Lulled by stupefying illusions, the world is asleep in the cradle of infancy, dreaming away the hours. Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth." 

Science & Health Page 95:28-32

We Are The World

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #37

"My holiness blesses the world."

Have you seen the movie or read the book, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”? It’s very beautiful for many reasons. We are shown lovely French countryside, exquisite food, and a wonderful acceptance of and by people who are learning about their Oneness. When we accept our holiness, we do so by realizing that we are the expression of God. When we see this truth, we understand that we are not alone, as we are all the reflection of divine Mind. How can we express racial prejudice, or any other form of hatred and fear, when we know these things? I am freed by the understanding that the act of seeing everything in its spiritual reality is my function. It is everyone's function! By our realization of spiritual Truth, we see that everything is already complete and whole. I look forward to seeing more of this expanding vision which awaits us, just beyond the horizon of our material views.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling thought. What is the model before mortal mind? Is it imperfection, joy, sorrow, sin, suffering? Have you accepted the mortal model?" "We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives." 

Science & Health Page 248:15-17 and 26-29

Overwhelming Gratitude

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #36

"My holiness envelopes everything I see."

In the 1970s, I spent a good deal of time in a bar called The Swingin' Door. I fell in love with Texas music and more than one musician. It was an interesting time in popular music history, with the Beatles still stirring our souls and disco bringing a canned cadence to music most of the people in my circles shunned. We were all sure we knew the secret to happiness, and holiness had absolutely nothing to do with it. As years passed in a blur, we found the alcohol and drugs no longer brought satisfaction. It took years for me to realize that holiness was found within and reflected outwardly in everything. What a long and interesting road it's been to this point. The gratitude I feel for Life is overwhelming!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character."

Science & Health Page 492:7-11

Expansive Ideas of Mind

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook lesson #35

"My mind is part of God. I am very holy."

Stepping outside our ideas of who and what we are can be an interesting experiment — and we are asked to stand back and do so in today’s lesson. The reason for this is that we cannot possibly understand what it means to be part of divine Mind, accepting our holiness, as long as we’re seeing ourselves as all the beliefs we have built up over a lifetime. These beliefs we hold about ourselves may be positively grandiose or absolutely debased, it matters not, as they all veil our unity with divine Love. Time and again in these studies we have been and will be asked to give up all our beliefs about ourselves as a person, exchanging them for the expansive ideas of Mind. We are asking Holy Spirit who we truly are, and there is no reason to fear Love’s answer!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.”

Science & Health Page 469:30-5

Peace in the Valley

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #34:

"I could see peace instead of this."

Family disputes, contentious work situations, people reacting from fear and anger -- Even if we're not directly involved in these scenarios, we are given the opportunity to "see peace instead of this". We are learning to sit quietly, with Love, and watch how spiritual truth brings healing. Peace is inherent in every seemingly volatile situation, and a calm glow is brought forth when Love is felt within our own self. By practicing peace, we are allowed to witness its inevitable spread through everything it touches. We can all recount situations where we have witnessed harmony restored through calm assertive behavior. I remember a time when three angry young people were drained of aggression as I stood in front of them smiling and thinking of their perfection as an expression of God. This instance has strengthened my vow to keep on looking at the world through those proverbial rose-colored glasses!

   

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Truth and Love enlighten the understanding, in whose 'light shall we see light;' and this illumination is reflected spiritually by all who walk in the light and turn away from a false material sense.”

Science & Health Page 510:9-12

Another Way to See

EurekaGras Parade

ACIM Workbook Lesson #33:

"There is another way of looking at the world."

This lesson asks us to look at things around us and then to look at our thoughts. This is to be done casually, with no judgment, only noticing. Okay. I'm looking around the room. The first thing I see is a lamp which was bought at a Clear Spring School benefit auction. Interestingly, it was donated by Victorian Reflections, a shop which occupied the space my art gallery was in for years. This lamp has a story and it brings back lots of memories and feelings within me, all lovely to remember. When I close my eyes and follow my thoughts, a long trail has opened up with memory links galore! I could follow them and spend a great deal of time living in the past, or I can simply see it for what it is and ask myself why that lamp makes me smile. It represents to me light, beauty, happy times with children and friends. Whether this exercise brought me lovely thoughts or caused distress makes no difference, because they both need to be released. This doesn't mean that I must never feel the Love reflected by this lamp and its connections. That feeling is mine all the time. This release thins the barriers I've built against Spirit. It helps me become more transparent and allows good, God, to be my only sight. What an adventure this is!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Dear reader, which mind-picture or externalized thought shall be real to you,--the material or the spiritual? Both you cannot have. You are bringing out your own ideal. This ideal is either temporal or eternal. Either Spirit or matter is your model. If you try to have two models, then you practically have none. Like a pendulum in a clock, you will be thrown back and forth, striking the ribs of matter and swinging between the real and the unreal."

Science & Health Page 360:13-21

Living From the Heart

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIs Workbook Lesson #32:

“I have invented the world I see.”

I often wonder if we are hesitant to live from the heart because we worry others will think we're foolish. When we insist on seeing as Mind sees, rather than through the interpretations of human belief, we are often looked at askance! I remember once when I was in a monthly meeting of gallery owners in our town and the talk turned to theft in their shops. I turned my attention away from the discussion and was looking into a corner, thinking about something else, when suddenly I noticed everyone had stopped talking. I looked up and saw they were all looking at me! Someone asked me what I thought about this situation and I honestly told them that thievery was not a part of my existence and I didn't want to make it a reality by giving it energy. Someone said, Good for you! And the conversation continued in a different vein. With that in mind, I will not hesitate to wander away from discussions centered on fearful beliefs or angry reactions, all the while facing them with the Love which defines our being!

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

Not a Victim

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #31:

"I am not the victim of the world I see"   

I heard myself say to someone, "We could all have animosity toward our parents if we choose, either actual or imagined." Hum -- isn't all animosity imagined?? We like to think that some outside influence has forced us to feel hurt or angry, but is that true? Aren't we just setting ourselves up as a victim to say that someone else "made us angry"? After all, I don't have to react with a specified emotion; I can choose to see any given situation as a calm witness rather than as an upset personality, can't I? It's tempting to say things such as: He/she pushes my buttons. By blaming outside influences for our actions, we can pretend we're victims of life's circumstances. We're so accustomed to looking for help outside of ourselves that we also blame outside influences for our reactions, thinking we have no choice. Truth shows us that we are more than we believe we are. We aren't mortal victims, but spiritual beings with unrealized abilities and power. It's time to wake up to Truth!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else. God's being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss."

Science & Health Page 481:2-4

Divine Mind is All

photo credit: Alden Stallings

ACIM Workbook lesson #30:

"God is in everything I see because God is in my mind."

I like to leave the word "in" out of the above statement, so that it reads: God is everything I see because God is my Mind. This way of living which we're studying is showing itself everywhere, isn't it? From so-called new-age thought, to the divine sciences, to wonderful books such as "The Celestine Prophecy" and "The Lost Symbol" -- everything is pointing us toward Truth. Seeing with the eyes of Spirit is our birthright. We are realizing this every day in a myriad of ways! When we acknowledge that we want to experience spiritual reality, we open our mind to infinity. We can turn to this certainty of thought, and by opening ourselves to All That Is, we are led in paths perhaps less traveled, but most wondrously rewarding!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In: A term obsolete in Science if used with Spirit or Deity." Science & Health  Page 588:22-23

See What??

photo credit: Alden Stallings

ACUN Workbook Lesson #29:

 "God is in everything I see.”

To see God in everything entails utilizing a sight other than one to which we're accustomed. The material basis of our thought leaves little room for seeing spiritually. This is why our study includes so many exercises which help us to let go of learned beliefs concerning the purpose of everything we see with our material eyes; to release what we think we know about those things.  When we are able to do that, then we leave the way open for spiritual sight. Then we see that God is everywhere, because God Is. This Is-ness is omnipresent, no matter what we think about it, so we don't have to make anything happen; we need only take off our blindfolds and see Truth.  This is why it helps me to think of God as Love.  For me, it's easy to see the idea of Love being expressed in everything, as Love is everywhere, just as sunshine is. And if something happens to obscure that light, such as clouds, I know it's still there, just as potent and perfect as ever. No matter how I perceive things to be with these material eyes and thoughts, the true idea of Spirit, God, Love, is there waiting for me to remember it.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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 516:10-13