Light Dispels Dark

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #225 “God is my Father, and His Son loves Him.”

Today’s lesson is asking us to experience the Love which is ever-present by virtue of Oneness. This includes everything and everyone. With one infinite Mind, there are no degrees of unity. This is often difficult to experience in the form we expect it to take, being at peace with someone who is unfeeling, vindictive, misguidedly perpetrating evil. I don’t think we’re being asked to condone violence in any of its forms, rather to counter hate with Love, and war with peace. I told someone today that when we open a dark closet, the darkness doesn’t escape into the room; the light dispels the dark. And so it is…

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“…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 470:2-5

Perfect Love

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #224 “God is my Father, and He loves His Son.”

Today's Course in Miracles lesson tells me that God is my Father and He loves His Son. When we take away material gender-related terms, it's easier for some of us to know this is telling us that we are all reflections of creative Mind (God), and that divine Love is equally ever-present for all. There is no division by religion or any other so-called standard. There is no Love more readily bestowed on someone who fits the requirements to be called saint or sinner. This perfect Love is available to all, simply for the accepting of it. We truly are all created equally!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfills the Scripture, “Love thy neighbor as thyself;” annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed. "

Science & Health Page 340:21-29

The Hats We Wear

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #223 “God is my life. I have no life but His.”

I’ve been thinking about how we define ourselves by our jobs, our talents, our looks, our cars, our children — well, the list goes on, doesn’t it? When I closed my beloved art gallery, many people warned me that it would be a huge adjustment not going there every day and having it as the center of my existence. But it wasn’t! I think that’s because it never defined me. I never thought of myself as being what I was doing. It’s easy to think of one’s self as being a mother, or a mechanic, or any number of things which we do on a daily basis. And there is nothing wrong with that; nothing at all! But I’m very grateful that all the hats I’ve worn in this life are just that: accouterments to Life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"God is divine Life, and Life is no more confined to the forms which reflect it than substance is in its shadow.”

Science & Health Page 331:1-3

And So It Is...

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #222 “God is with me. I live and move in Him.”

We are waking up from our dream of separation! In this awakening, we are experiencing another level of living and are becoming more consciously intuitive in our daily activities. Whereas we used to think of "hunches" as meaningless feelings, we are now realizing they're whispers from divine Mind. Living life as the reflection of Love opens our thought to Oneness, and we see a world without judgment. People are dropping lifelong habits, and they're glad to see them go! And so it Is…

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The universe reflects and expresses the divine substance or Mind...” Science & Health Page 300:29-30

A Quieter Mind

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #221

“Peace to my mind.  Let all my thoughts be still.”

“Growing More Peaceful Every Day”, these are the words written on a pillow a friend gave me. Through the decades, my idea of what constitutes peace has evolved. In younger days, the only peace I wanted was during sleep. The rest of the time was happily busy with people and learning things. Then came the years spent partying, which I don't think were peaceful, but memory is rather foggy during that time. Motherhood brought a certain peace to my restless soul, but it was full of the activity of child rearing and caring for a home where my boys’ friends were always welcome. Following that was the relative quiet of running a business. The practice of relating to others in a peaceful manner was my education during that decade. Finally, I now understand it's not what I'm doing, but how I'm experiencing it. The peace which seemed fleeting is possible in every moment, and not because there is nothing to do, but because I enjoy every single moment without judging it against anything from the past or wishing it to be different in the future. Ah, the bliss of a quiet(er) mind!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,--this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony." Science & Health Page 323:32-2

Palpable Peace

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #220 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #200 “There is no peace except the peace of God.”

In these volatile times, perhaps you've witnessed anger spreading quickly in various situations. I’m convinced that peace spreads just as quickly! I once had a demonstration of peace quelling anger -- visibly, quickly, thoroughly. I was leaving work in the early evening, and as I started down a stairway across from Basin Park a man began to sing the beautiful Louis Armstrong hit, "What a Wonderful World". I stood listening to him and was filled with happiness and buoyant peace which was so encompassing that I barely noticed voices shouting to my left. When he finished, I glanced over at three people sitting on the wall and shouting obscenities directly at me. It was as though I couldn't comprehend what they were doing and I just kept smiling and looking directly at them, with this incredible feeling of Love still growing inside me. As I watched the young people and their angry faces, it seemed that they were deflating like balloons. All the anger was seeping out of them with a visible shift in their demeanor. I joyfully waved at them and went down the stairs. I'll never forget that palpable feeling of light displacing darkness. I'll bet they haven't either!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

"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

A Freedom Before Unknown

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #219 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #199 “I am not a body. I am free.”

Be with those who help your being. I've always loved this thought, haven't you? More and more, I find myself reveling in the company of friends, and being even more content in solitude. This seeming conundrum feels similar to the realization that I'm not a body: It's both exhilarating and calming! It’s great not to be a victim of the false beliefs of material life. I'm content in knowing there is so much to realize in this unfolding Life. Thinking back through the years and recognizing momentous friendships which have helped change my perspective, I am grateful beyond words. The Love I feel for these precious people is eternal, and with this knowledge comes a freedom before unknown. A Freedom Beyo

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"This mortal is put off, and the new man or real man is put on, in proportion as mortals realize the Science of man and seek the true model." Science & Health Page 408:22-26

Primal Order

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #218 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #198 “Only my condemnation injures me.”

Recognition of our unity is a major turning point in our evolution. With the knowledge that everything is connected, that what affects one affects all, we are prompted to stand up and make the change within ourselves which we would like to see in the world. Knowing that there are only two choices, Love or fear, dispels the blindness which has kept us helpless for so long. To wake up from the hypnosis we have allowed ourselves to fall under is a very exciting proposition, don’t you think?  Love is the liberator! Open yourself to divine Mind and live as you were created, accepting your reality as the reflection of Love, allowing Spirit to guide your every action. The time is now!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The miracle introduces no disorder, but unfolds the primal order, establishing the Science of God’s unchangeable law. Spiritual evolution alone is worthy of the exercise of divine power.” Science & Health Page 497:24-27

Willingness to Choose Again

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #217 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #197 “It can be but my gratitude I earn.”

When my mind wants to replay a circumstance in all its glorified drama, I recognize that I have a choice. I can choose again and not see that person, that event, in a way which causes me to feel yet more pain, anger, sorrow. I can think instead of the goodness, kindness, and love inherent in everyone, and allow its reality to form an image in my thought. I can play lots of games with myself in this way, and perhaps cajole myself out of thinking badly or sadly, but to get to the root of this circular dream, the answer may lie in the ideas we're studying today: "It can be but my gratitude I earn". I take this to mean, in part, that I needn't worry about what anyone else thinks about me. If I am being true to myself as a reflection of divine Love, that is enough! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony.”  Science & Health Page 323:32-4

Inverted Thought or Freedom

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #216 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #196 “It can be but myself I crucify.”

Best friends, lovers, and all other forms of close interpersonal relationships, are to be cherished and appreciated. It seems impossible to lose the feelings which drew us together in the first place, and when there is a breach in trust or harsh words spoken, it’s painful. The first reaction in such a situation may be blame, as no one wants to think they are wrong. I don’t want to feel right or wrong in a current chasm which has developed between myself and someone I love very much, nor do I have any desire to apportion blame for what has occurred. Attacking him will not make me feel any better. If I attempt to nail him to a cross with harsh feelings or condemnations, I will be crucifying myself. I don’t want to join the ego thought system which tells me how I should feel in this or any other situation. I refuse to attack and crucify myself. I choose freedom for us both.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals present more than is detected upon the surface, since inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must be counterfeits of Truth.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures  Page 267:19-22

Gratitude

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #215 Central theme: "I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me." Review: #195 "Love is the way I walk in gratitude."

I am gaining confidence in learning how to get out of my own way, relying on the wisdom which is heard through spiritual sense. Today is not about being grateful to God, but because of God! God is Love. To experience and demonstrate this Love, nothing is required of me other than my awareness of it. When facing circumstances which feel difficult, I will look at them under the microscope of Love, honestly wanting to know the Truth of the situation. In gratitude, I open my eyes to whatever may be revealed.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are "not as other men"? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke.” Science & Health Pages 8:28-3

Giving It Up To Love

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #214 Central theme: "I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me." Review: #194 "I place the future in the Hands of God."

I know a woman who is involved in the messy settlement of her mom's estate. When she gets letters from the attorneys, she puts them in her bible and says she's giving it to God. This is NOT what we're talking about today! The willingness to radically rely on God opens the way for ideas and spiritual sense to lead us in ways we may not have considered before. Things may then "come up" from the depths of our emotional stores, allowing them to be acknowledged and released. That's what I call "giving it to God"! The past is gone. With every letting go of well-rehearsed, long-gone events, or the quiet release of guilt or pain, peace becomes reality for me. It doesn't matter if anyone was right or wrong, it doesn't make any difference what motives were involved, part of me has been emptied to be filled with the only reality: Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us.”

Science & Health Page 201:13-15

Forgive and See Differently

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #213 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.”

Review: #193 “All things are lessons God would have me learn.”

Today's review reiterates, "Forgive, and you will see this differently." Most everything which comes to mind, I would like to see differently. And so I shall forgive. Letting go of belief, misunderstanding, learned behavior, guilt, blame, the past, the future -- what's left to see? This present moment! — with no expectations or interpretations!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.”

Science & Health Page 298:13-15

Fulfilled Function

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #212 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #192 “I have a function God would have me fill.”

In our early years we are often asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We are encouraged to choose a profession as our function in life. Many of us were never comfortable with this and didn't manage to do it. For instance, I graduated from high school a year early because I wanted to get out into the world. I went to college because that's what everyone was supposed to do. I majored in music because everyone expected me to. I changed my major numerous times, never finding anything I could imagine doing all my life. What if, rather than choosing what we "want to be", we are rather taught to love ourselves and the world around us, with no preconceived notion of what we plan to do with our lives? What if, by living and expressing Love, we find ourselves drawn to our true purpose, the "function God would have us fill"? Just imagine how happy everyone would be! When the expression of Love is our purpose, our function becomes obvious. And it's never too late to see it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as [It] opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.”

Science & Health Page 506:18-21

Compass of the Heart

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #211 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #191 “I am the holy Son of God Himself.”

What barriers am I putting up which keep me from seeing my reality as the experience of divine Mind? This is something I will think about today, because it could be anything. I recall a novel with the intriguing title of “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats”. The main character loses his eyesight when he’s a young boy. One of his mentors tells him that the true essence of everything is invisible to the eyes. He tells the blind child how eyes distract us as they love to be dazzled, and that we rely too heavily on them and neglect our other senses — and he means more than hearing or taste or smell. “I’m talking about the organ within us for which we have no name. Let us call it the compass of the heart.” So today I will let barriers fall and intuition rise, knowing in Truth I’m the holy reflection of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God creates neither erring thought, mortal life, mutable truth, nor variable love.” Science & Health Page 503:24-25

Carry That Weight

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #210 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #190 “I choose the joy of God instead of pain.”

I remember hearing a story in which we are asked how much a glass of water weighs. Then we are told it doesn't matter what its weight is, it matters how long we hold it. If we hold it a minute, it's light. If we hold it an hour, our arm and/or hand may become uncomfortable with the weight. If we hold it all day, our arm will feel paralyzed. This scenario is a metaphor for holding onto worries and fears. If we keep them with us, we become convinced they are impossible to overcome, and we are paralyzed from the carrying of this weight. All we have to do is put the glass down to be released from our burden! Then we are free to feel the joy which is innately ours as a child of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained stronger desires for spiritual joy? The aspiration after heavenly good comes even before we discover what belongs to wisdom and Love. The loss of earthly hopes and pleasures brightens the ascending path of many a heart. The pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual.” Science & Health Page 265:23-30

Love is the liberator

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A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #209 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #189 “I feel the Love of God within me now.”

During my lifetime, I've seen oppression of various types evaporating. I admit that there are more walls waiting to fall  — but just look how far we've come! Despite these strides, a man told me that he was afraid to come to Eureka Springs. Of course, I asked him why. He said if we were having one of our "diversity" weekends he didn't want to be here. He assured me he had nothing against gay people, but he didn't want it “rubbed in his face”. This is a learned behavior of prejudice on his part and has nothing to do with the way he felt when he came out of the womb into this life. As we release what we have come to believe, all those things which we’ve been taught to think, we open the way for divine Love to guide us. Love truly is the liberator!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The history of our country, like all history, illustrates the might of Mind, and shows human power to be proportionate to its embodiment of right thinking. A few immortal sentences, breathing the omnipotence of divine justice, have been potent to break despotic fetters and abolish the whipping-post and slave market; but oppression neither went down in blood, nor did the breath of freedom come from the cannon's mouth. Love is the liberator.” Science and Health Page 225:14-22

What Am I Carrying?

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #208 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #188 “The peace of God is shining in me now."

I often refer to Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth. In it, he relates a story of two monks walking down the road. They see a young woman, dressed in white, attempting to cross the muddy roadway. One of the monks picks her up and carries her to the other side and they go on their way. A few hours later, the other monks says, You shouldn’t have carried that woman across the road; we don’t do that. The carrier responds: I put her down hours ago, but it looks like you’re still carrying her! Through the years, I’ve found myself carrying words and actions of others like a yoke around my neck, taking events out and reliving them at the slightest provocation. I’m ready to put these things down and stop blaming someone else for the burden I’m carrying. I have a choice! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The metaphysician, making Mind his basis of operation irrespective of matter and regarding the truth and harmony of being as superior to error and discord, has rendered himself strong…” Science & Health Page 423:18-21

What Blesses One Blesses All

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #207 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #187 “I bless the world because I bless myself.”

What blesses one blesses all! Divine Love does not look fondly on one and turn away from another. Love is boundless and blesses the world as it blesses me — and it blesses me as it blesses the world. Love has never left us. It has nothing to do with form, it is everything. I must let go of the meanings I have placed on divine Love and allow it to Be. Acknowledging the reality of our Being, affirming our goodness as the experience of God, knowing that everyone is created as a manifestation of divine Mind, these are some of the ways we bless ourselves and everyone else. Join me in falling in love today -- with Life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Divine Love blesses its own ideas, and causes them to multiply, — to manifest [Its] power.” Science & Health Page 501:13-18

The Perfect Concept

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #206

Central theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #186 “Salvation of the world depends on me.”

Would you feel uneasy, perhaps arrogant, if you said the salvation of the world depends on you? I know I would have in the past, but that was before I realized that the opposite is true. The realization that we are united with God and all that Is is a humbling experience. It's easy to get this concept backwards, believing that if we recognize our oneness with divine Mind we are displaying braggadocio. I have found boastful behavior comes about from thinking that my material, personal beliefs are more valid than the experience I share with this gentle presence we call God. The surrender necessary to allow myself to want nothing other than to know God is a yielding of my self-important intellectual sureness. The gratitude I feel from the realization of our unity is priceless.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures  Page 454:21-23