Peace to My Mind

Utah - Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

Things never do and should not go 100% your way, but your life can happen your way. What happens within you is entirely yours; what happens around you is never yours alone.  How often do you hear someone say, He/She pushes my buttons! This means, of course, that someone “makes you angry or upset”. Is this really happening? How we react to someone else is either peaceful or tumultuous, and we have that choice to make in every moment. When I was a child, I didn’t like to have conversations when I first awakened in the morning. My mother thought this was a flaw in my character and tried to change me. Looking at this now, I see that silence in the morning works best for many of us. If I start out the day with inane conversation, or news stories hand-picked to feed my fears, the timbre of the day has been set and it’s difficult to center myself in the calm needed to move happily through it. Similarly, when I don’t sleep well at night, it’s because I haven’t been able to shut down my thoughts. Although I am not a fan of ritual, these morning and evening meditations work for me. We are all individuals, and through an examination of your feelings, habits, and demeanor, you can discover what works for you, too! 

"Peace to my mind. Let all my thoughts be still.

Father, I come to You today to seek the peace that You alone can give. I come in silence. In the quiet of my heart, the deep recesses of my mind, I wait and listen for Your Voice. My Father, speak to me today. I come to hear Your Voice in silence and in certainty and love, sure You will hear my call and answer me." W-pll.221   

Life, Its Own Self

"Both Sides Now"
created by Sandy Starbird

In the continuing saga of the lightning-struck organ, it can be forced to work, but only by a professional and only for a little while. So it will be functional for our concert on Sunday, but I must play the piano for dress rehearsal tomorrow. I'm going to look at this as a good thing, as I've been saying for years I'd like to improve my piano skills. So I shall look at this as an opportunity! The pianist who had a heart attack on Monday is going to be well soon, and I'm sure will be even more appreciated than before when she's back on the bench! My beloved book club met this evening and the appreciation I feel for this group of women grows deeper every time we gather in our homes. Our book this evening was about a retreat where people go to get a jump start on improving their lives. The twist in this story was that they were being given small amounts of hallucinogens with their morning smoothies. The result was quite interesting and led to a fine discussion! At the end of the day, I only feel gratitude for everyone I've encountered. Where there could be anxiety and frustration and anger expressed by workmen and others in charge of things, there has been harmony and good humor. The group of women who met this evening have their turmoil, too, but we're not afraid to confide in each other when we need advice or encouragement. And that's what it's all about, don't you think? Hugs to each and every one of you...

"Problems are not specific but they take specific forms, and these specific shapes make up the world.  And no one understands the nature of his problem.  If he did, it would be there no more for him to see." A Course in Miracles T-27.V.8 

Only Good Can Come of This

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Yesterday, I told a sad story of random lightning strikes and a piano player being felled by a serious health event. I want to assure you that our pianist is going to be fine. She is in the heart recovery place in Fayetteville and may be able to play on Sunday for the concert. But the wonderful music directors of our Celebration Choir sprang into action and lined up a great pianist, the pastor of the church has managed to get all the lights and heat working (although the speakers are “shot to hell”, as he said). Unfortunately my beautiful organ is not working properly, but it will stay on if someone holds the switch in the “on” position. The technician from the big city thinks it must be a simple fix, replacing the switch, but his wife is very ill and he can’t come until an indefinite time in the future. We have some leads on another organ wizard and I will have sweet dreams tonight of him swooping in and waving his magic wand tomorrow. After spending the morning with the high school choir who will be participating in the performance, I am joyous and certain that only good will come of this. And everything! Let’s all keep smiling and being nice to each other, helping where we can, and knowing there truly is a spiritual solution to every problem. Oh, wait a minute -- there is no problem! 

"There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in divine Science shows us this way. It is to know no other reality -- to have no other consciousness of life -- than good, God and [Its] reflection, and to rise superior to the so-called pain and pleasure of the senses." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 242

Just Breathe

"Protennoia" in the early sun

In stressful times, when I might become overwhelmed or frightened, I like to listen to Deva Premal and meditate on the art of Sandy Starbird. This morning was one of those times. Yesterday, we discovered that the fabulous organ I play at the Methodist church had been struck by lightening. We have the Celebration Choir performance this coming Sunday, so that left us in limbo. I am the organist and we have a professional pianist to accompany this great local choir, which is being joined by the performance choir from Berryville High School. So we weren’t too worried because there is a beautiful Steinway piano at the church where the performance will be held, and we can bring in a keyboard for the organ parts. Then today we hear that the pianist has had a heart attack. It’s at times like these we need to keep a calm, clear thought and know everything is working together for good. Much healing is happening in our world and our understanding is needed. So I will wake up in the morning, commune with Sandy’s rendition of Protennoia, and know only good can come of this.

“I am Protennoia,

the Thought that dwells in the Light.

I exist from the first.

I am numberless. I am immeasurable.

I am a Voice speaking softly by virtue of Thought.

And it is a Word that was sent

to illumine those who dwell in darkness.”

These words are adapted from Trimorphic Protennoia, a Sethian Gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. The only surviving copy comes from the

Nag Hammadi library (Codex Xlll )

The Liberating Thought of ACIM

Blake Lasater is an intelligent, wise pastor at our Methodist Church here in Eureka Springs. Today he spoke about the demise of churches and the reasons for it. We all know the conversation. One point he made stuck with me: Many people want to know more about Jesus, are even fascinated by the topic, but don’t want anything to do with religion or church. Many of us can relate. It came to me that A Course in Miracles is exactly what people are longing for, but don’t know it exists. I am so grateful to Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, and many others who talk about this Course in a way anyone can understand. To learn about God, Jesus, without the superstition rampant in religious doctrine, is refreshing and liberating. When people are first exposed to these ideas, they sometimes are afraid because there are subtle differences from what they have been taught in mainstream belief systems. But once you get into this study, you find there are no dead ends, no spots where someone tells you to believe “just because”. This is a self-study course, and you can read a paragraph or make an intensive study of the whole textbook.  Whatever the case, it’ll never leave you where it found you!

"Jesus - The highest human corporeal concept of the divine idea, rebuking and destroying error and bringing to light man's immortality." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 589

Awoke?

What does it mean to be awakened? I’m sure it means many things, but I’ve been watching people who are “awoke” and noticing a few traits. They don’t talk about others negatively.

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Awakening makes life simple because we needn’t try to figure out what people’s motivations are: they do what they do. Our happiness doesn’t rely on what others are doing, or not doing. When we put a label on someone, such as thief, then we’ve fixed that person in our mind with a conceptual identity. The mind does this, often focusing on a person’s shortcomings, and then we are trapped. What we must realize is the more we trap others, the more we trap ourselves. As Jesus said years ago, “Judge not, lest ye be judged”. The world cannot change without a change in thought, our own thought, and it requires vigilance for us to realize what we’re doing and stop it! It’s a matter of noticing our judgments and labeling practices. It’s not a failure when you notice yourself doing these things, it’s a great success to catch a thought and realize you’re doing it again. When you see it, it loses its power over you. Whew! What a relief!

"A dream of judgment came into the mind that God created perfect as Himself. And in that dream was Heaven changed to hell, and God made enemy unto His Son. How can God's Son awaken from the dream? It is a dream of judgment. So must he judge not, and he will waken. For the dream will seem to last while he is part of it. Judge not, for he who judges will have need of idols, which will hold the judgment off from resting on himself. Nor can he know the Self he has condemned. Judge not, because you make yourself a part of evil dreams, where idols are your ‘true identity’, and your salvation from the judgment laid in terror and in guilt upon yourself.” A Course in Miracles T-29.IX.2

Back to the Future

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Lateral lives, past lives, future lives — we love speculating about possibilities of “other” lives. We think about reincarnation and wonder about the possibilities, past and future. If someone tells us they remember a past life, we may find that fascinating; but if they said they come from the future, perhaps we’d think they are a bit off the beam, to say the least. The wonderful sci-fi stories about time travel hold a certain allure to us, a fascination with the possibilities. There are so many things we cannot fathom in the here and now, yet we still want to wonder about things which have not happened, things which may never happen. While I try to keep thought stayed on the now, dealing with things as they occur and not wondering what may be, it is a constant discipline remembering to do so. Be Here Now. The Power of Now. I’m grateful we have so many aides to keep us focused!

"In the ultimate sense, reincarnation is impossible. There is no past or future, and the idea of birth into a body has no meaning either once or many times. Reincarnation cannot, then, be true in any real sense. Our only question should be, 'Is the concept helpful?' And that depends, of course, on what it is used for. If it is used to strengthen the recognition of the eternal nature of life, it is helpful indeed. Is any other question about it really useful in lighting up the way? Like many other beliefs, it can be bitterly misused. At least, such misuse offers preoccupation and perhaps pride in the past. At worst, it induces inertia in the present. In between, many kinds of folly are possible." 

A Course in Miracles M-24.1 

"Man's individuality is not material. This Science of being obtains not alone hereafter in what men call Paradise, but here and now; it is the great fact of being for time and eternity."  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 285

Happy Thanksgiving!

Knowing the Truth

In a world where we are being fed lies, it’s extremely difficult to figure out what is truth. Media spreads deception and distrust, dividing people in ways which seem irreparable. Bias doesn’t frighten me, but intentional lies do. Many of us remember the early days of television, a time when advertising really revved up and consumerism became flagrant. It has reached an apex now at which almost everything we hear and see is designed to sell us something. We must continue to be vigilant in what we allow into our thought, not only for our own good, but for the collective. Repeating stories which create divisions through feelings of superiority or inferiority, that’s playing the game which has been created for us. It’s important to use our educations, our intuition, our spiritual knowledge, every bit of common sense we still have, to discern truth. There is a term in Christian Science called “knowing the Truth”. It is in reference to knowing the Truth of our being, not the beliefs we’ve come to think of as facts. These thoughts were prompted by reading an article in the Rolling Stone about how we are manipulated unknowingly. On this day of thanksgiving, I am grateful for all who spend hundreds of hours researching so we all needn't do so! Happy Thanksgiving to you! 

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/

"The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. ... It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128

Old Friends

Two old friends are on my mind today. I haven’t spoken deeply with either of these women since the three of us went to the Carroll County Fair around 10 years ago. We ate in the Cattlemen's booth, and I watched in amusement as one woman said shocking things and the other was embarrassed. Then we rode the ferris wheel. It was one of the strangest, most memorable events of my life! One of these women has come back to town after a long absence, and the other is very ill. One of them is functionally autistic, a European, and a sister in metaphysical studies. The other is a lifelong friend, outgoing and shy at the same time. She burned her bridges with us years ago, never responding to phone calls or letters. In my reminiscences I realize the genuine affection I feel for both of these people. I send them Love and wish them happiness, praying they find what they need, trusting they will contact me when the time is right. I wish you joy, sweet friends...

"One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful. Men and women of riper years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness or gloom. Immortal Mind feeds the body with supernal freshness and fairness, supplying it with beautiful images of thought and destroying the woes of sense which each day brings to a mearer tomb." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248

Gratitude

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A repeat from May of 2015

ACIM Workbook Lesson #123
"I thank my Father for His gifts to me."

Today is a day of thanks, a day of gratitude for all that we are learning and realizing in daily life. If looked at in day-to-day increments, it may not seem we are gaining in understanding, but when looking back through the years, it seems remarkable! This was brought home to me as I attended a 45-year-class reunion of high school graduation. Being with all these old friends and acquaintances brought back memories that had been long-forgotten. Listening to others tell stories of their lives, their jobs, their children and grandchildren, brought great thankfulness to my heart. I love where I've been and I love where I'm going. I am grateful for my friends and family, past, present, and future. The excitement which each day brings is cause for gratitude, and I plan to express it in my actions toward others and myself. The flowers blooming are a perfect reminder of the beauty of life and thankfulness for growth. Let's go forward today and scatter joy!!


Mary Baker Eddy quote:
“Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech."

Science & Health Page 3:25-26

Is War Necessary?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I read a letter from Sigmund Freud to Albert Einstein, who had written him asking if there was a way to free humankind from the threat of war. Mr. Freud has quite a bit to say about this subject, but one phrase which brought pause is, “...the lust for aggression and destruction”. I had never thought of it that way, and it caused me to take notice. Part of his conclusion is as follows: “The upshot of these observations, as bearing on the subject in hand, is that there is no likelihood of our being able to suppress humanity's aggressive tendencies. In some happy corners of the earth, they say, where nature brings forth abundantly whatever man desires, there flourish races whose lives go gently by, unknowing of aggression or constraint. This I can hardly credit; I would like further details about these happy folk.” In our world, we see famine and harsh conditions in many places. I question whether this is the way creation is supposed to evolve. I’m pretty sure when we follow the laws of nature, life as we know it would become Life as we wish it were! I hope you will respond to this email or place comments on the blog :) 

"Heaven: Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality, bliss, the atmosphere of Soul." Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health, Page 587

Mistaken Belief

photo credit: Richard Quick

When I was at a bridge tournament a few weeks ago, there was a fire at one of our local veterinary clinics. I was getting ready to play in the morning session and a friend came up and told me that it had burned to the ground and all the animals were dead! That night, I found out that wasn't entirely true. There had been a fire, and four animals had succumbed to the smoke. But the picture in my mind all through that day was something totally horrific, and at times my thought went to them and I felt great sadness. This is an example of how our thoughts and beliefs dictate our reality. It also shows me why it is so important to give up all our our beliefs and ideas about what things mean. The first 50 workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles help us to understand the importance of this. We cannot live in the moment and see things as they truly are as long as we're seeing them through the lens of our limited thinking. I'm pleased to occasionally notice the error posing as Truth!

"A blundering despatch, 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 despatch, correcting the mistake, heals your grief, and you learn that your suffering was merely the result of your belief." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 386

A Reaction Against Oneness

photo credit: Aaron Springston

One of the people who receives these daily messages commented to yesterday's writing by referring to a "reaction against Oneness". I love that statement! I'd much rather think of my desire to argue with people about their beliefs as a "reaction against Oneness", wouldn't you? That makes it much easier to hold a conversation which is not adversarial, even if I'm tempted to tell someone they're wrong. I thank you, dear Friend, for helping me to see every situation as either one of unity or one of separation. Upon going to bridge today, I immediately found a reason to put this into practice. One of my frequent partners is an octogenarian who is quite conservative. He's a great bridge player and has taught me a lot, and I enjoy playing with him. But I had never seen the back of his Lincoln Continental. There, right in the middle of his trunk, was a bumper sticker which said, "I Ride the Trump Train". When we sat down at the table as partners, every time I looked at him I saw these words etched into his forehead. But I recognized this as a reaction against oneness and quickly affirmed that we are both the reflection of God, even if we have different beliefs. We both love our family and friends, we are happy being in a comfortable home, and we would rather be playing bridge than most anything else. So I am grateful to Anne for reminding me of Truth this morning. Thank you greatly!

"Oneness is simply the idea God is. And in His Being, He encompasses all things. No mind holds anything but Him. We say 'God is', and then we cease to speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless. There are no lips to speak them, and no part of mind sufficiently distinct to feel that it is now aware of something not itself. It has united with its Source. And like its Source itself, it merely is." A Course in Miracles W-pl.169.5

Putting It Into Practice

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Today I had an opportunity to practice what I preach! At choir rehearsal, a woman I don't know well began to complain that she hadn't been able to watch her "programs" because of those "horrid people lying about the president". Rather than chastise her or ignore her, I listened to her. She rambled on about tuning in to TCM and watching an old movie called The Red Shoes. She is an Englishwoman and she mentioned it was the first movie her mother took her to see when she was 8 years old. I began asking her questions and it turns out she wanted to become a ballerina and had been told she couldn't marry because she must devote all her time to dance. Well, when she was 18, she met and married a man from Oklahoma, who was in the military stationed in England. He didn't know what ballet was and didn't want to, but she loved him and he loved her, and so she gave up her studies, married, and moved to the United States. That was more than 60 years ago. In talking to her, I found she was a lovely woman, if not an educated one. And I liked her. 

"Society is a foolish juror, listening only to one side of the case. Justice often comes too late to secure a verdict. People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony. To reconstruct timid justice and place the fact above the falsehood, is the work of time. " Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 238

Food, etc.

"Cooking in Thailand" - PC: Aaron Springston

When I was a very young child, my parents had a slaughterhouse. It was a small operation in a small town and people would bring in the steer they raised, or the chickens they kept in the yard, to have them killed and put in their freezer. I wasn’t particularly traumatized by any of this, but I did hold the false notion that this humane treatment was the standard practice in our country. Then I started paying attention. After that, I began to restrict my animal intake and now call myself a wanna-be vegetarian (because I do on occasion eat meat). Apparently those occasions are rare enough that an indulgence in a big burger and fried side dishes has made me feel groggy and sluggish for more than a day! I’m not writing this to promote any particular way of eating, but I am hoping that everyone in the world will pay attention to what exactly it is we’re putting in our mouths. Our vegetables are poisoned on a regular basis, the corn syrup situation is frightening, and animals are living a nightmare to supply the outlandish amount of meat which is eaten. I know I eat too much and often am uncaring of what that intake is. While I’m not going to beat myself up over that burger and fries, I am going to try to eat a diet suitable for a small planet! 

"When error confronts you, withhold not the rebuke or the explanation which destroys error. Never breathe an immoral atmosphere, unless in the attempt to purify it. Better is the frugal intellectual repast with contentment and virtue, than the luxury of learning with egotism and vice." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452

Facing Prejudice and Breaking Free

Thailand Trees - PC: Aaron Springston

Hillbillies. What comes to mind when you hear this word? Perhaps the Beverly Hillbillies, or depictions in cartoons of this group of people, maybe a mixture of the redneck genre and hillfolk. Whatever the case, more than likely it is a caricature of the reality. I’ve read Hillbilly Elegy and I live in the Ozark hills, so my study is more than intellectual. I truly want to know the motivation behind those who voted for our current president, so I listen and learn. A documentary called “Hillbilly” is perhaps the most poignant portrayal I’ve seen or read. A young woman who escaped her Kentucky home and makes films in California put together this movie. She has made me think deeply about my prejudices. It reinforces my feeling that we all want the same things in life: love, a warm home, a feeling of security in our jobs and environment. How we become confused in those desires is what fascinates me.

"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 dow2n in blood, nor did the breath of freedom come from the cannon's mouth. Love is the liberator." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225

Adulting

At Crystal Bridges - PC: Aaron Springston

I recently heard a term which sent me directly to a search engine: Adulting. Its definition is: “the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks”. I have found it difficult to “adult” at times when I let myself become overwhelmed by too many tasks. If my mind is racing in circles with a multitude of duties whirling around, it’s easy to let it flit from one to another with no focus anywhere. At those times, it’s easy to think there is too much on my plate and I’d rather retreat into a good book. Through the years, I’ve learned that then is the time to sit quietly, listening for the rhythms of divine order to lead the way, and then to be present in the Now. Some people like to make lists and prioritize, others want someone to tell them what to do first, but few of us believe there is an omnipresence which can help us navigate life’s activities. It can be difficult to release our ego’s dictates, admitting that we may not know what is best, to release control and flow with the good which is unfolding right here and now. But I’m going to keep trying, because I’ve seen how much easier it is than thinking I know it all!

“The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding, and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolding.” Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 584

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Marianne Williamson is often asked what spirituality has to do with politics. She answers: "Spirituality is simply the path of the heart. And the problem with American politics today is how often our policies are heartless." Blake Lasater's sermon with the Methodists today had to do with the same thing. He spoke of how we are here to help each other, yet so often it's "me first" with individuals, churches, and other groups of people. He stated that his measure of whether a church is successful isn't how big their building is or how good their music programs are, but what they are doing for their community. When our government policies are heartless, it seems okay for individuals to be the same, for churches to say they must take care of themselves, for communities to build fences and declare themselves safe. It's way past time for us to look at what really matters. A wise man once said the measure of a country is in how it treats its animals. It's also in how it treats the hopeless, the homeless, the hungry, the children, its citizens. I will vote for candidates who care, not just about economic growth, but about human growth, about our planet, our rivers, our food supplies. Corporations are not people. They don't cry or care. Look your neighbor in the eye, listen to a friend in need, say a kind word to the serviceperson helping you, vote for a person who does the same. We can make a difference!

"My campaign is a clarion call to the American people. It is time for us to use our power, as other generations before us have used theirs, to put America back on track when we have socially, politically and morally gone astray.

Help me override the control of the political industrial complex, penetrate the field of resistance to fundamental change, and provide the American people with a genuine alternative to the corporate aristocracy.

Our hands are strong, our hearts are ready, and the time is now…

Let’s have love for our country, and the courage to serve her in this critical hour." Marianne Williamson

Confession Time

St Elizabeth's in Eureka Springs
photo credit: Richard Quick

Just when I think no matter what anyone says, I'm cool and won't react -- well, you know what happens when we're sure of something! I play keyboards for the Catholics on Saturday afternoon, and today while I was hanging out in their library a little old man told me the Democrats were trying to keep God out of everyone's lives, and he told me a few instances of how that was happening. I calmly said I didn't think that was so and asked him how he knew this. There were some other folks in the room, interjecting this and that, and then he said that Jim Baker had a lot of smart people on his show and that's how he knew that Christians were being discriminated against. At that point, I knew I should leave and got up to do so. But then he said, "Oh, yeah, she won't listen; she's narrow minded." At which point I turned around and pointed at him (I really dislike it when people do that to me!) and said, "I watch Fox news regularly so I can see what the lie of the day is!" Then I left, feeling horrid that I'd allowed my emotions to roil out all over him. I tell this story on myself as a kind of confession, although I'm not asking for absolution. I do feel we should speak out against lies and injustice, but with compassion. Perhaps I've failed, but I've forgiven myself, and the dear little man who is so sure Jim Baker knows what he's talking about. Whew!

"There are two diametrically opposed ways of seeing your brother. They must both be in your mind, because you are the perceiver. They must also be in his, because you are perceiving him. See him through the Holy Spirit in his mind, and you will recognize Him in yours. What you acknowledge in your brother you are acknowledging in yourself, and what you share you strengthen." A Course in Miracles T-5.III.3