You Can't Hide Behind Words

photo credit: Aaron Springston

We’re all trying to be kinder in our communications. We’re all learning how to listen and ask questions without being confrontational. To me, this is one of the most difficult lessons coming through this time in our lives. Listening without reaction, questioning without self-righteousness, learning from everyone, even those with whom I don’t believe — maybe especially from them! One thing I’ve discovered is that it doesn’t matter what I say out loud if my thoughts are confrontational. We can’t hide our true feelings behind the facade of kind words: we must be kind. Those of you who have pets know how true this is. You can’t hide your true feelings from an animal — or an aware human. Go forth with joy, because it shines through in your actions!

“A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive. The new idea, conceived and born of Truth and Love, is clad in white garments.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 463:12

Leap of Faith

A woman I knew would always put herself down when she thought she had not done her best (which was often). The expression she used was, I’m not walking on water yet. Her idea was that she could never meet her own expectations of what Jesus wanted her to do. Father Joseph, the priest at the Catholic Church where I am the organist, tied walking on water with taking a leap of faith. He encouraged us to speak to people we normally would ignore, or try a food we think we don’t like, or to try anything which takes us out of our comfort zone. Writing, for instance, is a frightening activity at first, because you’re putting your thoughts out there for everyone to interpret, critique, or challenge. Art, in all of its forms, is an act of bravery. Raising a child is a supreme leap of faith! The world needs us right now, so let’s open our hearts and follow where it leads today!

"The calm, strong currents of true spirituality, the manifestations of which are health, purity, and self-immolation, must deepen human experience, until the beliefs of material existence are seen to be a bald imposition, and sin, disease, and death give everylasting place to the scientific demonstration of divine Spirit and to God's spiritual, perfect man." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 99:23

Talking to Someone WIth Whom You Disagree

Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

A frequent topic of conversation centers around people who think differently about situations -- government, environment, education, et cetera. Specifically, we are concerned about this abyss which has appeared over the last few years, the one which keeps us from understanding each other, the one which we're afraid of falling into when certain topics are mentioned. Kevin and I were talking about this today and he had a great suggestion: when we are having a disagreement with someone about something, both of you list five life values you hold dear and see how the topic in question stands up to that litmus test. Without thinking about this deeply, I shall choose: truth, compassion/empathy, flexibility according to the situation, a trust in intuition (your gut feeling about something), and peace. So when I hear that my dear friend says she supports the current administration's policy concerning immigration, I shall ask her to think about her values and name five; then we will discuss this situation in light of what we hold to be important morally, spiritually, and intellectually. We desperately need honest communication, without blame, self-righteous judgment, and name calling. This is as good of a place to start as any! Enjoy the gift of this day, dear Ones. 

"Superstition and understanding can never combine. When the final physical and moral effects of Christian Science are fully apprehended, the conflict between truth and error, understanding and belief, Science and material sense, foreshadowed by the prophets and inaugurated by Jesus, will cease, and spiritual harmony reign." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 288:9

Silent Knowledge of the Beyond

On Death - Kahlil Gibran 

     You would know the secret of death.
     But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
     The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
     If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
     For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

     In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
     And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
     Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
     Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
     Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
     Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

     For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
     And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

     Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
     And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
     And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance. 

The Right to Vote

Women Working Toward Freedom 

In August of 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to cast a vote in elections. We tend to think of this as something that “just happened”, with men suddenly deciding to let the little ladies have what they want. Not so. It took nearly 70 years of hard work to win the right to vote. It was not given; they took it. At the time, the country was slipping into an economic depression, a global pandemic had claimed 600,000 lives in the U.S., racial unrest was boiling up all over the country, the KKK had come out of hiding, immigration was a contentious issue, and a nasty presidential race was underway with one candidate having the divisive slogan, America First. Sound familiar?? That was 100 years ago, and against all odds the women persisted and won the vote. There is a lot more to this story, and it’s all fascinating! But for now, remember that it was not an easy fight with lovely ladies dressed in white sweetly asking to vote. It was a fight, it wasn’t an easy one, and they never backed down. The difference in then and now (as I see it), is that we have many more men on our side than they did then. Thank you...

“A feasible as well as rational means of improvement at present is the elevation of society in general and the achievement of a nobler race for legislation — a race having higher aims and motives.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 63:23

Braiding Sweetgrass

I'm reading a beautiful book: "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. 

Here are a few quotes which I love.

“Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet. A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it. And yet it appears. Your only role is to be open-eyed and present.”

“The Honorable Harvest asks us to give back, in reciprocity, for what we have been given. Reciprocity helps resolve the moral tension of taking a life by giving in return something of value that sustains the ones who sustain us. One of our responsibilities as human people is to find ways to enter into reciprocity with the more-than-human world. We can do it through gratitude, through ceremony, through land stewardship, science, art, and in everyday acts of practical reverence.”

“until we can grieve for our planet we cannot love it—grieving is a sign of spiritual health. But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”

“We perpetrate the illusion that the things we consume have just fallen off the back of Santa’s sleigh, not been ripped from the earth. The illusion enables us to imagine that the only choices we have are between brands.”

“In a garden, food arises from partnership. If I don't pick rocks and pull weeds, I'm not fulfilling my end of the bargain. I can do these thing with my handy opposable thumb and capacity to use tools, to shovel manure. But I can no more create a tomato or embroider a trellis in beans than I can turn lead into gold. That is the plants' responsibility and their gift: animating the inanimate. Now there is a gift.”

“There are some aches witchhazel can’t assuage. For those, we need each other.”

The World in Our Backyard

quote from Auguries of Innocence
by William Blake

Most of the world is familiar with Rick Steves, because he has been everywhere and taken us with him, via his travel show. With the restrictions going places, he has had to rethink his life’s purpose, and he’s come up with some wisdom we can all take to heart. He has an article in the latest Atlantic, where he talks about discovering his own backyard. He is visiting places close to home, noticing small things he’s never paid attention to, and found a world he knew nothing about in cooking! I hope we’re discovering things about ourselves and our world. Sitting and watching insects, birds, the stars — it’s magical! Sometimes I feel like Horton [who] Hears a Who, being absolutely certain there’s a whole world on a speck of dust. Life is good...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/how-we-travel-when-we-cant/614800/

The Same -- Here, There, and Everywhere

Stock photo - Shangri-La Resort, Pakistan

Bob Woodruff is a journalist who was a war correspondent. During that time, he was severely injured while covering the conflict in Iraq. He and his son now have a show called “Rogue Trip”. They travel to war-torn areas and show us the beauty and wonder of those lands. We watched one about Pakistan tonight and were totally blown away by the people and beauty of the land. They were welcomed by residents who are peaceful and loving, wanting to show everyone that they are not warlike and terroristic. One of the places they visited was the inspiration for the fictional Shangri-la. And it seems most of the people in the mountains of Pakistan are healthy and happy, living simply and abundantly. I was once again reminded of how similar we are, no matter where we live. While we hear about turmoil, right next door is beauty and peace. I am holding to the fact that the majority of people are honest, kind, and compassionate. Let’s notice goodness today and acknowledge it in others whenever possible!

"Unselfish ambition, noble life-motives, and purity -- these constituents of thought, mingling, constitute individually and collectively true happiness, strength, and permanence." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 58

Jai Guru Deva, om

A beautiful song for a beautiful Sunday :)

https://youtu.be/jLfIkb9cpAg

The Threshold of Your Own Mind

“No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness.
If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Do Better

The last of the Four Agreements is: Do Your Best. For years, I was comforted by thinking that everyone was doing the best that they could. This "best" may not have been what I thought was best, but it was the best they could do at their stage of development. I managed to think that even someone like Hitler thought he was doing a good thing. I truly believed that everyone was working towards being the best that they could be, truly wanting to better humanity and their environment, and they were simply ignorant of how to do those things. Now I've come to think that is not so. Many people are willfully ignorant and seem to revel in it. They witness pain and suffering and find selfish ways to blame the sufferer. They turn their back on animals in pain, giving shadowy excuses for their behavior. Is this the best that they can do? If I could find some reason for their lack of empathy, perhaps I'd still think they were doing the best that they can. But it seems too many people are ruled by a love of money and power; wanting no more than fame and flattery. My heart has been broken by everyone from Bill Clinton to Bill Cosby. We're all just tired. But we must continue to strive to do better. Namaste...

"The best sermon ever preached is Truth practiced and demonstrated..." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 201-1

Don't Make Assumptions

Don’t make assumptions is the 3rd point in The Four Agreements. In today’s world, we seem to have a huge problem when it comes to communicating with each other. I’ve noticed things which keep me from hearing what is really being said. It’s easy to be thinking about what my response will be, rather than listening to someone's actual words. Have you ever thought you knew where someone was going in a conversation, only to discover you were wrong? Hence, if we’re formulating a response to someone rather than hearing what they are saying, we have just given up any hope of having an honest communication with them. Or maybe we misinterpret someone’s actions, thinking they mean harm, when the opposite is true. Today I’ll practice hearing what people are saying to me, without assuming I know what they mean. May those in power do the same...

“The wrong done another reacts most heavily against one’s self. Right adjusts the balance sooner or later.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 449:7

Don't Take Anything Personally

Yesterday I began talking about the Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. The second agreement seems difficult for us to understand and put into practice, yet I feel it holds an important key to happiness and peace. Do Not Take Anything Personally. Maybe we've believed something about ourselves all our lives because a person in authority told us, when we were very young, that it was so. I remember a teacher chastising me in 2nd grade about using the colors purple and pink together in a drawing. I thought I had no sense of style for years because of that. It wasn't about me at all, but about her. Perhaps someone laughed at you when you said or did something, and you still cringe when you say or do it. Maybe you were told you weren't athletic because you couldn't perform some feat in childhood, and so now you don't try to dance or bowl. I'm pretty certain each and every one reading this can think of something they have been told which has stuck with them, which they may have come to believe about themselves, some limiting belief they wish they didn't have. Good news! You CAN let it go! As my good friend, Jim Young, says: It's none of my business what anyone thinks of me. So whether you think you don't look good in green, or any other thing, just remember that when someone throws words at you, they probably feel that way themselves. And as the Four Agreements reminds us, "It's not your problem, it's theirs!" Keep on looking up, dear Friends...

"Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. The mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless." 

Be Impeccable With Your Word

One of the most important books of our age is The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Today I've been thinking about the first agreement: Be Impeccable With Your Word. What a wonderful world we would have if everyone did this one simple thing. When we hear something which sounds too awful to be true, it may very well be a lie. For example: Hillary Clinton is running a prostitution ring out of Pizza Hut. If you hear something so ridiculous, wonder why you're hearing it. If a friend tells you something derogatory about a mutual friend, don't tell anyone else. Remember the Mark Twain statement: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” If you tell someone you're going to do something, do it. But if you cannot, for whatever reason, be honest with them; don't make up an excuse or pretend you never said it.  If you promise your dog a walk every day, by golly you'd better do it, because you can't lie to a dog. (the same goes for any promise) If you're writing something similar to this, practice what you preach. It's easy to know what to do, but sometimes difficult to live in truth and love. Do it anyway. And finally, if someone says something you think to be incredibly foolish, be gentle in your correction. This one is tough for me, so I saved it for last. Go forward with joy, sowing good will and compassion! Namaste...

"Love will finally mark the hour of harmony, and spiritualization will follow, for Love is Spirit. Before error is wholly destroyed, there will be interruptions of the general material routine. Earth will become dreary and desolate, but summer and winter, seedtime and harvest (though in changed forms), will continue unto the end, -- until the final spiritualization of all things. 'The darkest hour precedes the dawn.'" Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:4-11

Hillbilly, Revisited

I rewatched the documentary, Hillbilly, this evening. So am reposting this from November last year.

photo credit: 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 down 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

Be Peace

From Hippie Peace Freaks

Saturday is my big church gig day, with recording and also a live feed service being done between noon and 5. Today both services centered around peace and what we must do to stand up and allow goodness to surround and dissipate anger. The Presbyterian minister always slips something unexpected into his sermons, which I think he does just to see if we are listening carefully. Today's entry into his hall of fame remarks was this: Peace, even beauty queens believe in it! Every beauty pageant always has at least one contestant saying all they want is world peace, don't you know? I also enjoy the six-feet-away-from-each-other passing of the peace. We use the old hippie hand peace sign and smile at everyone while giving them rabbit-ear blessings. There's something quaint and endearing about this, I think. But the bottom line is peace: live it, talk it, walk it, pass it, think it, sing it, love it, never be afraid to stand up for it! Happy Sunday to all!!

"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 belong to wisdom and Love." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 265:23

Lighting the Way

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Some people's lights are so bright they never disappear. This morning after my quiet time, as usual I checked youtube to see if any of my favorite seers had posted anything new. I was extremely delighted to see an old interview, newly posted, where Eckhart Tolle is talking with Lothar Schäfer! I wrote a tribute to him earlier this year when he passed away. Seeing this video was like sitting in a room chatting with him. The light in his eyes took me back to the time we would toast each other with fine wine, absolutely certain that our ringing glasses were resonating with the vibrations of our very being. I loved Lothar, and always will. Right after I saw this interview, I sent the link to his wife and a couple of dear friends. Their responses have solidified the connection we all had with this lovely man, whom I am so grateful to have known. Later in the day, I received word that the husband of a dear friend had suddenly passed. My heart goes out to her and all of their friends and family. Through the sadness, there is a sweet certainty that these dear ones are all right, and that we will be all right, too. Much Love to all...

"Prophet: A spiritual seer, disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 593:4

https://youtu.be/lNVb4Aa1KmM 

Never Fear the Consequences

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Many of us shy away from speaking truth to erroneous thought. I read an article today by a woman who was growing up in the 1960s, a time when people of different races did not, as a rule, mingle voluntarily. She told the story of being at a friend's house and being confronted by her friend's father. The writer of this story was working with a program for rural Black people and he had seen her holding a Black child's hand, with another child sitting on her lap. He felt her actions merited corporeal punishment. She immediately said to the man, "God loves that little boy. Why don't you?" This made the man more angry and he started to take his belt off, advancing towards her. She said, "God loves you too, and you must love all whom God loves." He dropped his belt and began sobbing, reaching out to hug the girl who had forced him to face himself. This story caused me to think of times I have seen a simple statement change a situation. There is a power in truth; a power which lies only appear to have. These are difficult times indeed, but whether it's a woman sitting naked before angry forces, or pregnant women banding together against injustice, or you speaking up to your friend, we must stand for what is right and good, never fearing the consequences.

"Millions of unprejudiced minds -- simple seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert -- are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 570:14

Engage Whimsy!

Crow Johnson Evans playing in
 husband, Arthur's, flower garden​

My fine friend, Crow Johnson, made a Facebook post today which enthralled me so thoroughly that I asked her if I could use it for my daily post. You can find out more about this delightful musician, artist, writer at her website: www.crowspun.com 

"How do you engage whimsy? Have you allowed your inner child to get out of your stuffy adult 'I’m too busy and grown to play' closet?  Come on out!

Are you willing to let go of holding on and simply enjoy being where you are?

Perhaps imagine you are barefoot on a high wire trapeze walking above the crowds...and they may all just be applauding you or wondering how they can walk the wire too!

Maybe imagine you are in the tropics smelling the heady aromas...

There is so much to be concerned about right now, but even more to get delighted by if you’ll only allow yourself to play... too.

Might as well balance in this unbalanced world.

Arthur’s flowers invite play... of course you might want to turn off the electric fence first or it might be a whole ‘nother hot wire act."

Posted by Crow on July 22, 2020

Look Up!

art may be found at:
JudyClementWall.com

It’s easy to look down all the time. Maybe we’re checking our phones, or worried about falling down, or wondering what’s going to happen next and imagining terrible events — and on and on. One woman I know is in a state of panic because her air conditioner was leaking water in a way it should not. Another is hysterical about a sick relative. Anxiety is rampant, and I have caught a bit of it today with news of a bug infestation in our neighborhood. Thought can easily snowball from one disaster to another when we get into that state of mind. I’m glad this has happened to me today, because it gives me empathy when talking to someone who is feeling chronically anxious. Today my worried mind was calmed by the drawing you see here. This artist lives far away and I only know her through Facebook, but I’m sure glad I do! We can do this for each other, whether we’re friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers. Let’s remind each other to look up, as there’s a whole other world of wonder up there!

“The condemnation of mortals to till the ground means this, — that mortals should so improve material belief by thought tending spiritually upward as to destroy materiality.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 545:7