Sage Advice From Emerson

Eureka Springs, AR 

Unknown photographer

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson - Collected Poems and Translations.

Looking at America Through the Lens of Values

 

Art by Judy Clement Wall

JudyClementWall.com

For the last seven years, Lucy Harper has been trying to get Americans to think about their country differently. She has been teaching classes and workshops to instill the idea that America is not a political prize to be fought over, but an idea to be fought FOR. What started her on this journey was becoming part of the Idea of America Network. This organization’s goal is to create a network of Americans who can help their communities look at the country through the lens of values. Ms. Harper says, “When you talk about values and America, everyone knows life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but the values that really drive the United States are all about balance: freedom and equality, law and ethics, common wealth and private wealth, unity and diversity. How citizens find the balance between these essential but conflicting values determines the nation’s character and direction.” She has now written a play which has many historical characters debating these points.  To quote her: “It’s about seeing this as a country of good people. There’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, but we jolly well better see [the good in] people, ... giving people the room to grow – including ourselves.”

[I got this information from an editorial in The Christian Science Monitor, May 30, 2022]

“Your influence for good depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable … Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfish love, receives directly the divine power.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 192

“Values are relative, but they are powerful because they are mental judgments.” A Course in Miracles - T-7.VII.4:3

A Heart Centered in Gratitude

 

This morning I attended our local American Legion tribute to veterans, where I was the accompanist for the Star-Spangled Ensemble, a local choir. Earlier, in honor of my World War I veteran dad, I made a post about him on Facebook. In it I mentioned something he often said: “I killed good Germans for a dollar a day so you can enjoy this good life.” A friend made this comment about his words: “It’s such a statement of accountability, regret, rationale, and call to action all rolled into one. To unflinchingly accept his own actions, to be neither victim or perpetrator of injustice, and to assure that it had value by keeping his heart centered in gratitude.” Wow! Thinking about the difference in his attitude and that of today’s military fighters is quite a contrast. At the event this morning, the main speaker spent most of his time talking about suicides within the ranks of the military. I could go on and on about the reasons I see for this pain and suffering of soldiers and their families, but I won’t. My thoughts turn to Thich Nhat Hanh and his work with soldiers in forgiving themselves. I think about A Course in Miracles and how its precepts could help so many through forgiveness. Once again, we get back to Jesus’s request: Put down the sword. Namaste …

“Lay down your arms, and come without defense into the quiet place where Heaven’s peace holds all things still at last. Lay down all thoughts of danger and of fear. Let no attack enter with you. Lay down the cruel sword of judgment that you hold against your throat, and put aside the withering assaults with which you seek to hide your holiness.” A Course in Miracles W-190.9:1-4

Hold On — An Ancient Prayer

Art: Emily Kell

Hold On to what is good,

Even if it's a handful of earth.

Hold on to what you believe,

Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do,

Even if it's a long way from here.

Hold on to your life,

Even if it's easier to let go.

Hold on to my hand,

Even if I've gone away from you.

~ Pueblo Indian Prayer

Live Out Loud!

Am I alone in this, or is everyone feeling a sense of urgency? The sounds reaching my ears, motorcycles zooming around our small tourist town, feel alive to me. The sunset this evening was so intense in its colors and brilliance, I paused to wonder if I’m dying. That’s silly. Of course, our first death is being born into this world and we’re all working our way toward that second one. But every interaction with other people, with my pets, with the flowers — they all seem incredibly important. I’ve always tried to live by the axiom that everything is important; nothing is important. But right here and now, every breath feels wonderfully full of Life. Part of my spiritual study geared toward understanding the seven synonyms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Perhaps their meaning is finally opening up something in consciousness. I’m tempted to say “my consciousness”, but I’m not sure there is such a thing. Consciousness. Period. I’m wondering if this is how the tiny creatures in our world feel all the time. I’ve always been fond of a dear friend’s tee-shirt which proclaims “Love Out Loud!” Perhaps the time has come to Live Out Loud! 

“Salvation is nothing more than ‘right-mindedness,’ which is not the One-mindedness of the Holy Spirit, but which must be achieved before One-mindedness is restored. Right-mindedness leads to the next step automatically, because right perception is uniformly without attack, and therefore wrong-mindedness is obliterated.” A Course in Miracles - T-4.II.10:1-2

“Beyond the frail premises of human beliefs, above the loosening grasp of creeds, the demonstration of Christian Mind healing stands a revealed and practical Science. It is imperious throughout all ages as Christ’s revelation of Truth, of Life, and of Love, which remains inviolate for every man to understand and to practice.” Mary Baker Eddy - 

Science & Health Page 98:15

Bound Together For Eternity

Joel Goldsmith wrote in The Infinite Way that groups of people who share spiritual love are bound together for eternity. I’ve felt this connection often with friends. The Love we have for each other causes us all to feel joy and pain when one of us has a happy or tragic event in our lives. We share the giddiness of our children marrying and having babies; we're sad when one of us loses a loved one or suffers through an illness with a family member. I'm grateful for every one of us who care enough to hold each other close through life's trials. We may be present physically, or sending love from afar, but we are connected — bound together for eternity. I pray this omnipresent Love be felt by everyone, everywhere, who is feeling lost and alone, frightened, or sick. Let us remember that loving energy is palpable, and when we send it, it is felt. 

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

― Anne Lamott

A New Earth

 

Photo credit: Richard Quick

It seems everyone is tired. In my opinion, this is because there seem to be so many problems without solutions. We can’t seem to do anything about mass shootings, although the solution seems relatively absolute to many of us. Self-serving politicians appear to be an unsolvable problem, but that also has an obvious fix. One of my earliest experiences with A Course in Miracles was Wayne Dyer’s book, There’s A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem. People have always told me that this way of thinking is too difficult, and they can’t even try to change their beliefs. I often tell people that is, indeed, simple, but it is not easy. It’s not easy because it is a constant, conscious monitoring and translating of learned behaviors. In the past few years, we have all been tested. When we are bombarded daily by ugliness from leaders and media reporting, it can be tempting to throw up our metaphysical hands and surrender to the sorrow. But let’s not do that, okay? 

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9

“From new perception of the world there comes a future very different from the past. The future now is recognized as but extension of the present. Past mistakes can cast no shadows on it, so that fear has lost its idols and its images, and being formless, it has no effects. Death will not claim the future now, for life is now its goal, and all the needed means are happily provided. Who can grieve or suffer when the present has been freed, extending its security and peace into a quiet future filled with joy?” 

A Course in Miracles - W-314.1:1

Taking the Day Off

 

Today

Today I’m flying low and I’m

not saying a word

I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.

The world goes on as it must,

the bees in the garden rumbling a little,

the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.

And so forth.

But I’m taking the day off.

Quiet as a feather.

I hardly move though really I’m traveling

a terrific distance.

Stillness. One of the doors

into the temple.

~ Mary Oliver

Put Down the Sword …

Photo credit: Richard Quick

When I was in elementary school, there wasn’t a lot to be afraid of. We had duck and cover drills, to teach us what to do in case of a nuclear bomb incident, but none of us knew anyone who had been subjected to such a horror. Nowadays, our school children have the option of bullet-proof backpacks. The theory is that they can hide behind them in case of a shooter in their school room. This would probably do as much good as getting under a desk during a nuclear bomb drop, but I doubt that it gives them as much comfort as we received from the cartoon turtle explaining how he will duck inside his shell in case Russia drops the big one on us. The fears our school children face today are unbelievable in their reality. Regularly, daily, there is an event in a grocery store, a school, or another public place where we should be safe. Only in war-torn countries do people face the horror we are now facing in these United States. Is it possible for us to come together to save our children? Self-righteous, strong opinions have no place in compassionate compromise. I pray that we find ways to lay down our swords and face each other with open minds and hearts. Namaste …

“As you integrate you become one, and your needs become one accordingly. Unified needs lead to unified action, because this produces a lack of conflict.” A Course in Miracles -  T-1.VI.2:4-5

"Knowing the Science of creation, in which all is Mind and its ideas, Jesus rebuked the material thought of his fellow-countrymen: 'Ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?' How much more should we seek to apprehend the spiritual ideas of God, than to dwell on the objects of sense!" Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 509:28-3

The Past in Purified Form

Photo credit: Mark McGee

Today a friend called to ask me about some unsettling information she had just heard. It saddened me and I shed a few tears as we discussed the situation. She apologized for bringing sadness to me. I laughingly told her it was all right as numerous things saddened me every day. While thinking about these events, I recalled times when people were telling me their “problems” and then apologized for “putting it on me”. I have always assured folks that I don’t take on their stuff and not to worry about it. And this is still true. I’m happy to be a sounding board for things which are worrying my friends. Sometimes that’s all we need, don’t you think? 

“Guilt is inescapable by those who believe they order their own thoughts, and must therefore obey their dictates. This makes them feel responsible for their errors without recognizing that, by accepting this responsibility, they are reacting irresponsibly. If the sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself, and I assure you that it is, then the responsibility for what is atoned for cannot be yours. The dilemma cannot be resolved except by accepting the solution of undoing. You would be responsible for the effects of all your wrong thinking if it could not be undone. The purpose of the Atonement is to save the past in purified form only. If you accept the remedy for disordered thought, a remedy whose efficacy is beyond doubt, how can its symptoms remain?” A Course in Miracles - T-5.V.7:6-12

Laughing With Friends

I have been thinking about friendship today. In doing so, I’ve searched on my blog for references. This happy remembrance is my favorite. And so I share it with you …

The best decompression activity I know of is laughing with good friends. Every month or so, three dear women and I have an afternoon of playing spades and enjoying each others' company. We always feel renewed and happy after these days, and look forward to finding time to do it again as soon as possible. Many people, for many reasons, have not been able to cultivate lasting friendships, and I want to assure them that it's never too late! Reach out to folks who you have a good feeling about, whether you know them or not. Companionship, stimulating conversation, a common cause such as animal welfare  -- there are many foundations on which to enjoy communion with others. Don't be afraid to reach out!

"You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest, along with you.​ ​You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well; your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you.​" A Course in Miracles​ W-pI.109.8.

Strength Wrapped in Peace

 

Art: Arseniy Lapin

“Gentleness is not weakness. Just the opposite. Preserving a gentle spirit in a heartless world takes extraordinary courage, determination, and resilience. Do not underestimate the power of gentleness because gentleness is strength wrapped in peace, and therein lies the power to change the world.” 

L.R. Knost

“How can you wake children in a more kindly way than by a gentle Voice that will not frighten them, but will merely remind them that the night is over and the light has come? You do not inform them that the nightmares that frightened them so badly are not real, because children believe in magic. You merely reassure them that they are safe now. Then you train them to recognize the difference between sleeping and waking, so they will understand they need not be afraid of dreams. And so when bad dreams come, they will themselves call on the light to dispel them.” A Course in Miracles T-6.V.2:1-5

"Certain moods of mind find an indefinable pleasure in stillness, soft, silent as the storm's sudden hush; for nature's stillness is voiced with a hum of harmony, the gentle murmur of early morn, the evening's closing vespers, and lyre of bird and brooklet." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Christian Science versus Pantheism Page 3:8-13

[Art: Arseniy Lapin]

What We Share in Common

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

My parents considered themselves to be free of prejudice. After all, my dad had married a Chicano girl from South Texas, and in 1931 this was tantamount to marrying outside of "your race", which wasn't often done. I'll always remember a day when I was around 10 years old and we were riding in the car. My mom and dad were talking about Sammy Davis, Jr., a black man, marrying May Britt, a very white woman. I piped up and said, "I wouldn't mind marrying a black man". Dead silence ensued. Not another word was said until we got to our destination and my mom took me aside and told me never to say anything like that again. I didn't understand it then, and I don't understand it now. The difference is that now I have the option of making a decision to stand with Oneness as my only choice. We are all the children of God. There is no decision to be made if we leave aside the strange human interpretations we have placed on everything in this world. So I will continue to strive to recognize what we have created in this illusive world, look through it to the other side, and live that as my reality. Namaste

“We share one life because we have one Source, a Source from which perfection comes to us, remaining always in the holy minds which He created perfect. As we were, so are we now and will forever be. A sleeping mind must waken, as it sees its own perfection mirroring the Lord of life so perfectly it fades into what is reflected there. And now it is no more a mere reflection. It becomes the thing reflected, and the light which makes reflection possible. No vision now is needed. For the wakened mind is one that knows its Source, its Self, its Holiness.” A Course in Miracles - W-167.12:1-7

“The point for each one to decide is, whether it is mortal mind or immortal Mind that is causative. We should forsake the basis of matter for metaphysical Science and its divine Principle.” Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health 195:11-14

Holding the Space of Peace and Love

Photo credit: Richard Quick

In these writings, the function of holding the peace, or holding the space of love, or something along those lines, is often mentioned. Sometimes readers ask what that means and why I think it's necessary to do anything of the sort. I've been asking myself this question while people dear to me are having some tough decisions to make and are facing uncertainty in the midst of change. I have the deep feeling that it is my purpose to stake out a neutral space and hold it as an oasis of peace. Sometimes that space is invaded by fear or anger, but that doesn't mean it has been spoiled. The recognition that reflecting Love is our native state, and that other emotions are human diversions, is the way I reclaim this neutral, loving attitude, and hold it steady for any who wish to join in the peace. While I agree with those who tell me there is a spiritual solution to every problem, I am learning there never was a problem to begin with, and that this basic understanding is the solution. 

"You have no idea of the tremendous release and deep peace that comes from meeting yourself and your brothers totally without judgment. When you recognize what you are and what your brothers are, you will realize that judging them in any way is without meaning. In fact, their meaning is lost to you precisely because you are judging them. All uncertainty comes from the belief that you are under the coercion of judgment. You do not need judgment to organize your life, and you certainly do not need it to organize yourself. In the presence of knowledge all judgment is automatically suspended, and this is the process that enables recognition to replace perception." A Course in Miracles T.3.VI.3

Growth

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we [often] blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade, using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change ~Thich Nhat Hanh

“Accept with gladness what you do not understand, and let it be explained to you as you perceive its purpose work in it to make it holy. You will find many opportunities to blame your brother for the ‘failure’ of your relationship, for it will seem at times to have no purpose. A sense of aimlessness will come to haunt you, and to remind you of all the ways you once sought for satisfaction and thought you found it. Forget not now the misery you really found, and do not breathe life into your failing ego. For your relationship has not been disrupted. It has been saved.” A Course in Miracles - T-17.V.8

“Teach them that their being is sustained by Spirit, not by matter, and that they find health, peace, and harmony in God, divine Love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 416:32-2

Simple Joys

 

Today I visited with a sweet nonagenarian who is living in a full-care facility. She has taken a few falls and is very confused, along with having some hearing problems. She and I first met when I was organist for the Methodist congregation here in Eureka Springs. When the pandemic was upon us, she and her daughter (whom she lived with at the time) stayed in strict isolation, and they lived out in the woods. I began writing notes to her on a regular basis, sent by snail mail, and she responded with delight. On my visit with her today, she told me fantastical tales of her youth, and her life when living in California. I don’t know what was true and what was fantasy, and the great thing is it doesn’t matter! She enjoyed telling me and I enjoyed hearing her do it! She asked me numerous questions, such as: What was the best day of your life? Do you have enough money? How is your nutrition? (Direct quotes here) I took her a cookie from one of our local cookie makers. I have never seen anyone so happy over a cookie!! It takes very little to bring joy into another’s life, and it brought me joy to watch her. She caused me to think of things I had not considered. And I am grateful …

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. 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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 249:3-7

⁶Even at the level of the most casual encounter, it is possible for two people to lose sight of separate interests, if only for a moment. ⁷That moment will be enough. ⁸Salvation has come.” A Course in Miracles - M-3.2:6-8

Making Sense of Things

“Discovery and Revelation: Religion, Science, and Making Sense of Things” is a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. In this relatively small space, they examine the intersections of religion and science in American culture. Three prompting questions frame the exhibit: “What does it mean to be human? What do we owe each other? What is our place in the universe?” You will find the Apollo 8 flight manual and Charles Darwin’s 1860 book, “On the Origin of Species”. It is meant to spur on some thinking! Reading about it certainly got me to thinking. I did not know there was something called Thomas Jefferson’s Bible, one in which he had excised all references to Jesus’ healings and metaphysical teachings. There is a portrait of Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cells were used after her death, without her or her family’s permission. Corporations have made billions of dollars from these cells, with nothing benefiting her family. In the portrait she is holding a Bible and the question is asked: What do we owe each other? The purpose of this exhibit and its fascinating items and facts is not to answer any questions, but to cause us to ask some of ourselves and our beliefs. In the center of the exhibit there are eight figures with the question,” Can religion be scientific?” Of course, the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, is one of those eight. I look forward to finding more information on this!

“Jesus established what he said by demonstration, thus making his acts of higher importance than his words. He proved what he taught. This is the Science of Christianity. Jesus proved the Principle, which heals the sick and casts our error, to be divine.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 473:26-31

Lions and Lambs and Humans — oh my!

 

Unknown photo source

In this lifetime, I’ve learned quite a bit from and about animals. When I was young, the general attitude was that only humans had “souls”. Perhaps this was started to justify our treatment of them. I’m not sure. Maybe it was simply an innocent mistake. It was also taught in subtle and obvious ways that cats and dogs didn’t get along; that they were natural enemies, if you will. I think we’ve all seen animal friendships which transcend these antiquated ideas! One of the most powerful moments I’ve witnessed was my house cat touching noses with a deer. They communed for a few minutes, while I watched in wonder. The things we believed about animals have changed, and it’s comforting to know we humans can see each other in a new light also. We need only accept each other for what we truly are, reflections of divine Love, to bypass the immaterial illusion of angry, divisive people who cannot get along because of opposing thought systems. Loving one another as God loves us shouldn’t be difficult. Let’s get out of our own way and allow that Love to shine from each of us, without setting parameters of who or what will receive it. Namaste …

“Seek not within the world to find your Self. Love is not found in darkness and in death. Yet it is perfectly apparent to the eyes that see and ears that hear love’s Voice. Today we practice making free your mind of all the laws you think you must obey; of all the limits under which you live, and all the changes that you think are part of human destiny. Today we take the largest single step this course requests in your advance towards its established goal.”  A Course in Miracles — W-127.6:1-5

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

Living Peace

St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church

Eureka Springs, AR 

Photo credit: Richard Quick

I play the organ for three congregations in our community. When I first began playing for the Catholics seven years ago, I had never been to any service other than Christian Science gatherings. I had no idea people thought Jesus was God. There were many creeds and rituals which I found fascinating, and I learned to translate them into expressions of love and peace. All the congregations I have played for have at their core the desire to help others, and to bring an end to suffering. Today, Father Joseph’s message was to love everyone, whether you agree with them or not. He stressed that God was Love and loved everyone no matter what their race, religion, political party, gender, or other tribal separation. He said it in such a heartfelt understanding of its truth that I’m still riding high on his words. I was feeling the love as I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from afternoon mass. A man and his wife were there with their four children and they caught my attention when the man shouted to his son to get his f***ing hands off things unless he had money to buy it. As we passed in the aisle, I pointedly made eye contact with the man, and hopefully I was smiling. His eyes were devoid of any emotion. How I wish he had heard and taken to heart the beautiful message I had just experienced at mass. I pray that we may be kind whenever possible, and know that it is always possible. Namaste …

“The world I see is hardly the representation of loving thoughts. It is a picture of attack on everything by everything. It is anything but a reflection of the Love of God and the Love of His Son. It is my own attack thoughts that give rise to this picture. My loving thoughts will save me from this perception of the world, and give me the peace God intended me to have.” A Course in Miracles -W-55.2:2-6

“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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:24-27

When I Am Among the Trees - Mary Oliver

 

Ota Janeček - Aged Trees, 1981

WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES 

By Mary Oliver

“When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, ‘Stay awhile.’

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, ‘It’s simple,’ they say,

‘and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.’”

Mary Oliver