Decisions …

 

Photo credit: Gerry Toler

Often when you think you have a decision figured out, when you have all your pros and cons listed and you know which direction you’re going to take, suddenly things change and you once again must make a decision. Usually I don’t worry about choosing because I’ve learned that trusting intuition is the way to go, rather than becoming anxious about what is the right thing to do and wondering if I’m going to make a mistake. Sometimes we come up against a situation where nothing feels right. When this happens, I like to trust being kind rather than right — but what if neither course of action seems kind or right?? Perhaps turning to Chapter 30 in A Course in Miracles text, the part on Rules for Decision, can bring peace. “‘Today I will make no decisions by myself.’ This means that you are choosing not to be the judge of what to do. But it must also mean you will not judge the situations where you will be called upon to make response. For if you judge them, you have set the rules for how you should react to them. And then another answer cannot but produce confusion and uncertainty and fear.” So many paths to take, indeed …

“The science of music governs tones. If mortals caught harmony through material sense, they would lose harmony, if time or accident robbed them of material sense. To be master of chords and discords, the science of music must be understood. Left to the decisions of material sense, music is liable to be misapprehended and lost in confusion. Controlled by belief, instead of understanding, music is, must be, imperfectly expressed. So man, not understanding the Science of being, — thrusting aside his divine Principle as incomprehensible, — is abandoned to conjectures, left in the hands of ignorance, placed at the disposal of illusions, subjected to material sense which is discord. A discontented, discordant mortal is no more a man than discord is music.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 304:22-4

Who Will Win Your Vote?

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Epiphanies sometimes occur gradually. I’ve come to realize my opinions of people are often predicated by happenings from decades ago. Wow! This is a ridiculous thing to do, given that we are all works in progress. We all make mistakes, usually from lack of knowledge, rather than mean-spiritedness. As I advocate living in the NOW without clinging to remnants of the past, it was a shocking realization! With this in mind, let’s all go forward into the next election cycle and vote for candidates because of what they stand for now, today. Let us analyze them in terms of honesty — honesty as we perceive it to be in the present moment. It’s always been a mystery to me that we have political parties, and why people stand by them so fiercely. But that’s irrelevant when you look at the facts of a person’s life, what they stand for, how they live — allowing those indicators to win your vote, not paid advertisements or party affiliations. These realizations came to me because of my stand for a particular city council person in our village. I can’t even remember why I have a derogatory opinion about one of the candidates, and I’m not positive I remember why I like the other one. So it’s time for some serious study and reflection. It will be fun to look at facts with an open mind!

“Think honestly what you have thought that God would not have thought, and what you have not thought that God would have you think. Search sincerely for what you have done and left undone accordingly, and then change your mind to think with God’s. This may seem hard to do, but it is much easier than trying to think against it. Your mind is one with God’s. Denying this and thinking otherwise has held your ego together, but has literally split your mind. As a loving brother I am deeply concerned with your mind, and urge you to follow my example as you look at yourself and at your brother, and see in both the glorious creations of a glorious Father.” A Course in Miracles T-4.IV.2:4-9

‘Students are advised by the author to be charitable and kind, not only towards differing forms of religion and medicine, but to those who hold these differing opinions. Let us be faithful in pointing the way through Christ, as we understand it, but let us also be careful always to ‘judge righteous judgment,’ and never to condemn rashly.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 444:13-19

A Fabulous Life

As a child, I always wanted to live in town. My parents were older, I was an only child, and we lived in the country. I longed for the kind of neighborhood I heard my friends talk about. They had Beatles clubs, rode their bicycles together, had sleepovers — it sounded wonderful! So when I had children, I made sure to have two — and to move to a quiet street in a small town. I still live here and am in love with my neighborhood! After a difficult few hours today dealing with various technological issues, I was ready to relax and have dinner. I decided to return a couple of missed calls first, and had a relaxing talk with a childhood friend. While we were talking, a neighbor brought me a beautiful stir fry she had made. It was as thought she had read my mind and knew I didn’t want to cook and was hungry. The gratitude I feel for good friends and wonderful neighbors is boundless. I encourage everyone to sit on their front porch and visit with their neighbors, or pick up the phone and call an old friend. Life is as rich as we allow it to be, don’t you think? 

"If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 9:11-14

“You respond to what you perceive, and as you perceive so shall you behave. The Golden Rule asks you to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This means that the perception of both must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of one family, as you perceive both so you will do to both. You should look out from the perception of your own holiness to the holiness of others.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.III.6:1-7

To Speculate — Or Not!

 

Photo of unknown origin

We live in a speculative society, don’t you think? Today a neighbor called me and said, Do you know what’s going on with the pig people? (This was in reference to the folks who have a pot-bellied pig here in town, prompting much ado until the city council finally declared them a farm animal and prohibited them.) “No”, I said, “I do not”. Whereupon she launched into a speculation of what may have happened, based on the fact there was yellow tape on the sidewalk in front of their house. And now, as I am listening to the Rachel Maddow show, I am again struck by the endless speculation of our species! Perhaps I simply have an under-active imagination, but I’d rather just wait and find out what has happened when the dust settles. I don’t think I have a point to this writing. If you have any thoughts about this, let me know!

“This is not a course in philosophical speculation, nor is it concerned with precise terminology. It is concerned only with Atonement, or the correction of perception. The means of the Atonement is forgiveness.” 

A Course in Miracles C-in.1:1-3)

“The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent. Mere speculation or superstition appropriates no part of the divine vesture, while inspiration restores every part of the Christly garment of righteousness.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 243:25-29

Lift Your Voice & Love Loud

Art created by J. Clement Wall

JudyClementWall.com

What do you do when you hear someone say something racist, or sexist, or ageist -- something that lays like an ugly splotch in your memory? When I was a child, I distinctly remember other children saying mean things to and about a girl. She didn't seem to have much going for her. To our way of thinking, she wasn't pretty or smart. But I liked her. I was only 8 or 9, and I was afraid to refute the words of a mob of kids who reveled in being mean to her. I never forgave myself for that. But I hope I'm rectifying it now. After that time, I began to speak up in the face of injustice. Of course, I sometimes went overboard and would challenge others, trying to defend things which didn't need my defense. Hopefully, I'm learning when my words are needed, as opposed to keeping my mouth shut and letting someone dig a hole for themselves! Whatever the case, this chalkboard art from J. Clement Wall speaks to how I feel today. "Lift Your Voice & Love Loud"! May I have the wisdom to know what to say and when to say it -- or not!   

“Truth has no consciousness of error. Love has no sense of hatred. Life has no partnership with death. Truth, Life, and Love are a law of annihilation to everything unlike themselves, because they declare nothing except God.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 243:25-29

“Light cannot enter darkness when a mind believes in darkness, and will not let it go. Truth does not struggle against ignorance, and love does not attack fear. What needs no protection does not defend itself. Defense is of your making. God knows it not. The Holy Spirit uses defenses on behalf of truth only because you made them against it. His perception of them, according to His purpose, merely changes them into a call for what you have attacked with them. Defenses, like everything you made, must be gently turned to your own good, translated by the Holy Spirit from means of self-destruction to means of preservation and release. His task is mighty, but the power of God is with Him. Therefore, to Him it is so easy that it was accomplished the instant it was given Him for you. Do not delay in your return to peace by wondering how He can fulfill what God has given Him to do. Leave that to Him Who knows. You are not asked to do mighty tasks yourself. You are merely asked to do the little He suggests you do, trusting Him only to the small extent of believing that, if He asks it, you can do it. You will see how easily all that He asks can be accomplished.” 

A Course in Miracles T-14.VII.5:1-15

Let’s Not Fear Truth

 

How many people need to repeat truth before everyone begins to see it? Supposedly, Mark Twain jokingly said a lie would travel around the world while the truth was still lacing up its boots. I'm not sure that's true today with the internet connecting everyone in its web. I'd bet the truth will travel just as fast if enough people speak/write it!  It seems Aristarchus first noticed the sun was stationary somewhere around 300 B.C., then it took a few centuries before Copernicus revealed this truth, with a mathematical model in the 1500s. Even then, Copernicus was so afraid of religious leaders, who thought everything was centered around them, that he didn't tell anyone until he was on his deathbed. Sound familiar? What about the earth being flat, railroad tracks coming together, mirages, and other such illusions? How long did it take for us to understand what was happening? While most of us know these things, I saw a horrifying statistic recently which said that 1/4 of the people still believe the sun revolves around the earth every 24 hours. Hearing things like this make it even more important for each and every one of us to speak out about things we know to be true. Research is easier than ever and more fun than it was 50 years ago. So pick a fact, study up, and tell everyone you know! 

 "Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist and author, has wisely said, 'Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly, they say they have always believed it.’”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 104:8

“When you lack confidence in what someone will do, you are attesting to your belief that he is not in his right mind. This is hardly a miracle-based frame of reference. It also has the disastrous effect of denying the power of the miracle. The miracle perceives everything as it is. If nothing but the truth exists, right-minded seeing cannot see anything but perfection. ⁶I have said that only what God creates or what you create with the same Will has any real existence. This, then, is all the innocent can see. They do not suffer from distorted perception.”

A Course in Miracles T-3.II.3:1-8

Joy - by Donna Ashworth

Joy in the Rockies - photo credit: Aaron Springston

 

JOY- By Donna Ashworth

“Joy does not arrive with a fanfare, 

on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.

Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,

watching the sun hit your favourite tree, just right.

And you usher joy away,

because you are not ready for it. 

Your house is not as it must be,

for such a distinguished guest.

But joy cares nothing for your messy home, 

or your bank-balance,

or your waistline, you see.

Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,

that’s how joy works.

You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.

And hug her with meaning,

because in this very moment, 

joy chose you.”

By Donna Ashworth 

“To heal is to make happy. I have told you to think how many opportunities you have had to gladden yourself, and how many you have refused. This is the same as telling you that you have refused to heal yourself. The light that belongs to you is the light of joy. Radiance is not associated with sorrow. Joy calls forth an integrated willingness to share it, and promotes the mind’s natural impulse to respond as one. Those who attempt to heal without being wholly joyous themselves call forth different kinds of responses at the same time, and thus deprive others of the joy of responding wholeheartedly.” 

A Course in Miracles T-5.in.1:1-7

Translating, Understanding, Communicating

Communications

Translating words from one language to another can be difficult. I read a column which is dedicated to words, their origins, and usage. They told an amusing anecdote recently about the old adage “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. An online translating program turned this phrase into: “the vodka is good, but the meat is rotten.” Ha!! It often seems as though the people to whom we are speaking hear things in a very different way from what we meant to convey. Perhaps we should say: Now, repeat that back to me. Actually, I’m pretty sure a great many people quit listening as soon as they think they know what you are going to say. Their brains jump into respond mode and they have no true understanding of what you are trying to convey. Translations, listening skills, critical thinking ability, communicating clearly — whew! With all these factors involved in a conversation, perhaps it’s no wonder we mistake others’ intentions. This is yet another reason I love the practice of divine metaphysics. We are learning to live in the present, and that includes listening in the now. Happy communicating to everyone on this beautiful September weekend!

“Laws must be communicated if they are to be helpful. In effect, they must be translated for those who speak different languages. Nevertheless, a good translator, although he must alter the form of what he translates, never changes the meaning. In fact, his whole purpose is to change the form so that the original meaning is retained. The Holy Spirit is the Translator of the laws of God to those who do not understand them. You could not do this yourself because a conflicted mind cannot be faithful to one meaning, and will therefore change the meaning to preserve the form.” A Course in Miracles T-7.II.4:1-6

“The compounded minerals or aggregated substances composing the earth, the relations which constituent masses hold to each other, the magnitudes, distances, and revolutions of the celestial bodies, are of no real importance, when we remember that they all must give place to the spiritual fact by the translation of man and the universe back into Spirit. In proportion as this is done, man and the universe will be found harmonious and eternal.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 209:16-24

Beyond Darkness Into Light

Light Wash - painting by Andrew Wyeth - 1969

I know many people who are social activists. They have worked for years to improve our environment, politics, and the multitude of things in need of advancement. Some have told me they are tired of the fight. I am extremely grateful to each and every one of you who work to clean up rivers, who are passionate about producing uncontaminated food, who stand up to various tyrants and declare, "The emperor has no clothes!" Not a single person has told me that they're tired of the physical effort involved in these projects; it's the butting up against thought stuck in strong opinion, or that which is fueled by hate and fear, which is frustrating to them. This is where our metaphysical advice can be helpful: Don't try to change anyone else's mind, only your own. More and more of us are witnessing the effect of truth when it is brought to seemingly impossible situations, and we're finding that new avenues of action appear when this is done. There is no need to defend ourselves or proclaim our own strong opinions in support of this Truth. Knowing it, within our own selves, is sufficient!

“As when an acid and alkali meet and bring out a third quality, so mental and moral chemistry changes the material base of thought, giving more spirituality to consciousness and causing it to depend less on material evidence.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 422:14-18

“In you is all of Heaven. Every leaf that falls is given life in you. Each bird that ever sang will sing again in you. And every flower that ever bloomed has saved its perfume and its loveliness for you. What aim can supersede the Will of God and of His Son, that Heaven be restored to him for whom it was created as his only home? Nothing before and nothing after it. No other place; no other state nor time. Nothing beyond nor nearer. Nothing else. In any form. This can you bring to all the world, and all the thoughts that entered it and were mistaken for a little while. How better could your own mistakes be brought to truth than by your willingness to bring the light of Heaven with you, as you walk beyond the world of darkness into light?” A Course in Miracles T-25.IV.5:1-12

Disappearing Footprints of the Past

Ozark Morning - photo credit: Catherine Reed

Do you have an incident from childhood which has stayed with you, perhaps even affecting the way you live today? I know someone who, as a young child, caught her mother in a compromising position with a man other than her father. She refuses to marry. I know a man who found his father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. His whole life is a series of dramatic events which he blames on that incident. I'm sure you know many stories, too. The Disappearance of the Universe, a book by Gary Renard, speaks to these events such as these, and more. When we let go of beliefs, we can turn loose our history, too. I love hearing stories of people who live through horrendous-seeming events and remain not only happy but proactive. This thing we call forgiveness isn't some sort of divine pardon, but a yielding within ourselves to purity of thought, without the impediments of holding on to memories of wrongdoing, resentment, and pain of all sorts. This yielding includes the release of things which we think have been done to us and things we think we have done to others. So let's choose again, rest in Love, and go forward with joy!

“Miracles are both beginnings and endings, and so they alter the temporal order. They are always affirmations of rebirth, which seem to go back but really go forward. They undo the past in the present, and thus release the future.” A Course in Miracles T-1.I.13:1-3

“As the crude footprints of the past disappear from the dissolving paths of the present, we shall better understand the Science which governs these changes, and shall plant our feet on firmer ground.”  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 223:4

Ready For Truth

Photo credit: CatherineReed

Are we finally ready for the truth? I've heard it said that we, as a human race, can’t stand to hear the truth if it contradicts long-held beliefs. This is said about everything from extraterrestrial life to religious doctrine, but I think we are ready to hear it! People say that if the truth were known about everything, society would break down. It seems to me this might be a good thing, because our current belief systems don't appear to be functioning too well! Perhaps everyone's dissatisfaction stems from feeling we’re being lied to on many levels. A few centuries ago, a total eclipse of the full moon would cause many fear-based reactions when the orb turned red, disappeared, then reappeared. As the truth has set us free from that irrational fear, so it may in other ways, allowing us to joyfully look up and say “Wow, that’s beautiful!” I think we're ready, don't you?!

“Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page vii:13-15 

“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-127.6:4-5

Calm and Exalted Thought

A friend asked me to listen to and give an opinion on a recording having to do with alien beings controlling our actions on the planet Earth. Although much of what was said could be considered rhetoric of the conspiracy-theory crowd, the main theme was the same principle as I’ve been studying for years; the same ideas which we are hearing from various avenues. The main point had to do with turning away from illusions and seeing reality. While the woman on this recording was telling us that lizard people were controlling our actions, she also advised to not be frightened or give it too much importance, but to focus on Love and see through any supposed power these creatures may have. What a wonderful metaphor! It certainly is no more outlandish than the Adam and Eve story, or any other legend meant to show us the difference between illusions and truth. And so, as I go through this day hearing all the insanity, I know it can only disturb my tranquility if I give it more power in thought than I give the stillness of peace. Namaste …

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

“Perhaps we are now ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. If this is not yet feasible, we are content and even more than satisfied to learn how such a day can be achieved. If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and return to peace. We need but tell our minds, with certainty, ‘The stillness of the peace of God is mine,’ and nothing can intrude upon the peace that God Himself has given to His Son.” A Course in Miracles W-273.1:1-4

Taking Off Human Shackles

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

I received a call from a political pollster which has left me confused about more than a few things. Mainly, I’m wondering when three words in particular began to imply varying degrees of lunacy. Here are the words, with a short definition: Liberal - open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values. Conservative - holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation. Moderate - average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree. These words and their definitions do not convey the extreme meaning which the news media apparently wants us to feel. When I was asked by the pollster which of these three I considered myself to be, I was speechless. But then I threw caution to the wind and answered boldly, remembering what I write about every day: change of thought, seeing a new world where illusions appear to be, living fearlessly as Love!

“Progress takes off human shackles. The finite must yield to the infinite. Advancing to a higher plane of action, thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal.” 

Mary BakerEddy - Science & Health Page 256:1-5

“So would I liberate all things I see, and give to them the freedom that I seek. For thus do I obey the law of love, and give what I would find and make my own. It will be given me, because I have chosen it as the gift I want to give. Father, Your gifts are mine. Each one that I accept gives me a miracle to give. And giving as I would receive, I learn Your healing miracles belong to me.” A Course in Miracles W-349.1:1-6

Old Friends, New friends …

60 years of friendship

Having spent the last two days at a class reunion with childhood friends, I am more grateful than ever before for friendship. Old friends, new friends, and everything in between are about the best thing which can happen to us on this sweet earth. Every friendship is individual, but they all have a commonality: love. The compassionate caring which wells up when we hear of a friends’ hardship, or accomplishments, feels like a primal instinct to me. When I heard stories of friends’ lives, my heart swelled with a deeper understanding of these people I’ve known for six-plus decades. The laughter we shared over memories — sometimes it would simply take one word to send us into belly laughs in remembrance of events — well, it has filled me with joy during these two days. One of the saddest plights of humanity is the loneliness of isolation. Next time you’re going to a meeting — such as a Democratic Party function — invite a shut-in neighbor, or an acquaintance who rarely participates in community events, anyone you think would enjoy meeting new people. Spread the love!

“It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:9-10

“You look still with the body’s eyes, and they can see but thorns. Yet you have asked for and received another sight. Those who accept the Holy Spirit’s purpose as their own share also His vision. And what enables Him to see His purpose shine forth from every altar now is yours as well as His. He sees no strangers; only dearly loved and loving friends. He sees no thorns but only lilies, gleaming in the gentle glow of peace that shines on everything He looks upon and loves.” A Course in Miracles T-20.II.5:1-6

Friendship

Having enjoyed the first day of a two-day, 50-year class reunion, I simply send out this quote on friendship.

“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

I Chose Fear …

Yesterday I began my daily writing with these words: Everything we do, say, and think, plants us firmly in either the world of fear or the realm of Love. Today I fell into a fearful reaction without even giving a thought to the other choice. I was doing laundry in a neighboring town. A man came in to use the restroom, smiled at me and said hello, then left with a cherry greeting. He went to the far end of the building and sat on a wall, where he proceeded to shout out various angry-sounding things. I went out to my car to get something and suddenly felt very fearful. I went back in, listened to him for a while, and called the police, asking them to check on him. They arrived in a few minutes, spoke with him, and then came in to tell me he was harmless, they knew him, and he has Tourette’s Syndrome. I have never, not once in my entire life, called the police about anything, and I am most disappointed in myself for doing it today. Usually in such a situation, I would have spoken to the man and asked if everything was all right. But for some reason, probably the collective consciousness of our shell-shocked nation, I was afraid. This has been a good lesson for me. If a genie gave me three wishes, one would be to have a redo of today’s fearful choice. Namaste to the man to whom I could have extended kindness …

“The first corrective step in undoing the error is to know first that the conflict is an expression of fear. Say to yourself that you must somehow have chosen not to love, or the fear could not have arisen. Then the whole process of correction becomes nothing more than a series of pragmatic steps in the larger process of accepting the Atonement as the remedy. These steps may be summarized in this way:

Know first that this is fear.

Fear arises from lack of love.

The only remedy for lack of love is perfect love.

Perfect love is the Atonement.” A Course in Miracles T-2.VI.7:1-8

“Wise sayings and garrulous talk may fall to the ground, rather than on the ear or heart of the hearer; but a tender sentiment felt, or a kind word spoken, at the right moment, is never wasted.” Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896 Page 127:27

A New Language

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

Everything we do, say, and think, plants us firmly in either the world of fear or the realm of Love. Moment by moment, we choose what we accept as the truth. A number of years ago, through my daily writings, I became friends with a man in the Netherlands. He has studied Christian Science for decades, and at some point added A Course in Miracles. While I have been familiar with the work of Mary Baker Eddy all my life, there are facets of her writings which I am now looking at with new eyes. In the early 1900s, a group of people explored the supposition that Mrs. Eddy had written a new language, a spiritual language, centered around the seven synonyms for God, which are well-known to readers of Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures. By a thorough understanding of these capitalized words, (Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love) we are able to apply them to all experiences, allowing them to be spiritualized in thought and realized in the demonstration of Oneness. By consistently turning thought away from mortal concepts and utilizing spiritual interpretations, we are choosing the world we want to see. A close friend once wrote an essay entitled, "Upper Case Living". I will think of it as I choose the world I see today!

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, ‘The kingdom of God is within you.’ This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 573:29-2

“My brothers in salvation, do not fail to hear my voice and listen to my words. I ask for nothing but your own release. There is no place for hell within a world whose loveliness can yet be so intense and so inclusive it is but a step from there to Heaven. To your tired eyes I bring a vision of a different world, so new and clean and fresh you will forget the pain and sorrow that you saw before. Yet this a vision is which you must share with everyone you see, for otherwise you will behold it not. To give this gift is how to make it yours. And God ordained, in loving kindness, that it be for you.” A Course in Miracles T-31.VIII.8:1-7

Mind Is …

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

A number of my friends and acquaintances have become mentally lost this year. Some had a slow progression, but one particularly good friend has had a rapid fall into dementia. It’s a mystery why these things happen, and there are as many theories as there are people. A book I mentioned a few weeks ago, Super Brain, addresses the loss of brain cells and the ability to regrow them. It also speaks to reasons we slowly lose our mental capabilities due to lack of intellectual exercise. Physical reasons for disease is generally what we look at, but more and more we are realizing how mind affects the body. Various testing situations show that the brain can be physically manipulated, too. I want to know the difference between the brain and the mind. Questions such as: What is consciousness? Where does intuition come from? What is divine Mind and how does it affect what we think of as our mind? These are the questions I love to contemplate. My study of books by Margaret Laird, Max Kappeler, Joel Goldsmith, Mary Baker Eddy, and others, are the reason I find every day to be an exciting adventure. We can never know everything about the inner world we call spirituality, and this brings me great joy!

“The notion that both evil and good are real is a delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates. Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power. As manifested by mankind it stands for a lie, nothing claiming to be something, — for lust, dishonesty, selfishness, envy, hypocrisy, slander, hate, theft, adultery, murder, dementia, insanity, inanity, devil, hell, with all the etceteras that word includes.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 330:25-32

“You also believe the body’s brain can think. If you but understood the nature of thought, you could but laugh at this insane idea. It is as if you thought you held the match that lights the sun and gives it all its warmth; or that you held the world within your hand, securely bound until you let it go. Yet this is no more foolish than to believe the body’s eyes can see; the brain can think.

“It is God’s strength in you that is the light in which you see, as it is His Mind with which you think. ²His strength denies your weakness. It is your weakness that sees through the body’s eyes, peering about in darkness to behold the likeness of itself; the small, the weak, the sickly and the dying, those in need, the helpless and afraid, the sad, the poor, the starving and the joyless. These are seen through eyes that cannot see and cannot bless.” A Course in Miracles W-92.2:1–3:4

Miracles Occur Naturally

Painting by James Yale

I love this quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Through various religious teachings, most of us think of a miracle as divine power setting aside a material law, allowing something otherworldly or supernatural to occur. What if a miracle is simply a correction of our limiting beliefs, opening us to divine Mind and the limitless Life which is our true heritage as a child of Love? By this remembrance, we heal our mind of separation, giving us a clarity of thought and sight before unknown. There is no special dispensation required. All are welcome to partake.

“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.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 135:6-10

“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.” A Course in Miracles T-1.I.3:1-3

Share What Matters To You

Book written by the Fabulous Nikki Hanna

Almost everyone has felt lonely at some time in their life. I know a few people who think if they found a life partner they would be happy and never lonely again. I’ve always been at a loss to explain why this is not necessarily true, but today I ran across this quote by Johann Hari which describes what I want to say about the subject: “Loneliness isn’t the physical absence of other people, it’s the sense that you’re not sharing anything that matters with anyone else. If you have lots of people around you – perhaps even a husband or wife, or a family, or a busy workplace – but you don’t share anything that matters with them, then you’ll still be lonely.” So I could attribute the fact I feel surrounded by love and emotionally fulfilled to many life events, including being an only child, but with this quote in mind, and my propensity to live in the present, I’d like to state its cause to be these daily writings. When something strikes me as important, I write about it and share it with you. Daily events, wonderful books, important documentaries, memorable movies — I tell you about it. And I am grateful … 

“No one can change the law of Christian metaphysics, the law of right thinking, nor in any wise alter its effects. It is a forever fact that the meek and lowly in heart are blessed and comforted by divine Love. If the proud are lonely and uncomforted, it is because they have thoughts adverse to the law of love. Pride, arrogance, and self-will are unmerciful, and so receive judgment without mercy; but the law of metaphysics says, ‘Blessed are the merciful,’ and will allow no one to escape that blessedness, howsoever far he may stray, whatsoever lawlessness of hatred he may practise and suffer from.” Mary Baker Eddy - The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany Page 41:7-15

“The wish to see calls down the grace of God upon your eyes, and brings the gift of light that makes sight possible. Would you behold your brother? God is glad to have you look on him. He does not will your savior be unrecognized by you. Nor does He will that he remain without the function that He gave to him. Let him no more be lonely, for the lonely ones are those who see no function in the world for them to fill; no place where they are needed, and no aim which only they can perfectly fulfill.” A Course in Miracles T-25.VI.3:1-6