Society is a Foolish Juror

 

New Friends

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

"Society is a foolish juror, listening only to one side of the case. Justice often comes too late to secure a verdict. People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony. To reconstruct timid justice and place the fact above the falsehood, is the work of time. " Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 238:25-28

“Yet you must learn to doubt their evidence will clear the way to recognize yourself, and let the Voice for God alone be Judge of what is worthy of your own belief. He will not tell you that your brother should be judged by what your eyes behold in him, nor what his body’s mouth says to your ears, nor what your fingers’ touch reports of him. He passes by such idle witnesses, which merely bear false witness to God’s Son. He recognizes only what God loves, and in the holy light of what He sees do all the ego’s dreams of what you are vanish before the splendor He beholds.” A Course in Miracles  W-151.7:1-4

Reactions Against Oneness

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

During a conversation with a friend about political separation, she said that it was all a "reaction against Oneness". I love that statement! I'd much rather think of my desire to argue with people about their beliefs as a "reaction against Oneness", wouldn't you? That makes it much easier to hold a conversation which is not adversarial, even if I'm tempted to tell someone they're wrong. I thank you, dear Friend, for helping me to see every situation as either one of unity or one of separation. My son and his baby son will be visiting me soon. He also will be spending time with his dad who lives in a neighboring town. That side of his family are full of conservative views on life, and I’m about as liberal as they come. There is an event planned where we will all be together and I had not been looking forward to it — until I remembered the words of a fellow ACIM student: it’s just a reaction against Oneness. I promise myself to steadfastly look for the ideas which prove our unity. We all love our families and friends. We want to be comfortable in our homes and are grateful for the abundance which surrounds us. We love my son and his new baby more than we want to voice differences of opinion. I am especially grateful today for the words of my dear friend, Anne, which remind me to recognize unity rather than separation. Namaste…

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

A Course in Miracles W-pl.169.5

“Atonement is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man’s oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. His mission was both individual and collective. He did life’s work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 18:1-9

Light Where Darkness Was Before

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

I read a letter Sigmund Freud wrote to Albert Einstein, who had written him asking if there was a way to free humankind from the threat of war. Mr. Freud has quite a bit to say on this subject. One phrase which brought pause was, “…the lust for aggression and destruction”. I had never thought of it that way, and it caused me to stop and think. Part of his conclusion is as follows: “The upshot of these observations, as bearing on the subject in hand, is that there is no likelihood of our being able to suppress humanity's aggressive tendencies. In some happy corners of the earth, they say, where nature brings forth abundantly whatever man desires, there flourish races whose lives go gently by, unknowing of aggression or constraint. This I can hardly credit; I would like further details about these happy folk.” In our world, we see famine and harsh conditions in many places. I question whether this is the way creation is supposed to evolve. I’m pretty sure when we follow the laws of nature, life as we know it would become Life as we wish it were! As light bearers, we lead the way with every thought and action. Nothing is more powerful than the divine Love which moves through us into the world.

"Heaven: Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality, bliss, the atmosphere of Soul." 

Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health, Page 587

“Behold your role within the universe! To every part of true creation has the Lord of Love and life entrusted all salvation from the misery of hell. And to each one has He allowed the grace to be a savior to the holy ones especially entrusted to his care. And this he learns when first he looks upon one brother as he looks upon himself, and sees the mirror of himself in him. Thus is the concept of himself laid by, for nothing stands between his sight and what he looks upon, to judge what he beholds. And in this single vision does he see the face of Christ, and understands he looks on everyone as he beholds this one. For there is light where darkness was before, and now the veil is lifted from his sight.” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.VII.8:1-7

A Problem Set in Conflict Has No Answer

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

In a world where we are being fed lies, it’s extremely difficult to figure out what is truth. Media spreads deception and distrust, dividing people in ways which seem irreparable. Bias doesn’t frighten me, but intentional lies do. Many of us remember the early days of television, a time when advertising really revved up and consumerism became flagrant. It has reached an apex now at which almost everything we hear and see is designed to sell us something. We must continue to be vigilant in what we allow into our thought, not only for our own good, but for the collective. Repeating stories which create divisions through feelings of superiority or inferiority, that’s playing the game which has been created for us. It’s important to use our education, our intuition, our spiritual knowledge, every bit of common sense we still have, to discern truth. A Christian Science treatment is often referred to as “knowing the Truth”. It is in reference to knowing the Truth of our being, not the beliefs we’ve come to think of as facts. We don’t need to be the victim of propaganda or other forms of hypnosis. “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach me”. This statement from Mary Baker Eddy is all we need to keep in mind. When we are filled with Love, there is no room for anything else. 

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

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128

“In quietness are all things answered, and is every problem quietly resolved. In conflict there can be no answer and no resolution, for its purpose is to make no resolution possible, and to ensure no answer will be plain. A problem set in conflict has no answer, for it is seen in different ways. And what would be an answer from one point of view is not an answer in another light. You are in conflict. Thus it must be clear you cannot answer anything at all, for conflict has no limited effects. Yet if God gave an answer there must be a way in which your problems are resolved, for what He wills already has been done.” 

A Course in Miracles T-27.IV.1:1-7

To Laugh Often and Much

To Laugh Often and Much - a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of the intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others; 

to leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch,

or a redeemed social condition;

to know that one life has breathed easier 

because you lived here.

This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Prepare you now for the undoing of what never was. If you already understood the difference between truth and illusion, the Atonement would have no meaning. The holy instant, the holy relationship, the Holy Spirit’s teaching, and all the means by which salvation is accomplished, would have no purpose. For they are all but aspects of the plan to change your dreams of fear to happy dreams, from which you waken easily to knowledge. Put yourself not in charge of this, for you cannot distinguish between advance and retreat. Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success.” 

A Course in Miracles T-18.V.1:1-6

“To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page239:16-22

Life Affirming Books

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

“She realized that you could be as honest as possible in life, but people only see the truth if it is close enough to their reality. As Thoreau wrote, ‘It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.’” This is a quote from the novel, The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. This book explores the possibilities of what might be, had we chosen a different path in our lives. Not just major decisions, but small ones. There are billions of possibilities in these lateral lives which could be occurring right now, along with the reality we think we are experiencing. Fascinating stuff!! I know most of us have wondered what our lives would have been if we’d accepted that job in New York, or taken a plunge into whatever it was that scared us, or any number of decisions which could have taken us in another direction. The revelations of quantum physics have opened our minds to possibilities we may not be willing to accept. And that’s okay! We humans have spent our entire existence dumbing down the world because we can’t accept what we don’t understand. Our minds don’t see what they can’t handle. And that’s okay, too, because we don’t have to understand this life, we only must live it. I love life-affirming books such as this one! Let me know what you’re reading which has rocked your world!

“Metaphysics is above physics, and matter does not enter into metaphysical premises or conclusions. The categories of metaphysics rest on one basis, the divine Mind. Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 269:11

“You are free to establish your kingdom where you see fit, but the right choice is inevitable if you remember this:

Spirit is in a state of grace forever.

Your reality is only spirit.

Therefore you are in a state of grace forever.” A Course in Miracles T-1.III.5:3-6

Here and Now

 

Fabric Creation from Sandy Wythawai Starbird

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

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

A Course in Miracles M-24.1 

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

Up Close and Personal

Stock photo of dandelion

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Although she writes novels, she takes pertinent subjects, thoroughly researches them, and writes fiction in a way which mirrors fact in a personalized way. She is not afraid of tough subjects. I have read numerous books of hers including ones centered around autism, marital abuse, racism, and most recently abortion. Most of us know there are more than two sides to any story, and this author helps us see around the edges and into the nooks and crannies of a person’s experiences. There are no easy answers to questions of morality, but it is always possible to meet situations with loving care. As living beings, we are in this together. As spiritual beings, we are connected by something far deeper than our words and the tribes we choose. For her book, Small Great Things, she spent more than ten years delving into racism. The story starts when a black nurse is involved in the birth of a baby to a white supremacist couple. Picoult’s expert writing causes me to examine my own hidden prejudices as I am drawn into a world which is foreign to me. I am grateful for the insights into places I’ve never been. Thank you to everyone who is not afraid to speak truth, and to those who have a mind open to understanding.

“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 570:14-16

“As specialness cares not who pays the cost of sin, so it be paid, the Holy Spirit heeds not who looks on innocence at last, provided it is seen and recognized. For just _one_ witness is enough, if he sees truly. Simple justice asks no more. Of each one does the Holy Spirit ask if he will be that one, so justice may return to love and there be satisfied. Each special function He allots is but for this; that each one learn that love and justice are not separate. And both are strengthened by their union with each other. Without love is justice prejudiced and weak. And love without justice is impossible. For love is fair, and cannot chasten without cause. What cause can be to warrant an attack upon the innocent? In justice, then, does love correct mistakes, but not in vengeance. For that would be unjust to innocence.” A Course in Miracles T-25.VIII.11:1-12

Noticing Our Judgments

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

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

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

“The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 326:16-21

The Brain’s Illusions

 

“Choose Your Bliss”

Created by John Rankine for the upcoming show:

“Finding Solace in This @#$%&! Up World”

“The brain creates false memories based on assumptions.” Whoa! This is a conclusion reached in a psychological study which I read about today. I know people can be involved in the same event and have entirely different memories of what happened. As a court reporter for three decades, I saw how wildly varied were memories of car accidents and other things. So it’s not surprising to me that we see things through different lens and interpret causes from all angles. But this study which shocked me was about showing a person a photograph of themselves, in which they were photoshopped into a particular situation. After being asked a few questions, then the person’s brain created a scenario in which they were convinced they were some place they were not! A quick internet search on how to convince people of things was horridly enlightening. Although it’s never been my goal to change people’s minds, apparently there are many who study these tactics and use them quite effectively. In order to counter these nefarious folks, let’s continue to hone our critical thinking skills, teach ourselves to listen deeply, and do our best to stay away from strong opinions. They do, after all, close our minds to others ways of thinking. Namaste, my dear friends …

“Fantasy is a distorted form of vision. Fantasies of any kind are distortions, because they always involve twisting perception into unreality. Actions that stem from distortions are literally the reactions of those who know not what they do. Fantasy is an attempt to control reality according to false needs. Twist reality in any way and you are perceiving destructively. Fantasies are a means of making false associations and attempting to obtain pleasure from them. But although you can perceive false associations, you can never make them real except to yourself. You believe in what you make.” 

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

“How are veritable ideas to be distinguished from illusions? By learning the origin of each. Ideas are emanations from the divine Mind. Thoughts, proceeding from the brain or from matter, are offshoots of mortal mind; they are mortal material beliefs. Ideas are spiritual, harmonious, and eternal. Beliefs proceed from the so-called material senses, which at one time are supposed to be substance-matter and at another are called spirits.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 88:9-17

Just Breathe

 

What a difference a day makes! I've been encouraging a dear friend who has been going through tough times, feeling suicidal, hopeless, deeply sad. Something shifted in her attitude yesterday, and today she's almost happy again! I encourage everyone who is feeling depressed, or desperate, to know there is an end to it. Plant some flowers, even if you have no energy. Take a walk, even if you want to stay in bed. Get some sunshine, even if you'd rather stay in a deeply-curtained room. Talk to friends, when you're rather be alone. Watch a funny movie, even if you want to cry. But don't be afraid to cry, and savor every moment of the grief. It, too, is life. Feel everything to its ultimate end. Be grateful for all these things, and remember to breathe.

"Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love." Mary Baker Eddy 

“The opposite of joy is depression. When your learning promotes depression instead of joy, you cannot be listening to God’s joyous Teacher and learning His lessons. To see a body as anything except a means of communication is to limit your mind and to hurt yourself. Health is therefore nothing more than united purpose. If the body is brought under the purpose of the mind, it becomes whole because the mind’s purpose is one. Attack can only be an assumed purpose of the body, because apart from the mind the body has no purpose at all.” A Course in Miracles T-8.VII.13:1-6

Seeking Successive Autumns

 

Félix Vallotton 

The Bridge Over Béal (Le Pont sur le Béal), 1922.

“Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

George Eliot - Letter to Miss Lewis, 1841.

Give A Good Day

A dear friend gave some fine advice: Instead of worrying about having a good day, put your attention on GIVING a good day. What a wonderful perspective this gives to life! It also reminded me of something which happened when my gallery was open. People would ask how my day had been and I’d say, Great! Almost always they were referring to whether I’d made a lot of sales, which never factored into my answer. One day, a lady brought a stained glass ornament up and showed me that it was broken. I thanked her and she said, I’m so sorry to ruin your day. Of course, I laughed. If the requirement for having a good day was to make money, or if a broken item could ruin my day — well, most days would have been so-so at best! Thank you, dear heart-centered friend, for the reminder to “give a good day”! It’s a wonderful saying, which I will now use: Are you giving a great day today?

“Protect all things you value by the act of giving them away, and you are sure that you will never lose them. What you thought you did not have is thereby proven yours. Yet value not its form. For this will change and grow unrecognizable in time, however much you try to keep it safe. No form endures. It is the thought behind the form of things that lives unchangeable.” A Course in Miracles  W-187.4:1-6

“Mind-science teaches that mortals need ‘not be weary in well doing.’ It dissipates fatigue in doing good. Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 79:29-32

Kindness Matters

 

Why are we so afraid of each other? Could it be all the crime television shows, or maybe we have been physically attacked in the past? We all have our reasons for turning away from our fellow humans. We probably say it’s wise to be cautious. I know that’s what everyone feels on a much-viewed county social media page. Someone who delivers for “door dash” related a tale of woe in which she delivered food to a man and he “grabbed her” and said “I’m glad it’s you”. As I looked through the responses telling her to carry a gun, or never go there again, or call the police, I saw where she said she HAD called the police because he had fallen off his porch and she wanted to make sure he was okay. In trying to imagine this scenario, I saw something quite different from the defensive responders interpretations. I visualized an old man who was unable to leave his home and had ordered food, as he had done many times in the past. When he saw it was someone who had delivered to him before, he reached out and said he was glad to see her again. Or maybe he was reaching toward her because he was about to fall over — which he did! I don’t know the details, but I do know our perceptions can be askew. Perhaps we’ve bypassed our intuitions which tell us about others’ true intentions. When you get a bad vibe from someone, listen. If you’re afraid of everything, question yourself as to why that is. Kindness matters. It may be the only way to heal humanity…

“Dream softly of your sinless brother, who unites with you in holy innocence. And from this dream the Lord of Heaven will Himself awaken His beloved Son. Dream of your brother’s kindnesses instead of dwelling in your dreams on his mistakes. Select his thoughtfulness to dream about instead of counting up the hurts he gave. Forgive him his illusions, and give thanks to him for all the helpfulness he gave. And do not brush aside his many gifts because he is not perfect in your dreams. He represents his Father, Whom you see as offering both life and death to you.” A Course in Miracles 

“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 95:4-11

Sowing Joy

 

The Dalai Lama has profound and beautiful messages for us. He speaks of peace and love, reminding us of our true identity in an unassuming and pure manner. His gleeful words never leave me where they found me, and for this I am most grateful. I remember a DVD of his entitled “Compassion in Emptiness”.  He talks about the importance of relationships based on honesty and trust. The joyfulness born of these interactions is essential to our liberation from fearful illusions. The trust and honesty he speaks of isn't limited to those who have "earned" it. It isn't limited in any way. As we go through our daily activities, let's remember to treat everyone with the loving respect and courtesy with which we would afford a dearly beloved parent or child. May kindness and joy spread to every person you come into contact with today, and everyday. And if you happen to forget what that feels like, look up a video of the Dalai Lama and let him remind you!

“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

“How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God creates is eternal.” A Course in Miracles T-5.IV.8:1-6

An Informed Citizenry

 

Extra, extra, read all about it! Spread the good news! These sayings bring certain things to mind; things we may not think of nowadays when we pick up our phones and see the Apple News headlines. I used to get morning news from the radio. When my boys were small, I'd listen to the radio while we ate breakfast, but then I realized how horridly sensational most of it was, so I stopped listening. The Today Show was my mother's favorite, but most television news has gone the way of gossip magazines and such. More and more, we depend upon each other for news. I know I can trust certain sources, and I count on them to inform me. In the past few years, I've realized how important it is for each of us to educate ourselves and, also, to pass it on. So let's read, listen, learn, and then write! Write letters to the editor, or post your take on things to social media -- heck, pass out leaflets if you must!  From my favorite news magazine: "Good government flourishes in the sunshine, and our nation's founders knew that. 'A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry.' Thomas Jefferson" 

“As we give thanks, the world unites with us and happily accepts our holy thoughts, which Heaven has corrected and made pure. Now has our ministry begun at last, to carry round the world the joyous news that truth has no illusions, and the peace of God, through us, belongs to everyone.” A Course in Miracles W-151.17:2-3

“Pantheism may be defined as a belief in the intelligence of matter, — a belief which Science overthrows. In those days there will be ‘great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world;’ and earth will echo the cry, ‘Art thou [Truth] come hither to torment us before the time?’ Animal magnetism, hypnotism, spiritualism, theosophy, agnosticism, pantheism, and infidelity are antagonistic to true being and fatal to its demonstration; and so are some other systems.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 127:11-20

Helping Others, Helping Yourself

Photo credit: Arthur Bruno

I know someone who is being asked to move from her current apartment. She has been quite upset over this major life change and every day I hear a different problem and the improbability of its resolution. She is stuck in a helpless, hopeless mode and it’s become quite the drama for her. Today’s worry was how much work it would be to move and she didn’t know if she could face it. Now, this woman is extremely involved in helping at her church and projects with other friends and acquaintances. She has the energy and drive which marks a true go-getter. It suddenly came to me that she should treat herself as well as she does everyone else. If she was helping someone else move, she’d have the joy and energy which could transform a chore into a happening! I made her promise to imagine a friend in need, and see herself helping. When she crosses my mind, I’ll see her as happily expectant!

“A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously.” A Course in Miracles

“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. Having no other gods turning to no other but the one perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that Mind which was also in Christ.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health page 467: 6-8

The Power of Quiet

 

Art by Ruth Evans

Written by Malidoma Patrice Some

“The power of quiet is great. It generates the same feelings in everything one encounters. It vibrates with the cosmic rhythm of oneness. 

It is everywhere, available to anyone at any time. It is us, the force within that makes us stable, trusting, and loving. It is contemplation contemplating. 

Peace is letting go – returning to the silence that cannot enter the realm of words because it is too pure to be contained in words.

This is why the tree, the stone, the river, and the mountain are quiet.” 

~ Malidoma Patrice Some

“The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace. Peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife. What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? If you listen to the wrong voice you have lost sight of your soul. You cannot lose it, but you can not know it. It is therefore ‘lost’ to you until you choose right.” A Course in Miracles T-5.II.7:7-14

“In order to pray aright, we must enter into the closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and silence the material senses. In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God’s allness.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 15:14-18

Know Better, Do Better

Over five decades ago my favorite album of all time was released: Abbey Road by the Beatles. It’s amazing to watch a lifetime pass in a heartbeat, and it’s taken my thoughts to the simple ways my parents taught me to live. Even though it wasn’t very exciting to be an only child of older Christian Science parents, I am extremely grateful for the education I received at their hands. For years we bought nothing other than flour and sugar; everything else was raised or grown to be canned or frozen for the winter. I learned how to grow food and how to drive an old Chevy truck with three gears in the column. This lifestyle taught me to love reading, and many hours were spent hiding in the back field with my dog and a book. But I also remember that my parents fell for the “poison is safe” rhetoric pushed on us by the pesticide companies. I have vivid memories of my daddy with one of those hand-pump sprayers full of poison, chasing the flies away from the watermelon at a picnic. They also showed me how to be content, to know a loving God, and to be grateful for everything. This is why I look back at my life with a smile of thanks. I’m certain they would have learned to be better steward

“You may know when first Truth leads by the fewness and faithfulness of its followers. Thus it is that the march of time bears onward freedom's banner. The powers of this world will fight, and will command their sentinels not to let truth pass the guard until it subscribes to their systems, but Science, heeding not the pointed bayonet, marches on." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:8-12

Moving Through the Fire

 

Crescent Hotel Balcony

Photo by Stephen Shogren

I want to write about the Ukrainians and their fear and pain. I want to write about a past president and his cohorts, and what they do in the name of greed and power. I want to write about my acquaintances, who are still defending the dishonesty in our government; also the conservatives who have realized there is no conservation in their chosen political party. I want to write about the pain of those who love goodness and truth. I want to write about those who cry out for full disclosure, no matter who may fall in this facing of facts, knowing this is the only way to reclaim the lofty ideals this country was built upon. I want to write about the slaves who were abused by our early ancestors, and the aftermath of our self-righteous bigotry. But I’d rather write about the new earth this cleansing fire will bring us, the beauty left in the aftermath of this torment, and the love we have not forgotten.

“How willing are you to forgive your brother? How much do you desire peace instead of endless strife and misery and pain? These questions are the same, in different form. Forgiveness is your peace, for herein lies the end of separation and the dream of danger and destruction, sin and death; of madness and of murder, grief and loss. This is the ‘sacrifice’ salvation asks, and gladly offers peace instead of this.” A Course in Miracles T-29.VI.1:1-5

“Earth has no repayment for the persecutions which attend a new step in Christianity; but the spiritual recompense of the persecuted is assured in the elevation of existence above mortal discord and in the gift of divine Love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 97:32-3