An Ode We Owe

‘An Ode We Owe’ - By Amanda Gorman 

“How can I ask you to do good,

When we’ve barely withstood

Our greatest threats yet:

The depths of death, despair and disparity,

Atrocities across cities, towns & countries,

Lives lost, climactic costs.

Exhausted, angered, we are endangered,

Not because of our numbers,

But because of our numbness. We’re strangers

To one another’s perils and pain,

Unaware that the welfare of the public

And the planet share a name–

–Equality

Doesn’t mean being the exact same,

But enacting a vast aim:

The good of the world to its highest capability.

The wise believe that our people without power

Leaves our planet without possibility.

Therefore, though poverty is a poor existence,

Complicity is a poorer excuse.

We must go the distance,

Though this battle is hard and huge,

Though this fight we did not choose,

For preserving the earth isn’t a battle too large

To win, but a blessing too large to lose.

This is the most pressing truth:

That Our people have only one planet to call home

And our planet has only one people to call its own.

We can either divide and be conquered by the few,

Or we can decide to conquer the future,

And say that today a new dawn we wrote,

Say that as long as we have humanity,

We will forever have hope.

Together, we won’t just be the generation

That tries but the generation that triumphs;

Let us see a legacy

Where tomorrow is not driven

By the human condition,

But by our human conviction.

And while hope alone can’t save us now,

With it we can brave the now,

Because our hardest change hinges

On our darkest challenges.

Thus may our crisis be our cry, our crossroad,

The oldest ode we owe each other.

We chime it, for the climate,

For our communities.

We shall respect and protect

Every part of this planet,

Hand it to every heart on this earth,

Until no one’s worth is rendered

By the race, gender, class, or identity

They were born. This morn let it be sworn

That we are one one human kin,

Grounded not just by the griefs

We bear, but by the good we begin.

To anyone out there:

I only ask that you care before it’s too late,

That you live aware and awake,

That you lead with love in hours of hate.

I challenge you to heed this call,

I dare you to shape our fate.

Above all, I dare you to do good

So that the world might be great”

Amanda Gorman

“The understanding of Truth and Love, the Principle which works out the ends of eternal good and destroys both faith in evil and the practice of evil, leads to the discernment of the divine idea.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 561:1-3

“If you would look upon love, which is the world’s reality, how could you do better than to recognize, in every defense against it, the underlying appeal for it? And how could you better learn of its reality than by answering the appeal for it by giving it? The Holy Spirit’s interpretation of fear does dispel it, for the awareness of truth cannot be denied. Thus does the Holy Spirit replace fear with love and translate error into truth. And thus will you learn of Him how to replace your dream of separation with the fact of unity. For the separation is only the denial of union, and correctly interpreted, attests to your eternal knowledge that union is true.” 

A Course in Miracles T-12.I.10:1-6

Through the Illusion to Reality

 

Stereogram - Magic Eye Image

Almost three decades ago, I was at a yard sale when a book title jumped out at me: When You Believe It, You’ll See It. It was written by an author I had never heard of, but whom I now think of as my good friend, Wayne Dyer. I took the book home and when I began reading it I said right out loud, This is Christian Science! Upon researching this author, I found out he was teaching the principles of A Course in Miracles. I can still feel the excitement of finding another teaching which was a fraternal twin of the Mary Baker Eddy writings which had been with me forever. While reading a work of fiction recently, I was reminded of stereograms, or Magic Eye pictures. Remember them? They are seemingly random colors and shapes, which when looked at with a “relaxed” eye, you can see through the mishmash of nothingness to a 3-D picture of something else. And, of course, I thought of Dr. Dyer’s book title and how true it is of many things. In the above stereogram eye-puzzler, once you see the picture, you can often train your eye to look around and see other hidden objects. Ah, seeing through the illusion to the reality!

“You command the situation if you understand that mortal existence is a state of self-deception and not the truth of being. Mortal mind is constantly producing on mortal body the results of false opinions; and it will continue to do so, until mortal error is deprived of its imaginary powers by Truth, which sweeps away the gossamer web of mortal illusion.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 403:12-20

“Forgiveness should be practiced through the day, for there will still be many times when you forget its meaning and attack yourself. When this occurs, allow your mind to see through this illusion as you tell yourself: Let me perceive forgiveness as it is. Would I accuse myself of doing this? ⁵I will not lay this chain upon myself.” 

A Course in Miracles W-134.17:1-5

Isn’t it Madness …

 

Art by Catrin Welz-Stein

Perhaps I’m excited from attending book club and discussing the book When Women Were Dragons. Whatever the case, this writing from Brigit Anna McNeill, jumped out at me this day.

“Isn’t it odd that once upon a time in Europe a woman could be killed for making potions from the plants around her. 

Isn’t it insane that once upon a time wise women were burnt or drowned for helping birth babies, knowing their herbs, gathering in groups of more than two, being outside alone, being strong, being beautiful, being ugly, being different, being sexual, being non sexual or touching a nettle, smelling a rose or drinking wild teas. 

Isn’t it madness that a woman who knew her body, her mind and her heart was cast aside as evil, as a sinner and her life taken away. 

Women! Do not let the ancestral memory of this that is held in your make up, in your bones and blood hold you back. Rise dear sweet sisters, rise so that our daughters and daughters daughters don’t have to wonder when we lost our tongues and denied our hearts.

Grow a new tongue, invite the wolf in, awaken the witch and dance under the moon. 

Embrace your heart, your womb, your gut and your wisdom. 

Roar dear sister, break the silence and take back your power so the young ones won’t have to.”

~  Brigit Anna McNeill 

The Function of Truth …

Do you ever feel as though there’s too much information (and disinformation) floating around in our atmosphere? It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of facts which present themselves to us every moment of every day. We don’t even have to search for them; they find us. I remember when I was growing up and television and radio commercials were just coming into fashion. We were warned about subliminal messages hidden beneath the surface, and the brainwashing effects of repetitious phrases and tunes. The first political candidate’s commercial was for Eisenhower in the 50s, which, to those of us born in that decade, seems like yesterday. The bombardment of political misinformation is too much for many of us to handle, so we choose our favorite commentator and believe their words. I would like to encourage everyone to not give up! Please, find a trusted source for facts and read whenever possible. The above chart will help you know what is neutral and factual. Tell your friends, too!

“To my sense, the most imminent dangers confronting the coming century are: the robbing of people of life and liberty under the warrant of the Scriptures; the claims of politics and of human power, industrial slavery, and insufficient freedom of honest competition; and ritual, creed, and trusts in place of the Golden Rule, ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.’”

Mary Baker Eddy - from the article Insufficient Freedom written in 1900 for the New York World.

“The function of truth is to collect information that is true. Any way you handle error results in nothing. The more complicated the results become the harder it may be to recognize their nothingness, but it is not necessary to examine all possible outcomes to which premises give rise in order to judge them truly.”

A Course in Miracles T-8.VIII.6:7-9

Calm, Exalted Thought

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

“In the Native American tradition, one member of the tribe assumes the role of 'Faithkeeper.' This person's role is to remain at peace, centered in spiritual vision, no matter what events befall the tribe. Even if everyone else in the tribe slips into pain, fear, or dissension, the Faithkeeper is the one person the tribe can rely on as a lifeline to the Presence. This is our role now.” Suzanne Sullivan

We all have the ability to fulfill this role, and every day I see more people stepping into a calm space. I think it has to do with the realization that everything we do is inspired by love or by fear. While we watch the results of fearful reactions, it’s easy to acknowledge that we don’t want to live within that sphere of retribution and revenge which often results. The greedy and self-centered actions of many leaders is being spotlighted and called out. My goal is to seek out those who are acting from Love, looking at the spiritual solutions which translate fear-based policies which have been set in place for decades. We’ve lived with fear for so long that it is now being manifested in every phase of our lives. People are now afraid of turning around by pulling into my driveway on my dead-end street. We read about unprovoked violence and pattern our lives based around these horror stories. Let’s all start telling the happy, joy-filled life stories we see in our daily lives. Rather than conversations centering around illness and violence, let’s talk about the good stuff!!

“Listen in deep silence. Be very still and open your mind. Go past all the raucous shrieks and sick imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure your eternal link with God. Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world. You do not live here. We are trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the place where you are truly welcome. We are trying to reach God.” A Course in Miracles W-49.4:1-8

“Through divine Science, Spirit, God, unites understanding to eternal harmony. 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 506:8-1

Visited and Stayed

 Writing By Tahlia Hunter

“Patience visited me

And it reminded me 

That good things take time to come to fruition

And grow slowly with stability 

Peace visited me 

And it reminded me 

That I may remain calm through the storms of life 

Regardless of the chaos surrounding me 

Hope visited me 

And it reminded me 

That better times lay ahead 

And it would always be there to guide and uplift me

Humility visited me 

And it reminded me 

That I may achieve it 

Not by trying to shrink myself and make myself less

But by focusing on serving the world and uplifting those around me

Kindness visited me

And it reminded me 

To be more gentle, forgiving and compassionate toward myself 

And those surrounding me

Confidence visited me

And it reminded me

To not conceal or suppress my gifts and talents 

In order to make others feel more comfortable 

But to embrace what makes me me 

Focus visited me

And it reminded me

That other people’s insecurities and judgements about me

Are not my problem 

And I should redirect my attention 

From others back to me 

Freedom visited me 

And it reminded me 

That no one has control over my mindset, thoughts and wellbeing 

But me

And love visited me 

And it reminded me 

That I need not search for it in others

As it lies within me.”

By Tahlia Hunter

“I am Spirit. Man, whose senses are spiritual, is my likeness. He reflects the infinite understanding, for I am Infinity. The beauty of holiness, the perfection of being, imperishable glory, — all are Mine, for I am God. I give immortality to man, for I am Truth. I include and impart all bliss, for I am Love. I give life, without beginning and without end, for I am Life. I am supreme and give all, for I am Mind. I am the substance of all, because I am that I am.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 232:31-8

“When I said ‘I am with you always,’ I meant it literally. I am not absent to anyone in any situation. Because I am always with you, you are the way, the truth and the life. You did not make this power, any more than I did. It was created to be shared, and therefore cannot be meaningfully perceived as belonging to anyone at the expense of another. Such a perception makes it meaningless by eliminating or overlooking its real and only meaning.” 

A Course in Miracles  T-7.III.1:7-12

Harmony

 

Peace is a state of mind. We can feel the epitome of peace in the midst of turmoil, or we may be in an outer oasis of stillness but, due to our tumultuous state of mind, be anxious and upset. It helps me to know that we are all, each and every one, the reflection of Spirit. With this realization, I am able to see everything through the eyes of divine Love. This is not to say that I'm always calm. Sometimes I forget I am the idea of God, and that everyone else is, too. At those times, who knows how I may be interpreting events! In a state of forgetfulness, I am at the mercy of material belief, being swayed by thought systems which were put in place long before my appearance in this world. But when I remember the spiritual Truth of creation, things appear differently to me -- and there is peace.

“Through divine Science, Spirit, God, unites understanding to eternal harmony. 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 506:10-14

“Miracles arise from a mind that is ready for them. By being united this mind goes out to everyone, even without the awareness of the miracle worker himself. The impersonal nature of miracles is because the Atonement itself is one, uniting all creations with their Creator. As an expression of what you truly are, the miracle places the mind in a state of grace. The mind then naturally welcomes the Host within and the stranger without. ⁶When you bring in the stranger, he becomes your brother.” 

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

On Friendship

Dinner With Friends

 

Kahlil Gibran - On Friendship

    “Your friend is your needs answered. 
    He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. 
    And he is your board and your fireside.
    For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

    When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the ‘nay’ in your own mind, nor do you withhold the ‘ay.’
    And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart; 
    For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed. 
    When you part from your friend, you grieve not; 
    For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain. 
    And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. 
    For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery us not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

    And let your best be for your friend. 
    If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. 
    For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? 
    Seek him always with hours to live. 
    For it is his to fill your need but not your emptiness. 
    And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. 
    For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”

Kahlil Gibran

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:3-5

“Everyone on earth has formed special relationships, and although this is not so in Heaven, the Holy Spirit knows how to bring a touch of Heaven to them here. In the holy instant no one is special, for your personal needs intrude on no one to make your brothers seem different.³Without the values from the past, you would see them all the same and like yourself. Nor would you see any separation between yourself and them. In the holy instant, you see in each relationship what it will be when you perceive only the present.” 

A Course in Miracles T-15.V.8

Playmates

Yayoi Kusama

While listening to an old Ram Das video I heard him say: “It’s delicious to find a playmate to play with your mind.” Hearing this, I laughed out loud remembering the wonderful mind playmates I’ve had in the last few decades! When moving to Eureka Springs almost 30 years ago, I found a different way of thought from the parents and teachers of the Clear Spring School. It was a glimpse of intelligent free-thinking which was delightfully different to my experience. From there it just got better! Having an art gallery and representing the creative geniuses of our town and the surrounding area was a joyous time of life. I have no words for the beauty of these years, but the feeling will never leave me — nor the friendships. The five years of my association with our local metaphysical society was a whole other level of thought, which led to ideas and friendships which feel  like a wonderful flavor in my mouth. A group of people who met monthly for a free-wheeling salon became my dearest of all friends and I will never forget our exciting and fun-filled conversations. My long-lived bookclub has kept me reading books I probably would not know about on my own, and our discussions have led to deep friendship and admiration for each and every one of these women. What a fortunate woman I am to have so many playmates! And I am grateful …

“We were brought together by God to serve the Plan of Awakening, to treat each other with dignity, respect, kindness, and holiness, and to Awaken to our Divine Love. We approach our Purpose for coming together with great reverence and devotion. It is the core of our Life in God. Our relationship is our Relationship with everything and everyone, for we live and love as God lives and loves, unconditionally, all-inclusively, and free of specialness.”

~ David Hoffmeister, "Awakening Through a Course in Miracles 

The Actuality of Being

We’ve often heard it said: It’s not what happens to us; it’s what we do with it. Many of us have impediments we believe are keeping us from freely going forward joyously in daily life. Dr. Gabor Mate is a man who has observed the effects of childhood trauma. He beautifully describes what we can do to break free of the circular events which follow us around after experiencing pain and fear, particularly in our younger years. These demons are not something to be ignored or covered up with things like drugs and distractions. They are to be faced in order to release them. For some people, it takes years of therapy, for others it’s the realization that they can be free right here and now. Everyone is different and that’s okay. The guilt we hold onto is as destructive as the pain we’ve experienced and keep reliving. Seeing what holds us in unhappiness is the key to finding joy. Let’s give ourselves permission to be happy! 

“The so-called pleasures and pains of matter perish, and they must go out under the blaze of Truth, spiritual sense, and the actuality of being. Mortal belief must lose all satisfaction in error and sin in order to part with them. Whether mortals will learn this sooner or later, and how long they will suffer the pangs of destruction, depends upon the tenacity of error.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 296:14-21

“To be wholehearted you must be happy. If fear and love cannot coexist, and if it is impossible to be wholly fearful and remain alive, the only possible whole state is that of love. There is no difference between love and joy. Therefore, the only possible whole state is the wholly joyous.⁵To heal or to make joyous is therefore the same as to integrate and to make one. That is why it makes no difference to what part or by what part of the Sonship the healing is offered. Every part benefits, and benefits equally.”

A Course in Miracles T-5.in.2:1-7

Let Them …

Art by Pauline Bailly

LET THEM - by Donna Ashworth

“Let them argue

let them fight 

let them think 

they are right 

let them gossip

let them rage 

let them build 

themselves a cage 

let them judge

let them talk

let them walk

the way they walk 

let them laugh 

behind your back 

they cannot push you

from your track 

let them steal 

each other’s joy

let them silence 

virtue’s voice 

let them wrestle 

for the throne 

let them pick flesh 

from their bones

but of all 

you let them do 

do not let them

alter you 

keep your focus 

on the sky 

and all the beauty 

you pass by 

stay within 

your well-built walls 

and answer only 

worthy calls

let them lie

if they must 

it’s yourself 

you need to trust.”

Poem by Donna Ashworth

“Because Truth is infinite, error should be known as nothing. Because Truth is omnipotent in goodness, error, Truth’s opposite, has no might. Evil is but the counterpoise of nothingness. The greatest wrong is but a supposititious opposite of the highest right. The confidence inspired by Science lies in the fact that Truth is real and error is unreal. Error is a coward before Truth. Divine Science insists that time will prove all this. Both truth and error have come nearer than ever before to the apprehension of mortals, and truth will become still clearer as error is self-destroyed.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 367:30-9

“Idols are but substitutes for your reality. In some way, you believe they will complete your little self, for safety in a world perceived as dangerous, with forces massed against your confidence and peace of mind. They have the power to supply your lacks, and add the value that you do not have. No one believes in idols who has not enslaved himself to littleness and loss. And thus must seek beyond his little self for strength to raise his head, and stand apart from all the misery the world reflects. This is the penalty for looking not within for certainty and quiet calm that liberates you from the world, and lets you stand apart, in quiet and in peace.” 

A Course in Miracles T-29.VIII.2:2-7

True Reflections

Reflections

I was thinking today about a dear little old lady who lived up the street. Margaret had been alone for more than a decade and she had taken all the mirrors out of her house. When some other neighbors and I began to help her with housekeeping chores and other things, someone put a mirror on the wall in her bathroom. When she first saw it, she got very upset and began trying to pull it off the wall and, when that didn’t work, she tried to break it. She had not seen herself in so many years that she couldn’t face what she saw. Many of us feel the same way about viewing ourselves in the light of Spirit. We have become so accustomed to thinking of ourselves as less than, as separate from, the beauty of Love, that it may not be easy to accept our spiritual truth. We may have a tough time releasing our beliefs and allowing ourselves to be the image and likeness of God. Please, let’s be gentle with ourselves and savor the glimpses we see upon the release of what we think we are!

“The true idea of man, as the reflection of the invisible God, is as incomprehensible to the limited senses as is man’s infinite Principle. The visible universe and material man are the poor counterfeits of the invisible universe and spiritual man. Eternal things (verities) are God’s thoughts as they exist in the spiritual realm of the real. Temporal things are the thoughts of mortals and are the unreal, being the opposite of the real or the spiritual and eternal.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 337:20-28

“It matters not when revelation comes, for that is not of time. Yet time has still one gift to give, in which true knowledge is reflected in a way so accurate its image shares its unseen holiness; its likeness shines with its immortal love. We practice seeing with the eyes of Christ today. And by the holy gifts we give, Christ’s vision looks upon ourselves as well.”
A Course in Miracles W-158.11:1-4

The Pit of Negativity

Is your mind hijacked for negativity, or have you reprogrammed it for good? It’s difficult to keep from falling into the pit of horrible things. We hear about them at every turn: on the news and social media platforms, from our friends and family, in the reading material we choose. Of course, there are many events we cannot condone by our silence, but every thought can be translated in our own mind into its spiritual truth. But that’s a subject for another day. The negativity we are being taught to accept as reality could be shown by a banana peel. We see this fruit waste and think it’s ugly, wishing it could be out of sight in a landfill so we don’t have to think about it. Or we can think about it as a remembrance of the good fruit we ate, smiling while imagining it composting back into good soil which will create more beauty and food. This way of thought may seem simplistic, but if we contemplate how we perceive objects, we might find there are productive ways which bring us peace and joy — and then there are those ways which do not. Happy reprogramming everyone!

“The destruction of the claims of mortal mind through Science, by which man can escape from sin and mortality, blesses the whole human family. As in the beginning, however, this liberation does not scientifically show itself in a knowledge of both good and evil, for the latter is unreal.

On the other hand, Mind-science is wholly separate from any half-way impertinent knowledge, because Mind-science is of God and demonstrates the divine Principle, working out the purposes of good only. The maximum of good is the infinite God and His idea, the All-in-all. Evil is a suppositional lie.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 103:6-17


“This is a very simple course. Perhaps you do not feel you need a course which, in the end, teaches that only reality is true. But do you believe it? When you perceive the real world, you will recognize that you did not believe it. Yet the swiftness with which your new and only real perception will be translated into knowledge will leave you but an instant to realize that this alone is true. And then everything you made will be forgotten; the good and the bad, the false and the true. For as Heaven and earth become one, even the real world will vanish from your sight. The end of the world is not its destruction, but its translation into Heaven. The reinterpretation of the world is the transfer of all perception to knowledge.”
A Course in Miracles T-11.VIII.1:1-9