Loving and True Ideas

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

“A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive. The new idea, conceived and born of Truth and Love, is clad in white garments.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 463:12

“Every loving thought is true. Everything else is an appeal for healing and help, regardless of the form it takes. Can anyone be justified in responding with anger to a brother’s plea for help? No response can be appropriate except the willingness to give it to him, for this and only this is what he is asking for. Offer him anything else, and you are assuming the right to attack his reality by interpreting it as you see fit. Perhaps the danger of this to your own mind is not yet fully apparent. If you believe that an appeal for help is something else you will react to something else. Your response will therefore be inappropriate to reality as it is, but not to your perception of it.” 

A Course in Miracles T-12.I.3:3-10

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Childhood memories: We all have them. But I've begun to question how many of mine actually happened! Perhaps the memories are stories parents or siblings told over and over, or maybe they come from photographs that you've looked at repeatedly. Don't get me wrong here, because I don't think that's a bad thing. Stories teach us and stories lead us to places we need to be. But sometimes those stories can mislead us, too. Recently an aged-aunt called me wanting confirmation about a family rumor. I had never heard about this occurrence and told her so. While she was questioning me, she said she was calling me rather than writing on Messenger (our usual mode of communication) because another relative had told her that I was getting off of Facebook. I have never considered doing such a thing, because I keep up with friends and family through that medium. But this has caused me to think on many things! What we believe to be true may be nothing more than words we want to believe. So let's keep an open mind and heart, whether we are remembering our past or listening to someone else's ideas which they want us to believe are true. We live in an age of rampant propaganda, whether it be from commercials bombarding us or bots inundating our social media feed, we must be aware that many people have an agenda which they are doing their best to propel into being. Our brains are pretty good at picking out illusions, and I'm going to practice ascertaining truth by looking back through those childhood moments which seem so real. 

“And when the memory of God has come to you in the holy place of forgiveness you will remember nothing else, and memory will be as useless as learning, for your only purpose will be creating. Yet this you cannot know until every perception has been cleansed and purified, and finally removed forever. Forgiveness removes only the untrue, lifting the shadows from the world and carrying it, safe and sure within its gentleness, to the bright world of new and clean perception. There is your purpose now. And it is there that peace awaits you.” 

A Course in Miracles T-18.IX.14:1-5

"As vapor melts before the sun, so evil would vanish before the reality of good. One must hide the other. How important, then, to choose good as the reality!" 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:31

Invest in What is True

Starting over. Making changes. Reinventing ourselves. Most of us have done this more than once, haven't we? A sea change in our lives may come about because of illness, loss of a job, losing a loved one, or just needing to let go of behaviors which no longer serve us. Whatever the case, many of us resist these changes. Presently, it seems we are all in the midst of major shifts in our perceptions and our daily activities, and it can be frightening. We may wish someone would throw us a life preserver and tow us to safety! Perhaps we know someone grasping at illusions of hope, not seeing through the mist to the pitfalls on the other side. In our desire to show others the danger, we can drive them further away from seeing what's actually going on. And so we must remember that we cannot save anyone, we cannot change anyone; only ourselves. Our values can be expressed through our votes during elections, by the foods we purchase, by the entertainment we choose, and many other daily choices. We’re all in this together. The longer I live, the more I realize what that means. Let's be here for each other. It's the most we can do!

"This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 265:10-15

“The way to correct distortions is to withdraw your faith in them and invest it only in what is true. You cannot make untruth true. If you are willing to accept what is true in everything you perceive, you let it be true for you. Truth overcomes all error, and those who live in error and emptiness can never find lasting solace. If you perceive truly you are cancelling out misperceptions in yourself and in others simultaneously. Because you see them as they are, you offer them your acceptance of their truth so they can accept it for themselves. This is the healing that the miracle induces.” 

A Course in Miracles T-3.II.6:1-7

War — Ugh!

War is incomprehensible to most of us. Personally, I can’t think of anything horrific enough to cause me to file a lawsuit against another person, much less to want to kill them. Somewhere I read that countries and groups of people will do things collectively which individuals would find abhorrent. Wars often begin because of religious- and/or power-driven causes. I’m sure everyone involved thinks they have a noble cause and they are standing up for righteous reasons, I’m not sure there is such a thing as a “righteous reason” — unless it is love-based. We learn in A Course in Miracles that everything either comes from love or is a call for love. As we watch wars swell intensely, our hearts go out to the people. May this love we send out to the innocents be for all the people, not just the ones we deem to be in the right. God sees no difference in Hitler or Mother Teresa. And we are the image and likeness of that divine Love. Namaste to All …

“Help Me to wake My children from the dream of retribution and a little life beset with fear, that ends so soon it might as well have never been. Let Me instead remind you of eternity, in which your joy grows greater as your love extends along with Mine beyond infinity, where time and distance have no meaning. While you wait in sorrow Heaven’s melody is incomplete, because your song is part of the eternal harmony of love. Without you is creation unfulfilled. Return to Me Who never left My Son. Listen, My child, your Father calls to you. Do not refuse to hear the Call for Love. Do not deny to Christ what is His Own. Heaven is here and Heaven is your home.” 

A Course in Miracles S-3.IV.8:1-9

“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 467:9-13

Lest We Compare Ourself With Another

Image of unknown origin

I listen to audio books while cooking, cleaning, exercising, and driving. Today I finished a book written for middle school students called Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The title caught my attention while browsing through the possibilities for my next read. (I use a library app called Libby, so if I don’t care for the book, I simply return it) The book’s title refers to this: “Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.” As I finished this book, I was thinking about my friends who think they can’t understand my metaphysical studies and writing. One man tells me he doesn’t have enough time left in his life to learn about A Course in Miracles or Christian Science. While I feel fortunate that my parents were students of Mary Baker Eddy and I grew up with a basic understanding of these teachings, there is always more to learn. I don’t even think of it as learning any longer, but as an unfolding. Is it ever too late to accept new ideas? We needn’t compare ourselves with anyone else when it comes to any form of learning or understanding. What fun we all have waiting for us!

“Individuals are consistent who, watching and praying, can 'run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint,' who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement. …  Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being, is doing much.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 254:1-15

“The miracle substitutes for learning that might have taken thousands of years. It does so by the underlying recognition of perfect equality of giver and receiver on which the miracle rests. The miracle shortens time by collapsing it, thus eliminating certain intervals within it. It does this, however, within the larger temporal sequence.”

A Course in Miracles T-1.II.6:7-10

Developing Latent Possibilities

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Often it takes a big shake up to force us to change ways of thought and actions which have become ingrained in us. It seems comfortable, easy, and safe to stay within the bounds of what we know. Looking back on the past decades, I see where I would have been stuck in mundane perhaps even destructive living had it not been for events which shocked me into new ways of thought and action. I am most grateful for the times when life seemed good, when I rested in cozy contentment, but then changes were facilitated by seeming tragedy. The move from by-rote living to Uppercase Living takes courage, but to seek a future different from the past ensures that we shall have one!

“A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128:13-191

“Learning is change. Salvation does not seek to use a means as yet too alien to your thinking to be helpful, nor to make the kinds of change you could not recognize. Concepts are needed while perception lasts, and changing concepts is salvation’s task. For it must deal in contrasts, not in truth, which has no opposite and cannot change. In this world’s concepts are the guilty ‘bad’; the ‘good’ are innocent. And no one here but holds a concept of himself in which he counts the ‘good’ to pardon him the ‘bad.’ Nor does he trust the ‘good’ in anyone, believing that the ‘bad’ must lurk behind. This concept emphasizes treachery, and trust becomes impossible. Nor could it change while you perceive the ‘bad’ in you.” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.VII.1:1-9

The Enduring, Good, and True

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

The substance of the following quote often runs through my mind: “We do ourselves a great disservice when we let the bitter opinions of others mingle and subvert our own thoughts.” (Dodinsky) It’s easy to feel hurt by what others say, or to become angry, or to react in various non-productive ways. One of my favorite gurus is Don Miguel Ruiz, and his Four Agreements are something I try to incorporate in my daily life. So when someone tells me they’re upset with the actions of another, I often relate his advice: “Don’t take anything personally.” Ultimately, the bottom line is given us by Gandhi’s wisdom: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change toward him.” Have a great Sunday, everyone!

“Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 261:4-7

“I am among the ministers of God, and I am grateful that I have the means by which to recognize that I am free. The world recedes as we light up our minds, and realize these holy words are true. They are the message sent to us today from our Creator. Now we demonstrate how they have changed our minds about ourselves, and what our function is. For as we prove that we accept no will we do not share, our many gifts from our Creator will spring to our sight and leap into our hands, and we will recognize what we received.” 

A Course in Miracles W-154.13:2–14:4

Seeing What Is

From Meow Wolf in Denver, CO

Everyone has heard the tale about blind people touching different parts of an elephant, and their interpretations of what they are feeling. It seems to me that's where we are in the current political imbroglio. Some people see Democrats as the devil's spawn; others see Republicans as brainwashed automatons. Where does it end? An election won't stop the disagreements, any more than a civilized debate will resolve our differences. For years I've looked for common ground on which to stand with one another. You would think love, peace, health, and happiness would be desired by everyone, but it seems people interpret these values in different ways. This is one of the reasons I love A Course in Miracles. We are taught to release any preconceived notions concerning what things mean. Look at a table and see it for what it is; not what you think about it and what it brings up in memories. As we practice doing this with things and situations, something shifts within us, allowing truth to be known and belief to be released. We don't automatically become all-knowing beings, but we learn to recognize the fallacy of our interpretations. So next time you think you're touching a snake, remember it just might be an elephant's trunk! 

"Science shows that material, conflicting mortal opinions and beliefs emit the effects of error at all times, but this atmosphere of mortal mind cannot be destructive to morals and health where it is opposed promptly and persistently by Christian Science. Truth and Love antidote this mental miasma, and thus invigorate and sustain existence." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 273:29

“Let all your brother’s errors be to you nothing except a chance for you to see the workings of the Helper given you to see the world He made instead of yours. What, then, is justified? What do you want? For these two questions are the same. And when you see them as the same, your choice is made. For it is seeing them as one that brings release from the belief there are two ways to see. This world has much to offer to your peace, and many chances to extend your own forgiveness. Such its purpose is, to those who want to see peace and forgiveness descend on them, and offer them the light.” 

A Course in Miracles T-25.III.7:2-9

Grateful for my Neighbor/Friend

 

Linwood Ladies on Election Day, 2020

There’s nothing like good friends and neighbors, and it’s especially wonderful when these categories overlap! This evening I had a lovely, long visit with my across-the-street neighbor, Chris. Our conversations always jump around to every conceivable topic, but tonight we both had a desire for light, fun banter, so we talked about movies, books, numerous television series, and our cats and dogs. While I love everyone on my street, this woman is the icing on the cake as far as neighbors are concerned. She has had an interesting life, is well-read, funny, intelligent, and knowledgeable about current affairs. A few months ago I sang the praises or another friend, and I truly think we should tell people how wonderful they are and how much they mean to us. Today I feel a close kinship with my neighbor/friend, and my heart is full of affection and good will which spills over onto this page. How fortunate I am that she moved to our street! 

“Such is my will for you and your brother, and for each of you for one another and for himself. Here there is only holiness and joining without limit. For what is Heaven but union, direct and perfect, and without the veil of fear upon it? Here are we one, looking with perfect gentleness upon each other and on ourselves. Here all thoughts of any separation between us become impossible. You who were a prisoner in separation are now made free in Paradise. And here would I unite with you, my friend, my brother and my Self.” 

A Course in Miracles T-20.III.10:1-7

“Kindred tastes, motives, and aspirations are necessary to the formation of a happy and permanent companionship. The beautiful in character is also the good, welding indissolubly the links of affection.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 60:4-8

May I Rise Where I Have Fallen

Art by Mohamed Elabari

Yesterday was a time of clearing out papers and miscellaneous items from a storage area in my home. It was a happy trip through the past, but perhaps it’s the reason I awoke this morning with an influx of regret. As I contemplated unfortunate events which flooded my memory, a documentary about the functioning of our brains came to mind. It seems that every time we remember something which has happened, we change it, and then it becomes part of our delusion concerning the past! This helped me to break the mesmerism I was subjecting myself to, and I remembered that no matter how bad I felt about something, it would not change. But my thought about it could. I can forgive myself and move forward, living for what is, not what was or could be. A few hours later when opening my email, it was with joy I read the following which was part of Marianne Williamson’s morning meditation:

“I atone in my heart for the mistakes I have made: the recklessness and irresponsibility, the laziness and dishonesty, the harm I have caused myself or others. I pray for those who I may have harmed, and ask that they be healed of any pain I might have caused them. I vow to be a better person now, that I might rise where before I had fallen, and shine where I had dwelled in darkness.

Today I atone for the mistakes of my past.” 

Marianne Williamson

“The atonement is a hard problem in theology, but its scientific explanation is, that suffering is an error of sinful sense which Truth destroys, and that eventually both sin and suffering will fall at the feet of everlasting Love.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 23:-7-11

The Space Between Thoughts

Ozark Morning Photo courtesy of Mark McGee

It seems I can be perfectly calm and contented if I don’t talk to people! I’m sure many of you know what I mean. It’s easy to be unpleasantly surprised by the behaviors and reactions of others. When we see instances of people exhibiting their highest good, then witness the opposite in the next instant-- well, it gives pause. In this world, where we want to analyze everything and find answers to questions we don't even know how to ask, it's tempting to become angry in the face of divisive behavior, bullying actions, and accusations from those who should know better. But let's not, okay? Rather than react, let’s go to “the space between our thoughts”. There are many techniques for doing this, and people like to label the activity as prayer or meditation. It doesn’t matter what we call it, as long as we’re able to do it. I think this is one of the reasons I love duplicate bridge. When I’m playing, there is no room in my mind for worrying or wondering. It’s a single-minded enjoyment of mental gymnastics, and I love to lose myself in the world of cards, with nothing to think about but the coziness of something I know so well. I hope you don’t hesitate to lose yourself in a beloved activity! Namaste …

“It is impossible to accept the holy instant without reservation unless, just for an instant, you are willing to see no past or future. You cannot prepare for it without placing it in the future. Release is given you the instant you desire it. Many have spent a lifetime in preparation, and have indeed achieved their instants of success. This course does not attempt to teach more than they learned in time, but it does aim at saving time. You may be attempting to follow a very long road to the goal you have accepted. It is extremely difficult to reach Atonement by fighting against sin. Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised. Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their purpose. Yet the means are tedious and very time consuming, for all of them look to the future for release from a state of present unworthiness and inadequacy.” 

A Course in Miracles T-18.VII.4:1-11

"We may well be perplexed at human fear, and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions of evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?" 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 563:4

Looking Up

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Fall is in the air! I've always loved this time of year, and am particularly looking forward to the changes in weather. There's a feeling of putting down something heavy, cleansing our palates, releasing the mugginess which has been hanging around for months, breathing deeply the crisp air — getting ready for freezing weather to release us from biting bugs and dying leaves. Ha! The lowering of humidity, the excitement of something big about to happen, the changes -- I look forward to this shift. The whole world is ready for a shift in thought; an epiphany of deeper understanding. Let’s all continue to hold the light for those who choose not to see. It is there for all, an open secret to happiness. May we keep looking up! Sending Love to all...

“The rays of infinite Truth, when gathered into the focus of ideas, bring light instantaneously, whereas a thousand years of human doctrines, hypotheses, and vague conjectures emit no such effulgence.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 504:23-26

“Yet even the little spark in your mind is enough to lighten it. Bring this light fearlessly with you, and bravely hold it up to the foundation of the ego’s thought system. Be willing to judge it with perfect honesty. Open the dark cornerstone of terror on which it rests, and bring it out into the light. There you will see that it rested on meaninglessness, and that everything of which you have been afraid was based on nothing.” 

A Course in Miracles T-11.in.3:6-10

An Invincible Love

“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger -- something better, pushing right back." Albert Camus 

“The good in human affections must have ascendency over the evil and the spiritual over the animal, or happiness will never be won. The attainment of this celestial condition would improve our progeny, diminish crime, and give higher aims to ambition. Every valley of sin must be exalted, and every mountain of selfishness be brought low, that the highway of our God may be prepared in Science.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 61:4-10

“Thanks be to you, the holy Son of God. For as you were created, you contain all things within your Self. And you are still as God created you. Nor can you dim the light of your perfection. In your heart the Heart of God is laid. He holds you dear, because you are Himself. All gratitude belongs to you, because of what you are.” 

A Course in Miracles W-197.8:1-7

Going Home to the Mountains

Rocky Mountain High

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. Awakening from the stupefying effects of the vice of over-industry and the deadly apathy of luxury, they are trying as best they can to mix and enrich their own little ongoings with those of Nature, and to get rid of rust and disease.” ―  John Muir - Our National Parks

“To mortal mind, the universe is liquid, solid, and aëri-form. Spiritually interpreted, rocks and mountains stand for solid and grand ideas.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 511:23-25

“Accept the miracle of healing, and it will go forth because of what it is. It is its nature to extend itself the instant it is born. And it is born the instant it is offered and received. No one can ask another to be healed. But he can let himself be healed, and thus offer the other what he has received. Who can bestow upon another what he does not have? And who can share what he denies himself? The Holy Spirit speaks to you. He does not speak to someone else. Let by your listening His Voice extends, because you have accepted what He says.” 

A Course in Miracles T-27.V.1:3-12

Awake Awhile …

 

It’s not often I find myself despondent throughout an entire day. But this has been one of them, and so I search out inspiration from some of my favorite writings…

Awake Awhile - By Hafiz

“Awake awhile.

It does not have to be forever.

Right now.  One step upon the Sky’s soft skirt would be enough.

Awake awhile.

Just one True moment of Love will last for days.

Rest all your elaborate plans and tactics for knowing Him,

For they are all just frozen spring buds

Far, so far from Summer’s Divine Gold.

Awake, my dear.

Be kind to your sleeping heart.

Take it out into the vast fields of Light

And let it breathe.

Say, ‘Love, give me back my wings.

Lift me, lift me nearer.’

Say to the sun and moon, say to our dear Friend,

‘I will take you up now, Beloved,

On that wonderful Dance You promised!’”

“Earth has little light or joy for mortals before Life is spiritually learned. Every agony of mortal error helps error to destroy error, and so aids the apprehension of immortal Truth. This is the new birth going on hourly, by which men may entertain angels, the true ideas of God, the spiritual sense of being.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 548:11-17

“The world will end in joy, because it is a place of sorrow. When joy has come, the purpose of the world has gone. The world will end in peace, because it is a place of war. When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world? The world will end in laughter, because it is a place of tears. Where there is laughter, who can longer weep? And only complete forgiveness brings all this to bless the world. In blessing it departs, for it will not end as it began. To turn hell into Heaven is the function of God’s teachers, for what they teach are lessons in which Heaven is reflected. And now sit down in true humility, and realize that all God would have you do you can do. Do not be arrogant and say you cannot learn His Own curriculum. His Word says otherwise. His Will be done. It cannot be otherwise. And be you thankful it is so.” 

A Course in Miracles  M-14.5:1-15

A Senseless Death

Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall Trail

Around 25 years ago, I met Cal and Stephanie Piston when he was coaching my son’s club soccer team in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Recently I have enjoyed photographs of a vacation they took to England. While they were there, they walked the 70-plus miles known as Hadrian’s Wall. It brings me great joy to see this beautiful retired couple traveling and enjoying life in this way. Sixteen days ago, they posted photos to social media of an iconic tree on the trail they were hiking. The Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall is more than 200 years old and has been featured in movies. It is a landmark and a national treasure. Yesterday, someone vandalized it in the most terrible way possible: they cut it down during the night. Why would anyone do such a thing? It’s inexplicable. I join with countless others who must be feeling sadness tonight. Perhaps we will all find ways to nurture the earth today, maybe we’ll even hug a tree in memory of this lost life. 

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens, — all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 240:1-9

“There is a light in you which cannot die; whose presence is so holy that the world is sanctified because of you. All things that live bring gifts to you, and offer them in gratitude and gladness at your feet. The scent of flowers is their gift to you. The waves bow down before you, and the trees extend their arms to shield you from the heat, and lay their leaves before you on the ground that you may walk in softness, while the wind sinks to a whisper round your holy head.” 

A Course in Miracles W-156.4:1-4

Uprooting Shallow Roots

It often seems humanity is on the verge of becoming the best that it can be, and then something happens and we slide down, beginning our Sisyphean push back up the hill, always hoping we can reach the peak and live there. In contemplating our human condition today, I ran across this which was written by Mary Baker Eddy in the late 1800s. I know it’s still true and we must continue to correct error with truth …

“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 - The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany

“All shallow roots must be uprooted, because they are not deep enough to sustain you. The illusion that shallow roots can be deepened, and thus made to hold, is one of the distortions on which the reverse of the Golden Rule rests. As these false underpinnings are given up, the equilibrium is temporarily experienced as unstable. However, nothing is less stable than an upside-down orientation. Nor can anything that holds it upside down be conducive to increased stability.” A Course in Miracles T-1.V.6:3-7