The Days and Seasons of Mind’s Creation

Photo Courtesy of Aaron Springston

“No one needs practice to gain what is already his.” (ACIM Workbook Lesson #39) We tend to forget that holiness is and always has been ours, simply for the acknowledgement of it. By experiencing our holiness, we extend it to everyone and everything. With the understanding that we can choose our experiences by listening for the divine Mind which flows through all that is, we reach beyond our beliefs and see salvation. This state of Mind is the answer to anything we may ask. I am grateful for Life, Truth, and Love. I am grateful for everything leading to this point in time. Thank you greatly —- 

“The periods of spiritual ascension are the days and seasons of Mind’s creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness — yea, the divine nature — appear in man and the universe never to disappear.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 509:24-28

“My holiness is my salvation. Since my holiness saves me from all guilt, recognizing my holiness is recognizing my salvation. It is also recognizing the salvation of the world. Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid. And because I am unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is the gift of God to me and to the world.” 

A Course in Miracles W-58.4:1-5

Reversing the “Laws” of the World

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

"Your holiness reverses all the laws of the world. It is beyond every restriction  of time, space, distance and limits of any kind." [ACIM Workbook Lesson #38] Haven't you always felt this to be true? Isn't that the appeal of Harry Potter stories? We know -- we just know! -- that there is more to all of this than what we see with our mortal eyes. It’s very exciting to ponder these new/old ideas!  The writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the teachings of A Course in Miracles reveal the spiritual interpretation of our material belief. A multitude of teachers give us books and videos to help us understand. The internet has brought us a plethora of information which can be accessed in an instant. Tapping into our inner knowing is facilitated by the knowledge that it is possible. There are many ways to practice recognizing intuitive knowledge. And that's all it is: recognition. No one is without this ability. As with many decisions in life, if we choose based on material evidence, everything may seem to be a matter of luck. When we allow our holiness to guide us, there is only the peaceful certainty of Good.

"Lulled by stupefying illusions, the world is asleep in the cradle of infancy, dreaming away the hours. Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth." 

Mary baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 95:28-32

“My holiness is unlimited in its power to heal, because it is unlimited in its power to save. What is there to be saved from except illusions? And what are all illusions except false ideas about myself? My holiness undoes them all by asserting the truth about me. In the presence of my holiness, which I share with God Himself, all idols vanish.” 

A Course in Miracles  W-58.3:2-6

Seeing Ourselves as Whole

Photo Courtesy of Aaron Springston

Have you seen the movie or read the book, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”? It’s very beautiful for many reasons. We are shown lovely French countryside, exquisite food, and a wonderful acceptance of and by people who are learning about our connection with each other. When we accept our holiness, we do so by realizing that we are the expression of Love. When we see this truth, we understand that we are not alone, as we are all the reflection of divine Mind. How can we express racial prejudice, or any other form of hatred and fear, when we realize these things? I am freed by the understanding that the act of seeing everything in its spiritual reality is my function. It is everyone's function! By our realization of spiritual Truth, we see that everything is already complete and whole. I look forward to seeing more of this expanding vision which awaits us, just beyond the horizon of our material views.

"We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling thought. What is the model before mortal mind? Is it imperfection, joy, sorrow, sin, suffering? Have you accepted the mortal model?" "We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:15-17 and 26-29

“My holiness envelops everything I see. From my holiness does the perception of the real world come. Having forgiven, I no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept the innocence that is the truth about me. Seen through understanding eyes, the holiness of the world is all I see, for I can picture only the thoughts I hold about myself.”

A Course in Miracles W-58.1:1-5

Visions of Holiness

Rock Formations in Peru

Markawasi, Peru is high in the Andes Mountains in South America. At this site, there are hundreds of figures, faces, and various shapes which may be seen in the living stone. There is much speculation concerning the origin of these fabulous monuments, yet some people cannot see them. As shown by time-lapse photography, these illusive figures are more obvious at some times of the day than at others. I would suppose it also is predicated (as so many things are) on whether we want to see or not. While watching a documentary on this subject, I was repeatedly reminded of its metaphorical relationship with our spiritual study. The very first Wayne Dyer book I discovered  jumped out at me because of its title: When You Believe It, You'll See It. This is the exact opposite of our material basis of truth: When I see it, I'll believe it. These stone faces are easily overlooked if you don't want to see. With these thoughts as my inspiration, I shall go through this day seeing my holiness enveloping everything. And while many things are beyond my ability to see, that's okay, because knowing they're there is enough for now.

"As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible. When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 492:7-11

“From my holiness does the perception of the real world come. Having forgiven, I no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept the innocence that is the truth about me. Seen through understanding eyes, the holiness of the world is all I see, for I can picture only the thoughts I hold about myself.” 

A Course in Miracles W-58.1:2-5

The Oneness of Divine Mind

Photo Courtesy of Aaron Springston

A good friend has struggled with depression all her life. She feels her existence has been a series of horrible events, occasionally interrupted by happy times, which inevitably end in pain. In an attempt to escape this existence, she has turned to alcohol, drugs, and God. But the judgmental God she sees makes deals with her, and never deems her worthy of favor. She often recounts events from the past, and this seems to affect her every action. We can escape this trap by accepting that we are actually the holy reflection of divine Love, a/k/a God. Any feeling of hopelessness and sadness can disappear in an instant! By releasing our material history, we are free to learn the reality of our spiritual self, which is unending, uninterrupted good. It's a beautiful thing to witness someone realize the nothingness of their personal history and to see the wondrous peace which lies within. 

"Immortal ideas, pure, perfect, and enduring, are transmitted by the divine Mind through divine Science, which corrects error with truth and demands spiritual thoughts, divine concepts, to the end that they may produce harmonious results."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 259:26-31

“As I share the peace of the world with my brothers, I begin to understand that this peace comes from deep within myself. The world I look upon has taken on the light of my forgiveness, and shines forgiveness back at me. In this light I begin to see what my illusions about myself kept hidden. I begin to understand the holiness of all living things, including myself, and their oneness with me.” 

A Course in Miracles W-57.5:3-6

I Could See Peace …

Valerie Damon in a Eureka Springs, Arkansas Parade

Photo courtesy of Richard Quick

“I could see peace instead of this.” ACIM Lesson #34. This statement reminds me  that I am not a victim of the world I see. It suggests that perhaps there is another way of looking at it all; a way where I could see peace rather than turmoil. It reminds me that my mind is of God, and that I am Its holy image. What if we could simply relax into truth, not feeling the need to make others think as we do, nor to attempt to change anyone's mind about anything. It wouldn't matter if anyone believed in God, or followed any particular teaching system or religion -- it simply wouldn't be of any importance to us.  We could all relax and "let it Be". I know quite a few people who are ready to stop the madness and let freedom of thought take us to new heights of equality. And it's not just the airy-fairies who think this way, but physicists and learned people from all walks of life. Every thought counts! Let's go forward today with joy, knowing that peace is something which will spread without any effort, other than the sheer happiness in our hearts!

“When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects the laws of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey. I will understand that peace, not war, abides in it. And I will perceive that peace also abides in the hearts of all who share this place with me.” 

A Course in Miracles  W-57.4:2-4

“Truth and Love enlighten the understanding, in whose 'light shall we see light;' and this illumination is reflected spiritually by all who walk in the light and turn away from a false material sense.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 510:9-12

Another Way of Looking at the World

Painting by Carol Dickie

Everywhere we look, changes are occurring. It’s wonderful that we are not afraid to look at traditional values in a new light! New ways of looking at old words, such as The Lord's Prayer give us fresh insights and understanding. Some people fear that these interpretations are sacrilegious, and perhaps they are. Religion should be about spirituality, but often it is no more than dogma and tradition, which is often perpetuated through fear. There are many interpretations of what we call The Lord’s Prayer. Here is a beautiful modern-day interpretation by Peter Russell. I feel these words are very helpful in facilitating our shifting perceptions of ancient Truth.

Peter Russell's Contemporary Lord's Prayer

“Our essential Being, that dwells within,

'I am' is thy name.

May thy true nature be revealed.

May thy knowing inform our daily lives

As it does our inner Being.

Nourish us today with thy Presence.

Release us from any judgment we have held against ourselves,

As we release others from judgments we've held against them.

Let us not be tempted to seek solace in worldly things.

Liberate us from that which veils the truth.

For it is in our Being that we find your Presence,

The Source of all good, the home of all joy,

Eternally, and without change.

So be it.”

Peter Russell

“As human thought changes from one stage to an other of conscious pain and painlessness, sorrow and joy, — from fear to hope and from faith to understanding, — the visible manifestation will at last be man governed by Soul, not by material sense.“ 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 125:12-15

“Peace is the bridge that everyone will cross, to leave this world behind. But peace begins within the world perceived as different, and leading from this fresh perception to the gate of Heaven and the way beyond. Peace is the answer to conflicting goals, to senseless journeys, frantic, vain pursuits, and meaningless endeavors. Now the way is easy, sloping gently toward the bridge where freedom lies within the peace of God.” 

A Course in Miracles W-200.8:1-4

We See What We Want

Art by Catrin Welz-Stein

I often wonder if we are hesitant to live from the heart because we worry others might think we're foolish. When we insist on seeing as Mind sees, rather than through the interpretation of human belief, we are often looked at askance! I remember once when I was in a monthly meeting of gallery owners in our town and the talk turned to theft in their shops. I turned my attention away from the discussion and was looking into a corner, thinking about something else, when suddenly I noticed everyone had stopped talking. I looked up and saw they were all looking at me! Someone asked me what I thought about this situation and I honestly told them that thievery was not a part of my existence and I didn't want to make it a reality by giving it energy. Someone said, Good for you! And the conversation continued in a different vein. With that in mind, I will not hesitate to wander away from discussions centered on fearful beliefs or angry reactions, while reinterpreting them with the Love which defines our being. 

“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

“You are not the victim of the world you see because you invented it. You can give it up as easily as you made it up. You will see it or not see it, as you wish. While you want it you will see it; when you no longer want it, it will not be there for you to see.” 

A Course in Miracles W-32.1:2-5

Can Religion Be Scientific?

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

“Jesus established what he said by demonstration, thus making his acts of higher importance than his words. He proved what he taught. This is the Science of Christianity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 473:26-28

“All magic is an attempt at reconciling the irreconcilable. All religion is the recognition that the irreconcilable cannot be reconciled. Sickness and perfection are irreconcilable. If God created you perfect, you are perfect. If you believe you can be sick, you have placed other gods before Him. God is not at war with the god of sickness you made, but you are. He is the symbol of deciding against God, and you are afraid of him because he cannot be reconciled with God’s Will. If you attack him, you will make him real to you. But if you refuse to worship him in whatever form he may appear to you, and wherever you think you see him, he will disappear into the nothingness out of which he was made.” 

A Course in Miracles T-10.IV.1:1-9

Scatter Light

 

Sandy Wythawai Starbird’s Primal Image

Material vision is dimmed by any number of events and circumstances which may cause us to believe that darkness is as real as light. I'm sure you can think of circumstances which you think of as wonderful and someone else does not. Maybe you loved a musical performance and your spouse slept through it. And we all know people who find fault with everything, no matter what. Then there are those of us who are accused of having a Pollyanna attitude because we insist on seeing the good in situations. Albert Einstein described this well: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." The inspirations of Love set us in the ideal stead to enjoy every moment in its spiritual perfection. So I say, Pollyannas unite! Let's go forth and scatter Light!

“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. ³In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.I.3:1-3

“The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 560:11-15

Coexist

A few readers of my “dailies” have asked why I don’t address the political situation in our country. Upon reflection, I feel that I do. Everything is connected by way of Mind, and the multitude of forms we experience are projections of illusion. So with our goal of purifying thoughts of unnecessary dogma, belief, and fear, we are left with Love and Its infinite manifestations. So, yes, I do address the current situations, but not from the point of being a problem identifier. Some of us need to look through the other end of the telescope, with the lens of Love. No matter how we perceive things with these material eyes and thoughts, the true idea of Spirit, God, Love, is there waiting for us to glimpse it.

“One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself;’ annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 340:23-29

“Behind every image I have made, the truth remains unchanged. Behind every veil I have drawn across the face of love, its light remains undimmed. Beyond all my insane wishes is my will, united with the Will of my Father. God is still everywhere and in everything forever.  And we who are part of Him will yet look past all appearances, and recognize the truth beyond them all.” 

A Course in Miracles W-56.4:2-6

The Sweetness of Friendship

Old Friends 

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things, does the heart find its morning and is refreshed.”
Khalil Gibran

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful. Men and women of riper years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness or gloom. Immortal Mind feeds the body with supernal freshness and fairness, supplying it with beautiful images of thought and destroying the woes of sense which each day brings to a nearer tomb.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:3-11

“How safe the world will look to me when I can see it! It will not look anything like what I imagine I see now. Everyone and everything I see will lean toward me to bless me. I will recognize in everyone my dearest Friend. What could there be to fear in a world that I have forgiven, and that has forgiven me?”
A Course in Miracles W-60.3:2-6

The Face of Divine Love

Acknowledging that everything and everyone we look upon is the face of divine Love takes our perception to another level! With this sight, we do not need to see race, nationalities, nor gender; there are no political parties for which to wave flags, and no enemies to fight against, nor allies to side with. I see beautiful things happening in our world. Long-held beliefs are being released in favor of an open-hearted acceptance of everyone as they are, not as we want them to be. Change can seem difficult, but our new perceptions of Life are a conscious choice by which we break free of habits and old thought patterns which have held us in bondage for far too long. Let’s celebrate our new-found sight today!

“Recognizing that what I see reflects what I think I am, I realize that vision is my greatest need. The world I see attests to the fearful nature of the self-image I have made. If I would remember who I am, it is essential that I let this image of myself go. As it is replaced by truth, vision will surely be given me. And with this vision, I will look upon the world and on myself with charity and love.” 

A Course in Miracles W-56.2:2-6

Eyes: Spiritual discernment, — not material but mental. Jesus said, thinking of the outward vision, ‘Having eyes, see ye not?’” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 586:5-8

Am I Attacking Myself?

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

The realization that all attack comes from within is an eye-opener! When we worry about lack of money, or possible illness, or what our neighbors might think, these are thoughts which seem to attack our invulnerability.  Actually our invulnerability as an expression of divine Principle cannot be attacked, but we certainly can think of ourselves as weak victims of life's circumstances. Through a conscious choice to reject the unreality of material existence and claim our heritage as powerful spiritual beings, unafraid to stand up and declare our Oneness with divine Love and all Its creation, we are able to transcend the fears we have thought to be inevitable. I love the new world which is being revealed through this understanding!

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. These disturbances will continue until the end of error, when all discord will be swallowed up in spiritual Truth.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:12-20

“The possibility of freedom has been grasped and welcomed, and the means by which it can be gained can now be understood. The world becomes a place of hope, because its only purpose is to be a place where hope of happiness can be fulfilled. And no one stands outside this hope, because the world has been united in belief the purpose of the world is one which all must share, if hope be more than just a dream.” 

A Course in Miracles -T-30.V.2:5-8

I Do Not Know …

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

January 2024

If you heard someone express a desire to give up strong opinions, because they keep the field of infinite possibilities from becoming reality — well, you might wonder about their cognitive capacity! Knowing how society expects us to set goals, to defend strongly what we think is right, and to define the purpose of everything around us, it is difficult to step outside those parameters and say we “do not know what anything is for”. But that is the beginning of understanding our purpose. Engrained in our thoughts we have many goal-oriented purposes for our lives. These personal-interest ideals are established through a Pavlovian education which begins early in life and is reinforced constantly as we live. In order to learn the truth of our being, it is necessary to give up these things and see how their usefulness depends on the meaning we have given them. Only then can we allow divine Mind to guide and divine Love to govern.

“You perceive the world and everything in it as meaningful in terms of ego goals. These goals have nothing to do with your own best interests, because the ego is not you. This false identification makes you incapable of understanding what anything is for. As a result, you are bound to misuse it. When you believe this, you will try to withdraw the goals you have assigned to the world, instead of attempting to reinforce them.”
A Course in Miracles - W-25.2:1-5

“Reason, rightly directed, serves to correct the errors of corporeal sense; but sin, sickness, and death will seem real (even as the experiences of the sleeping dream seem real) until the Science of man’s eternal harmony breaks their illusion with the unbroken reality of scientific being.
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 494:19-24

Perceived Best Interests

Perspective Deceptions 

By Robert J. Tiess

From certain standpoints, piers appeared to let us walk

across the ocean, straight ahead into the sun,

but then we'd move, disprove those views, and see

how angles lie, while truth means journeying.

So we roamed far, on foot, by thought,

past varied panoramas, peaks,

surveying slopes and scenes,

horizons, plateaus, space,

aware what's where

or never there.”

Poem by Robert J. Tiess

“In no situation that arises do you realize the outcome that would make you happy. Therefore, you have no guide to appropriate action, and no way of judging the result. What you do is determined by your perception of the situation, and that perception is wrong. It is inevitable, then, that you will not serve your own best interests. Yet they are your only goal in any situation which is correctly perceived. Otherwise, you will not recognize what they are.” 

A Course in Miracles W-24.1:1-6

“If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense, they would not go on from bad to worse, until disciplined by the prison and the scaffold; but the whole human family would be redeemed through the merits of Christ, — through the perception and acceptance of Truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 202:5-13

Escaping Attack Thoughts

“No Looking Back”

Creation from Sandy Wythawai Starbird

It can be difficult to free ourselves from the prison of attack thoughts. It seems normal and natural to think and talk about things which we neither agree with nor like. It can occupy the majority of our thoughts, and we often think it might facilitate a change if we talk about it enough. This fertilization of attack thoughts can be found everywhere from coffee shops to churches, and it doesn't do a single thing to change the world. We are told in today’s A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #23 that the only way out of fear is by giving up attack thoughts. If this world we see is an effect, the only way to change the hallucination is to alter the cause: our thought. Some may ridicule this idea. For those who do, I only ask this: Have any material manipulations ever, in all of history, affected a change? Did our civil war free the slaves? It was a beginning, of course, but many people stayed in bondage long past when laws were enacted. It takes a change of thought to bring freedom. Let's free ourselves today -- and forever!

"Legally to abolish unpaid servitude in the United States was hard; but the abolition of mental slavery is a more difficult task. The despotic tendencies, inherent in mortal mind and always germinating in new forms of tyranny, must be rooted out through the action of the divine Mind."
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:22-28

“I can escape from this world by giving up attack thoughts. Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I choose to see, in place of what I look on now.”
A Course in Miracles W-55.3:1-5