The Returns of Extended Love

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Many of us have a difficult time seeing ourselves as a creation of Love. We may feel there are events in our lives so unlovely that we couldn't possibly be the reflection of divine perfection. Many great sages have taught us how to save ourselves from the horror of past events. Thich Nhat Hanh and Mahatma Gandhi have shown us how to rise above our feelings of guilt. No matter how this advice is worded, it comes down to one basic concept: extend Love to others, to everything and everyone. This is our atonement, to see the Oneness of all that Is and realize that nothing can ever occur which will separate us from divine Love. By giving it to the world, we give it to ourselves and feel major changes within. We can forgive ourselves even as we are forgiven, because we were never condemned.

“Think of this, dear reader, for it will lift the sackcloth from your eyes, and you will behold the soft-winged dove descending upon you. The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 574:25-30

“Why would you not be overjoyed to be assured that all the evil that you think you did was never done, that all your sins are nothing, that you are as pure and holy as you were created, and that light and joy and peace abide in you? Your image of yourself cannot withstand the Will of God. You think that this is death, but it is life. You think you are destroyed, but you are saved.”

A Course in Miracles W-93.4:1-4

Miracles Are Seen in Light

“Bryce Canyon”

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

When I first encountered A Course in Miracles, I was bothered by the use of the word "miracle". In Christian Science, I have learned that what we tend to think of as a miracle is actually the demonstration of divine law. In most cases, when someone says, "It's a miracle", there's the implication that material laws have been set aside for something unbelievable to happen. There is often the assumption that God has intervened and caused things to occur which otherwise wouldn't have. So I would cringe when hearing the word miracle. I have come to see that A Course in Miracles is using the word miracle in much the same way as Mary Baker Eddy refers to it. It is the demonstration of divine Principle, which is seen by replacing material illusions with spiritual sense. This experience is referred to in Science and Health as being "not supernatural, but supremely natural". I love that we are seeing ourselves as complete beings, utilizing the so-called sixth sense in everyday life, and not being surprised when "miraculous" things happen! When we wash away the dust of material belief, the light of Love can shine through, giving us strength where we before thought we were weak. The light of holiness and goodness, the light of God, gives us every right idea we need in order to advance in our individual way. We need not worry about which road to take when we trust our inner knowing, our intuition, our true Self.

"The miracle introduces no disorder, but unfolds the primal order, establishing the Science of God's unchangeable law."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 135:6-8

“Miracles are seen in light. I cannot see in darkness. Let the light of holiness and truth light up my mind, and let me see the innocence within.”

A Course in Miracles W-111.1:1-3

The True Reflection

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

During a conversation with friends, someone asked me how I could have come through a particularly traumatic time without some form of therapy. I hadn't really thought about this, but — upon reflection — realized it was because I had accepted reality over the illusion. The reality is that I am as God created me. The illusion is all the stories I encountered which could have affected how I felt about myself and others. Let's say you have just found out about something which happened in the past. This information changes many material truths you believed, including your name, age, and heritage. What reaction would you have? Perhaps your initial response would be anger, which people say is a normal reaction to betrayal. With the realization that you are as God created you, this situation is seen to have absolutely nothing to do with your true Self. This knowledge allows hurtful illusions to dissipate, as mist hit by sunlight. Hurt feelings and  fears disappear into their native nothingness, being replaced with the truth: "I Am as God created me." Anything other than our true creation is changeable. Today I choose unchanging, eternal Truth!

“Today’s idea is therefore all you need to let complete correction heal your mind, and give you perfect vision that will heal all the mistakes that any mind has made at any time or place. It is enough to heal the past and make the future free. It is enough to let the present be accepted as it is. It is enough to let time be the means for all the world to learn escape from time, and every change that time appears to bring in passing by.” 

A Course in Miracles W-110.2:1-4

“In divine Science, man is the true image of God. The divine nature was best expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God and lifted their lives higher than their poor thought-models would allow.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 259:6-9

Resting in Peace — Here and Now

From Hippie Peace Freaks

To rest in peace frees us from all planning and worry. To give away all belief in — and living from — past experience, clears the way to knowing Truth. To know Truth means to know ourselves, and to demonstrate Principle in our every thought and action. Although I find this spiritual practice invigorating, not everyone feels the same. I know people who think they would be giving away their individuality if they let go of their personal history. I find the opposite to be true. When I lose a sense of personal responsibility, when I release the beliefs I've had about certain circumstances, there is a pure, empty space in thought. This space allows a recognition of what has always been there: Love. Divine Love. This is our power: the ability to accept the good which is there for us, the ability to rest in God. 

“This is the day of peace. You rest in God, and while the world is torn by winds of hate your rest remains completely undisturbed. Yours is the rest of truth. Appearances cannot intrude on you. You call to all to join you in your rest, and they will hear and come to you because you rest in God. They will not hear another voice than yours because you gave your voice to God, and now you rest in Him and let Him speak through you.

A Course in Miracles W-109.4:1-6

“…when we realize that immortal Mind is ever active, and that spiritual energies can neither wear out nor can so-called material law trespass upon God-given powers and resources, we are able to rest in Truth, refreshed by the assurances of immortality, opposed to mortality." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 387:8-12

Giving and Receiving

“Novel Women” book club members with 

the children’s book shelf they provide 

at a local food bank

Most of the people I know are givers. They give of their time and money to causes they support; they give love and affection to family and friends; they give of themselves generously, always stepping up when anyone is in need. But many of these wonderful people aren't comfortable receiving compliments, or taking a helping hand when they're having problems, or accepting a gift when they're in need. Why do they give so freely, but are uncomfortable accepting others’ offerings to them? This duality in thought is negated with the understanding of today's lesson, which tells us that giving and receiving are one in truth. "One thought, completely unified, will serve to unify all thoughts." [A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #108] This unification is the spiritual Principle which governs everything, when seen for what it is: Truth. Today I will open my heart to receive all the good which is innately mine, and this reception opens avenues to share in unexpected ways. I will offer to others everything I want for myself: peace, happiness, joy, contentment, satisfaction, grace, love. Freely I have received, freely I give!

“To give and to receive are one in truth. Vision depends upon today’s idea. The light is in it, for it reconciles all seeming opposites. And what is light except the resolution, born of peace, of all your conflicts and mistaken thoughts into one concept which is wholly true? Even that one will disappear, because the Thought behind it will appear instead to take its place. And now you are at peace forever, for the dream is over then.”

A Course in Miracles W-108.1:1-5

“Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 79:30-32

The Immune System of the Universe

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

I heard an interesting analogy concerning the body's immune system and the world's ability to heal itself. Each and every one of us is a cell in the immune system of the universe. Every thought we think is either contributing to the unified health of our planet or to the propagation of fear and terror. Every prayer, every meditation, every reaching out through inward listening — everything is magnified exponentially. We have the power to change the world through ourselves! Every interaction brings us closer to a world of love or a world of fear. This love which heals us personally spreads through the web of Oneness. In the same way that we take personal responsibility for ourselves, our health, our well-being, we can take responsibility for a return to Love. It makes a difference, what we do and what we think. We never know when an interaction with someone else will make the difference in that person's life which turns them away from reactive fear to healing love. The truth which corrects all errors in our mind is our ascension into heaven within. Never doubt that you matter, that you make a difference.  Allow silence and listening to guide you to your role in being the change you want to see. 

“What can correct illusions but the truth? And what are errors but illusions that remain unrecognized for what they are? Where truth has entered errors disappear. They merely vanish, leaving not a trace by which to be remembered. They are gone because, without belief, they have no life. And so they disappear to nothingness, returning whence they came. From dust to dust they come and go, for only truth remains.”

A Course in Miracles W-107.1:1-7

"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: 27-31

Listen, With An Open Mind

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #106 advises us to "be still and listen to the truth". We are also told that for every five minutes we spend listening, a thousand minds are opened to the truth we hear. Don't you feel we are very close to a tipping point in spiritual discernment? Every thought we have is important, especially during difficult times. When events occur which bring forth strong negative emotions in people, it is even more important to hold our thoughts to this truth which is heard in silence. Listening, hearing, receiving, and giving the Truth which is God — this is our job today and every day!

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,--this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:32-5

“If you will lay aside the ego’s voice, however loudly it may seem to call; if you will not accept its petty gifts that give you nothing that you really want; if you will listen with an open mind, that has not told you what salvation is; then you will hear the mighty Voice of truth, quiet in power, strong in stillness, and completely certain in Its messages.”

A Course in Miracles W-106. 1:1

Extending the Limitless to the Unlimited

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

I love these words from A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #105: "True giving is creation. It extends the limitless to the unlimited, eternity to timelessness, and love unto itself." To live our lives from this perspective allows us to express love freely, with no fear of it being rejected or misinterpreted. We can gently reach out to people we've just met with heartfelt expressions of empathy and compassion. We bloom in unexpected ways when "extending the limitless to the unlimited". It's ours to give and to receive, in an eternal loop of Love. There's no way to measure how far the ripples of our joy and peace may extend. My cup runneth over!

"The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:11-14

“God’s peace and joy are yours. Today we will accept them, knowing they belong to us. And we will try to understand these gifts increase as we receive them. They are not like to the gifts the world can give, in which the giver loses as he gives the gift; the taker is the richer by his loss. Such are not gifts, but bargains made with guilt. The truly given gift entails no loss. It is impossible that one can gain because another loses. This implies a limit and an insufficiency.” 

A Course in Miracles W-105.1:1-8

Joy, Peace, Happiness

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Joy and peace and happiness are my birthright. These things are what belong to me in truth. These gifts do not need to be earned. We needn't barter with a faraway god in order to experience them. We don't need to wait until we die, we don't have to do a certain number of good deeds, we don't need to take communion, it's not necessary to belong to a church. We have been hoodwinked into believing that we must strive all our lives to attain something which seems unattainable. The conflict of the world is so great that we can't make our way through the maze to the prize we know must be hiding somewhere. We are learning that we can confidently clear the altar of our mind, freeing our thought from fear and pain, and embracing our function as forgiveness, thereby healing our mind and allowing us to find what has always been there: joy and peace and happiness!

“God has built a higher platform of human rights, and He has built it on diviner claims. These claims are not made through code or creed, but in demonstration of ‘on earth peace, good-will toward men’.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 226:14-17

“Today’s idea continues with the thought that joy and peace are not but idle dreams. They are your right, because of what you are. They come to you from God, Who cannot fail to give you what He wills. Yet must there be a place made ready to receive His gifts. They are not welcomed gladly by a mind that has instead received the gifts it made where His belong, as substitutes for them.” 

A Course in Miracles W-104.1:1-5

In Search of Happiness

“Hector and the Search for Happiness" is a movie which introduces us to a man who is a psychiatrist in search of happiness. He goes to China, Africa, and the U.S. asking people what happiness means to them -- and, of course, finds out what happiness means to him. Ultimately, there is nothing outside of ourselves which is going to make us happy. One of the people Hector meets along the way asks how many of us remember a moment in childhood when happiness was a state of being; when everything, inside and out, was all right. That says it all, don't you? What does it take to be happy? Allowing our natural state as a creation of divine Love to shine forth! To quote A Course in Miracles Lesson #103: "God, being Love, is also happiness. and it is happiness I seek today. I cannot fail, because I seek the truth.” Love and happiness are our divine heritage as the expression of God. God is Love, and so are we!

“Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul. Higher enjoyments alone can satisfy the cravings of immortal man.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 60:28-1

“Happiness is an attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it. Nor can it be experienced where love is not. Love has no limits, being everywhere. And therefore joy is everywhere as well. Yet can the mind deny that this is so, believing there are gaps in love where sin can enter, bringing pain instead of joy. This strange belief would limit happiness by redefining love as limited, and introducing opposition in what has no limit and no opposite. 

A Course in Miracles W-103.1:1-7

Choose Happiness

We all know someone who seems to be chronically sad, don't we? They share a commonality of repeatedly replaying painful and distressing events in their thoughts and conversation. I have some sad memories which pop into my head occasionally. When this happens, there's a choice: I can relive the events mentally and/or verbally and thereby keep them alive, or I can acknowledge that they're still in my thoughts, but know that they are not the Truth of my Being. Yes, it happened (whatever it is). It's part of my material history, but my spiritual reality has not been touched by it. The peace brought by this understanding is priceless. I can be happy! Even in the midst of things which are not particularly joyful, I can give myself permission to be happy. It is, after all, my natural state of Being!

“Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man. Man’s happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense.” 

Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 304:16-19

“Be happy, for your only function here is happiness. You have no need to be less loving to God’s Son than He Whose Love created him as loving as Himself.”

A Course in Miracles W-102.5:1-2

In Harmony With Divine Love

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Were you taught that salvation involved some sort of penance for your sins? Most people were, in some form or fashion. Perhaps this is why so many turn away from religion. I'm not sure how theology has decided that we're sinners, because when I read the teachings of Jesus, I find no evidence of this stance. For this reason (and many others), I'm most grateful for the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy and, also, A Course in Miracles. Both of these disciplines attempt to show us that we are the expression of God. As God's experience, we are the embodiment of happiness and joy! Anything opposite of this harmony is a misunderstanding. As we clear away these misapprehensions, we allow what we've always known, deep inside, to begin lighting our path. The more surely we walk in this direction, the brighter the illumination becomes!

“Today we will continue with the theme of happiness. This is a key idea in understanding what salvation means. You still believe it asks for suffering as penance for your ‘sins.’ This is not so. Yet you must think it so while you believe that sin is real, and that God’s Son can sin.”

A Course in Miracles W-101.1:1-5

“For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love…” 

Science & Health Page 337:7-8

Amplification of Wonder

Total Eclipse of the Sun - April 8, 2024

Photo credit: Aaron Springston 

The recent total eclipse of the sun was an event which piqued the interest of millions of people. The weeks leading up to the happening were fraught with many speculations and predictions, and I hope at least half of those had to do with the pure beauty of light emanating from this spectacle. There was something other-worldly about the glow we witnessed being reflected from everything under this particular sun. My two sons and I traveled a couple of hours from home to witness it in its totality. What a joy to see this dying of the light and its subsequent rebirth! We had no expectations for how we would feel, what we would see, or the aftermath of something so powerful. And it was a perfect day … 

“The incarnation of Truth, that amplification of wonder and glory which angels could only whisper and which God illustrated by light and harmony, is consonant with ever-present Love.”

Mary baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 501:10-13

“Today we will attempt to understand joy is our function here. If you are sad, your part is unfulfilled, and all the world is thus deprived of joy, along with you. God asks you to be happy, so the world can see how much He loves His Son, and wills no sorrow rises to abate his joy; no fear besets him to disturb his peace. You are God’s messenger today. You bring His happiness to all you look upon; His peace to everyone who looks on you and sees His message in your happy face.”

A Course in Miracles W-100.6:1-5

The Blossom Shines Through the Bud

When David Hoffmeister was "called" to go on the road and talk to people about the teachings of A Course in Miracles, he didn't know how he would have the funds to do this. He was told by Spirit that all his needs would be supplied, but he didn't believe that. He found himself trying to teach Jesus about the laws of supply and demand. David is a man with excessive formal education, including knowledge of economics, and so he felt certain that Jesus simply didn't understand how the world worked. We tend to think of people like Buddha and St. Francis and Jesus as being beggars of sorts. They didn't make a lot of money, but trusted in the Universe to provide. David was being asked to rely on Spirit to articulate this new/old curriculum. He was being led to teach using everything available -- music, dance, lectures, gatherings -- to help others express deep Love and peace.  The reign of peace has begun, and many people are fighting against it. Let's not be concerned with that. Let's put our energy where it will grow -- on this peaceful transition. Christ consciousness is coming out of hiding and we're being called to help everyone see (by way of our own sight) that this is not some esoteric thing which must be kept secret. It's to be shouted from the rooftops! Fear not, shine your light, call forth witnesses to this light -- and above all, don't tone down your joy!

“Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.” 

Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 518:19-21

“Salvation and forgiveness are the same. They both imply that something has gone wrong; something to be saved from, forgiven for; something amiss that needs corrective change; something apart or different from the Will of God. Thus do both terms imply a thing impossible but yet which has occurred, resulting in a state of conflict seen between what is and what could never be.” 

A Course in Miracles W-99.1:1-3

I Side With Truth Today

Photo credit: Chris Fischer

Knowing that we are Spirit — and the understanding of what that means — allows us to live by divine law rather than material belief.  It's difficult to accept that we are so much more than we ever thought. We tend to continue behaviors which are comfortable, rather than opening up to a whole new paradigm of thought and action. Today I’d like to salute all people who have stood up to material laws and worked to end inhumane practices. We can look back in history and find many, such as Joan of Arc, Jesus, and thousands of lesser-known names. But today I want to salute each and every one of you who aren’t afraid to express divine Love in all your actions and thoughts. Accepting our part as an emanation of Spirit brings freedom of thought and action. The willingness to leave the old ways and embrace Oneness in every moment opens us to the grand adventure of Life. Cheers to you! 

“Question. — What are the demands of the Science of Soul?

Answer. — The first demand of this Science is, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ This me is Spirit. Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but that which is spiritual.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:1-7

“Today is a day of special dedication. We take a stand on but one side today. We side with truth and let illusions go. We will not vacillate between the two, but take a firm position with the One. We dedicate ourselves to truth today, and to salvation as God planned it be. We will not argue it is something else. We will not seek for it where it is not. In gladness we accept it as it is, and take the part assigned to us by God.”

A Course in Miracles W-98.1:1-8

Multifarious Reflections of Spirit

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I've been reading and studying the works of Bicknell Young. This fascinating man was the nephew of Brigham Young, the renowned Mormon leader. I can only imagine his family's surprise when he discovered the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy in the late 1800s, and then went on to gain fame speaking and writing about Christian Science during the next few decades. He's the proverbial person, dead or living, whom I'd choose to sit down with for an evening. These sentences of his about Spirit are part of what pique my interest to know every thought he ever had! "Consciousness is Spirit. It does not become spiritual nor is it spiritualized. Nor does the evolution of consciousness mean a rising above or a purification from anything; it is the ceaseless unfoldment of infinity." Thank you, Mr. Young! 

“I am spirit. Today’s idea identifies you with your one Self. It accepts no split identity, nor tries to weave opposing factors into unity. It simply states the truth. Practice this truth today as often as you can, for it will bring your mind from conflict to the quiet fields of peace. No chill of fear can enter, for your mind has been absolved from madness, letting go illusions of a split identity.”

A Course in Miracles W-97.1:1-5

“Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 277:20-22

Our Busy Mind

White River

Photo by Steve Shogren

Communication is a tricky thing! A friend and I were discussing how interesting it is to be recounting events and have someone else who witnessed them tell the tale entirely differently. It may seem as though you weren't even at the same place, seeing and hearing the same things! The practice of quieting the mind is integral to listening. I've found that when my thoughts are jumping about, it's impossible to truly listen to anything. One thought leads to another, and before you know it, you've gone all around the world and have no idea what's happening right in front of you. By the same token, if I want to hear from the point of spiritual discernment, it's almost impossible to do when my own self won't be quiet long enough to concentrate on a simple sentence in a book. This is always a good indicator for me: If I can't read and digest what I've read, then I'd best have a "time out" and quiet my monkey-ind from its busy-ness! What a peaceful, harmonious world this will be when we all take time to quiet self-importance and listen for Self-knowledge.

"The point for each one to decide is, whether it is mortal mind or immortal Mind that is causative. We should forsake the basis of matter for metaphysical Science and its divine Principle."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 195:11-14

“The fact that truth and illusion cannot be reconciled, no matter how you try, what means you use and where you see the problem, must be accepted if you would be saved. Until you have accepted this, you will attempt an endless list of goals you cannot reach; a senseless series of expenditures of time and effort, hopefulness and doubt, each one as futile as the one before, and failing as the next one surely will.”

A Course in Miracles W-96.2:1-2

You Are One Self

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

We all love stories of people overcoming adversity with super-human strength and ability, don’t we? For instance, Kerri Strug in the 1996 Olympics, spraining her ankle on a vault, then continuing and sticking her landing on the next one. We all know people who persevere through seemingly insurmountable odds to attain their goal. We love movies which show us exactly how difficult it can be to survive, much less to flourish in life, as seen in “The Blind Side” and “Precious”.  And each of us have had turning points, times when we could give up or take an easier route than the one we have chosen. We all have times we need someone to lean on, and we may not always have this support. But spiritually, we always do. A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #95 tells us we are never alone, because we're one Self, united with our Creator and all of Creation. Everything we need is always a part of us, inseparable, complete within. Divine Love is our essence, forever an integral part of our Being. Once we have felt this ever-presence, once we've gotten a small taste of Its peace, we can never go back to believing we're alone. Any help we need is always available, no matter how difficult our circumstance may seem, by allowing Love to replace fear. 

"Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love. Soul is the substance, Life, and intelligence of man, which is individualized, but not in matter. Soul can never reflect anything inferior to Spirit."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 477:20-25

“You are one Self, in perfect harmony with all there is, and all that there will be. You are one Self, the holy Son of God, united with your brothers in that Self; united with your Father in His Will. Feel this one Self in you, and let It shine away all your illusions and your doubts. This is your Self, the Son of God Himself, sinless as Its Creator, with His strength within you and His Love forever yours. You are one Self, and it is given you to feel this Self within you, and to cast all your illusions out of the one Mind that is this Self, the holy truth in you.” 

A Course in Miracles W-95.13:1-5