Peace of Mind

Does everyone want peace of mind? I truly think we do, but some of us have forgotten. Perhaps you know someone who thinks they want money more than peace, or maybe they want the excitement which brings an adrenaline rush, rather than the beauty of a quiet mind. I know people who seem stuck in a mental loop, repeating scenarios which cause them to be upset and angry. Many books have been written about change and the things we must do to shift our way of thinking about life. What if it’s easier than that? What if it only takes a desire to be peaceful, and then listening in the silence for the guidance which leads to that contentment? As with many changes in behavior, it may take practice and repetition. But I’ve found that the desire to attain peace has facilitated its attainment. Seeking peace outside of ourselves is as futile as seeking it through exciting physical activities. When we’re looking for something, we must know where to look. Namaste…

“The mind which means that all it wants is peace must join with other minds, for that is how peace is obtained. And when the wish for peace is genuine, the means for finding it is given, in a form each mind that seeks for it in honesty can understand. Whatever form the lesson takes is planned for him in such a way that he can not mistake it, if his asking is sincere. But if he asks without sincerity, there is no form in which the lesson will meet with acceptance and be truly learned.”

A Course in Miracles W-185.6:1-4

"The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:11-12

Seeing Past Tribes and Nations

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

We, as humans, make up thousands of designations in order to separate ourselves. We may be proud of our heritage, putting plaques on our walls telling that our ancestors came over on the Mayflower. We teach our children “where they came from" and tell them reasons they should be proud of this. We proclaim what state we hail from, what school we attended, which football teams we cheer for — the list goes on and on. As A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #184 tells us: “Learning that stops with what the world would teach stops short of meaning.” I want to see past tribes and nations. I don’t want to think of myself as a Razorback or a woman. I don’t want to think of myself at all, but would rather rest in the knowledge that I am an Idea of God, individually expressing that in whatever way is my function! 

“The eternal Truth destroys what mortals seem to have learned from error, and man's real existence as a child of God comes to light.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 288:31–1

“God’s Name reminds me that I am His Son, not slave to time, unbound by laws which rule the world of sick illusions, free in God, forever and forever one with Him.”

A Course in Miracles W-204.1:2

Our Perceptions of Words

Mrs. Ropers

Photo Credit: Richard Quick

Words matter. I’ve always believed this oft-repeated maxim, and still do, although I’ve expanded my thoughts on the topic. How we perceive words is what matters. In pondering this, a childhood memory popped up. My parents had friends who visited us often and we spent hours in conversation with them. Mr. Santa Cruz used profanity quite often. Damn, hell, goddam, flowed through his conversation naturally. We also had a relative in Arizona who visited yearly, and we traveled there almost as often. He was the same: talking happily with curses interwoven throughout his wonderful stories. My parents’ home was a profanity-free zone, except where these two men were concerned. It came so naturally to them that it did not seem bad. Looking back, it was charming in its own way. Thinking about their words now, I see it was simply an expression of their joyful spirit. It didn’t seem bad, because it wasn’t. I’m comparing this tale to our society’s interpretation of situations which are foreign to us — such as, same-sex marriage, religious rituals different from what is our norm, the releasing of long-held ideologies, and other changes. I hope we can give ourselves a chance to look behind our prejudices and see the intent of those we are so quick to condemn. My hope for today is that we all see the truth behind actions. Is it love-based — whatever IT is? As an aside, both of these men were Catholic, so I grew up with the misapprehension that all Catholics cursed profusely. See how easy it is to make judgments? Namaste, Friends ...

“By purifying human thought, this state of mind permeates with increased harmony all the minutiae of human affairs.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writings Page 204:23-25

“Today you can achieve a state in which you will experience the gift of grace. You can escape all bondage of the world, and give the world the same release you found. You can remember what the world forgot, and offer it your own remembering. You can accept today the part you play in its salvation, and your own as well. And both can be accomplished perfectly.”

A Course in Miracles W-183.9:1-5

Surrounded With Beauty

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

The more tumultuous world activities become, the greater is my desire to be surrounded with beauty. Almost every day, I plant seeds of some sort, and my garden is a source of great joy. My cats are calm and happy, so I seek to emulate them. The accompaniment of beautiful music without words is with me during household tasks, and words of wisdom fill my earbuds many times during the day. Plant-based meal preparation is a calming, joyous event. Having repeatedly written about the exponential growth of our thoughts, I’m practicing what I preach, noticing every inharmonious thought which comes to mind, quickly turning it around into one of productive peace. A conscious desire to live in loving harmony seems necessary nowadays, and I’m willing to make that effort. Everyone I come into contact with is either actively living Love, or else they are agitated and fearful. I know it’s not easy to translate and reinterpret the news of the world, but it can be done. Namaste, my dear Friends!

“Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color. It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 247:21-27

“When you are still an instant, when the world recedes from you, when valueless ideas cease to have value in your restless mind, then will you hear His Voice. So poignantly He calls to you that you will not resist Him longer. In that instant He will take you to His home, and you will stay with Him in perfect stillness, silent and at peace, beyond all words, untouched by fear and doubt, sublimely certain that you are at home. 

A Course in Miracles W-182.8:1-3

Oneness with the Universe

In my heart, I know we are close to a tipping point in mass consciousness, a point in which everyone sees that there is no difference between any facet of humankind. In this sight, there is a world bathed in peace and contentment. There are no conflicts because everything is done for the good of everyone, and nothing contrary exists because we cannot have such thoughts in the face of beauty and Love. Once again, I must mention expanded identity. We have a terribly limited view of who we are, don’t you think? When we identify with our closest family, our community, our nationality, the color of our skin, our gender — perhaps this sets us up for conflict. A larger identity, a broad and firm foundation of who I am, these are the things I long to understand. Every day I listen for clues which will guide me to that utopia. Catching but a glimpse of it, causes me to want more!

“I trust my brothers, who are one with me.

No one but is my brother. I am blessed with oneness with the universe and God, my Father, one Creator of the whole that is my Self, forever One with me.

I am not a body. I am free. 
For I am still as God created me.”

A Course in Miracles W-201.1:1-6

"We cannot build safely on false foundations. Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pass away and ‘all things are become new’."  

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 201: 7-9

The World Perceived Differently

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

In these volatile times, perhaps you've witnessed anger spreading quickly with regard to current events. I’m convinced that peace spreads just as quickly as anger! I once had a demonstration of peace quelling anger -- visibly, quickly, thoroughly. I was leaving work in the early evening and, as I started down a stairway across from Basin Park, a man sitting on a bench began to sing the beautiful Louis Armstrong song, "What a Wonderful World". I stood at the top of the stairs listening to him, and was filled with on overwhelming sense of happiness and buoyant peace. These feelings were so encompassing that I barely noticed voices shouting to my left. When the man finished singing, I glanced over at three people sitting on the wall and shouting obscenities directly at me. It was as though I couldn't comprehend what they were doing, and I just kept smiling and looking directly at them, with this incredible feeling of Love still growing inside of me. As I watched the young people and their angry faces, it seemed that they were deflating like balloons. All of their anger was seeping out of them; I watched the visible shift in their demeanor. I joyfully waved at them and went down the stairs. I'll never forget that palpable feeling of light displacing darkness. I'll bet they haven't either!

“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

"Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:24-27 

Who Are You?

Sitting on my porch, enjoying flowers and fireflies, encouraging seedlings to grow, enjoying the rosy twilight sky: this was my perfect evening. Shortly thereafter, a friend from the west coast called and asked me what I thought the definition of a bohemian is. Hum — something I’ve never thought about! And this is why I enjoy this particular 80-year-old, retired airplane mechanic: he makes me think. The reason he was asking is (according to him) he needs a definition of himself, so he can tell people what he is. He is in flux because he’s been breaking ties with organizations he’s enjoyed most of his life — i.e., the national rifle association, among others. Even though he wants to step outside of “tribalism”, he craves a word to define himself. What a delight to find that the current Course in Miracles workbook lesson is “I am not a body. I am free!” How many of us cling to long outgrown ideas about ourselves and other things? I suggested to him that he do things which bring him joy, letting the definitions fall where they may. I thank my friend for prompting me to reexamine my definitions of myself. It’s a good feeling to think I’m a lover of life!

“Freedom must be impossible as long as you perceive a body as yourself. The body is a limit. Who would seek for freedom in a body looks for it where it cannot be found. The mind can be made free when it no longer sees itself as in a body, firmly tied to it and sheltered by its presence. If this were the truth, the mind were vulnerable indeed!”

A Course in Miracles W-199.1:1-5

“If we are sensibly with the body and regard omnipotence as a corporeal, material person, whose ear we would gain, we are not ‘absent from the body’ and ‘present with the Lord’ in the demonstration of Spirit.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 14:1-5

I Am Grateful

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

Perhaps you think you should be appreciated more, or maybe you know someone who is always "fishing for compliments". Both of these mental mud puddles fall under the category of expecting something which you already have. When you appreciate yourself, when you are grateful for the wonder which is you, that's all you need. And it is an all-encompassing gratitude! This recognition is one of the after-effects of releasing the bonds of materiality. The more we let go of expectations and beliefs, the more opportunity there is for Truth to take their place. We needn't do anything but clear the way! And I am grateful for glimpses of reality. 

“The world must thank you when you offer it release from your illusions. Yet your thanks belong to you as well, for its release can only mirror yours. Your gratitude is all your gifts require, that they be a lasting offering of a thankful heart, released from hell forever. Is it this you would undo by taking back your gifts, because they were not honored? It is you who honor them and give them fitting thanks, for it is you who have received the gifts.”

A Course in Miracles W-197.3:1-5

“Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more. Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 3:21-26

The Prison of Condemnation

It seems impossible to stay away from thoughts of condemnation. While it may be tempting to jump up on our high horse and expound on the rightness and/or the wrongness of external events, this desire is only from the standpoint of belief. Mortal mind, ego, tells us that certain situations are real, and then tells us we must do something about it. So we go off on a tangent, telling people how they should change their ways, feeling certain that everything will be better when they do so. Much like the internet, we have an instant, constant connection with each other through our Oneness as spiritual beings. It's akin to flipping on the light switch in a dark room. If we don't know that's possible, we continue to sit in the dark. But when we listen with quiet expectation that divine Mind will supply us with all we need, we may just find ourselves walking over to that unknown element and turning on the light! 

“Condemn and you are made a prisoner. Forgive and you are freed. Such is the law that rules perception. It is not a law that knowledge understands, for freedom is a part of knowledge. To condemn is thus impossible in truth. What seems to be its influence and its effects have not occurred at all. Yet must we deal with them a while as if they had. Illusion makes illusion. Except one. Forgiveness is illusion that is answer to the rest. 

A Course in Miracles W-198.2:1-10

"I am asked, 'What are your politics?' I have none, in reality, other than to help support a righteous government, to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself." 

Mary Baker Eddy Miscellany 276:23

The End of Error

 

Photo Credit: Blake Lasater

At this point in the Course in Miracles workbook lessons, we are repeatedly told that we are on the brink of realizing salvation, revelation, heaven. The belief systems we have put into practice throughout the years may begin to talk back to us in protest of our new way of thinking. Fear not! We have the tools to stand fast in our knowledge. We have each other as reminders in support. We have inner knowing to tap into for verification on our path. We can move onward, upward, inward, fearless and secure in Love.

“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

BUILDING A MATRIX OF LIGHT FOR THE NEW WORLD

“Now that you rise at last out of the miasma of Earth consciousness into the glorious expanse of freedom, I Am here with you, ready to gift you with the awareness that freedom comes in the transfer of your life energy and awareness into consciousness rather than thought. All of the feeling that is alive and yours must shift now from emotion to the true divine feeling of My living and beating heart. The currency that you use for life must now become energy, not thought or emotion and certainly not materiality which is the deepest form of the illusion that is you.”

From The Messages From God - Circle of Light

“There is no Thought of God that does not go with you to help you reach that instant, and to go beyond it quickly, surely and forever. When the fear of God is gone, there are no obstacles that still remain between you and the holy peace of God. How kind and merciful is the idea we practice! Give it welcome, as you should, for it is your release. It is indeed but you your mind can try to crucify. Yet your redemption, too, will come from you.”

A Course in Miracles W-196.12:1-6

 

Separate From No Living Thing

My grandchildren live 800 miles away. No matter what distance lies between us, I am extremely grateful for the technology which allows me to get a glimpse into their daily lives. I go with them, virtually, to the park, on bike rides, and to their backyard to work in their sweet garden. It would be easy to feel sorry for myself, lamenting the fact that I can’t hold them in my arms, smell their sweet little heads, and play cribbage games with my son. But I’d rather be grateful that we are happy and whole, loving each other as much as if we were living together. My daughter-in-law’s family lives close to them, and I have never witnessed a closer-knit family. There is nothing I would wish for my son more than the beautiful family he has found, and the children which have joined them. As today’s Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson says: “Love is the way I walk in gratitude.” Nothing could more closely express the way I feel today!

“We thank our Father for one thing alone; that we are separate from no living thing, and therefore one with Him. And we rejoice that no exceptions ever can be made which would reduce our wholeness, nor impair or change our function to complete the One Who is Himself completion. We give thanks for every living thing, for otherwise we offer thanks for nothing, and we fail to recognize the gifts of God to us.”

A Course in Miracles W-195.6:1-3

“It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness.”

Mary baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 247:24-27

What, Me Worry?

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

Worry is like praying for something horrible to happen. I heard well-known author and speaker, Marianne Williamson, say this in a video chat. Holding thought to the best possible outcome, without outlining what that outcome is, feels right to me. Whatever I put my attention on grows! Years of trying to plan my life (and the actions of those around me!) has taught me the futility of this exercise. I now vow to listen for divine Mind’s ideas to lead me in the paths of Love. I don’t always hear this guidance above the cacophony of material existence, but I’m learning how to tune in to that still, small voice. And for this, I am grateful.

“What worry can beset the one who gives his future to the loving Hands of God? What can he suffer? What can cause him pain, or bring experience of loss to him? What can he fear? And what can he regard except with love? For he who has escaped all fear of future pain has found his way to present peace, and certainty of care the world can never threaten.He is sure that his perception may be faulty, but will never lack correction. He is free to choose again when he has been deceived; to change his mind when he has made mistakes.”

A Course in Miracles W-194.7:1-8

“Adhere to the divine Principle of Christian Science and follow the behests of God, abiding steadfastly in wisdom, Truth, and Love.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page  495:28-31

Evolving Humaninty

"A new species is arising on the planet. It is arising now, and you are it!" These lines end the Eckhart Tolle book, A New Earth. I wish it could be required reading for every person on this old earth! The beautifully clear way he explains how we cling to old beliefs, allowing ourselves to be influenced by fear, by the past, by illusion, is both inspiring and illuminating. Mr. Tolle's book gives numerous examples of seeing differently. I wish to dedicate every moment to seeing this new world, allowing the disappearance of old beliefs and hypnotic thoughts to provide a transparency for the arising of our new way of Living. We have a huge opportunity at this parenthesis in eternity. Let’s recognize what is not functional and change it! Politics, for instance. Every time anyone suggests a better way, everyone immediately begins to shout about why it won’t work. It seems to me we are being forced to face the error of our ways. What an exciting time for humanity!

“Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist and author, has wisely said: ‘Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly, they say they have always believed it.’”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 104-8-12

“This is the lesson God would have you learn: There is a way to look on everything that lets it be to you another step to Him, and to salvation of the world. To all that speaks of terror, answer thus:

“I will forgive, and this will disappear.

“To every apprehension, every care and every form of suffering, repeat these selfsame words. And then you hold the key that opens Heaven’s gate, and brings the Love of God the Father down to earth at last, to raise it up to Heaven. God will take this final step Himself. Do not deny the little steps He asks you take to Him.”

A Course in Miracles W-193.13:1-7

In Rappport

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Today, two things happened which reinforced my understanding of universal consciousness. First of all, once a month a dear friend drops off his wife at my house. She is experiencing advanced dementia and only goes places where she feels comfortable. Today when they arrived, I had been rushing about, hurrying to get chores done before they got here. I was a bit anxious and Mary immediately picked up on this feeling. She tried to leave with her husband, saying she didn’t want to stay here. I quickly realized she was experiencing fear from my mental tension. So  released it and gave her a hug, reassuring her we would have a lovely day. Which we did. Then after she left, I got a call from a friend telling me of a book she read, which she thought that I would enjoy: The Boy, the Mole, The Fox and the Horse — written by Charlie Mackesy. As she excitedly told me about the book, I realized that she did not know my daily writing (which was waiting in her email) had used an illustration and quote from the very same story! These two events showed me, once again, how our thoughts are joined through the one Source. As we go through our day, let’s remember: every thought is important; every action exponential. Be the future you wish to see!

“The ancient prophets gained their foresight from a spiritual, incorporeal standpoint, not by foreshadowing evil and mistaking fact for fiction, — predicting the future from a groundwork of corporeality and human belief. When sufficiently advanced in Science to be in harmony with the truth of being, men become seers and prophets involuntarily, controlled not by demons, spirits, or demigods, but by the one Spirit. It is the prerogative of the ever-present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future.”

Mary are Eddy - Science & Health Page 84:3-14

“Forgiveness gently looks upon all things unknown in Heaven, sees them disappear, and leaves the world a clean and unmarked slate on which the Word of God can now replace the senseless symbols written there before.”

A Course in Miracles W-192.4:1

The Compass of the Heart

What barriers am I putting up which keep me from seeing my reality as the expression of divine Love? It could be anything, so I will notice my thoughts and actions today with this in mind. A number of years ago, I read a novel with an intriguing title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. The main character loses his eyesight when he’s a young boy. One of his mentors tells him that the true essence of everything is invisible to the eye. He tells the boy that the eyes distract us, as they love to be dazzled, and that we rely too heavily on them and neglect our other senses — and he means more than hearing or taste or smell. “I’m talking about the organ within us for which we have no name. Let us call it the compass of the heart.” So today I will let barriers fall and intuition rise, knowing that we are the holy reflection of Love.

“God creates neither erring thought, mortal life, mutable truth, nor variable love.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 503:24-25

“You who perceive yourself as weak and frail, with futile hopes and devastated dreams, born but to die, to weep and suffer pain, hear this: All power is given unto you in earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do. You play the game of death, of being helpless, pitifully tied to dissolution in a world which shows no mercy to you. Yet when you accord it mercy, will its mercy shine on you.”

A Course in Miracles W-191.9:1-4

A Little Shift in Perception

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston 

I went for a car ride with a friend. As I got in she asked how I was and I said, "To quote my dear friend, Richard, it's the best day of my life!" She said, "Oh, I've only said that once, and I've regretted it for 20 years." She explained that she had been working in a restaurant and had said it was the best day of her life, when a young couple asked how she was. Later on, she found out that they had just lost a baby, and she felt so guilty about feeling good that she not only never said that again, but has remembered it, with guilt, all these years. When she finished telling her tale, I laughed! I told her that if they were out eating and drinking that soon after their loss, they must have wanted a happy diversion or else they would have stayed home. My sweet friend was thrilled! She said that after all that time of feeling guilty, it was suddenly gone! So there was a perfect, simple example of how a little shift in perception can turn pain to joy. Let’s forgive ourselves for any  guilty memories we may be cherishing, as we choose joy rather than pain.

“Lay down your arms, and come without defense into the quiet place where Heaven’s peace holds all things still at last. Lay down all thoughts of danger and of fear. Let no attack enter with you. Lay down the cruel sword of judgment that you hold against your throat, and put aside the withering assaults with which you seek to hide your holiness.

A Course in Miracles W-190.9:1-4

"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." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:32-4

Beyond Righteous Indignation

Photo Courtesy of Blake Lasater

There are upwards of 4,000 religions in the world. I dare to say that they all have factions which are showing symptoms of insanity. I became ensnared in a mini-series called “Under The Banner of Heaven”. It deals with a militant faction of the Latter Day Saints, but I think the same thing could happen in any religion. Something I noticed about these Patriots (as they called themselves), is that they have allowed their egos to take precedence over their thought processes. They began to believe they were the only ones who knew the truth. When Mary Baker Eddy wrote Science & Health in the mid-nineteenth century, she had no desire to start a religion, and only did so because she wanted to ensure that the book would continue to be published in the years after her passing. She often stated that its reading would help a Baptist be a better Baptist, and she insisted that we not proselytize. In a similar manner, A Course in Miracles is not a religion and does not require that you follow any ritual or dogma. Anyone can benefit from its teachings, without giving up their lifelong congregational affiliations.  Seeing beyond the material picture of human hatred and righteous indignation is what we can do to change the world. Let’s remember: Every thought is important! 

“There is a light in you the world cannot perceive. And with its eyes you will not see this light, for you are blinded by the world. Yet you have eyes to see it. It is there for you to look upon. It was not placed in you to be kept hidden from your sight. This light is a reflection of the thought we practice now. To feel the Love of God within you is to see the world anew, shining in innocence, alive with hope, and blessed with perfect charity and love.”

A Course in Miracles W-189.1:1-7

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9