You Can’t Kill Meme

Do you believe in magic? It’s a good song, that’s for sure. We all want to believe that things can happen, simply because we think about them — but is that magic? Perhaps it’s simply the way things are, although thought is powerful. I recall a documentary explaining how large numbers of people have been convinced to believe lies. It’s called, “You Can’t Kill Meme”. Frightening stuff, but I’m finally beginning to understand what has happened to us in the past few years. The mind control being exercised by large groups of people is scary, but what of the very few people who utilize the internet to exponentially heighten their thought manifestations? To quote one man, “Introduce an element of chaos to break down social hierarchies.” Without citing specific instances, what I’ve ultimately taken away from this informative video is that we must be pure in our reflection of Love and its energy. I have friends who are working for Truth and Love by the food they ingest and the information they spread, teaching us about a more pure way of living. There are many paths and we all have a purpose. Let’s not be afraid to spread love and joy! It’s our best defense against authoritarianism.

“What is healing but the removal of all that stands in the way of knowledge? And how else can one dispel illusions except by looking at them directly, without protecting them? Be not afraid, therefore, for what you will be looking at is the source of fear, and you are beginning to learn that fear is not real. You are also learning that its effects can be dispelled merely by denying their reality. The next step is obviously to recognize that what has no effects does not exist. Laws do not operate in a vacuum, and what leads to nothing has not happened. If reality is recognized by its extension, what leads to nothing could not be real. Do not be afraid, then, to look upon fear, for it cannot be seen. Clarity undoes confusion by definition, and to look upon darkness through light must dispel it.”

A Course in Miracles T-11.V.2:1-9

“Divine Life destroys death, Truth destroys error, and Love destroys hate.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 339:2-3

An Anchor of Hope

                       

Humans are extremely resilient, and our environment is awesome in its regenerative powers. The Book of Hope, by Jane Goodall, is a wonderful inspiration for our trying times. It can be difficult for us to maintain a hopeful attitude in the face of the destruction we are witnessing, but she gives us many reasons to remain hopeful. One example is a tree which was destroyed in New York City on 9/11. About a month into the clean-up process, a remnant of a pear tree was discovered between two large pieces of concrete. It almost went to the dump, but a woman asked if she could try to save it. She worked with a nursery in the Bronx and it survived! It is now planted at the memorial site and is a great inspiration to everyone, particularly those who feel hopeless. If feelings of hopelessness visit me today, I’ll remember the resurrection of the tree and know that anything is possible.

“The miracle of life is ageless, born in time but nourished in eternity. Behold this infant, to whom you gave a resting place by your forgiveness of your brother, and see in it the Will of God. Here is the babe of Bethlehem reborn. And everyone who gives him shelter will follow him, not to the cross, but to the resurrection and the life.”
A Course in Miracles T-19.IV-C.10:6-9

“The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us, and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions. Like our Master, we must depart from material sense into the spiritual sense of being.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 40:32

Thrifting

I like to shop in thrift stores. The thrill of the hunt is a fun hobby, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy using mismatched plates and bowls: I always have a reason to look for another pattern which brings me joy! Now I'm happy when I chip a plate or break a bowl, as I have a reason to wander around in my favorite resale shop looking for a replacement. Libraries and secondhand stores hold a fascination I can’t quite describe. Not only is there a certain delight associated with finding treasures, but there’s the energy of all the hands these items have passed through. I imagine who touched the pages before, wondering if he/she was as excited as I to be learning about another way of life. In this throw-away society, there’s a certain happiness I feel in not buying things. Exchanging belongings with friends and neighbors adds to the tapestry of life. It’s the little things, don’t you think?

"All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God creates is eternal. You can indeed depart in peace because I have loved you as I loved myself. You go with my blessing and for my blessing. Hold it and share it, that it may always be ours. I place the peace of God in your heart and in your hands, to hold and share. The heart is pure to hold it, and the hands are strong to give it. We cannot lose. My judgment is as strong as the wisdom of God, in Whose Heart and Hands we have our being. His quiet children are His blessed Sons. The Thoughts of God are with you.”
A Course in Miracles T-5.IV.8:2-15

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are

“Maybe the only enemy is that we don’t like the way reality is now and therefore wish it would go away fast. But what we find as practitioners is that nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. It just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves." 

 Pema Chödrön, in "When Things Fall Apart"

“Your whole perspective on the world will shift by just a little, every time you let your mind escape its chains. The world is not where it belongs. And you belong where it would be, and where it goes to rest when you release it from the world.Your Guide is sure. Open your mind to Him. Be still and rest.” 

A Course in Miracles W-128.7:3-8.

“The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. 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 128:11-19

We’ve Been Deceived

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

We’ve been played. All of us want the same things in life — safety, enough sustenance, a home, people we love who love us — but we’ve been convinced that we’re different and some of us are “bad”. All of the name-calling and blame-shaming has had its desired effect. We have turned against each other. For the last decade or so, we’ve all been looking over our shoulder before we speak our mind. We’ve been convinced that we’re alone in our thought systems. We’ve been confined to our little bubbles of friendships and family. Sometimes even our friends and family think differently than we do, and we have been afraid of them, too – or worse, repelled by them. While most of us could name a few things we’d like to change in our country, in our society, I don’t know of anyone who wants to throw away our beautiful ideas of democracy. Maybe it takes a complete change in order to tweak a few things. But I don’t think so. Let’s work together, for the good of all. Just the way our founders dreamed we would.

“Appearances can but deceive the mind that wants to be deceived. And you can make a simple choice that will forever place you far beyond deception. You need not concern yourself with how this will be done, for this you cannot understand. But you will understand that mighty changes have been quickly brought about, when you decide one very simple thing; you do not want whatever you believe an idol gives. For thus the Son of God declares that he is free of idols. And thus is he free.”
A Course in Miracles T-30.IV.6:1-6


A lie has only one chance of successful deception, — to be accounted true. Evil seeks to fasten all error upon God, and so make the lie seem part of eternal Truth. Emerson says, “Hitch your wagon to a star.” I say, Be allied to the deific power, and all that is good will aid your journey, as the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. (Judges v. 20.) Hourly, in Christian Science, man thus weds himself with God, or rather he ratifies a union predestined from all eternity; but evil ties its wagonload of offal to the divine chariots, — or seeks so to do, — that its vileness may be christened purity, and its darkness get consolation from borrowed scintillations.”
Unity of Good page 17:1-12

The Strength of Your Conviction

 

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

I had no time to Hate -

Because

The Grave would hinder me -

And Life was not so 

Ample I

Could finish--Enmity -

Nor had I time to Love -

But since

Some Industry must be -

The little Toil of Love -

I thought

Was large enough for Me.

Emily Dickinson

“Tyranny, intolerance, and bloodshed, wherever found, arise from the belief that the infinite is formed after the pattern of mortal personality, passion, and impulse.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 94:14-16

“Fantasy is a distorted form of vision. Fantasies of any kind are distortions, because they always involve twisting perception into unreality. Actions that stem from distortions are literally the reactions of those who know not what they do. Fantasy is an attempt to control reality according to false needs. Twist reality in any way and you are perceiving destructively. Fantasies are a means of making false associations and attempting to obtain pleasure from them. But although you can perceive false associations, you can never make them real except to yourself. You believe in what you make. If you offer miracles, you will be equally strong in your belief in them. The strength of your conviction will then sustain the belief of the miracle receiver. Fantasies become totally unnecessary as the wholly satisfying nature of reality becomes apparent to both give and receiver. Reality is ‘lost’ through usurpation, which produces tyranny. As long as a single ‘slave’ remains to walk the earth, your release is not complete. Complete restoration of the Sonship is the only goal of the miracle-minded.”
A Course in Miracles T-1.VII.3:1-14

Content or not …

Creation of Sandy Wythawai Starbird

After watching the movie, Brad's Status, I'm seeing people in a different way. In this movie, Brad -- played by Ben Stiller -- is dissatisfied with his life. He thinks all his friends are better off than him, in every way. When he sees that they're not really, he decides they're not even his friends, but only pretending. Everyone he meets, he imagines enriching his life, then quickly imagines them using him and throwing him away. He thinks his son is going to Harvard and gets very excited thinking about his success; then he imagines his son making fun of him on national tv and he resents the imagined success. This goes on and on with every situation, until finally someone he has just met calls him on his self-pity. I won't tell you how it ends in case you want to see this film. But I did have the realization that many people I know feel exactly the same way as Brad. What causes some people to be happy with what's right in front of them, and others to want everything to be different? I don't know the cause, but I do know the cure: Gratitude for every little thing you see and do. I think being happy might just be a learned behavior. We tend to think of it as some sort of divine dispensation, but nothing can give you what you do not want. This movie has given me much to ponder. Namaste, my friends ...


"Many theories relative to God and man neither make man harmonious nor God lovable. The beliefs we commonly entertain about happiness and life afford no scatheless and permanent evidence of either. Security for the claims of harmonious and eternal being is found only in divine Science." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:5

“Imagined slights, remembered pain, past disappointments, perceived injustices and deprivations all enter into the special relationship, which becomes a way in which you seek to restore your wounded self-esteem. What basis would you have for choosing a special partner without the past? Every such choice is made because of something ‘evil’ in the past to which you cling, and for which must someone else atone.”
A Course in Miracles T-16.VII.1:3-5

What Unites Us

This evening my book club celebrated reading and discussing our 200th book! Our book was one I read in 2021, and I will repeat what I wrote about it then:

Photo of book club circa 2017

Dan Rather’s book, What Unites Us, is one which I highly recommend. He is old enough to remember what life was like in the aftermath of the great depression, times before we had government programs to help people in need, along with the suffering which was thought of as normal. When someone lost their job, it felt like death, because there was not another job to be found. Neighbors would do what they could for each other, and when little Dan asked his mother why they were helping the people across the street (thinking perhaps it was pity which inspired his folks to give) he was told it wasn’t because they felt sorry for them, but because they understood the feeling of being in need. He writes of empathy building community. In the last three decades, I’ve watched our little town band together to help people in every kind of need that you can imagine. I have been the recipient of that kindness more than once, and it has built empathy within me, too. When we don’t blame people for their misfortune, we don’t judge their circumstances, but simply meet their need, whatever it may be. It seems so simple, and it is a beautiful thing to watch in action. I wish everyone in our country could read or listen to this book by Mr. Rather. Good will multiplies exponentially, don’t you think? Let’s go forth and multiply!

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

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

“Through divine Science, Spirit, God, unites understanding to eternal harmony. The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:10-14

Ranting and Raving and Forgiving

I went off on a rant today when an old contrarian friend from the west coast called me to question the veracity of a Rumi quote which I often use at the bottom of my emails. With the horror show which is happening within our American democracy, it’s easy to become overwrought. After pontificating for five minutes or so, then rationally talking to him about whatever-the-heck he was asking, I deep cleaned my kitchen. Looking back on this situation, I am recommending to myself (and you) to find physically-demanding outlets for the frustration which builds up knowing what is happening to us. It is heartbreaking. But it also tells me how desperate we the people are for change. More on that another day. For now, I highly recommend the cathartic activity of cleaning …

“Attack is always physical. When attack in any form enters your mind you are equating yourself with a body, since this is the ego’s interpretation of the body. You do not have to attack physically to accept this interpretation. You are accepting it simply by the belief that attack can get you something you want. If you did not believe this, the idea of attack would have no appeal for you. When you equate yourself with a body you will always experience depression. When a child of God thinks of himself in this way he is belittling himself, and seeing his brothers as similarly belittled. Since he can find himself only in them, he has cut himself off from salvation.”

A Course in Miracles T-8.VII.1:1-8

“Should the world’s sin and sorrow round thee rave, Pierce thou the dark with Truth’s undaunted ray, Send out its light of joy to help and save, That more and more shines to the perfect day.”

Christian Science Hymnal Page 172 Verse 3

The Faces of Loneliness

I listen to audiobooks while I do chores and cook, and I’ve heard numerous thought-provoking books. For instance, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The concepts presented are fascinating. A young 19th-century girl laments her life, wishing she had more freedom, and that she wasn’t being forced into a marriage. She makes a pact with the “old gods”, but she wishes for the wrong thing and ends up living forever, but no one can remember her once she’s out of their sight. The life of isolation she is thrown into is haunting, frightening, and sad. Her plight brings to mind the many present-day people who are lonesome. I listen, trying to understand what brings on their feelings of wistful longing. Or is it even longing? I’m not sure, but I’d like to empathize. Another audiobook, What Alice Forgot, is about a woman who has a head injury and forgets the last ten years of her life. The lack of connection she feels with family and friends is sort of the flip side of Addie’s isolation. It takes my thoughts to different aspects of loneliness and the perceptions associated with this feeling of lack. I heard an interview today with a young man talking about loneliness and the effect it has had on many of his friends. They have become members of violent white nationalist groups because they feel a kinship in banding together against people. Let’s reach out to others, giving a kind word to sad, perhaps frightening, people. We never know when a kind word will change a life …

“The ego thought system must hide our awareness of our oneness in God in order to make the image of having a separate life for ourselves alone appear real to us. In order to experience this false thought system, we must be willing to set up barriers against remembering God’s oneness through denying our natural awareness of Love’s eternal presence. To experience this thought system of separation, we dream up a world where separate bodies rule the universe. In this dream, we, as separate individuals, are the judge of what is real and what is denied. We build up images of a kingdom that we rule alone and God’s oneness is sacrificed.” 

A Course in Miracles, Chapter 26, Section I

“Abiding in Love, not one of you can be separated from me; and the sweet sense of journeying on together, doing unto others as ye would they should do unto you, conquers all opposition, surmounts all obstacles, and secures success.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writings Page 137:7-11

Gratitude in Times of Crises

There was an interesting editorial in the Christian Science Monitor which spoke to gratitude in times of crisis. The essay mentioned that gratitude helps put a focus on the good in a situation, dampening fear. It helps people form stronger bonds across borders and through their differences. It encourages generosity. I found it particularly interesting that they referred to expressing appreciation as a kind of reset for thoughts, saying that it allows calm reflective thinking, which is just what we need in order to bring us a healing perspective during these times. These wise words can certainly be applied to many situations in our current atmosphere, don't you think? I'm going to practice this as a way of turning around fearful or defensive thinking when it occurs. If someone is expressing a thought which I find abrasive, I will find something to be grateful for — if not about them in particular, about the situation in general. Whatever the case, I love thinking about gratitude as a "reset"!!

“Through your gratitude you come to know your brother, and one moment of real recognition makes everyone your brother because each of them is of your Father. Love does not conquer all things, but it does set all things right.”

A Course in Miracles T-4.VI.7:5-6

“This is what is meant by seeking Truth, Christ, not ‘for the loaves and fishes,’ nor, like the Pharisee, with the arrogance of rank and display of scholarship, but like Mary Magdalene, from the summit of devout consecration, with the oil of gladness and the perfume of gratitude, with tears of repentance and with those hairs all numbered by the Father.”

MaryBaker Eddy - Science & Health Page 367:10-16

How Can There Be Less Than All?

 

When a Dog Runs Up (by Hafiz)

 

"Start seeing everything as God, but keep

it a secret.

 

Become like the man and woman who are

awestruck and nourished

listening to a golden nightingale sing

in a beautiful foreign language while God,

invisible to most, nests upon its tongue.

Hafiz, who can tell in this world that

when a dog runs up to you wagging its

ecstatic tail, you lean over and whisper in

its ear,

 

Beloved, I am so glad you are happy to  

see me! Beloved, I am so glad, so very glad

you have come!’

Hafiz

 

“But see the Love of God in you, and you will see it everywhere because it is everywhere. See His abundance in everyone, and you will know that you are in Him with them. They are part of you, as you are part of God. You are as lonely without understanding this as God Himself is lonely when His Sons do not know Him. The peace of God is understanding this. There is only one way out of the world’s thinking, just as there was only one way into it. Understand totally by understanding totality.”

A Course in Miracles T-7.VII.10:4-10

“God being everywhere and all-inclusive, how can He be absent or suggest the absence of omnipresence and omnipotence?

How can there be less than all? 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 287: 13-16

No Worries Over Errant Thoughts

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

When we study divine metaphysics, quantum physics, and other related disciplines, we begin to examine our thoughts. We notice if we automatically go to the negative side of a what-if situation, and then do our best to “correct” it. In practices such as The Secret, we are taught that we can manifest things in our lives simply by thinking hard enough and long enough about them. Many of these disciplines cause students of divine Science to cringe, because we’re not trying to manipulate matter, but would rather see past these illusions to the truth of our Being. This morning, while listening to a Buddhist documentary, I heard the speaker tell us that “every thought we have doesn’t need to be true”. I love the way he explained that while many thoughts going through our mind are not ones we agree with, we needn’t be worried by them. When we realize we can acknowledge negative ideas and not claim them as our own, we are freed to laugh at ourselves and continue on, joyfully. Have a beautiful day, my friends …

“We said before that the Holy Spirit is evaluative, and must be. He sorts out the true from the false in your mind, and teaches you to judge every thought you allow to enter it in the light of what God put there. Whatever is in accord with this light He retains, to strengthen the Kingdom in you. What is partly in accord with it He accepts and purifies. But what is out of accord entirely He rejects by judging against. This is how He keeps the Kingdom perfectly consistent and perfectly unified.”A Course in Miracles T-6.V-C.1:1-6

“Human thought never projected the least portion of true being. Human belief has sought and interpreted in its own way the echo of Spirit, and so seems to have reversed it and repeated it materially; but the human mind never produced a real tone nor sent forth a positive sound.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page: 126:8-14

Who’s Responsible For Assessing Truth?

This question, asked in a news magazine, caught my attention: “Who’s responsible, ultimately, for assessing truth?” This was asked in reference to popular podcast host, Joe Rogan, and the fact that he spreads misinformation. This, he freely admits. He said on a talk show, “I talk shit for a living – that’s why this is so baffling to me. If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?” Mr. Rogan has a larger audience than many news networks, and his followers are mainly young, white men. His highly publicized words concerning vaccines have brought demands that streaming platforms monitor their content; hence the question, who’s responsible for assessing truth? Personally, I think it’s the individual. But it seems that we the people don’t have the inclination, or perhaps the education, to assess truth. Our critical thinking and reading comprehension seem to have taken a nosedive and people are relying on false headlines and opinionated podcasts to inform them on world events. So what do we do? Is censorship the answer? It’s difficult to say that books shouldn’t be banned, yet podcasts and such should be censored. But it sure is tempting to do so!

"The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page VII:13

“Let truth be what it is. Do not intrude upon it, do not attack it, do not interrupt its coming. Let it encompass every situation and bring you peace. Not even faith is asked of you, for truth asks nothing. Let it enter, and it will call forth and secure for you the faith you need for peace. But rise you not against it, for against your opposition it cannot come.”

A Course in Miracles T-17.VIII.2:1-7

The Simple Truth

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

Should books be banned from public schools? Some people are upset that their children might learn about sex and gender issues which they would rather not think about. Others seem to be afraid their children will learn their ancestors were not the kind-hearted humans they choose to see them as being. Perhaps some are afraid their children will learn about religious and spiritual ideas which are not copasetic with their own. All of these things, and more, are impossible to “shield” our children from, especially in the age of technology when all sorts of information, correct and not so much, is at their fingertips. Perhaps it would be wiser to teach critical thinking and reading comprehension, enabling our children to think for themselves and discern information for what it is. We, as adults, have an obligation to be brave and face tough questions, and answers. What is more important for the advancement of humanity, to hide the fact that great-grandpa fathered a child with his slave, or to allow our children to know the truth of how we came to this country and created what we see today? There seem to be no easy answers, but I’m pretty sure we’re making this more difficult than it should be. 

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John viii. 32

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

Shakespeare

“If a light is suddenly turned on while someone is dreaming a fearful dream, he may initially interpret the light itself as part of his dream and be afraid of it. However, when he awakens, the light is correctly perceived as the release from the dream, which is then no longer accorded reality. This release does not depend on illusions. The knowledge that illuminates not only sets you free, but also shows you clearly that you are free.”

A Course in Miracles T-2.I.4:6-9

"A few immortal sentences, breathing the omnipotence of divine justice, have been potent to break despotic fetters and abolish the whipping-post and slave market; but oppression neither went down in blood, nor did the breath of freedom come from the cannon’s mouth. Love is the liberator." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:16-22

The Beauty of Individual Differences

Yesterday,I sent out a two-year-old post about the book, House on the Cerulean Sea. This was done because today I finished its sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. This is, indeed, a book for our troubled times. On the fictional island, Marsylas, Arthur Parnassus has set up an environment to shelter magical children. Their talents range from being able to grow trees and gardens in the blink of an eye, to other less delightful but nevertheless charming characteristics. They are being targeted by a controlling government, as being a threat to society. We are shown the power of a loving community to heal the wounds of exclusion and various forms of childhood abuse. There is much to be considered while reading this book, and its story gives me hope for the healing of our society through the power of Love. As Arthur Parnassus tells the children: “I believe the greatest weapon we have at our disposal is our voices. And I am going to use my voice for you, and for me. Hate is loud. We are louder.”

“The truth of what we are is not for words to speak of nor describe. Yet we can realize our function here, and words can speak of this and teach it, too, if we exemplify the words in us.”

A Course in Miracles W-pII.14.2:4-5

“Include moral as well as physical belief in your efforts to destroy error.  Cast out all manner of evil. ‘Preach the gospel to every creature.’ Speak the truth to every form of error.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 418:26-29