Big Questions

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

A number of my friends and acquaintances have become mentally lost in these past few years. Some had a slow progression, and some seemed to fall off a cliff into dementia. It’s a mystery why these things happen, and there are as many theories as there are people. A book I listened to, Super Brain, addresses the loss of brain cells and the ability to regrow them. It also speaks to reasons we slowly lose our mental capabilities due to lack of intellectual exercise. Physical reasons for disease are generally what people explore, but more and more we are realizing how mind affects the body. Various testing situations show that the brain can be physically manipulated, also. I want to know the difference between the brain and the mind. Questions such as: What is consciousness? Where does intuition come from? What is divine Mind and how does it affect what we think of as our mind? These are the questions I love to contemplate. My study of books by Margaret Laird, Max Kappeler, Joel Goldsmith, Mary Baker Eddy, and others, are the reason I find every day to be an exciting adventure. We can never know everything about the inner world we call spirituality, and this brings me great joy!

“The notion that both evil and good are real is a delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates. Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power. As manifested by mankind it stands for a lie, nothing claiming to be something, — for lust, dishonesty, selfishness, envy, hypocrisy, slander, hate, theft, adultery, murder, dementia, insanity, inanity, devil, hell, with all the etceteras that word includes.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 330:25-32

“You also believe the body’s brain can think. If you but understood the nature of thought, you could but laugh at this insane idea. It is as if you thought you held the match that lights the sun and gives it all its warmth; or that you held the world within your hand, securely bound until you let it go. Yet this is no more foolish than to believe the body’s eyes can see; the brain can think.

“It is God’s strength in you that is the light in which you see, as it is His Mind with which you think. ²His strength denies your weakness. It is your weakness that sees through the body’s eyes, peering about in darkness to behold the likeness of itself; the small, the weak, the sickly and the dying, those in need, the helpless and afraid, the sad, the poor, the starving and the joyless. These are seen through eyes that cannot see and cannot bless.”
A Course in Miracles W-92.2:1–3:4

Spread Love!

Art created by Marghanita Hughes

Having grown up in the same area where I presently live, and never straying farther than a nearby university town, I know a lot of people. Old friends, new friends, and everything in between are about the best thing that can happen to us on this sweet earth! Every friendship is individual, but they all have a commonality: love. The compassionate caring which wells up when we hear of friends’ hardships, or the joy for their happy times, these reactions feel like a primal instinct to me. Hearing stories of friends’ lives at class reunions, my heart swells with a deeper understanding of the people I’ve known for six-plus decades. Laughing with old friends over memories fills me with happiness. It’s nice to know people who start to giggle at the mention of a single word. Childhood friendships run deep. One of the saddest plights of humanity is the loneliness of isolation. Next time you’re going to a meeting, any meeting which involves people gathered together for the common good, invite a shut-in neighbor, or an acquaintance who rarely participates in events, anyone you think would enjoy meeting new people. Spread the love!

“It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:9-10

“You look still with the body’s eyes, and they can see but thorns. Yet you have asked for and received another sight. Those who accept the Holy Spirit’s purpose as their own share also His vision. And what enables Him to see His purpose shine forth from every altar now is yours as well as His. He sees no strangers; only dearly loved and loving friends. He sees no thorns but only lilies, gleaming in the gentle glow of peace that shines on everything He looks upon and loves.”
A Course in Miracles T-20.II.5:1-6

Calm and Exalted Thought

A friend asked me to listen to and give an opinion on a recording having to do with alien beings controlling our actions. Although much of what was said could be considered rhetoric of the conspiracy-theory crowd, the main theme was the same principle I’ve been studying for years; the same ideas which we are hearing from various avenues. The central point addressed turning away from illusions and seeing reality. While the woman on this recording was telling us that lizard people are controlling our actions, she also advised us to not be frightened or give it too much importance, but rather to focus on Love and see through any supposed power these creatures may have. What a wonderful metaphor! It certainly is no more outlandish than the Adam and Eve story, or any other legend meant to show us the difference between illusions and truth. And so, as I go through this day hearing all the insanity, I know it can only disturb my tranquility if I give it more power in thought than I give the stillness of peace. Namaste …

“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

“Perhaps we are now ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. If this is not yet feasible, we are content and even more than satisfied to learn how such a day can be achieved. If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and return to peace. We need but tell our minds, with certainty, ‘The stillness of the peace of God is mine,’ and nothing can intrude upon the peace that God Himself has given to His Son.”
A Course in Miracles W-273.1:1-4

Are We Ready For Truth?

Photo from Catherine Reed

Are we finally ready for the truth? I've heard it said that we, as a human race, can’t stand to hear the truth if it contradicts long-held beliefs. This is said about everything from extraterrestrial life to religious doctrine, but I think we are ready to hear it! People say that if the truth were known about everything, society would break down. It seems to me this might be a good thing, because our current belief systems don't appear to be functioning too well! Perhaps everyone's dissatisfaction stems from feeling we’re being lied to on many levels. A few centuries ago, a total eclipse of the full moon would cause many fear-based reactions when the orb turned red, disappeared, then reappeared. As the truth has set us free from that irrational fear, so it may in other ways, allowing us to joyfully look up and say “Wow, that’s beautiful!” I think we're ready, don't you?!

“Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page vii:13-15

“Today we practice making free your mind of all the laws you think you must obey; of all the limits under which you live, and all the changes that you think are part of human destiny. Today we take the largest single step this course requests in your advance towards its established goal.” 

A Course in Miracles W-127.6:4-5

Reciprocal Thoughts With Nature

Colorado Columbine - photo by Aaron Springston

“Nature becomes aware of itself through you, and you become aware of your stillness through nature.” Eckhart Tolle told me this today through one of his short and sweet youTube videos. It caused me to reminisce about one of my favorite nature documentaries."Wings of Life" is described as a love story from flowers to pollinators. Another reason this film stayed with me is that its narrator is Meryl Streep. She tells us that the flowers multiply in beauty, with gratitude to the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. This gratitude turns my thoughts to things which fill my heart: people, music, nature -- movies like this one! In line with my quest to be with those who help my being, I will stay with entertainment which brings beauty and grace to life, turning away from inanities and programing designed to disturb the senses. Life is good, and I am grateful…

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Look with peace upon your brothers, and God will come rushing into your heart in gratitude for your gift to Him.”
— A Course in Miracles T-10.V.7:7

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 240:1-2

Interacting With Strangers

Beijing - Photo by Aaron Springston

I’m reminded of a day when Reverend Cinthia Jean Saul was the guest pastor at a church where I played organ. Her sermon was on hospitality — as in, providing food and shelter for those in need. I was delighted by her instructions to be a “participant observer”. Her advice was to put ourselves in a situation, at least once a week, in which we can meet someone we otherwise would not. In this way, we can become familiar with lifestyles of groups of people who are not in our regular circle of friends. When we put ourselves in certain situations time and again, we begin to understand others’ viewpoints. One thing I have done for almost three decades is make regular visits to public laundromats. I have met scores of people I wouldn’t have had the chance to sit down and visit with otherwise. In these times of extreme division and self-imposed tribalism, this would be a good exercise for all of us to practice in some form or another. May we look for and find our commonality in these coming days. We all need each other so very much …

“I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and me. The reason you come before me is that I do not need miracles for my own Atonement, but I stand at the end in case you fail temporarily. My part in the Atonement is the cancelling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. When you have been restored to the recognition of your original state, you naturally become part of the Atonement yourself. As you share my unwillingness to accept error in yourself and others, you must join the great crusade to correct it; listen to my voice, learn to undo error and act to correct it. The power to work miracles belongs to you. I will provide the opportunities to do them, but you must be ready and willing. Doing them will bring conviction in the ability, because conviction comes through accomplishment. The ability is the potential, the achievement is its expression, and the Atonement, which is the natural profession of the children of God, is the purpose.”
A Course in Miracles T-1.III.1:1-10

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 569:30-5

Nurturing Yourself — Today and Every Day!

Today I would like to celebrate everyone who has ever lovingly tended a garden, or carefully cooked a meal, or comforted a sad friend, or helped someone in need, or volunteered for a cause dear to their heart, or read to a child, or loved a dog, or anything else you may have done which took you out of yourself by thinking of another first. I have many friends who are sad on this day in which we celebrate mothers. Mothering encompasses so much more than having a child or going to dinner with your mom, don’t you think? Anything done with love qualifies you as a nurturer, so celebrate yourself today! It matters not if you’re male, female, young, or old, be gentle with yourself today and every day! 

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

A Course in Miracles W-156.4:1-4

“My weary hope tries to realize that happy day, when man shall recognize the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself, — when he shall realize God’s omnipotence and the healing power of the divine Love in what it has done and is doing for mankind.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 55:16-21

Compassion Is An Act of Greatness

Photo courtesy of Don Matt

“Hummingbirds of Hollywood” is an episode in the PBS Nature series. Terry Maserati is a woman who rehabilitates hummingbirds. As I watched her care for these tiny creatures, many questions come to my thoughts. I wondered if people who watch this program will become more mindful of nature. Has this fabulous woman always cared about life to the extent she has exhibited with these birds for the last two decades? Will her love spread exponentially with every sweet little thing she saves? Can my heart survive the breaking open, the expansion, which comes from realizing the power of small acts? Are there any small acts? Watching this woman love these birds seems to be the most powerful action anyone could make. As she stated at the end of the program: “The truth is, when you show compassion, when you show love for something when you don’t have to, it’s an act of greatness, even if it’s a tiny little bird.” 

“Miracles are a kind of exchange. Like all expressions of love, which are always miraculous in the true sense, the exchange reverses the physical laws. They bring more love both to the giver and the receiver.”

A Course in Miracles T-1.I.9:1-3

“Christian Science commands man to master the propensities, — to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with chastity, revenge with charity and to overcome deceit with honesty.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 405:4-9

Honest as a Cat

Catrin Welz Stein – Midnight Cat

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” 

Ernest Hemingway

“Honesty does not apply only to what you say. The term actually means consistency. There is nothing you say that contradicts what you think or do; no thought opposes any other thought; no act belies your word; and no word lacks agreement with another. Such are the truly honest. At no level are they in conflict with themselves. Therefore it is impossible for them to be in conflict with anyone or anything.”

A Course in Miracles M-4.II.1:4-9

“Take away wealth, fame, and social organizations, which weigh not one jot in the balance of God, and we get clearer views of Principle. Break up cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom, and we get better views of humanity.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 239:5-10

Wasted Energy in Denying Truth

Photo from Aaron Springston

I’ve always been happy to have friends and family who are smarter and/or more knowledgeable than me. When someone tells me I’m mistaken about a “fact”, or that I’m interpreting something incorrectly, or maybe that my memory is faulty, I’m grateful for the correction. Much in the same way I’m thankful when someone tells me my skirt is stuck in my waistband, I’m glad if knowledge keeps me from spreading information erroneously. Apparently not everyone feels this way! Not only are we witnessing public figures fearing to say “I was wrong and I’m sorry”, but I’ve been noticing a situation with a loved one whose family has maligned him for decades. When did knowledge and the accumulation of information become something to be ridiculed? Metaphysical practitioners recognize that energy follows thought, so I’m not spending a lot of time replaying memories of behavior which I don’t want to manifest. But it sure is hard not to do so!

“We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are ‘not as other men’? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke. The wrong lies in unmerited censure, — in the falsehood which does no one any good.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 8:28

“You do not recognize the enormous waste of energy you expend in denying truth. What would you say of someone who persists in attempting the impossible, believing that to achieve it is to succeed? The belief that you must have the impossible in order to be happy is totally at variance with the principle of creation. God could not will that happiness depended on what you could never have. The fact that God is Love does not require belief, but it does require acceptance. It is indeed possible for you to deny facts, although it is impossible for you to change them. If you hold your hands over your eyes, you will not see because you are interfering with the laws of seeing. If you deny love, you will not know it because your cooperation is the law of its being. You cannot change laws you did not make, and the laws of happiness were created for you, not by you.” 

A Course in Miracles T-9.I.11:1-9

Finding Joy in Everyday Things

Graphic from Aaron Springston

Someone asked me what I do for fun, and I replied that everything I do is fun. They didn’t believe me, but it’s true. There are things I get to do which are pure joy: play bridge, play the organ/piano, study spirituality in its various forms, grow things, write this blog — and so on. Then there are those things which could be classified as chores. For instance, when washing dishes, I love the feel of warm, soapy water on my hands. Cooking is always an interesting experiment, and I never know what’s going to happen so it’s an adventure. Now, the more mundane things — cleaning floors and such — I try to make a form of exercise (because I don’t get enough and am always looking for ways to move more). Cooking, cleaning, and driving — these activities are an opportunity to listen to audiobooks. So they are enjoyed not only for the action, but I look forward to them as opportunities to “read”. Well, I could go on and on, but I think many of you know what I mean. It’s exciting to wake up in the morning, and it’s gratifying to go to sleep at night. Life is good. Every little bit of it. The Wayne Dyer graphic at the top of this post says it all, and I credit him with helping me realize that every moment is one to be savored. As he said: “If you drop a pen and don’t enjoy picking it up, drop it again!” Have a fun day everyone …

“In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 407:22-28

“Be still a moment, and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest, untouchable within its light. God’s ministers have chosen that the truth be with them. Who is holier than they? Who could be surer that his happiness is fully guaranteed? And who could be more mightily protected? What defense could possibly be needed by the ones who are among the chosen ones of God, by His election and their own as well?”
A Course in Miracles W-153.10:1-6

It’s Time To Write A New Beginning

One of my friends expressed concern about getting old. So I’m revisiting this photo and a Donna Ashworth writing just for her. Maybe it’s for you, too! 

A favorite book club photo from the past

“There comes a day, somewhere in the middle of every woman’s life, when Mother Nature herself stands behind us and wraps her arms around our shoulders, whispering

‘It’s time.’

You have taken enough now. It’s time to stop growing up, stop growing older and start growing wiser and wilder.

There are adventures still waiting on you and this time, you will enjoy them with the vision of wisdom and the companionship of hindsight, and you will really let go.

It’s time to stop the madness of comparison and the ridicule of schedule and conformity and start experiencing the joys that a life, free of containment and guilt, can bring.’

She will shake your shoulders gently and remind you that you’ve done your bit. You’ve given too much, cared too much, you’ve suffered too much.

You’ve bought the book, as it were, and worn the t-shirt.

Worse, you’ve worn the chains and carried the weight of a burden far too heavy for your shoulders.

‘It’s time’ she will say.

Let it go, really let it go and feel the freedom of the fresh, clean spaces within you. Fill them with discovery, love and laughter. Fill yourself so full you will no longer fear what is ahead and instead you will greet each day with the excitement of a child.’

She will remind you that if you choose to stop caring what other people think of you and instead care what you think of you, you will experience a new era of your life you never dreamed possible.

‘It’s time’ she will say…

to write the ending, or new beginning, of your own story.” 

Donna Ashworth

“Be confident that you have never lost your Identity and the extensions which maintain It in wholeness and peace. Miracles are an expression of this confidence. They are reflections of both your proper identification with your brothers, and of your awareness that your identification is maintained by extension. The miracle is a lesson in total perception. By including any part of totality in the lesson, you have included the whole.” 

A Course in Miracles T-7.IX.7:1-10

“Truth will at length compel us all to exchange the pleasures and pains of sense for the joys of Soul.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 390:9-11

Would I Do It Again?

Today has brought me reasons to examine the choices we make. My main question for myself is: If I know something will be detrimental to my emotional and mental well-being, is there a reason I would choose to do it anyway? This contemplation has led me to revisit some “bad” choices I’ve made in my past. These are not regrets or obsessions, but a simple questioning of myself about why I did these things and if I would do them again. While I’ve decided I would indeed repeat the questionable behavior, I don’t think I would handle the consequences in the same manner. We are learning that everything we do is either done from love or it is a call for love, and I see how this pertains to these past events. And if I’m not happy with my choices, I’m grateful for the ability and opportunity to choose again. 

“As vapor melts before the sun, so evil would vanish before the reality of good. One must hide the other. How important, then, to choose good as the reality! Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else. God’s being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss. ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ Like the archpriests of yore, man is free ‘to enter into the holiest, — the realm of God.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:31

“The only judgment involved is the Holy Spirit’s one division into two categories; one of love, and the other the call for love. You cannot safely make this division, for you are much too confused either to recognize love, or to believe that everything else is nothing but a call for love. You are too bound to form, and not to content. What you consider content is not content at all. It is merely form, and nothing else. For you do not respond to what a brother really offers you, but only to the particular perception of his offering by which the ego judges it.” A Course in Miracles T-14.X.7:1-6

Put Down Your Heavy Burdens

While listening to a friend recount details of a painful event from her past, I thought of a favorite book by Eckhart Tolle which contains a parable he often tells in his videos. In the book, A New Earth, he relates a story of two monks walking down the road. They see a young woman, dressed in white, attempting to cross the muddy roadway. One of the monks picks her up and carries her to the other side and they go on their way. A few hours later, the other monk says, You shouldn’t have carried that woman across the road; we don’t do that. The carrier responds: I put her down hours ago, but it looks like you’re still carrying her! It’s easy to carry grudges and supposed hurts inflicted on us, taking events out and reliving them at the slightest provocation. I’m ready to put these things down and stop blaming someone else for the burden I’m carrying. What a wonderful freedom!

“In Him you have no cares and no concerns, no burdens, no anxiety, no pain, no fear of future and no past regrets. In timelessness you rest, while time goes by without its touch upon you, for your rest can never change in any way at all. You rest today. And as you close your eyes, sink into stillness. Let these periods of rest and respite reassure your mind that all its frantic fantasies were but the dreams of fever that has passed away. Let it be still and thankfully accept its healing. No more fearful dreams will come, now that you rest in God. Take time today to slip away from dreams and into peace.”
A Course in Miracles W-109.5:1-8

“Progress is born of experience. It is the ripening of mortal man, through which the mortal is dropped for the immortal. Either here or hereafter, suffering or Science must destroy all illusions regarding life and mind, and regenerate material sense and self. The old man with his deeds must be put off. Nothing sensual or sinful is immortal. The death of a false material sense and of sin, not the death of organic matter, is what reveals man and Life, harmonious, real, and eternal.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 296:3-16

Rising Above The Moment

Photo from Mark McGee

I began listening to a book today which I’ve always known existed, but was afraid to read: Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s, Man’s Search For Meaning. As a survivor of Nazi death camps, he documents lessons for spiritual survival. He tells us that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. He writes that we can make a victory of any experience by seeing it as an opportunity and a challenge. There was an “ah-ha-moment” for him when he was lamenting a number of things going on around him, and suddenly he realized he could rise above the moment and see it as if it was already past. He suddenly saw himself on a stage, well-fed and comfortable, talking to a crowd of people about the psychology of a concentration camp. He saw his experience as an opportunity to learn about the psychological journey he was on, and convey that message to others. He quotes Spinoza: “Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it.” I’m reminded of another philosopher who said: Let it Be!

“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

“The miracle teaches you that you have chosen guiltlessness, freedom and joy. It is not a cause, but an effect. It is the natural result of choosing right, attesting to your happiness that comes from choosing to be free of guilt. Everyone you offer healing to returns it. Everyone you attack keeps it and cherishes it by holding it against you. Whether he does this or does it not will make no difference; you will think he does. It is impossible to offer what you do not want without this penalty. The cost of giving is receiving. Either it is a penalty from which you suffer, or the happy purchase of a treasure to hold dear.” 

A Course in Miracles T-14.III.5:1-9

Learning to Educate

When I was a child, education seemed fairly straightforward. We all went to primary school, very few people we knew were functionally illiterate, and no one we knew thought the earth was flat. Today it’s a different scene. I hear tell that around 50% of the people in the United States cannot read on a 7th grade level, and that an alarming percentage believe the sun rotates around the earth. The isolation of pandemic times changed the face of education, and time will tell if we have learned anything from those events. We see steps in the right direction. Tennessee had a statewide tutoring program to get their students back to the “normal” level, and it helped around 150,000 students. Worldwide, we are also seeing baby steps. In Ethiopia, more than 2 million children were out of school, due to war, drought, flooding, and other circumstances. They implemented an accelerated learning program, where in 10 months the first three years of school can be taught, allowing the children to enter school in 4th grade. This program is held in brightly decorated spaces with a focus on music and games in order to encourage a sense of joy. Perhaps this is the solution: bring the joy of learning back to school. If children are happy in school, feeling comfortable and safe, they will learn. We can do this …

“Eternal Truth is changing the universe. As mortals drop off their mental swaddling-clothes, thought expands into expression. ‘Let there be light,’ is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page255:1 

“Child of God, you were created to create the good, the beautiful and the holy. Do not forget this. The Love of God, for a little while, must still be expressed through one body to another, because vision is still so dim. You can use your body best to help you enlarge your perception so you can achieve real vision, of which the physical eye is incapable. Learning to do this is the body’s only true usefulness.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.VII.2:1-5

Problem Solving Through Justice

In my younger days, I enjoyed horror stories. Stephen King was a favorite because of his exceptional writing skills and his insights into the psyche of the psychopath. I was fascinated by the awfulness of it. Going hand in hand with that fascination, was my desire to pollute my body with substances which seemed to be fun, but ultimately were not. Over the last three decades, I’ve given up these things one by one, some more readily than others. I’ve been thinking about the horrors of the political scene, as we’ve watched it unfold over these same decades. It has culminated in a particularly intense awfulness at this point, and I have no desire to partake of its emotional rollercoaster. While staying informed, it is my goal to remain calm. A wise woman once told me she only wanted to hear about the problem once; from then on, we would only speak of solutions. As of today, I reaffirm my conviction to do this. I wish you peace in whatever way you choose to solve problems!

“The Holy Spirit’s problem solving is the way in which the problem ends. It has been solved because it has been met with justice. Until it has it will recur, because it has not yet been solved. The principle that justice means no one can lose is crucial to this course. For miracles depend on justice. Not as it is seen through this world’s eyes, but as God knows it and as knowledge is reflected in the sight the Holy Spirit gives.” 

A Course in Miracles T-25.IX.5:1-6

“The mild forms of animal magnetism are disappearing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front. The looms of crime, hidden in the dark recesses of mortal thought, are every hour weaving webs more complicated and subtle. So secret are the present methods of animal magnetism that they ensnare the age into indolence, and produce the very apathy on the subject which the criminal desires.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 102:16

Startled Back To Truth

Photo thanks to Chris Fischer 

Some nights, when I sit down to write this daily blog, all I want to do is complain about things. Rather than do that, I’m posting a few quotes on truth.

“Humankind is being led along an evolving course, through this migration of intelligences, and though we seem to be sleeping, there is an inner wakefulness that directs the dream, and that will eventually startle us back to the truth.”
Rumi

“We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us. The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 201:13-18

“Miracles are examples of right thinking, aligning your perceptions with truth as God created it.”
A Course in Miracles T-1.I

Do Unto Others …

We often hear of cruelty beyond comprehension. How could anyone possibly perpetrate such behavior? I would hazard to guess that, if asked, the people responsible would not think they were acting in a cruel manner. They would probably say it was necessary to protect themselves or others from some threat. Somewhere along the way, we have decided that it's all right to kill and perform other heinous acts because it's a logical defense against something or the other! Once again, The Four Agreements come to mind. In this wonderful interpretation of ancient Toltec wisdom, Don Miguel Ruiz explains four simple rules to live by which would ensure peace and happiness for everyone. The second agreement is, "Don't take anything personally". He goes so far as to say that even if someone shoots you in the head, it's not your problem, but theirs! I love this as it puts into perspective what we have misinterpreted. We seem to think retaliation is an acceptable behavior. I have a friend who tells me that Jesus told her she'd forgiven her sister enough, and it was all right to hate her now. Wow. I guess that's what I mean by people thinking they're doing a service to the world by killing or other gross behavior. We can convince ourselves, with our mortal minds, that anything is good. This illustrates the importance of letting go of all material beliefs. We are not only capable of living this pure Life, but it is our natural state, expressing only Love. The Utopia which comes with such a dream is a reality, when we allow it.

“And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 497:24-28

“You respond to what you perceive, and as you perceive so shall you behave. The Golden Rule asks you to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This means that the perception of both must be accurate. The Golden Rule is the rule for appropriate behavior. You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly. Since you and your neighbor are equal members of one family, as you perceive both so you will do to both. You should look out from the perception of your own holiness to the holiness of others.”
A Course in Miracles - T-1.III.6:1-7

Is It True, Kind, Necessary?

Long ago, during a Course in Miracles meeting, good-friend Ramona said, “You better watch out what you say in front of Marsha. You may end up in the dailies!” I was reminded of this when a dear friend from forever called and told me she had momentarily thought a recent writing was about her. We both laughed at this idea, for a number of reasons. Then I began thinking about how these daily writings keep me honest. I’m prone to jumping up on my high horse and pontificating, so I’m always aware of this irritating trait within myself. Sometimes it’s tempting to use this venue to complain about things and tell people what they should do. But I don’t want to do that. By putting my thoughts into words, knowing they will be read by others, there is a built-in test; one which I hope to employ in day-to-day interactions: “Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?” I trust my dear friends will help me stay true to my mission!

From don Miguel Ruiz

“Your happiness is up to you, and it depends on how you use the word. If you get angry and use the word to send emotional poison to someone else, it appears that you’re using the word against that person, but you’re really using the word against yourself. That action is going to create a like reaction, and that person is going to go against you. If you insult someone, that person may even harm you in response. If you use the word to create a conflict in which your body may be injured, of course it’s against you.

“Be impeccable with your word really means never use the power of the word against yourself. When you’re impeccable with your word, you never betray yourself. You never use the word to gossip about yourself or to spread emotional poison by gossiping about other people.

“You are the creator of your own life story. If you use the word impeccably, just imagine the story that you are going to create for yourself. You’re going to use the word in the direction of truth and love for yourself. You’re going to use the word to express the truth in every thought, in every action, in every word you use to describe yourself, to describe your own life story. And what will be the result? An extraordinarily beautiful life. In other words, you are going to be happy.”
The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz