April 9, 2012 - Salvation is my only function here

ACIM Workbook Lesson 99

“Salvation is my only function here.”

Heather in Glacier National Park
photo by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thought]

Our only function is seeing, knowing, and living Truth. It's rather difficult to understand that salvation and forgiveness are a part of the dream of material existence; that there is nothing from which to be saved or forgiven. The distinction between illusion and reality is essential to this understanding. And even an understanding does not preclude a desire to hold on to the unreality. I had a dream last night which illustrates how we want to keep our illusions. I had a long and elaborate dream involving not being able to find nor help a loved on who was in trouble. There were piles of snow so deep they couldn't be passed, along with many other impediments which produced anxiety and distress. It seemed to go on forever and I kept trying to climb out of it. But when I woke up, my first thought was going back to sleep to see how the dream would end! As I was sliding back into sleep, the thought came to me that this wasn't necessary. Why should I care how it ended? Couldn't it end any way I wanted it to?? As I came back to conscious awareness, it occurred to me that this was an exact analogy illustrating our desire to hold onto illusions. This experience has caused me to examine everything I've done today, looking at my actions and thoughts from all sides to see if they are coming from God or my own personal ideas of how things should be. I am holding to the fact that God is All, and that I reflect this Love as my governing Principle. I accept this salvation today and always.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,--that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle.”

Science & Health Page 275 6-9

April 8, 2012 - Resurrection

Heather and Aaron in Red Butte
photo by Sandy Magnan

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #98

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”

[Marsha's thoughts]

The wording of today's lesson could seem to be a form of predestination, in which our free will is taken away and we are put into some sort of automaton state where we are warriors for God. The freedom which comes with our resurrection from material belief does not feel this way to me! The message of the crucifixion and resurrection, I see as uplifting. Neither A Course in Miracles nor Christian Science puts Jesus on the cross. The crucifixion is not an act which is dwelt upon in divine metaphysics. It is simply the death of material belief, in which the Christ idea is risen in all the beauty of divine Love, and the ascension of our thought is the ultimate reality of Life. This is God's plan for salvation: Accept yourself as the spiritual idea you are and let go of the material thought basis which binds you to unreality. Spring is a time of renewal in all of nature. We have chosen this time of year to rise in the spirit of Truth, to celebrate our transformation which comes by the renewal of our minds, to realize that no one can give us salvation because it's already ours. What could be more joyously perfect!! I share with you in celebration today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"RESURRECTION: Spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding."

Science & Health Page 493:9-12

April 7, 2012 - I Am Spirit

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #97

“I am spirit.”

Photo taken in Washington, D.C.
by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thoughts]

Once again today's workbook lesson takes me to the seven synonyms for God as given in Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Those are: Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind, Principle. And I, as a reflection of this thing called God, embody all of these synonyms within the truth of my being. Seeing Spirit as our true substance shows us how to live beyond thought which holds us in the belief that we are this body. Seeing beyond this mental image of ourselves caged in matter allows a breaking free within us. The much-quoted "Our Deepest Fear" from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love tells us that what we fear most isn't our inadequacies but our power. Here is the paragraph from the book: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” These words will be a constant reminder to me today that I Am a reflection of God, and this will be demonstrated through knowing that I am Spirit, I am Soul, I am Life, I am Truth, I am Love, I am Mind, I am Principle.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: [This is from a dialogue between matter and Spirit]

“I am Spirit. Man, whose senses are spiritual, is my likeness. He reflects the infinite understanding, for I am Infinity. The beauty of holiness, the perfection of being, imperishable glory,--all are Mine, for I am God. I give immortality to man, for I am Truth. I include and impart all bliss, for I am Love. I give life, without beginning and without end, for I am Life. I am supreme and give all, for I am Mind. I am the substance of all, because I AM THAT I AM.”

Science & Health Page 252:32-8

April 6, 2012 - Self-Government

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #96

“Salvation comes from my one Self.”

Mongolian Morning
photo by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thoughts]

What a peaceful realization it is to know that salvation is not something given to us by someone or something, but is from our own Self. This is the one self which is shared with All that Is, which we cannot be separated from, which we cannot lose through the actions of ourselves or others. Salvation is peace and joy which cannot be given nor taken by someone else. I witnessed a little interlude today in which two people thought their happiness and peace were being affected by each other. It was a simple interaction, but I could see the feathers flying from the encounter! I was in the doorway of the gallery and a man was standing in the street taking a picture. He started to come back to the sidewalk, but because of the stacks of limestone and barricades between him and the walkway, he needed to go 20 feet or so in either direction to get there. He chose to step over an orange cone and cross amidst the construction. The owner of Peace, Love, and Cheesecake reprimanded him, pointing out the reasons he shouldn't be doing that. I was standing in my doorway and the trespasser was walking my way. Seeing that he was disgruntled, I said jokingly (and I hoped flirtatiously!) as he passed: You're such an adventurer! He blurted out some disparaging words about the man who had gently corrected him. I made my final pitch for lightheartedness, as the man stomped up the street. These little encounters would be much different if we realized and demonstrated today's lesson. By listening for guidance from your One Self, I seriously doubt you could be led to either walk where there is danger, or point out that danger to someone else. Knowing your only real government is from Love, God, allows salvation for you and everyone and everything. Today I will remember this sentence from Lesson 96: "Problems that have no meaning cannot be resolved within the framework they are set.”

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"When we endow matter with vague spiritual power,-- that is, when we do so in our theories, for of course we cannot really endow matter with what it does not and cannot possess,--we disown the Almighty, for such theories lead to one of two things. They either presuppose the self-evolution and self-government of matter, or else they assume that matter is the product of Spirit. To seize the first horn of this dilemma and consider matter as a power in and of itself, is to leave the creator out of His own universe; while to grasp the other horn of the dilemma and regard God as the creator of matter, is not only to make Him responsible for all disasters, physical and moral, but to announce Him as their source, thereby making Him guilty of maintaining perpetual misrule in the form and under the name of natural law."

Science & Health Page 119:1-16

April 5, 2012 - I Am One Self

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #95

“I am one Self, united with my Creator.”

Group in Mongolia
photographer unknown

[Marsha's thoughts]

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

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

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

Science & Health Page 477:20-25

April 4, 2012 - I Am as God Created Me

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #94

“I am as God created me.”

Aaron at World Cup in Germany 2006

[Marsha's thoughts]

To deal with physical ailments, there are many healing modalities we experience and/or hear of every day.  Some seem to be no more than masking symptoms, some work to find the cause of our distress and eliminate or change it, and others we classify under the heading of miracles because we don't understand their basis. Recently I watched an Oprah Soul Sunday interview with Wayne Dyer in which he told of his diagnosis of leukemia and the subsequent healing he experienced through working with the Brazilian man known as John of God. He was asked to send photographs of himself, taken from four angles, he was to take some prescribed herbs and lots of water, and there were some other physical dictates he was to follow. He was told what time the "surgery" was to take place and instructed to stay in bed for 24 hours afterwards. Many things passed through my mind as I watched this show. First of all, that dis-ease is just that. Dr. Dyer had been going through some rough emotional times, including his wife of many years leaving him. Through the study of Christian Science, I have learned that illness and the healing thereof is facilitated by a change in thought. It is a bringing into alignment thought with Truth. And this Truth is that I am as God created me. With the realization that anything other than this is illusion, we are able to see through the veil into the actuality of our true being. To deny physical symptoms of disease is not to ignore them. It is to see them for what they are: a universal belief in separation from God. By understanding this, we can also release any guilt we may have in the situation. By focusing on what is rather than what isn't, we are learning to understand God and our relation to that source of All that Is. As I go through this day, the seven synonyms for God as given in Science & Health will rotate through today's lesson: Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind, Principle. If a situation comes up in which I'm tempted to express irritation, I will think: I Am as Love created me. If I don't understand something, I will think: I Am as Mind  created me. What a perfect day this will be!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Sometime we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has created men and women in [the] Science [of the Christ]. We ought to weary of the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing which hinders our highest selfhood.”

Science & Health Page 68:4-9

April 3, 2012 - Queen of the Sun

Flowers and Bees in Zion National Park
photo by Aaron Springston

Workbook Lesson #93:

“Light and joy and peace abide in me.”

[Marsha's thoughts]

By listening to spiritual sense, we are led in ways which are sometimes unexpected. This light and joy and peace which are an integral part of us can be expressed in so many ways. Acting as stewards of our world and its creatures is a natural expression of these qualities. And there are so many ways to do this! I recently watched a documentary entitled "Queen of the Sun" which asks us to examine what the bees are telling us. Bees are the epitome of expressing Oneness. They are a perfect metaphor for the value of community and working together. Their current colony collapse also shows us what happens when our true being is denied. As humans, we have been manipulating all of nature for our own needs. Part of our awakening is the realization that we've been many doing things for the wrong reasons. We've allowed greed and self-importance to take the place of joy and peace. We have learned to fear nature in the oddest ways. Recently the ban on beekeeping was reversed in New York City. Through education, people are finding there is nothing to fear. By opening ourselves to the purpose of each and every creature, we discover we all have a place and reason for being. To fulfill this purpose brings peace and joy to all. Every crisis we see around us in this material existence has something to tell us when we open our heart to hear. It was stated in this film that pollen is materialized light; that this light is freed in the blocks of honeycomb; that we again free this light by making candles. The freeing of light is cumulative with the bees, and we can experience the same thing as we express the light and peace and joy within ourselves.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Moral and spiritual might belong to Spirit, who holds the "wind in His fists;" and this teaching accords with Science and harmony. In [the] Science [of the Christ] , you can have no power opposed to God, and the physical senses must give up their false testimony. Your influence for good depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable."

Science & Health Page 192:17-24