May 8, 2012 - No Fear of New Thoughts

A Course in Miracles Lesson #128

"The world I see holds nothing that I want."

"Bryce Canyon Shadows"
photo by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thoughts]

Today is one of those lessons which could send the fence-sitter running! Let's not be frightened when facing new ideas. If we've been taught to think that new thought is subversive and dangerous, let's wonder why we were taught that. Time-honored concepts are engrained in our thought, and this lesson is asking us to realize that these concepts are not valid in the development of spiritual sense. In asking ourselves to set aside these accepted ways we see the world, we are breaking through the same barriers of thought which were once held in regard to the earth being flat. In this time of shifting views of reality and a deepening sense of our capabilities, many long-held beliefs are being challenged.  I recently watched a movie which illustrates our human desire to keep things as they've always been: Moneyball. It's a baseball movie, centered around a general manager and his realization that the process by which players are chosen for professional teams is flawed. He is ridiculed and disagreed with at every juncture, and barrels ahead with his new thought despite the impediments to their enactment. To me this illustrated the opposition we face within ourselves to our own acceptance of this new-old thought. When I question if this is what I should be doing, I'll remember the obstacles Jesus faced when he brought us these ideas over 2000 years ago. And I thank Mary Baker Eddy who planted the seeds of quantum thought more than 150 years ago. By reiterating the "primitive Christianity" which was taught by Jesus, she has ushered in a new age, which has been ripening steadily and is now ready to be joyfully demonstrated.  As the Beatles lyrically told us: "Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about."

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders. With like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect." Science & Health Page 268:1-9

May 7, 2012 - One Love

A Course in Miracles Lesson #127

“There is no love but God's”

"Aaron and Heather in Red Butte"
photo by Sandy Magnan

[Marsha's thoughts]

Self-help books which attempt to teach us about love will usually talk of the various faces of love. In the divinely metaphysical studies of which I partake there is no division in this attribute of God which we reflect as Its image and likeness. This Love does not judge. No one is more worthy of Love than another. No one is more capable or less capable of expressing this Love. Now this certainly is not what seems to be true in the world we see. But God is "no respecter of persons", which means that we are all the same. Can I begin to fathom what that means? It would seem not in this material illusion we call life. We must have a "clean and open mind" to understand these truths. We tend to rebel when we think someone is trying to take some long-held belief from us. The idea that all the varying degrees of love we feel is not real could tend to be upsetting. But let's not take this personally! Today's lesson states: "What the world believes was made to hide Love's meaning." In thinking about what this means, I will attempt to set aside everything I believe as I hold to this larger view of Love, this all-encompassing goodness which leaves no room for blame or guilt. We are asked to hold the following Truth at least three times an hour: "I bless you, brother, with the Love of God, which I would share with you. For I would learn the joyous lesson that there is no love but God's and yours and mine and everyone's." Every instance where I catch a glimpse of this true Love is a moment to treasure.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love is infinite. Therefore all that really exists is in and of God, and manifests His love.”

Science & Health Page 340:12-14

May 6, 2012 - All I give is given to myself

Giving/Receiving
Photo by Aaron Sringston

A Course in Miracles Lesson #126
"All that I give is given to myself."
[Marsha's thoughts]
In thinking about today's lesson, I reflect on conversations from yesterday. What things do we think we are giving? These are a few  highlights of what people think they are giving: good advice, scornful judgment of another's actions, support for loved ones, opinions which we hope will change the world. This list could go on and on. In examining what I'd like to give today, I see that the only thing which can truly be given is Love. Anything else is but a material opinion in some way. Even what we think of as forgiveness is a mortal concept which includes lots of stipulations. So often we forgive someone so we ourselves will feel better, or perhaps we think God will be mad at us if we don't, or so often we imply that I'll forgive you because I'm a better person than you are. Oh my! But we know that forgiveness is the key to the door of truth, so how do we forgive without the material trappings? Love! We give and live Love, and there is nothing else to think about. There is no need to forgive and forget, because this all-encompassing Love erases the need to forgive, as we realize there truly is nothing to forgive. Someone once said, "Reality is that which does not change." And what doesn't change? Certainly everything in the physical realm does. But Life, Truth, Love, Sprit, Soul, Mind, Principle, the seven synonyms for God, these things are changeless and eternal. And they are what we have as our touchstones in daily life, to focus on when we have opinions we feel need to be expressed to others. Before I give anything today, I will ask myself, Is this what I want to receive? If it's not, then I'd best not give it. But my realization that God is Love, that Love is all there is, allows me to slip into that sweet space of living from Truth, which is expressing the Love we are.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:
“We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We must reverse our feeble flutterings--our efforts to find life and truth in matter--and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God-like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being.” Science & Health Page 262:9-16

May 5, 2012 - The Quiet may be only a moment

A Course in Miracles Lesson #125

Creative Energy Project
Drumming in Basin Park
created by Jeremy McGraw

"In quiet I receive God's Word today."

[Marsha's thoughts]

When I first read, "In quiet I receive God's Word today", I laughed out loud. Quiet? Today? This is the first weekend of the month-long May Festival of the Arts,. There's an ARTrageous parade, there is an event called Africa in the Ozarks with drumming and high-energy gatherings, we have a gallery stroll, a featured artist, food and beverage, and hundreds of people coming through the doors today. Physically, there will be no quiet for the twelve-plus hours I'll be in the gallery. And then I think of a friend who tells me she can't meditate because there is never quiet at her place. There are cars going by, birds chirping, clocks ticking -- everything breaks the silence she so desperately craves. Is there really any difference in her loss of peace and the projected loss I'm anticipating? Of course not! The quiet I will practice today has nothing to do with outside influences. Peace of God is within. This is what I'll realize every moment of this joyous day, filled with making new friends and welcoming old. The few moments which can be snatched for listening, I will savor. It won't need to be long, perhaps only a couple of seconds while reaching under the checkout counter for wrapping paper, or a look out the window into the forest, or while gazing at a beautiful painting. No matter what our circumstance, the "still, small voice" is always there. I look forward to seeing how many inspirations are revealed in the blink of an eye.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The ‘still, small voice’ of scientific thought reaches over continent and ocean to the globe's remotest bound. The inaudible voice of Truth is, to the human mind, ‘as when a lion roareth’. … Then is the power of Truth demonstrated,--made manifest in the destruction of error.”

Science & Health Page 559:8-16

May 4, 2012 - I Am One, but do I know it?

"Bryce Canyon"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in MiraclesLesson #124

"Let me remember I am one with God."

[Marsha's thoughts]

I watch with interest friends and acquaintances in the multitude of roles they play. I see fellow shopkeepers living on Eureka-time in a laid-back tourist town. Then there are professions which could be taken as stressful, and it's interesting to note which are so and which aren't. You've probably already thought of the myriad of "types" of people you know. In reflecting on this, it seems it doesn't matter whether they are in a profession which handles what we think of as life-or-death situations, or whether they check groceries, make music, create art, live a philanthropic life, or do anything they please on a regular basis! No matter how they spend their time, some are uptight and some are calm and cool. It's simply a matter of how they choose to respond to events around them. Some of these people are pure light, reflecting the Love of God in their every action. And some of them really want to be happy, and often pretend they are so, but deep in their eyes, and obvious in their actions, fear, guilt, lack are seen. Then there are those who dash about from one activity to another, rushed and hurried, running from something that perhaps isn't recognized even by them. I translate these actions as varying degrees of recognizing today's lesson: I Am one with God. And we are also reminded to "remember" that we are one with God. I think we're all remembering in varying degrees, and this remembrance shines forth in our actions. Some don't know there's anything to remember, and when they get hints, it frightens them and they retreat into well-known material beliefs and actions. Almost everyone I meet daily has caught a glimpse of Truth and seems eager to remember more. All of the people I spend time with want this knowledge. Once we have felt a glimpse of this Oneness, we want to feel it all the time. There's nothing else quite like knowing the presence of God. Today I will remember!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The eternal Elohim includes the forever universe. The name Elohim is in the plural, but this plurality of Spirit does not imply more than one God, nor does it imply three persons in one. It relates to the oneness, the tri-unity of Life, Truth, and Love. Man is the family name for all ideas,--the sons and daughters of God. All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting goodness and power.”

Science & Health Page 515:16:24

May 3, 2012 - Gifts and thanks

A Course in Miracles Lesson #123

"I thank my Father for His gifts to me."

Mongolian Morning
photo by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thoughts]

The "gifts to me" spoken of in today's lesson are the Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Soul, Spirit, and Principle; the synonyms for God which we reflect. These gifts are what constitute our true being as a child of God. Our gratitude for these gifts is expressed through our demonstration of them in our lives, in our thoughts, in everything we are and everything we do. These gifts shine through us when we take away the barriers we have built to them. These barriers are the illusions of fear and guilt which we have decided are the realities of our being. From these barriers we begin to see our lives as dictated by material illusions. When seeing past the unreality of these beliefs, we are free to accept ourSelf. I have a dear friend who lives in another state and is very eager to move here. She needs to sell her house and for the past year there has been no movement toward this end. She recently visited us again and is more eager than ever to join our community. Upon her return home, a number of things have happened which would seem to be clearing the way for this to happen. I think of these situations as demonstrations of our true Being. When we get out of our way through the lifting of long-held beliefs, by letting go of trying to control everything in our circumstances, we allow ourselves to hear from a spiritual sense, through Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Principle. To live from Intuition is to listen for inner awareness and to be guided by it. These are the gifts for which I give thanks today.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.

Science & Health Page 3:25-26

May 2, 2012 - Forgiveness gives ...

A Course in Miracles Lesson #122

"Forgiveness offers everything I want."

"Washington D.C., USA"
Photo by Aaron Springston

[Marsha's thoughts]

The forgiveness we speak of today is all-encompassing. This is more than just saying we don't hold a grudge against someone for something. The "forgiveness [which] offers everything I want" is born from the practice of realizing our unity with God, hence our Oneness with each other. By this understanding we can look past the multitude of forms which present themselves to us in the guise of reality, and in looking through this veil realize and demonstrate Truth. What more could we want other than peace, joy, love, contentment, bliss, appreciation, and satisfaction with all that is? And this larger, all-encompassing forgiveness reconciles any so-called differences we may have with each other, along with anything we are holding against ourselves. Allowing divine Love to guide our every action and thought frees us to live a purity only dreamed of when our lives are dictated by material beliefs and habits. It's always amazing to me that people think they shouldn't speak to each other simply because they disagree about certain things. I like oranges, you like apples. So what? Our commonality rests in the Oneness of our true being. That's a constant reality!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.”

Science & Health Page 494:10-11