August 22, 2012 - What I Have Always Been

"Mark in Mongolia, 2009"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Lesson #234

“Father, today I am Your Son again.”

For those who are hyper-sensitive to gender issues, today's topic will once again cause you to cringe. But I hope you can see past any connotations you have attached to words such as father and son and open your mind to what today's lesson is attempting to illustrate. "Father, today I am Your Son again" is saying that any false sense of sin or guilt we have attached to ourselves can now be discarded in recognition of our true nature as the child of God. And this "today" which is spoken of is eternity. There never was a time, nor will there be a time, when we have lapsed from this perfection. Yes, there are times when we have failed to realize who we are, and we may cover up our understanding of our relation to God, but the Truth has never changed. I love watching eyes light up when people remember this about themselves! But as often as not, this truth does not want to be remembered, and denial clouds the eyes. I am reminded of an elderly neighbor named Margaret. Some of you may remember I've spoken of her before. There were no mirrors in her house. At one point when we were helping her with household chores, someone put up a mirror in her bathroom. When she saw it, she immediately started trying to pull it off the wall. It wouldn't come off. She started beating on it with her fists and we had to promise to take it down. Margaret hadn't looked at herself in years, and couldn't wrap her mind around what she saw. The look in her eyes while she was experiencing this trauma was similar to what I often see when people are afraid to accept their being as spiritual. After a lifetime of seeing illusion as truth, some can't fathom anything else. In our acceptance of the idea that now is the time to acknowledge the eternal truth of our being, we let loose limiting illusions. Let's not be afraid to look deep into the mirror, past those illusions, to this truth. And through that sight, we'll come to understand the timelessness of eternity and what that means in relation to Life.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Life is without beginning and without end. Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of Life, and time is no part of eternity. One ceases in proportion as the other is recognized. Time is finite; eternity is forever infinite. Life is neither in nor of matter. What is termed matter is unknown to Spirit, which includes in itself all substance and is Life eternal. Matter is a human concept. Life is divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 568:26-4

August 21, 2012 - Who am I?

"Principia Professor in Mongolia - 2009"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #233

“I give my life to God to guide today."

When we give away certain thoughts and habits, release them from our mind, we need replacements to insure there is no space for the old to return. And so we give away our material thoughts and actions, replacing them with the Mind which is God. How I look forward to having none of my own thoughts! Without stopping to remember what exactly they are, I know there are numerous times within the past week alone that I've had thoughts and expressed them and wondered why in the world I had done so! And it’s not enough to stop them from spewing forth, I choose to quench their existence. This does not happen within my mind, but by giving up this sense of personal responsibility and resting in the knowledge that our words and actions are a reflection of Mind, the One Source of all ideas. Today I was playing cribbage with an dear long-time friend. She mentioned that getting old shifted your perceptions of yourself. She said that once she was no longer working and being a "productive citizen", that people thought of her differently and she was more or less taking up space waiting to get out of the way by the change called death. Wow! I didn't expect that one! It caused me to think of people I know well who have retired from their life-long jobs, and also those who have created jobs for themselves which they will probably never give up. My friends who have retired are now productive in numerous activities, helping others in wonderful ways. They can't imagine retiring from life.  Their pursuit of happiness for others brings abundant joy to them. Leaving ourselves under the control of our mortal mind brings us many beliefs such as my friend has concerning this stage of her life. To understand our relation to the Divine opens us to ideas which are pure and unadulterated by the human beliefs we think of as our own thought. Leaving the past behind and reaching forth to this new/old thought leaves us feeling fulfilled, freeing us to accept bold new ways of living, no matter what age we think we are!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When we fully understand our relation to the Divine,

we can have no other Mind but His,--no other Love,

wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no

consciousness of the existence of matter or error.

The power of the human will should be exercised only

in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the

judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the

province of spiritual sense to govern man.”

Science & Health Page 205:32-7

August 20, 2012 - Be My Mind

"Children in China - 2009"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Lesson #232

“Be in my mind, my Father, through the day."

Be my mind through the day. As you see, I've left out the word "in" and also “my Father” from our daily ACIM lesson subject. By doing this, the statement says to me what I know it is meant to be saying.  When reading it with these words left in, immediately I go to a place where there is something I need to gain in order to somehow manage to be pure enough for this Mind to be in me. This was first pointed out to me by Mary Baker Eddy in the below quote. And it was brought to realization by leaving "in" out of the following verse: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) Let this Mind be me, which was also ... This referenced Mind is ours. It is not in us. We are it. This slight difference in wording allows me to see this truth and know that it's possible -- even probable! – for it to be realized now. And I've left out the word "Father" for much the same reason. The human connotations which have been given to this term overwhelm some people, perhaps even me, although I've worked hard to give up any idea of a man in the clouds giving favor! In doing this, I urge you to not worry about semantics and other word games we tend to play with ourselves. But if something causes me discomfort in the wording of these spiritual exercises, I have no problem with changing the words, until my thought about them has changed. After all, this is what it's all about: changing our thought.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“IN:  A term obsolete in Science if used with reference to Spirit, or Deity.”

Science & Health Page 588:22-23

August 19, 2012 - Remember you are Love

"Somewhere in China - 2009"
photo by Aaron Springston

Course in Miracles Lesson #231

“Father, I will but to remember You.

Remembering the Love which we are is imperative to clearing the way for all the other remembrances which are coming our way!  Love with a capital "L" is a synonym for God. So the Father mentioned above is this same Love of which we are the image and likeness. And this being so, all we need do is remember this truth and forget our erroneous sense of being. In talking with a friend about a "past life regression" he had experienced, I was struck by the inability of a past life to affect our True Selves. Thus, we needn't worry about whether past lives exist, or if we can be regressed to remember and repair them, or anything else in the past. Just as with our remembrances of yesterday's disappointments, we don't need to deconstruct them in order to let them go. So why do we think we must work through these so-called mistakes? Why would we need to meet up with the same people throughout eternity until we "get it right"? Perhaps by seeking only the Love which is Truth, none of this would matter. Maybe living the law of divine Love is "getting it right"!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus' teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit,--the law of divine Love.”

Science & Health Page 18:6-11

August 18, 2012 - Peace is Ours

A Course in Miracles Lesson #230

“Now will I seek and find the peace of God."

"Somewhere in China - 2009"
photo  by Aaron Springston

By this stage in our studies, we certainly know where this peace of God is: within our own selves. We are a reflection of the divine, we are divine, and this peace is ours, always, totally, with only one exception. And that exception is our refusal to see, feel, and be this peace. I'm sitting here looking at some beautiful photographs hanging on the wall. But the glass covering these photos is mirroring everything which is happening outside the large front windows in the gallery. I see people swarming by like ants, cars of every color lumbering past, and lots of other activity which practically obscures the image I'm trying to see. I know there's a beautiful waterfall and great night shots of scenes around town. When I specifically look at them, they are clear. I block out the reflected activity. But I have a choice: I can focus on the bustling, ever-changing activity outside, and that obscures the subject matter which I know is unchanged. So it is with the peace of God. It is always there, unchanging, eternally. But it is obscured by the dis-ease, the unrest, the busy-ness of our minds. I have a friend who likes to label herself ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). My personal opinion is we're all that way, but some focus on the disarray in thought while others focus on the peace. And we all know that what we put our attention on is what grows!. She finds herself not finishing one project before she's off to another one. She tells me she has no peace because her mind won't let her have it. And I couldn't agree more! That's the only reason any of us don't have peace. It's not because we don't have this peace, it's because we cover it up with inharmonious ways of thinking and action. I know this well, because I do it myself. But I know the focus on peace is working, as occasionally I'll find myself thinking absolutely nothing. And this couldn't have been possible a few years ago, when I was feeding the never-ending drama in my mind. Wayne Dyer (and others) tell us that we have something like 20,000 different thoughts every day. The only problem is, they're the same thoughts we had yesterday. With the peace of God, we are enabling ourselves to hear divine Ideas rather than the chatter of mortal mind. Ah, peace ~~~

 Mary Baker Eddy quote:

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

Science & Health Page 264:24-27

August 17, 2012 - You are Love

A Course in Miracles Lesson #229

{Unknown photographer}

“Love, which created me, is what I am."

To recognize that we are Love negates all of the illusory problems we believe we have. Seeing these words, I think upon conversations I've had with others in the past few days. All of these so-called problems, things seen as impediments to our progress or happiness, disappear as mist before sunshine when viewed through this Love which we are. One woman tells me her son thinks he knows it all, and he knows nothing. How close I came to laughing out loud at this one! If she realized her true self as Love, perhaps she'd see the situation from a different perspective entirely. I saw it as a power struggle over money, and suggested she spend everything so there would be nothing to fight over. She very seriously told me she had more money than she could spend. I gave her a business card and sent her away with Love. Then there is the dear old friend who visits and tells me of his physical maladies which are debilitating and undiagnosable and incurable. It sure looks like a job for the recognition of his true Being as a reflection of divine Love. He gets a hug from me and a big dose of Love! And there's the sweet friend who is fearful for her young daughter. She is shaking with emotion as I hold her tightly and silently affirm the safety inherent in all under the umbrella of our reality in Love. What a lovely gift awaits her in awakening to the ever-present, protection of Love.  And there's the new friend who isn't sure she's made the right choice in a recent major change in environment. The Love that she is, the Love that everyone she meets is, mingles in our hearts and finds a commonality in spite of material beliefs in irreconcilable differences. Everyone from Jesus to the Beatles have told us of this infallible solution called Love. Perhaps it's time to listen. In the past, I've been rather irritated when anyone would tell me solutions were to be found in a purer understanding of God. Today I will examine my motives and acts to see if I'm over it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must "have her perfect work." 

Science & Health Page 454:18-24

August 16, 2012 - Choose Again

"Bird at Heart"
Primal Image by
Sandy Wythawai Starbird

 A Course in Miracles Lesson #228

“God has condemned me not. No more do I."

One of the most wonderful things about these teachings is the recognition of our ability to "choose again".  Just because we have chosen a direction which does not serve us doesn't mean we must always repeat the behavior which brings us unhappiness or pain. It seems that a major impediment to releasing all these mistaken dreams is our desire to keep all the good dreams while letting go of the bad. I really want to get rid of memories of painful, fearful circumstances, but I'd rather hold on to lots of nice ones! Is there any difference? Isn't it all a material dream of pain and pleasure, life and death, duality after duality? Spiritual sense sees only this perfect oneness. It sees no condemnation or reason for blame. I want to see with these eyes. And that is a key to this seeing: a desire to do so. If we don't want to let loose painful thoughts, we won't. If we want to relive hurts and betrayals, we will. In conversations with others, it is repeatedly brought to my attention how much people cherish being right in situations. It seems that is a great source of satisfaction, this being right. But isn't that simply a perception of events? What is right? What is wrong? For me, rightness is peace. Does a decision to act in a certain way bring a feeling of peace? If it does, then I go forward with that action. So often decisions are nothing more than self-satisfied dogma on our part. We might think: This is the way it's always been for me, and I like it that way, and I'm going to keep it that way. And so we do. Even if the repetitive actions bring us sadness and conflict, we have decided that this is "right" and we must stick by our guns (what a horrible saying that is!) and continue on in this way whether it brings peace and happiness or the opposite. Let's remember to see ourselves as God sees us today, knowing that we are guiltless, sinless, pure.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Now is the time for so-called material pains and material pleasures to pass away, for both are unreal, because impossible in Science. To break this earthly spell, mortals must get the true idea and divine Principle of all that really exists and governs the universe harmoniously. This thought is apprehended slowly, and the interval before its attainment is attended with doubts and defeats as well as triumphs.”

Science & Health Page 39:23-30