August 26, 2012 - Decisions

"Salt Lake City, Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #238

“On my decision all salvation rests."

It seems we have too many decisions in daily life. Even the tea section in the grocery store has so many choices it can be daunting! And so when we are told that "On my decision all salvation rests", it's tempting to say "No thanks!" But this salvation spoken of here is received by one decision: to wake up and accept our own divinity. There are no considerations to mull over in this decision, there are no choices which are better than others, nor is there any reason for fear of failure. All duality, all choice, vanishes when we realize there is only one thing to desire: to know that God is Life. Not my life, or your life, but Life. From this understanding, everything is manifested in our experience from the freedom we have in knowing that the Love which is God is the only Principle of our existence.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“By interpreting God as a corporeal Savior but not as the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue to seek salvation through pardon and not through reform, and resort to matter instead of Spirit for the cure of the sick. As mortals reach, through knowledge of Christian Science [the Science of the Christ], a higher sense, they will seek to learn, not from matter, but from the divine Principle, God, how to demonstrate the Christ, Truth, as the healing and saving power.”

Science & Health Page 285:23-30

August 25, 2012 - Disappearance of the Universe

A Course in Miracles Lesson #237

“Now would I be as God created me."

Photo by Aaron Springston

One of our material beliefs is that we are only human and that we cannot be as we were created by God. When we think of ourselves as material beings, it seems impossible to see more than a mere glimpse of our spiritual perfection. And that is the key to the way of thought we're studying. This material body, and all the wonder of this world we know so well, is not created by God. This is what Gary Renaud is referring to in his popular book, "The Disappearance of the Universe". To look past material illusionary so-called reality into the depth of pure spiritual reality is to begin to understand how "God created me". It's easy to imagine that the horrors around us are not of Spirit, but the beauty seems to demand a divine origin. The acceptance of the idea that God did not create matter opens us to another dimension of life.  If we accept the Adam and Eve story (or other material creation myths) as the truth of our being, we live the dream of life in and of matter with all the dead ends it contains. But we are an idea of God, and this realization takes us to another level. So today I will not only accept myself in this spiritual truth, but also everything and everyone. And I will remember a key fact: Reality is that which does not change.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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. The mythical human theories of creation, anciently classified as the higher criticism, sprang from cultured scholars in Rome and in Greece, but they afforded no foundation for accurate views of creation by the divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 255: 1-10

August 24, 2012 - I Rule My Mind

A Course in Miracles  Lesson #236

“I rule my mind, which I alone must rule."

"By Bonfire in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

The words of today's lesson can have many interpretations. It could mean, Nobody's going to tell me what to do. Of course, we're all in such a hypnotic state it's difficult to tell when we are following preconceived notions or if we are in fact ruling our mind! I know someone who often says, You can't help what you think; it's what you do with those thoughts. Unfortunately, this person is miserable in her circular thought, going over and over events which are distressing to her, telling herself again and again that it's god's plan and she must abide by it. Whew! Today's lesson is telling us just the opposite. We do have a choice in what goes through our mind. We are the rulers of our thought and have the ability to choose to hold our thought to "the enduring, the good, and the true." I think of this as choosing Mind as my mind. In other words, rather than living by distressing blind belief, I choose to live in harmonious divine Science. Our best material intentions vacillate greatly according to many circumstances. In contemplating the love we feel for others, I see that many ego-driven motives and acts come into play. We all know parents who over or under nurture their children for reasons they see to be in their child's highest interest. We see love affairs where people alternately smother and reject one another, thinking they are doing what love demands. We see friendships which suffer or are broken by misunderstanding and the need to be right. A favorite quote of mine is, If you have a choice of being right or being kind, be kind. Today I will interact with multitudes of people in the gallery, and then go to a paranormal conference in the evening to hear a friend speak. Every day we have numerous occasions to choose between being right and being kind. Today I will rule my mind by being aware of all the communications I have with others. Everything I say will be brought forth from a space which is not merely repetition of past beliefs and habitual responses, but from a consecrated inner listening. In accepting this gift of Truth from God, there can be no choice between being right or being kind. Because, after all, Love is all there is.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God's thoughts are perfect and eternal, are substance and Life. Material and temporal thoughts are human, involving error, and since God, Spirit, is the only cause, they lack a divine cause. The temporal and material are not then creations of Spirit. They are but counterfeits of the spiritual and eternal. Transitory thoughts are the antipodes of everlasting Truth, though (by the supposition of opposite qualities) error must also say, "I am true." But by this saying error, the lie destroys itself.”

Science & Health P 286:21-30

August 23, 2012 - Williamson, Dyer, Chopra

A Course in Miracles Lesson #235

“God in His mercy wills that I be saved."

"Fish in South Africa 2010"
photo by Aaron Springston

There are a few books I'm always on the lookout for at used book stores, as I like to have a supply to hand out to people showing an interest in this way of thought. One of those books is, "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson. More than once people have thanked me for sharing this book, telling me that it has led them on a new path in life. I think we all have ah-ha moments, don't we? Although I have always known about the divine metaphysics as explained by Mary Baker Eddy, many other authors have enriched my knowledge and understanding through the years. I'll always remember looking down at a stack of books at a yard sale and seeing Wayne Dyer's, "When You Believe It, You'll See It". It had a blue cover and jumped out at me in flashing neon! I took it home and it started me on a trip with him which has lasted about 20 years. I love his writing style, and especially recordings which have seen me through many a long car trip. I'll always remember driving 200 miles through torrential rains late at night. What could have been a tedious, perhaps frightening drive was pure joy because I had both Wayne and Deepak with me on tapes. I mention all this because today's lesson speaks to our living the Love of which we are created. There are so many ways to educate ourselves on what that means. The authors and speakers listed above are gloriously joyful people who can give you a jump-start when you may be feeling uninspired. They all understand our relation to God, as expressed through both A Course in Miracles and Christian Science. To paraphrase today’s topic: The Love that is God is Me and nothing else exists. This acknowledgement is all that is needed to feel the perfect peace which is mine in any circumstance. By this realization, I am saved.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done. If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense they would not go on from bad to worse …”

Science & Health Page 202:3-9

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