September 19, 2012 - No Differences Today

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #262

“Let me perceive no differences today.”

Photo by Marsha Havens

To the uninitiated in divinely metaphysical thought, there is a sentence in today's workbook lesson which could appear to be saying that Jesus is being singled out as the One Son which God created.  And he is, but in the inclusive sense that we All are! This consciousness which Jesus told us about IS that true being which we speak of so often. This one Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love -- God, if you will -- cannot be split between you and me, it cannot shine from one and not from the other. William Blake says it well: "I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine Love", which means that the perfection we are learning to see as ourselves also is everyone else. I often tell people “We’re all in this together”, but I think I’ll change it to “We are all this – together!” I love the study of this Science of Being, as every day -- every moment -- revelations of thought bring us to the understanding of how this Truth sets us free!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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.”

Science and Health Page 469:30–5

September 18, 2012 - Clearing Away the Past

"Mongolia Adventures"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Lesson #261

“God is my refuge and security."

We all are in the process of getting rid of unnecessary things. The things we no longer need come in different forms. They may be cluttering up our house and material surroundings. More importantly, we're clearing out thoughts and beliefs which no longer are needed in our newfound perception of reality. The last time I changed residences was almost two decades ago. At that time, I got rid of every possession I didn't feel was absolutely necessary. It was a freeing act which facilitated dropping sad and perhaps guilt-filled memories from the past decade of combined illness, death, divorces, and other drama-filled events. And so I know it is part of the process, this freeing of ourselves from outer shackles in order to spur us to let go of the inner turmoil. Or is it letting go of the inner turmoil which spurs getting rid of “stuff”? This letting go seems to involve a reciprocal effect, in that the more we let go of either, the more we let go of the other! Recently, I’ve noticed that the simplicity of the surroundings I chose many years ago has disappeared. Just as we accumulate more and more books and music and all sorts of things, so we also accumulate so-called emotional baggage. Now is the time to take more positive action toward this cleansing which allows the Source of all true refuge and security to be realized in its totality. I Am, God Is, I Am…

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs, crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and defaced the tablet of your being.”

Science & Health Page 227:24-29

September 17, 2012 - I Remember

"Mongolia Campfire"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Lesson #260

“Let me remember God created me.”

In today's remembering of my true creation, I think of glimpses of the Truth of Being. Many moments of perfect peace and joy stand out in memory, and it's easy to think replicating them is what this study is all about. And maybe it is! But that's beside the point. The point is in remembering that I am a reflection of divine Mind. This Source of our being is Spirit. That is our essence. We are not material; we are spiritual. In its infinitude, divine Mind  knows nothing of the material beings we are portraying. As various sages have told us, "We're not material beings having a spiritual experience; we're spiritual Beings having a material experience." Today I will remember not to limit God through my expectations. One of my favorite books is "Practicing the Presence" by Joel Goldsmith. In it we are reminded that Truth is experienced in the stillness within our own selves. We hear this stillness when we quiet material senses. It needn't be for a long period, but it does need to be thorough. And so I will look for every opportunity to slip into a few moments of deep stillness, and let them spill over at their will.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. This divine Principle of all expresses Science and art throughout His creation, and the immortality of man and the universe. Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source. Mortal sense inverts this appearing and calls ideas material. Thus misinterpreted, the divine idea seems to fall to the level of a human or material belief, called mortal man. But the seed is in itself, only as the divine Mind is All and reproduces all--as Mind is the multiplier, and Mind's infinite idea, man and the universe, is the product. The only intelligence or substance of a thought, a seed, or a flower is God, the creator of it."

Science & Health Page 507:24-6

September 16, 2012 - Separation? Impossible.

"China - Temple of Heaven"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #259

“Let me remember that there is no sin.”

How often do we feel we've transgressed some material law and are being punished for it? Although I know this can't be true, it certainly seems so on occasion. Here is a situation where it seemed to be. After completing a number of hours of bookkeeping work on my little eBook, the elderly machine decided it couldn't stay turned on for more than a minute or so; it also wouldn't connect to the internet. All indications were that the completed work would need to be redone, as there was no way to get it off of this mini-laptop. That morning, I had been prompted to do this monthly chore on the new iPad, but I was in a rush and didn't want to try something new. And so I stuck with what was familiar, even though I had a "feeling" it should be done differently from the norm. By not listening and following up on this inner prompt, I had allowed a separation in thought from God. Everything I needed to do was waiting for me to Know it, but egotistical knowing once again pushed aside the still, small voice. I felt punished when thinking of the extra time and effort this would entail.  But instead of what-ifs and worrying about time schedules, I quietly did household chores. After an hour or so, it came to me to try again with a totally cooled down computer. And it stayed on long enough to print the information to paper. I tell you this story to illustrate that when we totally surrender our plans, we are led in harmonious ways. Also, it's never too late to choose again and find solutions. This way of total Trust always takes us where we need to be in any situation.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Question: Is there no sin?

Answer: All reality is in God and His creation, harmonious and eternal. That which He creates is good, and He makes all that is made. Therefore the only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief, until God strips off their disguise. They are not true, because they are not of God.”

Science & Health Page 472:23-30

September 15, 2012 - Let me remember

"Dancing on Cosmic Jello"
fabric creation by Sandy Starbird

A Course in Miracles Lesson #258

“Let me remember that my goal is God.”

Many of us have gone through life feeling that something is missing; that there's an empty place which can never be filled. When we discover that it's not something lacking in us that we must find, we get very excited! This training of our minds, which is spoken of in today's lesson, is not some sort of system of mind control, it's not hypnotism or cult-like obedience -- on the contrary! We train our minds to recognize and release all the "senseless aims ... and pointless little goals" which have become life practices, learned behaviors which come at us from a multitude of sources. And then we are able to see what those senseless aims have obscured: the only Source from which all reality flows. The insights and answers which appear in our lives are often thought of as serendipitous, which implies an element of luck. This is yet again something we have made up to explain the inexplicable. But spiritual sense needs no explanation. A mere glimpse through these eyes is enough to convince us of our true Identity.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant capacity to understand God. It shows the superiority of faith by works over faith in words. Its ideas are expressed only in ‘new tongues;’ and these are interpreted by the translation of the spiritual original into the language which human thought can comprehend.”

Science & Health Page 209:31-4

September 14, 2012 - Let Me Not Be Put to Confusion

Surprise! I seem to have skipped from lesson #255 on Wednesday to #259 on Thursday. So we will get back on track by doing the correct ones until it's time for #259, when we shall revert to #256! The first sentence in today's lesson seems apropos: "If I forget my goal I can be but confused" :)

"Aaron's Purpose - Joy"
photo by Marsha Havens

A Course in Miracles Lesson #257

“Let me remember what my purpose is.”

I love the first sentence in the commentary above: "If I forget my goal, I can be but confused ..."! Looking back over the last half-century, I see many times of major confusion, and lots of minor confusions which flutter around constantly, asking for more room to spread their wings. I like seeing them from this standpoint, that these confusions are nothing more than times when I've forgotten that my Life is Spirit. So then I wonder, What is this purpose I am to remember? It's unfolding every moment, and all I need do is show up and be willing. Willing to be open-hearted, open-minded -- just open! -- with no expectations and no plans of how things should be. It's tempting to think of this as undisciplined, and others may be critical of this attitude. But I can attest to the fact that wandering around in college for five years perfectly prepared me for free-lance court reporting. And thirty years of taking down and transcribing depositions was an incredible education which paved the way for the things I'm doing today. And none of it could have been planned. Today, I think of this as listening and following. Back then, I didn't think of it at all …

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Jesus urged the commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me," which may be rendered: Thou shalt have no belief of Life as mortal; thou shalt not know evil, for there is one Life,-- even God, good. He rendered "unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." He at last paid no homage to forms of doctrine or to theories of man, but acted and spake as he was moved, not by spirits but by Spirit."

Science & Health Page 19:29-5

One Goal

A Course in Miracles Lesson #256

"Somewhere in Mexico"
photo by Dr. James Young

“God is the only goal I have today.”

It seems simplistic and perhaps impossible to state that I'm only going to think about God today. But when I analyze this thought, it's pretty inclusive! If it's true that God is All, that God is synonymous with Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love -- as Mary Baker Eddy declares -- then how can we do anything other than think of God?? When seeing ourselves as a reflection of God, as embodying all these attributes of God, it becomes easier to see ourselves as the consciousness of all good, from which nothing need be added nor taken away. "God is the only goal I have today." "There is but one primal cause." What effect can there be, what end result can occur, other than a realization that God is all there is? And so it will be easy to attain this goal today, because nothing else exists!!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“There is but one primal cause. Therefore there can be no effect from any other cause, and there can be no reality in aught which does not proceed from this great and only cause.”

Science & Health Page 207:20-22