October 28, 2012 - All Tears Wiped Away

"Forgiveness"
Painting by Carol Peacock

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #301

“And God Himself shall wipe away all tears.”

We have come to expect tears from someone who has lost a loved one. If those tears are not apparent, we tend to think there is something wrong. We may speculate that the peaceful person is not reacting appropriately, and that their lack of expressing grief will come back on them in various ways. It might even be said that they didn't really care.  Kahlil Gibran had a life-long relationship with a woman named Mary Haskell. When he died, she was peacefully smiling while greeting the grieving people at his funeral. No one understood how this could be. At one point, she quoted words he had written to her: "You listen to so much more than I can say. You hear consciousness. You go with me where the words I say cannot carry you." How could she have sadness when the love they shared had always been experienced through thought rather than physical expression? She understood what we are learning about the true reality of our Being. We are Spirit. We are connected. Nothing can change that. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, ‘The kingdom of God is within you.’ This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.”

Science & Health Page 573:28-2

October 27, 2012 - Creative Inspiration is Yours

"Germany, 2006"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #300

“Only an instant does this world endure.”

We're beginning to see life as wholly different from what we've been taught to believe. Intuition and inspiration are guiding realities when we allow them to be. But occasionally people feel their creativity, their inspiration, is blocked. Some may think their muse is silenced. In examining the reasons for this occurrence, there can only be one reason: my self won't be silent in order to allow my Self to be heard. Obviously, as a reflection of God we cannot be without inspiration. The omnipresence which we reflect can be no less than all presence. The ego presence of material existence, which we think of as our reality, is no more an omnipresence than is this instant we are living and calling life. Reaching for reality, striving for Truth -- none of these material actions make any sense. There is nowhere to reach and nothing to strive for. To search for inspiration is counterproductive. And so if you're feeling uninspired, or maybe just kind of "blah", remember your Source of creativity. Then walk in the woods, dig in the dirt, do anything which brings you in contact with All that Is. Let's wait for the inspiration that is such a part of us that it can't be silenced. Listen, Love, Live.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Life is divine Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit. 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. Life is not limited. Death and finiteness are unknown to Life. If Life ever had a beginning, it would also have an ending.”

Science & Health Page 468:26-6

October 26, 2012 - Illusion or Veritable Ideas?

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #299

“Eternal holiness abides in me.”

Illusions at Eureka Thyme

It's often difficult to see through the illusion of error to the harmony of reality. At this time of year, there are many masquerade balls and parties where pretending to be someone else is part of the fun. We revel in the excitement of becoming unrecognizable through costumes and face paint and masks. I've never been one to join in these activities, but have enjoyed watching others partake in make believe. And watching others watching these activities is interesting, too! Some people are terribly uncomfortable if they don't know who they're talking to. One of the most interesting reactions I've witnessed has come from people who didn't know how to perceive a character dressed in geisha garb, who was simply smiling sweetly, but not speaking. We all seem to react in different ways to illusion and reality, especially when the real seems illusive and the illusion seems real. What fun we're having learning to recognize the difference!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“How are veritable ideas to be distinguished from illusions? By learning the origin of each. Ideas are emanations from the divine Mind. Thoughts, proceeding from the brain or from matter, are offshoots of mortal mind; they are mortal material beliefs. Ideas are spiritual, harmonious, and eternal. Beliefs proceed from the so-called material senses, which at one time are supposed to be substance-matter and at another are called spirits.”

Science & Health Page 88:9-16

October 25, 2012 - Loving Everyone

"Walking at The Principia"
photo by Marsha Havens

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #298

“I love You, Father, and I love Your Son.”

A dear friend and I had to make a few adjustments in our working and personal relationship. This is the same type of adjustment we occasionally find to be necessary within ourselves. If a way of thought needs to be purged of error, we do so. And I feel the same about this friendship. When we are willing to accept our Oneness with divine Love, there is no way anyone can do or say anything which offends us. This beautiful acceptance allows for avenues to open which we may not have seen otherwise. We may not have seen them because we were blinded by "senseless journeys ... and artificial values". I'm pleased to go forward with renewed thought and purpose in this ever-expanding friendship which has always been and always will be. When one of us made joking mention about winning the way back to friendship, we both knew there was no necessity for anything as dualistic as winning or losing when it comes to Love. Namaste, dear Friend.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful. Men and women of riper years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness or gloom.”

Science & Health Page 249:3-7

October 24, 2012 - Give Yourself Forgiveness

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #297

"BuddhaBirdBath"
photo by Dale Johnson

“Forgiveness is the only gift I give.”

We often think of forgiveness as being given by ourselves to others, or given from someone to us. It seems to be that when we give this grace to ourselves, it is automatically given to everyone. I have a good friend who glows with inner beauty and Love. She recently told me that she realized she had no guilt. All those little things she had blamed herself for are gone. Most of us have things we feel bad about, whether it's something unintentionally hurtful said to a friend or perhaps a premeditated act from childhood.  I know I do. By following my friend’s beautiful example, I hope to feel this grace which is God, and through this feeling I will watch all blame and pain disappear and be replaced with the peace and acceptance which is my heritage. 

 Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection”

No and Yes, p. 39:17-18

October 23, 2012 - Changing Perceptions

Fall at The Principia
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #296

“The Holy Spirit speaks through me today.”

Not long ago, on a busy afternoon, two things struck me as profoundly and oddly wonderful. At one point, there were ten or so people in the gallery, happily enjoying art and listening to the jazzings of Diana Krall on the stereo. Suddenly, we heard shouting outside. It was someone yelling out his car window at another driver. Immediately -- and I mean immediately!! -- we all burst into laughter! It was so wonderful. What a beautiful shift in thought that none of us saw anything either right or wrong with this behavior, but we did see how ridiculous it was -- in a funny way! Wow. I was and am awestruck by the way this felt. And later on, a woman asked me if I was going to take "early ascension"! What a conversation we enjoyed around that question!! All of these signs and wonders are very exciting, as we watch and meld into this shift of consciousness which is being evidenced everywhere! A popular movie on quantum physics asks us: How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? Hum -- I'm not sure we have a choice!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Eloquence re-echoes the strains of Truth and Love. It is due to inspiration rather than to erudition."

Science & Health Page 88:26-27

October 22, 2012 - Exciting Time to Be Aware

"#6, Through the Barn"
photo by Jerry Dupy

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #295

“The Holy Spirit looks through me today.”

Things are changing very quickly. Everywhere we look, people are seeing through different eyes, as they open themselves to the reality of other-dimensional thought. Today three persons asked me why people come to Eureka Springs. And they didn't ask it in the general way people often ask about this phenomenon. They leaned on the counter, looked me deep in the eyes, and sincerely asked it! And from the opposite end of this thought a friend who lives here asked why so many people were in town today. There is no "event" to draw them and many are surprised to see the throngs in the streets. But I see it as a lovely symptom of everything that's happening everywhere. We're waking up! We're being drawn to what will help our Being. We talking to each other about things that matter. What an exciting time to be aware!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The seasons will come and go with changes of time and tide, cold and heat, latitude and longitude. The agriculturist will find that these changes cannot affect his crops.The mariner will have dominion over the atmosphere and the great deep, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air. The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars,-- he will look out from them upon the universe; and the florist will find his flower before its seed.”

Science & Health Page 124:21-28