January 12, 2013 - Nothing Can Upset Me

"Colorado Sunset"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #12

“I am upset because I see a meaningless world.”

Have you ever felt that when you are upset you should avoid the situation which supposedly caused it? Maybe you feel you should find the cause of your upset and change it. Or perhaps we say we're upset because of someone's actions and blame them for our chagrin.  So if we give no meaning to anything, if we see a meaningless world, and then become upset by this void, we may be tempted to try to figure out why this is happening. Today's lesson asks us to witness events without giving them any meaning, neither good nor bad, thereby leaving ourselves blank to see what Truth comes through in place of our personal feelings. If we find this upsetting, let's not act upon these feelings; instead, let's witness what happens without placing an interpretation on it. When we allow Sprit (God) to manifest through us -- which is our native state as a reflection, the image and likeness of God -- we open ourselves to the field of all possibilities. We can become a blank slate for Love to write on. Who's to know where this will lead us? To quote Rumi: "Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there".

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Nothing is real and eternal,--nothing is Spirit,--but God and His idea. Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense." 

Science & Health Page 71:1-5

January 11, 2013 - Utopia

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #11

“My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”

I had a dream of Utopia. We had no need to speak, as we knew each others' thoughts. We had no fear, as our thoughts were uncluttered and pure. Everywhere I looked there were happy people, busy at tasks which would benefit everyone. There was no need for television or radios, as we knew everything, and it was Good. At one point, I thought I was lost in the woods, but that was impossible because others sensed my confusion and were there immediately to lead me to a safe and beautiful home. While traveling on a road, suddenly the way was filled with huge boulders and ancient fallen trees. But to the left side there was a field filled with beautiful flowers, and a pathway leading to my destination. All needs were met before I knew of them. And there was the most wonderful sense of peace. I will hold to these beautiful feelings today, while seeing the meaningless basis of my thoughts and desires. 

Mary Baked Eddy quote:

“Sleep and apathy are phases of the dream that life, substance, and intelligence are material. The mortal night dream is sometimes nearer the fact of being than are the thoughts of mortals when awake. The night-dream has less matter as its accompaniment. It throws off some material fetters. It falls short of the skies, but makes its mundane flights quite ethereal.” 

Science & Health Page 249:24-30

January 10, 2013 - Meaningless Thoughts

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #10

“My thoughts do not mean anything.”

The realization that my thoughts mean nothing is such a freeing concept! If we fall into the habit of believing that every thought we have will cause us harm, it's easy to get stuck in analyzing these thoughts and wondering what pitfalls will come to us because of them. Humility is a word which keeps coming to mind as I read today's lesson. We are accustomed to believing that everything we think and do is important, and it seems hard to admit our thoughts mean nothing. Sometimes it is even difficult to admit we don't know or understand things in daily life, so how can we admit that our own thoughts mean nothing? For me, it's a matter of realizing that my true self isn't contained in this body, and any thoughts which are based in materialism are changeable. And so I can humbly admit that my thoughts (even those which seem to be pretty good ones!) are not "founded on the divine rock". With this humble admission, I am happy to see the beliefs of a lifetime dissipate, leaving me open to the divine ideas which are my true reality as a child of God. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote: 

"Human thoughts have their degrees of comparison. Some thoughts are better than others. A belief in Truth is better than a belief in error, but no mortal testimony is founded on the divine rock. Mortal testimony can be shaken. Until belief becomes faith, and faith becomes spiritual understanding, human thought has little relation to the actual or divine." 

Science & health Page 297:24-30

January 9, 2013 - I Don't Understand

"Moon Over Yellowstone"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #9

“I see nothing as it is now.”

Today's lesson tells us, "the recognition that you do not understand is a prerequisite for undoing your false ideas." What a relief, huh? I'm reminded of attending a talk on quantum physics wherein a number of fairly complex concepts were addressed. The talk lasted an hour and a half and at the conclusion the speaker asked if there were any questions. There wasn't a single one. It could be perceived we knew it all, or maybe we didn't want to know about any of this, or perhaps we didn't know enough to ask questions! When we first hear a concept like today's topic, "I see nothing as it is now", it may seem nonsensical. But the more we study and talk about these ideas, they start to seem not only possible, but plausible. As Mary Baker Eddy tells us in the below quote, it takes the practice of turning away from matter to Spirit to develop the spiritual sense which allows us to understand the concepts we're hearing about. What an exciting adventure we have waiting for us each day as we learn to understand the difference in what we seem to know through material sense and the reality of Spirit.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit. If honest, he will be in earnest from the start, and gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last he finishes his course with joy."

Science & Health Page 21:9-14

January 8, 2013 - What is Possible?

"Glacier National Park"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #8

 “My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.”

There are so many things we're taught are impossible! And usually we don't even attempt them because of these beliefs. For instance, I was always told you couldn't pop popcorn with olive oil because the smoke point was too low. One day I decided to try and found that it works beautifully. For years humans thought the sun revolved around the earth, until someone realized the true nature of celestial movement. Almost daily belief changes about what is nourishing for our bodies and what is harmful. None of these things are important in our pursuit of the new-old knowledge which we are learning to embrace in our daily lives. What is important is what is true, not what is false. When we place our attention on the Truth of our Being, all the erroneous thoughts and false landmarks of our existence simply fall away. They are no longer of importance to us and are replaced by the "new wine" which could not fit into the old, full bottles of our existence before the realization that we have filled ourselves with false ideals. So today I am not afraid to empty myself of past thoughts which have filled my mind, and open up to true thoughts from Mind, God.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Divine Science does not put new wine into old bottles, Soul into matter, nor the infinite into the finite. Our false views of matter perish as we grasp the facts of Spirit. The old belief must be cast out or the new idea will be spilled, and the inspiration, which is to change our standpoint, will be lost." Science & Health Page 281:27-1 

January 7, 2013 - Forgetting the Past

"Fawn in Eureka Garden"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #7

 “I see only the past.”

Our preparations to accept Truth mainly consist of learning ways to forget the meaning we have placed on things. In yesterday's writings, I mentioned a man named Joe Hutto who spent a year living with wild turkeys and seeing the world from their perspective. I related the understanding he gained to the knowledge we are gleaning in this metaphysical study. Today's lesson brings to mind something he said about the baby turkeys. He noticed that they knew, without teaching of any sort, which creatures and situations in the woods were potentially harmful to them. I found this to be further proof that when we listen inwardly, we have all the answers. Instinctual behavior is resting within us all, but we, as humans, have found ways to override this knowing with beliefs based on what others tell us and what we have learned from past experiences. It seems our domesticated animals have lost their inner knowing, to some extent, picking up on our fears and doubts.  With these thoughts in mind, I will strive to be more like a young wild animal, with no preconceived notions about what is presented to me today. I will listen for Truth in each situation, doing my best to hear.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The history of error or matter, if veritable, would set aside the omnipotence of Spirit; but it is the false history in contradistinction to the true.” 

Science and Health, Page 521:29-2

January 6, 2013 - Seeing What is Not There

"Aaron in Mongolia (Calm Version)"

ACIM Workbook Lesson #6

“I am upset because I see something that is not there.”

I love incorporating events from daily life into the study of divine metaphysics. For instance, I watched a documentary entitled, "My Life as a Turkey". I found it to be profound in many ways, but today I relate it to our practice in seeing the unreality of everything we have come to think of as real. For more than a year, Joe Hutton lived with a flock of 16 wild turkeys, which he incubated and bonded with while they were still in the eggs. He didn't just live with them as you and I might. He was with them 24 hours a day to the exclusion of seeing any humans. He spent his days walking the woods as part of the flock, seeing through their eyes, speaking their language, striving to match their awareness of nature and their ability to live totally in the moment. The dedication and love expressed by this man is wonderfully inspiring to me. By his all-encompassing need to understand nature, to be a part of it without any learned beliefs he may have acquired in his life, he shows me what is possible when you approach a discipline with a "single eye". It is this singularity of purpose which we are learning to recognize in our study of both A Course in Miracles and Christian Science. I want to know God as much as Joe wanted to know turkeys. He gave it his all, and so will I!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Close your eyes, and you may dream that you see a flower,--that you touch and smell it. Thus you learn that the flower is a product of the so-called mind, a formation of thought rather than of matter. Close your eyes again, and you may see landscapes, men, and women. Thus you learn that these also are images, which mortal mind holds and evolves and which simulate mind, life, and intelligence. From dreams also you learn that neither mortal mind nor matter is the image or likeness of God, and that immortal Mind is not in matter." 

Science & Health Page 71