January 17, 2013 - Nothing is Neutral in Our Thought

"Germany - 2006"
Photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #17

"I see no neutral things".

The admission to ourselves that everything we see is colored by our beliefs and judgments is a large realization indeed! Being aware of this is a very important step in our clearing the way for spiritual thought to flow through us unrestricted by habitual, limiting ways of seeing everything. Sometimes I think it would be easier to achieve this lofty goal if I could live alone on a mountaintop, with no neighbors or roommates, with no job to go to or money to think about. What a nice life it would be to revel in silence, take long walks at any time of day, only cook when I want to, and not have social obligations. What a relief to not hear news or commercials from the media in any form. How nice to not go to meetings, to not tweet and blog, to email only as pure communication with friends. It would be lovely to not deal with flat tires and fallen trees. And wouldn't it be sweet for non-profit organizations to have all they need,  for no one to be hungry, for no one to be afraid. Imagine everyone knowing the true source of their well-being, demonstrating it in daily life, and shouting it from the rooftops. Imagine ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"To corporeal sense, the sun appears to rise and set, and the earth to stand still; but astronomical science contradicts this, and explains the solar system as working on a different plan. All the evidence of physical sense and all the knowledge obtained from physical sense must yield to Science [the knowledge of Christ-consciousness], to the immortal truth of all things."

Science & Health Page 493:2-8

January 16, 2013 - Neutral Thoughts?

"Reflections"
photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #16

“I have no neutral thoughts.”

We are shown today that no thought is neutral. To quote the Course in Miracles workbook lesson #16: "There is no more self-contradictory concept than that of 'idle thoughts'. What gives rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle. Every thought you have contributes to truth or illusion: either it extends truth or it multiplies illusion. You can indeed multiply nothing, but you will not extend it by doing so." I love this last sentence as it elucidates the fact that error is nothing, and that we can multiply error, but we can't make it real. This fact gets lost in many myths we live by. We tend to make evil real, by stating its inevitability and proclaiming it to be a power equal to God, good. One story I love illustrates today's subject. A grandfather is talking to his grandson about anger. He tells him that we all have a peaceful and an angry wolf living inside us. The one that grows is the one we feed. While I find this to be an exemplary tale illustrating a truth of this material existence, it does nothing to speak to the Truth we are learning: there is no angry wolf. And as we are told in the above quote, "you can multiply nothing but you can't extend it". Our thoughts which feed an angry wolf have no power as they're feeding something which doesn't exist. On the other hand, when we turn thought to Truth, we make a contribution and extension of it to all that Is. So we are seeing that erroneous thoughts can seem real and may seem to grow, but that's impossible because Truth trumps error every time.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Christian Science explains all cause and effect as mental, not physical. It lifts the veil of mystery from Soul and body. It shows the scientific relation of man to God, disentangles the interlaced ambiguities of being, and sets free the imprisoned thought. In divine Science, the universe, including man, is spiritual, harmonious, and eternal. Science shows that what is termed matter is but the subjective state of what is termed by the author mortal mind." 

Science & Health Page 114:23-31

January 15, 2013 - So-called Reality

"Another Colorado Sunset"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #15

“My thoughts are images that I have made.”

I witnessed a thought-provoking experiment. A woman sat down at a table. They asked her to put her right arm on the table, resting it from the elbow to hand. They placed a barrier so she couldn't see her hand, and then put a rubber hand and arm in front of her, with the elbow ending at her body. Then the person sitting in front of her used a soft paint brush to stroke both her hand (which she couldn't see) and the rubber hand, which she could see. She stated she was feeling a little odd because she was starting to feel as though the rubber hand in front of her was her own. When the paint brush stroker moved the brush to the rubber thumb, and not hers, she jerked back because the feeling was so odd. Then the man across the table pulled out a hammer and hit the rubber hand. You can imagine how the woman reacted! This demonstrated how, in a matter of two minutes or less, a rubber hand became a human hand in the thought of this person. This is, in essence, what we've done with everything around us. Belief becomes our reality -- and very quickly! So today I will see how quickly I can move away from beliefs and open my thought to the reality of Spirit.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

"Mortals evolve images of thought." "Mortal mind sees what it believes as certainly as it believes what it sees. It feels, hears, and sees its own thoughts. Pictures are mentally formed before the artist can convey them to canvas. So is it with all material conceptions."

Science & Health Page 86:13 and 86:29:1

January 14, 2013 - Material/Spiritual Reality

"Colorado Night"
photo by Mawuena Davies

ACIM Workbook Lesson #14

“God did not create a meaningless world.”

The last few days we've been seeing the world as meaningless and examining how that affects us. Today we are asked to see that this meaningless world was not created by God. This means that everything in this material world is not a creation of God. How can that be? We've been told that God created everything, is everything, and that it is good. But that can't be true, because we see so many things which aren't good! How can this be explained? Some choose to deny God, perhaps with thoughts of a devil which is as powerful as any god we've ever imagined. Some of us may say that God created both good and bad to give us choices in this testing ground we live in. The possibilities are limitless when it comes to trying to make sense of the confusion surrounding spiritual beliefs. In our study, we're seeing that God did create everything, and it is all good, but that this creation is spiritual, not material. Our true selves are spiritual; our material selves are but another belief, an illusion, which we are living. When we distance ourselves from the concept that life is in matter, we are able to realize that our true selves have a divine origin. We can know that we are not governed by mental influences over which we have no control, and then we are free to live the Love which is our true heritage as the children of God.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When will the error of believing that there is life in matter, and that sin, sickness, and death are creations of God, be unmasked? When will it be understood that matter has neither intelligence, life, nor sensation, and that the opposite belief is the prolific source of all suffering? God created all through Mind, and made all perfect and eternal.” Science & Health Page 205:7-13

January 13, 2013 - Why Am I Afraid?

"Aaron at Powder Mountain, Utah"
photo by Heather Magnan 

ACIM Workbook Lesson #13

“A meaningless world engenders fear.”

What is it about a meaningless world that would make us afraid? Today's lesson discussion tells us this: "A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God." So often we act as though we're in charge and that we must tell God what needs to happen. We bargain and cajole to get our way, then get angry with God when we don't. We blame God when anything less than our idea of good comes our way. We thank God when we get our way, perhaps in a boastful or self-satisfied way. All these actions are symptoms of the separation we feel. Allowing everything to be meaningless is similar to letting go of an addiction! Interesting symptoms may show up when we decide to give up the beliefs to which we have grown accustomed. To see everything without the meaning we have given it can be frightening. But it doesn't need to be. The more we practice giving up strong opinions, or by-rote actions, rituals, or other habitual behaviors, the more sensible it seems. While realizing the meaninglessness of these ways we've taken on as our story, let's not be afraid of any rogue thoughts that may seem to assault us. They can be acknowledged as symptoms of a clearing away of self to allow our Self to be demonstrated. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The Hebrew Lawgiver, [Moses], slow of speech, despaired of making the people understand what should be revealed to him. When, led by wisdom to cast down his rod, he saw it become a serpent, Moses fled before it; but wisdom bade him come back and handle the serpent, and then Moses' fear departed. In this incident was seen the actuality of Science. Matter was shown to be a belief only. The serpent, evil, under wisdom's bidding, was destroyed through understanding divine Science, and this proof was a staff upon which to lean. The illusion of Moses lost its power to alarm him, when he discovered that what he apparently saw was really but a phase of mortal belief." 

Science & Health Page 321:5-18

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