January 19, 2013 - No Private Thoughts

"Mongolia 2007"

ACIM Workbook Lesson #19

"I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts."

Such a wonderful world is opening up for us with the influx of Truth concerning our thoughts! I highly recommend a book by J. Allen Boone, "Kinship with All Life". During the 1950s, Mr. Boone realized that his dog knew when he was thinking about going for a walk even before he made a move to get up from his typewriter. This caused him to explore many ideas concerning our interconnectedness. My ah-ha moment for this came when I was in our local office supply to make copies. There were a number of other people there for the same reason. When I commented on how busy they were, the owner told me it had been slow all day until a few minutes before. I began to notice various occurrences such as these and decided to take myself out of this lemming effect in order to save time. When I am getting ready to go to the library, grocery store, or any other place people flock to in mass, I simply ask within if this is the right time to go. As often as not, my order of chores is rearranged when I listen for this guidance. It may seem that it would be difficult to distinguish between the impulse we receive from mass consciousness and the guidance we receive from inner listening. But paying attention to these callings teaches us to differentiate, and allows us to be where we need to be when we need to be there.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"...Truth is the light which dispels error. As mortals begin to understand Spirit, they give up the belief that there is any true existence apart from God."

Science & Health Page 282:32-3

January 18, 2012 - We're All in This Together

"Happy Boston Terrier"
painting by Betty Johnson

ACIM Workbook Lesson #18

"I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing."

I've learned many things from Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. And I'm reminded of his teachings when I read today's words which tell me that what I see, what I understand, is not mine alone.  We can observe how our tensions and fears are imaged upon canine companions. And it becomes very obvious as we see aberrant behavior turned harmonious when countered with a calm, assertive demeanor. This change in thought shines from you and reflects back from all around you. It's easier to see it in dogs, as they're so transparent. They just lay it out there like it is, no pretense, no excuses! My dog is a great gauge for testing where I am in thought. Also, by watching his way of soaking up my feelings, I more readily understand and accept how all thought affects all thought. We can find a multitude of ways to witness this kinship with all life. I look forward to noticing how these exhibitions will play out today. Please comment on the blog about ways you've witnessed these multi-dimensional happenings. Mary Baker Eddy called such phenomena "… not supernatural, but supremely natural". 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders. With like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect."

Science & Health Page 268

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