March 14, 2013 - Human or Divine Will?

Photo by
Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #73

“I will there be light.”

So much is said about willpower and its role in the control of ourselves. And there is always more to be said and written about the subject because of its changeable nature. Human willpower is another belief which we can set aside in favor of the omnipotence of Soul, Spirit, Mind. Whether it's cessation of a habit, better diet, more exercise -- the list is quite long in what we should and shouldn't be doing with our bodies. All of these things are subordinate to the law of Spirit, the principle of Life. For some reason, I've gained quite a few pounds in the last couple of years. This is particularly surprising to me as I had slowly lost weight for a number of years and had reached what I thought of as my ideal size. That weight loss had not been premeditated and I thought of it as a byproduct of clearer metaphysical thought. So now that the weight is back, am I to think of it as muddy metaphysical thought? The temptation is certainly there to do such! But wouldn't this be looking at the problem rather than the solution? And I use these terms loosely as there is no problem, hence no solution! There is none if I am placing myself at the point of spiritual perfection, which is where we eternally are. Seeing my will as God's will, or the only will, is where I want to be in thought. Constantly stepping back from material circumstances and repositioning my sight on spiritual reality is the answer to every seeming problem or material question. So to me the statement, "I will there be light", is a constant reminder that light is all there is. Any darkness of thought is counteracted by this correction in perception. When I look in a mirror and see reflected back at me something I'd prefer not to see, I will remember my true reflection is one of Spirit. By returning my thoughts to this Truth, I will be led in ways which reflect this true identity.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man. Material, erring, human thought acts injuriously both upon the body and through it."

Science & Health Page 206:4-9

March 13, 2013 - Upside Down World

"Adventures in the Unknown - Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #72

“Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.”

An upside down world seems normal to us. We have become accustomed to believing that the testimony of our physical senses is reality, while the feelings of intuition gained through what we think of as otherworldly are just that -- unreal and imaginary. Many of my favorite authors write about these concepts, and some of them use the genre of fiction to allow them the leeway to take this new/old thought all the way without empirical evidence in support. And I applaud this method! What better way to introduce ideas to a skeptical audience than through the entertainment field? Dan Brown is an expert at this form of writing. He brings us thought-provoking concepts without asking us to accept them as true, such as in "The Lost Symbol". Paulo Coelho gently hits closer to home in his books. Two of my favorites are "The Alchemist" and "The Aleph". The enjoyment of these novels is softly preparatory for the life-changing concepts presented in A Course in Miracles and also Science & Health. Without prior opening of thought, the ideas contained in these books can be jarring indeed! In the lesson today, we learn that God did not create this body. God created everything that is real and eternal, and it's our realization of this true Self which brings us peace and harmony of being. I find that revelations in thought such as this open doors to understanding. Oftentimes what we think of as religion leads us down dead-end streets, with no logical explanation. "A creator wholly unlike [its] creation is inconceivable." (ACIM) "[You are] not material,[you are] spiritual." (MBE) These concepts are slowly beginning to be understood. To me, this is salvation! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Is Spirit the source or creator of matter? [The] Science [of the Christ] reveals nothing in Spirit out of which to create matter. Divine metaphysics explains away matter. Spirit is the only substance and consciousness recognized by divine Science. The material senses oppose this, but there are no material senses, for matter has no mind. In Spirit there is no matter, even as in Truth there is no error, and in good no evil. It is a false supposition, the notion that there is real substance-matter, the opposite of Spirit. Spirit, God, is infinite, all. Spirit can have no opposite."

Science & Health Page 278:1-11

March 12, 2013 - Liberating Music

"Paul McCartney - Utah, 2010"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #71

“Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”

Today's topic, taken without prior knowledge of what it means in these writings, echoes everything from predestination to teachings which include punishment and fear. Mrs. Eddy's definition of salvation  is, "Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all." When looked at in this way, salvation is an ongoing event, realized when we part the veil of belief in separation from God. I recently attended a concert of area musicians who performed adeptly and from the heart. Music is of great benefit in assisting thought to progress past limited repetition of beliefs and habitual practices of rituals. Music is an aid which opens our thought to things we have forgotten or may never have known. I love to sit with an all-encompassing symphony orchestra, opening my mind to only the music, until at some point I feel there is nothing else in the world. I recall Wayne Dyer talking about muscle testing using different items. An organic banana allowed full strength in his son, where holding a CD of raucous music left him much weakened. Each of us enjoys different kinds of music, and there are many levels of this enjoyment. Something we might like with friends at a party won't be the same as the quiet strains of Bach which take us deeper within ourselves prior to meditation or writing. Find the music which opens you to hearing the messages Life, Truth, and Love are offering you. Surround yourself with this river of salvation and see where it takes you.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes: "Salvation is as eternal as God. To mortal thought Jesus appeared as a child, and grew to manhood, to suffer before Pilate and on Calvary, because he could rench and teach mankind only through this conformity to mortal conditions; but Soul never  saw the Saviour come and go, because the divine idea is always present." Unity of Good: 59:13-18

March 11, 2013 - Be The Change

"Happy Belize Man and Dogs"
photo by Ramona Hambrick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #70

“My salvation comes from me.”

It seems as though we want someone else to save us, to right the wrongs we see, to take care of things. We point fingers and expect guilty parties to fix what wrongs we perceive to have been done. It's easy to expect someone else to do things, and then be disgruntled when "they" don't respond in the way we expect and hope. In these teachings, we are beginning to understand that salvation lies within. And so when we see someone step up and do whatever they can to alleviate pain, to bring the light of salvation to a situation, it's an occasion to rejoice! A good friend of mine regularly puts this idea into practice. She is a veterinarian and a number of years ago, she vacationed in Belize, a beautiful tropical paradise. While there, she realized that many (perhaps most) dogs were left to fend for themselves, particularly when it came to reproduction -- or the stopping thereof! She was led to return with a couple of her associates and spend a week spaying and neutering dogs, and performing any other tasks which their limited budget and care facilities would allow. Following her lead, other veterinarians have joined the cause and there have been donations enabling the building of a facility from which these volunteers can do their work. What started out as one woman doing what she could has snowballed into many people sharing in an awareness (a salvation, if you will) of how to improve conditions for animals and humans alike. This wonderful woman has followed her heart, and through this action she has inspired others to follow theirs. I see this as the perfect demonstration of living Love. Her love for and kinship with all things living is an inspiration to so many. The realization of this inner knowing and her fearless efforts to improve conditions for these animals and the ones who love them, this is the salvation we all hold within ourselves. And it blossoms when we set it free through our actions.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and what we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.” 

Science & Health Page 239:16-22

March 10, 2013 - Spring Cleaning

"Moonlight in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #69

“My grievances hide the light of the world in me.”

Whether cleaning cobwebs from hidden places, or sweeping away dust and debris, or having to power clean big globs of grievances, all are the same when it comes to what is hiding the light of the world. I may be holding on to some of these because it's comfortable. I've created a story for myself and if I let go any part of it, perhaps none of it is valid. I may have convinced myself that I like my history and wouldn't want to give up any of it, much less all of it. I'm like a little child holding on to a stuffed animal, feeling like it's my security. Or maybe I'm a little older, holding on to cigarettes because they feel like a friend and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. Now I have the stories I've built upon for years and years. And if I let them go, I may disappear. But what brilliance is hiding behind the cover of the clouds of grievance? What light have I hidden behind the illusions I've created for myself and the world? I know something wonderful is there, just out of reach. So when an old story comes to mind, I will turn thought instead to contemplation of the wondrous Truth which flows in, out, and through me when I lift the veil created by my grievances. Now that's spring cleaning!

Mary Baker Eddy Quote:

“The manifestation of God through mortals is as light passing through the window-pane. The light and the glass never mingle, but as matter, the glass is less opaque than the walls. The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality--much error--in order to become a better transparency for Truth. Then, like a cloud melting into thin vapor, it no longer hides the sun.” Science & Health Page 295:14-24

March 9, 2013 - No Grievance in Love

"Colorado Mountaintop"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #68:

“Love holds no grievances.”

How many of you can remember something said in grade school which brought hurt feelings or humiliation? I find that painful memories become dimmer as they are less rehearsed. Throughout the years, certain memories have played regularly in my mind at the slightest provocation. Although these remembrances are mostly gone now, what of the day-by-day events which seem to beg me to take offense? They jump up and down asking to be retold, wanting to hold me to the past through emotion. To hold a grievance, you must live in the past. I remember a line from a little book by Alan Lightman called "Einstein's Dreams". He tells us that those who live in the past are condemned to live there alone. Habitually recounting what used to be, or wishing for what never was, or wanting what could have been, are thought processes which are symptoms of holding grievances. Today's lesson commentary tells us that forgetting that I am Love, forgetting that everyone is Love, forgetting that everything is Love, is holding a grievance. So today I will hold thought to a return to Love -- a figurative return, as I remember that I never left, and neither has anyone else. This Love replaces all grievances in my thought, and by this process I am safely and peacefully at One with God and all.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.”

Science & Health Page 574:27-30

March 8, 2013 - Image of Love

"Breckenridge, CO Sunset"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #67
“Love created me like itself.”

What is love? As a personal value, love changes and shifts. Friendships end over disagreements, marriages fall apart, societies struggle with how to remain cohesive while accepting those who think differently. As an attribute of God, Love is unchanging. Actually, this Love is more than just an attribute, or a part, of God. It is God. Mary Baker Eddy gives us seven synonyms for God which intertwine and flow through everything we experience. These are: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. This Love which is God is the divine Principle of being. This sustaining Principle is never changed by human whims. On the contrary! This Love changes our material expectations and perceived shortcomings, when we allow it. There was a time when two people I care for did not get along with each other. It was interesting to see what they perceived in each other, bouncing it off of my own personal perception. And while these observations could have changed my view of them, I looked hard to see them both in their true identity as spiritual expressions of Love. They both share in the wisdom of the ages, because they reflect divine Mind. We are all the joyful manifestations of Soul, and this is demonstrated by sharing it freely with all. Seeing others as the expression of Father-Mother Love helps them to see themselves this way, too. Seeing ourselves as complete allows a shift to occur in the way we treat others and ourselves. All problems, large and small, are symptoms of a basic misconception that we are fallen humans separated from God's Love. The acceptance that we are Love, wholly and purely, starts a domino-effect process which inevitably includes everyone in this shift of thought, from the unreal belief in what we are to the pure understanding of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “From Love and from the light and harmony which are the abode of Spirit, only reflections of good can come. All things beautiful and harmless are ideas of Mind. Mind (Love) creates and multiplies them, and the product must be mental.”
Science & Health Page 280:4-8