December 24, 2013 - Desire is Prayer

"Mongolian Shaman"
Sandy Wythawai Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #358 "No call to God can be unheard nor left unanswered. And of this I can be sure; His answer is the one I really want." 

Today's lesson tells us why there is no need for audible prayer, constant pleadings, repetitious affirmations, or anything else which falls under the heading of talking to God. All is known to divine Principle, God. We can't tell It anything, but we can listen. By this listening we remember who we are and become aware of our purpose. There is nothing other than the Love that is God. When we yield to this fact, wonderful things happen! This yielding consists of refraining from worry and wondering about "what-ifs". To keep this erroneous thought from taking over, hold to spiritual Truth. If you can only remember one thing that is true, that will do it. God is Love. I Am the expression of Love. That is enough!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Thoughts unspoken are not unknown to the divine Mind. Desire is prayer, and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be molded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds." 

Science & Health Page 1:1-10 

December 23, 2013 - Perfect Harmony

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #357

"Truth answers every call we make to God, Responding first with miracles, and then Returning unto us to be itself."

The Course in Miracles lessons sweetly guide us through the principles we examine daily. The Christian Science weekly lesson consists of 26 topics which rotate through twice a year. Watching these two disciplines flirt with each other and culminate in a merging which is imperceptible in its union has been an exciting adventure for me! The Truth is the Truth no matter where you find it. What I love about these two ways of thought is that there is no conflict, no space where I must set one aside for the other. They each have an elegant delivery which guides me through the the material maze to spiritual sense. May we all realize our sameness when we meet and talk. As a popular soft drink commercial has been telling us for years: "I'd like to teach the the world to sing in perfect harmony!" There is no teaching involved in this miracle; only a remembering of Truth. Namaste' ….

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Truth is affirmative, and confers harmony. All metaphysical logic is inspired by this simple rule of Truth, which governs all reality." 

Science & Health Page 418:20-22

December 22, 2013 - The Sunlight of Truth

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #356 "Sickness is but another name for sin. Healing is but another name for God. The miracle is thus a call to Him."

When we read the above words, "Sickness is but another name for sin", the immediate response could be to think it's telling us that we're sinners and are being punished for it by sickness. We are learning that sin is defined as anything that separates us from the Love which is God.  Most of us have been taught that sickness, evil, and many other negative aspects of this existence are powers over which we have little to no control. Divine Principle, law, negates these material mesmeric thoughts. As we wake up to this truth, multitudes of things we thought to be our master turn out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. As we lift the veil and reveal reality, the quotations we read here today begin to be more than words. They are principles by which to live. I relish every step of this awakening!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Christian Science brings to the body the sunlight of Truth, which invigorates and purifies. The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind." 

Science & Health Page 162:4-5, 9-11

December 21, 2013 - Peace & Joy

"Salt Lake City, Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #355 

"There is no end to all the peace and joy, And all the miracles that I will give, When I accept God's Word. Why not today?"

Falling off the wagon can mean many things. I no longer worry that I'll hit the bars, but I often feel I'm walking a tightrope between Love and fear. The inclement weather we've experienced in our small tourist town has had quite an economic impact on us these past few weeks. You may remember that I recently wrote about "taking a leap of faith" and changing some long-standing practices in the gallery. With the lack of business and correlating lack of funds, I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing. Then two things happened. I ran across this quote from Mary Baker Eddy which I had never seen before: "Divine principle brings need and supply together for mutual good." And with that reminder, I realized how I've trusted in this precept for the last number of years while building a business which blesses so many people in so many ways. I could write pages about how this principle has been demonstrated in the past, and also proofs I see unfolding at this very moment. I am grateful for this peaceful awakening!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"To divest thought of false trusts and material evidences in order that the spiritual facts of being may appear,--this is the great attainment by means of which we shall sweep away the false and give place to the true." 

Science & Health Page 423:8-12

December 20, 2013 - Standing in Peace

"Light Confusion"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #354

"We stand together, Christ and I, in peace And certainty of purpose. And in Him Is His Creator, as He is in me."

Under any circumstance, it can be difficult to stand "in peace and certainty of purpose". When we fall into a rushed mindset, it's almost impossible to recognize that a peaceful state even exists! Recently I was hurrying to an appointment and needed to drop off something at the post office on the way. As the building came into sight, along with its limited parking spaces, I saw a woman getting into her car and preparing to pull out. Great! I'll pull right in and rush in and out, accomplishing my task. Well, this lady didn't pull out, but rather sat there and made a phone call. I must admit I thought some unloving thoughts toward her as I waited impatiently for her to move. Then suddenly I realized I knew her. Not only knew her, but she is one of my best friends! I had been in such a dither that I didn't recognize her, and I thought ugly things about her, and now was very sorry for all of it. Would I have felt differently if I hadn't known her? Hopefully not! I would like to think I would have awakened and stopped judgmental imaginings without the prompting realization that I knew and loved her. Thinking thoughts of unity, I have patience with all, as I pray they do with me, too. Once again, Namaste' …..

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history."

Science & Health Page 470:32-5 

December 19, 2013 - Bring Truth to Error

photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #353 "My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today Have but one purpose; to be given Christ To use to bless the world with miracles."

The use of the word "Christ" need not put off anyone who is not a follower of Jesus. Both Mary Baker Eddy and A Course in Miracles define The Christ in many ways. One of my favorites is this from Science & Health: "Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness." Every day is full of opportunities to bring Christ to a situation by listening to spiritual sense. When thinking about today's topic, I couldn't help but think about a media-perpetrated debate about the color of Santa Claus' skin.  If we bring Christ to this or any other situation, there is no need to take sides, as there are none. Skin color, gender, sexual orientation -- the multitude of dualities we choose to subscribe to, all meant to blind us to our unity -- none of them mean anything when brought to Christ, or spiritual sense. Let's hold to spiritual Truth when faced with erroneous mortal thought. It certainly makes life much simpler!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The illumination of Mary's spiritual sense put to silence material law and its order of generation, and brought forth her child by the revelation of Truth, demonstrating God as the Father of men. The Holy Ghost, or divine Spirit, overshadowed the pure sense of the Virgin-mother with the full recognition that being is Spirit. The Christ dwelt forever an idea in the bosom of God, the divine Principle of the man Jesus, and woman perceived this spiritual idea, though at first faintly developed."

Science & Health Page 29:20-29

December 18, 2013 - Love, not Judgment

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #352

"Judgment and love are opposites. From one Come all the sorrows of the world. But from The other comes the peace of God Himself."

Did you know that colors appear differently when placed on different background colors? I recently read an article about this which explained that the way we perceive a color is based on our education about color perception and how we've been conditioned to see color. Who knew?? As I struggled to grasp this fact, I realized it's the same with our perceptions of what reality is. Spiritual perception allows us to see beyond the seeming reality of our material senses. Interactions with others may be full of judgments and suppositions when we look at the situation with by-rote, learned behavior and the immediacy of emotions. But the Truth which comes from seeing from a different standpoint, from a spiritual perspective, allows an improved interaction with others. This is true because our human experience is the visible expression of our thinking. To see the world and others through the eyes of Love frees us to love as God Loves: purely, without a skewed view of the color and fabric of everything we see. Now I know what the expression "showing your true colors" means!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Thought will finally be understood and seen in all form, substance, and color, but without material accompaniments."

Science & Health Page 310: 6:8