September 11, 2014 - A Sure Result

"Moon Over Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #254

“Let every voice but God's be still in me.”

"Let's set our intention for a good result!" These were the unexpected words I heard over the telephone while working with a tech person in a far-away country. At their best, these encounters can be stressful, so I was particularly delighted to hear this! And it has stuck with me.  I find this thought helpful in assimilating today's topic. . Telling ourselves that we want to still all voices other than divine Mind, but not really knowing what that is, can be confusing and perhaps frightening. So I choose to set the intention for a good result, without dictating what that result might be. This eternal, all-knowing Mind which I will listen for will show forth in Life, Truth, Love. Neither do I know how this will happen, nor do I want to. Trusting as the plants trust the sun to shine on them is my goal. I know nothing and everything. As nature flows, so may I.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens,--all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light.”

Science & Health Page 240:1-9

September 10, 2014 - Reflecting Good

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #253

“My Self is ruler of the universe.

Every day's lesson is leading us to the same end. We are learning that we have a choice. We can accept ourselves as limited humans, or we can learn to recognize ourselves as spiritual beings. How does this recognition come about? By continually turning away from the material picture and knowing spiritual truth. It's easy to fall into the ego's trap of looking at the mortal situation and trying to turn it into something spiritual. And we, with our material thinking, cannot do anything but that. So let's stop analyzing and simply know a truth -- any truth which allows our mind to be cleared of the temptation to analyze and fix. Two times two equals four might work for you, but I prefer something like this: "I Am the infinite reflection of divine Mind". Whatever truth comes to you, clear your thought and then give it to God, if you will. Sit quietly and listen if you have a moment, or go about your business with an open heart. Let's live every moment in the conscious awareness of good!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, "rejoicing the heart." Such is the sword of Science, with which Truth decapitates error, materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and destiny."

 Science & Health Page 265:31-5

September 9, 2014 - Our Identity

"Eureka Thyme"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252

“The Son of God is my Identity."

The gallery I choreograph has been open for ten years, and we're looking forward to celebrating all its splendor next month. The entity called Eureka Thyme is a product of every artist whose work has been represented by us, along with every appreciator who has walked through our doors, and anyone who loves local art in our quirky tourist town. Its identify is a clear reflection of the Love which comprises it. This is a good definition for our identity, too!  So when I think of "my identity", I won't think of my name or all the other indicators. I'll ask to know my true identity as a reflection of God.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love."

Science & Health Page 472:20-22

September 8, 2014 - One Thing

"Utah Early Fall"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #251

“I am in need of nothing but the truth."

How reassuring it is to know I need nothing but the Truth! All worry and anxiety disappear when I'm not chasing something illusive which I can't quite name. Oh, sure, we may put lots of names on these things we seek in good faith, totally believing they will bring us the happiness we crave -- names like success, fame, marriage. The list of personal fulfillments desired can be quite long. We are even encouraged to make lists of these goals, to create affirmations surrounding them, to hold them in thought until they become realities in our existence. At this point, I must quote a Bible verse: "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you." And this kingdom is found within, in the understanding and acceptance of our Source.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Dost thou ‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind’? This command includes much, even the surrender of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity. It involves the Science of Life, and recognizes only the divine control of Spirit, in which Soul is our master, and material sense and human will have no place.”

Science & Health Page 9:17-24

September 7, 2014 - Supernatural or Supremely Natural?

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #250

“Let me not see myself as limited."

Thinking of ourselves as unlimited contradicts everything we've been taught. Many of our first memories are of being told to be careful or else something dire will happen. Quantum physics is helping us to understand that form isn't as solid as we've been told. With that understanding, it becomes clear that many limitations we've placed upon ourselves are nothing more than beliefs in material laws. Limitations are discarded when an athlete breaks a record in the Olympics, or if someone performs a seemingly-impossible feat like lifting a car off of trapped loved ones. We've all heard people tell tales we think of as supernatural, such as falling great distances and feeling as though they landed on a cushion, or so-called incurable diseases disappearing. The first Wayne Dyer book I read was "When You Believe It, You'll See It!" I was so excited to see that mainstream thought was shifting! Now, I'm not suggesting we exchange one human belief for yet another, but that we look to divine Mind to tell us the truth of our being and that we allow ourselves to be led in paths we wouldn't have considered otherwise. Thought is shifting so rapidly at this time! Let's not be afraid to listen.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“It would require an infinite form to contain infinite Mind. Indeed, the phrase infinite form involves a contradiction of terms. Finite man cannot be the image and likeness of the infinite God. A mortal, corporeal, or finite conception of God cannot embrace the glories of limitless, incorporeal Life and Love. Hence the unsatisfied human craving for something better, higher, holier, than is afforded by a material belief in a physical God and man. ” Science & Health Page 257: 30-6

September 6, 2014 - Love Stories

:Moab, Utah"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249

“Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

I love the stories I hear every day in the gallery: A 68-year-old woman celebrating a first marriage to a man she's been friends with for 15 years. A woman who is dying of cancer and just bought beautiful red shoes to wear to her impending chemotherapy (which she described as throwing a bucket of water at a forest fire). A child-like middle-aged man who spent quite some time telling me about Sheldon on a TV show called The Big Bang Theory. A woman who gave away her home and all her belongings to her children and moved to a remote area in the woods, riding and tending to horses and building a rustic cabin while living in a small make-shift abode. Her friends all think she's lost her mind; I think she's found it! People share the most astonishing things with me! I'm so happy to not be afraid to laugh in the face of death, cry happy tears with stories of romantic weddings, giggle along with childish tales, and cheer on a woman brave enough to follow her dream!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God fashions all things after His own likeness. Life is reflected in existence, Truth in truthfulness, God in goodness, which impart their own peace and permanence. Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light."

Science & Health Page 516:9-13

September 5, 2014 - Eternity

"Utah Salt Flats"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

The words, "Whatever suffers is not a part of me" could be taken as an unfeeling, heartless statement.  I don't see it as  denying the feelings we have in favor of a hardness which excludes emotion. On the contrary! I see it as an expression of pure Love which allows us to pass through illusions into the reality of good, God. The passing of a loved one may be difficult in many ways, but I really think the myths we have concocted surrounding death do more harm than good. We tell children they'll see grandma in heaven. We say things like, God took her to be with him because she was so good. What lies we tell ourselves in the name of kindness! As we begin to understand divine reality, we are able to let loose the stories we tell ourselves in favor of the Truth which sets us free. I'll always remember reading "Beloved Prophet", the story of Kahlil Gibran and the woman who loved him. She sat at his funeral with a peaceful smile on her face. When asked why she wasn't upset, she responded that she had never felt closer to him. What a lovely realization of Oneness and eternity!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“A blundering dispatch, mistakenly announcing the death of a friend, occasions the same grief that the friend's real death would bring. You think that your anguish is occasioned by your loss. Another dispatch, correcting the mistake, heals your grief, and you learn that your suffering was merely the result of your belief. Thus it is with all sorrow, sickness, and death. You will learn at length that there is no cause for grief, and divine wisdom will then be understood. Error, not Truth, produces all the suffering on earth.”

Science & Health Page 386:16-25