March 3, 2015 - Letting Go of Illusion is My Function

"Downtown Eureka Springs"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #62:

"Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world."

I am so glad to see this reminder of forgiveness as my function! The last two years I have been on the board of an organization in our tourist-oriented town. Even though I am no longer affiliated with this great group of people, I have the utmost respect and admiration for them. Recently the Director has come under attack for taking what is being interpreted as a biased position against gay people. He has been fired and a number of his associates have resigned for various reasons — some in support of him and others because they don’t want anything to do with a prejudiced organization. It would be easy to take sides in this situation. I could easily fall into discussions on chat boards which are buzzing with these happenings. I have always made an effort to refrain from strong opinions, as having them precludes seeing things without prejudice. In today’s topic, I am happy to see the reminder to hold thought to the purity of non-judgment, thereby allowing my mind to be guided by Mind when responding to conflict. Thinking of forgiveness as letting go of illusions helps me to see everyone with the vision of divine Love, freeing me from apportioning blame and feeling guilt. Namastè ~~~

Mary Baker Eddy quote: "Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being, is doing much."

Science & Health Page 254:12-15

March 2, 2015 - Liberating Light

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #61:

“I am the light of the world”

The understanding that we are all "the light of the world" is liberating! So often when we catch glimpses of our light, we deny the sight in the name of humility, or a false sense of sinfulness, or perhaps because we can't accept something so perfect about ourselves. We are learning that true humility is accepting our divine function and proudly reflecting light, never hiding under a guise of smallness. This light is demonstrated in many ways, often contrary to what we've been taught.  Personally, I find that letting my light shine means nothing other than listening for guidance and following through with what I hear. And how do I know that what I hear is not my ego wanting something? If it is, I feel uncomfortable with it, so I step back and start again. If it feels perfect, if it blesses everyone, then I follow through with confidence that it's divinely inspired. Sometimes the perfect, light-reflecting solution simply seems too difficult to do, so I try to convince myself it's an ego-based thought and refuse to do it. Ha! Once again, I go back to how I feel when sitting quietly. Experience has taught me to be ever-alert, as my ego really likes to masquerade as an ell-knowing presence. But the quietude where we may feel our unity with God always exposes the charade -- if I let it.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Light: Symbol of Truth; revelation and progress."

Science & Health Page 591:23-24

March 1, 2015 - The Beauty of Forgetting

"White River Winter"
photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #60

Today we review Lessons 46-50. 

Love, forgiveness, salvation -- these and many other words have taken on interesting connotations through our material interpretations and beliefs. Often our version of love includes jealousy, attachment, and various demands we insist upon for someone to be a worthy recipient of our human-based love. Forgiveness seldom is an acknowledgement that there is truly nothing to forgive, but carries with it superior thoughts and magnanimous gestures. Salvation has an odd interpretation which includes a paying of penance to someone or something. As we turn away from the material conceptions of these and other words, we are allowed to glimpse Love, wherein there is no forgiveness nor salvation as we think of them. We are told in the first lesson review today that "God does not forgive because He has never condemned." And we are told that the forgiveness we are learning of as human beings is "the reflection of God's Love on earth." When looked at from this view, it seems senseless to say that we can forgive but not forget. If we truly are, in reality, the perfect reflection of divine Love, if this is the spiritual reality (hence, the Only reality), it becomes easy to lay down the sword and go forward living from the heart rather than the brain. We can let go all thoughts of retaliation or revenge and live by the law of grace. How I long to forget everything and begin again from Love!

Mary Baker Eddy correlative quote:

"Progress takes off human shackles. The finite must yield to the infinite. Advancing to a higher plane of action, thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal. Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man."

Science & Health Page 256:1-8

February 28, 2015 - One Mind

"Snowbird"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM #59: Today we review Lessons 41-45. 

I've always had a tough time understanding political conflicts. It seems to me that if everyone is for the good of all, why would there be a conflict? I simply don't understand why we have these problems, and certainly don't want to talk about these crazy-seeming scenarios. We have one such brouhaha churning in our small tourist town. As hard as it is for me to believe, apparently some establishments refuse to do business with people of certain sexual orientations, so our town council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance. Now the state says this is illegal because people should be able to serve whoever they want to and refuse service to whomever they choose. Some people say, Why should we have to pass a law to facilitate something which should be happening in the first place: equality for all. We watch sadly as people choose a side and prepare for battle. Then there are the people who say they don't want to condone behavior by doing business with people whose actions are not approved of by them. Some go so far as to say this is mandated by God. If we believe and practice today's review topics, this is all a moot point. The presence of divine Love is with me and everyone all the time, so why should I feel compelled to condemn? The realization that I am seeing with Spirit's vision, and that I cannot see any other way, precludes any judgment too, because God is Love and does not judge. If God is the Mind with which I think, and that thought is only light, there is no fear nor condemnation. We could stop trying to change others' thought to what we think, knowing that every thought with divine Mind is exponential. Let's go forth and multiply -- Mind with a capital M, that is! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace."

Science & Health Page 265:10-15

February 27, 2015 - What, Me Worry?

photo by Heather Magnan

ACIM Workbook Lesson #58:

Today we review Lessons 36-40. 

This review speaks of "my holiness" in four of the five summarized lessons. What does that mean? Is my holiness different from your holiness, perhaps based on actions or thoughts? We are learning that this holiness is our true state of being as reflections of Love, realized through forgiveness in its purest sense. When I assert this Truth about myself, I affirm it for everyone. The urge to micro-manage things is strong in most of us, because we've been taught to make plans, to set goals, to nail down all the details. But most things in this life are beyond our control, aren't they? How many times do we make intricate plans only to have to change them when circumstances change?  I could write a book! Wayne Dyer tells us that worry is counterproductive. He asks, Why worry? If we can do something about a situation, we will. If we can't do anything about it, what's the use in worrying? Living by this precept has brought a freedom I wouldn't have known had I held on to my old drama queen ways. My mantra is: Only Good can come of this. For this realization, I am most grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Man walks in the direction towards which he looks, and where his treasure is, there will his heart be also. If our hopes and affections are spiritual, they came from above, not from below, and they bear as of old the fruits of the Spirit." Science & Health Page 451:14-18

February 26, 2015 - Happily Letting Go

"Parade in Eureka Springs"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #57:

Today we review Lessons 31-35. 

Reading today's lesson reviews, I am reminded that I am not a victim of the world I see, and that I have invented this sight. It suggests that perhaps there is another way of looking at it all, a way where I could see peace instead of this. It reminds me that my mind is of God, that I am Its holy image. What if we could simply relax into Truth, and not feel the need to make others think as we do or change anyone's mind about anything. It wouldn't matter if anyone believed in God, or followed any particular teaching system or religion -- it just wouldn't matter.  We could all relax and "let it Be", I know quite a few people who are ready to stop the madness and let freedom of thought take us to new heights of equality! And it's not just the airy-fairies who think this way, but physicists and learned people from all walks of life. Every thought counts! Let's go forward today with Joy, knowing that's something which will spread without any effort other than the sheer happiness of it all!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The conceptions of mortal, erring thought must give way to the ideal of all that is perfect and eternal. Through many generations human beliefs will be attaining diviner conceptions, and the immortal and perfect model of God's creation will finally be seen as the only true conception of being."

Science & Health Page 260:7-12

February 25, 2015 - Connected -- or not!

"Camels in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #56:

Today we review Lessons 26-30

I've been contemplating our connectivity and, also, lack of connection. Many people say that we are suffering from a loss of connections with real people; that we have given ourselves to technology and think we are making connections when we're actually just passing time. I wonder if the face-to-face connections we so often have are any more "real" than the computer relationships we sustain. So far, my conclusion is that any relationship can be shallow or deep, and how they come about really has nothing to do with it. Admittedly, I don't sit on my front porch with neighbors watching the sunset and chatting. But I've noticed that the great majority of communications I have with people have nothing to do with Reality, but have everything to do with mindless chatter. On the other hand, friendships I keep up with on the computer tend to be more substantial. No one emails me and tells me gossip about mutual friends or the details of their gallbladder operation. Although I have received no great insights about how changes in communications have affected our friendships and how they affect the world, I know that we have more opportunities to enjoy each other than ever before, and I want to take advantage of every moment of it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Here let a word be noticed which will be better understood hereafter,--chemicalization. By chemicalization I mean the process which mortal mind and body undergo in the change of belief from a material to a spiritual basis.”

Science & Health Page 168:30-2