March 13, 2015 - Upside-Down World

"Yoga in the Forest"

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 2015 - What a Plan!

"Magic in the Moonlight"
created by Woody Allen

ACIM Workbook Lesson #71

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

The topic for today's workbook lesson could be misinterpreted as meaning there is some sort of predestined plan which we must follow if we are to achieve happiness and fulfillment. What we are learning has nothing to do with blindly following something we don't understand. It involves understanding that we are the expression of God, and until we realize what that means, we have no hope of trusting what we hear within our being. But mortal mind (the thoughts which come to us from material teachings and long-held beliefs) tells us that to listen to anything other than "logic" is foolishness. And so we plant our feet on the shifting sands of materialism and think we're doing the best we can under impossible circumstances. I recently watched the latest Woody Allen movie: Magic in the Moonlight. Colin Firth plays a magician who is out to expose a beautiful, young spiritualist/medium as a fraud. His character is an interesting one, absolutely certain there is no such thing as metaphysics. After watching this delightful romantic comedy, I'm seeing their characters through Woody's eyes, being positive that we, as humans, are doomed to a life of misery, perhaps with moments of joy. This is one of the traps we have set for ourselves, thinking that something else is going to bring salvation to us, never guessing that it's already ours! But Woody's dancing closer to Truth with every autobiographical movie he gives us. What fun to watch his journey! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “Salvation. Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all…” Science & Health Page 593:20-21

March 11, 2015 - Lives Examined

photo by Glory Leggett

ACIM Lesson #70

“My salvation comes from me.”

A few days ago, an icon of Eureka Springs, a chef and restauranteur, died suddenly and unexpectedly. Facebook has been filled with lovely tributes to his life, and many people have openly questioned their existence and wondered why they haven’t been appreciating every moment of this thrilling life. My heart’s compassion flows to this fine man’s new bride, young grandchild, and everyone else who loves him. But I’m not the least bit worried about him: he’s discovering something about Life. I learned today that a dear friend, companion, ACIM student, was involved in a three-vehicle accident which could have been devastating. In talking to him about it, we were not only extremely grateful to be sitting there talking about it, but we acknowledged how everything can change in the blink of an eye. This leads us back to this moment, the now, and how important it is to be living in it, loving it, accepting our salvation. Healing our thought heals our lives. The kingdom of heaven is withIN. The choice is ours! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“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 239:18-22

March 10, 2015 - Spring Cleaning

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #69

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

I think of spring cleaning in my home as similar to rooting out hidden grievances which are hiding the light within myself. It's possible I'm holding onto some of these illusions because it's comfortable. The story I've created for myself might just fall apart if I let go any part of it. 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 friends and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. These are stories I've been building for years and years. It seems if I let them go, I may disappear. But what brilliance is hiding behind the cover of these grievance clouds? 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, 2015 - Love Let's Go

"Moon Over the Ozarks"
photo by Chris Fischer

ACIM Workbook Lesson #68:

“Love holds no grievances.”

Some painful memories seem to stay with us. Throughout the years, certain events have re-played regularly in my mind. Although these re-runs are mostly gone now, there are current events which seem to beg me to take offense. They jump up and down asking to be retold, wanting to hold me to them with emotions. 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, 2015 - I Am Love

"Overlooking Basin Park"
photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #67

“Love created me like itself.”

Usually it’s easier for me to see that Love created me like Itself than it is for me to see that Love created those bigoted people over there. When those thoughts come bouncing into my brain, I’m reminded of something Marianne Williamson said: “I can’t stand fundamentalist Christians; they’re so judgmental!” And that brings a laugh and breaks the spell I’m casting for myself, wherein I’m the kind, open-hearted person and they’re the hate mongers. There is only one Creator and only one Self. My Self is your Self, whether it seems that way or not. This illusion we’ve set into motion changes moment-by-moment with the script we have written for it. The unchanging Love which is our Creator is Truth. All else is a product of the illusion. And so any time I’m tempted to write a letter of chastisement to our local newspaper concerning activities in our town, I will stop and ask myself, What would Love do? And then I’ll do my best to follow where I’m led.

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

March 7 2015 - Truth

"Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

 ACIM Workbook Lesson #66:

“My happiness and my function are one.”

Truth has always been very important to me. Having this great love of truth, it came as quite a surprise to find out that the life I'd lived for 37 years, the name I'd used, the birthdate I'd celebrated, the people I'd called my mom and dad, were not the ones I'd been given at birth. When I was two months old, my parents took me from a niece who was 17 and had given birth with no one to help her. Her boyfriend had skipped over the border into Mexico. Her family ignored her, in an effort to convince her to give away her baby. After two months of being on her own, she relented and gave me to her aunt -- which is what her family had wanted all along. These wonderful people (who were the only parents I had ever known) then moved across the country and made a new beginning for us all. They did this in part to save this baby from the flood of criticism and judgment which accompanied a child born out of wedlock in the 1950s. Perhaps it was their living of this huge lie which caused them to instill truthfulness so solidly within me. For whatever reason, I am thankful to have it. Because of this love of Truth, I've always wanted to know it -- in every way. But in the past two decades, it's taken the form of spiritual Truth, which shows me my function and is my happiness. And it has set me free!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it."

Science & Health Page 57:18-21