Setting Intention for a Good Result

"Moon Over Utah"
photo from 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 types of phone calls can be stressful, so I was particularly delighted to hear this! And it has stuck with me.  I find this thought helpful while 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. I neither 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

From self to Self

photo from Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #253

“My Self is ruler of the universe.

For today’s topic to make sense, we must differentiate between self and Self. The self perceives things in an illusory way, colored by beliefs and propaganda left over from our education and mass media. It may be difficult for us to believe that we want the drama we sometimes seem to experience, but it’s part of the ego’s dream of specialness, and it’s something we don’t even realize we’re doing. The Self, with a capital S, is the One Self, of which we are an inseparable, even integral, reflection. I’m not sure the change from self to Self realization can be made by a simple decision. To live as a creation of divine Mind requires an overwhelming desire to do so, along with yielding to Love at every moment. I had a dear friend who insisted on believing that vehemently declaring spiritual truths, closing her eyes and almost yelling, was the way to change thought and live as the experience of God. Watching her was a wake-up call to me (one of many!) and this journey of realization is unfolding even as I write these words. What a trip!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“There is but one I, or Us, but one divine Principle, or Mind, governing all existence; man and woman unchanged forever in their individual characters, even as numbers which never blend with each other, though they are governed by one Principle. Science & Health Page 588:11-15

Identical Identities

Courtesy of Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252

“The Son of God is my Identity."

I find that it’s much easier to see myself as the experience and expression of divine Love than it is to see others as such! I may find myself being glad I’m not like that “Samaritan over there”, or I may think someone’s actions are foolish and unnecessary, or — well, I don’t think I’ll go on with these examples. I’m sure you get where I’m going with this. The secret, if you will, of realizing Oneness is accepting that there is really, truly no difference in anyone who is the idea of divine Mind — and that means you and me and that guy over there, too. I love the picture I’m using today to illustrate these thoughts. It perfectly shows how easy it is to look at another with judgmental eyes and unloving thoughts. If these thoughts try to jump into my head today, I think I’ll just say “no”!

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

What Do I Need?

photo by Richard Quick

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 we desire 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:

“Truth not error, Love not hate, Spirit not matter, governs man.”

Science & Health Page 420:3-4

Unlimited Being

"Mt. Timpanogos Goats"
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.  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:

“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 258: 1-6

Signs and Symbols

"Salt Flats in Utah"
photo from Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #249 “Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss."

I remember a time when so-called new age thought was not often spoken of in the media or anywhere other than the privacy of our homes. Now these new-old ideas are seen and heard everywhere. Every day we are witness to more proof that this shift in consciousness is happening now -- and we're talking about it! Thanks, Oprah! Even when these ideas are fictionalized, as in best-selling novels such as "The Lost Symbol", the possibilities presented are easily translated into plausible realities. This shift in consciousness allows us to naturally embrace peace and harmony. Through this change in perception, we are understanding Truth and learning to live It.  We each support this realization in our own individual way. Every instance of pure peace we feel, each yielding of our personal sense to spiritual sense, brings us closer to living Love, which is where we always have been, but we've forgotten. We are all needed at this time, to calm the tumultuous collective thought which fights the idea of such freedom!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light."

Science & Health Page 516:9-13

What, Me Worry?

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #248

“Whatever suffers is not part of me."

I am reminded of a family friend from long ago. She was a wonderful, spiritually-aware person who showed me the Truth of today's topic. Over the course of a year, her husband passed on, her daughter was in a car wreck which left her in a coma for months before she died, and her house burned down. While I know she felt grief, I'm not sure there was despair. She always had a twinkle in her eye and a generous heart. When she herself passed on some 20 years later, I am told she went with a smile on her face. I often think of her. "Whatever suffers is not a part of me". This is not a heartless statement. It doesn't deny the feelings we have in favor of a hardness which excludes emotion. On the contrary! It's a pure Love which allows us to face hard times with a firm understanding of the beauty of Truth. After walking through the grief, we're free to see that nothing can touch our true Self or change the reality of Love.

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