Divine Mind or my mind

"Mongolia"
photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #4

“These thoughts do not mean anything. They are like the things I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].” 

Our focus for today is to notice that my thoughts do not mean anything, other than the value which I give to them.This is a fun exercise! Sometimes I think I can trick myself into not placing meaning on things. For instance, it seems like I wouldn't put meaning on something I've never seen before, but I've found I do! I saw a photo of an animal I didn't recognize. My first thought was of how cute it looked, then I decided it was a squirrel -- nope, too small; it must be a chipmunk -- and on and on my thoughts went about it. It will be interesting to practice placing no meaning, neither "good" nor "bad" on anything. To "let go and let God" requires a willingness to see everything around us just as it is, with no long-held beliefs being expressed toward anything, and to have a willingness to listen inwardly for Truth. I look forward to the time of a universal epiphany of understanding that thought is, in its truest form, Spirit. The time of seeing reality as spiritual, not material, is visible to all who awaken to its knowledge. What an exciting thought!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Thought will finally be understood and seen in all form, substance, and color, but without material accompaniments. The potter is not in the clay; else the clay would have power over the potter. God is His own infinite Mind, and expresses all." Science & Health  Page 310:6-10 

I Understand Nothing

"Snow"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #3

“I do not understand anything I see in this room

[on this street, from this window, in this place].”

It's difficult for most of us to admit that we don't understand anything, don't you think? We are taught from childhood that it's good to know things, to understand everything, and to be able to figure out what we don't know or understand. Today's lesson, which asks us to admit we don't know anything, might be thought of as a dumbing-down process, but this is not the case.  We're simply learning to look within for an innate knowledge which resides there. The workout we're engaged in is designed to develop spiritual sense. It's difficult, if not impossible, to recognize Spirit if we think we know and understand everything through our material senses. While the knowledge we've amassed can serve us well in this world, let's not allow it to preclude a deeper knowing which is only audible when the material senses are stilled.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"God's ideas reflect the immortal, unerring, and infinite. The mortal, erring, and finite are human beliefs, which apportion to themselves a task impossible for them, that of distinguishing between the false and the true. Understanding is a quality of God ..." 

Science & Health Page 505:26-2 & 506:5

What Does It Mean?

ACIM Workbook Lesson #2 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

“I have given everything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] all the meaning that it has for me.”

While walking in a cemetery, I was struck by how different people would look at the grave markers and their possible meaning. There is a plot which has a mother and father and six children, all of whom died before reaching adolescence, all on different dates. In another part of the maze, there is a grave totally covered with crystals of varying sizes. The only thing the marker says is their surname. As I pondered the stories behind these stones and markers, I realized how very true it is that the meaning of anything is exactly what we give to it. Perhaps that's why we like to be in groups, such as churches or families, so there will be others who know where we're "coming from". And maybe that's why we're afraid to step outside of long-held beliefs. To me, the realization that we can give up belief and all walk together in Truth is far more unifying than wandering through changeable illusions. What heady heights await us!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The only fact concerning any material concept is, that it is neither scientific nor eternal, but subject to change and dissolution."

Science & Health Page 297:16-19

Listening For Meaning

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #1

“Nothing I see in this room [on this street,

from this window, in this place] means anything.”

It's a new year! I love the prospect of receiving new inspiration each day when reading these daily workbook lessons. The wondrous thing about this spiritual study is that there is no end. No matter how much you understand, no matter how much you feel you're grown in experience, there is always more! For instance, today's topic says that nothing means anything. Reading this for the first time, someone might think that we are being told not to love, not to care, not to help others. On the contrary! We are being asked to give up all the beliefs and interpretations we have put on everything, clearing the way to hear the ever-present truth of divine Mind. Following these intuitions, we can experience thought-expanding ideas which will lead us to exactly where we need to be and what we need to be doing. What an exciting time to be alive!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The enslavement of man is not legitimate. It will cease when man enters into his heritage of freedom, his God-given dominion over the material senses."

Science & Health Page 228:11-13

Heaping Helpings of Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #365

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You,  Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

The last day of the year! When people make decisions on how they will change their lives, it’s always an exciting time, full of hope and expectations. We love to dream of how we will become “better”, and often are disappointed in ourselves when this doesn’t happen the way we have dictated. I think one of the problems with these resolutions is that we want to take away things from ourselves, but have nothing to fill the space left behind. So I’ve decided not to attempt to delete anything from my existence, but to add heaping helpings of Truth instead! There are four books I resolve to when tempted to have popcorn at midnight or something like that! Your Divinity Revealed by Helen Wright; Christian Science Re-Explored written by Margaret Laird; and the textbook of A Course in Miracles and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. May we all have a joyous and happy New Year —and remember to be gentle with yourself. You deserve it! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The image of Spirit cannot be effaced, since it is the idea of Truth and changes not, but becomes more beautifully apparent at error’s demise.” Science & Health Page 542:5-7             

The Smile of Spirit

"Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #364

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

Events happen in our lives which we are hard-pressed to understand. Some people are able to say that it is the will of God and they will accept that, no matter how painful or difficult. I, personally, along with many others, do not accept this as a viable way to live. Turning my life over to the guidance of divine Mind does not mean that I also blame this Principle for all the pain I and others see and feel. The loss of a beloved child, particularly when it is unexpected, would be the worst thing I can imagine occurring in my life. I have, in the past, examined what my reactions would be and questioned some of them, embracing others as a healing step in the journey of living. Everyone has faced pain, and some of that pain probably has seemed to be insurmountable. There are hundreds of books and recordings addressing this issue, so we shan’t attempt to do that in these writings. The tools we are acquiring in this study are as individual and as universal as our lives are. And I am grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Man is the expression of Soul. The Indians caught some glimpses of the underlying reality, when they called a certain beautiful lake “the smile of the Great Spirit.” Separated from man, who expresses Soul, Spirit would be a nonentity; man, divorced from Spirit, would lose his entity. But there is, there can be, no such division, for man is coexistent with God.” Science & Health Page 477:26-3

A Precious Period

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #363

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

I received an email from a friend today who said that this time of year “continues being a precious period to fulfill and be fulfilled”. I love that! It seems to me that this is what every day should bring to us, fulfillment in a reciprocal flow of Love and kindness. The smallest acts of generosity often bring someone a glow of happiness. Looking beyond time-honored ritual and belief can bring a sense of unity and joy to our own hearts. Living in the moment fulfills an appreciation within, which is so easily overlooked in the busy-ness of planning the future. I will embrace this holy instant without looking forward to the next, but simply basking in the beauty and love right now!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress.”

Science & Health Page 323:30-4