Heaven Within

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #149 Review of: #137 "When I am healed I am not healed alone." #138 "Heaven is the decision I must make." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.” 

Jesus taught how knowing the Truth would set us free. He also mentioned the kingdom of heaven is within. With these ideas in mind, it seems possible to understand the Truth which will set us free is the inner knowing we all hold inside of us: the knowledge that we are holy. We really are the image and likeness of divine Mind, with all the perks that implies. We are the experience and expression of God! We have no function other than to live every moment in the acceptance of our holiness. As spiritual sight outshines material illusions, the kingdom of heaven is our only reality! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man.” Science & Health Page 560:12-15

How Far Down the Rabbit Hole Do You Want to Go?

photo credit: Heather Peters

ACIM Workbook Lesson #148 Review of: #135 "If I defend myself I am attacked." #136 "Sickness is a defense against the truth."

The main idea to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

These two review topics take us all the way down the rabbit hole! If you simply want feel-good, improve-your-relationships, make-more-money types of reading material, I suggest you stay away from this. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I've found that a momentary recognition of the Truth of Being leads me to want more, but I've known many people who won’t go there. And that's cool, too. The present beliefs we espouse and demonstrate in daily life are comfortable to us, and it can be difficult to let them go. Often we have held on to stubborn memories of the past for so long that we can't seem to dig our way out and up. These things can be frightening, especially if we've convinced ourselves we don't like change. If you become afraid while trying on these new ideas we are exploring, step back for a moment and sing a Beatles song or two! Do anything you can to cultivate joy. Live life fully in the whirlpool of divine Love! Go all the way down the rabbit hole, knowing every step is sure when you walk with Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

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

Science & Health Page 477:20-22

What Do I Value?

photo credit: Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Lesson #147

Review of: #133 "I will not value what is valueless." #134 "Let me perceive forgiveness as it is." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

One of the gauges we are given in Lesson #133, in order to recognize value, is to ask ourselves if what we’re valuing is changeable. What does not change? Certainly everything physical changes, often quite rapidly. Love, with a capital L doesn't change, although many of the fleeting things we call love do, perhaps growing, lessening, or even turning into other not-so-nice emotions. The next question we are asked is if we feel guilt in association with what we value. So now we have two tests to check for the reality of what we value: does it last and do we feel guilty in any way. I'm looking around the room right now and asking myself what do I value. Many things bring a smile, and some I enjoy seeing and remembering the events and people associated with them -- but value? No, I don't value anything in here as much as I value the living creatures in my life, whether present or remembered. I'm beginning to understand that Life, Truth, Love are mine as a reflection of divine Mind, and that these are universally shared through the Principle of Spirit and Soul. I'm recognizing this existence in everything and seeing that loss is, indeed, gain.

Mary Baker Eddy quotes:

“Break up cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom, and we get better views of humanity.”

Science & Health Page 239:7-10

Litmus Test

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Lesson #146

Review of: #131 "No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth." #132 "I loose the world from all I thought it was." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

How do we know if our actions express divine consciousness or if we're simply doing things because we think we should? I read a book which contained a good test to help us know the difference. Doing involves planning and following steps to get us from here to there. Being, on the other hand, doesn't mean we just sit around and do nothing, but demands we follow our feelings while staying in the present moment. The author, Anita Moorjani, states she can tell the difference by looking at the emotions behind her everyday decisions. If her actions are the result of fear, she is in the doing mode, but if everything she does is driven by passion and a zest for living, then she is Being. As an example, she speaks to the process of buying a house. There are many steps and plans you might make when deciding between two places, but the ultimate decision would be how you feel about one of them. Let’s listen to our hearts today as we go about this business of life. By doing so, we will experience Life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The divine Mind supports the sublimity, magnitude, and infinitude of spiritual creation.”

Science & Health Page 511:5-6

Two Worlds?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #145 Review of: #129 "Beyond this world there is a world I want." #130 "It is impossible to see two worlds." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

The changes we have witnessed in our lifetime have been exciting and — to take a phrase from the ‘70s — mind blowing! Decades ago, when we were told about the Age of Aquarius and, more recently, when 2012 was explained as a shift in consciousness, I'm not sure we recognized there would be any real change in our lives. Those who are looking for material reasons to explain the shifts in everything from politics to weather, are feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Looked at from a different perspective, we see changes are necessary in order to facilitate the realization of this new earth which we are ready to embrace. As with any shift in thought, some people are afraid and working to keep the old ways, but it is impossible to "see two worlds”. For this reason, I choose Love!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“During this final conflict, wicked minds will endeavor to find means by which to accomplish more evil; but those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.”

 Science & Health Page 96:31-4

Through Love, With Love, As Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #144 Review of: #127 "There is no love but God's." #128 "The world I see holds nothing that I want.” And the main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Thinking about love and perception reminds me of a story a friend once told about a relative who had been married seven times. This man felt he was a failure at love for having been divorced numerous times, so he was very much surprised when an uncle told him it was a wonderful thing! Why would you say that?, everyone wanted to know. The uncle said, How wonderful that seven women have loved you enough to marry you! This is an example of a slight shift in perception making a huge difference to everyone involved, don't you think? Seeing the world through Love shows us reality in a way which looks nothing like what we've become accustomed to viewing. A world of judgment and fear is not one which holds an interest for me.  I want nothing more than to see through Love, as Love, with Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source…”

Science & Health Page 276:4-8

Be Impeccable in Your Word

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #143: Review of: #125 "In quiet I receive God's Word today." #126 "All that I give is given to myself." And the main thought to hold to in these review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

Once again, I am reminded of the Toltec wisdom as translated by Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements. The first agreement is, "Be impeccable in your word." In the world we're learning of, the spiritual reality of our Being, there is only one Truth. Mortal mind, ego, fights against this and tells us that if there is only one truth, then we won't have individuality, we will be giving up free will, and we will all be the same. Looked at from another perspective, perhaps this loss of freedom is what happens to us when we steadfastly believe the material concepts which have been fed to us every day of our lives. What if freedom comes from being open to the reality of Spirit? To quietly "receive God's Word" would then be the ultimate impeccability. I needn’t rely on deciphering right from wrong, truth or lie, nor any other gauge I've set up for determining what to do. I need only be aware of what "my mind holds" with God. By this awareness and the expression of it, I allow myself to give and receive with every thought and action. There is no room for anything else when I fill my thought with Truth.

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. All the objects of God's creation reflect one Mind, and whatever reflects not this one Mind, is false and erroneous, even the belief that life, substance, and intelligence are both mental and material.” Science & Health Page 511:11-19