Enlarged Individuality

ACIM Workbook Lesson #258 “Let me remember that my goal is God.”

Many of us have gone through life feeling that something is missing; that there's an empty place which can never be filled. When we discover that it's not something lacking in us, we get very excited! The mind training, which is spoken of in today's lesson, is not a system of mind control, it's not hypnotism or cult-like obedience -- on the contrary! We train our mind to recognize and release all the "senseless aims ... and pointless little goals" which have become life practices and learned behaviors. The insights and answers which appear in our lives through spiritual awareness are often thought of as serendipitous, which implies an element of luck. This is yet again something we have made up to explain the inexplicable. But spiritual sense needs no explanation! A mere glimpse through the eye of Spirit is enough to convince us of our true Identity.

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

Let Me Remember...

ACIM Workbook Lesson #257 “Let me remember what my purpose is.”

I love the first sentence in today’s lesson commentary: "If I forget my goal, I can be but confused ..."! Looking back over the last half-century, I see many times of major confusion, and lots of minor confusions which flutter around constantly, asking for more room to spread their wings. I like seeing them from this standpoint, understanding these confusions as nothing more than times when I've forgotten that my Life is Spirit. So then I wonder, What is this purpose I am to remember? It's unfolding every moment, and all I need do is show up and be willing -- willing to be open-hearted, open-minded -- just open! -- with no expectations and no plans of how things should be. It's tempting to think of this as undisciplined, and others may be critical of this attitude, but I can attest to the fact that wandering around in college for five years perfectly prepared me for freelance court reporting. And thirty years of taking down and transcribing depositions was an incredible education which paved the way for running an art gallery for ten years. All those things brought me to where I am today, and none of it could have been planned. Today, I think of this as listening and following. Back then, I didn't think of it at all …

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.”

Science & Health Page 506:18-21

A Return (?) to Love

photo credit: Chris Fischer

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #256

“God is the only goal I have today.”

My goal today is to return to Love. (Of course, we have never left this Source and, hence, there is nowhere to go!) It seems difficult to see the world without judgment, and I am reminded of this when finding fault with people or events. With Love as my only goal, I needn’t blame myself or anyone, as there is no fault to find. This doesn’t mean a denial of what I see manifested in thought and deed, but rather an inner examination and release of mindless choices based on illusion and lies. We have a choice with the words we use, and we’re learning that we have a choice in the thoughts we think, too. Let’s stay the course of Love today — and tomorrow, too!

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 560:11-16

Breaking Up Of Belief

St. Liz, Eureka Springs, AR
PC: Richard Quick

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #255

“This day I choose to spend in perfect peace."

Having chosen to spend every day in perfect peace, it always surprises me when I don't! Those first thoughts in the morning are so important, and recently it seemed they had a mind of their own and I couldn't change what was going through my head. From planning busywork for the day, to judgmental nitpicking, to total inanities, that was all I could think. I would affirm what is true of spiritual man and then end up thinking what seems true of mortal man. It was exhausting! Midday a friend came over to visit and immediately said she'd never seen me look so bad and asked what was wrong. Apparently more was wrong than I'd been willing to admit, as it all poured out in response to her. And that broke the spell. The act of speaking what frightened me took the fear and confusion away. As I read the below quoted material, I wonder how many of us are feeling the same thing. Fear not! It is the breaking up of error!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. These disturbances will continue until the end of error, when all discord will be swallowed up in spiritual Truth.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures Page 92:12-20

Divine Mind's Voice

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 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 said 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

One Self

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

Dream, Dream, Dream

photo credit: Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #252 “The Son of God is my Identity."

Our true identity is so much more than we have imagined. In this time of shifting perception and actualized reality, we humbly and happily accept our identity as the child of God! To illustrate this awakening, let's take as a metaphor the act of falling asleep in our favorite chair. The coziness of it is hard to resist, and even though we may be engaged in something enjoyable, such as reading or writing, the lure of oblivion is strong. We may succumb to blissful sleep, which includes both sweet dreams and nightmares. Anything is possible in our dreams, so maybe this falling into sleep isn't only oblivion. Perhaps there's more to our dream state than we realize. Maybe it allows us to experience what seems impossible in daily living, and by it we realize the limitlessness of our true Selves. And so today I'm not going to worry if my waking dream of material existence seems fraught with limitations and unwanted beliefs, because I know these can be transformed in the "twinkling of an eye". My true Self with its shimmering, brilliant purity and limitless Love may seem like a dream, but I will look past mere belief to the depth of spiritual reality. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys." Science & Health Page 299: 7-12