Mutual in Divine Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #262 “Let me perceive no differences today.”

William Blake says it well: "I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine Love". I understand this to mean that the perfection we are learning to see as ourselves also is everyone else. I often tell people “We’re all in this together”, but I think I’ll change it to “We are all this – together!” I love the study of the Science of Being! Every day, every moment, revelations of thought bring me to a deeper understanding of how this Truth sets us free. I am learning more of what it means that God is Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. It's joyous to expand understanding to include myself in that definition, as a reflection of All that Is!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.” Science and Health Page 469:30–5

Glorious Liberty

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #261 “God is my refuge and security." 

Most people I know are getting rid of things they don’t need. We’re letting go of items which are cluttering up our house and material surroundings. More importantly, we're clearing out thoughts and beliefs which no longer are needed in our newfound perception of reality. As in our surroundings, we look through the accumulation of years and decide what to release and what to keep. Sometimes we keep more than we had planned, but with our mental clutter, there is very little which needs to stay. Just as we accumulate more and more books and music and all sorts of things, so we also accumulate erroneous thought. Isn't it just as easy to hold on to Truth as it is error? Now is the time to do just that!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs, crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and defaced the tablet of your being.” Science & Health Page 227:24-29

Ever-Appearing Creation

ACIM Workbook Lesson #260 “Let me remember God created me.”

I Am the experience and expression of God. We are learning what this means and it's a wonderful adventure! For too many years, high officials of churches have tried to tell us we are mortal sinners and the only way we can gain favor with God is to go through them, performing odd penances and other rituals which I feel certain have nothing to do with the Oneness we are embracing. God Is; I Am. There really isn't anything else to say, but yet there is so much! We have questions which seem unanswerable, but perhaps that's because we have been told there are many things we must simply accept because we can't understand. Through the study of divine metaphysics, we find there are no unanswerable questions. In this remembering, I see there are no dead ends where I must simply "believe", relying on blind faith alone. God is as close as I am to myself, and all answers lie within, available for the asking -- and, most importantly, for the listening! Remembering what is true leaves me with a wonderful peace. I am most grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. This divine Principle of all expresses Science and art throughout His creation, and the immortality of man and the universe. Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source.” Science & Health Page 507:24-28

Forgiving Myself

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #259 “Let me remember that there is no sin.”

In these "remember" lessons, I have been making an effort to forgive myself the things I continue to feel guilty for and about. There are only a few, but they recur in thought like the moon making an orbit. Today while talking to a friend, she told me how it took her a long, long time to forgive someone who accused her of terrible things years ago. After we finished talking I wondered if we ever truly forgive as long as we remember the occurrence. I have a feeling that some day I won't remember these things I hold onto today, they will simply be gone from thought because God is "of purer eyes than to behold iniquity", and I'm a reflection of that perfection. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Question: Is there no sin?

Answer: All reality is in God and His creation, harmonious and eternal. That which He creates is good, and He makes all that is made. Therefore the only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief, until God strips off their disguise. They are not true, because they are not of God.” Science & Health Page 472:23-30

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