Hush of Heaven

photo credit: Aaron Springston 

ACIM Workbook Lesson #286 “The hush of Heaven holds my heart today.”

We're doing less and accomplishing more; soon we'll be doing nothing and accomplishing everything. I don't know where I first heard that statement, but I love it! And I love the word "hush", as it's used in the ACIM workbook lesson topic: "The hush of Heaven holds my heart today." It sounds and feels like what it means! A quiet susserence which feels like nestling into a featherbed, or maybe the sound of a snowfall late at night -- the hush of something exquisitely cozy. These are the feelings I'll call to mind today while remembering there is nothing I need do, because it is already done.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Having no other gods, turning to no other but the one perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that Mind which was also Christ."

Science & Health Page 467:13-16

Bright and Shining

printing by Marv Jonason

ACIM Workbook Lesson #285 “My holiness shines bright and clear today.”

I had the privilege of attending an art show which included an installation called "Cosmicpomorphic". The artist's daughter did an interpretive dance, set to original music, which beautifully explained the artist's thoughts while creating these paintings of "space-scapes". To me it spoke to the confusion we experience when being born into this illusory world. We move through life without a clue, enjoying some things and being terribly hurt by others. Then one day we realize that it is more than we think it is. We awaken to what has always been there: the kingdom of heaven within our own selves. I truly feel we are on the verge of a mass awakening. Yes, many people are fighting against such a thing, fearing they might lose control. Laughable, isn't it? What control?? Today I accept my true holiness! This awakening has always been possible. Let's have the willingness to accept it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives. Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love—the kingdom of heaven—reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear.” Science & Health Page 248:25-32

Turn Around

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #284

“I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt.”

The process of turning around all hurtful thoughts is an interesting one! Through years of desiring to see with the eyes of Truth, its realization now comes more frequently and with more ease. As a 12-year-old, the loss of my dog was devastating. I wouldn't allow myself to love another animal for more than ten years. After giving myself permission to love again, I have gradually brought my thought closer to understanding the Oneness of Love. When looking in the eyes of a beloved pet, I see those which I've loved in the past. Often when talking to a new friend, I may have deja-vu-ish feelings of being with someone I’ve known before. All these experiences bring the realization of the Oneness of all being, and I relish each loss and gain in this embrace. Whatever the hurt or suffering seems to be, it can be perceived in another way. Love fills our being from its core to its edge. This unbroken reality allows me to feel a gentle Presence in every experience. And I am grateful.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The human mind will sometime rise above all material and physical sense, exchanging it for spiritual perception, and exchanging human concepts for the divine consciousness.” Science & Health Page 531:11-13

True Identity

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #283 “My true Identity abides in You.”

The meaning of today's topic springs to mind often. Today there have been three instances where people have forgotten their true Identity and attempted to pull me into their forgotten state. By knowing the true essence of everything is Love, I have been able to look beyond these human conflicts without resorting to speculation and psychological nit-picking. When we get into a "he-said-she-said" playing of people against each other, there is no true resolution. So I've stepped back and said, inwardly, that I know there is only one solution, the Love-based One, and now I'm waiting to hear (see, feel, know) how these seeming conflicts will be resolved. I refuse to speculate on possible resolutions, or wonder who is going to "back down", because we are all in this together and there is only Good to be reflected by us all. I will not project my thoughts onto others, and I reject any that are thrown toward me from them. Divine Mind guides and governs us all, when recognized as our true identity.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Human thought never projected the least portion of true being. Human belief has sought and interpreted in its own way the echo of Spirit, and so seems to have reversed it and repeated it materially; but the human mind never produced a real tone nor sent forth a positive sound.”

Science & Health Page 126:8-14

The Perfect Concept

PC: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #282 “I will not be afraid of love today.”

A friend from the west coast visits our village once a year. We were having a conversation and he told me he has decided he is incapable of love. Now this is the kind of statement I relish because I know we're going to have a great conversation! I started out asking him if he's ever loved an animal. "Sure," he says, "but I can't love another person." After asking him a barrage of questions, I dropped the major Truth that he refuses to accept: There is only one Love, expressed in whatever way we choose. This is a man whose company I enjoy for his love of music, his passion for quantum physics, and his never-ending interest in things he doesn't understand. He went away pondering that there is no such thing as an inability to love, only a decision to choose something else instead. I look forward to our next conversation!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept.”

Science & Health Page 454:21-23

What Was I Thinking?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #281 “I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts.”

Thought brings experience, and listening to the thoughts of the ego brings the experience of pain, loss, and lack, because ego thoughts originate in a belief in separation from divine Mind. Two friends of mine are currently going through a period of emotional upset stemming from such a belief. One has been spoken to harshly by a neighbor, and the other is a vendor at our farmers market whose feelings have been hurt by public comments from a customer. I have told them both that it’s none of their business what anyone else thinks about them; that only they know the truth of their intentions and, if they’re pure, there is no reason for distress. I welcome reminders that it is my own perceptions which need adjustment, not someone else’s actions — and for these prompts, I am most grateful!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals present more than is detected upon the surface, since inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must be counterfeits of Truth.” Science & Health Page 267:19-22

Limitless Mind

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #280

"What limits can I lay upon God's Son?"

We all know of instances which seem miraculous to material sense. The most profound one which comes to me is of a woman born without eyes, yet she could see. We are able to understand this phenomena on many levels. Materially we could say that she is mind reading, "seeing”, what others think about colors and placement of furniture and such things. Spiritually we know that we are all One, and hence know everything because we reflect all that Is. Both of these concepts can seem impossible while we're stuck in the day-to-day illusions we accept as real. Let's start out with small practice sessions to see where expansion of thought can take us. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Mind is limitless. It never was material. The true idea of being is spiritual and immortal, and from this it follows that whatever is laid off is the ghost, some unreal belief. Mortal beliefs can neither demonstrate Christianity nor apprehend the reality of Life.” Science & Health Page 353:28-32