Concepts and Consciousness

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A dear friend told a group of us about being terribly afraid of the dark. She said she had always been this way, to the point she had asked her husband to never leave her alone if it wasn't light. She told us that three days after he died, the fear she had always lived with left her. It was just gone! This story has stayed with me and come to mind often. What a beautiful demonstration of letting go! Just like that, in the blink of an eye, we can be past anything, no matter how long we have claimed it as a part of us. What gratitude I feel to this woman for sharing her story of shifting perception making a huge difference in experience! 

“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. "Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 531:10-13

Inspiring Exchanges

We're all in this together. It appears as though we all see things through different eyes. We seem to be satellites, rotating around something unseen, sometimes floating in unison, often bumping into each other and throwing our orbit out of sync. But we're all in this together. Let's leave out the "in": We're all this together. This togetherness sometimes manifests itself as groups of people who commingle for the joy of being with each other. We may have book clubs, and study groups, and sewing circles, and various groups of people who come together in communion. This fellowship has been sought-after since the beginning of time. Personally, I have no interest in being a part of any group simply to be with others. There must be a communication which surpasses the ordinary. I want stunning honesty, inspiring exchanges, Love shared. From this demonstrated Oneness with each other as reflections of divine Love, salvation is realized as the means, the end, the Only.

"Knowing the Science of creation, in which all is Mind and its ideas, Jesus rebuked the material thought of his fellow-countrymen: 'Ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?' How much more should we seek to apprehend the spiritual ideas of God, than to dwell on the objects of sense! To discern the rhythm of Spirit and to be holy, thought must be purely spiritual." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 509:28-5

Outgrowing the Old

photo credit: Heather Peters

Does fear bind you to anything? I know there have been many fears which have dictated my actions. Perhaps fear of being alone binds us in relationships which have served their purpose and need to be released. This might be thought of as a "failure" -- which brings up another fear, huh? What if we don't think of the ending of a marriage or friendship as a failure, but as a natural progression? The same may be said of a career or hobby. These things can be steps on a journey to somewhere you never dreamed you would go. If you've planned your life in every detail, it may seem like giving up to move on to something else. That's why I love this way of thought! There are no rules, other than listening for divine Mind to guide and lead us to wherever we need to be. This guidance doesn't always mean leaving something -- it could be staying with a job or relationship, regardless of what logic dictates. Listening and following is always an adventure!!

“When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452:10-11

One Thing

PC: Aaron Springston

My thought drifts to a meeting in which a woman confided a situation of abuse from her childhood. Some of the people at the metaphysical gathering we were attending insisted that she had chosen this scenario, whether to rectify something from a "past life" or for some other reason. This woman became very upset to think that a little girl would be tortured and want such a thing. Without going into the possibility of past lives, or reincarnation and retribution, I remind myself that all I want is One Thing. My only desire is to know God, and everything else will be attained without my delineation of what that is. I also remind myself not to judge others in any way, as we are all on an individual path. That's what it's all about, after all. We are the experience of God, and there are no outlines as to what that means.

"Faith is higher and more spiritual than belief. It is a chrysalis state of human thought, in which spiritual evidence, contradicting the testimony of material sense, begins to appear, and Truth, the ever-present, is becoming understood." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 297:20-24

Ever-Appearing Creation

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Someone asked me if I thought there was anyone on this planet who had attained the ideal of no suffering. One of the reasons she was thinking deeply about this topic was that a friend of hers had awakened in the morning to find that her partner has passed on during the night. How, we wonder, is it possible to not feel pain in such a situation? I believe the key is in knowing that they haven't gone anywhere. Passing on to where? Mary Baker Eddy tells us that the dead will be surprised to find they are not dead. It seems we, in our desire for things to continue as they are, have turned this scenario into a different sort of material life, with the addition of wings and such. Everything we imagine is from our personal standpoint, don't you think? Even within this material existence, some people are able to feel even closer to loved ones after they are gone, as they commune on a different, more pure, level of consciousness than they had previously known. Perhaps we hold onto these feelings of grief because we're afraid that love, too, will be lost in the letting go. I have a hunch that the Love which is left can be sweeter than we ever could have dreamed!

“Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 507: 28-29

Freedom of Thought and Action

PC: Aaron Springston

The knowledge that we are Spirit and the understanding of what that means allows us to live by divine law rather than material belief.  It's difficult to accept that we are so much more than we ever thought! We tend to continue behaviors which are comfortable, rather than opening up to a whole new paradigm of thought and action. Today I’d like to salute all people who have stood up to material laws and worked to end inhumane practices. We can look back in history and find many, such as Joan of Arc, Jesus, and thousands of lesser-known names. But today I want to salute each and every one of you who aren’t afraid to express divine Love in all action and thought. Accepting our part as an emanation of Spirit brings freedom of thought and action. The willingness to leave the old ways and embrace Oneness in every moment opens us to the grand adventure of Life. Cheers to you! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Question. — What are the demands of the Science of Soul?

Answer. — The first demand of this Science is, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ This me is Spirit. Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but that which is spiritual.”

Listening

PC Aaron Springston

Listening can be difficult, even under the most conducive of circumstances. I have a dear friend who  would often interrupt me (and others) in mid-sentence to say something totally unrelated to the topic -- or, perhaps, to ask about the same thing that we were talking about when she interrupted. One day I decided she needed to know how difficult it was to have a conversation with her, so I told her what I had observed. The results have been marvelous! Not only has she begun to listen to what's going on around her, she has noticed that many people are wrapped up in their own thoughts, and she is happy to have turned into a listener. Yippee!! So I shall follow my own lead and tell myself that I'm often interrupting divine Mind with my busy brain. Let's hope I'm as good of a student as my sweet friend!

“We must silence this lie of material sense with the truth of spiritual sense.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 318:12-13