The Exquisite Harmony of Life

There’s an awesome BBC series entitled "Life", with David Attenborough  as narrator. When viewing the perfection of all life blending together in exquisite harmony, I am inspired to be more in tune with this tapestry. Once again, we need only let loose the things we do by rote, leaving habitual behaviors where we found them, in order to open ourselves to new-old ideas and experience where that takes us. Today my thought goes to sustainable farms, organic and pure food, happy animals, pesticide-free vegetables! How wonderful to go to farmer's markets and actually talk to people who grow our food. In the last fifty years, the production of food has changed so drastically that most of our young people have no idea what they’re eating. And, in too many cases, we don't want to know. Every decision I make at the supermarket casts a vote for the process involved in its production. Every dollar I spend at a Farmer's Market also casts a vote. I don't really want to give my dollars to a corporation which manufactures food without Soul. I vote for food created with Love. I want everything I consume to be nurtured with Love. Releasing all guilt, I see that forgiveness is there for the realization of it, and a new world becomes visible. The New Earth has always been here, and now we're remembering and demonstrating that knowledge in a myriad of ways.

“Ask yourself: Am I living the life that approaches the supreme good?” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 496: 9-10

Irreconcilable Differences?

PC: Arthur Bruno

It may seem as though we are all different. Our race, nationality, and teachings are said to combine to make us who we are. We supposedly have differences which are sometimes irreconcilable with others of our species. I am reminded of something Isaac Asimov said in one of his novels. I don't have the exact quote, but it was to the effect that we, as humans, would not realize our unity until life was discovered on another planet; then it could be us against them. This is the way it seems to be with human beings.  Many of us are eager to let go of the beliefs which keep us shackled to this stagnant thought. Seeing everyone as reflections of God precludes thinking of others as different. Although it seems impossible that we could all live in this way, doing no harm to anyone or anything, always expressing Love in our actions and thoughts, it is not. This possibility is an actuality which we're seeing more clearly every day. Love and happiness are our realities, and this is seen clearly when the veil of material belief is lifted.

“Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus’ teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, — the law of divine Love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 312:16-19

Life's Lessons

Every moment can be a learning experience of some sort if we’re paying attention. Two things happened today which I took as profound life lessons. A decades-old friend was telling me she was thinking about going to the food bank because of a change in her income. As we talked about this, I mentioned it was fortunate we had such a great distribution center. I also remembered that I had a bag of non-perishable food in the back of my vehicle which I’d been carrying around for a couple of weeks without dropping it off at Flint Street. It struck us simultaneously that I could pass it on directly to her and save us both a trip! The lesson in this is that what may seem like procrastination could be for someone’s benefit. Also, never be ashamed to tell your friends your needs; perhaps they are a source of supply. The second lesson is much simpler. I broke my favorite salad plate due to lack of attention being paid to the details of life. It reminded me that every moment is important. I want to be ever-more aware of my actions and how they may affect someone else. I don’t care about my plate, but I do care about people I may hurt through my thoughtlessness.  

“The one Ego, the one Mind or Spirit called God, is infinite individuality, which supplies all form and comeliness and which reflects reality and divinity in individual spiritual man and things.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 281: 14-17

Thank You, Georgia O'Keeffe!

Three friends and I went to Crystal Bridges to experience the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. What a joyous time we had together! Ms. O’Keefe had a glorious life in many ways, but experienced deep sorrow related to interpersonal relationships. Having studied up on her life before going, I knew when some of her darkest periods were, and expected to see them reflected in her art. I was pleasantly surprised to see that surrounding some of her deepest depression is some of her most vibrant painting! Following a complete breakdown, she didn’t paint for a year and a half. She then became somewhat of a recluse and began a whole new phase of her life. She is a study in confidence! One of her comments which struck me is this: “Someone else’s vision will never be as good as your own vision of yourself. Live and die with it, because in the end, that’s all you have. Lose it and you lose yourself, and everything else.” Thank you, Georgia, for the joy you brought to four women today!

“…we must first turn our gaze in the right direction, and then walk that way. We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:25-29

Reflecting Pure Light

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I watch  friends and acquaintances in the multitude of roles they play. I see shopkeepers living on Eureka-time in a laid-back tourist town. Then there are professions which could be taken as stressful, and it's interesting to note which are so and which aren't. You've probably already thought of the myriad of "types" of people you know. In reflecting on this, it seems it doesn't matter whether they are in a profession which handles what we think of as life-or-death situations, or whether they check groceries, make music, create art, live a philanthropic life, or do anything they please on a regular basis. No matter how they spend their time, some are uptight and some are calm and cool. It's simply a matter of how they choose to respond to events around them. Some of these people are pure light, reflecting Love in their every action. Some of them really want to be happy, and often pretend they are so, but deep in their eyes (and obvious in their actions) fear, guilt, lack are seen. Then there are those who dash about from one activity to another, rushed and hurried, running from something that perhaps isn't recognized even by them. I translate these actions as varying degrees of remembrance. Some don't know there's anything to remember, and when they get hints, it frightens them and they retreat into well-known beliefs and actions. Almost everyone I know has caught a glimpse of Truth and are eager to remember more. Once we touch this Oneness, we want to feel it all the time. There's nothing else quite like it! 

“Man is the family name for all ideas,--the sons and daughters of God. All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting goodness and power.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 515:16:24

Revelation and Progress

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A friend and I were recently talking about our children and how wonderful they are and how glad we are to know them. She said she didn't know how her boys had turned out so great, as she had moved them around frequently when they were young, and many of her ways wouldn't have been advocated by the so-called experts in childrearing. Yet because she was honest with her children, and she always loved them fully without judgment, they are wonderful human beings and super parents in their own right. My boys also are wonderful, but the physical circumstances of their childhood was entirely different. They attended a beautiful independent school in a small town, had a full-time mom and every-other-weekend dad, and made lifelong friends while learning about the world from their small neighborhood. There are some things my friend and I had in common raising these boys. We didn't place limitations and judgments on them. We encouraged their light to shine and made sure they knew what that meant. We weren't afraid to teach them about God, but we didn't threaten them with this knowledge. Now that they're adults, we have the pleasure of watching their light shine, fearless and loving, giving forth what they have received.

"Light: Symbol of Truth; revelation and progress." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 591:23-24

I Want to Be Happy

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I want to feel good. I want to be happy. Don't we all want these things? While feeling good and being happy may sometimes seem illusive, they are the product of the realization of our true being as Love and the expression of it. When I'm feeling unhappy, I’ve found  the way out is to do something for someone else. As more of the world is waking up to this, there are more writings concerning how we can continue to accept our enlightened state by realizing true consciousness. To share with others in this awakening is exciting! We are all doing it to some extent, aren't we? Look at the groups we are involved with in conversation: book clubs, spiritual meetings of various sorts, salons, chat rooms, virtual discussions, blogs -- the possibilities are endless! Every encounter I have with another, ever thought I have, each and every one is shared with the universe. I vow to choose wisely, even when I think I’m talking to myself!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"It is essential to understand, instead of believe, what relates most nearly to the happiness of being. To seek Truth through belief in a human doctrine is not to understand the infinite." Science & Health Page 285:32-4