One From Many

2018 Celebration Choir

This evening, we began rehearsals with the Celebration Choir for a holiday concert in December. It is based around what is known as The Nine Lessons. The lessons I have learned from accompanying this choir are many, but I'm thinking now of how 40 people can come together as individuals and end up as one. The lessons in unity I've learned from this choir have changed my life. Yes, we are all individual expressions of Creation, but we are the same because of that Source. We share with all things living one force which flows through everything. This energy can be directed in many paths, but when we allow ourselves to be guided by our inner knowing (intuition, if you will), unexpectedly beautiful things happen. I am most grateful to everyone who teaches me these lessons on a daily basis. Many have paved the way for us and I am thankful for the books which help us see more deeply. Namaste dear Friends!

"Happiness is spiritual, born of truth and love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." Mary Baker Eddy 

Staying in the Moment

Kevin has a dog named Jeter who occasionally has seizures. He has found that keeping himself and the dog calm facilitates an easy passage back to the happy dog mode. It’s a lovely thing to witness their bond, the trust the dog has for him, and the love Kevin has for this dog. Watching them I see how important it is to remain solidly in the moment, not worrying about the what-if possibilities, and not thinking about what has occurred in past similar circumstance. Animals teach us lessons every day, and I’m grateful to be surrounded by them!

"When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts." Mary Baker Eddy

We're All in This Together

What blesses one, blesses all. For instance when I first opened an art gallery in Eureka Springs, I was told the other galleries would try to run me out. This made no sense to me, as our village thinks of itself as an art destination, and in my mind that means more than two or three galleries. For instance, when our first winery opened a few years back, the owners stated there needed to be five wineries in the area for visitors interested in wine to think of this as a wine destination. Yes! For the past two decades, I’ve watched people hold onto what they have without seeing how embracing their neighbor could multiply their good. Fresh food markets have requested that roadside markets be moved so they will not have competition; other enterprises don’t understand why they should have anything on their social media page which doesn’t directly relate to them. I can’t help but think of how sellers of similar items can work together to draw more people to both businesses. And I question why farmers’ markets don’t join with animal shelters and other cool causes to cross promote. It seems we think if someone else has sunshine, there will be less for us. I’ve not noticed it works that way!

“To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, today is big with blessings.” Mary Baker Eddy

Cultural Crisis

I have been a fan of Marianne Williamson since I first read A Return to Love in the 90s. I would buy copies in thrift shops to keep on hand and pass out to anyone who was sad or confused. Today, in this time of national turmoil, she is running for our highest elected office and is not afraid to speak of the need for a moral and spiritual awakening. Today, in the Washington Post, she has a powerful article concerning the recurring nightmare of gun violence. She speaks to ways our society is violent, including environmental policies which are violent toward the Earth, our economic system which is violent to the poor, and entertainment media and its violence towards people. She goes on to list our criminal justice system’s violence toward people of color, video games violent effect on our minds, the military being violent when it doesn’t have to be, the violence of our mass media in shaming and blaming for the sake of a better click rate. Finally, our hearts are violent when we abandon each other. Yes, our country is ruled by organizations and corporations which promote shameless capitalism, but our personal lives are permeated by violence to which we seem to be addicted. I’ll be examining my life to see where I’m allowing anything unlike Love to live. Join me! (And if you want to read the entire Marianne article which I referenced, here’s the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/02/marianne-williamson-us-needs-department-peace/?arc404=true 

Ho'oponopono

Ho'oponopono

I play the organ for our sweet Methodist church here in Eureka Springs. Today’s sermon began by asking us a question: What are you spending your time on, your money, your thoughts? There have been times in my past when I’ve squandered my time with foolish activities, my money on pointless, harmful substances, my thoughts in circular worries and accusations. Occasionally I find myself falling back into judgmental ways of blame, and I don’t like it! When I do this, I’ve discovered a fine way to counter these feelings:  Ho’oponopono. It seems far-fetched to think the repetition of four phrases could make a difference to anyone, but I have seen a yielding of differences occur where it seemed impossible. It gets back to what we all know: to change the world, change ourselves. When we meditate on “I Love You, I’m Sorry, Please Forgive Me, Thank You”, calm overcomes our turmoil. By not pointing a finger at someone else as the cause, we are realizing the completeness of our being. Whether we think of this as being the change we want to see, or loving our enemies — well, actually the best thing is not to think of it at all, but to simply let it permeate you. There’s a lovely story about how Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len allowed this simple process to heal an institution full of diagnosed criminally insane folks. Check it out if you’re so inclined!

“Hold thought to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring them into your life proportionately to their occupancy of your thoughts.” Mary Baker Eddy 

We Are All The Same

At a recent gathering, a group of Jewish women were talking about wearing the Star of David, how one of them had quit doing so for fear of being targeted by a hater, how a swastika had been painted on a music stand at our public school. When Barack Obama was elected president, I truly thought it signified an end to our limited thinking in regard to human beings. It seems to have brought up all sorts of fear and hatred towards anything unlike what we see when we look in the mirror. My heart aches for those who fear because of their religion or race. My mother was a Chicano from South Texas living in Arkansas. I often lamented her not teaching me the Spanish language, but she wouldn’t do so because she was afraid I’d have an accent. Hers had plagued her all her life, in her quest to fit in in America. We have come a long way in equality issues since I was a child, but when I hear people speak of the fear they have of living their truth, I realize we have yet a long way to go. 

"Legally to abolish unpaid servitude in the United States was hard; but the abolition of mental slavery is a more difficult task. The despotic tendencies, inherent in mortal mind and always germinating in new forms of tyranny, must be rooted out through the action of the divine Mind." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:22-28

How Was Earth Created and When?

I watched a Public Broadcasting Service show about how rocks give us clues to the earliest beginning of our planet, Earth. It was fascinating to hear scientific facts providing an explanation of how we have arrived at this parenthesis in eternity. I hear tell that many people don’t want to believe in science, but would rather believe something they call God created everything just like it is today. Through the ages, we have been pointed toward truth by many wise men. Through my studies, I have come to see that a spiritual God cannot create a material universe, hence the dead end that many religions run into. I love thinking about these concepts and trying to understand how giving up concrete concepts can lead to flowing with cosmic consciousness. To quote someone else, How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

Lulled by stupefying illusions, the world is asleep in the cradle of infancy, dreaming away the hours.” 
― Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures