Opening the Petals of Purpose

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A short documentary has been made about a ship, the SS Quanza, and the 83 mostly Belgium Jewish people who were trying to enter the United States in 1940. Many ships had been turned away at that time, with hundreds of their passengers returned to their homeland for extermination. This ship’s youngest passenger, Annette Yachmann, is still living and enjoying a happy life teaching writing at a community college in New York and being a grandmother. She recalls the horror of being trapped on the ship, but is grateful that she was with her mother. She is vocally rebelling against the treatment of children who are separated from their parents as they attempt to enter the United States. The maker of this film, Laura Seltzer-Duny, tells of Eleanor Roosevelt’s extraordinary efforts to bring these people into our country. She also documents the efforts of others who were integral in the humanitarian effort, including a married couple who were lawyers and used maritime law to stalls the ship’s return to Europe. The movie is called “Nobody Wants Us”. It was made with the hope of educating people on the plight of immigrants and the historical fate of those turned away. I spoke yesterday of education being essential in creating compassion. This is a perfect example. We all have purpose, and this filmmaker has certainly discovered hers! 

"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." Mary Baker Eddy 

Doublespeak - What is Truth?

I read a rather long article about Friedrich Nietzsche today. It seems everyone, no matter their political persuasion, can make a case that he is writing just for them, supporting their views, and inspiring them to further heights of egotistical thought. While reading this, other instances came to mind of how we take songs and/or books and twist them into our own. I was talking to an uber-conservative and she mentioned the song, “For What It’s Worth” and how it perfectly expressed what she felt about the current political scene. Well, darn, that was “our” song! It came out in 1966 and was thought of as a protest song, beloved by hippies and free-thinkers. Here is a verse:

“There’s battle lines being drawn. 

Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong. 
Young people speaking their minds, 
Getting so much resistance from behind. 
It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound? 
Everybody look what’s going down.”

The same thing happened with the novel 1984. I hear that white supremacists think it is supporting their stand. Orwell’s use of the term “doublespeak” seems to jive with “alternative facts”, and somehow everything is turned around to fit anyone’s point of view. From 1984: “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.” 

I always thought truth was obvious, as were lies. Perhaps I, too, have been brainwashed into misunderstanding. I shall examine this... 

"The question, 'What is Truth,' convulses the world. Many are ready to meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding; but more are blinded by their old illusions, and try to 'give it pause.' 'If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.'" Mary Baker Eddy

Dream, Dream, Dream...

ceramic creation by Ken Starbird - Dreams

Sleeping dreams are interesting things, don’t you think? As a child, I had a two recurring nightmares, and can still remember the feelings when I think of them. During the years I had to wake up early without the luxury of hitting a snooze button, I don’t remember many dreams. Now that I can wake up and go back to sleep for a while, I have more lucid dreams where I can think about what’s happening and even have some control of events. Many of my friends interpret their dreams and find meanings which extend to daily life. I don’t consciously do so, but often the nighttime events come back to thought during the day, and sometimes they seem to tell me to be aware. Then again, we should always be awake to events around us and intuition within us, so I rarely feel they are a portent of doom or goodness. I look forward to fun dreams where I get to visit with loved ones long gone from material sight. What do you dream about? Do you enjoy the experience? I hope so...  

"...Is there any more reality in the waking dream of mortal existence than in the sleeping dream? There cannot be, since whatever appears to be a mortal man is a mortal dream. Take away the mortal mind, and matter has no more sense as a man than it has as a tree. But the spiritual, real man is immortal." Mary Baker Eddy 

Tribes and Oneness

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Today my thoughts have repeatedly turned to tribes and the cocoon in which I feel wrapped, here in Eureka Springs. There are any number of groups of people I feel a deep kinship toward, but (as in high school) there is no limiting identity with any one. I remember when my boys and I moved here almost 25 years ago. It was to attend the Clear Spring School. One of the mothers told me this school was a way of life, and I soon found out what she meant. We worked together to raise money to keep the school viable, and leaned on each other for child care and support in every avenue of life. This was a total-immersion situation unlike any other I’ve encountered. In the past, I have loved our metaphysical group and my Eureka Thyme family; now I feel a deep kinship with the two churches where I play keyboards and the choirs I accompany, along with the duplicate bridge community, our Course in Miracles group, and my book club. Every day our lives expand to include others we meet. And this practice of non-duality we study opens us to the universal family fluttering just out of sight! Life is Good! 

"Selfishness tips the beam of human existence towards the side of error, not towards Truth. Denial of the oneness of Mind throws our weight into the scale, not of Spirit, God, good, but of matter." Mary Baker Eddy 

What Do I Want?

photo credit: Steve Shogren

I want to write about the Kurds and how they do the unspeakable in the name of honor. I want to write about our president and his cohorts, and what they do in the name of greed and power. I want to write about my acquaintances, who are still defending the dishonesty in our government; also the conservatives who have realized there is no conservation in their chosen political party. I want to write about the pain of those who love goodness and truth; who cry out for full disclosure, no matter who may fall in this facing of facts, knowing this is the only way to reclaim the lofty ideals of our founding fathers. I want to write about the slaves who were abused by those founders, and the aftermath of our self-righteous bigotry. But I’d rather write about the new earth this cleansing will bring us, the beauty left in the aftermath of this torment, and the love we have not forgotten.

“How willing are you to forgive your brother? How much do you desire peace instead of endless strife and misery and pain? These questions are the same, in different form. Forgiveness is your peace, for herein lies the end of separation and the dream of danger and destruction, sin and death; of madness and of murder, grief and loss. This is the ‘sacrifice’ salvation asks, and gladly offers peace instead of this.” A Course in Miracles

Falling off the Vegan Wagon

photo credit: Aaron Springston

A few years back, I decided to stop eating meat. I was invited to dinner at a friends house, along with three others. When I had been to this man's home before, it was for the salons we created and attended for 10 months, so it was easy to bypass the meat in the buffet line, hence I had not mentioned I was vegetarian. This particular evening was more formal, as he was introducing himself to his neighbors, who also happened to be artists I knew from my gallery. There was no serve-yourself, and he set in front of me a huge slab of meat and a few carrots and asparagus spears. I thought of my options: not eat the meat and hurt his feelings, or do as Jesus advised his disciples and eat what is put before you, which I did. Tonight I was at a gathering of our Course in Miracles group and a woman mentioned that she had fallen off the vegan wagon and had a hamburger. She looked at me and said she remembered the above story when I told it at a previous meeting, and it brought her peace, keeping her from beating herself up over her food choice. It caused me to realize we're all doing the best that we can, and at any given time that best is different! Let's all be gentle with ourselves, and others, remembering to be kind rather than right.

"The fact is, food does not affect the absolute Life of man, and this becomes self-evident, when we learn that God is our Life. Because sin and sickness are not qualities of Soul, or Life, we have hope in immortality, but it would be foolish to venture beyond our present understanding, foolish to stop eating until we gain perfection and a clear comprehension of the living Spirit. In that perfect day of understanding, we shall neither eat to live nor live to eat." Mary Baker Eddy 

Perfectly Imperfect

photo credit: Aaron Springston

One of my favorite essay writers is named Robert Klose. For the past 20 years or so, I’ve followed his single parenting of two adopted boys, seen him through many nature adventures in Maine, and realized we are kindred spirits. Today I read a piece called “Perfectly at home with imperfection”. He talks of going to buy a canoe and seeing one priced so low he had to ask, "What’s wrong with it?" The salesman replied, “She don’t float right”. “I’ll take it!”, he said. He found he had to sit to the left side to compensate, but he’s very happy with that. He bought a window that had a bubble in the glass, and it shone like a jewel in the sunlight. He states that if you get something in perfect condition, you are disappointed, perhaps even feel betrayed, when it gets a dent or imperfection from regular wear and tear. I’m with him on these things! As he said, “How wonderful is the world of the imperfect!”

"Mortal thought transmits its own images, and forms its offspring after human illusions." Mary Baker Eddy