Givers of Knowledge

The Rockies - PC: Aaron Springston

The Giver of Stars is a delightful novel by JoJo Moyes. This book is historical fiction based on the Pack Horse Librarians of Appalachia during the 1930s. With a grant from the WPA, a few women began traveling the hills with books for the people who lived there. Most had no job, and the few who did were slaves to the coal mining industry. Not only was this an enjoyable read, but it started a deep reflection on what it means to people without access to information (or perhaps with access to too much information!) to have the ability to read and learn to think deeply. In this book, many people were upset that there was access to anything other than cooking and children's books. They felt if women were educated, then they would want more from life, and that would be very inconvenient for most of the men. What caused me to think hard about all this is our current situation where so many feel that anyone with an education is not to be trusted. Perhaps some feel if we know how to access information we might notice that the great and powerful Oz behind the curtain is nothing more than a man creating an illusion. When I was a child, everyone thought well of educated folks, respecting doctors and preachers and teachers. Knowledge is powerful and the wonderful thing is anyone is able to have it. A problem we have right now is so many seem to think it's unimportant. Let's double down on being the change we wish to see!

"Mortal thought does not at once catch the higher meaning, and can do so only as thought is educated up to spiritual apprehension. To a certain extent this is equally true of all learning, even that which is wholly material." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Pae 349:26

Living Love

"Finding Their Voice"
sculpture by Ken Starbird

Righteous indignation: There's a lot of it going around, don't you think? Maybe I notice it so much because it's alive and well-established within me. Maybe I'm too quick to jump on my high horse and adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. It seems there are so many injustices which need righting. Many people think that forgiveness is looking the other way and doing nothing. I see forgiveness as looking past the illusion of separation from God to the realization of our unity. With this view, I can set aside my stories of right and wrong and open thought to the reality of Love, of God. Some wonder what good this could possibly do in a world so rife with confusion. If everyone lived Love, wouldn't that make a difference? I don't think anyone would deny the perfection of that world! There is a voice audible to anyone willing to listen. Forgiveness, the releasing of illusions, allows this voice to be heard. In our unity, our release is everyone's gift. There is no you, me, and God. There is only One. What a joy to be finding our voice!

“The voice of God in behalf of the African slave was still echoing in our land, when the voice of the herald of this new crusade sounded the keynote of universal freedom, asking a fuller acknowledgment of the rights of man as a Son of God, demanding that the fetters of sin, sickness, and death be stricken from the human mind and that its freedom be won, not through human warfare, not with bayonet and blood, but through Christ’s divine Science.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 226:5-13

A Return to Love

image taken from BodhiTree.com

Sunday's New York Times simply tells us there are almost 100,000 people who have died from this virus, and then it lists names, which cover the front page. I wouldn't think this would be a controversial thing, but apparently it is. Steve Grant, who has worked for KY3 out of Springfield for decades, posted The Times page to his Facebook page. And then the craziness was let loose. People started telling us how many people die in car wrecks and from heart disease. Then others brought up abortion and want to know why we are upset about this virus when we voluntarily kill babies. Then there's the crowd who think it's all a hoax, and others who go off the deep end simply because they've been waiting for a reason to do so. I don't get it, not at all. If people are hurting, we should offer a helping hand. If people are sad, we can comfort them. If people are frightened, let's offer them hope. Does it do any good to say, "So what? Such and such happened and it was worse than this!" I don't understand where our compassion has gone. I could speculate on the events which have brought us to this emotionally-stunted place, but I'd rather think about how we can return to Love. 

“But peace isn’t determined by circumstances outside us. Peace stems from forgiveness. Pain doesn’t stem from the love we’re denied by others, but rather from the love that we deny them.” ― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

Aflame With Divine Love

Thailand Trees - photo credit: Aaron Springston

In our town, we seem to have everything we need -- but is spiritual help available for those who feel there is no hope? I follow Cyndi Lauper on Facebook, along with almost 3 million others. Today she made a post asking everyone how they were doing. I read through a number of them, skipping around to try and get a good representation of the general public's feelings. I am deeply saddened by how many people are lonely, how many have sick children, how many have had surgery or major illness, how many are frightened, and the numbers who want things to be like they were before. The other day, my neighbor told me she was hiding her razor blades -- implying that she was ready to slit her wrists. I didn't take it as a joke necessarily, but I also did not take it seriously. Perhaps it's time to listen -- really listen -- to everyone. Countries which I think of as civilized have systems which reach out to people who are having trouble. There are apps to help with depression and other mental health issues. There are hotlines for children who have unspeakable events going on in their homes. There are networks of resources for those who need them.  While I believe this is the shift humanity has been waiting for, what of those who don't understand and are afraid? What is our role as light workers? I do not ask these questions rhetorically...

"If we would open their prison doors for the sick, we must first learn to bind up the broken-hearted. If we would heal by the Spirit, we must not hide the talent of spiritual healing under the napkin of its form, nor bury the morale of Christian Science in the grave-clothes of its letter. The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 366: 29

Jesus's Wife?

image taken from The Atlantic

Perhaps you know the writing of Sue Monk Kidd. Her most famous novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was on the bestseller list for two years and also was a darn good movie. I finished her latest offering tonight: The Book of Longings. Ms. Kidd spent more than a decade researching this book and dares to ask this question in its epilogue: "How does imagining new possibilities affect realities in the present?" This book is the story of Ana, Jesus' wife. It is a fascinating study of the social and political atmosphere as it was 2,000 years ago. Many of the problems they had, we of course are still dealing with. Anyone coming up with a way of looking at life which is radically different than the current accepted beliefs is likely to be crucified. But thankfully, more people are educated and know there is nothing to fear in new thought, whether it has to do with the rights of people or the way we think about God. When Mary Baker Eddy started the seemingly impossible task of introducing what she has called primitive Christianity, she was scorned in every way imaginable. In 1865, women didn't have many more rights than they did in Jesus' time, so for this lady preacher to be saying blasphemous things in public was not well thought of, to say the least! But she imagined many new possibilities which are affecting our realities today. Things which are called new age thought are actually old, ancient teachings which have been hidden or turned upside down by people who wanted control. We have always had the ability to think for ourselves, and now we can read and write what we choose, and I'm hoping we will question everything until we get answers which make sense! For all the people who have brought us to this point, I am very grateful! To all of you who insist on answers rather than dead-end platitudes, I applaud you!

"Jesus was born of Mary. Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness. The Christ is incorporeal, spiritual -- yea, the divine image and likeness, dispelling the illusions of the senses... The corporeal man Jesus was human."  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 332:9

Reinventing Ourselves

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Prior to this pandemic-enforced isolation, most of us didn’t consider reinventing ourselves in any way, much less the drastic changes we are making today. In two months’ time, we have done a 180-degree turn in many aspects of daily existence. The way we check out books from the library, how we hunt and gather food, meeting with friends in clubs and churches, having our hair done and other one-on-one body experiences — well, I’m sure you could each fill up a page with things you used to do by rote, which now must be planned. Our creativity — individually and commonly — is growing exponentially! When we think outside the box in one way, it leads to yet another expansive thought. Whereas a few weeks ago we couldn’t envision a new life, now we are living one and finding ways to enjoy the new way and grow in our vision of what will be. I’m not sure why, but the words which come to mind are “mazel tov”!!

"Ontology receives less attention than physiology. Why? Recause mortal mind must waken to spiritual life before it cares to solve the problem of being, hence the author's experience; but when that awakening comes, existence will be on a new standpoint." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 556:25-30

Old Movies

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I love old movies! Not only is it fun to watch actors we have known all our lives, but it’s absolutely fascinating to see behavior which we thought of as acceptable and now seems horrid. I checked out a 6-DVD set of Jack Lemmon movies from our library. In watching Carol Lynley in Under the Yum Yum Tree, it was very apparent everyone was caught in limbo, not knowing if they were progressive, honest women or manipulative sex-kittens. And the men! My goodness! Most were womanizers who couldn’t relate to women without making blatant innuendoes — except for the few who were portrayed as dullards or buffoons. In many films, we witness the cruel racism which continues on the fringes in 2020. There are also many examples of environmental carelessness, animal cruelty, and smoking and drinking to excess. Is it more apparent to us now, looking back, because we have come so far in realizing civil, human, and animal rights? I certainly hope so. I love reading a section of the Christian Science Monitor entitled Points of Progress, wherein we can join in applauding people who are making a difference around the world. There are also websites which celebrate these things, in case you want to applaud the good news, too!

"The rights of man were vindicated in a single section and on the lowest plane of human life, when African slavery was abolished in our land. That was only prophetic of further steps towards the banishment of a world-wide slavery, found on higher planes of existence and under more subtle and depraving forms." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:31