The Sacredness of Daily Life

photo credit: Aaron Springston

While watching a documentary on India, I found myself weeping. It wasn’t the beauty of the country or the people, although those could bring a tear, but it was their election. Every five years this democracy comes together to elect their leaders. The thing of beauty which caused emotion to well up was the diligence with which their election officials set up voting facilities. There is a place to vote every two square miles, even where the population is so scarce that only one person is going to vote. There is a man living in a temple in the middle of nowhere — literally. The only time he leaves his space is to vote, and there is a place set up just for him. The beauty of their elections overwhelmed me. This country is on its way up, developing solar farms for energy production, and building a democracy worthy of emulation. I pray we in the United States can understand the sacredness of daily life and the obligation we have to each other. Namaste...

"Truth should emanate from the pulpit, but never be strangled there. A special privilege is vested in the ministry. How shall it be used? Sacredly, in the interests of humanity, not of sect." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 236:2

Keeping It Simple

photo by Aaron Springston

The mass consciousness we swim in tells us we've done something wrong and can't be saved until we do a whole bunch of things right. Let's release all of those beliefs and concentrate on what feels true, right now, in this moment. Toward this end I will, at every possible moment, quiet my thoughts and allow Truth to permeate my being. It's there all the time, this Love which is God, this divine Love which supports us more surely than the swirling waters of mass consciousness. Our true consciousness is expressed most perfectly in two words: I Am. I think I’ll keep it simple today. Join me!

“The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done. If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense they would not go on from bad to worse …” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 202:3-9

What Rings True

 

from Anupam Nath/AP - Gauhati, India, 11/5/2020

A man named Bill Sweet, who has videos and books about spirituality and its relationship to our daily lives, contacted me. He has some views I like very much concerning how we are being fed ideas, and what causes us to think they’re our own. Personally, I think the key to safe social media consumption is reading many differing views and developing critical thinking skills. But for now I will give you some of his thoughts: “The spiritual threat to mankind is that our individual subjective thinking is being bombarded, manipulated and reprogrammed. The result is that we live in virtual realities where narratives are suggested to us to act out. These superimposed sidetracking narratives on our thinking separate us from knowing what is true about the divine realities of Life, Truth, and Love.” I find this explanation helpful in relation to conversations I have had with people who believe something to be true which I know to be false. I’ve found it’s best not to argue, but to try to understand. And it helps me examine my own idea of truth, to look at things from all angles, not just the ones where I’m comfortable. May we all do some soul-searching and brain cleansing in these days to come!

“There is nothing to work at.

There is nothing to purge.

There are no new bridges to build.

There is only a bonding

with what rings True to us,

coming out of inward awareness.”

Jim Young

For the Remembering...

photo credit: Aaron Springston

For millennia we have been moving to this point in consciousness! Today I am going to be remembering every seer whose words have awakened this knowledge of salvation within me. These will be people who have become a part of us all to such an extent that they are ever-present in our conversations and thought. I want to remember the words of John Lennon, Emerson, Shakespeare, Rumi -- all those who have given me hope in knowing I'm not the only one feeling this way. And while visiting these words I love, I will know that this salvation is not only desired, but is here, now, for the remembering.

"Acquaintance with the Science of being enables us to commune more largely with the divine Mind, to foresee and foretell events which concern the universal welfare, to be divinely inspired,--yea, to reach the range of fetter-less Mind.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 84:14 

Warriors of Love

judyclementwall.com

Numerous times during history -- as we know it -- there have been great disruptions in the norm, usually brought on by drought or disease or other outside influences. Our world is experiencing one of those times -- perhaps the most urgent ever known. Each and every one of us have been practicing for this parenthesis in time and we are ready to do whatever we are called upon to do. I see, within our small communities, a gathering in our neighborhoods, a desire to know if our neighbors have a problem we can help solve, or a physical need we can meet, perhaps a helping hand with a chore, or simply a kind word. As our dear friend, Jim Young tells us: We lend ourselves to each other. It has begun to seem as though we're afraid to do this and think everyone has nefarious ambitions, causing us to withhold ourselves. And I won't deny the existence of some scallywags out there, and we must use our intuition and back off if we get a bad "vibe", but let's learn to trust ourselves and, thereby, trust others, too. I can hardly wait to hear your thoughts!

"Abraham: Fidelity, faith in the divine Life and in the eternal Principle of being. This patriarch illustrated the purpose of Love to create trust in good, and showed the life-preserving power of spiritual understanding." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 579: 10

Choose Peace

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Although I know peace is a choice within my own self, I want to share it with everyone, everywhere. It has taken quite a while to grasp the concept that the only thought I can change is my own! After years of trying to change loved ones, I think it was my children who finally taught me the meaning of Oneness. They showed me this as I watched the household mood change its tone along with my emotions. Holding to peace within myself is all I can do — and that’s a lot! Jumping on the bandwagon of resentment or other negative emotions can seem difficult to avoid, but it’s possible to simply witness these things without becoming a part of them. While I can't change what anyone else is thinking or feeling or experiencing, I can adjust my vision of reality. Every thought is important! We’re all in this together, in every way, at every moment. And so today I will make an effort to see through the eyes of Love, excluding nothing, no matter what!

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidence by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.” ​Mary Baker Eddy - ​Science & Health​ ​Page 264:24-27

Joy Dissipates Anger

 I heard a most disheartening tale today. A young man who works with Kevin told him that he and his girlfriend had voted for the first time ever. And now they are afraid for their lives. Because of stories in the news and from individuals, they are stockpiling food and thinking about buying a gun and ammunition! To be afraid because of who you vote for in the United States of American is distressing, to say the least. It has caused me to think about things I'm seeing, and noting how potentially violent situations are handled and dissipated.

It seems that music and dancing are the best weapon to use in the face of angry shouting and violent threats. Also, simply observing madness and then going back to your job seems to be effective -- i.e., the person giving an update in front of the Las Vegas poll where votes were being counted. Someone came out and began shouting weird, angry words -- and everyone just watched him until he left. Then the speaker turned around and said, "Where were we?", and continued with the question/answer session. While I am concerned about first-time voters being frightened away from voting again, I'm concerned for all of us who wake up with nightmares of what could happen. Is it a collective consciousness bringing us these bad dreams, or perhaps the media feeding us horror shows 24/7, or maybe it's Aunt Mable babbling about what she heard from her caretaker. Whatever the case, I choose joy! Let's keep our vibrations going high and strong, shielding ourselves and everyone with the best armour possible: divine Love!

"Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity."  

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 571:18