Free Listening

photo credit: Aaron Springston

"Lending an ear, Kip Clark bridges social distance with offer to listen". This was the intriguing title of an article I read today. This man sits on the steps of a building on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology next to a sign which reads, "Free Listening". In his words, "Listening is at the root of anything good that exists between people. It can have a powerful impact when done with sincerity and presence." Listening is a prominent theme in these days of misunderstanding, and finding ways to hear others weighs heavily on my mind. This man says he offers no advice, but pays attention without judgment, speaking if it seems appropriate, but mainly listening. Even before this time of quarantine and separation, many people felt isolated, and now the feeling is very intense for many. We all can listen with attention and respond when it feels right, allowing communication to create unity. This could pertain to someone who lives in our home, or a friend far away, or the clerk in the food market. I feel excited at the prospect of being a sounding board during these times of immediate response and rebuttal via social media! Who knows what opportunities tomorrow may bring? Perhaps that scammer calling on the telephone needs me to listen? :)

"Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,--this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:32

Hold Thought Steadfastly

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photo credit: Datura Böes

In looking over past postings, I came across this one I want to ponder at the start of this week. “We do ourselves a great disservice when we let the bitter opinions of others mingle and subvert our own thoughts.” (Dodinsky) This brought to mind one of the Four Agreements as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz: “Don’t take anything personally.”  It seems as though these two thoughts summarize exactly what I’m feeling right now. And these ideas remind me of Gandhi’s wisdom: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change toward him.” Namastè, dear Friends.

“Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 261:4-7

Forgiveness

Righteous indignation: There's a lot of it going around, don't you think? Perhaps I notice it because I'm expressing it, too. Maybe I'm too quick to jump on my high horse and adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. Some people think of forgiveness as looking the other way and doing nothing, but we are learning that forgiveness is seeing past the illusion of separation to the reality of our unity. With this view, I can set aside my stories of right and wrong, opening thought to the reality of Love. Some people wonder what good this could possibly do in a world rife with confusion. If everyone lived Love, opening themselves to listen for guidance on how to understand and practice this type of forgiveness — well, just imagine the utopia! There exists a voice audible to anyone willing to listen. Forgiveness, the releasing of illusions, allows this voice to be found. In our unity, one release is everyone's gift. There is no you, me, and God. There is only One. What a joy to be finding our voice!

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9

Nothing Impossible to Truth and Love

photo credit: Datura Böes

I know many people who consider themselves social activists. They have worked for years to improve our environment, politics, and the multitude of things in need of advancement. Some have told me they are tired of the fight. I am extremely grateful to each and every one of you who work to clean up rivers, who are passionate about producing uncontaminated food, who stand up to various tyrants and declare, "The emperor has no clothes!" Not a single person has told me that they're tired of the physical effort involved in these projects; it's the butting up against thought stuck in strong opinion, or fueled by hate and fear. Those things are what is frustrating to them. This is where our metaphysical advice can be helpful: Don't try to change anyone else's mind, only your own. More and more of us are witnessing truth brought to seemingly impossible situations, and we're finding that new avenues of action appear when this is done. There is no need to defend ourselves nor to proclaim our own strong opinions in support of this Truth. Knowing it, within our own selves, is sufficient!

“As when an acid and alkali meet and bring out a third quality, so mental and moral chemistry changes the material base of thought, giving more spirituality to consciousness and causing it to depend less on material evidence.”  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 422:14-18

Door To The Other Side

photo credit: Datura Böes

One of my favorite Facebook friends is someone whom I've never met in person -- at least I don't think I have! We share many mutual friends and I love her photographs, her words, her cooking, her animals, and her family. This is what she wrote to go along with the photo I include today: "In noticing the small details of life, we find gratitude. And in that gratitude - hope. - D. Böes" If I'm feeling happy, this woman's posts bring me greater joy; if I'm down, she helps me see the light again. I am grateful for every one of you who keep on looking up when there are so many sinkholes lurking around us. In stepping away from the turmoil, returning to nature, listening to voices of Love, we rejuvenate ourselves and, hence, everyone. I had a mini-meltdown today precipitated by all the vitriol  our "leaders" throw at us all day, every day. My dear Kevin helped me to see that important things are happening in our world and I can't stick my head in the sand. I helped him to understand how I want to know what's happening, but not all the details of how we get there. Having a little crying jag now and then is a good thing, I think. Then I can get up and see something wonderful, like Datura's words and photos, and find the strength to keep on doing what I need to do. Please, feel free to reach out if you hit that wall. There is always a door to the other side!

"Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 516:12

Heaven Within

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Years ago, I knew a young woman who would often fall to her knees and beg God to forgive her and not send her to hell. At the slightest transgression, she would verbally do this! She wouldn’t always kneel during this entreaty, but even a simple verbal request was a surprising event for anyone in her presence. She also would tell me I was going to hell for numerous reasons, one of which was because I didn’t believe in it. She told me it was the devil’s greatest victory, convincing people there was no such place. I remember mentioning that Jesus told us the kingdom of heaven was within, and she said yes, that it was within Jesus; not us. Nowadays, I would probably tell her this was the ego’s biggest victory, to think she was not holy enough for heaven to be found within her. I might have a discussion with her about duality and the belief that there must be an opposite for everything. I could even tell her that the acceptance of Truth obviates any need for choosing heaven or hell, because there is only Truth with no opposite. Hum — maybe I should just know the Truth for myself and let it be!

“The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 560:12-15

The Elders

 

I slept late this morning and woke up dreaming of well-loved and respected relatives who passed on many years ago. It was a happy dream and I carried their memories sweetly today. These feelings prompted me to telephone a 97-year-old half sister in Beaumont, and a 97-year old sister-in-law in Dallas. Both of these women have lived a full and active life, and even though they are now housebound they continue to find ways to remain joyous. Lucy and Ora Beth have many things in common, including their voracious appetite for biased news. They joyfully told me what Rush Limbaugh had to say today and their belief that they were well-informed by their reading of the Epoch News. Numerous times I reminded myself that I had a choice of being kind or right; telling slant truth when possible, and keeping quiet when I wanted to shout. I am grateful for these dear women, and for their strong opinions built from years of hardship and minding their manners. My very favorite relative passed away in October, having lived 93 years in Lubbock. These tough Texas women have enriched the lives of everyone they touched, no matter how briefly, myself included. Thank you, ​elders of our clan, for your love!

​"Jesus acknowledged no ties of the flesh. ... He recognized Spirit, God, as the only creator, and therefore as the Father of all." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 31:4​