Hugging

photo credit: Aaron Springston

The single thing I've heard people say they have missed this year is hugging. I have friends who are super-huggers, holding on and passing good vibes until you feel unified. I think it's that connection which is missed by so many of us, don't you? We, the huggers, were used to hugging when greeting each other, no matter if it had been a day or a year since we'd last met. We would run across friends, no matter where, and we'd hug. Events such as a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concert at the Auditorium could induce mass hugging which, I'm sure, caused the whole building to vibrate in happiness! For months and months, this activity has been impermissible, even though the pull we feel towards each other is magnetic. And so we find other ways to express our joy in meeting one another. I'm rather glad we'll never be shaking hands again, as I always found that to be an odd custom. I prefer the bow to the handshake -- but give me a big hug any day of the week, rather than any other form of greeting! How delightful it was to discover this little video (link below) in an email from our sweet friend, Jim Young! We can still hug trees, we can still feel that connection with All That Is by engaging in this activity, and we can still feel the joy of connection which comes from hugging a living being. Thank you, Jim, for sending us this reminder of how grand it is to hug a tree! Thank you Sarah Wallace Scott for making this video! Much love sent to you this day...

https://youtu.be/2zfgkCdcdtM

Question Authority

 

photo credit: Datura Böes

“Question authority: no idea is true just because someone says so.” Once again, a Facebook meme has captured my attention. This statement has made me question myself and the things I hold to be true. Political unrest is taking center stage in the world and many of us are wondering if we have a comprehensive view of it all. Admittedly​,​ many of us live in a bubble of our own making. We choose friends on the basis of the tribes we associate with — religion, political, special interests. I try to think for myself, to avoid taking gossip for fact, or belief for truth. It’s difficult to admit I could be wrong, but​,​ I remind myself​,​ even Einstein made mistakes. Science is a way of keeping us from fooling ourselves, but it can be misused in the hands of a few. The more it belongs to all of us, the less likely it is to be misused. So let’s all work to stay informed from many sources, to ask questions, and to think for ourselves!

“Truth will correct all errors in my mind. What can correct illusions but the truth? And what are errors but illusions that remain unrecognized for what they are? Where truth has entered​,​ errors disappear. They merely vanish, leaving not a trace by which to be remembered. They are gone because, without belief, they have no life.  And so they disappear to nothingness, returning whence they came.  From dust to dust they come and go, for only truth remains.” A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 107

Rails to Trails

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Have you heard about the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy? Unused railroad tracks in the United States are being turned into scenic and safe walking trails, 2,209 of them which equal the circumference of the Earth! In Britain, more than 50,000 miles of footpaths are being added to modern maps in order to keep them from disappearing. They join more than 140,000 miles already mapped and preserved. These paths serve walkers, joggers, bicyclers, and those pushing baby carriages and walking dogs. They are safe ways to enjoy nature and get exercise, to walk from school or work, to think and to meditate. As Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” Walking seems a perfect activity for us during a time of pandemic and worldwide upheaval. Clearing the mind while exercising the body and breathing deeply will surely lead to timely new ways of thinking and a shift in attitude. What a relief!

"Walking in the light, we are accustomed to the light and require it; we cannot see in darkness. But eyes accustomed to darkness are pained by the light. When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452:6 

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