In the beginning ...

 From Mary Oliver's Upstream: 

"In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out into the world and see it and hear it and react to it, before I knew at all who I was, what I was, what I wanted to be. Wordsworth studied himself and found the subject astonishing. Actually what he studied was his relationship to the harmonies and also the discords of the natural world. That’s what created the excitement." 

Mary Oliver

Fear Not...

 Sometimes we instill fear in our children even before they're born. Most mothers-to-be are worried about a myriad of things, having been taught to believe it's necessary to do that. From the moment we stand up and toddle about we hear: Be careful, don't fall! When I was a child, I loved to walk in the woods alone, and the only warnings I was given had to do with snakes or perhaps the occasional wild carnivore. Nowadays, everything from ticks to the sun may attack us, and we go to great lengths to protect ourselves, putting poisons on our skin to avoid something we perceive to be worse. This is yet another example of the material illusions we have made for ourselves. As I go through this day, I will notice what learned behaviors are ruling my life, holding me in fear rather than Love. The words of a great teacher come to mind: Perfect Love casts out fear!

“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

And It Was Good ...

 

unknown photographer

I love to sit on my back deck, where nothing exists other than a forest and the insects and birds talking to me. My gratitude for this peace is all-encompassing. Of course, we are conditioned to feel guilty when we are happy in spite of other people’s misery and fear, so the thought crossed my mind that I should feel bad for others. But this was quickly corrected because I know that no matter how badly I feel about the plight of another, it will do nothing to improve their lot. This does not mean that I have no compassion for them, but that I correct the picture of despair in my thoughts and see them according to the first book of Genesis rather than the second: God created everything and it was good. That is the spiritual reality of Life. So rather than dwelling on images burned into my retina by my knowledge of world events,  I translate them into the purity of creation in its natural state​:​ Love.  The compassion I feel for all of the earth is not dimmed by my turning away from the material picture; rather it expands to include everything in the panoply of this Love, unmarred by fires and earthquakes and pandemics and political unrest. This is the least I can do for my earthly family — or perhaps it’s the most.

“The notion of a material universe is utterly opposed to the theory of man as evolved from Mind. Such fundamental errors send falsity into all human doctrines and conclusions, and do not accord infinity to Deity. Error tills the whole ground in this material theory, which is entirely a false view, destructive to existence and happiness.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 545:11

Love Sustaining the Universe

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

When someone compliments us on something, it’s a gift, don't you think? Perhaps we feel like Snoopy, the cartoon dog, when he levitates from pure joy! We're beginning to understand that when the gift of a kind word is given to anyone, anywhere, it lifts us up, too. When we open ourselves to the radiance of Love, which flows through all of existence, we are carried along effortlessly and joyfully. We no longer think the so-called Murphy’s Law will be in effect, fearing the worst results will happen in any given situation. Instead, we allow all the goodness and knowledge of the universe to be ours, expecting nothing and welcoming everything. Every good thought we send out into the universe multiplies. The good we do for one is done for all!!

“The sun, giving light and heat to the earth, is a figure of divine Life and Love, enlightening and sustaining the universe.” Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 538:11-13

Up Is Down...

Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

In these rapidly changing times, it often seems as though down is up and up is down. Things we have come to think of as constant may be changing daily, and what we thought of as important yesterday may pale in the face of our new realizations. I’ve often said I don’t like to have strong opinions because they close my mind to anything else, and I’m beginning to understand how true this is. If I believe something should be a certain way because it always has been that way, then I’m going to be in for a surprise. Every day, when we wake up something is different than when we went to sleep. During the past few years, we’ve all witnessed some interesting events which we could never have dreamed of in our wildest fantasies (or nightmares!). But we are learning to take a deep breath and listen with an open heart and mind before jumping on our soapbox and broadcasting our opinions. Moment by moment, I’m learning to find peace within, and for that, I am grateful.

“Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:21

Exchanging Human Concepts for Divine Consciousness

 

Lake George Reflection - Georgia O'Keeffe

It's my understanding that everyone sees a rainbow differently, according to where they are when they view it. Isn't that a perfect metaphor for everything from politics to the clothes we put on our bodies? Where I am in thought is how I will perceive something. Things which I may think of as being for the good of everyone, someone else may see as the downfall of society. It's just a matter of how you look at it. A line from a movie comes to mind in which an octogenarian tells us that life is like a ride on a roller coaster. She says that some people think the ride is frightening and stressful; others see it as fun and exciting. I love this reminder, and there are so many times in our experience where we could go many directions with our perception of a situation. How exciting to test my understanding as I go through this day!

“The human mind will sometime rise above all material and physical sense, exchanging it for spiritual perception, and exchanging human concepts for the divine consciousness. Then man will recognize his God-given dominion and being." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 531:10-14

All This -- and Cake, Too!

Some days are so chock-full of wonderful things happening and awful news revealing itself that it feels as though we’re on a rollercoaster! Today was one of those days. But the universe sent me guidance before I even knew I needed it. When I went to my church organist gig at 7:30 this morning, I left a youtube video on the tv for my dog, who thinks he has separation anxiety. It was on one of my higher-thought channels so he would hear good things. When I came back, the first words I heard were from a woman talking about her life changing in recent years, in that she didn’t seem to be as consumed by sadness or overwhelmed by upsetting circumstances. She also said she felt joy as much as ever, and sadness, too, but didn’t depend on outside influences to find peace and contentment, no matter what was going on around her. Shortly after hearing these words and thinking about them while fixing brunch, phone calls began to come in. There was happy news and terribly sad news. One woman seemed almost psychotic in her worries, and a call from overseas brought great gladness to my heart. A talk with my son, a visit with my sister — well, let’s just say there were at least 8 phone calls today bringing me varying degrees of joy and sorrow. And then, a woman showed up at my door with a piece of five-layer chocolate cake! She said she had seen me on my porch when she was making deliveries for her restaurant, and she just wanted to bring me cake! There is no end to the wonder of this life!

“Spiritual development germinates not from seed sown in the soil of material hopes, but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health, Page 66:11